Chapter 993: So Much Beauty in the Mountains

Chapter 993: So Much Beauty in the Mountains

Chen Ping'an smiled, picked up the book from the ground, and brushed off the dust.

As luck would have it, Cen Yuanji was practicing her walking-stance technique down the mountain, along with Zhu Lian and Wei Po, who brought Nuan Shu and Mi Li to the mountain gate archway. Chen Lingjun was even more emotional, tears streaming down his face as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Big Wind Brother!"

Chen Ping'an immediately tossed the book to Zheng Dafeng. Zheng Dafeng pushed it away with both hands, slapping it to Daoist Xianwei. Xianwei received it like a hot potato, quickly passing it on as if playing pass-the-parcel to the Old Cook.

Zhu Lian was initially bewildered. He only glanced at the cover—it seemed like a proper book. But without even needing the Old Cook to flip through the contents or examine it, just by looking at the book's condition, especially the many folded corners of the pages, the Old Cook knew something was off. With a calm expression, he pushed aside Chen Lingjun's leaning head and discreetly tucked the book into his bosom.

The group sat around a table. Nuan Shu was in charge of serving tea, Mi Li distributed melon seeds, and gave Zheng Dafeng an extra pack of dried fish as a welcome-back treat.

Even Cen Yuanji made an exception and stopped practicing her boxing to sit side by side with the two little girls. After all, Zheng Dafeng was the first gatekeeper of Luopo Mountain. Although his gaze was a bit off, he had never been handsy. The man had been away from home for many years and had now returned; out of both reason and courtesy, she should stop and take a seat.

Chen Lingjun sat on a long bench with Zheng Dafeng, taking one of Zheng Dafeng's hands and gently patting the back of it. "Big Wind, little brother has missed you."

This was not just empty politeness. When Zheng Dafeng was the gatekeeper, Chen Lingjun had a great time every day—it was truly a divine life. Daoist Xianwei was nowhere near as witty as Big Wind Brother.

Zhu Lian and Wei Po were, of course, extremely happy about Zheng Dafeng's return, but they didn't exchange too many pleasantries. They were old friends, kindred spirits—there was no need for that.

If you really counted, the first small faction within Luopo Mountain was actually the three of them, later joined by Chief Zhou, who shared their tastes.

The secrets of the bamboo building's registry lineage for Pei Qian and the others didn't include Chen Lingjun either. Who knew what Jingqing Patriarch, as imagined by Yunzi, had accomplished after all these years?

Zheng Dafeng looked up at Luopo Mountain. The man nodded slightly, quite pleased with himself. The green mountains bloomed like embroidered cheeks, as if they had become alluring for his return.

Then the man smiled and looked at Cen Yuanji, who was sitting across the table.

One look at Cen Sister and it was clear she was still unmarried. Could it be that she was infatuated, waiting for Big Wind Brother to come home?

Cen Yuanji nodded stiffly in greeting.

Zheng Dafeng smiled knowingly. Miss Cen was still reserved as ever, always pretending not to care around him.

Over the years, shuttling between the wine shop in Flying Ascension City and the Cold-Avoiding Palace, whenever he drank and missed home, he couldn't help but think of Cen Yuanji's boxing posture as she went up and down the mountain.

How moving it was—it could make a loyal man who had originally planned to remain chaste for life change his mind five or six times at a single glance.

Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "How did you get back?"

For a pure martial artist to travel to another world like a Flying Ascension realm Qi refiner, bare-handed and unable to control a lifebound object to clear the way, it required the Divine Arrival level of an Ultimate Realm martial artist.

Especially wanting to "wade through" the river of time without getting lost was indeed too harsh for a pure martial artist.

There was also another path: obtaining special approval from the Confucian Temple. For example, Zhao Yao, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice in Great Li, could do this because, besides being part of the Wen Sheng lineage, Zhao Yao could also be considered a nominal disciple of Bai Ye. Moreover, both Old Scholar and Bai Ye had jointly established merit in the "Primordial Beginning" of the Five-Colored World.

But Zheng Dafeng clearly didn't fit either of these paths.

"A wise man has his own tricks."

Zheng Dafeng smiled and took out a rare item glowing with treasure light from his sleeve. It was shaped like a jujube pit, about the length of a finger, but it didn't look like an ancient mountain relic.

Chen Ping'an took it in his hand, weighed it a few times, didn't find it heavy, and asked doubtfully, "Is it a shuttle used for weaving?"

Zheng Dafeng teased again, smacking his lips with a chuckle, "What eyesight does the Mountain Lord have? You only saw this thing as a weaving tool? Try pouring some spiritual energy into it."

When Chen Ping'an poured spiritual energy into the shuttle like water, the seemingly unremarkable object showed an anomaly. Within the fine wood grain of the shuttle, rainbow light flickered like arrows flying. If one held their breath and stared intently for a long time, occasionally they could see a pure white pony stepping on the flying rainbow light, like a bird flitting among branches. The white pony ignored the "riverbed" constraints of the wood grain, freely shuttling between warp and weft lines. What a saying: sun and moon like shuttles, time like arrows, a white pony passing a gap, oxen and donkeys bustling on the bridge. Could it be a talisman token that ignored the rules of the Great Way and freely traversed the river of time?

When Zheng Dafeng left home earlier, he had an agreement with Old Man Yang about when and how to return to the Haoran World.

Zheng Dafeng began to blow his own trumpet. He lightly slapped the table with his palm and started acting like a storyteller. "In ancient times, north of Chuzhou in the old Yuzhou, there were frequent thunderstorms during the day. Over time, they formed a great marsh, and the water contained the true essence of lightning and thunder. Later, an unknown scattered immortal took a boat on the Thunder Marsh, cast a net to fish, and inadvertently fished up a shuttle. When the shuttle emerged from the water and appeared in the world, a thunderbolt struck in the clear sky, and a sudden thunderstorm arrived. The shuttle turned into a dragon and fled, turning into a rainbow and flying far away, its whereabouts unknown. Legend has it that this object has a great origin. It was once from the Five Thunder Academy—one of the three departments of the ancient Thunder Ministry—specifically used to drive mountains and move lakes, blow seas and stir waves, raise and lower yin and yang. In particular, this object was one of the important tokens for suppressing land floods, drought demons, and rebellious flood dragons that overstepped their bounds."

Chen Ping'an nodded upon hearing this. In ancient Shu, the night was often rainy, and the water connected to the sea air. Therefore, the wine in the gourd that Pure Yang Daoist hung at his waist was brewed from the water of Chongdan River, known for its strong water nature. Moreover, in the Yuzhou region, there were frequent thunderstorms during the day, terrifying thousands of flood dragons.

Zheng Dafeng encouraged, "Brother Jingqing, don't you want to touch such a priceless rarity?"

Because at the moment, Chen Ping'an deliberately confined the thunderous power within his palm, preventing it from spilling out. Otherwise, dragon-kind like Chen Lingjun and Hong Xia, who were close to water in the Great Way, would only need to glance at it, and like ordinary people staring at the blazing sun for a long time, it would really hurt their eyes and fill their faces with tears.

Chen Lingjun was eager to try, but caution is the parent of safety. He laughed, "Do you think I'm a fool? With such an origin and you making it sound so mysterious, it's definitely too hot to handle."

Mi Li said, "The kids in the small town often play a game of hitting flying shuttles."

