On the Ancient Tea Horse Road, riders wheeled their steeds, slowly approaching the veiled maiden and the scholar with his bamboo chest.

Cao Fu wore a bewildered expression. “Uncle Sui, what is Jingcheng doing?”

The old Vice Minister Sui Xinyu’s aged face struggled to maintain composure. Though inwardly furious, he forced a calm tone, chuckling, “Jingcheng has never been fond of outings. Perhaps she’s witnessed too many frightening scenes today and is a bit…unhinged. Cao Fu, please comfort her later.”

Cao Fu nodded, smiling faintly. “Don’t worry, Uncle Fu. It’s perfectly normal for Jingcheng to be startled.”

Sui Wenfa was the most surprised, muttering, “Although Aunt rarely ventures out, she’s never behaved this way before. During the many upheavals at home, when even my parents were flustered, Aunt was always the most composed. My father said she even helped devise solutions to difficult official matters, always methodical and organized.”

Cao Fu continued communicating with his protector via mental ripples, “Have you discerned anything?”

The swordsman Xiao Shuye hesitated before replying telepathically, “He’s not to be underestimated. It’s best not to forge a deadly enmity. The Dayan Dynasty is rife with undercurrents. Haven’t we left the sect’s domain? Who knows what kind of great and small fiends have crawled out of the depths? For example, if the other party is a registered immortal master from the Golden Scale Palace, it would entangle your master with them.”

Cao Fu said, “Unless he tries to forcibly seize Sui Jingcheng, we can talk.”

Xiao Shuye nodded. “That’s for the best. Judging by his demeanor, he doesn’t seem fond of meddling in worldly affairs. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left the rest stop earlier.”

Cao Fu forced a bitter smile. “I fear we may be mantises stalking cicadas, unaware of the oriole behind. What if this fellow is the slingshot underneath, aiming for us from the very start?”

Xiao Shuye laughed. “If that’s the case, what can we do but fight? Sui Jingcheng is someone your master is determined to acquire. She possesses a great opportunity. Since he discovered the clues before us, don’t hesitate. On the path of the Great Dao, a missed opportunity is never seized again. Ultimately, the master is doing this for your own good. Furthermore, you and Sui Jingcheng are already intertwined, and you were the first to discover the treasure of the dharma robe she wears. Therefore, you deserve to reap half of this immense good fortune.”

Xiao Shuye glanced at the inscrutable scholar in azure robes. “If he’s purely a martial artist, and not a direct disciple of those eight individuals before King Dunt and myself, then it’s manageable. If he’s a cultivator, and not a Golden Scale Palace cultivator with grand ambitions as your master suspects, that’s also manageable. The reason I cautioned you earlier was to prevent accidents, but you needn’t be too wary. Most of the true experts have flocked to the Dayan capital.”

Cao Fu nodded. “One step at a time. Once we confirm his identity, we won’t be in a rush to kill him. Sui Jingcheng seems suspicious of us, oddly enough. How did that woman figure it out?”

Xiao Shuye chuckled. “Your betrothed, after all, is half a cultivator. Her state of mind and intuition are far beyond ordinary people. Our plan was a little crude, too coincidental. It’s inevitable that she’d become suspicious. Of course, she may be deliberately feigning it. You still need to be patient. Such a woman, both astute and willing to gamble boldly, is truly a natural cultivation material. She’s indeed a good match for you, and her presence as your divine companion will greatly aid you and the sect in the future. Allow me to add a word. The master only wants the dharma robe and the golden hairpins she wears. The person is yours.”

Cao Fu said helplessly, “Master treats me even better than her own son. I know that.”

Xiao Shuye smiled, refraining from saying certain things, as they could hurt feelings. Why does the master treat you so well? You, Cao Fu, shouldn’t take advantage and act oblivious. The master is, after all, a Golden Core female cultivator. If your cultivation were higher, and you had reached the Sea-Gazing Realm and were closer to the Dragon Gate Realm, then you and your master would already be dao companions. So, if Sui Jingcheng truly becomes your woman, she’ll suffer some grievances once she arrives on the mountain. Perhaps after obtaining the bamboo-woven gauze dharma robe and those three golden hairpins, you’ll be asked to personally grind her into a crimson skeleton.

Xiao Shuye believed that when that day came, Cao Fu would make the right choice without hesitation.

The Great Dao is merciless. On the path to immortality, aside from the divine dao companions bound by the Great Dao contract, women are like shoes, no matter how beautiful, you can change and discard them at any time.

The riders advanced slowly, seemingly afraid to frighten the woman who had readjusted her veil.

She stood up, once again standing behind the young man in azure robes, saying softly, “Young Master Chen, I know you are a true immortal from the mountains, and you clearly bear no ill will toward me or the Sui family. It’s just that I was previously disillusioned and too lazy to care. However, Cao Fu is treacherous and deliberately set a trap for me. If you save me today, I’ll be your servant for life! I, Sui Jingcheng, will willingly perform menial tasks like serving tea, carrying your chest, or bearing burdens!”

