Chapter 814: Well-Matched
The archway of the ferry crossing at Jidu bore the inscription "Underwater Cave Heaven." The great river was especially wide here, stretching a full three hundred li. When Chen Ping'an had last come here, he had also worn a blue shirt with a sword on his back and a vermilion wine gourd at his waist. The only difference was that back then he had carried an Immortal Sword, while now it was replaced by a Night Roam. Also, he no longer held a green bamboo walking staff.
At Wooden Servant Ferry of the Water Dragon Sect, the founding patriarch had planted over a thousand immortal orange trees. Before his death by dissolution, he had laughingly said that in this life, his cultivation had been mediocre, but he left behind a thousand "wooden servants" as a bequest to his disciples.
Chen Ping'an suddenly thought of the old patriarch Xun Yuan of the Jade Gui Sect. According to Jiang Shangzhen, the old man's true final words in this life were actually a self-muttering of three characters: The Yu Family's Poor.
It seemed that every mountain sect with a proper lineage and continuous incense offerings had a thrifty person sitting in the top seat.
Chen Ping'an said apologetically to Ning Yao, "I was delayed a few more days at Lock Cloud Sect than expected, so I won't accompany you to explore the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven and the Duckweed Water Island. I need to go straight to the Chongxuan Office of the Dayuan Dynasty to discuss some matters with the Lu Emperor and National Teacher Yang Qingkong. Then I also need to meet Sun Jie and Shao Jingzhi of the Water Dragon Sect's northern and southern branches to talk about leasing or buying the Duckweed Water Island. You all wait for me on the island. The scenery inside the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven is extremely beautiful—you can wander for days without getting bored. I'll try to make it quick."
Ning Yao nodded. Seeing that Chen Ping'an hadn't moved, she said, "Over at Floating Sword Lake, I already mentioned this to Sword Immortal Li. She said it was no problem. She already owns a thirty percent share of this Dragon Palace Cave Heaven. As for that Duckweed Water Island, which has been ownerless for years, why talk about leasing? If you really have the idea of turning it into a summer resort on a foreign mountain, just buy it outright. The Water Dragon Sect has no reason to obstruct you. If the price isn't right, let it sit, and she'll come back to haggle later."
Little Rice Grain covered her mouth with her hand and said with a laugh, "Sword Immortal Li is so worldly and bold! She just waved her hand and said, 'What's a big deal? If the negotiation works, we talk price. If it doesn't, we talk swords. Leasing my ass—that's a slap in her face.'"
Chen Ping'an rubbed Little Rice Grain's head and glanced at the long line of people. He said to Ning Yao with a smile, "Let me buy a few travel permits to the small cave heaven before I go. They're orange-wood seals with a lot of character, but unfortunately, you can't take them away—they must be returned to the Water Dragon Sect. Past the archway, there are dozens of stone steles. If any of you are interested, take a look, especially the 'Record of the Bridge Built by Worthies in the Taiping Era' and the 'Stele of the Dragon Pavilion's Casting into Water,' which describe the construction of the stone bridge and the discovery of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven."
Ning Yao glanced at Chen Ping'an and asked, "Feeling guilty, so you're making amends?"
Chen Ping'an looked confused.
Ning Yao smiled slightly. "The Gui Vein Small Courtyard on Osmanthus Island, the Jade Embellishment Cliff at Spring Dew Garden, and now this underwater Dragon Palace Duckweed Water Island—they're all good places for tea and wine. And who knows, maybe there's also a Night Voyage Ship Spirit City. Can you manage all of them?"
These several immortal residences and estates were all considered the young mountain master's private property.
Pei Qian observed her nose and her heart. The White-Haired Boy was silently laughing uproariously. Little Rice Grain, being small, couldn't figure it out. Wasn't it good that their good mountain master had plenty of assets, money, and friends?
Chen Ping'an said, "The Gui Vein Small Courtyard and Jade Embellishment Cliff have been idle for years."
Ning Yao recalled something. "The Floating Sword Lake's Nascent Soul sword cultivator Rong Chang is willing to serve as a registered guest elder for the Vermilion Sparrow Manor."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "That's good news."
