Chapter 799: Ascend High, Look Far
That mountain marsh rogue cultivator Feng Xuetao, compared to the Qinggong Taibao of Panshui County, was more decisive. Seeing that Zuo You was clearly not going to show any mercy today, he immediately unleashed a life-saving offensive divine ability.
This great ascendant cultivator with the Dao name Qingmi suddenly had a golden light shining brilliantly from between his brows, like opening a heavenly eye. Vaguely, it was like a gate opening, revealing a small, exquisite imperial palace within a miniature world. From within stepped a youth in a python robe with a jade belt, his eyes golden, holding two iron maces in his hands. Each time the two iron maces struck against each other, a golden lightning bolt would bloom, growing stronger and stronger until it wove into a net, like a thunder pool of infinite Dao intent manifesting again in the mortal world.
Every time Zuo You thrust out a sword, it would leave a clear, stable sword trajectory in the world, unshakable.
Thus, in the sky, it was as if a dozen or so suspended, motionless threads had appeared.
This was probably the most literal definition of "splitting the sky."
Feng Xuetao had actually deployed several mysterious escape techniques, but for some reason, Zuo You could always precisely locate his true body and instantly arrive via sword flight.
That youth in the python robe and jade belt, Feng Xuetao's Yang Spirit Outer Incarnation named "Qingmi," could also independently seek out Zuo You with its thunder whips transformed from the iron maces. Unfortunately, whenever those thunder techniques approached Zuo You, they would end up with much thunder and little rain.
It wasn't that "Qingmi" was some embroidered pillow; it was just that this offensive thunder method, which was as formidable as a heavenly tribulation, seemed ordinary when facing Zuo You.
If it were any other immortal, they would have been completely overwhelmed.
Chen Ping'an looked up, squinting. Looking closely, each lightning bolt contained a long string of golden characters, as if it were a complete scripture of the Thunder Department.
But just this slight movement of looking a bit more intently caused a long lightning whip in the sky, as if a Thunder Department General had detected the offense of a mortal scholar, crashing down fiercely and rushing menacingly toward Chen Ping'an near the Parrot Island ferry.
Chen Ping'an lightly tapped the ground with his toe, instantly rising several dozen zhang into the air. He stretched out one hand, fingers like hooks, blocking the golden lightning with his palm. With his other hand, he twisted his wrist, channeling martial artist's fierce energy to prevent the true intent of the lightning from dissipating. Finally, he flicked his sleeve, gathering the condensed golden lightning bead into his sleeve.
He had essentially collected a fragment of a true Thunder Method scripture. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing; during his spare time, he would try to refine a few more characters from it.
For an ordinary great ascendant cultivator to be able to completely absorb this lightning whip without damaging the lightning's Dao intent, it would be nearly impossible, unless they were a half-step to the Fourteen Realms cultivator, like the Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain or Fiery Dragon True Person.
Mountain top secret celestial talismans were such that a slight difference could lead to a thousand-mile error. Missing a sentence or a few key characters could easily lead a practitioner astray.
The blind old Daoist Jia Sheng, who later became a retainer of Fallen Mountain, aside from his hidden identity, had injured his internal organs due to practicing an incomplete heterodox lightning method, which eventually led to his blindness.
Tender Old Man's heart was uneasy. It was obvious that after leaving the Sword Qi Wall, Zuo You's swordsmanship had improved again.
Li Huai was seeing this Senior Master Zuo for the first time, having only heard of his name but never seen his face.
Thinking of his own shallow knowledge, Li Huai felt very guilty, always feeling that if he met this Senior Master Zuo, he would probably be scolded to death.
Because Pei Qian had said earlier that Senior Master Zuo was very learned. Back when she traveled with the Great White Goose on the Sword Qi Wall, she had been fortunate enough to meet Senior Master Zuo, whose knowledge was even greater than his swordsmanship. That test of knowledge, the questions Senior Master Zuo asked were earth-shattering. She only managed to scrape by thanks to her rote memorization. You should know, Senior Master Zuo had asked her dozens of difficult questions in one breath, and she had only answered about seventy or eighty percent of them.
So Li Huai's biggest impression of this Senior Master was that "he likes to catch juniors and ask them many questions."
Tender Old Man was about to speak, but Liu Chicheng had already taken the lead, praising endlessly, "What a Senior Zuo! His swordsmanship has reached the divine."
Tender Old Man said, "Senior? Fellow Daoist Liu, isn't that a bit much? Age-wise, you are much older than Zuo You."
