Chapter 935: I Am the Host (5)

Chapter 935: I Am the Host (5)

Sui Mountain in the Central Continent.

At the mountain peak, a golden-armored divine being with both hands resting on his sword slowly opened his eyes.

This mountain lord deity, whose true name was Zhou You and whose divine title was Da Jiao, was the foremost mountain god among the nine continents and rivers of Haoran World.

Zhou You sized up the young man in blue robes standing ten thousand li away.

Neither close nor far, this person was exactly at the border of the Northern Mountain territory, accompanied by a single attendant.

Zhou You furrowed his brow slightly. With a thought, the dream shattered, and the sound of fine porcelain cracking echoed through heaven and earth.

Zhou You gazed at the distant blue-robed man and asked, "How did you manage to do this?"

After all, forcibly dragging a Central Continent Great Mountain Lord into some kind of dream was something even a peak Flying Ascension realm cultivator could not accomplish.

Besides, who would be foolish enough to do such a thing? It was hardly an amusing endeavor.

Of course, the Fire Dragon True Man of North Juzhou was an exception—and he had done it twice. The first time was when the Fire Dragon True Man ascended from the Immortal realm to the Flying Ascension realm, having once dream-wandered through the Five Mountains, Lakes, and Rivers.

The second time was purely out of boredom on the part of that old immortal. In the Fire Dragon True Man's own words: "This impoverished Daoist is so poor he can't even afford a cross-continent ferry, so I have no choice but to use a side-door technique to feast my eyes on the splendid landscapes."

The young Hidden Official said with sincere earnestness, "Perhaps it's a matter of sincerity moving heaven and earth, and when the time comes, all forces unite in support?"

The towering golden-armored divine being took a deep breath, let out a grunt of a laugh, raised one palm, and lightly tapped the sword hilt with it.

Damn it. That tone was familiar—all too familiar. It sounded exactly like the Old Scholar's way of speaking.

Zhou You and Chen Ping'an had actually met many times before.

The last time was during the Wen Temple assembly, but they had exchanged not a single word. The young Hidden Official seemed somewhat guilty, not daring to get too close to this great god of Sui Mountain.

After all, the first time he had "visited Sui Mountain as a guest," Chen Ping'an was still a naive straw-sandaled youth. He had drawn his sword and split open the mountain's landscape restrictions, committing a grave act of disrespect.

Because of that incident, it had stirred up suspicion among many mountain-top cultivators of the Central Continent. Afterward, the shrine received a stack of roundabout letters inquiring about the matter. Zhou You simply couldn't be bothered to reply.

Had that invincible figure from Green Obscurity Heaven left the White Jade Capital, sword in hand, to travel afar to Sui Mountain? Or had a few of those old sword immortals who inscribed their names on the Sword Qi Great Wall come to settle old scores with Sui Mountain?

And as for native Haoran sword cultivators, who would dare act so presumptuously? Were they courting a stay in the Merit Forest to eat prison rations and read the sages' books?

There was also another occasion, but they hadn't actually met face-to-face. Chen Ping'an had been forcibly brought there to meet with the Supreme Sage.

At that time, Zhou You hadn't felt it appropriate to appear, lest he reveal celestial secrets.

Chen Ping'an made a bow in apology. "In my youth and ignorance, I acted rashly and committed an offense."

Zhou You shook his head. "It was an unintentional act. Don't dwell on it."

Grudges have their owners, debts their debtors. Since Sui Mountain's restrictions had been split open by a sword, Zhou You held no ill will toward that straw-sandaled youth. If anyone was to be held accountable, it was the Old Scholar who had pulled the strings.

But back then, the Old Scholar, with his thick skin, had also swindled from Sui Mountain an ancient sword pill called "Little Fengdu."

This item's origin was somewhat similar to the "Mud Ball" sword embryo gifted by Wu Yi of Purple Sun Mansion. Both were supreme treasures refined by the true men stationed at the Five Mountains of the Central Continent. They possessed unique divine powers, much like military talismans, and also meant that a person who had formed a karmic bond with a mountain could, by holding such a token, enter the mountain and open the gates to a true man's cave dwelling. How much fortune one would obtain afterward—whether a qi refiner would enter a mountain of treasures and return empty-handed or come back laden with rewards—could not be determined.

Unfortunately, on his subsequent cultivation path, Chen Ping'an had failed to grasp the method. His opportunity had not arrived, and he had never been able to enter the gate. He had only barely refined it as a lifebound object, yet still could not become a genuine sword cultivator. Moreover, as a youth from a humble alley in the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, he had been too pure-hearted at the time to grasp the Old Scholar's subtle hints. Thus, he had never brought the item to Sui Mountain to explore. If, before his second journey to the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping'an could have first made a trip to the Central Continent Divine Continent and Sui Mountain, cultivating immortality and gaining the Dao there, eventually succeeding in sword refinement, then the young man's trials on the Sword Qi Great Wall would have been far fewer.

Regarding this matter, the Old Scholar and Zhou You had once conducted a postmortem. The Old Scholar regretted it deeply, his heart wrenched, and he could only say, "A miscalculation, a miscalculation. Blame me."

It turned out that back then, Chen Ping'an had not yet tasted alcohol. When the Wen Sage said that Sui Mountain's fruit blossom brew was the finest in the world, the youth naturally paid it little mind. On top of that, his skin was thin, and he felt that having so inexplicably chopped down the mountain's landscape formation with his sword, he had no face to go begging for a drink. If only the Old Scholar had then changed his tune and said, "The Sui Mountain Great God is the most generous, a man of heroic spirit and the utmost Jianghu flair. The mountain is paved with immortal coins. Even a person of the most ordinary luck could pick some up. If you don't pick them, the mountain god would be unhappy..." Would Chen Ping'an have come running to Sui Mountain, eager to enter the mountain and seek the Dao? In a day of twenty-four hours, perhaps twenty-two of them could be spent watching that youth walk with his head down.

Zhou You could avoid looking at the Old Scholar's frantic, chest-beating, foot-stomping expression of regret, but he couldn't escape the Old Scholar's nagging, incessant chatter from his ears. It was truly unbearable, so he had to say, "Taking some detours and eating more bitter fruits—how is that not a good thing?"

