Chapter 907: A Hundred Rivers Surge Boundlessly

Chapter 907: A Hundred Rivers Surge Boundlessly

In the Yu Dynasty, Luojing.
Dai Yuan, a Golden Core cultivator from the Green Seal Sect, had just returned from the palace. As his carriage passed the imposing and magnificent Jicui Temple, this Golden Core Retainer of the Yu Dynasty didn't even entertain the thought of currying favor with that peerlessly beautiful female State Preceptor. His own cultivation base was insufficient. Even if he knocked on her door to pay respects, he might not be turned away, but what good would it be to just drink tea and feast his eyes? Besides, that Lu Bilong had profound Daoist skills and an unclear background; Dai Yuan didn't dare let his eyes wander.

Letting the carriage curtain fall, Dai Yuan sighed. For some reason, he found himself missing that Water Immortal Daoist friend from Little Dragon Pool.
But Dai Yuan didn't notice that a white-robed youth holding a green bamboo staff had been lying on the carriage roof all along, legs crossed, as if acting as Dai Yuan's silent guardian.

The imperial retainers of the Yu Dynasty were divided into inner and outer categories, roughly equivalent to the named and unnamed guest elders of immortal sects.
Dai Yuan was one of the inner retainers, not very high in rank, but his mountain had an excellent patriarch. Gao Taishu was the dynasty's second-ranking retainer, second only to that Nation-Protecting True Man whose Daoist arts were profound.
Two Golden Cores within one mountain—in the now withered Feng Shui of Tongye Continent, they couldn't exactly walk sideways, but walking at a slant was certainly possible.

Because of a heavy goose-feather snow around the New Year, it was said that many poor folk who couldn't afford proper clothing had frozen to death in the countryside. The old emperor was once again busy issuing an edict of self-blame.
His own sect had latched onto a powerful backer early on: the Hou Clan of Old Dragon City in Vase Bottle Continent.
And a "Righteous Man" gentleman from Guanhu Academy, who hailed from the Hou Clan, had performed outstanding meritorious service on the Old Dragon City battlefield and had now been promoted to Vice-Mount Leader of the Five Streams Academy in the south of Tongye Continent.

Dai Yuan, at the Taiping Mountain ruins, had not only returned empty-handed but had been forced to give away a piece of "Moonlit Pine" Daoist ink just to barely save his own skin.
All those sessions of Flower in the Mirror Moon on the Water with Xiao Longqiu's chief guest elder, old Nascent Soul Zhang Liuzhu, hadn't been wasted after all—they shared weal and woe together.
Before Patriarch Gao and the old Yu Emperor, Dai Yuan had his own explanations and methods to muddle through. Gao Shuwen euphemistically said it was to avoid leaving any hidden dangers, and after carefully examining Dai Yuan's injuries, found nothing. The old emperor, being a kind-hearted man, had the inner attendants select a relatively rare mountain immortal artifact from the national treasury as a reward for Dai Yuan, roughly meaning "though no merit, there was at least effort."

The late emperor of the Yu Dynasty, the current Son of Heaven's son by a concubine, had during that chaotic age when rites and music collapsed, proclaimed himself a child emperor under the Barbarian Wasteland. The result was that his head was cut off.
As for how that assassin managed to bypass the heavily guarded capital, infiltrate the imperial palace, and successfully take the emperor's head, it remained a mystery even among the Barbarian Wasteland military camps.
Anyway, after the war ended and the Yu Dynasty restored its state, rumors spread that an old palace maid had let something slip: that the founding emperor of the Yu Dynasty, who had won his empire on horseback, had returned as a vengeful spirit. That night, dark clouds covered the moon, eerie winds blew, toppling countless flowers and trees. Only the sound of hoofbeats was heard, and the Taizu Emperor was seen sitting high on his horse, holding a spear. He charged alone into the palace, struck down with one spear, still unsatisfied, then struck again with another spear, splitting that unfilial descendant and his bedding into three pieces...
In short, the story grew more and more exaggerated. So whenever Dai Yuan entered the palace to see the emperor, he always felt a chill and a sense of dread, not a place to linger.

Dai Yuan was a mountain immortal with accomplished Daoist cultivation, so he wasn't afraid of ghosts, but he was afraid of death.
This time entering the palace, Dai Yuan had received a Dharma decree from Patriarch Gao: he needed to invite the Crown Prince and Crown Princess for an old haunt revisit.
His mountain had a White Jade Cave Heaven, and viewing snow in the White Jade Mountain Market was a renowned scenic beauty on Tongye Continent.
Actually, Dai Yuan knew full well that the old emperor was nearing his end. At most, he'd hold on for another half year before riding a crane west—though in the mortal world, it was called "passing away."
That Nation-Protecting True Man, Lu Bilong, no matter how skilled in alchemy, was probably powerless to turn things around; extending the emperor's lifespan was simply impossible.

From the Hou Clan of Old Dragon City, a person of authority was now at his mountain, waiting to meet the future new sovereign and empress of the Yu Dynasty.
But the reason Green Seal Sect had mobilized such forces—not only Dai Yuan coming to Luojing, but even Patriarch Gao Shuwen accompanying him—was because even more formidable forces than the Hou Clan had arrived at the mountain. Not only were they wealthy and powerful, but it was said they possessed several half-immortal soldiers and were related by marriage to the Jiang Clan of Yunlin. This was none other than Fu Nanhua of the Fu Clan of Old Dragon City. This man had crossed continents southward and had graced the Green Seal Sect with his presence.

Dai Yuan took out a bright yellow brocade box with dragon patterns from his sleeve—clearly the work of the imperial workshop. Opening the box, inside was a piece of colored ink cake bestowed by the old emperor, painted with the True Form Charts of the Five Sacred Mountains. It could be seen as a defensive treasure similar to a talisman, with the true spirits of the Five Sacred Mountains enhancing its power, and it could also be directly used as medicine. Because it was a one-time consumable, it hadn't achieved the rank of magic treasure. Dai Yuan's fingers caressed the ink cake, his heart full of worry. What a coincidence—another ink cake. This made the inner retainer involuntarily think of that green-robed sword immortal who had appeared at Taiping Mountain. Whether it was to win him over, kill him, or slice him, at least give him a clear answer—anything was better than this constant anxiety.

If the other party was only relying on swordsmanship to eliminate him, Dai Yuan would just grit his teeth and go report to the academy. Whether it was Tianmu Academy or Dafu Academy, he could at least beg for a life-saving talisman. Surely that sword immortal wouldn't want to pay the price of being detained by an academy or the Confucian Temple's Central Earth Temple just to kill a Golden Core cultivator with no enmity. So what Dai Yuan really feared was that this sword immortal, who claimed to be a guest elder of the Jade Gui Sect, would completely disregard the demeanor of a sword immortal and play dirty tricks on him.

After all, a mountain cultivator who could call Jiang Shangzhen a brother—how could he be a gentleman who followed rules and acted uprightly?
Besides, the other party had said that one day he might visit the Green Seal Sect.
Then come! Just openly reveal your identity! Or else follow the example of the female Daoist Huang Ting and challenge the Green Seal Sect's mountain-protecting grand formation.

Dai Yuan felt a deep regret and muttered with a sigh, "Shouldn't have waded into that muddy water at Taiping Mountain. If I had known, I would rather have broken my own legs than stay on the mountain."
Although the reputation of the Yu bloodline was thoroughly ruined, the foundation of the Yu Dynasty was still there. After restoring the state, their territory didn't shrink but actually increased. Now Tongye Continent had a self-puffed "Top Ten Powerful States," and the Yu Dynasty was among them, ranking decently in the middle. So the civil and military ministers were all fired up, publicly declaring that within ten years, they would secure fifth place and strive for third.

Currently, the third-ranked state was the Great Chong Dynasty, famous for producing a notorious playboy. It was said that this young Deputy Minister of Public Works had turned over a new leaf, and the former libertine had actually become a good official.
The top spot, of course, belonged undisputedly to the Great Spring Yao Clan.
The Yu civil and military officials naturally hoped for a ranking just below the Great Spring Dynasty. Dai Yuan grumbled inwardly—not to mention whether they could achieve it, even if they did come second, what then? Just because they were close in ranking to the Great Spring Yao Clan, did that mean the Yu Dynasty could press close like a man to the buttocks of that stunningly beautiful Yao Empress?

Back when he followed Patriarch Gao to the Peach Leaf Alliance, he had heard a vividly detailed rumor: that charming, unmatched vixen, the Great Spring Empress, in her prime youth, had during her journey to the capital, early on engaged in romantic trysts under the moonlight with an outsider and pledged their love.
It was also said that the man was actually from a poor background, not even a cultivator, and had relied on sweet talk to deceive the future empress's body.
Dai Yuan sat in the carriage, clicking his tongue. Damn, he envied him to death. He wondered which lucky bastard had such a stroke of fortune for his ancestors' graves to smoke!
If he ever laid eyes on that fellow, he'd smack him with a Daoist spell, aimed right at that bastard's crotch. Heh, that would let the lad go directly to the palace to serve as a eunuch.

