Chapter 849: That One

Chapter 849: That One

(Twenty-thousand-word chapter, the update is a bit late.)

This unexpected heavy snowfall, like an immortal having crumbled a white jade plate, scattered countless snow coins in the air.

Upon the city wall, a thick layer of snow soon accumulated. Chen Ping'an, who was crouching, deliberately restrained his fist intent and sword aura, letting the snowflakes fall on his head, shoulders, and green robe.

Practitioners of the Dao are unaffected by heat and cold; so-called heat and cold actually do not only refer to the cycle of the four seasons, but also the joys and sorrows of human affairs in the mortal world.

The current Sword Qi Great Wall ruins were like a desolate border city without garrison, a solitary city beyond the pass. Suddenly, the snow fell densely, like flying willow catkins, each flake as large as a copper coin. The thousands of mountains were bitterly cold, birds and sparrows were hard to find, and all traces of human presence were extinguished throughout the wilderness. Faint sounds like shattering jade could be heard, as heaven and snow sang in harmony.

Lu Chen had already risen, putting away that set of wine vessels whose origin he knew not from where he had mooched them. Originally, Lu Chen had intended to leave and return to the Qingming Heavenly Realm, where he had many friends and much entertainment. Besides, his master had previously graced the White Jade Capital with His presence and issued a considerate decree to this favored disciple of His, no longer requiring him to go to the Outer Heavens to do useless work. Returning to the Qingming Heavenly Realm, he would be free of burdens, and even his most rule-bound senior brother would have nothing to say against him. But it was truly rare for him to come to the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Lu Chen was reluctant to leave so soon. He had labored to enact a divine ability of a saint, where the mouth speaks the law, to laboriously summon such a heavy snowfall, and so he shamelessly stayed put, starting to catch snow with his hands, soon forming a snowball, constantly patting it, making it denser and heavier.

Lu Chen lightly tossed the snowball, rubbing his chin with one hand, "The moon in the sky seems to gather the snow, the snow on earth seems like shattered moonlight, a solitary, cold, resplendent light shines in the eyes, the moon and snow are both pure and transcendent, only humans are superfluous."

Chen Ping'an gave a dry laugh, a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes. It would have been better if he hadn't laughed at all.

Lu Chen chuckled, casually tossing the snowball beyond the city wall, where it arced and fell.

Indeed, it is we scholars who are most elegant. Miss Ning and Executioner Hao Su, pure sword immortals like them, ultimately fall a bit short.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Prelate Lu, aren't you leaving yet?"

Lu Chen said plaintively, "Mountains can be driven away, but people shouldn't be driven away."

In the early years, when Chen Qingdu was still here, Lu Chen had actually wanted to visit, but having a senior brother who cared so much about face forced Lu Chen to abandon this plan. Otherwise, with A Liang's temperament, back when he was in the Outer Heavens and landed near the White Jade Capital, he would definitely have stirred things up, saying, "You, Yu Dou, what kind of 'Truly Invincible' are you? You don't even dare to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall and have a fight with the Grand Old Sword Immortal. Let Lu Chen have that."

If he, as the junior, had hit it off with that Grand Old Sword Immortal and sworn brotherhood, wouldn't that be too improper? It's like in a mortal household: if the elder brother and sister haven't married, the younger brother and sister naturally shouldn't marry first.

Actually, back then, Yu Dou had already reached the gates of the Sword Qi Great Wall, but in the end, he still did not ask Chen Qingdu for a sword duel, only leaving behind a 'Capturing and Releasing Pavilion' that later generations of tourists would flock to. As for that Inverted Suspension Mountain, as the largest 'Mountain Character Seal' between heaven and earth personally crafted by Yu Dou, it had no profound purpose. It was just that this Second Prelate of the White Jade Capital, whose Dao name was 'Truly Invincible', thought that if he ever came to ask Chen Qingdu for a sword duel, having a ferry there would mean he wouldn't have to face the displeasure of the enshrined sages of the Confucian Temple. If he defeated Chen Qingdu, he would simply wield his sword and ascend from the Barbarian Heavenly Realm back to the White Jade Capital.

Of course, until Chen Qingdu wielded his sword to clear the way for the Ascension City, the Dao second, Yu Dou, never made a move.

Elder Sun, who never missed an opportunity to praise the master-disciple pair of Yu Dou and Lu Chen, naturally would not stint on flattery. He soon loudly proclaimed words about 'justice in the hearts of the people', saying that on the summit of the sword path, each was invincible, two peaks standing side by side, each counting its own merits, so how was that not truly invincible? Who dared to say it wasn't? Come to Profound Metropolis Abbey, find this impoverished Daoist, and have a drink. We'll settle who is superior on the drinking table. If you dare to talk nonsense and point fingers at the big boss of our Qingming Heavenly Realm's fights, this impoverished Daoist will be the first to be upset, and I'll drink you to death.

Chen Ping'an suddenly turned to Ning Yao and said, "When Prelate Lu speaks, generally he doesn't lie, but you can't fully trust everything he says."

It's the same as the saying that believing a book entirely is worse than having no book. Some people deliberately tell only part of the truth, which isn't the whole truth and can even lead you away from it.

Chen Ping'an didn't even use his heart voice when saying this.

Ning Yao nodded and said, "I've already experienced that back in the small town."

Lu Chen patted the snow off his shoulders and said with a shameless smile, "Slandering someone to their face is no different from hitting someone in the face with a fist. It doesn't accord with the rules of the martial world, does it? It is said that a noble person speaks late and speaks little, and shouldn't reveal their whole heart. Better talk less and nod more."

Chen Ping'an just gazed at the vast expanse of snow, his thoughts racing, his mind wandering far and wide. He no longer deliberately restrained his miscellaneous thoughts, letting them run wild like a white colt passing a gap, dashing through the small world of his mind.

A poet of the Haoran world once said that snow is a thing with a different root and bud, not a flower of wealth in the mortal world.

The many local customs and old sayings passed down through generations in the small town often had profound origins, very different from ordinary villages and markets. And the rain, snow, and dew that had not yet fallen to the ground were commonly called 'rootless water' by the old folks in his hometown.

Now, the water transportation in the Haoran world was divided into two. Tan Dan, the Lady of Lucid Pit, was in charge of land-based water transportation, while the newly promoted Four Seas Water Lords, including Zhi Gui, jointly ruled over all other water transportation.

Furthermore, Aunt Feng was not the only Wind God in ancient times, so she had not ascended to the high position among the twelve deities. Even the Confucian Temple of the Central Plains, which held the most comprehensive collection of old almanacs, and the Summer Retreat, which had no such concerns about taboos, seemed to still lack a complete directory of the twelve high-ranked deities. It was as if both parties were abiding by some agreement, deliberately concealing it, not allowing future generations to peruse it.

If the Sword Immortal Yu Si of the Jiashen Account, a reincarnation of the Rain Master and an auxiliary official to one of the five Supreme High Deities, the Water God, yet like Aunt Feng, he had not ascended to the twelve divine positions, this meant that this reincarnated deity, who originated from the Tianlou region of the Barbarian Heavenly Realm, had part of his divine responsibilities apportioned away in ancient times. Moreover, Yu Si, as the former Rain Master, was a secondary, auxiliary role, while there was another Water Ministry deity who was the master, the venerable one.

Earlier, Lu Chen had mentioned the 'effeminate man' from the hometown's dragon kiln. Chen Ping'an had immediately sunk into deep thought while concurrently sacrificing a 'Caged Sparrow' to protect his own Dao heart, preventing Lu Chen, who was standing right beside him, from easily probing. He then went to the book pavilion built by the heart lake to search through records, seeking every clue.

Seeing Chen Ping'an continue to be a silent gourd, Lu Chen spoke on his own, "Besides, I speak only half the truth, but you, Chen Ping'an, are the same. You deliberately refuse to open your heart to me, continuing to play dumb. But it doesn't matter. Comparing hearts is a Buddhist matter. I am a Daoist, and you only believe in Buddhism, not that you are actually a monk. Neither of us observes such a custom."

Lu Chen then raised his hands, breathed a mouthful of mist, and rubbed them continuously, grinning mischievously, "The heart-ape is not yet controlled, it has half-run through the world. How could I not wear out pair after pair of straw sandals?"

Chen Ping'an pretended not to have heard Lu Chen's words, ignoring them completely.

