Emperor Song He, with Chen Ping’an in tow, descended into a concealed armory of the Great Li realm, fashioned in the shape of the character “甲”. He declared it held a gift prepared long ago by the imperial court, a token of esteem.

Following them, no longer concealing their presence, strode Xiao Mo and Xie Gou, the enshrined protectors of Fallen Mountain. Ascending as one, they acted as guardians, their formidable power a stark contrast to Song He’s station. The Emperor, his heart stirred with a strange feeling, wondered if history had ever witnessed a sovereign with such potent escorts. Such privilege was exceedingly rare, if not unheard of, across the chronicles of the myriad kingdoms.

The lock yielded to Chen Ping’an’s jade pendant, and as the gates to a chamber of swords swung inward, the scene within left onlookers awestruck. The room shimmered with celestial radiance. Tables and tiered shelves, each meticulously crafted from enchanted wood and precious jade, held miniature coffers. Within each rested a single sword-pellet, each coffer accompanied by a slender tome detailing the blade’s origins and lineage.

Each pellet pulsed with potent intent, its essence staining the coffers with hues of shimmering light. Jade “sword-cases,” in particular, radiated with an inner glow, their accumulated splendor creating a mesmerizing spectacle of color and light.

The air hummed with the chilling song of steel, a palpable frost that sunk deep into Song He’s bones. He huddled, his hands retreating into his sleeves, as Xie Gou, unable to tear her gaze away, surveyed the collection, discerning only varying degrees of preference. Had she known of this haven, and had she not pledged allegiance to her Mountain Lord, a “chance encounter” with the Great Li treasury might have taken a different turn.

Xiao Mo, ever mindful, subtly deflected the cold, a gesture of consideration.

“My gratitude, esteemed Master Xiao,” Song He offered, to which Xiao Mo responded with a courteous, “The honor is all mine, Your Majesty.”

Pausing near a “gourd rack,” Song He suggested, “Master Chen, feel free to select a few gourd-vessels to nurture your blades.”

Carved from a single, ancient jade retrieved from the depths of a dragon palace, the rack mimicked a gourd vine, heavy with vessels of every shade imaginable.

Over a hundred gourd-vessels, varying in quality, hung from the rack, each a spoils of war claimed during the Great Li’s campaigns against the barbaric tribes of the south. Nearly half bore the scars of battle, while among the unblemished, only a fraction held significant power, coveted by terrestrial sword-cultivators, yet deemed trifles by those who had ascended to the upper realms.

Song He elaborated, “Master Cui once envisioned a sword-dao sect established by the Great Li, a framework that involved dismantling Righteous Yang Mountain, borrowing talent from Wind and Thunder Garden, and enticing sword-immortals from the Northern Gloom Continent to serve as nominal guardians, figures such as Wei Jin, Song Xu, Yuan Huajing, and Yuan Bai—all to be revered as founding ancestors. Alas, it was never realized, becoming a forgotten dream.”

Xie Gou, enlightened, exclaimed, “So that explains the Great Li’s ambition to bridge the sea, uniting Bottle Continent with the Northern Gloom and forging a single landmass, all to draw the flow of sword-dao south!”

“Master Cui’s scheme was far grander than that notion,” came the reply.

Song He shook his head, a smile gracing his lips. “If ever Vice Prefect Xie were to compare the maps of both continents, inverted, you would discover that Bottle Continent, joined to the Northern Gloom by that bridge, forms a vast, celestial sword-nurturing gourd.”

“The smaller, ‘upper gourd’ warms the sword, its blade the Water Sword of the Great Ditch, its hilt the Lake of Scrolls.”

“The larger, ‘lower gourd’ of the Northern Gloom holds a blade of the Dragon Vein of Middle Ridge Mountain, its hilt the lands of Wooden Garb Mountain and the Valley of Specters—a formation where the ‘earth dragon sends forth its veins into the sea.'”

“As this gourd is the greatest in existence, so too must be the scale of the two swords it nurtures. And as for those who wield them, they reside within a replica of the Jade Citadel. The Ancient Sage of the Lake of Scrolls and Master Cui, respectively, would command the Great Ditch Water Sword and the Dragon Vein Mountain Sword, directed against the ascension-realm fiends who dabble in wicked arts. The Jade Citadel’s act of slaying foes with sword-auras was but a smokescreen.”

