Chapter 839: The Disciple Surpasses the Master

Chapter 839: The Disciple Surpasses the Master

Ning Yao held one of the four immortal swords, Innocence, and glanced at the people in the courtyard. She asked via heart voice, "What the hell is going on here?"

Chen Ping'an explained the process in detail. Ning Yao frowned as she listened, casting an extra look at Yuan Huajing and that Kushou.

But just that casual glance from Ning Yao caused Yuan Huajing, a Nascent Soul realm sword cultivator, and Kushou, a Golden Core land immortal, to feel a Dao suppression as if "Heaven's will moves in mysterious ways." The two cultivators immediately found it difficult to breathe; their spiritual qi flow not only stagnated but even began to show signs of freezing like water turning to ice.

This was the effect of a Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator. If one were to oppose such an existence, Qi Refiners below the Upper Five Realms might be even less than ants.

The other Chen Ping'an summoned by Kushou was pure in divinity. He was neither the complete Chen Ping'an nor simply a lesser version; in terms of killing power alone, he surpassed Chen Ping'an. He should have been the inner demon Chen Ping'an encountered when breaking through the Nascent Soul bottleneck, but because of the Sword Qi Great Wall's Dao integration, it was like a lawless, taboo-defying external heavenly demon that had been directly suppressed and sealed within the city. Kushou's Still Water Realm could replicate Chen Ping'an in the mirror, but just as he couldn't copy a Night Travel sword out of thin air, he also couldn't reproduce the "real scene" of the half Sword Qi Great Wall and the two worlds' Dao suppression. Thus, that Chen Ping'an immediately broke free from his cage.

Afterward, the two Chen Ping'ans met. On the surface, neither had thrown a punch or drawn a sword, but if Chen Ping'an's heart-mind had developed even a slight flaw, that existence would have silently found a path to climb up the well wall, reach the well mouth, and ultimately leave, even having the opportunity to turn the tables and take over.

One careless move and the entire game is lost—that was the situation.

Ning Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "This was far more dangerous than the assassination in the Jiashen ledger."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "It's fine, it's fine. Treat everything that's happened as good things. Besides, there's no harm in bad things happening early, and good things happening late. It's better to face them early so I can prepare in advance."

Why did he have to come back to the inn and beat people up? Was it out of spite? No, it was to save them. Otherwise, if Ning Yao had heard about this at the inn, given her personality, she would have said nothing and sent down a sword light directly. The Earthly Branch lineage would have become a thing of the past, and the Ritual and Punishment Ministries would have been thrown into chaos. If they made more trouble? Then another sword light would descend...

Ning Yao said angrily, "And you're still protecting them?"

What a hopeless goody-two-shoes.

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "After all, they were personally cultivated by Senior Brother. I can't just beat them to a pulp as his junior brother, can I?"

He gently grabbed Ning Yao's sleeve and said with a soft laugh, "Don't be angry, okay?"

Ning Yao glared at him. "Let go."

Chen Ping'an pestered her relentlessly. "If you're not angry, I'll let go."

Ning Yao laughed in spite of herself. "I'm not going to get angry at someone like you. Get out of the way. I need to inspect this place!"

Only then did Chen Ping'an reluctantly let go, casting a sidelong glance at the eleven people in the courtyard. Every single one of you owes me a great debt for saving your lives and protecting your Dao paths. A scholar doesn't expect repayment for his kindness—that's my business. Whether you remember the favor or not is a matter of your own conscience.

Ning Yao twisted her wrist, pressing the tip of the immortal sword Innocence against the ground. She rested her palm lightly on the pommel. Ripples spread from the sword tip. It wasn't that sword qi had condensed into something tangible, but rather she had directly turned her sword intent into a "real scene," imprisoning the entire inn within it.

At the same time, above everyone's heads, it was as if a Yellow River Cave Heaven had suddenly appeared suspended in midair. Sword qi poured down like a waterfall, descending from the sky to envelop the entire inn. But it wasn't the overwhelming force of a bursting dam; instead, it was a silent, intangible, and shifting penetration. This meant that Ning Yao's control over sword qi had reached an unfathomable ethereal level.

Ning Yao had casually constructed a sword array world using only her own sword intent and sword qi.

It was as if she possessed both of Chen Ping'an's innate divine abilities—the Caged Sparrow and the Moon in the Well—at the same time.

After a moment, Ning Yao withdrew her focus and that sword qi, saying, "Anyway, I can't find any trace or clue."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Generally speaking, that guy wouldn't dare leave any traces. If he did, the Rites Sage would expose him afterward. Since he met me and I'm unwilling to shatter that memory, he gets to live. If we meet again, it'll be like he's waking from a deep sleep, just reviewing 'his own' memories. So there's no need for him to gild the lily. But to be safe, you'll definitely need to make a trip to the Confucian Temple, sir."

Ning Yao was worried. "How did this happen? How did it appear?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, raised his left hand with the palm facing down, then gently flipped it so the palm faced up. He explained, "It's like the two sides of human nature—each has its own good and evil. This isn't just true for cultivators; it's the same for ordinary people. It's just that most people aren't pure, so it's not a big problem. But in my case, Cui Dongshan once said that when I was young, the two lines of good and evil in my heart were already extremely close, and their boundaries were clear. So what I've been working hard to suppress is actually this self."

Once the two merge, there will be no distinction between good and evil.

