Chapter 847: Dragons and Snakes Rise from the Land

Chapter 847: Dragons and Snakes Rise from the Land

(There are many things at the end of the year, so updates are very unstable. It will be much better next month.)

Chen Ping'an gazed in the direction of the Ten Thousand Mountains, that slice of territory that seemed to have been cut away from the Barbarian World by the old blind man. A hazy golden light shimmered over the earth, cast by the golden-armored puppets tasked with moving mountains, and high above, autumn clouds rose like peaks, dissolving into the vast void.

Chen Ping'an thought of the struggle for crossing back in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land back then. It was highly possible that within the next hundred years, the several worlds would experience an unprecedented scene in ten thousand years, where every cultivator on the Great Way would strive to cross, competing for opportunities.

Thinking of another matter, Chen Ping'an said softly, "The Teacher admonished me. On one matter, I was quite slow to realize, and that was truly inexcusable."

Ning Yao asked curiously, "What matter?"

The Old Master Wen Sheng could bear to admonish his proud disciple?

Chen Ping'an said, "The Teacher reminded me that when the two of us are together, I shouldn't always let you initiate the conversation."

Perhaps many misunderstandings between people arise from careless words that should never have been spoken, while heartfelt words that ought to be said are stingily withheld—two pairs of lips muttering to themselves behind closed doors, mistakenly believing the other already understands.

Ning Yao's expression was strange.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Is that not the case?"

Ning Yao shook her head and said, "Of course not."

When the two were together, no matter where they were, even if neither said anything, Ning Yao never actually felt awkward. Moreover, she wasn't the type to force conversation. Talking with him was never boring.

Ning Yao couldn't help but laugh. "Teacher and student—one dares to teach, the other dares to listen."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Then I'll rest easy."

Just as Ning Yao was about to speak, Chen Ping'an took the initiative to say, "Even if you don't mind, I'll still talk more in the future."

Chen Ping'an continued, "Earlier, when Ritual Sage was nearby, whether I spoke my mind or not made no difference. Over at the inn entrance, Ritual Sage put it bluntly. In the final analysis, it's because he treated you as an equal and formidable powerhouse, so he didn't bother with excessive courtesy."

Ning Yao nodded. "I understand. The principle is just that."

That was why she hadn't said anything at the time. She could fully understand, even if she didn't entirely accept it. But since it was the meritorious Ritual Sage, her silence was the greatest form of respect.

The Ritual Sage of the Central Earth Confucian Temple, the Great Master of the Jade Capital—one embodied ritual, the other virtue. Both commanded the utmost authority.

"The scattering of the Way by the Three Ancestors of the Three Teachings—is that the reason you hurried to break through your realm after returning home?"

Ning Yao asked two consecutive questions directly: "What about over there?"

Ning Yao was no stranger to the scattering of the Way. In fact, a cultivator's dissolution through tribulation was similar to a scattering of the Way, except it was a helpless move by Qi refiners who had failed to attain the Way and couldn't break through the barrier of life and death. After dissolution, their entire Dao method and fate would flow indeterminately, returning entirely to heaven and earth, uncontrollable. The Ascension Realm great cultivator Du Mao of the Indus Leaf Sect had once been shattered into broken crystal by Zuo You. On his deathbed, Du Mao attempted to bequeath part of his Dao charm and crystal golden body to the Jade Gui Sect. Then there was the Great Ancestor of the Tuo Yue Mountain, who could control his own fortune and ultimately feed it back to the entire Barbarian World, causing the home world's Qi refiners of the demon race to break through realms like bamboo shoots after rain. Fei Ran, Shou Chen, Zhou Qinggao—none were exceptions. They were all dragons and snakes rising from the land, true children of destiny.

As for what Ning Yao meant by "over there," of course, it referred to that old Heavenly Court where Zhou Mi had ascended and taken residence.

