Inside the Ancestral Hall of Jise Peak, Liu Shiliu gazed up at the three portraits enshrined to receive the incense offerings of Luopo Mountain, remaining silent.

Chen Nuanshu retrieved a bamboo incense holder and offered it with both hands. Liu Shiliu thanked her, bent down, and plucked three incense sticks from the container.

Zhou Mili told the burly man that if he grew tired, he could rest on her chair.

The black-clad girl pointed to a seat with a palm-sized paper note affixed to its back, inscribed with “Right Protector, Zhou Mili.”

Liu Shiliu nodded.

Chen Nuanshu tugged at Mili’s sleeve, and together they left the Ancestral Hall, leaving Liu Shiliu alone inside.

They exited the hall’s main doors, passing through the outer gate. Standing side-by-side were the elegant Mi Jianxian in his simple azure robe, and the snow-white robed, golden-eared-ringed Wei Shanjun, like exquisite jade trees flanking the courtyard.

Mi Yu inquired of Wei Bo through a voice transmission, “How did you recognize the visitor’s identity? Lord Hidden Officer never mentioned a thing.”

Wei Bo explained that Bai Ye had approached the northernmost fringes of Beiyue territory and proactively announced his presence to the Piyun Mountain, stating, “Bai Ye, accompanied by his friend Liu Shiliu, pays respects to Luopo Mountain,” with Liu Shiliu identifying himself as Chen Ping’an’s half-brother, come to venerate Master’s portraits.

Mi Yu playfully teased, “Speaking of Bai Ye, Wei-xiong seems quite excited?”

Wei Bo chuckled, “Which sword immortal who isn’t a sword cultivator wouldn’t be captivated by him?”

Few could earn Wei Bo’s admiration: Bai Ye, A Liang who etched his name onto the Sword Qi Great Wall, and the Sui Mountain Great Deity of the Central Continent.

Mi Yu shook his head. “Back in my hometown, there wasn’t much discussion about this person.”

Not because they believed the scholar’s reputation was unearned, but because Bai Ye’s sword strikes were so infrequent that there was little to comment on.

Aside from summoning the Yellow River’s celestial torrent with a single strike in the past, Bai Ye seemed to have no other achievements in the long years that followed.

Until now, when he appeared in the already considered desolate lands of Fuyu Continent, slaying a King Seat Great Demon with three strikes.

In truth, between those two displays of swordsmanship, True Man Fire Dragon visited the isolated island, after which Bai Ye quietly embarked on a sword-wielding journey, slaying a Flying Ascension Realm Great Demon from the Central Continent with a single strike.

Mi Yu gazed towards the interior of the hall, where the large man who had journeyed from afar, after lighting three incense sticks, held them aloft for a long while, seemingly muttering to himself.

Mi Yu envied this Liu Shiliu, who could burn incense and venerate portraits upon arriving at Luopo Mountain.

He, the Jade Pure Realm sword immortal masquerading as Yu Mi, had been at Luopo Mountain for so long, yet had never offered incense in the Ancestral Hall. He couldn’t blame anyone, as he himself had insisted on waiting for the Hidden Officer’s return to his hometown, until Luopo Mountain had more people, to then inscribe “Mi Yu” into the Ancestral Hall’s lineage. But the wait had grown tiresome. While there were many things to do on Luopo Mountain – from enjoying sunflower seeds and watching the clouds come and go with Little Mili, to strolling along the white jade railings outside the Mountain God Temple, or chatting idly with the equally listless Liu Xianyang at the smithy by the Dragon Whisker River about the mystical Mirror Flower, Water Moon principles of immortal sects – hoping to one day rope in Wei Shanjun, the offering Zhou Fei, and the white-robed youth, to seek good fortune and earn some immortal coin for Luopo Mountain, adding to the mountain’s spiritual energies.

But these activities, while interesting and comforting, offered too few opportunities for serious work.

He yearned to meet the Embroidery River Water Goddess, to secretly unleash a sword strike and break her divine body, to see just how much courage she possessed.

Back home, Mi Yu had rarely interacted with mountain and water deities. He never imagined that in this Treasure Bottle Continent, shrines and deities would be so commonplace.