Back then, when Pei Qian went to the private school, she, as the Right Protector of Qilong Lane, often waited at the school gate with the Left Protector, one on each side like door gods, waiting for Pei Qian to finish school.

On the way back to Qilong Lane, they often saw children gathered in the streets and alleys, holding long wooden sticks and hitting one end of a short shuttle on the ground. The shuttle would fly into the air, and then they would hit it again with the stick. Whoever's shuttle flew the farthest won. Often, children with good eyesight and strength could win more than a dozen shuttles as bets. After all, even a badminton shuttlecock required a few copper coins to be attached to a coin, but short shuttles were made of the most common wood, worthless, so every household's children had them. Pei Qian once had a large pile of shuttles, all carved from wood by the shopkeeper Shi Rou. At that time, her only playmate was Mi Li, so when they played, whenever the shuttle flew far away, they would have the Left Protector of Qilong Lane retrieve it in his mouth. Occasionally, Pei Qian would play tricks, waiting for the right moment and lightly shouting, "Go!" to precisely knock the wooden shuttle into a roadside latrine. It was actually clear that the Left Protector of Qilong Lane had long awakened and could take shape. At that time, his feelings and expression were, to say the least, imaginable.

So as long as Pei Qian was around, he truly didn't dare to succeed in taking shape!

Zheng Dafeng gave Mi Li a thumbs up. "Hit the nail on the head! This is the second layer of origin of this shuttle and why it eventually fell into my hands. As expected of the Right Protector—sharp eyesight! I haven't seen you for a few years, and I'm truly impressed!"

Mi Li grinned and raised her hand to press down twice. "Just average insight, don't be surprised."

Only in front of Zheng Dafeng and Liu Keshui did Mi Li feel exceptionally clever.

Chen Ping'an returned the shuttle to Zheng Dafeng.

Zheng Dafeng carefully tucked it into his sleeve and said to Chen Ping'an via sound condensation, "This is a toy that Li Huai, that little brat, got tired of when he was a kid. In the early years, the little bastard often came to the backyard of the medicine shop to play. The old man was afraid Li Huai would get bored, so he personally made some ingenious objects, including this shuttle. Li Huai never took it seriously. At that time, he wore split pants and played with the shuttle in the backyard every day. He had a blast, but the backyard suffered—doors, windows, all left with marks from the shuttle. The marks are still there today. Those years, it made me, as the disciple, have to help the master mend the window paper every time. That wasn't the worst. Later, Li Huai took it home to play and lost it. Then he came back empty-handed and asked the master to make another shuttle. The old man didn't say anything to Li Huai. He immediately went to the utility room, acted as a temporary carpenter, split firewood, and planed wood shavings to make a new shuttle. He just ordered me, his disciple, to find the lost one. If I couldn't find it, I shouldn't come back."

After all, it involved his master and Li Huai. Even though everyone present was from Luopo Mountain's own family, Zheng Dafeng couldn't casually reveal heavenly secrets. Being cynical and carefree didn't mean being brainless.

Besides, setting aside boxing skills, when it came to the hierarchy between master and disciple, Li Er was nothing compared to him, Zheng Dafeng. After Li Er married a wife, those years she often blocked the door to curse, almost making the old master furious. This woman, whom Zheng Dafeng had to call sister-in-law, really dared to curse. In the early years, when his senior brother Li Er lost his job at the medicine shop, she became unhappy. She sat inside the medicine shop, rolling on the ground and making a scene, cursing the old man for being an unworthy master to her husband, not a decent person, an old bachelor with a lecherous mind, always thinking about improper relations, even coveting his disciple's wife. He would often go to her yard at night to squat by the wall, or try to get Li Er drunk and then insist on her, a married woman, accompanying him in drinking...

Zheng Dafeng said helplessly, "In the end, I almost strained my eyes out. I searched every street and alley in the small town and finally found the shuttle. You can't imagine where I found it—it was in a roadside latrine, buried in a pile of cornstalks. That bastard Li Huai, he lost things better than others could hide them!"

At this point, the aggrieved Zheng Dafeng almost shed tears on the spot. He, who respected the master and valued the Way the most, almost had to sever his discipleship because of this little trinket.

After that, Chen Ping'an roughly talked about the recent situation of Luopo Mountain.

Wei Po stood up to take his leave, saying that he had an appointment with Sect Leader Gao to take her on a tour of Piyun Mountain.

Zheng Dafeng glanced sideways at the young boy in green clothes. Chen Lingjun immediately understood and signaled secretly, like underworld slang, secretly raising a palm to Zheng Dafeng, twisting his wrist as if drinking and punching the air, successively giving three numbers: eight, seven, eight gestures. This was to secretly inform Big Wind Brother about the Sect Leader Gao of Hushan Sect—her appearance from the front, side, and back, and the charm of each.

Everything was understood without words. Zheng Dafeng nodded slightly, quite surprised, but the man inevitably had a small regret: even if the total score of the three remained unchanged, it would be better if it were five, nine, nine.

Since Zheng Dafeng had figured it out, he had to speak up to remind, "Mountain Lord Wei, remember to put in a few good words for me. It's best to let that Sect Leader Gao know that during her leisure time, she can also come sit with me. No need to exaggerate the facts; just tell her the truth. Just say the host is elegant, the house is clean. Mm, I'll go air the bedding now."

Wei Po smiled and agreed.

After that, Nuan Shu took Mi Li up the mountain to get busy. Zhu Lian had to go to Yuanmu Peak to cut trees and bamboo, personally building the mansion and mountain path, so only Chen Lingjun stayed around to join in the fun.

Actually, the most awkward one was Daoist Xianwei.

He had long admired Zheng Dafeng, but now that the actual person had arrived, he, as the guest who had taken over the magpie's nest, would have to vacate the place. He might even lose his position as gatekeeper, which guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood.

As they walked toward the house together, Zheng Dafeng suddenly said, "Over in the Five-Colored World, Cui Dongshan came to see me. He invited me to Xiandu Mountain to return to my old job and continue as a gatekeeper. He said that Daoist Xianwei here at Luopo Mountain has worked hard and taken on great responsibility. So I think this matter is worth considering. If the Mountain Lord is willing to let me go, when the Kite Crossing ferry returns from Northern Julu Continent, I'll just hitch a ride and settle down at Qingping Sword Sect."

Cui Dongshan had guaranteed to Zheng Dafeng with a pat on the chest that once he arrived at Xiandu Mountain, he would show him what "many beauties on the mountain, with faces like jade" truly meant.

Zheng Dafeng only asked one question: Were there any sects around Xiandu Mountain similar to the Aoyu's Back Pearl Hairpin Island or the Caique Sect in Northern Julu Continent?

Cui Dongshan swore that if he agreed to be the gatekeeper at Xiandu Mountain, he would conjure them up for Zheng Dafeng!

Chen Ping'an rubbed his forehead. If this proud student, who was poaching from the Five-Colored World, were standing in front of him right now, he could turn a white goose into a pitch-black one.

Zheng Dafeng sighed, "This way, Miss Cen's affections will have to go unanswered."

Chen Ping'an said crossly, "Don't ruin a girl's reputation."

Zheng Dafeng nodded in agreement, then kicked Chen Lingjun's butt, who was swinging his sleeves wildly. "Are you a good-for-nothing? Not even at the Jade Purity realm yet."

Chen Lingjun stumbled, furious. "Do you think the Jade Purity realm is something you can just have whenever you want?!"

