Chapter 701: In the Wind and Snow

Chapter 701: In the Wind and Snow

The Old Scholar was sent out of the Fifth Seat of Power by Bai Ye with a single sword stroke in the third year of Jiachun.

When the Old Scholar visited Bai Ze and returned to the Confucian Temple in the Central Land, it was the fourth year of Jiachun. And when the Old Scholar arrived at the Great Li auxiliary capital in the middle of Bottle Gourd Continent and reunited with his former first disciple, both standing by the Qi River crossing with its renewed atmosphere, it was already the beginning of spring in the fifth year of Jiachun. The willows were soft and green, various flowers grew amid the trees, orioles sang and sparrows frolicked. Children were let out of school early, and kites soared high on the wind.

This warm spring scene eased the Old Scholar's furrowed brow. He asked Cui Chan beside him if he had any ideas about naming the Fifth Seat of Power.

Cui Chan said no.

Cui Dongshan, following behind the two, actually had some ideas, but the Old Scholar didn't ask him. He merely said that over at the Confucian Temple, they had initially wanted to name it with the two characters "gui ju" (rules and norms), but the Ritual Sage didn't agree, saying that "rules and norms" were like the spring breeze moistening things; there was no need to put them on paper. The various schools of thought had their own suggestions. For example, several elder patriarchs from the Yin-Yang school and the Agricultural school jointly proposed "Tao Yuan" (Peach Blossom Spring). There were many supporters, meaning a paradise away from the world. It was both a beautiful concept and could make people remember the great merit of the Confucians in opening up a brand-new seat of power. Moreover, in the southeast of the new seat of power, there was indeed a peach tree with great anomalies—it bloomed without bearing fruit for a long time. But when Bai Ye drew his sword to separate heaven and earth, it immediately bore fruit. However, the Sub-Sage still rejected this proposal.

So to this day, the Fifth Seat of Power still had no proper name.

Cui Dongshan sneered, "A pure land found by fleeing disaster can also be considered a true paradise? I don't believe that in the current Fifth Seat of Power, there can be many people with peace of mind. After surviving a calamity and relaxing a bit, they'll start fighting over territory, stealing chickens and dogs, and beating each other's brains out. Once the situation stabilizes a little, after they get a foothold and enjoy a few days of comfort, just talk about those folks from Parasol Leaf Continent—they'll definitely settle accounts afterwards. First they'll curse their own: curse the Jade Gui Sect and Parasol Leaf Sect as useless, unable to hold their homeland; then curse the Confucian Temple in the Central Land; finally, even the Sword Qi Great Wall gets cursed. They won't dare to say it out loud, but they'll curse in their hearts. Such a place filled with miasma and chaos—what kind of heaven could it be?"

The Old Scholar nodded. "The Sub-Sage had roughly the same idea."

Cui Dongshan immediately changed his tune. "Then let's call it Peach Blossom Spring Seat of Power. I fully support this proposal with both hands and feet. If that's not enough, I'll drag Brother Gao over to pad the numbers."

The Old Scholar treated this as wind past his ears. Strange. When Cui Chan had traveled to study in that humble lane back then, he didn't seem to have this temperament.

Before Cui Chan left, the Old Scholar handed him the Destiny Word temporarily borrowed from the Grand Libationer of the Rites Academy.

Cui Chan didn't refuse.

The Old Scholar said, "This 'Mountain' character is something I borrowed."

Cui Chan nodded.

The Old Scholar's implication was that whether to return this Destiny Word, when to return it, and how to return it, were only matters for the Old Scholar himself, unrelated to Cui Chan or Great Li.

After Cui Chan left, Cui Dongshan swaggered over to the Old Scholar and asked in a low voice, "If that old bastard can't repay the 'Mountain' character, are you planning to use that share of Creation Merit to make amends to the Ritual Sage's lineage?"

Cui Dongshan never doubted the Old Scholar's ability to clean up messes. In the past, the Old Scholar had always been the one patching things up for the Literary Sage's lineage, going around apologizing for his students, or backing them up, jumping up and down to reason with people, flapping his sleeves wildly.

In Pei Qian's eyes, the Little Senior Brother walked like a big white goose, swinging his big sleeves all over the place. It was obvious whom he had learned that from.

There was an old gentleman who, back in the day, was like an old hen, desperately protecting its chicks.

The Old Scholar squinted at the white-clothed youth.

This little bastard—no matter how he looked at him, he was displeasing.

Cui Dongshan shrank his neck and dutifully called out, "Grandmaster. Master's master, a generation higher than the sky."

Cui Dongshan walked sideways, poking the ground lightly with his walking staff, hinting to the Old Scholar that he was now at least his grand-disciple. Even if he was to be scolded, it should be by the master, not by the grandmaster.

Cui Dongshan said indignantly, "This Cui Chan fellow, from start to finish, he barely let out a few farts—great disrespect! When I get the chance, I'll curse him a few more times for you, Grandmaster."

The Old Scholar said slowly, "You are ultimately two different people now. Cherish that. I've taken you across so many mountains and rivers before. You should understand that when waters from the same source diverge, many rivers just disappear. They must have a long and continuous flow."

Cui Dongshan nodded eagerly. "Besides the ceaseless flow, deep still waters that reflect what they hold, in life one must also learn from Grandmaster to stand firm like a pillar, unbent by wind and rain. That way, even with that feeling of 'thus it passes on,' one has no fear. Every bit of knowledge is a restful ferry that allows later generations to feel at ease, to travel far and then farther."

The Old Scholar smiled knowingly. "The atmosphere at Fallen Mountain is indeed all twisted by you."

However, after "deep still waters that reflect," the phrase "composed in manner, settled in speech" was indeed a very beautiful expression. Among his direct disciples, Little Qi and Little Ping'an both deserved that praise.

Cui Dongshan said listlessly, "If Master says so, if Grandmaster thinks so, then so be it."

The Old Scholar asked softly, "Over at Fallen Mountain, hmm?"

