Chapter 781: Gathering Together
In the twilight, Wu Shuangjiang suddenly said he had to leave.
He tossed Chen Ping'an the longsword Night Wander, and in the span of half a day, it had already been completely refined.
After receiving Night Wander, Chen Ping'an shamelessly asked Wu Shuangjiang for a calligraphy scroll.
In the Azure Sky World, it was widely acknowledged that the characters written by cultivators of the Suichu Palace could ward off ghosts. Hanging such writing was like hanging a talisman, and even more effective. Chen Ping'an certainly wasn't thinking of using Wu Shuangjiang's calligraphy for any ghost-expelling or evil-avoiding exploits—that would be a terrible waste of a precious treasure. He wanted to keep it as a memento of the Night Boat journey, to hang it later in his study on Luopo Mountain. When visitors came, no matter who they were, wouldn't they all have to ask whether it was an original or a forgery?
Wu Shuangjiang agreed. Chen Ping'an then took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in the main hall. Xiao Mili cleared the table and helped spread out the rice paper, then knelt on the table to grind the inkstick.
Wu Shuangjiang looked at those common worldly items—the brush and inkstick—as if he had lost the interest to write. Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "These are really all I have on me, senior. Can you make do?"
Wu Shuangjiang chuckled. "Luopo Mountain can afford to lose face, but I, Wu Shuangjiang, cannot. In that case, let's forget it."
Chen Ping'an quickly said, "Then let me go borrow a scholar's four treasures from Li Shilang?"
Wu Shuangjiang glanced at the sky outside and shook his head. "Cannot let Little White wait too long."
Xiao Mili was still grinding the inkstick there. She anxiously raised a hand and scratched her head, looking pitiful. "Mr. Wu, Mr. Wu, just write a few words casually, would that be okay? We're traveling outside, walking the jianghu—better to make do than be particular."
Wu Shuangjiang thought for a moment and nodded. "Reasonable."
Wu Shuangjiang took out his own portable scholar's stationery items from his sleeve. He spread out a sheet of colorful cloud paper and took out a green bamboo-handled brush engraved with small seal script reading, "With confidence, ten thousand li of verdure." An inkstone bore the inscription "Immortal Grotto" on its side. A pair of miniature hornless dragons lay on the ancient inkstone. Wu Shuangjiang lightly tapped the dragons' heads with the brush handle, and the two dragons immediately opened a pair of golden eyes. Within the inkstone, a layer of golden ripples appeared. After dipping the brush in ink, the tip was golden yellow. On that paper, he wrote a running-script scroll that could be considered part of his "Then and There" series.
"At the time, I thought it was ordinary; I never believed that age could turn hair white. Do not lean alone over the balustrade under the bright moon—suddenly at the window, I suspect it is you."
Finally, on this calligraphy scroll, he stamped his two private seals and one signature mark in three places.
Martial scholar in scholarly robes, commanding a million troops. The realm where both person and calligraphy have matured together. The heart is like the color of a blue lotus in the world.
Chen Ping'an stood to the side, gently rubbing his hands together, deeply moved. "With such excellent calligraphy, senior, it's a pity not to write another couplet. Good things come in pairs—let's be particular."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled faintly. On the table appeared two sheets of couplet paper made from the "ten-thousand-year red" material of Suichu Palace. On each couplet sheet, there were seven golden dragon patterns, as if waiting in place, only awaiting the brush to write. Moreover, he took out a small wooden box from his sleeve. When opened, it revealed seven small ceramic boxes arranged in a line—the famous Seven Treasure Clay of Suichu Palace. A mountain immortal named Jun Yuchou had once obtained a great opportunity from a ruin of an immortal mansion and moved an ancient mountain back to his sect. After the mountain took root and settled, strange phenomena frequently appeared, sometimes with cinnabar flowing like colorful clouds. After immortals refined the flying sand and gathered all seven colors, it became Seven Treasure Clay. There was a saying that one ounce of this clay was worth one catty of Grain Rain coins.
Chen Ping'an was a bit puzzled. Writing couplets didn't usually require seven-colored characters, did it? But he didn't dare ask, afraid that if he asked, the cooked duck would fly away.
Wu Shuangjiang didn't explain anything either. Dipping the brush in the seven-colored precious sand, he wrote seven characters on each of the two spring couplets: "Retreating the brush is not enough to treasure the mountain; reading ten thousand volumes begins to connect with the divine."
Wu Shuangjiang lightly breathed on the couplets. The fourteen golden dragons on the two couplets, as if having their eyes dotted in, slowly rotated once and then became still.
Su Shi's poetry, Wu Shuangjiang's calligraphy.
He also took a little advantage of the young man seeking calligraphy beside him.
