Chapter 879: That Which Moves My Heartstrings

Chapter 879: That Which Moves My Heartstrings

Chen Ping'an left that Night Wander Sword at the He-Says-You-Say Tower, bought about two servings of pastries nearby with Little Mo, and then bought a jug of wine. The total came to exactly fourteen taels of silver, not a single coin more or less.

Little Mo accompanied Chen Ping'an through the shopping and then strolled leisurely through the bustling capital. He laughed and said, "Only those who can be idle in the midst of the world's busyness can be busy in the midst of the world's idleness. Daoist Lu once said he was Your Excellency's 'idler-companion.' That was wonderfully put."

One compliment praised two people at once.

Chen Ping'an carried the food box and asked with a smile, "Little Mo, you keep calling him 'Daoist Lu'—surely you know Lu Chen's true identity by now?"

Little Mo replied, "Daoist Lu spoke frankly and made no secret of his status as the Third Teachings Master of the Jade Capital. I just feel that calling him 'Master Lu' would be too formal and would let down Daoist Lu's warmth."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Little Mo, you're welcome wherever you go."

Little Mo's smile carried its habitual hint of shyness. He glanced at the food box in Chen Ping'an's hand and asked curiously, "Your Excellency, is there something significant about this food box and the wine and food inside?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "There is significance. The wood for this food box comes from Yuzhang Commandery, the second hometown of the Grand Dowager of Great Li. For the common people, food is the first necessity. Few die from overeating, but many die from starvation. It all depends on how big our Grand Dowager's appetite is. As long as I don't meddle in other affairs, this trip to the capital is not a big deal. Fourteen taels of silver is just right."

The Grand Dowager Nan Zan's ancestral home was Yuzhang Commandery, which produced an abundance of fine timber. In recent years, supply had fallen short of demand. Previously, the Great Li court hadn't strictly regulated this—not because it was difficult to manage, but because if a military order were actually issued and local garrisons mobilized, regardless of numbers, even the mountains' immortals wouldn't dare touch a single blade of grass or tree in Yuzhang's forests, let alone the local nobles and wealthy gentry.

At the root of it all was that brutal war. The Great Li border armies had lost too many men. When people die, they need coffins.

So only recently had the court truly begun to enforce restrictions on unauthorized logging, preparing to seal off the mountain forests. The reason was simple: years after the war ended, the timber had gradually become premium building material for mansions of high officials and mountain immortals, or, in the capacity of major patrons, it was donated as ridge beams for continuously renovated temples and monasteries. In short, it no longer had anything to do with coffins.

Yizhi Alley and Chi'er Street were right next to the imperial city, making it extremely convenient for these high-ranking capital officials to attend morning court sessions and report for duty at their yamens.

For Great Li's early morning court, long before dawn, these two streets would be clogged with carriages and horses like a dragon.

It was said that decades earlier, when Elder Guan was first entering the Ministry of Personnel, vehicles would block the roads, and officials often came to blows over right-of-way. Back then, almost every Great Li official could be considered a military officer by background—somewhat similar to the current Great Li auxiliary capital's Six Ministries, where even officials who had never personally fought in battle handled documents that seemed to carry the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Chen Ping'an led Little Mo past a gate of the imperial city. The structure was seven bays wide, with a pair of red-lacquered doors studded with golden nails, majestic in scale. It had a foundation of white jade, vermilion high walls, and a single-eave hip-and-gable roof of yellow glazed tiles. Inside the gate, both sides had rows of wing-rooms shaped like wild geese, with the end rooms serving as duty stations. The imperial city was a restricted area; ordinary commoners had no opportunity to enter without authorization. Chen Ping'an had already given the Untroubled Tablet to Little Mo, telling him to hang it at his waist for form's sake.

A fully armored military officer strode over quickly, having identified them from a distance. Within several li around this gate, several layers of magical prohibitions were set up to help the officials in charge of gate security to verify and record visitors' identities. Some Great Li officials and mountain offerings who were exempt from routine checks didn't need to use them at all.

Chen Ping'an said, "This is an offering of our Fallen Mountain. His name is Mosheng—'Mo' as in 'lane,' 'sheng' as in 'life.'"

Soon a minor clerk emerged from the duty station and exchanged a mental message with the officer.

The officer clasped his fist in salute. "Sect Leader Chen, we've checked. The Ministry of Punishments has no relevant file on 'Mosheng.' Therefore, Mosheng wearing an offering token privately while in the capital is already against court regulations."

The implication was that Chen Ping'an could enter the imperial city, but his attendant "Mosheng" should not enter.

Of course, they wouldn't foolishly remind this young sword immortal to have his retainer remove the Ministry of Punishments Untroubled Tablet.

