This flying sword was no longer the crude shape of a silver ingot. Besides being extremely small, it was no different from a sword, only it existed between the ethereal and the substantial, crystalline and translucent, filled with immortal aura.

Bathed in the morning glow, the small and exquisite flying sword shimmered with layers of light, dazzling and radiant.

Chen Pingan was stunned for a long while before finally saying, “What’s this? Is it because of the New Year that you wanted to come out for a breath of fresh air? What, do your flying swords also care about festivals?”

Its tip moved slightly, rotating slowly.

Chen Pingan’s heartstrings tightened, ready to flee at any moment.

After rotating once, the sword tip tilted up slightly, and the hilt fell, as if recognizing this somewhat unfamiliar world.

Inside the house came the sound of the green-robed boy getting up and yawning. With a whoosh, the flying sword brushed past Chen Pingan’s brow. Its speed was so fast that it left an afterimage in place, dragging a slender, rope-like trail of light in the air, far beyond Chen Pingan’s imagination. It was simply impossible to dodge. The next moment, Chen Pingan only felt a coolness on his brow. He reached out to touch it, but not only had the flying sword not pierced a hole, there wasn’t even the slightest mark.

It swept into his body, returning to the acupoint with ease.

It was like a terrestrial sword immortal wielding his blade on the battlefield, entering a realm where no one could stand against him.

Chen Pingan planned to ask Miss Ruan later if all the flying swords in the world were so mysterious.

At the doorway, the eager green-robed boy, holding a large bundle of bamboo tubes he had prepared long ago, stepped over the threshold with the drowsy pink-skirted girl. He gently kicked her, and the pink-skirted girl quickly patted her skirt, as this was a new dress the old master had bought for her, and then glared at him, “What are you doing?”

The green-robed boy stood in the courtyard and sighed, “Are you stupid? As a fire python, you are naturally proficient in fire magic. So hurry up and light the firecrackers!”

The pink-skirted girl blinked her eyes. So fire magic could be used like this?

Along this journey, for cooking and boiling soup, the old master always lit the fire himself, even on rainy nights and snowy nights, so she never thought of this.

Chen Pingan never mentioned it, and she simply couldn’t think of it. The green-robed boy was probably too lazy to say it.

With the cooperation of the two little ones, they lit the firecrackers, ringing in the New Year.

Soon, the sound of firecrackers rang out from other places in Mud Bottle Lane, echoing each other.

The green-robed boy was having a great time. After the last bamboo joint was burned, the pink-skirted girl was about to go to the house to get a broom to sweep the floor, but Chen Pingan smiled and took the broom, leaning against the wall and turning the broom upside down. According to the custom of Dragon Spring Town, on the first day of the New Year, every household turns the broom upside down, indicating that they will not do anything today, just rest.

Chen Pingan stood by the wall, looking at the deserted courtyard next door, feeling complicated. He hesitated for a moment, then went to get an extra pair of Spring Festival couplets and two 福 (fú, good fortune) characters from his house and pasted them on the door next door.

The green-robed boy asked with a smile, “Are they very good friends of Old Master?”

Chen Pingan said softly, “I hope they’re not enemies.”

Returning to his own courtyard, Chen Pingan stood in the alley at the door, looking at the two colorful painted door gods on the door, one civil and one military. The civil one held a jade tablet, and the military one held an iron mace. Chen Pingan felt that no matter how he looked at them, they were strange. In the past, the town sold paper door gods of various kinds during the New Year, including civil and military door gods, as well as wealth door gods and many other “immortals,” but this year all the door gods in the town were of this standard. The shopkeeper said that the regulations were established by the yamen (local government office), and the golden statues enshrined in the newly built Confucian and Martial Temples in the town in the future would be these two painted on paper.

Chen Pingan recalled what Old Man Yang had said, and his feelings grew stronger.

Chen Pingan swept away the gloom in his heart, sat in the courtyard, and began to bask in the sun, not thinking about anything.

The pink-skirted girl continued to sit on a small stool and crack sunflower seeds. The green-robed boy put his hands behind his back and paced around the courtyard, full of ambition, clamoring that he would practice diligently this year and definitely impress the Old Master and the stupid girl. Then, by the end of the year, he could swagger around the town and no longer be afraid of any eighth or ninth realm dogshit sword cultivators.

In the end, the green-robed boy smiled flatteringly, “Old Master, if you just give me a few better snake gallstones, let alone the end of the year, I can beat everyone in the town tomorrow. Then Old Master, you can take me to the streets to bully men and dominate women, to be lawless local tyrants and bullies. When you see a pretty girl, just drag her to Mud Bottle Lane, wahahahaha, Old Master, doesn’t it sound delightful just thinking about it?!”