Chen Ping'an, who had unknowingly been a second-class nephew, bore no grudge, acting as if he knew nothing of that allusion.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled. "Consider this an advance congratulations for the establishment of Luopo Mountain's branch sect. You can hang it as the couplet on the main gate of the ancestral hall. The couplet's text will change with the time of day—black characters during the day, white characters at night, clearly distinguished, black and white distinct. As for its rank, it's not low. If hung on the gate of Luopo Mountain's Jise Peak, it will be enough to make mountain gods like Wei Ju, as well as spirits and demons of the land and water, stop outside the gate, not daring and unable to cross half a step. But you must promise me one thing: whenever you feel you have done something unjust and find it hard to correct your mistake, you must take down this couplet."
Chen Ping'an stepped back and bowed to this Suichu Palace Lord, who had once laughingly said he "almost managed to refine one or two life-origin characters."
Wu Shuangjiang waved his hand and put away the few seals. Turning to the little girl in black, he said, "Xiao Mili, the rest of the stationery items on the table are all for you, a return gift for your dried fish and melon seeds. As for who you give them to later, I don't care."
Zhou Mili quickly waved her hands frantically. "No, no, no—the dried fish and melon seeds didn't cost any money."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly, turned, and strode across the threshold. Xiao Mili dashed over to catch up with Mr. Wu, pulling two bags of dried fish from her sleeve. Scratching her face, she looked a bit embarrassed. "Mr. Wu, Mr. Wu, this is all that's left. All for you. Don't mind that it's too little. If you really do mind, that's okay too. Come visit my home later, and there'll be plenty."
Wu Shuangjiang took the two bags of dried creek fish with a smile, thanked her, and lightly patted the little girl's head. Then he left. With one step, he was out of Tiaomu City.
Xiao Mili waved, stood at the door watching for a long time, sighed, and felt a bit envious of Mr. Wu's cultivation. He didn't even need to ride the wind to travel far—just a *whoosh* and he was gone. That must be at least a Golden Core starting realm of immortal! Huh, what was she thinking? An Earth Immortal wasn't enough—maybe it was the legendary Jade Purity stage? Sigh, such a high realm, as high as Mountain Lord Wei. Mr. Wu must have held so many Night Travel banquets back home! No wonder he gave away gifts without batting an eye. Generous, broad-minded—that's how you walk the jianghu. Just like that silly girl she met at Mute Lake back then, not a bad person, just short-sighted. She sold the big water monster of Mute Lake for just one Grain Rain coin.
Xiao Mili swaggered back to the table in the main hall. Chen Ping'an put away the calligraphy scroll and the couplets, storing them in his dimensional artifact. He smiled at Xiao Mili. "The ancient inkstone, the green bamboo brush, and the Seven Treasure Clay—all three, have Pei Qian keep them safe for you first."
Xiao Mili was taken aback. The little girl glanced at the items on the table. "But I already figured out how I wanted to give them away."
Chen Ping'an chuckled. "No need to give them away. Just keep them safe. When you get back to Luopo Mountain, remember not to misplace them."
Xiao Mili said with a serious expression, "At first, I was planning to give them all to the Mountain Lord's wife. If she didn't accept them, I wouldn't have the guts to insist. Then when I got home, I'd give the Seven Treasure Clay to Sister Nuanshu—she likes keeping daily accounts. Give the ancient inkstone to Jingqing, and the green bamboo brush to Mountain Lord Wei. Doesn't Piyun Mountain have a bamboo grove? I don't know why Old Chef and Pei Qian didn't go themselves, but they had me sneak over there to carefully count how many bamboo plants there were. I figured if Mountain Lord Wei accepted the gift, he might be happy and just give me a bamboo plant for free."
Ning Yao suppressed a smile and rubbed Xiao Mili's head.
Pei Qian pretended not to know anything—if her master ever asked, she would just blame it all on Old Chef.
Chen Ping'an, for once, felt a bit guilty. He wondered what Mountain Lord Wei had thought back when Xiao Mili was wandering around that bamboo grove, earnestly counting bamboo plants on her fingers.
A white-haired child poked his head around the corner of a corridor. "Hidden Hand Ancestor, that person is gone? Left? How did your talk go?"
Chen Ping'an turned his head. "He's left Tiaomu City. It went well. I didn't need your help."
The white-haired child burst into laughter, hands on his hips, shaking his shoulders as he strode toward the table. "Hidden Hand Ancestor is truly invincible! You didn't even give me a chance to show my loyalty. If only I had put in a little effort, I could have joined forces with the Hidden Hand Ancestor to repel the enemy! A pity, a pity, a regret!"
Chen Ping'an smiled faintly. "Shall I invite him back?"
