Yu Juanfu was, in fact, a very straightforward woman. She accepted her defeat without resentment or complaint. She stood up gracefully, bid Chen Ping’an farewell, and left.

What Yu Juanfu was pondering now was the third martial exchange that Chen Ping’an had declined.

*My fists are inferior. What else can I do but enhance my martial intent and strike faster!*

She simply refused to believe what Cao Ci had said. She refused to believe that losing one fight to Chen Ping’an meant she could never catch up.

Chen Ping’an clasped his hands in farewell, without a word.

The talisman vessel landed on the city wall, and the group of four floated down.

Many sword cultivators dispersed, calling out to friends and acquaintances. For a while, streaks of sword light crisscrossed the sky north of the city wall. However, quite a few were grumbling. After all, no matter how exciting the spectacle, an empty wallet was never pleasant. Having to borrow money for wine was a source of worry.

Chen Ping’an put on his boots and smoothed his sleeves. He first bowed to Mister Zhong, who returned the gesture, smiling and respectfully addressing him as “Mountain Master.”

Before leaving Lotus Root Blessed Land, Zhong Qiu had already resigned as National Preceptor to the new Emperor of Nanyuan Kingdom. Now, having arrived at the Sword Qi Great Wall in another world, Zhong Qiu intended to become a purely martial artist. Fortunately, this place possessed the greatest abundance of sword qi in the world. He could carefully hone his martial intent, and perhaps one day, he would have the chance to meet Yu Zhenyi again. Now that he was no longer a National Preceptor, Yu Zhenyi should be a transcendent immortal. Reason would surely be useless between them, so Zhong Qiu would use his fists to question the immortal arts.

Chen Ping’an had exchanged a glance with Cao Qinglang earlier. Cao Qinglang understood and didn’t rush to greet his teacher, but stood quietly beside Mister Zhong.

At this moment, Chen Ping’an smiled at Pei Qian and asked, “Did you see and learn much on the way? Did it delay Mister Zhong’s travels?”

Pei Qian nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, then shook her head like a rattle-drum, a bit flustered.

*Master seems to have grown taller again. This is terrible. If he’s taller today and taller again tomorrow, won’t he be taller than Fallen Phoenix Mountain and Cloud-Draped Mountain in the future? Could he be taller than this Sword Qi Great Wall?*

Chen Ping’an ruffled her hair.

Pei Qian suddenly exclaimed, “Ouch!” Her shoulders swayed, as if she were about to fall. She furrowed her brow and whispered, “Master, isn’t it strange? I don’t know why, but my legs feel unsteady from time to time. It’s nothing serious, Master, don’t worry. It’s just a sudden stumble, but it won’t interfere with my fist training with Old Chef, and it certainly won’t delay my copying of books, since it’s my legs that are hurt.”

Pei Qian stood on tiptoe, raised her hand to her mouth, and said quietly, “Nuan Shu and Mi Li’er say I often sleepwalk. Maybe I bumped into something one day, like a table leg or a railing or something.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly understood, “I see.”

Pei Qian was relieved. *What a watertight excuse. Everything is fine!*

Then, Pei Qian’s body instantly stiffened, and she slowly turned her head.

Qi Jinglong walked towards them with his disciple, Bai Shou, who wore a long face. *Why did that troublemaker have to come? Here at the Sword Qi Great Wall, he prays to Bodhisattvas for blessings, to the Celestial Official for fortune, and recites the names of Sword Immortals, hoping for a bit of luck. But it’s no use!*

Chen Ping’an asked, “When are you two having your martial duel? Why not today, since we’re here?”

Pei Qian’s eyes lit up, and Bai Shou felt as if he’d been granted amnesty. They exchanged a look and understood each other perfectly. Bai Shou coughed and said first, “A martial duel? We’re more than satisfied with a literary one!”

Pei Qian echoed, “That’s right. Bai Shou is Mister Liu’s prized disciple, a Daoist from the mountains. I’m Master’s first disciple, a pure martial artist. Bai Shou and I are completely incompatible. Besides, I haven’t studied the martial arts for long, and my fist techniques are not refined. Right now, I’m just being fed punches by Old Chef. I wouldn’t dare to engage in a martial exchange with anyone. If we really have to have a martial duel, we’ll have to wait until I’ve mastered that ‘Mad Demon Sword Technique.'”

Bai Shou became anxious. “Even if you master that sword technique, you’ll still be a pure martial artist, a swordsman, not a sword cultivator. One word difference, but worlds apart. We’re still incompatible!”

Pei Qian also became anxious. *What do you mean? Are you looking down on my sword techniques? Are you looking down on Pei Qian? Looking down on me is looking down on my Master?! My Master has always considered himself a swordsman. Did the left protector of Riding Dragon Lane lend you some courage, Bai Shou?!* Pei Qian was furious and slammed her walking stick heavily on the ground. “Bai Shou, let’s have a martial duel today! Right now, right here!”

