The memory stirs, a phantom echo in a familiar land, yet all is changed, a vanished dream.

Lake of Letters, Isle of Simple Scales.

Lord Tianhu, master of the isle, had quietly emerged from seclusion. Upon the mountain’s peak, in a solitary pavilion, he prepared a feast of wine and delicacies. Opposite him sat a young cultivator, clad in the raiment of a scholar, his brow knit in thought.

Tianhu, his face pale, barely dared a few polite words, like a wayward student listening to a stern master. He sat, awaiting the other’s pleasure.

The young scholar broke the silence, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Is Senior Brother Qin still so busy?”

Hearing the question, Tianhu weighed his words carefully, a tremor in his voice as he replied, “Qin Que is well-acquainted with Zhao Fuyang of Fallen Kite Peak. I, too, have a passing familiarity with Yu Chunzhi of Acacia Mountain’s Powder Pill Hall. Over a century ago, Yu Chunzhi visited Green Gorge Isle, and my master tasked me with entertaining her. Some years past, Yu Chunzhi’s son, Yu Zhen, secretly ventured to Lake of Letters, visiting my humble isle. Thus, Qin Que could not refuse the summons to Acacia Mountain’s betrothal feast. As I am bound by seclusion, and unwilling to entangle myself with Acacia Mountain, I declined the invitation. The feast is tonight.”

He spoke plainly, truthfully, adding no unnecessary words, lest he paint a serpent’s feet and invite trouble.

Acacia Mountain now styled itself a “Little Lake of Letters.” Would he dare breathe a word against it?

A sudden fury rose in him toward Yu Chunzhi. Why had she ever deigned to know such a shrew?

The scholar took a sip of wine, a dark vintage purchased from Pondwater City before his arrival. “A century ago? Some years past? Your words remain as vague as ever, Elder Sister Tian.”

Tianhu’s face turned ashen. He stammered out two precise dates.

The scholar raised a hand, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “No need for such alarm, Elder Sister. ‘Little Lake of Letters’ is just a boast. And what of the true Lake of Letters? We sit upon it now.”

He who was once a guttersnipe in Muddy Lane, now Gu Can, White Emperor City.

He who departed Lake of Letters years ago, now returned to Jewelbottle Continent from the barbarian lands.

Gu Can abruptly asked, “Master did not grant Liu Laocheng the mantle of fourth patriarch of True Vista Sect. Does he harbor ambitions of founding his own sect, or is he afraid? Is he hiding?”

Tianhu felt as though struck by a blow, his breath catching in his throat. It was his fault, for eavesdropping on Master’s visit to Zhang Ye.

Otherwise, he could have feigned ignorance of Gu Can’s question.

“You have done nothing amiss, Elder Sister. Why such nervousness? It seems you protest too much. Were I not certain of your character, I would suspect you.”

Gu Can set down his cup and rose, gazing out from the railing. “Consider this pair of Flower God cups a gift, a token of my hopes for your successful seclusion and ascent to Core Soul. They are not mere imitations.”

Tianhu rose as well.

Gu Can continued, “Zeng Ye and Lu Caisang of Yellow Oriole Isle… they may not be true friends, but they hold a different place in my heart than you and Senior Brother Qin. In the future, remember to show favor to the Five Isles Sect. Once you reach Core Soul, do them a kindness or two, a hand in times of need. But no grand favors, I would not be indebted. When the time comes, someone will remind you to assist them through a hardship. Do not trouble yourself with when or how.”

Tianhu felt a weight lift, and replied softly, “It is my duty. I will do all I can.”

Gu Can smiled faintly. “Elder Sister, ever the same. Uttering resolute words, performing featherlight deeds.”

Tianhu’s scalp prickled.

Gu Can added, “But you are stronger than I.”

After escaping from the barbarian lands, he had visited Song Bancai, now a king of the Great Li, but their reunion felt empty, unlike their childhood taunts across the alley’s divide.

Gu Can suddenly pressed his hand to his heart, his handsome face contorted in pain. He muttered a curse, invoking the name of his master, Cao Ci.

He had clashed with Cao Ci, a master of the Divine realm, and suffered a crushing defeat.

Gu Can gazed toward the isle that had once been Liu Laocheng’s domain.

Palace Willow Isle now housed the True Vista Sect’s ancestral hall.