It was because this hidden thread, which seemed far away but was actually right before his eyes, once pulled, could help him see a clear clue and its complete context. For Chen Ping'an's tug-of-war with the pure divine nature, it might be the key to victory or defeat — too crucial.

Back then, Chen Ping'an, carrying the ancient sword 'Long Qi' lent to him by the Grand Old Sword Immortal, left the Sword Qi Great Wall and traveled through the Old Abbot's Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Upon returning from the Parasol Leaf Continent to the Vase Bottle Continent, above the clouds of Old Dragon City, under the protection of Fan Junmao, Chen Ping'an had once refined the fundamental object of the Five Elements Water.

Later, Fan Junmao, who became the female mountain lord of the Southern Peak of a continent, was a reincarnated deity. In the path of cultivation, she broke through realms without any barriers, as if splitting bamboo. When they first met, they were heading in opposite directions, each on a different ferry along the dragon-path river. Fan Junmao later directly revealed that her northern journey was to find Old Man Yang, thus openly admitting her identity as a reincarnated deity.

When Chen Ping'an succeeded in refining the 'Water Character Seal', he remembered that Fan Junmao, upon seeing the imposing manner of his Water Mansion, which made the little person in green clothes, a pure lineage of the Water Method tradition, willingly obey Chen Ping'an's commands, she was very surprised. She immediately stood up and spoke rapidly, uttering a strange remark that Chen Ping'an hadn't thought much of at the time. Fan Junmao directly asked Chen Ping'an if he was the reincarnation of the Rain Master.

Chen Ping'an was baffled and jokingly said that Fan Junmao was paying him an oddly original compliment. In the end, Fan Junmao seemed to deny that conjecture herself and said something even more cryptic, mentioning the 'effeminate man' and saying that Chen Ping'an fell far short.

Moreover, even if Chen Ping'an had been suspicious, all his thoughts were focused on Lu Tai, who had traveled with him for a while, and he truly hadn't pondered much about the man from the hometown's dragon kiln.

Chen Ping'an had even guessed if Lu Tai was the Rain Master, after all, they had early on shared a boat from Osmanthus Island and passed by the Rain Dragon Sect, which had a statue of the Rain Master. And the colorful ribbons on Lu Tai's robe did look somewhat similar. Now, looking back, was it all just a diversion by that Zou Zi? Deliberately creating a blind spot under the lamp so he wouldn't think too much about his hometown?

In the Jiashen Account, Tan Tan's natal flying sword was 'Heavy Cavalry', while the sword immortal Yu Si, who owned the natal flying sword 'Waterfall', had a larger secret file in the Summer Retreat than several others like Bamboo Box, Flowing White, and Tan Tan. These two sword immortals both followed Zhou Mi to ascend to heaven, occupying a divine position in the old Heavenly Court. Especially Yu Si, who seemed to have inherited the divine nature stripped from Li Liu, causing Yu Si, who in ancient times didn't even have a position among the twelve, to suddenly ascend to a high position, jumping several levels to directly serve as the Water God, one of the five Supreme High Deities.

But Chen Ping'an still didn't know one thing. Suppose the man from the hometown's dragon kiln was indeed a high-ranking Rain Deity. Then, did he truly die, and Old Man Yang used a heaven-obscuring divine ability, causing his divine nature to dissipate and return to heaven and earth, only for Old Man Yang to gather it in his hand and give it to someone else? Or had that man, who spent his entire life full of self-pity and regret for being born wrongly, already taken the opportunity to 'fill the vacancy' and enter military ancestral halls like the Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain, obtaining a stable situation like Aunt Feng's?

Actually, before meeting Lu Tai, Chen Ping'an's memory of that effeminate man had long been blurry. Apart from a deep-seated guilt buried in his heart, Chen Ping'an didn't think about him much. If he hadn't met Lu Tai, Chen Ping'an might not have brought it up at all, and perhaps on his entire life's journey, he wouldn't have said much about it even to Ning Yao, with whom he could speak freely about anything.

A grown man, with a soft, effeminate voice, rough fingers, calloused palms, yet he liked to form a 'lotus' finger while speaking. But this man was very skilled at needlework. The crude cottages near the dragon kiln, the festive paper-cuts pasted on the windows every year, were all meticulously cut by this man under the lamp late at night. The skills of the local women couldn't compare to his.

Chen Ping'an's strongest impression was of a big man working as a kiln worker, constantly being bullied, often helping others wash and mend clothes, wearing a brass thimble on his finger, biting off the thread under the lamp, shaking the mended clothes, and squinting with a smile.

Saying he was like a woman was not unjust.

Chen Ping'an could only say that he didn't like him, nor did he dislike him. He was certainly annoyed, but Chen Ping'an could tolerate it. After all, in those days, the only person this man could bully was the straw-sandaled youth from Mud Vase Alley, who had an even more pitiful background. Once, the man instigated some teasing and went too far. Liu Xianyang happened to be passing by and slapped the man so hard he spun around, his face swelling like a steamed bun. Then he kicked him to the ground. If Chen Ping'an hadn't stopped him, Liu Xianyang, who had grabbed a discarded sagger from the roadside, would have smashed it over the man's head. After Chen Ping'an intervened, Liu Xianyang threw the sagger to the ground and threatened the man, who was still sitting on the ground clutching his stomach and rubbing his cheek, smiling obsequiously, "You rotten bastard only dare to bully a good-natured person. If I catch you again, I'll cut your face open with a knife, help you die like a woman, and put an end to your fantasies."

After that, the man really didn't dare to cause Chen Ping'an much trouble anymore. At most, he would spread idle gossip behind his back. Because everyone knew that Liu Xianyang was Old Yao's favorite closed-door disciple. At that time, all the kiln workers knew that Liu Xianyang would most likely be the next head kiln master. The key point was that this guy was young, tall and big, had a bad temper, didn't know his own strength, but usually got along with people easily, laughing and joking, and was generous with his money. He never managed to save any money, getting his wages at the beginning of the month and spending it all by mid-month. So ordinary people were reluctant to pick a fight with Liu Xianyang, who had good relationships and was even more qualified in porcelain firing.

Actually, people from the small town who had suffered hardship weren't just Chen Ping'an. Who wasn't living a bitter life? Who had the right to say they were impatient? Besides, no matter how annoyed a person might be by trivial matters, could it be more annoying than having no money in their pocket and no hope for the future?

At any rate, on the first day of every month, all the kiln workers and apprentices could receive their wages, more or less, from Old Yao. At that time, no one was annoyed.

Thinking of people like Yu Si inevitably brought worry. Thinking of that poor, pathetic effeminate man brought some sadness. But thinking of Liu Xianyang brought a smile to Chen Ping'an's face.

Perhaps, as Lu Chen said, Chen Ping'an was indeed skilled at patching things up, moving things around. Having been poor and scared — not the kind of poverty where you can't live a good life, but the kind where you almost couldn't survive — Chen Ping'an, since childhood, liked to meticulously categorize and neatly arrange all his belongings. He knew exactly what he gained and what he lost. Perhaps that's why, in the Yellow Flower Abbey of the Great Spring Dynasty, he felt a sympathetic resonance with that Crown Prince's compulsion to have every single book placed perfectly in order. Chen Ping'an had almost never lost anything in his life. So when he took Little Baoping on their first long journey and lost her hairpin, he didn't even look for it. He just continued to carve out the little green bamboo book box and told Lin Shouyi that it couldn't be found.

Chen Ping'an withdrew his thoughts, clasped his hands together, and lightly breathed a sigh.

When the matters in the Great Li Capital were settled, he really would have to make a trip to the Yang Family Medicine Shop immediately.

Lu Chen stretched lazily, yawned, and said, "Alright, I'm off. Hao Su, it's a deal. Don't die in the Barbarian Heavenly Realm. Take it easy with your sword strikes. Save up enough battle merits, and when you get to the Qingming Heavenly Realm, be sure to find this impoverished Daoist for a drink. Given your swordsmanship and your official position at the Sword Qi Great Wall, being a city lord in the White Jade Capital... hmm, it's a stretch. One hook for one fish. That little brat Jiang Yunsheng recently filled the plush vacancy in the Jasper City, so it's really hard to pull strings. But if you wait a hundred years or so to become one of the twelve building masters, this impoverished Daoist might be able to pull some weight."

