Chapter 949: Making Way
Li Er brought his wife and daughter, following his son-in-law Han Chengjiang, to visit the Hualing Dynasty in the north of Northern Juzhou. This was the first formal visit to relatives since the two families had become connected by marriage.
From the moment the woman stepped down from the carriage, in that place called Qiaozi Alley, which was wider than a main street, until she saw the mansion of her son-in-law's family, even before crossing that high threshold, she began to feel restless and uneasy, not knowing where to put her hands.
Her son-in-law had previously explained the origin of Qiaozi Alley—something about the catalpa tree rising high and the mulberry tree bending low, along with some principles. The woman didn't understand and didn't pay much attention. But when she heard that the entire alley belonged to the Han family and that, according to the Han ancestral teachings, the family could not be divided, she was astounded. Her son-in-law's family was too wealthy. An entire alley like this, all surnamed Han? Just the cost of food for a year alone must be no small amount!
Just the large gold plaque at the entrance, along with the two white jade lions that were taller than a person even when crouching, had already given the woman a solid intimidation. When she entered the residence, winding and turning, she became dizzy. Along the way, there wasn't a single bit of chicken or dog droppings, and she didn't even dare to spit. The woman fiercely pinched her husband's waist. The man turned his head, grinned, and reached out to take her hand, but she quickly slapped it away. Old married couple, and still not ashamed. If one of those scholars here saw it, they would look down on their Huai'er. What then?
The woman could only lightly pinch her own arm. It hurt. It wasn't a dream.
Earlier, when she had brought her daughter and son-in-law back to their hometown town, also visiting relatives, the woman dared to complain about the cooking skills of the aunt in charge of the kitchen. But now, at her son-in-law's home, she hardly dared to breathe.
The woman had long known that her son-in-law came from a good background, a so-called wealthy family, a scholarly lineage. But how could she have imagined that her son-in-law's threshold would be so high? Something she wouldn't even dare to dream about.
Her daughter was now married, still the same, quiet and dull. Li Liu had been like this since childhood, not very outgoing. No help for it, her temperament took after her father. Fortunately, the daughter's appearance and figure took after her mother; otherwise, she might have become an old maid.
As for her man, usually you wouldn't notice it, with his poker-faced, taciturn demeanor. But unexpectedly, at a critical moment, he could hold his ground. He didn't flinch when meeting anyone, didn't say much, just put on a stern face and nodded. He was indeed more composed than she was. This calmed the woman a little, but she couldn't help whispering a reminder to him: "Li Er, just like that, say as little as possible. Just don't embarrass Huai'er, or I'll really get upset with you. You'll sleep on the floor tonight."
Li Er grinned and nodded.
The woman quickly glared at him. "Country bumpkin."
Han Chengjiang quickly said with a smile, "Mother-in-law, don't be so formal. Treat it like your own home."
In truth, the mother-in-law was nervous, but Han Chengjiang was even more nervous; he just didn't show it on his face. He was afraid that the complicated formalities of the clan would make his wife's family of three uncomfortable.
So on the way back to his hometown, Han Chengjiang had sent two letters home to Qiaozi Alley in Jiang County, reminding his family not to be lacking in propriety and, at the same time, not to make a big fuss. If his grandfather hadn't personally replied to a letter, reassuring his grandson, Han Chengjiang might have written another one.
The woman's voice was as faint as a mosquito's, and she said cautiously, "Chengjiang, I heard you're the eldest son and eldest grandson, with a big family and great enterprise, so there must be many rules. Our family is different—a small household, used to poverty. Liu'er is a quiet one, and I'm afraid she'll embarrass you."
In their hometown of Huaihuang County and the town at the foot of Lion Peak, if a family had even a few more members, there would be quarrels and fights. For a high and mighty family like the Han, wouldn't they be at each other's throats?
After staying in the Han mansion for a few days, the woman's pride was that her son Li Huai was a sage of Cliff Academy in Great Sui.
But when she arrived here, she learned that in her son-in-law's family, there were too many vice-principals, gentlemen, and sages to count on both hands.
The woman simply couldn't stay any longer; she wasn't used to it, afraid of making mistakes, of losing face. During the family banquet, when eating and picking up dishes, she didn't even know where to put her chopsticks.
Fortunately, Han Chengjiang's grandfather, Old Master Han, was very approachable. He used to be an official in the capital, but due to old age, he had retired and returned to his hometown. At the banquet, he didn't put on any airs of a high official. It almost gave the woman a strange feeling: Could it be that your Han family of Qiaozi Alley owes our family money?
She heard that Han Chengjiang's parents were currently on their way to Jiang County, because Han Chengjiang's father was also a capital official and needed to ask for leave from the court to return home.
Han Chengjiang's father was the current Grand Secretary of the Hualing Dynasty.
And this Old Master Han happened to be the previous Grand Secretary, who had served as the chief minister of the country for nearly forty years, an undisputed leader of all officials.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War of the Hualing Dynasty had always been either surnamed Han or disciples of the Martial Dominance Han clan.
The woman thought that after meeting the in-laws, she would go early to the town at the foot of Lion Peak and their shop there. That place was more comfortable—you could hear roosters crowing and dogs barking, and if you spoke loudly, who cared?
