Autumn departed, winter arrived, and time flowed on serenely.

If not for the fact that a glance upwards could reveal the distant outline of the Sword Qi Great Wall to the south, Chen Ping’an would have almost believed himself to be within the White Paper blessed land, or that he had partaken of the Forget-Worry Wine of the Yellow Millet Dream blessed land.

Even though Chen Ping’an cultivated diligently, never slacking off a single day, and could even be described as very busy, he still felt that he was not accomplishing anything significant. Thus, he asked Granny White to help him practice his fists, but to his surprise, Granny White was unwilling to exert her full strength, at most imparting some fist stances and techniques to her future son-in-law. Chen Ping’an had no choice but, besides the still insufficient fist training, to call upon Grandpa Nalan to the mustard seed small-world’s training ground to familiarize himself with the killing power of a Jade Pure Realm sword cultivator’s flying sword. Simultaneously, he roughly learned the art of concealment and stealth from this “assassin” who had fallen from the Immortal Realm. Many subtle techniques involving the fundamentals of cultivation, like “daytime proximity as night travel,” required a sword cultivator, which Chen Ping’an found regrettable.

Aside from this, whenever he had spare time, Chen Ping’an still tried his best to visit the wine shop every day, staying for an hour or two each time. He didn’t help much with selling wine, but rather mingled with a group of children and teenagers, continuing to be his storytelling self, at most also serving as a teacher of characters and a reciter of texts, without involving any academic instruction.

Although Chen Ping’an acted as a hands-off shopkeeper, the head shopkeeper, Diezhang, had no complaints, because the real means of making money for the shop were all masterminded by the second shopkeeper. Now, it was his turn to be lazy, Diezhang was just investing some capital and putting in some rigid effort. Moreover, after the wine shop had a smooth and auspicious opening, there were still many tricks up their sleeves. For example, after hanging the couplet, they added a brand new horizontal inscription.

“Those who drink my wine may break through their boundaries.”

The innkeepers and tavern owners on the street were on the verge of collapse. Not only were they losing a lot of business, but the key was that they were obviously losing in terms of momentum! This led to the practice of hanging couplets and horizontal inscriptions in almost every wine-selling place on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

But after looking at it all, many drunken sword cultivators ultimately felt that the charm was still best here, or rather, the most shameless.

After almost all the wine shops began to copy them, this shop began to have new tricks.

The shop was filled with small wooden plaques in the style of “safe and sound” charms. Diezhang was asked to earnestly request the sword cultivators who came to drink wine to inscribe their names with sword qi, leaving their calligraphic treasures. They were all hung on the wall, supposedly to bring good luck.

Not based on the level of realm, there would be no distinction between high and low. Whoever wrote first would have their wooden plaque hung first. The front of the plaque was always written with the name of the wine shop’s guest, and if they were willing, they could also write on the back of the plaque, whatever they wanted. The wine shop did not care about the length of the text.

Currently, among the wine drinkers who had hung “safe and sound” plaques on the wall of the wine shop, there were four sword immortals from the Upper Five Realms: Wei Jin from the Wind and Snow Temple of the Treasure Bottle Continent, Gao Kui, a local sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Yuan Qingshu from the Southern Subhās Continent, and Tao Wen, a Jade Pure Realm sword cultivator from the Northern Juḷa Continent, who came to drink alone late at night. All of them wrote words on the back of their “safe and sound” plaques. It wasn’t that they wanted to write themselves. Originally, the four sword immortals had only written their names, but later Chen Ping’an found opportunities to catch them and insisted that they add to it. If they didn’t write, he would always find a way to make them write. This opened the eyes of Diezhang, who was shy and awkward on the side, realizing that business could be done in this way.

So Wei Jin engraved “Beset by love, the sword cannot be drawn.”

Gao Kui, a burly man with a one-eyed beard, wrote “May the flowers be in bloom, the moon be full, and people live long.”

The suave Yuan Qingshu wrote “Let the world know that I, Yuan Qingshu, am a sword immortal.”