The carriage stopped. Dai Yuan had a mansion personally bestowed by His Majesty in Luojing. The previous owner was a Deputy Minister of Rites. Rumor had it he had grown old and, after receiving a fright, had croaked in the Green Seal Sect's mountain. Actually, it happened when that old veteran, still ambitious, was "galloping across the battlefield driving two steeds simultaneously" and inadvertently suffered from wind-stroke during the act.

Dai Yuan stepped down from the carriage, suddenly surprised and delighted. He spotted a Daoist of immortal bearing outside the gate. Talk about wish fulfillment! It seemed his luck was turning—was the worst finally over?
Unable to contain himself, Dai Yuan didn't bother with polite greetings. He quickly walked forward, grabbed the old Nascent Soul's hand, and exclaimed, "Old Brother Zhang!"
The old Nascent Soul was also visibly moved. He shook Dai Yuan's arm and said in a deep voice, "Brother Dai!"
That incident at the Taiping Mountain ruins had bound them together in hardship. They were lucky to have survived. The scene was deeply moving, rivaling the sight of old friends meeting with tears in their eyes.

Actually, just a few steps away from them stood a white-robed youth, leaning on a bamboo staff, yawning as he watched the two sworn brothers reminisce.
Dai Yuan said softly, "Old Brother Zhang, just the two of us going to my mansion for a drink might be a bit dull. How about..."
Both out of politeness and necessity, Dai Yuan should play the host. Zhang Liuzhu pondered silently, slightly hesitant.
Dai Yuan said, "Old Brother Zhang, at Luojing, you listen to me. Let's go!"

So Dai Yuan led Zhang Liuzhu back into the carriage, heading for an immortal inn in the capital called the Lantern Riddle Hall. Inside was the Three Illumination Tower, the tallest building in the capital, symbolizing that the sun, moon, and beauty were the most beautiful under heaven. It was the preferred venue for high officials, nobles, and mountain immortal masters to hold banquets. It was crowded all year round. To secure a seat at the tower on short notice, relying only on money was impossible. You'd need to book at least a month in advance. However, Dai Yuan was a regular at the Three Illumination Tower, an inner retainer, and the Green Seal Sect was the leading immortal sect of the state, so he could always get a drink there anytime.
This was also thanks to that abruptly deceased "Child Emperor"—the Yu Dynasty's capital had been almost completely unscathed by the alien devastation.

On the way, Dai Yuan had sent out two paper kites to summon two female cultivators from other sects, junior disciples who were regulars at the Green Seal Sect. They had a cut from the Green Pearl Well, and Dai Yuan, within the Green Seal Sect, managed two of the four major scenic wonders: besides the lucrative Green Pearl Well, there was also the Sword-Hanging Tree, though the latter only had an immortal sword hanging on it, yielding no profit.
In his talisman message, Dai Yuan asked if they were free to join him for a small gathering at the Lantern Riddle Hall, along with a close mountain friend.

Entering the Lantern Riddle Hall, Dai Yuan didn't head straight for the boisterous Three Illumination Tower. Instead, a familiar young female cultivator led him to a secluded yet convenient spot, full of rustic charm. There were two thatched cottages surrounded by a bamboo fence, and in front of the gate was a clear pond full of lotus flowers.
The female cultivator wore a fitted dress, swaying her hips as she chatted and laughed with the two immortal masters all the way.

Sitting under a grape arbor with Zhang Liuzhu, Dai Yuan initially intended to have the female cultivator fetch the finest wine from the Lantern Riddle Hall. But Zhang Liuzhu said it wasn't necessary and produced two flasks of Dragon Pool wine from his sleeve. The female manager, knowing Dai Yuan's preferences, cast a seductive glance, silently asking if he needed her to arrange for some Lantern Riddle Hall courtesans. Dai Yuan waved his hand with a smile, saying no. Before leaving, the female cultivator simply said to call her if they needed anything. Clearly, if Dai Yuan asked, she would even be willing to stay and drink with them.

The grape vine was clearly an immortal plant. Despite being year-end, it was still lush green and heavy with fruit.
Zhang Liuzhu poured two cups of wine. The cups on the table were elegant and exquisite, imitations of Flower Spirit Cups.
Dai Yuan took a sip of Dragon Pool wine, praised its quality, and then, seeing no one around, asked softly, "I heard that the illustrious disciple of that Baozhen Daoist from Golden Summit Temple is now in seclusion, with hopes of reaching Nascent Soul? And there's a rumor that this Shao Yuanran received a town guardian treasure bestowed by Temple Master Du and also absorbed the dragon aura of the Great Spring Yao Clan, allowing him to break through realms smoothly in just twenty years, thanks to favorable timing, location, and people."

Zhang Liuzhu gave an ambiguous smile. "Such a young and promising Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, a pity he doesn't marry into the Great Spring Yao Clan to support the dragon."
The old Nascent Soul was originally a wild cultivator, and he despised these privileged registry Earth Immortals who took every advantage. For instance, Gao Shuwen, the Green Seal Sect's sect leader, was someone Zhang Liuzhu couldn't stand.
Dai Yuan chuckled. "If he could really marry into the Great Spring and become the empress's husband, supporting the dragon by day and suppressing the dragon by night—that's a enviable perfect bliss."
Good wine and bawdy talk were like a worry-sweeping broom. When Zhang Liuzhu raised his cup, Dai Yuan immediately touched his cup to it, and they both drained their drinks.

Dai Yuan asked quietly, "Old Brother Zhang, this trip to Luojing—are you here as Xiao Longqiu's chief guest elder to discuss something with the old emperor, or...?"
Zhang Liuzhu smiled enigmatically and communicated mentally, "Entrusted by someone to find you for a deal, Brother Dai. Let me keep it a secret for now. Anyway, it's a great fortune in disguise. Just relax and drink."

At the words "fortune in disguise," Dai Yuan felt reassured. He didn't press for details, simply continuing to urge Zhang Liuzhu to drink. They chatted about recent events on Tongye Continent.
Zhang Liuzhu casually asked about the Green Seal Sect's recent situation. Dai Yuan was open about everything except some mountain secrets. If Zhang Liuzhu were still a wild cultivator, Dai Yuan wouldn't dare be so frank. But since Zhang Liuzhu had "reformed" and become Xiao Longqiu's chief guest elder, it was no longer advisable for him to return to his old ways—otherwise, he'd lose more than he gained. So Dai Yuan didn't need to be overly cautious.

Still, Dai Yuan was a bit puzzled. Why was Zhang Liuzhu so interested in the income of the Green Pearl Well and the White Jade Mountain Market, asking in such detail? Could it be that the current power-holder at Xiao Longqiu, Quan Qingqiu, wanted Zhang Liuzhu to sound him out about an alliance with the Green Seal Sect—perhaps pooling their immortal ferry lines for joint trade?

In less than half an incense stick's time, Zhang Liuzhu stopped talking and turned his head. His eyes lit up.
Two female registry cultivators of unknown sects, one slim and one voluptuous, each with their own charm.
The first was quite attractive, with a delicate oval face, walking gracefully, waist so slender it seemed it might snap. The old Nascent Soul worried she might break it.
As for the latter, the old Nascent Soul's heart stirred the moment he saw her—he couldn't look away.
To put it in that scoundrel Jiang Shangzhen's words: "When she walks toward me, it's like two mountains crashing into me."
The old Nascent Soul sighed inwardly. If there were a bedroom battle, this old man would surely lose.

He hadn't watched all those flower-in-the-mirror shows for nothing. Dai Yuan knew this elder's tastes well. He gestured for the slim female cultivator to sit beside him. The other plump registry immortal, when she first saw Zhang Liuzhu, had kept her face neutral but inwardly lamented. Why had Retainer Dai summoned this old geezer for drinks today? What a trial.
But thinking of Dai Yuan's background, she forced a smile.
She glanced at the old cultivator's hand holding the cup. It wasn't like the withered, chicken-claw hands of ordinary elderly mortals; instead, it had a faint, jade-like luster. This surprised her a little—could he be a "golden branch and jade leaf" land immortal?

Currently, the Yu Dynasty had three pillars: the Jicui Temple in Luojing, the Nation-Protecting True Man Lu Bilong, whose Daoist arts were unfathomable.
Next was the Grand General Huang Shanshou, a Far Traveling realm martial artist. He came from humble beginnings, joining the army as a youth. Now, though barely forty, he had been honored so highly there was no more room for promotion. The only thing the Yu Dynasty could boast about was that this general had been considered "fighting against impossible odds" back then, because Huang Shanshou hadn't followed the old emperor into exile, fleeing to the "temporary palace" in the Green Seal Sect's secret realm. Instead, he had gathered a crack cavalry and roamed the old mountains and rivers, repeatedly fighting against the Barbarian Wasteland aliens. Though casualties were heavy, this army never dispersed.

"This man is the jade in the cesspit of the Yu Dynasty."
That was a public statement made by a new vice-mount leader of Tianmu Academy, openly expressing his contempt for the entire Yu Dynasty while singling out that military officer.
Finally, there was Dai Yuan's Green Seal Sect.

