Chapter 695: Peace in Fragments
In a restricted area of the Middle Earth Divine Continent, within a hundred-mile radius, the mountains and rivers were picturesque and the scenery pleasant. There was only one building, two stories high and three bays wide, like a small study plucked in isolation from a wealthy estate.
The plaque was not large, but its meaning was immense: "Suppressing Baize."
In the central hall hung a portrait of the Supreme Sage.
Were it not for the plaque revealing the heavenly secret, any cultivator who stumbled into this place would assume the owner was a Confucian recluse living in seclusion.
A middle-aged man was flipping through a book.
Every year, junzi and xianren from the Ritual Academy would deliver books here. There were no restrictions on subject matter—sages' commentaries, literati's notes, tales of the strange—all were acceptable. The academy would place them on a small hill at the edge of the restricted area. The hill was unremarkable, except for a broken stele shaped like an Ao-sitting monument, on which the faint words "In the first month of the spring king's reign, a great rainstorm struck, recorded from the beginning" could still be discerned. The junzi and xianren only needed to place the books on the stele, and a woman would come to collect them and deliver them to her master, the great demon Baize.
Baize put down the book, looked at the palace-robed woman at the door, and asked, "Are you worried that the situation in Tongye Continent will implicate Huanxi Madam, who has cut off one of her tails?"
The woman immediately turned and replied respectfully, "In answer to my lord's question, seeing the pitiable fate of the Rain Dragon Sect, this servant is indeed concerned for Huanxi Madam's safety."
Huanxi Madam was not only one of the Four Madams of Haoran Heaven—alongside the Madam of Green God Mountain, the Tuoyan Madam of the Plum Garden, and the Madam of Moon Palace Planting Osmanthus—but also one of the two celestial foxes of Haoran Heaven, with nine tails. The other was the ancestor of the palace-robed woman's fox lineage. That ancestor, unable to avoid the vast heavenly tribulation, had sought refuge with the Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, obtaining the protection of his merit and virtue. With deep karmic affinity, she received the seal stamp of that Heavenly Master's seal, not only surviving the Five Thunder Heavenly Tribulation but also smoothly breaking through to a higher realm. To repay the great favor, she had served as the mountain-guarding offering of the Heavenly Master Prefecture for several thousand years, at the Flying Ascension realm.
The palace-robed woman looked somewhat aggrieved, complaining that Huanxi Madam had abandoned her celestial fox realm just to stay out of the conflict, refusing to take sides. If it were her, she would never do such a foolish thing.
Baize walked to the door, and the palace-robed woman gently stepped back, maintaining a distance from her master. Having spent a thousand years day and night with her master, she never dared to overstep the rules.
Baize said, "Qingying, what do you think the Savage Wasteland's chances of victory are?"
The fox spirit named Qingying replied, "The Savage Wasteland's demon army has concentrated combat power and a single-minded purpose: to seize territory. Driven by interest, their minds are already pure. Now, even though they have split into three routes, they still hold an absolute advantage over South Basuo Continent, Fuyang Continent, and Tongye Continent. Added to that, the signs of internal strife within Haoran Heaven are a major hidden danger. The top-tier experts of the Immortal and Flying Ascension realms in Haoran Heaven have been far too stifled. If that Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain is truly willing to keep his promise, once the heavens and earth change, these experts, regardless of their origins, will gain a great measure of freedom. That is an extremely tempting offer."
Having said this, Qingying felt a bit uneasy.
Years ago, because she had spoken recklessly and revealed her thoughts on a snowy plank road in a small continent, her master had angrily driven her down into a valley, called her true name, and casually cut off one of her tails.
Baize said, "Just speak your mind."
