“A most independent spirit!” Luchen mused, observing Chen Ping’an’s departure from the pavilion. “Truly the way of the swordsman, unbound by the strictures of heaven and earth.”

As Chen Ping’an turned to leave, Luchen offered a gentle smile. “I hear tales of your Qingping Sword Sect. Specifically, of a mountain called Chou Mou.”

Chen Ping’an inclined his head. “Immortal Capital Mountain is the main, Chou Mou and Cloud Rise are auxiliary, it is that tri-mountain layout. Cui Dongshan is a sect master of the subordinate sect, surely he has his own plans.”

As Cui Dongshan would say, if the world is to change, one must prepare for rain before it falls, and plan early.

Luchen nodded in agreement. “I had no chance to land in Tongye Continent before. I only glimpsed it from afar, a stone tablet erected upon the mountain peak, bearing the words ‘We shall not emerge’ and ‘Celestial Violet Qi.’ The calligraphy was clearly the work of Sect Master Cui, no longer resembling the style of Xiu Hu, yet retaining a faint echo of its spirit. The serpent sheds its skin. It’s like, a certain immortal transformation.”

Luchen turned, a playful glint in his eyes. “Allow me to offer early congratulations to your esteemed student, Cao Qinglang. He has emerged successfully from seclusion, his Golden Core somewhere between first and second rank. Very good, better not to be too sharp but better to keep multiple possibilities.”

Chen Ping’an exhaled softly, relief evident in his expression. “Indeed, very good.”

A Golden Core of the first rank was legendary, a recognized talent for ascension, exceedingly rare. Second rank was the mark of an Upper Five Realm aptitude, but many of the great mountain-peak cultivators of the present-day Vast Sky possessed only second-rank Golden Cores in their youth.

Luchen’s voice turned thoughtful. “Have Qi Jingchun, Cui Chan, and that Cui Dongshan spoken to you of me? Perhaps offering some wisdom on how best to interact with my humble self?”

Chen Ping’an responded, “Master Qi offered but a single phrase: ‘A noble man can be deceived by righteousness.’ It was not specifically directed at you, but at the matter at hand.”

Implicit in his words was the idea that Luchen, or rather the Third Teacher of Jade White City in that era, did not warrant a specific warning from Master Qi to the boy from Mud Bottle Lane.

Moreover, the greatest intent, the hope of Master Qi, was to prevent Chen Ping’an from becoming overly consumed by guilt or fixated upon the truth once it was revealed.

Luchen muttered under his breath, “If Qi Jingchun holds no ill will, why should you, Chen Ping’an, dwell on it so? Were you not so wary of Jade White City, your deeds in the Sword Qi Great Wall would have made you a welcome guest in any corner of the Azure Darkness. Even if you did not align yourself with my Senior Brother, simply locking horns with Jiang Zhaomo and Pang Ding would grant you passage as a distinguished visitor to the other four cities and eleven towers. You know not the curiosity and admiration the immortal maidens of Jade White City hold for ‘Hidden Official Chen Eleven,’ the youngest inscriptionist in ten thousand years.”

Ignoring Luchen’s words, Chen Ping’an continued as if speaking to himself, “Cui Dongshan said, if you truly intend to oppose Jade White City, learn from the old cook and pick out a Luchen.”

Cui Dongshan’s meaning was clear: If you seek to challenge Jade White City, circumvent Luchen and sever the Third Teacher from the whole.

Only with such a pre-emptive strike could victory be achieved.

“Hidden Official, you cannot omit the most crucial player.”

Luchen smiled faintly. “Qi Jingchun is a righteous man. However high his magic and profound his scholarship, he is incapable of petty acts. Your brother Cui Chan, on the other hand, is not so constrained.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, a hint of mockery in his tone. “Is there truly someone Luchen fears, even to the point of needing to know what words they spoke?”

Luchen’s expression turned grave, and he nodded. “If Cui Chan were not distracted by matters of the world, and instead focused his efforts upon a single individual, even Zheng Juzhong would suffer, or at the very least find himself locked in a stalemate. For Cui Chan’s methods are similar to my own.”

