Chapter 881: Practice
Taihui Sword Sect, Pianran Peak.
The cultivator here now was just Bai Shou alone.
Because Bai Shou was already a Golden Core sword cultivator, and since Liu Jinglong was the sect master, he had moved to the Ancestral Mountain area, so the Taihui Sword Sect held a simple peak-opening ceremony, and Pianran Peak became Bai Shou's cultivation dwelling.
If Bai Shou himself was willing, he could actually start accepting disciples now.
It was just that Bai Shou recently had been listless every day. Every time he took a break from sword practice, he would sit on a bamboo chair and zone out.
He actually didn't like drinking; he wasn't used to it. So every time he carried a wine flask, he would always end up not finishing it.
Previously, he had gone down the mountain with several sect sword cultivators to gain experience. They went to the country of Lanfang, and at a border place called Iron Cast Pass, they fought a battle. There was a small group of barbarian world demon clan cultivators there, running rampant and committing crimes. They surrounded and killed them. Because those barbarian cultivators were all of low realms, the outcome was never in doubt. The cultivators from Taihui Sword Sect and a few other sects suffered almost no losses, and few were injured.
But there was another encounter that was unexpected for both sides. It was a Golden Core realm demon cultivator, who was also a ghost cultivator skilled in concealment. Somehow, it had also failed to escape back to the Barbarian World through the Sea of Return to Nothing, and instead slipped into Beiju Continent. It lay dormant for a few years, just to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. It directly ruined dozens of people from a small riverside sect, using vicious and hidden methods, refining them into walking corpses. If Bai Shou hadn't relied on his assassin's keen senses to detect a hint of something wrong, he might have missed this demon.
A dangerous life-or-death battle. Bai Shou contributed the most, and it was he who struck the fatal blow, killing the enemy, cutting off its head, and his flying sword shattered the ghost cultivator's Golden Core. But a sect nephew from another peak, a Dragon Gate realm sword cultivator, although junior in seniority to Bai Shou, was actually much older than Bai Shou. He was severely wounded in the battle. That demon cultivator's technique struck his heart aperture. A sword cultivator who had hope of reaching Earth Immortal completely lost that hope.
After Bai Shou returned to Pianran Peak, he, who was already taciturn, became even more silent.
Even that surnamed Liu and that sect nephew came to the mountain to persuade him, but Bai Shou just couldn't get over it in his heart. Especially when that sect nephew took the initiative to come to Pianran Peak, found Bai Shou, this uncle, to drink, and said it really didn't matter, Uncle Bai didn't need to worry.
When saying these things, the sword cultivator who had fallen in realm had sincere eyes and a smile on his face. Finally, he said, if you really feel bad, then help me count my realm together. Later, if you, Bai Shou, don't even reach Jade Pure realm, that would be inexcusable. Then he would come to Pianran Peak every day and block the door to curse.
At this moment, Bai Shou was sitting on the small bamboo chair, holding the back of his head with both hands. How could he not worry? How could it be nothing?
The wine wasn't good either.
His heart felt even worse.
And that sword cultivator's magnanimity was actually what made Bai Shou feel worst.
He had fought for years at the Sword Qi Great Wall and never dropped in realm. How could he come back to his hometown, in such a small place, and drop in realm?
And right under Bai Shou's nose. It was just a beast at the Golden Core bottleneck. He was at the same realm, and he was a sword cultivator!
Earlier on that trip down the mountain to kill demons, on the way to Iron Cast Pass, that sword cultivator was at the dinner table. When he heard Bai Shou say that he and Chen Ping'an were sworn brothers, he wouldn't believe it no matter what. He said unless the next time the Hidden Official visited Pianran Peak, you really could introduce them a bit, let him say a word to the young Hidden Official, then he would believe it. At that time, Bai Shou thumped his chest and guaranteed it, a small matter.
That surnamed Liu was even worse. The second time he came to Pianran Peak, he directly scolded Bai Shou with a harsh sentence: if you can't even understand this principle, it means you're not yet a true disciple of Taihui Sword Sect, not a sword cultivator.
After saying those nonsense words, that surnamed Liu left.
Bai Shou didn't say anything. When it came to reasoning, how could he out-argue that bookworm master?
Bai Shou rubbed his face vigorously, sighed heavily, stood up from the chair, and started punching randomly.
Suddenly he stopped, put two fingers together, pointed forward, imagining that black charcoal standing not far away, and laughed loudly, "Ha! You black charcoal, listen carefully! If you keep pestering me, I'll throw a punch!"
Bai Shou changed his fingers to a palm, shaking it left and right as if slapping, "I reasoned with you nicely, but you wouldn't listen, right? Now you're suffering, right? Remember from now on, when you meet your Lord Bai, show some respect!"
A mile away from Pianran Peak, a group of people were hovering in the air, but someone had cast an illusion spell.
The White Hair Boy looked on with appreciation and sincerely praised, "What a man! I'll have to toast this hero later."
Provided the guy could still drink.
Liu Jinglong was amused but didn't warn his disciple.
Pei Qian was expressionless, just twitching the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Mili scratched her face and cautiously glanced at Pei Qian. It seemed there was no chance to salvage this.
Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled, "Indeed, good fist techniques."
Bai Shou twisted his waist, leaped into the air, and spun around. Thinking himself very suave, he kicked out a leg. After landing, he clapped his hands. "I won't see you out."
Then the group descended and appeared.
Bai Shou closed his eyes, then opened them. Closed, then opened again. Alright, he could run away.
Without a second word, he wiped his hand, and the long sword on the wall in the room shot out with a clang. Bai Shou stepped onto the flying sword and hastily left Pianran Peak.
Pei Qian looked at her master.
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Just catching up."
Pei Qian glanced at Liu Jinglong, who smiled and said, "Just mind your limits."
Pei Qian took off her book basket, handed the Mountain Travel Staff to Xiao Mili, and disappeared in a flash—fast as thunder—instantly catching up with Bai Shou on his sword.
Bai Shou was pouring all his strength into flying his sword, but the woman beside him was completely at ease, keeping pace. Bai Shou could only force a dry laugh. "What a coincidence. Visiting, huh?"
Pei Qian just flew side by side with him without speaking, wearing that trademark smile, glancing sideways.
Bai Shou, who feared nothing in heaven or earth, was most afraid of Pei Qian's expression.
Bai Shou started to abandon all pretense. "I won't fight back."
Pei Qian threw a punch straight at his head.
Bai Shou, along with the sword beneath his feet, plunged straight down.
His mouth twitched, his whole body trembling. Half of his body was stuck in the mountain soil. He didn't pass out, but it hurt. He might as well have slept through it and woken up to find that ruthless black charcoal already left Pianran Peak.
Pei Qian stood beside him and asked, "What now? Want to ask me for a fist fight and give me three moves?"
Bai Shou said shakily, "One move is enough!"
Pei Qian raised her palm, turned her wrist, and pulled Bai Shou's entire body out of the ground, then pushed him back two steps.
Bai Shou staggered, his vision blurry and head dizzy.
Keep pretending, go ahead.
Pei Qian's punch had used a clever force; it wouldn't have made Bai Shou this drunk-like.
She lightly stomped her foot, and the long sword instantly sprang up. Pei Qian waved her hand, and the sword shot back to the thatched cottage on Pianran Peak, arcing back into its sheath.
Bai Shou seemed to sober up instantly, laughing, "Pei Qian, why didn't you say something when you came to Pianran Peak?"
Pei Qian snorted with a laugh. "I was afraid of getting beaten."
Bai Shou complained, "What are you saying? Who are we? We're on the same level."
Pei Qian asked, "Want to fly back together?"
Bai Shou said, "Let me take a moment."