“In those years, the Great Li made long-term preparations for confronting the barbarous tribes. From the outset, Master Cui planned a staged retreat towards Bottle Continent’s northern borders, making a last stand to defend the capital. Amongst his nine secret schemes were the gathering of swordsmen, the founding of a sword-dao sect, the crafting of the two-continent nurturing gourd and its mountain-and-water swords, and the orchestrated explosions of Old Dragon City and Old Southern Mountain—all intended to decimate the fiendish horde.”

Xie Gou could only sputter in stunned awe.

Xiao Mo, too, was rendered speechless by the audacious scale of the plan.

Truth be told, as an ancient cultivator who had witnessed the Ascent Wars millennia ago, it was difficult for him to hold the battles of later generations in high regard.

Xie Gou glanced at her Mountain Lord, understanding now the heaven-defying strokes of Embroidery Tiger’s brush. The Great Li’s Ascending Man illustration seemed less impressive by comparison. Recalling her Mountain Lord’s self-deprecating analogy, the comparison was apt. Embroidery Tiger, in his detached observation, seemed to say, “Is that all?” fitting for brethren of the same school.

No wonder Chief Zhou claimed that with the aid of Master Cui and City Lord Zheng, he too could achieve feats of unimaginable grandeur.

Chen Ping’an’s focus, however, differed.

He saw the maximization of talent, the utilization of resources, the responsible management of the kingdom’s wealth—clear boundaries, just rewards, and established precedents. For instance, when the aged Emperor of Qiu was found colluding with demons, General Su Gaoshan simply stormed the palace and beheaded him without hesitation. Cui Chan could tolerate a multitude of errors, including the baser aspects of humanity, even exploiting them, yet through the clash of wills, he subtly ignited a spirit of righteousness and heroism within the hearts of his people.

Take, for example, Old Ancestor Pang Yun of the Jade Raft Sect. Despite his aversion to death and his pursuit of fame and fortune, he was bound to remain on the Great Ditch battlefield near the secondary capital of Luo Jing for three years before returning to his sect. He held nothing but contempt for his nephew Fu Xian’s involvement in the Qiu Kingdom’s internal strife, understanding that even without Embroidery Tiger’s presence, the Great Li was beyond the grasp of a petty kingdom like Qiu.

The Great Li, in its wisdom, permitted all that was not explicitly forbidden, offering opportunities for trial and error, while simultaneously rectifying mistakes made in the pursuit of progress.

Song He’s intention was for Chen Ping’an to simply take the entire gourd rack, and the dragon-slaying stones as well.

Chen Ping’an ultimately selected the two finest gourd-vessels from the highest reaches of the rack, intending to nurture his life-bound swords, “North Dipper” and “Azure Spire.”

In a corner of the sword chamber lay a pile of dragon-slaying stones from the Li Zhu grotto-heaven. Chen Ping’an chose two pillar-sized stones, instructing Xiao Mo to cleave each in half, and then placed the fragments within his three gourd-vessels, including Ginger Gourd.

Song He was somewhat disappointed. As he had said himself, he feared not Chen Ping’an’s excess, but his restraint, especially his unwillingness to take anything.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an had refrained from uttering any requests framed as “borrowing.”

Song He then resorted to Plan B, inviting Xiao Mo and Xie Gou to select a sword-pellet or dragon-slaying stone for themselves.

Xiao Mo politely declined the Emperor’s generosity. Xie Gou, however, was ever one to accept gracious offers without undue ceremony. She promptly selected two modest dragon-slaying stones. Not to be an ingrate, she stroked her sable cap and vowed to find a disciple of exceptional caliber within the Great Li realm.

Song He smiled, retrieving a crimson gourd-vessel from the highest reaches of the rack and presenting it to the sable-capped maiden. “May Vice Prefect Xie’s recruitment be successful.”

He had noticed her gaze lingering on the gourd-vessel for quite some time, an undeniable yearning in her eyes.

Xie Gou instantly regretted not asking for “one or two.” Her eyes strayed once more towards the gourd rack.

