Chen Ping’an inquired, “Regarding the turbulence today, did you foresee it with divination beforehand and already have the answer?”

Lu Tai raised a hand, paused, then smoothed a lock of hair near his temple, his eyes glistening with a flirtatious charm, and laughed, “I divine every day; it’s a daily lesson for disciples of the Yin Yang school. Otherwise, I would have told you to flee long ago. It’s just that such matters are not to be spoken of to you; speaking them aloud makes them ineffective.”

Chen Ping’an scrutinized Lu Tai, “Let this be the last time.”

Lu Tai curled his lip, unconvinced, “Following the flow, what’s wrong with that? To not seize an advantage is an invitation for heavenly retribution.”

Saying this, Lu Tai flipped his wrist, revealing a verdant jade tablet in his palm, “Ma Wanfa’s spatial artifact. All his treasures are inside. Compared to Dou Zizhi, who focuses on martial arts, Ma Wanfa is doing quite well; a Dragon Gate Realm cultivator able to possess a spatial artifact. But do you know where this fellow’s greatest strength lies?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head.

Lu Tai chuckled, “Ma Wanfa is a rare silkworm breeder, skilled at extracting silk, which is why he was so eager to have us; he gathered such a large group to besiege us. Because Ma Wanfa was confident that after our deaths, he could extract our spatial artifacts. I reckon Ma Wanfa didn’t initially expect us to be two ‘sword immortals’. There’s no need to think much about my two natal swords, but yours are another matter altogether. Once someone seizes the Sword Nurturing Gourd…”

Chen Ping’an remained silent.

Regarding the refinement of natal objects and magical treasures into the spiritual realm, Chen Ping’an had gained a general understanding on Upside-Down Mountain due to the robe Jin Li and the binding demon rope. A natal object, like a sword cultivator’s natal sword, vanishes with the death of its owner, impossible even for immortals to retain.

But ordinary refined objects, though their secrets are hidden in the Qi sea and acupoints, have a certain possibility of lingering within the spirit after death, not dissipating quickly.

If the quality is extremely high, even if the residing soul scatters, it might even “leap out,” returning to the mortal realm. This is why remnants of high-grade magical treasures are often found near the remains of immortals who have performed self-disassembly or corpse liberation in the many secret realms left behind after the shattering of blessed lands and immortal residences.

For Qi refiners, natal objects are destined to be extremely rare, while refined objects are slightly more numerous, but still few and far between.

After all, the higher the quality of a spiritual artifact or magical treasure, the harder it is to refine, and the resources, time, and effort required are enough to deter most cultivators below the Earth Immortal realm.

And like the celestial sword of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion in the Central Continent, even the sword wielder, a great celestial master with profound Daoist magic, cannot refine it into a natal object.

The same goes for Dao the Second’s sword.

There are many sword immortals in the Nine Continents, and naturally many immortal swords, but true immortal swords, even if all the realms were combined, number only four.

Only four.

It has remained unchanged for ten thousand years.

That’s why Ruan Qiong of the Wind and Snow Temple swore to forge a brand-new immortal sword, unprecedented and unparalleled.

If the people of today are inferior to the ancients in every way, how boring would that be?

As for the great cultivators of the Military School, they are known as walking armories.

This is because they can refine more magical treasures to protect themselves.

Imagine a military cultivator aided by secret techniques and divine abilities such as three heads and six arms, wielding divine weapons, wearing a high-grade divine dew armor, and possessing a powerful physique. Who would dare to oppose him?

Military cultivators are famous for being difficult to kill, and even more famous for being able to easily kill others.

Lu Tai was in a good mood, explaining in detail to Chen Ping’an what a silkworm breeder is, “Spatial artifacts are special, different from natal objects and refined objects. Because unlike magical instruments and flying swords, they are like small blessed lands, unable to be destroyed immediately. Moreover, spatial artifacts are extremely difficult to refine into natal objects, so how to extract a spatial artifact from a Qi refiner has become a profound study. Once successful, it’s a windfall that can sustain you for three years without having to do business. There is a specific type of person, called a silkworm breeder, who has their own family or master’s secret methods to extract spatial artifacts from a Qi refiner’s spirit.”