Chen Ping’an curled two fingers and flicked Pei Qian on the back of the head, saying, “A pure martial artist, with unstoppable fists, should use the present self to challenge the past self, and not engage in petty disputes. The principle is a bit profound. If you don’t understand, just remember it for now and think about it later.”

Pei Qian turned her head, aggrieved, and said, “But Bai Shou looks down on swordsmen. Master has traveled thousands of miles through the world and has always considered himself a swordsman. It doesn’t matter if Bai Shou looks down on me, I’m not familiar with him anyway. But he looks down on Master’s identity as a swordsman, as a sword cultivator, and I can’t accept that.”

Bai Shou felt as if his brain was about to explode, even more so than Yu Juanfu’s. He wished he could slap himself across the face.

Pei Qian’s martial intent surged, like hundreds of originally peaceful and serene streams suddenly merging into a single waterfall cascading from the sky.

Old Senior Cui of the bamboo building, when feeding her punches in the past, had occasionally spoken a few words of martial theory. Among them was a saying, “A waterfall hangs in mid-air, its roar echoing in the human world,” to describe the sudden formation of martial intent, the imposing presence of a martial artist filling the world. There was also, “A dragon with four claws lifts four mountains, its towering spine stretches its waist,” which described the fundamental martial intent of a cloud-steaming swamp. Since ancient times, dragons had brought rain, and sweet dew had always fallen from the sky. But she would use the water of the four seas and five lakes to return to the clouds, leaving the human world.

Chen Ping’an said, “Hmm?”

Pei Qian’s martial intent suddenly dissipated. She obediently said, “Oh,” drooping her head. What else could she do? If Master was angry, the disciple would admit her mistake. It was only right and proper.

Of all those Old Senior Cui had taught, Pei Qian had grasped the essence the best.

At least that’s what Chen Ping’an thought. Pei Qian learned the martial arts too quickly, receiving too many meanings and too much weight. Chen Ping’an, as her master, was both gratified and worried.

Bai Shou’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
If I, the White-Haired Great Sword Immortal, were to favor someone with the surname Liu so much, respecting teachers and valuing the Way like Pei Qian, that Liu fellow would probably be burning incense at the Ancestral Hall of the Grand Zenith Sword Sect, wouldn’t he? Then, facing the portraits of those ancestral masters, he’d be secretly shedding tears, his lips trembling, moved beyond words, saying that he’d finally found a disciple unmatched in a century, unparalleled in a millennium for the sect’s ancestors? What’s wrong with Chen Ping An? Did he drink too much at the tavern, his mind muddled? Or did that solid punch to the forehead from Yu Juanfu damage his brain?

Chen Ping An said solemnly, “White-Hair is half family. It’s fine for you to banter with him normally, but just because he said a few words, you want to seriously ask for a fight, a formal martial contest? Then, when you travel the world alone in the future, if you encounter strangers and overhear them saying harsh words, unpleasantries about your Master or Falling Boulder Mountain, will you use even faster, even heavier fists to reason with them? Perhaps not always, after all, no one dares to predict the future, not even Master. But tell me yourself, isn’t there such a worst-case scenario? Do you know, even if it’s just that one in ten thousand chance, that’s still ten thousand!”

“Once that happens, with so many cultivators venturing down the mountains, each sect more formidable than the last, the Jianghu’s waters are deep, every place seemingly a pond but actually a deep pool. You, alone, suffer a great loss, experience bitter hardships. Others commit minor wrongs, but you, relying on your fist intent, deliver a grave blow. Then, their relatives and elders come after you. Even if Master is willing to stand up for you afterward, with all of his strength, how much can he exert without feeling guilty? Can Master still meet that person, say nothing, and just deliver a full-force punch? How can Master knock him down with one blow and say only one sentence, ‘My disciple’s fist may be small, but the principle is great, therefore, as a teacher, I use a new fist to explain an old principle’?”

Pei Qian lowered her head, not speaking.

White-Hair’s mind was blank, his despair greater than death. The youth only knew that he was finished for life.

Cui Dongshan smiled, “Mr. Liu, Mr. Zhong, shall we take a stroll?”

The group understood each other perfectly, leaving the area, leaving only that pair of master and disciple who hadn’t been separated for too long, yet were once separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, two worlds.

Chen Ping An said, “Master has spoken his reasoning. Now it’s your turn. Master will only listen to what’s in your heart. As long as it’s from the heart, whether it’s right or wrong, Master won’t be angry.”

Pei Qian still didn’t speak.

She tightly gripped her walking stick.

This was an unprecedented event.

