Chapter 902: No Trouble Means Peace
After Ye Yunyun took the lead in taking her leave, Sui Youbian remained silent. She immediately sword-flighted down the mountain, going alone to the Luobao Shoal by the Qingyi River.
Qiu Du, along with the young girl Hu Chuling, traveled along the ridge road to tour Zhexian Peak.
Between Luopo Mountain and Pu Mountain, the two bouts of grandmaster fist fighting had opened the old woman's eyes wide.
The key point was that the winner was not complacent, and the loser was not discouraged—this the old woman found especially valuable.
After the perilous encounter at the Great River Dragon Palace, and then witnessing Chen Ping'an's fist style with her own eyes, the old woman's impression of this Xiandu Mountain had greatly improved.
A high mountain is looked up to.
Moreover, that figure in blue robes was also a sword immortal.
The old woman gazed into the distance and, for no particular reason, sighed with emotion. "How can the mountains and rivers be drawn by man? Heaven and earth are still separated by the sages."
The old woman spoke via heart voice: "Cu'cu, your master will try to get you a registered identity here at Xiandu Mountain, but this matter may not succeed."
Hu Chuling nodded, not even asking why her master had suddenly changed her mind.
The old woman hesitated for a moment, then reminded her: "Cu'cu, if you really become a direct disciple of the ancestral hall here, you must not act willfully in the future. I believe you have already seen that although that young Sword Immortal Chen is an extremely good person, look at that girl Pei Qian—her martial arts realm is so high, but she still strictly follows the rules and is meticulous in etiquette around her master. Immortal Master Cui is about to become the head of a sect, yet he is also respectful and deferential around his teacher."
But what truly made the old woman feel completely at ease and trust Xiandu Mountain was not these so-called sword immortals, sect masters, or peak-stage martial artists—it was… the smiles from the bottom of their hearts.
The way Chen Ping'an looked at everyone, and the way everyone looked at Chen Ping'an.
It was like those two children whose names and identities Qiu Du did not yet know—they seemed to have an unreasonable respect, dependence, and closeness toward Sword Immortal Chen.
This was actually a very strange thing. In the main lineage sects of the Haoran world, many young cultivators of much lower seniority and realm than the elders would not even dare to greet the law-enforcement officers or ancestral hall elders when they met on the road. They were constrained, in awe, and tied hand and foot, let alone encountering a founding patriarch halfway.
Hu Chuling's watery eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and her voice was soft and glutinous: "I will listen to Grandma."
Over here at Qiu Du's, the young girl still liked to use her hometown dialect to address her master as "Grandma."
The old woman stroked the girl's head. "I wonder who will be blessed enough in the future to marry our Cu'cu and bring her home as a wife."
Hmm, that young man named Cao Qinglang looked very good.
And Cao Qinglang was Sword Immortal Chen's proud disciple.
The old woman glanced at Cu'cu. If the two of them could be blessed by heaven and share mutual affection, that would be even better.
An immortal couple, growing old together, with children and grandchildren filling the house…
The old woman smiled to herself.
Over at Saohua Terrace, Cui Dongshan reminded the two children: "Regarding today's two fist fights, you two must keep it secret. Don't breathe a single word to outsiders."
Cheng Zhaolu nodded in agreement. As for why, racking his brains over trivial matters was not worth his time. With that spare effort, he could practice fist techniques another round and cook a full table of food.
Yu Xiehui, however, was someone who liked to get to the bottom of things. He asked suspiciously, "It's a good thing—what's shameful about it?"
If this were back home, if he had genuinely won a sword challenge against someone by true skill, so what if he beat drums and gongs? Drinking and boasting at the table—who could control that?
Cui Dongshan frowned, and a snow-white sleeve draped itself over Yu Xiehui's shoulder. "Hmm?!"
Yu Xiehui immediately sighed. "I'll listen to Sect Master Cui."
Last time, the nine of them had been trapped by this big white goose's sleeve-containing-heaven technique. Except for Sun Chunwang, each of them had suffered greatly, especially Bai Xuan, who feared nothing. Now, when he saw Cui Dongshan, he was almost as scared as seeing a ghost. Yu Xiehui also remembered it vividly. But it didn't matter—once he won a sword challenge against Cui Wei, the next one would be this big white goose.
Cui Dongshan grinned widely. Suddenly, he grabbed Yu Xiehui around the neck and knocked heads. Then, lowering his voice, he said, "In the future, it will already be very difficult to win a sword challenge against your master, Law-Enforcer Cui. And now you want to challenge me, the sect master of the branch sect? Good courage, great ambition. I admire you. So, you're already harboring wild ambitions to usurp my position as sect master someday? Who lent you the bear heart and leopard gall? Speak up quickly!"
Yu Xiehui immediately stiffened. He looked at Chen Ping'an and shouted, "Sect Master Cui, if you keep falsely accusing me like this, I will report you to the Hidden Officer!"