Lu Tai clicked his tongue, “If Ma Wanfa killed us, he would have struck it rich. Your Sword Nurturing Gourd plus my spatial artifact, maybe he could just use money to create a Land Immortal.”

Lu Tai suddenly narrowed his eyes, smilingly asking, “Don’t you want to ask how I killed the Dragon Gate Realm cultivator?”

Chen Ping’an took a step back. Beginning One and Fifteen flew out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd, guarding Chen Ping’an on the left and right.

Lu Tai asked curiously, “How did you see through it?”

Chen Ping’an pointed to his arm expressionlessly.

There was no colorful rope coiled around Lu Tai’s arm.

And although the Lu Tai before him deliberately made some feminine gestures, Chen Ping’an felt that it was not as natural as before.

Moreover, Lu Tai’s deliberate explanation of Ma Wanfa’s identity as a silkworm breeder seemed a bit like trying to hide something obvious.

However, when Chen Ping’an had asked about the divination matter, Lu Tai’s answer had no flaws, which was strange. Could it be that Ma Wanfa was also an evil cultivator, not only skilled in illusion but also proficient in imprisoning souls?

Lu Tai’s expression first turned cold, then he suppressed a laugh, and finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing, pointing a finger at Chen Ping’an, “If it were someone else, I would deliberately act like this, removing the colorful rope, pretending to be awkward, and secretly revealing a bit of killing intent, it would be like winking at a blind man. But dealing with you, Chen Ping’an, is just right. Alright, alright, quickly spit out the stagnant blood from the sword wound Dou Zizhi inflicted on your heart, or there will be aftereffects.”

Seeing that Chen Ping’an still didn’t believe him, Lu Tai almost cried with laughter, whispering, “Needle Point and Wheat Tip, come out.”

A huge flying sword hung in the air, along with a golden “wheat tip.”

Chen Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief. After confirming Lu Tai’s identity, he quickly turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring angrily, “Lu Tai!”

Lu Tai snapped his fingers, and the natal swords Needle Point and Wheat Tip returned to the Qi palace to rest.

He produced the bamboo fan, gently fanning the breeze, happily saying, “Who told you to let those small fries go…”

Chen Ping’an was so angry that he wanted to kick him.

But Lu Tai suddenly bent over, covered his mouth with his hand, and blood seeped out from between his fingers.

Hunting down an experienced and cunning Dragon Gate Realm cultivator with a spatial artifact is not too difficult, but to intercept and kill him likely requires a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

So the price Lu Tai paid must have been significant.
Chen Pingan extended two fingers, pinched a corner of the golden vestment he was wearing, gave a slight tug, and actually “peeled” off the entire vestment, gently tossing it to Lu Tai, whose body was trembling slightly. He furrowed his brows and said, “Put it on and try it. I’ve already removed the restrictions on the vestment.”

Lu Tai reached out and grabbed the golden vestment. Without any apparent action, the vestment instantly clad him.

He plopped down on the ground, took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, stretched out a finger, vigorously wiped his scarlet lips, and cursed under his breath. Even so, he didn’t seem particularly vulgar. “If it weren’t to constantly maintain peak combat strength, treating those elixirs and jade nectar as bread and water, I wouldn’t be in such a sorry state. In this deal, if we split Ma Wanfa’s space artifact evenly, you’d be making a killing, but I’d be losing my shirt.”

Chen Pingan squatted beside him, casually stuck the “Obsessive Heart” sword into the ground, and said in annoyance, “Dou Zizhi’s sword is mine, you can have everything else.”

Lu Tai’s eyes widened, and he exclaimed in exasperation, “This sword is the most valuable thing, okay? It’s even useful for martial arts grandmasters in the Refinement Realm! Dou Zizhi must have broken the bank to get this magic treasure. She probably bankrupted herself. That’s why she was hired by Ma Wanfa to rob and plunder.”