Song He was not a miser, nor did he care for the fate of a single gourd-vessel, which was destined for nothing but dust. Best to gift it to Bai Jing.

But Xiao Mo stayed her hand, reminding, “Know when to cease your desire!”

She reluctantly stopped the Emperor’s progress and beat her chest to say, “Your Majesty, it seems to me that we are both people who have read many books but who are quick to act. If in the future you look unfavorably upon a cultivator from another continent, simply let me know, and I guarantee that the matter will be handled beautifully, cleanly, whether to cripple him half to death or to fully kill him, just say the word!”

Song He, amused by her rough words, felt his spirits lift.

Chen Ping’an, meanwhile, had approached a table where three crystal-clear jade coffers held three sword-pellets, accompanied by only one tome. He casually leafed through it, formulating a plan. He took the sword-case and the book and kept them in his sleeve, and said, “Your Majesty, that was private business before, but these will be used for government affairs, because Fu Qing will soon be returning to the Cloud Firmament Dynasty, so I intend to find some helpers for her, and to do a little preparation.”

Song He smiled, “The imperial guardian is free to handle it as he sees fit.”

With their business concluded, Song He prepared to depart.

Chen Ping’an, however, proposed a detour to the Hall of Seals. Song He, curious, agreed, deeming it a pleasant stroll.

This chamber was filled with the imperial seals gathered from the various kingdoms of Bottle Continent, where the nations lay south of the Great Ditch. For the newly formed kingdoms, there was no issue, for they created new seals. However, for the kingdoms reborn under the banner of reclaiming their ancient glory, the situation was more delicate. In addition to creating their own imperial seals, those kingdoms had been repeatedly negotiating with the Great Li’s Ministry of Rites and Court of State Ceremonial for the return of the “seals of the former dynasty”.

Even if they recreated their seals in accordance with established regulations, the continued possession of the old seals by the Great Li would result in the residue, or rather the interception, of a portion of their national fortune, or dragon luck. The impact on the overall well-being of the kingdom might not be significant, but its existence would persist, like an old land deed that had never been officially transferred at the government office.

It would be reasonable for the Great Li Song Clan to return those seals, as they had allowed the various kingdoms to revive in the South Bottle Continent as promised. However, Cui Chan once declared at a small court meeting that whether and when these seals should be returned would be discussed later.

As a result, the person sitting on the throne in the imperial study had changed, but the matter remained unresolved, and the issue became a mess.

Zhao Duanjin, the minister of rites, could feign ignorance, but Yan Yongfeng, the chief of the Court of State Ceremonial, had been pestered for more than a year and he was about to lose his mind. His predecessor, Changsun Maoxian, had left for the Office of General Administration, and now, he had been transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel. What a great move. Today, when the small court meeting was dismissed, the nine senior officials returned to the Thousand Steps Corridor together, and Changsun Mao took the initiative to walk up to Yan Yongfeng’s side, and the minister smilingly reminded him, Yan Honglu, the matter of the seals of the various countries should not be delayed, the return, or not, should have a chapter, and the matter is not big, it’s impossible to hold a special court meeting, right.

Yan Yongfeng was short and stout, and his skin was dark to begin with, but when he heard this, his face turned even darker.

When he thought of the little bastards in his Court of State Ceremonial, who were still happy that their old master Changsun Mao had been promoted to the celestial official, and who thought that their Court of State Ceremonial was half of the old minister’s family. How could they not give him a little care within the rules? Yan Yongfeng wanted to call those brats in front of him and scold them to death.

When the door opened, Song He felt particularly refreshed.

Xie Gou clicked her tongue. “What heavy dragon energy. It’s almost taken on a life of its own.”

Xiao Mo nodded. In his vision, the room filled with shelves laden with seals released a delicate network of threads, like stalks of rice waving in the wind. The more potent emanations resembled serpents, each embodying the destiny of a nation. A heap of seals represented a single kingdom, separated by an unpleasant antagonism. Xiao Mo sensed the undercurrent of hisses and rustling, like a nest of vipers exchanging threats.

The former Zhu Ying and White Frost Dynasties, vast empires whose lineage had been broken, exuded thick yet subdued dragon energies, like coiled serpents, listless and dormant. Lesser kingdoms displayed their fates in the form of nascent dragons, frail yet reaching skyward.