The white-haired child's knees went weak. He reached out to steady himself on the table and said with a trembling voice, "I don't think that's necessary. After all, it's easier to invite a god than to send one away."
From start to finish, everything had been very strange. When he saw Wu Shuangjiang, he had been chatting well with Pei Qian, then fell into a fog, exited the maze, and Wu Shuangjiang was gone. Together with him lost was this celestial demon's realm, manifesting in the world in a state similar to a "person without realm."
Chen Ping'an glanced at it. "Let's go to the room and talk."
They all went to Chen Ping'an's room. Chen Ping'an took out the calligraphy scroll. "I think the senior wanted me to pass this on to you."
The white-haired child nodded. Just as he took the scroll, the two seal impressions on it—"Martial scholar in scholarly robes, commanding a million troops" and "The realm where both person and calligraphy have matured together"—totaling thirteen characters, instantly became dim and lusterless.
His expression complex, he stared blankly and said nothing.
Chen Ping'an even took out his Nurtured Sword Gourd, took a sip of wine, and calmed himself down.
The magical techniques and divine powers of a Fourteen Realm great cultivator were simply unreasonable.
The white-haired child shook his head vigorously and soon regained his normal expression. Looking at the phantom objects Chen Ping'an had obtained in Tiaomu City, he picked up the narcissus porcelain basin, turned it over to look, snorted dismissively, and tossed it onto the table. Xiao Mili quickly lunged forward to catch it, straightening it up with both hands and moving it beside herself. She lightly breathed on the small porcelain basin and wiped it with her sleeve.
The white-haired child picked up the iron "Three Monkeys Reaching for the Moon" flower vase with both hands and nodded slightly. "If it were a real object, it would be passable."
Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"
The white-haired child said, "On moonlit nights, you can take this object out and just bathe it in moonlight. It will condense moonlight essence and gradually gestate a kind of essence similar to a 'flower guardian.' If the cultivator's luck is good enough, it might even become a minor flower-deity inspector in a Flower Shrine, governing a certain flower's fragrance and charm. If you put flowers in it, osmanthus is best, night-blooming cereus second, and peony third. Any of those goblins and monsters under heaven that practice the way of moon worship and form refining would be willing to pay a high price, no matter how high their realm. With this item, they could save a lot of trouble. Taking it to something like the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land, you could casually find a blessed land's flower master or one of the few destiny flower gods and sell it for an astronomical price."
The white-haired child looked puzzled. "The Hundred Flowers Blessed Land? Why does the Hidden Hand Ancestor look like he's never heard of it and isn't interested? Back then, under the grape trellis at the prison officer's cultivation site, the Hidden Hand Ancestor's eyes were shining as he looked at those flower deity cups, rubbing his hands eagerly. I thought if I were a blessed land's flower master, I'd start worrying if my territory might lose three inches of heaven's height."
Chen Ping'an smiled faintly. "As long as there's money anywhere under heaven, there will be a traveling merchant."
The white-haired child said, "Oh," then picked up the "Shuye" branded ebony paperweight. "I didn't know the Hidden Hand Ancestor was also a zither player. Truly versatile..."
Chen Ping'an put down his Nurtured Sword Gourd and asked, "Can you write out the complete score for 'Guangling San'?"
The white-haired child nodded. "What's so hard about that?"
Suichu Palace Lord Wu Shuangjiang was renowned in the Azure Sky World for his excellent talent—poetry, lyrics, songs, and fu; zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—nothing he wasn't proficient in.
As Wu Shuangjiang's inner demon, aside from some trump-card offensive techniques that Wu Shuangjiang had heavily restricted, everything Wu Shuangjiang could do, he could actually do as well.
The white-haired child pointed in the air, writing out the complete musical score that had been lost for a long time in the Haoran World. Chen Ping'an transcribed it onto paper.
The white-haired child yawned, a puzzled look on his face. "Hidden Hand Ancestor, is this all you got?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. Pei Qian's expression was blank as she cracked melon seeds.
Zhou Mili waved her hands frantically. "That's all, really!"
The white-haired child grinned slyly. "There could be more, definitely must be more. Hurry up and bring out the treasures hidden at the bottom of the chest."
Zhou Mili crossed her arms, a serious look on her face. "If there were, I'd treat you to sauerkraut fish! Is sauerkraut fish tasty? It's the most terrible thing under heaven. Nobody likes to eat it. Since nobody eats sauerkraut fish, nobody would eat it even if invited. So that means there's nothing."
Chen Ping'an covered his forehead with his hand. Such a reasonable set of words—it was really hard on Xiao Mili...
Ning Yao's lips curled up.
Pei Qian looked at her master.
Chen Ping'an nodded helplessly.
Pei Qian said to Zhou Mili, "Bring it out."