The young man, who had turned to face the riders, turned back, lightly waving his folding fan. “Speak less nonsense. A chivalrous hero acts righteously, seeking no reward. Spare me the platitudes about dedicating yourself as a servant. You might ruin things. By the way, do you think that Hu Xinfeng, the Great Hero Hu, deserves to die?”

The veiled maiden pondered for a moment, carefully choosing her words, perhaps believing that the young immortal master was testing her mind. She cautiously replied, “He was merely timid and cowardly, and he hasn’t killed anyone. His crime doesn’t warrant death.”

The man smiled and nodded. “You said that, and you won’t regret it?”

She nodded emphatically.

The man closed his folding fan, gently tapping his shoulder, leaning back slightly, and turning to smile. “Great Hero Hu, you may disappear.”

Hu Xinfeng fled in a panic, leaping off the Ancient Tea Horse Road, rushing down the mountain, with the spirit to cut through brambles, disappearing in a few blinks of an eye.

The two sides were only a dozen paces apart. Sui Xinyu sighed. “Foolish girl, stop your nonsense and come back immediately. Isn’t Cao Fu devoted enough to you? Do you know that what you’re doing is an act of foolish ingratitude?!”

As he spoke, the old Vice Minister, whose chess skills were unmatched in the country, was filled with fury. He said sternly, “The Sui family’s traditions have been virtuous for generations. How can you act this way! Even if you’re unwilling to hastily marry Cao Fu and cannot accept this sudden marriage, your father and Cao Fu, who specifically returned to this sorrowful place for your sake, are reasonable people. Must you be so rash, embarrassing me and disgracing the Sui family name?!”
Both young Sui Wenfa and the maiden Sui Xinyi were ashen-faced with terror.

They had never seen their grandfather so enraged.

The woman behind the veil forced a wry smile. “Father, your daughter knows only one thing: cultivators are, at their core, the most devoid of emotion. Mortals’ romantic entanglements are to be avoided at all costs.”

Cao Fu’s gaze softened, and he said gently, “Miss Sui, once you become a true cultivator of the mountains, you will understand that even up there, there is such a thing as a Dao companion. It is a rare blessing to have met beneath the mountains and continue that bond above. How could I, Cao Fu, not cherish this? My master is a Golden Core Earth Immortal, a true Daoist at the pinnacle. After years of seclusion, he emerged and saw my countenance, divining the movement of the Red Match Star. He even inquired about our birthdates and, after careful deduction and calculation, received only this cryptic message: ‘A match made in Heaven, one in a hundred years.'”

The veiled woman hesitated, saying she needed a moment. She retrieved a handful of copper coins from her sleeve, clutched them in her right hand, then raised her arm high and gently tossed them into her left palm.

She sifted through them, then finally looked up, clutching the coins tightly in her hand, and laughed ruefully, “Cao Fu, do you know why, after my first marriage ended in tragedy, I styled my hair as a married woman? As if mourning a widow? Even after my father and your family agreed to this marriage alliance, I never changed my hairstyle. It was because I used this technique to divine that the young scholar who died young was my true soulmate in this life. You, Cao Fu, are not. You never were, and you are still not. If your family had not suffered that misfortune back then, I would have followed the family’s wishes and married you, as filial piety demands. But after that first time, I swore never to marry again. So, even if my father forces me to marry you, even if I misunderstood you, I still vow to never marry!”

She threw the coins violently to the ground, then abruptly pulled a golden hairpin from her sleeve. In an instant, it pierced through the thin veil hanging from her headdress and pressed against her neck, drawing blood. She looked towards the old man on horseback, sobbing, “Father, just let your daughter have her way this once, won’t you?”

Sui Xinyu pounded his leg in anger, gnashing his teeth and saying, “Rebellion! It’s utter rebellion! How could I have spawned such a bewitched, monstrous creature! What divine messenger in a dream, what auspicious prophecy from some expert…”

Sui Xinyu was so infuriated that his words were incoherent.

Cao Fu said with a wry smile, “Uncle Sui, perhaps it’s best to just drop it? I don’t want to see Jingcheng in such distress.”

The scholar in blue robes used his bamboo fan to cover his forehead, looking pained. “What in the world are you people doing? A woman threatening suicide, an old man forcing marriage, an understanding Daoist cultivator, a clueless young man eager to acknowledge his uncle-in-law, a maiden with blossoming affections torn by conflict, and a great master of the martial world radiating killing intent, hesitating whether or not to find an excuse to intervene. What does any of this have to do with me? The fighting at the rest stop is over. This is a family matter. Shouldn’t you hurry home, shut the door, and discuss it properly?”

