Chapter 716: Jia Sheng Disappoints
Liu Shiliu, before leaving Fallen Mountain for the Old Dragon City battlefield, this burly man who called himself "Jun Qian" had, before descending the mountain, besides going to the Jise Peak Patriarch Hall to offer incense, also visited the bamboo building on the first floor of Fallen Mountain. Aside from a wooden plank bed placed against the wall, the rest was more like a study.
The little steward Nuan Shu used a key to open the door. Zhou Mili, holding a green bamboo staff and a golden carrying pole, stood straight as a door god, puffing out her chest.
Liu Shiliu opened some neatly arranged books on the table. Most pages had dense marginal annotations written in small regular script. If a person truly matched his words, then the young junior brother should be a very serious and meticulous scholar. After all, back then, Senior Brother Cui Chan's treasured books were also like this. Whenever he saw opinions different from Cui Chan's, he would have Xiao Qi write them down. Often, a single book would have dozens of conflicting annotations.
Liu Shiliu put the book back, raised his head slightly, and looked at a study couplet hanging on the wall, blue background with gold characters and cloud bat patterns. According to Little Mili, the junior brother had picked it up from the Northern Juzhou.
"Outside the mountain, wind and rain, a three-foot sword. When there's trouble, take the sword and descend the mountain."
"Among the clouds, flowers and birds, a house full of books. When worry-free, open a book and sages come."
Liu Shiliu, seemingly rough but actually meticulous, almost at a glance noticed a seal stamp in the corner: "Chen Shiyi."
Proficient in both civil and martial arts, cultivating both strength and mind.
Before returning to the mountain, Liu Shiliu first went to the Yang Family Shop to guard the formation for that Eastern King Lord, then went to the Heavenly Canopy with Ruan Xiu to entertain guests, fulfilling his wish. With two punches, he shattered two enemies. Two golden rains fell on the Northern Peak territory of the continent. Half of the golden body fragments were collected by Fellow Daoist Changming into her sleeve, and half were given to Piyun Mountain.
That "little girl" Ruan Xiu was even more exaggerated, directly stepping through the gate and walking beyond the heavens. Who knows if she had seen Li Sage.
After returning to the mountain, Liu Shiliu once received a secretly conferred official title from Fallen Mountain's Right Protector, "Patrol Mountain Envoy." Little Mili said the position wasn't big, so don't mind it.
When the man patrolled the mountain, he would spread his arms wide, with a little girl hanging from each arm—one in a pink skirt, one in black clothes. They would walk together in the morning light.
Another time while patrolling, there was a small lotus person sitting on his head, admiring the moonlight together.
Qingtong Heavenly Lord reopened the Ascension Platform in the mortal world, which was an immensely profound blessing falling from heaven for the many earth immortal cultivators of the continent.
An Ascension Platform.
It truly meant ascending to an ancient ruin, where a dilapidated Heavenly Gate would eventually stand above the sea of clouds.
During the process of this platform rising, it was itself a tempering of the Great Dao.
Every earth immortal cultivator, as long as they stabilized their Dao heart and soul without scattering, could reach the summit. Although destined to be unable to cross that ancient gate with strict prohibitions, cultivators could stand outside the Heavenly Gate above the clouds, which itself counted as completing merit.
Cultivators kept falling from the Ascension Platform, returning to the mortal world, with gains varying only by the height they reached on the platform.
Seven or eight out of ten had great gains. Xu Hun, the city lord of Qingfeng City, clad in his Huzi Armor, remained as steady as a mountain on the Ascension Platform, finally breaking through the Nascent Soul bottleneck and entering the Upper Five Realms.
Liu Baqiao, a sword cultivator from Wind Thunder Garden, was relatively regrettable. Due to flaws in his sword heart, he stopped at the Nascent Soul stage. He had actually had a trace of Dao opportunity, but perhaps due to inner demons, he was instead injured quite badly. After taking a big step forward, not only did he fail to take a second step, but he even retreated slightly. Still, just by advancing from a Golden Core sword cultivator to a solid Nascent Soul cultivator, Liu Baqiao had given a decent account to his senior brother Huang He, who was about to relinquish his position as garden master. Otherwise, if Liu Baqiao returned empty-handed, given his senior brother's temper, he might transfer the garden master position to someone else, seal the mountain, and ground Liu Baqiao for a hundred years, telling him not to think of descending the mountain until he cultivated a Nascent Soul.
Liu Baqiao, like Xu Hun, reached the summit above the clouds but soon involuntarily returned to the mortal world. Liu Baqiao revisited the small town, went to the Supervisor's Office, and hit it off with the newly met Supervisor Cao, drinking together.
Cai Jinjian, a Golden Core female immortal from Yunxia Mountain, was somewhat surprising. Given her aptitude, several of the mountain's patriarchs actually didn't think she could reach Nascent Soul in this lifetime. But this time, she gritted her teeth and held on until the end. Although she only caught a glimpse of that Heavenly Gate, it still counted as a great success.
This time Cai Jinjian could be said to have ascended in one step. Barring accidents, when she returned to her sect, besides the Patriarch Hall seat she already had, she should also become the youngest female patriarch in Yunxia Mountain's history.
In many immortal estates of Treasure Bottle Continent, once a cultivator became a Golden Core, besides being able to independently open a peak and announce it to the continent, they could also be elevated in rank on the landscape genealogy books. If fortunate enough to reach Nascent Soul, they would be elevated another generation.
As for the Upper Five Realms, one could freely establish a sect.
After Cai Jinjian withdrew from the Ascension Platform, she came alone to an old academy outside. She looked at the empty classroom, not knowing what she was thinking.
The black-clothed young man Jiang Yun, as a member of the Yunlin Jiang clan, did not immediately rush to the Eastern Sea front line where the Yunlin Jiang clan was stationed, to join his master and Grand Commander Wei Liang. Instead, he paused briefly, much like Liu Baqiao and Cai Jinjian, revisiting the former Lizhu Cave Heaven small town.
But when he went to that iron-locked well, he was somewhat disappointed. The iron chain that once hung into the well bottom had been pulled out by him long ago and refined into his natal object.
This not only allowed him to successfully temper his small human body into the long-lost "Iron Mountain Jungle" and "Yingche Dao Field," but also gave him an immortal heavy treasure with both offensive and defensive capabilities.
This time Jiang Yun also advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.
The other earth immortals had varying degrees of advancement. The lucky ones who could see the ancient appearance of the Heavenly Gate were still a minority.
Among the continent's earth immortals who secretly rushed here, only two or three out of ten came with high hopes but left disappointed, gaining nothing at all, quickly falling out of the Ascension Platform.
But they dared not show any unusual expressions.
The only "compensation" was probably that since they hadn't broken through here, the battle merits they needed to accumulate afterward on the Old Dragon City battlefield wouldn't need to be too many.
Sui Youbian, within the Zhenjing Sect of the Book-Simple Lake, had broken through the Dragon Gate bottleneck not long ago. She was the most junior Golden Core earth immortal among this group.
But Sui Youbian had switched from pure martial artist to cultivator midway, which was already a great oddity. Becoming a Golden Core sword cultivator within a decade or so was even more astonishing. However, the Yugui Sect and Zhenjing Sect, as upper and lower branches sharing incense, had helped Sui Youbian hide a great deal.
So if not for her identity as a disguised true disciple of the Yugui Sect's lower branch, given that everyone at this Ascension Platform gathering were earth immortals of Treasure Bottle Continent—each one having cultivated their human hearts into spirits—they would certainly have been highly suspicious of Sui Youbian.
But this time, Sui Youbian failed to break through, only reaching the bottleneck of Golden Core.
She only saw a bit more heavenly scenery than ordinary earth immortals.
Willing to follow a teacher to the Heavenly Terrace, idly sweeping fallen blossoms with immortals.
Pity there was no teacher by her side, and no immortals in the sky.
Actually, Sui Youbian had a certain chance to reach Nascent Soul, but for some reason, at the critical moment when the longsword on her back was willing to protect her Dao path, she instead deliberately suppressed that infatuated sword from being drawn.
Because she didn't draw her sword, unwilling to use sword intent to resist the heavenly wind, she relied solely on her cultivator's physique to stabilize her mind, losing a greater opportunity.
After withdrawing from the Ascension Platform, Sui Youbian's sword heart was clear. Far from being dejected, her Dao heart was even more firm. She bought some pastries at the Sui Sui Shop in Riding Dragon Alley, then flew to the prefectural city.