That is pure divinity.

Ning Yao asked doubtfully, "Why is it so severe in your case?"

In fact, regardless of whether they're on the mountain or off, everyone sometimes does things or says things that don't seem like them.

Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly. "Because I've always been pursuing that so-called 'no mistakes.' And then I ended up with a rather ruthless senior brother."

At Brief Lake, when he shattered the golden literary gall, Chen Ping'an essentially lost the possibility of cultivating a Confucian foundational character.

The bigger problem wasn't just that Chen Ping'an would never become a Confucian Temple co-sacrificial sage. It was that he had lost the intangible protection of some sage's principles. Otherwise, with his state of mind, it would have been as if he were in a heart-lake reflection of the Confucian Temple, and that purely divine Chen Ping'an naturally wouldn't have been able to stir up trouble. But Cui Chan had directly cut off that path, forcing Chen Ping'an to rely on his own true heart-mind to wrestle with himself as his own bitter opponent, fighting for his life to decide who he would ultimately be.

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had finally made a trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and he had started to not be so fond of constantly negating himself. But then at Brief Lake, Senior Brother Cui Chan had given him a blunt strike to the head, poured cold water on him, and completely knocked him back to square one.

Not only can you, Chen Ping'an, make mistakes, but the more you study and the greater your skills for establishing yourself become, the bigger the mistakes you'll make.

Senior Brother gave Chen Ping'an only two paths. One path: continuing to practice swordsmanship and fist techniques would be fine, but he would either have to "escape into Chan" in his heart-mind or switch to cultivating a method like Daoist "Guarding the One" for mental focus. The other path: continue on the old road, but you simply can't become a Confucian moral sage.

I and I are bitter opponents, tangled for long?

Anyway, Senior Brother Cui Chan felt that Junior Brother Chen Ping'an hadn't suffered enough or long enough.

That's why that previous white-clothed Chen Ping'an, having shed all human constraints, appeared in the mortal world as a divine being, and then began a slaughter where the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

And that was even with him deliberately holding back. If he hadn't felt so constrained himself, and if Chen Ping'an hadn't arrived so quickly, the eleven people including Yuan Huajing would have ended up much worse—living a fate worse than death, a situation they absolutely couldn't imagine.

Just take Cui Dongshan, Chen Ping'an's student, and his Sleeve Universe divine ability.

Chen Ping'an had merely been deliberately avoiding imitating it. If Chen Ping'an had reacted slowly and hadn't arrived at the inn in time, letting him run amok here... just the Sleeve Universe, combined with the painter Gai Yan's eyebrow-painting divine ability, and his ability to dissect human nature—by merely slightly imitating Zheng Juzhong and Wu Shuangjiang's styles, he could have arbitrarily transferred, separated, and integrated everyone's heart-natures and memories. He could have made everyone feel as if they were "in a dream, not knowing it's a dream," and by the time they "woke up," who knows who those eleven people would have been.

Ning Yao thought about it, found that thinking was useless, and simply stopped thinking.

Earlier, when Chen Ping'an had gone outside the city, she had discussed with the Old Sage the matter of opportunities in the Five-Colored Sky. The Old Sage had been drinking peanuts with wine at the time and sighed, saying, "Those who can sleep have good fortune; those with aspirations often suffer bitter thoughts."

Ning Yao sheathed her sword. The immortal sword Innocence returned to the sword box on her back. She looked at Yuan Huajing and said, "Since Greater Li is so capable, what's so hard about switching to a different sword cultivator? Since the Earthly Branch hasn't been completed yet, whether you're missing one or two people—the difference isn't big."

Chen Ping'an said via heart voice with a smile, "This guy's selfishness is certainly considerable, but he barely did his duty in his position. However, this account will be settled."

Chen Ping'an could even imagine that among these eleven, it was highly likely that more than one would encounter an inner demon—himself—when trying to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck in the future.

For example, Kushou, the female ghost Gai Yan, Yu Yu, Sui Lin, and Lu Hui, who had been hanging in the air on the spear tip—perhaps nearly half of these cultivators had that possibility.

Chen Ping'an tentatively asked, "How about you go back to the inn and read? I still need to chat with them here for a while. It might be boring."

Ning Yao asked bluntly, "Will there be a lot of weird talk?"

Chen Ping'an looked embarrassed, raising his hands and lightly pinching his thumb and index finger together. "Maybe a little."

Ning Yao nodded. She wasn't leaving.

Back on the Sword Qi Great Wall, she had never been to the Summer Retreat Palace, so she had never personally seen Chen Ping'an's troop deployments or heard with her own ears how many baskets of sharp remarks the Hidden Official could toss out.

Chen Ping'an sat down on the steps, summoned the Caged Sparrow again, and said, "I'll trouble you esteemed folks to be patient and wait a moment."

No one in the courtyard objected.

Some even cherished this current Chen Ping'an.

At least this guy was willing to talk some reason.

As for the other one, don't think about him. Thinking about him would destabilize the Dao heart.

One person taking on eleven, yet it was a complete and total crushing—in cultivation realm, heart-nature, swordsmanship, magical techniques, fist techniques, the seamless connection of all kinds of methods...

Forget it. That guy wasn't human.

The ten people in the courtyard found that Chen Ping'an, Ning Yao, and Song Xu had all vanished into thin air.

