Chapter 782: The Sages and Heroes of the World
An intercontinental ferry traveled far through the Central Earth Divine Continent, belonging to the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect, which had been established in South Po-sha Continent only a few years prior.
The sect master was Qi Tingji, an old sword immortal who had once carved words on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
The chief venerable was Lu Zhi, who also temporarily held the position of Lawkeeper. She had been one of the ten peak sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
In addition, there were the sword immortal Shao Yunyan from the Spring Fan Studio of the Inverted Suspended Mountain, and the Drunkard Lady from the Plum Garden, both serving as guest elders.
Furthermore, within less than ten years, Qi Tingji had taken on eighteen disciples, all sword immortal seedlings from the Central Earth Divine Continent and South Po-sha Continent. They were hailed as the Eighteen Sword Sons.
The Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect was rumored to have business dealings with the Liu Clan of the Ao’ao Continent and the Yu Clan of the Central Earth, and its relationship with the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism of South Po-sha Continent was particularly extraordinary.
It was because Qi Tingji had first escorted Chen Chun’an overseas to protect his path, and it was also Qi Tingji who had once challenged Chen Chun’an with a sword.
Across the nine continents of the Haoran World, Qi Tingji had appeared on battlefields in three continents, his military achievements brilliant and his fame known throughout the world.
There was also a native ascending realm great cultivator of the Fuyao Continent named Liu Tui. Had Qi Tingji not drawn his sword to block a throne-tier great demon, his name would likely have been carved on the city wall in the Sixty-Year Register, just like Xun Yuan of the Tongye Continent. After Liu Tui fell to the immortal realm, he had spent several years in the White Porcelain Small Paradise of the Liuxia Continent’s subordinate sect, healing and recuperating. It was said that this time he would also emerge from seclusion to participate in the council. Liu Tui was both grateful and even more admiring of Qi Tingji. Some minor rumors among the mountain sect said that besides attending the Confucian Temple council, Liu Tui would also voluntarily request to serve as a guest elder of the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect.
The Fuyao Continent was a small continent, its landscape only slightly larger than the Baoping Continent. When Liu Tui originally reached the ascending realm, it was hailed as a “singular breakthrough from the wild.” If Liu Tui, as the sect master of a superior sect, were to actually serve as a guest elder of another sect, it would also be an unprecedented event in the Haoran World.
This ferry was already extremely close to a certain immortal ferry crossing named Inquiry Ford, which belonged to the Confucian Temple.
Qi Tingji, standing at the bow enjoying the scenery, suddenly issued an order to slow the ferry’s speed as a gesture of respect for the Confucian Temple.
Although Qi Tingji was an undeniably “old sword immortal,” he had an extremely handsome young appearance.
If the Confucian Temple had not yet lifted the ban on landscape gazettes, relying solely on Qi Tingji’s demeanor, he would have gained a large number of female cultivators as admirers out of thin air.
Qi Tingji, Wu Chengpei, Sun Juyuan, and Mi Yu were once hailed as the Four Great Beauties of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Later, a fifth person was added, but that was someone who had proclaimed himself such.
At this moment, someone stood shoulder to shoulder with Qi Tingji.
A woman, tall in stature, with a slightly gaunt face.
In the eyes of ordinary people, her standing beside Qi Tingji could be summed up in three words: not a match.
And she was the “city-toppling” beauty of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the great female sword immortal, Lu Zhi.
Qi Tingji smiled and said, “A single trip to Fallen Mountain for the ceremony has added two fifth-realm guest elders to our sect. I must thank our hidden officer lord. I wonder if this fellow has arrived for the council.”
Besides the Confucian sages, the various cultivators participating in the council at the Confucian Temple after ten days were housed in four locations around the temple.
Besides Inquiry Ford, the Confucian Temple had temporarily opened three makeshift immortal ferries to welcome guests from all nine continents of the Haoran World.
Cultivators from South Po-sha Continent, Fuyao Continent, and Tongye Continent would dock their ferries at the southern Inquiry Ford, then settle in a small county town called Pan River County. It was a very ordinary county town; its only unusual feature was its proximity to the Central Earth Confucian Temple.
Barring any accidents, as long as Chen Ping’an rushed to the council, he would most likely appear at the eastern temporary ferry.
Representing the Baoping Continent in the council were Song Changjing, replacing the Great Li Emperor Song He; the Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen of the Divine Proclamation Sect; and the head of the Yunlin Jiang Clan. Apart from Song Changjing, who traveled alone, both the Divine Proclamation Sect and the Yunlin Jiang Clan, like the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect, each brought a batch of disciples. Although they could not participate in the council and could only travel around the vicinity of the Confucian Temple, the area within a thousand miles was heavily guarded. For ordinary cultivators, being able to follow a ferry and settle in a certain place was already a great honor.
Lu Zhi said bluntly, “I know that you two have always been scheming against each other, but I hope the sect master does not forget one thing: all of Chen Ping’an’s plans are for the good of the Sword Qi Great Wall, without selfish motives. It’s not that he deliberately targets you, let alone specifically targeting Qi Shou. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have recommended Shao Yunyan to serve as a guest elder of the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect. As for more, like hoping that the sword sect and Fallen Mountain share the same spirit and form an alliance, I don’t expect that, and I don’t understand the taboos involved. Matters like these are for you to handle.”
Lu Zhi had this same temperament on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
She always spoke straightforwardly. Either have the ability to make her say nice things, or have the ability to make her stop saying unpleasant things.
Qi Tingji smiled and said, “Mr. Lu, please rest assured. I am not so petty, nor will I make things difficult for my own chief venerable.”
Lu Zhi rarely showed a hint of a smile. Leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, she slowly said, “You are all truly good at adapting to local customs. I am not.”
Chen Ping’an was on the Sword Qi Great Wall; Qi Tingji was in the Haoran World.
Qi Tingji was a bit helpless. He gently tapped the railing and thought to himself, “Among my disciples, one of the two direct disciples I value most actually only admires Chen Ping’an. She even begged me, her master, to help her seek a copy of the Two-Hundred Sword Immortal Manual from the hidden officer lord once she reaches the golden core realm. Tell me, isn’t that annoying?”
This was all the fault of the guest elder Shao Yunyan. He had nothing better to do than to describe the young hidden officer as a rare figure in the world, the key point being young and handsome, yet devoted and single-minded.
How could a young girl not be moved by that?
A man’s devotion is actually the greatest romance.
After all, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, there were many exciting stories to tell about the second manager.
And Shao Yunyan, ill-intentioned, only picked the good ones to tell.
Lu Zhi said, “Don’t worry. That girl is too beautiful. If she really meets Chen Ping’an, she’ll be too nervous to speak, and Chen Ping’an won’t say much either. After a polite exchange, there will be silence, and they’ll regret meeting.”
Qi Tingji burst into laughter.
Turning to look at Lu Zhi, Qi Tingji suddenly teased, “Mr. Lu, I’m curious, what kind of hero could catch your eye?”
Lu Zhi shook her head and changed the subject, “Will Liu Tui really serve as a guest elder of the sword sect?”
Qi Tingji nodded. “I don’t even know how to politely decline. It’s also annoying.”
Lu Zhi smiled. “That kind of trouble is rare.”
Qi Tingji leaned on the railing and softly sighed, “So we’ve settled down in a foreign land.”
Lu Zhi was silent, her thoughts drifting far away, back to her homeland, recalling many old people and old matters.
On the wall of a tavern, there had once hung an unsigned worry-free plaque with the words: “Lu Zhi isn’t really good-looking, but she has long legs. I’ve admired her for many years, and can never get enough of looking.”
Although the plaque had no signature, the handwriting was clear. Probably that sword cultivator didn’t really intend to hide his identity.
Some distant affections always can’t help but want to let someone know, only then can one be content.
But before Lu Zhi could settle the score with that old lecher, that sword cultivator, who always liked to squat by the roadside with his wine bowl whenever he drank, had died in battle outside the city.
Apart from that worry-free plaque, that sword cultivator had never spoken more than a few sentences to Lu Zhi in his entire life. So no one in the world would ever know whether he liked her too much or not that much.
In the final years of the Sword Qi Great Wall, everyone walked in haste, leaving whenever they wanted.
Once, there was a young manager who would mooch wine. Occasionally, after drinking too much, his eyes would become even brighter, his brows and eyes flying high, saying that when he returned to his hometown in the future, he would open another tavern, selling wine, spring noodles, hot pot, and stinky tofu. People from the Sword Qi Great Wall who went there could break the rules, get discounts, and buy on credit.
Someone asked, credit isn’t very interesting, can we not pay back the money? The young man smiled and said, wait until you come for a drink.
