Chapter 815: Moonlight
Upon hearing that the woman before her claimed to be Ning Yao, although there might be many people with the same name throughout the world, Li Yuan wasn't stupid. After all, on the Sword Qi Great Wall that Chen Ping'an had traveled, there was absolutely no second Ning Yao.
Li Yuan's legs trembled. He quickly grabbed Chen Ping'an's arm. This former Grand River Water God's ability to remedy a situation after it was too late was truly exceptional. Because he felt guilty, he dared not look at Ning Yao. Li Yuan only said a single sentence to Chen Ping'an that seemed divinely inspired: "Chen Ping'an, brothers are brothers, but truth is truth. You truly don't deserve Sword Immortal Ning."
Could you just casually call her "Miss Ning"? You should call her Sword Immortal Ning!
Whether that Sword Immortal Ning would appreciate the title, Li Yuan didn't know and didn't dare guess. However, fortunately, on Chen Ping'an's side, he seemed to be laughing very happily, very sincerely, as if he felt Li Yuan's words were completely unproblematic.
Li Yuan finally felt a bit reassured. He carefully turned around, straightened the lapels of his water robe, and bowed with cupped hands, saying, "Li Yuan of the Ji River, pays respects to Sword Immortal Ning."
Ning Yao formed a sword technique seal with one hand and said, "Ning Yao of Ascension City, pays respects to Marquis Li of the Ji River."
Li Yuan had been promoted to Grand River Dragon Pavilion Marquis, and in recent years had received enfeoffment recognition from the Confucian Temple. It was like the topmost mountain marquises and dukes in the landscape officialdom, not much different from being listed among the immortals.
Thus, Ning Yao addressing him as "Marquis Li" was a very appropriate form of respect.
Li Yuan's face was full of brilliant smiles, but in reality, he was deeply pained, truly and sincerely.
This glorious scene, why hadn't anyone used immortal arts to copy it down? If they had, he could have had the portrait properly framed and hung in the main hall of his marquis mansion where guests were received, using it directly as the hall plaque!
Regarding Ning Yao's deeds and rumors, there was actually a dividing line. Before the great war that swept through Haoran, the main thing said about Ning Yao was this: the genius sword cultivators of the world could only be divided into three types. The first were those Sword Qi Great Wall sword immortal seeds who could enter the Nascent Soul stage within sixty years. The second were the hundred-year-old Golden Cores of the Haoran world. The last type was, of course, Ning Yao alone.
After the fifth world was established and its gates opened, Ning Yao's reputation climbed several more major steps. In fact, before the Confucian Temple's gates closed, some mountain rumors had been sent back to Haoran. For example, Ning Yao had broken through realms one after another without any suspense, with an irresistible momentum that left people dazzled. This meant that Ning Yao had gained the recognition of the Great Dao of that world. Hence, the mountain summit cultivators of Haoran were all firmly convinced that this young woman sword cultivator would be the number one person of that entire world in the future.
This was no longer a matter of the Great Dao being achievable; it was because Ning Yao was destined to reach the summit of the Great Dao. Moreover, for a very long time to come, at the mountain summit of that world, she would be alone, with no one beside her.
Additionally, there was a rather mysterious mountain saying: If anyone dared to kill Ning Yao now, even if they were a fourteenth-realm grand cultivator, they absolutely must not go to the Multicolored World in the future. They would surely die, and certainly die inexplicably.
Li Yuan deeply believed in fate.
Little Rice secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good, good. Today, it wasn't a woman who appeared alongside good-guy Mountain Lord. She had heard that the Grand River Lingyuan Lord was also a beautiful woman.
But it seemed that besides White Head of Perran Peak, there was now another person who called the good-guy Mountain Lord brother.
Pei Qian thanked Li Yuan. Chen Lingjun's recent incident of walking through the River had been greatly assisted by Li Yuan. Moreover, during the disturbance at Infant Mountain's Thunder God Residence, this Dragon Pavilion Marquis had shown great jianghu loyalty. After Chen Lingjun returned to Fallen Mountain, he often mentioned this matter to Warm Tree and Little Rice, saying that when it came to making friends, he really wasn't bragging; he had opened his spiritual eye.
In the world, besides his own master, who naturally ranked first, Chen Lingjun himself should rank second, then Warm Tree and Little Rice could tie for third. Because fools have fool's luck, lucky enough to know the first and second.
But when he turned around, Little Rice immediately went to show off to Pei Qian, and the consequences for Senior Jing Qing were predictable.
Ning Yao asked, "This Water Floating Island, what price did the Water Dragon Sect offer? How many Guyu coins?"
The Dragon Palace Cave Heaven was universally recognized in Beiju Luzhou as a blessed place for cultivation. The climate was like spring all year round, with no summer heat or winter cold, though it was rainy. Those who cultivated here were mostly earthly immortal cultivators who lacked neither immortal money nor practiced water methods. Whenever it rained, they would use various lifebound objects to intercept the rainwater and absorb it into their personal small heavens. In fact, mountain cultivation was mostly like this. Apart from opportunities, it relied on accumulated, water-grinding effort over time. The Nascent Soul and Flying Ascension realm cultivators were jokingly called "thousand-year turtles and ten-thousand-year tortoises." Speaking only of the Nascent Soul stage, besides avoiding worldly entanglements and heavenly tribulations, one needed to make progress bit by bit in cultivation to increase the odds of breaking through bottlenecks.
On the island, besides a celestial mansion that had been continuously renovated by successive owners—which itself was worth a considerable amount of immortal money—there were also four immortal relic sites: the Plunge Pool, Yongle Mountain Grotto, Iron Workshop Ruins, and the Ascension Princess Stele. While waiting for Chen Ping'an, Ning Yao had taken Pei Qian and the others around to see them all. Pei Qian was very interested in the Ascension Stele. Little Rice liked the Plunge Pool, which was rich in water luck, and was planning to build a small thatched hut there. The white-haired boy had already declared that the grotto and the iron workshop were his, and no one else should take them. It seemed that before Chen Ping'an had even bought Water Floating Island, the territory had already been completely divided up.
Chen Ping'an lightly stamped his foot on the ground and laughed, "This Water Floating Island is, within the small cave heaven, one of the three most suitable places for cultivation besides the main city island. According to the Water Dragon Sect's estimate, the original price was two hundred Guyu coins. Because the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven is co-owned by three parties—the Chongxuan Office and the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake didn't charge anything, and the Water Dragon Sect takes forty percent—the opening price was eighty Guyu coins. I was too embarrassed to bargain and have already sent a flying sword message to Fallen Mountain to send the money immediately."
