Chapter 807: The Mute Wooden Man
Each has its own ferry, each has its own returning boat. Fortunate to meet in peaceful times, with calm winds and still waves.
Two green-robed scholars, vastly different in age, stood side by side on the cliff edge. The sea and sky were one color, making heaven and earth seem undivided.
No wonder so many people from the foot of the mountains chased after the traces of the Dao and immortals among the cliffs.
Chen Ping'an was somewhat surprised. When he arrived, Li Sheng had invited him, escorting him all the way to the Confucian Temple to participate in the deliberations. Now that he was leaving, Li Sheng was still seeing him off, accompanying him to the eastern shore of the Central World Divine Continent, as if waiting for the arrival of that Night Boat.
Of course, he could not have imagined that it was his own Master who had convinced Li Sheng with the reasoning that "a good gathering and a good parting are excellent," and then insisted on accompanying his last disciple on this journey.
Li Sheng smiled and said, "In the art of business, you are truly miraculous."
Chen Ping'an felt a bit embarrassed. During this deliberation, he indeed had not been idle.
Li Sheng chuckled, actually teasing this money-grubbing young Hidden Officer about a deal he had botched. Earlier, at the entrance of the Confucian Temple, with Lu Zhi's help in making the connection, the Lady of Green God Mountain had originally been willing to gift Fallen Mountain a few bamboo trees for free. But this kid had barged in and insisted on paying money. He probably still thought he had made a profit now?
Chen Ping'an mustered his courage and asked cautiously, "May I ask Li Sheng a question? Why was the Fifth World named Five Colors?"
Li Sheng smiled faintly. "You can understand it as a certain expectation of the Supreme Saint and First Teacher—like a hundred flowers blooming, a riot of colors, the great beauty of the human world."
Knowing what this kid was aiming for, Li Sheng had no intention of letting him succeed. Ascension City had already taken the lead in the Five Colors World, and it would not be appropriate for the Confucian Temple to make an exception.
Seeing that Li Sheng was not going to reveal the secrets of heaven, Chen Ping'an had no choice but to give up. He had enough sense for that.
Li Sheng said, "You often travel far and deal frequently with mountain and river spirits. What do you feel?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "It seems that most of them gradually become weary of the mortal world."
Newly promoted spirits are often full of enthusiasm. Regardless of their original intentions—whether to absorb the essence of incense and offerings to refine their golden bodies, or to work diligently for the benefit of their region—no matter the size of their domain, a mountain or river spirit responsible for helping emperors and monarchs regulate yin and yang always has too many things to do. But as time goes on, with the mountains and rivers remaining unchanged, everything requires only routine tasks. Since the paths of mountain and river spirits differ from those of cultivators, they do not need to practice hard. Over the long term, even if the spirit's golden body remains radiant, a certain decrepitude, fatigue, and despondency will inevitably appear to varying degrees.
Having said this, Chen Ping'an added, "But there are many exceptions. For example, the River Burial Water God of the Daquan Dynasty in the Tongye Continent. Even after a thousand years, she is still full of vitality, concerned about the people, and does not think of herself as some Water God Goddess."
Li Sheng smiled knowingly.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The Old Scholar had mentioned it many times, praising that Water God Goddess who was "gentle in temperament, warm in hospitality, and deeply admired and proficient in both the Li Sheng and Literati Saint lineages." And among the Old Scholar's students, besides Chen Ping'an beside him, even the usually indifferent Zuo You had specifically mentioned the River Burial Water God of the Biyou Palace. However, the Old Scholar's two students were relatively fair, only saying a few words, not annoying, but still carrying weight.
For this reason, Li Sheng had previously gone to the Confucian Temple, found the Scholar Xi Ping, retrieved the archives, and carefully examined the records concerning Daquan's River Burial.
Li Sheng asked, "Do you know what place this is?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. On the way here, he had caught a glimpse. It was a mountain sect with extremely dense heaven and earth spiritual energy. The spiritual energy gathered like several rivers suspended in the air, winding around several mountains, presenting a majestic scene. If he was not mistaken, this was the legendary Mountain Sea Sect. The entire sect consisted of female cultivators. It was said that the founding ancestor, a woman named Nalan Xianxiu, was proficient in fire arts. She once made a great vow to move mountains and fill the four seas.
In this region, many strange phenomena were rumored: dark birds adding chips, monkeys watching the sea, foxes worshipping the moon, celestial dogs eating the sun.
During that war, Nalan Xianxiu went out to sea. She was the first to find the throne great demon Fei Fei. It was said that after a fierce battle, she was seriously injured and had to go into seclusion to recover, which was why she could not attend the Confucian Temple deliberation. The reason Fei Fei was detained by the Confucian Temple in the mountains of the old furnace was largely due to this founding ancestor of Mountain Sea Sect.
Chen Ping'an was familiar with the sects perched on the peaks of the Central World Divine Continent, and Mountain Sea Sect was no exception. Along with the Liu Clan of Whitecliff Continent, Green God Mountain of the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, and the Yu Clan of Xuanmi Dynasty, it was one of the few places in the Bright World that had always welcomed the Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan with open doors. Chen Ping'an had asked his senior brother Zuo You about this matter. Zuo You said it was because there was a female ancestor in Mountain Sea Sect, a direct disciple of Ancestor Nalan, who had taken a liking to Cui Chan at first sight. Later, when Mountain Sea Sect was willing to openly shelter the fleeing Cui Chan, it had something to do with the sect's righteous principles, but more so with a matter of love.