But this matter would certainly be carefully recorded by the duty station. Whether the Ministry of Punishments would make an issue of it later, dared to pursue accountability, or wanted to settle scores with Fallen Mountain—that was the Ministry's business. For a hundred years, civil and military officials of Great Li, regardless of rank, had long been accustomed to clear division of labor and each sticking to their duties.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'll have the Ministry of Punishments fill in the paperwork later."

The officer was momentarily speechless, his face full of embarrassment.

Taking a deep breath, the officer's eyes grew resolute. He reached out and pressed his hand on his sword hilt, shaking his head at the green-robed sword immortal. "Sect Leader Chen, since this goes against regulations, it is my duty to act. I beg your pardon."

Chen Ping'an ignored the officer's sword-gripping gesture and didn't want to make trouble for these public servants. He laughed. "You can send word to the Ministry of Punishments from the duty station. I'll wait here for news."

If the Ministry agreed, good. If not, what did that have to do with him entering the city?

Did they think they were Liu Jia?

The officer breathed a sigh of relief. He asked Sect Leader Chen to wait a moment, then without any hesitation, turned and strode back to the duty station to immediately send a message to the Ministry of Punishments. The reply came quickly, with simple content: just two words, "Let him pass."

But what surprised the officer was that besides the ministry seal, the letter also bore the official seals of two vice ministers of the Ministry of Punishments.

He was very curious about this trip to the imperial city by Chen Ping'an. It seemed it was definitely not something as simple as visiting a yamen like the Southern Xun Workshop.

When the famous green-robed sword immortal and his yellow-hatted, blue-shoed attendant had disappeared into the distance, the officer returned to the duty station and said to the clerk—who was from a vassal state and was currently recording the matter in the log—"This Sect Leader Chen is a native of our Great Li. A sword immortal this young is no worse than Wei Jin of Wind and Snow Temple."

"As for how Sect Leader Chen's fist techniques are, well, the man who taught Pei Qian, a Grandmaster on the martial arts rankings—how could he be bad? I couldn't gauge the depth of our Mountain Lord Chen's swordsmanship in that fight at Zhengyang Mountain, but the fight against Zhengyang's mountain-guarding offering cost me quite a bit of silver to buy wine."

The clerk chuckled. "Old Ma, is Sword Immortal Chen a relative of yours? Strange—Sword Immortal Chen doesn't seem to be named Ma, does he?"

The officer laughed. "Sour grapes."

The clerk put down his brush and suddenly said, "A sect leader this formidable, both a young sword immortal and a martial arts grandmaster—how come during that great war, only his disciple and the offerings of his Patriarch Hall were seen throwing punches and drawing swords on the battlefield, while he himself was nowhere to be seen?"

The officer was at a loss, grumbling, "Maybe he was in closed-door meditation. For mountain immortals, a short nap can take months, let alone such a major event as breaking through to the Upper Five Realms. It's perfectly normal to miss a war."

Carrying Little Mo, Chen Ping'an walked through the imperial city, which was full of large and small yamens and government workshops. The atmosphere was grim, completely different from the inner and outer cities.

Chen Ping'an turned his head and gazed into the distance toward the auxiliary capital's Great River. He estimated that over there, the imitation Jade Capital had already received a flying-sword message from the Great Li Emperor.

Scaring people?

Sorry, but back on the battlefield back then, even when the fourteen old Throne great demons lined up side by side, they hadn't managed to scare him.

Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze and said mentally, "Little Mo, if a flying sword comes this way from over there, you'll have to help block it."

Little Mo suppressed his smile and nodded. "Your Excellency, just feel free to invite people for a drink. As long as Little Mo is here, there will be no need to trouble Madam's seclusion cultivation."

Finally, he had a chance to make up for things a little.

Back on the Sword Qi Great Wall, Daoist Lu had been gloating, giving him a thumbs up, saying he actually dared to deliver a sword strike to that Miss Ning in the moonlight and knock her down to the mortal world.

When Chen Ping'an heard Little Mo's use of "Madam," he nodded slightly.

Having him as an offering was an understatement of his talents.

The two walked to a heavily guarded palace gate. Chen Ping'an said to a general in charge of guarding the gate, "Please announce me. I only wish to see Nan Zan today."

Or rather, Lu Jiang of the Middle Earth Yin-Yang Lu Clan.

But unexpectedly, a young cultivator emerged from the shadows of the gate, wearing a top-grade Untroubled Tablet at his waist. He waved at the general, indicating that he would handle these uninvited guests himself.

Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes. "Senior Lu, long time no see."

The young cultivator smiled indifferently, pretending not to understand, and instead asked, "Mountain Lord Chen, why have you come without a sword on your back? Intentionally having a sword but not using it?"

The man in blue before him was the mountain lord of Fallen Mountain, a sect leader of the Haoran world, a perfected martial artist, the last Hidden Official, and the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage.

Of course, the very first of all these was that back when he was a youth, he had stumbled upon incredible luck and chose to move forward in the town's covered bridge, thus becoming... the Sword Master.

