The first watch is for men, the second for fire, the third for wandering ghosts. The fourth for thieves, the fifth for the cock’s crow, and the world is bright.

Tonight, during the third watch, the river of Burial is filled with chilling Yin energy.

At the post station, perhaps due to the presence of the Yao family’s iron cavalry, the oppressive aura of war serves as a natural barrier against the encroaching eerie atmosphere.

Inside the room, Yao Jinzhi was practicing the Golden Coin Divination, commonly known as the Fire Pearl Forest. It was one of the secret techniques of the mountain, but not truly considered mainstream. Yao Jinzhi had come across it by chance in her youth and had only used it as a form of amusement. Using three copper coins to cast lots and inquire about the future, or using six coins to divine, throwing the coins and interpreting their face-up or face-down state to predict destiny, fortune, and misfortune. It was sometimes accurate and sometimes not, and Yao Jinzhi herself didn’t really believe in it.

Today, she used three coins to ask about her prospects for entering the capital this time. The result was auspicious.

Then, she used the six-coin divination method to test the longevity of the Liu family’s reign in Daquan.

Afterward, as she gathered the coins one by one, Yao Jinzhi looked puzzled, unable to understand the results. She could only mockingly say to herself that it was inappropriate to consult ghosts and spirits instead of the people. She stopped dwelling on the two outcomes, got up, and went to the window, where she saw Yao Lingzhi practicing swordsmanship. Further away, a house was still lit, and without guessing, she knew that Yao Xianzhi was burning the midnight oil, studying military texts.

She sat back at the table, thinking that she could often visit Mr. Lu for a game of chess, give some exquisite trinkets to the little girl named Pei Qian, and find an opportunity to give the young Liu family retainer something appropriate because, as a woman, she could see the hidden words in Shao Yuanran’s eyes. However, even though she clearly saw through it, she pretended not to understand. Since setting out on this journey north, she had only spoken two or three sentences to the young Daoist priest, and once deliberately glanced at his back. As for the young retainer, it was amusing how he thought that a detached expression could hide everything. She was certain that her “unintentional” gaze was enough to stir the heart of a cultivator with lofty ambitions.

Yao Jinzhi always believed that this carried more weight than thousands of words. Moreover, human words are never about quantity. Whether they are heard is one thing, and whether they settle in someone’s heart is another. Women with beautiful faces and men with great power have innate advantages.

Yao Jinzhi felt a little depressed when she thought of this. Why was someone able to truly interact with her peacefully?

From deep night until dawn, Zhu He remained by the river of Burial, lingering.

Strange things had happened last night. First, he saw a golden bridge on the river. Then, Chen Ping’an stopped setting up the Sword Furnace stakes and told him and Pei Qian to return to the station first. Chen Ping’an jumped into the river, and Pei Qian followed without hesitation. After that, a whirlpool inexplicably appeared in the river, filled with abundant spiritual energy, which made Zhu He feel somewhat uncomfortable. The whirlpool engulfed Chen Ping’an and Pei Qian, appearing and disappearing suddenly, leaving Zhu He with only a blurry figure of a short girl.

He heard that Tongye Continent was just one of the nine continents of this vast world.

How immense is the world!

How lofty are cultivators!

Earlier, Zhu He had felt somewhat dejected. He was like a wealthy town gentleman who had suddenly entered the capital and discovered that the little silver in his pocket couldn’t buy anything. But he quickly and cleanly put away this little thought, and instead, filled with ambition and fighting spirit. Despite Zhu He’s constant smile and his constant running around after Chen Ping’an, he had never delayed his vigorous advancement in martial arts.

The other three were no less impressive than Zhu Lian. Wei Xian was carefully examining the world, seeing the grand in the small. Sui Youbian was in seclusion in the carriage, comprehending the sword, and Lu Baixiang was even more of a prodigy, proficient in everything from music and chess to calligraphy and painting.

This was the most intangible advantage of Zhu Lian and Lu Baixiang’s group of four.

Without exception, they had all been invincible in the human realm. As pure martial artists, their minds were almost flawless, most deserving of the word “pure.”

There was also a secret competition among the four.

The seventh realm bottleneck, it remained to be seen who would break through it first.