Chen Pingan grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the pink-skirted girl and nodded, “As long as you’re happy.”

The green-robed boy’s expectant smile immediately collapsed. He sighed deeply and sat down next to Chen Pingan, with the pink-skirted girl on one side and him on the other, like two little door gods. But he felt that the first day of the New Year didn’t have a good start, and it was a bit unlucky. So he took out an ordinary snake gallstone and crunched on it, trying to bring himself good luck.

At this moment, Chen Pingan suddenly took out two exquisite small pouches from his sleeves, which were one of the New Year goods sold by his family’s New Year’s Eve Shop in Riding Dragon Lane, and handed them to the two of them, jokingly saying, “Take them, the New Year’s money Old Master is giving you.”

The green-robed boy didn’t expect any surprises, but when he opened it, his eyes widened to the fullest. It was actually a snake gallstone with excellent quality, its colors as brilliant as the sunset.

The snake gallstone in the pink-skirted girl’s hand was also excellent.

The green-robed boy had clearly seen that, in addition to the eighty or ninety ordinary stones, Chen Pingan had eleven priceless snake gallstones left in his package when he returned to this ancestral house. Then he gave them two each in one go, which meant that four were gone. Now he took out two more, wouldn’t that mean that half of them were gone in an instant?

Chen Pingan, do you really think you are a money-scattering boy who makes friends everywhere?

Although he clenched the snake gallstone tightly in his hand, the green-robed boy couldn’t help but remind him, “Old Master, if you give away things like this, you won’t be able to save up a substantial fortune. How will you get a wife in the future?”

The pink-skirted girl held the “New Year’s money” in both hands, lowered her head in silence, and tears dripped down her fair and delicate little face.

The green-robed boy was twisted and awkward, and really couldn’t help but ask, “Old Master, aren’t you afraid that I will eat these three snake gallstones, my cultivation will soar, and you will never catch up with me in this life?”

Chen Pingan asked in return, “If you have a friend and he’s doing well, won’t you be happy?”
The boy in azure nodded. “Of course, I’m happy. The friends and brothers I’ve made in this life aren’t just lip service.”

Chen Ping’an asked again, “Then if your friend is doing much better than you, would you be happy?”

The boy in azure hesitated.

Chen Ping’an cracked a melon seed and smiled. “I’d be even happier.”

At that moment, the boy in azure seemed dazed, suddenly feeling that the Jianghu he had been navigating for hundreds of years was completely different from Chen Ping’an’s. Was his Jianghu too deep? Or was Chen Ping’an’s too shallow?

Chen Ping’an didn’t think much about it after saying it, it was just a casual chat.

But the boy in azure remained sullen, and the girl in pink also fell silent after receiving the stones.

Chen Ping’an regretted it slightly. Did he give the New Year’s gift at the wrong time? Or should he have waited a bit longer to give it?

Worrying times.

Along this Mud Bottle Alley, Song Jixin, Zhi Gui, Gu Can, and his mother had left, but a new family had moved in. Before the New Year, they had proactively taken out an ancestral house deed and gone to the Dragon Spring County Office. The office wanted to examine it carefully because the town was now so valuable, and countless people from outside wanted to squeeze in. Even if they couldn’t buy a house, they were willing to rent one. So the county office’s household registration department wanted to be cautious and avoid giving crafty people an opening.

But soon, Wu Yuan, who had been promoted from the first county magistrate of Dragon Spring County to the first prefect of Dragon Spring Prefecture, personally went to the county office and took over the matter entirely.

Soon, Mud Bottle Alley had a new young man named Cao Jun. His ancestors had moved away from here, and now he had returned to his hometown to make a living.

Cao Jun kept a low profile, rarely showing his face. The neighbors were quite curious about him. Due to the opening of the mountain to establish the government, many local residents of the town had participated, and with the regulations publicized by the county office and prefecture, the people of Dragon Spring had to believe that immortals truly existed. At first, they also guessed that Cao Jun, with his handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor, might be one of the immortals. But then they thought, an immortal living in Mud Bottle Alley? That would be too cheap.

Then, today, two strangers came to Mud Bottle Alley.

An elderly wealthy man with a green silk rope wrapped around his hand and a young man with a long sword lying across his back walked into Mud Bottle Alley, entering from the direction of Gu Can’s house, so they passed by the courtyards of Song Jixin and Chen Ping’an. The courtyard walls were low, and the old man glanced at the boy in azure and the girl in pink, his smile somewhat playful.

