Chapter 997: Wine, Sword, Bright Moon

Chapter 997: Wine, Sword, Bright Moon

At the Bamboo Tower on Gathering Spirit Peak, the scenery was indeed breathtakingly beautiful. When they had chosen this spot to build the bamboo tower back then, every guest who had come to admire the view said that Mountain Lord Chen possessed a uniquely ingenious eye.

In the mountains, orioles chirped in flocks, and beyond the cliff, flying clouds seemed to chase the spring, transforming before one's eyes into dragons and serpents.

Xiao Mo remarked, "With Mr. Zheng returning to his hometown, things will become even livelier."

Chen Ping'an smiled for no particular reason and said, "Zheng Dafeng once said that we scholars flipping through old books is like a short separation being sweeter than a newlywed reunion."

Xiao Mo nodded. "Mr. Zheng is a learned man of profound talent. When a man of learning deliberately speaks in a worldly manner, it is naturally quite different from a hypocrite pretending to be a moralist."

Chen Ping'an said, "Last time I went to the tavern in Ascension City, the regular customers I ran into all said that Manager Zheng's off-color jokes could pair well with wine, and that I, as the second manager, was far from his level."

Xiao Mo chuckled. "Mr. Zheng is open-minded, possesses both affection and righteousness, yet is not constrained by trivialities. He is welcomed wherever he goes."

"Come walk with me."

Chen Ping'an tossed Xiao Mo a jug of wine, and the two of them carried their jugs as they headed toward the mountaintop, drinking as they walked. The mountain's colors were so green they seemed to drip, and they brought wine up into the emerald haze.

The mountain-protecting formation of a top-tier sect was often a stacked formation—layers complementing each other, reinforcing one another, inevitably balancing offense and defense.

Luopo Mountain now possessed two grand mountain-protecting formations. One was a sword formation gradually pieced together over time—a foundation that the thrifty mountain lord, Chen Ping'an, had amassed bit by bit, like a swallow gathering mud. The other was a case of "gaining a blessing in disguise." When the old temple master had visited Luopo Mountain as a guest and drank tea at the mountain gate, he had likely intended to interrogate the mountain. However, due to Chen Lingjun's impertinent remarks in the town, this "never-yielding" Cave Lord of Falling Treasure Beach, Azure Sky Cave, disdained to argue with a mere Nascent Soul water serpent. Thus, he decided to make an example of Mountain Lord Chen Ping'an instead.

There was no need to doubt the old temple master's methods, let alone the courage and boldness of this Fourteen-Stage great cultivator.

"Invincible since leaving the cave, never sparing even when one could"—this was never an exaggeration.

Back then, when Xiao Mo fled into Falling Treasure Beach, even the overbearing sword cultivator Bai Jing had to stop voluntarily.

Yet, unexpectedly, after a few exchanges, the old temple master ended up gifting a Five Sacred Mountains True Form Diagram.

As a result, now whenever Wei Bo, as the mountain god, wished to visit Luopo Mountain—though it was only a few steps away—he required a "travel pass" to avoid any complications.

No wonder Mountain Lord Wei, in his frustration, couldn't help but joke with Little Mi Li that it was the most expensive cup of tea in the world.

This statement was not false. Not only did the old temple master not give Chen Ping'an a hard time, he even gave away a grandfather-level true form diagram—wasn't that equivalent to two immortal artifacts?

Inside the old mountain god shrine at the summit, there hung a scroll painting of sword immortals that Chen Ping'an had brought back from the Sword Qi Great Wall. It originally came from the Sword Pavilion of Inverted Mountain. Chen Ping'an had wanted to return it to Ascension City, but Ning Yao refused to take it back. He knew her temperament well; he couldn't argue with her.

After reaching the summit, Xiao Mo sighed emotionally, "Master, it has truly been no easy feat for Luopo Mountain to reach its current state."

Chen Ping'an boasted, "With abundant wealth in the baskets, it is surely a matter of frugal housekeeping."

Taiping Mountain had once gifted Chen Ping'an a formation diagram, but Luopo Mountain had long been struggling to find suitable flying swords. In previous years, Chen Ping'an had been eyeing the Hatred Sword Mountain in North Juzhou Continent. Fortunately, during his last trip to the Wildlands hinterlands, he passed through Jade Edition City of the Cloud Pattern Dynasty. As a rising star and consummate master of the "Burdensack Studio" philosophy, the young Hidden Official once again upheld the martial world principle of "a thief never returns empty-handed; take what's good and stop." From the hands of Emperor Ye Pu—a newly ascended Flying Ascension Stage cultivator from the Wildlands, bearing the Dao name "Solitary Step"—he obtained twelve flying swords and a coral brush rest used to hold them. Chen Ping'an kept the former and used the latter to strike a long-term deal with Lu Chen.

Thus, the Taiping Mountain formation diagram perfectly matched the twelve flying swords—a flawless combination.

Earlier, when the Tongye Continent hosted the founding ceremony of the branch sect, Liu Jinglong, as Chen Ping'an's closest "drinking buddy," naturally wanted to attend the establishment ceremony of the Green Ping Sword Sect. He brought his disciple Bai Shou and left the Taihui Sword Sect. On his southward journey, at Chen Ping'an's request, Liu Jinglong first went to the Great Li capital to guide the cultivation of Han Zhoujin, a formation master of the Earth Branch lineage. In fact, after Liu Jinglong had his fill of wine there, he secretly entered Luopo Mountain to help that perpetually hands-off manager. For the "mirror images" of sword immortal spirits in the scroll—those that retained only sword intent without intelligence—he accomplished an embellishing task. After carefully studying the Taiping Mountain formation diagram, Liu Jinglong used it as the foundation for the Dao field, selected twelve sword immortal spirits, chose flying swords with similar sword paths, and had them wield the twelve swords. This finally brought the offensive formation to true perfection.

Previously, Chen Ping'an had estimated it could "kill a Jade Purity Stage cultivator and deter an Immortal Stage cultivator." Now, it was upgraded to "able to severely wound an Immortal Stage cultivator who is unaware in advance."

As for Flying Ascension Stage cultivators, they'd better not come here to swagger and show off. First, nowadays, entering Bottleneck Continent requires reporting your whereabouts to the Great Li's imitation Jade Capital. Second, do they really think Luopo Mountain lacks Flying Ascension Stage cultivators? If Mountain Lord Chen truly gets angry, he wouldn't bother with any martial world propriety—open the gate and unleash Xie Gou.

Moreover, Wei Bo secretly bypassed the Great Li court without reporting to the Ministry of Rites or filing records, directly opening convenient access for this sword formation, allowing those sword-wielding spirits to freely travel across most of the Northern March territory.

Seeing Zheng Dafeng and Wei Bo exchanging courtesies at the entrance of Piyun Mountain,

Xiao Mo teased, "Our Mountain Lord Wei is a textbook example of a good person getting good rewards."

After handing over the wooden box, Zheng Dafeng seemingly put his arm around Wei Bo's shoulder, but actually forcibly dragged the mountain lord to climb the mountain, heading to the Music Bureau Bureau with the most female officials to drink.

Whether Mountain Lord Wei would beforehand remind the officials of the Music Bureau to be careful of Zheng Dafeng was unknown.

Xiao Mo recalled something. "I wonder where Xie Gou heard the news that the Five Marchmount Mountain Lords of our Bottleneck Continent might receive enfeoffment from the Confucian Temple. Master, is this true?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I'm not really sure about this. Brother Mao didn't mention it in his letter. I'll ask the Confucian Temple about it when I get a chance."

Nowadays, in the Haoran World, there was indeed an unverified rumor. The former Five Marchmount Mountain Lords of Great Li, now the lords of the five sacred mountains of Bottleneck Continent, might possibly acquire "divine titles."

As for who would preside over the enfeoffment ceremony, at the very least, it should be a vice leader of the Confucian Temple, but it was highly likely that the Literary Saint himself would personally visit Bottleneck Continent.

If this came to pass, then for mountain lords like Wei Bo, Jin Qing, and Fan Junmao, obtaining enfeoffment from the Confucian Temple was not only a great honor but also a substantial gain in their Dao path.

Cultivators from other continents had almost no objections to this matter. After all, Bottleneck Continent deserved such treatment.

At most, they would unanimously joke that Wei Bo's divine title must be "Night Parade."

Wei Bo of the Northern March, with his pure golden body, was the first upper-five-realm mountain lord in the history of Bottleneck Continent. Later, his golden body height increased again, and his cultivation realm was equivalent to an Immortal Stage.

Senior Brother Jun Qian had once stationed himself at Luopo Mountain, punching enemies, causing several golden rains to fall over the Northern March territory, from which Wei Bo benefited greatly.

