When Chen Ping’an awoke on the rooftop, he found a garment draped over him, and his gourd for nurturing swords placed beside him. In the past, after a night of drunken slumber, Chen Ping’an’s first instinct would be to leap from the roof to check on the locust wood sword case he’d left on the table inside. But today, he calmly picked up the clothing, folding it meticulously. He was not anxious, for he trusted that the wooden case would be right where he left it.

Chen Ping’an trusted the old boatman.

Chen Ping’an secured his sword-nurturing gourd at his waist, sat cross-legged, and turned to gaze at the east. The morning glow was as splendid as brocade.

Compared to when Chen Ping’an left Jiaolong Gully in pursuit of Guìhuā Island, his state of mind was worlds apart. Before, his thoughts were like a restless ape, flitting and uncertain. Now, his heart had a hitching post.

Chen Ping’an stood up, shielding his eyes with his hand, admiring the sunrise. He had once read in a travelogue that “the morning glow scatters colors, putting the clothesline to shame.” He marveled at how scholars could conjure such beautiful imagery.

Suddenly, Chen Ping’an turned to look beyond the Gui Meridian courtyard. A young maiden, dressed in the style of a Guìhuā Island maidservant, stood beneath a sparsely foliaged osmanthus tree, listlessly pointing at an osmanthus leaf, perhaps guessing whether the number of leaves was even or odd. Chen Ping’an followed her gaze, fixed his eyes, grinned, and called out, “Young lady, it’s thirty-two leaves!”

The maiden turned her head in confusion, and upon seeing the sword-box carrying swordsman on the roof, her cheeks flushed crimson. It seemed that the morning glow also favored beautiful women.

Caught slacking off, the Guìhuā Island maidservant suppressed her bashfulness and asked, “Does young master wish to have breakfast now?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Yes, please trouble the young lady to bring plenty. I’m famished.”

The Guìhuā Island maidservant blinked her eyes. Her figure flitted into the courtyard and vanished in an instant, her mood suddenly improved.

For the past few days, although this swordsman had been polite, she had been quite afraid. She always felt that if she made the slightest mistake or oversight, even if he wouldn’t complain to Aunt Gui, he would surely take note of it. So, she was somewhat afraid of him. When he instructed her not to see anyone, she dutifully turned away many visiting guests, stubbornly refusing wave after wave of mountain immortals, enduring countless glares and reprimands.

Chen Ping’an ate breakfast and began practicing his fist techniques in the courtyard. He spent the entire morning practicing the Earth-Shaking Fist’s stance work, and the afternoon practicing his sword alone, still with an imaginary blade. He mostly practiced the avalanche technique, which prioritized attacks. Chen Ping’an found this particular sword move liberating. After advancing to the fourth realm, his spirit began to converge. His six-step stance work appeared light and airy, like a wild goose treading on snow, but with each subtle, abrupt pause, his fist intent and qi poured forth, particularly fierce.

Switching to sword practice, Chen Ping’an found that the energy pathways differed greatly, but the underlying “intention” was the same. This made Chen Ping’an feel more at ease, because he realized that diligently practicing his fist techniques was cultivation, and it could cultivate many different paths. Li Xisheng had said when drawing talismans in front of the bamboo building on Fallen Phoenix Mountain that drawing talismans was cultivation. A-Liang had been knocked down to the mortal realm with a single punch, and on the Kun vessel, he had also said that reaching the pinnacle of fist techniques was sword practice.

So, walking down this path in the fourth realm of martial arts, Chen Ping’an had previously felt lost and aimless, as if treading on empty air. But now, he felt much more grounded.

In the evening, Chen Ping’an practiced the Sword Furnace Standing Post.

When it was time for supper, Mistress Gui did not have the Guìhuā Island maidservant deliver it. The woman brought the food container herself.

This Aunt Gui seemed preoccupied, unsure how to broach the subject. Chen Ping’an spoke first, “Aunt Gui, I helped that Fan fellow protect Guìhuā Island this time. Could you please help me send him a message via flying sword? Tell him that I really like this Gui Meridian courtyard and want it to be mine from now on. Aunt Gui, I think that Fan fellow won’t be too stingy, but the Fan family elders probably won’t agree. Could you help me put in a good word then?”

Mistress Gui was full of suspicion. She scrutinized the youth, and seeing that he did not seem to be feigning, she was overcome with mixed emotions. She smiled and said, “If the Fan Clan Ancestral Hall dares to disagree, then Aunt Gui will drag that Fan fellow along to cry injustice. A shrew cursing in the streets, a man rolling on the ground… it will definitely work.”

