Chapter 813: The Drinker

Chapter 813: The Drinker

A wandering swordsman from the Sword Qi Great Wall?
Wei Jingsui was suspicious and uncertain. Hadn't it been said that the surviving swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall had all followed a single city and fled to the Fifth World?
As a Ninefold Realm martial artist, Cui Gongzhuang had already made up his mind: he would honestly stand by and watch, and if he threw even half a punch more, he would count it as a loss and a death wish.
His thinking was much simpler than Wei Jingsui's. He simply held to one belief: the swordsmen of the world would never make light of the Sword Qi Great Wall, especially when the man beside him was also accompanied by the current sect master of the Taihui Sword Sect.
Although Northern Juzhou was fond of picking fights with other sects' ancestral halls at the drop of a hat, the fact was that challenging a sect with a sword was never a trivial matter. Especially when it involved such a complete breach of relations between two mountain sects. Outsiders would do best not to watch or bet on it.
For the title of chief guest elder, Cui Gongzhuang had no reason to gamble his martial arts future, his life, and his fortune.
If Liu Jinglong had merely sent his sword from afar to challenge the Cloud Lock Sect, then departed, that would be one thing. But to have climbed the mountain all the way here to Nourishing Cloud Peak and acknowledged his identity—that was an entirely different matter.
Chen Ping'an turned to look at Yang Que and said with a chuckle through heart-message, "How did you know I wasn't easy to mess with? You had to ask for my background first before deciding whether or not to make a move?"
Throughout the climb up the mountain, Chen Ping'an felt he had been extremely restrained. Yang Que had no reason to think so highly of him.
Yang Que clasped his hands in greeting and then replied via heart-message: "I have a friend, a swordsman from my homeland, whom I met in the martial world in my early years. He never visited the Cloud Lock Sect, but we had some private friendship. After he returned home from the Sword Qi Great Wall, he mentioned a few people to me, speaking with great admiration."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "What's his name? What mountain is he from? Sect Master Yang, feel free to tell me; perhaps I know him."
Of the swordsmen from Northern Juzhou who had gone to the Sword Qi Great Wall, although there were many and their backgrounds were complex—both registered and rogue cultivators—Chen Ping'an could still remember all their names.
Yang Que said apologetically, "I'd rather not say his name. My friend has his own unspeakable difficulties."
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "What, has your swordsman friend either drunk at Sun Juyuan's mansion or come looking for me at the Beauty and Ugliness Alley to have tea?"
Yang Que was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Wine shop, seal, gambling den. Any more, and Sword Immortal Chen must stop testing me."
Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves, pondered for a moment, nodded, and narrowed his eyes with a smile. "For the sake of your nameless friend, you can step aside. Today's sword challenge has nothing to do with you. After all, in this Cloud Lock Sect, Yang Que's title of sect master is just a decoration. And the grudge with the Taihui Sword Sect is mainly because your Senior Uncle Feiqing can't control his mouth."
Yang Que actually took a step back. From the looks of it, he was completely disregarding the sect's reputation, intending to stand aside together with Cui Gongzhuang, who was half an outsider.
Wei Jingsui, who had become isolated in his own domain, couldn't help but turn his head and curse loudly: "Yang Que! In the face of an enemy sword challenge, you retreat without a fight and stand by with folded arms! You've thrown away all the face of the Cloud Lock Sect! What face will you have left to enter the ancestral hall, offer incense to the successive generations of patriarchs, if you still call yourself sect master?!"
The old immortal ancestor's voice was very loud; it was likely that all the peaks of the ancestral mountain had heard his words that night.
Yang Que's expression was indifferent as he said softly, "It's still better than having the Cloud Lock Sect's incense cut off at my hands tonight. As for who will sit in the sect master's position in the future—whether Uncle Wei takes it himself or gives it to that pair of masters and disciples from Dewy Moon Peak—as your junior nephew, I have no objection and not a single complaint."
Chen Ping'an, hands in sleeves, shook his head. "Stop arguing. Make way quickly. After we leave, when you're repairing the ancestral hall all night, you'll have plenty of time to chat. Whether it's the elders cleaning house or the juniors betraying their masters, it's all up to you."
He then glared at the Ninth Realm martial artist with anger. "You, young man, have no martial virtue at all! A martial artist should not be so frivolous and impatient. You can't keep your composure. The three of you, I find you the most irritating. In a little while, I'll tie a stone to you and sink you in water to plant flowers."
Cui Gongzhuang's scalp tingled. He immediately sent a focused sound to this sword immortal, apologizing in a secret voice: "Sword Immortal Chen, please calm your anger. Earlier, I was short-sighted, and I was led astray by this worthless guest elder title. I inadvertently offended the senior sword immortal. A death sentence might be avoided, but a living punishment is unavoidable. As for the specific penalty, just give the order, Sword Immortal. I have no objections and no complaints."
As a Ninth Realm martial artist, when it came to his specialty of fists and feet, he couldn't even beat this accomplished sword immortal with a youthful appearance. He had already had to don the Sanlang Temple's Spiritual Treasure Armor and the Military Strategist's Golden Crow Armor.
Cui Gongzhuang even began to wonder if this "young" sword immortal might actually be the old sword immortal Qi Tingji from Southern Bodhisattva Continent, who had founded a sect there.
