The wind was clear, the moon bright. The moon descended, the sun ascended. Day and night alternated, but fortunately, the world still held the spring breeze.

Two disciples of Fallen Mountain, having spent the entire night awake, sat idly chatting atop a wall. One wondered where they found so much to talk about. Fortunately, one, a Qi cultivator who had nearly fallen to the depths, was now walking once more towards the mountain peak. And he wouldn’t stop at the halfway point. The path to immortality was long, the road to heaven difficult. Others walked, some ran, but he could leave them all in the dust, a true prodigy. The other, a slightly taller girl with skin no longer so dark, was breaking through martial arts realms as easily as cracking melon seeds. Even after chatting all night, she was still vibrant, showing no signs of fatigue.

Cui Dongshan stood up on the wall, saying that ancient deities towered over all the mountains of humanity, wielding long whips that could drive mountains and move them ten thousand miles.

Another deity, with a single outstretched hand, could conjure the scene of a bright moon rising from the sea.

And still another deity tirelessly ran between heaven and earth, not revealing their true form, but carrying the great sun on their shoulders, making no attempt to hide it. When they ran close to the human world, it was the midday sun hanging high. When they ran far away, it was the sunset and the dimming twilight.

Pei Qian, for her part, let it go in one ear and out the other. The Big White Goose was spouting nonsense. It wasn’t her Master speaking, so whether she listened or remembered didn’t matter. In fact, Pei Qian quite liked talking to the Big White Goose. He always had endless strange words and countless stories to tell. The key was that you could listen and then forget, it didn’t matter. The Big White Goose would never urge her on in her studies. That made him much better than Old Chef. Old Chef was annoying. He knew she was diligent about copying books, never owed a debt, but he still asked her every day. Why ask so much? With all that spare time, why not stew a pot of spring bamboo shoots with salted pork, or stir-fry a plate of fragrant water celery with dried tofu?

Just thinking about it made Pei Qian wipe her mouth. Besides those signature dishes, there were also Old Chef’s fried small stream fish, truly a masterpiece.

Before this long journey, she had made a special trip to the stream with Little Millet, catching a large basketful. Then, Pei Qian had stood in the kitchen, watching Old Chef, telling him to pay attention, to use all his skill. This was to be taken to the Sword Qi Great Wall for her Master. If the flavor was off, it would be unacceptable. As a result, Zhu Lian had almost had to use the Six-Step Stance and the Ape Fist form before Pei Qian was satisfied. Later, Pei Qian had originally wanted to carry all these hometown foods in her pack, personally taking them all the way to Upside-Down Mountain. However, the journey was long, and she worried they wouldn’t last. So when she arrived at Old Dragon City Wharf and saw Cui Dongshan hurrying over, covered in dust, her first act was to have the Big White Goose carefully hide this small token of her affection in his miniature world. To that end, she made a deal with the Big White Goose. One-tenth of those golden fish would be his. Then, along the way, Pei Qian had found ways to eat his one-tenth, crispy and delicious, with Cui Dongshan. Seed Old Master and Cao Xiaomutou seemed to be envious. Pei Qian had once asked Old Master if he wanted to try some, but Old Master was thin-skinned and smiled, saying no. So Pei Qian took that as Cao Qinglang also declining.

Her own Old Chef’s cooking skills were truly beyond words. She had to sincerely give him a thumbs up. But Pei Qian sometimes felt sorry for Old Chef. After all, he was old. There was nothing to be done about being ugly. His chess skills weren’t high, and he wasn’t good at speaking pleasantries. So he was fortunate to have this one skill, otherwise, in Fallen Mountain where everyone was busy, he would probably have to rely on her to support him.