The true disciples of Zhenjing Sect who left Book-Simple Lake with Sui Youbian were all brought to Treasure Bottle Continent by Sect Leader Wei Ying from the upper sect's Nine Yi Peak. The two who traveled north with Sui Youbian were both Wei Ying's direct disciples, sword cultivators like their master. The young woman, named Sui Yu, always clamored to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall to temper her Dao, wanting to see with her own eyes whether the sword immortal Mi Yu was truly as handsome as her master.
A young man, named Nian Jiu, seemed ignorant of worldly affairs except for cultivation and swordsmanship. His only task was to stop his beloved senior sister from going to the Sword Qi Great Wall.
But the names recorded on the Zhenjing Sect's landscape genealogy were Wei Gusu and Wei Xianyou.
Their natal flying swords were "Fish Dragon" and "Wine Pot," both named by their master Wei Ying. Sui Yu liked hers, and Nian Jiu liked his too, because within the wine pot there was another world.
They had withdrawn from the Ascension Platform slightly earlier than Sui Youbian.
They were previously staying at an immortal inn in the prefectural city. The innkeeper, surnamed Dong, was not old and had the reputation of "Dong Half-City" in the Northern Peak territory.
Even picky people like Sui Yu and Nian Jiu felt the inn had a quiet and refined atmosphere. If they came again, they would choose this place first.
Sui Yu communicated with her heart voice: "Sui Youbian is so beautiful. Even the master likes her. Why don't you like her?"
Nian Jiu answered honestly, "I only like those who will like me back."
Sui Yu furiously cursed her blockhead junior brother, "Go die!"
Sui Youbian landed outside the inn gate. Dong Shuijing's immortal inn was not large but had strict rules. Even guests couldn't freely fly; they had to use the gate to enter and exit.
Sui Youbian found Wei Gusu and Wei Xianyou, only saying, "Go to Oxhorn Ferry."
Wei Xianyou looked at Sui Youbian. No matter how many times he saw her, he was always amazed. The young man then looked at his senior sister and thought, Senior Sister, if you keep being so unreasonable, I might go like someone else.
Sui Youbian and the two Zhenjing Sect direct disciples all had sword talismans that allowed them to fly far within Dragon Prefecture. As a Fallen Mountain direct disciple, Sui Youbian naturally already had a sword talisman pass made by the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, but since she was spending Zhenjing Sect's money, having an extra one didn't hurt.
Sui Youbian flew with her sword on her back toward Oxhorn Mountain Ferry.
The long sword she had lost and regained was both infatuation and consumption.
But who consumed whose infatuation, who was the teacher and who was the heartbreaker?
---
A man and a woman left the Qingfeng City territory overnight, carefully hiding their forms and concealing their tracks. But once they entered the Northern Peak territory, they seemed to be traveling for pleasure. Their ages were far apart: the old man was stooped, the young woman had a pure face, not too outstanding. The old man would occasionally take out a pear blossom and gently twirl it. The young woman wasn't embarrassed by this; if this Shopkeeper Yan really dared to do such a thing, who would be taking advantage of whom was still uncertain.
The old man was even more excessive, teasing her that she now looked like a village girl in the countryside.
They were Zhu Lian and the fox kingdom ruler of Qingfeng City—one returning home, the other traveling afar.
By now, Qingfeng City must be in chaos.
The fox kingdom ruler, going by Pei Xiang, was a Nascent Soul cultivator with seven fox tails.
As for whether to place the fox kingdom into the Lotus Root Blessed Land, relatively isolated, or to settle it on some vassal mountain peak, Zhu Lian mainly left it to Pei Xiang's own wishes.
But in fact, Pei Xiang still didn't quite believe that Fallen Mountain could possess a medium-grade blessed land. Ultimately, she only trusted Zhu Lian, not Fallen Mountain.
Zhu Lian laughed and said, "Forgot to remind you, once you arrive at my master's mountain, you must absolutely remember one principle: treat others sincerely."
Pei Xiang was somewhat uneasy, her demeanor becoming increasingly delicate, exuding charm. She bit her lip and said, "You'd better be more specific. I have a good memory and I'm used to being humble and obedient."
The truth was she had dealt with the Xu clan of Qingfeng City for too long and feared the word "mountain" the most.
Zhu Lian shook his head. "If I say too much, you'll slack off. And I don't need to say much. On our Fallen Mountain, the weather is sunny and pleasant. The wind and rain outside the mountain are just scenery to enjoy. On other peaks, like Qingfeng City, even dividing silver invites complaints. Fallen Mountain is different."
She asked another question, "Are there any petty-minded women on Fallen Mountain? I'm also very afraid of that."
That Xu clan matron had truly left Pei Xiang wary to this day.
But thinking of that matron's current awkward situation, Pei Xiang couldn't help but laugh. Women tend to trouble women. That matron probably felt inferior in looks and liked to put soft thorns in her embroidered shoes every day. Now she's being paid back, right?
As "Shopkeeper Yan" put it, anyway, Xu Hun had just broken into the Upper Five Realms, perfect for celebrating Qingfeng City.
Qingfeng City was indeed good at creating momentum. First, the legitimate daughter married the son of a concubine from the Pillar of State Yuan clan, then they hinted ambiguously that the Xu clan seemed to be forming a marriage alliance with the old sword immortal lineage of the Tao family from Zhengyang Mountain, using the scheming legitimate son. Now Xu Hun had crossed the Heavenly Gate threshold and entered the Upper Five Realms. Given Qingfeng City's temperament, if not for the missing fox kingdom, the news would probably have spread to not only Northern Juzhou but even to Ai'ai Continent.
Zhu Lian joked that if a person got too carried away, they'd easily get slapped. Pei Xiang agreed heartily, feeling very pleased. But then she got a light slap from Zhu Lian, who said, "That's for you."
At dusk, the two passed through the bustling Red Candle Town. Once they passed Chess Pier Mountain, Fallen Mountain would be right before them.
Pei Xiang felt relieved as she looked up and clearly saw Piyun Mountain surrounded by clouds and mists, which settled her nerves.
Zhu Lian bought a lot of melon seeds at a market stall and then led Pei Xiang toward a street.
Pei Xiang asked softly through heart voice, "Meeting someone?"
Zhu Lian, walking beside the fox kingdom ruler on the crowded street, replied with a smile, "The River God of Chongdan River, Li Jin."
Zhu Lian added, "He sells books, I buy books. We've always had a good relationship. A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor."
Previously, because of that Yuye River Goddess affair, Brother Li Jin had inevitably developed a grudge. After all, the rabbit dies and the fox grieves—it's human nature.
Passing by this time, he needed to resolve that shopkeeper's lingering resentment.
After all, Zhu Lian had never specialized in dealing with women.
Did women need dealing with?
Anyway, Zhu Lian never had to.
Pei Xiang understood. This Red Candle Town, located at the confluence of three rivers, had three River Gods. Among them, Li Jin had just been enfeoffed by Great Li a few years ago, and his shrine incense was not poor.
The fox kingdom itself was a mixed bag of all sorts, with mountain news spreading extremely fast, so Pei Xiang knew quite a lot about continental secrets and hidden matters.
As for Zhu Lian being familiar with Li Jin, Pei Xiang wasn't too surprised. Although Li Jin's rank was not low, he was still a "newcomer to the landscape officialdom" of Great Li. He probably needed to build a good relationship with Fallen Mountain. Being familiar with Fallen Mountain was almost equivalent to currying favor with Mountain Lord Wei of Piyun Mountain.
The Nascent Soul fox spirit "Pei Xiang," though only one realm away from Wei Bo, was as far apart from him as clouds and mud in both status and real cultivation.
Now a small rumor was spreading that Wei Mountain Lord's golden body had been nourished and tempered by those three golden rains, and would soon make a hundred-foot leap forward, equivalent to a cultivator entering the immortal realm, once again becoming the mountain lord with the purest golden body and tallest dharma form among the Five Peaks of the continent.
The shopkeeper was a handsome black-clothed youth, reclining on a rattan chair, drinking tea from a pot while reading a book.
But Pei Xiang didn't take many extra glances at Li Jin. When it came to appearance and charm, comparisons were most feared.