Not like here, where the maids and servants didn't make a sound when walking. Even the little children, when they saw them in the mansion, would all imitate the scholars and bow. I suppose that's what they call cultured and polite.
In a study with underfloor heating, Old Master Han, who was nearly a hundred years old but still hale and hearty, looked at his grandson and granddaughter-in-law with a kind smile, very pleased.
Han Chengjiang was actually a lower-fifth-realm Qi refiner, having stumbled onto the path of cultivation by accident. He had no ambition in that direction, practicing sporadically, and had never been interested in the so-called Dao of immortality.
Old Master Han's expression was cordial as he looked at the seemingly gentle and fragile woman and asked with a smile, "Are you getting used to living here?"
Li Liu smiled and said, "I'm fine, but my mother isn't quite used to it."
Old Master Han nodded and smiled. "No matter. Outside the county town, the Han family has a forest estate. Later, let Chengjiang take you there to stay. It's no different from the countryside."
Li Liu thanked him.
As the head of the Martial Dominance Han clan, Old Master Han's information was, of course, very well-informed. Moreover, Li Er and the people at Lion Peak hadn't hidden much, so he had a good understanding of this family's background.
Li Er of Lion Peak was a Stop-Bound martial artist. Actually, he wasn't a native of Northern Juzhou but came from the Gourd Cavern Heaven of Precious Vase Continent. However, not many mountain immortals in Northern Juzhou knew this yet.
He had heard that the old scoundrel Wang Fu su had once gone to the foot of Lion Peak and taken a beating from Li Er. Later, at the Wenmiao discussion at Mandarin Duck Isle, where Stop-Bound and Peak martial artists gathered to fish, Wang Fu su had apparently said something about Li Er's boxing technique: it was actually average, not heavy.
The Hualing Dynasty in Northern Juzhou was similar to the Dayuan Lu clan dynasty in the central region—one of the few powerful countries, with national strength at its peak, and one of the few dynasties where the government could control the mountain immortal mansions. This was in Northern Juzhou, after all. And the Martial Dominance Han clan, whose ancestral hall was located in Jiang County of Quwo Commandery, had always had the nickname "Supreme Emperor" in the Hualing Dynasty. In history, there were more than a hundred people with posthumous titles of "Civil" and "Martial," and a considerable number of Han clan sages enjoyed sacrifices in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
But as the eldest grandson of the Han clan, Han Chengjiang, who was already forty years old, had achieved nothing in the government. He had only served as a Director of the Ministry of Rites, then edited books for five or six years, and a few years ago he simply resigned from office.
Previously, when the Hualing Dynasty was compiling a massive magnum opus, the Hanlin Academy's Expositor-in-Waiting, who served as the chief editor, recommended Han Chengjiang as the general editor.
Old Master Han asked, "What are you doing now?"
In recent years, Han Chengjiang had been traveling extensively, and grandfather and grandson had met only rarely.
Han Chengjiang sat upright and answered respectfully, "I am compiling two books, tentatively titled 'A Miscellany of Hundred Schools' and 'A Collection of Admonitions and Linked Maxims.'"
Han Chengjiang read widely and eclectically. He categorized and transcribed prefaces, postscripts, imperial edicts, biographies, codes, sacrificial texts, memorials, etc., from his reading. Whenever he encountered a sage's fine words or aphorisms, regardless of past or present, he jotted them down. He then extracted these sentences separately and classified them into ten categories such as scholarship, self-cultivation, worldly affairs, and literary elegance, arranging them in clear order and binding them into volumes.
Old Master Han smiled and nodded. "That would be similar to the 'Classic Prose Selections' by the two Wu brothers and Lu Xiangke's 'Sword Sweeping the Drunken Ancient Hall.'"
Han Chengjiang said, "I'm just picking up crumbs from others."
Old Master Han waved his hand. "If these two books are done well, they will not fail to be a raft for self-improvement and helping others, a ladder for aspiring to sages and worthies. Later, show me the draft, and I'll help you review it. If they can be published, remember to use a pseudonym."
Han Chengjiang agreed.
The old man suddenly smiled and said, "Li Liu, Chengjiang writes a beautiful hand. What about the Spring Festival couplets at the ancestral home in Huaihuang County?"
Han Chengjiang's calligraphy was indeed extremely accomplished and deeply favored by the current emperor. Hence, whenever the Hualing Dynasty had imperial steles or tablets, Han Chengjiang was always asked to write them. Before he became the general editor, even the name of the emperor's study was written by Han Chengjiang.
Han Chengjiang was recognized as a child prodigy. At the age of twenty, he achieved the top rank of the second-class graduates. It was rumored that this was because the Han Grand Secretary had voluntarily asked the emperor to lower his eldest son Han Chengjiang's ranking in the palace examination, citing the reason that "the son of an official should not take precedence over poor scholars from across the land." Therefore, when Han Chengjiang's father returned to his hometown for ancestral worship and needed to meet his in-laws, the emperor bestowed a jade ruyi, symbolizing "may everything go smoothly on this journey out of the capital," and also presented over a hundred rare books from the imperial library, specially for Han Chengjiang.
Li Liu smiled and said, "The Spring Festival couplets and the 'Fu' character were all written by my little brother."
