Qi Tingji, having altered his appearance, strolled about the capital city for a moment. He then employed the Earth Shrinking Art to travel to the neighboring Immortal Official Sect. Concealing his sword intent and rendering himself invisible, he entered the sect’s picturesque training grounds, situated amidst green mountains and flowing waters, as if entering a deserted land.

The Immortal Official Sect had established a crude mountain and water formation around its ancestral mountain region. Numerous peaks rose like standing halberds, each housing a cave dwelling. Occasionally, spiritual light would flash, and the figures of cultivators controlling the wind would trail behind them like two or three fireflies in the sky.

One solitary mountain stood isolated, its peak resembling a green hair bun, graceful and tall like a bamboo shoot or a jade pillar between heaven and earth. The cliff walls bore streaks of snow-white stone, like hanging waterfalls or suspended white silk, reaching a hundred zhang in height, like fine white jade. At the foot of the mountain, thatched huts were clustered and fields were laid out, creating a rustic scene. Qi Tingji, visiting the mountain, walked among them, and like Chen Ji who traveled and studied with a satchel on his back, he temporarily crafted a walking staff. His already refined appearance was further enhanced by this mountain recluse’s demeanor.

Within the Ning Mansion in Ascension City, Feng Yuanxiao broke through three realms in an instant, crossing the Dragon Gate, forming a Golden Core, and cultivating a Nascent Soul.

This was, of course, a “tremendous” piece of good news.

Firstly, this meant that their actions in the Jinzan Dynasty were in line with the Great Dao of the Five-Colored Continent. In short, the several Sword Immortals, using their formidable power to change customs and practices, had received the approval of the Heavenly Heart.

Secondly, Chen Ping’an’s biggest worry had not materialized. Before coming to the Jinzan Dynasty, he had constantly worried that this personal disciple entrusted to Ning Yao by Huang Ting would have a future Great Dao close to the Barbarian Desolation, especially fearing that Feng Yuanxiao would be even more extreme than the Barbarian Desolation. For example, would her Great Dao be chaos itself? Or would she seek ultimate unity? If so, all rituals and rules would be enemies of the Great Dao. In that case, let alone accumulating merit by “acting on behalf of Heaven” for Chen Ping’an and Qi Tingji, they might even be shunned by Heaven.

After all, Feng Yuanxiao was the first child born in the Five-Colored Continent, and she had the superficial identity of being half a Tongye Continent native. As for the shattered state of the Tongye Continent’s mountains and rivers and the state of people’s hearts in recent years, Chen Ping’an knew best. Even if this Five-Colored Continent was originally discovered by Confucian sages, and later his teacher and Bai also contributed to its creation, what if “Feng Yuanxiao,” due to the nature of her Great Dao, refused to acknowledge this? What could the Confucian Temple do?

Thirdly, Qi Tingji also held a selfish motive of deducing and verifying the Heavenly Heart through this. If their journey to the Jinzan Dynasty could indeed yield different results and Heaven and Earth had a “causal response,” it would cause Qi Tingji, as the City Lord, to make different choices and walk different paths towards merging with the Dao. Therefore, Chen Ping’an had breathed a sigh of relief just now, his brilliant smile was genuine, and Qi Tingji’s knowing smile and realization were even more genuine.

At least for now, Ning Yao and Feng Yuanxiao, who mutually overpowered each other, had not parted ways and showed no signs of heading towards opposition on the Great Dao. Qi Tingji then had a clear understanding and his own plans. It seemed that spending sixty years traveling across the mountains and rivers was not a temporary whim of the old Sword Immortal.

Finally, one must say that the Heavenly Heart was truly venerable, awe-inspiring, not to be deceived, and not to be violated.

Earlier, in the county town of the Tianyu Dynasty’s capital, Qi Tingji saw the content of the long couplet in the crowd and sincerely exclaimed that it was truly speaking the Dao in a theatrical way. How could things happen so coincidentally? If one were to meticulously deduce, could it not be considered a prior reminder from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth? Seeing the words was like meeting someone?