A lone rider slowly overtook Cao Fu and Sui Xinyu, who were previously riding abreast. “Xiao Shuye of Qingci Kingdom. May I ask, what is the gentleman’s sect?”

The other man casually raised a hand, causing the scattered coins on the road to float in mid-air. He smiled. “An offering of the Golden Scale Palace, a minor Golden Core sword cultivator. As fate would have it, I also emerged from seclusion not long ago. I find the two of you rather displeasing, so I intend to emulate you and play the hero who saves the damsel in distress.”

Then, he turned to the veiled woman and sneered, “Someone randomly tossing coins to tell fortunes? Are you trying to fool ghosts?”

She remained motionless, merely pressing the golden hairpin against her neck.

Cao Fu said via spiritual transmission, “I’ve heard my master mention that the chief offering of the Golden Scale Palace is indeed a Golden Core sword cultivator, with immense destructive power!”

The knife master Xiao Shuye, who had joined the ranks of the latest ten, nodded slightly and replied via spiritual transmission, “This matter is of great importance. Sui Jingcheng’s robes and hairpin, especially that incantation, likely involve the master’s Dao opportunity. Therefore, we cannot retreat. Next, I will test that man. If he is truly the Golden Core sword cultivator of the Golden Scale Palace, you must flee immediately. I will help you stall for time. If he’s a fake, then nothing will happen.”

The man twisted his wrist, and with a slight movement of his folding fan, the coins fluttered and danced. He clicked his tongue. “This knife master friend, such heavy killing intent. I wonder how many pounds your knife aura weighs. I wonder, compared to my natal flying sword, is the Jianghu knife faster, or the mountain sword?”

A streak of rainbow light shot out from the scholar in blue robes’ brow.

The miniature flying sword of the sword immortal had just appeared when Xiao Shuye shot backwards, grabbing Cao Fu by the shoulder, soaring into the air, making a turn, stepping on a tree branch, and disappearing in a flash.

But the figure in blue robes was already standing on the treetop where Xiao Shuye had stood. “If I have the chance, I will find you, Xiao Shuye and Immortal Cao, in Qingci Kingdom.”

As he spoke,

Xiao Shuye threw out a golden talisman with a backhand.

It was pierced by a sword light into the core of the talisman. With a spin, it returned to the young sword immortal’s hand, where he crushed it into fragments.

Xiao Shuye fled even faster.

It was indeed the Golden Core sword cultivator of the Golden Scale Palace!

The scholar in blue robes stepped back, then floated back to the Ancient Tea Horse Road, holding his folding fan, and smiled. “Generally speaking, you should be weeping with gratitude, thanking the hero, and then the hero would say, ‘No need, no need,’ and leave gracefully. In fact… that’s what will happen.”

He made a grasping gesture with one hand, and the verdant walking stick that he had previously stuck in the roadside rose from the ground and flew to him, where it was held in his hand. Seeming to remember something, he pointed to the old man sitting on horseback. “You scholars, you’re not bad, not good, you’re smart, you’re stupid, you’re truly infuriating. No wonder you befriended a heroic figure like Hu, who would give his life for you. I advise you not to scold him anymore. I think this friendship of yours, despite the age difference, was worth it. Don’t blame each other.”

He pointed to the young man. “No matter how good your nature, being influenced by such a family, you’ll probably just become another old Minister of Ceremonies who is good at chess but bad at being a person.”

Then he pointed to the maiden. “Jealousy of those close to you is undesirable.”

Finally, he turned to the veiled woman and smiled. “Actually, your…
“Before you implicated me, Ma, I had a decent impression of you. Among this entire family, you seemed like the most… intelligent and good-hearted person. Of course, when one feels their life hangs by a thread, making a gamble is only natural. After all, you had nothing to lose. If you won, you’d escape this calamity and the trap set by those two. If you lost, it would only mean falsely accusing the lovesick Immortal Master Cao, which wouldn’t be a loss to you. So, I must say, you have quite the luck.”

The scholar in azure robes finally asked, “But have you considered another possibility? That we all lose? That I die? Earlier at the roadside pavilion, I was just a common teacher who never implicated your family from beginning to end. I didn’t deliberately try to cozy up to you, nor did I ask to borrow those few dozen taels of silver. The good things didn’t become better, and the bad things didn’t become worse. Right? What’s your name again? Sui what? Ask yourself honestly, even if someone like you cultivated immortal techniques and became a mountain dweller like Cao Fu, would you really be any better than him? I doubt it.”

With a single step, the man crossed over ten zhang, vanishing in an instant.

The copper coins had already fallen to the ground.

The veiled woman collected her golden hairpin and crouched down. Behind the thin veil, her face was expressionless as she picked up the copper coins one by one.

