Chapter 890: Subordinate Sect

Chapter 890: Subordinate Sect

Oxhorn Ferry.

Green mountains rose from the ground, green waters flowed eastward. Wild geese were in the autumn sky.

An enormous ferry boat slowly approached the shore, its momentum astonishing. Huge ripples of spiritual energy stirred the mountain winds. Compared to ordinary immortal ferry boats, it appeared exceptionally colossal, like a dragon that had temporarily descended to play in a shallow pool. This was the Wind Kite ferry boat, a vessel whose repairs hadn't cost the Fallen Mountain a single coin.

Only Zhong Qiu and Cui Wei were accompanying this ferry boat back to Dragon Province territory, completing the Wind Kite's first return voyage across continents.

Chen Ping'an clasped his fists and smiled, "You've worked hard."

With this opening line from the mountain lord, a cacophony of clasped fists and "hard work" greetings followed in response.

Zhong Qiu couldn't help but smile as he returned the greeting with a bow. Cui Wei, somewhat unaccustomed to this, merely returned the clasped fists.

Chen Ping'an was the most helpless. He had genuinely wanted to express his gratitude for their hard work, but instead, it ended up sounding like a joke to everyone.

For this trip, a considerable number of people from Fallen Mountain were accompanying Chen Ping'an on the distant journey.

The mountain lord brought a group of his direct disciples: the Stopping Realm martial artist Pei Qian, the sword cultivator Guo Zhujiu, the Fifth Realm martial artist Zhao Shuxia, and the Qi refiner Zhao Luan.

The honored retainer Xiao Mo, wearing a yellow hat and green shoes, carrying a book box and a mountain-traveling staff, looked more like a frail scholar traveling to study.

There was also Mi Yu, who was about to become the chief honored retainer of the subordinate sect, and Yu Xiehui, who had left the Sword Worshipping Terrace for a distant journey.

When the child saw Cui Wei, he stubbornly addressed him as "Master" with reluctance, then snorted coldly, probably feeling too aggrieved.

Although Cui Wei was surprised, he still nodded silently, a trace of a smile appearing in his eyes. All beginnings are difficult; as long as Yu Xiehui was willing to call him "Master," Cui Wei was fully confident that the child wouldn't have taken him as a master for nothing.

Fallen Mountain's Law Keeper, Changming, brought her newly accepted disciple, Nalan Yudie.

If she couldn't teach any profound sword techniques, could she not afford to pay for them? With so many sword cultivators on Fallen Mountain—Jiang Shangzhen, Mi Yu, Cui Wei, Sui Youbian... all she had to do was buy a sword technique manual or two from each of them.

The Law Keeper Changming currently also served as the chief manager of the Wind Kite ferry boat. After Cui Dongshan became the sect master of the subordinate sect, in a secret letter sent to the Great Li capital, he earnestly requested his master to ensure this arrangement, even if the Law Keeper wasn't entirely willing, asking his master to help persuade her.

As for the reason, it was obvious: this Law Keeper of the sect was a veritable treasure trove.

Because of the profit-sharing from this Wind Kite ferry boat, the upper and subordinate sects split it at seventy-thirty.

It could be said that Cui Dongshan, as the subordinate sect master, spared no effort in poaching resources.

Cui Dongshan wanted a sixty-forty split, but Chen Ping'an naturally didn't agree. Was this student crazy for money?

Additionally, there was Jia Sheng, the manager of the Grass Head Shop on Riding Dragon Alley, and Chen Lingjun, who was purely there for the excitement.

The second manager of this cross-continent ferry boat was precisely the blind Daoist Jia Sheng. This old immortal of the Dragon Gate Realm would be responsible for managing the ferry boat's relationships with various ferries and immortal sects along the route. Navigating human relationships was a great knowledge.

The mountain had several notoriously difficult figures among the sword cultivators, but in Jia Sheng's view, there were two other types of people who were the hardest to deal with, because they were the most difficult to get along with for long periods without becoming bored: one was the literati from small places, and the other was the registered immortals from halfway up the mountain.

Fortunately, Jia Sheng considered himself to have some experience in the martial world.

At that time, the mountain lord himself had visited Riding Dragon Alley and personally brought up this matter with Jia Sheng, who had been acting as the shop's manager for many years.

Old Immortal Jia was uncontrollably excited, only repeating the phrase, "How could I be worthy of this? My talents are not equal to my position."

Despite saying that, since it was the mountain lord's intention, and he thought highly of this old bones, what else could he do? An old steed in the stable still aspired to gallop a thousand miles. If such a heavy burden fell upon his shoulders, he couldn't refuse it; he just had to give it his all.

Previously, Cui Dongshan had admonished the old immortal, making him take off his eye-catching Daoist robe. Now that his status had changed and he had been promoted, he couldn't let various immortal masters look down on his sect, could he? So the old immortal brought out his treasured Daoist robe, which he hadn't worn for a long time, bathed and changed clothes. Feeling refreshed and revitalized, he looked even more like an immortal.

Xian Wei refused to move, saying he needed to take it slow.

Boarding the deck, Chen Ping'an stood at the bow, waving goodbye to those who had come to the ferry to see them off.

Chen Ping'an had previously asked Bai Xuan if he was willing to learn swordsmanship from Xiao Mo. He had truthfully told the child about Xiao Mo's Daoist roots and cultivation realm.

Bai Xuan shook his head and refused, saying it had nothing to do with Xiao Mo being of demon race origin. Since Xiao Mo had been sleeping for ten thousand years and had no enmity with the Sword Qi Great Wall, he just didn't want to find a master.

There was a sentence the child didn't say out loud.

He already had a master.

At that time, Chen Ping'an patted the child's head and said there was no need to force it. He should just practice his swordsmanship diligently from now on, not just talk about it, and not squander his talent for sword practice. He shouldn't disappoint his master.

There was also another pair of master and disciple, who had already been recorded in the ancestral hall registry of Fallen Mountain. Their story was a bit more joyful.

Yao Xiaoyan, haha. White-Haired Boy, hehe.

When the master and disciple were reunited, there were no dramatic twists. It was probably something like this scene.

Zhang Jiazhen, who had been calculating accounts with Wei Wenlong on Fallen Mountain for many years, would gain experience on the ferry boat in the future. Wind Kite had already set aside a separate account room for him.

This was also Cui Dongshan's idea.

As for Jiang Qu, who was both a fellow townsman and of the same age, he had officially settled down to cultivate in seclusion at Grey Mist Mountain. Jiang Qu didn't have a clear teacher-student relationship for now. He was the only genuine talisman cultivator on Fallen Mountain. Jiang Qu would frequently send flying sword messages to the chief honored retainer of Cloud City, consulting with the true person Huan Yun on talisman knowledge. This time, when the Hidden Official returned to his hometown, he also gave him a hand-copied talisman manual. On the title page was written "Dan Shu Zhen Ji" in regular script, and at the end was a smaller character meaning "upper volume."

Zhang Shanfeng didn't accompany Chen Ping'an on the boat to Parasol Leaf Continent. He planned to travel alone across Vase Continent, slaying demons and monsters along the way. He would certainly not miss the Fallen Mountain subordinate sect ceremony.

Chen Ping'an didn't stop him. After all, Zhang Shanfeng's senior brother was also one of Fallen Mountain's honored guests. Yuan Lingdian of Finger Pointing Peak was actually secretly protecting his junior brother along the way. Chen Ping'an had known about this earlier in Qingyuan Commandery and had even sought out Yuan Lingdian for a drinking session. After talking, he learned that this true lord had an opportunity for breakthroughs and was waiting to take Zhang Shanfeng back to their hometown. Then Yuan Lingdian would go into seclusion, preparing to break through to the Immortal realm.

In their conversation, True Lord Yuan appeared quite proud of having snatched the responsibility of escorting from his fellow senior brothers.

On the deck of the ferry boat, there were only two floors, with over forty rooms.

Beneath the deck, there were three levels of cabins used for storing cargo.

The ferry boat's crew wasn't complicated. Over sixty talisman puppets and metal-armored giants meticulously crafted by Cui Dongshan were named Rain Workers, Metal Masters, Mountain Carriers, Fish Touchers, etc. Chen Ping'an was hearing these names for the first time. They would be responsible for the daily maintenance of the ferry boat and for surveying secret geographic features along the boat's route. According to Zhong Qiu, these talisman puppets, numbering nearly a hundred, were like the metal talisman masters who resembled Yin-Yang geographers. Cui Dongshan had casually thrown them among the mountains and rivers of Parasol Leaf Continent to search for treasures everywhere.

Additionally, there were two ghostly beings of Earth Immortal level who were proficient in formations. They were new faces and would probably be included in the subordinate sect's ancestral hall registry in the future.