But doing that for too long wouldn’t work. In the end, he would still be looked down upon. As Master had said, if a person didn’t have any real skill, then wearing a new coat and a tall hat wouldn’t make people look up to you. Even if others praised you to your face, they would still laugh behind your back. On the other hand, farmers, shopkeepers, and kiln workers, earning their living by their skills, whether their lives were good or bad, at least wouldn’t have people pointing fingers at them. So Pei Qian was worried that Old Chef would get too proud, like the never-growing-up Chen Lingjun. She was worried that Old Chef would be blown away by the praise of the cultivating immortals from neighboring mountains and forget who he was. So she repeated Master’s words verbatim to Zhu Lian. Of course, Pei Qian remembered the lesson that Master had also taught. When reasoning with someone, it wasn’t enough to simply be right. You also had to consider the customs, the atmosphere, and the timing, as well as your own tone and attitude. So Pei Qian thought it over and called on the loyal Right Protector, putting on a beautiful show of “knocking the mountain to shake the tiger.” Little Millet just had to nod and humbly accept, and afterwards, she could add another merit to her, Pei Qian’s, merit ledger. After listening, Old Chef was filled with emotion and benefited greatly, saying that she had grown up. Pei Qian knew that Old Chef had probably taken it to heart, which was quite gratifying.

Cui Dongshan slowly walked back and forth on the small wall, performing the Six-Step Stance. Pei Qian thought the Big White Goose walked poorly, swaying east and west, just an impractical show. But it didn’t matter since the Big White Goose didn’t learn boxing from her Master. Otherwise, Pei Qian would really have to lecture him on boxing principles. Some things, once done, couldn’t be done sloppily. If you weren’t serious, it just wouldn’t work.

Cui Dongshan walked back and forth on the narrow wall, muttering to himself, “Legend has it that ancient cultivators could enter dreams with sincerity and see true spirits. They could manipulate the three lights, the sun and moon revolve, their intentions guided them, the stars pointed the way. The vast divine light, forgetting artifice, illuminated every bone. Their sleeves held a壶洞 heaven within, allowing them to ride the wind and clouds, sharing eternity with heaven and earth. This saying holds great meaning. All methods return to the source. In my words, let us take one phrase: immortals never take money from ancient times. Travelers on the road, keep moving forward. Life is like morning dew, fleeting in an instant. Life and death are vast and you cannot ascend to immortality. Only the gate of true cultivation, the great family style, has gods and immortals above their heads. Dim and dark, the night is boundless. And there are those who sleep beneath the Yellow Springs, never to sleep for ten thousand ages. And there is a half-dead person, who spends his free time, lowered his head, and cultivates blessings for the world.”

Pei Qian asked, “Did my Master teach you that?”

Cui Dongshan stopped his boxing stance and slapped his forehead, not wanting to speak.

Pei Qian said regretfully, “If it wasn’t said by Master, then it’s not very good.”

Cui Dongshan did a one-legged stand, extended his joined fingers, struck a strange pose, and pointed at Pei Qian, “Freeze!”

Pei Qian suddenly stood still.

Then, Pei Qian snorted coldly, shook her shoulders, and unleashed boxing energy, as if scattering that “immortal magic.” She immediately returned to normal, crossed her arms, and said, “Small tricks, a laughingstock.”

Cui Dongshan feigned surprise, took two steps back, and said in a trembling voice, “You, you, you… who on earth are you, who is your master, why are you able to break my magic at such a young age?!”
Pei Qian rolled her eyes, “There aren’t any outsiders here, who are you putting on a show for? Can we save some energy? Enough is enough.”

Cui Dongshan sat back down beside Pei Qian and said softly, “If you want things to happen naturally and seamlessly, don’t you need to practice? It’s like our Fallen Mountain’s signature move, the Earth-Shaking Fist. If you don’t punch it tens or hundreds of thousands of times, how can you develop any real skill?”

Pei Qian scoffed, “That’s different. Master said, when you’re out and about, traveling the world, you should be kind to people and be sincere above all else!”

As soon as Pei Qian brought up her master, her mentor, Cui Dongshan was helpless. If he said any more, he was likely to get a beating.

However, Pei Qian quickly lowered her voice and said, “When the two teachers can’t see us later, we’ll practice properly. Because Master also said, whether it’s on the mountain or in the world, you shouldn’t have the heart to harm others, but you must be wary of them. Showing weakness can help you save your life. Showing strength can save you trouble.”

Cui Dongshan nodded, deeply agreeing.

Fallen Mountain may not have much else, but it has a lot of principles.

