Chapter 816: Big Fish Like Dragons
The trip to the Confucian Temple, coupled with this journey to the Northern Juzhou, had yielded a rich harvest. Chen Ping'an prepared to take stock of his belongings, rolling up his sleeves, breathing a puff of air, and rubbing his hands together.
Judging by his posture, he looked every bit a sage seated within his own small heaven and earth.
Zhou Mili and the white-haired boy sat side by side. One was lying prone on the table, eyes wide open, waiting eagerly. The other, looking sickly, was busy slapping the table silently, over and over. Earlier, when boarding the ship, the Hidden Official Ancestor settled accounts with him, saying that since he liked slapping tables so much, he should slap it ten thousand times. Otherwise, when they arrived at Fallen Mountain, he shouldn't even think about being a menial disciple.
Chen Ping'an took three items from his sleeve. They were congratulatory gifts from two great mountain lords of the Central Earth, presented to his Master at the Merits Forest. Among them, the Mount Nine-Yi god gave a pot of calamus. The Smoke Branch Mountain's Zhu Yuxian gifted twelve boxes of rouge and powder. Additionally, there was an extremely rare folded paper black-robed swallow.
The white-haired boy glanced at them and lost interest. Slapping the table silently with one hand and yawning with the other, he noticed the Hidden Official Ancestor looking at him sideways and immediately said without hesitation, "Precious treasures! Every single one is a mountain-guarding treasure!"
Chen Ping'an spun the small pot with his finger and introduced with a smile, "This pot of calamus doesn't look big, but it's already over a thousand years old. See those tiny water droplets at the tips of the leaves? They are all literary fortune particles. Mount Nine-Yi has a few pots that are three thousand years old, and the literary fortune droplets they gather are even bigger, about the size of a copper coin. But don't underestimate these tiny droplets. If placed at the source of a river or stream, along the path where the water flows, literary aura will be generated. Perhaps within hundreds of miles, along the towns and villages, a scholar might one day pass the imperial examinations in a vassal state. Even if they don't make the golden list, they can still increase their talent and write beautifully."
Pei Qian asked curiously, "Master, how much is this little thing worth?"
Chen Ping'an said, "The benefits are too gradual and long-term. So if this item is sold to a major sect, twenty Grain Rain Coins wouldn't be too expensive. But a small sect would think even one Grain Rain Coin is not cheap."
The white-haired boy couldn't help asking, "Is the Mount Nine-Yi god really that poor? Otherwise, would he send such a trifling gift to the Old Master Wen Sheng?"
At the New Year Palace celebration, no guest would dare be so casual and perfunctory.
Ning Yao smiled, "Rarity makes something precious. Especially items that enhance literary fortune, they are hard to come by. Besides, twenty Grain Rain Coins is not really a small amount of money."
Little Mi Li thought for a moment and said, "We could place this pot of calamus in the Lotus Root Paradise. Don't let the fertile water irrigate someone else's fields."
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Half and half. Those literary fortune droplets, Fallen Mountain and Lotus Root Paradise split them evenly."
Little Mi Li nodded, "Benefiting the hometown, doing good deeds without leaving a name—that's also excellent."
Chen Ping'an smiled gently, "It's excellent that the Right Protector thinks this way."
Little Mi Li smiled bashfully.
Chen Ping'an lightly patted the long bamboo box containing the rouge and powder, then looked at Ning Yao. She shook her head. Chen Ping'an turned to Pei Qian, and Pei Qian also shook her head firmly.
Pei Qian suddenly asked, "Master, can I give them away to Sister Shi, Cen Yingji, and Yuan Bao?"
Chen Ping'an pushed the bamboo box to Pei Qian and laughed, "Why not? That's a very good thing to do."
Then Chen Ping'an picked up the folded paper black-robed swallow and said, "If placed on the plaque or roof beam of the ancestral home, it's equivalent to having an extra incense spirit in the house. The closer to a famous mountain or great peak, the better. Our Fallen Mountain is close to Piyun Mountain. See, isn't that convenient?"
Chen Ping'an looked at Ning Yao and said, "This woman mountain lord of Smoke Branch Mountain, whose Dao name is Bitter Herb, isn't she interesting? Remember that little girl from the Shao Yuan Dynasty, the one called Zhu Mei? The little sidekick beside Jun Bi."
Ning Yao thought for a moment and nodded. It seemed Zhu Mei later liked to hang around Yu Juanfu. Actually, the little girl had a good heart and decent aptitude. If she remembered correctly, she also obtained a sword intent at the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Chen Ping'an laughed, "It is said that when Zhu Mei was very young, for no reason, she once dreamed of traveling to Smoke Branch Mountain and met this woman mountain lord. They then formed a contract. This kind of fate is usually only found in books."
Little Mi Li said dreamily, "Good Mountain Lord, can you write a similar landscape story for me in the future? Like when I was little and dozed off at Mute Lady Lake, I dreamed of Fallen Mountain?"
Chen Ping'an teased, "Wouldn't that be deceiving people?"
Little Mi Li grinned. Good Mountain Lord, you figure it out. It's not me writing the book, so I don't care if it's deceptive or not.
As for the dimensional item from the Liu Clan of Aiai Prefecture that they had accidentally forgotten to take away, Chen Ping'an planned to give it to Cao Qinglang for his use. In the future, when he became the sect leader of the lower sect, he would inevitably have to entertain and send off guests. For now, Cao Qinglang didn't have the Jade Pu Realm's sleeve universe technique. Every time he went out, he couldn't be loaded down with large and small bundles. And he was going down the mountain to do business.
Chen Ping'an then took out two calligraphy scrolls by Su Zi and Liu Qi and carefully spread them out on the table.
Little Mi Li gently reached out and touched the scrolls, absorbing some immortal aura, and sighed emotionally, "Su Zi, oh! Liu Qi, oh! Genuine works, oh!"
The white jade ganoderma from Immortal Yun Miao of the Nine True Immortal Pavilion was of half-immortal soldier rank. From conflict came acquaintance. Chen Ping'an guessed that in the future, their relationship would be even closer than allies bound by a landscape contract.
Next time he traveled with Liu Jinglong through the Central Earth Divine Continent, Chen Ping'an had already thought of what to give as a meeting gift. He would just buy a cheap set of go equipment in any city down the mountain. It didn't need to be from some mountain immortal or imperial workshop. The cheaper and simpler, the better.
Chen Ping'an cradled the white jade ganoderma in his arms, then cast an illusion spell, instantly transforming into the image of Immortal Yun Miao, complete with cloud-water body aura. His Dao charm was somewhat similar.
With one hand forming a Daoist mudra with two fingers, he looked around and changed his voice, smiling, "Yun Miao travels far and arrives here. Fellow Daoist, please stay and chat."
Ning Yao said, "It might fool Jade Pu Realm cultivators."
Chen Ping'an laughed, dispelled the illusion, and placed the white jade ganoderma on the table.
Little Mi Li tugged at the sleeve of the short, fat dwarf beside her. The white-haired boy kept slapping the table, turned his head in confusion, and asked, "What?"
Little Mi Li looked pitifully at this unenlightened little simpleton. Say a few nice words to the Good Mountain Lord, can't you? Isn't slapping the table tiring?
On the night boat, Wu Shuangjiang had given a scroll titled "The Moment's Note," which would be hung in the study later. There was also a couplet written in seven colors, a genuine treasure. Chen Ping'an would post it at the entrance of the ancestral hall of the lower sect in Tongye Prefecture.
Lin Qingqing, the guest minister of the Qiu Clan in Yuzhou, had gifted a seal made of aged Tianhuang stone with a landscape relief. From the Naihe Pass Market, a small spirit had given an inkstone inscribed with "Mingli Duxing" (Understand principles, practice sincerely). Chen Ping'an planned to place both these items on the desk on the first floor of the bamboo building.
Earlier, at the Beggar's Bundle Shop on Yingwu Island, he had also incurred some debts with Liu Chicheng and Tuoyan Furen. As for the transcontinental ferry from the Xuanmi Dynasty, which was not only given for free but also came with money for repairs, it was named "Flying Kite." At the entrance of the Confucian Temple, Chen Ping'an had negotiated with the Lady of Qingshen Mountain and bought two joint-bamboo plants, as well as literary and martial bamboos. Xuanmi would help deliver them all to the Niujiao Mountain Ferry.
At the Yangyun Peak of the Suoyun Sect, he obtained a Lingbao armor from the Sanlang Temple and a Golden Crow armor from the military strategists.
At the Water Dragon Sect, Sun Jie gave a pair of Ox-Roar Fish, and Shao Jingzhi gave a midge, nicknamed "Little Ink Dragon" among mountain sects. These could be given to Hongxia and Yunzi respectively, to be raised near the Yellow Lake Water Mansion.
He bought a Duckweed Island, costing eighty Grain Rain Coins. Li Yuan gave a jade plaque inscribed with "Jun Qing Yu Xiang" (Steep Green Rain Phase).
Ants moving their nest, swallows carrying mud—they were helping Fallen Mountain gradually increase its wealth. To be honest, he, as the mountain lord, had been very conscientious and responsible.
Ning Yao reminded, "The matter of the guest minister for the Colored Sparrow Manor is too exceptional within the mountain sects. As the lead, shouldn't Fallen Mountain show some further gesture?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, "Definitely needed."
Regarding thanking the Colored Sparrow Manor, Chen Ping'an had already made plans. When he returned to Fallen Mountain, he would immediately send thank-you gifts to the three parties. Besides a few cans of Xiao Xuanbi tea from the Colored Sparrow Manor, there would also be a set of specially made bamboo leaves and bamboo slips from Fallen Mountain, totaling twenty-four pieces, each with the name of a solar term and a corresponding short poem written by Zhu Mei in her neat, delicate script. These would be sent to Yuan Lingdian of Zhixuan Peak, Yang Houjue of Chongxuan Bureau, and Rong Chang of Floatweed Sword Lake. Along with a personal thank-you letter from Chen Ping'an, the gift would be light but the intention heavy.
If Yuan Lingdian could reach the Immortal Realm, his Dao methods would be more profound, and his killing power greater. Moreover, Yuan Lingdian had the highest chance of becoming the next sect leader for several lineages on Paralyzed Peak. But this was just a feeling Chen Ping'an had. For example, the previous two times—once when Yuan Lingdian delivered a replica sword for Chen Ping'an, and once during the Fallen Mountain ceremony—the Fire Dragon True Lord had always sent Yuan Lingdian, known as the "Number One Jade Pu Realm in Northern Juzhou," to appear.
Yang Houjue, whose Dao name was "Mud Kneader," had long been the true manager of the Dayuan Chongxuan Bureau. The key point was that relative to the Jade Pu Realm, this person was extremely young, yet highly respected. He could handle both cultivation and mundane affairs without neglecting either. Unfortunately, when Chen Ping'an last visited the Dayuan dynasty's emperor, he didn't get to meet him. At that time, Emperor Lu had unhesitatingly recommended him upon hearing that the Colored Sparrow Manor needed a guest minister.
Li Cai had fought consecutive great battles, wielding her sword too fiercely without regard for the foundations of her own Dao. Her sword heart was damaged, and she was gravely injured. She had completely let go of any ambition to climb higher on the sword path, turning more of her attention and energy to teaching direct disciples and then passing on to later disciples. As Li Cai's chief disciple, Rong Chang was the undisputed candidate for the next sword lake master.
Even if these three people might all become transitional sect leaders in the future, regardless, while in their positions, they were still sect leaders of Northern Juzhou.
Chen Ping'an packed up the items on the table. Pei Qian pulled Zhou Mili and the white-haired boy away to take their leave.
Ning Yao asked, "Regarding sword forging, what do you plan to do from now on?"
Chen Ping'an was extremely troubled. "Dragon-Slaying Stones are so hard to find. Even if found, I might not be able to buy them."
In Tongye Prefecture, during a sword duel with Pei Min, the imitation "Ancient Green" flying sword, Pine Needle, from the Sword of Resentment Mountain, had shattered completely. The tip of First's sword was also severely damaged.
Because he possessed a Sword-Nurturing Gourd of decent quality and hadn't used much for sword forging before—after all, First and Fifteen weren't his true-life flying swords—he had never lacked Dragon-Slaying Platforms. Chen Ping'an had almost never had headaches about sword forging. But now he had to start paying off that debt.
Especially after becoming a sword cultivator, he suddenly gained two true-life flying swords, "Caged Sparrow" and "Moon in the Well." So the amount of Dragon-Slaying Platform Chen Ping'an needed now would inevitably be substantial. Just thinking about the immortal money required made Chen Ping'an shudder. Moreover, Dragon-Slaying Platforms were always treasures that had a price but no market. Besides sword cultivators using them for sword forging with twice the effect with half the effort, qi refiners had many other wonderful uses. Immortal cultivators who owned them were almost unwilling to sell. Money could be borrowed if lacking, but who would lend a Dragon-Slaying Platform?
Ning Yao said, "There's none left at Ascension City either, otherwise I would have brought it this time."
Chen Ping'an raised his head and communicated with the white-haired boy from afar via heart voice: "Does the New Year Palace have any surplus Dragon-Slaying Stones?"
The white-haired boy replied from afar, "Yes! The New Year Palace loves collecting junk. They have all kinds of treasures. Two large pieces of Dragon-Slaying Stone, as tall as a person. That guy personally carved them into a pair of Dao companions. The leftover scraps he just gave away casually."
Chen Ping'an sighed. Then forget it.
So for now, there were only three choices: the hidden treasury of the Great Li Song Clan's imperial collection, the ancestral hall of True Martial Mountain, or someone who had slain dragons and might have privately stashed some.
In his hometown, to the west, there was only one Dragon Spine Mountain that the Great Li court had designated as a forbidden area, because Dragon Spine Mountain had a Dragon-Slaying Cliff, split into three sections—one each occupied by Snow Wind Temple, True Martial Mountain, and Ruan Qiong.
Regarding the excavation of the Dragon-Slaying Platform at Dragon Spine Mountain, for decades, the official prohibition was strict and extremely secretive. Of the stones obtained by the sage Ruan Qiong, he kept only a small portion for himself. In fact, most of it was given to the Great Li court, and then almost all of it was used by the Great Li Song emperors to pay off debts, mainly to the Mohists. The city built by the Mohist Grand Master contained several of the most important heavenly materials and earthly treasures, among them Dragon-Slaying Platform.
The two successive emperors of Great Li naturally treated Ruan Qiong, the chief offering minister who had contributed to the state, with great respect. After the great war, on the map of the continent, many dragons and serpents that had previously hidden in great marshes and wilds emerged. But Ruan Qiong's position as the top offering minister of Great Li remained unshakable.
As for the portion belonging to Snow Wind Temple, it had long since been secretly consumed. But Snow Wind Temple was not at a loss. They had obtained two lost Dao methods that could lead directly to the Upper Five Realms, as well as a more profound sword path.
Regarding True Martial Mountain, Chen Ping'an still didn't know what they had been using the Dragon-Slaying Stones for over the years. Because of the relationship with Ma Kuxuan, Chen Ping'an had always been reluctant to interact with True Martial Mountain.
Of course, it wasn't that sword forging was impossible without Dragon-Slaying Stones. Very few sword cultivators in the world actually owned Dragon-Slaying Platforms.
But Chen Ping'an hoped to forge his swords faster, to reach the Immortal Realm more quickly.
Ning Yao said, "You can ask Cui Dongshan about it later."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
After that, the boat continued south. Chen Ping'an called Pei Qian over every day to teach her boxing, but he didn't feed her punches.
The boxing Chen Ping'an taught Pei Qian was a fist technique created by White Granny of the Ning Mansion. The moves themselves had no names.
At the Sword Qi Great Wall, becoming a grandmaster in pure martial arts was about as difficult as a sword cultivator in the Upper Five Realms appearing in Bottle Gourd Prefecture in the past.
Inside the room, Chen Ping'an slowly threw punches, and Pei Qian followed along in practice.
The moves themselves were static, but the "fist path" within a person's small heaven and earth was alive. The key was how to circulate a single breath of pure true qi, how to cross mountains and enter waters, how to deploy forces to continually strengthen the martial artist's true qi and purify their fist intent. Otherwise, no matter how good the moves, they would just be flashy martial arts tricks for the jianghu.
When Cui Cheng taught boxing on the second floor, his words were coarse but the reasoning was solid. Martial arts combat skills were divided into high and low. One type: my fists and feet are heavy enough; if I'm determined to settle life and death, one punch can send you to the gates of hell. Another type: my physique is not made of paper. In short, you can knock people down, and you can take a beating. Among these, there is also a "knowing" that is the most crucial essence. If you can knock down your opponent, win or lose, live or die, the principle is on your side. If you can withstand being hit and not lose the fight, "knowing" how to be hit helps you temper your physique. Not only does it not harm your foundation or leave lingering problems, but it can also hone your realm.
What's that "Mountain-Shaking Fist"? It only knows how to throw punches, not how to nurture them. This old man just flips through a few pages, and there's a smell of dirt in his face...
In the early days when learning boxing at the bamboo building, Chen Ping'an once said a few fair words for the Mountain-Shaking Fist manual. After being beaten many times, he didn't dare say much anymore. The old man would poke him in the chest with his toe, then casually flick him, and Chen Ping'an would fly back and hit the ceiling. It was truly "a unique taste in the heart."
Feeding such punches to Pei Qian—Chen Ping'an couldn't bear it. He just couldn't be that ruthless.
In fact, even to this day, Chen Ping'an had never asked Pei Qian about the detailed process of learning boxing at the bamboo building. He didn't even dare think about it.
So many times, when Chen Ping'an privately examined this matter, he felt that maybe he really didn't have the aptitude to teach boxing?
Chen Ping'an stopped and withdrew his fists in the room, saying, "At the Confucian Temple boxing match, the difference in victory and defeat wasn't huge, but I lost to Cao Ci in more than just realm."
The Stop Realm has three tiers: Qi Sheng, Gui Zhen, Shen Dao.
Cao Ci could step into Shen Dao at any moment.
The green and white contest had been a back-and-forth battle, but the result was clear. Cao Ci was very lightly injured—a bit of bruising that would dissipate in a few days. In contrast, Chen Ping'an would have to be a medicine pot for several months.
That was the gap.
Pei Qian was still walking the stance, asking softly, "Master, where do you think I should break through? Would it be better in Tongye Prefecture?"
Chen Ping'an laughed in exasperation, "Why are you thinking about such things? Breaking through from the Ninth Realm to the Tenth is a major threshold. You can break through anywhere, as long as you can do it."
Pei Qian said, "Oh." Then she asked, "Master, if I break through at Fallen Mountain, would it steal the martial luck from Old Cook and Seed Master? I've heard that stop realm martial artists on a continent are like crossing a river. There's only so much room on the boat. Whoever grabs the spot first prevents those behind from boarding."
Chen Ping'an gave her a knock on the head with his knuckle. "You can give way on anything except climbing the martial path. When dueling with someone, there should be no one in front of you. When climbing to the peak of martial arts, you should act as if no one is around."
Pei Qian nodded. "Got it."
Once she returned to Fallen Mountain, she would break through.
Chen Ping'an asked tentatively, "You're already confident you can break the bottleneck?"
Pei Qian hummed in affirmation.
Chen Ping'an cheerfully gave her another knuckle knock. "The boxing has been taught. Go practice in your own room."
What's the point of teaching boxing?
As soon as Pei Qian left, the white-haired boy swaggered over to visit.
Having nothing to do on the ferry, the white-haired boy had recently started actively doing business with the Hidden Official Ancestor again, following the old rules of the prison. He wanted to gather another Grain Rain Coin. As for what to do with it once gathered, he hadn't decided yet.
For example, at the Taohua Ferry Tea House, he had helped supplement a lot of content for the robe temporarily named "Waterway."
The Hidden Official Ancestor was still loyal and didn't offset merits with demerits. Instead, he let the white-haired boy earn a Minor Heat Coin. Moreover, they agreed that if this robe, which was still not a finished product, sold well in various continents outside the Confucian Temple in the future, he could earn another one.
In addition, he had started writing a fist manual, which he named "Hundred Families Meal Boxing," thinking it was extremely elegant.
The manual recorded over thirty fist moves that were the specialty of stop realm martial artists of the Azure Divine Continent. Many of them were lost killing moves.
He earned another Minor Heat Coin.
On the cover of the manual, the four characters "Hundred Families Meal Boxing" were extremely large. At the foot of the character "Boxing," there were also extremely small characters: "Volume One."
Chen Ping'an pretended not to see it, feigning ignorance of his little scheme.
If there is Volume One, naturally there will be Volumes Two and Three. According to this outer realm demon's usual modus operandi, there might even be a Volume One and a Half, or a Volume Two and a Half. See? Half a Grain Rain Coin is already in hand, isn't it?
Chen Ping'an certainly wouldn't let him earn five Minor Heat Coins so easily just by writing a fist manual. Were Minor Heat Coins that easy to earn in the world? Didn't that feel dishonest? Was he crazy for money?
In the Azure Divine Continent, there were ten types of "wild cultivators" not favored by the Jade Capital.
They were: the "heretical" Rice Thieves; the Rolled Red Sleeve Hands who arbitrarily changed a cultivator's destiny; the Porters who could temporarily borrow a certain realm for anyone who paid; the Coffin Bearers who walked between the yang and yin worlds; the Touring Envoys who secretly stole mountain and river luck; the Dressing Maidens who could dredge the human body's mountain and river meridians; the Sword Substitutes who specifically targeted pure martial artists; the One-Word Masters who could silently alter Daoist secret manuals; in addition, Corpse Liberation Immortals and He-Liao Han.
Regarding their Dao roots, the white-haired boy wrote another booklet, earning a Minor Heat Coin for nothing.
Chen Ping'an sat beside the table, silently studying the Confucian Word-Breaking Decree, which was the method for disembarking from the Night Boats' landscape character prison. He casually flipped through a few very thick booklets. The white-haired boy peeked at them. They seemed to be intelligence reports from Zhengyang Mountain. He wasn't interested in that, so he asked quietly, "Hidden Official Ancestor, in the future, when our Fallen Mountain has its own landscape gazette and mirror flowers, water moon, can I be the head?"
Chen Ping'an didn't look up. "No negotiation. Forget it. Your seniority is too shallow. You're just an unregistered menial disciple. Suddenly occupying a high position would make others think."
Regarding the landscape gazettes of various continents, it had always been supervised by the seventy-two Confucian academies. There wasn't much constraint. Within the academies, there were specific virtuous men and gentlemen responsible for collecting the gazettes from various peaks on a continent. This business didn't earn much money, so not all immortals maintained idle personnel. In fact, many sect-level sects didn't bother with it.
For example, in Northern Juzhou, sects like Paralyzed Peak, Taihui Sword Sect, and Floatweed Sword Lake didn't have them. On the other hand, the Dayuan Chongxuan Bureau, Water Dragon Sect, and Spring Dew Garden, which were most closely connected to the mortal dynasties, valued it highly.
The white-haired boy was dejected. He wiped his hand across the table and said gloomily, "I thought the menial disciple thing was just a joke."
Chen Ping'an reminded, "When you get to Fallen Mountain, you are not allowed to casually pry into people's hearts. If I catch you, don't blame me for not remembering old ties."
The white-haired boy continued wiping the table. "Whatever the Hidden Official Ancestor says goes. I'm just an outsider with no one to rely on. What else can I do?"
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Don't pretend to be pitiful in front of me. Don't worry. For the site selection of the Tongye Prefecture lower sect, you need to plan a lot behind the scenes."
The white-haired boy looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Give me a high-ranking official position. Even an empty title is fine."
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "How about I specially set up a title of Deputy Sect Leader for the lower sect for you in the future?"
The white-haired boy laughed loudly. "It's a deal!"
The transcontinental ferry was about to enter the territory of Bottle Gourd Prefecture.
One day, Pei Qian secretly found Chen Ping'an and asked, "Master, when are you going to propose to Master's Wife?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "At the Confucian Temple, I already greeted my Master. He is only waiting for a flying sword message, and then he will come to Fallen Mountain."
Actually, at the Jinzun Ferry in Northern Juzhou, Chen Ping'an had already secretly sent a confidential letter, stating roughly when he would return home.
Pei Qian asked softly, "Shouldn't you talk to Master's Wife about this kind of thing in person?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Of course I want to. Haven't you noticed I've been drinking every now and then? I'm building up my courage. No matter what, I promise to tell her before my Master appears."
---
Earlier, at the Grass Head Shop on Qilong Lane, Chen Lingjun, as soon as he saw the big white goose, immediately found an excuse to slip away.
Old Immortal Jia was responsible for receiving guests. He brought out several pots of wine and personally went to the kitchen to cook a few dishes to go with the drinks.
Cui Dongshan stood on that small stool. Jiang Shangzhen stood behind the counter. The girl Peanut looked at the colorful pastries with some longing.
Cui Dongshan laughed. "Just thinking that my Master will personally visit the Water Mansion, I already feel a bit sorry for that Chongdang River Water Goddess."
Jiang Shangzhen asked curiously, "To call her to account? Wouldn't that be too much? Wouldn't it make us look aggressive?"
In such matters, he, Jiang Shangzhen, had good connections with women and was the chief offering minister. It was only right that he should relieve the mountain lord's worries. A quiet visit to the Water Mansion to see the Water Goddess, under the moonlight with a few cups of wine—wouldn't that be simpler and trouble-free, and wouldn't leave any gossip?
Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes. "Who is my Master? A scholar! What's with all the killing and fighting? Would he be such a killjoy? What 'calling to account'? 'A distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor.' My Master is just visiting. The Chongdang River Water Temple has so many shady dealings. My Master only needs to pick any one small matter, chat with the Water Goddess face to face, and finally come to a conclusion: 'This seems inappropriate.' Then everything is done."
"Face has already been given to her. Fallen Mountain has also shown its willingness to let bygones be bygones. She's not stupid. She'll definitely understand my Master's implication. Anyway, it doesn't have much to do with her personally. But from then on, from the Water Mansion's high and low officials to the various characters who make money at the temple, their days will be tough."
It was similar to the method Chen Ping'an used at Yangyun Peak to deal with the guest minister Cui Gongzhuang.
I keep an eye on you. You keep an eye on the group under you. If those below don't follow the rules and I happen to see or hear about it, I won't bother getting angry or fighting with them. I'll just take it out on you.
This was a very clear thread, telling a very simple truth.
Officialdom is a trial. Public service is a cultivation.
Where is not the jianghu? Where is not officialdom?
Cui Dongshan pulled out a booklet. When the Great Li Dynasty was at its peak of power, they had recompiled the golden jade genealogies of the landscape spirits within the continent, dividing them into nine ranks.
The first rank seemed destined to remain vacant forever, because even the Five Sacred Mountains, including Piyun Mountain, were only ranked second.
The position of the Grand Duke of the Qi River Crossing was temporarily vacant. But mountain cultivators knew in their hearts that whether they chose one or, like the Ji River in the north, chose two, it would be a high second rank.
The various reserve mountains of the Five Sacred Peaks were ranked third. The Iron Talisman River Water God Yang Hua was the only water god within the Great Li territory to reach the third rank.
Additionally, there was the Qiantang River in the southeast of the continent, the cultivation ground of that old dragon, located in Qiantang County, named Wind and Water Cave. And a Yong River within the old Zhu Ying dynasty. As Old Immortal Li's "Water Classic" said, "When there is water on all sides, it is called Yong."
Furthermore, there were the city gods of various national capitals. But their ranks varied greatly. The capital city god of Great Li was ranked third, while those of the vassal states were ranked fourth or fifth.
On the entire continent, there were not many landscape deities that could reach the upper three ranks.
The Embroidery River Water God was fourth rank. The Chongdang River's Ye Zhuqing and the Jade Liquid River Water God Li Jin were only fifth rank.
The most numerous were the earth gods and goddesses, river lords and river ladies, whose divine positions were in the lowest three ranks. They were still under the jurisdiction of their superior mountain and river gods. Promotion and demotion followed this path. But the county and prefectural city god temples and civil and military temples had supervisory power. Conversely, landscape spirits also had this power over city gods of various levels.
Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "This Old Minister Liu, it's a pity he's not a cultivator."
Cui Dongshan said helplessly, "He even refused the court's offer to become a deity. He said that as a scholar, he could endure scolding but absolutely couldn't endure pain. Things like 'flesh and bones withering away' sounded terrifying. Rather than suffer such torment and then vanish into smoke, he'd rather close his eyes, let the sky go dark, and call it a day."
The person responsible for compiling the "family genealogy and rank" of the continent's mountains and rivers for the Great Li court was the Minister of Rites of the Great Li secondary capital, an elderly scholar named Liu Qingfeng.
It was rumored that this pioneering initiative by the Great Li court had received praise from the sages of the Confucian Temple and would likely be implemented throughout the entire Haoran World. No longer would each continent's nations act independently, with a single monarch and the Ministry of Rites being able to arbitrarily raise or demote landscape divine positions within their borders.
The most critical point was that a landscape deity's moral merits and achievements would be a key item in evaluations. It would no longer be based solely on golden body realm, territory size, or number of peaks.
In short, a small mountain could be high rank, and a great river could be low rank.
Moreover, landscape ranks would no longer be fixed, preventing various spirits from lying on their laurels.
Jiang Shangzhen said, "It's a pity."
Cui Dongshan sighed and closed the booklet. "This Mr. Liu, after leaving his study, spent his whole life as an official. He exhausted his mind and energy. Rest is good."
Jiang Shangzhen asked curiously, "That matter you wanted to tell your Master about before? Still can't say it now?"
Cui Dongshan shook his head. "Before, I wanted to wait and see before speaking. Now, it's not necessary."
Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "Then I'll have to drink a bit more wine and listen."
Cui Dongshan nodded. "You met my Master in the Lotus Flower Paradise. At that time, his realm wasn't high. In a jianghu surrounded by enemies on all sides, how do you think he fared?"
Jiang Shangzhen thought for a moment. "Extremely careful and extremely steady."
Careful was the cause. Steady was the result.
Cui Dongshan sighed. "This was the case the first time my Master left his hometown. So he always felt that if someone like him, who hadn't read many books, was so cautious on his first long journey into the jianghu, what about others? Those with more jianghu experience, those who had read many books?"
"This led to a result. On certain matters, my Master would be a bit like Zheng Juzhong."
Jiang Shangzhen suddenly understood. "Smart people, even when dealing with good and evil, can see clearly and easily find the thread. But they despise people who have brains but don't use them."
Jiang Shangzhen immediately corrected himself. "Not despise. They can't understand."
Cui Dongshan shook his head. "It is despise. No shame in admitting it. But my Master's conduct still holds goodwill. The more purely weak someone is, the more willing he is to give pure goodwill. But during this process, it's as if there's another Master, watching from the sidelines, coldly observing everything."
Jiang Shangzhen took a sip of wine. "If this is put under principle, besides being stricter on himself, he can easily be too demanding of good people and good deeds. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an only has such thoughts and doesn't talk or act much. But if this continues, there will be problems."
Cui Dongshan nodded. "My Master himself didn't realize this before. For example, he would instinctively reject the chivalrous deeds in romances, even dislike many seemingly chivalrous acts. Because he would feel they are far from enough, leaving many hidden dangers, or even a worse mess. Xiao Baoping and Pei Qian would read them with great interest, but in my Master's eyes, he'd just flip through them and think..."
Jiang Shangzhen finished the sentence. "A house with wind leaking from all sides, freezing cold."
Cui Dongshan drank some wine, turned his head to look at the gray rainy curtain outside the shop, and murmured, "But who told us that when a hero does a good deed, he must see it through to the end, must always look after the weak he rescued? Is there such a principle? No. If everyone did that, good people would become more hesitant, and good deeds would become rarer. This world has its own rules that operate continuously. Everyone has their own path to walk. That is the way of the world. The old scholar said, 'The way of the world is the path we walk. Some are easy, some are difficult. The easy path might be wrong, the difficult path might be right. So-called luck is when the path underfoot is both easy and right. So-called misfortune is when it is difficult and wrong.'"
Cui Dongshan dipped his finger in wine and drew four lines on the table, from low to high, and said in order, "Bad things, wrong things, no mistakes, good things. This is the correct hierarchy of things in my Master's mind."
Jiang Shangzhen glanced at it and sighed. "Chen Ping'an is mistaken. The two words 'no mistakes' are much harder than simply 'good things.'"
Cui Dongshan nodded. "That's right."
They were both silent. Cui Dongshan didn't drink either. He asked softly, "Then why does my Master think this way?"
Jiang Shangzhen said, "Pessimism."
Cui Dongshan nodded. "My Master travels with hope, but from childhood to youth to now, he is forever pessimistic. All of my Master's dreams, for which he spares no effort and never shirks hardship, I know that in his heart, he feels like he's been building a snowman in summer."
Jiang Shangzhen asked with a smile, "Then why is it not necessary to say it now?"
Cui Dongshan stretched out two fingers and lightly spun the wine bowl. "Very simple. Now my Master's body and mind are at leisure. Finally, he has plenty of time to rest at home, leisurely travel far, and leisurely return home."
Jiang Shangzhen shook his head. "Leisurely? Not necessarily. Just the site selection for the lower sect alone will be a thousand tangled threads. There will be no shortage of matters he needs to personally oversee."
Cui Dongshan pulled his mouth, patted the abacus. "For example, let you, the master of Cloud Cavern Paradise, be the shopkeeper here. Even if the shop is crowded every day, would your mind be at leisure?"
Jiang Shangzhen nodded. "That reasoning hits the nail on the head."
Cui Dongshan left the girl Peanut at the Grass Head Shop.
Next to Qilong Lane, there were only two "Year-End" shops. The acting manager Shi Rou, plus a little mute boy named Zhou Juncan, who worked as a helper. The child was nimble but isolated in temperament. Even in front of his master Pei Qian, he didn't smile. But he got along well with Shi Rou.
Cui Dongshan came over from the Grass Head Shop, leaned on the counter to flip through the account books. The Year-End Shop selling pastries had better business. Old Immortal Jia's Grass Head Shop, after half a year, probably wouldn't even fill one page of the ledger.
But this really wasn't the old immortal's fault. It was mainly because their own mountain was fighting. The Beggar's Bundle Shop at Niujiao Mountain Ferry and the Grass Head Shop on the lane in the small town were completely disadvantaged in location. And the goods displayed on the shelves in the shop didn't allow for any bargains. Immortal masters who came to the small town to travel and wander would rather go drink at Huang Siniang's place, eat pastries at Qilong Lane, visit the school run by the Chen Clan of Longwei Creek, and definitely go to the Peach Leaf Lane where Heavenly Lord Xie Shi resided. There was also Erlang Lane where the Yuan family ancestral home was, and Niping Lane where the Cao family ancestral home was...
Regarding this matter, Fallen Mountain actually had ideas. They thought about talking to the prefectural office and the Huaihuang County government to seal off Niping Lane, where the mountain lord's ancestral home was. It didn't matter if the town's people passed through, but immortal masters shouldn't wander around casually. However, Chen Ping'an didn't agree, so the matter was dropped.
Cui Dongshan tapped the account book with his finger, raised his head, and called, "Manager Shi."
Shi Rou said tremblingly, "Present."
Cui Dongshan clicked his tongue. "Twenty years have passed. Manager Shi works from dawn to dusk, bears hardship without complaint, and has a way with money. You've helped our Fallen Mountain earn so much money."
Actually, the shop seemed to have good daily business, but it only sold pastries. How much immortal money could it earn? When it came to making money, it was far behind the neighbor next door.
Cui Dongshan looked at the trembling Shi Rou, closed the ledger, and smiled. "Every word is sincere, every sentence is kind. I'm not talking to you with innuendo. What, is your conscience troubled?"
A double entendre.
Shi Rou didn't dare retort. On Fallen Mountain, she feared this person the most.
The little mute boy, on the other hand, wasn't afraid of the big white goose at all. He rarely spoke, and when he did, his voice was hoarse, like gravel grinding. "Manager Shi does business with a clear conscience. If she earns little, it's not the shop's fault. It's because the pastries can't sell for a high price. If you think it's too little money, sell something else."
Shi Rou wanted to quickly pull the little mute boy behind her, but she couldn't move him. The little boy stood firm, instead reaching out to grab Shi Rou's arm.
Cui Dongshan said with a smile, "Who are you? Did I ask you to speak?"
The little mute boy looked up and said, "Zhou Juncan, disciple of Pei Qian. Do you know now?"
Old Immortal Jia was originally squatting at the shop entrance watching the commotion. When he heard this little brat's reckless provocation, he became anxious and waved his hand, signaling the child to say less.
Cui Dongshan didn't speak, just smiled and rubbed his chin with his fingers.
The little mute boy said, "If you're a real man, have the guts to come at me alone. Don't implicate Manager Shi. Anyway, if anyone is unreasonable and secretly gives us trouble, I'll take my shoes and go report to my master's master."
Jiang Shangzhen clicked his tongue in wonder. This little fellow was very perceptive about people and things.
After Cui Dongshan left, Shi Rou breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed the little mute boy's head. "Don't talk like that in the future. It's not worth being on someone's mind because of me."
The little mute boy crossed his arms. "I won't offend if I'm not offended. But if anyone dares to mess with our shop, after I've learned enough boxing from Pei Qian, one punch down, and there'll be a pit with the person in it. Save the coffin and the grave."
Having been a helper at Qilong Lane for a long time, he had learned a lot of marketplace language from the locals, especially the women and older ladies.
The child never called the mountain lord by his formal title, only "master's master."
Zhou Juncan thought for a moment and decided that in the future, he should get a bit familiar with that mountain lord Ancestor Master. Otherwise, if he went to the mountain to report something, and Chen Ping'an favored his own student and didn't help uphold justice, what would he do?
Later, the two of them were reading miscellaneous books behind the counter. When Shi Rou turned a page, the child asked, "Manager Shi, what kind of person is Mountain Lord Chen?"
Shi Rou thought for a moment and smiled, "A good person. Very reasonable."
Zhou Juncan said gloomily, "But I don't know his reasons either."
Shi Rou couldn't help laughing. "You have your own reasons. That's enough. You don't have to deliberately follow his reasons. If you speak, he will listen carefully. Even if you don't speak, he will see it."
Zhou Juncan asked suspiciously, "Is there really such a good person?"
Shi Rou nodded gently, leaned against the counter, and said with some laughter in her eyes, "I don't know if there are elsewhere, but there is on our Fallen Mountain."
Zhou Juncan said angrily, "Then why does he have such an unreasonable, scare-mongering student? I don't think he's that good."
Shi Rou was speechless and laughed. "Maybe it takes all sorts to make a world."
Then Shi Rou lowered her voice and whispered, "Actually, I'm pretending to be afraid of that person. I'm not really that scared."
Zhou Juncan grinned and nodded. "I can tell."
Shi Rou continued flipping through the book.
Suddenly, a graceful young girl appeared at the entrance. She said timidly, "My brother asked me to pass a message to Manager Shi. He said after he's gone far, I should come and find you."
Shi Rou's heart tightened instantly.
Peanut said, "My brother said, Manager Shi is actually afraid of him. Pretending not to be afraid is worse than not pretending to be afraid."
After the girl left, Zhou Juncan said softly, "I'm a bit scared of him now."
That day, the ferry slowly docked. The group disembarked at Niujiao Mountain Ferry.
Cui Dongshan, who had been waiting here for a long time, only saw Pei Qian, Little Mi Li, and that outer realm demon.
Cui Dongshan asked, "Where is my Master?"
Pei Qian said, "Master said the ferry was too slow. He took Master's Wife to visit Comb Water Country and Colorful Clothes Country first. They'll be back soon."
Cui Dongshan laughed. "As long as you pay, this ferry can also go fast."
Some high-grade transcontinental ferries, if cost is no object and immortal money is thrown recklessly, can go extremely fast.
Pei Qian glared. "You pay!"
Cui Dongshan bent down and said cheerfully to the white-haired boy, "Here for a free meal?"
The white-haired boy sneered. "Did it cost you any money? Are you the one in charge?"
Cui Dongshan said with a grin, "Fallen Mountain has received my Master's letter. We plan to let you choose between two important and prominent positions. One is the Year-End Shop, where the senior disciple once worked. The acting manager's outer shell is the residual body of a Flying Ascension Realm great cultivator from Tongye Prefecture. That fellow had a death wish and insisted on butting heads with my Master. So our Fallen Mountain took him down. Next door is the Grass Head Shop, where an old immortal of profound and unfathomable Dao sits."
The white-haired boy asked, "How profound?"
Cui Dongshan responded with heart voice: "His previous incarnation was the Dragon Slayer of the Haoran World. What do you think?"
The white-haired boy was shocked inwardly. What kind of place was Fallen Mountain? They casually killed a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator, and the Dragon Slayer was just a shopkeeper?
Alright, alright, alright. This was the style befitting the Hidden Official Ancestor's founding of a sect. Eating and freeloading here wouldn't lower his status.
But the white-haired boy still chose the Year-End Shop. He planned to first probe the bottom of that "former Dragon Slayer" before deciding whether to recruit him as a little minion.
He laughed loudly. "Then from today onward, I am the new shopkeeper of the Year-End Shop."
Cui Dongshan said with a sly smile, "Don't think too much. You're just a shop assistant."
He sneered, "You don't get to decide."
Cui Dongshan said, "Unfortunately, my Master said in his letter that no matter which shop you go to, you can only be a shop assistant for now."
The white-haired boy beat his chest and stamped his feet. "I helped the Hidden Official Ancestor work hard to build the empire, performed unparalleled deeds, and never thought that in the end, I would still dishearten the hearts of all the soldiers!"
Cui Dongshan laughed. "I'm telling you in advance. When you get to Qilong Lane, don't stir up trouble. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences."
He reached out and pressed the white-haired boy's head. The true-named outer realm demon smiled knowingly. This one was walking into the tiger's den without knowing it.
Cui Dongshan squinted. "Actually, I forgot to tell you. The most inconvenient thing is that I am quite good at dealing with outer realm demons. Fighting a sword cultivator in the Immortal Realm would be a bit strenuous, but dealing with a Flying Ascension Realm outer realm demon is actually simpler."
A moment later, Cui Dongshan raised his hand and shook his snow-white sleeve.
The white-haired boy's face turned slightly pale. He pursed his lips and said nothing.
Just now, this person's heart door was wide open, like a fool actively inviting guests. She refused to believe it and stepped over the threshold. In an instant, her soul was torn into over three hundred pieces, becoming individual chess pieces on a board placed among colored clouds.
Little Mi Li tugged at Cui Dongshan's sleeve but didn't speak.
The little girl in black didn't say it wasn't allowed.
She didn't feel she could order Cui Dongshan around. But she was really worried. So she just looked up, scratched her face, and laughed twice.
Cui Dongshan's smile was gentle. He patted Little Mi Li's head. "Don't worry. We're just playing around."
The white-haired boy communicated via heart voice: "You are the Embroidery Tiger?!"
At the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Hidden Official Ancestor had never said that his senior uncle Cui Can would suddenly transform into his student.
And in the memory that Wu Shuangjiang had helped her fill in on the night boat, among the cultivators of the Haoran homeland who could be called heroes, there were only three: Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City and Cui Can, the Great Li National Teacher.
And there was also a Zou Zi.
Cui Dongshan complained, "Why are you cursing at me?"
The white-haired boy frowned tightly.
No, this person was not entirely Cui Can, and even not Cui Can.
She felt that the Hidden Official Ancestor's Fallen Mountain was truly, extremely dangerous. Even she, a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator, couldn't seem to strut around freely.
She glanced at Cui Dongshan's sleeve and sneered, "Not bad. The ancient mirror reflects the spirit, the body is simple and pure, the sleeve holds the Eastern Sea, the jade pot tips over, about to release a bright moon."
Cui Dongshan smiled gently. "White day and bright moon, day and night have no leisure. Who on the mountain is as lazy as this old man, unwilling to cultivate Dao and become an immortal?"
The white-haired boy praised, "Good poem, good poem! It can make a big table of dishes. If you write one like this every day, by the end of the year, wouldn't you save a lot of money?"
Cui Dongshan laughed. "In the future, learn from Old Immortal Jia how to speak properly."
---
Taking the Yixian Peak of the ancestral mountain as the center, the surrounding area of eight hundred miles was the private territory of Zhengyang Mountain.
The peaks clustered around Yixian Peak like stars surrounding the moon. Sword Qi crisscrossed, presenting a magnificent scene. From time to time, sword cultivators would fly together on their swords, looking from afar like streaks of fireflies trailing across the sky.
At today's ancestral hall meeting, there was not an empty chair. Every sword immortal, offering minister, and guest minister was present.
Sect Leader Zhu Huang, Jade Pu Realm Ancestor Master Xia Yuancui. The money manager, Tao Yanbo of the Tao Clan. The sect's law-enforcing ancestor master, Yan Chu. The mountain-protecting offering minister, Yuan Zhenye.
Additionally, those in the front seats were peak masters like Boyun Peak.
Those in the back included Tian Wan, who managed the landscape gazette and mirror flowers, water moon. As for collecting and screening intelligence, she only held a nominal position without real power.
At the very bottom sat Yuan Bai, an outsider. As the peak master of Duixue Peak, at every ancestral hall meeting, Yuan Bai never spoke. He was even more of a placeholder than Tian Wan.
But this young sword cultivator was once one of the "Two Jade" of the old Zhu Ying dynasty. The other one was now at Huimeng Mountain, a vassal of Fallen Mountain, using the pseudonym Shao Poxian.
It seemed both of their fates were poor, both living under others' roofs.
Not long after Yuan Bai was promoted from guest minister to offering minister, he went down the mountain with his sword to duel with Huang He of Wind Thunder Garden, successfully delaying the latter's breakthrough. Yuan Bai's sword path achievements then came to a dead end.
At Duixue Peak, Yuan Bai only had a maidservant to depend on.
But this time at the Yixian Peak meeting, there were two new faces in the ancestral hall. One was a very young Golden Core sword cultivator. His last peak-opening ceremony was very grand, known throughout the continent.
This person had almost become a direct disciple of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. For some reason, Ruan Qiong had voluntarily given up such a sword immortal seed.
There was also a younger one, Wu Tijing, with a stern face and few words. After taking his seat, he closed his eyes to rest, similar to Yuan Bai.
Some congratulatory heart messages from others, he simply ignored.
His life-bound flying sword was called Mandarin Ducks. Besides that, it was said he had another flying sword he kept secret.
Now, the entire Zhengyang Mountain was busy preparing for the ceremony for mountain-protecting offering minister Yuan Zhenye to break through to the Jade Pu Realm.
Wei Po of Piyun Mountain was the first Upper Five Realm great mountain lord in Bottle Gourd Prefecture's history.
And this mountain-protecting offering minister of Zhengyang Mountain became the first Upper Five Realm cultivator of spirit being origin.
Today's meeting was another happy event.
Because not long ago, from the Yunlin Jiang Clan came an extremely good news. At this Confucian Temple meeting, because the clan leader spoke impartially and straightly, as long as the Great Li court nodded and Zhengyang Mountain could produce fifty sword cultivators to travel far to the Barren Wasteland, the lower sect matter could pass at the Confucian Temple.
In fact, Sect Leader Zhu Huang had already quietly broken through to the Jade Pu Realm not long ago. But Zhu Huang only discussed this privately with his junior uncle Xia Yuancui, the god of wealth Tao Yanbo, the law enforcer Yan Chu, Offering Minister Yuan, and his trusted subordinate Tian Wan. Zhu Huang's intention was to release this news in a few years and then arrange the ceremony.
Xia Yuancui couldn't help praising her junior nephew for being patient enough.
Tian Wan, that sycophantic lackey, actually suggested they have a double celebration and prepare both at the same time.
Tao Yanbo laughed coldly, saying that he, the money manager, didn't think they needed to save this money. Tian Wan, you're in charge of the landscape gazette, but you're very considerate of me. How about we switch seats?
Law enforcer Yan Chu laughed heartily, saying that Zhengyang Mountain's celebrations were one after another, too frequent in recent years. The continent's cultivators were dazzled, and the mountain guests were running their legs off. They must be complaining. If Li Tuan Jing were still alive, wouldn't he be so angry that his sword heart would shatter on the spot?
Upon hearing that establishing a lower sect was possible, except for Wu Tijing and Yuan Bai, who remained indifferent, the rest of the ancestral hall members showed varying degrees of joy.
Previously, Zhengyang Mountain's reputation on the continent was indeed a bit poor.
Especially the older sects, which had spoken many disrespectful words about Zhengyang Mountain. Among them, Ancestor Qin of Daniu Valley of the Snow Wind Temple had publicly said a lot of cynical remarks, roughly meaning that Zhengyang Mountain's merits were number one in the world, so it was not just a lower sect but even opening lower sects across the nine continents was taken for granted.
Yan Chu laughed. "Now that the lower sect is a certainty, it's not impossible to think about a 'lower-lower sect' in the future. I just wonder if Ancestor Qin would be willing to attend our celebration then."
Tao Yanbo stroked his beard and laughed. "I'll personally send the invitation to Daniu Valley of Snow Wind Temple. If one letter isn't enough, I'll send a few more."
Even the old sword immortals of Boyun Peak and others had been quite frustrated about this, especially the old-timers of Zhengyang Mountain who had genuinely gone to the Old Dragon City and the Great River battlefield and risked their lives to strike with their swords multiple times.
Another item on today's agenda was Wu Tijing's peak opening after entering the Golden Core realm. Which peak would he take, and where would he cultivate and practice swords from now on?
The number of vacant peaks was now limited.
Among them were the Little and Big Solitary Mountains, collectively known as "Lovers' Peaks," which had been vacant without an opening because no pair of sword cultivator lovers had both become Earth Immortals for too long.
For this reason, Zhengyang Mountain had specifically established a sect rule: any pair of sword cultivator lovers who both reached Golden Core could not only take over Lovers' Peaks but also retain their previous peaks.
As for the Back-Sword Peak, it was the second highest after the ancestral mountain Yixian Peak. The sect's founding ancestor had placed a long sword at the summit and established an iron rule: only a future sword cultivator who became a sword immortal within a hundred years could take the sword as his own. The mountain-protecting offering minister, Yuan Zhenye, usually cultivated on this peak.
In fact, whoever could take the sword would not only become the peak master of Back-Sword Peak but also had no doubt about becoming the sect leader of Zhengyang Mountain.
Another peak was Green Mist Peak, closest to the White Egret Ferry. The mountain was small, the spiritual energy thin, and it was noisy. No one considered it a good place.
After the great war ended, Offering Minister Yuan relocated three broken old sacred mountains from the southern Great Li vassal states. Although the mountains were damaged, they were still the sites of a nation's great sacred peaks and had excellent foundations. One of them was given to that young Golden Core who had switched from the Dragon Spring Sword Sect to Zhengyang Mountain. But the best peak was said to be specially reserved by the white-clothed old ape for Tao Zi.
Additionally, there were only Blue Sea Peak, Jade Lang Mountain, Stream Cloud Mountain, and Summer Basket Mountain—neither good nor bad. Actually, none were suitable for an unprecedented sword genius like Wu Tijing.
Finally, Sect Leader Zhu Huang made the final decision and allocated the Immortal Back-Sword Peak to Wu Tijing.
For a moment, the ancestral hall was filled with varied expressions.
But even stranger was that Wu Tijing himself requested a different peak for his opening: Lovers' Peaks.
Even Zhu Huang and a few ancestor masters were baffled. They had to temporarily shelve the matter and planned to ask Wu Tijing privately why he made this choice.
After the meeting adjourned, Tian Wan flew alone back to her Dogwood Peak, which had been mockingly called "a place where even birds don't perch."
This female ancestor with a bad reputation lived alone on the mountain. When she reached her cultivation ground, she suddenly pressed her forehead, her face full of pain.
Originally, this was a great season for blooming and bearing fruit.
Internally, there was ancestor master Xia Yuancui, who had been in seclusion for many years and finally reached the Upper Five Realm. Then there was Sect Leader Zhu Huang and mountain-protecting offering minister Yuan Zhenye.
Outside the mountain, there was Wei Jin of Snow Wind Temple. Li Tuan Jing of Wind Thunder Garden, Huang He, Liu Baqiao.
Wu Tijing. And Su Jia, whom she had quietly brought back to Zhengyang Mountain and left at Lovers' Peaks.
Wu Tijing was the reincarnation of Li Tuan Jing. And Su Jia? She was the reincarnation of that pitiable female cultivator of Zhengyang Mountain, who had once truly loved and fought with Li Tuan Jing, a true case of love and death.
Originally, plus this life's Huang He and Liu Baqiao.
A tangled mess.
Add in other interlocking secret plots from other places, she could occupy at least forty percent of the continent's sword fortune. With good luck, a full half!
After refining it, it would serve as a whetstone for her Dao path. As for the remaining pure sword fortune, she had initially prepared it as a dowry for someone else.
Then she could make a huge deal with someone in the north.
No matter if he could reach the Fourteen Realm in the future, he had to promise her three things.
"Tian Wan" shook her sleeve, and immediately her expression returned to normal. She clicked her tongue. "This move can be called an immortal move. Barely worthy of being placed in the Colorful Clouds Game."
The woman's mind was indeed meticulous.
Her expression was pained, her face twisted.
But her eyes seemed detached from her whole person, like a feudal lord sitting independent, completely unmoved.
She trembled as she stretched out a finger and slowly wiped it across her face. She muttered to herself, "Behave. Including this time, it's already twice. Three strikes and you're out. If you're disobedient one more time, I won't be polite with you. Then I'll take you to the Immortal Back-Sword Peak to shit and piss everywhere. Then go to Duixue Peak and strip naked to dance gracefully. Or go to the Green Mist Peak closest to the White Egret Ferry and shout three times at the top of my lungs, 'Tian Wan likes Ancestor Yuan.'"
Tian Wan laughed. "I accidentally hooked two big fish for Mr. Cui."
One was from Northern Juzhou, the great sword immortal Bai Shang.
Using stones from other mountains to polish jade. The borrowed mountain was the sword Dao of the southern half of Bottle Gourd Prefecture.
Naturally, it was for reaching the Flying Ascension Realm, and aiming for the Fourteen Realm. But this person's specific Dao integration opportunity was still hard to guess.
As for the other big fish, it was the Yin-Yang Lu Clan of the Central Earth, not the Zou Zi that Cui Dongshan had anticipated.
As for Zhengyang Mountain's honor and survival, she naturally didn't care at all. A great fire of boiling oil, leaving only traces of snow and mud.
Tian Wan's thoughts were deep, and she couldn't help sighing.
She immediately slapped herself.
Tian Wan showed a slight anger. She slapped again, with great force. Both cheeks were swollen.
She giggled. "This woman, when she's ruthless, even hits herself."
Tian Wan, or rather the Cui Dongshan who was "living together" with her, put his hands in his sleeves and paced in circles inside the room.
Lu Tai, already far away.
Liu Cai, still hiding his head and tail.
The maidservant Liucai beside Yuan Bai, right here in Zhengyang Mountain, from the perspective of Fallen Mountain, was right under their noses.
The Chongdang River Water God Ye Zhuqing had once sent several secret letters to Yixian Peak. Those letters, which seemed crucial but were actually trivial inside information, were naturally intended by Fallen Mountain to be actively known by Zhengyang Mountain, in order to lead the old sword immortals, great sword immortals, and young sword immortals in that ancestral hall into a ditch.
And these letters were the work of Grand Steward Zhu Lian. Perhaps every character on the letters was written by him, imitating Ye Zhuqing's handwriting and tone.
Maybe Ye Zhuqing was right there adding fragrance to the old cook's sleeves, grinding ink with her bare hands.
Actually, relying on Fallen Mountain alone could intimidate the Chongdang River Water Mansion, but it could absolutely not make Ye Zhuqing obey orders so wholeheartedly, conspiring to scheme against Zhengyang Mountain, and be so willing to be an enemy of a sect.
What made her so devoted to Fallen Mountain was a girl in a green dress with a ponytail.
Cui Dongshan sighed. But this kind of thing—how to say it? There was no way to say it.
Saying it would be wrong. Thinking about it would also be wrong. So he could only remain silent, unknowing, unspeaking, unthinking.
Tian Wan, or Cui Dongshan, stood at the door with his hands in his sleeves, and said with a smile, "Then the two of us, here, shall welcome my Master's sword inquiry at Zhengyang Mountain."