If Wei Bo could use the gift Ning Yao had given him to further increase his golden body height—becoming the first upper-five-realm mountain god in Bottleneck Continent, the first Immortal Stage mountain god, and then the first mountain god equivalent to Flying Ascension Stage—this would be a "trifecta" in the history of the continent's landscape officialdom. Because gods are nearly immortal, Mountain Lord Wei Bo would become truly unprecedented and unrepeatable.

Before the young Hidden Official Chen Ping'an burst onto the scene, the mountain immortal mansions and various countries' courts of Bottleneck Continent had reached a consensus: the bottleneck of cultivation realms depended on the ultimate heights of the current three "Immortal Stage" cultivators—whether they would stop there or go further.

For sword cultivators, it was whether Wei Jin of the Snow Wind Temple, already a great sword immortal, could break into the Flying Ascension Stage.

For mountain and river gods, it depended on Wei Bo of Piyun Mountain.

For wild cultivators of mountains and marshes, it was Liu Laocheng of the Book Brief Lake.

These three were the leaders at the forefront of their respective paths.

It was as if someone had already taken the lead on these three roads. Those behind only needed to follow. They didn't even dare to hope to catch up, let alone walk side by side, much less surpass.

Chen Ping'an stood at the cliff's edge and said softly, "We all like to use idioms like 'occupying a commanding position' or 'operating from a strategic height.' In the nine continents of the Haoran World, if we use sea level as a ruler, the land's height is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. Moreover, the sea level actually has a subtle tilt—though the extent is small. But this matter is never recorded in books. Ordinary cultivators simply cannot know it, let alone measure it accurately."

"In Bottleneck Continent, the topography of the landmass is more pronounced: high in the north and low in the south. This is a common knowledge among mountain cultivators. So, being a continent's mountain lord, Fan Junmao is at a disadvantage. The reason why all the continent's qi refiners believe Wei Bo is the most likely to become the first mountain or river god with a golden body height equivalent to Flying Ascension Stage is not only because they think Wei Bo has a close relationship with the Great Li Song clan, occupying 'human harmony,' but also because Piyun Mountain itself holds the greatest geographical advantage—it is the highest peak on the entire Bottleneck Continent."

As Chen Ping'an said this, he put his hands in his sleeves and looked up. "Therefore, this mountain is closest to the heavens."

Chen Ping'an had first learned about the value of Gold Essence Copper Coins thanks to Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City's "showing off." He had used an ancient poem of unknown origin to describe this type of immortal money:

"Perhaps the water jade can be gathered, but the gold essence is too mysterious to discuss."

As for the gift Ning Yao had given, Zheng Dafeng had already informed Chen Ping'an before going to Piyun Mountain to find Wei Bo. Ning Yao had asked Zheng Dafeng to relay three sentences to Chen Ping'an:

"This is a gift I have long prepared for Piyun Mountain. You and Luopo Mountain cannot keep owing Wei Bo favors forever. The fact that he doesn't mind is not a reason for you, as the mountain lord, not to care."

"This item is far more valuable than Gold Essence Copper Coins, but you are the least suitable person to refine it. Giving it to Wei Bo, however, is a timely act of 'sending charcoal in the snow.' If he uses it to raise his divine position by a major step, given Wei Bo's character, he will only take better care of Luopo Mountain."

"Since you've given it, don't feel regret. I will gather more Gold Essence Copper Coins on the Multicolor World anyway."

This was Ning Yao's consistent way of dealing with people and matters.

It was also the habit Chen Ping'an had insisted on ever since he met her.

Speak directly about matters, big or small. Better to argue on the spot and cause the other party displeasure than to leave any room for "misunderstanding."

Therefore, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, regardless of any choice, Chen Ping'an had never concealed anything from Ning Yao. Time proved that this was the best way for him and Ning Yao to get along.

Chen Ping'an looked extremely smug and roughly recounted Ning Yao's words to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo sincerely praised, "The mountain lord's wife is truly a virtuous helper that one could hardly find even with a lantern."

Chen Ping'an took his hand out of his sleeve and rubbed his chin. Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Xiao Mo and said with sincere expression, "Xiao Mo, next time there's a Night Parade Banquet, just don't attend. Don't bother with that kind of excitement. It's just drinking in a noisy crowd—nothing interesting."

Xiao Mo hummed in acknowledgment. Chen Ping'an had just breathed a sigh of relief when Xiao Mo added, "Then I'll trouble the master to bring my congratulatory gift for me."

Chen Ping'an felt helpless. The sect's ethos was indeed to treat people with sincerity, but that didn't mean Xiao Mo had to be too honest.

Xiao Mo immediately tactfully changed the subject and asked, "Master, how is Tree Root's fist practice going?"

Chen Ping'an replied, "Breaking through the realm isn't difficult in the near term, but there are plenty of places where I need to temper the foundation and patch up the body's deficiencies. After stepping into the fifth realm of martial arts, there's still plenty of polishing to do."

Xiao Mo smiled. "Tree Root has a pure nature, strong stamina, and with the master personally guiding his fist techniques, his martial path can certainly go far."

Since the topic had turned to martial arts, Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Xiao Mo, in that turbulent ancient era, was there anyone who could rely solely on fist techniques to completely scatter an Earth Immortal's karma and destiny? To be precise, the kind that thoroughly reduces them to nothingness, not just the disappearance of their soul."

Xiao Mo was always meticulous in his thinking. He didn't answer immediately but instead asked, "Does the master mean using only the sinews and bones of the body, without any spiritual energy from heaven and earth, purely with brute force—what later generations call martial arts—to kill an Earth Immortal, making them have no next life, a complete 'corpse dissolution'?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Something like that."

So the original meaning of "corpse dissolution" was this?

Xiao Mo thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Leaving aside the Three Patriarchs and the Ten Greats of the ancient world, Brother Bixiao could easily do it. The few scholars who were first by the side of the Ultimate Sage could also manage. Additionally, the unnamed person who awoke with Bai Jing and me had a few attendants of similar caliber in his early days—they weren't light with their fists. All in all, adding them up, it could be about fifty people, give or take."

Chen Ping'an was astonished. "That many?"

Xiao Mo smiled slightly. "If you add the demons born in the primeval era, there would be even more. But they often don't show themselves easily because, after sword cultivators in the human world increased, they most liked to find trouble with them."

Xiao Mo hesitated for a moment, then continued, "For example, the master's senior brother, Mr. Jun Qian. He was born with extraordinary divinity. In the primeval era when all kinds of strange beings roamed the world, he was one of the few. He once had a Dao aura that stood tall like a sun and moon on the earth, flapping his wings only to resent the low sky. If Mr. Jun Qian hadn't been pulled by the Buddha to debate the Dao, and his nature hadn't been tainted by Buddhist teachings, changing his temperament slightly, I suspect that in the later ancient era, Mr. Zheng of White Emperor City's Dao transmitter would not have had the chance for the Dragon-Slaying Campaign."

Xiao Mo continued, "Master, I have a guess."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Go ahead, don't hold back."

Xiao Mo said, "I suspect that the reason the true dragons of the world rebelled against the Heavenly Court back then was highly likely because Mr. Jun Qian, through the Buddha, secretly made a promise to all the dragon palace water clans—something like a covenant not to harm dragon kind and water immortals."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "That should be the truth."

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Xiao Mo, according to current mountain speculation, the eleventh realm of martial arts is roughly equivalent to the fourteenth realm of qi refiners. Is that accurate?"

Back at Taiping Mountain, thanks to his first disciple, Chen Ping'an had received a punch from an eleventh-realm martial artist—more precisely, half a punch.

At the time, Chen Ping'an was already at the tenth realm with abundant qi, yet facing that half-punch, he could only obediently stand there and take it. Not only could he not fight back, but he could barely defend himself. He lay in the big pit for a long time without getting up.

Later, when he learned the truth behind that unprovoked half-punch, Chen Ping'an alternated between amusement and frustration. He could only swallow his bitterness. After all, how could he bear to scold Pei Qian even one word?

Besides, Pei Qian had always had a heavy heart. Chen Ping'an had no intention of discussing this with her, lest she overthink it.

If the culprit had been some other proud student of his, Chen Ping'an would have tied that white goose's neck in a knot.

Xiao Mo shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. You could ask Bai Jing about this."

Nowadays, Chen Ping'an's dedicated cultivation revolved around three matters: refining swords, practicing fists, and drawing talismans.

On the path of sword refining, the main efforts were on the innate divine abilities of two flying swords—"Caged Sparrow" and "Moon in the Well." Chen Ping'an attempted to refine an orderly river of time, making the small world tend more toward "truth."

As for martial advancement, it was comparatively dull and boring. Chen Ping'an repeated only half a punch.

That "eccentric" eleventh-realm martial fist from the mountain summit was like a supreme fist manual.