She spoke without restraint, straightforward.
Old Master Han was momentarily speechless upon hearing this.
Han Chengjiang saw the rare expression on his grandfather's face and suppressed a laugh.
Li Liu glanced at the plaque in the study. It read "Shame-Free Study."
It was taken from the second sage Mencius's saying: "Looking up, I am not ashamed before Heaven; looking down, I am not ashamed before men." It also echoed Qiaozi Alley outside the door.
On the wall hung a couplet in vigorous calligraphy:
"When the wind comes, the sea stands up; there is dragon aura within the sword scabbard."
"Clouds embrace the mountain as it moves; beyond the wine cup, all is feather-light."
Han Chengjiang said softly with a smile, "Grandfather actually doesn't like drinking; he just likes this couplet."
Grandfather had also served on the battlefield in his youth, spending more than a decade in military life. He was a famous Confucian general.
Later, as the former Grand Secretary, he had a peculiar saying in officialdom:
"My friends are mostly young people you don't know."
The old man sighed emotionally. "Lion Peak is a good place for cultivation. I only went there once when I was young. Such famous mountain Daoist sites, if you stay there long, it's not only a geomantic treasure for cultivators, but it can also broaden the mind of scholars, most inspiring the aspiration to emulate sages and benefit oneself and others."
The mountain master of Lion Peak, a long-renowned old Nascent Soul cultivator, was also a very close friend of Zhou Mi, the former head of the Yufu Academy.
The old man suddenly asked a question that outsiders would find extremely surprising: "May I ask, what did you see in Chengjiang?"
Li Liu answered directly, "It's a matter of the mountains. There are both past grievances and past fate that need to be clearly settled in this life."
Her marriage to Han Chengjiang had only been celebrated with a wedding banquet in the small town at the foot of Lion Peak. No one from the Han family had shown up.
Han Chengjiang and the Martial Dominance Han clan had been quite accommodating.
Han Chengjiang's two previous incarnations in the Central Earth Divine Continent and the Liuxia Continent had had considerable dealings with Li Liu, who had undergone multiple reincarnations with memory intact.
Back then, Old Man Yang had arranged for Li Er's family of three to leave the small town and move to Northern Juzhou. On that journey, Han Chengjiang, who was traveling, happened to meet Li Liu, and they went to Lion Peak together.
It seemed like a fate ordained by heaven.
Li Liu, however, knew very well that it was Old Man Yang's doing, entrusted to Cai Daohuang. He had opened the marriage registry in the engagement shop, written names, and tied the red thread.
In exchange, Old Man Yang had given Hu Feng a chance, allowing him to ascend the mountain to cultivate.
But the golden cicada shell that contained a cave heaven was just something Li Huai had done casually.
Old Master Han was momentarily lost for words. After a hesitation, he still asked, "Li Liu, what is your current realm?"
Li Liu said, "Immortal realm."
Old Master Han looked at Han Chengjiang, who seemed to be hearing this for the first time but had a completely indifferent expression. A broad mind brings many blessings; that was true.
Earlier, when Han Chengjiang accompanied Li Liu back to her hometown to visit relatives, he did the work of carrying water and chopping wood, ate simple meals, and was only terrified by his friend Liu Xianyang, who deliberately portrayed Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing as little tyrants who loved to bag people and beat them up.
He had attended the celebration of the founding of Fallen Mountain, and even drank with that Mountain Lord Chen, who had descended the mountain to visit. The other's drinking capacity was too great; he couldn't keep up.
Old Master Han was silent for a long time. He withdrew his hand from his sleeve, raised it slightly, and asked softly, "Is there hope of rising to a higher realm?"
Li Liu nodded. "At most a hundred years, it is inevitable."
Old Master Han fell silent again.
Currently, in our Northern Juzhou, there seems to be only one Flying Ascension realm cultivator.
Fire Dragon True Man of Prostrate Peak.
The old man smiled and said, "Those who achieve unparalleled merit and still preserve their late reputation and posthumous name are few. Li Liu, I entrust Chengjiang to you from now on."
The matter of merit overshadowing the ruler has always been a peril that ancient people could not avoid on the path to nobility and high office.
Li Liu nodded. "No problem."
The old man asked curiously, "I heard that that Chen Hidden Officer is also from the Gourd Cavern Heaven and seems to be very young. How old is he exactly?"
Li Liu said, "A little over forty."
The old man hesitated, then asked, "May I ask about the realm of Chen Hidden Officer?"
According to previous accounts, as one of the ten young men of several heavens, Chen Shiyi of the Sword Qi Great Wall was a Jade Pu realm sword cultivator and a Peak realm martial artist.
Li Liu thought for a moment and shook her head. "Hard to say."
---
Red Candle Town, the bookshop in the small alley.
A stocky, dull-looking man came in and looked at the black-clad youth lazily lying in a rattan chair. "I'm here to buy books."
Li Jin, the water god of the Chongdan River, immediately sat up and smiled. "Rare guest, rare guest. How unusual."
Back then, this fellow had made an exorbitant demand, directly asking Great Li for the position of a prefectural city god. If only given the title of a county city god, he would stay put in his humble land god temple at Mantou Mountain and not move.
