The old woman was busy in the kitchen. Seeing Chen Ping’an’s figure, she was a bit surprised. “A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen” was a sage’s teaching. Although there was also an emphasis on “food being as refined as possible,” it didn’t mean that gentlemen and virtuous scholars would cook for themselves. However, the old woman quickly understood. The young man before her was traveling the world, enduring the elements. Besides, he didn’t look like he came from a family of scholars. Still, the old woman didn’t think Chen Ping’an could be of much help, so she asked him to help with some vegetable preparation and keep an eye on the stew’s heat. Chen Ping’an didn’t insist on anything and helped with the chores. Finally, in the warm kitchen, the clear sound of the old woman skillfully chopping vegetables echoed from the cutting board, “Duo, duo, duo.” Chen Ping’an sat on a small stool, peeling spring bamboo shoots, carrying the fresh fragrance of plants and trees.

The old woman casually asked, “Young Master Chen, what happened to your left hand?”

Chen Ping’an glanced at his left hand, wrapped in cotton cloth, and smiled, “I accidentally fell. It’s nothing.”

The old woman rarely had someone to chat with, so she smiled and said, “The ground is slippery when it rains, causing you injury, young master. This house of ours has been around for a while. Previously, we were surrounded by dangers, so we didn’t dare to be ostentatious. At most, we would just mend the cracks in the courtyard walls. We rarely hung lanterns at night, afraid of frightening the common folk. Over the years, we haven’t dared to ask bricklayers to come and help. I’ve been patching things up haphazardly, so my craftsmanship is naturally poor. Many of the bluestone floor tiles are uneven, not even level. If this were in a wealthy family in a large city, not only would the family find it unsightly, but if others saw it, they would be ridiculed to death. People would gossip behind our backs, saying all sorts of nasty things. Fortunately, the master and mistress never cared about it. I am truly blessed.”

The old woman’s tone was calm, like a deep, still stream. A century of time, joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, had all slowly settled in her heart.

“I am truly blessed.”

This should be the old woman’s final assessment of her life.

Chen Ping’an softly said, “For the house to have you, Old Woman, busying yourself with everything, is also the blessing of the couple.”

The old woman was stunned for a moment, then smiled and turned her head, teasing, “You child, you look honest and simple, how come you’re so good at talking?”

Chen Ping’an had placed all the peeled spring bamboo shoots in a clean bamboo basket. He looked up and said, “Old Woman, I’m telling the truth.”

The old woman looked at the young man’s clear and bright eyes, and hummed in agreement. She turned around, the smile on her face growing wider, and casually said, “Young Master Chen, do you have a girl you like? The women in Rouge County of our Colorful Clothes Kingdom are famously beautiful. If you’re not in a hurry to travel, you can go there to stroll around the temple fairs. Maybe you’ll find a beautiful romance. Besides, although your martial arts realm isn’t high, in a small place like Rouge County, which has no true gods or earth immortals, you’re not bad at all. If you’re willing to settle down here, becoming a general or commandant would be more than enough. Then, marrying a daughter from a scholarly family wouldn’t be bad either.”

Chen Ping’an was a little shy, mumbling and hesitant, not daring to talk about the topic.

The old woman turned her head and glanced at the young man, whose eyebrows and eyes were quite proper and delicate. She smiled knowingly and softly said, “I understand. Young Master Chen must already have a beloved girl.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a long time, his face flushed red, and asked, “Old Woman, if the girl I like once asked me if I liked her, and I said I didn’t, but now I go to her and tell her I like her, do you think she’ll think I’m a liar?”

“Young Master Chen, your words are truly confusing.”

The old woman couldn’t help but laugh. She covered a pot of vegetables and sat on a small stool next to the stove, smiling and asking, “Then why didn’t you say you liked her back then? Were you timid, embarrassed? Or did you think saying yes would make you lose face in front of the girl, so you deliberately acted tough?”

Chen Ping’an confidently and earnestly thought about it, giving a sincere answer, “I was just stupid.”

The old woman was truly amused now, her entire old face softening with laughter. “I think the girl you like shouldn’t be angry. If a girl is liked by someone, and that person likes her purely and cleanly, it’s always a wonderful thing.”

