Chapter 704: Concealing the Rosy Countenance

Chapter 704: Concealing the Rosy Countenance

(This chapter is a bit late...)

On the entire continent of Tongye, where immortal tombs piled high, the number of mountain sects that could still rely on their landscape formations to resist the demon race could be counted on one's fingers.

The Three Walls and Four Symbols Grand Formation, jointly forged by the Jade Gui Sect, Tongye Sect, Taiping Mountain, and the Fu Ji Sect, was growing dimmer and dimmer. If one looked down from the sky, the lights of human settlements seemed to extinguish one by one. Each time a light vanished, it marked the fall of another immortal mountain peak, a drain of Tongye Continent's fortune, which was then snatched into the pocket of the demon race. As this ebb and flow continued, courage on and off the mountains was utterly shattered. The overall situation was settled.

In the southern part of the continent was the Yuanju Sect, which had many female cultivators. Its ancestral mountain was Konghou Mountain, and its ancestral hall was called the Raolei Hall.

It was not a particularly large immortal mountain sect, but due to its extremely remote location—like a chicken's rib—it had temporarily avoided invasion by the demon army.

Currently, the Yuanju Sect had gathered more than a dozen wandering cultivators from various mountain sects. These originally exalted registered immortal masters had now become homeless dogs.

Among them was a green-robed swordsman from a small sect. Earlier, he had presented his sect's ancestral hall jade token and paid a sum of spirit coins to gain refuge in the Yuanju Sect.

Today, he came alone to a scenic spot on Konghou Mountain called Xizhu Ji's Water-Viewing Terrace. Beneath Xizhu Ji was an unfathomably deep pool. The green-robed swordsman climbed the terrace and, with the aid of a lamp made from a ten-thousand-year-old rhinoceros horn, peered down to observe the aquatic creatures. The dark and bright paths were separate, but with the blessing of immortal arts, ordinary people could see many strangely shaped water spirits, which had been tamed over millennia by the mountain immortals of the Yuanju Sect and now swam leisurely in the water.

The green-robed swordsman sat on the Water-Viewing Terrace, holding several military intelligence reports he had recently obtained. The thirty military tents, including the Jiashen Tent, had each occupied an immortal mountain ancestral hall or a secular dynasty's capital. They had completely encircled the three major academies, including the Great Fu Academy, and the four major sects, including the Jade Gui Sect. Every day, the desolate world was constantly encroaching, seizing, and transforming the mountain and water fortune of the continent. The Daoist suppression effect after the demon army landed was gradually diminishing.

If it weren't for that Zhong Kui, who was constantly tying down the throne-level ancient demon Bai Ying, preventing his bone armies from gaining momentum—they would scatter every time they encountered him—Zhong Kui, with his bizarre innate divine ability, could instantly make large numbers of ghosts from battlefield sites vanish, or even die a second time in death, causing immense trouble for the desolate world's battle line. Otherwise, the Great Fu Academy, the Fu Ji Sect, and several other sects would have certainly fallen already.

Following the proposal of Shou Chen and the Jiashen Tent's Mu Ji, the various military tents began actively recruiting Tongye Continent cultivators while simultaneously restraining the armies that had penetrated deep into the territory. They no longer indiscriminately massacred cities to build pyramids of skulls. They copied the strategies of the Great Li Iron Cavalry from Baoping Continent wholesale, making appropriate modifications, and used secular dynasties and vassal armies to attack mountain sects. In the green-robed swordsman's view, the only shortcoming was that the various military tents of the desolate world still couldn't match the civil and military officials of the Great Li Song clan; they couldn't achieve the same level of discipline and command.

Simply put, they were all good at killing, but when it came to conquering hearts, they were far too crude. However, this was within expectations. Not to mention the desolate world, even in the Righteous Qi World, many scholars, when asked about economic policy, would be utterly lost. There was no need to be too demanding. Once the Jade Gui Sect or Taiping Mountain fell, the last shred of popular morale in Tongye Continent would be shattered.

However, regarding the strategic choice between the Jade Gui Sect and Taiping Mountain, Fei Ran, Sword Immortal Shou Chen, and several military tents including the Jiashen Tent's Mu Ji all suggested attacking Taiping Mountain first. As for the Jade Gui Sect, located at the southernmost tip of Tongye Continent, what did it matter if it was left for a few more years? There was no need to get tangled up with it. They should quickly gather their forces, capture the Tongye Sect, which was holding the center, and then cross the continent and sea to crush Baoping Continent. They absolutely could not give the Great Li Iron Cavalry any more time to mobilize their troops.

But more military tents believed that taking the Jade Gui Sect and completely occupying the continent's fortune was the safest choice. Moreover, the desolate world had many sword cultivators. Back in the day, the exchange of sword challenges at the Sword Qi Great Wall had left them with a black eye. Now that they were on Tongye Continent, it was just right to use the Jade Gui Sect to test their swords. Challenging the Jade Gui Sect and smashing its ancestral hall would be the most fitting conclusion to this continent's war.

The green-robed swordsman who had taken refuge in the Yuanju Sect was none other than Fei Ran, who had landed on Tongye Continent relatively late. He was the junior disciple of the great demon Qie Yun.

So when Fei Ran saw the last intelligence report, he found it both amusing and exasperating. He had inexplicably been listed among the top ten young figures of several worlds, standing shoulder to shoulder with prodigies like Ning Yao, Cao Ci, and Shan Qing. This already made Fei Ran extremely uncomfortable. In particular, the comment "expert at pressuring borders" filled him with resentment. He wished that cultivators from other worlds would never know of his existence for a long, long time.

As expected, Shou Chen was already at Yu Zhi Gang, a tough nut to crack. It was a major sect on Tongye Continent, and its mountain protection formation was extremely resilient, holding firm. Shou Chen didn't want to stir up trouble. He deliberately diverted his main army to attack other sects while secretly driving tens of thousands of refugees toward Yu Zhi Gang in a flood. He only sent a few earth immortal cultivators under his command to cause trouble there. During the Yu Zhi Gang ancestral hall meeting, a female ancestral master, moved by compassion, acted with righteousness, overruled all objections, and chose to open the mountain's bans to allow the refugees to take shelter in Yu Zhi Gang.

Unlike Fei Ran's leisurely sightseeing, Shou Chen was heading straight for Yu Zhi Gang's ancestral hall.

Fei Ran looked up into the distance. In the direction of Yu Zhi Gang, sword light shot into the sky, along with a magical technique that Fei Ran knew intimately—it was his senior brother Qie Yun's masterstroke.

From this moment onward, Yu Zhi Gang became a thing of the past, a page in the books. In time, it would just be an old calendar entry.

A young boy came running toward the Water-Viewing Terrace at Xizhu Ji. He stopped beside Fei Ran, looking flustered. "Brother Chen, everyone says the Yuanju Sect can't hold out. What can we do? I made Brother Chen spend so much spirit money. If I die, how can I ever repay you?"

The boy squatted on the ground, dejected. "Where am I worth that much? Those were spirit coins."

Fei Ran, now using the alias "Chen Yin," smiled. "Those spirit coins are like the string of copper coins in your pocket to me, so you don't need to worry too much."

The boy still felt sorry for "Brother Chen" wasting his money. He muttered, "Even immortals shouldn't throw money around like that."

Fei Ran let it go with a laugh.

Fei Ran had not only changed his name but also altered his face to resemble that of the young Hidden Official. There was no particular reason—he was just bored.

As for this rustic boy from Tongye Continent, Fei Ran had met him while traveling. He was a young woodcutter with no family. He had once saved a mountain spirit on the verge of taking human form. In gratitude, the spirit often hunted prey and secretly dropped it at the boy's doorstep. Fei Ran happened to witness this scene and brought the boy along to the Yuanju Sect's Konghou Mountain, a thousand li away.

Fei Ran took the boy to watch the strange aquatic creatures.

As the sun set, several beams of rainbow light directly smashed through the Yuanju Sect's mountain bans. Spotting Fei Ran's figure on the Water-Viewing Terrace at Xizhu Ji, they changed course, bypassing the Raolei Hall at the peak of Konghou Mountain, and landed beside Fei Ran. They were his senior brother Qie Yun, with a sword-nurturing gourd hanging at his waist, and Yu Si, a sword immortal seed from the Jiashen Tent.

There was also a slender girl with a short saber, nicknamed Doukou. She had a naturally weak constitution—"the six spirits absent, the soul not at peace"—which made her a magnet for spirits and ghosts to take up residence. But the vagaries of the Dao paradoxically allowed her to cultivate a personal small world within her body, like a paradise cave. The girl's eyes were vacant and hollow, but she still nodded at Fei Ran.

Qie Yun pinched a strand of hair at his temple between two fingers and squinted, smiling. "Junior brother, this little guy doesn't even have the aptitude for cultivation. What's the point of keeping him around?"