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Since our branch sect is a sword-following sect, and you are a sword cultivator, wanting to challenge seniors like Sect Master Cui in sword duels is exactly the meaning of practicing the sword on this mountain. It is precisely the intent of your sword training. What's there to be afraid of? I can say this right now: in the future, whether you defeat your master or defeat Sect Master Cui, I will treat you to a drink."
Yu Xiehui immediately felt emboldened. Even though he was still being strangled by the big white goose, he began to grin slyly. "Lord Hidden Officer, then I need to start practicing my drinking capacity now."
He had heard that in the small tavern back home, there were countless drinking parties, but the Lord Hidden Officer had never gotten drunk.
Of course, the second shopkeeper, when hosting the games, had never lost money either.
Chen Ping'an teased, "Actually, my drinking capacity is average. It's just that the drunks in that tavern have such poor capacity. It's all thanks to the contrast provided by rivals."
Cheng Zhaolu felt a bit regretful. If Nalan Yudie were here, she would definitely record this golden saying in her book.
Cui Dongshan rode the wind and left Saohua Terrace. There was a mountain of tedious affairs waiting for him to solve.
While flying, he glanced surreptitiously at Huang Yiyun and Xue Fuzi, who were walking toward Mixue Peak.
Spotting that trace of white cloud, Ye Yunyun looked up and waved at Cui Dongshan.
Cui Dongshan clicked his tongue in wonder. Truly worthy of someone who had just broken through to the Return to Truth first layer of the peak-stage martial artist.
Moreover, Ye Yunyun's disposition was indeed very compatible with their Xiandu Mountain—magnanimous!
After a moment of hesitation, Cui Dongshan made a sudden decision to meet Huang Yiyun alone. Like wind and lightning, his white figure drew an arc in the air, landing on a blue-stone path amid the green cliffs. He approached Huang Yiyun, bowed, and smiled, "Congratulations to Mountain Lord Ye for advancing to the next level of martial arts."
Ye Yunyun had already stopped. She clasped her fists in return and said frankly, "I have Mountain Lord Chen to thank. Without his help, if I had faced Wu Shu in a fist fight in the future, there would have been a big problem. If I wasn't careful, I might have ended up in a situation similar to Wang Fusu of Beiju Luzhou."
Cui Dongshan sighed, seeming to want to say something but stopping.
Ye Yunyun smiled. "Sect Master Cui, just speak frankly. We are not strangers."
Only then did Cui Dongshan speak: "To be honest, after the Hidden Officer returned from the Barren Wastes world, he was not lightly injured. In terms of martial arts realm alone, he fell from Return to Truth to Vitality Overflow. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to ask Old Immortal Lu of Qinghu Palace for a batch of Feathering Pills. That happened not long ago."
Ye Yunyun was deeply shaken. When Chen Ping'an had fought fists with her, he was only at the Vitality Overflow layer? She immediately turned to Xue Huai and said, "The two batches of Feathering Pills that Qinghu Palace gave us last time—how many are left? Send a flying sword message to Law-Enforcer Tan. No matter how many are left, bring them all over."
Xue Huai was even more surprised than Ye Yunyun. The old scholar found it hard to hide his astonishment. A pure martial artist's realm falling was no small matter—it was rarer and more troublesome than a qi refiner's realm falling. Yet even so, Mountain Lord Chen had agreed to that fist fight with his master.
Mountain Lord Chen was indeed a true gentleman, generous and open-hearted.
No wonder the young Mountain Lord Chen had been able to serve as the final Hidden Officer on the Sword Qi Great Wall as a foreign sword cultivator.
Given Mountain Lord Chen's character, he must have been praised by all on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
It had to be admitted that Pu Mountain now owed Xiandu Mountain a tremendous favor. But owing such a favor was also a rare and immense blessing!
Just one fist fight at Saohua Terrace had helped his master break through to Return to Truth's first layer. In private, it deepened the foundation of Pu Mountain's Yuncao Hall. In public, for the entire Tongye Continent, it would intimidate those ill-intentioned cultivators from other continents. Even if Martial Saint Wu Shu was not in his homeland, so long as his master stabilized her realm, she would become a great sword immortal comparable to Xu Xie, who would be extremely wary and dare not lightly challenge her with swords.
Cui Dongshan quickly waved his hand. "That's not the reason I'm complaining to Mountain Lord Ye. With Old Immortal Lu sitting on Qingjing Mountain, my master's Feathering Pills are never lacking. The reason I'm saying this, as Mountain Lord Ye put it, is that we are all family now, so there's no need to hide things."
It was a good thing that Huang Yiyun was already a Jade Pure realm qi refiner. If she were still a Nascent Soul earth immortal, tsk tsk, breaking through the bottleneck to the upper five realms would have required facing inner demons… the consequences would have been unimaginable. The master would probably have added another inexplicable love debt.
Cui Dongshan shook his sleeves and scratched his face with his hand. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Mountain Lord Ye, could I ask for a direct disciple identity in Pu Mountain's Yuncao Hall? But regarding this matter, about my true identity, at most three people in Pu Mountain should know: you, Xue Huai, and Law-Enforcer Tan Rong."
"No problem."
Ye Yunyun was quick and decisive, nodding without any hesitation.