Chen Ping’an was a little troubled, carrying a basket of spring bamboo shoots to the side of the stove. “But that girl told me that she only likes Great Sword Immortals…”

The old woman held back her laughter. “Oh, that’s really difficult for you. A Great Sword Immortal should at least be a sixth-realm immortal. My young master had such good talent and once cultivated in the lofty blessed land of the Divine Decree Sect, but he never even reached the middle five realms, reaching the legendary Cave Dwelling realm. Young Master Chen, Old Woman will give you a suggestion. You should discuss it with that girl and see if you can change the Great Sword Immortal requirement to a Small Sword Immortal, or just a regular Sword Immortal? For example, the Cave Dwelling realm is too high, how about the fourth or fifth realm? You have to know that sword cultivators are still very popular, no matter how low their realm. The fourth and fifth realms are already very remarkable.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated to speak.

The Miss Ning’s so-called Great Sword Immortal must be at least a twelfth-realm being!

Even if Ning Yao was really willing to compromise and agree to lower the requirements, it would probably still have to be a Sword Immortal realm like Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple, right?

Chen Ping’an sighed and suddenly reminded, “Old Woman, the dish is ready.”

The old woman quickly got up, lifted the pot lid, and soon a dish of fragrant and delicious mountain delicacies was placed on a plate. She asked Chen Ping’an to carry the dish of wine snacks to the main hall of the three-courtyard residence, and told him that he didn’t need to come back after delivering the dish. He could just eat and drink there, and she would bring the dishes and wine later. Chen Ping’an quickly ran there and back, seeing the old woman pretending to be angry, Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Old Woman, I’m here to get wine. And I’ve already told Old Master Yang. He promised to give me wine to drink…”

Saying this, Chen Ping’an took off his wine gourd, shook it, and smiled brightly, “Fill it to the brim.”

The old woman took out a wine ladle from an old red lacquer cabinet and then smiled, pointing to a few large wine jars at the base of the wall, “Move over an unopened jar. There’s an opened jar on the side, with a little more than half a jar of homemade local brew left. You can fill your wine gourd with it. It should be enough.”

Afterward, the old woman ignored the young man squatting at the corner, ladling wine into his gourd. She busied herself with cooking, and finally Chen Ping’an said goodbye and left the kitchen, carrying a jar of wine.
The old woman chuckled, turning her head to glance at the crimson wine gourd hanging from the youth’s waist. Old and ordinary, it was quite unremarkable. So, this young lad was a little drunkard already?

Who knew if, upon meeting his beloved girl, it would turn into a gourd filled with the wine of joy, or the bitter brew of heartbreak?

Of course, the old woman still hoped the boy would have his wishes fulfilled, becoming like the master and mistress of the house.

Inside the main hall of the three-courtyard residence, warmth and laughter filled the air.

The male and female hosts of the ancient house, the puppet ghost Yang Huang and the tree-spirit woman named Yingying, sat on the left. The Bearded Swordsman was invited to take the seat of honor. Xu Yuanxia, with her straightforward personality, didn’t bother to decline. The Taoist Zhang Shanfeng sat on the right. Chen Pingan delivered dishes and wine, and then the merriment began. The female ghost was rather comical, with extremely long tree roots snaking like verdant vines from the embroidered building, winding their way through the doorway into the main hall. To avoid spoiling the mood, she deliberately wore a thick veil to conceal her appearance.

The Bearded Swordsman had previously inquired if there were any immortal arts that could help the pitiful woman regain her beauty. Yang Huang shook his head with a bitter smile, revealing the truth without reservation. It turned out that it involved the Divine Decree Sect’s Qing Ci Bao Gao (Green Word Precious Edict), a secret art of unorthodox formation, and the wood core of the ancient Elm Kingdom’s ancestral elm tree. It was extremely complex and chaotic. The most crucial point was that the ancient house’s formation was integrated with the ancient elm’s wood core, making it impossible to move. Furthermore, the geomantic fortune of the surrounding hundreds of miles was originally a mass burial ground. Two hundred years ago, the Colorful Robe Kingdom suffered a terrible plague, and tens of thousands of people died from the disease, mostly buried haphazardly in this Rouge County. Successive emperors of the Colorful Robe Kingdom hoped to change the feng shui of this place, but even when a Daoist immortal in the Sea Gazing Realm passed by the Colorful Robe Kingdom and was summoned by the emperor, personally inspecting the area and making numerous arrangements, spending nearly a million taels of silver on two grand ceremonies of the Luo Tian Dajiao alone, it only improved for a few years before reverting to the ghastly scene of miasma and wandering ghosts. It seemed that even immortals were helpless.

The root cause lay in the feng shui of this land. It was both the life-saving medicine for the female ghost and akin to drinking poison to quench thirst. One day, she would inevitably fall into the path of becoming an evil ghost. The puppet ghost Yang Huang stated this frankly, and the female ghost accepted it calmly. The couple had already agreed that when that day came, they would both commit suicide to avoid harming the local people.