Once they entered the Golden Body Realm of martial artists, the eighth Wind Riding Realm and the ninth Mountain Peak Realm would no longer be significant hurdles for them, just a matter of time.

Zhu He looked up at the sky and began to return along the same path, weighing a pebble in his palm, gently stroking it. Fragments were constantly blown away by the river breeze.

Apart from the martial arts bottleneck, naturally, everyone was dissatisfied with their own shackles. Don’t forget that Wei Xian was the founding emperor of the Nanyuan Kingdom, Lu Baixiang was the founding patriarch of the Demon Sect, and Sui Youbian was even a female sword immortal who wanted to break the rules of the blessed land with a single sword. To say that the four were sincerely convinced by the young man holding the four paintings and willing to serve him wholeheartedly, not even Chen Ping’an, probably not even the child named Pei Qian would believe it.

However, the battle at the inn had left a deep impression on the four.

Zhu He clenched the stone in his hand and muttered to himself, “Judging from Chen Ping’an’s naturally revealed attitude now, Lu Baixiang should have been the first to reveal the truth, which is why the two are so close and relaxed?”

After Zhong Kui finished drawing the talisman that was surprisingly effective as a sword-suppressing charm, he and his teacher left the river of Burial one after another. The landscape fortune of Biyou Mansion gradually stabilized. The young maidservant brought Pei Qian back to the hall.

Pei Qian had been by the screen wall earlier. As soon as she threw the handful of Burial River essence back into the screen wall, she saw a scene of chaotic incense and turbulent river water on it, as if the river water would gush out of the stone wall and flood the mansion at any moment. Pei Qian was so scared that she cried, shouting that she wanted to return to Chen Ping’an’s side. The water ghost maidservant, who had died unjustly in the river of Burial, was driven out of the mansion by the water goddess’s divine power, leaving Pei Qian alone in front of the screen wall, wailing loudly until her voice was hoarse.

Returning to the hall now, Pei Qian’s face was still stained with tears. She stood timidly at the threshold, not daring to enter. She had enough discernment to know that Chen Ping’an was discussing serious matters with someone. If she caused trouble again this time and angered Chen Ping’an, Zhong Kui had helped to intercede for her last time, but this time no one would speak up for her.

Chen Ping’an turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Pei Qian ran into the hall in a flash, sat on the chair next to Chen Ping’an, sat upright, feeling a little aggrieved and guilty, and said, “I just returned the handful of water to the screen wall. I don’t know why, but the ground shook. Chen Ping’an, I really didn’t mean to. You’re not allowed to be angry.”

Chen Ping’an flicked Pei Qian on the forehead and smiled, “You know to be afraid now?”
Seeing this, Pei Qian felt relieved. The terrifying phenomenon was probably unrelated to her. Her confidence surged, and she straightened her back. The aroma wafting from the table was too tempting. Besides, having seen so many deities and spirits, Pei Qian had listened to storytellers under the bridge in Lotus Flower Blessed Land, who narrated strange tales of underwater dragon palaces and immortal abodes where a cup of wine or a peach could increase one’s lifespan. She tentatively asked, “Can I have a small sip of wine?”

Chen Ping An glared at her, and Pei Qian immediately feigned realization, “I’m still young, why would I drink wine? Chen Ping An, you should drink more.”

The naturally forthright Water Goddess couldn’t help but laugh at this clever little girl, “The mansion has plenty of century-old Water Flower Wine. I’ll send you a jar later. As for whether Chen Ping An steals it to drink himself or leaves you some, I can’t control that.”

With Chen Ping An by her side, Pei Qian feared nothing. She spoke in an old-fashioned manner, “If you really want to give me wine, I should thank you. But I’m too young to drink now, or it will hinder my reading and writing. Next time we visit your home, when I’m old enough to drink, don’t be stingy, or you’ll be unworthy of your immortal status.”

The Water Goddess clicked her tongue in amazement, carefully scrutinizing Pei Qian’s face, becoming increasingly fond of her. She said to Chen Ping An, half in jest and half seriously, “What a spirited little girl! Why not leave her in Jade Ripple Mansion? I’ll take care of her. In the future, she can succeed me as the Buried River Water Goddess of Jade Ripple Mansion. I guarantee to impart all my knowledge and refine two magical artifacts for her. In at most two centuries, she can become the most powerful Water Goddess in the Great Spring Dynasty.”