Chen Ping’an was truly like a shrewd strategist, adding a detail to fill the gaps. “Earlier, when Qi Tingji was angry, his words weren’t so refined.”

Xiao Mo smiled freely. “What’s this?”

Xie Gou whispered a genuine insight: “Xiao Mo, you don’t understand. This is called mixing sand. It seems to be filling gaps, but it’s actually revealing shortcomings. The Mountain Lord, whose hands are tied, is afraid that we will be attracted by the free and unrestrained Old Sword Immortal Qi and be poached. If he loses two beloved generals on this trip to the Five-Colored Continent, wouldn’t he suffer a huge loss? Many figures in books who became kings and emperors seem rough but are actually meticulous.”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but laugh.

Xiao Mo endured and endured, but finally couldn’t hold back. “When I was by your side, what books did you read to become so knowledgeable?”

Xie Gou said confidently, “I read whatever was at hand. Opening a book is beneficial. The National Master’s Mansion has a rich collection of books. Every day, I use history as a mirror, and the more I read, the more beautiful I feel.”

Ning Yao learned that Xie Gou had actually imitated the Three Mountains Talismans and asked if there were any left.

Upon hearing that the Mountain Lord’s wife also wanted to use the Three Mountains Talismans, Xie Gou was honored and took out another stack of talismans from her sleeve to distribute.

Reasonably speaking, Ning Yao’s sword control speed should be far faster than using talismans.

Chen Ping’an was greatly surprised and couldn’t help but ask, “It’s only been a few days, and you’ve drawn so many talismans?”

Xie Gou didn’t know how to answer such a question. In that National Master’s Mansion, she either wrote books or drew talismans; in short, she was always writing and drawing rapidly.

Chen Ping’an picked up a counterfeit talisman and carefully examined it for a moment. The sword qi and the talisman’s core stimulated each other, and the talisman paper in his hand was immediately ruined, suddenly burning with a ball of snow-white flame. He shook his wrist, and the golden lines containing sword intent hovered in the air, resembling bird-worm script. There were many intricacies. Xie Gou had clearly used a complicated overlapping array method. Some complex strokes were like building a mountain with accumulated earth, having the structure of a mountain range? Some cloud patterns were the脉络 of major rivers and streams. But why did it seem that the talisman’s feet had many crucial points that were slightly useless?

Chen Ping’an frowned slightly and asked the doubt in his heart. Xie Gou sighed and explained a few extra sentences. “Mountain Lord, ah, I can imitate this Three Mountains Talisman and deliberately make it more complicated, not giving the simplest method, of course, is also because I am afraid this talisman will become a common commodity. So I set up many traps. But if someone really learns it and removes some of the confusion, being able to simplify the complex and return to simplicity, then it should be their destined opportunity.”

Xiao Mo smiled. “In ancient times, opportunities were hard to come by and seeking the Dao was most difficult. Back then, such methods, equivalent to a true transformation, were quite common.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “What are the limitations of using this talisman?”

Xie Gou said casually, “If the talisman paper is good, the threshold for cultivators to use the talisman is low. If the talisman paper is poor, then it’s the opposite.”

Chen Ping’an was naturally not satisfied with such a vague answer and pressed, “Specifically, how is it good and how is it low?”

Xie Gou thought for a moment. “If the talisman paper is precious, similar to the kind of golden talisman paper the Mountain Lord used back then, cultivators and martial artists, starting from two Golden Cores, seem to be able to use it? The kind of ordinary yellow talisman paper that can be bought in the market, I estimate Nascent Soul cultivators, or peak martial artists? I can’t say for sure what specific realm can use it, or the length of the mountain and water journey for shrinking the earth veins. Mountain Lord, you can find a way to verify it yourself later.”

Nowadays, there were many Earth Shrinking Talismans on the market, so what was so strange about this? Her counterfeit Three Mountains Talisman was completely insignificant.

