Chen Pingan merely cast a few glances, then yielded the path.

Having journeyed through the mundane world for so long, witnessing the myriad wonders cultivated on the mountains and the myriad states of human affairs in the dynasties, his vision had naturally sharpened. He no longer found such sights strange.

This caravan possessed both the official status of the Shushui Kingdom, with light cavalry escorts carrying bows and sabers, their quivers resembling clusters of white snow, and steady, composed martial artists, their sabers hanging in reverse.

The unique way of carrying sabers at the Hengdao Mountain Manor left a lasting impression.

Chen Pingan even recognized one burly man carrying a massive ox horn bow, named Ma Lu. Back at the Sword Water Manor’s waterfall pavilion, this retainer of Wang Shanhu had clashed with him. Wang Yiran had reprimanded him loudly, showing that the Hengdao Mountain Manor’s household discipline was not lacking. Wang Yiran’s current success was not entirely dependent on Han Yuanshan.

Now that Chen Pingan knew of the dealings between Sword Water Manor and Han Yuanshan, and with Su Lang’s setback in the sword challenge, the manor’s overall situation was, in truth, settled. Therefore, even recognizing the other party, he did nothing more than yield the path and slowly walk towards the distant forest, like a wandering swordsman who lowers his head upon seeing officials.

Retainer Ma Lu, dutiful in his post, glanced at the passing traveler, scrutinizing him carefully before dismissing him from his mind.

Inside one of the carriages sat three women. The matron was Chu Hao’s principal wife, the direct descendant of the previous martial alliance leader of the Shushui Kingdom. In her life, she regarded Sword Water Manor and the Song family as mortal enemies. Back then, when Chu Hao led the imperial army to encircle and suppress the Song clan, it was this Lady Chu who had fueled the flames from behind the scenes.

The other two women were younger, though they already sported the hairstyles and adornments of married women. One, surnamed Han, had a youthful, cherubic face, still carrying some childishness. She was Han Yuanshan’s younger sister, Han Yuanxue. As a member of the Little Chongshan Han clan, Han Yuanxue had married a number one scholar. She had spent three years in the Hanlin Academy compiling works, her rank not high, only sixth grade, but she was, after all, a scholar-official of the most prestigious Hanlin Academy. Moreover, she wrote exceptionally beautiful “Stepping Void Lyrics,” and the Emperor, who revered Daoism, favored her greatly. With the great support of Little Chongshan Han clan, her future was destined to be bright.

The other young woman, full of heroic spirit, was Wang Yiran’s only daughter, Wang Shanhu. Compared to the aristocratic Han Yuanxue, Wang Shanhu’s husband was even more promising. At eighteen, he had become a Tanhua (third place in the imperial exam). It was said that if the Emperor had not disliked young prodigies, he would have been moved up two places and directly appointed as Zhuangyuan (first place). Now, he was a prefect of a commandery in the Shushui Kingdom. In the Shushui Kingdom’s officialdom, where emperors had always shunned prodigies, being a high-ranking official of a commandery at the age of thirty was truly rare. Wang Shanhu’s husband’s jurisdiction happened to be adjacent to the Sword Water Manor’s Azure Pine Commandery, in the same province but different commanderies.

The reason these three women had gathered was that Lady Chu had made a special trip from the capital to join in the spectacle, wanting to witness firsthand the Sword Water Manor’s reputation plummeting in the Shushui Kingdom’s martial world after Su Lang’s sword challenge. Wang Shanhu had been staying nearby with her husband. As for Han Yuanshan’s number one scholar husband, he was about to fill a vacancy. Due to some special circumstances, he might not stay in the Six Ministries of the capital, but instead go to a local prefecture-level city to serve as the county magistrate of the leading county. As the “parents official” of the county seat, located in the same city as the prefecture government, regardless of his ability to navigate interpersonal relations, it would be a painstaking task.

Han Yuanshan’s southward visit to Wang Shanhu was, of course, hoping that Wang Shanhu’s husband would become his own man’s direct superior in the future, able to provide some care and assistance. Otherwise, if the governor disliked him and the prefect made things difficult, this highly anticipated leading county magistrate could find himself warming the cold bench for a long time. When governing in the provinces, one’s own reputation and family background were always a double-edged sword. The officialdom was, in some ways, like children playing house; whoever wore new shoes would have them stepped on by everyone else until they were dirty, then everyone would be the same – the so-called “harmonizing with the dust.”

