Chapter 670: Suppressed by the World
On top of the Sword Qi Great Wall, a paper kite flew high into the sky. The paper kite swept past. Zhao Geyi and Cheng Quan, for the first time ever, were not sitting facing each other. The two sworn brothers sat side by side on the northern section of the city wall, gazing down at a certain alley in the city.
Zhao Geyi turned his head to glance at the paper kite in the sky. Only that son of a bitch A Liang would mess around like this on the city wall.
In the past, that man would always have a bunch of hangers-on following him. Among the previous group of children, there would be Chen Sanqiu, Dong Bude, Dong Huafu, Die Zhang. A couple of groups earlier, there were Chou Miao, Gao Yehou, Luo Zhenyi, and the others.
Zhao Geyi withdrew his gaze and continued complaining about Cheng Quan's inadequate aptitude, that refining the mountain was too slow, a waste of his earlier assistance in protecting the formation and moving the mountain.
Cheng Quan held in his palm a seal with the willow-leaf script inscription "carelessly," then clenched both fists as if he needed to carefully guard that "carelessness." Cheng Quan did not argue with his old friend but instead asked, "Do sword immortals in the Haoran World not have as many romantic entanglements?"
Zhao Geyi laughed, "Not necessarily. Look at Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple—isn't he just a lovelorn seed? According to rumors, he even has some connection with Chen Ping'an. But such sentimental sword immortals are still a minority. Most are like Pu He and Xie Zhi, who don't take romantic love very seriously."
Cheng Quan was silent for a moment, then spoke through mind transmission: "If the two of us accumulated enough battle merits, it might be enough for one person to leave. I'm fairly familiar with the Second Steward; we get along well. Should I have a word with him?"
Zhao Geyi sneered, "That kid must have fed you some magic potion for you to be so devoted to him? Since when did Cheng Quan, apart from cursing people, learn to beg others?"
The Sword Qi Great Wall had many disappointing sword cultivators.
For example, Mi Hu, whose talent was even better than Yue Qing's. Even though he was now a great sword immortal, he was still full of regrets. Mi Hu should have been the most promising candidate to rank among the top ten sword immortals.
There was also Mi Hu's younger brother, Mi Yu, who couldn't break through his bottleneck no matter what, stuck at the Jade Pu realm. Then there was Cheng Quan beside Zhao Geyi, who had fallen from realm to the Nascent Soul stage. And Yin Chen, who had never managed to reach the Upper Five Realms. Yan Ming, who, after losing both arms, turned to become a merchant reeking of copper coins. Such sword cultivators were abundant at the Sword Qi Great Wall, and among the younger generation, there was now Pang Yuanji.
Cheng Quan said, "I'm not joking with you."
Zhao Geyi laughed, "Do you think it's easier for a stabilizing sea needle Jade Pu realm sword immortal to leave, or for a useless Nascent Soul cultivator to slink away to the Haoran World?"
Sword cultivators accumulated battle merits, mostly used for nourishing swords. To fill this bottomless pit, the merit rolls of the Hidden Official lineage were constantly being added to and subtracted, with very little surplus left even for sword immortals. Sword immortals had large battle merits, but their flying swords were of high quality and consumed heavily. For example, the great sword immortal Yue Qing had nearly no remaining battle merits. Mi Hu had squandered his battle merits for his younger brother Mi Yu, hindering his own cultivation. As for someone like Lu Zhi, who only increased her battle merits and never decreased them, she was an extreme rarity.
Cheng Quan said, "You should try to go to the Haoran World. Take on a few disciples, find a compatible Dao partner from the mountains, and establish your own sect there. If you're generous enough, hang a portrait of me in the founder's hall."
A man had squatted behind them at some unknown time. The wind on the city wall was strong, and the paper kite drifted and swayed above the three of them.
A Liang laughed, "What's the point of hanging Cheng Quan's portrait? Two grown men standing close together might cause misunderstandings. If you're going to hang one, hang Caiyun's—what a beautiful girl she is! Brother Zhao can tell your disciples and descendants every day, 'This is your master's wife, your founding matriarch.' In the early years of the Sword Qi Great Wall, there was a bastard named Cheng Quan, whose swordsmanship was terrible and who looked like a disfigured gourd, yet he dared to covet your founding matriarch's beauty for many years..."