Someone else asked, can you hire more tavern girls, as refreshing as if you could squeeze water out of them? The young second manager cursed with a smile, there’s no such tavern in the world. The manager would have to risk his life to earn that bit of hard-earned money.
Loud laughter.
In that foreign land that had yet to become a hometown, the tavern in Ascension City was still there, but the young manager was no longer, and most of the old sword cultivators were also gone.
Shao Yunyan, the Drunkard Lady, and several of Qi Tingji’s direct disciples approached.
Facing the man who was both sect master and master, these youngsters were very reverent and awed, but they seemed closer to Lu Zhi.
After bowing to Qi Tingji, a boy asked, “Mr. Lu, can we see A Liang, Zuo You, Ning Yao, and that hidden officer?”
The young sword cultivators of the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect all knew that Ning Yao had ascended to the Haoran World with her sword.
Lu Zhi shook her head. “Not sure.”
That boy asked, “Did the hidden officer, when he was really drunk, once dare to say that Ning Yao liked him because she coveted his looks and admired his talent?”
Shao Yunyan laughed. “He definitely didn’t dare. Someone set him up.”
The Drunkard Lady smiled charmingly. “That’s hard to say. Liquor emboldens the cowardly. What wouldn’t the hidden officer lord dare to say or do? Confronting two armies, alone with his sword before the battle, pointing his sword at all the throne seats.”
Shao Yunyan laughed. “Is that praise or criticism? Want me to repeat it to the hidden officer lord?”
She snorted contemptuously. “Go ahead.”
After one trip to Fallen Mountain for the ceremony, the Drunkard Lady had gained a lot of courage.
Now, according to the hidden officer lord’s “holy decree,” she and Shao Yunyan had both become venerables of the Dragon-Elephant Sword Sect. Every time the Drunkard Lady mentioned the hidden officer, she became even more calm and composed.
Another boy said, “The hidden officer is just a high official. I still admire Mr. Zuo more—the best sword technique in the current world!”
Someone objected, “Mr. Zuo is certainly very powerful, but I think A Liang is still more fierce. After all, he’s an unequivocal fourteen-realm sword cultivator!”
Qi Tingji smiled and walked away. He was not too willing to listen to these childish arguments.
Qi Tingji of the Haoran World, Lu Zhi.
Chen Xi of Ascension City in the fifth world. Ning Yao.
Nalan Shaowei traveling in the Blue Curtain World, the Old Deaf returning to the Barren Wild World.
Plus A Liang, Zuo You, Chen Ping’an.
If we also count Xie Songhua, Li Cai, Liu Jinglong, Pu He, Song Pin and other Haoran sword immortals.
It seems that there is still a Sword Qi Great Wall standing tall in the world, unshaken.
The Haoran World of today still does not quite understand the relationship between two sword cultivators who once fought side by side on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
The Sword Qi Great Wall of the past was like the purest place for cultivating the Dao in the world.
The local sword cultivators were waiting for death; the foreign sword cultivators were going to die.
If both sides survived and could meet again, they would be soulmates, friends through life and death.
———
Wu Shuangjiang and the Penal Officer, in the battle of Appearance City, two outsiders on a ferry, a genuine fight between gods, affecting the entire night ferry.
Wu Shuangjiang, having suppressed his realm to the ascending realm, had a sword duel with that Penal Officer.
Tai Bai, Dao Cang, Wan Fa, Tian Zhen—four imitation celestial swords—split the entire ferry into two, four, eight, sixteen.
A middle-aged scholar and a closed-eyed monk appeared together. “Palace Master Wu, can you sheathe your sword now?”
A night ferry that had originally been split into pieces instantly coalesced into one, without any abnormality, not even a trace of spiritual energy loss. It was similar to the Sword Qi Great Wall before it was split in two by the Barren Wild Great Patriarch.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled. “Teacher Zhang is teaching me how to behave?”
The four imitation swords hovered around, their tips pointing in all directions.
Suichu Palace’s New Year’s Eve Keeper, Bai Luo, appeared accordingly.
The Penal Officer held his sword in one hand, and behind him in the high sky appeared two halos, one golden and one silver, like the sun and the moon hanging together on the sky, like a pair of divine eyes, breaking through the void, overlooking the mortal world.
These were precisely this Penal Officer’s two natal flying swords.
There were bleeding sword wounds on the Penal Officer’s face and chest, but the injuries were not serious and did not hinder his swordplay. But in this sword duel, it was a fact that the Penal Officer, as a sword cultivator, facing Wu Shuangjiang, who was not a sword cultivator and had suppressed his realm, was at a disadvantage.
The monk opened his eyes, chanted a Buddhist verse, raised one hand, and a string of prayer beads appeared. Excluding the separator beads, there were one hundred and eight beads in total, all tending towards a spotless white color. The monk gently twisted them, as if each twist of the beads could slightly reduce one hundred and eight afflictions.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly, flicked his sleeve, and shook out a string of bright, star-like splendor from his sleeve—also a string of beads, three zhang long, surrounding Wu Shuangjiang. It was a string of Taoist flow beads, each as large as a sycamore seed, each imbued with vast Daoist intent, perfectly round like a full moon, three hundred and sixty-five beads slowly rotating, with the shifting of stars and constellations, flowing like clouds and water, the great Dao cycling, the firmament endless.
The middle-aged scholar smiled. “Palace Master Wu has not only helped his Dao companion return her sword, but also learned an additional superior sword technique, and opened the ferry’s restrictions. Three gains in one move. Should be enough, right?”
Wu Shuangjiang was one of the ten men of the Blue Curtain World. A scholar-soldier, an unparalleled general. His Dao roots were in the Military Sect. But because Wu Shuangjiang could master anything he studied, his identity as a military cultivator was not so conspicuous.
Suichu Palace had very few cultivators, only about a hundred in total, which was extremely disproportionate to Suichu Palace’s status in the Blue Curtain World. Besides the fact that Suichu Palace’s threshold was extremely high and its recruitment strict, the most crucial reason was that Wu Shuangjiang had once accomplished two remarkable feats. When he was still at the immortal realm, he once defended the sect alone, and another time destroyed a sect alone.
After those two battles, a first-rate sect in the Blue Curtain World was completely annihilated, not just severely damaged. The mountain-protecting grand formation, the ancestral hall, and several vassal powers all turned to ashes.
This meant that Suichu Palace did not need large numbers; having Wu Shuangjiang alone sitting in the mountain was enough.
He was skilled in combat, unafraid of encirclement, and on his cultivation path, he had killed enemies across realms more than once or twice. He was proficient in concealment, his escape techniques were unparalleled, and his divination and deduction were extremely high.
He was meticulous in thought, precise in action, and especially remembered grievances. He wouldn’t strike unless he had to, but when he did, it was like a lion striking a rabbit, making sure to kill with one blow and uproot everything.
After all, he was a cultivator about whom even Sun Huaidian of the Great Mysterious Capital Temple commented, “A persistent ghost.”
Such a troublesome existence, now having entered the fourteen realms, even the Night Ferry would not want to make an enemy of him.
The middle-aged scholar smiled. “Palace Master Wu, the ferry has already reached the Southern Return Abyss.”
Wu Shuangjiang smiled, put the four imitation swords and the string of flow beads into his sleeve, retracted his “Caged Sparrow” technique, and, taking Bai Luo with him, left the Night Ferry, intending to pass through that Return Abyss and go directly to the Barren Wild World.
In the Lotus Pond Pavilion of Appearance City, the Penal Officer sheathed his long sword and two natal flying swords, landing in the pavilion. The monk vanished in a flash, leaving only the middle-aged scholar standing beside the Penal Officer.
The middle-aged scholar smiled and asked, “Are you alright?”
The Penal Officer muttered to himself, “If fourteen realms are like this, then what about fifteen realms?”
The middle-aged scholar said, “Unimaginable.”
Wu Shuangjiang and Bai Luo hung in the air side by side, beneath their feet a Return Abyss opened by the Barren Wild Great Patriarch. Opening a door was difficult, closing it even more so.
Wu Shuangjiang looked down. The Return Abyss appeared like a great chasm. In ancient times, the waters of the eight directions and nine continents on land, and even the legendary river of stars in the sky, would flow mightily into one of the four Return Abysses. There were even legends that inside the Return Abyss, there were giant tortoises with landscapes of ten thousand miles on their backs, yet within the abyss, they were as small as bonsai. There were also four Dragon Gates standing within, once the opportunities for all dragon-kind in the world to transform.
Wu Shuangjiang pointed and laughed. “You and I are lucky. It seems to be two giant horned fish.”