Liu Chicheng sighed, "One learns the Dao in order of precedence, and one specializes in a craft. Those who master it become teachers. That's all there is to it. Calling that Mr. Zuo 'Senior' sincerely is my heartfelt words."
Chen Ping'an reminded Tender Old Man, "Senior."
Tender Old Man was puzzled, "What for?"
He was pretending to be stupid, cursing inwardly, Damn it, your senior brother Zuo You is drawing his sword, what am I getting involved for? To help? Or to get chopped?
On the Sword Qi Wall, it was common knowledge: better to curse A Liang a hundred times than to make eye contact with Zuo You once.
Chen Ping'an had to patiently explain, "There's a pile of free goodwill on the ground, Senior. Are you too lazy to bend over?"
Tender Old Man suddenly understood and laughed loudly, "Reasonable, reasonable."
It turned out that many cultivators visiting Parrot Island were low in realm but high in courage. They were used to ordinary mountain excitement and didn't understand the subtleties of top-tier cultivators sparring in Dao techniques. Especially Qingmi Daoist's lightning method, which was too bizarre. It seemed to have eyes, capable of generating itself and smashing anyone who dared to peek. In this way, several dozen lightning whips dangled down.
Tender Old Man shot up into the air, hovering over Parrot Island. He waved his large sleeves, shattering those golden lightning bolts one by one.
Chen Ping'an reminded again, "Senior, after saving people, remember to scold them. Don't hold back."
Tender Old Man then took the opportunity to look down and shout angrily, "You little brats have no idea how high the heavens are! Don't you want to keep your eyes?!"
The thanks from around Parrot Island were continuous. Some protectors who had failed to warn their juniors in time tried their best. Old cultivators could also protect their juniors' lives, but having someone lend a hand was certainly better, as it could save a lot of Dao practice attrition and magic treasure damage.
For a moment, everyone sighed. Who would have thought that this Tender Old Man, who had appeared out of nowhere and acted so arrogantly and aggressively at the Mandarin Duck Shoal, would actually be a reclusive master who cared for juniors?
Indeed, people cannot be judged by their appearance.
Chen Ping'an reminded again, "If someone invites you to visit, you can pick two or three you like and tell them you'll go when you have time."
Tender Old Man shattered a golden lightning whip from afar and angrily said, "Do I need you to teach me about human relationships?!"
Chen Ping'an chuckled, "How dare I teach you what to do, Senior? But teaching you how to be a person is still possible."
With this desolate barbarian Tao Ting, you can't be too accommodating.
Tender Old Man glanced at Zuo You, who seemed far away but could bring his sword close in an instant. He then reluctantly flew back to his original spot.
Liu Chicheng asked softly, "Brother Tao Ting, how long do you think this fight will last?"
As for victory or defeat, there was no suspense.
Tender Old Man sneered, "If you're not a Great Perfection Ascending Realm, you can't withstand a few of Zuo You's sword strikes. You can consider Zuo You as a little more than half a Fourteen Realms Sword Immortal."
A little more than half a Fourteen Realm might not sound as nice as an Ascending Realm peak. But in reality, not to mention a little more than half, even just half a Fourteen Realm created an insurmountable gap from an ordinary Ascending Realm.
Because it meant whether a mountain top great cultivator had the qualification to ascend to heaven.
For the time being, since his life was not in danger, Feng Xuetao knowingly or unknowingly glanced at the green-robed sword immortal near Parrot Island.
Who would have thought that this distraction from Qingmi Daoist would cause him to take an extra sword strike for nothing.
Zuo You wiped his sword horizontally and then slashed vertically, splitting the thunder pool in half and then in half again.
Earlier, when fighting the Qinggong Taibao in Panshui County, and now when fighting Feng Xuetao under the sky, Zuo You had still held back a lot, only using his sword realm from when he went to sea to seek immortals, facing two Ascending Realm cultivators, and he hadn't gone all out.
This was essentially pressing down his realm again and again.
Firstly, these two Ascending Realm cultivators were cautious, too worried about being held accountable by the Confucian Temple, and also didn't dare to fully use their divine abilities.
Secondly, Zuo You wasn't sure about the depth of the other Ascending Realm cultivators' backgrounds, and he wasn't too keen on accidentally cutting them half to death after just a few sword strikes.
But if it were at sea, it would be different. Accidentally, it's just accidentally.
In the end, some Ascending Realm cultivators of the Haoran World, like Nan Guangzhao and Jing Hao, were indeed inferior to the Ascending Realm great demons of the Desolate World in one-on-one combat skills.
The cultivators of the Haoran World were more focused on realm, on proving the Dao and achieving immortality.