Xiao Mili got anxious and gave Pei Qian a meaningful look. She had hidden it so well—how did she just confess without being pressed?
Pei Qian nodded. The little girl in black immediately ran out of the room, went to her and Pei Qian's room, fished out a scroll from a green bamboo book box, and sprinted back. She pursed her lips, not in a hurry to put it on the table. She just held the scroll, a serious expression on her face, looking at the good man mountain lord, as if to say, I'm really giving it now. Whatever the mountain lord's wife says later, don't blame me.
Chen Ping'an glanced at his first disciple and complained, "It was a gift for you. Why hide it?"
Pei Qian smiled and nodded, then looked at the white-haired child, the culprit.
Chen Ping'an handed the booklet the bearded man had given him to Ning Yao.
Ning Yao leafed through it casually and found that every opportunity was like a riddle. The vocabulary in the booklet was like various immortal ferry ports—the names were there, but it didn't tell the reader how to get to the ferry.
The white-haired child looked at the scroll on the table. The roller ends were white jade, and a small label was attached. The handwriting could barely be called graceful. The content unabashedly claimed to teach the women of the world how to dress and make up.
Opening it, there were different eyebrows and hairdos of beauties—Mandarin Duck brows, Cloud-brushing, Inverted Halo, Flying Immortals, Spirit Snakes, Reverse Coil—each with textual annotations. Altogether twenty-four beauties. The white-haired child looked through them one by one, clicking his tongue in wonder and muttering incessantly. "Good, good, good—though Spring Mountain is small, it can raise cloud heads... After the Moon Palace axe marks are repaired, it's missing, then arranged on the beauty's brows... Flying Immortal, Flying Immortal, descends before the emperor... Damn, this line is the best, the most exquisite. Turning back to see her man, she quickly lowers the curtain. The man wants to embrace her—I am like smoke..."
The white-haired child looked up and said in all seriousness, "Since the Hidden Hand Ancestor is proficient in seal carving, why not copy the various eyebrow patterns onto letter paper? Then, throughout the whole Haoran World when dao partners send messages by swan or flying sword, half of them will use letter paper produced by our Luopo Mountain! Just like the saying, 'Ten thousand li away, the lover sees the eyebrow print, as if meeting again before the flowers.' I think it's feasible, definitely feasible, absolutely a goldmine!"
Chen Ping'an rewarded him with one word: "Scram!"
This kind of unprincipled money from cosmetics was more suitable for Zhu Lian or Mi Yu to do.
The white-haired child looked hurt, as if the hearts of all the soldiers had been chilled.
He picked up the last bundle of withered plum branches, weighed it a few times, and asked suspiciously, "Hidden Hand Ancestor, what the hell is this? Are we really picking up trash?"
Chen Ping'an tossed the booklet to the white-haired child. He flipped to the page for the plum branch entry and found that there seemed to be two threads, each offering a chance. One could choose either. One clue involved Shangyang Palace, a plum spirit, the "Shaonan" chapter, Minister Jiang, the Drunkard of Dragon Pool, and Pearl Shoes.
The other was a bookshop, a corpse, the world's hot guests, boneless flowers, and Duckweed Pavilion.
The white-haired child read it and felt a headache coming on. After all, he came from the Azure Sky World, so seeing these things completely baffled him. He closed the booklet and said with a righteous air, "Hidden Hand Ancestor, why bother with this trouble? How about we just rob openly? If we get caught red-handed, no problem—the Hidden Hand Ancestor just needs to slip away, leave me behind. Beat me, scold me, chop me up, slice me—I'll bear it all!"
Ning Yao asked curiously, "What's the deal with this bundle of plum branches?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and explained, "Shangyang Palace—'Plum Spirit' is a nickname for a consort. She had a younger brother named Jiang Caiqin, and their family practiced medicine for generations. As for the Drunkard of Dragon Pool, it refers to the different intentions of two princes—one drunk, one sober. Anyway, after all the twists and turns, the opportunity ultimately gained will most likely be some kind of actual gift from a Monthly Flower God of the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land, or else it's related to the Drunken Beauty of the upside-down mountain's plum garden. So it's not very interesting.
"But the other clue interests me—I have a selfish motive. If I'm not mistaken, I first need to go to the Mustard Seed Garden Bookshop in Tiaomu City. Because Li Shilang is skilled at making 'plum windows.' In his 'Residence Department' chapter, he even cites this as 'the best of his life's creations.' So next, I'll probably need to buy a first edition, first printing of 'Painting Biographies' as a bridge. Then I find the bookseller Wang Gai, who once had the nickname 'Wang Anjie, the World's Hot Guest,' to get in touch with this man's brother Wang Shi. This man's original name was Wang Shi, and he excelled at seal carving and painting boneless flowers. This then leads to an old gentleman I extremely, extremely admire. He is skilled at painting plum blossoms, the best under heaven, and is exactly the master of the Plum Blossom House and the Little Boat Duckweed Pavilion. Not only that, legend has it that this old gentleman was the first person in the world to carve seals with stone. With such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, how could I miss it? I must visit the old gentleman. If there really is some opportune encounter, I can exchange it with the old gentleman for a seal."
