Chapter 923: Borrowing Thousands of Mountains and Rivers from All of You (4)
That wind-kite ferry boat was already nearing Xiandu Mountain.
That immortal from Tieshu Mountain, whose dao name was "Longmen," had indeed strolled through thousands of miles of mountains and rivers around Xiandu Mountain, seeing scenes of broken walls and crumbling ruins everywhere, with everything in ruins and awaiting reconstruction.
He rode the wind back to Mixue Peak and indeed saw that his disciple was sitting on the railing of a viewing platform, chatting idly with Zheng Youqian.
It was probably in line with that old saying about women being outward—Tan Yingzhou was telling Zheng Youqian, "You're no good at anything else, but when it comes to finding Little Martial Uncle, you're better than anyone."
Guo Ran's senior martial brothers and sisters, including himself, were naturally the martial uncles and aunts of many Tieshu Mountain cultivators.
Guo Ran didn't want his disciple to feel embarrassed, so his figure silently landed on the rooftop. Being a master to this extent was rare indeed.
After all, he was an immortal, and not an ordinary one at that. What the ghost immortal Yu Jin couldn't see, Guo Ran could discern at a glance.
For example, the Yunzheng Mountain and Choumiu Mountain, which formed a triad with Xiandu Mountain—Guo Ran saw through their camouflage illusions and could even read the text on the two stone stelae standing at their peaks.
Cui Dongshan shrank the mountains and rivers, arriving in one step beside Guo Ran, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Longmen, you have good eyes."
Guo Ran smiled. "I couldn't control my eyes. My apologies."
Cui Dongshan waved his hand and laughed. "Fellow Daoist Longmen, that's being too courteous."
Guo Ran looked around and couldn't help but praise, "Piling up mountains and stones is already another kind of knowledge. In my view, it's the same as having landscapes in one's chest—in fact, it's harder than painting. Moving a few mountain peaks, migrating a few rivers, and piecing them together into a scene of mountains and waters depending on each other isn't difficult. The difficulty lies in filling in without leaving traces, so that they fit with the Great Way. Just this Mixue Peak—earth and wood, paths, flowers and trees, clouds and mist rendering—at first glance it seems rough, but in truth, nothing is not marvelous. When more effort is put in later, transplanting ancient trees, adjusting spacing and leaning, planning drafts, heights and shades, it will truly become a scenic wonderland."
"Fellow Daoist Longmen, you flatter me."
Cui Dongshan put both hands behind his head, shook his head, and laughed. "In terms of grand scale, I can't compare to the old blind man of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. In terms of subtle exquisiteness, there's an old cook over at Fallen Mountain who is the true expert."
Guo Ran chuckled helplessly.
It was like sincerely praising someone's poetry as extraordinary, only to have the praised person say they weren't as good as Bai Ye or Su Zi.
How was one supposed to respond to that?
Cui Dongshan looked into the distance. The wind-kite ferry boat was about to dock, so he clapped his hands on the rooftop ridge, slid his bottom all the way along it, and finally drifted down to the viewing platform.
Facing this white-clad youth, Zheng Youqian and Tan Yingzhou both addressed him with the same title: Patriarch Cui.
Cui Dongshan nodded to the young girl, then turned to Zheng Youqian and complained, "Why call me Patriarch? Call me Little Senior Brother!"
Zheng Youqian had no choice but to change his form of address.
With the easygoing and humorous Patriarch Cui, Zheng Youqian wasn't really constrained.
Cui Dongshan took his leave, his figure turning into a white rainbow that shot straight toward the wind-kite ferry.
When he saw Liu Jinglong and his disciple Baishou, Cui Dongshan greeted them with a smile. "Patriarch Liu. Brother Bai."
Baishou, seeing only Cui Dongshan and not someone else, immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Smiling, he clasped his fists and, breaking his usual habit of calling Cui Dongshan "brother," used a more formal address: "Patriarch Cui."
Cui Dongshan suddenly bowed to Liu Jinglong. "Patriarch Liu, you've worked hard."
Liu Jinglong had no choice but to bow in return.
As for Mi Yu's temporary seclusion for closed-door cultivation, news had already been sent to Mixue Peak via flying sword.
Cui Dongshan asked via telepathic voice, "When will Patriarch Liu go into seclusion?"
Liu Jinglong answered frankly, "It's still hard to say for now."
Cui Dongshan was naturally very concerned about this matter.
In the future, if the Master were in the Qingming Heaven and needed help, the ones who would hesitate the least and actually had the strength to lend the Master a hand—aside from the Master's wife—would definitely be Liu Xianyang and Liu Jinglong.
Maybe Zhang Shanfeng could be added, but that outstanding disciple of Padi Peak didn't seem to be in any hurry at all about breaking through realms.
Personally leading the group off the boat, Cui Dongshan suddenly remembered something and rubbed his chin. Could this be a case of unintentionally planting willows and getting shade?
His own Qingping Sword Sect.
Liu Xianyang's Longquan Sword Sect, Liu Jinglong's Taihui Sword Sect.
Plus the Longxiang Sword Sect and the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake?
That already made five sword cultivation sects.
But Cui Dongshan was also curious about one thing right now: why hadn't Zhang Shanfeng arrived yet?
Tan Rong, the discipline elder of Pusan Cloud Grass Hall, was already at Xiandu Mountain, at the Mixue Peak residence. Upon learning that her sect leader had fought a fist match with Chen the Hidden Official and managed to advance from the Flourishing Qi layer of the Stopping Realm to the Guizhen layer, Tan Rong clasped her fists in congratulations: "Congratulations, Sect Leader."
