In the sun-drenched capital of the Liang kingdom, nestled amidst a winter’s embrace, stood a newly consecrated Taoist temple, built by Imperial decree. A wanderer stepping through its gates might easily mistake it for a sanctuary aged a thousand years, a testament to the treasury’s lavish expenditure of nearly a million taels of true silver, all to evoke an ancient aura.

Sunlight danced upon the jade-green glazed tiles of a palace rooftop, causing the row of lifelike mythical beasts adorning the ridge to shimmer. Among them, a *Suanni*, sculpted in the likeness of a lion, seemed to subtly shake its head.

A mere breath away, yet worlds apart.

Upon the rooftop reigned eternal day, while beneath the eaves, night held dominion. Within this twilight realm, a maiden with hands as pale as moonlight moved with deliberate grace through the corridors, her delicate fingers cradling a palace lantern.

She patrolled the dimly lit paths, each circuit leading her past a pair of vermillion doors, portals to a realm beyond imagination.

Within, a white-robed youth, marked by a crimson dot upon his brow, seemed to hang suspended in the ethereal void, his gaze fixed upon an aged Taoist, none other than Liang Shuang, the current unorthodox Grand Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Simultaneously, at the mountain shrine guarding the Liang border, the very same Protector of the Realm, a veritable saint, was engaged in amiable conversation with Chen Pingan, a yellow-hatted boy named Xiao Mo sat at the base of the steps.

The truth, veiled in illusion, was that the aged immortal before Cui Dongshan was the true essence of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master, Liang Shuang.

Cui Dongshan sighed, lamenting the toll exacted by the recent conflict. Aside from Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, it seemed no one had emerged unscathed. The old Taoist before him was visibly diminished, his vitality withered, a state that even the most mundane of scholars could perceive. His hair was sparse, barely contained in a topknot secured by a golden coronet. The ancient was but skin and bones, his once-imposing figure lost within the folds of a robe, dyed a deep purple.

Liang Shuang’s hands rested gently upon his abdomen, thumbs lightly touching, as he regulated his breath, seeking to steady his spirit and nurture his weary flesh.

Behind the aged immortal flickered an ethereal golden form, a celestial likeness shimmering and indistinct, like a tapestry caught in a breeze.

The three figures stood in stark contrast: Cui Dongshan, as insignificant as a mustard seed; the immortal, towering as a mountain; and the celestial likeness, vast as a star.

This was, in fact, Cui Dongshan’s first glimpse of the true immortal. Though seemingly lost in slumber, each inhale and exhale brought forth a torrent of true *qi* from his seven apertures, streaming down like cascading white serpents clinging to a cliff. Occasionally, a wisp of Taoist energy would break free, transforming into a violet character as if inscribing a scripture. The characters joined to form phrases before returning to the seven apertures, like rivers drawn back into the sea by an unseen hand. These phrases left trails of indelible yet fading esoteric marks in the void before the elder, lightless script for Cui Dongshan to read in the moonlight.

*Celestial serenity begets Taoist energy, an empty chamber lends itself to spring’s touch.*

If he were not so gravely wounded, the unorthodox Celestial Master would not be confined to this secluded hermitage, his spirit alone free to roam.

Even Cui Dongshan, usually carefree, felt a pang of sorrow at the sight.

Liang Shuang, the immortal, bore the Taoist name Taiyi.

Once, he was a paragon of elegance, with the grace of a deity.

In his youth, he was renowned for his beauty.

The same Liang Shuang who replaced the Fire Dragon Immortal of Crowning Peak was another recluse, as humanly pleased as one could be. In truth, by length of service, Liang Shuang possessed a seniority that far surpassed that of the Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Having withdrawn into seclusion for millennia after ascending to the Flying Ascension Realm, Liang Shuang’s involvement in worldly affairs had become so rare that the realms of the Grand Canopy had all but forgotten him. Cui Chan, during his youthful travels with the Old Scholar, had sought an audience with Liang Shuang, only to be rebuffed without ceremony, an affront the Old Scholar still resented. Not only was a meeting denied, but even a drop of wine could not be gotten.

The old immortal, his eyes still closed, sensed the stirring of Cui Dongshan’s heart and spoke calmly, “Each has their destiny. Accept the tides of fortune and adversity, and avoid needless sorrow.”

He then chuckled softly. “I harbored some doubt before, but now I see: you are truly not Cui Chan, the Embroidered Tiger of old.”

Cui Dongshan sat cross-legged within the old immortal’s microcosm, and asked, “Is there any minor matter in which I might be of assistance?”

The task of mending Liang Shuang’s great Taoist injury was beyond him. Cui Dongshan conceded he lacked the divine power necessary.

