Chapter 881: That Look in the Eyes

Chapter 881: That Look in the Eyes

Chen Ping'an pinched the green bamboo chopstick between his two fingers. "What do you mean by that?"

Lu Wei said, "If I can live, I'll live."

Being under someone else's roof meant he had to bow his head. In the current situation, speaking softly was useless, and uttering harsh words was equally meaningless. Just as Lu Wei had said earlier, the mountains were high and the rivers long. He hoped this overbearing young Hidden Official would take care of himself. The seasons of heaven and earth alternated; fortunes would shift. There would always be a chance to settle accounts.

Lu Wei seemed to have made a decision. He still had the leisure to glance at the remaining green bamboo chopstick.

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had used a single chopstick as a sword, directly splitting apart a Corpse Severing Talisman that served as a substitute.

Such swordsmanship, such killing power, could only belong to a Immortal Realm sword cultivator. There was no other possibility.

The key was that this sword strike was too profound. The trajectory of the sword was like a small, absolutely straight line.

When the sword was thrust out, the sword light fell straight down, ignoring the flow of the River of Time, ignoring the gathering and dispersing of the world's spiritual energy. This was the legendary technique approaching the Dao.

And the divine "power" that walked the most straightforward path under heaven was swordsmanship, which fell upon the mortal world earlier than countless techniques.

"Never expected Old Senior Lu to be so tough. The family tradition of the Lu Clan has finally earned a bit of my respect."

Chen Ping'an asked, "If I can live, I'll live? So can I understand that as... it's also acceptable to die?"

Lu Wei let out a sneer.

If you want me to beg for mercy like a dog, don't even think about it.

When it came to swordsmanship, Lu Wei actually knew quite a lot.

The so-called "if you're not a sword cultivator, don't speak recklessly about swordsmanship" was, of course, the young Hidden Officer using words to disgust him, deliberately looking down on this Lu Clan ancestor.

In truth, regarding the origins of the world's swordsmanship and the techniques of the world, the Central Continent Lu Clan didn't dare claim to have grasped ninety percent of the truth, but compared to the top sects of the mountains, they truly did know many more secrets from the front part of an old almanac.

Although Lu Wei's expression appeared calm and composed at the moment, the storms raging within his heart lake were far more intense than those of Empress Dowager Nan Zan.

Could it be that the intelligence on the family's secret letter was wrong? That Chen Ping'an hadn't actually returned his cultivation base? Or perhaps he had secretly made a deal with Sect Leader Lu, retaining part of the Dao techniques of the Jade Capital, to be used in times of need, such as dealing with today's situation?

This old ancestor, with his supreme Dao techniques, couldn't he have foreseen this calamity today?

Having severed the red thread of the mortal world and leaped beyond the Three Realms, he was therefore especially stingy with ancestral blessings, unwilling to have any connection or entanglement with the Central Continent Lu Clan?

But if you, Lu Chen, weren't willing to look after the Lu Clan's descendants, that's one thing, but why go so far as to harm me like this?

According to the seniority ranks in the Lu Clan genealogy, Lu Wei had to address the Third Sect Leader of the Jade Capital as his grand-uncle.

Lu Wei's thoughts raced.

Or perhaps this "Sword Master" had already mastered several great paths of swordsmanship?

The problem was that the Lu Clan's Astrological Observatory had no records of such a matter at all.

On this matter, which was more important than heaven itself, the Lu Clan Patriarch, those heaven-watching observers, and the group of mountain and river secretaries and celestial timekeepers responsible for filling gaps and correcting errors absolutely would not dare, nor should they, conceal anything from him, an old ancestor of the Lu Clan who had been away from home for many years and was about to return.

Because whenever Chen Ping'an learned a new sword path or a new swordsmanship technique from that ancient existence, it would manifest as a great Dao and trigger celestial anomalies.

It might be the fall of an ancient star or the sudden drying up of a segment of the River of Time!

Back when Chen Ping'an had stepped onto the covered bridge of that small town, the Central Continent Lu Clan, upon receiving the news, immediately took major action. The Patriarch personally led the team at the Si Tian Tai (Astronomical Observatory), sparing no effort to track this matter, day after day, year after year, without a moment's slack.

To describe those groups of Lu Clan heaven-watchers specifically responsible for verifying the trends of swordsmanship, who had been in seclusion for years, as "unblinking" was no exaggeration.

Lu Tai, who shared the same clan branch as Lu Wei, why had he traveled alone to Bottle Gourd Continent back then? And why had he happened to meet Chen Ping'an on that osmanthus island ferry?

This was a matter that puzzled the Lu Clan deeply. Why had the recognized "Sword Master," a new "Sword Bearer," not only failed to become a sword cultivator but had not even learned any swordsmanship technique?

