Chapter 671: Cold Weather, Add Clothes
The old sword immortal's thatched hut, year-round, had almost no visitors, but the saints of the three teachings often had sword cultivators call on them.
For instance, Chou Miao frequently discussed economic strategies with the Confucian saint, and those noblemen and worthies of the Confucian Ritual Saint and Secondary Saint lineages, who served as overseer officers and record officers on the Sword Qi Great Wall, were no strangers to Sword Immortal Chou Miao.
Pang Yuanji, in earlier years, often went to discuss Buddhist doctrines with the Buddhist saint, to understand the great meanings behind those Chan Buddhist koans.
It wasn't just heavenly darlings like Chou Miao and Pang Yuanji; ordinary sword cultivators also liked to go to the ends of the city wall and chat a few words with the saints. As A Liang put it, one should rub shoulders with the saints more often to absorb some immortal and Buddhist aura, some grand Hao Ran aura. In other worlds, these great figures with vast divine powers weren't people you could see just because you wanted to.
Only the Daoist saint who sat at the highest point of the heavenly canopy cultivated in purity and stillness, so he had the fewest visitors. Generally, sword immortals would come when they had nothing to do, flying on their swords to ask about the customs and practices of the Azure Underworld.
Today, above the sea of clouds, the old Daoist had a whisk placed horizontally across his lap, used to brush away filth and clear away heat, to empty the mind. But now only the white jade handle of the whisk remained.
It was both a divine weapon and a lifebound object.
The saints of the other two teachings were in similarly bleak circumstances. Three times they had created the golden river to help the Sword Qi Great Wall split the battlefield. If they didn't pay a price, did they really think those throne-tier great demons of the Barren Wastes world were useless?
The old Daoist opened his eyes and looked. A Liang had arrived.
The old Daoist had to muster up some spirit.
That fellow seemed to be in a bad mood; he probably hadn't gotten any advantage from the old sword immortal.
A Liang lay prone on the sea of clouds and gently punched it, creating a small hole that just allowed him to see the outline of the city. Then he pulled out a large handful of ordinary pebbles, picked up from who knows where, and dropped them one by one, each with different force, all carefully calculated.
Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan, who was napping in the corridor, heard the sound of pebbles hitting the roof ridge.
A female sword cultivator, who was looking in the mirror doing her makeup, also heard a pebble strike the rolling shutter.
A young sword cultivator from Jade Scepter Street, who was practicing swordsmanship in his courtyard, was startled when his sword tip was hit by a pebble.
At a wine shop, an old sword cultivator who was cursing vehemently at someone found a pebble in his wine bowl. He immediately switched from cursing to praising, smooth and seamless, without any hesitation.
The old Daoist was not surprised by this. A hundred years ago, there had been far more outrageous incidents.
Once, a pair of immortal lovers were in the midst of their precious spring night, which was worth a thousand gold pieces. Suddenly there was a slight noise on the roof, and ripples appeared on the tiles. The next moment, there was a subtle disturbance elsewhere, as if someone sensed they had been discovered and immediately fled far away. The man was furious. He threw on his clothes, went barefoot, grabbed his sword, and leaped onto the courtyard wall. He only found a residual ripple at one residence. The man chased after it with his sword, but unexpectedly, at that place, another couple was about to engage in intimacy. As soon as the man stepped out, he saw that inexplicable, brain-addled fellow, and without a word, he first cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations, and the two of them had a fierce fight.
At that time, on the sea of clouds, there was a man, just like now, sticking his butt out to watch the excitement.
A Liang clapped his hands, then turned his palm over and smoothed the sea of clouds.
The old Daoist asked a question that had always intrigued him, "A Liang, for cultivators like me, or the sword immortals here, when we get old, we have almost no interest in worldly matters outside of cultivation. How do you manage to stay so... boring?"
The more someone finds a great path to walk on as a cultivator, the more they are willing to devote themselves to cultivation. Moreover, cultivating immortal methods with single-minded focus is only natural.
A Liang leaned back and fell onto the sea of clouds, crossing his legs. "We work hard to cultivate and achieve longevity. After achieving longevity, what can we do?"
This was an extremely high-threshold question.
You couldn't discuss this with ordinary Qi refiners, and even less with the local sword immortals here.
But talking about it with the old Daoist was still possible.
After all, this high true person of the Daoist school was the senior disciple of the Great Leader of the Azure Underworld, and also the city lord of the White Jade Capital. The Great Heavenly Lord of Inverted Suspension Mountain was of a similar generation, but in terms of Daoist cultivation, he was slightly inferior.
The old Daoist smiled and said, "Poverty-stricken Daoist doesn't have long to live."
A Liang sat up and tossed a zhiwu object to the old Daoist. It was in the shape of a Daoist token. Chen Ping'an had entrusted A Liang to give it to the old Daoist.
Its shape was like a long wooden paperweight, extremely light to hold, decorated with the sun, moon, stars, and ancient talismans, and engraved with a line of text: "The Marshal orders, grant the ruler to punish the essence, wherever the mind points, mountains and peaks shatter, urgent as the decree."
The old Daoist took the token, made a few calculations on his fingers, nodded and said, "I understand, I understand. It should be so, it should be so."
A Liang smiled and said, "Can you really calculate it?"
The old Daoist nodded. "I have grasped the general meaning."
A Liang then informed him of the details using mind-to-mind communication. The old Daoist remembered them all. "When I return, I will inform Inverted Suspension Mountain."
This old Daoist immortal, besides his specialty in divination and deduction, was also proficient in Mohist dialectical thought and skilled in Buddhist logic.
The old Daoist showed a troubled expression. "A Liang, I have an impertinent request."
A Liang smiled. "Small matter, small matter."
The old Daoist stood up, respectfully made a hand gesture, with considerable etiquette. A Liang had to stand up and return the courtesy with a cupped fist salute.