In the Desolate World, it was purer. They wanted realm, and they also wanted immortality and eternal life. But in the end, it was all about the pleasure of killing and fighting above the Dao.
Even though they both pursued the result of coexisting with heaven and earth, they were two different paths of cultivation.
Feng Xuetao, true to his rogue cultivator origins, sent a heartfelt message, "If Sword Immortal Zuo is determined to kill, don't blame me if the arts scatter like rain falling on the world for a thousand miles, causing casualties to the innocent. Of course, the main blame is on me, but if I die, I die. Can't blame me, so you'll have to blame Sword Immortal Zuo's aggressiveness."
Zuo You said, "You can try."
Feng Xuetao was momentarily speechless, almost choked with rage by this Zuo You.
If anyone else was so unreasonable, Feng Xuetao would think they were bluffing.
But this scholar-turned-swordsman in front of him couldn't be judged by common sense.
Feng Xuetao asked, "Why do you want to spar with me? There must be a reason for a fight, right? I have no enmity with you, nor with your Master Wen Sheng's lineage."
Zuo You said, "You annoy me. Does that count as a reason?"
Feng Xuetao's face darkened, "Why must I be in that battle?! I've been cultivating peacefully in the mountains for thousands of years, cultivating my mind and nature, and have never interfered with the mortal world of Haoran. Do you think you're the Master of the Confucian Temple, Zuo You, to be so overbearing?!"
Zuo You frowned and said, "One last unnecessary word to you. Only those with backbone have the right to speak harshly in front of me."
These few Ascending Realm cultivators weren't weak in cultivation skills, but they were even stronger at finding excuses for themselves.
If they couldn't learn from Zhou Shenzhi on the various continent battlefields, couldn't they have learned from the abacus Huai Yin? They could, but they didn't want to, unwilling to suffer the slightest loss. If it were just that, fine. But when the world was at peace, they would even gloat over others' misfortunes. For example, in the south of Liuxia Continent, there had been several fierce battles. The Qinggong Taibao, whose hometown and sect were both in Liuxia Continent, never showed up from beginning to end. The Central Earth sword immortal Zhou Shenzhi died in the mountains and waters cave of Fuyao Continent. Feng Xuetao, who had a grudge against Zhou Shenzhi, went to pay respects at the ruins afterward. Even in front of the Confucian Temple, these mountain top great cultivators who had escaped the blade calamity still didn't know when to restrain themselves.
When the heavens were about to fall, lowering your head and cowering to survive is acceptable. When the world is peaceful, just secretly rejoice behind closed doors. Don't push your luck and pretend you stand tall and firm, just accidentally missing the war that swept the world.
Zuo You hadn't said much to Feng Xuetao, but with every extra word, he disliked the man more.
So Zuo You planned to deliver the final sword.
Just then, a figure suddenly burst up from the Confucian Temple side, shouting loudly, "Let me!"
Zuo You hesitated for a moment but did not thrust that sword.
He allowed that person to brush past him, grab the completely exposed Feng Xuetao by the head, and together they "ascended" away from Haoran.
By the looks of it, he was taking the man directly to the Sword Qi Wall.
The cultivators from all over around the Confucian Temple were all stunned.
Zuo You sheathed his sword and drifted back to the Confucian Temple.
No extra sword strokes, no extra words.
Back at the temple gate, Zuo You sat on the steps. Lin Junbi was still sleeping soundly, while the young Heavenly Master Zhao Yaoguang guarded him.
Zhao Yaoguang hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to say, "Mr. Zuo, junior Zhao Yaoguang has a favor to ask."
Zuo You said, "I won't agree. Don't bother speaking."
Zhao Yaoguang was stifled for a long time before obediently saying, "Yes, junior understands."
When he returned to the Heavenly Master Mansion, he could at least give an account to the elder at home. It really wasn't that he was heartless, but that Sword Immortal Zuo wouldn't even give him a chance to extend an invitation.
Zuo You laid his sword horizontally across his knees and began to rest his eyes.
Thinking back to those days when he was practicing swordsmanship on the Sword Qi Wall, Chen Qingdu once told him a principle in private.
If you can't guarantee to thoroughly hack an Ascending Realm cultivator to death within ten sword strikes, what's the point of reaching the Fourteen Realms? Pointless.
At the end, that old Great Sword Immortal patted Zuo You on the shoulder and left another sentence: "You're not young anymore, and your swordsmanship isn't high enough. I'm worried for you."