Sword Immortal Tao Wen was the most astute. After hearing that he could drink a jar of Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wine for free, he wrote without hesitation, “This place has affordable and high-quality wine, which is excellent. It would be even better if credit were available.”

Among the youngest generation of genius sword cultivators, there were a dozen people including Pang Yuanji, Yan Zhuo, Chen Sanqiu, and Dong Huafu. Of course, there was also the little girl Guo Zhujiu, who, in addition to writing her full name, Guo Zhujiu, and her nickname, “Lü Duan,” secretly wrote on the back, “Master sells wine, disciple buys wine. The friendship between master and disciple is touching, and will last forever.”

There were also many Earth Immortal sword cultivators who were temporarily too embarrassed to do so, but most of them only left their names without writing anything else. Moreover, Chen Ping’an didn’t care much about the business, and Diezhang himself didn’t know how to open his mouth. Later, Chen Ping’an felt that this wouldn’t do, so he gave Diezhang a few slips of paper, saying that if he saw any Nascent Soul sword cultivators who he liked, especially those who were actually willing to leave their calligraphy but didn’t know what to write, he could hand them one of the slips when they paid the bill.

So, when a rough-tempered Nascent Soul old sword cultivator who was not well-versed in literature saw one of the slips, he originally declined with pretenses to maintain his reputation, but unexpectedly changed his face immediately, secretly put away the slip, and asked Diezhang to quickly bring a “safe and sound” wooden plaque. With the serious attitude of facing a great demon, he copied the poem on the slip and wrote it down. When he left, he even bought an extra pot of the most expensive Green God Mountain wine, deliberately suppressing his sword qi, and staggered away while drinking heartily, singing loudly, repeating the poem that he had “spontaneously composed.”

“In the past, my romantic talent was not worth boasting about, I roamed through hundreds of battles and countless autumns. After drinking heavily, I use my sword as a pillow in my drunken slumber, once dreamt the God of Green Mountain came to pour wine for me.”

Overnight, among the drunks and gamblers of the Sword Qi Great Wall, this Nascent Soul sword cultivator, who inexplicably knew how to write poetry, became famous.

However, it was said that he was eventually struck by a sword immortal’s flying sword from who knows where, and lay in bed for several days.

There was also a relatively young Nascent Soul sword cultivator from the Northern Juḷa Continent who also claimed to have been inspired by drinking under the moon, and wrote on the “safe and sound” plaque, “Half of the sword immortals in the world are my friends, which maiden under the sky is not charming? I cleanse my sword with fine wine, who doesn’t say I’m romantic?”

The Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wine at the wine shop was divided into three grades. A jar of the lowest grade, costing one snowflake coin, had the mildest flavor.

The better ones cost five snowflake coins per pot, but the wine shop claimed that in every hundred pots of wine sold by the shop, there would be a valuable bamboo leaf from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven hidden inside. Sword Immortal Wei Jin and the little girl Guo Zhujiu could both attest to this claim.

The top-grade Green God Mountain wine cost ten snowflake coins, and one might not even be able to get it, because the wine shop only sold one pot a day. Once it was sold, no one else could drink it, and guests could only come back tomorrow.

For a time, the small wine shop was packed with people, but after the excitement passed, there was no longer the scene of many sword cultivators squatting on the ground drinking and fighting to buy wine. However, the six tables could still be filled.
Though Diezhang was quite satisfied with the shop’s income, a hint of disappointment lingered. As Chen Ping’an had predicted, once the shop became well-known, acquiring liquor became incredibly difficult. Many taverns and wine shops were willing to breach their contracts and pay Diezhang penalties rather than sell him unblended wine, clearly intending to cut off his supply. Once customers found the shop repeatedly out of stock, business would decline, and the fleeting prosperity would be unsustainable.

Diezhang was aware of this impending crisis, and the idle second-in-charge was undoubtedly even more so. However, Chen Ping’an remained silent. He would either chat with familiar customers at the shop, cadging a drink or two, or become a storyteller in the alleyway, mingling with the children. Unwilling to bother Chen Ping’an with every issue, Diezhang could only seek a solution himself.

