Chapter 743: Be Careful with Fire and Candles Under Heaven

Chapter 743: Be Careful with Fire and Candles Under Heaven

At dusk, in a remote small country within Bottle Gourd Continent, within the Qingyuan Prefecture's Xianyou County, outside a martial arts academy, there came a young Taoist wandering the four directions.

He claimed to be a good friend of the academy's master, Xu. The young Taoist wore a pair of cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles, looking neat and clean. He held a green bamboo walking staff, carried a sword case on his back with two sword hilts visible, one of which was made of peach wood. He also had a cloth bundle slung across his shoulder.

A peach wood sword, the academy's gatekeeper recognized—the storytellers at the bridge often mentioned that when mountain-cultivating Taoists descended the mountain to travel, regardless of whether they were from the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion, most liked to carry a peach wood sword for show.

The gatekeeper was a disciple who had only joined the academy a few years ago. Since the outside world had been unsettled in recent years, he asked for the traveler's travel pass. In truth, this academy disciple could barely recognize a few characters and was only going through the motions. Nowadays, any outsider traveling through the county, whether renting a carriage, mule, or donkey, or stopping at an inn, would have been thoroughly checked by constables and patrolling officers long before, so it was hardly the place of an academy disciple to catch any omissions.

The gatekeeper returned the travel pass and said he would go inform the master.

The young Taoist smiled and nodded, waiting patiently.

This cross-continent journey, traveling south all the way, had shown him much the same scenery throughout Bottle Gourd Continent. It wasn't just mountain cultivators who regarded everyone with suspicion; even common folk down the mountain were very cautious.

For instance, nowadays, when night watchmen made their rounds in the prefectural and county towns, the government offices would arrange for someone to accompany them, to prevent any roving criminals from committing crimes. Additionally, civil and military temples, as well as city god temples, had been kept open at night in recent years. The imperial court had decreed that every temple, large or small, must ensure incense never ceased, and local governments at all levels had to send people to "check in" and offer incense. Commoners who had to get up in the dead of night grumbled a bit, but it was mostly trivial complaints about daily life—nothing like resentment. After all, each household only had to take a turn every few days. Moreover, the wealthy in the county took turns setting up late-night snack stalls, ensuring no one went for nothing. Some poor and lonely families actually appreciated the government's measures, so they burned incense with even greater sincerity. Every day, elderly scholars and successful candidates in the imperial examinations would go around, along with the elders of various clan ancestral halls, and even some septuagenarians leaning on canes, helping to calm people's hearts. Generally, they said that although the fighting outside was fierce, once victory was won—from the Great Li's Song Clan iron cavalry to their own court—there would be tax relief. The emperor had issued official documents and would not deceive anyone. So if they could just endure, they would see a golden age unseen in a century. If anyone dared to break the rules at this time, not only would national law intervene, but also government regulations, clan laws, and they might even be expelled from the clan lineage. Commoners might not understand national law, but they certainly understood the severity of clan law, especially being struck from the family tree.

Xu Yuanxia walked quickly to the main gate and saw the young Taoist outside. He laughed heartily, stepped over the threshold, and grabbed Zhang Shanfeng's shoulder, applying a bit more pressure. "Good heavens, your bones are almost as sturdy as your big brother Xu's."

The academy disciple serving as gatekeeper was puzzled. His master hadn't been this happy in a long time. The master had many friends and liked to spend money, so plenty of guests came to freeload at the academy, but some laughter came from the master's mouth, while many of the rules of hospitality in the martial world were just that. But today, the laughter seemed to come from the master's eyes.

Xu Yuanxia pulled Zhang Shanfeng close, patted his back a couple of times, then let go and stepped back a few paces, nodding. "Still a fine face—half as handsome as your big brother Xu was in his youth."

Seeing Xu Yuanxia again after so long, the young Taoist was momentarily speechless.

Up on the mountain, he was used to his master and senior brothers' unchanging appearances.

But when Zhang Shanfeng looked at this... old man...

He was suddenly dazed.

The man before him had a straight back, graying temples, and had shaved off his bushy beard.

Zhang Shanfeng could barely recognize him.

The young Taoist, still unchanged in appearance, suddenly remembered that this once-vigorous, bearded hero was now past fifty, with some years to spare.

That was the difference between a martial artist down the mountain and a cultivator up the mountain.

A pure martial artist, if they could reach the third Qi-refining realm, might manage some appearance-maintaining techniques, but if they could never reach the Golden Body realm, they would age like any mortal—hair graying at the temples, eventually turning white all over.

Zhang Shanfeng collected his thoughts, clasped his fists, and said, "Big Brother Xu!"

Xu Yuanxia pulled Zhang Shanfeng over the threshold and muttered in complaint, "Shanfeng, why are you alone? If that kid doesn't come soon, I won't be able to drink anymore."

Zhang Shanfeng said helplessly, "I took the Sackcloth Sect's ferry this time, and I had to pass through Oxhorn Mountain Ferry. I didn't get to see Chen Ping'an at Fallen Mountain either. Last time he went to Northern Jujube Continent, I happened to be away."

Xu Yuanxia comforted him, "It's fine, no need to force it. You're still young."

Having said that, Xu Yuanxia laughed loudly, "Still young."

After returning to his hometown, Xu Yuanxia had opened this martial arts academy. In fact, the Xu family was a local notable, but Xu Yuanxia had left home for too long and was from a collateral branch, so he had essentially set up his own household. The academy was a small operation; over the years, he hadn't produced any particularly accomplished disciples. The direct disciples' own disciples were much the same. Business wasn't dismal, but they hadn't made much of a name in the martial world. However, this unremarkable academy was not so simple in the eyes of those in the know within this remote country's martial arts circles. Rumors had gradually spread that Master Xu, though not exceptional in boxing, knew a few mountain immortals, and that when he had served in the border army, he had accumulated a few inconsequential connections in officialdom. Xu Yuanxia found these rumors rather annoying. What official connections did I have? I'm a sixth-rank martial artist—that's not too bad, is it?

But it wasn't surprising that outsiders would grasp at shadows. In fact, since returning home, Xu Yuanxia had never made much of his martial rank. Not only did he deliberately hide his boxing skill, but he never mentioned his breakthrough to the sixth rank. Otherwise, a sixth-rank martial artist in a remote country like his would be considered a top-tier martial arts master. If he were willing to open his doors and get along with mountain sects and the government, he might even have a chance to become the leader of the local martial world.

However, the smaller the place, the more complicated the grudges and trouble when one's skill was high. Shallow waters breed many turtles, and human entanglements are the most annoying.