Li Jin recognized Zhu Lian, who was wearing a false face, almost immediately. There was no way he wouldn't; the guy was too familiar with the place. The few books on the shelf that bordered on erotic had been in this guy's hands in the blink of an eye. Before, he used to love them but waver and ultimately couldn't bear to buy them. Today he was generous, without hesitation, with an air of "I'm a scholar—if I even glance at the price when buying a book, I'm betraying the sages." It seemed Zhu Lian had made a lot of money on his trip? Li Jin glanced at the "young woman." As a River God governing a stretch of water transport, he could discern a bit. He couldn't determine her exact realm, but that itself was an answer—Nascent Soul, then? By the way, the Xu clan of Qingfeng City had a fox kingdom, very famous. Fox-fur beauties were sold far and wide across continental dynasties and immortal mansions. A fine fox temptress. How had she ended up on Zhu Lian's pirate ship? Was Fallen Mountain planning to completely break with Qingfeng City? This Zhu Lian was indeed the backbone of Fallen Mountain. Even with the young mountain lord away, he could make such decisive moves.
Li Jin formed various guesses in his mind but pretended not to recognize Zhu Lian, didn't give Pei Xiang a second look, and continued drinking tea and reading, acting the part of a bookstore owner: buy if you want, or get lost if you haggle.
Probably a truly smart person was like Li Jin: seeing through but not exposing, pretending to be a fool.
Whether they were lucky humans born into privilege or mountain and river spirits who had barely managed to take form, after finally learning to speak, they had to learn not to speak to be considered smart. Such was this world, alas.
Zhu Lian snapped his fingers, and Pei Xiang immediately took out a small inkstone-sized storage object. It had old inscribed characters: "Mountain Lord."
Later, Zhu Lian had engraved a string of characters and a signature in seal script.
"Stone lasts ten thousand years, paper lasts a thousand years, human life lasts a hundred years. How many years for the heart?"
Zhu Lian's personal seal was "Buhou Yan."
Zhu Lian took the inkstone. Pei Xiang had already fully informed him of how to open this object's landscape prohibitions.
She actually had another extremely rare small storage object, which was the fox kingdom's treasury and also her private savings. She wasn't at all afraid of Zhu Lian touching it, but he wasn't interested.
When a woman's body and mind were fully open to a man, if the man had even a bit of conscience, he would take responsibility.
Zhu Lian happened to fear this the most.
So he had no romantic thoughts toward this fox kingdom ruler at all.
Zhu Lian took out two fine-line sketches. He first spread one on the counter and turned to the River God with a smile, "Shopkeeper, care to take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jin stood up, smiled, and placed his teapot and book on a side table. On the tea table was already a bronze flower vessel with cloud dragon reliefs, exquisitely made, every dragon whisker clearly visible.
Several peach blossoms were inserted obliquely into the bronze vessel.
Li Jin came to the counter and smiled knowingly, "Guest, if I buy with money, it would be vulgar. How about we trade paintings for books?"
Pei Xiang was also seeing this painting for the first time. It was probably something "Shopkeeper Yan" had casually done in his spare time at the Qingfeng City spice shop.
She glanced at Zhu Lian.
Her bright eyes sparkled, autumn waves flowing.
To Li Jin's suggestion, Zhu Lian neither agreed nor disagreed. He opened the second scroll.
The first painting depicted a "Carp Recluse." The scholar had a refined appearance, riding a large carp that only revealed its head and tail, its massive body shrouded in vast white clouds.
A red seal script read: "My heart is deep and serene; a realm of great brightness."
The second painting depicted a "Dragon Gate Overlooking the Torrent." The scholar was holding onto a massive pillar of the Dragon Gate with one hand. A white seal script read: "Transformation of fish and dragon; supremely marvelous."
Li Jin's smile widened. He clicked his tongue and said, "Brother Zhu Lian, quite a big move."
Zhu Lian nodded with a smile, "Brother Li Jin, good eye."
Li Jin's gaze didn't linger on the paintings. He leaned against the counter and said, "Tell me the price. A thousand gold can't buy what the heart desires. Just take it as me seeking a good omen. Even Valley Rain coins are negotiable."
He went by Li Jin, but his true form was a koi fish.
Zhu Lian patted Pei Xiang's hand, and she understood, gently rolled up the paintings, and tied the strings.
Zhu Lian chuckled, "We've dealt in money for a long time. Today, let's not talk about money. How about exchanging paintings for books?"
Li Jin looked at the two paintings, withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and smiled, "Let's stick to the old rules. Even brothers settle accounts clearly."
Zhu Lian wasn't bothered. He laughed loudly, "Then I'll give them to Brother Li Jin as a gift!"
Only then did Li Jin nod. He placed his hand on the paintings and said, "I'm obliged. From now on, the shop will make an exception for Brother Zhu—all books at twenty percent off."
Pei Xiang, astute as she was, immediately understood the deeper meaning.
Zhu Lian, in his capacity as head steward, hoped for more interaction between Fallen Mountain and Chongdan River, each taking what they needed, accumulating incense friendships.
But Li Jin, as the River God of Chongdan River, politely declined the alliance.
Zhu Lian then took a step back, and the two became brothers, maintaining only a personal friendship.
A pleasant parting.
Zhu Lian led Pei Xiang toward Chess Pier Mountain, which was adjacent to Red Candle Town's landscape.
As they walked, Zhu Lian picked up a branch to use as a walking stick, looking more and more like an old man.
Pei Xiang casually asked, "If it weren't a line drawing and you painted the carp bright red, wouldn't that have been more to his liking?"
Zhu Lian shook his head: "For example, I know you Pei Xiang have fox roots. But if every time I saw you, I called you 'fox spirit,' would that be appropriate? It wouldn't. Barring accidents, Li Jin will add color to the painting himself. No need for outsiders to do it for him."
Zhu Lian laughed and asked, "Don't believe me? Want to bet? A small bet for fun—one snow coin."
Pei Xiang didn't want to bet with him. Winning or losing had no meaning.
On this journey, not only Pei Xiang, a Nascent Soul fox spirit, but all earth immortal cultivators in Treasure Bottle Continent could look up and see that golden lotus covering the continent.
With Treasure Bottle Continent as a treasure bottle, blooming a lotus.
Swaying in the spring breeze.
This kind of phenomenon made even Pei Xiang find it incredible.
But as time passed, they got used to it and simply enjoyed it as a rare beauty in the mortal world.
On this homecoming road, Zhu Lian rarely took time to appreciate this pleasing scenery.
Instead, he asked her about the flower temple's minor officer recorded in books, whether they truly managed flower tidings and fragrances.
Pei Xiang simply took it as a grandmaster of pure martial arts not caring about such things.
Zhu Lian didn't want to go into the inside story with her either. After all, it was only a pleasant meeting. Whether the parting would be good, and whether the end would be good, depended not only on him. The human heart was as fragile as broken glass.
Unless the young master was on the mountain.
Zhu Lian chose a secluded path on Chess Pier Mountain. In the past, Pei Qian and Zhou Mili liked to take this road when they came to wait for the young master. He was sure that Pei Qian at that time hadn't practiced that crazy sword technique sparingly.
He had been away from home for many years, and many things had changed.
For example, earlier in Red Candle Town, he learned that a mountain god shrine had been added on Chess Pier Mountain, while Fallen Mountain had lost a mountain god in the process.
That mountain god shrine on Fallen Mountain had been moved to Chess Pier Mountain, its rank unchanged. It seemed like a horizontal transfer in officialdom, but it was undoubtedly a demotion.
Without the plaque and statue, the building remained.
This measure was a mutual understanding between Mountain Lord Wei Bo and the Great Li dynasty.
Mountain God Song Yuzhang had no complaints or resentment, as if he had long anticipated this day.
Instead, before the relocation, he walked out of his shrine, which had never had much incense, for the first time and wandered around Fallen Mountain. It seemed like he felt light without official duties.
Zhu Lian actually understood Song Yuzhang well. But since they served different masters, being friends was out of the question. However, Zhu Lian never stopped Pei Qian and the others from visiting the shrine at the peak.
Besides the mountain god shrine matter, Zhu Lian also received congratulations from Chongdan River God Li Jin.
Because the great python of Yellow Lake Mountain had dared to leave the mountain and walk the river. Since Li Jin congratulated him, the yellow-clothed woman must have succeeded in her river-walking.
Li Jin was cautious; earlier in the bookstore, he only communicated this to Zhu Lian via heart voice.
And Pei Xiang, as a solid Nascent Soul cultivator, even when she was at the border of Dragon Prefecture, could still sense it. She immediately flew high into the wind, looked into the distance at the drastic changes in Dragon Prefecture's water transport, and asserted that a great aquatic creature was walking the river.