Pei Qian hurriedly stood up, indignantly exclaiming, “Don’t talk nonsense! I still need to go to Dragon Spring County in Treasure Bottle Continent to help put up Spring Festival couplets at my old house!”

Chen Ping An politely declined the Water Goddess’s proposal.

He was truly worried about leaving her out of his sight.

The Water Goddess didn’t insist, but her previous words were no joke.

If Pei Qian, whose talent she admired at first glance, really stayed in Jade Ripple Mansion, she would do her utmost to help the little girl inherit the Buried River Godhood. She would also try her best to forge and refine two high-grade magical weapons for her. Even if it went against her nature, she would feign cooperation with the Great Spring Dynasty and the Great Fu Academy to win a ‘Palace’ title for Jade Ripple Mansion. Then she could let go and slay the great demon that had plagued the Buried River for two centuries, even if it meant mutual destruction. After all, it would be a deed of merit benefiting nine hundred thousand people on both banks, worthy of the sage’s teachings she read from the Sage of Literature’s books.

As for why she, the Water Goddess, had such a “connection” with Pei Qian, there was more to it than met the eye.

As a long-standing deity presiding over a region, the Buried River Water Goddess possessed immense fortune. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to comprehend an immortal incantation from a neglected rain-praying stone tablet, which became the foundation of her Dao as an upper-five-realm cultivator. Just now, she carefully used the divine art of aura observation. She was shocked by what she saw. She was already considered an outstanding example of someone with the ‘Golden Form,’ but this dark and thin little girl before her was even more exceptional, a first-class divine body. Simply put, not making her a mountain and water deity enjoying incense offerings was a waste that even the sages would lament.

The so-called ‘Golden Form’ was somewhat similar to a sword cultivator’s innate sword embryo or a Buddhist’s Buddha-child, naturally gifted. Cultivating on a certain right path, they would progress rapidly. People with the Golden Form were often thin and small, but their bones were extremely hard. There was a branch of physiognomy that weighed a person’s bones to determine their worth. The Golden Form was the heaviest in the world, indicating a strong and impulsive nature, decisive in killing. Especially since metal governs execution in the Five Elements, they naturally possessed authority, making them born to be officials and generals.

However, while the Water Goddess’s eyesight was good, it wasn’t good enough.

Pei Qian’s talent was already beyond the scope of the Five Elements. That was why Zhu He also felt that the little girl was a martial arts genius. Even Yao Jinzhi, who bought copper coins earlier, thought that the little girl might be a talent in numerology, capable of achieving twice the result with half the effort if she studied divination with him.

Only the Gentleman Zhong Kui saw it more comprehensively and profoundly.

Unfortunately, Pei Qian had met Chen Ping An, who didn’t teach her principles. As for learning martial arts or cultivating the Dao, Pei Qian shouldn’t even think about it.

This little rascal was now traveling with Chen Ping An, and she was already overjoyed if she had a talisman worth a mansion stuck on her forehead, making her feel no fatigue from walking.

This was probably a case of one thing subduing another.

Whether Pei Qian followed Zhu Lian to practice martial arts or stayed in Jade Ripple Mansion to become the next Buried River Water Goddess, no matter how great her achievements, there was no need to expect her to be grateful to Zhu He or the Water Goddess. Perhaps one day, a conflict would arise, and Pei Qian would slap them to death, thinking it was only natural. *You angered me, and I’m more capable than you. Why wouldn’t I kill you and keep you around to be an eyesore?*

However, Pei Qian’s thoughts towards Chen Ping An were very different, unique in their own way.

But both were too deeply involved to realize it.

The Water Goddess waved her hand, and the maidservant silently retreated.

The Water Goddess then asked, “Chen Ping An, I am a straightforward person, and so are you. Otherwise, Zhong Kui wouldn’t have such personal interactions with you. So, I will speak frankly?”

Chen Ping An nodded, “Water Goddess, please speak your mind.”