When she heard that the senior with the Dao name Water Immortal was none other than the long-heard-of but never-seen chief guest elder of Xiao Longqiu, a Nascent Soul old immortal, her posture became even softer and more yielding. Her plump figure and delicate bones seemed to melt. When she knelt to offer wine, she deliberately pressed one thigh against the old Nascent Soul.
She wore a silk robe, and her kneeling posture emphasized the curve of her body, which felt cool to the touch but made the old Nascent Soul's heart race.

After three rounds of wine, both were tipsy. Dai Yuan had his arm around the waist of the female cultivator beside him, while the immortal at Zhang Liuzhu's side had long nestled into the old immortal's embrace, calling him "Brother Zhang."
But this trip wasn't just for sightseeing and philandering in Luojing. Today's little tryst under the grape arbor was at most a public-private endeavor, a moment stolen from busy duties. Otherwise, Zhang Liuzhu would have long had one hand holding his wine cup and the other reaching into those white, plump mountain peaks to retrieve the "treasure."

It turned out that before leaving the Wild Garden that night, Sword Immortal Chen had privately instructed Zhang Liuzhu. His words were polite: "Please trouble Water Immortal Daoist to make a trip to the Yu Dynasty, find that inner retainer Dai Yuan to catch up, and help me pass a message. Tell him that I still have no connection to the Green Seal Sect, but with Dai Yuan, the inner retainer of the Yu Dynasty, we became friends through a fight. So I will see if there's an opportunity to help Dai Yuan go further in the Yu Dynasty's landscape officialdom—'climb a hundred feet higher.'"

To be honest, Zhang Liuzhu was a bit envious that Dai Yuan had an inner retainer status. Unlike himself, he was just a water-poor chief guest elder at Xiao Longqiu.
On his way to Luojing, Zhang Liuzhu's mind had been working: maybe he could negotiate with the next Xiao Longqiu mountain master to secure a "state preceptor" status in some restored mortal dynasty? For example, among the ten states currently chosen on Tongye Continent, pick a major dynasty temporarily lacking top combat power—like the Great Chong Dynasty, which was rebuilding from ruins and whose state preceptor position was still vacant? Dai Yuan was only at Golden Core, but he was a solid Nascent Soul. If he succeeded, wouldn't that be splendid?
Then, as the new state preceptor of the Great Chong Dynasty, with Sword Immortal Chen as his behind-the-scenes backer, who on this continent would dare underestimate him, Zhang Liuzhu? Or think his background was illegitimate?
A sword immortal whom even Central Earth immortals treated with respect and yielded to.
This thigh, he was determined to hug tightly!

After finishing what could be called a light-hearted flower wine session, Dai Yuan was quite surprised but followed Zhang Liuzhu's mental prompt. It was time to get down to business. He sent the two beauties away, telling them they wouldn't need to serve wine anymore.
The plump woman was indeed clever and obedient. She didn't cling or fuss, just mentally asked if he needed them to wait at Retainer Dai's mansion for another round of drinks.
Dai Yuan, having received Zhang Liuzhu's mental message, smiled and agreed.

Once the two female registry cultivators were far away, Zhang Liuzhu instantly dispelled all traces of drunkenness. His eyes were sharply clear, and with a shift, he became an overbearing Nascent Soul senior. He spoke mentally: "Dai Yuan, don't let a single word of what I'm about to say leak out—not to your patriarch Gao Shuwen, nor to the Yu court. This discussion today is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me."

In the Haoran world, never underestimate any wild cultivator who has painstakingly climbed to the Nascent Soul realm. That was common sense.
Seeing Zhang Liuzhu's peculiar demeanor, Dai Yuan immediately understood the gravity. He quickly suppressed his smile and banter, sat up straight, and respectfully said mentally, "Chief Guest Elder, please speak. I am all ears."

Zhang Liuzhu then relayed what Sword Immortal Chen had instructed him. Dai Yuan listened intently, not daring to miss a single word. After hearing it, he felt both joy and unease, a surge of suspicion. Was this a pie falling from the sky, giving him a landscape career for free? Could there really be such good fortune under heaven? Why would that ruthless, deep-minded sword immortal take such a liking to him? Could it be that the other party was, in a roundabout way, coveting the Green Seal Sect's rich ancestral property? Was it possible that Zhang Liuzhu had already secretly reached an agreement with that sword immortal, and rather than open conflict, they were planning a covert seizure? Would he end up busy for nothing and not only lose everything but also become a traitor in the Green Seal Sect's millennia-long history?

Zhang Liuzhu seemed to have guessed the twists and turns of Dai Yuan's thoughts. He picked up the imitation Flower Spirit Cup in front of him, first lifted it gently with two fingers, then tapped it heavily on the table. Squinting, he smiled. "Sword Immortal Chen had two final words for me to pass on to you, Brother Dai. The first: don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Don't be ungrateful after getting a bargain."

Dai Yuan smiled bitterly, his heart strings taut.
Zhang Liuzhu paused for a moment, then continued with the "second sentence": "When you see Dai Yuan, it's not about negotiating whether he wants to do things, but about teaching him, hand in hand, how to be a man."

Dai Yuan had just drunk a pot of Dragon Pool immortal brew, but now his stomach was filled with bile. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
It was clear that this Old Brother Zhang had already become an ally on the same pirate ship as that green-robed sword immortal.

Zhang Liuzhu resumed his smile and said slowly, "Don't overthink, Brother Dai. This Sword Immortal Chen is a registered cultivator of a sect with the word 'Clan' in its name on our Tongye Continent. He has no reason, let alone need, to harm a Golden Core cultivator. The three academies of Tongye Continent are not decorations."

Dai Yuan's heart was uneasy. After a moment of deliberation, he put on a flattering smile and asked tentatively, "Old Brother Zhang, can you speak to me heart-to-heart? Is that sword immortal truly not eyeing the Green Seal Sect's legacy? Am I not being set up as a traitor to my master, a guardian who steals the treasure?"

Zhang Liuzhu gave a derisive laugh. He was utterly unwilling to waste a single word of explanation on Dai Yuan. After all, they were just friends over wine and pleasure. Dai Yuan was so ungrateful and foolish that it was no wonder he was only a Golden Core registry cultivator with no hope of Nascent Soul. If he were a wandering cultivator scraping a living like a wild dog in the mountains, with such indecisiveness and lack of sense, he would have long been dead.
Zhang Liuzhu turned the wine cup over, mouth down, and placed it on the table. "I've delivered the message. That's all. Whether you listen or not is up to you, Brother Dai. Let me, as your older brother, give you one last extra reminder: this kind of opportunity to hand you a huge fortune on a silver platter, if you hesitate and don't cherish it, you'll miss the chance forever and regret it."

Dai Yuan gritted his teeth. "I'm in!"
What really made Dai Yuan decide was hearing that the sword immortal was from some Tongye Continent sect.
As long as it wasn't a one-shot deal that went off on a tangent, Dai Yuan felt a bit more at ease. Otherwise, he really feared ending up with a miserable fate—neither here nor there. He might lose his inner retainer status in the Yu Dynasty, and even his registry status in the ancestral hall might be stripped. When the scandal broke and Gao Shuwen found out, given Gao's temperament and methods, he wouldn't let Dai Yuan live to become a wild cultivator.

Zhang Liuzhu laughed dismissively, his expression haughty. He really wondered what that great Sword Immortal Chen, who appeared like a dragon emerging from the sea or a celestial horse soaring through the skies, saw in Dai Yuan. This guy wasn't even fit to carry Chen's shoes.

Zhang Liuzhu flipped the cup back over. Dai Yuan immediately leaned forward, picked up the wine pot, and filled it, then poured himself a cup.
Zhang Liuzhu smiled slightly. "Let's not talk in empty boasts. Anyway, with the bond between us brothers, we must work together with one heart and sincere cooperation."

Dai Yuan held the cup with both hands, his eyes firm. "To tell you the truth, Old Brother Zhang, I consider my life and fortune entrusted to this cup of wine."

Suddenly, a head poked out from above the grape arbor, looking down at Dai Yuan. It spoke indignantly, "What's wrong with your Green Seal Sect? Treating an old immortal like Dai Yuan, a thousand-mile horse, like a donkey? Isn't that a waste of a rare treasure?"
Dai Yuan was startled out of his wits, and even Zhang Liuzhu almost couldn't contain himself—he nearly summoned a defensive treasure and attacked with a lifebound object, not caring if it accidentally injured Brother Dai. That would be up to heaven.

Dai Yuan stared blankly upward at the head hanging upside down from the grape arbor.

In the sect, aside from the Green Pearl Well, Dai Yuan held no real power. The Green Seal Sect's actual managers were all trusted confidants of Patriarch Gao. The one in charge of money was a mistress of old Gao. This seductive woman, who didn't deign to look at anyone except Gao, also handled everything related to the White Jade Mountain Market. The sect's law enforcer was only an unremarkable Dragon Gate realm old cultivator, yet he had taken the lucrative Dragon Summoning Pool as his own. Because he was Gao's direct disciple, he threw his weight around. When he saw Dai Yuan, a Golden Core Earth Immortal, on ordinary days, he always greeted him with a false smile and called him "Nephew Dai."