The question was somewhat headless, but Cui Dongshan immediately understood. He scurried closer and answered in a low voice, "Reporting to Grandmaster: now we're still short on money, but the family foundation is getting thicker. The enshrined elder Zhou Fei is quite generous. The grade of Lotus Root Paradise hasn't dropped but risen instead. Master also brought back a Daoist named Changming from the Sword Qi Great Wall side—she's the ancestor of Gold Essence Copper Coins in the world. She herself is a manifestation of fortune's Dao. Having her in our Bottle Gourd Continent, and arriving at Fallen Mountain, she came to the right place. Moreover, inside Lotus Root Paradise, there's a female essence born of literary aura. Now our Fallen Mountain has both literary aura and financial fortune."

The Old Scholar raised his chin.

Cui Dongshan immediately added, "Brother Dafeng has already left. Pure martial artists at the Golden Body Realm cannot enter the new seat of power—this rule is well established."

The Old Scholar nodded. "Scholars need not be ashamed to talk about money, nor should they be ashamed of making a profit, as if earning a bit through skill makes one uncultured. Honor and disgrace are distinctly different. The gentleman loves wealth, but honors those who put righteousness before profit—that is the proper way to acquire it."

Cui Dongshan asked curiously, "So the Fifth Seat of Power now has many blessings?"

The Old Scholar hummed in affirmation. "Take that peach tree, for example—it can be ranked among the top ten great blessings. Bai Ye set up a hastily built thatched cottage there and left his immortal sword there, to repay the favor of borrowing a sword to Daoist Sun of the Grand Mystic Observatory all those years ago. Bai Ye is waiting there for a certain Daoist from the Sword Immortal lineage of the Daoist sect. When that person arrives and the immortal sword is returned, Bai Ye will return to the Righteous Qi World. So no one dares to covet that thatched cottage."

Cui Dongshan said with a smirk, "I hope all those Daoists from the Jade Capital flock there and crash into each other."

The Old Scholar had naturally been there as a guest. That extraordinary peach tree, with roots hundreds or thousands of miles deep, blessed by heaven and earth, actually didn't look conspicuous. It was no different from an ordinary mountain peach tree, and at first glance, there was no auspicious aura.

But the Old Scholar and Bai Ye could even separate heaven and earth, so their eyesight was naturally not something ordinary immortals could match. And Bai Ye's contributions were enormous. Even ten peach trees, let alone one, could be moved wherever he wished.

Bai Ye sheathed his sword, built a thatched hut, and studied. The peach tree was in the thatched cottage, gradually bearing fruit. Among the trees were flowers and fruits, and beneath the steps was the immortal sword.

The scholar occasionally traveled far, leaving a longsword to watch the house.

The Old Scholar picked up a large pouch of peach blossoms under the tree, saying he would use them to brew wine. He also took the opportunity to ask the White Paper Paradise to make a few dozen peach blossom letterhead papers. He even secretly grabbed a few big handfuls of soil beside the tree—truly ten-thousand-year-old soil, not commonly seen. His youngest disciple would need it later, so the Old Scholar took a little extra.

Of course, the Old Scholar had previously greeted the owner, Bai Ye, loudly asking if this was acceptable. There was no answer from inside the thatched cottage at the time, so the Old Scholar took Bai Ye's silence as tacit consent, as Brother Bai was a generous man. In fact, a few days after the Old Scholar left, Bai Ye returned from his travels. When the scholar looked at the bare ground under the peach tree, then looked up at the tree, in the end, Bai Ye gave the Old Scholar that sword to send him off.

Of course, the Old Scholar's wording at the Confucian Temple in the Central Land was that Bai Ye had courteously escorted him out of the territory.

When heaven and earth were first born: the first Jade Purity Realm, the first Immortal Realm, the first cultivator to slay "strange beings"... all received the favor of the Heavenly Dao.

The first pure martial artist to break through a realm, the first martial artist to reach the Far Traveling Realm or the Mountain Summit Realm... all received the protection of martial fortune.

The first mountain peak to build an Ancestral Hall, burn incense, hang portraits, and establish branches; the first fledgling secular dynasty at the foot of the mountain; the first baby born in the new seat of power; the first pair of lovers in that realm, both in the Mid Five Realms, to form a covenant... all received the gift of humanity.

In short, the great thousand worlds gathered the three talents, and blessings flowed continuously.

Cui Dongshan suddenly became worried. "My big senior sister Pei Qian broke through the Sixth and Seventh Realms too fast. In Northern Juzhou, she foolishly gave up the two strongest realms. If she breaks into the Mountain Summit Realm early in the Aiai Continent, she'll definitely want to go to Fuyang Continent. That place is more chaotic than the stagnant Parasol Leaf Continent, which makes me more worried."

But the Old Scholar asked, "Have you been to the Azure Underworld?"

Knowing the question was rhetorical—old man, I'm not a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator—Cui Dongshan said grumpily, "Have you been?"

Blame that old bastard's lingering spirit for making him used to talking back. Realizing that chatting with Grandmaster like this would bring no good fruit, Cui Dongshan quickly tried to remedy the situation. "Grandmaster hasn't been, Master hasn't been either. I wouldn't dare go first."

The Old Scholar didn't hold Cui Dongshan's disrespect against him. He wasn't that petty. He'd just jot it down on the account, and when he went to the Aiai Continent later, he'd let Pei Qian have a look.

The Old Scholar looked up at the sky. The Confucian saint who was the attendant deity in charge of this place ranked last in the Confucian Temple, which was why Lu Chen, the Third Teaching Master of the Jade Capital, had jokingly called him "Seventy-Two."

The Old Scholar walked slowly and said, "Not only in the Azure Underworld, but in our Righteous Qi World, it's similar. Within any Daoist temple, the first main hall is the Hall of the Spiritual Officials. And that statue of the Great Spiritual Official is truly majestic. When I first traveled far from home, I visited a small temple in a prefectural city, and I still remember that impression deeply. Even later, when I had some reputation and titles, seeing other magnificent sights, it still couldn't compare to the shock of that first glance."