The current patriarch, Liu Laocheng, was an immortal and the first untamed cultivator in over two millennia to reach the upper five realms, a man blessed with prodigious fortune.

The chief reverend, Liu Zhimao, titled “River Splitter,” was a Jade Purity. The law-keeping patriarch, Li Fuchu, now occupied one of the highest seats in the True Vista Sect. She had once been a rostered cultivator from Jade Decree Sect.

Nearly all of Lake of Letters’ vast waters now fell under the dominion of this sub-sect of Jade Decree Sect.

“Nearly,” because five isles stood apart, independent, a conspicuous thorn in the side.

Gu Can turned to another direction. Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi cultivated there.

When Jiang Shangzhen was sect master of True Vista Sect, he had struck a clandestine bargain with the Great Li court, selling the five isles, including White Banner Isle, for a pittance to Fallen Phoenix Mountain, a deal secretly recorded by the Ministry of Rites. The arrangement was rife with loopholes, lacking the seal of Mountain Lord Chen Pingan, and kept secret from True Vista Sect and Jade Decree Sect.

Jiang Shangzhen acted in both his role as True Vista Sect master and as Reverend Zhou Fei of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, selling the isles from his left hand to his right.

Zhu Lian of Fallen Phoenix Mountain had hailed the move as a masterstroke, deserving of the highest praise.

Of course, Jiang Shangzhen had paid for the deal himself, a mere hundred Grain Rain coins.

True Vista Sect and the Great Li had never publicly revealed the sale, and these five isles remained under the name of Zeng Ye, a local ghost cultivator.

Jade Decree Sect, sensing something amiss, had planned to haul Jiang Shangzhen back to Godscript Peak and shower him with spit for lining his pockets.

But at Jiang Shangzhen’s first council meeting after returning to the sect, Xun Yuan abdicated the master’s seat in his favor, not the Peak Lord of Nine Dice, Wei Ying. The matter was dropped, and the subsequent assault of barbarian demons upon Jade Decree Sect eclipsed such trifles.

Yet years passed, and Fallen Phoenix Mountain had not claimed this “exclave,” allowing Zeng Ye to establish his own sect.

This bore risk. Should Jade Decree Sect and Wei Ying pursue the matter, joined by the Great Li court, True Vista Sect might reclaim the isles.

Jiang Shangzhen, apart from his title as head of the Jiang clan, was now a nobody in both sects.

Few of the forty-odd seats in True Vista Sect’s ancestral hall were occupied by rostered cultivators from the upper sect, less than a fifth.

Yet True Vista Sect never lacked control, for the three masters, Jiang Shangzhen, Wei Ying, and Liu Laocheng, each possessed power enough to quell all dissent.

The Five Isles Sect now had nearly two hundred registered disciples, mostly ghost cultivators and spirits. Yet, observers would find no oppressive, corrupted energy around these isles, but a pure, limpid air.

Within the ancestral hall hung a single portrait, not of the founding master, Zeng Ye, but of a scholar in a green robe, jade hairpin in his hair, hands clasped behind his back, a gentle smile on his face.

Zhang Ye held the status of honorary guest elder, his Luminous Cavern Sect allied with the Five Isles.

The Five Isles Sect’s rustic name invited ridicule, and Ma Duyi often complained to Zeng Ye. But changing the name involved dealing with the Great Li court, requiring applications, surveys, and approvals in the capital, a task Ma Duyi, a timid spirit, dared not undertake. Visiting Chen Pingan’s Fallen Phoenix Mountain in Old Dragon Province had already been her limit, only possible because she had been accompanied by Zeng Ye and Gu Can.

Ma Duyi, second-in-command of Five Isles Sect, had for years dwelt within a fox skin amulet, unwilling to venture out. She harbored no ambition for cultivation, preferring the prospect of small investments and large profits.

She also held the title of Lady of Cloud Dove Isle, named for the omen of rain.

Gu Can suddenly asked, “The betrothal feast is tonight?”

Tianhu nodded. “If I recall correctly, it is.”

Gu Can chuckled. “Is it Zhao Yan, the youngest, or the third daughter, Yu Youyi? If I am not mistaken, she is entangled with the spirit-mother of Fallen Kite Peak’s shrine?”