After placing the coins in her sleeve, she remained crouched, slowly raising her arm. Her hand passed through the veil, wiping her eyes as she choked out, “This is the true cultivator. I knew it, just like the sword immortals I imagined. I missed this opportunity to attain the great Dao…”

At the foot of the mountain…

Hu Xinfeng hid near a rocky cliff, trembling with fear.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to run further, but beyond this mountain, there was no cover. Hu Xinfeng feared that he might catch someone’s eye and suffer another unwarranted disaster.

Suddenly, the world blurred before his eyes. Hu Xinfeng’s knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground. He grabbed onto the cliff for support, stammering, “Hu Xinfeng greets Immortal Master.”

The young scholar in azure robes and a bamboo hat smiled and said, “What a coincidence! We meet again. A kick, a punch, a stone – exactly three times. What’s this, Hero Hu? Have you seen my exceptional potential and want to take me as your disciple?”

Hu Xinfeng sighed. “To kill or to slice, Immortal Master, it’s your call!”

The young scholar exclaimed with admiration, “What unyielding integrity this hero possesses!”

He lightly patted Hu Xinfeng on the shoulder and chuckled, “I’m just curious. What did you and the Flood Dragon of Hun River, Yang Yuan, discuss at the roadside pavilion? This game of human hearts, while not very interesting, is better than nothing. Just consider it helping me pass the time.”

Hu Xinfeng’s shoulder twisted painfully. The pain was excruciating, but he dared not cry out, clamping his mouth shut. He felt as if every bone in his shoulder had shattered. Involuntarily, he slowly knelt. The other man only slightly bent over, his hand still gently resting on Hu Xinfeng’s shoulder. Finally, Hu Xinfeng knelt on the ground. The man simply bent over and smiled, gazing at the hapless Hero Hu.

The man released his hold, resting his book case against the cliff and taking a swig from his wine pot. He placed the wine pot in front of himself, as if to suppress something. In Hu Xinfeng’s eyes, blurred by cold sweat and widened in desperation, the scene emanated an unsettling and arcane feeling. The scholar smiled and said, “Finding a reason for you to live is actually very simple. You were forced by the situation at the roadside pavilion and had to assess the situation. You killed that Sui brother who deserved his ill fate and left the two women that Yang Yuan wanted, offering them as a pledge of allegiance to the Flood Dragon of Hun River to save your own life. Later, a long-lost son-in-law inexplicably appeared, causing you to suddenly lose the favor of the former Vice Minister and creating a feud that’s hard to repair. So, when you saw me, a weak scholar who could walk along the road without a care in the world, you became enraged, but accidentally used a bit too much strength, and maybe attacked more times than needed, right?”

Hu Xinfeng knelt on the ground, shaking his head. “I deserve to die.”

The man stepped on Hu Xinfeng’s instep, crushing the bones. Hu Xinfeng only gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

Then, the man kicked Hu Xinfeng’s forehead, slamming his head against the cliff.

The scholar bent over, resting his elbow on his knee and asked with a smile, “It’s better that you know you deserve to die. Saves me the trouble of finding a reason for you.”

Hu Xinfeng’s face was devoid of color as he trembled, “I only ask one thing. Immortal Master, you can kill me, but please don’t harm my family!”

The scholar narrowed his eyes, and Hu Xinfeng desperately continued, “I beg Immortal Master to grant this request!”

Then, Hu Xinfeng saw the young scholar smile. “I accept this reason. Get up. You still have some backbone left. Don’t let me accidentally break it. A person who kneels for too long will get used to it.”

Hu Xinfeng staggered to his feet, bowing his head to wipe away tears.

It was genuine, not an act to gain sympathy.

A moment ago, he truly felt that he was going to die, and he thought of his family, who might be caught in an inescapable immortal fire or be slaughtered overnight.

The man took a sip of wine. “Tell me, what did you discuss with Yang Yuan earlier?”

Hu Xinfeng leaned against the cliff, enduring the intense pain in his head, shoulder, and instep. Bracing himself, he dared not hold anything back, stuttering, “I told Yang Yuan that I was familiar with everything inside and outside the Sui residence and that he could ask me about anything later. Yang Yuan agreed at the time, saying I was clever.”

Chen Pingan drank his wine, nodding. “Actually, at every moment, each of you seems to have made the most correct choice.”

Then, Hu Xinfeng heard this unpredictable young man change his expression and smile. “Except for me.”

The scholar in azure robes glanced at the scenery in the distance and casually asked, “Have you heard of the Golden Scale Palace in the deep mountains on the border of Great Zhuan?”

Hu Xinfeng nodded. “I heard Senior Wang Dun mention that immortal abode at a very small banquet once. At the time, I could only sit at the lowest seat, but I heard everything clearly. Senior Wang Dun spoke of the Golden Scale Palace with great respect, saying that the palace lord was a mountain immortal of extremely high cultivation, and that perhaps only the National Protector and the Female God of War in the Great Zhuan Dynasty could match him.”
The scholar snorted with derision, “A mere martial artist below the ninth realm dares to call himself a ‘Goddess of War’?”