Having received the decree, Qingying continued, "Tongye Continent has been isolated since ancient times, accustomed to comfort and luxury. Suddenly faced with great calamity, everyone is caught off guard, making it difficult to unite hearts. If the academy cannot use an iron fist to curb the flight of cultivators, and the mountain immortals drive the dynasties at the foot of the mountain, the entire court and countryside will instantly collapse. Once the demons break into the heart of Tongye Continent, it will be like elite cavalry chasing refugees. The demons' casualties at the foot of the mountain might be negligible. In the end, only seven or eight sect-level powers will remain in Tongye Continent, barely protecting themselves. As for the northern route, Baoping Continent is too small. The sword cultivators of Northern Julu Continent have suffered too many losses at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Moreover, while the people there are fierce, they are prone to fighting independently. In a war like this, it's not a duel between mountain cultivators. Northern Julu Continent's fate will be tragic—brave deaths will simply be pointless sacrifices. Aiai Continent is overrun with merchants, always prioritizing profit over righteousness. When they see the fate of Northern Julu Continent's cultivators, they will be terrified and weigh the pros and cons. Thus, this front line spanning four continents will easily collapse in succession. Coupled with the line from Fuyang Continent, Jinjia Continent, and Liuxia Continent, which echo from afar, in the end, half of Haoran Heaven might fall into demon hands. Once the general trend is lost, even if the Middle Earth Divine Continent has deep foundations, one continent capable of matching eight, how can it resist? They will sit and wait for exploitation, gradually being nibbled away by the demons, like catching a turtle in a jar."
Baize smiled. "Armchair strategizing."
Qingying dared not question her master.
Baize walked down the steps and began to stroll. Qingying followed behind. Baize said slowly, "You are engaging in armchair strategizing. But the junzi of the academy may not be the same. All knowledge under heaven converges in the end. War is actually like scholarship: what you get from books is shallow, and you must experience it to truly understand. Back then, the Old Scholar insisted that the junzi and xianren of the academies should minimize their involvement in the court affairs of secular dynasties and stop thinking about being shadow rulers outside the court. However, he invited the cultivators of the Military and Mohist schools to explain in detail the pros and cons of each war, the deployment of troops, and even made military studies a mandatory subject for xianren to be promoted to junzi. At the time, this caused no small controversy in the Wen Temple, being seen as 'neglecting the foundation of governing and aiding the people with pure Confucian principles, focusing only on heterodox paths—a great error.' Later, it took the personal nod of Mencius, who sealed the verdict with 'The great affairs of the state lie in sacrifice and warfare,' before the matter was passed and implemented."
Qingying knew about these inner workings of the Wen Temple but didn't care much. Knowing or not knowing, what difference did it make? She and her master needed the consent of two vice-heads of the Wen Temple and three grand libationers of the academy just to venture outside. If any one of them shook their head, they could not go. Thus, that intercontinental journey years ago had left her with a bellyful of anger.
Baize walked slowly. "The Old Scholar advocates that human nature is inherently evil, yet he insists on praising the phrase 'filial piety is the first of all virtues,' placing the character 'xiao' before all others like loyalty, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. Isn't that a bit contradictory and puzzling?"
Qingying was helpless. She was not at all interested in these scholarly matters of the Confucian sages. She had to say, "This servant truly does not understand the deep meaning of the Civil Sage."
Baize asked and answered himself, "The principle is simple: filial piety is closest to human nature. Cultivate the self, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. Family, state, and world—every household deals with the character 'xiao' every day. It is the first step in worldly cultivation. When doors are closed, other characters inevitably drift somewhat away from human nature. Truly filial people rarely become great villains; occasional exceptions remain exceptions. The threshold of 'xiao' is low; you don't need to excel in studies to become an official, to solve the ruler's troubles, to have too many thoughts, to understand the world thoroughly, or to talk about great aspirations. If this character is done well..."
Baize turned and pointed at that unremarkable building, the "Mighty Tower." "Then the house will be solid. In the world, all families will be close. Filial piety is like a mortise and tenon. It's not hard to shelter from wind and rain at home. When you open the door and read more books, ponder more, loyalty, righteousness, and propriety will naturally follow. I say, if in the future, within the door, the world becomes estranged from family ties, couples separate without burden, and outside the door, everyone acts for themselves, fools are too few, and clever people too many—that world is truly in decline. Because the fine details of this house called 'the world' are losing their stickiness. This is also why the Old Scholar did not want his first disciple, Cui Chan, to introduce 'utilitarian studies' too early. It's not that the knowledge of that Embroidery Tiger is bad, but if mishandled, the drawbacks would be too great. Even if the Supreme Sage and the Ritual Sage personally intervened to make amends, it would be difficult to achieve results. Between father and son, husband and wife, if they have to haggle over gains and losses, then they will enter the era of the Dharma's End in people's hearts earlier than the Buddhist and Daoist schools."