Chen Ping An was somewhat helpless and had to say more, softly, “In the past, Master wouldn’t have said these things to you in front of Cui Dongshan and the others, but would have talked to you in private. But now you are a direct disciple of the Ancestral Hall of Falling Boulder Mountain, and Master spends less time with you, and you have grown up a lot and learned boxing. Rather than caring about your feelings and talking to you nicely in private, in case you don’t take it to heart, Master would rather you feel that Master has made you lose face in front of so many people, resenting Master’s lack of sentimentality, but remembering these principles. Everything in the world has excess, which is a blessing, but only the matter of principle cannot be spared. Say what can be said today, make up for what was missed yesterday. It is the father’s fault to raise without teaching, and the teacher’s laziness to teach without strictness. Master is telling you so many troublesome and worrying rules, not to make you walk the Jianghu in the future, bound and uncomfortable, not happy at all, but to hope that you think more when you encounter things, and if you understand, it doesn’t hinder the principle, then you can punch without restraint, once in the Jianghu is like this, a hundred times is even more so, and if there is any grievance, go back to the mountain and find Master. Master doesn’t need his disciples to stand up for him, Master, as Master, should protect the Way for his disciples. Pei Qian, do you know what wish Master has in his heart? That is, the disciples and students taught by Chen Ping An, go down the mountain, no matter where in the world, their boxing skills can be inferior to others, their knowledge can be inferior to others, their spells don’t need to be how high, but only one thing, all the people in the world, no matter who they are, don’t need them to teach you how to be a person. Master is here, the teacher is here, one person is enough.”

Pei Qian was already sobbing, hugging her beloved walking stick, which she had lived with day and night, and often whispered her heart to it. She raised her arm, wiping her tears with her left hand and wiping her face with her right hand, but the tears wouldn’t stop, so she gave up. She looked up, wrinkled her face hard, and choked, “Master, the reason I said that earlier was because I felt that if it was a real martial contest, as long as White-Hair treated it with care, I would definitely not be able to beat him, but the disciple was really angry with him. Anyway, I can’t beat him, but the fist must be thrown. The disciple is Master’s first disciple, and I just don’t allow him to look down on Master and the swordsman. Even if I can’t beat him, I still have to fight!”

“So that’s how it is.”

Chen Ping An scratched his head, “Then Master was wrong. Master says sorry to you.”

Chen Ping An bent down and stretched out his palm to help her wipe away her tears.

Pei Qian was a little embarrassed. She even had snot, so she quickly turned her head, then turned her head again, and smiled, “How could Master be wrong? Master, take back the words ‘sorry’.”

Chen Ping An pinched her cheek, “You’re just being naughty.”

He had almost couldn’t help but take out the Sword Nurturing Gourd to drink, but now he no longer had the idea of drinking, and said, “Knowing the weight of your punch, or rather, being able to think about this before you punch, means that when you punch, you are always the one punching, not the person following the punch, very good. So Master was wrong is wrong, Master is willing to sincerely say sorry to you. Then you must also pay attention to what Master said, remember as much as you can, and if there is anything you don’t understand or think is not right enough, tell Master directly, ask directly. Master is not like some people, and won’t think it’s embarrassing.”

Pei Qian shook her head, leisurely, “‘Some people’ are outrageous, too different from Master and me.”

Chen Ping An flicked her forehead.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes, holding the walking stick in one hand and stretching out the other hand forward, swaying, wandering around Chen Ping An, not knowing if she was pretending to be drunk or sleepwalking, pretending to be talking in her sleep, “Whose master has such a powerful divine ability, being able to knock someone off their feet with just one flick, where is this, is it Falling Boulder Mountain… I really envy someone who can have such a master, so envious that it makes people drool, if it is the first disciple, wouldn’t they be smiling in their dreams…”
Chen Pingan took out his gourd for nurturing swords, took a swig of wine, and didn’t reward Peiqian with chestnuts again.

Perhaps in a few more years, when Peiqian grew taller and no longer looked like a little girl, even he, as her master, wouldn’t be able to casually knock her on the head with chestnuts anymore. The thought brought a tinge of regret.

So Chen Pingan flicked another chestnut at her, making Peiqian dare not spin around and fool around anymore. She rubbed her head and walked sideways next to her master, asking with a grin, “Master, the books say, ‘An immortal strokes my head, binding hair grants longevity.’ Master, do you think one day, I’ll suddenly be enlightened by a strike from you? Then I’ll learn boxing and practice swordsmanship, becoming the kind of immortal soaring through the clouds, and then I’ll have to copy books and also take care of the shop business in Riding Dragon Lane. I’ll be too busy!”

Chen Pingan smiled and said, “Cultivating the Dao seems to only depend on talent, mostly a gift from the heavens and the ancestors. But in reality, it’s about the heart. If the heart is not settled, the spirit will not condense, and the truth cannot be sought. No matter how many techniques you master, you’ll still be like duckweed.”

Peiqian nodded vigorously. “Master, although your cultivation level is, temporarily, temporarily, not the highest, this saying can’t be uttered by anyone below the Ascension Realm.”

Chen Pingan asked with a smile, “You know this much? Are you an Ascension Realm cultivator?”

Peiqian said, “Reason doesn’t depend on height. Besides, I’m standing on the highest city wall in the world right now, so the words I speak will also be higher.”

Chen Pingan took a sip of wine. “What does that even mean?”