Zheng Dafeng snorted with a laugh, "How did you boast to Nuan Shu? 'A mere Jade Purity realm, easy as pie'?"

Chen Lingjun was momentarily speechless, then tentatively asked, "Did Mi Li tell you that? Tsk, she's really a good informant."

Zheng Dafeng raised his foot again, "Did I need Mi Li? I figured it out with my knees."

Chen Lingjun instinctively wanted to support Zheng Dafeng, but seeing Big Wind Brother raise his foot and then withdraw it, walking briskly in one fluid motion, the young boy in green blushed and chuckled.

Zheng Dafeng also felt a warmth in his heart. Earlier, he said he missed home—that was sincere, no lie. On a table in a foreign land, you could chat and laugh, but new friends were never as good as old ones.

Daoist Xianwei was truly a simple and honest man. It turned out that after he took over the gatekeeper job and moved into the house, he didn't occupy Zheng Dafeng's main room. This fake Daoist only lived in a side room.

Hearing that Xianwei had wine in his room, Zheng Dafeng put away the key to the main room and said it would be better to go to Xianwei's place for a sit-down, drinking and chatting.

Xianwei was a bit embarrassed, saying his room was a mess.

This side room was both Xianwei's residence and a study. Being a gatekeeper was the most leisurely of jobs. Xianwei read widely and diligently, never putting down a book. He also liked to write something, so the table was cluttered with inkstones, brushes, and books. Moreover, when Xianwei read, he often changed books like visiting relatives, flipping through and checking, then casually putting them aside. So the table was a chaotic mix of volumes, some upright, some upside down.

In addition, Xianwei was used to a poor life and cherished old things. He couldn't bear to throw away worn-out brushes. So he asked Chen Lingjun to help buy a celadon pot shaped like an urn from a shop in the small town, specifically to store discarded brushes. Over the months and years, the old brushes gradually rose above the pot, giving the impression of a brush burial mound as tall as a mountain.

Chen Ping'an, the Mountain Lord, was actually visiting the room for the first time. Seeing the celadon pot, he was quite surprised. Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Xianwei liked reading. But Chen Ping'an hadn't expected Xianwei to have used so many brushes. What was he writing? Could it be those romance novels about talented scholars and beauties? Was he planning to find a publisher and sell books to make money? So he glanced around. Besides a few bamboo-woven winnowing baskets in the corner containing several bound "books," there were also some scattered manuscripts on the table. Probably notes from reading or excerpts. Chen Ping'an pulled out a manuscript that was tucked under a book. The handwriting was average, just neat. As for the content... Chen Ping'an was speechless. There were just a few sentences on the paper: "I have grown old learning the Way deep in the mountains." This phrase was melancholic. But if one borrowed a line from a neighboring book—"The hairpin fell askew on the crystal pillow"—then it turned wonderful.

Zheng Dafeng craned his neck to peek at the content on the paper, nodded slightly, then shook his head a little. The man seemed to have instantly become a Confucian sage commanding heaven and earth, his expression calm. He began to offer guidance to the younger generation: "If you add a note saying 'single hairpin facing double pillows,' it's enough to make the reader's imagination run wild. At this point, there's a flavor of 'silence speaks louder than words.'"

Xianwei slapped his palm with a fist, beaming. "Brother Dafeng is truly a senior expert!"

Zheng Dafeng chuckled, "A note on a note: add another line saying 'on both pillows, there are traces of rouge.'"

Chen Lingjun snickered wickedly. Xianwei thought for a moment and understood the implication, his eyes lighting up. He exchanged a glance with Zheng Dafeng, and both nodded.

If he hadn't been swimming in the sea of books in this house for so long, Xianwei wouldn't have been able to understand what Zheng Dafeng was talking about.

Chen Ping'an picked up the book that was being used as a paperweight on the table, intending to put the paper back and press it under the book again. He said helplessly, "That's enough, you two."

He already regretted his earlier thought. When he was at the Jise Peak Ancestral Hall and received a flying sword message from Senior Brother Mao, Chen Ping'an had considered inviting Xianwei to participate in the upcoming debate.

But when Chen Ping'an glanced at the second piece of paper on the table, he immediately put the book and paper aside and picked up the paper covered in fine small script.

Zheng Dafeng said, "Eh? Brother Xianwei, how can you be so negligent in your proper work?"

Chen Ping'an didn't look up; he just carefully scanned the content on the paper and said with a wry smile, "Even nonsense has to have a limit. How is this negligent in proper work?"

Xianwei looked shy, wishing he could dig a hole to hide. He said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's, "Overreaching myself, making a fool of myself."

In front of the long-admired Brother Dafeng, the sincerely convinced Daoist Xianwei always regarded himself as a junior.

Zheng Dafeng picked up the other papers on the table, quickly flipped through them, and the playful expression on his face disappeared. He nodded, "Brother Xianwei, you've read extensively and have great ambitions. Are you planning to use the old structure of the 'Huainanzi'—the Greater and Lesser Mountains? Do you find the former too sparse and thin, and want to expand it? This is a huge project. Normally, the imperial court would issue an edict for the entire Hanlin Academy, with dozens of old scholars, to collate, compile, and summarize together. Brother Xianwei, you're thinking of shouldering this heavy burden alone. That's just right for being the gatekeeper of our Luopo Mountain."

So that was it. Daoist Xianwei intended to imitate the style of a famous similar work: extract matters as "Greater Mountains" for the general outline, then categorize them under the names of the Five Sacred Mountains; extract sayings as "Lesser Mountains," further classified into hills, ridges, peaks, etc.; then take those matters and sayings that are detailed and complete but stored in different rhyme sections, naming them "Hidden Mountains"; relegate unofficial histories and trivial anecdotes to "Water Mountains" (mountains submerged beneath the water); and categorize extraordinary matters and wonderful sayings among lands and seafloor mountains as "Group Immortal Caves" and "Underwater Dragon Palaces," concentrating spiritual energy and hoarding treasures...

Xianwei said with shame, "I was inspired by Brother Dafeng to dare to make such a presumptuous attempt. From the start, I never thought I had to finish it. It's very likely I'll give up halfway."

Zheng Dafeng was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Xianwei said, "Wait a moment," and ran to the corner where the winnowing baskets were. He tore a page resembling a preface from one of the books and handed it to Zheng Dafeng. Then Xianwei explained with a smile, "Brother Dafeng is well-versed in Buddhist teachings. Among those Buddhist scriptures, there are many pages filled with notes and insights. I've read them over and over. Over time, I made a rough compilation of Brother Dafeng's insightful summaries. After that, still unsatisfied, I came up with a rough idea for creating 'Mountain Ranges'..."

Zheng Dafeng didn't take it seriously at first, but when he saw the preface page, he silently handed it to Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an took it and read the opening text. Although he appeared calm, he actually felt a slight tingle on his scalp.

The handwriting on the paper was a standard script with stele inscriptions. First came a "big talk" that laid out the core idea.

"Daoist Xianwei often dwells in deep mountains, intimate with grass and trees, near to cold and heat. Climbing high, I have feelings; occasionally I gain insights. Since I am originally an outsider to Buddhism, I should not view Buddhist scriptures, regulations, treatises, contemplations, and Chan with sectarian bias. I only match them with the four seasons of the human world: scriptures are like the vigorous growth of all things in spring, full of vitality—spring. Regulations are like the lush spread of vegetation in summer—summer. Treatises are like the cool wind of autumn when flowers and fruits ripen—autumn. Contemplations are like the clear, deep snow covering heaven and earth in one color—winter. Chan is like the smooth, harmonious rotation of time and seasons. Though silent, the four seasons are all orderly in their actions."