He had lost too much face today. If he went back now, he'd definitely be laughed at by Brother Chen. It would be better to wait until he got back and Chen Ping'an was already drinking heavily with that surnamed Liu.
The two walked toward Pianran Peak.
Pei Qian was silent for a moment, then said, "I heard about what happened at Iron Cast Pass and Lanfang Country."
Bai Shou just hummed in acknowledgment and stayed quiet.
Pei Qian continued, "Some things can't be remedied. Actually, all you can do from now on is practice your sword well, try not to make the same mistake again. If you want to feel guilty, keep feeling guilty. It's not a bad thing, better than being heartless and brushing it off. But don't let it affect your sword practice. Whether you're learning martial arts or practicing swordsmanship, once your spirit falls, everything is over."
Bai Shou hummed again, but some of the old vitality returned to the young sword cultivator's eyes.
Pei Qian said, "Still only a Golden Core, and you dare to be Teacher Liu's first disciple? On the same level? Who's on the same level as you?"
Actually, for Bai Shou to become a Golden Core sword cultivator at his age, even in Beiju Continent where sword cultivators were most common, he was undeniably a genius.
Bai Shou walked sideways, grinning cheekily, "Yo, Master Pei, your talk is pretty big."
Pei Qian just looked straight ahead and said softly, "I speak as much weight as my fist techniques. If you don't like hearing it, don't listen."
Teacher Liu was one of Master's closest friends, and Bai Shou was Teacher Liu's first disciple. So Pei Qian hoped that Bai Shou could climb high on the path of the sword, the higher the better, and one day stand beside Master and Teacher Liu.
If he were an outsider, Pei Qian wouldn't say a single extra word.
Bai Shou stared blankly at this slightly unfamiliar Pei Qian. He turned around and nodded. "That's how it should be."
Pei Qian suddenly said, "Earlier, you slapped yourself eight times. Consider that you still owe me seven punches."
Bai Shou wailed, "Pei Qian! When will you change this rotten habit of keeping score?"
Pei Qian sneered, "Fine. Make it eight punches."
Bai Shou was in despair.
Pei Qian hesitated for a moment, then still said, "Bai Shou, you can't let Teacher Liu down. Because not everyone can be as lucky as you and me to meet such a good master."
Bai Shou smiled. "I know, I know. Alright, I have one more person around me who likes to reason."
Pei Qian nodded. "Nine punches."
Bai Shou planned that when he got back to Pianran Peak, he would carve an eight-character motto on the table: "Disaster comes from the mouth; be cautious in speech and action."
When they reached the thatched cottage at Pianran Peak, Bai Shou couldn't stand it. What was going on with that surnamed Liu and Brother Chen? They were drinking so timidly.
Chen Ping'an, are you even capable? When Xu Xingjiu and Liu Zhiqing visited before, that surnamed Liu wouldn't drink so girlishly.
Bai Shou said with pain and regret, "Master, you're the former owner of Pianran Peak. You're not being a good host. Drink more with Chen... the Mountain Lord. I have plenty of wine here. What a waste of such good drinking capacity."
Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "Don't drink too much. We're going to your ancestral hall to offer incense later."
Taihui Sword Sect, former sect master Han Huaizi, former law keeper Huang Tong.
And all the sword cultivators in history who had traveled far with their swords and never returned home.
Among them, thirty-six had died on the battlefields of the Sword Qi Great Wall and Precious Bottle Continent.
And even more sword cultivators, even if they had returned alive to the sect, could no longer be qi refiners, let alone sword cultivators.
Moreover, the Taihui Sword Sect's sword cultivators who traveled far with swords were never sloppy—they were always the highest realm, the most lethal in the sect!
So Taihui Sword Sect had been severely weakened.
The number one sword sect of Beiju Continent now had only one Jade Pure realm sword cultivator.
Liu Jinglong and Bai Shou.
Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao.
Today, only four sword cultivators entered that ancestral hall of Taihui Sword Sect.
Unlike other sects and immortal mountains, this hall not only hung portraits of successive patriarchs but also all sword cultivators who had died on the battlefield.
Liu Jinglong handed three sticks of incense to Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao respectively, smiling. "I believe my master, Uncle Huang, and all the sword cultivators in the portraits will be very happy to see the two of you."
One was the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the other was a flying ascension realm sword cultivator from the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Chen Ping'an held the incense with both hands and said solemnly, "Chen Ping'an of Fallen Mountain. Hereby pay respects to all the sages."
Ning Yao stood beside him, expression solemn, and said, "Ning Yao of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Pay respects to all."
There were no complicated rituals. The two outsiders entered the ancestral hall, just offered three sticks of incense, and spoke a single sentence.
Chen Ping'an walked toward the gate of the ancestral hall, crossed the threshold, looked back once, then withdrew his gaze. When he reached the railing of the square outside, he put his hands in his sleeves, leaned back against the railing, and asked, "Why didn't you attend the Wenmiao council?"
Liu Jinglong shook his head and said calmly, "I couldn't bear to see more people die. It's not that I don't dare—it's really that I can't. I was afraid that if I went to Wenmiao, I wouldn't be able to hold back."
Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, then asked, "I heard some people have the audacity to talk nonsense, saying Taihui Sword Sect is just an empty shell?"
Liu Jinglong smiled bitterly. "Human nature."
Chen Ping'an said, "You can tolerate it, but I can't."
Liu Jinglong tilted his head slightly, looking into the distance, and said softly, "The current sect master of Taihui Sword Sect can tolerate it, but actually, the sword cultivator Liu Jinglong can't either."
Chen Ping'an turned to look at Ning Yao.
Ning Yao nodded. "We'll wait here."
Between Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao, at critical moments, it was often like this—never a single superfluous word.
Chen Ping'an pulled his hand out of his sleeve, grabbed Liu Jinglong, and said, "Let's go! Let's ask for a sword fight!"
He would put a mask over his face, and damn it, who would know who it was? Even if they found out, so what? Just deny it.
Beiju Continent's atmosphere was so good; if they didn't have that awareness, what were they doing in the martial world? What were they doing down the mountain?
Anyway, Chen Ping'an had plenty of masks—they were essential for traveling the martial world. He had masks for young men, middle-aged men, old men, and even women's masks, and more than one.
He heard that a certain sect with very few sword cultivators had once gone to the Sword Qi Great Wall in history. Then for several hundred years, they never went again, because one of the sect's patriarch-line sword cultivators, as soon as he crossed Inverted Mountain, got into a fight with the local sword cultivators and parted on bad terms. Since he didn't even go to the city wall, let alone kill any demons.
Especially in the last hundred years, sword cultivators and qi refiners from all over Beiju Continent were dying. This sect seemed to have risen in status in its own mountain territory.
They had an immortal realm old patriarch who had been in seclusion all along, a Jade Pure realm current sect master, and a ninth-tier martial artist as a guest elder.
But compared to a continental leader like Zhengyang Mountain, which was full of sword cultivators, they still seemed a bit lacking.
So they were just right for practice.
Liu Jinglong began to discuss details with Chen Ping'an.
In the end, the two flew off on their swords, turning into rainbows, traveling far.
Bai Shou learned something today. That surnamed Liu was really taken away by Chen Ping'an, and they were going to challenge a sect together?
He couldn't help but think back to that time at the peak of the Lotus Country, when his master and Chen Ping'an offered their swords together.
It seemed that some people, once they met, were simply destined to become friends?
Bai Shou suddenly glanced at Pei Qian not far away. Why was it that you, surnamed Liu, had that, but I, Lord Bai, had this?!
The White Hair Boy clicked his tongue in wonder. "The Hidden Official Patriarch's friends are all remarkable."
That Liu Zhiqing of Golden Crow Palace would break into Jade Pure realm without much suspense. As for whether he could reach Immortal, that depended on fate, but at least there was some hope.