It was split in two. Half was on the corpse of the immortal, the bequeathed body of Han Yushu left by the first ancestor of the Strategist faction stationed at Spark. The other half was within the mountains and rivers of Chen Ping'an's own internal world. Having taken that half-punch, the mountains and rivers in his small human world shook, waterways changed course... Every remaining trace was part of the fist path.

As for talisman drawing, it consumed considerable time. Chen Ping'an seemed to be dividing his attention, but by delving into talismans, he was actually using this as a key method to complete the series of ferries, passengers, and other elements in his river of time.

Chen Ping'an smiled and invited, "Come, let me show you some of my collections and how I cultivate."

Xiao Mo had been looking forward to this for a long time. He bowed and said, "I gladly accept."

Together with Xiao Mo, he shrank the earth and returned to the bamboo tower.

Chen Ping'an was the first to step into the unclosed first floor of the bamboo tower, causing ripples all around. Xiao Mo followed closely. Once he stepped inside, it was a world within a world—a completely different realm.

A vast, boundless expanse of heaven and earth—it was the scene inside Chen Ping'an's innate flying sword, "Caged Sparrow."

Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Do you need me to change the scenery? I can directly summon a Demon Suppressing Tower, or even Sui Mountain, and even Holding Moon Mountain is fine. They can be so lifelike they could pass for the real thing."

Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head. "Master, just a meditation cushion will do."

Chen Ping'an pointed at Xiao Mo and teased, "This is where you fall short compared to Old Chef and Pei Qian."

As he spoke, a cushion each appeared behind them, specially made by the Sanlang Temple of North Juzhou Continent, exactly as Chen Ping'an said: lifelike to the point of passing for the real thing.

Xiao Mo sat cross-legged and said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "Some talents, if you can't learn them, you just can't."

"At Taiping Mountain in Tongye Continent, I encountered Han Yushu, the sect master of Ten Thousand Yao Sect, on a narrow path. At the time, I tricked him, and he took that punch for nothing. At least half of this immortal cultivator's belongings, along with his innate object, were smashed to dust. I couldn't keep more treasures. However, Han Yushu's entire Dao intent and spiritual energy all merged into this landscape painting."

Chen Ping'an took an ancient scroll painting from his sleeve and suspended it in front of him. He brushed the white jade roller with his finger, and a rustic, ink-wash landscape painting unfurled. The great earth, mountains, and rivers were as finely drawn as a line sketch. The painting depicted the Five Sacred Mountains and nine rivers and eight streams. The inscription read "Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou."

Chen Ping'an then shook his sleeve, and a few secret treasures of the Ten Thousand Yao Sect flew out, each suspended before him. The space suddenly burst forth with brilliant, dazzling light.

There was a dharma blade "Crimson Cloud," a "ritual vessel" Cloud Pier—hidden with an ancient divine puppet—and a crimson-purple gourd capable of nurturing Samadhi True Fire.

In fact, there were also two fundamental mountain-river talismans from the ancestral mountain of the Ten Thousand Yao Sect, passed down only through generations of sect masters, kept secret from outsiders.

Xiao Mo smiled. "For an immortal, Sect Master Han is quite wealthy."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "This is the foundation of an old sect."

Chen Ping'an pointed at the landscape painting. "This painting is the mountain-protecting formation of Ten Thousand Yao Sect and also Han Yushu's ultimate trump card. I estimate it has been enshrined in their ancestral hall for several thousand years. Anyway, the painting's age is certainly older than the history of Ten Thousand Yao Sect."

"The founding patriarch of Ten Thousand Yao Sect was once a young woodcutter from Tongye Continent. He stumbled into a blessed land and obtained this ancient painting, which is as old as the Three Mountains Blessed Land, and thus began his path of cultivation. According to legend, when Ten Thousand Yao Sect was at its peak, it occupied half of the blessed land's spiritual energy and various fortunes. However, when the patriarch tried to advance further, he failed in his seclusion and failed to ascend to the fourteenth realm. He drew a blank, and all his fortunes were returned to the blessed land."

Chen Ping'an noticed that Xiao Mo's interest was only in the Daoist ritual vessel. He smiled and asked, "Recognize it?"

This Daoist ritual vessel, called "Cloud Ao" in ancient times, was modeled after the divine objects used by ancient gods to ride clouds and mists. According to mountain doctrine, clouds have cloud-roots, and rain has rain-feet.

"Where white clouds are born, there are people" and "Deep in white clouds, there are people"—a single word difference makes a world of difference. The former undoubtedly refers to a true immortal who has achieved the Dao, while the latter may just be a hermit.

Later generations' cloud ao were mostly in the form of small gongs. The one before them was a tall wooden frame made from ten-thousand-year-old ancient pine Mingzi wood, with small hammers suspended. There was a line of cloud seal script: "Personally made by Lady Shangyuan."

Xiao Mo nodded. "I've looked up at it a few times."

In ancient times, the Cloud Master divine official drove a five-colored cloud chariot, steered six dragons, rode the wind, entered and exited the heavenly gates, crossed three mountains, roamed the four seas, voyaged the five lakes. Beneath the Azure Cloud Road lay the nine continents.

Chen Ping'an waved his sleeve, and the originally palm-sized miniature cloud ao suddenly grew to the height of a person. Mist and clouds rose all around. Chen Ping'an stood up, stepped onto the white clouds, and took a small hammer. He gently struck the cloud ao and muttered in an obscure ancient language, "Cloud forest's ao, true immortals descend and gaze, light and shadow fill the void, spiritual winds and strange fragrances, divine thunder harmonious music..."

After a moment, there was no particular phenomenon. Chen Ping'an returned the hammer to the wooden frame and laughed. "This more than hundred-character true incantation, copied verbatim from Han Yushu—not a single word wrong. According to reason, there shouldn't be any omission. But he could command a Celestial Official Divine Maiden; I cannot. I can never invite the gods."

As for the meaning of the ancient language, Chen Ping'an had learned it afterward by consulting Cui Dongshan. Earlier, he had asked Jiang Shangzhen, only to receive nothing but a blank look. Chief Zhou instead asked Chen Ping'an about the divine maiden's appearance.

Xiao Mo smiled. "Master, how about I give it a try?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Go ahead. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

Xiao Mo was proficient in "ancient language." Previously, on the Wind Kite ferry boat, Xiao Mo had taught ancient secret arts and Daoist methods to children like Chai Wu, Bai Xuan, and Sun Chunwang, communicating with them in ancient language.

However, Chen Ping'an really didn't believe that Xiao Mo, a sword cultivator, could knock out a flower from it.

As a result, Xiao Mo also performed the star-step and cloud-wandering, reciting the same string of ancient true incantations. In an instant, a hundred strands of qi arose and coalesced into a golden sea of clouds high above, from which a pair of golden eyes opened, overlooking the earth. Xiao Mo immediately stopped the action. The golden sea of clouds gradually dissipated, and the owner of those golden eyes returned into hundreds of refined, pure spiritual qi, returning to heaven and earth.

Chen Ping'an immediately sensed the difference and asked with confusion, "The incantation I chanted—six syllables were different from yours? Is that why my god-summoning failed?"

Xiao Mo smiled slightly, seemingly confident that his master could figure out the mystery without needing much explanation.

Chen Ping'an immediately understood. Han Yushu had deliberately mispronounced a few key syllables. This Sect Master Han, traveling abroad, was not treating people with enough sincerity.

Among barely a hundred words, Han Yushu had mispronounced six. Besides malicious intent to deliberately mislead, there was no other explanation.

But if he only thought of this layer, then Chen Ping'an's journey through the martial world would have been for nothing.

Ancient sacrificial texts were as precious as gold; not a single word could be wrong. Since that was the case, Han Yushu could still summon that ancient divine official only by using some kind of heart-sound or following some ancient ritual form—similar to drumming the belly, lighting a heart-incense, or singing praises to the gods. Indeed, Xiao Mo then taught Chen Ping'an an ancient ritual to accompany the true incantation. Select nine qi mansions, let spiritual energy rise like burning incense, and chant while the incense smoke "directly reaches the heavenly court." At the same time, the spiritual energy would knock against the walls and paths of the qi mansions along the way, making drumming sounds and the noise of kowtowing... If not for this "true transmission," Chen Ping'an might have knocked on the cloud ao for hundreds or thousands of years without successfully "inviting the gods to return."

Xiao Mo said, "If it weren't for the master's own Dao cultivation being extraordinary enough, for an ordinary Earth Immortal cultivator to copy Sect Master Han's striking of the cloud ao repeatedly—the more immersed in mind and spirit, the easier it would be to fall into demonic possession."

Chen Ping'an was inwardly alarmed. He was silent for a moment. "I was careless."