Indeed, it was worthy of congratulations. For a martial artist to reach the Stopping Realm required talent, bone structure, and luck, none of which could be lacking. And breaking through the Flourishing Qi, Guizhen, and Shendao layers of the Stopping Realm was even more difficult.
Ye Yunyun nodded. "This is thanks to Sword Immortal Chen's assistance. This huge favor doesn't need to be repaid by Pusan—I'll handle it myself."
After all, she would be serving as a nominal guest elder at Xiandu Mountain, and she was already a Jade Pure realm qi refiner. She certainly wouldn't lack opportunities to repay the favor.
Tan Rong recalled a confidential matter and asked, "How did it happen that our Patriarch Hall suddenly gained a direct disciple out of nowhere?"
It turned out that a black-clad youth, using the pseudonym Cui Wanzhan, had, under Tan Rong's secret arrangements, become the newest direct disciple of Cloud Grass Hall in a relatively unobtrusive manner. It was publicly claimed that Cui Wanzhan was a sixth-realm pure martial artist.
Tan Rong had previously received a secret letter from Ye Yunyun. Although this discipline elder was completely baffled, she had no choice but to comply. Such matters, by rights, were against the regulations of the Patriarch Hall.
It was only after arriving at Mixue Peak on Xiandu Mountain that Tan Rong learned the youth was actually the first sect leader of Fallen Mountain's subordinate sect.
Ye Yunyun shook her head. "Don't ask."
Tan Rong glared, ready to insist on getting to the bottom of it. Did she really take me, the discipline elder of Pusan, as just for show?
"The truth will come out eventually. Discipline Elder Tan might as well wait and see. It's not a bad thing anyway."
Xue Huai quickly stepped in to smooth things over, laughing. "But why did Patriarch Cui pick such a strange pseudonym? Cui Wanzhan?"
Ye Yunyun thought for a moment. "It seems there's a long-famous Stopping Realm martial artist in the Gold Armor Continent with the nickname 'Han Wanzhan'?"
Tan Rong had to temporarily suppress her doubts. She nodded. "I heard from a friend in the mountains. His real name is Han Guanghu. He's the top martial artist of Gold Armor Continent and also the guardian general of a dynasty. His military achievements are brilliant. In that brutal war that shattered an entire continent, Han Guanghu was one of the figures who directed the battle. His troop formations and strategies were very organized. In the end, together with the 'Sword Immortal Xu Jun' who rose to prominence, he stopped the maddened Wan Yanlao Jing. I heard Han Guanghu was severely wounded and dropped in realm as a result, which is why he couldn't attend the Confucian Temple council."
Xue Huai sighed. "He's a true man, too."
A drop in realm for a pure martial artist had more severe aftereffects than for a qi refiner.
Tan Rong suddenly understood. "So that's the Han Guanghu who assisted and deposed six monarchs?"
It wasn't surprising that Tan Rong was so uninformed. Tongye Continent had always been cut off from news, and Pusan Cloud Grass Hall was famously not fond of inquiring about matters outside the mountain.
Back then, even regarding their northern neighbor, Vase Bottle Continent, cultivators in Tongye Continent had at most heard of a few sects. The southernmost Old Dragon City, the Zhu Ying dynasty with many sword cultivators, the Shengao Sect which shared the same Baiyujing three-vein lineage as Taiping Mountain, the historically long-standing Yunlin Jiang clan—beyond that, they were completely in the dark.
The only cultivator whose name they knew was probably the treasonous eldest disciple of the Sage of Literature, the Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan.
As for the Great Li dynasty's martial artist Song Changjing, it wasn't until he entered the Stopping Realm that Tongye Continent began to hear of him.
Tan Rong suddenly pulled a landscape gazette from her sleeve and slammed it onto the table in front of her. "Sect Leader, tell me—aside from this business with Patriarch Cui, how many other things are you hiding from me?"
Xue Huai kept a straight face, barely suppressing a laugh. Discipline Elder Tan was in quite a temper today.
Tan Rong pointed at the gazette, fuming. "Such a huge event, and you hid it from me? I'm really quite the discipline elder!"
She had obtained this landscape gazette from the Taoye Ferry's Taoyuan Villa in Daquan. It was only through a friend's hand that she learned of it while traveling to Xiandu Mountain.
Generally speaking, a gazette issued by a sect-level immortal mansion in the Haoran world was quite particular. There were many unwritten rules. Even if it contained some extremely important exclusive news, other landscape gazettes wouldn't dare to copy it directly. If they ran into an easygoing sect, they might turn a blind eye. But if they encountered a sect with a worse temper, they would curse openly, and it wasn't impossible for them to even dispatch a punitive expedition. For example, in the North Julu Continent, such minor matters had caused instability in Patriarch Halls more times than one could count on both hands.
Ye Yunyun was baffled. She reached out, grabbed the gazette, quickly skimmed through it, then rubbed her brow. "Tan Rong, believe it or not, I only just learned about these things in this gazette. If you hadn't brought it, even after attending the Fallen Mountain subordinate sect ceremony and becoming a nominal guest elder of this Qingping Sword Sect, I might still be kept in the dark."
Xue Huai suddenly became very curious. He took the gazette from his master, his eyes widening, his expression grave, his nerves instantly taut.
Seeing that their expressions didn't seem fake, Tan Rong said, "Sect Leader, from now on, Pusan can no longer shut its ears to worldly affairs."
