# Chapter 941: Then I Will Just Do As I Please
Inside the pavilion, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
When they heard that the Autumn Floss Temple's Daoist Lu was actually an honored guest who had climbed the mountain together with Mountain Lord Chen, the pavilion fell into dead silence.
Of course they couldn't believe it, but no matter how incredible it was, they had no choice but to believe it. After all, who would dare to fabricate such a thing?
Several female cultivators who had been lounging lazily now wore serious expressions. As they looked at the young Daoist again, he seemed even more handsome.
The young Daoist was like a storyteller from the foot of the mountain, beginning to reminisce about the past. "This humble Daoist and Mountain Lord Chen, though not from the same hometown, are friends who knew each other in our humble beginnings—sworn companions who felt like old friends at first sight. To put it in more elegant terms, we were two youths who met for the first time. Back then, neither this humble Daoist nor Mountain Lord Chen had made our fortunes. Since we hit it off, we traveled together, once spending the night in a City God Temple, where we dreamed of visiting the Wealth and Advancement Office. There we saw the presiding officer, who looked like a judge in purple robes and jade belt..."
A woman interrupted the young Daoist's words, asking with confusion, "Is there really a Wealth and Advancement Office among the City God's various bureaus and departments?"
The capital's City God Temple in Dream Liang Kingdom had many official offices, while the county and prefecture City God Temples had fewer. None seemed to have such an office.
The women in the pavilion all shook their heads, clearly never having heard of it.
The young Daoist sighed deeply. "Isn't that the strange thing? We saw many peculiar and extraordinary things. For instance, City God officials were escorting a group of criminals, and the City God wanted to conduct a night trial. Among them was a woman with a rope around her neck, dressed in red, her face bitter. She habitually tilted her head back with her tongue slightly extended. There was also a woman wearing a cangue walking through the corridor, as if walking through water, her black hair floating like waterweed. Later, five young masters who looked like aristocratic scions came with a retinue of beautiful concubines and maidservants, seeking to drink with the City God Temple's bureau chief. Late at night, a woman in a white dress riding a white horse arrived, calling herself Bai, a wandering immortal cultivating beneath Green City Mountain, stopping here for the night to rest... All sorts of things, strange and wonderful, too many to take in. Truly, in one night we witnessed a hundred years of human affairs."
"When this humble Daoist woke from the dream, I thought it over, then looked through some ancient books. Just like you all, I was perplexed and didn't dare take it seriously. Fortunately, I had some roots to hold onto, a bit of foundation—after all, I had relatives and connections? As luck would have it, I had some connection... with a relative of the supervising Daoist of the Autumn Floss Temple in the Divine Edict Sect. That supervising Daoist saw that my bone structure was not ordinary, and instead of taking me as a direct disciple, he accepted me on behalf of his master. After that, I officially began my cultivation. As for Mountain Lord Chen, after we parted ways at the City God Temple's Wealth and Advancement Office, he encountered great fortune. Truly, like a dragon trapped in a mud pit, utterly beleaguered, covered in mosquitoes and flies, trapped in a cage—until finally, one day, wind and rain obscured the sky, thunder crashed, and the mud dragon in the pond perked up, soaring straight into the sky!"
"Flowers bloom in two places, each branch tells its own story. For now, this humble Daoist won't go into detail about Mountain Lord Chen's many heroic deeds after that."
"Let's just say that after I cultivated my immortal arts and lived in seclusion as a mountain dweller, I grew restless from too much stillness and began to wander down the mountain to gain worldly experience. When I encountered demons, I subdued them; when I saw ghosts, I slew them. What a satisfying life! I earned quite a reputation in the martial world. Traveling, I arrived at a famous scenic spot. Across a great river, two mountains faced each other, and since ancient times, it was said that 'tortoise and snake lock the river.' But what do you think happened? In this place so rich in water fortune, they encountered a drought unprecedented in centuries! The people were destitute. Though I had cultivated immortal arts, I still had an ancient and kind heart. So I formed a hand seal, used the Autumn Floss Temple's secret Water Evasion Art to part the waves, and went upstream to the Water Mansion to demand an explanation. Well, they didn't take this humble Daoist seriously at all—I was given the cold shoulder. I endured it. Then I went downstream to the Dragon Palace's former site of the Lake Lord's mansion, seeking to borrow water from this Lake Lord to pour back into the upstream riverbed. Again, no result. I was so angry that I had to take matters into my own hands. For several days without sleep, I painstakingly researched an immortal talisman. My sincere heart must have moved the heavenly spirits and earthly deities, for I finally mastered this extremely high-threshold great talisman. I bathed, changed clothes, fasted, went to the riverside pavilion, burned the talisman paper into wine, drank half a cup, then threw the cup out of the pavilion. The wine poured out like a waterfall, endless streams of water flowing into that dried-up riverbed where not a single live fish remained. From then on, the river surged, and vegetation flourished..."
The female cultivators in the pavilion exchanged glances.
