At the edge of the imperial palace, seven or eight figures hovered in the air or stood atop the walls, poised to act. They awaited only the Emperor’s command to join forces and eliminate the enemy. These seasoned immortals and martial arts grandmasters knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses intimately, their teamwork honed over years of cooperation. Individually, they conceded that none could match the outsider in single combat, but in the celestial arena of divine battles, one-on-one duels were rarely the preferred tactic.

Beyond the high walls of the Wuying Hall plaza, the old eunuch’s crimson python robe was tattered and torn. As he rose to his feet, his lips moved slightly.

The Emperor of Great Sui nodded, “Be careful.”

Simultaneously, in the vast expanse between the imperial city and the outer city of the Great Sui capital, a grand scheme unfolded. Within the Qintian Jian (Imperial Observatory), twelve golden-armored warriors, each three to four zhang tall and etched with mystical inscriptions, emerged from the earth from all directions, each wielding a divine weapon of national protection.

The sound of bells echoed from a nearby temple, accompanied by the swirling of Buddhist chants. Within a Taoist temple, purple mist rose from an incense burner, the smoke coalescing into a massive talisman. Beneath a stone arch bridge, a white dragon clung to the bridge’s side, its head emerging from the railing…

Within the palace walls, the Dragon Wall Formation protected the imperial progeny of the Great Sui Gao clan. Outside the palace, a magnificent grand array, meticulously constructed and augmented over hundreds of years by the Great Sui, safeguarded the entire capital, shielding it from the threat of mountain sects.

Once activated, this protective city array could suppress the cultivation of all Qi cultivators and pure martial artists within the capital, causing them to fall by one or two realms. Even if a cultivator above the Fifth Realm attempted to wreak havoc in the Great Sui capital and was ultimately defeated through combined efforts, the damage inflicted upon the capital would be an unbearable burden for the Gao clan.

However, if faced with an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator suppressed to the Tenth Realm, the Great Sui capital would undoubtedly have more than enough resources to deal with the situation. Even with everyone experiencing a drop in their cultivation, the sheer number of defenders would be enough to overwhelm the opponent. The destructive power of a Tenth Realm cultivator, even if they fought with reckless abandon, would not be able to overcome the deep foundations of the Great Sui capital.

The array’s suppression was like setting up a checkpoint on the Longsheng Bridge, obstructing the flow of Qi cultivators and martial artists, forcing them to slow their pace.

The Lvzhu Cave Heaven, suspended above the territory of Great Li, was crafted by the combined efforts of the Four Sages. It was said to completely banish all spells and divine abilities within the small cave heaven. Any attempt to forcibly cast spells would result in a severe backlash. Even the mere deduction of its principles cost the Intercepting River True Lord, Liu Zimao, decades of lifespan, demonstrating the array’s immense power.

The Lvzhu Cave Heaven was undoubtedly the ancestor of such formations.

After standing up, the old eunuch cracked his knuckles together, his eyebrows and hair bristling with fury. He roared, “Come!”

The nine golden, ethereal dragons concealed within the Dragon Wall Formation of the imperial palace swiftly converged on the eunuch’s location. Golden light spiraled upwards, transforming into finger-sized golden snakes, which entered his body through his seven orifices, merging with his spirit.

The old man soon transformed into a golden deity from the ancient Heavenly Court, striding towards the hole in the high wall. Each step he took created golden ripples on the ground. Without bowing or stooping, he shattered the wall with his hand and walked straight through, returning to the Wuying Hall plaza.

Civil officials and military generals assisted their ruler, a practice known as “Supporting the Dragon.” Eunuchs, on the other hand, were considered a lesser form of “Attached Dragon.” Both possessed a certain sensitivity to the Emperor’s Dragon Qi. However, for this aged eunuch, one of the gatekeepers of the Great Sui capital, to be able to control the majestic Gao clan’s Dragon Qi for his own use was still unbelievable. The Qi cultivators and martial arts grandmasters at the edge of the palace exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a hint of fear.

Clearly, there was a significant, unspoken secret involved.

The old eunuch glared at the outsider, “Another battle, what do you say?!”

If he was previously a weak ninth-grade Go player among the Great Sui’s imperial board members, then he was now a true master, his skills having surged to the point where he rivaled Xie Lingyue, the genius cultivator of the Lu clan, and became his legitimate disciple, moving into the courtyard to attend to his daily needs.

Cui Dongshan entered the courtyard, and with a flourish of his sleeve, a chessboard and two boxes of pieces appeared on the stone table. The board was already set up, the game in the mid-stage, with black and white pieces interlocked in a complex and intricate pattern.

