# Chapter 913: Dragon Gate Couplet
In the early morning, Chen Ping'an reached into his sleeve and gripped the Hidden Officer jade token. With a step that shrank mountains and rivers, he arrived on the steps outside the gate of the Summer Resort. Unlike the usual days when the Summer Resort's gates were tightly shut from dawn to dusk, today it had a bit more of an official bureau's atmosphere.
Unlike those vassal cities, there were no gateman cultivators here. If someone had business to attend to and came to the gate, there was no obstruction—just don't wander around aimlessly. State your business, finish speaking, and leave. Crisp and neat.
Don't even think about expecting the Hidden Officer lineage's sword cultivators to produce wine to entertain guests.
In the early days of the Summer Resort, aside from the Old Sword Immortal, even Chen Xi and Qi Tingji couldn't cross the threshold.
Before Ning Yao set foot in Ascension City and temporarily assumed the role of Hidden Officer, she had never set foot in the Summer Resort.
First thing in the morning, Fan Dache was sweeping the courtyard. A light tap fell on his shoulder, and someone called out with a laugh, "Dache."
Hearing that familiar voice address him by name, Fan Dache nearly burst into tears on the spot. He turned around and called out, "Hidden Officer."
Chen Ping'an gently patted Fan Dache's arm and said, "Let's walk and talk."
In truth, Chen Ping'an had already heard the general situation of the Hidden Officer lineage from Ning Yao before. But Fan Dache obviously gave a more detailed account, and Chen Ping'an listened patiently.
The first batch of five young sword cultivators who entered the Summer Resort were all outstanding Sword Immortal seeds with exceptional talent. Even though none of them were Golden Core sword cultivators yet, before they formally became sword cultivators of the Hidden Officer lineage, they already had seats of their own in the Ascension City Patriarch Hall. Within just a few years, these young men and women had gradually become full members of the Hidden Officer lineage.
Currently, the jade and gold registry of Ascension City, aside from each cultivator's personal master-disciple lineage, could be divided into: Patriarch Hall direct disciples, the three lineages including the Executioner Official, and the twelve vassal powers of four cities and eight mountains outside Ascension City—for example, Chief Supporter Deng Liang occupying Zifu Mountain. This Jade Brilliance realm sword cultivator had the qualification to open a mountain peak and establish a mansion, passing down his own Dao lineage. Of course, one cultivator could hold multiple identities.
After those five genius sword cultivators, the Summer Resort accepted another batch of members, all still young men and women of decent talent.
However, for now, they could only be considered alternates. They still needed to be observed for three to five years according to protocol. This was a rule established back then by Lin Junbi working together with Song Gaoyuan, somewhat similar to the imperial examination system in the secular world below the mountains, where newly minted scholars would "walk" through various government offices as training before their official vacancies were filled. But not all alternates could become true sword cultivators of the Hidden Officer lineage. Those who ultimately failed to become formal members would go to the Summer Resort City, serving under Dong Bude and Xu Ning, ensuring that good talents wouldn't go to waste.
Chen Ping'an nodded. "In this matter, the Hidden Officer lineage does have a reputation for picking the best."
Fan Dache smiled. "Hidden Officer, no one in Ascension City would dare to compete with us for them. Besides, for those young sword cultivators, becoming a sword cultivator in our Hidden Officer lineage is undoubtedly the first choice. If our threshold weren't so high, the number of sword cultivators in the Summer Resort today would be at least double!"
Chen Ping'an asked a series of questions, "Aren't there any rumors outside? Has anyone criticized the conduct of our Hidden Officer sword cultivators? Has the Summer Resort kept a separate ledger for those who speak up for justice?"
Fan Dache blushed slightly. "There are some rumors, but not many. We haven't really made an issue of them."
Chen Ping'an patted Fan Dache's shoulder. "Dache, you're all still too honest."
Currently, the Hidden Officer lineage's sword cultivators were mainly responsible for three tasks: surveillance, intelligence gathering, and cultivating death warriors. They also had full authority over all affairs in Summer Resort City.
Today, less than half of the sword cultivators remained at the Summer Resort.
Luo Zhenyi and Fan Dache had been handling the daily affairs of the Summer Resort all these years.
Wang Xinshui and Chang Taiqing were responsible for collecting, screening, and verifying various types of intelligence. Dong Bude was now the city lord of Summer Resort City, with Xu Ning as the deputy city lord. They had to report for duty on time every day and were also tasked with cultivating spies and death warriors at Summer Resort City.
Gu Jianlong was still traveling abroad, acting as a guardian for the Hidden Officer lineage, accompanying Executioner Official lineage sword cultivators on training journeys. Each led a group of young sword cultivators, currently at a remote enclave where monuments had been erected.
The five Patriarch Hall direct descendant sword cultivators of Ascension City were also scattered in all directions, each fulfilling their duties and gaining experience abroad.
Outside the main hall of the Summer Resort hung a couplet, an uncommon "Dragon Gate Couplet," written in an archaic stele-regular script with a sense of ancient simplicity and profound meaning.
*For ten thousand years of romantic spirit, deriving the pure vital energy of mountains, rivers, and sacred peaks—mountains high, waters deep, sword energy long. Only our sword light resembles a rainbow. The wasteland world bows its head before this for ten thousand years.*
*One city stands supreme, encompassing the grand view of heaven and earth, sun and moon, the cosmos. Sky vast, earth broad, the flavor of wine abundant. Our hometown's sword cultivators are like clouds, dividing the world's sword cultivators into two kinds from Haoran Nine Provinces.*
Fan Dache smiled knowingly.
This couplet was naturally the work of our Hidden Officer.
According to legend, during a New Year's break in the midst of war, Chou Miao the Sword Immortal invited the Hidden Officer to write a couplet. The Hidden Officer refused, claiming his calligraphy wasn't good enough. In the end, even the four guardians led by Guo Zhujiu defected. The Hidden Officer would only dictate the content and let Chou Miao and Lin Junbi write the two lines on his behalf. But even that didn't work out, and eventually, this couplet came into being—one that would later become known to young and old alike in Ascension City.
Even those local sword cultivators who had a poor opinion of the Hidden Officer couldn't find a single flaw in this couplet. They could only hold their noses and say, "That bastard—even a padded jacket isn't this snug. No wonder the Old Sword Immortal let this fellow be the Hidden Officer."
Chen Ping'an crossed the main hall threshold and entered that most familiar hall. The seating had hardly changed—still small tables and meditation cushions. At most, the occupants had changed. On the tables were writing implements, books, and official ledgers, each arranged according to the owner's personal preference.
Chen Ping'an didn't take the main seat. Instead, he chose the seat that had once belonged to Lin Junbi.
Looking at the arrangement on the table in front of him, it seemed to be Gu Jianlong's spot—two sword manuals, several seals, and a scholarly desk ornament obtained from the Summer Resort treasury in exchange for battle merits.
Luo Zhenyi, Wang Xinshui, and Chang Taiqing arrived upon hearing the news. These three, once the young ones of the early Summer Resort, were now considered "old-timers" of the Hidden Officer lineage.
Seeing that figure in blue, Luo Zhenyi paused, then quickly composed herself. Smiling, she cupped her fists and said, "Greetings, Hidden Officer."
Wang Xinshui and Chang Taiqing also smiled and cupped their fists, naturally calling out "Hidden Officer."
Even if Ning Yao were present, it would probably be the same.
Chen Ping'an waved his hand with a smile. "Just an idle man."
Wang Xinshui, especially—one of the former "four lackeys"—was so moved that tears welled up. He slid over with quick steps and sat beside the Hidden Officer to fuss over him, only to have Chen Ping'an push his forehead with a slap. Wang Xinshui returned to his seat with a resigned expression.
Chang Taiqing asked, "Hidden Officer, should we summon Dong Bude and the others from Summer Resort City?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head with a smile. "No need."
Luo Zhenyi and the others each took their seats. On her table was a pot of winter plum, well pruned, next to a pot of calamus, lush and dripping green.
The sword cultivators currently remaining in the Summer Resort were almost all teenagers, still bearing traces of youthful naivety.
Right now, they crowded at the doorway, wide-eyed, carefully scrutinizing the legendary Hidden Officer.
Back when Chen Ping'an was the second shopkeeper of the tavern, they were still too young—mostly cultivators in the Lower Five Realms—so naturally they couldn't go to the tavern for drinks.