The result? Zhou You might as well have kept quiet. Hearing that, the Old Scholar finally found a reason to start jumping and cursing: "Rubbish talk! You're tall, and you stand at a height. You're old, and your abilities are even greater. So you like to speak without feeling the strain, do you? Suffer hardships? You want that child to suffer how much more?!"

Zhou You disagreed. "Coming from a humble background in the market alleys, losing both parents at a young age, unable to afford an education, isolated and without support, he had to wander everywhere and struggle to survive. To be honest, this bit of hardship is nothing. In my Central Mountain territory, I won't say there are ten thousand peers in the same situation as Chen Ping'an, but finding a few hundred or a thousand is no difficult task."

The Old Scholar sighed, perhaps unwilling to say more on the matter, ending the topic with a single line: "Numb and insensitive—what the hell do you know?"

Finding joy in hardship is but a way of navigating the world; the true path of self-cultivation lies in not even recognizing hardship as hardship.

Sui Mountain of the Central Continent was unparalleled in majesty. It nurtured all things, and its steepness reached to heaven.

The Five Mountains must be towering and lofty, extreme in height, reaching to heaven. The rivers should be deep and wide, their sources long and their flow far-reaching, connecting to the sea.

Thus, a Confucian sage had annotated: "The way of the sage is lofty, like a mountain; it reaches to heaven above."

Standing beside Chen Ping'an, this was the first time Qing Tong had personally witnessed the majestic sight of Sui Mountain. Truly, it was unique in all of Haoran World.

No wonder the Supreme Sage had chosen this place as his temporary "study" Dao field to contend from afar with the Great Ancestor of the Tuo Yue Mountain.

Earlier, when Qing Tong had followed Chen Ping'an to visit the Five Mountains of Vase Bottle Continent, their landscape-infused heavenly Dao qi, when compared to this, was like a mid-five-realm qi refiner of the earthly immortal ranks encountering a Flying Ascension realm.

Sui Mountain's fruit blossom brew was renowned alongside the Green Spirit Mountain wine of the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven and the Hundred Flowers brew of the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land. Moreover, the vegetarian meals at the Mountain Lord's Shrine were famous across the nine continents.

Zhou You, with the divine title "Da Jiao," held an exalted status. His vast supernatural powers were rumored to be a full level above the other four Central Continent mountain kings.

According to the Old Temple Watcher, as long as Zhou You was within Sui Mountain's territory, he could be considered more than half a Fourteen Realm cultivator, second only to the Sutra Scholar Xi Ping in the Merit Forest.

Zhou You said to Chen Ping'an, "Let us meet at the mountain gate."

Chen Ping'an, now holding a walking staff, nodded. With one step, he arrived at Sui Mountain's mountain gate. It was clearly with Zhou You's tacit permission that Chen Ping'an was allowed to use a stream of time as a long bridge to traverse the myriad-li landscape.

Within this dream, if Qing Tong intended to conceal her tracks, then the relationship between Qing Tong and Chen Ping'an was like a night voyage ship in relation to Haoran World.

Just as Qing Tong was about to move, she sensed the sharp gaze of the golden-armored divine being and immediately stopped in her tracks. She raised two fingers to adjust the edge of her bamboo hat as an apology.

Did you, Qing Tong of Tongye Continent, think you could set foot on my Sui Mountain divine path?

Do you have the customs clearance talisman from the Central Continent Wen Temple? Otherwise, go and beg the Ritual Sage for a verbal decree?

Zhou You appeared at the mountain gate. Beside him stood a huge stone tablet inscribed with the four characters: "Only Heaven Above."

The two of them ascended the steps together. Along the way, there were many scenic wonders. Numerous ancient stone tablets were covered with dragon-like calligraphy and phoenix-like seal scripts, as well as celestial scripts and talismans, many of which had been eroded by the long river of time. Later generations could not discern their true meanings.

Sui Mountain's stone carvings were unparalleled in the world, both in number and quality. There were several thousand extant steles, and cliffside inscriptions numbered more than ten thousand.

It was said that all rubbings of Sui Mountain steles in Haoran World, as long as they were made by registered mountain lineage qi refiners, had to share the proceeds with the Mountain Lord's Mansion on a regular schedule.

Zhou You's stance was similar to that of the Southern Sea Water Lord Li Yihou, except this Sui Mountain Great God spoke more plainly.

"Do you know that in the future, the thing called 'merit' will become very precious—extremely precious—no longer a chicken rib. Especially for Flying Ascension realm cultivators who have rendered military service, they will regard this thing as one of the great opportunities to break through to the next realm. As long as you are sheltered by merit, it's like being situated in an excellent Dao field that combines favorable conditions of time and place. From then on, cultivation will yield twice the results with half the effort. Even if you ultimately fail in seclusion and fail to break through, there won't be too many aftereffects. For people like Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Tiger Mountain and Liu Jubao, they can take another step forward and hope to achieve success naturally. For people like Wei She of Ai Ai Continent, it's like sweet rain after a long drought, leading to a village of blooming willows and bright flowers."

"Take, for example, the upcoming scattering of the Dao by the Three Teachings' founders. Originally, someone like you, with great merit on your shoulders, would have been 'uniquely favored by heaven' to such an extent that even I would feel a bit envious."

"Moreover, the sinking of the southeast is a foregone conclusion. But perhaps others don't know the inner workings. How could you not? The entire flow of fortune in Haoran Heaven will naturally shift from the other eight continents, especially the northwest, toward Tongye Continent. This is the path of the Great Dao, like water flowing from high to low—it's an inevitable trend. This is also the root of Qing Tong's confidence in sitting back and doing nothing. Because Qing Tong can simply enjoy the fruits of others' labor. I just don't understand. If you were kept in the dark, that would be one thing. But since you know perfectly well what's going on, why are you in such a hurry?"

"You're essentially using thirty to forty percent of your own merit to gain ten to twenty percent returns for Tongye Continent. Can't you do that math?"