Bai Luo followed his gaze. Deep inside the Return Abyss, two giant horned fish with dragon heads and fish bodies, tens of thousands of feet long, were wagging their heads and tails, swimming leisurely. One male fish had golden scales and a gourd tail; the female had silver scales and a hibiscus tail, extraordinary and divine. Although these two giant horned fish were huge in size, within the depths of the Return Abyss, they were like two slender small fish in a river, negligible.
Bai Luo said helplessly, “Do we have to snatch this from others too? You’re already at fourteen realms. When out and about, at least show some masterly grace.”
It wasn’t good luck at all. Clearly, in the clouds above, someone was fishing for these giant horned fish. An ordinary fisherman in a landscape, to fish a big catch from a large river or lake, would need to spend silver to bait and lure the fish. These two rare giant horned fish were clearly being lured by a thin, long-browed old man in the sky above. They kept wagging their tails and floating upward, slowly approaching a magical bead. The bead flickered and shone in the abyssal water, illuminating a hundred zhang area each time it lit up, albeit only the size of a fist.
Wu Shuangjiang looked up. At an opening in the clouds above, there was a white-haired old man sitting cross-legged, fishing. He held a green bamboo fishing rod made from a mountain god’s verdant bamboo, using a pure martial artist’s true qi as the fishing line, plunging it into the depths of the Return Abyss. The long-browed old man was giving Wu Shuangjiang a look, probably meaning not to scare the pair of horned fish.
Wu Shuangjiang thought for a moment, then restrained his aura, blending his entire being with heaven and earth. Bai Luo also performed a concealment technique, not disturbing the old fisherman fishing for the horned fish. He communicated with Wu Shuangjiang via heart-mind: “This man is named Zhang Tiaoxia, nickname Dragon Uncle. A ten-realm martial artist, peak perfection. Besides martial arts, he is only obsessed with fishing. He has a leisurely temperament, at peace with the world. Only when he has no money to bait will he go to the Central Earth Divine Continent to earn some fishing money. Earlier, when the Return Abyss was opened, Zhang Tiaoxia was nearby, so as the saying goes, ‘a waterfront tower gets the moonlight first,’ so he was the first in the Haoran World to arrive. He then waited here, only picking the larger fish that slipped through the net. He successfully intercepted several great demons trying to escape back to the Barren Wild World.”
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. “Indeed, he has reached the level of ‘spirit arrive,’ but it’s a pity that’s only as far as he’s gone.”
The two horned fish were still very cautious. They chased the magical bead for a long time but never took the bait. The long-browed old man suddenly took a deep breath. The magical bead, guided by a mouthful of pure true qi, suddenly rose high, as if trying to escape. The silver-scaled hibiscus-tail horned fish hesitated no longer, churning up huge waves, leaping high, and biting the magical bead. The thin, bamboo-like old man laughed heartily, stood up, and jerked back. The “fishing line” tightened, forming a huge arc. But instead of pulling it up to death right away, he began to play the horned fish. Without an hour or two of tug-of-war, he couldn’t possibly drag that female horned fish out of the water.
Wu Shuangjiang squinted, watching for a moment, then stepped to the “shore” of the cloud sea, standing beside the old man. He smiled and asked, “Old senior, if you catch this horned fish, will you sell it? How much?”
The old man named Zhang Tiaoxia held the fishing rod against his belly, running around on the edge of the cloud sea. The strength of the ten-thousand-foot horned fish was truly not small. The old man laughed heartily as he ran, “Sorry, I always release what I catch. Especially this pair of Dao companion horned fish. If one is captured, the other will be lonely from then on. How pitiful would that be? The joy of fishing is never about filling one’s stomach.”
Wu Shuangjiang nodded slightly, indicating agreement, and smiled. “A true fisherman.”
Bai Luo breathed a sigh of relief. If not careful, this Dragon Uncle would have been taken by Wu Shuangjiang to travel to the Barren Wild World.
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly asked, “That female martial god of the Great Duan Dynasty, is she called Pei Bei? Have you exchanged fists with her?”
Zhang Tiaoxia still held the rod with both hands, focusing on wrestling with the horned fish, and said cheerfully, “When I could beat her, I didn’t want to bully a young girl. Then it seemed like after a few days, I found I couldn’t beat her anymore. Who can I complain to? No choice, I’d better just fish.”
Zhang Tiaoxia suddenly let out a sound of surprise. He held his breath and concentrated for a moment, then sighed. He actually took the initiative to break the “fishing line,” letting the priceless magical bead be swallowed by the horned fish. The two horned fish frantically fled into the depths of the Return Abyss. Unless Zhang Tiaoxia could replace the bait with something like a dragon ball or dragon’s cornea, he wouldn’t be able to hook them again for at least a hundred years.
Wu Shuangjiang asked, “Senior Dragon Uncle, are you going to the Central Earth Confucian Temple for the council?”
Zhang Tiaoxia nodded. “The great sacrificial wine of the Rites and Music Academy invited me. I have to go.”
For these two uninvited guests who suddenly appeared by the Return Abyss, it would be gambling with his life if Zhang Tiaoxia didn’t guard against them. Although he couldn’t see the depth of the other two, based on their demeanor, they were at least two immortals. Zhang Tiaoxia thought hard but couldn’t find any Haoran cultivator fitting their description. However, the long-browed old man felt that he had been wandering the seas for a long time and was quite ignorant of matters in the mountain sects, so it was normal not to know them. Just like that sword immortal Xu Xie from the Golden Armor Continent he had met earlier; he had never even heard of him before. But since Zhang Tiaoxia had no enemies in the mountain sects, he treated the encounter as a casual meeting with the other two.
Having lived a long life, one gets used to strangeness.
But if they really wanted to fight a senseless battle, Zhang Tiaoxia wouldn’t mind stretching his bones. A ten-realm martial artist at the spirit-arrive stage was no idle decoration.
Wu Shuangjiang clasped his fists and smiled. “I’ll take my leave here.”
Zhang Tiaoxia returned the salute. “Farewell, and may we meet again.”
Wu Shuangjiang looked into the depths of the Return Abyss, raised his hand, made a hand seal with two fingers, and said, “By this decree, all water creatures of the world obey.”
The two horned fish, already ten thousand miles away, actually wagged their heads and tails, as if receiving a command. They reverently followed the decree, turned around, and swiftly swam towards Wu Shuangjiang. Eventually, they churned up monstrous waves and leaped out of the water together. The two colossal creatures with dragon heads and fish bodies became extremely docile and obedient, hovering beneath the cloud sea, as if waiting for Wu Shuangjiang to board the “ferry” to travel through the Return Abyss.
Wu Shuangjiang, with Bai Luo, floated down onto the back of one of the horned fish, then dove into the Return Abyss, departing for the Barren Wild World.
Zhang Tiaoxia thought for a moment. Good thing they didn’t fight.
When out and about, it’s always best to be kind to others.
A ten-realm peak martial artist put away his green bamboo fishing rod and transformed into a rainbow, heading for the Central Earth Divine Continent.
Inside the Return Abyss, each riding a horned fish, Bai Luo smiled and asked, “Palace Master, I heard there’s a saying ‘Big Wu and Little Wu’ in the Blue Curtain World?”
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. “That kid only shares some fortune with me. In other aspects, he’s not really similar. The one who truly resembles me is the young man Lu Shen mentioned. It’s a good thing they’re not from the same world of cultivators, otherwise I’d think it was some kind of heavenly Dao suppression from reaching fourteen realms, like… the green-blue contention. Indigo blue extracted from the indigo plant is bluer than its source; after one withers, another flourishes.”
Bai Luo asked, “So, Palace Master, the murderous intent you had in Item City earlier—how much was real and how much was fake?”
Wu Shuangjiang laughed. “If Chen Ping’an couldn’t withstand that inquiry, then ten percent fake was also ten percent real. If he did, then ten percent real was also ten percent fake.”
Bai Luo frowned slightly.
Wu Shuangjiang said, “That kid can take things and put them down easily. He won’t hold any grudge about it. Besides, he understands my intentions well.”
A person’s amount of learning is secondary. What’s most feared in life is not being able to see clearly.
Bai Luo said, “An immortal pats the head, bestowing a longevity talisman.”
She was referring to the inn, when Wu Shuangjiang casually patted the little water monster’s head before leaving, seemingly casually.
It wasn’t of great benefit to cultivation, but it was a genuine life-saving charm. Perhaps Wu Shuangjiang had deeper intentions, but Bai Luo was too lazy to dig deeper.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled knowingly. “Lu Shen has some calculations, open and aboveboard, without concealment. So I’ll just follow his wishes.”
Since it involved the third teaching master of the White Jade Capital, Bai Luo refrained from further chat.