However, he had heard that Qi Tingji was handsome, while this person before him seemed somewhat different in appearance. Cui Gongzhuang couldn't be sure, but what if the old sword immortal, besides wearing a mask, also used an illusion to deceive the Cloud Lock Sect cultivators?
Chen Ping'an sneered, "Is it a death sentence or a living punishment? Are you the one to decide?"
Cui Gongzhuang's heart trembled, and he groaned inwardly. Among the four most troublesome types in the mountain realm, swordsmen were at the top. And the most troublesome among them were, of course, those sword immortals of the highest realms.
Old Immortal Wei Jingsui, however, simply flicked his sleeve and turned to leave, tossing out a line: "Yang Que, you didn't use a single technique tonight, you voluntarily gave way, you allowed outsiders to desecrate the ancestral hall, and you even stopped me from making a move. You've ruined the Cloud Lock Sect's reputation in one fell swoop."
On Nourishing Cloud Peak, countless golden threads crisscrossed into a net. The Feiqing Patriarch found it difficult to fly with the wind, but that didn't trouble a great supernatural power like an immortal. He pinched his fingers in a spell, a flash of treasure light appeared, and he used a secret technique of the sect. His form transformed into a sparrow the size of a palm, carefully avoiding those strict golden sword lights. A pure white sparrow moved like lightning. At the same time, the hole on Dewy Moon Peak where the moonlight was dense suddenly lit up, as if a fairy bridge was being erected to receive the returning patriarch to his cultivation ground.
Liu Jinglong suddenly laughed. "The reasoning isn't finished. Did I say you could leave?"
Between Nourishing Cloud Peak and Dewy Moon Peak, the sword lights of golden threads shredded countless beams of bright moonlight, silver and gold interweaving and reflecting off each other.
The pure white sparrow into which Wei Jingsui had transformed seemed to be trapped in a cage of sword light with fine bars.
With a furious shout, Wei Jingsui summoned a golden body dharma image. In its hand, it held a treasure of the sect, the Moon-Chasing Mirror. The mirror light was brilliant, like a white dragon drawing water, condensing all the lunar essence from a deep pool on Dewy Moon Peak. The green snail-shell dharma robe, a semi-immortal artifact grade, forcibly burst through the cage. Facing the two swordsmen on Nourishing Cloud Peak, the old immortal raised his arm. Inside the treasure mirror, a graceful, ascending woman appeared, her colorful ribbons fluttering, stepping on a bright moon, like an ancient goddess riding the wind and moon.
Liu Jinglong reached out and grasped a long sword formed from the sword light beside him. He slashed at the hand holding the mirror of Wei Jingsui's golden body dharma image.
Chen Ping'an recognized this sword technique; it was one of the signature sword moves of the previous sect master, Han Huaizi.
Great Work Cuts Jade.
It was most suitable for one-on-one combat between swordsmen.
Sure enough, Wei Jingsui's golden body dharma image not only had its arm severed, but under the impact of the sword qi, the entire arm shattered like jade in the world. The white jade fragments of the majestic golden body fell like rain, as if the white clouds of Nourishing Cloud Peak had been crushed by an immortal, bringing down a snowfall of white.
However, the Feiqing immortal's treasure mirror and severed wrist still hung in the air. Moonlight poured down like a waterfall, like a great torrent falling from the Yellow River Cave Heaven into the mortal world.
Liu Jinglong lightly flicked his wrist, and the sword light traced an arc. On Nourishing Cloud Peak, strange phenomena arose in abundance: rosy clouds gathered like a market, the heavens and earth turned a bright red, the mountain's evening aura swirled and surged into waves. The tide carried stars, sword lights dotted the brilliant Milky Way, the sky emerged like fish belly white, and the heavens and earth were a vast, blinding white. For all the cultivators of the Cloud Lock Sect, at this moment, there was no more Wei Jingsui's golden body dharma image; only the grand heaven-and-earth manifestation of the Taihui Sword Sect's sword light.
When Yang Que saw the Moon-Chasing Mirror appear, hatred welled up in his heart. Successive mountain masters of the Cloud Lock Sect would inherit this treasure by custom, refining it into a natal object. When Yang Que had broken through to the Jade Core realm and became sect master, Uncle Wei Jingsui had used the excuse that Yang Que's Jade Core realm was not yet stable and he couldn't refine the heavy treasure yet, to avoid any mishaps. The result was that it had been delayed and delayed, for a full three hundred years. But in fact, who didn't know that Wei Jingsui, known as "Feiqing," had long considered this sect treasure his own forbidden preserve, not allowing others to touch it, and regarded it as a possession in his own grand dao bag? Wei had a good plan. He only waited for one of the direct or indirect disciples of his lineage on the ancestral peaks to break through to the Jade Core realm. Then he would have the means to force Yang Que to abdicate and change the sect master. By then, with the Moon-Chasing Mirror, wouldn't Wei Jingsui just be giving it with his left hand and taking it back with his right, just going through the motions?
Chen Ping'an came to Cui Gongzhuang's side. Cui instinctively shot out several steps. Before he could awkwardly use words to cover his embarrassment, the man shadowed him and came to Cui Gongzhuang's side. He pressed two fingers together and lightly tapped the Ninth Realm martial artist on the shoulder. With just this casual motion, he knocked Cui Gongzhuang's shoulder askew again and again, one foot already sinking deep into the ground. Cui Gongzhuang dared not dodge any longer; his shoulder ached terribly. He heard the man praise, "The Military Strategist's Golden Crow Armor—I've always heard of it but never seen it in person. It's a pity, as a swordsman, forging swords costs money, and my purse is always thin. I've never had a time of lavish spending. I'm afraid even if I saw it, I wouldn't be able to afford it."