Cui Dongshan stood and picked up a white piece, pondering in silence, his hand hovering above the board.

The girl, having removed half of the trapped dragon nails, had her cultivation restored to the Fifth Realm. Upon closer inspection, a colorful, radiant glow could be seen emanating from her body.

Cui Dongshan sighed, placed the white piece back in its box, and turned away from the chessboard. He entered the house, sat upright, and opened a Confucian classic before him, interlacing his fingers in his lap.

A gentle breeze swept through, turning a yellowed page of the book.

The girl, Xie Xie, stood at the doorway, her eyes filled with both awe and envy.

That breeze was actually the unique “page-turning wind” of the Confucian Academy.

Unfathomable and unpredictable.

This was the greatest impression she and Yu Lu had of the Great Li National Preceptor in his youthful guise.

You never knew what was on his mind or what he would do next.

She suddenly thought of the poorly dressed boy who wore straw sandals year-round. How did he manage to suppress the Great Li National Preceptor at every turn? Was it really just because of a strange title of “Teacher”?

The battle of wills was like a tug-of-war, inevitably resulting in a winner and a loser.

Cui Dongshan remained motionless, allowing the page-turning wind to turn the pages of the book. He lowered his head and gazed at the teachings of the sages, smiling, “A Liang once had a catchphrase, ‘In the pugilistic world, we must subdue people with virtue and conquer enemies with looks.’ My teacher inherited the true essence of that saying. That’s why I, as his disciple, am willing to admit defeat.”

The girl lowered her eyes, careful not to reveal her true feelings.

Cui Dongshan still did not look up, and said impudently, “Ugly freak, get away from me. Don’t you feel ashamed to be in the same room as a handsome young man like me? If I were you, I would have committed suicide out of shame!”

The girl performed a respectful bow and said softly, “This servant takes her leave.”

Cui Dongshan added, “If you’re going to die, don’t die in the courtyard, it’s bad for the feng shui.”

Inside the imperial study.

Grand Tutor Mao stood by the window, speaking calmly. “Your Majesty, it would be more appropriate for me to go. That man is the father of one of the children at our academy. He heard that his son was being bullied miserably, and that’s why he was so angry that he came to the palace to reason with Your Majesty. Your Majesty was unwilling to see him before, but now that he’s been forced to break through and become the third martial arts Grandmaster of the Treasure Bottle Continent, his momentum is at its peak, and he may not be willing to back down.”

The Emperor of Great Sui smiled, “Then I will trouble you to make a trip, Elder Mao. I will be waiting in the Yangxin Zhai (Hall of Mental Cultivation).”
As the tall elder vanished, the storyteller softly said, “This action is reasonable but lacks empathy; you were wrong.”

The Emperor of Great Sui nodded. “This junior was at fault first, and the previous turmoil was also Great Sui’s fault. Adding these two mistakes together…”

The Emperor of Great Sui said bitterly, “Ancestor, this time, it’s going to be difficult.”

The elderly storyteller, whose clothes were faded from washing, smiled. “Since things have come to this, either sincerely admit your mistake, or fight him to the end. The latter may not be easier, but it’s less troublesome; you don’t need to overthink it.”

The Emperor of Great Sui smiled knowingly. “Ancestor, you always see things clearly.”

The old man patted the Emperor of Great Sui on the shoulder, comforting him. “Sitting on the dragon throne and wearing the dragon robe, you bear the weight of the entire empire. Some mistakes are unavoidable. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t do any better. Don’t blame yourself. I chose you to inherit the throne, defying everyone’s objections, and I still think I was right.”

After an unexpectedly long wait, the Emperor of Great Sui, standing under the eaves of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, saw Mao Lao approaching with a plain-looking man.

Mao Xiaodong smiled strangely. “Your Majesty, this is Li Er, the father of Li Huai, a student at our Cliff Academy. He insisted on walking here to see Your Majesty, saying that flying around in other people’s homes isn’t the proper way to reason with people.”

The Emperor of Great Sui was amused and exasperated.

The storyteller, who had been on tenterhooks, was greatly relieved.

They entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation together. Inside, there were only four people, each seated: the Emperor of Great Sui, the storyteller, the deputy head of Cliff Academy, and Li Huai’s father, Li Er.

Li Er spoke first: “It’s not easy to see Your Majesty.”

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The Emperor of Great Sui didn’t know how to respond.