Zhu Lian felt the walk was dull, so he simply told Pei Xiang about it, giving her a general idea. But it was certainly closer to the truth than Pei Xiang's random guesses about the origins of that water python. Earlier, Pei Xiang had flown in the sky, using the divine ability to view mountains and rivers. Although at the confluence of three rivers, the landscape qi was surging, and deities were using obfuscation techniques, blurring vision, Pei Xiang concluded that the python walking the river with such astonishing momentum must be a prominent existence like a guardian of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Otherwise, how could its river-walking be so smooth? Not only were the floods overwhelming, but it seemed that water gods along the route were helping to escort it, preventing the floodwaters from washing ashore and harming civilians, which would incur heavenly punishment. For ordinary aquatic creatures to walk a river, it was already fortunate not to be harassed by local mountain and river shrines at every turn.
In the eyes of ordinary mortals below the mountains, in Dragon Prefecture, which had particularly vast territory in the old Great Li map, it was just a series of heavy rainstorms, with day turning to night, dark and chaotic, rivers surging.
But in the eyes of mountain cultivators, it was a spectacular river-walking transformation into a flood dragon.
Since Pei Xiang had already mentioned it and they were now near home, Zhu Lian no longer concealed it. "Her name is Hong Xia. She has been cultivating on one of Fallen Mountain's vassal peaks for a long time. You can now consider her half your own family. Both women. If your temperaments match, you two can interact in the future. Fallen Mountain has no taboo about small peaks versus big peaks. Everything is out in the open. Closeness and distance are what they are."
Anyway, there were only a few mountain rules, even Little Mili could recite them fluently.
Pei Xiang was slightly surprised and complained, "Such a significant ally, and you didn't tell me beforehand?"
A Nascent Soul water flood dragon!
She could be considered half a Jade Pudding realm qi refiner!
With such naturally strong physique combined with innate divine abilities, among Non-Sword Immortal Nascent Soul cultivators, who would dare to provoke her? Especially those immortal sects near great rivers. Once they became enemies with her, it would be like receiving an invitation from King Yan—accepting meant death, refusing also meant death.
If Qingfeng City's Xu Hun hadn't already advanced to the Upper Five Realms, and as a military cultivator he was famous across the continent for his killing power, then Fallen Mountain, with just this water flood dragon and Zhu Lian, could already compete head-on with Qingfeng City.
"Miss Hong Xia's successful river-walking transformation should ease your mind a bit, Pei Xiang."
Zhu Lian smiled. Faced with Pei Xiang's shock, he only mentioned this and didn't say more.
Unfortunately, back home, Hong Xia didn't even dare to go to Fallen Mountain to say a word.
If Zhu Lian remembered correctly, Hong Xia hadn't even seen the Jise Peak Patriarch Hall yet.
What Zhu Lian was more worried about at the moment was Chen Lingjun's river-walking in the great river of Northern Juzhou.
Since there was still no definite news reaching Treasure Bottle Continent, it meant Chen Lingjun hadn't yet completed his river-walking.
Zhu Lian wasn't too concerned about the result of Chen Lingjun's river-walking, which was far more exaggerated than Hong Xia's. He was just worried about Chen Lingjun's too-jumpy nature. Out and about, without support, he was prone to suffer. Given Chen Lingjun's temper, back home it was fine—he had already accepted his fate and would rather die than save face, euphemistically calling it "all grievances in the world are settled with one punch." But outside, he would probably like to puff himself up.
Pei Xiang was in a great mood. She plucked a flower from a tree and handed it to Zhu Lian.
Zhu Lian waved his hand and laughed, "The uglier a person, the more they like to wear flowers. You wear it."
In the old Lotus Root Blessed Land, there was a custom of men wearing flowers in their hair. Otherwise, there wouldn't be that flower-wearing youth Zhou Shi in later generations.
Pei Xiang glared at him but still tucked the flower into her hair near her temple.
Zhu Lian could fly with the wind, and Pei Xiang was also an earth immortal Nascent Soul. As the mood took them, they didn't care about having a path. Zhu Lian came to a seldom-visited ridge on Chess Pier Mountain, already some distance from Song Yuzhang's shrine.
Zhu Lian, with his hands behind his back, stood on the branch of an ancient pine and smiled knowingly.
Fallen Mountain was visible.
Pei Xiang sat on a branch, gently pressing her fingers against the flower at her temple and ear.
Zhu Lian sighed, "Which family dares to hang the 'No Trouble' sign? Tofu and greens bring peace. Enough to eat, warm to wear, sleep well today, wake up tomorrow. That's the peaceful world for us ordinary mortals."
Pei Xiang teased, "Not to brag, but how can you and I count as ordinary mortals?"
Zhu Lian looked up at the sky and said softly, "Even if only under one person, they are still mortals."
In Zhu Lian's old hometown, even if the younger generation Ding Ying had a higher martial realm, in terms of state of mind, not necessarily. Ding Ying was born to meet the times, rose with the trend. Whether his fist techniques were superb was, in Zhu Lian's eyes, still an external thing.
According to Pei Qian's later account, Ding Ying at least failed to do what Zhu Lian did back then. It could even be said that the path the later demon Ding Ying took was the one that the martial fanatic Zhu Lian had trampled out.
That immortal's high crown was something Zhu Lian casually tossed to the young Ding Ying.
Zhu Lian alone killed nine, killed all the experts under heaven, with no one in his eyes or by his side.
But Zhu Lian didn't think that was any great feat. It was still far from what he had in mind.
For instance, the senior on Fallen Mountain was already in a high and distant place in Zhu Lian's heart. Zhu Lian had to walk step by step to see clearly.
One of the three hanging portraits on Fallen Mountain was of the martial artist Cui Cheng.
And back then, leading that old man, who had been mad for over a hundred years, to Fallen Mountain originated from that middle-aged monk who wandered with a bowl and eventually became a lotus at every step.
Pei Xiang pointed and asked, "Is that Fallen Mountain?"
Zhu Lian nodded, "Surrounded by water on all sides, and mountains. Among them, the most lush and deep is my hometown."
Pei Xiang joked, "So sour. Are you good at making sour fish?"
Because Zhu Lian had once joked, claiming his culinary skills were the best, his boxing techniques passable, and his qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting barely adequate.
Zhu Lian laughed heartily, "Pei Xiang, since you happened to mention it, let me remind you: on Fallen Mountain, except for the young master, no one should talk about sour fish. Otherwise, it'll be easy to get remembered in the ledger."
Under the brilliant starry night sky, the two walked again on Chess Pier Mountain path. Zhu Lian slowly performed stake-standing exercises, while Pei Xiang, with nothing to do, looked up at the scenery.
Finally reaching the last high slope of Chess Pier Mountain, Zhu Lian withdrew his fists, gazed into the distance, and said out of nowhere, "Waking from a dream is a cliff jump."
Pei Xiang asked with a smile, "What does that mean?"
Zhu Lian shook his head, "No solution."
Pei Xiang didn't dwell on these words.
Zhu Lian's occasional words were often strange, hard to grasp.
She couldn't help thinking again of that water flood dragon who was now at the same realm as her. "That great python's river-walking was really lucky. Is it because your Dragon Prefecture of Great Li has a good name?"
Zhu Lian said, "No matter how good Dragon Prefecture's name is, it's not as good as my young master's name."
Pei Xiang reached out a finger and gently rubbed her brow. Headache.
Zhu Lian, Zhu Lian, if you keep this up, I might have to suspect something.
Zhu Lian muttered to himself, "A dog looked at him, he looked at me, I looked at heaven and earth. Is it really true? I'm increasingly uncertain."
He quickly added, "Just a madman's ravings. Pei Xiang, don't mind it."
Pei Xiang asked, "If I asked you, and you answered me, wouldn't that prove you instead?"
Zhu Lian shook his head and sighed, "How could I know if you're real? Asking is pointless, answering is pointless."
Pei Xiang was a bit annoyed.
But she also felt relieved. Zhu Lian being so open already showed he didn't consider her an outsider.
Pei Xiang asked, "So who can give you an answer?"
Zhu Lian raised a hand pointing to the sky, then pointed into the distance, and finally gently clapped his hands. "Sun and moon in the sky, one bright character. My heart is bright, one good person. Let this person tell me the answer, and I'll believe it."