And Song Xu, looking around, found that the other ten had disappeared, leaving only the seated Chen Ping'an and the standing Ning Yao.

Chen Ping'an, with his hands in his sleeves, asked, "Song Xu, what's your flying sword called?"

Sui Lin, a cultivator of the Five Elements lineage of the Yin Yang School, could reverse the flow of time. This was an extremely rare innate divine ability, but its use came with many taboos. The more one relied on external things, the more it would consume one's Dao cultivation. At Sui Lin's current Earth Immortal realm, he could probably use it once at most before directly shattering his Longevity Bridge and cutting off his cultivation path entirely. It was highly likely that there was some kind of magical technique connecting everyone, allowing the other ten to share the Dao damage for Sui Lin, so that Sui Lin could avoid losing his realm and only consume some golden body fragments.

It was very possible that this was due to some ability of Song Xu's destined flying sword.

Song Xu answered the question indirectly: "The flying sword is called 'Post Road.'"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "'The best way to nourish the heart is to be sincere.' Song Xu, do you know what my teacher meant by that phrase?"

Song Xu couldn't possibly rely solely on being a Golden Core sword cultivator or a prince of the Greater Li Song clan, plus a flying sword that helped Sui Lin reverse the river, to serve as the leader of a small peak and still command respect.

Song Xu hesitated, his expression complex, and said softly, "There's another flying sword called 'Nursery Rhyme.' The National Master helped name it."

Chen Ping'an's gaze softened a little. He started chatting, "Second Prince, have you met your imperial uncle in the secondary capital? Talked much?"

Song Xu didn't hide anything. He nodded. "Met three times. Twice for official discussions, once privately. But we didn't talk much. I know my uncle takes good care of me, but because of some concerns, he couldn't say much to me."

Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled. "Song Jixin was my neighbor for many years. Since he was young, he couldn't keep things in his mouth—good or bad, he'd just blurt it out. He also liked to say the opposite of what he meant. He's better now."

He remembered that back then, when he carried a basket of wild vegetables home and strung some creek fish with a foxtail grass to dry on the windowsill into small dried fish, Song Jixin was squatting on the wall, saying, "You're quite skilled at living off the mountain and water. I want to play with you." That was fine in itself, but Song Jixin had to add at the end, "I'll reward you with some copper coins." Chen Ping'an said there was no need for money, and Song Jixin got unhappy instead. Chen Ping'an couldn't very well beg him to come catch snakes in the mountains and fish in the water, so they left it at that.

As a result, on Chen Ping'an's future path in life, whenever he heard or thought of the word "pretentious," he would immediately think of his old neighbor Song Jixin.

Chen Ping'an chuckled. "Song Xu, your imperial uncle has a whole lot of bad habits. There's only one thing that's barely passable: he still has a bit of conscience left."

Song Xu's expression was strange.

He remembered again that the blue-robed sword immortal before him, so casually at ease, was technically from his uncle's generation if you counted by age.

And as the prince of Greater Li, the imperial uncle Song Mu in his impression was a powerful prince responsible for sitting at the frontline of the Greater Li court. He was handsome and calm in temperament.

A man of great talent and strategy, with brilliant military achievements. At the time, the imperial uncle already enjoyed very high prestige among the mountains and the Greater Li border troops. But when it came to Song Xu, his expression was gentle. The imperial uncle secretly took good care of him, this nephew, without violating Greater Li laws, always maintaining perfect propriety.

His father didn't say anything about this. His mother privately told Song Xu with a smile that he should get closer to his uncle. They were family, after all; they shouldn't grow distant.

Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "Practice well in the future."

Song Xu cupped his fists.

The next moment, Song Xu saw the people of the courtyard, but Daoist Ge Ling and Array Master Han Zhoujin had disappeared again.

With Ge Ling, Chen Ping'an only asked about some matters concerning the patrol officer position. It was essentially a low-ranking, unofficial post to help the government patrol the mountains. It involved maintaining order in mountain Daoist temples, supervising the behavior of ordained Daoists, and often guiding and protecting wealthy officials who paid to enter the mountains and set up sacrificial altars. In the end, it was all trivial matters.

When it came to Han Zhoujin, Chen Ping'an said to this array master from the Pure Brightness Blessed Land of the Divine Revelation Sect, "Miss Han, I have a friend who's extremely proficient in arrays. His talent and skill are outstanding. If he ever passes through the Greater Li capital in the future, I'll have him come find you on his own."

Han Zhoujin was greatly surprised. She had thought she was being called to account, but instead, good fortune had come knocking? She performed a Daoist bow and thanked Chen Ping'an. She naturally trusted this Hidden Official's judgment.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "This friend of mine has no airs. He's very easy to get along with. And the old saying 'A gentleman doesn't expect repayment for his kindness' seems tailor-made for him. Oh, right. He has only one vice in life: a fondness for wine. So Miss Han, you don't need to overthink it. If this friend of mine comes to the capital and is on your turf, just make sure he has enough wine, and you won't owe him a favor."

Han Zhoujin nodded. She received a decent salary from the Punishment Ministry each year, and she didn't spend much. Buying a few jars of the best and most expensive immortal wines in Vase Bottle Continent was no problem.

Chen Ping'an seemed to remember something and warned, "Although he loves wine, he has a bad habit—he doesn't drink casually. Miss Han, are you good at persuading people to drink?"

Han Zhoujin shook her head.