He had long wanted to visit the Fox Kingdom of Qingfeng City. As for the city lord Xu Hun, Mi Yu considered him a kindred spirit. Since Xu Hun was rumored to wallow in the company of women, Mi Yu wanted to confirm whether the city lord, who was competing with the Yellow River of Thunderclap Garden for the title of “Top Expert Below the Upper Five Realms” of Treasure Bottle Continent, still found his ancestral Monkey Armor, once owned by Liu Xianyang’s family, a comfortable fit.

As for the Zhengyang Mountain, known in Treasure Bottle Continent for its “every sword path leading to the summit, ten peaks with ten sword immortals,” they had just witnessed the emergence of an old ancestral sword immortal from seclusion. Mi Yu was dozing off at the riverside smithy with Liu Xianyang when he heard the words “old sword immortal,” startling him. He wondered if he, a Jade Pure Realm expert from the Sword Qi Great Wall, had the chance to exchange lives with an immortal realm expert from Treasure Bottle Continent, when Liu Xianyang handed him a Mountain and Water Gazette – an exclusive celebratory report with gilded characters on a blue background.

Mi Yu read the Gazette, and the profuse praise made it seem like the old fellow had ascended to the Flying Ascension Realm instead of just the Jade Pure Realm. Mi Yu wondered, “Why the hell does entering the mere Jade Pure Realm require a century of seclusion?” The reason he was revered as the Embroidery Great Sword Immortal and earned the reputation of “Top Jade Pure Expert” back at the Sword Qi Great Wall was, in large part, due to his unexpectedly prolonged seclusion by a little over half a year!

Mi Yu felt his sword was about to rust. If not for Bai Ye’s visit with Liu Shiliu, Mi Yu would have almost forgotten the name of his natal flying sword: “Xia Mantian” (Sky Full of Hues).

Ordinary cultivators, or mountain and water spirits – like the black serpent from Chessboard Mountain, who shared Wei Shanjun’s origins, or the great python from Yellow Lake Mountain – wouldn’t feel that time had passed too slowly. But Mi Yu was no ordinary being. He was an embroidered pillow who could drunkenly bask in the clouds and had no heart for sword practice even at the Sword Qi Great Wall. After separating from Wei Jin of Wind and Snow Temple and venturing far away, Mi Yu felt he was drifting further and further from the Sword Qi Great Wall. He no longer aspired to be a Great Sword Immortal; he didn’t even know where the bottleneck of the Jade Pure Realm was.

In truth, according to Mi Yu’s nature, he wouldn’t care if he didn’t know. He was indifferent. Whether he became an immortal realm expert or not was up to fate. If the heavens wanted to grant it, good; if not, he wouldn’t beg. If granted, he would accept.
Just that upon arriving at Fallen Mountain, the Hidden Official was not on the mountain, nor was the head steward Zhu Lian. Even Zheng Dafeng, the gatekeeper, was away on a long journey. After a while, only Warm Tree and Little Rice Grain remained, along with some children who had not practiced boxing for long, or some spirits and ghosts that Mi Yu didn’t like to interact with. Thus, Mi Yu inexplicably became the temporary backbone of Fallen Mountain, which gave Mi Yu a strange feeling. After all, back in his hometown of Great Wall of Sword Qi, Mi Yu had long been accustomed to the existence of so many old Sword Immortals and Great Sword Immortals. Even if the sky fell, there was nothing to fear. Besides, Mi Yu also had an elder brother, Mi Hu, a genius sword cultivator who originally had a chance to be among the top ten Sword Immortals of the Great Wall of Sword Qi. Mi Yu was used to being casual and unconcerned about everything, so he missed the years when he was in the Summer Retreat Palace and the Spring Banner Studio, doing whatever the young Hidden Official told him to do. The key was that every time Mi Yu did something, there would be rewards, both big and small.

Mi Yu suddenly lamented, “If this continues, I’m really going to be a good-for-nothing. Sunbathing and eating melon seeds are just too addictive.”

For some reason, on Fallen Mountain, perhaps because he was too comfortable with this land, Mi Yu felt that he was experiencing something described in books: spring fatigue.

Especially patrolling the mountain with Zhou Milì twice a day, morning and evening, was the most interesting thing.

Wei Bo hesitated for a moment and asked, “Are you planning to go to Old Dragon City to take a look?”

Mi Yu glanced at the sky and shook his head, “I wanted to go check it out before, but now I’m really worried about Fallen Mountain. Fallen Mountain is too close to Cloud-Cloaked Mountain, and it’s easy to attract those ancient remnants.”

