Chapter 903: Lone Crane Between Heaven and Earth
Bright moon, faint stars, making the mountains seem ever higher.
Sha Qing's ears twitched slightly. He abruptly turned his head to gaze into the distant night, speaking in a low voice, "Master, the Embroidered Tiger has come."
Li Yihou hummed in acknowledgment and reminded them via heart-mind voice, "Remember to mind your words. Whatever Mr. Cui says to me from now on, just let it pass. Don't take it to heart, and don't dwell on it."
Huang Juan, the maidservant tuning her zither, followed Sha Qing's line of sight and gazed into the distance. She could faintly make out a figure clad in snow-white robes, seemingly skimming the ground as they rode the wind. Suddenly, the figure rose higher and higher, and Huang Juan's gaze lifted continuously in response. The bright moon hung in the void, and that mustard-seed-sized figure happened to be silhouetted against the full moon. The figure accelerated, riding the wind, and charged straight toward the mountain peak, like a being from within the moon itself, banished to the mortal world.
Huang Juan put her ancient zither back into its case and stood behind her master alongside Sha Qing.
A youth with a vermillion birthmark between his brows, clad in white robes with wide sleeves fluttering, hovered beyond the mountain.
Even Huang Juan, a cultivator with a dao-heart as firm as they came, had to admit that the youth before her shimmered with such brilliance that the moonlight over the entire mountain seemed to pale in comparison. His bearing was lofty and transcendent, in no way inferior to her master's.
On Cui Chan's two previous visits to Bright Moon Lake, Huang Juan had happened to be away from the water mansion, either visiting a close friend at Yanzhi Mountain or touring the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land.
To have friends come from afar, is that not a joy?
Li Yihou's eyes shone brightly, as if he had been waiting for this reunion for many long years. He put away the yellowed, worn-out palm-leaf fan in his hand, then removed the mask covering his face, revealing himself to be a handsome man. Rising to his feet, he made a deep bow. "Yihou greets Mr. Cui."
Cui Dongshan's expression was indifferent. "Congratulations on your promotion to Sea Lord of the Southern Sea, Lord Yihou. Just call me Dongshan."
Li Yihou, along with the other two former lords of the Five Great Lakes, had been reassigned as lords of the Four Seas on the jade-gold registers used by the Confucian Temple to enshrine mountain and river spirits. In terms of rank, it was merely a lateral transfer. But now, their authority was vastly greater, and their jurisdictions far more extensive than before.
At the same time, the lords of three great lakes, including Shenze Lake, had filled the vacancies for the "Five Lakes" lords, a genuine promotion.
Li Yihou smiled and nodded.
Among those who had publicly spoken out for Jia Sheng of Hao Ran back in the day was Li Yihou, the lord of Bright Moon Lake.
Thus, even though Bright Moon Lake was the closest of the Five Lakes of Hao Ran to the Confucian Temple, Li Yihou had never drawn particularly close to the temple, maintaining a distant relationship with the accompanying sages.
He was an old acquaintance of the Embroidered Tiger, Cui Chan.
Of course, there was a significant age gap between them, as Li Yihou belonged to roughly the same era as Bai Ye and hailed from the same kingdom. Li Yihou came from a powerful clan and was an important court minister, while Bai Ye was more of a reclusive hermit. When Bai Ye was in the capital, it was but a fleeting glimpse before he set off on a small boat and drifted away, so the two had little interaction.
Instead, it was Cui Chan, along with his junior brothers Zuo You and Jun Qian, who had once traveled together to Bright Moon Lake. Over the course of ten days, they had played eight consecutive games of Go without time limits, allowing each other to take as long as they needed.
As a result, Li Yihou had nearly lost his "Book Warehouse" and half of Bright Moon Lake.
In those eight games, Li Yihou won one and lost seven. He would have lost his position as Great Lake Lord as well, had he lost one more.
The reason it was "nearly" was that the opponent had voluntarily given up the winnings.
Afterward, Li Yihou compiled those eight games into a book called the "Autumn Waters Manual." Through repeated review, he began to see the hidden intricacies—the gap in skill between the two was far greater than he had imagined, truly vast. Yet, aside from the first game's strategy of "luring the enemy in," the Embroidered Tiger had been showing weakness in the remaining seven games, making Li Yihou completely unaware, always thinking he had lost by just a single move.
Later, when Cui Chan rebelled against the Wen Sheng lineage, he secretly visited the Bright Moon Lake Water Mansion.
He asked Li Yihou if he would be willing to travel far with him, to do some "preparatory work within his means for this world." Li Yihou politely declined.
Cui Chan didn't seem particularly disappointed. Before leaving, he noticed the Go manual on the table and casually remarked with a smile, "Why not rename it the 'Leading Ox Manual'?"
Li Yihou, a former Daoist priest, could only remain silent. He quietly saw the Embroidered Tiger off.
It wasn't that he feared trouble, nor that he was unwilling to give up his position as Water Lord. Rather, after becoming a spirit, Li Yihou had grown increasingly indifferent in temperament. It was as if all his grand ambitions had been left behind with each former version of himself: the child prodigy with innate talent, the young Daoist secluded in the mountains by imperial decree yet still caring for the realm, the young civil official who went out to serve and single-handedly turned the tide, the middle-aged and elderly figure who extended the nation's mandate, mended the land, and saved countless people from suffering. Finally, he achieved success and retired, becoming a mountain and river spirit, no longer concerning himself with affairs of state or the mortal world. His only pursuits were buying books, collecting books, reading books, and repairing books.
Cui Dongshan turned his head, a different expression on his face, and teased with a smile, "Brother Sha Qing, how is it that after a hundred years, your realm hasn't advanced, but you've grown a head taller? Got some secret technique? Why not teach me?"
The short, stocky man's face reddened somewhat. He muttered sullenly, "Nothing of the sort. Don't talk nonsense, Mr. Cui."
Admitting defeat in front of the Embroidered Tiger, Cui Chan, wasn't shameful.
As for why Cui Chan had turned into a youth, who knew? A peculiar person doing peculiar things—wasn't that normal?
Before coming, the master had warned him and Huang Juan that if they saw a youth who had changed his name to Cui Dongshan, they should treat him as the Embroidered Tiger.
It wasn't until this moment that Huang Juan realized the man beside her had indeed grown a bit taller. No, not a bit—a full two inches!
She suddenly understood the trick and snapped angrily, "Sha Qing, have you lost your mind? Do you have to learn even this sort of thing from that Ah Liang?!"
So, Sha Qing had copied that bastard Ah Liang, hiding something clever inside his boots.
Earlier, that certain someone had brought a young scholar and a yellow-robed old man with an immortal bearing, who had once visited Bright Moon Lake.
Then, on the steps, that fellow had taken off his shoes and immediately put his boots back on.
