In the autumn of the Sword Qi Great Wall, there were no withering parasol trees, no banana leaves and nightly rain, no crows cawing amidst withered lotus, no curtains rolled up by the west wind, no cold mandarin duck shores, and no osmanthus blossoms floating in jade bowls.

Yet, there were trees ablaze with autumnal hues, the rustling of fallen leaves, the chill of autumn nights, and the silver glow of the moon bathing the city.

Throughout the Grand Azure World, spring breezes and rains were then adorning door couplets, spring mountains and streams were nurturing verdant grass, and all under Heaven shared the same vibrant spring.

In the Dragon Spring Prefecture of Treasure Bottle Continent, Mount Luo Po, during the Awakening of Insects season, the heavens inexplicably shifted. Bright sunshine transformed into a dense, oppressive canopy of dark clouds, followed by a torrential downpour.

The three young lasses were huddled together on the second-floor veranda of the bamboo building, admiring the rain.

The little girl in black had a verdant walking staff and a tiny golden carrying pole placed on either side of her. As the righteous Right Protector of the Mount Luo Po Ancestral Hall, Zhou Mi Li secretly gave the walking staff and carrying pole the nicknames “Little Right Protector” and “Little Left Protector,” but she didn’t dare tell Pei Qian. Pei Qian had too many rules, annoying. There were several times when she didn’t want to play with her anymore.

But whenever they had a disagreement, right from the very start, Zhou Mi Li would start counting on her fingers, waiting for Pei Qian to come and play with her.

Chen Nuan Shu was a little worried because Chen Ling Jun had recently seemed to have made up his mind that as soon as he attained the Golden Core stage, he would immediately go to the Ji River in the Northern Azure Continent.

Pei Qian shifted her posture, lying on her back with her hands crossed behind her head as a pillow, and lightly swinging her crossed legs. After thinking for a moment, she slowly moved her body, changing direction. Her crossed legs now faced the rain curtain beyond the bamboo building’s eaves. Pei Qian had also been feeling somewhat vexed recently. Practicing fist techniques with Old Cook always felt off somehow, lacking vigor. Once, she even got so angry that she roared at Old Cook, and then Old Cook unceremoniously kicked her unconscious. Afterwards, Pei Qian felt a bit bad for Old Cook, but wasn’t too keen on apologizing. Except for that one sentence, which she admitted was a bit harsh, it was Old Cook who was in the wrong to begin with. When sparring, he should be like Grandpa Cui, beating her to within an inch of her life! Anyway, it wouldn’t actually kill her. She wasn’t afraid of getting beaten. She’d just close her eyes, open them again, and after a few yawns, it would be a new day. She really didn’t know what Old Cook was so afraid of.

If Old Cook didn’t put any strength into his strikes each time, what was the point? Each time she soaked in the medicinal bath, how much silver did it cost her Shifu? She and Nuan Shu had calculated that based on her current method of martial arts practice, even if Pei Qian pulled Shi Rou Jie Jie along to do business in Riding Dragon Lane, even if they didn’t close at night, the little bit of silver she earned wouldn’t be enough to pay for it, not even in a hundred years. So why was Old Cook being so hesitant, as if he hadn’t eaten enough? When sparring, he should put his heart into his punches. Anyway, she always ended up unconscious and asleep. She had actually held back several times before finally losing her temper.

So, after waking up in the middle of the night that day, she ran to wake Old Cook up to make a midnight snack, and then she ate a few extra bowls of rice. Old Cook should understand that this was her apology, right? He should have understood. Old Cook was wearing an apron at the time, and he even helped her pick food, so he didn’t seem angry. Old Cook was a bit old, and a bit ugly, but he had one great quality: he didn’t hold grudges.

There was an even bigger worry, which was that Pei Qian was afraid that Shifu would be unhappy if she shamelessly followed Husbandman Master Zhong to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes. That guy was looking at the small pond behind the bamboo building again.

