The journey was uneventful. Qing Ni safely returned to the town with the two oddballs she seemed to have picked up from who-knows-where. What others saw as a place of eerie shadows and filth, the young girl viewed with affection. Upon reaching the town, the gaunt girl visibly relaxed, her steps becoming lighter. Previously, while walking through the wilderness with the sword-carrying youth, Qing Ni had been stiff, her nerves constantly on edge. For the girl who had grown up in this land, the familiar town and the unfamiliar outside world were as different as day and night.

The young Daoist asked, “Qing Ni, little friend, does this town have a name?”

“Fengle (豐樂, Abundant Joy).”

“A place where soldiers once waged war, now a place where the scenery of all four seasons is lovely.”

This Daoist, wearing a lotus crown and a heavy cotton Daoist robe that only reached his knees, had strips of cloth tied around his calves, likely due to the lack of smooth official roads in the Hehuan Mountains. The cloth was even stained with thorns and barbs.

The girl was more worried about returning home and facing Sister Zhou’s anger. Despite Zhou’s gentle and virtuous nature, her soft-spoken voice, years of living together had taught the girl that Uncle Liu and the other old-timers were actually quite in awe of Sister Zhou.

After many twists and turns, Qing Ni led the young Daoist and the sword-carrying youth into a dark alley. She occasionally glanced back and saw the Daoist looking around suspiciously. Was he casing the joint?

Zhou Qiu, holding an umbrella and wearing embroidered shoes, appeared at the corner of the two alleys, her brow slightly furrowed. “Why are you back?”

The slender, dark-skinned girl twisted the corner of her clothes, pursing her lips. She had come up with several clumsy excuses on the way, but upon seeing Sister Zhou, she didn’t want to lie.

Fortunately, the sword-carrying youth spoke up to defuse the situation. “Earlier, under the tree, from the moment I accepted the money, this escort was considered accepted. I just didn’t say when we’d start our journey. Sister Zhou, I guarantee I’ll bring Qing Ni out of the Hehuan Mountains, safe and sound, alive and kicking. If Sister Zhou doesn’t believe me, I, Chen, will swear here that if Qing Ni loses a single hair in this town tonight, this esteemed Lu Daoist beside me, who claims to be my close friend, will chop off his dog’s head as an apology to Sister Zhou.”

Lu Daoist looked bewildered. “Huh?”

Zhou Qiu suppressed her anger and asked, “And this one is?”

The young Daoist quickly turned his head, cleared his throat, and then gave a Daoist bow. “This humble Daoist is named Lu, skilled in character divination and drawing lots, especially adept at reading palms. Fair prices, honest service, no charge if inaccurate!”

A man in armor walked out from behind Zhou Qiu, his hand on the hilt of his saber. Seeing this, he couldn’t bring himself to scold the silly girl, nor could he say anything directly, so he complained silently, “Zhou Qiu, tell me, what’s the meaning of this?”

Zhou Qiu was also at her wit’s end, saying in her mind, “My fault, I chose the wrong person.”

The man asked, “If it really doesn’t work, should I ask Old Man Qi for help?”

Zhou Qiu said, “I’ll talk to them first and then decide.”

The man reminded her, “Don’t delay too long.”

Zhou Qiu stroked the girl’s head. “You’re usually so obedient, why are you being so mischievous at this crucial moment?”

Qing Ni said softly, “My home is here, Sister Zhou, Uncle Liu, you’re all here. I don’t want to leave.”

Zhou Qiu gave a bitter smile, speechless. She led them to a house, simple but clean. The girl put down her satchel and went to the kitchen to get a white bowl and a gourd ladle. She scooped out glutinous rice wine from the wine vat. The four of them sat around a small table in the courtyard. After Qing Ni brought the bowl of wine to the table, she didn’t sit down, but poured herself a bowl of glutinous rice wine and sat on the doorstep of the kitchen.

The saber-wearing man smiled. “My name is Liu Tie. I believe Master Chen and Daoist Lu have seen it already, that we’re not living people anymore. You two don’t mind and are still willing to drink with us, I’ll toast to you both.”

The sword-carrying youth and the young Daoist both raised their wine bowls. Liu Tie drank it all in one gulp. Zhou Qiu didn’t drink, and pushed her bowl to the armored man.