Cheng Quan cursed, "Bullshit! Last time Zhao Geyi went out of the city to help me move the mountain, he let it slip. He admitted it himself—the person Caiyun likes is..."
At this point, Cheng Quan stopped mid-sentence and couldn't continue.
A Liang said, "If one can leave, let one leave."
After saying this, A Liang stood up and continued flying the paper kite.
Passing by an empty spot, A Liang lingered for a long time, then let go of the kite, which instantly drifted away into the sea of clouds.
A Liang strolled along, and since most of the sword immortals stationed on the city wall were old acquaintances, he could chat with anyone.
At one spot, there were many people, all out-of-town sword cultivators. Three sword immortals were instructing three younger sword cultivators in swordsmanship, all sitting cross-legged, talking happily.
A Liang rubbed his hands and jogged over. One of the female sword immortals was about to get up and leave. A Liang couldn't stand this—seeing her brother A Liang, why be so shy? He immediately wanted to take a walk with that sword immortal sister. The city wall was extremely high, with many clouds gathering and dispersing at their feet, the sunset glow forming colorful silk between water and sky—such a beautiful scenery, perfect for a talented scholar and a beautiful woman to talk heart-to-heart. Not a divine couple, yet surpassing one.
The woman realized she couldn't escape. Choosing the lesser of two evils, she sat back down. At any rate, she was unwilling to be alone with this man.
The three sword immortals were: Xie Zhi from Fuyao Continent, who came from a wild cultivator background and had remained solitary all his life, not even willing to take a disciple. But he had just changed his mind and planned to take one or two direct disciples at the Sword Qi Great Wall to pass on his legacy—not selecting those with astonishing talent, but those who suited his taste, who had great perseverance, who excelled in temperament and tenacity, because Sword Immortal Xie Zhi himself was not a particularly good sword immortal seedling.
Song Pin, a female sword immortal from Golden Armor Continent, whose sword was named "Swaying." Her makeup was extremely exquisite, and the hairpins and ornaments she wore on her face were all top-tier immortal craftsmanship, ingenious and surpassing nature. Female cultivators rarely liked gold hairpins and silver ornaments like ordinary women, but Song Pin did the opposite. She insisted on wearing a full pond delicate gold hairpin, eye-catching, which not only didn't give a vulgar impression but added a unique charm.
Pu He from Flowing Mist Continent was a gaunt, tall old man. He was notorious in Flowing Mist Continent for his eccentric temperament. Although he was a legitimate registered immortal master, he was even more capricious than the wild cultivator sword immortal Xie Zhi beside him. Pu He had stayed at the Sword Qi Great Wall after losing a duel, and he lived for years in the sword immortal residence "Jade Green Pavilion" outside the city.
When Pu He saw A Liang, his face turned extremely ugly.
The reason was simple: when Pu He first came to travel the Sword Qi Great Wall, this son of a bitch had instigated him to challenge Mi Hu, saying that Mi Hu's realm wasn't high but his reputation was great—if he beat Mi Hu and returned to the Haoran World, how straight his back would be! The key was that beating Mi Hu was like a buy-one-get-one-free deal: he would also beat Mi Yu, who had an even greater reputation. If he didn't take advantage of such a deal, he'd be struck by lightning. As a result, when Pu He made the challenge, he found out that Mi Hu's combat strength was equivalent to the Immortal realm.
The three young sword cultivators came from the homelands of the three sword immortals respectively: Song Gaoyuan from Deer Horn Palace, Cao Gun from Flowing Mist Continent at the Dragon Gate realm, and Xuan Shen from Golden Armor Continent at the Golden Core realm.
All three had met A Liang at the Summer Retreat, especially Song Gaoyuan, who had completed the task assigned by his ancestor Rongguan and delivered a message to A Liang. On this trip, Song Gaoyuan had no further requests.
These three sword immortals, Song Pin and the others, had once accompanied the young Hidden Official as guests at Chunfan Studio on Daoxuan Mountain, so they had some additional bond with the three young sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage.
Otherwise, Xie Zhi and the others wouldn't have taken the trouble to meet and summon the three young men to give them swordsmanship pointers today. Even if they were from the same continent or same hometown, so what? These senior sword immortals, who stood at the peak of a continent, had no need for such so-called mountain friendships. To put it bluntly, if they were "good at playing the social game," they wouldn't have come to the Sword Qi Great Wall at all, putting themselves in danger. They would have long ago established their own sects in their respective hometowns in the Haoran World.