Chen Ping’an was the last to step over the threshold into the room, and the various energies sank back into their seals and vanished, like everyone in a house closing the door to strangers.

Xie Gou laughed, amused by the spectacle.

Her Mountain Lord appeared like a local tyrant descending upon a village, a scion of privilege ready to indulge in his whims.

Chen Ping’an deliberately restrained his aura, but the serpents and dragons remained hidden.

These mystical entities held a natural reverence and kinship with Song He, the rightful Emperor of the realm, yet for Chen Ping’an, the successor to Cui Chan and the appointed Imperial Preceptor, they harbored only animosity and fear.

Compounded by Chen Ping’an’s association with the True Dragon King Zhu, their trepidation only deepened.

Even if Bottle Continent was the smallest of the Nine Continents, it was known as the Continent of a Hundred Kingdoms.

The seals of the various kingdoms numbered over a thousand. Some great dynasties held as few as five or six, while minor kingdoms possessed as many as thirty.

The dignified deserved dignity.

Thus, Chen Ping’an began, “Your Majesty, we of the Great Li have three options before us. Firstly, we may destroy all useless old seals, returning those belonging to the revived kingdoms, an act of profound benevolence.”

A few of the seal energies fluttered with relief, while the shadows of former empires like Zhu Ying and White Frost grew more dim.

“Secondly, we may refine them all, integrating them into the dragon energies of the Great Li to strengthen ourselves, an act most advantageous to our own kingdom.”

At these words, the room itself seemed to roil with tension, stirred by a unified resentment. The seals trembled, seeking escape.

Xiao Mo furrowed his brow, his divine sense sweeping through the chamber, instantly suppressing the rebellion as surely as a bucket of cold water put out a flame.

Song He asked with a smile, “And what, pray tell, is the third option, Master Chen?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Still, the second is to refine, but to do it differently. Instead of merely augmenting our own power, we can help them sever ties with the dynasties of old. See if there is a chance, like gold is purified by fire, to forge a figure of pure energy, a guardian for the Great Li.

“But in that case, the Great Li would have to treat it well. There must be an equal amount of respect, as per the Dao that asks for balance. It’s not about giving the southern kings special treatment, nor does the Great Li need to indulge them. Rather, the Great Li has to be good to the people of Southern Bottle Continent.

“Regardless of whether the figure can solidify, once the Great Li issues the edict, I believe the new kingdom’s Department of Heavenly Observation will be able to tell that there is a phenomenon of returning to the origin. There is no need to make any verbal agreements, nor is there a need to sign any written contracts. As for the dynasties that inherit the orthodoxy, regardless of their size, no matter what the emperors, kings, generals, and ministers think, the dragons and snakes entrenched in the capitals will remember the good will given to them by the Great Li. This action is neither virtuous nor heroic, but practical.”

Song He responded without hesitation, “A union that benefits both sides. We shall choose the third option.”

Imperial Preceptor Chen Ping’an proposed, and Emperor Song He of the Great Li concurred.

One spoke words that were law, the other’s voice echoed with heavenly decree.

The room first erupted in chaos, then silence, and finally, in a sudden surge of splendor, with a strange phenomenon of a hundred rivers converging into a single flow.

The uniting of dragons to form a river.

Xiao Mo nodded, his admiration profound.

Xie Gou once again let out a cry of awe. The accomplishments of her Mountain Lord seemed endless, a worthy disciple of Embroidery Tiger.

A sense of enlightenment settled within Xie Gou, and the words she had once dismissed, too lazy to put any thought into it, slowly surfaced.

They, the ancient demons who had slumbered for millennia, of which Xiao Mo believed himself to be in the top three, were chased by Bai Jing and had to hide in the Treasure Fall Beach.

In the words of the Lord of the Green Sky Grotto, Bai Jing was actually hated by the heavens because of her great aptitude and excessive desire to kill.

Even Zhi Ci, who had a high view of herself, was willing to regard Bai Jing as one of the Taoists with the best aptitude in the human world.

Given Bai Jing’s series of actions in ancient times, such as killing people and stealing goods, snatching Taoist titles, taking treasures, and breaking Taoist traditions, she was hated by the heavens?