Since this Wind Kite ferry boat was specifically for commercial routes and didn't earn immortal money from registered immortals on sightseeing trips, outsiders were not allowed to board. Therefore, the empty rooms on the two floors could also be used to store goods if no one was living in them.

Chen Ping'an headed straight for the cabins, wanting to familiarize himself with the inner workings of the Wind Kite ferry boat as quickly as possible, especially to inspect the few formation hubs.

Zhong Qiu led the way at the front of the stairs, introducing with a smile, "For a cross-continent ferry boat, three things are of utmost importance: wind resistance speed, sturdiness, and finally, how much 'money' it consumes per voyage, meaning how much spiritual energy it uses. These three aspects are interconnected. Any weak link might lead to accidents or financial losses."

Cui Wei held back for a moment but ultimately couldn't help himself and said, "Teacher Zhong, the Hidden Official is actually already very familiar with the intricacies of running a cross-continent ferry boat."

Back in those days at the Spring Fan Studio of Hanging Mountain, which was considered the "branch office" of the Summer Pavilion, the new Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall had indeed dealt quite a bit with the managers of cross-continent ferry boats.

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "It's still a bit different. Back then, I dealt more with account books. I actually know very little about the knowledge concerning the ferry boat itself. The more detailed Teacher Zhong's explanation today, the better."

Regarding navigation speed, various sects and immortal mansions that owned ferry boats had various auxiliary methods. For example, the ferry boat of the Hemp Garment Sect had a large group of talisman giants dragging the boat through the clouds, like boat trackers towing a vessel, making it fast as thunder.

Furthermore, a ferry boat, especially a cross-continent one, must have a sufficiently robust hull to withstand the wind and rain, thunder and lightning in the sky, and to endure some natural and man-made disasters. This required the construction and carving of a large number of landscape restrictions and talisman formations. When Chen Ping'an first took the nine children away from the Creation Cave on Reed Flower Island, before encountering the female immortal Cong Qian, he had seen a cross-continent ferry boat heading to Parasol Leaf Continent from afar. The boat was surrounded by colorful clothes fluttering like flying celestial maidens. This was because talisman grandmasters had painted dragon maidens and daffodils on the ferry boat's walls.

In the Bright World, whether an immortal ferry boat could withstand a full-powered sword strike from an Earth Immortal or Jade Pu realm sword immortal was two major thresholds and touchstones.

Furthermore, the matter of the ferry boat's consumption of "money" in the form of spiritual energy was highly intricate. For instance, the Osmanthus Island of Old Dragon City, although slow, had a unique advantage in this regard. Because Lady Laureate was stationed there, and there was an Osmanthus tree in the center of the island, originally from the Pure Yang Moon Palace, which, like a Dao attainment master, could absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth on its own. Therefore, although Osmanthus Island was slow on the sea, it consumed very little money.

In contrast, this cross-continent ferry boat we got from the Xuanmi Dynasty's secret treasury was extremely fast, worthy of the name "Wind Kite." However, the original two offensive and defensive formation hubs were already abandoned. So Cui Dongshan had to do it himself, inlaying many Yellow and Purple talismans. The magical root of this technique imitated the continuous reinforcement of talismans layered on the main gate of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion. Wind Kite's defensive formation was still just a prototype, but its biggest advantage was something like an "endless" stacking of formations.

Earlier, Zhong Qiu said that Cui Dongshan had already started drawing subsequent formation diagrams, intending to transform the Wind Kite ferry boat into something like the sword boats of the Great Li military.

It was obvious that Cui Dongshan wanted to build this ferry boat, within a hundred years, into a mobile mountain sect that could be relocated.

And for these precious talismans and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, Cui Dongshan had not taken a single Snow Flower Coin from Fallen Mountain's treasury.

Only in terms of spiritual energy consumption did the Wind Kite far exceed the average level of cross-continent ferry boats. Chen Ping'an now suspected that Yu Panshui was deliberately waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Chen Ping'an followed Zhong Qiu, examining every part of the three levels of cabins and two of the formation centers.

They arrived at a spacious room containing a map of mountain rivers covering the routes across three continents. The rises and falls of mountains along the ferry route, the winding of rivers, the sizes of immortal mansions and mountain peaks—all were clear at a glance.

The Wind Kite's cross-continent route roughly constituted a north-south line. The northernmost ferry point on the three continents was the Dayuan Dynasty in the middle reaches of the Ji River in North Julu Continent, as well as Cloud City, Skeleton Beach, etc. After crossing the sea, there was the northernmost Beam Crossing Ferry in Vase Continent, the Eternal Spring Palace in the Great Li capital region, our own Oxhorn Mountain, the Central Marchmount, the Southern Marchmount, Old Dragon City. On Parasol Leaf Continent, there was the northern Green Tiger Palace, the central Great Spring Dynasty, and further south, the Jade Gui Sect, and the southernmost Qu Mountain Ferry on the continent... These were just the relatively important mountain ferry points. According to this map, the total number of mountain ferry points in the future would reach seventeen. However, nearly half of them were either too small or too dilapidated for the Wind Kite to dock for commerce at present.

Chen Ping'an extended two fingers and gently traced an outlined miniature mountain called Picking Mushroom Mountain on the map. Originally no bigger than a mustard seed, suddenly this mountain, a reserve mountain for the Southern Marchmount, had a foundation as large as a tabletop. Chen Ping'an focused slightly and looked closely: the mountain's divine path temples, pavilions, and towers were all incredibly detailed. He pressed down lightly again, and Picking Mushroom Mountain instantly returned to its original size. With a gentle brush of his sleeve, Picking Mushroom Mountain drifted off the map like a ball of light and hovered against the wall. With a wave of his hand, the mountain returned to its original position on the map. Then he clenched his fist and suddenly opened it, and Chen Ping'an found himself standing in a cliffside pavilion on Picking Mushroom Mountain. Beside him was a leaning pine tree, its roots embedded in the cliff face, its gnarled branches stretching horizontally across the forehead of the pavilion's plaque like a scholar skillfully painting a lady's eyebrows. Strangely, sunlight streamed in, passing through the ancient pine's branches and leaves, filling the pavilion with patches of light like golden fish scales.

Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves, as if truly standing in the pavilion on Picking Mushroom Mountain. He gazed into the distance, his blue robe covered in golden light.

Dispelling this scenic phenomenon, Chen Ping'an said to Zhong Qiu with a smile, "In the future, we can receive guests here, invite people for tea or wine. The scenery is excellent. We can freely shrink the distance to the mountains and rivers at will, choosing scenic spots according to our preference. It's no different from two Fourteen-Embrace Grand Cultivators traveling together."

Zhong Qiu nodded with a smile.

Cui Wei was dumbfounded.

A map of mountains and rivers could be used to such an extent?!

This Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator was indeed an honest man.

Zhong Qiu suddenly laughed and extended his hand to Cui Wei. The sword cultivator silently handed over a Small Summer Coin.

Zhong Qiu pocketed the Small Summer Coin and said with a smile, "Next time, I'll treat Brother Cui to a drink."

Chen Ping'an looked a bit puzzled.

Zhong Qiu explained, "Before we arrived, I made a bet with Cui Wei. I wagered that the first thing the mountain lord would do when he got on the Wind Kite was to thoroughly inspect the cabins. Cui Wei thought the first thing the mountain lord would do upon boarding was to choose a room, then only take a cursory glance at the cabins below deck."

Chen Ping'an said it was all in good fun, all the while sending a voice transmission to Cui Wei: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? You should have informed me the moment we boarded. I would have definitely helped you win that Small Summer Coin. We could have split the profits afterward. Regardless of who ended up with the larger share, it would have been better than you losing money, right?"

Cui Wei had nothing to say in response.

Such unscrupulous tricks were not something he could do.

Cui Wei had never quite believed a rumor before, but now he had no doubts. Back in his hometown, there was a shop where nine out of ten drunkards were shills.

Chen Ping'an's four direct disciples were currently gathered in a room, sitting around a table.

Guo Zhujiu still had the appearance of a young girl, with a worn inkstone hanging at her waist. She sat opposite Pei Qian.

After a long separation, they were glad to see each other, yet also felt a bit haggard.

After arriving at Fallen Mountain, Guo Zhujiu unequivocally acknowledged Pei Qian as her senior sister and even acknowledged Zhao Shuxia as her senior brother and Zhao Luan as her senior sister.

Zhao Luan felt a bit uneasy, but Guo Zhujiu gave a perfectly justifiable reason: "Zhao Luan, you're so beautiful. It would be a waste if you weren't a senior sister."

As long as Hidden Official Master hasn't formally accepted a closing disciple, I will always be considered half a closing disciple, and there will be more and more senior sisters and senior brothers!

After all, the emperor favored his youngest son!

Pei Qian asked about some matters from the Multicolor World. However, the moment she asked and saw Guo Zhujiu's posture, Pei Qian regretted it immediately.