Zheng Dafeng rubbed his chin and smiled. "Brother Xianwei and I are both gatekeepers of Luopo Mountain. The newcomer chases the predecessor. Can I say I have a worthy successor?"

Chen Ping'an held back for a long time and finally said softly, "My judgment of people is still very good, as good as ever."

Chen Lingjun glanced at the paper in his master's hand but didn't understand a thing. He put his hands behind his back, faking understanding, and nodded approvingly, "Daoist Xianwei, not bad, not bad. Your reading hasn't been in vain."

Xianwei thought the Mountain Lord and Brother Dafeng were joking. He went to open a bag of charcoal and added some white charcoal to the brazier. The Old Cook had made it. Last winter, Nuan Shu periodically delivered it to the house at the foot of the mountain. Later, Xianwei felt it was improper for a little girl in a pink skirt to carry such a large bag. Each trip would get her covered in charcoal dust. So one time, Xianwei went up the mountain himself to find Zhu Lian, intending to carry two bags back to the house at the foot. Zhu Lian smiled and said, "No need. Nuan Shu enjoys doing these little chores. Having an extra one or two is like Mi Li finding a copper coin on the ground—it makes her happy. But if she suddenly has nothing to do one day, she'd feel lost, just like Mi Li losing a coin."

They gathered around the brazier, lit the charcoal. Xianwei skillfully set up the iron grate and sent Chen Lingjun to the kitchen to fetch a string of rice dumplings. They sat around the fire, warming wine.

Chen Ping'an asked, "What about Flying Ascension City?"

Zheng Dafeng didn't speak, just stared straight at Chen Ping'an with a strange expression.

Chen Ping'an asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Dafeng remained silent for a long time.

Chen Ping'an became even more confused and couldn't help urging, "If you have something to say, say it. If there's really trouble, I can rush over immediately."

He could take Xiao Mo, and if necessary, also bring Xie Gou. After all, Xie Gou's agreement with Bai Ze and the Central Earth Confucian Temple didn't include the Five-Colored World.

Zheng Dafeng finally spoke and laughed, "Don't mention Flying Ascension City. The entire Five-Colored World right now is in the same situation as just now: silence. Everyone is brooding, no one has anything to say."

All because of one person's words.

After traveling with a sword to the Haoran World and then returning to the Five-Colored World, Ning Yao convened a meeting of the Ancestral Hall. At the end, she spoke concisely, saying she planned to go into a minor seclusion—half a year to a year at the shortest, two to three years at the longest.

Chen Ping'an also had nothing to say; he just grinned.

In the current Five-Colored World, the number of upper fifth realm Qi refiners could be counted on one hand. Immortal realm cultivators were at most a handful. And Ning Yao was the sole Flying Ascension realm.

Moreover, before Ning Yao went to the Five-Colored World and reached the Jade Purity realm, the number of times she had gone into seclusion to practice swordsmanship, if Chen Ping'an remembered correctly, was only one.

At that time, he was at the Ning residence, and Ning Yao hadn't actually spent much time in seclusion. Her so-called seclusion was more like a quiet rest. So Ning Yao's seclusion was completely different from what any other cultivator in the world would treat with extreme caution. So when Ning Yao suddenly said she wanted to go into seclusion—and one that would take "as long as" one to three years—it was natural for the swordsmen of Flying Ascension City to be shocked. As for the rest of the Five-Colored World outside Flying Ascension City, upon hearing this news, what could they say?

Anyone who dared to provoke the swordsmen of Flying Ascension City while Ning Yao was in seclusion could imagine the consequences when she came out.

The last person who didn't believe that was the Daoist Shan Qing. As a result of a sword duel, this closed-door disciple of the Dao Ancestor went into seclusion to recover.

Zheng Dafeng said sourly, "Before she went into seclusion to refine her sword, knowing I was leaving, Ning Yao specifically came to see me. She warned me not to talk too much about the Five-Colored World, so as not to distract you."

After all, over the years, Flying Ascension City had been running smoothly. Everyone had their own duties, and the young swordsmen and the martial artists of the Cold-Avoiding Palace had gradually grown up.

Zheng Dafeng sighed, "I never thought Luopo Mountain would have a subsidiary sect so soon."

"Choosing to set up the subsidiary sect in Tongye Continent was the right move. In times of peace, if you read a few history books, you know how difficult it is to maintain a vassal king on a borderland. By the same reasoning, within a single continent, it's also very difficult to sustain a few upper fifth realm cultivators, especially for a sect."

"Here in Treasure Vase Continent, especially in the central and northern regions untouched by war, there's only so much spiritual qi and territory suitable for opening peaks for earthly immortals. It's not a matter of too many monks and too little gruel; it's a situation where if one person has more, others have less. You might even disturb a neighboring mountain by snoring. Neighbors find it hard to get along for long. If Ruan the Blacksmith hadn't moved away from Longquan Sword Sect, I'm certain that within a hundred years, there would have been friction with Luopo Mountain. With all kinds of people, there will always be conflicts among disciples. Tongye Continent is just the opposite—few monks, plenty of gruel, and vast unclaimed lands. It's just that Tongye is far from other continents, and with Treasure Vase and Posuo Continents needing reconstruction by the Confucian Temple as buffers, that works in its favor. If it were Liuxia or Aiai Continents, even if Qingping Sword Sect were established smoothly, it wouldn't have such momentum. The key is that, as a 'dragon crossing the river,' it can win over allies and fully dominate and control the excavation of a brand new great waterway."

Chen Lingjun chuckled, "Brother Dafeng, if you keep talking so seriously, I won't recognize you anymore."

Zheng Dafeng picked up iron tongs to stir the charcoal fire and asked, "What, the women here nowadays don't like witty, talented rogues? They've turned to like straight-laced, silent honest men?"

Chen Lingjun said, "If a man is ugly, he's not liked. That's a truth that will last ten thousand years."

Ignoring their banter, Chen Ping'an reached out to turn the rice dumplings, whose leaves were slightly scorched and fragrant. He rubbed his fingertips and asked, "Have you really decided to settle at Qingping Sword Sect?"

Zheng Dafeng nodded with a smile, "A prodigal son is always restless. He can't stay in one place; he's destined to wander everywhere."

Chen Ping'an was speechless.

Xianwei spoke up, "Brother Dafeng, if you're going to the subsidiary sect because of me, there's no need. I can move up the mountain, or to Qilong Lane. If you don't mind the trouble and find me an eyesore, then I'll shamelessly stay here..."

Zheng Dafeng smiled and waved his hand, interrupting Xianwei. He picked up a golden-roasted rice dumpling. "To say it has nothing to do with Brother Xianwei would be lying. But honestly, it has something to do with it, yet not very much. First, if I stay here, I won't be of much help. The martial artists of Luopo Mountain are either like the Mountain Lord or the Old Cook, or like Wei Hailiang and Lu Baixiang, who are basically independent. Do they need me to teach boxing? I'd like to teach, but they wouldn't want to learn. I've gained some insights from teaching boxing at the Cold-Avoiding Palace in Flying Ascension City. According to Cui Dongshan, the subsidiary sect has designated Yunzheng Mountain as a place for martial artists to learn boxing. If I go there, I'll have a place to use my skills. Besides, back in the small town, the women who once admired my talent and coveted my body—at that time, they could be said to be 'past their prime but still charming.' But think how old they are now. If nothing unexpected happens, they probably have grandchildren. If we meet, what can we say? It would only add to the sadness."

