Chapter 872: Above and Below the World
Within the borders of the Dream Liang Nation.
The sea of clouds on Cloud Cloak Mountain was one of the most renowned immortal landscapes in Vial Continent. Especially when sunlight struck the clouds, it wasn't the ordinary golden color, but a spectacle of surging spiritual energy and brilliant, kaleidoscopic colors. This led Qi refiners to praise it as a "celestial beauty beyond compare." It was no wonder it had earned a place in the widely circulated "Supplement to the Mountains and Seas of the Nine Zhou of Haoran." Moreover, the ever-changing clouds and mists, at certain moments, would gather a trace of true spiritual essence and transform into the forms of successive founding patriarchs. Any Cloud Cloak Mountain disciple who was fortunate could converse with them and seek guidance on the sect's Daoist methods.
Chen Ping'an stood atop the sea of clouds, gazing into the distance at the capital city of the Dream Liang Nation, taking in the entire flow of the nation's Qi fortune at a single glance.
There used to be a small tavern on Inverted Suspension Mountain, a fragment of a shattered "Yellow Millet Dream" blessed land. The implication was that after drinking fine wine, one could obtain a magnificent dream, a "pillow of yellow millet."
But he didn't know if there was any connection to this Dream Liang Nation.
Withdrawing his gaze, he looked toward a low mountain peak whose summit was submerged in the sea of clouds.
Cloud Cloak Mountain had a total of sixteen peaks since its founding. On the Green Juniper Peak, the female founding patriarch Cai Jinjian sat upright on a meditation cushion today. Beside her, a censer emitted curling purple smoke. She held an old, worn bamboo-and-wood ruyi scepter, conducting her regular lecture and teaching session. It was nearing the end, and she was now explaining characters to the younger generation of the sect. At that moment, she was explaining the character "Ming," meaning fate or life.
According to Cai Jinjian's understanding, the character "Ming" could be broken down into: person, one, and to knock. Therefore, "a person knocks once to pass through the gate" means to cultivate the Dao.
Cultivation involves examining the heart; it is a matter of life and death, survival and extinction. If a cultivator can avoid being encumbered by external objects and the physical form, upon opening their eyes, they will see the Great Net Heaven.
Among the sixteen peaks, including Cloud Cloak Mountain's ancestral peak, all Earth Immortal patriarchs qualified to open a peak would follow the ancestral precedent and open their residences to transmit the Dao on schedule.
It couldn't be said that they were entirely free of sectarian bias. Naturally, some key cultivation secrets were kept private; if they weren't direct disciples of that particular lineage, they were kept secret. However, compared to general immortal sects, this was already considered quite open-minded.
Some elders spoke with substance, but unfortunately suffered from dry tedium. Others were interesting in their speech, but often rambled and strayed from the point, frequently telling anecdotes about landscapes and immortal tales. Within an hour, they rarely said a few sentences that hit the mark. Disciples from other peaks would enjoy the entertainment, but regarding their numerous cultivation difficulties, they would enter the lecture hall as ignorant as before and leave just as confused.
As for Cai Jinjian's Green Juniper Peak, every time she transmitted the Dao, it would be overflowing with people. This was because Cai Jinjian's lectures not only included leisurely and interesting topics like explaining characters, but more importantly, she provided detailed annotations of cultivation barriers and her personal insights and experiences without any hint of secrecy.
"Peak Lord Cai's lectures have substance, with a proper balance of detail and brevity. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
In truth, what truly made the old cultivators of the various peaks feel inadequate compared to Cai Jinjian was her method of transmitting the Dao, teaching, and resolving doubts. She treated disciples from other peaks as if they were direct disciples of her own lineage. It seemed that as long as someone was a Cloud Cloak Mountain disciple, even if they were an outer sect disciple not directly recorded in the ancestral hall, Cai Jinjian still treated them equally, with not the slightest concern about the spread of her own Green Juniper Peak's techniques.
"What a fine sight: green mountains and junipers, rosy clouds and dense mists, embracing an immortal dwelling."
The mistress of this mountain had a clear spirit and a cheerful disposition, bearing the style of a forest recluse, truly ethereal and celestial.
In fact, Cai Jinjian's choice to open her residence on Green Juniper Peak back then was quite a surprise. This peak had been neglected for many years within Cloud Cloak Mountain. Whether in terms of the mountain's spiritual energy or its natural scenery, it was nothing extraordinary. There were certainly better mountain peaks she could have chosen, yet she alone selected this one.
Chen Ping'an shifted his gaze slightly. On a mountain top that resembled an island in the sea, a young Golden Core Earth Immortal sat on a white jade railing, seemingly drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Based on the dharma robe he wore, Chen Ping'an recognized him as Huang Zhonghou of Cloud Cloak Mountain's Plowing Cloud Peak.
Before they each formed their Golden Core, Huang Zhonghou and Cai Jinjian had been universally acknowledged as a golden boy and jade girl, the most promising candidates to become a pair of immortal Dao companions in Cloud Cloak Mountain.
That dharma robe on his body was a long-inherited town-mountain treasure, named "Colorful Luan."
Chen Ping'an rode the wind and landed on the summit of Plowing Cloud Peak. Huang Zhonghou acted as if he didn't see him, too lazy to bother about an outsider's discourtesy in not entering through the main gate. The young Earth Immortal just drank by himself, no longer staring longingly at a certain immortal residence on the ancestral mountain.
Chen Ping'an sat on the railing and took out a jug of Crow's Cry Wine.
Huang Zhonghou turned his head to look at the wine jug in the other's hand, shook his head, and said, "This wine won't cut it."