After becoming the Hidden Officer, aside from going to the battlefield, Chen Ping'an stayed inside the Summer Resort without showing his face.
What's more, every time the young Hidden Officer went to the battlefield, he pulled all kinds of tricks. Who could recognize him?
If Lu Zhi hadn't let it slip, who would have believed that the "strange woman" so many bachelors pined for was actually the second shopkeeper?!
Hence, among the current Spring Treasury lineage cultivators, there circulated a popular saying: "There's no reason to sacrifice picking up scraps and earning money just for the sake of face."
However, two of the young men had once seen the second shopkeeper from afar, sparring with a female martial artist from another region. It was just a single punch to knock her down—showing chivalry, of course.
They couldn't discern much else, not being pure martial artists themselves. But back then, the street was filled with thunderous cheers, especially when the second shopkeeper was knocked to the ground with one punch. All the spectators and bettors were as excited as if they'd been injected with chicken blood, whistling loudly. Especially Guo Zhujiu, who even beat drums and gongs from the top of the wall.
Luo Zhenyi glanced at the doorway. "All of you, go back to work."
It was clear that Luo Zhenyi, as the sword cultivator with the highest cultivation in the Summer Resort after Ning Yao, and the one managing daily affairs, carried considerable authority. The teenagers immediately dispersed, each returning to their respective office rooms to handle business. But along the way, the young sword cultivators chatted excitedly. The current Summer Resort, though small, had all the necessary organs—it had established various departments: Surveillance Department, Execution and Investigation Department, Registry Office, Secret Archive Room, Fine and Confiscation Treasury, and others. However, often one "government office" consisted of only a single room. Apart from the larger Surveillance and Execution Departments, the other official offices currently had only one person each.
One young sword cultivator who returned to his office worked meticulously. He came from Yuhu Street and had studied reading and writing since childhood, so he now managed the Archive Room. Inside, bookshelves lined three walls, with books stacked layer upon layer all the way to the ceiling. Thousands of slips and notes were tucked into the books, all in the same handwriting.
If the couplet at the main hall entrance was written like the calligraphy of a slightly tipsy drunkard—seemingly archaic but in fact showing its edge, spirited and bold—then the small regular script on these notes was like that of a man who never drank, perpetually sober, meticulous and never making a mistake.
So this young sword cultivator, who could have entered the Execution Department, volunteered to work here instead. He spent his days dealing with secret archives and records, becoming a clerk who rarely had the chance to train outside or cross swords with anyone.
Back in the main hall, Chen Ping'an wiped his table with his sleeve and casually remarked, "Those eight mountain peaks including Zifu Mountain outside the city were divided up by the Executioner Official and Spring Treasury lineages. We should have occupied at least two positions. Even if people cursed us for taking up space without doing anything, it wouldn't matter."
"When the Patriarch Hall met to discuss matters, they could have directly asked for three at the start. Of course, Ning Yao wouldn't be the one to speak up in such a situation. But you all—let Fan Dache take the lead, Wang Xinshui follow up, then have Gu Jianlong say a few fair words. In the end, securing two of those mountain peaks would mean each of the Executioner Official and Spring Treasury lineages giving up one. I think that would have been manageable. A four-two-two split was probably about what Qi Shou and Gao Yehou had as their bottom line at the time."
"Those eight mountain peaks are different from the vassal cities like Summer Resort, Tuoyue, and Wukui. For the latter, if you want to operate them properly without mistakes, you need a considerable number of sword cultivators to attend to mundane affairs. But places like Zifu Mountain, with their excellent feng shui, are more like places for cultivation. They won't drain too much of the Hidden Officer lineage's manpower. Besides, as the Summer Resort gains more sword cultivators in the future, two more cultivation grounds would mean settled places for two Nascent Soul sword cultivators to refine their swords and practice the Dao."
Luo Zhenyi couldn't help herself. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves and chuckled. "Do you think I'm a fortune-teller who can predict the future? Or would you have me smash my head open to break into the Five Colors World and shout greetings to you all?"
Luo Zhenyi was at a loss for words.
Chang Taiqing suppressed a smile.
Chen Ping'an extended a hand and tapped the table lightly with his fingers. "Let me offer a suggestion—just listen. The Hidden Officer lineage could independently open up a city. We'll pay for it ourselves. No need to ask the Spring Treasury. But if they offer to help, don't be polite either."
"The bigger this city, the better. It can be built eight hundred miles northeast of Summer Resort City, at Greater and Lesser Dragon Colt Hollow. For now, everyone in the Summer Resort except those in critical positions might need to put aside their current tasks temporarily—at least try to manage both if possible—and go... snatch people."
Chang Taiqing perked up immediately. "How many should we snatch?"
Chen Ping'an continued, "Within thirty to fifty years, aim to snatch six hundred thousand to one million people from Furao Continent and Tongye Continent. Whether there are qi refiners among them doesn't matter. As for building the new city, we have prior experience with Summer Resort City. No need for outside help. But to channel the flow of people from north and south, without the protection of at least a hundred sword cultivators to clear the way, it will be hard to avoid accidents. During this period, we'll need a large number of immortal ferry vessels, two stable routes, detailed and precise geographical maps, and a series of way stations along the way. The Executioner Official and Spring Treasury lineages will certainly need to cooperate. But remember one thing: they only cooperate with us, and..."
Wang Xinshui grinned and finished the sentence, "No compensation!"
Luo Zhenyi raised an eyebrow. "What compensation? This involves the thousand-year enterprise of Ascension City. We should cooperate sincerely in the first place."
"When snatching people, don't treat any qi refiners as treasures. It's best if they come along, but it doesn't matter if they don't. The only ones we must grab are farmer cultivators. I know they're highly valued now, treated as honored guests by all powers. They might not want to travel long distances and leave their homes right after settling. So knocking them unconscious and bagging them is fine. Since 'courtesy before force' won't work, 'force before courtesy' is necessary. Our Hidden Officer lineage can specifically promise these cultivators the status of supporters or guest elders. We need at least twenty to thirty of these farmer qi refiners—the more, the better."
"We should make agreements with them early. First, aside from guaranteeing their personal interests, we can allow them to bring people with them when leaving for the new city—family members, direct disciples, etc. You can give them something like the household registration status of Summer Resort City. Even if they later give up that status and return to their hometowns, we can treat it as a special pass that can be 'inherited' through three generations. That means their descendants in the future can freely enter and exit Summer Resort City and all vassal territories of Ascension City for about a hundred years with this pass."
Wang Xinshui nodded. "We need to make everyone in the Five Colors World feel that obtaining household registration and official passes from Ascension City is an honor. That itself can attract outsiders to settle here."
"Second, within sixty years, Ascension City cultivators must, within the framework of regulations, give them sufficient respect. When the sixty-year term expires, if they still want to leave, we absolutely won't force them to stay. Give them what they're owed without hesitation. Consider it a good parting—leaving behind a long, flowing thread of goodwill."
"So if they leave Ascension City and want to establish their own sect elsewhere or seek official positions in various new dynasties or vassal states, we can lend a hand. For example, sword cultivators from the Hidden Officer lineage can even serve as supporters or guest elders for a certain number of years. But remember, set a time limit; otherwise, it won't seem valuable. This way, these farmer cultivators will have no worries. Their sixty-year stay in Ascension City can become a precious credential. What starts as a forced match can become sweeter with time."
Hearing this, Luo Zhenyi tested the waters. "If we secretly contact the mountain powers of those farmer cultivators and negotiate, would we even need to snatch them? Many powers might willingly beg to cooperate with us. According to the intelligence gathered by the Summer Resort, farmer cultivators in both north and south—whether acting on their own or at someone's behest—have begun lowering their thresholds and taking on many disciples. Besides, the threshold for becoming a farmer cultivator has never been high. In the past, in the Wasteland and Haoran worlds, it was only because of low status and low returns that no one wanted to become a farmer cultivator. Now, times are different. Status is high, returns are good. So the Hidden Officer's 'thirty people' figure isn't actually much. We might find two or three sects and have our fill."
Now, even a fool knew what Ascension City meant in this Five Colors World. Otherwise, people wouldn't be racking their brains trying to guess whether it was like the Central Earth Confucian Temple of the Haoran world or the White Jade Capital of the Qingming world.
Chen Ping'an hesitated briefly, as if concerned about something, but ultimately nodded. "This is feasible. Work out a general plan as soon as possible."