Becoming a cultivator in the Upper Five Realms was one thing; painstakingly becoming the head of a sect was another. It was widely acknowledged on the mountains that the latter was more difficult.
A Liang sat down beside Song Pin and said with a sigh, "Miss Song, with such a literary romance, how could you bear to never meet again after parting?"
There was once a literary giant from Fuyao Continent, who, while on a journey, happened to see a female sword immortal from Golden Armor Continent. He fell in love at first sight and wrote many touching and lingering poems, but unfortunately failed to move the object of his affection.
Sword Immortal Xie Zhi wasn't very familiar with A Liang, so he could still joke, "Senior A Liang, that well-known line 'I have seen you and dreamed of you, your eyes bright as glowing candles,' and the matching poem 'Half for the Dao, half for you' are indeed a perfect pair."
Song Pin was slightly angry, "Xie Zhi, be careful with your words."
Xie Zhi immediately shut up and said nothing.
Women who managed to reach the Upper Five Realms, especially female sword immortals, were no pushovers. Their spirit was often more heroic than men. Song Pin, Xie Songhua from White Continent, Li Cai from Northern Julu Continent—on the battlefield, each of them struck with more ferocity and unwavering courage than the other. The native Nascent Soul sword cultivator Nalan Caihuan was also ruthless when facing enemies, but her sword heart was not pure enough, falling short compared to the three out-of-town female sword immortals.
Xie Zhi inexplicably thought of the deceased female sword immortal Zhou Cheng. Not fondness, but unforgettable.
A woman like that, appearing and disappearing like an elk in a mountain forest, was not commonly seen in the Haoran World.
Song Gaoyuan and the other two were extremely curious.
These grudges and romances among the mountain seniors were worth listening to.
Especially Song Gaoyuan, who perked up his ears. Song Pin had once appeared at a mountain-opening ceremony at Deer Horn Palace, with extraordinary grace, and she was on very good terms with their ancestor Rongguan. Probably because of this, Song Pin's impression of Senior A Liang was so bad.
Unexpectedly, A Liang changed the subject and asked about the recent situation at the foot of the mountain in Fuyao Continent. He then entrusted a matter to Xie Zhi and the other two sword immortals: if they returned to their homeland together in the future, would they trouble to make a detour and deliver a message to a Confucian sage at the Deer Cry Academy in Fuyao Continent.
Before leaving, A Liang transmitted the "Eighteen Stops of Sword Qi" to the three young men through mind transmission and made an agreement with them: in the future, they could teach this sword qi operation method to others, but they must carefully select suitable candidates.
The three stood up, bowed with folded hands, and thanked the senior.
After standing up, A Liang only bid farewell to Song Pin. The female sword immortal, with high realm and thin skin, had no reaction at all. A Liang, understanding, vanished in a flash and directly arrived at one end of the Sword Qi Great Wall, where he met the Confucian sage in charge of the city wall.
The Confucian sage looked up at the sky, faintly visible were the three moons of the Wild Continent. He spoke slowly, "What did you hear to come? What did you see to leave?"
A Liang said, "Do not see the Tathagata by the physical body."
The Confucian sage, once a Buddha's son, had quoted from a literary work of a Haoran World literary giant. A Liang's reply was a Buddhist saying.
Now a Confucian sage of the Yasheng lineage, he smiled and said, "In a daze, it's like walking an old road, like seeing an old friend."
A Liang was silent, then leaned back and lay down.
Earlier at the Ning residence's banquet, at the end, A Liang had only told half of that little story.
But Chen Ping'an surely understood the unwritten half of the story, because the young man was also a scholar, and had also walked many roads through the martial world.
A registered immortal master, trekking over mountains and rivers, casually slaying demons and monsters, mistakenly killed an innocent person. To whom should he, A Liang, seek revenge? How could he seek revenge? If he drew his sword, how heavy should the sword be to be considered reasonable? If he disregarded reason and acted on impulse, how could he be sure that the person's sect didn't have a similar little girl with wide eyes asking "why" ... If he was reasonable in every way, the depression in his heart would have no outlet, drinking would be useless—how could it be eased?
The reason A Liang didn't continue speaking at that time was that he was afraid Chen Ping'an would dig deeper and press for an ending.