Should they applaud a few times, or question him? Daoist Lu, though you are a Middle Five Realm cultivator, you're still at the lowest Cave Abode Realm! Saying "great talisman" and "extremely high threshold"—isn't that a bit much?
After all, there was an Observation Sea Realm cultivator and two Cave Abode Realm qi refiners sitting right there in the pavilion!
Green Boy began to move away, no longer intending to listen. The more the Celestial Master Lu spoke, the more absurd it became.
Other people bragged without drafting a script, always exaggerating themselves. Lu Chen was different—he seemed to go in the opposite direction.
By the time a yellow-robed old man arrived at the pavilion, the flock of birds and flowers had already dispersed. Only a young Daoist wearing a fish-tail crown sat cross-legged on a long bench, yawning. An empty wine jug sat beside his feet. Earlier, he had used up a water jar's worth of saliva telling fortunes and stories to those female immortals. He needed a little wine to moisten his throat and refresh himself.
Lu Chen spotted the Nen Daoist hesitating outside the pavilion and waved, smiling. "Come sit and chat."
Only then did the Nen Daoist dare to step up the stairs.
Back in that illusion realm, the two hadn't actually spoken much. Lu Chen had quickly sent the Nen Daoist out politely.
Lu Chen asked, "This humble Daoist's identity—Senior Peach Pavilion didn't tell Li Huai, did he?"
The Nen Daoist shook his head. "I wouldn't dare cause complications."
First there was the young Hidden Official's almost threatening reminder, then the Celestial Master Lu's warning. At this moment, the Nen Daoist had little confidence and no high spirits.
Lu Chen smiled amiably. "Chen Ping'an spat those harsh words at you. Don't you feel unhappy about it?"
The Nen Daoist twitched the corner of his mouth. "Chen Ping'an does it for my young master's sake."
Lu Chen rubbed his chin. "That's correct, but not particularly accurate."
The Nen Daoist asked humbly, "I earnestly beg Celestial Master Lu to enlighten me."
Lu Chen said, "Chen Ping'an is from Mud Vase Alley. You know that, right?"
The Nen Daoist nodded. "Of course."
That little alley was a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers resided.
Chen Ping'an, the Great Li vassal king Song Mu, the True Dragon King Zhu, White Emperor City's Gu Can, and also the ancestral home of the Southern Bodhisattva Continent's sword immortal Cao Xi.
Lu Chen leaned back against the railing, lazy and languid. "Back in that little alley, there was a little brat that Chen Ping'an and Liu Xianyang affectionately called 'Little Snot'. Mm, he was the youngest disciple of that Mr. Zheng of White Emperor City."
The Nen Daoist said, "The feng shui there is terrifyingly good."
Lu Chen raised a hand and casually pointed in a direction. "One of the five greatest karmic fortunes openly displayed in the Bead Abyss Grotto-Heaven back then was a little loach. Chen Ping'an personally caught it from the ridge between the fields. Gu Can coveted it, and Chen Ping'an, who had always treated him like a half-brother, naturally wasn't stingy—he gave it to Gu Can. Gu Can raised it in a water vat at home. Later, he met the River Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao of the Letter Bamboo Lake, took him as his master, and the mother and son followed Liu Zhimao to Green Gorge Island. A parting of ways. The fourteen-year-old straw-sandal boy began his long journey to Great Sui, escorting a group of Qi Jingchun's students to the Cliff Academy. Among that group, the youngest was Li Huai."
Lu Chen shook his sleeves. "Chen Ping'an didn't want to make the same mistake again."
The Nen Daoist said, "I still hope Celestial Master Lu will explain the reason in detail."
Lu Chen sighed. This humble Daoist has said so much already, and you still don't understand? With a helpless expression, he shook his wine jug, tilted his head back, and only a few drops entered his mouth. He wiped his lips. "That karmic fortune of the little loach was something Chen Ping'an personally gave to Gu Can. Gu Can was very young then—what could he know about a 'Dao heart' or not? Earlier, what did Chen Ping'an say to you? 'Holding a sharp blade gives rise to killing intent,' right? In that Letter Bamboo Lake, which could be considered a 'Little Desolate Barbaric World,' having a Nascent Soul realm water dragon acknowledge you as its master was both a life-saving talisman and a... a sharp-edged cleaver for a young child. Like walking into a large field of rapeseed flowers, a mischievous child, unrestrained, holding a cleaver, seeing only slender, delicate rapeseed flowers, slashing at will, unable to see the snakes and insects hidden in the field or the owners of those rapeseed flowers."
"At the same time, for that little loach to continuously advance its own Great Dao, it naturally had to eat its fill—just like you, Peach Pavilion, would move mountains and refine mountains. For dragon-kind, what faster path of cultivation than directly devouring qi refiners? This was the little loach's innate nature, which coincided with Gu Can's own heart. Master and servant were like a... small union of Dao. Add Liu Zhimao's cold observation, and naturally, one's killing intent arose while the other's ferocity surged."
"That's why Chen Ping'an was tormented by his senior brother Cui Chan back then to the point of almost—just one step away from—his mental state completely shattering. If I remember correctly, he once said to Gu Can, 'I'm sorry for coming too late.'"
