Outside the courtyard gate.

Xiao Luan stood tremulously beside Wu Yi, unsure of the origins of the woman in green robes, veiled by a bamboo hat.

Could it be the legendary sword immortal, Ning Yao? But the female cultivator before her didn’t seem to carry a sword or a sword box.

Besides, if it were truly Ning Yao, why bother concealing her face?

The news of Ning Yao leaving the Five Colors World and appearing in the capital of Great Li had quietly spread among the mountain and water officials. However, the Treasure Bottle Continent seemed to have a tacit understanding, with no mountain or water gazette daring to write about it.

Wu Yi frowned slightly after hearing Xiao Luan’s inner thoughts. Without any notion of keeping family scandals private, she said directly, “My younger brother has not mentioned this matter to me.”

“The rank of the Cold Food River is only equivalent to that of the Jade Liquid River near Red Candle Town. For him to jump two levels to fill the vacancy of the Iron Talisman River is simply wishful thinking.”

“Xiao Luan, why don’t you directly plot for Ye Qingzhu’s position as the Water God of the Jade Liquid River? It’s only one level up, and you can just ask Mountain Master Chen. He’s so familiar with Sun Dengxian; he would surely grant you this favor.”

Xiao Luan shook her head vigorously. This was absolutely impossible, utterly out of the question.

You, Wu Yi, are the main culprit! If it weren’t for you coercing me into doing those shameless things back then, would I, Xiao Luan, dare not seek out Mountain Master Chen?

Wu Yi suddenly understood, chuckling, “It’s my fault, I’m to blame as the matchmaker who forced the connection.”

Xiao Luan’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she bit her lip.

Wu Yi said, “I dug the pit, so I will fill it. Before I leave Ziyang Prefecture, I will take a trip to the Cold Food River Water Mansion to see what they are planning. In any case, I will try my best to find you a real position, either a promotion or a lucrative transfer, but I make no guarantees as to the final outcome. Wait for my news within a month.”

Xiao Luan felt relieved and sincerely thanked this Cave Spirit Old Ancestor, promising that after the matter was settled, she would wholeheartedly recommend Gao Niang of the Iron Certificate River to be promoted to Water God of the White Egret River.

Wu Yi’s expression changed slightly, and she was slightly surprised. Suddenly, she changed her tone and asked, “If I can persuade the Emperor of the Yellow Court Kingdom, and negotiate with the Ministry of Rites of Great Li to transfer all the hundreds of miles of the Iron Certificate River waters outside Ziyang Prefecture to the jurisdiction of your White Egret River Water Mansion, and I will also suggest to the two courts to raise the position of the White Egret River God by one level, would you be willing?”

Xiao Luan’s eyes lit up. Such a wonderful thing?! Of course, she was willing!

Xiao Luan asked in a low voice, “But what about River God Gao’s side?”

Wu Yi said impatiently, “I have other arrangements; I certainly won’t mistreat him.”

She sneered inwardly. Just like that wine banquet years ago, someone still liked to point fingers, but the only clever thing was that even when they were overstepping their bounds, they wouldn’t make others feel like they were taking an inch and wanting a mile.

Just this operation alone would greatly benefit Ziyang Prefecture, and she, Wu Yi, wouldn’t have to sell any favors. In fact, it would all be the responsibility of Lost Mountain to negotiate with the Yellow Court Kingdom and the Ministry of Rites of Great Li. Could it be that Wei Dashan, the Great Mountain Lord of the Northern Peak who seemed to be in cahoots with Lost Mountain, was secretly helping?