Sweat beaded on Cui Gongzhuang's forehead. Enduring the almost crushing pain in his shoulder, he said in a trembling voice, "If Sword Immortal Chen likes it, this junior is willing to give it to you as a meeting gift."
Chen Ping'an complained, "Give? That won't do. It's only a loan. A gentleman doesn't take what others hold dear. Just lend it to me to admire for a few days, and I'll return it to you later."
Cui Gongzhuang's smile was awkward. He thought to himself, let's hope we never meet again. I'll take it as spending money to avoid disaster. I'll just consider this Military Strategist armor pill as seeing off this plague god.
Cui Gongzhuang understood these martial world rules well enough. Whatever way this military treasure armor left tonight was the same way it had originally come.
So with a determined face, not showing the slightest stinginess, the golden, gleaming Golden Crow Treasure Armor instantly condensed into an armor pill. He bent at the waist, lowered his head, and presented it with both hands to that Sword Immortal Chen.
Chen Ping'an put it into his sleeve. "We fight and get to know each other; let's keep in touch. Once or twice, and we'll be friends."
Cui Gongzhuang's smile was bitter.
Chen Ping'an looked at him without speaking, but the corner of his eye glanced at that Sanlang Temple's Spiritual Treasure Armor.
Cui Gongzhuang was puzzled and feigned ignorance. He thought, can a dignified sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall really be so thick-skinned? After borrowing a Golden Crow Armor, could he still have designs on a Sanlang Temple Spiritual Treasure Armor? Everyone walks the martial world; shouldn't we leave a little leeway?
Chen Ping'an said, "Don't understand human speech? 'Once or twice'—literally. If you only practice fists and don't read books, how can you get by? I came to Nourishing Cloud Peak today; that's the 'once,' right? This military armor pill is the 'once' going away, isn't it?"
As the blue-robed, sword-carrying foreign sword immortal said this, his two fingers lightly rested on the Ninth Realm martial artist's shoulder, continuing his patient reasoning: "Besides, as a pure martial artist, a Ninth Realm grandmaster who crushes the great rivers and mountains of several countries with fist and foot, you have martial fortune protecting you. That already equals having divine guardianship. What do you need so many external possessions for? Not only are they like chicken ribs, but they're also cumbersome, hindering your fist intent, which is actually not good."
Cui Gongzhuang, suppressing the tremors in his shoulder and the shock in his heart, reached out to pinch the corner of his dharma robe and gently tugged. A Sanlang Temple treasure armor contracted into a golden-material silk talisman. He nodded to that surnamed Chen sword immortal and said, "Senior's words are extremely true. This junior was slow to understand."
Chen Ping'an accepted that priceless talisman armor, turned his fingers into a palm, and lightly patted the other's shoulder. "I, for one, don't usually give away reasoning for free unless I meet someone with whom I have a connection. Tonight we meet, fight, and get to know each other. So I'll give you an old saying from the martial world: 'In life, do nothing that makes you frown with a guilty conscience. If you don't believe me, each of you look back at what lies behind.'"
Cui Gongzhuang groaned inwardly. No end to it. When will it stop?
Could it be that all the swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall spoke with words that stabbed like flying swords?
Chen Ping'an's palm instantly turned into a hook, five fingers grabbing hold of Cui Gongzhuang's neck, and effortlessly lifted him high. He laughed, "You thought wrong. The swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall generally don't have my good temper. You're lucky to have run into me today. If it had been Old Sword Immortals like Qi or Mi, you'd be on the road to reincarnation by now. Spending money to avert disaster? Wrong. It's your life's ransom money. For the next hundred years, I'll ask Sect Master Yang to keep an eye on you. If there's any more of this sort of morally deficient behavior like today, when I have free time, I'll go north to Cloud Goose Country to pay your Great Grandmaster Cui a visit."
Cui Gongzhuang's feet were off the ground, hanging in the air. His eyes were bloodshot, and his appearance was somewhat frightening. His legs twitched a few times, like an autumn grasshopper jumping a couple of times.
Yang Que, watching from the side, found his eyelids twitching.
Was this man really a sword cultivator? And not a reclusive Boundless Realm martial artist?
The guest elder Cui Gongzhuang's Ninth Realm foundation wasn't the best among the summit martial artists of Northern Juzhou, but it wasn't bad either.
The reason he could become the Cloud Lock Sect's chief guest elder was that Wei Jingsui saw in Cui Gongzhuang some hope of breaking through to the legendary Boundless Realm.
Chen Ping'an frowned. "Not speaking? Means you won't agree?"
Cui Gongzhuang tried to muster a mouthful of pure true qi, but it dispersed on the spot. His face flushed red, turned purple, and then became livid. His hands and feet hung limply, and his vision was blurring.
Chen Ping'an released his fingers. The dizzy Cui Gongzhuang fell to the ground, crouching and coughing uncontrollably.
Chen Ping'an laughed. "What act are you putting on? It's so clumsy I'm embarrassed to watch. If you don't get up, I'll just give you a kick and send you back to being an Eighth Realm martial artist as a return gift."