The girl in pink was a bit bewildered and didn’t take it to heart. The boy in azure seemed nonchalant but was secretly praying in his heart, could it be another old immortal or great demon?

The young swordsman smiled and greeted, “Chen Ping’an, we meet again.”

Chen Ping’an stood up, opened the courtyard door, and asked with a smile, “Are you here to pay New Year’s greetings?”

The young swordsman shook his head. “I have some business to take care of, but paying New Year’s greetings along the way is fine too.”

The old man said with a smile, “I heard it was you kid who caused my ancestral home to have its roof trampled by a Mountain-Moving Ape, and then you helped pay for the repairs?”

A family elder of the swordsman Cao Jun?

Chen Ping’an’s heart tightened, and he apologized, “Old sir, I’m sorry, it was indeed my fault.”

The old man waved his hand. “I know what’s going on. It was just a dilapidated house that would have collapsed on its own if it hadn’t been repaired. There’s no need to apologize, the Cao family should be thanking you. Cao Jun wanted to snatch something from you before, right? Don’t worry, I’ll go and teach him a lesson… Haha, I forgot to say, Happy New Year, Happy New Year.”

At the end, the amiable old man actually took the initiative to cup his fist in greeting, shaking it slightly as a New Year’s gesture.

Chen Ping’an quickly returned the greeting.

The young swordsman frowned slightly and inconspicuously stepped forward, blocking the old man and Chen Ping’an, putting his arm around Chen Ping’an’s shoulder, and smiling as he walked towards the courtyard door. He turned to the old man and said, “Cao Old Master, please go home first, I’ll visit later.”

The old man nodded with a squint, not taking it to heart. After who knows how many centuries, he had finally returned to his old stomping grounds.

The faint spiritual light on the two painted door gods on the courtyard door vanished when Chen Ping’an and the young swordsman crossed the threshold.

After the young swordsman entered the courtyard, he said softly, “When traveling the Jianghu in the future, when cupping your fists in greeting, remember that men need to hold their right hand with their left hand, which is called an auspicious greeting, otherwise it’s taboo and can easily bring bad luck to the other party.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly looked at the young swordsman, who said seemingly casually, “Just keep these customs in mind.”

There were only three small benches in the house, and the girl in pink quickly offered hers. The young swordsman wasn’t in a hurry to sit down and smiled, “It wouldn’t be right to come empty-handed on the first day of the New Year, so I’ll give you two small trinkets.”

He stretched out his hand, and two blank jade pendants were stacked in his palm, but the four corners of the jade pendants were engraved with unique cloud designs of the Great Li Song Clan. “They are called ‘Peaceful and Safe Charms’. You can usually hang them on your waist, which will be somewhat useful for you two to settle down here in the future. If you travel far, then traveling within the Great Li territory will be more convenient.”

The boy in azure was a little envious because he knew the value of this item.

The girl in pink didn’t understand but looked at Chen Ping’an. Whether to accept it depended on her master’s decision.

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment but nodded. “Accept them.”

The girl in pink and the boy in azure accepted them and bowed to the young swordsman to thank him.

The young swordsman gave his gifts and immediately took his leave.

Chen Ping’an didn’t know how to ask him to stay, so he could only see him off at the courtyard door.

Over at the Cao family’s old house, the wealthy man was standing by the pool in the house. A red fox was sitting on the opening of the roof’s skylight. Cao Jun sat cross-legged on a chair, looking askance at his ancestor, not even bothering to greet him.

After the young swordsman entered, the old man asked with a smile, “You have a good relationship with that young man?”

The young swordsman smiled. “With Cao Old Master’s cultivation and status, you would actually attack a young man from a humble alley?”

Cao Xi laughed heartily. “Just a slight punishment, at most a year of bad luck lingering at the door, it’s nothing, even ordinary people with slightly more ancestral blessings and stronger Yang energy can withstand it. Besides, didn’t you also interfere and help the young man dispel that little bit of misfortune?”

The young swordsman shook his head and said nothing more.
The absurdity of the world is such that while Xie Shi, a figure who emerged from the same Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, possessed a character of unwavering integrity, his reputation echoing across several continents as a universally respected Grandmaster, a rare Daoist luminary in the sword cultivator-dominated Ju Lu Continent, on the cusp of becoming a Heavenly Sovereign of significant weight, inspiring even his adversaries’ admiration, Cao Xi, on the other hand, was known for his eccentric nature and ill-repute, often described as callous and ungrateful, his rise attributed solely to fortuitous encounters.