Chen Pingan asked, “Where are you from, Brother Liu? Your accent doesn’t sound like it’s from the Qingxing Kingdom.”

Liu Tie said, “From the North.”

Lu Chen asked with a smile, “Which North? North of the Great Dugu River?”

Liu Tie shook his head. “Daoist Lu is joking. North of that Great Dugu River is the Dali Dynasty.”

Lu Chen praised, “My cultivation might not be high, but my eye for talent is sharp. One look at Brother Liu and I can tell you’re a mighty warrior capable of lifting cauldrons, a battlefield hero, a former high-ranking official.”

Liu Tie was stunned. Zhou Qiu’s expression remained unchanged.

The girl by the door asked in confusion, “Isn’t it *rong ma kong zong* (戎馬倥傯, a busy military life)?”

Is this frivolous Daoist an illiterate fool who misuses idioms?

The sword-carrying youth smiled. “Perhaps he used a phonetic loan character?”

Lu Chen wasn’t embarrassed at all, and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “Where is Brother Liu currently employed in the mountain lord’s manor? I heard that Zhuiyuan and Wuteng Mountains each have military camps, all well-equipped and strong. With Brother Liu’s skills, not even getting a captain’s position would mean that the managers of the two manors have their eyes on their asses.”

Liu Tie smiled. “Too much praise. I won’t stay long and spoil the mood, I have things to do.”

After drinking two bowls of wine, Liu Tie bid farewell and left. Zhou Qiu got up to see him off. At the alleyway, they exchanged bitter smiles. They thought the Daoist was an expert. If he was comparable to the fourth-realm martial artist, Chen Ren, possessing a cave dwelling realm cultivation, a cultivator working with a pure martial artist would significantly increase their chances of safely escorting Qing Ni away. But to their surprise, the Daoist’s breathing in the town was stagnant, his exhalations heavy with turbid air, clearly not adapted to the yin and evil aura here. He was certainly not a middle-fifth-realm cultivator.

Zhou Qiu was a spy and a military cultivator in her lifetime. Therefore, Liu Tie and his dozen or so riders, whether alive or dead, all respected Zhou Qiu very much.

Chen Pingan asked, “What’s the little girl’s real name?”

The dark-skinned girl sitting on the doorstep was stunned, how did he see through her disguise?

Zhou Qiu smiled. “Ni Qing, reverse it and take the homophone.” (倪清, resembles “a boy”)

That young Daoist was like an uncultured bumpkin, asking, “What was the surname again?”
Zhou Qiu chuckled, “Reverend Lu is a celestial of the Daoist sect. Has he never read the ‘Great Master’ and ‘Autumn Floods’ chapters of the esteemed Daoist sage? The ‘unfathomable’ of ‘unknowable origins’ refers to knowing that right and wrong cannot be definitively separated, and that the minute and the vast cannot be distinguished. It seems that not only a high-ranking Dharma master like Reverend Lu, but even those who cultivate the Dao outside of Daoism, or even secular scholars from scholarly families, should know these two sayings, right?”

Reverend Lu became agitated. “This humble Daoist simply hasn’t read these ‘chapters,’ how does that make me a fake Daoist? Is Miss Zhou taking advantage of this humble Daoist’s poor upbringing and lack of schooling?”

Chen Pingan twitched his lips, took a sip of glutinous rice wine, and found the taste inferior to Dong Shui Jing’s fermented rice wine.

Zhou Qiu smiled, “The height of one’s Dao is not measured by rote memorization, Reverend Lu…”

The Daoist sighed, “What virtue or ability does this person possess that he can be so familiar with Miss Zhou…”

Chen Pingan said, “That’s enough, more or less.”

Lu Chen had no choice but to stop his self-flattery that he had already prepared in his mind and changed the subject. He looked at the thin, dark-skinned girl and smiled, “Ni Qing, a good name. ‘Cylindrical words emerge with the sun, harmonizing with the Heavenly Threshold.’ The autumn air is strong and killing, the clear air arrives greatly, and vegetation withers. In fact, Qing Ni (Blue Mud) is also a good name. ‘Qing Ni Small Sword Pass, wind and snow over thousands of mountains.’ True name Ni Qing, Daoist name Qing Ni, truly excellent.”