Hu Xinfeng wiped the sweat from his brow, his face etched with embarrassment. “It’s just a respectful title bestowed upon that female grandmaster by us martial world folk. She has never claimed it herself.”

The scholar in blue robes took a sip of his wine. “If you have any spirit pills like golden wound medicine, apply them quickly, lest you bleed to death. I have no habit of cleaning up corpses.”

Hu Xinfeng felt like he had been granted amnesty. He quickly crouched down, took out a porcelain vial, and began to apply the medicine to his wound, gritting his teeth in pain.

The man suddenly asked, “How much silver is this bottle of medicine worth?”

Hu Xinfeng hurriedly looked up again, forcing a wry smile. “It’s a secret elixir from the Immortal Herb Villa of our Wuling Kingdom. It’s extremely rare and expensive. Even for someone like me, who has his own sect and knows a thing or two about making money, buying three bottles back then still pained me greatly. But still, it was only because of my acquaintance with Senior Wang Dun that the Immortal Herb Villa was willing to sell me those three bottles.”

The man said, “Earning money and navigating the martial world is not easy.”

Hu Xinfeng felt like he was surrounded by enemies, that everything was ominous. “The Herb Gathering Market” truly was a name of ill omen, and that he would never step foot into the territory of the Great Zhuan Dynasty for the rest of his life.

The man suddenly lowered his head and asked with a smile, “Do you think the title of a Golden Scale Palace Golden Core Sword Cultivator’s retainer is enough to scare away that Daoist Cao and Xiao Shuye?”

Hu Xinfeng hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “It should be enough.”

Hu Xinfeng plopped down on the ground, thought for a moment, and then added, “Maybe not?”

The scholar in blue robes actually removed his book case, took out his chessboard and chess pieces, and sat down as well, laughing. “Then do you think the Sui Xinyu family of four deserved to die?”

Hu Xinfeng shook his head, forcing a wry smile. “How could they deserve to die? Sui Xinyu’s reputation has always been good. He’s also a good person, but he’s just very concerned about his reputation and keeps himself clean. He likes to protect himself in the officialdom and is not very pragmatic. But isn’t that how scholars are when they become officials? Being able to be like Sui Xinyu, not disturbing or harming the people, and even doing some good deeds, is already considered good in Wuling Kingdom. Of course, my deliberately befriending the Sui family was naturally for the sake of my own martial world reputation. There aren’t many in our Wuling Kingdom’s martial world who can know this old Palace Attendant, of course Sui Xinyu also wanted me to connect him with Senior Wang Dun. How could I have the ability to introduce Senior Wang Dun? I kept making excuses to decline, and after a few times, Sui Xinyu stopped mentioning it, knowing my difficulties. At first, it was just to raise my own worth, boasting about things. That can be counted as Sui Xinyu’s kindness.”

The scholar in blue robes remained noncommittal, raised a hand, joined two fingers, and conjured a legendary immortal flying sword.

Hu Xinfeng swallowed hard.

Was this truly the chief retainer of the Immortal Golden Scale Palace? A sword immortal who looked young but had actually lived for hundreds of years?

But the scholar only picked up a chess piece with one hand and used the flying sword to carefully carve it, as if he was writing a name. After he finished carving, he gently placed it on the chessboard.

Hu Xinfeng thought about it. They seemed to have first met at the pavilion. This immortal was simply practicing his chess skills. Later, Sui Xinyu played a game of chess with him. This immortal master did not put the thirty or so chess pieces on the chessboard back into the chess canister at that time, but gathered them around him. Most likely, it was the same as now, some of the chess pieces were engraved with names? He was worried that Sui Xinyu, who was proficient in chess, would notice this little clue when he was twirling the pieces and contemplating his moves?

The man picked up another chess piece and asked, “If I didn’t hear wrong, you are the leader of the Horizontal Ferry Gang of Wuling Kingdom?”

Hu Xinfeng forced a wry smile. “I’m making the Immortal Master laugh.”

The man turned the side of the chess piece that was engraved with the name over, and then carved the words “Horizontal Ferry Gang” on it before placing it on the chessboard.

After that, he engraved more than a dozen chess pieces in one go, and placed them on the chessboard one after another.

That wisp of sword light flashed past his glabella.

Then Hu Xinfeng discovered that the genuine sword immortal had begun to stare blankly into space.

Previously, in the pavilion, he was clearly a terrible chess player who even Hu Xinfeng could steadily beat.

But at this moment, Hu Xinfeng only felt that this person who was playing his own chess game was unfathomable, and without bottom.

Chen Pingan placed the Walking Mountain Staff horizontally across his knees, and gently caressed it.

