Lu Shen sighed, a world of regret in his voice, “To brood steals wine and daylight both, and time flies faster than a sparrow’s wing, a skipping stone.”

Once, the halls echoed with the songs and dances of the Emperor’s daughters. But silence fell upon the palace, the night watch no longer heard. Then came Yu Fuzun, who took charge of Mount Wuteng, and with him, the golden-branch-jade-leaf, a royal woman bestowed the title of County Mistress. He rebuilt and expanded this long-abandoned private estate, restoring its former splendor. Yet even as the three travelers neared Powder Pill Manor, but not having yet darkened the doors, a potent aroma of wine and rouge wafted upon the night breeze.

Casually, Lu Shen inquired, “Chen Pingan, knowest thou the tale of Fallen Kite Mountain and Powder Pill Manor’s naming?”

Chen Pingan replied, “Zhou Qiu only spoke of Fallen Kite Mountain’s cave carvings, its name tied to prophecies, deemed a foundation for enlightenment by Zhao Fuyang. As for Powder Pill Manor, I remain in ignorance.”

Previously, from the peak of Ink Splash Crag, Chen Pingan had glimpsed two shimmering lights toward Mount Harmon. Not only did the intertwined peaks of Fallen Kite and Wuteng resemble embracing serpents, but the placement of Emerald Mist Retreat and Powder Pill Manor possessed a subtle, interwoven harmony of yin and yang. Yet Chen Pingan’s vision was but a glimpse, for his cultivation was as a mountain, the higher one stood, the farther one could see. Now, bound to this puppet avatar with but a sliver of his spirit, his sight was greatly diminished.

Lu Shen chuckled, “To gaze upon the moon from beyond the heavens is to see a marble suspended. One who paints half of it with powder, viewed from the side, reveals a crescent hook, eh?”

Chen Pingan, recalling the awe-inspiring vistas of the world and the ancient, wandering star Mars, nodded, “A fitting metaphor, Master Lu.”

Lu Shen rubbed his hands together, “A small wager to lighten the spirit, shall we?”

Chen Pingan, without a word of the stakes, simply uttered, “The price.”

Lu Shen declared, “Should I prevail, Zhao Fuyang shall be mine to command. Should I lose, the entirety of Mount Harmon’s messy affairs, the…excrement of the land, I shall become a night soil carrier this very eve. And to sweeten the pot, a hundred golden essence coins.”

Only then did Chen Pingan ask, “Upon what shall we wager?”

Lu Shen extended his palm, waving it slightly.

Chen Pingan retorted, “Speak plainly! Some hint is needed.”

Lu Shen slapped his forehead, forgetting that this young Hidden Official was but a Fourth Realm martial artist, master of swords. Many arts, like the mountain god’s and lake spirit’s innate scrying, and talismanic crafts, had likely been bestowed upon Wu Di, his comrade in Jade Proclamation Kingdom’s capital. Clearly, Chen Pingan truly knew nothing of the council within Fallen Kite Mountain’s shrine. Lu Shen gestured toward the manor, offering a clue, “Having chosen a path of mountain forging and the arts of the bedchamber, Zhao Fuyang, loathing the pace of the tortoise, seeks to draw upon the dragon energy of the imperial seal to refine Fallen Kite and Wuteng, shattering the Golden Core bottleneck. He seeks not only his own Nascent Soul, but also to elevate his consort, Yu Chunzhi, this very night, delivering a crushing blow to the Liu family of Azure Apricot Kingdom and the Zhang family of Celestial Correspondence Prefecture. Thus, we wager upon the turning of Fallen Kite Mountain itself. Shall it veer left, or right?”

Understanding dawned in Chen Pingan’s eyes. “So, Master Lu seeks to gift me gold?”

Zhao Fuyang had conceived Powder Pill Manor. Based on Lu Shen’s divulged secrets, Zhao Fuyang held deep connections to the Golden Void Sect and the Spirit Flight Order, his path pure Taoist lineage. Furthermore, Confucianism held that the Seven Luminaries moved heavenward, counter-clockwise, while Yin-Yang and the calendar-makers held the opposite. Therefore, Zhao Fuyang, already intertwined with Fallen Kite Mountain, would surely turn to the right.