In this way, the White Egret River would be merging with the Iron Certificate River, and they would surely reciprocate with Ziyang Prefecture in the future. And Gao Niang would also be getting a good deal, a pie falling from the sky. Wu Yi had heard Chen Ping An reveal the heavenly secret that the Great Li court would soon issue an order to the vassal Yellow Court Kingdom that Yun Prefecture would have a new major river that was officially sanctioned and had a temple, the source of which was named Wu Creek. After Gao Niang stepped down from the Iron Certificate River, he could immediately go there to take up the post of River God, rebuild the ancestral hall, mold a golden statue, and receive incense offerings. This fellow Huang Chu of Ziyang Prefecture had good luck. First, she left, and then it was equivalent to having two more River Gods who were each promoted by one level as powerful external support?

After discussing matters, Wu Yi looked at the veiled woman whose cultivation level she couldn’t discern and asked, “Is this fellow Daoist a registrar cultivator from Lost Mountain?”

Qing Tong’s clear, cold voice seeped out of the thin gauze of the bamboo hat like flowing water, “Unfortunately, I am from the Tong Ye Continent, just a nameless small fry.”

Before leaving Ziyang Prefecture, Chen Ping An, as a return gift, gifted Wu Yi with a personally copied calligraphy piece.

As for the original, Chen Ping An had long planned to keep it as a family heirloom. It was one of the calligraphy pieces he had exchanged for wine from a young county lieutenant.

Chen Ping An was even reluctant to use it for “refining characters” and had always treasured it in the bamboo building.

The calligraphy piece didn’t contain much, just two sentences, “If you hold my script and reflect it in the water, fear not that the characters will turn into dragons. If you hold my script and wander at night, let ghosts and gods have nowhere to hide.”

It was stamped with two leisure seals, “Young Dragon Full of Vigor” and “Thin Dragon Spirit Stout”.

Wu Yi, upon receiving this calligraphy piece, although not the original, rarely revealed a sincere smile and exceptionally bestowed a Wanfu bow upon the young hidden official.

Afterward, Chen Ping An brought Qing Tong to the southeastern part of the Treasure Bottle Continent.

In Qingluan Kingdom, there was a River God Temple occupying more than ten mu of land. The temple warden was skilled at making money and had a good business sense. The inscription prices on the walls varied depending on the “location.”

Moreover, after the inscription, the temple would strictly guard and protect it, saying that it would definitely last for hundreds of years.

In the covered corridor of the fourth courtyard, on the walls, besides the calligraphy of the old servant Liu of the Lion Garden, there were three types of handwriting on the nearby white walls.

Revisiting the old place, Chen Ping An stood with his hands behind his back, looked at the inscriptions on the wall, and smiled with narrowed eyes.

Pei Qian’s inscription, the first stroke of the horizontal line, was crooked, and she had written four words earnestly, “Heaven and Earth Unite Qi.”

Finally, she wrote, “Pei Qian and Master were here.”

Upon seeing those four words, Qing Tong rarely felt a bit guilty.

Because in a transformation painting, Chen Ping An had a conversation with the Pure Yang Daoist.

Lu Yan had then said, “Spirit unites with the great void, the Dao connects beyond heaven and earth. Qi achieves the wonders of the five elements, the sun and moon within an inch.”

It seemed to coincide with the four words “Heaven and Earth Unite Qi”?

Zhu Lian had written a majestic essay in cursive script, over a hundred words, dry strokes and light ink, in one breath, like dragons and snakes flying.

Chen Ping An, on the other hand, had written in neat and upright regular script.

Qing Tong lifted a corner of her bamboo hat, looked up at the two long sentences on the wall, silently recited them once, and asked, “Did you write them?”

Chen Ping An nodded and said, “I just wrote what I felt.”

Qing Tong said, “This River God Temple will surely benefit greatly.”

Chen Ping An did not go to the main hall of the River God Temple, but just in place, he took out three incense sticks from his sleeve, lit them, and the smoke curled up slowly.
Roughly unwilling to disturb the River God of this place, Chen Ping’an deliberately isolated a small world. Only after three incense sticks had burned out did he leave the ancestral temple with Qing Tong.