At dawn, the two teachers, Zhong Qiu, an elderly man, and Cao Qinglang, a young boy, unfailingly opened their windows almost simultaneously, reciting the sage’s scriptures, sitting upright and immersed in their studies. Pei Qian turned her head to look, pursing her lips in feigned disdain. Although she didn’t seem to care on the surface and never said anything, she was still somewhat envious of that Cao blockhead. He was indeed a little more like Master when it came to reading, but only a little. She herself couldn’t pretend to be, and she never had much of a relationship with the words in the sage’s books. Every time, she was like an unwelcome flatterer, knocking on the door for a visit and being unwelcome. They never knew to open the door with a smile, they were too arrogant, which irritated her.

Only a few times, about three times in total, had the words on the books finally given her sincerity a chance, as Pei Qian and Zhou Mili privately said, the ink block characters no longer “died on the battlefield of the books” but “jumped out of their graves, brandishing their weapons and showing off, scaring people to death.”

Zhou Mili was startled and frightened, her eyebrows furrowed together, and Pei Qian borrowed a talisman to stick on the right protector’s forehead. That night, Zhou Mili moved all her treasured romances into the Warm Tree House, saying that these books were so pitiful and had no feet, so she had to help them move to a new home, which confused Warm Tree. However, Warm Tree didn’t say much and helped Zhou Mili take care of the books that had been read too many times and were badly worn.

It was probably as Master said in private, everyone has their own book. Some people write a book their whole life, and they like to open it for others to see. Then they are full of solemn dignity, noble integrity, not tempted by profit, but lack the word “kindness”. But some people never write the word “kindness” in their own books, but they are full of it. When opened, it’s full of lush grass and flying orioles, flowering trees facing the sun, even in the cold of winter, there are persimmons covered with frost and snow, a lively scene of red persimmons.

Having been with Warm Tree for a long time, Pei Qian felt that Warm Tree’s book didn’t seem to have the word “rejection” either.

The three times the words in the books were strange, once was during a journey with her master, and twice was when Pei Qian was working the hardest on Fallen Mountain, feeding her fist, tying a writing brush to her arm with cotton cloth, gritting her teeth to copy books, confused and dizzy, half-asleep and half-awake, the words would be like swimming fish, arranging troops. She only mentioned this to Master once, before they arrived at Fallen Mountain, and Master didn’t say much. Pei Qian was too lazy to think about it, thinking that perhaps all scholars who worked hard at their studies would have such an experience. She only had it three times, and if she told Master, who had probably seen it thousands and thousands of times, wouldn’t she be making trouble for herself and being scolded for nothing? The scolding didn’t hurt, but it was embarrassing. So Pei Qian decided that as long as Master didn’t ask about this small matter, she would never take the initiative to bring it up.

Pei Qian suddenly asked in a low voice, “What realm are you in now? That Cao blockhead is hard to talk to. Last time I saw him, he was just reading every day and didn’t seem to care much about cultivation, so I advised him with good intentions, saying that I, you, and him, we’re all of the same generation, right? I’m learning fists and swords, and I’ve learned two signature moves from Master at once. You don’t have to compare with me, what’s there to compare, what’s so good about comparing, right? But you, Cui Dongshan, are already in the Sea Gazing Realm, and Cao Qinglang seems to be barely in the Cave Mansion Realm. How can that be? Master isn’t always by his side to guide him in Taoist arts, but that’s not a reason for Cao Qinglang’s low realm, is it? Cao Qinglang is also boring, saying he will work hard and be diligent, but in my opinion, he’s still not good enough. But I won’t gossip about this to Master, lest Cao Qinglang judge a martial arts master, an unparalleled swordsman, and a ruthless killer with the heart of a petty man. So, are you really in the Sea Gazing Realm now?”

Cui Dongshan shook his head, “Not the Sea Gazing Realm.”

Pei Qian clapped her palm with her fist, “Then do you have the Cave Mansion Realm? You should at least be on the edge of the Middle Five Realms immortals, right? Forget it, even if you’re not yet, it doesn’t matter. You’re always wandering outside, busy with this and that, delaying your cultivation realm, which is understandable. At worst, I’ll tell Cao blockhead again that you’re not actually in the Sea Gazing Realm, just say that. I’ll take care of your face, after all, we’re closer.”

Cui Dongshan imitated Pei Qian’s tone and smiled, “Eldest Senior Sister is so understanding.”

Pei Qian frowned, “You’re so old, talk properly!”