Luo Zhenyi thought for a moment and promised, "I can produce a draft plan within a day."
It was a shame Lin Junbi and the others weren't here; otherwise, Luo Zhenyi would feel more confident.
There was a certain scholarly air—a scholar's pride—that made one feel they could handle any worldly matter, yet in truth, they often couldn't even manage a few tasks right at hand.
Back then, Lin Junbi, Cao Gun, and these other Haoran sword cultivators, though young, were extremely well-versed in economic matters.
Chang Taiqing immediately realized a potential hidden danger. "If it's just knocking people unconscious and snatching them, that's no big problem. But if we get too entangled with those secular dynasties and mountain powers, the Summer Resort will inevitably become mired in too many disputes. Wouldn't that affect the Hidden Officer lineage's transcendent status in Ascension City?"
Although Chang Taiqing was on the same side as Luo Zhenyi, he wouldn't hold back due to personal friendship when something important was at stake.
Besides, there was an unspoken understanding within the Summer Resort: focus on the matter, not the person. Since no one was infallible, anyone could help fill in another's gaps.
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Of course it will. If we can't keep our sense of proportion, the losses will outweigh the gains. If one day, Ascension City and all its vassal powers go from merely questioning the Hidden Officer lineage's intensity of rewards and punishments or the weight of their actions—which might have some basis—to habitually questioning whether the Hidden Officer has the right to act against someone at all, that would mean the Summer Resort has a major problem."
Luo Zhenyi felt a twinge of guilt. She had been thinking too simply.
No wonder he had hesitated earlier—he had already foreseen this hidden danger spreading out along this line of thinking?
Chen Ping'an smiled at them, as if to say, what else are you here for if not to solve problems?
Chang Taiqing tentatively suggested, "Why not let the Executioner Official lineage handle this kind of thing? We can appropriately share some of the benefits. On the surface, let the Executioner Official cultivators maintain relations with outside forces—they have more people anyway. We'll just secretly plant spies and death warriors and coordinate with the Executioner Official cultivators. That way, our sword cultivators won't be isolated and vulnerable when encountering accidents far from home. A moment's carelessness could lead to losses. What do you think, Hidden Officer?"
There was another unwritten rule in the Summer Resort: if someone raised a question or negated another's proposal, it was best to have a solution of their own—though it wasn't strictly required.
Chou Miao the Sword Immortal had once privately chatted with Luo Zhenyi and a few friends about this, praising it highly. He said that as long as the Summer Resort cultivated this kind of awareness and eventually formed a good habit similar to custom, tradition, or regulation, the Hidden Officer's contribution would be immeasurable.
It was still very much Sword Wastes Great Wall style.
Otherwise, if one only knew how to sit back and talk emptily, it would be too Haoran-like.
"Very good. You could even say it kills three birds with one stone."
Chen Ping'an shot him an approving look and nodded. "But we can't hand over everything. The Hidden Officer lineage must continue to 'pick the best.' While assessing the situation, we should reserve a few private territories. They can be few in number, but deep in foundation and good in potential. Also, we need to ensure that all sword cultivator seedlings within allied powers' territories, if they want to learn superior sword techniques or go on distant training journeys, will think of the Summer Resort first—not the Executioner Official lineage."
Luo Zhenyi sighed with relief. "I'll formulate the specific plan along these major directions."
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "That Golden Core sword cultivator who was thrown out of the Patriarch Hall during the Jiachun Seven-Year council?"
Luo Zhenyi replied, "All these years, Gu Jianlong has been secretly monitoring him. Having his name removed from the registry was a great humiliation to him, but he hasn't spoken a single complaint outside. He's mostly been in seclusion, focusing on refining his sword, probably trying to break through to Nascent Soul as soon as possible and return to the Patriarch Hall."
Chen Ping'an asked, "What about those two recommenders and guarantors?"
Luo Zhenyi shook her head.
Chen Ping'an said, "I'm not telling you to settle personal scores under the guise of official business."
Luo Zhenyi nodded. She understood.
Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes. "Understand this: a pure sword cultivator's loves and hates are also pure. For a Sword Wastes Great Wall sword cultivator, there's nothing a sword duel can't solve. The real worry is when there's a problem that a sword duel can never solve, and a lifetime of bitter cultivation is also useless. Then what? The anger won't dissipate, the resentment won't ease—are they supposed to just go drink at my tavern?"
In the old days, they'd just go to the battlefield and draw their swords. Whoever had greater battle merits, who killed more demons, had the louder voice and was more in the right.
All personal grudges were usually limited to a few private complaints, at most some cursing over drinks.
On the former Sword Wastes Great Wall, you'd go to the wall head, come down from the wall head, gather friends and see them over drinks—and no one died?
Now on the Sword Wastes Great Wall, sword cultivators go out for training, start dealing with various powers, and when they return home—people actually die?
Chen Ping'an suggested, "Actually, the threshold for the Summer Resort can be high, but the face must be big. As for planting spies and cultivating death warriors, whether one is a sword cultivator, has good aptitude, or high realm isn't the most important thing. What matters is that the cultivator is meticulous and also ruthless."
Chang Taiqing said, "I'll go talk to Dong Bude and Xu Ning about this in detail."
Throughout it all, Fan Dache couldn't get a word in.
Nowadays, there was a catchphrase in Ascension City: "You can't even see the gate of the Summer Resort."
There was a young sword cultivator who had failed to fill a vacancy and went to serve in Summer Resort City according to protocol.
He once joked at a drinking table, "After leaving the Summer Resort, I gradually realized I was just an ordinary person."
"Before that, I always thought I was a waste."
Chen Ping'an said seriously, "Be wary of external infiltration into Ascension City. For all outsiders in the four vassal cities, even though we've already set up separate archive rooms, according to Dache, there are currently over 1,600 people registered. Frankly speaking, it's our duty. How the Executioner Official and Spring Treasury lineages try to win them over is their business, but we in the Summer Resort must regard them as potential enemies."
"In the current Five Colors World, dragons and fish are mixed together. No matter how bizarre a qi refiner might be, you'll find them. In the Haoran world alone, there are the Lone Rider of the South Sea, Passersby, Plague Gods, Corpse Beauties, Executioners, and Mirror Sellers. In the Qingming world, there are Rice Thieves, Corpse Emancipated Immortals, Crimson Curled Red-Handed, Porters, Coffin Bearers, Mountain Patrol Envoys, Dressing Maidens, Sword Borrowers, One-Character Masters, and Know-It-All Men. All kinds of inconceivable arts and techniques—the methods are bizarre and hard to guard against. For example, that seemingly random outbreak of plague might be a 'Plague God' already lurking in some vassal city. Especially those 'natural and man-made disasters' that specifically target non-qi refiners on a large scale—we must prepare early. Similarly, all the mountain mansions including Zifu Mountain will inevitably take in different numbers of maids and servants in the future. For those eight mountain peaks, do we need to guard against Mountain Patrol Envoys infiltrating? As for water sources everywhere, do the Hidden Officer sword cultivators need to patrol them regularly?"
"On this matter, aside from the Summer Resort conducting secret investigations without the slightest slack, when it comes to concrete matters, the Executioner Official must work with the Spring Treasury to prepare early, just in case."
"Furthermore, this matter must be the top priority in all Patriarch Hall discussions."
"In addition, you all should be well aware that back then, our Summer Resort failed to uncover all the Wasteland's hidden chess pieces."
Chen Ping'an raised a finger and pointed to the sky. "Suppose a rainstorm was tampered with—how would common mortals shield themselves? If someone tampered with the rainwater, what would we do? Would someone in the four vassal cities need to keep a close watch?"
Chen Ping'an then shook his sleeve. "If they want to tamper with rainwater, it must be cloudy before the rain. At least there would be an omen. But what about the wind? Or in the future when the cities expand, ornamental plants and flowers line the streets—what about a certain floral fragrance?"
Chen Ping'an casually flipped open a booklet, rubbing the pages between his fingers, and said gravely, "Don't forget—there are also the elementary primers in the few private schools."
Chen Ping'an seemed to be talking to himself. "In the future, the death warriors and spies we raise might suddenly start playing both sides. How should the Summer Resort and Executioner Official guard against and screen them?"
Luo Zhenyi and the others felt their scalps tingle.
Chen Ping'an snapped back to reality. "The onlooker sees clearly. So we should let some young sword cultivators in the Summer Resort put themselves in the shoes of Ascension City's enemies and conduct offensive and defensive exercises with you."