At first, Chen Ping'an believed it. But after seeing Senior Brother Zuo and the temple priest of the Chanjuan Cave Heaven "exchanging glances like a chicken talking to a duck," he became somewhat skeptical.
Li Sheng gazed into the distance.
Life is like a traveler's inn, a guest carrying a candle in the night. Fluttering and drifting, what am I like? A single gull between heaven and earth.
Li Sheng smiled. "The road ahead is long and arduous. If you encounter difficulties in the future, go to the Confucian Temple more often. Even if you seek help once or twice and it proves useless, do not easily lose hope."
What is disappointment? It is after countless efforts, having to beg, and begging in vain, as if begging heaven, earth, and man yields nothing.
The Old Scholar had begged in a hundred ways for his two students in the past.
And as for this last disciple of the Old Scholar, if Li Sheng remembered correctly, he too had begged all over his hometown in his youth, but it was also useless.
Li Sheng continued, "Buddhism says that all wisdom comes from great compassion. I think this statement is very reasonable."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I will think about it more."
What is suffering?
Perhaps it is the wooden man by the roadside, mute and voiceless.
Nowadays, in several continents of the Bright World, such as the southern part of Vases Bottle Continent and the entire Tongye Continent, there are many ghost cities.
Li Sheng said, "Chen Ping'an, I shall take my leave now. In about half an hour, the Night Boat will dock here from a Return to Nothingness and pick you up."
Chen Ping'an respectfully bowed.
The next moment, Li Sheng was no longer beside him, and Chen Ping'an stood frozen in place.
It turned out that just twenty or thirty yards away, three people seemed to be admiring the scenery.
They were equally surprised, only more bewildered than Chen Ping'an. After all, this was the sect's forbidden ground.
Where had this rogue come from? So skilled in concealing his presence? And so audacious as to remove his concealment and openly appear to provoke?!
Chen Ping'an said with sincere eyes, "It's all a misunderstanding!"
He could not bring up Li Sheng; it would not be appropriate, and besides, no one would believe him.
Among the three, there was a woman who seemed to have stepped out of a painting of a lady on a wall, with eyebrows and eyes like a painting. But what truly impressed Chen Ping'an was that this woman was sitting on the edge of the cliff, her legs dangling in the air, smoking a long-stemmed tobacco pipe. The pipe was made of purple bamboo, with a jadeite mouthpiece and a silk cord hanging the tobacco pouch.
At that moment, after a brief moment of distraction, she quickly composed herself. Blowing out a large cloud of smoke, she smiled at this uninvited guest in a green robe carrying a sword on his back. Not bad—he could ignore several of Mountain Sea Sect's mountain and river restrictions. Could he be an immortal realm or even an ascension realm swordsman? But why did he look unfamiliar? Did he think that because she was injured, he could come here and show off?
There was also a girl lying on her stomach nearby, who had been kicking her legs and lightly bumping her rounded bottom.
Now she stopped moving, frowned, and turned to stare fixedly at the scoundrel who had appeared out of nowhere. He looked quite upright, so why was he so ill-behaved?
Finally, there was a little girl who had been rolling around bored on a bamboo mat. She got up nimbly, walked over to the woman holding the tobacco pipe, raised her hand, and asked softly, "Ancestor Xianxiu, is that the legendary A Liang?"
Chen Ping'an said categorically, "I don't know any A Liang!"
The founding ancestor of Mountain Sea Sect said with a squint, "Only his friends, upon hearing his name, immediately say they don't know him."
Chen Ping'an really could not refute that logic.
The girl sat up and asked, "What's your name? If it's a misunderstanding, make it clear quickly. Don't act like A Liang."
Regardless of whether they were registered immortal masters or wild cultivators from the wilderness, there were essentially three kinds of cultivators in the world. The first kind, like those who had sparred in Dao arts with Talisman Yu Xuan or Fire Dragon True Man, exchanged poems with Su Zi and Liu Qi, drank Green God wine at a banquet in the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, or played chess with Fu Jin in the Colorful Cloud Pavilion... To strike iron, one must be strong. This kind of person is the most popular when traveling among the people, and most are likely founding ancestors of some sect. The younger they are, the more confident they become, such as the swordsman Zuo You and the martial artist Cao Ci.
The second kind has great ancestral blessings, good teachers, and excellent talent. Their path to the Dao is promising, and they can aspire to the summit. Examples include Yuan Pang of the Confucian Temple and Gu Can of White Emperor City.
The lowest kind relies solely on the reputation of their sect to intimidate others.
Chen Ping'an was momentarily at a loss. How could he explain? Unless he brought up Li Sheng, it would really be difficult to clarify.
But the girl before him seemed to be a female ghost. Could this be a dream wandering?
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to grit his teeth and apologize with a cupped fist salute. "I accidentally trespassed here, that is my fault. I am waiting for a ferry to dock. Once it arrives, I will leave immediately. If it is not appropriate for me to stay here, I can go out to sea and wait for the ferry."
If Mountain Sea Sect insisted on holding him accountable and an apology was useless, he would have to flee.
Fortunately, Nalan Xianxiu took a few more looks at the green-robed sword-bearer and just smiled. "You don't look like a lecher. Since you stumbled in here by mistake and have apologized, that's fine. It's a rare encounter in this world. Feel free to wait for your ferry here. No need to fly out to sea by sword. Let each of us enjoy the scenery."
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists and thanked her. He then planned to fly far out to sea, as staying here was somewhat inappropriate. But before he could speak, the woman ancestor, still puffing clouds of smoke, smiled and said, "What? Just because you're a sword cultivator, you won't give face?"
