In the wild and untamed lands, there stood Gold Jade City.

Within it, a pavilion with eight converging eaves, its plaque inscribed with the words “Crescent Moon.”

*The heavens leak, the moon shines sparsely; the land is remote, the winds mingle freely.*

A middle-aged scholar in a cyan gown and jade crown, gently clenched his fist, two black and white chess pieces nestled within his palm, a faint creak echoing.

As this guest cultivator of Gold Jade City stirred in thought, the pavilion within underwent a transformation, manifesting myriad phenomena, yet not a single wisp of天地靈氣 (Heaven and Earth spiritual energy) leaked beyond its confines.

First, a string of golden characters floated into existence, inquiring about the first, second, and third lines of something.

Swiftly, due to these dozen or so characters, a peal of thunder reverberated within the pavilion, the azure brick floor resembling land, its patterns like waterways, stirring into boundless waves.

“Truly, a secret seal of the Chan (Zen) lineage of Buddhism. Wanting to recognize my school’s 風格 (style, manner)?青天轟霹靂 (the blue sky roars with thunder), 陸地起波濤 (the land rises in waves)!”

Upon one of the azure bricks, resembling a continent with rivers and mountains, the turmoil abruptly ceased. In the clear and bright atmosphere, two monks, as small as mustard seeds, seemed to ascend, master and disciple climbing together. The younger monk, his expression solemn, questioned his master, “You often teach people to tread the bird path; may I ask, what is the bird path?” The old monk strode forth, fleet of foot, as if on flat ground on the perilous mountain path, replying with four words: “不逢一人 (not meeting a single person).” Along the way, the two monks encountered inscriptions carved into the cliff face, each bearing a single character: 祖 (Ancestor), 是 (Is), 親 (Kin), 普 (Universal), 要 (Essential). Each character was passed as if crossing a checkpoint, without any pause. Suddenly, the young monk asked again, “What is one’s original face?” Unexpectedly, the old monk replied, “不行鳥道 (Not treading the bird path).” The young monk fell silent. The old monk suddenly roared, “What is Buddha?” The young monk slowly answered, “丙丁童子來求火 (The Fire Child comes seeking fire).” The old monk said, “Good words! 丙丁 (Bing Ding) belongs to fire, seeking fire with fire. Alas, it is not yet to the bottom. Speak more and observe.” The mountain beneath their feet was actually forged from billions of characters from 正 (Zheng) and 續 (Xu) Daoist Canons. Outside the cliff path of this “Dao Mountain,” a bird suddenly cut through the sky, circling the mountain with flapping wings. The entire mountain began to rotate simultaneously, until the spinning mountain and the flying bird seemed to freeze, hence the saying “一枝鏃矢之疾，而有不行不止之時 (The speed of an arrow, yet there is a time of not moving and not stopping).” The two monks, ascending without noticing the mountain’s rotation, saw the flying bird outside the mountain as if it were an arrow suspended motionless in the air. The young monk pondered in silence, and the old monk sighed, “檐下團露矣 (A drop of dew beneath the eaves).” In that instant, the young monk understood intuitively, asking himself, “What is Buddha? The Fire Child comes seeking fire.” The old monk nodded gently, stamped his foot heavily on the ground, and finally smiled, saying, “莫露賊贓 (Don’t reveal stolen goods)…”

After finally understanding something in those years, this middle-aged scholar, who had cultivated in Gold Jade City for many years, placed even greater emphasis on the vast and boundless scriptures, precepts, and treatises of the various Buddhist lineages.

Outside the pavilion, the female city lord of Gold Jade City, 清嘉 (Qing Jia), arrived gracefully. After stopping and observing for a moment, she was able to glimpse the strange happenings within the pavilion, as the “Sir” had not deliberately concealed the scene. When the “Sir” turned his head, looking at her, she then performed a 万福 (ten thousand blessings) with elegance and grace, her voice gentle and smiling, “Sir, what are you doing?”

City Lord Qing Jia, with the Daoist name “鴛湖 (Mandarin Duck Lake),” was a妖族 (demon race) female cultivator of the仙人境 (Immortal Realm). She actually possessed a仙兵 (Immortal weapon) grade法袍 (robe) called “水煉 (Water Refinement),” but in these years within Gold Jade City, unless there were various celebrations, she would wear this extremely simple碧綠 (emerald green) robe called “蕉葉 (Banana Leaf),” applying only light makeup.