Because Guo Zhujiu was already prepared. She poured a bowl of tea for everyone, then took out over ten pages of paper, coughed a few times, and began to read aloud.

Zhao Shuxia and Zhao Luan listened with great interest—it was about the local customs and strange tales of a brand new world.

But when Guo Zhujiu pulled out another stack of paper from her sleeve, holding a bowl of water to moisten her throat with one hand and vigorously shaking the paper with the other, making a rustling sound...

The siblings suddenly understood their senior sister's feelings.

After the two finally endured a vividly emotional "storytelling session," one said they needed to practice their fists, and the other said they needed to practice breathing, and they both made a quick escape.

This room was Pei Qian's quarters, so she couldn't hide.

Guo Zhujiu lay on the table, saying that the small bamboo box was left at the Summer Pavilion as a treasure that guards the house. She would return it to Senior Sister Pei when they traveled to the Multicolor World together in the future.

Pei Qian propped her chin on one hand, looking out the window, and said it was fine.

Guo Zhujiu pressed her cheek against the table, looking at Pei Qian, and asked curiously, "Pei Qian, is your bun hairstyle troublesome to maintain? If it's not too much trouble, I'll tie mine like that tomorrow."

Pei Qian smiled faintly. "It's very simple. I can teach you step by step."

Guo Zhujiu lifted her head and pressed the other cheek against the table. "Pei Qian, I heard there's a custom of making bridal pranks here. When the time comes, can I hide under your bed?"

Pei Qian rolled her eyes. "You'll be married off before I ever am."

Guo Zhujiu chuckled and blinked. "Little Mi Li said you've made quite a name for yourself in the martial world. Tell me about it?"

Pei Qian shook her head. "Little Mi Li was exaggerating and adding spice to the story."

Just as she expected Guo Zhujiu to continue giving her headaches, she soon heard faint snoring. Guo Zhujiu had actually fallen asleep.

The ferry boat sailed south.

The moon surged over the vast river; a solitary mast stood in the night boat.

Looking up, there was the moon; looking down, the mortal world.

On this night of the thousand-autumn moon, its pure light shone upon a million homes.

Old Immortal Jia and Chen Lingjun, brothers, were enjoying the moon with a drink, chatting together.

The old Daoist stroked his beard and mused, "If I have a chance, I need to send a letter to Chief Zhou quickly."

Chen Lingjun asked doubtfully, "What for? Short on money? When little Zhang the accountant distributes our salaries next time, you can take my share too."

My money is my brother's money, and my brother's money is money for wine.

The old Daoist sighed deeply, "If Brother Zhou doesn't come back soon, I'm afraid his position as chief might not be secure."

Chen Lingjun suddenly understood. "Exactly, exactly! This brother Xiao Mo of ours is indeed a kindred spirit and a formidable rival for Brother Zhou!"

The two brothers looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Don't blame us brothers for lacking loyalty in the martial world; it's just that Xiao Mo is too nice of a guy.

Chen Ping'an was quite surprised to meet the disciple of Wei Xian so soon: a young girl under ten years old, her surname Chai, her given name Wu.

Wei Xian was about to follow an elite border army of Great Li to the Barbaric World. At the new Old Dragon City, he temporarily brought the girl to the ferry boat midway and gave her a letter to personally deliver to Mountain Lord Chen Ping'an.

The girl had a delicate, quiet appearance. She wasn't short for her age but was a bit thinner than her peers.

For some reason, Chen Ping'an always had a strange feeling that this young girl, despite her tender age, had the words "I want to drink" written all over her face.

Chen Ping'an opened the envelope. After reading the letter, he felt that his strange feeling was justified.

Wei Xian only asked Chen Ping'an to find a few experts to teach the girl some mountain immortal techniques. It would be even better if the mountain lord was willing to teach her himself.

There was no need to worry about her biting off more than she could chew. Whatever she was taught, she would learn. Whether she succeeded or not would depend on her own fortune.

Wei Xian had only one request: Chai Wu's fist techniques must be taught by the master himself.

At the end of the letter, Wei Xian specifically mentioned that Chai Wu had to drink every day, and Fallen Mountain should not treat her poorly. It wouldn't be for free; he would pay back the money later.

When talking to Mountain Lord Chen Ping'an, the young girl showed no fear. Sitting on a chair with her hands on her knees, she was neither restrained nor lazy.

She was just like an innocent market girl, no different.

Chen Ping'an asked a question, and she answered one.

Perhaps because of her slender figure, the girl's eyes seemed particularly large.

Chen Ping'an took out a flask of wine and handed it to Chai Wu, saying with a smile, "Your master said you should drink half a jin every day. Remember to control your alcohol intake."

The girl finally showed a hint of shyness. She smiled, looking a little embarrassed. After taking the flask, she promised, "I'll only drink two bowls of wine, which is four liang, not even half a jin."

According to Wei Xian's letter, Chai Wu's alcohol tolerance was as good as his own.

She usually drank half a jin of spirits; any more and she would vomit, but she could vomit and then continue drinking. She could handle a full jin without getting dizzy. But if she drank too little, it wouldn't be satisfying...

Hugging the wine flask, the girl turned to the door and asked, "Mountain Lord, should I close the door?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "As you wish."

The girl then helped close the door.

Xiao Mo had been sitting quietly at the table, secretly observing Chai Wu. After she left and closed the door, he got straight to the point: "Young Master, I intend to separate my natal flying sword and bestow it upon Chai Wu."

Xiao Mo added, "I wish to do this immediately."

It was because this young girl named Chai Wu possessed exceptional talent for cultivation.

Even Xiao Mo, who had seen countless peak talents, was profoundly amazed upon first seeing Chai Wu. She was simply a natural prodigy, favored by heaven.

Not only did heaven bestow its grace upon her, but it also seemed to fear she might not get enough and provided her with a bountiful vessel.

For ordinary people who enter the mountains to cultivate, those in the lower five realms refining Qi must rely on the Bridge of Longevity to connect the two worlds of heaven and earth. Then they painstakingly extract impurities and differentiate purity from turbidity, which is quite arduous. Additionally, they need to open their innate acupoints as cave heavens and blessed lands within their own small world, which is another difficult task.

Xiao Mo rarely showed such decisiveness. He explained, "I believe the Young Master has already seen that Chai Wu faces no obstacles in absorbing spiritual energy. Even if you were to directly throw a pile of immortal money at her, she could devour it all with almost no loss. Such a cultivation prodigy should start training as early as possible and receive as much investment as possible. If she had fallen into the hands of the Liu clan of Ai Ai Continent, I suspect Chai Wu's training ground would have been inside that Money God's treasury."

If Chai Wu were to acquire Xiao Mo's flying sword and successfully refine it as her natal object, her speed of absorbing spiritual energy would become even more astonishing, like a whale swallowing water or a dragon drawing it up.

Chen Ping'an was a bit hesitant.

Xiao Mo chuckled. "The Young Master is overthinking. I am simply giving her this natal flying sword for free, without any intention of claiming any teacher-student title. I definitely will not compete with General Wei for his disciple. If possible, the Young Master doesn't even need to mention that it came from me."

The earlier she received the sword, the earlier she could refine it, and the greater the benefit to Chai Wu's Dao path.

Chen Ping'an frowned. "That is only one aspect. What about your own cultivation realm?"

Even if Xiao Mo was absolutely certain he wouldn't lose a realm, it would still inevitably damage his cultivation and affect his sword's killing power.

As Little Mi Li once said inadvertently, "No one in the world earns money easily."

And the same goes for cultivation.

Xiao Mo was unusually unconcerned. He smiled and said, "Just as Mi Yu's Jade Pu realm bottleneck is no ordinary bottleneck, Xiao Mo's peak of the Ascension Realm is no ordinary peak either."

In terms of dealing with people and matters, Xiao Mo had already learned a great deal from his Young Master—neither arrogant nor self-deprecating.

For instance, when traveling, losing a realm is a sign of respect, just like the saying "bottoms up, as you wish" at a drinking table.

In reality, a slight loss in cultivation didn't affect Xiao Mo much.

If there ever came a moment for a life-or-death sword strike, it would simply be a matter of unleashing that decisive hidden flying sword.

Thus, bestowing the sword was not an act of arrogance on Xiao Mo's part, nor did it mean he underestimated the killing power of Bright World cultivators at the peak.

Including himself, none of the long-slumbering cultivators from the Barbaric World were easy to deal with.

Xiao Mo was sure he wasn't the one with the greatest killing power, nor the one with the strongest defense.

But he was certain of one thing: he was among the top three in both offense and defense.

Anyway, he wouldn't be interfering with the Barbaric World anymore.

And in this Bright World, there weren't many peak cultivators with whom Xiao Mo would need to fight to the death—probably only around ten or so.