Cui Dongshan held the back of his head with both hands, his snow-white sleeves hanging down like waterfalls, which, in Pei Qian’s eyes, only looked valuable. This was all Master’s instruction, not to use her heart to peek into the heart lake and other things of those close to her.

Once, a Golden Core guest from the Spring Dew Garden of the Northern Reed Continent was trapped on Cui Dongshan’s sleeves and couldn’t get out, imprisoned for a long time. He used all his spells but was still trapped, and in the end, he could only surrender and wait for death, feeling alone in the vast world, almost collapsing his Dao Heart. Of course, in the end, the Golden Core cultivator Song Lanqiao still benefited more, but the mental journey during that time must not have been pleasant.

In Cui Dongshan’s eyes, Pei Qian, who was not young, was still a little girl of ten, whether in height or mentality.

However, Pei Qian’s uniquely gifted vision and deep understanding of certain things were very different, and certainly not the realm that a young girl should have.
As previously mentioned regarding Pei Qian’s excessively swift fist strikes, Cui Dongshan would subtly guide her, reminding her to emulate her Shifu by thinking more, slowing down the punches initially. This might seem awkward at first, potentially hindering her martial arts progress, but in the long run, it would enable her to deliver even faster, perhaps the fastest, punches one day, teaching her to be truly worthy of the heavens, the earth, and her Shifu. Many principles could only be conveyed by Cui Dongshan, the teacher, to his disciple Pei Qian. However, some words had to come from someone other than Chen Ping’an, subtly and gradually, avoiding both forced growth and the disturbance of her mind by empty, grand pronouncements.

In truth, Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang’s scholarly journeys served the same purpose in an invisible way.

The reason everyone treated Pei Qian with such solemnity and regarded it as a matter of course was…

Why?

Ultimately, it was because the young Mountain Lord of Luopo Mountain cared the most.

Beyond that, there was another crucial reason: Pei Qian’s own actions, her transformations and improvements, warranted the careful expectation and hope that everyone harbored.

On Luopo Mountain, everyone was involved in transmitting and protecting the Dao.

This was due to the family tradition instilled by the young Mountain Lord.

However, future Luopo Mountain might not be so harmonious. The names on Luopo Mountain’s ancestral records would grow, page after page. As the population increased, hearts would inevitably become mixed. But by then, there would be no need to worry. Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang would have matured, no longer needing their Shifu and teacher to shoulder everything alone.

Today, Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang, Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian didn’t explore Upside-Down Mountain together. They split up and explored separately.

Cui Dongshan secretly gave Zhong Qiu a Gu Yu coin, on loan. A single coin could stump a hero, and that was unacceptable, especially since Zhong Qiu was a Wen Shengren and Wu Zongshi from Lotus Root Blessed Land, now a formal benefactor of Luopo Mountain. Zhong Qiu wasn’t some pedantic scholar. He had managed Nanyuan Kingdom with increasing prosperity. If not for the Old Daoist splitting the Blessed Land into four, Nanyuan Kingdom would have had the momentum to unify the four nations under heaven. Zhong Qiu not only accepted the coin but also borrowed two more Gu Yu coins from Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan accompanied Pei Qian straight to Lingzhi Studio. However, Pei Qian’s expression turned gloomy and distressed. The items and treasures were indeed dazzling and desirable, ranging from “very much” to “somewhat” liked, but she couldn’t afford them. Even after Pei Qian scoured every corner of Lingzhi Studio, upstairs and downstairs, left and right, she couldn’t find a single gift she could purchase with her own money. Yet, Pei Qian didn’t ask Cui Dongshan for money, even as she listlessly exited Lingzhi Studio, and Cui Dongshan didn’t offer to lend her any. They then went to the street of shops at the foot of Elk Cliff.

Pei Qian immediately felt like a fish in water, overjoyed. There were plenty of items here, and the prices weren’t exorbitant. Objects worth a few Snowflake Coins were abundant, dazzling her.

Weighing her money pouch, she felt confident. Her face beamed as she walked. If there weren’t so many people, she would have performed a set of Mad Demon Swordplay to express her joy.