The Water Goddess looked solemn, as if she was carefully choosing her words, indicating a major matter to discuss.

Chen Ping An was puzzled. Logically, Zhong Kui had already helped secure the promotion of the manor to a palace, so Jade Ripple Mansion shouldn’t have any difficulties. But since she was so serious, Chen Ping An waited for her to continue.

She slowly asked, “Chen Ping An, you have met the Sage of Literature. Is the Sage of Literature incredibly admirable, speaking with eloquence, every word inspiring awe, making people want to prostrate themselves in admiration after hearing his profound and insightful principles?”

The Water Goddess across the table was radiant with excitement.

Chen Ping An was glad he hadn’t been drinking, or he would have spat out his wine on the spot.

Pei Qian didn’t know who the Sage of Literature the Water Goddess was talking about, but judging by the tone, it seemed Chen Ping An knew that powerful old man. She felt honored and crossed her arms, looking very proud.
Chen Ping’an took a swig of the Bi You Mansion’s century-old “Water Flower Wine” from his gourd, hesitating slightly. Unwilling to shatter the Water God’s image of the venerable Wen Sheng, the Old Master, he carefully chose his words, “The Old Master’s knowledge is naturally vast, his temper excellent, kind to others, and never pretentious. When traveling, he’s very… approachable.”

How could he not be approachable? Small in stature, wandering the world as a poor, old scholar, “unassuming” would be a more fitting description than “approachable.” He was worse than Zhong Kui staying at an inn, always coaxing people to drink, then feigning drunkenness to avoid paying, and his drinking manners were not good either.

But Chen Ping’an couldn’t bear to tell the Water God these truths.

He feared she might accidentally suffer a Dao heart collapse.

This time, the Water God didn’t bother with the large white bowl; she directly picked up the jar of wine and took a huge gulp, tilting her head back. “The Wen Sheng is indeed as I imagined… Heaven above! His knowledge reaches the heavens, yet he is compassionate. He walks the earth, kind and amicable, treating people well. It’s outrageous that the Wen Sheng was only ranked fourth in the Wen Temple of the Central Earth Continent, unable to be enshrined beside the Supreme Sage Teacher!”

The Water God prattled on, constantly championing the Wen Sheng she admired so deeply.

Chen Ping’an didn’t respond, but he thought of many true scholars, and those who aspired to be scholars: Qi Xian’s teacher, Qi Xian himself, Zhong Qiu from Lotus Flower Blessed Land, who resembled Qi Xian, and Cao Qinglang, the child who resembled himself.

The world’s myriad reasons, both reasonable and unreasonable, would ultimately converge: where my heart finds peace is my hometown.

Chen Ping’an remained silent, just drinking. Such delicious wine, thinking of those wonderful people and events – the Wen Sheng’s ranking, Qi Xian’s unwavering spirit, Zhong Qiu’s clear conscience, and Cao Qinglang’s hope. He, Chen Ping’an, would surely not become a drunken sot today; perhaps, as Ah Liang said, he might even become a wine immortal.

One spoke to herself, the other lost in contemplation, both drinking, needing no urging.

Bi You Mansion’s Water Flower Wine was “cellared” within the essence of the buried river. A century of aging naturally created a mellow, smooth flavor, easy to drink, but with a considerable after-effect.

The Water God was truly drunk, sitting cross-legged on the chair, her head swaying. She said she envied Chen Ping’an immensely, having met the Wen Sheng and being so familiar with him. She had achieved great fulfillment in this life, but she didn’t have that fortune. Every day she sat on her divine platform, her Water God Temple seemingly overflowing with incense, even more so than Mirage City, but the incense was mixed with so much selfishness and desire, much of which she disliked – requests for wealth, fortune, children, and power. She just wanted to ask the Wen Sheng face-to-face why, despite the sages expounding so many principles, and so many statues erected in the Wen Temples, and countless scholars having devoured the classics, the world was still so unbearable, constantly leading to disappointment, making it harder and harder for her to like humanity.