Earlier at Ground-Crawling Peak, when he had visited Pointing Finger Peak, Yuan Lingdian had also agreed to this.
The last time Chen Ping'an had traveled to the small cave heaven, the Water Dragon Sect happened to have two of the most important ceremonies of the year—one on the tenth day of the tenth month and one on the fifteenth—a Ghost Festival and a Water Official's Relief Day—where they would hold jade and golden talisman rituals respectively. So there had been an especially large number of tourists then. Chen Ping'an had waited nearly half an hour to buy the wooden token. This time, the Water Dragon Sect had no such fasts or rituals, so the queue wasn't as outrageous. Each person paid ten Snowflake Coins to rent a square wooden seal from the Water Dragon Sect. However, unlike last time's auspicious seal-script inscriptions, these ones seemed more like...
The female cultivator of the Water Dragon Sect handed out four square seals and said with a smiling demeanor, "Young master, our seals here are now available for purchase."
After many years, she clearly still recognized this blue-shirted swordsman who had once again come to visit the small cave heaven—she had a good memory.
Same blue shirt with a sword on his back, same vermilion wine gourd at his waist. And there was also someone beside him holding a green bamboo staff. With her uncanny memory for faces, it was hard for her not to remember. Last time, this guest had asked if the seals could be bought, causing a minor embarrassment.
What a tragic misunderstanding. Chen Ping'an smiled awkwardly and forced himself to ask, "Miss, if I were to buy, what would be the price?"
The White-Haired Boy covered his stomach with one hand and grabbed Little Rice Grain's shoulder with the other, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.
Oh dear.
Little Rice Grain scratched her face. What was wrong with the good mountain master? When he didn't take her along on his travels, he was so fond of talking business with strange young ladies? Luckily, she had been saying loads and loads of good things about him to Sister Ning.
Chen Ping'an looked at the few seals in his hand and found that the side inscriptions were all critiques of calligraphers from various continents: "So-and-so's calligraphy is like a restoration monarch, occupying the highest seat with divine brilliance." "So-and-so's calligraphy is like a swift horse charging into battle, blades clashing, a hard bow suddenly drawn, a startled bird taking flight." "So-and-so's calligraphy is like an immortal who has attained the Way deep in the mountains, with a refreshing spirit and demeanor, but at the sight of others, he wants to retreat into the clouds." These were all compliments, but there were also quite rude comments, almost cursing to the face, saying that "so-and-so's standard script is like a nouveau riche, coarse and vulgar; their running script is like a maidservant pretending to be a noblewoman, with an affected and coquettish posture, ultimately not in the proper seat."
The female cultivator smiled and replied, "Two seals for just one Minor Heat Coin. Buy two, get one free."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. The price was far too expensive. Besides, when it came to seal carving, Chen Ping'an could now be considered half a connoisseur. Moreover, he still had the calligraphy copybooks of Su Zi and Liu Qi, which his master had helped him acquire. Why would he buy these?
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but frown slightly. Could it be that the Water Dragon Sect was encountering some matter requiring urgent immortal money? Otherwise, with the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven as such a treasure trove, there was no reason for them to need to earn money this way. And this meant that when he later negotiated the purchase of Duckweed Water Island with the Water Dragon Sect, he would likely be at a disadvantage in price.
Declining the Water Dragon Sect female cultivator, Chen Ping'an handed the few seals to Ning Yao and the others, briefly explained the sword challenge process at Lock Cloud Sect, and then prepared to leave Wooden Servant Ferry to set out on his journey to the capital of Dayuan Dynasty.
Ning Yao said nothing throughout.
When Chen Ping'an hurried away through the bustling crowd, Ning Yao looked at his almost fleeing back and laughed. Actually, such a trivial matter—how could she not trust Chen Ping'an? Wherever a money-grubber went, he was a money-grubber. Weren't the goddess paintings from Mural City just petty peddling goods anyway?
Chen Ping'an left the ferry crossing, went to a secluded bank of the Jidu, stepped into the water, and used his natal object—the Water Character Seal—to perform a water escape technique, traveling far underwater.