Promotions in the landscape officialdom were like radishes in a hole—each in its place. It was even harder than filling vacancies in the imperial court. But Great Li's court actually agreed to it.
Once upon a time, a young man of only twenty had helped the founding emperor of the Divine Water Kingdom conquer nearly half the vast territory in less than ten years.
He had almost unified the ancient Shu region. At that time, the Divine Water Kingdom had a vast territory, encompassing present-day Great Sui and Huangting Kingdom, and even some of the border prefectures of the Lu clan dynasty, which was the suzerain state of the Great Li Song clan and located at the northern end of Precious Vase Continent.
A famous general, a founding hero.
He retired at the height of his success, when he was not yet forty.
However, this person's name was nothing special: Zhang Ping.
There were several people called Zhang Ping in Red Candle Town now.
At the first Night Parade Banquet at the North Sacred Mountain of Great Li, Piyun Mountain, the only landscape god within the jurisdiction who did not attend was this humble land god of Mantou Mountain.
Outsiders guessed it was because his rank was too low and he hadn't been invited. But in fact, the first batch of invitations from the Mountain Lord's mansion, personally written by Wei Po, were sent to this Zhang Ping.
And Wei Po had once been the Grand Mountain Lord of the Divine Water Kingdom. But by then, the Divine Water Kingdom had been continuously losing territory, its borders shrinking drastically.
After the Great Li Song clan established their state, they repeatedly demoted Wei Po, a remnant of the fallen kingdom, from the Grand Mountain Lord of the Five Sacred Mountains of a great dynasty down to the land god of Qidun Mountain.
This was a completely different fate from that of the mountain lord Jin Qing of the old Zhuying Dynasty. No wonder the two Grand Mountain Lords were famously disdainful of each other.
This prefectural city god asked, "Do you have any military books?"
Li Jin pointed to a bookshelf. "They're all over there."
Zhang Ping walked to the bookshelf, scanned a few titles, and pulled out a well-printed edition of "Twenty-Seven Histories and Biographies of a Hundred Generals," which contained biographies of famous generals from various dynasties in the Central Earth Divine Continent. The man casually flipped through a few pages, then put it back and took out another one, as if he had found the biography of a certain famous general he wanted to browse. He tucked the book into his sleeve, turned, and asked, "How much?"
Li Jin smiled. "For once, no charge. Consider it a gift."
Zhang Ping didn't bother with polite formalities and turned to leave.
Li Jin waved. "Stay and chat a bit more. If I'm not mistaken, this is your first time at the bookshop?"
Zhang Ping stopped and asked, "What's the matter?"
Earlier, the landscape aura at the Red Candle Town bookshop had been quite significant, and even the prefectural city god temple had detected the anomaly.
Li Jin smiled. "Earlier, the steward of Fallen Mountain gave me two paintings. Mountain Lord Chen came here not long ago and helped with the gold tracing and affixed his personal seal."
Zhang Ping nodded. "Congratulations."
"Withdraw after achieving success—that is the way of heaven."
Li Jin shook his head and laughed. "You, the descendent of a military strategist, sound more like a Daoist Qi refiner."
Just like that collection of biographies of famous generals, one of whom was a god of slaughter that Zhang Ping greatly admired, surnamed Bai.
Throughout the Martial Temples of the Haoran World, they were built following the rites of the Civil Temples.
At the county and commandery levels, only portraits of the Ten Philosophers of the Martial Temple were hung. At the prefectural level, if funds were insufficient, portraits were used; if there were funds, statues of the ten in the main hall were created.
In the capitals and secondary capitals of various countries, they were divided into the ten in the main hall and the sixty-two in the two corridors, all enjoying the incense of the world.
It was said that at the mansion of the Second Sage in the Central Earth, there was a black lacquered gate with red edges, inlaid with lion motifs. After passing the screen wall, there was the ceremonial gate, on each side of which hung two life-sized colored paintings of door gods, a total of four accompanying sages from the Martial Temple, who were four of the "Flawless Martial Arts" Ten Philosophers.
Li Jin smiled. "That one you admire—his killing nature is too heavy, his methods too cruel."
Zhang Ping said calmly, "I am not even worthy to hold the reins of his horse. As for you, don't make rash comments."
The seventy-two generals of the Martial Temple, with ten in the main hall and sixty-two in the two corridors, differed from the rarely changing Civil Temple. The Martial Temple often saw the replacement of spirit tablets, quite frequently. Generally speaking, the replacement of portraits, statues, and spirit tablets of the accompanying candidates didn't cause much dissent in the Haoran World. There was one exception: a person who had been enshrined for a very long time, originally one of the Ten Philosophers as deputy sacrifices in the Martial Temple, but whose status had been reduced again and again over the generations. First, he was removed from the main hall to one of the two corridors, then his rank kept dropping, until he almost lost his qualification to accompany in the two corridors. Now, in the Martial Temple, he was only listed among the fourth-class famous generals.
Precious Vase Continent was a small place. In history, only one military officer had been selected for the Martial Temple, but the period of accompanying sacrifice was extremely short. He was quickly removed, replaced by a famous general from another continent.
As a result, later generations in Precious Vase Continent had no knowledge that such a page existed in the old almanac of military strategists.