Wu Shuangjiang asked, “Do you know what Chen Ping’an’s greatest gain this time is?”
Bai Luo shook her head.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled. “It’s that someone has finally been able to prove that the path he is taking is correct. Not only is it not a narrow goat trail or a dead end, it’s a path that someone has already walked to the summit, just a bit winding.”
Wu Shuangjiang said something like a prophecy, “So just wait. In the next hundred years, Chen Ping’an’s cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds in every aspect.”
“You think so highly of Chen Ping’an?”
“I just think highly of every Wu Shuangjiang.”
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly laughed, as if thinking of something amusing.
Bai Luo was puzzled.
“It was the great sacrificial wine of the academy who invited Zhang Tiaoxia. So, guess who invited Chen Ping’an?”
“One of the three principal instructors of the Confucian Temple: one principal, two deputies? Could it be Teacher Dong, who has the best relationship with Wen Sheng?”
Wu Shuangjiang shook his head but did not give an answer.
This fourteen-realm grand cultivator, riding a horned fish, traveled between heaven and earth.
What he saw was what his Dao companion in his heart would see in the future.
Wu Shuangjiang put his hands behind his back, began to rest his eyes, and said with a smile in his heart.
The Dao is one foot tall, the demon ten feet tall.
———
Northern Ulu Continent, Crouching Ground Peak.
Zhang Shanfeng had finally succeeded in entering the Sea-Viewing Realm and was about to break out of seclusion.
This young Daoist needed a few more hours to stabilize his realm.
His master was protecting the path outside the cave immortal mansion, softly murmuring to himself, “A method of the coiled dragon, first calm the heart, then calm the eyes, then calm the spirit. Sleep is the great returning to the root; breathing and exhaling are the small returning to the root. Within breathing and exhaling, you can condense the heart-mind into a single mustard seed—this is the supreme returning to the root. This is where the multitude of things flourish, each returning to its root…”
A peak ascending realm Fire Dragon True Person, the masters of the White Cloud and Peach Mountain lineages, Yuan Lingdian of the Finger Abyss Peak, and the newly appointed mountain master of the Rosy Cloud lineage—all of them were protecting the path outside the cave entrance for a cave-realm cultivator…
They had long since set up a large table with wine, snacks, and a large basin of immortal fruits and vegetables, quietly awaiting good news here.
The master from the Peach Mountain lineage said seriously, “Little junior brother’s realm breaking is not bad, quite remarkable, with a myriad of phenomena. It’s gratifying.”
But in truth, Zhang Shanfeng’s realm breaking really had no phenomena to speak of. It was just bumping and stumbling into the Sea-Viewing Realm.
The old true person stroked his beard and smiled. “Your little junior brother’s appearance and demeanor are after all a notch above Chen Ping’an’s. There’s no denying that.”
The master from the White Cloud lineage complained, “Master, stating such an obvious fact loses its flavor. There’s no need to say it.”
Yuan Lingdian wanted to echo the master, but his senior brother got there first. Then he thought about it and felt that his senior brother’s words had higher level.
The old true person nodded slightly. “That is true.”
“Little junior brother’s steady and solid progress on the cultivation path, always maintaining a clear Dao heart, is no easy feat.”
The old true person smiled and nodded.
Yuan Lingdian wanted to say that it was because the master taught well.
But before he could, another senior brother spoke up: “Actually, little junior brother’s greatest skill is his ability to choose a master. Master, forgive me for being disrespectful, but it’s really because of the master’s good fortune that he could take Shanfeng as a disciple.”
Yuan Lingdian had nothing to say.
The old true person sighed with emotion. “Fact is fact, indeed.”
That fellow picked up his empty wine cup. “Having offended my master, this disciple must punish himself with a cup.”
The old true person pushed a jar of Green God Wine in front of him. “One cup isn’t enough. Punish yourself with three.”
Yuan Lingdian felt like an outsider who had come to make up the numbers, completely unable to get a word in edgewise.
Damn it, if only he had humbly sought advice from Chen Ping’an while at Fallen Mountain.
The atmosphere at Fallen Mountain was not inferior to Crouching Ground Peak. From the mountain lord down to the disciples, students, venerables, and guest elders, each one was better at speaking than the last.
Fire Dragon True Person suddenly stood up. “I have to go to the Confucian Temple immediately. This time I won’t bring Shanfeng. Too many acquaintances, easy to slip up. You all remember to protect him.”
Several people rose in succession, bowing respectfully to see the master off on his journey to the Central Earth.
The old true person glanced sideways at the seemingly mute Yuan Lingdian. “I’m talking to you!”
Yuan Lingdian was speechless.
The old true person vanished in a flash, traveling across continents. No way around it—his mountain was poor, couldn’t afford an intercontinental ferry, so he had to rely on this bit of humble Dao magic.
Central Earth Divine Continent, a sage’s mansion.
One branch of sage descendants had lived here for generations.
This Second Sage Mansion covered over one hundred and eighty mu, with more than four hundred rooms.
Attached to the temple. Beside the mansion was the thriving Second Sage Temple.
A man landed by wind at the city gate where the mansion was located and chose to walk.
An old steward from the mansion had been waiting on the steps outside the door for a long time. Seeing the man, he quickly stepped forward.
The two walked into the house together. The red-edged black painted gate was inlaid with lion-like beasts. Above the gate hung a blue-background, gold-character plaque reading “Second Sage Mansion.”
It was personally inscribed by the Ritual Sage.
After rounding a white screen wall, the second gate was the ceremonial gate. On each side hung two painted door gods, life-sized, four of the ten philosophers of the flawless military temple.
The somewhat silent man walked in through the side gate with the old steward, passing a hanging portrait of the Second Sage with a couplet on each side: “The way of heaven is established by yin and yang. The way of humanity is established by benevolence and righteousness.”
In the courtyard, ancient trees towered to the sky, lush and green. There was also a square terrace rising above the courtyard, with kui-dragon stone railings and green brick flower walls guarding the red stone steps. A sundial was set in the southeastern corner, a measuring vessel in the southwest. In the center stood a five-bay main hall, the “Grand Hall” of the Second Sage Mansion. The hall plaque read “Seven Chapters as Bequeathed Guidelines” in gold on a dragon border, with couplets again.
Behind the second hall was the third hall, the place where the Second Sage handled family affairs, the “harmonizing the family” place.
The man paused slightly, looking at a couplet. The reason he stopped here wasn’t that he had a special fondness for it among the dozens of couplets in the mansion, but because, from childhood to adulthood, apart from the family ancestral hall, it was here that he had been punished most often. The second line read, “Glorify the family’s voice—still it is study.”
Further back was the inner residence of this sage mansion. To the right of this gate was a stone chute protruding from the wall, because the women of the inner residence needed water; porters would pour water into the chute here, and maids would receive it on the other side.
This man, whose nickname “A Liang” was more famous than his real name across several worlds, patted the old steward’s arm, exchanged a few laughing words, and then walked in alone.
Along the way, descendants of the Second Sage’s lineage, upon encountering the man, would immediately stop, respectfully bow with folded hands, and A Liang would return the bow one by one, asking or encouraging them, like how their studies were going.
Entering the inner residence, A Liang did not go to his quarters but instead passed through corridors and hallways, heading straight to the garden at the very back, where there were flower clumps commonly known as “big wheat-ripe,” but which actually had a beautiful name: hollyhocks.
There had once been a child who read books but loved practicing the sword more, and he often used branches here to duel with the hollyhocks.
At that time, no one imagined that this strictest sage mansion would later produce a swordsman named A Liang, who always loved to travel far and didn’t like coming home much.
A Liang sat on the garden steps. Not far away was the family school. Year after year, the words of the sages rose and fell there—recitations, questions and answers, debates.
Outsiders would find it hard to imagine that every time he returned home, A Liang was so proper.
Perhaps only when they saw it would they suddenly realize one thing: this guy who said “dog’s ass” wherever he went was actually the direct descendant of the Second Sage, a veritable scholar.
No one knew why A Liang had become so close with the Wen Sheng lineage.
Or why he had become a swordsman who styled himself a sword cultivator, why he loved wandering the martial world so much. Why he went to the Sword Qi Great Wall, why he went to the Blue Curtain World.
A Liang lightly tapped his knees with both hands, humming a little tune.
He planned to change into a set of Confucian robes and then go to the Central Earth Confucian Temple to find acquaintances and have fun.
Having friends all over the world had one good thing: drinking didn’t cost money.
Outside the gate of the Second Sage Mansion, a travel-worn young Confucian scholar stood with a yellow-robed old man who wore a jade token issued by the Confucian Temple at his waist.