Luchen narrowed his eyes, clasped his hands in a gesture of supplication, and gently swayed. “I beg the Hidden Official to unravel this mystery for me, lest I return to Jade White City and find myself unable to sleep or eat.”

Chen Ping’an replied, “You have already guessed it. Why waste my breath explaining?”

“Cui Chan is ruthless!”

Luchen touched the lotus crown upon his head. “Chen Ping’an, you fall far short of Cui Chan.”

Cui Chan’s plot had been the journey into the depths of the Barbarian Lands led by the young Hidden Official after its success, after Chen Ping’an had opened the moon with his sword, before the transfer of a bright moon’s light into the Azure Darkness.

Chen Ping’an would suddenly join forces with Ning Yao, Qi Tingji, Execution Official Hao Su, and Lu Zhi!

To slay Luchen!

Adding Lu Zhi’s natal sword to the mix, the offensive power alone could be considered that of an ascendant sword cultivator.

Thus, Chen Ping’an and four ascendants, all swordsmen, would encircle and slay a fourteenth realm Luchen outside Azure Darkness and Jade White City.

Luchen sighed. “Was it during Cui Chan’s final appearance at the Sword Qi Great Wall that he shared this plan? And given your realm at the time, it would have been difficult to conceal, so Cui Chan must have used some secret method to tell you of it, then erase your memory, yet allow you to recall it at the crucial moment, to turn against me in an instant, betraying me at the bridge and striking to kill.”

Even setting aside Chen Ping’an’s restored realm, a combined attack of four ascendant sword cultivators, especially one who inscribed words on the city wall and one who is the ruler of a brand new world… to say nothing of Lu Zhi’s natal sword “North Dipper”, Execution Official Hao Su disregard for life and death when asking others for swords, and Chen Ping’an’s natal swords at crucial moments, might be the key to victory.

Who could withstand that?

Chen Ping’an remained silent, neither confirming nor denying, but in his silence was agreement.

As for why Chen Ping’an had decided against carrying out this plan, it was because of a trial, which unexpectedly led to a certain outcome.

At that time Chen Ping’an had said, “During this trip to the Barbarian Lands, the Hidden Official Chen Ping’an will be accompanied by the Vast Sky’s Luchen for protection.”

And Luchen responded with solemn reverence, “The Vast Sky’s Luchen is honored to accompany you.”

At that moment, Chen Ping’an was utterly certain that Luchen was not feigning. A Third Teacher of Jade White City for millennia truly recognized his “Vast Sky” identity and regarded the Vast Sky as his true home.

Luchen glanced at Chen Ping’an.

Good, good, this fellow is more like Qi Jingchun, not like Cui Chan.

In the end, the learning from events and scholarship put forward by Cui Chan from the lineage of the Sage of Literature, compared to the fundamental learning passed down by the Old Scholar, was after all a “minor study”. Cui Chan could study it to the extreme, while Chen Ping’an only barely learned its likeness, missing half of Cui Chan’s heart, so the other half could not be learned by Chen Ping’an even if he wanted to.

Since Hidden Official treats people so honestly, it’s not good for This Priest to hide.

Luchen raised a sleeve and with two fingers drew forth two miniature women, no larger than mustard seeds, who moved with graceful steps like wraiths clinging to a beam.

One woman wore a morning cloud hairpin and possessed an air of grace and dignity, while the other was dressed in a white shirt and green skirt, with embroidered shoes on her feet.

They were the two incense-burning women who had emerged from the moon-cave gate in the Fen River shrine, of whom Luchen, after the fact and at their first meeting, had murmured, “Is it pear blossom or not, is it apricot blossom or not…”

This meant that Chen Ping’an’s painstaking efforts to lure Luchen into a trap were true and false, depending entirely on Luchen’s mood, whether he chose to reveal the truth.

For Chen Ping’an, who had waited by the pond to catch the turtle in a jar, was but a caged bird in Luchen’s sleeve. Seemingly a mantis catching the cicada with the oriole lurking behind, in truth, the slingshot was already drawn.

But Chen Ping’an seemed to have anticipated this, his Dao Heart undisturbed, his gaze as still as a well.