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to sit cross-legged, staring straight ahead at the sea, not looking sideways. He formed hand seals to breathe and absorb qi, quietly saying nothing.
He just had to endure half an hour.
The three people nearby did not move either; there was no reason for them to.
And so, the two parties, seemingly within arm's reach, each did their own business and spoke their own words.
In fact, where in life is it not so?
Earlier, Chen Ping'an had gone to the Meritorious Grove to find Liu Cha. He had no particular intention—just to chat a bit with this swordsman who had once been the highest in both swordsmanship and sword techniques in the Barren Wilderness World.
After Scholar Xi Ping opened the restrictions to the secret realm, Chen Ping'an found the great-bearded wanderer sitting by the lake fishing.
Chen Ping'an sat down beside him and asked curiously, "When you named your first disciple Bamboo Box, was there any deeper meaning?"
Liu Cha said, "Pretty much what you guessed."
The old sword immortal of the Great Wall of Swords, Dong San'geng, had originally possessed a sword one zhang tall, but it broke in the Barren Wilderness World. Dong San'geng used a bamboo box to carry the head of an ascension realm great demon. After returning home, he forged a new sword named Bamboo Box.
Although he was a prisoner, Liu Cha's expression was calm. There was not much to talk about between him and this last-generation Hidden Officer of the Great Wall of Swords, but on this matter alone, Liu Cha was willing to say a few more words.
"In the ten thousand years of swordsmen on the Great Wall of Swords, I have only admired Dong San'geng."
"If I had traveled the Bright World and used his method of drawing the sword, I would have died countless times."
"When I met A Liang back in my homeland, the reason we became friends was largely because A Liang claimed to be a friend across generations of Dong San'geng. That fellow said it so earnestly that I believed him."
Having gotten the answer, Chen Ping'an was already satisfied. He watched Liu Cha fish for a while, then couldn't help but say, "Senior, the way you fish, to be honest, is like eating hotpot and getting soup splashed on your face—it stings the eyes."
Liu Cha remained silent.
The scholars of the Great Wall of Swords always had unpleasant things to say.
Chen Ping'an glanced at the fish basket. "Being able to catch these few fish is really not because Senior's technique is adequate. Either the fish were starving and eager to reincarnate, or their luck was just too bad, like a drunk falling into a ditch by the roadside."
Liu Cha asked, "Is there a method?"
He practiced swordsmanship here and had no interest in reading books. So fishing was the only pastime to pass the time. Liu Cha deliberately abandoned his identity as a Qi practitioner; otherwise, it would be too boring.
Chen Ping'an asked back, "What does Senior think?"
If you want to talk about this, there's no such thing as ascension realm or fourteenth realm here—it's all juniors.
Liu Cha thought for a moment and said, "Man, fish, water, rod, hook, bait. I think that's all there is to it."
Chen Ping'an was not sure if Liu Cha was making a profound point or if he truly thought it was that simple. He asked, "Senior, are you having a debate with me, or do you really think it's that simple?"
Liu Cha did not speak again.
Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll come find Senior later for a sword duel."
Liu Cha smiled and asked, "Why?"
Chen Ping'an crouched down, picked up a few pebbles, and lightly tossed them into the water. "Senior is bold and unrestrained, and I admire that. But there are a few things you did that were not upright."
Liu Cha laughed. "As you wish. I hope you won't keep me waiting too long. Two or three hundred years wouldn't be a problem."
Although this bearded swordsman's several sword strikes in the Bright World had not been of his own free will, Liu Cha did not consider that an excuse.
In the end, it was still because his own swordsmanship was not high enough. When he passed the ruins of the Great Wall of Swords, he had not yet reached the fourteenth realm. Otherwise, why would he care about the opinions of the Great Ancestor of Tuoyue Mountain or Zhou Mi?
Chen Ping'an clapped his hands, stood up, and took his leave.
Liu Cha was stunned for a moment, then abruptly turned his head.
He saw that fellow standing at a "doorway" of the Meritorious Grove, waving his hand and saying cheerfully, "Keep fishing, keep fishing, Senior. The small fish have run away; you can wait for the big ones."
Liu Cha had no choice but to make an exception this time and glanced at the movements of the fish in the lake. That fellow had thrown stones repeatedly; there was no chance of a catch anymore.
Good grief. This guy was even more despicable than A Liang.
Liu Cha looked at the lake water and said, "If possible, send a message for me to Bamboo Box."
Chen Ping'an, who was about to step over the threshold, leaned back and asked, "What message?"
Liu Cha smiled faintly. "Tell him to become the strongest in the Barren Wilderness World."
Chen Ping'an nodded, agreeing.
Liu Cha asked, "You help me, and ask for nothing in return?"
Chen Ping'an maintained that posture and thought for a long time, then shook his head. "Can I save it for later?"
Liu Cha raised his hand.
Chen Ping'an tossed him a booklet he had written himself, containing detailed insights on fishing.
Liu Cha took it and tucked it into his sleeve, thanked him.
According to what Li Huai said, in his future years of mountain cultivation, Chen Ping'an would find a few pastimes to distract himself. Not with any grand ambition—just for distraction.
For example, going down the mountain to be an anonymous teacher at a school. If he lacked enough knowledge, he could just teach village children their letters, perhaps not even in the Longzhou area near Fallen Mountain, but farther away. Or he could be a teacher in the Lotus Root Blessed Land.