Chen Lingjun rolled his eyes, "You make even eating a rice dumpling sound disgusting."

Then the young boy in green exchanged a glance with Zheng Dafeng, and both snickered.

Daoist Xianwei, who only understood some surface principles from books and not deep knowledge, couldn't grasp the subtlety for a moment.

Chen Ping'an said, "That Daoist with the style name Shan Qing will be participating in the Three Teachings debate."

Zheng Dafeng twitched the corner of his mouth, "He's just being rounded up as cannon fodder. This young Daoist's skill at arguing is probably not as good as his fighting skill."

Chen Ping'an sighed, beginning to feel sorry for this closed-door disciple of the Dao Ancestor. "Losing to Ning Yao isn't shameful."

Zheng Dafeng chuckled, "Like you losing boxing matches to Cao Ci? You lost three at the Sword Qi Great Wall, one at the Merit Forest. How many more are you planning to lose?"

Chen Lingjun quickly coughed a few times and complained, "Brother Dafeng, how can you talk like that? If it weren't for the fact that we're brothers, I'd have to slap you in the face."

Zheng Dafeng raised his hand and chopped it like a knife toward Chen Lingjun's head. Chen Lingjun immediately raised his elbow to block the hand knife.

One said, "Young hero, with such deep inner strength at a young age, you can travel the world alone." The other said, "Old scoundrel, not bad either. Still strong despite your age, worthy of having been through a hundred flowers."

Chen Ping'an was used to this. He said to himself, "I estimate I'll have to lose another two or three boxing matches to Cao Ci."

Zheng Dafeng said bluntly, "If you lose another two or three, then you'll never have to bother competing with Cao Ci for the rest of your life, right?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.

That was the honest truth. If he lost a third match to Cao Ci, then there would really be no need to compete for victory or defeat anymore.

Because at that point, competing in boxing would just be Cao Ci teaching him.

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Can this shuttle that helps martial artists cross between worlds be replicated?"

Zheng Dafeng nodded, "The material is too rare. Forget it for ordinary people. Even a talisman grandmaster like Yu Xuan would find it hard to cook without rice. But with my master's abilities and resources, of course it's possible. Why do you ask?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Su Dian from the medicine shop—she left home alone some time ago. Even Shi Lingshan doesn't know where she went."

Zheng Dafeng laughed, "This junior sister of mine—she hasn't eloped with some man, has she? If she has, Shi Lingshan would be devastated. Yan Zhi was right not to tell him."

Chen Ping'an said, "Su Dian might have gone to the Qingming World."

Zheng Dafeng asked, "Is there a basis for that?"

Chen Ping'an said via heart voice, "It's just a guess. I suspect that the last sacrificial official of the Sword Qi Great Wall once came to Lizhu Cave Heaven in the early years and hid here under an alias. That person might now be in the Qingming World, possibly the founding patriarch of Crow Mountain in the Red Gold Kingdom, the martial artist Lin Jiangxian."

Chen Ping'an had once asked Lü Yan about Lin Jiangxian's level of boxing. Lü Yan didn't elaborate on this "Teacher Lin's" boxing, nor did he give examples comparing him to Divine Arrival level martial artists like Pei Bei or Zhang Tiaoxia in Haoran. Instead, this Pure Yang Daoist, who had once traveled to Qingming World, only said that Lin Jiangxian's "swordsmanship was even higher."

No need to say more.

That had already indirectly confirmed the answer Chen Ping'an had in mind.

Zheng Dafeng gave a look.

Chen Ping'an summoned his lifebound flying sword, instantly isolating the area.

Clearly, Zheng Dafeng felt that even spoken thoughts and condensed sound secret words were not safe enough. He was worried that there might be hidden eavesdropping by a deeply concealed great cultivator in the small town.

Only then did Zheng Dafeng continue, "Is Lin Jiangxian the last sacrificial official of your Sword Qi Great Wall? Assuming so, why would he abandon the position of sacrificial official, sneak to Lizhu Cave Heaven, and ultimately become a pure martial artist? I dare not draw a conclusion rashly. As for whether Lin Jiangxian left Lizhu Cave Heaven for Qingming World, don't speculate. I can tell you for sure now: yes, he did. Because this person has an indisputable identity—he is one of the 'senior brothers' of me, Li Er, Yan Zhi, and a few others."

"Remember once when I drank with my senior brother Li Er. Li Er drank quite a bit and accidentally let it slip that the old master felt that among all his indoor disciples and nominal disciples, only one had truly good martial arts talent. That was many years ago. This person's surname was Xie, given name Xin'en. You've read a lot, so you should know that Xie Xin'en is a ci-pai name, and Lin Jiangxian is homophonic with 'Linjiang Xian,' which is the same ci-pai. Whether it's Linjiang Xian, Xie Xin'en, or Yanhou Gui, these synonymous ci-pai are mostly works of mourning, remembrance, or lamenting by the water for female immortals and gods. They do have a slight connection to ancient sacrifices. I remember that when the old man had free time at the medicine shop, he often flipped through a travelogue of a foreign sword immortal. So your guess that Lin Jiangxian was the last sacrificial official of the Sword Qi Great Wall is traceable and reasonable."

"That girl Yan Zhi, since she's gone out, she must have secretly taken a replica of the shuttle to Qingming World to learn boxing from this senior brother. She has high aspirations and has always wanted to box with you. Learning boxing from this senior brother Lin gives her a 'one in ten thousand' chance. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even that one in ten thousand. The master has always taken good care of her. Whether it's because he likes the girl's temperament or because he pities her uncle, who was her only family, and loved the girl by extension—anyway, I can clearly feel that the master treats her and Shi Lingshan completely differently. As for whether Su Dian herself has a background, like her uncle, being the reincarnation of some deity, I don't know, and I don't want to know."

Chen Ping'an asked puzzledly, "We have no grudge. Why would Su Dian want to compete with me?"

The only connection between them was that Su Dian's uncle had once worked at the same dragon kiln as Chen Ping'an. At that time, as an apprentice kiln worker, Chen Ping'an's vague impression of Su Dian was occasionally seeing a thin, dark-skinned little girl, always alone, standing far away somewhere. Because firing porcelain in a dragon kiln had many old rules and customary prohibitions—women should not approach the kiln mouth, and they must not touch any firing tools, especially not approach the kiln fire. If caught, they would have their legs broken.

Zheng Dafeng had a playful smile, "Are you really clueless, or are you playing dumb?"

Chen Ping'an was shocked, "She likes me?"

No reason. They had never even exchanged a word.

Zheng Dafeng said crossly, "Have some shame."

Chen Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief.

"For Su Dian, if she wants to repay a kindness, as a martial artist, she needs to at least be as skilled in boxing as you are to truly help you in the future and repay her debt."

Zheng Dafeng explained, "The girl has a stubborn personality and is very precocious. She's the kind of person who, even as a child, has a clear mind and understands everything but is clumsy with words. But given her upbringing, she's inevitably a bit insecure. So the help you gave that effeminate man back then—he must have talked about it a lot when he was with Yan Zhi. Over time, the girl remembered it in her heart."