In reality, the ancient elm wood core was inherently pure. However, he was in a hurry to retain the female ghost Yingying’s soul at the time. Coupled with his desperate attempts to seek medical help, she could only step by step become more evil. If she could continuously absorb the clear spiritual energy of heaven and earth, she might have been able to restore her spirituality and even benefit the local luck, becoming a mountain spirit akin to a licentious shrine. However, her divine nature, due to the ancient elm tree, would inevitably be completely different from that of the Qin family. She would have benefited the area, while the Qin family mountain spirit could only corrupt the mountains and rivers.

In the end, Yang Huang laughed magnanimously, saying that at most in thirty years, this house would be without people, wine, or food. Therefore, he hoped that Xu Yuanxia and the other three would visit this place more often before then, so that there would at least be a clean wing room and bedding to rest in, and they could chat as happily as they were tonight.

Involving the vast luck of hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers, the Bearded Swordsman and the Taoist Zhang Shanfeng were speechless. They couldn’t come up with an effective solution because only a tenth-realm Qi practitioner was qualified to “point fingers” at it. The tenth realm was considered a Saint, an unwritten rule. It originated from the flattery and praise of secular dynasties because immortals in the upper five realms were too rare. Tenth-realm cultivators needed to occupy blessed lands rich in spiritual energy for a long time, accumulate cultivation, and break through realms in seclusion. Occasionally, they would also interact with the emperors and generals below the mountain. Therefore, Confucian Sages, Daoist terrestrial immortals, and Buddhist golden-bodied Arhats were all included in this category.

Chen Pingan indeed liked to drink now, but he never drank too much each time. The Bearded Swordsman, however, was the type to drink from a large bowl and eat large chunks of meat. The Taoist Zhang Shanfeng’s alcohol tolerance was even worse than Chen Pingan’s, but he was thin-skinned. After being urged by Yang Huang and Xu Yuanxia once or twice, he drank half a bowl at a time. As a result, Chen Pingan only dared to pour him a little bit of liquor each time. Even so, the young Taoist carrying a peach wood sword was still swaying, his face flushed, and his voice much louder. He chatted with the Bearded Swordsman about his experiences in the martial world and with the scholar ghost Yang Huang about poetry, feeling very happy.

The old woman would bring out a plate of dishes every now and then, and when a jar of wine was empty, she would bring another one.

Hosts and guests were all delighted.

As the second jar of wine was about to be emptied, a wail suddenly rang out, “Brother Chu, Brother Chu! Where have you gone? Don’t abandon me here alone!”

Soon, a sobbing voice followed, “Little Taoist, Chen, why have you all disappeared? Could it be that you’ve been caught and eaten by evil ghosts and demons? No, don’t! If the monsters in the house want to eat people, then eat us all together! Don’t eat me alone in the end…”

The old woman was bringing a plate of dishes at that moment, about to go and comfort the Liu-surnamed young master and explain the situation.

Chen Pingan quickly stood up and said that he would go. The old woman thought that was right. If she went, the poor scholar would probably faint from fright.

When the Liu-surnamed scholar was dragged by Chen Pingan into the three-courtyard residence, his legs trembled, and his lips were pale. He felt slightly better after seeing the Bearded Swordsman, but when he saw the terrifying tree roots winding into the main hall from the back door, his eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted. Chen Pingan increased the strength of his grip on his arm, immediately waking him up with pain. The scholar complained with a mournful face, “It would have been better to let me faint.”

Chen Pingan said in an unkind tone, “If it really doesn’t work, then drink some wine to embolden yourself. Just get drunk and be done with it. You should have this much courage, right?”

The Liu-surnamed scholar said with a bitter face, “Can’t I not have it?”

Chen Pingan was amused and said decisively, “No, you can’t!”

Carefully watching the young man’s expression, not looking like someone helping a tiger to harm others, the Liu-surnamed scholar sighed and cheered himself up, “Drink, then! Even if it’s execution wine, it’s still wine!”

Once at the table, the Liu-surnamed scholar lowered his head, afraid to look at anyone, and only drank wine.

The Bearded Swordsman asked with a smile, “You, this scholar, how can your luck be so bad, making such an unrighteous monster friend? And traveling all the way, tricking you into coming here. But you being able to live until now, drinking with us, can be considered a great fortune. Judging by your clothes, are you a wealthy young master from the Colorful Robe Kingdom?”