Ning Yao also glanced at the talisman and poured a wisp of sword qi into it. In an instant, it broke through layers of restrictions but did not shake the talisman’s core foundation.

No matter how much Xie Gou favored her Mountain Lord, she had to feel that their Mountain Lord was indeed marrying up and enjoying the good life.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Then can you draw a kind of Earth Shrinking Talisman with as low a threshold as possible, preferably with no threshold?”

Xie Gou shook her head. “It’s similar to people; each talisman has its own destiny. Using a genuine Three Mountains Talisman requires consuming merit and lighting three incense sticks, which is equivalent to communicating with the Three Mountains Nine Marquises. In contrast, the Earth Shrinking Talisman has a short range, like a bird flitting on a branch, which is already the limit of the talisman’s core.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, feeling that this was reasonable. He asked inwardly, “Similar to the Great Li Dynasty’s mountain ferries, if a huge Three Mountains Talisman could be carved into the mountain body? Could it be used on the Barbarian Desolation battlefield?”

Xie Gou thought for a moment and roughly estimated. “It can be drawn, but such a talisman is a bit expensive. Even with the national strength of Great Li, it can only be used for light cavalry raids at most. To be used as a regular method for shrinking earth veins, as if making the Barbarian Desolation smaller, it’s definitely not possible. It can only be used occasionally, otherwise, Great Li absolutely cannot afford the consumption. The bigger the talisman, the bigger the talisman, the consumption of spiritual energy is absolutely not a simple addition.”

Xie Gou said “the bigger the talisman” twice, but with different meanings.

The Three Mountains Talisman was an undisputed great talisman on the mountain. To then engrave this “great talisman” in the literal sense on the mountain ferry, how much immortal money would such a talisman consume? It was truly difficult to estimate.

Chen Ping’an decided to hand this problem over to the Central Plains Confucian Temple to worry about, simply throwing out the idea.

Xie Gou coughed. The Mountain Lord’s wife was still here. Was it appropriate for the Mountain Lord to be so absent-minded?

Chen Ping’an came back to his senses. They activated the Three Mountains Talisman together and visualized a high mountain. If the three mountains were on the same脈絡, they could save some spiritual energy. They revealed themselves one by one. The mountain here was charming, with nine winding streams and many overlapping waterfalls. Because it was relatively close to the Jinzan Dynasty, it had been opened up as a sect’s training ground by an Immortal Mansion. Daoists were nearby refining elixirs. Pine and cypress trees were transplanted here from elsewhere. This place had natural beauty not created by human hands, with white clouds circling the mountainside like a jade belt.

Xie Gou would show off her talent whenever she had a chance, deliberately asking, “Mountain Lord, I guess this place is probably called Jade Belt Peak?” Chen Ping’an nodded, saying that if there were mountain records in the future, it would likely be named as such.

Xiao Mo suddenly said, “Old Sword Immortal Qi has a very strong killing intent.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Qi Tingji has been troubled by the Ascension Realm for a long time.”

Xie Gou felt a sense of shared sorrow and glanced at her Mountain Lord. Thankfully, there was still someone at the Immortal Realm as the bottom layer.

Chen Ping’an said angrily and laughingly, “Gouzi, how can you have the nerve to compare yourself to me?”

Xie Gou said aggrievedly, “There are only four of us. I can’t compare realms with the Mountain Lord’s wife, can I?”

Using the talisman to shrink the earth, there was a large lake between the two mountains. Even though it was Chen Ping’an’s second time looking at the vast lake, he was still surprised by the creative power of Heaven and Earth.

Chen Ping’an sighed. “Neither Haoran nor the Barbarian Desolation has such a large lake. I wonder which body of water is larger compared to the Small Four Continents in Qingming.”