One late night, Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao arrived at the shop just as it was about to close, with no more customers drinking.

Diezhang retrieved the ledger, and Chen Ping’an sat beside him, taking out a snowflake coin and ordering a pot of the cheapest liquor. Even the boss had to pay for his drinks; that was the rule.

As Chen Ping’an drank, he meticulously examined the accounts.

Yan Zhuo and a few others had arranged to drink together that evening, as Chen Ping’an rarely offered to treat.

Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao shared a long bench.

Yan Zhuo occupied one bench alone, while Dong Huafu and Chen Sanqiu sat together.

Yan Zhuo, watching Chen Ping’an carefully pore over the ledger and glancing at Diezhang beside him, couldn’t help but ask, “Diezhang, do you feel like Chen Ping’an doesn’t trust you?”

Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly, not looking up, but raised his wine bowl, took a sip, and acknowledged his own lack of propriety, willing to punish himself with a drink.

Diezhang retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting? Business is business, and it should be done properly. We’re friends who’ve partnered in business; does that mean we can’t have clear accounts? Who doesn’t make mistakes? Should we just say ‘it’s okay, it’s okay’ when someone errs? If we’re all just vague and confused, the business will fail, and we’ll be going against money.”

Yan Zhuo felt wronged, “Diezhang, you’re too biased! You say it’s friends doing business together with Chen Ping’an, but the beatings I took back then, were they for nothing?”

Diezhang chuckled, “Didn’t I already apologize to you?”

Yan Zhuo was somewhat resentful, “When I heard you say sorry back then, I was quite happy, but now I feel your sincerity is lacking.”

Chen Ping’an turned a page in the ledger, teasing, “When a friend makes new friends, it’s always upsetting.”

Yan Zhuo waved his hand, “That’s not it at all.”

Chen Ping’an passed over his wine bowl, clinking it against Yan Zhuo’s, and laughed, “I just see you, Young Master Yan, big and burly, always pretending to be flush with cash, yet you always buy the cheapest liquor. You’re less generous than a little Green-Rank girl, so I’m just casually commenting.”

Diezhang seemed hesitant, but finally mustered the courage to say, “Yan Zhuo, Sanqiu, can I discuss something with you?”

Yan Zhuo was puzzled, while Chen Sanqiu seemed to have guessed and nodded with a smile, “We can discuss it.”

Yan Zhuo’s eyes lit up, “Want us two to join in? I knew it! I glanced into your house at those wine vats and considered the daily flow of customers, and I knew that only a few jars were left for sale. Now, all the major taverns are envious, so the source of liquor has become a major problem, right? This is easy to handle, simple. You don’t even need to look for Sanqiu; he’s a young master who never lifts a finger, born to enjoy life, completely clueless about these things. I’m different. I help with a lot of business at home. How hard is it for me to get you some lower-cost unblended liquor? Don’t worry, Diezhang, we’ll do it by the book, just as you say. I won’t shortchange my own business too much, and I’ll try to make a small profit, helping you earn more.”

Diezhang’s expression was complicated.

Chen Ping’an sighed helplessly, closed the ledger, and chuckled, “There are two kinds of happiness for Manager Diezhang when earning money. One is the satisfaction of seeing each immortal coin safely in the till, tallying the accounts at the end of the day and calculating the earnings. The other is liking the feeling of earning money that’s hard-won but still attainable. Fatty Yan, tell me, is that right? If you carry a sack of silver to the shop like that, Diezhang probably wouldn’t even want to use the abacus anymore. Fatty Yan, why don’t you just give a number, and that’s it?”

Yan Zhuo suddenly understood, “You should have said so earlier, Diezhang. If you had been this direct, I would have understood!”

Diezhang rebuked, “Is it my fault?”

Yan Zhuo drank his wine and begged for mercy, “My fault, my fault.”

Chen Ping’an changed the subject, discussing the reasons for profits and losses and the things to pay attention to with Diezhang.