It was Li Huai and his attendant. The old man had changed his Dao name again to Tender Daoist.
Li Huai looked from a distance at the imposing gate of the Second Sage Mansion, swallowed his saliva, and didn’t dare to approach. He definitely lacked the courage to knock.
He somewhat regretted not going with his half-master, the blind old man, to the Central Earth Confucian Temple. Then, as long as he found Li Baoping and Master Mao, everything would be fine.
Tender Daoist, an ascending realm being, was even more nervous than Li Huai. He whispered, “Young master, I think A Liang is definitely not at home.”
That “dog’s ass” not being home would be great.
Then he wouldn’t have to settle scores later.
Li Huai carried a bamboo bookcase on his back and held a walking staff. He tentatively said, “Then let’s go directly to the Confucian Temple and wait?”
The Tender Daoist, who was really not young anymore, rubbed his hands and nodded. “That would be fine.”
But unexpectedly, from the main gate, a man strode out quickly, dressed in a set of Confucian robes that actually made him look somewhat presentable.
When the man saw Li Huai and the ascending realm being, he laughed loudly, “Oh, if it isn’t this young master Li! Not as handsome as when you were a kid. Those were good times—a tiger head on you.”
Li Huai waved.
A Liang walked down the street. Li Huai strode toward him, then suddenly handed his walking staff to the heavy-footed Tender Daoist behind him.
Almost simultaneously, about five or six paces apart, Li Huai and A Liang stopped.
They both assumed fighting stances, then began circling each other. A Liang hopped, switching from a left fist to a right palm thrust forward. Li Huai did a little jump, twisted his waist, looking grave—fist high, don’t go out.
The Tender Daoist almost wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it. Those two had holes in their heads; he didn’t know either of them.
They both gave a light shout and moved forward with small steps, hands beginning to grapple, exchanging techniques.
The movements were extremely slow, but they had the momentum of fists like thunder and strength enough to split bricks.
The Tender Daoist really couldn’t take it anymore. He turned around and started looking at the shops along the street.
The two suddenly hugged each other.
Li Huai laughed loudly. “Brother A Liang!”
A Liang laughed loudly. “Brother Li Huai!”
Each took a step back. A Liang lowered his voice and asked, “Is there still a chance for me to become your brother-in-law?”
Li Huai rolled his eyes. “No chance. My sister is married. To a scholar who’s taller than you.”
A Liang said angrily, “You didn’t stop your sister?! You just let her miss a perfect match like me?!”
Li Huai grinned. “A Liang, you seem to have gotten a bit shorter again.”
A Liang touched his head and sighed mournfully.
Li Huai said, “It’s okay. You can go home and put some extra cotton cloth in your boots.”
A Liang’s eyes lit up. “Brother Li Huai, you’re a genius!”
A Liang felt this was feasible and was in a good mood. He turned to look at the disgruntled Tender Daoist, his face full of surprise, and roughly wiped his mouth. “Oh my, isn’t this Brother Taoting?”
That ascending realm being felt he was doomed.
Li Huai might have a bit of conscience, but this dog’s ass A Liang was someone who would really eat dog meat hotpot.
Great Duan Dynasty, atop a city wall.
A man in a dragon robe with frost-white hair.
Beside him stood a very tall woman with a bamboo-sheathed long sword at her waist.
The female martial god, Pei Bei.
And a white-clothed youth, Cao Ci.
Pei Bei had a total of four direct disciples. Apart from Cao Ci’s senior brother, who was at the summit bottleneck, there were also two senior sisters, neither old, around fifty years old, both already at the distant roaming realm with solid foundations. Reaching the summit realm was beyond doubt.
And this appraisal of “solid” seemed normal only in comparison to Junior Brother Cao Ci.
The martial fortune of the Great Duan Dynasty was truly frightening.
As the mountain sects of the Central Earth Divine Continent would say, this Great Duan Dynasty might as well be running a martial fortune shop.
And the emperor, who had once traveled to the Inverted Suspended Mountain with Pei Bei, was now an old man in his twilight years.
He looked at Pei Bei and said self-deprecatingly, “Miss Pei still looks like the Miss Pei of those years. I am actually much younger than you, but I’ve aged, become so old.”
Pei Bei smiled.
He said, “Then I won’t delay you and Cao Ci from going to the Confucian Temple council.”
Pei Bei nodded.
He suddenly said, “In this life, I’ve never even touched Miss Pei’s hand.”
Cao Ci quietly left.
Pei Bei patted the old man’s arm and said, “I am very happy to have met Your Majesty.”
The old man patted the back of the woman’s hand and smiled. “Alright.”
This emperor suddenly felt a bit regretful and asked, “If that young hidden officer also goes to the council, then our Cao Ci won’t be the youngest council participant anymore, right?”
Pei Bei nodded with a smile. Actually, she didn’t think it was a big deal.
The old man turned to look at that white-clothed youth, as if “flawless,” and asked, “Cao Ci, how about I change your age? After all, a year older or younger doesn’t matter here in the Great Duan.”
Cao Ci stood in the distance, clasped his fists from afar to the childlike old man, and smiled. “Your Majesty, let’s not.”
The old man looked a bit disappointed.
At the temporary ferry on the north side of the Confucian Temple.
The largest “Snowflake” ferry in the Haoran World could not dock. It had to continuously expend spiritual energy, consuming immortal coins, and hover in the sky.
But the ferry owner didn’t care about this loss.
Between the ferry and the dock, a thousand-zhang long azure cloud bridge stretched out—another money-eating method.
A group of people slowly descended. A woman dressed very simply and elegantly was muttering to the young man beside her, saying that taking this opportunity, she should at least meet that immortal senior sister. That girl was a mountain woman; over a hundred years old wasn’t really old at all.
A family of three.
Liu Jubao, the wealth god of the Ao’ao Continent, and his wife, and their legitimate son Liu Youzhou.
While others were slaving away at cultivation, Liu Youzhou now had only one thing to be busy with: being forced by his parents to go on blind dates.
After each date, it always failed. Liu Youzhou had many excuses.
“That girl’s realm is too high. At such a young age, a Jade Pu realm, why would she take a liking to a cultivation waste like me? She must just be after my private savings.”
“She’s too beautiful, like a goddess stepping out of a painting. I’m not worthy; I can only admire from afar.”
“She thought my painting skills were amateur. We’re not the same kind of people; we can’t connect. Cultivators have long years. If we share a pillow with different dreams every day, something bad will happen.”
So his father was anxious, and his mother even more so.
Liu Jubao wanted Liu Youzhou, his only son, to help the family expand its branches.
But Liu Youzhou’s mother had a different idea. She always felt that since she had given birth to such a handsome and promising son, if she didn’t show him off a bit, she wouldn’t feel satisfied when chatting with her glamorous fellow female cultivators.
And this Lady Liu was famous throughout the Haoran World for spending money like water. Any rare Dharma robe or dress, beautiful hairpins and jewelry, expensive rouge and powder, dressing tables, letter paper, eyebrow pencils, pictures of ladies… once she bought them, the price would at least double. So all mountain forces doing business with women would proactively send their new-style goods to the Liu Clan of the Ao’ao Continent. If she didn’t like them, she’d return them; if she did, she’d buy them at a high price.
Free gifts? Who are you insulting?
One of the greatest interests of this lady and her friends was commenting on the Dao companions of mountain grand cultivators or young elites.
“That woman, all coquettish, clearly not a proper wife.”
“Like a country nun, the uglier she is, the more she likes to wear flowers on her head, all flashy. She doesn’t have money so she wears it all on her body.”
“Don’t be fooled by her looking fresh; high cheekbones kill husbands without a knife. She’s vicious.”
“A scorpion carrying a hornet—those two are a perfect match.”
“Look at them now, all lovey-dovey, inseparable. Wait and see, they won’t be tied to the same trough for long.”
Liu Jubao paid no attention to his wife’s backbiting. It was just a dozen old women finding excuses to gather and chatter now and then. The content of their gossip never spread outside.
The woman took her son’s hand and said gently, “Son, when a rich family looks for a wife, do you know what kind to look for?”
Liu Youzhou was a bit absent-minded and answered perfunctorily, “How would I know?”
The woman continued as if to herself, “Too beautiful a woman is either a red-faced disaster or a red-faced short life. Definitely don’t pick one.”
“First, she must truly like you. Second, she must have filial piety, treating her in-laws as her own parents. Third, she must have her eye on money but not be obsessed with it. Otherwise, she’ll be a spendthrift. Of course, even if the daughter-in-law spends lavishly, our family won’t go bankrupt. But the problem is the headache. There are so many gossips in the mountain sects, always backbiting. What nasty things won’t they say? I can talk about others, but no one can talk about me.”