The two concealed their figures and walked along the riverbank. Qing Tong asked, “Are we going to several more places?”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “It’s not like it’s costing you merit. You get to follow me on a scenic tour, and you don’t even need to spend a copper coin of your own money. Aren’t you satisfied? A flying realm cultivator traveling across continents has a whole bunch of rules.”

Qing Tong chuckled, “That’s true.”

Hesitating for a moment, Qing Tong asked, “Why haven’t you asked me if I know any clues about the sword cultivator Liu Cai?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “That deal is too unfavorable.”

Qing Tong asked in confusion, “What kind of deal is that?”

Chen Ping’an said, “It’s either a good thing or a bad thing, with the chances of good and bad being about equal. If it’s a good thing, it’s within expectations. But if it’s a bad thing, we’ll fall into Zou Zi’s trap. Do you think that’s a good deal?”

Qing Tong laughed, “Can you even calculate it that way?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “It can only be calculated that way.”

Qing Tong lamented that he couldn’t move. Otherwise, if he encountered a fellow flying realm cultivator, especially one of wild cultivation origin, he would be in for a beating.

If a wrong thought arises, one feels all actions are wrong. Guard against it as if it were a floating bladder crossing the sea, allowing no pinhole leakage. To help others is to help oneself.

To desire perfection in all good deeds, to always be free of guilt, cultivate as if it were a jewel tree entering the clouds, requiring the support of many trees. Entering the mountain is also leaving the mountain.

Chen Ping’an smiled slightly and said, “Someone once said that a person has two ages: one is living in their own world, and the other is living in the world of others. The former is the nominal age, and the latter is the actual age.”

Qing Tong frowned and said, “Don’t be so profound. Give me an example?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Then I’ll give you one example each from far and near. You, Qing Tong, have lived for ten thousand plus several thousand years, right? Do you think you understand the world outside of yourself as much as Zou Zi does? The breadth, length, and density of your Dao heart are obviously inferior to Zou Zi’s. And then there’s my family’s Right Protector, Mi Li, who stayed at Dumb Lake for so many years and will stay at our Fallen Mountain even longer. Her heart is purer than many people on Fallen Mountain.”

Some people, like Chen Ping’an himself and his student Cui Dongshan, are like digging a bottomless well or pool in the hearts of their own people.

Qing Tong reluctantly admitted this saying, and suddenly said, “Did you get the order of the near and far examples wrong?”

He and Chen Ping’an were close at hand, while the Right Protector of Fallen Mountain was far away.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Figure it out yourself.”

Qing Tong casually asked, “Who is ‘someone’?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Far away in the horizon, yet right before your eyes.”

Qing Tong became even more curious about that little water monster from Dumb Lake who had quite a reputation.

Chen Ping’an reminded him, “Let me tell you upfront, it’s not a big deal if you’re rude to me. I’m a good-tempered person and don’t hold grudges. But if you ever have the chance to meet Mi Li, and you dare to be rude to our family’s Right Protector, I won’t even need to lift a finger.”

Don’t offend the Warm Tree and Mi Li on our Fallen Mountain.

Don’t talk to me about realms or anything.

Qing Tong asked, “Does the little water monster have a grand background?”

Chen Ping’an suppressed a smile, his expression softening a bit, and said, “Mi Li is very fierce with my senior apprentice brothers Zuo You. She even patrols the mountain with senior apprentice brother Jun Qian. She’s offered tea to the Old Guan Master and offered melon seeds to a certain Fourteenth Realm cultivator. Just these two seniors alone, if it weren’t for Mi Li helping to fend them off, I would have suffered a lot. Tell me, doesn’t that give her some kind of background?”

Qing Tong tentatively asked, “Is it because she has a powerful backing?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said with a “tsk, tsk,” “If you went to Fallen Mountain, you’d definitely have trouble acclimatizing.”

Qing Tong was at a loss.

Chen Ping’an said, “Let’s get moving.”

Qing Tong said “Oh” and looked around, but unfortunately, there was wind but no moon at this moment.