"Of course, although Li Huai and Gu Can seemed like similar children in temperament back then, fundamentally, they were very different. Two children of the same age, both seemingly timid. Gu Can, however, knew he was weak. Li Huai only dared to act tough at home, but it was precisely because he had a warm family and knew from a very young age how good his family was. Gu Can and Li Huai were like two kinds of life: one extremely unhappy, wanting to make future days better; the other from a poor family, seemingly struggling to make a living, yet actually having a rare fortune of family sitting together with warm lamplight. So the future was about maintaining this hard-won beauty."
"So once Li Huai's Dao heart is guided by you to become someone who would disappoint Mr. Qi in Chen Ping'an's heart, you will die. Definitely."
"You think yourself high in realm, always looking down on a young Hidden Official of low realm, not knowing that from the very day Chen Ping'an learned you had become Li Huai's attendant, he began preparing a booklet about you. When he later attended the Confucian Temple meeting at the Mandarin Duck Shoal, you thought you were showing off your might, feeling quite proud, while Chen Ping'an was watching coldly. That's why today, at Lou Mountain, he spoke those frank words with you, to avoid... later, when he kills you, Senior Peach Pavilion would still feel wronged."
Lu Chen let out a sorrowful cry, raised his hand, and pointed at this yellow-robed old man. "Earlier, this humble Daoist squatted on the road and cursed a rock as a stumbling block. Did you think I was just saying it on a full stomach? And that strange saying about 'people eat hot rice, dogs eat hot shit'—have you chewed on the aftertaste yet? Sigh, Senior Peach Pavilion, what are you thinking? That expression... you've misunderstood this humble Daoist! I wasn't saying that eating hot shit has any aftertaste. I was saying there's meaning within the words, implication beyond the statements. For a Daoist like me to talk and chat, I can't be too straightforward—I must carry some mystical significance to match my identity."
The Nen Daoist's expression was awkward, and he had no choice but to lie through his teeth. "Celestial Master Lu is skilled in mysterious speech, both witty and profound."
Lu Chen chuckled, then turned his head to gaze at the landscape outside the pavilion. "If we consider every mountain, every river, every person as every word in an article, then you've missed too much. In all my years of cultivation, I have tirelessly pursued the Dao of 'faultlessness,' and those who can approach faultlessness can be counted on one hand. Chen Ping'an counts as one. Of course, he is still the youngest and, for now, the lowest in Dao methods."
The Nen Daoist asked cautiously, "Why is Celestial Master Lu willing to enlighten me?"
Lu Chen sighed again. "You are a Flying Ascension Realm grand cultivator. Aren't you also a word? Such a big word, standing before this humble Daoist. How could I miss it?"
It's hard for people to be without fault; life is full of missed opportunities.
Missed events, missed people. Upon reflection, they are all mistakes—mistakes of the past.
Lu Chen's expression was deeply melancholic. He looked up at the sky several times, thinking about leaving without saying goodbye, making a clean getaway.
Even if it meant that hiding from the first day of the month wouldn't save him from the fifteenth, at least hiding from the first day meant gaining fourteen more days of peace, didn't it?
In the Dream Liang Kingdom, the young emperor, the River God Consort with the compound surname Nalan, and Mount Mei Lord remained—one sitting, two standing—inside the pavilion.
Yellow Cong wished they would be more casual, but the two mountain and river deities strictly adhered to the rites of sovereign and subject. This was uncommon in the mountain-and-river bureaucracy—a nation's Five Sacred Mountain Lords and its highest-ranked river deity wouldn't normally need to act this way when meeting their emperor.
However, Mount Mei Lord, who was originally a former dynasty's martial general spirit, genuinely recognized this young emperor from the bottom of his heart. Mount Mei Lord refused to sit, so Nalan Yuzhi, whose jade-ranked register was equivalent, had no choice but to keep him company.
Suddenly, a young Daoist appeared. Nalan Yuzhi secretly formed a hand seal, smiling, "Quite bold, trespassing into a residence."
The young Daoist began playing the fool. "Ah? Has this humble Daoist come to the wrong door? That's fine—it seems this humble Daoist and this elder sister have some karma."
Wearing a fish-tail crown, he was a Daoist with a register from the Divine Edict Sect.
In Vase Bottle Continent, no one dared to disregard the Divine Edict Sect's golden rules and would dare to impersonate one of its Daoists.
Mount Mei Lord glanced at the Daoist and communicated telepathically, "Your Majesty, this Daoist is indeed from the Divine Edict Sect. There's a lantern hanging behind him with the words 'Autumn Floss Temple Special Brew' written on it. He has ancestral blessing protection from his sect. He appears to be only a Dragon Gate Realm cultivator but is actually a Golden Core earth immortal. However, he probably formed his core only a few years ago—his aura is unstable."
Nalan Yuzhi frowned. "How did this guy get in? Why isn't there even a ripple of qi disturbance?"
Mount Mei Lord sneered coldly. "Who knows."