Chen Ping'an looked down at the charcoal fire and said softly, "Was it a lot?"

Zheng Dafeng retorted, "Was it a little?"

Treating an effeminate man whom no one regarded as a person as a real person—that was like giving charcoal in the snow, helping him survive a bitterly cold winter in life.

That effeminate man, whose life was full of hardship and bleakness, might have had only one obsession in life: never to freeze to death in winter. If he had to die, let it be in spring.

Chen Ping'an said, "He already repaid it long ago."

Zheng Dafeng shook his head, "That's between the effeminate man and you. Su Dian has her own ideas."

At this point, Zheng Dafeng laughed, "Don't think I'm cursing you. Actually, I had a decent relationship with that effeminate man early on. When we met on the road, we'd greet each other. I even bought him a few drinks. Damn it. Because this guy knocked on my door a few times and was seen by others, I got teased by Huang Erniang when I visited her shop to drink for a few years after that. Probably the only benefit was that when my sister-in-law saw me coming, she no longer guarded against me like a thief."

Chen Ping'an ate the rice dumpling and joked, "Huang Erniang still thought highly of you."

In the early years, the sturdy young men of the small town liked to visit Huang Erniang's wine shop. They'd buy a few liang of bulk wine and a dish to go with it, and sit for a long time. Whenever a customer, mostly bachelors, came in and called out to the woman, the wine-selling woman would go to fill the wine. When she turned her back and bent over to face the wine jar, all the men in the shop would look at the same scenery. The woman had lost her husband early and raised a child alone. A pretty widow's house invited gossip. There had been attempts to scale the wall and knock on the door at night, but the intruder was met with a flying cleaver. If the lecher hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been hit in the face. After that, things quieted down. After all, you couldn't risk your life for your lower half.

As time passed, it became obvious to everyone that Huang Erniang had some feelings for Zheng Dafeng. It wasn't exactly a romantic relationship, but still, she only allowed one person to run a tab at her shop: that bachelor who lived year-round in the yellow mud hut at the easternmost corner of the small town. Zheng Dafeng was also full of mischief. He often instigated Huang Erniang's son to call him "Dad." When drinking in the shop, sunbathing, as Huang Erniang came and went, serving wine to customers, her shadow on the ground would appear. Zheng Dafeng would extend his hand, making grasping or pinching gestures at the rounded parts, taking cheap advantages without getting scolded.

In the early years, the bachelors of the small town, like Liu Big Eyes, who only talked fancy, had learned many tricks from Brother Dafeng.

Zheng Dafeng waved his hand, rarely showing a bit of embarrassment, "A good man doesn't boast of his past glory."

If it were something that never happened, Zheng Dafeng would talk about anything, lewd or not. But if it were true, the man would rather not talk about it.

Zheng Dafeng changed the subject, "Did you personally go to Hushan Sect to invite Sect Leader Gao to Luopo Mountain?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "After all, Sect Leader Gao is nominally the number one under heaven in the Blessed Land. I couldn't omit the proper courtesies."

In reality, he had been tricked by Zhu Lian and Pei Xiang into going to Hushan Sect. Hehe, "Gao" and "Jian," "Jun" and "Zi," "Zhong" and "Qian," "Li" and "Qian." Old Cook, just you wait.

Zheng Dafeng clicked his tongue, "Not sincere. As expected, 'a man becomes bad when he gets rich' is an unchanging truth."

Chen Ping'an was baffled.

Zheng Dafeng glanced at Chen Ping'an. Finding that the kid wasn't pretending, he asked doubtfully, "The greatest opportunity in the Blessed Land—outsiders might not know, but how could you not know?"

Zheng Dafeng didn't know much about the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, which once belonged to the old Temple Master and was now the Lotus Root Blessed Land. He only knew from Chen Ping'an's brief account that Hushan Sect, handcrafted by Yu Zhenyi, now had over a dozen Qi refiners, with several being middle fifth realm cultivators.

Chen Ping'an was first confused, then suddenly enlightened, and then rubbed his face hard with his hands. He laughed, "Honestly, if you hadn't reminded me, I really wouldn't have thought of this."

Zheng Dafeng's implication was not complicated. Since Yu Zhenyi, after reaching the sixth realm of martial arts, perhaps even after reaching the Golden Body realm, turned to practicing immortal techniques due to a "Dao book," and successfully reached the Golden Core realm, then broke another realm, "ascended" as an Nascent Soul cultivator and left the Blessed Land. Meanwhile, almost all the dozen or so Qi refiners in Hushan Sect were converted from martial artists. This suggested that Hushan Sect's unique inheritance was extremely significant, somewhat similar to the Puyun Mountain Grass Hall in Tongye Continent.

And such secret arts would never be casually disclosed to outsiders.

Zheng Dafeng said, "Strange. Even if you didn't think of this, the Old Cook and the White Goose are both thorough and shrewd. They didn't remind you?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "I'll have to ask them later."

Zheng Dafeng stomped his foot again, shouting, "Oh, asking for trouble, creating a disaster! Remember, when you talk to the Old Cook and Sect Leader Cui, don't mention that I started this topic!"

Chen Ping'an nodded and said teasingly, "Anyway, the Old Cook will guess it. If I don't ask early but ask right after you return, he'll figure it out with his knees."

Chen Lingjun said a fair word, "Except for the Mountain Lord, anyone who plays chess has a black heart."

Chen Ping'an laughed, "I'm just a lousy chess player, so of course I'm excluded."

Chen Lingjun immediately sighed, "That can't be. Guo Zhujiu said that when you were at the Summer Retreat Palace, as a superior player, you were often begged by others to play handicap games. I heard that besides Lin Junbi, there were also Song Gaoyuan of Deer Antler Palace, Cao Gun of Liuxia Continent, and Xuan Shen of Golden Armor Continent. They were all extremely intelligent and formidable chess masters, top-tier national players. They had to pool their wisdom and courage to play against you alone, yet they were still routed, utterly defeated. None of them had any color left in their faces. It got to the point where someone came up with a dirty trick: they had a spinster who couldn't get married, and that pretty girl Luo Zhenyi, both dressed up glamorously, to loiter around you and distract you. Of course, such a poor scheme was doomed to fail..."

Chen Ping'an bent his fingers and pressed them against his forehead, getting a headache.

Chen Lingjun asked, "Was Guo Zhujiu's story exaggerated?"

Chen Ping'an retorted, "What do you think?"

Chen Lingjun felt extremely helpless. False intelligence! Guo Zhujiu misled me!

Zheng Dafeng turned his head and asked with a smile, "Brother Xianwei, do you know how to play chess?"

Xianwei hesitated, then honestly said, "A little. In the early years, when I traveled around, I played some street chess—could only earn some petty coins. But I set up elephant chess boards more often. For one, it took less time to set up some endgame puzzles. For another, I just memorized the moves of a few hundred endgame puzzles from a few chess manuals and could cheat people."

Actually, Xianwei didn't particularly like playing Go; he preferred elephant chess. He couldn't say exactly why—he just felt the latter was easier to play. Even for those famous elephant chess endgame puzzles with over a hundred moves and many variations, Xianwei didn't find them too taxing. As for why he didn't like the former, it wasn't because Go was more complicated or mentally draining, but whenever he had free time and played through Go games alone on the board, he always felt an indescribable awkwardness.

Zheng Dafeng exclaimed, "Brother Xianwei is a versatile talent!"

