Chapter 774: The Students of the Literary Sage's Lineage

Chapter 774: The Students of the Literary Sage's Lineage

The old Taoist squatting by the roadside had just finished half a watermelon, which was not fully ripe and tasted mediocre. Just as he was about to pick up the other half, he heard those two names and shuddered. Then he bent over, reached out, and scooped up the watermelon with the back of his hand against the ground, palm supporting the melon, like an immortal holding a mountain. How could this not be the demeanor of a god? The old Taoist stroked his beard and laughed. The melon was neither ripe nor sweet, but his Dao techniques and magical arts were still passable, not the slightest bit rusty.

But those two names had nothing to do with that congenial and close friend, Young Daoist Chen. They were about Ascension City and Ning Yao.

Sword immortals and the like, the old Taoist had seen many.

But the undisputed number one in an entire world carried much more weight than the half watermelon currently in the Blue Ox Taoist's hand.

That old Sun from the Great Mystic Capital Temple was only the fifth or so in the Azure World, right?

Yu Xuan of talismans, that Yu brother of ours, with his two sleeves full of talismans, was only the number something in the Righteous World? It seemed the exact rank still had no definite conclusion? Anyway, the ranking was far behind.

If Ning Yao were merely the Ning Yao of the Sword Qi Great Wall, then it would be okay. So-called promising future avenues were ultimately future matters full of twists. But a Ning Yao already in Ascension City, a Ning Yao already in the Ascension Realm, was a real and present matter.

Since she had already successfully ascended to the Ascension Realm in that Fifth World, it meant that on the future path of cultivation, within the next thousand or eight hundred years, as long as Ning Yao didn't go make trouble at the Confucian Temple or seek a sword duel at the White Jade Capital, she would have no more accidents.

So now Ning Yao traveled far with her sword in the Righteous World. Her departure from home came with a "world's great Dao" in tow. What was a river-crossing dragon? This was it.

The old Taoist couldn't help but turn his head. Despite worrying about whether Young Daoist Chen might hold a grudge, he still couldn't resist glancing at that traveling woman carrying a sword case. Even one more look was worth it.

What is an old veteran? On the road of life, having seen people, drinking with them, calling friends and gathering companions, sparring and exchanging Dao techniques. The sky is high and the earth is vast. A cultivator who once won against someone might not be remarkable, but losing to someone could actually be a point of pride.

Hey! That Young Daoist Chen, you little thief, such boldness! You even laid hands on Fairy Ning?!

Fairy Ning, you should draw your sword and chop off those dog paws! If such a thing were to spread, wouldn't it make outsiders laugh... Wait, who could spread this matter tonight? That Young Daoist Chen, wouldn't he flip out and whisper sweet nothings to Fairy Ning to have her kill the witnesses? Forget it. This couple is unmatched in the mortal world, made in heaven. Under the moonlight, whispering sweet nothings, shaming the bright moon, perfectly timely.

This poor priest is superfluous.

Better just eat the melon.

Chen Ping'an gently held Ning Yao, then quickly released her and stepped back, "Why are you here?"

There was some blush at her temples and ears. What need for rouge, eyebrow pencil, or makeup?

Ning Yao handed the long sword back to Chen Ping'an, "Aren't you being too arrogant? Dare to give your sword to someone else?"

Chen Ping'an took the Night Roam sword, put it behind his back, and smiled, "Elder Fengjun is an open and upright man. Entrusting him with my sword Night Roam, I am very reassured, no less than carrying it myself."

Ning Yao was puzzled, "Fengjun?"

Chen Ping'an, with his back to the grass-eating blue ox and melon-eating old Taoist, winked at Ning Yao and reminded, "It's the Blue Ox Taoist I mentioned to you at the Sword Qi Great Wall. He is also the old immortal who first proposed 'Using external talismans and internal alchemy, balancing Yin and Yang, combining techniques and Dao.' Unfortunately, the old Taoist's threshold for accepting disciples was too high, and he suffered too many losses, so he never truly became famous across the worlds. Most people have virtue and talent that don't match their positions. Old Immortal Fengjun is the opposite, which makes people indignant on his behalf."