Fei Ran replied, "I'm bored."

The girl turned her head to look at the Raolei Hall on the mountain peak. Qie Yun said, "Little ancestor, I beg you, don't go on a killing spree like you did at Yu Zhi Gang. There are plenty of pretty women here. Can you hold back?"

The girl spoke hoarsely, "I'll cut off their heads and leave them for Senior Qie Yun. Don't worry about the male cultivators."

Qie Yun pressed his palms together. "Fine, fine. Remember what you said—women should treat women with kindness."

The girl drew her short saber. With a flick of her wrist, the blade—upon leaving its sheath—suddenly transformed into a gleaming greatsword like a horse-chopping saber. She launched herself into the air and headed for the Yuanju Sect's ancestral hall.

Yu Si said to Fei Ran, "Senior Shou Chen is still cleaning up the mess at Yu Zhi Gang. The next target is the Chenjing City of the Daquan Dynasty."

Fei Ran nodded. "Whatever."

Qie Yun suddenly laughed. "Junior brother, I just got word that Mr. Zhou has arrived at the gates of Great Fu Academy. This is going to be a good show. After I freshen up my makeup, I'll go over to cheer him on. Junior brother, what do you say? Want to come with me?"

Fei Ran shook his head. "I'll pass."

The woodcutter boy wasn't stupid. Though he couldn't understand everything these people were saying, he had a rough idea of their identities. His mind went blank.

Fei Ran crouched down and said in the local dialect of a small kingdom, with a smile, "Sorry about this. I'm a demon. But don't be afraid. Just think of me as your Brother Chen. The sky could fall, and it wouldn't have anything to do with you."

Fei Ran liked to learn the official language and local dialects of each place he visited—again, just out of boredom.

The boy, sweating profusely, trembled as he asked, "Brother Chen, what's going on?"

Fei Ran thought for a moment and said, "Roughly speaking, a bunch of uninvited guests show up, break down the door, and won't leave even a bite of food for the owner."

The boy's eyes gradually became firm. "Brother Chen saved my life. No matter who you are, demon or not, you're my benefactor! I don't care what others think of Brother Chen. I don't care!"

Fei Ran smiled and said, "Mm." Then, with a single slap, he killed the boy, utterly extinguishing his soul.

Qie Yun was a bit surprised. He blinked. "Junior brother, you killed him too? He was such a sensible kid."

Fei Ran stood up in silence, offering no explanation.

If the boy had shown even a trace of hatred, no matter how well hidden, Fei Ran would have let him live, even allowed him to start cultivating on the mountain from then on.

Fei Ran looked into the distance and asked, "Senior brother, that female ancestral master at Yu Zhi Gang who insisted on opening the gates—what became of her?"

Qie Yun gently patted his cheek and smiled without answering. "During the ancestral hall meeting, she was the loudest. When the fighting started, she was the quietest."

Yu Si said, "Senior Shou Cen originally intended to spare her life. But in the ancestral hall, when he saw her kneeling and begging for mercy, he found it annoying and changed his mind."

Fei Ran nodded. "I hope the Old Dragon City of Baoping Continent will act the same way."

In the Daquan Dynasty's Chenjing City imperial palace, a young empress, exquisitely beautiful, sat with a worried brow. She looked melancholic, twirling a delicate little copper fire tong between her fingers, gently stirring the ashes in her hand warmer, trying to make the charcoal last a bit longer.

Sitting beside her was a woman of the same age, full of vigor. She was of the same family as Empress Yao Jinzhi.

Yao Lingzhi saw her sister with her head bowed, not knowing how to comfort her.

Their grandfather, the Minister of War Yao Zhen, had already donned his armor again and led all the young men of the Yao clan to the frontier.

Earlier, a commandery prince responsible for guarding the capital and temporarily acting as regent had come here. His intentions were not about wine. He claimed to be discussing military and state affairs, but in truth, his eyes never left her sister's face. If not for Yao Lingzhi protecting her sister, her hand resting on her saber hilt and even partially drawing the blade to warn him not to go too far, who knows what that lecher might have done. In the palace now, her sister had no one she could truly trust. Though she was the empress, she was still just a delicate woman.

The commandery prince took his leave. When he crossed the threshold and turned his head, that smile—even Yao Lingzhi, let alone her sister, who had been stared at by him—sent chills down her spine.

Yao Jinzhi looked up, forcing a bitter smile. "I'm fine."

Yao Lingzhi felt a surge of indignation. If this wasn't "fine," what was? Inside and outside the palace, from the court to the countryside, from the martial world to the battlefield—where wasn't it a mess?

That bastard who wore the dragon robe and sat on the dragon throne had actually abandoned her sister alone and fled in secret. Worse, he had taken along a large group of golden core immortal masters to take refuge on the fifth world.

The most heartbreaking thing for her sister was the absurd reason the emperor gave for not taking her along: the Imperial Observatory had declared her a "red-faced temptress" who would only bring disaster if kept by his side.

The young empress of the Daquan Dynasty held her hand warmer, her hands warm but her heart cold.

She remembered when she was traveling to Chenjing City back then, she had surreptitiously cast a divination for herself.

It was great for her, but for the Daquan Dynasty, it was not a good omen. At the time, she was puzzled.

Looking back now, she realized she had been both right and wrong. The correct part was about the fate of the Daquan Dynasty—it was indeed precarious. The wrong part was about her own destiny—she was destined to suffer alongside it.

If not for her grandfather still fighting on the frontier and her sister Yao Lingzhi entering the palace to be her personal guard, she truly didn't know how she would cope. She dared not die. When she saw the beams, she dared not think of the white silk. Once, she had mustered the courage to glance from afar at the palace well, and that only made her more afraid of death. After Yao Lingzhi entered the palace, one time after a council meeting, she stumbled and fell in the corridor. Then she prostrated herself and wept. When she looked up, her face was streaked with tears. She sobbed and asked her sister, "Is there a way to die that doesn't hurt?"

At the time, Yao Lingzhi had crouched down and held her sister, not daring to tell her that falling into the hands of those demon beasts would be a fate worse than death.

Now, Yao Jinzhi suddenly spoke. "Stay by my side these days, never leave, or I won't be able to hold on. But when the demons attack Chenjing City and it's about to fall, you must kill me. Just remember, when you swing the saber, make it quick."

Yao Lingzhi's face instantly turned deathly pale. She nodded lightly.

The young empress suddenly smiled and looked toward the heavy snow outside the door. For no reason, she thought of someone.

If only he were here. No matter the final outcome, at least she wouldn't be so afraid.

Over the years, she had only occasionally thought of that man, whom she didn't particularly like.

In a remote small kingdom in the Ai'ai Continent, at a place called Mahu Prefecture, also known as Huanglang Haizi, there was a modest Thunder God Temple. The temple keeper was a young man named Pei Axiang.

Today, after lighting three sticks of incense in the burner, the handsome young noble walked out of the Thunder God Temple to greet his guests.

Those who knew his identity generally didn't dare to disturb him. Those who did dare to come were usually the ones Pei Axiang was willing to entertain.

He wore a white robe and a jade belt. At his waist was a green bamboo flute, with a tassel hanging a yellowed bead.

The bamboo flute was made from an extraordinary green bamboo, sourced from the Green Spirit Mountain in the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven. The bead was an ordinary item from the marketplace, something even a common wealthy household would look down on.

Three guests: Liu Youzhou, the legitimate son of the Liu family's god of wealth; the family's enshrined elder, Aunt Liu; and Aunt Liu's daughter, Liu Suiyu, who was one of Pei Axiang's three direct disciples.

Liu Suiyu wore a short saber with a black scabbard and a white fox fur coat. In recent years, she had entered the Ninth Martial Realm as the strongest Far Travel realm, and she was a frequent visitor to the Northern Icefield.

Liu Youzhou shouted from a distance, "Axiang! Axiang!"

Pei Axiang smiled slightly. Considering the brat had too much money, he let it slide.

Aunt Liu had to remind him quietly, "Young master, didn't we agree earlier that when you see Senior Pei, you wouldn't call him 'Axiang'?"

Liu Youzhou laughed heartily. "Couldn't help it. Couldn't help it."

Pei Axiang was the only Tenth Realm martial artist on Ai'ai Continent. He was the third enshrined member of the Liu family.

Pei Axiang sat on the steps at the entrance.

Liu Youzhou plopped down beside him.

Liu Suiyu, seeing her master, said with a smile, "Master, you seem in good spirits today."

Pei Axiang teased, "Seeing the God of Wealth's little boy knocking on my door, it's hard not to be in a good mood."

Aunt Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Grandmaster Pei was relatively easygoing with the young master.

Liu Youzhou took an incense burner out of his dimensional storage tool. Pei Axiang glanced at it, waved his hand, and sent the incense burner inside the Thunder God Temple.