Fortunately, Li Er got straight to the point. “The ones who bullied my son include the Han family, the Chu family of Nanxi, and the Marquis of Huaiyuan, five or six great families in total. I implore Your Majesty to have the ancestors of these families come forth. I, Li Er, will fight them one by one. If they think I’m bullying them, that’s fine; they can all come at me together. They can borrow more magical treasures and weapons from their friends. It’ll just be troublesome for Your Majesty to find a large, secluded place in the capital, so we can all fight without holding back. If that doesn’t work, outside the capital is fine too.”

Mao Xiaodong held back his laughter, almost gleefully laughing out loud.

The storyteller glared at him, and Mao Xiaodong rolled his eyes.

The Emperor of Great Sui was somewhat stunned and asked softly, “Another fight is necessary?”

Li Er said sullenly, “I didn’t come here to fight you in the first place, but since you, Your Majesty, were unwilling to show your face and insisted on fighting, I had no choice but to go along. The ones I truly want to fight are those who bullied my son. It’s normal for children to fight, and if that was all it was, even if Li Huai was beaten by his classmates, I, as his father, wouldn’t say anything, no matter how much it pained me. But how can they be so arrogant, thinking they can bully others just because they have better family backgrounds, without even apologizing or returning what they stole?”

Li Er’s face darkened as he continued, “If Great Sui thinks it’s in the right, then we can continue fighting. I know Great Sui has a deep foundation and isn’t afraid of turmoil. But I, Li Er, find it strange; if the officials of Great Sui are all like this, what can my son Li Huai learn if he studies in a place like this?”

Li Er then looked directly at the storyteller. “Old sir, you count as a formidable fighter. The one in red only counts as half.”

The stooped old man, who was drinking tea, nearly choked.

The Emperor of Great Sui smiled. “Very well, I can relay the message to those families and have their elders come forth. However, there’s a problem with the Marquis of Huaiyuan. Although the Marquis of Huaiyuan is from a family of meritorious founding generals, his family’s ancestor has long passed away, and he himself is just an ordinary person, not even a martial artist.”

Li Er was clearly prepared for this. “Then let the Marquis of Huaiyuan hire someone. I don’t mind that.”

The Emperor of Great Sui asked, “Do you require those families to publicly apologize to Li Huai?”

Li Er shook his head. “What’s the point of a bunch of old men apologizing to a child? No need. Besides, I don’t want my son to be unable to study quietly at Cliff Academy. I just can’t stand the way those families act. After the fight, the elders will naturally discipline their juniors at home, and that’s enough.”

The Emperor of Great Sui breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Mr. Li Er, you are indeed reasonable. If I had known this, I should have met you sooner.”

Li Er quickly waved his hand. “I’m no Mr. Mao Lao is. The two tutors who taught Li Huai at the academy even chatted with my family of four for most of the day and can be considered true sirs, treating everyone courteously. Those are the true scholars.”

Mao Xiaodong smiled silently.

That was quite the compliment.

Hearing this, the storyteller finally laughed. “This can be considered a case of friendship arising from a fight. It’s fortunate for Great Sui that Li Huai has such a reasonable father and that Li Huai can study in the capital of Great Sui. It’s a good thing.”

Li Er said gruffly, “I’m not good at polite words. I’ll just wait here today until the people from those families come out for a fight. Your Majesty, let me say this beforehand: I need to return to the academy early, so don’t let those people deliberately delay me. Don’t blame me for going to their doors one by one.”

The Emperor of Great Sui gave Mao Xiaodong a look, then rose and said, “I’ll go and have the message relayed.”

Mao Xiaodong followed him, leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, leaving Li Er and the storyteller behind.

The Emperor of Great Sui looked troubled, walking side by side with Mao Lao on the corridor. “Mao Lao, what do you advise?”

Mao Xiaodong laughed. “It’s simple. Have the people in charge of those families, whether they can fight or not… well, actually, none of them can fight in front of Li Er. Have them all enter the palace and just stand there, unmoving, just standing there in front of Li Er, just lowering their heads and admitting their mistakes, putting on a pitiful act of being beaten without fighting back. Then this matter can be considered over. Your Majesty, rest assured, Li Er is so honest and simple that he definitely won’t make a move.”

The Emperor of Great Sui stopped, annoyed and embarrassed. “Mao Lao, tell me the truth, were you just waiting for today to see me make a fool of myself?”
Master Mao laughed, shaking his head, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know Li Huai had such a father. Had I known, I would have entered the palace to meet the Emperor long ago. Now, I’ve caused such a commotion! His Majesty is surely brooding over it, and who knows when he might vent his anger on the academy. It’s a loss all around.”

The Emperor of the Great Sui chuckled, “Vent my anger? Dare I?”