So, ah, every heart-wrenching story has a heart-warming beginning.
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In the northern part of the city, Yan Ming rarely returned to his mansion. He sat in his study with eyes closed, resting. The cunning little spirit who was expert at accounting flipped through ledgers, complaining to the man that the family's income couldn't cover expenses. How could he do business like this? He had to complain to that young Hidden Official, or else the entire Yan family would become paupers. The mischievous little fellow sat on the ledger book with a thud, looked up, and asked, "That 'Inch Object'—can we really not get it back? An Inch Object is no ordinary item. We can't just let it go unexplained. At least the Hidden Official should give our Yan family an explanation."
Yan Ming opened his eyes and smiled, "Hard to say."
Earlier at the Chunfan Studio council hall, Chen Ping'an had voluntarily mentioned the matter. In the encirclement by the five sword cultivators of the Jiashen Account, he had been severely schemed against by that throne-level great demon, resulting in some damage to the Inch Object. It needed repair before he could return it, otherwise it would be against morality.
Yan Ming naturally couldn't be bothered to haggle.
Yan Zhuo knocked and entered the room, but once inside, he didn't know what to say. He was still afraid of his father.
In fact, Yan Ming wasn't good at conversing with his son either, and when the Yan family head wasn't speaking, he did have great authority. The little spirit coughed repeatedly and made eyes.
Yan Ming then said, "Don't listen to A Liang's nonsense. Actually, you've taken after me in appearance since you were a child. If you just lost a little weight, you wouldn't be bad at all."
Yan Zhuo had just sat down on the chair when it immediately creaked.
The little spirit burst into laughter on the ledger.
Yan Ming tried to keep a stern face at first, but couldn't hold back and laughed as well.
Yan Zhuo scratched his head, at a loss. This kind of father made him uncomfortable.
In a certain alley, beside a crooked stone tablet, two busy children were squatting. They were Feng Kangle and Tao Ban, who worked as shop assistants at the tavern. The Second Steward had taught them the method of making rubbings and provided all the necessary tools. He told the two children to run errands to earn money. Afterward, they would be paid according to the number of characters. If they were diligent and quick, they could earn quite a few copper coins. They could add poached eggs to their Yangchun noodles whenever they wanted.
Feng Kangle said he wanted to be a pack peddler like Chen Ping'an, traveling everywhere and picking up discarded items to exchange for money. Then his money jar wouldn't be big enough—he'd need a bigger one.
Tao Ban said she wanted to open a tavern with great business in the future, not be a shop assistant but the boss, doing no work every day, only collecting money.
The two children whispered to each other as they worked, each talking about their far-off dreams.
Among the large characters on the city wall facing the battlefield, the old sword cultivator Yin Chen sat on a well-worn cushion. Without family, without attachments, the old sword cultivator didn't even know what he was living for.
Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan took off his boots, sat in his own corridor, leaning against a warming stove, holding a wine cup, drinking alone. His sleeves trailed on the ground. A lithe paper-doll beauty danced gracefully in the courtyard, charming and lovely.
Sword Immortal Guo Jia watched his daughter eating with her head down. His wife nagged, "Eat slower, nobody's snatching it from you. You're eating like a starving ghost reincarnating. No lady-like manners at all. How will you ever marry?" Guo Zhujiu looked up, grinned, then quickly closed her mouth, her cheeks puffed out.
Li Cai, who had bought the "Cloud Stop Pavilion," went out for a walk and arrived at the gate of the Armory, now empty.
The sword cultivators of the Taihui Sword Sect, after their sect leader Han Huaizi died in battle, had withdrawn from this residence and returned to the Haoran World.
Li Cai stood still. Once, when she visited the Armory, Senior Han Huaizi had joked to her that the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake had many female sword cultivators, while the Taihui Sword Sect had too many men worrying about finding Dao partners, so perhaps the two sides could have more intermarriages in the future. At that time, the sword cultivators of the Taihui Sword Sect's founder's hall were all undeniably outstanding young talents. They looked at her, the sect leader of Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, with eager eyes. Li Cai had promised that she would help match young men and women from the two sects, give them more opportunities to travel together, and if both parties were willing, she, Li Cai, would gladly play matchmaker.