This was the aftereffect of temporarily borrowing the fourteenth-realm Daoist methods from Lu Chen.

"Reach the summit, and the world becomes small"—with a broader perspective, a cultivator's mind will open wide. This naturally has both advantages and disadvantages.

Lu Chen had once used two analogies to describe a great cultivator's ascent in the human world.

Heaven and earth are like a lump, letting me turn it in a furnace.

Plant a tree on the mountaintop; hang a book on the tree.

But in truth, when Chen Ping'an was alone, he more often used the extremely tough cloud ao to occasionally practice the move "Divine Man Drums."

Thus, in this heaven and earth, striking the cloud ao was something Chen Ping'an used as a way to relax.

Xiao Mo began to explain why he had stopped. "Master, I am a sword cultivator. I have no desire for prayers. Once I complete the ritual of summoning the gods to descend, I must pay certain costs as an offering to this Cloud Ministry god."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away."

Then, Chen Ping'an moved his mind slightly, and Xiao Mo saw a female cultivator hanging in midair, wearing a crimson dharma robe, with precious light like a moon halo.

The woman appeared, lifelike.

Chen Ping'an asked, "She is Han Yushu's legitimate daughter, named Han Jiangshu, a Jade Purity Stage cultivator. Xiao Mo, can you tell if she is a reincarnated god?"

Xiao Mo shook his head. "Unless I see her true body in person, I cannot be certain."

The image of the woman before them was, after all, only a virtual phase of "flesh and skin."

Xiao Mo added, "However, 'Jiangshu' is one of the ancient divine trees, with a background similar to that of the Demon Suppressing Tower's Qingtong. Since she is Han Yushu's legitimate daughter, born as a mountain immortal material in a sect, naming her wouldn't be done casually. I suspect she is more likely to be a reincarnated god."

Chen Ping'an waved his sleeve again, and using tens of thousands of tiny flying swords from "Moon in the Well," he wove a painting—the scene of his earlier confrontation with that Celestial Official Divine Maiden.

An ancient female divine official of the Cloud Master class stood on white clouds. Within the heaven and earth created by Han Yushu, Chen Ping'an, with a narrow saber "Kan Kan" hanging at his waist, faced off from afar with this Cloud Ministry Divine Maiden who controlled the cloud ao. He used martial fist intent and qi to condense a full, bright moon, as if using divine Dao against divine Dao.

A cloud ao, hung with twelve gongs and drums. The divine maiden personally beat the drums, manifesting twelve seas of clouds covered with golden lightning, connected by a golden line, ultimately constructing an execution platform.

Xiao Mo was certainly someone who "knew goods." This incredible "mirror flower, water moon" had already far exceeded the scope of mountain imitation arts. The latter was only like the earlier "female cultivator Han Jiangshu"—one glance and it was fake, a counterfeit. The current painting, however, was a genuine "second-class authentic work." Simply put, the divine maiden's true Dao intent was authentically revealed. Only the divine maiden herself was fake; everything else was real.

It was like the difference between a first edition and an original manuscript. The latter could even be more exquisite.

Xiao Mo suddenly thought of a phrase: "When body and mind shed their bonds, one can speak of the inconceivable; what the eye sees is real, and the world is called the world."

Chen Ping'an said, "I speculate that the remaining, broken golden body of this god is equivalent to half a Flying Ascension Stage. It was probably the opportunity Han Yushu was preparing to use to prove his Dao and ascend. So when he fought me, this decisive and ruthless immortal-stage cultivator hesitated in his Dao heart for a moment when it came to using this broken god—he wasn't willing to use her in a mutual destruction gambit."

"Master, I still cannot identify her exact identity. The only thing I can confirm is this forbidden ground."

Xiao Mo collected his thoughts, looked at that sea of clouds and lightning pool, and said, "It is one of the ancient execution platforms, the Dragon Transformation Pool, belonging to the Thunder Ministry's Kan Kan Department. As for why she and the cloud ao fell into the hands of Ten Thousand Yao Sect, and how she could cross boundaries to control the Dragon Transformation Pool, that's a puzzle. The divine positions of the Heavenly Court were extremely clearly divided, not allowing the slightest deviation. To find out why this happened, we might need to find a chance to sneak into the Three Mountains Blessed Land to look for clues."

Dragon Transformation Pool.

In ancient times, when the world's water tribes passed through the dragon gate, they transformed into dragons here. Genuine dragons that were punished—subjected to torture like having sinews pulled and skin flayed—fell into this place. Their divine nature and true spirit dissolved away, and they lost their true dragon body.

Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, slightly frowning, lightly tapping his thumbs together.

He remembered that during his first journey to North Juzhou Continent, at the Mural City of the Hemp Garment Sect, he had spent twenty snow coins to buy a set containing five paintings of divine maidens.

Those five divine maidens, who had already changed from colored murals to line drawings, were respectively named "Long Candle," "Precious Canopy," "Ganoderma," "Spring Official," and "Kan Kan." The divine maiden Kan Kan was also called the "Immortal Staff." They respectively held a long-handled golden lotus lantern, supported a precious canopy, cradled a ganoderma ruyi, had birds and beasts swirling among a hundred flowers, wore armor, held axes—extremely valiant—and were wrapped in lightning.

Previously, Chen Ping'an had indeed suspected that this divine maiden, closely related to Han Yushu's Dao of Ten Thousand Yao Sect, originated from Mural City.

But the timing didn't seem to match. The Hemp Garment Sect was a branch sect that outsiders had struggled to root in North Juzhou Continent, specifically targeting Mural City.

The founding patriarch of Ten Thousand Yao Sect had stumbled into the Three Mountains Blessed Land much earlier.

Unless it was a possibility: a divine maiden had used a concealment technique. She had actually left Mural City long ago, but the colored painting had cast a secret method that didn't fade.

In the last thousand years, the nine divine maidens had successively begun to choose their respective masters. According to the "stakeouts" and investigations of North Juzhou cultivators, of the five divine maidens who left the murals, "Spring Official" had vanished without a trace. One was killed in battle, personally slain by the sword immortal Bai Shang. Two divine maidens had jointly undergone "corpse dissolution" with their masters. And this Cloud Ministry Celestial Official, whom Chen Ping'an suspected was most likely the Kan Kan divine maiden, didn't match at all. She had always been present in North Juzhou's view because this divine maiden was the attendant of an immortal-stage cultivator. This accomplished scholar was not a sword cultivator. According to records from the Summer Retreat Palace, she had even followed her master to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

In the underground palace of Mural City, the divine maiden Kan Kan.

Chen Ping'an reached out his arm, and the narrow saber "Kan Kan" appeared in his hand.

If nothing unexpected, this Thunder Ministry Kan Kan divine maiden, commonly known as the "Immortal Staff," was heading for the execution platform divine object in Chen Ping'an's hand.

And the narrow saber Kan Kan had been brought from the Sui Chu Palace of the Qingming World to the Sword Qi Great Wall by the White-Haired Child in his early years.

Chen Ping'an nodded, put away the two paintings, but left the sea of clouds. He gently exhaled, and a strange phenomenon appeared. It was as if white clouds were born from a celestial being's breath. Mist curled up like a cloud ladder. Then, from his innate Water Mansion—where he had placed the Water Character Seal—a green talisman slowly emerged. Its water energy was rich and pure. As soon as this talisman appeared, the light of the water shimmered, and all directions were clear and translucent.

After Chen Ping'an produced this talisman, he explained, "According to legend, Ten Thousand Yao Sect uses six token talismans as identity symbols for disciples. The sect master holds three; the rest are divided among the three lineages, including the Law Keeper. This talisman is one of the six secret talismans of Ten Thousand Yao Sect: the 'Spit and Become River' talisman."

According to the Cinnabar Book's True Trace, the wonder of talismans lies not on paper but in fusing with the cultivator's golden core and nascent soul. For example, within the alchemy chamber, carving words on the wall like stone inscriptions. A higher level is to erect a stele within a key cave mansion through a nascent soul and use primordial spirit to control the illusory "pure azure furnace fire," writing sacrificial texts more ancient than Daoist green lyrics.

For a qi refiner to carve talismans and erect steles in his small human world to record events—that is the true meaning of ancient talismans.

Only talismans drawn in this way can be considered the cultivator's own thing, uniquely obtaining the creation of heaven and earth, and not straying far from the Dao heart.

Thus, Chen Ping'an never thought he had truly entered the hall of talisman arts. He was still far off.

The Jade Capital enshrined several great scriptures regarded as the foundation of the Dao. One of them was titled "Explaining Talismans," but it was not as famous as Lu Chen's "Yellow Court" and had limited circulation.

The "Cinnabar Book's True Trace" that Li Xisheng had given Chen Ping'an was like a carefully trimmed abbreviated version of "Explaining Talismans."