The old immortal, having seemingly completed the “transcription” of a scripture, his heart tranquil as a still well, opened his eyes and declared, “Nothing.”

As the two conversed, a similar dialogue unfolded near the mountain shrine, where the purple-robed Taoist, in conversation with Chen Pingan, spoke of the assassination attempt in a tone devoid of bravado, instead treating it as a mark of shame.

Unlike the true form before Cui Dongshan, the Protector of the Realm, Liang Shuang, who stood by the shrine’s gate, seemed to embody all earthly passions and emotions, capable of boundless joy, profound sorrow, and righteous fury. Cui Dongshan smiled and said, “A cultivator who has barely stepped into the fourteenth realm, yet in the desolate lands of Tongye Continent, wounded a great cultivator at the peak of that level and escaped. If that isn’t a grand feat, what is? I am curious, senior, how did you accomplish it?”

Liang Shuang replied calmly, “Exert all your strength, and leave the rest to fate. Only this.”

Before his ascent, Wen Hai Zhou Mi was acknowledged as the foremost figure of the Three Teachings.

This “old fox” from the Barren Desolands possessed an undeniable talent for creating characters, even in a foreign land.

Like Li Zhen, he had once inquired of Zhou Mi how many great demons he had “assimilated” over the millennia.

It seemed Zhou Mi’s method of assimilation was akin to ceaseless consumption, an insatiable hunger. The Sword Qi Great Wall held the Lotus Abbess, slain by Dong Sangeng, and the Yellow Luan, whose realm was diminished by A Liang and Yao Chongdao. Near the relics of the Upside Down Mountain, Bai Ye slew the Yaojia and the Qieyun of Tongye Continent. Zhou Mi had long since severed a part of himself to become Bai Ying, she of the skeletal throne. In addition, Zhou Mi had assassinated and devoured Lu Fayen of fourteenth level, the mentor of Qieyun and Feiran, thus merging his shadowy aspect. As for the treacherous Ascended Realm cultivator Wan Yan Lao Jing from Gengjin Continent, he could only be considered a small appetizer.

Who knew how many great demons from the Barren Desolands Zhou Mi had secretly “assimilated” beyond the old thrones?

Cui Dongshan flicked his sleeve, two fingers closed together, as if summoning forth a seal.

Liang Shuang glanced at it, commenting, “A ‘famished old bookworm’, indeed.”

*A collection of three million books fills my hands, I amuse myself in the cold of winter.*
*When I have dined on divine words, I will not regret my life as a bookworm.*

The seal was a personal bookplate of common material. It was said that Hao Ran Jia Sheng had found a stone on the path while wandering the Upside Down Mountain and used it as his seal.

Liang Shuang sighed, “The Great Thousand Worlds, myriad forms. Encompassing all diversity, reduced to a single image.”

Without experiencing the true power of Zhou Mi firsthand, it was difficult to fathom even a fraction of it.

Furthermore, Wen Hai Zhou Mi had directly ascended from the Willow Tendon Realm to the Jade Peak Realm.

The reason for cultivation was simply that it would allow him to read more books in his lifetime and fulfill his ambitions.

His closed disciple, Jia Shen of the wooden clogs, had taken the same shortcut. Liang Shuang asked with curiosity, “When I was still in the mountains, I heard of you from Tianlai, how the Grand Tutor Cui Chan was ostracized when he betrayed the Grand Tutor status, thus, the Wen Temple forbade the wisdom of the sage. You were involved and fell from the immortal realm. Was that a disguise?”

Liang Shuang referred to the current Dragon Tiger Mountain Grand Celestial Master as Tianlai. From this, one could infer his seniority.

What was obvious to most was mysterious to the two.

Those at the peak of Hao Ran could see everything, so they were wary of the Embroidered Tiger.

It was easy to see that even the deputy of Wen’s Temple could have easily been had by Cui Chan.

No one could have imagined that such a scholar would become a rat. It was to say that he had lost favor with Wen’s Temple. Few felt sympathy for his plight. Only Liu Jubao, Yu Panshui, and Shan Hai felt that the former Grand Tutor was mistreated.

“Yes and no,” replied Cui Dongshan with a smile. “The fall was true, though the greater goal was self-deception, to deceive the heavens and hide the truth. I only came to realize it later, after being kept in the dark by Cui Chan for years. That old tortoise deceived himself first, and then he deceived me, Cui Dongshan.” Cui Dongshan launched into a tirade. Now, he hated himself for going to the Emerald Jewel Grotto and trying to outsmart Qi Jingchun. When Qi Jingchun was dealing with him, was it all a joke?

Liang Shuang raised his hand and ran the calculations. He said, “That Cui Chan is ruthless.”