The Gold Jade City retainer, whom Qing Jia respectfully called “Sir,” stood up and smiled, “Nothing of importance, just thinking idly, to relieve boredom.”

His surname was 改 (Gai), and his given name was 正 (Zheng), a cultivator from elsewhere.

He had served as a guest in Gold Jade City for nearly a century, living in seclusion and rarely showing himself. Even Qing Jia’s direct disciples were unaware that Gold Jade City had such a strange figure.

Gai Zheng occasionally left quietly on travels, never informing Qing Jia, and she never inquired about it.

Qing Jia said sincerely, “Sir need not concern yourself so much with formalities. The rules of the world are merely constraints set for us mortals. With Sir’s profound and exhaustive knowledge, why bother…”

The middle-aged scholar smiled, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Propriety cannot be abandoned.”

Qing Jia sincerely praised, “Sir’s self-discipline is like the air of autumn.”

The middle-aged scholar shook his head and said, “Not every book reader who has skimmed through a few volumes can be called ‘Sir’.”

The title “Sir” was actually earlier and broader in meaning than the ancient “Scholar,” comparable to “Daoist.”

Qing Jia remained obediently standing at the bottom of the pavilion steps, tentatively asking, “Today, I have nothing in particular to ask Sir. May I enter the pavilion and take a seat?”

A画眉鳥 (thrush) and a花木精魅 (flower and tree sprite) named 紡織娘 (Weaverbird) perched on the female cultivator’s shoulders respectively. Privately, Qing Jia always respectfully addressed this retainer, who had taken the name Gai Zheng, as “Sir,” without adding his surname.

Moreover, the true owner of Gold Jade City was no longer her.

However, what Qing Jia found most “amusing,” rather than terrifying, was that unless she personally saw the “Sir” inside the pavilion, all her memories about this person and this matter were locked away in a certain room. As the owner, she had no key. The key was held only by this “Sir.”

Therefore, even she herself was unaware of this matter. Then, who in the entire wild and untamed lands could know this truth?

Qing Jia found it very interesting, like a young girl just discovering love, harboring a secret she did not wish to share with anyone.

To be able to seemingly completely manipulate the Dao Heart of a仙人境 (Immortal Realm) cultivator in the palm of one’s hand, even巅峰 (peak)飞升境 (Ascension Realm) cultivators would not dare to say they could surely do it. To make the other party willingly comply, even knowing this, was even more inconceivable. And the Gold Jade City female immortal “鴛湖 (Mandarin Duck Lake)” was not someone with a soft nature. Relying only on her仙人境 (Immortal Realm) cultivation, without an ancestral teacher to depend on, and naturally not skilled in combat, she could still protect hundreds of female cultivators and the entire Gold Jade City. This showed that 鴛湖 (Mandarin Duck Lake)’s Dao Heart was definitely extremely resilient.

The middle-aged scholar did not dispel the unusual phenomena in the pavilion, smiling and saying, “Of course, the guest follows the host’s wishes.”

Upon hearing this, Qing Jia bit her lip, her extremely lively autumn-water eyes both resentful and charming. She ascended the steps, lifting the hem of her skirt, entered the pavilion, and only then did she realize the vastness of the small pavilion. Carefully avoiding some of the azure bricks on the ground, which were swirling with Dao energy, she finally sat opposite the “Sir.”

A female immortal, renowned throughout the lands, was now sitting upright, as if facing a teacher in a school.
After Qing Jia sat down, a touch of inadequacy crept into her expression. She mocked herself, “The casual musings of a scholar like you, Mister, might yield insights that we dullards couldn’t grasp in a lifetime, mysteries beyond mysteries.”

The middle-aged scholar shook his head. “Fellow Daoist Yuanhu flatters me. The more knowledge one possesses, the greater the unknown one faces. A common teacher focuses on what is known, while a cultivator seeks to understand what they do not know.”

Qing Jia was left speechless.

The middle-aged scholar sat upright, a warm smile gracing his face, but in Qing Jia’s eyes, he was… a being as lofty as a deity.

There was no help for it. The man before her was Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, a figure who dared to kill freely on Mount Tuoyue.

Qing Jia hesitated, wanting to speak but unsure of what to say.

As she had stated herself, she hadn’t intended to discuss any serious matters. However, now that she was in the pavilion, face-to-face with Zheng Juzhong, she felt that if she didn’t say something, it would be… a waste of such an opportunity.

As for the two monks within the pavilion’s “small world,” continuing their ascent and dialogue, Qing Jia knew that even if she watched or listened, she wouldn’t understand a thing. They simply walked different paths.