The young scholar was fine enough, well-behaved and polite throughout. But the yellow-robed old man beside him was truly unexpected, shocking Huang Juan. At the time, he had behaved perfectly within the Water Mansion, yet his realm was extremely high. He soon became famous far and wide at Yuanyang Islet, calling himself the Daoist title "Tender Elder." With a single move, he had caused Nan Guangzhao, a fellow Flying Ascension realm great cultivator, to lose all face.
Li Yihou got straight to the point. "I believe Mr. Cui is well aware of what I've come for this time. Name your price."
Cui Dongshan laughed. "It's rare for old friends to meet. Why not discuss matters over a game of Go?"
Li Yihou replied, "If there are no stakes, I might reluctantly stay a bit longer in Tongye Continent and play a game with you."
Cui Dongshan coaxed, "Small stakes are just for fun. If you accidentally pull off a 'Moonlit Game,' wouldn't that be a beautiful tale in the Go world? I'll even let you have the first move."
Seeing that Li Yihou was unmoved, Cui Dongshan rubbed his chin with one hand and held up two fingers with the other. "Not enough? How about I let you have two handicap stones?"
The great Water Lord still pretended not to hear. Cui Dongshan stomped his foot, shook his sleeves, and complained, "Lord Yihou, you're selling yourself too short! Do you want me to treat you like a complete beginner and let you pass the Nine-Stone Barrier?"
In various dynasties, Go academies in the mortal world had the custom of handicap games with nine stones. For players to enter the hall and obtain ranks, they had to pass the Nine-Stone Barrier set by the national Go champions.
Li Yihou seemed determined not to play Go with Cui Dongshan. He only smiled and said, "Mr. Cui, let's just get down to business. I didn't come out for sightseeing. I need to return to the Southern Sea immediately to escort a ferry. I imagine the Immortal Capital Mountain is very busy these days, so I won't waste your precious time."
Seeing that the other party refused to take the bait, Cui Dongshan had no choice. The old bastard had been beaten and scared badly back then. He couldn't just force Li Yihou's head down to play Go. So, he got down to business. "My master will sell you at most one-tenth of the water transportation rights."
Li Yihou immediately asked, "Is that one-tenth of the water transportation rights Mr. Chen currently holds over the Yelu River, or one-tenth of the complete Yelu River water transportation rights from before?"
Cui Dongshan grinned. "Which one-tenth it is depends on how sincere you are, Brother Yihou."
Li Yihou pondered for a moment. "Regardless of which 'one-tenth' it is, I will offer the sincerity I had intended."
Where Wen Sheng had merged with the Dao was the broken lands of three continents, including Southern Bodhisattva Continent. Li Yihou, as the great Water Lord controlling the flow of the Southern Sea's water transportation, could, within limits and without violating prohibitions or incurring the Confucian Temple's censure, appropriately adjust the flow of water transportation. It wasn't considered abusing public office for private gain. On this trip, Li Yihou had no intention of matching wits with the Embroidered Tiger. He had a fixed "price" in mind, one he wouldn't change. If it worked, fine. If not, he would leave.
Cui Dongshan started hopping and cursing, his sleeves flapping noisily. "Damn it, Li Yihou! Do you think you have my master figured out? That because he's a gentleman who's no good at business, you can be so shameless?! Huh?!"
These days, a small handful of idle great cultivators in Hao Ran were paying people to collect various assessments of the young hidden official from the barbarian wilderness.
Li Yihou wanted to buy one-tenth of the water transportation rights for the entire barbarian Yelu River. Of course, it would be best if Chen Ping'an was willing to give one and a half tenths—the more, the merrier.
Li Yihou took a booklet from his sleeve. "For one-tenth of the Yelu River's water transportation rights, this is the detailed deployment plan of my Southern Sea Water Mansion and three hundred thousand water descendants over the next hundred years. The Confucian Temple won't be able to find fault. I can guarantee that for a hundred years, Southern Bodhisattva Continent will have favorable weather, far surpassing previous years. Both mountains and lowlands will enjoy a prosperity unseen in three thousand years."
Cui Dongshan took the booklet, flipped open the first page, rolled his eyes, and casually tossed the booklet, handwritten by the Water Lord himself, onto the ground. He even stomped on it heavily. Then, he flicked his sleeve. "You can fuck off now."
Huang Juan was quietly seething. She wanted to speak but held back, remembering her master's earlier warning. Otherwise, she would have cursed already.
This man dared to show such grave disrespect to her master! Even if you were half the Embroidered Tiger, Cui Chan, so what?!
She felt Sha Qing gently tugging her sleeve.
Cui Dongshan squinted at the maidservant carrying the zither case and sneered, "What, planning to pull that 'the master's disgrace is the servant's death' routine? Threatening me? Scaring me? I've got a weak heart. Scaring me to death won't require you to pay with your life, but it'll cost you a fortune. An astronomical sum! Careful, you'll make Lord Yihou sell everything he owns to clean up your mess..."
Huang Juan's face flushed with rage.
Li Yihou remained composed. He reached out, retrieved the booklet with a flick of his hand, and gently brushed the dust off the cover. "If it were only the Embroidered Tiger, I would have turned and left."
Li Yihou extended the booklet to the white-robed youth once more, almost as if talking to himself. "But the one who possesses the Yelu River's water transportation rights is the Wen Sheng's youngest disciple, a young sword immortal who established a subordinate sect in Tongye Continent."
Cui Dongshan tucked his hands into his sleeves, expressionless.
Huang Juan was furious. This time, Sha Qing had to grab her arm firmly.
Li Yihou, however, was not at all bothered. He turned to gaze at the distant night scene but still did not put the booklet away.
"A talent that is dashing and extraordinary acts in unconventional ways, astonishing all who see and hear. But a man of measure and discipline is measured in every move, strict in rules, and handles advances and retreats, give-and-take, all within proper bounds."
"Lord Yihou sincerely envies the former and genuinely respects the latter."
"Indeed, as Mr. Cui said, I am exploiting the fact that 'a gentleman can be deceived by virtue.' But I have my difficulties. In my position, I must deliberate on the affairs of my office. I cannot act solely on personal preference. If I were still the lord of Bright Moon Lake, yet wielded the authority of the Southern Sea Lord without bearing the responsibility, the thickness of this booklet could at least double. As a mountain and river spirit, giving the world a measure of benevolent partiality—if that partiality becomes too heavy, it can arbitrarily alter local qi movement and affect the landscape's essence. This hidden danger cannot be ignored."
Cui Dongshan squatted down, took out some small dried fish from Luopo Mountain from his sleeve, and tossed them into his mouth.
A child in elementary school stares blankly at the sky, thinking he can pluck the stars. Later, when he becomes a cultivator and an immortal, he realizes that the heavens are too high to reach.
Li Yihou also squatted down and, for the third time that night, offered the booklet.
Cui Dongshan snorted coldly. "Don't bother me. I'm sulking."
Li Yihou gently placed the booklet on Cui Dongshan's arm and smiled. "There are two difficult things in this world: ascending to heaven to become an immortal, and having to ask others for favors."