Chen Pingan suddenly smiled. “If we count from the ground, this might be the highest city wall in the Four Worlds. But if we don’t talk about being connected to the earth, then the White Emperor City in the Central Continent of the Vast Land is probably even higher. As for how high the White Jade Capital in the Azure Billow Heaven is, the books don’t record it, and I haven’t asked anyone, so it’s hard to say which is higher than the Sword Qi Great Wall. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll see it with my own eyes.”

Peiqian asked curiously, “Is it the ancestral home that the Great Li capital imitated? What are you going there for, Master? It’s so far away. The Great White Goose said that it’s not like the Sword Qi Great Wall here. Take a ferry, climb the Inverted Mountain, and pass through the gate, and it’s another world. Then we can stroll around as we please. The Great White Goose said that he once had the chance to go to the Azure Billow Heaven on his own, but I didn’t believe him. How can a student go before their teacher? Master, I can’t persuade the Great White Goose. You should talk to him later, and he needs to correct his bragging habit. Master, can I know why you’re going to such a distant place? It’s said that the White Jade Capital is full of Taoists and nuns. If you go there alone, and I’m not by your side, it’ll definitely be boring.”

Chen Pingan smiled. “I’m not going for sightseeing.”

Peiqian became even more puzzled. “Looking for someone?”

Chen Pingan nodded. “You could say that.”

Peiqian frowned. “Who is it? Such a big shot that they don’t know to come to Fallen Mountain to find Master.”

Chen Pingan couldn’t help but chuckle.

They really had the qualifications to put on a grand display.

One of them had declared, “You have to ask if my fist agrees or not.”

A fist towards the world, parting the sea of clouds.

Then the other one smiled and said, “I’ll play with you.”

Twelve flying swords descending to the mortal realm.

Chen Pingan hesitated for a moment, recalling the things from his youth that he only knew the inside story of many years later. But he quickly remembered where he was now and smiled softly, “Master has two wishes now, and I’ve never told anyone. Two wishes that I might not be able to achieve in this lifetime, but I’ll always think about them.”

Peiqian vigorously rubbed her ears, lowered her voice, and said, “Master, I’m all ears!”

Chen Pingan shook his head. “If that day ever comes, when Master is about to travel far, I’ll tell you. Big talk is too big, saying it too early is not appropriate.”

Peiqian sighed. “Then I can only wait for two or three years!”

Chen Pingan murmured, “Two or three hundred years might not be enough, maybe after two or three thousand years, if I can really live that long, there’s still a slim chance.”

Fortunately, even if the hope was slim.

There was still hope after all.

Chen Pingan folded his hands in his sleeves, his pace slow but always firm, his eyes narrowed with a smile as he looked up at the sky.

Chen Pingan quickly withdrew his gaze. Ahead in the distance, Cui Dongshan and his group were overlooking the vast mountains and rivers of the South from the city wall.

Baishou stood next to Qi Jinglong, winking at Chen Pingan, “Good brother, I’m counting on you. As long as you appease Peiqian, I, the great swordsman Baishou, will call you Grandpa Chen!”

Chen Pingan turned to Peiqian and said, “Swordsmen and sword cultivators are truly worlds apart according to the customs of the world. You shouldn’t be too concerned about what Baishou says.”

Peiqian was in a good mood at the moment and didn’t care what Baishou said. Was she, Peiqian, that petty? Was her secretly hidden ledger very thick? Very thin! Now that she was by her master’s side, she changed her cautiousness on the ferry and walked swaggeringly. This was called “walking arrogantly, demons and monsters panic,” and she didn’t even need a yellow paper talisman on her forehead. She raised her head and smiled, “Master, I really can’t say how promising I am in learning boxing and copying books, but I’ve learned at least one-tenth of Master’s magnanimity, one-tenth! How magnanimous is that? Enough to hold two plates of dishes and three bowls of rice! Can’t it also accommodate a few frivolous words from some Baishou? Master, you underestimate me!”

Only Cui Dongshan sat on the city wall, smiling.

The only one who could make Peiqian sad and cry, and then laugh happily, was his teacher.

The key was that after Peiqian cried and laughed, she would really remember things and think about reasons with her heart, all the understandings and non-understandings, instead of picking and choosing and leaving most of it behind.

Cao Qinglang also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Peiqian return to normal.

His teacher’s words and expressions were truly those of a teacher.

Qi Jinglong smiled. “Not going to say something?”

Baishou tentatively asked, “If I admit my mistake, will it really be forgiven?”

Qi Jinglong smiled slightly. “Hard to say.”

Baishou hesitated.
Qi Jinglong said softly, “Actually, this matter doesn’t involve absolute right or wrong. What you need to admit isn’t the words themselves. In my opinion, they weren’t offensive. Of course, that’s the principle of it, but the reality might be different. After all, speaking to someone means you’re not talking to yourself. Your mindset wasn’t right. You went to the Fallen Mountain, but you didn’t really put your heart into observing and thinking. Otherwise, you and Pei Qian wouldn’t be so awkward.”

“How could I have put more heart into it? The moment I met her at Fallen Mountain, I was knocked unconscious by that Pei Qian!”