That's why someone needed to be near Chen Ping'an to observe this matter closely.

As for Lu Tai himself, he had been kept in the dark the whole time.

In the end, that clan branch disciple who had been pinned with high hopes but chose to act ungratefully had thoroughly tricked the family.

It was because Lu Tai had taken it upon himself to reveal the heavenly secrets in Parasol Leaf Continent, nearly dragging the entire Central Continent Lu Clan, including the main branch and all side branches, into a bottomless abyss.

Lu Wei had only learned about this afterward. Back then, in the family's Si Tai Tian, an endlessly deep ancient well had appeared, shrouding all the heaven-watchers in eternal darkness.

Fortunately, such an unprecedented and shocking celestial phenomenon flashed by in an instant, as if it had never existed. But the more fleeting it was, the more the Yin-Yang Lu Clan understood its severity.

One wrong move, and it would be a sign of an overturned nest.

Zou Zi is hateful! Fearful Zou Zi!

Chen Ping'an said, "A friend's friend is not necessarily a friend, but an enemy's enemy might become a friend. Zou Zi has schemed against me, and he has also schemed against you. So on this matter, we have a chance to reach a consensus."

Lu Wei's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was startled.

Chen Ping'an looked relaxed, holding a bamboo chopstick, lightly tapping the tabletop that had been flipped over.

Truly worthy of a celestial material; the underside of the table, which had not seen sunlight for years, still showed no signs of wear.

"Senior Lu, don't overthink it. That clumsy sword move I used earlier to test the depth of your Dao techniques was a swordsmanship I created myself, far from perfected."

Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Your Central Continent Lu Clan failed to follow the celestial omens to find any traces on me. That's by no means a dereliction of duty, nor is it that I, at such a young age, could cover my tracks and fool heaven. If you want to blame someone, blame the verification results from the small town dragon kiln back then, which misled Senior Lu. Perhaps I'm not a born Earth Immortal talent, but something higher. It was you and the Great Li geomancers who misjudged me. A very simple truth: if the initial 'one' is wrong, how can the subsequent hundred, thousand, or ten thousand be correct? That's all just 'one in ten thousand,' right? As a master of geomancy, Senior Lu, wouldn't you agree?"

Besides this, Chen Ping'an also had a swordsmanship technique named "Slice of Moon."

One was extremely simple, the other extremely complex; they were two extremes.

Chen Ping'an raised the green bamboo chopstick and asked with a smile, "Using Senior Lu for some practice won't bother you, will it? It's just a damaged true body talisman, not my real body."

Poor Nan Zan, the hostess of today's banquet, despite her status as the Empress Dowager of Great Li, had not been able to get a word in from start to finish and didn't dare to speak casually.

Standing beside Chen Ping'an was Xiao Mo, who could control heartstrings. But after all, Lu Wei was a peak Immortal Realm cultivator of the Yin-Yang school, so Xiao Mo could only provide his master with some key words from Lu Wei's heart lake, as well as fragmented "inner voices," such as the Lu Clan heaven-watchers, falling stars, drying rivers, Lu Clan mountain and river secretaries, celestial timekeepers, Zou Zi...

Lu Wei laughed. "Mountain Lord Chen certainly deserves to be called 'exceptionally gifted.'"

Not a born sword embryo, yet he was able to nurture two life-bound flying swords of very high rank postnatally, ultimately becoming a true sword cultivator.

Although Lu Wei didn't know why that existence hadn't taught Chen Ping'an, the "Sword Master," any swordsmanship, he absolutely didn't believe it was because the Great Li court had misjudged him. The creation of the Destiny Porcelain was a secret technique passed down by Master San Shan Jiu Hou; verifying talent through it was foolproof.

Chen Ping'an looked up at the sky, then slightly turned his head and glanced at the Lamp Kindling Talisman prepared for the Great Li Empress Dowager on the ground. This talisman had fared much better than the incense stick; although it had fallen and been stained with some wine, it was still burning slowly. In today's banquet, it was like both Nan Zan's life-saving talisman and Lu Jiang's death warrant.

Nan Zan followed Chen Ping'an's gaze and glanced at the talisman on the ground. Her heart was filled with extreme anxiety, churning like a raging sea.

Chen Ping'an tossed the chopstick onto the table, placing it exactly between the two people sitting opposite each other, splitting the table in half.

Nan Zan knew the deep meaning behind Chen Ping'an's action. His intention was extremely malicious!

He was asking her, were she afraid that the Great Li court would be split in two, falling into a divided situation of north-south confrontation?

It wasn't that Chen Ping'an could single-handedly make decisions for Cao Ping and the other surnames of the Shangzhu Kingdom, for those "chess pieces." Rather, now that Chen Ping'an was in the Great Li capital, once he made a clear-cut decision, those numerous and interest-entangled chess pieces on the board would weigh the pros and cons, assess the situation, seek benefits, and ultimately "converge," attaching themselves to Chen Ping'an's decision.