Cui Gongzhuang immediately stood up, took a deep breath, stepped back, lowered his head, and clasped his fists. "Thank you, senior, for sparing my life. I am immensely grateful. For the next hundred years, Cui Gongzhuang will keep his tail between his legs, close his doors, and diligently practice martial arts and fists, so as not to waste senior's guidance today."
Chen Ping'an snorted derisively, noncommittal.
Liu Jinglong over there had already sheathed his sword.
The old immortal Wei Jingsui was pinned into a stone wall on Dewy Moon Peak.
Liu Jinglong sent a heart-message: "That Moon-Chasing Mirror—do you want to take it?"
Chen Ping'an said with a breath of laughter, "Does that sound right? We came to challenge with swords today, not to kill people and seize treasures. If news of this gets out, as the sect master of the Taihui Sword Sect, do you still want your reputation?"
After that, Cui Gongzhuang's courage was completely shattered. Sect Master Yang Que gave way, voluntarily removed the restrictions on the Nourishing Cloud Peak ancestral hall, and allowed Liu Jinglong to gather the sword qi of the peaks, cutting the ancestral hall into four pieces—one horizontal, one vertical.
Chen Ping'an, on the other hand, drew his sword from behind his back. Holding Night Travel in hand, he swept horizontally with a single sword stroke, splitting the Cloud Lock Sect's ancestral hall in half, top from bottom.
At that moment, Cui Gongzhuang's heart died like ashes. That man in blue robes was indeed a sword immortal.
Two figures transformed into rainbows and departed.
The entire Cloud Lock Sect, from top to bottom, all the cultivators looked as if they were attending a funeral. The sect had suffered such a great calamity and humiliation. Two sword immortals had climbed the mountain and dismantled their ancestral hall. From now on, how many cultivators on the continent would be watching this show for years?
Only Sect Master Yang Que remained composed, with no trace of grief or indignation. He took a cloud-pattern jade pendant from his sleeve and, with a thought, activated the formation's core, planning to begin repairing the ancestral hall. But unexpectedly, the ancestral hall's formation seemed to be challenged by a sword again. On a horizontal line, the sounds of beams, pillars, and walls cracking rang out like a continuous string of firecrackers. Yang Que frowned and focused his gaze. He discovered that the blue-robed sword immortal called Chen Ping'an, after his horizontal sword stroke had cut the ancestral hall in half, had left a subtle crack in the entire building, hardly noticeable. The sword qi remained concentrated, never dispersing, as if it were holding up the upper half of the ancestral hall.
Yang Que's heart shuddered.
Cui Gongzhuang rubbed his neck, still shaken. To hell with the chief guest elder! He would never come back to the Cloud Lock Sect to wade through this muddy water.
Yang Que turned his head and sent a heart-message with a smile: "Chief Cui, no two flower petals are exactly the same. By the same reasoning, a single sword light will not fall in the same place. Don't you agree?"
Cui Gongzhuang hesitated, unwilling to break completely with the Cloud Lock Sect—that would make things too awkward for Yang Que and Wei Jingsui. So he found a compromise, gathering his voice into a line and saying quietly, "I can keep the title of guest elder, but for the next hundred years, I will not attend any meetings of the Nourishing Cloud Peak ancestral hall."
Yang Que nodded with a smile. "No problem."
Cui Gongzhuang sighed. "Yang Que, if only you could be the real master of this sect."
Yang Que laughed heartily. "Difficult, but I'll try."
Cui Gongzhuang took a deep look at this Jade Core realm cultivator and nodded in farewell. The Ninth Realm martial artist, who had previously associated more with the immortal Wei Jingsui, decided that from now on he would have more dealings with this Yang Que.
Yang Que glanced at the ancestral hall and decided to leave it as it was for now. After all, the sect master might be replaced tomorrow; why bother with a superfluous effort?
After Chen Ping'an and Liu Jinglong left the Cloud Lock Sect's territory, Liu Jinglong first sent a flying sword message to the Taihui Sword Sect's ancestral hall. According to Chen Ping'an's plan, they wouldn't meet there. Instead, Ning Yao and the others were to go directly to the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven. Chen Ping'an then sacrificed a sparrow in a cage artifact and, together with Liu Jinglong, quietly returned to the high sky above the Nourishing Cloud Peak territory. Liu Jinglong felt that the turtle tablet talisman Chen Ping'an had obtained from the Ghost Axe Palace wasn't enough to conceal their tracks, so he directly drew a formation. The two of them then looked down at the mountains and rivers, as if waiting for rabbits by a tree stump.
Chen Ping'an took off his Nourishing Sword Gourd and began to drink.
Liu Jinglong sat cross-legged. After all, everything within sight was within the rules set by his natal flying sword.
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "We could easily catch up to a flying sword message sent from the mountain, but the restrictions are extremely difficult to open, especially for a large sect like the Cloud Lock Sect. Don't make me wait in vain."
Liu Jinglong said, "When it comes to breaking formation restrictions, I still have some confidence."
Earlier, after their sword challenge was over, they had flown away from Nourishing Cloud Peak. Chen Ping'an had said that Sect Master Yang Que's behavior was abnormal and necessarily hid something. They couldn't just leave; they had to see if this man had any hidden tricks.
So Liu Jinglong accompanied Chen Ping'an to this place, quietly waiting to see if any flying swords would leave the peaks of the Cloud Lock Sect.
Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine and asked, "Yang Que has very deep cunning. Earlier on Nourishing Cloud Peak, I tested him once and got no result, so I simply let him think that I had taken his word for it. It was like using suspicion to dispel suspicion, deliberately adding unnecessary strokes. I almost believed it, mistaking it for the eccentric methods of a mountain immortal. But after this tour of the Cloud Lock Sect, one side's water and soil nurture its people; I don't think Wei Jingsui alone could have made the Cloud Lock Sect's culture into such a mess."
Liu Jinglong handed over a thick booklet. "Besides the Qionglin Sect, there are some other suspects, all listed here. It records that Yang Que has a compass script refinement technique. This method is not among the Cloud Lock Sect's ancestral hall spells. It's publicly declared as a technique for locating broken cave heavens and blessed lands, which Yang Que acquired by chance in his youth. I have deduced it several times; it's not that simple. I suspect it can most likely see through a cultivator's identity. For example, if it saw me, I guess that Yang Que's natal compass would have the words 'Taihui Sword Sect, Liu Jinglong' appearing, and then connected together, it would reveal the truth. But this secret technique definitely has some limitations. It can't be flawless. Otherwise, just this technique alone would have brought Yang Que a deadly disaster."
"This technique is practically a must-have for walking the martial world. I'll have to find an opportunity to ask Sect Master Yang for some pointers and learn it."
Chen Ping'an nodded and directly flipped the booklet to the section on the Cloud Lock Sect. He carefully read through Yang Que's cultivation career; it wasn't long, just a few thousand words.
Fortunately, regarding the art of script refinement, he had some experience himself. Moreover, he had learned a not-yet-proficient Confucian character-breaking order in the Merit Grove.
Liu Jinglong asked, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "Three days should be enough. I need to hurry back to Bottle Gourd Continent."
Liu Jinglong said, "No problem. I can stay here a while longer."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "You're the master of a sect. You can't put personal matters before official duties."
Liu Jinglong laughed. "Then you don't know about my master and my grand-master. When they were young, how they used official positions for personal gain for the sake of friends. Later, when they went to the Taihui Sword Sect's ancestral hall to receive punishment, how those grand-masters scolded them to their faces but laughed behind their backs. These things aren't recorded in the archives; outsiders don't know. They're passed down by word of mouth within the sect."
Liu Jinglong suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Here it comes. I'll stay here and keep watch to make sure no other fish slip through the net."
Chen Ping'an stood up. Liu Jinglong looked at the direction of that flying sword message and gave Chen Ping'an a rough bearing, choosing a mountain peak as the place to act. He told Chen Ping'an to use thunder techniques to gather wind and rain as a strange phenomenon to intercept the flying sword and bring it back here. Liu Jinglong would then break the flying sword's restrictions, without damaging its mountain and water prohibitions at all, so they could take out the secret letter and read it, then send the flying sword on its way.
Among cultivators, some wild rogue cultivators with unique secret arts, often land immortals of no low realm, were called "fishermen" on the mountain. Their business was to lie in wait and intercept messenger flying swords, euphemistically calling it "three years without a catch, then three years' worth with one catch." But after they succeeded, the flying sword would naturally be destroyed, leaving some traces. They could never achieve Liu Jinglong's level of "returning the item intact and unharmed."
Chen Ping'an silently departed. After about half an hour, he returned, carefully holding a miniature flying sword engraved with cloud patterns with the palm of his hand.
Liu Jinglong drew talismans with his fingers while simultaneously splitting his attention to look down at the Cloud Lock Sect's mountains and rivers, unlocking the flying sword's layers of restrictions layer by layer, like peeling a silk cocoon, smoothly and naturally.
Chen Ping'an crouched nearby with his hands in his sleeves, watching intently. Liu Jinglong didn't mind whether this talisman technique might be stolen by observation. Chen Ping'an stared wide-eyed for a long time, then shook his head. "Can't learn it."
Liu Jinglong laughed. "In the path of talismans, those great offensive talismans might seem to have many steps, but their context is often simple. However, they require a unique oral formula passed down within the sect. That's an invisible chasm. As for the mountain and water talismans used in flying sword messages, what's needed is for the person undoing them to have learned broadly, to not be stumped at any step. Then, by grasping the main points, it all falls into place. For example, this Cloud Lock Sect messenger flying sword's ingenuity lies not only in the 'hook' pattern of lunar essence on Dewy Moon Peak, matched with the reflection of the water patterns at that old dragon pool and the true essence of the calligraphy strokes on that little Green Mushroom Peak's wall inscription. The real difficulty lies in a few talismans from outside the sect that are interspersed in between. I like reading miscellaneous books, so I just happen to know all of them."
Chen Ping'an nodded and said "Uh-huh, uh-huh. 'Just happen to know,' Lord Liu the Drunkard says it so easily."
Liu Jinglong stopped his unlocking action, looked up, and smiled. "Liu what?"
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily. "Does Lord Liu Sword Immortal not like drinking? As if I wouldn't know!"
Liu Jinglong opened all the restrictions and took out a secret letter. It was from a Dragon Gate realm cultivator named Zong Sui on Dewy Moon Peak of the Cloud Lock Sect, one of the direct disciples of the Yuan Infant patriarch, addressed to a cultivator named Han Zhe from the Qionglin Sect. This Zong Sui hadn't used the mountain gate's sword room on Dewy Moon Peak; he had been quite cautious.
Liu Jinglong reminded him, "There's a rough record of Han Zhe on page thirty-nine. I'll pay more attention to him in the future and add more details when I get the chance."