Cui Dongshan understood the Old Scholar's meaning. "So Grandmaster wants Pei Qian to stay by Master's side, precisely for this purpose? To let Master always feel as if he's in a Daoist temple, observing the Dao through the Dao? As long as Pei Qian is by his side, it will happen naturally, with time and effort, bringing him closer to that watchful solitude?"

In the Azure Underworld, there were four Celestial Masters, all with profound Dao techniques and various divine powers. They did not cultivate in the Jade Capital but were responsible for guarding the four corners of the world. There was a widely circulated anecdote about one of them and the head of the Spiritual Officials. According to many Daoist scriptures, roughly speaking, before the Spiritual Official attained the Dao, he had committed many killings. He was punished according to the law by a passing Grand Celestial Master. Afterwards, the latter sounded the Heavenly Drum, and the Great Teaching Master of the Jade Capital made the Spiritual Official secretly follow the Grand Celestial Master on travels for a full three hundred years. He promised that if the Celestial Master made even a single mistake, their positions would be swapped. In the end, of course, the Grand Celestial Master made not a single error in word or deed over those three hundred years.

The Old Scholar chuckled. "Didn't Pei Qian also turn toward goodness? Isn't that important? Do you think that without my youngest disciple's teaching by example, Pei Qian would be the Pei Qian of today?"

The Old Scholar patted his own chest. "If my heart is at ease and the world benefits, why not do it?"

The Old Scholar spoke earnestly. "Merit-oriented learning is good, but is it good enough? I think not. Just consider three things: Could it have made the Grand Libationer lend me a word? Could it have made Master Bai take out the 'Mountain Search Scroll'? Could it have made the world produce a Far Traveling Realm maiden who turns to good and away from evil? A scholar shouldn't think that because he's done well enough, he can rest easy, thinking everything is settled. If the world dares to ask for one more bit of effort from him, he spits at it and curses people as foolish and ungrateful."

The Old Scholar scratched his head as he said this. "Clears his throat, coughs a few times, and spits a thick glob of phlegm. 'Damn it all'... still a bit disgusting."

He was referring to the incident of smashing the statue. Remember there was a scholar from the Shao Yuan Dynasty who was particularly enthusiastic about it.

Actually, the Old Scholar was talking about two different things, but Cui Dongshan was smart enough to understand both: one was about pursuing the fundamental purity of the world's affairs, and the other was about personal grumbling behind closed doors.

The Old Scholar said, "Now that Pei Qian's realm is higher, she's become more afraid of things—that's a good thing. Because her fists are too heavy, and she's still young, she shouldn't think about changing the world too early."

"The world, the world—it's just the path of people."

The Old Scholar casually pointed. "On a road crowded with wrong choices, even if it looks like a shortcut, no matter how many people are on it or how easy the road is to walk, every teaching master must tell the children in the school, those who learn to read and practice propriety, that they must not walk that road. Later, when the children grow up and have more strength, they might have to block that road, tell others that it's wrong, that wrong is wrong. And then they might get beaten black and blue by some parts of the world. That sect of merit-oriented learning you have—if it can reduce the number of wrong fists and feet that fall on good people, then it has done immense good. That would be wonderful."

Cui Dongshan asked gloomily, "Why are you telling me all this and not Cui Chan?"

The Old Scholar remained silent.

Before them, the great river flowed slowly.

Cui Dongshan muttered to himself, "When you see a worthy person, think of equaling them."

After a long silence, Cui Dongshan complained, "Go on, go on. All of you, just leave."

The Old Scholar said, "I'll go see a certain senior."

That senior had once asked a question that echoed through eternity: "At the very beginning, who transmitted the Dao?" Just this question alone could make some lonely sages shed tears.

The Old Scholar had also had a spirited youth. Once, rarely drunk, he shouted, "I will answer! I can answer!"

And on the Sword Qi Great Wall, his disciple Zuo You had also asked Chen Ping'an to compose a "Heavenly Couplet."

Cui Dongshan hesitated. "Could you not answer the Heavenly Questions?"

Still a question, but not spoken in a questioning tone.

Don't answer. Let it remain. The former master, you just keep him in your heart.

The Old Scholar tugged at his beard with one hand and patted his belly with the other. "I've been out of step with the times for too long. I must speak or I'll suffocate."

Cui Dongshan asked curiously, "Did Qi Jingchun know about that person being in the Book Bamboo Lake all along?"

The Old Scholar shook his head. "I only found out about this secret after I merged with the Dao. The old man kept it from me all along."

Suddenly, the Old Scholar slapped Cui Dongshan on the head. "You little brat, cursing yourself as an old bastard every day—is that fun?"

Cui Dongshan looked at him with mournful eyes. "You said it yourself: we are ultimately two different people now."

The Old Scholar slapped him again. "How do you talk to your grandmaster? Huh?"

After receiving the slap, Cui Dongshan raised his hand to protect his head. "That's enough, that's enough."

The Old Scholar suddenly said, "First there was a sage in Book Bamboo Lake watching the human world coldly. 'Ling' means spirit. 'Jun' means tone. To say what is fair and can be taken as a rule, nothing surpasses heaven. To nurture things in harmony, nothing surpasses earth. Hence it is the most balanced and harmonious. Afterwards, there was Bai Ye drawing his sword to leave his homeland and travel heaven and earth. I've thought of a name for the Fifth Seat of Power."

"Those who uphold purity and die with straightness have been valued by former sages."

"Bai Ye's poetry is unmatched, his thoughts transcendent and unique. Truly pure gentlemen have a spirit that is both righteous and free, like floating clouds in the sky."

Cui Dongshan blinked. "Good."

The Old Scholar raised his hand, and Cui Dongshan waved his arms to block the slap.