And this person was Zhang Ping of the Divine Water Kingdom.
Li Jin asked with a smile, "What about that little one who depends on you?"
Zhang Ping glanced toward the Mantou Mountain land god temple and said irritably, "That little brat has gone to clock in again."
Li Jin couldn't help laughing. "That's also a considerable good fortune."
About two hundred li west of Red Candle Town, there was a vast expanse of water with calm currents. In the middle of the river stood a solitary small hill, commonly known as Mantou Mountain. On it was a land god temple with decent incense offerings.
Now that Zhang Ping had made it big, this historic land god temple hadn't been abandoned. Although the main spirit's golden body had been moved to the prefectural city god temple, it was like an official being transferred down; they had hired a caretaker, renovated the guest rooms, and, at the strong urging of the incense spirit, had spent some money to repaint and regild the clay statue here, making it look somewhat presentable.
A incense spirit, about the height of a palm, dressed in red robes and with a white jade belt, cursed under his breath: "Zhang Ping, you bastard! You brought me here, and then you just up and left without even taking me along!"
No matter what, he had finally made it through the hard times. He was successful now, well-off.
The red-robed boy suddenly stamped his foot, because he abruptly remembered something, then stood there dumbfounded. What to do, what to do? He had to clock in today! Was there still time?
He immediately performed a supernatural power, issuing a "dharma decree" that could barely be considered an order. In a moment, a three-foot-long green carp swam over, like a ferry boat docking.
The red-robed boy dashed forward with swift steps, leaped onto the back of the green carp, grabbed two of its barbels like holding reins, and cut through the waves. When he reached Red Candle Town, he hurriedly jumped ashore, bypassed the section of the river that was thick with the scent of cosmetics, where many merchants from Great Li who were traveling abroad were spending the New Year in various guild halls. The little guy ran all the way to Qidun Mountain. The incense spirit repeatedly stamped his feet and cast hand seals, and soon a land god popped up. This land god, currently the mountain god of Qidun Mountain, was nicknamed "Song Jintou." Like his city god, he was a stubborn stone in a stinky latrine. However, this land god under Mountain Lord Song was an old acquaintance of this second-in-command of the prefectural city god temple. When he saw the incense spirit, he immediately put on a flattering expression. Without even asking, he summoned a bucket-thick white snake. The red-robed boy thanked him, leaped onto the snake's back, grabbed two snake scales, and sped away like wind and lightning, heading straight for Fallen Mountain. All the while, he muttered, "I can make it, I can definitely make it. I can't break my streak! I'm about to reach a hundred clock-ins..."
When he arrived at the territory of Fallen Mountain, he let the white snake go. The red-robed boy dashed headlong, his little legs swinging furiously like cartwheels.
The little guy rushed to the mountain gate in a panic. It was the middle of the night, and he didn't see the gatekeeper, Xian Wei.
The gatekeeper at Fallen Mountain had been, early on, the humorous Dafeng brothers; later, Cao Qinglang and Yuan Bao, who only read serious books; then the Right Protector, who had keen insight and great talent for recognizing people and had greatly appreciated him. But now it had changed to the young Daoist.
He looked around, gritted his teeth, and lay down, squeezing through the gap under the door of the house. At the door of the room, the red-robed boy jumped up, pounded on the door, and shouted, "Xian Wei, Xian Wei! Sleeping so early? Sleep my ass! Get up! New Year's Eve, and you dare not keep vigil? Don't you know the rules..."
The little guy knocked for a long time, then said weakly and miserably, "Daoist Xian Wei, open the door, please. I know you're not asleep—there's light in the room. Please, I'm sincere!"
He tried to lie down and crawl through the crack under the door, but unlike the main gate, this one gave him a headache when he tried to squeeze in. He couldn't get through. The little guy stood up, his eyes blank, beating his chest and stamping his feet, then sat on the ground and started to wail. What a miserable fate.
If worst came to worst, he could go up the mountain to find Nuanshu; she would definitely be keeping vigil tonight, and she was on the first floor of the bamboo building.
The only problem was whether his scrawny little legs could make it in time.
With a creak, Xian Wei opened the door, holding a rolled-up book in his hand. He crouched down and said with a grin, "So you finally learned to call me 'Daoist Xian Wei.' Tell me, what do you want, sneaking up here in the dead of night?"
The little guy straightened his back, put his hands on his hips, raised his head high, and said angrily, "What do I want? What else? I came here to clock in on time!"
"Damn it, at the city god temple, a whole bunch of official colleagues from the government came to my place to ask about the New Year's Eve meal. Don't you know? Zhang Ping is an unreliable guy, a useless fool who doesn't understand human relations at all. I had to help entertain the guests! I accidentally drank too much. Then I went to Mantou Mountain. It was quite a run, nearly killed me."
Xian Wei then remembered that this incense spirit did indeed need to come to Fallen Mountain to clock in today.
He really treated Fallen Mountain like a government office.
But the little guy was sincerely devoted.
Xian Wei turned and walked into the room. The little guy dashed over, jumped onto the edge of the brazier, and crouched to warm himself. For the red-robed boy, the fire basin was like a small volcano.