Ye Yunyun nodded. "The Mirror Flowers, Water Moon, and landscape gazettes—I'll leave them entirely in your charge. If you need people, I'll give you people; if you need money, I'll give you money."
Tan Rong asked softly, "How did Sword Immortal Chen manage it?"
Back at Pusan, from the first moment she saw Chen Ping'an, Tan Rong had thought she didn't underestimate him in the slightest, but she had still underestimated him.
Ye Yunyun glanced at her discipline elder. I went to the Barren Wilderness, and you're asking me?
Tan Rong couldn't help but sigh. "Such a feat—even for someone like me, an outsider, just reading the gazette and casually thinking about it makes my Dao heart unstable."
Xue Huai took the gazette, read it twice, and deeply agreed with Tan Rong's heartfelt words.
Led by the Hidden Official, accompanied by Lu Chen.
Ning Yao, the number one person in the Colorful Heaven. Old Sword Immortal Qi Tingji, who inscribed on the city walls. Execution Official Hao Su. Great Sword Immortal Lu Zhi.
Such a lineup...
This journey had successfully killed two Flying Ascension realm great demons, one of whom was the chief disciple of the Tuoyue Mountain Ancestor.
Traveling together, they instantly cleared an ancient battlefield, casually destroyed the sect-level Baihua City, made a big scene in the Cloud Pattern Dynasty, broke the highest Immortal Hairpin City in the world, fought a dharma battle with the throne-rank great demon Feifei, dragged the Yiluo River, split open Tuoyue Mountain with a sword, moved a bright moon to the Qingming Heaven, and the Baiyujing's True Invincible personally welcomed that moon...
Let alone accomplishing them one by one—these were things one wouldn't even dare to think about.
Even Xue Huai felt a bit regretful.
He could only hate that he wasn't a sword cultivator.
Tan Rong asked, "Sect Leader, if Sword Immortal Chen set aside all his sword techniques and only used his identity as a pure martial artist to ask for a fist match with Wu Shu, who would win?"
Xue Huai was also very curious about this. Since his master had already lost, when it came to fist techniques alone, the only one in Tongye Continent who could contend with Sect Leader Chen was the Martial Saint Wu Shu.
Stopping Realm martial artists throughout the world, unlike peak cultivators, had "great years" and "small years" every millennium, with obvious differences. The total number of tenth-realm martial artists fluctuated little. Apart from the Central Continent, the remaining eight continents each averaged about two. Some busybodies had roughly counted. In so-called small years of martial fortune, when times were bad, the total number of Stopping Realm martial artists in the eight continents had never fallen below fourteen. In good years, it never exceeded twenty.
Over in North Julu Continent, in previous years, Gu You of the Great Seal Dynasty and the sword immortal Ji Yue of Ape Cry Mountain had exchanged lives.
So among the three eastern continents now, the grand martial arts masters, aside from the master-disciple pair of Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian, included Great Li's Song Changjing, Lion Peak's Li Er, Wang Fusu, Martial Saint Wu Shu, and Pusan's Huangyi Yun.
Ye Yunyun clearly had a ready answer. Without hesitation, she gave her final verdict: "If it's just about determining superiority in fist techniques, Wu Shu wins. But if it's a life-or-death fight, Chen Ping'an lives."
Tan Rong smiled. "It's fine. At least now Sword Immortal Chen is considered half a native of our Tongye Continent."
Xue Huai was about to chime in, but Ye Yunyun had already said irritably, "Have some shame!"
Xue Huai immediately nodded. "You're right. Sect Leader Chen might not appreciate that statement. Besides, if such a thing gets out, it would actually bring dishonor to our Tongye Continent."
Fallen Mountain had only chosen Tongye Continent for its subordinate sect. As the master of the main sect, Chen Ping'an's registered residence at the foot of the mountain and his clan registry were still in Vase Bottle Continent.
Tan Rong glanced at Xue Huai, who had turned around on the battlefield, and said with a chuckle, "A weathercock, bending with the wind."
The old general Yao Zhen was bent over his desk, compiling a military treatise. Aside from summarizing the gains and losses of battles throughout his life and records of troop training, he was also organizing the military insights of the Yao clan's border army generals from successive generations.
The old man had spent his life on horseback; at least he could leave something behind for the Daquan Dynasty.
This residence was probably the only house on Mixue Peak that used the mountain technique of "earth dragon." The earth qi was warm, making the climate like early spring.
Thus, there was no need for braziers inside, nor for thick cotton clothes or fox furs.
Yao Xianzhi knocked and entered, limping to sit at the table.
The prefect had just received an intelligence report from Mirage City. He gently placed the report on the table and said with a smile, "Grandfather, this Yu Dynasty is quite interesting. The old emperor hasn't even passed on yet, but the Ministry of Rites is already secretly preparing something. As soon as Crown Prince Yu Linyou ascends the throne, they'll immediately change the era name to Shenlong first year. It seems to be the result of discussions between the national guardian true man Lü Bilong of Jicui Temple and the Imperial Observatory. Not bad—being close to Old Dragon City, this Yu Dynasty knows how to plan."
The old general smiled. "It's not quite about investing in a cold stove in officialdom. I'm just afraid they'll end up putting a warm face on a cold ass. At least they won't overshoot."
The new East Sea Lord was Wang Zhu, the only true dragon in the world. The Yu Dynasty's use of the era name "Shenlong" was clearly an undisguised gesture of goodwill.
The question was whether that legendary Flying Ascension realm female cultivator of Vase Bottle Continent would appreciate the gesture.