"I know it's a good thing, but I've never dared to refine this talisman into an innate object. I'm afraid Han Yushu might have foreseen it and tampered with it early on, or he might have malicious intentions. He might have been bent on fleeing in defeat when encountering a powerful enemy, leaving this ancestral mountain talisman for the opponent to refine."

Chen Ping'an said, "Through evolution and disassembly, working backward, I've roughly understood the cultivation process of this secret talisman."

"A cultivator first opens a deep well within his own Water Mansion. Around the well's mouth, he inscribes the four characters 'Rain Master Command.' The well mouth must tilt slightly inward, higher on the outside and lower on the inside, somewhat like the courtyard wells found in every household in the town, with the principle of 'four waters returning to the hall.' Approximately every sixty years, on the winter solstice, he goes to a river or large lake with abundant water energy, takes one dou of water, divides it into four parts, and respectively pours them over the four characters 'Rain Master Command.' They flow into the well in order: the vertical stroke in 'Rain,' the left-falling stroke in 'Master,' the last right-falling stroke in 'Command,' and the final dot of 'Command.'"

Because it was within his own small world, everything was as he wished, without restraint.

Between Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo, a well materialized out of thin air. Around the well's mouth were inscribed the four characters "Rain Master Command." One dou of water suspended in the air poured over those four characters and slowly flowed into the well.

As the saying goes, well water does not interfere with river water. But since ancient times, the pursuit of cultivation—seeking immortality, reversing yin and yang, disregarding the difference between light and dark—has always been recognized as an act against heaven.

"On the following summer solstice, the cultivator manifests the talisman, uses the sunlight's yang qi to pass through the water, forms a set of thunder hand seals, performs the Five Dragons Opening Mountain incantation, and burns at least twelve 'vassal' water talismans—like Great River Horizontal Flow talismans or Tide Reversal talismans—as offerings to this talisman. The cultivator makes a whale-like motion to drink the dou of water, creating within his human world a scene of a waterfall pouring from the sky to the ground, impacting the well's bottom to dig deeper. After dozens or hundreds of sixty-year cycles of 'dripping water wears through stone,' this well becomes spiritually connected with the waters of the five lakes, four seas, nine rivers, and eight streams of the outside world. The cultivator holds the talisman and chants the incantation, as if holding heavenly decrees, imitating heaven and earth, speaking with heavenly authority. Naturally, borrowing water becomes unimpeded. The surging rivers and water can cover the sky and block out the sun, enough to submerge mountains and turn land into sea."

A dou of water hung high in the sky. A vertical line fell, with the stirring force of a great waterfall pouring straight down, crashing into the well, and thunder sounded from within.

Xiao Mo smiled. "By this method, after long effort, one can spout it out and release the talisman, pouring out a river. It is truly a case of 'one spit drowns a person.'"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Chief Zhou also used that analogy."

No wonder the two of you, before even meeting, already had an invisible Dao struggle.

Old Immortal Jia had once sighed emotionally over drinks, "It's not that I don't remember Chief Zhou's old friendship; it's just that Mr. Xiao Mo is too honest a man."

Cui Dongshan was even more extreme: "Chief Zhou, if you don't come back soon, you might as well not come back at all."

Chen Ping'an said, "The fly in the ointment is that the most valuable part of this talisman lies in the material itself, which can carry layers of superimposed Dao intent. So it can only be passed down from generation to generation. The talisman's power will increase greatly, with an extremely high upper limit, almost touching the source of the Water Law. But it cannot be imitated or copied, let alone mass-produced."

Xiao Mo said, "If the crux of the problem is only the talisman material, then it's not difficult. The master only needs to explain clearly. Later, when I reunite with Brother Bixiao, I can ask this fellow Daoist for it."

Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head. "Don't owe anyone a favor—especially not that old temple master."

Xiao Mo said, "Master, rest assured. I am the exception."

Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless.

Xiao Mo never spoke big words.

It was simply that the trip to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had left Chen Ping'an with a lingering fear of the "Dao-art-profound" old Daoist from the Eastern Sea's Observing Dao Temple. Whenever he thought of him, his "Dao heart was covered in dust."

To put it simply, Chen Ping'an had a psychological shadow regarding the old temple master. It was similar to the state of mind of the Earth Branch cultivators of Great Li whenever they thought of that young Hidden Official.

Chen Ping'an then produced another ancient talisman also from the ancestral mountain of Ten Thousand Yao Sect. It manifested an ancient great mountain named "Tai Mountain."

Worldly mountain talismans are countless, with complicated veins. A pinch of earth forms a mountain, each with its own divine power. Different mountain talismans have different strengths and weaknesses.

Within the qi mansion, take a small pinch of earth, silently recite the true incantation, bestow true intent, and scatter it on the ground. It becomes a great mountain, standing firm between heaven and earth.

Among them, the most powerful lineage is the "mountain-moving" of the world's great peaks, borrowing "true forms" to smash people, which is extremely powerful.

The two ancestral mountain talismans formed a pattern of water surrounding the high mountain.

Xiao Mo recognized the root of this mountain at a glance. He said, "This was once the transmission place of Mr. San Shan Jiu Hou, where he taught talismans to Daoists from all directions who could climb the mountain. However, unlike the Daoist Immortal Wei, this gentleman had a high threshold. He never lightly transmitted his methods to outsiders. Tai Mountain had many miasmic barriers; most Daoists couldn't ascend. It seems the later Landscape Barrier-Breaking Talismans were developed by Daoists studying this."

"I once traveled to this mountain—of course, I forcefully opened the path with sword qi to reach the summit. But by then, this gentleman had already left. According to legend, he had fought with one of the Ten Great sword cultivators, and the sword qi was too heavy, lingering without dispersing. The owner felt it was no longer suitable for cultivation and went down the mountain to travel far. As for the outcome of that fight, the outside world is unclear."

"Daoist, scholar, gentleman, master—in ancient times, these were all titles of extremely high value."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "No wonder later generations who wanted to become talisman cultivators faced such high thresholds, second only to becoming sword cultivators."

Han Yushu had once followed a golden scripture method passed down by the sect's founding patriarch. Using this Tai Mountain as talisman paper, he drew golden lines on the mountain to increase the ancient mountain's Dao intent.

The mountain was filled with hundreds of golden rivers and streams, falling from the summit to the foot in all directions.

At that time, Chen Ping'an, right under Han Yushu's nose, imitated the technique by rote, applying it on the spot. This led Han Yushu to conclude that Chen Ping'an must have been exposed to the collateral branches of Three Mountains talismans long ago.

Two ancestral mountain talismans, plus that sea of clouds.

The sea of clouds was at the bottom, the mountain hung inverted, and water circled in the middle. Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo still sat on their cushions, so the scene before their eyes turned upside down.

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "I've long seen that this is a stacked talisman, but there's no evidence, no trace to follow, no thread to pull. It's like striking the cloud ao—without an exclusive secret method as auxiliary, I still can't learn it no matter what."

Chen Ping'an's fingers moved, and wisps of golden light appeared on his fingertips. Eventually, they traced out a secret ancient talisman of Ten Thousand Yao Sect—both a mountain talisman and a sword talisman.

But compared to the previous two ancestral mountain talismans, which were real objects, this talisman was drawn out of thin air by Chen Ping'an.

It was a golden talisman paper depicting five ancient mountains. A rare five-colored earth—each time one tael was used to draw a talisman, one tael would be lost from the world—was meticulously refined into cinnabar for talisman drawing. Finally, the two characters "Five Peaks" were written with a sword incantation as the talisman's heart.

When a cultivator produces this talisman, it is as if five mountains hang upside down in the sky, their peaks like sword tips pointing straight at the earth.

Chen Ping'an said, "This Five Peaks Talisman is prefixed with the character 'Great' to distinguish it from the common Five Marchmount Talismans of later ages. Besides the special talisman paper, it has another peculiarity: using a sword incantation as the talisman heart, giving it the effect of a sword talisman. It can be determined that the ancestral hall of Ten Thousand Yao Sect must contain a currently unknown ancient sword lineage."

According to Jiang Shangzhen's estimate, this talisman—renowned as the "Great Five Peaks Talisman"—became a unique product because the "Eastern Mountain" of the old five sacred mountains had vanished without a trace. At the Celestial Master's Residence of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the talisman treasury of the sixteenth Liu family of Baiai Continent, and other places with well-preserved Five Peaks Talismans, the total number would not exceed thirty.

Rumored that the Eastern Mountain was a mountain market that didn't need to be ethereal; it would drift away with the river of time.

His student Cui Dongshan—such an obvious connection—had naturally been asked by Chen Ping'an if he had any relation to that "Eastern Mountain."