Chen Ping'an crouched down, reached out his hand to press against the city wall, gently rubbing it, then looked up and glanced at the sky. "As for over there, the Three Ancestors of the Three Teachings probably have their own plans. I just know they won't sit idly by. Earlier, when I went to Central Earth to attend the Confucian Temple council, there was that extremely secretive riverside council. Aside from me being the exception, it gathered a large group of Fourteen Realm cultivators, many of whom I saw for the first time. Ritual Sage presided over the council. It was like... a major examination. The examinees were the great cultivators already standing atop the peaks of the three worlds, yet none of the Three Ancestors of the Three Teachings appeared by the river. However, the specific content of the evaluation seemed to be forgotten by everyone after the council ended. I found that a bit strange at the time—why would the Three Ancestors go to such lengths? Later, the Teacher took me to the summit of Sui Mountain, where I saw the Master of the Unsurpassed Sage with my own eyes. I noticed some clues then, and the Master of the Unsurpassed Sage didn't hide anything from me. He said something... barely considered praise, which was tantamount to acknowledging the matter."

Chen Ping'an guessed that it was a questionnaire with life and death as the question, and the answer was the result of each Fourteen Realm cultivator's self-examination. For instance... a large group of Fourteen Realm great cultivators, traveling together to the new Heavenly Court—did they dare, were they willing, were they ready to sacrifice life and death for the countless living beings of the human world?

Chen Ping'an had once had a Q&A with the four in the scroll about saving people requiring killing people. Zhu Lian's answer back then was not to kill and not to save, because he feared he might be the "one in a million."

At that time, Chen Ping'an didn't say much. In fact, Senior Brother Cui Chan gave another extreme answer: not only should one save people, but one should actively become that "one." Of course, Senior Brother Cui Chan was extremely pragmatic—the people he saved must be the entire world, the thing he did must be the uniquely heroic act of stemming the heavenly collapse. Only then would Senior Sister Cui Chan be willing to become the "one."

Chen Ping'an warned, "Be careful that Lu Chen doesn't eavesdrop."

A mental voice immediately sounded: "How could that be? This poor Daoist is not that kind of person!"

Ning Yao, without a second word, moved her mind, and a sword light shot straight down, following the origin of that mental voice, breaking through layers of landscape restrictions and various obfuscations, directly finding the true body of the Third Master of the Jade Capital. A young Daoist wearing a lotus crown emerged flustered from the sea of clouds on the city wall, darting around. A sword light followed like a shadow. Lu Chen shrank the land repeatedly, furiously waving his Daoist sleeves, deflecting the sword light multiple times, shouting, "Fine, fine, fine! What a pair of immortal lovers I went to great pains to matchmake as a matchmaker! One shoots literary radiance at the stars, the other's sword aura pierces the rainbow! Truly an unprecedented match made in heaven in ten thousand years!"

Ning Yao glanced at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head. "Forget it."

So Ning Yao withdrew the condensed, unyielding sword light.

When a Fourteen Realm great cultivator visited another world, there were many rules. When Lu Chen traveled to the Pearly Pearl Cave Heaven back then, setting up a stall to tell fortunes, he followed the old precedent of Haoran, suppressing his realm to the Ascension Realm.

Now, this Sword Qi Great Wall belonged to the territory of the Haoran World. Lu Chen had once again "returned in glory" from the Azure Mystery World, but he still had to abide by the rules set by Ritual Sage.

However, to borrow a saying that only circulated among the peak cultivators of the Great Azure Mystery Monastery, the Fourteen Realm of Lu Chen, the third of the Jade Capital, was both "unbeatable by anyone" and "unable to beat anyone."

Besides Lu Chen landing on the city wall, just a few steps away from Chen Ping'an, another sword cultivator emerged from the sea of clouds, a middle-aged man—the Punishment Officer Hao Su.

Hao Su landed on the city wall, standing beside Lu Chen, squinting into the distance at the Barbarian World. Back when he served as Punishment Officer, he had actually been cultivating and practicing swords in the prison of the old deaf man all along.