Pei Qian, ever perceptive, felt a subtle tremor in the earth beneath their feet. Quickly, she gazed skyward. The stars held their usual pattern; it was no natural disaster, but a deliberate act of cultivation, manipulating the mountain’s power, as the Yin Talisman Classic declared: “When the earth stirs with murderous intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land.”

Within Powder Pill Manor, the gathered heroes, feasting and drinking, were likely too drunk to notice the subtle shift.

Was this to be a complete swallowing? Was Zhao Fuyang so ruthless? Would he devour his guests, wine, and meat, all at once? A shrewd plan indeed, keeping the wealth within.

Chen Pingan declared, “I wager the earth remains still, the mountain unmoved.”

Earlier, the branch in Lu Shen’s hand was likely used in earth divination. With a seemingly frivolous gesture, Lu Shen had suppressed the entire Mount Harmon.

Lu Shen walked sideways, both thumbs raised in acknowledgement. “Exceedingly wise, both.”

At the end of Joyful Harvest Town’s main street, a large tree guarded the entrance to the mountain. The clerk, seated at his desk and stifling a yawn, was startled by a rustling sound. A branch had fallen to the ground. In the light of the lanterns hanging from the archway and nearby taverns, the young man craned his neck, finding the sight peculiar. It wasn’t a dead branch. Why did it seem familiar? A clerk’s memory was keen. After a moment’s reflection, he recalled the cotton-clad Taoist who produced three red envelopes, holding a “mountain walking staff” just like this. Why had it fallen down the mountain?

Two maids, serving as temporary gatekeepers at Powder Pill Manor, were surprised by late arrivals. A lithe, young maiden quickly hid a pastry in her sleeve, then turned, wiping her mouth.

A grass-sandal-clad youth with a sword, a blue-robed Taoist with leggings bound, and a young woman of unremarkable beauty did not appear to be wealthy. Therefore, they were led through corridors to a side hall. Originally filled with seven or eight tables, only a few were occupied. The Yu overseer, responsible for filling cups, was frustrated. These scoundrels! Each carried a wine pot in one hand, a cup in the other, visiting the main halls to offer toasts. Some simply took root there. Others, lacking sufficient status, stood and drank rather than returning to their seats in the side hall.

The Pipa Mistress of Celestial Echo Grotto and an old man who called himself the Black Dragon Immortal Lord found common ground. The plump woman laughed, swaying and leaning back. Around them stood a throng, cups in hand, eager to offer toasts or simply bask in the presence of the great ones. And no one was idle. With each exaggerated movement of the Pipa Mistress, eyes shifted, throats bobbed.

A great demon from the Ape-Gibbon Path, and a Sixth Realm martial artist daring to arrive empty-handed, offered toasts, discussing the mastery of physical refinement. They needed no cups, raising the pots and drinking from the spout. The manor’s own brewed immortal wine, rich in spirit, surpassed the average celestial brew. Sold at some ferry crossing, it would command three or five snowflake coins, yet tonight’s vintage possessed an especially pure and potent energy, far exceeding the earlier banquets on Mount Harmon. Did the lords of the manor intend to bankrupt themselves by using their entire Clear Abode inheritance for this wedding feast?

Servant girls, flitting about, bearing dishes and pouring wine, were often persuaded to drink. Wine-scented, thin clothes, cool clothes, fragrant sweat.

In the next hall, the mountain goddess of Fallen Kite Mountain had enjoyed her share, her eyes glazed with intoxication.

Lu Shen chuckled. “A feast beyond the gates of hell, wine drunk to a broken neck within crimson curtains.”

The Crane Cloak scholar spotted the sword-bearing youth. Lifting his chopsticks, he pointed, sighing, “So stubborn? Always drawn to the chaos.”

The sword-bearing youth smiled. “Loved the chaos since childhood, making up for lost time.”

Bai Mao beckoned, lowering his voice. “Since you’ve arrived, sit and chat. Eat and drink well, and try to recoup your contribution.”