Great Li North Mountain Monarch Wei Bo stood in the corridor, smiling, “Pei Qian, have you been bored lately?”

Pei Qian said listlessly, “Bored, how could I not be? Bored to the point of a headache.”

Pei Qian slapped the floor lightly, springing to her feet in a carp-like jump. The slap was extremely skillful, causing the walking stick to bounce up and be grabbed in her hand. Leaping onto the railing, she launched into a frenzied swordplay, countless water droplets shattering and splashing, many spraying towards the corridor. Wei Bo waved his hand, not hurrying to speak. Pei Qian, while exuberantly wielding her sword, also shouted at the top of her lungs, “Thunder in a clear sky, gongs and drums sound, Oh! Heavy rain falls like money, Oh! Getting rich, getting rich…”

Mount Luo Po was truly short on money, there was no doubt about that, absolutely.

However, this lass, who even thought of herself as a money-losing burden, was probably the only one who wanted money to fall from the sky.

Wei Bo smiled, “I have a letter here, who wants to see it?”

Pei Qian immediately sheathed her walking stick, jumped off the railing, and waved her hand. Chen Nuan Shu, who had already stood up to greet the North Mountain Monarch, and Zhou Mi Li, who had slowly gotten to her feet, bowed together with Pei Qian, saying in unison, “Monarch Grandfather’s esteemed presence graces our humble abode, bringing prosperity and wealth!”

Wei Bo nodded with a beaming smile, then handed the family letter, addressed in delicate small characters “To Nuan Shu to open, Pei Qian to read, Mi Li to keep the envelope,” to the Nuan Shu lass.

Chen Nuan Shu quickly wiped her sleeves, accepted the letter with both hands, carefully opened it, and then handed the envelope to Zhou Mi Li. Pei Qian took the letter paper, sat cross-legged, and sat upright. The other two little girls also sat down, their little heads almost bumping together. Pei Qian turned to complain, Mi Li, be more gentle, you’ve crumpled the envelope, what are you doing? If you’re so clumsy, how can I trust you with important matters in the future?

The little girl in black immediately frowned, on the verge of tears. Pei Qian immediately smiled, touched Xiao Mi Li’s little head, and comforted her. Zhou Mi Li quickly smiled again.

Wei Bo leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance. The rain was heavy and rapid, the world was hazy, only the corridor here was bright.

The three little girls read the letter very slowly, unwilling to miss a single word, and also hoping that their names would appear in the letter, even if it was just one or two sentences. They should be happy for a long time.

After Pei Qian carefully read it once, Zhou Mi Li said, “Read it again.”

Pei Qian said unhappily, “Why say such nonsense.”

After reading it back and forth three times, Pei Qian carefully put the family letter, which was only two pages in total, back into the envelope, coughed a few times, and said, “Have you both clearly understood what Shifu said in the letter? Shifu doesn’t want you two to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall, anyway, the reason is written there, clearly, impeccably, righteously, so now the question is, do you have any resentment in your hearts? If so, be sure to say it out loud, and I, as Shifu’s first disciple, will definitely help you open your minds.”

Chen Nuan Shu smiled, “I can’t go to the Sword Qi Great Wall, it’s too far away. Leaving Mount Luo Po to go to Dragon Spring Prefecture City, even for just one night, makes me yearn to return to the mountain.”
She had truly grown accustomed to staying put. Before, it was the Orchid Pavilion of the Cao family’s library in Huangting, and now it was the even grander Dragon Spring County. What’s more, she used to have to hide, acting like a thief. Now, not only on Fallen Mountain, but also in Riding Dragon Lane of the small town, and even Dragon Spring City, she could be out in the open. That’s why Chen Nuan-shu liked it here, and she especially enjoyed the daily hustle and bustle.

Zhou Mi-li crossed her arms, trying hard to maintain a serious face, but couldn’t hide her smugness. She said, “Mountain Master said, he wants me, this Right Protector, to keep a close eye on that little pond. It’s a weighty responsibility, so as soon as I left the bamboo building, I moved my bedding next to the pond.”