Those important chess pieces positioned in the court and at key points in the mountains would either continue to watch from the sidelines, secretly fan the flames, or simply step onto the gambling table themselves...

Nan Zan, relying on that string of Lingzhu Beads, had recalled memories from several previous lifetimes, but not completely. She had only recovered a part of her memories. Naturally, Lu Wei had long since tampered with this mountain top treasure, to prevent Lu Jiang, in this life as Great Li Empress Dowager Nan Zan, from having short hair and shallow knowledge, from acting self-righteously and recklessly without regard for the overall situation, foolishly trying to draw a line between herself and the clan. The Central Continent Lu Clan certainly had means to make Nan Zan change her mind, but that would waste their efforts and be bad for both the Central Continent Lu Clan and the Great Li dynasty. Whether it was Emperor Song He or Prince Song Mu, it was highly likely that both brothers would end up hostile toward the Central Continent Lu Clan.

Lu Wei said, "Since Mountain Lord Chen hasn't abused his swordsmanship, it shows there's still room for negotiation."

Xiao Mo, who had already returned to stand behind his master, heard this and couldn't help rubbing his ears.

Xiao Mo was simply amazed. Good heavens, he was finding new ways to seek death.

Were Immortal Realm cultivators in the Haoran World this bold? Admirable, admirable! If he had had this kind of guts back then, he would have gone to fight the founders of the Three Religions long ago.

Chen Ping'an nodded. "That's fine. It'll also let me know if the continuation lamps in the Lu Clan ancestral hall are more sophisticated than ordinary ancestral halls, whether they can prevent an Immortal from dropping realms, merely making it impossible for him to ascend in this life."

He raised his right hand, and from the mountain and river veins in his palm, an ancient six-sided seal materialized out of thin air.

Chen Ping'an held an ancient Five Thunder Dharma Seal in his hand. "Then please go keep company with a certain fellow Daoist from another land. Coincidentally, both of you were once Immortals."

During the Tuoyue Mountain battle, the thirty-six "closed-eyed" spirits on the four sides of the seal had all been "opened" by Chen Ping'an, who bore a Fourteen Realm Dao technique.

He activated the Dharma Seal. The Lord of Thunder, the Mother of Lightning, the Rain Master, the Wind God, and all thirty-six spirits opened their eyes simultaneously, each performing their duties. This made Chen Ping'an look like an ancient enlightened being who held the power of yin and yang creation, with a self-contained heaven and earth in his palm, where the cycle of the Dao operated.

Lu Wei's face changed dramatically. He could no longer pretend to be calm.

Lighting a continuation lamp, completely transforming and exchanging a shell, besides dropping realms, the thing he feared most was a cultivator's soul scattering, dying "uncleanly," with his soul captured by outsiders and unable to escape. Otherwise, it would be like falling into an awkward situation akin to "separating flesh and bone, each in a different corner of the world." For a cultivator who had to reshape his flesh and soul, once he resumed his cultivation, still entangled by the mortal affairs of his "previous life," it would be like adding frost to snow.

But Chen Ping'an was only a sword cultivator, at most also a pure martial artist. How could he be proficient in thunder techniques and talismans? And, crucially, he had learned a supremely superior method for capturing souls!

The purgatory forged by the Thunder Bureau; ordinary Qi refiners didn't know its true power. The ignorant had no fear. But a Yin-Yang practitioner, who deeply understood its inner workings, was extremely wary. The Thunder Bureau was also known as the "Heavenly Prison!"

What made Lu Wei's heart even more sorrowful and bitter, eventually turning to desolation, was that the Celestial script on the seal was carved using an extremely rare inverted seal method, engraving the four characters "Command, Edict, Sink, Lu"!

Unless one was a great master of talismans, one would never dare to invert things like this. Therefore, it was undoubtedly the work of their own ancestor, Lu Chen!

Lu Wei still couldn't believe that Chen Ping'an, who had only been cultivating for thirty years, could invert talismanic scripts based on his own talisman proficiency!

Moreover, the rank of this Dharma Seal was so high, and it had existed for such a long time.

If he weren't sure of the identity of the young man in blue, Lu Wei would have mistaken him for some exalted figure from the Celestial Master Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Chen Ping'an called out, "Xiao Mo."

Nan Zan quickly turned around, reaching out to block the talisman light that scattered as the talisman shattered.

Fortunately, it was another Corpse Severing Talisman used to sacrifice a substitute.

But Lu Wei's true body was still firmly held down by one of Xiao Mo's hands.

Xiao Mo pressed his two fingers together and gently patted Lu Wei's shoulder, smashing this "Lu Wei" into pieces.