Ning Yao said, "Oh, so that's who it is. One of the four Daoist predecessors you mentioned before."

The old Taoist squatting far away had been eavesdropping all along. Now his eyes lit up, his shoulders trembled slightly, and the watermelon in his hand had endless aftertaste, truly sweet.

Which four?

The stinky bull-nosed Taoist from the East Sea Observing Dao Temple, Sun Huaizhong from the Great Mystic Capital Temple, Yu Xuan of talismans, the Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Fire Dragon True Person. That's already five.

No matter which one this poor priest squeezes out, it's a matter of burning incense. Even being at the bottom of the four is fine.

Young Daoist Chen, when we chatted at that Bird Lift Mountain earlier, why didn't you mention this? Not sincere enough. Since you already had such admiration in your heart, why hide it?

If a young man's face is too thick, that won't do; too thin, even worse.

At that time, a dagger slid out of his sleeve and spun unsteadily, looking quite intimidating, making me almost mistake him for that Cao Mo. Then he gathered the Five Thunder True Method in his palm and played around, just to show off the word "orthodox". What, was he a little noble from the Heavenly Master Mansion who left his peachwood sword at home? I never expected it was all a misunderstanding.

Misunderstandings like "cloud geese and grass insects disturb dreams, iron horses and ice rivers enter dreams" are not without beauty.

The refreshed old Taoist immediately threw away the melon, shook his sleeves, gave a light cough as a reminder, then slowly stood up, facing the young couple. He didn't forget to kick the remaining watermelon rind on the ground away with his heel.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and laughed. Glancing at the woman in the Ascension Realm, he thought briefly, then without any shame, made a Daoist salute and said loudly, "I am Fengjun, my Dao name is Blue Ox."

Chen Ping'an made an exception and returned a Daoist salute.

Ning Yao cupped her hands in return, "Junior Ning Yao, honored to meet the Taoist."

The old Taoist laughed heartily. This trip to White Eye City, toiling and bustling, to be able to see this perfect immortal couple, finally together after all their trials, was worth it, worth it.

Chen Ping'an took out a cyan paper mountain-selling token from his sleeve. The old Taoist's sharp eyes saw that the word "sell" had been changed to "buy", and on the back appeared the three characters "Pavilion of Rest". The old Taoist shuddered. That Li Shilang, the old god of Item City, was romantic but not easy to deal with, especially in business, extremely shrewd. Young Daoist Chen actually managed to get this from him? Of the twelve cities of the Night Boat, except for Shao Baojuan of Appearance City who was still a rookie, the other eleven old city lords each had their own temperament and Dao arts, none of them were easy to handle.

Chen Ping'an then took out another talisman and handed it to the old Taoist, "Exchange sword for talisman, the deal remains the same."

The old Taoist was speechless. He took the cheap yellow paper talisman in hand, had to nod in agreement, and continued to help the young man investigate that matter.

Chen Ping'an led Ning Yao to a pavilion in Item City, with the plaque "Pavilion of Rest".

On the night path of White Eye City, the old Taoist sighed. Bored, he picked up the talisman and looked at it, immediately focusing his mind, using his Daoist robe to roll it up and stash it in his sleeve. Then he reached out, grabbed something, and walked to his mount. The blue ox lay down, the old Taoist sat on its back, the ox rose and walked slowly. The old Taoist held a melon in one hand and tapped it a few times, listening sideways, muttering to himself, "Heaven and earth are dense, all things transform and become pure. The great sound is rare and beautiful, the great middle is perfectly correct and pure. Definitely sweet!"

At the steps outside the pavilion stood a maid from the Rouge Spirit Mansion, Qin Zidu. She performed a curtsy to Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao, then took out a phoenix tree leaf, smiling, "From now on, Mr. Chen can use this to travel between the city gate and this pavilion. But use it carefully; once the strokes are used up, the city lord will take back the pavilion as per the rules."