Saying this, Chen Ping'an's eyes sparkled, just like when he first heard the name "Li Shilang."
Just like how someone like Jiang Shangzhen would have people he wanted to see on the Night Boat—the sparse rain and sudden wind turning green, the flower seller's burden, the deep amber in the cup, the furrowed brows that rise to the heart, the spring lord betrayed three times in two years, the person thinner than the yellow flowers.
Chen Ping'an actually had even more sages and ancients from books he wanted to visit.
Ning Yao was used to Chen Ping'an's talent for solving riddles.
She would just say that's how Chen Ping'an's affinity with elders came about.
Pei Qian looked as if it were only natural.
Zhou Mili, anyway, heard it vaguely. As long as the good man mountain lord didn't engage in poetry battles, he was very impressive!
Only the celestial demon, after hearing this series of "from this to that," "following the vine to get the melon," and "going door to door," was stunned. He praised from the bottom of his heart, "Hidden Hand Ancestor, you should be the captain at the helm of this Night Boat!"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Far from it. Just a walking bookcase."
It wasn't that he was being self-deprecating—it was the truth. Just the single city of Tiaomu on the Night Boat had already left Chen Ping'an in awe. If it weren't for the difficulty of distinguishing friend from foe and having other matters to attend to, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have minded wandering through all twelve cities on this boat, even if it cost him two or three years.
The white-haired child rubbed his hands, his eyes gleaming. "Rich, rich! With the Hidden Hand Ancestor guiding the way and me working like a dog, won't this boat's immortal opportunities be stripped bare?"
Chen Ping'an said, "I still have important matters to attend to, so aside from the plum branch, I won't pursue the other opportunities."
The white-haired child beat his chest with both hands. "Is this still the Hidden Hand Ancestor I know, who looks down on everyone and has eyes only for money?"
Chen Ping'an said, "I want to seek a seal from Old Senior Wang Yuanzhang. I've already thought of the seal inscription: 'Pure fragrance fills the universe, scattered as ten thousand li of spring!'"
After a moment of silence, Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine and said softly, "If I can get two seals, that would be even better. The inscription would be 'The traveler walks the road.'"
The white-haired child clapped his hands in approval. "Excellent seal inscriptions! The Hidden Hand Ancestor's literary talent is unmatched..."
Chen Ping'an glanced sideways at him. "It's stuff from the old gentleman's poems—I'm just copying it."
The white-haired child raised his arm and shouted, "Hidden Hand Ancestor, your memory is invincible! One punch moves a mountain of books, one kick topples a sea of literature! Number one under heaven, so nobody dares claim number two—because they're too close to the Hidden Hand Ancestor, they only dare claim number three!"
As long as he had a clear conscience, there was no such thing as an embarrassing flattery in the world.
Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "According to Palace Lord Wu's deduction, at some point, I may need to go to the Central Earth Confucian Temple. When I go, when I come back, how I go, how I come back—it's hard to say now."
The white-haired child instantly became silent as a cicada in winter, listlessly sitting back down on the long bench, repeatedly wiping the table with one palm.
Ning Yao said, "I'll take care of Pei Qian and Xiao Mili."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Then let's go solve the riddle?"
Xiao Mili jumped off the long bench. "Received the order!"
The group packed their luggage and left the inn. Following the clues, just as Chen Ping'an had said, they traced the vines step by step. Everything matched his previous predictions—buying what needed to be bought, chatting with whom needed to be chatted. Finally, in a scenic immortal realm with a thousand plum trees, Chen Ping'an traded an opportunity that should have yielded an immortal plum tree for two seals from the old scholar Wang Yuanzhang. Unexpectedly, the old gentleman finally stroked his beard and smiled, also gifting him two plum blossom paintings—one of ink plum and one of white plum. The text of the two seal inscriptions Chen Ping'an sought came from the poems on the paintings.
After receiving the paintings, Chen Ping'an bowed again to express his thanks.
Remembering something, Chen Ping'an said, "I've heard that on Tongye Continent there was a sect leader sword immortal who climbed a mountain in heavy snow and said something similar to what senior recorded in history. Everyone in his sect had heard it. But the sword immortal added a phrase at the end: 'Most suitable for drawing the sword.' So this sword immortal must have greatly admired senior."