Tianhu shook his head, bewildered. “It is Yu Youyi who is to marry. I have heard nothing of such Acacia Mountain secrets. Qin Que said only that the groom was preordained, the youngest son of a manor lord from Hundredflower Lake, within the borders of the Secret Cloud Kingdom to the south.”

It was then that Tianhu remembered the Flower God cups.

Gu Can knew all.

The Secret Cloud Kingdom was a land of lakes and marshes. In its largest lake, Hundredflower Lake, lay dangerous and turbulent waters, called Gourd Lake. Where the large and small sections of the lake joined lay a narrow passage where a Dragon King temple stood for thousands of years. The Dragon King statue had fallen some years ago, and in its place a water spirit had taken over, causing many ships to sink.

Gu Can smiled. “The wheel turns. Even Hundredflower Lake cannot compare to our Lake of Letters.”

Tianhu lowered his gaze, saying nothing.

Gu Can mused, “I envy Zeng Ye. He became a general by chance, a minister through ignorance. Perhaps that is the luck of fools.”

Tianhu hesitated, then spoke from the heart. “Indeed, it is.”

Gu Can said, “If you wish to leave the True Vista Sect and Green Gorge Isle, I can help.”

Tianhu’s heart warred within him, but he shook his head, unwilling to become further entangled with Gu Can. It was better to seek stability and ascend to Core Soul.

Gu Can chuckled. “Very well. My aunt, Han Qiaose, wished me to find a disciple for her, and I thought you would be ideal.”

Tianhu opened his mouth, then fell silent.

The weather grew warmer, spring abounded, birds sang, a hundred things were good.

Ma Duyi, clutching several long boxes and a satchel, arrived at the Cloud Dove Isle’s landing, ready to sail to Ancestral Bone Isle and Vassal Heart Isle.

Regulations within Lake of Letters now numbered past counting. Disciples were required to carry a handbook, lest they break some rule. Even flight was circumscribed, with prescribed routes varying according to rank. This was the power of the sect.

Such restrictions did not apply to the Five Isles, but Ma Duyi preferred sailing, enjoying the leisurely pace across the lake.

Cloud Dove Isle was mostly populated by female disciples. The rower, an old woman who looked frail, was nonetheless strong. She greeted with a smile, “Lady of the Isle, have you made another haul?”

Ma Duyi joked, “Profit or loss depends on luck. If I find bargains, you shall have a reward. If I lose, it comes from your wages.”

She had recently acquired several paintings and books of flower and bird paintings, seeking expert eyes to verify their authenticity.

The old woman laughed. “The Lady of the Isle is wise. It is a great blessing. I wonder what man will be so fortunate as to marry her.”

Ma Duyi laughed, her face blooming. “Profit or loss, there will be a reward!”

Bone Isle, the Five Isles Sect’s “ancestral mountain,” had a guest elder, a spirit Ma Duyi had “found” by the roadside. His clothes were tattered, but he possessed an air of nobility that his poverty could not hide. His name was Deng Linjiong. He was a man of few words, gentle of spirit, but an expert appraiser. He had a phrase: “This thing… is not quite right.”

He could not always explain why, unlike Yuan Jue. Yet over time, Yuan Jue, who had initially dismissed Deng Linjiong, had come to respect him.

The days were warm, the nights were moonlit. Spirits and humans lived together in harmony, a paradise on earth.

Zeng Ye was now a legendary figure in Lake of Letters.

Not for his talent, for he had yet to achieve Core Formation, but for his extraordinary fortune.

The boy with a unique constitution had been noticed by Zhang Ye, taken away from Thorn Moon Isle. That youth, destined to die at his master’s hand, was moved to Green Gorge Isle. He was chosen as an assistant by the accountant Chen Pingan, then by the young Hidden Official. When Chen Pingan left Lake of Letters, Zeng Ye followed Gu Can, and when Gu Can departed for distant lands, Zeng Ye became the disciple of Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City. Before leaving, Gu Can had also “lent” him a Peace Talisman issued by the Great Li Ministry of Justice.

Zeng Ye only learned later that Gu Can had transferred the ownership of the talisman to him.

Zhang Ye admired the feat. The Peace Talisman was even more valuable than a sect registration, for it was not merely a protection, but a guarantee against death. And Gu Can had transferred it to Zeng Ye, an act of great difficulty.