She knew it was a trouble related to the seventh immortal painting of Pu Mountain.
The three of them walked together toward Mixue Peak. Along the way, they needed to pass the ancestral mountain Qingping Peak. Ye Yunyun, for the first time, had a hesitant expression. After a long pause, she tentatively asked, "Sect Master Cui, can I dare to ask a rude question—how exactly did your master train his fist?"
Cui Dongshan clasped his hands behind his head and said slowly, "In his homeland and in foreign lands, when far away and when returning, inside the mountains and outside the mountains, in the human world and in the human heart, amid the splendid landscape, in the sun and moon and heaven and earth, in the great beauty of the human world, on the muddy paths of the mortal world, where sword cultivators gather like clouds, and after hope, disappointment, and hope again—the master has always been practicing his fist alone, fist-fighting with heaven and earth, fist-fighting with himself."
Turning his head, the white-robed youth finally smiled. "That is why my master has never regarded Cao Ci as a great enemy, a mortal enemy, or a sworn enemy. In the world, there is a fist called Cao Ci. On the path of martial arts, there is a peer of the same age ahead. In my master's eyes, that is a great fortune. It only makes the master climb higher and move faster."
Hearing this, Ye Yunyun's mind surged, and her thoughts soared.
After a moment of silence, she couldn't help asking, "There was a Zhongtu gazette that said when Chen Ping'an fought fists with Cao Ci in the Temple of Merit, his punches were not… particularly refined? From start to finish, punch after punch to the face?"
Cui Dongshan turned his head and spat fiercely. "Nonsense! Which villain, with a conscience blackened, dares to slander my master like that? It's utterly wicked!"
Ye Yunyun was half-convinced.
Over at Saohua Terrace, Chen Ping'an had asked Pei Qian to imitate Ye Yunyun and Xue Huai's fist techniques. For over sixty sets of fist postures, Pei Qian had already achieved seventy or eighty percent likeness.
Even those signature finishing moves of Ye Yunyun and Xue Huai, Pei Qian had learned with vivid form and spirit, more authentic than the direct disciples of Pu Mountain.
This left Chen Ping'an, who had intended to put on a master's airs and help his disciple identify mistakes, in an awkward position of having nothing to say.
Cheng Zhaolu felt that Sister Pei's punches were certainly beautiful, but it seemed the Hidden Officer's punches were even better to watch.
Yu Xiehui felt it was a pity that Bai Xuan was not present today.
Pei Qian stopped her movements and turned to look at her master.
Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves and smiled. "Not bad."
Leading Pei Qian toward Qingping Peak, Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Earlier, was there something you wanted to say?"
Pei Qian said, "In that sparring session with Xue Fuzi, the last punch—Xue Fuzi shouldn't have just stood still, as if he was waiting for death. As a pure martial artist, I think that was wrong. Actually, right after the fist fight ended, I wanted to say it, but I felt Xue Fuzi was an elder and there were too many outsiders, so I didn't feel comfortable speaking up."
Chen Ping'an smiled without speaking.
Pei Qian felt that she had probably said something wrong.
"That reasoning is very good, and you should indeed say it to Xue Fuzi."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "But perhaps not at that very moment. So your hesitation and ultimately not saying it was appropriate. In my view, it might even be more correct than the correct reasoning itself."
Pei Qian was greatly surprised, even showing a rarely seen expression of shyness.
From the little charcoal back then to the Pei Qian of today, she had always believed one thing.
All the good truths in the world were with her master.
As for herself, she knew nothing of truth.
Chen Ping'an said softly with a smile, "When we reason with others, it is not to deny them. Moreover, when we offer goodwill to others, besides being clear in our own conscience, we also need to pay attention to a sense of proportion. This is the difference between the Way and techniques. The Way is unique, but the techniques are a thousandfold, varying with the person and the place. That's why being a good person is so difficult."
He reached out and gently patted Pei Qian's head. His expression tender, he said softly, "That you could think this way today allows me to feel relieved enough to teach you two self-created fist techniques, and one 'half fist.'"
In fact, the two fists Chen Ping'an had created were both fist techniques and sword moves. One was extremely simple, the other extremely complex, like two extremes. One of the fists, or rather sword technique, was named "Sliver Moon." Its power was considerable, its killing ability not low, and it was most suitable for delivering sharp fists while surrounded on the battlefield.
Chen Ping'an added, "But this matter is not urgent. I will immediately go into seclusion in the small cave heaven. After the ceremony is over, I'll find some free time to properly teach you the fist techniques."
Now that both he and his disciple were at the Vitality Overflow layer of the peak stage, Chen Ping'an was a bit daunted by feeding Pei Qian fist moves.
Pei Qian felt relieved.
Chen Ping'an's mind was peaceful. He looked at the scenery outside the mountain.
Endless faraway mountains, indistinguishable clouds and water.
Today, Cao Qinglang had not appeared at Saohua Terrace to watch the bouts because this "designated" next sect master, who was a Dragon Gate realm qi refiner, had officially entered seclusion to form his golden core.
He was managing both study and cultivation without delay.