Three Corpse Severing Talismans were all used up.

Nan Zan stared blankly.

So this was a breakdown in negotiations?

She hadn't even spoken yet.

Since Chen Ping'an was prepared to tear his face off with the entire Central Continent Lu Clan, what did a single Lu Jiang count for?

Lu Wei seemed to accept that death was inevitable. His tone was flat. "Chen Ping'an, don't go too far. If you want to kill me, just do it. Why humiliate me?"

That Xiao Mo deliberately hadn't touched his true body.

And that deep-minded young man seemed to be certain that he would use the other two true body talismans, only to stand by and watch the show?

Xiao Mo sighed with emotion. "The knowledge of the world creates difficulties for people. It both says that when dealing with others, one should leave some leeway and forgive when possible, and it also teaches us to uproot the weeds and leave no trouble behind, lest we suffer the consequences."

Then a scene that shook Lu Wei's Dao heart even more.

The young man in blue raised a Thunder Bureau in his palm!

The thunder method was vast and powerful, the Dao intent pure.

Lu Wei was even more shocked. He subconsciously leaned back, only to be caught by the elusive Xiao Mo, who had appeared behind him again. Xiao Mo reached out and pressed Lu Wei's shoulder, smiling. "Since the decision is made, whether you stretch your neck to accept the blade or shrink back, it's still a cut. What are you dodging for? Doesn't seem very heroic."

Chen Ping'an suddenly said something that left Nan Zan completely bewildered. "Back when Teacher Qi was in Lizhu Cave Heaven, he could make sure Lu Wei couldn't die even if he wanted to. I'm far inferior, of course. I can only make it easy for you to die, but a bit harder to live."

"Lu Wei, when you light the continuation lamp in your family's ancestral hall from now on, remember one thing: wherever and whenever you see me from now on, you'd better obediently take a detour. If our eyes meet, it counts as a sword inquiry."

Lu Wei had lost all his transcendent, otherworldly aura. He said urgently, "Chen Ping'an, let's talk this out. Regarding the Destiny Porcelain, to be honest, I really can't decide on my own. But I can immediately send a flying sword message to the Central Continent Lu Clan, begging the Patriarch to reply personally, and I guarantee he will give you a definite answer!"

Lu Wei certainly didn't want to end up as a puppet with his soul separated.

The young man was seen with his hands in his sleeves, squinting and smiling as he pondered for a moment, then shifting his gaze. "Xiao Mo, we were having a good conversation. I didn't ask you to make a move. Why are you sulking with Senior Lu?"

Xiao Mo immediately nodded. "It was Xiao Mo who acted impulsively."

Then Xiao Mo patted Lu Wei's shoulder, as if brushing off dust. "Senior Lu, don't mind it, all right? Even if you do mind, Xiao Mo can't stop you. But remember, you absolutely must hide your thoughts well. I'm a narrow-minded person, not as generous as my master. So if I catch a single wrong look in your eyes or a hint of murderous aura on your face, I'll beat you to death."

Lu Wei's body tensed up, unable to utter a single word.

Nan Zan wished she could claw the smiling face on the opposite side of the table into ribbons.

Chen Ping'an leaned forward, retrieving the chopstick. Holding it in his left hand, he pointed it at Lu Wei, who was still being restrained in place by Xiao Mo. "Just need me to do one small thing? You and the Central Continent Lu Clan have much bigger appetites than Nan Zan."

Every slight movement of the chopstick made Nan Zan's Dao heart tremble.

As for Lu Wei, being pointed at and ridiculed, his feelings were unknown, but certainly not pleasant.

Lu Wei asked doubtfully, "Mountain Lord Chen, why do you say that? Have you misunderstood something? I haven't even mentioned that small matter."

Chen Ping'an stared at Lu Wei, then sighed. His expression was somewhat dazed as he muttered to himself, "So you still see me as a weed in the field by the ridge."

In the countryside, barnyard grass is an annual herb that grows near water, beside ditches and ridges in rice paddies. So old farmers would look for it, distinguish it from rice seedlings, and pull it out whenever they saw it.

Chen Ping'an looked at Lu Wei and shook his head. "But I've read quite a few books now. I'm no longer that kiln worker apprentice who couldn't even read a boxing manual."

Chen Ping'an stood up holding the chopstick, slowly pacing around the table. He glanced at the table, which was both his own chessboard and a subtle method of the Lu Clan attempting to use celestial phenomena and geography as a larger chessboard.

Maybe Zheng Juzhong had previously asked him not to choose Parasol Leaf Continent for a site, not only to make him feel powerless, but also with some deeper meaning?

Perhaps it was even a hint that he needed to dig deep and get to the bottom of things? That the location of the puzzle's answer was related to the Yin-Yang Lu Clan?