The moon in the sky, the moon on earth, the moon on the shoulders of a student carrying books, the moon in the eyes of one leaning on a railing, a bamboo basket fetching water, shattered and then round again.

The wind in the mountains, the wind by the water, the wind beneath the feet of one flying far away on a sword, the wind flipping the pages in a scholar’s study, the wind blowing duckweed, bringing encounters.

Above the Great Li capital in the middle of Treasure Bottle Continent, above the Great Canal, there was an imitation White Jade City that the Great Li Dynasty had joined forces with the Mohists to build, spending countless resources.

Qing Tong was actually quite curious, wouldn’t the owner of Green Underworld care about this?

But then he thought about it, Dao Old Two’s Mountain Character Seal had fallen into Vast Sky Continent, and the Confucian Temple didn’t seem to care?

Qing Tong whispered, “Should I wait for you outside?”

If a cultivator who wasn’t good at escaping was targeted by this imitation White Jade City, he heard that this building could even kill a flying realm cultivator.

Furthermore, this place was one of the embroidered tiger’s efforts.

To be honest, Qing Tong didn’t need to be too wary of the young Hidden Official, but facing the long-renowned Cui Chan, even though there was no longer an embroidered tiger in the human world, Qing Tong still didn’t dare to act rashly on this Treasure Bottle Continent territory.

That was someone who could wrestle with Wen Hai Zhou Mi and not lose out at all.

Even earlier, when Cui Chan was still the First Disciple of the Literary Sage, he had traveled with Old Scholar to Lotus Root Blessed Land.

Qing Tong had personally witnessed this person’s extraordinary demeanor.

If it were Cui Chan visiting the Town Demon Tower, Qing Tong believed that even if he had Zou Zi’s instructions, he would never dare to plot against Cui Chan.

Besides, who would be plotting against whom was debatable.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “Come up the tower with me.”

Qing Tong hesitated.

Hidden Official, don’t cross the river and tear down the bridge, take down the ladder after climbing up.

Lure me in and then kill me?

Chen Ping’an said in annoyance, “You only know how to be fierce among your own people, right?”

Qing Tong was silent. Could it be that he was even worse off than a Sixth Realm martial artist from the Yellow Court Kingdom?

He had no choice but to follow Chen Ping’an and ascend the tower, arriving at the highest turret, where he saw an old cultivator guarding the place.

The old man wore a high hat and a wide robe, was very tall, had a thin face, and cold eyes. He looked a bit inhuman.

When Qing Tong saw this person, his Dao heart shook. He immediately removed his veil and camouflage and bowed his head in salute. After getting up, he remained silent.

Because he had already recognized the other party’s identity.

The other party was not a Confucian Sage, and he would not even give face to the Supreme Sage and Little Master.

No wonder the Great Li Dynasty was so tough with the Confucian Temple.

But wasn’t it said that this person had long since died?

The old man simply nodded to Qing Tong and looked at Chen Ping’an, saying, “Once or twice is fine, but there can’t be a third time.”
First came the Five-Colored Heaven and Ning Yao, then the Azure Same of Tongye Continent.

And then there was that sword cultivator, a stranger acting as an attendant.

Now, when traveling far, if you don’t bring a Celestial Ascension Realm cultivator with you, aren’t you embarrassed to even step out the door, kid?

Seeing Chen Ping’an hesitate, wanting to explain something, the old man shook his head and said, “I don’t ask the reasons, I only look at the results.”

Once was for the sake of the Literary Saint, a long-awaited inquiry into the Dao. Victory or defeat was secondary, like a drunkard craving a cup, drinking with kindred spirits at the same table. Who drinks more, who drinks less, is not important.

Another time was for the sake of Cui Chan, or rather, for the sake of these two martial brothers.

Before the great war began, the Old Scholar once found him and borrowed some books.

Except for the “Heavenly Questions,” which he didn’t give to the Old Scholar, the “Mountain Spirit,” “Crossing the River,” “Eastern Sovereign,” and “Summoning the Soul” were all handed over to the Old Scholar.