Xu Yuanxia had written a travelogue in private, cutting and adding over time, but he had never sought a publisher.

All his heroic spirit, worn away by drink, he would leave to the rivers and lakes he had once walked.

Only when reunited with true friends would this former bearded wanderer, who had crossed countless mountains and rivers alone, genuinely want to drink.

At the wine table.

A direct disciple brought wine for Xu Yuanxia and was a bit surprised. In recent years, his master rarely drank, and when he did, it was only a sip or two. He mostly drank tea.

Zhang Shanfeng's gift was a few cans of tea leaves, purchased at a celestial ferry port called Anji. Beside the port was a Golden Light Temple, and the tea trees planted there produced leaves as white as jade with emerald veins, reasonably priced. Xu Yuanxia accepted the tea, laughing heartily, saying it was a coincidence—now he really did like tea. The tea was produced in Anxi, near his hometown of Xianyou County, but it was no celestial tea; any household with some means could afford it. When Chen Ping'an came, he could choose his own tea—Anji or Anxi, both good names for good tea.

Back then, in appearance, drinking capacity, boxing skill, and learning, Chen Ping'an never competed with Xu Yuanxia or Zhang Shanfeng, except when it came to names. Chen Ping'an insisted that his name was the best.

"Big Brother Xu, why are you still single? That's just not right."

Zhang Shanfeng took a sip of wine and teased, "Back then, the three of us agreed that when you returned home, you'd find a pretty girl, get married, and have children, and both Chen Ping'an and I would be the godfathers. You'd have a daughter—a cozy little cotton-padded jacket—and two sons. One would learn the outer-sect Taoist arts of Dragon-Tiger Mountain from me, and the other would learn boxing and swordsmanship from Chen Ping'an."

Xu Yuanxia rolled his eyes. He drank heartily from his bowl, not urging Zhang Shanfeng to drink more. If you urge others to be heroic at the table, but you aren't heroic yourself... "I wanted to, but I kept putting it off, and now it's too late. Shanfeng, your way of drinking is so refined—it's like drinking tea. You're even worse than Chen Ping'an."

To hell with being heroic at the table—what's the point of drinking if you don't urge others?

Xu Yuanxia got drunk, and Zhang Shanfeng got drunk too.

After hearing some mountain rumors from Zhang Shanfeng, Xu Yuanxia sighed and said, "The Sword Qi Great Wall is a place of clear grievances and vengeance, a land of revenge and clearing one's name, not a den of filth."

Zhang Shanfeng raised his wine bowl and said he could toast to that.

Zhang Shanfeng suddenly asked Xu Yuanxia how old Chen Ping'an was now.

Drunk, Xu Yuanxia shook his head and said he couldn't remember; they could have another toast first.

Xu Yuanxia, no longer the bearded hero, collapsed onto the table before passing out completely, staring at the door and muttering, "I wanted to buy osmanthus flowers and share a boat, but in the end, it's not like traveling in youth. I've grown old. Where is the youth?"

Zhang Shanfeng lay his head on the table, drunkenly hiccuping, and said, "Don't let it happen—next time we meet, Chen Ping'an might be taller than both of us."

Flowers bloom again every year, but people never regain their youth. That's just how it is. Only the wine of peach and plum in the spring breeze is never enough.

—

A round-faced girl in a cotton-padded jacket passed by Iron Talisman River and arrived at Dragon Beard River. She noticed many leaves in the water.

Finally, she saw a man crouching by the river, releasing leaves like little boats. He looked to be in his early twenties, but since he was a cultivator, his real age was certainly greater.

Liu Xianyang turned around and, upon seeing the unfamiliar girl, immediately broke into a bright smile. He quickly stood up and began introducing himself, "Your humble servant is named Liu Xianyang, a native of these parts. From a young age, I studied hard under the cold window, and though I have yet to achieve any official rank, I have read ten thousand volumes and traveled ten thousand miles. I have lofty aspirations and a bit of family property. I have an ancestral home in the town, in an excellent location..."

This round-faced girl with an unfamiliar face looked a bit confused. Could she not understand what he meant? Or could she not understand the language at all?

Not a native of Great Li? So she doesn't understand the official language?

Sure enough, the girl asked, "Where is this?"

The Great Elegant Speech of the Haoran World.

Liu Xianyang mistakenly thought she was a celestial maiden from another continent traveling in Bottle Gourd Continent. Nowadays, among the various schools of thought, many young Qi refiners from other continents were traveling far and wide. Dragon Prefecture, as the site of the former Li Zhu Cave Heaven, was a must-visit place.

When Liu Xianyang left home as a youth to study abroad, he had often seen celestial pavilions atop peaks with beautiful maidens standing alone, their ribbons fluttering in the wind. He had seen many such celestial scenes. After seeing so many, they seemed ordinary. The scenery was beautiful, but it belonged to others. However, this round-faced girl in simple clothing, with her soft voice or her big, watery eyes blinking, was also quite pleasant to listen to and look at.

Liu Xianyang smiled and replied, "Bottle Gourd Continent, Dragon Prefecture."

The girl was stunned. Why did she have to end up in Bottle Gourd Continent, the one place she least wanted to be?

She was She Yue.

Earlier, at the Peach Leaf Ferry in Tung Leaf Continent, she had been inexplicably confined in someone's sleeve. In that sleeve's universe of mountains and rivers, She Yue had just cooked a pot of celestial rice and hadn't even had a bite when she found herself back in the sunlight. She was then inexplicably thrown onto an unfamiliar mountaintop. She asked if she could have her pot of rice back, but got no response. So she followed the road beneath her feet, wandered aimlessly, passed through a bustling town at the confluence of three rivers, and ended up here. Because there was a mountain here that seemed to have naturally denser moonlight, not due to any celestial technique for gathering spiritual energy, so She Yue was curious.

She Yue said, "My name is Yu Qianyue, from the Central Earth Divine Continent."

The round-faced girl in the cotton-padded jacket was quite satisfied with her improvised story—it showed the quick wit and experience needed to travel the martial world.

Liu Xianyang praised, "Miss, that's a beautiful name."

She Yue hesitated, then asked, "Are you a scholar?"

Liu Xianyang also hesitated, then said in a sincere tone, "I can not be."

He had already thought of a few lines, like "Rough hemp and coarse cloth wrap my life, but my belly holds poetry and books, and my spirit is radiant." But it seemed he wouldn't need them.

Can not be? As expected of a scholar.

Then he must be one.

She Yue turned to leave.

She planned to find a secluded mountain, cook some rice, and eat. Preferably where no one could see her.