The old Daoist looked around, no longer deliberately constraining the Qi-machine ripples above the sea of clouds, and said with emotion, "After all, few people get the true deer; they don't know they dream all day of being fish. This day has passed, and life diminishes with it. Like a fish in shallow water, what pleasure is there in that?"
The Buddhist saint smiled and said, "The night is still, the water is cold, the fish do not eat. Why empty joy? The boat returns empty, carrying only moonlight. How can that not be joy?"
The Confucian saint nodded and said, "Dusting off clothes in the dust, one can still see the branches full of spring flowers. Standing firm in the mud, is that not also the round moon in the heavenly heart?"
A Liang pretended to understand, nodded lightly, then racked his brains and managed to force out a line, "What night is tonight, to see this good man."
The old sword immortal sneered, "A Liang, just leave some face for the scholars."
A Liang laughed heartily. How come the old sword immortal was praising him again? Didn't he know that he was the thinnest-skinned person on the Sword Qi Great Wall?
---
Sword Immortal Chou Miao suddenly took the initiative to take charge, saying that during the time the Hidden Official was away from the Summer Retreat Palace, all major and minor affairs of the Hidden Official lineage would be handled entirely by him, Chou Miao.
All the sword cultivators in the Summer Retreat Palace had no objections. Sword Immortal Chou Miao was trustworthy. His realm, conduct, and methods were all outstanding. He was recognized as the second-in-command of the Hidden Official lineage. Since Chen Ping'an wasn't there, only Chou Miao could shoulder the burden.
Gu Jianlong and Wang Xinshui, Cao Gun and Xuan Shen—these four, whom Dong Bude had informally appointed as the Hidden Official's four henchmen, couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
After years of living and working together, they had grown accustomed to the Hidden Official sitting in that position. No matter how dangerous the battlefield situation, even if Chen Ping'an said nothing, it brought a sense of peace. By the looks of it, the young Hidden Official wouldn't be returning to the Summer Retreat Palace anytime soon.
As Chen Ping'an's direct disciple, Guo Zhujiu merely asked Sword Immortal Chou Miao if her master had gone off to secretly kill another Ascension realm great demon.
Chou Miao only said he didn't know.
He only knew that Chen Ping'an had gone to the old deaf man's prison.
Chou Miao also said he would treat everyone to a drink, and they wouldn't leave until they were drunk.
All the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage, except for Lin Junbi who had already returned to his homeland, and the Hidden Official himself who had left his post without authorization, went to Diezhang's tavern.
Deng Liang and the other outlander sword cultivators understood clearly. Sword Immortal Chou Miao was holding the farewell feast early. Once the great battle started, the Hidden Official lineage, with fewer and fewer sword cultivators, would only be busier than ever. Wanting to have a farewell drink for the four of them would be a luxury.
Coincidentally.
Ning Yao, Chen Sanqiu, Yan Zhuo, Dong Huafu, and Fan Dache were also drinking at the tavern.
In fact, apart from Dong Bude and Guo Zhujiu, the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage and that small faction had barely interacted.
Seeing Dong Bude, the eldest son of the Chen family, who had been speaking loudly to the drinkers at the neighboring table, lost all his charm and became as restrained as a young boy stealing his first drink.
Dong Huafu wanted to say something but stopped, holding back with great difficulty.
Dong Bude glanced at her brother, who wanted to speak out for justice. Dong Huafu had no choice but to obediently shut up. Then she looked at Chen Sanqiu, who was nearly burying his face in his wine bowl, and for once felt a little guilty. Today's alcohol bill—she wouldn't make Chen Sanqiu pay. Let Fan Dache settle it.
Mi Yu, who slept soundly among the clouds and mists; Wu Chengpei, who sat dryly on the city wall; Pang Yuanji, who drank at most to tipsiness; Chen Sanqiu, who drank and pushed down walls—they were all famous handsome men of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
After the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage, led by Sword Immortal Chou Miao, took their seats, the atmosphere in the tavern became somewhat strange, with much less noise.
First, Chou Miao was well-known. He was the youngest Upper Five Realm sword immortal on the Sword Qi Great Wall, with brilliant military exploits. He had followed A Liang on expeditions deep into the Barren Wastes world at a young age.
Furthermore, sword cultivators like Luo Zhenyi and Xu Ning, the "money-picking" group, were famously unsociable. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, their status was similar to border army scouts in secular dynasties, subtly higher than ordinary sword cultivators.
And the current Hidden Official lineage held more power and knew more inside information than any group of Hidden Official sword cultivators in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
No one liked their big and small secrets being written down for others to casually peruse.
Finally, there was a key reason: the presence of Pang Yuanji.
The previous Hidden Official, Pang Yuanji's master, Xiao Xun, had chosen to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall in the most disgraceful way possible, taking two sword immortals, Luo Shan and Zhu An, with her.
Xiao Xun left behind a lonely Pang Yuanji, as casually as she had left that Hidden Official jade token.
And when Pang Yuanji went out of the city to fight, he always returned safely despite numerous dangers. As a first-rate genius, no great demon specifically targeted him, which made people think even more.
The sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage were a bit numerous, so Diezhang personally helped put together two tables.
Two people per bench.
Luo Zhenyi glanced, intentionally or not, at Ning Yao.
Ning Yao's heart stirred slightly, and she returned Luo Zhenyi's glance.
Guo Zhujiu ordered a portion of shaojiu (strong liquor). Diezhang specially brought a small pot of rice wine for the young girl.
Guo Zhujiu scorned drinking this kind of liquor, mockingly called "little lady's wine." It wasn't bold at all. She wanted to drink the "just drink without talking" shaojiu. Diezhang smiled and said this was her master's order. In this tavern, she could only drink this.
Guo Zhujiu immediately changed her mind.