Lady Chu looked somewhat worried, which was endearing. Even though she was no longer young, she was well-maintained, still possessing a charm that was in no way inferior to young women like Wang Shanhu and Han Yuanxue.

Lady Chu couldn’t help but lament her fate. Originally, a good show had already begun with fanfare, but she never expected that Su Lang, the Azure Bamboo Sword Immortal of Songxi Kingdom, would be so useless, failing twice to gain any advantage over the Sword Water Manor. Now, it had only allowed that old turtle, Song Yushao, whose body was half-buried in the earth, to gain a lot of reputation for nothing.

She felt sorrowful and couldn’t help but reach out and rub her chest. She was truly unlucky, having encountered two unfaithful men in her life, neither of whom were good! One, in order to preserve the overall situation, not only obtained her person but also the rich dowry that was equivalent to half of the Shushui Kingdom’s martial world. He was actually a coward, unwilling to openly break with Song Yushao, always making her wait and wait. Finally, when Chu Hao felt that the overall situation was set, he died inexplicably.

Han Yuanshan, who had taken over the nest, was even more shameless than Chu Hao, that good-for-nothing. After obtaining her body and mind, he actually directly told her to forget about revenge in this life, saying that perhaps the two families would be interacting frequently in the future.

Fortunately, this time, when Su Lang wanted to challenge the sword, Han Yuanshan didn’t refuse her departure from the capital to watch the show, but he made her promise not to take advantage of the situation, not to take any unauthorized actions, and only to watch from afar. Otherwise, he wouldn’t blame her for not considering their years of conjugal bliss and affection.

Listen to what kind of words those were!

Over the years, Han Yuanshan had relied on Chu Hao’s identity, taking full advantage of favorable conditions. Now, he was the most powerful man in the Shushui Kingdom besides the Emperor, yet he was still so harsh and unfeeling towards her.

However, when alone, occasionally thinking about it, if Han Yuanshan didn’t possess such ruthless ambition, he probably wouldn’t have reached his current exalted position. She, as Lady Chu, wouldn’t be able to be the center of attention, surrounded by those official ladies with imperial decrees in the capital.

She understood this point.

Seeing that Lady Chu was in a bad mood, Han Yuanxue gently lifted the carriage curtain to get some air.
Ever since my elder brother disappeared years ago, the Han family of Lesser Chongshan had been unfairly implicated, suffering a great calamity. The atmosphere was fraught with tension, and my father forbade everyone from attending any banquets, the family shutting its doors for two years of introspection. Later, for reasons unknown, I noticed the men of our family becoming active in the court and on the battlefield once more, even more thriving than before. I only knew that the highly influential General Chu Hao seemed very close to the Han family. I had met him a few times, and I always felt a strange gaze in his eyes, not the kind a man has for a woman’s beauty, but more like an elder looking upon a junior. As for the most celebrated Madam Chu in the capital, she often took me along on spring outings, being very affectionate.

Upon hearing of Su Lang’s failed sword challenge, Madam Chu had initially wanted to return to the capital immediately, but both she and the prefect received secret letters from the capital, hence this journey.

In the family letter Madam Chu received, Han Yuanshan’s tone was stern. He demanded in the letter that she proactively visit Swordwater Manor, or else she should forget about being the “head of court ladies” in the capital’s beauty circles in the future. Since she came from the Jianghu originally, then she should roll back to the Jianghu.

Madam Chu was both shocked and fearful, her heart breaking. How could she not be filled with worry?

Fortunately, the two younger members of the family, Wang Shanhu and Han Yuanxue, had always been respectful to her, which made her feel somewhat better.

Chen Pingan suddenly stopped, and soon a large group of Jianghu figures rushed out of the forest. Their weapons varied, and their movements were agile as they swarmed out.

The convoy also noticed the commotion in the forest. The elite cavalry of Shuishui Kingdom, clad in light armor, immediately spread out like a net, drawing their bows and arrows from their backs.

The disciples of the Horizontal Blade Manor were fearless, surrounding the carriage and standing ready for battle.

Chen Pingan didn’t know the origins of these “assassins,” but after assessing the situation, it wasn’t quite a futile gesture, but defeat was certain.