The Liu-surnamed scholar said in a trembling voice, “My father is the prefect of Rouge County, but my family really doesn’t have any money. I can’t be considered a wealthy young master.”

The Bearded Swordsman didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “What, does I, Xu, look like some kind of robber or bandit?!”

The scholar raised his head and glanced at the burly man, thinking that he couldn’t look more like one.
The bearded swordsman, ceasing his attempts to intimidate the bookish scholar, suddenly appeared concerned. “Brother Yang, do you truly believe that old Daoist can resolve the issue of the lewd shrine’s mountain deity? Could he be intentionally lenient, leaving it there to plague you all?”

The man shook his head and chuckled. “Since Uncle-Master Fu is overseeing this matter, the outer sect of the Divine Edict Sect will undoubtedly investigate it thoroughly. Furthermore, the final assessment of each batch of outer sect disciples descending the mountain for training is meticulous and rigorous, leaving no room for Zhao Liu to act arbitrarily.”

Yang Huang’s expression shifted slightly. “My only worry now is that the lewd shrine’s mountain deity has backing within the government. If Zhao Liu is being duplicitous, feigning reluctance to abuse his power, and then consults with high-ranking officials in the state, ostensibly for discussion but actually for clandestine agreement, we might be in trouble. Should Zhao Liu ultimately persuade the Rainbow Robe Dynasty’s court and Ministry of Rites to actively retain that lewd shrine, or even transform it into a legitimate mountain deity, becoming a proper spirit of the land, it would become exceedingly difficult to deal with. Although the Rainbow Robe Dynasty’s Five Sacred Mountains deities are no match for those of major dynasties, possessing only the cultivation of a sixth-realm Qi Practitioner, they can unleash the power of a Sea-Observing Realm expert within their own territory. The one named Qin here, after all, is a mountain deity with a gilded statue. If Zhao Liu obstructs us and helps him legitimately obtain imperial decree, he might possess the strength of a Cave Mansion Realm expert. Just a few words from a Divine Edict Sect immortal master would be enough to make the Rainbow Robe emperor carefully consider his actions.”

Having said this, the bearded swordsman, the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng, and Chen Pingan simultaneously turned their gaze towards the trembling scholar.

The scholar was bewildered. Five Sacred Mountains deities, lewd shrine mountain deities, Cave Mansion Realm, Sea-Observing Realm – he understood none of it. Timidly, he said, “My father is merely a fourth-rank prefect. He probably hasn’t even heard of mountain deities, let alone be able to help.”

The bearded swordsman laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re not asking your father for help. We’re just preventing him from hindering us. Tomorrow morning, I’ll accompany you back to Rouge Prefecture City and visit the Prefecture Lord at full speed. We can’t let Zhao Liu get there first. I believe that as long as Zhao Liu sees Xu here at the Prefecture Lord’s residence, he’ll understand that his schemes won’t succeed, and even if they do, he’ll have to be wary of us causing a ruckus at the Divine Edict Sect, like commoners banging drums and crying for justice at the government office!”

By the end, the bearded swordsman was laughing heartily.

The wraith Yang Huang stood up and clasped his hands in thanks. “Then I shall first express my gratitude, Brother Xu!”

The bearded swordsman’s expression suddenly turned odd. He took a swig of wine and muttered, “Brother Xu? I’m old enough to be your grandfather!”

Yang Huang chuckled. “Heroes are not judged by their origins, and friends are not concerned with age!”

Even the female ghost let out a soft, subtle laugh from behind her veil.

That “sorrowful and lingering” laughter caused the scholar, who had barely mustered some courage, to turn deathly pale once more.

That night, the young Daoist got drunk. The scholar, named Liu Gaohua, dared not drink freely, fearing that if he fell asleep, he might never see the sun rise again. In the end, the four of them stayed in the two-courtyard residence. Chen Pingan and Zhang Shanfeng were in the side room next to each other, while the scholar and the bearded swordsman became neighbors.

Nothing eventful happened that night.

At dawn, the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng got up and pushed open the door, seeing Chen Pingan already practicing his footwork in the courtyard. Compared to their first meeting, it felt like he was moving slower and slower.

After eating the breakfast prepared by the old woman, the four of them bid farewell and left. Because the sun was rising high, and the male and female hosts of the old house disliked sunlight, they didn’t come out to see them off, instead waving from the embroidered building in the distance.

The bearded man yawned, squinting at the increasingly dazzling sun. He lazily said, “Another new day.”