Cui Dongshan chuckled, finished the dried fish, gave a slight shrug that sent the booklet bouncing up, caught it with one hand, and waved it like a fan. "There are two bitter things on earth: suffering hardship that tastes like biting into golden thread, and having an empty purse with no money."
Standing behind the white-robed youth, Huang Juan quietly raised her foot and pretended to kick him.
With a thud, the white-robed youth fell flat on his face. He turned his head and snapped, "Ambushing me, are you?! Pay up?!"
Huang Juan was dumbfounded.
Sha Qing was equally incredulous.
The Embroidered Tiger of yesteryear was unmatched in elegance and charm.
When he first visited Bright Moon Lake, Cui Chan, the Wen Sheng's senior disciple, was already famous throughout the world. Even Sha Qing, who rarely went out, had heard of a certain assessment of Cui Chan from the Confucian Temple.
"Warm as the sun, steadfast as a mountain, a vessel for the ancestral temple."
Who exactly said it was unknown. Some guessed it was the leader of the Confucian Temple. Others said it was a personal comment from the Ritual Sage. Still others claimed it came directly from the Ultimate Sage himself!
Under the eaves of the waterside pavilion, sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing Go across the board from the Water Lord. During one game, as it concluded, a torrential rain poured down, lightning flashed and thunder rolled. The player in black clothes picked up a white stone, lightning crossing his brow, his eyes never leaving the game as he played.
Li Yihou smiled and took a round fan made of a mysterious material from his sleeve. "Consider this both an apology and a congratulatory gift. Quite suitable for giving to Sword Immortal Chen."
Huang Juan's heart ached.
This was a priceless treasure from the ancient Moon Palace. Her master cherished it the most. The fan was named "Escape the Heat," a beautiful name, "Cool breeze from the precious fan in the bright moon's chill." Legend had it that it was personally crafted by the ancient Lord of the Bright Moon.
But having passed through many hands in the mortal world, its rank had been damaged. It was now merely a semi-immortal weapon, a heavy treasure of the mountains. It could be refined into an offensive weapon or used to suppress mountain and water spirits, gathering qi movement with twice the effect with half the effort. Its ability to absorb moonlight was especially unparalleled.
Cui Dongshan tucked both the booklet and the round fan into his sleeve without a single word of thanks. Suddenly, he burst out laughing, reached out to steady himself on Li Yihou's shoulder, and slowly stood up. "Before I came, my master only told me one thing."
Tonight's events were all as the master had predicted. Not a hair's breadth off!
Angry? Why would I, Cui Dongshan, get angry at a defeated opponent? What a joke.
Li Yihou stood up as well and smiled. "I'm all ears."
Cui Dongshan said with a straight face, "My master said: When it comes to business, the market price shouldn't drop. But we still need to put on a show for outsiders."
Li Yihou understood immediately, catching the subtle hint. He suppressed a smile, not wanting to be seen as someone who gains an advantage and then feigns innocence. Putting on a serious face, he nodded. "Understood. Lord Yihou will use an inconspicuous method to let the other two Water Lord colleagues know the 'real price' of this deal between the Southern Sea Water Mansion and Luopo Mountain."
Li Yihou made a deep bow in farewell. After rising, he smiled. "When true peace reigns over the world someday, I will invite Mr. Cui to the Southern Sea as a guest. We'll play the 'Nine Games Under the Moon' and give the world another autumn waters Go manual."
Cui Dongshan returned the bow, then grinned cheekily. "Easy, easy. Not just playing Go in the Southern Sea Water Mansion—even flying up to the bright moon together with you, Brother Yihou, would be no problem. That way, even if the quality of the manual can't compare to the 'Colorful Cloud Game,' at least our playing spot will be far loftier than White Emperor City. Oh, and next time we meet, don't call me Mr. Cui. It sounds strange. Call me Dongshan, or call me 'Same Age' Daoist friend."
Cui Dongshan had recently chosen a new Daoist title for himself: "Same Age."
Li Yihou nodded, preparing to leave the land of Tongye Continent.
Cui Dongshan asked tentatively, "Sure you won't come to my Immortal Capital Mountain for a visit?"
Li Yihou shook his head. "No. The Water Mansion has many affairs. I shouldn't stay on land too long."
Huang Juan asked softly, "How did Mountain Lord Chen become your master?"
Cui Dongshan was a bit exasperated by this short-sighted woman. He rolled his eyes. "He who excels in learning can be a teacher; he who is upright can be a model. How could my master not be my master? It's more like I can't even be his student."
Li Yihou interjected to mediate. "Actually, Huang Juan has great admiration for the Hidden Official."
Huang Juan nodded emphatically. That was true.
Last time at the Merit Forest, the young Hidden Official had stood beside the Wen Sheng, helping his master receive guests. The young Confucian gave people a feeling like a spring breeze.
The white-robed youth immediately wrinkled his face. "Sister Huang Juan, I was wrong. For anything inappropriate tonight, I beg your forgiveness."
Huang Juan found the youth's eerie aura hard to adjust to. Could this be what they called "great intelligence bordering on demonic"? Had she already made an enemy of him? Otherwise, why had her master repeatedly warned her and Sha Qing? The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. She forced a smile as a sign of acceptance.
Li Yihou led the two of them away from the mountaintop, riding the wind.
Sha Qing looked back and saw the white-robed youth still standing there, solitary and alone, a lone crane between heaven and earth, his Dao aura pure and lofty.
Li Yihou seemed to guess his retainer's thoughts and said via heart-mind voice with a smile, "You're wrong. It's 'a single parasol tree between heaven and earth, the young phoenix's song clearer than the old.'"
Huang Juan said, "Master, when I was standing next to Cui Dongshan earlier, I didn't feel anything. But now, for some reason, I feel a lingering fear."
Li Yihou sighed, his expression complex. "Same here."
Huang Juan mused, "It's easier getting along with that Hidden Official."
Li Yihou hesitated but ultimately said nothing.
He wanted to say: That's because the Wen Sheng, old scholar, was present, and the final Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall was in the Merit Forest of the Confucian Temple at the time.
If you were his enemy, try it and see.
---
The Little Dragon Falls. The ancestral mountain, Dragon Sleep Mountain, was not far from the Heart's Intent Peak where the ancestral hall stood. There was a sealed immortal cave on whose stone wall was inscribed in clerical script the words "Another Heaven."
Mountain Lord Lin Huizhi was currently in seclusion here, healing her wounds.
Outside the cave stood two young beauties, graceful and elegant, like twin lotus flowers on a single stalk.
The sisters were almost identical in appearance and bearing. They were responsible for guarding their master's retreat. Seeing two figures land not far away, one female cultivator frowned slightly and spoke up to warn, "Master Quan, Chief Guest, our master is currently in seclusion."
Quan Qingqiu and the chief guest had come together. A tiny fishing rod hung at his waist like a sword, its shaft wrapped in silver threads like moonlight.
This was a destiny-bound treasure of his own family lineage. One of its abilities could be considered a half-dragon king basket, using a watery moon as "bait" to fish for dragon-like creatures and various rare water-dwelling beings, though they couldn't be kept.