The little girl in black was barely suppressing a smile.

Chen Ping-an had written in his letter that he had told many people on the Great Wall of Sword Qi about the mountain and water tales of the Silent Lake water monster! And he heard that the role was quite significant, not the kind that appeared briefly in folklore only to be killed off. Oh my heavens, that was another world! Something she never dared to dream of before.

Pei Qian hummed in agreement and slowly said, “That means you two still have some conscience. Don’t worry, I’ll just treat it as a trip to the Great Wall of Sword Qi on your behalf. This Mad Demon Swordplay of mine isn’t appreciated in the Vast World. I bet when I get there, tons of Sword Immortals will see this peerless sword technique I created and their eyes will pop out. Then they’ll immediately cry and beg to take me as their disciple. And then I can only sigh softly, shake my head, and say, ‘Sorry, I already have a master. You can only cry now.’ For those Sword Immortals who were born at the wrong time, it’s truly a tragic and pitiful, sentimental story.”

Chen Nuan-shu smiled and asked, “When you get to Master’s side, you dare to talk to Sword Immortals like that?”

Pei Qian said solemnly, “Of course not. I said, it’s just a story.”

Zhou Mi-li nodded vigorously, feeling that Sister Nuan-shu’s brain wasn’t always working, and she was much worse than herself.

Chen Nuan-shu took out a handful of melon seeds. Pei Qian and Zhou Mi-li each skillfully grabbed a handful. Pei Qian glared, and Zhou Mi-li, who thought she was being sneaky and had grabbed the most seeds, immediately stiffened. Her expression didn’t change, as if Pei Qian had cast a spell of immobility on her. She slowly loosened her fist, letting a few seeds fall into Chen Nuan-shu’s hand. Pei Qian’s eyes widened again, and Zhou Mi-li then returned most of them. Looking at her hand, there were still quite a few, and she secretly rejoiced.

Chen Nuan-shu took out a handkerchief and placed it on the ground. It didn’t matter elsewhere on Fallen Mountain, but in the bamboo building, whether it was on the first or second floor, melon seed shells couldn’t be thrown around.

Pei Qian said, “Wei Bo, if you can’t remember the things in the letter that are related to you, I can go to Pīyún Mountain every day to remind you. Now I can travel across mountains and ridges, as swift as the wind!”

Wei Bo smiled and said, “No need.”

Pei Qian worried, “Really no need? I’m afraid you won’t take it seriously.”

Wei Bo turned his head and teased, “Shouldn’t you be worrying about how to explain your martial arts fight with White Head to Master?”

Pei Qian looked blank. “What? Who is White Head? I’ve never seen this person. Wei Bo, are you dreaming? Or did I have a dream and forget it when I woke up?”

That little imp had been racking her brains for so long, only to come up with this explanation?

Wei Bo gave a thumbs-up and praised, “Chen Ping-an will definitely believe it.”

Zhou Mi-li put her hand to her mouth, leaned towards Pei Qian’s head, and whispered, “See? I told you this is the most effective explanation. Everyone will believe it. Even Mountain Lord Wei, who isn’t too dumb, believes it, right?”

Pei Qian nodded. “I’ll remember this as a merit! But we agreed, public and private are separate, and it will only be recorded in my personal ledger, not related to our Fallen Mountain Ancestral Hall.”

Zhou Mi-li was in a good mood today, shaking her head and smiling. “What, what, remember what merit? We are the best of friends!”

Wei Bo sighed, “There was once a poem that began with ‘The Vast World departs the old pass’, echoing the Sage’s ‘I then have a grand and righteous aspiration to return’, therefore it was praised by later literati as ‘the highest opening melody’.”

Zhou Mi-li frowned her delicate eyebrows, “What does that mean?”

Pei Qian said, “Say a few appropriate words, trying to get some of our melon seeds.”