Chen Ping'an took a booklet from his sleeve and lightly tossed it to Han Zhoujin, saying with a grin, "Some knowledge, free of charge. Let me clarify upfront: I didn't compile this. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, everyone had a copy. They'd flip through it before every drinking session."

Ning Yao thought that Liu Jinglong of the Taihui Sword Sect really had it rough having a friend like Chen Ping'an. Even if he didn't want to drink, it would be hard. Probably after all that drinking, he'd really build up a tolerance?

Chen Ping'an said to Han Zhoujin, "Regarding that immortal estate relic you've refined, you haven't actually found the true array core yet. When you get a chance, go find Feng Yi. If she is willing to reveal the secrets of heaven, it will be a great fortune for you."

Han Zhoujin was deeply shaken internally. So there was still such a thing?!

Finally, Chen Ping'an said via heart voice, "Since Miss Han is somewhat fond of Ge Ling, and he likes you, don't deliberately use me to disgust him. If you two want to have a squabble, at least pick someone else. Don't use me."

Han Zhoujin replied via heart voice, "Got it."

After sending those two off, he singled out Kushou.

Chen Ping'an asked, "So at your current realm, you can only use that destined object to replicate the 'real scene' of a Jade Pure realm cultivator?"

The young cultivator answered honestly, "The Still Water Realm can only do that for now. If this junior can reach the Jade Pure realm in the future, I can replicate a real scene of an Immortal. If I'm even more fortunate and reach the Immortal realm, I can replicate a small-scale Cave Heaven or a small Blessed Land. But I vaguely sense that the extent of a Still Water Realm's 'world' ultimately has a fixed limit. If I don't control myself and get too greedy, the moon will easily wane when full, and water will overflow when brimming, leading to collapse."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Can I take a look?"

Kushou didn't hesitate. He immediately summoned the ancient mirror and placed it into Chen Ping'an's hand. Chen Ping'an held it with two fingers pinching the rim and examined the circular inscriptions on the back.

"'The human heart is a square inch; heaven's heart is a square zhang'—this is Daoist saying."

"'What I see: mountains turn, waters stop.' That's quite interesting. It's not 'mountains do not move, waters forever flow.' In fact, Buddhism has similar sayings like 'the wind moves, the banner moves, the heart does not move' and 'hearing sound, the heart does not move.' These have some slight connection with the Daoist concept of 'the opposite movement of the Daoist way.'"

As for the line "'Observing the realm through the self, between the real and the imaginary'—that involves great learning."

Chen Ping'an immediately restrained the chain of thoughts that arose. One of them was an old saying he'd read in an ancient book: "Heaven and water are opposed," which roughly means that heavenly phenomena and water phenomena are mutually contrary.

Chen Ping'an returned the ancient mirror to Kushou and said seriously, "You must be very careful when using this object in the future. A child wielding a knife or a hammer often hurts himself first before hurting others."

Kushou carefully placed the Still Water Mirror back into his destined qi prefecture and said softly, "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Making mistakes unintentionally isn't scary. Being willing to correct them is cultivation."

Kushou cupped his fists and said solemnly, "Mr. Chen's instruction is engraved on this junior's heart!"

After that, Chen Ping'an summoned Yu Yu, Sui Lin, and Lu Hui all at once.

Chen Ping'an got straight to the point. "If your inner demon turns out to be me in the future, what will you do?"

Sui Lin and Lu Hui's faces turned slightly pale. Yu Yu was the first to speak. "I definitely can't beat you, so I'll just contentedly be a Nascent Soul cultivator. Then I'll cling to the big shots and drag them down. I'm not going to leave the Earthly Branch willingly anyway. I'll only leave when the Ritual and Punishment Ministries kick me out."

Chen Ping'an felt that this military cultivator girl, who actually served as the behind-the-scenes strategist for the Earthly Branch, probably wouldn't have him as her inner demon. Such a broad heart-mind was rare.

Generally speaking, there are roughly two types of inner demons. For example, someone who cultivates purely for power and doesn't overthink things—that's also a kind of pure Dao heart. For them, the inner demon will suppress them with power. The cultivator's most relied-upon skill, when encountering this threshold, will always find that a foot of Dao is matched by a ten-foot demon. It's like wanting to enter the hall, but someone blocks you, and that person just happens to be standing on the threshold, slightly taller than the person outside.

In addition, there is the more ethereal Dao heart. The greatest flaw in the heart-mind, the greatest gap in a cultivator's heart cultivation, is where the inner demon is born.

Chen Ping'an said to Sui Lin and Lu Hui respectively: "Sui Lin, both Buddhism and Daoism have the tradition of the 'Guarding the One' method. Go look through the archives or consult a high authority. Afterward, spend more time at the Chongxu Bureau and the Translation Bureau. Listen more, think more, and gradually gather your heart-nature into one. This process may seem ordinary—just listening to others preach, teach scriptures, and explain Dharma—but it won't be easy. Be mentally prepared."

"Lu Hui, first find a way to solve your own predicament on your own. If there truly comes a day when you feel you have no hope of breaking through, come find me at Fallen Mountain. I will teach you a Confucian qi-refining 'Breaking Word Technique.'"

In fact, Lu Hui was the most collateral victim. To a large extent, he had suffered an undeserved calamity. That was why he had been deliberately tormented earlier.