Chen Ping'an indeed noticed that on the back of the mountain-selling token paper, the original three characters "Pavilion of Rest" had lost one vertical stroke from the character "Pause", and the entire "Rest" character had disappeared. Chen Ping'an nodded to Qin Zidu with a smile, then reached out and took the phoenix tree leaf from her hand from a distance. On the front and back were inscribed "Government Student" and "Literate Farmer". The character "Government" had already lost one dot. Probably the same rule as the mountain-selling token: each use loses one stroke. As for why the "Rest" character was missing, it must be because his trip violated rules to go to Useless City, the Night Boat and Item City...

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Thank you, Miss Qin."

Qin Zidu grinned, "Mr. Chen may call this servant 'Biyu'."

Chen Ping'an smiled without speaking, wanting to say, "We're not that familiar. Call me Sword Immortal Chen."

Ning Yao put her hands behind her back, looking up at the plaque and couplets of the pavilion.

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, not in a hurry to leave. He took out the mountain-selling token again and asked, "Can this item be exchanged for a few answers? The two characters 'Buy Mountain', each stroke removed, would you, Miss Qin, solve one puzzle for me? How about it?"

Because there was a Ascension Realm sword cultivator present, the city lord probably wouldn't casually spy on this place, so Qin Zidu was silent for a moment, then seemed to receive permission from City Lord Li Shilang, nodded and shook her head, "It can be traded, but the rules need to change. The token only has two characters left, so Mr. Chen can only ask two questions. As for the missing stroke from the character 'Pause', the city lord said it's a gift to City Lord Ning."

Chen Ping'an thought it over and nodded in agreement. For this Pavilion of Rest in Item City, he never intended to keep it long. This Night Boat was not a place to stay for long.

In an instant, Qin Zidu subconsciously turned sideways and had to cover her eyes, not daring to look at the sword light.

It turned out that the silent female sword immortal, without warning, drew her sword and slashed open the celestial restrictions of Item City, following Qin Zidu's thought to go directly to City Lord Li Shilang.

And that young man in blue with a sword on his back remained where he was, as if nothing had happened, smiling and asking, "May I ask, Miss Qin, what are the small worlds of the twelve cities on the Night Boat?"

Qin Zidu, having been severely tricked, was furious, "Did you two plan this beforehand?!"

Chen Ping'an shook his head.

Not at all. On the way here, he had only casually told Ning Yao about his experiences and encounters in Item City.

Qin Zidu glared at him and said sternly, "The four upper cities: Hongmao City, Item City, Jiquan City, and Guiju City!"

Chen Ping'an interrupted her, "Please also add the alternative names for the four cities, Miss Qin."

Qin Zidu didn't speak.

Chen Ping'an moved to sit on the steps of the pavilion, hands in sleeves, leaning forward slightly, appearing a bit stooped, but much more relaxed than when he first entered the city. His whole body was loose and lazy.

Qin Zidu said, "Alternative names for the four cities: Result City, Endless City, Attainment City, and Mountain City."

Chen Ping'an nodded absentmindedly. Earlier, passing by the ferry by the great river, he had seen a tall-hatted man, Dragon Guest, followed by a sword-wielding retainer who almost drew his sword. That must be Jiquan City. But for some reason, there was a large stone in the center of the water that imprisoned a white-hearted monkey. So he had to go to this Attainment City of Jiquan Shengtian, even if the city lord didn't invite him.

"The middle four cities: White Eye City, Lingxi City, Chuigong City, and Taiping City. Alternative names: Useless City, First City, Genealogy City, and Jiazi City."

Chen Ping'an had already visited Chuigong City. At that time, a lazy man was sitting on the steps outside the main hall, only turning his head to look inside the hall, with no intention of stopping him.

When he flew past the celestial bridge, a plain woman and a deer-horned youth stood side by side. That must be Lingxi City, alternatively called First City. Meaning that outside the boat, literature has no first, but on the Night Boat, there is?