Chen Pingan grinned, “That’s not my problem.”

After putting on the golden vestment, Lu Tai’s aura stabilized a lot. “Alright, let’s review what happened.”

“The formation set up by that formation master is called the Mountain-Moving Formation. It can make people feel as if they are carrying a mountain on their backs, with their souls sluggish and stagnant. It’s very effective against Qi refiners below the Golden Core Realm. Those small flags aren’t of high quality, but there are a lot of them, so they’re worth some money.”

“On my way here, I happened to run into that unlucky old Daoist of talismans. The old fellow was almost split in two by a needle, scared him into kneeling and begging for mercy, with tears and snot running down his face. I demanded that he hand over all his prized possessions. The old fellow wasn’t willing and struggled desperately, fighting me to the death. I had no choice but to end his life, and then search his divine soul to see if he had any space artifacts or refined magic treasures hidden. That’s why I got injured even worse.”

“Unfortunately, I only got this ‘Silk Fish Talisman’. The talismans that were used to imprison your two flying swords were the essence of this talisman book, called ‘Dry Well Talisman’. This talisman is not as high-grade as the ‘Sword Sheath Talisman’ and ‘Mountain-Sealing Talisman’ that I mentioned, but it’s still quite interesting. I’ll take it back to my family and put it in the library, which will be considered a meritorious service.”

“If you had killed the old Daoist, we would have split the loot in half, and I wouldn’t have aggravated my injuries. I risked my life to kill the old Daoist, and I still have to split it with you. Tell me, am I angry or not?”

Chen Pingan said, “That heretical cultivator went all out. Earlier, the Yin Qi here was overwhelming, with black smoke billowing. If it weren’t for this vestment, I almost couldn’t stop it. Otherwise, that castle would have been harmed, wouldn’t that have been an innocent disaster?”

Lu Tai raised the jade tablet in his hand. “This cyan jade tablet is made of a material even rarer than Grain Rain coins. It’s something that’s hard to come by. So, compared to ordinary space artifacts, it’s much more expensive. The things inside aren’t that extraordinary, just a pile of worldly gold, silver, treasures, antiques, and trinkets. His taste is terrible, with countless fakes. A few bottles of elixirs aren’t that good either. All in all, aside from the jade tablet itself, it’s worth about ten thousand Snow Coins. It’s still just the wealth of a Dragon Gate Realm cultivator. The Tongye Continent is indeed far inferior to the Central Earth Continent.”

Lu Tai’s words were full of regret.

As well as the pride of being a person from the Central Earth Continent.

It was like some people are sword cultivators, looking down on other Qi refiners.

Some people are from the Northern Ju Continent, looking down on the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent.

Even Chen Pingan, during that snowy border battle, when he saw that group of Dali elite cavalry scouts who showed goodwill, and after the boy in green and the girl in pink talked about the nearly corrupt and weak military officers of the Yellow Court Kingdom, Chen Pingan felt secretly pleased.

Chen Pingan said helplessly, “Only ten thousand Snow Coins?!”

Lu Tai asked rhetorically, “Otherwise?”

Chen Pingan remembered that the highest priced magical treasures and artifacts sold on the Kun ship of the Dazhao Mountain in the Julu Continent over the past few hundred years cost one or two ten thousand Snow Coins.

For those two sisters, it seemed like when Chen Pingan was still a dragon kiln apprentice, hearing Liu Xianyang mysteriously say that the mansion on Fulu Street was worth several thousand taels of silver.

At that time, Chen Pingan had not even seen a few pieces of silver.

I don’t know if Chunshui Qiushi saw the Grain Rain coins many times later.

Lu Tai was busy healing his wounds with the spiritual energy contained in the golden vestment and did not notice Chen Pingan’s somewhat melancholy expression. He snorted coldly and said, “In the life-and-death battle with Ma Wanfa, my Five-Colored Rope was severely damaged, and the other protective magic treasure was completely destroyed. Not to mention the repair cost of the Five-Colored Rope, do you know how much the latter is worth?”