Bai Mao was still vexed over his red envelope, a full fifty snowflake coins. Now that Chen Ren had arrived, bringing two freeloaders, he felt a bit better, as if he hadn’t lost too much. Seeing the Yu overseer busy pouring wine at other tables, he continued, “Chen Ren, drink as much as you can tonight! This genuine celestial brew is free. Each person in this hall gets a pot, by manor rule. But if you ask, you’ll get a second. A third depends on your charm and the overseer’s generosity. See that fellow at the next table, the delicate-skinned scholar with the fan? A few flirtations with the maids earned him a third pot!”

Taking a seat, the sword-bearing youth said, “I’m shy, afraid to ask for more.”

Bai Mao was speechless.

The youth added, “Fear not, I brought a shameless one. He’ll ask, read fortunes, tell of romance. Two, three pots will be ours.”

The young Taoist slumped in his chair, rubbing his left shoulder. Seeing the Crane Cloak scholar looking his way, he smiled, bowing. “I am skilled in palmistry, especially for women.”

Chen Pingan gazed at the mountain goddess of Fallen Kite Mountain. He remembered, at last, why she seemed familiar.

Her features had remained largely unchanged, but as a mountain goddess, her aura had shifted, making her appear ten years younger. Such were the benefits of cultivation.

Many women with aptitude for cultivation might never know the meaning of crow’s feet. Since time immemorial, the cultivation realm has been a woman’s finest rouge.

Pei Qian transmitted her voice, asking, “Master, a familiar face?”

Chen Pingan shook his head. “Not really. I met her briefly while traveling in Brushwater Kingdom, but never spoke a word. If memory serves, her surname was Xiao. I wonder how she became the mountain goddess of Fallen Kite Mountain.”

Brushwater Kingdom was far from Mount Harmon.

He recalled his solitary journey after leaving Swordwater Manor. A riotous band of warriors had emerged from the woods, heading toward a Brushwater Kingdom noble’s carriage train. They had faulty information, unaware that they had kicked a steel plate. The train carried not only General Chu Hao’s wife but also two women of no mean status. Besides an escort of elite riders, the train was home to a Dragon Gate talisman master and a Sea Gazing sword cultivator. Either could have annihilated the assassins in an instant. A seasoned elder from the martial world, however, played a dishonest game, falsely claiming the banner of Swordwater Manor and Song Yushao to muddy the kingdom’s waters. He cared not if the manor or Song Yushao were besieged by Brushwater’s army. When the elder brushed past Chen Pingan, he devised a scheme, bestowing upon Chen Pingan the name and identity of “Chu Yueyi” from Swordwater Manor…

Chen Pingan settled the affair by battling the Sea Gazing swordsman, allowing the warriors to escape. They offered little gratitude.

According to the Sea Gazing old swordsman, each head was worth immortal coin. She, a young widow, should be worth at least a minor heat coin.

Soon after, at Earth Dragon Mountain Ferry, Chen Pingan heard news before reaching Zhang Caiqin’s Green Fly Workshop. The righteous warriors, led by the “Xiao heroine,” had fought a desperate battle against Chu’s traitorous party, alas, two Sword Immortals in the caravan had worked as minions of the tiger, so they had failed.

Bai Mao noticed the sword-bearing youth’s unwavering gaze, his “absent spirit.” He chuckled, “Brother Chen, truly we are kindred spirits! There’s always a reason for such connection!”

Then, the White Abode Lord of Wedge Ridge noticed the plain-faced young woman looking his way, her eyes curious.

Bai Mao inquired with a smile, “Brother Chen, is this maiden…?”

Chen Pingan replied with a smile, “My eldest disciple, studying martial arts for years, Zheng Qian by name. Fine talent, made a name for herself. More famous than her master.”

Bai Mao understood the key to chatting with this fellow was to throw caution to the wind and cast aside all pretense. Then, an unspoken ease would arise. He nodded, “More famous than Brother Chen is as it should be, the student surpassing the master. Good! Some say a good master seeks a talented student for three years, and a good student seeks a wise master for three years. Mutual achievement is needed. Better than both being equally mediocre.”

Bai Mao was truly thinking, “How old are you, Chen Ren? How many years have you wandered the martial world? What fame could you have, compared to Sword Immortal Zhang Yujiao?”