But a more important scheme than this was the joint effort of the old man and Cui Chan to create a “unique” seasonal blessing for Treasure Bottle Continent.

It was equivalent to establishing an extra twenty-four solar terms for the continent’s mountains and rivers.

Thinking of this, the old man’s expression softened slightly, and he asked, “Do you know why you woke up in the Creation Grotto on Reed Flower Island at sea, and not at Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “This junior has never understood this matter, and humbly asks the senior to explain.”

The old man didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “There must be a point of reference. The threshold for this matter is extremely high, requiring this thing to be ‘immobile,’ like an anchor sunk to the bottom of the sea.”

“Like the first ruler in the world, the first weight on a scale, its length and weight cannot be lost in the slightest for thousands of years.”

“Think about the Great Li National Preceptor, Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan, or rather, the entire Treasure Bottle Continent, where could they have found this thing back then?”

Speaking to this point, the old man pointed at Chen Ping’an, “It’s you, this little junior brother of theirs. It’s you, who merged with half of the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

Chen Ping’an was dumbfounded.

The old man revealed the heavenly secret, “After the great war, the remaining Dao rhythm of the Treasure Bottle Continent’s seasonal blessing still exists. If you hadn’t fallen asleep in the Creation Grotto and returned to Treasure Bottle Continent a few years earlier, it would not have been a good thing for you or for Treasure Bottle Continent.”

Cui Chan was truly ruthless. In this imitation Jade Capital, the two had once had a conversation. The old man asked Cui Chan, “This matter is of great importance, aren’t you going to say hello to Chen Ping’an?” As a result, Cui Chan offered an explanation, saying, “Is the closed-door disciple of the Literary Saint lineage so easy to be? Whether Chen Ping’an knows the process of this inherent duty is not important at all. The only important thing is the result.”

The old man smiled, “Do you remember when you left Shujian Lake and walked alone on the road north, drying bamboo slips on a mountaintop? I asked you for some?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “It was agreed upon twenty-four bamboo slips, but in the end, senior took nearly thirty bamboo slips. This junior is ashamed to admit that his ability to haggle and fish in troubled waters is inferior to yours.”

Azure Same almost couldn’t help but interrupt. You, Chen Ping’an, are just a direct disciple of the Literary Saint lineage. How can you speak to this senior like that? Be polite.

In fact, in Vast Bright World, there has always been this saying: half of the world’s talents are in the Confucian Temple of Literature. Half of the talents in the Temple of Literature are in the lineage of the Second Sage.

However, in Azure Same’s view, don’t provoke the direct disciple of the Literary Saint lineage, no matter who else you provoke.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Can I humbly ask senior to light a stick of water incense?”

The old man smiled and asked, “Tell me yourself, what would I do with that little bit of merit from the Temple of Literature?”

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

The old man didn’t reveal one thing. In fact, when they parted on the mountaintop, the young accountant sitting on horseback had dozed off in a daze.

He didn’t know that the old gentleman who had swindled away many bamboo slips, leading the horse, had a casual chat with him, as if questioning his heart.

The old man recalled a heartfelt sigh from the young man back then.

“No arguing, no arguing. I really don’t have the energy. If I had eaten four cheap and delicious meat buns from Green Paulownia City, maybe I could give it a try.”

So the old man jokingly said, “Can cold pork head meat be used as bun filling?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t drag his feet and bid farewell with a bow, “I’ve disturbed you, senior. We’ll leave now.”

Unexpectedly, the old man said with a chuckle, “Oh right, the matter of reshaping the twenty-four solar terms is a considerable amount of merit, truly not small. And you may not even know that it hasn’t been included in the Temple of Literature’s merit ledger. Your martial brother Cui Chan has essentially saved this inheritance for you. As for me, I’m just temporarily keeping it safe. If you want me to light this stick of water incense, that’s fine, but then you’ll have nothing to do with this merit. Do you want to make this deal?”