Another example: occasionally flying by wind to distant rivers and lakes, fishing alone, carrying a few jugs of wine, and cooking a pot of fish soup for himself.
If earning money is for living, living cannot just be about earning money.
Then cultivating on the mountain is life, and life cannot just be about cultivation.
But training in the sword and martial arts, earning money and cultivating, reading and studying—none of these can be neglected.
Chen Ping'an opened his eyes. For now, he still did not see any trace of the Night Boat.
The three beside him, probably because they were on their own turf, Nalan Xianxiu had already taken out an embroidered pouch and changed the tobacco. She was a quiet person and did not like to talk much. The other two were more unrestrained in their speech, especially the ghost with a maiden's appearance. She seemed particularly interested in young talents like Cao Ci, Fu Jin, and Xu Bai. She chatted with the mischievous little girl without any restraint. The little girl thought Cao Ci was better-looking, but the one she called Sister Feicui said Fu Jin was better, because this first disciple of White Emperor City was a sword cultivator, naturally more elegant and refined than those who practiced martial arts.
The little girl glanced at the green-robed sword cultivator and thought he didn't seem like much.
Chen Ping'an just pretended not to hear or see anything.
Unexpectedly, as they chatted, Feicui brought up the boxing match at the Confucian Temple. It turned out that in just a few days, this news had spread from the Confucian Temple to Mountain Sea Sect.
The world is full of countless trivial matters, but there are always a few that people will talk about with relish. Just as some people stand out like a crane among chickens, some things catch the eye anew.
The little girl seemed a bit downcast. She had been chattering nonstop, but suddenly fell silent.
Probably feeling wronged for Cao Ci? Thinking that this so-called Hidden Officer had no sense of martial ethics and had slapped Cao Ci's face?
Feicui was a straightforward person. She turned and said to the silent man, "You're a sword cultivator, at least an immortal, right? Your judgment can't be bad. So what do you think of that boxing match? If they were fighting to the death, what would the result be?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I don't know much about the ways of consummation martial artists, so I'd better not jump to conclusions. But I suspect that in a boxing match with Cao Ci, whether for victory or for life and death, at most one handful of people. Aside from them, all martial artists in the Bright World would lose, without any doubt."
Among that handful were Pei Bei, Song Changjing, Zhang Tiaoxia, and Li Er.
The little girl, who had been looking listless, raised an eyebrow upon hearing these impartial words. She became happy again, shaking her head and saying spiritedly, "What Hidden Officer? What green-robed sword immortal? Such a bad temper. That guy needs a good lesson. If I were Yunmiao of the Nine True Immortal Hall, ha! If I were Zheng Juzhong, heh heh. If that guy dared to stand next to me, heh heh heh."
Chen Ping'an, sitting nearby, nodded lightly, indicating his agreement with the little girl's view.
The little girl, who had been secretly sizing him up from the corner of her eye, gave a thumbs-up. "This sword immortal speaks agreeably, has good taste, and looks... passable. From now on, you are my friend!"
Chen Ping'an smiled warmly and nodded slightly.
He could tell at a glance that the little girl was a mountain spirit.
The little girl asked casually, "You're waiting for a boat. Where are you going?"
Chen Ping'an said, "To the North Juju Continent."
The little girl said "Oh," and said in a worldly-wise tone, "So your hometown is the North Juju Continent. Good place, no wonder, no wonder. There are many sword cultivators there. But my hometown is Vases Bottle Continent. I'll take you to play there someday."
Chen Ping'an paused for a moment but did not ask further.
How did this little girl with such a low cultivation realm cross continents to reach the Central World Divine Continent? And it seemed she had a high status in Mountain Sea Sect?
Although he did not know the reason, Chen Ping'an's impression of Mountain Sea Sect improved even more.
Nalan Xianxiu tapped the stone cliff with her tobacco pipe, then pinched some tobacco leaves from the pouch. She looked up at the sky and was lost in thought.
She came back to her senses and asked with a smile, "Do you like to smoke a pipe too?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I've never smoked."
She smiled. "Actually, it's more interesting than a drunkard drinking."
Chen Ping'an smiled but did not respond.
Aside from those bamboos from Green God Mountain that would be sent to Fallen Mountain aboard the Wind Kite, a trans-continental ferry of the Xuanmi Dynasty, Chen Ping'an had returned from the Confucian Temple deliberation heavily laden.
The pot of calamus given by the Nine Yi Mountain God, and the folded paper black-roofed swallow given by the female mountain lord of Yanzhi Mountain, had both been given to Chen Ping'an by his Master, who had pulled rank.
As for the box of makeup powder, Chen Ping'an had accepted it without hesitation, feeling completely at ease. Otherwise, was his Master going to give it to Senior Brother Zuo You? Or to Senior Brother Junqian?
What a waste; there was simply no need.
Chen Ping'an had only accepted these three items at the time.
He had not accepted the rest, no matter how much his Master urged.
His reasoning was sound: his Master would have more and more disciples in the future, and he needed to have some belongings of his own. How could his Master always be so destitute?
Yet at parting, his Master still gave him that Spatial Artifact that the Wealth God Liu had accidentally left behind, saying that this thing would definitely be useful since Fallen Mountain was going to do big business. As long as Fallen Mountain made money, it was as good as the Literati Saint lineage making money.
At the same time, the Old Scholar smiled and took out two scrolls from his sleeve, letting Chen Ping'an guess.
Actually, Chen Ping'an did not need to guess. He knew they were works by the two seniors, Su Zi and Liu Qi.