Actually, initially, the Water Dragon Sect was quite unwilling to sell Water Floating Island. In their very few ancestral hall meetings, they tended to favor leasing it, even for a period of three to five hundred years. But they simply couldn't withstand the successive secret letters from Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, the Chongxuan Office, and the Lingyuan Lord Manor, so they finally made an exception for this young mountain lord of Fallen Mountain in Baopingzhou. This wasn't because the Water Dragon Sect was being petty, haggling over immortal money, but because it involved the Great Dao luck of a small cave heaven.
Earlier, while discussing the transaction in the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall, Chen Ping'an learned that Li Yuan, a former water god, had been seated on the right-hand chair. Moreover, the two Jade Purity realm cultivators of the Northern and Southern Schools, Sun Jie and Shao Jingzhi, seemed to find nothing unusual about this.
Ning Yao hesitated for a moment, then said, "When I came here, I brought some money with me."
In the Ascension City of the Multicolored World, the Spring Treasury would precisely calculate accounts according to set rules, all based on the war merits earned by sword cultivators. Additionally, each time a sword cultivator broke through a realm, they would receive a sum of money from the Ascension City Spring Treasury for forging swords. But when it came to Ning Yao, how was it calculated? What could Gao Yeyu and the entire Spring Treasury do? They could only grit their teeth and do the math. For example, Ning Yao was the first Jade Purity realm sword cultivator of Ascension City and the brand-new world, also the first Immortal realm, the first Flying Ascension realm... Moreover, one had to add the merits for slaying deities, especially the twelve high-level ancient one-eyed deities, plus the salary of the Hidden Official lineage sword cultivators... The Spring Treasury cultivators, looking at the ledger opened exclusively for Ning Yao, felt both proud and heartbroken.
So, now Ning Yao had become the largest creditor of Ascension City. Simply put, she was extremely rich.
Chen Ping'an complained, "What kind of talk is that? That's not right."
Ning Yao looked at Chen Ping'an, then glanced at the Dragon Pavilion Marquis, who was deliberately putting on a stupid expression while perking up his ears. She smiled and said nothing. When you talk, why not just glare and raise your voice? Wouldn't that show more of the husband's authority in front of a friend?
The group walked towards the ready-made celestial mansion.
This Dragon Palace Cave Heaven in Beiju Luzhou, along with Lion Peak and the Lucun Pit at sea, all had a former identity as one of Li Liu's summer retreat palaces.
Li Yuan wasn't sure if Chen Ping'an knew about this now. Last time Li Liu appeared here, Chen Ping'an, as a fellow townsman, seemed to have still been kept in the dark.
Li Yuan took a jade token from his sleeve. One side was carved with a dragon pattern, the other with the ancient seal script "Jun Qing Yu Xiang." He handed it to Chen Ping'an. Now that Chen Ping'an was the owner of Water Floating Island, both emotionally and logically, publicly and privately, Li Yuan should give him this token that controlled the island's formation nexus. He said, "If you're just operating the mountain protection formation, the token doesn't need to be refined. I told you this last time. But the truly profound aspect is that the token contains a piece of ancient water method mantra. Once a cultivator successfully refines it as a lifebound object, they can summon a deity and manifest a dharma form equivalent to a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. If fighting in a great river or waterway, the dharma form's combat power can be considered that of a Jade Purity realm. After all, this is a deity from the old Heavenly Court who was in charge of the important rainfall duties of the Water Department. His official rank is not low. The true name of the deity is 'Jun Qing.' 'Yu Xiang' (Rain Aspect) sounds like a big official."
Chen Ping'an put it into his sleeve, having his own plans. In fact, just this Yu Xiang jade token was probably more valuable than the entire Water Floating Island. He joked, "Doesn't this transaction with the Water Dragon Sect amount to making you lose a water method treasure of semi-immortal weapon rank?"
Li Yuan rolled his eyes. "Even if an ordinary cultivator bought Water Floating Island, would I give them this? Of course not; I'd just say I accidentally lost it. If they want to operate the formation, they can rely on their own ability to find some immortal treasure to replace it. Why should I be polite with you? Besides, if you hadn't been unwilling to accept it back then, I would have given you the jade token much earlier. This thing is chicken ribs to me. As a former Grand River Water God, it was actually inappropriate for me to refine it. It's like in officialdom: how dare a local yamen clerk command a high-ranking minister in the capital?"
Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "But the dharma form of 'Jun Qing,' even if you refined it, it probably wouldn't be a big problem, right?"
Li Yuan smiled but didn't speak.
Chen Ping'an immediately understood. This water department celestial official deity named Jun Qing had not fallen ten thousand years ago. Rather, similar to the deities that Ma Kuxuan of True Martial Mountain had "invited down," he was still under the command of the Confucian Temple, following certain rules established by Ritual Saint, hidden behind the scenes, continuing to govern part of the operation of the world's water and luck. Thus, whether it was a former River Water God or the now high-ranking Dragon Pavilion Marquis, neither was suitable for it.
They sat down in the main hall. Pei Qian and Little Rice were already familiar with the place. Earlier, they had fetched water buckets and cloths and worked together to clean the place until it was spotless.
Chen Ping'an said, "We'll only sit here for a while, then leave immediately. So, I still need to ask you for a favor."
Li Yuan remembered something and said, "Are you referring to the Golden Tally and Jade Tally Ritual Altars in October? Earlier, didn't you give me two Guyu coins and leave that name register? For the past twenty-plus years, I've handled it every year. If it's about this, you don't need to worry. It's become an annual tradition of Water Floating Island. The Water Dragon Sect also takes it very seriously and would never dare to be negligent."
On the tenth day of the tenth month, all gods and deities of the heavens and earth are in their positions. Mortals in the world mostly send winter clothes to their ancestors and offer sacrifices to them. The Water Dragon Sect cultivators at this place would carefully cut out five-colored paper clothes, and various shops would attach a small stove. However, burning the paper money followed the custom of doing it on the day before and after the tenth day of the tenth month. This way, it wouldn't disturb the rest of the deceased ancestors, and it would be most beneficial for both one's own ancestors and various passing ghosts and deities.
The following day, the fifteenth day of the tenth month, is the Water Official's Day of Deliverance from Calamity. One can pray for deliverance from calamities for ancestors and accumulate blessings for the deceased. The ritual ceremony held by the Water Dragon Sect was even more solemn and, of course, more expensive. Apart from mountain cultivators from all over the continent, mostly generals, ministers, and nobles from large dynasties could participate. They would hire Water Dragon Sect experts to write the names and native places of their ancestors on talisman paper. Some wealthy great dynasties, after wars, would also send high officials from the Ministry of Rites to come here specially to commemorate the martyrs, pray for them, burn incense and light lamps, and accumulate blessings for their next lives.
Chen Ping'an said, "Two Guyu coins are far from enough. Tell me, how much immortal money have you been supplementing for me all these years? I need to make it up."
Back then, Chen Ping'an hadn't expected to be unable to return home from the Sword Qi Great Wall for so long. He had thought that at most every few years, he could travel to Beiju Luzhou again and return to the Water Dragon Sect.
Li Yuan wanted to refuse. What were a few immortal coins? But then he thought about the landscape rules involved in these offerings and gave an approximate figure. He asked Chen Ping'an to shell out another ten Guyu coins, enough and more; there was no need to worry about being short a single Snow Coin. Chen Ping'an directly gave him twenty Guyu coins. Li Yuan asked how many years this might need to continue, and Chen Ping'an said about a hundred years.
If there was reincarnation, a mortal might reach seventy years old, which could be considered a lifetime. So a hundred years would be about right. If someone reincarnated and could continue to cultivate on the mountain path, Chen Ping'an hoped to meet them again if fate allowed.
Chen Ping'an then took out ten golden talismans he had prepared long ago, recorded in the "True Trace of the Dan Script." He asked Li Yuan to help burn them on the Golden Tally altar in the future, one per year.
Li Yuan didn't pay much attention at first, but when he got them and looked, his expression changed instantly. He put them into his sleeve, then stared blankly at that too-impulsive young man in green robe. His heart said, "Chen Ping'an, why must you do this?! It will diminish your own fortune and fate! And burning one talisman every year is simply too frequent. This violates taboos even more than mountain cultivators wearing down their cultivation. If you hadn't already reached the Jade Purity realm, I would have cursed you for losing your mind."
Chen Ping'an's eyes were bright. He said, "I only hope that sincerity is the key."
Li Yuan sighed quietly in his heart and said helplessly, "How did I come to have a friend like you?"
Chen Ping'an turned his head and looked outside the house. He smiled and said, "I suspect that before we leave, Water Floating Island will have another guest."
Li Yuan nodded. "It's probably Shao Jingzhi. When it comes to welcoming and seeing off guests, she puts more thought into it than Sun Jie of the Northern School."
Sure enough, Shao Jingzhi of the Southern School, accompanied by an old woman leaning on a dragon-headed staff, came to call on the new owner of Water Floating Island.
Shao Jingzhi was a Jade Purity realm cultivator, skilled in maintaining her youthful appearance. She looked like a young woman, dressed in a simple elegant dharma robe, her hair loosely tied up, with light makeup.
The old woman was a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, and by seniority, she was the sect master Sun Jie's grandaunt. Before crossing the threshold, she intentionally paused for a moment, raised her hand to smooth her hair at her temples, but her dry fingers could only brush through snow-white hair.
Chen Ping'an had come alone to the steps outside the door. He smiled and greeted them with cupped fists.
Shao Jingzhi had come to deliver a congratulatory gift. The person buying Water Floating Island turned out to be a genuine sect master, which had greatly surprised her earlier in the ancestral hall.
Because in the ancestral hall, Li Yuan had been very biased. The black-robed youth, who had gone from Water God to Dragon Pavilion Marquis, said little—just a few words. One of those words was that this friend of his was the sect master of a mountain. Therefore, logically speaking, Sun Jie and Shao Jingzhi should have welcomed him at the Wunu Ferry.
Then Shao Jingzhi learned that the mountain sect this person belonged to had just become a sect not long ago. She now had a reason to visit this Chen sect master. She brought him a water-attributed spiritual treasure foreign object called "mie meng" (midge), shaped like mosquitoes and flies, but nicknamed "little ink flood dragon" in the mountain world. It was housed in a small bamboo cage woven from green sacred mountain bamboo, shrouded in watery mist. Chen Ping'an politely declined a few times, but eventually, it would have been impolite to refuse.
However, benefits like these—take today, give tomorrow, with coming and going—were similar to the monetary gifts at weddings and banquets in the mortal world. Neither side could really claim an advantage.
For example, if the Southern School of the Water Dragon Sect had a celebration in the future, Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain would naturally have to show their appreciation. Even if people couldn't attend, gifts had to be present. So what both sides were really gaining was that bond of shared fellowship.
Chen Ping'an and Shao Jingzhi weren't actually familiar with each other, so they just exchanged pleasantries. But Shao Jingzhi was good at making conversation, and Chen Ping'an was also good at following along. Their casual chat was not at all stiff, as if they were old friends catching up. Li Yuan only interjected one sentence, saying, "This brother of mine, Chen, is the best of friends with Liu Jinglong." Shao Jingzhi smiled and nodded, but inside, her mind was churning. Could it be that the foreign sword immortal who had previously challenged Suoyun Sect together with Liu Jinglong was the man before her?
Shao Jingzhi regretted deeply that her gift was too light.
Throughout this, the old woman said not a single word. In her eyes, there was no Chen sect master, only Li Yuan, who looked young and would remain young forever.
The last time they had met again after a long time was in the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall. At that time, Li Yuan's form had coalesced from specks of golden light and sat on the right-hand first seat. His face was young, but his spirit was withered. Now, with the great river's water luck condensed upon him, the black-robed youth had a complete and perfect aura. This was the benefit of ascending to the rank of a great river marquis and then receiving personal recognition from a Confucian Temple college grand sacrifice by the water. The elderly Nascent Soul woman, who had no hope of breaking through another realm in this lifetime, seemed happier seeing this scene than if she herself had advanced to the upper five realms.
The old woman's weathered face, no longer attractive, and her eyes, no longer clear and clever, still held many unspoken words.
Like a love letter never sent, started with the first stroke in her maiden days, and never stopped writing even when her hair was white.
In the world, not all male-female emotions are like sowing a grain of millet in spring and reaping ten thousand seeds in autumn. Sometimes there is no spring sowing and autumn harvest, and the heart's field can become barren, overgrown with weeds, yet the weeds can never be completely burned away, and they grow again with the spring breeze.
Finally, Chen Ping'an and Li Yuan together saw Shao Jingzhi and the old woman to the island's ferry.
After they left on a talisman boat, Chen Ping'an asked softly, "Is there a story there?"
Li Yuan rolled his eyes. "Nothing to tell."
As they walked back to the mansion, Li Yuan smiled and asked, "You won't blame me for being too talkative?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "A few words only, like dotting the eyes of a painted dragon—perfectly timed."
Li Yuan sighed, clasped his hands behind his head, and said, "Sun Jie doesn't much like networking, but he won't lack the necessary formalities. He's probably waiting for news and then meeting you at Wunu Ferry. If he had come to Water Floating Island first, given Shao Jingzhi's temperament, she probably wouldn't have come. This woman, Shao Jingzhi, seems clever, but her thinking is too simple. She never considers Sun Jie's concessions and good intentions in these trivial matters."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Then let's not keep Sect Master Sun waiting too long."
Li Yuan sighed with emotion. "When you become a sect master, maintaining a clean reputation is one thing. But being considerate of others and thorough in your concerns is not easy. The bigger the family business, the harder it will become."
He had seen the Water Dragon Sect rise bit by bit and then split into the Northern and Southern Schools. Li Yuan hadn't always been this lazy and uninterested. In fact, in the early years, when the Water Dragon Sect was rising to become a sect, Li Yuan had contributed greatly, whether in planning or personally doing things. He had earned the right hand seat in the ancestral hall without any guilt. But as time passed, he gradually became less willing to meddle in affairs. Even when Fire Dragon Patriarch once scolded him for being like mud that can't be plastered on a wall, he accepted it.
Chen Ping'an nodded. "An old principle."
Li Yuan said, "Chen Ping'an, don't ever let Fallen Mountain become a second Water Dragon Sect."
Chen Ping'an clasped his hands in his sleeves and walked slowly along the shore. Smiling, he said, "I'll try."
Although Li Yuan looked somewhat like their own Senior Jing Qing, they were actually quite different. The former was just lazy, but he understood everything clearly in his heart. As for the latter, he was truly dim-witted.
So, as the Dragon Pavilion Marquis, Li Yuan would only thrive and not be overshadowed by Shen Lin's Lingyuan Lord Manor. If Chen Lingjun were in charge, he would probably be throwing banquets every day, continuous feasts, until one day he suddenly discovered, "What? No money left?"
Li Yuan asked cautiously, "Since your wife is Ning Yao, then that young top ten man under heaven, the Hidden Official Chen?"
Chen Ping'an smiled faintly. "You guess."
Li Yuan stood on tiptoe and patted Chen Ping'an's shoulder, grinning. "Master Chen, where does it hurt? Want me to rub it?"
Chen Ping'an put on a stern face and said, "How dare you! Call me Mountain Lord Chen."
Without much time to look at Water Floating Island, Chen Ping'an left the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven.
As they rode a talisman boat, Chen Ping'an looked up at the great sun. According to Li Liu's leaked heavenly secrets back then, the suspended great sun's embryonic form was condensed from year after year of incense essence from the great river's middle shrine. Li Liu had dismissed it, giving the evaluation "rough embryo, improper method," saying that even if the Water Dragon Sect were given another ten thousand years to refine it, it wouldn't compare to the sun and moon that the virtuous Confucian scholar Chen Chun'an carried on his shoulders.
Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze and spoke to Ning Yao telepathically: "Earlier, I mentioned something to Liu Jinglong: in all these years, not a single Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator has appeared in Beiju Luzhou."
Beiju Luzhou was home to countless sword cultivators. Logically, it should have been the most likely place among the nine continents of Haoran to produce one or even two Flying Ascension realm sword cultivators.
One of the most important reasons was, of course, related to sword cultivators from Beiju Luzhou going to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Either they died there, their Great Dao was cut off, or they were severely wounded. The numbers were simply too high. For example, Liu Jinglong's master, the former sect master Han Huaizi, who was an Immortal realm cultivator, could have hoped to reach the Flying Ascension realm if he had only stayed at Taihui Sword Sect.
Even though there were many sword cultivators here, which inevitably meant sharing the continent's sword Dao luck among more people, there must be other reasons beyond that.
Ning Yao thought for a moment. "Bai Shang in the north is so careful with his life. He must have some scheme. Maybe he wants to become a Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator with an extremely solid foundation, unparalleled in Beiju Luzhou, past and present, and then push straight towards the fourteenth realm sword cultivator."
In fact, as long as Ning Yao was willing to think seriously about something, her insights were often extremely accurate.
"I heard from Pei Qian earlier that Bai Shang once said to He Xiaoliang of the Qingliang Sect that he would make sure she never reached the Flying Ascension realm in her lifetime. That man, Bai Shang, would never deliberately say threatening words just to shock people."
"This man has founded a sect for many years and has been stuck at the Immortal realm for centuries, yet he only accepts one direct disciple. If it were me, I would have already considered the Flying Ascension realm as something in the bag. So he would think it's more advantageous in the long run to focus on his own sword refinement rather than be distracted by sect affairs."
"Bai Shang's reputation on the Sword Qi Great Wall in his early years wasn't very good, but it wasn't bad either. He doesn't seem like someone who would shirk a sword duel. The reason he missed the previous great battle on the Sword Qi Great Wall and only followed Heavenly Lord Xie Shi to Baopingzhou after the Wild Continent had already reached Old Dragon City might be because he was waiting. He was willing to stake all his sword cultivator reputation on staying in Beiju Luzhou, waiting for a certain bottleneck-breaking opportunity that would be more like 'no drought and guaranteed harvest.'"
Chen Ping'an nodded and fell into thought.
Ning Yao's expression was a bit awkward, but she still said directly via telepathy, "I went to Floating Duckweed Sword Lake only because Li Cai was there, along with Chen Li and Gao Youqing, those juniors from my hometown."
Seemingly out of nowhere, she blurted out a strange statement.
Chen Ping'an snapped out of it and smiled. "Understood."
Ning Yao smiled and asked, "You're not secretly keeping a tab on Pei Qian, are you?"
Chen Ping'an asked in confusion, "Without rhyme or reason, why do you say that?"
Ning Yao nodded. "So that's it. You're playing dumb."
Chen Ping'an made as if to put his arm around her shoulder, but Ning Yao gently pushed him away and glared at him.
At the ferry, while returning the wooden token, the Water Dragon Sect female cultivator who had been all smiles was standing next to a Northern School disciplinary cultivator. He respectfully told Chen Ping'an something via telepathy.
Outside Wunu Ferry, three people appeared by the great river: Sect Master Sun Jie, Nascent Soul realm offering elder Wu Lingting, and ancestral hall direct disciple Bai Bi.
Chen Ping'an first sent a flying sword message to Colorful Sparrow Manor, then rode the wind to see Sect Master Sun Jie.
Chen Ping'an actually recognized that female disciple of the sect master. He knew she came from a powerful family in the Lotus Kingdom. What made him remember her wasn't just meeting her twice before, but because she owned a set of eighteen talisman coins bestowed by the Water Dragon Sect's ancestral hall and a guqin named "Scattered Snow." In that secret realm ruins back then, Bai Bi had fought quite spectacularly with Sun Qing of Colorful Sparrow Manor.
But Bai Bi didn't recognize the "old cultivator" who had once hugged a bamboo pole and refused to let go.
The gift Sect Master Sun Jie brought was a pair of Mooing Fish, found only in the deep pool restricted area of the Water Dragon Sect. These creatures were truly a once-in-a-hundred-years rarity, extremely scarce. What's more, Sun Jie showed great sincerity by directly presenting a pair, both male and female, which was even more rare. Even Li Yuan looked at him with new respect. After all, if one wasn't careful, it wouldn't just be the Water Dragon Sect that produced Mooing Fish anymore.
So Chen Ping'an took the initiative to say, "Sect Master Sun, if ever there's anything you need, please send a flying sword message to Fallen Mountain in Baopingzhou without hesitation. If we can help, we definitely won't refuse."
It wasn't just because the gift was valuable that Chen Ping'an said this; it was more due to the Golden Tally and Jade Tally offerings in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven.
Sun Jie cupped his fists in thanks, then couldn't help asking, "Is it Fallen Mountain next to Piyun Mountain?"
Earlier in the council hall, Li Yuan had only said this person was a sect master, not mentioning his mountain's roots.
But Sun Jie also only took it as a polite remark from a sect master from another continent, not taking it too seriously. After all, they weren't even in the same continent. The Water Dragon Sect cultivators always acted by the rules, making connections without making enemies. Moreover, the Water Dragon Sect's mountain allies weren't just Floating Duckweed Sword Lake and Dayuan's Chongxuan Office.
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. "I have some private friendship with Mountain Lord Wei. He has taken great care of my mountain. It was largely thanks to Mountain Lord Wei that I was able to barely make the leap to a sect."
Wu Lingting understood in his heart. No wonder. So this fellow had latched onto Piwei Mountain's Wei Po, the North Marchmount Mountain Lord of the continent.
This Water Dragon Sect offering elder, who had come from a rogue cultivator background, still didn't know where his direct disciple had gone, nor could he imagine that the man before him knew all about it—in fact, that disciple had gone to the Grand Observance Abbey in the Azure Underworld.
Pei Qian's expression was strange. There was one thing she still hadn't dared to tell her master a single word about, like how the nickname "Wei Night Traveler" had come about.
Little Rice was both disappointed that their own Fallen Mountain wasn't as famous as Mountain Lord Wei's Piyun Mountain, and also happy for Mountain Lord Wei. Remarkable, remarkable! Piyun Mountain's fame was as big as a ferry boat, drifting all the way to the Water Dragon Sect!
Little Rice resolved that when she got home, she would tell Mountain Lord Wei about it, so he could be happy and have more melon seeds to crack.
Afterward, the group rode the wind towards Skeleton Beach. However, before going to the Hemp Garment Mountain of the Coir Palanquin Sect, Chen Ping'an took a detour with Ning Yao and the others. They first went to South Mountain Temple at the southernmost end of the continent. Before offering incense, Chen Ping'an told the white-haired boy to wait outside. The latter nodded. After all, it was a Buddhist temple. In life, he had held a Daoist registrar's status in the Azure Underworld, and now he was an extra-celestial demon. Neither identity was suitable for entering a temple to burn incense.
South Mountain Temple had a spirit path that led into the sea, where a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva stood.
Pei Qian took off her bamboo box, set down her walking staff, and knelt to kowtow. Little Rice followed Pei Qian and also kowtowed.
Chen Ping'an held incense with both hands, raised it high above his head, closed his eyes, and silently made a wish in his heart.
Ning Yao also made a wish.
Later, Chen Ping'an planted two Bodhi trees at a place called Wonderful Gold Mountain.
Outside South Mountain Temple, the white-haired boy looked up at the Bodhisattva statue. He hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes, put his palms together, and prayed for someone.
May it be so.
Traveling over mountains and rivers, the scenery was beautiful. Meeting again after a long separation, old friends were safe and sound.
Entering a temple to burn incense, prayers were answered. A wanderer in a foreign land, met with the festival season again.
---
Today, outside the shop on Riding Dragon Alley, it seemed as if a curtain of rain had been drawn.
The blind old Daoist leaned on the counter, and the green-clad boy stood on a small stool. The two good brothers drank some little wine to satisfy their cravings.
In earlier years, when Pei Qian was still a little charcoal-black girl and attending the school, every rainy day she would bring Little Rice to step in the rainwater puddles on the steps. Pei Qian called it "Walking the Dragon Gate." Chen Lingjun thought it childish and only walked with them once.
As the two chatted, they spoke about the great difficulty of mountain cultivation. Chen Lingjun wiped his mouth and sighed, "Brother Jia, in my life of cultivation, my talent has been too good, so I've encountered no trials or tribulations. But here in this town, I've had a few great dangers, almost getting beaten into ascension in broad daylight. When I think back now, even though I have such heroic courage, I'm still a bit scared afterwards."
Cursing Ruan Qiong to his face, patting Lu Chen on the shoulder, openly challenging that Senior Cui on the second floor of the bamboo building—what a feat! Chen the Elder wouldn't even bother to talk about them.
Chen Lingjun clinked his bowl of wine with Jia Sheng, downed it in one gulp, raised one hand, and pressed his index and middle fingers together. "Thank goodness my karmic fortune is deep, and I'm clever myself, so I managed to turn danger into safety each time. But seriously, if I were just a little less clever, I would have been in trouble."
Needless to say, if there had been just one misstep in this land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the Northern Marchmount territory, there would probably be no more "little white stripe riding the waves" or "little Dragon King of Fallen Mountain."
Chen Lingjun raised his bowl of wine. "A true hero doesn't boast of past valor. My heroic spirit and lofty ambitions are all in the past. Now the two of us are doing pretty well, so we should toast."
Jia Sheng drank another bowl with Chen Lingjun. He noticed that the snacks on the counter were almost gone, so he immediately yelled for his disciple Jiu'er to go to the kitchen for a couple of small dishes. Then the old Daoist said with great emotion, "Not to mention Senior Jing Qing's current realm, just talking about his strategic thinking—I've traveled all over the continent's jianghu, and yours is the best I've ever seen, outstandingly good! If you ask me how good it is? Oh, there's a lot to it."
Chen Lingjun immediately poured Jia Sheng a bowl of wine and said, "How good? Old brother, tell me about it. I'm too modest, always given to self-deprecation. My master has advised me to change, but I just can't seem to fix it, so it's hard for me to see my own strengths."
Jia Sheng didn't need to prepare anything. Words from the heart, sincere words—did they need brewing? They were already in the wine. He took a sip and began: "It's the kind of goodness that ordinary people can't see at all—a hidden, concealed goodness. As the old saying goes, the truly smart have a dull appearance. You can't let others take one look at you and think you're clever, sharp, and full of tricks. That would be low-class. But not Senior Jing Qing. Usually, he shows nothing special. But when a critical moment comes, he unleashes a torrent of manly responsibility, immortal cunning, jianghu loyalty, and heroic bearing—everything at once, unstoppable. Isn't that right?"
Chen Lingjun nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, it must be."
He smacked his lips and chuckled. "Cao Qinglang doesn't know how to talk, so he doesn't fit our Fallen Mountain's style. That's why he got sent off to Tongyezhou. Poor thing, poor thing. What a pity!"
Jia Sheng nodded, stroking his beard as he held his bowl. "Knowledge alone, without the ability to speak—how can that work? Senior Jing Qing, you have to take some blame for this. Why don't you chat with him more on the mountain? That boy Cao Qinglang has excellent spiritual roots as a scholar. Otherwise, he couldn't have become the mountain lord's prized student. What he's slightly lacking is exactly this kind of worldly wisdom that books don't teach. Tell me, Brother Chen, isn't that your fault?"
"Alas, now that you say it, it really is my fault."
"Then let's have another one."
The two big shots in the shop seemed to never run out of topics for drinking. That was unique in itself.
Under the eaves outside the door, Jiang Shangzhen in a green long gown, Cui Dongshan in snow-white robes, and a young girl named Huasheng were standing. Although none of them had shown themselves at the doorway, they had actually been outside listening to the chatter inside for a long time.
Jiang Shangzhen was full of admiration. "This Old Brother Jia of Riding Dragon Alley—when he doesn't speak, he's a true man who doesn't reveal himself. When he does speak, he's a master conversationalist. I have to bow to him."
Cui Dongshan smiled. "When we go into the shop later, Old Immortal Jia will be even better at chatting."
Jiang Shangzhen said, "People who see clearly often don't live clearly. This Old Brother Jia is blind in the eyes but clear in the heart, so he lives thoroughly."
Cui Dongshan nodded and crouched down.
The white-clothed youth with a red birthmark between his brows looked at the gray rain curtain outside the eaves.
Jiang Shangzhen asked with a smile, "When will Mr. Zhu and Master Chong break through their realms?"
Cui Dongshan shook his head and reached out to catch the rain. "It's hard to say."
The young girl Huasheng had been holding an umbrella for Cui Dongshan the whole time. She glanced at that middle-aged man with graying temples. He was a strange person.
He could say that careless words hurt the most, stabbing like swords and halberds, making the listener hate that they had a heart. He could also, halfway to Fallen Mountain, verbally offend an immortal fairy he happened to meet. She was walking on water, twirling a bamboo flute in her hand. He yelled from the shore, asking if the lady was named Shanshan. The woman turned around, confused, clearly not understanding why he would ask. He then smiled and said, "If the lady isn't named Shanshan, then why is she so late in coming into my life?"
Huasheng saw clearly that that immortal lady, probably a Daoist cultivator in the mountains, was so angry she almost wanted to hit him. She took a deep breath, ignored him, and just turned around to fly away in a huff.
And that man was still there, sighing to himself, "When she ran away, her heart was like a startled deer, and mine hit my chest like a deer ramming against it."
Cui Dongshan stood up, crossed the threshold into the shop, and twirled his wide snow-white sleeves. He laughed loudly, "Oh hey there! Drinking, are we? I hope I haven't spoiled Old Immortal's joy in his wine?"
Old Immortal Jia shuddered, then ducked his head and hunched his shoulders. His old face broke into a smile. He bent over and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Master Cui, Chief Zhou, you're all here! What a good thing! I was just drinking and wondering why I was confused. Now I understand why I checked the almanac this morning and it said that honored guests would come!"
Compared to the two big fellows drinking and chatting in the shop, Old Cook was currently on Gray Mist Mountain, where large mansion buildings were under construction. The work had been going on for some time. This cook on Fallen Mountain came here almost every day and did a lot of things himself. Because the rain was continuous and not suitable for ramming earth, work had been temporarily suspended. Zhu Lian was squatting under an eave, chatting with an old master mountain craftsman. The old man glanced at the unfinished plaza ahead and said to Zhu Lian, who was said to be the steward of Fallen Mountain, "Master Zhu, if I'm not mistaken, those unique techniques of yours came from inside the palace, didn't they?"
Inside the palaces of the mortal world, there were the eight major works. The larger the dynasty, the more refined the work, with more intricate procedures. The vassal states were rougher.
The old master made his living by this craft. He had participated in building the Great Li auxiliary capital and reconstructing Old Dragon City to the south. Even earlier, he had worked on a building on Cloud Rosy Mountain. So, he was no stranger to these things. But there were many things he was seeing for the first time and hearing about for the first time, which was a bit strange.
Zhu Lian smiled and said, "Compared to the mountain techniques of you old immortals, this little bit of palace style I've picked up from hearsay is utterly insignificant. At best, I'm just adding a little decorative touch. It's already very generous of you, Old Immortal Hong, not to complain about me meddling."
The old man laughed heartily. "Master Zhu is too modest."
Zhu Lian picked up his wine bowl and smiled. "Nice words sound better when spoken by others."
The old man clinked bowls with him lightly and nodded in agreement. "Master Zhu speaks many witty words."
So he particularly enjoyed chatting with Zhu Lian. Their craft was a low-key way of making money in the mountains, much like the farmers in the foothills. Once on the mountain, they were often not well regarded by the registered immortals. Even if the latter were polite on the surface, it was only due to their family training and etiquette. Only here at Fallen Mountain, encountering Steward Zhu Lian, it was different.