After the tavern business grew, besides the existing Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wines, they also sold shaojiu, and later introduced a kind of rice wine. The shaojiu, nicknamed "Mute Lake Wine" by the second manager, had no trouble selling. Whether one had money or not, everyone liked it. The price was low, the taste strong; truly a knife-sharp wine. But the soft rice wine couldn't sell at a high price. Diezhang was even more worried it wouldn't sell at all. The women of the Sword Qi Great Wall, when they drank, were no less than men, and they always liked strong liquor. If the tavern intended to attract female drinkers, they would certainly be disappointed. At that time, Chen Ping'an hadn't explained the specific reason, only saying this rice wine was a small side business to add a little something. Even if it lost money, it wouldn't be much. He was familiar with the Osmanthus Island ferry of Old Dragon City, so he asked them to bring some rice wine from his hometown, which didn't cost much immortal money.
As it turned out, it was impossible for the second manager to lose money in business. Those drinkers who weren't bachelors would bring a few jugs of rice wine home before drunkenly returning, telling their families that this was wine from Bottle Gourd Continent of the Grand Hao Ran World, from the hometown of the young Hidden Official. They would even swear that the second manager had guaranteed with a chest thump that this wine was most nourishing to a woman's complexion! Some women would laugh and ask, "You believe that?" The man would look sheepish. It was widely recognized on the Sword Qi Great Wall that the second manager's lies couldn't be taken seriously at the drinking table. Yet the women would still drink the wine with smiles.
As a result, the female sword cultivators who frequently came to drink here eventually only drank the rice wine.
Guo Zhujiu went to her master's wife's table to offer a toast. After one round, a pot of glutinous rice wine was gone. Ning Yao couldn't stop her. Guo Zhujiu staggered back to her own table, like she was doing drunken boxing.
Ning Yao and her group had almost finished drinking and left together. Fan Dache settled the bill. He was much more well-off now and no longer needed to borrow money from Chen Sanqiu. Ning Yao told Diezhang to keep an eye on Guo Zhujiu.
Guo Zhujiu had still drunk too much and fell asleep on the table. Her liquor tolerance was poor, but her conduct when drunk was good. When the little girl drank too much, she just went to sleep, no fuss, very quiet.
Chou Miao smiled and said, "Some things weren't suitable to say in the Summer Retreat Palace before, but now they can be said."
Cao Gun staggered to his feet, raised his wine bowl first, and spoke, "Pang Yuanji, Qi Shou and Gao Yehu have already advanced to the Nascent Soul realm one after another. If you still can't match them when it comes to reaching the Upper Five Realm in the future, I will curse you."
Pang Yuanji hadn't drunk much. He stood up with a smile, clinked his wine bowl, and said, "Curse me first, then we'll talk. If you curse me wrongly, and we have a chance to meet again in the future, I'll curse you back."
Cao Gun looked at Pang Yuanji and shook his head vigorously. "Pang Yuanji, in my heart, you and the Hidden Official have equally promising paths. I hope that many years from now, when I look up, I will see at the highest place under heaven both the green-robed swordsman Chen Ping'an and the white-robed sword immortal Pang Yuanji."
Pang Yuanji smiled helplessly. "I am far inferior to the Hidden Official."
They both drank up.
Xu Ning said to Xuan Shen, "Confront the issue, not the person."
Xuan Shen then drank, his expression flying high. "Well said!"
Song Gaoyuan drank a bowl by himself, propping one foot on the bench. "It's a pity we can't hold a defense for the Sword Qi Great Wall as sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage. That would have been extremely interesting! Looking back, we outlander geniuses, young and full of bullshit, are more deserving of a beating than the next."
Gu Jianlong said, "Let me say a fair word: the most deserving of a beating is still the youngest and fastest realm-breaker, Lin Junbi."
Wang Xinshui nodded. "Let me also say a word from my conscience. Actually, Lin Junbi is the most sycophantic towards the Hidden Official."
Gu Jianlong said regretfully, "If Lin Junbi had worn a woman's face, he would actually be far more charming than our Hidden Official."
Dong Bude said with a sly smile, "Wrong. Lin Junbi doesn't need to change his appearance at all. Just put on a woman's clothes, and he's good."
Everyone agreed deeply.
Dong Bude added, "If Junbi gets drunk, his little face will be rosy, and he'll snuggle up to the Hidden Official like a little bird. Tsk tsk tsk, a beautiful sight."
Chang Taiqing shuddered and quickly poured himself a bowl of wine. He picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks, then shuddered again. "To calm my nerves, to calm my nerves."
Chou Miao smiled and said, "Are you all taking advantage of the fact that the Hidden Official and Lin Junbi aren't here?"
Deng Liang suddenly spoke, "Did we forget someone?"
The large table of people was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Of course, it was the great sword immortal Mi Yu, who had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall and then rushed off to Inverted Suspension Mountain.
Pang Yuanji drank modestly but still consumed quite a bit.
The young man's expression was somewhat dazed. For no reason, he felt that the current Hidden Official lineage was really lively, which wasn't bad.
This drinking session lasted a long time. They returned to the Summer Retreat Palace together.
Luo Zhenyi carried Guo Zhujiu on her back and walked side by side with Dong Bude.
Deng Liang slowed his pace and came beside them.
Luo Zhenyi sensed the situation and wanted to leave, but Dong Bude kept her there.
Deng Liang didn't mind and got straight to the point. "Miss Dong, I like you."
Dong Bude's eyes were clear. "I don't like you."
Deng Liang nodded. "I know."
Deng Liang paused briefly, his expression free and easy, his gaze sincere. He smiled and said, "I know that Dong Bude doesn't like Deng Liang, but Deng Liang is afraid that Dong Bude doesn't know that Deng Liang likes Dong Bude."
Dong Bude was a bit helpless. Twisting and turning like this... Since you, Deng Liang, are being so unceremonious, I won't be polite either. After all, I've tolerated you, Deng Liang, for quite a while. "In the council hall of the Summer Retreat Palace, a small place, I'm not stupid. Of course, I could tell you liked me. Not only that, I also know that you can't keep your eyes in check. You don't dare to steal glances at Luo Zhenyi's face, so you just stare hard at Luo Zhenyi's back."