Perhaps it was because “Chu Hao,” the Shuishui Kingdom general who returned to his roots and occupied an important position in the court, had a poor reputation, and was considered a national traitor by the righteous people of the Jianghu, deserving of death. However, killing Chu Hao was as difficult as ascending to heaven, but killing someone close to Chu Hao was somewhat possible. “Chu Hao’s” current influence in the court, especially after Shuishui Kingdom became a vassal state of the Great Li Song clan, was seen by the Shuishui Kingdom government as Chu Hao helping the Great Li officials stationed there, suppressing and excluding many upright Shuishui officials for his own selfish gains. In the process, Chu Hao, of course, didn’t mind being opportunistic and using his position for personal gain. This further solidified “Chu Hao’s” identity as a traitor, naturally making him countless enemies. In the scholarly and Jianghu circles, “cleansing the emperor’s court” became a matter of course.

Madam Chu raised her hand and yawned, obviously accustomed to such moths flying into the flame.

Han Yuanxue complained, “These Jianghu people are so annoying. They only know how to vent their anger on us women. They are not heroes.”

Over the years, attacks on the children of the Han family of Lesser Chongshan had become commonplace. Even Sister Shanhu’s husband had been attacked by Jianghu assassins for being close to Chu Hao and the Great Li barbarians. If it weren’t for the protection of the Great Li Secretary of Military Affairs, Sister Shanhu would have become a widow. Therefore, Han Yuanxue was very worried when she thought that her husband was also leaving the capital and might encounter similar inexplicable grudges.

Wang Shanhu’s eyes sparkled, eager to try, but she subconsciously reached for her waist, only to find it empty, feeling very disappointed. After marrying, her father forbade her from practicing martial arts and wearing a blade.

Last time, when she accompanied her husband to the water god temple in their jurisdiction to pray for rain, they encountered an assassination attempt on their way back. If she hadn’t been without a blade at the time, the assassin would not have been able to get close. After that, Wang Yiran still refused to allow her to carry a blade, but transferred several estate experts to Qing Song County to protect his daughter and son-in-law.

Those righteous people of Shuishui Kingdom who vowed to kill traitors for the country, numbering over thirty, seemed to be from different sects, each with their own group.

Chen Pingan was in an awkward position, so he could only stand in place, take down his gourd, and pretend to drink, so as not to offend both sides when the battle began.

As for stopping these people from sacrificing themselves, Chen Pingan wouldn’t do it.

Perhaps because Chen Pingan didn’t move and was very sensible, those Jianghu heroes didn’t hold it against him, intentionally or unintentionally changing their route and passing by him.

Suddenly, a middle-aged swordsman who had already passed Chen Pingan shouted, “Swordwater Manor is here to kill the Chu Party traitors!”

Chen Pingan felt a little helpless.

This was clearly trying to force Swordwater Manor and the old Sword Saint of Shuishui Kingdom into a dead end, forcing them to return to the Jianghu and fight the Horizontal Blade Manor to the death, so that Chu Hao would not be able to unify the Jianghu.

It was both a conspiracy and a calculated move.

As long as people died on either side today, Swordwater Manor would be stuck with the label, whether they were guilty or not. The more people died, the more Swordwater Manor would be pushed onto the burning pyre of the Jianghu, standing on the opposite side of the entire Shuishui Kingdom court. The Jianghu and scholarly circles of Shuishui Kingdom would then be excited, doing everything they could to promote and create momentum for Swordwater Manor and Senior Song.

Chen Pingan put away his gourd, leaned back slightly, and instantly slid backward. In an instant, Chen Pingan came to the side of the Jianghu swordsman, raised a palm, pressed it against his face, and gently pushed, directly throwing him dozens of feet away, where he fell to the ground unconscious.

Then Chen Pingan continued to retreat, finally landing between the two sides, implicitly blocking the elite cavalry of the convoy behind him, and also blocking the righteous Jianghu warriors from their heroic death.

Several arrows pierced through the air, shooting towards the leading Jianghu figures.

Chen Pingan waved his sleeve, and three arrows fell rapidly to the ground in an illogical manner, nailing into the earth.

A young man stopped and pointed his sword at the young man in a conical hat and green shirt, his eyes bloodshot, and shouted angrily, “Are you a Chu Party lackey?! Why are you stopping us from Swordwater Manor from killing traitors righteously!”