Lately, the work on the foundation's earth ramming could be simple or extremely not simple. Zhu Lian here had chosen the latter. Not to mention those immortal arts, just the different soil layers required seven or eight kinds: ash soil, clay, crushed brick, pebbles, repeated alternately, to both prevent moisture and stop the building from sinking. Layer upon layer of earth, first tamped three times with a pounding tool, then trampled to fill voids, drilled with corner eyes, filled with meteor-like corner eyes, followed by dry ramming, then water settling, swirl ramming, pouring glutinous rice juice, and finally tamping to completion. Among these, many soils had been personally dug from various peaks by Zhu Lian and then mixed. In addition to earthwork, there was carpentry—ink line, bamboo pen line, planing, tenon and mortise; stonework—large stone flattening, chiseling... It seemed there was nothing Zhu Lian couldn't do.
But then the old master thought, someone who could be the steward for a rank-one immortal sect must have some skills up his sleeve. That wasn't too unbelievable.
Zhu Lian glanced at a young man in the distance, Jiang Qu. He was the only talisman cultivator on Fallen Mountain besides the mountain lord. Moreover, since he came from the Sword Qi Great Wall, everyone on the mountain was very polite to him. After the young man got a talisman secret manual, he wanted to focus solely on cultivation. Zhu Lian didn't let him. Almost every time he came to Gray Mist Mountain, he brought Jiang Qu along. After a while, Jiang Qu became a bit irritated. Zhu Lian smiled and told him, "If a person cultivates only behind closed doors, they don't truly understand cultivation."
Whether it was out of fear of this big steward or because the young man truly took the lesson to heart, after that, Jiang Qu had no more complaints. He followed Zhu Lian here to supervise the work every time and also helped out.
Seeing that the rain showed no sign of stopping, Zhu Lian said his goodbyes and took Jiang Qu down the mountain.
They each held up an umbrella and walked slowly.
Zhu Lian, hunched over, his cloth shoes covered in mud, smiled and said, "Jiang Qu, have you ever thought that life is like those layers of rammed earth? The heavier the pounding, the better the foundation can support beautiful buildings. What do you think shelters us from wind and rain? The house? Down the mountain, yes. But on the mountain, it's not the case. Only when the heart is like the earth can it bear all things. Therefore, a person with an honest heart is one who has realized the Dao."
Zhu Lian stopped and turned around.
Jiang Qu had to stop and turn to look as well.
Zhu Lian pointed to a high roof. "The ridge tiles are like linking the earth and the sky."
Jiang Qu, who hadn't studied much in his hometown, didn't quite understand, but he could hear the expectation in Zhu Lian's words. So he nodded. "Master Zhu, I'll think about these words more in the future."
Zhu Lian turned his palm downward and smiled. "If you don't put effort into your own heart, but just busily try to learn the bearing of the gods you admire, you'll end up doing the opposite. Jiang Qu, if you keep on like this, you won't amount to anything. It's also a hard path to learn properly, no matter how hard you try."
Jiang Qu was silent. He still didn't understand, but he didn't dare to pretend to understand.
Zhu Lian turned back and continued down the mountain. He asked, "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"
Jiang Qu replied, "You don't want me to go astray on mountain cultivation and end up disappointing Master Chen's expectations."
Zhu Lian smiled. "What is the stray path?"
Jiang Qu answered, "I should not have only focused on cultivating immortal arts."
Zhu Lian couldn't help but laugh.
Jiang Qu became even more nervous.
Zhu Lian smiled faintly. "The mountain lord who brought you all to Fallen Mountain, the Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall—neither of them would look down on Jiang Qu or Zhang Jiazhen. So why does Jiang Qu look down on Zhang Jiazhen?"
In an instant, Jiang Qu was drenched in cold sweat. The hand holding the umbrella showed white knuckles. He wanted to say that he didn't, but he didn't dare.
Zhu Lian said, "You can slowly change in the future. Making mistakes isn't something that happens overnight, and correcting mistakes isn't something that's done in a day or two."
Jiang Qu nodded vigorously.
Zhu Lian said calmly, "Remember: going up the mountain is not easy; going down is even harder."
Liu Xianyang was with a round-faced girl today. She was wearing a blue calico dress. In Liu Xianyang's eyes, she didn't look like a village girl at all; she seemed very much like a refined young lady.
The two left the shop by the river and went to Liu Xianyang's ancestral home. He said he wanted to show her something.
Because it was raining, they both wore rain hats.
She Yue, who went by the alias Yu Qianyue, took off her hat after Liu Xianyang opened the door. She shook it gently outside. Before she could enter, she immediately spotted the cabinet painted with picked flowers and inlaid with gold. In the elegant parlance of the Haoran world, it was called a "bogu" shelf.
Liu Xianyang took off his hat, leaned against the table, and crossed his arms, laughing. "Back when Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao came here, Ning Yao had great taste. She directly asked to buy this cabinet from me. How could I agree? Even if I had no money, I wouldn't part with it. You know Ning Yao, right? My sister-in-law. If you think about it, I could be considered the matchmaker for the two of them."
Actually, that's not how it was at all. Back then, Ning Yao had only reminded Liu Xianyang that while the cabinet wasn't valuable, he shouldn't sell off the gold-and-cassia painting inlay cheaply. Liu Xianyang hadn't paid much attention then.
At the time, according to Chen Ping'an's guess, this item was probably made by Liu Xianyang's ancestors. They had selected gold-colored snake gall stones from the streams of that time, ground them fine, and stuck them together to make the painting: a golden cassia tree under a full moon.
Liu Xianyang looked at the girl, then at the painting. He said to himself, "A match made in heaven."
She Yue held her hat in hand, staring at the painting, not looking away for a long time. It was as if she hadn't heard Liu Xianyang's words.
She turned and asked, "Is it true that once Chen Ping'an comes back, you'll soon go to Zhengyang Mountain?"
Liu Xianyang nodded. He had already told She Yue about this. There was nothing to hide from her. He had even told her about practicing the sword in his dreams.
She Yue actually only listened to everything half-heartedly. Liu Xianyang would say things, and she would take them in as just talk. But She Yue really did care about this matter of challenging Zhengyang Mountain.
She asked, "Are the odds good?"
Liu Xianyang rubbed his chin. "I heard that old patriarch Mountain Mover has broken through again."
