Chapter 698: To Ask a Punch
The group passed through Golden Light Peak and Moon Flower Mountain in the southeastern part of Beiju Continent; these were a rare pair of Daoist companion mountains.
On Golden Light Peak, the spirit bird Golden-Backed Goose occasionally appeared, but its tracks were extremely difficult to find, and capturing it was even harder for cultivators. On Moon Flower Mountain, on the night of the full moon on the first and fifteenth of each month, a snow-white giant frog as large as a mountain peak would often appear, leading a large group of its children and grandchildren to absorb the essence of the moon, earning it the nickname "Thunder Mountain."
According to their method of travel, they deliberately avoided the immortal ferry crossings and traveled entirely on foot over mountains and rivers. Li Huai didn't seem anxious to reach Lion Peak, and Pei Qian wasn't in a hurry to return to Bottle Gourd Continent either. In Li Huai's private words, he said that Pei Qian hoped that when she returned home, she could see her master.
Li Huai didn't want to rush to the town at the foot of Lion Peak to see his parents earlier. But sometimes, when he thought about Pei Qian's situation, he would just drop it, not even able to bear urging her a single word. Besides being unable to bear it, the key was that he didn't dare. Pei Qian wasn't Li Baoping; the latter would at least reason with you when she hit you. Li Huai knew that Pei Qian kept many small account books; it was said that almost everyone had a separate one. Li Huai always felt that his own account book was most likely the thickest one.
Wei Taizhen didn't mind traveling slowly, but no matter how accustomed she was to strange things, one oddity after another still came.
For example, Pei Qian deliberately chose a gloomy day to ascend Golden Light Peak, where eerie rocks stood opposite each other. It was as if she hadn't come to try her luck at seeing the Golden-Backed Goose, but rather wanted to climb the mountain to enjoy the scenery, yet didn't want to see those proud and unruly Golden-Backed Geese. This wasn't too strange; what was strange was that after climbing the mountain, she camped overnight on the summit. After copying texts, she practiced her stance and punched. Earlier, at the Bone Beach Naihe Pass market, she had bought two very cheap books—Linen Sect's "Collected Thoughts of Peace" and Spring Dew Garden's "Spring Dew in Winter." Pei Qian often took them out to read. Every time she flipped to a passage in "Spring Dew Garden" describing Jade Cliff and two young Sword Immortals, she would show some smile. It seemed that when she was in a bad mood, just reading that short passage could relieve her worries.
Pei Qian also asked Li Huai some academic questions, and Li Huai had to grit his teeth and help answer. But each time, Pei Qian wasn't satisfied with the answers Li Huai copied from the sages' books.
Wei Taizhen was certain they would return empty-handed, not seeing a single Golden-Backed Goose. After all, these mountain spirit birds only appeared once in a century under the great sunlight.
Unexpectedly, as night fell darkly, Wei Taizhen chose a spot pretending to practice Qi cultivation, while Li Huai, who had volunteered to keep watch, lit a bonfire. Bored, he poked at the dry branches and casually said, "Some caged birds can't be locked up; sunlight is their feathers."
A moment later, the dark sea of clouds parted as if the sky opened its eyes. First, a golden speck appeared, growing brighter and brighter, then it dragged a golden line, seemingly heading straight for Golden Light Peak where Wei Taizhen was.
Wei Taizhen, nominally a Golden Core immortal of Lion Peak and the senior sister of the master, had in recent years served as Li Liu's personal maid, accompanying her on travels here.
Wei Taizhen was a mountain spirit native to the Precious Mirror Mountain region. Taking form was already extremely difficult for her, and breaking through realms was even more of a luxury. But after meeting her master, Wei Taizhen had broken through one realm per year until she stopped at Golden Core. Her master told her to slow down, saying that while he could help block the heavenly tribulation that would come from trying to break the Golden Core bottleneck to reach Nascent Soul, after Wei Taizhen grew eight tails, her appearance and temperament became increasingly natural, inevitably too fox-like and alluring. Serving as a maid who poured tea and handed things would easily distract her master's younger brother from his studies.
Having followed her master Li Liu, she had seen too much of the world. For instance, that "Resting Dragon Stone Fish-Catching Immortal" was a Jade Pure realm "Palace Clerk," and there was that Deep Water Pit guarded by a great Fly Ascension realm demon. The hard-refined object there was merely a summer retreat of her master's from years past, yet it ended up with a status similar to hers. That palace-dressed woman, when talking with her, a mere Golden Core, even showed some flattering intent. And there was that White Emperor City's city lord from the Central Earth Divine Continent... So Wei Taizhen wasn't afraid of a Golden-Backed Goose of not-high realm. Before her master appeared at Bone Beach, he had already given Wei Taizhen one offensive and one defensive heavy treasure each. In her master's words, if used properly, Wei Taizhen could exchange lives with any Nascent Soul cultivator who wasn't a sword cultivator. But was her master's younger brother's mouth too... Other mountain immortals would painstakingly wait for years or decades for what they sought, and Li Huai, with a single meaningless and boring remark, could summon a Golden-Backed Goose to appear?
Pei Qian woke sharply from her sleep, noticing the anomaly even earlier than Wei Taizhen. She quickly put on her bamboo box, gripped her walking staff, glanced at the imposing Golden-Backed Goose, and immediately asked Immortal Wei to help take Li Huai away. She said they were intruding on the other's territory, and since fighting wouldn't be justified, they should quickly move out and make room.
Wei Taizhen didn't dare disobey Pei Qian and quickly used wind magic to take Li Huai away from Golden Light Peak. As for Pei Qian, she was even more decisive—she retreated a dozen zhang, ran straight toward the cliff, leaped high, and jumped off directly.
Wei Taizhen glanced down at the rapidly falling figure. A sixth-tier martial artist, neither a Golden Body cultivator nor a Far Traveling realm—would Pei Qian really be okay?
Pei Qian's leap carried her five or six hundred zhang, giving the impression of a Far Traveling realm martial master.
While falling toward the ground, Pei Qian suddenly became annoyed at her own lack of experience, because she remembered her master's teaching: the first rule of walking the jianghu is "before asking for a punch, first drop two realms." So now she was at the embarrassing bottleneck of Martial Soul realm, which meant she should walk the jianghu cautiously, acting like a fourth-tier martial artist, and only in "dangerous moments and urgent situations" should she carelessly reveal a fifth-tier martial artist's flaw. That way, when forced to ask for a punch, she would have an advantage from the start.
So Pei Qian made a decision to "mend the fold after the sheep is lost." From her calm demeanor, she deliberately made her breathing a bit disordered, flailing her arms and legs. Worried about damaging the bamboo box on her back, she eventually ended up landing face-first at the foot of Moon Flower Mountain, creating a dusty crater.
With a series of "ow ow ow," she started hopping and running away, pretending to have twisted her ankle.
Actually, while fleeing, Pei Qian still felt guilty about her clumsy tricks. If her master were present, she would probably get a knock on the head.
Li Huai kept his eyes tightly shut, sweating profusely. Riding clouds and fog really wasn't his thing.
Half an incense stick later, Wei Taizhen brought Li Huai slowly down to the ground. Pei Qian, with nimble legs, leaped onto the high branch of an ancient tree on a hill near Moon Flower Mountain, her expression solemn as she looked toward Golden Light Peak. She breathed a sigh of relief and said to Li Huai and the others, "It's fine. The other party has a good temper; they didn't pursue us relentlessly."
Atop Golden Light Peak, after the Golden-Backed Goose landed gracefully, a golden light flashed and it transformed into a slender young woman, seemingly wearing a golden feathered robe. She looked somewhat aggrieved. What was going on? She had been in a bit of a hurry, deliberately suppressing her Golden Core aura, and had no murderous intent at all. She was just like an eager host rushing home to entertain an honored guest. How could she have imagined that the group would just run off? In all of Beiju Continent, there had never been a rumor of a Golden-Backed Goose actively harming people.
After Li Huai's feet touched the ground, he staggered, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was greatly terrified. "No more being an immortal, I'd rather die than be one. Flying around every day, how can a person feel grounded?"
Pei Qian glared at Li Huai, reminding him that there was still the dining-clouds-and-drinking-dew Immortal Wei beside him.
Li Huai quickly apologized. Wei Taizhen could only say it was fine, feeling even more guilty than Li Huai.
Although Pei Qian strictly adhered to her sect's rules and didn't "look too much" at any close person, she always felt that this gentle Immortal Wei was too strange. Her Golden Core earthly immortal realm might be real, but her true identity was dubious. Still, since it was Li Huai's family matter—Wei Taizhen had been brought to Li Huai by Li Liu—Pei Qian didn't want to interfere. Anyway, Li Huai, this simpleton, had simpleton's luck.