Xie Gou tentatively asked, “Anyway, it’s a leaderless land for now. Why don’t I also follow the Mountain Lord’s wife and pull a mountain range from the bottom of the lake, and then erect a stone monument, carving characters with sword qi, and write ‘Xie Gou’s Ascension Place’?”

Xiao Mo had a headache.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “Actually, you can find a few more places to erect monuments, such as Xie Gou’s Golden Core training ground, the mountain where she reached the Upper Five Realms, the place where she became an immortal, and her ascension place. This way, it will appear both real and impressive.”

“However, the inscriptions on the monuments must be aged, giving a sense of ancient history. For example, the inscriptions made at the Nascent Soul realm will have weaker sword intent due to the lower realm, but the killing intent will be strong, having just entered the Upper Five Realms, with a unique arrogant demeanor. At the Immortal realm, the aura will be stronger, but the divine essence will begin to be contained. After ascension, she can express her feelings directly, releasing everything in one go, having both the broad mind that can swallow mountains and rivers and the loneliness and desolation of not finding like-minded companions for thousands of years. In this way, when an immortal happens to see the monument, they will surely be shocked and yearn for it. Although the inscriptions are brief, they are like reading the most wonderful and shortest immortal biography in the world. In the future, in the entire Five-Colored Continent, who won’t speculate on who this ‘Xie Gou’ is, and who would dare to compete for territory and training grounds with such an ancient Sword Immortal?”

Xie Gou sincerely praised, “Mountain Lord, seriously, besides cultivating the Dao, in other matters, you think things through without taking a single turn.”

This was with the Mountain Lord’s wife present, otherwise, Xie Gou had even more to say in her heart.

Xiao Mo originally wanted to scold her a few times, but saw Ning Yao smiling with narrowed eyes and nodding.

Xie Gou was not ambiguous in her actions and wanted to erect the monument and carve the inscriptions.

Chen Ping’an said, “It’s best to change the name, or just make up a new Daoist name.”

The girl in the貂帽 thought about it and decided against it. “Xie Gou” was just fine.

Xie Gou’s eyes lit up instantly, and she thought of a good compromise. She took out a beautiful ghost from her sleeve who had decent potential but had gone astray. She asked for her name and used her name for the monument.

Xie Gou temporarily taught her a water-repelling Daoist art and they went to the bottom of the lake together, incidentally teaching her a mountain-moving method.

Chen Ping’an also let them fool around.

This was Xie Gou’s first time in Ascension City, and she felt it was very novel. The hustle and bustle far exceeded her expectations.

Xie Gou tentatively asked, “Mountain Lord’s wife, can I purchase a private sword immortal residence here?”

Ning Yao smiled and said, “As long as you’re willing to pay for the construction yourself.”

She needed money, and she didn’t have a single snowflake coin in her pocket, but she had a lot of talismans. Xie Gou immediately took out two large stacks of Three Mountains Talismans from her sleeve, shook them, and asked, “Are there any suckers in Ascension City who are willing to buy them? I can give a discount, 50% off!”

Chen Ping’an asked, “No matter how ordinary the talisman paper is, it still requires a certain amount of mental energy and spiritual energy to consume. You’ve drawn so many, do you really make a profit?”

Xie Gou had a look of righteousness on her face. “Mountain Lord, your words are not like someone from Bao Fu Zhai and not very experienced. Am I drawing talismans? I’m drawing money, banknotes!”

Ascension City Ancestral Hall held a temporary meeting. Xing Guan Qi Shou, the second in command Nian Xin, Quan Fu Gao Yehou, and Chief Enshrinement Deng Liang were present. These individuals were either in the city or in nearby subordinate cities and mountains and arrived quickly for the meeting. At the Summer Resort Palace, the Sword Cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage temporarily included Dong Bude, Luo Zhenyi, Chang Taiqing, and Fan Dache. The others, such as Gu Jianlong and Wang Xinshui, were currently far away.

They were not surprised to see Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an went straight to the point. As for Qi Tingji secretly serving as the City Lord, the Xing Guan lineage certainly had no objections. Qi Shou had even less reason not to be happy.