Actually, Yan Zhuo wasn’t ignorant of this logic and probably understood it a long time ago. There was just a gap between close friends, seemingly insignificant, yet potentially large. Some unintentional words that had hurt were not easy to explain, feeling too deliberate, or perhaps a loss of face. He dragged it on. If he was lucky, it wouldn’t matter; it would only be dragged on for a lifetime. A small matter was still a small matter, and it wouldn’t matter as long as there was a bigger, better, more correct thing to compensate for it. If he was unlucky, friends would no longer be friends, and whether to speak or not would become even more irrelevant.

Everyone, all the peers present, including Ning Yao, had their own inner hurdles to overcome, not just Diezhang, who was the only one from a humble alleyway background among all their friends.

Chen Ping’an was just taking the opportunity to help the two see through and speak out indirectly, using tactful words and a third-person perspective. Too early, and he would be unwelcome to both sides. If it were later, for example, if Yan Zhuo and Diezhang each felt that he, Chen Ping’an, was their best friend, it would become even more inappropriate. These considerations were unspeakable; speaking them would reduce the wine to bland water. Therefore, Chen Ping’an could only consider them himself. He even felt like he was calculating people too much. He used to feel guilty and full of self-denial, but now he didn’t.

Every kindness needs to be nurtured with even greater kindness. Chen Ping’an believed in the saying “good people have good rewards,” and he believed in it with sincerity. However, one couldn’t just expect rewards from the heavens. In this world, one deals with people everywhere, and in fact, everyone is the heavens. There’s no need to seek outwardly, only knowing to seek higher.
How could I not be burdened by worldly affairs? It seems I lack the sincerity to treat others with genuine kindness. Yet, if I follow the rules and regulations, ensuring my actions cause no harm and even, in some measure, benefit the world, then I shouldn’t restrain myself. After acting, I can search my heart and sharpen my conscience. This is the way of cultivating the mind. This is what my esteemed teacher, the Sage of Literature, meant by “think more.” Even if, in the end, I find I’ve only gone in circles, returning to the same spot, it’s still a supreme endeavor. I take nothing from heaven and earth, yet heaven and earth gain an individual seeking goodness. This benefits both myself and others. How wonderful! How virtuous!

The One of Heaven and Earth remains eternally unchanged, but the human heart is susceptible to increase and decrease.

The teachings of the Three Schools and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers all ultimately focus on this matter.

After the discussion, it was just friends drinking together.

Chen Sanqiu shared a rumor that another sword immortal from the Northern Ju Continent was on his way to the Sword Qi Great Wall. It seemed he had already reached the Upside-Down Mountain, but some sword immortals here were also preparing to return home.

Sword cultivators from the Northern Ju Continent often do this. Usually, after a major battle, they return home.

However, with two major battles in quick succession within ten years, they were caught off guard. Most sword cultivators from the Northern Ju Continent voluntarily stayed to fight another battle.

Still, some sword immortals and earth immortals were compelled to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall. After all, they had sects to consider. The Sword Qi Great Wall never made any complaints. On the contrary, whenever a foreign sword immortal prepared to leave, there was an unwritten rule: several local sword immortals familiar with him would host a farewell feast as a return gift from the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao almost simultaneously turned to look at the street.

Six people were walking toward them.

All were sword immortals!

Chen Ping’an knew one of the female sword immortals quite well. She was none other than Li Cai, the sect master of Floating Duckweed Sword Lake in the Northern Ju Continent.

She had once said that after challenging Liu Jinglong, the newly promoted sword immortal of the Taiwei Sword Sect, she would come to the Sword Qi Great Wall to wield her sword. Apart from fulfilling her promise to her friend Li Yu of the Taixia Peak, she would also kill one more great demon for the latter, who had failed to break through and dissipated.