The little guy complained, "Where are the zongzi? Where are the taro sticks? Nothing at all! Xian Wei, I'm not telling you, but how did you become so shabby? Did the old cook dock your pay?"
Xian Wei ignored him. He took a small booklet from the desk drawer. It had been left here by Xiaomili, palm-sized, with dates marked on each page. The incense spirit was supposed to make a circle each time he clocked in.
The red-robed boy ordered, "Hurry up, what are you standing there for? Prepare the brush and ink! With your level of understanding and observation, if you were in officialdom, you'd be eating dust."
Xian Wei rolled his eyes at the little guy. He bent down, picked up a piece of charcoal from the brazier, and casually threw it on the edge of the brazier. The little guy had to scrape off a small piece of charcoal to use as a pen. With a serious expression, he made a circle on the booklet, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Xian Wei tossed the booklet back onto the table, only to get another scolding. He was used to it.
Xian Wei sat on a small bamboo chair and asked curiously, "I've never asked: clocking in so regularly every half month—what exactly are you aiming for?"
The little guy came from the Chuzhou City God Temple. That city god's official rank in the landscape bureaucracy was not low. Zhang Ping, as the head prefectural city god, governed all the city god temples at the commandery and county levels, as well as all the land gods and land goddesses. This red-robed boy—
The incense spirit gave the young Daoist a sidelong glance as if looking at an idiot. "When I've clocked in enough times, I can follow the proper procedure and get promoted step by step! A true man should not be content to languish under someone else!"
By some strange twist of fate, perhaps because the time wasn't right, he still hadn't met Mountain Lord Chen. According to what Pei Duzhu said, after clocking in a hundred times at the mountain gate, when he later saw the mountain lord, he could take the initiative to greet him.
Xian Wei was amused. "Promotion? How high an official rank?"
The little guy was startled, scratched his face, and immediately lowered his voice: "Anyway, our Pei Duzhu and Protector Zhou have it all figured out in their minds. I don't know. I never ask about these things; it wouldn't seem sincere."
Back then, he had replaced Zhou Mili as the Right Protector of Qilong Alley.
And privately, according to our Protector Zhou, in the future, Pei Qian might establish the position of Chief Protector of Qilong Alley, which would naturally fall upon him. Such a heavy burden, I'll take it!
Over the years, their secret little faction had held only one "Ancestral Hall" meeting.
This martial arts assembly was grand and extremely solemn. It was held on the square outside the Ancestral Hall at Jise Peak of Fallen Mountain. There was a table, four benches, and the table was laden with fruits and snacks.
The Longquan Commandery Headquarters had expanded terrifyingly, now governing two sub-sects: the Donghua Mountain Sub-Sect and the Qilong Alley Sub-Sect.
And that headquarters' alliance leader token had been handed over by the former martial arts alliance leader and headquarters leader, Li Baoping, to Pei Qian.
Pei Qian was now the sub-sect leader of Donghua Mountain Sub-Sect, concurrently serving as the sub-sect leader of Qilong Alley Sub-Sect. Holding two posts, she was powerful and prominent.
After Zhou Mili stepped down as the Right Protector of Qilong Alley, she was smoothly promoted to Vice Sub-Sect Leader of Qilong Alley Sub-Sect. A big official now!
As for the sub-sect's honored elders, there were Chen Nuanshu and Chen Lingjun.
Under the Donghua Mountain Sub-Sect, there was also a certain small school sub-sect, with the small sub-sect leader Li Huai, who managed two little underlings: Liu Guan and Ma Lian, who were in the same school as Li Huai at Cliff Academy.
At that grand martial arts assembly, the incense spirit from the city god temple, who had no merit but plenty of toil, was promoted to Right Protector of Qilong Alley and was allowed by Sub-Sect Leader Pei Qian to sit at the table during the meeting as a special exception.
The headquarters leader Li Baoping, as well as the honorary sub-sect leader of Qilong Alley Sub-Sect, the great white goose Cui Dongshan, were both absent from the meeting.
As a result, the great white goose was immediately given a demerit on the spot by Sub-Sect Leader Pei Qian, who was decisive in killing and ruthless even to close relatives.
As for that Left Protector of Qilong Alley, heh, he was having a tough time, forced to lie under the bench beside the table.
The red-robed boy said, "Give me some melon seeds to crack."
Xian Wei shelled a melon seed and placed it on the edge of the brazier.
The red-robed boy nodded approvingly. "Xian Wei, let me speak frankly from the heart: someday when I get promoted, I'll strongly recommend to Pei Duzhu and Protector Zhou that the vacant position of Right Protector of Qilong Alley should be no one else but you."
Xian Wei chuckled. "Should I thank you, or should I thank you?"
---
Mountain Lord Jin Qing secretly left the Mountain Lord's mansion and went to the Huangshan Sword Sect to find the sword cultivator Yuan Bai.
Yuan Bai joked, "Are you asking me to be a vassal serving three masters?"
Jin Qing said, "I think you should consider it carefully."
Yuan Bai hesitated, then still shook his head. "Regardless of who the first mountain lord of the Huangzhu Sword Sect is, and regardless of whether it can be promoted to a sect in the future, I still hope to stay here."