Zhu Lian shook his sleeves and self-deprecatingly said, "Don't worry, I rarely do this. It's just the nervousness of approaching home."
Pei Xiang felt a little unsettled.
Probably a person who thinks like this would be very strange and very lonely.
But Zhu Lian had already composed himself and continued on his way.
In the past, he walked alone through his hometown under heaven, a Zhu-clothed man under the stars and moon.
---
In the night, Ruan Xiu stood by the Yuye River.
Hong Xia, who was temporarily healing and stabilizing her realm here, immediately activated her divine power, hurriedly emerged from the water, and came to see Ruan Xiu.
Before transforming into a flood dragon, Hong Xia was trembling in front of Ruan Xiu. Unexpectedly, after transforming, she was even more distracted and involuntarily controlled.
So the joy that Hong Xia, who had successfully transformed into a flood dragon, could hardly suppress was at least halved.
That Yuye River Goddess hesitated timidly and, moments after Hong Xia appeared, also came to pay respects to Ruan Xiu.
Ruan Xiu looked at them—one aquatic creature turned flood dragon, one enfeoffed water god. Ruan Xiu didn't speak, just slowly ate a piece of peach blossom cake from the Sui Sui Shop.
This stretch of Yuye River had already been cleared of all water mansion officials and river spirits by the Goddess, for fear of angering the green-clothed woman with the ponytail.
Earlier, having received Ruan Xiu's "decree," under the night rainstorm, the yellow-clothed woman nervously chose a source water, revealed her true form, and began river-walking.
Now, the so-called immortal mountains in Dragon Prefecture were only three: Dragon Spring Sword Sect, Piyun Mountain, and Fallen Mountain.
So this river-walking was so smooth that Hong Xia felt it was like a dream.
First, she emerged from a source stream in the great mountain, where the Dragon Whisker River's old woman river goddess Ma Lanhua, who had a divine seat but no shrine incense, only dared to flatteringly see her off while helping to contain the flood. Then she passed through the Tie Fu River, the richest in water transport, guarded by Yang Hua, a first-class River God of Great Li. She didn't appear but still suppressed the water. Then she passed a short section of Embroidered Flower River. Finally, she went upstream against the most treacherous and violent Chongdan River. The two River Gods both escorted her as if protecting her Dao path. That was how Hong Xia smoothly succeeded in river-walking and transforming into a flood dragon.
Finally, she was able to go to a naturally formed water cavern abundant in spiritual energy on the Yuye River to heal.
It was the Goddess herself who invited "Fellow Daoist Hong Xia."
The Yuye River Goddess was extremely envious of this great python's fortune.
As for herself, forget about Dao fortune; she seemed to have only disasters and calamities.
The green-clothed woman didn't speak.
Hong Xia and the Goddess became even more silent, trembling in fear.
Ruan Xiu ate the pastry and glanced at Hong Xia. "Unsightly. No wonder you lost to a little loach."
Hong Xia cautiously glanced at Ruan Xiu's wrist. A fire dragon coiled there like a bracelet.
The fire dragon, originally lifeless, immediately rolled its eyes nimbly and finally fixed its gaze on Hong Xia.
Hong Xia's heart shuddered. She hurriedly shifted her gaze, struggling to stabilize her Dao heart so as not to step back instinctively.
The fire dragon was already in the Upper Five Realms, absolutely the Upper Five Realms!
Ruan Xiu probably didn't know that her slow pace of eating pastries was a great torment for the two before her—like fish in a hot oil pan being fried over high heat.
Even if she did know, she probably wouldn't care.
Ruan Xiu had just returned to the Haoran world.
It was that middle-aged Confucian scholar who had opened the door for her.
Afraid her father would scold her for messing around, she came here to hide first.
Because she was in a bad mood, naturally she had no good expression for this Hong Xia.
Ruan Xiu gently shook her wrist. The fire dragon, which had undergone a peculiar "river-walking" beyond the heavens, was extremely docile to its master and continued to sleep.
For ordinary aquatic creatures, successfully river-walking through a big river was already the fulfillment of merit. With luck and good bloodline, they might even acquire some auspicious features of the dragon clan, like dragon claws, scales, or whiskers.
Like that eel demon from Tongye Continent. In the past, it tried to walk the Buried River. If not for the Goddess's repeated obstruction, it would have already transformed into a flood dragon.
As for aquatic creatures from great swamps that were already of the dragon lineage, they needed to have walked at least one great river to be considered enfeoffed by heaven. Besides obtaining a proper dragon body, the key was to gestate a natal dragon pearl.
But three thousand years ago, the calamity that engulfed all aquatic creatures under heaven was deemed that there were no more true dragons in the world, only numerous dragon descendants with impure bloodlines.
Moreover, there were only a few great rivers in the Haoran world, often lined with numerous sects. How dared flood dragons act recklessly? Let alone walking rivers for tens of thousands of miles, hiding in quiet waters and finding a lair with relatively rich water transport, casually hanging a plaque like "So-and-so Dragon Palace" or "So-and-so Water Mansion," was already burning high incense.
Thus, in three thousand years, no great flood dragon had successfully walked a great river and then transformed into a true dragon.
Under heaven, among all dragon descendants and countless aquatic creatures, who didn't want to become a dragon? But who dared?
Because no one dared to assert whether that unnamed sword immortal who had slaughtered all true dragons would draw his sword again.
Until, in Treasure Bottle Continent, a snow-white-scaled flood dragon walked the continent's great river, and the true dragon returned to its place.
It seized an immeasurable portion of the world's water transport in one fell swoop.
This little python Hong Xia was far, far inferior to Zhi Gui from the Mud Vase Alley. Even the little creature that followed Zhi Gui during her river-walking was still inferior.
Ruan Xiu lifted her chin toward the Yuye River. "Both of you, go back."
A water flood dragon and a water god received a pardon.
They immediately submerged into the water. At the river bottom, they exchanged a distant glance but dared not communicate with their hearts. They only felt a shared affliction.
Ruan Xiu frowned and still looked at the river before her. "Is it nice to look at?"
An old boatman slowly poled downstream.
Even though he was over a dozen li away, Ruan Xiu's voice was clearly audible. He didn't answer, just clicked his tongue in wonder.
A young female Taoist stood at the bow, looking at Ruan Xiu with a smile. "Miss Ruan, we meet again."
Ruan Xiu's impression of He Xiaoliang, who had previously traveled to Lizhu Cave Heaven as a female Taoist from the Shengong Sect, had been acceptable. But now, it was no longer good.
The sect leader of Qingliang Sect in Northern Juzhou, He Xiaoliang.
Beside her stood a deer-riding goddess who had emerged from the Mural City of Skeleton Beach.
She had been instructed to stand behind her master He Xiaoliang, because just glancing at the green-clothed woman earlier had dazzled her and made her restless.
He Xiaoliang and the half-senior brother old boatman had recently received a mysterious decree from their master.
There were only two matters. One related to Chen Lingjun, which was already handled. The other was to have He Xiaoliang return to Treasure Bottle Continent to find Zhi Gui of Mud Vase Alley and Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Flower Alley. He Xiaoliang could incidentally visit a certain senior brother.
As for the old boatman, compared to that junior brother, he was more inclined to go to Old Dragon City to see Lady Gui.
Li Xisheng took one step across the Central Earth Divine Continent and arrived at the gate of Fulu Street in his hometown.
After paying respects to his parents, Li Xisheng went to the small pond at his sister's residence.
Looking at a golden little crab inside, he smiled and said, "Don't say you fear thunder and lightning; even the Dragon King's place you can traverse horizontally."
---
Zhu Lian and Pei Xiang walked out of Chess Pier Mountain, still slowly returning. Nearing the foot of Fallen Mountain, Pei Xiang saw a little girl in black, arms crossed, holding a green bamboo staff and a golden carrying pole, standing very straight, eyes wide open, as if she were some little water monster guarding the mountain gate?
Pei Xiang couldn't help but laugh. "Your Fallen Mountain is really..."
She didn't know how to describe the mountain atmosphere.
Zhu Lian introduced, "She is the Right Protector of our Fallen Mountain."
Pei Xiang burst out laughing.
Zhu Lian said, "I'm not lying to you. Little Mili is the Right Protector on Fallen Mountain's genealogy. Her seat in the Jise Peak Patriarch Hall is very high."
Pei Xiang was skeptical. "Really?!"
Zhu Lian chuckled. "By the way, when you see Little Mili later, just go straight to the point and say, 'So you're the legendary Big Water Monster of Mute Swamp Lake.' She'll be very happy."