Chen Ping'an shook his head, scattering the accumulated snow, and slowly stood up, patting his green robe. He asked with a smile, "Lu Chen, what do you say we make a deal?"

Lu Chen immediately stopped in his tracks and agreed without a second thought, "Sure."

Chen Ping'an turned to look at Ning Yao.

She nodded, looked into the distance, raised an eyebrow, and indicated that she was of the same mind.

Chen Ping'an looked towards the other side of the city wall and asked with a heart voice, smiling, "Sect Leader Qi?"

Qi Tingji nodded and said, "Then I'll strive to carve one more character. What Senior Zong Yuan failed to accomplish, I will see through to completion."

Chen Ping'an then asked, "Miss Lu?"

Lu Zhi rarely showed a smile and said, "I've been waiting for you to say that."

The tall, slightly lean female Grand Sword Immortal smiled even more brightly and said, "If we're lucky enough for both of us to return alive, nothing more needs to be said. If only one of us can return alive, let's pour a pot of wine for each other on this city wall."

Chen Ping'an agreed with a smile.

Lu Chen looked leisurely.

The fact that Chen Ping'an asked Qi Tingji first and then Lu Zhi revealed a certain finesse in worldly affairs.

Lu Zhi would surely agree, but Qi Tingji might not. If Chen Ping'an had asked Lu Zhi first, it would have been unfair. If Qi Tingji then refused, it would be unbecoming of a Sword Immortal and a Sect Leader.

But Lu Chen was a little surprised that Qi Tingji not only agreed to unsheathe his sword but seemed to have already intended to do so? After leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall, Qi Tingji had found a vast world with no more constraints. He had reluctantly set aside his plan for being the number one in the Colorful Five Heavenly Realm and had established a foothold in the Haoran world. If he chose to follow the group out of the city to wield his sword today, his life and death would be uncertain. No one could say for sure they could leave the Barbarian Heavenly Realm alive. And the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, once it lost its Sect Leader and Chief Supplicant, would have difficulty galloping ahead in the Haoran world. Perhaps in that Southern Bodhi Continent, it would become a sword sect that existed only in name.

Lu Chen asked curiously, "Elder Sword Immortal Qi, why are you willing to do this? It doesn't seem to fit your usual style of planning before acting."

Qi Tingji smiled but gave no answer.

In Lu Chen's eyes, he saw that old Sword Immortal with a youthful appearance standing on the city wall. He was tall and slender, handsome, his clothes the same color as the snow, and at his waist hung a sword with a black scabbard. The Sword Qi Great Wall indeed produced handsome men and beautiful women.

Perhaps this was what it meant to be a sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

If you need to reason to do things, why bother practicing the sword so hard?

The two sword immortals present on the battlefield, A Liang was an outsider, and Zuo You was also an outsider.

The Hidden Official about to depart for the battlefield, Chen Ping'an, was also an outsider.

I, Qi Tingji, as the oldest native sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall, will just consider it as offering a toast to all the outsider sword immortals who died in this place.

Chen Ping'an finally asked, "What say you, Executioner?"

Hao Su, crossing his arms, replied, "Let's make it clear beforehand. If there are any battle merits, and I can pick up a head, give it to me so I can account for it to the Confucian Temple. I'll owe you for this favor, and I'll repay it when I get to the Qingming Heavenly Realm. If you agree to this, I'll follow you on this trip. Even if I am a poor Executioner, I am still a sword immortal. So rest assured, if I draw my sword, I won't count the cost."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "No problem."

Because Lu Zhi hadn't spoken, the Grand Sword Immortal of the Wind Snow Temple, Wei Jin, who had roughly guessed the truth, looked up at the flying snowflakes. He seemed to recall the winters of his youth at his sect back home, a young man riding a flying sword on Celestial Terrace, walking through wind and snow together.

Wei Jin reached out to grasp the long sword resting across his knee and said, "Count me in. I promise not to hold you back."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Your realm is not enough for the time being."

Although Wei Jin was a Sword Immortal of the Celestial Immortal realm, this journey deep into the wilderness of the Barbarian Heavenly Realm was unsuitable, inappropriate.

Chen Ping'an's statement seemed similar to when he told Cao Jun he couldn't enter the Summer Retreat.

Cao Jun couldn't help but speak up for the Grand Sword Immortal of the Wind Snow Temple in his heart, "Chen Ping'an is a full realm lower than you. How can he say such a thing?"

Wei Jin seemed not to care at all. His posture changed from gripping the sword with one hand to pressing both hands on the sword, effectively abandoning that intention.

Cao Jun became anxious and said, "Wei Jin, what's wrong with you? When it comes to Chen Ping'an, you don't have any backbone in your words or actions."

Wei Jin made an irrelevant reply. "What I said earlier was wrong. Actually, you can go to the Summer Retreat."

Cao Jun's eyes lit up.

Wei Jin added, "After all, there's already a Mi Yu to be the bottom. If you go to the Summer Retreat, he will definitely follow you."

Cao Jun asked in confusion, "That Mi Lanyao? He wielded his sword extremely fiercely in Old Dragon City, and his deeds are legendary. How could he have been so badly off in the Summer Retreat back then?"

Wei Jin nodded. "Even worse than you imagine. In the end, he had to hide out in the Spring Banner Studio, with his desk by the door, acting as a door god every day."

Cao Jun looked at Wei Jin, who had a faint smile, sighed, and felt a bit envious of Wei Jin and Chen Ping'an, these fellow townspeople who had become the natives of this place in the eyes of the Sword Qi Great Wall's native sword immortals.

Wei Jin smiled and said, "This Sword Qi Great Wall is the best martial world I've ever walked."

Wei Jin paused for a moment before continuing, "The only flaw is that the liquor here is a bit of a ripoff."

Lu Chen adjusted his lotus crown on his head, restrained his smile, and said softly, "Even before a good deed, one should think thrice. Are you being a bit impulsive by taking such risks?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Young man, don't be so lethargic."

Lu Chen slapped his crown heavily and said belatedly, "Oh right, I forgot to ask about the specifics of this deal."

"I'll take a bit of a loss and lend you all my fist techniques and swordsmanship temporarily, Lu Chen. You only need to lend me all your Daoist techniques temporarily."

Chen Ping'an said with a grin, "Prelate Lu, this little thing shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Lu Chen looked utterly shocked and said, "Exchanging fist techniques and swordsmanship for Dao techniques, two for one, aren't you taking too big a loss?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Patience shows skill, loss breeds blessings."

Lu Chen nodded in profound agreement.

Chen Ping'an turned to Lu Chen with a serious expression. "Work is work. Magistrate Lu, thank you for some things."

Ever since he started learning boxing and swordsmanship, whenever he mentioned Lu Chen, he would address him directly by name.

When he became the Hidden Official and returned to the old place, he mostly called him "Prelate Lu."

Actually, when he was young, Chen Ping'an always called Lu Chen "Magistrate Lu."

Lu Chen smiled and said nothing, just raised his two Daoist sleeves slightly. A gentle breeze stirred, lifting the snowflakes.

It seemed that Chen Ping'an's student, Cui Dongshan, liked to name one of his sleeves "The Place to Beat Fools."

This impoverished Daoist, however, was willing to name one of his sleeves "The Place to Beat the Cleverest in the World."

Lu Chen looked up at the sky and murmured, "Chen Ping'an, don't forget, the moon in the Southern Hua City was as bright as day, but the twelve jade towers are not my hometown. My hometown is this Haoran world."

Ning Yao squinted as she looked into the distance.

How I wield my sword in the Barbarian Heavenly Realm is none of you, Li Sage and the Confucian Temple's business.

Lu Chen reminded them, "Everyone, before we depart, allow this impoverished Daoist to add a word of caution, to pour some cold water at an inopportune moment. The Barbarian Heavenly Realm has considerable resources. We might encounter a few very formidable monsters and anomalies."

Chen Ping'an, Ning Yao, Qi Tingji, Lu Zhi, and Hao Su, these five sword immortals, were in perfect understanding. They smiled knowingly and said nothing.

To look down on the Barbarian Heavenly Realm was to look down on the Sword Qi Great Wall's ten-thousand-year standing here.

How could that be? How could they allow that?

Lu Chen adjusted his Daoist crown. Well then, they were ganging up to bully an outsider.

He Shu, the Confucian Temple's accompanying saint sitting in charge of the sky there, witnessed this scene on the city wall below and was deeply moved.