"Fallen Mountain's subordinate sect, the Qingping Sword Sect at Xiandu Mountain, will be the first sword dao sect on Tongye Continent."
Jin Qing continued to persuade, "Chen Ping'an thinks highly of you. It's not about your sword dao realm, nor your identity, but simply the mutual admiration between sword cultivators."
Seeing that Yuan Bai smiled without responding, Jin Qing said, "Don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that you would be useful to someone there. I just think that going there would be more comfortable for you than staying in this murky Huangshan Sword Sect."
In fact, according to the agreement with the young Hidden Officer, Jin Qing should have first confirmed the restoration of the Dugu clan on the bank of the Lin River in central Tongye Continent before coming to persuade Yuan Bai and poach from Zhengyang Mountain.
Yuan Bai still shook his head. "Forget it. I won't go to Tongye Continent."
Jin Qing nodded and asked, "Then should I send a flying sword message to Fallen Mountain?"
Yuan Bai smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Mountain Lord Jin."
---
South Pond Lake, Precious Vase Continent.
Lake Lord Qin held a white bowl with a single drop of water in it.
That tiny drop of water contained eighty percent of the water of the old South Pond Lake.
If Sword Immortal Shao Yunyan hadn't reminded her that it would be improper according to ritual, she would indeed have secretly built a kind of "family shrine" as a living hall, setting up a worship tablet to burn incense daily.
As a lake lord, according to the current rules of the Great Li court and the Central Earth Confucian Temple, she was permitted to establish a mansion, similar to a Core Formation earth immortal opening a peak. This female lake lord planned to request one ritual vessel from Guanhu Academy and Cliff Academy each, and also a copy of a work by a sage of the Confucian Temple.
Previously, at the young Hidden Officer's place, she had voluntarily given up that merit reward. Because it wasn't a transaction.
---
Northern Juzhou, the Mansion of the Great River Lord.
Lingyuan Duke Shen Lin spent the night crafting a plaque and hung it high, even higher than the Lingyuan Duke Mansion plaque.
It was called the Virtue Travel Palace.
In the night, Shen Lin stood outside his mansion gate, looked up at the plaque personally inscribed by the young Hidden Officer, and squinted with a smile.
It was taken from the phrase "The virtuous man travels in the company of Heaven."
Shen Lin smiled to himself and murmured, "The virtuous man travels in Heaven; autumn moon, cold river. Daily questions, monthly learning; the traveler longs for home."
---
Central Earth Divine Continent, the volcanic group believed to be the site of the Dao Ancestor's alchemy furnace.
In a small tavern, the wine-selling woman smiled slyly. "Ganzhou, do you want to recognize me as your master and learn immortal arts?"
The girl asked directly, "What's in it for me?"
Yang Zhi said, "I can teach you several water methods."
The girl frowned. "Your Qi refiners' techniques might not appeal to me. Even if they do, I might not be able to cultivate them."
This was the difference between gods and humans, divergent paths.
The woman laughed. "You can definitely cultivate them. Perhaps in the future, when you transform from turbid to clear and become a proper river god, you can continue cultivating all the way."
Old Mountain Lord Gong Xinzhou, according to the current golden jade registry of the Confucian Temple, had a rank of Sevens from the seventh grade, which was a pure official status in the landscape bureaucracy.
This Chaoliao River Granny, like the river earls and land gods, belonged to the lowest turbid current petty officials, inferior even to those county town gods who were at least of pure official origin.
There was no help for it. The young Hidden Officer had reminded her, and the old scholar had hinted as well.
If she didn't show some tact, Yang Zhi was afraid she might get put in a difficult position.
Moreover, Chen Ping'an had been accompanied by a "retainer" named Qing Tong, and it was said that now Xiao Mo was even this young Hidden Officer's personal death-defying guard.
The old scholar, who had been reinstated as the Literary Sage, had come together with Rite Sage.
The river granny asked, "For the ceremony of acknowledging a teacher, do I need to kneel and offer tea?"
Yang Zhi fanned a palm-leaf fan, smiled, and shook her head. "It's an unregistered master-disciple relationship. No need for that."
The river granny said generously, "Why not registered? Let's make it registered and get it all done at once."
Yang Zhi smiled, thought for a moment, and nodded. "That works too."
Afterward, the two drank a bowl of wine, and that was considered the ceremony of acknowledging a teacher and taking a disciple. Very simple and efficient, to Yang Zhi's liking.
Earlier, Yang Zhi had asked Chen Ping'an if he could communicate with the Confucian Temple to sound out whether she, like the barbarian Tao Ting or Xiao Mo, could move freely within the Haoran world. She could make a heart oath to the Confucian Temple, like Bai Ze, being nominally confined to a corner, saving face, and not making a big show of it whenever she traveled.
Unfortunately, Chen Ping'an hadn't given a clear answer at the time.
Although Rite Sage had personally visited afterward, Yang Zhi didn't dare to bring it up, fearing it would be seen as going too far.
As for Little Master's temper, Fei Fei and other barbarian juniors had only heard about it, but Yang Zhi had seen it with her own eyes.
You see, the first batch of "scholars" in the human world were no pushovers. And this Little Master, as one of the four candidates for the ancient "Ten Greats of the World," was even more... hard to describe. Anyway, back then, when the peak cultivators of the barbarian race saw this Little Master, they only had one thought: it wasn't just about taking a detour; it was "I shouldn't have left home at all."