At the Chongxuan Office of the Dayuan Dynasty, they had previously received a flying sword message from the Golden Goblet Ferry, sent directly to National Teacher Yang Qingkong, stating a desire to visit Emperor Lu. The signature was just one character: Chen.
The Chongxuan Office of the Dayuan Lu Dynasty was actually located in the Yang Family's Cloud Sky Palace, which was the most renowned immortal palace in the Northern Juzhou Continent. Compared to it, the sect of Heavenly Lord Xie Shi looked like a shabby mountain dwelling.
After receiving the secret letter, National Teacher Yang Qingkong immediately left the Chongxuan Office and entered the palace to have an audience with His Majesty.
The Dayuan Lu Dynasty, at its founding, considered itself blessed by the Water Virtue—this was evident from the dynasty's name.
The emperor was hosting a small, sun-facing warm chamber today, receiving over thirty child prodigies from various regions. The purpose was, of course, to encourage these future pillars of the state, select a few for questions and answers, and bestow some gifts. As for the specific list of candidates and their standing positions, the Ministry of Rites had already decided. If His Majesty was in a good mood, he could certainly ask a few more questions, and afterward, he would simply bestow a few more imperial gifts.
This warm chamber was not large. With so many people today, it was a bit crowded, but those child prodigies were all deeply honored. Some from humble backgrounds had trembling lips, barely holding themselves together, managing not to lose decorum. They had heard that His Majesty only chose this place to meet with key ministers of the central government. According to officialdom in the capital, this was where His Majesty talked about everyday matters.
Today, the Lu Emperor finally selected a youth from a border commandery and asked him a question: "If one only knows the orders of the powerful families, not the laws of the state, what should be done?" The youth's face flushed with anxiety, his mind a tangled mess. How could he possibly respond appropriately?
Fortunately, the National Teacher helped defuse the situation. The emperor stood up, comforted the flustered youth with a few words and a smile, and said that if he ever had ideas in the future, he could submit them to the Ministry of Rites.
The group of child prodigies filed out under the guidance of the Director of the Palace Directorate of Ceremonial, their footsteps light, leaving the warm chamber.
Yang Qingkong made a Daoist salute to the emperor and informed him of the visit from Hidden Official Chen Ping'an.
The emperor smiled. "So soon? Did this Hidden Official come directly to our Northern Juzhou right after leaving the Academy?"
Yang Qingkong nodded. "Most likely. The Chongxuan Office had barely received Chen Ping'an's visiting card when we got news from the mountains. Five days ago, a sword cultivator surnamed Chen from the Sword Qi Great Wall, along with Liu Jinglong of the Taihui Sword Sect, jointly challenged Lock Cloud Sect. They went straight up to Nourishing Cloud Peak and dismantled their ancestral hall. Sect Master Yang Que did not stop them. Guest Elder Cui Gongzhuang got into a dispute and was injured. Immortal Wei Jingsui, who even deployed his Moon-Chasing Mirror, was severely wounded under Liu Jinglong's sword. However, because the Chongxuan Office had planted spies in Lock Cloud Sect, we learned about this a few days earlier than other ordinary sects."
The emperor gestured for the National Teacher to sit down. On the low table on the couch was a snack box filled with various pastries. The emperor pushed the box toward the National Teacher, then picked up a piece of Apricot Blossom Cake, chewed it slowly, and asked with a smile, "If we meet him here, would that be inappropriate?"
Yang Qingkong nodded. "This is indeed not the place for His Majesty's first formal meeting with him. Besides, the various furnishings and objects here..."
The National Teacher looked around and smiled. "Would reveal too much of His Majesty's intentions."
The emperor asked curiously, "A large sect like Lock Cloud Sect, on their own territory, couldn't even stop two Jade Pool sword immortals from ascending step by step?"
"Lock Cloud Sect has one Immortal and one Jade Pool, with a considerable number of Earth Immortal realm cultivators. At first glance, it seems deeply rooted. But Wei Jingsui and Yang Que each harbor their own thoughts; they've been disunited for a long time. Naturally, they are just a heap of loose sand. Apparent strength is always illusory—that's a major taboo for any sect."