Azure Same couldn’t care less about anything else and immediately reminded Chen Ping’an through mental transmission, “Don’t do it! Don’t be impulsive! It’s too much of a loss, a huge loss! Besides, the merit was originally left to you by Cui Chan. With this senior’s age and seniority, he would never embezzle it. We can find a way to ask for it back later…”

The old man seemed to have sensed Azure Same’s thoughts and shook his head, “Unfortunately, I have an agreement with Cui Chan. Although this merit belongs to Chen Ping’an, how to take it back and in what manner is up to me, not Chen Ping’an.”

Azure Same was momentarily exasperated. How could he be so shameless in bullying people?

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and nodded, “I’ll do it!”

The old man was even more straightforward. As soon as Chen Ping’an nodded, he directly waved his sleeve, returning the vast and mighty merit to heaven and earth, even bestowing it not only to the mountains and rivers of Treasure Bottle Continent.

The old man then flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, “Does it hurt?”

Azure Same didn’t know if Chen Ping’an was hurting, but he was hurting for him.

Such a large sum of heavenly merit was almost a whole page of rich and vibrant writing on the Temple of Literature’s merit ledger!

How many mountain and water deities could he have made deals with?

Chen Ping’an said with a straight face, “It’s okay.”

The old man smiled, “The deal is done, then I won’t see you off.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly said, “Senior, don’t forget to transfer half of the merit to Ascension City in the Five-Colored Heaven. I only merged with half of the Sword Qi Great Wall, but half of the Sword Qi Great Wall is not mine.”

“Of course.”

Only at this moment did the old man’s expression become amiable, not hiding his admiration. “No wonder you are the junior brother of Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun.”

Azure Same was once again dumbfounded.

Talking with these two doesn’t seem tiring, but I’m just an observer and I’m already mentally exhausted.

The old man actually flicked his sleeves and bowed to the young man.

Chen Ping’an straightened his clothes and returned the bow to the old man.
Chen Pingan arrived on the fifth day of the fifth month.

And the old man departed on that same day, the fifth of the fifth month.

They met at Shujian Lake.

The figures of esteemed predecessors were receding into the distance along the path.

However, someone who had once watched those figures would also become a figure in the eyes of younger generations.

After the old man stood up, he patted Chen Pingan on the shoulder, his expression kind, like an elder in the family seeing a promising junior, and said softly, “Good upbringing.”

Chen Pingan straightened his back, his lips moved slightly, but in the end, he didn’t say anything, only his eyes were bright as he nodded silently.

Over by the Chinese parasol tree.

Chen Pingan, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

Xiao Mo immediately put away that ethereal dharma image, brimming with sword energy, and asked softly, “Young Master, are you alright?”

Chen Pingan nodded and smiled, “It went quite smoothly.”

Senior Apprentice Brother Cui Chan had once “borrowed words” from others.

One of them was “Mountain.” The Master had mentioned it at the Merit Forest. It was the natal character of the Grand Sacrificial Official of the Rite Academy.

Then where was the character “Water”?

Although the Master had never mentioned it, Chen Pingan had long known the answer.

Of course, it was this old senior whose Daoist sanctum was at Shujian Lake and who had written the essay “Asking Heaven.”

Therefore, that stick of “heart incense” from this senior would be the most efficacious water incense in the world.

In truth, both the senior and the junior understood each other perfectly.

But there was no need to tell Qing Tong about such matters.

Qing Tong immediately put away that external manifestation of his Yang God and, after returning to his true form, stretched lazily. “Mission accomplished! Finally done!”

Chen Pingan smiled slightly, “Not quite finished yet.”

Qing Tong fell backward to the ground, he had been psychologically prepared for it. Mountains and water depend on each other. There was no reason for Chen Pingan to only make a deal with the Water God; there was also the Mountain God.