Mistress Gui sat beside Chen Ping’an, watching him devour his food, seemingly amused by her own words. She covered her mouth and chuckled, “To carve out a separate courtyard on Guìhuā Island, that’s unprecedented! Aunt Gui will personally draft a land deed right away, according to the regulations of the yamen. We’ll make two copies, and we’ll both sign them first, acting before reporting. Then, we’ll have that Fan fellow toss it into the Ancestral Hall and run away, regardless of whether those old men agree.”

Chen Ping’an laughed and said, “Aunt Gui, the land deed isn’t necessary. I don’t need that with you.”

Mistress Gui stared into the youth’s eyes. “Really, you don’t need it?”

Chen Ping’an met her gaze and nodded. “Really.”

The woman sighed softly and suddenly pulled the youth into her arms, hugging him tightly. This Mistress Gui, although ordinary in appearance, possessed a dignified air. She said softly with a smile, “Although you’re about the same age as that Fan fellow, your heroic spirit when you were punting bamboo on the river that time, and now this… alas, it’s enough to melt the hearts of all the women in the world.”

Chen Ping’an was still holding his chopsticks, his body leaning slightly, somewhat like the crooked old willow tree by the Iron Talisman River. He didn’t think much of it, only that Mistress Gui had said something nice about him. But what was so good about it, Chen Ping’an really didn’t understand. Especially what melting a woman’s heart was all about. Was that some sort of literary scholar’s metaphor? And Mistress Gui’s way of expressing friendly kindness and elder affection was indeed a bit inappropriate, but the difference in their generation and age was too great. He believed that even if outsiders saw it, they wouldn’t think too much…

The woman had already released Chen Ping’an, smiling gently. Seeing the youth’s cute appearance, with his face not blushing and only a blank look in his eyes, Mistress Gui squinted her eyes. The usually dignified woman revealed a rare and charming look, teasing, “Oh dear, so you’re still a child, just like that Fan fellow.”

From beginning to end, Chen Ping’an felt somewhat awkward, so he just lowered his head and ate, occasionally drinking wine.

Mistress Gui smiled as she got up and left.

As a result, at the door, she saw an old man with a playful smile, carrying a wine jug, reeking of alcohol. He staggered into the courtyard, shouting something about “Wine is the joyful host, dispelling worries and bringing happiness, the toad and rabbit move in color, the osmanthus tree shakes its shade!”

Mistress Gui smiled helplessly, not taking it to heart, and walked away gracefully, the osmanthus tree shade following her along the way.
The ferryman suddenly shed his drunken stupor, his expression becoming solemn. “Chen Ping’an, my master has suddenly arrived at Osmanthus Island, specifically asking for you by name. He says he has a message to deliver. Will you meet him? I can only vouch that my master is not a bad person; he’s always been compassionate. But I can’t be certain that such a good person wouldn’t do something… untoward, just once. The reason he’s unwilling to climb the mountain to this little courtyard…”

The old ferryman suddenly seemed embarrassed. “In principle, I, as a disciple, should avoid mentioning my master’s shortcomings. But in this case… well, I’ll just tell you. My master was once the very first ferryman on Osmanthus Island. The techniques for maneuvering the Dragon Reed and the crafting of paper carriages and mansions all originated from him. But soon after, my master vanished. He only reappeared once, five hundred years ago, when he casually took me on as a disciple. It’s clear that… my master has some lingering affection for Madam Gui, but for some reason, he angered her. She forbade him from setting foot on Osmanthus Island for the rest of his life.”

The old ferryman suddenly said, “I suspect my master is the boatman recorded in Daoist texts, the one who sails for centuries on a single voyage, ferrying… the person you mentioned. So, this time, he’s here to find you. I’m just passing on the message. Whether you go or not, Chen Ping’an, think it over carefully.”

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and nodded. “I’ll go. That Lu…”

The old ferryman quickly winked and stopped Chen Ping’an from finishing his sentence, lowering his voice. “If a saint of profound power hears their name spoken directly, they can sense it. Think about it, why are ordinary households often warned not to call out the names of deceased elders? Is it just out of courtesy? It’s not that simple.”

Chen Ping’an grunted in acknowledgement and descended the mountain with the old ferryman.

The old man joked, “Aren’t you afraid I’m harboring ill intentions?”

Chen Ping’an feigned mystery and whispered, “I have some sense of whether others intend to harm me. Senior, could this mean I have the potential to become a sage?”

The old man chuckled. Sages and cultivators above the fifth realm are actually two different types of people. To become a sage, especially one of the Three Teachings among the Hundred Schools, even a sage with only a tenth-realm cultivation, is probably more difficult than a cultivator reaching the Jade Purity realm.