Cui Dongshan had then replied categorically: "My self-chosen name 'Eastern Mountain' is merely to seek a good omen. It is a form of self-encouragement from a student, like a 'motto' engraved on my heart—telling myself that through tireless and diligent cultivation, I will one day rise again... It has absolutely nothing to do with the ancient peak 'Eastern Mountain'!"

Xiao Mo asked, "Couldn't you settle for second best and use the five-colored earth from various countries' five marchmounts to refine cinnabar for talisman drawing?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I tried, but it didn't work. Even using the five marchmount soil of our Bottleneck Continent was useless."

When he was young and an apprentice kiln worker, he often followed Master Yao into the mountains. Chen Ping'an had "eaten his fill of soil."

His understanding of earth properties far surpassed that of ordinary qi refiners.

"One must take soil from the ancient five sacred peaks of the Haoran World. But of these five mountains, only Sui Mountain remains. The others—Tai Mountain, Eastern Mountain—are too hard to find."

Perhaps using the five marchmounts of the Central Lands that came after the old five—Sui Mountain, Jiuyi Mountain, and others—one could refine this talisman. But to take a handful of soil attached to the roots of those great peaks with divine titles from their mountain lords? Easier said than done.

It was said that the talisman master Yu Xuan had long planned this. He had barely gathered the soil from four marchmounts, yet still fell short.

Yu Xuan was already virtuous and esteemed enough, wasn't he? Yet at Sui Mountain, whose lord had the divine title "Great Jiao," he was turned away. No matter how much Yu Xuan offered to pay, how he appealed to emotions and reason, the lord Zhou You simply would not nod.

So Chen Ping'an could only copy this talisman within his own small world.

At the cave heaven Dao field of Secret Snow Peak, Chen Ping'an had tried no fewer than a hundred times to draw the talisman on paper. Each time the talisman was completed, it immediately dissipated. It wasn't a matter of fake talismans having rapidly fading spiritual energy—the talisman heart simply exploded, causing the entire talisman paper to shatter on the spot.

Xiao Mo was not too familiar with talisman arts, so he was inevitably puzzled. "Master, since you already possess a river of time, why delve so deeply into talismans?"

This was the first time Chen Ping'an had shared with an outsider his specific concepts and detailed arrangements for constructing this world. "This world is divided into four layers. The first layer uses the river of time to create all kinds of heavenly and earthly scenes, infinitely close to reality. It's equivalent to an illusion. Anyone who comes here seeking a sword duel must first break through this barrier to find my 'true body.' During this time, any action they take—every breath, every step, every sword stroke or magic treasure they use—the spiritual energy they consume naturally belongs to me."

"I plan to go to Tongye Continent next time, visit the Demon Suppressing Tower, and buy those parasol leaves that contain scenes one by one from Qingtong."

"Qingtong's parasol leaves have the wonder of 'one leaf, one enlightenment.' Once the quantity is large enough, they truly have the use of a 'world of countless grains of sand.'"

"The second layer: After breaking through the mirage, they must still seek the Dao or engage in a sword duel with the entire world. Talisman arts are what I use to stabilize the world's barriers. So I will refine hundreds of thousands, even millions of talismans. The quality of the talisman paper doesn't need to be high; quantity wins. Of course, having great talismans like these is even better. I will continuously reinforce the mountain roots, water veins, cloud roots, rain feet, and other Dao operations of the world, ultimately reaching the grand realm of 'water long, heaven as its limit' and 'mountain firm, soil without decay' along the river of time."

"Without the three hundred Gold Essence Copper Coins in the Spring House treasury, the width and depth of this river of time would be... a world of difference!"

"The Daoist methods of the world, though different paths, converge in the same end. Tracing to the source, the ultimate method is probably like a tree blooming with a thousand flowers."

"The Dao tree has low branches within reach; arts are easy to learn. The Dao tree has high branches, and the threshold for cultivation rises accordingly, unattainably high."

Chen Ping'an sat on the cushion, the narrow saber Kan Kan lying horizontally across his knees, his hands clenched into fists resting on his knees. His expression was radiant, his brows raised with spirit.

"The third layer: I will visualize three key figures stationed at the world's hub. One sword cultivator carries 'Night Parade' on his back. One martial artist holds 'Kan Kan' and 'Execution.' One talisman cultivator holds infinite talismans."

Speaking up to here, Chen Ping'an grinned.

"For outsiders to enter this world and see my true form, it's like they have to burn three sticks of incense and pass three trials."

Xiao Mo was silent for a long time. "Master, the last layer?"

Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "I'll keep that a secret for now."

----

At the Oxhorn Ferry Burden Studio, after parting from the man claiming to be a friend of Uncle Chen's, Hong Yangbo and the maidservant Qing Cai continued browsing the shops.

In the old man's opinion, business here was indeed a bit slow, too inconsistent with the important hub location of Oxhorn Ferry.

If their own Green Cicada Workshop were opened here, it would certainly be packed full every day.

Hong Yangbo asked with a chuckle via heart voice, "Boss, what do you think of this prefecture?"

Bamboo outside peach blossoms, Artemisia carpeting the ground. The yang qi of early Jingzhe, the warmth of shining spring.

The young woman, addressed as "boss" by the old man, replied, "The scenery of Chu Prefecture is good, but being here inevitably feels confining."

The old man nodded, deeply agreeing.

Even though the Dragon Spring Sword Sect had moved out of Chu Prefecture, this place still had numerous mountain peaks and immortal mansions. Piyun Mountain was, after all, the seat of Mountain Lord Wei Bo.

For outsider qi refiners, it was truly restrictive. Walking around felt like living under someone else's roof. The mere need to wear a sword talisman for wind soaring made outsiders feel extremely uncomfortable.

This time, they got off the boat at Oxhorn Ferry specifically to visit Luopo Mountain and meet that young Hidden Official. If they merely sent a letter to Jise Peak to invite Chen Ping'an, their Green Cicada Workshop thought it would be useless—Luopo Mountain would likely regard them as someone who didn't know their place or etiquette.

The two walked into a shop selling potted plants, including orchids and many others.

Hong Yangbo had been doing business in the second-floor room of Green Cicada Workshop for nearly eighty years.

As if in the blink of an eye, just a few drinks of wine later, a hundred years had passed leisurely.

The old man had met Chen Ping'an three times. He had witnessed the transformation from a young sword-carrying boy with a wine gourd hanging, to a young wanderer in a bamboo hat, to the already middle-aged mountain lord of Luopo Mountain.

Back then, when Chen Ping'an was on the second floor, she happened to be on the third floor in the "Cold Qi" room polishing an ancient sword. She keenly sensed the unusual activity downstairs, so she disguised herself as a maidservant serving tea and water and went to Hong Yangbo's room to investigate.

At the shop entrance stood a man in blue robes. He clasped his fists and smiled, "Mr. Hong, Miss Qing Cai."

The acting manager of this shop was a young female cultivator from Pearl Hairpin Island. By seniority, she was a junior of Guan Qing and a few others at Flowing Cloud.

The woman smiled and introduced herself, "Mountain Lord Chen, please forgive me. I am the current manager of Green Cicada Workshop. My real name is Zhang Caiqin—Zhang with the bow, Cai with five colors, and Qin with water celery."

Back when Chen Ping'an left Green Cicada Workshop, he had glanced back and seen this woman leaning against the railing. He had already confirmed that she was a sword cultivator hiding her qi.

In the back courtyard, there were rooms specially for entertaining honored guests, with tea and wine prepared. Chen Ping'an personally brewed tea for guests and joked, "Mr. Hong is truly hard to invite. Today is an unexpected delight."

Hong Yangbo laughed. "If Mountain Lord Chen were simply inviting me to visit Luopo Mountain, how could I repeatedly decline? But Mountain Lord Chen was openly poaching me. How could I dare agree?"

After all, he had seen a young Chen Ping'an. Moreover, they had conducted a few real transactions. So the old man was even more relaxed than Zhang Caiqin and spoke more freely.

Hong Yangbo asked, "Do the two friends who traveled with Mountain Lord Chen to the Dilon Mountain Ferry back then—are they now registered members of Luopo Mountain?"

"That big-bearded blade master is named Xu Yuanxia."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "The young Daoist is called Zhang Shanfeng. They were both good friends I met by chance in my early days in the martial world. They are not registered members of Luopo Mountain. One carries a big frame—even more so than Mr. Hong. It's not just a matter of inviting; even begging him to come to Luopo Mountain, he wouldn't be willing. The other is like Mr. Hong—already has a mountain inheritance. I wouldn't dare poach them."

The Fire Dragon Elder of Prostrate Peak enjoyed unparalleled prestige throughout North Juzhou Continent, both on and off the mountains.