Lu Tai blinked his eyes, “Even if all the treasures in the space artifact belong to me, plus those scattered formation flags, I barely break even, with a slight profit.”

Chen Pingan said in a straight-forward manner, “You forgot the ‘Silk Fish Talisman’ that can be included in the family library.”

Lu Tai “suddenly realized,” “Haha, I forgot about it.”

Chen Pingan pointed to the space artifact in his hand. “And this jade tablet, to put it another way, if we really split it in half, how much is half a jade tablet worth? A space artifact can’t be cheap, right?”

Lu Tai angrily said, “Chen Pingan! I’m so badly injured, and you won’t even let me complain about being poor?”

Chen Pingan retorted tit for tat, “I said that everything except this sword is yours. What are you trying to achieve by going around in circles like this?”

Lu Tai sighed, “I just feel that I’m taking advantage of you too much. I want to find a way to make myself a fortune and still feel at ease.”

Chen Pingan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Aren’t you bored?”

Chen Pingan drew the sword beside him and handed it to Lu Tai, explaining the abnormality after being pierced through the heart. Lu Tai waved his hand, not taking Dou Zizhi’s “Obsessive Heart” sword, and said bluntly, “I don’t even need to weigh it. I know it’s just a heretical path.”

Chen Pingan was stunned for a moment, “By the way, what did that man mean by ‘handle’ earlier?”

Lu Tai smiled mischievously, “Visit brothels more in the future, drink more, and you’ll know.”

Chen Pingan ignored his teasing, held the sword horizontally in front of him, and slowly drew it from its scabbard. A pool of autumn water shone with a cold light, as if the surrounding light had converged on the sword’s blade.
Lu Tai explained, “Anyway, it can be sold for a lot of money.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, not doubting this.

The grandson of Song Yushao, the Sword Saint of Shuishui Kingdom, had once spent nine hundred snowflake coins to travel to the immortal ferry at the border of the two countries, just to buy a short sword forged on the mountain, costing the manor a considerable amount of its savings.

Senior Song’s martial arts realm was similar to Dou Zizhi’s.

However, as top swordsmen in the martial world, their foundations and the true essence of their swordsmanship were vastly different.

Song Yushao, as a revered sword master of the martial world, relied on nothing but his sword.

In this regard, Dou Zizhi was the same, putting his heart and soul into the matter of his sword.

Compared to cultivators who only lamented not having enough magical treasures, they were truly worlds apart.

As for the sword cultivators who dwelled not in the martial world but in the heavens, they were even more direct, pursuing the shattering of all laws with a single sword.

Chen Ping’an then inquired about the teleportation technique used by the old array master after shattering the talisman. It was Lu Tai’s first time witnessing it firsthand, but not his first time hearing about it. This knowledgeable scion of the Lu clan narrated the details, explaining some of the combinations of talismans and arrays to Chen Ping’an. Only then did Chen Ping’an realize that the “overlapping” use of two Shrinking Earth Talismans could produce unexpected results.

The magical powers of the mountain sects were indeed varied and bizarre.

“Almost there, the injuries have been suppressed. Next, you just need to rest and recuperate quietly.”

Lu Tai stood up and used his fingertips to “pluck out” the golden dharma robe, casually tossing it to Chen Ping’an. Chen Ping’an only needed to open his arms, and the golden robe would dress him as if served by a maid.

Lu Tai put away the cyan jade tablet into his sleeve and smiled, “What’s the biggest fear when dividing spoils on the spot?”

Lu Tai answered himself, “Unequal distribution, infighting to the death. So I calculated it. I now owe you, Chen Ping’an, half of the jade tablet, which, converted into snowflake coins…”

Lu Tai suddenly cried out, clutching his heart, with a worried frown, “Just mentioning it makes my heart ache.”

Chen Ping’an slapped Lu Tai on the head and scolded with a laugh, “Cheeky.”

On Fallen Phoenix Mountain, Wei Bo often did this to the green-robed page.