Moreover, a considerable number of them were on good terms with his Young Master.

For example, Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, Yu Xuan of talismans, the Great Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Fiery Dragon True Man, and Liu Juba.

Chen Ping'an asked seriously, "Xiao Mo, have you truly thought this through?"

Xiao Mo nodded. "Then I'll trouble the Young Master to pass on this sword."

He pinched his fingers together, as if grasping something, and then a vivid red color, like a flowing dragon of sword energy, appeared in his hand.

It was actually his carefully refined natal flying sword, forcibly extracted and pulled from his innate acupoint, finally condensing into a three-inch-long fiery red sword pellet...

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but curse, "Xiao Mo, you bastard!"

For a sword cultivator to strip away their natal flying sword is a matter that harms the very foundation of their Dao path. It wasn't something Xiao Mo could just dismiss so lightly and casually!

Chen Ping'an had no choice but to immediately deploy the "Caged Sparrow" technique, helping to conceal the aura of this heaven-shattering event. Otherwise, the entire Wind Kite ferry boat would probably mistake it for a major cultivator's magical bombardment.

Then, Chen Ping'an took out a locust-wood sword box he had made himself, carefully storing away this nameless natal flying sword. He said, half in anger, half in exasperation, "Such an enormous meeting gift; I need to think carefully about how to present it and how to explain this matter to the young girl. I must make things clear. I'm not one to take credit for something I didn't do."

Xiao Mo, rarely joking, said, "As long as the Young Master doesn't embezzle this item."

Chen Ping'an stared blankly at Xiao Mo. Who taught him how to say that?

Previously, Zhu Lian had met with him privately and praised Xiao Mo profusely.

Because Xiao Mo had said to him, "Among Fallen Mountain, many have a childlike heart. I suppose it's due to the influence of what's near."

Xiao Mo gave an embarrassed smile. He really wasn't suited for such frivolous banter. He should just be himself.

And there was no better way to learn it than from the Young Master.

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "Let's name the flying sword 'Torch Succession.'"

A torch passed on, generation after generation.

He hoped that Chai Wu, blessed with this fortune, would cherish it on her future cultivation path. If she ever encountered someone with a similar fate, she could continue to pass this flying sword down, just as Xiao Mo had done today.

Xiao Mo smiled. "I'm starting to look forward to the future."

The Wind Kite ferry boat docked at an immortal ferry near the Central Marchmount, a place called Bitter Gourd Ferry, named after two connected lakes, one large and one small, resembling a gourd.

In reality, the lake water was extremely clear and cold. As for why the name included the character for "bitter," there had never been a clear explanation among the mountain cultivators.

At the ferry stood the Mountain Lord Jin Qing and a blue-robed scholar with a strong literary aura.

In addition, Lu Baixiang and his two disciples, Yuanbao and Yuanlai, were also there waiting for the Wind Kite. However, as the Gourd Ferry was bustling with people and activity, the master and his disciples had already quietly boarded the boat.

Lu Baixiang was currently an honored retainer on a reserve mountain of the Central Marchmount. His disciple Yuanlai had even stumbled upon a celestial opportunity in the mountains.

With Little Mi Li around, there was no piece of gossip that Chen Ping'an didn't know.

So, this time, when Yuanbao went to Parasol Leaf Continent and met Cao Qinglang, Chen Ping'an would have to observe carefully to see if that rumor was true or not.

Although Yuan Bai, one of the two former sword path prodigies of Old Zhu Ying, ultimately failed to leave Zhengyang Mountain and follow Jin Qing to cultivate at the Central Marchmount. Instead, she went to a place named Huang Mountain by Zhengyang Mountain's ancestral hall, responsible for establishing Zhengyang Mountain's subordinate sect. Once the sect's provisional status was removed, Yuan Bai would become its sect master. However, Yuan Bai's realm would likely stagnate at the Nascent Soul stage. This was one of the reasons Zhengyang Mountain felt assured in letting Yuan Bai oversee the future affairs of the subordinate sect.

Nevertheless, Mountain Lord Jin Qing was still grateful to Mountain Lord Chen for this favor. So he readily agreed that, from now on, the Wind Kite would receive a fifty percent discount on all docking fees at this ferry.

Actually, the last time Cui Dongshan was in charge of the ferry boat heading south to Parasol Leaf Continent, they had stopped at Bitter Gourd Ferry. On board at that time was a sword cultivator using the alias Shao Poxian. When Jin Qing boarded the boat, they did not meet.

But after the Mountain Lord disembarked and returned to his temple, he stood at the entrance, respectfully and solemnly bid farewell from afar with a bow to the ferry boat, which had vanished into the white clouds in an instant.

Chen Ping'an, accompanied by Xiao Mo, disembarked from the ferry. He quickened his pace with a smile, cupping his fists and greeting, "Greetings to Mountain Lord Jin, Prefectural Governor Wu."

The blue-robed scholar was an old acquaintance from Chen Ping'an's hometown—Wu Luan. Back then, in Huaihuang County, Dragon Province, he had hit a wall and suffered numerous soft rebuffs from the prominent families of Fuluchen and Taoye Alley in his official career. Ultimately, he left Dragon Province in disgrace, effectively being demoted to a small commandery at the foot of the Central Marchmount. Now, he was an official in a remote border region of Great Li. His official rank was still that of a prefectural governor. As a nominal disciple of State Preceptor Cui Chan and the first county magistrate of Huaihuang County, Dragon Province, his official career had been a spectacular trajectory of starting high and sinking low. In the eyes of the local officialdom, Prefectural Governor Wu would at most secure a sinecure in the auxiliary capital's minor nine courts and retire there. A posthumous title? Posthumous honors? Dream on!

But Chen Ping'an knew that Wu Luan would soon be transferred back and exceptionally promoted to the "newly appointed" prefectural governor of Old Dragon Province, the newly established Chu Province.

Jin Qing cupped his fists and laughed heartily, "Greetings, Mountain Lord Chen!"

Wu Luan returned the bow with a smile. "Wu Luan pays respects to Uncle-Master Chen."

Being addressed as "Little Uncle-Master" by Wu Luan made Chen Ping'an laugh helplessly.

Chen Ping'an had come today to discuss three matters with the Central Marchmount Mountain Lord: opening a quarry, logging timber, and purchasing river sand. None of these involved ordinary wood or stone. For instance, the ancient rosewood unique to a reserve mountain of the Central Marchmount was second only to Yuzhang timber in fame across Vase Continent. It was the preferred choice for the beams, pillars, and ceremonial paraphernalia of palaces in the central kingdoms of yore. The Zhu Ying Dynasty had even set up a procurement office at the foot of the mountain, monopolizing its extraction under the royal court. It wasn't sold by the tree but by the jin. Every inch of rosewood was worth its weight in gold.

Previously, Cui Dongshan had reached a tentative agreement with Jin Qing but failed to finalize the price. So, he had to let his master handle it personally.

Down south, on Parasol Leaf Continent, nearly every place was a ruin of old sites. Kingdoms were gradually being restored. There was an enormous demand for celestial timber and stone from the mountains. Of course, the vast and resource-rich Parasol Leaf Continent had its own supplies. But firstly, extraction was difficult, and secondly, various immortal sects also needed to restore their ancestral halls. They had to prioritize their own immortal mansions first. Moreover, on Parasol Leaf Continent, be it on the mountains or in the secular world, a trend of conspicuous consumption was flourishing. Everyone scrambled to play the fool—tightening their belts, running up debts, just to build imperial palaces and local cities on an even grander scale than before the war.

Xiao Mo quietly watched his Young Master converse jovially with a mountain lord and a prefectural governor. The issue of pricing didn't seem to require much haggling. It was as if Mountain Lord Jin Qing was simply waiting for his Young Master to show his face.

As for the quarry, logging, and riverbed sand extraction, Fallen Mountain didn't even need to send anyone to supervise. Mountain Lord Jin Qing simply asked Mountain Lord Chen to rest assured. It was a long-term business. There was no need to lose face for the Central Marchmount over a few immortal coins.

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile, agreeing.

For no reason, he thought of an immortal sect that had probably failed to consult the almanac before moving. They had barely relocated from the Northern Marchmount's territory under Wei Po to the Central Marchmount, only to run smack into a grand night tour banquet being hosted by Mountain Lord Jin Qing.

What a truly tear-jerking "unexpected delight"...

The Wind Kite continued its southward journey.

Zhong Qiu and Lu Baixiang, fellow townsmen from a blessed land, met again after a long separation and agreed to play a few rounds of chess.

Xiao Mo watched from the sidelines. A true gentleman watches chess without speaking.

A long stillness, only the sound of chess pieces falling on the board, one by one, silent.

In one room, Yu Xiehui sat cross-legged, practicing breathing and sword techniques, while Cui Wei observed his disciple's Qi flow, searching for subtle flaws.