Yellow Cong signaled them not to worry. A guest was a guest. Among these mountain-dwelling, cloud-drinking cultivators, most were immortal and refined, but there were also many with eccentric temperaments, deviant arts, and a fondness for playing games with the world.
"Since I've come to the wrong place, this humble Daoist will just make the best of my mistake."
The young Daoist scrambled up the stairs, planted himself, and clasped his hands behind his back. He looked down at the game of Go that had already ended and nodded. "The one who played white is a top-tier master."
The River God Consort pressed her hand against her forehead. Regardless of his Daoist skill, he was definitely a terrible Go player.
Yellow Cong remained calm and asked with a smile, "May I ask, Daoist, why do you say that? I think black has the sure win?"
White had been him.
"Playing Go is the most boring thing in the world. Gambling can have losses, but at the top level of Go, there are no losses."
The young Daoist picked up a white stone with one hand and a black stone with the other, placing them on the board with crisp, pleasant sounds. As he put down stones, he smiled, "At the gambling table, unless you're cheating, even if you're a top player, if your luck is bad—even against a beginner who's lucky enough to roll sixes every time—you'll still lose sometimes. But in Go, a master might occasionally make mistakes or bad moves, while a weak player always hasn't reached the level of skill yet. Even so, when a master meets a worthy opponent, the difference is just one or half a stone—never the complete death of all black stones while all white stones live."
"As for those truly skilled Go masters, when facing weaker opponents, there's no chance of losing. Take Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan, for example. Or Zheng Juzhong. Or..."
The young Daoist straightened his back and tugged at the collar of his Daoist robe. "This humble Daoist..."
He paused slightly before continuing, "...senior brother."
The River God Consort sneered. "Minister Cui's name is something you can casually speak?"
The young Daoist shook his head with a smile. "What else would you use a name for if not to say it?"
"Oh, the trend of this game is different from what this humble Daoist expected."
The three within the pavilion watched as the fellow wiped his hand across the board, completely scattering the game.
"This humble Daoist takes back everything I just said, haha, all taken back."
Yellow Cong couldn't help but laugh. "Daoist, you are quite the interesting character. May I ask your esteemed title?"
"Divine Edict Sect, Autumn Floss Temple. Lu Fu. No Daoist title yet. The Heavenly Lord Qi doesn't even see this humble Daoist a few times."
Nalan Yuzhi covered her mouth and laughed. "Well said. Daoist Lu doesn't see Heavenly Lord Qi a few times, so naturally, Daoist Lu doesn't see Heavenly Lord Qi a few times."
The young Daoist grinned. "Elder sister, your voice is so pleasant to hear. Crisp and clear, like a summer plum and white porcelain soup with ice shards clinking against the bowl. And so understanding—truly a 'golden sound and jade resonance, orchid heart and quality' flower of understanding."
"Oh, looking at your attire, elder sister, it seems you're exactly like this humble Daoist—an admirer of Su."
"What a coincidence. This humble Daoist once had the fortune to travel with Master Su for several months, exchanging poems and lyrics, discussing Dao and Zen. What joy!"
Yellow Cong coughed a few times, unsure how to advise this Daoist Lu to be less forward.
Nalan Yuzhi teased, "Oh my, isn't this like a dog passing through a door curtain—all mouth?"
The young Daoist wasn't the least bit angry. Instead, he said something cryptic: "I should have let a certain senior come here instead. That would have been more fitting."
Mount Mei Lord's expression tightened, and he communicated telepathically, "Your Majesty, I can't take it anymore. Can we order him to leave?"
"Don't be like that. I'm quite familiar with the originator of the 'Guest Expulsion Order' in the human realm..."
Mount Mei Lord was inwardly shaken. This Daoist could eavesdrop on his thoughts?
Before Mount Mei Lord could warn the young emperor and Nalan Yuzhi, the River God Consort had already turned toward the entrance and telepathically informed the young emperor, "Your Majesty, someone has come to visit. It's... the Mountain Lord Chen of Fallen Mountain!"
The young Daoist was already sneaking away, looking like he was about to make a getaway.
But Nalan Yuzhi grabbed his arm. "Daoist Lu, where are you going? According to your logic, if you pass by, you shouldn't miss it."
The young Daoist shook his arm, seemingly unable to break free, so he gently patted the River God Consort's hand and said with a sincere expression, "From where I came, I return there. The mountains are high and the rivers long—until we meet again."
Mount Mei Lord stopped using telepathy and said bluntly, "Daoist Lu is a man of great attainment. Since you can hear my thoughts, you must be at least a Nascent Soul immortal, right?"
The young Daoist laughed heartily. "Well said, well said."
Nalan Yuzhi tried to release her grip but was horrified to find she couldn't—like she was stuck to a piece of sticky candy.
Unlike the residences of Chen Lingjun and Li Huai, this estate naturally had Dream Liang Kingdom's elite guards. Soon, a guard respectfully led the young Hidden Official, who had announced his name, to the pavilion.
Chen Ping'an glanced at Lu Chen's out-of-body yin spirit.