Liu Xianyang trotted after her, keeping four or five steps away, not daring to be rude. He walked sideways, "Miss Qianyue, it's just a few steps away. Won't you come and see Shady Locust County? There's a place called the 'New Year's Gift Shop' in Riding Dragon Alley with pastries so delicious you could eat them as a meal, and they're cheap too."

She Yue shook her head.

Liu Xianyang had to stop.

She Yue suddenly frowned and asked three questions in a row: "Mr. Liu... have you heard of Fallen Mountain? Is it far from here? Not close, I hope?"

Liu Xianyang nodded, "Not close... probably."

Chen Ping'an's Fallen Mountain was truly not close to the riverside blacksmith's shop.

She Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

She ultimately didn't let Liu Xianyang follow her. She planned to go to the town; she had some immortal money and gold and silver with her. She couldn't speak the local official dialect, but she could just pay extra for whatever she bought. As for the New Year's Gift Shop in Riding Dragon Alley, she absolutely would not go, but she still wanted to take a distant look at that mountain.

Liu Xianyang didn't pester this Miss Qianyue, who had come from afar. He only reminded her not to casually fly around here, because there were rules, established by a stubborn blacksmith. She Yue sincerely thanked the young man named Liu. Of course, she wouldn't easily fly. This place called Dragon Prefecture was too mystical; the mountain and river spiritual energy was excessively abundant. And on this small territory, so many thriving godly temples were gathered. If it were Tung Leaf Continent, She Yue wouldn't be so cautious—live and let live. If someone provoked her, she wouldn't mind fighting back. As long as it wasn't someone as crazy as Jiang Shangzhen, she wasn't afraid of anyone. But in this Bottle Gourd Continent, full of strange things and small mountains, She Yue felt unsettled wherever she went. If She Yue weren't a pure demonic beast, she would have just stayed still wherever she was dropped.

Liu Xianyang returned to his shop, continued to doze in the bamboo chair under the eaves, his mind wandering a million miles.

She Yue wandered a bit in the county, then headed for the mountain with abundant moonlight. At the mountain gate, she encountered a little water spirit that she liked at first sight.

A little girl in black was sitting on a small bamboo chair under the mountain gate archway, with a small golden carrying pole and a green bamboo walking staff leaning beside her. It seemed the little girl was acting as a gatekeeper along with her tools.

This little girl in black made her own patrols around the mountain twice a day, morning and evening. After running all the way, she would rush to guard the mountain gate.

Yu Mi had traveled far to Northern Jujube Continent. Pei Qian had gone home and then down the mountain. So now the big water spirit of Yaba Lake no longer had to act as a gatekeeper every morning. She patrolled the mountain alone, but she had let Jingqing go to vassal mountains like Gray-Sprouting Mountain and Yellow Lake Mountain to pick a tree or flower each and plant them on Fallen Mountain.

Why doesn't a white cloud need to cultivate to fly? Does the stream get tired when it runs so far? When the wind passes through the treetops, do the leaves get woken up?

Fish eat lotus flowers, ah. The mountains and rivers are peaceful, the world is smooth, the country is prosperous, and the people are safe.

But now, Zhou Mili had a little worry that she was too embarrassed to tell Sister Nuan Shu.

The little incense figure who checked in on time was furious, saying that someone had been spreading rumors that Fallen Mountain's mountain guardian was just a mere Cave Abode realm little water spirit.

Zhou Mili wasn't really angry. She just scratched her face and said, "I really don't have a high cultivation level."

But after that, when she met Sister Nuan Shu and Jingqing, she still chattered away. But when she was alone, the little girl in black no longer liked talking to herself. She became a little mute who liked to scratch her face and head.

Before, the little girl would go find the old cook and say, "I've learned a peerless boxing technique from Pei Qian. You're tall, so let me have three moves first." After the fight, she would run away.

Now, little Mili would often go look at the piggy banks. She, Pei Qian, and Sister Nuan Shu each had their own—all small white porcelain jars.

Nowadays, Dragon Prefecture kilns were no longer the exclusive tribute for the Great Li Song Clan; they were renowned throughout the mortal world.

Before, Zhou Mili counted the days on her fingers. Now she counted the years on her fingers. So Zhou Mili started practicing calligraphy, cutting red paper for Spring Festival couplets and writing small notes like "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter—Peace in All Seasons," which she pasted on her piggy bank.

So now, little Mili was secretly worrying alone. Then she saw the round-faced sister coming to visit.

She Yue changed her mind and asked from a distance, "Do you speak the Great Elegant Speech of the Central Earth Divine Continent?"

Zhou Mili had actually already been sneaking glances at this lovely round-faced sister. She quickly stood up, clasped her fists in greeting, and ran over to She Yue, stopping abruptly. "I know it, I know it, but I'm not very good at speaking it yet."

She Yue smiled. A celestial sect that used a Cave Abode realm creature as a gatekeeper, and a mountain and river spirit at that—it probably wasn't very powerful. But that was fine; this little girl was so cute. She Yue immediately developed a good impression of this mountain. A place willing to let a little water spirit be a gatekeeper must have a good atmosphere.

So She Yue asked, "What place is this?"

"Huh?"

The little girl scratched her face, seemingly surprised that this sister didn't know the famous name of their mountain. No matter—she could tell her. It was her duty, and she could earn a small merit. She would report it to Pei Qian later.

So little Mili puffed out her chest, stood on tiptoe, crossed her arms, and said seriously, "This is Fallen Mountain! Our mountain lord's surname is Chen, sister. Do you know him? No?"

Bottle Gourd Continent, Fallen Mountain, mountain lord surnamed Chen. Moonlight fell upon the mortal world, and this place seemed to claim the most of it.

She Yue's face stiffened. She silently raised her hands, not daring to slap her face hard, just gently covering her cheeks.

This was too much.

—

On the overseas battlefield of Southern Bodhisattva Continent, the demon army of the Barbaric World was amassing in great numbers but still didn't seem eager to attack the mainland.

It was said that the area around the old Dragon City at the southern tip of Bottle Gourd Continent had already been completely shattered. The Embroidery Tiger, Cui Chan, using a mountain-shaped seal no less massive than the Inverted Hanging Mountain, had smashed the entire southern land with his supreme divine power. On the Southern Front battlefield, the Great Li iron cavalry and the border army, alongside the mountain immortals, had successfully held back the demon army that had landed, refusing to retreat to this day.

In the history of the Haoran World, no battlefield, no war had ever shattered a continent's mountains and rivers inch by inch, causing a true "subsidence of land and sea."

Bottle Gourd Continent had done it.