She Yue was stunned for a moment. She had been thrown directly into this town. But she was extremely wary of this little Baopingzhou that had managed to block Zhou Mi of Wenhai and the Wild Continent army. Especially when she heard "old patriarch," she asked curiously, "Flying Ascension realm?"
Liu Xianyang was speechless for a long time.
She said seriously, "Then you'd better be careful."
Liu Xianyang smiled and nodded. "Okay."
---
At Colorful Sparrow Manor, they received a flying sword message from the Wunu Ferry of the Water Dragon Sect. In the letter, Mountain Lord Chen said that he had helped find three nominal guest elders: Yuan Lingdian of the Finger Platform Peak; Yang Houjue of the Dayuan Chongxuan Office Cloud Thunder Palace; and the sword cultivator Rong Chang of Floating Duckweed Sword Lake.
One was a direct disciple of Fire Dragon Patriarch, considered an immortal cultivator in Beiju Luzhou; one was the second-in-command old immortal master responsible for the Dayuan Chongxuan Office and Cloud Thunder Palace; and one was a Nascent Soul realm sword cultivator said to be about to break through.
Sun Qing and her disciple Liu Guibao had just returned to the mountain. Sun Qing put down the letter and looked at Wu Ning. "Don't tell me you used a seduction scheme on Mountain Lord Chen?"
Otherwise, why would Chen Ping'an go to such lengths, as if he were hiring guest elders for his own mountain, sending three major mountain figures to the tiny Colorful Sparrow Manor at once? Which of them was an easy person to invite? From now on, the cultivators of Colorful Sparrow Manor would practically be able to walk sideways in Beiju Luzhou with these three nominal guest elders backing them!
Wu Ning smiled. "With Sword Immortal Ning around, would I dare use a seduction scheme?"
Earlier, when they entertained guests at the teahouse, Wu Ning had already collected the teacup Ning Yao used. She felt that might be inappropriate, so she also collected Mountain Lord Chen's cup. But thinking it still seemed wrong, she simply gathered all the teacups used by the guests from Fallen Mountain in one go.
Sun Qing said regretfully, "If I had known, I wouldn't have gone out. I missed Sword Immortal Ning."
Liu Guibao sighed and looked at her master with reproachful eyes. "What a rare opportunity! If I had known, I wouldn't have accompanied you to see Mr. Liu."
Wu Ning smiled and said nothing. You master and disciple can bemoan your fate as you wish; I'll enjoy myself.
At the Coir Palanquin Sect, in a house on Hemp Garment Mountain that Chen Ping'an was very familiar with, they met Zhu Quan, who had already stepped down from his position as sect master. Of course, Du Wensi and Pang Lanxi, their two enshrined elders, were also there.
This earth immortal master of Guoqiao, who carried a saber, upon learning that the woman with the sword on her back was Ning Yao, slammed the table and laughed, "High realm and beautiful too! Good thing I'm not pretty at all, so I don't feel the least bit jealous!"
Ning Yao's armed ascension to the Haoran world was known to the top sects of the Central Earth Divine Continent. The Coir Palanquin Sect's superior sect in the Central Earth was one of them.
Chen Ping'an was about to laugh, but immediately stopped.
Because Zhu Quan gulped down a big mouthful of wine and scolded with a smile, "There are some shameless old fools here. Because of that joint intercepting of Gao Cheng with Chen Ping'an last time, they became obsessed. They're spreading rumors everywhere that Chen Ping'an and I have something going on. Ning Yao, don't overthink it. There's nothing at all. I don't think much of Chen Ping'an, this refined scholar type, and Chen Ping'an certainly wouldn't fancy me, a woman with a thick waist and not much else!"
Ning Yao smiled, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
Du Wensi could only smile bitterly. Pang Lanxi looked gleeful. The white-haired boy lay on the table, slapping it vigorously.
Little Rice scratched her face and gathered her courage to say, "Aunt Zhu, Aunt Zhu, my good-guy Mountain Lord doesn't just like whoever is pretty. Whether they're pretty or not, he doesn't pay them much attention."
Chen Ping'an felt relieved.
Afterward, the group took the Coir Palanquin Sect's cross-continent ferry and traveled around half of Beiju Luzhou before returning to Baopingzhou.
That night, Chen Ping'an leaned on the railing. His heart was peaceful. He drank wine leisurely. The bright moon shone clear. The same moonlight had shone on sages of all ages, literati and scholars, sword immortals and bold travelers, on the scholar by the window and the beauty leaning on the railing, on the ferryman on the water and the woodcutter in the mountains, on the emperor and ministers unable to sleep at night, on the snoring peddlers and laborers, on the high eaves of grand mansions, on the low tombs beside fields, on the lantern markets of the Lantern Festival, the yellow paper of Qingming, the mooncakes of Mid-Autumn, the Spring Festival couplets, and on the white clouds, green mountains, clear waters, and yellow flowers that had been there for thousands of years in secluded places...
Ning Yao came to Chen Ping'an's side. She placed her sword case on the table and leaned on the railing with him, daydreaming. It seemed she had nothing much to think about.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and quietly, softly, looked at her eyelashes.
Ning Yao seemed not to notice him sneaking a look at her.
Outside the ferry, water and moon merged into one color. On the ferry, the fair-skinned woman's ears just turned red, the color like the red-glazed small folded-brim white bowls made by the Artifactory Office.
Just as Ning Yao turned her head, he had already fallen asleep.
Next time he traveled to Beiju Luzhou, if he didn't have to rush so much to go home, Chen Ping'an might visit more places. For example, the Ghost Axe Palace where Du Yu lived, to hear his jianghu tales. To the Cangyun Lake near Suijia City. In a county town temple of the Lotus Kingdom, he had once witnessed a midnight trial by the city god himself. At a waterside shrine with a thousand-year-old cypress, Chen Ping'an had even left behind lines like "The wind stirs the clear breeze and bright moon on the branches; one might suspect it's the light of a sword immortal's sword."
He also wanted to go to the Sweeping Manor in Wuling Kingdom and drink some Lean Plum wine there. There was a martial artist who had once boasted about heaven and earth, telling immortals to go to hell, who in his youth had scattered the immortal masters of more than ten countries with his fists, driving them all away. And there was the Ape Cry Mountain, Infant Mountain's Thunder God Residence... If these were revisiting old places, then in the future Chen Ping'an would naturally also go to some scenic spots he hadn't visited yet.
Even if one walks with hurried steps, life requires a calm pace.