But no matter how you looked at it, it was impossible to superimpose this image onto that straw-sandaled youth from the Mud Vase Alley back then.

That kiln apprentice back then was a youth who, even when delivering letters, would feel uneasy as his straw sandals trod on the blue stone slabs of Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley.

He had just received a secret letter from his clan, saying that Chen Ping'an had taken several sword cultivators on a distant journey to the Desolate Wilderness.

They had accomplished the feat of "towing the moon," moving a brilliant moon to the Azure Green world.

As for what else he had done, it was unknown.

Chen Ping'an said, "Senior Lu is merely older and has cultivated for more years. But since neither of you are sword cultivators, you shouldn't presume to speak on the sword path."

He paused for a moment, stared at this particular Lu Clan ancestor who had hidden in the Bead Grotto Heaven for many years, and kindly reminded him, "When you're out and about, you need to listen to advice."

The young cultivator was not angered. He laughed. "The Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall indeed has the right to say such things. Lu accepts the lesson."

Since things had come to this, there was no need to hide his identity anymore. The young man before him, though young in age but deep in scheming, was not someone easily fooled.

Anyway, the identities of Aunt Feng, the old coachman, and the others had already come to light before his own.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Are you planning to lead the way, or do you want to receive a sword strike here?"

This youthfully-preserved Lu Clan ancestor stepped aside and extended a hand. Speaking mentally, he said, "Please. Lu Jiang has already prepared a feast. She wants to personally welcome and entertain Mountain Lord Chen."

The three of them passed through the palace gate together.

Little Mo asked mentally, "Your Excellency, this fellow is quite irritating to me. Anyway, he's a disciple-shit-grandchild of Daoist Lu, and his realm isn't high—just a Transcending Immortal realm with some distance from the Flying Ascension. Should I chop him to death?"

Then Little Mo added, "At most three swords."

Apparently, this peak demon from the Desolate Wilderness had really adapted to local customs. "Your Excellency, I can first find a pretext for a sword duel. I'll be careful with my measure—only seriously injure him, enough so he won't die on the spot."

There was no need to doubt whether a sword cultivator who had once pursued Yangzhi, provoked Bai Ze twice, and dueled swords with Yuan Xiang and Dragon Lord had high enough sword skills.

The young cultivator walking slightly ahead turned his head. He could only vaguely sense something was wrong. He looked at the young man by Chen Ping'an's side, whose identity was temporarily unknown.

Little Mo smiled at him.

A nod—if the other party just nodded, it would count as accepting his sword duel challenge.

If Your Excellency gave the word, Little Mo could draw his sword.

Unfortunately, the other party quickly turned back.

Chen Ping'an said mentally, "No rush. Some old debts all need to be settled."

He met Nan Zan, who appeared alone.

There was also a drinking party.

Chen Ping'an placed the food box on the table, opened it gently, took out a jug of wine, and set out two pairs of ordinary bamboo chopsticks. "Either hand over the destiny porcelain, or it's a bit more troublesome—I'll kill you today and find it myself."

When he saw Nan Zan about to speak, Chen Ping'an picked up a single chopstick from the table and warned, "You only have one chance to speak. If you don't give me a definite answer, I'll assume you've chosen the latter."

Nan Zan opened her mouth but stopped. Completely different from their previous meeting at the He-Says-You-Say Tower, today she didn't dare say a single word carelessly.

She glanced at her clan's old ancestor. His face was expressionless.

Chen Ping'an waited quietly for that answer.

Sometimes, being unreasonable with unreasonable people is precisely being reasonable.

The Oldest Sword Immortal had once taught him personally on the city wall, passing on a most simple truth to Chen Ping'an, who wasn't yet the Hidden Official at the time.

---

At the capital's Imperial Observatory, the two Observatory Directors were forced to invite that Mr. Yuan again to help calculate hexagrams.

They had to admit that on this matter, Yuan Tianfeng was truly a "world-transcending" master.

Yuan Tianfeng's status in the Imperial Observatory was similar to a mountain guest elder.

It was a special case.

Many years ago, he was a commoner and a mountain wild hermit, summoned into court to meet the Great Li Emperor.

Yuan Tianfeng was skilled in physiognomy. He had told fortunes for Elder Guan of the Ministry of Personnel, for General Su Gaoshan, for Cao Ping, and other future pivotal ministers of the Great Li court—all of which came true one by one.

The Great Li court had never shied away from this, nor did officials avoid it.

Elder Guan had received a very favorable reading: his fate was said to be first-class wealth and honor, a purple robe and golden belt sitting in a high hall, planting trees for future generations to enjoy shade, accumulating jade and piling gold to fill the ancestral shrine. Cao Ping was said to have a forehead bone rising like a dragon horn, with a hidden rhinoceros horn like a mountain range stretching to the jade pillow bone—incredibly noble. Su Gaoshan was said to have eyes containing red veins piercing his pupils, and when he spoke, a red-yellow aura swirled around his face.