Thus, the criticism from the Central Earth Divine Continent against the pure Confucian Chen Chun'an grew increasingly intense.

The land and sea faced each other from afar, surrounded by the suffocating atmosphere of a coming storm. But in the eyes of many scholars in the Central Earth Divine Continent who "fold their sleeves and talk about human nature," Southern Bodhisattva Continent, which had gathered numerous mountain forces, clearly had the strength to fight, to defend "outside the country's gates." Yet under Chen Chun'an's leadership, it was so lifeless, achieving nothing on the battlefield, just waiting for the Barbaric World's delayed attacks. It seemed as if those spirited scholars of Central Earth, who loved to criticize current affairs, would have already faced death in a crisis for their king if they were in Southern Bodhisattva Continent.

The great female sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Lu Zhi, threw down a landscape gazette filled with poisonous content, frowning deeply.

The sword immortal of Spring Sash Studio, Shao Yunyan, explained with a smile, "Mr. Lu, not all scholars of Central Earth are so impulsive. But often, what we get to see are the dirty people and ugly matters."

Shao Yunyan habitually addressed Lu Zhi as "Mr."

In fact, Chen Chun'an also addressed the female sword immortal similarly.

The former owner of the Plum Garden at Inverted Hanging Mountain, Drunken Rouge Lady, wore a bamboo hat to veil her peerless beauty. For years, she had played the role of Lu Zhi's personal maid. Her seductive laughter seeped through the gauze, "In this world, it's either smart people or fools. That's normal, but there are too many fools. They have no other skills than to disgust people."

Drunken Rouge Lady had no good feelings for her homeland, the Haoran World.

Shao Yunyan smiled and said, "I remember the Hidden Keeper said that the people most willing to be blinded by a single leaf are those who have read books—and read many of them. I recall that the Plum Garden of Drunken Rouge Lady had quite a collection of books?"

Drunken Rouge Lady was immediately silenced.

The Spring Sash Studio and the Plum Garden had both been moved to the Sword Qi Great Wall by the young Hidden Keeper. The Ape Trample Mansion had been stripped bare by the summer palace of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Only the Water Essence Palace of Inverted Hanging Mountain had no connection with the Sword Qi Great Wall; it had been flipped into the sea by the little Dao boy Jiang Yunsheng, eventually falling into the hands of a great demon.

Shao Yunyan and Drunken Rouge Lady, who harbored resentment towards the Haoran World, had been at odds for a long time. Shao Yunyan had never thought that being stationed beside Lu Zhi by the summer palace would leave him with nothing to do. Now he was more certain: if Drunken Rouge Lady kept spouting nonsense by Lu Zhi's side, seemingly speaking reason but actually being extreme, over time, it would cause trouble.

She didn't genuinely intend to fan flames by Lu Zhi's side, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself.

After being indirectly reminded by Shao Yunyan, Drunken Rouge Lady was now inwardly anxious, truly terrified of the ruthless young Hidden Keeper.

She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Mr. Lu, the old sword immortal Qi has arrived in Southern Bodhisattva Continent."

Lu Zhi nodded. "He has probably given up on the Fifth Continent and is now looking to accumulate merits and establish a sect in the Haoran World. That's a good thing."

Shao Yunyan said, "There are also two younger ones from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Sanqiu and Diezhang, who have traveled here. Since there's no fighting at the moment and they missed Mr. Lu, they've gone to visit Da Rangshui first."

Lu Zhi said, "When you two are on the battlefield, try to protect Chen Sanqiu and Diezhang as much as possible. I might not be able to cover everything."

Shao Yunyan nodded slightly. Drunken Rouge Lady curtsied.

Among the sword cultivators who entered the Haoran World, aside from direct disciples of wandering sword immortals like Li Cai and Pu He, almost all were very young. On one hand, the children hadn't grown up yet; on the other, their teaching masters, even after leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall, had not stopped wielding their swords.

Li Cai of Northern Jujube Continent, Song Pin of Golden Armor Continent, Pu He of Flowing Mist Continent, Xie Songhua of White-White Continent, and so on.

Furthermore, the sword immortals and sword cultivators who had left the Sword Qi Great Wall had all returned to battle—they had merely switched the battlefield from the Sword Qi Great Wall to various continents of the Haoran World. Almost none chose to watch coldly as the situation collapsed. In Southern Bodhisattva Continent now, there was Qi Tingji, who had fought in Fuyao Continent and Golden Armor Continent, and then Lu Zhi, who had been guarding Southern Bodhisattva. There was Mi Yu, who had wielded his sword at Dragon City. Among the earth immortal sword cultivators, Chen Sanqiu and Diezhang had come from the Central Earth Divine Continent to Southern Bodhisattva. And Cui Wei had left Fallen Mountain for the Eastern Front.

This was a matter worth deep reflection.

In Southern Bodhisattva Continent, the foreign sword immortal Yuan Qingshu had fallen at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Thus, first Lu Zhi and Shao Yunyan of Spring Sash Studio, then Xie Songhua, then Chen Sanqiu and Diezhang—almost everyone who arrived in Southern Bodhisattva Continent would first visit Yuan Qingshu's sect, Da Rangshui. Its founding patriarch was named Long Cheng, a native of Fengjie County. He had once found a stone box in the Rangshui River, guarded by a spirit, and eventually obtained five ancient jade seals from the box. The inscriptions were not the later common seal script. Long Cheng kept one seal on his mountain, then, with only the Observation Sea realm, he traveled across mountains and rivers, crossed continents, and went to the Central Earth Divine Continent, where he donated the other four seals to the Confucian Temple. One deputy leader then personally delivered them to the Zhenhai Tower in Southern Bodhisattva Continent.

Lu Zhi suddenly asked, "Does anyone know what Yuan Qingshu wrote on the trouble-free plaque at the wine shop?"

Shao Yunyan shook his head and smiled. "I really haven't noticed."

Drunken Rouge Lady glanced sideways at Shao Yunyan and said to Lu Zhi with a charming smile, "I know. It was 'This world should know that I, Yuan Qingshu, am a sword immortal.'"

Lu Zhi stared at Drunken Rouge Lady. "Do you really know?"

The great female sword immortal's implication was: Could a thousand annoying landscape gazettes match Yuan Qingshu's sword strikes in a foreign land, risking death without hesitation?

Drunken Rouge Lady's expression changed slightly. She said timidly, "Your servant remembers now. I truly know."

A handsome young man in a snow-white robe suddenly appeared, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lu Zhi, and said, "Huang Tong died in battle on the Southern Front of Bottle Gourd Continent."