The old gentleman chuckled. "Is it: 'Heaven and earth are all made of white jade, making one's heart and gall perfectly clear, so that one wishes to ascend as an immortal'?"
Chen Ping'an held the scroll in his arms and nodded lightly.
The old gentleman asked, "A sword immortal who speaks so with heaven and earth, and being on Tongye Continent—he must have passed away by now?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "He died in battle."
That sword immortal was precisely Fu Lingqing, the sect master of Tongye Sect.
The old gentleman asked Chen Ping'an to wait a moment and finally gave Chen Ping'an two more seals, respectively engraved with "Wind and snow add to the excitement" and "Arrogant scholar under heaven."
Chen Ping'an scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
The old gentleman laughed. "Though I still don't know who you are, I hope that now the Haoran World has more young people like you."
He pointed elsewhere and said seriously, "Remember not to learn from Shao Baojuan of Appearance City. It seems he was a righteous gentleman for many years, just waiting to do one bad deed, and then never turned back. Such a pity."
After leaving this secret realm, Chen Ping'an used the zither score written by the white-haired child to exchange for passage documents for three cities from Tiaomu City. Normally, one knowledge could only get two cities at most; obviously, the Night Boat valued this "Guangling San" score highly. At first, the white-haired child was a bit smug, strutting outside the shop. But when he learned that the Night Boat actually had twelve cities, he immediately started jumping and cursing. Xiao Mili hurriedly hugged this dwarf who had gone white-haired at such a young age. The white-haired child kept cursing and kicking toward the shop. Xiao Mili swayed backward, barely managing to keep them both from falling. After finishing his curses, the white-haired child put his feet down, turned, patted Xiao Mili on the shoulder, and said, "Loyalty evident, good bodyguard work. I'll reward you with a few nice things later."
Xiao Mili didn't take it seriously, just grinning and saying, "Just now I felt like I was drunk and doing shadowboxing."
The white-haired child compared their heights and shook his head. "Xiao Mili, every time I talk to you, if I don't lower my head hard, I can't even see you. That won't do. From now on, ask our Hidden Hand Ancestor to make you a little stool, so you can stand and talk to me."
Xiao Mili frowned and secretly stood on tiptoe. But then the white-haired child seemed to get taller. One looked down, and the white-haired child quickly lowered his heels. When Xiao Mili suddenly looked up, he instantly raised his toes. Xiao Mili stepped back. The white-haired child had already put his hands behind his back and walked away.
First, they went to Chuigong City and met the old scholar who carried a lantern at night and wrote large calligraphy. Chen Ping'an relayed a message for Cui Dongshan.
During the journey, Xiao Mili quietly asked, "Pei Qian, Pei Qian, Li Huai said you're a princess of a fallen kingdom living among the people. Can you find your father here?"
Pei Qian didn't answer.
Xiao Mili continued, "Want me to help? I'm great at finding people—it's a skill I honed during patrols."
Pei Qian gave her a little knock on the head. Zhou Mili covered her head with both hands and realized—most likely, she wouldn't find him. She had indeed been rubbing salt into Pei Qian's wound and deserved the beating.
They were also by a great river in its dry season, revealing underwater cliff carvings: "Nourishing the people, deep within the Dragon Palace."
At a wine shop, they met a young man who called himself the Young Master. He was about to write on the wall with a brush, and a young waiter seemed absent-minded, just murmuring to himself, asking where his old sword from humble times was. Outside the shop, a tall man with greasy clothes passed by. He looked at a lively girl in the distance who was lightly tapping her toes, spinning her skirt airily, her eyebrows delicate. The man thought, this year, she was the one. It wasn't in vain that he had read voluminous books of 440,000 words—within and beyond books, there were beauties like jade.
The white-haired child, who had been clapping his hands on the table and clamoring for good wine, immediately shut up.
Chen Ping'an suddenly stood up, came outside the wine shop, and looked up at the sky.
At the lotus pond in Appearance City, two people who had first visited Sound and Color City broke through the mountain-and-water restrictions and appeared directly here.
Wu Shuangjiang, along with the young shopkeeper of the Stork Inn at Upside-Down Mountain.
Inside the pavilion, the Prison Officer sat alone.
His direct disciple Du Shanyin and maidservant Ji Qing were not there.
It seemed the sword immortal was waiting precisely for this Fourteen Realm great cultivator from Suichu Palace.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled faintly. "Little White, go take a walk elsewhere."
The Suichu Palace's New Year's Eve guardian, Bai Luo, nodded with a smile. "The Prison Officer doesn't have so many small worlds to help you conceal your Fourteen Realm."
Wu Shuangjiang said, "It's just dealing with a Prison Officer, not a Hidden Hand. No need for Fourteen Realm."
After Bai Luo left.