Chen Ping’an only recognized one of the other five. Walking at the front was a tall, white-haired old man with a truly terrible temper. Chen Ping’an had personally seen and heard him on the city wall, addressing the Great Sword Immortal by his name and loudly questioning Chen Qingdu about the killing of Dong Guanpu. This old master of the Dong family had almost fought the Great Sword Immortal, declaring, “Everyone else is afraid of you, Chen Qingdu, but I’m not!” Therefore, Chen Ping’an had a deep impression of this old man and was also curious about Dong Guanpu, who had been casually killed by the Great Sword Immortal with a single sword strike. According to Ning Yao, Dong Guanpu, this “Little Grandpa Dong,” was actually a very good person.

It could only be said that every family has its own troubles.

The Sword Qi Great Wall had too many brilliant and talented sword immortals, and even more conflicts.

It seemed that Dong Sangeng and Li Cai’s group, who had just arrived at the Sword Qi Great Wall, were heading for this small tavern.

Chen Ping’an took another look at the remaining four sword immortals, guessing the identities of two of them: Han Huaizi, the sect master of the Taiwei Sword Sect, and Huang Tong, the elder ancestor in charge of discipline at the ancestral hall.

Chen Ping’an and the others had already stood up.

Dong Huafu called out to Dong Sangeng as “Old Ancestor” and then said fairly, “The shop doesn’t keep accounts.”

Dong Sangeng glared and said, “Don’t you have any money on you?”

Dong Huafu shook his head and said, “I never pay for my drinks.”

Dong Sangeng laughed heartily, “Worthy of being a descendant of the Dong family! Doing something so shameless, only our Dong family sons can make it seem so reasonable in the entire Sword Qi Great Wall.”

Diezhang couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

This old man was the head of the Dong family, Dong Sangeng!

The old sword immortal who carved the character “Dong” on the city wall!

One of the things that A’liang hated most was sparring with Dong Sangeng. He would avoid it if he could, and if he couldn’t, he would make Dong Sangeng pay him. If he didn’t, A’liang would stand obediently next to the thatched hut on the city wall and take a beating, without disturbing the Great Sword Immortal’s rest. Or, he would lie down on the roof of the Dong family’s ancestral hall.

Dong Sangeng waved his hand and pushed two tables together, telling the younger generation, “Don’t come over and talk nonsense. Just bring the wine to the table.”

Chen Ping’an nodded to Li Cai as a greeting. Li Cai smiled and nodded back.

Unexpectedly, the elder ancestor Huang Tong of the Taiwei Sword Sect took the initiative to smile at Chen Ping’an. Chen Ping’an had no choice but to cup his fist in salute, without saying a word.

After Dong Sangeng sat down, he glanced at the couplet at the entrance of the shop and clicked his tongue, “They really dare to write that. Fortunately, the calligraphy is not bad, at least better than A’liang’s earthworm scribbles.”

Diezhang’s forehead had already involuntarily broken out in a fine sweat.

Chen Sanqiu and Yan Zhuo were also a little uneasy.

There was nothing they could do. They couldn’t even reach Dong Sangeng’s ankles to be scolded, but most of their family elders had been thoroughly beaten by him.

The only ones who remained calm and collected were probably Ning Yao and Chen Ping’an.

Dong Sangeng drank a pot of wine and then got up to leave. The other two local sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall also took their leave.

Han Huaizi, Huang Tong, and Li Cai, who also came from the Northern Ju Continent, stayed behind.

Chen Ping’an asked Diezhang to bring another jar of good wine from the shop, and he walked over with it himself, “Junior Chen Ping’an greets Sect Master Han, Sect Master Li, and Sword Immortal Huang.”

Li Cai smiled and said, “Huang Tong, listen, I’m ranked before you. This is the consequence of not being a sect master.”

Chen Ping’an felt a little helpless.

This Li Cai sword immortal had no Jianghu morals at all.

Unexpectedly, Huang Tong smiled and said, “I’m behind Sect Master Li, that’s fine too. Above or below, it’s all good.”

Chen Ping’an, who had just sat down, almost lost his balance. Ignoring etiquette, he quickly took a sip of wine to calm his nerves.