Lu Zhi, who rarely had sorrowful thoughts in her life of sword practice, couldn't help but sigh and turned her gaze toward Bottle Gourd Continent.

Qi Tingji reached out, grabbed the landscape gazette that was floating away in the wind, flipped through it, and said, "Dong San'geng's last farewell toast to a sword immortal was for the Taiwei Sword Sect's sword immortal Huang Tong."

Qi Tingji also threw away the gazette, clasped his hands behind his back, and squinted with a smile. "Just wait. If Zhou Mi succeeds, and the Haoran World loses the war, that's fine—everything ends, and there's nothing to say. But if they win, these half-baked scholars will still criticize, only more vigorously. They'll say 'I knew it,' criticizing Chen Chun'an for inaction, even criticizing Bottle Gourd Continent for too many deaths, saying Embroidery Tiger's methods are inhumane."

Lu Zhi remained silent.

They have the nerve to say that. I, Lu Zhi, don't have the ears to listen. Let them be happy.

—

In the Azure Underworld.

Liu Qi and Cao Zu had not yet left, and the Great Xuan Capital Temple had two more visitors arriving together. One was a dog who could enter where someone else couldn't, and the other was a truly rare and honored guest.

Elder Sun suddenly roared, "This dog Lu Chen is really a sticky toffee!"

The female Taoist Chunhui had a headache.

The old temple master said to her, "Zhanran, go tell him I'm not in the temple. I'm at the Jade Capital, arm in arm with his master. Believe it or don't. If he doesn't, let him use his skill to break into the temple and challenge Bai Xian to a poetry duel, or Su Zi to a ci duel. If he can win, I'll admit defeat and kowtow to him three times outside the Jade Capital, louder than the celestial drum. I value my face the most; my word is my bond, known to all. A spit nail—let Lu Chen try to pry it out..."

Dong Huafu said, "Elder, watch your phrasing. Someone from my hometown once said that words are like a sword; using too much force can twist your waist, and the sword qi can split your trousers."

Elder Sun asked, "Did Ah Liang say that? Damn, that bastard's words do have some flavor."

Dong Huafu hummed in agreement.

The old Taoist suddenly stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "If it were just Lu Chen, it would be manageable. But he's got that annoying debt collector with him who likes to falsely accuse the innocent. That makes things tricky."

In the Azure Underworld, outside the Jade Capital, there were only a few peak sects like the Great Xuan Capital Temple and the Sui Chu Palace.

The Sui Chu Palace master, Wu Shuangjiang, had been in seclusion for his final meditation for many years and had finally emerged.

Because he had been out of touch with the world for centuries, Wu Shuangjiang had fallen off the latest list of the top ten in the Azure Underworld.

Now, Wu Shuangjiang had suppressed his aura and voluntarily visited the Great Xuan Capital Temple.

Elder Sun naturally had a headache. This Wu Shuangjiang had an excessively eccentric temperament—extremely good when good, and stubbornly fierce when bad.

There weren't many people who could give Sun Huaizhong a headache. At the very least, they had to be able to fight—very well. Otherwise, with the old temple master's famously "good temper," he would have taught them how to behave long ago.

Elder Sun couldn't help but ask, "Zhanran, how is your master's transcription of the Yellow Court Classic coming along?"

The female Taoist Chunhui said helplessly, "Temple Master, I haven't even mentioned it yet."

Elder Sun roared, "A dignified Immortal realm expert who loves fiddling with copper coins and yarrow stalks, and is best at dream interpretation! When Palace Master Wu visits, you should have prepared heavy gifts! Can't you even calculate that? Can't you predict it? Your master—don't outsiders say he has 'already felt and penetrated, aligning with Heaven and Earth'? And you still dare to say that there are only two people in the world who have truly understood the foremost scripture—he is one, and Zou Zi plus Lu Chen make the other? Mediocre skill, big talk! Where did this crooked energy come from? It's made me feel like I'm seeing an elder brother every time I look at this disciple of his!"

Chunhui was speechless. As a junior, she could not criticize her master or the temple master, so she just endured it. What else could she do? This was their temple's style.

Those lavish praises were all things the temple master, old man, had drunkenly boasted about to his mountain friends. Chunhui's master was always cautious and would never dare to praise himself so much.

When the temple master had "kindly" spread these exaggerated claims to boost the reputation of his junior, Chunhui's master had broken out in a cold sweat upon hearing it.

Sure enough, on his subsequent travels, Chunhui's master kept stumbling upon obstacles. Rumor had it that Lu Chen, the third leader of the Jade Capital, had declared he must have a discussion with Chunhui's master, so he specially had people lie in wait at the temple's boundary. Whenever Chunhui's master went out, he would inevitably encounter some trouble, big or small, on his journey.

Chunhui's master was especially skilled in dream interpretation. In his cultivation dwelling hung a scroll with writings about the "bad dreams" of emperors, princes, nobles, and commoners. She had heard her master say it came from a scholar named Jia in the Haoran World. Chunhui had seen it as a child and didn't think much of it, but for some reason, her master valued it greatly. Chunhui only thought that the part about a king having a bad dream and repairing the Way, or a high official having a bad dream and fixing his official duties, actually resonated well with the customs of the Azure Underworld.

A voice directly broke through several mountain-and-river restrictions of the temple, causing ripples in everyone's mind-sea: "Whether Temple Master Sun is here or not doesn't matter. I'm here to find Liu Qi and Cao Zu."

Elder Sun snorted. Really not taking the fifth-ranked one seriously, are you?

But Liu Qi declined the offer of Elder Sun and Su Zi to accompany him out. He just bid farewell to his good friend Cao Zu and left to meet the Sui Chu Palace master.

Wu Shuangjiang had the face of a middle-aged man, ordinary in appearance. But in the eyes of fifth-realm cultivators, the palace master's aura was openly visible. Behind him stood a dharma-avatar as tall as a man, ethereal, roughly overlapping with his true body but slightly off, making it even more peculiar. The avatar had no discernible features, wore a red celestial robe and purple headband, and stood amidst clouds and mist.

Wu Shuangjiang clearly had one foot in the legendary fourteenth realm but had not truly entered it—a unique phenomenon.

By common sense, Wu Shuangjiang shouldn't have left Sui Chu Palace at this time. But since he had come, it was no small matter.

Wu Shuangjiang's life of cultivation was full of legends.

Thus, the lucky young man among the alternate Ten, also surnamed Wu, had basked in his glory, earning the nickname "Big and Little Wu."

Wu Shuangjiang got straight to the point: "I want to borrow that half of the Marriage Ledger."