For example, today's hosts, Nan Zan and Lu Wei, one woman and one man, involved the confrontation of the yin and yin trigrams. In the same way, the upper sect of Luopo Mountain in Bottle Gourd Continent and the future lower sect in Parasol Leaf Continent naturally had a similar attraction of mountain ranges. In Chen Ping'an's view, wasn't the greatest pattern of mountains and rivers depending on each other actually the Nine Continents and the Four Seas?

Without any warning, Xiao Mo cut off Lu Wei's head with two fingers while suppressing him with countless strands of sword energy hidden inside the latter's body, preventing him from using any life-bound treasures.

At the same time, Chen Ping'an, who had just leisurely walked around the table, turned his wrist, activated the Thunder Bureau, and trapped Lu Wei's soul within it.

Nan Zan swallowed.

Chen Ping'an, holding the Thunder Bureau in his hand, continued to pace, but his gaze was fixed on the tabletop.

Xiao Mo gently placed the head back on the neck, crouched slightly, looked around, and shifted the head a little; it had been slightly crooked earlier.

For now, he wouldn't die. At least he was an Immortal.

Nan Zan's face was pale, as if mourning her parents.

Madmen. They were all madmen.

Nan Zan knew that the real madmen were not those with burning eyes and ferocious expressions, but these two, whose expressions were calm and whose hearts were like still wells.

They didn't say much, but they didn't do little.

Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and examined the Immortal's soul within the Thunder Bureau in his palm. He smiled slightly. "My apologies, senior. Killing an Immortal like this is indeed beneath me. Wait a moment; I need to sort out my thoughts a bit more before I can grasp a thread."

Thanks to the collections of the Wen Temple's Merit Forest, the Common Sense Common Knowledge Pavilion, and the Great Li Imperial Observatory, and because Chen Ping'an had long "admired" the Central Continent Lu Clan, especially concerning the Thirteen Conflicts of the Sword Qi Great Wall and Lu Tai and "Liu Cai," whom Zou Zi had used against him, Chen Ping'an had tirelessly investigated the Yin-Yang school and the Central Continent Lu Clan over the years.

The single-family scholarship of the Central Continent Lu Clan almost equaled Yin-Yang studies. One could completely regard the Lu Clan as the largest imperial observatory in the Haoran World, absorbing all rivers and possessing extremely rich collections.

For example, the Yunlin Jiang Clan of Bottle Gourd Continent, before their migration from the Central Continent, their ancestors had been great invokers of the ancient era, assisting the Wen Temple's Ritual Sage. The Great Invoker was responsible for sacrificial prayers, wore blue-black robes and vermilion skirts without the tasseled crown of sacrificial garments, was permanently stationed in the shrine, specialized in dealing with spirits, and was in charge of reading invocations for the world, praying for blessings and eternal auspiciousness, harmony between heaven and man, and often enjoying great harvests.

And the ancestors of the Central Continent Lu Clan, in the history of Haoran, had been one of the Six Officials of the Wen Temple: the Grand Diviner. Today, the alternate names of the six ministries of the mortal dynasties largely originated from these Six Officials of the ancient Wen Temple. One of the Grand Diviner's duties was to be in charge of a very important classic, the foremost of the group of classics that later generations of the three religions and hundred schools all dabbled in. Its circulation throughout the Haoran World was unrestricted; a scholar might spend only a dozen copper coins to buy a copy. But there were two other major classics that had been shelved, because they involved too many specific and detailed methods of cultivation. The former concerned ancestral mountains and great peaks, the latter two were about two crown prince mountains. One of the two supplementary classics was kept in the Lintai of the Wen Temple's Merit Forest; the other, its first original edition, seemed to be hidden in a secret realm called the Orchid Branch Office within the Lu Clan's Si Tian Tai.

Unlike the general Yin-Yang theory of the five elements overcoming each other, this book was said to begin with the Gen trigram, with knowledge and fate like continuous mountains. Earlier, Lu Wei himself had said the Lu Clan possessed a chapter of the Earth Mirror, probably a branch of this great classic. In short, that "small matter" Lu Wei mentioned was destined to be inseparable from his own and Luopo Mountain's fate. Furthermore, the Lu Clan had long had plans in the northern region of Parasol Leaf Continent, such as arranging for him a place of excellent topography that appeared to be a favorable sign from heaven, but was actually some kind of mountain and river coordinate used by the Central Continent Lu Clan to investigate the Three Cycles and Nine Movements, the Six Jia and Straight Talisman.

"My life's trajectory flows like water, endless, while my mountain remains still. The upper and lower sects stand opposed from afar, forming warp and weft lines together? But for your Central Continent Lu Clan's observation of the Dao, you still need a starting point for the threads: that small matter you hope I'll agree to? It's certainly small; I believe that. But this small matter will surely give rise to the greatest number of hidden threads and fuses in the years to come."