Qin Zidu finally spoke of the last four cities: "The lower four cities: Benmo City, Tuiqiao City, Zaxiang City, and Rongmao City. Alternative names: Absurd City, One Word City, Struggle Crossing City, and Voice and Color City."

Chen Ping'an asked, "How to go to other city gates?"

"Within Item City, just find any bookshop, exchange a verified item for a travel permit, and tell the shopkeeper which city you want to go to, and you can pass without hindrance."

Chen Ping'an suddenly trapped the last character "Rest" of the mountain-selling token with two fingers, forcibly stopping the character's gradual disappearance on the paper, and laughed, "Miss Qin only spoke of the exit method for Item City. This deal is unfair. What about the origin of the permits for the other eleven cities?"

Chen Ping'an spread his palm, shook it, then raised the mountain-selling token in his other hand, "Hongmao City, Jiquan City, White Eye City, Guiju City, Chuigong City, Lingxi City... Forget it, change that city to Rongmao City. Half off, total six cities."

Qin Zidu hesitated for a moment, then extended her hand, bending two fingers, "At most three cities, and they must be Jiquan City, White Eye City, and Benmo City. No negotiation. I don't believe Sword Immortal Chen can hold onto this mountain-selling token forever."

Jiquan City and White Eye City had good relations with Item City. Moreover, City Lord Liu of Jiquan City already intended to invite this person as a guest.

And that Benmo City, which was everywhere absurd and self-important, had always had the worst relationship with Item City. Let that troublemaker who doesn't follow rules go stir up trouble there.

Chen Ping'an withdrew his hands and suddenly changed the subject, "Then this deal is off. Let me ask Miss Qin a small question: Which city is Shao Baojuan the lord of?"

Qin Zidu relaxed, "One of the lower four cities, Rongmao City."

Chen Ping'an looked at her expression and smiled, "Is it that even with the Item City permit, one may not be able to go to Rongmao City now?"

Qin Zidu nodded.

Shao Baojuan was a city lord, so of course he could close the door to visitors.

Chen Ping'an released his fingertips from the mountain-selling token, and the characters on both sides dissipated into the world.

But the genuine blue talisman paper remained in Chen Ping'an's hand.

Qin Zidu said bitterly, "If Sword Immortal Chen were the kind of pedantic and rigid person that the city lord believes, it would be better."

Her implication was, of course, that this calculating Mr. Chen, instead of being a merchant, became a sword immortal – too unreasonable.

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Precisely because I'm not, I was able to walk step by step to this place, sit on the steps of this Pavilion of Rest, and talk politely with Miss Qin, doing business that brings peace and profit."

Qin Zidu was puzzled but didn't think deeply. She just thought the young sword immortal was talking nonsense.

Chen Ping'an stood up, walked down the steps, turned to look at the plaque, and said softly, "The name is truly well chosen. Life, pause and rest a while. Walk slowly, don't rush."

Qin Zidu sneered contemptuously. If he liked it so much, why did he make that deal and return the pavilion to Item City? A passerby being able to settle here was like having an extra life-saving talisman. People like Scholar Du and Blue Ox Taoist had painstakingly saved up their own small fortunes. And compared to this nearly tangible piece of land like the Pavilion of Rest, other so-called hidden paradises, though sounding mysterious and looking fancy, were far inferior to this pavilion.

Now he only had that phoenix tree leaf left. He could still come here in the future, but the Pavilion of Rest had already returned to its original owner.

But Qin Zidu vaguely remembered that when this person heard earlier on the street of Item City that the city lord was Li Shilang, there was a glimmer of brightness in his eyes.

But soon the young man looked a bit embarrassed, probably because in his life of smooth cultivation, he had never been so publicly snubbed? There was also a flash of gloom in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly, as if it never existed. At the time, Qin Zidu, because she was annoyed by that ink stick from Jiquan City and really curious about this passerby sword immortal in Item City, had seen these subtle details clearly.