He removed the false face from his skin, reverting to Fallen Mountain's old cook's face.
Pei Xiang also took off her face and removed the obfuscation spell.
Zhou Mili rubbed her eyes, then sprinted all the way to Zhu Lian, sobbing, "Old Cook, Old Cook! I thought you got lost and didn't know how to come home! I didn't dare go to Red Candle Town to meet you..."
The little girl was too sad to speak.
She didn't even care about face anymore and inadvertently admitted she didn't dare go to Red Candle Town and the Yuye River.
Zhu Lian reached out and rubbed Little Mili's head, shifted the big bundle on his back, and laughed, "Guess what's inside?"
Little Mili wiped her tears, glanced timidly at the woman beside the old cook, pursed her lips tightly, and gave Pei Xiang a curtsy.
Pei Xiang smiled and nodded.
Earlier, she had only been looking at whether the old cook had gained or lost weight, and hadn't noticed this really pretty sister.
Pei Xiang remembered Zhu Lian's tip and said with a smile, "Are you the Big Water Monster of Mute Swamp Lake?"
Zhou Mili froze on the spot. For a moment, she didn't know whether to scratch her face or her head.
Oh wow.
This sister suddenly got a bit prettier.
Probably this was what Pei Qian always talked about—"a girl changes eighteen times when growing up"?
Sigh, what growth? What's so good about growing up? But Little Mili dared not say that to Pei Qian.
Little Mili remembered the old cook's question and said softly, "Those immortal books Pei Qian talked about? With little people on the pictures that can fight? Pity Pei Qian doesn't want to say much. Let me have a look? Now I like reading a lot, my knowledge is huge, ha! When Pei Qian gets home, she'll be shocked."
Zhu Lian's old face reddened. "They're melon seeds," he said helplessly.
Little Mili groaned, acting mature and worldly-wise. "A grown man like you, still eating melon seeds."
But soon she smiled. "Since you bought them, that's fine!"
Zhu Lian smiled and nodded.
The long-missed home atmosphere and mountain breeze were no longer just distant memories.
I have returned home, right here in this mountain.
A little water monster seemed to turn into a little mountain yellow bird, hopping and chirping beside Zhu Lian, talking about family affairs.
Some things that couldn't be said, Little Mili didn't say. The sharpest on Fallen Mountain: Pei Qian first, she second, and Sister Nuan Shu only third!
Pei Xiang found it utterly absurd and had to ask with her heart voice: Is this little girl really Fallen Mountain's Right Protector?
In mountain sects and immortal caves, the position of protector was extremely important, often called half of the mountain's grand formation by recorded immortals.
Pei Xiang confirmed that this little water monster's realm was not just low—it was ridiculously low. If this girl was the Right Protector, was Hong Xia the Left Protector? Or Fallen Mountain's Chief Supplicant?
But Zhu Lian completely ignored her and went on chatting with the girl about trivial matters.
Pei Xiang laughed in exasperation.
You deserve to be called Old Cook.
While Pei Xiang was slightly annoyed, she soon became terrified.
A handsome man in white appeared out of thin air and said to Zhu Lian with a smile, "You really follow the example, playing the hands-off manager very enjoyably, eh? How many years has it been?"
Pei Xiang felt this man was as handsome as a jade mountain.
In her eyes, his appearance was only slightly inferior to Zhu Lian's.
Mountain Lord Wei Bo! The supreme deity of the northern landscape of the continent.
Zhu Lian sighed, "Long away from home, I missed Brother Wei very much."
Wei Bo twitched the corner of his mouth. "Spare me."
You're unkind, so don't blame me for being unfair. Zhu Lian immediately rubbed his hands together and said, "Mountain Lord's Dao conduct has skyrocketed. Heaven and earth should celebrate together. When the chaotic times end, let's legitimately throw a night tour banquet!"
Wei Bo ignored Zhu Lian and nodded to the fox kingdom ruler.
He roughly guessed Zhu Lian's plan. Really nasty. With this one hoe strike, Zhu Lian had directly dug away half of Qingfeng City Xu clan's financial resources.
Pei Xiang quickly curtsied to the Mountain Lord.
Graceful and naturally charming, though she didn't mean to be.
Little Mili shouted, "Mountain Lord Wei! Mountain Lord Wei! Mountain Lord Wei!" Usually she only called twice, but today she was so happy she called a third time.
Wei Bo understood, slightly bent down, and extended his palm.
Little Mili put a big handful of melon seeds in it.
Wei Bo thanked her, naturally started eating the seeds, and began serious conversation with Zhu Lian in heart voice.
Pei Xiang's eyelids twitched at the sight.
After hearing what Wei Bo said, Zhu Lian sneered, "That little bastard saved his own life."
That remnant of the Zhu Ying dynasty who came to Fallen Mountain for refuge and escaped a disaster had also received a secret decree from Great Li, but didn't go to the Ascension Platform. The young sword cultivator had voluntarily given up the great fortune of being near the water first.
This was naturally the Song Emperor's clear signal to Fallen Mountain: Great Li already knew this person's roots but was still willing to let bygones be bygones; the pursuit by the Ministry of Punishment's Sticky Pole Corps would stop here.
Zhu Lian was quite satisfied with the choice of that stray dog. Very wise. Not overstepping. Fallen Mountain had given him a place to stay, so he should be content. If he still dared to rely on Fallen Mountain, not knowing his limits, mistaking a one-time-use life-saving talisman for a permanent protective charm, then Zhu Lian would stick a death summons on his corpse.
Otherwise, after returning to Fallen Mountain, Zhu Lian's second task would certainly be to ask for a fist fight.
And when Zhu Lian asked for a fist fight, it was a matter of life and death.
As for the first task, of course, it was to give melon seeds to Nuan Shu, Mi Li, and then cook a big table of delicious seasonal mountain dishes. Then, taking off the apron, he'd go ask for that fist fight.
Zhu Lian looked up.
Then Pei Xiang saw a young man in green robes slowly walking down the mountain, with a gentle smile.
Zhu Lian was stunned.
He glanced at Wei Bo.
Wei Bo had deliberately not mentioned this person or this matter. Since Big Brother Zhu had come home, he could see for himself.
During these years of secret planning in Qingfeng City, Zhu Lian had cut off all correspondence with Fallen Mountain to prevent any mishap.
After all, that Xu matron was no pushover. For instance, regarding the secret gathering of literary fortune through the fox kingdom, even now, Zhu Lian had already found traces, but Pei Xiang still hadn't confessed to him.
So Zhu Lian really didn't know this person's identity.
He could only tell that the other party was a sword cultivator of no low realm.
Mi Yu communicated with Zhu Lian via heart voice, laughing, "Greetings, Head Steward. I come from the Sword Qi Great Wall. Mi Yu, white rice's mi, abundant's yu, a Jade Pudding realm sword cultivator. On Fallen Mountain, Brother Zhu can just call me Yu Mi."
Zhu Lian clasped his fists and laughed, "Brother Yu is extraordinarily handsome. You add much luster to Fallen Mountain."
Mi Yu quickly returned the salute. "I dare not, I dare not."
Wei Bo smiled enigmatically.
Zhou Mili winked at Yu Mi, then leaned back slightly and signaled to Yu Mi with her eyes toward the bundle on the old cook's back, indicating that the old cook had bought a lot of melon seeds on his way home.
Pei Xiang felt somewhat out of place and was even more shocked by that "Brother Yu."
The sword aura was too heavy!
Of course, Mi Yu wasn't deliberately showing off his realm.
That would be too boring.
In fact, Mi Yu had only recently returned to Fallen Mountain from Old Dragon City. The residual murderous intent mixed with his sword aura hadn't yet faded, naturally leaking out.
This was even with Mi Yu deliberately suppressing his sword intent.
Besides Mi Yu and Zhu Lian returning to Fallen Mountain one after another, there were also people on their way.
Zhong Qiu, Cao Qinglang. They had finally returned from their travels to Treasure Bottle Continent. Coming from the north, they took the cloak sect's cross-continent ferry.
Returning directly from Central Earth Divine Continent to Treasure Bottle Continent was not only impossible without a cross-continent ferry, but also too dangerous.
So Teacher Zhong brought Cao Qinglang on a detour through Ai'ai Continent, then to Northern Juzhou, and then took a ferry southward.