At the gate, the scripture scholar Xi Ping said with a heartfelt laugh, "Mr. Zuo's two sword strikes were both lighter than expected."
Zuo You replied, "If the Confucian Temple gives me the go-ahead, I can strike a bit harder."
Scripture scholar Xi Ping shook his head, words failing him.
On the Parrot Island side, Tender Old Man said some fair words: "Compared to Nan Guangzhao, this guy with the Dao name Qingmi is indeed stronger. But his face is thicker, willing to stand still in the public eye and take that dog paw."
Anyway, A Liang wasn't around, so why not curse him? No point in not cursing him for free.
Liu Chicheng smiled, "Feng Xuetao actually has more skill than this. He hides a lot. Rogue cultivators are all like this. Of course, the main thing is Feng Xuetao didn't dare to move."
Having already provoked Zuo You, who was definitely going to break through to the Fourteen Realms, and also having provoked A Liang, who had long since glimpsed the Fourteen Realms, no one in the Haoran World would be so reckless as to court death.
Chen Ping'an said, "Great cultivator Qingmi is more suited for battlefield fighting."
Tender Old Man took it as a whisper in one ear and out the other. Those whose fighting skills were inferior to his weren't worth his attention.
Liu Chicheng, however, caught Chen Ping'an's implication: Feng Xuetao back then was more suitable to descend the mountain than Nan Guangzhao.
Tender Old Man handed Chen Ping'an a jade tablet gleaming with treasure light.
On it was engraved many key secret techniques for refining the Golden Kingfisher City dharma robes, written in tiny regular script, amounting to seven or eight thousand characters.
Tender Old Man laughed, "As agreed, one-tenth split."
Chen Ping'an didn't fuss about Tao Ting's bit of playing tricks. He quickly scanned it with his mind and felt greatly relieved. According to the records in this secret manual, it was indeed possible to raise the quality of the Colorful Sparrow Sect dharma robe by one grade.
Not to mention a one-tenth dividend, even two-tenths wouldn't be too much.
Chen Ping'an said, "Every sixty years, Fallen Mountain will pay the settlement according to the agreement, including the immortal currency and an account book."
Whether it was paying every sixty years, or settling every ten or thirty years, there was actually a significant difference.
Tender Old Man frowned, "How bothersome. Auditing accounts? Do you think I'm an abacus-wielding accountant? Either you don't trust me, or you think I don't trust you? If I don't trust you, why bother doing business at all? If you don't trust me, then from now on, you go your way, I'll go mine."
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Making friends has the rules of making friends; doing business has the rules of doing business. Especially when friends go into business together, there must be no ambiguity. Senior, you don't have to look at the account book details, but Fallen Mountain must provide the account book. If you think this would hurt our relationship, then it means we're fundamentally not suited to making money together."
Tender Old Man said impatiently, "Whatever you say."
The group went to that Baofu Zhai (Bundle Inn), which was a hidden landscape secret realm, somewhat like the Yellow Millet Wine Shop of the Inverted Suspension Mountain.
As they walked, onlookers had to make way, stepping aside voluntarily.
A green-robed sword immortal who didn't care about reason, a Haoran Tender Old Man who nearly beat Nan Guangzhao to death, and a renowned White Emperor City Liu Daochun — just the three of them walking together gave off a unique "please come and mess with me" aura.
Chen Ping'an had always thought he did a decent job as a Baofu Zhai. But after entering this secret realm today, he knew what true wealth and true Dao were.
He felt somewhat self-conscious.
In fact, their own Niujiao Mountain side, including the ferry and those shops, was actually the work of a Baofu Zhai "senior planting trees, descendants enjoying the shade," which gave Pi Yun Mountain and Fallen Mountain a huge advantage.
Baofu Zhai was a loose sect. It was said that there wasn't any proper jade or golden registers, no mountain peaks, no ancestral halls. The founding ancestor's whereabouts were uncertain. Sect cultivators went wherever they liked and did business wherever they went. How cultivators entered Baofu Zhai and what the sect rules were were all mysteries.
All that was known was that whenever the old ancestor of Baofu Zhai appeared in person to do business, he would take out a portable "Harmony Studio," open the door to welcome guests. There were ninety-nine rooms in total, and each room generally sold only one item, with occasional exceptions.
Chen Ping'an and his group walked past the rooms one by one, almost always entering each one to look at the goods for sale.