Since it was proposed by Chen Ping’an, the Hidden Official lineage also went along with the flow and had no objections.

Generally speaking, the local Sword Cultivators of Ascension City would have the same mindset as Zhang Gong. After all, he was a veteran Sword Immortal.

Gao Yehou, the great accountant of Ascension City, had no ideas. No matter who was the City Lord, as long as they didn’t ask him for money, they were a good City Lord. If Qi Tingji could even contribute to household expenses, that would be for the best.

It was a pity that Gu Jianlong was not present today, otherwise, he would probably blurt out, “Ascension City will not be surnamed Qi in the future.”

Chen Ping’an carefully described the recent war situation in Haoran Continent and Barbarian Desolation, as well as the respective Dao certifications of the peak cultivators in Haoran’s Nine Continents, and the chaos that was arising in Qingming Continent.

During this time, groups of two or three Sword Cultivators took turns going out to drink. If they stayed too long, they would be urged by a certain inner voice to hurry back and let the others go out for some fresh air.

It wasn’t that they were deliberately disrespecting Chen Ping’an. For example, Fan Dache, the recognized top lackey of the Hidden Official, would also sneak out for a few drinks. On the contrary, during the previous Ancestral Hall meeting presided over by Ning Yao, no Sword Cultivators slipped out, at least the Sword Cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage would not get up.

After talking about the situation outside, Chen Ping’an spoke about the Tianyu Dynasty and the Jinzan Dynasty. The former would soon form an alliance with Ascension City. He was only responsible for facilitating the connection. As for whether they agreed, Ascension City would come up with a specific answer. If they refused, they should remember to send a sword message to the Protector of the Nation, Yang Mumao. If they agreed, Emperor Ding Ding would personally come to Ascension City. As for the latter, Emperor Zhang Fuzhi was willing to secretly accept a group of Ascension City Sword Cultivators to serve as enshrinements. In return, the Jinzan Dynasty would send all Sword Cultivator embryos in its territory to Ascension City for cultivation.

Chen Ping’an suggested that the Xing Guan, Hidden Official, and Quan Fu each send one person, without informing Zhang Fuzhi, to quietly enter the Jinzan Dynasty, and also not inform their own Sword Cultivators in advance. At this point, Chen Ping’an suggested that the Hidden Official lineage could let the young Sword Cultivator in charge of the archives, named Huai Congzhi, go out for training.

Luo Zhenyi nodded. She had long recognized that the young man would definitely be compatible with him.

Chen Ping’an mentioned two things.

He would soon become the National Master of Great Li.

He had agreed with Qi Tingji that he would take over the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect. However, Qi Tingji would bring eighteen direct disciples with him into the Five-Colored Continent.

Qi Shou asked, “Can they all be brought in?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “I’ll figure out a way, for example, see if I can discuss it with the Confucian Temple. The total number of people won’t increase or decrease. I’ll bring out eighteen people, and Qi Tingji will make up the eighteen people or something.”

An old Nascent Soul cultivator named Shao was greatly shocked and asked, “Can it be done like that?”

Dong Bude smiled and said, “Let’s negotiate first. It’s always about asking for the sky and settling on the ground.”

The old Nascent Soul cultivator nodded. In business, Chen Yin Guan was indeed a good hand and was always willing to sacrifice his face.

Qi Shou tentatively asked, “If the Confucian Temple is really willing to agree, who do you want to take away?”

With Chen Ping’an’s temperament, the Quan Fu side would definitely not be touched. So Qi Shou was afraid that he would target the Xing Guan lineage and use a similar excuse of strengthening the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect? He was even more afraid that Chen Ping’an, in a fit of ruthlessness and personal gain, would directly take a dozen Sword Cultivators from the Summer Resort Palace’s Hidden Official lineage to Haoran Continent, either to the Great Li Dynasty or into the Qingping Sword Sect, under the guise of training and traveling?