Having two Nascent Soul cultivators on a single mountain was extremely rare in Tongye Continent nowadays. Other mountains in the northern part of the continent, like the Golden Summit Temple and the Green Tiger Palace, had not been so fortunate.
Quan Qingqiu ignored the two mediocre young women completely, acting as if he hadn't heard them. He called out loudly, "Senior Sister, the grand-uncle master has been visiting our subordinate sect for a long time. It's been a while since he descended. As the mountain lord, if you keep putting off meeting him even once, it's truly inappropriate."
That ancestor from the upper sect was named Situ Mengjing, with the Dao title "Dragon Whisker."
In the Central Continent, which was as crowded with experts as the clouds, he was a famed immortal. His family was one of the top-tier aristocratic clans of the Central Continent, similar to the Miyun Xie of the Snowy Continent or the Yunlin Jiang of the Vase Continent. The Situ family's branches spread across several continents. Besides the main ancestral hall in the Central Continent, there were numerous branch halls and lineage titles. Apart from this grand-uncle master, the Situ family had many talented individuals, with a continuous stream of successful candidates in the mortal world and a plethora of immortal masters in the mountains.
Among them were two sword immortals of the Upper Five Realms. One of them had even been to the Sword Qi Great Wall, refining his sword and killing demons there for many years before returning alive to the Hao Ran world. Unfortunately, he had no intention of establishing a sect.
However, this sword immortal, whose family hall was in the Flowing Cloud Continent, had no connection whatsoever with the Great Dragon Falls. Even his relation to Situ Mengjing was at most that of a distant relative. He also had a notoriously bad temper. In his hometown, he had often sparred with the equally bad-tempered, and perhaps even worse-tempered, sword immortal Pu He. They had several sword duels. It was said that when they both went to the Sword Qi Great Wall, they still didn't get along and couldn't stand the sight of each other, never sharing a drink at the same table.
There was no movement from within the cave.
Tired of beating around the bush with his senior sister, Quan Qingqiu let out a fake sigh and said earnestly, "In terms of both reason and sentiment, senior sister, you should step down. It's no longer appropriate for you to be distracted by tedious affairs. You should just go into seclusion and recover properly."
"Today, I can commit to this: sixty years from now, regardless of whether senior sister has emerged from seclusion by then, and regardless of whether you have turned misfortune into fortune and broken through the Nascent Soul bottleneck, I am willing to gladly return the position of mountain lord. Let the capable rule."
Zhang Liuzhu, the chief guest standing beside him, was inwardly shaken. Damn it, this was a coup, wasn't it?
This Quan Qingqiu was really underhanded. He hadn't even discussed it with me beforehand.
Zhang Liuzhu had originally thought that Quan Qingqiu had come to ask Senior Sister Lin Huizhi to leave seclusion and at least meet with the grand-uncle master from the Great Dragon Falls. It would indeed have been rude not to.
Although it couldn't be said that Lin Huizhi's current so-called seclusion was a situation of simply waiting for death, anyone with eyes could see that she had no hope of breaking through to the next realm.
As the chief guest of the Little Dragon Falls, Zhang Liuzhu was essentially a figurehead for the mountain. He was like a plaque hanging in the hall, shielded from the elements, displayed for outsiders to see.
The undercurrents within the Little Dragon Falls—he turned a blind eye. Whoever became the mountain lord wouldn't affect his regular chief guest salary. For a guest elder of a mountain sect, or a royal offering master of a mortal dynasty, it was widely acknowledged as a cushy job. Maybe not dripping with fat, but it was money earned for doing nothing.
Thus, Zhang Liuzhu had no business getting involved in this internal strife of the Little Dragon Falls. It was not his place to meddle or try to fish in troubled waters. He could easily end up being punished by the upper sect, the Great Dragon Falls.
The cave door slowly opened, and a female cultivator of middle-aged appearance walked out. Her bearing was clear and stunning. This was Lin Huizhi, whose Dao title was Pure Frost Ascendant.
A green gourd hung at her waist. It was the Little Dragon Falls' mountain-guarding treasure, a Grain Rain Gourd of semi-immortal weapon rank.
As the current mountain lord of the Little Dragon Falls, Lin Huizhi could refine her own Qi within it. If it were refined by someone else, the layers of prohibitions would be extremely difficult to peel away, and what inheritance could be passed down?
Unlike her junior brother Quan Qingqiu, who was a "mountain dao companion, offspring, immortal material," Lin Huizhi was a native of Tongye Continent and a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. In her youth, the previous mountain lord's master had spotted her aptitude for cultivation, and she had come up the mountain to train.
Her junior brother Quan Qingqiu was also a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, like his senior sister. He had personally founded the Wild Garden for traveling immortal masters to visit, earning him a good reputation in the mountain world.
However, he was originally from the upper sect. He had come to the Little Dragon Falls to train when he was young, and at his parents' request, he had formally become a disciple of the previous mountain lord.
Lin Huizhi's expression was cold. She glanced at Zhang Liuzhu standing beside her junior brother.
The old Nascent Soul cultivator, whose Dao title was "Water Immortal," immediately made a bow of respect. "Greetings, Mountain Lord."
Lin Huizhi said, "I will go to see Huang Ting. Then I will go to see the grand-uncle master."
Quan Qingqiu smiled. "Then I will go ahead and find the grand-uncle master. I'll wait for senior sister under the pine tree."
Inside the Thatched Cottage at Heart's Intent Peak, Huang Ting was eating roasted taro with a young girl, both of them blowing on the hot taro in their hands.
Huang Ting looked at Linghu Jiaoyu. The girl sat across from the brazier, gently blowing on the taro in her hands.
In Huang Ting's view, the entire Little Dragon Falls, from top to bottom, reeked of decay. It was stagnant water with only the faintest ripples.
If she were the sect leader of the Great Dragon Falls, she wouldn't have the face to tell people there was a "subordinate sect" called the Little Dragon Falls in Tongye Continent.
Earlier, there had been three main forces coveting Taiping Mountain: the Little Dragon Falls, the Wanyao Sect, and the Yu Dynasty.
As for that Quan Qingqiu, who put on a decent front, he was just a watchdog wagging its tail at the Golden Summit Temple. What a waste of a good name.
Back when Huang Ting had challenged the Little Dragon Falls to a sword duel and struck Lin Huizhi with one sword strike, it wasn't unjust.
Without this female mountain lord's tacit approval, how could Quan Qingqiu have arranged for a chief guest to stay near Taiping Mountain, spending his days calling friends to watch mirror flowers and water moons?
After Chen Ping'an visited Heart's Intent Peak, Huang Ting had been preparing to leave this place. She planned to go to the capital of the Yu Dynasty before returning to Taiping Mountain.
If it weren't for Linghu Jiaoyu on the mountain, even if Huang Ting were to leave the Little Dragon Falls, within a hundred years, whether the mountain lord was her or Quan Qingqiu, neither would be able to repair the ancestral hall.