The tall and slender Lu Zhi had quite ordinary features, but because of A Liang, she had been inexplicably praised as the beauty of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
In Lu Zhi's private residence, Lady Tuoyan was brewing tea. This Upper Five Realms spirit, who had just presented a plum garden to the Summer Retreat, was addressed as a Dao friend by Lu Zhi as equals. But in private, Lady Tuoyan still acted as her servant. At this moment, she knelt on a bamboo mat and handed a cup of tea to Mr. Lu with both hands.
Lady Tuoyan asked in a low voice, "Earlier, the Great Sword Immortal summoned Mr. Lu and many other sword immortals?"
Lu Zhi shook her head.
Lady Tuoyan tactfully didn't ask further.
But she couldn't help speaking through mind transmission: "Mr. Lu, the more sword cultivators die in battle, the more sword Dao fortune remains at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Once the wall is breached and changes owner, who benefits the most? Of course, the sword cultivators of the Wild Continent. Does that young Hidden Official not know, or is he pretending not to know? If he doesn't know, then it's fine—he's trying his best, an ungrateful job as the new Hidden Official, truly admirable. But if he knows full well, isn't he just a fame-seeking... accomplice? What's the difference between such a person and the Strategists of the Haoran World? How can he deserve Mr. Lu's high regard?"
Lu Zhi countered, "It seems you have some prejudice against Chen Ping'an?"
Lady Tuoyan shook her head, "I just can't believe that a young man could go to such lengths just because the woman he loves is at the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Lu Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can only tell you that these are all orders from the Great Sword Immortal. Chen Ping'an is simply following them."
Lady Tuoyan's eyes suddenly brightened, and she said, "Mr. Lu, is it possible that one day we could have our own sect in the Haoran World, recruiting only female cultivators?"
Lu Zhi smiled, "A girl once grown is hard to keep. Even if there are only female disciples on the mountain, won't they need to go down the mountain for training? Once they go down, how can they not fall in love with men? You'll still have worries then."
Lady Tuoyan sighed mournfully, fanning herself with her hand, "Blame it on men like A Liang and Chen Ping'an, who cause the most romantic debts."
Lu Zhi asked in confusion, "A Liang is one thing, but how has Chen Ping'an incurred romantic debts? Is there any woman at the Sword Qi Great Wall who likes him?"
Lady Tuoyan raised her hand to her forehead, "Oh, my Mr. Lu, there are many. Just in the Summer Retreat, I noticed that a woman named Luo Zhenyi doesn't even know her own feelings. She thinks she's looking at people coldly, that every word that man says displeases her—that's how she thinks she hates a man."
Lu Zhi thought for a moment. She had some impression, a rather pretty young woman.
Lu Zhi said, "Why doesn't she like Chou Miao? They've been together day and night. Logically, she should like Chou Miao."
Lady Tuoyan immediately became radiant, feeling she had a lot to say to Mr. Lu. "Mr. Lu, let me explain slowly. The knowledge in this is vast."
Lu Zhi regretted asking and wanted to stop this boring topic. Lady Tuoyan said plaintively, "Mr. Lu, just consider it a distraction."
Lu Zhi drank tea like wine, draining the cup each time, then handed over the cup.
Lady Tuoyan helped pour another cup and said softly, "Many men in the world always think that romantic dalliances lead women astray, but they don't realize that women aren't blind. In fact, it's those truly devoted men who secretly open women's hearts. Besides, what you can't get is even better. As for posers like Mi Yu, who like to flirt and chase after women—they're truly low-class. And he dares to call himself a drunken immortal among the flowers, the most immortal?"
Lu Zhi suddenly said, "It seems Mi Yu and Chen Ping'an get along quite well."
Lady Tuoyan cursed with a loose tongue, "Neither of them is any good."
The children who had been training martial arts at the Winter Retreat were also allowed to return home for a rare visit.
Jiang Yun from Grand Elephant Street went home and started bragging to his grandfather about how amazing martial artists were, how sword cultivators couldn't compare.
When it was just the two of them, Jiang Yun practiced the six-step stance walking while walking and performed several boxing moves the young Hidden Official had taught him, asking his grandfather how they looked.
Jiang Chu originally just humored his most beloved grandson, saying some random nice things, but when the old sword cultivator saw his grandson execute a move called "top heart elbow," he was genuinely impressed.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then let his grandson continue practicing boxing all the way. He seemed to casually ask about the old woman who taught the boxing. Jiang Yun said the old lady's boxing techniques were passable, but her temper was a bit poor, and she seemed to deliberately target him.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chu didn't get angry but smiled, very relieved. In the old man's heart, Bai Lianshuang of the Ning residence had never changed—always that cool-faced young girl. When he occasionally encountered her in his youth, he would steal extra glances at her.