The old man picked up the report, scanned it, and laughed. "That crown prince of the Yu Dynasty is quite good. With General Huang Shanshou wholeheartedly assisting him, a Jicui Temple in the capital, a Qingzhuan Sect in the mountains, and connections to Old Dragon City in the north—once the new sovereign takes over, the national power is bound to rise. That's the general trend."
Yao Xianzhi pursed his lips, clearly having a bad impression of both Jicui Temple and Qingzhuan Sect. When war came, they ran faster than rabbits. They learned the tortoise's method—shrinking their heads whenever needed.
The old man refolded the report, handed it back to his grandson, and said softly, "Don't look down on people who don't care about face at all. First, if you provoke them, they can easily not accomplish anything but spoil everything. Second, you have to admit that many things can only be done by true villains and hypocrites, not by gentlemen."
Seeing that Yao Xianzhi was still a bit unconvinced, the old man sighed. "What defeats moral essays is not better moral essays, but some unfounded, low-class unofficial histories. Often, decades of painstaking writing are worth less than a few hundred words of erotic fiction from later generations."
Yao Xianzhi looked dejected, thinking of the emperor. The many privately printed erotic books among the people still couldn't be completely banned. Fortunately, compared to the "grand occasion" when almost every scholar and literatus had one in hand, after the great war, things had quieted down considerably. Back in the worst of times, even civil officials on duty in the Hanlin Academy would read such things, just with a different cover.
Yao Zhen laughed. "Officialdom is not like scholarship. How to use gentlemen and villains is a great subject. The one who used them best, reaching the peak, might be Chen Ping'an's eldest senior brother. Otherwise, you wouldn't think that the civil and military officials of Great Li were all selfless gentlemen and pure Confucians, naturally born capable ministers, would you?"
Yao Xianzhi rubbed his chin. "If I could have a senior brother like Mr. Chen, who never miscalculates... tsk."
The old man shook his head. "You're just speaking from a comfortable position. Having such a senior brother actually puts a lot of pressure on you. Not to mention that the senior brother is the Embroidery Tiger—take the Wind Thunder Garden of Vase Bottle Continent. Do you believe that if Liu Baqiao didn't have Senior Brother Huang He, he might already be a Jade Pure realm sword immortal? Once Li Tuanjing left and he succeeded as garden master, he wouldn't be allowed to catch his breath or slack off in sword practice at all. But precisely because he has Huang He, Liu Baqiao lacks that kind of indomitable spirit. I believe Huang He's reason for rushing to the Barren Wilderness battlefield, aside from genuinely wanting to practice swords there, was also to put some pressure on Liu Baqiao."
In a family or a sect, it was generally like this. When one person was too conspicuous, the others would inevitably pale in comparison. Some would become lazy, enjoying the cool under a big tree, while others found it hard to muster their spirits.
For example, their Yao family—wasn't it the same?
Yao Xianzhi tentatively asked, "Grandfather, won't you try to persuade Mr. Chen again?"
If Grandfather was truly determined and earnestly urged Mr. Chen to become the national teacher of Daquan Dynasty, it might not succeed, but there was still some hope.
The old man shook his head with a smile. "To be old but not dead is to be a thief. To take advantage of one's seniority is even more annoying. Do more to help others fulfill their wishes, and less to force others into difficult situations."
Yao Xianzhi knew his grandfather's mind was made up, so he said no more.
To his surprise, the old man added with a laugh, "Besides, what use is that empty title? If Daquan really encounters some difficulty, would it need you to contact Xiandu Mountain? I think not."
Yao Xianzhi praised, "Old ginger is indeed hotter."
The old man picked up his brush to write again and said with a soft smile, "Life has a hundred flavors—no salt is impossible, and no spice is no joy."
He had just been writing about the selection of military generals. After chatting with his grandson, an idea struck him, and he wrote down, "Strong but not reckless."
The old man only wrote a few characters, then put down his brush and turned to look out the window.
Great is Heaven! Strong, correct, pure essence. Clouds move, rain falls, and peace prevails under heaven.
Perhaps some truths were the same ten thousand years ago as they are now, and will remain so ten thousand years from now.
Huang Ting wore a hibiscus Dao crown on her head, with a long sword on her back. Leaning on the railing, she gazed at the newly built dock outside the mountain.
Standing beside her was Yu Fushan, the shopkeeper of the Mo Xian Ferry.
Yu Fushan leaned on the railing and laughed. "This Xiandu Mountain—its estate doesn't seem that big."
There was only Xiandu Mountain. Although it had a few peaks suitable for cultivation, enough to support five or six earthly immortal cultivators in building their residences and Dao fields, for a sect, it still seemed somewhat barren in terms of landscape.
Huang Ting was absent-minded, her spirit roaming thousands of miles away.
Yu Fushan asked, "Miss Huang, that guy who introduced us—what's his background, that he could get you to serve as chief guest elder?"
That mysterious raincoat-wearing man, Yu Fushan couldn't fathom his depth of cultivation at all. It was like guarding against thieves.
He was always worried that this fellow might get involved with Miss Huang, his most cherished.
He was a formidable rival.
Yu Fushan had learned that Huang Ting had made a trip to the Colorful Heaven. She was now a Jade Pure realm sword immortal, so Yu Fushan was full of ambition for the reconstruction of Taiping Mountain. If he could get a Patriarch Hall jade token of Taiping Mountain, he would even be willing to sell everything he had. He would be completely willing, without frowning.
As an ancient mountain-bearing fish and an Nascent Soul realm cultivator, his path of cultivation was quite different from ordinary qi refiners. Unfortunately, the threshold for river-swimming to transform into a flood dragon was too high. He had never dared to act rashly before, because due to his Dao origins, once he started the flood, he would have to "bear mountains" while traveling. The higher the rank of the mountain, the better, and this involved a very dangerous struggle between mountains and rivers. So his future flood would inevitably stir up some trouble.
Moreover, one flood didn't guarantee success. Back in the day, that eel spirit at Daquan's Buried River was repeatedly blocked by the River Goddess of Buried River.
Therefore, the options for upper-five-realm cultivators who were spirits or monsters in the Haoran world were limited. One was like the Mountain-Moving Old Ancestor of Zhengyang Mountain, serving as a mountain-protecting offering for an immortal mansion, or similar to joining a powerful clan like the Yunlin Jiang clan to get a clan registry identity. Otherwise, they could only be like Drunk Yan Madam of the Plum Garden, fleeing all the way to Inverted Mountain to find a stable Dao field. So Yu Fushan's earliest plan was to travel to Snowy Province, find Wei She, and see if this respected old immortal would look favorably upon him and make him a peak master. Wei She had the alias "Master of Thirty-Seven Peaks," including Refining Sun Peak and Moon Worshipping Mountain, which were famous throughout Haoran and were where many spirit creatures cultivated.
Huang Ting didn't care about Yu Fushan's attempt to gain a little advantage through words. She only reminded him, "At Xiandu Mountain, remember to keep your temper in check. Speak cautiously and act carefully. Don't take your realm too seriously."
Yu Fushan joked, "I'm at least a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator, and with this Dao lineage, shouldn't I be able to swagger around Xiandu Mountain?"
Huang Ting couldn't help but laugh. "Is the Nascent Soul realm so impressive?"
Swagger around? If he wasn't careful, he would be carried around horizontally.
Yu Fushan didn't actually take his realm seriously. He just wanted to chat a few more words with Miss Huang. "Is there some hidden expert on Xiandu Mountain?"
His eyes glanced at the woman's smiling face from the corner of his eye. Truly beautiful.
She could topple cities and countries—no wonder he had fallen for her at first sight.
Unfortunately, Miss Huang could win his heart, but not necessarily his body.
Seeing a figure return to Mixue Peak, riding the wind from afar, it was the outlander cultivator named Guo Ran.
Huang Ting asked, "You've heard of Tieshu Mountain, haven't you?"
Yu Fushan couldn't help but laugh. "Even if I were deaf, I would have heard of Tieshu Mountain."
If seeking refuge with Wei She was a good choice, then for cultivators like them who originated from spirits, the Tieshu Mountain in Central Continent was a sacred place they yearned for.
The sect leader, Guo Outing, had the dao name "Youming." This Flying Ascension realm great cultivator was rumored to have once split open the Yellow Springs Road with a single saber strike. Even though the paths of the living and the dead were separate, he still managed to kill a ghost immortal on that underworld road and escape unscathed. Guo Outing's combat power and killing ability were far beyond what old Flying Ascension cultivators like Nan Guangzhao could match. Huolong Zhenren once joked that it was a pity that above immortal and below the fourteenth realm, there was only one realm.
Unfortunately, early Tongye Continent had too little news. About the strange people and extraordinary events of Tieshu Mountain in Central Continent, they only had some old stories.
Yu Fushan was just a shopkeeper at an immortal ferry, originally seeking refuge there. It wasn't even hiding in the market.
There were two places in the world he absolutely had to visit in the future.
Besides the "non-flowering" Tieshu Mountain, there was Baidi City in the Colorful Clouds.
Huang Ting continued, "You've seen that little girl, Tan Yingzhou?"
Yu Fushan nodded. "I've seen her a few times. There's always a little spirit creature by her side. I advised the two children to not wander around outside the mountain so carelessly. It's easy to get into trouble."
Now that the Haoran world was peaceful, for cultivators who originated from mountain and lake spirits, it was actually a chaotic time. Those at high realms could handle it—if they registered with the academies in time, they could get a travel permit and a talisman. But those demon clan qi refiners below the earthly immortal realm, especially the lower five realms, were now like yellow mud in one's pants. If not for the Daifu Academy headmaster Cheng Longzhou and the three academies quickly issuing clear regulations, the native demon clans of Tongye Continent, whether awakened or in physical form, would probably end up with fewer than one in ten surviving.
Yu Fushan couldn't stay still. Usually, he liked to go out and wander. He had already explored many peaks of Qingping, Bacia, and Mixue, and had become quite familiar with the children Tan Yingzhou and Zheng Youqian.
"According to Tieshu Mountain's clan seniority, that little girl only needs to call Guo Outing 'grandmaster.'"
Huang Ting revealed some heavenly secrets to Yu Fushan. "What do you think about Tan Yingzhou traveling outside the mountain—will she easily get into trouble?"
Indeed, she would easily get into trouble—but for those who provoked the little girl.
Yu Fushan was stunned, incredulous. "What?!"
That little girl was Guo Outing's grand-disciple?
He realized he had been so close to Tieshu Mountain all along.
Huang Ting nodded. "Tan Yingzhou's master is that 'Guo Ran' you said had a badly chosen name. He is actually Guo Outing's youngest disciple, not the earthly immortal realm you mistakenly thought, but a genuine immortal. He once joined forces with Sword Immortal Cao Xi to defend the Zhenhai Tower in South Bodhi Continent, and his military achievements at the Confucian Temple were not small. As for his killing power—to put it bluntly—he could crush a Nascent Soul realm cultivator with a casual finger, no difficulty at all."
Yu Fushan swallowed his saliva.
He quickly thought carefully, checking if he had any improper behavior. Fortunately, he hadn't put his arm around the shoulders of that fellow Guo Ran, whose dao name was "Longmen."
Huang Ting asked, "What's the name of Zheng Juzhong's closed-door disciple at Baidi City again?"
Yu Fushan immediately showed envy. "It seems to be a darling of heaven, the arrogant Gu Can. He's said to have originated from the Lizhu Cave Heaven in Vase Bottle Continent. Somehow, he became Mr. Zheng's direct disciple. Truly blessed by heaven."
Yu Fushan didn't dare to address Guo Outing and Zheng Juzhong by their names as Huang Ting did. He didn't have that kind of temperament.
He couldn't blame himself for being timid—it was because he wasn't a sword cultivator.
After waiting for a long time without hearing Huang Ting's response, Yu Fushan had to cautiously ask, "And then?"
Huang Ting wouldn't just randomly bring up Gu Can for no reason. Did that little spirit creature named Zheng Youqian have some connection to Baidi City?
Yu Fushan's eyes lit up. He reached out to stop Huang Ting's words and answered his own question: "I understand. This little spirit creature is a direct disciple of the Liuli Pavilion lineage of Baidi City!"
That must be it!
Mr. Zheng of Baidi City had a junior brother named Liu Daochun, who was the master of the world-famous Liuli Pavilion. Liu Daochun himself was originally a spirit creature and very famous.
He had drawn an inference from one example, hadn't he?
Generally speaking, there were some unique ways to verify whether a Haoran cultivator was famous enough.
For example, those scolded by Gu Qingsong, those provoked by Liu Daochun, those heard of in Tongye Continent, those who had attended the Qingshen Mountain wine banquet in the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, and those whose names appeared on a certain wall of the Shidao Room on Inverted Mountain.
It was best not to provoke these cultivators. The reasons Gu Qingsong dared to scold and Liu Daochun dared to provoke, aside from their own formidable Dao techniques, each had other aspects that others envied.
One's master was the third leader of Baiyujing. Although Lu Chen didn't acknowledge this great disciple, the several direct disciples Lu Chen left in the Haoran world, such as Cao Rong and He Xiaoliang, all deeply respected Gu Qingsong, their unregistered senior brother.
The other had Zheng Juzhong as a senior brother.
Just consider why the Great Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain once went down the mountain, needing to carry the immortal sword "Ten Thousand Laws" and even the Yangping Zhi Du Gong Seal.
To subdue demons? Liu Daochun was only Jade Pure realm, while the Great Heavenly Master Zhao Tianlai was Flying Ascension realm. Why such a mobilization?
In the end, Zhao Tianlai, with sword and seal in hand, was also reminding Baidi City, or rather, reminding Zheng Juzhong, the great demonic overlord who was Liu Daochun's senior brother.
"This Daoist's trip down the mountain was only for subduing demons. Don't force me to also 'exorcise demons' in the end."
Huang Ting shook her head. "According to the Confucian lineage of the Confucian Temple, Zheng Youqian is a proper Confucian disciple."
Yu Fushan asked doubtfully, "Then why were we talking about Gu Can?"
But Huang Ting suddenly didn't want to say more. "You'll understand everything at tomorrow's celebration. By the way, after the celebration, we don't have to leave in a hurry. You can come with me to Luobao Shoal on the Qingyi River and listen to Mr. Xiao Mo's teaching."
Yu Fushan asked, "Teaching? Who?"
The word "teaching" carried great weight in the mountain world, especially coming from Huang Ting.
Huang Ting smiled. "Older than you, higher realm than you, more experienced than you."
Yu Fushan hesitated, then nodded. "I'll listen in later and see how high his Dao techniques really are."
Huang Ting laughed it off.
She remembered a strange event. At the Little Dragon Pool, when Chen Ping'an went to the Wild Garden, the demon-revealing mirrors, which were part of the mountain and river restrictions, shattered on the spot.
At another Mixue Peak residence, the old woman Qiu Du from the Chili River and the young girl Hu Chuling sat on a mat woven from reeds and cattails.
According to mountain categorization, a grass mat was only a spiritual artifact, cool in summer and warm in winter, affordable even for wealthy families at the foot of the mountain. Around the mat were four mat weights—delicate, lifelike little golden running dragons in the shape of miniature dragons. The dragons had double horns, long snouts, thin necks, and hooked tails, cast from slender gold bars with carved scale patterns.
Qiu Du carefully took out some items and gently placed them on the mat.
Unlike this mat, these treasures from the Great River Dragon Palace's old collection were truly beyond price.
The flood dragons that once controlled the flow of waterways throughout the world, as masters of rivers, lakes, and seas, had amassed countless treasures. So after the Dragon-Slaying Campaign, the various Dragon Palace ruins, along with shattered secret realms, became two of the most recognized opportunities in the mountain world.
On the mat lay a fist-sized night pearl, two ancient mirrors shimmering with treasure light.
A bronze candlestick that could hold both a tall and a short candle.
Finally, a green whisk.
In addition, there were many relatively "ordinary and cheap" treasures, not yet taken out, all stored by the old woman in a hand-span object and a miniature object.
The old woman wore a kind expression and said softly, "Vinegar Vinegar, if there are two you like, pick them out. The rest, I'll give as your apprenticeship gift to Xiandu Mountain and Sword Immortal Chen."