Yang Qingkong sat sideways, facing the emperor. This Daoist Heavenly Lord held a horsetail whisk in his hand, with a white jade handle engraved with an eight-character inscription: "To dust off filth and dispel summer heat, thereby emptying the heart." The signature read "Fengshen."
The emperor nodded after hearing this. He picked up another piece of cake, put it in his mouth, swallowed slowly, and asked, "Then we'll receive him at your Chongxuan Office?"
Yang Qingkong smiled. "It is His Majesty's Chongxuan Office."
The emperor clapped his hands. "Between family, no need for two kinds of talk."
"The Lu Emperor flows like water, the Yang Family's Cloud Sky Palace stands like iron."
This rebellious saying had been circulating both in court and among the people for many years. But it had to be admitted that both the Chongxuan Office and Cloud Sky Palace had reached greater heights under this Lu Emperor's reign.
Cloud Sky Palace was a typical descendant temple, with one family inheriting the position, similar to Dragon Tiger Mountain. In fact, Yang Ningzhen and Yang Ningxing, the two brothers, had gone to the Five Colors World, and the emperor had placed great hopes on them.
The next day, at the Chongxuan Office, the Lu Emperor met the young Hidden Official, who had arrived punctually as agreed, not making the emperor wait even a moment.
The actual Chongxuan Office, where court Daoist officials served, occupied a modest area. The emperor hosted the blue-shirted sword immortal in a secluded courtyard within the premises. The courtyard was filled with ancient towering trees. Apart from National Teacher Yang Qingkong and a young prince, there were no outsiders.
Chen Ping'an followed Yang Qingkong into the courtyard and made a salute.
The Lu Emperor had already stood up to wait and returned the salute with cupped fists. The young prince beside him addressed Chen Ping'an as "Mr. Chen" and performed a respectful bow. After rising, the prince looked at the blue-shirted sword immortal with eyes full of curiosity, longing, reverence, and admiration.
Chen Ping'an's visit to the Chongxuan Office actually had three purposes. First, to thank the Dayuan Dynasty for clearing the path and protecting the early river-walking of Chen Lingjun of the Fallen Mountain. When a flood dragon of the jiao-dragon type walks through a river, it takes away a considerable portion of the water fortune. For a great dynasty like Dayuan, this was a real loss. Hence, throughout the ages, dynasties and vassal states would only obstruct and create difficulties when such water-walking passed through their territory, never mind protecting the path or making way. Second, to discuss cross-continent trade with the Lu Emperor. Third, to negotiate the purchase of Duckweed Water Island.
When it came down to it, everything was still about money.
The Lu Emperor was extremely decisive. Regarding the river-walking matter, he didn't engage in any pleasantries. He straightforwardly said that if not for Lingyuan Gong Shen Lin and Dragon Pavilion Marquis Li Yuan having already informed the Dayuan court in advance, and if they hadn't known Mr. Chen at the time, they would never have allowed passage. But times were different now. So if there were similar river-walking in the future, a notification would suffice. Dayuan and all its vassals would allow passage. As for cross-continent trade, Yang Qingkong had already discussed the general outline with Chen Ping'an at the Academy's Merit Forest. So today, the emperor directly produced a booklet—not thin—which contained standard prices for various Dayuan local specialties and mountain goods, with detailed and concise annotations. It also included different tiers of commission schemes for the Fallen Mountain, and the Ministry of Revenue officials who would handle specific matters with the Fallen Mountain in the future... Everything was clear and neat. Chen Ping'an flipped through it and understood at a glance.
Chen Ping'an closed the booklet and smiled. "Your Majesty has put in much thought. The Fallen Mountain has no objections. If things go as expected, within sixty years..."
The Lu Emperor seemed a little surprised. "Mr. Chen won't haggle a bit? That would take away some of the fun. Even when drinking wine, there'd be no good reason. The Chongxuan Office has quite a few century-aged vintages of Third Watch Wine stored away."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "If Your Majesty doesn't mind, why not skip the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven's Third Watch Wine? I happen to have a few jugs of my own liquor store's wine."