Chen Pingan sighed, “Go back. Next time you want to kill someone, don’t use the name of Swordwater Manor.”

An old man suddenly shouted loudly, “Chu Yueyi, you are the adopted son of old steward Chu, and an unacknowledged disciple of Sword Saint Song. Why are you unwilling to kill the enemy with us? So be it. Your will is to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, we can understand. But we are not afraid of death, so today we don’t ask you to fight alongside us, just make way!”
Chen Ping’an didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The old senior’s methods were indeed effective. As expected, the cavalry behind him, upon hearing that he was the Sword Water Manor’s “Chu Yueyi,” immediately concentrated their second volley of arrows, shooting furiously towards him.

Especially the burly man Ma Lu, who rode out from the ranks, didn’t waste a single word. After taking down his extremely conspicuous ox-horn bow, he sat tall on his horse, drawing the bow like a full moon. A specially-made, refined iron arrow, accompanied by the sound of thunder, hurtled towards the irritating figure in the distance.

The local mountain deity, who once had the honor of drinking with a “Sword Immortal,” was sweating profusely in his mountain temple, regretting somewhat that he had activated his natal divine ability to patrol the mountains and rivers.

The incident back then was similar. The martial artist from the Central Plains who graced Sword Water Manor with his presence, from beginning to end, paid no attention to his prying. But after that unfathomable martial artist obtained the bamboo sword sheath, as he rode the wind and departed, he unleashed a punch without warning, shattering the peak of a mountain near the mountain temple, scaring the mountain deity, whose position in the Shuishui Kingdom was not low, half out of his wits.

In the eyes of this mountain deity, whose position was second only to the Five Peaks of Shuishui Kingdom, the family members and confidants of General Chu Hao, along with those Jianghu (martial arts world) people shouting for blood, were all ignorant fools, completely unaware of who they were provoking.

Su Lang was now the number one expert in the Jianghu of Shuishui, Caiyi, and a dozen other kingdoms. So what? Did he really think he was a Sword Immortal? Didn’t he know that there were mountains beyond mountains? Didn’t he remember that in this world, there were also cultivators coldly watching the mortal realm?

Therefore, whatever the outcome at the town archway, facing a young Sword Immortal, it would be settled with a single punch. That young Sword Immortal didn’t even draw his sword. As for Su Lang’s subsequent attempt to remedy the situation by going to Sword Water Manor, lowering himself and finally managing to create such a stir, it was merely the young Sword Immortal giving Su Lang a tremendous amount of face. Otherwise, Su Lang’s reputation would have been ruined for life.

The mountain deity made up his mind, resolutely staying out of this muddy water.

The baby-faced Han Yuanxue tugged on Wang Shanhu’s sleeve and asked softly, “Sister Shanhu, is he an expert?”

Wang Shanhu nodded, “Perhaps he’s qualified to spar with my father.”

Wang Shanhu added decisively, “Of course, he definitely can’t make my father use his full strength. But for a young junior in the Jianghu to force my father to use seven or eight tenths of his power, that’s enough to boast about for a lifetime.”

Han Yuanxue took it seriously, and said in surprise, “But that person looks so young, how did he gain such ability? Could it be, as written in the Jianghu romances, that he ate some rare flower or grass that could increase one’s internal strength by sixty years? Or did he fall off a cliff and find one or two martial arts manuals?”

Wang Shanhu was speechless.

Such fortunate encounters were not for true, pure martial artists.

Only cultivators on the mountains would have such enviable and unreasonable opportunities, which was why they were so arrogant, each more conceited than the last, looking down on the Jianghu.

Even her father, a great hero with such magnanimity, had quite a few complaints when mentioning those immortal beings outside the mortal world.

Chu Furen found Han Yuanxue’s naive words amusing. This Han family girl had nothing commendable about her. Her only skill was having good fortune. A fool’s luck. First, she was born into a good family, then she had a brother like Han Yuanshan, and finally, she married a good husband. It was truly infuriating to compare her to others. So, Chu Furen’s gaze wandered, glancing at Han Yuanxue, who was intently watching the battlefield. The more she looked, the more unpleasant she felt. The woman pondered whether to give this young woman a little trouble, of course, carefully controlling the degree, to make Han Yuanxue suffer in silence. Otherwise, if Han Yuanshan found out that she dared to frame his sister, he would definitely tear off a layer of her “primary wife” skin.