"Chen Ping'an, tell me, what exactly are you thinking? Say it, so I can have a good laugh."

Having been subjected to a torrent of "scolding," Chen Ping'an still wore a smile. Only a senior who cared like a family elder would speak such angry, disappointed words.

The golden-armored divine being caught the young man's expression and eyes, and said irritably, "Just because I'm familiar with the Old Scholar doesn't mean I'm familiar with you."

"The Dao has no partiality; the Dharma falls like rain."

Chen Ping'an explained softly, "In this torrential rain that blesses the human world, I am in it and cannot be an exception. Of course, I could learn from Qing Tong and sit around waiting for good fortune. But there's a problem here. I am a qi refiner, but even more so, a sword cultivator. Breaking through realms by exchanging merit, even if it's a string of breakthroughs—say, going directly from Nascent Soul to Jade Superior to Immortal—would still be a loss in the long run for a Pure Sword Immortal. This account might have to be calculated this way."

Raising the walking staff in his hand, Chen Ping'an pointed at the mountainside, then lifted it higher, pointing at the summit of Sui Mountain, and said slowly, "If you walk too fast, you'll end up just turning around in that spot. But if you walk slower, you might be able to reach the mountaintop before you stop."

Zhou You laughed. "A Great Sword Immortal—in the Hidden Official's eyes, is it worth so little?"

For Chen Ping'an to think this way wasn't entirely wrong; it was a kind of rejecting the near in favor of the far. But the problem was, an Immortal realm sword cultivator, even in the Central Continent Divine Continent...

Sure enough, Chen Ping'an gave the final answer: "I want to become a Fourteen Realm Pure Sword Immortal."

Upon hearing this, Zhou You turned his head to look at him, long silent.

A Fourteen Realm cultivator was already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. A sword cultivator who broke into the Fourteen Realms was even more terrifying in killing power. So what about a Fourteen Realm sword cultivator with the word "Pure" attached?

Pei Min, one of the Three Wonders of Haoran, hadn't he been blocked by these two words for several thousand years?

Chen Ping'an continued, "If that gift of merit were entirely mine to decide how to use—for example, exchanging it for a large amount of immortal coins falling from the sky, or winning certain readily available heavenly materials and earthly treasures for Fallen Mountain and Fairy Capital Mountain—whether for my own sake or for the long-term plans of those two mountain sects, I would definitely reserve a small portion of merit in my hands. Perhaps in this dream journey, I would have 'only visited the water mansion to see the water god, and not bowed at the mountain peaks to see the mountain lord.'"

Zhou You said, "That can be considered a kind of 'noble man loves wealth, but takes it in a principled way.' By the way, Chen Ping'an, at the last Wen Temple assembly, why didn't you even manage to get a 'worthy' title?"

Among that batch of second-generation disciples of the Wen Sage lineage, Li Baoping was already a "junzi" (gentleman), a true female scholar. In addition, Li Huai and the Great Li Minister Zhao Yao both held the title of "worthy man."

And among Chen Ping'an's own students, there was a bookish seed, Cao Qinglang. Fortunately, this person seemed to be a different kind of scholar from his teacher-ancestor and his teacher.

Chen Ping'an said, "If the senior is willing to put in a good word or two and say a few fair words at the Wen Temple, this junior would like to thank you in advance."

Zhou You laughed. "Even if I recommend the worthy without avoiding kin, it wouldn't be my place, an outsider to the literary lineage."

Among the few direct disciples of the Wen Sage lineage, only this youngest one would say such a thing.

No wonder the Old Scholar was most partial to his closed-door disciple—he was the most like him, fond of drinking, thick-skinned, and good at charming elders. And the key point was that Chen Ping'an had found a wife, surpassing his teacher, which could be considered a "first" for the Wen Sage lineage.

As for the matter of charming elders, Cui Chan, the former first disciple of the Wen Sage, was too brilliant. Thus, even though the Embroidery Tiger was always gentle and refined, with a warm expression and polite demeanor, he still gave people an illusion of being overbearing. As for the disciple Qi Jingchun, he was a recluse who rarely traveled abroad. Liu Shiliu, due to his origins, few could compare with him in Dao age, so how many "elders" in Haoran World dared to consider themselves seniors? As for the one recognized as the "troublemaker of the Wen Sage lineage," the most irritable, Zuo You—before he practiced swordsmanship, he had a naturally cold face; after practice, the Old Scholar had to go around smiling and apologizing in person.

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Senior, could you allow fellow Daoist Qing Tong to set foot within your territory as an exception and come as a guest to the mountain? This fellow has long yearned for your Sui Mountain vegetarian meal."

Zhou You neither agreed nor disagreed. He just gave a dry laugh. "How is it 'our Sui Mountain'?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Since Senior is familiar with my teacher and is a close friend, this junior can at least be counted as 'half-familiar' with Sui Mountain."

Zhou You warned, "Since it's only a half-baked relationship, don't get any ideas about those inscribed texts."

Chen Ping'an asked, "What about that stick of mountain incense?"

Zhou You nodded. "No problem."

The Old Scholar truly had a good student who could share his worries.

When the deeds of this mending of the earth's cracks eventually come to light, ha! With the Old Scholar's consistent style, not to mention the sages accompanying the sacrifices at the Wen Temple would be annoyed to death, even if they got to the Ritual Sage, the Old Scholar would throw out a few...

But the Old Scholar might also remain uncharacteristically silent.

Like reading a good book, unwilling to share it.

Qing Tong, who had been obediently standing still waiting for news, suddenly heard a Dharma decree from Sui Mountain in her heart lake: she was permitted to ascend the mountain and tour it, and to eat a bowl of vegetarian noodles.

That divine being, with his golden body flawless, appeared to Qing Tong's qi-watching technique as a majestic image of "mountain height nearly reaching the sky."

It made Qing Tong feel that if Zhou You, on this border of the Central Mountain territory, were to thrust a sword from Sui Mountain, after some consideration, she might not need to return to Tongye Continent.