Zhou Qiu was inwardly suspicious, because based solely on the phrase “Cylindrical words emerge with the sun, harmonizing with the Heavenly Threshold,” this Reverend Lu must have read the “Great Master” and “Autumn Floods” chapters.

She glanced at the sword-bearing youth who had become taciturn after sitting down to drink, and then at the young Daoist who hadn’t finished an ounce of wine after seven or eight sips, one uttering shocking words that would not cease until death, fond of boasting, and the other chattering, with a playful smile, fond of strange and outlandish theories. No wonder the two friends could get together.

Zhou Qiu said, “Reverend Lu.”

She really couldn’t delay any longer. The iridescent light and sword light that lit up from Ink Splash Peak were greeting her.

The young Daoist quickly said, “Just call me Brother Lu.”

Zhou Qiu ignored him and said, “I believe you two have a general idea of what kind of place this Fengle Town is, especially tonight, with the Joyful Union Mountain wedding recruitment, where dragons and fish are mixed, and the danger is far greater than usual. I have some personal grudges to settle with Liu Tie, but the chances of winning are not high. Knowing that it is impossible and doing it anyway, naturally there are reasons why it must be done. The two of you don’t need to ask, simply because I am destined to be unable to take care of Ni Qing, so I approached Young Master Chen earlier, hoping to take Ni Qing out of the Joyful Union Mountain area and away from this place of trouble. After I became a ghost, I lived in Ni Qing’s ancestral home. Later, Liu Tie and the others also settled in this alley. Over the years, Ni Qing has actually helped with things that are not suitable for ghosts to do. It is a matter of course to repay kindness and avenge grievances, so I implore you two to quickly take Ni Qing away from Fengle Town. If Young Master Chen thinks the money is too little and is unwilling to escort her, I can give you more immortal money.”

Chen Pingan pointed to Lu Chen, “I was originally planning to go to the capital of Qingxing Kingdom, but he wanted to return, vowing that Ni Qing would have an opportunity waiting for her when she returned to the town.”

Zhou Qiu looked at the Daoist.

Unexpectedly, the Daoist had already turned sideways, facing the courtyard gate, not meeting Miss Zhou’s gaze.

Zhou Qiu was helpless and could only wait for news from Liu Tie, asking the old man surnamed Qi to help find someone to send Ni Qing out of the town.

Inside the courtyard, the few of them then just drank wine without speaking.

Liu Tie soon brought an old man and a woman. Zhou Qiu stood up, cupped her hands, and said, “Senior Qi, Miss Lü.”

The old man, named Qi Song, was the chief retainer of the Zhang clan of Tian Cao County, a Golden Body Realm martial artist.

The last time the Zhang clan cultivator was rebuffed here, it was Qi Song who was responsible for guarding the rear, thus avoiding greater losses. Both sides ceased fighting, and Qi Song alone walked to the small town at the foot of the mountain. Whether he was flaunting his power with Joyful Union Mountain, Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi were unwilling to fight a desperate battle to the death with an old man bearing martial luck, so they allowed him to live at the foot of the mountain. This spring, Qi Song’s direct disciple came again. Although a woman, she was an extremely ruthless martial artist. She had taken action in Fengle Town many times. This woman named Lü Mo, in her thirties, was already at the peak of the Fifth Realm of martial arts. It was said that Qingxing Kingdom wanted to recruit her as an instructor for the Imperial Guards.

Qi Song was a short, fat old man with a halberd beard and a frog belly. He smiled and, seeing the cotton-robed Daoist and the straw-sandaled youth, pretended to be surprised, “Miss Liu has guests here. Won’t it disturb everyone’s drinking?”

The young Daoist waved his hands vigorously and smiled, “Guests are welcome, what’s the disturbance? It’s not like we’re short on wine.”

That Lü Mo, unlike Miss Zhou who was slender and weak, had a plump figure. At first glance, she didn’t look like a martial artist, but more like a pampered noble lady from a wealthy family.

Just now, the Daoist was staring intently at the courtyard gate. What first caught his eye was not the woman’s profile, but her ample assets, which were considerable.

The Daoist winked at Liu Tie, hey, so Old Brother Liu likes this kind of thing, likes to eat streaky pork with both fat and lean.