Liu Youzhou had just returned home from the Landscape Cave on Fuyao Continent, taking the route through Gold Armor Continent, Liuxia Continent, and Ai'ai Continent.

At the Landscape Cave on Fuyao, Liu Youzhou had given away over a dozen magic treasures to people he had just met. They were considered loans.

Liu Youzhou did hope they would repay him.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to part with the treasures, but he didn't want those faces he had just memorized to become, by some accident, friends turned into departed souls.

Pei Axiang asked, "Where is that Cao Ci now in the Tenth Realm martial artist level?"

Liu Youzhou shook his head. "Didn't ask."

Pei Axiang felt a bit helpless.

Liu Suiyu sat beside them, patting her knees lightly. "Among the top ten young figures, there's also a Mountain Summit realm called the Hidden Official. He's a sword cultivator too. Plus, with all that martial fortune flowing to the Sword Qi Great Wall before, it's probably that young man Liu Youzhou knows."

Pei Axiang looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

He had never heard of this.

Liu Youzhou was pretending to adjust his collar.

Liu Suiyu immediately kicked him.

At the Liu family estate in Ai'ai Continent, in Liu Youzhou's study, there hung a painting by Liu Youzhou himself. It was so crude it looked like a child's scribbles—a small boat crossing the sea, with a young man carrying a sword standing at the bow.

The so-called "young man" was just a circle with a few sticks. Only a ghost could tell it was a person.

When Liu Suiyu first saw this "masterpiece that shocks heaven and earth," she asked about it. Liu Youzhou showed off, claiming his water pattern painting had captured seven or eight parts of the subtle essence of Ma Yuan's "Water Scroll." Back when he was still a boy, worried that Aunt Liu wouldn't believe him, he rummaged through a forest of brushes on his desk, finally pulled out a genuine "Water Scroll," and wanted Aunt Liu to appraise it. As a female martial grandmaster, Liu Suiyu was naturally not interested in the priceless "Water Scroll." She only asked who the young man was.

So Liu Youzhou recounted the incident on the ferry at Guihua Island when they passed through Jiaolong Trench.

Liu Suiyu then remembered that strange young man who later boarded Daoxuan Mountain but never came to visit Yuanrou Mansion.

Now, after taking the "beating is affection, scolding is love" kick from Aunt Liu, Liu Youzhou chuckled. "His surname is Chen, from Baoping Continent. A very generous guy."

Pei Axiang laughed. "If you say someone is generous, how generous must they be?"

Liu Youzhou said, "If I casually give away a Guyu coin, and an ordinary person gives away a Guyu coin, then I'm the stingy one and the other guy is generous. That's how you have to calculate it."

Pei Axiang chuckled. "The entire Yuanrou Mansion got dismantled and sold for money. Didn't your father feel heartbroken?"

Liu Youzhou shook his head. "My father only regrets that Daoxuan Mountain only had one Yuanrou Mansion."

Pei Axiang sighed. "Sometimes I have to admit, you rich people deserve to be rich."

The old woman said softly, "The young master foresaw what would happen to Yuanrou Mansion early on. His father was very pleased and said that just for that insight, it was worth a Yuanrou Mansion."

Liu Youzhou said, somewhat helpless, "I don't think it's such a good thing. Aunt Liu, why bring it up?"

Pei Axiang turned to ask, "Suiyu, you're at the Mountain Summit realm. That Hidden Official is too. You're both trying to become the strongest. Any chance?"

Liu Suiyu said, "Let's find out."

Whoever broke through first and obtained the martial fortune would essentially decide the victor.

Neither side needed to actually exchange punches.

Pei Axiang looked into the distance. "They all came at the same time? Did you guys plan this?"

Liu Suiyu followed her master's gaze. "Looks like Sword Immortal Xie Songhua. Besides her two newly accepted direct disciples, there's a young woman with her..."

Pei Axiang nodded. "A pure martial artist. Much younger than you. At least she's not as good-looking as you, otherwise it would be really worrisome."

Pei Axiang frowned and stood up, muttering to himself, "Is she a Far Travel realm? How is that possible?!"

Liu Suiyu's eyesight was a bit weaker, so she spotted the clues later than Pei Axiang.

Xie Songhua was traveling on her sword, only looking after her two disciples, but that young female martial artist didn't need Xie Songhua's help to ride the wind.

The group landed on the quiet square outside the Thunder God Temple.

The female sword immortal got straight to the point. "Xie Songhua."

Pei Axiang ignored her. If she reached the immortal realm, she could scare people with just her name.

Liu Suiyu abruptly stood up, full of energy. She was a martial arts fanatic. Being able to exchange punches and swords with a sword immortal would be immensely satisfying.

Xie Songhua glanced at Liu Suiyu, who was famous all over Ai'ai Continent, and smiled. "Before we get to business, you guys chat first."

Pei Qian cupped her fists. "Junior Pei Qian wishes to ask Senior Pei for guidance on fist techniques."

Pei Axiang was amused. He waved his hand. "No time."

Pei Qian scratched her head, then put down her hand and cupped her fists again in salute. "Alright."

Since Senior Pei Axiang was unwilling to guide her, as a junior on the martial path, she had to let it go.

A martial artist asking for a duel of fists was not the same as seeking death.

The old woman couldn't help but smile. This girl was quite interesting.

She glanced at her young master.

Ju Xing and Zhao Mu, the two sword immortal seeds, looked at each other. They had already prepared themselves—one to carry Pei sister's book chest, the other to hold her walking staff.

Pei Axiang finally showed some interest. "Little girl, how many times did you break through to the strongest realm before entering the Far Travel realm?"

Pei Qian hesitated. "Only five times."

Liu Youzhou's jaw dropped.

Don't say "only" when it's five times!

How could there be such a girl in the world? What was her name? Liu Youzhou wanted to make friends with such a martial brother! It's better to have too many friends than too much money.

Liu Suiyu rubbed her forehead.

Pei Axiang's expression grew serious.

Liu Suiyu asked curiously, "Which two realms did you have trouble with?"

Pei Qian shook her head and kept silent.

Liu Suiyu smiled. "If you tell me, I'll lower my realm to Far Travel and agree to spar with you."

Pei Qian thought for a moment. "Can Senior not lower her realm?"

I'm asking you to duel fists, not to teach me. Why lower your realm?

Liu Suiyu stepped down from the terrace. "Fine, I won't lower it."

Pei Qian nodded. She handed her walking staff to Zhao Mu and took off her book chest, which Ju Xing immediately took with both hands.

Zhao Mu clenched her fist and waved it lightly, lowering her voice. "Sister Pei, be careful."

Pei Qian rubbed the little girl's head and smiled. "Stay far away from me in a little while."

Xie Songhua rose into the air with her two disciples using wind control.

Liu Youzhou squatted on the steps behind Pei Axiang, tilting his head to look at the girl. He asked softly, "Axiang, Axiang, an Eighth Realm hitting a Ninth Realm, and Aunt Liu's Ninth Realm at that—how is she going to fight?"

Pei Axiang said, "Go ask the girl."

Liu Youzhou rolled his eyes. "I'm always too scared to talk to pretty girls."

The old woman laughed heartily.

That girl really wasn't pretty.

Liu Suiyu took off her fox fur coat and casually threw it on the steps behind her.

With one hand behind her back, she extended the other with an open palm and smiled. "The Thunder God Temple lineage of Mahu Prefecture, martial artist Liu Suiyu."

Pei Qian took a step forward, her body lowering slightly, her fists clenched in an ancient stance. She said in a low voice, "The Luopo Mountain lineage, founding disciple Pei Qian. I ask Senior Liu for guidance in fist techniques!"

At the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall.

Except for two old ancestral masters who had gone to Old Dragon City, the remaining old sword immortals, including the Tao family elder, were all gathered today for a joint decision on many matters.

In Northern Julu Continent, where sword cultivators were as numerous as clouds, even a Nascent Soul sword cultivator might feel uncomfortable being respectfully called a "sword immortal." But on Baoping Continent, there was no such custom.

Every Golden Core sword cultivator was rightly considered a mountain sword immortal.

A woman of ordinary appearance sat in a back seat. A red string was tied around her wrist. She sat upright, seeming a bit restrained.

She was in charge of Zhengyang Mountain's landscape gazettes and Mirror Flowers, Water Moon. On Zhengyang Mountain, she had always been a runner. She had senority but wasn't a sword cultivator, and she often traveled outside, so she was far less revered than those sword immortal elders.

Especially in the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall, in the eyes of those sword immortal elders, she was a shrewd but not smart woman. In short, a woman of narrow vision.

Su Jia had originally been a disciple she brought up the mountain, but was later transferred to another peak in exchange for a magic treasure. Su Jia was later accepted as a direct disciple of the ancestral hall. As it turned out, she had been at a loss.