Mao Xiaodong suddenly dropped the playful tone and whispered a reminder, “Your Majesty, as your elders have said, though this is a setback to your face, in the long run, it will surely be a blessing!”

The Emperor of the Great Sui smiled, “I’m not that foolish!”

The tall old man joked, “If Your Majesty were truly foolish, would I dare bring my students to the Great Sui?”

The Emperor of the Great Sui summoned a palace eunuch to relay a message, then asked, “This time, Li Er was willing to stop short of an all-out fight. Master Mao’s brilliant strategy, and Li Huai’s two teachers, deserve the greatest credit. Master Mao, I won’t stand on ceremony with you. Do those two teachers need me to have the Ministry of Rites commend them?”

Mao Xiaodong’s expression turned solemn, and he refused, “No need!”

The Emperor of the Great Sui was puzzled, “Why?”

Mao Xiaodong said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty must understand one thing: this is the true learning of my Cliffside Academy. Why need the Great Sui to bestow a special reward? In the coming decades and centuries, my Cliffside Academy will continue to impart knowledge and cultivate talent, nurturing the true seeds of scholarship for the Great Sui.”

The Emperor of the Great Sui was shaken, as if he were seeing the tall old man before him for the first time.

The slight resentment in his heart, born of his imperial nature, was finally swept away.

The Emperor of the Great Sui stepped back and bowed, the second time he had done so today, “For the sake of the Great Sui’s state and its people, I thank Cliffside Academy in advance!”

The tall old man did not evade the bow, despite the considerable presumption involved. He accepted the solemn gesture of gratitude from the monarch without any pretense, saying gravely, “Mao Xiaodong accepts it humbly on behalf of Cliffside Academy.”

As Li Er left the palace, walking along the imperial corridor with Mao Xiaodong, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been outmaneuvered by the old man and felt somewhat sullen.

Mao Xiaodong chuckled, “It’s enough that they admitted their mistake. Did you really want to beat them all senseless before leaving the palace? Your son will be studying in the capital’s academy for a long time. They’ll see each other frequently. Now, they all admit their fault, and even the Emperor of the Great Sui feels they owe you, Li Er, a great debt of gratitude. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Li Er sighed, “I just feel that these people have short memories. I can’t stay at the academy. Master Mao, please take care of Li Huai and the others.”

Mao Xiaodong nodded, “Of course. Besides, isn’t there also the old ancestor of the Gao clan of Yiyang Prefecture?”

A hunched old man materialized within the corridor, nodding and smiling, “Indeed, Li Er, your voluntary concession this time will naturally prompt the Great Sui to offer twice the sincerity.”

Li Er nodded, “I hope so.”

Mao Xiaodong asked with a smile, “Li Er, you were already a ninth-realm martial artist in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven. How did you still live in such straitened circumstances? Now, you’re a tenth-realm martial artist, one of the top three martial artists in the entire Eastern Treasure Continent, and your combat prowess is certainly ahead of Song Changjing. Have you never thought of telling your family, so they can at least live a better life?”

Li Er shook his head, “Oh, if I put my wife in fancy clothes, cover her in gold and silver, give Li Liu a mountain of rouge and powder, and feed Li Huai meat every day, would that really be good for them? I don’t think so.”

Mao Xiaodong joked, “What if your wife and children think it is?”

Li Er still shook his head, “Someone told me not to do that, which is one reason. Secondly, I feel the same way. Back in the small town, with all those relatives of my wife’s family, they would be up to no good. What would I do then? Beat them to death? Reason with them? Would they listen? They would say one thing to my face and do another behind my back. In the end, my wife would be the most hurt, caught between her own family and her husband’s family. Of course, even if things were better in Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, they still wouldn’t be that great.”

After Li Er completely concealed his aura, he was even more ordinary than a regular man, shrinking and cowering. But as he spoke, his eyebrows danced, no longer looking as dejected and useless as he used to in the small town. “Although I’ve always been stuck in a small place, I can still figure out this much. As long as my family is safe and sound, no one goes hungry, my children and wife can eat meat when they want, and I can have a drink when I’m feeling peckish, that’s better than anything else.”

Li Er looked at the scenery of the capital outside the corridor, a sentence remained unsaid in his heart.

Even if I’m truly a good-for-nothing, at least in my son’s eyes, I, Li Er, am already a pretty good father, and I haven’t embarrassed him. Do you know how happy I am to know that?

Thinking of this, Li Er excused himself and vanished in a flash, rushing to the Eastern Flower Mountain Academy.

Besides missing his wife and children, there was also something about his son that he could now act on.