Wei Bo nodded, “My Northern Mountain is the only territory that hasn’t been invaded by ancient gods yet, so we must be extra careful.”

Inside the Ancestral Hall, Liu Shiliu offered incense and then closed his eyes again, murmuring.

Zhou Milì, carrying a golden flat pole on her shoulder and holding a green bamboo cane, said earnestly to Sister Warm Tree, “The Mountain Lord’s half-senior brother is so tall and looks so strong. And that’s just half! What if it was a whole one?!”

Chen Nuanshu, with several strings of keys hanging from her waist, said helplessly, “A half or a whole, that’s not how it’s meant.”

The little girl in black raised her eyebrows, happy, “Sister Nuanshu, I was just telling you a joke, didn’t you get it? I might as well have not said anything!”

Chen Nuanshu smiled, squinting her eyes, and patted the little Milì, who was shorter than her, softly said, “Milì is more clever today than yesterday, keep up the good work tomorrow.”

Zhou Milì nodded vigorously, “Right, right, right, Pei Qian said, ‘Ambition doesn’t depend on age, cleverness doesn’t depend on height.'”

Liu Shiliu left the Ancestral Hall, stepped over two thresholds, and smiled at Chen Nuanshu, “You can lock the door now.”

The pink-skirted girl nodded, first closing the inner door. Milì hesitated for a moment, but still followed Sister Nuanshu to take care of the matter at hand. As for how to properly entertain the honored guest Liu Shiliu, she had to consider it carefully and think it over.

Liu Shiliu clasped his fist in salute to Mi Yu and Wei Bo, “My junior brother has been away from the mountain for many years, thank you for taking care of him, Sword Immortal and Mountain Lord.”

Mi Yu said, “Mr. Liu, you’re too kind, I’m originally a Fallen Mountain offering.”

Wei Bo also said, “I was able to become the Northern Mountain Lord of Great Li thanks to A-Liang, and I’m also good friends with Chen Ping’an. Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, these small matters are nothing.”

Liu Shiliu said, “Don’t call me Mr., I can’t bear it. Just call me Jun Qian, although it’s also an alias, I’ve always used this name in Vast Heaven.”

In the backyard of the Yang Family Pharmacy, smoke swirled.

Old Man Yang tucked his old pipe into his waistband and stood up to greet them.

It was that old scholar and Bai Ye who had arrived together.

Previously, Bai Ye had already left the continent and entered the sea, but he was stopped by the relentlessly persistent old scholar, who insisted on dragging him over to sit for a while.

Bai Ye remembered the Daoist connection with Yuan Bao’s last years at the Spring Bright Gate of his homeland, so he did not refuse the old scholar’s invitation.

If Chen Chun’an of Southern Jambudvipa occupies the two words “pure scholar,”

Then Bai Ye alone occupies the saying “immortal.”

His sword skills were superb, and his cursive script was unmatched. Although he was already invincible in poetry, his lyrics and tunes still circulated, shocking later generations, who always felt they were falsely attributed works, yet dared not be certain, so they became a series of unsolved mysteries.

In the end, there was only one explanation: an immortal, what could he not do?

When the old scholar arrived in the courtyard, he immediately clenched his fists, raised them high, shook them vigorously, and smiled brightly, “Only today am I fortunate enough to see the Azure Boy Celestial Sovereign, this life hasn’t been lived in vain, at least I didn’t die for nothing.”

Old Man Yang rarely smiled a little, saying, “Venerable Master of Literature, your demeanor is as impressive as ever.”

The combination of a fourteenth-realm cultivator with the Dao of Heaven and Earth is meticulous, not simply a matter of seeking greatness.

What Old Man Yang truly admired about this former Master of Literature was that his place of combination with the Dao was Southern Jambudvipa, Tongye Continent, and Fuling Continent.

Not the stable lands of Central Earth Divine Continent, Covered in Snow Continent, and Flowing Haze Continent.

Now that two continents have fallen, this old scholar is not at ease.

Bai Ye simply nodded to Old Man Yang as a greeting.

Old Man Yang did not engage in polite conversation with Bai Ye either.

But the old scholar did not intend to let Bai Ye off. He groped in his sleeve for a treasured handwritten letter and handed it to Old Man Yang, smiling, “This is the ‘Yuan Bao’s Last Years’ post, also known as the ‘Satisfied Calligraphy,’ the real thing, absolutely genuine. There’s no reason to visit without bringing a gift. The gift isn’t too light, and the sentiment is even greater.”