"The enemies of Ascension City's sword cultivators are no longer limited to face-to-face combat on the battlefield. These insidious schemes and plots will only increase."
"What truly shields Ascension City from wind and rain isn't the stationary city-protecting grand formations. It's here. It's you. It's us—the Summer Resort and the sword cultivators of the Hidden Officer lineage."
"But in the final analysis, to truly solve problems, it still comes down to sword duels. In the Five Colors World, there's nothing a single Ascension City sword duel can't solve. If there is, do two. If still not enough, do three—until the entire world is terrified, and no one dares to reach out to Ascension City lightly."
"For instance, if you trace a thread of clues and uncover some behind-the-scenes force in the future, Ascension City must kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. There's no room for hesitation. That sword duel must be fast, accurate, and ruthless. It must create a great commotion. For the hostile party—whether it's a mountain sect or a secular dynasty—just uproot it completely. Cut off its incense, cut off its dynasty's fortune. While ensuring no indiscriminate killing, truly eradicate the root and the branches."
Fan Dache finally had a chance to speak. Softly, he asked, "Wouldn't it be better to convene a Patriarch Hall council and let the Hidden Officer say all this?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "I won't be staying long this time. In a few days, the Luo Po Mountain branch sect establishment ceremony on Tongye Continent is coming up. I must rush back. The next time I return here will probably be twenty or thirty years later. Also, for certain reasons, I'm not very suitable to appear in the Patriarch Hall right now."
Chen Ping'an rubbed his brow. "Our Chief Supporter will definitely establish a sect in the Five Colors World in the future. And Deng Liang will most likely personally serve as the first sect master of the Jiudu Mountain branch sect."
Luo Zhenyi frowned slightly. "Are you worried that the branch sect Deng Liang establishes will be a de facto sword sect in name only?"
Similar to the Great Xuan Du Guan in the Qingming world, as the leader of the Daoist Sword Immortal lineage, the cultivators in the Daoist temple naturally have Daoist registry identities. But a considerable number of direct disciples are actually pure sword cultivators under the guise of Daoists. All the cultivation and study of the Xuan Du Guan's ancestral Daoist techniques and immortal methods are meant to assist their sword arts.
Chang Taiqing said, "Given Chief Deng's character, even if he separates from Ascension City in the future, I believe he will voluntarily leave empty-handed. Apart from a small group of direct disciples, he won't take more sword cultivators with him."
Chang Taiqing didn't dare speak too plainly. Even if Deng Liang was the Chief Supporter, did he dare to think that way, to act that way?
To put it bluntly, even in Chang Taiqing's heart, Deng Liang was still half an outsider—at best, half a hometown sword cultivator.
If even Chang Taiqing felt this way, ordinary local sword cultivators would be even more so.
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Even if Deng Liang takes a group of local sword cultivators who have defected to Zifu Mountain, that doesn't amount to much. I'm not concerned about that. Even if that sect has more sword cultivators and splits off part of the sword Dao fortune from the Five Colors World and Ascension City, that's still not a major issue. These are all things Deng Liang and his future sect deserve. And the Five Colors World is so vast—an additional sword sect, especially one led by Deng Liang and that Jiudu Mountain, is good for both Ascension City and Deng Liang."
"I'm just worried about the successor sect master after Deng Liang and the future Patriarch Hall members. They may not have any remaining goodwill towards Ascension City, but they might feel that Ascension City ought to make more and more concessions for their sect."
Beyond his sword cultivator identity, Deng Liang was also the peak master of Suran Peak on Jiudu Mountain, and a concealed "Weibian Lang" listed in the Green Registry, bearing part of Jiudu Mountain's fortune.
Thus, Deng Liang's very existence was an invisible bridge connecting Jiudu Mountain and the Five Colors World.
In Deng Liang's hands, especially the next time the Five Colors World opens its gates, when Jiudu Mountain qi refiners pour in, within a few years he could cultivate a large number of Yin spirit ghost cultivators. Perhaps within three to five hundred years, the Haoran world's Jiudu Mountain could leap to become a "true sect" with both an upper and lower sect simultaneously.
The master-disciple transmission techniques of the Boji Studio lineage, given Deng Liang's cultivation aptitude and his close relationship with the three sword cultivators of Shezhou, he would certainly learn them.
Chen Ping'an would only turn a blind eye to this. Just as Chang Taiqing said, he trusted Deng Liang's character.
Chen Ping'an was merely worried that his former colleagues in the Hidden Officer lineage—now Ascension City's Chief Supporter and future first sect master of Jiudu Mountain branch sect—might gradually find themselves in an awkward position caught between two sides as their identity shifts. They might not be able to part from Ascension City on good terms and bring things to a proper conclusion.
If one classified official powers according to secular dynasty offices: the Executioner Official lineage roughly held the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of War. The Spring Treasury lineage held the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works. The Summer Resort equaled the Ministry of Justice.
As for the remaining Ministry of Rites, that would probably depend on the academy yet to be built.
Barring surprises, Deng Liang would maintain reasonably good relations with all of Ascension City's "six ministries."
The best scenario would be a long-term, stable alliance.
The worst outcome would be external harmony but internal discord, eventually turning into enmity.
Pursue the former, avoid the latter.
What if Deng Liang chose pure cultivation in the future—say, pursuing a Flying Ascension realm—while the Jiudu Mountain branch sect, due to some conflict with Ascension City that escalated to an uncontrollable degree, eventually defected to a power like the White Jade Capital?
Wang Xinshui was somewhat puzzled. This was, at the very least, the worst-case scenario several hundred years from now. While it was true that one without long-term worries must have immediate concerns, this still seemed rather abrupt within the Hidden Officer's series of statements today.
Chen Ping'an soon provided the reason.
"Ascension City doesn't need fawning pawns. Ascension City needs a large number of genuine allies."
"The entire Five Colors World is watching every move Ascension City makes."
"For example, think of Ascension City as a great river. If the current is turbulent and unpredictable, few will build cities along its banks. If the current is gentle, ensuring both drought and flood protection, many will build cities along the water."
"Previously, when I mentioned snatching people, aside from securing tangible benefits for Ascension City and the Summer Resort—which we must do—it was also to put on a show for the Five Colors World. Those farmer qi refiners, after their sixty-year agreement expires, receive support from Ascension City and their respective powers thrive and develop—that's at... the low end."
Chen Ping'an extended one hand, placing it flat on the table, then raised it. "Then Deng Liang's branch sect establishment—that's at the high end."
"With both high and low in place, and Ascension City handling both properly with harmonious relations, people's hearts will be steady. In the future, the entire Five Colors World will view the Sword Wastes Great Wall with a different perspective and mentality."
"This is the entire Ascension City."
Chen Ping'an twisted his wrist, drawing a large circle, then a smaller one. "This is the sword cultivators of the Hidden Officer lineage in the Summer Resort."
Then, joining two fingers, he lightly tapped the center of the circles. "This is ourselves—personal selfishness."
Finally, Chen Ping'an drew the largest circle. "If possible, when considering problems in the future, also think about the entire Five Colors World."
"If these four—large and small—can all avoid conflict, that is the Great Dao."
"Sun rises, moon sets, stars shift. Sword cultivators draw their swords. The Great Dao proceeds."
Chang Taiqing nodded lightly.
Luo Zhenyi stared blankly.
Wang Xinshui was silent for a moment, then slapped the table in admiration. "Such an elevated vision, such broad-mindedness, and yet the reasoning is explained so simply and profoundly—only our Hidden Officer! There is no second!"
The Hidden Officer kept a straight face and said nothing.
With the Alliance Master from some obscure peak not present, and the other three lackeys also absent, Wang Xinshui found himself in a slightly awkward situation. Fan Dache really had no sense of timing—couldn't he have chimed in?
Chen Ping'an smiled. "If I didn't speak, we'd have at least half an hour of awkward silence."
Wang Xinshui chuckled.
He turned his head to look at the warm sunlight outside the main hall. Today it felt especially heartwarming.
Chen Ping'an said, "To be honest, not just our Summer Resort—the Executioner Official and Spring Treasury lineages have all done very well."
"Take Qi Shou's Executioner Official lineage. I'd have a hard time finding fault even if I tried."
After saying this, Chen Ping'an noticed that the gazes of Fan Dache and the others were somewhat strange.
Chen Ping'an had to clarify, "No hidden meaning."