Chen Lingjun laughed loudly, "Too bad he's still a bachelor."

The three people in the room all looked at the unguarded young boy in green.

Chen Lingjun's smile froze instantly, and he shrank his neck.

Wei Po and Gao Jun flew together toward Piyun Mountain, deliberately slowing down so that Sect Leader Gao could clearly see the landscape below. The gray-covered mountain, with its jagged rocks forming caves; the Aoyu's Back, where buildings clustered like fish scales glowing under sunlight; the adjacent Huanghu Mountain and Yuanmu Peak, mountains and waters intertwined—one a misty watery village, the other a dense forest of bamboo and pine. Sunlight shone on the mountain streams, fish in the water still. One lake, one mountain, like a yellow-clothed woman and a green-robed traveler, gazing at each other for thousands of years in silence. The cloud-wreathed Dragon Ridge Mountain, with faint traces of sword energy swirling, where cultivators from Snow Wind Temple and True Martial Mountain had built thatched huts for cultivation. The huge lake left after the relocation of the mountain peak—the scenery was magnificent, as if a great chunk of chaos had been excavated, a vast whirlpool swirling. The water shimmered, green lotus leaves stood tall, and the breeze carried the fragrance, like a vast expanse of green glazed glass...

Earlier, Wei Po had lent a talisman sword to Gao Jun, explaining that Qi refiners in Chuzhou territory needed to wear such an item to fly in the wind. Outside Chuzhou, there was no such rule.

Gao Jun hesitated for a moment, then asked the Mountain Lord about the size of the Northern Sacred Mountain's territory.

After Wei Po gave the answer, he smiled, "Sect Leader Gao is a distinguished guest of Luopo Mountain, and hence a distinguished guest of Piyun Mountain. If you're curious about something, just ask. No need to be so restrained. If it involves secrets, I'll let you know."

Gao Jun was already stunned beyond words. The mountain river territory of just one nation's Northern Sacred Mountain was far larger than the entire Lotus Root Blessed Land. So Treasure Vase Continent must be a land of boundless vastness?

It followed that this elegantly gallant yet warm-natured Mountain Lord Wei Po, in her hometown Blessed Land, would be equivalent to an overlord of the mountains, a co-ruler under heaven?

Wei Po noticed Gao Jun's unusual expression and immediately understood. Chen Ping'an must not have given her much detail about the Haoran World beyond the Blessed Land.

After thinking for a moment, Wei Po took out two books—a geography and a supplement—from his sleeve and handed them to Gao Jun. He smiled, "After reading these two books that specifically introduce the mountain scenery of the nine continents, Sect Leader Gao will have a general impression of our Haoran World."

Gao Jun wanted to refuse. As a guest visiting Piyun Mountain, it was already inappropriate not to bring a gift, let alone accept one from the host. But she really couldn't bear to return them. She stopped flying, accepted the two immortal books that would most help her immediate needs, and bowed to the considerate Mountain Lord Wei in gratitude. Wei Po laughed silently. This very polite Sect Leader Gao, if she eventually became a registered cultivator of Luopo Mountain or a nominal guest elder like Zhong Qian, would probably still feel uncomfortable even after attending many Ancestral Hall meetings.

The atmosphere of Luopo Mountain was not easily integrated into by ordinary people. It required both insight and fate.

Wei Po felt that even he, to this day, was still out of sync with the atmosphere of Luopo Mountain. For genuine clarity and righteousness, one had to look to his own Piyun Mountain!

Wei Po laughed, "Although it might sound like bragging, to avoid letting Sect Leader Gao misunderstand, I must explain a bit. I am not just a nation's mountain lord of the Great Li Dynasty. That mountain ahead, Piyun Mountain, is the Northern Sacred Mountain of the entire Treasure Vase Continent. In recent years, the Great Li Dynasty was in a situation where one nation was one continent. Later, with the central great river as the boundary, the Song clan of Great Li retreated north of the river, now occupying half of Treasure Vase Continent."

Gao Jun suddenly understood. Her hometown Blessed Land was like this now. The Five Sacred Mountains stood between heaven and earth, as if they had gained the recognition of heaven without needing imperial fengshan. Tang Tieyi, the new emperor of the Northern Jin Kingdom, who usurped the throne without changing the dynasty name, once wanted to personally perform fengshan at the Northern Sacred Mountain within his kingdom. He set off with a grand procession, but when the group only reached the foot of the mountain, strange phenomena occurred: wind and rain raged, thunder and lightning flashed, preventing them from ascending. Tang Tieyi couldn't very well charge up the mountain alone, so it became a huge joke. Emperor Wei Yan of the Southern Garden Kingdom, who had originally had similar plans, wisely decided not to court trouble.

Gao Jun had personally traveled to the Five Sacred Mountains and knew of many strange people and events there. So she had long since sent a secret letter to the new monarch of the Songlai Kingdom, specifically warning against any rash actions that might antagonize the mountain lords.

Wei Po said, "The former state preceptor of the Great Li Dynasty was named Cui Shan, nicknamed Embroidered Tiger. According to the lineage of our Dao tradition here, State Preceptor Cui is the senior brother of Mountain Lord Chen, and Mountain Lord Chen is the closed-door disciple of their lineage."

Gao Jun understood again.

No wonder that when Chen Ping'an left the Blessed Land, in less than thirty years, he had built up such a fortune.

"Leaning against a big tree makes it easy to enjoy the shade; having someone in the court makes it easy to be an official." Similar principles probably applied in the Haoran World.

Wei Po suppressed a smile, feeling a little mischievous, "Since they were fellow disciples, it was only natural that State Preceptor Cui gave extra care and attention to his junior brother Chen."

Gao Jun nodded, "Since they are fellow disciples, it is only human nature for State Preceptor Cui to favor Sword Immortal Chen a bit. Recommending one's own without avoiding suspicion is better than deliberately keeping distant, which would be unfair."

Wei Po was slightly surprised. This sincere Sect Leader Gao seemed to be naturally suited to Luopo Mountain's Way.

The Northern Sacred Mountain, Piyun Mountain, had a very high elevation but didn't feel dangerously steep. Wei Po didn't take Gao Jun straight to the Mountain Lord's Mansion. Instead, he chose a quiet stone terrace near the summit, offering a wide view where the soil of several prefectures lay beneath the rock. Nearby, a mountain stream flowed through beautiful trees and bamboo into a deep pool. The water was especially cold and clear, deep, with many swift fish. There were rocks protruding from the water, on which grew calamus and mosses clustering into green clumps. There were also unknown water vines, hard to distinguish from grass and flowers, with a loving, clinging appearance. Lush forests and seas of clouds embraced each other on this mountain, wrapping in green and white, meeting the sky. Looking around, all seemed one. The brilliant sky light came from afar, the mountain green and dark. Whenever wind rose from the heights, grass and trees swayed, and the mountain color flowed with the wind from top to bottom like water.

Wei Po lightly waved his sleeve, and on the flat, knife-cut terrace appeared a multi-colored country carpet. On it were two immortal meditation cushions woven by Sanlang Temple in Northern Julu Continent. These were tribute items from several Northern Sacred Mountain Night Travel Banquets. The warehouses of the Coin Seal Office and the Ceremonial Guard were nearly overflowing.

A mountain lord and a cultivator sat on the cushions. Gao Jun faced the beautiful scenery, listened to the spring water, was silent for a long time, then came back to her senses and asked, "Mountain Lord Wei, have you been a mountain lord for many years?"