“If you pick wrong, one disaster can suppress a hundred fortunes. No matter how big the family fortune, it can’t hold. But if you pick right, one blessing can suppress a hundred disasters.”
Liu Youzhou could ignore it, but the Liu wealth god of the Ao’ao Continent had to listen patiently to the woman’s constant nagging. He had no say, and crucially, he couldn’t let her words go in one ear and out the other.
Occasionally there would be a quiz: “What did I say in the third sentence just now?” One misstep, and the woman would be on the verge of tears, complaining that his heart was wandering, that once out of the house he was absent-minded, that he had no place in his heart for his old wife, that the home flower wasn’t as fragrant as the wild one.
Finally, the woman composed herself and said softly, “Youzhou, when you marry a wife, you must marry a good-hearted girl. That is true fortune, the best way to attract wealth.”
Liu Youzhou nodded. “Mother, though you haven’t read books, your words are very practical.”
The woman patted the back of her son’s hand. “Our Youzhou is so good with words. Why can’t he find a wife? It’s not fair.”
Liu Jubao nodded in agreement.
The woman remembered something and warned, “Don’t go to Tongye Continent. It’s a filthy place, not interesting at all.”
Liu Youzhou said helplessly, “Mother, can you stop nagging?”
The woman took out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. Liu Youzhou had to comfort her, saying all sorts of things to stop his mother from forcing out tears.
Liu Youzhou suddenly thought of a girl he had met at the Thunder Duke Temple.
A ferry traveling through the clouds was heading to the western dock of the Confucian Temple, still several thousand miles of mountains and rivers away.
Compared to the ferry of the Liu Clan of the Ao’ao Continent, it looked very shabby.
But this ferry, which had departed from the Fuyao Continent, whenever it passed places—whether cultivators flying on the wind or other ferries—not only greeted it, but upon seeing it from afar, would take the initiative to make a detour, as if afraid to get too close.
The reason was simple.
White Emperor City.
Today, on board this ferry, besides the city lord of White Emperor City, Zheng Juzhong,
there was also Liu Chicheng, who had re-entered the Glass Pavilion, wearing a pink Dao robe. And Liu Chicheng’s extremely ill-tempered senior sister, Han Qiaose.
This senior sister was, besides the city lord, recognized as the most talented cultivator in White Emperor City. She had once sworn to learn twelve types of great Dao techniques, but so far had only learned ten. The last two were especially difficult.
Zheng Juzhong, on leaving Fuyao Continent to return to the Central Earth, had only brought two direct disciples.
The elder disciple was named Fu Jin, a sword cultivator. His natal flying sword was Autumn Cicada. He wore a gourd for nurturing his sword at his waist.
Fu Jin and his master both wore snow-white robes.
The younger disciple was Gu Can. He wore a blue robe, with gentle brows and eyes.
His martial aunt, Han Qiaose, was standing beside Gu Can, softly telling him about the extraordinary people at the peaks of the Haoran World—who had good relations with White Emperor City, and who had grudges.
Han Qiaose’s only good temper seemed to be reserved for her nephew Gu Can.
Previously, when Gu Can was in Fuyao Continent and found the ruins of an ancient shattered small paradise, it was she who secretly protected him. But from start to finish, she never had a chance to intervene.
Also on the ferry was Chai Bofu, trembling and barely daring to draw a breath. Thanks to the little demon Gu Can, after enduring countless hardships and reaching White Emperor City, he rose like a hen to heaven. Although he hadn’t become a direct disciple of the White Emperor City ancestral hall, he had become a nominal disciple. Chai Bofu’s tears of gratitude were heartfelt. After all, among all the wild cultivators of the world, who didn’t regard the White Emperor City in the Cauldron Clouds as a holy land in their hearts, just like the Confucian Temple in the eyes of scholars?
Liu Chicheng took Chai Bofu to Gu Can’s room. Because he didn’t knock, Han Qiaose, who was on the observation deck, hit him with a Dao technique.
Liu Chicheng was fine, but Chai Bofu collapsed on the spot, lying in a pool of blood in the corridor. After struggling to sit up, without needing any comfort from Liu Chicheng, he got up alone and returned to his room to heal.
The cultivation path to the heavens is not easy. Without suffering, how can you succeed? Get used to it.
After knocking obediently, Liu Chicheng swung his sleeves and walked into the room, coming to the observation deck. He leaned on the railing, turned his head, and smiled. “Senior Sister, this time we might run into that Qin Zao from Liuxia Continent.”
Han Qiaose said coldly, “A so-called immortal who didn’t dare fart when he saw A Liang. How did he become a dog?”
Liu Chicheng smiled fawningly. “Senior Sister, how about I take Gu Can and together we go meet this Qin Zao fully?”
If something happened, he had his senior brother to take responsibility. Why be afraid? Besides, that Qin Zao was a paper-tiger immortal, empty in realm, without real ability. Otherwise, on the southern battlefield of Liuxia Continent, how could Qin Zao have achieved nothing, just like a sightseeing trip? Compared to his senior sister, the immortal Cong Qian, who was skilled in battlefield combat, he was far, far worse. So much so that as a sect master, he didn’t even qualify to participate in the council.
Han Qiaose’s eyes instantly turned fierce.
Liu Chicheng immediately raised his hands. “Alright, alright. Younger brother promises not to take Gu Can to cause trouble.”
In White Emperor City, Han Qiaose, Liu Chicheng, and other high-generation members were technically brought in by Zheng Juzhong on behalf of their “master.” And that “venerable master” had never appeared in White Emperor City. So, to Liu Chicheng and the others, Zheng Juzhong was half master and half senior brother. He had the name of senior brother but the reality of a master.
White Emperor City in the Central Earth Divine Continent was very similar to Suichu Palace in the Blue Curtain World.
When Wu Shuangjiang issued a decree, everyone was willing to die.
But in White Emperor City, the result was the same, though the cause was slightly different: no one dared not to die.
Zheng Juzhong’s skill in manipulating people’s hearts was at its peak.
As the undisputed number one demonic overlord, his actions on the Fuyao Continent battlefield were hailed as “one man closing the book on an entire continent.”
So now there was a saying among the mountain summits: better to have a sword duel with Liu Cha than to have a Dao discussion with Zheng Juzhong.
Gu Can deeply understood this.
In previous years, he had returned to “Book Brief Lake.” He was forced to change identities many times: Liu Laocheng of the Palace Willow Island, Liu Zhimao of the Green Gorge Island, former senior sister Tian Hujun, a bookstore owner in Cloud City, the youth Zeng Ye…
Liu Chicheng lay on the railing, yawning continuously, turned his head, his cheek pressed against the railing, and smiled at Gu Can.
In White Emperor City, Gu Can was the “madman.”
But in Liu Chicheng’s eyes, this little junior brother was an extraordinarily brilliant young scholar in appearance, tall, with a face like jade, full of scholarliness.
Although he had the nickname “madman,” any person who saw the young man in person would find that whether in expression or speech and manner, he had none of the arrogance of a mad scholar.
After Gu Can left “Book Brief Lake,” Zheng Juzhong personally bestowed a talisman seal on this direct disciple. The border inscription read: “Cloud roams the five sacred peaks as host; embraces a hundred thousand books, a southern king.” The bottom seal read: “My heart is rebellious.”
Liu Chicheng exclaimed, “Oh? Which god is so bold as to actively approach our ferry?”
Gu Can looked into the distance. It was an immortal ferry with abundant water fortune, built with carved beams and jade pillars, very exquisite.
Han Qiaose, as an immortal realm cultivator, had better eyesight than Gu Can. She laughed softly, “It’s that fat woman from Green Water Pit. Suddenly in a high position, she started to show off.”
The Azure Bell Lady of Green Water Pit had emerged from obscurity, a great demon from a corner, rising extremely fast. Now she ostensibly controlled the land water transportation of the nine continents of the Haoran World.
Moreover, she was personally appointed by the Ritual Sage.
From the Confucian Temple to the mountain sects, there was no objection.
Strange to say, aside from the major Confucian lineages and the ancestral masters of the hundred schools, the Ritual Sage rarely told the peak cultivators of the Haoran World what was right or wrong, or what rules to follow.
He truly did not interfere.
So now, the Azure Bell Lady felt as if she were dreaming. Every day she felt as if an age had passed. How could she have suddenly transformed into the master of land water transportation appointed by the Ritual Sage?
And she was indeed grateful to Zheng Juzhong. If not for this city lord of White Emperor City, she might not have met that seemingly soft and weak woman, would have missed that great battle, might have even stood on the wrong side, and one careless day would have been slapped half to death by that old turtle Fire Dragon True Person… Every time she thought of this huge difference, her gratitude toward Zheng Juzhong grew by one measure.