"What, repeating an old trick? Are you Lu Clan treating me like that late emperor of Great Li?"

"Lu Wei, you tell me yourself: shouldn't you die?"

Lu Wei's "corpse" sat motionless in place, all his soul within the Thunder Bureau, as if in a cauldron of oil, enduring the torment of the Thunder Pool's heavenly tribulation. It was unbearable.

It wasn't that Chen Ping'an's words had struck the Lu Clan ancestor's heart; rather, those few sentences seemed to "help" Lu Wei break through the heavenly secret.

Abandoned piece.

So he was no better off than Nan Zan. Both were expendable pawns in the eyes of Patriarch Lu Sheng.

Chen Ping'an glanced at Lu Wei's soul within the cage in his palm and clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Just a poor wretch kept in the dark. A bit disappointing."

He closed his hand.

The five thunders gathered.

It was like heaven and earth closing together.

The silent wail emanating from Lu Wei's soul made Nan Zan, as if her eardrums were pierced, clutch her head. She realized the source of her pain was the tremor in her Dao heart and the surging of her heart lake.

Chen Ping'an looked up and stared at Nan Zan.

Nan Zan's face was full of pain. She spoke with difficulty, "I've already had the fragments of the Destiny Porcelain secretly sent back to Lizhu Cave Heaven. Where they are, you can find them yourself. They're somewhere near your hometown... Patriarch Lu Wei doesn't know about this. I had to leave myself a way out. But as for where exactly they're hidden, you can just take this string of Lingzhu Beads from me and find out for yourself..."

According to Nan Zan's private calculations, if this hick made a deal with the Lu Clan ancestor, she could have someone retrieve the Destiny Porcelain from the small town. If they couldn't reach an agreement, and the Lu Clan ancestor was about to abandon her, then she couldn't be blamed for making a deal with Chen Ping'an alone. Did the Lu Clan really think the Great Li dynasty was a soft persimmon to be kneaded as they pleased? She was Nan Zan, Empress Dowager of Great Li from Yuzhang Commandery, not Lu Jiang.

Chen Ping'an looked at Nan Zan with a pitiful expression. "Playing mind games? Do you think you can outwit Lu Wei? What are you thinking? That string of Lingzhu Beads is completely useless now. Since Lu Wei isn't here, if you don't believe me, go ahead and try."

Nan Zan was thunderstruck. She immediately lowered her head, reached out, and twisted a Lingzhu bead. The bead, which originally had a rich spiritual luster, seemed to have lost a layer of mountain and river forbidden illusion, becoming dull and showing signs of withering.

Xiao Mo quietly withdrew the sword intent that had stripped the Lingzhu Beads, puzzled. "Master, aren't you going to ask where they're hidden?"

Chen Ping'an laughed in his mind. "I already know where they're hidden. I'll just go get them myself later."

It was only a few steps away from his ancestral home.

Nan Zan looked up, glanced at Chen Ping'an, then turned to look at the Lu Clan ancestor, whose head was separated from his body.

The hatred in her eyes was now equal for both.

But when she looked at the former, beyond the half hatred, there was still half fear.

"Since I'm satisfied with this answer, I'll give you a piece of advice."

Chen Ping'an reminded, "I don't know who Lu Jiang is, but I met the Great Li Empress Dowager, Nan Zan of Yuzhang Commandery, long ago. From now on, when you do things, plan before you act. The Song Clan of Great Li cannot be without a ruler for a single day, but the Empress Dowager can cultivate in the Eternal Spring Palace, long and forever, praying for the nation's blessings."

"Do you understand?"

Nan Zan's expression was wooden. She nodded gently.

Chen Ping'an asked again, "I don't trust your brain, so I have to ask more: 'Cannot be without a ruler for a single day' — do you really understand?"

Nan Zan nodded again.

One sentence, two meanings. Emperor Song He of the Great Li Song Clan must remain on the throne; otherwise, the country would be leaderless, causing turbulence in both the court and the countryside.

Also, if something unexpected happened to Emperor Song He, the court would have to replace him, someone would have to ascend immediately, perhaps even on the same day. It was still the same: cannot be without a ruler for a single day.

As for a grain of Lu Wei's mind, it was forcibly stuffed into an illusory shell, witnessing a series of scenes in the river of time.

In a phantom battlefield, the Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor and thirteen other peak old Throne great demons stood in a line, as if Lu Wei alone was confronting them.

This made Lu Wei's Dao heart totter.

On the ground, the old Throne great demon Fei Fei was dragging a suspended river.