Chu Furen yawned repeatedly, glanced at the Jianghu heroes, and curled her lips, muttering, “What easily hooked, foolish fish. Sending money, one by one. Husband, a good match like me, who manages the household so well, is hard to find even with a lantern.”

On the opposite side, the young wandering swordsman, without making any obvious moves, already had three arrows grasped in his hand.

Ma Lu of the Transverse Saber Manor was renowned as the best archer in the Shuishui Kingdom. It was said that a certain general among the Dali barbarians had once hoped that Wang Yiran would be willing to part with him, allowing Ma Lu to join the army. But for some reason, Ma Lu remained at the Saber Manor, giving up a readily available, immense fortune.

A light cavalry leader raised his arm high, stopping his soldiers from unleashing the next volley of fire, because it would be meaningless. Once a pure martial artist reached the Grandmaster realm in the Jianghu, unless the enemy forces were numerous enough, it would only be adding fuel to the fire, suffering losses everywhere. The elite cavalry leader turned his head, but not to look at Ma Lu, but at two inconspicuous, taciturn old men. These were cultivators that the Shuishui Kingdom court had established in accordance with the Dali Iron Cavalry regulations, possessing real official ranks. One was an escort accompanying Chu Furen southward from the capital, and the other was a cultivator from the Prefecture Governor’s residence. Compared to Ma Lu of the Transverse Saber Manor, these two were the real deal.

One of the short old cultivators, who had seemed like his bones would fall apart at any moment from riding the horse, suddenly exploded with imposing aura, like firecrackers detonating. The long sword at his waist trembled incessantly.

Among the Jianghu crowd facing off against the caravan “across the bank,” a tall, beautiful woman was filled with despair, and said in a trembling voice, “It’s a Sword Immortal from the mountains!”

The seemingly unremarkable old man gently tapped his horse’s belly, not hurrying to draw his sword. The sword buzzed and vibrated, intimidating people.

The old man slowly rode forward, staring intently at the blue-shirted swordsman with a bamboo hat, “This old man knows that you are not Chu Yueyi of Sword Water Manor. Get out of here quickly, and I’ll spare your life.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “When immortals come down from the mountains, they should do as the locals do, and speak human language properly.”

The old man laughed loudly, “Eager to be reincarnated?”

How much could the Jianghu of a small Shuishui Kingdom amount to?

If Su Lang of Songxi Kingdom and Song Yushao of Sword Water Manor were here in person, he would still be willing to show some respect. But this young man in front of him, even if he was strong, his strength would be limited. He would only be worthy of being flicked away with a finger. But since the other party didn’t appreciate the gesture, then he couldn’t be blamed for drawing his sword. As long as he wasn’t a disciple of Sword Water Manor, then he had no talisman for survival. Killing him would be like killing a dog. General Chu had told him privately that in this southward journey, he must not clash with Song Yushao and Sword Water Manor. As for the others, whether they were Jianghu Grandmasters or wandering rogue cultivators picking up scraps, killing them until the sword’s edge was curled up would count as military merit.
Chen Ping’an turned his head, waving his hand at the pugilists and said with strained patience, “Leave. Surely you can see this is no longer something you can meddle in. I’ll say it again. If you want to be heroes and rid the land of the Chu faction, consider whether innocents will be harmed. If you’re unwilling to think about it, then I urge you not to involve Sword Water Manor. Jianghu morality still matters. Don’t think that just because you claim the moral high ground, you can do as you please.”

The old cultivator who had been slowly riding his horse finally passed the squad and was now less than thirty paces from the blue-shirted swordsman. He sneered, “These Jianghu worms want to leave? Not if I don’t say so. Do you know how much silver each of their heads is worth? The one you knocked out to help is worth at least three Snowflake Coins. That woman with the good eyesight who respectfully called me Sword Immortal, you must recognize her, right? Countless Jianghu lads dream of riding her… or rather, the horse beneath her. That little widow, her husband was a so-called great hero who single-handedly killed two Great Li military cultivators. After his death, she became highly respected in your Shuishui Kingdom, probably worth at least one Lesser Heat Coin.”

Listening to the old man’s rambling, Chen Ping’an gently clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and suppressed the urge to lash out with fists and sword.

Before leaving Fallen Mountain, the old man Cui Cheng gave him one last lesson on the second floor. Besides demonstrating the strength of a tenth-realm martial artist, he gave him a weighty piece of advice.