Because the white-clothed Chen Ping'an who had descended in the form of a deity hated, or rather found most troublesome, Lu Hui's identity: a Confucian scholar, or rather, a literate person.

Sui Lin and Lu Hui each performed a Daoist bow and a deep bow, sincerely thanking Mr. Chen.

Yu Yu asked, "Mr. Chen, what about me?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Drink more."

Yu Yu asked doubtfully, "That works?!"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Drinking can solve ten thousand worries."

Yu Yu was anguished. "Drinking is the most expensive! I've been painstakingly saving up my dowry all these years. I can't even afford a few jars of the immortal wine from Changchun Temple. If I didn't have great discipline, I would have become a thief long ago."

Chen Ping'an could pretty much confirm that this girl, whose heart was broader than the sky, might be the easiest one to break through to the Upper Five Realms.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "'Knowing others is wisdom; knowing oneself is enlightenment. Let us encourage each other.'"

Yu Yu laughed heartily. "I can't keep talking like this. If I do, I'll end up like Gai Yan and Han Zhoujin and start developing a crush on Mr. Chen!"

As for Ning Yao or not Ning Yao—you're a big shot Flying Ascension sword immortal. You'd be embarrassed to bully a little girl like me?

If you really could be that mean, then sorry, you Ning Yao really don't deserve our Mr. Chen!

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Do you have a grudge against Gai Yan?"

Han Zhoujin had already left, but the female ghost Gai Yan was still waiting outside.

Yu Yu snorted. "No grudge, no grudge. It's just that she's the innkeeper, and she's so miserly, keeping track of every penny. She has no ability to earn money from outsiders and only knows how to make money off her own people. Look, we have this huge place, and all these empty rooms. Gai Yan won't even hire a single pretty woman to greet customers. She says why spend so much money? Should we turn this nice inn into something like the Rouge Peak of Zhengyang Sect? In any case, she has all the arguments, and we have no money. I've been annoyed with her for a long time."

Chen Ping'an nodded in deep agreement. "Gai Yan's methods for making money are indeed... hard to describe."

As the three left.

Ning Yao squinted. "Drink more, talk less, don't think too much."

Then Yu Yu, after returning, acted as if she'd been struck by lightning, running wildly around the courtyard, shouting that she'd remember, remember, until she finally crashed headfirst into the courtyard wall and fell unconscious.

The young novice Houjue and the female ghost Gai Yan came into the small world together.

Gai Yan mustered up her courage and saw the blue-robed sword immortal sitting on the steps. Ah, it was this Mr. Chen who truly commanded admiration.

The other one had scared her out of her wits.

She blinked and spoke first. "Mr. Chen and Sword Immortal Ning are truly a match made in heaven, an immortal couple."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Thank you for the kind words."

Where was this attitude earlier? If you'd spoken like this from the start, you wouldn't have taken those beatings.

Maybe I would have even discussed with her, the innkeeper, about renting a residence in the capital for my travels. After all, I could see that this inn's business was mediocre. Having all those empty rooms just sitting there, without any human presence, was a waste. I bet if I were managing this inn, it would be packed every day.

Chen Ping'an was somewhat puzzled. It seemed Ning Yao had neither a good nor bad impression of Gai Yan; she was just completely indifferent.

Gai Yan, having been tipped off by the cultivators outside, took the initiative to say, "When the time comes to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck, I have a shortcut. Mr. Chen doesn't need to worry."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'm not worried."

The young novice pressed his palms together. "May the Buddha bless Mr. Chen and Sword Immortal Ning with smooth cultivation, fulfillment of all wishes, a long and happy union, perfection in all things, a joyful marriage, and many children..."

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh.

Ning Yao's face was expressionless. She flatly kicked Chen Ping'an.

Then the youth Gou Cun was brought over.

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "I got the upper hand in every exchange because I made the first move. Spill it. What's your ace in the hole?"

The youth asked, "Can I say? Is it not prohibited?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "You can. I say so."

Only then did Gou Cun speak. "I later acquired a destined object related to wealth luck. It makes it easier for me to find money."

Chen Ping'an was stunned on the spot. On his path of cultivation, it was rare for him to be so envious of someone else. As a "pack-rat peddler," he had to keep his eyes wide open, rack his brains, and be even more ruthless than rogue cultivators just to earn a few cents of hard-earned money!

"The National Master also said that I'm actually... a poor wretch. I didn't dare ask more. Later, Yu Yu came up with an explanation: maybe it's because we Earthly Branch cultivators earn money too fast, and it all seems like ill-gotten gains from shady sources. That's not a good thing, so we need to be a bit poorer."

"The National Master also said that when I eventually reach the Upper Five Realms, I can receive a little bit of Vase Bottle Continent's qi fortune. Although my talent isn't great, far inferior to Yuan Huajing and Song Xu, as long as I keep my feet on the ground and walk steadily, there's hope for me to slowly cultivate my way to an Immortal."

"The National Master also said that when I reach the Jade Pure realm, he'll allow me to go to a vassal state of Greater Li and serve as its National Master."

Chen Ping'an couldn't hold back his laughter. "What else did the National Master say?"

Gou Cun scratched his head. "The National Master said that dog meat is actually quite tasty. I was scared out of my wits at that moment."

Last was Yuan Huajing.