Such a proud disciple could not be found even with a lantern.
However, Cao Qinglang's current place of seclusion was not at Qingping Peak or Mixue Peak of Xiandu Mountain, but on a new mountain peak that had not yet been revealed. Cui Dongshan had used formations to create an illusion that even Ye Yunyun and Qiu Du could not see through.
For the other two old mountain ranges, Cui Dongshan had named them Yunzheng Mountain and Choumou Mountain.
Their main peaks were respectively Wucao Peak and Jingxing Peak. At the tops of both peaks, stele were erected. Cui Dongshan personally carved the inscriptions: "Wucao Does Not Emerge" and "Heaven and Earth's Purple Qi."
At the first ancestral hall meeting, Cui Dongshan would propose a matter: in the future, among the younger generation of registered cultivators of the branch sect, the first sword cultivator to reach the Jade Pure realm could take Wucao Peak as his residence.
And Cao Qinglang would be the first cultivator to occupy Jingxing Peak on Choumou Mountain.
Clearly, Cui Dongshan intended to create a tradition for the branch sect: every next sect master of the Green Lotus Sword Sect would be the peak master of Jingxing Peak.
Therefore, the current territory of the Green Lotus Sword Sect already had a rough outline: Xiandu, Yunzheng, and Choumou—three mountains rising together, one main and two auxiliary.
Although Xiao Mo was building a thatched hut at Luobao Shoal, he had always been paying attention to Cao Qinglang's seclusion, as well as the two fist fights on the mountain peak.
For a peak Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator, a little distraction was no hindrance.
Xiao Mo was now just waiting for Yu Jin to come looking for trouble.
That matter had nothing to do with his young master, nor with Sect Master Cui.
That's right, I was the one who ransacked your underwater lair and emptied your family fortune. Can you really tolerate that?
If that fat man gave even a slight nod, Xiao Mo would only use the Jade Pure realm to "practice his hands" with him.
At Saohua Terrace, only Cheng Zhaolu and Yu Xiehui remained. These two fellow townsmen, who felt not the slightest hardship in a foreign land, sat together on the railing chatting.
"Little cook, even if you were given a few hundred more years, you still couldn't reach our Hidden Officer's fist realm today, right?"
"Definitely not. A thousand years wouldn't do it either."
"How come I feel like you're actually proud of that?"
"Ha."
"In the future, do you want to drink with me?"
"Better not. Master would be angry."
"Such lack of ambition! Afraid of your master? How can you be a sword cultivator?"
Among the nine peers, Bai Xuan, Yu Qingzhang, and He Xiangting came from humble alleys. Even Bai Xuan's master had not a single copper coin's connection with Taixiang Street or Yuhu Street, which had high walls and huge doors.
Nalan Yudie, He Gu, and Yao Xiaoyan were all children from grand households.
Sun Chunwang was not bad either—a distant relative of the Jade Pure realm sword cultivator Sun Juyuan.
He, Yu Xiehui, along with Cheng Zhaolu, were neither good nor bad—their families were not short of money, but neither were they wealthy.
So among the group, in terms of background, family education, and teacher lineage, each had their own fate.
On the Sword Qi Great Wall, they didn't really like to compare such things. Being reincarnated well was also a skill. If you were dissatisfied, you could rely on sword techniques and battle merits to move from the humble alleys to those five streets.
Because the Great Sword Immortal had established an ironclad rule: For the grand mansions on those five streets, unless there was not a single sword cultivator left in the family, or even if only a lower-five-realm sword cultivator remained—regardless of age—they had to go to the battlefield and offer their swords. If they thought they would die going, then they should move out early before the great battle came, and vacate those five streets in time.
So on the Sword Qi Great Wall, there were not only no grave mounds, but also no so-called ancestral residences. Even the old sword immortals who had carved their names on the city wall had ancestors in history who had moved. For example, the Dong family almost failed to keep their ancestral residence during the century when Dong Sangeng traveled alone in the Barren Wastes world.
The five streets were made of iron, but the sword cultivators flowing through them were like water.
Because of Great Sword Immortal Mi, these children were not unfamiliar with the wines from their hometown's small tavern, such as the Green God Mountain wine, the Yaba Lake wine, and those trouble-free plaques.
Great Sword Immortal Mi, at Luopo Mountain, had been a loafer and street idler. Every time he went to the Sword Worship Terrace, he loved to prattle to Bai Xuan about the great achievements of the Spring Banner Studio and the Summer Retreat Palace.
Yu Xiehui and a few others, when free from sword practice, would sit on small benches to the side, listening as if to a storyteller.
According to Mi Yu, the tavern that the Hidden Officer had opened together with Great Manager Diezhang once had an old Golden Core realm cultivator. One day, after drinking heavily, he hung a trouble-free plaque on the wall.
"When it comes to swordsmanship, I can't beat Xiao Dong. But if it's about drinking capacity, I could put all three legs on the table and still easily beat Xiao Dong. If you don't believe me, come find me."
After getting beaten up, the next day he was black and blue. Just before dawn when the tavern opened, he ran over again. But on the back of the trouble-free plaque, he wrote another sentence: "Yesterday I drank too much; drunken words don't count."