There was a brush sea from the Linlang Immortal Mansion, carved with an immortal horse parade, each of the twenty-four solar terms taken as a scene, displayed in sequence. There was an extremely rare Xiaoshu (Minor Heat) coin. There was a colorful large bowl painted with a harvest and treasure map. There were a few heads of Stone Warrior statues. There was a coin with a Mountain Ghost Thunder Lord Bagua pattern. There was a pair of colorful painted Door God planks. There was a painting album of Qinglu Blessed Land landscapes. There was a small pottery jar called "Down the Mountain Jar," which looked unremarkable but was actually a mountain treasure for suppressing ghosts. There were also several broken cave heavens and blessed lands. If you had enough money, you could buy them all.
If an item had been sold, the talisman beauty inside the room would hang a small wooden sign outside, with the words "Good Karma Met" written on it.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that these were treasures personally vetted by the Baofu Zhai's old ancestor, with no possibility of finding a bargain, Chen Ping'an would have wanted to buy them all.
Just looking at the jade bamboo fan in the current room — one side transcribed Su Shi's Prayer for Rain, the other side wrote the "Dragon Hibernation Poem" in cursive. At the end, it said, "During the Mangzhong (Grain in Ear) season, wind, rain, thunder and lightning. Writing this behind closed doors." The signature was "Lü Zhou of the Exiled Immortal Mountain." Chen Ping'an almost asked Liu Chicheng to borrow money to buy it. But one look at the price made one retreat in the face of difficulty. This Baofu Zhai had all treasures that were undeniably genuine. Unfortunately, the price really made one lament that it was too hard to make money and one's purse was too empty.
Chen Ping'an wasn't in a hurry to move.
The talisman beauty in the room, who was of delicate and pretty appearance, seemed to have secretly received an order from the Baofu Zhai's founder. Suddenly, she gave a ten-thousand-blessing bow to the green-robed sword immortal, smiling gently with a soft voice, "If the Sword Immortal has taken a liking to this item, you can take it on credit. Take the fan away first. Later, at any Baofu Zhai in the Haoran World, you can pay at any time. This is not a special exception for the Sword Immortal alone; our Baofu Zhai has always had such a rule. So the Sword Immortal need not worry."
The biggest feature of Baofu Zhai was that buyers could take items on credit. Whether they were registered immortal masters or mountain marsh rogue cultivators, cultivators with empty pockets all had the opportunity to sign a contract with Baofu Zhai and take the goods. This was even simpler than buying a house in the mortal world. And the contract had almost no binding force. That is, if you couldn't pay back, Baofu Zhai would take the loss and never pursue the debt.
Thus, in the history of the Haoran World, there were often cases where cultivators appeared after a hundred or even a thousand years to pay back the immortal money they owed.
Of course, not everyone could do this. Cultivators also had to be seen as worthy by Baofu Zhai.
Chen Ping'an had some guesses about this — perhaps Baofu Zhai had a secret treasure that could examine others' fortunes. Otherwise, how could there be such a way of doing business in the world?
Chen Ping'an first thanked the talisman beauty, then asked, "So, if I take a liking to any item, I can buy it on credit from you?"
The talisman beauty smiled and nodded, "Yes. Our Baofu Zhai only has one requirement: after you have visited all ninety-nine rooms one by one, you cannot turn back."
Chen Ping'an glanced at Li Huai, who nodded and said, "Then let's go look at the next one."
The face of Mrs. Tuoyan sent a heartfelt message: "Hidden Lord, I actually have some savings. I have enough to buy this fan."
Chen Ping'an smiled, "No need."
Actually, Chen Ping'an wanted to owe Baofu Zhai a favor first.
Only then would there be room for human interaction.
In the end, after walking through more than thirty rooms, Li Huai's eyes were a bit sore before they made a decision. They took a liking to a rather strange item: a fist-sized stone, engraved with the characters "Mountain Immortal." There was a miniature willow tree with an old root coiling around, like a bonsai. Under the tree stood a tree spirit at the Observing Ocean realm, appearing as a white-haired old man, calling himself the "Old Immortal Lord of the South City." When he saw guests entering the room and they showed a little interest, just as they thought about buying, the old man would start cursing, jumping up and spitting at the cultivators, saying, "You blind idiots, you think you're worthy of inviting me to your home? How capable you think you are? Why don't you just ascend to heaven in broad daylight..."
The Baofu Zhai listed it at only ten Grain Rain coins. The talisman beauty in the room explained the willow tree essence's realm, the stone's material, etc., to the guests one by one.
However, this landscape secret realm didn't only sell priceless treasures. Even clever gadgets costing a few dozen Snow Money could be found. Rooms with high thresholds couldn't sell that wooden sign; rooms with low thresholds were affordable to anyone, first come, first served.