Yet, it was the self-taught sword immortal, Cao Xi, who now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Great Li Dynasty, while Xie Shi was about to undertake a less than honorable act.

Cao Jun stood up, a faint smile playing on his lips, “I know you, Xu Ruo of the Mo Clan. You’ve wandered the Jianghu of the Central Earth Divine Continent for years, a famed figure, often lauded as a ‘Human Flood Dragon’. I suspect Wei Jin of the Treasure Bottle Continent, with his perpetual fondness for the Jianghu, is merely emulating your youthful exploits.”

The swordsman, recalling the spirited young sword immortal of the Wind and Snow Temple, shook his head with a chuckle, “He’s not imitating me.”

Cao Xi suddenly recalled something, leaping into the dried-up pool, he overturned a flagstone, revealing a rusty, ordinary copper coin hidden beneath. The land-based sword immortal, whose renown spanned an entire continent, erupted in hearty laughter, pocketing the coin into his sleeve, exclaiming with relish, “A good omen, a fine omen!”

Cao Xi looked up at the young swordsman, “If you ask me, the shattering of that natal porcelain was a fault of both Great Li and Dragon Spring in the first place, causing the mishap. However, Great Li compensated at the time, and the other party accepted it, so logically, the matter should be settled. Yet, this buyer has been escalating things behind the scenes, ultimately bringing out Xie Shi, this great Bodhisattva, to intimidate people. The manner in which it’s been handled is unkind and highly dishonorable. It’s actually quite simple to resolve – strike down Xie Shi in one fell swoop! With me, you, and Saint Ruan Qiong working together, Xie Shi will not only lose but won’t even be able to escape! Xie Shi is courting death; he has only himself to blame.”

The young swordsman inquired, “Even if we slay Xie Shi, if this shattered, collapsing Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven is completely destroyed, what will become of our Great Li?”

Cao Xi, standing idly by, offered a seemingly effortless solution, “Slaying Xie Shi would produce a ‘killing the chicken to scare the monkey’ effect, which is far more effective than constructing a Jade Capital.”

The young swordsman remained silent.

Cao Xi continued to tempt and sway his mind, “Isn’t Great Li about to move south? After killing Xie Shi, see how many old turtles remain among the Ten and Upper Five Realms within the Great Sui borders. I dare wager there won’t be more than one hand’s worth! If I, Cao Xi, lose, I’ll handle all the extra old turtles, how’s that?”

The young swordsman asked with suspicion, “Do you harbor a deep hatred for Xie Shi?”

Cao Xi shook his head, “No, we’re just from the same hometown. We’re not contemporaries, never met before, and our families have no feuds. I just can’t stand Xie Shi bullying Great Li by relying on his cultivation. He’s so ungrateful! At least Great Li gave him his start. For him to not only forget the kindness of nurturing but to turn against Great Li, I, Cao Xi, cannot abide by such a person.”

“Bullshit!”

The fiery red fox on the roof blurted out the truth, mocking, “The Chunru Chen Clan of Southern Saha Continent is a branch of the Central Earth Divine Continent from back in the day. The true Chen Clan doesn’t get along with Daoism, so killing Xie Shi would be the grandest betrothal gift! Not only would they marry a direct descendant of the Chunru Chen Clan to Cao Jun, but the Chen Clan in the Central Earth would also be willing to marry a woman to Cao Xi.”

“You gossiping shrew!” Cao Xi retorted with a laugh, raising his hand and waving his sleeve.

The fiery red fox shattered into dust with a bang.

The time it took to restore its original form was noticeably longer compared to when Cao Jun’s flying sword had dismembered it.

It lifted a tile, hurling it fiercely at Cao Xi with lightning speed before turning tail and running.

Cao Xi gently caught the tile, tossed it up, and put it back in its original place.

However, the tile was already fragmented and beyond repair.

Xu Ruo, the chivalrous hero of the Mo Clan, declined Cao Xi’s suggestion, “Such matters are not within my authority to decide.”

Cao Xi rolled his eyes, “Then who in Great Li can make the call?”

Xu Ruo chuckled, “His Majesty the Emperor, Prince Song Changjing, and National Preceptor Cui Chan, those three.”

Cao Xi exclaimed with indignation, “Then send one of them over! What’s the point of you, Xu Ruo, just watching the show and not taking action? Since Xie Shi dared to come alone this time, he must have some backing. In the worst-case scenario, the three of us might still let him escape. If he achieves his goal and returns to Ju Lu Continent, the three of us pitiful souls, along with your Great Li Song Clan, will all be finished!”

Xu Ruo nodded, “They will come.”