Yuan Tianfeng said, "After that Mountain Lord Chen inexplicably became a Fourteen Realm grand cultivator, the hexagrams were actually very stable."

Vice Director Ma pressed, "Isn't there a 'but' coming?"

Yuan Tianfeng laughed. "But when he seemed to no longer be in the Fourteen Realm, the hexagrams became unpredictable, mixing good and bad fortune."

Yuan Tianfeng smiled. "Earlier, Mountain Lord Chen was patient and restrained. Now it's your turn to show some forbearance."

Vice Director Ma corrected him. "It's 'our' turn—our Great Li!"

At the Fire God Temple's flower shed.

Aunt Feng glanced sideways at the old coachman, who had come uninvited. She said with exasperation, "Are you addicted to my wine? Do you think you're the Wen Sheng, whose face is bigger than the heavens?"

The old coachman sighed, his expression gloomy. He reached out his hand. "I always feel something is off. It's been a long time since I felt this way—it's got me nervous. I'm afraid if I don't come drink today, I might not get the chance later. While there's still no fight breaking out at the palace, quickly give me a jug of Hundred Flowers Brew. I'll drink as many jugs as I can today."

Aunt Feng tossed him a jug of wine and teased, "You old antiques—if you think things are dicey, just join forces. Are you really afraid a man not even fifty years old will come looking to settle old scores?"

The old coachman tore off the seal, tipped his head back, and took a big gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Join forces, my ass. Settle old scores? I'm afraid that kid will follow the vine and dig up my ancestral graves now. This trip of his, coming back to the capital, something's wrong. Very wrong. He's become a completely different person. It has something to do with that strange realm, but it's not just the realm."

Aunt Feng couldn't help laughing. "Now you finally understand the principle of being good to others, eh? Back then, Qi Jingchun must have said it plenty. Did any of you listen? If only you'd known earlier, you wouldn't be in this mess."

The old coachman said glumly, "A thousand gold can't buy 'I knew it,' and ten thousand gold can't buy 'if only.'"

Looking at this fellow who had finally backed down, Aunt Feng stopped teasing him. She glanced toward the palace and nodded. "A storm is coming. This is no small matter."

Cao Manor, in a study.

Uncle and nephew were playing a game of Go.

Cao Gengxin looked around. Compared to his father's study, his second uncle's place was indeed a bit shabby.

Here, there were nothing but books. His father's study was far more elegant, with beautiful flowers and leaves—begonias and narcissus. There was an ice-crack-pattern celadon plum vase, and a row of gold-thread nanmu birdcages hanging, carefully housing the best songbirds: thrushes and orioles. The bird-food jars inside were all things Cao Gengxin had brought back from Dragon Prefecture's kilns, which had greatly pleased his father.

As a member of the Cao clan, Cao Gengxin dared to roll around and act spoiled at his grandfather's place and scribble all over his father's study, but he rarely came to his second uncle's study to hang around as a child—he didn't dare.

It was because this man he had to call Second Uncle, the Circuit Inspector, was far too strict.

Fortunately, Second Uncle would soon lead troops to the Sunken Dock at the Desolate Wilderness.

Cao Ping, holding the rank of Circuit Inspector, had reached the pinnacle of military officialdom.

In the entire Great Li dynasty, there were only five such positions in total. Only three were actually still in office.

A civil Pillar of State and a military Circuit Inspector—that was the future structure of Great Li.

But the title of Upper Pillar of State could be inherited, while Circuit Inspector could not. This showed that the latter was more precious and harder to obtain. However, for a clan, it was still hard to say which was better.

As for posthumous honors and whether the Emperor would confer titles like Grand Preceptor, those were empty compared to the first two titles.

Second Uncle Cao Ping was recognized throughout court and countryside as a scholar-general. Born into an Upper Pillar of State surname, he was skilled in both civil and military arts—truly elegant.

Today, they were playing a game of Go on a fine board.

Cao Gengxin held a single jade-bamboo folding fan in one hand, continuously opening and closing it with a snapping sound.

This fellow, who had served as the Kiln Affairs Supervisor for many years, also hung a shiny dark-red wine gourd at his waist.

Cao Ping looked up at this slovenly nephew.

Cao Gengxin grinned. "Second Uncle, getting annoyed already? Your mind cultivation isn't good enough."

Cao Ping asked, "Itching for a beating?"

Cao Gengxin had no choice but to sit up straight.

It wasn't just his parents—even his grandfather, who had retired years ago, he didn't fear. But this second uncle, who almost never smiled at home, Cao Gengxin truly feared.

No help for it. As a child, Cao Gengxin had been beaten into fear by Cao Ping.

Who could blame him? This second uncle had a high rank, high seniority, deep learning, and even greater skills—one thing conquers another.