Huang Zhonghou twisted his wrist, and another jug appeared, this one of Cloud Cloak Mountain's Spring Drowsiness Wine. He tossed it to that complete stranger he didn't recognize. "Drink mine."
Chen Ping'an caught the wine jug, said a word of thanks, removed the clay seal, tipped his head back, and took a large gulp.
Heaven and earth were like a single wine jar; all were drunkards in this realm.
Huang Zhonghou announced himself: "Plowing Cloud Peak, Huang Zhonghou."
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Falling Mountain, Chen Ping'an."
Huang Zhonghou nearly sprayed out a mouthful of wine. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, turned his head to stare at the man, looking him up and down. Something was off. This guy wasn't at all like the young Sword Immortal of Falling Mountain. At least his outfit was a passable imitation. Huang Zhonghou laughed, "Fellow Daoist, you're not being straightforward. You've wasted this fine wine of mine. Finish it up, then get the hell out of here."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "I'm curious about something. Back when you were seeking opportunities in the Pearl Trident Cave Heaven, why was it Fairy Cai who went, instead of you, Brother Huang, who clearly had better aptitude?"
The fundamental cultivation path of Cloud Cloak Mountain Qi refiners was subduing the Heart Monkey and tying down the Intent Horse.
Back then, when Cai Jinjian traveled to the Pearl Trident Cave Heaven, besides seeking external objects like dharma treasures, she was also seeking a share of immortal opportunity.
Unfortunately, at that time, Cai Jinjian probably hadn't even clearly understood what the Heart Monkey and Intent Horse really were.
In Chen Ping'an's view, this young Earth Immortal before him, whose Golden Core aura was excellent, even if troubled by love, was still more suitable than Cai Jinjian to go down the mountain and try his luck in Great Li.
Huang Zhonghou held his wine jug with both hands and twisted his lips. "Fellow Daoist, pretending to be a Sword Immortal, and getting addicted to it? Drink up quickly, or I'll have to personally throw you out. Be careful—you might end up spitting out two jugs for every one you drink."
The current mountain lord of Cloud Cloak Mountain was a female patriarch who wasn't fond of showing her face. Additionally, there were two truly managing old ancestors—one in charge of the sect's rules and regulations, the other overseeing finances and the treasure vault.
Cai Jinjian's master was the one in charge of money, while Huang Zhonghou's dao-transmitter was Cloud Cloak Mountain's law-enforcing patriarch.
The former spared no effort in cultivating Cai Jinjian; it was virtually an all-or-nothing gamble. Back then, when Cloud Cloak Mountain had scraped together a pouch of Gold Essence Copper Coins to send someone to seek opportunities in the Pearl Trident Cave Heaven, there had been a huge, noisy debate. Huang Zhonghou, with his superior aptitude, was clearly the more suitable candidate. However, Huang Zhonghou himself wasn't interested and instead advised his master to forget it.
But once outside the mountain, in dealing with people, Huang Zhonghou showed a completely different face.
When Cai Jinjian returned empty-handed, in the two years following her return to the sect, for some unknown reason, her Dao heart seemed to have suffered considerable damage. She struggled with the sect's divine abilities and techniques, stumbling along in a state of listlessness, half-dead to everything. This caused her Dao-transmitting master no end of disdain in the ancestral hall. At every meeting, he was subjected to plenty of sarcastic remarks.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Cai Jinjian seemed to suddenly have an epiphany. She began to understand by analogy, and her cultivation soared, breaking through barriers like a hot knife through butter. First, she secluded herself and formed her Golden Core. Later, she even solved cultivation barriers and difficult problems that successive generations of Cloud Cloak Mountain patriarchs had found intractable, one by one. This allowed Cloud Cloak Mountain to greatly supplement several high-level techniques recorded in the ancestral hall.
Cai Jinjian's Dao-transmitting master suddenly felt vindicated. During a heart-to-heart talk between master and disciple, the old man revealed a secret. He said that back when he had chosen her as his direct disciple at a glance, he had cast a divination for her. It was the best possible lot, yielding an eight-character prophecy: "After breaking down, there will be establishment, as if with divine assistance."
Upon hearing this, Cai Jinjian simply smiled and said nothing.
Regarding these internal matters, Huang Zhonghou naturally wouldn't mention a word. He liked to drink, but he wasn't so intoxicated from such a small amount of wine that he would pour out his heart to an outsider.
Unexpectedly, that blue-robed outsider laughed and said, "Spit out two jugs and then drink two more? If that's how you treat guests, it's quite the combination of civility and force."
Huang Zhonghou clicked his tongue in wonder. He had heard Cai Jinjian say before that the young people from Pearl Trident Cave Heaven had simple, honest customs, and through subtle influence, they all became increasingly articulate. The fellow beside him had an interesting way of speaking. Could he really be that young man from the small town?
Chen Ping'an glanced toward the Cinnabar Summit on the ancestral mountain, changed the subject, and said, "Even though Fairy Cai has broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, which has helped Cloud Cloak Mountain gather a portion of human harmony and fortune, it seems the mountain gate's fortune is still leaking out incessantly. It's been almost thirty years, and you still haven't found a town-mountain treasure capable of consolidating fortune? If this keeps dragging on, be careful—you might end up with a gilded exterior but a ruined interior."
A Cloud Cloak Mountain, with its myriad ravines and thousand cliffs, a light, thin mountain home. Cloth robes and straw sandals, dwelling in truth and nurturing spirit, leisurely watching flowing water and falling blossoms.
The fundamental basis of the mountain gate's Dao techniques was for Qi refiners to enter a state of mental and physical cool clarity, seeking a state where clouds and mist lock the fog, achieving clear understanding, and refining a disposition of clouds and water. Ultimately, when merit is full, they tread on clouds and rosy clouds; the Three Mountains are their home.
Huang Zhonghou raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. This guy had quite the mouth on him.
Back then, the Great Li Dynasty had selected a group of Earth Immortals to ascend the Ascension Platform together.
Cai Jinjian of Cloud Cloak Mountain had just happened to be on that list, and her performance had been greatly unexpected. Initially, several of the sect's old patriarchs hadn't thought highly of her. They believed that Cai Jinjian's ability to form a Golden Core and open a peak on Cloud Cloak Mountain was already surprising enough. They didn't think she could break through to the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime.
Unexpectedly, Cai Jinjian once again made them look at her with new eyes. She held out until the very end and managed to catch a glimpse of that Celestial Gate.
It was worth noting that even among that group of genius cultivators, each of whom was considered the most outstanding cultivation seed in Vial Continent—figures like Xie Ling of Dragon Spring Sword Sect, Liu Baqiao of Wind and Thunder Garden, Sui Youbian, who was still a cultivator of True Realm Sect at the time, Jiang Yun of the Yunlin Jiang Clan, and others—any one of them was a genius that Cai Jinjian couldn't compare with. As it later turned out, these favored children of heaven indeed lived up to expectations, earning their places among the top ten young cultivators of Vial Continent or their alternates.
According to the rules of Cloud Cloak Mountain's ancestral hall, forming a Golden Core not only allowed one to open a peak but also raised one's seniority rank on the mountain's genealogical register. If one went even further and had the fortune to become a Nascent Soul "old immortal," they would be promoted another generation. As for the original master-disciple inheritance lineage, that was calculated separately.
Thus, when Cai Jinjian returned to the sect, she replaced her previous Golden Core stage seat in the ancestral hall, becoming the youngest female patriarch in Cloud Cloak Mountain's history.
Within the mountain, Patriarch Cai; outside the mountain, Fairy Cai—universally acknowledged as having ascended to heaven in two steps.
When Cai Jinjian withdrew from the Ascension Platform back then, she had gone alone to Huaihuang County and stood outside an old, now-empty private school.
The imperial examinations had a term called "same year." Since a large group of Earth Immortals had once ascended the Ascension Platform together, within that small circle, those who got along well would develop a kind of "same year" incense friendship among the mountains.
For example, a pair of young sword cultivators from the True Realm Sect, Suiyu and Nianjiu, this pair of senior and junior siblings, who originally had no connection whatsoever, afterward began to have some dealings with Cai Jinjian and Cloud Cloak Mountain. And the two sword cultivators whose true names were Wei Gusu and Wei Xianyou were even more so—they were the direct disciples of Wei Ying, the current sect master and great Sword Immortal of the Jade Gui Sect in Parasol Leaf Continent.
That was a figure qualified to participate in Confucian Temple deliberations, a truly great figure, the unquestioned leader of immortal masters of an entire continent.
The path of mountain climbing cultivation was like this—one step slow, every step slow; comparing people only infuriates.
Fortunately, Huang Zhonghou had no intention of comparing himself with Cai Jinjian.
Chen Ping'an handed over a jug of Crow's Cry Wine. "Even if the taste is ordinary, it's still wine."
Huang Zhonghou gently patted the wine jug back, shook his head with a smile, and said, "The human heart is hard to fathom. You dare to drink my wine, but I don't dare to drink yours. What, young master, are you smitten with our Fairy Cai, and have come here drawn by her reputation? Don't worry, I'm not your rival in love. But to be honest, fellow Daoist, with your Dragon Gate stage cultivation, I doubt Cai Jinjian's parents would look favorably upon you. Of course, if you could make Cai Jinjian fall in love with you at first sight, then it wouldn't matter."
Cai Jinjian, who had taken over Green Juniper Peak, was a typical example of an immortal couple's offspring from the mountain. Both her parents were cultivators, so she was essentially half a mountain person from birth.
However, her parents' cultivation levels were not high—one was at the Dragon Gate stage, the other at the Cloud Viewing stage. In the ancestral hall, only her father had a seat. So at every meeting, Cai Jinjian felt quite awkward, because her father's seat was close to the door, while she, as the daughter, now occupied a position second only to the mountain lord and the law-enforcing patriarch, already sitting on par with her master, to the left and right.
In truth, what Cloud Cloak Mountain was most concerned about right now were only two top-priority matters. The first was, of course, to remove the "alternate" suffix from the sect's title. They needed to visit the Great Li capital and secondary capital frequently to build connections. Among them, the prince Song Mu was very easy to deal with; he always made time to attend and was undoubtedly quite close to Cloud Cloak Mountain.
The second matter was Cai Jinjian's Dao companion issue.
Not only Cai Jinjian's master, but even the mountain lord himself had personally gone to sound her out on several occasions. Unable to directly ask if she had someone in mind, they would beat around the bush, chatting about talented young cultivators of similar age and outstanding aptitude in Vial Continent. Pity that Cai Jinjian would always skillfully sidestep the topic each time, or simply say that matters of fate could only follow destiny and could not be forced.
Chen Ping'an put the wine jug back into his sleeve, chuckled softly, waved his hand, and said, "Brother Huang, you're overthinking things."
After finishing a jug of Cloud Cloak Mountain's secret-brewed Spring Drowsiness Wine, Chen Ping'an said, "Since you dare to like someone, why don't you dare to say it? With Brother Huang's cultivation aptitude, the heart barrier is the love barrier. Once you pass this barrier, breaking through to Nascent Soul will not be difficult. The love barrier is merely a matter of 'speaking it out loud.'"
Huang Zhonghou laughed angrily, "What the hell do you know? Does fellow Daoist really think you're some old immortal of the Upper Five Realms?"
Seeing that the blue-robed visitor was about to get up and leave, Huang Zhonghou said, "Where are you going? Let me remind you, the other peaks of Cloud Cloak Mountain aren't like my unruly Plowing Cloud Peak, which doesn't care about mountain gate restrictions. If fellow Daoist barges around, you're likely to get smacked down."
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Of course, I'm going to Green Juniper Peak to discuss something with Fairy Cai."
Huang Zhonghou couldn't help but laugh. So this guy didn't dare to say it but dared to do it. He waved his hand. "Going to Green Juniper Peak shouldn't be a problem. Cai Jinjian went down the mountain once back then and came back completely transformed, making people truly see her in a new light. There's no doubt she'll be mountain lord in the future, right, Mountain Lord Chen of Falling Mountain?"
Chen Ping'an stood on the railing, pushed off with the tip of his foot, and leaned forward. He turned his head and said with a smile, "I think Brother Huang, after crossing the love barrier, might be more suitable to be mountain lord."
Huang Zhonghou dismissed it with a laugh.
This fellow Daoist, with his thick skin, seemed like he could be a good drinking buddy. At a drinking table, without a bit of nonsense, even the best wine would be tasteless.
If he really got drunk, Huang Zhonghou might even compete with that friend over who got to be Mountain Lord Chen first.
After all, Huang Zhonghou had long admired that young Sword Immortal of Falling Mountain, who had risen from obscurity. He only regretted never having the chance to have a drink face to face.
Unlike Cai Jinjian, Huang Zhonghou and that Mountain Lord Chen both came from humble market-town origins. They both started mountain cultivation at a young age. The only difference, probably, was that the latter was romantic while he himself was devoted.
So Huang Zhonghou opened another jug of Spring Drowsiness Wine and pulled out a landscape travelogue full of romantic encounters from his sleeve to use as an appetizer. It was excellent.
If he ever had the luck to meet Chen Ping'an, he would definitely humbly seek his advice on how to properly interact with women, so that everything could be understood without words.
Over at Green Juniper Peak, most of the Cloud Cloak Mountain cultivators had already dispersed, leaving only a few disciples from other peaks who had some difficulties they wanted to ask Patriarch Cai about in person.
When the last outer sect disciple respectfully departed, Cai Jinjian looked up and noticed that one person remained. She asked with a smile, "Do you have a question to ask?"
He seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had come halfway through her lecture and, finding no seat, had sat cross-legged on the floor by a pillar.
But his face was unfamiliar; she hadn't seen him before. Most likely, he was a newly accepted disciple from one of Cloud Cloak Mountain's peaks.
As one of the few alternate sects on the continent, and with Cloud Cloak Mountain's close relationship with the Great Li Dynasty, those who came to the mountain to seek immortals, apprentice themselves, learn the Dao, and pursue the Way were as numerous as the fish in the river. This caused no end of complaints from the ancestral hall, who were endlessly vexed. They dreaded most those old immortal masters with some slight familiarity and mediocre relationships who would foist some children onto Cloud Cloak Mountain. Refusing would hurt the friendship, but if they actually accepted them, Cloud Cloak Mountain couldn't simply go through the motions.
In the end, it was Cai Jinjian who proposed a solution to this problem, which was neither too big nor too small.
Let an old stickler from Overlapping Waterfall Peak, a Dragon Gate stage cultivator who only buried his head in cultivation and wasn't good at dealing with people, be responsible for receiving guests and managing the selection and admission of outer sect disciples.
That person smiled and said, "Fairy Cai, it's been many years since we parted in that small alley."
Cai Jinjian clenched the wooden lingzhi mushroom in her hand, her heart on alert. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Who?!"
When she saw the figure before her, as if the clouds and mists had parted to reveal his true appearance, a complex expression crossed Cai Jinjian's face. She let out a soft, soundless sigh, hugged the wooden lingzhi, and bowed deeply in salute. "Green Juniper Peak's Cai Jinjian pays respects to Mountain Lord Chen."
Chen Ping'an smiled and returned the salute with a cupped fist. "Greetings, Peak Lord Cai."
Chen Ping'an got straight to the point. "It will be very difficult for Cloud Cloak Mountain to remove the 'alternate' suffix in the near future."
The Great Li court was extremely pragmatic.
Cai Jinjian nodded. "I have discussed this matter with several patriarchs, and we all agree that the outlook is not optimistic. Unless..."
She paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Unless Cloud Cloak Mountain suddenly produces an Upper Five Realm cultivator before the overall situation is settled."
Otherwise, the Confucian Temple in the Central Plains would definitely not make an exception for a Cloud Cloak Mountain in Vial Continent. Of course, there were precedents for exceptions. After the Confucian Temple deliberations were over and the mountain and water gazettes were unsealed, there had been a succession of sixteen new sects. Among them was, of course, the Falling Mountain of Mountain Lord Chen before her. Additionally, seven other sects had no Upper Five Realm cultivators in residence. On the surface, this seemed like a considerable number, but when distributed across the entire nine continents of Haoran, that was less than one per continent. Where would Cloud Cloak Mountain get the confidence and foundation to become one of them? In the previous Vial Continent campaign, although Cloud Cloak Mountain had accumulated considerable military merits, compared to those mountain strongholds from other continents that had been exceptionally promoted to sect status, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
Those sect-level schools that temporarily lacked an Upper Five Realm cultivator were not like the petty officials in the secular bureaucracy who were ridiculed as "ink decree and slant-seal appointees." It definitely wasn't that they would be looked down upon just because they lacked a Jade Pure realm cultivator. Without exception, those young sect masters who were only at the Nascent Soul stage for the time being were figures who had rendered immense meritorious service in the war. But as for Cloud Cloak Mountain taking that "proper path" and receiving a Confucian Temple decree akin to a "yellow paper and red brush orthodox appointment," how could that be possible? Cai Jinjian had self-awareness. She would need at least another hundred years of tempering before she could have even a slight hope of seeing the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage. Now, with a broader perspective, Cai Jinjian truly didn't consider herself a cultivation genius anymore.