Bai Shou rarely lamented to Liu like this, glancing at the little dark charcoal not far away, daring only to lower his voice and mutter, “Don’t you know what kind of person my Chen brother is? Even if you, Liu, don’t know, the entire Sword Qi Great Wall knows! What if Pei Qian inherited seven or eight tenths of Chen Ping’an’s true skills? You have such a good relationship with Chen Ping’an, and you’ll definitely be dealing with him often in the future, whether you go to Fallen Mountain or he comes to the Great Empyrean Sword Sect. Am I supposed to hide from Pei Qian every time? The key is that my friendship with Chen Ping’an is not only useless in Pei Qian’s eyes, but it’ll also make things more troublesome. In the end, it’s all Chen Ping’an’s fault. He’s got a jinxed mouth, saying that my mouth is prone to attracting flying swords from Sword Immortals. Now look, the Sword Immortal’s flying sword hasn’t come, but Pei Qian has set her sights on me. Look, look, Pei Qian is glaring at me. Doesn’t the smile on her face look exactly like my Chen brother? Liu, I’ve figured it out. Don’t think that Chen Ping’an was just lecturing Pei Qian just now. He’s actually most concerned about her in his heart. I’m even afraid that next time I go to his shop for a drink, Chen Ping’an will have someone pour a laxative into the wine, half a jar of wine and half a jar of laxative. Chen Ping’an would definitely do something like that, both to trick me and save money, killing two birds with one stone!”

Qi Jinglong laughed, “Looks like you’ve been thinking about things a lot.”

Bai Shou sighed inwardly, what’s the use of having a master like you who only enjoys my misfortune and doesn’t help at all?

Pei Qian hopped over to the group, saying to Bai Shou, “Bai Shou, from now on, let’s only have civil debates!”

What is face? Are you kidding me, can it be eaten?

Before she met her master, she had wandered the martial world of Nanyuan Kingdom’s capital for countless years at a young age. She hadn’t even learned boxing back then, so what face did she have in the martial world?

Hearing these words, Bai Shou almost cried as excitedly as Pei Qian.

But Pei Qian turned her body slightly, facing away from her master a bit, then pursed her lips, smiled, and remained motionless.

Bai Shou felt like he had been struck by lightning.

Chen Ping’an reached out and pressed down on Pei Qian’s head, and Pei Qian immediately laughed and said, “Bai Shou, you’re determined to become a great Sword Immortal. Mr. Liu accepted such a good disciple like you, truly a master Sword Immortal and a disciple Little Sword Immortal. The master and disciple are two Sword Immortals. Next time I accompany my master to your Great Empyrean Sword Sect as a guest, I’ll bring a few large bundles of firecrackers to celebrate!”

Chen Ping’an said, “Speak properly.”

Pei Qian coughed, “Bai Shou, it was my fault earlier, don’t mind it. I’m saying sorry to you.”

How heavy was the weight of the words ‘I’m sorry’ that Master told her before? There was no scale in the world that could weigh that amount!

Taking out a tiny bit of it and giving it to Bai Shou was just a drop in the bucket.

Bai Shou’s scalp tingled and his face stiffened, “I don’t mind.”

I don’t dare to mind.

Pei Qian smiled, “I started learning boxing late, and I’m slow too. Doesn’t it take many days before I can reach the small fifth realm? So let’s wait a few years before asking Bai Shou… Bai Shou senior brother for guidance.”

Bai Shou asked with a stiff face, “Didn’t we agree to only have civil debates?”

Pei Qian said with a smile, “Then we’ll talk about future matters later.”

Cao Qinglang watched this scene and was actually quite happy.

So it wasn’t just him who was afraid of Pei Qian.

Chen Ping’an used a heart-voice ripple to ask Qi Jinglong, “Bai Shou is so restrained in front of Pei Qian, will it affect his cultivation?”

Qi Jinglong smiled and replied, “Just think of it as a necessary heart cultivation. Previously on Flitting Peak, Bai Shou actually didn’t have much motivation to cultivate. Although he has changed a lot now and actually wants to learn swordsmanship, he has been deliberately resisting his original nature, probably to deliberately antagonize me. Now that your first disciple is supervising him, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Didn’t he become particularly diligent in practicing swordsmanship when he heard that Pei Qian was coming to the Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Just seeing that Bai Shou was unwilling to use his full strength, even if he lost face and felt extremely humiliated, and still didn’t think about using the bottom-of-the-box tricks from Dividing Deer Mountain, is enough to show that he didn’t do anything wrong. Otherwise, the two of them could have actually fought at Fallen Mountain.”

Qi Jinglong smiled, “Will my disciple be worse than yours?”

Chen Ping’an said, “He’s still a bit worse.”

Qi Jinglong asked, “Then how about the master?”