The problem was that every time Cao Gengxin got spanked, it was for no apparent reason. The things he thought would earn him a beating, his second uncle ignored; the things he thought were nothing, Cao Ping would whip him hard with his belt. No amount of pleading from family members would help.

The sound of reading from the Yizhi Alley family school, and the sound of a father beating his son at Chi'er Street—these were both common occurrences.

But at the Cao Manor, Cao Ping using his belt to whip his nephew Cao Gengxin was also a spectacle, one that both streets were quite happy to hear about.

Cao Ping asked, "When will you marry and have children?"

Cao Gengxin's head ached. Seeing that his second uncle wouldn't let this matter go easily, in desperation, he found a random excuse. "I think Zhou Haijing is very good. I'm just afraid she won't look highly upon me."

Cao Gengxin immediately sensed trouble—his second uncle had taken it seriously!

Sure enough, Cao Ping nodded. "Good taste. But it's reasonable that Zhou Haijing doesn't see you as worthy. So I'll give you three years. No matter what method you use, you will bring her home as your wife."

Cao Gengxin was speechless.

Then his second uncle added something even more heart-wrenching. "If you really have no ability, just bring home a son."

Cao Gengxin sat frozen and silent.

Second Uncle Cao Ping never joked with anyone.

Cao Ping blurted out abruptly, "What do you think of Chen Ping'an? Tell me."

Cao Gengxin said softly, "Second Uncle, even though we're at home, it's still not appropriate for us to talk about this."

The most treacherous landscape in the world was the officialdom.

On the battlefield, even if facing tiger-leopard-snake-viper enemies or famous generals and tyrants, it was still a matter of real swords and real spears.

But gossip at court and among the populace was like flies landing on a face or mosquitoes biting the skin—impossible to drive away.

Cao Ping pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Cao Gengxin. "Whether it's appropriate or not is no longer up to you."

Cao Gengxin quickly scanned the letter's contents. It was actually a transaction between his second uncle and Chen Ping'an. He returned the secret letter to his second uncle and coughed a couple of times. "Not familiar. Really not familiar. During my years at the Supervisory Office, I never exchanged a single word with him. I never even had a chance to meet him face to face. A man who never shows his emotions—I wouldn't dare casually evaluate him."

Chen Ping'an rarely appeared in the town. Every time he returned from a distant journey, he would quietly go back to his ancestral home in Mud Vase Alley to visit graves, then head straight to Fallen Mountain, hardly lingering in Locust Yellow County. Otherwise, he would go down the mountain to check the accounts at his two shops on Dragon Riding Lane.

And Cao Gengxin's routes were just a few—he went wherever there was wine. Besides, Cao Gengxin's status made it inappropriate to have any connection with Chen Ping'an.

Cao Ping picked up a Go stone from the bowl with one hand while pressing on his belt with the other.

Seeing the danger, Cao Gengxin quickly said, "But I'm extremely good friends with the Great Sword Immortal Liu, and he is Chen Ping'an's closest friend. So I do have some understanding of this young Hidden Official's general temperament. As a youth, Chen Ping'an was already steady beyond his years. But he... never harms anyone. If there's anyone to partner with in business, Chen Ping'an is definitely the best choice. Second Uncle, your insight is unmatched!"

Seeing that Second Uncle still seemed unsatisfied, Cao Gengxin racked his brains and came up with a phrase: "Disciplining himself with an autumn chill, handling affairs with a spring breeze."

"In other words, he can both go up the mountain and come down the mountain."

Cao Ping finally nodded. "A noble son from a humble family, with both talent and power, gentle and steady in conduct—this must come from accumulated blessings and wisdom."

At the Yuan Manor.

Yuan Huajing, a Sword Immortal in the Nascent Soul realm, had left the inn and returned to his clan for a rare visit. He found Yuan Zhengding, who had recently returned to the capital to report on his duties.

The two sat facing each other and drinking tea.

They were considered the two most outstanding members of the Yuan Upper Pillar of State clan in the past hundred years.

But their ages were far apart—fortunately only one generation separated them.

In appearance, Yuan Zhengding, a middle-aged man, actually looked several years older than Yuan Huajing.

Yuan Zhengding, who served as the commandery governor of Dragon Prefecture, was often compared by capital officials to Cao Gengxin, who had been the Kiln Affairs Supervisor for many years.

Add to that Guan Yiran and Liu Xunmei—these four were similar in age and family background, and all had done well for themselves.

Liu Xunmei would soon follow Cao Ping to the Desolate Wilderness battlefield.

Relatively speaking, Cao Gengxin was the most eccentric of the four, a typical capital playboy, accustomed to a dissolute life since childhood.

And of course, he had been notoriously mischievous since he was little. Half the "bloody storms" in Yizhi Alley and Chi'er Street were at least partly his doing—stirring up trouble and then profiting from it.

That was why Yuan Zhengding had never had much good opinion of Cao Gengxin.