No matter what, she had to use the opportunity of tomorrow's celebration to help Vinegar Vinegar get an apprenticeship with Sword Immortal Chen. Even if it was just a nominal one, it would be fine.
If that didn't work, she would take a step back and let Vinegar Vinegar become the direct disciple of Patriarch Cui.
The young girl reached out a palm, pressed it against the night pearl, gently rubbed it, then picked up the whisk, flicked it lightly, draped it over her arm, pretending to be an immortal. She was delighted, put down the whisk, picked up the two ancient mirrors to play with, then put everything back on the mat, clapped her hands, and smiled. "I like them all. Grandmother, just pick one or two for me."
The old woman shook her head. "On the path of cultivation, the affinity of the eye is very important. Vinegar Vinegar, you have to choose yourself."
Hu Chuling's gaze wandered. Finally, she patted the mat with one hand and pointed at the golden running dragon-shaped mat weights. She smiled brightly. "Grandmother, I want these two."
The old woman smiled and nodded. She neither praised nor criticized Vinegar Vinegar's choice.
She just reached out her withered hand, picked up a mirror with a silver-white surface, gently breathed on it, wiped it with her wrist, revealing a nostalgic expression, and said softly, "This mirror is called the Water-Taking Mirror, used to take water from the Great Yin. When a cultivator holds the mirror to the moon, they can absorb the essence of the bright moon. It's most suitable for cultivators of water techniques to refine into a destiny item. It was once part of the young lady's dowry."
Hu Chuling pointed at the other ancient mirror, whose surface rippled with golden light. It was similar in style to the Water-Taking Mirror, like a pair of Dao companions. The girl asked curiously, "Grandmother, what about this mirror? What's its mystery?"
The old woman explained with a smile, "Usually, just placing it in sunlight allows it to warm and nourish itself, like a cultivator breathing. It's wonderfully subtle. It can accumulate sunlight. In the cold of winter, a cultivator only needs to infuse a bit of spiritual qi into the mirror surface, and the light can shine a hundred miles, bright as day. It's said that if a cultivator hangs this mirror in the air and walks in the light, even if they walk on the Yellow Springs Road, they won't be harmed by ghosts. But no one has ever tried it, so who knows if it's true?"
These two ancient mirrors were once gifts from a wandering Daoist true man who visited the Great River Dragon Palace. Their rank wasn't too high, only as magical treasures, but they were personally forged and refined by that Daoist true man, so they were of great significance.
Unfortunately, when that Daoist visited the Dragon Palace, the old woman was still young and couldn't see that terrestrial immortal in person. She only heard the old Dragon Palace instructors mention a dao name: "Chunyang."
They also said that this Daoist had an unknown origin, was wild and unrestrained, but spoke with an arrogance that could shake heaven and earth. He once said things that stunned all the guests at the table, like "There are countless earthly immortal golden elixirs in the world, but all are false."
The Daoist, holding chopsticks, tapped a wine cup and composed a "Qiao Yao Song." It was said that the Dragon Palace had historians record this text, which resembled a Daoist formula, and they dared not be careless. They even specially engraved it on extremely rare Qingshen Mountain bamboo slips. But within three days, the text on the bamboo slips vanished on its own.
The most mysterious thing was that all the host and guest cultivators at the table, without exception, only remembered the last line of that Daoist formula:
"Refine one supreme elixir, then know my Dao is not falsely transmitted. If you ask where this elixir comes from, contemplate the two words 'Chunyang.'"
Logically, such a worldly wise man of high attainment should have been famous throughout the world, or at least renowned across one continent. There should have been at least some immortal traces or anecdotes.
But so many years had passed, and Qiu Du had never heard any news about that "Chunyang" true man.
As for that inconspicuous candlestick, it was actually a lamp market, which in mountain nomenclature was considered a "snail shell Dao field."
If one lit the two specially made candles from the Dragon Palace, a cultivator could enter it. At first glance, it was just a small room, but after opening the door, it became a bustling market in a mirage. The only difference was between day and night.
In fact, the two mirrors and the candlestick could complement each other. The two lamp market illusions would merge day and night into one. The sun and moon would combine to form a pill, the elixir of merit would be complete, and one would return to the path of longevity.
Thus, it was most suitable for a pair of mountain Dao companions below the earthly immortal realm to cultivate together, achieving twice the results with half the effort.
Hu Chuling blinked. "Grandmother, did I pick the two cheapest things?"
The old woman quickly waved her hand and laughed heartily. "No, no!"
Seeing that her grandmother didn't want to elaborate, Hu Chuling didn't ask further.
Qiu Du
Before the Dragon-Slaying Campaign, secular dynasties used an ancient ritual to sacrifice to mountains and rivers. They "buried" offerings for sacrifices to terrestrial mountains and "sank" them for sacrifices to rivers and seas.
These four golden running dragons, which Qiu Du used as mat weights, were crucial sacrificial items in the "Burial and Sinking" grand ceremony of the first female emperor in Haoran history.
However, there had been a total of eighteen back then. The Tongye Continent Great River Dragon Palace had only obtained one from the East Sea Dragon Palace. Through various covert means, they had only managed to collect four.
The sword cultivator Tao Ran, who set up a stall at the Ten Thousand Li Phosphorus River, was visiting Xiandu Mountain for the first time.
Since he knew no one in the mountain, he stayed alone in a house on Mixue Peak, enjoying the leisure. He still hadn't seen the blue-robed saber-wielder who called himself "Chen Ping'an."