Hao Su had always wondered why the Elder Sword Immortal never made any demands of him until the very end.

Chen Ping'an was still crouching, cupping his fist in salute. Hao Su didn't turn his head, only tilting his fist in Chen Ping'an's direction as a return gesture for the Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The Hidden Officer and the Punishment Officer reunited at the Sword Qi Great Wall, both looking quite casual.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Was Nan Guangzhao killed by you, Senior?"

Hao Su nodded. "The cost was much smaller than expected. At least I wasn't imprisoned in the Gonge Forest, fishing with Liu Cha."

According to Ritual Sage's intent, Hao Su's killing of the Central Earth Ascension Realm cultivator Nan Guangzhao was a mountain grudge, an old debt. Originally, the Confucian Temple wouldn't have prevented Hao Su from going to the Azure Mystery World, but since the incident occurred after the Confucian Temple council, it violated the rules. The Confucian Temple considered the matter and allowed Hao Su to kill an Ascension Realm great demon or two Immortal Realm demon cultivators here.

So Hao Su stayed on in the Haoran World. Ritual Sage's opinions often left others with no objections.

In truth, given Hao Su's temper, it wasn't impossible for him to force his way through with his sword, as the Second Daoist would be there to receive him at the junction of the two worlds. But Hao Su felt it wasn't necessary. Besides, one should provoke anyone but Ritual Sage.

Lu Chen sat on the edge of the city wall, legs dangling, heels lightly tapping the wall. He sighed emotionally, "This poor Daoist, on Guo City Lord's turf at the Jade Capital, had to shamelessly beg for alms to establish a tiny, shabby little study, named the 'Viewing a Thousand Swords Studio.' It seems my ambition was too small."

No one paid him any attention.

If this were the Jade Capital, the atmosphere wouldn't be so cold.

Glancing south, Lu Chen reached up to adjust the lotus crown on his head, which served as the token of the Jade Capital's Master, and clicked his tongue. "This Huang Luan has good taste, imitating this poor Daoist's lotus crown. Too bad his luck isn't good. Otherwise, I'd definitely find him for a chat this time."

Lu Chen turned to Chen Ping'an, grinning. "I see someone fishing by the river—dare I ask how many years he's been casting his line?"

Chen Ping'an sneered, "Put away the pole, hang the fish basket, and with a sickle cut the autumn leeks?"

Regarding the riddles these two were playing, Ning Yao and Punishment Officer Hao Su remained indifferent. Both sword cultivators were not fond of overthinking, yet each happened to sit beside someone who enjoyed overthinking the most.

Lu Chen said seriously, "Chen Ping'an, I said it back then: if you tidied yourself up a bit, you wouldn't look bad. You looked skeptical at the time, but look at the result—now you believe me, right?"

Chen Ping'an said, "If I remember correctly, Daoist Lu never said such things back then."

Lu Chen rubbed his chin. "Could it be that you forgot, or this poor Daoist misremembered?"

Chen Ping'an clenched his fists and gently rested them on his knees.

Lu Chen blinked, a look of eager anticipation on his face. "Chen Ping'an, when are you going to visit the Azure Mystery World? When the time comes, this poor Daoist can guide you to the Jade Capital—Divine Thunder City, Purple Qi Tower, I guarantee smooth passage. You have no idea—over at the Jade Capital these days, among the outsiders from other worlds, you, the Hidden Officer, are the one people are most curious and expectant about. At least among the top few. There's also Miss Ning of the Ascension City, Fei Ran of the Barbarian World, and of course the martial artist Cao Ci, as well as that sword cultivator Liu Cai who managed to suppress Chen Shiyi. But Liu Cai is most interesting to the Jade Capital because he can possess two nurturing sword gourds personally cultivated by my teacher—still a bit inferior to you two."

These hundred years, the Second Master Yu Dou is responsible for managing Jade Capital affairs. Next hundred years, it will be Lu Chen's turn to oversee the Azure Mystery World.

Chen Ping'an remained silent.