Every time they fixed the ancestral hall, it would be equivalent to challenging her to a sword duel.
And Huang Ting had a natural intuition that this Quan Qingqiu was definitely colluding with the barbarian demons. She just couldn't produce any evidence.
That Central Continent immortal, Dao title "Dragon Whisker," had arrived at the subordinate sect, the Little Dragon Falls.
He seemed to favor Quan Qingqiu and was not very satisfied with Lin Huizhi as mountain lord.
Although the immortal had kept a low profile since arriving, rarely emerging, even when Chen Ping'an had charged onto the mountain, the immortal hadn't shown his face.
But his very presence put immense pressure on all the Little Dragon Falls cultivators who favored the mountain lord or had chosen to remain neutral.
If worldly wealth was like a heavy rain, seemingly pervasive and omnipotent, then power was like a heavy snow. Faced with the snow piled outside the door, those inside would look at it with fear—it could truly freeze people to death.
If Quan Qingqiu hadn't received some sort of directive from the Great Dragon Falls, he would never have dared to commit such an act of rebellion against his senior sister Lin Huizhi.
A crooked beam leads to a crooked house.
Beneath the ancient pine tree, on a stone table, was an unfinished Go game.
A middle-aged man with a naturally forlorn, somewhat bitter expression sat at the table, gazing at the unfinished game. He reached out and picked up a phantom stone. Instantly, a brand new stone materialized in its place on the board, while the phantom stone in the man's hand dissipated on its own. The ancient game remained unchanged.
Worshipping the moon, refining Qi, drawing upon the stars—unquestionably the work of an immortal.
Thus, the table held not only a game but a Go manual, and more than that, a formation.
There were only eighty-one stones on the table. If the board ever showed one hundred and eight stones, it would become a complete grand formation, fully aligned with the timing of heaven and the advantages of earth.
It was similar to the antique trade: if an item's condition was incomplete, the price was far lower. For example, the complete set of twelve flower spirit cups specially made in the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land—if only eleven had been collected, even if only one was missing, the price could differ by as much as half.
This man's transcontinental journey to the Little Dragon Falls could barely be considered a return to an old haunt, but everything had changed.
Back in the day, his master had played Go here with a young immortal, the very same Han Jiangshu, the contemporary sect leader of the Wanyao Sect of the Three Mountains Blessed Land.
It was said that this person now wanted to establish a subordinate sect, but for some reason, it had been delayed until now, with no definite movement.
By all accounts, with the profound foundation of the Three Mountains Blessed Land, the long heritage of the Wanyao Sect, and Han Jiangshu's own cultivation realm, establishing a subordinate sect should have been a natural progression.
The reason he had followed his master on that transcontinental journey back then was to meet Lin Huizhi's master.
At the time, the Great Dragon Falls had great hopes for her. They wanted her to use the Little Dragon Falls as a "dragon's rising place" in Tongye Continent. Once she broke into the Upper Five Realms, she could smoothly establish a subordinate sect.
According to the rules set by the Confucian Temple in earlier times, the branches and appendices of the mountain world were perhaps even more rigorous than the clan genealogies of the mortal world. For instance, to establish a subordinate sect on another continent, the founding patriarch of the subordinate sect had to break through to the Upper Five Realms locally after becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator. The upper sect couldn't just casually send any Jade Capital realm cultivator to establish a sect and add branches.
Moreover, establishing a sect as an outsider was a major taboo, subject to much resentment.
Once an outsider force established a sect, it would take a share of the profits, devouring the surrounding mountain and river spiritual energy and great Dao qi movement. Take the Hemp-Clad Sect in the Northern Juzhou Continent, for example. Its founding was fraught with setbacks and heavy casualties. It had barely managed to gain a foothold at Skeleton Beach before it ended up with Ghost Valley as a neighbor. It was always seen by the major Central Continent sects as a losing proposition, a textbook example of what not to do.
Another example was the Jade Gui Sect, which had successfully established the True Realm Sect in a place called Book-Simple Lake in Vase Continent some years ago. The old sect leader, Xun Yuan, had dispatched Jiang Shangzhen and Wei Ying to serve as successive sect leaders of the subordinate sect. Both of these cultivators later became the sect leaders of the upper sect.
Think about it: Jiang Shangzhen was as wild and unruly as they came, and Wei Ying was a prodigious genius of heaven-defying talent. Yet, even in Book-Simple Lake, they had to make constant concessions to the Da Li Song Imperial Court.
These were all proofs that establishing a subordinate sect was difficult, and gaining a foothold was even harder.
Thus, throughout history, among the major Central Continent sects that wanted to establish subordinate sects on other continents, fewer than two or three out of ten succeeded. And of those two or three, more than half failed to maintain their incense fire for a thousand years. It was like an official's son from a family of high-ranking officials, serving as a local official far from the capital. He would often face obstacles everywhere, constantly encountering both soft and hard resistance. In the end, only a minority could achieve their fathers' achievements and return to the central government.
Quan Qingqiu and Zhang Liuzhu walked together to this place. "Qingqiu greets the grand-uncle master."
As Zhang Liuzhu performed the great ritual, he respectfully addressed the man as Dragon Whisker Immortal Lord.
The man said to the subordinate sect's chief guest, "Daoist Water Immortal, you may take your leave first."
The old Nascent Soul cultivator felt honored and flattered. He paid his respects, then retreated three steps before turning around. He walked a long distance before daring to ride the wind away from the ancestral mountain.
Situ Mengjing said, "Sit."
Quan Qingqiu immediately sat down.
In the lineage of the Great Dragon Falls, Quan Qingqiu's parents were a pair of mountain cultivator dao companions. The immortal before him happened to be the master who had taught them.
Because of this connection, the Little Dragon Falls cultivators regarded Situ Mengjing as having come to support Quan Qingqiu, which was understandable.
As for Lin Huizhi and Quan Qingqiu, their master, after arriving in Tongye Continent, had smooth breakthroughs in his early years. However, when he was at the Nascent Soul realm, he was led astray by love and failed to break into the Jade Capital realm. Heart demons plagued him, and his seclusion failed. In the mortal world, they would say "a fragrant soul dissipates." In the mountain world, "the body perishes and the Dao is lost."
A pitiable woman, she had met the wrong person and her true feelings were betrayed. Yet, she had once been fifteen or sixteen, her waist as delicate as a supple willow.
Situ Mengjing asked, "Quan Qingqiu, did you have any dealings with the barbarian demons back then?"
Quan Qingqiu's expression was normal, his tone steady. "Ancestor, see clearly. There is absolutely no such thing."
The immortal beneath the pine tree did not speak. The rustling of the pine boughs was like heavenly music.
Quan Qingqiu said with regret, "Senior Sister Lin's life of cultivation has been too smooth. Her dao-heart is not firm enough. She's failed in seclusion twice, so she has no confidence whatsoever in breaking through her realm. She always feels that her time is up. Add to that being struck down by Huang Ting, and she's naturally given in to despair even more. Grand-uncle master, Senior Sister will be here soon. Could you please advise her? Help wake her from her dream."