For no reason, Qin Zidu remembered another thing. When the city lord went to see the blue-clad sword immortal twice, the young foreigner walked side by side with Li Shilang, wanting to speak several times but stopping, while secretly sizing him up from the corner of his eye.

Only when the city lord took out the mountain-selling token did the young sword immortal return to normal and start doing business.

Before the city lord appeared on the street, the vice city lord had joked that the young man seemed very steady in temperament, and shouldn't be so impatient. It seemed that the repeated mention of "The Chapter on Evil Nature" and "Get out of Item City" had really angered him.

A courtyard, less than three acres, only a single hillock, hence named Mustard Seed.

Ning Yao took a step and arrived at the small garden gate, her gaze unusually sharp and unreasonably aggressive.

She had nothing to do with this Item City, with this Li Shilang.

But Chen Ping'an did.

Once, on the city wall of her hometown, under the three moons, Ning Yao sat beside that person. Whenever he had free time, he would often take out some treasured books he had collected over the years, mostly literary notes saved from earlier days. Among them was a "Painting Manual". Chen Ping'an had never told her about the Blue Ox Taoist, but he often used the city wall as a desk, often bringing out that painting manual to bask in the moonlight. Occasionally looking up, he would swear to Ning Yao that this Li Shilang was truly a divine being. Except for one thing that couldn't be learned, all other knowledge was so fascinating that it was incredibly impressive. So on his bamboo slips, he had engraved the essay "Friendship Admonition" without a single mistake. Lines like "Don't mention ennoblement, let's get drunk together in the slanting sunset" were beautifully written. Li Shilang's explanation of the difference between scholarly essays and legendary plays was also extremely well put – similar to the reasoning of reasoning with people.

Especially Li Shilang's business acumen was unrivalled. Only in the matter of book engraving by other publishers, he was a little less generous. Unfortunately, he could never meet this Mr. Li again, or else he would really like to ask this Shilang: Was he really that poor and down-and-out? Was it true that literary talent resents a smooth fate? Also, when Mr. Li was born, did he really meet an immortal who helped him calculate his fortune? Was it true that a star descended to earth? Was it because the ancestral home's foundation was too light that he had to move to the family shrine to be born safely? If Li Shilang was easy to talk to, he would also ask: After Mr. Li became successful, bringing glory to his family, did he renovate the shrine? Perhaps from the two shrine plaques, incense-fire little people could be nurtured.

Ning Yao couldn't understand. Such a Li Shilang, why would he chatter endlessly on the city wall? Was it worth it?

Now that she had met Li Shilang in this Item City, so what? Did she want to ask Mr. Li those former doubts one by one?

Li Shilang, together with an old scholar who served as the vice city lord, walked out of the Mustard Seed Garden within the painting.

Li Shilang frowned, "Something?"

Ning Yao nodded, "Something."

Li Shilang smiled, "What is it?"

Ning Yao turned to look at the white-haired old man and said, "It has nothing to do with you, old gentleman. Please step aside."

The old scholar smiled, "Alright, alright, as it should be."

Li Shilang immediately reached out to grab his old friend's sleeve, but the old scholar shook his sleeve vigorously and left.

In an instant, the world was filled with sword light.

The entire Night Boat was pierced by a sword light, creating a huge hole. The scholar on the mountaintop sighed, moved his mind slightly, and mended the breach in the boat.

Fortunately, this boat's way of existence was similar to that of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

That was also one of the fundamental Daos of the Night Boat. And Chen Ping'an's realization in Item City about the boat's knowledge being in "interaction" was also one.

The monk on the cushion also opened his eyes, stretched, and was about to stand up. The middle-aged scholar smiled, "Not yet for now."

The white-haired old man returned to the same spot and couldn't help laughing. He saw City Lord Li Shilang holding a tattered painting manual in his hand, with book fragments from all directions converging.

The old scholar clicked his tongue in wonder, teasing, "Being challenged by the number one in the world is also a fine tale for our Item City. Thinking about it, I'm not in such a hurry to resign as vice city lord. I'll serve another few hundred years."

At the Pavilion of Rest.