"I came up the mountain this time to discuss a business deal. I want to purchase some Cloud Root Stones and Cloud Cloak Incense from Cloud Cloak Mountain. The more, the better."
Chen Ping'an said, "I know there's a supply shortage and that they're almost entirely monopolized by the Great Li side. So I might need Fairy Cai to use some personal connections among fellow disciples. The price is negotiable. As for Cloud Root Stones and Cloud Cloak Incense, I'll take however much you have to offer. Your Cloud Cloak Mountain can name your price."
He planned to place those Cloud Root Stones into several dragon acupoints of the mountain ranges on Rainbow Cloud Peak and then give them to Xiao Nuanshu as the site for her cultivation, where she could open a residence.
Cloud Root Stones were abundant in Cloud Cloak Mountain. This material was a key component for the Taoist alchemical sect's external elixir refining. This earthly treasure was hailed as "flawless and stainless," most suitable for refining external elixirs. It was somewhat similar to the three types of immortal money, containing pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth. A unique place nurtures unique people, so Qi refiners who cultivated in Cloud Cloak Mountain generally had a cleanliness fetish, with their robes being exceptionally clean.
As an alternate sect, Cloud Cloak Mountain's Cloud Root Stones were its foundation for existence. However, in the last thirty years, the mining and quarrying of Cloud Root Stones had been too aggressive, bordering on draining the pond to catch all the fish.
Fortunately, there was an additional source of income: Cloud Cloak Mountain's secret-brewed Cloud Cloak Incense. The Great Li Dynasty used it in various battlefields to guide the souls of the heroic dead back home. Beyond mountain incense and water incense, Cloud Cloak Incense was often needed. Whether it was burning incense to pay respects to mountain and water deities or for the ancestral sacrifices of high officials and nobles below the mountain, Cloud Cloak Incense was among the highest grade.
This was because Cloud Cloak Mountain, if traced back to its origins, could be considered as originating from one of the major orthodox branches of Buddhism in the Central Plains. According to legend, the founding patriarch, the old immortal of Cloud Cloak, was actually a kind of divine being born from a grand meditation monastery in the Central Plains. He listened to the Buddhist dharma, awakened to the secrets of meditation, and only then refined his form successfully. Hence, Cloud Cloak Mountain greatly revered every arising and ceasing of conditions as a tribulation to be overcome.
During that Confucian Temple deliberation in the Central Plains, when the two worlds stood opposed, several eminent monks and great virtuous ones had appeared, with majestic and solemn appearances, each accompanied by different phenomena. Among them was the monk Liaoran of Profound Void Temple.
Thus, in later generations, several of Cloud Cloak Mountain's ancestral hall secret Daoist techniques, transmitted generation after generation, were quite similar to Buddhist principles. However, although Cloud Cloak Mountain was close to Buddhism and distant from Taoism, when it came to relationships on the mountain, due to the Cloud Root Stones, it actually had more incense affinity with Taoist temples and monasteries.
Cai Jinjian was somewhat at a loss for a moment. Scraping together some wouldn't be difficult, but as Chen Ping'an said, it would indeed require her to piece things together from various sources. It wasn't that she didn't want to do this favor for Falling Mountain. The problem was, given Falling Mountain's current abundant foundation, how could it possibly require a mountain lord who was already a young Sword Immortal to personally visit Cloud Cloak Mountain just to request a few dozen catties of Cloud Root Stones and a hundred or so sticks of incense?
Furthermore, after that list was revealed back then, Cai Jinjian had seen the name "Chen Shiyi," shrouded in clouds and mist from the Sword Qi Great Wall. Cai Jinjian had almost no doubt that it was none other than Chen Ping'an from Mud Vase Alley!
So Chen Ping'an also had a more covert identity: the last Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Cai Jinjian had no choice but to reluctantly report two numbers.
Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled. "Alright, this has already exceeded my expectations."
Cai Jinjian was greatly surprised inwardly, but she still breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Chen Ping'an silently made a deep bow.
Cai Jinjian was first shocked, then instantly understood. She hurriedly sidestepped to avoid this bow, absolutely not daring to accept such a great courtesy.
Regarding that small matter back then, she had only helped out. It was truly a trivial effort, merely acting as a messenger.
Thus, even now, several old patriarchs within the mountain still had many speculations. "Could it be that you, Cai Jinjian, have some unspeakable incense affinity with the Sword Qi Great Wall?"
After Chen Ping'an left, Cai Jinjian hesitated for a moment before riding the wind to Plowing Cloud Peak, a place she didn't visit very often. In the past, the main reason was to avoid the ancestral hall patriarchs misunderstanding that she and Huang Zhonghou had something going on.
From a distance, Huang Zhonghou saw Cai Jinjian approaching and was clearly surprised. He quickly put away that landscape travelogue, shook his wine jug, and laughed, "Peak Lord Cai is a rare guest."
Cai Jinjian transmitted her voice as a thought: "I heard that you're planning to confess your feelings to her formally?"
The woman Huang Zhonghou liked was named Wu Yuanyi. She was the last direct disciple of the previous mountain lord, so she had a high seniority. Even Huang Zhonghou, a peak lord himself, had to address her as "Senior Uncle" upon seeing her.
Huang Zhonghou was stunned. "What?"
Cai Jinjian smiled knowingly and said softly, "What's there to be embarrassed about? You've been dragging your feet for so many years, Senior Brother Huang. It's indeed about time you were this forthright. It's a good thing. Here, Jinjian wishes Senior Brother Huang a successful crossing of the love barrier..."
Huang Zhonghou's face flushed bright red. He slapped the railing hard and exclaimed angrily, "Did that bastard who claims to be Chen Ping'an come spouting nonsense to you? Are you a fool to believe such rubbish?"
Cai Jinjian said cautiously, "Before he left, he said that Senior Brother Huang was thin-skinned. On Plowing Cloud Peak, he felt an instant connection with you, and after drinking, you told him the truth. But you still didn't dare to speak for yourself, so you hoped I would send a flying sword message to the ancestral mountain, asking Senior Uncle Wu Yuanyi for a meeting. By now, the flying sword should have probably already..."
Huang Zhonghou was speechless, staring blankly for a long time. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Tell me, who exactly is that outsider? I'm going to go chop him to death."
Cai Jinjian smiled and said, "If someone claims to be someone, couldn't he just be that someone?"
Wind and Thunder Garden.
After the garden master Huang He's sword question at Zhengyang Mountain, he had taken his sword alone and traveled far, leaving Vial Continent.
He first went to the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins, then to that Wild Continent, which he had described as "the sky high and the earth vast, most suitable for unsheathing one's sword."
If not for the fact that back then, his master Li Tuanjing had departed through martial emancipation, and Senior Brother Huang He had to bear the burden of everything, given his temperament and disposition, he would have gone to the Sword Qi Great Wall long ago.
On a high building's railing, Liu Baqiao spread his hands and strolled there.
A man who was originally handsome, now unkempt and scraggly-bearded.
Today was another day of nothing to do. Liu Baqiao was terribly bored.
That senior brother, Huang He, inspired in him sincere respect, fear, shame, and also guilt.
The closest Liu Baqiao had ever come to being the garden master of Wind and Thunder Garden was before he went to Dragon Prefecture in Great Li. Senior Brother Huang He had intended to resign from the position of garden master. At that time, Senior Brother had actually already prepared to die in battle somewhere on Vial Continent's battlefield.
That time, when they "ascended" via the Ascension Platform, the one who benefited the most was Xu Hun, who wore the wart armor of Pure Breeze City. Although he only broke through one realm, it was from Nascent Soul to Jade Pure.
But the one most worthy of regret was Liu Baqiao, who, along with Xu Hun, had climbed to the summit of the sea of clouds and seen the great gate.
He had actually come very close to having the opportunity to break through two realms in a row, completing a remarkable feat. But for some reason, Liu Baqiao, even though he had already taken a great step forward, had retreated slightly.
Liu Baqiao wrapped his hands behind his head and couldn't help but sigh.
Since Senior Brother had traveled far to the Wild Continent, Wind and Thunder Garden now only had him as its single Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
Liu Baqiao wasn't made of the stuff to manage affairs. He left all the miscellaneous work to a few junior brothers and nephews—Song Daoguang, Zai Xiang, Xing Youheng, and Nangong Xingyan. These four sword cultivators were all very young. Two were Golden Cores, both under a hundred years old. One was at Dragon Gate, one at Cloud Viewing—naturally even younger.
Barring any accidents, the next sect master of Wind and Thunder Garden would be chosen from among these four young people.
As for Liu Baqiao, who was already a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator, he had neither the heart nor the strength for it.
Sometimes, Liu Baqiao wished he could just give his cultivation level away to that kid Xing Youheng.
If it were possible, Liu Baqiao wouldn't even frown.
Of course, despite Xing Youheng's usual lackadaisical demeanor, he, like Senior Brother, was extremely proud; he wouldn't accept it.
As for the few old-timers in Wind and Thunder Garden with fiery tempers and sharp tongues, they had no objections to this, just focusing on practicing their swords. Striving for power and profit? Since the founding of Wind and Thunder Garden, that concept had never existed.
Occasionally, when the old men ran into Liu Baqiao, they would scold him without the slightest restraint. If they weren't careful, they would even drag the former garden master Li Tuanjing into it.
It was just that they couldn't beat Liu Baqiao, or rather, they couldn't catch up to him on his flying sword. Otherwise, they would have gladly slapped their sandals across Liu Baqiao's face.
In any case, whenever these elders had a rough time with their sword practice, they would seek out that eyesore Liu Baqiao. Since he was an eyesore, not going to scold him a few times would be a waste.
As one of the top ten young cultivators of Vial Continent, Liu Baqiao's ranking, however, had been continuously dropping. First, he was overtaken by Xie Ling of Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Later, he was pushed back by Ma Kuxuan's senior uncle, the military cultivator Yu Shiwu.
"Baqiao, my boy, do we have to call you Lord Liu? Top ten young cultivators means only ten people, not a hundred!"
"Senior Uncle, you're mistaken. I can still drop to the alternate ten."
The old man said earnestly, "Can't you put more heart into your sword practice? It's just breaking through from Nascent Soul to Jade Pure, what's the big deal? If your senior uncle were at Nascent Soul..."
Liu Baqiao immediately flattered that Golden Core stage senior uncle, "What Nascent Soul? Senior Uncle would be wasted even at Jade Pure stage."
"You little bastard, hurry up and stick your face out. Senior Uncle's hands are itching."
Liu Baqiao had promised his senior brother that he would break into the Upper Five Realms within a hundred years.
If his senior brother couldn't return from the Wild Continent, Liu Baqiao would also have to strive to reach the Immortal realm. If he accomplished that, he would have given Wind and Thunder Garden a decent account of himself.
Liu Baqiao took a deep breath and turned his head to look into the distance.
Su Jia had been reinstated as a direct disciple of the Zhengyang Mountain ancestral hall.
He heard she had stayed at Little Lone Mountain, but she also visited Dogwood Peak.
Between sword practice, Liu Baqiao would occasionally sneak down the mountain and take a trip to that book market in the prefectural city of a vassal state of the former Scarlet Fire Dynasty. The bookseller had once been an ordinary-looking young woman. Back then, her name was He Jia.
After she left, Liu Baqiao had bought the shop, leaving everything untouched.
Even if he only stood there looking at the closed shop door each time, never stepping inside, Liu Baqiao would feel a bit more at ease.
As a sword cultivator, practicing the sword—it seemed that before, it was to avoid disappointing his master; later, it was to avoid his senior brother looking down on him too much; now, it was for Wind and Thunder Garden. And in the future?
Liu Baqiao didn't know.
It seemed that the only thing, in this matter of loving that woman, he would remain faithful to the end.
A warm, mellow voice sounded above Liu Baqiao's head. "Hey, Great Sword Immortal Liu, who are you thinking about?"
Liu Baqiao leaned forward and looked up. He saw a blue-robed man sitting on the edge of the ridge of the roof, a face both familiar and unfamiliar, smiling in a way that was quite asking for a beating.
"Oh, isn't this the Great Sword Immortal Chen? What a pleasure, what a pleasure."
Liu Baqiao immediately stretched out his arm and waved. "Easy there. We sword cultivators of Wind and Thunder Garden don't have very good tempers. If an outsider barges in here without permission, he might get beaten up by a bunch of swords."
There was no need for formality with Chen Ping'an.
Besides, Wind and Thunder Garden was just as informal with its guests.
In any case, there were very few guests throughout the year, because Wind and Thunder Garden sword cultivators didn't have many friends. On the other hand, there were plenty of people they looked down on.
Chen Ping'an lightly jumped down from the roof ridge, took one step to the railing, and tossed a jug of wine to Liu Baqiao. The two of them sat on the railing simultaneously.
Liu Baqiao tilted his head back and took a deep gulp of the wine. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and laughed. "Actually, it hasn't been that many years since we last met. What are a few decades in the mountain? So how come it feels like we haven't seen each other in ages?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and teased, "I almost didn't recognize you. What's this? Do the fairies of Vial Continent nowadays all like men with this disheveled look?"
Liu Baqiao grinned cheekily. "The autumn wind withers Liu's waist; it's hard to put on any winter fat."
Liu Baqiao remembered something and lowered his voice. "You really need to be careful. We've got a little girl here named Nangong Xingyan. Pretty cute, but she has a bit of a fiery temper. She watched one of those 'Mirror Flowers, Water Moon' shows before, and her eyes just lit up. Now her daily catchphrase is, 'How can there be such a handsome man in this world?!' Sword Immortal Chen, are you scared or what?"
Chen Ping'an completely ignored this and said, "Your senior brother seems to have gone to the Wild Continent. He's currently at the Sunfall Ferry, getting along very well with Wei Ying of the Jade Gui Sect."
He heard that Huang He had only made a brief stop at the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins, chatted a few words with his fellow townsman sword cultivator Wei Jin, and then quickly went to Sunfall. But upon arriving at the ferry, he had directly stated to the few stationed cultivators that he would go out as a loose cultivator, alone. However, he later seemed to have changed his mind and temporarily served as an unrecorded army-attached cultivator for a Great Li Iron Cavalry unit.
At Sunfall, besides Su Zi and Liu Qi, there were also Great Li's Song Changjing and Jade Gui Sect's Wei Ying.
Chen Ping'an had always believed that whether it was Li Tuanjing or Huang He, this master-disciple pair, had they been born on the Sword Qi Great Wall, would have achieved extremely high accomplishments in the sword path.
Perhaps they could have stood shoulder to shoulder with great Sword Immortals like Mi Hu and Yue Qing.
Liu Baqiao asked curiously, "How do you know my senior brother is at Sunfall Ferry, and even that he gets along with Wei Ying? Did you open a celestial eye?"
Chen Ping'an smiled slyly. "Go ahead and guess."
A Wind and Thunder Garden—no Mirror Flowers, Water Moon of its own, no mountain and water gazettes, no superfluous social obligations. Its external commercial dealings were also extremely limited.
In the eyes of outsiders, Wind and Thunder Garden was a place isolated from the world, where cultivation was dull and monotonous, nothing but sword practice and more sword practice.
Several dozen direct disciples in the ancestral hall, plus some unregistered outer sect disciples and a few stewards, maids, and servants handling mundane affairs—no more than two hundred people.
According to Wind and Thunder Garden's ancestral teachings, this was a place to teach the sword path, not a place to keep idle people.
On other mountains, Qi refiners would generally be rewarded with some immortal money by the ancestral hall upon breaking through a realm. At Wind and Thunder Garden, there was no such rule. For everything needed by swordsmen in the Lower Five Realms, the consumption of heavenly materials and earthly treasures could be borrowed from Wind and Thunder Garden in the form of immortal money. After breaking into the Middle Five Realms, they had to repay the debt. If they went down the mountain for training, and if the senior masters of their sword lineage were willing to pay the money for them, Wind and Thunder Garden wouldn't stop them.
As for the few secular dynasties near Wind and Thunder Garden, besides sending sword immortal seedlings to the garden, they also proactively offered unregistered honorary protectorships and guest elder titles, which came with considerable stipends. Even after Li Tuanjing passed away back then, not a single secular dynasty or vassal state dared to arbitrarily remove those sword cultivators' titles or dock their immortal money.
It was simply that the awe and reverence for Wind and Thunder Garden's sword cultivators had become ingrained in their very bones.
Wind and Thunder Garden's sword cultivators, regardless of gender, aside from differing cultivation levels, all seemed cut from the same mold in terms of temperament.
They unsheathed their swords directly, distinguished gratitude and grievances clearly, and acted resolutely and swiftly.
Once, a Middle Five Realms sword cultivator had his arms chopped off during his travels, but the assailant deliberately left him alive.
After Garden Master Li Tuanjing ascertained the details of the incident, he took up his sword alone and went down the mountain to a major mountain stronghold in the former Scarlet Fire Dynasty. Without a word, he cut off the arms of all twelve members of their ancestral hall.
In the former Scarlet Fire Dynasty, once renowned as having as many sword cultivators as clouds and dominating the continent, not a single sword cultivator was willing to step forward and speak up.
It was worth noting that Li Tuanjing had even made a special trip to the outskirts of the Scarlet Fire capital, where he stayed at a ferry for a full three days, deliberately waiting for someone to challenge him with a sword.
Liu Baqiao asked, "What made you think of coming to our Wind and Thunder Garden? How long are you staying?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Leaving right away."
Liu Baqiao teased, "Really scared of that little girl?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Remember to visit Falling Mountain when you have time. I have to go to Old Dragon City."
Liu Baqiao sensed something unusual, nodded, and didn't try to persuade Chen Ping'an to stay.
At the Old Dragon City ruins, the once-majestic inner and outer cities were both under reconstruction, bustling with activity.
But the thousand-li long street once under Sun Jiashu's name, the Dragon Ascension Platform, the sea of clouds in the sky, the Chen Dust Medicine Shop in the alley, and the ten-li lotus pond that Great Sword Immortal Mi had fondly recalled—all were naturally gone.
Under the night sky of Haoran, in the daytime of the Wild Continent.
At this moment, Chen Ping'an stood on the shore of the Southern Sea, seemingly resting with his eyes closed. In reality, he was leafing through a time-lapse picture scroll, witnessing with his own eyes that Thunder Bureau.
When he opened his eyes, Chen Ping'an immediately returned to the north, selecting his hometown as his landing point. He clasped his hands in his sleeves and stood at the top of the steps of Riding Dragon Alley.
At that moment, back in the hometown little town, a heavy rain was pouring down from the sky onto the mortal world.
The battle at Moon Suppressing Mountain had already concluded, with a Flying Ascension stage peak cultivator having been slain by his sword.
Chen Ping'an slowly walked down the steps.
Countless raindrops falling to the ground seemed to follow the blue-robed figure as he descended the steps in a cascade.
Chen Ping'an reached out and touched his brow. Halfway down the steps, he suddenly stopped, first glancing at the Yang Family Medicine Shop, then turning his head to look towards Falling Mountain.
Even in the midst of the torrential rain, the Right Protector of Falling Mountain was still dutifully guarding the main entrance at the foot of the mountain.
Little Rice seemed a bit bored. She was shaking her head, as if talking to herself, or maybe showing off her authority. With a golden carrying pole in one hand and a mountain-walking staff in the other, she pointed at the curtain of rain and said, "You can't tell from looking at me, but I actually have a really, really bad temper. A little explosive temper, ferocious as can be! Believe it or not, I'll lay you flat with one swing of this pole and beat you into a pig's head with this staff. Alright, alright, let's let it slide this time. Let's make a deal: we both need to remember this lesson and be more careful in the future. It's not good to always cause trouble for others. Besides, we're all out here in the martial world, we need to be peaceful and harmonious. Fighting and killing isn't good, right? Am I right? Good, since you don't deny it, I'll take it that you understand..."
The black-clad little girl suddenly stopped talking, her small face and two faint, sparse furrowed brows frozen in place, unmoving.
Had an enemy come knocking at the door?
Even the rain had stopped? Seemed like their opponent had high cultivation. What to do?
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "What's up? That fierce?"
Little Rice suddenly looked up and burst out laughing. Oh, it was the good Mountain Lord!
Chen Ping'an rubbed Little Rice's head and asked softly, "Tell me, who's causing trouble?"
Little Rice, with the golden carrying pole on her shoulder, struck the ground with the mountain-walking staff, grinned, and said, "Nothing, nothing! I was just making up a brilliant, spectacular martial world story."
Chen Ping'an turned his gaze towards a river by Red Candle Town.
Little Rice quickly reached out and tugged at the good Mountain Lord's sleeve. "Want some sunflower seeds?"
Chen Ping'an grunted in affirmation and extended his hand. Little Rice immediately opened her diagonally-slung cotton pouch, fished out a big handful with both hands, and, after the good Mountain Lord took the seeds, she scurried off to bring out two bamboo chairs, one big and one small, which she placed side by side. They sat together, cracking seeds.
Little Rice scratched her face and asked, "Good Mountain Lord, when are you coming home?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "I'll be back soon. I just need to carve one character over there on the city wall."