A Nascent Soul Earth Immortal could remain in the mortal world for eight hundred years.
With some life-extending methods, the mountain world even had the saying "a thousand autumns."
As for the "ten thousand years" suffix after "a thousand autumns in the mountain world," the so-called "achieving the Dao and gaining immortality, living as long as heaven and earth," that was a legendary feat only possible for cultivators in the Fourteen Realms.
Seeing that the grand-uncle master still didn't want to speak, Quan Qingqiu carefully chose his words and said slowly, "If Senior Sister really wants to keep her position as mountain lord, she can speak openly and clearly. There's no need to slander me secretly to the grand-uncle master. Whether she wants to argue it out in the Little Dragon Falls ancestral hall, or report to the Great Dragon Falls that I am trying to usurp her position—either is fine. After all, when the doors are closed, we are all family. The grand-uncle master and the ancestors of the upper sect have a clear view of things. They will judge fairly."
"But what I never expected was for Lin Huizhi to use such a despicable method to keep her position. Slandering my reputation is one thing. But dragging the upper sect into a mess that could lead to questioning from the academies, or even the Confucian Temple... once word gets out, how severe will the consequences be? Especially now that the landscape gazettes have been unsealed. Those immortal families who envy the upper sect will certainly fan the flames behind the scenes, making a big deal of this. Senior Sister Lin's actions are unforgivable. She's utterly ungrateful and has betrayed the sect's cultivation. This is nothing short of returning kindness with enmity!"
"This Lin Huizhi has truly lost her mind."
The immortal heard this, his expression still calm, his gaze fixed on the unfinished game on the board.
These parents of Quan Qingqiu, these two disciples, were not as talkative as their son.
Situ Mengjing suddenly reached out and gathered a handful of pine needles. He rubbed them together in his palms, then spread his hands, letting the broken bits scatter in all directions. Among them were specks of talisman light, unusual.
Quan Qingqiu didn't dare say anything more, afraid of spoiling things by adding extraneous details and incurring the grand-uncle master's displeasure.
Everyone in the Great Dragon Falls knew that this ancestral master cherished peace and quiet above all else and hated trouble the most.
Situ Mengjing finally spoke. "After you leave, tell Lin Huizhi to continue her seclusion."
Quan Qingqiu was secretly delighted. He took his leave and departed. With the grand-uncle master's decree, the matter was settled. Lin Huizhi's refusal to come out of seclusion must have already displeased the grand-uncle master.
After Quan Qingqiu left, Situ Mengjing stood up. The ancient pine tree had weathered wind and frost, yet it was still full of life. It was a pity that youth had no old age interest.
This immortal was a child of a powerful clan, a youthful gallant full of chivalrous spirit, ardent in youth, proud and arrogant. Later, he could probably be considered a prodigal who returned, fortunately without having lost his head entirely.
The immortal leaned on the pine tree, turned his head to look at the distant thatched cottage, and said via heart-mind voice, "Huang Ting, could you come here for a chat?"
Huang Ting used her Daoist robe to carry a small pile of piping hot taro. She walked out of the thatched cottage, shrank the distance, and arrived under the pine tree in a single step. She sat directly on the stone stool, peeled several taros, and stuffed them into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out, she said indistinctly, "Just say it. Where do we fight? Pick a place. I'm easy."
Situ Mengjing sat across the stone table and said via heart-mind voice, "Quan Qingqiu's unauthorized coveting of Taiping Mountain's Bright Moon Mirror's Dao resonance, his attempt to seize the Taiping Mountain ruins—on behalf of the Great Dragon Falls ancestral hall, I must apologize to you. If you weren't coincidentally at the Little Dragon Falls, I would have made a personal trip to your door to apologize."
Huang Ting sneered coldly. "Ruins?"
The immortal said, "That was a slip of the tongue. My apologies again."
Huang Ting said, "Keeping Quan Qingqiu around is a disaster. Some things, once done, cannot be hidden forever."
Situ Mengjing said, "I am looking for evidence, but the results are not good."
In fact, he had arrived at the Little Dragon Falls territory a year ago. With his immortal cultivation, he moved through the area like he owned it. Even during Huang Ting's sword duel, Situ Mengjing had not intervened.
If it weren't for the relationship with Lin Huizhi's master, it wouldn't be him, Situ Mengjing, here investigating the clues. It would be his junior brother, the Law Enforcement Elder.
But forcing soul-searching or memory-flipping methods was difficult. Firstly, the Great Dragon Falls cultivators were not skilled in this art, and it was hard to guarantee not damaging the other party's Dao foundation. If it was a misunderstanding, not only would Quan Qingqiu's parents make a scene at the Great Dragon Falls ancestral hall, but putting himself in their shoes, Situ Mengjing himself would probably hold a grudge against the upper sect. Furthermore, within the Great Dragon Falls ancestral hall, a very few had differing opinions. Some clung to hope, thinking that since the Little Dragon Falls hadn't done anything openly dirty and hadn't actually damaged Tongye Continent's landscape in the slightest, why make a big fuss? As the old saying goes, if you judge by deeds, there are no filial sons in a poor family; if you judge by intentions, there are no perfect men throughout history.
The sect leader was in a dilemma.
But Situ Mengjing and the Law Enforcement Elder wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Huang Ting asked, "What if you find evidence?"
Situ Mengjing said calmly, "I will clean house with my own hands and will voluntarily report to the academy, handing over the records to the Confucian Temple."
Huang Ting was somewhat surprised.
Situ Mengjing suddenly said, "I'm afraid that Lin Huizhi might be just as confused."
If Quan Qingqiu had indeed colluded with the barbarian demon military tents, his death would not be regrettable.
But if Lin Huizhi was also involved, Situ Mengjing would be... immensely sorrowful.
Huang Ting was stunned, taken aback. She really hadn't expected that Lin Huizhi might have secretly colluded with the barbarian demon military tents. They say don't wash your dirty linen in public. This ancestor of the Great Dragon Falls, however, was breaking the mold.
For a moment, her impression of the Great Dragon Falls improved slightly.
By all logic, the Great Dragon Falls of the Central Continent was known for producing master mirror makers, monopolizing the business. Such a sect was almost without exception steeped in the stench of copper.
Situ Mengjing wore a rare smile as he looked at this young female Daoist, whose realm was temporarily not high but whose reputation was considerable. "Being a cultivator and being a sect leader are two different things."
That was why he had refused to succeed as the mountain lord of the Great Dragon Falls back then.
And as for this Huang Ting, barring any accidents, she would soon be the new sect leader of Taiping Mountain.
"Even if Sword Immortal Chen came to our Great Dragon Falls, he would be a guest of the highest honor. There's no need for such sneaky behavior."
Situ Mengjing had a peculiar expression. He sighed, feeling helpless.
A faint, ethereal yin spirit form, having traveled and explored every corner of the mountain, returned to the immortal's true body.