Qing Tong stared blankly at the sky, his eyes full of grief, and lamented, “Wouldn’t you call this killing two birds with one stone?”

Chen Pingan stood up, interlaced his fingers, and stretched his muscles, saying, “We can rest for a moment.”

With nothing else to do, Chen Pingan faced the Chinese parasol tree and walked backward.

The bright moon hangs in the parasol tree, the wind blows through the ancient trees in the clear sunshine and rain, the moon shines on the sandy shore on a summer night, like frost.

Seeing that her Young Master was in a good mood, Xiao Mo’s expression toward Qing Tong was slightly better.

Chen Pingan continued to walk backward slowly, smiling, “I saw Yang Zhi earlier and heard something, saying that Bai Jing, who has many Daoist names, likes you.”

Considering that Qing Tong had been fairly righteous in the imitation Jade Capital, Chen Pingan wouldn’t act as a messenger of gossip.

Xiao Mo blushed with shame, her head suddenly as big as a winnowing fan, her face full of expressions of unbearable past events.

Chen Pingan folded his hands in his sleeves and teased, “What’s so embarrassing about that? You should learn more from Old Chef, Grand Sword Immortal Mi, Chief Zhou, and others.”

Xiao Mo shook her head and said, “Mister Zhu once said that only infatuation is truly romantic, awakening me from my dream. Therefore, when it comes to matters of love between men and women, there’s no one better to learn from than Young Master.”

Qing Tong suddenly had an epiphany. Could this be the style of Mount Luopo?

Chen Pingan began to practice the six-step stance walking backward, extending his hands out of his sleeves and making a sword seal, saying, “Earlier, at the Ziyang Prefecture of the Yellow Court Kingdom, I obtained a very high-grade sword pellet, carefully crafted by a virtuous Immortal of the ancient Western Mountain. Take a look at it first, see if it’s suitable for you. If it is, then take it; if not, who do you think it would be more suitable to give it to? Oh, the sword pellet is called ‘Niwan’.”

Mount Luopo and Mount Xiandu seemed to have too many people who could refine this sword pellet.

So Chen Pingan was rather troubled.

In fact, Chen Pingan had a selfish motive. He personally leaned toward his disciple Guo Zhujiu.

However, he wasn’t sure if it was suitable yet, so he was fortunate to have Xiao Mo to help him examine it before making a decision later.

Nowadays, the world under the heavens might look at Chen Pingan’s actions on the Great Wall of Sword Qi and think more of the Hidden Official title, the wine shop, the worry-free plaque, Ning Yao, the Summer Palace…

But in fact, if we don’t talk about the result, but only about the journey of the heart in those years, the joys and sorrows were known only to oneself, and difficult to explain to others.

So Chen Pingan was very grateful to the little girl who beat the gong on the wall to cheer him on.

He would fondly remember Guo Zhujiu and Pei Qian’s quarrels.

As he spoke, the miniature sword box flew out from Chen Pingan’s sleeve, along with a series of golden words.

Xiao Mo reached out to catch the sword box and those precious talismans, glanced at the words and didn’t look at them anymore, nodding and saying, “I’ll take a look at the sword pellet first.”

The so-called sword pellet inside the box was actually a slender, pitch-black sword light.

Xiao Mo pinched that sword light with two fingers, studied it carefully for a moment, then looked up and said, “Young Master, this thing is like a chicken rib to me, not suitable. From the looks of it, it’s best to give it to a young sword cultivator who lacks the element of earth in their natal property. Although Qi Refiners other than sword cultivators can also refine it into their natal property, becoming a semi-sword cultivator like Young Master was in the early years, this is a rather risky move after all. It’s extremely difficult to achieve the spiritual rhino realm where the Dao heart and sword heart are in harmony, because refining this sword pellet is not just about refining a sword, but more like inheriting a fading lineage. I’m afraid the person who refines the sword will also have to take a trip to the cave dwelling where that Real Person governs. This means that the cultivator’s aptitude is not the most important thing, but opportunity is the most important thing.”