Baize smiled. "Those in high positions on the mountains and below are not very afraid of unfilial sons, but they are extremely worried about unworthy descendants. That's interesting."
Baize suddenly laughed. "I've forced myself to say so much good about you; can't you just take the advantage and not show off for once?"
Qingying was stunned, not knowing why her master said this.
Baize said helplessly, "Let's go back. If we're late, I don't know what state it'll be in."
Baize led Qingying back along the same path to the "study."
Qingying saw inside an old literatus in Confucian robes, back turned to them, standing on tiptoe, holding an unrolled scroll, measuring a position on the wall. He seemed to be about to hang it. On the table below the portrait of the Supreme Sage were already placed several books. Qingying was completely baffled, and even more furious. How could anyone trespass on her master's pure cultivation grounds?! But the most difficult thing for her was that whoever could silently break into this place, especially a scholar, was someone she certainly couldn't afford to provoke. Her master was too good-natured and never allowed her to do anything like acting arrogantly on borrowed authority.
Baize stood at the threshold and sneered, "Old Scholar, you'd better stop there. I can tolerate you putting down a few books, but if you hang another portrait of yourself, that's too disgusting."
Hearing the address "Old Scholar," Qingying immediately fixed her gaze, and the anger in her heart vanished in an instant.
Years ago, when she was first taken home by her master, Baize, she had curiously asked why the portrait of the Supreme Sage was hung in the Mighty Tower. She had at least known that even the Ritual Sage, who set the rules of propriety for the world, treated her master with courtesy, addressing him as "Mister," while her master at most called him "Little Master." And Baize had never shown a good face to the vice-heads of the Wen Temple or the grand libationers of the academy. Even Mencius, on one occasion when he visited, stopped at the threshold.
In fact, this so-called "Suppressing Baize," unlike the other eight Mighty Towers that suppressed qi, was merely for show. The plaque "Suppressing Baize" didn't even need to be hung; her master had written it himself. Once, he had said the reason: it was simply to keep the sages of the academies from entering. Even if they had the face to bother him, Baize, they wouldn't have the face to sit inside.
There was only one exception.
The Old Scholar.
At that time, Qingying had been on the road to fetch books, so she missed the Civil Sage who was then "at his zenith."
She only heard about it later from a book-scented little figure living on a beam in the house. The little figure said the Old Scholar not only scurried in happily but also said, "Brother Bai, you're too careless. Living under someone else's roof, it's fine not to respect the owner, but you should at least put on a show of courtesy. Hanging this up would save a lot of unnecessary trouble. It's not like it costs anything to hang it." Then the Old Scholar took the liberty of hanging the portrait of the Supreme Sage. Luckily, Baize didn't take it down and throw it out; it's been hanging there ever since.
The Old Scholar, who had been sent out of the Fifth World by Bai Ye's sword, turned around resentfully, shook the scroll in his hand, and said, "I was just afraid the old fellow would look too lonely standing alone on the wall. If I hung up the Ritual Sage or the Third One, the old fellow might not be happy. Others don't know, but Brother Bai, you should be clear that the old fellow and I get along best..."
Baize smiled. "Have some shame."
The Old Scholar stamped his foot in sorrowful indignation. "The world is vast, and only here can I leave a few books and hang a portrait of myself. Can you bear to refuse? Does it bother you that much?"
"It bothers me a lot."
Baize nodded, then said, "At the Patriarch Hall of the Fallen Mountain, didn't your final disciple hang a portrait of you?"
The Old Scholar's eyes lit up; he was waiting for that line. That's how a conversation should go. The bookworm Bai Ye was hard to talk to. He casually placed the scroll on the table and walked toward the study on Baize's side. "Sit, sit, sit down and talk. Don't be so polite. Come, come, let me tell you all about my final disciple. You saw him back then, and thanks to your auspicious words, that bond of incense is not shallow. This is like making our brotherhood even closer..."