The game of chess in the small town on Mount Zhengrong was like the chess pieces were rooted in dangerous places, each one contained danger, but at the same time it was also full of heroism.

Even without the appearance of the Grand Sword Immortal Ji Yue from Ape Cry Mountain, without casually killing a Golden Core Sword Cultivator from the Golden Scale Palace, it was still a wonderful game of chess with continuous clever moves.

It was just a pity that Chen Pingan couldn’t enter the small town in that game of chess, and couldn’t carefully investigate every clue. Otherwise, Sect Master Lin Shu, the former dynasty prince, the two Golden Citadel Kingdom spies planted in Zhengrong Sect, and the old cultivator from the Golden Scale Palace who was desperately protecting the prince’s identity, etc., without exception, were all wonderful chess pieces that were generated on the chessboard on their own. They were truly people who relied on their own abilities and were able to come alive on the chessboard, no longer dead chess pieces.

As for today’s game of chess in the pavilion, it was full of distaste and revulsion, people’s hearts were fluctuating, and the transformation of good and evil was not surprising at all. It was not worth pondering and it was of no help, it was neither good nor bad, and it was not bad to the extent.

Old Palace Attendant Sui Xinyu, was he a bad person? Of course not, he was refined in his speech, and profound in his chess skills.

He was just a man that was concerned with his reputation and good at avoiding danger. Even Hu Xinfeng felt that this old Palace Attendant did not deserve to die. Of course, Hu Xinfeng did not know that his answer, added to the request he made before his death, had already saved him twice, and this compensated for the two “tests” of the three punches and kicks with pebbles, but there was still one more time. If he answered incorrectly, he Hu Xinfeng would still die.

This Hu Xinfeng was indeed an old hand in the martial world. Before the pavilion, he was also willing to escort Sui Xinyu on the long journey to the capital of the Great Zhuan Dynasty. As long as his life was not in danger, he would always be that Hero Hu who was famous in the martial world.

Du Yu from the Ghost Axe Palace said it well, there were no heroes until life and death. But when you die, it just seems to be the way things are.

In the pavilion incident, the muddleheaded Sui Xinyu, Yang Yuan who helped act out the play, and Cao Fu, the one with the highest cultivation but also the most scheming, among these three parties, perhaps none of them were as infamous as the Flood Dragon Yang Yuan, but Yang Yuan at that time…

He had actually let go of a scholar who could have been crushed to death with a finger, and even felt that the “Chen Pingan” had some integrity and spirit, which was even better than Sui Xinyu, who had retired successfully and was famous in the court, literary world, and chess world.
Hu Xinfeng sat opposite this reclusive master. His wounds were merely stanched, and the pain was very real.

The man didn’t raise his head, casually asking, “In the martial world, a chivalrous hero, with a single blow, fells the head villain. The remaining accomplices, not deserving death, are given a stern lesson before the hero departs with a flourish. The rescued person kowtows in gratitude. Tell me, isn’t that hero dashing and carefree?”

Hu Xinfeng blurted out, “Dashing my foot…”

Realizing his gaffe, Hu Xinfeng slapped himself and quickly corrected, “Replying to Immortal Master, that’s not truly dashing. If it’s a local hero within a kingdom or region, helping the local people, that’s one thing. The evildoers are either dead or injured, and having suffered, they likely won’t dare to harbor ill intentions toward the rescued person. But if this hero is merely passing through, what happens after he leaves? A year or two might be fine, but three or five years down the line, who can guarantee that the rescued person won’t suffer even more? Perhaps what started as a forced marriage of a maiden will escalate to the slaughter of an entire family. Then who is to blame for this tragedy? Does the hero bear any sin? In my view, he does.”

The man nodded. “Then, if you were that hero, what would you do?”

Hu Xinfeng slowly said, “See the good deed through to the end. Don’t rush to leave. Take the time to grind down those other villains who can’t be killed with a single blow. Don’t flaunt your heroic demeanor at every turn. Evil ones need an even more formidable presence to keep them in line, otherwise, they won’t truly learn their lesson. Make them fear you to the bone, so much so that they wake up in cold sweats from nightmares, as if every morning they open their eyes, that hero will appear before them. Only then, I fear, can you truly protect the rescued person.”

The man raised his head, smiling faintly. “Judging from your fluent words, without much need to consider your phrasing, have you done such things before, and more than once?”

Hu Xinfeng, unable to bear the pain, wiped the sweat from his forehead again and hastily nodded. “I did some similar deeds when I was younger, but later, with a family and my own sect, I didn’t do it as much. Firstly, I couldn’t manage so many troublesome affairs. Secondly, it was easier to get entangled in problems. The martial world isn’t entirely a pit of vipers, but the waters are murky. No one can say they always get their way. ‘A gentleman takes revenge after ten years’ isn’t just for the wronged and those with deep-seated hatred. The descendants and friends of villains and evildoers have the same patient nature.”