The Night Boat matter gave Chen Ping'an some peace of mind. According to his Teacher's analogy, even the Master of the Unsurpassed Sage and Ritual Sage viewed the Night Boat, which traveled the seas with no trace, like an unnoticed mosquito or fly in a commoner's house. This meant that as long as Chen Ping'an was careful enough and his movements were sufficiently hidden, he had a chance to evade the Jade Capital's gaze. Moreover, the key to Chen Ping'an's Fourteen Realm unity with the Dao might very well lie in the Azure Mystery World.

Lu Chen seemed to see through Chen Ping'an's thoughts. He beat his chest like a drum and swore solemnly, "Chen Ping'an, think about it—what kind of relationship do we have? So as long as I'm the one in charge of the Jade Capital at that time, even if you fly up with your sword from the Haoran World and crash straight into the Jade Capital, I can turn a blind eye."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Then it's settled."

Lu Chen looked surprised and a bit guilty, embarrassed. "Ah? I was just talking offhand. You took it seriously?"

Seeing Chen Ping'an turn taciturn again, Lu Chen sighed emotionally. Look, he's exactly the same as that boy from the Clay Vase Alley back then. He lightly patted his knee and started muttering to himself, "Always see your own faults, and you are near the Dao. Live in the nest of spontaneity, dwell in the happy village of the mind. First forget the form and be self-attained, then get the meaning and forget words. Let the divine vessel transform alone in the realm of the mysterious, make all things one with me, then leave the dust and return to nature..."

Chen Ping'an frowned silently.

Lu Chen raised a hand, pinched a leaf from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, released his fingers, letting the leaf hover, then fall. He waved his hand again, changing the leaf's trajectory, making it involuntarily drift closer to his hand.

Chen Ping'an knew what Lu Chen wanted to say.

This was the pull of human nature being "dragged" toward some "other object." And among "other objects," of course, pure divinity was the most alluring, the most "captivating."

It was also a very hidden, natural means set up for the human race by the ancient gods back then—both a shortcut on the path of cultivation and a bottleneck that once limited earthly immortals from reaching the summit.

Throughout the world, there were countless paths for cultivators. The first-class were the orthodox methods and true lineages, the second were heterodox paths, and the third were deviant ways. There were myriad techniques, but among those who climbed the mountain with the prefix "pure," only sword cultivators and martial artists qualified. These two paths happened to be regarded as dead ends—one extremely difficult to break through the Ascension Realm bottleneck, the other always stopping at the Tenth Realm.

In the past ten thousand years, only Chen Qingdu had truly entered the Fourteen Realm as a pure sword cultivator.

Because that dragon-slayer who often "lodged under others' roofs" and liked to frolic among the people had taken a shortcut, entering the Fourteen Realm through a convenient Dharma gate, using a certain grand vow of the Buddhist path.

Then there was Xiao Xun, the previous Hidden Officer. Her path to unity with the Dao was even farther from the word "pure." By unifying with the Hall of Heroes of the Barbarian World, she had basically unified with the geography of the land, almost voluntarily abandoning the purity of a sword cultivator.

Next was the old Throne Liu Cha's Fourteen Realm. Unfortunately, before he could stabilize his realm, Chen Chunan resolutely knocked him down a level. As for what extraordinary feat this pure Confucian from the lineage of the Lesser Sage, who shouldered the sun and moon, had accomplished, the Qi refiners of Haoran World beyond the mountain peaks still do not know to this day.

As for the Second Master of the Jade Capital, Yu Dou, and Daoist Sun of the Great Azure Mystery Monastery, both possessed the purest Dao lineages and were also sword cultivators. Not to mention Daoist Sun, who gave up the Fourteen Realm by lending out the Immortal Sword Taibai, only Yu Dou—reputed as the truly invincible Second Daoist—suffered a considerable disadvantage in terms of "pure sword cultivator" precisely because his Dao arts had reached the pinnacle, even though his sword techniques were superb.