Another group were Sui Jingcheng from Floating Sword Lake and her senior brother Rong Chang. They were returning north from southern Treasure Bottle Continent and would pass by Fallen Mountain again.
During their travels, they had made a special trip to Old Dragon City to find their master Li Cai. Li Cai didn't let her senior disciple Rong Chang stay on the battlefield. She said if he got too headstrong and died, Floating Sword Lake in the future would be bullied half to death. So Rong Chang shouldn't bother joining the fray. Anyway, Floating Sword Lake had her as the sect leader holding the fort; they wouldn't win much face, but they wouldn't lose face either.
At this moment, on the mountain, outside the bamboo building, the sword cultivator Cui Wei, who had been training at the Sword Worship Platform, was about to go down the mountain.
He both wanted to say goodbye to the sword immortal senior Mi Yu and to check on that talisman cultivator Jiang Qu.
Cui Wei had also visited the Ascension Platform.
He was now a Nascent Soul sword cultivator.
Nowadays, the Northern Mountain Lord Wei Bo was relatively idle. Not that Wei Bo was lazy; it was simply that in those battles after the Heavenly Canopy opened, from beginning to end, he hardly needed to do anything—he just picked up bargains. He estimated that when he later reunited with his colleague, the Central Mountain Lord Jin Qing, the other would definitely have plenty of sarcastic remarks.
Zhu Lian pulled Wei Bo, Mi Yu, and the accountant Wei Wenlong to discuss serious matters.
There were too many things to discuss, and none of them minor.
Even the matter of settling the fox kingdom wasn't the most important.
Pei Xiang followed the pink-skirted little girl named Chen Nuan Shu and the strange Little Mili to a quiet courtyard to stay.
Pei Xiang's mood was complicated. Unable to sleep, she left her residence and went for a solo walk, sitting on the steps at the mountain top.
She herself felt her current mood was unreasonable. Before arriving at Fallen Mountain, she was afraid its foundations were too thin. But now that she was here, one strange thing followed another, overwhelming her and inevitably making her uneasy.
Then Pei Xiang found Zhu Lian, apparently finished with his discussions, now accompanying Cen Yuan Ji as they walked down the mountain doing stake exercises.
Zhu Lian found that Cen Yuan Ji's fist technique had improved considerably and learned she had been instructed by Liu Shiliu.
Zhu Lian had Cen Yuan Ji continue walking up the mountain doing stake exercises while he quickly climbed up and sat beside Pei Xiang.
Zhu Lian said softly, "Is it that you've just come to realize you're already in a foreign land? Don't worry, it won't be long before you get used to it."
Pei Xiang asked softly, "Yan Fang, have you been silently laughing at me as a frog at the bottom of a well?"
Zhu Lian laughed, "Why so sentimental all of a sudden? In my impression, the fox kingdom ruler of Qingfeng City is a heroine among women. Good at calculations, decisive, and beautiful."
Pei Xiang said gloomily, "I wish I had never met you."
Some women's emotions are truly beyond reason.
When in a good mood, everything is fine. When in a bad mood, nothing is good.
The latter always comes suddenly, often catching men off guard. So don't listen too closely to exactly what she says—whether it's inexplicable trivial complaints or angry words without logic. Don't panic, don't lose your cool, just treat them as irrefutable truths and listen. If you get impatient or reason with her, what else can happen? It's over. Even if you don't speak, you still have to listen and look at her seriously.
Whether a man is willing to do this often becomes the real knot in a woman's heart.
But Zhu Lian, being who he was, soon had Pei Xiang laughing again.
Cen Yuan Ji stopped practicing her fists halfway up the mountain and saw the warm scene on the top steps, becoming even more admiring of Old Mr. Zhu. Just back home, and he was already attending to a guest for Fallen Mountain.
If it had been the young mountain lord sitting beside that woman, Cen Yuan Ji would have been worried about this Sister Pei Xiang's situation.
So what if he was the mountain lord? With his wandering eyes, his liking for staggering drunk at night, his tendency to care about nothing, and his habit of traveling alone, leaving Old Mr. Zhu to work tirelessly.
While she, Cen Yuan Ji, trained diligently every day, no one could find any fault with her. And maybe the next time they crossed paths, the gap in their fist techniques would have narrowed considerably.
In the deep night of the small town, at the Yang Family Medicine Shop.
Fellow Daoist Changming left Riding Dragon Alley, walked through the night to here, and knocked softly.
Su Dian and Shi Lingshan, who had gone to temper their martial arts on an ancient battlefield, had already returned from their travels and continued to work as unremarkable shop assistants. But Shi Lingshan lived in Peach Leaf Alley; only his senior sister Su Dian lived here.
Su Dian, instructed by her master, opened the door for the woman.
Changming went to the back courtyard.
Su Dian simply moved a stool and sat at the door.
In the backyard, Changming curtsied to the old man.
Observing the etiquette of a junior, she didn't even sit down.
She asked if the shop needed golden essence copper coins.
After all, the war was raging fiercely. Besides the main battlefield at Old Dragon City, the eastern and western coastal frontlines, while less tragic than Old Dragon City, still had smoke of gunpowder stretching for thousands of miles.
Old Man Yang shook his head. "Good intentions appreciated. It's not easy for you to accumulate that little bit of wealth. Keep it well."
The reason he was willing to say a few extra words to her, aside from her sincerity, was due to her slight connection to the divine path.
Changming was about to take her leave.
But the old man suddenly asked, "On that Shi Rou from the Sui Sui Shop, there's a hidden thread. You saw it, right?"
Changming shook her head. "I didn't notice."
Old Man Yang changed his tobacco pipe. Before packing it, he tapped it lightly on the steps. "In the ancient Shu region, there are many strange divine beings and events. The inheritance on Shi Rou is just one of them. It wasn't conspicuous at first, but as time passed, it became more apparent."
Changming was very interested in Treasure Bottle Continent. Fallen Mountain had a rich collection of books, and she often browsed through them. She had seen a reference to the "Eight Hundred Immortals of Ancient Shu."
The old man continued to reveal heavenly secrets: "She has some connection with that third master of the Jade Capital. A severed connection still linking. When the lotus moves and pulls the root depends on the other party's mood—whether in the future he wants to return to his true homeland to see his senior brother."
Changming simply listened and memorized it silently.
Out of nowhere, Old Man Yang said, "Wild cats on night roads stink of blood everywhere."
Ma Kuxuan's "childhood playmate" had an origin far greater than Shi Rou's little seed of spiritual light.
Old Man Yang pointed to the long bench under the eaves across the way. "Sit down. Let's chat a bit."
Changming obeyed and sat down.
Old Man Yang was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "Just a place the size of a palm. There's nowhere under heaven that can scare outsiders more than here."
Since the last sixty years.
Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun, this pair of senior and junior brothers who had turned against each other for all the world to see. As for Cui Chan's heresy and rebellion, that was real. But betraying his master and destroying his teacher, never.
The Old Sage of Literature, Jun Qian, Liu Shiliu. Then the direct line of the Old Sage of Literature's disciples was only missing Zuo You, who had never appeared here.
The Most Proud Under Heaven, Bai Ye.
The Third Master of the Jade Capital, Lu Chen, set up a fortune-telling stall here, while the Yin-Yang master Zou Zi set up a stall selling candied hawthorns here.
Heavenly Lord Xie Shi.
Ruan Qiong and Ruan Xiu, Li Er and Li Liu—two pairs of father and daughter.
Cao Xi and Cao Jun—a pair of grandparents from Mud Vase Alley.
"Blind Daoist Jia Sheng," Bai Di City's Zheng Juzhong—another pair of master and disciple.
Li Xisheng, one of the incarnations of Dao Ancestor.
Song Changjing, who once visited incognito.
Xu Ruo of the Mohist school.
A Liang, who nearly stepped into the small town.
Zhi Gui, the maid from Mud Vase Alley who seemed to steal light through a chiseled wall.
The first Upper Five Realm mountain lord in Treasure Bottle Continent's history, Wei Bo.
Sword cultivators Jiang Shangzhen, Mi Yu, Li Cai...
And finally, there was the ancient sword hanging under the bridge.
For mountain Dao seekers, a short cycle of sixty years counted for what?
So if one was just slightly unlucky, no matter who came here, no matter how high their realm, if they were too bold, they would be hanging by a thread.
Even if someone was momentarily proud and formed enemies here but was safe for now, they had better look far ahead and take it easy. After all, the young people from Lizhu Cave Heaven, especially from Chen Ping'an and Ma Kuxuan's generation, had gone far and would not be small fry.
