It was the latter choice, more appropriate and stable, but it carried the suspicion of driving away guests.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “My disciple Pei Qian, and the other children, can stay at the manor for now. I’ll strive to return quickly.”

Zheng Su nodded in agreement. Even though the border between the Great Spring and Northern Jin was currently fraught with hidden currents, the Golden Gilding Mountain Manor and the Pine Needle Water Manor were interdependent. Moreover, with two concealed Great Spring patrons present, they should be able to protect a group of outsiders. After all, whether Great Spring and Northern Jin’s national strengths were vastly different or not, their actions had to firmly occupy the moral high ground. Otherwise, they would lose the argument with the Great Fu Academy, and losing the academy’s support would be the end of everything.

Chen Ping’an walked out of the thatched pavilion, cupped his fist to bid farewell to Zheng Su, tapped his toes, and soared into the sky, disappearing in an instant and without a sound.

Zheng Su was greatly shocked. He was, after all, a local Mountain God and Lord. Not to mention the spiritual ripples within easy reach, he had complete control over the ebb and flow of the mountain and water’s aura within a hundred miles. Cao Mo’s departure was not some land-based immortal using the mystical ability to shrink mountains and rivers. If it weren’t for the slight dust stirred up on the ground outside the pavilion, Zheng Su would have mistaken it for the concealing technique of an Upper Fifth Realm grand cultivator.

Chen Ping’an first went to the ferry. Cui Dongshan shook his head, the answer was simple: no.

Although he knew that would be the answer, Chen Ping’an still felt a bit sad. Cultivating and climbing the mountain path was indeed about fearing the off chance and yet hoping for it.

Asking Cui Dongshan to keep a closer eye on Golden Gilding Mountain Manor, Chen Ping’an once again kicked off the ground, instantly leaving the ferry, traveling alone by wind towards Great Spring’s Mirage City, traveling like lightning, yet still concealing the astonishing aura that should have been overwhelming.

Since his teacher had given the order, Cui Dongshan sat obediently on the railing, staring wide-eyed at the Golden Gilding Mountain Manor, including the eight-hundred-mile Pine Needle Lake, taking it all into his immortal gaze.

Cui Dongshan took out a folding fan, surveyed the earth, and casually used his Aura Observation divine ability. In his eyes, the human world, although it was daytime, still lit up like it had received a decree, simultaneously lighting up lanterns of various sizes, brightnesses, and darknesses. Some were flickering and extremely blurred, as small as mustard seeds, as if a gust of mountain wind would extinguish them. Some lanterns were condensed, as large as fists, such as the young Northern Jin military officer at the traveling pavilion, who was actually a seed of a general with martial luck attached to him. He also had a significant entanglement with the Northern Jin emperor and national destiny. Therefore, as long as this person didn’t suffer a tragic accident, or encounter some major mishap, he was destined to be a minister who would support the dragon. The so-called accident was like a Flood Dragon leaving the water and entering a pond, causing a massive wave, yet instead of avoiding it, it charged head-on, making it difficult to survive.

However, looking at the young man’s previous performance when meeting his teacher and elder sister, he didn’t seem like a short-lived ghost, because he cherished blessings. On the other hand, the Ocean Gazing Realm old immortal inside the traveling pavilion seemed more like someone who was walking too lightly and didn’t cherish his life.

As for the Golden Gilding Mountain Lord, whose golden lantern shone brightly in Cui Dongshan’s eyes, due to his golden body and divine position, and the fact that this Mountain God had moved his mountain and water register into Great Spring’s Mirage City, he was linked to Great Spring’s national destiny. Cui Dongshan’s eyes lit up, he jumped up, stood wobbly on the railing, and slowly walked towards the bow of the boat, always squinting and staring intently, following the clues, his line of sight going from the Golden Gilding Mountain Manor to Pine Needle Lake, then to the border between the two countries, and finally settling on a spot. Oh, so rich dragon aura, no wonder he felt something was wrong earlier. There was even a Jade Purity Realm cultivator helping to conceal it? Now, in this Tongye Continent, Upper Fifth Realm cultivators were not common, mostly some Earth Immortal little turtles were making waves. Could it be that the Great Spring Empress was inspecting the border?

He thought so, the flying sword correspondence between Golden Gilding Mountain Manor and Pine Needle Lake was not reasonable, it shouldn’t have been a Golden Core talisman cultivator replying on behalf, it turned out that the Water God Lady had left her jurisdiction on imperial orders to secretly meet the Emperor.

As for intercepting flying swords and peeking at secret letters, that didn’t happen.

Cui Dongshan retracted his gaze and moved south because a mighty convoy was coming from afar. There was a Golden Core sword cultivator sitting in it, and a nearby carriage had an official carrying literary luck, undoubtedly from the Northern Jin Ministry of Rites. If it wasn’t a talented scholar with outstanding literary aura, then it should be the title of Vice Minister of Rites. If the official rank was too high, it would make the Northern Jin emperor look imposing but weak inside, if it was too low, it would be a slap to the face of the Great Spring court. Therefore, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, who was in charge of a country’s mountain and water register, was just right to discuss the relocation of the Golden Gilding and Pine Needle Mountain and Water Manors.

It was just that Northern Jin must not have expected the Great Spring’s determination to be so…