Between the dragon-slayer "Chen Qingliu" and the Hidden Officer Xiao Xun stood A Liang. Although A Liang had an unavoidable background as a Confucian scholar, his Fourteen Realm sword cultivation was closest to Chen Qingdu's purity. Therefore, cultivators at the peaks of the various worlds, especially Fourteen Realm cultivators, breathed a sigh of relief when A Liang fell in realm. For example, that female Daoist from the Azure Mystery World who attended the riverside council—even though she was not A Liang's enemy and had never interacted with him, she still felt relieved.

No matter how vast the several worlds were, let alone the even vaster beyond the heavens—for a Fourteen Realm sword cultivator, where could they not go? One careless step, and they might even travel the River of Time against its flow. If they also had means to avoid the gazes of the Three Ancestors of the Three Teachings and Ritual Sage while traveling upstream, then aside from the oldest and most experienced Fourteen Realm cultivators like Bai Ze, the Great Ancestor of Tuo Yue Mountain, and the old blind man, who couldn't they kill?

If Chen Qingdu, as a peak Fourteen Realm sword immortal, had not died in the Battle of Tuo Yue Mountain and been forced to cocoon himself and unify with the Sword Qi Great Wall, then alone and roaming with his sword—

Especially if Chen Qingdu could have advanced further along this path of the River of Time—

Then if a certain Fifteenth Realm sword cultivator appeared in the human world,

That might truly be something even the Three Ancestors of the Three Teachings could not stop. Everything would follow the heart, whether to draw the sword or not, all according to whim. One strike and heaven and earth would be overturned.

Lu Chen suddenly laughed. "Chen Ping'an, if you can reach the summit of martial arts first, I look forward to seeing you challenge the Jade Capital with your fists."

The female martial god Pei Bei of the Great Duan Dynasty, and the martial artist Song Changjing of Great Li—neither truly counted as Eleventh Realm martial artists. They were like having only one foot across the threshold.

Chen Ping'an said, "That's still far off. Besides, whether that day comes is another matter. Daoist Lu doesn't need to look forward to anything special."

Lu Chen smiled slyly. "Chen Ping'an, everyone knows your fist style. That dispute between Azure and White at the Gonge Forest has even reached the mountains of the Azure Mystery World."

Chen Ping'an said, "You're overthinking."

Lu Chen glanced at Chen Ping'an's wrist and shook his head. "No, you're underthinking."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Why are you here? Don't tell me it's just to prattle on with me for a few sentences?"

Lu Chen looked up and laughed. "Now that only two of the three moons in the Barbarian World remain, this poor Daoist hurried over to get one more look. Who knows if one day there'll be only one moon left, right?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Maybe."

Two sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall, having just finished touring Flowing Xia Continent, arrived at a ferry port near the ruins of the Rain Dragon Sect via a cross-continent ship, returning to their homeland.

One was Chen Sanqiu, who regretted more and more not sneaking off to the Fifth World. The other was Die Zhang, the big boss of the tavern, who felt she had three greatest pieces of luck in her life: buying wine for A Liang as a child, making friends like Ning Yao, and finally partnering with Chen Ping'an to run the tavern.

Actually, besides the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Inverted Suspension Mountain, Dragon Trench, and the Rain Dragon Sect were all, strictly speaking, battlefield ruins. Inverted Suspension Mountain, the largest mountain seal in this realm, had gone to another world along with Ascension City. But near Dragon Trench and the Rain Dragon Sect, the Confucian Temple had temporarily set up ferry ports. The new sect master of the Rain Dragon Sect was Yun Qian, the former hostess of the Water Crystal Palace, one of the four private estates of Inverted Suspension Mountain.

But the interesting thing was that Yun Qian publicly claimed she was only acting as temporary sect master.

Back then, she had led people on a distant journey for training, landing on Indus Leaf Continent and traveling north, visiting Vase Bottle Continent and Northern Jambudvipa Continent, luckily surviving the calamity and preserving the Rain Dragon Sect's legacy.