Chen Ping’an said, “You discuss it among yourselves. It doesn’t have to be our local Sword Cultivators from Ascension City. You can choose suitable candidates from Fuyyao Continent in the north and Tongye Continent in the south to see if they are willing to return to their homeland. If there are Daoists from the east who want to go to Haoran Continent, that’s also fine. Just treat it as a backup plan. It’s still uncertain whether the Confucian Temple will agree.”

Qi Shou breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone present knew that the next time the gate opened, the Five-Colored Continent would be permanently closed thereafter. Only a small group of Ascension Realm great cultivators would be able to enter and exit the continent using their respective divine abilities. At that time, it would be the second major test for Ascension City.

Especially after just hearing that half of Qingming Continent had changed color, how many Daoists and refugees would flood in when the gate opened next time? It was unimaginable.

Nian Xin, who had been silent during the meeting, said, “Can I also return to Haoran Continent?”

Since Qi Tingji was going to be the City Lord, there was no point in her continuing to check and balance Qi Shou within the Xing Guan lineage.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “What does Xing Guan say?”

Qi Shou said, “Then let’s reserve one spot for now.”

Ning Yao said that Xiao Mo had already merged with the Dao and successfully entered the Fourteenth Realm. The sword light from before was released by Xiao Mo.

She also briefly introduced Xie Gou, or rather, the past deeds of the Sword Cultivator Bai Jing.

The girl in the貂帽, sitting on the steps at the door, turned her head and grinned at the people in the room.

Xie Gou was in a good mood. She had sold quite a few talismans, exchanging money and goods directly. If that didn’t work, writing IOU’s was also acceptable.

An old Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator was repeatedly examining the talisman, checking if he would be ripped off. After all, this was someone brought by Chen Yin Guan, and her business style was predictable.

Back at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Zhao Pu had never been to a wine shop for a drink, so he had never written a “Wushi Pai” (No Problem Sign), nor had he bought seals or fans from the Yan family shop, but he had been severely ripped off a few times.

“If I bet again, I’ll chop off my hand!” “I really don’t believe it, the bookmaker can win every time!” “Don’t pretend with me, you’re a shill for the wine shop. It’s okay if you don’t admit it. By the way, is there any inside information that guarantees a profit? It doesn’t matter how much you win or lose, you can’t lose money every time. Really?” “Get lost, you even deceive your own brothers? I’m quitting gambling! You first make an oath…”

The old man mistakenly believed that the girl with the appearance of a fallen mountain enshrinement was a genius Sword Cultivator from Baoping Continent in Haoran Continent, perhaps at the Nascent Soul realm or similar.

Xie Gou whispered, “Old Zhao, I was being modest earlier. Let me tell you the truth, I am actually the second chief enshrinement of Fallen Mountain.”

Zhao Pu gave her a thumbs up, unsure whether he was acknowledging her status as the second chief enshrinement or praising the glorious deeds of the former Sword Cultivator Bai Jing.

In fact, Xie Gou was quite surprised. It seemed that these Sword Cultivators took her demon lineage very lightly.

Xiao Mo was not as lively as Xie Gou. She simply placed her walking staff across her knees and chatted with Fan Dache about sword refining matters.

Perhaps Fan Dache had made a good start, as a second Sword Cultivator quickly asked for advice, wanting to try their luck. Xiao Mo also treated people with sincerity.

Qi Shou had sharp eyes and knew good stuff. Even the dignified Xing Guan shamelessly ran out to drink and do business with the girl in the貂帽.

If he weren’t short on money, Qi Shou would have wanted to buy all those talismans whose paper materials and grades were seriously mismatched.

Pu Yu and Ren Yi, the two deputy city lords of Tuoyue City, one of Ascension City’s four subordinate cities, sneaked out together.