Zhang Liuzhu remained calm and asked, "Where does this Daoist friend hail from? May I ask your Dao name?"
The white-robed youth maintained his upside-down posture, his face earnest. "I'm Dongshan."
Zhang Liuzhu smiled. "Then, may I ask, Brother Dongshan, how long have you been here, and how much have you heard?"

The other party shook a decree in his hand, making it rustle, and said seriously, "I arrived a moment before you two. I was just now admiring this imperial edict of self-blame. Didn't hear anything about 'guarding and stealing' or 'regret it's too late,' so there's absolutely no need to silence me."

Zhang Liuzhu's face darkened. Good one. Quite the sarcastic tone.
The white-robed youth tucked the decree into his sleeve and laughed. "Haha, Chief Guest Elder Zhang, are you relieved now that you've heard I arrived earlier? You think that at best I'm good at concealing my form and aura, but in a real fight, I'm not necessarily that strong? Heh, you're celebrating too early. I was lying. I followed you two into the Lantern Riddle Hall all the way. Seeing you were getting along so well, I didn't want to disturb, so I took a little nap up here. Don't believe me? Look at your feet—isn't there a small pile of grape seeds?"

Dai Yuan immediately looked down, but Zhang Liuzhu didn't move a muscle. This was the real difference between a registry immortal master and a wild cultivator, even though they were only one realm apart.
Zhang Liuzhu pretended to be calm, stroked his beard, and smiled. "This Daoist friend certainly takes an unconventional path."
A cultivator who could lie on a grape arbor for half the day without being detected at all was definitely not someone to fight head-on!

Cui Dongshan flipped his body, grabbed the arbor with both hands, and landed gracefully. He shook his sleeves, leaned against one of the arbor's wooden posts, and said, "Enough, no more beating around the bush. I have important business to attend to."

Cui Dongshan turned to the old Nascent Soul. "My Master was worried you wouldn't make things clear and would add superfluous embellishments with Dai Yuan. That's why he sent me on this trip to Luojing. Events proved him right—you, Zhang Liuzhu, indeed thought yourself clever. No matter. Now that I'm here, I won't allow either of you to be confused or pretend to be confused."

Cui Dongshan looked at Dai Yuan and said bluntly, "Dai Yuan, do you want to become the universally recognized eighth-generation sect leader of the Green Seal Sect within a hundred years? And also, as a capable person doing more work, concurrently serve as the chief inner retainer of the Yu Dynasty?"

Dai Yuan's expression turned awkward. Where had this madman come from, spouting such nonsense?
Seeing that he didn't respond, Cui Dongshan smiled and nodded. "Good. I'll take that as your tacit agreement."
He then said to Zhang Liuzhu, "As for Chief Guest Elder Zhang, your official hat at Xiao Longqiu is already big enough, with no room to promote. You can't very well become the mountain leader, since you're an outsider—against protocol. Without Lin Huizhi and Quan Qingqiu, Big Dragon Pool isn't really out of people."

Zhang Liuzhu's expression shifted slightly. How could this person know such top-secret matters of Xiao Longqiu?!
Cui Dongshan smiled. "My Master said that as compensation for you making this trip to Luojing to deliver the message, he can put in a good word for you at Xiao Longqiu, allowing you to keep your title of chief guest elder, and then you can seek an official position in the Great Chong Dynasty—for example, state preceptor? So after leaving Luojing, don't immediately return to Xiao Longqiu. Head straight for the Great Chong Dynasty and find that Deputy Minister of Public Works named Cai Youjun. Tell him you're a mountain friend of Zhou Fei and are willing to be his advisor and accountant for a few years. My Master reminds you: haste makes waste. First, spend a few years patiently getting a clear picture of the Great Chong's official undercurrents. Chief Guest Elder, what's that called?"

Zhang Liuzhu immediately chimed in, "Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the cutting of wood!"
A pot of Dragon Pool wine had the old Nascent Soul's heart burning. It felt like the Great Chong state preceptor position was already safely in his pocket.
As for this self-proclaimed "Dongshan" Daoist friend, since he was Sword Immortal Chen's proud student, he was practically family.

Moreover, Sword Immortal Chen seemed to have clairvoyantly paved the way—exactly where Zhang Liuzhu's mind was heading. The thriving Great Chong Dynasty was the perfect "Dao field" for the old Nascent Soul to show his skills.
At the same time, Zhang Liuzhu's awe toward that seemingly mind-reading Sword Immortal Chen deepened.

Thinking back to the upheaval at Xiao Longqiu's Wild Garden, Zhang Liuzhu always had an illusion: that great Sword Immortal Chen, with his peerless swordsmanship, seemed more like a wild cultivator in temperament, methods, and bearing.
With a flip of his hand, he had turned two Nascent Soul registry cultivators of Xiao Longqiu into prisoners in an instant. Now they were being taken by Dragon Beard Immortal Lord to the Central Earth upper sect, their fate unknown.

Cui Dongshan nodded approvingly. "A teachable child, with boundless prospects."
Then he raised one sleeve and waved away the lingering fragrance of women's cosmetics that hung in the air. Clicking his tongue, he said, "You two are Earth Immortal cultivators with grand plans. Keep yourselves pure! Cultivate your nature well! Especially with those registry female cultivators—drink less flower wine, fight fewer immortal battles. Save your strength. Build up your reputation. Otherwise, if the biggest impression a future Great Chong state preceptor and an eighth-generation Green Seal Sect leader give outsiders is that they're frequenters of brothels, that won't look good. Nowadays, the mountain world of Tongye Continent is both big and small. Good news doesn't leave the gate; bad news spreads a thousand miles."

Dai Yuan glanced at Zhang Liuzhu. Zhang Liuzhu sat upright, not looking sideways.
Cui Dongshan pointed a finger at the two Earth Immortals, gesturing. "My Master and I don't want future honored guests of our mountain to be heroes who constantly wallow in boudoirs, love debts, and women's skirts."

Zhang Liuzhu felt a bit embarrassed, inwardly cursing Dai Yuan for leading him astray! Before meeting Dai Yuan, he was known for his diligent cultivation. He didn't know half a registry female cultivator or any "goddess."

Cui Dongshan clapped his hands and laughed. "So, as Chief Guest Elder Zhang just said, should the three of us work together with one heart and sincere cooperation?"
Zhang Liuzhu and Dai Yuan both stood up and bowed, swearing solemnly, almost ready to swear to heaven.
Finally, Cui Dongshan shook his sleeves and said with a cheeky grin, "Let me also learn from Chief Guest Elder Zhang and add a superfluous touch. To speak frankly behind closed doors: if you two dare to make repeated mistakes and disappoint my Master one day, I'll first beat you half to death, then make you understand what it means to be worse off than death."

Before leaving the Summit of Immortals Mountain, his Master had asked him a very interesting question.
If Yu Gui Sect's Wei Ying had secretly promised similar temptations of fame and fortune, would Zhang and Dai have been just as eager to serve and even more devoted?
Cui Dongshan had nodded and said yes.
His Master had then smiled and said, "That means the work on their hearts isn't solid enough. No matter. Water drops wear through stone. Take your time and achieve results gradually."

The two Earth Immortals—one Golden Core, silent in fear; one Nascent Soul, only saying they dared not, that they would never fail Sword Immortal Chen's cultivation and trust.
The white-robed youth vanished like a white cloud, dissolving into thin air without causing the slightest ripple in heaven and earth aura. He came without a trace and left without a shadow.

Under the grape arbor, Zhang Liuzhu and Dai Yuan stared at each other.
After a long silence, Dai Yuan whispered, "Old Brother Zhang, how about just the two of us have plain tea at my mansion?"

"What else?!"
Zhang Liuzhu said impatiently. "The boudoir of tenderness is the grave of heroes. It wastes the spirit of us cultivators, with a hundred harms and no benefit."
Dai Yuan nodded silently. Blame me?

Zhang Liuzhu continued, "I won't go to your mansion for tea. I'll stay here and keep drinking. Let's both think carefully and come up with a general plan."
Dai Yuan's spirits lifted. He immediately sat down, poured a cup for Zhang Liuzhu, and said with gleaming eyes, "Old Brother Zhang is steady. We brothers need to discuss this well."

The two Earth Immortals, now in the same boat, began to open their hearts. As they talked, they even started to outline how the Yu Dynasty and the Great Chong Dynasty could form an alliance in the future.
Indeed, this was far more interesting than drinking flower wine.
Truly, a great man shouldn't wallow in tender passions; he should pursue grand enterprises.

Then a head poked out from the grape arbor again. Clicking his tongue, the youth said, "I'm not saying you two, but what brains do you have? What have you been discussing? Like a widow crying at night?"
Zhang Liuzhu and Dai Yuan stiffened. They exchanged a look, both feeling a sense of helpless defeat.

Cui Dongshan took two booklets from his sleeve and tossed them casually onto the table. "Share and share alike. Remember to read them several times until you can recite them backwards and forwards. Then write an essay of eight hundred to a thousand characters as your thoughts. I'll test you later."
The white-robed figure vanished again.