Half-dead Liu Chicheng suddenly stood up straight. “What a coincidence! On that ferry, there’s actually the Flower Lord of the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land, and all four life-lord flower spirits are there. Five immortal beautiful ladies, each with their own charms, a feast for the eyes. I just wonder if I’ll have a chance to turn visual fortune into romantic fortune.”
Han Qiaose sneered. “Want romantic fortune? It’s simple. Ram your head into it. You can’t break through the ferry’s mountain-water restrictions, but I can help you.”
Liu Chicheng actually had that thought.
That ferry was gradually approaching.
Gu Can clasped his fists in salute from afar. He didn’t care whether the Azure Bell Lady of Green Water Pit or the five ladies of the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land on that ferry saw or paid attention.
Han Qiaose smiled faintly.
This stripped Liu Chicheng of any face to go over for pleasantries.
Zheng Juzhong did not appear. His senior disciple Fu Jin did. One of the life-lord flower spirits looked at him with complex emotions, gazing at the “Little White Emperor” that the Haoran World had once called the Fu swordsman.
And the Flower Lord of the blessed land had an otherworldly beauty and a dignified bearing. She wore an embroidered Dharma robe with a hundred flowers.
She looked with great interest at the young cultivator whose fame was rising: Gu Can. Cultivated, courteous, gentle, and refined, with a scholar’s aura from the inside out. How could he be a madman?
———
The ancestral hall meetings of Zhengyang Mountain had never been so frequent in a thousand years.
Today, after the meeting ended, a female ancestor waited for various streaks of sword light to fade before taking to the wind to leave the ancestral mountain and return to her own peak, without company.
On the way, she passed the Small and Large Orphan Mountains, collectively called the Lovers’ Peaks, which had long been vacant and not opened as peaks, because Zhengyang Mountain had not had a pair of sword-cultivating Dao companions who could jointly reach Earth Immortal for too long.
Once, the continent-famous immortal Su Jia had the best hope of cultivating here, but the Dao was unpredictable. Thirty years later, many newly initiated young disciples would look blank upon hearing this name.
Then she detoured around the Immortal Carrying Sword Peak. Earlier, she had even stopped deliberately. Although she was not a sword cultivator, she adhered to the ancestral customs, strictly following the rules: she made a single hand seal for the sword technique, bowing from a distance in salute.
But as she bowed, this female cultivator named Tian Wan curled a faint sneer. When she raised her head, her expression was already solemn.
This peak was second in height only to the ancestral mountain. At its summit was planted a long sword, a relic of Zhengyang Mountain’s founding ancestor. Its rank was not high, not even half an immortal weapon, but its significance was great.
That founding ancestor had laid down an iron rule: only when a later sword cultivator of Zhengyang Mountain could become a sword immortal within a hundred years could this long sword be retrieved and placed back into the ancestral hall. His intentions were truly well-considered. Hence this place was also called Sword Mountain.
The mountain-protecting venerable of Zhengyang Mountain, the white ape Yuan Zhenye, cultivated year-round on this Carrying Sword Peak. As a member of the mountain-moving species, a descendant of ancient beings, Yuan Zhenye had a good name: “True Achievement in the Mountains,” meaning “summit.” With Zhengyang Mountain successfully becoming a sect, this white ape’s status also rose accordingly. So every time Yuan Zhenye occasionally appeared on other peaks, the disciples would shout “Mountain-Moving Old Ancestor” at the top of their lungs.
In particular, small rumors began to spread on the mountain that the Mountain-Moving Old Ancestor would soon break through to the shocking upper fifth realm.
Thus, many young cultivators simply respectfully called him the Mountain-Moving Great Sage.
The first upper fifth realm Wuyue mountain lord in the Baoping Continent was Wei Bo of Piyun Mountain. Then this venerable would be the first upper fifth realm cultivator of spirit creature origin.
The hearts of Zhengyang Mountain had never been so united; the spirit of its cultivators had never been so stirred and soaring.
Even a newly enrolled outer disciple, even a naive young boy or girl, began to feel that the once vast Baoping Continent suddenly seemed very small. Their vision and thoughts would float to the ally Northern Ulu Continent with its abundant sword cultivators, or south to the Tongye Continent, a leaky basket full of ruins.
“After the clouds part, the moon appears”—this referred to Li Tuanjing of the Wind and Thunder Garden dying.
“Like the sun at high noon”—it meant Zhengyang Mountain not only becoming a sect but also preparing to establish a subordinate sect. Although there seemed to be some bumps, no one doubted that Zhengyang Mountain would definitely possess a fully legitimate subordinate sect. Looking at the entire Baoping Continent, even the Divine Proclamation Sect, which held the leading position, couldn’t have a subordinate sect.
Now, busybodies at Zhengyang Mountain most enjoyed evaluating the influential figures of the continent. More and more young cultivators on the mountain sincerely felt that Li Tuanjing was lucky to have died early; otherwise, he would definitely have lost his virtue in his old age, and sooner or later would be easily defeated by some young sword immortal of Zhengyang Mountain.
Tian Wan returned to Cornus Peak. Her cultivation place was very simple: a quiet courtyard in a mountain hollow, not on an open high place.
She was Tian Wan of the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall, a female ancestor with a seat very far in the back. She managed the very inactive landscape gazettes and water mirror illusions, but in name, she also handled intelligence. However, she had long been sidelined by the ancestral hall’s Lawkeeper lineage; she had no real power in that matter. Only when something went wrong would she be dragged out.
Thus, Tian Wan was the most inconspicuous member of the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall. In the hall, she was neither here nor there.
She hadn’t taught any outstanding disciples with superb swordsmanship, nor did she have any say. She simply guarded Cornus Peak, which had few visitors. It was said, “A mountain doesn’t need to be high to be famous if an immortal lives there,” but poor Cornus Peak, because of Tian Wan, had earned the phrase “not even a bird alights.”
Yet she was also the junior sister of that “Man of All Heaven’s Matters” Master Zou.
And she was one of the twenty people in a secret council.
In that mountain-water secret realm where cultivators didn’t need to appear in person, the sect master of Ten-Thousand Yao Sect of the Three Mountain Blessed Land, the immortal realm cultivator Han Yushu, had shallow seniority. His seat was second to last, only better than the bottom-seat sect master of Qionglin Sect. At each meeting, these two could hardly speak; they could almost only take orders, unable to bargain with anyone.
In recent decades, they had also absorbed a group of young people, screened very strictly. Even to become a candidate, one needed a recommendation from someone present and at least half the people’s approval. Any deviation would lead to severe liability.
For example, Xu Xuan of Northern Ulu Continent, the only disciple of the great sword immortal Bai Shang, was recommended by the Qionglin Sect master.
And the Dream Traveler of Liuxia Continent, who had used the alias Shao Baojuan as the city lord of Appearance City on the Night Ferry, was recommended by the Penal Officer.
And, in a sense, the first person to lift the curtain on the great war came from Tongye Continent. It was he who had inadvertently discovered the hidden danger of the Planchette Sect. After that, one move affected the whole body, leading to the incident at Taiping Mountain: the gentleman Zhong Kui died and became a ghostly being; the sword-carrying old ape was severely wounded by the old heavenly lord of Taiping Mountain; and a young Daoist with deep connections to the River Sash Lady, who also had a hidden identity, was unfortunately tracked by the old Observer of the Guan Dao Temple. The latter’s body and soul were split, and he was thrown into the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.
But these young people were still candidates, temporarily unable to participate in the meetings, and didn’t know the identities of the twenty above.
Tian Wan activated the mountain-water restrictions of her residence, stepped inside, lit incense in the main room, sat on a cushion, and took out a bamboo slip container from her sleeve. With a solemn expression, she gently shook it, let a bamboo slip fall out, picked it up, and looked. She breathed a sigh of relief. Though it wasn’t a top sign, it was neither good nor bad—a middle-lower sign. She was very satisfied. The last time she drew a slip, it was a lower-lower sign that almost made her lose her Dao heart. Tian Wan had to use a protective talisman her senior brother left behind to help change her luck. Sure enough, fortune turned; a sliver of vitality appeared. Though still dangerous, she had her own coping strategies.
Tian Wan put the bamboo slip into her sleeve, smashed the container, then closed her eyes and subconsciously reached to twist the red string on her wrist. After a moment, she abruptly stood up and vanished.
Cornus Peak was empty.
Zhengyang Mountain no longer had the ancestor Tian Wan.
An old woman boarded a ferry heading to Old Dragon City.
A young girl boarded a ferry heading to Oxhorn Mountain Ferry.