The little girl Sun Qu returned to the wealthy mansion on Jade Scepter Street. Her younger sister Sun Zao, who had become a sword cultivator early and was proud and arrogant, rarely took the initiative to chat with her. She asked about the young Hidden Official's boxing techniques—were they really as powerful as legend had it? She also asked if Sun Qu really knew how the young Hidden Official had single-handedly repelled five genius sword cultivators from the Wild Continent, and whether that guy would really help them practice punching every few days. Sun Zao had too many questions, catching Sun Qu off guard. Sun Zao grew impatient and rolled her eyes at her sister. Even after learning boxing, she was still so awkward. Finally, the two sisters sat side by side on a railing. Sun Zao controlled her natal flying sword as it whirled around them. Sun Qu answered each question one by one, like a school student facing a teacher.
Sun Qu tentatively asked, "How about I tell you a landscape story about an old fox marrying off his daughter and a mountain god taking a wife?"
Sun Zao put on a disbelieving expression but said, "I'll listen."
But when a family elder came to call Sun Zao for sword practice, the little girl jumped off the railing, said the story wasn't interesting at all, and ran off to practice.
The tomboy Yuan Zaohua returned home and told her mother all about the boxing practice over there, every trivial detail, except she never mentioned how hard the training was. Finally, Yuan Zaohua was a bit sad, saying she envied Jiang Yun and Xu Gong for their smooth progress in boxing, and also envied that Sister Guo who carried a bamboo box. The woman didn't know how to comfort her, so she held her daughter in her arms, smiled softly and gently, and called her daughter's pet name.
Three childhood friends were eating together at Xu Gong's house on Twilight Lane. Xu Gong had no elders left at home. Zhang Pan from Copper Coin Lane and Tang Qu did, their family elders working at the Cinnabar Workshop. Xu Gong was also friends with Zhang Jiazhen, who had quietly left the Sword Qi Great Wall. They often worked odd jobs together. Zhang Jiazhen was a few years older than the three.
Although the three were close friends, they had different temperaments. Xu Gong had been steady since childhood. Zhang Pan had the best family background but was the most timid. Tang Qu had the most clever ideas.
Tang Qu asked with a grin, "When can we drink wine?"
Zhang Pan quickly said, "People who just started martial arts absolutely cannot drink. If Granny Bai finds out, we'll definitely be beaten half to death, and we might even be kicked out."
Tang Qu pouted, "Mr. Chen always sits far away on the railing, watching us practice, drinking so elegantly. His wine gourd is said to be a Sword-Nourishing Gourd. I'm so envious."
Xu Gong said, "That's Mr. Chen. We're not there yet. Let's learn boxing first and talk about it when we're older. But why can't we drink?"
Xu Gong paused, and the three said in unison, "No money!"
The old sword immortal Dong Sangeng stood outside a courtyard gate in his mansion.
It had been the residence of his grandson Dong Guanpu.
Dong Guanpu had been killed by Chen Qingdu himself.
Dong Bude and Dong Huafu stood behind the old ancestor. They didn't know why the old ancestor had called them here.
Dong Sangeng asked, "That kid Sanqiu is pretty good. Why can't you bring yourself to like him?"
Dong Bude said, "Actually, I do like him."
Dong Sangeng nodded, not surprised.
Only Dong Huafu was confused, not knowing why his sister had suddenly changed her mind.
Dong Sangeng said, "Then just go and tell Sanqiu directly. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Dong Bude shook her head, "I don't want to tell him. I like him when I don't see him, but when I see him, he annoys me."
Dong Sangeng turned his head and glared, "Look at your awkwardness. So girly."
Dong Bude rolled her eyes.
Dong Sangeng laughed heartily, "No help for it. When I see you two, I always feel like you're the man and he's the woman."
Then the old man's smile faded. "Since you've figured it out, don't keep it hidden."
Dong Bude shook her head, very stubborn.
Dong Sangeng didn't push further. Children have their own fortunes. The comings and goings of these children were unlike those of the old.
Dong Sangeng looked at Dong Huafu and asked, "You don't have a girl you like?"