Down the mountain, it's "mother exalted by child." Similarly, on the mountain, many old cultivators could "be exalted by their disciples."

Of course, Su Jia's eventual fate was not good.

At the Divine Wind Temple's Immortal Platform, she lost to the current Wind and Thunder Garden master, Yellow River. Her sword heart shattered, and she couldn't even keep her identity as a sword cultivator.

However, the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall only took back her purple-gold sword-nurturing gourd. They didn't remove her name from the ancestral hall registry; they just revoked her direct disciple status.

The first matter was to discuss the selection of several candidates for direct disciples and choose an auspicious day to officially inscribe their names in the ancestral hall registry.

Since Zhengyang Mountain was designated by Great Li as a candidate for "sect" status, they had already begun preparing to choose a location for a subordinate sect, which would surely be within the old Zhu Ying dynasty's territory.

Over the years, Zhengyang Mountain had absorbed a considerable number of young sword cultivators from the old Zhu Ying dynasty. Besides that, there was an extremely promising sword immortal seed. The Dragon Spring Sword Sect, blinkered as they were, had failed to cultivate him properly. He had trained on Divine Show Mountain for years, and Ruan Qiong was unwilling to accept him as a direct disciple. After arriving at Zhengyang Mountain, this youth broke through realms extremely quickly. He now had hopes of becoming a Dao partner with the Cold Dew Peak fairy Tong Zhen.

This first matter was actually trivial—no arguments.

The second matter was to discuss the second batch of Zhengyang Mountain disciples going down the mountain. A previous group, led by two old ancestral masters, had already set out for Old Dragon City.

Zhengyang Mountain had always had a good relationship with the commandery prince Song Mu, thanks to Tao Zi's travels to Lizhu Cave Heaven back in the day, where she formed a great bond of fate with the boy then known as Song Jixin.

But for this second group, who would be in charge of protection, which disciples to send—all of these had great implications. If the weight was insufficient, it would anger the Great Li Song clan. If it was too heavy, Zhengyang Mountain could easily suffer a loss of vitality.

So they needed to find the right balance.

The Tao family elder clearly had a plan already. He presented a set of procedures, and there were no major objections.

Next was the discussion about attending the Night Tour Banquet of the Central Mountain Lord Jin Qing. Another small matter. The only thing to be mindful of was to probe Lord Jin's stance to avoid unnecessary friction later regarding the selection of the subordinate sect's location. After all, Jin Qing's affection for the old Zhu Ying dynasty was known across the continent.

The fourth matter was a good thing—adding flowers to brocade.

They discussed a marriage alliance with the Xu family of Qingfeng City.

On Zhengyang Mountain's side, there was the cultivation genius Tao Zi, whom the Tao family elder doted on. On the Qingfeng City Xu family side, there was the city lord's legitimate son. The two had traveled together in Lizhu Cave Heaven and had maintained a good relationship over the years. The elders on both sides considered it a perfect match.

The Qingfeng City Xu family, which had made many misguided moves early on, later married into the Shangzhuguo Yuan family, sacrificing their legitimate daughter to a concubine-born son to mend the rift with the Great Li dynasty.

The woman with the red string on her wrist asked softly, "Does young Tao Zi herself agree?"

A shadow of gloom flickered across the Tao family elder's brow, but some things were hard to say.

Tao Zi indeed wasn't willing, and the Tao family elder himself secretly hoped for some hint from the Old Dragon City commandery prince's residence.

But that young commandery prince either feigned ignorance or truly regarded Tao Zi as a sister.

The Tao family elder gave the woman a look. She understood and said, "Anyway, there's no rush. Why not let Tao Zi go to Old Dragon City to visit her fellow disciples?"

The Zhengyang Mountain lord just stroked his beard in silence. After a moment, as if hearing a voice in his heart, he nodded. "Agreed."

After making this decision, the mountain lord's expression became solemn. He emphasized, "Regarding the challenge to the Wind and Thunder Garden, we must give a clear answer today!"

On the surface, Zhengyang Mountain had only two Nascent Soul sword cultivators: the mountain lord and the Tao family elder.

There was also one more elder of the highest generation who had been in secluded meditation for many years and was about to emerge.

Additionally, there were three Golden Core sword immortal elders.

Zhengyang Mountain had always lacked only an upper fifth realm sword immortal.

That's why Li Tuanjing alone from the Wind and Thunder Garden had suppressed them for centuries.

Now that Li Tuanjing was dead, the challenge to the new garden master, Yellow River, was an urgent matter. Yellow River's talent was too great. Zhengyang Mountain absolutely could not take it lightly—they couldn't raise a tiger to bring disaster.

This Yellow River was too sharp. He was already a Nascent Soul sword cultivator and could very well become a second Li Tuanjing. This matter could not be delayed any longer.

Now Zhengyang Mountain had to find a suitable candidate to issue a sword challenge to the Wind and Thunder Garden.

But whether it was the mountain lord, who was at the same realm as Yellow River, challenging the Wind and Thunder Garden, or the soon-to-emerge old ancestral master, who would be at the Jade Pupil realm, challenging from a higher realm—neither was appropriate. Both had issues of seniority, and the latter even had a realm difference.

The problem was that among Zhengyang Mountain's direct disciples, there really wasn't anyone who could challenge Yellow River. Even Liu Baqiao alone might give Zhengyang Mountain's sword cultivators a hard time.

Among the enshrined cultivators and guest elders, there was a suitable candidate: a genius sword cultivator from the old Zhu Ying dynasty, once hailed as one of the "two jades," who had absorbed a great deal of sword Dao fortune from the Zhu Ying dynasty. But even he challenging Yellow River seemed improper.

Unless that person was willing to become a direct disciple of the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall.

Even if he were crazy enough to agree, such a move by Zhengyang Mountain could provoke resentment from the Northern Mountain Lord Jin Qing.

So choosing who to send for the challenge had become a shared headache for all of Zhengyang Mountain's sword immortal elders.

Today, they still couldn't come up with a foolproof plan.

The Tao family elder said in frustration, "If worse comes to worst, I'll throw away my face and challenge a junior!"

The mountain lord shook his head. "That won't do. We'd better win convincingly."

This Tao family elder had a better chance than him of reaching the upper fifth realm. If he challenged the Wind and Thunder Garden and won, fine. If he lost, or worse, died under Yellow River's sword, then his position as mountain lord would be over.

Of course, the mountain lord knew in his heart that the Tao family elder was just putting on a show. The elder knew full well the mountain lord's predicament.

Besides, the elder's words were strategic: if he, as the Tao family elder, challenged a junior, it was a loss of face, an act of bullying the younger. Then the mountain lord's own challenge would be equally inappropriate.

The woman saw the atmosphere in the hall was oppressive and said, "Perhaps there's a way to make that guest elder a direct disciple of the ancestral hall."

An old elder sitting opposite her leaned forward slightly with interest. "How so? If he becomes our direct disciple, is it certain he can defeat Yellow River in a challenge?"

The woman shook her head. "Very difficult. Yuan Bai is also a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, but he's still inferior to Yellow River. Yuan Bai's only reliance is his flying sword's innate ability to trade wounds for wounds."

The old elder smirked. Was this woman deliberately looking for a scolding?

The woman quickly added in a low voice, "But there's an opportunity to cement Yellow River's position as the second Li Tuanjing—in terms of identity, and also... realm! However, if we do that, Zhengyang Mountain might lose this high-profile challenge."

At these words, half of the sword immortal elders in the ancestral hall remained indifferent. This group of elders had always disliked meddling in these affairs, only focusing on their sword practice.

But the other half, who often held important positions, quickly communicated with their hearts.

The old elder opposite her sneered, "Yuan Bai is not stupid. Today he becomes our direct disciple, and tomorrow he has to fight for his life with Yellow River, maybe not even seeing the day after. Who would agree to that?"

The woman seemed about to speak but stopped.

The mountain lord frowned. "Speak your mind."

The woman said cautiously, "Yuan Bai agreed to become our guest elder because he hoped to protect those sword cultivation seeds from the old Zhu Ying dynasty. If we, Zhengyang Mountain, promise him one direct disciple slot for every sixty-year cycle reserved for someone from old Zhu Ying, and guarantee that direct disciple will eventually reach the upper fifth realm, with a five-hundred-year limit, after which the contract is void—then Yuan Bai would find it hard to refuse. He might even be grateful to us."

The old elder opposite her nodded with a smile. "That way, he can openly challenge the Wind and Thunder Garden while protecting his younger compatriots. Yuan Bai should indeed thank us for giving him a chance to die with a clear conscience and a glorious end."

An old sword cultivator suddenly stood up and silently left the ancestral hall.

Then several more old men took their leave.