At a landscape ferry port, a cross-continent ship called the Tai Geng from Aiai Continent was heading south. Two groups of cultivators, the Wandering Immortal Pavilion and the Red Apricot Mountain, had boarded this transit ship. Today, the old steward noticed the visibly disturbed young couple among the group and asked suspiciously, "A perfectly good journey—how did you end up in a conflict? Did you run into an enemy at the Sword Qi Great Wall? That can't be, right?"

Zhu Yuan smiled bitterly, her pretty face somewhat bleak. She said with lingering fear, "We ran into the Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall. There was a conflict."

The old steward was taken aback and blurted out, "Then why didn't you run?"

Jia Xuan said helplessly, "That would require us to be fast enough."

The old steward nodded, deeply convinced. "Meeting that one—not running is the right move. Stand still and take the beating—you'll get hit less."

The old steward then comforted, "Don't think too much about it. Being personally disciplined by the Hidden Officer isn't actually shameful. When you get home, it'll be a decent topic to brag about. Not a loss."

Then he glanced at the young couple and smiled. "Cao Ci of the Great Duan Dynasty got off only a little better than you. And take it easy—there's one good thing about the Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall: his business is clean, fair to all."

The old steward, Dai Hao, was an old acquaintance of the Wandering Immortal Pavilion and Red Apricot Mountain.

Listening to this old friend's comforting words, Jia Xuan was speechless, and Zhu Yuan could only wryly smile.

The old steward stroked his beard and chuckled, self-satisfied, like a drinker recounting past heroic feats at a banquet. "You don't know—back when Inverted Suspension Mountain hadn't run off yet, inside the Spring Pennant Studio, well, it's not me, Dai Hao, bragging—the atmosphere was so tense, swords drawn, full of murderous intent. We businessmen just doing ferry business had never seen such a scene. Everyone was silent as cicadas in winter. And the first to speak, that was me."

Dai Hao raised his thumb, pointing at himself. "How many Sword Immortals from the Sword Qi Great Wall were there? More than you could count on two hands—a full eleven! If you add Chen Hidden Officer and the two Nascent Soul cultivators Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan, that's a full fourteen! I ask you, an ordinary outsider, surrounded by these merciless sword cultivators, who would dare speak first? If not a sword challenge, what?"

At that meeting, inside the Spring Pennant Studio hall, there were swarms of Sword Immortals who had rushed from the Sword Qi Great Wall to Inverted Suspension Mountain.

Mi Yu, Wei Jin, Sun Juyuan, Gao Kui, Yuan Qingshu, Xie Songhua, Pu He, Song Pin, Xie Zhi, Li Cai, plus the host Shao Yunyan.

Plus two Nascent Soul sword cultivators, Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan.

Eleven Sword Immortals, two Nascent Soul realm sword cultivators.

Dai Hao sighed, "I hit it off with that young Hidden Officer right away—we chatted and laughed freely. Hidden Officer Chen was young but full of wisdom in his words."

Jia Xuan had no choice but to hypocritically agree, "He helped that Spring Pennant Studio council get off to a good start, leading to smooth progress later. Elder Dai's contribution was not small."

Dai Hao nodded. "Yes, we businessmen reeking of money also contributed our small efforts to the great strategy later."

As for the truth—none of the ferry stewards present at the time were around now, so Dai Hao could say whatever he wanted.

In fact, after Dai Hao stood up and spoke some "fair" words laced with hidden criticism, the young Hidden Officer gave him a sarcastic tongue-lashing. Then, the old man's chair felt like it was covered with flying swords, and he didn't dare sit down again.

The old steward suddenly sighed, "Whether in business or in life, one must still have a conscience."

Glancing askance at the young couple, Dai Hao smiled. "If you take a loss, learn a lesson. Otherwise, you've suffered for nothing. Off the mountain and out in the world, no one's your father or mother. No one's going to spoil you."