After the river granny left the tavern, a Confucian academy gentleman with a jade pendant at his waist arrived. He didn't hide his presence and landed in front of the tavern.
The old mountain god Gong Xinzhou from the Fragrant Fir Mountain noticed the movement, glanced at the other's form, and thought, truly a handsome young man rarely seen within hundreds of li.
The academy gentleman got straight to the point: "Within a thousand years, without permission from the Confucian Temple, you are not allowed to go to Southern Brahmaloka Continent or Fuyao Continent. As for the other seven continents, you especially must not approach the three Guixu. If you break the agreement, you will be executed on the spot."
"But there is a prerequisite: you must immediately go to Tongye Continent."
"Mountain Lord Chen of Fallen Mountain will reserve a portion of the Yelu River's water transportation for you, but you must use it for digging the great river in Tongye Continent. That will be the price you pay to exchange for a thousand years of freedom."
Yang Zhi asked, "Is that all?"
The gentleman nodded. "If you agree, I will immediately send a message to the Confucian Temple to record this matter."
Yang Zhi hesitated. "Is it certain?"
The academy gentleman gave a wry smile. "This is a decision of the Confucian Temple. It's not a joke."
---
At the Grand Sacred Mountain Juxu, an old Daoist left the Millet Dream Wine Shop, mounted a green ox, and rose on clouds to head to his own Daoist sanctuary.
The green-ox-riding Daoist Feng Jun had made a decision. Mountain Lord Huai Lian was being unwise, but he himself had to be proper. After all, it was just a stick of incense. Adding a little glory, why not?
He could also take the opportunity to greet Daoist Chen and remind him that he was now cultivating at Juxu Mountain and was welcome to visit.
The old Daoist had left the Night Sailing Ship and returned to the subsidiary mountain of Juxu, the Bird Lift Mountain, to open a Daoist sanctuary. That was the governing seat of this True Person in ancient times.
At that time, the mountain lords and water gods of the world's five sacred mountains and great rivers were all assistant officials to this group of earth immortals and true persons. Simply put, a few thousand years ago, the current mountain lord Huai Lian was nominally under his jurisdiction.
Now, it was reversed.
---
Tongye Continent, the Demon-Suppressing Tower.
A group of people arrived at the top floor.
The Supreme Sage leaned on the railing, looking into the distance, and said with a smile, "In central Tongye Continent, the digging of the great river requires great cultivators to move mountains and overturn seas. Now that we have Yang Zhi and the Tender Daoist, plus Qing Tong's assistance, it will be twice the result with half the effort."
Chen Ping'an snapped back to attention and nodded. "I may need to discuss this with the East Sea Water Lord."
Just now, Chen Ping'an had split a wisp of his mind to organize books and texts.
Earlier, Mountain Lord Jin Qing had presented a collection of stele rubbings, a compilation of all cliff carvings, stele inscriptions, and rock carvings from the central mountain of the old Zhuying Dynasty, numbering over two thousand pieces.
The Ziyang Mansion of Huangting Kingdom, Wu Yi had presented a sword case. Besides containing an extremely rare sword pill called "Mud Pill," the case itself bore more than sixty Baolu truth proclamation characters, also extremely precious.
In the Qili Long Waters of Qiantang River, Chen Ping'an had borrowed poems and writings from various dynasties and literary figures, totaling 300,000 characters, winning through quantity.
The Supreme Sage looked into the distance. "A river of time is like two words."
Chen Ping'an said, "The present."
The Supreme Sage said softly with emotion, "In haste, one must be thus; in adversity, one must be thus."
Chen Ping'an said slowly, "If another can do it once, I do it a hundred times; if another can do it ten times, I do it a thousand times. That is all."
"The strong can think a little more, and the weak can think a lot less."
The Supreme Sage nodded, was silent for a moment, then asked with a smile, "I asked you earlier about reading, whether you have any particular likes or dislikes. Is there a single sentence that left the deepest impression?"
"Yes."
Chen Ping'an hummed and said quietly, "My family was poor, so I had no way to get books to read."
The Supreme Sage smiled knowingly. "That's a good thought. It was also the greatest feeling we 'scholars' had back then."
Concerning that "One" of Chen Ping'an's, among the several heavens now, apart from that ancient heavenly court ruin beyond the sky, fewer than ten people knew of it.
Then don't forget: even if Chen Ping'an was the new and old One, the One was still One.
Even if it was only half of the former supreme existence, roughly half to the one who ascended to heaven, Zhou Mi.
The Supreme Sage said, "Chen Ping'an, you must guard your heart gate. At least until you become a fourteenth-realm sword cultivator, it's best not to let him out. Pay special attention to one thing: never let him take the dominant position."
Chen Ping'an said solemnly, "I'll do my best!"
If we're talking about half a One of a fifteenth-realm cultivator, there's not much to fear.
But what about half of a sixteenth-realm?
The Supreme Sage stroked his beard and smiled. "Not only Lu Chen, but even I am afraid."
For instance, back then at Nitin Alley, there must have been such a person who made the Dao Ancestor make way.