Mao Xiaodong sighed, “Li Er has figured things out. Many clever people are far inferior to him.”

The storyteller laughed, “How could a tenth-realm martial artist before the sixty-year cycle really be a fool?”

However, the hunched old man sighed, “But as it stands now, Song Changjing, the King of Great Li and the weakest of the three, has the best chance of reaching that realm. It’s not just that Song Changjing is the youngest.”

Mao Xiaodong nodded, “Song Changjing’s martial heart is even more terrifying than his youth.”

The hunched old man asked with a smile, “Are you talking about when that person appeared in the Great Li Palace with absolute dominance, and Song Changjing dared to swear he wouldn’t retreat?”

Mao Xiaodong smiled and retorted, “Are you asking whether the White Jade Tower of Great Li is real or fake?”

The two old foxes, who had lived long enough to become spirits, walked side by side, their eyes never meeting.

When Li Er returned to his residence, his wife and children were eating. Lin Shuyi had brought two large food boxes, filling the table with dishes. The woman and Li Huai sat on a long bench, while Li Liu and Lin Shuyi sat opposite each other. There was still one bench left for the man who was late.

Li Er, empty-handed, stopped at the door, remembering that he had forgotten to buy something. Because Lin Shuyi was there, the woman only gave him a look that said she would settle accounts with him later. Li Er rubbed his hands and sat down, discovering there was also a jar of wine. Li Er looked at Lin Shuyi and asked, “Want to have a drink together?”

Lin Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “I can’t hold my liquor, but I’ll have a little with Uncle Li.”

Li Er grinned, “You can’t do without a good capacity for alcohol.”
The woman snapped, “How can that be allowed? Isn’t one drunkard in the family enough?!”

Lin Shouyi, ever the clever one, nearly dropped the large white bowl he was reaching out to receive the wine. The usually stoic and stern young man beamed from ear to ear.

Li Er also flinched at his wife’s words, almost losing his grip on the wine jar.

Li Huai, gnawing on a greasy chicken leg, mumbled, “Dad, tomorrow I’ll go to the foot of the mountain and buy you a good jar of wine. I’ll borrow the money from Lin Shouyi, and Chen Ping’an can pay me back later. You just drink!”

Li Er grinned, as if receiving a decree of special pardon from his son, allowing him to drink under orders, thus losing no face before his wife.

The woman always spoke gently to her son, “Wine is fine, but buy the cheapest kind. Your father drinking good wine is just wasting money.”

Li Er poured Lin Shouyi a large bowl of wine, then filled his own, nodding and chuckling, “Right, right, the cheap stuff is fine, no need for good wine.”

Li Huai rolled his eyes, “Mom, you manage everything under the heavens, aren’t you afraid Dad will run off with a vixen one day?”

The woman cast a flirtatious, yet menacing, glance at the man opposite her, “Dare he? Besides, someone would have to want him first, right?”

The man quickly gulped down a large mouthful of wine, nodding vigorously, “Yes, yes, nobody wants me.”

The woman slammed the table, “Nobody wanting you is one thing, but whether you have stray thoughts in your heart is another! Speak! Do you?!”

The man immediately put down his white bowl, straightened his back, and vowed, “Absolutely not!”

Then, the woman glanced sideways at Lin Shouyi, who was sitting upright and drinking wine, and smiled at her daughter, “Liu’er, in the future, you must marry an honest man, understand? So you won’t be bullied.”

The young maiden nodded slightly, always smiling without a word, only reaching over to place a piece of boneless fish in Li Huai’s bowl.

Lin Shouyi could only steal glances at the young maiden from the corner of his eye, already a little tipsy from just a small sip of wine.

It was as if he were gazing upon the most beautiful landscape painting in the world.

The next day, Li Huai secretly bought his father a pot of fine wine. He pulled his father to the lakeside, squatted beside him as his father drank, and whispered, “This pot is expensive, Dad, you drink this one first. The cheap pot is in the house, you can drink it at the dinner table later, then Mom won’t scold you.”

Li Er nodded with a smile, drinking heartily.

The man felt happier than ascending to the tenth realm of cultivation.

The simple man asked hesitantly, “Was it very expensive?”

The boy cupped his chin in his hands, gazing at his father with a radiant smile, answering somewhat off-topic, “Dad, don’t worry, I’m doing well at the academy, really. I’m so happy you could come and see me.”

The man nodded, only daring to lower his head and drink, nearly shedding tears.

He then remembered that he had returned rather hastily yesterday, and seemed to have forgotten to visit that Cai Jing. After he finished drinking, he wouldn’t bother with reasoning this time; he would just beat him up first.