He already knew his dao partner's hiding place—half through his own deduction, half through the news from the Crane Inn at Inverted Hanging Mountain.

She was both a heart-demon deliberately created by Wu Shuangjiang and a foreign heavenly demon that he had personally captured in his mind-sea during a journey beyond the sky. With this blasphemous supreme power, Wu Shuangjiang had managed to keep his dao partner "alive" within his heart.

But during a crucial moment when Wu Shuangjiang was in a life-or-death seclusion, trying to break through to the next realm, "she," after years of planning, finally found an opportunity to escape.

She eventually hid inside a Taoist's sleeve from the Great Xuan Capital Temple and traveled to the Haoran World.

Thus, it was easy to imagine Wu Shuangjiang's opinion of the Great Xuan Capital Temple.

The old temple master was not without a guilty conscience when dealing with Wu Shuangjiang. As for that inkstone he might or might not have borrowed—was that even a matter? Palace Master Wu was wealthy; the Sui Chu Palace owned a great cave heaven and two blessed lands. Why would he care about such a thing?

Lu Chen raised his hands from the side, "Today's matter has nothing to do with me, and I'm not getting involved."

He was a good friend of Wu Shuangjiang and also familiar with Liu Qilang. Some of Lu Chen's skills at mismatching couples had been learned from Cao Yuanchong.

Liu Qi shook his head. "Palace Master Wu should know the truth. Why force people?"

Because agreeing would mean Cao Zu becoming a prisoner of Sui Chu Palace.

Liu Qi was a true Flying Ascension realm expert.

His close friend Cao Zu, however, was not. Cao Zu's dao path had long been decayed and he was nearing the end of his life—a "false Flying Ascension." Before his journey, his actual realm had always been stuck at Jade Purity, not even Immortal realm. When Liu Qi received half of the Marriage Ledger, he gave it to his close friend, whose dao was aligned with it. Because Cao Zu successfully refined the ledger, he advanced to Immortal realm, enabling his true body to be hidden in Liu Qi's sleeve, and they flew up together under a false front to the Azure Underworld. Not only that, but the Ci-Pai Blessed Land was a place specifically tailored by Liu Qi for his friend's cultivation, so that Cao Zu could use literary fortune to ascend to Flying Ascension.

But Liu Qi's combat skills were by no means low among Flying Ascension cultivators of the various worlds; in fact, they were quite high.

After all, he was the first in history to truly comprehend all the mysteries of the "People-Retaining Realm," but most people only valued his literary talent and ci.

If Liu Qi could have refined that half of the Marriage Ledger himself, there might have been an extra fourteenth realm in the world now.

Achieving the fourteenth realm was extremely difficult. Su Zi, because Bai Xian had gone before him, had his dao path cut off and ultimately stopped at Flying Ascension. But Su Zi was naturally open-minded and took it in stride.

Wu Shuangjiang said, "I said 'borrow.' I'm not like some people who borrow and never return."

One day, a slip-up; the next, denial; the day after, slander and mud-slinging.

In his early years, Wu Shuangjiang had had a frank conversation with Temple Master Sun. The old Taoist had fumed, jumping up and down at Sui Chu Palace, shouting, "Am I that kind of person? I am a temple master, with a bit of Taoist skill and a little fame. Don't slander me. I can take a beating, but I cannot stand the slightest injustice!"

Wu Shuangjiang had said, "Of course you are."

So they went beyond the sky and had a fierce fight, leading to much speculation among onlookers, who linked it to dao disputes. But the reason was actually not that complicated.

Liu Qi shook his head again. "Yuanchong and I came together, so of course we will return together."

Wu Shuangjiang's expression was cold. "You came without asking me. If you want to leave, you have to ask me. This is a good opportunity to make up for the missing formalities. If I break some pots and pans at the Great Xuan Capital Temple, I'll pay for them."

Liu Qi smiled, "Palace Master is so deeply in love, I don't think you need that half of the Marriage Ledger at all."

Wu Shuangjiang said, "You don't have the final say."

Cao Zu suddenly said, "I'll stay."

Lu Chen muttered quietly from the side, "How tragic these worldly gentlemen are."

At the gate, Elder Sun appeared, accompanied by Dong Huafu, who should have been practicing swords at the Jade Capital's Shenxiao City. The old temple master couldn't stand this Wu Shuangjiang—flaunting his authority somewhere else, not on his doorstep. If they didn't have a fight, it wouldn't do. And with Lu Chen here, who was supposed to be guarding beyond the sky, he and Wu Shuangjiang wouldn't have to tear open the sky themselves, saving some effort.

But Lu Chen unexpectedly raised his arm and, with lightning speed, threw a scroll over the temple wall. After throwing it, he turned and ran, shouting over his shoulder, "Black Charcoal Dong, remember to come home early! When I'm free, I'll teach you how to draw talismans."

Dong Huafu said, "No thanks."

Lu Chen had already vanished.

Elder Sun waved his hand, signaling Chunhui not to worry—Lu Chen hadn't played any tricks.

The old Taoist picked up the scroll from the wall, untied the knot, and the painting unrolled.

The old temple master cursed with a laugh.

It was a painting Lu Chen had somehow gotten hold of—"A Spell-Casting Scene Inside a Snail Shell."

Dong Huafu craned his neck to look and read the inscription: "In the world, there are insignificant people who confine themselves to small spaces, even holding a grand water-and-land ritual inside a snail shell, with a great kitchen bringing out lavish feasts. The host and guests lie about in disarray, and the onlookers feel smugly self-satisfied..."

A child in a tiger-head hat stood inside the threshold, just staring at Wu Shuangjiang.

Wu Shuangjiang met his gaze and suddenly smiled broadly. "If Bai Ye is willing to accompany me on a trip to the Haoran World, then whether I take the half of the Marriage Ledger today or not doesn't matter. I can wait."

Bai Ye nodded. "As you wish."

Wu Shuangjiang muttered to himself, "I wonder why she likes Bai Ye's poems so much. Are they really that good? I don't think so."

A bearded scholar in straw sandals and bamboo staff laughed, "What we like isn't necessarily good; what we dislike isn't necessarily bad. Don't you agree, Palace Master Wu?"

Wu Shuangjiang's expression changed. No longer tense, he laughed, "Unlike her, I have genuinely admired Su Zi's ci for many years."

Su Zi laughed heartily and nodded, "That's truly good."

Elder Sun said softly, "Bai Ye, Cao Yuanchong admired you earlier, and now Palace Master Wu admires Su Zi. I think you've lost half a point—after all, Palace Master Wu has a higher realm."