Lu Chen immediately shook his arm vigorously, breaking free from the River God Consort's delicate hand, and said with a shocked expression, trembling, "This handsome young man looks so familiar! Could you be the Mountain Lord Chen of Fallen Mountain, the closed-door disciple of the Literary Sage lineage, the last Hidden Official of the Summer Retreat Palace, the Second Shopkeeper of Sword Qi Great Wall, this humble Daoist's friend in hardship and dearest companion, Daoist Chen..."
Chen Ping'an scowled. "Go cool off somewhere!"
"Right away."
This out-of-body spirit of Lu Chen jumped up. "See you later! This humble Daoist will be waiting at the Thousand Autumn Pavilion."
In an instant, he disappeared.
The three inside the pavilion, along with Emperor Yellow Cong, all seemed stunned.
Yellow Cong came to his senses and quickly walked out of the pavilion, momentarily speechless, his expression awkward.
What should have been a simple matter was completely disrupted by Daoist Lu, leaving the young emperor unsure how to address Chen Ping'an.
"Headmaster Gao was unkind, declaring that he wouldn't let me go unless I came to see Your Majesty," Chen Ping'an said, taking the lead to speak. He cupped his hands and smiled. "As for that Autumn Floss Temple's Lu Fu just now, Your Majesty needn't pay him any attention. He has a problem with his head—can't tell what's what and often acts confused."
Yellow Cong bowed like a Confucian scholar. "Yellow Cong of Dream Liang Kingdom pays respects to Mr. Chen."
Mount Mei Lord's expression was solemn. He clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Song Mountain's Mei Yu pays respects to the Hidden Official."
The River God Consort turned sideways, performed a curtsy, and said, "Wangyue River Water Mansion's Nalan Yuzhi pays respects to Sword Immortal Chen."
Chen Ping'an entered the pavilion with the young emperor, adjusted his blue long gown, and sat down.
The couplet on the pavilion pillars was a pair of Dragon Gate Couplets.
*"Open your eyes and look—the world's centuries-old families are nothing but accumulating virtue and doing good; three feet above your head, there are gods."*
*"It should be said like this—the best thing under heaven is still to set one's mind on studying; hard work never fails those who are sincere."*
Chen Ping'an smiled and got straight to the point. "I've heard from my disciple Pei Qian about Your Majesty. She said that on the battlefield at the Great Li secondary capital, there was a prince of noble blood who didn't cherish his life at all and charged into battle many times as a cavalry commander."
Yellow Cong's expression was bitter. "Not being too afraid of death—that's true. Almost dying—that's also true."
On that battlefield, whether I, Yellow Cong, was there or not didn't really matter—I was dispensable.
But so many Dream Liang soldiers had resolutely and courageously faced death. Were they to die in vain? Absolutely not! Yet when it came to truly establishing merits, it seemed far from enough.
Anyone who had thrown themselves into that war, anyone who had personally experienced those brutal battles, had to admit one thing: when the elite armored soldiers of the mortal dynasties faced those mountain-dwelling cultivators, watching the celestial arts that could shake heaven and earth and move mountains and seas, they would feel hopeless... So much so that even after all these years, the young emperor still often woke up from his dreams drenched in cold sweat, unable to fall back asleep, his ears still seeming to ring with the sounds of armor and warhorses.
The young Hidden Official seemed to see through the young emperor's heart knot. He shook his head. "To win that war back then, both mountain and mortal realms needed to be unafraid of death. If the mortals didn't dare to die, even if the number of mountain cultivators in Vase Bottle Continent doubled or tripled, at best they could only hold the central river line—they would have become the second Maple Leaf Continent, crushed by the Desolate Barbaric race as they swept through all the way to Northern Julu Continent. Vase Bottle Continent didn't lack a single Dream Liang Kingdom to fight the war, but without countless 'Dream Liang Kingdoms,' it would have lost without any suspense. Perhaps now the Righteous Haoran Realm would only have the Middle Earth Divine Continent left."
Mount Mei Lord's eyes shone with brilliance, and he couldn't help but say, "Well said!"
Nalan Yuzhi nodded lightly.
The Nen Daoist had already returned. Lu Chen's true body had gathered his out-of-body yin spirit. He lay on a long bench, legs crossed, swinging them back and forth.
The pavilion's plaque read "Thousand Autumns." What was most peculiar was that while elsewhere, plaques had far fewer characters than couplets, this pavilion at Lou Mountain did the opposite—the couplet had only two characters in total.
One side said "Dream," the other "Awakening."
Lu Chen smiled. "Reversal is the movement of the Dao; the Dao moves through reversal."
The world generally agreed that cultivation was going against the heavens. Everyone acknowledged it, but no one liked to talk about it.
True humans permanently dwelling on earth, celestial masters moving mountains and overturning seas, commanding the sun and moon, achieving eternal life without decay, living as long as heaven and earth—wasn't that the greatest "rebellion against the Dao"? Yet these people became the elite among men. Wasn't that the height of absurdity?