Old Man Yang unrolled most of it. It was Yuan Bao’s last years, when he was drunk during the day and slept against the Spring Bright Gate, dreaming of traveling with the Azure Boy Celestial Sovereign in a raft through the Milky Way. When he woke up from his drunken dream, he wrote the poem on a whim.

Old Man Yang rolled up the cursive script calligraphy and put it into his sleeve.

It was originally a matter of unspoken understanding between Bai Ye and Old Man Yang.

But the old scholar’s fuss ruined all the implied overtones.

Unexpectedly, the old scholar brazenly began to boast, “Azure Boy Celestial Sovereign might as well unroll it and take a look. The wonder of this calligraphy lies in the back, besides Cui Chan’s embroidered tiger signature, there’s Xiao Qi’s ‘Spring Breeze’ book collection seal, as well as the somewhat abrupt words ‘Jun Qian,’ and finally the ‘Looking left and right, understanding is not far away’ seal.”

Old Man Yang did not take out the calligraphy again, he understood.

Old Man Yang said, “After the Sage created characters, besides the eight people who had pioneering contributions, in addition, the art of calligraphy in the world, without attaining the Dao, there is no great master. The most inferior of the inferior.”
It was clear that the old man didn’t acknowledge the calligraphers’ placement among the upper ranks of the Nine Streams, and even felt they weren’t qualified to be counted among the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The Old Scholar, famous for being able to pick up any conversation and smooth over any topic, nodded vigorously, “Those are harsh words, but they speak the truth. Cui Chan made a similar remark in his youth, feeling that the so-called calligraphy masters of today are just scribbling nonsense. It’s just a snail’s shell, yet they want to overturn rivers and seas. Isn’t that just stirring up trouble?”

Bai Ye knew very well that the few innovative founders of calligraphy had good relationships with the Old Scholar. Cui Chan’s ‘a word worth a thousand gold’ didn’t come from nowhere. It was the Old Scholar who took Cui Chan around the world in his early years, living off the land. No matter how good rubbings of ancient calligraphy are, they are still separated from the true spirit of the original, like a layer of window paper. But with the Old Scholar’s help, Cui Chan was able to personally witness the original works of those ancestral masters of calligraphy.

“Old Brother, please write a few more calligraphy pieces, taking advantage of this drunken mood. Write whatever comes to mind. Calligraphy letters, the more approachable the content, the more popular they are. ‘Bought a few catties of oranges,’ ‘Ate a few meals today,’ ‘Wind and rain,’ ‘Happily went to the balcony,’ ‘The bamboo shoots were a bit bitter today’—write anything! If you really can’t think of anything, just say you met me today. Your old friend was generous and gave you a basket of pears, making you shed tears of gratitude…”

“They will definitely be enshrined as family heirlooms. Old Brother, what kind of look is that? Am I the kind of person who sells things as soon as I step out the door? Would you make friends with someone like that?”

“I’ll write the text, you’ll write the calligraphy—we’re a perfect match! All we’re missing is a merchant magnate to help engrave and sell the books. Otherwise, with the three of us working together, we’d be invincible!”

As for the Eight Pioneers of Calligraphy mentioned by the Azure Child Celestial Sovereign, Bai Ye had a rough idea: the Great Seal Script’s Taishi Zhou, the Small Seal Script’s Li Tonggu, the Clerical Script’s Yuan Cen, the Draft Script’s Shi Jiujiu, the Running Script’s Zhang Chunhua, the Cursive Script’s Zhang Huai, the Regular Script’s Wang Zhong, and the Small Regular Script’s Zhong Yao. Among them, only Cui Chan was “not focused on his proper business,” just doing it casually. His cursive script was the most famous, but in fact, Cui Chan’s small regular script was even more exquisite. The scriptures he copied are treasures of many large Buddhist temples in the Central Land.

The Old Scholar turned around and sat on the long bench under the eaves, reaching out to pat the bench, “Sturdy.”

Old Man Yang asked, “Besides asking me to transfer the calligraphy to Fallen Phoenix Mountain and add more seals, what else did the Literary Sage come here to do?”

The Old Scholar replied, “Nothing else. Just wanted to thank Senior.”