When Li Huai stared at it, the old willow tree spirit, probably tired from cursing and a bit thirsty, leaned against the stone wall, took off his wine gourd from his waist, and drank a big gulp of wine.
For just ten Grain Rain coins, Chen Ping'an could have bought it himself. But after a moment's hesitation, he still signed a contract with the talisman beauty, essentially taking out an IOU for only ten Grain Rain coins.
After that, Chen Ping'an scraped together money, borrowing Grain Rain coins from both Liu Chicheng and Mrs. Tuoyan, and bought several items that Li Huai found interesting: a not-inexpensive demon-suppressing pagoda, a pair of slightly feminine small gold gourd earrings, and a painting called "Water Immortal Night Tour" filled with shrimp soldiers and crab generals. During this time, they encountered a group of female cultivators, one of whom was a dignified matron. She bought out all the dharma robes in the room, dozens of them, without batting an eye. In the next room, there were ten sets of Hua Shen cups from the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land — together, that was a thousand cups. She left only one set for those behind her and took the other nine sets.
The key point was that Chen Ping'an didn't see the matron take out any dimensional objects or pay the Baofu Zhai.
The two talisman beauties seemed to be accustomed to this and didn't say a word.
Chen Ping'an then recognized the matron: the Dao companion of the richest person in the world, the wife of the Liumang Continent's God of Wealth Liu.
When she went out, she didn't need to bring money; she could still spend extravagantly.
---
Not far from the Confucian Temple, in the city, that Chen Ping'an clapped his hands and stood up.
Jiang Longxiang, who was leaning against the wall, had not only been beaten but also hit by dozens of pebbles. The old scholar was now trembling with anger, "Who exactly are you?! If you have the guts, state your name! Could it be that a distinguished Sword Immortal is afraid of a Middle Five Realm cultivator seeking revenge?!"
This elderly scholar, who was not young, had the four words "blustering and timid" written all over his face.
The scholar's so-called revenge, of course, wouldn't involve fighting and killing — that would be disgraceful. He would go to the Confucian Temple to ask the sages for justice, to teach these lawless mountain cultivators a lesson.
Chen Ping'an pointed at Jiang Longxiang's mouth and reminded him, "This is the consequence of you not controlling your mouth the last time you were here. This time, think carefully before going to the Confucian Temple to complain. You can say whatever you want, but you only have a few teeth. Cherish them. Otherwise, when you go back to your hometown to teach and impart knowledge, if you speak with a lisp, the students will have a hard time understanding what you're saying."
Jiang Longxiang's face was uncertain.
His biggest confusion now wasn't why this person attacked him — that matter was no longer important — but why this person dared to attack, and why the sages of the Confucian Temple, so close by, didn't come to intervene!
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Today, at the Confucian Temple, I dare not touch you. But don't think that's the end of it. I will definitely visit the Shaoyuan Dynasty in the future. We'll catch up then, so you don't have to go to the trouble of seeking revenge."
Jiang Longxiang's heart was filled with anger, with sorrow and fear each accounting for half.
This is called not daring to touch me?!
What do you want to do when we meet next time?!
Chen Ping'an raised his hand, gently extending one palm, and said with a smile, "I'll settle accounts with you properly, principal and interest, and take it all back."
Jiang Longxiang struggled to stand up.
Chen Ping'an made a move as if to strike, scaring Jiang Longxiang into quickly turning his head.
Chen Ping'an walked away laughing.
A woman with a hooded hat emerged from the corner, then stopped, looking into the distance at that green-robed figure.
Although her face was hidden, her figure was graceful. Just standing there, she was like a plum blossom at the corner of a wall.
Chen Ping'an left Jiang Longxiang aside and walked towards the hooded woman, cupping his fists and smiling, "Greetings, Shopkeeper Yao."
She smiled and returned the salute with cupped fists, "Mr. Chen."
Chen Ping'an said, "Just call me by my name."
The two walked side by side in the alley. The woman beside Chen Ping'an was none other than Jiu Niang. She had first followed Xun Yuan to leave Daquan Dynasty and gone to the Jade Gui Sect, where she cultivated for several years. Later, she followed Grand Heavenly Master Zhao Tianlai to leave Tongye Continent, and she cultivated in seclusion at the back mountain of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion.
She and the Ten-Tailed Celestial Fox Lian Zhen were of the same origin but different branches, naturally drawn to each other. Over the years, they had lived together day and night, becoming like sisters.