The streets were bustling, mostly with female cultivators from the Great Hao Heaven who were traveling. Their diverse hairstyles and attire alone were enough to make Pei Qian marvel. Some had two high buns like green mountains, adorned with rhino horn combs, wearing loose, flowing robes. Even if they weren’t particularly beautiful women, they exuded grace and elegance. Others had their black hair coiled and styled with flower-like jewels, making Pei Qian envious. Their heads were adorned with miniature golden and silver mountains.

“How can there be so many people in the world as rich as me?” she wondered.

In the end, Pei Qian chose two gifts. One was for her Shifu, a writing brush said to be from the renowned “Zhong Family Style” of Middle Earth Divine Continent, specializing in small regular script. The brush holder was engraved with the tiny seal characters, “High Antiquity’s Wind, Skillful Form and Secrecy, Boundless Depth.” It cost Pei Qian one Snowflake Coin. The porcelain brush holder was filled with identical small regular script brushes. Just selecting one from among them, Pei Qian spent a full incense stick’s worth of time standing on tiptoes, eyes wide open. Cui Dongshan offered advice from the side, but Pei Qian ignored his chatter, focusing on her selection. The old shopkeeper was delighted, not at all annoyed, finding it amusing. Most outsiders traveling to Upside-Down Mountain weren’t short on money, often spending lavishly. It was rare to see someone as frugal as this swarthy girl.

The other gift, a greeting gift for Shiniang, cost three Snowflake Coins. It was a Rainbow Cloud Letter Paper, with swirling rainbow clouds and occasional glimpses of the bright moon, beautiful and charming.

With both gifts in hand, her small money pouch, filled mostly with worldly copper coins, broken silver, and gold melon seeds, wasn’t much lighter. However, it felt as if it had lost its support, causing Pei Qian to sigh. She carefully stowed them away in her sleeve. “There’s no choice. The great jade disc in the sky has its waxing and waning, just like the coming and going of money in my pocket. The two things are difficult to have at the same time.” However, Pei Qian didn’t know that the unhelpful White Goose had also bought some miscellaneous items from the shops and secretly exchanged all the Snowflake Coins she had taken from her pouch back with the shopkeeper.

Cultivators nourish themselves with the morning dew and sunset’s glow, undergoing marrow-washing and bone-cleansing. The more Dao they attain, the more refined their appearance.

However, a “handsome and dashing young man” with such an outstanding appearance as Cui Dongshan, wherever he went, was still an extremely rare sight, like jade trees growing in a celestial cave abode.

Therefore, he attracted many gazes along the way. For quite a few immortal beings on the mountain, the worldly etiquette that bound ordinary people meant nothing to them. A group of female Qi practitioners, heavily guarded, brushed past Cui Dongshan, smiled back, and after walking a few steps, couldn’t help but look back again. The more they looked, the more their hearts stirred. They simply turned around and quickly approached the young man, wanting to reach out and pinch his handsome cheeks. However, with a wave of the young man’s sleeve, the women vanished without a trace.
The women traveling together with their retainers were all flustered. The leading guard, a nascent soul cultivator, stopped the younger retainers who were about to demand an explanation. He personally stepped forward to apologize. The white-robed youth with the red dot between his eyebrows smiled without saying a word. Only the slightly dark-skinned girl holding the immortal-refined mountain staff spoke a sentence, and then the youth flicked his sleeves. A woman suddenly fell to the ground, paralyzed. The youth didn’t even look at the old nascent soul cultivator, but bent down, reached out with a smiling face, and patted the woman’s cheek, saying nothing. Then he continued walking forward with the girl.

After walking a few steps, the youth suddenly staggered and reached out to support his forehead. “Eldest Sister, this world-shaking, unprecedented great divine ability consumes too much of my spiritual energy. I’m dizzy, dizzy! What to do, what to do?”

Pei Qian wiped her forehead and quickly handed the mountain staff to the White Goose, “Then take it easy and walk slower.”

Pei Qian intentionally slowed down.

But as soon as she slowed down, the White Goose also slowed down. She had to quicken her pace to get away from those people behind her.

The youth held the mountain staff, repeatedly tapping it on the ground, secretly turning his head to look, smiling brightly, and waving to the woman.

The woman, her head splitting, was pale and dizzy, unable to utter a single word. Not a single ripple stirred in her heart lake, as if a mountain range covering the entire lake had directly suppressed it.