However, early in the days, Bai Jing heard the Tao from a young Taoist, who advised her to commit fewer wrongdoings so as not to be punished by the heavens.

Xie Gou stroked her chin, lost in thought. It was time to think about merging with the Great Dao. The debts she owed to the heavens could not be avoided.

As Chen Ping’an and his companions departed the chamber, they left behind a being neither human, immortal, god, nor ghost.

Slender in form, of indeterminate gender, with disheveled hair and captivating beauty, dressed in yellow with bare feet and skin like congealed fat, the figure possessed pupils doubled.

Its voice, as it spoke, was gentle, and within its eyes, golden threads swirled. Its aura spoke of immeasurable nobility, its Daoist energy dominating.

The parties agreed that the being should not leave the capital of the Great Li by a single step.

It chose a name and a Taoist title: Song Yunjian, with the title “Yingning”.

Emperor Song He returned to his study, pleasantly surprised by this unexpected boon.

Song Yunjian followed Chen Ping’an and the others to the Imperial Guardian’s residence, exuding a dignified and heroic presence.

As he lingered beneath the peach tree, nearing the season of Mangzhong, golden blossoms burst forth from its branches.

Xiao Mo returned to Fallen Mountain, requiring time for secluded cultivation, to consolidate his newly attained realm.

Xie Gou remained as a guardian within the Imperial Guardian’s residence, whiling away her time reading the travelogues that Rong Yu had procured.

Fu Qing continued her patrols of the courtyard, ignoring the peculiar figure standing beneath the peach tree, who styled himself as Song Yunjian.

Chen Ping’an sat alone in his study, with two newly acquired gourd-vessels, a verdant hue, at his side. One bore the ancient seal of Mount Qingcheng, the other the inscription “Morning Truth Palace.”

The former hailed from Golden Armor Continent, the latter from the Wildlands.

Remembering something, Chen Ping’an asked Xie Gou, “Gouzi, when you wandered the Northern Gloom, did you ever visit the Mountain of Waterways?”

Xie Gou, reclining on a chair in Rong Yu’s room, legs propped up on the table as she read a book, replied, “Visited, of course I visited. Those illusions and mountain-and-water restrictions set up at that forbidden area were nothing special. There would be a green light rising into the sky every now and then, bright and conspicuous.”

“At first glance, I thought it was the gourd vine planted by Daoist Ancestor himself, so I sneaked over. Haha, thankfully, the Confucian sage sitting in the sky was watching me. In the old days, I would have pulled it out and ran away.”

“If I had, I would have been greatly embarrassed. If I knew that we had a connection with the Mountain of Waterways, wouldn’t that have been a case of the dragon king’s temple being flooded? Not only would I have to return the gourd vine, but I would also have to apologize to the people, and I would also have to discredit our mountain gate.”

Chen Ping’an laughed upon hearing this. “Shall I reserve a nurturing gourd for you from the Mountain of Waterways in advance?”

Xie Gou shook her head. “No need. It’ll take one or two thousand years. With my temper, I can’t wait for it.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Does it take that long?”

Xie Gou casually said, “If you are willing to spend money, it can probably be shortened to seven or eight hundred years, but the profits from selling the gourd would be much lower, and it would also affect the number and quality of those gourd, which would not be cost-effective. All things are born and grow according to their own principles, and interfering with the heavenly way with human beings would just be a case of raising seedlings to help them grow.”

Chen Ping’an asked with a confused look, “Can you really see the harvest years of the nurturing gourd, as well as the specific number of them?”

Xie Gou was even more confused. “Huh?”

Chen Ping’an did not discuss the matter with her further.

Shao Yunyan’s gourd vine had successfully refined eight nurturing gourds, one of which was given to Chen Ping’an as a congratulatory gift to celebrate Fallen Mountain’s status as a clan-founding sect.

The last one, which was also the best in terms of quality, was sold by Shao Yunyan to Bai Shang, a cultivator in the Ascension Realm, for what was said to be an astronomical price.

However, Bai Shang would do Shao Yunyan a favor no matter how high a price he asked, as long as he was willing to sell it.