Ning Yao stepped back, returned, sheathed her sword, and said, "I've seen that Mustard Seed Garden. It's not that great."

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, rubbing his cheeks with both hands, inevitably a bit regretful, "I see."

Then Chen Ping'an was about to pick up that phoenix tree leaf and take Ning Yao to the inn in the city. He only hoped that Little Mi Li wouldn't do like Pei Qian in the old days, kowtowing on meeting.

Ning Yao suddenly said, "Not going to say goodbye to Miss Biyu?"

Chen Ping'an was speechless.

Qin Zidu squeezed out a smile, trembling, "No need."

The phoenix tree leaf in Chen Ping'an's hand flashed, and he and Ning Yao arrived at the city gate, walking together toward the inn in the city.

Item City had no night curfew, but compared to the bustling streets during the day, it was still somewhat quiet. There were no more street stalls, most shops were closed, only a few taverns with lights and noise.

Ning Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "I shouldn't have drawn my sword."

Chen Ping'an took her hand, "It could go either way. There's no should or shouldn't."

Ning Yao looked at the streets on both sides, "This is Item City, where learning can be sold for money?"

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile, "Very good, worthy of Li Shilang."

At the inn gate, Pei Qian and Little Mi Li were waiting.

Little Mi Li, who had been putting on a brave face, suddenly became anxious. Her smile, which had been forced for too long and seemed a bit strained, looked foolishly at the woman beside the good mountain lord. She tugged at Pei Qian's sleeve repeatedly, stomped her feet, kept the smile unchanged, and said in a hurry, "Pei Qian, Pei Qian, I'd better kowtow after all. Otherwise, I feel the etiquette is insufficient."

Pei Qian stood on tiptoe, waving at her master and mistress from afar, and said quietly, "Really no need."

Little Mi Li couldn't hold the smile anymore and said grimly, "Really no need?"

Pei Qian rubbed the black-clad little girl's head and said softly, "Really no need. When Cao Qinglang and Jingqing are around later, if you see the mistress, then kowtow to make up for it."

The little girl scratched her face, remembering.

Ning Yao shook her wrist, and Chen Ping'an had to let go.

When they reached the inn, Ning Yao first nodded to Pei Qian, who smiled and called out "Mistress."

Ning Yao bent down and rubbed Little Mi Li's head, smiling, "In my hometown, everyone knows about Mute Lake wine. It makes many sword immortals drink until they can't speak, so they just keep drinking."

Little Mi Li nodded vigorously, then stepped back, quickly reached into her sleeve, and finally pulled out a large handful of melon seeds, holding them high above her head, offering them with both hands, and said loudly, "Mountain Lord's Wife, please enjoy some melon seeds!"

Ning Yao was a little surprised.

Chen Ping'an suppressed a smile.

In the Great Wilderness of Ten Thousand Mountains, on that mountaintop, a Fourteenth Realm and an Ascension Realm had only one thatched cottage, which was probably just the old blind man's dwelling. It could be considered a cultivation site. Now that he had taken a first disciple who only acknowledged half a master, he needed a place to settle.

It wasn't that Li Huai couldn't endure a hard life. He had traveled the martial world a lot, especially the journey with Pei Qian, where he heard many kinds of scams in the martial world and saw how hard it was for martial artists to make a living. He felt he had fallen into a den of swindlers. Seeing that yellow-clad old man, who was agile and ran around building a new thatched cottage, chopping wood, supposedly a mighty Ascension Realm cultivator, doing such menial tasks—who would believe it? Li Huai certainly didn't.

At the time, Li Huai felt pity and couldn't help sympathizing with the old man's hard work and homelessness. So he suggested making two rooms in the new cottage so they could live together, and he could help build the place. As long as it could shelter from wind and rain, that was fine.

But when the yellow-clad old man heard that Li Huai wanted to help, he acted as if it were a major Dao dispute. He was righteous and stern, insisting that the young master's precious body must not touch such lowly work. He also said he wouldn't dare live with the young master, as it would disturb his studies, and that the fence area was actually quite cool.