After descending the mountain and approaching the familiar ferry, Chen Ping’an and the old ferryman were somewhat surprised, yet it also seemed reasonable.

Madam Gui stood at the ferry, her sleeves fluttering, detached from the world, seemingly preventing a middle-aged man from docking and disembarking.

As the master of the small world of Osmanthus Island, Madam Gui naturally knew of their approach. Unwilling to continue arguing with the man, she sternly rebuked the simple-looking middle-aged ferryman, “Leave at once! If you want to chat, do it at sea! Don’t even think about setting foot on Osmanthus Island! Otherwise, I’ll fight you to the death!”

The rustic-looking middle-aged man was the boatman who previously rowed for the sword cultivator Zuo You. He was also likely the old ferryman’s esteemed teacher.

The middle-aged man was usually a stoic and taciturn person, but Madam Gui was his weak spot. Seeing the woman being so unreasonable, even scolding him so fiercely for the first time, the honest man felt like the sky was falling and life had lost its meaning. He became frantic, threw down the bamboo pole, and stomped his feet, lamenting, “What’s wrong, what’s wrong! It’s just that after you rejected me that one time, I was so heartbroken, I got drunk and, fueled by liquor, I secretly ran over and hugged that osmanthus tree a few times! That was just uncontrollable emotion, understandable… You know what kind of person I am, even my teacher says I’m honest and simple!”

Madam Gui was infuriated and sneered, “Oh, how clever. First, you try to appeal to my emotions, then you try to reason with me, and finally, you bring out your backer. Impressive! Who taught you this rhetoric?”

The courage the man had finally mustered vanished without a trace. He said sullenly, “Little Qi from the Divine Proclamation Sect…”

Madam Gui pointed angrily and scolded, “You’re a grown man, do you have any sense of responsibility or loyalty? Qi Zhen helped you come up with a plan, and you just betray him like that? Not even a moment’s hesitation?! Get lost!”

The middle-aged man was as if struck by lightning. He slumped onto the boat, flailing his limbs and yelling, “Can’t live anymore! Life has no meaning!”

The old ferryman stopped in his tracks, refusing to take another step forward, covering his face, and determined not to look at his master’s scene. His teacher’s madness was a disgrace to him as a disciple.

The old ferryman suddenly turned around. “Let’s go, let’s go. If I watch any longer, even the shattered Dao heart that I was lucky enough to keep from being destroyed by the old dragon will be returned to my master.”

The man called out to the old ferryman, “Little Bucket, you see your master and don’t even say hello?”

The old ferryman, exposed of his childhood nickname, stopped, sighed, but resolutely refused to meet his master’s eyes. With lightning speed, he cupped his hands in salute and said, “Master, may you live ten thousand years. This disciple bids farewell,” and then quickly ran off to climb the mountain.

Chen Ping’an continued forward, walking to Madam Gui’s side. They nodded and smiled at each other. Chen Ping’an squatted by the ferry bank, looking at the man who glanced at him and then at Madam Gui. Chen Ping’an felt a chill run down his spine. He thought the man’s gaze was a little strange. How did it look like the women of Mud Bottle Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley looking at their own husbands and Gu Can’s mother? Chen Ping’an suddenly understood. He thought he was an honest person, how could he be so petty? No wonder Madam Gui didn’t like him.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Do you have something to tell me?”

The middle-aged man repeated the same words he had previously said to the sword cultivator Zuo You.

Before being frank, the man gently stomped his foot. The bamboo pole bounced up and was grasped in his hand. He heavily struck the boat board. In an instant, with astonishing supernatural power, the man temporarily created two small worlds. The smaller one contained him and Chen Ping’an, within arm’s reach. The larger one encompassed the entire Osmanthus Island. In this way, even some Daoists from Upside-Down Mountain and saints from Southern Abundance Continent would be unable to detect anything here.

After all, he was a nominal disciple of the sect leader, Lu Chen.

His unwillingness to receive a sword from the sword cultivator Zuo You, or his resemblance to a rogue in front of Madam Gui, or the fact that he was only referred to as a “ferryman” in rare texts in the entire Great World, did not mean that his strength was weak or his Daoism was low.

Madam Gui knew his background, so she was not surprised. In the small world beside her, their figures were blurred, and their words and voices would not be leaked at all.
Chen Ping’an, after hearing this, nodded, “Very well.”

The middle-aged man slowly said, “You are unwilling to become my master’s closed-door disciple? If you agree, I will thank you and owe you a debt of immense gratitude.”