Bai Shang was well aware of Shao Yunyan’s intentions. He wanted him to take more care of the Mountain of Waterways. Bai Shang knew this very well, and there was no need for him to promise anything.

Before the Reverse Mountain was taken back by Yu Dou, Shao Yunyan, who had built a Spring Banner House to plant the gourd vine, had foreseen that a great battle was about to break out, and he had long ago asked Liu Jinglong and Lu Sui, who had traveled together to the Sword Qi Great Wall, to take the gourd vine of the Immortal Soldier quality back to their hometown in the Northern Gloom Continent and transplant it in a feng shui treasure land of the Mountain of Waterways. If it was nurtured properly, perhaps in the next millennium, a string of new gourd seedlings would grow on the gourd vine.

It was such a treasure among treasures that was said to be of the Immortal Soldier quality, but that was only because the highest quality was the Immortal Soldier.

That was why when Bai Shang bought the nourishing gourd, he personally made a trip to the Mountain of Waterways to see the gourd vine and booked a gourd in advance.

After the Fire Dragon Real Man successfully merged with the Dao, he also took the time to go to the Waterway Notes and reserved a nurturing gourd for the Lying Pa Peak.

As a result, the gourd vine was truly back in its hometown and had taken root.

Through thousands of years of hard work, Shao Yunyan sold a total of eight nurturing gourds, which was eight not-small favors for the mountains.

Apart from Fallen Mountain and Bai Shang, the other six buyers were all old sword immortals who had long been famous in the human world.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an entrusted Shao Yunyan with a matter and gave him a piece of paper with materials related to literary fortune on it, asking him to help buy them, without considering whether the price was favorable or not.

He had already begun to consider the matter of Warm Tree’s Journey to Water and Transformation into a Flood Dragon. However, the root of Warm Tree’s Great Dao was different from that of Chen Lingjun, who was born as a serpent of the Royal River. She was a pure Yang figure formed by Lu Yan drawing a talisman on a beam to protect a book in the past.

Chen Ping’an had been very careful in buying books, borrowing words, and refining words all over the place. He had also made requests to Jin Qing of Middle Summit and Cao Yong of Old Qiantang, just to create a waterway, coupled with the talisman that Lu Yan had given to Warm Tree. Chen Ping’an was confident that he had made all the preparations, and all he was waiting for was the day when Warm Tree said that she wanted to break through the realm. Chen Ping’an would help her to protect her Dao on her trip to the river. Chen Ping’an would help her protect her Dao. It was different from Chen Lingjun’s journey to the water in the Great Ditch of the Northern Gloom. If Warm Tree’s journey to the river had any twists and turns, it would be Chen Ping’an’s fault!

As a result, in the fight with Jiang She, Chen Ping’an was willing to admit any loss to the Great Dao, but only this matter made Chen Ping’an’s liver ache.

That was why he couldn’t help but curse.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

He had forgotten about Song Yunjian, who had the Taoist title of Yingning, in the courtyard. He was obviously quite surprised.

Chen Ping’an called for Rong Yu and Fu Qing, saying that there would be a few more people in the Imperial Guardian’s Residence in the near future, and asked them to bring Yuan Huajing and Song Xu here once again. At the same time, he handed Fu Qing a secret letter to be sent to Gu Can of the Sky Soaring Sect on the Floating Cloud Continent.

In the golden-headed little man’s crossbody bag, apart from shaking out Yu Shiwu and the others, there was also a nurturing gourd that had been with him for many years. At the moment, the swords First and Fifteenth were being nurtured in the Ginger Gourd.

Now, the world inside his body was in a state of chaos, and although he could barely open his eyes like the eyes of the sky, it was not easy to maintain this state. He had to be extra careful when separating a mustard seed of his mind. Only after practicing the things that he had long been familiar with would Chen Ping’an dare to try refining the two new and old seals of the Imperial Guardian.

Yu Shiwu and the others, who were in charge of building illusions of the world, were naturally able to detect the terrifying phenomenon of the world returning to chaos earlier. Not to mention Dou Kou, who was still wondering how to escape from this cage, and how unwilling she was, Yu Shiwu felt desperate at the time. Instead, Xiao Xing was the calmest and was not afraid of death. She just sat on the divine stairway, looking relaxed, and tapped her knees lightly, humming local songs, waiting for the world to collapse.