The Daoist Zhang Shanfeng was chatting with the scholar Liu Gaohua about the local customs of Rouge Prefecture. After leaving the old house, Liu Gaohua’s entire demeanor had transformed, as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He was loquacious, chatting happily with the young Daoist.

Chen Pingan suddenly turned around and walked to the doorstep, softly saying to the old woman, “Grandmother, if, and I mean if, there’s any trouble, you can send a letter to Dali Longquan County in the far north, to a person named Wei Bo on Misty Cloud Mountain… Just say that Brother Yang Huang is my friend, and Chen Pingan owes you a lot of wine.”

The old woman smiled and nodded, not taking it seriously, but still not rejecting the good intention.

Some kindness, like the sunshine in early spring, might not make a big difference whether it’s there or not, but why refuse it?

Chen Pingan reached out and handed over seven or eight snowflake coins. “Dali Longquan is far from the Rainbow Robe Dynasty. This is for the postage, Grandmother.”

This house had already exhausted all of Yang Huang’s savings, and they were struggling everywhere. That’s why even the wine was homemade, and the old woman had to go far to pick the vegetables.

The old woman hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the snowflake coins.

Sending a letter to the Dali Dynasty in the northernmost part of Treasure Bottle Continent would indeed cost a lot, but it would definitely not require the exaggerated amount of seven snowflake coins.

But when the young man handed over the coins, they were just like the copper coins in the market, just a small handful, neither too much nor too little. It seemed that refusing, or deliberately taking fewer coins, would be slightly unkind or pretentious. Even if she generously accepted them, it wouldn’t amount to owing a great debt.

The old woman was a little sentimental. He was so young, yet he knew how to take care of other people’s feelings. She wondered how much hardship he had suffered as a child to have such discretion and control.

The Daoist Zhang Shanfeng smiled and called out, “Chen Pingan, let’s go!”

Chen Pingan sighed, bid farewell to the old woman, ran out a distance, suddenly turned around and looked at the embroidered building, and shouted, “The books say, may all lovers be united in marriage!”

The wraith and female ghost in the embroidered building looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Although the couple were no longer “people,” what did it matter?

The young man with a sword case on his back and a gourd hanging from his waist ran backwards, waving goodbye to the old woman once again. “Grandmother, the bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat are delicious! I’ll come again next time!”

The old woman stood at the door, her smile warm, watching the young man bathed in sunlight, and sighed softly.
The group arrived at the Grand Protector’s manor in Rouge County. The Grand Protector was in the main hall dealing with official business. The burly, bearded swordsman and Daoist Zhang Shanfeng sat in the simple, elegant reception hall, sipping tea brought by a maid. Liu Gaohua, on the other hand, led Chen Ping’an, acting like thieves, towards his father’s study. Chen Ping’an had asked him for a detailed map of Rouge County, one officially stamped by the imperial court.

Although Liu Gaohua didn’t understand why, he was emboldened by surviving the ancient mansion, witnessing spirits and demons, and even sharing a drink with one at the same table. The thought filled him with a heroic spirit, and everyone seemed agreeable. He patted his chest and promised to help Chen Ping’an pilfer a detailed map of Rouge County. Without a word, Chen Ping’an gave him fifty taels of silver. Liu Gaohua initially wanted to say that their shared plight transcended money, but upon seeing the heavy silver ingots, he decided that friendship could be sacrificed. After all, the chances of them meeting again were slim.

Liu Gaohua tiptoed, leading Chen Ping’an to the study. After closing the door, he rummaged through chests and cabinets, finally pulling out an old scroll – a detailed map of Rouge County, a backup copy. This was to be expected. Of the topographical maps drawn by the imperial observatory, two official copies would exist: one hanging in the main hall of the government office, and the other kept by the local military commander. Only the backup copy would be left to gather dust.

After confirming it was the right one, Chen Ping’an nodded, “This is it.”

He was spending fifty taels of silver to buy an extremely small possibility.

Master Qi had once said that if he saw a topographical map he liked, he could take out the mountain-and-water seals and imprint them without ink.

After asking the scholar about the location of the ancient mansion on the map, Chen Ping’an made an excuse for Liu Gaohua to select some landscape travelogues from the bookshelf. While the scholar was turned away, a pair of seals resembling “mountains and waters meeting” instantly appeared in Chen Ping’an’s palm. They were carved by Qi Jingchun, and the material was the finest serpent gallstone from the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven.

Chen Ping’an breathed heavily on the two seals, then, aiming at the location of the ancient mansion, gently pressed them down with a “pa” sound.