Luchen asked, “Did Qi Tingji secretly offer his assistance at that time?”

With Cui Chan’s methods, he would surely have had sufficient reasons to persuade the old sword immortal to willingly offer up his “Disbandment” sword, sending Luchen on his way.

Chen Ping’an remained silent.

Luchen leaned against the pavilion pillar. “Chen Ping’an, speak honestly, do you believe I should fear that embroidered tiger?”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a long time before finally speaking. “I have always heard that you possess the Five Dreams and Seven Heart Manifestations, each born of profound enlightenment, mysterious and arcane. It is said that the Seven Heart Manifestations are the Wooden Rooster, the Toon Tree, the Mole Rat, the Kunpeng, the Yellow Bird, the Yuan Chu, and the Butterfly.”

Luchen folded his hands in his sleeves and smiled. “Such secret abilities cannot be readily displayed. Once, in youthful exuberance and headstrong foolishness, I lent you my Dao, but naturally, I must now take certain precautions. If you, with your penchant for overthinking, were to discover a weakness, the consequences would be dire.”

At this, Luchen tentatively added, “My use of ‘overthinking’ is a double entendre, I trust you understand?”

Luchen was referring to Violet Qi Coming East: Dao is in the east, the western Buddha kingdom, Buddha is in the west. You Chen Ping’an is a Confucian scholar, learning is right in the middle.

Chen Ping’an glanced sidelong at Luchen.

Luchen sighed, a sound of helplessness. “Alas, spending too much time with fellow Daoists like Qing Tong and Tender Daoist has led me to believe that words unspoken are words wasted. It is far easier to converse with you, for it requires little effort.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “I have heard that Daoist Sun has offered a most insightful appraisal of you.”

Luchen cradled his head in his hands, lazily. “Is it that oft-repeated saying that Luchen ‘cannot defeat anyone, cannot defeat anyone’?”

If the words were, Luchen cannot defeat anyone, then no one can defeat Luchen, the meaning would be clear.

Chen Ping’an spoke slowly. “The Dream Confucian Master Zheng Huan, seizing the merits of Heaven as his own, ultimately chose suicide, only to entrust his dreams to the pines and cypresses of his grave. Dreaming of a pillow of bones and rejecting the joy of kingship, dreaming of a living oak, dreaming of a dead spirit turtle, dreaming of transformation into a butterfly, unaware of who he truly was. These Five Dreams each held a Manifestation of the Great Dao, of which the White Bone Real Man who wandered the Azure Darkness was the most distinct. Yet, in the beginning, according to the historical records of the Summer Palace and the Temple of Literature, it seemed the Azure Darkness knew nothing of your Five Dreams beyond the Seven Heart Manifestations.”

“To avoid conflict, one must display some strength, to dissuade others from engaging, lest amity be injured.”

Luchen smiled and raised his hand, flexing his elbow several times. “The greatest fear in countless needless disputes is that one side believes the matter to be irrevocably settled, consumed by thoughts of ‘now or never,’ while the other truly does not. And yet, neither believes the other. What greater injustice could there be?”

In the early days, the Three Teachers of the Azure Darkness rotated the governance of Jade White City every hundred years.

Luchen seemed the most idle of the three, yet he was, in name, the “Lord” who governed a world for a century. One could easily imagine the undercurrents.

Moreover, according to the rules of Jade White City, once a fellow disciple became “Lord of the World,” the other two were absolutely forbidden from interfering in any affairs. It was said that this rule was established by the Dao Ancestor himself.

This meant that if Luchen, who often left Jade White City to travel alone, were to be slain on the road, the entire Azure Darkness would descend into a state of “dragonlessness, without a lord.” The other two teachers would remain unable to act, regardless of the chaos, until the appointed time arrived for them to take control of Jade White City and clean up the mess.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Dream Confucian Master Zheng Huan, seizing the merits of Heaven as his own and ultimately choosing suicide, could only entrust his dreams to the pines and cypresses of his grave. Was your ancestor, a Lu, alluding to Zou Zi, who was at loggerheads with the Lu family of Yin Yang?”