Chen Ping'an took his leave from the young emperor, came to this side, and walked into the pavilion. Without removing his cloth shoes, he sat cross-legged on a long bench, took out his tobacco pipe (with the tobacco pouch tied to the bamboo pipe), and began to rub tobacco leaves mixed with ginseng powder and osmanthus. The pipe had a small jade tablet hanging from it by a red cord.
"Tell me, what do you think Zhou Mi was really thinking?"
Lu Chen hunched his shoulders, tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned against the pavilion pillar, half-reclining on the long bench, and looked up at the sky. "Him? The Jia Sheng of the Righteous Realm, whose real name is Jia Mo—he falls silent when it's not appropriate to speak. A talent that could encompass heaven and earth. By the time he became the Desolate's all-knowing old fox, hailed as the 'World's Literary Sea,' he truly did everything very thoroughly."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Do I need you to tell me old history?"
Lu Chen said, "Because this humble Daoist has never dealt with him, I can only offer some guesses. He probably thinks that it was only after 'us' existed that there was a distinction between good and evil, right and wrong."
"There's no reasoning with someone like that. To put it nicely, when both sides argue, it's like a chicken talking to a duck, or each insisting on their own view. They argue endlessly, always holding their own opinions, unable to convince the other. I suppose you could call that 'different paths of the Great Dao.' To put it bluntly, the other party is a kind of Dao that has already self-proven, can self-explain, and self-practices. As for whether the path under Zhou Mi's feet can be called a 'Great Dao,' we can't tell now. We'll have to wait for someone to look back in the future. For now, no matter who—of course, my master is the exception—no matter how carefully we deduce and how the Great Dao evolves, it may not be the path Zhou Mi has in mind. And in the current situation, no one wants to be that 'retrospective guest,' doesn't want to 'look back' in the future. That's why in that riverside discussion earlier, even that fierce woman from Wu Continent—the one who could refine anything to break into the Fourteen Realm—was the first to suggest eliminating Zhou Mi. Not because she had a grudge against him, but because she knew that Zhou Mi's future was definitely not the future she, Wu, wanted."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I will never actively provoke this Wu."
The implication was clear: don't provoke me either. Let's keep to ourselves.
Lu Chen hesitated, then raised his hand and rolled up his sleeve. The landscape grew hazy, revealing two Daoist figures sitting and discussing the Dao.
One Daoist with a middle-aged face wore a hibiscus crown, his temperament gentle. The other, a young Daoist, wore a lotus crown, free and unrestrained.
Before the senior brother left the White Jade Capital, he had performed an extremely mentally taxing Great Dao deduction in front of the youngest disciple, Lu Chen, ultimately arriving at three outcomes.
One: Everyone could cultivate and become Dao adherents. All sentient beings with the potential to open their apertures and refine their forms could also cultivate peacefully. Would this create a new world? Would the entire heaven and earth be orderly? Perhaps all the myriad races of cultivators in the world would no longer fight over trivial matters like snails' horns, no longer be confined to this life in the spark of a flint, but instead flow together into brilliant rivers, repeatedly journeying together beyond the heavens to expand their territory, each choosing a star as their Dao field, each spreading their branches and leaves...
The second: The spiritual energy of the world would be completely gathered in certain places. The human realm would enter a kind of early Dharma-ending age where it would be impossible to cultivate, falling into a situation where even a clever woman cannot cook without rice. Thus, all sentient beings in the world, except for a handful of 'suspended' ones, would be unable to cultivate without exception. These few could not interfere with the operation of heaven and earth, limited at most to some 'corner of the world,' hidden from the great heaven and earth, free and unfettered in their small heaven and earth. Beyond that, they must follow certain secret pacts, only able to act during certain great tribulations of heaven and earth to change the trajectory of the world.
The third: Complete chaos. Disorder would be the only order.
In fact, there was a fourth outcome.
But the senior brother hadn't let Lu Chen observe that Dao, because the Dao cannot be spoken.
Lu Chen had guessed it, though.
It was "Heaven and Earth as One."
That was what the former Jia Sheng of the Righteous Realm, later the Zhou Mi of the Desolate, wanted to accomplish.
Lu Chen rolled up his sleeve again, dispersing the scene. He extended a jade-white hand, palm up, fingers curving upward. "If I were Zhou Mi, first, I would become the 'One.' Grandly refine the 'One.'"
He turned his hand over and smiled. "Second, I would transform into billions."
"Then, there would be no need to worry about cultivation, enlightenment, attaining the Dao, or scattering the Dao—no such concerns."
Lu Chen continued, "And then..."
Chen Ping'an suddenly frowned slightly.
Lu Chen gently knocked his head against the pavilion pillar a few times, smiling knowingly. "This humble Daoist's 'incarnation' doesn't just mean transforming into sentient beings."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Continue."
He understood. It wasn't just the current five heavens—but the Heaven Beyond Heaven suppressed by the White Jade Capital, the Hell suppressed by the Western Buddhist Kingdom, all the ancient stars, and so on—all would be grandly refined. Like cultivators refining their lifebound objects.