After Golden Light Peak, when they reached Moon Flower Mountain, Pei Qian didn't dare climb it. On a full moon night, several dozen li away from Thunder Mountain, sure enough, a bunch of Drumming Frogs were gathered on the mountain, facing the bright moon, thundering loudly. Pei Qian looked carefully and saw that Moon Flower Mountain itself seemed to be a feng shui treasure land that gathered moonlight. Countless strands of moon essence, thick and thin, fell on the mountain and were swallowed by the Drumming Frogs.
This night, this scene, this mountain's abundant moonlight—Pei Qian felt it was not as good as her own home.
Li Huai asked softly, "In the Barren Wilderness Heaven, is there really a triple moon?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Yes, three big mooncakes hanging high, like Sister Xiuxiu's pastries—makes you drool."
Pei Qian took out a booklet and circled the entry "Moon Flower Mountain Drumming Frogs" with a pen. Above it was "Golden Light Peak Golden-Backed Goose," below it was "Silver Screen Kingdom Escort City Fire God Temple," and then "Scholar Yellow Kingdom Fly-Warding Wine," "Jade Tablet Commandery Golden Bell Temple," "Precious Phase Kingdom Yellow Wind Valley Mute Lake," "Military Ghost Axe Palace," and so on.
Li Huai leaned over to steal a few glances. Pei Qian didn't stop him. He asked, "Looks like we're not far from Little Mi Li's hometown?"
Pei Qian closed the book and put it back in her bamboo box, nodding. "Not far."
Li Huai asked, "Is the Fly-Warding Wine an immortal brew? Are you going to buy a pot to take back, or give it as a gift?"
Pei Qian smiled. "It's not an immortal wine. My master once met a certain expert and drank it at a mundane tavern. It's not expensive. I can buy a few pots."
Her master once said that regarding the matter of worldly merits, that expert's long-term plan had allowed him to understand a bit more.
At the entrance of an immortal cave on Moon Flower Mountain, a plump youth dressed in pure white clothes asked with a smile, "Sister Goldwind, is that the clueless group? One of them seems to be at our level, with excellent aura concealment, but looking quite fox-like. Her aura is very upright, not like the usual fox spirits that bow to the moon and refine their forms below the mountain. Could she be a fox immortal who has attained the Dao?"
The woman from Golden Light Peak said impatiently, "Fellow Daoist Jade Dew, if you're interested in that fox vixen, why not go down the mountain and test her out?"
The plump youth, called "Jade Dew" by the woman, shook his head. "Mountain refining masters have many tricks and schemes. She might be deliberately luring me out to cut off my connection with the mountain root, then move Moon Flower Mountain away to use as an ornamental rock in their immortal mansion's back garden. I'm not like Sister Goldwind, free of many attachments. My children on the mountain all need my care. If they end up like the Fox Kingdom on Bottle Gourd Continent, that would be too tragic."
The woman hesitated.
The plump youth, whose true form was the Drumming Frog ancestor, smiled. "Sister Goldwind, is your heart stirring?"
The woman frowned. "Earlier, I suddenly felt a ripple in my Dao heart. I sensed that an opportunity had arrived, as if I caught a thread of a breakthrough opportunity. But I'm not sure, worried that fortune and misfortune come hand in hand. Like you, I'm truly afraid of mountain people's hearts."
The plump youth said seriously, "Goldwind, how about I guard your path for a while? Golden Light Peak and Moon Flower Mountain are companion Daoist mountains, and we each attained Dao and refined our forms here. Our great Dao foundations are one. If you can break through, remember to help me guard my path in return. We'll skip the mountain-and-water oath; I don't believe in that, and we don't need it. We both know each other's temperament best."
The young woman gritted her teeth. "Alright, let's gamble!"
The youth suddenly looked stunned, then somewhat guilty, and backtracked. "Sister Goldwind, forget it, I wouldn't dare leave the mountain even if beaten to death."
Goldwind asked, "What's wrong?"
Jade Dew pointed to his eyes, then tapped his ear with a bitter smile. "Those three are still on the Moon Flower Mountain territory. I had my second frog, who's more like a local spirit than an actual one, hide in a crevice to spy on their movements. Who would have thought that the girl glanced over three times? Once could be an accident, twice a warning, three times is definitely a threat, right? That Golden Core woman didn't notice at all, but a pure martial artist found out? Isn't that too strange? Can I afford to provoke that?"
Goldwind knew that Jade Dew was naturally cautious and didn't press him. She nodded. "I'll give up the shortcut opportunity and just cultivate peacefully."
But then Jade Dew changed his mind again. "Maybe we can give it a try."
Goldwind said helplessly, "Jade Dew, what's wrong with you?"
The youth rubbed his cheeks vigorously. "Sister Goldwind, trust me this time!"
Pei Qian saluted with clasped fists toward a certain direction, then continued on her way.
Li Huai asked curiously, "This is?"
Pei Qian said softly, "Three incense sticks when entering a temple, pay respects to the mountain lord when entering a mountain—that's the rule."
Li Huai also wanted to bow like Pei Qian, but she hit him with her walking staff, scolding, "If your heart isn't sincere, it's better to do nothing. Don't you know it's easier to invite a god than to send one away?"
Li Huai said "oh," thinking that made sense.
Then the group passed through the Silver Screen Kingdom, bypassing a Cangyun Lake that had recently started recuperating and closed its doors to guests.
The lake lord of Cangyun Lake, Yin Hou, was the chief water god of a nation, governing one lake, three rivers, and two streams. According to local incense-burning believers, in recent years, many temples had inexplicably changed their river gods and water immortals all at once.
Li Huai asked Pei Qian why she didn't go to burn incense at the water god temples. Pei Qian didn't give a reason, only saying they should go to the Escort City, which had changed its city god first.
Before the night curfew, they entered the county city. Pei Qian asked for directions and headed straight to the Fire God Temple, which had been rebuilt and its golden statue renovated not too many years ago.
In the night, the temple attendant was about to close the door when a man walked out from the golden statue, went to the main entrance, and told the old attendant to go about his business.
At the temple entrance, the man looked at the two, one with a walking staff and a bamboo box on his back, and asked bluntly with a smile, "I am the incense-fire minor god here. Do you know Chen Ping'an?"
Li Huai was stunned, inwardly greatly impressed. Truly a prescient immortal lord!
Pei Qian cupped her fists and smiled, "I am the master's senior disciple, named Pei Qian. Greetings to the Fire God Temple lord!"
The man nodded and smiled, "Can you drink?"
Pei Qian shook her head with a shy expression. "Master doesn't allow it."
The man laughed. "No matter. I'll have the attendant prepare a table of food. Stay here tonight. Thanks to your master, this small temple is no longer small. The big incense burners are truly generous; they've built quite a few guest rooms. You can stay here."
Pei Qian cupped her fists again. "Then we'll trouble the Fire God Temple lord."
Li Huai imitated Pei Qian's salute, and Wei Taizhen performed a bow.
Since Pei Qian's master was a friend, Wei Taizhen dared not take it lightly.
Along the way, Pei Qian and Li Huai had been arguing about one thing. Pei Qian said she was already sixth-tier, so her master must be at least eleventh-tier now—no doubt about it. Li Huai said, "Friendship is one thing, but your master can only be at tenth-tier! Let's bet! If I lose, I'll change my surname to yours!"
Wei Taizhen found this terrifying. At least eleventh-tier... definitely tenth-tier... changing the master's surname...
The man returned the greetings to the young scholar and the veiled woman one by one. Although the veiled woman's realm was extremely high, with the aura of an earthly immortal, he didn't care at all. It was simple: they were all friends of Chen Ping'an. If someone from the upper five realms came, they were friends; if someone from the lower five realms came, they were still friends.
Then the man looked at Pei Qian and joked, "A bit more reserved than Brother Lingjun."
Good for you, Chen Lingjun, out in the world, daring to be so informal, calling his master's friend "brother."
Pei Qian silently noted this down in her account book for Chen Lingjun.
But she still asked softly, "Is Chen Lingjun doing well?"
The man nodded. "Very well. He said after leaving here, he would go to Spring Dew Garden. That night, Lord of Cangyun Lake even came specially to drink with him. Your master's face is really big. But Brother Lingjun still knows his limits, rest assured."
Pei Qian said "mm," adding, "Chen Lingjun has a big heart and probably doesn't care much about formalities. Please be patient with him, Fire God Temple lord."
At the dinner table, Pei Qian asked about the mountain and water affairs of nearby immortals.