Deng Liang resigned himself to his fate. "I'm not the only one looking at Luo Zhenyi. Didn't Wang Xinshui look? Didn't Chang Taiqing look?"
Luo Zhenyi was a beautiful woman with a very cold expression. At this moment, her face became even more icy, but she suddenly smiled. Pretending to be angry was a bit hard.
These were all small matters.
Dong Bude often spoke privately with her. What couldn't two women talk about? What wouldn't they dare to say?
Dong Bude had said that Chou Miao's physique was actually excellent. Dressed, he looked thin, but he was actually all lean muscle. Dong Bude asked Luo Zhenyi, "Have you touched it? If not, you've at least seen it, right?"
Luo Zhenyi had great respect for Sword Immortal Chou Miao, regarding him as a brother. She didn't allow Dong Bude to tease Chou Miao casually.
Dong Bude had also said that although Cao Gun was still a youth, his face was actually quite handsome. He would surely be a dashing young gentleman in the future. Especially the elegant speech of his continent, naturally soft and gentle, truly pleasing to the ear. When spoken by Cao Gun, it became even crisper. Sometimes he would blurt out some rustic dialect. Having talked and not talked, chewing and crushing, early in the morning... In the future, when he was with his immortal dao partner, under the flowers and moon, if he intimately called the girl's name, using his fingers to lift her chin, it would surely be very romantic. Speaking of which, Dong Bude would try to lift Luo Zhenyi's chin but imitate Xu Ning's voice, calling her "Zhenyi, Zhenyi." Luo Zhenyi would be both embarrassed and annoyed, her pretty face slightly reddened, which only added to her charm.
Luo Zhenyi hadn't paid attention to Cao Gun's voice at first, but after Dong Bude pointed it out, it seemed to be true.
Every time she saw Dong Bude propping her cheek on her hand, making small talk with Cao Gun, Luo Zhenyi found it amusing.
Dong Bude had even shown her a booklet. It was full of words from romantic dens and marriage registers. The women were mostly fox spirits, beautiful ghosts, and flower deities; the men were mostly down-and-out scholars. Many of the sentences were utterly indecent. Things like "a small waist, gazing at a man like a heron standing on the sandbank; if they still embrace, one would die and the soul would vanish." Luo Zhenyi only looked at one page and couldn't bear to turn the page. She felt it was scalding to the touch. She pinched the corner of the booklet and threw it back hard at Dong Bude.
Luo Zhenyi suddenly envied Deng Liang a little.
Right now, with Dong Bude interrupting like this, Deng Liang had lost the heroic spirit he had finally mustered.
Moreover, as Deng Liang himself had said, today's words were only meant to let Dong Bude know.
Deng Liang cupped his fists and said, "Miss Dong, when you get married in the future, you must send me an invitation. If that man is a sword cultivator, I want to challenge him to a sword duel."
Dong Bude just smiled and said nothing.
Deng Liang turned and strode away, catching up with Gu Jianlong and the others. He got elbowed in the ribs by Wang Xinshui and Chang Taiqing each.
Luo Zhenyi gently teased, "Deng Liang is actually not bad, you know."
Dong Bude squinted and smiled. "How do you know if Deng Liang is good or not?"
Luo Zhenyi was speechless. She walked slowly, carrying Guo Zhujiu on her back. The little girl had her inseparable little bamboo box on her back.
Dong Bude knew why Luo Zhenyi had rushed to carry Guo Zhujiu.
Some words could be said as jokes, with no taboos. But some other words, not even a single word should be mentioned.
Fan Dache went home alone, staggering, drinking and longing for his sweetheart.
Dong Huafu was wandering around. Along the way, whenever he saw something he liked, or food, he would charge it to the account of Chen the eldest young master or that fatso Yan.
On Tai Xiang Street, Chen Sanqiu was squatting by the street wall, his head pressed against the wall, tapping it gently, murmuring, "Move aside, move aside, or I might just get drunk and crazy..."
Diezhang went to the counter to sit and rest. The youth Qiu Long and the girl Liu E were busy working. Tao Ban and Feng Kangle, two kids, were also helping.
Outside the shop it was noisy and chaotic. Diezhang looked up at the wall. The rows of wish plaques were silent, like a row of little mute children.
"I drink wine, kill demons, compose poems. My talent is no less than the second manager's, though my looks are a bit worse than Wu Chengpei's. My life is quite complete. I just lack a wife."
"I have money in my pocket, enough to drink this tavern out of business."
"My swordsmanship is passable."
"Old man and A Liang joining forces can kill an Ascension realm great demon."
"Lan Caihuan, I'll be right back."
"Flute and camel bells are both sounds of the wind."
"Fine forests and springs are all given to idle people; fine women have all been lured away."
"Never been drunk in this life. I blame the wine."
"Never been to Inverted Suspension Mountain."
"Chen Li, sword named Obscure Dawn, flying sword named Sleep and Wake. A hundred-year-old sword immortal, easily attainable."
"No good wine in the world. Damn it, give me back my money!"
"Lu Zhi is indeed beautiful."
"Life is short; practicing the sword is too hard."
---
After the old deaf man opened the restriction, it was like a host opening his door to welcome a guest. Chen Ping'an stepped inside, and his field of vision suddenly expanded. The world was vast and indistinct. There were not many objects, only a towering stone stele inscribed with the three characters "Partridge Sky".
Chen Ping'an stabilized his form and mind, quickly adjusted his breathing, and blocked out the surging, abundant spiritual energy one by one.
This prison, managed by the old deaf man, was a shattered cave heaven, similar to the Yellow Millet Inn of Inverted Suspension Mountain. The spiritual energy was particularly dense, with no sword energy dominating.
There were no other sword immortals stationed here, not even a single sword cultivator. Since the old deaf man took over, only this Ascension realm expert of demon origin had watched over it.