One was a direct disciple of the Wandering Immortal Pavilion's ancestral hall, the other a fairy maiden from Red Apricot Mountain on the Si River. Earlier, on the way to the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins, they had been flirting with each other on the ship, thinking themselves a pair of immortal lovers.

Dai Hao traveled all year round on this Tai Geng ship, seeing all kinds of people. Although he was not a high-level cultivator, his eyesight was exceptionally sharp. He caught the slight change in expression of the young couple.

Dai Hao clicked his tongue. "So you took a beating for nothing."

These two young ones lacked an unyielding backbone but had plenty of pride. It might be called "a dog can't change its ways."

Life isn't a dog-slaughter field everywhere; there's not that much melodrama.

Yet the world is full of dog-slaughter fields, with blood splattered everywhere.

Dai Hao said in his heart, "Brother Jia, I'm not familiar with Zhu Yuan and Red Apricot Mountain, so I won't play the villain. But with you, I'm willing to say an extra word: in the future, when you're escorting others and walking down the mountain, don't let fools smear mud all over your crotch. Take off your pants, and you'll show your rear; don't take them off, and wiping it off becomes an indecent act. In the end, whether you take them off or not, you'll be a joke in the eyes of others."

Jia Xuan sighed. "Brother Dai's words are crude but reasonable."

Dai Hao stroked his beard and smiled. "Coarse grains nourish the stomach; crude words keep you alive."

At the site of the Rain Dragon Sect's ancestral hall, where extensive construction was underway, Yun Qian stood atop a mountain, filled with emotion.

Keep the green mountain, and you'll never lack firewood.

It was just as the young Hidden Officer had said.

If not for that young man's warning back then, the Rain Dragon Sect's thousands of years of incense would have been completely cut off by those beasts from the Barbarian World.

That secret letter sent to the Water Crystal Palace had only two characters: "Move North."

It had been casually discarded by her senior sister, but Yun Qian had picked it up again, carefully treasuring it.

On that letter, besides the characters and the floral signature of Sword Immortal Shao Yunyan, there were also two ancient seal impressions: "Hidden Officer."

Back then, she had successfully led away sixty-two registered Qi refiners, including three earthly immortals. Later, during the journey, she had picked up over a dozen more disciples. Adding those gathered from the islands under the Rain Dragon Sect's jurisdiction, they barely numbered a hundred. That was now all the Rain Dragon Sect had left.

Yun Qian was now waiting for someone—the future sect master of the Rain Dragon Sect, the female sword cultivator of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Nalan Caihuan.

Nalan Caihuan was now a Jade Purity realm Sword Immortal.

Back then, Nalan Caihuan had proposed a deal. Yun Qian was not the type to cross a river and burn the bridge. Besides, emotionally, rationally, publicly, and privately, she was willing to welcome Nalan Caihuan as the Rain Dragon Sect's sect master.

A ferry ship was about to reach the capital of Great Li. The Great Li princely vassal Song Jixin laughed. "Zhi Gui, you've reached Ascension Realm now. When do you want me to help change your household registration?"

Over at the household section of the Huaihuang County government office, Zhi Gui's registered origin was still that of a lowly maidservant. The prefecture and even the Great Li Ministry of Rites had followed that.

Zhi Gui's expression was gentle. She shook her head. "No need to change it. It reminds me not to forget my roots."

It was still like back then—the master and servant of Clay Vase Alley: carrying water, drying clothes, washing vegetables, cooking, spending money freely, buying household items. When there were too many things to fit inside, she would sell them off cheaply, and they became her secret savings.

Song Jixin smiled. "Then when you have an idea, let me know."

He glanced at her profile—both familiar and unfamiliar.

The water transportation of the Haoran World was split in two by the Central Earth Confucian Temple. The Daoist-named Qing Zhong, Madam Dandan of the Lu River Pit, was in charge of all nine continents' land water transport.

In addition, the four seas' water transport was divided into four sections, each with a great water lord seated. Even any single section was immensely vast and boundless.