Yuan Huajing seemed to have already composed himself. Now standing alone at the bottom of the steps, he didn't appear particularly nervous.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "High in realm, high in prestige. It's indeed fitting to have Sword Immortal Yuan as the finale."

Yuan Huajing said, "I'm only at the Nascent Soul realm. I don't deserve the title 'Sword Immortal.'"

Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you have selfish motives?"

Yuan Huajing replied, "I do."

"Do you have personal grudges?"

"No."

"Whether you do or don't, is that for you to decide? What is this? Are you a Jade Pure and I'm a Nascent Soul? Are you a sword cultivator and I'm a sword immortal? Relying on being a few decades older to put on an elder's airs with me?"

"..."

"What's your destined flying sword called?"

"Yelang."

"Did my senior brother name it?"

Yuan Huajing nodded. "It was personally named by the National Master."

Actually, it hadn't been this name at first. It was "Tingling" (Stopping the Soul), which was more suited to the flying sword's innate divine ability.

"Do you know the intention?"

"The National Master was reminding me not to be arrogant and self-important, not to be like Yelang thinking itself great."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "You've read too little, that's why your thinking is shallow."

Yuan Huajing frowned, then sincerely said, "I beg Peak Master Chen to enlighten me."

This involved his Dao cultivation, so Yuan Huajing had to take it seriously.

Chen Ping'an slowly explained, "If a person never travels at night, how can they know there are night travelers on the road? If you never become an immortal, how can you know whether there are true immortals who have attained the Dao in the mountains and forests under heaven? While this is still a reminder not to be arrogant, it contains several more layers of meaning. The very answer to why you're being warned against Yelang-like arrogance is given to you all at once. Even if you become a night traveler, with the sky dark and your fingers invisible before your face, you will still be blind to others and still not know what the mountains and forests of the world truly are."

Yuan Huajing savored this carefully. It was indeed deeply meaningful. He nodded. "I am enlightened."

Ning Yao asked via heart voice, "Is that really true?"

Chen Ping'an replied via heart voice, "I was talking nonsense to teach him a lesson."

Ning Yao stifled a laugh. It was indeed better to stay. More interesting than reading.

Chen Ping'an said casually, "Yuan Huajing, if you were born on the Sword Qi Great Wall, you could have achieved swordsmanship accomplishments as high as so-called top geniuses like Qi Shou and Gao Yeyuan. Maybe a little inferior, but the gap wouldn't be so large that you couldn't catch up. Your biggest problem would be dying easily on the battlefield, because the great monsters would deliberately target you, unwilling to give you a chance to grow."

Yuan Huajing nodded. "I would definitely strive to survive. I believe that if I truly were a native sword cultivator of the Sword Qi Great Wall and fought alongside the Hidden Official, the Summer Retreat Palace would arrange a protector for me."

Ning Yao said via heart voice, "What he said isn't wrong, but it sounds so awkward."

Chen Ping'an replied via heart voice with a smile, "He has age but no experience. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, there would be a sea of good-hearted people willing to teach him a lesson at midnight."

Chen Ping'an asked again, "Do you intend to only rely on your own flying sword's divine ability, copy the pattern, and when you eventually reach the Immortal realm, create a complete existence similar to a mini-Earthly Branch?"

Yuan Huajing nodded, candidly admitting to this.

There was nothing to hide from Chen Ping'an anyway.

"You can well imagine how brilliant you'll be when that day comes, standing atop the mountains of Vase Bottle Continent in this corner of the world, with no rivals in sight."

Chen Ping'an extended one hand and casually tapped his knee with a grin. "But have you ever considered that as you climb that path to the summit, step by step, the rest of the Earthly Branch cultivators will face their own cultivation bottlenecks and threshold difficulties? They'll fall further and further behind you, eventually below you, even at your feet?"

Chen Ping'an squinted, laid his sword across his knee, and gently stroked the scabbard with his palm. "Answer well. If you answer wrong, even though I don't like to hold grudges, even a mud Buddha has three parts of fiery temper. I do have a temper."

Yuan Huajing hesitated. "I am a sword cultivator. I have 'Yelang.' My cultivation aptitude is the best. When the complete twelve-person Earthly Branch is finally assembled, I should be the one standing there."

"So I don't really care how much they helped me during this climbing process. It's their duty; they can't slack off."

"The only thing I feel I need to constantly remind myself of is that in every battle's aftermath, it's undeniable that I got the most benefit. But no one, not even the cultivators on Song Xu's side, thinks there's anything wrong with that."

"I, Yuan Huajing, am not a fool. I can tell true feelings from false ones. I can sense jealousy hidden in smiles. Even before I started cultivating, I had great intuition since childhood."

"Chen Ping'an, I still hold to my earlier view. Someone like you, who always follows rules and talks reason, will one day do one or two unreasonable things. If it falls on a mountain sect, that's fine—it's just the rise and fall of a few hundred people. But if it falls on the Greater Li dynasty, how many people would it affect? Millions, tens of millions, easily. So our Greater Li court, especially our Earthly Branch, must have the strength to restrain Fallen Mountain to a certain degree."

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "Whether what you said is right or wrong, being willing to open your heart is itself a sincere way of treating others. Fine, I'll let you pass."

Yuan Huajing was silent.

It definitely wasn't over.

Chen Ping'an would never let him off that easily.

Yuan Huajing's only hope at the moment was that he and the Yuan clan wouldn't become the next Zhengyang Sect.