Lu Tai was stunned for a moment and didn’t argue with Chen Ping’an.

“I’ll check the surroundings first. There’s no rush to set off.”

After Chen Ping’an finished speaking, he leapt onto a high branch and gazed far into the distance.

Lu Tai looked up, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered the courage to stand on the branch, but not forgetting to hold onto the main trunk with one hand, only then feeling slightly more at ease.

Chen Ping’an held Carefree Sword in one hand and took down the Sword Nourishing Gourd in the other, taking a rare sip of wine, “Lu Tai, I actually know that if Ma Wanfa isn’t killed, there will be endless troubles, and the journey ahead will be very troublesome. I’ve experienced what it’s like when a cultivator is determined to pester you to the end, in the Shuishui Kingdom. So having this sword is enough. You don’t need to give me extra snowflake coins.”

Lu Tai was about to speak.

Chen Ping’an turned his head and smiled, “But after meeting you, I increasingly feel that one shouldn’t only talk about one’s own principles. The worst thing is to go to extremes. If you really feel guilty, I’ll take the money too.”

Lu Tai didn’t say anything, simply leaned against the tree trunk, smiled, took out a bronze mirror, looked left and right, and began to carefully comb his sideburns, humming a little tune.

A horse doesn’t get fat without wild grass at night, and a man doesn’t get rich without unexpected wealth.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped looking at him, suddenly frowning, “Someone is rushing this way.”

Lu Tai followed Chen Ping’an’s gaze and quickly continued to groom himself in the mirror, “Just a bunch of crude martial artists from that castle. Wearing the golden dharma robe, you can stand there and let them chop at you dozens of times and you’ll be fine.”

Chen Ping’an said, “It’s better to avoid trouble. If you can move freely, we’ll set off and continue heading north.”

Lu Tai hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked, “Can we stop and rest for a few days?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “That’s fine too.”

A team entered the forest from the castle, nimble and agile, each one with a solid foundation in martial arts.

However, this solidity was only relative to ordinary martial artists.

The leader was a refined old man in a green robe with a long beard, his breathing steady and his steps light, likely a master of internal martial arts.

Behind him were two young people, a man and a woman, both around twenty years old, dressed in gorgeous clothes, the man handsome and the woman gentle. They resembled each other by three or four points, probably siblings.

The man carried a horn bow on his back, and the woman wore embroidered little boots, with a delicate snake-shaped gold bracelet on her wrist, a perfect match.

Following them were ten-odd young and strong retainers, all dressed in simple and neat close-fitting attire.

Then, in the forest, they saw two young masters walking towards them. Everyone immediately stopped and retreated, gripping their weapons, filled with vigilance and apprehension.

The leading old man smiled, cupped his fist in greeting, and said, “I am He Ya, the steward of Flying Eagle Castle. I wonder if the two young masters have seen any celestial masters or demons in the vicinity?”

Lu Tai smiled and said, “Where would there be gods and demons in this world? Are you joking, old sir?”

The old man was speechless.

The young woman, seeing Lu Tai who resembled a celestial being from a book, her eyes lit up, and she was instantly radiant.

Her brother was more mature and steady, sizing up the two uninvited guests.

Within a hundred miles of Flying Eagle Castle, there were no scenic spots to visit, only the most ordinary mountains and rivers. Moreover, the two mountain roads leading to Flying Eagle Castle, one wide and one narrow, became dead ends some distance away from Flying Eagle Castle, to prevent outsiders from finding the secluded Flying Eagle Castle by following the main road.

Thirty or forty years ago, Flying Eagle Castle was still a martial arts overlord of the Chenxiang Kingdom. After encountering a catastrophe, it began to avoid the world, actively destroying that main road, and the family’s descendants rarely traveled outside. However, it couldn’t be considered isolated from the world. There were still some necessary trade exchanges, and occasionally some martial artists with close relationships would come here to visit, relax, or exchange martial arts skills.