The man nodded. “You’re a worldly martial artist. In the future, when faced with great gains or losses, and your heart is in turmoil, you must still suppress the evil dragon… the evil thoughts within. Regardless of what you do after a fit of rage, in the end, it’s still what you yourself said: the martial world is deep and murky, so it’s best to be cautious. You’ve already built up a considerable fortune and reputation as a martial arts hero. Don’t let it all go to waste and implicate your family. It’s best not to get yourself deeply involved in situations where good and evil intersect. It’s not a matter of your inherent goodness or evil, but it’s not good for anyone, including yourself.”

Hu Xinfeng looked utterly bewildered.

Did he feel like he was about to die again?

Was this speech a farewell meal before execution?

The man waved his hand with a smile. “Still not leaving? What, do you think your life is too long and want to stay here and chat with me? Or do you think I’m a terrible chess player and want to play a game with me, like that old vice-minister? Since you can’t beat me with your fists, you want to defeat me on the chessboard?”

Hu Xinfeng said bitterly, “Immortal Master Chen, then I’m really leaving, okay?”

The man raised his head, his expression strange. “What, do I have to beg you to leave before you’ll go?”

Hu Xinfeng repeatedly said he wouldn’t dare, struggled to get up, and limped away at a run.

He didn’t seem to mind the pain anymore.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw Chen Pingan everywhere.

Chen Pingan smiled, continuing to gaze at the chessboard. The chess pieces were all strangers like Hu Xinfeng.

Feeling it wasn’t meaningful enough, he waved his sleeve to put it away. The black and white pieces were casually placed into the chess jar, the confusion of black and white didn’t matter. Then he shook his sleeves, tossing the chess pieces that were previously placed on the chessboard by the pavilion.

He stared at those pieces.

He supported his chin with one hand and waved his folding fan with the other.

The situation in this mountaintop town on Zheng Rong Peak, aside from the level of realm and complexity, was actually similar to his hometown in some ways.

After a long silence, he put away the chess pieces and chess set, placing them back into the bamboo box, then stored the bamboo hat, walking stick, and bamboo box. He clasped his folding fan and hung the sword-nourishing gourd that was now empty of flying swords.

Chen Pingan reattached a burden-bearing talisman to himself, beginning to conceal himself again.

There was something he needed to verify.

There was something else he had forgotten to say earlier.

But whether he said it or not, it didn’t really matter. Many people in the world, when they transform from someone watching a joke to becoming the joke in other people’s eyes, will only blame people and hate the world when they are suffering, and will not blame themselves and reflect. Over time, some of these people, some grit their teeth and survive, waiting for the clouds to clear and the moon to shine. Some people suffer without self-awareness and feel even more happy to inflict suffering on others, praising themselves as the strong. If parents don’t teach them, even the gods can’t change them.

On the ancient tea horse road leading to the foot of the mountain, the Sui family’s four riders descended silently, each lost in thought.

It was the delicate young man who couldn’t help but ask first, “Aunt, that Cao Fu is an evil-minded bad person. That gang of Yang Yuan from the Hun River flood dragon, they were deliberately sent by him to put on a show for us, right?”

The woman behind the bamboo hat sneered, “Ask your grandfather, his chess skills are high, his learning is great, and he sees people accurately.”

The old man snorted coldly.

The young girl was even more distraught, staggering, nearly falling off her horse several times.

Sui Xinyu, after all, was a former vice-minister, and said to the young man and girl, “Wenfa, Wenyi, you go ahead a few steps, your aunt and I have something to discuss.”

The young man called out to his absent-minded sister a few times. The two slightly quickened their horses’ pace, moving ahead, but dared not ride too far away, keeping a distance of twenty steps from the two riders behind them.

The old man slowed his horse, then rode alongside his daughter, worried, frowning as he asked, “Cao Fu is now a cultivator on the mountain, and that old man is an even more formidable expert than Hu Xinfeng, possibly a grandmaster of the martial world with the strength of the Wang Dun senior. What should we do in the future, Jingcheng? I know you resent your father for being blind and not seeing Cao Fu’s malicious intentions, but how our Sui family will overcome this difficulty is the real issue.”
The veiled woman spoke with a detached air, “For now, Cao Fu won’t dare to cause us trouble. But the journey home is nearly a thousand *li*. Unless that sword immortal surnamed Chen shows himself again, it will be difficult for us to survive until we reach our hometown, likely not even making it to the capital.”

The old man fumed, “That secretive, deliberately pretending-to-be-incompetent fellow! Feigning inadequacy at the relay station was one thing, but why is he still so ambiguous after revealing his identity? If he truly is a sword immortal from those fantastical tales, why not simply kill Cao Fu and his companion? Isn’t this akin to releasing a tiger back into the mountains, leaving behind future dangers?!”