Gathered into one, broken apart into many.
In that realm, what were sword strikes that cut through the Milky Way or a breath that scattered an ancient star? They were nothing.
Even if you were a Fourteen Realm cultivator, or even a Fifteenth Realm, facing that united Dao of Zhou Mi, you would be illusory because you were already part of his Great Dao.
Chen Ping'an crossed his legs, held his pipe, and tapped it gently against the sole of his shoe to knock off the ash. He refilled it with tobacco and continued to puff smoke.
Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh. "A thousand years, a hundred masters for a house—renewed by annual washing."
Chen Ping'an twisted his wrist and put away his tobacco pipe into his storage item. "Celestial Master Lu, now that we've finished discussing the abstract, let's talk about something concrete."
Lu Chen's head suddenly felt as big as a winnowing basket. Hearing that respectful title "Celestial Master Lu," he knew nothing good was coming.
Chen Ping'an extended his hand. "Six Grain Rain Coins."
Lu Chen said helplessly, "When visiting someone's home, you have to bring gifts—that's basic etiquette. Besides, Master Ni and Daoist Green Boy, those two Grain Rain Coins were just a drop in the bucket to them. What does that have to do with the Hidden Official?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Let's not discuss those two. I have other gifts prepared that I'll give to the Yellow Millet Sect. So those two Grain Rain Coins of mine—convert them into twenty Lesser Heat Coins. Hand them over."
Lu Chen, understanding the implication, had no choice but to fumble around and produce a pile of Lesser Heat Coins—all rare specimens painstakingly collected by Celestial Master Lu through eastward extortion and westward coercion!
Chen Ping'an selected twenty of them and put them into his sleeve. He stood up. "Before I descend the mountain and before you return to the White Jade Capital, I also have a scroll painting for Daoist Lu, who once set up a stall in Bead Abyss Grotto-Heaven Town, to look at one more time."
Lu Chen wanted to speak but stopped.
He wanted to ask: Since this humble Daoist has already seen it, can we skip it this time?
But within the pavilion, strange phenomena had already begun to arise, as if a dream were starting again.
Between heaven and earth.
A colossal Dharma form sat solemnly in the sky at the northernmost point of Vase Bottle Continent.
Heavenly tribulation was approaching, and the sea of clouds slowly descended, nearing the head of that Dharma form.
The Confucian scholar lifted his head, a smile on his face.
A celestial immortal spoke loudly from heaven, his words manifesting as law. Thunder techniques filled the sea of clouds, lightning slithering like thousands of dragons through the clouds.
Then a golden palm stirred the sea of clouds into a massive hole. This majestic immortal, seated atop the sea of clouds, called himself "This Seat."
The Confucian scholar's Dharma form, with temples slightly frosted, turned his hand into a fist and held a bead within his palm.
It was at this moment that within the Bead Abyss Grotto-Heaven town, day suddenly turned to night.
The immortal seated at the edge of the cloud sea's hole sat as if at the top of a well, looking down at the frog at the bottom, sneering, laughing loudly.
Words boomed like thunder: "Let This Seat play with you first!"
Twelve flying swords pierced through the sea of clouds one after another, falling to the human realm. A golden giant with pure golden eyes, looking languid, sat cross-legged, fists resting on his knees. He extended a finger from his right fist and flicked it gently. A flying sword received the command, piercing through the arm of the Confucian scholar's Dharma form, which was holding a fist loosely. The golden giant above the clouds extended one finger from each hand, and with each rise and fall, the fingers rotated gently, causing the flying swords to arc. The Confucian scholar's entire arm was pierced by thousands of holes from the flying swords.
A rain of flying swords was meant to splash cold water on the spring breeze.
Countless golden threads seeped out from the sea of clouds.
Thunder dragons of three colors, brilliant with lightning, wove three great nets, grinding away at the Confucian scholar's Dharma form bit by bit like blades.
Simultaneously, a great formation of heaven and earth was formed, frantically absorbing the world's spiritual energy, isolating the Confucian scholar's connection to the Righteous Haoran Realm's Great Dao, and preventing his feet from landing on the earth of Vase Bottle Continent.
Even though the Confucian scholar was a scholar of the Righteous Haoran Realm, the two who attacked were celestial immortals from the White Jade Capital who had crossed the heavens—heaven's time and earth's advantage were not on his side!
The golden giant punched down again and again, directly smashing through the raised hand of the snow-white Dharma form. The center of his palm was blasted into a deep pit, the hand shattered, and it exploded completely. Then the arm was broken joint by joint under those punches.
Only half an arm remained.
And the Confucian scholar's left hand remained in a loose fist, unmoving.
But from that fist through the arm to the shoulder, pages of thunder method Daoist incantations had covered the limb. Each character carrying the true meaning of thunder methods was as large as a house.
Above the clouds, two fingers formed a sword technique and slashed down, severing the Confucian scholar's fisted hand from the shoulder.
The severed arm was immediately obliterated by the incantation characters.
The Confucian scholar's remaining half of his right arm raised again, extended like an umbrella shielding rain, hovering above that bead, pulling it back to protect in front of him.