Only at this moment did the old master truly understand what it meant to be the "Hidden Official."

Even in the Confucian Temple's discussions, almost every accompanying saint, academy libationer, and college principal would check the secret files and review the experiences. He Shu felt he had understood this young man well enough, but it turned out he was wrong. He was still far from the truth.

Setting aside Chen Ping'an's Dao companion, Ning Yao.

Just looking at the old Sword Immortal Qi Tingji, who inscribed characters on the city wall; Lu Zhi, who was born in the Haoran world but always regarded the Sword Qi Great Wall as her hometown; and the Executioner Hao Su, who rarely showed his face but, when he did, would kill Flying Ascension realm cultivators.

These few seemed to value Chen Ping'an's identity as the Hidden Official even more than the cultivators of the Haoran world did.

Lu Chen suddenly spoke, "Oh, by the way, speaking of which just reminded me of something. Chen Ping'an, Miss Ning, and of course, Executioner, do you three know the true identity and Dao foundation of the Grand Sword Immortal Zhang Lu?"

Hao Su shook his head. He knew best what kind of Executioner he was. He guessed that if he went to the Ascension City and announced his name, he would be cursed at thoroughly.

Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao exchanged glances and shook their heads. Clearly, among all her elders, Ning Yao had heard no additional information about Zhang Lu. And Chen Ping'an had found no secret files on Zhang Lu in the Summer Retreat.

Ning Yao only knew that Zhang Lu was over five hundred years old, had excellent talent for practicing the sword, and was a very good friend of her parents. Zhang Lu also got along very well with A Liang. Even after he lost the Battle of the Thirteen, Zhang Lu's reputation on the Sword Qi Great Wall wasn't bad. He could drink and chat with anyone, but it seemed he wasn't particularly close with anyone.

Lu Chen rubbed his forehead, looking pained. "Chen Ping'an, haven't you ever wondered why the Grand Old Sword Immortal had Zhang Lu guard the gate at the Inverted Suspension Mountain? Zhang Lu was bosom buddies with the previous Hidden Official, Xiao Xun. Their temperaments matched. Could the Grand Old Sword Immortal not see Zhang Lu's hatred for the Haoran world? And given Grand Sword Immortal Zhang's temper, he never hid these things. Even in the end, when Zhang Lu betrayed the Sword Qi Great Wall, why did he stay at the original site of the Inverted Suspension Mountain, not moving an inch, guarding the gate from start to finish? He only left when the Barbarian demon horde retreated from the Haoran world like a receding tide."

Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "Was Zhang Lu not merely atoning for his crimes back then? Were there other secrets?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Chen shook his head and said, "Zhang Lu was merely the gatekeeper. It was true that he betrayed the Sword Qi Great Wall, and it was also true that he did his job honestly."

Chen Ping'an frowned deeply. Previously, he only knew that Zhang Lu was a native-born exiled criminal sword immortal. In the Mid-Five Realms, he had a Dao companion. After she died in battle, Zhang Lu never married again, and he never spread his lineage by taking on disciples. However, Zhang Lu was very casual about teaching swordsmanship to young sword immortals, not holding anything back, but without any master-disciple relationship. Zhang Lu's sword was named Mountain Rhinoceros, and its scabbard was covered in black scales. It was said that this Grand Sword Immortal, during his hunting trips in the Barbarian Heavenly Realm in his early years, had killed a Jade Perfection realm demon, forged its bones and sinews into a long sword, and its skin into a scabbard. After that, the files in the Summer Retreat only contained a few fragmentary words. It seemed that Zhang Lu had been relatively close to the sword forge and the clothing workshop in his early years, as he was skilled in refining objects and metal casting, somewhat like a supervisor.

Regarding this matter, Chen Ping'an was not at all surprised when he entered the Summer Retreat to browse the files back then. After all, before he left the Inverted Suspension Mountain, besides delivering the Dragon-Slaying Platform to Ning Yao, Zhang Lu had also helped him disguise the Dharma robe Golden Sweet Wine. And that Demon Binding Rope, refined from an old flood dragon's whiskers, was said by Zhang Lu to have been made with the help of a talisman master from the Inverted Suspension Mountain. The Daoist kept some of the dragon whiskers as payment, peeled off three cloud patterns from a written petition for the Celestial Court, and fused them into the Demon Binding Rope, so it was still Chen Ping'an who got the better deal. Finally, Zhang Lu even taught Chen Ping'an an extra mantra for refining objects.

Lu Chen sighed in resignation and said, "In the 'Treatise on Food and Goods,' it mentions liquor. Zhang Lu greatly admired that Su Zi. He was skilled at refining objects, especially making bows. If I remember correctly, in the Treasury of the Ascension City, there are still a few excellent bows that have been gathering dust for a long time. Even though their quality is top-notch, they still end up covered in dust. There's no helping it. Since they are all pure sword immortals, who would bother using a bow."

Chen Ping'an thought about it. Su Zi was heroic and loved to drink. There was a saying, 'Liquor is the fortune of heaven. I have obtained it. Is this not heaven's will?' And the 'Treatise on Food and Goods' directly states that liquor is the splendid fortune of heaven.

But these were just "add-ons." Chen Ping'an sighed, raised his hands, and rubbed his face vigorously.

So Zhang Lu, like the old deaf man who guarded the prison, was not of the human race—the human race—but was born of a demonic beast.

However, Zhang Lu's identity was somewhat similar to Bai Ze's. He was more accepted by the Haoran world.

Because this "Tianlu" was not only a name for liquor but also a kind of auspicious beast recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas." Since ancient times, the dignitaries and nobles of the Haoran world liked to place statues of Tianlu in front of tombs, with the intention of protecting the ancestral shrines and tombs, ensuring peace in the netherworld.

If betraying the Sword Qi Great Wall was Zhang Lu's own choice, and the Grand Old Sword Immortal was willing to respect that choice, then the only thing Zhang Lu had to do was perhaps promise Chen Qingdu to stay and continue guarding the gate, like guarding a "grave," and finally take care of the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins, which were like a tomb, for one last stretch.

Zhang Lu also kept his promise.

Then he was still a pure sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

No wonder that during the subsequent discussions between the two worlds, even though they were on different sides, A Liang was still willing to face Zhang Lu with a smile, still a good friend.

Chen Ping'an took a deep breath. Whatever, if they were to meet again on the battlefield, each giving their all in a sword strike, that would be the greatest respect.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Prelate Lu, may I ask how this borrowing of Dao techniques works?"

Lu Chen smiled, took off the lotus crown from his head, and casually tossed it to Chen Ping'an. The Daoist token of the Third Prelate of the White Jade Capital was given away so casually.

Chen Ping'an caught it with one hand. Ning Yao began to help Chen Ping'an untie his hair bun. Chen Ping'an removed the white jade hairpin, put it into his sleeve, and without any hesitation, placed the lotus crown on his own head.

Lu Chen said cheekily, "Wear it. I will lodge inside it afterward. As it happens, it's quite a coincidence that both of us are in the state of a yin spirit traveling far away from the body. But let me warn you in advance, bearing the Dao techniques of the Fourteen Realm—good or bad, you must bear the consequences yourself. Well, you understand this principle better than anyone else."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "It's also a coincidence. Before I went to ask for a sword duel at the Locked Cloud Sect in the North Jute Continent, I wore a Daoist crown of similar style and had an alias, a Dao name called 'Invincible.'"

Lu Chen looked him up and down. Good lad, wearing a Daoist crown, a green robe, and a sword on his back, he was becoming more and more elegant. He muttered, "Fate, fate."

Chen Ping'an adjusted the crown, turned his head, and smiled. "Miss Lu, why not borrow a few handy good swords from Prelate Lu to fight side by side. Being polite would be insincere. We're borrowing them, not taking them. If there's any damage, we can just convert it into immortal coins. Even if I don't return them, Prelate Lu will surely come knocking on the door to demand them back."

Lu Zhi was used to using the standard long swords cast by the sword forge. But for this sortie, to be safe, it would be more prudent to borrow a few good swords from Lu Chen.

Lu Chen stood there dumbfounded. "Ah?"

This impoverished Daoist considered himself already quite thick-skinned, but you, Chen Ping'an, are even more so.