Dong Huafu shook his head firmly, "No time."
Dong Sangeng laughed angrily, "So you have time to freeload every day?"
Dong Huafu nodded, "A Liang said he'd seen countless strange people and things in his life, but he'd never seen anyone traveling the martial world without spending a single coin, not since ancient times. I've done it. I want to keep it up."
Dong Sangeng clicked his tongue, "You little bastard, if you ever find a wife, I'll take your surname."
Dong Bude really didn't want to listen to the old and the young bickering, so she asked, "Why are we here?"
Dong Sangeng said, "When you're too young and when you're too old, you easily forget things. So I called you here to take a look."
Dong Bude said, "The reputation the Dong family has lost—I'm just a girl; I can't earn it back or uphold it. Relying on this charcoal-head, maybe barely."
Dong Sangeng smiled, "That's not how it is at all. The Dong family hasn't fallen to the point where two kids need to prop up its facade. I just want you two to remember: in the future, don't be so presumptuous."
At Die Zhang's tavern, a drunkard who wasn't a bachelor came—a new face. He was immediately greeted by a group of sword cultivators shouting "Hasty verse!"
The drunkard was irritated and ordered a few more pots of Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wine, cursing back that those old bachelors didn't even have the chance for a hasty verse in bed.
The young shop assistants were confused. They had heard plenty of drunken talk and crude jokes, but this refined saying was new to them.
The boy asked a familiar drinker nearby and suddenly understood. The girl was also curious and secretly asked, but the boy blushed slightly and shook his head vigorously, claiming ignorance.
An old sword cultivator, who had been composing poems and couplets with divine inspiration for the past two years, sighed emotionally to a new friend he'd dragged to drink: "Some bastard once said, there are two kinds of people you must be wary of. Don't provoke those who often drink but never get drunk. Don't bully those who are used to being bullied but never beg for mercy. Do you think that makes sense?"
The friend wasn't very savvy and asked, "Which bastard? A Liang or the Second Steward?"
The old sword cultivator raised his hand, "What nonsense is that? Die Zhang, another pot of wine. I need to drink a few penalty cups with my friend."
That sword cultivator, who had inexplicably had to pay for another pot of wine, nodded, "On the drinking table, those who drink and get drunk in silence. On the battlefield, those who get hit without a word. He's talking about our Second Steward. So the one who explained this reasoning must be A Liang. These scholars always talk in circles, making people scratch their heads. Come, come, while both bastards are away, let's drink more and curse more. I won't pay for the wine, but every curse word, every sentence, put it all on my tab. Even if A Liang and the Second Steward were right here, I'd still say the same! Put them together, they can't outdrink me!"
The old sword cultivator was startled, "You too?"
The drunkard smiled knowingly, feigning profundity.
On the street outside the Ning residence, an old man wore a complicated expression, as if unsure whether to knock. Finally, he sighed and returned to the Yao family.
At the little hut on the city wall, Wei Jin had some distracting thoughts and stopped deliberately nourishing his sword.
The Great Sword Immortal stood nearby and laughed, "I've always wondered, what's so good about drinking?"
Wei Jin quickly stood up, "Drinking may not be that great; it's probably just a habit."
Chen Qingdu looked at the northern part of the city and said, "Do you know why the tavern business at the Sword Qi Great Wall is the best?"
Wei Jin followed the Great Sword Immortal's gaze to the city and nodded, "There are too many sword cultivators and too little space. It seems only drinking can relieve sorrow. In the Haoran World, a place this small would at most be the cultivation ground of one or two sword immortals."
Wei Jin asked, "Great Sword Immortal, why do you want me to return to Vase Continent instead of going to Fuyao Continent? Is it because my realm is insufficient? Actually, I could assist some sword immortal."
Chen Qingdu said, "Yes and no."
Wei Jin was helpless.
The Great Sword Immortal clearly didn't want to say more, so he dared not ask further.
Chen Qingdu clasped his hands behind his back and walked alone.
Earlier, when the ten had gathered on the city wall, there had been a sequence.
Qi Tingji arrived first.
Chen Qingdu told him: Qi Tingji, you may keep your realm and cultivation, go to Fuyao Continent, and establish a sect. Before you leave, show some real skill. If you keep muddling through, then you don't need to go to Fuyao Continent.
Qi Tingji asked why he wasn't going to Northern Jul