Chen Ping’an said, “How old am I this year? What’s the point of competing with a sword cultivator who is almost a hundred years old? If we really want to compete, you’re currently at the Jade Purity Realm, right? I’m currently a fifth-realm Qi Refiner. According to our ages, you should treat me as a fifteenth-realm cultivator, which is four realms higher than your current eleventh-realm Qi Refiner. Not convinced? Then we’ll talk about future matters later. When I reach a hundred years old, let’s see if I have reached the fifteenth realm. If not, then just consider me spouting nonsense. Before that, don’t bring up realms too much.”

Qi Jinglong said with a smile, “Second Shopkeeper not only has a lot of wine, but also a lot of reasons.”

Chen Ping’an was a little ashamed, “You flatter me, you flatter me.”

Chen Ping’an no longer wanted to talk nonsense with Qi Jinglong. If this guy really made up his mind to reason with him, Chen Ping’an would also have a headache.

Chen Ping’an looked at Cui Dongshan and asked, “Are we going to see my eldest senior brother first, or are we going to the Ning residence first?”

Cui Dongshan seemed to have already planned, and smiled, “Master, you can go to the Ning residence first. I’ll pay my respects to Master’s eldest senior brother alone.”

Chen Ping’an thought about it and agreed.

Cui Dongshan suddenly said, “Eldest senior sister, lend me a yellow paper talisman to give me courage.”

Pei Qian was actually very confused at this moment. Where did Master get an eldest senior brother from?
Regarding this matter, Chen Ping’an didn’t have time to elaborate, as it wasn’t suitable for a secret letter. Cui Dongshan, on the other hand, was too lazy to say much. He couldn’t even remember if that guy’s name was Zuo You or You Zuo. If the master hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have known that such a great Sword Immortal was now living a hard life on the city wall, showing off his sword Qi every day.

Pei Qian took out a yellow paper talisman from her sleeve, handed it to Cui Dongshan, and reminded him, “Isn’t Master’s eldest disciple my eldest martial uncle? But I didn’t prepare a gift for Eldest Martial Uncle.”

Cui Dongshan said with a straight face, “Your Eldest Martial Uncle, who fell from the sky, is very fierce and has five big words engraved on his forehead: ‘Everyone Owes Me Money.'”

Pei Qian turned to look at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an laughed and said, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. Your Eldest Martial Uncle is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He has the highest swordsmanship in the Great Bright World. You can show him your Mad Demon Swordplay later.”

Pei Qian said timidly, “Master, have you forgotten? I wasn’t very stable on my feet before, and now my legs are a little sore. I must have bumped into something while sleepwalking. I can’t perform that insignificant swordplay. Let’s not make Eldest Martial Uncle laugh, okay?”

Bai Shou inexplicably suffered another thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Bumped into something while sleepwalking…

Qi Jinglong held back his laughter and took Bai Shou to another part of the city wall. Bai Shou would now practice swordsmanship with the disciples of the Taihui Sword Sect.

As he left, Bai Shou felt for the first time that practicing swordsmanship was so pleasant.

Chen Ping’an summoned a talisman boat and left the city wall with Pei Qian and the other two, heading towards the northern city.

Since the master was not here, Cui Dongshan had no scruples. He walked sideways on the city wall like a crab, swinging his large sleeves and fluttering them up and down, slowly falling and rising. He kept doing this to find his former junior brother, now martial uncle, to reminisce about old times. Reminisce your mother’s old times! I’m not familiar with you Zuo You. If it weren’t for this senior brother having a bit of money back in the day, wouldn’t that old scholar have been penniless for ten thousand years? And you Zuo You were in charge of the old scholar’s money?

It wasn’t his credit that the old scholar had a proper school back then. After all, Baoping Continent was too far from the Central Earth Continent, and the family wouldn’t send too much money at first. The reason the old scholar became confident, drank to his heart’s content, bought books today and paper and ink tomorrow, and finally gathered all the stationery and various offerings, was because the old scholar had accepted a third personal disciple. That guy was the richest among the fellow disciples and the most filial to the master.

“Little Qi, why do you suddenly want to learn chess? That’s a good thing. Go find your eldest martial brother. His chess skills are barely good enough to teach. But the school doesn’t have chess sets yet. The chess sets from Liuli Zhai and the horseshoe chess piers from Jiangzhou are very close to the school, but don’t buy them. They’re too expensive. Really, don’t buy them. Rather walk a thousand more steps than waste a single copper coin.”

“Okay, Master.”

“Little Qi, Master has been blessed recently while copying inscriptions and observing steles. My seal script skills have greatly improved. Do you want to learn?”

“I understand, Master. I want to learn.”

“Little Qi, have you read the re-engraved version of *Miao Hua’s Anthology* from Eryou? The binding and paper are minor matters, and we scholars don’t care about these fancy things. But the books of the sages are a major matter of learning. If there are missing or erroneous words, it’s not appropriate. A single word difference can be a thousand miles away from the sage’s purpose. We scholars must be vigilant.”

“Master is right. I understand.”

Of course, that guy was also the one who liked to file complaints the most, and he was always accurate.

“Master, Senior Brother Zuo is being unreasonable again. Master, please help us see who’s in the wrong…”

“What? That bastard hit you again? Little Qi, wipe your nosebleed first. Don’t rush to reason with Master. Let’s go, Master will take you to find your second martial brother.”