From the other side of the city wall, Lu Zhi had already extended her hand. "No problem. Welcome, Prelate Lu, to come and collect the debt in the future. The Dragon Elephant Sword Sect is right by the sea on the Southern Boddhi Continent. It's very easy to find."

Lu Chen let out another "Ah."

Although this impoverished Daoist's hometown is indeed the Haoran world, it's not a place I can come and go as I please. Li Sage's rules are still there.

Are you two determined to have one of you cheat me and the other default on the debt?

Lu Chen sighed, had no choice but to lift one sleeve and fumble around inside with one hand, dawdling, as if rummaging through a treasure trove.

Chen Ping'an reminded him, "Prelate Lu, since you're going to give them away anyway, just grit your teeth and be generous. Otherwise, old Master He will look down on you."

While searching through the many treasures in his sleeve's universe, Lu Chen said, "Borrowing, not giving!"

Finally, Lu Chen pulled out a palm-sized sword case, hopped in place, leaped high, and tossed it far to Lu Zhi, shouting, "Miss Lu, use them sparingly!"

Lu Zhi caught the sword case and said, "I'll see how I feel."

Lu Chen asked one last question. "Chen Ping'an, what if, in this journey of ours, we unintentionally fall into that person's scheme?"

Chen Ping'an said calmly, "So what? I am still me, you are still you, and we are still us. What needs to be done must still be done."

Lu Chen nodded. "Then I have no more questions. I will immediately set about constructing a grand heavenly realm. So, in the next while, before we set off, you will have to adapt for a moment. Sharpening the axe won't delay the chopping of wood. Ah, yet another principle you know best."

As he spoke, Lu Chen's form dissipated, turning into a rainbow light that dove into the lotus crown. Strange phenomena erupted all over heaven and earth, causing not only the wind and snow within a thousand miles to abruptly stop, but in the next moment, all the snow that had already fallen on the ground also vanished, as if that majestic heavy snowfall had never visited the mortal world.

If Lu Chen's yin spirit merging into that Daoist crown was an unattached boat sailing on the Great Dao's void.

Then the current Chen Ping'an was the man punting the boat, a mysterious "manifestation of the Great Dao."

Ning Yao stood her ground, unconcerned.

But the Executioner Hao Su beside her subconsciously tilted his shoulder. A Flying Ascension realm sword immortal with exceptional killing power actually felt somewhat uncomfortable. Hao Su couldn't help but turn to look at this unfamiliar "Chen Ping'an."

The young man in a green robe, long gown, and cloth shoes had transformed into a simple, elegant green gauze Daoist robe.

He still carried the Night Tour sword on his back, but with an added lotus crown on his head.

Chen Ping'an bent his knees slightly, causing half of the city wall he had merged with to tremble. But he soon straightened his waist, as if bearing the burden of heaven and earth's Great Dao, yet instead appearing relieved.

Just raising his head and looking into the distance, he instantly saw that Barbarian battlefield where the celestial mechanism was in chaos.

He couldn't see the battle situation clearly, as it was obscured by the Rising Sun, but he could already make out the contours of the mountains and rivers over there.

There was A Liang's sword intent, and also his senior brother Zuo You's sword aura.

Mixed in were earth-shattering bombardments of magical techniques, the colorful and brilliant divine abilities of various great demons.

Chen Ping'an said in a deep voice, "Everyone, let's go together to the heart of the Barbarian realm!"

A figure in green was the first to transform into a rainbow and leave the city wall.

Ning Yao followed closely behind, her sword light like a rainbow.

Hao Su flew his sword alongside, swift as lightning.

On the other side of the city wall, Qi Tingji, dressed all in white, also had his sword light instantly leave the city wall for thousands of miles, with Lu Zhi traveling alongside him.

Two batches had successively passed through that great gate of the Inverted Suspension Mountain ruins. One batch was Chen Sanqiu and Die Zhang, who had left the Rain Dragon Sect ferry on their flying swords. The other batch were also sword immortals, but they had not taken a cross-continent ferry to the Sword Qi Great Wall; instead, they flew their swords away from the Parasol Leaf Continent. It wasn't that they didn't want to take a ferry to travel far, but rather that they had encountered an unpleasant incident. When a ferry from the Fuyao Continent docked, and heard they were sword immortals from the Parasol Leaf Continent, they directly drove them away, leaving behind a remark: how could they have the face to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall?

If it hadn't been for the intervention of a female sword immortal in the group, there might have been a loss of life right then and there.

This batch of sword immortals from the Parasol Leaf Continent, whose sect had closed its mountain but they had traveled far, were Yu Xin, Wang Shizi, and Li Wanyong. They were the "rebel sword immortals" of the younger generation of the Parasol Leaf Sect in years past.

Yu Xin, the only female sword immortal, wore a gold dress Dharma robe, with a Dragon Lady Immortal Garment Xiang River Skirt over it, and a pair of embroidered shoes from a Hundred Flowers Blessed Land on her feet.

Li Wanyong carried the long sword "Chi Seal" on his back. This trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall was mainly to meet Zuo You.

In addition, there were Du Yan and Qin Shui Hu.

Except for Wang Shizi, who was a Sacrificial Official, the rest were direct disciple sword immortals from the Ancestral Hall of the Parasol Leaf Sect.

They descended onto the city wall around the same time as Chen Sanqiu and Die Zhang.

They only saw the five sword-light lines stretched across heaven and earth after the five left together.

---

In a back alley of the Great Li capital, Zhou Haijing used a pure True Qi of a martial artist to pull, just like reeling in a fishing rod, and brought the garment she had thrown out of the courtyard back into her hand.

The two youths at the door had sparkling eyes. This outsider woman was indeed a master of profound martial arts. If they served her well, they might learn a few real skills.

Zhou Haijing looked at the green-robed guest outside the door. She somewhat regretted not having asked more questions about Chen Ping'an back at the Daoist temple.

But how was she to know that this fellow would follow her all the way here? For no reason, are you, a mountain sword immortal, too bored for your own good?

Zhou Haijing continued to gather the clothes from the drying rack and turned her head with a smile. "Sect Leader Chen, you're in such a leisurely mood. You actually came to a place like this. Doesn't the smell of chicken shit and dog crap bother you?"

The two youths at the door immediately turned their heads to look at the man. Oh ho, looks like a man of status and position in the martial world?

Sect Leader?

Isn't that pretty much the same as a gang leader or sub-leader? But he looks more like a teacher than a man who wields a staff or a spear.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "It's alright. I'll get used to it."

Su Lang, a Green Bamboo Sword Immortal of the Far Journey realm, a second-class Supplicator token of the Ministry of Justice, a Great Li military attendant cultivator.

Zhou Haijing, a martial artist at the Mountain Summit realm. Of course, in the eyes of the secular world, she was still a good-looking woman.

Everyone's words and actions are like a yin spirit traveling far away from the body.

Each version of oneself in the eyes of others is a yang spirit's external body.

Chen Ping'an knew why, despite knowing his identity, she still acted so fiery. Zhou Haijing was speaking a truth: she was a woman, and you, a mountain sword immortal and a man, shouldn't come looking for trouble here.

When they had met before, Zhou Haijing noticed that Dao Registrar Ge Ling and the young novice from the Translation Bureau were both in awe of this man, genuinely so, not feigned. As for Su Lang, he was terrified to the bone.

Chen Ping'an, the master of the Fallen Mountain Sect, a sect leader, a sword immortal.

And he was also a martial arts grandmaster who, for some reason, remained obscure. The reason was simple: he was Pei Qian's master. For now, Zhou Haijing couldn't accurately gauge the depth of his martial arts or the level of his martial path. He looked like a martial artist at the Golden Body realm, but she didn't know if he was hiding his true abilities.

But the man before her was indeed gentle in temperament and polite.

Even Zhou Haijing, with her picky eye, had to admit that this sword immortal was indeed outstanding.

But the heart is hidden behind the skin. Under a good-looking exterior and fine bearing, who knows if there isn't a belly full of bad intentions.

Zhou Haijing asked, "Do you really have business?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Really have business."

Zhou Haijing sighed. "Then come in and talk. If the neighbors see me, a pure maiden, with a man, it'll be hard for me to find a good husband."

Chen Ping'an thanked her and stepped over the threshold. The house was only so big. Besides the courtyard, there was a main hall and two side rooms, one of which was the kitchen.