As a result, on his sneaky way home, no matter how stealthy his movements, he got hit by a flying sword again.
Yu Xiehui suddenly said, "Little cook, in the future, we must form golden cores, nurture nascent souls, and break into the upper five realms."
Cheng Zhaolu nodded. "Definitely!"
---
A group of three left the South Sea Water Hall. They paused for a moment at the Xielong Stone, then went to the old site of the Great River Dragon Palace, which was connected to the sea's qi. Finally, they formally came ashore on the west coast of Tongye Continent.
One was a middle-aged man of elegant bearing and jade-like demeanor, accompanied by a colorful-robe maidservant of stunning beauty and a short, sturdy male guard.
This was Li Yehou, one of the newly appointed Four Seas Water Lords. When his feet touched the land, his figure froze slightly, but he soon recovered.
The maidservant carried a zither case on her back. Her name was Huang Juan. She delighted in eating bookworms from books. The master beside her happened to be the foremost book collector in all of the Haoran world.
The short, sturdy man carried a short spear on his back. He was now a water ghost. Before death, he had been a peak-stage martial artist. By a stroke of fate, he had gone to the Jiaoyue Lake, which had changed masters many times in history, and become its chief guest elder.
Huang Juan most admired Liu Qi, and at the same time, most detested a certain braggart who never thought twice about blowing things out of proportion.
That man named Xi Man was a ninth-realm martial artist from Liuxia Continent. His Dao foundation was a land-based earth dragon.
Earlier, at the Great River Dragon Palace ruins, Xi Man had sparred with the senior Shaqing. Shaqing had suppressed one realm and fought with equal realm fists. Shaqing won by a small margin.
At that time, among the spectators, beside the True Dragon Wang Zhu, there stood a timid young man, habitually stooping as if terrified of Wang Zhu. Even when speaking to Wang Zhu, his eyes darted around and he never dared look her straight in the face.
Huang Juan laughed. "Madam Dandan sure knows how to conduct herself."
This former owner of the Green Water Pit, whose Dao name was Qingzhong, had now become the master of the terrestrial water transportation.
That fishing immortal who used to guard the Xielong Stone seemed to be already in the Ji Du of Beiju Luzhou now.
And those Southern Sea Lone Riders had all been secretly given to Zhigui by Madam Dandan.
It was said that the Qiu pearls in the Green Water Pit's treasury had also been emptied out and given away. That was no small sum.
She was making connections everywhere.
In fact, with her master, Madam Dandan had also made a gesture—a not insignificant gift.
Li Yehou smiled. "You should learn more from her in the future."
Shaqing asked, "This time, when we go get chummy with Chen Ping'an to talk business, will we be taken for a ride? Will we get slaughtered?"
Huang Juan said angrily, "What slaughter?!"
Shaqing said, "Something like that."
Li Yehou sighed. "Chen Ping'an will be easy to negotiate with. I'm afraid it's that person who will be hosting us."
The Embroidered Tiger.
Or rather, half of the Embroidered Tiger, Cui Can.
Shaqing asked, "Can I spar with Chen Ping'an? That last one was too pathetic."
Li Yehou shook his head. "Not appropriate this time. Maybe later."
During that previous Zhongtu Confucian Temple meeting, in their spare time, a large group had gathered at the Mandarin Duck Islet to fish with poles.
The strangest thing was that these fellows were mostly peak-stage martial artists, at minimum at the Mountain Summit realm.
If one was a Far Traveling realm martial artist, it seemed they were not even qualified to sit there fishing.
Among that group of martial arts grandmasters was Zhang Tiaoxia, nicknamed "Dragon Earl."
Beside Zhang Tiaoxia was a middle-aged man who sat on a bamboo stool he always carried with him, a small fish basket tied at his waist. In the eyes of outsiders, he had spent his whole life wandering around ancient battlefield ruins. He neither asked for fist fights nor accepted them. That fish basket at his waist was not a Dragon King basket, but a peerless treasure known on the mountain as the "Immortal Den, Bottomless Pit." It was rumored that it could raise tens of thousands of yin spirits and ghostly things at once.
Because this pure martial artist was too isolated from the world, his name was unknown.
Only one person, while drinking, had let it slip and called him "Old Zhi." He was the "number one" admirer of Green Mountain God's wife—that kind of lovesick fool who dared not even look at her from afar, but could only think of her from a distance for a lifetime.
There were also the masters and disciples of the Thunder God Temple lineage at Gai Gai Continent: Pei Axiang and Liu Suiyu. Wang Fusu of Beiju Luzhou. Martial Saint Wu Shu of Tongye Continent. Shaqing, the chief guest elder of Jiaoyue Lake.
In addition, there were many guest elders from top-tier sects and ten major dynasties, totaling about twenty people.
But Pei Bei, Song Changjing, and Li Er were not present that time.
Among the younger generation, Cao Ci, Zheng Qian, and Yu Juanfu had also not appeared.