The Zhengyang Mountain lord was used to this; the Tao family elder didn't even bother to glance at them. A bunch of die-hard fossils. Don't they like practicing swords? Disdain underhanded tricks? Fine, then let them practice all the way to the Jade Pupil realm! Too bad they're all useless, not even reaching Nascent Soul. Does Zhengyang Mountain depend on you to become a "sect" candidate, to get a subordinate sect, to suppress the Dragon Spring Sword Sect? Rely on you old good-for-nothings who have practiced swords for centuries without ever drawing their swords to make Zhengyang Mountain the leader of Baoping Continent's mountain realm?!

The woman grew uneasy.

She was probably regretting having spoken too much.

The mountain lord looked at her and, rare for him, smiled. "Let's settle this matter. You go convince Yuan Bai to become a direct disciple of the ancestral hall. Once done, we'll immediately spread the word that Yuan Bai will challenge the Wind and Thunder Garden's Yellow River."

The woman nodded lightly.

The mountain lord was in a good mood and found this woman somewhat agreeable.

Only he knew an inside story on the entire Zhengyang Mountain: the purple-gold sword-nurturing gourd that Su Jia had been granted by the ancestral hall was originally something this woman had found. She had been very tactful, which earned her a seat in the ancestral hall. This was something his master had revealed to him in the old days, telling him to keep it to himself and not spread it. After his master's dissolution, only he, the mountain lord, knew this not-too-big, not-too-small secret.

The mountain lord said, "Last matter: talk about Liu Xianyang."

At this, the mountain lord glanced at the Tao family elder with some resentment. In the early years, when young Tao Zi and the mountain guardian enshrined cultivator traveled to Lizhu Cave Heaven, they had failed both to retrieve that sword scripture and to eradicate the root of trouble—they didn't even eliminate a young kiln worker from the countryside—leaving behind this huge hidden danger. Though at the time, Li Tuanjing was still alive, and Liu Xianyang's destined porcelain had reportedly ended up in the Wind and Thunder Garden's hands, making the Moving Mountain Ape cautious and considerate of Zhengyang Mountain's interests, not wanting a complete rupture with the Wind and Thunder Garden.

Yet now, thinking back, the mountain lord found it extremely vexing. Nothing hated more than "if only I had known!"

The Tao family elder turned his head, chin slightly raised, pointing at the woman. Then he said to the mountain lord, "According to her intelligence, Liu Xianyang is now a direct disciple of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect's ancestral hall. Because his ancestors were tomb keepers for the Chen family of Chunru in Nanposha Continent, he studied for ten years at the Chen family of Chunru there. What realm is Liu Xianyang now? Has he had any private contact with the Wind and Thunder Garden?"

The woman rose and took a sheet of paper from her sleeve. The Tao family elder reached out, grabbed it, and started reading first.

The mountain lord remained calm, unconcerned.

The Tao family elder frowned. "All trivial nonsense! Since he's Ruan Qiong's disciple, what realm is he? Is he a sword cultivator? What is his flying sword's innate ability? Did he build any connections during his studies at the Chen family of Chunru on Nanposha Continent? You don't know?!"

The Tao family elder pushed the paper to the mountain lord. After reading it, the mountain lord said, "According to the intelligence, this Liu Xianyang, as a youth, couldn't keep his mouth shut and liked to show off. Returning home, didn't he talk about his studies?"

The woman shook her head. "His temperament has changed greatly. Although he likes to stroll around every day, when he talks to his neighbors, he only chats about old tales and hometown people. He never mentions the Chen family of Chunru. In fact, the whole Huaihuang County, except for Superintendent Cao and a few others, hardly anyone knows he's become a Dragon Spring Sword Sect disciple. And on Divine Show Mountain, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect has too few people; Ruan Qiong's direct disciples are even rarer. It's not suitable to probe for information, lest we sour our relationship with Ruan Qiong. Ruan Qiong, with that temperament, is the Great Li's chief enshrined cultivator, has the Divine Wind Temple as his backing, and is said to be on good terms with Sword Immortal Wei. He's also the sword sect we're in Daoist competition with. It seems unwise to provoke him prematurely."

The Tao family elder laughed out loud. "Finally, some sensible words."

The mountain lord said with sudden emotion, "If we had a Wei Jin, why would Zhengyang Mountain worry about the future? I would even be willing to give up the mountain lord's seat to him."

Wei Jin had twice challenged the Northern Julu Continent's heavenly lord Xie Shi.

He was undisputedly the number one sword immortal of Baoping Continent.

The woman pretended not to hear.

The mountain lord asked, "Is it certain that Liu Xianyang's destined porcelain is in the Wind and Thunder Garden's hands?"

The woman nodded. "Should be correct."

The mountain lord rubbed his temples with his fingers. "At this point, it's a mortal enmity. Especially these young people who can't tolerate any loss—they hold grudges the most. If he challenges us with his Dragon Spring Sword Sect direct disciple status, how will Zhengyang Mountain deal with him? Kill him or not? Either way, it's troublesome. And if he allies with the Wind and Thunder Garden, causing them to target us together, even if it's not a big problem, it's still ugly."

The woman tentatively said, "I have an idea. Could the mountain lord hear it?"

The mountain lord smiled approvingly. "Go ahead. If it can truly resolve this potential trouble, Zhengyang Mountain always rewards and punishes fairly."

The mountain lord glanced at an empty seat, slightly more forward than the woman's position.

The woman understood immediately and smiled, but then hesitated.

The mountain lord, good at reading people, said, "Today's discussion has no major matters left. Everyone may return to their cultivation and sword practice."

Several old sword cultivators rose and left, emptying half the hall.

Only then did the woman say, "One of our Qiongzhi Peak's female cultivators, while traveling in the fox kingdom earlier, fell in love with a Lu clan member from Qingfeng City who also came from Lizhu Cave Heaven. We might as well go with the flow, let them marry, and form a Dao couple on the mountain. Then negotiate with the Qingfeng City Xu family to have the man marry into Zhengyang Mountain. This man's ancestral home is Huaihuang County in Great Li, from the Fulu Street Lu clan. He and Liu Xianyang have a mortal enmity that goes back more than one incident. Earlier, this Lu clansman nearly beat Liu Xianyang to death in a back alley. Later, when young Tao Zi traveled to Lizhu Cave Heaven, this man was also chosen by the Qingfeng City Xu matron to guide the way. So Liu Xianyang must hold a considerable grudge against him."

The mountain lord nodded. The gist was clear. Another unexpected boon. Could it be that this woman, who had always followed the rules and not sought the spotlight, should be promoted?

The woman continued, "We'll make the wedding a lively affair. Then deliberately let news reach Huaihuang County. Liu Xianyang will certainly hear about it. It's better to resolve enmity than to keep it. Even if Liu Xianyang storms the wedding and kills that Lu clansman, it's better than him nursing the hatred inside. After he makes a scene, it will actually be good—he'll have no excuse to keep tangling with Zhengyang Mountain afterward."

The old elder sitting opposite her spoke up again, smiling. "Soft-hearted woman."

The woman didn't argue.

The old elder said, "As long as Liu Xianyang dares to make a move at the wedding, I can make sure that Lu clansman dies at just the right moment. Not only that, we'll have the Qiongzhi Peak female disciple, who just put on her wedding dress, die of a broken heart afterward. Whether she dies for real or just pretends doesn't matter—it'll be up to us. At worst, we let her learn from Su Jia and change her name. Zhengyang Mountain won't treat her badly. I don't believe that after all that, Ruan Qiong will still have the face to protect Liu Xianyang."

The woman said softly, "Senior Yan has foresight."

The old elder leaned back against his chair. "It's nothing."

The mountain lord said, "We still need to come up with a reason Liu Xianyang can't refuse."

The Tao family elder laughed. "Simple. Have the Qingfeng City Xu family head attend the wedding as well. He's still wearing the inherited centipede armor that belonged to Liu Xianyang's family. I'm sure Qingfeng City wants Liu Xianyang dead early more than we do."

The woman let out a soft breath, as if all this talking had tired her.

On a snowy peak of Zhengyang Mountain, a master and servant were enjoying the view in the corridor of a celestial mansion built on the cliffside.

The man was Yuan Bai, the sword cultivator from the old Zhu Ying dynasty. His maidservant was named Liucai. In front of others, she always had a blank face—lifeless, not good-looking, and extremely off-putting.

Yuan Bai seemed somewhat dejected. He hadn't expected that just one trip to Ai'ai Continent would result in the loss of his homeland.

The maidservant's homeland wasn't entirely part of the Righteous Qi World; it was the famous Tianjing Blessed Land in Ai'ai Continent.

The Tianjing Blessed Land was the private property of the Liu family of Ai'ai Continent. When first discovered, it was just a low-grade blessed land with thin spiritual energy. The Liu family had poured so many spirit coins into it that it became a high-grade blessed land.