On the table was a set of crude white porcelain tea sets. Zhou Haijing said with a smile, "I can only give you poor hospitality. Not only do I have no good liquor, I don't even have tea leaves. Would you like some plain boiled water?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "No problem. I'll just have a bowl of plain water."

He had a natural affinity for small houses like this because they were very similar to his hometown.

After Chen Ping'an sat down and took the bowl of water, he asked directly, "Mr. Zhou, do you have a grudge against Yu Hong? And a considerable one at that?"

If you beat around the bush, it would only make people suspicious.

Back at the Cliff Academy of the Great Sui, Cui Dongshan had asked two seemingly similar questions, hoping his nominal master would help clarify them.

Over the years, especially at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping'an had been thinking about this question, but it was hard to give an answer.

Cui Dongshan's two questions were: First, is it right or wrong to use a wrong method to pursue a correct result?

Second, if one uses a wrong method to achieve a very rare correct result, is it wrong or not?

The two questions had the same vein, but the latter was certainly harder to answer than the former.

Chen Ping'an hoped that this visit today would give his student Cui Dongshan a belated "half answer."

At most, it would be half an answer.

As for being a master and a student, what could Chen Ping'an teach? It seemed he couldn't teach Cui Dongshan anything.

But as time went on, Chen Ping'an truly considered himself Cui Dongshan's master.

Zhou Haijing laughed dryly and put down the water bowl. "Sect Leader Chen is joking. I come from a fishing family, a country girl. If I were to talk about a martial arts grandmaster like Senior Yu, even if I burned the best incense every day, I couldn't get a connection worth half a copper coin."

She continued, "By the way, Sect Leader Chen, please don't call me 'Mr. Zhou' one after another. It sounds awkward. Just call me by my name, or call me Miss Zhou. Anyway, we're not far apart in age, so let's just treat each other as peers."

Seeing that the young sword immortal said nothing, Zhou Haijing asked curiously, "Why is Sect Leader Chen asking this? Are you friends with Senior Yu? Or a friend of a friend?"

Zhou Haijing seemed to suddenly realize something and asked in surprise, "Could it be that Sect Leader Chen has even learned boxing from Yu Hong?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I had never even heard of Yu Hong before."

Zhou Haijing teased, "Then what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're interested in my looks. I wouldn't think you're that kind of person, Sect Leader Chen. I've heard that immortals in the mountains view women's beauty very differently from men in the mortal world. It's completely night and day."

Chen Ping'an said, "This unsolicited visit is a presumptuous request. If Miss Zhou is unwilling to answer, I will not force you. But if you are willing to talk about the past, I will consider it a favor owed to you, Miss Zhou. In the future, if there is anything that troubles you, just send a flying sword message to the Fallen Mountain Sect, and I will come as soon as I am called. Of course, the prerequisite is that the matter you ask of me does not go against my conscience."

"Sounds good. In reality?"

Zhou Haijing clicked her tongue. "I almost thought I was still at Dao Registrar Ge's little temple instead of at home."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I understand. I'll finish this bowl of water and then leave. I won't make things difficult for Miss Zhou."

Watching the man in green drink from the bowl, Zhou Haijing said, "Sect Leader Chen is a man of refinement."

Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "Why do you say that?"

Zhou Haijing smiled and raised her white bowl. "Nothing. Treating water as wine."

Chen Ping'an raised his bowl and took a sip.

Zhou Haijing watched him, a smile on her face.

He was obviously from a wealthy family, yet he could make do, and he did so naturally, not making others feel awkward. That's probably what they call being refined.

Zhou Haijing had seen a few local scions of aristocratic families and wealthy nobles after she had mastered her boxing techniques and traveled through various countries. Many were embroidered pillows, and many were hypocrites. As for those with a true scholarly aura, there were some, but not many.

But the man before her, under his green robe and long gown, his spotless cloth shoes betrayed something.

In this shabby place full of chicken shit, dog crap, and pigsties, he was indeed a sword immortal who came and went like the wind, his feet never touching the ground.

For these people, the contempt and disdain in their hearts are actually hard to hide completely. In Zhou Haijing's opinion, it's better than those who put their dog-like snobbishness on their faces.

These lofty registered immortals, in their mountain cultivation grounds and long-term residences, which one isn't in a place where clouds and mist reside, drinking the dew of sunrise.

Zhou Haijing suddenly asked a question. "If you had a choice, Sect Leader Chen, would you rather drink plain water than coarse tea?"

Chen Ping'an said, "The truth doesn't matter to me."

Zhou Haijing tapped the white bowl lightly with her finger and asked with a smile, "Really?"

And then there are some refined people who are used to a life of utter poverty, having nothing at all, with two sleeves of pure wind. They say they are content in poverty and delight in the Dao. But they simply cannot stand the dull, grinding poverty of dealing with trivial matters day in and day out. Having a bit of money, but can't buy anything good.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "There's no need to fool Miss Zhou about this."

After finishing the bowl of water, Chen Ping'an prepared to take his leave.

Zhou Haijing sighed. "It seems Sect Leader Chen is still a bit unwilling. If you leave like this, won't I be even more unsettled? So, you might as well speak frankly and open the skylight to say what you mean. Maybe I'll change my mind. But after we're done talking, we'll really have to go our separate ways and not interfere with each other."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Then I'll speak bluntly and won't beat around the bush with Miss Zhou."

Zhou Haijing smiled charmingly. "Traveling the martial world alone and lonely, life and death can be taken lightly; you can't care about too much. Sect Leader Chen doesn't have to be like this. The more polite and courteous you are, the more it makes me worry you're a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Although I don't know what Ge Ling and Song Xu discussed with Miss Zhou, I am certain that you will eventually agree to join the Great Li's Earthly Branches lineage, because you need a protective charm. You feel that killing just one Yu Hong isn't enough, that the great revenge hasn't been fully avenged."

"In the earlier boxing match at the Fire God Temple arena, Miss Zhou's feigned weakness was very measured. Ordinary Ninth Realm martial artists couldn't tell, but I could see some signs."

"Furthermore, among the items Miss Zhou has, only the incense sachet is truly yours. Because if I remember correctly, according to the customs of the fishing folk by the sea in Miss Zhou's hometown, when a woman wears a silk incense sachet embroidered with a swallow pattern, meant to indicate the 'blossoming period,' it is a signal to outsiders that she is already married."

"I believe Miss Zhou can tell that I am also a pure martial artist. So I am very clear that for a woman to reach the Ninth Realm of martial arts by the age of fifty, even with excellent talent, she would need at least one or two basic boxing manuals in her youth. And later on, along her martial arts path, she would encounter one or two people who would teach her boxing and feed her boxing, transmitting the principles of the art. Either it's a family tradition, or it's a master's instruction."

"Miss Zhou is different from Ye Yunyun of the Parasol Leaf Continent. You come from a fishing family. Miss Zhou, you haven't taken many wrong paths. Your foundation at the Ninth Realm is very solid, far more promising than Yu Hong's to reach the End Realm. Naturally, you must have received some halfway master instruction along the way."

"With such a promising future in martial arts, you would still risk your life to trade with Yu Hong, and even seek more. After arriving in the capital, you have been cautious in everything. Earlier in that alley, before seeing Dao Registrar Ge and the others, Miss Zhou was even in the carriage, deliberately using pure True Qi to injure your own internal organs in order to feign vomiting blood."

Zhou Haijing simply wore an expression of "I have no idea what you're talking about," as if listening to a storyteller rambling nonsense.

Chen Ping'an said, "I will not meddle in the grievances between you and Yu Hong. I just want to know what happened back then."

Zhou Haijing gently rotated the white bowl. "Small matter. A few bitter grievances are not worth talking about with an outsider."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "Since Miss Zhou likes to do business and is also adept at managing it, leaving me in awe, let's put it in a different way."

"The Great Li's Earthly Branches lineage is temporarily under my jurisdiction."

"As long as Miss Zhou is in the right regarding your grievance with Yu Hong, you can still settle life and death on your own terms. But I can guarantee that apart from the Earthly Branches, the Ministries of Rites and Justice will not interfere."

If earlier Zhou Haijing was like listening to a storyteller recount a tale, now hearing this Sword Immortal Chen's big talk, it was even more like listening to a book from heaven.

Do you really think your surname is Song?!

Or do you think you are Grand Preceptor Cui Chan?!