Chen Ping'an lifted the Night Travel sword and stood up, saying earnestly, "You smart people shouldn't have unsettled minds, thinking about this and that every day, letting your thoughts run wild. That's a major taboo in cultivation. Especially don't pursue maximum benefit in everything. Who do you think you are? The little heavens' will in the martial arts novels at the bookstands?"

"Yuan Huajing, I'll give you some advice. Just pretend my senior brother is still here."

Chen Ping'an walked down the steps. "Even if Senior Brother isn't here, I, as his junior brother, still am. In the future, I'll often drop by the Ren Yun Yi Yun Tower. I don't have many friends in the capital. Maybe one day when I'm in a bad mood, I'll come find you, my new friend, to drink and reminisce."

Actually, there was an old account between him and Yuan Huajing that hadn't been settled yet. The main reason was that Yuan Huajing himself wasn't exactly the same as that Grand Pillar Yuan clan of Greater Li, which actually originated from his hometown in Erlang Alley.

And the Xu clan of Qingfeng City, by secretly accumulating literary and martial fortunes through a fox kingdom and then marrying their legitimate daughter to a concubine-born son of the Yuan clan, had great ambitions.

Chen Ping'an held the Night Travel sword and gently placed it on Yuan Huajing's shoulder. "By the way, if you've already become one of the decision-makers of the Grand Pillar Yuan clan and participated in things you shouldn't have, then after you leave the inn today, you can start preparing how to flee for your life."

Yuan Huajing had to force his temperament and take the initiative to explain, "After becoming an Earthly Branch cultivator, I proactively severed ties with my clan."

Tapping his shoulder lightly with the scabbard, Chen Ping'an smiled. "One last thing, just a side note. On Vase Bottle Continent, as long as I, Chen Ping'an, am here, your Earthly Branch cultivators are essentially dispensable. You can all go home and cultivate as you please. Because what Senior Brother sought was just the future 'Zong-zi-head' immortal sect, not any one of you. None of you are indispensable. As you are now, you're still far from it."

Chen Ping'an withdrew the Caged Sparrow.

Everyone saw Yuan Huajing standing in place, not lying on the ground sleeping. They were actually quite surprised.

Chen Ping'an looked at Han Zhoujin and said with a smile, "Miss Han, you didn't set up a betting pool this time?"

Han Zhoujin was a little embarrassed. He really held grudges.

Yu Yu was stunned. "Huh? You can make money like that?!"

Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao left the inn together. They reappeared in the alley where the residence was. They found that his teacher had already returned from Spring Mountain Academy and was over by the inn entrance. So the two of them walked side by side in the alley. Chen Ping'an suddenly turned sideways, still walking, and smiled at Ning Yao's profile. "I just thought of a saying. Probably what we call 'growing up' means there's a version of ourselves, whose nature we don't know, waiting in the distance to meet the us who are walking there today. Right?"

Ning Yao said impatiently, "Right my foot."

Such a dangerously close call, even she was still shaken, yet he was acting like nothing had happened.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Actually, you taught me that. When dealing with any troublesome matter that comes knocking, once you've thought it through, don't drag it out. If it's time to close the door, close it and don't think about it anymore. As for what's still outside the door, that's what you should think about a little more."

Ning Yao asked doubtfully, "Did I teach you that?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Yeah, you did."

Then, turning around, he said via heart voice, "Actually, I know that with my teacher being in Vase Bottle Continent now, it's not easy. I just have a good reason to let my teacher return to the Middle Earth Confucian Temple earlier."

Now, his teacher was only at ease in two places: the Middle Earth Confucian Temple and the Merit Forest. And the three continents where the Dao was integrated: South Waves Continent, Parasol Leaf Continent, and Fuyao Continent.

Even though his teacher had restored his Confucian Temple divine rank, those three continents' landscapes had been too shattered. So appearing outside those three continents would only make things worse.

So Chen Ping'an wanted to talk more with his teacher, but he also didn't want his teacher to suffer for it.

Not far away, at the inn, the old innkeeper was a true old fox. Having a daughter late in life, he had previously tried to stop her from going to the innkeeper's quarters, but that seemed risky and might have backfired. One plan having failed, he came up with another. He took the initiative to let his daughter go find Ning Yao to apprentice under her. His reasoning to his daughter was valid enough: an ordinary female martial artist would carry at most one sword, but Ning Yao carried a whole sword box on her back. Could her fist and foot skills be lacking? If she wasn't a female martial arts hero, who was? So his silly daughter had indeed gone to knock on the door.

Now bored, the girl came over to the counter. Her eyes lit up as she saw the bag of twisted dough twists. "Dad, what made you think to buy me these?"

She picked one up and crunched it.

The old innkeeper wasn't senile. He said it was that kid Chen Ping'an's kind thought, a free gift of snacks. But he just chuckled and said, "As a dad, do I care about my daughter or not? Shouldn't my daughter have some idea herself?"

The girl mumbled indistinctly, "You care, you care. I know, I know."

The old innkeeper asked, "Still want to apprentice?"

The old man added with a smile, "If you still have the heart, Dad can help."

The girl shook her head. "Forget it. Earlier, I listened to you and took the initiative to knock on the door. I used up all my courage. I found out I'm pretty scared of that Master Ning. When she glares or raises an eyebrow, I can't even speak."