Then, walking alone upon Bone Isle, Zeng Ye had found a secret manual. On its title page was a prophecy: “One named Zeng shall find this five hundred years hence.”

The ink was still wet. It was a trick.

Yet the manual was no ordinary thing, valued even by Jiang Shangzhen. If Jiang Shangzhen considered a text valuable, its rarity was assured.

It had belonged to Jiang’s ancestors, found within Cloud Cavern Grotto-Heaven. Only ghosts could learn its secrets, and even then, only those with the right constitution. But even if it were difficult to learn, there was no shortage of ghost cultivators in the world. Jiang Shangzhen could have sold it for a fortune,

He had escaped Thorn Moon Isle, served Chen the accountant on Green Gorge Isle, and was gifted a Peace Talisman. He had obtained a high-ranking manual on ghost cultivation, and possessed five isles, allowing him to found a sect.

These five events, occurring in less than thirty years, had made Zeng Ye a sect leader, a founding master.

A female ghost, Qu Tang, recently joined the Five Isles Sect, a woman of enchanting beauty.

The Five Isles Sect had few cultivators above the middle five realms. She was welcomed into the ancestral hall as reverend.

Spirits could only wander in daylight with either great power or the help of some relic to hide them from the sun. If they tried without, it would ruin them. A few spirits traveled in daylight to avoid the tribulations of the spirit world, for those spirits who failed, their eons of hard work would come undone.

The ghost would seek a protection, a guarantee of safe passage in the world of the living. The best choice would be a scholar, a man full of poetry and intelligence. If they could find a wealthy person written of in books of the world and wind, that would be best.

They would avoid those strong in the arts of war, the warriors, for that was suicide.

Qu Tang had left her house, abandoned years ago. She wanted to go with a scholar to avoid disaster. She met a master who saw through her and tested her and then gave her a stack of amulets and said to go to Lake of Letters and look for a man named Zeng Ye.

Heart Isle, the largest of the five isles, was said to be the discarded body of a great demon from Lake of Letters. Its caves twisted like an underground maze.

It was a land of natural beauty.

Yuan Jue, the current lord of Heart Isle, was one of the Lake of Letters cultivators slain by Gu Can. Yet Yuan Jue, of easy temperament, bore little resentment toward Gu Can. He had long been in service to Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi. He and Chen Pingan and Gu Can had been close. Yuan Jue often accompanied Ma Duyi when she hunted for deals, helping determine if items were fake or not. Yuan Jue, one of the great old guys of Five Isles Sect, was the one who planned everything, in a lot of ways.

Ma Duyi had not expected to find Yuan Jue and Deng Linjiong together, playing Go, with Zeng Ye watching.

Qu Tang was there making tea, a vision of loveliness.

Ma Duyi put what she had gathered on the table and then said, “Qu Tang, Chen must like you. I think I am going to like you as well, and that’s saying something. Chen has a way with the ladies.”

Zeng Ye replied, “Don’t talk like that! Chen would never do that! I don’t want to hear those jokes again. Qu is too good for that.”

Qu Tang laughed, “Sect Leader Zeng, if Chen doesn’t mind, then neither do I.”

Ma Duyi gave her a thumbs up, “Sect Leader Zeng spent time with Chen, got nothing done, and is a grumpy old man.”

Zeng Ye smiled, “Still, I got something done.”

Qu Tang was curious, “Is Chen very old and good looking?”

Yuan Jue and Deng Linjiong were jealous of Qu Tang.

The fact was that she was hand picked by Chen himself, and this was enough to make her more important.

Yuan Jue was from a place of nobles and royals and was considered smart. He liked conversation.

Because of Chen, Zeng Ye was important and the Five Isles Sect was happy, unlike those working for the True Vista Sect.

Zeng Ye said, “Ma Duyi, I am getting ready to visit the Great Li capital.”

Ma Duyi asked, “Why are you going there?”

Zeng Ye answered, “Chen gave me a letter and said to go and learn.”

Ma Duyi then asked, “This isn’t a small thing!”

Zeng Ye replied, “The name of the sect is fine, as is.”

It was night.

An old temple sat on the lake. In front of the mountain gate was a winding stone stair.

A young man sat on the stairs, there was a stone animal with a stele.

Lu Chen took a deep breath.

He said, “Tell me how you survived, why didn’t that ape crush you?”