Wu Shuangjiang put his hands behind his back and walked forward slowly. Four imitation immortal swords came out of his sleeve together. He chuckled, "Flowers bloom in the cage."
The imitation sword technique of "Cage Sparrow," the imitation sword technique of "Well Moon," combined with the true words of "Flowers Bloom."
Between heaven and earth, everywhere was Wu Shuangjiang, everywhere were imitation immortal swords.
As for why he had to fight this battle today, the reason was simple: the dao partner in Wu Shuangjiang's heart had apparently been frequently chased by this Prison Officer's flying sword near the prison of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
After a moment.
The Night Boat was split in two by sword light.
At the same time, a voice sounded in Chen Ping'an's heart. "Can you come to the Confucian Temple?"
Chen Ping'an tentatively asked, "Is it Ritual Saint?"
After receiving the affirmative answer, Chen Ping'an bowed. "I trouble Ritual Saint."
——
Back then, after A Liang left the Confucian Temple square, he seemed to have turned into a rainbow and traveled far, but in truth, he sneaked over to a restricted area in the Merit Forest. He talked with the accompanying sacrificial sage with great effort. At least he didn't get shut out, but in the end, he still had to honestly exchange some merit to see that big-bearded wanderer. The place was said to be forbidden, but there were no formation restrictions, not even any guards. It was just a broken secret realm with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Liu Cha was squatting by the water, holding a fishing rod.
A Liang came to Liu Cha's side, silent. Liu Cha didn't speak either. A Liang sighed and shook his head, then moved behind Liu Cha and gave this sword cultivator's rear a flying kick—no small force. Liu Cha nearly pitched forward, but still held the rod with one hand and propped himself up with the other, not falling flat on his face. He squatted back down, his expression unchanged.
A Liang stood on one leg, lifted the other, and rubbed his instep, complaining bitterly that there was no way anyone's butt could be as hard as iron.
Hopping on one foot, he came to Liu Cha's side, sat down cross-legged, picked a blade of grass, flicked off the mud, stuck it in his mouth, and chewed slowly on the root. Mumbling indistinctly, he said, "Brother Liu, what did the Confucian Temple have to say?"
Liu Cha said, "Ritual Saint just told me to stay here. No other explanation."
"Able to exchange blows with Bai Ye—impressive, impressive."
"A defeated general dares not boast of his valor."
On Golden Armor Continent, there had been a mirror flower, water moon that repeatedly showed only one scene: Liu Cha's sword cutting down Bai Ye.
Some busybodies had copied it with mountain arts, so each time the scroll was opened, just before the big-bearded swordsman appeared and delivered that sword strike, inevitably some onlookers would exclaim his name: Liu Cha!
Over time, "Liu Cha," originally just a name, gradually evolved into an exclamatory expression, almost like a catchphrase. Two words, one expression, but could cover many meanings.
As for Liu Cha's own swordsmanship, especially his poetry, it was far less resounding than this name. Nowadays, in the Central Earth Divine Continent, the two words "Liu Cha" had already become known even to common women and children.
At this moment, A Liang put his hands behind his head and leaned back, saying softly, "If I had known this would happen, I would have killed you right there at the Sword Qi Great Wall."
He wasn't referring to Liu Cha's sword cutting Bai Ye, but to the scene by the Return to Void shore, blocked by the pure Confucian scholar Chen Chun'an.
And Chen Chun'an got along very well with A Liang. Of course, that "getting along" might just be what A Liang thought himself.
Liu Cha said, "Don't make exchanging lives sound so nice."
Going head-to-head with A Liang was essentially an exchange of lives.
A Liang crossed his legs and swung them lightly. "In my life, I've had three good brothers, all fellow sufferers. One is the old scholar—both of us full of learning, but never able to make it known and gain fame."
"One is Chen Ping'an—one standing on the city wall, the other lying under the mountain, only able to gaze at each other from afar, sympathizing with each other's plight."
"And then you. We both fell from the Fourteen Realm."
Liu Cha said, "Are you done?"
A Liang said, "What's it to you?"
Liu Cha said no more and continued fishing.
A Liang dozed off for a while, then stood up, saying next time he had free time, he would come here for a drink.
The man spread his arms, spun his body and left, still using the jianghu's Cloud Ladder technique, hopping on his legs.
Liu Cha glanced at him, very curious—was this guy also like this inside the Second Sage's mansion?
——
A certain sect in the Central Earth Divine Continent. A Jade Purity realm cultivator who had previously been nearly chopped to death by Qi Tingji's sword had just finished seclusion to heal his wounds and had hardly been out for a few days before attending a sect ancestral hall meeting.