Chen Ping'an felt he had a good habit: he could take advice.
For example, he quickly took the words of Fire Dragon True Man to heart: when doing business, if your skin is thin, you won't succeed.
When the old sayings of the elders are told, the young must listen, and after listening, they must act.
So when Chen Ping'an heard that the immortal Yunmiao had not yet left Aotou Mountain, he immediately sent a secret letter to this opponent-turned-friend, the sect leader of Nine True Immortal Hall.
Immortal Yunmiao quickly sent a secret reply, sending an item to the Meritorious Grove.
It was that semi-immortal-grade white jade lingzhi.
Yunmiao, cutting off his own flesh, was not only not pained but was willing and relieved.
His awe and fear of the White Emperor City's city lord had reached an exaggerated, unimaginable level.
Zheng Juzhong's behavior was truly incredible. He could hide the truth from the world. One of his avatars had gradually become the last disciple of the Literati Saint lineage?!
This explained why an outsider, so young, could become the last-generation Hidden Officer of the Great Wall of Swords and return alive to the Bright World.
Could this be a huge deal between Zheng Juzhong, the Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan, the Old Scholar of the Literati Saint lineage, and the Central Earth Confucian Temple?!
Was the opening move of this game perhaps the Colorful Cloud Game back then?
Look—this opening move on the board had already been deliberately made known to all the world. But what was the result? Had it not successfully deceived all cultivators across several worlds?
After sending that white jade lingzhi to the Meritorious Grove in secret, the immortal Yunmiao walked into his courtyard from the depths of his heart, faced the direction of the Panshui County, murmured to himself, bowed deeply, and remained prostrate for a long time.
Chen Ping'an naturally did not see that scene, but he could roughly imagine Yunmiao's state of mind.
A priceless white jade lingzhi, engraved with two lines of inscription, bearing an extremely auspicious meaning.
"A person with a thousand years of pure luster without blemish, a family with a hundred generations of orchids and lingering fragrance."
Having obtained this semi-immortal artifact, the expenses from the Bundle Shop of Parrot Island, plus the debt from buying bamboos from Green God Mountain, were all recouped.
Far off on the sea, a dazzling sword light rose into the sky.
Chen Ping'an looked up.
Nalan Xianxiu squinted, then turned her head to look at the young man. She knew his identity now.
---
At Question Ferry, a pink Daoist robe landed on a ferry that had just set sail. Liu Chicheng casually tossed a Grain Rain coin to the ferry manager, coming to see off his friend Tao Ting.
But in the cabin, he saw a thin, old blind man. Liu Chicheng, who had originally planned to have a good drink with Tao Ting, just greeted him briefly and left in a hurry.
Someone who dared to beat up Guo Outing was someone Liu Chicheng had to weigh carefully. He couldn't afford to provoke him. Of course, the fundamental reason was that his senior brother was no longer in Panshui County.
Inside the cabin, the old blind man and Li Huai were sitting, while Tender Taoist stood without daring to breathe loudly. On the table was a miniature landscape, with the old tree spirit from the southern city standing at the "mountain peak."
The old blind man asked, "Li Huai, do you want a nimble maid? I can go to the Barren Wilderness World and catch one for you."
Li Huai rolled his eyes and could not be bothered to respond.
The old blind man was used to it. He turned his head. That tree spirit had just claimed to have met an ancient sword immortal with the Dao name Pure Yang, who came from the Daoist sword immortal lineage and had consulted him on swordsmanship. After a casual pointer, the latter's realm had advanced.
The old blind man asked, "Talking so big, were you raised on the northwest wind?"
The old tree spirit was displeased upon hearing this. He put his hands on his hips and asked loudly, "Li Huai, who is this guy? So sharp-tongued?"
Li Huai grinned. "He's sort of half my master. I don't even know his name yet."
The old tree spirit fell silent, looking at Tender Taoist. His cultivation was not shallow—he could even call Liu Daochun brother. He must be at least Jade Realm. Since Tender Taoist was Li Huai's retainer, then this old blind man, being Li Huai's master, was probably at least an immortal realm. But in the Bundle Shop, immortals were not a big deal. Today, having fallen on hard times and having to depend on others, he needed to read the situation. So he did not argue with the old blind man who liked to spout nonsense.
The old blind man turned to face Tao Ting, who was an ascension realm cultivator. "Tender Taoist of the Bright World? A well-known title. Sounds a bit like Bai Ye of the Bright World or Talisman Yu Xian?"
The yellow-robed old man put on a dry smile. "It was the young master who gave me that Dao name during our travels in the Bright World. I was worried that if I didn't have a nickname to lean on while accompanying the young master outside, it would cause the young master to be looked down upon by outsiders."
The old blind man chuckled and waved his hand. Tao Ting was suddenly yanked over and had to bend down, tilting his head as the old man's five fingers, like hooks, grabbed him. Tao Ting obediently maintained this absurd pose, not daring to dodge.
Under the fingers, there was a crisp cracking sound.
Tao Ting did not even dare to make a sound.
The old tree spirit shuddered and quickly turned his head away, but then he heard something that made his hair stand on end.
This old blind man was not to be trifled with.
Li Huai quickly stood up and slapped the old blind man's arm. "Alright, alright. Stop bullying Old Tender like that. If we're behind closed doors, fine, but when we're outside, at least save some face for Old Tender."
The old blind man released his hand and slapped Tao Ting across the face, sending him crashing to the ground. He said telepathically, "If you ever show off like that again, bringing unexpected trouble to Li Huai, I'll slap you to death."