He had never heard of this sword immortal from the Taiwei Sword Sect being such a character when he traveled in the Northern Ju Continent.

Why hadn’t Qi Jinglong ever mentioned a word about it? Was he respecting his elders?

It seemed that Huang Tong’s swordsmanship must be extraordinary, otherwise, in that Northern Ju Continent…

Li Cai sneered, “I wish you’ll be drowned halfway in the intercontinental ferry and feed the fish.”

Huang Tong laughed heartily, not annoyed at all, but rather delighted.

Han Huaizi, however, was an extremely steady and dignified elder with the demeanor of a sword immortal. He smiled slightly at Chen Ping’an and said, “Don’t mind their nonsense.”
The yellow-robed child retracted his laughter, his playful demeanor completely vanishing, replaced by an air of solemnity. “Currently, the flying sword messages to and from Inverted Mountain are under strict surveillance. Every single message, its origin, its content, is being closely monitored, and many have even been arbitrarily blocked, making it impossible to reason with them. Fortunately, Qi Jinglong from our sect writes cleverly, so his letters haven’t been intercepted. Since Chen Ping’an is a close friend of our Liu Jinglong, and Li Cai is a sword cultivator from our homeland, then the four of us here can be considered family. First, I thank you, Li Cai, for initiating the sword challenge, giving Qi Jinglong a good start. The one who is close to the academy followed suit, forcing that old coot in white robes to consider his reputation, which led to Qi Jinglong not only establishing himself as a Sword Immortal in the Northern Entirety Continent, but also gaining three great benefits in swordsmanship. The Taihui Sword Sect owes you, Li Cai, a great debt of gratitude for this.”

At this, Huang Tong smiled slightly, “So, Sect Leader Li, whatever you want, front or back, just name it! If I, Huang Tong, say no or even frown, then I’m not man enough!”

Li Cai twitched the corner of her mouth and said, “I have good news for you. Jiang Shangzhen is already an Immortal Realm cultivator.”

Huang Tong immediately said, “I, Huang Tong, a dignified Sword Immortal, am already enough! Who cares if I’m not man enough?”

That damned Jiang Shangzhen is the collective nightmare of male and female cultivators in the Northern Entirety Continent. Back then, his Golden Core was as potent as a Nascent Soul, and later he became notorious for using a Jade Purity Realm cultivation as if it were an Immortal Realm. So now he’s in the Immortal Realm? Even putting aside his cultivation level, the guy is like carrying a latrine pit around, who wants to get involved with him? Throwing a punch or delivering a sword strike at Jiang Shangzhen might really result in being covered in excrement. The key is that this person holds grudges and is good at running away. So even Huang Tong doesn’t want to provoke him. Historically, there was a Nascent Soul elder in the Northern Entirety Continent who, refusing to believe the rumors, spent twenty years determined to kill that universally despised but seemingly unkillable scourge. In the end, he didn’t gain much, and his sect suffered a terrible fate. Jiang Shangzhen fabricated all sorts of scandalous love affairs about the sect, writing several thick volumes of romantic tales, complete with illustrations, and Jiang Shangzhen loved to give them away for free. If you refused, he’d offer you money! If you accepted the money, wouldn’t you at least flip through a few pages?

Han Huaizi laughed, “Senior brother, there are juniors here. Even if you don’t care about your own reputation, at least help Jinglong build some goodwill.”

Huang Tong coughed, took a sip of wine, and continued, “Li Cai, let’s talk business. The customs of Sword Qi Great Wall seem similar to those of the Northern Entirety Continent, but they are actually very different. The battlefield south of the city wall is vastly different from the one-on-one duels we are familiar with. Many cultivators from other continents often die in the first few days of contact. A single misstep can lead to death. Don’t assume that being a Jade Purity Realm sword cultivator makes you invincible. On the battlefield, killing and scheming are rampant. There are also extremely insidious beings among the demon race.”