The old deaf man wasn't truly deaf. Could an Ascension realm expert really be hard of hearing? It was just that the sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall had always despised and scorned the old deaf man. The old deaf man was a soft persimmon who wouldn't fight back or retort when cursed, and he rarely showed himself, so he hadn't stirred up any major trouble.
Furthermore, the Dong family controlled the Sword Workshop, the Qi family managed the Garment Workshop, and the Chen family was in charge of the Pill Workshop. These were, in the truest sense, the four forbidden areas of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
The archives of the Summer Retreat Palace regarding the prison had few written records. They only roughly documented the identities and origins of the demons imprisoned over the generations. The dead were simply crossed off.
The old deaf man smiled. It was normal for the young Hidden Official not to trust him. But could he not trust the old sword immortal? However, he quickly let it go. If the young man weren't of this temperament, he couldn't have become the Hidden Official and wouldn't have come here. At that time on the city wall, when sword immortals were needed to protect the Hidden Official lineage, the person he didn't trust wasn't him, but rather Lu Zhi. Now, the person he didn't trust was himself. In the end, would he even come to distrust Chen Qingdu? Whatever the answer, the old deaf man found it somewhat interesting.
Chen Ping'an and the old deaf man almost simultaneously started moving forward. Chen Ping'an noticed that the stele, which appeared to be only about a hundred zhang away, would take a full quarter of an hour to reach if they just walked like that.
The old deaf man didn't want to be misunderstood as using his status to bully others. He respectfully addressed Chen Ping'an as "Hidden Official" and then directly revealed the heavenly secret: "The smaller the mind, the smaller the thoughts, the smaller the steps, the faster we will walk conversely."
Chen Ping'an did as he said. Sure enough, in just a few blinks of an eye, he had arrived in front of the stele.
The old deaf man was slightly surprised. He couldn't help but compare Chen Ping'an with the two previous Hidden Officials. That little girl with the goat-horn braids, who had a bad temper, refused to believe it and insisted on charging straight to the stele. As a result, she instantly ended up thousands of miles away from the stele. And that wasn't all. Xiao Xun just kept flying like that, happy and tireless. After ten days, calculating by the walking speed of ordinary townsfolk, Xiao Xun had crossed continents, drinking a lot of immortal brews, just sprinting wildly every day, moving further and further away from the stele. The old deaf man had seen boring sword cultivators, but he had never seen one as boring as her. As for the earlier Hidden Official, he wasn't boring, just dull. However, his hidden contributions were not insignificant. That mirage was something he had hired people to create single-handedly. It was just a pity that his cultivation aptitude was too poor and his life span short. Otherwise, the Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall wouldn't have been Xiao Xun, much less the young man beside him.
The old deaf man accompanied the young Hidden Official in looking up at the stone stele.
The old deaf man spoke hoarsely, "'Partridge Sky,' these three characters are the handiwork of two ancient sword immortal lovers. Their seniority is extremely high, only slightly younger than Dragon Lord and Guan Zhao. But they have no great reputation on the Sword Qi Great Wall."
The old deaf man smiled. "I believe that with the Hidden Official's insight, you should have already seen the trick. The characters 'zhe' and 'tian' were carved by the male sword immortal. The strokes and pauses are excellent. However, the character 'gu' was written by the woman. The sword energy is sharp, yet still hard to hide a hint of tenderness. At that time, she was heavily injured and slightly fatigued. The man then made a remedy. The last character, although seemingly spirited and with strict rules, saving the middle character, actually already showed a bit of the couple's heartbreak. Compared to the character 'zhe,' the character 'tian,' which should have had the greatest momentum, turned out to be heavy in excess and lacking in sword intent. A pity, truly a pity."
Chen Ping'an said honestly, "I didn't see any of that."
How strange. How did he become the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage?
The old deaf man asked, "The Hidden Official should be no stranger to the River of Time, right?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I am not unfamiliar with it."
The old deaf man reached out and grabbed. The three characters "Partridge Sky" on the stele seemed to be dismantled. Stroke by stroke, they left the stele. The sword light converged together, like streams gathering into a river. The old deaf man led Chen Ping'an wading through it. When they reached the end of the water, there was another hidden world.
The scene in Chen Ping'an's vision suddenly changed again. Corpses lay everywhere, devastation filled the sight. There were huge, stark white bones stretching like mountain ranges, and also golden-boned divine bodies.
This should be the site of an ancient battlefield where ancient gods and demons fiercely fought.
There was a large pit with steps carved into it.
High-realm demons were imprisoned in the upper areas.
Walking down the steps, Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Without the old sword immortal, how many sword cultivators would you have killed on a single Sword Qi Great Wall?"
The old deaf man didn't hide it. He smiled and said, "Everyone in my sight would die."
Then he added, "It's not because I'm angry at those little brats for gossiping. Not worth it."
He turned his head and asked, "Senior?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Those older than me, with higher realms than me, and with whom I have no enmity, are all considered seniors."
The old deaf man nodded. "Good habit."
Then the old deaf man said, "According to the old sword immortal's intention, he wants the Hidden Official to take my place and act."
Chen Ping'an nodded. On the way here, he had already figured it out.
The stairs continued downward, winding and uncertain. Chen Ping'an's vision was blurry; he saw only the stairs, nothing else of the world. But when they encountered various prisons of different sizes, his vision would become a bit clearer. He saw that the prisons used solidified sword light as bars. Most of the prisons they passed were empty. The old deaf man stopped and pointed at an empty prison. "The one in here, the old sword immortal already removed its head. The Pill Workshop probably made a good profit from that."
Chen Ping'an said, "Two cross-continent ferries from Golden Armor Continent jointly paid a large sum of immortal money to buy the main part of that Ascension realm corpse's remains. To safely transport the treasure back, they also hired a sword immortal for escort at a high price."
The old deaf man complained a bit, "The Pill Workshop is truly annoying. As if I was the one preventing them from slaughtering these Upper Five Realm demons! I'm in charge of thousands of demons, and I'm also in charge of one or two. I don't get any benefit from it. Why blame me? Is it so hard to understand such a simple truth? It's giving me a headache, a headache."