Liu Tie was confused and pretended not to see Reverend Lu’s strange expression. Ni Qing moved two long benches from the main room. Sister Zhou and Uncle Liu, master and apprentice, each sat on one.

Zhou Qiu bit the bullet and said, “Young Master Chen, Reverend Lu, I won’t beat around the bush with you. Liu Tie has already come to an agreement with Senior Qi and Miss Lü. Miss Lü will personally escort Ni Qing all the way out of town.”

Chen Pingan nodded, only saying “good,” and then there was no movement.

Lu Chen felt that he had thin skin and had to remind him softly, “Old Brother Chen, you have no discernment at all. Miss Zhou is hinting for you to take out two bags of immortal money.”

Chen Pingan glanced askance, “None of your business.”

Lu Chen was so anxious that he almost picked his feet, “Don’t just stand there! Give a bag of Snowflake money to Grandmaster Qi and Sister Lü as escort fees, and return a bag of Minor Heat money to Miss Zhou.”

Qi Song smiled and gently stroked his round belly.

Lü Mo frowned slightly, wondering where these two swindlers came from. Did the young man surnamed Chen really have the Fourth Realm of martial arts?

Zhou Qiu smiled, “Reverend Lu may have misremembered. That bag of Minor Heat money was the escort fee I agreed on with Young Master Chen.”

“We’re like brothers, and you’re deceiving me?! Didn’t you say earlier that you would only earn a bag of Snowflake money?”
The young Daoist priest’s eyes widened, a look of eager anticipation spreading across his face. He rubbed his hands together, his gaze burning with avarice. “Men die for wealth, birds for food! Usually, I’m risking my neck, going all over the place to vanquish demons, and barely scrape together a few silver taels, a mere pittance! I’ll take this escort mission! No need for Sister Lü to trouble herself…”

Lü Mo remained expressionless, lifting her wine bowl. However, she subtly twisted the tip of her shoe. In an instant, the young Daoist, along with his stool, went flying backward. She was slightly surprised; was the Daoist so weak and feeble?

She had no choice but to flip her wrist, a gust of *qi* cleverly cushioning the Daoist’s fall between him and the wall. The young Daoist crashed to the ground, one hand on his hip as he shakily raised the other. “It’s nothing… Ouch, well, it’s not *nothing*. Just pulled a muscle in my back, a minor thing, really minor!”

The sword-bearing youth remained unmoved, merely raising his head to say, “Miss Lü, such rash probing. Are you not afraid of hitting a brick wall? Or is it that all the guest warriors of the Zhang Clan in Tiancao Prefecture are so impulsive?”

Qi Song nodded, chuckling, “Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth. Lü Mo, quickly apologize to Daoist Lu. Little friend Chen is right, it’s best to be amiable when traveling. Don’t always assume that everyone in the world is a treacherous demon.”

Lü Mo stood up and clasped her fist in a salute, “My apologies for the offense.”

The young Daoist lugged his small stool, staggering back to his original spot, grinning, “We’re all family here, no need for formalities. A beating shows affection, a scolding shows love, Sister Lü…”

Despite the improper words, the young Daoist’s expression suddenly changed. *That little vixen dares to be so impertinent with this Daoist. Watch this!* With a sudden burst of speed, he hurled the stool like a hidden weapon at Lü Mo. However, the woman, with her ghostly movements, dodged around the table in a few steps. She seized the stool in one hand, tossed it to the ground, and appeared before the Daoist. With an elbow strike to the chest, she sent him flying backward, his feet leaving the ground. He crashed sideways into the main house, his back slamming against the edge of the Eight Immortals table with a crack. He fell face-first onto the dirt floor, groaning and sputtering, unable to get up for a long time. He mumbled incoherently about a broken back, begging, “Brother Chen, save me, save me!”

The sword-bearing youth pulled out two bags of “immortal coins” and casually tossed them onto the table. “Since you’re so eager to meddle, take them.”

Zhou Qiu glanced at the two bags of coins on the table, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in displeasure. She took a deep breath, barely managing to restrain herself from revealing the secret. *Fine, those few missing Summer Heat coins can be considered the travel expenses for Chen Ren to escort Ni Qing back to the small town.*

Lü Mo tucked the bag of Summer Heat coins into her sleeve, then tossed the other bag of immortal coins to Ni Qing, smiling, “Little girl, we can set off now.”