Cui Chan had done it to himself, but he did it also to his little brother.

His care was one of a kind.

It was as if Cui Chan wanted to maintain Chen Pingan’s Taoist heart so that no one could ruin it.

As the first Taoist book, The Way and Its Power, says, the Great Tao is fifty, the Celestial Way is forty-nine, and man evades one of them.

Cui Chan divided his soul and created Cui Dongshan. The point was that Cui Chan had limited Cui Dongshan’s power so that the latter was weaker than the former in both temper and mind.

Liang Shuang asked, “Did Cui Chan seek advice from Mr. San Shan for the method of sealing the mountain?”

Cui Dongshan smiled and replied, “It was both advice and debate.”

He thought of how Mr. Chen always behaved, as opposed to one “old tortoise,” who would have said “It was not advice, just mutual encouragement.”

The old immortal spoke, “Wait a moment.”

Cui Dongshan nodded. The old immortal used his Taoist heart to drive his Taoist intent, which drove his Taoist *qi*, which drove his spirit to move the aura within his small world, and then Liang Shuang left the realm and the two were in a room with two cushions, a table, and an incense burner.

The old immortal smiled. “Your gentleman is cautious, as if he thinks he is in a dream.”

His words to Chen Pingan had been akin to a sword debate, but Liang Shuang took the chance to look into the soul.

There were few old friends.

Zou Zi was one.

Cui Dongshan waved his hand like a fan, pulling the incense toward himself.

Cui Dongshan chuckled. “To face hardship is heroic, but to remain innocent is the hardest.”

Liang Shuang neither affirmed nor denied the statement. “I am forced, but what about you?”

Spirit travel was impermanent, though there were unorthodox ways to circumvent this, such as severing the three bodies or taming the mind monkey.

Cui Dongshan spoke without evasion. “I left some of myself in a porcelain doll and went to the Five Colors World. I originally intended to spend sixty years there helping to establish the Fallen Mountain lower sect.”

“Many methods make for little.”

Liang Shuang frowned. “Are you planning to give up on the Flying Ascension Realm?”

Cui Dongshan said, “Except for Mr. Chen, the Fallen Mountain does not need anyone’s realm, but we lack land, manpower, and money.”

The Fallen Mountain had two in the Flying Ascension Realm: Xiao Mo and the heart demon partner of Wu Shuangjiang.

Liang Shuang nodded. “A great sect.”

Cui Dongshan clasped his hands. Liang Shuang smiled. “Your gentleman is being held back by a lack of aura. No wonder he and ‘I’ did not get along at first, for you are the same.”

Cui Dongshan was worried. Chen Pingan was first a martial artist. As a Qi cultivator, his methods included talismans, and the weapons Shi Yi and Shi Wu. Later, he was a sword cultivator who had the “unreasonable” flying swords. He never had to be restrained by aura levels.

On the mountains, fighting and cultivation often involved the depletion of aura.

There was an analogy that the aura of the lower realms was merely a difference in number of snowflakes.

Reaching the middle realms was like owning a small summer coin.

The higher realms were like possessing a spring coin.

Liang Shuang asked, “Are you intending to start from scratch in Tongye and Five Colors?”

Cui Dongshan chuckled and replied, “I hope so.”

“How do you retain heart?”

It was easier to raise the spirit than to make a spirit.

Cui Dongshan was embarrassed. “I was angered by a Zheng at home.”

Liang Shuang nodded. “Zheng Juzhong is too skilled, so he is alone. Only he admired Cui Chan.”

Cui Dongshan replied with a smile, “Zheng Juzhong admired the Grand Taoist.”

Liang Shuang asked, “A game of Go?”

The white-robed youth rubbed his hands. “Do you want to lose or win?”

Liang Shuang shook his head. “You do not speak like your gentleman.” The old immortal waved his hand and the mountains of Tongye Continent appeared in the room. The old immortal looked at the five mountains and made one hundred and sixty emerald pieces, while Cui Dongshan made fifty snow white pieces out of the rivers. The white-robed youth made a fist and asked, “First move?”

Liang Shuang picked an emerald piece and leaned forward, as if to say, I was ascending before you, why bother with the formalities.

The only problem was that there was no board. This was the benevolence of Liang Shuang, but now the game was about to start. New rules and old rules would be made, and mountain stood to each stone. The mountains would live and perish on this board.

The two placed their pieces.

After fifty pieces each, Cui Dongshan looked around and placed the Mount Xiandu as an emerald piece on the board.

Liang Shuang sighed and dumped his emerald pieces onto the board.

Cui Dongshan said, “You are too kind.”

Liang Shuang asked, “Lower sect name?”

Cui Dongshan replied, “Mount Xiandu of Tongye Continent, Green Reed Sword Sect.”