Qing Jia forcibly suppressed the thought in her heart and changed the subject, raising a question that had lingered in her mind for a long time. “May I ask, Mister, what do you find truly meaningful?”

Zheng Juzhong smiled gently. “Many things.”

For example, in a blessed land of middling quality, Zheng Juzhong had once allowed a version of himself to start from scratch. Beginning as a weak scholar with no strength to truss a chicken, he transformed, in just twenty years, into a military advisor who successfully helped an emperor unify the realm. At the same time, he had added two entirely new identities. One was a martial artist with extraordinary talent, a rustic commoner who rose in rebellion. The other became a mountain cultivator with ordinary aptitude, who descended the mountain to become a strategist.

Each of the three had a unique underlying path, guiding them towards different destinies. They were tasked with three separate responsibilities: creation, destruction, and restoration.

Zheng Juzhong looked down at the mountain peak and suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist Yuanhu, it’s time to plan for the long-term future of Golden Emerald City.”

Qing Jia felt a sense of relief and said in a deep voice, “I beseech Mister for guidance.”

The situation of Golden Emerald City in the Savage Lands was similar to that of the Wine Spring Sect.

The foundation upon which these two Sects stood was the crafting of magical robes and the brewing of immortal wine, respectively.

From an outsider’s perspective, Golden Emerald City had assisted the former throne-bearing Great Demon, Yangzhi, in elevating the grade of its dark dragon robe. In return, they received Yangzhi’s protection. This wasn’t entirely untrue, as the Ascension Realm Great Demons of the Savage Lands rarely disturbed Golden Emerald City. However, it wasn’t the complete picture. Yangzhi did look favorably upon Qing Jia, but still desired to annex the city as a treasure trove. The reason this didn’t happen was because Qing Jia persisted in her refusal, even making a rather harsh remark. Yangzhi seemed to have unknown concerns that prevented him from acting against Qing Jia. These hidden difficulties were not meant to be shared with outsiders.

Because the magical robes of Golden Emerald City were difficult to produce on a large scale due to the high crafting standards, during the previous invasion of the Great Bright World, Golden Emerald City and several other sects, including Immortal Hairpin City, made a large payment of immortal money to avoid further trouble. Golden Emerald City also emptied its vault, delivering robes that had been stored for millennia, all to be given to the Jiazi Account as payment.

Therefore, no cultivators from Golden Emerald City appeared on the battlefield near the Sword Qi Great Wall. City Lord Qing Jia only appeared at the Mount Tuoyue assembly afterward, facing the Great Bright World’s grand cultivators who had attended the Wenmiao gathering. In fact, many people at that time were carefully examining this female immortal from Golden Emerald City, mainly due to the “Water Refining” robe she wore, which possessed the aura of Yin and Yang division, the shifting of the sun and moon, and the changing of stars.

Zheng Juzhong glanced at the female immortal and nodded, saying, “Fellow Daoist Taoting’s suggestion is correct in its general direction.”

He could see a person’s Dao heart and search their memories as easily as turning the pages of a book.

Qing Jia didn’t feel any discomfort, but simply asked, “In Mister’s opinion?”

Golden Emerald City had been able to stand firm for thousands of years because it had two so-called backings: Yangzhi in the open and Taoting of the Savage Lands in the shadows.

Unfortunately, the former throne-bearing Great Demon Yangzhi had failed to return to the Savage Lands, being intercepted by Liu Qi and imprisoned by the Wenmiao. Taoting had also served as a gatekeeper in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for many years. Now, in the Great Bright World, he had transformed into the young Daoist who had become famous in the Mandarin Duck Isle.

Therefore, Great Demon Xinzhuang, one of the direct disciples of the Mount Tuoyue Ancestor and also a female cultivator, had previously demanded that Golden Emerald City hand over all the secret methods and incantations for crafting magical robes.

Golden Emerald City had no room for negotiation. In exchange, Mount Tuoyue allowed Golden Emerald City to choose two locations to build two lower sects.

However, to Qing Jia, what was the meaning of such an impractical benefit? It was utterly meaningless.

Even if Golden Emerald City established lower sects, they wouldn’t be able to defend them. All the direct disciples in Golden Emerald City were female cultivators, and they only knew how to craft magical robes. They didn’t know how to fight.

Therefore, Taoting had previously secretly sent a highly discreet letter.

The general idea was to hint to Qing Jia that a tree might die if moved, but a person could thrive.