Zhou Qiu said, “Liu Tie, escort them for a ways.”

The armored warrior put down his wine bowl.

Ni Qing hesitated, wanting to say something, but seeing the hint of displeasure on Sister Zhou’s face, she could only pick up her oiled paper umbrella and bundle, following the woman out of the courtyard. Looking back, she saw Sister Zhou nodding at her, the sword-bearing youth drinking with a stern face, and the Daoist with the lotus-shaped crown, lying by the doorway of the main house, waving at her with a smile, somehow still able to laugh.

Walking in the alleyway, the young girl remembered something and barely managed to use her Heart Voice technique, “Uncle Liu, that Daoist Lu’s crown is so strange. I’ve never seen anything like it in town.”

Sister Zhou had told her that proper Daoists with official credentials had strict rules about their attire, and could not overstep them in any way. Otherwise, they would be imprisoned. Like the fish-tail style crown of the Divine Edict Sect’s Celestial Lord Qi. It was a badge of the lineage. But that young Daoist Lu’s crown was lotus-shaped. There were also some *qi*-cultivators in town who were transformed monsters, who liked to dress up as “Daoist Masters,” but none of them wore that kind of crown.

Liu Tie’s expression shifted slightly, asking with a smile, “How so?”

Ni Qing said, “The crown is like a blooming lotus.”

Liu Tie stopped walking, his expression complex, hesitating for a moment.

If he remembered correctly, in this Treasure Bottle Continent, the only Daoists qualified to wear a lotus crown, apart from a few nameless, impoverished little temples on the mountains of the Divine Edict Sect, were those of the Spirit Flight Temple of the former Great Frost Dynasty. The previous Temple Master, Immortal Lord Cao Rong, wore it because he was a disciple of White Jade City’s Headmaster Lu, and this honor extended to all officially recognized disciples within the temple. Liu Tie had heard this secret of the mountains from Zhou Qiu.

The most perplexing thing was that, in Liu Tie’s eyes, the young Daoist wasn’t wearing any crown at all!

If he couldn’t see through an illusion, that was one thing, but Zhou Qiu was a Dragon Gate realm cultivator with extensive family knowledge. How could she be mistaken?

That person named Lu was either a daring, ignorant, backwoods cultivator, or an officially recognized Daoist from Spirit Flight Temple?!

Liu Tie was a meticulous man. He continued forward, seemingly casually asking, “Miss Lü, can you tell what mountain lineage and background that Daoist has?”

Lü Mo laughed, “He’s just a poor, lying swindler. But he is indeed a *qi*-cultivator, knows some techniques to strengthen the body. Those two strikes of mine in the courtyard used some clever force. If he were truly a mid-Fifth Grade cultivator, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state. As for pretending, I don’t think so. With my master’s eyesight, only an Earth Immortal could fool him. But if he really were a wandering terrestrial immortal, his words and actions wouldn’t be so degrading.”

Liu Tie then asked the young girl through Heart Voice, “Ni Qing, did that Daoist say anything that revealed his identity? Think carefully, don’t miss any clues.”
Ni Qing said, “It’s all unreliable nonsense, like that Qi Tianjun from the Divine Edict Sect is familiar with him, but he doesn’t know Qi Tianjun. He even said that if I joined forces with them two, we could kill some Fourteenth Realm cultivator… Well, according to that Daoist, that’s fourteen Qi Refining cultivators in the First Realm.”

Liu Tie was stunned into silence, spat, cursed, “Damn swindlers!” Then he said in a low voice, “Let’s go. We must leave this town immediately!”

Then he hurried back to warn Zhou Qiu to stay away from that Daoist who had eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard, and also to keep her distance from that sword-bearing youth.

For some reason, the girl felt an emptiness in her heart.