Bai Ye just turned around and walked back to his cultivation dwelling.

Wu Shuangjiang, meanwhile, accompanied Su Zi and the others as they leisurely traveled beyond the sky.

Su Zi put away his maid Diansu and his page Zhuoyu, while Liu Qi had his friend Cao Zu retreat into his sleeve universe, clearly still not trusting this Palace Master Wu.

By the pond outside the thatched cottage.

Bai Ye and the old temple master walked slowly.

Bai Ye said, "Actually, Temple Master, you didn't need to go through so much trouble."

The pond, surrounded by peach trees, and the small hill in the distance that looked like a garden rockery were actually pocket landscapes created by Elder Sun's divine power—very deep water, very high mountains. A white deer, manifested from an excellent sword, stood guard by the cliff, with a green dharma robe hanging from its body. The pond was called Peach Blossom Pond, the sword was inscribed "White Deer," and the dharma robe was called "Azure Cliff."

It seemed everything was just for that line of poetry: "Let the white deer graze among the green cliffs; when I need to ride, I'll visit famous mountains."

The old temple master said, "The world is vast, and the years of cultivation are long. There are few people I truly respect. As for those like Wu Shuangjiang and Cao Yuanchong who 'admire' someone, how many can there be? Bai Ye, don't overthink it. Take what you like, put aside what you don't. I'm just acting out of selfishness, wanting to make this mortal world a more beautiful place."

—

Unexpectedly, Ruan Xiu today brought Dong Gu, Xu Xiaoqiao, and Xie Ling, leaving the ancestral mountain of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and arriving at the blacksmith's shop by the Dragon Beard River.

After meeting Liu Xianyang, Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao would immediately go to Oxhorn Mountain Ferry, take the Eternal Spring Palace's ferry, and then return to the old mountain realm of the Great Li capital. Xie Ling needed to find his family's old patriarch, Xie Shi, the Heavenly Lord of the Taoist sect in Northern Jujube Continent.

Because earlier, at the dinner table, their master Ruan Qiong had casually mentioned that Great Li was preparing to help the Dragon Spring Sword Sect establish a subsidiary sect.

Compared to Zhengyang Mountain and Pure Breeze City, which were still candidate sects and had yet to truly take root, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect was truly the favorite of the Great Li Song clan.

Dong Gu, Xu Xiaoqiao, and Xie Ling landed by flying, but Ruan Xiu did not appear. Dong Gu said their senior sister was relaxing by the stone cliff and would walk over later.

In the strict sect register, Dong Gu was Ruan Qiong's first disciple. For some reason, Ruan Xiu's name had never been recorded, but the direct and secondary disciples of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect were accustomed to regarding Ruan Xiu as the big senior sister. Of course, Xie Ling liked to call her "Xiu Xiu Jie." So this time, when the subsidiary sect was being established, Dong Gu and the others thought their master intended their senior sister to be the sect leader.

Liu Xianyang sat in his bamboo chair, flipping through a landscape gazette with a worried expression. When Dong Gu and the others arrived at the shop, Liu Xianyang didn't even look up, just waved for them to sit anywhere—it was all his territory anyway. Dong Gu and the others didn't mind. If Liu Xianyang, who even dared to joke around with their master, suddenly became polite and attentive, he must be up to something.

Xu Xiaoqiao glanced at the gazette in Liu Xianyang's hand and suppressed a smile.

Dong Gu sent a mental message to his junior brother Xie Ling, warning, "Be careful. Xianyang is definitely going to start with you."

And sure enough, Liu Xianyang looked up and stared at Xie Ling, who looked quite fresh and clever, and asked pitifully, "How much did you pay?"

Xie Ling was taken aback.

Xu Xiaoqiao explained, "He's asking how many immortal coins you paid the mountain gazette to get on their list, so he can go send his money."

Xie Ling smiled but said nothing, sitting on the bamboo chair with his hands on his knees, looking like a jade-like immortal.

In the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, the young locals born and bred were often quite handsome. The water and soil nurture the people. Besides Xie Ling of Peach Leaf Alley, Lin Shouyi, the Great Dusi river god from the Supervisor's Office, and Ma Kuxuan, the young alternate Ten member from Apricot Flower Alley, were all known for their striking features. And of course, Gu Can, who had returned home but then left again, from Mud Vase Alley, and Song Mujin, who became the vassal king Song Ji, and Zhao Yao, a scholar from a major household in Fortune Street—all were exceptionally handsome even as youths.

Recently, in Bottle Gourd Continent, a local list of the top ten young people under forty was compiled. Xie Ling, a direct disciple of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and a sword cultivator, made the list.

Liu Xianyang lowered his head again, looking blank. Still not giving up, he flipped through the gazette back and forth but ultimately couldn't find his name. He cursed under his breath, because he had just turned forty-one this year.

Liu Xianyang was two years older than Chen Ping'an. When they were young, they liked to report their age in nominal years. But as they got older, they stopped mentioning nominal years and only talked about their actual age.

It wasn't that Liu Xianyang cared about fame—it was that he cared... very much.

I've worked hard to earn my cultivation realm with real skill, and you blind fools are quibbling over a year or two? The previous gazettes about the top ten young people and the alternate ten across several worlds all included an "eleventh person." Adding a "Uncle Liu" wouldn't cost you much ink—would you lose money or something?

But given Master Ruan's temper, even if Liu Xianyang met the age requirement, he would probably use his status as the Great Li dynasty's chief guest elder to suppress his name.

If that were the case, Liu Xianyang truly wouldn't mind. Master Ruan, aside from everything else, was really decent in the way he handled people.

After all, the swordsmanship Liu Xianyang practiced was too peculiar. According to Ruan Qiong, before breaking into the upper fifth realm, he shouldn't be eager to become famous—it would come sooner or later, and the later the better.

Oddly enough, although Ruan Qiong had the support of Snow Wind Temple as his "natal home" and served as a military sage and the first among the Great Li Song clan's guest elders, he had only ever reached the Jade Purity realm. Before the Great Li iron cavalry moved south, that was fine, but now Bottle Gourd Continent was full of hidden masters and peak figures emerging endlessly, yet almost no one questioned Ruan Qiong's position as chief guest elder. The two emperors of Great Li, National Teacher Cui Chan, the pillar of state, the patrol envoy, and other civil and military officials all maintained a tacit understanding without any objection.

Mountain Lord Wei Bo, several head and deputy heads of the Piyun Forest Deer Academy, and especially Chen Ping'an's Fallen Mountain—from the old cook to Pei Qian—everyone treated Ruan Qiong with respect, never superficially. And Chen Lingjun, especially, acted like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he bumped into Ruan Qiong.