Wang Xinshui immediately said, "Whatever the Hidden Officer says, counts!"
Speaking of the martial artists' lineage at the Cold Shelter, Qi Shou knew perfectly well that that Nian Xin was quite close to the Hidden Officer lineage. Yet he still spared no effort in cultivating that group of martial artists, specially arranging two Golden Core sword cultivators and several military strategist cultivators who had aligned with the Executioner Official lineage to regularly go to the Cold Shelter and "feed swords" and "feed techniques" to the young martial artists who currently had few chances to fight, helping them gain practical combat experience as much as possible.
Chen Ping'an reached into his sleeve and pulled out an object of Thumb-World, tossing it to Wang Xinshui. "Inside are various official histories and local county records about the old mountains and rivers of Tongye Continent. I didn't have time to organize all of them, so I just wrote two booklets similar to catalogs and one pamphlet specifically recording matters requiring attention. The Summer Resort can keep the originals, but let the Executioner Official lineage make a copy. If they find that too troublesome, they'll just have to make more trips to borrow books from us later. That way, it'll be convenient for Ascension City's four vassal cities to verify the identity, place of origin, and mountain registry of outside cultivators. Oh, and remember to return the Thumb-World to me."
Wang Xinshui caught the Thumb-World, which had already had its mountain-water prohibition removed. Glancing briefly at the scene inside—it was a veritable mountain of books—he exclaimed in shock, "So many books?!"
Even with some mountain arts to copy or reprint, this would be a truly massive project.
Chen Ping'an chuckled. "I'm sure my good brother Qi is busy right now, using a petty man's heart to measure a gentleman's belly. I feel embarrassed for him."
When Chen Ping'an stood up, the three sword cultivators rose with him and followed the Hidden Officer across the threshold, leaving the main hall.
Chen Ping'an stopped at the top of the steps, tucked his hands into his sleeves, raised his head, and squinted at the sun. He said softly, "If some carefully laid schemes happen to lead us to a 'one-in-ten-thousand' clue, then they'd better be very, very careful."
"For instance, if the White Jade Capital tampered with something and we found solid evidence, then in the Five Colors World for the next hundred, thousand, or ten thousand years, qi refiners with White Jade Capital Daoist registry would not be allowed to enter the Five Colors World."
"Next time the gates open, I'll lead the way to block the entrance."
By the next time the gates opened, he believed he would at least have regained his peak strength, returning to the Jade Brilliance realm, with his martial artist cultivation at the Return to Truth layer. In one-on-one combat, he could hold his own against a White Jade Capital Immortal.
Walking down the steps, Chen Ping'an walked shoulder to shoulder with Fan Dache and Wang Xinshui, casually touring the various departments and offices of the Summer Resort.
Chen Ping'an only entered the Archive Room. For other places, he just stood at the door and glanced.
The person in charge here was a young man named Huai Congzhi, only fourteen years old, already a Viewing Ocean realm sword cultivator.
In the early days of the Sword Wastes Great Wall, this wouldn't count as a super genius. But don't forget—this youth had followed Ascension City to the Five Colors World as a young child. Breaking through realms this fast was, in Chen Ping'an's opinion, lightning speed.
So Chen Ping'an was curious why the youth had chosen the Archive Room. Logically, joining the more demanding Surveillance or Execution Departments would be no challenge at all. When asked by the Hidden Officer, Huai Congzhi smiled shyly and said he just liked reading.
Chen Ping'an didn't press further. From the "East" character bookshelf, the "Jade" character compartment, he pulled out a "Second" volume "Seven" character secret record booklet documenting the White Jade Capital forces.
Casually flipping through, he saw that at the far east of a world, purple qi rose, the heaven and earth saturated with strong Daoist essence—all from Daoist forces of the Qingming world. Naturally, the White Jade Capital led, followed closely by Xuan Du Guan, Suichu Palace, and a few other peaks, then some ordinary sect-ranked Daoist sects, and finally minor sects or scattered cultivators—a clearly tiered structure.
Following the old Summer Resort precedent, Ascension City had compiled two sets of archives—one officially recorded all the world's sects and above the Fifth Realm cultivators, plus Earth Immortal cultivators. As these two volumes thickened and their content increased, it meant a brand-new world was growing stronger in sinew and richer in flesh and blood.
However, these two top-secret archives were not kept at the Summer Resort but in the Ascension City Patriarch Hall.
Chen Ping'an opened a page and used his finger to press against a note stuck between the book pages. Unlike the previous white paper with black ink, this entry was written in red ink—clearly an important annotation. Turning to the youth standing beside him, he smiled. "Congzhi, is this your own insight?"
The youth nodded energetically.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "For similar insights, if they're not especially urgent matters, you can compile them slowly. When you've gathered thirty to fifty, show them to Luo Zhenyi or Fan Dache for a look. If they approve, they can become a regular practice in our Archive Room. Once you have more people later, you won't be flustered. Having a systematic procedure in place will allow future colleagues joining the Archive Room to follow established routines. As the head, you'll save a lot of effort."
The youth nodded vigorously, silently memorizing the advice.
"Congzhi, you know, you're the first director of our Summer Resort's Archive Room. Besides the daily tasks at hand—which you can't neglect—you should also think about how to pave the way for those who come after you."
The youth nodded like a chicken pecking grain.
"Congzhi, do you know, besides leading by example and diligently doing your own work, what else should the head of a department pay attention to?"
This time, the youth didn't nod. He just looked blank.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "It's not to meddle. Keep clear boundaries with other departments. Don't interfere in matters that aren't yours."
"But this principle has a threshold. It won't be needed until many years later at the Summer Resort. So for now, you can spend some time reading various miscellaneous books. Read a bit about the institutional changes of secular dynasties throughout history—understand the phenomenon of redundant officials and petty functionaries. Why is it that the more the imperial court tries to cut down, the more bloated the bureaucracy becomes? The more bureaus, the lower the efficiency. Everyone seems busy every day, but when you actually want to push a certain measure forward, it's extremely slow."
For Chen Ping'an, this Archive Room held a special significance. After all, back then, all the secret files and books moved from the Cold Shelter to the Summer Resort had been sorted and categorized by Chen Ping'an alone—not a simple task. So he naturally felt a bit closer to this place.
Huai Congzhi nodded. "I remember!"
After Chen Ping'an left.
Wang Xinshui deliberately slowed his steps, then suddenly slapped Huai Congzhi on the head and whispered with a laugh, "What a wimp. You finally got to see the Hidden Officer, and you didn't seize the chance to chat a bit more?"
Wang Xinshui twisted the youth's ear. "Do you know that our Hidden Officer only stepped into your Archive Room? Huh?! Don't say you're with me from now on."
The Hidden Officer had said: hitting people should be done early.
Especially those young talents—a hundred years, a few hundred years down the line, they might be a sword immortal.
Huai Congzhi tilted his head, stood on tiptoe, grinning sheepishly while secretly opening his hand toward Wang Xinshui.
The youth's palm was covered in sweat.
Even if he tried to speak, he'd definitely stutter. How could he say anything?
Wang Xinshui asked with a smile, "Want to say something?"
The youth whispered, "He's better as the Hidden Officer."
As for Ning Yao, who was temporarily filling the Hidden Officer role, let her be the city lord everyone expected.
Wang Xinshui sensed something amiss and quickly covered the youth's mouth.
Sure enough, at the doorway, the figure in blue reappeared, wearing a slight smile.
Huai Congzhi was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, the Hidden Officer smiled. "It's fine. Youthful speech without restraint—daring to think, daring to speak, daring to act, daring to take responsibility—is a good thing. As for Wang Xinshui, your governance is impressive—truly memorable."
Wang Xinshui said firmly, "Hidden Officer, to be honest, I am also a green-as-a-leek, pale-faced youth!"
Luo Zhenyi and Chang Taiqing chose another covered corridor to return to their respective offices.
"Earlier, when the matter of Chief Deng came up, were you initially worried that the Hidden Officer would burn the bridge after crossing it, using Deng Liang and then discarding him?"
Chang Taiqing asked via mental voice. "When you discovered that was not the case—that we actually need to keep building roads and laying bridges for Deng Liang and his branch sect—you sighed with relief?"
Luo Zhenyi was silent.
Chang Taiqing smiled. "Even if that were the case, there's no need to feel disappointed in the Hidden Officer's actions. After all, his heart is with Ascension City. In his position, he must plan for his office. In officialdom cultivation, it can't all be pure breeze and bright moon."