Those two strange people she had only met recently, although neither of them was serious, their words were interesting. For example, when they stopped by a river to rest, the sword-bearing youth brushed off the dirt, chewed on a grass root, and stared blankly at the river. That Daoist Lu said, “Heaven doesn’t produce useless people, and earth doesn’t grow nameless grass.” Seeing that no one was paying attention, the Daoist turned to her and asked if she knew why a person’s left ear had better hearing than the right, and what it meant to face the yellow earth with one’s back to the sky… She ignored him, but the Daoist explained to himself that there were Yin and Yang energies in the world, with heaven being clear and earth turbid. The impurities of the earth produced life, and the left ear belonged to Yang, so it was more sensitive to heavenly sounds, while the right ear belonged to Yin, so it was better at hearing earthly sounds. Moreover, there was a distinction between men and women… At this point, the young Daoist smiled and pointed to the river, saying some words that made Ni Qing, who was never afraid of ghosts, feel a chill down her spine. He said that if there were floating corpses in the river, even if they were waterlogged and unrecognizable, people on the shore could still tell the difference between men and women at a glance. Men considered their faces as Yin and their backs as Yang, so the corpse would float in the water with its face down and its back up. This was also a clue of how we humans imitate the way of Heaven and Earth in the dark, after all, the title of the head of all spirits was not for nothing…

Back at the courtyard, Zhou Qiu escorted Qi Song to the alley corner. The old man gently patted his belly and smiled, “Since the goals are the same, why not simply join forces with us?”

Zhou Qiu shook her head and said, “Two different things.”

The old man sighed. “Even if it’s for personal revenge, as long as Miss Zhou is willing to reveal her identity to the Liu Clan of Green Apricot Kingdom, why would the Joyous Union Sect not hand over that demon that’s been informing the barbaric tribes?”

Zhou Qiu said calmly, “There’s no evidence.”

Qi Song hinted, “Evidence? As long as that demon falls into Miss Zhou’s hands, won’t you have it?”

Zhou Qiu smiled. “According to border army regulations, abusing public resources for personal gain is punishable by death.”

Seeing that she was determined, Qi Song had no choice but to give up. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Those two in the courtyard have unknown origins. You should still be careful.”

Back in the courtyard, Zhou Qiu looked at the young Daoist who had returned to his seat and was rubbing his lower back, still stubbornly saying, “Miss Zhou, don’t think that your Brother Lu looks weak and that his bones aren’t strong enough, sickly but alive. This is the great benefit of ‘Shen Zai’, the steadfast Dao heart and stable soul. As long as Miss Zhou doesn’t mind, I will immediately teach Miss Zhou a breathing exercise. Not to mention being frightened by thunder at night, it won’t even matter if you walk in the sunlight during the day. Come, let me first look at Miss Zhou’s palm. I’ve learned a wide range of things, and I need to prescribe the right medicine to get twice the result with half the effort…”

Zhou Qiu waved her hand. “I appreciate Daoist Lu’s kindness, but Master Chen, don’t blame me for asking you to leave.”

Chen Pingan said, “One who takes money from others must help them eliminate disasters. Those few small change are to be Daoist Lu’s reward for solving Miss Zhou’s problems.”

Lu Chen stopped rubbing his lower back. “Huh?”

Chen Pingan said, “Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi of the Joyous Union Sect, have they colluded with the barbaric demon race? And does the Liu Clan of Green Apricot Kingdom know and conceal it? Don’t talk to me about evidence or anything, you and Squad Leader Liu just need to have a guess in your hearts.”

Zhou Qiu was shocked and narrowed her eyes, slowly saying, “Who exactly are you?!”

Her conversation with Qi Song was quite far from the house, and besides, how could a Dragon Gate Realm Qi Refiner and a Golden Body Realm martial artist be able to hear it so easily?

The young Daoist said aggrievedly, “‘You’, Miss Zhou, you left out the ‘s’. I am also a heroic man with iron bones! I can’t stand injustice the most in my life.”

Chen Pingan glanced at Lu Chen. “Do things when you get paid.”

Lu Chen put down his wine bowl and hiccupped. First, he mumbled, as if whispering to someone, then the Daoist shook his sleeves.

Helplessness was also helplessness, it was just doing things when seeing money, not taking money to do things.

Who asked the poor Daoist and Mountain Master Chen to be close friends who could drink together as soon as they met?

Zhou Qiu hid her hands in her sleeves, unsure and suspicious. Was this poor Daoist pretending to be a mystic and causing trouble? But what was the point?

A moment later, a young woman with a bun hairstyle appeared out of nowhere in the alley. She was slender and had a high forehead. She looked at the sword-bearing youth in the courtyard and smiled, “Master.”

(End of this chapter)