Chen Ping'an said, "Don't blame you. If everyone put themselves in your shoes, were understanding everywhere, and were willing to respect you as a senior, and none of the sword cultivators gave you sidelong glances because of your demon origin, could you still live? Would you have the face to live? What's there for a senior to be troubled about? You should be laughing to yourself, shouldn't you?"
The old deaf man laughed. "Reasonable, truly reasonable. It's a pity I haven't heard such refreshing truths before. That A Liang didn't hit the nail on the head either. He only lied to me, saying that Ascension realm great demons in the Grand Hao Ran World are as carefree as immortals, and it's not hard to establish a sect."
They walked on until they finally saw the first demon cultivator.
It was an Immortal realm great demon that had revealed its true form, coiled up like a mountain, exuding miasma.
Chen Ping'an approached the prison bars and stared intently, but still couldn't see clearly.
This prison held six Upper Five Realm demons, sixty-one Middle Five Realm, and the fewest in the Lower Five Realm, only three.
The dead were all sent to the Pill Workshop, every part a treasure, fully utilized. There were also those who left alive, going to the mirage, either to fight each other or to fight sword cultivators. Or they were disciples chosen by the old deaf man when he had nothing to do. Being taught swordsmanship by the old deaf man, in any world except this Sword Qi Great Wall prison, would be a great destiny that anyone would dream of. A preaching teacher at the Ascension realm, not holding back, teaching swordsmanship—who wouldn't learn even unto death?
The problem was, here, the old deaf man's swordsmanship was too high. Learning the sword made breaking through realms too easy. Once one reached the Nascent Soul realm, one had to die.
Many demons deliberately stagnated at the bottleneck of the Golden Core realm, waiting to die of old age. If their realm didn't increase, their lifespan was short; they would die. Either their dao heart would shatter, or the ever-growing sword energy would directly explode their golden core. As for the skin and flesh, the old deaf man would still use his methods to preserve them, otherwise the Pill Workshop would hold him accountable.
Regarding the old deaf man's background, the Summer Retreat Palace also had records, which were quite peculiar. He was an Ascension realm great demon pretending to be a sword cultivator. He had refined several discarded flying swords of sword immortals. It was the same method as Chen Ping'an refining Chu Yi and Shi Wu as his lifebound objects. The old deaf man's realm was high enough, and he had three flying swords refined for his own use, so he appeared more like a sword cultivator than a real one. The old deaf man had once been a great demon rampaging across the Barren Wastes world. When he came to the Sword Qi Great Wall and settled down as a miserable jailer, it wasn't without the idea of "nurturing another lifebound flying sword at the 13th realm."
As for the Immortal realm great demon before Chen Pin'an, it was also quite legendary. When it was first imprisoned, it was only at the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul realm. Unexpectedly, in this suppressed place, where it should have been barely surviving, it had instead broken through all the way to the Immortal realm over a thousand years.
The old deaf man asked, "Hidden Official, shall we start now?"
The old man was a bit curious. Why hadn't the young Hidden Official brought that immortal-grade sword immortal weapon? If he wanted to pummel an Immortal realm great demon to death with just his fists, it was hard to say who would kill whom. The old deaf man certainly knew that Chen Ping'an had a boxing technique, accumulating power with each punch, which was quite impressive. But as a martial artist at the Golden Body realm bottleneck, his physical body wasn't tough enough. To kill this Immortal realm great demon, Chen Ping'an would never last until the final punch. Facing an Immortal realm, the gap was too vast. Even if Cao Ci came, he would be helpless.
If he asked someone to do it for him, and then that special method was applied, all the refinement would be lost, and it would be meaningless.
Moreover, the old deaf man felt that unless Chen Ping'an was a Nine Realm martial artist, he would have only a slight hope of barely withstanding the pain of wasting away and having his soul shattered.
Even if the young Hidden Official's martial realm was similar to Cao Ci's or Yu Juanfu's, both of whom could be considered one realm higher, even as a Far Traveler realm martial artist, Chen Ping'an was still one realm short.
Chen Ping'an began to move. "No rush."
Then, as he walked along, Chen Ping'an would glance at a few things and continue on his way.
The old deaf man couldn't help asking, "Hidden Official?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Let me walk through it once first. At worst, I'll have to double back. It won't delay the main business."
The old deaf man smiled and asked, "The matter is just this one thing. Is there any difference?"
Chen Ping'an smiled back. "Consider it a way to clear my mind."
The old deaf man said, "It's not good for a young man to be too settled and too patient. Although it makes it easy to do things accurately and be ruthless towards people, it's easy to erode one's vitality and harm one's good fortune."
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Senior's insight is profound, and what you say is prudent and mature advice. Being careful in everything does tend to shrink the heart."
The old deaf man had been trapped on the Sword Qi Great Wall for three thousand years. This was the first time he had been addressed as "Senior" so many times in one breath, and he had rarely conversed so much with a sword cultivator.
Chen Ping'an asked, "How did you and the old sword immortal agree earlier?"
The old deaf man said, "When I go out of the city to fight with all my strength, first, I kill all the demons imprisoned here. Of course, that's changed now; it's been changed to the Hidden Official doing it himself. Second, I can take three Golden Core disciples from here with me. They are considered exceptions."
The old deaf man didn't mention his cultivation years in the Barren Wastes world. Just on the Sword Qi Great Wall alone, he had endured for over three thousand years.
After enduring for three thousand years, he was still only at the Ascension realm, and hadn't managed to get the suffix "sword immortal."
As they walked along, they finally saw another fresh face. It was a demon cultivator curled up and lying down, taking on human appearance. He sensed the old deaf man and Chen Ping'an but still pretended not to notice.