Yuan Huajing said, "Zhengding, this time it's not a big surprise."

That Dragon Prefecture prefect Wei Li, who was from the Huangting Kingdom, was actually in the capital now too. But he would likely leave soon to serve as a vice minister of rites in the Great Li auxiliary capital.

That left the vacant Dragon Prefecture prefect position as a coveted prize for various factions.

In officialdom, there were some key posts that were like strategic military positions.

Moreover, if one could become a prefect of a prefecture, for a civil official, that was a true frontier official.

Yuan Zhengding nodded, then asked suspiciously, "Were you injured?"

Yuan Huajing laughed. "Don't worry about that. Focus on your official duties."

Then he added mentally, "Prince Song Mu's ferryboat has reached the capital region, but it seems he changed his mind and didn't enter the capital."

This was the unique advantage of Yuan Huajing as a member of the Earth Branch lineage.

He could learn about many secret affairs that even children of Upper Pillar of State surnames dared not meddle in.

Around Prince Song Mu:

The maidservant Zhigui, a Flying Ascension realm cultivator. She was now one of the Four Seas Water Lords.

Ma Kuxuan, of True Martial Mountain.

Including Zhengyang Mountain, Cloud Gorge Mountain, and the Fu family of Old Dragon City—these mountain immortal families had always been close to that princely residence.

And then there were those several Great Li iron cavalry divisions.

Plus the young and vigorous officials of the Great Li auxiliary capital's Six Ministries.

Yuan Zhengding said calmly, "Not recognizing the Son of Heaven, only recognizing the feudal prince—this is a great calamity for the nation."

Yuan Huajing laughed. "It hasn't come to that yet."

Yuan Zhengding said, "I plan to suggest to His Majesty that the capital be moved south."

Yuan Huajing made no comment.

Yuan Zhengding asked, "How are things with the Xu clan of Breeze City?"

The Xu clan of Breeze City had married a legitimate daughter to a Yuan clan concubine-born son.

Yuan Huajing laughed. "What else can they be? Severely damaged."

Provoking that fellow was already considered lucky.

At the He-Says-You-Say Tower, in the small alley, a steward from the Zhao family arrived, telling Zhao Duanming to go home for a bit.

The youth was, after all, the legitimate eldest son of the Heavenly Water Zhao clan.

Liu Jia reminded him, "Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't forget those calligraphy pieces—bring more, I won't complain about having too many."

Zhao Duanming nodded. "No problem."

Among the Upper Pillar of State surnames of Great Li, Yuan, Cao, and Guan were unquestionably the first tier. Then came the Yu clan, which had produced an Empress, and the Heavenly Water Zhao clan, which managed the nation's horse administration. After that were Fufeng Qiu, Poyang Ma, Zizhao Yan, and others—the gaps between them weren't large; each had their own official clique and connections.

Earlier, Liu Jia had helped Chen Ping'an ask for a copy of the Zhao family instructions from the Zhao clan head.

According to the agreement, Chen Ping'an wasn't mentioned; Liu Jia simply said he wanted it himself.

Although the Heavenly Water Zhao clan, which managed many of Great Li's horse ranches, was mockingly called "Horse Dung Zhao."

Yet the so-called "academy style" of Great Li officialdom was actually the Zhao style.

For example, the seniority tablet of Xun Qu, a young official from the Court of State Ceremonial, and the admonitory inscriptions that were displayed in all official yamens throughout the nation, were all penned by the Zhao clan head.

Liu Jia always put on airs in front of the Zhao clan head. Occasionally, when drinking there, he would address that esteemed second-rank minister as "Little Zhao."

Zhao Duanming followed the steward home and saw his grandfather, who was supposed to be recuperating at home due to illness. But strangely, in the eyes of this young Qi practitioner, his grandfather seemed perfectly healthy, with no sign of catching a cold.

The old man stood on the steps of the small courtyard, bent down to touch the youth's head, and said with great regret, "Haven't been struck by lightning lately, have you?"

Zhao Duanming rolled his eyes.

The old man led Zhao Duanming on a stroll toward the garden, muttering to himself.

He said that the Tongye Continent was a sorrowful book of indignation for its failure to strive. The Fuyang Continent was a passionate book full of blood and courage.

As for our Treasure Bottle Continent—it was a heavenly book that neither friend nor foe could understand.

When the old man finally stopped his erudite ramblings, the youth asked, "Grandfather, are that basket of calligraphy and paintings ready? Master needs them urgently."

"How did it become a basket?"

Then the old man laughed. "The real client isn't in a hurry, so why is your master?"

The youth fell silent. He was very street-smart—of course he wouldn't let anything slip.

The old man sighed out of nowhere. "One should work with those who have courage, and read from the book that has no words."

The youth nodded. "Grandfather, that's a great saying. You should write it in a scroll, and I'll take it with me."

Looking at the energetic youth, the old man smiled.