The old nascent soul cultivator, slightly probing his mistress’s heart lake, was shocked beyond words. The slight resentment he had harbored about potentially seeking retribution later vanished instantly. Not only that, but he also opened his mouth again with a mental voice, “I beg the esteemed senior to forgive my mistress’s offense.”

The youth didn’t turn around, but gently tapped the ground with the mountain staff, slightly increasing the force, and said with a mental voice to the tiny nascent soul cultivator, “This audacious woman has good eyes. I won’t hold it against her. Naturally, you don’t need to make a fuss or add unnecessary details. Judging by your cultivation path, you should be from the Mountain and River Sect of the Central Earth Divine Continent. I don’t know if you’re from the ‘Following Heaven Valuing Truth’ lineage or the unlucky ‘Imaging Earth Enduring Flow’ lineage. It doesn’t matter. Go back and tell your Ancestor Qin Zhilan not to feign heartbreak, close herself up, and pretend to be dead. Tell her directly that she lost three mind-questioning rounds to me back then and shamelessly hid from me, right? She benefited and still acted coy, right? I’m just too lazy to demand the debt from her, but this matter isn’t over today. I’ll slap her pretty little face until it’s ruined.”

The mountain in the woman’s heart lake instantly vanished like smoke, as if a god had moved the mountain away. The woman cultivator’s small world regained clarity, and her heart lake returned to normal.

The old nascent soul cultivator’s Dao heart trembled, and he cried out in his heart, lamenting how a small misunderstanding in this Upside-Down Mountain, tens of thousands of miles away from the Central Earth Divine Continent, had caused such a great trouble for the Sect Master Ancestor.

Was that youth an immortal realm cultivator? An ascension realm cultivator?

The old nascent soul cultivator was heartbroken. Once cultivators become enemies, especially those true immortals at the mountain peak, it’s not a matter of a few years or decades, but a tangled mess of resentment lasting hundreds or thousands of years.

Cui Dongshan turned to look at the girl who had temporarily lent him the mountain staff. Her forehead was sweating, her body was tense, and there seemed to be some guilt between her brows.

Cui Dongshan said with a mental voice, “Eldest Sister, how long have you been practicing boxing? Don’t worry about me. Like Mister, I’m used to walking up and down the mountains. My words and actions have their own boundaries. I can take care of myself. Even if the sky collapses, I don’t need Eldest Sister to worry about me yet. Just focus on copying books and practicing boxing.”

Pei Qian was a little gloomy. Using the martial artist’s technique of converging sound into a line, she said with low enthusiasm, “But I’m Master’s first disciple! As the Eldest Sister in Fallen Phoenix Mountain, I should take care of Nuan Shu and Xiao Mi Li’er. When I leave Fallen Phoenix Mountain, I should also show the demeanor of the Eldest Sister. Otherwise, what’s the point of practicing martial arts and boxing? It’s not like I want to show off…”

Cui Dongshan asked with a smile, “Why can’t you show off?”

Pei Qian asked in confusion, “I followed Master so far, traveling through mountains and waters, but Master never showed off.”

Cui Dongshan shook his head and smiled, “Mister still hopes that your path through the world will be happier and more free. As long as it doesn’t involve major issues, let yourself be more free. It’s best if you hear constant gasps of surprise and applause along the way. Oh, oh, they’ll say this girl has such brilliant boxing skills, and good heavens, such amazing swordsmanship! This heroine must have come from a prominent family; otherwise, there’s no reason or law for her to be so talented.”

Pei Qian was overjoyed at the thought of those scenes in the world.

But then Pei Qian inexplicably thought of Sword Qi Great Wall, and became a little worried, and asked softly, “After passing the Upside-Down Mountain, it will be another world. I heard there are countless sword cultivators there. Sword cultivators, alas, they’re all amazing, the most powerful cultivators in the world. Will they bully Master, a stranger? Although Master has the best boxing skills and the best swordsmanship, he’s just one person after all. If the sword cultivators there gang up, hundreds or thousands of them swarming up, and secretly hide seven, eight, or a dozen Sword Immortals inside, will Master be able to handle it?”

Cui Dongshan was somewhat speechless.

No matter who it was, they probably couldn’t handle it.