Of course, there was talk about Li Er's fist and foot skills. The old rash fellow Wang Fusu had concluded that Li Er was "old and steady."
After all, only he had truly fought fists with Li Er back then.
"Li Er's fists are not heavy, his feet are not fast; average."
At the Liu's of Gai Gai Continent's "No-Loss Bureau," half of the mountain summit martial artists had placed bets, all betting that Cao Ci would not lose within the next five hundred years.
Actually, pure martial artists lived far shorter lives than qi refiners. Even a peak-stage martial artist who had reached the summit would live at most three hundred years.
But there were exceptions, such as Zhang Tiaoxia or Huang Yiyun of Tongye Continent.
This was also the reason Zhang Tiaoxia, who had held the top seat among the world's martial artists for a thousand years before Pei Bei's rise, was unwilling to fight fists with others for many years. He was just a carefree cloud, obsessively fond of fishing. The reason was simple: in the old man's view, being a pure martial artist who was unwilling to die was itself the greatest impurity.
Only the Grand Supreme of Xuanmi Dynasty, Yu Panshui, and a sucker calling himself "Zhou Kaoshan" who didn't treat money like money, had thrown down five hundred and a thousand Guyu coins respectively, betting that Cao Ci would lose.
But when that young Hidden Officer, right there at Mandarin Duck Islet, under everyone's eyes, had a big fight with the Immortal Yun Miao, and then in the Temple of Merit, that sensational Azure and White debate, his moves were so ingenious and unpredictable that it was breathtaking.
Then some began to mutter, but unexpectedly the Liu's of Gai Gai Continent said, "The betting is closed."
It was said that for this bet, the Liu's of Gai Gai Continent had gathered, bit by bit, nearly forty thousand Guyu coins, at odds of one to two.
Thus, many old mountain cultivators, as well as a large group of emperors, generals, and clan heads from the great dynasties, treated the betting as a way to deposit money for their sects, or for their direct disciples, or for the national treasury, to earn interest. Although the payout was late and they had to wait patiently for five hundred years, it was a guaranteed harvest regardless of drought or flood—a sure win, no loss.
The reputation of the Liu's of Gai Gai Continent was solid and reliable.
Some busybodies pondered and felt something was off. Could it be that this No-Loss Bureau, that god of wealth Liu Jubao, had long set it up with the expectation that Cao Ci would lose?
Putting it bluntly, even if someone truly surpassed Cao Ci, the Liu's of Gai Gai Continent would still make a huge profit. Sure enough, there was no business in the world that Liu Jubao would lose money on.
At the Great River Dragon Palace ruins, after Li Yehou and his two companions left, the beautiful woman took off her boots, sat by the bank, and dipped her feet into the lotus pond water. As she gently stirred ripples, Gong Yan recalled the earlier confrontation. She was still baffled, unable to understand how that young man in a yellow hat and blue shoes had simultaneously found all their hidden traces. Especially that Immortal Yu, a Celestial Immortal realm cultivator extremely adept at concealment techniques—each of his many methods had been precisely traced and countered by strands of sword qi.
The stalwart man asked, "Was it through heart voice?"
Gong Yan shook her head. That didn't seem likely. Moreover, none of them were greenhorns who had just come down the mountain. When manifesting clones, they were extremely careful, holding their breath and concentrating.
Besides, listening to a cultivator's heart voice was not something just anyone could do. It was like mortal scholars down the mountain—they couldn't hear other people's heartbeats. On the mountain, it was the same for cultivators listening to other cultivators.
Perhaps only talisman masters like Xuan of Yu, Zhao Tianlai of Longhu Mountain, and True Fire Daoist—these great cultivators who had neared perfection in the Flying Ascension realm—could possibly listen to the heart voices of Celestial Immortals, or even cultivators of the same realm.
Li Ba, whose Dao name was Cuizhang, suddenly said, "It was something more subtle than heart voice—the resonating strings of the heart."
The Immortal Yu rubbed his brow helplessly. "Could it really be a Flying Ascension sword cultivator? But in our Haoran world, is there such a figure?"
Gong Yan quickly patted her chest and smiled seductively. "Scared this old lady to death."
Li Ba said, "Like that Nen Daoren, or the Immortal Cao Rong of Baoping Continent—they seemed to have suddenly appeared. Get used to it."
In a waterside pavilion, Zhigui leaned against the railing, her hand supporting her cheek as she stared blankly.
At the bottom of the steps outside stood a young man with a slightly protruding forehead.
There had once been a four-legged snake in the Mud Bottle Alley. Song Jixin, finding it an eyesore, had thrown it into the neighboring courtyard several times, but each time it crawled back.
Zhigui often stepped on it with the sole of her shoe, grinding it repeatedly. Otherwise, at dawn, when she went to the Iron Lock Well to fetch water and heard some cold words, she would return to her house, see it, and kick it flying.
This young man, who had taken human form not long ago, was given the surname Wang by Zhigui, the given name Qiongju, the courtesy name Yusha, and the Dao name Hansu.
The young man carried a purple-gourd flask with a shiny patina slanted on his back.
Zhigui turned her head and tilted her chin.