Sui Jingcheng, as if feeling stifled and oppressed, simply removed her veil, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face. Gazing ahead, she seemed like an outsider, uninvolved in the situation. Mimicking the old vice-minister’s words and tone, she chuckled, “At the relay station, we failed to offer assistance, that’s true. But later, regardless of the circumstances, he did save us once. Now, to turn around and resent him for not doing enough good – has the conscience of the virtuous Sui family been devoured by dogs?”

The old man nearly raised his riding crop to strike her – this reckless, unfilial daughter!

He lowered his voice, “The immediate priority is figuring out how to escape this undeserved calamity!”

Speaking of this, the old man gnashed his teeth in anger, “And you have the audacity to criticize your father? If not for you, would our Sui family be in this mess? Do you have the face to stand here and speak sarcastically to your own father?!”

The veiled woman actually nodded her head, “Father’s teachings are correct, utterly reasonable.”

The old man could no longer restrain himself, and lashed out with his crop at his heartless daughter.

The young boy and girl ahead, seeing this scene, quickly turned their heads. The girl covered her mouth with her hand, silently weeping, while the boy felt like the sky had fallen, utterly at a loss.

Sui Jingcheng remained unmoved, only furrowing her brow slightly, “I do possess some minor mystical abilities. If you injure me, this already perilous situation might devolve into an absolutely hopeless dead end. Father, you are a grandmaster of the board, having dominated the chessboard for decades. Surely you understand this elementary strategic principle?”

The old man raised his hand again, almost bringing the riding crop down upon her face, but after hesitating for a long moment, he slumped down, despondent, and lowered his arm, “Fine, let us all just wait for death.”

The woman paused in silence for a moment, looked around, and then quietly said, “Let’s assume the worst-case scenario: that Cao Fu and his companion are still unwilling to give up, and are trailing us from afar. Our only chance of survival is to gamble on an alternate, best-case outcome: that the sword immortal surnamed Chen is traveling the same path as us, heading towards the capital of the Wu Ling kingdom. Judging by his previous trajectory, that is a possibility. But Father, don’t get your hopes up too soon. I believe that as long as Cao Fu and his companion are careful to avoid being seen by that sword immortal, and only cautiously target us, he won’t care whether we live or die. Unfortunately, in this matter, Father, you are at fault, and so am I.”

She mocked herself, “Truly worthy of being father and daughter, and including that obedient niece up ahead, birds of a feather flock together.”

The old man raged, “Stop with the sarcastic remarks! Ultimately, it’s all about your own depravity!”

Sui Jingcheng sighed, “Then we need to find an opportunity to feign that the sword immortal surnamed Chen is secretly trailing us, and in such a way that Cao Fu and his companion will see it, become suspicious, and not dare to risk their lives against us.”

A hint of a smile appeared on the old man’s face, “An excellent plan, Jingcheng! We must plot this carefully, striving to make it watertight, seamless.”

The woman’s expression darkened, “But even if Cao Fu is fooled by us, it would be very simple for them to break this scheme. If I can think of it, I believe Cao Fu will eventually realize it as well.”

Alarmed, the old man asked, “How so?”

She gave a bitter smile, “Just have that All-River Serpent Yang Yuan come and assassinate us again, wouldn’t that solve it?”

The old man’s face was filled with grief, “My life is over!”

Suddenly, tears streamed down her face. She readjusted her veil and turned her head, saying, “Father, you are correct. All the fault, a thousand times over, lies with your daughter. If not for me, there wouldn’t be so many disasters. Perhaps I would have married a scholar long ago, settled in a distant land, raised children, and Father, you would have continued your journey peacefully with Hu Xinfeng towards the Great Seal capital. Perhaps you still wouldn’t have obtained the inlaid treasure *qinggong*, but in your chess matches with others, you would have bought newly published chessboard manuals to bring home, and sent one or two copies to your daughter and son-in-law…”

She choked on her words, unable to continue.

The old man was silent for a long time, uttering only a sigh. Finally, he laughed sadly, “Forget it, silly daughter. I don’t blame you, nor do I resent you for anything.”

The father and daughter slowly rode on.

On a tree branch far off the old tea-horse road, a green-robed scholar leaned against the trunk, gently fanning himself, gazing up at the sky with a smile on his face. He sighed with emotion, “How can there be such a cunning woman? Her gambling luck is also first-rate, even more crafty than Yao Jinzhi of Tongye Continent. If she were to follow Cui Dongshan up the mountain to cultivate for a time, who knows if she would manipulate countless cultivators after descending the mountain? Interesting. I could barely manage a new chess game.”

After a moment of silence, his smile gradually faded, and Chen Ping’an muttered to himself, “The chessboard is new, but what about the human heart?”