For a man in his twilight years, every time he fell asleep, he didn't know if it was a farewell.

Perhaps because of this, the old man's sleep was usually very light.

Every morning, sunlight was like a golden deer, gently stepping on the forehead of the sleeping one.

Empress Yu Mian unexpectedly left the palace today to visit her family. But she didn't make a big show of it; she simply went to Yizhi Alley.

The Song clan of Great Li was very lenient on such matters. The Ministry of Rites had always turned a blind eye, never uttering a word of criticism.

Prince Song Xu, along with Yu Yu, was responsible for escorting the Empress.

Yu Yu was still a young girl, not old in age but quite senior in the clan hierarchy. Even the Empress had to address her as "Little Aunt" upon meeting.

When they met, they called each other however they pleased—Yu Yu certainly wouldn't stand on ceremony with the Empress.

Unfortunately, Prince Song Xu liked to play dumb in front of her. Otherwise, he would have to respectfully call her "Grandaunt."

The Upper Pillar of State Yu clan had little fame in officialdom; they only managed the local government-run silk and tea businesses.

"Haha, Sword Immortal Chen gave Song Xu a very high compliment."

The girl couldn't stop laughing. She barely managed to hold it in, then imitated Sword Immortal Chen's expression and tone, pointed at Song Xu, and nodded to herself. "A Golden Core sword cultivator under twenty—impressive for such a young one."

The Empress smiled faintly.

Prince Song Xu acted as if he hadn't heard.

At a desolate immortal inn, Gai Yan, Ku Shou, and the youth Gou Cun were idling together.

The young monk Hou Jue, wearing a plain linen meditation robe, had already returned to the Scripture Translation Bureau.

Ge Ling also seemed to have been summoned to the Daoist Affairs Court.

Gai Yan suddenly shuddered, her face turning slightly pale.

Gou Cun turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

The Earth Branch cultivator named Ku Shou smiled bitterly. He understood exactly why Gai Yan was like this—he felt it himself.

In that slaughter, the man in white had only spoken the word "bloom," and his colleague Lu Hui had been pierced by dozens of swords, looking like a hedgehog.

Then the ghost cultivator Gai Yan had been cut into pieces by countless sword lights. According to that "man," this sword technique was his own creation, named "Slice of Moon."

How could someone who survived such a horror not be terrified?

At a tiny Daoist temple in the capital, the Great Li Chongxu Bureau's subordinate Capital Daoist Affairs Court.

The capital's Daoist Affairs Director presided over the meeting.

Including Ge Ling, all six bureau directors of Genealogy, Litigation, Poems, Seal Engraving, Geography, and Precepts were present.

There was also a middle-aged Daoist who habitually squinted and smiled.

He wasn't a "smiling tiger" type, but rather had damaged his eyesight as a youth from reading by lamplight, often staying up all night.

Now his eyesight had recovered, but the habit was hard to break.

He came from an early vassal state of Great Li—the Green Luan Kingdom in the southeastern Treasure Bottle Continent—originally from an obscure little Daoist temple. Now, however, he was the leading Daoist of the Chongxu Bureau.

Xun Qu, a young official from the Court of State Ceremonial, had recently acquired a secret assignment: collecting official gazettes from various government yamens.

His official rank wasn't high—only the ninth rank—but he came from a clear stream of imperial examination graduates, highly valued in the Court of State Ceremonial. So besides his regular duties as "Seniority Official," he also temporarily held administrative duties in the Capital Temple Affairs Office and the Supervisory Office. This was no ordinary official experience; it clearly signaled an imminent promotion.

The head of the Court of State Ceremonial had only privately asked Xun Qu one question: "How are Mr. Chen's studies?"

Xun Qu naturally dared not speak carelessly; he could only say he hadn't had much contact with Mr. Chen yet.

At Fallen Mountain.

Cui Dongshan sat cross-legged. In the courtyard was a feng shui map of northern Tongye Continent.

Chen Lingjun sat on a small stool beside him, lifting his elbow to massage Cui Dongshan's shoulders.

Chen Lingjun had almost never seen Cui Dongshan with such a serious expression and eyes.

Ever since that guy named Zheng came and went, the big white goose had been like this.

Could it be that all scholars who liked to dress as big white geese were this bird-like?

But that guy named Zheng—Chen Lingjun didn't even know his full name—didn't sway from side to side when he walked.

Chen Lingjun remembered something and asked, "Cui Old Brother, do you know what 'Luoyang woodcutters' are?"

Cui Dongshan said casually, "A group of reclusive mountain wildlings who have always bartered and don't like handling money. They're not famous in the Haoran mountains. The backstage owner of the Treasure Bottle Continent's Baggage Wrappers is actually a Luoyang woodcutter by origin. But even if these people share the same origin, once they come down the mountain, they don't interact much with each other."

Chen Lingjun asked again, "Do you know a woman named Qin Buyi?"