“Master, Senior Brother Zuo was explaining the meaning of a book to me, and when he couldn’t argue with me, he…”

“Why is there a bump on your forehead?! Rebellion, rebellion! Go! Little Qi, help Master get the feather duster and the ruler! Oh, right, Little Qi, forget the stool, it’s too heavy.”

“Master…”

“Go! Find your Senior Brother Zuo!”

“Master, this time it’s Senior Brother Cui. He cheated at chess, and I don’t want to learn chess from him anymore. I think someone who takes back their moves doesn’t count as a chess player.”

“Ah?”

“Master taking back moves is to teach the student more, so naturally it doesn’t count.”

“Go, this time we’ll even bring the stool! But don’t really hit him, just scare him, the momentum is enough.”

Scholars, academics, especially those who cultivate the Dao and live long lives.

There are actually many old stories.

Cui Dongshan is not Cui Chan, that old bastard.

Cui Dongshan would often think about those random stories, especially the stories of old friends.

Especially every time that person filed a complaint and tricked his fellow disciples, or when he himself was tricked by the master, that eldest martial brother would often watch the fun at the door or by the window.

So he saw it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears.

Cui Dongshan knew one thing better than anyone else.

All the past events that seem to be inconsequential, as long as they are still remembered, are not really past events, but today’s events, future events, and they will be swirling in the heart for this entire life.

Unknowingly, Cui Dongshan arrived near Zuo You.

Zuo You was still closing his eyes and resting his mind, sitting on the city wall, warming his sword intent.

As for Cui Dongshan’s arrival, not to mention ignoring him, he didn’t even glance at him.

Cui Dongshan jumped off the city wall and walked to a place about twenty steps away from the city wall and that figure.

The young man in white jumped up and kicked his legs wildly, followed by a series of Wangba fists, each punch aimed at Zuo You’s back.

He moved to another place and continued, all those famous Jianghu martial arts, with domineering fists and feet.

Occasionally, when he was in the air, he would bend down and reach for his instep, presumably in a very dashing and unparalleled posture.

Finally, he struck a very beautiful golden rooster stance, spread his palms, and made a move to gather Qi into his dantian. He finished his work, feeling refreshed.

After a hundred moves, with his small Jade Purity Realm cultivation, he was able to fight the Great Sword Immortal Zuo You to a draw. In the Sword Qi Great Wall, he had won a small victory.
Left and Right didn’t even bother to glance at the white-robed youth, asking indifferently, “Do you want to be chopped to death with one strike, or diced into pieces with several?”

“Eldest Martial Sister, someone is threatening me, it’s so scary.”

Cui Dongshan slapped a talisman on his forehead with a ‘pa’ sound, and said ‘oh’, “Forgot Eldest Martial Sister isn’t here.”

Left and Right reached out, condensing a longsword from pure sword intent.

He didn’t even deign to draw his actual sword.

This person behind him wasn’t worthy.

You, Cui Chan, may be blameless towards Treasure Bottle Continent, blameless towards the vast world.

But you have no right to have a clear conscience, to claim you are blameless towards Mister!

I, Left and Right, am Mister’s student, the former Junior Brother of Cui Chan!

But within the lineage of the Sage of Literature, from that day on, I, Left and Right, am the Eldest Brother.

Cui Dongshan cleared his throat and shouted, “Show some respect to your martial nephew!”

Left and Right rose, sword in hand.

Compared to the mountain-like majesty of the gatekeeping Daoist child of Upside-Down Mountain, Left and Right’s rising was effortless, like drifting clouds.

The sword energy was too heavy, too abundant; how could the sword intent be lacking? It was nearly in harmony with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Heaven and Earth seemed to isolate them.

Cui Dongshan tilted his head, “You might as well just kill me. I won’t talk about the important things anyway. You’ve never cared about your Junior Brother’s life or his pursuit of the Dao. Come on, chop here, put some strength into it. If this head doesn’t roll seven or eight *li*, I’ll reincarnate and take your surname Right in my next life.”

Left and Right turned his head, “Even half-dead, you can still talk.”

Cui Dongshan changed his posture, put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, his expression sorrowful, “Alas, alas, woe is me, alas!”

Left and Right turned around.

Cui Dongshan quickly said, “I’m not that old bastard Cui Chan, I’m Dongshan.”

That day, a youth like a drifting white cloud was sent flying off the northern city wall by a three-foot longsword condensed from pure sword intent, crashing into the earth seven or eight *li* away.

Left and Right sat back down cross-legged, coldly sneering, “This is for the sake of my little Junior Brother.”

Left and Right frowned slightly.

The Old Sword Immortal came to his side, smiling, “You noticed the earlier anomaly, didn’t you?”

Left and Right nodded.

If not for that, Cui Chan, or rather the current Cui Dongshan, probably wouldn’t dare to come see him alone.

Chen Qingdu sighed, “That was your little Junior Brother’s inner voice. Your swordsmanship is lacking, you couldn’t hear it.”