The Old Scholar withdrew his hand, stroked his beard and laughed proudly. "A single 'good' word is far from enough. So you see, naming things is something your master truly inherited."

Cui Dongshan grinned cheekily. "And what about finding a wife?"

The Old Scholar rubbed his chin with his palm. "That I never taught. He figured it out on his own?"

Cui Dongshan snickered. "If he had been taught, it probably wouldn't have worked out."

After the Old Scholar left.

Cui Dongshan rode the wind into the sea of clouds and saw the true form of Zhigui. She was marching along the great river in a majestic manner. Halfway through the journey, she was already covered in wounds, but her momentum was fierce, so it was not a major problem.

The Old Scholar first went to Book Bamboo Lake and met an old man who was extremely close to the Dao of water, so much so that he had thrown himself into the water. He wore a high hat and broad belt, had a gaunt appearance, and his learning was not within the Confucian Temple's literary lineage.

The Old Scholar bowed and performed a ritual greeting.

The old man returned the greeting with an ancient rite, not exactly orthodox Confucian.

Then the old man took the Old Scholar to a hilltop. Here, he had once managed to beg some bamboo slips from a young man with a haggard look leading a horse. The young man was young, but not easy to fool.

They had also had a conversation in a dream. They did not ask about heaven and earth, only about the original heart.

The old man was silent for a long time, then spoke: "I am somewhat disappointed in myself. I didn't do well enough. But I am not so disappointed in the world."

The Old Scholar nodded and smiled. "To journey together with the masters, even if I can never catch up, I am honored to be in their company. If I could still eat four big meat buns from Green Parasol City, then I would definitely have the strength to reason with people and continue on the road."

The old man said, "A disciple can open a mountain for the world. A disciple can make his master close his doors. Not bad."

The Old Scholar said cheerfully, "Not bad, not bad."

The old man sighed. "I can ignore the warmth and cold of human sentiment, but I hate myself for not touching books."

The Old Scholar said, "Eyes still bright, heart still warm. Heaven has favored this old scholar."

The old man laughed. "Just like your disciple, you know how to chat."

The Old Scholar shook his head. "When it comes to 'chatting,' everyone in the world is a junior."

The old man said, "Besides the 'Heavenly Questions' which needs no discussion, you may take the 'Mountain Spirit' and 'Crossing the River'."

The Old Scholar hesitated.

The old man said, "The 'Lord of the East' and 'Summoning the Soul' as well."

The Old Scholar bowed again.

The first bow was a request; this one was a thank you.

The old man sighed, his figure fading, leaving only four articles suspended in the air.

The Old Scholar put them into his sleeve and also sighed.

Afterwards, the Old Scholar gave the "Mountain Spirit" and "Crossing the River" to Cui Dongshan, who was in charge of guarding the great river. He then had Cui Dongshan deliver the "Lord of the East" to the pharmacy in the small town. After that, the Old Scholar carried only the "Summoning the Soul." He went south all the way to the Old Dragon City. Taking advantage of the dangerous but not yet completely chaotic situation, he sneaked into Parasol Leaf Continent and helped stabilize the mountain and river formations of Taiping Mountain.

Then he went to the Daquan Dynasty, where even the emperor had secretly fled. Outside the Azure Wandering Palace on the banks of the Buried River, the Old Scholar tugged at his sleeves and stood for half a day, but no one paid him any attention.

The Old Scholar had no choice but to ask if the Water God of the Buried River was at home.

A short woman swaggered to the door, holding the bottom of a "large bowl" in one hand and chopsticks in the other. She sat on the threshold, frowned, and looked at the old Confucian whose depth of Dao she could not discern. Finally, she asked, "Old sir, what are you doing wandering around here? Don't you know the world is in chaos now? This Azure Wandering Palace of mine is a tiny place, I can't protect anyone. I might not even be able to protect myself. I'm not being petty, but you should go to the Dafu Academy—it's safer there."

The Old Scholar had to steel himself and announce his name, saying he was the master of Zuo You and Chen Ping'an.

The Water God of the Buried River was thunderstruck. Her mind was a mess, her face flushed, and she couldn't utter a single word. She swayed like a drunkard as she stood up, raised the "large bowl" above her head with both hands, as if to ask the Literary Sage to have a midnight snack?

Afterwards, she accompanied the Literary Sage—who said he couldn't refuse such hospitality—back into the Azure Wandering Palace's main hall, dazed. She bemusedly had Chef Liu bring the Literary Sage a bowl of noodles as small as a saucer.

Finally, somewhere in the central part of Parasol Leaf Continent, Zuo You sat cross-legged above the sea of clouds, his sword lying across his knees, guarding the great gate. Beyond the gate lay two seats of power.

In the distance, the Golden Core sword cultivator Wang Shizi and a girl named Yu Xin were assisting a group of academy disciples and mountain cultivators in processing the evacuation of refugees from various places seeking refuge. There were countless tangled threads, chaotic and disorderly—not an easy task.

Even if Wang Shizi were a dense fool, he could see Yu Xin's feelings for Senior Zuo.

Otherwise, she had no reason to risk coming here. Wang Shizi was at a bottleneck in his sword heart cultivation, on the verge of breaking through or not, similar to the Nansobusa Continent sword cultivator Cao Jun. He needed to observe swordplay and comprehend the Dao to break through his bottleneck. After all, Senior Zuo was here striking down demons with his sword. Even watching from afar was a rare and sought-after benefit for sword Dao.

But when Senior Zuo learned that Yu Xin had accompanied him here, he even patted Wang Shizi on the shoulder. That look at the time probably meant Senior Zuo thought Wang Shizi had finally wised up.

Today, Yu Xin asked him if he wanted to ask for guidance on swordsmanship. Wang Shizi, of course, wasn't going to be a fool again, so he nodded, saying he needed it, and then added that, in fact, Senior Zuo's Dao techniques were equally extraordinary. After he had consulted him, Yu Xin definitely shouldn't miss the opportunity. Yu Xin looked at him, and Wang Shizi stood tall and righteous. Yu Xin didn't glare at him again.