The emperor asked, "Is it the Green God Mountain wine from the Sword Qi Great Wall?"
Chen Ping'an gave a wry smile. How could it sound like he was offering the emperor fake wine?
No matter. He could remedy that. Chen Ping'an took out three jugs of wine and placed them on the table. Then he pulled a scroll of calligraphy from his sleeve and handed it to the young prince. He smiled and said, "This is my master's calligraphy scroll."
The prince's face instantly flushed. He quickly stood up, took the calligraphy scroll by Master Wensheng with both hands, thanked him, and sat back down, cradling the scroll reverently.
Regarding the purchase of Duckweed Water Island, it was simple. Yang Qingkong said that the Chongxuan Office would send a letter to the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall. Dayuan's thirty percent share would be waived as a token of thanks for Mr. Chen's visit to the Chongxuan Office.
After they each drank some Green God Mountain wine, Chen Ping'an prepared to take his leave. The young prince suddenly tugged lightly at the emperor's sleeve. The emperor smiled and asked, "Mr. Chen, in your opinion, does Lu Jun have any talent for martial arts?"
This question was naturally superfluous. Whether a prince had talent, be it for cultivation or martial arts, didn't require waiting until adolescence to ask an outsider.
Chen Ping'an said, "Very average."
The prince's expression dimmed.
Chen Ping'an then added with a smile, "However, practicing martial arts is a bit different from cultivation. It does depend on talent, but it also doesn't. For instance, my own talent for martial arts was also quite ordinary back when I started. I just trained very hard. If you want to find a martial arts teacher, I could reluctantly fill that role. But we wouldn't count as formal master and disciple."
The prince's face instantly lit up. Training martial arts was a secondary concern; finding an impressive instructor was the top priority! And the only person he had ever considered as a potential master was once far away, but now right before his eyes.
In the end, Chen Ping'an also gave Lu Jun a boxing manual and spoke a few rough guidelines on training. The Lu Emperor and National Teacher Yang Qingkong exchanged a glance, both surprised. It was actually a handwritten copy of the Mountain-Shaking Fist. Did this young Hidden Official have a pugilistic connection with the Great-Stamping martial artist Gu You?
Chen Ping'an had entered through the main gate of the Chongxuan Office today, and he left the same way.
The Lu Emperor and the other two escorted him all the way to the gate, watching the blue-shirted figure fly away on the wind.
The emperor said softly with a smile, "I imagined many scenarios for our meeting, but when we actually sat down to talk, it felt like there was nothing to it."
Even when drinking wine, it felt like drinking tea, even a bit bland.
Yang Qingkong reminded him with a mental voice, "Your Majesty, do not let your guard down. This is where this person's true cultivation is formidable."
The emperor nodded. He looked at the son beside him, the one he valued most. The young prince still didn't know that he was about to be made the Crown Prince of Dayuan. The emperor withdrew his gaze and said to the National Teacher with a smile, "Then I'll keep an eye on the money for a few more years."
After leaving the Dayuan Dynasty, Chen Ping'an flew swiftly through the air, only occasionally slowing down and descending in the night when he saw the lights of mortal settlements below, skimming past those human cities. There were many sights, but he still had little time to take them in. The heavens and earth were vast, and there were still fine mountains that poetry didn't know. Rivers and streams rippled, rising and falling with the moon. In the alleyways, roosters crowed and dogs barked; in the markets, the pounding of night-husking echoed harshly...
Instead of heading straight to Wooden Servant Ferry to present his card and visit the Water Dragon Sect, Chen Ping'an first went to see the new water mansion of Lingyuan Gong Shen Lin. He suddenly understood why the Water Dragon Sect was short of money. With only the wealth of the old Nanxun Water Palace, Shen Lin could never have built such a Duke's mansion. Moreover, given the old Water Administrator Li Yuan's relationship with the Water Dragon Sect, the Dragon Pavilion Marquis's water mansion was also bound to have incurred debts with the Water Dragon Sect.