Pei Qian was at the stern, teaching Zhao Shuxia fist techniques.

It was somewhat like teaching on behalf of the master.

Zhao Shuxia practiced his fists single-mindedly, focusing solely on the Mountain-Toppling Fist technique. Currently, he was at a bottleneck in the Fifth Realm of martial arts.

His realm was neither high nor low.

Not low, compared to ordinary pure martial artists. Not high, relative to his master's Fallen Mountain.

Whether it was seniors like Zhu Lian, Zhong Qiu, Lu Baixiang, Wei Xian, or peers like Pei Qian, Cen Yuanji, Yuanbao, and Yuanlai, Zhao Shuxia's martial arts journey over the years had been utterly ordinary. His talent was unquestionably the lowest.

Especially when facing Pei Qian, a grandmaster and fellow direct disciple of his master, Zhao Shuxia couldn't help but feel deeply inferior.

Teaching a fist without feeding the fist is as good as doing nothing.

In their sparring session, Pei Qian was extremely careful. Whether it was a punch, an elbow strike, or a kick, even though she stopped the moment she made contact, and it seemed light as a dragonfly skimming the water, Pei Qian, despite suppressing her realm, still made Zhao Shuxia suffer quite a bit.

When Pei Qian withdrew her fists and stopped, Zhao Shuxia's face was slightly pale, his arms trembling, and he seemed on the verge of collapse.

Both sides took a step back and cupped their fists at each other.

Pei Qian said softly, "Junior Brother Zhao, your fists are a bit rigid. A person delivering a punch must be willing to die, but if the fist's intent isn't alive, it ultimately lacks something."

Since they were from the same sect, Pei Qian was very restrained in her words, careful not to hurt her junior brother's self-esteem.

Zhao Shuxia wasn't stupid. He knew Senior Sister Pei meant well.

Feeding him the fist was a waste of her time.

Pei Qian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Junior Brother Zhao, the energy of your fists is actually very good. You have grasped the principle of 'righteousness.' Keep it up!"

Zhao Shuxia's six-step walking stance had long been practiced to perfection.

But martial arts duels weren't just about comparing fist techniques and stances. So even when fighting martial artists of the same realm, Zhao Shuxia didn't have much of an advantage.

Crossing realms to challenge someone was even more of a luxury.

Yet Pei Qian couldn't figure out why the master deliberately didn't teach Zhao Shuxia some advanced fist techniques.

That day, Chai Wu finished her two bowls of wine, placed the empty white bowls on the table, burped, and began her cultivation, continuing to refine the flying sword named "Torch Succession."

Earlier, the mountain lord had personally taught her a mystical technique for refining items. But the knowledge was too profound, with too many words and unfamiliar terms. She felt dizzy, as if she'd had too much to drink.

In the end, the mountain lord called Mr. Xiao Mo, who had given her the sword, to chat with her. After talking for a while, she roughly understood. She just needed to focus and spread that breath of Qi like a spiderweb. At most, she could just take seven or eight paths at once. Anyway, Mr. Xiao Mo had explained the routes clearly. With someone guiding her, all she had to do was follow along. It was no different from learning to fold paper from a master at a candle shop.

Chen Ping'an was sitting in Zhang Jiazhen's account room.

Nalan Yudie was helping out there. The young girl sat on a chair, shaking her head and humming a tune, flipping through account books with one hand while clicking a small abacus with the other.

From Wei Wenlong to Zhang Jiazhen to Nalan Yudie, it was clear that Fallen Mountain had no shortage of talent for accountants, with no worries about a gap in succession.

Chen Ping'an rubbed his brow, looking a bit helpless. He had just taught the young girl a refining technique, explaining the oral instructions twice.

Question and answer.

"Understand?"

"Don't understand."

"Remember the content?"

"Don't remember."

In the end, Chen Ping'an had no choice but to call for reinforcements, asking Xiao Mo to help teach the girl.

Chen Ping'an sat on the side, watching Xiao Mo ask questions and Chai Wu nod. The mountain lord was once again stunned into silence, silently drinking wine to calm himself down.

She finally understood.

Only cultivation geniuses can communicate with cultivation geniuses.

It was just like when Ning Yao taught Chen Ping'an fist techniques back in the day—different perspectives, but the same frustration.

Nalan Yudie asked curiously, "Hidden Official, that Central Marchmount rosewood takes up a lot of space. That's fine, because rosewood is valuable. But the stone and sand from the quarry and riverbed are heavy, bulky, and hard to price high. The Wind Kite is a cross-continent ferry boat! Transporting them from central Vase Continent all the way to Parasol Leaf Continent costs a lot. Won't we lose money? Why not let the Ink Flip ferry boat handle this short-distance business?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and turned to Zhang Jiazhen. "Jiazhen, explain the reason to Yudie."

Zhang Jiazhen said, "Nowadays, all the kingdoms on Parasol Leaf Continent are in ruins and need everything. But the most urgent need is definitely not elegant ornaments, antiques, or calligraphy. It's the reconstruction of their capitals' infrastructure. So we're not just earning current money; we're investing in future money. Additionally, if we establish good relations with those emperors and kings and build long-term trade connections, the Wind Kite ferry boat will have plenty of opportunities to make big money in the future. Moreover, we can even start now at extremely low prices, buying up large quantities of those 'useless items' from the nobles of various countries that Vase Continent and North Julu Continent are willing to buy at high prices. Therefore, the Wind Kite's voyages north and south have different focuses. Yudie, if you factor these elements into your calculations, you'll see that the Central Marchmount deal arranged by the Hidden Official and Sect Master Cui isn't just profitable—it's extremely lucrative."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Exactly. In business, tangible gold and silver are certainly important. But you also need to understand one principle: see the big money outside the account books."

Nalan Yudie's eyes sparkled. "I've learned! I've learned!"

Chen Ping'an laughed. "Furthermore, the secular world under Parasol Leaf Continent's mountains lacks gold and silver, while the mountains lack immortal money. So our subordinate sect will inevitably need to use lending to gain goodwill."

Nalan Yudie asked, "So we're loan sharks? If anyone dares not repay, we'll send Sword Immortal Mi to cut off their hands?!"

Zhang Jiazhen, too, wanted to know the answer, as many forces from other continents were already engaged in this kind of business on Parasol Leaf Continent, making it an extremely profitable venture.

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Others may do it, but we won't."

Nalan Yudie thought for a moment, then said worriedly, "The tall tree catches the wind. Won't this invite hatred and isolation?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "That's why we need Sword Immortal Mi stationed at the subordinate sect to keep things in order."

Zhang Jiazhen suddenly stood up, straightened his clothes, and silently cupped his fists at the Hidden Official.

If a nation's monarch borrowed high-interest loans from the mountain immortals, how would they repay? Naturally, they would distribute the burden onto the common people.

Chen Ping'an gestured for Zhang Jiazhen to sit down, then began flipping through the account books. "Let's each continue with our own work."

Some products from his own Lotus Flower Blessed Land, such as the talisman beauties from the Fox Kingdom, were now rare because, with the cessation of bloody conflicts among the three factions, the old foxes who died of natural causes had fewer remains left behind. However, their quality was much higher.

Moreover, in his letter, Cui Dongshan mentioned that by a stroke of fortune, he had found three cultivators from the Shuyi Tower on Yuzhigang in Parasol Leaf Continent. They were not old, around a hundred years old. When Yuzhigang's sect was destroyed, the three happened to be traveling outside and narrowly escaped disaster. This prevented the Shuyi Tower's continent-renowned talisman beauties from disappearing entirely. Although the craftsmanship of these three disciples was far inferior to the painting skills of the two Shuyi Tower Daoist masters, it was not a major problem. The three disciples only needed to draw the beauties. He, Cui Dongshan, and the old cook could handle the final "finishing touches."

Furthermore, regarding the procurement of porcelain from the folk kilns in his hometown and items like Cockfighting Cups and carpets from the Colorful Garment Kingdom, the specific quantities and ratios needed constant micro-adjustments based on subsequent sales. For example, some goods had high profit margins but occupied a lot of space or were prone to overstocking. Chen Ping'an was very familiar with these relatively detailed matters.

After all, in the account rooms of the Spring Fan Study at Hanging Mountain, everyone was a professional. Even Sword Immortal Mi, who sat by the door as the big boss of the Summer Pavilion, was not a complete layman when it came to this.

Doing business was essentially about two things: climbing mountains and wading across rivers. Climbing mountains and traversing ridges meant breaking down local trade barriers. Wading across rivers meant testing the depths of various flowing sources of wealth.