The two Earth Immortals stood there like schoolchildren who had just received a homework assignment from their teacher.
Long, long silence.
Dai Yuan communicated with his eyes: Has he left?
Zhang Liuzhu replied with his eyes: You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? That brain-damaged Immortal Master Cui?

What should we do? Standing here with nothing to do isn't the answer.
Maybe we should read those booklets?

The increasingly telepathic Earth Immortals, without even needing mental communication anymore, almost simultaneously sat down and buried themselves in the books.

At Jicui Temple, the old True Man Liang Shuang turned his head toward the courtyard. A white-robed figure seemed to pop out of the ground. He spotted the female State Preceptor Lu Bilong. "Yo, old True Man, you just took on a direct disciple, and now you're looking for a Dao companion?"
Liang Shuang let it be water off a duck's back. Could it be that the Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan had been this roguish in his youth? He'd have to ask Little Zhao later.

Cui Dongshan swung his sleeves as he strode into the room. He sat down opposite the female Daoist Ma Xuanhui, staring intently at Lu Bilong, whose Dao name was Many Moon.

According to the Yu Dynasty's secret archives, the Nation-Protecting True Man Lu Bilong was half a registry cultivator by origin. She had once cultivated in a minor state temple that had no reputation. Because she was pure of heart and sought the truth, she didn't begin traveling until she had reached the Nascent Soul realm. Passing through the Yu Dynasty's capital, she saw that Jicui Temple was a blessed land rich in Daoist aura and stopped there. She obtained a Dao certificate from the imperial court but still didn't reveal her cultivation level. When the chaotic times came, she couldn't bear to see the Yu state's fortunes cut off, so she went against her nature, abandoning her usual quiet cultivation, and became a Nation-Protecting True Man in a "great seclusion within the court."

As for that small local Daoist temple, it did exist. The records of the Yu Dynasty's vassal state's Ministry of Rites and local county gazetteers clearly documented it. Even though that Daoist temple had long been destroyed in the war, it was believable that there had been a female Daoist named "Lu Bilong."

The female State Preceptor felt deeply uncomfortable, but with that illustrious old True Man present, she didn't dare show the slightest displeasure.
A "young man" who could casually mock the Dragon Tiger Mountain's outer-surname Grand Celestial Master—how could she, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, afford to provoke him?

Cui Dongshan's first words shook her Dao heart: "My Master said that you actually originated from the Three Mountains Blessed Land's Wan Yao Sect, a pawn placed here by the Immortal Han Yushu?"
"Right now, are you still clinging to the hope that at our Tianmu Academy, Han Yushu will put in a good word for you? For example, that Sect Leader Han might instruct his daughter Han Yushu to secretly use the old Yu emperor or the successor to find an excuse to exonerate you, to reduce your punishment at the academy, and at most keep you here in Luojing as a sinner with your head intact? Maybe even secure the title of Jicui Temple's temple master? Spend your own private money, sacrifice your dowry, and exhaust two or three hundred years of Daoist cultivation to hold several grand cosmic rituals to make amends?"

"Are you going to say you have no idea what I'm talking about?"
"Speak up. What is your true name on Wan Yao Sect's golden jade registry? Don't treat our Tianmu Academy like fools. I'm busy; I don't have time to play childish games with you."

At the words "our Tianmu Academy," she finally became truly afraid.

Liang Shuang, being sufficiently high in cultivation, could see clearly into her emotional fluctuations. He communicated mentally to Cui Dongshan: "Did you guess that?"
Cui Dongshan replied with a smile, "I wouldn't dare take credit. It was my Master's guess. How could I have known that this woman, using the alias 'Lu Bilong,' would be so easily tricked into confessing without being beaten?"

Hesitating for a moment, Cui Dongshan still told the old True Man a greater truth: "Earlier, my Master had a dangerous magical duel with Han Yushu at the Taiping Mountain ruins. Han Yushu threw out all his trump cards, showing extremely high skill in talismans and formations. Coupled with the formations in Luojing and the Green Seal Sect, my Master formed a hypothesis. Given the Wan Yao Sect's habitual turtle-like behavior of hiding its head, since they were determined to establish a subordinate sect, they would certainly have a vanguard like Lu Bilong who had left the mountain early to set things up. In short, to my Master, this was a very clear thread."

Liang Shuang stroked his beard and smiled. "Little Friend Chen is meticulous and observant. It's a pity he didn't follow this simple Daoist and become a 'pure Daoist.'"
As for the duel between Chen Ping'an and Han Yushu, Liang Shuang let it go after hearing it. Besides, Cui Dongshan's final remark about being "busy, without leisure" was deliberately directed at him.

Cui Dongshan glanced at the young female Daoist Ma Xuanhui, who was blessed with deep fortune and karmic connections. Was there an opportunity to poach her for Summit of Immortals Mountain? After all, this Ma Xuanhui was to remain on Tongye Continent and would very likely be left by Liang Shuang in some Daoist temple of the Liang Kingdom. So it wouldn't be excessive for her to be a nominal guest elder of their sect.

In fact, Ma Xuanhui was not strictly a direct disciple. She was only a nominal disciple of the Liang Kingdom True Man "Liang Hao," not the true inheritor of Liang Shuang's legacy.
Thus, with disciple Ma Xuanhui, when the karmic connection arises, they are master and disciple; when it disperses, they part ways.

Only at the peak of Haoran did people know some inside information about this lineage of Liang Shuang: it was notoriously thin in incense offerings, simply because the threshold for taking disciples was too high, and there was an ancestral precept that could not be violated.
"Ancient pure truth is passed from mouth to mouth; one is transmitted, one is gained."
This meant that Liang Shuang's lineage had always been passed down in a single line; the master had only one disciple.

Beyond this, there was an extremely obscure and profound matter: In fact, Liang Shuang had been searching for the reincarnation of his own master for many years.
To put it simply, since the founding master established the mountain and set up the lineage, over the long years that followed, a lineage nearly ten thousand years old seemed to have only two people—master and disciple—who just swapped roles again and again.

Suddenly, he remembered something. Could it be that the ambitious Wan Yao Sect's Han Yushu had already been done in by Little Friend Chen?
The old True Man, having nothing better to do, clasped his hands in his Daoist robe sleeves and quickly performed a grand deduction, calculating by heaven.

Unexpectedly, he soon withdrew his hand and shook his wrist vigorously.
Oh, hot to the touch.
Although he couldn't deduce a precise answer—Han Yushu's life or death still unknown—in the old True Man's eyes, that was as good as a solid truth.
Several thousand years of mountain-dwelling Dao age—he hadn't lived them in vain.

Liang Shuang smiled. "I'll inform Little Zhao later to help spread a rumor: that Han Yushu, once alive and kicking, had the fortune to discuss Dao with Celestial Master Liang Shuang."
That way, if anyone else tried to perform a careful deduction, they would have to pass his, Liang Shuang's, barrier first.

Cui Dongshan deliberately pretended not to notice. As long as he saw nothing, his Master wouldn't owe this favor.

Cui Dongshan simply raised one hand and pointed in the air, creating a strange phenomenon.
The female cultivator disguised as Lu Bilong, a registry cultivator of Wan Yao Sect, was baffled. She didn't know what this Confucian scholar from Tianmu Academy was doing. She guessed that this youth with a red mole between his eyebrows was likely the young Vice-Mount Leader Wen Yu, who had just crossed continents to assume his post.

Liang Shuang glanced at it but knew what Cui Dongshan was up to. It was a Go joseki, famous for its myriad variations, known as "the great diagonal with a thousand changes, impossible to describe in ten thousand words."

The national Go masters of the mortal world and the Go experts of the mountain world had once highly praised it. But later, it was jointly negated by Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City and the Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan. Among the Rainbow Cloud Scores, the only game where Zheng Juzhong was at a significant disadvantage in the middle game began with the great diagonal opening. Cui Chan just barely lost by half a point in the endgame. As a result, almost no current Go masters use the great diagonal joseki as their opening move.

Liang Shuang didn't think Cui Dongshan was showing off. After all, for any Go player, to have played such a game with Zheng Juzhong might be a source of pride for a lifetime. But for the Embroidery Tiger, who had a clear advantage and almost won, it was a silent disgrace. Still, Liang Shuang had no interest in probing why Cui Dongshan was doing this. Some people do things that outsiders can never understand—like when Sun Huaizhong of the Great Profound Capital Temple borrowed a sword from Bai Ye. That leader of the Daoist sword immortal lineage had essentially given up on reaching the 14th realm.

Cui Dongshan suddenly asked, "Are you willing to break away from the Wan Yao Sect? To be just a Lu Bilong who has 'no connection' with the Three Mountains Blessed Land?"

The woman smiled bitterly.
Sect Leader Han Yushu had the mind and nature of a hero. He ruled a blessed land with an iron hand. How could he tolerate the betrayal of a registry cultivator in the ancestral hall? If she did that, she would only find death.

So she had already made a decision. Since her identity was exposed, it would certainly implicate the Wan Yao Sect and be investigated by the Confucian Temple. Han Yushu would inevitably be unable to help her escape. He would only try to distance himself from her as much as possible. So she could almost foresee her fate: sent to Tianmu Academy, interrogated, questioned thoroughly by the academy's mount leader, confined, and perhaps even sent to the Merit Forest of the Central Earth Divine Continent. The best case scenario was that she was still young and had hope of reaching the Jade Pure realm. At worst, she would treat it as being in seclusion for cultivation, just changing her location from Luojing's Jicui Temple to somewhere else.