Liang Shuang nodded. “The heavens are near Taiyi. Clouds circle back to the sky, and the green mist hides all. The immortals are there, yet no one notices their presence.”

Cui Dongshan nodded and smiled.

A non-cursing senior was a good senior.

Liang Shuang said, “The mushrooms and the dragons are yours to deal with.”

Cui Dongshan bowed and took his leave.

Liang Shuang stopped at the door and glanced at the kingdom.

Cui Dongshan turned his head. “I hope to see fields of hemp, and learn that I live in peace.”

Liang Shuang did not look away, but he spoke an cryptic message.

Cui Dongshan smiled and left.

The old immortal turned and looked at the board. He nodded and said, “If I had placed this here, I could have won.”

The maiden who carried the lantern walked over and looked at the board. “Master, did you lose to the youth?”

The old immortal stroke his beard and said, “How could I?”

The maiden looked at the board.

The old immortal said, “I lost the game, but won the spirit.”

————

Chen Pingan clasped his hands.

They returned to the area with Lady Fujun.

Cui Dongshan explained the situation. Chen Pingan nodded.

On the mountain stood Lady Jishan Fujun, who was also called Yunhe.

A maid asked, “Milady, these visitors are not like the other cultivators.”

She stood beside the lady.

Jiang Ying chuckled. “You can see that?”

The group had moved great distances and caused no aura disruptions. This meant that the visitors had at least two nascent souls, possibly even ascended gods. It would take her five or six hundred years to achieve that, even as a mountain goddess.

Jiang Ying tapped the flower book.

The safest thing was to return.

Many visitors had been coming to Tongye.

There was the “Sword Immortal Xu Jun,” who took in the Liu clan from Ai’ai Continent.

The Tongye residents had once looked down on the people of Baoping Continent, but now it was flipped. Many refugees from the Barren Desolands were here, and without the visitors, the place would be ruined.

Once the group returned to the mountain, Fujun put away the book and said, “Sirs, you may call my name. I am Jiang Ying, from Jishan.”

The gentleman chuckled and replied, “I greet Fujun. I am Cao Mo, from Baoping.” Jiang Ying sighed in relief and turned to leave, but then he said, “The old immortal of Liang Kingdom asked me to see how you would treat the mushrooms and the dragons.”

Jiang Ying replied, “I will treat them well.”

Chen Pingan said, “That tree has been struck by lightning, but it is connected to the mountain. I can help transplant it.”

Jiang Ying replied, “It is best to wait until the mushroom is able to leave its place.”

Pei Qian nodded.

This was a good sign.

Chen Pingan replied, “I am not as thorough as you.”

Jiang Ying asked, “Does Liang want us to buy them?”

If the dragon wanted to be a guest or servant, that would be great. If that was the case, then she would have a geomancer. If she could get the dragon and the mushrooms to Jishan, she would. It would be a win for all sides.

Also, it was said that the first true dragon appeared in Baoping after the battle.

It was said that the dragon gate had been gathering a lot of dragons at the Yellow River grotto.

Chen Pingan shook his head and said, “He said only to take what you wanted.”

Chen Pingan made no excuses.

Jiang Ying was startled. Was it a ploy?

Chen Pingan was about to leave when a girl said, “Lord Chen?”

The girl’s voice was weak. A woman frowned. This was no time to bother Chen.

Chen Pingan looked back. “Do you have something?”

The girl mumbled, “Are you really Lord Chen?”

Jiang Ying said, “Hu Ou, what is this?” The girl answered, “Cao is actually Chen from the Fallen Mountain! He took over the Ancestor Hall and killed the guardian.”

Jiang Ying was stunned.

Xiao Mo said, “Sir, I think that girl is from the Moon Clan.”

Chen Pingan did not know of that. Xiao Mo said that they were related to the gods. They were usually people from the Jade Grotto.

Also, some gods came down to search the earth for good people.

Xiao Mo heard this when she was brewing alcohol.

Normally, these descendants would have an advantage.

To Xiao Mo, they were all the same. The old craftspeople had a lot of numbers. In the Barren Desolands, the lights were full of palaces. Some of them were craftsmen.

Jiang Ying said, “Lord Chen, please forgive my rudeness.”

Chen Pingan returned the greeting.

He rejected her invitation.

After Cui Dongshan combined his spirit and body, he returned to Mount Xiandu.

He would not have left before, but now he must.

Before they separated, Chen Pingan asked about the board game. Cui Dongshan said, “It was hard to lose.”

The sky met the water. Chen Pingan’s group walked along the shore.

Cui Dongshan looked back to where Mr. Chen was.

He recalled the old immortal’s message: The world waits for you.