With a flick of Chen Ping’an’s sleeve, he threw Yu Shiwu and the others out of the small world in his sleeve.

They each sighed with emotion, and Yu Shiwu took a deep breath and began to look around at the scene, which was a study.

The chef, Yu Qing, subconsciously reached out to block the light and murmured to herself, “Finally, I can see the light of day again.”

Immortal Zao and the sword cultivator Dou Kou exchanged a glance, each suspecting that the Hidden Officer had a rare fit of kindness and let them out for a walk?

Only Xiao Xing took the lead to move forward, without any scruples, but she did not directly step out of the threshold to the courtyard.

Chen Ping’an originally wanted to ask where Luo Fu Mei was, but after thinking for a moment, he asked Xie Gou to bring her directly here.

As soon as Yuan Huajing and Song Xu arrived at the Imperial Guardian’s Residence, Xie Gou quickly grabbed Luo Fu Mei from a ferry.

Luo Fu Mei was dizzy and arrived at this strange courtyard, but found a beautiful woman with long and narrow eyes standing under the peach tree.

A few people were standing in the study.

Chen Ping’an first introduced Fu Qing’s identity to them and said, “Song Xu, Yuan Huajing, and Luo Fu Mei, you will accompany Fu Qing to the Cloud Firmament Dynasty, contact Su Lang, and help Fu Qing restore his country and ascend the throne. At the same time, you will be responsible for inspecting and evaluating the spies and dead men of the Great Li in the surrounding dozens of countries, and screen out those who dare to eat on both sides. How to deal with them specifically should follow the regulations of the Ministry of Punishments.”

The Cloud Firmament Dynasty inherited about 70 to 80 percent of the mountains and rivers of the Old White Frost Dynasty, but the Spirit Flight Temple located within the Old White Frost Realm was now not within the Cloud Firmament Dynasty. The Spirit Flight Temple was first promoted from a temple to a palace and became an immortal family with sect status. Then, Cao Rong, a direct disciple of Lu Chen, went out to travel far away and joined the Ascension Realm in the sea area between the Northern Gloom Continent and the Snow White Continent.

This made the Cloud Firmament Dynasty heave a sigh of regret from top to bottom.

Chen Ping’an looked at Song Xu and said, “If you need more people, take them to the south. You can choose whoever you want. You can also arrange and assign Han Zhoujin and the others yourselves. I will write a hand letter from the Imperial Guardian’s Residence, and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice will release the people. By the way, the spy named Huang Jie in the capital of the Qiu Kingdom has already been interrogated by the Department of Corrections and Interrogation of the Ministry of Justice. He was indeed cultivated by Liu Wenjin of the Qiu Kingdom. Take him with you and allow him to redeem himself.”

Not long ago, Su Lang had established a Jianghu sect in the secondary capital of the Cloud Firmament Dynasty, which was also the old capital city of the White Frost Dynasty, but its name was temporarily not well known.

Song Xu nodded.

Luo Fu Mei had just received a third-class Imperial Li Ministry of Punishments offering token, but she didn’t expect to have work to do so soon. She was overjoyed, but also a little regretful that she had not yet registered her name at the Ministry of Punishments.

Fu Qing hesitated to speak.

Chen Ping’an laughed. “Fu Qing, you can go to Southern Mountain first when you get there. Maybe you can catch up with the grand night tour feast there.”

Fu Qing’s eyes turned red, and she nodded in silence.

Chen Ping’an said to Luo Fu Mei, “You can also choose a few people from the Law-Upholding Lineage within the Fox Kingdom to go to the South together. But remember, if there are any mistakes, the Ministry of Punishments will only punish you more severely, not less severely. You can take this sentence directly to Zhao Yao, Yuan Huajing.”

Luo Fu Mei’s eyes lit up, and she became even more motivated.

After Fu Qing and the others left the study, Chen Ping’an looked at Yu Shiwu and the others.

Yu Shiwu had left the Golden Jade Genealogy of the True Martial Mountain.

The demon clan’s real name was Xiao Xing, and her Taoist title was “You Ren”. She wore a emerald green robe called “Great Appearance”.