Huang Tong twisted his wrist, took out three books from his spatial storage, two old and one new, and pushed them towards Li Cai, who was sitting across from him. “Two books are Sword Qi Great Wall editions, one introducing the demon race, one similar to a military treatise. The last one is my own心得, from two major battles. I advise you, if you don’t read these three books thoroughly, I’ll drink a toast to you now, then later, when you die in battle, I won’t mourn you from afar in the Taihui Sword Sect. Because you, Li Cai, will have sought your own death and won’t deserve my, Huang Tong’s, sword tribute!”

Li Cai put away the three books and nodded, “I wouldn’t dare to be arrogant about matters of life and death.”

Huang Tong sighed and turned to look at his junior brother, also a sect leader of the Taihui Sword Sect. “Li Cai, it seems like her sect doesn’t have any senior figures, so she has to come here herself. Doesn’t the Taihui Sword Sect still have me, Huang Tong, to hold the fort? Junior brother, you’re well aware that I’m not good at handling administrative matters, and you’re well aware that I don’t have the patience to teach disciples. Wouldn’t it be better for you to return to the Northern Entirety Continent and help Jinglong one last time? Sword Qi Great Wall isn’t lacking Sword Immortals from the Taihui Sword Sect, I’m here.”

Han Huaizi shook his head, “We’ve already settled this matter. Don’t try to persuade me to change my mind.”

Huang Tong said angrily, “Settled my ass! That’s because I can’t beat you, so I can only roll back to the Northern Entirety Continent.”

Han Huaizi said calmly, “Once you return to the Taihui Sword Sect, focus on practicing your sword.”

Huang Tong was deeply worried and drank a large bowl of wine, “But you are still the sect leader. If you leave, leaving only a Huang Tong, the Taihui Sword Sect will be able to have a clear conscience.”

Han Huaizi said, “I have guilt. Since the Taihui Sword Sect was established, no sect leader has ever died at Sword Qi Great Wall, nor has any Ascension Realm Sword Immortal emerged. With Liu Jinglong around, there is hope for the latter. So I can rest assured and accomplish the former.”

Huang Tong sadly departed.

Before heading to Inverted Mountain, Huang Tong went to the wine shop and wrote his name with sword qi, with a sentence behind it.

As the old man left, he looked desolate, without a hint of Sword Immortal spirit.

After hearing about the wine shop’s rules, Li Cai was also intrigued and only engraved her name, but didn’t write anything on the back of the sign, only saying that she would write something after she had killed two demon creatures above the fifth realm.

Han Huaizi also wrote his name, and wrote a sentence.

“Han Huaizi, the fourth generation sect leader of the Taihui Sword Sect.”

“I have no great regrets in this life.”

During this time, Chen Ping’an had been quietly drinking wine.

When Li Cai and Han Huaizi, the two sect leaders from the Northern Entirety Continent, departed side by side, walking on the deserted streets late at night.

Chen Ping’an stood up and called out, “Two sect leaders.”

Han Huaizi chuckled softly, “Don’t turn around.”

Unexpectedly, Li Cai had already turned around and asked, “Is there something?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “The wine money.”

Li Cai asked Han Huaizi, puzzled, “Does drinking wine at Sword Qi Great Wall cost money?”

Han Huaizi said calmly, “I don’t know.”

Li Cai frowned, “Just put it on Jiang Shangzhen’s tab. One Snowflake Coin for a small Summer Heat Coin!”

Chen Ping’an nodded with a smile.

The two Sword Immortals walked forward slowly.

Li Cai felt something was strange. Logically speaking, given Chen Ping’an’s temperament, he shouldn’t be like this. She turned her head to look.

The young man had his hands in his sleeves, looking at the two of them. When he saw Li Cai turn around, he sat back down at the wine table.

Han Huaizi said in a mental voice, “This young man is just trying to find something to talk about, probably feeling that even a few extra words are good.”
Li Cai sighed, a helpless expression gracing her face. “What in the heavens is all this about?”

Han Huaizi pondered for a moment, then, to her surprise, actually offered an explanation. “Sword cultivator and sword cultivator.”