The Old Scholar then smiled at Qingying. "You must be Miss Qingying, right? You're truly beautiful. Later, would you trouble Miss to hang that portrait? Remember to hang it a bit lower. The old fellow certainly wouldn't mind; I'm quite particular about etiquette. Brother Bai, look—whenever I have free time, I don't even go to the Wen Temple; I come to your place first for a sit. So when you have time, why not visit Fallen Mountain? If anyone dares to stop you, Brother Bai, I'll have a fit. I'll sneak into the Wen Temple and slap him for you, demanding justice for Brother Bai! By the way, if my memory serves me right, the girl Nuanshu and the little spirit Lingjun on Fallen Mountain—you saw them too back then, didn't you? Such lovely children, one kind-hearted, the other carefree. What elder wouldn't like them?"
Qingying had originally greatly admired this Civil Sage who had lost his sacrificial status. After seeing him in person today, she admired him no longer.
What "unimpeded eloquence reaching heaven, solid scholarship based in the mortal world"? Today, he seemed nothing but a shameless rascal. From sneaking into the house behind her master's back to now talking nonsense from start to finish, not a single word was worthy of a sage, not a single phrase had the grand bearing of one who holds heaven's decrees.
Years ago, when Mencius had visited, even though he said little, he had still inspired in Qingying a sense of looking up to him like a mountain.
The Old Scholar sat down on the only chair behind the desk. Since this Mighty Tower never received guests, of course there was no need for extra chairs.
Baize didn't mind the Old Scholar's presumption of being the host. He stood and said, "If you have something to say, say it. If not, I won't see you out."
The Old Scholar shifted his buttocks and sighed, "It's been so long since I've sat comfortably and enjoyed myself."
Baize said, "If I kicked you out of here, whatever face you have left would be completely gone."
The Old Scholar suddenly slammed the table. "So many scholars can't even read their books anymore; they've lost their lives. Why care about face?! Are you worthy of all these sacred texts in this room, Baize? Huh?!"
Qingying was startled.
Baize frowned. "I'll warn you one last time. If you want to reminisce, I can tolerate it. But don't discuss principles and righteousness with me. The flimsy bond between us can't withstand such a big breath."
The Old Scholar immediately changed his expression, lifted his rear slightly to show apology and sincerity, and not forgetting to brush the spot he had slapped with his sleeve, he laughed heartily. "I was just speaking in the tone of the Third One and the two vice-heads. Don't worry, I won't talk to you about the world's literary vein or thousand-year enterprises. Just reminiscing, just reminiscing. Miss Qingying, find a chair or stool for our Master Bai, or I'll feel uneasy sitting here."
Baize waved his hand to indicate that Qingying should leave the room.
Qingying dared not show her emotions on her face. She curtsied properly to the Old Scholar and left gracefully.
The Old Scholar watched her go with a smile, casually picked up a book, and whispered with emotion, "In her heart, she may not agree with the rites, but she still acts by the rules. The Ritual Sage's merit is great."
Baize said, "My patience is limited. Make good use of it."
The Old Scholar continued flipping through books, putting one down and picking up another. He craned his neck to glance at Baize's annotations in the margins of those books. He nodded. "Transmitting commentaries and exegesis, explaining and interpreting, studying sounds and meanings, doubts—even a single 'transmission' is divided into major, minor, inner, outer, supplementary, and many other categories. Too much good knowledge, and life is too short. It's easy for later readers to get lost in a fog. Especially when there are too many books, from the time when you had to go on adventures to enter a mountain of gold and silver, and occasionally finding something made you cherish it doubly, to the time when there are countless treasures at home, and you gradually discard them like worn-out shoes. Added to that, the sages' teachings blindly urge people to abandon interests and teach them how to establish their mandate, but not how to settle their bodies. It's hard to achieve true harmony, and ultimately unsatisfying."
Baize sighed. "You're determined not to leave, are you?"
The Old Scholar put down the book he was holding, gently stacked the pile neatly, and said seriously, "In chaotic times, heroes emerge."
Baize showed a hint of anger.
The Old Scholar smiled. "Scholars often have difficult tasks, and even have to do things against their will. I humbly ask Mr. Bai to be more accommodating."
Baize said, "I've already been very accommodating."
The Old Scholar asked, "Then give us scholars a chance to correct our mistakes?"
Baize said, "Last word."
The Old Scholar stood up, walked out from behind the desk, made a deep bow to Baize without a word, and then left.
Baize sighed.
A moment later, a head peeked in at the door.
Baize held his forehead in silence, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.
The Old Scholar sat on the threshold.
Baize said, "Out with it. What is it? Whether I do it is up to me."
The Old Scholar then said, "Help Chen Chun'an of the Mencius lineage not have such a hard time."
If Chen Chun'an cared about the label of "pure Confucian," he wouldn't be Chen Chun'an. The real difficulty for Chen Chun'an was that he came from the Mencius lineage. When the world's criticisms arose, they would not only point at Chen Chun'an himself but also at the entire Mencius lineage.
Regarding going to South Basuo Continent, Baize neither refused nor agreed.
Baize asked in confusion, "Not to help Cui Chan, who is turning the tide, or your final disciple trapped at the Sword Qi Great Wall?"
The Old Scholar stood up. "The Civil Sage lineage never begs! All our knowledge is used to do something for this world."
Baize nodded.
The Old Scholar suddenly wiped his face and said sorrowfully, "If begging would work, how could I, as his teacher, not beg?"
Baize was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He was silent for a long time, but finally shook his head. "Old Scholar, I won't leave this place. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
The Old Scholar shook his head. "Mr. Bai speaks too seriously. Although I did come with a hope, if things don't work out, there's no need for disappointment. I'm a scholar, after all."
Baize asked, "Next?"
The Old Scholar immediately burst into rage. "Damn it, I'm going to the Baizhi Blessed Land to curse! I'll pick out the one with the highest seniority and curse him. If he dares to talk back half a sentence, I'll make a paper effigy as tall as a man and secretly put it in the Wen Temple."
Baize reached out, grabbed a scroll of "Searching the Mountains" from a beam inside, and tossed it to the Old Scholar.
The Old Scholar quickly stuffed it into his sleeve and helped Baize brush his sleeve. "A true hero!"
Baize flicked his sleeve. "It was when I was traveling that you stole it."
The Old Scholar nodded vigorously. "So much nonsense—do you think I don't know the rules? I'm not a fool. I won't make things difficult for Brother Bai."
Baize said indifferently, "Don't forget, I'm not human."
The Old Scholar stamped his foot. "I don't like hearing that. Don't worry, I'll curse at the Ritual Sage for you. What's so great about the Ritual Sage—big knowledge and big rules? If the reasoning isn't on his side, I'll still curse. Back when I was first forcibly dragged into the Wen Temple to eat cold pig's head meat, I was most respectful to the Ritual Sage's statue. In other places, offerings to the attendant sacrificial sages were ordinary, but for the old fellow and the Ritual Sage, I gritted my teeth and spent a fortune to buy mountain incense..."
The Old Scholar let out a "Hey," suddenly stopped his words, and vanished in a flash. He came in haste and left even more hastily, only reminding Baize, "Don't forget the portrait."
A handsome middle-aged man appeared outside the house, bowing to Baize with clasped hands. Baize, breaking precedent, returned the bow.
Together, they crossed the threshold. The middle-aged man saw the scroll, gently opened it, and laughed softly. It turned out not to be a portrait of the Old Scholar, but of this man.
So it was actually a portrait of the Ritual Sage.
Baize rubbed his brow and said helplessly, "Does he annoy you?"
The Ritual Sage smiled. "I'm fine. Our Supreme Sage is the one most annoyed by him."
Back then, when the Old Scholar's statue was removed from the Wen Temple, it was fine—the Old Scholar didn't care. But later, when scholars all over smashed his statues, the Supreme Sage was actually dragged by the Old Scholar to watch. The Old Scholar didn't complain much, just said that scholars value face most, and being subjected to such humiliation, they had to endure it even if they couldn't bear it. But could the Wen Temple be a bit more lenient toward his Civil Sage lineage in the future? Let Cui Chan go—at least he was thinking about the world's literary vein for a thousand autumns. And Xiao Qi, such a good seedling, should be protected a bit more. Later, whenever he broke through the bottleneck of the Flying Ascension realm, old fellow, don't just stand there and do nothing. Was it the Ritual Sage's rules that were greater, or the Supreme Sage's face? And so on—he would haggle endlessly, clutching the Supreme Sage's sleeve, refusing to let go until he got a nod.
Anyone who thinks the Old Scholar is now not at all like a scholar must never have seen the Civil Sage participate in the Three Teachings debates.
Earlier, when he boasted to Baize with grand words, insisting that the Civil Sage lineage never begged, that same Old Scholar, as the teacher of that lineage's disciples, had once begged bitterly, done many things, given up everything, and paid a great deal.
---
The great sword immortal Zhang Lu, guarding the gate, still held his sword and dozed. He had personally witnessed the fate of the Rain Dragon Sect in Haoran Heaven and felt it was far from enough.
He, Zhang Lu, would not extend a single sword toward the cultivators of Haoran Heaven, but neither would he extend a sword for Haoran Heaven.
He was just watching the fun. After all, Haoran Heaven loved watching the fun even more than he did.
The former Hidden Official Xiao Xun, who had betrayed the Sword Qi Great Wall, along with the two sword immortals Luoshan and Zhu'an from the old Hidden Official lineage, and the two Throne-level great demons Fei Fei and Yang Zhi, who were responsible for opening the way to Tongye Continent, were originally supposed to land together on Tongye Continent. But Fei Fei, Yang Zhi, and another three great demons including the concealed Yao Jia suddenly changed course and headed for the vast sea between Baoping Continent and Northern Julu Continent. Only Xiao Xun alone forcibly broke through the continent's mountain river barrier, then shattered the Indigo Heaven Umbrella Mountain River Grand Formation of Tongye Sect. Though a sword cultivator, she still intended to spar with Zuo You with fists.
Zuo You transformed into a sword light and headed overseas. Xiao Xun had no interest in Tongye Sect, so she ignored the ants there, spat on the ground, and turned to follow Zuo You into the distance.
Although Xiao Xun could break through the barriers of two grand formations and enter the territory of Tongye Sect, she was clearly still heavily suppressed by the heavenly path, which made her extremely dissatisfied. So when Zuo You voluntarily left the land of Tongye Continent, Xiao Xun followed, and for once she spoke on the battlefield: "Zuo You, have you recovered from the punch you took back then? If I kill you, don't blame me for taking advantage of you."
Zuo You was too lazy to speak; all reasoning was in the sword.
Xiao Xun was always domineering. Since Zuo You had the most abundant sword qi in all of Haoran Heaven, she would break apart as much as he sent.
The cultivators of Tongye Continent looked up at the spot where the two figures had vanished, most of them trembling with fear, wondering which Throne-level great demon that little girl with the twin braids was.
On South Basuo Continent, after the bearded man's sword questioning of Chen Chun'an, there was temporarily no war. The Savage Wasteland's demon army continued moving mountains and overturning seas, dumping countless mountains from the Savage Wasteland into the ocean to pave roads, amassing troops at sea, facing Basuo Continent from a thousand miles away. Occasionally, Haoran Heaven's grand cultivators rushing to aid the Chunchun Chen Clan would strike at the sea with divine abilities, and great demons would emerge to neutralize those spectacular techniques. That was all. Among those acting on South Basuo Continent was Huai Clan's founder, ranked last among the top ten of the Middle Earth Divine Continent.
On Fuyang Continent, there was the old sword immortal Zhou Shenzhi, whose ranking was higher than Huai Clan's founder, personally guarding the Landscape Grotto, whose Patriarch Hall had lost its patriarch's portrait.
The junzi and xianren of all the academies in the Middle Earth Divine Continent, Liuxia Continent, and Aiai Continent had already departed for Southwest Fuyang Continent, West Jinjia Continent, and South Basuo Continent respectively.
At the Landscape Grotto on Fuyang Continent, which existed only in name, a burly old man stood outside the Patriarch Hall atop the mountain peak.