This was one of the reasons Han Yushu had sent her out of the Three Mountains Blessed Land early. He hoped that within a hundred or two hundred years, at Jicui Temple in the Yu Dynasty on Tongye Continent, she could break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck. During this time, besides passing on one or two extremely superior Dao techniques, Han Yushu would certainly secretly provide her with large quantities of rare treasures and immortal money.

By then, Lu Bilong could legitimately establish a subordinate sect, allowing Han Yushu to possess three sects.

Cui Dongshan smiled. "On the Sword Qi Great Wall or up north in Vase Bottle Continent, desertion like yours would warrant a summary execution."

"If you think that after the academy learns of this, it will just confine you for a hundred years, you underestimate the Confucian Temple's settling of accounts after the autumn harvest. Especially for you, a malicious Earth Immortal, the crime is worst. So take my advice: before leaving Jicui Temple, quickly burn a few extra incense sticks and see if you can get the Dao Ancestor to protect you and plead with the Confucian Temple on your behalf. Otherwise, you'll be locked up until you die. Even if you break through to Jade Pure or even become an Immortal, what then?"

"Oh, and don't forget: the current mount leader of the Five Streams Academy is Zhou Mi from the Yufu Academy in North Juzhou. You must know his temper well. Even as a respected mount leader, he was sent to the Merit Forest for self-reflection. The Confucian Temple didn't even dare send him to Tianmu Academy, afraid he'd stay at Tongye Sect forever without moving. When the three mount leaders—Dafu, Tianmu, and Five Streams—hold council, and Mount Leader Zhou hears of your 'glorious deeds,' do you think he'll speak well of you? Even if Han Yushu goes mad and wants to protect you, do you think Zhou Mi won't spit in his face?"

Already a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, the female Daoist saw the white-robed youth raise one hand, two fingers together, his eyes resolute. He swore solemnly, "I, Wen Yu, can swear to heaven: if I don't get this matter confirmed at Tianmu Academy in front of both the mount leader and the master who serves as the academy's libation official, and get you locked away until your hair turns white, then I'll change my surname to Lu from now on."

The old True Man sighed, "The tea at Jicui Temple is genuinely good. I can't drink it for nothing. So let me offer a piece of advice to Daoist Many Moon as well: before you leave Jicui Temple, besides burning incense and praying, you might bring a few hundred books to relieve your boredom during confinement. And carry a mirror with you as company. The mirror knows first when a beauty's hair turns white."

The female Daoist's face paled. She suddenly turned, first formed a Daoist hand seal, then produced a secret lifebound treasure. It seemed she was casting a barrier spell to block heaven and earth. Then she said tremblingly, "I know I was wrong! Celestial Master Liang, save me!"

Liang Shuang chuckled and shook his head. "Daoist Many Moon, you're so desperate you've grabbed at any straw. I'm not your lifeline. This one is."

Cui Dongshan smiled. "Han Yushu set a sect restriction on her. If Han Yushu senses something wrong, even across thousands of mountains and rivers, this Daoist Many Moon will instantly become an idiot whose Dao heart shatters into mud. So closing the door first and then asking Old Brother Liang for help shows she's not completely stupid."

The female Daoist looked terrified and finally revealed her true name, "My real name is Long Gong. I am a direct disciple of the Wan Yao Sect's ancestral hall. My master has already passed away. Our lineage, besides me, only has a few Dragon Gate realm cultivators of mediocre talent. Even forming a golden core is a distant hope. Those with better talent have long transferred to other branches."

Cui Dongshan couldn't help laughing. "Long Gong? Dragon Palace? You've taken quite a grand name! It seems you were destined for great things from the moment you were born into this world!"

Liang Shuang's expression was cold. He felt deep disgust for the Wan Yao Sect and Han Yushu.
What Dao were they cultivating? What truth were they seeking? What immortals were they becoming?
A blessed land like the Three Mountains, with excellent feng shui, had been so defiled. Couldn't that fellow who was the true master of the blessed land, having so much free time, do something about it?

The great war had been like a sieve, sifting through everyone's hearts on Tongye Continent.
Sect leaders, mountain masters, sect masters, and their retainers and disciples—hearts had drifted apart, full of intrigue. Even between sects and their vassal clans, there was harmony only on the surface, with unfair distribution of spoils.

So it was easy to imagine: how could these mountain peaks and immortal masters, with others and with heaven and earth, ever be "of the same Dao"? It was all just a fight, win some, lose some, with two outcomes.

Cui Dongshan suddenly asked, "Who is the first sect leader candidate for Wan Yao Sect's subordinate sect? It can't be Han Yushu's legitimate daughter, can it?"

She answered, "I only found out about this recently. It is said to be the nominal closed-door disciple of the previous sect leader, taken on by Han Yushu on behalf of his master. But besides Han Yushu and a few patriarchs, it seems no one has ever personally seen this person. All they know is that this person is young, has peerless cultivation talent—the youngest Golden Core in the history of the Three Mountains Blessed Land. This is only because when he successfully formed his golden core, he caused an enormous heavenly phenomenon that even the sect's formation couldn't fully conceal, thus leaking some heavenly secrets. Throughout the sect, no one dared to discuss this person for years. If discovered, they would be personally imprisoned by the law-holding patriarch in the rear mountain water prison. The reason I know this is because Han Jiangshu previously visited Jicui Temple in secret. This legitimate daughter of the sect leader told me herself that this remarkably talented 'little master uncle,' whose Dao name is 'Wutong,' very likely has the potential to become a Flying Ascension realm grand cultivator."

She paused, then said softly, "I could tell that Han Jiangshu and that cultivator are most likely involved."
Because when Han Jiangshu had talked to her about that young cultivator at the temple, she thought she was hiding it well, but her eyes were full of springtime affection.

But as soon as she said it, she realized she had misspoken—she shouldn't be saying such messy things in front of a Dragon Tiger Mountain outer-surname Grand Celestial Master and a Tianmu Academy Vice-Mount Leader.

Unexpectedly, the white-robed youth nodded and smiled. "Good. I love hearing this. Feel free to share more dirty secrets about the Wan Yao Sect. Just tell the truth—no need to exaggerate."

The female Daoist, who had been maintaining her Dao heart with both hands forming a seal, said, "I can barely hold on."
Liang Shuang reached out a finger across the small table, pointing at her forehead, and said calmly, "Stop."

Instantly, she seemed to fall asleep, her head drooping. She entered a sweet dream-like state.

Cui Dongshan grinned, stood up, and crouched beside her. He studied her for a moment, raised his hand, and lightly slapped her forehead. As he did, her soul also drifted out of her body. He stood up, pinched the soul's "garment" with two fingers, shook it, then casually swept it, pushing the soul back into the physical shell. He left behind only the various qi palaces within the body's small heaven and earth, scattered like stars, suspended in the void.

Cui Dongshan paced slowly, casting a golden sword light that formed a forbidden zone of sword qi lightning pool. He occasionally tilted his head or stood on tiptoe to examine the female Daoist's heart-image more closely. Finally, inside a certain "mansion," he discovered a secret restriction carefully set by Han Yushu. In an instant, Cui Dongshan's five fingers curled like hooks, and in a flash, he pulled out a "fine river of stars" composed of golden characters. Almost simultaneously, his other hand "carved" an almost identical string of golden characters to fill the void in her heart-field.

Then Cui Dongshan gave the female Daoist a firm slap to wake her up and said seriously, "Old Brother Liang exhausted tremendous effort to eliminate this huge hidden danger for you. What are you waiting for? Don't you want to thank the True Man?"

Her cheek stinging, the female Daoist, though confused, quickly stood up, stepped back a few paces, made a Daoist salutation to the old True Man, and said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you, Celestial Master, for saving my life!"

Ma Xuanhui, who had been silently drinking tea all along, made up her mind: she would stay as far away from this white-robed youth as possible, preferably never see him again.
She wondered: Could this guy's master be any better? Otherwise, how could he have taught such a student?

Cui Dongshan sat back down. "Long Gong, you can leave now. Go to Tianmu Academy yourself and report the situation."
Long Gong timidly asked, "Won't Mount Leader Wen accompany me?"
Cui Dongshan looked bewildered. "Tianmu Academy's Vice-Mount Leader Wen Yu? I'm not Wen Yu."

Long Gong felt as if she had misheard. She said with a bitter smile, "Mount Leader Wen, please don't jest."
Cui Dongshan put on a serious face. "I'm Dongshan."