Old Man Yang smiled, breaking his usual pattern. "This opening is truly a magnificent piece of writing." (Note 1)
Changming held her breath, only listening, not speaking.
Then she turned her head.
A young Confucian scholar, travel-worn, carrying a bamboo bookcase, holding a green bamboo staff, suddenly lifted the curtain with one hand and happened to catch Old Man Yang's rare smile. He laughed loudly, "Old man, look at you grinning like a fool. What's so funny? Found yourself a wife?! Still vigorous despite your age! Quite impressive!"
Changming was stunned.
The young man didn't know Changming's identity, so he just clasped his fists and smiled, then scampered over behind Old Man Yang, crouched down, wrapped an arm around the old man's neck, and asked, "Miss me? Miss me?!"
He certainly didn't think Old Man Yang had the ability to find such a beautiful elder sister.
Changming was frozen for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.
She knew—it was that Li Huai, whose name she had heard for so long but never seen in person. He had been very close to the master since childhood.
Old Man Yang allowed Li Huai to act outrageously, only saying, "You still deigned to come back."
Li Huai let go, plopped down beside him, gently pounded his legs, and complained, "This trip was exhausting. Dead tired. Didn't gain any fortune at all."
Old Man Yang chuckled.
Changming took her leave.
Old Man Yang acted as if he hadn't seen her.
Li Huai took off his bookcase and set it aside, then lay back with a weary expression. "Old Man Yang, how did the world suddenly become so chaotic?"
Old Man Yang said, "It's not that bad."
Li Huai asked, "Does it have anything to do with you?"
Old Man Yang was silent, then started puffing smoke.
Li Huai sat up. "Give me a straight answer. Don't pretend to be a reclusive master. Old arms and old legs—don't overdo it."
Old Man Yang said, "Not much to do with it."
Li Huai relaxed a bit and grinned cheekily. "Earlier, I saw you grinning slyly, not like a proper person. What good news? Really found a wife? Can't be."
Old Man Yang didn't speak.
Li Huai lay back down again. If he could lie down, he really didn't want to sit. If he could sit, he didn't want to stand. He'd been like that since childhood. Used to not being good at anything, not being able to compare with anyone, not even with his friends. Li Huai didn't really care about that either. But traveling far from home, he always encountered things that weren't so pleasant.
But his mother always said he was born to enjoy good fortune, because his sister was quite pretty and clever. In the future, she would find a brother-in-law willing to help his brother-in-law. Then he could just lie back and enjoy life.
But Li Huai was worried when he thought of his sister Li Liu. A grown girl with no place to settle. Look, she missed out on my sworn brother Chen Ping'an, and now she can't get married, right? What were Mom and Dad thinking, especially Mom? Sister, do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to? Given Mom's temper, would she be willing to vacate the room prepared for her son for an outsider?
Old Man Yang seemed to know what Li Huai was thinking and said, "Your sister doesn't like Chen Ping'an. A melon forced off the vine isn't sweet. You don't understand even this simple truth after all these years of reading?"
Li Huai rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. First, find yourself a wife, then come talk to me about romantic feelings."
Li Huai sat up, opened the bamboo case, and muttered about how much he had spent on this trip to Northern Juzhou. He hadn't spent any money the whole time, but just at the end, he broke his record.
The old man listened and smiled.
---
The lazy fellow Liu Xianyang rarely visited Fallen Mountain.
He didn't come often.
His riverside blacksmith shop was quite far from the mountain.
Liu Xianyang was too lazy even to go to the Ascension Platform.
It wasn't as if he hadn't been there in his dreams—many times.
Ordinary people, don't talk to me, Liu Xianyang, about thrilling things.
Looking at Zhou Mili, who was nodding off on a small stool like a chick pecking rice, Liu Xianyang softly coughed.
Zhou Mili jolted awake, eyes bleary. She rubbed her eyes, immediately stood up, and laughed, "Sleepyhead Liu is here!"
Little Mili had long given him the nickname "Sleepyhead Liu." Liu Xianyang nodded first, then sat down beside her and grinned, "Little Mili, as the Right Protector, acting as a little gate god is so beneath your status."
Zhou Mili said helplessly, "No choice. Big Wind Uncle has gone traveling. Yuan Lai also followed his sister down the mountain. Sister Nuan Shu is so busy every day, and I'm so free."
Then the girl whispered, "When Pei Qian comes back and sees me guarding the gate here, it'll be a big merit recorded on the credit sheet. Can't escape!"
Suddenly, the girl stretched out a hand and made a fist. "Even if he grows long legs and runs, I can catch him in a flash. Just like... when Pei Qian held down the Left Protector's head at Riding Dragon Alley!"
Liu Xianyang crossed his arms.
Zhou Mili asked, "What's wrong? Missing the Good Master?"
If so, they could both miss him together.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xianyang shook his head with a smile. "Miss him? Nonsense. Thinking of him just annoys me."
The little girl, who had just taken out a handful of melon seeds to treat Sleepyhead Liu, silently put them back in her sleeve.
How can you talk like that? Miss him? Then eat nothing!
Little Mili gently shook her head.
Liu Xianyang suppressed a laugh and asked, "Before, your Good Master used to be my little tail. We'd go to the creek together, find a narrow spot. I'd jump first, he'd jump after. Swoosh—across to the other side. Thump—he'd fall into the water. I'd laugh at him from the other side."
The little girl's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously, "Sleepyhead Liu, you're bragging without drafting. Good Master is super powerful."
Except he couldn't recite poems.
Besides, if Good Master was Sleepyhead Liu's tail, then what about her and Pei Qian? Wouldn't their seniority drop?
Liu Xianyang shrugged and laughed, "Little Mili, oh Little Mili."
The girl giggled, "Sleepyhead Liu, oh Sleepyhead Liu."
Liu Xianyang looked into the distance, at the bright moon, and joked, "Need to find a wife soon, then have a daughter as cute as Little Mili!"
Zhou Mili thought for a moment, traced a circle with her little head, and said, "Usually, very, very hard. But after eating melon seeds, not so hard."
Liu Xianyang murmured, "Short pavilion then long pavilion, long pavilion then short pavilion. Pavilion after pavilion, stopping and stopping. The road home never ends."
Zhou Mili's eyes lit up. "Sleepyhead Liu, you can recite poems too! Can you lend it to me for a few days? I'll show off to Pei Qian later. After showing off, I'll definitely return it."
Liu Xianyang smiled gently. "Of course."
Then the big and the little sat together, looking at the round moon, each thinking of someone far away.
In the middle of Golden Armor Continent.
Pei Qian, on a tragically concluded battlefield, picked up a child covered in mud.
This was the last elite border army of a great dynasty, a full 160,000 men, wiped out in one go.
When the other party first met, the child was lying on the ground, first saw a pair of broken boots soaked in blood, stopped not far from the child.
Pei Qian reached out to pull the child out of the pile of corpses. The child sat on the ground, motionless, staring fixedly at the young woman covered in blood, her face cracked, cheekbones exposed.
Her eyes were lifeless.
Yu Juanfu came to Pei Qian's side and looked at the pitiful, skin-and-bones child, then said to Pei Qian, "That punch, thank you."
Pei Qian squeezed out a smile and gently shook her head.
She had saved Yu Juanfu from afar on the battlefield with a punch learned from Aunt Pei's lineage of the Thunder God Temple. So Pei Qian didn't think it was worth thanking. If her master found out, would she get a chestnut flick for nothing?
A young man in striking white robes stood alone on a hilltop.
In the path of cultivation, there was Dao Ancestor's Second Disciple in the Green Underworld, hailed as truly invincible across several worlds.
On the martial path, this man also had a bit of that truly invincible spirit.
After all, before him, there was a female martial god's master waiting for him.
Cao Ci not only punched to kill enemies but also punched to save people.
Pei Qian at most could spare attention to worry about Aunt Xi's safety. That was because Yu Juanfu fought alongside her, not far away.
But that Cao Ci's fists could cover the battlefield from far away.
No wonder he was the only destined rival on her master's martial path.
Everything her master did, from finding opponents to everything else, was always excellent.
But the choice of his first disciple didn't seem too presentable.
Pei Qian said to the child, "Get up. Play dead when you need to play dead. Stand up when you need to stand up. Stand up, then bow your head, so you can live long. Stay here, dead is dead."
Pei