It would be better to move Golden Emerald City to the Great Bright World, where they could find a way to survive. Both sides could look after each other. Taoting guaranteed in the letter that he wouldn’t necessarily make Golden Emerald City better, but he could maintain their current business. He could even ask the Wenmiao for a sect title.

To Taoting, Qing Jia of Golden Emerald City was just a young girl, practically one of his juniors.

This was because if Golden Emerald City traced its lineage back, it had two paths: one was a similar orthodox tradition, and the other belonged to a hidden, unorthodox transmission. Taoting and a certain anonymous transmitter of Qing Jia’s had a story between them. They couldn’t be called Dao companions, but calling them paramours would be too crude.

This transmitter of Qing Jia’s, who was not recorded in the Golden Emerald City lineage, had left behind a final decree, stating that in the bright moonlight, there was an ancient being whom Qing Jia could call Grand Ancestor in terms of seniority. However, there was no telling when she would meet this Grand Ancestor. All she could do was wait patiently.
Qingjia had thought that Golden Emerald City would gain a towering protector because of this. However, the bright moon in the sky was directly moved to the Azure Vault by those sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall, who were as persistent as lingering ghosts. This left Qingjia not knowing whether to laugh or cry. How could she claim ancestry now? But amidst her disappointment, she also felt a sense of relief. After all, Golden Emerald City already had a Mr. Zheng whom she was willing to entrust her life to, and that was enough. If that ancestral master with ancient Dao age were to return to the world and come to Golden Emerald City, it might instead be a disaster.

The Great Li Dynasty had once extensively searched for all the Dharma robes from Golden Emerald City on the Treasure Bottle Continent battlefield, but they had failed to capture any direct line disciples of Golden Emerald City who were skilled in refining techniques.

Three hundred years ago, there was the city lord Yuanhu’s ascension to Immortalhood celebration.

Besides Yang Zhi personally attending the ceremony, Tao Ting had also secretly slipped out of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

There were clear records of this in the secret files of the Summer Resort Palace.

It was evident that the situation between the Magnificent Azure World and the Wild Desolate World was like an arrow on a taut string, ready to erupt into a great war at any moment. If not for Mr. Zheng, Golden Emerald City would have no choice. Either they would actively attach themselves to Supporting Moon Mountain, or they would be conquered by the Magnificent Azure World and become prisoners.

Qingjia noticed that this Mr. Zheng seemed a bit distracted. She didn’t dare interrupt his thoughts that wandered thousands of miles away, and patiently waited for his next words.

Zheng Juzhong quickly regained his senses, and simply said to her, “It’s nothing more than replacing Supporting Moon Mountain’s new guise with the Central Earth Confucian Temple. Golden Emerald City will proactively halve its asking price, take root in Floating Cloud Continent, and then choose a location in another continent, like Snowy White Continent, as a lower sect.”

Qingjia evidently had no objections to this, and showed no surprise. There were only a few Wild Desolate sects that could adapt to the Magnificent Azure’s environment, and Golden Emerald City happened to be one of them. She carefully asked, “How do we move all of Golden Emerald City’s belongings? And how do we select the cultivators?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Just follow me.”

Perhaps worried that she wouldn’t understand, Zheng Juzhong smiled and explained, “I have already refined the entire Golden Emerald City into my natal object. To deceive Supporting Moon Mountain and not reveal any flaws that could implicate Daoist Yuanhu, this matter has indeed taken me a lot of time.”

The reason why Zheng Juzhong was distracted just now was because he was considering a matter that was completely unrelated to their discussion.

And this matter, Zheng Juzhong had only discussed with Cui Chan.

Their views were similar. Sentient beings, led by those who cultivate the Dao, paving roads and building bridges, heading towards the outer heavens, was a visible path. They had to use those outer celestial stars as bridges or “sect enclaves.” As long as the chessboard was large enough, they could escape the struggle for victory and reduce the internal consumption of the established world. Perhaps led by the human race, they could cooperate sincerely with cultivators of all races, choose habitable places in those outer celestial stars, and live and thrive…

However, just having this heavenly path, which was difficult to say whether it was a brand new “departure” or an old “return,” was far from enough. Just in case, they also needed to use a path that had never been seen before, “going inward,” so that all beings in the world could have another way of living. This was a contingency plan that had to be made early.

Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan, after exhausting his knowledge, finally created the porcelain doll incident to prove to Zheng Juzhong, and also to the Three Teachings Patriarchs, the terrifying accident of this “just in case.”