Wei Po smiled, "A long time ago, I was just a small country's mountain lord. Later, when dynasties changed, I was demoted to a land god."

Saying this, Wei Po pointed toward Qidun Mountain. "Over there. I wasn't even a mountain spirit."

"Due to circumstances and fortune, I was fortunate enough to take charge of Piyun Mountain. Actually, I became the Northern Sacred Mountain Lord of the Great Li Dynasty less than thirty years ago."

"But since I was a sinner, I'm always anxious, always worried that today's glory might not last till tomorrow."

"Always anxious" — Wei Po used this to describe his state of mind. This was not entirely a joke from the Northern Sacred Mountain Lord.

Just like those intentionally misleading words earlier, Wei Po didn't do it deliberately to tease Gao Jun. If she had come to the Haoran World for the first time and encountered people, things, and events all different from her hometown, she would easily become suspicious. Placed in a completely unfamiliar environment, with all experiences beyond her existing cognitive categories, she would need to find familiar things she could understand, to give herself a reassurance, or to find a basket of anchors to stop her boat and calm her heart.

Dialect was like that. Drinking wine that tastes roughly the same everywhere, finding like-minded friends in the world—probably the same.

At its root, it was about the word "similar to oneself" and the two characters "not alone."

Once, drinking at the Old Cook's table, Zheng Dafeng proposed a unique hypothesis.

He said that the so-called "human world" might be a divine kingdom.

All "people" were, in a sense, gods, eating a different kind of "incense."

Probably empty speculation and completely drunken talk.

At the summit of Jise Peak, the mink-hatted girl crouched on the railing. She tilted her chin toward the mountain gate. "Having seen the real person Zheng Dafeng, does he look a bit familiar?"

Xiao Mo nodded. "His appearance has changed, but his temperament hasn't."

Ten thousand years ago, during the bloody Battle to Ascend to Heaven, there was only that divine general wearing the Great Frost Armor, who, knowing he would die, held the Heavenly Gate and refused to retreat an inch.

You should know that the enemy this divine general faced at that time was not a human swordsman or Qi refiner, but the Sword Bearer, one of the Five Supreme Ones of the Heavenly Court.

No contest. The divine general was finally pierced through his armor and body by a sword and nailed to the gate.

At this moment, Xie Gou was completely different from her usual self. Her expression was somber, her gaze clear. "Did you know that divine general back then?"

Xiao Mo shook his head. "After I broke through to the Flying Ascension realm, I only approached the Ascension Platform. I never ascended that divine path. I never met this male earthly immortal progenitor."

Xie Gou said, "I have seen him."

Xiao Mo was dubious.

Xie Gou said in a deep voice, "After I became an earthly immortal, I once walked the Ascension Platform, but not the path meant for women. I insisted on walking the other path as a female swordsman."

Xiao Mo immediately believed her, unquestioningly, because this was exactly something the swordsman Bai Jing would do and would definitely do.

Xie Gou raised both hands, held the mink hat on her head, and pouted. "Acting on impulse is not good. My realm wasn't high enough at the time, my swordsmanship was lacking. I almost lost my dog head."

Xiao Mo said, "The Green Boy Celestial Lord and that other one were still quite kind to human cultivators."

Xie Gou nodded. "That's because they both retained a large part of humanity. This was unimaginable in the ancient Heavenly Court. To this day, I can't think of a suitable reason."

Xiao Mo was silent.

The human heart was hard to fathom, a tangled mess—hence, hypocrisy, inconsistency of words and deeds.

Not so with ancient deities. It seemed that except for the Five Supreme Ones and high-ranking deities, all words, actions, thoughts, and intentions were straight as a line.

Cultivators, besides practicing various arts along their own paths, essentially learned from the lofty deities above: abandon miscellaneous thoughts and concentrate on one mind.

Xie Gou had actually already sensed several familiar auras from the small town. She looked at them with a mocking expression, clicking her tongue. "Heaven and earth become valleys and hills, blue seas turn into mulberry fields. Pitifully, the great fish that could swallow boats, when on land, cannot withstand ants."

Xiao Mo was about to move away, but Xie Gou suddenly asked, "Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, is my squatting posture not very elegant?"

Xiao Mo said nothing. Xie Gou did a backflip, landed on her knees, stood up with a push, adjusted her mink hat, and looked at Xiao Mo, who wore a yellow hat. She thought it was a perfect match.

Walking beside Xiao Mo, the girl began to sigh repeatedly. Clearly a match made in heaven, a destined love, why was it still so hard?

Xiao Mo suddenly asked a question that spoiled the mood, "Tell me the truth, setting aside the personal matters between us, what are you seeking by coming to the Haoran World this time?"

Xie Gou blinked. Not wanting to deceive Xiao Mo, yet not wanting to tell the truth, she began to play dumb.

Xiao Mo held the pilgrimage staff and walked on the mountain path between Jise Peak and Jiling Peak. He said calmly, "If you don't want to say it, it doesn't matter. I'm not interested anyway. But I want to make it clear in advance: no matter what treasure it is, no matter how you get it, remember not to violate the Confucian Temple's rules, and don't cause trouble for my master."

Cultivators like him and Bai Jing, as Flying Ascension realm swordsmen, ten thousand years ago, almost always liked to travel the "world" alone. So in fact, the several worlds today were both unfamiliar and familiar to them. Although millennia had passed, and countless cultivators had walked the earth, most of the opportunities and treasures from ten thousand years ago had been seized and exhausted, inevitably there would be a few that slipped through the net, never discovered by later cultivators. Xiao Mo guessed that Bai Jing's long-distance journey this time must be treasure hunting. She would never go home empty-handed.

Xie Gou laughed awkwardly, "Ha, a thief never returns empty-handed."

Chen Ping'an left the house alone. Chen Lingjun was warmly detained by Zheng Dafeng, and the two exchanged sly glances and began signaling again.

Before leaving, Chen Ping'an took out several large jars from his span object, all filled with "clear water." Although it was clear water, it was valuable—it was the Spiritual Qiu of Eternal Spring Palace, the Floating Coin Spring of Dragon Peak on Cloud Mist Mountain, and two portions collected by Pei Qian from other continents during her travels. The earliest was when Cao Qinglang went to the Great Li capital for the imperial examinations. Zheng Dafeng had just made a joke, telling Cao Qinglang that after passing the exams, he should make a detour to Eternal Spring Palace. If he couldn't buy some Spiritual Qiu spring water, he should steal a few big jugs to brew tea, claiming it would preserve women's looks. Actually, Zheng Dafeng's real intention was to get this bookish Cao Qinglang to see the fairies at Eternal Spring Palace and broaden his horizons... The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it seriously. Cao Qinglang really did it. But the water from the Spiritual Qiu was the source for brewing Eternal Spring Palace's Eternal Spring Immortal Wine. It was a heavily guarded forbidden area. Even as the Great Li top scholar, Cao Qinglang couldn't get any by asking. Moreover, at that time, Cao Qinglang didn't have any dimension items to carry the water. Afterwards, through many twists and turns, he finally found someone to help and sent it via an immortal ferry to Niujiao Ferry.

As for the two small celadon vats of Floating Coin Spring water from Dragon Peak on Cloud Mist Mountain, Chen Ping'an had once traveled there—the origin was easy to imagine.

Zheng