Thus, being fortunate enough to go to Sui Mountain to eat a bowl of noodles before leaving was an unexpected joy. Qing Tong bowed respectfully from afar, thanked Zhou You, and then followed suit, mimicking Chen Ping'an. When she reached the foot of the mountain, she stepped out of the dream landscape. Even though it was New Year's Eve, the stream of devout men and women climbing the mountain along the main divine path to burn incense was still unending, the place bustling with noise. With such thriving incense offerings at Sui Mountain, no wonder Zhou You had been able to temper that golden body.

Qing Tong, once again donning her bamboo hat, hid among the mortal crowd. Walking along the bustling mountain path, she felt smug and quite pleased with herself.

Following Mr. Zheng around, she really didn't have to worry about food and drink.

Look, even the Sui Mountain Great God had to give her some face.

Zhou You led Chen Ping'an to the summit of Sui Mountain. Gazing into the distance from this height, one felt that all mountains beyond this one were small.

Someone had once said, "The divine path is a state of primordial chaos and oneness."

Another said, "My Way is of a single thread that runs through all."

As for which side was right and which wrong—whether it was the one returning all to oneness, or the one generating all from oneness—for now, there was no answer.

Zhou You asked, "Why does this Qing Tong think you are Zheng Juzhong?"

Chen Ping'an said honestly, "She was misled by Yun Miao of the Nine True Immortal Academy."

Zhou You laughed. "It seems that clever people fear Zheng Juzhong the most."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Too clever people will always fear the cleverest person."

Zhou You's gaze was playful as he glanced sideways at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an understood in his heart and shook his head. "I may never reach the mental realm of my senior brother and Mr. Zheng in this life."

Qing Tong had not dared to stroll slowly up the mountain. By now, she had already taken a seat in a noodle shop near the Mountain Lord's Shrine and was eating a steaming bowl of vegetarian noodles. The taste was excellent, living up to its reputation.

Zhou You said, "The opportunity that originally belonged to that 'Little Fengdu' sword pill is gone—it was a use-it-or-lose-it deal. It has now fallen to someone else."

Chen Ping'an said with a free and easy smile, "I'll take it as fate that I was only destined for eight feet and shouldn't ask for ten."

Zhou You nodded. Without this breadth of mind and tolerance, what was the point of pursuing a Fourteen Realm Pure Sword Immortal? He said, "Unlike the other eight continents, especially Vase Bottle Continent and North Juzhou—one being your homeland, the other where your Hidden Official status is most effective—both are naturally close to you. But the Central Continent Divine Continent has always valued propriety the most. A young man's high spirits and ignoring rules are two different things. As for the other Mountain Lord Mansions, I'll first put in a good word for you, saying that you will next make a divine journey to the Five Mountains. How about that?"

Chen Ping'an naturally would not refuse. He expressed his thanks.

It would also let Qing Tong finish that bowl of vegetarian noodles properly.

Before leaving, Chen Ping'an cupped his hands to Mountain Lord Zhou You and thanked him. "Sui Mountain is the only place where my teacher can drink happily. From now on, if there is any use for Fallen Mountain or the Green Calm Sword Sect, this junior will place himself at your command."

Zhou You did not stand on ceremony with the young man.

He was indeed a bit more generous than the Old Scholar.

Zhou You didn't feel for a moment that Chen Ping'an was just saying some pleasant but empty words.

It was only after the scattering of the Dao by the Three Teachings founders that a new situation unseen in several worlds for ten thousand years would emerge.

For instance, those Fourteen Realm cultivators who were no longer bound would all appear one by one, and each would make their moves.

On the Great Path, chaos would rise on all sides.

Open and hidden schemes would come thick and fast.

It was worth noting that before the Supreme Sage left Sui Mountain back then, he had told the Ritual Sage, "After I am gone, a scheme targeted at you will arise. Be careful."

The Five Mountains of the Central Continent were: Sui Mountain, Gui Mountain, Jiuyi Mountain, Yanzhi Mountain, and Juxu Mountain.

The female mountain lord of Yanzhi Mountain was named Zhu Yuxian, with a rather peculiar divine title: "Bitter Herb."

Back when the teacher was restored to his Wen Temple divine position and congratulatory messages came from all directions at the Merit Forest, Zhu Yuxian had sent a generous gift, among which was a folded paper swallow with soot-colored feathers.

Over at Jiuyi Mountain, the mountain lord had presented a pot of literary-fortune calamus.

However, the two mountain lords who governed Gui Mountain and Juxu Mountain respectively had attended the Wen Temple assembly but had not gone to the Merit Forest.

Regarding Gui Mountain, there was a long-standing grudge that did not sit well with the Wen Sage lineage. A nation had five mountains, and Gui Mountain was one of the five of a continent, with numerous subordinate "five mountains." The Old Scholar had once "visited" one of those mountains because of his disciple Jun Qian.

As for the mountain lord of Juxu Mountain, Huai Lian, he never meddled in such worldly matters of human relations.

However, Huai Lian held great respect for the Sword Qi Great Wall. He had once publicly declared, "The more years the Sword Qi Great Wall fights, the fewer years Haoran World has to fight. It has saved countless lives in our Haoran. Truly a great service."

The implication was that Mountain Lord Huai Lian clearly had a good opinion of the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

But then, as Chen Ping'an continued his travels with Qing Tong, they met with repeated failures—all within Chen Ping'an's expectations. Matters of public and private were clearly separated. If it weren't for his teacher's face and Zhou You's prior notice, he would probably have had to fight several lawsuits at the Wen Temple.

The female mountain lord Zhu Yuxian, although she did not agree to the Hidden Official's proposal of lighting the incense of the heart, still warmly invited Chen Ping'an into the Mountain Lord's Shrine to drink a cup of clear tea.

Qing Tong also benefited, having a cup of the long-famous Rizhu tea.

In addition, the Jiuyi Mountain god was fairly courteous. He showed up at the mountain gate and reminded Chen Ping'an that such presumptuous actions might be tolerable once, but not twice.

Still, he chatted idly with Chen Ping'an about one thing, saying that whenever the tipsy-faced lady Madam Tuoyan had time, she was welcome to visit Jiuyi Mountain.