Chen Nuan-shu was certainly the one who understood Wei Bo’s meaning most thoroughly, but she generally didn’t actively say anything. And Pei Qian wasn’t bad now either. After all, since Master left, she couldn’t go to school anymore, so she had read a lot of books. The books that Master left on the first floor were long finished, and then she had Nuan-shu help her buy some more. Anyway, no matter what, she would memorize them first. Pei Qian was even better at memorizing books and remembering things than Chen Nuan-shu. If she didn’t understand something, she skipped it. Pei Qian didn’t care. Occasionally, when she was in a good mood, she would ask a few questions to the Old Chef. But no matter what he said, Pei Qian always felt that if Master said it, it would be much better, so she disliked the Old Chef’s half-baked teaching and guidance. In the end, the Old Chef became a little discouraged and always said some nonsense that his knowledge was no worse than Master Zhong’s. Pei Qian certainly didn’t believe it. And then once when he was cooking, the Old Chef deliberately put in a little too much salt.

Chen Nuan-shu walked over and handed a handful of melon seeds to Wei Bo.

Wei Bo said thank you, smiling, and took them with both hands. Then he leaned against the railing and started cracking melon seeds, chatting with the three little girls. Among them, in his open palm, there was a pile of melon seeds and a pile of melon seed shells. The big mountain became a small mountain, the small mountain became a big mountain, and finally there was only one mountain left.

Outside the railing, wind and rain.

Inside the porch, warmth and harmony.

Wei Bo knew Chen Ping-an’s inner thoughts.

He wanted his two disciples and students to go to the Great Wall of Sword Qi to take a look sooner rather than later. If they went late, would the people of the Vast World really have another chance to see the Great Wall of Sword Qi? Would they still be able to go there to hike and sightsee, treating it as a scenic garden opened up by the Vast World?
Though the letter didn’t explicitly say so, Wei Bo could still discern another layer of Chen Ping’an’s worries. He was somewhat uneasy about Zhong Qiu, the National Preceptor of Nan Yuan Kingdom, taking Cao Qinglang and Pei Qian, two children who had finished their travels in the Lotus Root Blessed Land. However, Zhu Lian, who was practically half the master of the now-declining Falling Willow Mountain, definitely couldn’t leave. The other three in the painting scroll each had their own duties and pursued their own Great Dao. As for Wei Bo himself, it was even more impossible for him to leave Treasure Bottle Continent. So, to put it bluntly, Chen Ping’an was actually worried about the lack of top-tier cultivators and martial arts grandmasters in Falling Willow Mountain. As for the enshrined “Zhou Fei,” who was already a Celestial Realm cultivator, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t even open his mouth to ask, even if he could get Jiang Shangzhen to come.

In truth, if this letter had arrived earlier, it would have been better. He could have traveled with Liu Jinglong of Northern Ju Lu Continent to Old Dragon City, and then to Upside-Down Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Wei Bo immediately had a plan in mind, preparing to try and see if the elusive Cui Dongshan could share the worries and solve the problems for his teacher.

A few days later, Pi Yun Mountain received a secret flying sword message, instructing Zhong Qiu, Pei Qian, and Cao Qinglang to head south first and wait for Cui Dongshan in Old Dragon City.

Then, everyone would take a cross-continent ferry together, in a lively manner, to find his teacher.

Upon hearing that the large white goose was also going, the small bit of melancholy in Pei Qian’s heart completely vanished.

Yu Juanfu, who had initially agreed to spar again in half a month, had actually gone back on his word, saying that the date was yet to be determined.

The gamblers in the city weren’t anxious in the slightest, after all, the Second Shopkeeper had considerable gambling skills, and betting too hastily would easily fall into his trap.

However, experienced old gamblers were instead starting to agonize, afraid that the little girl, Yu Juanfu, might accidentally drink the Second Shopkeeper’s wine, and her brain would short-circuit, turning a good sparring match into a song and dance duo. How would they make money then? Now it seemed that not only were careless gamblers losing, even many of the bookmakers hadn’t managed to earn a few immortal coins from that Chen Ping’an.