Hidden among the handful of pine needles earlier was a "Wind and Rain" talisman, known in the mountain world as "hearing wind and knowing rain." This talisman was used for eavesdropping. Because its spiritual energy dissipated extremely slowly, it was very difficult to trace. Thus, it had another, less pleasant name: "Corner Talisman."
Furthermore, the immortal's yin spirit exploration had yielded unexpected gains. For instance, on the "Another Heaven" stone wall, below the character "Heaven," there was a small, easily overlooked character in fly-head script, engraving the character "Earth." It, too, was a talisman.
In just one yin spirit journey, five talismans had been discovered, like a game of hide-and-seek that annoyed even an immortal. He was also certain there were more slipping through his fingers.
Huang Ting suddenly crouched down, tilted her head, and reached under the stone table, pulling out a talisman. Sure enough, a friend of Zhong Kui's was also a very righteous gentleman.
Why didn't you just paste a talisman on Situ Mengjing's forehead?
Even the most carefree immortal would feel a bit annoyed—both at the other party's unscrupulous methods and at his own lack of awareness.
Situ Mengjing looked around and said loudly, "Sword Immortal Chen! Is this how you conduct yourself as a disciple of a sage?!"
---
Chen Ping'an, along with Xiao Mo, left the territory of Immortal Capital Mountain and traveled north by wind, intending to visit the Little Dragon Falls.
Xiao Mo suddenly said he had detected an immortal, not far away, who seemed to be an elder of the mountains, covertly escorting two little spirits with shallow cultivation on their journey. However, for some reason, they weren't riding a ferry or using a talisman boat; the two little ones were simply walking on the mountain paths.
Chen Ping'an was somewhat curious. These days, immortal realm cultivators weren't common in Tongye Continent. The one from the Little Dragon Falls, the ancestor from the Central Continent's upper sect, was a "crossing-the-river dragon."
He asked Xiao Mo to use his "Grasp of Mountains and Rivers" technique from a distance. Unexpectedly, the sight brought a bright smile to Chen Ping'an's face.
It wasn't that he knew the immortal covertly protecting the two children. Rather, his own subordinate sect had an unexpected visitor.
Zheng Youqian was the sole disciple of Senior Brother Jun Qian.
Chen Ping'an immediately rode the wind and arrived on a mountain path, where he found two children.
Beside Zheng Youqian was an exquisitely beautiful little girl.
Probably, after arriving in Tongye Continent on a transcontinental ferry, since Immortal Capital Mountain had no pier yet, Zheng Youqian could only walk.
Chen Ping'an asked Xiao Mo to entertain the immortal, while he himself appeared alone on the mountain path, smiling. "Youqian."
The little spirit, who had only taken form a few years ago, saw Chen Ping'an, rubbed his eyes, and immediately made a respectful bow. His voice carried a slight tremor. "Zheng Youqian pays respects to Hidden Official Little Uncle Master!"
Zheng Youqian had actually already met this Uncle Master Chen once. At the Merit Forest of the Central Confucian Temple, when they first met, Zheng Youqian had addressed him as Lord Hidden Official.
When Chen Ping'an told him to just call him Little Uncle Master, Zheng Youqian had a flash of inspiration and used a compromise: Hidden Official Little Uncle Master!
Hearing this strange and awkward address again, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but smile. He said warmly, "Youqian, next time, just call me Little Uncle Master."
Zheng Youqian had been afraid of him. He had heard from Senior Brother Jun Qian that this was because of all the messy rumors and gazettes from the barbarian wilderness.
The little creature was originally from the Yu Hua Blessed Land in Tongye Continent. Through a twist of fate, he had become the disciple of Senior Brother Jun Qian, thus officially joining the lineage of the Wen Sheng. Later, he traveled through the barbarian wilderness with Senior Brother Jun Qian. Along the way, he had heard some murky and filthy rumors. In short, in Zheng Youqian's impression at the time, this Little Uncle Master, whom he had never met, was as terrifying as "Qi Shanglu" plus "Mi Lanyao" from the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was said that if he encountered demon cultivators or spirits, he wouldn't waste a word. He'd twist off their heads, rip out their sinews, and peel their skin. It was said that when this Hidden Official was guarding the Sword Qi Great Wall alone, he once raised his hand, grabbed a Jade Capital realm demon cultivator who dared to fly over the wall, slammed him hard onto the wall, tore off his arm with one hand, broke his waist with a stomp, and then proceeded to devour him alive, feasting in broad daylight... So, for a spirit like Zheng Youqian, how could he not be afraid?
This little nephew, of course, had mistaken his Little Uncle Master.
Seeing Zheng Youqian, Chen Ping'an at this moment—if anyone else were looking—would seem completely different from usual. His expression was different from how he treated Pei Qian or Cao Qinglang.
Right now, it was as if Chen Ping'an had several talismans pasted on his forehead, each with a line of text: "Kind and benevolent," "I am the Little Uncle Master," "Senior Brother Jun Qian has chosen a fine disciple," "This nephew just looks more and more pleasing," "Youqian, has anyone been bullying you? Tell Little Uncle Master. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I'll go have a talk with them."
There were hundreds of scholarly traditions and cultivator lineages in the world, but none could match the Wen Sheng lineage's skill in protecting its own.
Zheng Youqian looked up at his Little Uncle Master. This Little Uncle Master's smile was so exaggerated that it almost made Zheng Youqian want to cry.
He had finally managed to be less afraid after meeting his master, who was also famous in the barbarian wilderness. But then, on the transcontinental ferry from the Snowy Continent back to his hometown of Tongye Continent, he had seen another landscape gazette. It turned out that just a few days after leaving the Confucian Temple, his Little Uncle Master had already accomplished a series of astonishing feats: leading four great sword immortals deep into the heart of the barbarian wilderness, destroying barbarian sects, sweeping through ancient battlefield ruins, punching the Immortal Hairpin City into pieces with a few blows, dragging the entire Yelu River alongside the throne-tier great demon Crimson Consort, cleaving the Pillow Moon Mountain with his sword, and the final Hidden Official carving characters on the city wall...
The contents of the gazette made the little spirit both happy and proud. He wished he could tell everyone he met that he was the nephew of that Lord Hidden Official!
But inevitably, Zheng Youqian was a bit worried.
Sigh. To be honest, although his Little Uncle Master was very approachable to him, it seemed that Uncle Master Zuo You was still less frightening.
Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "And this is...?"
Zheng Youqian quickly introduced her. "Master left me on Iron Tree Mountain. She is a friend I made there. Her surname is Tan."
"Yingzhou, can I tell the Hidden Official Little Uncle Master your name?"
As soon as he said it, Zheng Youqian, who was already nervous, became even more flustered.
The little girl named Tan Yingzhou hummed softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's.
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. "Hello, Tan Yingzhou. I'm Chen Ping'an, Youqian's Little Uncle Master."
The little girl's expression was wooden, a bit dazed. She nodded stiffly.