Of course, Old Man Yang didn’t believe him.

The Old Scholar wasn’t in a hurry to prove himself wrong, looking left and right.

Probably both Little Qi and Little Ping An had sat here before. Without the master by their side, when the students sat alone, they couldn’t rest or relax. It was still quite difficult.

The three of them almost simultaneously looked up.

A huge hole appeared in the sky above Treasure Bottle Continent. A golden-bodied deity slowly poked its head out. Countless golden lightning bolts intertwined like a net near the sky. Its gaze seemed to fall on the area around Cloud-Draped Mountain in the Northern Peak.

The Old Scholar stomped his feet and said, “Brother Bai, Brother Bai, provocation! That guy is definitely provoking you! Do you need me to shout ‘Bai Ye is here’?”

Bai Ye said calmly, “Liu Shiliu is there.”

The Old Scholar got up and rubbed his hands, “That big oaf is empty-handed. He’ll suffer. It’s better for Brother Bai to have a flying sword…”

Just as the Old Scholar was speaking.

A burly figure, originally on Jise Peak of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, was first sent by Mountain Lord Wei Bo to a remote edge of the Northern Peak’s territory. Then, within a hundred miles, the earth rumbled like a bull turning its back. Then, the figure shot straight into the sky.

Wei Bo wiped the sweat from his brow. Just sending that guy who called himself “Jun Qian” to the border of his jurisdiction was so difficult?

He was no longer the Earth God of Qidun Mountain, but the Mountain Lord of the Northern Peak of a continent! So much effort… was Liu Shiliu’s “Dao” too heavy?

That figure transformed into a streak of rainbow light, soaring straight up, reaching the highest point of the sky.

Because that ancient deity was in the sky, far from the ground, it hadn’t been suppressed by the Great Dao too much yet. It was a truly enormous being, like a great mountain suspended in the sky.

The Old Scholar laughed and scolded, “That big oaf always takes the most disadvantageous approach when fighting. He’s far inferior to his junior brother. But that unwavering spirit is still impressive.”

In the sky above Treasure Bottle Continent, that remnant of the divine way, as large as a mountain, was simply knocked aside by that figure the size of a mustard seed. That incredibly small figure relentlessly threw punches at the towering deity. For a time, thunder roared in the sky. Finally, that uninvited guest, along with his hands, arms, and head, instantly shattered.

Nearly half a continent’s worth of golden rain fell from the high sky. Before they could fall to earth, most of the golden fragments had already vanished, dissolving into the world. Then, as if guided by the unseen Great Dao, the remaining golden rainwater almost all fell within a thousand miles around Cloud-Draped Mountain. Just as they were about to land and merge into the mountains and rivers, a golden light flashed and disappeared, leaving many mountain and water spirits and immortal caves dumbfounded. Could it be that Wei the Mountain Lord had intercepted them? Some enlightened experts immediately surveyed the mountains and rivers with their palms, but seeing Cloud-Draped Mountain, it seemed that the mountain and water spiritual energy hadn’t increased much. Strange.

On the steps of Riding Dragon Lane, a smiling woman shook her sleeves, which were flowing with golden light, but the anomaly was quickly put away.

The Old Scholar said, “Please help me lead the way, Senior.”

Old Man Yang nodded.

Liu Shiliu’s mind stirred, and he suddenly plunged down. Then, approaching the mortal world, he suddenly shrunk the mountains and rivers by thousands of miles, arriving at the backyard of the medicine shop in the small town.

Seeing the Old Scholar already standing on the long bench, Liu Shiliu’s eyes instantly reddened. Fortunately, he had already cried in the Ancestral Hall of Jise Peak, or else he would have been even more embarrassed.

The Old Scholar stood on the bench, stroking his beard and smiling.

Liu Shiliu walked forward quickly, tears streaming down his face, and bowed deeply, saying loudly, “Jun Qian greets Master!”

Among the four students of the past, Cui Chan was reserved, and both Zuo You were sharp. Qi Jingchun received the Literary Sage’s true teachings the most. Liu Shiliu was the most simple-minded, but also the most true to his nature.

The Old Scholar patted the burly man’s shoulder, then jumped off the bench, stroking his beard and nodding, smiling, “Worthy of being Brother Bai’s good brother, my good disciple! Well said, ‘Only drive away dragons and snakes, not mosquitoes’!”