Every year, there was a grand "celestial maidens scattering flowers" event. At the start of each spring, young women of the Liu clan, wearing colorful dharma robes, would scatter snow coins.

It wasn't that the Liu family lacked money; it was that the blessed land was limited by the invisible Dao suppression—it could at most become a high-grade blessed land.

Even the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land controlled by the Jade Gui Sect's Jiang clan couldn't compare to the Tianjing Blessed Land.

Unable to upgrade the blessed land's rank didn't stop the Ai'ai Continent Liu family's god of wealth. Rumor had it that when his legitimate son Liu Youzhou was a child, he'd made a joke: "If I smash out a small cave heaven, that will be my cultivation ground in the future."

So the god of wealth thought that was doable.

After that, the way the Liu family threw money at the project, you'd think they'd use snow coins to fill even a bottomless pit.

Thus, there was a humorous saying across the Righteous Qi World: whoever could marry Liu Youzhou of Ai'ai Continent would become the richest housekeeper in the world.

The man turned to the maidservant and said softly, "Rest assured, I'll help you find that former master of the blessed land."

The maidservant nodded.

A woman rode the wind from the ancestral hall and landed in the corridor.

Yuan Bai exchanged greetings with her.

With a troubled expression, the woman used heart-to-heart communication to tell Yuan Bai about the earlier proposal from the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall.

After listening, Yuan Bai said without hesitation, "I agree."

The woman let out a soft sigh.

Yuan Bai, who had never left his residence since arriving at Zhengyang Mountain, smiled. "Senior need not worry."

After the woman left, Yuan Bai said to the maidservant apologetically, "Liucai, I'll try to get you a direct disciple position at Zhengyang Mountain as a protective talisman for your future cultivation path. As for finding your master, I'm afraid I'll have to break my promise."

The maidservant nodded. "It's fine."

The woman slowly rode the wind back to her own peak. Zhengyang Mountain had strict rules. Every cultivator's flight path with their sword or wind had defined patterns—height and location all had regulations.

Arriving at her extremely simple cultivation dwelling, the woman laughed scornfully. She sat on a cushion and twisted the red string around her wrist.

Thinking about the grudge between Zhengyang Mountain and the Wind and Thunder Garden, it was like mud dolls fighting in water, or crabs flipping in a pot.

The only thing that interested her now was that her senior brother, who had not shown himself for a long time, had taken the unprecedented step of actively contacting her, asking her to take care of Liucai, who came from the Tianjing Blessed Land of Ai'ai Continent. She was not to do anything extra—just ensure she didn't die. Everything else was irrelevant.

But she absolutely dared not make any superfluous moves, let alone tamper with Liucai. Otherwise, given her usual style, she could have woven some romantic entanglements among Liucai, Yuan Bai, and Liu Xianyang.

Her senior brother's celestial calculations were nothing short of extraordinary. Otherwise, how could he have single-handedly surpassed the entire Zhongtu Divine Continent's Yin-Yang School Lu clan?

At most, she could manipulate and control the flow of sword Dao fortune on a continent, using the continent's grand momentum to hone her own path.

But her senior brother went far beyond that.

In her brother's eyes, it seemed he always saw all the worlds.

She murmured to herself, "Senior brother, what is 'use one to eliminate one'?"

At the blacksmith's shop by the Dragon Beard River, Liu Xianyang sat in a bamboo chair, dozing in the sun.

Earlier, he had received two landscape gazettes from Divine Show Mountain, which made him very happy.

The first gazette was the list of the top ten young figures across several worlds. The latest one gave the top ten alternates.

Liu Xianyang admired both the people behind the commentary and those who quickly provided more detailed inside information.

Did these mountain immortals have nothing better to do than wander around spying on others?

Liu Xianyang immediately snapped out of his drowsy state, looked up, and smiled. "Brother Yumi."

It was Sword Immortal Mi Yu, who had been thrown in front of him by Mountain Lord Wei.

Mi Yu grabbed a bamboo chair, sat down beside Liu Xianyang, and handed him a handful of melon seeds.

As they cracked the seeds, Mi Yu said, "I just heard from Piyun Mountain that the young man surnamed Lu from Fulu Street is going to become a Dao partner with a fairy from Zhengyang Mountain's Qiongzhi Peak."

Liu Xianyang chuckled. "Then the city lord of Qingfeng City, Xu, will definitely show up at the wedding too."

Mi Yu was taken aback. "You're not thinking of going to cause trouble? I've already made up my mind to go with you to Zhengyang Mountain."

Liu Xianyang spat out a shell and said, "Did little Ping'an tell you in advance to keep an eye on me, so I wouldn't act rashly?"

Mi Yu shook his head. "No, not at all."

Liu Xianyang burst out in anger. "That guy has no conscience! He didn't even ask Brother Yumi to protect me?! Damn it, forgetting your brothers once you get a wife—he probably forgot what it felt like when I stole his peaches."

Mi Yu found this a headache.

Liu Xianyang's way of thinking was quite unorthodox.

No wonder he was the Hidden Official's brother.

Liu Xianyang continued cracking seeds, leaning forward to look into the distance. "If those landscape gazettes hadn't come out, I really would have made a trip to Zhengyang Mountain. But since little Ping'an is still alive, that changes things. I'll wait for him. He's not loyal, but I am."

Mi Yu smiled. "Among the alternate ten, there's Ma Kuxuan from Zhenwu Mountain."

Liu Xianyang nodded. "Poor Brother Banchai, having to put up with that fool Ma every day. Must be nauseating."

Mi Yu was confused. "Brother Banchai? Who's that?"

Liu Xianyang explained, "That Song Jixin from Niping Lane, now the commandery prince Song Mu."

Mi Yu didn't ask further. He had little interest in these old stories related to the Hidden Official.

Liu Xianyang finished his melon seeds, clasped his hands behind his head, and said helplessly, "I'm not much good—didn't make either list. Even the earlier Baoping Continent top ten young figures chosen by Northern Julu didn't have me. Maybe it's because I haven't found a wife yet? Otherwise, there's no reason I should be worse than little Ping'an."

Mi Yu let it pass.

Otherwise, on their Luopo Mountain, or in this tiny Huaihuang County, outsiders would get dizzy trying to make sense of things.

Mi Yu was naturally interested in those two lists.

The freshly released alternate ten had no particular order.

Besides Ma Kuxuan of Zhenwu Mountain.

There was Zhu Qie, the first disciple of the throne-level demon Liu Cha from the desolate world.

A female Daoist from the Grand Xuan Du Temple's sword immortal lineage in the Azure Underworld.

A monk from Shouxin Temple.

A talisman-cultivation practitioner named Shu Zhongshu, who had traveled to the fifth world. He came from the Tianyu Cave Heaven on Liuxia Continent, the sole son of the cave heaven's master.

At his birth, auspicious signs appeared. It coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival: in Taiye Pool, several white lotuses bloomed, and a goddess, holding a white jade lingzhi in her arms, personally bestowed blessings on him, dotting his forehead.

Not only that, she gave him a "jieyu flower," which bloomed six petals, each with a character: "language," "like," "nature," "eternal," "ancient," and "eternity." The seventh petal was about to bloom, likely the character "new."

From the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, a young girl named Chunqing, the only disciple of the Green Spirit Mountain Mistress. She excelled in alchemy, talismans, swordsmanship, martial combat—everything.

She was the only one among the top ten and alternate ten with her exact birth date to the year, month, and day.

She was only fourteen.

From the Azure Underworld, a Daoist named Wang Yuanlu of the "Rice Thief" lineage, not recognized by the Jade Capital.

A young man named Xu Bai from Zhongtu Divine Continent.

He came from a small vassal state, where there was a Wishing Bridge in the marketplace. The bridge keeper was surnamed Xu. He had a son, a youth of extraordinary grace, like an exiled immortal, so his nickname was "Xu Xian."

It was said that when Xu Bai studied as a child, immortal spirits would light candles behind him.

Later, sleeping on the bridge one night, he dreamed an old Daoist with a withered mountain-wild appearance, seemingly imbued with Dao aura, came leaning on a staff. In his half-sleep, when a lamp suddenly lit, he felt like a person in the starry sea, a fish in the sky.

A young man from Liuxia Continent with deep fortune was given the quirky title of "Dream Wanderer."

From the Azure Underworld, a pure martial artist of the "Sword-Wielding Guest" lineage. Nearly fifty, at the bottleneck of the Mountain Summit realm.

Besides these, the alternate ten also included an eleventh man. Since the earlier Hidden Official had been labeled "the Eleventh," this man got the nickname "Twenty-Two."

This man's life, though not long, was the stuff of the most bizarre legends. Originally of average talent, he became an unregistered outer disciple of a sect. He suffered much hardship and a romantic wound. Then, during a trial down the mountain, he died trying to save others and ended up a half-dead ghost.

When he saw the light of day again, he held a cave heaven in his hand.