Lu Tai came from the Lu family of Yin Yang and one of his two mentors besides swordsman Pei Min, was Zou Zi, who “used all words to speak of all things.”

Zou Zi spoke of heaven, and the Lu spoke of earth, something the Vast Sky had agreed on. Zou Zi was hailed as occupying half of the Yin Yang family and was an understanding on the mountains.

Zou Zi thought highly of Lu Tai. But after Lu Tai met Chen Ping’an, it was as if Lu Tai and his teacher Zou Zi had a disagreement on the Great Dao, and this matter and the Zheng Huan and his brother from the five dreams were kind of similar, and in the end was divided between Confucianism and Mohism.

“My path is different from Zou Zi’s, it is true.”

Luchen hastily waved his hand, disclaiming any connection. “But I do not possess the ability to foresee that my family would have such an unfilial descendant as Lu Tai, or you.”

Chen Ping’an said, “I have already answered three of your questions.”

Luchen blinked. “Was it not just one question?”

Luchen hesitated. “Before going to Li Zhu Grotto, I recovered ‘Two Dreams’ and one Heart Manifestation from the Azure Darkness. Before entering Li Zhu Grotto of the Vast Sky, I recovered one Heart Manifestation.”

“You should have guessed the latter, or you would not have asked about the origin of the ‘Western Peak,’ one of the ancestors of the Eight Divine Armor. My Heart Manifestation is precisely the ‘Yuan Chu,’ and it is indeed related to the golden robes and the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion. Frankly, the longer I stay in Jade White City, the more I find the saying ‘Where there are demons, there must be a Longhu Mountain Daoist’ to be interesting. I hoped to use this to unravel the root of the ‘immortal’ word. For example, a Daoist with relative ordinary talent, will Dao be attained faster on ‘mountains’, but it’s height is limited, or is it in ‘man’, slower, but the Dao attainment is higher. This way, I wanted to personally learn about it in the identity of a noble of yellow and purple, and in the end this person ‘passed away’ in the stone caves of an island near Jiaolong Gulch and used Disbandment.”

“But even though I recovered two dreams and one heart manifestation in one breath, and even though I had enough thoughts about that Li Zhu Grotto.”

Luchen revealed a hint of melancholy, saying helplessly: “Facts proved that I was still arrogant and underestimated Qi Jingchun. If I had known, I should have recovered that White Bone Real Man, who had tried to ‘usurp the position of host’, and he was the most unruly. Rebellious, rebellious, you’re supposed to be the emperor. But this guy is good, seeking only one thing after three thousand years of Dao cultivation, which is to rebel against himself. No wonder he’s been giving glances to that Elegant Prime Minister Yao Qingmei.”

“Sect Master Lu, you can say the second.”

“Before going to the Sword Qi Great Wall to find you, in order to avoid capsizing the boat in the gutter and turning a good thing into a bad thing, I had to be careful, so I recovered one dream and one heart manifestation, namely the Confucian Master Zheng Huan in the dream and Yu Zhenyi in the Lotus Blossom Paradise, as well as meeting Lu Tai. I also had a good conversation.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Looks like I have to listen to the reminders of my student.”

Luchen asked, “What’s the third answer, did you want to ask me which dreams I would have to recover after returning to Azure Darkness, or did you want to ask what the outcome of my ‘recovery’ will be, whether it’s dream resolution or heart manifestation?”

“The latter.”

“To obtain a freedom that is no longer that of a marionette. Whoever is who, is who, anyway, not me Luchen.”

In fact, regarding Luchen, there was also a saying from the Mysterious Capital, only compared to the golden words that Daoist Sun had announced to the world, it didn’t seem as popular.

This person Luchen, is not a Real Man. What you see in your eyes is not the truth.

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked a shocking question. “That Mr. Zheng of White Emperor City? It couldn’t be one of your five dreams and seven heart manifestations, right?”