When Shen Lin saw Chen Ping'an, he immediately sent a message to the Dragon Pavilion Marquis's mansion. A great river's duke and marquis could travel through water almost as fast as a Flying Ascension cultivator. So, Chen Ping'an only had to wait less than half an hour before seeing Li Yuan, who appeared as a black-clad youth. When Li Yuan heard that Chen Ping'an was going to spend money to buy Duckweed Water Island, he was deeply grieved. He jumped up and spat in the direction of the Water Dragon Sect, saying that place was practically his territory already. What face did Sun Jie and Shao Jingzhi have to ask for money? But when he heard from Chen Ping'an about the situation with Floating Sword Lake and the Chongxuan Office, Li Yuan didn't immediately go to curse at the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall. He suggested to Shen Lin that they both write a letter to the Water Dragon Sect. Shen Lin glanced at Chen Ping'an, who subtly shook his head, so he didn't agree with the unruly Li Yuan.
Li Yuan sat carelessly in a chair and asked with puzzlement, "Brother Chen, since you don't need Shen Lin and me to help, is there anything else you specially came all this way for?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Chen Lingjun's river-walking was successful, which was no easy feat. Since I happened to pass by the Jidu, I had to come and properly thank you two."
Li Yuan kicked off his boots, crossed his legs, and said with mock hurt, "Then why didn't you come to my mansion? What, do you think Shen Lin's official hat is bigger than mine, so you came here? The way you treat a brother is pretty shitty."
Li Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at the young blue-shirted sword immortal, then at the rather attractive Shen Lin, and grinned knowingly. Ah, I understand. He coughed, bent down, didn't bother with shoes, picked up a boot in each hand, and headed for the door. "I'll go guard the door now. Is half an hour enough for you two?"
Shen Lin smiled, unconcerned.
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Let me be clear upfront: when you come with me to the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, don't talk nonsense like that. Otherwise, you're not coming."
Li Yuan asked doubtfully, "Is there a woman traveling with you?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I brought my wife."
Li Yuan slapped the chair and laughed loudly. "A man having three wives, four concubines, and five or six Dao partners—what could be better?!"
Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and said with a half-smile, "Say that again. Dragon Pavilion Marquis, go ahead and say your fill here. After you're done, I'll take you over."
Li Yuan crossed his arms, tilted his head, and squinted. "So what? Is she stronger than you, or can she beat me?"
Chen Ping'an stood up. "Forget it. You stay here. I'll go to the Water Dragon Sect alone."
Li Yuan quickly put on his boots and swore, "What are you thinking? Am I that kind of person who doesn't know when to be tactful? When I meet my sister-in-law, I guarantee I'll make you look good."
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then still decided to bring Li Yuan along.
After Liu Jinglong left the Lock Cloud Sect territory, he quietly visited the Parasol Flower Mountain. Then he returned to his sect's Gentle Flutter Peak and found Whitehead, telling him to go on a journey next time he descended the mountain, to Cloud Wild Goose State, and investigate some matters concerning the ninth-tier martial artist Cui Gongzhuang.
Whitehead sat on a bamboo chair, crossing his legs and rubbing his chin. "Cui Gongzhuang, I've heard of him. A Grand Master. His martial arts are not bad. As the chief guest elder of Lock Cloud Sect, he's very efficient at killing Qi refiners."
Liu Jinglong roughly described the sword challenge process. Whitehead asked doubtfully, "Cui Gongzhuang is already in such a state. What's there to worry about? In the future, when he sees my brother Chen, won't he go out of his way?"
Liu Jinglong shook his head. "Chen Ping'an isn't worried about him climbing the martial artist's path and going berserk with his fists. He's worried about what goes on behind the scenes. In Cloud Wild Goose State, where the martial world has long bowed to Cui Gongzhuang, he and his disciples and disciples' disciples run rampant without restraint."
Whitehead said, "With Nourishing Cloud Peak as a precedent to warn against, and that vague hundred-year agreement, Cui Gongzhuang will definitely restrain himself a little."