Liang Shuang asked, "What's the final disposition?"
Cui Dongshan rubbed his chin. "Tianmu Academy will decide. But since Long Gong is surrendering herself, if she tells more about the Wan Yao Sect and Han Yushu's dirty secrets, according to the Confucian Temple's old rules, her punishment may be slightly reduced. Being locked up until death definitely won't happen. If she's lucky, she might even go to the Barbarian Wasteland battlefield to atone for her crimes. Her luck depends on the attitudes of Tianmu Academy's Wen Yu and Five Streams Academy's Mount Leader Zhou Mi. I've heard this Wen Yu's temper is every bit as bad as Zhou Mi's. Zhou Mi is open about it, but Wen Yu is said to have bones of steel and a meticulous mind. On the Southern Subhasoka Continent battlefield, he once tricked an Immortal realm alien commanding an army camp to his death. Just on military merit alone, without considering seniority, Wen Yu could directly become the mount leader of Tianmu Academy."

The Central Earth Confucian Temple had released Zhou Mi of Yufu Academy from the Merit Forest and transferred him laterally to be the academy's mount leader on Tongye Continent. As Chief Zhou of their house put it, this was the Confucian Temple starting to "unleash the dogs to bite."

It was clearly meant to make all the immortal mountain peaks in southern Tongye Continent behave. After all, this was a scholar who, before taking up his post as a mountain leader, had been given a plaque with the words "Subdue Anger" by his teacher. And on the "simple and honest" Northern Juzhou, he had personally sought out troublemakers and beaten them. A figure like that coming to the Five Streams Academy on Tongye Continent to handle affairs was a deterrent in itself.

Moreover, it was the Confucian Temple's friendly reminder to the battle-honored Yu Gui Sect: don't go too far; don't reach too far north. Keep it moderate. In short, don't repeat the mistake of the old Tongye Sect, which treated all continent-wide immortal mansions as vassals.

As for Wen Yu becoming Tianmu Academy's Vice-Mount Leader, according to the Confucian Temple's current regulations, the seventy-two Confucian academies were all configured with one principal and two vice-principals. Typically, one vice-mount leader was in charge of scholarship, relatively abstract, responsible for literary education; the other vice-mount leader managed general affairs, handling everything from big to small. Especially in the current Haoran world, all future Ministers of Rites in the mortal world must be academy graduates. Wen Yu was now the vice-mount leader overseeing specific affairs, so he could administer mountain affairs, and even more so, the mortal nations within the academy's jurisdiction.

Long Gong was utterly dejected. She looked again to the old True Man for help.
She dared not go to the Barbarian Wasteland battlefield to fight. She would rather be locked up by the academy. She had once seen from a distance the tide-like waves of Barbarian Wasteland alien armies; it had terrified her to the bone.

Cities that couldn't be moved were like people lying on the ground waiting to die, devoured clean by ants, leaving only white bones.

Cui Dongshan said, "This woman's resolve is unstable. She might get cold feet halfway and try to run. So I'll trouble Old Brother Liang to escort her."
Liang Shuang nodded. "It's on the way anyway. I just happen to want to see that disciple of Fiery Dragon True Man and see what makes him such a cultivation genius."

Back then, the young Daoist Zhang Shanfeng from Padi Peak had almost become the Dragon Tiger Mountain's outer-surname Grand Celestial Master. If it weren't for the imminent war and the Celestial Master Mansion needing a ready-to-use "enforcer," and Little Zhao not wanting to force growth, they would have rejected Fiery Dragon True Man's proposal to have his disciple "inherit" the outer-surname celestial master title.

Liang Shuang casually asked, "So what explanation are you giving to Jicui Temple and the Yu court?"
Cui Dongshan snorted. "Not a damn explanation. If it weren't that I see the Crown Prince is somewhat decent—definitely not a wise ruler with great talent, but not a tyrant either; he's passable as a Yu emperor—I wouldn't bother."

Liang Shuang smiled. "That's not the Embroidery Tiger's style."
Cui Dongshan was rarely at a loss for words. "I don't know if Old Brother Liang is praising or insulting me."

Liang Shuang smiled slightly. "Don't keep secrets. Let this simple Daoist have a look?"
Cui Dongshan stood up and, from his snow-white sleeve, shook out a lifelike porcelain figurine. It was exactly Long Gong's appearance and figure—as if cast from the same mold.

Ma Xuanhui looked back and forth. If not for the two female state preceptors—one standing, one sitting—she truly couldn't tell which was real.

Cui Dongshan then took out a female ghost's soul from his sleeve. He cupped it in his hand, said softly, "Go you," and the soul attached itself to the closed-eyed porcelain figurine. Then Cui Dongshan pressed two fingers together against the figurine's forehead, as if opening a Buddha statue's face, or adding the finishing touch to a dragon.

After a moment, the porcelain figurine opened its eyes, made a curtsy, and spoke with a voice extremely similar to Long Gong's, even with the same cool temperament: "Your servant Long Gong, Dao name Many Moon, unworthily serves as the Jicui Temple's temple master. Greetings, Master."

Cui Dongshan reached out, grabbed the fly whisk that Long Gong had left on the table, and threw it to the "Long Gong" before him. She took the whisk, draped it over one arm, and made a Daoist salute. "Your servant thanks the Master for bestowing this precious implement."

Cui Dongshan looked sideways at the real Long Gong. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take off your Tai Zhen crown and give it to our Many Moon Daoist friend here. As for the green lotus white lotus immortal shoes on your feet and that Dao robe you're wearing with an illusion technique, we'll deal with them later."

Liang Shuang said, "A pity. Fortunately."
What was a pity was that such heaven-defying methods were too costly to mass-produce like armor, weapons, and immortal ferries. Fortunately, this bottleneck limited the number of porcelain figurines, preventing chaos from sweeping the world and erasing the reality of "human."

Cultivators had ceased to be simply human.
But if these porcelain figurines spread across the world, the consequences would be unimaginable.
One careless step, and they would repeat the mistakes of the ancient Heavenly Court ten thousand years ago.

Inside the room, both Long Gong and the disciple Ma Xuanhui were fooled by the ghost's soul illusion. They mistakenly thought the porcelain figurine had no intelligence of its own. But Liang Shuang saw through the layers of illusion to a flickering true spirit within—like a human awakening, it would soon grow and develop. In short, within one room, there were two masters. The ghost soul coexisted with the porcelain figurine's spiritual nature. Which would become the master in the future depended on Cui Dongshan's personal preference.

The ancient divine beings looked down upon the human world, treating all living beings with sentience on the earth as ants.
Were ants only fit to look down at the earth? Was looking up at the sky already recklessness?
Such had it been for humanity. And now, what of these seemingly frail and insignificant porcelain figurines?

Liang Shuang's mood was heavy. He said in a deep voice, "It's a good thing there's still someone who can control you. If I were in charge at the Confucian Temple, I'd lock you up until you die."

Cui Dongshan swayed his shoulders, beaming proudly. "As long as my Master is around, who dares bully me?"
Liang Shuang let it go with a smile.

Cui Dongshan changed his address, chuckling, "Old Liang, I think after Ma Xuanhui settles her karmic ties in the Liang Kingdom, she can come to Jicui Temple and diligently cultivate the Great Dao here. She could even become the next temple master. We're all family; if there's any benefit, I'll save it for our own people first."

Liang Shuang frowned. "Is this Chen Ping'an's intention?"
Cui Dongshan slapped the small table in anger. "What kind of heartless nonsense are you saying?!"
Liang Shuang sneered. "Trying to scare me?"

Cui Dongshan wiped the table with his sleeve. "Many things, my Master is unwilling to do, or disdains to do."
Since it was only unwillingness and disdain, not inability, that said something.

Liang Shuang asked curiously, "Is Chen Ping'an learning from your Cui Chan, using the Study of Affairs to patch up a continent?"
Cui Dongshan shook his head. "The method is a bit different. My Master is best at taking things for his own use and then breaking new ground."

For some reason, at the mention of Cui Chan, Long Gong began to suffer a splitting headache. She clutched her head, and even as an accomplished Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, she was drenched in sweat.
Obviously, Cui Dongshan had indeed removed Han Yushu's restriction, but he had added a new barrier in her heart.
For instance, whenever a thought slightly touched "Cui Chan" or "Embroidery Tiger," this would be her miserable fate: her Dao heart shaken.

When Long Gong finally managed to steady her Dao heart, the white-robed youth, whose identity she had already guessed, cheerfully said, "Repeat after me: Cui Chan is an old turtle bastard; Cui Chan is an old turtle bastard."
Poor Long Gong—this time she was in such pain that she fell backward, curling up on the ground, barely stopping herself from rolling around.

Liang Shuang acted as if he saw nothing. "It won't succeed in a hundred or two hundred years, will it? If he's so distracted, what about his own cultivation?"

"My Master estimated that before the Five-Colored World reopens its gates, a rough outline will be in place. From the mountain world to the mortal world, from Dao hearts to human hearts. And it won't delay his cultivation too much."

"So fast?!"
"What did you think?"

Liang Shuang fell silent. He picked up the conical tea cup, took a sip, and communicated mentally, "And your yin spirit, is it going to...?"
Cui Dongshan pouted. "No point hiding it from Old Liang. I'm off to the Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall to obtain a direct disciple status. There's also a mess to clean up."

Liang Shuang asked again, "So where is your yang spirit's external body now?"
Cui Dongshan blinked. "In the Five-Colored World. Just a few days ago, I found Bai Ye's cultivation site. It's empty anyway, so I might as well help take care of it."