The poor young man immediately understood. He quickly moved and stood in a place where his master couldn't see him, so as not to let her eye irritation turn into heart irritation.
Zhigui smiled and said, "I heard that the ancient heavenly court had an execution platform with several divine weapons, specially for dealing with earth immortals and flood dragons who violated heaven's laws. Besides the Armor Sword and the Mountain-Breaking Halberd, there were two blades, called "Beheading" and "Execution." That Execution blade is in Chen Ping'an's hands. If I had known, I wouldn't have let you keep watch from afar at sea. If you two had met, you would definitely have taken an instant disliking to each other, and then—crack—tsk tsk."
The young man was so scared he shrank his neck.
---
At the Luobao Shoal by the Qingyi River, Xiao Mo began building a thatched hut for cultivation. Cultivation, for him now, was essentially just reading books.
For Xiao Mo at this point, the only form of cultivation was to choose a Dao path for himself that "had no predecessors on the road," in order to have hope of reaching the fourteenth realm.
Moreover, even for a great cultivator at the peak of Flying Ascension, finding a path to ascend was as difficult as a mortal scholar walking on thin air—extremely arduous.
Otherwise, in the ten thousand years since, the number of fourteenth-realm cultivators across the worlds wouldn't have been so scarce.
Furthermore, Xiao Mo had set himself a threshold: he must break into the fourteenth realm as a pure sword cultivator, taking no shortcuts.
Just like that Pei Min, one of the three great sword techniques of the Haoran world, who probably had the same intention.
Anyway, Xiao Mo would definitely find an opportunity to challenge Pei Min to a sword duel.
Xiao Mo had casually placed some prayer mats and stools on the open ground outside the thatched hut, like a threshing floor.
Cui Wei and Sui Youbian, two Nascent Soul realm sword cultivators, often went to Luobao Shoal to ask Xiao Mo about sword practice matters.
Cheng Zhaolu and Yu Xiehui also went frequently. Pei Qian, when not busy at the ferry, would occasionally go to listen in.
Whenever someone came to visit, Xiao Mo would sit on a bamboo chair under the eaves, a bamboo staff lying across his knees, as if conducting a "preaching and teaching at Luobao Shoal."
That day, Cui Dongshan left Mixue Peak and came to a green cliff on Qingping Peak. He curled his fingers and gently "knocked" on the stone.
Inside the jade-railing immortal mansion's top floor, Chen Ping'an gathered his mind, opened his eyes, and nodded.
Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, in blue robes, barefoot.
Everything was simple. The room had no extra decorative objects. Compared to before, the only addition on the low table in front of Chen Ping'an was a horizontally placed long sword used for cross-continent travel.
Cui Dongshan stood outside the entrance to this small cave heaven, with no idle chatter. He came straight to the point: "A flying sword letter from the Dragon Palace ruins says the new South Sea Water Lord, Li Yehou, is coming to visit us today. I guess he wants to discuss business about the Ye Luo River water transportation with you, Master. Just continue your pure cultivation here without worry. I, your student, can negotiate the price with Li Yehou. Rest assured, Master, even if you don't show your face, Li Yehou will absolutely not feel that Xiandu Mountain's hospitality is lacking."
With me as the host, that's enough.
Li Yehou and Zhigui were both Four Seas Water Lords, so if he wanted to leave his own waters and enter the East Sea territory, he would first need to inform Zhigui.
Moreover, he needed to report to the Zhongtu Confucian Temple, and only after receiving permission could Li Yehou leave.
Chen Ping'an suddenly stood up and put on a pair of cloth shoes. "Wait a moment. I happen to have something to do outside. I need to take Xiao Mo with me to Xiaolongqiu. We'll go down the mountain together."
Leaving this small spring cave heaven, which served as a temporary cultivation ground, Chen Ping'an came to Cui Dongshan's side and smiled. "It's better for you to go. Just ask for an outrageous price and let the counteroffer hit the ground. When I talk business with Water Lord Li, I really can't open my mouth."
To act the part of a poor peddler, Chen Ping'an did have some confidence—he would never sell himself short. But he couldn't bring himself to "cheat acquaintances."
Because earlier, at the Temple of Merit in the Confucian Temple, when he was still the Water Lord of Jiaoyue Lake, Li Yehou had visited the master with a maidservant bearing an extremely high-rank dharma robe and an unremarkable peak-stage martial artist. Li Yehou's congratulatory gift at that time was a priceless calligraphy piece called "Drunk as a Skunk." Apart from the extremely rare "wine worm" in the calligraphy, the piece itself could be regarded as a six-hundred-mile lake rich in water transportation—a first-class cultivation site for dragon-kind.
They went down the mountain together. Cui Dongshan went to find Li Yehou.
Chen Ping'an found Xiao Mo at Luobao Shoal, and they set off together for Xiaolongqiu.
---
On a cross-continent ferry.
Little Millie tilted her head from side to side, her little shoulders wobbling. She carried a golden shoulder pole and held a green bamboo staff, "patrolling the night and inspecting the mountain" in circles on the ferry late at night.