They were both Golden Core cultivators and sat on the steps drinking. Just now, Yuan Zaohua from the Winter Resort Palace was mentioned in the room. They were still wondering how Chen Ping’an knew that Yuan Zaohua had entered the Sixth Realm with the title of “strongest” and was so sure that she was the strongest at that time among several continents. Ascension City had already noticed something was wrong earlier. Yuan Zaohua’s martial fortune bestowal far exceeded the previous two times.

In terms of realm and talent, Jiang Yun was undoubtedly the most gifted pure martial artist in Ascension City. Yuan Zaohua and Xu Gong were slightly inferior.

And Yuan Zaohua, the tomboy and child king of yesteryear, was now a delicate and pretty young lady.

It was a recognized fact among everyone in Ascension City that the young martial artists of the Xing Guan lineage were all drawn to the Summer Resort Palace.

On this matter, whether it was Xing Guan Qi Shou or Pu Yu and Ren Yi, they all acknowledged it and had no grudges in their hearts.

Ren Yi whispered, “Why don’t you also go to Haoran Continent?”

Pu Yu had injured his Dao foundation on the battlefield and it was extremely difficult for him to break through the Golden Core bottleneck in this life.

Pu Yu took a sip of wine and smiled. “Why, are you in a hurry to get rid of the ‘deputy’?”

Ren Yi said angrily, “Let’s talk about serious matters.”

Pu Yu shook his head. He had indeed thought about it when he was at the Sword Qi Great Wall, but that thought had faded now.

After the meeting, Chen Ping’an and the others went to the Ning Mansion.

Along the way, some children came up, each with their own little plans.

The man in the green shirt was easy to recognize and guess. Walking side by side with Ning Yao on the street, who else could he be? The second shopkeeper of the wine shop.

Some children asked the second shopkeeper face to face if he was still running the bookmaking business and making illicit money. He had money and could follow along with the bets. It was fine to be a shill against his conscience. Others helped ask if the Yan family shop had any new goods recently. Their elders were waiting. Fans as tokens of love were excellent, not expensive, and rare. There were also those who asked if the Hidden Official accepted disciples, and while asking, they practiced a set of boxing. There were also those who asked Chen Ping’an for a few seals, saying they wanted to give them as gifts to the teachers at the school so that they would hit the boards lighter next time.

The man would stop and chat with the children for a few moments, either smiling and saying strange things they couldn’t understand yet but their teachers and family elders would definitely understand, or saying that the Yan family shop definitely had a batch of goods left and was waiting to sell them at a high price. He said he wouldn’t take that child as a disciple, but it was almost acceptable for his father to acknowledge him as a teacher. The child was annoyed upon hearing this and ran off angrily, then turned back to look at Chen Ping’an, and then swaggered away. Chen Ping’an, annoyed, kicked the child’s butt. He also promised that child that he would help tonight and would wait at the Ning Mansion gate tomorrow morning, but to remember to bring all his pocket money; it had to be cash and goods.

Xie Gou temporarily entrusted the female ghosts to Nian Xin’s care. There were over a hundred beautiful women, a vast crowd, silently following behind Nian Xin.

Many drunken bachelors on the roadside were gawking. What was going on? Was the Xing Guan lineage still short of manpower? Even working as a handyman was fine?

Xie Gou had previously received Qi Shou’s permission and activated an invisible path of sword light to clear the way for them, lest they be dispersed upon appearing, immediately after revealing themselves, by the sword qi in the city. They were able to see the light of day again. That female Sword Immortal with the strange name had also bestowed upon them several Daoist arts suitable for ghost cultivation. After being startled, these poor women finally had a bit of joy from escaping the sea of suffering. There was no longer the desolation and gloominess of the Jinzan Dynasty’s capital palace hall. In their hearts, they were all curious. Was this the legendary Sword Qi Great Wall?

Why did those men who were arm in arm and shouting while playing drinking games like to squat by the roadside and drink, even though the halls of the large and small wine shops were empty?

Were they all common scholars from the Sword Qi Great Wall? Was there a rule here that only Sword Cultivators were allowed to drink in wine shops and stores?