Chen Ping'an flipped the booklet to that page.
After putting the secret letter back, Liu Jinglong was like a tourist strolling through a garden at night, opening each door of the messenger flying sword one by one, then closing each one again, without the slightest omission, not even leaving a footprint.
Over the next three days, Chen Ping'an came and went, very busy. He intercepted flying swords, Liu Jinglong opened the letters, they read them together, and then Chen Ping'an released the messenger flying swords again. The vast majority of the letters were from Cloud Lock Sect cultivators to their friends on the mountain, reporting on the sword challenge incident. Each had their own plans. There was even a Yuan Infant consecrator of the ancestral hall who cultivated on the mountain, planning to leave the Cloud Lock Sect outright and distance himself to avoid being caught in the crossfire. He intended to find an opportunity to curry favor with the Taihui Sword Sect and spread some kind words on the mountain... The myriad states of the world and the changes in people's hearts seemed to be completely exposed in these dozen or so secret letters.
Among them, two secret letters were unsigned, and the receiving mountains were small immortal families that even Liu Jinglong had never heard of. After that, Liu Jinglong planned to visit each of them individually.
One of the flying sword messages was concise, just three sentences:
"The Hidden Officer has arrived at Cloud Lock Sect. He challenged the sect together with Liu Jinglong. Chen Ping'an's cultivation is indeed that of a Boundless Realm martial artist and a Jade Core sword immortal. This person is likely already capable of killing immortals, except for sword cultivators.
"When Liu Jinglong offered up his natal flying sword at Nourishing Cloud Peak, its grade was extremely high, capable of forming its own small world, with sword intent encompassing all phenomena. However, I don't yet know more of his natal divine abilities. His combat strength must be regarded as that of an Immortal realm sword cultivator.
"Hurry and help me seize the mirror, using the opportunity to frame the Taihui Sword Sect."
Chen Ping'an said, "Why does it say we're of the same realm, but it seems I can't beat you? What kind of eyesight does this Sect Master Yang have? No wonder he can't compete with Wei Feiqing."
Liu Jinglong replied, "Then I can help you modify the letter's contents. Saying you can beat a bunch of Flying Ascension realm cultivators would be no problem. Tell me, how many do you want to beat?"
Chen Ping'an chuckled. "You're talking drunk again, aren't you?"
What a Lord Liu the Drunkard! He had already reached the transcendent state of being drunk without even drinking.
After once again silently flying away and releasing that most critical messenger flying sword, Chen Ping'an returned to Liu Jinglong's side. The three days of waiting had not been in vain.
Before setting off for the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, Chen Ping'an planned to make another trip to Nourishing Cloud Peak with Liu Jinglong, or to a small immortal sect called Parasol Flower Mountain, to see exactly which behind-the-scenes master had such heaven-reaching means to help Yang Que seize a Moon-Chasing Mirror, not only to secure his position as sect master but also to use the life of an Immortal realm grand cultivator as capital to conveniently slander the Taihui Sword Sect.
But Liu Jinglong said, "It's not yet time to startle the snake. I'll go there first to trace the vine and find the melon. When the day comes that we really need to go all out with a sword challenge, I'll definitely notify you immediately."
Chen Ping'an nodded. Liu Jinglong was most measured in his actions. He stood up and said, "Be careful yourself."
Liu Jinglong stood up and laughed. "Both of us be careful."
Chen Ping'an handed over a jug of wine. "At the previous Confucian Temple meeting, I met that Lady of Green God Mountain. As for other wines, it doesn't matter. But you see, over at Fluttering Traces Peak, I didn't persuade you to drink anything. But this jug, you have to drink."
Liu Jinglong hesitated for a moment, then still took the wine jug. They were about to part ways anyway, so there was no such thing as persuading or not persuading to drink.
Chen Ping'an didn't put away the sparrow in a cage artifact. He silently flew away.
Liu Jinglong also temporarily didn't put away his natal flying sword. He opened the wine jug and took a sip. Very good. As if he hadn't drunk Green God Mountain wine sold in a shop before, right?
Chen Ping'an traveled south all the way. At the ferry of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven in the Water Dragon Sect, he found Ning Yao and the others.
Little Rice said they had already made a detour to visit Floating Duckweed Sword Lake.
Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile.
---
In the Shao Yuan Dynasty.
After the immortal cultivator Strict learned of the matter, he stood dumbstruck, waves of shock crashing in his heart, unable to calm himself for a long time. He sighed, ordered someone to summon that Strict disciple, and said that he didn't need to go out anymore. His plan to follow Southern Radiance in cultivating the great dao was off the table.
Strict disciple, who had been beaming with excitement for the past few days, felt as if he had fallen from the clouds into the mud. Stunned and silent, he couldn't help asking his clan's patriarch why.
Already in a bad mood, Strict's face twisted with anger. Why, why—what the hell did the patriarch know about why? Who knew how a Flying Ascension realm grand cultivator had died suddenly at his own mountain gate, his head severed! Strict raised a hand and slapped his junior, sending him spinning a dozen times, tumbling from inside the room into the courtyard. Strict roared, "Get lost!" His face swollen like a small hill on one side, Strict disciple covered his cheek, his heart filled with fear and sorrow as he walked away.
At the Nine True Immortal Academy.