Zhang Shanfeng was this old elder's beloved disciple. Chen Ping'an wouldn't dare poach him. Not to mention the old elder himself—even Yuan Lingdian and a few of Zhang Shanfeng's senior brothers could come block Luopo Mountain's gate.

The Fire Dragon Elder was famously kind to all. His honorary and non-honorary guest elder titles were countless.

But the old elder would always remind them, "Your position as guest elder for you—don't spread it around. Of course, if trouble comes, come to Prostrate Peak and find me. If I can help, I will."

At first, some immortals were smug, thinking they could get the old elder as their own guest elder—if not the only one, at least one of a very few.

But when they got together with close mountain friends, drank too much, and chatted, they'd slip up and realize something was wrong as they stared at each other.

You too? You as well? And you too? So we're all in the same boat!

In the end, Prostrate Peak didn't even have a single cross-continent ferry. The old elder would tell everyone, "I'm poor."

The Fire Dragon Elder of North Juzhou: penniless; Liu Jinglong of Taihui Sword Sect: unbeaten at the drinking table; Mountain Lord Wei Bo of Bottleneck Continent's Northern March: hosting Night Parade banquets—their fame was no longer limited to a single continent.

Hong Yangbo said seriously, "The purpose of this visit is that the boss and I have come specifically to see Mountain Lord Chen."

Chen Ping'an handed them tea and nodded with a smile. "Just speak frankly, Mr. Hong. We're no strangers."

Hong Yangbo said, "Our Green Cicada Workshop is located at the Dilon Mountain immortal ferry. The true owner of this ferry is actually the imperial family of Green Apricot Kingdom. Because it lies south of the great river, according to the agreement, the Liu clan of Green Apricot Kingdom shed its status as a vassal of Great Li. After the restoration, the new state preceptor is an old friend of mine from the mountains. I've known him for over a hundred years—we know each other inside and out. It's also my fault for being fond of drink and not being able to control my mouth. I boasted to him that I was acquainted with Mountain Lord Chen. He probably went to the Liu emperor to claim credit. Coincidentally, the crown prince of Green Apricot Kingdom will be holding his coming-of-age ceremony midyear. The emperor hopes Mountain Lord Chen can spare some time from his busy schedule to attend this ceremony."

Zhang Caiqin hesitated. In fact, this wasn't the truth. She had taken the initiative to mention it to the Liu emperor of Green Apricot Kingdom. She and the emperor both thought it was worth trying. If successful, it would be best; if not, it would still count as a journey through the Northern March territory.

Chen Ping'an, a seasoned veteran of the martial world, immediately guessed the truth from Zhang Caiqin's subtle expression. But he pretended not to know and smiled, agreeing. "No problem."

He also half-jokingly added, "If Mr. Hong is still worried that I might forget, just send another letter to Jise Peak a few days before the ceremony to remind me."

With the matter settled, a great weight was lifted from their hearts.

Zhang Caiqin, sincere and earnest, clasped her fists in thanks to Mountain Lord Chen.

Chen Ping'an had to smile and return the bow. "Don't be so polite. Consider this my apology for my earlier poaching attempts."

In truth, Zhang Caiqin hadn't held much hope that Chen Ping'an would accept the invitation. It wasn't a matter of aloofness or coldness. Once you open a crack, you have to consider every aspect of human relationships. For example, within an immortal sect, there are many peaks, veins, and lineages. If an ancestral hall’s great elder accepts an invitation to one peak's ceremony, do they then need to appear when the other peaks invite? Better to refuse all or risk favoritism. Otherwise, you'd spend all your days attending various ceremonies and forget about cultivating in peace.

"Our boss, when young, once met a wandering high immortal who gave her a prophecy of four characters: 'Earth Immortal Sword Cultivator.'"

Hong Yangbo brought up the matter. "As for the arts of commerce and management, though the boss hasn't devoted much effort, it has still delayed her cultivation. Otherwise, the prophecy might have already been fulfilled by now."

She was somewhat exasperated. Why bring this up with an outsider—especially a young Hidden Official who had characters etched on the city wall? Talk of "sword cultivator" was surely embarrassing. Especially that "Earth Immortal" might be worth something at Zhengyang Mountain, but what was it at Chen Ping'an's Luopo Mountain?

Chen Ping'an's heart stirred. He asked, "If I may be so bold, was that passing high immortal a man or a woman?"

As for pleasantries praising Zhang Caiqin's aptitude or future achievements—those were unnecessary. Both parties were seasoned businesspeople. Saying insincere things wouldn't sound good.

Since it involved secrets, Hong Yangbo wasn't fit to speak. He turned to look at the boss. Zhang Caiqin, without hiding anything, replied, "It was an unremarkable-looking woman, dressed in thorn hairpins and coarse cloth. She had told fortunes for several of my family's elders, every one accurate. Everything she predicted came true. After that, I soon nurtured an innate flying sword."

In fact, this unknown transcendent woman had also given Zhang Caiqin a meeting gift: an inkstone carved with dragon patterns, inscribed with "Dragon Beard Can Ward Off Summer Heat."

The woman had also leaked some heavenly secrets, predicting that Zhang Caiqin's greatest Daoist opportunity in life lay in the two characters "cicada slough."

Chen Ping'an nodded slightly and asked with a seemingly casual smile, "If I'm not mistaken, what this high immortal meant by 'Earth Immortal' is not the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages of today, but the Immortal Stage of the upper five realms—an old term specifically for a terrestrial immortal who permanently resides in the human world."

It must be Tian Wan's doing.

Most likely, Tian Wan had taken a liking to Zhang Caiqin's aptitude but was unwilling to take her to Zhengyang Mountain like Su Jia and hand her over to someone else to nurture. Moreover, Su Jia's identity was special and an indispensable link. Probably Tian Wan planned, after successfully conspiring with Bai Shang, to take Zhang Caiqin as a direct disciple or recommend her to Bai Shang to earn herself some favor.

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Was that scroll of 'Regretful Postscript' in Mr. Hong's shop intentionally left behind by that high immortal back then?"

Zhang Caiqin and Hong Yangbo exchanged glances, both puzzled as to why Chen Ping'an would ask.

This calligraphy scroll was quite famous among the mountains of Bottleneck Continent. It had once been the work of a native sword immortal from the ancient Shu region, created before he proved his Dao. Because of that, it was written with exceptional spirit and energy, the ink dripping with vitality—completely lacking in mature restraint. The one Hong Yangbo sold to Chen Ping'an was, of course, a copy, but the brushwork was very close to the original, possessing great antiquity. It used the double-hook method: first outlining hollow characters and then filling in the ink, making the characters of "Regretful Postscript" seem like the abandoned shell of an autumn cicada. Precious calligraphic works from the world are often inscribed on stone using this method.

Chen Ping'an didn't continue discussing this scroll. After more casual conversation, Hong Yangbo mentioned that he and the boss were about to leave for the capital region to meet an old friend. On their way back south, they would visit Luopo Mountain again.

Chen Ping'an didn't detain them. He escorted them to the shop entrance.

As the two walked toward Oxhorn Ferry, Zhang Caiqin couldn't help but sigh, "I've learned something. Watertight."

Especially that seemingly casual reminder to Hong Yangbo—that was the true essence of human relations.

First, it indicated that Chen Ping'an would definitely attend the ceremony. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to say it.

This put both unexpected visitors at ease.

Second, the next flying-sword message to Jise Peak could be sent by Green Cicada Workshop or, of course, by Green Apricot Kingdom's Ministry of Rites.

This effectively meant Green Cicada Workshop had helped the Liu clan of Green Apricot Kingdom establish a personal connection with Luopo Mountain. Chen Ping'an was giving an extra favor to Green Cicada Workshop—not exactly timely help, but definitely adding a touch of elegance. Since he'd decided to attend, Luopo Mountain might as well go with the flow and give Green Apricot Kingdom even more face. At the very least, in the eyes of the outside world, it would seem that the Green Apricot emperor had successfully invited the young Hidden Official to the capital in person.

All it took was one seemingly "superfluous" letter—Luopo Mountain, Green Cicada Workshop, and the Green Apricot court all happy.

Hong Yangbo smiled. "Thankfully, Mountain Lord Chen is a good man."

Zhang Caiqin laughed wryly.

After seeing Hong Yangbo and Zhang Caiqin off, Chen Ping'an didn't leave the shop. He returned to the rear courtyard room and put away the tea set.

The young girl's face was flushed. She twisted the hem of her clothes with one hand, blaming herself for being so unresponsive—she should have let Mountain Lord Chen clean up himself. Gathering her courage, she took the initiative to greet him. "Mountain Lord Chen, my name is Lan Rao. The name was bestowed by the patriarch. I am a cultivator of Pearl Hairpin Island!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl almost stomped her foot in frustration. Would Mountain Lord Chen not know she came from Turtle Fish Back? The shops at Oxhorn Ferry Burden Studio—weren't they all run by their people?