A group of sloppy men drinking together by the roadside started whistling. Profligates, men all over the world were the same.

A young-looking man raised his wine bowl. He didn’t know where he got the information, but he hurriedly introduced himself in clumsy Tongye Continent elegant language, asking the girl’s name and if she was married. Ha, what thick skin.

They whispered to each other through inner voices. There was always continuous laughter from the roadside. They didn’t understand the “official language” of Ascension City, but walking along the way, women were naturally meticulous, and they found that two words, whether names or titles, were mentioned most often. It seemed that as soon as they were mentioned, they would cause bursts of wicked laughter and sneaky smiles. Even if they didn’t laugh, they had a despicable expression.

Nian Xin, who was leading the way at the front, didn’t explain anything to them. Those were the words “Hidden Official” and “Second Shopkeeper.”

Their temporary lodging place was where the martial artists of the Xing Guan lineage gathered. The place where martial artists’ fist force was concentrated was slightly better than places where Sword Cultivators gathered and sword qi circulated. Moreover, the girl in the貂帽 named Xie Gou had also given a talisman. When Nian Xin activated it, it became a palace. They filed in, each finding a place to rest their souls. Gradually, they appeared in pavilions and towers, by the side of railings, looking down at the entire Ascension City. However, their vision was mostly obstructed by the sword qi, hazy and unclear.

Gradually, some women came to their senses. The men drinking and playing drinking games on both sides of the street, even if they said some drunken and vulgar words they didn’t understand, didn’t seem to make them feel scared. Perhaps it was because they had become ghosts. Their paths were different. In them, they seemed to feel a kind of vitality that was both enthusiastic and contained.

Furthermore, although the two sides did not understand each other’s language, they had different appearances and expressions, but the depths of their eyes seemed to be the same. People looking at people.

It was truly good.

They arrived at the Ning Mansion.

Chen Ping’an habitually slowed his steps at the entrance. Entering the gate and passing the martial arts field, he saw the little girl who was already in the Nascent Soul realm. She was actually practicing boxing.

Ning Yao took Xie Gou and the others to choose their residences. Chen Ping’an stopped here alone.

Feng Yuanxiao bravely asked, “Hidden Official, is my master doing well back home?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and smiled. “They are all well. Taiping Mountain has restored its Dao lineage and incense. Your master has taken on mountain protectors and has a considerable number of guest ministers. I also heard that your master left the sect not long ago to try their luck at an ancient golden immortal’s elixir refining site. External rumors say there is a bottle of immortal elixir inside, which is said to be very mysterious and can lead to ascension upon consumption. I don’t know if it’s true or false.”

Feng Yuanxiao nodded, her brows relaxing. The little girl yearned to visit the Tongye Continent in the future.

Chen Ping’an hesitated repeatedly but still didn’t say much.

Feng Yuanxiao was embarrassed to show off her boxing in front of the young Hidden Official. She made a random excuse and returned to her courtyard to cultivate qi through breathing.

Chen Ping’an also walked familiar paths to his residence. In the room that served as a study, there were still some uncarved seal materials on the desk.

Ning Yao arrived in the room at some point and found Chen Ping’an concentrating, his head lowered, carving the bottom inscription of a seal. Gulping down dates?

She picked up a few seals that had already been carved with the bottom inscriptions and looked at them. This old man reads books like throwing fists? If I don’t avenge this, I’m not a gentleman?

She was startled, then Ning Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “You want them to get hit with boards at school tomorrow this much?”

Xie Gou, who was pressing her cheek against the wall, was dragged away by Xiao Mo.

Chen Ping’an smiled and pointed to the several seals nearby. Ning Yao picked them up and looked at the bottom inscriptions. They were much better now.

Great Master. Beyond the words. In the smoke and rain of apricot blossoms and the sound of reading, having read ten thousand volumes and taught a thousand people. Teaching today is reading tomorrow’s book.