Luchen went dumb with shock, you have to have a head stuck in a door to ask this question? Luchen felt like he had been struck by five thunderbolts, quickly put his hands together, raised them high, muttered for a while, and then said with a grudge: “Chen Ping’an, we can barely be considered a gentleman’s dispute, right? Then you are a Confucian disciple with a lineage of orthodoxy, and a martial arts practitioner who values ​​rules the most, can you talk about a little bit of morality?! Ah?! Even if there are some grievances and private feuds between us, you can’t use such inferior framing methods, right?”

Damn it, that Zheng Juzhong is really crazy, if he thinks that “Am I Dao Ancestor?” and Zheng Juzhong can’t do anything about my master, but if he’s full and comes up with another “Am I Luchen?”, what should I Luchen do?! Have you considered This Priest’s feelings?

Chen Ping’an smiled.

His mood improved a bit.

Luchen turned to look at the scenery outside the pavilion, lamenting for no reason: “The mountains and rivers are magnificent, and it is easy to capture people’s attention, and if you are not careful, it will capture your heart. It’s the wind moving the banner and the heart moving, but now going up the mountain for cultivation, there are thousands of Dao techniques, and on this matter alone, it is probably too commonplace, so few people pay attention to it, and few remind the younger generations, the Dao practitioner is not like the vulgar gentleman, he needs to concentrate and not be blinded by the beauty, and not have the mountains and rivers, flowers and trees, and beautiful women take away even the slightest bit of his mind. They need to turn the tables and use it for my own use, to swallow mountains and rivers, and me be the host.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “That is the supreme method.”

“I am not saying words of excuse for my Senior Brother Yu is completely selfless in everything he does.”

“It’s simple: Senior Brother Yu’s aptitude for Dao cultivation is too good, his Dao is too broad, and his swordsmanship is too high, but it is his good fortune. Senior Brother Yu has no private grudges. Of course, he acts impartially, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have private feuds, such as Daoist Sun’s junior brother from the Mysterious Capital, and Wu Shuangjiang’s partner from the New Year’s Eve Palace, and then there’s your Senior Brother Qi. It seems like all of you want to account the matters to White Jade City’s Second Teacher Yu Dou.”

“It’s fine for the Mysterious Capital, after all, Senior Brother personally went out, draped in feather coats and carried immortal swords, broke into the Mysterious Capital, and personally killed Daoist Sun’s junior brother. This Priest can understand Daoist Sun’s inability to let go.”

“Only as for Wu Shuangjiang, his partner only died within the Dao rules established by White Jade City’s Senior Brother Yu.”

“As for you, if it’s said that Jiang Zhaomo and Pang Ding beat Qi Jingchun to death, there’s no denying it. Under the watchful eyes of the public, those two respected White Jade City Celestials were not afraid of being sought for revenge because of their status and Dao. And you, the junior student, pieced together the truth through speculation and conjecture, and then personally witnessed that scene, so it is reasonable to ask them for an explanation, but Senior Brother Yu did not really strike, and moreover, it was This Priest who forced Qi Jingchun into that dead end, so This Priest is weird. Why do you harbor such hatred for Senior Brother Yu?”

Luchen was indeed curious about this matter.

Logically speaking, Chen Ping’an should not have been able to calculate that conversation between him and Senior Brother Yu.

At most, he would have thought about the step that Janitor Lin Zhengcheng had thought of, that it was the White Jade City Third Teacher Luchen who was holding a White Jade City that could cross the sky to Azure Continent at any time and forced Qi Jingchun to make a detour.

If possible, Luchen still hoped to take all of this old account on himself.

After all, if you are not careful, the first life-threatening battle between the fourteenth realm cultivators after the scattering of the Three Ancestral Teachers will take place in Azure Darkness, in White Jade City!

Otherwise, the eldest brother “one of” Li Xisheng would not have instructed him so early in the Cool Sect of North Ju Continent. It was a solemn “heavy word”!

Adding a certain conclusion Luchen had just reached, it would not be a fight between two fourteenth realm Great Monks.

But three!

Senior Brother Yu Dou. Sun Huaizhong of the Mysterious Capital, Wu Shuangjiang of the New Year’s Eve Palace!

“Speaking of things at the foot of the mountain, asking about the heart on the mountain. Is it difficult to guess? It’s not difficult at all. Every Dao practitioner on the mountain uses his entire life to explain and verify a certain principle.”