Muttering, the Water God recited classics from the Wen Sheng’s books, one by one, complaining that people were unwilling to learn such good principles. Was it because the Wen Sheng’s knowledge was too lofty, beyond the reach of the common people? In the end, she scratched her head with both hands, bewildered.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes, thinking she better not drink in the future. If women became as crazed as this Water God after drinking, it would be utterly ridiculous.

Chen Ping’an had one good trait when drinking: before reaching the point of drunken oblivion, his eyes would become brighter and brighter, his entire being renewed, his eyebrows dancing, as if his youthful maturity was suppressed by the wine.

But this didn’t mean that Chen Ping’an was truly becoming more clear-headed; rather, when drunk, he couldn’t suppress his true nature. Before drinking, he was cautious and restrained, as if constantly shielding a bronze mirror or guarding a dim lamp in a humble room, unwilling to let outsiders see. After drinking, he would release his hands, radiating brilliant light, what matter if it illuminated all directions?

Chen Ping’an heavily placed the sword-nurturing gourd on the table, and said loudly, “How could the Wen Sheng’s knowledge be too lofty and useless? It’s extremely useful! I’ll tell you, this learning applies everywhere, the virtuous can learn it, the wicked can also learn it, emperors and generals can learn it, peddlers and laborers can learn it, mountain immortals can learn it, demons and ghosts can learn it, mountain and water deities can also learn it! As for whether they are willing to put it into practice, that’s something to consider after learning it. First, learn this knowledge, and it will be beneficial!”

Chen Ping’an unconsciously sat up straight, imitating the gentleman Zhong Kui, and even more so, Qi Xian lecturing at the academy. “Learn the true knowledge of the world, and a spring of living water will flow from your heart! I think the Old Master’s elucidation of the word ‘Order’ is a great learning, a true learning, that everyone can learn! Will you learn it or not?!”

The Water God’s eyes were hazy, and in a daze, she slammed the table and said, “If you tell me, I’ll give it a try!”

Chen Ping’an leaned forward slightly, using his finger to write the characters for “Order” on the table. “The core of this learning is the word ‘Order’! It opens up a new path, a great river flowing outside the established order of rituals and rules, benefiting all living beings! I, Chen Ping’an, haven’t learned much, and what I do know is limited, but I will only speak of what I understand, the principles I grasp, and the words that are without error! I will now use what the Old Master told me that night to first explain the meaning of this ‘Order’ learning!”

In detail, Chen Ping’an recounted the Old Master’s opening remarks, the essence of his discourse that night, being careful not to miss anything. Fortunately, Chen Ping’an had a good memory, and even drunk, he didn’t err.

First, distinguish the sequence. Everything in the world has a context, a cause and effect. No link can be skipped, only selecting what one wants to use to argue a point. Otherwise, the world’s matters can never be clearly right or wrong. Otherwise, there would only be stances without right or wrong, as if everyone in the world is both pitiable and hateful? Then how can one truly reason? Could it be that everyone speaks their own mind, and after reason fails, one can only resort to fists? Utterly absurd!

Second, judge the magnitude. Right and wrong have degrees of significance, thus the Benevolent Law of the Legalists, and the calculations of the Strategists, those two rulers, must be borrowed for use.

Third, determine good and evil. Use rituals and rules as the fundamental criteria, combined with local customs and human sentiments, and morality, to determine right and wrong, merit and demerit, and ask oneself about good and evil.

Fourth, unity of knowledge and action! Correct errors if there are any, and strive to improve if there are none.

With just these four sections elaborated upon in detail, Chen Ping’an spoke for a full hour.

“This learning of ‘Order’ is an excellent learning, but to put it into practice, to adhere to its principles in everything, how difficult it is!”
Before, I didn’t understand why the old sage of literature kept urging me to drink. I couldn’t fathom why Zuo You cleaved the Rain Master’s statue with a single sword, offering no explanation, then flattened the Dragon’s Gulch with another. I was bewildered why Zhong Kui, a gentleman, acted so unlike a scholar. The old monk of the Heart-Image Temple spoke of the world owing good people a debt. The old Daoist showed me all the wonders of the Lotus Root Blessed Land, yet it seemed good people rarely received their due, while villains often escaped retribution.