When they reached the sea of clouds that Zuo You was temporarily using as a place of cultivation, Wang Shizi first sincerely asked Zuo You about swordsmanship, then took his leave, not forgetting to remind Senior Zuo that Yu Xin had some difficulties and doubts on her cultivation path and wanted to consult him.

Zuo You shook his head, saying that besides swordsmanship, which he could barely teach, he dared not speak to anyone about cultivation matters. The secret methods of the Ancestral Hall of Parasol Leaf Sect could lead directly to the Upper Five Realms. As long as Yu Xin cultivated step by step, there would surely be no problem.

Yu Xin, who had just been walking towards the two sword cultivators as if born from white clouds under her feet, heard this, turned around immediately, and walked away. After a few steps, she abruptly dropped down, hurrying back to the mortal world on the wind.

After Wang Shizi caught up to Yu Xin, he only dared to follow at a distance. When a woman is sad about a heartbreak, she probably doesn't want outsiders to see her, right?

But Yu Xin seemed to have composed herself quickly. She stopped in midair, neither going to the sea of clouds nor descending to the earth. Only then did Wang Shizi dare to approach.

Yu Xin looked up at the sea of clouds and asked softly, "Is Left Master unable to leave this place, but also very eager to return to the Sword Qi Great Wall? So he's always... troubled?"

Wang Shizi nodded and spoke with his mind, "Senior's little junior brother, our Hidden Official, seems to have stayed behind alone over there. So Senior Left really wants to go there. But with Parasol Leaf Continent in its current state, Senior Left finds it very difficult to leave."

Yu Xin murmured, "He has such high swordsmanship, yet he is always so troubled?"

Zuo You was troubled because he didn't know when he could go to the Sword Qi Great Wall to bring back his little junior brother.

Yu Xin couldn't bear it. She didn't want to see the day when that lonely and solitary figure might vanish forever. She couldn't bear the thought of him leaving one day and never returning.

The world should have a Zuo You free from trouble.

An old scholar huffily made his way to the sea of clouds, arriving behind Zuo You as he sat there. Just as Zuo You was about to stand, the Old Scholar, without even needing to jump, slapped him on the head. "Are you an idiot?! I didn't teach you how to find a wife, but I also didn't teach you how to stubbornly remain a bachelor!"

Zuo You took another slap from his master, completely confused. But he was used to it.

---

Zheng Dafeng left his hometown early, and his destination was clear, but he didn't follow his master's orders until the fifth year of Jiachun. Instead of heading to Lotus Root Paradise, he slowly entered the Fifth Seat of Power.

This quiet departure from home, a cross-continental journey, followed the old man's instructions. The route was strange: first to Northern Juzhou, to the small town at the foot of Lion Peak to mooch some good wine and food from his senior brother and sister-in-law. Surprisingly, the sister-in-law didn't curse at him for once; instead, she spoke to him softly. This made Zheng Dafeng feel a bit sorry for himself. Before, he never thought much of it, but after seeing her like that, he wondered if he was truly that pitiable.

But after eating and drinking his fill, when he glanced at the empty courtyard outside, he kindly offered to help his sister-in-law by cutting some bamboo from the mountain to make sturdy drying poles for hanging clothes.

Li Er was busy clearing the dishes and ignored the comment. If Zheng Dafeng didn't get a scolding for a single day, he wasn't being the junior brother.

The woman was about to curse him bloody, but she glanced at the hunchbacked, stubbly man who seemed to have shrunk a head's height, and she acted very out of character. She didn't curse, just said it wasn't necessary, lowered her head, and quickly walked out of the room.

Zheng Dafeng sighed deeply and whispered to his senior brother, "Has the sister-in-law been bullied by outsiders here? She's lost the heroic spirit she had back home."

Li Er had just finished clearing the table when the woman unexpectedly returned, carrying two jugs of wine and a few plates of appetizers. She said the brothers should take the time to talk, since they hadn't seen each other for so long and were about to part again. A few drinks wouldn't hurt. Only then did she regain a bit of her former vigor. She pointed at Zheng Dafeng and let loose a torrent of abuse: "Why can't you stay put and guard the gate back home? Even if it doesn't pay much, it's a steady job. What's so good about wandering outside? You're so ugly, standing at the door at night could ward off evil spirits better than the door gods. You've got no real skill, just some savings in your pocket, and all you know is to leer at passing women with your dog eyes. Can they give you a child?"

Her scolding made Zheng Dafeng feel instantly refreshed. He quickly called for his sister-in-law to join them for a drink, swearing that if he got drunk today, a drunkard sleeps deeper than the dead, not even thunder could wake him, let alone sleepwalking on wobbly legs.

She was furious and left the room. After a moment's hesitation, she didn't even stay in the shop but went to consult with a few women she had good relations with, probing their opinions to see if there was a suitable woman who was blind enough to think Zheng Dafeng was tolerable, perhaps someone who could share his life.

In the old days, when Zheng Dafeng was guarding the gate or drinking on the street, he liked to gesture at pretty women, measuring their chests first, then their bottoms, his eyes busy, his hands busy, and his mouth even busier. He'd say he'd lost his soul in their clothes and let Brother Dafeng find it. If found, good; if not, no blame...

For such a rogue who couldn't keep his mouth shut, if he could actually bring home a wife, that would be one thing. But a lecherous old bachelor, always daring in thought but never in action, had never managed to get a proper woman as a wife. And with his looks and lack of prospects, what decent girl would want to suffer with him? The sister-in-law always cursed him, but in private, she also urged her husband: if it really didn't work, help your junior brother find some decent job at the Yang family shop or the dragon kiln, then find a suitable unmarried woman among the neighbors who wasn't bad, try to set them up. Even if he had to marry into her family, as long as Zheng Dafeng stopped spouting filth, whether as a shop assistant, a farmer, or a woodcutter or pottery maker, he could still manage to support a small household.