Temporary jurisdiction over the Great Li's Earthly Branches? The entire Haoran world now knows one thing: that among us on the Vase Bottle Continent, the mountain cultivators are the most disgraced in the eyes of the dynasties below.

Zhou Haijing held back a laugh, waved her hand, and even changed her form of address. "Mr. Chen, we really have nothing to talk about. Let me ask you one last question. What realm are you in as a martial artist?"

Although Zhou Haijing now knew that the green-robed sword immortal before her was Pei Qian's master, in the martial path, it's common for the student to surpass the master. For example, Yu Hong's own master was only a Golden Body realm martial artist, very inconspicuous in the sword-immortal-rich Crimson Yan Dynasty.

And as for herself, it was even more so. The person who taught her boxing was only a Sixth Realm martial artist. Of course, back then she was young, and she revered him like a god.

In her eyes, heart, face, and brows, it was all him. When drinking water, wine, eating, walking, she would think of him.

Only by desperately practicing boxing could she forget for a moment.

Chen Ping'an said, "Not too different from Miss Zhou's realm."

Before Zhou Haijing could speak to dismiss him, Chen Ping'an rose and cupped his hands. "I guarantee I won't trouble Miss Zhou again in the future."

Zhou Haijing stood up and said with a smile, "That's good, then. But having said that, I truly don't believe that master with the nickname 'Zheng Qingming' could be a vicious and evil person. So if I have offended you in this casual chat today, Mr. Chen, please be magnanimous and forgive me. Since we won't be meeting again anyway, it's fine to curse Zhou Haijing for her ingratitude in your heart or out loud."

She noticed that the man seemed quite pleased when he heard that.

It seemed Chen Ping'an was really proud of that disciple Pei Qian.

The two street youths at the door had never left.

The tall one shouted, "Aunt Zhou, if that guy tries anything funny, just shout, and Wan Yan and I will grab our weapons immediately."

Zhou Haijing turned her head and shouted, "Aunt my foot! Call me Sister!"

The tall youth grinned and said, "As long as Aunt Zhou isn't mad, I'll call you Sister, Grandma, or even Little Sister! I don't care!"

The fair-skinned youth named Wan Yan grinned as well.

Chen Ping'an turned to look at the alley outside the door, wondering if, in the early years of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and that small county town, the future State Preceptor of the Southern Garden Kingdom, Zhong Fuzi, and the first to ascend the mountain and cultivate immortality, Yu Zhenyi, when they were young, were also just as rowdy and cheeky.

Zhou Haijing glanced at the man's brows and eyes, his expression. She was a little surprised.

Good heavens, he has deep cultivation. Old lady, if I look at him a few more times, I might fall for it.

Now she somewhat regretted being too ignorant of the mountain scenery on the Vase Bottle Continent. If not for Su Lang's warning, she really wouldn't have believed that the guy who stepped aside in the narrow alley was the young sword immortal currently making the biggest waves on the Vase Bottle Continent.

It was just that every time Zhou Haijing thought about the expenses for those 'mirror flower water moon' broadcasts, her heart would quiver.

It was said to be just a few or a dozen or so snow coins, but when converted into real gold and silver, and especially into strings of copper cash, Zhou Haijing, instead of buying one, felt like putting on a black night suit, covering her face with a cloth, and going up the mountain to pillage.

Chen Ping'an took his leave and left, with Zhou Haijing seeing him to the courtyard gate.

The tall youth whispered with a grin, "Sister Zhou, this guy looks pretty good. He seems like a refined man. What, do you dislike him because he doesn't have any money?"

Zhou Haijing said with a smile, "He doesn't have any money? Gao You, oh Gao You, you really have good eyesight. No wonder you tried to steal from me. You missed such a real big spender."

Gao You turned his head to look at the man's back. Rich? That can't be right?

The fair-skinned youth suddenly trotted up to Chen Ping'an, almost hugging the wall as he walked, and said softly, "Sect Leader Chen, my name is Wan Yan."

Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "That 'Wan Yan' of 'thousands of words in an instant'?"

The youth nodded vigorously, hesitated, and then blushed as he asked, "Do you know any martial arts?"

"A little."

"Can you teach it to outsiders?"

"No."

"I can pay. If I don't have enough money, I can owe you. I will definitely pay it back. I can swear."

Chen Ping'an still shook his head, not agreeing to the youth.

The youth's expression darkened. "The basic stances those martial arts school masters teach are useless for us to learn. I've heard we need boxing manuals, something about meridians. We haven't studied, so we can't learn any real skills."

There were also some words he couldn't say. They had been blindly practicing useless stances for several years, and whether they had actually increased their strength was dubious. At least they got hungry easily, and when hungry, they had to go steal money on the streets. None of the large or small martial arts schools in the capital were willing to accept two paupers, and the gangs were even harder to get into.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Why learn boxing?"

Wan Yan said, "So I won't be bullied. With skills, it's easier to earn money."

Zhou Haijing, leaning sideways against the door, called out from afar to the young sword immortal, "It's too late to learn boxing. If you had run into them seven or eight years earlier, I might have been willing to teach them some superficial skills. If I taught them now, it would only harm them. With your temperaments, if you get mixed up in the martial world later, you'll end up dead in some sect's brawl. Better to just be petty thieves quietly. With small skills, you attract less trouble."

Gao You said angrily, "Sister Zhou, don't look down on people! Wan Yan has a very good brain. It's just that he doesn't have the money to study. Otherwise, he could easily pass the imperial examinations."

The fair-skinned youth smiled shyly, scratched his head, and looked a bit uncomfortable.

As the two were about to reach the end of the alley, Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Why come to me to learn boxing? Isn't that Sister Zhou of yours also someone from the martial world? Why go far when you have someone near?"

Wan Yan said, "I feel that Mr. Chen is a master."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "'Master' indeed."

Wan Yan immediately corrected himself. "You are a master too!"

The youth turned to Zhou Haijing and gave her an apologetic smile.

Zhou Haijing was amused.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh. "A master, how could you tell?"

Wan Yan said, "Aura. The way you walk and talk, Mr. Chen, is different from ours, but the same as Aunt Zhou's."

Chen Ping'an hummed in acknowledgment and nodded. "Observing the world with caution is a good habit. It will help you avoid many bumps and bruises unintentionally. But this is something we cannot prove to ourselves. Just take it as the experience of someone who has been there."

The Confucians talk about 'being cautious when alone,' the Buddhists talk about 'self-realization.' They all mean about the same thing. But talking about this with a youth right now is meaningless. One must admit that many truths have their own thresholds. Besides, it also depends on whether one is willing to learn and willing to listen.

Chen Ping'an stopped at the alley entrance and said to the youth with a smile, "That Sister Zhou of yours is easy to talk to. Beg her a bit more, and be clever in your daily dealings. Find some things to do, like volunteering to buy wine for Sister Zhou. Learning some basic boxing and stance training for strengthening the body definitely won't be too hard."

Wan Yan nodded. "I understand. You still have to spend money!"

Chen Ping'an laughed, walked out of the alley, and left directly.

Zhou Haijing pursed her lips.

Wan Yan stood there for a long time, until the green-robed figure was out of sight, before running back to his friend Gao You and Zhou Haijing.

Zhou Haijing said, "Forget about learning boxing. The reason is that you two little bastards aren't ruthless enough."

Gao You asked doubtfully, "Not black-hearted and vicious enough?"

Zhou Haijing rolled her eyes, turned, and walked into the house, closing the courtyard door.

She looked at the white bowl on the table. She just hoped that this sword immortal, who had a rather scholarly air, the master of Pei Qian, would really keep his word and not bother her again.

Zhou Haijing sat on the threshold of the main hall, looking at the courtyard door outside.

The fishing folk by the sea, exposed to the scorching sun all year round, the stench of sea wind, the boys and girls who fished and dived for pearls—most of them had skin as black as charcoal. How good could they look?

Once, an outsider man stopped in a seaside village. He would help the fishermen dry sea salt and build dikes.

And her hometown, adjacent to the sea, according to the oral traditions passed down for generations, was where the sun closed its eyes to rest and opened them to wake up.

Thinking back to those days, the poor girl was like a flower, unaware of her own reflection.

Chen Ping'an gradually walked away, murmuring to himself, "Flower and fruit at the same time."

---

In the front yard of the Yang Family Medicine Shop, Su Dian and her junior brother Shi Lingshan continued to look after the shop, though there was hardly any business.