On the summit of a great mountain, the peak great demon named Yuanxiong stood with the River Maiden, and a sword light seemed to fly straight toward Lu Wei.

...

Just as Lu Wei's Dao heart was about to shatter.

Finally, he arrived at Apricot Flower Lane, which Lu Wei knew all too well. There was a middle-aged man there, running a stall selling sugar-coated hawthorns.

That man, with a half-smile and half-word, said to the Yin-Yang Lu Clan ancestor, "Long time no see, you failure, Lu Wei."

His Dao heart shattered with a bang, like a glass vessel falling to the ground.

Lu Wei knew it was obviously the work of that young Hidden Official, yet he still couldn't control his mind from collapsing.

The disheartened grain of Lu Wei's mind was then pulled to the entrance of a certain "mansion." The door wasn't closed. Inside, a cultivator was sitting cross-legged, with a desk in front of him, seemingly writing something with a brush.

Seeing Lu Wei, the man immediately looked up, a look of surprise and excitement on his face. He quickly stood up and walked to the door, but didn't dare take a single step outside. He just asked eagerly in the elegant language of the Barren Wilderness, "Fellow Daoist, where are you from in the Barren Wilderness?"

Lu Wei was fluent in the Barren Wilderness elegant language. He hesitated for a moment, then said hoarsely, "Central Continent Lu Clan. And you?"

The man suddenly laughed loudly: "Good, good, excellent! Fellow sufferers in the same boat."

Misery loves company, whether you're from home or Haoran.

I hope we can be neighbors and have someone to talk to.

The "person" before Lu Wei was none other than Yinlu, the former deputy city lord of the Immortal Hairpin City, which had been broken in two. Previously, Chen Ping'an had captured one of his souls and tossed him here.

Now, Immortal Hairpin City was blocked by two mountain and water talismans. The Yaoguang Blessed Land, which had served as a Barren Wilderness armory, was also gone. This Yinlu here envied the other Yinlu, who at least had his freedom. Even if he had dropped from Immortal Realm to Jade Pure Realm, so what? He was still surrounded by beauties and indulging in pleasures every day. With his master Xuanpu dead, that "self" might even have become city lord by now.

Poor me, locked up here, burying my head in writing.

Recording all my experiences in the Barren Wilderness in books.

According to that young Hidden Official, if he didn't write a million words, he wouldn't see the light of day again. If the content was decent, maybe he'd be allowed to go out for a walk and a look.

Back at the banquet outside the small world.

Xiao Mo suddenly said softly, "Master."

Chen Ping'an was currently looking down at his fist containing the Thunder Bureau, his eyes unusually bright.

After hearing Xiao Mo's address, Chen Ping'an ignored him.

Xiao Mo had to call out "Master" again.

Chen Ping'an then looked up and smiled at Xiao Mo.

Nan Zan and Lu Wei had always thought this unfamiliar-looking "stranger" was a Dao guardian from the Sword Qi Great Wall.

But not at all. On the contrary, this time Xiao Mo was accompanying Chen Ping'an to the palace to visit two old acquaintances, specifically to remind Chen Ping'an to restrain himself at certain moments.

Chen Ping'an opened his fingers. Lu Wei's soul instantly returned to its place. He immediately took a purple-blue talisman from his sleeve and wiped it on his neck.

An Immortal who had reached a bottleneck had dropped to Jade Pure Realm without even fighting a single blow.

This was an unparalleled disgrace in the mountain world.

How to deal with this Lu Clan ancestor? Chen Ping'an actually didn't have many options. Lu Wei wasn't the Yinlu of Immortal Hairpin City. Chen Ping'an didn't dare to separate his soul and keep it in the forbidden formation of his own small personal heavenly realm. So either he would refine all his soul, making Lu Wei rely on a continuation lamp in the family ancestral hall, like Huai Qian, and start cultivating anew. Or he would do something like this to make him drop realms. The only unexpected thing was that Lu Wei's Dao heart was far more fragile than Chen Ping'an had anticipated. It was likely that Teacher Qi and Zou Zi had both left indelible imprints on Lu Wei's Dao heart, causing him great suffering.

Of course, now he himself could barely count as one more.

For the past few years, Chen Ping'an had regarded the entire Central Continent Lu Clan as an imaginary enemy of a Fourteen Realm great cultivator.

It seemed he hadn't overestimated them at all.

Even if they didn't have a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator, or even an Immortal Realm one, Chen Ping'an's wariness of the Central Continent Lu Clan would not diminish in the slightest.

Today's Lu Wei was merely suppressed by Xiao Mo, and Chen Ping'an had done a few things by going with the flow. It could hardly be called a game of chess with the Central Continent Lu Clan.

Chen Ping'an picked up the chopstick from the table and looked at Lu Wei, who had suffered heavy losses in today's calamity. "The mountains are high and the rivers long. Take care of yourself."