Luo Zhenyi nodded, still silent.
Chang Taiqing barely managed to swallow the words that had come to his lips.
There was no need to criticize the Hidden Officer. But if you felt disappointed in Chen Ping'an as a person, that was also understandable.
Chang Taiqing was glad he had held back. Otherwise, Luo Zhenyi would probably hold a grudge against him for a long time.
On another corridor, after Chen Ping'an had visited the various offices, he sat for a while in Wang Xinshui's room before leaving with Fan Dache.
Fan Dache hesitated but still spoke honestly, "Hidden Officer, if you had come a few years later, I might have voluntarily left the Summer Resort. I always felt I wasn't helping much. The only thing I could do was vacate my spot for someone else. As you said, squatting on the latrine, just drinking, eating, and sleeping, not taking a dump."
"Did I ever say that?"
"Yes, I remember clearly. That time in the tavern, Chen Sanqiu and Dong Huafu were both there."
"Dache, speaking so bluntly—no wonder people say you got into the Summer Resort through connections."
Fan Dache laughed.
"Dache, believe me. The Summer Resort needs clever people, but it also needs the quiet ones. Time reveals a person's heart. You have to believe they'll see it, and even more, believe you can do it."
Chen Ping'an said softly, "True strength isn't just in eye-catching feats. It's also in persistent, subtle contributions."
Even if in the end, no one knows. Even if known, not understood. But at least we ourselves know that we did something for this world.
However, Chen Ping'an didn't say that last part out loud.
---
Tuoyue City, one of the four vassal cities, like Wukui City, was also under the Executioner Official lineage.
The current city lord was Pu Yu, and the deputy city lord was Ren Yi. Both were Golden Core sword cultivators, former young talents of the Sword Wastes Great Wall, and naturally members of the Ascension City Patriarch Hall.
These two had both been among the sword cultivators who once stopped Chen Ping'an during his gate-guarding trials. Back then, Ren Yi, who was responsible for the first gate, had still been in the Dragon Gate realm. He broke through to form his Golden Core only after Ascension City landed. As for City Lord Pu Yu, because he had been seriously wounded—his lifebound flying sword "Rain Curtain" severely damaged—it was highly likely that Pu Yu would find it extremely difficult to break through the Golden Core bottleneck for the rest of his life. This was one reason Pu Yu had taken the position of Tuoyue City's top leader—he didn't want his more talented friend Ren Yi to be too distracted by secular affairs.
In the early days at the Sword Wastes Great Wall, on a brutal battlefield outside the city wall, they had both been saved by an "old sword cultivator" with a strange face.
On the battlefield, there had once been an "old sword cultivator" who appeared out of nowhere. He passed through a battlefield, delivering tricky sword strokes and ruthless attacks, just happening to save Pu Yu, Ren Yi, and a group of young sword cultivators.
He fought in a "thrilling" manner, claiming a "lucky narrow victory."
Though the other party didn't reveal his name, Pu Yu had guessed his identity at the time—it had to be the young Hidden Officer, the one best at picking up leftovers.
"Southern Bestower, Northern Hidden Officer"—these two opposing sword cultivators had earned their reputations, both formidable.
Both were cunning, sneaky, and treacherous.
Today, in Tuoyue City's council hall, besides the city lord and his deputy, there was Executioner Official Qi Shou and Shui Yu, who came from the Boji Studio lineage. A group was circulating a stack of papers.
Besides four sword cultivators of similar age, there was also an old Nascent Soul cultivator.
Shui Yu shook the papers in his hand and chuckled. "What a strange name."
The alias was Dou Yi. "Yi"—a very obscure character.
Pu Yu smiled. "The character 'yi' means to govern and stabilize. If combined with another character to form 'yian,' it carries the meaning of 'peace under heaven.'"
Since breaking through to a higher realm was hopeless, Pu Yu had settled into the role of city lord. Over the years, he'd accumulated a lot of miscellaneous books and read them in his spare time. He even entertained the thought that one day, when he laid down the city lord's burden, he might become a schoolteacher.
Qi Shou silently drank tea, somewhat troubled. Knowing that fellow's habitual nature, he would certainly find ways to make trouble for him.
In the early spring of the Jiachun Seven-Year year, Ascension City had held its second formal Patriarch Hall council.
That crucial council had truly established Ascension City's internal division of responsibilities and its external expansion strategy.
Back then, the Patriarch Hall had forty-one chairs. Later, six more were added, but the two chairs beneath the hanging portrait had always remained empty.
Two old Nascent Soul sword cultivators belonging to the Executioner Official lineage, one from Taixiang Street and one from Yuhu Street, had been vassal families of the Chen and Nalan clans respectively.
All these years, the two old men had been teaching sword techniques to the younger generation.
Within Ascension City and Tuoyue City, the Executioner Official lineage had established a Mountain Search Department and a Demon Execution Yard. Each old Nascent Soul presided over one, and occasionally they would quietly leave Ascension City to secretly guard the lower-five-realm sword cultivators going out for training. But this kind of "training" was nothing like the pleasure trips of registered cultivators in the Haoran world—what they called mortal world experience. The vast majority of Ascension City's sword cultivator casualties occurred during training. To expand territory, determine route safety, riskily explore eerie mountain-water secret realms, encounter unheard-of strange beings, several guardian sword masters had fallen, some with no remains to bury. In the end, several of Ascension City's upper-five-realm sword cultivators, including Ning Yao, had to personally take up their swords and venture into these dangerous places.
Just like this time, the Executioner Official sword cultivators traveling with the Hidden Officer lineage for training had a backstage guardian who was an old Nascent Soul sword cultivator.
For the ten thousand years of the Sword Wastes Great Wall, except for those born constrained by their lifebound flying swords, there had never been "frail sword cultivators, paper-thin realms."
This tradition, Ascension City absolutely could not lose.
But it had to be acknowledged that after leaving the Sword Wastes Great Wall, the speed of realm breakthroughs for all sword cultivators had slowed down.
Of course, Ning Yao was an exception.
And the appearance of the youngest generation of sword cultivators was no longer as frequent as before, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Meanwhile, the two old men also kept the key to the Sword Questioning Tower.
Although sword cultivators in Ascension City still had their own master-disciple lineages, Ascension City had built a library called the Sword Questioning Tower.
The "Eighteen Stops of Sword Qi," improved by A Liang, was now available for all sword cultivators to practice. How much of its divine essence they could master depended on their own fortune.
In addition, the Summer Resort had collected and organized a large number of original, heavily restricted Dao formulas, sword scriptures, and secret manuals left by sword cultivators of past generations, all compiled in the heavily guarded Sword Questioning Tower.
Many sword techniques whose incense had long been broken had a chance to find "inheritors across generations."
For example, Tao Wen, Wu Chengpei, Song Caiyun, Yin Chen, and Gao Kui—who had drawn his sword for the last time against Dragon Lord.
Even the two sword immortals who had betrayed the Hidden Officer lineage, Luo Shan and Zhu An.
As long as the Summer Resort had records of these sword cultivators' unique techniques, the young sword cultivators of Ascension City today had a hope of learning them. However, later sword cultivators were not forced to "acknowledge their origin." But if they succeeded in learning a particular sword technique and passed it down as a Daoist lineage, they must not deliberately obscure this fact—they had to clearly state the origin of the inheritance.
When the Summer Resort first compiled a detailed booklet, it roughly outlined the inheritance requirements and cultivation thresholds for each sword technique lineage.
Thus, to inherit those sword techniques, two requirements applied: first, the cultivator's lifebound flying sword must be compatible with the technique; second, they must have sufficient battle merits. After confirmation and approval by both the Executioner Official and Hidden Officer lineages, young sword cultivators could go to the Sword Questioning Tower to peruse a particular sword manual and practice the corresponding secret technique.
The old Nascent Soul was curious. "That distant journey to the Wasteland—Ning Yao was vague. She only said the Hidden Officer started it. Since their group took out the Xianzan City Xuanpu and the Tuoyue Mountain culprit—two Flying Ascension realm demons—has the city wall now been carved with two new words?"
In fact, even this old cultivator had only recently learned that the Sword Wastes Great Wall also had an Executioner Official named Hao Su.
Breaking Xianzan City in two was certainly satisfying. But for the sword cultivators of the Sword Wastes Great Wall, the matter of carving words had always been the greatest matter—nothing bigger.