So while the old man was busy, Li Huai squatted aside. After some conversation, he learned that this old man, with the Dao name Dragon Mountain Duke and current alias Couple Hut, had wandered the Righteous World for over ten years just to chat with him. Li Huai couldn't help asking what the old man was after. The old man nearly shed ten catties of bitter tears to drink. He lowered his head and chopped wood, looking as lonely as an isolated mountain peak.

It turned out that this yellow-clad old man, though now known as Dragon Mountain Duke, had previously taken countless incarnations and many aliases in the Barren Wild World: Peach Pavilion, Crane Lord, Plowing Clouds, and now this Couple Hut. All sounded quite elegant.

But every time Li Huai didn't know what the old man said wrong, there would be a series of firecracker sounds, and the old man would be forced to reveal his true form, rolling on the ground, or be kicked off the mountaintop by the half-master blind man. After many hardships, the cottage was finally built, but it turned out only Li Huai had a room. The opposite room became Li Huai's study. When Li Huai saw the headache-inducing books, the old man even asked what books he lacked and offered to find them to fill the shelves. If they were rare editions in the Barren Wild World, there was no problem. Li Huai felt that the old man had a reason for not being successful in the martial world. Did he look like a scholar?

Today, in the study, the yellow-clad old man, who had given himself another alias "Wu Fengshi", moved a chair to sit at the door, not daring to disturb the young master's scholarly pursuits. After a long silence, seeing Li Huai put down the book and rub his forehead, the old man said with sincere admiration, "The young master is not old, but his mind is steady. Truly born extraordinary. Unlike me, living for thousands of years, it's like living on a dog."

As for why he took the name Wu Fengshi, it was naturally for good luck. He hoped that with Li Huai, he could catch some luck and turn his fortune around.

Li Huai put down the book and said honestly, "I never took this apprenticeship or discipleship seriously. No matter why the blind old master is willing to take a disciple, I'm still me. If I disappoint him, sorry. What else can I do? If I don't disappoint him, of course I'm happy. Half-master blind man, anyway, no need to thank me. We're already half-master and half-apprentice. Why be so polite?"

Every use of the word "blind" made the yellow-clad old man tremble with fear. Li Huai might be fine, but he himself would surely be in trouble.

The old man felt he had to do something. He quickly stood up, shook his sleeves, and dumped a pile of items on the desk.

From the Guanghan Secluded Mountain's clustered cassia, he had cut strips and collected Mars fire essence to refine into a brush rest.

A spread cursive script calligraphy scroll with a poem inscribed, and a painting of a coral brush rest. The old man pinched the coral brush rest with two fingers and actually pulled it out, gently placing it on the table.

There was also an inkstone shaped like an old dragon crossing a marsh, with an inscription of considerable boldness: "Nourishing jade bones, a thousand-year object, when used by its owner, strange lights emerge."

And a jade lotus pond brush washer, inscribed "Tender Daoist", with delicate and gentle strokes.

Li Huai asked doubtfully, "Old master, what are you doing?"

He could roughly tell that the items on the table were good things.

But this only made Li Huai's heart sink. Was there no end? He came here for sightseeing, was forced to pretend to read books every day, and now he had to pretend to be refined and practice calligraphy and painting?

The yellow-clad old man said with a flattering smile, "The young master is a rare scholarly seed in a thousand years. This small gift is just a token of respect, just a token."

It was hard to imagine that this was a famous Ascension Realm great demon from the Barren Wild World.

Among the former throne demons, Fei Fei, that woman, and Huang Luan, who once was a friend but later turned against him, and Old Deaf, he knew them all well.

That little girl from Golden Jade City had quite a story with him.

Even that old Dong from Sword Qi Great Wall, when he traveled the Barren Wild World, was chased and bitten by him.

As for A Liang, needless to say, every time that bastard passed through the Great Wilderness of Ten Thousand Mountains, the old blind man would let him loose.

So his most famous alias was Peach Pavilion.

Peach