The academy master Yun Miao and his Dao partner, also an Immortal realm cultivator, looked together at the secret letter from Southern Radiance's sect. They sat opposite each other in silence.
As for that direct disciple, Li Qingzhu, he probably wouldn't have the face to come down from the mountain for a hundred years.
Yun Miao put down the letter and said in a trembling voice, "The heart of heaven is unfathomable; gods and ghosts are unpredictable."
His Dao partner asked softly, "Who could have such sword technique as to slay Southern Radiance on the spot, preventing this Flying Ascension realm cultivator from even leaving his own mountain gate?"
Yun Miao said, "Thinking more is useless. Don't speculate."
Even in front of his Dao partner, with whom his dao path was intimately connected, Yun Miao never spoke his mind completely. Not because he was unwilling, but because he truly dared not.
In truth, his Dao partner didn't know the reason, but Yun Miao understood it clearly. There was no need to guess.
It must have been the work of that White Emperor City's master!
Could it be that Mr. Zheng was hinting for him to take over that sect, now leaderless after Southern Radiance's death?
Hadn't that previous secret letter sent to Tortoise Head Mountain, demanding the white jade ganoderma, been for this very purpose?
Could Mr. Zheng's meaning be that Yun Miao only needed a single semi-immortal artifact to net an entire sect for free?
Like a calculation from heaven.
But Southern Radiance's territory was a large sect after all, with foundations far beyond what a mere Eyebrow Mountain Sword Sect could compare to. Planning to take it over was extremely difficult. However, after a moment's thought, Yun Miao was overjoyed. The good thing was that Souther Radiance, that old fellow, was stingy by nature. He had only cultivated a Jade Core realm puppet as sect master. He treated his few direct and personal disciples the same way, and the rest of his disciples and grand-disciples followed suit, year after year raising a nest of useless people. In that case, without Southern Radiance, the sect really couldn't compare to the Eyebrow Mountain Sword Sect. In the end, it was all held up by Southern Radiance alone. The less than a hundred registered immortal masters on the mountain spent more of their energy and effort helping the old patriarch make money.
Yun Miao's eyes sparkled. His heart surged with emotion and ambition. He absolutely must not disappoint Mr. Zheng's brilliant opening move!
In the Azure Underworld.
At the Grand Xuan Du Temple.
Under a peach blossom tree, there was a child wearing a tiger-head hat.
In this foreign cultivation ground, outside the thatched hut door was a small pond. The Daoist of Xuan Du Temple had helped plant a pool of lotus flowers. When they bloomed, the petals were long and broad, with distinct green and white colors.
Whenever the wind passed, the fragrance was light, and the flowers swayed gracefully, a beautiful sight.
Since he was in the Azure Underworld, where mountain temples were as numerous as clouds and mountain officials countless below, he had casually given himself a Daoist name: Green Lotus.
Today, the old temple master led a person over and shouted in a loud voice, "Quick, see who's here."
Bai Ye turned his head and looked. Smiling, he asked, "Jun Qian, why are you here?"
Liu Shiliu laughed. "I heard from Master that you were here, so I came to see."
Bai Ye said helplessly, "If you want to laugh, just laugh."
Liu Shiliu reached out and wiped his mouth. "I'll try my best to hold it in."
There was only one person in all the worlds who could be so informal with Bai Ye: Liu Shiliu, who had once gone into the mountains to seek immortals together with Bai Ye.
Elder Sun stroked his beard and smiled. "Brother Bai Ye, beautiful scenery, full trees of blossoms, an old friend's reunion—both still well. If ever there was a time to drink, it's now, wouldn't you say?"
Bai Ye shook his head.
Liu Shiliu urged, "A little bit."
Bai Ye nodded.
In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they had eaten hotpot. The wild cultivator Qing Mi had eaten with particular care, chewing slowly and swallowing deliberately, because if he wasn't careful, it could have been his last meal.
Ah Liang, full of wine and food, patted his belly gently and prepared to fly south. He laughed and asked, "Brother Qing Mi, what do you think, when flying with the wind—not talking about sword-flight—is it better to swim sideways like a fish, or to stand upright and more elegant? You don't know this, but this question has troubled me for years."
Feng Xuetao had to lie against his conscience and say, "As long as it's you, Ah Liang, flying with the wind, anyone watching would think it elegant."
Ah Liang nodded. "Words from the heart."
Feng Xuetao was silent for a moment, then couldn't help asking, "Ah Liang, don't you usually need to practice your sword? Why waste time thinking about things like this?"
Ah Liang laughed. "Are you out of your mind? We're Flying Ascension realm now. Why would you ask such a childish question? Do I need to practice the sword? What else would I think about if not this?"
Feng Xuetao swallowed it.
After all, this guy was the first Fourteen Realm sword cultivator in multiple worlds, following Chen Qingdu of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
A Confucian sword cultivator from the Haoran World, who had broken into the Fourteen Realm in the Azure Underworld—what a good breakthrough—and had fallen in realm in the Barbarian World—what a clean fall.
Ah Liang suddenly asked, "Brother Qing Mi, do you know what kind of demon is the hardest to defeat in the whole world?"
Feng Xuetao shook his head without speaking.
Ah Liang said, "Of course, it's the waist demon."
Feng Xuetao didn't catch the pun. He just thought Ah Liang was acting up again.
"Come on, I'll take you to fight some waist demons!"
Ah Liang waved his hand grandly. "Let me say this upfront: if your waist isn't good, you won't be able to beat them."