Lu Wei seemed to have become a different person. He nodded. "A man should listen to advice. I'll keep that in mind."

Just now, on the "road," the figure in blue robes, with his hands in his sleeves, had walked side by side with a grain of Lu Wei's mind. He had turned his head and asked with a smile, "We are all mortals. Do you fear the result but not the cause?"

A myriad mortal world, a bitter sea vast as the sky. Mortals fear the result; those on the peaks fear the cause.

At that time, Lu Wei hadn't known how to answer.

Then the figure in blue robes had laughed again, patted his stomach, and said a strange thing: "My empty stomach is growling, unbearably hungry. May I ask, Lord Lu, what should I do?"

Lu Wei still had no answer.

Stopping by the table, Chen Ping'an said, "Don't bother Great Li anymore. It's up to you whether you listen or not."

Lu Wei looked at Lu Jiang.

Chen Ping'an finally smiled. "As for the sword inquiry from your Central Continent Lu Clan this time, I, Chen Ping'an, and Luopo Mountain hereby officially accept the sword."

Lu Wei stood up, made a Daoist bow to Chen Ping'an, and then his form dissipated.

Only a bewildered and suspicious Nan Zan remained.

Why didn't he just kill Lu Wei in one fell swoop?! Letting a tiger return to the mountain!

Chen Ping'an casually tossed the chopstick onto the table, chuckling. "Are you telling me how to do things?"

Nan Zan felt as if her throat was being strangled.

What the hell was going on today? She couldn't even say a single thought in her mind!

Chen Ping'an pointed at the chopstick. "It's a gift for you. You can wear it as a hairpin in your hair. Every time you look in the mirror, let it remind you that you are Nan Zan, no longer Lu Jiang. A hairpin is hard to pin."

Nan Zan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and picked up the chopstick from the edge of the table.

Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, not leaving immediately.

Nan Zan didn't dare say anything. She just stood there. But at that moment, behind her back, the hand gripping the green bamboo chopstick was bulging with veins.

Then the other man laughed and said, "You don't thank me for a gift? Who spoiled you with such bad habits?"

Nan Zan could only dejectedly perform a curtsy, forcing a smile, and thanked him.

Chen Ping'an left with Xiao Mo.

After an intense inner struggle, Nan Zan still used her mind to chase after the figure in blue, asking, "Can I really completely sever ties with the Central Continent Lu Clan?"

Without turning his head, Chen Ping'an said, "Who knows."

They walked together toward the palace gate, with tall walls on both sides.

Chen Ping'an said, "Strangers meet on the road, each ties their own knot. In the world of life, each repays their own debt."

Xiao Mo's eyes lit up. "Hearing the master put it that way, I realize that I stumbled upon such a good name for myself."

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "The name 'Mo Sheng' (Stranger) is quite grand. The Dao name 'Xi Zhu' (Joyful Candle) is very festive. The nickname 'Xiao Mo' (Little Mo) is very small."

Xiao Mo was silent for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Master, I have several life-bound flying swords. Why don't you help me rename them all?"

"I am indeed good at naming things, but I don't usually do it lightly."

Chuyi (First Day), Shiwu (Fifteenth Day).

Zhangbu (Account Book), Kanchai (Chopping Wood).

And of course, Nuan Shu (Warm Tree) and Jing Qing (Clear Scene).

He had been hurt by that before.

But that old account had nothing to do with the little girl Nuan Shu; it all had to be pinned on Chen Lingjun.

Chen Ping'an turned his head and asked, "How many life-bound flying swords exactly?"

Xiao Mo smiled sheepishly. "Only four. Their ranks are all average."

Chen Ping'an patted Xiao Mo's shoulder. "Xiao Mo, you can't handle a little praise, can you? You're not very good at talking."

Xiao Mo hesitated for a moment, then still said in his mind, "Master, there's something I'm not sure I should say?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Then don't say it."

Xiao Mo hummed in acknowledgment and didn't voice that thought.

On that ancient land, back when Xiao Mo had just learned swordsmanship and began to travel the world with his sword, he was once fortunate enough to see an existence with his own eyes, one that came from the heavens and walked the mortal world.

The master beside him was very much like that "person" oh.

Time passed slowly. Ten thousand years later, Xiao Mo could no longer remember anything about the other's appearance or voice. For some reason, Xiao Mo also forgot what they had talked about after meeting, or perhaps nothing had been said at all. Only a vague impression remained, one that Xiao Mo had never worn away in ten thousand years. To this day, Xiao Mo only remembered that the other seemed to have an extremely, extremely good temper. The only remaining impression was utterly unreasonable.

When that person looked at all things in heaven and earth, at all sentient beings with souls, it was with that same gentle look in the eyes.