The animal twisted its head, looking very guilty. It replied, “There was a disaster, so I told and that I was friends with you. They allowed me to be there and told me to respect you. Those two let me go.”

Lu Chen asked, “Are you sure they believed you?”

The animal said, “I hope so, thanks to you.”

Lu Chen waved his sleeve, and an image of a beauty warrior appeared. He asked, “Is this one of her maids?”

The animal looked closely and said, “It is her! It is her! She hasn’t changed much!”

Lu Chen put away the image and said, “Well, old friend, I need you to do something.”

“Can you please take the stone away!”

The animal spoke quietly, “Please give me a human body!”

Lu Chen put his hand up to his ear, “What, the wind is too strong, I can’t hear you. Is there something you need? I have to go.”

After Lu went to another place, the animal waited an hour and then coughed.

Half an hour later, Lu’s voice resounded in the heart, “Those who are quick to anger can’t form their Way.”

At the same time, the words on the stone came off in big clumps. And then, the animal turned into a man.

Harmonious Joy mountain, the town at the base.

Liu Tie and a girl walked ahead, and after, Lu Mo walked six or seven steps away.

She suddenly felt a change, and the figure of the Taoist showed. He whispered in her ear.

Lu was quickly gone.

Liu noticed that the steps of Lu were gone.

Lu was standing there, as if she was thinking about something.

The warrior did not know what had happened.

The energy began, and went everywhere.

Someone, with a team, was having fun. They separated at Mount Tai.

There was Li Baoping, and Pei Qian. They were good friends.

A girl was there as well, and was good.

Those people would have no fear.

A boat passed through a beautiful rain. At the front of the boat, was a good looking man. He said to Pei, “May I ask who you are?”

Pei replied, “I am nothing.”

This had happened a few times.

Li was there, watching the show.

The man asked, “Can I know your name?”

The man was not mad, and said, “My name is Chu, my Dao is ‘snow’. My place is at Mount Yunding.”

Pei simply smiled.

The man said, “I am doing this because I was told to do this. Also, near here, there is an evil monster. I hope to catch it.”

Pei nodded her head.

Chu said, “I have spoken, now you can leave.”

Someone said, “If I was a lady, I would change my clothes for him.”

“You?”

“He is just using tricks.”

Pei Qian was amazing.

Someone said, “It is strange how the old guy taught this guy.”

Zheng said, “Pei is too good.”

People can’t help but fall for her.

It has something to do with the look in her eyes.

Everyone went to Li’s room, and she had lots of equipment for making stuff.

There was a book as well, filled with things she had thought of.

Zheng was confused.

Seeing their confusion, Li said, “If something happened and there was no, what would we do.”

Someone said, “That can’t happen.”

Li smiled, “I said if.”

Pei smiled, “Li thought that if someone lost there power, and had to act carefully.”

Li was talking, “With such a small amount, things will change.

Li was talking.

Only Pei listened carefully.

Li suddenly closed her mouth and said, “I don’t want to talk about these things, it’s not real anyway.”

So what they were doing was making their own plan for the future.

Only Pei was always listening.

They were starting to learn about the sect.

Pei asked, “Do you need to study more?”

Li said, “There is no need.”

The important things was to have something to say.

Pei asked, “What about being nervous.”

Li said, “Why be nervous?”

Li said to her.

There was a lot of hard work involved.

“Pei Qian, have you been drinking lately?” Li asked.

“I don’t drink and my master is back.” Pei replied.

“Did the teacher say something?” Li asked.

“Is there someone new coming to the sect?” Pei asked.

Li said, “How is he supposed to be treated?”

The teacher was a wonderful man.

Now all was said and done.

Except for the two boys, they didn’t matter.

The ghost didn’t matter as well.

The way it should be, was set.

At a dangerous place, something was happening.

“Why” someone said.

“Because you aren’t good enough. If it wasn’t for you, I could have been more successful. It is your fault.” Someone replied.

The earth was filled with fire. A man made a ball of fire, and closed the situation.

He said, “The thing has come to and end.”

Li was happy and said, “Big brother!”

Li smiled.

Li said, “I need your help!”

Li raised his hand and told everyone to be careful.

Li wanted to help, so he said, “Is that it?”

Lu sighed.

He had not seen that account.

If something happened, all would be ok.