As for the scattered, rare, and well-preserved books on Parasol Leaf Continent, Chen Ping'an had already seen them at Qu Mountain Ferry. There were also many renowned official kiln pieces, once valued at a thousand gold pieces, which had met a similar fate. They were sold by the sack, piled up everywhere at various ferries, with shops not even bothering to haggle. However, such opportunities for bargains would probably disappear in another ten or twenty years, returning to the old saying: "In troubled times, gold; in prosperous times, antiques."

Early one morning, the red sun leaped out of the sea.

The wind swept over the water's surface. Sitting and watching the clouds rise.

The two words "laziness" are the thieves of one's foundation.

Zhao Shuxia was practicing his six-step walking stance inside his room when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find his master standing there.

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Come on, do the walking stance with me."

Master and disciple walked together to the bow of the boat. Chen Ping'an said with a smile, "Over the years, besides the Mountain-Toppling Fist, I haven't taught you many other fist techniques. Today, I'll make up for that."

Today, Chen Ping'an taught Zhang Shanfeng's self-created fist technique.

Zhao Shuxia still imitated the moves, but unfortunately, he only managed to capture the form, not the essence.

Chen Ping'an then helped him correct the flaws. Zhao Shuxia looked ashamed and whispered, "Master, I have poor talent. I have brought shame upon you."

If he were at any other mountain immortal mansion or martial sect, he would have been subjected to gossip or scornful glances.

On Fallen Mountain, no one gossiped behind his back because everyone said it to his face. For example, Chen Lingjun and Bai Xuan. Whenever they met, the green-clad child, who liked to snap his sleeves, would admonish him in a worldly manner: "Shuxia, don't slack off on your fist practice! Look at our Pei Qian—her realm is soaring! It's fine. Today, I'll pass on a few peerless fist techniques to you. Ever heard of the Centipede Leap? Watch carefully..." As for Bai Xuan, every time Zhao Shuxia passed his pavilion stall, Bai Xuan would call him in to sit down and have tea, pulling him aside for a chat. "Shuxia, you and that certain someone are fellow disciples, yet you can't beat a girl? I'm very disappointed. Don't just stand there; drink your tea! My tea, just like the wine at Hidden Official's shop back home, has a miraculous effect—it can increase your realm..."

In fact, being teased by the two masters, Chen Lingjun and Bai Xuan, made Zhao Shuxia feel much better and less anxious about his practice.

Chen Ping'an laughed and cursed softly: "Nonsense!"

He patted Zhao Shuxia heavily on the shoulder. "You can doubt your martial arts talent, but you must always trust your master's eye for choosing disciples."

At the Flower Tide Ferry on Picking Mushroom Mountain.

The Wind Kite ferry boat docked here.

As fate would have it, the place where Mountain Lord Fan Junmao and Mountain God Wang Quan received guests was precisely that pavilion.

Chen Ping'an, along with Xiao Mo, Chen Lingjun, and Old Immortal Jia, settled down here.

The old Southern Marchmount of Great Li had been a true mountain built by accumulating earth. The new Southern Marchmount followed the same principle.

Led by the Great Li dynasty, over a dozen large and small surrounding kingdoms joined forces to make this happen. After all, a grand marchmount was needed to help stabilize the mountain and river qi of the southern continent.

Since ancient times, the Bright World had an unwritten rule: "One can change the capital, but not the Five Marchmounts."

Great Li dynasty, which was both a continent and a nation, had lost half its territory. They adopted a compromise: keep the five marchmounts of the continent. Whoever had a marchmount within their borders would be responsible for its worship.

Thus, the current Southern Marchmount, Fan Junmao, became the first and only Great Marchmount Mountain Lord to break away from the jurisdiction of the Great Li Song clan.

In Fan Junmao's words: "It feels great!"

After the great war, the entire Southern Marchmount had been half-destroyed, and half of what remained was stripped away. Among its several reserve mountains, only Picking Mushroom Mountain managed to survive mostly intact. As one of the few large mountains in the southern part of Vase Continent, and a temporary immortal ferry for the demon army, Picking Mushroom Mountain now stood above all others, a peak among peaks.

At the pavilion, Fan Junmao, dressed in a dark green robe, sat cross-legged. When he saw Chen Ping'an and his group arriving, he merely raised his hand in a simple cupped-fist salute.

Wang Quan, the Mountain God of Picking Mushroom Mountain, wore a splendid and noble attire: a crown adorned with jeweled beads as large as green plums, and purple robes holding an ivory tablet. This was clearly a mountain treasure.

To anyone unaware of the truth, taking a first glance, they would surely mistake Wang Quan for the Great Marchmount Mountain Lord, and Fan Junmao for nothing more than a female shrine attendant.

Wang Quan had also attended the ceremony at Zhengyang Mountain, staying at Cloud Peeling Peak. At that time, all the mountain gods of the continent gathered there, engaged in a distant confrontation with the water gods at a neighboring peak.

Back then, at Zhengyang Mountain's ancestral mountain, flying swords delivered messages like blooming flowers. Wang Quan had received a secret letter from Chen Ping'an, along with a jade tablet inscribed with the characters "Jun Qing Yu Xiang," which he was to pass on to Mountain Lord Fan.

Heeding the "reminder" at the end of the secret letter, Wang Quan had promptly left Zhengyang Mountain.

Fan Junmao leaned against the railing and got straight to the point. "Tell me, how shall I repay this debt of gratitude?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I really didn't come to collect a debt. It's just to catch up. At most, I'd ask that you and Mountain God Wang look after the ferry boat when it passes through here."

Fan Junmao said, "Don't give me that. Even if you didn't come looking for me, I would have found you. We need to settle things properly. Otherwise, let's not bother catching up in the future. Should I just kowtow to you, my benefactor, every time we meet? And I don't want to be distracted 'looking after' a ferry boat for a thousand years. That's an endless, messy business!"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Then I'll speak plainly. For all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures within the jurisdiction of the Southern Marchmount's various deities, if they are available for sale and the owners are willing to sell, Fallen Mountain must get a share—at least thirty percent. And the price must be fair, at the lowest market rate."

Fan Junmao waved his hand generously. "It's settled! Forget the drinks today. I'll make sure there's plenty at my next night tour banquet on the mountain."

Once Fan Junmao broke through to the Jade Pu realm, he would have to hold a night tour banquet as per custom.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "And one more favor. I wish to purchase about three thousand jin of the dark soil from Picking Mushroom Mountain from Mountain God Wang. More, of course, is better. The price is negotiable."

The dark soil of Picking Mushroom Mountain, a type of ten-thousand-year-old earth, was highly renowned in Vase Continent. It was a fundamental material for heroic spirits and shadowy beings to establish their Daoist fields and small worlds.

Therefore, when Wang Quan's golden body divine lord withdrew from Picking Mushroom Mountain, the Great Li dynasty had specially helped relocate all the dark soil away from the demon army.

Fan Junmao was about to wave his hand again.

Wang Quan quickly reminded him via voice transmission: "Mountain Lord Fan, the Great Li Song clan had already taken most of the dark soil from Picking Mushroom Mountain in previous years. Very little is left now. I only have about twenty thousand jin left. As Mountain Lord Fan knows, if the dark soil drops below ten thousand jin, it won't form a stable deposit. It becomes extremely difficult to cultivate new soil and may even decrease year by year."

Fan Junmao hesitated for a moment but still waved his hand and said to Chen Ping'an, "I still have ten thousand jin over at my place. Take it all. Forget about prices. This dark soil, no matter how precious, can't compare to that jade tablet."

That jade tablet was precisely the Daoist opportunity that allowed Fan Junmao to swiftly re-ascend to the Jade Pu realm.

Earlier, Wang Quan had returned to Picking Mushroom Mountain and immediately offered up ten thousand jin of dark soil to the Southern Marchmount.

In fact, in recent years, the reserve mountain god of Picking Mushroom Mountain had been in an awkward position. After the war, the Southern Marchmount had been completely obliterated, leading to a situation of a "big reserve mountain, small marchmount." This had caused Wang Quan's golden body rank to return only to the Nascent Soul stage, and he hadn't dared to hold a night tour banquet. After all, a promotion in rank was no small matter for a reserve mountain of a Great Marchmount!

He could only wait for the Mountain Lord Fan Junmao to restore his cultivation realm, and then they could hold the night tour banquet together.

Fortunately, Mountain Lord Fan would soon return to the Jade Pu realm.

No matter how much Chen Ping'an dismissed the importance of cultivation realms, he couldn't help but envy these prominent Five Marchmount deities. They truly didn't need to work hard at cultivation.

Fan Junmao didn't give Chen Ping'an a chance to exchange pleasantries. He asked, "You and Wei Po are thick as thieves, so I have a favor to ask of you too. Please ask the Northern Marchmount to send over some experienced steward maidens. My night tour banquet is like a bride getting into her sedan chair for the first time—I can't afford to mess it up. The Northern Marchmount is the most experienced in such matters, recognized across the continent. Chen Ping'an, this shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

It was no joke. Immortal celebrations were extremely troublesome: arranging seating for registered immortals, mountain and river spirits, nobles and ministers, providing accommodations for guests, preparing food, wine, fruits, and vegetables—a whole mess of trivial matters.