The girl imitated Ning Yao, raising an eyebrow and glaring, then laughed to herself.

The old innkeeper glanced at the oil paper bag. Feeling a bit guilty, he said a fair word: "I have to say, that Chen Ping'an really isn't some shady lecher."

The girl almost choked on her dough twist and laughed. "I was scared at first, of course. But now I know. He's not a bad person."

I'm not stupid. The way he looks at Master Ning—it's just one word: deep affection.

The books say that a good woman can't resist a persistent man. He must have worn her down with persistence and care to win her over.

But she couldn't say that, or her dad would scold her for reading too many miscellaneous books and wasting money.

The girl picked up a second crispy dough twist and asked, "Dad, if he isn't some playboy, a stranger passing through, and this is his first time at our inn, then why did he look at me so strangely that night?"

The old innkeeper thought for a moment and offered his own reasoning. "Probably mistook you for someone else. In the dark, at a glance, he might have thought you looked like someone. Someone in the martial arts world meets many people, and there are many stories."

The Old Scholar asked from the doorway, "Brother Liu, may I borrow two benches? Do you mind if I sit at the inn entrance and enjoy the sun?"

The old innkeeper smiled. "What's the big deal? No problem."

The girl immediately helped bring two long benches and placed them outside the door. The sun wasn't too strong today, so it wasn't hot.

Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao reached the inn entrance. The Old Scholar and Chen Ping'an sat on one long bench, while Ning Yao and the girl, who was there for the fun, sat on the other. But after thinking, the girl eventually left.

Chen Ping'an told him the matter. The Old Scholar nodded. "A trivial matter. I'll drink this wine first, then go ask the Rites Sage."

Ning Yao said, "I'll go to the Confucian Temple with you."

The Old Scholar quickly shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no. I still have to come back. Let's leave Vase Bottle Continent together another time."

Ning Yao turned to look at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an nodded, and Ning Yao didn't insist.

The Old Scholar pretended to look straight ahead, but his heart was blossoming with joy. Our lineage has made it big!

In the Wen Sheng lineage, from the teacher's learning to the unique strengths of each student, they were practically invincible. Perhaps their only slight shortcoming was in the matter of finding wives. But now that was invincible too, wasn't it?

The Old Scholar said softly with a chuckle, "When Teacher lost his co-sacrificial status, his statue was smashed, his teachings were banned, and he confined himself to the Merit Forest for a hundred years. Even then, Teacher had happy things. Can you guess what?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, then handed over a jug of wine.

The Old Scholar took the jug, looked suspicious, and waved his hand. "No, no. If you can even guess that, the Old Rites Sage and I will have to compete for you as a student."

Chen Ping'an took a sip himself. "Before, on the Grand World of Haoran, if anyone talked about my senior brothers, they couldn't avoid 'Wen Sheng's direct disciples.' When Teacher was down and out in the Merit Forest, he was only seen as the teacher of those senior brothers. Teacher didn't worry or grieve over that; instead, he was just happy, secretly happy."

The Old Scholar stroked his beard and smiled. "Who says not? Master Su said many pleasing things, but I think the kind of happiness that secretly delights is the most worth delighting in."

Ning Yao smiled knowingly.

No wonder the peak cultivators of several worlds knew that Wen Sheng was most partial to his closing disciple.

The Old Scholar finished his wine and stood up. "Well, I'll be off to work then. I might need to find Feng Yi to thank that senior. After that, I'll probably be out of the capital for a day or two."

Chen Ping'an wanted to stand up, but the Old Scholar pressed his shoulder, turning his head to look at him with questioning eyes. Do you understand the opportunity? Chen Ping'an didn't nod. "Of course. Teacher, please stop with that look, or you'll overdo it." The Old Scholar suddenly understood. "Makes sense, makes sense."

Everything was understood without words.

The Old Scholar first went to the Fire Spirit Temple to find Feng Yi.

Under the flower trellis, Feng Yi, who had been sitting on the steps drinking, immediately stood up to welcome him. With great grace, she performed a curtsey. "I greet the Wen Sheng teacher."

The Old Scholar sat on a stone stool beside her and said with a smile, "I just came by to say thank you. Senior, don't think it's too late. If you do, I can punish myself with three cups. Oh, look at my memory! I forgot to bring wine!"

Feng Yi tossed him a jar of Hundred Flowers Brew. The Old Scholar removed the mud seal, sniffed it, and said, "Good wine, good wine. So good I hate to drink it."

The Old Scholar maintained that posture of holding the wine without drinking, squinting at Feng Yi.

Feng Yi waited for a long time, then had no choice but to toss him another jar.

The Old Scholar put down the first jar, held the second jar of Hundred Flowers Brew with both hands, and said with a face full of guilt, "I'm so embarrassed. Awkward, awkward. Look at this whole mess, it's like I came to beg for wine."

Feng Yi smiled. A wisp of breeze condensed between her fingers, and it turned into a phrase spoken by the Old Scholar's closing disciple.

The Old Scholar listened with his ear pricked up, stroked his beard, and laughed heartily. "Excellent! This is what they call 'The disciple surpasses the master'!"

It turned out to be at the inn entrance.

Chen Ping'an found Ning Yao staring at him. He lowered his head to drink, then looked up—she was still staring at him.

Chen Ping'an immediately swore solemnly, "Heavens know! My teacher got the wrong idea!"