After the woman left.

Li Er started discussing serious business with his junior brother. "Endure for now. Break through the realm only when you get there. You must control the timing yourself. Since the master returned the remaining parts of your soul, don't waste them. If you accidentally break through during your travels, it will be very troublesome. Fuyang Continent is too far from Bottle Gourd Continent. The master won't be able to help you smooth things over, nor is it suitable for him to step in personally."

At Lion Peak, Li Er had sparred with Zheng Dafeng to feed his fist, allowing him to return to the Sixth Realm of the martial artist. Although he was still far from his former peak, it wasn't a big problem. Moreover, Zheng Dafeng had formed a new martial hero's gall, and its grade was not low. After all, he was once a pure martial artist who had earned the title "strongest." Having gone through hardship, the key was that his spirit hadn't fallen—that was the best kind of tempering, where fortune and misfortune depend on each other.

For a pure martial artist, the level of his fist technique depends on the length of that one breath in his heart.

Before throwing a punch, he must have the intention to make the heavens lower and the earth sink by three feet.

Zheng Dafeng rested one leg on a bench, took a sip of wine, and nodded. "I have it under control."

When the woman returned home, she intended to tell her husband good news—whether the good thing would succeed was up to Zheng Dafeng's own luck. But she found that Zheng Dafeng was no longer home, and she hadn't seen him on the way back. On the table, there were only two empty wine jugs and the plates of appetizers had been eaten clean.

The woman asked suspiciously, "He's gone?"

Li Er grunted in affirmation.

The woman sighed, sat down, and looked out the door. "I don't know what you men are thinking. I don't understand what you like about the martial world."

She was referring both to the irresponsible Zheng Dafeng and to the young man she genuinely liked, whom she considered half a son-in-law: Chen Ping'an.

Li Er had nothing to say. He stood up to clear the table again, and as he bent over, he picked up Zheng Dafeng's wine jug and shook it lightly. There wasn't a drop left.

The woman caught a glimpse of this and scolded with a smile, "Look at your pathetic state."

Li Er seemed about to speak but stopped, looking embarrassed.

There were guests at the door.

The woman asked tentatively, "What, are you also planning to go on a long journey?"

Li Er scratched his head.

He was indeed planning to go to Skeleton Beach. His daughter was still there, and he was worried. Moreover, it was only right for him to lend a hand.

If it weren't for his son Li Huai and junior brother Zheng Dafeng coming here one after the other, Li Er would have already asked his wife for permission. Moreover, not long ago, someone came to Lion Peak as a guest, planning to go to the sea south of Skeleton Beach. One was a sword immortal from the Taihui Sword Sect who had helped Qi Jinglong in the second round of sword duels, and the other was an old martial artist who had finally regained some clarity of mind and was freed.

Both were now waiting outside the door for Li Er's response.

A sword immortal long renowned in Northern Juzhou, and a Tenth Realm martial artist who had once attracted several sword immortals to besiege him.

They were waiting for Li Er—more precisely, waiting for Li Er to convince his wife to allow him to go on the journey.

It wasn't too strange. Throughout Northern Juzhou, men both on and off the mountain were notoriously unafraid of heaven or earth—only afraid of their own women.

The woman slammed the table in anger. "Is it because you drank a few mouthfuls of horse piss with Zheng Dafeng and heard some dirty talk that your heart has gone wild?!"

The woman cried out in sorrow, "Oh, what a miserable life I have! My son is the most filial and sensible, but he's never around. My daughter is stubborn as a mule, looks like me, but has her father's ambition. She's become an old maid, can't get married no matter what... I can only blame myself. Who else can I blame? In my youth, I was confused and married a useless man. He has no skills, and now that he's had some wine, he's lost even his honesty. In the end, he's an unfaithful husband, every day thinking about those young women outside who shake their chests and wiggle their butts. I can't blame anyone but myself..."

Li Er remained silent, not daring to reply.

The woman wiped the corner of her eye. "He looks like an honest and silent gourd, but inside he's full of scheming and bad intentions. What kind of bad karma did I accumulate to have such a man as my pillar of support..."

Li Er glanced outside the door. The sword immortal watching the spectacle made a mental comment, and the old martial artist chimed in.

Li Er ignored them, telling them to go ahead; he would certainly arrive at Skeleton Beach no later than them.

The sword immortal turned and left, while the old martial artist made another joke. The sword immortal then responded, chatting quite enthusiastically.

Li Er frowned.

Aren't these two asking for a beating?

Out of the corner of her eye, the woman noticed Li Er's frown—a rare sight—and she grew even more upset. She slumped over the table. Earlier, she had been mostly pretending, but now she was truly panicked and sad, though she lowered her voice. "Now you dare to make faces at me. I can't live like this anymore. You don't say it, but in your heart, you blame me for being an unreasonable old hag..."

Li Er went to sit beside her and gently patted the back of her hand. "Liu'er is out there traveling alone. I plan to go see her. I'll be home soon."

The woman looked up. "Are you also going to find a fox spirit for Li Huai and Liu'er to have as a second mother?"

Li Er shook his head. "You know I wouldn't do such a despicable thing."

The man wouldn't even say that his wife had spoken nonsense.

The woman looked at his face and said quietly, "In fact, Li Huai and Dafeng came and left as if by agreement. You've been spacing out from time to time, so I knew your heart wasn't here anymore. Go ahead. Be careful on the road. Even if you learn Dafeng's lecherous ways, don't learn to let others bully you outside. Of course, it's best that you learn nothing at all."

Li Er nodded, helped wipe the corner of her eye, and she asked when he would leave. Li Er said he would set off today, so he could leave early and return early. She went to help pack his bags.

The old rascal outside wouldn't stop. He cracked another crude joke. Li Er, who had been squatting at the door patiently waiting for his bag, suddenly stood up and strode forward. The woman heard the commotion and, as she had been dawdling while packing, quickly asked what he was going out for. Li Er said, "There's a dog barking outside."