However, Pei Qian now considers everything, first thinking of the worst situation, which is a good habit. Perhaps this is her subtle influence, Mister’s teachings.

Hopefully, this is not only a gradual growth in the spring breeze, under the sweet rain, and among the green waters and green mountains.

Often, it’s a flower growing in the dark night, in a muddy swamp, or in barren land, blooming before dawn and before the morning light arrives.

Even if the wind and rain destroy it, then I will bloom another flower.

An even greater true hope is that it cannot bloom and will not bear fruit. Many lives are destined to be just a small blade of grass, but they must also see the spring breeze and bask in the sun.

There are many such people in the world.

Why not treat them kindly?

After experiencing that small incident at the foot of the Elk Cliff Mountain, Pei Qian found an excuse to bring Cui Dongshan back to the Crane Lodge, saying that she was tired today. The Upside-Down Mountain was indeed the Upside-Down Mountain, and the mountain roads were so long and difficult to walk that she needed to go back to rest.

Cui Dongshan couldn’t tell this Eldest Sister plainly that he wasn’t a Viewing Sea realm cultivator, or a Cave Mansion realm cultivator, but actually a Jade Pure realm cultivator, right? He couldn’t even say that his current Jade Pure realm was more unreasonable than the nascent soul of the sword cultivator Li Tuanjing in the early years of Treasure Bottle Continent, or the Finger Profound of Yuan Lingdian of the Northern Entirety Continent now, right?

The main thing was that even if he said it, she wouldn’t believe it.
Unless it’s something Mr. (referring to the master) says, the little lass probably wouldn’t truly believe it. Then she’d likely just say lightly, “Keep it up, don’t get arrogant or complacent.”

Compared to her master, the cultivation realms of everyone else probably don’t really register in Pei Qian’s eyes and mind.

On the way to the Crane Pavilion Inn, Cui Dongshan exclaimed in surprise, “Eldest Sister, there’s money on the ground!”

Pei Qian looked down, first surveying the surroundings. Then, with lightning speed, she stomped her foot on the snowflake coin, squatted down, and picked it up. The whole movement was smoother than her fist strikes.

Pei Qian touched the snowflake coin, delighted. “It’s the one that wandered off from home!”

Cui Dongshan jumped back in shock, his face full of astonishment. “Is such a coincidence possible in this world?!”

Reaching the turning point of the alley where the Crane Pavilion Inn was located, Pei Qian, completely focused on the ground, indeed found another seemingly homeless snowflake coin in the cracks of the stone pavement. Unexpectedly, it was the very one she had named herself! Another stroke of immense fortune!

Then, Pei Qian couldn’t stop smiling. She turned and stared intently at the big white goose, grinning. “Maybe before we enter the inn, the three of them can reunite as a family.”

Cui Dongshan said, “Is such a coincidence even possible in this world?”

Pei Qian nodded. “Yes, where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Unfortunately, after walking through the alley again, there was no more money and no more coincidences.

So Pei Qian dragged Cui Dongshan through it again and again. Even with Cui Dongshan’s great patience, he had to change his plans and secretly dropped the snowflake coin he had intended to use to trick her into giving him some dried fish. Pei Qian squatted on the ground, took out her coin pouch, held up the snowflake coin high, and smiled. “Welcome home!”

At the inn, Pei Qian lay on the table, the three snowflake coins placed in front of her. She asked Cui Dongshan to take out some golden dried fish from his miniature world, saying it was to celebrate the snowflake coins that had either fallen from the sky, grown from the ground, or walked home on their own.

Cui Dongshan ate the dried fish, but Pei Qian did not.

Cui Dongshan mumbled, “Eldest Sister, aren’t you going to eat any?”

Pei Qian lay on the table, her cheek resting on her arm. She tilted her head and looked out the window, smiling. “I’m not hungry.”

Cui Dongshan changed from gobbling down to chewing slowly.

Pei Qian continued to gaze out the window and said softly, “Besides the seniors in Master’s heart, do you know who I’m most grateful to?”

Cui Dongshan knew, but shook his head, pretending not to know.

Cui Dongshan even knew that his master held two “small” regrets deep down inside, never spoken to anyone.

One was the growing up of the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket, which was why everyone had acted so foolishly on the lake at the Great Sui Academy.

The other was the golden little figure who seemed to have left for a distant land and never looked back.