After leaving Fallen Mountain, Zhang Shanfeng watched the calendar and took an old Dragon City cross-continent ferry alone. He got off at the Qingjing Mountain ferry, because he heard that the old immortal Lu Yong of Qinghu Palace was a good friend of Chen Ping'an, and both were Daoists. He thought the old immortal wouldn't despise his low realm too much. Unexpectedly, that old immortal Lu Yong was an Nascent Soul realm old immortal—far from despising him, he was so polite that Zhang Shanfeng almost mistook himself for the next abbot of Qinghu Palace. Zhang Shanfeng had to plead repeatedly before the old immortal was willing to let him go. Not only did the old immortal personally escort him to the ferry, but he also accompanied Zhang Shanfeng onto the boat, exchanged pleasantries with the boat steward for a while, and even helped secure a top-grade cabin before leaving the boat.
At the next immortal ferry, he disembarked. It was still some distance from Xiandu Mountain, but there was a ferry that could take him directly to Mo Xian Ferry. Finally, at the border of a dynasty that had been restored only a few years ago, he began to travel on foot. He had calculated the time and would definitely make it to the sect's celebration on the first day of spring next year. Alone, a young Daoist carrying a sword case, he walked through the night.
Zhang Shanfeng pulled a lantern-lighting talisman made of yellow paper from his sleeve, pinched it between two fingers, and held it high.
The old true man Liang Shuang, with his disciple Ma Xuanhui, left the Jicui Temple in Luojing and soon found this Zhang Shanfeng, the direct disciple of Padi Peak.
The old true man didn't reveal himself directly. Instead, he found Yuan Lingdian, who was secretly protecting the young Daoist. Without hiding his identity, he stroked his beard and laughed, "I am Liang Shuang. I have only met Huolong Zhenren once. Although I snatched the position of non-clan Great Heavenly Master from him, I had a very pleasant conversation with your master. You must be Yuan Lingdian of Zhixuan Peak. You have a heavy Dao aura."
Yuan Lingdian made a Daoist salute. "Junior Padi Peak Yuan Lingdian pays respects to Heavenly Master Liang of Longhu Mountain."
Liang Shuang said, "Huolong Zhenren is so partial to Zhang Shanfeng, and you senior brothers can still maintain this temperament. Padi Peak is truly remarkable—its family style is almost unique."
Yuan Lingdian laughed heartily. "Choosing a master means choosing Huolong Zhenren—this is a fact recognized throughout the world."
In truth, the master was quite dismissive of this statement. He didn't have a Flying Ascension realm disciple, did he?
But one senior brother quickly added, "Choosing a disciple means choosing Zhang Shanfeng," which immediately made the master very happy.
In terms of cultivation, Yuan Lingdian didn't think he was inferior to anyone. But in matters like this, he truly couldn't compete with those fellow disciples.
Earlier at the Qingjing Mountain ferry, Yuan Lingdian had appeared quietly and made a trip to Qinghu Palace to personally thank Lu Yong.
Every Padi Peak cultivator, when traveling outside, was never lacking in etiquette.
When Lu Yong learned that the other party was Yuan Lingdian of Zhixuan Peak from North Julu Continent, he remained silent for a long time.
Because he had been to Vase Bottle Continent, he knew a lot about the mountain stories of North Julu Continent. Even setting aside the fact that Yuan Lingdian was a high disciple of Huolong Zhenren, in North Julu Continent, where sword cultivators were as numerous as clouds, a Jade Pure realm Daoist who wasn't a sword cultivator was said to be "able to beat an immortal without a problem"—that was enough to imagine Yuan Lingdian's high combat power.
Liang Shuang asked, "When will you go to Xiandu Mountain?"
Yuan Lingdian said, "I'll see what the junior brother himself wants."
The old true man looked at the young Daoist again and sighed regretfully. "Pity that Fellow Daoist Chunyang isn't here, or else your junior brother's future elixir formation would have even grander momentum."
Yuan Lingdian smiled. "We can't force such things. Besides, in my opinion, it makes little difference whether the junior brother has Patriarch Lü's guidance or not."
Liang Shuang clicked his tongue. Truly a disciple taught by Huolong Zhenren—they spoke in the same tone. But the old true man didn't quite agree with Yuan Lingdian's statement. "The word 'Chunyang' has great meaning."
Yuan Lingdian smiled and nodded. His master had indeed mentioned this Daoist named Chunyang, and had given him extremely high praise.
After all, he was a cultivator who could say, "One golden elixir in my belly, then I know my fate is not determined by heaven."
And his master's evaluation of the Chunyang true man was actually just two sentences.
"Liu Qi's and Zhou Mi's Willow Tendon Realm, leaping to the sky in one step—one pioneering the path, the other adding a few steps. Wei She of Snowy Province's Nascent Soul and Yao Qing of the Qingming Heaven's severing and refining the Three Corpses in this realm are equally matched."
"Lü Yan's golden elixir is number one, unmatched in the world."
The old true man and his disciple Ma Xuanhui, along with Yuan Lingdian, followed far behind Zhang Shanfeng.
The young Daoist held the talisman, a point of light in the night.
Earlier, at the bank of the Chili River outside the Marriage Record Shop, Chen Ping'an had asked the old true man for a copy of Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master Temple's ordination and revelation rituals.
Even Cui Dongshan didn't claim to know the entire process. In the words of Liang Shuang, the non-clan Great Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, it was as if Fellow Daoist Chen was attending a ceremonial viewing in advance.
The old true man looked at the point of light ahead, stroked his beard, and smiled, moved by the scene.
The person traveling by candlelight in the night—he himself is in the light.