Cao Xi immediately fell silent.

Because he always liked to measure others by his own base standards, he was very afraid that Great Li would deal with Xie Shi and then turn around and deal with him.

Moreover, the Great Li Song Clan was not a gentleman.

A certain true gentleman, one who was more powerful than both he, Cao Xi, and Xie Shi combined, was already dead beyond death.

He died right here.

Of course, this couldn’t be blamed on Great Li Dynasty being unrighteous or on the Song Clan Emperor for being a coward.

But Cao Xi just felt it was too unlucky, inauspicious.

Plus, on the way here, he received intelligence from Great Li regarding the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, which mentioned the collapse and repair of his ancestral home, further souring Cao Xi’s mood.

If it weren’t for the Chunru Chen Clan’s request, he wouldn’t have been willing to be this dragon crossing the river.

Especially since Cao Xi still hadn’t figured out the critical point of Qi Jingchun’s inevitable death trap, making him uneasy as soon as he stepped into Dragon Spring County.

Therefore, he hoped that Xie Shi’s death could lure that person out so that, even in the worst-case scenario that he imagined, there would be the Great Li Song Clan, Saint Ruan Qiong and the Wind and Snow Temple behind him, as well as the Chunru Chen Clan behind him, and the Chen Clan of the Central Earth to share the risk together.

Wealth and rank are found in danger.

It’s the same on the mountain and below.

The Xie family’s old residence was located in Peach Leaf Lane. The family’s descendants could not be considered numerous, and by this generation, they had actually fallen on hard times. If it weren’t for the long-browed youth becoming Ruan Qiong’s disciple, they would have long been reduced to selling the ancestral home to make ends meet.

A middle-aged man began to knock on the door.

A young woman opened the door and asked, “Who are you?”

The man answered earnestly, “I am your ancestor.”

The beautiful young woman seemed gentle but was actually quite fiery in nature, immediately retorting angrily, “It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year, why are you cursing people as soon as you open your mouth? Do you believe I’ll beat you with a broom?”
The man’s expression remained unchanged. “Go check the family genealogy. Find the Jia Xu edition. There will be a person named Xie Shi on it. That’s me. The character ‘Shi’ is missing a dot.”

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the entire Xie family was kneeling on the ground outside the ancestral hall.

Xie Shi ignored the trembling juniors of the family, silently pushed open the door of the ancestral hall, and lit three incense sticks.

Then he said in a deep voice, “The one whose eyebrows are longer than normal can come in and burn incense. The rest of you go back. Anyway, the ancestors will be furious just looking at you; they don’t need your incense to fuel their anger.”

Outside the ancestral hall, a woman’s face was filled with joy. Overcome with emotion, tears streamed down her face as she grabbed her son’s arm and covered her mouth to stifle her sobs.

The long-browed youth took a deep breath. After his mother released his arm, he stood up, cautiously crossed the threshold of the ancestral hall, and walked step by step towards that solitary figure.

Outside the small town, on the post road, a carriage moved slowly.

The coachman was Liu Yu, who had once stopped a swordsman at Qidun Mountain. Inside the carriage sat a refined old scholar and a girl with naturally cold and sharp eyes.

The Imperial Advisor Cui Chan, and the palace maid Zhi Gui.

Or perhaps, the old Cui Chan, and Wang Zhu?

In the small courtyard, the green-robed boy began to wail again, clutching his head.

Why was the town below this mountain so troublesome? It was only the first day of the new year, and two more formidable figures of unfathomable depths had arrived. Anyone could guess that they were the kind of terrifying individuals capable of killing him with a single punch. The green-robed boy had always thought he had seen some of life’s big moments, but now he realized that those moments were nothing compared to a small puddle in the Mud Lane outside the gate.

He began to sincerely admire Chen Ping’an. It was not easy to survive until today! As expected, the one who could become his master was no ordinary person. No wonder he had such a fierce disciple by his side.

So the green-robed boy grabbed Chen Ping’an’s hand with tearful eyes and said from the bottom of his heart, “Master, I will definitely treat you better in the future.”

Chen Ping’an pushed his head away and laughed, “You’re the most cowardly. Don’t be so embarrassing.”

The green-robed boy glanced at the carefree silly girl and felt even more ashamed. He sat back on the stool and sulked in silence.

The pink-skirted girl was indeed more carefree than him, holding the delicate and smooth “Peace Talisman” with delight.

Of course, the most carefree one was their master, Chen Ping’an.

He brought out strips of bamboo inscribed with writing and placed them on the low yellow mud wall between the two courtyards, as if airing out his books.