Cui Dongshan was distracted and shook his head. "Never heard of her."

Chen Lingjun added, "She claims to be from Middle Earth's Tanglong Commandery."

Cui Dongshan thought for a moment and asked, "Does she wear a knife with a white poplar handle?"

Chen Lingjun was startled. "She does!"

Damn it, had he stumbled upon another extremely tough nut to crack?

Cui Dongshan kept staring blankly at the ethereal map and said, "That's right. 'Beauty like fine jade, holding a white poplar blade, killing in the marketplace.' She's from the same place as Bai Ye, roughly the same age, and quite famous. When she killed her enemy in the marketplace with her own hands, she had neither practiced martial arts nor cultivated. Many literary giants, including Bai Ye, wrote poems for her. But I heard she soon vanished without a trace. It seems she went into the mountains to cultivate the Dao, which suits her well. There are mountain rumors that the young girl Chunqing's fist techniques in the Bamboo Sea Grotto Heaven were passed on to her by the Green God Mountain Mistress inviting this woman to teach."

Chen Lingjun raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying timidly, "But on Dragon Riding Lane, I saw her as, at most, a Nascent Soul cultivator."

If this Qin Buyi was of the same generation as the proudest of Haoran, then she certainly wasn't a Nascent Soul cultivator. A Nascent Soul's lifespan...

Cui Dongshan said, "Don't worry. Since she came with Chen Zhenrong, she has no ill intent."

The Treasure Bottle Continent had always been looked down upon. Great Li's Song Changjing's Perfected Realm, and Wind and Snow Temple's Wei Jin becoming a Jade Core at forty, were both considered "groundbreaking" marvels.

Now, more and more unique individuals from other continents were actively visiting the Treasure Bottle Continent.

Chen Lingjun said indignantly, "Since that guy is Bai Mang's disciple, I'm at least his elder by a generation. Next time I see that guy named Zheng, I'll splash a bucket of ink on him. I have to get some revenge for you!"

This was Chen Lingjun forcing himself to make a bold statement.

He had no choice. Cui Dongshan had been like this for a while, and Chen Lingjun really didn't like seeing it.

Cui Dongshan originally wanted to warn Chen Lingjun to be careful with his words, especially regarding that "Zheng" fellow. But then he thought—he didn't need to warn anyone, least of all this guy beside him.

The Haoran Celestial Raft, the Desolate Wilderness Peach Pavilion—when it came to comparing great deeds, Chen Lingjun had probably already lost.

Cui Dongshan seemed to cheer up a bit. He suddenly wrapped an arm around Chen Lingjun's neck and said with a grin, "How did Master take in a prodigy like you?"

"Vision—that's my master's vision. Blessing—that's my blessing."

Chen Lingjun made faces at Mi Li.

Mi Li immediately raised both hands and gave him two thumbs up. Bright scenery, bright scenery.

Mountain Lord Wei Po walked into the courtyard from the entrance.

Chen Lingjun shook his head, but couldn't break free from the big white goose's arm. His momentum weakened, and he laughed, waving his hand. "Yo, isn't this Brother Wei? A rare guest, a rare guest."

Wei Po ignored Chen Lingjun. Holding an official document, he said with a smile, "Good news. That cross-continent ferryboat Wind Kite—the Treasure Bottle Continent land route plan—has passed review by the Great Li court. No objections, but they gave a few points for attention."

It turned out Cui Dongshan had already designed a complete route, starting from the immortal ferry of the Great Yuan Dynasty in central Northern Juzhou, to the Drive Mountain Ferry at the southernmost tip of Tongye Continent.

Since he was going to be the sect leader of that branch sect, he could no longer be as lazy as before.

For example, he still had to start taking disciples.

Reluctantly, he would accept that Xie Xie as an unregistered disciple.

Among those nine sword immortal seeds, there were also suitable candidates.

Actually, all these things had come earlier than Cui Dongshan had expected—at least sixty years earlier.

And Cui Dongshan's true plans extended further than Tongye Continent, reaching into the Five Colors World.

Cui Dongshan stood up and walked and talked with Mountain Lord Wei, heading to the cliffside by the bamboo building.

After Wei Po took his leave, Cui Dongshan pushed open the door to the first floor of his master's bamboo building, which served as both study and residence.

Inside hung a couplet that his master was especially fond of.

It was a cloud-bat patterned couplet with blue background and gold characters:

"Beyond the mountain, wind and rain, a three-foot sword; when there's trouble, carry the sword down the mountain.
Among the clouds, flowers and birds, a house full of books; when worry-free, open books and sages arrive."

Cui Dongshan looked up at the couplet for a moment, then quickly walked out, closed the door, clasped his hands behind his head, and hopped on those six green bricks, finally landing on the last one with both feet.

The white-clothed youth smiled. "That which moves my heartstrings: the bright moon, beautiful women, falling snow, and the gleam of a sword."