Yu Qing, the chef of the Ma family in Yongjia County, wore a cherry green robe. The alias of Yu Qing was Gongsun Lingling.

The wildlands sword cultivator, Dou Kou. The Snow Frost Department of the Wide Cold City, Immortal Zao.

Chen Ping’an said to Gongsun Lingling, “I’ve met Liu Taozhi and the others. It’s possible for you to recover your identity.”

Gongsun Lingling no longer had the slightest bit of aloofness on her face, and her face was filled with disbelief.

Chen Ping’an said, “Xiao Pu of the Bamboo Basket Hall still owes me a big favor. I’ll have you meet him later.”

There were three lines of hidden and proficient assassins. Among them, the Hidden Sword of West Mountain line were almost all sword cultivators. The Cherry Green Shirt line was all women. In addition, there were also sawyers who were also known as patch menders, and they worked for the government in the various countries in the mortal world outside the Bottle Continent.

Gongsun Lingling was instantly in tears, but after a moment, her expression was complicated, and she clasped her fists towards the desk, but did not say anything.

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “You can help out here recently. Rong Yu, you can arrange their division of labor.”

Rong Yu smiled and accepted the order.

He asked Rong Yu to notify the Ministry of Punishments to investigate Wei Yueshan of the Green Mist Peak of Righteous Yang Mountain in the near future. He and Liu Wenjin were both from the Flower Fragrance County.

Chen Ping’an borrowed a person from Gu Can’s Sky Soaring Sect.

Like Gongsun Lingling, she was also an offering from the Ma family in Yongjia County, an old woman in the Nascent Soul Realm, named Pu Liu and Zhen Ming Xu Fu.

She and Huang Lie and Shen Ke had already established a sect in the Gold Purity Dynasty, and they were under the Sky Soaring Sect.

Gu Can naturally did not care about this. Xu Fu and others were dispensable, and he did not even need to help them collect their corpses if they died outside.

Xu Fu knew this very well and did not have the slightest bit of sadness. Today, this old woman’s Tao heart was firm, but it was not self-praise or boasting.

Before leaving, Gu Can specially called her over and chatted with her for a few words, asking her to rebuild the Taoist temple in the Bottle Continent and restore the Taoist tradition. When she broke through the realm in seclusion, the Sky Soaring Sect would recognize that the sect was the one from the mountain. If she could not reach the top five realms, she should just not return to the Sky Soaring Sect in her lifetime.

The old ancestor Pang Yun of the Jade Raft Sect was faking his Nascent Soul, but she was a real old immortal of the Nascent Soul.

She had been in seclusion twice, and it was extremely dangerous, but she had never been able to break through.

If Xu Fu was singled out, no one would care, but if she reported the Taoist title of “Iron Bracelet”, no one in the area around the White Frost Dynasty would not know about it.

In the Bottle Continent three or five decades ago, the Nascent Soul Realm could walk around sideways.

Li Tuanjing of the Wind and Thunder Garden, Fu Qi of the Old Dragon City, Zhu Huang of the Righteous Yang Mountain, the River-Intercepting True Lord of the Scroll Lake, and the Xu family head of the Clear Breeze City. These people were all in the Nascent Soul Realm at the time.

In those days, Xu Fu did not know how she found out about the true Taoist lineage of the Spirit Flight Temple. She failed in her second seclusion, and she had a fluke mentality. She wanted to go to the Spirit Flight Temple to look for an opportunity. Naturally, she was looked down upon by Immortal Lord Cao, and he refused to even see her. But Xu Fu did not dare to be presumptuous. After being turned away, how would the old woman dare to hold a grudge in her heart?

On the contrary, before going down the mountain, she apologized to him on her own, “This ignorant and stupid person has ventured into this treasure land and disturbed Immortal Lord’s pure cultivation.”

If Xu Fu came out to help Fu Qing to “support the dragon”, how could those remnants of the former dynasty not burst into tears? How many dynasties in the Bottle Continent could be worthy of the historian’s saying that the country was governed too loosely?

Chen Ping’an personally wrote a letter, but he did not send it directly from the Imperial Guardian’s Residence. Instead, he asked the Flying Sword of Fallen Mountain to send the letter to Qi Tingji of the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, inviting him to the capital