Speaking of many things, Chen Ping An desired to align his learning with his actions, yet he often found himself in self-doubt, telling the Water Goddess across the table, who listened with rapt attention, that the principles he had gleaned were still too small. Especially when it came to the complexities of good and evil beyond the grand issues, the subtleties of the human heart, he felt unqualified to make definitive judgments.

Chen Ping An sat there, often speaking to himself.

Another two hours passed, the time flowing as slowly as the river outside the Azure Touring Manor.

The Water Goddess had long since stood up, respectfully and solemnly erect, slightly bowing, like a student listening to the teachings of a master, engraving every word in her heart, daring not to miss a single syllable.

Pei Qian seemed to listen attentively, yet also appeared distracted, lying on the table, her cheek pressed against the surface, gazing at Chen Ping An who had shared so many great principles in one go.

In her memory, aside from the battle with Cao Qinglang outside the alley, against the Grand Xia’s National Preceptor, the Great Devil Ding Ying, Chen Ping An had always struck first and asked questions later, fighting to the death without much preamble.

After leaving the Lotus Root Blessed Land, near the Jin Huang residence on the Northern Jin border, he had cleaved that large blue ox with a single sword. In the inn’s second floor, after a moment of introspection, he had killed that arrogant and tyrannical young Duke with three punches.

Chen Ping An said he hadn’t understood many things before.

In truth, the little girl Pei Qian understood even less.

Why, in all the vast world, was Chen Ping An, who treated everyone with reason and amiability, so uniquely harsh towards her, with the worst temper? Yet, she still felt that being by his side, even if she was scolded and beaten, wasn’t… unjust. She felt at ease, knowing that she could do whatever he asked without overthinking. Of course, she still felt annoyed and troubled, but those emotions were far better than when she had been a small, lonely wandering spirit in the Southern Garden Kingdom’s capital, drifting year after year, always feeling like she would one day freeze or starve to death.

Perhaps it was because of nights like this, when Chen Ping An spoke of the knowledge he most believed in, yet still admitted that what he said might not be the most reasonable or the most correct.

Chen Ping An could see the good in others.

Pei Qian only wished to see the evil in others.

In the Azure Touring Manor, the three golden characters on the plaque shone brightly, overflowing with golden light.

The people inside the manor, both humans and water spirits, were startled and delighted to discover that the entire manor was filled with faint golden light, flowing like water.

Outside the Azure Touring Manor, the waters of the Buried River sparkled, the moonlight illuminating them with exceptional brightness.

Many vengeful, unjustly deceased water spirits, unable to dissipate their resentment, involuntarily swam from the dark depths of the river towards the surface, and then, bathed in the moonlight, they dissipated, as if freed from their torment.

In the Water Goddess Shrine on the banks of the Buried River, the pious men and women waiting for dawn to offer the first incense of the day were in an uproar. The indistinct golden statue of the Water Goddess within the shrine suddenly rose from the ground, towering tens of feet high, overlooking the mortal realm. The words “golden statue” became increasingly fitting, exuding an awe-inspiring presence, filled with divine aura.

Deep within the Buried River, a great demon, just a hair’s breadth away from the Golden Core realm, hid in its lair, which should have been the most comfortable and pleasant place. Yet, at that moment, it felt as if it were immersed in a boiling oil pot, suffering unbearable torment. Forced to flee its lair, it roared loudly, stirring up monstrous waves, and frantically escaped upstream along the Buried River. Every time it tried to come ashore to commit evil, the riverbanks on both sides seemed like cages, thwarting its efforts and forcing it to crash about in the deepest parts of the river, unable to harm the towns and people on either side.

The sky gradually brightened.

Inside the hall of the Azure Touring Manor, the Water Goddess’s sleeves fluttered, her entire body shimmering with golden light, especially around her chest, where a golden pellet spun smoothly, illuminating the entire hall with light far surpassing the candlelight.

The books say, “To hear the Dao in the morning, one may die content in the evening.”

She never imagined she would have such immense good fortune, to hear the Great Dao at night, and to form a Golden Core in the morning!

The Water Goddess bowed deeply, filled with gratitude towards the young man before her, her face stained with tears of joy as she choked out, “Since little teacher is the direct disciple of Literary Saint, why did you deceive me?”