Liang Shuang joked, "Are you establishing a subordinate sect there? That would be a case of 'great minds think alike' with Han Yushu, wouldn't it?"
If Cui Dongshan established a sect in the Five-Colored World, then the Fallen Mountain sect on Vase Bottle Continent could be promoted to "Orthodox Sect," and the Duckweed Sword Sect on Tongye Continent could be promoted to "Upper Sect." In this matter, it was a similar path to the Wan Yao Sect's plan.

Cui Dongshan reached out, made a fist, gently tapped his chest, looked up at the ceiling, and said with a tragic expression, "When I think that I've actually had the same idea as Immortal Han, it makes me so angry, my heart aches!"

Ma Xuanhui finally couldn't help it. She mustered her courage and said softly to the old True Man, "Master, I don't want to cultivate at Jicui Temple."

The old True Man nodded and smiled. "As you wish. But you don't need to fear this fellow. His master and I are old friends who hit it off at first sight. Based on that relationship alone, this Cui Dongshan wouldn't dare do anything to you."

Liang Shuang, of course, knew well the actual Embroidery Tiger's chess prowess.
Today's tricking of Long Gong, and earlier dealing with Zhang Liuzhu and Dai Yuan at the Lantern Riddle Hall, was just two appetizers to accompany the wine. Cui Dongshan was just casually showing a relatively obscure strange move. It could only be considered a small deception in a corner of the board—hardly a true "divine move."

Finally, Liang Shuang asked the biggest doubt in his mind: "Why are you so wholeheartedly willing to be a student?"

In truth, the old True Man "Liang Shuang" who was now at Jicui Temple was somewhat different from the Celestial Master Liang Shuang in the Liang Kingdom capital. It wasn't like ordinary cultivators' yin spirits leaving the body for distant travel. Simply put, the latter was higher and greater than the former. In this respect, it was similar to the relationship between State Preceptor Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan smiled faintly. "Some sentences are only understood by those on the same Dao path. Why must the Celestial Master ask more?"

Both Long Gong and Ma Xuanhui were female Daoists, so they didn't understand the subtlety of Cui Dongshan's words. It involved a Buddhist Chan poem.
"A lone cloud, a wild crane—under what heaven can they not fly?"

Liang Shuang shook his head. "No. What you said is precisely the opposite."
Cui Dongshan grinned. "Is it really the opposite? Celestial Master, why not think again?"

The reason he had changed the address again was, of course, because he knew full well that the yin spirit Liang Shuang before him was merely asking questions on behalf of the true body.

Liang Shuang nodded. "True enough."
Cui Dongshan's implication wasn't profound, nor was it intentionally mystifying. It simply spoke a plain truth.
Choosing a limited kind of freedom—how was that not a great freedom?

Liang Shuang asked further, "Then can this simple Daoist understand it as: you can actually choose a completely pure freedom at any time?"
But Cui Dongshan countered, "If one day you had to play Go simultaneously with Cui Chan, Zheng Juzhong, Qi Jingchun, and Wu Shuangjiang, what choice would you make?"

Liang Shuang laughed. "I wouldn't sit down, wouldn't pick up a stone, wouldn't play."
Cui Dongshan spread his hands. "There you go."

Liang Shuang squinted. "That makes it even more interesting. Since you are willing to be controlled, who controls the person you willingly allow to control you?"
Cui Dongshan twitched his lips.
This old fellow, he still couldn't let this matter go. It was essentially the same mindset as Zouzi.

Liang Shuang didn't give up on the answer. He waited for more.
Cui Dongshan remained silent.

How annoying. With this weak-armed, thin-legged immortal self, facing a Flying Ascension peak grand cultivator, he really couldn't stand firm.
Cui Dongshan, for the first time, missed that old turtle bastard.

Cui Dongshan sighed and said slowly, "My Master once said: doing interesting things is certainly interesting, but not necessarily meaningful. However, accomplishing meaningful things is always interesting."

Liang Shuang mused for a moment. "That principle is not vulgar."
Cui Dongshan let out a mournful sigh. "Some sentences are only understood by those on the same Dao path. Why must the Celestial Master ask more?"

Liang Shuang sighed too. The seed of thought within his true body finally withdrew from the yin spirit's heart-lake. "You annoy me; I annoy you—indeed, fellow Daoists."

Ma Xuanhui glanced at the woman who was the Yu Dynasty's State Preceptor. Thank goodness—she didn't understand either.

Cui Dongshan raised his hand to his mouth. "Celestial Master Liang! Celestial Master Liang! Judging by his attitude, your yin spirit is about to rebel! You've got to control him!"

Liang Shuang couldn't be bothered to banter with him. He stood up and said, "Daoist Many Moon, I'll give you half an hour to pack up. I'll wait for you at the Banana Shade Ferry."

Cui Dongshan suddenly called out to the old True Man, "Old Liang, I need to ask something on behalf of my Master."

Liang Shuang looked puzzled. "What?"
Seeing Cui Dongshan's sly grin, Liang Shuang quickly hedged: "Let's get this straight first: I'm famous for having empty sleeves. If it's something like an immortal soldier, a town-guarding treasure, or other external objects—I definitely don't have any. At most, I can borrow it from Little Zhao on your master's behalf. Not returning it for three or five hundred years is no big deal."
The Celestial Master thought to himself: As an outer-surname Grand Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Celestial Master Mansion can't just make me work without paying me, can it?

Cui Dongshan rubbed his hands together. "Old Immortal Liang is a master at observing qi. You must know this continent's mountain and river fortune like the back of your hand."

Liang Shuang laughed heartily. "Something that doesn't cost money! I was worried for nothing. Tell Little Friend Chen to wait for me."

After the old True Man left Jicui Temple with Ma Xuanhui, Cui Dongshan looked at the two "Lu Bilongs." He lay down on his back, supporting his head with his hands, and said lazily, "Hurry up. Change Dao robes and cloud slippers. And tell me more inside information about the Yu Dynasty's royal family, court, and landscape officialdom. Say whatever comes to mind—don't worry about being too detailed or scattered. And any Wan Yao Sect techniques or secrets you can teach, teach her all of them quickly. If you're stingy, it's your loss."

Long Gong silently took off her boots, first put on an ordinary Dao robe, then grabbed the corner of her robe, gave it a light tug, and pulled off the "Phoenix Marsh" Dharma robe bestowed by the sect. She handed it to the "Lu Bilong" who held the fly whisk.

That Lu Bilong put on the robe, slipped into the cloud slippers, flicked the fly whisk, then changed her arm to cradle it, and smiled. "Thank you, Daoist Long Gong."

Long Gong felt an indescribable strangeness in her heart.

Suddenly, the man began muttering the name "Cui Chan" over and over. Long Gong was instantly struck as if by a silent punch. She collapsed to the ground, her beauty fading, sweat soaking through her Dao robe.

Cui Dongshan then stood up and sat on the steps outside the door. Inside, Long Gong nervously and exhaustively told Lu Bilong secret after secret. Cui Dongshan listened half-heartedly.
Suddenly, he clapped his fist into his palm. He had it. He'd just thought of a heartfelt, sincere phrase he could later share with his Master.

Heavenly winds surge mightily; my heart is vast. Linking a thousand mountains, drawing ten thousand waters, silent places stir with thunder.

Cui Dongshan cupped his chin in his hands.

Let's talk about Tongye Continent's Peach Leaf Alliance, which included the Great Spring Dynasty, Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall, and Little Dragon Pool. How were they doing now?
And that Golden Summit Temple, its chief retainer Lu Ying—if he saw his Master now, what would he do?

One continent, three academies: Dafu, Tianmu, Five Streams.
Mount Leader of Dafu Academy: Cheng Longzhou. Virtuous man: Yang Pu. Vice-Mount Leader of Five Streams Academy: Wang Zai. Vice-Mount Leader of Tianmu Academy: Wen Yu.

One continent, north and south, the two largest sects: the Jade Gui Sect and the Tongye Sect.
Chief Zhou of the Jade Gui Sect and the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land. The Tongye Sect's Nascent Soul sword cultivator Wang Shizi.

Farther away: the new East Sea Water Lord, True Dragon King Zhu.
Even farther: the South Sea Water Lord Li Yehu.

A mountain is not famous for its height but for its immortals; a lake is not deep for its depth but for its dragons.

There were the Clear Mirror Mountain's Green Tiger Temple, temple master Lu Yong. And the scale-shedding river's old dragon, Qiu Du. The Ink Line Ferry's Mount-Carrying Fish, Yu Fushan...

In the central region, the ten-thousand-mile Phosphorus River. The Duckweed Sword Sect would establish a private ferry there.

Now, the future mortal dynasties of Tongye Continent: beneath our feet, the Yu Dynasty about to welcome a new emperor; plus the Great Spring Yao Clan, whose national power was supreme in the continent; the Great Abyss Dynasty, neighbor to the Duckweed Sword Sect; the Great Chong Dynasty, where Zhang Liuzhu would soon go to be a strategist for that young minister...
And by the banks of the Phosphorus River, someone was already planning to establish a state with the surname Du.

Moreover, his Master was the chief guest