Liu Xianyang put away the gazette, turned to Xie Ling, and said earnestly, "Xie Ling, you're a sword cultivator. Fast sword is easy to practice, slow sword is hard. You must persevere."

Xie Ling nodded, deeply agreeing.

Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao first glanced at Liu Xianyang, whose smile was playful, then exchanged a look and said nothing.

Liu Xianyang looked at Xu Xiaoqiao and asked cheekily, "Senior Sister Xu, what were you thinking?"

The woman missing her right thumb smiled, "Probably the opposite of what Junior Brother Liu was thinking."

Liu Xianyang sighed, lazily leaning back in his chair.

The Xu family of Pure Breeze City had once bought a dragon kiln from the Ma family of Apricot Flower Alley.

And Lu Zhengchun, who had become a dao couple with a fairy from Qiongzhi Peak, had deliberately returned to his hometown in glory not long ago.

Even Song Banchai had become a vassal king of Great Li. Who could reason with that?

Ruan Xiu left the stone cliff, crossed the stone arch bridge, and walked slowly along the riverbank. Xie Ling immediately stood up, chatted with Ruan Xiu for a few words, then stepped back and flew away.

On the way here, Xiu Xiu Jie had privately taught him a swordsmanship technique that seemed to have no known origin, which made Xie Ling very happy.

Xiu Xiu Jie seemed indifferent to everything, but she was somewhat different with him.

In fact, Ruan Xiu had long taught Dong Gu an ancient demonic beast body-refining technique, and taught Xu Xiaoqiao a spirit-summoning technique and a sword-cultivation heart mantra.

As for Xie Ling, Ruan Xiu had only thought of it by chance during their flight, feeling she shouldn't be too partial, so she casually gave this proud junior brother a swordsmanship technique of mediocre rank, but relatively suitable for his cultivation.

Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao also took their leave.

Ruan Xiu didn't sit on the bamboo chairs. She fetched a stool from the house and sat down, saying softly, "Congratulations on breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm."

Liu Xianyang scratched his head, "It came out of nowhere. No rhyme or reason to the breakthrough."

Ruan Xiu knew the truth—it was related to that Mr. Qi—but she didn't reveal it to Liu Xianyang.

Liu Xianyang offered her a handful of melon seeds, but Ruan Xiu shook her head.

Liu Xianyang cracked his own seeds and said out of the blue, "If the river of time could flow backward, Miss Xiu, would you be happier if you could relive your time in Li Zhu Cave Heaven?"

Ruan Xiu thought for a moment and answered, "You can't think like that."

The young woman in green still wore her hair in a ponytail.

Over the years, she occasionally braided it, but it never changed much.

Liu Xianyang nodded.

Ruan Xiu said, "Actually, catching fish isn't that hard."

Liu Xianyang smiled, "For us, it was hard when we were kids. After we grew up, it was okay. Chen Ping'an, Little Snot, and I—we were all pretty good swimmers."

Liu Xianyang suddenly said, "In those days, when Song Banchai was mistaken for the Supervisor's illegitimate son, was the name Song Jixin chosen by Song Yuzhang?"

Ruan Xiu shook her head, "I don't know."

She was never interested.

Liu Xianyang used his foot to write the character "emperor" and then "firewood" on the ground, then said to himself, "During my years studying in Southern Bodhisattva Continent, I liked to ask a certain Scholar Xu, also a foreigner, all kinds of questions. That Scholar Xu was good at character interpretation. If I took wine to consult him, he would tell me everything without reservation, so I learned a bit. Back then, I knew nothing and dared to ask anything. For fun, I asked the mysterious Scholar Xu to interpret our names and tell our fortunes—mine, Chen Ping'an's, and Song Jixin's. Unexpectedly, Scholar Xu followed the thread and talked a lot. At the time, I only half-understood and didn't take it seriously, nor did I think much about it."

For example, if "emperor" was interpreted only as a pictograph, later generations would be lost in the fog. So Scholar Xu took a different approach, first dipping his finger in wine and writing the character "broom" on the table, interpreting it as bound firewood, and then connecting it to sacrificial rituals. He also told Liu Xianyang about casting the sun-mirror. Scholar Xu had immense knowledge and covered many topics, including the Lun Heng chapter. He said that when firewood was piled up, if you also had an ancient sun-mirror to take fire from heaven, that was one of the highest forms of sacrifice when humanity collectively worshipped the gods of heaven in ancient times.

At noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, when the sun reached its zenith, the yang energy was strongest. The suburban sacrifice was a great offering to heaven, with the sun as the main deity and the moon as the companion.

Scholar Xu had laughed and told Liu Xianyang that he had two friends, one surnamed Wang and one surnamed Zheng, who both had commentaries on this. They each held different views and had argued fiercely in earlier years, but later their works were banned and not widely circulated.

In the end, Scholar Xu said all this was just paper knowledge for idle scholars.

Liu Xianyang sighed inwardly.

The fifth day of the fifth month. Liu Xianyang. Song Jixin.

Liu Xianyang turned his head and said, "Since Miss Xiu is a good friend, I won't say too much. Otherwise, I'd sound sarcastic, and even I would hate it."

Ruan Xiu shook her head, "It's fine. Since we're friends, you can say more."

Liu Xianyang fell silent for a moment. "I miss those days."

Ruan Xiu sat for a while, then stood up and left.

She walked back to the stone arch bridge where the old sword beam had once hung and sat down on the bridge.

Beneath her feet, the Dragon Beard River flowed gently.

In the ancient world, humans were like ants, all drifting in the river of time—countless little fish in the green water.

For Ruan Xiu, "catching fish wasn't hard." She was accustomed to boiling seas and lakes, killing everything in creation. In the ancient water-fire conflict, it was "Li Liu" who ultimately lost.

Earlier, when Li Liu had visited Shenxiu Mountain to see Ruan Xiu, the only casual conversation they had in "this life" was not exactly friendly. Ruan Xiu had even said Li Liu didn't know how to be human.

Ruan Xiu was silent for a long time. Suddenly, she looked up at the sky and said calmly, "Long time no see, sword-bearer."

Unlike Li Liu, who was born with innate knowledge, she would become even more different in the future.

Ruan Xiu gently shook her wrist, where a sleeping fire dragon coiled.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, she would choose the middle of the river to smelt a sun-mirror, take heavenly fire, refine the five elements, and illuminate the world.

The night watchman's cry was to warn the mortal world: the sky is dry and the ground is parched; be careful with fire and candles.

Would it be of any use?