The celestial fox Lian Zhen's Dao had already reached great heights, extremely transcendent. Living long in the mountains, her immortal aura was ethereal, no longer comparable to ordinary spirits. She especially enjoyed listening to Jiu Niang's stories of the mundane world filled with the atmosphere of the market town, even the clever struggles between the yamen constables and ghosts and evil spirits in Fox'er Town could captivate Lian Zhen.
Jiu Niang turned her head, lifted a corner of her hooded hat, revealing a smile, and said, "I almost didn't recognize you, Mr. Chen."
Back then at the border inn of Daquan, when they first met, Chen Ping'an was still a youth.
Dressed in white robes, a vermilion wine gourd hanging at his waist, accompanied by a mischievous charcoal-black little girl, and several attendants of various bearings.
The youthful boy of yesteryear was now a tall, slender man in blue robes, a true Sword Immortal of the mountains.
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Shopkeeper Yao, your charm remains the same. I still long for the five-year aged green plum wine at the inn, and a roast whole lamb. It's a flavor rarely found on the mountain or in the mortal world."
Jiu Niang released her fingers and let the hood fall back into place, "Why call me Shopkeeper Yao? That's too formal. Just call me Jiu Niang."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
The first time he heard the phrase "life's path is narrow, but the wine cup is wide" was from Jiu Niang at the dining table.
Jiu Niang asked with a smile, "That Wei Hailiang, is he no longer following you as an attendant?"
That martial artist surnamed Wei, who called himself "Hailiang," ended up turning into a puddle of mud after a single bowl of wine, snoring like thunder as he slumped over the table.
Truly a memorable sight.
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Everyone has their own life."
Jiu Niang sighed, "That's true."
Chen Ping'an sent a heartfelt message, "I heard Zhong Kui is still in the Western Buddhist Kingdom, having missed this assembly."
Jiu Niang had nothing much to reminisce with him about. Their meeting was just a chance encounter. Although their relationship wasn't bad, it wasn't enough for Jiu Niang to come looking for him.
She didn't ask the question, but her very presence was itself a question.
But Jiu Niang said, "Why bring him up? He's lived neither human nor ghost, always asking for trouble."
Chen Ping'an said, "Zhong Kui was timid back then, probably because he guessed the predicament later on and couldn't afford to be bold."
Jiu Niang shot him a look, "He's timid?"
Then she laughed, "Whether bold or timid, it's none of my business. He's just an accountant. Meetings and partings are all a matter of fate."
Chen Ping'an said no more.
After a few casual words about the current state of the Daquan Dynasty, they parted ways.
Zhong Kui and this special Jiu Niang were like a messy account in the marriage registry.
This Jiu Niang, or Mrs. Huansha, was most angry with Zhong Kui, the accountant, not even because Zhong Kui had hidden his identity as a academy gentleman to monitor the inn and keep an eye on her every move. But rather because Zhong Kui was too timid. All of his seemingly bold, outlandish words were actually born of fear.
I may not have agreed to you, Zhong Kui, but if you like me, yet you dare not even say the word 'like,' what's all this?
Maybe what she hoped for was that Zhong Kui, the accountant, would stand before her properly and sincerely speak those two words — 'I like you.'
Women aren't completely unreasonable. It's just that the reasoning men often present and the reasoning they want to hear are often not on the same track.
A woman's reasoning is actually more about her mood. If a man can't even understand why she's being unreasonable, then there's no helping it, and naturally, he'll only make more mistakes by saying more.
Chen Ping'an always felt that when it came to romantic matters, he was just a late bloomer, but he could truly be considered gifted, knowing quite a bit.
Among his fellow disciples, even if you added them all together, none of them matched him.
He would dare to say such things even in front of Senior Brother Zuo and Senior Brother Jun Qian.
Of course, only if the Master was beside him.
Chen Ping'an walked alone in the alley and suddenly remembered something. Earlier, when he was traveling with Zheng Juzhong to Wenjin Ferry.
In fact, this White Emperor City Lord had only spoken three sentences during the entire journey, and Chen Ping'an just listened.
Fei Ran and Zhou Qinggao. Undoubtedly, in this confrontation between the two worlds, they were the most prominent figures of the Desolate World.
Zheng Juzhong only commented on this: "Fei Ran is very clever, his Dao has a future. Zhou Qinggao's outcome might be quite pitiful. So regarding the matter of reconstruction, if you have the chance, it's better to satisfy him."
Another sentence had deeper meaning: "Life is like a dream. A spark of inspiration suddenly stirs, causing one to leap in surprise, like waking from a nightmare."