And this young sect master of Taihui Sword Sect seemed to be only a hundred years old? And he was already at a very stable bottleneck of Jade Pure realm.
Within a hundred years, at least Immortal; within a thousand years, hope for flying ascension.
Slow? That was Immortal and flying ascension for sword cultivators.
As for that young Daoist on Prostrate Peak, the White Hair Boy couldn't be bothered to say much. What Zhang Shanfeng lacked was a sufficiently tough physique, a foundation that could bear that Dao technique and fist intent.
Ning Yao added, "There are many friends who are not simple. Actually, Chen Ping'an has even more friends who are simple."
The White Hair Boy had no objection to that.
Ning Yao looked into the distance where the green robe had vanished and said, "If Sect Master Liu can break into flying ascension, he will be very balanced in offense and defense."
Balanced in offense and defense. And especially with a "very." That statement came from Ning Yao, who was also a flying ascension sword cultivator.
In her view, Liu Jinglong's current Jade Pure realm was not inferior to the strongest Jade Pure realm sword cultivators in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Now in Flying Ascension City, people were going through old records. One of the topics was the selection of the "Ten Great Sword Immortals of Jade Pure Realm."
Among them was Wu Chengpei, but that sword cultivator's inclusion was not due to his prowess in one-on-one combat, but mainly to his first-class flying sword, which was most suitable for war. So his ranking was very low.
Besides that, Hidden Official Chen Ping'an naturally entered the list without any suspense. At drinking tables in Flying Ascension City, there was a lot of arguing—not about whether Chen Ping'an should be on the list, but about his ranking. Sword cultivators from the Hidden Official lineage, the Punishment Official lineage, and the Spring Treasury lineage each held their own opinions.
The White Hair Boy asked curiously, "Why does the Hidden Official Patriarch have to drag Sect Master Liu to travel the Central Continent?"
Ning Yao hadn't really thought about this before. Now she considered it and smiled. "Maybe when he's with Sect Master Liu, he can stop thinking so much?"
Every time Chen Ping'an traveled far, it wasn't easy.
Either he was worried about the unpredictability of the world, or he needed to carefully protect others.
But if he had Liu Jinglong by his side, Chen Ping'an would feel very at ease, and could just focus on unleashing his sword and fists?
Ning Yao planned to discuss something with Chen Ping'an when he returned, to see if it was feasible.
She wanted to become a nominal guest elder of Taihui Sword Sect. But that involved the rules and taboos of the mountains in the Haoran World. She'd leave the problem to him, let him decide.
Ha, someone claimed to be the head of the family.
Ning Yao remembered something and turned to Pei Qian with a smile. "Guo Zhujiu didn't say much, but it's clear she misses you, her senior sister. She often wipes the little bamboo box you lent her."
On Pei Qian's side, she had learned from her master and spread out her arms. On one arm hung a little black-clad girl, on the other a White Hair Boy. The two little dwarfs were pretending to paddle, legs dangling and kicking wildly.
When Pei Qian heard the name Guo Zhujiu, her expression became somewhat strange, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
Growing up, during her travels, Pei Qian often thought of Guo Zhujiu, her nominal junior sister. But every time she thought of her, besides heartache, she also got a headache.
When Pei Qian was a child, that time she went with the Great White Goose to the Sword Qi Great Wall to find her master, a girl who claimed to be her junior sister fell out of the sky. When her master was asking for fist fights with others, she would beat gongs and drums on the wall. When talking to Pei Qian, she would often deliberately bend her knees to make her head level with Pei Qian's. Otherwise, she would be "considerate" and say, "Senior Sister, why don't we go talk on the steps? I always have to stick my butt out to talk to you, like squatting on a latrine—not very ladylike..."
Back then, Pei Qian couldn't argue with Guo Zhujiu, nor could she keep up with Guo Zhujiu's wild thoughts and reasoning.
Pei Qian was never someone willing to suffer losses with anyone except her master. That was true from childhood. Until she met Guo Zhujiu.
Even now, Pei Qian still felt she had no way to deal with her.
But Pei Qian was very happy that in that war back then, Guo Zhujiu didn't go away and never return.
Bai Shou noticed Pei Qian's strange expression and became very curious about who this Guo Zhujiu was.
The White Hair Boy let go, landed on the ground, looked at Bai Shou, put his hands behind his back, paced slowly, and said with a chuckle, "You're called Bai Shou?"
Bai Shou scratched his head, grinned, and nodded, as if to say, "Little girl, if you're called Bai Shou too, that's fine."
The White Hair Boy looked world-weary and nodded. "Good name, good meaning. 'Returning with white hair, planting ten thousand pines; light rain like butter falls and is gathered.'"
Bai Shou exclaimed in surprise, "Little girl, you're not old but you have quite the learning."
The White Hair Boy curled his lip, turned around, and asked Xiao Mili to borrow a blank ledger.
Pei Qian carried the bamboo book basket on her back, held the Mountain Travel Staff in her arms, and stood by the railing. She looked out into the distance, at the high sky and the faraway white clouds.
She remembered that during the last fist-teaching session in the bamboo tower, Grandpa Cui had said, "That shitty master of yours has lousy martial arts talent, yet he dares to slack off in fist practice and divert his attention to practicing those damn sword techniques. This old man's martial arts, relying solely on Chen Ping'an to carry forward, most likely won't work; it's very uncertain. So you, his disciple, shouldn't be idle either. You can't be lazy. Martial arts practice and scholarship are the same. Simple enough—just talk about 'diligence over three days': yesterday, today, tomorrow! So after you leave the bamboo tower, you need to lift your spirit a bit. In the future, you must teach the martial artists of Haoran what it means... 'Fist techniques come from Fallen Mountain under heaven!'"
Meeting her master, her life was like the dead of winter, when someone came from the sky bringing spring.
Ning Yao walked over to Pei Qian, used sword qi to create a small isolated space, and asked softly, "Since you've become a sword cultivator, that's a good thing. Why haven't you told your master?"
Pei Qian blushed and said guiltily, "Master always says that too many cooks spoil the broth, and besides, I don't think I have any talent for swordsmanship."
So over the years, Pei Qian had never practiced swordsmanship. She always kept the promise she made with Grandpa Cui: diligence over three days, don't get distracted by fist practice. After all, that "Crazy Demon Sword Technique" was just a game from childhood, not to be taken seriously.
Ning Yao smiled. "Then I won't tell your master about this for now."
Pei Qian nodded vigorously.
Ning Yao asked, "Have you named your natal flying sword yet?"
Pei Qian's face turned red. She shook her head, but with a thought, she summoned a flying sword, which hovered between her and Ning Yao. It was about three inches long, its edge fully exposed.
Actually, there was a name, but Pei Qian was too embarrassed to tell her master's wife.
Under Pei Yao's mental guidance, that single natal flying sword instantly split into seven, but they were even thinner, each with a different color.
Ning Yao looked closely and nodded approvingly. "It could definitely be ranked as first-class at the Summer Resort."
Ning Yao reminded her, "When fighting enemies in the future, don't casually reveal this flying sword."
Pei Qian nodded, agreeing.
Then Pei Qian hesitated.
Ning Yao asked, puzzled, "Say what's on your mind."
Pei Qian gathered her courage and asked, "Master's wife, when will you hold the wedding banquet?"
Ning Yao blinked. "You mean Liu Xianyang and Yu Qianyue? I don't know the exact date yet. Ask your master."
Pei Qian smiled. "Alright, I'll ask my master!"
---
A Wenmiao council meeting ended, and the cultivators scattered.