These regrets might accompany him for life, but they didn’t seem like things that needed to be drowned in alcohol or put into words.

Pei Qian slowly said, “It’s Sister Bao Ping, and the Master’s Wife we’re about to meet.”

Cui Dongshan picked up a dried fish and asked with a smile, “Why?”

Pei Qian said, “I think everyone believes Master was protecting Sister Bao Ping and the others when they went on their travels to study, but I know that Master’s first journey was with Sister Bao Ping. Back then, Sister Bao Ping was just a little girl, carrying a small green bamboo book box, accompanying the young Master in straw sandals, walking through so many green hills and clear waters together. That’s why I especially like Sister Bao Ping.”

“And then there’s the Master’s Wife that Master loves. Without the Master’s Wife, even if Master could still travel far, he wouldn’t be the best Master in the world today. But Master himself definitely wouldn’t have walked so happily through so many years. He would have walked very, very tired. How should I put it? Maybe every time Master encounters something he has to solve on his own, as long as he thinks that somewhere far, far away, there’s always a Master’s Wife waiting for him, then no matter how far Master walks alone, it’s as if there are copper coins on the ground that he can pick up. How could Master not be happy?”

Cui Dongshan suddenly understood. “I see. If Eldest Sister hadn’t said so, I might never have known in this life.”

Pei Qian sat up straight and nodded. “Don’t think you’re stupid. Besides Master, I have the sharpest mind in our Fallen Mountain. Do you know why?”

Cui Dongshan suppressed his laughter and asked curiously, “I beg Eldest Sister to enlighten me.”

Pei Qian stood up, leaned forward, and beckoned. “I’ll tell you secretly.”

Cui Dongshan stretched his neck, only to receive a series of knocks on the head from Pei Qian. The big white goose had just eaten a few dried fish and received a few knocks on the head as a reward.

Pei Qian sat back down, spread out her hands, adopted a posture of gathering her Qi in her dantian, and said solemnly, “Now you know, right?”

Cui Dongshan glanced at the remaining dried fish on the table. Pei Qian blinked and said, “Eat, go ahead and eat. Just consider it what Master left over for his student. If your conscience doesn’t hurt, eat more.”

In the Savage Desolate World, there was a vast region similar to the Central Earth Divine Continent. In the center was also a majestic mountain, towering above all other mountains in the world.

There were no Taoist temples or Buddhist monasteries on the mountain, not even a single demon clan cultivating in thatched huts. This place had been a forbidden zone since ancient times. For ten thousand years, only those above the fifth realm had the qualifications to ascend to the peak and pay their respects.

Today, a skinny and hunched old man, dressed in gray, was leading a newly accepted disciple up the mountain to meet “himself.”

Gradually ascending, the old man held the child’s delicate hand with one hand, while the other sleeve fluttered wildly in the heavenly gale.

The gray-robed old man turned his head and looked into the distance. Far away, there was a blind old man from another region, still using golden-armored puppets to move mountains. The old man shook his head.

The child being led raised his head and asked, “Is there going to be another war?”

The old man nodded. “Because I wasn’t here before, it was all just small-scale skirmishes, allowing Chen Qingdu to laugh at us for ten thousand years in vain.”

At Sword Qi Great Wall, the gambling dens were doing brisk business because two of the few young golden-bodied martial artists in the Great Azure World were about to have their second spar on the city wall.

The woman was asking for punches, and the man, of course, was feeding her punches. The outcome was definitely without suspense.

The second manager, although his character, drinking habits, and gambling habits were all worse than the last, his fist techniques were still decent.

Today, on the city wall.

Yu Juanfu, the female martial artist from the Central Earth, held her breath and focused her mind, her fist intent flowing like a long river.
Dozens of paces away, a young man in azure robes, jade hairpin adorning his hair, had not only removed his boots but, in a rare display, rolled up his sleeves and tightened his trousers.

The numerous gamblers perched densely along the city walls and those hovering on their swords outside, upon witnessing this spectacle, hesitated not a moment. They placed their bets on a victory within three punches, five punches, ten at most.

“That damned Second Manager, he thinks he can swindle our money again with those half-baked rumors and this clumsy charade? He’s truly met his match this time. Still too green, that one!”