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded in agreement. "This is no trouble at all. Our Mountain Lord Wei is a first-class expert in this field."

Fan Junmao glanced at the colorfully dressed blind old Daoist and then turned to the Mountain God of Picking Mushroom Mountain. "From now on, maintain close contact with this second manager of the Wind Kite ferry boat."

Wang Quan nodded with a smile.

As for the ten thousand jin of dark soil given away by Mountain Lord Fan today, it wasn't a big problem. When the Southern Marchmount held its night tour banquet, Picking Mushroom Mountain could just send another ten thousand jin as a gift.

Afterward, Fan Junmao, somewhat reluctantly, accompanied Chen Ping'an and the others on a tour of the mountain's scenic spots.

Old Immortal Jia and Mountain God Wang Quan had a very enjoyable conversation.

At the site of Old Dragon City, reconstruction was in full swing, with construction projects everywhere, stirring up clouds of dust.

Chen Ping'an met with Sun Jiashu and Dong Shuijing by the seaside.

Besides Xiao Mo, there was also Sword Immortal Mi, who rarely appeared outside the ferry boat.

After discussing business matters, it was, as usual, time to bring them in on the venture to make cross-continent money.

This place once had a Lotus Flower Harbor.

It was the first place Mi Yu set foot on land in the Bright World. The scenery he saw there left a deep impression on him.

Mi Yu tentatively asked, "Can we plant ten li of lotus flowers here?"

Sun Jiashu nodded and said it was possible. But when he heard the amount of immortal money required, Mi Yu was taken aback—it was far more than he had anticipated. He immediately abandoned the idea of borrowing money from the Hidden Official.

Sun Jiashu explained with a smile, "Planting lotuses at sea is different from doing so on land. And since these are divine lotuses, their maintenance costs even more."

In the past, the Fu clan took the lead, with the other major families sharing the expenses. It was essentially a costly venture for show.

Mi Yu sighed. Money was the courage of a hero, and he had very few immortal coins in his pocket. He would not be able to keep up appearances.

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Fallen Mountain will cover this expense."

Mi Yu felt a bit embarrassed and immediately sent a mental message: "Hidden Official, don't! I was just talking. Don't waste your money on this."

Sun Jiashu nodded and smiled. "Sword Immortal Mi can pay for the purchase and planting of the lotuses. As for their subsequent maintenance, the major surnames of the new Old Dragon City can take care of it. I'll go find someone to discuss this. I'm sure there won't be any objections."

Mi Yu, the "Mi Waist-Slasher" of the Sword Qi Great Wall, was planting lotuses here to restore a celestial site. Apart from the Fu clan, those other fence-sitting families in Old Dragon City wouldn't dare say a word.

By then, Old Dragon City would probably erect a stele to commemorate this event: "Planter of Lotuses: Mi Yu."

Sun Jiashu understood the Hidden Official's intentions.

It served two purposes: it fulfilled the wish of their sect's second-ranking honored retainer, Mi Yu, and it also helped Sun Jiashu's own family, the Suns, with a not-insignificant favor.

Nowadays, each of the major families had their own backers, a departure from the past when the Fu clan dominated. They had all established connections with the Great Li court's officialdom, leading to increasingly fierce infighting. If Sun Jiashu proposed this matter, it would save his family a lot of trouble.

The reasoning was straightforward: the Sun family's mountain allies were the Fallen Mountain. Let them weigh the consequences.

In previous years, the Sun family had kept their partnership with Fallen Mountain quiet. That was no longer necessary.

A ferry boat, crossing continents and sailing the seas.

The vast sea between the two continents was a battlefield site.

Thousands of miles from land, cultivators could be seen using water-walking techniques to dive into the sea, retrieving lost magical artifacts.

Previously, the Great Li dynasty had banned this activity, dispatching a group of accompanying military cultivators and Black Tortoise gentlemen to search for lost treasures in the sea. All finds had to be surrendered to the Song clan's treasury.

Recently, the ban had been lifted. Hundreds of cultivators from both Vase and Parasol Leaf Continents, catching wind of the news, swarmed in like a horde of bees. Many well-informed individuals had already holed up around the Old Dragon City site. Although they were unlikely to find major treasures—the area had been thoroughly scoured by Great Li cultivators—there were still those who had made a small fortune since the ban was lifted. The major surnames of Old Dragon City had cultivators specifically tasked with purchasing such treasures, reselling them for a tidy profit.

Mi Yu subconsciously turned his head to glance at the Hidden Official beside him.

The true master of such trades was standing right next to him.

The cultivators down there, trying their luck at salvage, should acknowledge a patriarch and offer incense here. They might just get some unexpected gains.

The Hidden Official immediately glared at him sideways. Sword Immortal Mi gave an embarrassed smile.

At sea, several cultivator figures spotted the Wind Kite ferry boat and hurriedly flew over. They were a group of Parasol Leaf Continent cultivators who had made some money here and wanted to catch a boat back south. Flying across the sea alone was too arduous and risky.

When the cultivators spoke, they used the standard Vase Continent language, which was also the official Great Li language.

There was no choice; times had changed. Without knowing the Great Li official language, one couldn't get by around Old Dragon City.

Upon learning that it was Fallen Mountain's private ferry boat, they didn't hesitate.

"Offend you? No, no. Goodbye!"

Seeing this, Chen Lingjun doubled over with laughter. "Oh my, that's hilarious! Old man's stomach hurts from laughing!"

A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow.

A mountain sect known for dismantling others' ancestral halls under the guise of "observing ceremonies" and "offering congratulations" actually specialized in arrogant sword challenges.

This was a unique sight in Vase Continent, truly not much different from North Julu Continent!

Challenging another sect's martial prowess? This seemed to be a first in the history of Vase Continent.

Out here on the vast sea, with no villages ahead or inns behind, they wanted to hitch a ride? Weren't they just asking to board a pirate ship and walk into a trap? They'd better worry about whether they'd have the luck to board the boat and the life to leave it.

Old Immortal Jia, who had no opportunity to display his skills, felt both gratified and regretful. Gratified that the reputation of his sect had spread far and wide. Regretful that the other party had failed to experience his superior hospitality.

The Wind Kite ferry boat could now faintly make out the outline of the Parasol Leaf Continent's coastline.

Soon, under the cover of night, the ferry boat arrived at the Clear View Mountain ferry in the northern part of the continent. Chen Ping'an led Pei Qian and the others ashore and climbed the mountain to visit the Green Tiger Palace at Sky Que Peak.

Previously, their ancestral hall had been moved to Vase Continent. The old Nascent Soul cultivator Lu Yong had become a second-class honored retainer of the Great Li dynasty, rumored to have a close personal relationship with Great Li's vassal king, Song Mu.

Last time, Chen Ping'an had given him a seal inscribed with the bottom mark "Clear View." The accompanying Jade Gui Sect's Old Sect Master Jiang and Fallen Mountain's Chief Zhou had also given the old immortal a few words.

"With a Lu Yong on Parasol Leaf Continent, the eyes of Bright World cultivators now have one more unshakable sect to look up to."

After that, Lu Yong chose an auspicious time, consumed a portion of Clear View Mountain's landscape qi, and was quite fortunate to successfully refine two furnaces of Forgetfulness Pills. He gave them all to Ye Yunyun's Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall. The old true person broke his usual rule of hiding a few pills for himself.

Actually, according to expectations, even buying one furnace at a high price would have been an immense surprise for Ye Yunyun. But instead, they received two furnaces for free, personally delivered by a direct disciple of the Green Tiger Palace's palace master to the Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall. Ye Yunyun, who was not particularly fond of socializing, personally received the guest. This female Stopping Realm martial artist intended to pay for the two furnaces of priceless "Feather Garment Pills" at the market price, as previously agreed with Immortal Master Cao.

Unexpectedly, the Golden Core Daoist from Green Tiger Palace insisted on not taking any money. Regardless of this female grandmaster being a Stopping Realm martial artist, the Daoist simply insisted that either the Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall take them for free, or he would take them back.

After all, Green Tiger Palace's Forgetfulness Pills were never difficult to sell.

They were worthy of being called "the world's one and only," something you could only hope to encounter, never seek. These pills were extremely difficult to refine, because in addition to Green Tiger Palace's secret alchemical technique, which was never passed down outside the sect, there was a crucial ingredient: the unique landscape qi of Clear View Mountain itself. That's why they had been the coveted miraculous elixir for all Earth Immortals on the continent, and the "imperial" reward items from the Parasol Leaf Continent's ancestral hall.