Liu Jinglong smiled. "Once you go to Cloud Wild Goose State to travel, Cui Gongzhuang will naturally understand a certain principle."
Whitehead tested, "Do you mean that besides you two, there is another person like me, of a lower generation, who will intermittently keep an eye on his sect and disciples?"
Liu Jinglong nodded with a smile.
His first senior disciple was naturally not stupid.
This kind of filling in the gaps and covering all bases—Liu Jinglong would handle it meticulously without Chen Ping'an having to say a word. Even if it weren't Whitehead going down the mountain to travel to Cloud Wild Goose State, it would be another core disciple of the sect.
Liu Jinglong stood up. "I'm going back to Lock Cloud Sect immediately. I need to stay there for a while. Don't slack off on your sword training on the mountain."
Whitehead nodded. "Go ahead. I've got the Taihui Sword Sect covered. Who would dare to challenge us?"
Liu Jinglong asked with a smile, "What about fist fights?"
Whitehead barked, "Who's the master here?!"
Liu Jinglong's figure flickered and vanished, heading to Lock Cloud Sect.
On the Rain Listening Peak of the Lock Cloud Sect ancestral mountain, which was the cultivation estate of the old ancestor Feiqing, Wei Jingsui looked at a secret letter in his hand, his expression fluctuating, his heart filled with shock.
If what the letter said was true, then the sect master of an entire sect—a full-fledged Immortal—had essentially walked to the gates of hell without knowing it.
If anyone else in the Northern Juzhou Continent had sent this secret letter, Wei Jingsui would have thought it was a malicious attempt at sowing discord, a deadly divide-and-conquer scheme.
But since it was Liu Jinglong, Wei Jingsui was willing to believe it to some extent.
In the end, Wei Jingsui laughed. "Well, well, a land-bound flood dragon indeed has a promising Great Way. I underestimated you and the Taihui Sword Sect."
"Fine. I'll do as you say. If it really works out and we successfully root out this treacherous, clan-betraying, master-betraying family thief, then I'll publicly apologize to your Taihui Sword Sect and personally climb the mountain to present my apologies. Why would I mind?"
The reasons he agreed to let Liu Jinglong conceal himself within the Lock Cloud Sect ancestral mountain were threefold.
First, Liu Jinglong's swordsmanship was exceptional. Once he broke through to the Immortal realm, his killing power would be extremely high.
Second, in the past, it was only said that Liu Jinglong liked to reason and was somewhat pedantic. It turned out that wasn't the case at all. A man like this, serving as a sect master, should never be lightly provoked.
Third, Liu Jinglong also had a sword immortal friend called Chen Ping'an, who came from the Sword Qi Great Wall. More importantly, this man's moods were unpredictable. He and Liu Jinglong had climbed the mountain together and played off each other flawlessly.
Wei Jingsui was sure that once this foreign sword immortal got ruthless, he would be even more unconstrained than Liu Jinglong. And yet, he was meticulous in his thinking. This kind of ruthless, unpredictable sword immortal—it was normal not to be friends with him, but never make a real enemy of him.
Wei Jingsui suddenly thought of someone: Jiang Shangzhen.
Inside the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, one of the Thirty-Six Lesser Cave Heavens, Chen Ping'an first finalized the transaction with Sun Jie and Shao Jingzhi of the Water Dragon Sect. He obtained a mountain-deed signed and sealed by the Fallen Mountain, the Water Dragon Sect, the Dayuan Chongxuan Office, and Floating Sword Lake. The price was so fair that Chen Ping'an's conscience felt uneasy. Finally, he and Li Yuan set foot on Duckweed Water Island.
When Li Yuan saw the sword-carrying woman walking slowly towards them, he thought, "Huh, not bad-looking. Barely worthy of my brother Chen. Eh? Can't even see her cultivation level?"
Li Yuan was about to speak when Chen Ping'an reached out and pressed his head. "What did you promise me?"
Li Yuan said "oh" and asked her, "Miss, what's your name?"
Ning Yao glanced at the grinning Chen Ping'an and said, "Ning Yao."