Feng Xuetao had thought that once they left the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the next leg of the journey would be to follow Ah Liang without restraint, sweeping south like a wildfire, smashing any barbarian sect they encountered.
Unexpectedly, what followed was another jovial, wine-drenched banquet, and this time hosted by a demon clan cultivator.
At the feast, Ah Liang and that Immortal realm demon cultivator chatted happily, called each other brothers, and poured out their hearts about their hardships.
Ah Liang seemed very much like a native sword cultivator of the Barbarian World, while that demon host seemed very much like a qi refiner of the Haoran World.
This mountain stronghold had earlier scrounged together a huge sum of immortal money to send to Torch Moon Mountain, so none of the cultivators on this mountain had crossed the Sword Qi Great Wall to the Haoran World.
Ah Liang raised a glass of wine and said seriously, "Generally, the rule at a wine table is that guests don't bring other guests. I broke the rule, so I'll fine myself three cups."
The demon said with great righteousness, "Not at all, not at all! Your friends are like sworn brothers I've cut a chicken head and burned yellow paper with. Don't stand on ceremony! Treat this place like your own home!"
It raised its chin, suppressing its heartache, and gestured to its direct female disciple beside it to quickly go back to the stronghold's treasury and bring another jug of the precious Ye Luo River water transport immortal brew for that bastard. This stuff was extremely rare; you couldn't buy it with money.
That Immortal realm demon cultivator seemed to know Ah Liang well. He called over a group of fox clan beauties, graceful and alluring, dressed in thin gauze, their forms half-hidden.
Ah Liang looked at them for a few moments, seemed a bit disappointed, and directly waved his hand, saying two words.
"Next batch."
Ah Liang quickly explained, "I don't mind either way, but this friend of mine is quite particular about this sort of thing. He has high standards, very troublesome."
The demon laughed heartily. "Good, good! A true scholar and hero!"
Feng Xuetao thought that even if the Sage were here, he wouldn't curse—he'd just beat Ah Liang half to death, right?
Ah Liang drank until his face was flushed. He glanced sideways at Feng Xuetao, winking and raising his eyebrows, as if saying, I know what you want. If you still don't like the next batch of beauties, we'll just change again.
At the feast, they changed batch after batch of various beauties.
Only with great difficulty did that Immortal realm demon finally see Ah Liang and the still-unnamed other out the door.
It secretly congratulated itself. Luckily, it had taken the advice back then, or meeting again today wouldn't have been such a simple matter of drinking and reminiscing.
Back then, at a feast, Ah Liang had slung an arm around its shoulder and said cheerfully, "In the future, if I meet you on the battlefield of the Sword Qi Great Wall, my half-hometown, or if I hear you've been there, then the wine I owe you will be considered repaid."
Ah Liang and Feng Xuetao flew with the wind and landed on a mountain peak a thousand miles away. Feng Xuetao asked in a low voice, "Are we just going to eat and drink our way through like this?"
Ah Liang twitched the corner of his mouth. "What are you thinking? Do you really take this Barbarian World for a place of romance? I suggest you prepare yourself mentally early. Once someone shows up to block our way, it'll definitely be a fierce battle."
He raised his thumb and pointed behind him. "That friend of mine has definitely already secretly sent a flying sword message to Torch Moon Mountain."
Feng Xuetao asked, "Aren't you angry?"
Ah Liang crouched down, gazed into the distance, and said calmly, "Narrow roads are hard to walk, but wine cups are wide. Don't you understand such a simple truth? When drinking, we're brothers—we can chat about anything. But once we put down the cups and leave the table, it's a different story. Everyone has their own path to walk."
If the demon hadn't done that, it would have been a hundred percent guaranteed to be noted down by Torch Moon Mountain.
So Ah Liang hadn't drunk that brother's wine for nothing on this trip.
Feng Xuetao was a wild cultivator by origin and thoroughly understood this. He nodded. "Makes sense."
Without realizing it, he had begun to like the local customs and practices here. Not so many rules. Or rather, the rules here suited Wild Cultivator Qing Mi perfectly, and he was naturally good at them.
Feng Xuetao asked, "Ah Liang, can I ask you something? What's the name of your natal flying sword? I've never heard anyone mention it. Do you have just one, or more than one?"
Ah Liang ignored him, merely kneeling on one knee, casually picking up a pinch of earth, moving gently, crushing it finely, squinting into the distance.
Feng Xuetao said, "Someone following us?"
Ah Liang stood up and laughed. "For now, don't bother with these little cats and dogs. We'll continue on our way. When they all gather together, it'll save me from having to look for them one by one."
Feng Xuetao knew that this guy would sometimes say things that made people think he was bragging, but he really wasn't.
Ah Liang seemed to come back to his senses only then. "Before, what did you ask?"
Feng Xuetao said helplessly, "Your natal flying sword."
Ah Liang smiled. "I like drinking, you know. There's only one martial world, so I have only one natal flying sword."
Feng Xuetao was extremely curious. "What's its name?"
Ah Liang turned his head, grinning mischievously. "If you ever become my enemy and we cross swords, you'll find out."
Feng Xuetao sighed and didn't dare ask anything more.
He knew Ah Liang was hinting that if, in this Barbarian World, he ever found himself in a life-and-death crisis, he could turn his coat and cross swords with Ah Liang to try his luck.
Ah Liang had only one natal flying sword. Its name was The Drinker.