Left and Right said expressionlessly, “Since Senior is so eloquent, would Senior please say more?”

Chen Qingdu shook his head, “I won’t say it. If I were to say those words, it would involve three entire worlds.”

Earlier, when Chen Ping’an was walking on the city wall with his disciples, he had words in his heart, unspoken, but constantly surging within him.

Relying solely on that inner voice, he had stirred up some interesting ripples.

Chen Qingdu merely sighed, “Youth is truly wonderful.”

That young man, not so old, had just had a moment of self-talk.

“Don’t be impatient, everyone.”

“Allow me to first reach the tenth realm of martial artists, then strive for the eleventh.”

“Then I shall ask for fists beyond the heavens.”

“Allow me to reach the Ascension Realm.”

“I shall question swordsmanship in the Jade Capital!”

And that young man, at this moment, stood awkwardly in front of the Ning residence gate.

There were two unexpected events.

One was that Ning Yao had interrupted her seclusion, appearing once more, standing at the gate to welcome their group.

The other was…

His eldest disciple, upon seeing Ning Yao, without a word, kowtowed three times with heavy thuds.

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “Pei Qian, isn’t that a bit much?”

Pei Qian didn’t rise, merely looked up and shouted, “Pei Qian pays respects to Martial Aunt!”

Chen Ping’an immediately straightened his face. Not too much, not too little, the etiquette was just right.

The most awkward one wasn’t actually Chen Ping’an.

It was Cao Qinglang.

Cao Qinglang felt that cupping his hands in greeting wasn’t respectful enough, but kneeling and kowtowing would be improper.

Ning Yao grabbed Pei Qian’s ear and pulled her up. But after Pei Qian stood straight, she smiled slightly, wiping the dust off Pei Qian’s forehead with her palm, and looking closely at the little girl, Ning Yao smiled, “Even if you’re not too beautiful in the future, you’ll at least be a girl who’s pleasing to the eye.”

Pei Qian’s tears flowed freely, and she sniffled, utterly sincere, “Martial Aunt’s taste is so good! First she chose Master, and now she says this. Martial Aunt, if you keep going like this, I’m going to worry that Master isn’t good enough for you.”

Ning Yao glanced sideways at someone nearby.

Chen Ping’an immediately nodded, “That kind of worry is perfectly justified.”

Ning Yao shifted her gaze, and said to the Confucian scholar youth, “You must be Cao Qinglang. You look even more like a scholar than your teacher.”

Only then did Cao Qinglang bow respectfully, “Greetings, Martial Aunt.”

Ning Yao nodded, and then cupped her fist at Zhong Qiu, “Ning Yao greets Mister Zhong.”

Zhong Qiu returned the greeting, smiling, “Zhong Qiu, a retainer of Fallen Mountain, will be intruding upon you.”

Pei Qian suddenly remembered something, took off her bundle, carefully took out the small calligraphy brush and the colored cloud stationery, stood on tiptoe, and presented them to her Martial Aunt with both hands.

Then she stood on tiptoe a bit more, and whispered to Ning Yao, “Martial Aunt, I chose the colored cloud stationery. Martial Aunt, you don’t know, I walked so, so far on Upside-Down Mountain. If I kept walking, I was afraid that Upside-Down Mountain would be pushed into the sea by me. Cao Qinglang chose the brush. Martial Aunt, heaven and earth are my witnesses, it’s not that we didn’t want to spend more money, it’s just that we didn’t have much money on us. But mine was more expensive, three snowflake coins, his was cheaper, only one.”

Cao Qinglang scratched his head.

Chen Ping’an and Zhong Qiu exchanged smiles.

Ning Yao glanced at the small seal script. It was clear that the little girl had originally intended to give it to her own Master. Ning Yao ruffled Pei Qian’s head, and then smiled at the restrained youth, “Cao Qinglang, your meeting gift is owed. Remember to make it up in the future.”

Cao Qinglang scratched his head again and nodded.

Pei Qian was dumbfounded.

Oh my!

Martial Aunt’s taste is something that hundreds of Pei Qians couldn’t even come close to matching!

No wonder Martial Aunt was able to choose her own Master from so many people in the four continents!

Martial Aunt’s home is a very, very large house.

Pei Qian followed Ning Yao, walking at the very front, chattering non-stop.

Chen Ping’an and Cao Qinglang walked side by side, while Zhong Qiu intentionally or unintentionally walked alone at the end.
Chen Ping’an chuckled softly, “When you have some free time later, help Master with a small task, to carve some seals together.”

Cao Qinglang nodded in agreement.

With a twist of his wrist, Chen Ping’an took advantage of Pei Qian’s temporary distraction—she seemed to forget her Master the moment a Mistress appeared, which was perfectly fine by him. Chen Ping’an surreptitiously slipped a small carving knife to Cao Qinglang, reminding him, “It’s yours now. Best not let Pei Qian see it, or you’ll face the consequences.”

Cao Qinglang smiled and replied, “Understood, Master.”