The man spoke plainly. "In the territory of these dozen or so kingdoms, after your master left, great strange things happened, with earth-shaking changes. A large amount of spiritual energy surged in. Several young cultivation geniuses from various immortal mountains, including Ghost Axe Palace and Baodong Immortal Realm, broke through realms one after another. For example, Yan Qing went into seclusion again. But for some reason, the Yellow Battle Axe City lord Ye Han, along with He Lu, completely disappeared without a trace. He Lu and Yan Qing were originally the famous golden boy and jade girl of the mountain. Many mountain spirits and ghosts also began to wander here from afar, but they didn't cause any major trouble. Lord of Cangyun Lake Yin Hou has his methods, and with the protection of many monks from Precious Phase Kingdom, the world is still fairly peaceful. As for this Escort City, which once attracted heavenly tribulation, no ghosts or evil spirits dare to cause trouble here." Having said this, the man drank a large bowl of wine and then asked Pei Qian, "Why didn't your master come?"
Pei Qian said her master had gone on another journey, but he would definitely come to drink here in person in the future. Her master was the most nostalgic and loyal.
The man smiled and nodded.
He saw that the girl had already lowered her head to eat.
So he didn't ask further.
They stayed one night at the Fire God Temple.
Pei Qian didn't sleep at all. She stood in the corridor in a daze, then, since she had no sleepiness, went to sit on the wall. She wanted to stand on the roof ridge to see the full view of Escort City, but that wouldn't be proper, and it wasn't proper guest etiquette.
At dawn, they bid farewell to the temple lord and continued on their way to Scholar Yellow Kingdom's Jade Tablet Commandery. Her master said that at the Golden Bell Temple, where demons made trouble, he once met two young jianghu heroines of kind hearts.
Pei Qian admired them greatly, wondering what kind of jianghu women and how high their boxing skills must be to be praised by her master as "heroines."
After visiting the Golden Bell Temple, which had regained its incense offerings, Pei Qian found a tavern at the border of Scholar Yellow Kingdom and Precious Phase Kingdom, bringing Li Huai to eat and drink well, then bought two pots of Fly-Warding Wine.
It wasn't until they reached Scholar Yellow Kingdom that Wei Taizhen learned from Pei Qian and Li Huai's idle talk that her master's hometown town was now named Scholar Yellow County.
Approaching Yellow Wind Valley Mute Lake, Pei Qian's mood improved noticeably. Her hometown was Scholar Yellow County, and here was a Scholar Yellow Kingdom—Little Mi Li truly had fate with her master.
On the yellow sand road, camel bells rang in succession as Pei Qian and her group walked slowly. Now, no great demons were causing trouble in Yellow Wind Valley. The only imperfection was that Mute Lake, whose water level had neither increased nor decreased, now changed with the seasons' droughts and floods, losing a topic of mountain conversation.
At the Mute Lake shore, Pei Qian and the merchant camel caravan rested. Pei Qian crouched by the water—this was Little Mi Li's hometown.
Little Mi Li and Chen Lingjun were like heaven and earth apart. Chen Lingjun used to love grabbing anyone and rambling on and on about his great achievements at Yu River, though later, probably because he himself got tired, he mentioned Yu River less and less. But Little Mi Li only privately told Pei Qian and Nuan Shu some of her past at Mute Lake. She said she was quite famous in her hometown back then. A bunch of immortals from Peach Branch Kingdom's Green Chime Mansion, whose cultivation levels were sky-high, a huge group too numerous to count, made a huge commotion just to catch her. Among them was a female martial artist named Mao Qiulu, who was a decent big girl, fierce but kind-hearted. She wanted to invite Little Mi Li to be a river goddess in Qian Gou Kingdom. But the Qian Gou Kingdom national master gave Green Chime Mansion only a Grain Rain Coin. It seemed that national master was really poor. Then there was someone from Gold Crow Palace whose name and surname she had forgotten, who wanted to buy her with money, even if doubled, it was only two Grain Rain Coins—so stingy. Where was the generosity of mountain immortals? Not at all.
Then she met the good mountain lord, who spent a lot of money to buy her from Green Chime Mansion, and she followed him away from Mute Lake, traveling the jianghu together. How extraordinary! As soon as they left, the two of them killed that invincible Yellow Wind Ancestor. Unfortunately, not many people knew about this feat. But what did it matter? She wasn't the kind of big water monster who cared about fame. If they didn't know, they didn't know. Anyway, the good mountain lord promised her that one day, many people would read her story in books...
At that time, Little Mi Li had just been promoted to Right Guardian of Qilong Lane and followed Pei Qian back to Fallen Mountain. She liked to repeat these things excitedly. Pei Qian found Little Mi Li only telling the same stories, but she didn't stop her from happily rattling on—at most, on the second time, Pei Qian would hold up two fingers; on the third, she would hold up three and say "three times." Little Mi Li would scratch her head sheepishly. Later, Little Mi Li stopped talking about it altogether.
That was the first time Nuan Shu got angry. She secretly found Pei Qian and said, "You can't do this. If Little Mi Li wants to talk, just listen. It doesn't bother us. Little Mi Li is so far from home, what's the harm in us listening a few more times? If you really don't want to hear it, just say you need to copy texts or practice boxing. Even if you tell her directly that you're tired of hearing it, that's better than saying this to her. It hurts people."
At first, Pei Qian didn't take it seriously. She just brushed off Nuan Shu, who was unusually angry, saying she understood, and that she would never be impatient again. Even if she was, she would hide it well, and simple-minded Little Mi Li would never notice. But the next morning, when Pei Qian yawned and went to the bamboo building to practice boxing, she saw the little black-clad girl, already holding her walking staff early, bearing the heavy responsibility of Right Guardian of Qilong Lane, still standing at the door as her gatekeeper. She had been doing that for a long time, regardless of wind or rain. Seeing Pei Qian, the little girl immediately puffed out her chest, first grinning, then pursing her lips to smile.
At that moment, Pei Qian felt that she had truly been wrong. She patted Little Mi Li's head and said, "If you want to talk about Mute Lake from now on, just say it. And think carefully if there's anything you might have missed."
The little girl trotted beside Pei Qian, shaking her head vigorously, saying she wouldn't talk anymore. Earlier, she was afraid that Pei Qian and Nuan Shu would forget, so she said it a few more times. Thinking was too tiring.
In the end, Little Mi Li also told Pei Qian that if she ever forgot in the future, she must remember to tell her, and she would tell the story again.
In the night, Pei Qian scooped up water with her hands, the bright moon in her palm.
On Fallen Mountain, the three of them liked to hide under the covers and whisper secrets, the covers bulging like a small mountain from three heads.
Li Huai sat not far away by the campfire.
Wei Taizhen asked softly, "Master Li, why don't you urge Miss Pei to hurry a bit?"
She was, after all, Li Huai's maidservant, so she had to consider his interests a little.
Li Huai couldn't stand the address "Master Li," but since Immortal Wei insisted, and after several attempts to persuade her failed, he had to bear it awkwardly, treating it as if the local customs of Lion Peak immortal mountain were as simple as his hometown town. He was a bit happy for his sister—to cultivate in such a place, surely she wasn't bullied. His sister had too good a temper and was too gentle in appearance. In all those years at home, she never learned to argue; she was a bit dull, like their father. Not like him—his temper took after their mother, so he wasn't easily bullied outside.
After hearing this question, Li Huai smiled. "No rush. I've already seen my sister, and Lion Peak doesn't have legs anyway. Besides, Pei Qian promised me she would stay at Lion Peak for a while."
Wei Taizhen, who had earlier passed by Naihe Pass town without entering her own home, nodded lightly. She couldn't not ask, but she also couldn't say too much, lest she be suspected of stirring up trouble.
After leaving Mute Lake, Pei Qian took Li Huai and the others to Ghost Axe Palace. Her master said there was a guy named Du Yu there who had the good habit of letting opponents have a move in jianghu sparring.
Unfortunately, Du Yu wasn't at Ghost Axe Palace, which was both his sect and his home. According to the mountain gate disciples, Master Du had been traveling for years.
The Ghost Axe Palace cultivator couldn't gauge the realms and backgrounds of the three, only thinking that since they were familiar with Master Du, he should at least report to the Daoist couple ancestors who were Du Yu's parents. But before he could, the girl had already said goodbye, saying she would visit again another time.
Later, at Gold Crow Palace, which owned a large stretch of thunderclouds, Pei Qian met Liu Zhiqing, who had recently become a Nascent Soul sword cultivator.
Sword Immortal Liu was the Gold Crow Palace master's junior granduncle, high in seniority and even higher in cultivation. Even in Beiju Continent, where sword cultivators were as plentiful as clouds, such a young Nascent Soul sword cultivator like Liu Zhiqing truly deserved the respectful form of address "Sword Immortal."
It was said that Sword Immortal Liu had sat atop the mountain in meditation for many years, in seclusion.
Liu Zhiqing had shaken off a body of moonlight, rising from a snowy night to break through.
Liu Zhiqing was famously cold and indifferent, but to Pei Qian, Chen Ping'an's senior disciple, he showed more smiles. Pei Qian and the others didn't feel much, but the Gold Crow Palace peak-guarding cultivators looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
Liu Zhiqing dismissed the maidservants and personally brewed tea for the guests. After Pei Qian and the others sat down, he took out a tea set, drew several talismans with his fingers, used immortal magic to gather mountain spring water, and slowly boiled it with a Three Essence True Fire talisman shaped like a fire dragon—creating something from nothing, truly immortal means.
Liu Zhiqing asked about some of Pei Qian's travel experiences.
Pei Qian answered one by one.
The conversation flowed naturally, as if Liu Zhiqing were an elder relative who had become an official abroad, and Pei Qian a younger generation visiting to study.
Liu Zhiqing didn't think he was being overly familiar, and Pei Qian certainly didn't find Sword Immortal Liu meddlesome.
In recent years, Liu Zhiqing had greatly refined his sword with his heart, benefiting his great Dao immensely. Not only had he smoothly advanced to Nascent Soul, but he also vaguely felt that the bottleneck for the next realm wouldn't be too great.
This was all thanks to Chen Ping'an's suggestion at Jade Cliff back in the day.
So when he looked at Chen Ping'an's senior disciple, Pei Qian, he naturally regarded the girl as his own junior, almost like a half-disciple.
If Pei Qian had dared not to appreciate this and showed impatience, the extremely trouble-averse Liu Zhiqing might even have taken the trouble to scold her.
Fortunately, Pei Qian's performance satisfied him, except for one regret: Pei Qian was a martial artist, not a sword cultivator.
Although Wei Taizhen had already seen many cloud-hidden mountain-top great figures, she still felt some awe and reverence before a promising Nascent Soul sword cultivator. On one hand, Sword Immortal Liu was so young; on the other, this Mr. Liu, who had an excellent relationship with Pei Qian's master, was indeed too handsome.
Liu Zhiqing used his flying sword to send a message to the Gold Crow Palace ancestral hall, and soon some rare books and solitary copies from the palace's secret collection were brought out, all by historical Confucian academy sages from Beiju Continent, with detailed commentaries. Liu Zhiqing gifted them to Li Huai, a young scholar from Cliff Academy on Bottle Gourd Continent.
Li Huai glanced at Pei Qian, who nodded, so he smiled in thanks and accepted them.
During tea, Liu Zhiqing also personally reviewed Pei Qian's copied texts and said, "Your handwriting is better than your master's."
Pei Qian scratched her head nervously.
Wei Taizhen grew more and more curious about the young mountain lord of Fallen Mountain. What kind of divine being was he, that a single trip to a foreign land could make Liu Zhiqing so "informal"?
Wei Taizhen still didn't know that she had actually met him long ago, right in her hometown's Ghost Valley Precious Mirror Mountain, and he had even accidentally injured her. He was that scholar whom her father had always called "the one with the most twists and turns, the least vision, and the smallest heart."
This was related to the fact that Chen Ping'an hadn't talked much with Pei Qian about his trip to Ghost Valley, involving Gao Cheng, He Xiaoliang, and the brothers Yang Ningzhen and Yang Ningxing, all of which he had tactfully avoided.
Finally, after breaking through, Liu Zhiqing left Gold Crow Palace for the first time to personally escort Pei Qian to Spring Dew Garden.
Gold Crow Palace had an ancestral ferry boat that was refined from thunderclouds and engraved with eighty-one thunder talismans, so this was the first time Pei Qian didn't travel on foot after arriving in Beiju Continent—she took the immortal ferry.
Pei Qian felt embarrassed to have Senior Liu accompany them down the mountain, through wind and rain.
The Gold Crow Palace master personally saw off his junior granduncle. His only son, Jin Le, was also in the farewell group, because Liu Zhiqing said that this time he would be traveling far for many years, visiting various sword cultivator sects, large and small, including Floating Lotus Sword Lake and Taihui Sword Sect, either seeking the Dao or asking for sword duels. However, Jin Le's mother, the daughter of a great mountain lord, didn't show up. The woman knew in her heart that she and Senior Uncle Liu didn't get along; appearing would only be asking for trouble. In the past, when Liu Zhiqing was stuck at the Golden Core bottleneck, she could still rely on her father's power to act willfully in Gold Crow Palace. But in recent years, she had restrained herself considerably, afraid that Liu Zhiqing—with his temper—wouldn't bother making trouble for her directly but would go to Da Zhuan Dynasty to reason with her father, the mountain lord.
So Liu Zhiqing's departure from Gold Crow Palace made her the happiest.
Pei Qian's expression was calm. Li Huai resisted the urge to look at the sword cultivator Jin Le. He had heard from Pei Qian that Chen Ping'an had some old grudges with this Master Jin over Little Mi Li, but they were largely settled.
Before leaving, Liu Zhiqing issued several new mountain rules to his nephew, the palace master, saying that if anyone violated them, he would immediately return to Gold Crow Palace, bring out his sword in the ancestral hall, and cleanse the sect.
Jin Le was terrified.
In the past, Senior Uncle Liu almost never interfered in sect affairs.
Finally, Liu Zhiqing spoke to his nephew through heart-to-heart communication: "In the future, Gold Crow Palace has some hope of rising to the 'Sect' rank with the help of my sword. You know very well that I'm not interested in that, but you, as the palace master, are different. So keep this firmly in mind: rising to the Sect rank is not all good. There are pros and cons. The good part is that you will revive the sect and become the greatest reviver in the ancestral hall's history. The bad part is that I will settle accounts later. So while I'm still at the Nascent Soul stage, you have time to make amends. Some people might be spared."
Liu Zhiqing patted his nephew's shoulder. "I tell you this because I know you'll listen. So do it well, and don't let me be distracted by these mundane matters. Now, the entire Da Zhuan Dynasty is actively seeking good relations with Gold Crow Palace. A mere Northern Peak Mountain Lord is nothing, let alone just the daughter of a mountain lord?"
The palace master nodded. "I will follow Senior Uncle's teachings."
The Gold Crow Palace ferry boat sped along. When it encountered a large area of lightning and thunderclouds, the ferry passed through. Liu Zhiqing formed hand seals and drew a lightning talisman, summoning many shocking thunderbolts that crashed down, then merged one by one into the ferry, making its talismans glow even more golden. The most unique feature of the Gold Crow Palace ferry was that it could be used as an offensive magical treasure. But this scene terrified Wei Taizhen, the fox spirit, turning her face pale. Worldly spirits and ghosts are innately most afraid of lightning and thunder; otherwise, with Wei Taizhen's Golden Core cultivation, she wouldn't have changed color because of these lightning bolts.
Liu Zhiqing then remembered the "Immortal Wei of Lion Peak's" origins, apologized to her, and immediately steered the ferry away from the thunderclouds.
After leaving the clouds, the sky was clear, and Liu Zhiqing casually said to Pei Qian, "The Taihui Sword Sect's Sect Leader Qi, although a sword immortal, is actually well-versed in talismans. I've admired him for a long time."
Pei Qian said quietly, "Uncle Liu, my master and Mr. Liu are also close friends. Oh, I mean Mr. Liu is Sect Leader Qi."
The presence or absence of the word "also" made a world of difference.
Li Huai admired Pei Qian's attention to detail.
Wei Taizhen was amazed by the young mountain lord's wide circle of friends. She now understood Pei Qian's temper well; the girl would never exaggerate when talking about her own people. So the phrase "close friends" was absolutely true.
First Liu Zhiqing, then Qi Jinglong.
Both were young cultivators on Beiju Continent who seemed to have already gathered fortune upon themselves.
Liu Zhiqing smiled and nodded. "That's best."
Pei Qian then said seriously, "Uncle Liu, Mr. Qi loves to drink, but he's too reserved with unfamiliar people. Even though you've never met, you're certainly not strangers. So remember to bring good wine, a lot of it!"
Liu Zhiqing thought for a moment. He didn't particularly like drinking, but he could drink a little, and his tolerance was passable. Since he was going to Taihui Sword Sect as a guest to discuss sword techniques and talisman studies with the sect leader, this bit of etiquette was necessary—just a few large jars of immortal brew. He nodded. "When we reach Spring Dew Garden, I can buy some wine."
Pei Qian added, "Mr. Liu currently has only one direct disciple named Bai Shou. Please ask Uncle Liu to pass a message for me: tell him that when I next return to my hometown, I'll pass by Taihui Sword Sect and go to Pianran Peak to find him."
After saying this, Pei Qian chuckled to herself.
Liu Zhiqing agreed.
When the ferry arrived at the bustling and lively Talisman Water Ferry of Spring Dew Garden, Pei Qian led Li Huai and the others straight to the Ant Shop on Old Locust Street.
This was their own shop, a property her master had accumulated in a foreign land.
Pei Qian then visited the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall's Golden Core cultivator, Song Lanqiao's master, an old woman with a kind face and kind eyes. She was one of the few "Bamboo" generation ancestors in Spring Dew Garden. However, the "Orchid" generation cultivators like Song Lanqiao strictly followed the genealogy rules and embedded the character "lan" in their names. The "Bamboo" generation had no such restriction; in the early days of Spring Dew Garden, they mostly used their original names from the mountain, such as the mountain lord Tan Ling.
The old woman named Lin Cuo'e was extremely happy to see Pei Qian, who came bearing gifts, so her return gift was very generous.
Now, with her disciple Song Lanqiao and Tang Xi forming an alliance, and with a connection to the Linen Sect at Bone Beach, the old woman had increasing influence in the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall. She was also raking in immortal money on the mountain every day, with wealth flowing in. Her own cultivation path had no more hope, so she wished the girl would take a mountain of gold and silver from her home. When she heard that Pei Qian had reached the sixth-tier martial artist realm, she was overjoyed. In addition to the return gift, she had a trusted maidservant quickly buy a Gold Crow Armor from the ancestral hall and gave the military armor pill to Pei Qian. Pei Qian dared not accept it, but the old woman invoked Pei Qian's master, saying she was his elder. He had visited several times without accepting return gifts, and last time she said they would save them up. Pei Qian should accept it on her master's behalf.
Whether it was the young sword immortal Chen Ping'an or his senior disciple Pei Qian, every time they visited Spring Dew Garden, they wouldn't see the mountain lord Tan Ling but would proactively visit her first, only then go to sit at the Nightlight Thatched Cottage. This pleased the old woman most. Both master and disciple were disciplined, knew etiquette, and valued relationships. So she had an extremely good impression of Fallen Mountain on Bottle Gourd Continent.
The old woman often told her disciple Song Lanqiao that if she were to travel to another continent, Fallen Mountain would definitely be her destination.
So the old woman, known in Spring Dew Garden for her eccentric temper and sharp tongue, was naturally very kind to Pei Qian, holding the girl's hand and chatting, reluctant to let her leave early.
When Pei Qian finally managed to get down the mountain, she was a bit dazed. The old woman was truly too kind and warm.
The old woman escorted her all the way to the foot of the mountain, holding the girl's hand and patting the back of it gently, telling Pei Qian to come back often whether there was anything or not, to visit her, a lonely old crone. And she would prepare gifts for Pei Qian when she reached Golden Body and Far Traveling realms. She hoped Pei Qian would break through soon and not make her wait too long.
Pei Qian felt a bit embarrassed, saying it would probably take two or three years to break through. The old woman laughed until her mouth couldn't close, repeatedly saying "good, good, good."
The girl didn't know the weight of her "sincere" words, but the old woman was both shocked and delighted.
Pei Qian went to the Nightlight Thatched Cottage, but Immortal Tang Xi wasn't on the mountain; he had gone to Da Guan Dynasty for a court banquet and would also attend a mountain-and-water night banquet.
Because the Nightlight Thatched Cottage had formed a marriage alliance with the Iron Warship Mansion of the Wei family in Da Guan Dynasty. Tang Xi's legitimate daughter Tang Qingqing had become a mountain Daoist partner with the Wei family's young master, and the emperor himself attended the wedding. With the tacit approval of Spring Dew Garden's mountain lord Tan Ling, Tang Xi's business dealings with Da Guan Dynasty had become increasingly frequent.
Pei Qian then returned to Old Locust Street.
Liu Zhiqing stayed alone at the Ant Shop, going through the account books.
Now, Sword Immortal Liu didn't disdain worldly affairs.
The shop's acting manager knew about the relationship between Sword Immortal Liu and Shopkeeper Chen, so he didn't think it was against the rules.
After all, the young sword immortals drinking tea and discussing the Dao at Jade Cliff had been one of the most talked-about tales among cultivators of a dozen nearby kingdoms in Spring Dew Garden for the past decade.
The acting manager, a young cultivator from Nightlight Thatched Cottage named Wang Tingfang, also had a young assistant now. In the early days, this assistant had made a small deal with Sword Immortal Chen, engraving jade seals from Jade Cliff, and later Wang Tingfang had simply recruited him. Since Wang Tingfang was at a cultivation bottleneck, he couldn't guard the shop year-round and occasionally needed to return to Nightlight Thatched Cottage for focused cultivation.
Previously, the two treasures that served as the shop's signature items—a jade bracelet engraved with a palindrome poem possessing the "water inside fire" aura, and a "Mansion-Built" evil-repelling ancient mirror—had both been sold by Wang Tingfang at high premiums.
The shop was small, the business was big, customers were few, but profits were high.
Once word spread that Sword Immortal Liu had returned to Spring Dew Garden, the shop's business became incredibly good. In less than half an hour, it was packed, mostly with women, each spending lavishly, treating money like dirt.
After one look at Sword Immortal Liu, they weren't satisfied, so they bought another mountain item to get a few more glances at that unreasonably handsome sword immortal. It wasn't expensive anyway, and the prices were fair. There were so many shops on Old Locust Street—spending money anywhere was the same. Besides, many of the mountain items in the Ant Shop were exquisitely made and delicate, with a feminine air, very friendly to female cultivators.
Was it only men who could admire beauties? Couldn't they take a few more looks at Sword Immortal Liu? It wasn't for free.
Every time Liu Zhiqing came to sit idly at the Ant Shop, he regretted it later. Today was no exception.
Li Huai, left behind by Pei Qian, went to look at the ten-thousand-year locust tree.
Wei Taizhen naturally escorted him.
Suddenly, Liu Zhiqing rose from inside the shop and vanished in a flash.
He appeared by the old locust tree, behind a young woman and a plump youth, asking directly, "Why not cultivate peacefully at Golden Light Peak and Moon Flower Mountain? First you lingered around Gold Crow Palace, then followed all the way here to Spring Dew Garden. What is your purpose?"
The two spirits, keeping some distance from Li Huai and Wei Taizhen, as if afraid to approach, turned and saw Liu Zhiqing. They had to admit that Liu Zhiqing's immortal bearing was such that one could guess his name from his looks alone. Besides, the women around the old locust tree had been whispering that the Gold Crow Palace's Sword Immortal Liu had returned to Spring Dew Garden. Recognizing Sword Immortal Liu, Goldwind quickly performed a bow, while Jade Dew bowed with clasped fists, not daring to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Gold Crow Palace sword cultivators descending the mountain to slay demons were famously ruthless.
Especially Liu Zhiqing, who had already earned a fearsome reputation as a Golden Core cultivator.
Jade Dew quickly mustered his courage and explained to Sword Immortal Liu through heart-to-heart communication: "Earlier, Goldwind sensed a trace of great Dao opportunity from this traveling scholar. After she returned to Golden Light Peak, he had already left, so we followed him. Please don't think we have ill intentions, Sword Immortal Liu. We absolutely do not. Otherwise, after the scholar entered Gold Crow Palace, we should have backed off. No matter how good a great Dao opportunity is, it's not worth more than our lives."
Liu Zhiqing nodded. "I've heard of your cultivation habits—always forbearing and yielding. Although that's your way of dealing with the world and your self-preservation technique, I can see your general temperament. If not, you wouldn't have seen me; you would have encountered my sword first."
Goldwind and Jade Dew quickly thanked him.
Liu Zhiqing's words were like a sword immortal's decree, essentially an invisible protective talisman.
As long as Sword Immortal Liu showed up today without driving them away, anyone who coveted Golden Light Peak or Moon Flower Mountain in the future would have to think twice before weighing the consequences of his sword.
Everyone knew that Gold Crow Palace's Liu Zhiqing wasn't difficult to talk to—he simply never exchanged pleasantries with mountain outsiders. He only used his sword.
So today, Sword Immortal Liu's rare words of kindness left the two spirits both relieved and uneasy, as well as somewhat ashamed.
Liu Zhiqing said, "Don't be too constrained. Don't belittle yourselves because of your origins. As for the great Dao opportunity, go with the flow. I won't stop you, nor will I favor you."
After learning the truth, Liu Zhiqing once again transformed into a beam of sword light, traversing mountains and rivers, bypassing the noisy Ant Shop to go to Jade Cliff, which had already been sold to Chen Ping'an.
Under the old locust tree, Li Huai lingered for a long time.
Wei Taizhen whispered, "Earlier, there were two sneaky ones, but Mr. Liu questioned them."
Li Huai said, "Since Sword Immortal Liu has personally shown up, we can rest easy."
Anyway, walking the jianghu, there was Pei Qian.
It wasn't his place to meddle.
Along this journey, Wei Taizhen increasingly admired Li Huai's carefree attitude. Because Li Huai truly could let go of many things.
But every day, when he had free time, he would diligently recite the contents of the sage books. However, Wei Taizhen could also tell that this young master Li wasn't really a scholarly talent; he was just diligent in his studies.
Li Huai, of course, didn't know that he had earned Immortal Wei's respect.
He was just standing under this old locust tree, which could make people recall their hometowns, suddenly thinking of many childhood things.
Back in the westernmost part of town, at home, whenever his father managed to earn a bit more money, his mother would go all out with oil and salt, making many dishes worse than usual. Forget meat—every time Li Huai picked up a piece of stir-fried greens, it felt like he was pulling a poor thing out of a vat of oil or a salt jar. His sister, always like an aggrieved young wife even before marriage, would only say "it's okay" whenever he asked if the food was too salty or bland.
"Okay my ass." Li Huai wasn't one to suffer that. Every time he would stand on the bench and rebel. His mother didn't dare say harsh words to him, so she would complain that her son didn't know how to enjoy life. Then after a few complaints, she would start feeling sorry for him, reluctant to say any more about her precious son. Then she would turn to blaming her husband for being useless, slamming chopsticks on the table and stomping on his foot under the table, complaining that Li Er had made their son endure a hard life, to the point where he couldn't even stand a little grease. Then she would earnestly lecture her daughter Li Liu, telling her to find a well-off family, to find a man who could handle money, mainly so he could help her younger brother. And she should be clever about secretly sending more money to her maternal family—don't let a married daughter be like spilled water; that would be against conscience...
Endlessly, it was always Li Huai and his mother doing the talking at that greasy meal. In the end, his father and sister would clear the dishes.
Day after day, year after year, they lived that stable, plain life. As long as his mother didn't lose arguments with the neighbors, didn't get upset by her maternal relatives during holidays, and didn't see some other woman flaunting gold and silver, there were really no big problems at home.
When he was little, Li Huai was most afraid of his father coming to the school to find him.
He found it very embarrassing.
Because his father was famously useless, so useless that Li Huai sometimes wondered if his parents might separate. Then he would probably go with his mother in misery, and his sister would suffer with his father. So back then, no matter how useless he thought his father was, causing him to be looked down on by peers, he didn't want his parents to separate. Even if they all suffered together, at least they had a home.
Li Huai would have preferred his sister to come to the school to call him home, because she was decent-looking, just average, but many secretly pined for her. For instance, Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing liked her a lot. Li Huai didn't take school seriously and spent his time blindly pondering these trivial matters. But as a child, he never understood what people liked about Li Liu. Was she pretty? Not really. If they married his sister, would she be able to carry more water or chop more firewood? Probably not.
Later, when he traveled with Li Baoping and the others to Cliff Academy, his parents and sister came to see him. That time, Li Huai no longer felt the least bit embarrassed, even though there were even more wealthy people at the academy.
So Li Huai sincerely admired Chen Ping'an, because he had learned a lot from him.
Not from what Chen Ping'an said, but from what Chen Ping'an did. Li Huai had always seen it and kept it in his heart.
But back then, saying a word of thanks to Chen Ping'an was harder than heaven for Li Huai. He knew he had done wrong, but apologizing was just as hard.
To outsiders, he was always tough, but at home he was the best at bullying.
As time passed in his studies, all his friends were no longer children.
Li Baoping's learning grew greater and greater; she went to the Central Earth Divine Continent and would follow Maoshan Master to the Rites Academy. Yu Lu had long been a Golden Body martial artist. Bu Keqi had also regained some ambition in cultivation, and his future achievements wouldn't be too bad. Lin Mutou was being fought over by wealthy families in the Great Sui capital, wanting him as a son-in-law. It seemed he still liked his sister, still secretly feuded with Dong Shuijing, but it didn't stop Lin Mutou from becoming more and more like an immortal.
It seemed that he, Li Huai, was still the one who was not doing his proper work.
How worrisome.
Li Huai collected his thoughts.
He took Wei Taizhen back to the Ant Shop.
Sword Immortal Liu wasn't at the shop anymore, but there were still many women.
Pei Qian was discussing something with the acting manager, asking if they could sell mural-city corridor-painted goddess pictures at the shop. If it was feasible and not a loss, she would act as a bridge with a mural city shop.
Li Huai had nothing to do again, so he sat outside the Ant Shop, staring blankly.
The next day, after bidding farewell to Liu Zhiqing, Pei Qian and the others continued on foot to leave Spring Dew Garden.
Pei Qian first went to the Lotus Kingdom mountain where her master and Liu Jinglong had jointly performed the sword sacrifice.
Unexpectedly, that ordinary mountain, previously with thin spiritual energy, had now become a cultivation site for several sword cultivators living in thatched huts. Groups of Qi refiners came every now and then to visit the scenic spot. Mainly because Qi Jinglong had broken through to the Jade Pure realm earlier than Lin Su and Xu Xuan. As a new sword immortal, he had been challenged by three sword immortals including Bai Shang, then gone to the Sword Qi Great Wall, and after returning, became the sect leader of Taihui Sword Sect. Moreover, Qi Jinglong had long been listed among the top ten young cultivators and had gained the favor of two immortals, Lu Sui from the Water Classic Commentary and Sun Qing from the Colorful Sparrow Mansion. Qi Jinglong was barely over a hundred years old, making his story truly legendary.
So the place where he and the unknown sword immortal friend had jointly performed the sword sacrifice became a fascinating immortal relic—reasonable.
Next, Pei Qian began a travel route different from her master's.
She no longer went to Green Oriole Kingdom at the mouth of the Ji River.
Instead, they turned toward the capital region of Da Zhuan Dynasty. Pei Qian wanted to see the place where the martial artist Gu You and the sword immortal Ji Yue had asked for a punch and asked for a sword.
There, Pei Qian stood alone, holding her walking staff, looking up at the sky, lost in thought.
Li Huai and Wei Taizhen stood at a distance.
Li Huai suddenly felt a bit dazed. It seemed Pei Qian had really grown up, making him realize this belatedly with a sense of unfamiliarity. She was no longer the dark, short, black charcoal-like little girl from his memory. He remembered that in their earliest verbal battles, Pei Qian would stand on a stool to appear taller and overwhelm her opponent, and she wouldn't let him do the same. Now, that probably wasn't necessary. It seemed Pei Qian had grown up overnight, and he had suddenly become aware of it.
There was no one around.
Pei Qian took off her bamboo box and placed her walking staff on top of it.
Starting with six-step stance practice, she performed various boxing stances from the Mountain-Toppling Fist, finishing with the God-People Drumbeat style.
From beginning to end, Pei Qian suppressed her fist intent.
So it was only like gently knocking on a door. Since no one was home, she greeted and left.
Throughout her travels, Pei Qian said she had been practicing stance with every step.
Li Huai believed that.
Then Pei Qian went to Ape Cry Mountain, which had already been sealed off. At the border of the territory, Pei Qian gripped her walking staff tightly, raised it high, cupped her fists in salute, and bid farewell.
On the journey between the Da Zhuan capital region and Ape Cry Mountain, Pei Qian spoke very little, so Li Huai was a bit bored.
One day, heavy snow fell, and Li Huai realized they had been away from home for three years.
And they had arrived at a state city of Qing Hao Kingdom, a place called Immortal Cave Street.
They met Li Baoping's elder brother, Li Xisheng, and a young book boy named Cui Ci.
Li Xisheng gave Li Huai a thin book of sage writings.
He also gave Wei Taizhen a cloud-pattern talisman with four faint characters, not in seal script, as if created by a scholar himself. Wei Taizhen didn't recognize this talisman.
The gentle, refined scholar said to Wei Taizhen with a smile that if she ever broke through a realm in the future, activating this talisman might be of some use.
Because the four characters on the talisman were actually "Five Thunder Yield."
The first vein's leader of the Jade Capital of the Azure World, the eldest senior brother of Daoist Number Two and Lu Chen—personally handwritten. So what if it was separated by a world?
A decree was a decree.
Break through realms as you please.
But Li Xisheng didn't give Pei Qian anything.
Pei Qian was still happy, chatting with Li Xisheng about various interesting events of meeting and reuniting with Sister Baoping.
Li Xisheng listened with a warm smile, patiently attentive.
But on one morning and one evening, as previously agreed with Pei Qian, he watched the sunrise and the bright moon hanging high with her.
The group left Qing Hao Kingdom and headed to Lion Peak. On Pei Qian's little booklet, there were no more places she had to visit.
Prone Ground Peak was too far from Lion Peak, and Pei Qian didn't want to make too big a detour. That Li Huai wasn't urging her wasn't a reason for Pei Qian to take detours.
After spending several years together day and night, Wei Taizhen had become quite familiar with Pei Qian, so she could ask the girl some questions directly.
For example, why did Pei Qian deliberately avoid immortal mountains not on the booklet, and even in remote wilderness, she often took detours when seeing people? Many strange spirits and ghosts—Pei Qian also kept her distance, letting each go their own way.
Pei Qian said frankly that she didn't dare and was afraid of causing trouble, because she knew she lacked a sense of proportion, far worse than her master and little senior brother. She was worried she couldn't tell good people from bad, that her punches would be too heavy, and she would easily make mistakes. Since she was afraid, she avoided. The mountains and rivers were still there; as long as she didn't slack off in copying texts and practicing boxing every day, whether she met people or not didn't matter.
Pei Qian also said she didn't really like or dislike walking the jianghu.
Wei Taizhen asked why, since she didn't like it, she had come to Beiju Continent and traveled such a long way.
Pei Qian hesitated for a long time before smiling and saying that there were several pure martial artists at home, and she didn't want to break through realms there. Since her master liked Beiju Continent very much, she came here to travel.
That was a vague answer that said nothing.
Then Pei Qian said something that confused Wei Taizhen even more: "Master likes it here, but I'm starting to regret it now."
Wei Taizhen felt that the more she asked, the more Pei Qian answered, and the more confused she became.
But then Pei Qian started practicing her boxing stances again, so Wei Taizhen had to stop thinking about it.
Li Huai, now accustomed to keeping watch, saw Immortal Wei's confusion and looked at Pei Qian, asking, "Can I say it?" Pei Qian continued her stance practice and nodded slightly.
Li Huai then explained to Immortal Wei: "Pei Qian is already at the seventh tier. She plans to go to the Aiai Continent after reaching Lion Peak, to compete for something like 'strongest.' I heard that if you win 'strongest,' you can get martial luck or something."
Wei Taizhen felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Li Huai smiled. "I don't know how Pei Qian broke through. I wasn't deliberately hiding it from you. She didn't tell me at first either. It was only after we left Qing Hao Kingdom that she told me willingly. She also said that now practicing boxing every day isn't very meaningful anymore. Something like current stance practice, splitting her fist intent into two halves that fight each other—it's just out of habit. Otherwise, she'd be bored. Also, when it comes to gaining martial luck through boxing, as a disciple, there's no reason to be more impressive than her master. Luck isn't very tasty if you eat too much of it; it might not be good for her."
Pei Qian, stopping her punches in the distance, said helplessly, "You said too much. I only said you could mention the seventh tier."
Then to Wei Taizhen, "Sister Wei, don't mind. I wasn't intentionally keeping it from you. It's just that many things aren't worth talking about."
With her master so high above, and Grandpa Cui ahead of her, suffering in boxing practice and breaking through realms was only natural.
Wei Taizhen smiled wryly and nodded.
What else could she do?
Fortunately, Wei Taizhen knew a bit about the martial path, but not much. Since she herself had shot straight to the Golden Core realm on her cultivation path, she wasn't completely terrified by Pei Qian's breakthroughs and martial luck. She was just shocked by Pei Qian's indifferent attitude toward martial realms—so inconsistent with her age. And the martial path, more than the path of cultivators, required solid footing. It wasn't entirely because Pei Qian had excellent talent that she broke through so fast. After all, Pei Qian practiced boxing every day, and her methods were strange—walking while practicing boxing, fist intent fighting, luck being tasteless—all things Wei Taizhen had never heard of or imagined.
After that, during their travels down the mountain.
Even though Pei Qian tried to avoid people and trouble, they still encountered a disturbance in a remote small kingdom, where mountain immortals affected the jianghu below.
A jianghu martial grandmaster got into a dispute with an earthly immortal. The former called in several mountain-and-water spirits who had been tacitly allowed to leave the country by the court to back him up, while the latter gathered a group of foreign immortal masters from neighboring countries. It was a personal grudge between two people, but it drew in hundreds of people confronting each other. The septuagenarian, a seventh-tier martial artist, called friends and rallied the masses as a jianghu leader. The Golden Core earthly immortal used all his incense fire connections, determined to teach the ignorant old man down the mountain that there was a difference between heaven and earth.
When Pei Qian passed by, the great battle had actually already ended, with the winner decided. Surprisingly, the mountain immortal had fled in disgrace. It turned out that the court had planted many honored immortal masters and military experts, apparently having looked askance at that earthly immortal, who liked to boss around emperors and generals, for many years. In the fierce battle, an old Dragon Gate realm immortal, who should have been a close friend, betrayed his Golden Core friend. At the height of the battle, he struck from the shadows, catching the Golden Core earthly immortal, who was used to throwing his weight around, off guard. Then a direct disciple personally shattered his Golden Core, causing his fall.
A shattered immortal mountain, defeat like a landslide. A bloody storm, up the mountain and down, court and jianghu, immortals and mortals, schemes and open plots—everything was there. Perhaps this was what was meant by "a small sparrow has all the organs."
All the rights and wrongs, a tangled mess, all in life and death.
Even though Pei Qian wanted to leave the scene immediately, she was still too slow.
The small kingdom's hidden troops rose from all sides, gradually tightening the encirclement like a net.
A group of mountain immortals fled near Pei Qian and the two others, then brushed past. One of them dropped a dazzling immortal jade pendant at Pei Qian's feet, but she flicked it back with her toe.
Then a large crowd surged in, either blinded by bloodlust or determined to kill without sparing any wrong. A middle-aged military general clad in Sweet Dew Armor swung his saber at her.
Pei Qian didn't dodge or avoid. She reached out and caught the blade. "We are just passersby. We won't get involved in your grudges."
The general increased his force, but the saber remained motionless.
Pei Qian pushed gently, and the general staggered backward with his saber.
From behind Pei Qian, where the net originally seemed to have a gap, another martial grandmaster appeared, having been lying in wait. He killed off the remaining escaping mountain immortals, leaving only a few alive.
Pei Qian looked around, then gathered her voice into a thread and said to Li Huai and Wei Taizhen, "Find a chance to leave later, don't worry about me. Trust me."
Wei Taizhen was about to tell Pei Qian she could help, but Li Huai shook his head at her.
When faced with a tricky situation, if Chen Ping'an wasn't around, Pei Qian wouldn't ask anyone for help. Reason couldn't sway her.
So Li Huai went to Wei Taizhen and whispered, "Can Immortal Wei protect herself?"
Wei Taizhen nodded. "I should be able to protect Master Li."
Li Huai said, "Then we'll find a chance to escape and try not to distract Pei Qian."
Wei Taizhen hesitated, speaking through heart-to-heart communication. "Master Li, won't Pei Qian hold a grudge against you?"
Li Huai shook his head. "You're overthinking."
He scratched his head. What a waste I am. What to do? Truly worrying.
Pei Qian gently took off her bamboo box, put down her walking staff, and said to the white-haired, burly old man approaching, "I'll tell you in advance: if you dare harm my friends or damage these two of my belongings, I won't talk reason. I'll punch you to death."
The blood-soaked old man sneered. "Little girl, you're not old, but you have a big mouth. Hand over the jade pendant, and I'll spare your life."
Pei Qian rolled up her sleeves. "I'll stand still and take three of your punches. After that, you let the three of us leave. How about that?"
The general clad in Sweet Dew Armor glanced at the girl's uninjured palm and quietly reminded the old man, "Master, this girl isn't simple. She caught my saber without injury. Her physique is tough, not ordinary."
The old man laughed. "The army surrounds us. You can't escape."
Then, leisurely, the old man looked at the veiled woman. "Is this miss a Nascent Soul immortal?"
Wei Taizhen didn't answer.
The old man asked Li Huai, "A worthy or virtuous man from the academy?"
Li Huai said, "I hope so."
Finally, the old man asked the thin, intimidating girl, "Not a Wind-Riding realm martial artist, I hope?"
Pei Qian said, "Almost."
The old man burst into laughter. "Then I'll stand still and let you ask three punches first. If you can't kill me with them, you'll all die."
Pei Qian said solemnly, "I earnestly ask the senior to discuss this properly. Don't push us too far, giving us no choice."
The old man stopped laughing, twisting his wrist. "Fine. Then I'll hit you three times. If you can get up after the three punches, I'll let all three of you live."
Pei Qian stepped forward. "Throw your punch."
Suddenly, Li Huai said, "We are from Lion Peak."
The old man laughed. "Very well, I am a guest of the Heavenly Lord Mansion. And then? Does it matter?"
Pei Qian bent her knees slightly, stepped out, and opened her boxing stance.
The old man laughed heartily. "I recognize it! It's that waste Gu You's Mountain-Toppling Fist. A pure martial artist, yet he had the nerve to use talisman arts to harm Sword Immortal Ji. That old waste didn't take disciples and only left a set of fist manuals that anyone could learn—misleading people's disciples and harming them!"
The burly old man appeared in front of the girl in an instant and smashed a punch into her forehead.
Pei Qian only staggered slightly, not retreating a single step.
According to jianghu experience, Pei Qian should have been sent flying, staggered up, and then taken the second punch.
But here and now, facing this man, she refused to retreat.
The martial Golden Body realm old man roared in anger and delivered two punches in a burst—one to the girl's face, the other to her neck.
Three punches completed.
The old man retreated like lightning, standing shoulder to shoulder with the general, his face dark.
Pei Qian stood still, slowly raised her hand, and wiped the nosebleed with her thumb.
Behind the three, a fellow cultivator walked over calmly, and the old man breathed a sigh of relief.
His opponent was also a seventh-tier grandmaster, but younger and with higher boxing skills. However, he was an old friend of the emperor, so he had broken his retirement to help this time.
Besides, in Beiju Continent, how many pure martial artists weren't delighted to beat mountain cultivators to death?
Pei Qian spat out a mouthful of blood and turned to look at the middle-aged man with long, steady breathing.
The man smiled. "Little girl, you're also Golden Body realm, aren't you?"
Pei Qian said nothing.
The man said, "Little girl, you can't ride the wind or travel far. As for your two friends, even if they can escape by wind, the net that caught the Golden Core earthly immortal earlier—just use it again, what's the difficulty? Beg Senior Fu Lin for mercy, beg for your lives. Leave all your belongings. That's all I can do for you. But whether your martial arts will be crippled or the cultivator's Bridge of Immortality broken—I can't guarantee. I am an outsider after all."
Li Huai said helplessly, "Don't believe that kind of talk."
Pei Qian nodded. "You're not stupid."
Li Huai grinned.
Wei Taizhen was speechless.
One after another, none of them feared anything.
She had already prepared for the worst: using the two treasures her master had given her—one offensive, one defensive—to risk her life to escort the two out of here.
Suddenly, the man said, "If you can take two punches from me, I'll let your friends leave first."
Li Huai said, "Don't believe that either."
Pei Qian said, "One's full but not satisfied, the other has all the advantages but still has to play tricks on a junior. Are you really martial artists?"
Pei Qian answered herself, "I think you don't deserve to be."
Ignoring the middle-aged man behind her, Pei Qian stared at the white-haired old man named Fu Lin. "Using the Mountain-Toppling Manual, I ask you only one punch!"
The old man's expression was grim and uncertain.
His arm, which had delivered those three punches, was now in pain.
Suddenly, Pei Qian's entire majestic fist intent rose like the sun and the moon ascending together in the sky.
Her qi mechanism became so chaotic that Wei Taizhen had to quickly protect Li Huai.
Pei Qian walked forward slowly, clenching her fists, and said through gritted teeth, "I learned boxing from my master; my master learned from the Mountain-Toppling Manual; the Mountain-Toppling Fist came from Senior Gu! Today, I will use the Mountain-Toppling Fist to ask you for a punch at the same realm. How dare you not take it?!"
Within a radius of a hundred zhang, the ground trembled like rumbling thunder, dust flew, soldiers couldn't hold their blades steady, and iron armor clinked.
The middle-aged man unconsciously retreated a few steps.
And the white-haired old man Pei Qian faced turned ashen, wanting to speak but stopping. Under everyone's gaze, to admit fault to a foreign girl—how could he continue in the jianghu afterward?! But to say he would take the girl's punch unscathed—he had absolutely no confidence.
If you can't think it through, don't think too much.
Pei Qian stamped her foot and vanished instantly.
Everyone's stances were shaken.
Wei Taizhen instinctively reached out to steady Li Huai's shoulder, only to find that he didn't need her help at all. He was very steady, his feet firmly planted like mountains.
And Li Huai, too worried about Pei Qian, was completely unaware of this.
When Wei Taizhen focused, she was horrified to see countless fine golden threads faintly swirling around Li Huai's sleeves, invisibly counteracting the abundant fist intent Pei Qian was pouring into the world.
At Fu Lin's position, it was as if a heavy drumbeat had sounded.
The white-haired old man lay on the ground, apparently struck on the forehead by the girl's fist. The punch was too fast, and she suddenly changed the angle of the punch, so after one punch, the seventh-tier grandmaster Fu Lin was lying flat, his head, which had taken the heaviest blow, slightly sunk into the ground.
Pei Qian twisted her body and faced the middle-aged martial artist, who had already begun to retreat.
She lowered her stance slightly, assuming the peak boxing stance of Zhong Fuzi, and supported the ape-like fist intent taught by Zhu Lian, straightening her spine like a great dragon.
Suddenly, Pei Qian looked at Li Huai, as if asking something.
Li Huai nodded solemnly. "Just punch him. This guy's heart is even worse. Beat him half to death if you can. If Master Chen scolds you for this later, I'll go to him and throw a tantrum, threaten to hang myself, whatever."
Pei Qian's eyes were dead, but she grinned.
She had taken Li Huai's words to heart.
Wei Taizhen found this scene chilling and terrifying.
Pei Qian delivered a punch: God-People Drumbeat style.
Just one punch; no need for ten or twenty more.
The middle-aged man flew backward helplessly for dozens of zhang and crashed heavily to the ground.
Pei Qian stood still, looking around. "Come on, all of you!"
Except for the area where Li Huai and Wei Taizhen stood, the ground within a hundred zhang cracked, fist intent rampaged, and surged into the sky.
Pei Qian caught a glimpse of the group of Qi refiners in the sky, ready to act.
Pei Qian leaped up from the ground.
Like a sword light leaving the mortal world.
A massive circle, like an aerial pavilion, collapsed and sank with a roar.
Li Huai, with lightning speed, grabbed Pei Qian's bamboo box and walking staff.
If they got damaged, who would Pei Qian blame later? Who else but him?
Pei Qian hovered in the air, extended her two joined fingers, and tapped her forehead, signaling the cultivators to go ahead and use their immortal arts.
Wei Taizhen couldn't help but tremble. "Young Master Li, didn't you say Miss Pei was only Golden Body realm?"
Even if Wei Taizhen didn't know much about martial arts, Pei Qian was only in her twenties and already a Far Traveling realm martial artist. How could she find any reason to tell herself this wasn't strange?
Pei Qian was hardly the Central Earth Divine Continent martial artist Cao Ci. She was just a frail girl who spent every day carrying a bamboo box around beside Wei Taizhen.
Li Huai gently put down the bamboo box, looked up at Pei Qian, thought for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "I'm not Chen Ping'an. He says what Pei Qian does; Pei Qian does what she says."
Then Li Huai held back a laugh. "As expected of our new alliance leader. If you like, Immortal Wei, I can introduce you."
Wei Taizhen looked at Li Huai. Young Master Li was still as carefree as ever.
Pei Qian rode the wind in far travel, her form flickering unpredictably. Several times she stood behind or beside the mountain immortals, saying nothing, not punching.
Finally, Pei Qian's feet stepped on air, causing a large circle of shocking ripples in the sky that spread continuously. The girl's figure was no longer visible; it seemed she was going to the highest point of the sky.
When Pei Qian landed lightly.
The earth was already empty of birds and beasts.
Pei Qian said nothing. She put on her bamboo box, took her walking staff, and said, "Let's go."
Another year later, they finally arrived at Lion Peak.
Wei Taizhen breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer had to be on tenterhooks.
But the master wasn't on the mountain.
Pei Qian stayed on the mountain for a full half year, occasionally going down.
Half a year later, Pei Qian left alone, parting ways with Li Huai. He would return to Bottle Gourd Continent, but she had to go alone to the northernmost Aiai Continent of the Haoran World.
Her reason was that her master had a very plain impression of that continent, so she wanted to go there to reach the Mountain Summit realm. But this time, it wouldn't be fast. The previous two realms had been broken through too casually, leaving hidden troubles. She would have to slow down. It was possible that her progress would stall for eight to ten years; otherwise, it would be hard to stand firm at the next realm.
At the last meal in the shop at the foot of Lion Peak, Li Liu returned, and the family plus Pei Qian sat at the same table.
The woman thought her son's taste wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.
Li Huai, seeing his mother's gaze at Pei Qian and the smile on her face, was sweating buckets. Earlier, his mother had brought up the matter privately. Li Huai, who was never afraid of anything at home, almost knelt on the spot, begging his mother not to have that idea, or else he would run away from home. If he stayed, he would most likely be beaten to death by Pei Qian.
When Pei Qian left the town at the foot of the mountain, Li Er only nodded at the girl, not seeing her off.
The woman made eye signals, and Li Liu pushed her brother. Li Huai originally felt nothing, just some parting sadness, but suddenly became apprehensive, his legs unsteady as he caught up with Pei Qian.
Walking on the street, Pei Qian said, "I've seen that travel journal you've been hiding. I'm fine."
Li Huai had nothing to say. He sighed and said, "Mm."
Pei Qian said, "Don't see me off. If there's a chance later, I'll bring you traveling again. We can go to the Central Earth Divine Continent."
Li Huai nodded. "It's a deal."
Pei Qian strode forward, her back to Li Huai, and gently waved her hand.
Li Huai stood still, waving goodbye.
It seemed that Pei Qian had secretly grown taller without telling him, from a slightly dark girl into the figure of a twenty-year-old woman.
In a secluded place, Pei Qian suddenly rose into the air, quietly riding the wind far away.