Young as he was, he became the sect master of an entire sect. He reorganized the sect, which had a bunch of ancestral masters inside. And he somehow managed to earn their obedience.

Rumor had it he had crossed paths with the Confucian sub-sage who traveled through the Azure Underworld, the Azure Underworld's Jade Capital third sect leader Lu Chen, the Grand Xuan Du Temple's Reverend Sun, and the number one alchemist. All had taught him Daoist techniques or knowledge.

His immortal partner was even more astonishing.

She was a flying-ascension realm founding ancestral master of another sect.

Their age, cultivation, and status were all vastly different.

The key was that the two sects had been mortal enemies for thousands of years.

So when the two became Dao partners, almost half the cultivators of the Azure Underworld were left stunned.

Liu Xianyang rocked his little bamboo chair, making it creak. He murmured, "Dream Wanderer from Liuxia Continent—that's interesting."

Nowadays, many Baoping Continent cultivators felt both pride and regret. The Divine Wind Temple's Wei Jin had just turned fifty, and the commandery prince Song Changjing was in the same boat.

Otherwise, with Song Changjing and Wei Jin both among the top ten young figures, each occupying a spot, and Ma Kuxuan following closely as an alternate—when you consider the two lists of several worlds, numbering twenty-one people total, the smallest continent of the Righteous Qi World, Baoping, would have an imposing three representatives!

Liu Xianyang suddenly turned to Mi Yu and said with utter seriousness, "Brother Yumi, you're so handsome and dashing. If Luopo Mountain ever gets into the Mirror Flowers, Water Moon business, you'll definitely make big money. When that time comes, take me along! I'll be your supporting leaf!"

Mi Yu was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he understood that sincere look in the Hidden Official's eyes from back then.

So Mi Yu immediately straightened up. "And bring Mountain Lord Wei along too! Share the blessings!"

Liu Xianyang quickly said, "More melon seeds to celebrate."

Mi Yu pulled out another handful of melon seeds given by Xiao Mili and shared half with Liu Xianyang.

In the bustling Qingfeng City, people of all walks mingled harmoniously. Crowds came and went, all seeking wealth.

The Xu family also had the Fox Kingdom, making Qingfeng City famous across Baoping Continent as a "hero's tomb and a lover's nest."

A young man who ran a spice shop was possibly not yet thirty. His name was Yan Fang. He had an air of magnanimity, like a down-on-his-luck aristocrat.

He had settled here in recent years. In Qingfeng City, where mountain immortals were as common as street vendors, this shopkeeper was unremarkable.

A spice shop naturally dealt with women—mostly well-to-do matrons or beauty-conscious maidens.

The man's face was that of one not yet thirty, but his eyes seemed to have already reached the age of no confusion.

Such a man, selling spices, though not overly attentive in serving customers—merely observing proper etiquette—still did good business.

He knew everything: women's hairdos, hairpins, clothing.

The young shopkeeper liked browsing bookstores and buying books, so he made a friend who was a fairly well-off book merchant.

The book merchant had substantial wealth, owning the largest bookstore in Qingfeng City. But in this city, he was nothing particularly wealthy. Compared to the mansions where immortals mingled, he didn't count.

Today, Yan Fang was dragged by the book merchant to his home for drinks. After getting drunk, the book merchant started calling Yan Fang "brother" and lamented how hard it was to establish himself in Qingfeng City. Even marrying off his beautiful daughter had been rough—his future in-laws looked down on him, saying his wealth, which would make him the richest in any vassal state, was considered lowly here.

And his daughter, who had been so aggrieved, had actually stopped crying every day. Today, for instance, she asked him several times if the food and wine were enough.

Yan Fang casually offered a rather odd way to make money. He swirled his wine cup and said slowly, "Brother Yuan, I may not be able to make you a fortune, but I can ensure a steady income for three generations of your descendants."

The book merchant was taken aback. Quietly, he said, "I'm all ears."

The young shopkeeper smiled. "I consider myself fairly skilled in calligraphy, painting, literature, and seal carving—not too good to become a master, but good enough to make a living from. I just lack the capital. You, Brother Yuan, have exactly that, so I'll offer my humble skills. Since you're the biggest book merchant in Qingfeng City, block printing would be easy. Every other year, I'll compile a seal catalogue for you: a hundred seals, ninety-seven or ninety-eight of them genuine, traceable works by masters, and only a few fakes."

The book merchant looked puzzled. "Fakes? How do we sell them? It's not that I don't trust your seal carving, but the people with deep pockets are all shrewd—hard to fool."

Yan Fang took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "I've read many histories and local gazettes from various kingdoms. For example, I'll carve a seal imitating a famous seal master, deliberately change one character in the name or title, giving what seems like a flaw but isn't actually a loophole. In reality, it fits perfectly with the clan genealogy records. This kind of business won't make money from ordinary people; it targets those well-read, eclectic scholars. After a bit of research, they'll mistakenly think they've found a real bargain. There are many such circuitous methods."

The book merchant was slightly tempted. "Can it really work?"

Yan Fang glanced at the woman behind the screen and smiled. "Let's agree in advance: if I cause you to lose money on the block-printed seal catalogue, I'll take a penalty drink to apologize. Pay? I don't have any money. But if we do make money, remember to treat me to a flask of immortal wine."

After discussing details, the book merchant felt it was quite feasible. Finally, he staggered to his feet and then sat down again, letting his daughter see Yan Fang out.

When his daughter returned, the book merchant was sitting upright at the table. He asked, "Are you sure? Is his accent from the Yuzhou area of the old Zhu Ying?"

The woman nodded. "Unfortunately, he's not a sword cultivator. He's a Sixth Realm martial artist. Still, that's quite talented. If we can confirm he's a Zhu Ying refugee, we can recruit him."

The book merchant frowned. "He doesn't seem greedy. He speaks elegantly, very refined."

The woman joked, "Brother Yuan, you treat him as a true brother, but he probably wants to be your son-in-law."

The book merchant couldn't help laughing. He shook his head. "You little vixen—you might not be able to truly move this man, let alone make him serve the Xu family wholeheartedly. That's a fantasy."

The woman hesitated. "We could have our family's ancestor personally intervene."

"Are you joking?!"

The book merchant then hesitated himself, weighing pros and cons. "That seems too grand, unless..."

The woman nodded. "Unless this man can break into the Golden Body realm. And best if there's even a slim hope he becomes a Far Travel grandmaster. Qingfeng City lacks martial fortune the most!"

The book merchant said, "No rush. Observe a bit longer. Whether your family ancestor should appear isn't up to us. We have to ask the lady."

Yan Fang, drunk, walked back to his shop, looking desolate. He muttered to himself, "By the Vermilion Bird Bridge, at the Wuyi Lane entrance, before the Wang and Xie mansions, in common homes. What day was yesterday? What day is today? What day will tomorrow be? When the snow falls, I bid you farewell. When flowers fall, I meet you again... When not drinking, dreams come true. When drunk, beautiful dreams become real..."

Behind him, a passerby hurried by and accidentally bumped into the young shopkeeper's shoulder. The passerby stumbled instead, said "sorry," and hurried on.

That passerby took a detour back to the book merchant's home and repeated the young shopkeeper's words verbatim. Then he said, "A Sixth Realm martial artist foundation—very good. Makes me wonder if he's actually Seventh Realm."

The book merchant and the woman exchanged glances.

This temporarily borrowed martial artist was a genuine Sixth Realm martial artist.

Whether Yan Fang would become suspicious no longer mattered. He might soon be a colleague in Qingfeng City.

Near his own spice shop, on a quiet little street reminiscent of Qilong Lane, the young shopkeeper slowly descended the steps. At the bottom of the alley, a little girl in a padded jacket was being chased by a white goose. She was dirty and grimy. First she ran and laughed; after being pecked, she ran and cried.

Shopkeeper Yan stopped and watched the scene. As he squinted and smiled, his expression was gentle.

A woman happened to be slowly climbing the stairs from the lower end of the alley. When she looked up and saw that scene, she couldn't look away.

Yan Fang brushed past the woman.

A breeze stirred the young man's sideburn. His figure swayed slightly. From his body came the light scent of a sachet at his waist, mingled with the aroma of wine.

When a man's eyes don't land on a woman, it might actually make the woman notice him.

Returning to his shop, which had been temporarily closed, it was still early. Some women were already waiting, complaining. When they saw the young shopkeeper, they immediately smiled again.

Business was still good today.

Before the shop closed, there was a brief lull with no customers. Yan Fang brought a small stool and sat at the door. He saw a pair of childhood sweethearts—a boy and a girl—walking past together on the street.

A moment later, the boy came back alone, crouched beside the young shopkeeper, and said gloomily, "Shopkeeper, I didn't dare give her the sachet."

Then he looked up, encouraging himself. "Tomorrow! I'll give it to her tomorrow!"