The appearance of these two here was strange in the first place. Earlier, they had discovered a battle between immortals near the castle, shocking and astounding. There was either rolling black smoke or colorful radiance, and in the end, there was even a majestic golden dharma form floating in the air, standing out from the crowd, towering above the forest.

The vast majority of people in Flying Eagle Castle had never witnessed such a spectacle, and for a time, rumors spread like wildfire, causing a great deal of discussion.
After some deliberation, the Fortress Lord instructed Steward He Ya to investigate. As for the young man and woman, they secretly slipped away, appearing midway and leaving Steward He Ya with no choice but to slow down his pace. He deliberately took a roundabout route, eventually arriving at the location, where he saw the two individuals before him, seemingly enjoying the landscape.

He Ya appeared calm, but his nerves were on edge, fearing that these two young masters, who looked like immortals, might suddenly turn violent.

Apart from the seasoned veterans like He Ya, even the current Fortress Lord of Flying Eagle Fortress had limited understanding of the strange and arcane matters that existed both within and beyond the mortal realm. Although they might have heard rumors, they could not truly grasp their essence without witnessing them firsthand. He Ya, however, was different. The old steward had roamed the martial world and visited “half-mountain” places several times.

Therefore, at the insistence of the old man, Flying Eagle Fortress had many rules that young people found baffling. For example, during festivals such as New Year and Double Ninth, talismans from outside Taoist temples were pasted on the doors of several important locations within the fortress. The soul-calling ceremony for children who had been frightened: old people would often burn incense and offer pastries and fruits at road intersections, without outsiders knowing what they were doing.

And every time someone in Flying Eagle Fortress died, especially if it wasn’t a natural death like drowning or sudden illness, the old man would have even more rules. Which strong young men would carry the coffin for burial, where to bury it, what time of day people born at which hour should be responsible for guarding the spirit for which days, the incense offerings for the seventh day after death, and so on, which could drive the young people crazy.

Lu Tai first asked the old man if he was from the fortress. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, he smiled and said that they wished to seek lodging, as camping in the wilderness had been quite arduous lately.

The old steward hesitated, but the woman with the golden bracelet on her wrist had already nodded in agreement.

Chen Pingan slightly shook his head.

This woman was too carefree; wasn’t she afraid of inviting wolves into the house?

The old steward looked at the smiling young man in green robes, and suddenly laughed heartily, “Guests from afar, since we have met, Flying Eagle Fortress should extend a warm welcome.”

Lu Tai and Chen Pingan followed the group to Flying Eagle Fortress, which was a dozen miles away.

The mountain path was winding, making it more than a dozen miles.

Along the way, the woman chatted with Lu Tai, while the old steward He Ya strained his ears in front, not wanting to miss a single word.

The Flying Eagle Fortress was named Huan.

The woman was called Huan Shu, and her brother was called Huan Chang.

According to the Huan clan genealogy, they were descendants of the Changyi Kingdom in the north who migrated to the Kingdom of Incense six hundred years ago to escape the ravages of war, and their ancestral hall was named Chongying Hall.

Chen Pingan didn’t understand any of this, but Lu Tai could talk about anything. He discussed at length, using many analogies, that the surname “Huan” was a good one, but Chen Pingan still didn’t understand.

As they approached Flying Eagle Fortress, the path under their feet became smooth. Lu Tai looked up and smiled.

At the railing of the highest building in the fortress, there was a cold-fearing woman wrapped in sable fur, anxiously looking at the road outside the fortress. Seeing her children’s figures, she finally felt relieved.

However, the woman herself was unaware, and no one in Flying Eagle Fortress had ever seen it, that the woman’s seven orifices were bleeding profusely.

Outside the railing, the sun shone brightly, but inside the railing, it was somewhat cool. If one stood close to the woman for too long, they would feel a slight chill on their skin, as if their body was immersed in river water.

Therefore, the maids and servants around the woman had been replaced repeatedly over the years, all becoming sickly. However, after leaving the woman, they would mostly recover.

Over time, it became commonplace and was accepted as natural.