Chen Ping'an agreed with a smile. Since ancient times, Haoran World had the saying, "Of the world's two and a half plum blossoms, one is at Jiuyi Mountain."

As for the Gui Mountain lord, whose divine title was "Heavenly Sinew," he simply refused to see Chen Ping'an. He only sent a temple attendant to the foot of the mountain to convey a message: "Sorry, but we do not receive guests. The Hidden Official may return the way he came."

Having received a resolute door shutting, Chen Ping'an stood outside the mountain gate but did not leave immediately. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the plaque on the gate.

That white-haired, aged temple attendant naturally didn't dare to chase him away any further. Such a "gods-fight" situation in the highest heavens was more than a lowly temple attendant could handle.

If he hadn't known that the mountain lord was at that very moment watching the commotion at the gate, the old temple attendant would have very much liked to exchange a few pleasantries with the world-famous young Hidden Official.

As for that Juxu Mountain god, he did personally show up at the gate, but he was full of cold sneers for Chen Ping'an. He dropped a very "heavy" remark: "You're not even a Flying Ascension sword cultivator yet. When you become one in the future, wouldn't every mountain peak in Haoran World become your own doorstep? Come as you please, leave as you please?"

Within Chen Ping'an's Dao heart, ripples stirred in his heart lake, and Qing Tong's voice rang out: "Since you know in advance that it cannot be done, why seek out trouble and suffering?"

In truth, Qing Tong wasn't rubbing salt in Chen Ping'an's wounds. Such a rash visit would inevitably attract annoyance. Unlike the market towns at the foot of the mountain, if things turned unpleasant, they could simply sever relations forever. But at the mountain peaks, this was a very taboo thing. To give the simplest example, if Chen Ping'an were to travel again through the territories of Gui Mountain or Juxu Mountain in the future, even if the two Five Mountain lords had no idea of Chen Ping'an's whereabouts, he would still incur an additional, illusory form of Great Dao suppression.

Chen Ping'an said, "If I don't truly seek it, how would I know there isn't a one-in-ten-thousand chance?"

Of the Five Mountains of the Central Continent, aside from Zhou You of Sui Mountain, if even one mountain lord were willing to agree to this—say, if Huai Lian of Juxu Mountain nodded—then Chen Ping'an would have had to run all over again to Gui Mountain, Yanzhi Mountain, and Jiuyi Mountain. If the second one he visited, Zhu Yuxian, had agreed, then the three mountain lords, including Huai Lian, might not have been able to "fob off" Chen Ping'an so easily. Handing over a portion of merit wasn't enough—what about fame and profit? It was worth noting that in the territories of the Five Mountains, from the Lord god's mansions to the incense networks spreading out from the many Taoist temples and shrines, Chen Ping'an had long since investigated them thoroughly. Take, for example, the female sword cultivator Zhu Mei, whom Zhu Yuxian had formed a connection with. When Zhu Mei was still a young girl, she had accompanied Lin Junbi to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Juxu Mountain might have an abundance of martial fortune, but would Mountain Lord Huai Lian ever think it was too much? For example, if Chen Ping'an promised that in the future, when he broke through realms, or if someone from Fallen Mountain could break through with the greatest strength, they would be willing to choose Juxu Mountain? And the Gui Mountain region had many sword cultivators—was the mountain lord at odds with his Wen Sage lineage? In the future, those sword immortal embryos with a secret lantern from the Mountain Lord's Mansion hanging behind them would have to be careful when traveling outside. It would be best for their conduct to be upright and not too arrogant. Otherwise, when it came to sword challenges and sword replies, flying swords have no eyes. Furthermore, for example, the Bird-Lift Mountain, where Lord Feng Jun's Dao field was located, was one of Juxu Mountain's two reserve mountains.

Chen Ping'an said self-deprecatingly, "A four-not-like."

Cui Chan, Zheng Juzhong, Wu Shuangjiang... indeed, they were all very difficult to emulate.

If it had been his senior brother Cui Chan undertaking this trip to the Five Mountains of the Central Continent, with the same cultivation realm and the same identity, presumably all five mountain lords, regardless of their personal feelings, would have ultimately nodded in agreement.

At Gui Mountain, known as the "Place of the Falling Moon," there was a "prestigious guest" who couldn't be chased away: Gu Qingsong, whose Dao name was "Celestial Raft," the informally named great disciple of Lu Chen, the Third Pope of the White Jade Capital.

Gu Qingsong was complaining to the mountain lord, "What's wrong with you? You don't listen to friendly advice at all. After becoming a mountain god, have you forgotten how to understand human speech?"

The refined-looking old man in Confucian robes was already used to this. He simply let certain words go in one ear and out the other.

Gu Qingsong continued on his own, "You have the bad habit of never learning from your mistakes. It won't do. Back then, on your chessboard, that candidate for a deputy mountain—it was precisely because they didn't let Liu Shiliu climb and travel that they suffered greatly. They even called Liu Shiliu a 'feathered beast.' And what was the result? The Old Scholar stomped and trampled that mountain a hundred zhang into the ground. And you, the superior officer—instead of learning the good, you learn the bad. You had to learn the Old Scholar's protective ways, didn't you? You helped argue all the way to the Wen Temple, and what was the outcome? I heard that Embroidery Tiger, acting as Liu Shiliu's senior brother, directly listed nearly a hundred crimes for that mountain lord, each one verifiable. Not only did that mountain never recover its original height, but the mountain lord himself ended up eating prison rations in the Merit Forest. Did it taste good? Were you embarrassed back then? At least you're a Great Mountain Lord. Why didn't you just directly activate your lifebound divine ability and help dig a hole for the Wen Temple? Now everyone knows the Old Scholar dotes most on Chen Ping'an, his closed-door disciple. Are you deliberately courting trouble?"

The old mountain lord frowned. "Are you going to go on and on?"

Gu Qingsong spat, "If I didn't have a favor to ask, do you think I'd bother reasoning with you?"

The old mountain lord said, "I previously received a decree from the Wen Temple. I was just following orders."