The young shopkeeper smiled. "That's fine. You gave her a gift, and she accepted it—something even better than a sachet."

The boy was baffled. "I didn't give her anything."

The young shopkeeper smiled. "You did. A box of rouge."

The boy scratched his head. "Huh?"

The young shopkeeper looked at the evening clouds in the sky. "When you look at her with attention, she blushes."

The boy thought about it, half understanding.

The young shopkeeper picked up his stool and closed up.

Back in the courtyard, as a faint, barely perceptible ripple of qi slowly dissipated, the young shopkeeper lay back in a rattan chair, gently waving a folding fan. A cool breeze came.

Over the years in Qingfeng City, this out-of-town businessman had always been so languid.

The folding fan in his hand had been elegantly called "Cool Friend" since ancient times, also known as "Obscuring the Face."

Then, one day, a woman with two maidservants came to buy spices. She was quite picky. The young shopkeeper leaned lazily against the counter, answering whatever she asked.

Later, the spice shop's business grew too good. The young shopkeeper found it too busy, so he hired a woman to help.

But unexpectedly, the shop's business plummeted.

The young shopkeeper still didn't care much. He left the shop to the woman and retreated to the courtyard to enjoy the cool breeze with his fan.

In the moonlight, the woman lifted a bamboo curtain and stood at the courtyard entrance, looking at the young shopkeeper lying in the rattan chair. She asked with a smile, "Do you know who I am?"

The young shopkeeper, still lazily waving his jade-bamboo folding fan, replied, "Not the Lady Xu, anyway."

The woman said, "You've actually met her."

The young shopkeeper said, "Oh."

The woman said, "I know you're wearing a mask. If you're willing to show me your true face, I'll show you mine."

The young shopkeeper closed his fan, twirled it lightly, then caught it and tapped his forehead. "But I've gotten used to your current face."

The woman was both annoyed and shy. She bit her lip, then suddenly widened her eyes. "Since you knew all along I wasn't some common woman, why did you pretend not to know? Or are you plotting something against Qingfeng City, deliberately keeping me by your side?"

The young shopkeeper turned slightly toward the woman, who had cast an illusion spell, and said with a smile, "Whatever you say."

The woman asked, "Who are you, really?"

The young shopkeeper looked away, toward the sky. "Me? I'm just a hopeless drunkard."

The woman sneered. "If I recall correctly, you never drink."

He said casually, "I'll start tomorrow."

The young shopkeeper, who was about to become a Qingfeng City Xu family enshrined guest, still had a hurdle to cross.

But the woman, having spent time with him, unexpectedly felt some reluctance.

Yet, thinking of the Qingfeng City Xu family head's methods and her own dependence on them, she still dispelled her illusion and softly called, "Yan Fang."

Hearing her, he slowly turned. He immediately opened his fan to cover his face, no longer looking at her. He smiled. "So the Fox Kingdom's master. Truly a delight for my eyes."

The woman frowned. With a sweep of her sleeve, she knocked the fan out of his hand.

In a flash, she was before him. She pressed two fingers against his brow and asked several questions.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Retracting her fingers, she looked at the seemingly sleeping young man, smiled, and pressed her fingers to his temple again, tugging gently.

She involuntarily stumbled backward.

Her eyes wide, one hand covering her mouth, the other clutching her heart.

The man frowned slightly, awakened, and opened his eyes. "Get out," he said coldly.

She steadied herself and smiled. "Oh, so you're a hidden Golden Body realm."

He reached out, caught the fan in his hand, and stood up. Suddenly smiling, he walked to her side and tapped her cheek with the closed fan. He squinted, speaking softly. "Be good. From now on, you can be my maidservant. No need to offer yourself—you're not really that good-looking, and I'm afraid I'd be getting the short end of the stick."

She tilted her head slightly, averted her gaze, then met his eyes again. She pushed aside his jade-bamboo fan and laughed. "You really are a hopeless drunkard. You love talking drunk."

After his fan was pushed away, he backhanded her across the face.

She seemed stunned. The master of the Fox Kingdom, a Nascent Soul cultivator, had been slapped?

He, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He looked up at the night sky. She gave a charming smile, turned around, and quietly joined him in gazing at the night. Strange—a full moon happened to hide behind the clouds.

The bright moon hid in the clouds, ashamed to meet the one beside it.

Zhu Lian transmitted his voice in a thread. "I've been waiting for you for years. I couldn't seek you out; I had to wait for you to come to me, to show yourself willingly. What I'm about to say isn't drunk talk. Listen carefully."

She was in a mental war. Intuitively, she didn't want to hear what he would say next, yet her lips said, "You're about to become the third-rank guest enshrined of Qingfeng City's Xu family."

Zhu Lian smiled. "Of course, I'll continue to be that guest enshrined."

She shook her head. "I advise you not to say anything unnecessary. That would just be gilding the lily. As a Golden Body martial artist, with a little effort, you have hope of becoming a first-rank guest enshrined."

Then a chill went down her spine.

Something was wrong! This man was definitely not just a Golden Body realm!

Sure enough, the man said helplessly, "But I don't have that much free time. At most, I'll stay three more years. A city like Qingfeng isn't worth me spending more time on."

She sneered. "You'll die. Maybe tonight, at most tomorrow."

Zhu Lian continued as if he hadn't heard. "Would you like to relocate the entire Fox Kingdom to a place where you can be free? At least you wouldn't have to endure what you go through now—fox fur talismans being taken away from Qingfeng City every year."

"I'm not at the Sixth, Seventh, or Eighth Realm. I'm at the Mountain Summit."

"If you don't agree, I'll have to kill you with one punch."

She trembled. "Are you insane?!"

Zhu Lian pressed the fan against his chin, his smile intoxicating. "I suppose I really can't bear to kill a young lady like you. If you refuse, go ahead and inform the Lady Xu of Qingfeng City. Let the city lord come and kill me. I'd like to test the mettle of the strongest under the upper fifth realm on Baoping Continent. Provided he's willing to destroy half of Qingfeng City. But if you agree, I'll tell you the detailed steps for the relocation. Three years is enough. After you hear them, you'll be sure I'm not raving."

She turned her head and stared fixedly at his profile. She didn't dare look too long, yet she had to. His wild talk had somehow stirred a flicker of interest in her.

But somehow, she felt he was actually hoping she'd refuse.

Zhu Lian took a mask from his sleeve and gently applied it to his face—exactly the same as the young face before. His movements were gentle and meticulous, like a woman applying a yellow flower ornament.

As if he had long anticipated that this day would come: that she would tear off his mask with her own hand, and that she would agree to his request. So this mask would be needed.

Zhu Lian lay back in the rattan chair.

She remained standing in place, only turning her head. Now she no longer saw his previous face. She felt relieved, yet also somewhat regretful.

She asked, "What's your real name?"

Zhu Lian pointed the fan at the bamboo curtain.

Bamboo curtain. Homophone: Zhu Lian.

And the Qingfeng City Xu family had taken great interest in the Luopo Mountain of Lizhu Cave Heaven. As the Fox Kingdom's master, who controlled half of Qingfeng City's wealth, she was well aware of this.

She said angrily, "You really think I won't tell Qingfeng City?!"

If he hadn't voluntarily revealed his secret, she would never have believed that this man was the perpetually stooped old butler of Luopo Mountain!

He waved the closed fan. "Come rub my shoulders."

Her face darkened. "Do you believe I'll send word to the lady right now?"

He said, "Do you believe it yourself?"

She sagged in defeat. "Tell me those steps. I'll decide after I hear them."

Unexpectedly, Zhu Lian tapped his shoulder with the fan.

She gritted her teeth, walked over, and crouched down. Just as she was about to endure the shame and rub his shoulders,

Zhu Lian turned onto his side to face her.

He smiled. "Don't sneak into my room tonight. It's summer—no need to warm my bed."

She asked, almost involuntarily, "Take off the mask."

He tapped her forehead once with his fan, then lay back down. "On such a moonlit night, you and I would spoil the scenery."

She stood speechless for a moment, then suddenly repeated Zhu Lian's earlier words: "Actually, I've gotten used to your current face."

He hummed in acknowledgment.

She asked, "Are you really a Mountain Summit martial artist?"

He nodded slightly.

Senior Cui had passed away. Li Er had long ago left Baoping Continent.

Their young master had gone traveling afar and not yet returned.

Even Pei Qian had gone to another land.

Now, on Baoping Continent, only Song Changjing was a Tenth Realm martial artist.

If he couldn't quickly become a Tenth Realm martial artist, no matter how many faces he had, he'd have no face to show anyone.

But he was missing a few fights.

So the Fox Kingdom master's intuition next to him was spot-on—this martial maniac truly hoped she would inform Qingfeng City.

Back in his hometown, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, when the young noble Zhu L