Chen Ping’an said calmly: “I believe that the White Jade City Grand Teacher, who has yet to ‘Transform Three Purities with One Breath’, is willing to bear the consequences of losing a battle of the Great Dao, this is the Dao Heart of Grand Teacher Kou Ming. So there’s no need for Mr. Li of Fortune Street, or Daoist Zhou Li of Divine Edict Sect to explain any words to anyone, it is an established fact. The Sage of Rites in our Azure Darkness is also like this. The former Little Teacher, the later Sage of Rites of the Temple of Literature, wherever he stands, that is where Rites is.”

“You, Luchen, respect that Senior Brother, but you are Luchen, and you will never be as persistent as Yu Dou, so your actions in Li Zhu Grotto were seemingly doing nothing, of course, only ‘seemingly’. But I also believe that during those years of setting up stalls, you must have thought about a lot of ‘compromise’ methods. The reason why you couldn’t do it was that one, you didn’t dare to add too much and interfere too much in the Grand Teacher’s process of Harmony, and the second reason was that even if Luchen was willing to step back and give way, it was impossible to do so.”

“Because Yu Dou is the real mastermind, it is this White Jade City Second Teacher who wants to remove all Great Dao opponents for the Grand Teacher Senior Brother. Yu Dou will never allow Azure Darkness to lose a Senior Brother after his master scatters Dao. The only Daoist who can rise to the fifteenth realm can only be the Senior Brother who taught him. If I guessed right, Yu Dou must have threatened you verbally before you returned to Azure, before entering Li Zhu Grotto, just like how I threatened Tender Daoist earlier. What, Sect Master Lu, you didn’t hear my subtext, or were you deliberately pretending to be stupid?”

Luchen rubbed his face with both hands. This Priest still likes chatting with fellow Daoist Qing Tong or Tender Daoist.

In fact, both parties knew well, but they were too lazy to say one thing.

As long as Chen Ping’an asks Jade White City with a sword in the future, no matter what the reason is, Yu Dou, as the White Jade City Second Teacher, will never stand by and watch.

Chen Ping’an narrowed his eyes and said, “I see.”

Luchen was surprised, “Ah?”

Why are you mimicking This Priest?

Chen Ping’an smiled slightly. “No wonder you said so many superfluous words.”

It turned out that Azure Darkness was already rife with internal troubles.

Otherwise, he, who is not even an Upper Five Realm sword cultivator now, wouldn’t need a Luchen who claims to “understand” so to speak so much.

It’s far more than that.

The difficulty of asking Jade White City with a sword is much, much more difficult than asking To Yue Mountain with a sword.

Then it is very likely that Daoist Sun has quietly risen to the fourteenth realm, and is a pure sword cultivator?

Wu Shuangjiang is also no different than a “trust” in the Night Navigation Ship, and has even begun to restore a certain identity.

As for Wu Shuangjiang of New Year’s Eve Palace, she has the identity of a Dao official who adapts to customs in Azure Darkness, but don’t forget, Palace Master Wu is also a military monk in Azure Darkness who can accompany the Martial Temple!

Will a “benevolence” be emphasized in the battlefield?

As for the Mysterious Capital, when dealing with mountain disputes, they are notorious for “We take you on one-on-one, you take us all on one-on-many”.

Then the joint asking of Jade White City with a sword by Abbot Sun and Wu Shuangjiang, in other words, is actually asking Yu Dou alone with a sword?

Chen Ping’an asked, “After returning to Jade White City, will you resolve all the dreams that can be resolved, and consolidate all the heart manifestations that can be consolidated?”

Luchen said helplessly: “There’s no way, This Priest is still the disciple that my master loves the most.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Then I won’t say any polite words such as smooth sailing.”

Luchen said without any reason: “Today, thanks to This Priest’s master, the word ‘Daoist’ has been exclusively used by Daoism for ten thousand years.”

Chen Ping’an frowned slightly and said: “Ten thousand years later, if there are no more Dao practitioners, then your Dao family’s scholarship should not be too weak, right? There may even be a saying of ‘Cultural Roots’, no matter what, just the sentence ‘Inaction’ is something that anyone with any identity, especially emperors and generals, will highly recommend.”