But outwardly, the old blind man reached into his sleeve, pulled out a yellowed book, and tossed it casually onto Tao Ting. "You've been escorting us all the way. No merit, only toil. Here is the first half of the Mountain Refining Art. The second half will come later."
Tao Ting held the book with both hands, his eyes red, trembling with excitement.
As the Mountain-Chaser Ancestor of the Barren Wilderness World, he was no slouch at driving and moving mountains—not much worse than Yuan Shou. But when it came to the subsequent art of refining mountains, he was far inferior to Yuan Shou. Otherwise, the throne position would have fallen to Tao Ting; Yuan Shou would have had to call him Elder Tao Ting. Instead, he had to skulk around the edges of the Hundred Thousand Mountains twice, waiting for the chance to devour him.
Why was Tao Ting willing to be the old blind man's watchdog? Wasn't it for this Mountain Refining Art?
Li Huai slammed the table and asked, "This business of becoming a Worthy—was that your idea?!"
Tender Taoist, having just received a great boon, felt the atmosphere in the room was tense. If a fight broke out, he would definitely be the one to suffer, not Master Li. So he started to edge away.
The old blind man nodded.
Unexpectedly, Li Huai broke into a grin, walked around behind the old blind man, and began massaging his shoulders and back, saying in a low voice, "Just this once, never again."
When he returned home this time, his parents and Li Liu would be overjoyed to learn of this!
Besides, there was that brother-in-law he had never met, said to be from a scholarly family in the North Juju Continent. He couldn't let his sister marry into that family and be looked down upon. Now that she had a brother who was a Worthy of an academy, she could hold her head a bit higher.
Li Huai reminded him, "It's settled, right? None of that gentleman stuff, don't mess around. Otherwise, I'll be angry, and half our teacher-disciple bond will be ruined."
The old blind man nodded again.
The title of gentleman was nothing. If needed, the Confucian Temple could directly appoint him as an academy head. But seeing Li Huai's temperament, he always seemed reluctant to stand out. If being an academy head was too conspicuous, a vice head would be just right.
A teacher giving gifts to a disciple and having to be careful and deliberate? And whether the disciple accepted or not depended on his mood?
This pair of master and disciple, the old blind man and Li Huai, was indeed rare.
Li Huai sat back down and continued flipping through a martial arts novel. Suddenly he looked up and said to the old blind man with a grin, "I just saw a saying in the book: 'An old tree in bloom has no ugly branches.' Master, when you were young, you must have looked decent, right?"
The old blind man smiled and nodded. "Not bad. Years ago, Chen Qingdu, Dragon Lord, and the others were always jealous of that."
Tender Taoist watched the old blind man, whose wrinkled face bloomed like a flower.
The old blind man was the kind of person who hated to talk about the past.
But with Li Huai, he was even willing to talk about these things.
The old tree spirit asked, trembling, "Are you that...?"
The old blind man asked, "That what?"
The old tree spirit wiped the sweat from his forehead and dared not speak anymore.
The old blind man stood up and said, "During your breaks from studying, if you have time, go to the Hundred Thousand Mountains."
Li Huai stood up as well, said wait a moment, took a bundle from his book box, and handed it to the old blind man, smiling. "These are some miscellaneous books. When you go back there, read them for entertainment."
The old blind man tucked it into his sleeve, took a step, and returned to the Barren Wilderness World.
---
That night, in the third watch, the old boatman Gu Qingsong sneaked through the night, concealing his tracks all the way, until he reached the Meritorious Grove. He pleaded with the Scholar Xi Ping to get him to agree to announce his arrival.
Since he needed a favor, Gu Qingsong was unusually polite. Otherwise, why bother wasting words with someone like Xi Ping, who seemed to have popped out of a stone? So what if his backing was the Confucian Temple? So what if it was the Supreme Saint and First Teacher? Weren't they both considered scholars? Who was higher and who was lower?
At last, Gu Qingsong managed to see Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists. "Senior Gu."
Gu Qingsong waved his hand. "Don't bother with all these formalities. How pretentious."
Actually, he was saying this to himself. If Chen Ping'an had respectfully called him Ancestor Gu or Old Immortal Gu, would there have been a problem?
Or if they talked about seniority in other terms, Gu Qingsong should be considered the same generation as Lady Gui. And Chen Ping'an called Lady Gui "Auntie," so that would make him his junior.
One day, this kid might even have to call him "Uncle."
With that thought, Gu Qingsong felt that even calling him Brother Chen or Lord Chen tonight would not be a loss.
After all, it would come back around later. When he became Dao companions with Lady Gui, he would stay at Fallen Mountain and not move, wandering in front of this kid every day, whether there was anything to do or not.
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Does Lady Gui dislike you?"
The old boatman said matter-of-factly, "Of course she doesn't dislike me. Whether she likes me is still uncertain."
If Gu Qingsong had said "dislike," Chen Ping'an could have sent him away with a few words.
For example: to make Lady Gui like you, the first step is to get her not to dislike you. How to achieve that? Like her from a distance in silence. That way, Lady Gui could have some peace, and Gu Qingsong could continue to like her without being a nuisance. But since Gu Qingsong answered that way, Chen Ping'an had to change his approach and asked a very natural question: "Lady Gui is my elder. Do you think it's appropriate for me to teach you how to make her like you?"
Gu Qingsong frowned. "Spare me the nonsense. If you teach me, I'll pay you."
What's the big deal? Didn't he just want money? He had plenty.
For all those years roaming the vast seas, even the officials of that fat woman's Lushui Pit, whenever they saw him at sea, they would take the initiative to clear the way and avoid his edge.
Not to mention the little shrimps like the female cultivators of the Rain Dragon Sect. With one pole of his bamboo, he could raise waves ten thousand zhang high on the sea.
Go ahead and flip through the old records at the Confucian Temple. Which hero was it that flooded eighteen islands without hurting a single person?
Chen Ping'an naturally would not really teach this old boatman any "Dao arts." He just casually said a few things. But Gu Qingsong listened intently from beginning to end, nodding from time to time. Could it be that by luck, he had hit the mark?
Finally, Gu Qingsong said, "Alright, tell me what you want. No beating around the bush. I don't have time for your detours."
Chen Ping'an was straightforward. "I want to learn from Senior a life-preserving escape art."
The reasoning was simple: with Gu Qingsong's temperament, if he didn't have a few signature skills, he would not have been so "lightly" demoted from immortal realm to Jade Realm.
Gu Qingsong hesitated. If Lady Gui wanted to learn, he would gladly teach everything. But beyond Lady Gui, he was unwilling. These were his signature skills.
Gu Qingsong said testily, "What's my current name?"
Chen Ping'an had to say, "Gu Qingsong."
The old boatman sneered. "I can see your brain isn't as sharp as the rumors say."
Gu Qingsong: Returning to the Green Pine of Blue Water Mountain.
In some remote corner of the Bright World, find an unknown river, find an old pine, and refine both into one.
Chen Ping'an had guessed this before, but even if he confirmed his suspicion, it was still not appropriate to reveal the secret.
After all, the key was the content of the Dao incantation. Knowing the "that" without knowing the "why" was meaningless.
So Gu Qingsong explained the mystery, preening himself. "Never thought of that, did you?"
Chen Ping'an looked stunned, but not overly so. His surprise was tinged with a bit of admiration and a little envy.
But Gu Qingsong glanced at the young Hidden Officer, spat on the ground, and cursed. Damn, the kid was sharp.
Chen Ping'an was truly puzzled this time. How did Gu Qingsong see through him?
Gu Qingsong said crossly, "Don't guess blindly. I have a secret technique I figured out myself that can roughly distinguish right from wrong."
Otherwise, how do you think I was chosen by my master to help sail the boat? Because I was easy to swindle money?
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, then gave up on the idea of asking for the Dao incantation. He changed the subject and asked, "Senior Gu, why are you so fixated on Lady Gui?"
Gu Qingsong was silent for a long time, then sighed. "Before I met her, even in my dreams, I couldn't dream of such a beautiful woman."
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists and smiled. "Then I won't see you off, Senior."
Gu Qingsong asked doubtfully, "Not learning that divine power?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Forget it. I won't force it. I just hope that in the future, Senior will be willing to take care of any disciples of Fallen Mountain you come across."
Gu Qingsong nodded. "I didn't expect you to be such an honest man. I can agree to that. For a thousand years, whenever I encounter cultivators or martial artists from Fallen Mountain, I generally won't bother with them. But if they are in a critical situation, I will lend a hand."
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists in thanks.
Gu Qingsong waved his hand and hurriedly left the Meritorious Grove. He caught up with a ferry and found Lady Gui, who was returning to Vases Bottle Continent. The old boatman spoke his heart to her.
In essence, he said that he had done many foolish things before, at Osmanthus Island and on the Night Boat, all because he didn't know his limits. He promised that he would never do such one-sided things again. In the past, he hadn't thought it through. Now that he understood, he felt that truly liking someone couldn't just be about his own blind infatuation.
Lady Gui's expression remained calm, but for once, she did not interrupt the old boatman's speech, and there was even a hint of seriousness in her eyes.
But inwardly, she smiled. For Xiancha to speak so sensibly today must have been Chen Ping'an's doing.
She believed that soon, at Old Dragon City's Osmanthus Island, she would receive a letter of apology from Chen Ping'an explaining this matter.
It wasn't necessary. She wasn't stupid; she could guess.
With Xiancha's temperament, whose reasoning would he listen to in the Bright World? He might listen to Li Sheng, or Li Xisheng and Zhou Li. But those three would certainly not teach Xiancha to speak like this.
Lady Gui wasn't really moved by these words, but rather she felt that this old boatman had gone through so much trouble, back and forth, and it wasn't easy.
Finally, she said softly, "Xiancha, I'm sorry I can't return your feelings."
The old boatman scratched his head and said sincerely, "That's fine, that's fine. As long as you don't find me annoying, I'll be very happy."
Lady Gui sighed. "You have a direct disciple on Osmanthus Island. Go there occasionally and try to help him break through his realm early."
Fan Junmao, as the Southern Marchmount Lord, had dropped many realms. The Fan family now urgently needed a new upper-five-realm guest elder.
Lady Gui reminded him, "Don't misunderstand."
Xiancha said emphatically, "I won't misunderstand!"
What was there to misunderstand? How could it be a misunderstanding? This was clearly a good start!
Brother Chen, no, Lord Chen, you really do have some skills!
If only he hadn't been so stingy with that divine art back at the Meritorious Grove.
Lady Gui knew right away that he had misunderstood, but she couldn't be bothered to say more.
After the old boatman Xiancha left the ferry, he used several unique secret techniques left to him by Lu Chen. First, he shrunk the earth and mountains, displaying great power far surpassing ordinary ascension realm cultivators. Then he hurriedly sailed out to sea, covering thousands and thousands of miles in an instant, accurately finding that Night Boat. He began to pester the crew, insisting on boarding, vowing that he would not cause any trouble.
Speaking of the ability to find the Night Boat, Xiancha could be said to be the most skilled in the Bright World.
The boat master, Master Zhang, appeared at the bow, looked down at the small boat on the vast sea, and joked, "If I remember correctly, didn't you say you wouldn't come even if I begged you?"
Xiancha, holding his bamboo pole, retorted with reason, "Did you beg me?"
If I were begged, I wouldn't come. Since you didn't beg, I came.
Master Zhang was momentarily speechless.
Xiancha said, "I just want to see Lady Li of Lingxi City. I'll say a word and leave."
Master Zhang asked with a smile, "To ask her to write a poem for Lady Gui?"
The old boatman grumbled, "Master Zhang, you're so old. Why are you so nosy? Open the door and get out of the way. Go cool off somewhere else."
After much pestering, the old boatman successfully arrived at Lingxi City. He really did say just one word and was ready to leave.
Then the old boatman shouted, "Boat Master?"
No response.
"Master Zhang? Where are you? Don't play deaf. I know you're here."
Still, heaven and earth were silent.
So the old boatman started cursing, "Dammit, let me off the boat! If you're not loyal, remember, the mountains are high and the rivers long—watch out..."
The first time Xiancha traveled on the Night Boat had been with Lu Chen by his side. Then, he could come and go as he pleased.
The second time he boarded, Lady Li had found him annoying and asked the boat master to send him off.
This time, getting off was uncertain. But unexpectedly, Xiancha sneered, and by using that secret art which he had not taught Chen Ping'an, he directly left the ferry. However, he was not lightly injured. It didn't cause a realm drop, but it consumed the Dao accumulation of a hundred years of painstaking qi refinement.
Lady Li smiled. "He will definitely hold a grudge."
Master Zhang said, "Leave him be."
Curious, he asked, "What did Xiancha say earlier?"
As the boat master, he could have listened, but out of respect for Lingxi City, he deliberately did not.
Lady Li said, "He advised me on a candidate for city lord."
Master Zhang said, "Chen Ping'an?"
Lady Li nodded.
Master Zhang smiled. "On the surface, he is the least suitable for Lingxi City."
The Night Boat was preparing to open four new cities, increasing from twelve to sixteen. His earliest idea was to let Chen Ping'an occupy one of the new cities.
Master Zhang turned his head and asked, "Do you want to travel far so badly?"
And this woman's journey would be to bid farewell to the world.
She nodded. "It was on the ferry that I learned of the boat master's prose: 'On the lake, the voices of men and birds have all ceased. The sky, clouds, mountains, and water are all one white. Men, boats, pavilions, and wine cups are like a few mustard seeds... I have long been in Lin'an and never knew the snow scene there could be so moving. So I plan to watch a great snowfall before leaving. 'Force myself to drink three large cups and then part.' I just don't know if I have the capacity for that."
Master Zhang asked, "What about Lingxi?"
Lady Li said, "She will stay here. Her life is just beginning; it shouldn't end here."
The antlered youth, who liked to keep his hands in his sleeves, took his hands out and bowed to Master Zhang, requesting, "Boat Master, can I accompany my master off the boat? I may not board again later."
Master Zhang smiled and nodded. "Why not? The freest thing in the world is knowledge. No matter where Lingxi is, isn't she always on the Night Boat?"
Lady Li and the antlered youth together bowed to the boat master, thanking him and bidding farewell.
Master Zhang laughed heartily and then solemnly returned the bow, saying softly, "It is my fortune to have met the Master of Lin'an in this life."
---
At the top floor of the White Jade Capital, Lu Chen sat on the railing, imitating a martial artist with a cupped fist salute, shaking it vigorously, and laughed, "Congratulations, Senior Brother. You are about to truly be invincible."
Yu Dou turned his head and saw that this junior brother was joking with a frivolous grin, but his eyes were like an ancient well, deep and mysterious.
He asked, "What do you mean?"
Lu Chen rubbed his chin. "No solution. The ship will go straight when it reaches the bridge."
Yu Dou sneered, "That's not an excuse for you to dawdle here instead of going to the Beyond Heaven."
Lu Chen complained bitterly, "I really don't want to go. It's all hard work. Can't the Azure World produce a genius once and for all to solve that problem?"
Yu Dou did not reply.
He knew that his junior brother Lu Chen was complaining about his own earlier strike, the sword duel with the Great Xuandu Temple.
---
On the cliff of Mountain Sea Sect.
Nalan Xianxiu tucked the tobacco pipe into her belt, stood up, and said, "Let's go."
The girl Feicui helped the little girl roll up the bamboo mat. While busy, the little girl said to the green-robed stranger, "Sword immortal, don't forget. We're friends now. We should visit each other often."
Chen Ping'an smiled and agreed.
Finally, the little girl, holding the rolled-up bamboo mat, strode away. But for no reason, she remembered a farewell from years ago and slowed her steps.
Back then, the little girl had been picked up by a sister and taken to her hometown. There, they sat on the first stroke of the character "heaven." The sister sat in the middle, looking not too far away, at a place called Fallen Mountain.
Now, the little girl glanced at the sky, reddened her eyes, lowered her head, raised her arm to wipe her eyes, and said gloomily, "The biggest villain under heaven is that Chen Ping'an."
Chen Ping'an just gazed straight ahead at the sea, silent and wordless.