Chen Ping’an looked at the man, simply sitting on the edge of the ferry, taking down his sword-nourishing gourd, only drinking and saying nothing.

The man, with a bamboo pole in one hand, propped himself up on the ground, looked up at the sky, and softly said, “Master never regarded me as his disciple, merely a servant who helped him punt a boat in his early years. Although his direct disciples, when traveling through this world, would actively seek me out and willingly address me as their Eldest Brother, I know full well that Master has always disliked my dullness, my poor aptitude, and my inability to sever even the slightest bit of sentiment. Therefore, I searched the seas for countless years, wanting to follow Master’s footsteps to that Azure Firmament World to formally become his disciple and learn his arts, but Master is unwilling to see me. However, if you agree to Master today, as long as he is in a good mood, he will see me, I am certain.”

Chen Ping’an lazily smiled and said, “Then do you know that the disciple your master wants to accept is the current me, not the me after becoming his disciple?”

The man reached out and patted his head, still unable to understand, and said in annoyance, “You’re making me confused. Why is it that you disciples of masters all speak in such strange and bizarre ways, so unstraightforward? Even Xie Shi from the Northern Majestic Continent speaks so flowery, hiding insults within compliments, causing me to not realize until over a hundred years later that he was actually scolding me for being dense, which is why Madam Gui disliked me.”

The man then sighed, “It’s still my fault, being too stupid. I can’t blame others for being too clever.”

Chen Ping’an stopped drinking, smiled, “Why not blame this world?”

The man stood on the small boat, the youth sat on the edge of the ferry.

The two were at eye level.

The man grinned.

Chen Ping’an had already changed the subject, “Your disciple is so badly injured, aren’t you going to do something about it? He even reached the Nascent Soul Realm before, then fell back to Golden Core…”

The man said unhappily, “I am his master, not his father. He’s five hundred years old, does he still need me to wipe his ass and clean his nose?”

Chen Ping’an put down his sword-nourishing gourd, extending a finger of his left hand and suspending it in the air, then pulling his right hand to the right, stopping, as if there was an invisible ruler between his two fingers, “The reason I speak of is at this end, the reason you speak of is at that end, both seem to have merit, but your reason cannot refute my reason, do you know why? Because your reason should not have gone so far at once.”

Chen Ping’an slowly moved his right hand to the left, tapping the middle point, then tapping each side, and smiled, “If your reason only reached near here, standing here, it might be considered a true reason, with some slight deviation… But when reason stands firmly in the right position, how should we measure the weight and size of reason? Do you know the Artificers? Not the art of Yin and Yang, but the art of calculation, plus the Legalists, with these two smaller rulers, they become useful…”

The man said indifferently, “Don’t try to ruin my Great Dao!”

Holding the bamboo pole, he heavily knocked on the boat plank again.

Chen Ping’an smiled brightly.

Because he was right again.

Chen Ping’an smiled and stood up, no longer mystifying or creating something out of nothing. Last night in his dream, he had a dream, read a book all night, faintly and obscurely, mysterious and profound.

Seeming to realize that he had been teased, the man was a little annoyed, scratching his head, but he did not take his anger out on Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an blinked, “Madam Gui is watching, how do you think she will view you treating your disciple like this? Isn’t that the reason?”

The man seemed to suddenly see the light, his eyes brightened, hesitatingly taking out a stack of golden books connected by crude straw rope from his chest, “I finally picked these up from the bottom of the sea, give them to Little Bucket, remember to give them to him in front of Madam Gui, can you do that?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Of course! I can even say a few good words for you.”

The man laughed, “Then I won’t record what you calculated against me in my ledger.”

Chen Ping’an took the golden books, without even looking at them, carefully putting them into his sleeve, glancing at the woman who seemed to be just a short distance away but was actually not in the same small world, she was gazing at the bright moon on the sea, her expression dreamy. Chen Ping’an withdrew his gaze, somewhat curious, and asked in a low voice, “You have such a high seniority, lived for so many years, why are you so fond of Madam Gui? And knowing that your Great Dao is hindered by that sentiment, you still seem to enjoy it?”

The man was struck in the heart, and said unhappily, “None of your business!”

Chen Ping’an, carrying the wine gourd, strolled along the shore, and asked, “Madam Gui can’t hear us talking, right?”

The man nodded.

Chen Ping’an still lowered his voice and said, “Madam Gui’s temperament is of course extremely good, but her appearance… wouldn’t be considered too… outstanding, right? Can you tell me the story between you two? Why did you like her in the first place, why did she dislike you, how does one truly like someone, and how did you separate and reunite, where did you anger Madam Gui, I can learn from it… oh no, I mean, I want to help you come up with ideas! You don’t know, I know many girls, and I understand a lot about love between men and women!”