The few Upper Five Realm demons behind, although each suppressed, their wandering, icy gazes were still palpable. There was also a great demon who seemed insane, furiously crashing into the sword light bars. Even with his flesh and blood mangled, he wouldn't stop. Finally, he grabbed two lines of sword light with both hands, cursed the old deaf man loudly, and cursed the unfamiliar young man of low realm. Chen Ping'an stopped and asked a few questions in fluent Barren Wastes world language, but the great demon only continued cursing.
Later, there were also demon earth immortals kowtowing and begging for mercy, and a charming fox spirit of a thousand years old, her face still radiant, beautiful and often as youthful as a young girl. Seeing the young Hidden Official, she looked pitiful, sitting sideways, hand over her heart, biting her lip tightly, on the verge of tears but not crying. There were also demons who swore solemnly, willing to become slaves, only asking to leave this place alive. Chen Ping'an remained silent throughout.
The old deaf man smiled and said, "That fox temptress, although she only has seven tails, if the Hidden Official takes her as a maid, it wouldn't be beneath your status. I believe the Hidden Official has that authority, and you don't need to worry about her loyalty."
Chen Ping'an didn't respond.
Chen Ping'an, for no reason, thought of that time on the way back from Great Sui, halfway, the cliffside plank road in the snowy night.
Over the years of far journeys, he had indeed seen many fox spirits, large and small. But he had never had the chance to visit the Fox Kingdom of the Qingfeng City Xu Clan. Xu Yuanxia had once said that it was a place one had to go. If a man didn't go through the Fox Kingdom, he wouldn't know what a hero's grave in a boudoir really was.
Among the four madams of the Grand Hao Ran World, there was the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven's Blue God Mountain Lady, who had a significant relationship with A Liang. Then there was the Drunken Visage Lady, who had vanished from the Central Continent Divine Land. She used a plum blossom garden to exchange with Chen Ping'an for a secret letter that would eventually be delivered to the pure Confucian Chen Chun'an. Her purpose was simply to hope that the Southern Bodhisattva Continent would treat this Upper Five Realm spirit creature with a bit of kindness. Essentially, Chen Ping'an was seeking a talisman of protection from a Confucian saint for the Drunken Visage Lady, and he was also making long-term considerations for Lu Zhi. Higher realm meant greater worries of a higher level. Lu Zhi, moreover, wasn't the type of sword immortal willing to act smoothly. Once she went to the Southern Bodhisattva Continent, she, Lu Zhi, would be the outlander. The schemes of scholars were so intricate! What was even more frightening was the possibility of open, aboveboard stratagems that forced Lu Zhi to draw her sword. That would be a huge trouble. So having the Drunken Visage Lady by Lu Zhi's side to help with plans and advice was somewhat reassuring. But Chen Ping'an was also worried that the Drunken Visage Lady's private grudges were too heavy, and that Lu Zhi might be subtly influenced.
So, once Chen Chun'an stepped in, it would be both protection and supervision, not allowing the Drunken Visage Lady to act willfully.
But the Drunken Visage Lady was not yet aware of this. She was probably still curious about what kind of merit the young Hidden Official had personally promised, and what reward it would bring. Chen Ping'an didn't intend to inform her in advance. When she accompanied Lu Zhi to the Southern Bodhisattva Continent, everything would naturally come to light.
There was also a madam considered the most orthodox Moon Palace species, whose fate was still unknown. Chen Ping'an had already confirmed that she was the Gui Madam, the secret patron of the Fan family.
The last was a nine-tailed celestial fox who had reached the Immortal realm, the Huanxi Madam. She was also missing without a trace.
At the very bottom of the prison, the last cell was something like a water prison. The water was only about two feet deep, covering about one mu. The water was a deep, dark green, with abundant water fortune directly materialized into little green fish. The pool water was clear, every detail visible. Those suddenly motionless little green fish seemed to hang in mid-air. Inside was a young demon with his head sticking out. The part of his body below the water was completely invisible, as if he had merged with the water.
Could this be a dragon-raising technique?
The demon youth's face had faint traces of scales, and there were slight bulges on both sides of his forehead, like antlers.
Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and stood still, staring at the youth.
He was at the Cave Dwelling realm, and hadn't been transformed into human form for long.
In the final analysis, it was his innate talent that mattered. On the path of cultivation, if one wanted the patriarch to reward them with a meal, they first had to have the Heavenly Lord bestow the meal. Whether one could cultivate or not...
Chen Ping'an began to return. He sighed in admiration, "Having obtained such a chance, practicing the sword, the master leads you through the door, but even more importantly, you must cultivate your dao heart. Senior, these three disciples of yours, their dao achievements will be terrifying."
Including the youth, the current realms of the three were respectively Cave Dwelling, Dragon Gate, and Golden Core bottleneck.
This prison didn't imprison just any random cat or dog. The younger the demon cultivator, the more outstanding their aptitude and bone structure.
The old deaf man smiled bitterly. "Hidden Official, isn't that going too far?"
This young man was certainly hard to deal with, but he could still be swatted to death with a single slap.
The problem was that Chen Qingdu would swat him to death with a single slap before he could even make a move.
If Chen Ping'an was really determined to break the agreement and kill the three disciples as well, given Chen Qingdu's temperament, who would he favor? Did he even need to think about it?
Chen Ping'an said, "All along, senior has abided by your duty. I have deep respect for you internally."
The old deaf man sneered. "But?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Senior is so good at chatting. Then you continue to talk. I'm all ears."
The old deaf man had no intention of making a deal with this young man.
The old deaf man shouted loudly, "Old Sword Immortal, is this okay? Won't you manage it?"
There was no response.
Chen Ping'an continued, "The three you chose, they all have the aptitude for the Upper Five Realm, right?"
The old deaf man nodded helplessly.
Chen Ping'an said, "Then let's calculate it as one Jade Pure realm and two Immortal realms, of course as sword cultivators. I will ask Senior for three cultivation opportunities, either dao techniques or magical treasures. Dao techniques suitable for demon cultivation would be best."