Thus, one old gambler exclaimed after getting drunk, “The student surpasses the master! In the future, the gambling tables, big and small, of the Sword Qi Great Wall will be a bloody storm!”

Since there was no thatched cottage to live in, and Yu Juanfu was ultimately a woman, she felt embarrassed to sleep on the city wall every day. So, like the Bitter Summer Sword Immortal, she stayed at the residence of the sword immortal Sun Juyuan, only making a round trip to practice boxing on the city wall for many hours each day. Sun Juyuan didn’t have a good impression of Yan Lv, Jiang Guancheng, and that bunch of little brats, but he didn’t dislike this young lady from the Yu family of Central Earth. He rarely appeared, but offered high-level advice, using swordsmanship to explain boxing, making Yu Juanfu grateful.

Besides going to the city wall to practice swordsmanship, Lin Junbi mostly stayed in the pavilion at the Sun residence, playing chess alone, carefully studying the world-renowned “Colorful Clouds Score.”

Lin Junbi was interested in three things: the overall situation of Central Earth Divine Continent, cultivation, and Go.

As for the overall situation, Lin Junbi could only observe for now; as for cultivation, he never slacked off; as for chess skills, at least in the Shao Yuan Dynasty, the young man already found it hard to meet an opponent. The person he wanted to meet most was the Embroidered Tiger, Cui Chan.

His senior brother, Bian Jing, preferred the mirage over the sea, never to be seen.

The Bitter Summer Sword Immortal also never deliberately restrained the unreliable Bian Jing. When it came to sword practice, once one became a Golden Core sword cultivator, then everyone would have their own path under their feet, just forging ahead and climbing high.

If there was no such path, how could one form the core?

Among this group of sword cultivators from the Shao Yuan Dynasty, Yu Juanfu could only chat with Zhu Mei.

However, the so-called chatting was actually just Zhu Mei chattering away, and Yu Juanfu wouldn’t get tired of listening.

Zhu Mei also helped Yu Juanfu buy that thick collection of Bi Sword Immortal seals. Now, the Sword Qi Great Wall had some relatively exquisite printed versions, supposedly from the Yan family, which should barely break even and not earn too much money.

Today, Zhu Mei was drinking tea in Yu Juanfu’s room, watching Yu Juanfu carefully flipping through the seal collection. Zhu Mei curiously asked, “Sister Yu, I heard that you came directly from Golden Armor Continent to the Sword Qi Great Wall, don’t you want to take a look at your fiancé? That Huai Qian, his reputation has been growing bigger and bigger since you left your hometown. For example, he’s friends with Cao Ci and Liu Youzhou, causing many young celestial maidens from the clan-headed families to be heartbroken. So many rumors! Sister Yu, do you purely dislike that childhood betrothal, so you’re feuding with your elders, or have you privately interacted with Huai Qian and then couldn’t bring yourself to like him?”

Yu Juanfu said, “Both.”

Zhu Mei asked again, “Then let’s not talk about this Huai Qian, let’s talk about that Old Sword Immortal Zhou? This old immortal seems to be very exaggerated every time he takes action. Last time he took action, it seemed to be to stand up for Sister Yu, and there are still many credible rumors that Old Immortal Zhou’s action was too fierce, actually attracting a reprimand from a Grand Academician of the Academy.”

Yu Juanfu hesitated for a moment and shook her head, “False.”

Zhu Mei’s eyes widened, full of anticipation.

Yu Juanfu said, “Mr. Zhou has accumulated merit, as long as he doesn’t go too far, the academies generally won’t bother him. Just know this yourself, don’t spread it.”

Zhu Mei nodded.

Yu Juanfu still reminded her, “If you can’t control your mouth, and Yan Lv or someone like that hears about this, it will be a big handle for them to grasp. Be careful.”

Zhu Mei could only continue to nod.

Zhu Mei suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.