---

Zheng Dafeng traveled from Northern Juzhou to the Aiai Continent, then passed through Flowing Cloud Continent, Golden Armor Continent, and from the central gate of Fuyang Continent. As a martial artist from another continent and not a Golden Body Realm cultivator, he managed to pass through the gate into the Fifth Seat of Power using a pouch of Gold Essence Copper Coins, arriving at the northernmost part of the new world.

Unlike Parasol Leaf Continent, where all those below the Nascent Soul realm could take refuge, in Fuyang Continent, even Golden Core Earth Immortals had to forget about crossing the gate under normal circumstances. The cost in immortal money would make even a sect or an Upper Five Realm missionary wince. Moreover, it wasn't just about having money; one needed a senior of higher realm or a fellow disciple who had died on the eastern coastline of Fuyang Continent to earn a spot. This drove many old cultivators who had no hope of breaking through, especially those whose souls were decaying, to flock to the coastal areas.

All to clear a path for their juniors, to open up a dangerous yet opportunity-filled road of cultivation.

This showed the customs of Fuyang Continent.

On Fuyang Continent, the connection between the mountains and the mundane world was strong. People were used to fighting for life and death, which made them far more spirited than the stagnant Parasol Leaf Continent.

When Zheng Dafeng set foot on the ground of this world, he quietly broke into the Golden Body Realm. But there was no bestowal of martial fortune. The reason was simple: among the martial artists of this world, there was a Sixth Realm genius with an excellent physique who had come here precisely because he couldn't get any martial fortune in the Righteous Qi World and wanted to take advantage here. Zheng Dafeng didn't even consider such scum as fellow travelers.

Zheng Dafeng didn't care about martial fortune at all. Whether he broke into the Seventh Realm as the strongest Sixth Realm, or even the Eighth or Ninth Realm, it didn't matter. He really wasn't in a hurry. If the old man were anxious about this, he would have sent him directly to Parasol Leaf Continent to wait, not here. In fact, the old man had warned him early on: don't treat martial fortune as something to be grasped; it's meaningless. The primary task was to break through realms quickly and reach the Tenth Realm as soon as possible.

At the latest, within a hundred years; at the very least, break through the Mountain Summit Realm bottleneck. Otherwise, he could just loaf around in this world for the rest of his life.

Zheng Dafeng planned to go to the center of this world. He had heard that the city left behind from the Sword Qi Great Wall through "ascension" during the great war had fallen there.

Around the same time that Zheng Dafeng entered the new world, Huang Ting, the female Daoist from Taiping Mountain on Parasol Leaf Continent, who was at the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul sword cultivator realm, also crossed another gate into this realm. She traveled alone with a sword on her back, flying extremely fast, dusty and travel-worn. She didn't stop until a month later. She casually chose a mountain that looked decent to her, intending to nurture her sword intent there. Unexpectedly, she attracted the attention of some strange being. Good things came in pairs: she broke through to the Jade Purity Realm and also found a suitable cave heaven for cultivation, rich in spiritual energy and heavenly treasures beyond imagination.

When it came to luck and fortune, Huang Ting had always been quite fortunate. Otherwise, He Xiaoliang of Bottle Gourd Continent wouldn't have been hailed as the second Huang Ting.

After breaking through to the Jade Purity Realm, Huang Ting erected a stone tablet on the mountaintop, inscribed with the three characters "Taiping Mountain" in sword script, then went down the mountain to wander around, retracing her steps to see if she could meet any familiar faces.

She had always liked the grudges and rivalries of the martial world.

While flying south on her sword, Huang Ting met a young black-clad scholar who seemed deeply reserved. They only exchanged a glance.

Earlier, the black-clad scholar seemed to recognize her and took the initiative to close his folding fan, stop, and nod to her.

Huang Ting ignored him.

Later, as she met more and more northern traveling cultivators, Huang Ting learned that after the "mountain-moving" of the Parasol Leaf Continent's divine immortal masters, besides the increasingly heavy atmosphere of the old mountain culture, there were also some new changes. For instance, among the various schools of qi refiners, those who could calculate positions and choose suitable places for travel—the Yin-Yang practitioners; those who could accurately examine Feng Shui treasures—the geomancers; as well as the Agricultural school, the Medicine school, and the Merchant school, which specialized in making money grow—all became hot commodities that everyone competed for. In short, any qi refiner who could help build a mountain peak would see their value multiply.

As for the four great nuisances of the mountains of yesteryear—sword cultivators, military strategists, legalists, and the female Daoists of the Master's Knife Hall—as the Inverted Hanging Mountain had become a thing of the past and the world situation had changed drastically, they too had changed. In the current world, aside from the center, in all four directions, sword cultivators were far too few. Military strategist cultivators were mostly forcibly conscripted to fight in their hometowns; legalists were no exception. As for the female Daoists of the Master's Knife Hall, there were probably few left even in the Righteous Qi World.

A new world, in the fifth year of Jiachun, was already becoming increasingly mixed.

Yang Ningzhen, who was both a Golden Body Realm bottleneck martial artist and a cultivator, took the alias Yang Hengxing. Together with her brother Yang Ningxing, who had long since refined the Three-Mountain Nine-Marquis Mirror of the Treasure Mirror Mountain, they entered the Fifth Seat of Power one after another. The brothers didn't even greet each other, nor did they think of meeting.

As a minor heavenly lord of the Cloud Palace of the Chongxuan Bureau, Yang Ningxing had already assembled the five-element Destiny Objects. He came only to break through to the Jade Purity Realm, and then to the Immortal Realm.

There was an unknown qi refiner named Shu Zhongxia, whose origin continent was unclear. He occupied a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, built a transcendent platform, set up mountain and river restrictions, and forbade any Earth Immortal cultivators from entering within three hundred li, on pain of death. He was accompanied by several maidservants named Xiao Ping, Jiang Se, Cai Yi, Da Xian, and Hua Ying, all of whom were Mid Five Realm sword cultivators.

The head of the Planchette Sect, Ji Hai, specialized in writing green words and vermillion memorials to invite divine beings and could also summon ghost immortals.

Ji Hai invited down a divine general named "Zhuo Liu" and a ghost immortal named "Hua Ya," both at the Nascent Soul realm. Together, they escorted the next head of the Planchette Sect into the new world.

A white-robed, ribbon-wearing wild cultivator with a youthful face entered this realm from Parasol Leaf Continent. He wasn't in a hurry to travel but instead started wandering around, specifically seeking out qi refiners of the poetry, lyric, song, and rhapsody schools. These beings, after rushing into the new world, would loudly recite their own poems and songs—heroic lyrics, frontier poems, graceful lyrics, roving immortal poems, even boudoir lament styles—all to seek resonance with this new heaven and earth, to merge slightly with the great Dao through poetry.

After the youth lost all interest, he finally began to travel alone. Ultimately, by a riverside where the waters and clouds shone together, he sat on the ground, took out brush and ink, closed his eyes, and from memory painted a long scroll of a myriad-mile river and mountain, which he named "Jiezi" (Mustard Seed). On the scroll, there was only a single ink dot, yet he named the painting "Mountains and Rivers."

The youth took out two seals. On the "Mustard Seed" scroll, he stamped "Harmonizing with the moon at fine places of white clouds and gray stones." On the "Mountains and Rivers" scroll, he stamped "Once drunk for ten years on plum blossoms, and mistaken half a lifetime for cassia wine."

The youth leaned back, pillowed his head on his hands, and murmured with a smile, "What moves my heart: the bright moon, beautiful women, falling snow, and sword light."

The city from the Sword Qi Great Wall was just named Ascension City.

Lu Chen returned to the Azure Underworld. Daoist Sun had preceded him back to the Mystic Observatory.

Lu Chen arrived at the Jade Capital. He saw his tall senior brother. Lazily, he approached and leaned on the railing at the highest point of the highest of the five cities, saying with a smile, "No need to be angry. From Daoist Sun down to the smallest little Daoist boy, they all have feelings about you, big brother."

Lu Chen watched the clouds rise and fall, like the tides at sea, and said softly, "Allowing your own people to have feelings is also a kind of truth."

For the Third Teaching Master of the Jade Capital, the entire Azure Underworld, whether cultivators or not, was all under one roof.

Many feelings were not reasonable, but Lu Chen said this was the truth.

The tall Daoist remained silent.

Lu Chen turned around, leaned his back against the railing, and stretched. "Which junior brother would help outsiders instead of his senior brother? Five hundred Spiritual Officials won't be a problem."

Daoist Number Two said, "That fellow, still being crushed under the Tuoyue Mountain?"

Lu Chen laughed. "He can't blame anyone else. Who told him that when he was a guest, he would always write on the soles of his shoes with nothing better to do? He wrote 'Daoist Number Two' on one and 'Lu Chen' on the other. Now he's suffering the consequences."

---

On Parasol Leaf Continent, the boundary between the mountains and the mundane world had always been clear. Firstly, the immortal forces on this continent were not as numerous as on other continents. Secondly, the cultivators of Parasol Leaf Continent had long been accustomed to tending to their own affairs, showing far less interest in the mortal markets than the other eight continents of the Righteous Qi World.

Moreover, the territory of Parasol Leaf Continent was vast, so many remote areas on the continent's map were unaware that the world was already unsettled.

In the capital of a remote vassal state, a wealthy family that was both an official family and a scholarly household. An old man in his seventies took out two objects for his grandson, who had just started learning to read: a porcelain bowl from the Retreat and Reflection Hall, an imperial gift, and an inkstick from the Advance and Reflection Hall, an imperial gift. He explained to his beloved grandson why the Retreat and Reflection Hall fired this bowl, why the Advance and Reflection Hall made this imperial ink, why one retreats to reflect, and why one advances to reflect.

In a small county town, beneath an opera stage, a little girl was imitating the female performer on stage, bending her waist and raising a lotus finger. The strong men and women mostly paid no attention, but when the elderly saw it, they would scold a few times.

A traveling scholar rested at a courier station, flipping through the notes of literati from previous dynasties. He read about the well water that could tell time and the "rule flowers" that grew in the palace, both of which he found very strange.

A debauched man with a mouthful of gold teeth led a group of loafers and hooligans, living a life of indulgence in his hometown every day. He had heard that there might really be immortals on the mountains, but he wasn't the least bit envious.

In a prefectural city, there was a profession that specialized in forging the signatures of famous painters and calligraphers, producing imitations good enough to fool the experts. They charged exorbitant fees by the character. One such forger was haggling with an old client.

Then, one day, everything was gone.

In a place covered with dark clouds, above a coastal immortal mountain on Parasol Leaf Continent, a hole suddenly tore open. Sunlight poured down. Weapons clattered to the ground, and a great demon crashed heavily onto the earth.

Another huge stone, as large as a mountain, crashed diagonally into the magnificent city of a dynasty's capital.

On top of the great stone, a slender girl dragged a blade as she walked. Behind her, a giant armored puppet followed, each step shaking the earth.

In the sixth year of Jiachun of the Fifth Seat of Power.

The entire vast Parasol Leaf Continent, except for three academies and a dozen or so immortal mountains, had completely fallen.

During this time, a former academy gentleman named Zhong Kui rose to prominence, turning the tide.

On Fuyang Continent, at the Mountain and Water Grotto, Cao Ci broke through to the Tenth Realm during an overseas battle, killing a great demon in turn.

On the Aiai Continent, on an icy plain that was frozen year-round, a group of northern traveling cultivators who had ventured to hunt demons encountered an incredibly powerful demon. Trapped in a desperate situation, they could only flee southward. Exhausted, they awaited death one by one. Then, from the north, in the vast white snow, a young woman slowly emerged, holding a walking staff and carrying a green bamboo box on her back.