The old deaf man breathed a sigh of relief. These things were all external objects for an Ascension realm cultivator. "Two Jade Pure realms and one Immortal realm. If luck is bad, it could be one Nascent Soul realm and two Jade Pure realms."
The old deaf man didn't deceive people.
Whether a sword cultivator had the aptitude for the Upper Five Realm and whether they could eventually become an Upper Five Realm sword immortal were two different things.
Just look at the living, not the dead: Yan Ming, Yin Chen, Lan Caihuan—which of them wasn't a sword immortal seed of extraordinary talent? And where are they now?
Chen Ping'an agreed. "I'll follow senior's suggestion."
The old deaf man smiled. "Indeed, 'senior' wasn't called for nothing."
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists and said, "I hope Senior won't hold a grudge."
The old deaf man shook his head. "Not worth it."
Chen Ping'an said, "This prison is actually the corpse of a god who lost its head, right?"
The old deaf man nodded.
They walked to a cell that Chen Ping'an had originally thought was empty. Suddenly, a person walked out from the mist barrier.
Chen Ping'an turned to look. It was a woman with a face as white as snow and lips as red as blood. She had a young appearance. A small embroidered bag hung from her wrist.
Below her head, it was a terrible sight, utterly inhuman, worse than a ghost.
No skin, almost transparent. Internal organs, blue tendons, bones, and flesh squirmed and moved.
Chen Ping'an, who was used to seeing bloody and bizarre scenes, still felt his scalp tingle at the sight of this woman.
The Summer Retreat Palace had no record of her at all.
The woman walked to the bars and then stepped out in one stride, almost face to face with Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an remained motionless.
The old deaf man smiled. "Her name is Nian Xin. She's a seamstress who fled here. In her early years on Golden Armor Continent, she caused quite a stir."
Chen Ping'an understood in his heart.
A seamstress.
Extremely rare.
Chen Ping'an had once come across a record in a secret archive of the Summer Retreat Palace specifically dedicated to heretical cultivators.
It wasn't old news, but it was too sinister and deviant—it was demonic arts.
In the history of the Grand Hao Ran World, they had been killed on sight by orthodox talisman sect Qi refiners.
The four types of stubborn ghosts in the mountain world were sword cultivators, Mohist credit-knife men, master knife room Daoists, and Legalist disciples. But these cultivators were merely difficult to deal with, making other Qi refiners wary. They weren't really infamous. Besides these, there were ten types of cultivators who were like rats crossing the street, even less than wilderness cultivators, and everyone wanted them dead.
For example, there were the lone riders of the Southern Sea who carried dragon creels to capture tired dragons for their masters. Their realm wasn't high, just earth immortals, but even sword immortals couldn't kill them. They liked to go ashore to steal the water fortune of rivers and lakes. There were also the "passersby" who specialized in refining tombs, easily causing armies of ghost soldiers to pass through.
And this woman before Chen Ping'an was actually the legendary seamstress. She was proficient in talisman arts, but only used human skin as talisman paper.
Her fundamental dao was "making wedding clothes for others."
According to the secret record, to cultivate this method, one first had to peel off one's own skin. Enduring the pain of skinning was the first step.
The second step was to truly walk through a yin underworld realm similar to Fengdu Ghost Gate. There were several other barriers after that.
At the time, Chen Ping'an was very puzzled. What was the point of choosing to cultivate this method?
The woman took a step back, walked around Chen Ping'an, stopped, and asked, "How old are you?"
Chen Ping'an remained silent.
The woman, whom the old deaf man called Nian Xin, didn't mind and continued, "It shouldn't be an illusion technique. So are you from a wealthy family on Tai Xiang Street? Did your family elders finally persuade Chen Qingdu to build you a martial temple and gain the martial fortune of the Sword Qi Great Wall?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I'm an outlander. I practice boxing quite diligently."
The woman seemed regretful. "Chen Qingdu still has too many concerns. He's unwilling to use many means."
The old deaf man gave a wry smile. "You're not of an age, and you only know some flashy tricks. You'd better not utter the old sword immortal's name so casually."
Then he reminded the woman, "Nian Xin, this is the new Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall."
The woman tilted her head, staring at Chen Ping'an, speaking intermittently, "Left-handed. Flood dragon. Rebuilt Bridge of Long Life. Both body and soul heavily mended. Practiced martial arts first, then nurtured your lifebound flying sword. Meticulous and detailed control over your body. Half a kindred spirit. Heavy killing intent. Hmm, even heavier now. But you have complete control over your killing intent. Young but very formidable. Worthy of being the new Hidden Official."
Chen Ping'an stood still and smiled. "Miss Nian Xin has good eyesight."
The old deaf man knew Nian Xin's roots well, so he wasn't at all surprised by her ability.
One of the three oddities of the prison was Nian Xin's ability to come and go without obstruction.
The old deaf man suddenly asked, "Why did you call her 'Miss' instead of 'Senior'?"
Chen Ping'an retorted, "Does Senior always drink without any snacks?"
The old deaf man was taken aback.
From a distance, a childish voice rang out: "This guy is subtly mocking you for talking nonsense and saying inappropriate bullshit."
Chen Ping'an turned to look. It was a white-haired boy sitting cross-legged in mid-air. He had a large forehead, two green snakes dangling from his ears, and two short swords at his waist.
His eyes glowed faintly as he idly nibbled on his fingers.
The old deaf man glanced sideways and explained to Chen Ping'an, "He's an external heavenly demon."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
The white-haired boy said, "Old deaf man, call me grandpa!"
The old deaf man obediently called him "Grandpa."
The white-haired boy angrily said, "How can you be so boring!"
The woman ignored the old deaf man and the boy. She stared intently at Chen Ping'an and said, "Can you really withstand the pain? Don't die."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Let's give it a try."
Then Chen Ping'an felt a chilling sensation. The woman smiled brilliantly, gracefully performed a curtsy, and said, "For the young master, as the weather turns cold, let me add some clothes, and mend them by lamplight."