Yu Juanfu was staring at a seal inscription on the collection, so she didn’t pay attention to the girl’s actions.

“A white heron stands still in the daylight snow, the inkstone has no lamp at night.”

Yu Juanfu looked at this seal inscription and was slightly moved. When Cao Ci taught her boxing, she should have thanked him, whether Cao Ci appreciated it or not.

But she was just looking at the seal collection, she would never buy that seal or folding fan.

Zhu Mei couldn’t help but suppress her curiosity and asked, “Sister Yu, what’s the deal with your name? Is there anything special about it?”

Yu Juanfu continued to flip through the seal collection and shook her head, “There’s something special, but it’s boring. I’m a woman, and I’ve always thought that the name Yu Juanfu doesn’t sound good. I can’t change it on the ancestral records, but I can change it as I please when I travel the world. In Central Earth Divine Continent, I used a pseudonym, Yu Qiyun. When I got to Golden Armor Continent, I changed it again, Shi Zaixi. You can call me by that name in the future, call me Shi Zaixi, it sounds better than Sister Yu.”

Zhu Mei gently called out, playfully, “Zaixi, Zaixi.”

Yu Juanfu was a little helpless, shook her head, and continued to flip through the seal collection.
“Who stands upon the city wall, so utterly carefree?”

“Her hair coiled, holding the most clouds of the mortal realm.”

And numerous paired seals, “Prostrating before the heavens beyond heavens,” “The Dao’s power illuminates the vast universe.”

“Generously departing,” “Grandly returning.”

“For you, I fill a cup to the brim,” “The sun and moon wander within your cup.”

Yu Juanfu flipped through the seal album, growing increasingly irritated. Clearly, he was a scholar with some learning, yet he was so derelict in his duties!

Turning to a page, he saw the seal inscription “Goose Crashes into the Wall.”

Yu Juanfu thought of the impossibly high wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and couldn’t help but smile. Barely suppressing his amusement, he straightened his face and coldly snorted.

Chen Pingan and Qi Jinglong were drinking at the shop.

In the Sword Qi Great Wall, the most wasteful thing was to drink without purity, resorting to cultivator techniques and spells. Such people were even more contemptible than bachelors.

Qi Jinglong was still only eating a bowl of plain noodles and a dish of pickled vegetables.

The surrounding drunken sword cultivators exchanged glances, sensing that this young Sword Immortal from the Northern Ju Lu Continent had unfathomable drinking capacity, surely a prodigious drinker.

Perhaps, as the second shopkeeper said, he had reached the level where “I sit alone at the table, while all others lie beneath.”

Bai Shou liked coming here because he could drink. Although the man named Liu had ordered that he could only drink one bowl each time, his alcohol tolerance was such that one bowl was enough to make him slightly tipsy.

Besides, Chen Pingan himself had said, “My shop has such a big white bowl, it’s normal for people to get drunk. It has nothing to do with how good or bad one’s alcohol tolerance is.”

Qi Jinglong hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

Chen Pingan smiled and said, “Do you feel that even without speaking, the way Miss Lu looks at you speaks volumes, if anything increasing, so you’re a bit flustered?”

Qi Jinglong remained silent, glancing at the wine pot. He really did feel like having a drink.

Chen Pingan smiled without a word, feigning profoundness.

*How am I supposed to know what to do in your situation?*

Meanwhile, in the Vast Expanse, a cross-continental ferry from Old Dragon City to Inverted Mountain had two scholars, both dressed in green robes, of varying ages, silently admiring the scenery at the bow of the ship. A handsome young man with a mole between his eyebrows and dressed in white, pure as snow, was playfully frolicking with a small girl with slightly dark skin, holding a mountain-traveling staff, oblivious to everything around them.

The young man dashed away, dodging the mountain-traveling staff, his wide sleeves fluttering like snowflakes, loudly exclaiming, “We’re about to see my teacher, your master! Aren’t you happy?!”

The little girl chased after the great white goose, shouting at the top of her lungs, “Happy, very happy!”