Three of the great lake water lords had been promoted to the positions of the four seas' water lords, ranked as First-Rank in the new divine registry compiled by the Central Earth Confucian Temple, equal in rank to the Great God of Sui Mountain.

And she, the only true dragon in the world, was merely the East Sea Water Lord. If this were before the great war, Zhi Gui would have thought the Confucian Temple was deliberately humiliating her. But now, she just sneered a few times, then accepted the divine position of a sea lord without any fuss.

On Fallen Mountain, the old cook had recently made a small cotton satchel for Little Rice, to hold more melon seeds.

Little Rice loved the small satchel no less than his golden carrying pole—it was a case of "not hating the new while loving the old."

Today, waking up with a carp's leap, Little Rice stomped the ground as he got up, having overslept again. He grabbed a mirror, pointed at its surface, and said, "What's this? Sleeping in again? Huh? Still have the face to laugh? Never again! If I sleep in again, I'll treat you to pickled fish! Are you afraid?!"

Chen Lingjun still ran to the Riding Dragon Alley every few days, busy chatting with Old Brother Jia. One old, one young—they would repeat the same old stories over the wine table, yet neither seemed bored. When he met children of "about the same age" as the town, Chen Lingjun would hop and skip, sway left and right, jump up and throw punches to scare them.

Little Mute had read a lot of books with the shopkeeper Shi Rou. They made a special trip to Red Candle Town and carried back a large sack of books to the shop. The shopkeeper Shi Rou laughed and asked, "Do you have money?" Little Mute shook his head and said bluntly, "No money."

How's that?

"I found the shopkeeper and said it was Old Cook who wanted me to buy them. Pay later."

That works?

Little Mute grinned. "If there's trouble, I'll take the blame. If it really doesn't work, I'll return them. Anyway, not a single character is missing from the books."

Oh? Having a master really makes a difference—quite cocky, huh.

Ha.

Zhu Lian once accompanied Chen Lingjun down the mountain to Riding Dragon Alley. Little Mute gave him a few books, saying, "I bought them for Old Cook. No need to thank me, just remember to go to Red Candle Town to settle the bill."

Zhu Lian's eyes lit up. He flipped through a few pages casually, coughed a few times, and complained, "I, this old man, am righteous through and through. How dare you buy such books for me?"

Little Mute reached out his hand—if you don't want them, give them back. The old cook had already pocketed the books.

Chen Lingjun sighed, complaining to the old cook, "I said from the start we shouldn't let Little Mute come down the mountain to work in the shop—it's easy to learn bad habits."

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, the disciple and the watchdog were both absent, leaving the old blind man alone. Today's guest was a man in a green robe—the dragon-slayer, now going by the name Chen Qingliu.

Chen Qingliu smiled and asked, "I heard you broke precedent and took on a first disciple?"

The old blind man nodded.

Chen Qingliu stood by the cliff, and said abruptly, "I only learned very late that when fishing, you can expose the hook tip when threading an earthworm."

The old blind man said irritably, "Cut that pointless nonsense."

Yu Xuan, who had unified with the starry river through talismans, opened his eyes and saw a young man with a pouch at his waist. The latter was truly stepping and stamping through the void, traversing the emptiness, using stars as ferry stops.

The three ancient mountains governed the certificates of life and death. The five ancient peaks controlled the circulation of the five elements.

Yu Xuan glanced at the inconspicuous pouch, curious about one thing: how many talismans did it hold? Millions? Tens of millions?

Today, Chen Lingjun, having nothing to do after chatting with Old Brother Jia, wandered around the town by himself. Finally, he went to his master's Clay Vase Alley to check for thieves, then rose on the wind to head back to Fallen Mountain. Glancing down inadvertently, he saw a few unfamiliar figures, seemingly cultivators, but apparently not high in realm.

At the Dragon Whisker Riverbank, a middle-aged monk stood by the water. Outside a school in the town, an elderly scholar stood by a window. And a young Daoist boy rode an ox through the eastern gate, entering the town.