Above the sea of clouds, the golden giant punched again and again into the head of the Confucian scholar's Dharma form.
Within the formation's heaven and earth, huge ripples of qi surged.
With each punch, the Confucian scholar's Dharma form descended a fraction.
Now without arms, only a suspended fist remained, severed from the body.
This mangled Dharma form only desperately protected that single remaining fist.
The scholar's Dharma form moved his lips slightly, silently chanting, as if still in the schoolhouse, facing those children with tender faces and clear eyes, giving his last lecture to the students who would call him "Mr. Qi."
Stars moved in sequence, sun and moon rotated in turn, the four seasons followed each other, yin and yang underwent great transformation, wind and rain spread widely—all things achieved harmony through these and were born, achieved nurture through these and were completed...
In that village school without children, the blue-robed Confucian scholar with frosted temples had hair pure white. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, his face a blur of blood and flesh.
In the end.
His soul and spirit shattered, insufficient to support his body. He fell like a porcelain piece heavily thrown to the ground, but the shattering was silent, like a spring breeze that came and went.
It seemed from beginning to end, the Confucian scholar never fought back, only defended.
Was his Dao method not high enough?
He had quietly broken into the Fourteen Realm, possessing three lifebound characters at the time.
Was his temperament too good?
Among the direct disciples of the Literary Sage lineage, the one with the best temperament was actually Zuo You, and the worst was this man.
He was the one who stepped on the Mountain Moving Ape of Zhengyang Mountain, the one who laughed and said he would flatten Zhengyang Mountain within sixty years.
The Third Celestial Master of the White Jade Capital, Lu Chen, actually changed color slightly. Several times he wanted to speak but stopped himself. In the end, he said nothing.
Chen Ping'an stood inside the pavilion, looking into the distance. "No need to pretend to feel guilty. I know you, Lu Chen—you're not afraid of this."
Lu Chen immediately returned to a calm expression, speaking flatly, "I shouldn't have lent out my Dao methods in a moment of anger."
And the blue-robed man, no longer the straw-sandal youth, was equally calm.
Because all emotions had been cut away, one by one.
The world had my Qi Jingchun. Two rounds of exhilaration.
But I could only meet one Mr. Qi.
Senior Brother Zuo You once said a sentence: "If reasoning had any use, what would I need to practice the sword for?"
So I must practice the sword!
So that on Middle Earth's Sui Mountain, I can tell Zhou You openly: I, Chen Ping'an, will become a Fourteen Realm pure sword cultivator.
This life of mine, traveling across mountains and rivers with such difficulty, must not be just about survival, must not be just about staying alive.
So I must learn fist techniques!
Only then could Chen Ping'an, in that strange place, face that strange existence and say, "I will be one realm higher than you in fist techniques."
The White Jade Capital had five cities and twelve towers. The Tower of Purple Mist's master, Jiang Zhaomo, whose Daoist title was "Chuixiang" (Suspended Omens), was reputed to have the highest swordsmanship after the Second Celestial Master Yu Dou, while also practicing martial arts.
The other old city lord who excelled in thunder techniques was Pang Ding, whose Daoist title was "Xuxin" (Humble Heart). Extremely senior, with a very long Daoist age, he was considered the number one in thunder techniques under the Azure Heaven realm, while also excelling in the five-element arts—both at ultimate levels.
And these two were both in Dao Second Yu Dou's faction.
This scroll of time imagery was something Chen Ping'an was destined not to see before breaking into the Fourteen Realm.
Moreover, regarding the matter of re-examining this scroll, even Lu Chen had been kept in the dark.
It seemed that Chen Ping'an had begun to study the Yin-Yang School's calculations very early on.
In fact, that was true. Many years ago, he had told the Sword Bearer that he might learn some Yin-Yang calculations in the future.
Thinking back to that time, when he first met a certain sword-wielding traveler wearing a bamboo hat and leading a donkey, the straw-sandal youth had had a conversation with him.
The youth said, "Some revenge must be taken. As long as I haven't taken it, if I live a hundred years, I will remember it for ninety-six years!"
That swordsman laughed and asked, "What about those four years—did you eat them?"
The youth answered solemnly, "Before I was five, I had my parents and didn't understand things. That doesn't count."
Chen Ping'an looked up at the sky.
If the great is not proper, then the small is not respectful. Jiang Zhaomo and Pang Ding—when I, Chen Ping'an, arrive at the Azure Heaven realm, you two should be careful when walking on dark roads. If you capsize in a gutter and die there, your grave will be your coffin.
Thus, inside that "Former Site of the Duke Lü's Shrine," the three empty coffins in that small building were Chen Ping'an's message to Lu Chen.
Three coffins: one for Jiang Zhaomo, one for Pang Ding, one for Yu Dou.
As long as you, Lu Chen, don't lie down in one yourself, it has nothing to do with you.
Lu Chen stood up and smiled. "I understand. After this parting, the mountains and rivers stretch far. You and I each... how did it go?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Each will do as we please."