She was a disciple of a later generation belonging to Guo Outing, a Flying Ascension realm great cultivator of Iron Tree Mountain. She was very young but of a very high seniority.
Among Guo Outing's six direct disciples, many had numerous disciples and grand-disciples of their own. So, in the mountain, this little girl was often addressed as "Supreme Ancestor" by cultivators with white hair.
White Emperor City and Iron Tree Mountain, in the Hao Ran world, were both unique sects.
One was worshipped by heterodox cultivators.
The other was a holy land in the eyes of native demon cultivators of Hao Ran.
Guo Outing's Dao title was "Dark Light," so he was also called "Dark Light Dao Lord" by demon cultivators.
He was one of the ten great figures of the Central Continent. Legend had it that he once cut the Yellow Springs Road in two with a single blade strike.
External rumors said that Guo Outing and the previous Great Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain had a peak-level battle that smashed the entire Iron Tree Mountain, making it extremely difficult to mend the landscape. Hence, the later saying, "The iron tree in the mountain will not bloom for ten thousand years."
Dragon Tiger Mountain's Heavenly Master Mansion was responsible for descending the mountain to slay demons and exorcise evil. Guo Outing, however, was a demon cultivator by origin, of the same generation as a certain hidden fierce creature that was once killed by Bai Ye when he left his island with a single sword strike. So, Guo Outing having a grudge against the Great Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain made sense.
But that wasn't actually the case.
The one who sword-dueled Guo Outing was the Dragon-Slayer, Chen Qingliu. He had nearly killed Guo Outing back then.
The new Iron Tree Mountain was actually formed from the rubble of the collapsed mountain range. It was several hundred zhang shorter than the old one. According to the agreement, as the loser, Guo Outing was not allowed to leave the sect until the iron tree on the ancestral mountain bloomed.
The most outrageous part was that no grass or flowers of any kind could be planted in Iron Tree Mountain. Guo Outing, as the sect leader of Iron Tree Mountain and a peak cultivator of Hao Ran, once used an esoteric secret method to manifest his own heart's image of the Dao, causing the iron tree to "bloom." But before Guo Outing could descend the mountain, someone else happened to climb it.
It seemed as if that person had been waiting for Guo Outing to make the iron tree bloom.
The one who climbed the mountain was not the Dragon-Slayer, but his disciple, Zheng Juzhong, the city lord of White Emperor City.
After that, Guo Outing stayed in the mountain to cultivate.
But such old stories and old people were only known to a very small circle of mountain peak cultivators.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Youqian, Little Uncle Master still has some things to attend to. I'll have a cultivator named Xiao Mo take you both to Immortal Capital Mountain."
Zheng Youqian nodded vigorously. "Little Uncle Master, please go ahead with your business!"
Chen Ping'an said, "I'll walk with you to the foot of the mountain before I leave."
The little girl wiped the sweat from her face. She was actually even more nervous than Zheng Youqian.
Zheng Youqian didn't directly comfort the girl beside him. Instead, he mustered his courage and said sincerely to his Little Uncle Master, "Tan Yingzhou really admires Little Uncle Master. She's read those mountain gazettes even more times than I have. She reads them over and over. I bought the gazettes with my money, but she ended up with them."
"Actually, Tan Yingzhou isn't usually like this. She's usually quite lively. She says that among all the millions of heroes under heaven, only Little Uncle Master is this one!"
Zheng Youqian gave a thumbs up.
The little girl was furious with embarrassment. But with the Hidden Official present, her face was flushed bright red, and she was so tense that she was clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands.
Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned forward slightly, and smiled at the little girl. "Thanks for the recognition."
He then extended a hand from his sleeve and grinned. "Excellent taste!"
The two children's protector appeared together with the yellow-capped, blue-shoed Xiao Mo.
He was a tall figure, wearing a Dharma robe the color of thick ink. A wooden hairpin held his hair in place. He had the appearance of a handsome youth.
He was responsible for secretly escorting Tan Yingzhou and Zheng Youqian on their transcontinental journey.
Zheng Youqian looked dumbfounded.
The little girl, however, was calm and composed, as if she had already guessed.
They had first gone to Luopo Mountain in Vase Continent. After learning about the subordinate sect, they had come to Tongye Continent.
This "youth" was precisely Tan Yingzhou's teaching master and Guo Outing's final disciple.
The cultivator bowed in greeting, his smile warm. "Iron Tree Mountain cultivator Guo Ran, greetings, Mr. Chen."
Chen Ping'an smiled and returned the greeting with a fist-in-palm salute. "Greetings, Dragon Gate Senior."
The cultivator before him, in his youth, had once achieved the feat of striking the waters and traveling ten thousand li to the Dragon Gate.
Guo Ran, with the Dao title "Dragon Gate," was a bit surprised. Had this young Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall heard of him? Otherwise, how could he have known his Dao title?
He was like his master. He liked to stay in the mountain, focusing on his own cultivation.
He had never liked descending the mountain to travel or sparring with others in Dao techniques. If he lost, he got hurt. If he broke someone else's magic treasure, it hurt relationships and created enmity. If he broke his own, it was a loss. Even if he won, he wouldn't end up with an extra snow blossom coin. Fame and reputation were like clouds gathering and dispersing—they couldn't be eaten.
So, in the Central Continent, his fame was far less than that of his senior brothers and sisters. Because his master was constrained by that old promise and couldn't leave the Iron Tree Mountain territory, it was his senior brothers and sisters who handled external relations, accumulated mountain incense-fire connections, and negotiated business with the outside world. Nowadays, cultivators outside Iron Tree Mountain mistakenly thought he was still a Nascent Soul cultivator.
In that war, he had traveled incognito to the Southern Bodhisattva Continent, intentionally concealing his realm, pretending to be a Golden Core cultivator, hiding among a group of cultivators stationed on a coastal defensive line. In the end, when the battle situation became critical, he joined forces with Sword Immortal Cao Xi to defend the Town Sea Tower.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'm grateful to Dragon Gate Senior for escorting Youqian all this way."
Guo Ran laughed. "It's only natural. Mr. Chen, no need to be polite."
Chen Ping'an patted his little nephew's shoulder, his expression full of praise.
Nice. Among the disciples and grand-disciples of the Wen Sheng lineage, there was finally someone like himself.
You can tell a person's nature at three. Judging by his little nephew Zheng Youqian's behavior around the girl, he definitely wouldn't end up alone!
Some things had nothing to do with knowledge or realm. They were about talent.
Zheng Youqian suddenly asked in a low voice, "Little Uncle Master, who are you going to cut down on this trip?!"
In the little spirit's mind, his most respected Little Uncle Master was either raising his sword to cut someone down or on his way to do so.
Chen Ping'an intended to explain to Zheng Youqian that his Little Uncle Master had always been kind to others—everyone knew that.
But just then, using a "Wind and Rain" talisman, he caught the questioning of that immortal from the Little Dragon Falls. Chen Ping'an smiled. "An immortal."