On that trans-continental ferry of the Liu family of Aiai Continent, there was an outsider: the old scoundrel of Beiju Continent, Wang Fusu. Earlier, he had fought a match with Wu Shu, the martial saint of Tongye Continent, and it ended in a draw.
Wang Fusu felt too ashamed to return to Beiju Continent, so he went with that pair of master and disciple from Thunder God Temple to Aiai Continent. Anyway, on this trans-continental ferry of the God of Wealth Liu, food and drink were plenty, and it didn't cost anything.
Damn it, we martial artists of Beiju Continent rely on money when traveling? We rely only on friends!
Besides, with this delicate Miss Axiang, Wang Fusu had the upper hand.
Not to mention anything else, just seeing Liu Suiyu's face and figure was pleasing to the eye.
If he were a few hundred years younger, his appearance would be no worse than Pei Axiang's, only better, more manly. He figured that little girl Liu Suiyu would have to fix her eyes on him.
After boarding the ferry, Wang Fusu had no good expression on his face. He really felt wronged. He had asked for a fist fight with Wu Shu, and there weren't even many important spectators.
Compared to that "Azure White Debate," "Cao Chen Debate," which went from the Merit Grove to the Wenmiao Square and then to the sky dome.
No comparison.
First, the Wenmiao council was over, and many cultivators had already left. The two fought late, and the location wasn't as crazy as the two youngsters' choice.
Second, Wang Fusu and Wu Shu, these two Stagnation realm martial artists, after all, were a bit older than Cao Ci and Chen Ping'an, who were just over forty now.
The three people in the room were all pure martial artists. Wang Fusu was furious. "Even if I beat Wu Shu to death, it wouldn't bring me more fame than Chen Ping'an just beating Cao Ci's face swollen. Damn it, I'd rather have asked that kid for a fist fight back in the Merit Grove."
Liu Suiyu drank while crossing her legs, her toe holding up an embroidered shoe that was half-off, and she said with a sly smile, "Is this junior blind, or is the senior confused? Wasn't it Wu Shu who almost beat you to death?"
Wang Fusu slapped the armrest of his chair, his beard bristling and eyes bulging. "If we really fought to the death, we'd both die."
That old brute wasn't bragging with that statement.
Pei Axiang had earlier poured himself a bowl of wine but hadn't drunk it. Instead, he took a piece of white silk and wiped the green bamboo flute.
The material of the bamboo flute was green bamboo from Green God Mountain. In his early years, when he was still a ninth-tier martial artist, he had the honor of attending that Green God Mountain banquet with some friends. But a group of them were swindled badly by Ah Liang. After a misunderstanding, the old temple priestess of the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven gave him a precious piece of thin bamboo. Later, Ah Liang saw it and felt distressed, saying, "Ah Xiang, you've been done dirty. Not only were your secrets seen through, but you were also insulted. If I were you, I couldn't tolerate it."
Pei Axiang didn't understand the deep meaning at the time and just thought Ah Liang was feeding him nonsense again, so he didn't take it seriously.
It wasn't until he returned to the Thunder God Temple in Ma Hu Prefecture that he figured out the implication. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The tassel of the bamboo flute had a yellowed pearl, just an ordinary one that had yellowed over time. It wasn't worth anything anymore.
A handsome Stagnation realm martial artist who could dominate an entire continent's martial arts for many years—how could he not have his own martial world story?
White robe, jade belt, green flute. Pei Axiang of Thunder God Temple. If he were willing to travel the world, he would be instantly recognized by mountain cultivators at a glance.
Pei Axiang glanced at the armrest of Wang Fusu's chair. The cracks were like a web. "The ferry belongs to the Liu family. Remember to pay compensation."
Wang Fusu said, "I have no problem paying compensation. Just lend me some money first."
Judging by the old scoundrel's attitude, it seemed that borrowing money from someone was doing them a favor.
Wang Fusu complained, "The people at Wenmiao didn't handle things well. That fist fight between the two juniors, they didn't even give us a heads-up. We're at least renowned martial arts grandmasters. Otherwise, I could have given those two juniors some pointers, pointed out a few flaws in their techniques."
Liu Suiyu suddenly stood up, cupped her fist, and said, "Master, I won't go back to Aiai Continent."
The old scoundrel from Beiju Continent had a gaze that really disgusted her.
Pei Axiang nodded and smiled. "I've actually been waiting for you to say that. Go, try to go and come back quickly, and establish a good foundation for Stagnation realm. If you get the chance, we'll meet on that battlefield."
Wang Fusu, Pei Axiang, and even Wu Shu—this batch of martial arts grandmasters—were still far behind Pei Bei, Zhang Tiaoxia, and others. So their deployment to the Barbarian world required coordination with the various continental dynasties.
Liu Suiyu rose and left, jumping off the ferry and flying south, fast as thunder.
Just now, Wang Fusu had been sneaking glances at the young woman's back. Once he was sure Liu Suiyu had left the ferry, Wang Fusu downed a bowl of wine to quench his thirst, changed his sitting position, rubbed his crotch, and said, "Those two butt cheeks were shaking so much, they made my heart flutter."
Pei Axiang said helplessly, "You're at least a senior. Don't be so lecherous at your age."
Wang Fusu scoffed, "I just looked. Did I touch?"
Pei Axiang couldn't be bothered to argue about that kind of issue. He said seriously, "Why did you go berserk back then?"
Wang Fusu was calm. "Why? Naturally, I had a fist that couldn't be thrown, so I had to drive myself crazy."
Pei Axiang sighed.
Wang Fusu lowered his voice and asked, "Ah Xiang, do you think Liu Suiyu and I are a good match? Is there any chance? You should seize the opportunity—it's a good chance to be a generation above me."
Pei Axiang was exasperated and waved his hand. "What nonsense. Don't even think about it."
Wang Fusu rubbed his chin. "Really no chance?"
Pei Axiang looked strange and said helplessly, "My disciple only likes women."
Wang Fusu still refused to give up. "Only?"
Pei Axiang nodded.
Wang Fusu still wouldn't give up. He asked tentatively, "Can't she just think of me as a woman?"
Pei Axiang had tolerated this old scoundrel for too long. He finally couldn't take it anymore and cursed, "Shameless old thing, aren't you disgusted? Why don't you go look in the mirror, damn it!"
Even when Axiang cursed, he wasn't very manly.
Wang Fusu laughed heartily. "I was just messing with you. Look at you getting all riled up."
Wang Fusu suddenly stopped laughing, raised his eyebrows at Pei Axiang, and said, "Isn't it a coincidence? She likes women. I..."
Pei Axiang got goosebumps all over.
Wang Fusu rolled his eyes and shook his head. This soft-skinned Miss Axiang really couldn't take a joke. He leaned back in his chair and took a big gulp of wine. He sighed, "Seeing those young guys like Cao Ci and Chen Ping'an, damn it, they're all unreasonable. Is there no justice? They're even younger than Li Er and Song Changjing. And then I think about my own centuries of time. Except for those years in the prison cell, I never slacked off in my martial arts for a moment. But now I just feel that practicing martial arts is meaningless."
Pei Axiang was still angry and found everything disagreeable. "Then stop practicing."
Wang Fusu casually threw his wine flask out of the ferry and laughed. "When I was young, I practiced martial arts to seek an undefeated opponent. When I'm old, I practice martial arts with no spirit left, only because if I don't practice, I'll die. But now that all I can do is wait for death, what a damn disappointment!"
The room was silent. Only the sound of drinking could be heard.
Wang Fusu suddenly asked, "Really can't touch? Liu Suiyu is your disciple, not your wife. If both parties are willing, why are you stopping me?"
Pei Axiang slapped the armrest. "Get the hell out!"
Wang Fusu said aggrievedly, "I really will go, you know? You won't even ask me to stay? Then I really won't leave."
"I need to find a different spot to drink."