The man rolled his eyes, “If you can explain so much about liking someone, what kind of liking is that? Talking to you vulgar people is really boring, Little Bucket must be blind to be willing to drink with you.”

Chen Ping’an grimaced.

The man suddenly reached out and forcefully hammered his chest, vowing, “Also, in my eyes, Madam Gui has a beauty that can topple kingdoms and cities, no one in the world can compare, you kid better watch your mouth in the future, if you dare to say bad things about her again, I’ll turn you into an idiot with one bamboo pole!”

The man spat at Chen Ping’an, “What kind of eyes do you have, unable to tell the slightest bit of beauty from ugliness!”

The middle-aged boatman used the bamboo pole to turn the boat around, paddling away alone, instantly disappearing a thousand feet away.

Chen Ping’an patted his chest, happily shouting “Aunt Gui” and then said, “Let’s go, I got a secret manual from the old senior’s master for him.”

Chen Ping’an did not forget to say good things about the middle-aged man, and even said two sentences, “He is a generous man. He’s just a little too honest.”

Madam Gui nodded and smiled, “Yes. It’s just that her appearance isn’t too outstanding.”
Chen Ping’an swallowed hard, stiffly turning his head to look at the lone figure and boat, already vanished without a trace. That fellow was truly unkind…

Madam Gui lightly tapped the young man’s head, clearly not truly angry, and softly said, “What are you looking at? Let’s go.”

The two walked side-by-side along the mountain path. Madam Gui casually asked, “In another month, we’ll reach our destination. Chen Ping’an, do you have any acquaintances on Inverted Peak? If not, getting to the Sword Qi Great Wall will be a bit troublesome. The reputations of our Fan family and Guihua Island don’t carry much weight there. And on Inverted Peak, some things, even with money, simply can’t make the devil push the millstone. Because…”

Speaking to this point, Madam Gui paused slightly, helplessly saying, “That Dao the Second, he established some strange rules. For thousands upon thousands of years, no one has ever crossed the line.”

Chen Ping’an was skeptical, “Never? Not a single person?”

Madam Gui sighed, “Many have tried throughout history. Afterward, their corpses and souls were all tossed into a small Thunder Pool on Inverted Peak by a certain Daoist Grand Celestial. Among those people, almost every single one was a top-tier cultivation genius, scions of wealthy clans from the Nine Continents, disciples of immortal sects, and experts from the various schools of thought… None of them met a good end. No one can change that Daoist’s decision.”

It seemed that when that golden dharma body appeared at Jiaolong Gully, the Daoist’s true form, far away on Inverted Peak, had also used divine abilities to isolate heaven and earth, so Guihua Island couldn’t see even a trace of the truth.

Chen Ping’an was filled with worry, and roughly described the appearance of that Daoist. Madam Gui looked astonished, “How do you recognize this Grand Celestial of Inverted Peak?”

Chen Ping’an grinned, wryly smiling.

Just then, a streak of white light streaked across the night sky, passing over Guihua Island and leaving behind a single sentence, “All from Guihua Island who ascend Inverted Peak are exempt from transit fees. If anyone wishes to pass through Inverted Peak to reach the Sword Qi Great Wall, they also need not spend a single coin.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly raised his arm, clenched his fist, and happily laughed, “He won!”

A month later, the passengers of Guihua Island could already see the magnificent outline of the inverted mountain hanging in the air.

Moreover, on the sea, there were all kinds of intercontinental ferries at frequent intervals, their shapes magnificent.

As time passed, Inverted Peak appeared increasingly majestic.

With Madam Gui’s nodding approval, Chen Ping’an secretly left Gui Mai’s small courtyard before dawn that day. Finally, he sat on a high branch of the osmanthus tree at the peak of the mountain, dangling his feet and straining his neck to look up.

He had heard that Inverted Peak was the border between two realms.

He, Chen Ping’an, a pure martial artist, was not a grandmaster of the Distant Excursion Realm who could ride the wind. He could only walk step by step or take a ferry.

From the northernmost part of Treasure Bottle Continent, the Great Li, to the southernmost Old Dragon City, was already so far. If he went from one realm to another, it sounded even farther, much farther.

Chen Ping’an sat on the high branch, smiling as he casually threw punches, his body tilting left and right.

Under the tree was a young woman who had come to the mountaintop early that morning. She sighed, muttering, “I still think this guy is a simpleton.”