Chen Pingan said, “Then there’s no hurry.”

Xiao Mo said, “I’ll help Young Master keep the sword box then.”

If there were any accidents, she would be there to handle it.

Chen Pingan didn’t refuse and continued to walk backward.

Qing Tong said quietly with his mind, “Chen Pingan, that Bai Jing? She’s a rare sword cultivator, just like Xiao Mo, both are Ascension Realm peak perfection sword cultivators! If you can trick Xiao Mo into bringing her over here, the strength of the two worlds will rise and fall, and there will be another merit on the Merit Ledger of the Temple of Literature!”

Chen Pingan glared angrily and said in a deep voice, “Problematic!”

But Chen Pingan quickly restrained his expression and said, “I appreciate the good intentions, but don’t give me bad ideas in the future.”

Qing Tong fell silent.

Chen Pingan explained with his mind, “Do you think Mister Bai would stand idly by, really letting Xiao Mo meet Bai Jing? If Xiao Mo goes to the Wild Lands, she might not be able to return to Haoran if she’s not careful.”

Qing Tong belatedly realized and was instantly horrified.

The terror of Bai Ze… Qing Tong didn’t dare to think about it further.

Chen Pingan said softly, “Try to plan everything from the worst-case scenario, be prepared for a rainy day, think thoroughly, and then everything can be regarded as a matter of turning for the better, bit by bit.”
Qingtong pondered for a moment, “Seems there’s some truth to that.”

At the railing.

Lü Yan said, “It seems Fellow Daoist Qingtong is still in the dark, this is a rare opportunity for Dao protection and Dao transmission.”

The Most Sage Master nodded and smiled, “Let’s see when this Fellow Daoist Qingtong has a moment of enlightenment.”

Lü Yan asked, “Regarding the scattered merit from the imitation White Jade City, the amount wasn’t small, will the Confucian Temple compensate in any way afterwards?”

The Most Sage Master shook his head, “Of course, there won’t be any extra compensation for Chen Ping’an. Zou Zi’s saying, ‘Sharing a table, each with their own bowl,’ is crude but true.”

Lü Yan nodded. Chen Ping’an is, after all, a Confucian disciple from the orthodox lineage. This journey of dream wandering, though considered a transaction, is still the work of a scholar.

The tall, old scholar stroked his beard and smiled, “Those who know me say I am worried, those who do not know me ask what I seek.”

Lü Yan suddenly said, “If I remember correctly, Chen Ping’an isn’t even a Sage yet, right? Has the Literary Sage said anything?”

The Most Sage Master laughed heartily, “When it comes to protecting their own, no one in the Confucian Temple is more skilled than the Old Scholar. Just wait, there will be a day when the Old Scholar can’t hold back. Then he’ll put on a painstaking act, spouting a whole load of principles. Others can’t win in an argument with him, and even if they listen, they find it annoying, but they can’t ignore it.”

Lü Yan smiled knowingly, “It’s a pity I haven’t been to the Confucian Temple to listen to their discussions.”

The Most Sage Master said, “That’s easy. I’ll inform the Ritual Sage and arrange for Pure Yang Fellow Daoist to sit next to the Old Scholar. How about that?”

Lü Yan shook his head, “Better not.”

Chen Ping’an stopped, stepped back to his original spot, sat down again, and said, “Let’s continue the journey.”

Qingtong sighed, “Truly a life of toil.”

Xiao Mo smiled, “What did Fellow Daoist Qingtong say? I didn’t hear clearly. Say it again.”

Qingtong’s face stiffened, “Nothing.”

Chen Ping’an closed his eyes, his hands folded on his stomach.

Again, I invite all of you into my dream.

I borrow ten thousand mountains from you.

Wandering thoughts traverse the Six Classics, my spirit transcends the seas, imagination connects mountains and rivers, I am the host.