“Chen Ping’an, you need to cultivate your heart. Otherwise, you’ll become another Cui Cheng, either driven mad or… worse, entering a demonic state. The more you like to reason today, the more unreasonable Chen Ping’an will become tomorrow.”

Chen Ping’an adjusted his bamboo hat, looked around, and felt the melancholy of autumn in both the sky and his heart.

There must be a way to break this cycle.

Chen Ping’an withdrew his gaze, looked at the old mountain sword cultivator, and said, “Since you have a sword, then draw it.”

The old man glanced at the young, ignorant wanderer and then focused his gaze further away, seeing the woman famous throughout the kingdom’s Jianghu, “I’m a Sword Immortal? Your Shuishui Kingdom’s Jianghu is truly laughable. But for you, thinking that way might not be wrong.”

With a ringing sound, the long sword left its scabbard.

Its momentum was like thunder.

To the point that both sides felt their eardrums buzzing and their minds trembling.

But the other military cultivator from Shuishui Kingdom’s own immortal mansion knew something was wrong.

The blue-shirted swordsman tapped his toe and directly stepped onto the tip of the unsheathed flying sword. With another upward step, as if ascending stairs, the long sword tilted into the ground. The young man stood upon the hilt.

The old cultivator who had drawn his sword immediately clasped his fist and said, “I beg your pardon for my offense, Senior.”

Drawing the sword was fast, and admitting defeat was even faster.

The subtle intricacies could only be understood by the two combatants and the observing cultivator.

Chen Ping’an stepped out and landed again, pressing the long sword against the ground and swiping it forward, with the sword tip pointing toward himself. It slid backward, then with a light stomp, the long sword paused, then ascended straight into the sky. Chen Ping’an extended two fingers, twisted them, and used the sword-controlling technique of a sword master to push the long sword back into its scabbard. The old sword cultivator, still clasping his hands, continued, “The kindness of returning my sword, Senior…”

Chen Ping’an withdrew his sword-controlling hand behind his back, replacing it with his left hand, two fingers together, between which was a dazzling streak of light about an inch long.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Will be richly rewarded?”

The old sword cultivator was expressionless, and with a shake of his sleeves…

To become a Guanhai realm sword cultivator, even among the geniuses, he would be considered a dullard. But a sword cultivator is a sword cultivator. Their temperament, talent, and fighting skills are always the best among cultivators. Down the mountain, people say the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts. Up the mountain, they say the poor study a hundred schools, and the rich refine swords. A single flying sword eats a mountain of gold. Every sword cultivator’s natal flying sword has its unique qualities.

And this Guanhai realm sword cultivator’s natal flying sword was not strong in its ability to break ten thousand techniques with a single sword, nor even in the speed that flying swords should have, but rather in its unpredictable and illusory trajectory, as well as a secret technique that seemed to create flying swords from flying swords.

In an instant.

Twelve identical flying swords appeared around the blue-shirted swordsman, who was pinching a natal flying sword with two fingers. They formed a circle, hovering and each ascending and descending, with their tips pointed at the swordsman’s key acupoints. No one knew which one was real, or if all twelve were real. The sword light of the twelve flying swords also had varying strengths, which was the only drawback of the technique, the other eleven imitations could never be as strong as the “ancestor” flying sword.

The observing cultivator frowned. His colleague had never revealed this move, it must be his trump card.

As a Longmen realm cultivator who was better at talismans and formations, he put himself in the young man’s place and estimated that he would not escape with less than severe injuries, if not death.

Knowing he was facing a sword cultivator and daring to be so careless, imprisoning the flying sword with two fingers, that young man was far too arrogant.

These two military cultivators, a Longmen realm immortal and a Guanhai realm sword cultivator, served Chu Hao and the Qing Pine County Governor. In reality, they were somewhat wasted. Especially the latter, who was with nothing more than a county governor, was like a teacher of rudimentary knowledge, when they should be teaching a Confucian sage of heavenly knowledge. But now, Great General Chu Hao held immense power, and he was not an unselfish person. Almost all the top military cultivators were secretly arranged beside Chu Hao and his close confidants, with treatment far exceeding that of the Shuishui Kingdom’s royal family.

The old sword cultivator smiled slightly. Success.

But the next moment, the old sword cultivator’s smile froze.