Wang Fusu just stood up.
Pei Axiang immediately struck out with his palm, shattering the chair that Liu Suiyu had sat on.
Wang Fusu sat back down, shaking his wine flask. "One more regret in life."
Pei Axiang suddenly turned his head, looked seriously at this hot-tempered old scoundrel who didn't act his age.
Wang Fusu nodded, crossed his arms, and turned to look at the rolling sea of clouds outside the ferry. "My last punch in this life, I'm going to throw it in the Barbarian world."
Beiju Continent shouldn't only have sword cultivators throwing their swords.
At the very least, there should be my fist falling on those lands, to accompany the sword lights of sword cultivators like Han Huaizi from years past. Only then would it not be lonely.
Outside the ferry, white clouds drifted by.
A life like clouds: once gone, it's gone.
---
On the same ferry, probably the richest family in the Haoran World, they were doing some accounting.
Because Chen Ping'an had taken the initiative to become an off-record guest elder of the Liu family of Aiai Continent.
The stipend and salary for a guest elder, the Liu family paid every ten years. Because the ranks were different, the amounts of spirit money varied widely.
Jade Pure realm sword cultivator. Stagnation realm martial artist. Hidden Official. One of the Ten Young of several worlds.
The closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage, the junior brother of Zuo, the junior brother of Liu Shiliu, the master of Pei Qian.
The sect master of Fallen Mountain, who won three consecutive matches against Yun Miao, Jiang Longxiang, and Ma Quxian, and beat Cao Ci's face black and blue...
That was Liu Youzhou's accounting.
The lady was very gratified. Her son's calculations were very shrewd.
Since both his wife and son thought it was the right thing to do, Liu Jubao had no objection. The God of Wealth spoke softly and asked with a smile, "How much did you spend this time at the Bundle Shop in Parrot Island?"
The lady looked confused. "Huh?"
Why would she remember that? Wasn't it to embarrass you?
Liu Jubao raised his thumb to his forehead. "It doesn't matter how much money was spent, but keeping a rough account is still necessary."
Instantly, the lady's delicate and moist eyes filled with grievance: sorry, wronged, complaining, sad, regretful, it's your fault...
Like a landscape painting, layer upon layer of color, finally adding up to seem like a silent sentence: I shouldn't have married you. You'd better say something nice to hear.
Liu Jubao could never stand this kind of scene in his life.
After watching for a moment, Liu Jubao smiled. "Alright, we'll talk next time."
The lady nodded, turned around, and chatted with her son, with none of the previous expression.
But Liu Jubao didn't care.
It was like a colorful cloud gathering and dispersing in his eyes.
If that wasn't a beautiful sight, what was?
The reason he asked was precisely to see this sight.
Liu Youzhou had long been used to this. His parents were always so lovey-dovey.
Even in the mountains, Liu Youzhou's arrival was considered a typical case of having a child late in life. So he was truly doted on.
When Liu Youzhou was a teenager, he once had a frank man-to-man conversation with his father.
It was because in the family, there were too many chaotic situations. Every household had its difficulties—whether poor or rich, they all had their quarrels.
So in the Liu family ancestral hall, there were often women crying and threatening to die, with their men kneeling beside them, either silent or indifferent.
"Dad, have you ever been with someone else?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you hidden a concubine somewhere?"
"No such thing."
"Is it that you had one before, but not now, and you can't guarantee there won't be one in the future?"
"None at all."
"Can you be so sure about the future now?"
"Of course. When your mother first married me, I told her, 'Don't worry about making money. We'll be very rich.' Your mother just smiled at the time, probably not taking it too seriously."
"When mother married you, our old Liu family was already very rich, right?"
"The family was rich, but I wasn't. I was a child of a concubine, remember?"
The lady got up and left, letting the father and son continue their chat. She had several mountain friends on the ferry who couldn't even afford a trans-continental ferry themselves. She went to chat with them. As for some of the words, did she really not know the hypocrisy hidden in them? Of course she did. She just liked hearing them. And she especially liked how two of those slutty women, in front of her man, tried to hide things and flirt in various ways. But weren't they just a bunch of cheap hussies? You could look, but you couldn't have. Aren't you angry? She had a certain confidence in her man.
Shortly after the lady left.
That trans-continental ferry, which even a flying ascension sword cultivator might not be able to cut through with one sword strike, suddenly exploded. Except for Liu Jubao, no one survived. Even the two Stagnation realm martial artists, Wang Fusu and Pei Axiang, died on the spot.
It was as if a flying ascension great cultivator, having fully exploited the advantages of time, place, and people, chose to perish together with Liu Jubao at close range.
But Liu Jubao, in his robe without a speck of dust, sat safely in his chair, composed. He simply took a golden lotus from his sleeve and casually plucked one of its petals.
In an instant, the ferry was restored to its original state. It wasn't simply a reversal of time.
Several times, the ferry exploded again and again. Liu Jubao plucked petals again and again. The last time, the lady stood up again. Liu Jubao looked at her tenderly, helped her adjust a strand of hair at her temple, and said, "Let's go together."
On this trip, Liu Jubao had dealt with the Immortal realm cultivator who was one of his own family's elders, as well as the schemes he had set up on the ferry. This man had managed this trans-continental ferry for many years and was also a famous formation master. As for why he did this, to the point of throwing away his life, Liu Jubao hadn't managed to find out the reason earlier.
By the time Liu Jubao returned to the room, Liu Youzhou was still completely unaware.
Liu Jubao didn't plan to mention this to Liu Youzhou. A man protecting his wife and children was only natural; it wasn't worth talking about.
After sitting down again, Liu Jubao just silently drank, planning to say some heartfelt words to his son Liu Youzhou.
He moistened his throat with wine and was about to speak when Liu Youzhou immediately said, "Dad, stop giving me money and magic treasures. It's actually pretty stupid to carry so many inch-space items on a person."
Liu Jubao sighed helplessly. "Dad just wants to talk to you about some principles."
Liu Youzhou smiled. "Then that's fine."
"Youzhou, when dealing with people and making friends, you can be generous, because you're Liu Jubao's son, destined never to lack money. But remember one thing: don't spend money and still be treated like a fool."
"When you go out, make it easy for others everywhere, and it makes it easy for yourself. If you encounter someone in dire straits, don't be stingy."
"But at home, there must be rules. There must be a sense of closeness and distance. The bigger a family, the more stable the rules. Stability doesn't just mean strictness. But without strictness, there's never stability. So in our Liu family, the ones who can hit the hardest aren't me, the family head, or those old men sitting in the first two rows of the ancestral hall. They are the tutors I hired with a lot of money. When you were young, when you were learning the rules and memorizing them, you had to take a few beatings. When you grow up and go out, you'll suffer. And the key is, after suffering, you might still think you're not wrong."
"So even if sometimes the tutors were unreasonable or hit too hard, I wouldn't interfere. Whoever dared to persuade or stop, whichever woman felt sorry and complained constantly, I would have her husband, leaving the tutor and child aside, slap her hard in front of me. If the slap was too light, slap again. The teaching master, no matter how hard he hits, one slap—how many days can a child feel the pain? In exchange for the principle that 'Liu family offspring get beaten too, and they get beaten at home,' it actually creates an even bigger principle. It's like I've earned the first bit of money for the Liu family offspring early on."
"And this invisible money is one of the foundations for all Liu family offspring in the future. Which parent doesn't dote on their own child? But the world outside the door doesn't care at all."
Liu Youzhou listened seriously, but he couldn't help being puzzled. After holding back for a long time, he couldn't help saying, "I've understood all these principles for a long time. And besides, you know I know them."
Liu Jubao felt a bit frustrated. Besides money, he wasn't very good at explaining principles either. He had even rehearsed these words several times in his mind before he could say them. At least play along and pretend you don't know.
Liu Jubao had to resort to a killer question. He asked with a smile, "Son, I ask you, why does our Liu family secretly spend so much money, give it to the various dynasties and vassal states down the mountain, to set up schools, so that all the teachers in Aiai Continent don't lack money and don't live in poverty?"
In the countries down the mountain of Aiai Continent, for the past hundred years or so, they had been very diligent in setting up schools. But this was hidden among many measures like establishing public cemeteries, so it wasn't conspicuous.
Because before that Embroidery Tiger became the Great Li national teacher, he had once approached Liu Jubao and said, "If in a country, the vast majority of teachers are either poor and pedantic or more mercenary and shrewd than anyone else, then that country has no hope. The strong will become weak, and the weak will remain weak forever."
"You want to take back that 'North' from Julu Continent? Difficult? As difficult as ascending to heaven. Even if Aiai Continent works for a thousand years, it can't compare to that place swarming with sword cultivators."
"Is it really that difficult? Actually, it's not. It only requires desks. At most three to five hundred years, and you can win it back."
"If that day ever comes, and the scholars down the mountain all have the spirit of scholars, full of vigor, then both the mountains and the lowlands of Aiai Continent will be filled with hope."
"Liu Jubao, you have money. Lots of money. Why not do it?"
These words of Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan were like teaching the God of Wealth of the Liu family how to spend money to make money.
Liu Youzhou heard his father's question and said, "Isn't it to use little by little to change customs, to help Aiai Continent snatch that 'North' from Julu Continent?"
Liu Jubao couldn't say a word for a long time. He could only nod, pretending to be profound, "You're right, but you're thinking too shallow. You still need to ponder and consider this matter more."
Liu Youzhou said casually, "I must. I don't need to cultivate much, nor do I have to think about how to make money. My only job every day is to think about random stuff."
Liu Jubao was very gratified. Good son, lofty ambitions.
As for this God of Wealth of Aiai Continent, who rarely fought with anyone, the opportunity for his future fourteenth realm union with the Dao was in "things."
It was the world's "fairy snow falling."
---
A "Flowing Rosy Cloud Boat," using clouds everywhere as its vessel, appeared again and again in the clouds, like an immortal repeatedly using the divine ability of "shrinking the earth." And it consumed no spiritual energy at all.
So although the manufacturing cost of the Flowing Rosy Cloud Boat was extremely high, Wenmiao still included this kind of boat on the list, and during the council discussions, no cultivator objected.
The owner of the boat was a mountain recluse who didn't attend the council. He was one of the founders of a top Central Continent sect called "Banished Immortal Mountain," the great sword immortal Liu Zhou.
Inside, there were no tables, chairs, or beds. On the wall hung a calligraphy scroll by Embroidery Tiger. It wasn't a copy; it was the original handwriting of Cui Chan.
On a corner flower stand, there sat a fairy bonsai containing a miniature landscape. A white cloud hovered in the air, with thunder and lightning, golden light flashing, and rumbling sounds. Vaguely, several thin golden and white threads could be seen darting through the cloud. Soon a torrential rain fell—truly a dragon's rain-making.
The cultivator Liu Zhou wore a black jade hairpin, a purple robe, and sat on a green cushion.
This great sword immortal, known for his eccentric temperament, had a face like jade. Over a hundred years ago, this sword genius, who had hope of reaching flying ascension, suddenly gave up proper sword practice and turned to playing chess. That had been a huge sensation in the Haoran World at the time. For several years, the mountain gazettes of Central Continent were abuzz. If not for the prestige of Banished Immortal Mountain and Sword Immortal Liu, they probably would have directly said that Liu Zhou had lost his mind.
Sitting opposite him now was a young female sword cultivator. At her waist hung a "copy hand inkstone," a gift from Liu Zhou in his early years. He had also personally engraved a poem about the sword on it, a kind of expectation for this off-record disciple.
The woman was Xu Xinyuan of Eyebrow Mountain Sword Sect. She was also Liu Zhou's off-record disciple. Every ten years, Xu Xinyuan was qualified to go to Banished Immortal Mountain to seek Liu Zhou's guidance on the sword path.
A Golden Core sword cultivator under a hundred years old. Her talent in the sword path was actually quite good. Moreover, she possessed three extremely rare flying swords, and refining them consumed much more time than ordinary sword cultivators, delaying her realm's advancement.
Xu Xinyuan told Liu Zhou one by one about the experiences of her journey.
Liu Zhou occasionally asked a few questions, usually about people and events that Xu Xinyuan hadn't paid much attention to at the time.
Strangely, Liu Zhou didn't seem very interested even in the suddenly rising young Hidden Official. He asked her more about the Little Bai Di, Fu Jin.
Xu Xinyuan glanced at the calligraphy scroll and couldn't help asking a question that had puzzled her for decades: "Teacher Liu, did you really lose your natal flying sword 'Golden Tassel' to Embroidery Tiger in a game of chess?"
Even though Cui Chan was dead, Xu Xinyuan still called him Embroidery Tiger when mentioning him. She didn't dare, nor was she willing, to call him by name.
Liu Zhou smiled and nodded. "I lost a game of chess to Cui Chan. It wasn't a sword duel. Nothing to be ashamed of."
The reason he was so interested in that Fu Jin was because Liu Zhou once had a close friend in the sect, who was both a friend and a mentor. This person taught Liu Zhou a great deal on the path of the sword.
This person's past life, along with Gu Qingsong, was known as the "Two Unique of Haoran." He was a mountain summit cultivator who loved to argue and was extremely good at it. And he was even bolder, not mincing words even with Zheng Juzhong of Bai Di City. He even publicly declared that any mountain gazette in Central Continent could freely discuss this—he was cursing Zheng Juzhong.
A demonic cultivator, and he still had the face to be named "Juzhong" with the style name "Huaixian"?
In his view, it was enough for Zheng Juzhong to just keep his surname.
Bai Di City paid no attention to this. Finally, he made a special trip to the Dragon Gate of the Yellow River Small Cave Heaven. Since he couldn't go to the city of Colorful Cloud, he went to that Yellow River Small Cave Heaven. Atop a waterfall, facing Bai Di City from afar, he said he wanted to debate the Dao with Zheng Juzhong. Zheng Juzhong naturally didn't show up. So he just talked to himself, holding onto one thing, and only one principle. "You, Zheng Juzhong, are a demonic cultivator."
"Flying ascension? You're a demon. You created Bai Di City, a demonic sect, and it can stand firm in Central Continent? Still a demon."
"Chess? You claim to yield the first move to the world? You've fought many times for wild cultivators against summit cultivators? You, Zheng Juzhong, are still a demonic cultivator!"
This person's current life was Fu Jin.
Because his final outcome was that he couldn't break through the bottleneck of the great Dao, couldn't advance to flying ascension. When he underwent reincarnation, his soul was completely gathered up and placed into an immortal's relic body.
The sect restrictions of Banished Immortal Mountain, the formations of the peak secret realm, and the desperate sword attack of his friend Liu Zhou—none of it could change that outcome.
Zheng Juzhong entered Banished Immortal Mountain like he was walking into an empty space. At the site of the reincarnation, Zheng Juzhong pulled up a chair and sat down. In his palm, he held a tangled mass of the cultivator's soul. He smiled and said, "I was trying to reason with you. That doesn't mean you have the right to be unreasonable."
Liu Zhou, whose natal flying sword Golden Tassel had been stripped from his soul, was covered in blood, leaning against the wall, barely maintaining his consciousness to keep from fainting. He said angrily, "When did City Lord Zheng ever reason with him half a sentence? This is execution without teaching!"
"Principles lie in action, not in words. A cultivator on the mountain who has only ears and no eyes—how can that work? Never mind. He didn't bring eyes to this life. In his next life, I'll give him a pair."
Zheng Juzhong put a sword immortal's soul into his sleeve, stood up, and smiled at Liu Zhou. "I'm a demon, after all."
Finally, Zheng Juzhong warned Liu Zhou not to talk too much about this matter, or he might end up mute in his next life.
So the former great sword immortal of Banished Immortal Mountain became Fu Jin of Bai Di City.
Little Bai Di Fu Jin.
"Jin" as in "silent as a cicada in winter."
---
In the night, a ferry sped through the sea of clouds like wind and lightning. A bright moon in the sky seemed to accompany it, guarding the way.
Chai Bofu, as a registered cultivator of Bai Di City proper, was not a direct descendant of the ancestral hall, nor a personal disciple of a master like Han Qiaose. Even though he had been tricked by Liu Chicheng time and again, he still had a lot of presence in Bai Di City on ordinary days. Whenever he showed up, he was either with Liu Chicheng or Gu Can. So almost no one dared to provoke this new face with his fluctuating realm.
But over twenty years, Chai Bofu had been lucky enough to see Zheng Juzhong many times, yet had never exchanged a single word. Chai Bofu thought that was only reasonable. He just hoped that one day he would break into Jade Pure realm, and then he might be able to chat with the City Lord for a bit. After that, he wouldn't mind dropping in realm.
He never expected that on this trip away from Wenmiao, he actually got to talk to the City Lord.
On the ferry, Gu Can had just found Chai Bofu and said his master wanted him to sit in the room.
Chai Bofu had to stop his cultivation, withdrawing his mind from his small world. Upon hearing this, Chai Bofu felt no joy, only like he had heard bad news, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
He hadn't done anything like betraying the sect or killing his master, had he? Why would the City Lord need to personally clean house?
Following behind Gu Can, walking through the corridor, Chai Bofu didn't think about anything. It was useless anyway. In a daze, he arrived outside Zheng Juzhong's door. Gu Can knocked lightly, then pushed the door open. He stepped aside to let him pass. Chai Bofu stepped across the threshold alone, like a fish or shrimp entering a dragon's pond.
Gu Can gently closed the door and returned to his own room to continue practicing a secret ghost cultivation technique of Bai Di City.
Zheng Juzhong put down the book in his hand, looked up at this wild cultivator whose life had experienced many ups and downs, extended a hand, and said with a smile, "Sit."
Chai Bofu, out of sorts, followed the order and sat down instinctively. But as soon as his butt touched the chair surface, he immediately lifted it again, then slowly sat down.
It seemed that facing this "master of heaven and man, great intelligence like a demon, unorthodox actions, demeanor like a god," demonic giant, everything he did was wrong, and doing nothing was also wrong.
Chai Bofu was sweating profusely, just sitting on the chair making him soaked like a drowned rat.
So much so that this guy with the Dao name Dragon Earl didn't even notice that Han Qiaose was also sitting in the room.
Zheng Juzhong said, "Chai Bofu, don't feel that being at a loss right now is disgraceful. Without a bit of reverence, a wild cultivator dies fast."
Chai Bofu nodded woodenly.
Zheng Juzhong asked with a smile, "Have you been practicing hard at Bai Di City all these years? Is it tough?"
At that moment, Chai Bofu almost burst into tears from grievance. Could it not be tough? It felt like a gall bladder was shattered again and again, unbearably bitter. He could only remain wooden.
But knowing that crying and complaining was utterly useless, this old Nascent Soul, who had once been a dominant force in a continent, gritted his teeth and held it in.
But for now, Chai Bofu just nodded, still not daring to say a single word.
To be honest, sitting here, Chai Bofu felt that even saying something would be an offense to Master Zheng.
Zheng Juzhong continued, "Han Qiaose, Liu Daochun, Fu Jin, and the others might all think that Gu Can is a natural direct descendant of Bai Di City. As for you, you're not looked upon highly."
Chai Bofu could only nod again. There was nothing to be ashamed of. Compared to that little demon Gu Can, he really couldn't compare. That little bastard had too many schemes. The key was that he learned things too fast.
Zheng Juzhong poured a cup of tea, pushed it lightly across the table until it reached the edge in front of Chai Bofu, and said with a smile, "Drink wine when you think of people, drink tea when you think of things."
Chai Bofu, overwhelmed by the honor, immediately leaned forward, took the teacup with both hands, trembling, lowered his head, and took a sip.
Zheng Juzhong said, "Buddhism says this world is the Saha world. Suffering is not to be feared. What is to be feared is not knowing why you suffer. Like in the markets down the mountain, if you can't earn money, you can only blame the coldness of the world and the fact that others look down on you. The common people down the mountain are adrift. Their joys and sorrows last only sixty years. For us cultivators on the mountain, without this Dao heart, it's hard to prove the great Dao, and immortality cannot be attained."
"Of course, human power has limits. There will come a time when you find that some money really can't be earned, and some things really can't be done. But only at that moment are you qualified to say, 'It was fated, it was heaven's will.' If I say this, do you understand?"
He spoke slowly and deliberately.
This number one demonic cultivator in the world, styled "Huaixian," was like a very patient school tutor imparting knowledge to a student worthy of instruction.
Chai Bofu nodded, then shook his head. Finally, he spoke his first sentence, sincerely, "Junior doesn't know if what I understand is what the City Lord wants me to understand."
The principle was actually very simple. A divine being like Zheng Juzhong, his speech, actions, and cultivation—how could they be simple? No matter how plain the words, Chai Bofu firmly believed that the City Lord would never say something that he could fully understand.
During his years of cultivation at Bai Di City, Chai Bofu had truly come to understand one principle.
Lucky people easily learn. Lucky people seem to be right no matter how they learn. Stupid people find it very hard to learn from smart people.
Zheng Juzhong pointed two fingers at Chai Bofu's brow from afar. Chai Bofu felt like an idiot who had suddenly been enlightened, instantly returning to the Nascent Soul realm, naturally and effortlessly.
In the eyes of Han Qiaose, who was nearby, what she saw was: Gu Can knocked and opened the door, stepped aside to let him pass, then the senior brother let Gu Can and Chai Bofu enter the room together. Then he asked Chai Bofu about some bottlenecks and cruxes in his cultivation, answering them one by one. So Han Qiaose was a bit surprised. She didn't know why the senior brother was willing to waste so many words on this waste. No, Chai Bofu was indeed an out-and-out waste. But the senior brother never spoke nonsense. Could it be that "stones from other hills can polish jade," and he was actually taking the opportunity to instruct his disciple Gu Can in Dao techniques?
When Gu Can pushed open the door, inside the room there was only Master Zheng Juzhong playing a game by himself. There was no Aunt Han Qiaose. When he closed the door, he saw that Chai Bofu, as soon as he crossed the threshold, had gone weak at the knees and prostrated himself on the ground, for some reason starting to weep bitterly.
And the real Zheng Juzhong was standing by the window, letting that seated "Zheng Juzhong" impart the Dao to Chai Bofu. In fact, Chai Bofu had already had more than a dozen such conversations with "Zheng Juzhong." But Zheng Juzhong was not satisfied with some of the results, which didn't meet his expectations, so he took away Chai Bofu's memories. Uncut jade needed repeated polishing to become beautiful jade.
Outside the ferry window, the bright moon shone brilliantly.
The real Zheng Juzhong stood with his hands behind his back, holding a scroll.
Among those junior brothers and sisters, Zheng Juzhong no longer had much interest in cultivating them. For the cultivators of Bai Di City, including Fu Jin, the City Lord Zheng rarely appeared and seldom put any real effort into teaching anyone. But in fact, even the registered cultivator with the worst talent in Bai Di City, Zheng Juzhong, when he had nothing to do, would personally carve and polish them one by one. Most would then be smoothed out by Zheng Juzhong again. Or if he was satisfied, he would leave a few path veins that the cultivator themselves was unaware of. He would help build bridges and pave roads. What seemed like a narrow path might actually lead to gradual ascension. He would also break off certain roads that seemed like broad avenues but were actually dead ends. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Zheng Juzhong had always believed that a cultivator's mountain-climbing path was not only underfoot but also in the heart.
It was just because Zheng Juzhong's methods were too mysterious and unnoticed that the City Lord seemed like a heavenly being living in seclusion amid the clouds, hard to see.
The eldest disciple, Fu Jin, practiced the sword. His sword technique had to get closer and closer to that ancestor who had slain the dragon.
The youngest disciple, Gu Can, cultivated the Dao. He cultivated Chen Ping'an's reverence for heaven and earth and "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." He also cultivated Wu Shuangjiang's unfathomable "reincarnation of all things for my own use," as well as Zhou Mi's "million old bookworms, three times eating the spirit characters."
On this moonlit night.
Under the moon, the window is open. Are you turning the pages, or are the pages reading you? Or is the moonlight borrowing you to read?
One of Zheng Juzhong's avatars had once been in the Chanjuan Cave Heaven, where he had a discussion on the Dao with Cui Chan, who had recognized his origins.
Cui Chan had asked an excellent question: "The bright moon, like a mirror. I look up and see the moon. Who is who? Is the person in the mirror still me?"
Zheng Juzhong liked talking to such smart people. It didn't take effort. Even just a few casual words could benefit his own great Dao by a few points.
He had once found three paths for himself to reach the fourteenth realm. All were feasible, just with different difficulties and some variations. Zheng Juzhong's biggest concern was, after reaching the fourteenth realm, how to ascend further. Which path would ultimately lead to higher achievement required constant deduction.
Back then, in the Chanjuan Cave Heaven, Cui Chan had seen through one of Zheng Juzhong's avatars. It was like a re-encounter after the "Colorful Cloud Game" earlier. Cui Chan was open and forthright, proposing the idea of splitting the soul into two. First, strive to become two, three, or even more individuals, then strive to reunite into one person. Not only did he provide all the steps and details, but Cui Chan also said he was willing to let Zheng Juzhong observe the Dao through it.
In fact, the name "Cui Dongshan" was given by Zheng Juzhong back then, saying it would bring good luck.
Probably that was a meeting of minds. Because splitting into two was one of the three paths Zheng Juzhong intended to take.
And Cui Chan was not as free as Zheng Juzhong. Once the future situation of the world became uncontrollable, he, Cui Chan, would have to choose another, doomed road that would change heaven and earth and replace the mortal world.
At the end, Cui Chan firmly persuaded Zheng Juzhong, saying, "First walk this path. Once you use this to unite with the Dao at the fourteenth realm, you'll have more possibilities later. Otherwise, walking only one path to heaven means you must cut off the other two. How boring would that be?"
After that parting, Cui Chan soon went to his hometown, Precious Bottle Continent, to serve as the Great Li national teacher. He planned for a hundred years. During that time, he split into two, and there was another person in the world, Cui Dongshan.
Pity that there was no more Embroidery Tiger in the Haoran World.
The last person Cui Chan saw in this world was not the Second Sage, but Zheng Juzhong, who had rushed from the Barbarian World to the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was just a very simple question and answer.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I really don't want my master to be sad or disappointed again. Fortunately, it didn't come to that."
"What are you seeking?"
"I hope that Master Zheng, in the future, can look after my little junior brother a bit. Not in Dao techniques, only in Dao heart. Not too much, not too little."
Zheng Juzhong agreed at the time.
So later, in Panshui County, he made an exception for Chen Ping'an.
At this moment, Zheng Juzhong sighed. In the room, Han Qiaose and Chai Bofu each had their own thoughts. They each got what they came for and took their leave.
Zheng Juzhong raised his hand and gently tapped the window with the book scroll. The seated avatar "Zheng Juzhong" dissipated, turning into moonlight, like a Dharma robe that Zheng Juzhong put on himself.
In the world, cultivators who refined their yin spirit or yang spirit could be considered to have achieved the Dao for the first time. It wasn't some profound, mysterious realm. Because almost invariably, once separated and cut off from the true body's mind, whether for a moment, a few days, a few months, or a few years, they would actually become "two people." And as time went on, the same person would become more and more different. Only when the yin spirit returned to the orifice or the yang spirit returned to its position, and the respective memories were fused together, and the Dao heart distinguished between primary and secondary, would they become one person again.
So the opportunity for this Bai Di City City Lord's fourteenth realm union with the Dao was that exception.
In the mortal world, there were two Zheng Juzhongs.
Exactly identical, not a hair's difference. Even if separated for a thousand years, encountering thousands of different people and events, a certain Dao heart remained always the same.
So Zheng Juzhong was not only already at the fourteenth realm.
He was also one person, two fourteenth realm great cultivators.
One was here on this Haoran ferry; the other was in the Golden Ember City of the Barbarian World.
Since he was the disciple of the Dragon-Slayer and liked to play chess, he might as well take the Tuoyue Mountain of the Barbarian World as the great dragon to be slaughtered on the chessboard.
---
Earlier, at the Chunlu Nursery ancestral hall council meeting, the atmosphere was so tense that you could hear a pin drop.
Lin Cuo'e, the old woman, seemed aloof, only smiling.
But in fact, the old woman was the one who had originally sent the letter to Fallen Mountain. The wording in the letter was even extremely aggressive. But it seemed that as soon as she saw that young sword immortal, she felt that nothing else mattered.
Song Lanqiao and Tang Xi exchanged glances. They felt the situation was rather tricky. After all, mountain relationships were hard to build and easy to break. But deep down, both felt relieved.
Because the mountain lord, Tan Ling, said she would set off immediately and go to Fallen Mountain in person.
Gao Song, who managed money at Chunlu Nursery but was regarded by outsiders as just the God of Wealth, Tang Xi, said he wanted to go with the mountain lord. But Tan Ling didn't agree.
The law-keeping patriarch asked the mountain lord why she wasn't chasing after Sword Immortal Chen, why take the long way.
Song Lanqiao and Tang Xi exchanged another smile. Pig brain. In the previous ancestral hall meetings, this law-keeper and Gao Song hadn't been shy about fanning the flames in front of Song Lanqiao's master.
Tan Ling seemed a bit tired. She waved her hand to signal the meeting was over. She only kept Lin Cuo'e behind and asked the old woman a few things about their casual chat with Mountain Lord Chen.
Tan Ling took Song Lanqiao's ferry to Skeleton Beach, waiting for the trans-continental ferry of Pima Sect. As the female Nascent Soul old ancestor, she couldn't help but be anxious. She wondered if, when she arrived at the Niujiao Mountain ferry and met that young mountain lord, she could salvage the situation.
And those two who had traveled far together to challenge a sect—as they approached that mountain peak, Chen Ping'an took out two masks, put one on his face, and handed one to Liu Jinglong, saying he only had two, so make do.
Liu Jinglong glanced at it and didn't take it. Because it was a woman's mask.
Chen Ping'an kept urging, more enthusiastically than he would when pressing someone to drink. "Don't be so fussy. We sword cultivators stand tall between heaven and earth. Why bother about a mask?"
Liu Jinglong simply used an illusion spell instead of wearing the mask. Chen Ping'an sighed, "Oh, I forgot I had another mask." He handed over another one.
So the two sword cultivators, one old and one young, walked to the foot of that sect mountain under the pale white apricot blossoms and bright moon.