Luchen kept a straight face.

Chen Ping’an glared at him and said: “Just laugh if you want to. How can my little deduction and skill of calculation be compared with your masters?”

Luchen burst into laughter as expected, and it took a long time to stop laughing: “Today’s world, the word ‘jianghu’ has also changed drastically, and ‘forget each other in the jianghu’ has also changed. But will all the jianghu rivers run dry after ten thousand years, and the fish can only exist on land together, and can only help each other with saliva?”

Luchen was saying about the arrival of the Era of Law’s End, only saying one thing, the people under heaven can no longer cultivate, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is exhausted like the sea is dry, and all spiritual beings are like fish on land.

“Then how will Confucianism be near, Buddha broad, and Dao high today, be after ten thousand years? It’s okay to have Daoists live and die with glory and shame, but it’s difficult to have a clear view of where Dao is going.”

Regarding this matter, not only Luchen, but also Senior Brother Kou Ming and his master had each made some deductions. It’s just that Luchen is unwilling to worry, and his calculations are relatively shallow, but they are only used to pass the time, but Senior Brother wants to find a real solution. As for what the master thinks, it is estimated that it is one level deeper, better, and higher than the senior brother.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Are you worried about the kind of embarrassing situation of ‘high is not high enough and low is not low enough’, high is still high, but there is just a layer missing in the middle?”

Luchen sat up, shook his sleeves and said: “There is an old saying that man proposes, Heaven disposes, which is really discouraging. Now that I know that cultivating Dao starts with non-power, and it is 30% human effort and 70% luck, what’s the point of thinking so much?”

Luchen suddenly said: “Chen Ping’an, if you see the Supreme Sage later, the Supreme Sage will probably ask you a question.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “How do you say?”

Luchen smiled and said: “For example, ask you how you view the ‘battle of three or four’.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “It’s possible.”

Luchen asked: “Could it be that the Supreme Sage has already asked you?”

Chen Ping’an said: “What do you think I should answer?”

Luchen said: “Difficult.”

To raise his own lineage of the Sage of Literature and slightly belittle the lineage of the Second Sage, there is no problem personally, but there is a big problem publicly.

But if Chen Ping’an doesn’t speak for his lineage of orthodoxy, or rejects the lineage of the Second Sage in every possible way, then that’s even more wrong.

If you say an answer that is good for both, and this kind of answer of mixed, then would it not be regarded as a joke by the Old Man of the Supreme Sage?

Luchen smiled and said: “Why not directly bypass the battle of three or four, but not really bypass the learning of the lineage of the Sage of Literature and the Second Sage?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “That makes sense.”

Luchen said helplessly: “Sincerity?! What about the door style of consistently treating people with sincerity in Fallen Mountain? Tell me, what is your answer!”

Chen Ping’an said: “Confucius said.”

Luchen immediately answered: “Teach regardless of background?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Luchen gave a thumbs up and exclaimed in amazement: “It neither belittles the lineage of the Second Sage, but also infinitely elevates the Supreme Sage, and secretly suppresses the lineage of the Sage of Literature by half a point over the lineage of the Second Sage. Even your Senior Brother Jun Qian will only smile knowingly and be very happy when he hears this, and will only feel that his Dao foundation has this kind of wonderful use?!”

Chen Ping’an said: “If I didn’t really think so in my heart, would I dare to say so?”

Luchen was silent for a moment, and had to nod and said: “That’s right.”

If I had known this, This Priest should have hardened my heart back then and directly knocked this kid unconscious and put him in a sack and snatched him to White Jade City to be my junior brother. It would save so much worry and effort. There would be so much trouble now.

Luchen looked up at the sky and said, “It’s going to rain.”

Chen Ping’an was the first to walk out of the pavilion.

Before the Mud Bottle Lane straw sandals boy left his hometown and the small town.

Old Man Yang in the medicine shop once reminded him to take the umbrella from the backyard and give it to the teacher in the school.

One big and one small, they walked together in the rain with an umbrella.