Chen Ping'an nodded gently and asked with a smile, "Lan Rao, who is your master?"

Lan Rao—a poetic name for a small boat. Island Master Liu truly had talent and feeling.

The girl smiled and replied, "My master's name is Luo Pu. She is currently cultivating in Mountain Lord Chen's blessed land."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "That shows your master's aptitude is excellent."

Lan Rao nodded vigorously.

It's her master—of course!

After Chen Ping'an left Oxhorn Ferry, his figure transformed into a rainbow and flashed away. He directly arrived at Yellow Lake Mountain and saw the "muddy dog" squatting by the water.

Chen Ping'an crouched down and rubbed its head, suppressing a smile. "You've had a tough time."

Since it hadn't yet shed its form, it didn't need to be treated as a fellow Daoist.

The dog grinned and wagged its tail.

Back then, that little charcoal girl spent her days muddling through the town's school. When school was out, that was her happiest time.

Beside her was a little girl in black, the right guardian of Qilong Lane, and a dog walking with its tail between its legs, the left guardian of Qilong Lane.

Pei Qian liked to swagger through the streets and alleys. When there were no outsiders nearby, she often liked to shout loudly.

"Walking arrogantly makes the enemy panic! Who dares block the way? Beat them with a stick. If it's a friend and we hit it off, kill the dog; I'll eat the meat, you drink the soup!"

It rhymed well enough, but it didn't care about that dog's feelings at all.

Those unbearable years with a bitter past—it couldn't speak of them. Even though it had long been able to talk, it would rather die than utter a word. If it opened its mouth, what then? If Pei Qian found out, it suspected she might hang it up and beat it.

Whenever Pei Qian taught Zhou Mili a lesson, she'd use the catchphrase: "Little Mi Li, we can't be too much like the left guardian. If our tail is too high in the air, we'll take a big fall."

Occasionally, the three of them would squat at the shop entrance on Qilong Lane, basking in the sun and cracking melon seeds. Pei Qian often rambled about her perilous yet exciting martial world exploits and some principles that were certainly unverifiable. For example, "You know, my master once said a golden saying: Money is hard to earn; shit is hard to eat! Now that's uncouth but true. Eh, not right—Left Guardian, you're impressive! You dare be an exception? Where's your dog head?! Come on, you're a tough one. Take a set of my Demon-Devouring Sword Technique!"

Thankfully, Little Mi Li still protected it. Otherwise, it would have run away from home. Not just Qilong Lane—it wouldn't even stay in the town.

Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Have you thought of a true name?"

The dog lowered its head, indicating it already had one.

Chen Ping'an stood up, a little regretful. "Then I won't help with naming."

As he prepared to leave Yellow Lake Mountain, Chen Ping'an couldn't hold back his curiosity. "What do you plan to call yourself?"

The dog lifted a paw and scratched on the ground.

It wrote two characters. The handwriting was quite decent.

Han Lu.

Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled. "That's indeed a good name."

Instead of returning directly to Luopo Mountain, Chen Ping'an first went to Yuanmu Peak. Old Chef was working as a carpenter, holding a piece of round wood, squinting as he prepared to snap an ink line. At his feet were scattered wood shavings.

Seeing Chen Ping'an, Old Chef smiled. "Master, why are you here?"

Chen Ping'an rolled up his sleeves and smiled. "Not just loitering. I'm giving you a hand."

The White-Haired Child hurriedly flew in on the wind. He lunged forward, rolled on the ground a few times, then jumped up, steadied himself, and brushed off the dust. "Hidden Official Ancestor! I want to report important intelligence to you. Xie Gou has secretly left the Chu Prefecture territory!"

Chen Ping'an sneered. "We're both part of the same sect, and this is how you uphold loyalty?"

The White-Haired Child stamped his foot. "This is where loyalty and righteousness conflict! There's no other way. Loyalty comes first, righteousness second!"

Zhu Lian nodded in agreement. "Makes sense, makes sense. You should carve 'loyalty' on your forehead, write 'unyielding and upright' on one palm and 'fraternal devotion reaching the heavens' on the back of the other hand. Then, when you go out for a walk, you'll be the picture of majesty!"

The White-Haired Child complained, "Old Chef, your words are so unpleasant. The tone is so weird. Who did you learn this bad habit from? You should learn how to talk and how to behave from our Hidden Official Ancestor. They say, 'A residence near water gets the moon first.' But you—staying every day beside the Hidden Official Ancestor, who is like a room of orchids and irises, soaking it all in—yet you haven't learned a single real skill."

Zhu Lian still nodded. "Reasonable, reasonable. You're right about everything."

If I argue even half a sentence with you, I lose.

The White-Haired Child put his hands on his hips, about to curse, but thought better of it. Arguing was doomed against this old cook.

Chen Ping'an said with exasperation, "Don't drag Guo Zhujiu into your nonsense."

The White-Haired Child's eyes filled with grievance and resentment. He sniffled. "I was thinking of infiltrating the enemy! Risking my life without hesitation, venturing into the dragon's pool and tiger's den, climbing mountains of knives and seas of fire—I need to get familiar with that Xie Gou first so I can better report to the Hidden Official Ancestor."

Chen Ping'an laughed angrily. "Then I suppose I have to thank you?"

The White-Haired Child tapped his toe, kicking wood shavings flying. "If the Hidden Official Ancestor says such distant words, it chills the loyal heart of your trusted general."

Zhu Lian chimed in again, "That's right—a lively, burning hot loyal heart."

Chen Ping'an suppressed a smile. Subduing this guy really required Old Chef to step up.

The White-Haired Child's eyes widened until he nearly choked with internal injury.

In truth, when it came to speaking in strange, sarcastic tones, the best wasn't Cui Dongshan or Zhu Lian—it was Luopo Mountain's Chief Zhou.

Probably because Chief Zhou had the talent combined with extensive experience, he was unrivaled in telling jokes. Even Old Chef and Zheng Dafeng admitted inferiority.

For example, "The ancestral hall meetings at my place are just pigs quarreling in a sty."

"If you can still lift your head when seeing a beauty, you're still spry and not admitting old age."

"Fighting down the mountain is just chicks pecking at each other..."

Over at the Music Bureau of Piyun Mountain, there wasn't really any feminine atmosphere. No beautiful cooks filed in and out, and no song and dance entertained. It was just Zheng Dafeng and Wei Bo drinking together, getting utterly drunk. Zheng said he had an idea.

After hearing it, Wei Bo was struck speechless for a long time.

A pure martial artist like you going to Qi Ferry—for what?

Chen Ping'an returned alone to the bamboo tower on the cliff, sitting by the stone table.

Back on the Sword Qi Great Wall, early on, Chen Ping'an had only been a second manager selling wine and running the gambling house. He hadn't yet become the Hidden Official and moved into the Summer Retreat Palace.

Besides practicing fists, his daily busywork was carving seals, crafting folding fans, and compiling the Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual, the Two Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual...

Ning Yao would occasionally come sit in the room. Chen Ping'an, afraid she'd find it boring and leave after a short while, would talk about anything—explaining the thought and intention behind the seal inscriptions, and the reasons and meanings for the text on the fans.

At first, Ning Yao would listen earnestly and even ask about the sources of the words and phrases. But later, for some reason, after hearing too much, she would show a hint of impatience—not obvious, perhaps not even noticed by herself. But Chen Ping'an was extremely sensitive, and the second manager was adept at reading expressions. He quickly stopped saying much, deciding to talk less. Yet every time she seemed about to get up and leave, he'd find some clumsy excuse to keep her.

Chen Ping'an secretly rejoiced in this but also felt a bit sad.

The reason Ning Yao behaved this way was that she had a sense of crisis. Chen Ping'an thought it was completely unfounded, but between a man and a woman, how much reasoning was there?

To be precise, Ning Yao felt that she was gradually having difficulty communicating with Chen Ping'an. She worried: today like this, what about tomorrow, the day after?

Ning Yao felt that all she would do in this life was practice swordsmanship. But Chen Ping'an was different.

No matter how far ahead Ning Yao was on the path of cultivation, she was still a woman.

When walking on the path of love, who wasn't a coward full of anxieties?

Upon hearing an unpleasant word, her heart would be overcast with sorrow, drizzling endlessly. Yet, suddenly hearing a sweet lover's word, the sun would blaze brightly, the sky clear for ten thousand miles.

Chen Ping'an lay on the stone table, his hands stacked, his chin resting on them, staring blankly into the distance.

He rarely daydreamed for so long. The clouds rolled and unfurled; the sun set and the moon rose. Chen Ping'an maintained that posture all the while.

Wine, sword, bright moon, Ning Yao.