Gu Qingsong asked suspiciously, "Did that Second Sage speak, telling you to trip up Chen Ping'an?"

The old mountain lord said angrily, "Watch your tongue!"

Gu Qingsong went on as if to himself, "That definitely can't be. Even if the Second Sage and the Wen Sage are at odds, it's a dispute of scholarship. Ah Liang is also the dog-head strategist of the Wen Sage lineage. The relationship between the two families isn't as bad as outsiders think. So which Wen Temple master was it? That's even less likely. Now that the Old Scholar has just restored his divine position, with a stiff back and a loud voice, the Sutra Scholar Xi Ping is a tattletale who can't control his mouth around the Old Scholar. He has the best relationship with the Old Scholar. Who at the Wen Temple has such a hard head?"

The old mountain lord said, "That decree had no signature."

Gu Qingsong rubbed his chin. "That's very strange. The Little Master has always been an open-and-aboveboard man, and it's not the Second Sage's intention. Could it be that the Supreme Sage is here, like me, for a favor from Daoist Heavenly Sinew?"

The old mountain lord said furiously, "Gu Qingsong! Shut your mouth! If you dare say another half-word of nonsense, get down the mountain immediately!"

Unexpectedly, Gu Qingsong flicked his sleeves. "Fine, I'll go."

And then he really did vanish in a flash, heading beyond the mountain.

But moments later, Gu Qingsong shrank the land and returned to his original spot. Gu Qingsong said, "I've been kicked out of your door twice and have come to ask a favor three times in total, Daoist Heavenly Sinew. If you keep giving me no face at all, I'm really going to start swearing at you."

No matter how good the old mountain lord's qi-nourishment skill was, he couldn't withstand Gu Qingsong's blatant fabrication. Hadn't Celestial Raft been mute and silent this whole time?

Gu Qingsong shook his head. "You can't even maintain your composure as well as a young man just over forty, Daoist Heavenly Sinew. Have you lived all those years in vain, into some dog's body?"

Many of the mountain-top cultivators of Haoran World had their well-known "nicknames," at least half of which originated from Gu Qingsong's mouth.

That this man was still hopping around alive today was, it had to be said, something of a miracle.

At Juxu Mountain, in recent years, a new wine shop had opened. However, it was not well-known and its threshold was high, so it had always had few customers.

Inside the shop at the moment, besides the old shopkeeper and a shop assistant named Xu Jia, there was only...

One wine drinker: Mountain Lord Huai Lian.

One old Daoist riding a green ox, with a satchel slung diagonally over his shoulder, from which hung a row of emerald green bamboo tubes that clinked against each other, a crisp and pleasant sound.

Having saved up enough money for wine, he had come to drink again today.

In ancient times, the Five Mountains of the Central Continent each had a True Man's seat. Three of those True Men had their seats located precisely in the territory of this Juxu Mountain.

And this old Daoist, known as the Green Ox Daoist and titled Lord Feng Jun, happened to be one of those three True Men—the principal and two deputies. His seat was Bird-Lift Mountain, a deputy mountain of Juxu Mountain.

After leaving the Night Voyage Ship earlier, the old Daoist had come to revisit this old haunt. He had reopened his Dao field at the old site in the mountains, but the authority he once wielded was now all smoke under the bridge.

In earlier times, the true overseers of the Five Mountains and the Great Rivers of the world were not the mountain lords and water gods, but this group of "land immortals" invited out of retirement by the Ritual Sage.

Later, when the Ritual Sage abolished all the True Men's seats, Lord Feng Jun had left the mountains to travel. In the process, he provoked Pei Min of sword art. The world, vast as it was, seemed to offer no secure cave heaven or blessed land, so he had no choice but to hide on that Night Voyage Ship.

The old Daoist left his green ox outside, entered the wine shop alone, gave a Daoist salute to Mountain Lord Huai Lian, and asked the old shopkeeper for a jug of Forget-Your-Cares wine.

Good fortune brings cheerfulness. On the Night Voyage Ship, the old Daoist and that young Hidden Official had struck a deal. He had obtained a Five Mountains True Form Diagram of the rank comparable to that of the ancestors. Harmony brings wealth—that's what harmony brings wealth!

To be honest, it was a pity that Chen Ping'an had ultimately been unable to ascend the mountain today. On the way here, the old Daoist had been thinking that when he got to the wine shop and saw the aloof Mountain Lord Huai Lian, he would definitely have to say a few words of complaint for the young Hidden Official.

On the counter was a birdcage with a siskin inside. Seeing the old Daoist take his seat, it said, "Waste, waste."

The old Daoist wasn't bothered in the slightest. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "This poor Daoist is an immortal cultivator, not one of those pure martial artists who only know how to fight and kill. How many pounds of martial fortune could I possibly have?"

Xu Jia set the wine jug and white bowl on the table, exposing the lie. "The Mountain Lord just said that never mind Chen Ping'an, but that parasol tree essence from the Demon-Suppressing Tower—aside from his Flying Ascension cultivation, he could be considered half a martial artist who has reached the 'Spirit Arrival' stage."

Lord Feng Jun said with a faint smile, "Why would this poor Daoist bother to wrestle with a parasol tree? There's no need, no need."

The old shopkeeper, leaning on the counter, said with a laugh, "Back then, I failed to see through the depth of that Hidden Official's martial fortune."

The shop assistant Xu Jia, whenever the subject of the young Hidden Official who had drunk in their shop twice came up, became irritated. "That 'come-as-you-please' signboard of the little wine shop on the Sword Qi Great Wall was imitating our shop."

Lord Feng Jun took a sip of wine and sighed, stroking his beard. "Earlier on the Night Voyage Ship, this poor Daoist and Fellow Daoist Chen hit it off as soon as we met. We also had a discussion on the Dao, each of us having unique methods that sharpened the other. Among Fellow Daoist Chen's words was a line: 'The Dao of the world has no gaps or omissions, but in the streets, there are Daoists carrying leaky gourds.' That was truly... watertight. No wonder, at such a young age, he has attained such a high position and made such astonishing achievements one after another."

Xu Jia said, "That guy just has good luck."

The old shopkeeper smiled and shook his head. Because Xu Jia was a friend of Cao Ci, he had always looked askance at Chen Ping'an.

Lord Feng Jun shook his head even more, waving a hand while holding his bowl, then raising his other hand in rebuttal. "That's where you're wrong. You underestimate Fellow Daoist Chen too much. When a man is starving, he can eat nine big meat buns in one go. An ordinary person eating buns will find each one harder to eat than the last. If the first bun tastes the same as the ninth, that is a man of cultivation. In this poor Daoist's life, I have traveled north and south, roamed the world, and seen countless people. Those like Fellow Daoist Chen can be counted on one hand."

Huai Lian said, "You two want to ask something, so ask. No need to beat around the bush."

One deliberately brought up Chen Ping'an, and the other followed up. At the root of it all, they were still curious why he had refused Chen Ping'an's ascent.

Lord Feng Jun asked curiously, "Daoist Huai Lian, since you harbor no ill will toward that young Hidden Official, and even have some undisguised good feelings toward him, why did you forbid him from ascending the mountain today and go so far as to deliberately say a few hurtful, heavy words?"

Huai Lian said coldly, "A sword cultivator doesn't look at his own cultivation level? Must he also look at his status?"

Lord Feng Jun swirled the wine bowl. "But that's hardly a reason to forbid him from ascending the mountain, is it?"

Apart from his identity as a sword cultivator, Chen Ping'an was also a martial artist at the Qi-Stopping realm who could exchange four rounds of punches with Cao Ci.

Huai Lian said, "I gave my reason. Believe it or not, as you please."

Lord Feng Jun said with a regretful tone, "Too bad that on the ship, the news wasn't timely enough. Otherwise, this poor Daoist, even if he had to sell off everything, would have scraped together a sum of Guyu coins to bet on Fellow Daoist Chen beating Cao Ci."

Regarding the two martial artists of the same age, Cao Ci and Chen Ping'an, and that "azure and white" struggle in the Merit Forest, mountain cultivators and martial artists from the foot of the hills had been debating and arguing endlessly.

Generally, mountain cultivators favored Cao Ci, believing that in the future of martial arts, Chen Ping'an could never truly stand shoulder to shoulder with Cao Ci in this lifetime. He could only ever be chasing after him.

Cao Ci would be Chen Ping'an's lifelong martial arts nemesis. If he were lucky, he might earn the title of "Second Under Heaven."

However, pure martial artists were mostly more inclined to recognize Chen Ping'an.

There was only one point on which both mountain and lowland had reached a consensus.

That was, regardless of the final height of Cao and Chen's martial arts attainment, when it came to the process of practicing martial arts and throwing punches...

You could learn from Chen Ping'an, but you didn't need to learn from Cao Ci.

Chen Ping'an led Qing Tong away from the Central Continent Divine Continent, returning to Vase Bottle Continent. They walked along a ridgeline road called "Watershed."

Qing Tong asked in disbelief, "Are you saying that once we've visited the mountain god's temple here, that counts as the end, and we can return to Tongye Sect?"

Chen Ping'an responded with an "Mm."

The mountain goddess Wei Wei emerged from the clay statue inside the shrine. When she saw the young sword immortal in blue robes, long gown, and cloth shoes, she felt a bit awkward.

Mr. Chen? Sword Immortal Chen? Mountain Lord Chen? Lord Hidden Official?

If Wei Wei remembered correctly, this was the fourth time surname Chen had been here.

In less than thirty years, four times!

Heh.

Could it be...?

The thought had barely formed when she felt like slapping herself. Had she been reading too many of those landscape travelogues like a fool?! Did she forget the scene of their first meeting?

There had been no mercy toward the fair and fragile back then—only a merciless hand destroying the flower.

The mountain god's temple was now considered prosperous and thriving.

Wei Wei had to admit that it was entirely thanks to this man before her. The methods that Sword Immortal Chen had taught her shrine back then were indeed very effective.

Chen Ping'an sat on a strip of bluestone bench outside the shrine and said with a smile, "Everything is difficult at the start. When one thing goes smoothly, everything goes smoothly. Congratulations."

Wei Wei stood under a green pine, grinning broadly. "If it weren't for all the work and the fact that I, as a small mountain god, have an unstable foundation and find it hard to move, I would have gone to Fallen Mountain long ago to thank Sword Immortal Chen in person."

Earlier, following Chen Ping'an's method, she had had the maidservants who served as attendant deities in the shrine practice the "goddess enters dreams" technique described in the books. They had traveled together with a scholar heading to the capital for the imperial examinations among the mountains and rivers, floating ethereally, hand in hand. The scholar, whose appearance was rather shabby but who was quite learned, had awoken from the dream and regarded it as an auspicious omen. Thus, full of confidence, he had found his thoughts flowing like a spring and his writing inspired as if guided by a god at the capital's examination grounds.

Although he didn't achieve the top three ranks of a jinshi degree bestowed by the emperor, he did secure the top spot in the second class. At the Golden Hall proclamation, his name was called. Afterward, he was even granted an exception to enter the Hanlin Academy without examination, directly receiving the position of Compiler, a seventh-rank official post. If all went well, he would soon be assigned to one of the Six Ministries as a secretary. If he were then sent out of the capital, his official career would start at the county magistrate level. It was also said that in the metropolitan examination in the capital, the chief examiner, who had overseen the national literary examinations for over twenty years, and the other examiners had all been full of praise for his examination paper. It was only in the subsequent palace examination that he performed somewhat below par, thus failing to be among the three names circled in red ink by the emperor's brush.

After passing the examinations, the scholar, on his way home from the capital, had rushed straight to the mountain god's shrine to offer incense, kowtow, and write on the walls. Returning to his study, he had even composed a poem and recorded it in his collected works, specifically recounting this miraculous event, intending to publish it later.

That scholar had felt it was a dream, a beautiful dream come true. For Wei Wei and the two attendant goddesses, wasn't it also a dream come true?

Chen Ping'an chuckled and reminded her, "Read more of the sages' books in the future and fewer of those miscellaneous ones."

Wei Wei still didn't know that this was actually Chen Ping'an's fifth visit here.

But the last time, when he had seen Wei Wei and the two shrine attendant maids chatting cheerfully about that landscape travelogue, with the mountain goddess laughing and rolling around on the mat, Chen Ping'an hadn't shown himself, so as not to spoil the mood.

Wei Wei was completely confused and could only nod in agreement.

Now, within the territory under her shrine's jurisdiction, more than a dozen red lanterns, specially made by the mountain god's temple, were lit.

There was a common saying in the market: "So-and-so is under my protection." Actually, the character for "protection" (罩) had quite a bit of depth to it.

Within the jurisdiction of the mountain god's shrine, those lanterns hung at the gates of some prefectural and commandery noble families, some still humble scholar-official clans, and half of them were in the market alleys and rustic villages.

Chen Ping'an said with a smile, "What is borrowed must be repaid. Only then is it easy to borrow again?"

Earlier, Wei Wei had run up a huge debt with the county and prefectural City God temples. Logically speaking, even with the recent acquisition of literary fortune, after repaying the debt, her mountain shrine certainly shouldn't have been able to produce so many incense-and-fire lanterns.

This was like how the Yellow Court Kingdom, which already had abundant water fortune, had struggled to formally enshrine the orthodox water gods of the Five Mountains and the Cold Food River. That's why the Iron Bond River at the doorstep of Purple Sun Mansion had never been elevated to the status of a formal river god. It wasn't that the Yellow Court King didn't want to curry favor with Purple Sun Mansion; it was simply that the kingdom's qi fortune was limited—the will was there, but the strength was not.

Wei Wei said, a little guiltily, "I exchanged the wine debt for a new debt. I definitely still have to repay it."

Chen Ping'an "explained" for her with a smile, "Just not in a hurry?"

Wei Wei gave an awkward smile and forced herself to say, "I am in a hurry to repay it. 'No debt makes for a light body'—I understand the principle. I do want to set a deadline, but the neighboring county and prefectural city god lords all say they're not in a rush. They say to wait until I've saved up enough incense offerings before discussing it. And the provincial city god temple even proactively asked if I needed incense offerings."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "That makes sense. The Jianghu gives emergency aid, not poverty relief. Relatives help in times of need, not in times of laziness."

A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. The neighbors on the mountain were nothing more than immortal mansions, plus mountain and water spirits, City God temples, and Civil and Martial Temples.

Previously, Wei Wei's mountain god shrine was a broke entity living beyond its means, and Wei Wei, as the newly appointed mountain goddess, clearly didn't know how to manage it well. Now, of course, things were different.

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "That benefactor who donated money to build the temple—what was his name?"

Wei Wei beamed. "Zhang Guidong."

Chen Ping'an silently memorized the name.

Previously, Wei Wei had found a place on the mountain to build a small temple. A local major benefactor had donated two considerable sums of incense oil money. This person was charitable but didn't seek fame, and he was most generous in matters of building bridges and roads.

Afterward, Wei Wei had hired a kind-hearted, lonely old woman who believed in Buddhism to serve as the temple keeper at the temple. Some neighboring old ladies would also come to the temple frequently to help.

Chen Ping'an brought up the matter of the incense of the heart. Wei Wei naturally agreed without hesitation and was already secretly delighted. Even if she weren't good at calculating, she knew that this time she was truly going to be rich!

After paying off the debts to those City God lords, she would definitely have a surplus at the mountain god's shrine!

She could produce another batch of the mountain god mansion's specially made big red lanterns!

But Wei Wei recalled something and asked cautiously, "Since my mountain god shrine occupies the site of an old temple, isn't that taboo? Doesn't that count as... a cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head. "Don't overthink it. If you really feel sorry about it in your heart, then hold a temple fair on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, and try to attract some incense offerings from the common people for the temple."

Wei Wei's eyes lit up. "A temple fair?"

Chen Ping'an said, "You just rent out the stalls and collect a little rent. The rent should be low, not high. In the future, you can rely on this steady stream of income to slowly save up some silver. Then, hire some skilled craftsmen from down the mountain. Based on the 'Sixteen Arhats' and 'Eighteen Lohans' paintings and fans from down the mountain, you can build a Luohan Hall. Once this is done, consider it a form of vow fulfillment. However, my personal suggestion is to build a Luohan Hall enshrining the statues of the Five Hundred Arhats. Those who enter can calculate according to their own age and birth date and time, first choose a Luohan to start counting from, count all the way through, and whichever Luohan they land on last will be the one that grants them protection."

Wei Wei's eyes went wide. "That works?!"

Her tone was full of exclamation: "You, Chen Ping'an, why are you being a sword immortal or a mountain lord? You should go into business instead. If I were the founder of the Merchant Clan, I'd make you my second-in-command!"

Chen Ping'an laughed. "I didn't just make that up. There is such a custom."

Previously, while traveling far with Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang, they had passed by a temple, and within that large temple, there was indeed such a practice.

Wei Wei chuckled sheepishly, quickly pressed her palms together, and said, "Sincerity brings spiritual response, sincerity brings spiritual response, right?"

Chen Ping'an stood up, hesitating about one thing. He had a bit more merit than expected. Where should he use it?

At that very moment, a familiar voice rang out in his heart lake, inquiring about one matter.

"Chen Ping'an, what is your view on that dispute between the third and fourth?"

Chen Ping'an hesitated briefly, then gave his answer.

The man laughed. "Very good. You may return."

In the corridor of the Demon-Suppressing Tower on Tongye Continent, Lü Yan asked with a smile, "What answer was it that could satisfy the Supreme Sage so much?"

This question was certainly no small matter.

As the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sage lineage, for Chen Ping'an to answer appropriately, and with sincere heartfelt intention, was naturally extremely difficult.

The Supreme Sage stroked his beard and smiled. "Chen Ping'an said only one sentence: 'The Master said: In teaching, there should be no distinction of classes.'"

Even Lü Yan was stunned for a long time. After pondering for a while, he lightly clapped the railing and laughed heartily. "This poor Daoist admits he is not as good."