A ready-made example was right in front of them. The three of you can’t just turn a blind eye, right?

Zheng Juzhong was certain that if the human race neither found a way out nor found a fallback plan to protect themselves, then one day they would be destroyed by themselves.

Just like the gods who were once high above, destroyed by the very beings they created on the earth.

Every part of ourselves that we dare not admit to.

Is a trapped beast pacing in a cage, is a god sitting high in a hall.

The vast majority of the so-called enlightened people do not know what the foundation of establishing a religion is, or what one seeks when claiming to be a patriarch.

If the eyes are not high enough, the hands will naturally be even lower, and they are destined to be unable to reach “that curtain.”

Inside the pavilion, one was thinking about the life and death of Golden Emerald City.

One was considering the life and death of all sentient beings.

That was probably the difference.

No wonder Taoist Sun from the Xuan Du Temple would laugh and say, the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and pigs.

Zheng Juzhong waved his sleeve, collecting the strange phenomenon within the pavilion, bent his fingers, and gently tapped the pavilion pillars.

In the human world, carpentry relies on mortise and tenon joints.

At home, the door is the entrance. Outside, the schoolhouse. Cultivation is in the mountains.

What is used to connect people’s hearts?

Zheng Juzhong stood up and smiled, “We are all a lamp flame, flickering in the world.”

Words and deeds are mortise and tenon, and people’s hearts are a lamp flame.

Building houses, banding together for warmth.

After that, Zheng Juzhong took the lead in walking out of Moonbrow Pavilion, leading Qingjia to stroll through Golden Emerald City. In the season of heavy snow, the palaces and pavilions of Golden Emerald City were extremely magnificent, as beautiful as a realm of lapis lazuli.

Following Zheng Juzhong, Qingjia, unable to use her Dao techniques, also concealed her figure. In what seemed like a palace hall, there were young girls with their hair in the style of coiled snake buns, standing on tiptoes, stretching their waists, holding long poles, and knocking down icicles. They fell to the ground with a sound like shattered jade, and the girls’ laughter was as melodious as the warbling of orioles and swallows.

Leaving the palace, Zheng Juzhong led Qingjia to a moat outside Golden Emerald City. The river was wide, and the ice under the bridge was frozen. Many children were running and playing on it.

Zheng Juzhong walked upstream along the river, coming to a riverside dam. Underneath his feet were thin, long strips of stone piled up, densely packed, with glutinous rice paste poured into the stone crevices, and then rammed tightly with iron cramps and tenons, like fish scales layered upon each other, or like the thin, bony frame of an old man.

Zheng Juzhong had been curious these years about how Qi Jingchun had done it in the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, and what Qi Jingchun had seen.

What Zheng Juzhong really found interesting was when someone accomplished something that he still couldn’t do, no matter how much effort he put in. Matters themselves had different sizes, but in Zheng Juzhong’s mind, they didn’t necessarily have different values. If a snowflake coin on a mountain could suddenly only be converted into a hundred taels of silver at the foot of the mountain, what would the situation in the world be like? Or if all three types of immortal coins in the world suddenly disappeared without a trace, how would the situation develop?

He heard that when Cui Chan was young, a family elder forbade him from reading novels about chivalry and romance.
And Cui Chan was forbidden from playing chess, because it was felt that intelligent people were easily obsessed with it, wasting precious time, delaying their studies, and neglecting their proper duties.

Qingjia turned to look at Mister Zheng, and after a moment, she laughed to herself, mustered her courage, and asked, “Mister, what is your view on the matter of romantic love between men and women? Forgive my boldness, but have you ever had a woman you admired?”

Zheng Juzhong smiled and shook his head.

Qingjia had never had a Dao companion in her life, nor did she feel the need to find one. However, she had an extremely doting direct disciple who followed her best friend, a direct descendant of a family in Guanxiang, the Great Demon. Together with a group of familiar female cultivators, they boarded a carriage with an extraordinary history and traveled north to the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was said that they failed to successfully ascend the city walls, but they saw the young Hidden Official in scarlet robes from afar. The carriage even suffered a strike of thunder, so the trip was not in vain.

They had successfully seen the famous young Hidden Official.

It made them ecstatic, and their impressions were identical.

In short, he was incredibly handsome!

After returning home, Qingjia’s direct disciple was desperately infatuated, as if possessed.

Zheng Juzhong said calmly, “Those consumed by love and desire are like those who hold a torch against the wind, they are bound to get burned.”