The young man brought his hand out from behind him, and once again made a fist, and punched in a place that seemed useless.

The old sword cultivator’s lips oozed blood.
Twelve flying swords, ten of which were merely connected by divine intent, vanished like smoke. In the end, only two remained. One was still firmly held between the fingers of the man’s left hand, while the other, a true killing weapon rather than a mere feint, was blocked by the torrent of fist intent and qi that flowed from him. Furthermore, the young swordsman’s azure robe was clearly a magical artifact of high quality. The spiritual energy condensed at the point where the sword was aimed, causing the flying sword to tremble, unable to penetrate.

Chen Pingan lowered his head, looking at the natal sword between his fingers, and muttered to himself, “It seems I should go to the Northern Pure Continent to witness true swordsmanship. She said that land of bitter cold has always been filled with heroes.”

With a flick of his fingers, Chen Pingan tossed the sword into his Sword Nourishing Gourd.

A Sword Nourishing Gourd in this world can not only nourish swords, but also cleanse them. However, to successfully cleanse a natal flying sword, either the gourd must be of high quality, or the sword must be of low quality. Fortunately, this “Ginger Gourd” was of a higher grade than that flying sword.

As the key flying sword was taken into the gourd, the second, subsidiary sword, like a layer of rice paper peeling off an ancient painting, also disappeared, returning to its original form, shivering in the gourd. After all, First and Fifteenth were inside.

Chen Pingan said to the old swordsman, “Don’t beg. I won’t agree.”

Then, turning his head to the Jianghu figures from Comb Water Country, he laughed, “What are you standing around for? Run! You’re practically offering your heads to be chopped off for money. What kind of ‘fortune bringers’ are you?”

The group of Jianghu heroes, who had been ready to die, scattered like birds and beasts, retreating into the mountains.

Chen Pingan watched their retreating figures, suddenly feeling a little… bored.

He imagined that even if he told Senior Song, the old Sword Saint of Comb Water Country who had lost his ambition, he wouldn’t care. He would probably say, as he had done at the dinner table, with a laugh: “There’s no trouble that a hotpot can’t solve. If there is, have another pot of wine.”

Chen Pingan glanced at the accompanying cultivator who had been watching with folded arms.

The cultivator nodded in acknowledgment, showing no intention of intervening.

In the end, Chen Pingan didn’t do much. He simply borrowed a horse from them, of course, with no intention of returning it. Alone on horseback, he left the area.

The old swordsman who had lost his natal sword, for some unknown reason, didn’t dare to speak, allowing the young man to take half his life with him, as if any utterance would cost him what little he had left.

The Dragon Gate Realm cultivator was even less likely to beg for mercy.

On the mountain, the Jianghu people of Comb Water Country were running for their lives.

Some were whispering, saying that the man was unfathomable, perhaps an immortal from the mountains who had preserved his youth.

Others were muttering discontentedly, what immortal? Even if he was, so what? He was the same as the old sword immortal whose sword was stolen, just one black eats black. What kind of hero is that?

But there was also a young man, filled with admiration and longing. The young man still didn’t like that person, but he yearned for his style.

And there was a woman, sighing softly.

Several people climbed to the high branches, checking to see if the enemy was chasing after them. Those with sharp eyes only saw a figure wearing a bamboo hat, galloping away on horseback, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, showing no sign of triumph, but rather a hint of desolation.

Someone spat on the ground, muttering a curse, not knowing whether it was out of jealousy or resentment.

As a result, the azure-robed swordsman seemed to sense it, turning his head to look, scaring the person on the branch so much that he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

Chen Pingan suddenly turned his head and said, “Wei Wei, help me deliver a message to Senior Song. Tell him that the sword sheath that was taken to the Central Divine Continent, I will return it one day, using the same logic that they use at Sword Water Manor.”

A wisp of pale green smoke condensed and appeared, following the man and horse. It was Wei Wei, the female ghost, one of the Four Fiends of Comb Water Country, with embroidered shoes on her feet.

Chen Pingan suddenly smiled, “Add another sentence, it may take a long time, so I can only trouble Senior Song to wait. Before I go to the Central Divine Continent in the future, I will definitely come back to drink with him.”

Wei Wei smiled charmingly.

She hovered in the air, no longer following.

She watched the lone figure ride away into the distance.

First, set a small goal, such as 1 second: