The pretense of a welcome feast, a private affair meant to wash away the dust of travel, was laid out within a verdant bower. Blossoms of every hue rioted about them, their fragrance a heady draught that stole into the soul.

A small, round table hewn from flawless white jade had been set there, and upon it sat Chen Ping’an, facing the Dowager Empress of Great Li, Nan Zan.

Upon the table rested a wooden box of striking plainness. Nan Zan, hailing from the province of Yu Zhang, recognized it instantly as the work of craftsmen from her homeland.

A single flask of wine, two pairs of slender bamboo chopsticks, and a scattering of cheap, sugared pastries served as meager accompaniment.

Nan Zan’s brow furrowed. Was this some affectation, some clumsy charade? Had a mud-caked urchin from a humble alleyway, elevated to the ranks of the mountain folk, become so enamored of artifice?

The young cultivator, his true nature still shrouded in mist, sat between them like a buffer.

He was reminiscent of an ancient feud between rival martial sects. Fortune’s wheel had turned, leaving one side weak, unwilling to risk a final, bloody confrontation, yet equally unwilling to suffer a humiliating loss of face. Thus, they had sought out a respected elder, a mediator, to soften the blow.

As for the youth clad in yellow cap and blue shoes, he remained standing behind Chen Ping’an, hands clasped before him, a serene smile playing upon his lips, despite the vacant seat.

From his sleeve, Chen Ping’an produced a talisman of meager make, a simple “Lamp Lighting” charm. He pinched the yellow-waxed paper between two fingers, then placed it upon the wooden box. The talisman began to burn slowly, a subtle reminder that the Empress’s silence was a luxury with an expiration.

Nan Zan’s eyebrow arched, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing.

Suddenly rich, she thought, drunk on newfound power. He might flaunt his prestige amongst those who fawned upon Cui Guoshi’s seat of learning, but this was the Imperial Palace of Great Li! Every single cultivator, every pure warrior, required registration with the Song Dynasty’s registry. Did he dare to be so openly, so aggressively demanding here?

She considered a whispered exchange with Elder Lu, but before she could, the ancient soul subtly shook his head, his gaze warning her against such imprudence.

Once she revealed her hand, what ground would there be for negotiation?

Chen Ping’an was a master of deceptive meekness. Who would suspect, looking at him now, that he was anything more than a Golden Core cultivator, a mere Wanderer-realm martial artist? It was a lie fit to deceive the very demons of the underworld.

Furthermore, the aura of a Fourteenth Realm master he’d previously displayed had been too strange, too unorthodox. If she revealed her thoughts, they could be intercepted.

Chen Ping’an’s visit to the palace, his demand to see her, Nan Zan, specifically, spoke volumes about his dwindling patience.

He folded his hands into his sleeves and, unbelievably, closed his eyes, as if settling down for a nap.

The young cultivator smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lu Wei, Wei of ‘following close behind’. I, along with Lu Jiang and Lu Tai, am descended from the Lu Clan’s main line.”

The elder Lu continued, “As Mountain Master Chen mentioned on his journey here, I have indeed cultivated within the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven for many years, exceeding even my training during my youth within the clan. Thus, you and I could be considered, in a way, compatriots.”

Nan Zan felt a sliver of reassurance.

The presence of Elder Lu was both a threat, a reminder that she was first and foremost Lu Jiang of the Lu Clan, and then only Nan Zan of Yu Zhang, and a source of strength, a pillar to lean upon.

Though not the head of the Lu Clan, Lu Wei was an elder who had almost ascended to the Flying Ascent Realm, a master of the Yin-Yang school. His power did not reside in flashy techniques or magical weapons, but in seizing the initiative, in being one step ahead.

If given the choice, Nan Zan would have shunned any connection to the Lu Clan. She was but a puppet, her fate not her own.

She yearned to be simply the daughter of the Nan family of Yu Zhang, blessed with some talent for cultivation, married to a good man, and mother to two fine sons.

Day by day, she had endured, finally becoming the matriarch, the Dowager Empress, able to issue decrees and influence matters of state, unlike that fox-faced daughter-in-law of hers, whose supposed status as Empress amounted to little more than idle gossip with other titled ladies.

Chen Ping’an opened his eyes. “Lu Hui, the Confucian scholar of the Earthly Branch lineage in Great Li, is he also a direct descendant of your Lu Clan?”

Lu Wei smiled. No wonder he was the head of a sect built from nothing. His mind was quick as a swallow in flight, accustomed to grasping the unseen.

Most, upon learning of Chen Ping’an’s rise, would focus on his celestial opportunities. But Lu Wei, intimately familiar with the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, understood the sheer impossibility of an orphaned street rat achieving such heights.

Lu Wei, sincere in his role as mediator, concealed nothing. “Lu Hui is merely a member of a collateral branch. He is unlike Her Majesty, for he remains ignorant of his true lineage.”

Chen Ping’an said, “If I were that fisherman casting nets near the abyss, I would likely recite an old saying several times a day: ‘The net of Heaven is vast, its mesh loose, yet nothing escapes.'”

Lu Wei nodded. “Golden words, deeply considered.”

The old carriage driver who had escorted Nan Zan to Chen Ping’an in the alley had placed his bets on Ma Ku Xuan, the young boy from Apricot Blossom Lane who later went to cultivate on True Martial Mountain.

The Feng Clan woman, though of ancient divine origin like the driver, had no strong loyalties, choosing instead to cultivate connections and offend no one.

Lu Wei and the mysterious Dragon Ascending man who had yet to reveal himself to Chen Ping’an had together placed their bets on the Song Clan of Great Li, back when they were but vassals of the Lu Clan.

During his time hidden in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, Lu Wei’s greatest achievement had not been secretly assisting the late Emperor of Great Li in selecting the locations for the old Five Peaks, but in nurturing two young talents from the Grotto-Heaven, imparting knowledge and guiding their paths. Those two men had become Cao Hang and Yuan Hai, the most celebrated figures of the Great Li’s restoration, one civil, one military, pillars of the nation who had helped Great Li weather its darkest years, preventing the Lu Dynasty from fully absorbing the vassal state.

To hide his involvement, Lu Wei had enlisted Feng Yi to spirit the two men away from the Grotto-Heaven.

The banners depicting Yuan and Cao as guardian spirits which now adorned every gate in the continent brought Lu Wei a bounty of mountain and river energy, greatly aiding him on his path, finally causing the barrier to the Immortal Realm to waver.

At the Fire God Temple, Feng Yi had jokingly suggested to the old driver that, for the sake of self-preservation, he should expose the roots of a certain someone.

That someone was Lu Wei.

The old driver, however, was too proud to demean himself before Chen Ping’an, a former nobody whom he had once dismissed.

But his main reason for hesitating was that the Four Troublesome Ghosts of the mountains, combined, could not match the cunning of a fortune teller.

Seeing the two conversing so amiably, Nan Zan began to feel uneasy.

Was she being abandoned by Elder Lu, used as a pawn, a bargaining chip?

Suddenly, Lu Wei’s gaze shifted, settling upon the strange attendant behind Chen Ping’an. He smiled. “Mountain Master Chen, is this friend, who goes by the name ‘Stranger,’ not from our Hao Ran homeland?”

An attendant whose cultivation he could not fathom, whose presence reeked of a Dao that escaped him, must be at least an Immortal.

During the lead up to the bower, Lu Wei had attempted a secret divination, but the results were tangled and yielded nothing.

He did not dare to push further, lest he startle the snake and invite unnecessary trouble.

However, Lu Wei could not shake the feeling that behind that gentle smile lurked immense killing intent.

Chen Ping’an replied, “Senior Lu is well-respected on the mountain, and his years of cultivation are beyond compare. You may call him Little Stranger. Monks do not speak of their names, Daoists do not speak of their age, each with their own reasons. As for where Little Stranger is from, where he cultivates, a wild mountain cultivator such as he is, he has no master.”

Lu Wei smiled, acknowledging but unpersuaded. He could only rely on the faint savage energy emanating from the youth to fuel his useless guesses. Perhaps he was an old sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall, weathered from years spent deep in the wilderness, steeped in foreign Qi. Or perhaps he was a traitorous monster, a monster who had turned to the Sword Qi Great Wall!

Like that old deaf man.

The names of the ascended and immortal monsters of the Hao Ran continent were known to all on the mountain peaks. There was Guo Ou Ting of Iron Tree Mountain, with the Daoist name You Ming, or Liu Dao Chun, Bai Di City’s Zheng Ju Zhong’s junior brother, now calling himself Liu Chi Cheng. Yet none fit the image of this “Stranger.” Lu Wei was one of the finest aura-readers in the world. Ordinary illusions meant nothing to him.

Chen Ping’an, as the former Hidden Official, should have a highly skilled bodyguard by his side, to act as a decoy if necessary.

“Sun and Moon, we are all on the same path,” Little Stranger said in perfect Middle-Earth dialect, his voice warm and clear. “There is no need for Senior Lu to distinguish between native and foreigner. Simply think of me as a junior on the path of cultivation.”

Lu Wei looked at Chen Ping’an, and sighed, “Sages are the substitutes of Heaven and Earth.”

He lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp. “Heroes are the manifestations of the stars.”

Chen Ping’an ignored him, glancing instead at the burning Lamp Lighting Talisman. He then produced from his sleeve a stick of incense, bought not long ago from Cai Jin Jian of the Cloud Glow Mountain.

He gently tapped the incense stick against the stone table, as if placing it in an incense burner, more like…offering incense to Lu Wei, who sat close enough to touch.

A reminder that their relationship, the one that was being claimed to exist as “half compatriots”, was only as strong as the smoke rising from the incense.

Whether Lu Wei intended to reason with him, or spout falsehoods disguised as profound truths, he had only the duration of a single incense stick’s burn time.

Once it was done, he had best not let Chen Ping’an see his face again.

Or it would be equivalent to a sword challenge.

Lu Wei’s expression remained unchanged, unperturbed.

The seasoned old immortal’s ability to maintain his composure was remarkable.

Nan Zan, however, blushed with anger, her eyes wide. The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to burst forth.

Secretly, she was pleased. If she could drag the entire Lu Clan of Middle-Earth into the fray, she could not believe that Chen would act rashly.

In her eyes, those who have already benefited from the system would risk everything to defend their gains. It was simple enough.

Every talisman was at the same time a shackle. The more titles and positions Chen Ping’an accumulated, the less dare he would be to risk all on an extreme solution.

Lu Wei said, “The Lu Clan is vast, its branches too numerous. Not only are the paths of the main line different from the other branches, leading to conflicts of interest, but there are also constant disagreements within the main line itself. It is said that Lu Clan’s family council must be the most exhausting place to be.”

The first half of Lu Wei’s statement was not boastful, and the latter half wasn’t insincere. In the school of Yin and Yang, the Lu clan dominated half of the scholarship. At its peak, the clan had one Ascended and three Immortals. If not for the elusive Master Zhou, the Lu clan’s position in Hao Ran would be even more elevated.

Master Zhou spoke of the heavens, the Lu of the earth.

An example of this was Li Tuan Jing of Bao Ping Continent of two hundred years before, one man suppressing all of the peaks sword cultivators of the Right Yang Mountain.

The sun, moon, and stars influenced the seasons, and the mountains moved the earth’s Qi. Heaven and earth, yin and yang, two Qi intermingling, giving life to all things. Heaven revealed its symbols, the sage would then choose them, and the earth would show the way.

Lu Wei’s face was etched with regret. “So to outsiders, many things that the Lu Clan does seem strange, often self-contradictory.”

“For example, in the matter of the late Emperor of Great Li, I believe that member of the Lu Clan’s collateral branch was too hasty. His construction of the stone arch bridge as a covered bridge went against the will of the Heaven and the Earth.”

The Yin-Yang cultivator from Middle-Earth, on the surface, had been helping the Great Li Dynasty imitate the White Jade Capital, together with the branch of the Mo family to which the wandering hero Xu Ruo belonged.

The late Emperor of Great Li had cultivated in secret, and had ascended into a minor immortality, almost becoming a puppet. When the matter was exposed, the Yin-Yang cultivator tried to flee, and was killed by the prince Song Changjing.

Chen Ping’an laughed, “Seems like something is missing, no? When the fruit is ripe, it should be put into the basket, or else it will rot on the ground? So that person was creating his own transgressions, and you are cleaning up the mess, right? This kind of method to separate responsibility is useful for me.”

Reaching out a sleeve, a finger pushed a chopstick towards the edge of the table. The chopstick hung slightly over the edge, and Chen Ping’an stopped.

“Everything that was done at the time was wrong, but it all makes sense in hindsight. You Lu Clan are so good at cleaning up, so why don’t you become cooks?”

Lu Wei glanced at the chopstick, his eyelids slightly twitching.

In that instant, the action had made Lu Wei tense.

It did not resemble the aura of a Jade Pure Realm sword cultivator.

The problem was, according to that secret family letter, Chen Ping’an had returned that Fourteenth Realm of Dao, and after returning to the city, he seemed to be quite injured.

Nan Zan was grinding her teeth, as expected of Lu Jiang.

Lu Wei sighed. “The affair of the soul talisman, Lu Jiang can back down one more step, as long as Mountain Master Chen agrees to a small matter, Nan Zan will return the pieces, returning the item to its master.”

Chen Ping’an expressionlessly looked at Nan Zan, who was too obvious an actor, before looking sideways at Lu Wei. “From your tone, you plan to take the burden on your shoulders?”

The Middle-Earth Lu Clan’s intentions were obvious to Chen Ping’an, and had been clear in his time in the capital.

Do not forget, it was from whom Chen borrowed Dao from, and the lotus crown he wore belonged to Lu Chen.

Did Lu Wei plan to imitate Master Zou?

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “Take all the responsibility, can you Lu Wei do that? Can you Middle-Earth Lu handle it?”

Even with Lu Wei’s good nature, his expression had turned unnatural.

It stirred up one of Lu Wei’s biggest traumas, when in Li Zhu cave, he was forced by a scholar to beg for death but not receive it.

Lu Wei didn’t want to give up, “Whether it is the Great Li Dynasty, or Bao Ping Continent, in the end I am just an outsider. Mountain Master Chen is not.”

“If the relationship devolved into unnecessary arguments, and even conflict that could be mutually beneficial, it would be detrimental. Besides, the war between the two continents is about to break out. A change in Great Li would influence Bao Ping Continent, and then influence the whole situation. We Lu Clan have the Geography. In the spring, there is water, fish walk on human paths. In the autumn, there is war. The consequences are unthinkable. Mountain Master Chen does not wish Bao Ping Continent to become another Tong Ye Continent?”

Lu Wei sincerely said, “Those who saved Bao Ping Continent were the Mountain Master Chen’s two senior brothers.”

Lu Wei stared at Chen Ping’an, “Those who continued the incense of the Sword Qi Great Wall, was the Chen Ping’an, the last Hidden Officer!”

Lu Wei shook his head. “Why ruin a good game? Why ruin a good future?”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Looks like you plan to become the new Great Li Grand Preceptor.”

Lu Wei smiled wryly, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “Did I promise?”

Lu Wei didn’t reply.

At that moment, Lu Wei was dazed.

The young man in green was like two people in one.

Little Stranger echoed, “Senior Lu didn’t ask, and my lord didn’t agree.”

Chen Ping’an leaned forward, and used two fingers, extinguishing the incense stick that stood on the table.

In that instant, a light of azure fell.

Nan Zan closed her eyes, almost as a reflex.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a golden talisman, cut in half, on the ground.

At the same time, Nan Zan saw that there was one less chopstick.

Chen Ping’an was not surprised.

It was one of the greatest talismans of the Lu Clan, called the “Truth Talisman,” also known as the “Corpse Cutting Talisman.” It was higher than the mountain’s puppet talisman and self sacrifice, because it was almost equal to the person’s body, just at a lower level.

But there were two limitations, one being that there were only three, and the other was that the person’s body and the talisman couldn’t be too far, but with Lu Wei’s immortal level, it couldn’t be too far.

Little Stranger placed his hand behind his back, and with a flick of his wrist, created a snow white sword of Qi, and surveyed the area. “This sword of yours has been freed from the restraints of swordsmanship.”

Little Stranger said the truth.

Everything that breaks the boundaries of realms, nears the Dao.

“Little Stranger, find Lu Wei.”

Chen Ping’an beckoned, and grabbed the two talisman halves. With his qi, he determined it was made of gold essence copper coins, made to imitate a supernatural power of an ancient god.

Little Stranger nodded, and twisted his wrists, and the sword broke into millions of strands of white, and went to spread a net over the city.

Nan Zan saw the attendant still smile, like he was listening. Noticing her gaze, he nodded.

This sent chills down her spine.

Chen Ping’an joined the two halves, taking advantage of the qi that was still there, and then he reminded Nan Zan, “Drinking alcohol can strengthen your courage.”

In four locations in the capital, there were lights from talismans, flying in four different directions.

It appeared to be one body and three talismans, but that was an illusion.

Little Stranger did not care, and squatted to knock on the ground. “Come out.”

With a sudden grab, he grabbed Lu Wei by the neck, and pulled him out of the ground.

The arts of the Yin and Yang, the martial arts were very lacking.

The heart beating was as loud as thunder, like a drum.

And it wasn’t because he was using a technique to go underground.

Otherwise, it would’ve taken several blinks to locate the other person’s body.

Little Stranger grabbed the old immortal, and carried him over to where the old person had sat, and let him go.

Little Stranger placed his hands on his shoulders, “My lord didn’t tell you to leave, don’t do as you wish.”

Little Stranger lightly flicked his wrist, and the four talismans were brought back.

Looking at his lord, Chen Ping’an did not stop the talisman from fading. Lifting his head, he shook it. “We’re not friends, and it’s not a festival, so no gifts.”

Little Stranger bent over to lift the old immortal’s sleeves, and tossed the talismans in.

If his lord wasn’t here, Little Stranger would’ve made the other person eat it.

Lu Wei expressionlessly said, “At most it will cost the Lu Clan a light. I hope that Mountain Master Chen stays well from now on.”

Within the Lu Clan old ancestor’s space, there were millions of strands of sword qi raging.

Nan Zan’s face was pale, and sweat was showing.

Chen Ping’an smiled, grabbing the last chopstick, and then placed his palm on the bottom of the table. Lifting the table, he slammed it down again.

Food was on the ground, and the wine pot broke.

This act startled Nan Zan, and her face lost colour.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Broken rivers? You two, are you overestimating yourselves?”

Looking at the Empress, Chen Ping’an said, “Actually, you aren’t really suffering. Those who are are your sons who switch names.”

Looking at Lu Wei, Chen Ping’an asked, “Do you really want to die again? Think about it, and speak clearly.”

Nan Zan was silent.

So was Lu Wei.

To have this feast, they made a plan, listing many names.

Patrol Envoy Cao Peng. Guan Yiran. Liu Xunmei. Yuan Huajing, of the Yuan Clan, an Earthly Branch. Nan Zan’s daughter-in-law Yu Mian, and that foolish girl Yu Yu.

Liu Jia, Zhao Duanming, of the Tianshui Zhao Clan.

The Great Li military may not recognize the Guanmen disciple of the Wen Sheng, or the fallen mountain’s sword immortal.

But they recognized the name “Hidden Official.” Because they had climbed from mountains of dead.

Another simple reasoning was, without the hindrance and delay of the Sword Qi Great Wall, there would’ve been even more deaths. The wood from Yu Zhang would not have been enough to make coffins.

And at the beginning, Chen Ping’an had led the souls home. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Punishment knew the truth. Was the Chen Sword Immortal a hypocrite, trying to gain favour? From the officers and soldiers, all people believed in results.

And then there was Pei Yun, friends with Luo Po, and the Mountain Lord of the Northern Mountain, Wei Bo, the Mountain Lord of the South, Fan Junmao, and the Sun Clan of Old Dragon.

Yuan Tianfeng of the Ministry of Astrology has already expressed support.

And that old Honglu Temple Qing, and old man Guan were good friends. Both were students of Cliff Academy.

The martial officer who guarded the gate was from the Ma clan. And his attitude revealed what the clan thought of Luo Po.

The branch’s female formation, Han Zhou Jin, was from the Clear Pool place under God Talisman. But Han Zhou Jin’s backer was the purple Zhao Yan.

The priest in the Chongxu of the capital was from White Cloud Guan.

Liu Qingfeng of the Ministry of Rites. Wei Liang. Book Slip Lake’s True Land sect. Liu Laocheng, Liu Zhimao, Li Fuchu. Wind and Snow Temple. Thunder.

In fact, there were more officers and soldiers, martial generals who were caught up in this net of Luo Po.

And if they included the other continents, the Middle Earth, the Colorful Heaven, the Ascended city… the board would be more exaggerated.

Lu Wei and Nan Zan were in a game with Great Li.

And the one sitting and observing, was a guest in green.

Nan Zan at that moment, thought, maybe that young man was trying to tell her: from this day on, I am Great Li’s Grand Preceptor.