Qi Shou looked at the gazes fixed on him and said helplessly, "Even if I asked, would it do any good? Ning Yao clearly doesn't want to say much."
Shui Yu found it equally strange. "Since they accomplished so much, why not tell all of Ascension City? There's no reason to keep it hidden."
Pu Yu teased, "If you don't understand, that's exactly right. That's why you can't get into the Summer Resort."
Back then, the three Boji Studio brothers had indeed wanted to enter the Summer Resort, but Ning Yao didn't agree.
Otherwise, the current Hidden Officer lineage would have had the strength to stand evenly against the Executioner Official lineage.
Currently, Ascension City had four upper-five-realm sword cultivators.
One Flying Ascension realm: Ning Yao.
Temporarily no Immortals.
Three Jade Brilliance realm sword cultivators: Qi Shou, Gao Yehou, Deng Liang.
Four Nascent Soul realm cultivators in total.
Two were old Nascent Souls from the Executioner Official lineage, plus Shezhou of the Boji Studio lineage, and Luo Zhenyi of the Summer Resort.
In fact, at the Chen mansion on Taixiang Street, there was also Chen Ji and his attendant, Chen Hui. The former master-servant pair, now master-disciple, were Nascent Soul and Jade Brilliance realms respectively.
But aside from Ning Yao, no one knew about this for now.
Qi Shou suddenly said, "If—just if—Chen Ping'an, in the next Patriarch Hall council, demands that the Executioner Official and Spring Treasury each give up one mountain peak to the Summer Resort, do we agree or not?"
The old Nascent Soul said slowly, "On what grounds?"
Qi Shou said, "Still a 'if'—what if the person who carved the characters is Chen Ping'an himself?"
The old Nascent Soul immediately said, "Then give it."
Though he was a sword cultivator of the Executioner Official lineage, the old man wouldn't hesitate in such a matter. He had to give.
Qi Shou nodded. "That stands to reason."
Shui Yu said with malicious glee, "Executioner Official, what if Chen Ping'an never leaves? What will you do?"
Qi Shou smiled. "Families prosperous, people content, seasons harmonious, years abundant, bodies healthy, neighbors happy in each other's company—a gentleman drinking wine, his joy is endless."
The old Nascent Soul was baffled. "What the hell is that?"
Pu Yu laughed and explained, "From the 'Ji Rang Ji' of Master Kang Jie. Also copied in the 'Bai Jian Xian Yin Pu,' one seal's side inscription, with the bottom seal reading 'And I alone have yet to reach the four directions'—also Kang Jie's sentiment when he was young and studying. Old Shao, you share the surname with this Master Kang Jie. You can look up the seal manual sometime. But what our Executioner Official means is: fighting with people—that's where the endless joy lies."
Ren Yi smiled. "Good thing the Hidden Officer isn't here. Otherwise, he'd be showing that sly, amused expression of his right about now."
The old Nascent Soul surnamed Shao rubbed the chair armrest and curled his lip. "Scholars have so many twists and turns in their guts—they can even turn cursing into a flower."
But if Chen Ping'an really carved a new character on the city wall, the old Nascent Soul would be willing to go to the tavern and punish himself with three bowls.
Anyway, the wine bowls there weren't big.
After all, the old Nascent Soul was most dismissive of the seal manual business. Over the years, he had grumbled plenty. "All fancy and showy—if you've got the skill, go carve a character on the city wall."
When it came to drinking, he both wanted to and didn't want to.
The reason he didn't want to was simple: face.
But after thinking it over carefully, the old man actually hoped the young Hidden Officer would carve characters more than anything else.
The Cold Shelter, originally the private property of the Hidden Officer lineage, had now become something like a territory exclusively for the pure martial artists of the Executioner Official lineage.
However, both sides had an unspoken understanding on this matter—one didn't care, the other didn't bring it up.
The Sword Wastes Great Wall had only three ancient official positions: Hidden Officer, Executioner Official, and also Sacrificial Official. But the Sacrificial Official lineage had long been lost.
Legend had it that the Cold Shelter had originally been the Sacrificial Official's office. But under Xiao Xun, the Hidden Officer lineage was too prominent, so they took over the abandoned Cold Shelter. The Old Sword Immortal hadn't said anything about it, and over time, the Cold Shelter was naturally regarded as the Hidden Officer lineage's private property. Many young sword cultivators who didn't like looking at old records didn't even know there had ever been a Sacrificial Official in their hometown's history.
The earliest martial artist seeds at the Cold Shelter—the first batch of children who came there to learn martial arts and practice boxing—had all grown up.
As the martial artist lineage under the Executioner Official, the total number now was nearly a hundred, and the numbers and influence would only grow over time.
A tall, handsome-featured young man, during a break between two punching instructors, was alone on the training ground, unleashing punches like dragons, roaring as wind.
Nearby crouched many young children, the youngest in terms of seniority. If becoming a sword cultivator depended on Heaven's favor—something you couldn't seek if it wasn't given—then starting martial arts as a child was universally accepted.
The chief instructor, Zheng Dafeng, came to the Cold Shelter twice a day, morning and evening, to teach and feed punches, each session an hour and a half.
Jiang Yun, while practicing his punches, bragged.
"Back when the Hidden Officer came here to personally teach us a few boxing techniques, I was the only pure martial artist who touched the edge of the Hidden Officer's clothes. So you understand my martial arts aptitude, right?"
"In fact, the Hidden Officer once privately sought me out and said that among the ten of us back then, I had the best talent—far above the others. So he had to give me extra instruction, so as not to waste my martial arts talent. Do you know what 'extra instruction' means, what it implies?"
"Watch closely! This empty-hand disarmament technique that can catch flying swords—that's the Hidden Officer's true transmission. According to the rules in his hometown, under normal circumstances, it's never lightly passed down except to direct disciples. Even Guo Zhujiu might not have learned it. Now that I throw this punch, it's probably better than the original—bluer than indigo. So even if the Hidden Officer feeds me punches again, he'll have to be careful..."
At the edge of the training ground, someone spoke up. "Oh? How careful would that be?"
Jiang Yun, sharp-eared, immediately took offense. "Oh, what oh? Whoever doesn't believe it, step forward!"
The man stood there and answered with a smile, "I don't believe it."
Jiang Yun rubbed his eyes. After confirming he wasn't hallucinating, he secretly swallowed his saliva, his eyes darting rapidly as he thought about how to salvage the situation to escape unscathed.
The man smiled and extended a hand. "No need to salvage. Come on, let's practice. Consider it me giving you extra instruction, so no one disbelieves you."
Jiang Yun rubbed his hands together cautiously. "Hidden Officer, I've really missed you all these years. I'm nothing like those ungrateful wretches like Xu Gong and Yuan Zao Hua. Every day before I practice boxing, I silently recite your name three times before throwing my first punch filled with divine intent."
Appealing to reason was pointless—everyone knew the Second Shopkeeper was famously "fair in business and most reasonable." So little master here will appeal to emotion!
The training ground erupted in commotion.
Was this really the legendary Hidden Officer?!
But he wasn't that handsome or mighty-looking.
He looked tall and thin, a bit like the schoolteachers in the private academy.
Was he really a grandmaster of martial arts?
Master Zheng said he had once personally guided the Hidden Officer in several boxing techniques. Now it seemed that was probably true.
Chen Ping'an temporarily let Jiang Yun, that troublemaker, off the hook. He cupped his fists toward the two outside martial artists who had hurried over. "Thank you for your hard work."
A man and a woman, both at the Golden Body realm, around sixty years old, but they looked younger—just over forty.
The two martial artists spoke in unison, "We don't deserve that!"
If they were anywhere else in the Five Colors World, casually picking a place to establish a sect would be trivial.
As for why two martial arts grandmasters who had reached the "Three Realms of Refining Spirit" had come to Ascension City—every family has its own troubles. They were escaping from mountain enemies, fleeing disaster.
Besides, aside from the Summer Resort verifying their identities, Zheng Dafeng and Nian Xin were also watching. There could be no mistakes.
Just like before in Wukui City, requiring outsiders to fill in their place of origin and resume—it seemed like a boring formality, easy to bluff through. But in fact, it was a classic case of "loose outside, tight inside." The more outsiders recorded on the rolls, the easier it was for Ascension City to cross-verify. If anyone was found to have tampered with the information, deliberately concealed their identity, or falsified their resume, they would have to deal with the person currently in charge of a certain prison—Nian Xin.