In his early years, whenever Lu Yong successfully refined his pills, he would deliberately "secretly hold back" one or two pills and give them to Taiping Mountain. The furnace of pills that various sects had ordered had never had a fixed count.

Selling them to the continent's major sects was for money and to earn their goodwill.

Giving them away to Taiping Mountain was an admiration for the old heavenly lord and the mountain lord's chivalrous style.

And because of an old grudge, Lu Yong was widely regarded as the land immortal on the continent who most despised martial artists.

That's why Ye Yunyun was so surprised.

After spending some time reminiscing with the old immortal today, Chen Ping'an was unusually embarrassed. "Old Brother Lu, I might need to reserve a furnace of Forgetfulness Pills from you. It can be within the next ten years."

This pill could help Qi refiners warm and nourish their heart orifices, cleansing and eliminating various subtle hidden problems in their physical landscape. For Chen Ping'an, who had suffered a severe drop in his realm, Green Tiger Palace's Forgetfulness Pills were precisely the right remedy. It would be like a timely rain, far more valuable than any rare elixir. This was genuinely a case of "sending coal in a snowstorm," not just "adding flowers to embroidery."

Otherwise, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have brought it up.

Within his own continent, the Jade Gui Sect, Little Longqiu, Gold Summit Temple, the Great Spring Dynasty, and others were all begging for the pills. Not to mention the vassal king's mansion in the Great Li auxiliary capital to the north, the Divine Declaration Sect, the Fu clan of Old Dragon City, and the temple of Immortal Lord Cao Cao—they all had reservations. According to the established schedule, Lu Yong wouldn't have any free time for the next three hundred years, let alone one or two.

But Lu Yong laughed heartily and said, "What a coincidence! I still have a few pills left in my hand. I'll give them to Brother Chen."

He had originally intended to give them as gifts to a few of his direct disciples and their disciples for their future sect openings. In previous years, they had followed him through all kinds of hardships and suffered many indignities. From the earliest days of their exile, met with contempt everywhere, to the time they started refining pills for the Great Li border army for free, the tide had turned. They were now held in high regard. Many immortal mansions in Vase Continent had hinted or openly tried to recruit his direct disciples, urging them to switch sects. But not a single one had ever wanted to leave the Green Tiger Palace's ancestral hall registry.

If only he had known that Chen Gongzi wanted the Forgetfulness Pills for himself, he wouldn't have been so generous in giving away those two furnaces to Ye Yunyun last time.

Chen Ping'an was about to speak when the old true person raised his hand and chided, "Stop. If you're going to say something that sounds like we're strangers, don't bother. It would only hurt our friendship."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "For any needs regarding the reconstruction of Green Tiger Palace, Old Brother Lu can just make a list. The Wind Kite ferry boat can help purchase everything. The principle of this transaction for Fallen Mountain is simple: we don't lose money, and we don't make a profit."

Lu Yong laughed heartily. "On this matter, involving the face of my sect, I won't be polite with you, Brother Chen."

Then, Lu Yong took the initiative to invite the Fallen Mountain group out to enjoy the scenery.

Walking the mountains in late autumn.

The gentle wind and the pale moon, the cold, tinkling sound of jade chimes.

The group descended the mountain and boarded the ferry. The boat continued southward.

Finally, they arrived at the location of the future subordinate sect personally chosen by Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan. Cao Qinglang. Sui Youbian. The little cook Cheng Zhaolu. Shao Poxian. Meng Long. Shi Qiu.

They had been waiting at the ferry for a long time.

Nearby, a large group of talisman giants and mechanical puppets were tirelessly expanding the ferry.

The name of the subordinate sect was still undecided.

Moreover, the place Cui Dongshan had chosen was not some scenic mountain retreat. It occupied an area of only six hundred li, located in a border region between two kingdoms.

There were no mountain or river spirits nearby. The nearest thing was a thousand-year-old Earth God Temple in Yuhang Commandery, the Daoist shrine.

It seemed that Cui Dongshan had deliberately chosen a place with nothing.

He was starting from scratch.

After receiving a letter from his master from the Great Li capital, Cui Dongshan became even more confident. Initially, according to the plans of this master-student pair and Chief Zhou, the location of the subordinate sect was meant to disrupt the "Seven Manifest, Two Hidden" dual scheme of Gold Summit Temple. It was intended not only to protect the incense offerings of Taiping Mountain—which no longer had a single person in the Bright World—from being occupied by Little Longqiu but also to obstruct, as much as possible, the alliance between Gold Summit Temple and Green Tiger Palace.

However, the former was an urgent priority, while the latter was optional.

The Summer Pavilion had a vast collection of books, including the twenty-four volumes of the Daoist Yun Ji Qi Qian, which contained the "Sun, Moon, and Stars" section.

A temple that was merely a candidate for elevation to a sect, with its temple master Guan Du Hanling being merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, had such grand ambitions. His methods were truly heaven-defying.

Once this Great Dipper Star array, including the two hidden stars of Fu and Bi, was fully constructed, Gold Summit Temple would essentially encompass the celestial phenomena, geography, and landscape qi of nearly half of Parasol Leaf Continent.

But since the Yin-Yang scholar, the Lu clan of the Central Earth, was involved in this scheme, Cui Dongshan abandoned his plan to "interfere." He would simply open his eyes wide and watch just how magnificent of a "Heavenly Pattern and Earthly Form" Du Hanling of Gold Summit Temple could create, now that Taiping Mountain and Clear View Mountain were no longer present.

The two groups gathered.

The white-clothed youth with a red mole between his eyebrows made a deep bow to Chen Ping'an. After rising, he bent again in another bow. Lifting his head, he smiled widely. "Sincerely, I thank Honored Retainer Xiao Mo."

Xiao Mo returned the bow. "Xiao Mo greets Sect Master Cui."

Everyone walked together towards a high mountain. Chen Ping'an chatted casually with Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan smiled and said, "Over at Gold Summit Temple, one must say they are very cautious. They quickly abandoned any unrealistic ideas about Taiping Mountain and Green Tiger Palace. Only Little Longqiu is left, still unaware of the stakes, continuing to gather the residual Dao resonance near Taiping Mountain, trying to refine it into the family heirloom, the Bright Moon Mirror of Taiping Mountain. Unexpectedly, Huang Ting inexplicably returned from the Multicolor World, challenged them to a sword duel, and dismantled their ancestral hall. Yet this female Daoist was still not satisfied. She actually built a thatched hut next to the ruins of the ancestral hall and settled down there."

Huang Ting, the female Daoist of Taiping Mountain, had actually returned to the Bright World from the Multicolor World together with Guo Zhujiu. One went to Vase Continent, while the other returned to her home continent of Parasol Leaf.

Chen Ping'an said self-deprecatingly, "I was the one who startled the snake."

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had gone to Taiping Mountain, where he had stirred up quite a commotion and accomplished a secret mission: killing the sect master of the Ten Thousand Yao Sect from San Mountain Blessed Land, the Immortal Han Yushu. After that, he had gone with Jiang Shangzhen to Green Tiger Palace. Du Hanling had certainly received the news. After weighing the pros and cons, Gold Summit Temple had to settle for a lesser alternative, significantly reducing the rank of their "Heavenly Pattern and Earthly Form" grand formation.

If one set aside the established adversarial relationship, Du Hanling could indeed be called a regional hegemon.

At the Peach Leaf Alliance in the Great Spring Dynasty, Gold Summit Temple in the north, White Dragon Grotto in the center, and Pu Mountain Grass Hall in the south—these three were the initiators. In the end, a total of sixteen mountain immortal establishments that dominated Parasol Leaf Continent, plus thirty-four affiliated factions, jointly formed an alliance on the surface to resist forces from other continents. Since Ye Yunyun was in name only, holding a titular position, Gold Summit Temple and White Dragon Grotto were considered the mountain lord and the mountain prime minister of this alliance after the Peach Leaf Alliance was formed.

Cui Dongshan stood at the foot of the mountain, pointing. "Master, we need you here to erect the mountain gate. We might even need a ribbon-cutting ceremony."

Chen Ping'an found it funny. Fallen Mountain itself hadn't been this troublesome.

Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Let the subordinate sect's celebration ceremony be on the first day of spring next year."

Cui Dongshan hummed in agreement.

The first day of spring—the beginning of the four seasons, the start of the year. The yang energy rises, and all things are born.

Cui Dongshan said softly, "Master, about the portrait... what should we do? Whom should we ask to paint it?"

Since this was a subordinate sect, the ancestral hall's portraits had to follow the mountain rules of the Bright World. They would now have to hang a portrait of the founding patriarch of the upper sect.

And it had to be hung in the center.

Chen Ping'an looked helplessly at Cui Dongshan. "Can't we make an exception just this once?"

Cui Dongshan shook his head vigorously, speaking with finality. "Master, we truly cannot make an exception this time!"