Then a masked man appeared, revealing only a pair of shifty eyes. In broad daylight, he broke through the mountain gate formation, landed with a boom on the square outside the ancestral hall, assumed a posture of sinking his qi into his dantian, then pressed his hands to his forehead, smoothed back his hair, and called out the name of the Jade Purity realm ancestor several times, loudly asking where the man was.
The event was sudden. A young and promising ancestral hall worshipper didn't notice the strange expressions of those around him—the kind that seemed to want to speak but were holding themselves back. He stepped forward, crossed the threshold of the ancestral hall, and shouted angrily at the masked man, "What kind of rat dares to trespass here?!"
The masked man's eyes darted around. He was winking at a distant immortal maiden hovering in the air.
The short masked man clenched his fist, raised his arm, and lightly swung it backward. The Jade Purity realm cultivator at the door of the ancestral hall took a blow to the forehead as if struck by a heavy hammer, fainted on the spot, and fell straight backward, his back against the threshold, his body arched like a bridge.
Inside the ancestral hall, from the sect master to the law enforcer to the worshippers and guests, everyone held their breath. Most didn't even stand up. Some unscrupulous ones simply turned to chat with friends nearby, signaling their innocence.
That fellow had been here before. It wasn't his first time.
After that, the old Jade Purity realm master's misfortunes came in succession, and his plight was truly pitiful.
——
Central Earth Divine Continent, Xuanmi Dynasty.
A wealthy old man was admiring a chess game in a pavilion.
Suddenly, a man appeared behind him and grabbed his neck.
The wealthy old man coughed violently, unable to speak, patting the man's arm desperately.
The old man's very plump round face turned purple, then white. He already showed signs of rolling his eyes. Only then did the man release his grip. Yu Panshui took deep breaths. Damn it, he knew who it was—there was no one else in the world who would do such a wretched thing.
Unexpectedly, the man grabbed the old man's neck again and shouted, "Fat Yu, what's wrong with you? When you see a good brother, you don't even have a smile, don't even greet me, huh?! I said, someone must be secretly making a straw doll back in your hometown, cursing me so I can't return. Good heavens, so it's you?!"
After saying "ah," he lifted his arm, and the old man had to stand on tiptoe, looking like a hanged ghost. It wasn't that the old man was putting on a pitiful act—the guy behind him was really using force.
Yu Panshui was forced to let his yin spirit leave his body. Standing beside the man, he stomped his foot hard, clapped his hands, let out an "aiyowei," shuffled a few small steps over, and started massaging the man's shoulders and beating his back. "So it's Brother A Liang! Haven't seen you in years. This physique is solidly lawless! Tsk tsk tsk—worthy of having experienced the grand scenery of a Fourteen Realm sword cultivator. But realm and such, it's nothing much. For Brother A Liang, it's mainly this manly aura. Last time we met, it had already reached the peak. Who would have thought it could go even further beyond? Admiration, truly admiration! Drooling, truly drooling!"
Only then did A Liang let go and push the yin spirit's head to let it return to its true body.
He sat on the long bench in the pavilion, spread his hands on the railing, crossed his legs, let out a long breath, and threw a look at Yu Panshui.
Yu Panshui understood immediately. From the pavilion, which had a plaque bearing the words "Mu Ye Hu," a wisp of green smoke immediately shot out, drifted over, and eventually condensed into a stunningly beautiful woman. She curtsied and smiled at the man. "Greetings, sir."
A Liang bounced up, wiped his temples vigorously with his hand, and said, "Too formal, too formal—call me Little Brother A Liang."
Yu Panshui regretted having too much to eat and drink today.
A Liang waved his hand. "Fat Yu, clean up your own mess."
Yu Panshui played dumb. A Liang laughed. "Just call yourself A Liang from now on!"
In the Xuanmi Dynasty, there was a suddenly famous academy mountain chief from the mortal world, hailed by many Central Earth scholars as a continent's literary courage.
After Yu Panshui came and went again, A Liang hurriedly left, tossing out a line: "Yu Panshui, you've got some nerve—you dare to hit the literary courage!"
Yu Panshui sighed mournfully.
After A Liang left this place.
He found an old immortal who had seen many years, an old acquaintance.
The old immortal sneered. "A few words—is that a crime? You can curse all you want, you can hit all you want. If I talk back or fight back, I lose."
He had encountered a stubborn old scoundrel who didn't give a damn.
A Liang bellowed angrily, his voice full of grief and indignation. "Fine, fine, fine! You bully me because I'm low in realm and want to box with me, right? I'd rather be killed than suffer this stinking treatment."
His voice was so loud it spread across the peaks of the entire sect. Then A Liang grabbed the guy's hair, tucked his head under his armpit, and punched him on the head again and again.
Finally, he withdrew his fist, assumed a posture of sinking qi into his dantian, refreshed and invigorated—damn, another victory to add to the tally.