“Life’s journey leaves traces like a swan’s foot in snow; present briefly, not lingering long.”
That was Tian Wan’s cultivation tenet.
There was also a plain-looking woman who, on Cornus Peak, exhaled to form a cloud the size of an umbrella. Using formations to shrink the land, she appeared in a rain cloud in the central part of Baoping Continent, falling to earth with a torrential downpour. The raindrops coalesced into a human form. She quietly arrived at a county city of a vassal small kingdom of the old Zhu Ying dynasty. She found a bookshop in the marketplace, where Su Jia had taken the alias He Jia.
As Su Jia’s guide to mountain cultivation and earliest teaching master, Tian Wan seemed to have come to bid farewell to Su Jia.
Because of the heavy rain, the sky and earth were gray, making it hard to walk even with an umbrella. The bookshop’s business was much slower than usual. Tian Wan put away her oil-paper umbrella. He Jia suddenly looked up, her face full of surprise.
But Tian Wan quietly sighed in her heart. She turned to look—a tall man in blue cloth shoes, young-faced but with temples already white, holding an umbrella, stood outside the shop door. He smiled. “Sister Tian, Immortal Su Jia.”
Tian Wan finally understood why her divination slip had been the lower-lower sign.
It was this Jiang Shangzhen from Tongye Continent. Ill-fated, he had targeted her.
Jiang Shangzhen stood on the doorstep, folded his umbrella, gently shook off the rain outside the door, and looked up with a smile. “My name is Zhou Fei, a venerable of Fallen Mountain, chief venerable.”
Jiang Shangzhen didn’t look at Tian Wan anymore; his gaze passed over her and stared straight at Su Jia, who had taken the alias He Jia. “Immortal Su, have you heard of ‘One-Foot Lance’ and ‘Jade-Faced Little Lord’ in the water mirror illusions? They once argued over who was the number one immortal of Baoping Continent between you and He Xiaoliang of the Divine Proclamation Sect. Although One-Foot Lance thought He Xiaoliang was better, he also admired Immortal Su very much. When he traveled far in those days, he originally planned to go to Zhengyang Mountain to find you, but unfortunately couldn’t meet you. Old Man Xun always regretted it.”
Jiang Shangzhen leaned against the door. “In my eyes, Immortal He is already a figure at the summit, increasingly ethereal. Immortal Su, on the other hand, emerges unstained from the mud. Two different types, both equally good.”
He seemed like a lecher, coming to flirt.
Su Jia was baffled, not knowing who this man really was and why he spoke so strangely.
Tian Wan suddenly laughed loudly. “Old Sect Master Jiang, don’t tell me you think you’ve already won?”
Jiang Shangzhen was dumbfounded, pointing at the woman with his umbrella, his voice trembling. “You… you… you…”
Tian Wan felt something was off.
On a ferry, an old woman turned to look at the door of the cabin.
A white-clothed boy lightly knocked on the door with his folded fan. “A thousand miles of fate brought together by a single thread.”
On the other ferry heading to Old Dragon City, another “Jiang Shangzhen” leaned against the railing, standing beside the girl admiring the view from the bow. “Only envious of mandarin ducks, not of immortals.”
Back at the bookshop, Tian Wan smiled again. “Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan joining forces—that’s still nothing special.”
Jiang Shangzhen shook his head, his eyes full of resentment. “Sister Tian, you can look down on me, but you can’t look down on my brother Cui.”
On the east coast of Baoping Continent, near the mouth of the Qi River.
In the wilderness, a woodcutter walked slowly. On a tree, a white-clothed boy sat on a branch, his arms behind his head, saying lazily, “In the season of falling leaves and west wind, both man and green mountains are thin. I always resent that this body is not my own.”
In the western sea of Baoping Continent, a man carrying a sword on his back, parting the waters for a long journey, turned to a nearby spot and smiled. “Better to cherish the one before your eyes.”
The woman in the bookshop stood speechless. She did not dare gamble with her life.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled. “Perhaps this is: ‘It is hard to meet, hard to part.’?”
The woman took a deep breath. “What do you intend to do with me?”
Jiang Shangzhen comforted her. “Don’t worry. Our mountain lord is the most tender-hearted and kind to women!”
———
The blacksmith shop by the Dragon Beard River.
The round-faced girl sat on a bamboo chair under the eaves, eyes fixed straight ahead at the Dragon Beard River in the distance. She lightly said “hey,” as a greeting.
Liu Xianyang, who was eating sunflower seeds beside her, immediately turned his head with a bright smile. “What’s the matter? As long as Miss Yu speaks, I’m ready to go through fire and water!”
The girl in the cotton coat, who had taken the alias Yu Qianyue, asked casually, “Do you know what ‘plucking the cassia branch in the toad palace’ means?”
Liu Xianyang half-crouched, bent over, picked up his bamboo chair, and moved with it closer to Sheyue, not going too far to avoid offending the lady, and laughed. “It means passing the imperial exams and having one’s name on the golden list, right? Miss Yu, really, I’m not boasting. On that little turtle Chen Ping’an’s Fallen Mountain, there’s a scholar named Cao Qinglang. He’s not old, a very proper person. Back in his hometown blessed land, a few years ago, when he was just a teenager, he got the top three consecutive times in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace exams! When he came here, he was still impressive. Not long ago, Cao Qinglang went to the capital for the imperial exam and became the bangyan (second place). The Bangyan of the Great Li Dynasty! That’s pretty much the bangyan among all the scholarly seeds of our Baoping Continent. The weight of that, tsk tsk…”
Sheyue listened patiently to Liu Xianyang’s nonsense for a long time, and finally couldn’t help but ask with doubt, “Why are you telling me all this? It sounds like you don’t have a copper coin’s worth of involvement in it. What exactly are you trying to brag about?”
But one good thing about chatting with Liu Xianyang: this guy was the one who cursed the Fallen Mountain’s mountain lord the most.
Liu Xianyang glanced at Miss Yu sidelong and winked. Seeing that Miss Yu truly didn’t understand, he had to clear his throat and explain the reason. “To tell you the truth, Cao Qinglang’s skill in the imperial examination essays—I won’t say half the credit, but at least half is mine. Every time I visit Fallen Mountain, I discuss scholarly insights with this kid. Miss Yu, as you know, when it comes to traveling ten thousand miles, I’m only slightly inferior to that little turtle. But when it comes to reading ten thousand volumes of sages’ books, heh, I’m this, and Chen Ping’an is this.”
As he said this, Liu Xianyang extended his thumb pointing to himself, and then his little finger pointing in the direction of Fallen Mountain.
Somewhere along the way, the main topic got lost.
Sheyue didn’t think anything was wrong. She had nothing serious to do here anyway. Living in this foreign land was like the Dragon Beard River—lazy and unhurried.
She suddenly said softly, still as if talking to herself, “Dried bamboo shoot and duck soup is pretty tasty.”
Liu Xianyang looked a bit embarrassed. “Buying ducks isn’t cheap.”
Sheyue asked, “Do you have to pay for picking up a pebble by the river?”
Liu Xianyang laughed awkwardly. Lately, finding ducks by the river was getting harder.
Sheyue hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn’t help asking the biggest question in her heart, “Why is Chen Ping’an so afraid of you?”
That guy was someone who didn’t fear heaven or earth.
He had dared to merge with half of the Sword Qi Great Wall, lived next to the Dragon Lord there, faced the schemes of Wen Hai Zhou Mi, guarded that place alone for so many years, and still managed to get home alive.
Liu Xianyang leaned back in his chair, stretched his long legs, and yawned. “That’s not really fear, either.”
Sheyue asked, “Then what is it?”
Liu Xianyang thought for a moment. “Hard to say. Chen Ping’an is a very strange person. He was like that since childhood. It’s hard to understand what he was thinking. He lived next to Song Banchai for so many years and never took any advantage, not even envy. If you say he doesn’t care about anything, that’s not true either. Ever since I knew him, Chen Ping’an was always thinking about how to make money. I was puzzled—why was he so anxious about making money? Back then, he had just become an apprentice in the kiln, so young, counting every copper coin like he was naming them. But it didn’t seem like he was saving up for a wife. That year, Chen Ping’an was just a blockhead who didn’t understand anything, not even how to eavesdrop at the wall.”
Sheyue was even more puzzled. “You two are so different. How did you end up together?”
Liu Xianyang laughed. “Back in Mud Vase Alley, Chen Ping’an saved my life once. I have a thin face, never said thank you. So I used another way—I told him that if he stuck with me, he’d eat well and drink well. But after Chen Ping’an became an apprentice, he already had food and clothing. Me, I spent money like water.