He didn’t notice anything different. Chen Ping’an rolled up the map, tucked it under his arm, and said to Liu Gaohua, “Alright, let’s hurry up and leave, lest your father finds out. I won’t be responsible then. I’ve already paid, and I won’t give it back. If the Grand Protector beats you half to death, I’ll only pay for the medicine.”

Liu Gaohua grabbed two books at random and handed them to Chen Ping’an. They left the study together.

Chen Ping’an secretly sighed, feeling that his plan was likely to fail. But that was normal. How could imprinting a seal casually change the fortune of hundreds of miles of land? He wasn’t a deity.

But Chen Ping’an was wrong about one thing.

He was not a deity, of course.

But the teaching master who carved the seals…

Was a deity among deities.

Therefore, within a radius of several hundred miles centered around the ancient mansion, the mountains and rivers reversed, the filth and mire receded, and the area transformed into a clear and vibrant land.

The mountain temple of the lewd shrine mountain god instantly collapsed, and the gold statue of the Mountain God Qin shattered into pieces.

Even though the old Daoist of the Divine Edict Sect had spared him and met with him privately, imparting secret plans, the mountain god was overjoyed, feeling that the tide had finally turned and great fortune was coming his way! He would no longer be the lewd shrine mountain god barely clinging to life, but would soon become an orthodox deity supported by the Divine Edict Sect!

So when his golden statue shattered, he never understood why. He just sat blankly on the altar, vanishing into thin air.

Zhao Liu of the Divine Edict Sect was leading a group of young disciples away from the small town when he instantly sensed the anomaly in the world.

The old Daoist Zhao Liu was dumbstruck.

Could it be that the Sect’s Golden Boy had personally taken action?

Even the Golden Boy probably didn’t have such power!

The other younger disciples of the Divine Edict Sect were even more terrified.

Only the seemingly frightened young Daoist lowered his head, his eyes filled with laughter. The child was secretly rejoicing, “Damn it, I knew it! That guy is an old turtle who’s lived for hundreds of years. He must be the one who did it! Haha, when I get back to the mountain gate and see Master, I’m definitely going to brag to him that I met an immortal of the Upper Five Realms!”

Over at the embroidered building, the ghost Yang Huang, disregarding the sunlight that scorched his soul, swiftly flew to the roof ridge of the building. He stared intently, seeing vitality everywhere, with spiritual energy gathering from all directions. The man’s face was filled with shock and ecstasy.

The female ghost even broke through the roof, allowing the grotesque body beneath her robes to be exposed to the sunlight. She took a deep breath, feeling a freshness and ease of breathing that she hadn’t felt in centuries.

Yang Huang, his eyes red, exclaimed, “We must have received help from a sage! Perhaps because of Uncle-Master Fu’s appearance, this place has caught the eye of an old immortal from the Divine Edict Sect, who has bestowed great favor upon us. No matter what, this is a great thing, a dream come true…”

The man choked with emotion, suddenly realizing this, he knelt down and kowtowed three times to each of the four directions.

The female ghost couldn’t kneel, so she respectfully made a bow to the four directions.

The old woman standing in the three-courtyard house also worshiped heaven, earth and the four directions.

The old woman, who almost never drank alcohol, inexplicably thought of pouring herself a bowl. Even if it tasted bad, so be it. She had lived long enough in this life, equivalent to two lifetimes of others.

The old woman went to the corner of the kitchen wall, holding a bowl in one hand and a ladle in the other. The ladle went into a jar of wine whose clay seal had long been opened. How could there be so little wine left? That made no sense. The old woman was stunned for a moment, then frowned, and finally felt a chill run down her spine. She dropped the bowl and ladle, suddenly stood up, and murmured, “How is it possible? How is it possible?”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and suddenly smiled, then went back to ladle a small half-bowl of wine. She walked out of the kitchen, sat on a bench in the veranda, and looked at the quiet sunlight spilling onto the courtyard floor. The white-haired old woman leisurely sipped the wine, enjoying a rare moment of peace, with nothing to do with her hands or on her mind.

It was also on such a sunny day that a young boy from the north named Chen Ping’an, carrying a wooden box, ran backwards, waving goodbye to the old woman with a smile.

A vermilion gourd hung from his waist, containing wine, swords, and the Jianghu.

It turned out he was a drunken sword immortal.
The old woman sipped her wine, a smile playing on her lips. “Such a fine young man,” she mused, “the maiden he cherishes must be a truly exceptional beauty.”