Beside him was a handsome young man, Qi Tingji of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Additionally, there were several other young people, including a white-robed youth whose appearance surpassed even Sword Immortal Qi's, and a mountain-peak realm martial artist around thirty years old, Cao Ci.
Also with Cao Ci were three acquaintances: Liu Youzhou of Aiai Continent, Huai Qian of the Middle Earth Divine Continent, and the female martial artist Yu Juanfu.
Huai Qian seemed to have not fully recovered from an illness; his face was pale, but there was no sign of dejection.
A Nascent Soul sword cultivator named Nalan Caihuan, who claimed to come from the Spring Pennant Studio of Inverted Mountain, was now the nominal owner of the Landscape Grotto. However, she was currently engaged in trade in a secular dynasty. Having served for many years as the steward of the Nalan Clan of the Sword Qi Great Wall, she had amassed a considerable private fortune. The Summer Palace and the Hidden Official lineage placed few restrictions on her actions after entering Haoran Heaven. Besides, since the Sword Qi Great Wall was no more, what was there to say about the Hidden Official lineage? Still, Nalan Caihuan dared not go too far and earn herself ill-gotten immortal money; after all, there was Lu Zhi on South Basuo Continent, and the latter seemed to have a good relationship with the young Hidden Official.
Zhou Shenzhi, who had just flown to Fuyang Continent not long ago, asked, "Did my junior nephew leave any last words?"
Qi Tingji shook his head. "No."
Zhou Shenzhi said, "He was a coward all his life, and when he finally accomplished a grand feat, Kusha should have said a few words for himself. I heard there was a rather shady tavern on the Sword Qi Great Wall with a peace plaque on the wall. Didn't Kusha write a line or two?"
Yu Juanfu shook her head. "No."
Zhou Shenzhi was a bit regretful. "I should have advised him back then: since he truly liked that woman, he should have just stayed there. Even if he had returned to the Middle Earth Divine Continent, I wouldn't have thought any more highly of him. My junior brother was a stubborn fool, and his disciple turned out to be just as single-minded. A headache."
Yu Juanfu said solemnly, "Grandpa Zhou, Senior Kusha was never a coward!"
Zhou Shenzhi immediately broke into a smile and nodded. "After all, he's my junior nephew; a coward he could not be. It's just that I, as his uncle, have high standards. Only I can say such things. Would outsiders dare to spout nonsense? Of course not."
Liu Youzhou, who had snuck to Fuyang Continent against his family's wishes, was both trembling with fear and bubbling with excitement. He had left home with plenty of belongings—three storage artifacts packed to the brim, and he was eager to give away treasures to anyone he met. If others were safe, he was safe. Unfortunately, his good buddy Cao Ci and friend Huai Qian didn't accept any, and Sister Yu, being a pure martial artist, out of politeness, reluctantly took just one Jingwei Armor to wear. Otherwise, Liu Youzhou had a few decent-quality robes in his storage artifacts.
Liu Youzhou stole a glance at Huai Qian, then at Yu Juanfu, feeling the atmosphere was odd.
Yu Juanfu had returned to Haoran Heaven from the Sword Qi Great Wall a few years ago and had broken through to the Far Traveling realm.
But Huai Qian, after returning from Northern Julu Continent, had inexplicably dropped many realms in cultivation. He hadn't broken through and remained stuck at the Ocean Observation realm.
It seemed that Northern Julu Continent was indeed not a place for prodigies from elsewhere; it was easiest to capsize in a ditch. No wonder his parents would agree to anything and turn a blind eye to many things, but they made him swear never to wander about in Northern Julu Continent. As for this trip to Fuyang Continent, Liu Youzhou certainly wouldn't stay put in the Landscape Grotto; with his meager cultivation, he was useless.
Cao Ci was the first to leave the Patriarch Hall of the Landscape Grotto, intending to go elsewhere to clear his mind.