Su Dian left the front yard and went to sit in the back yard. Even though her master was no longer there, she still observed the rules strictly, not daring to sit on the steps of the main hall or on that long bench.

Shi Lingshan lifted the curtain and looked at his senior sister with a sigh. It's so worrying. That Zheng Dafeng is a bastard! His lies are harmful. Years ago, after listening to that old bachelor's terrible advice, they went to a battlefield ruin of the old Crimson Yan Dynasty and met that Yu Lu. Shi Lingshan said that he was not actually Su Dian's junior brother, but her son... As a result, not only did he get a punch, his senior sister has never given him a good face since, and even to this day, she's reluctant to talk to him.

Shi Lingshan asked softly, "Senior Sister, is something on your mind?"

Su Dian seemed not to have heard.

Shi Lingshan asked quietly, "Senior Sister, are you thinking about Master?"

Su Dian didn't turn her head, just said, "Go watch the shop."

Shi Lingshan let out a happy sound and hurried back to the front yard. His senior sister had spoken four words to him today!

Su Dian was indeed thinking of someone, but it wasn't her most respected master. It was her uncle.

There once was a dragon kiln. There was a sallow, skinny child, so dirty you couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. But no one cared anyway.

Her uncle, unable to bear the looks and the pointed words of the neighbors, sold his land cheaply and went to work as a kiln worker. To make things easier for her, he didn't tell anyone about their relationship. He just privately begged Master Yao to let her stay and do some small chores within her ability, and that's how she was kept there.

Later, her uncle died.

She felt it would have been better to stay in the town and be scolded to death than to be beaten to death and then stab herself with a piece of broken porcelain.

When Su Dian thought of this, she raised the back of her hand and rubbed her eyes.

In those years, occasionally when her uncle had drunk some wine, he would say some things from his heart. Probably because she never said anything, just listened silently every time, he mistakenly thought she was too young to understand anything.

Her uncle said: "The way they look at me is like they're seeing something dirty. I know, but what can I do? I can only pretend not to know."

"Can't dodge it, can't run away. It's not their fault. I brought it on myself."

He gave her a childhood name, which was now "Yanzhi." Actually, she didn't like it very much; she had always detested it.

When he was in a good mood, he would often repeat a sentence to her: "Little Yanzhi, you are a girl. It's a very good thing to like rouge and powder."

In those years, the only person her uncle could bully was that short, thin, straw-sandaled youth.

Because that youth was too poor, an orphan with no one to rely on. It seemed that only in front of that Chen fellow, her most worthless uncle would become 'rich,' have face, and have confidence in his words.

She had seen that guy, who was a few years older than her, many times from afar. When shaping the clay, he would slightly frown and purse his lips tightly, but the things he made were still no good.

In the end, her uncle said to her: "Little Yanzhi, if you ever run into trouble, go find that person, that Chen Ping'an from Mud Vase Alley. He will help you. He definitely will."

"But don't bother others too often. If you do it too many times, you'll become annoying too."

At the time, she didn't know that this was more or less her uncle's final words.

Su Dian sat on the steps, curling up, lost in thought.

One night, in Mud Vase Alley, a tall, thin man who had changed into a clean set of clothes took advantage of the house's owner needing to watch the kiln fire and sneaked back to the small town under the cover of night.

A dark, skinny little girl was responsible for helping her uncle keep watch at the alley entrance.

The man climbed over the wall into the courtyard, but hesitated for a long time, pacing back and forth, clutching a rouge box in his hand.

Before that, the man had also secretly gone to the Yang Family Medicine Shop, found the eccentric old man, and bought a jar of ointment.

The reason he was afraid of dying was simply because he was afraid of pain. Hanging oneself is an ugly death, drowning is such an agonizing way to go... just thinking about it made him too scared to die. This made the man more and more upset. He really was like a woman.

When the man was in a bad mood, he liked to sit by the water, or cut red paper, or braid the little girl's hair for her, the one who depended on him. Apart from farm work, which he had hated since childhood, he was actually very dexterous in everything he did. By the river, he would also constantly turn his head, as if looking into a mirror, often raising his hand to gently smooth his sideburns. Being a kiln worker was hard labor; there were no private rooms. A grown man, caught looking in a mirror—he would get a heap of gossip.

The person he once hated the most, perhaps no one would guess, was not those who bullied him habitually, but that straw-sandaled youth from Mud Vase Alley.

Because when the youth looked at him, there was no mockery in his eyes, not even pity. It was like... he was looking at a person.

But the more Chen Ping'an acted like this, the more uncomfortable the effeminate man felt inside.

He wished everyone were filthy and vile. He would rather that youth were just like all the other kiln workers. That's why he liked to take the lead in targeting the kiln apprentice from Mud Vase Alley, stirring up trouble and being sarcastic.

Until that day, when he caused a huge disaster, extinguishing the dragon kiln's fire, and hid in the mountains and forests. The youth was actually the first to find his trail, but said nothing, pretending not to have seen him, and later even helped cover for him.

Later, his legs were broken, and he spent half a year recuperating in bed. In the end, the one who took care of him the most was still that dark-skinned youth who didn't know how to refuse others.

It was also during that time that this effeminate man often chatted with Chen Ping'an. But the youth was taciturn, with the man doing most of the talking and the youth listening.

"Chen Ping'an."

"You're a strange person, actually stranger than me, but you're truly a good person."

"The old saying goes, 'Good people don't live long,' and also 'Good people will be rewarded.' What do you think?"

"You don't know either, do you."

"When you're older, you'll know that being a good person is very hard."

Occasionally, Chen Ping'an would say a few words from his heart. He said he wasn't a good person; he also wanted to hit him very much. It's just that you were taught a lesson by Liu Xianyang once, so I don't need to make a move.

Their last conversation was when the effeminate man wanted to give Chen Ping'an something.

"I want to give you something. It's the only thing of value I have."

It was that rouge box he cherished so much. It was as if all the energy and spirit of his life, all his hope for a beautiful life, were hidden inside.

But the youth, sitting on the threshold at the time, shook his head and said, "I don't want it."

"It's not dirty, you know."

"It's not that I think it's dirty. I just don't like it. Even if I took it, I couldn't use it. I couldn't exactly sell it for money."

"Please take it. I'm begging you. I've decided. I can't let myself be called a woman anymore. If no one keeps this rouge box for me, I'll just have to take another look. One look leads to another, and then I won't be able to help applying a little, and I'll start longing for this month's wages, and then I'll be called a sissy again."

But in the end, the youth still didn't accept that rouge box.

So that night, the man sneaked back to Mud Vase Alley in the small town and climbed over the wall into Chen Ping'an's ancestral home.

But in the end, the effeminate man didn't follow his original intention to bury the rouge box in the earth. Instead, he climbed back over the wall to the alley and hid it in a small alley very close to the house, not facing the courtyard gate.

The effeminate man's reasoning was simple: he was afraid of dirtying the clean place.

Walking to the alley entrance, the man took the little girl's hand and looked back, his face streaming with tears. He closed his eyes and prayed silently.

He just hoped that the heavens would open their eyes. They didn't need to look at him. Just look at that Chen Ping'an. Bless the good person with a good reward.

---

Listening to the words of the boy riding the ox, Chen Lingjun was taken aback. What name was that? He really didn't catch it. He had to ask, "Daoist friend, who are you looking for? Could you say it again? Since we have time to kill anyway, I can be your guide. I know every street and alley in Locust Yellow County with my eyes closed."

This outsider Daoist was looking for someone with a rather strange name, one he had never heard of.

The boy Daoist child, however, smiled and said, "I'll find it myself. Cultivating a path of knowledge is its own pleasure."

Chen Lingjun didn't mind. He first tested the green ox with a heart voice: "Daoist friend, can you understand me? If you can, just nod or something."

After all, the boy Daoist child had addressed him as "Daoist friend" earlier, so perhaps this was an accomplished spirit creature, and thus a fellow Daoist of his!

Seeing that the green ox remained unmoved, Chen Lingjun was completely relieved. So it was an unenlightened junior. Haha, playing the lute to a cow, playing the lute to a cow indeed!

This meant that the Dao techniques of this boy riding the ox couldn't be very high.

Otherwise, would a mountain-top immortal's mount, without a Mid-Five Realms cultivation and the ability to shapeshift, be brought out by a registered immortal?

Then he reminded the boy Daoist child: "Passerby