Qingjia did not dare to ask further.

Zheng Juzhong walked slowly. Earlier, at the Qinjih Ferry, the other him had indeed met Wu Shuangjiang of the Suichu Palace.

The Vast World’s White Emperor City and the Azure Underworld’s Suichu Palace.

Both are recognized as the two places with the strongest control over their respective sects. All cultivators revered their sect leaders as if they were deities.

At the time, Zheng Juzhong went straight to the point and said, “Palace Master Wu shouldn’t have come so early.”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled faintly, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.”

But since Wu Shuangjiang had come after all, it meant that Embroidered Tiger had begun to close the net to some extent. Zheng Juzhong would take action once as agreed beforehand.

At the time, Wu Shuangjiang looked at the sky above the Sword Qi Great Wall, where a bright moon was being dragged towards the Azure Underworld, and casually asked, “It seems like there won’t be a fight?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Because Chen Pingan is still not ruthless enough.”

In the end, Chen Pingan’s choice was not too surprising.

Lu Chen, the Third Headmaster of White Jade Capital, almost died at the hands of a dead man.

In the Azure Underworld, at the center of the world, a single mountain towered above the rest: Runyue Peak.

After parting ways with Lin Jiangxian on the mountain path, the Master of Bixiao Cave left only Qi Gu behind, taking Wang Yuanlu, the direct disciple who had just come to pay respects to the sect, and the little fire-starting Daoist with the Daoist name Jinjing, together to a simple Daoist temple in the bright moonlight.

As a gift for accepting a disciple, the old Daoist took out a palm-sized miniature model of a palace and threw it to Wang Yuanlu, glancing at the little Daoist, “This place belongs to Wang Yuanlu. Jinjing, as long as Wang Yuanlu has no objections, you can cultivate and refine pills inside in the future.”

As for the initiation ceremony, it was waived, and Wang Yuanlu certainly hoped there would be none of those tedious formalities from the mountain.

Wang Yuanlu received the “ancient immortal palace ruins” of unknown origin with both hands, knowing it was extraordinarily rare.

The little Daoist respectfully followed the old master’s decree, not daring to complain. Everyone had their own fate. Since he couldn’t have what he envied, why envy it… Damn it, it really looked tempting.

The old Daoist ignored the two fellows with their own thoughts and walked into the house, simply telling Jinjing to continue watching the heat of the pills in the furnace and to teach Wang Yuanlu a pill-refining Daoist formula. How much he could teach and how much he could learn depended on their own abilities.

Wang Yuanlu put the treasure into his sleeve, securing it first, before asking, “Senior Brother Jinjing, can you tell me about the origins of this item?”

For the sake of being called “Senior Brother,” the little Daoist rolled his eyes and said, “Have you ever heard a saying?”

But after waiting for a long time, he didn’t hear the rest of it, leaving Wang Yuanlu dumbfounded.

The little Daoist then swaggered across the threshold, sat on a stool beside the pill furnace, and smiled, “There’s an old saying: ‘A dragon lies hidden in a green puddle, fire assists the Palace of the Sun.’ Understand?”

Wang Yuanlu squatted beside him and shook his head, “Never heard of it.”

The little Daoist sneered, “A frog in a well!”

Wang Yuanlu smiled without arguing. Who was the frog in a well was hard to say.

The little Daoist continued, “It is said to be one of the five supreme beings from the ancient times…”

Speaking of which, the little Daoist quickly stopped, pointed to the ceiling, “That green puddle is the summer palace of the ancient water god, only one of them. But whose territory is this Palace of the Sun? You can guess for yourself. Anyway, it’s of a higher grade than the green puddle. It is said to have been one of the places where swords were forged. Outsiders know nothing and only spread rumors, saying it was shattered, but it’s actually here with my old master. It’s an extremely good treasure, ranking among my old master’s… top five possessions. Consider yourself lucky to have gotten it.”

Wang Yuanlu sighed, “Senior Brother Jinjing knows a lot.”

The little Daoist stared at the flames in the pill furnace, his tender face illuminated by the firelight, pursed his lips, and said, “What’s the use?”

Wang Yuanlu cupped his hands in his sleeves and said softly, “It’s better than having no use at all.”

Upon hearing this, the little Daoist was furious, mistakenly thinking that the other party was making sarcastic remarks, but when he turned his head, he saw a sincere face with a hint of sadness.

Azure Underworld, Ganzhou, Suichu Palace.