Bai Xuan sat on the railing at the bow, his hands pressing down on the railing, looking up at the bright moon. He sighed loudly, "Being so highly regarded by the Hidden Officer—a heavy responsibility lies ahead."
Being personally named to attend the branch sect's ceremony—that little Hidden Officer Chen Li? Such treatment?
---
Five-Colored World, Feisheng City.
The tavern had closed. A stooped man stood behind the counter, drinking wine and looking at the wall.
After the second shopkeeper left, they stopped hanging new trouble-free plaques here.
Some people had made a fuss, but the man had barely managed to send them away.
Some taverns in Feisheng City had tried to imitate this practice, but no one bothered, and it was embarrassingly disastrous.
Yes.
Unique in heaven and earth.
How could you learn?
Impossible.
"I've decided. Starting tomorrow, I will learn to write properly from the second shopkeeper. I want to write a betrothal letter in my own hand for that un-wedded wife, Nalan Caihuan."
"Miss Zhou's side… without me, she wouldn't have a smile. It must be like that. Since A Liang said it himself, I need to go ask Miss Zhou. I'll go tomorrow. The day after is fine too."
"Please, I beg you, stop cursing A Liang. Unlike me, I never curse him half a word. From now on, if anyone dares curse him half a word in my presence, that will be a sword duel with me, Zhao. A Liang and I are the best of friends at the gambling table, and equally matched opponents at the drinking table. You simply don't understand the good intentions of my dear buddy. Only I understand. So you bastard, kowtow to me."
"My name is Miaoran. As for my surname, it is carved on the city wall."
"I wish I could live in a vat of wine forever."
"My swordsmanship is not high, but I've never been a coward."
"I heard A Liang say that there is a kind of building in the world called a brothel, and a kind of wine called flower wine. But the second shopkeeper says there isn't. Who should I believe?"
"Sun Juyuan's swordsmanship is actually rubbish. He can only fool foreign women."
"I heard that Haoran cultivators all value 'fine brushes and inkstones are one of life's pleasures.' Don't they need to practice swords?"
"Golden Core and Nascent Soul realm land sword immortals—ha! Laughing myself to death. So those sword immortals are even cheaper than Sister Diezhang's wine."
"If Great Sword Immortal Mi can enter the Summer Retreat Palace, why can't I?"
"Yue Qing, Mi Hu, you sword immortals, listen to my advice. Your so-called swordsmanship is actually mediocre, just a three-axe style. If you don't believe me, challenge me to a sword duel."
"Spring dreams are easy to find, but golden cores are hard to obtain."
"Zong Yuan never came here to drink—truly a great loss."
"I woke up, and I like her more than yesterday."
"Han Huaizi of the Taihui Sword Sect saved me twice. I never thanked him face to face. That's not right."
"Xie Songhua looked at me twice. There's hope."
"Fine wine and beautiful women are the land of immortals. Everyone, no one leaves until we're drunk."
"Consider it me begging you all, on behalf of that bastard, would some great sword immortal please be so kind as to carve a character in front of the 'Fierce' character on the city wall, as if giving him a surname. You'd be getting a free son—why not?"
"The person I like punches with precision and drinks with the most charm. It doesn't matter that he's not a sword cultivator—I am."
"Nine out of ten drunks are shills. What can I do?"
"Missing you like the crescent moon, waxing full night by night."
"The next great sword immortal to carve on the city wall will definitely be me, Yuan Liang."
Beside it hung a trouble-free plaque.
"I believe that after Yuan Liang, there will be more carving sword immortals, like me, Du Ling."
On the walls of the small tavern, there were many such pairs of trouble-free plaques hanging side by side.
Perhaps they were friends drinking at the same table, both reeking of alcohol and taking advantage of their drunkenness to write one after the other.
Or perhaps they were two sword cultivators who had never known each other, or only recognized faces without ever exchanging words, like a temporary drop-in, greeting each other.
"After the second shopkeeper became an official and went to the Summer Retreat Palace, drinking just didn't have the same flavor."
"Luo Zhenyi inside the Summer Retreat Palace is truly beautiful. The second shopkeeper, being close to the water, got the moon first—what a lucky dog."
"What second shopkeeper? What new Hidden Officer? Don't be so formal. Every time I squat by the roadside drinking with him, I call him by his name: Chen Ping'an."
"Get out of here! You, Huang Shou, every time you drink with the second shopkeeper, you nearly stick your head in your crotch. You're old enough to be his father, but you smile like a son."
"One day when we really don't have to fight anymore, I'll go see Beiju Luzhou."
"Remember to call me along."
"As Lu Zhi said, maybe the second shopkeeper is actually a woman. Hiding it well. No wonder she fought Yu Juanfu so ferociously—it was a woman making things difficult for another woman."
"Then what about Miss Ning? Worry."
"Reading cultivates blessings; staying content nurtures the spirit."
"That must have been borrowed from the second shopkeeper. But the words are good."
"Quitting drinking is harder than practicing swordsmanship."
"Quitting drinking? What's so hard about that? I quit every day."
"Nothing happened today."
"Peace and safety."