A seamstress who could still make Chen Ping'an uneasy to this day. Her methods were imaginable.
As soon as Chen Ping'an appeared, a group of young martial artists quickly gathered at the training ground. Not many, exactly ten.
The blue-clad scholar turned sideways, simultaneously flipping one arm back, pressing down on the face of a youth who was sneaking an attack from behind. He slammed him to the ground; his head bounced three times.
Then, with a graceful pivot, he grabbed a vicious sweeping kick, raised his right elbow high, and drove it down with a sudden drop—a heart-shattering elbow strike to the youth's chest. The latter crashed to the ground with a bang. Chen Ping'an flicked his toe, sending the youth tumbling dozens of rotations through the air. He collapsed limply, struggling several times to get up without success, spitting blood.
A young woman named Sun Qu delivered a knee strike, but Chen Ping'an swept a leg heavily across her waist. Sun Qu was sent flying sideways, colliding heavily with another female martial artist, and they both fell.
In an instant, the ten were beaten to the ground—a miserable sight.
The battered Jiang Yun sat on the ground, head tilted back, blood streaming from his nose.
The former tomboy, now a young woman, Yuan Zao Hua sat on the ground and slammed her fist heavily against the floor.
Xu Gong from Mumeng Lane rubbed his chest, wincing.
Jiang Yun, Xu Gong, Yuan Zao Hua.
These three had the best talent and learned boxing the fastest. Thanks to the heavenly fortune of a brand-new world, Jiang Yun had received martial fortune three times, Xu Gong and Yuan Zao Hua twice each.
In addition, several others had received martial fortune once.
Actually, this was somewhat related to Ning Yao's realm breakthroughs. Especially after she truly secured her position as the world's number one, combined with Ascension City receiving some kind of heavenly favor, the martial artists of the Cold Shelter...
But these former children were indeed diligent in their martial arts training, able to endure hardship, and hadn't wasted their innate talent and external opportunities.
However, it had to be admitted that this martial fortune, based on being the "strongest" at a given realm, was quite diluted compared to any other world—very dilute.
If this were the Haoran world, which sect could boast nearly ten people who had received martial fortune in such dense succession? If it wasn't a martial fortune shop they were running, what was it?
Chen Ping'an stood still and smiled. "If it were a drill with a touch-and-go approach, all of you working together could handle a Far Traveling realm martial artist—no problem."
Climbing higher in martial arts couldn't be rushed.
The Cold Shelter's martial artist lineage still needed another twenty or thirty years of tempering before they could truly serve Ascension City's needs.
By then, with one or two Far Traveling realm martial artists, going on distant journeys would be very safe—hardly needing sword cultivators to guard them.
If it were a premeditated ambush—excluding Zheng Dafeng and the two instructors—one Golden Core sword cultivator from Ascension City who had been to a battlefield, with one sword and one flying sword, could completely slaughter the Cold Shelter.
Chen Ping'an moved, pulling the young martial artists to their feet one by one, from near to far. For the women, of course, he merely stomped lightly and they floated upright.
Sun Qu from Yuhu Street had a younger sister named Sun Zao, who had followed a female sword immortal named Song Pin from Jinjia Continent and left their hometown.
Once on her feet, she asked, "Hidden Officer, how is Sun Zao now? Has she disgraced herself?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "She's already a Viewing Ocean realm sword cultivator."
Sun Qu nodded. "Acceptable."
The Cold Shelter's history of boxing instructors had included Old Mrs. Bai Lianshuang of the Ning Manor, the young Hidden Officer Chen Ping'an, and an outsider named Zheng Dafeng.
Actually, Chen Ping'an had only occasionally dropped by to give guidance—he wasn't strictly a master. But the children of the Cold Shelter didn't care about that. At every opportunity, they compared Master Zheng with the Hidden Officer.
Chen Ping'an walked over to the two Golden Body realm martial artists. "Master Ma, Master Liu, if possible, in the future, when feeding punches, you can hit a little harder. As for the medicinal herbs needed for tempering bones and tendons—including the daily medicated meals—you can ask for a bit more. Don't worry about whether the Spring Treasury will approve the accounts."
Seeing the young Hidden Officer's warm expression and consultative tone, the two were somewhat surprised and also a bit relieved.
Now that the Hidden Officer had personally spoken, future dealings with the Spring Treasury should go more smoothly.
Everyone knew that the accountants of the Spring Treasury lineage, when it came to making money, were practically ready to venerate the young Hidden Officer as their founding patriarch.
The pure martial artists of the Cold Shelter had been in an awkward position all these years. On one hand, they were like the "illegitimate sons" of the Executioner Official lineage—not very favored. On the other hand, when it came to money, they only consumed and never produced. Though not exactly hated, it wasn't something to boast about. The Spring Treasury never deducted a cent—the monthly salaries for the two of them and Master Zheng, the three instructors, were paid in full, not a coin missing. All the supplies the children needed for martial arts training were distributed in sufficient quantity. Whatever the Cold Shelter requested, they got—no complaints.
But some petty remarks, certain glances and expressions—no one was stupid. Everyone heard them, saw them clearly.
Besides, the martial artists of the Cold Shelter, in a city full of sword cultivators like Ascension City, inevitably felt inferior. They held back in speech and action.
Take Jiang Yun, the most talented martial artist. He would soon reach the Golden Body realm, already a sure pillar of the Cold Shelter. When he went out and met sword cultivators of similar age on the road, could he not feel a tinge of regret?
Although Jiang Yun was still loud and boisterous all year round, the louder a person talks, the more their heart lacks confidence.
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists in farewell. "I won't delay your teaching."
The female martial artist asked, "Master Chen, won't you teach the children some boxing?"
Calling him "Hidden Officer" seemed inappropriate since the current Hidden Officer was Ning Yao.
Since he was a martial artist at the Mountain Peak realm, calling him "Grandmaster" or even "Senior" wouldn't be wrong.
"Establishing a sect and becoming a founder is 'zong'; higher skill makes one 'shi'."
These two outside martial artists were, after all, not locals of the Sword Wastes Great Wall. Though they had been teaching here for years, they rarely went out and only had a partial understanding of many unique Sword Wastes customs. They couldn't really grasp many of the legends about this last Hidden Officer. For example, the female martial artist named Liu couldn't understand why Jiang Yun and the others, whenever they talked about Hidden Officer Chen, couldn't avoid the three boxing matches with Cao Ci. Clearly three consecutive losses, yet they spoke with such excitement. Even when talking about the spar with Yu Juanfu, they hardly ever mentioned how sharply the young grandmaster had punched—instead, they only spoke of how he was knocked down with one punch by Yu Juanfu. Not just Jiang Yun, almost everyone found it hilarious.
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No."
The burly man named Ma asked cautiously, "Master Chen, after you returned home, did you spar with Cao Ci again?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "There was a boxing match. I still lost."
The man wasn't surprised. Winning against Cao Ci would be the real surprise.
The woman couldn't help asking, "May I ask, Master Chen, what realm is Cao Ci at now?"
Clearly, she was an admirer of Cao Ci.
Chen Ping'an said, "When I sparred with Cao Ci, he was at the Return to Truth layer."
The woman's expression grew complicated, but she quickly concealed it.
Chen Ping'an knew what she was thinking—probably that a Mountain Peak realm martial artist challenging a Return to Truth Cao Ci was a bit overconfident.
But Chen Ping'an didn't bother to explain.
The two Golden Body realm martial artists resumed teaching. Chen Ping'an lingered at the edge of the training ground for a moment, then quietly left.
For the two instructors, once the young man in blue had left, they felt relieved.
The original ten of the Cold Shelter all saw the young Hidden Officer raise his thumb in their direction before he left.
Walking out the gate, Chen Ping'an turned back to look at the plaque. This Cold Shelter, once belonging to the Sacrificial Official lineage, was indeed strange.
Cold Shelter? Shelter?
It was a pity that even the Summer Resort had no written records about the Sacrificial Official lineage. It was as if someone had deliberately destroyed all records.
Chen Ping'an had only seen, in the blank space of a secret file page about the Executioner Official lineage, a line of what looked like annotation—the handwriting of former Hidden Officer Xiao Xun, crooked and easily recognizable.
"Every pure martial artist's physical body is a Pantheon of Ten Thousand Gods with flourishing incense."