The last sentence was truly the words of a senior: "Calling you Mr. Chen and then coming out to meet you — the reason is simple. The person I see today is not the young Hidden Lord of today, but the Mr. Chen at the summit of the future."
Next, Chen Ping'an planned to have a fist fight.
---
On that night boat, within the Lingxi City, the handsome youth with deer antlers followed the mistress and took the initiative to meet Ning Yao and her party, who were visiting, welcoming them to stay.
Earlier, Chen Ping'an didn't receive this treatment. When he passed by Lingxi City, the two sides almost came to blows.
Staying in an immortal's mansion in Lingxi City, in the night, Ning Yao took Pei Qian, Little Mi Li, and the white-haired boy to sit on the roof enjoying the moonlight.
During the journey, every time Ning Yao passed a city, she would slash out a sword, breaking the ferry's restrictions.
The night boat side didn't stop her.
At this moment, Ning Yao smiled and asked, "Little Mi Li, with me here, would you have to visit fewer places in Beiju Continent?"
Little Mi Li thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head, "No, no."
She had to think it through, appear thoughtful, and couldn't just blurt it out casually. That would be too insincere.
Pei Qian sat to the side, a little worried. She was really afraid that this Little Mi Li would leak information everywhere.
Little Mi Li glanced sideways at Pei Qian, then leaned back, secretly reaching behind her back to give a thumbs up, taking credit and praising herself.
She wasn't a complete fool.
The small flaws earlier at the inn in Tiaomu City were actually deliberate feints of stupidity.
Little Mi Li hesitated for a long time before carefully asking, "Mistress of the Mountain Lord, are you worried that the good Mountain Lord might fall for someone else?"
Ning Yao smiled but didn't speak.
Little Mi Li hugged her knees and said softly, "No way. Back then, I stood in the big basket on his back, accompanying the good Mountain Lord on his travels through the martial world. We walked such a long way, and every time he met a pretty girl, he wouldn't pay them any attention. The good Mountain Lord really likes you."
Ning Yao said, "Actually, I've never worried about that. But without this topic, I often find that after chatting a while, I don't know what to say."
Ning Yao paused for a moment, "Actually, I do worry a little."
How could there be none at all? There is a little.
If Chen Ping'an wanted to go somewhere, he would definitely go there. No matter how far he had to detour, he wouldn't change his mind.
But if he wanted to leave a place, he would definitely not look back.
Little Mi Li asked curiously, "Mistress of the Mountain Lord, I heard from the good Mountain Lord that you two had a legendary love at first sight."
Ning Yao was both amused and annoyed, ignoring this topic. What love at first sight? Not at all. She said to Little Mi Li, "Call me Sister Ning."
Pei Qian deliberately choked on her wine, coughing a few times.
Little Mi Li immediately caught on. She said the wrong thing? So she quickly remedied it, "I see. So it was the good Mountain Lord who fell in love at first sight with Sister Ning. At that time, Sister Ning was still hesitating whether to like the good Mountain Lord, right?"
Ning Yao thought for a moment, then shook her head with a smile, "No such thing. Back when we first met in the Mud Vase Alley, I didn't like him, and he didn't like me either."
Little Mi Li immediately crossed her arms, turned to face Ning Yao, and said seriously, "No way! The good Mountain Lord said back then, he just didn't realize he liked you."
Ning Yao smiled wryly, "He's taken all the reasoning for himself."
But hearing this for the first time, she was, after all, happy.
---
Two fellows, one dressed as a white-clothed youth and the other as a green-robed scholar, swaggered back to the immortal inn at the Egret Ferry of Zhengyang Mountain.
Tian Wan's true form was still hiding in Zhengyang Mountain, but these two crazy guys forced her to show herself at the Egret Ferry.
Because her earlier method of using a far-escape clone was not only seen through by them, but they also detained all her souls and spirits. If only one soul or spirit was caught, Tian Wan had prepared for the worst — she would abandon it. She had her own means to compensate for her Dao. But since both souls and spirits were captured, she had no choice.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled slyly at their Sister Tian Wan, who was dressed in pink and green, and said, "The moon on the water is as distant as the sky; the flowers before my eyes are like a reflection in a mirror. Jade-like people in jadeite clothes, easy to see when close, hard when far."
On the Sword Qi Wall side, a figure fell straight to the ground.
The great cultivator Feng Xuetao, who had been forcefully ascended and traveled to another world, was dizzy and disoriented. After barely stabilizing himself, he looked into the distance — it was actually the Desolate World.
As for some bastard standing on this Ascending Realm cultivator's shoulders, he ran his hands through his hair and sighed, "Ascend high, look far."