Yu Juanfu hesitated for a moment before following Cao Ci. Zhou Shenzhi stroked his beard with a smile, glancing at the sickly-looking Huai Qian. That little brat had always been deep and calculating; Zhou Shenzhi had never liked him. Back then, when the betrothal between the Yu Clan and the Huai Clan was arranged, the old sword immortal had cursed old man Yu for being possessed by ambition. But in the end, it was family business, and Zhou Shenzhi could curse privately but couldn't change anything.
Huai Qian took his leave of the two sword immortal seniors and went a different way from Cao Ci and Yu Juanfu. Liu Youzhou hesitated, then followed Huai Qian.
Liu Youzhou asked softly, "What happened? Can you tell me?"
Huai Qian smiled. "Cleverness overreaches itself. I bit off more than I could chew at once. That's what happened."
Liu Youzhou said carefully, "Don't take this the wrong way, but Sister Yu and Cao Ci really have nothing going on. Back at that ruin in Jinjia Continent, Cao Ci was purely helping Sister Yu practice boxing. I watched the whole time."
Huai Qian shook his head. "My eyes aren't blind. I know Yu Juanfu has no feelings for Cao Ci, and Cao Ci has no interest in Yu Juanfu. Besides, I never rejected that betrothal arranged by the elders of both families, but I didn't particularly like it either."
Liu Youzhou opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped.
Huai Qian said, "It doesn't matter who Yu Juanfu met or what she experienced on the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Over at Cao Ci's side.
Yu Juanfu asked with a smile, "Feeling a bit pressured? Since he's also at the mountain-peak realm now."
Cao Ci shook his head, looking up to the south with sparkling eyes. "When ten realms clash, high and low are decided. I'm waiting for him to come and ask for a bout. I know he doesn't care about winning or losing, but after losing three times in front of the woman he loves, he's certainly going to want to reclaim his pride."
Cao Ci turned his head and smiled at Yu Juanfu.
Yu Juanfu was eating a flatbread with her head down. This was one good thing about being back in Haoran Heaven. She looked up in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Cao Ci asked, "Are you...?"
Yu Juanfu blinked. "I don't like Chen Ping'an. I lost to him three times on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and of course I want to get back at him. What are you thinking? That's not like Cao Ci."
Cao Ci said, "I was going to ask you if you want to challenge him when he returns to Haoran Heaven."
Yu Juanfu chuckled. "Cao Ci, you talk a lot these days. That's not quite the same as before."
Cao Ci said, "I will break through to the tenth realm here."
Yu Juanfu nodded. "I'll wait and see."
---
After shattering his golden core twelve times in a row, he finally broke through to the mountain-peak realm.
But after reaching the ninth realm as a martial artist, the shattering of the golden core brought very little benefit to martial cultivation. There was still some, so Chen Ping'an continued shattering golden cores.
After three more times, it became completely useless, no longer aiding his martial refinement. So Chen Ping'an stopped and began the final condensation of the golden core.
Li Zhen had appeared for the last time, tossed a finely printed travelogue of landscapes here on the cliff, and then went to one end of the half-ruined Sword Qi Great Wall, never showing himself again.
After Chen Ping'an condensed his golden core, with nothing to do, he sat cross-legged, laid the saber across his knees, and began flipping through the book. It was a thinly veiled allegory of landscapes and stories, and he found himself chuckling. The name "Gu Chen" was ultimately not as good as "Gu Can," which meant beautiful like jade. As for the folk customs in the opening pages—they were truly well-written, reminding him of many old memories. Unfortunately, some things were still not included, and perhaps that was for the best. Chen Ping'an tossed the travelogue outside the city wall, letting it flutter in the wind, eventually falling somewhere unknown.
Chen Ping'an pressed both hands on the narrow saber Zhan Kan and gazed southward at the vast land. None of the things written in the book were what he truly cared about. If someone dared to write about certain things, then when they met face to face in the future, it would be hard to negotiate nicely.
For example, the book never mentioned a child in a humble alley who once said with great delight, "The smaller ones taste better."
The ninth-realm martial artist in a bright red robe stood up. His physique had stabilized, no longer looking neither human nor ghost. Chen Ping'an walked slowly, lightly tapping his shoulder with the narrow saber, and murmured with a smile, "Shattered peace, shattered safety, shattered peace, year after year of peace..."