Bai Mao turned to the freckled young woman, offering a friendly smile, adopting the manner of an elder. “Have you reached the Third Qi Refining Realm?”

Pei Qian smiled. “Depends on the opponent.”

Bai Mao was taken aback.

Truly Chen Ren’s student!

A half-coin, uttered by your mouths, carries the weight of a pound. Did all young martial artists speak this way now?

Chen Pingan picked up his chopsticks. “Eat.”

Pei Qian, sitting properly, followed suit.

Bai Mao nodded approvingly. Some manners at least!

The woman neither drank nor touched anything but the dishes before her.

The young Taoist in cotton robes, however, was like a starving ghost reborn. While everyone else eagerly drank, he asked a servant girl for two bowls of rice, specifically requesting large bowls. He had already begun shoveling food. The Taoist crown upon his head caught Bai Mao’s eye. He mused that it was worth a bit of money.

Lu Shen looked up, picking up a large mouthful of food, speaking through a full mouth, “Lord Bai, are you not curious how Miss Zheng came to be Brother Chen’s disciple?”

Bai Mao smiled, “Where the Dao resides, the master resides. Age matters not. He who leads on the path of martial arts is an elder.”

The young Taoist nodded vigorously. “No wonder it’s said the master bows to the great-grand student, for the Dao reigns supreme! I never quite understood. Lord Bai’s words have made it perfectly clear.”

“Taoist, why no wine? This is Mount Harmon’s unique celestial brew! Do your beliefs forbid drink?”

The Yu overseer had sent three pots of immortal wine to the table, offering no more, merely suggesting a word if more was desired.

In this side hall, status was lacking. In the other halls, two pots were the minimum. The Pipa Mistress’s party was drinking as if it were water!

This young Taoist, crowned with a lotus crown, was a master of meat and vegetables, however. Were meat and wine not kindred? Why eat without drink?

“Alas, my lineage is poor. No founding ancestor. My master cares not.”

The young Taoist waved his hand. “Besides, to hear your words is to drink three vats of wine!”

Bai Mao laughed. Here was someone normal.

Sipping his wine, Bai Mao had a flash of insight. Finally, he knew what was wrong! He turned, asking, “Zheng Qian? Zheng with ears closed? Qian of wealth?”

Pei Qian nodded.

Bai Mao tapped the table, smiling. “What are you thinking, girl? Pardon an old man, but to admire that great female martial artist is one thing. To change your name?”

Pei Qian twitched a corner of her mouth, saying nothing.

Had the girl been her younger self, the graves of Bai Mao’s ancestors would be covered in firecrackers.

Bai Mao, a scholar, valued face. Unable to deal with her, he turned to Chen Ren. “Brother Chen, a matter of this magnitude? Don’t you care?”

Chen Pingan smiled, nodding. “Right, right, my fault. Constant travel, neglect of my disciple.”

Pei Qian scooped up a large spoonful of mountain delicacies, chewing slowly, her cheeks puffed, grinding.

Lu Shen chuckled gleefully. “Lord Bai, we share the same pain. Here’s to us! I offer soup as wine!”

Bai Mao raised his cup, emptying it in a single gulp.

Lu Shen pulled a flower-and-bird painting album from his sleeve. “Lord Bai, you are clearly a connoisseur. I found this at a bargain price. I implore you to take a look, a moment to appreciate.”

Bai Mao smiled, shaking his sleeves, taking the album. What was this? A bargain price? Flipping through a few pages, Bai Mao hesitated, saying, “Skill is present, clearly the work of wealthy youth, capturing the essence of perspective painting, meticulous, precise, but ultimately, lifeless. And these flowers and birds…beyond their simple elegance, possess a certain coldness.”

Seeing the young Taoist’s thunderstruck face, Bai Mao quickly explained, “The coldness I speak of is not derogatory. Like some water-and-land paintings in temples and monasteries, ghostly, able to warn the heart. I merely worry the owner of this album is not a man of long life. Taoist, you should know great painters, if they die young, seldom achieve great fame. Unable to change their style in old age, their prices never reach their peak.”

The young Taoist replied miserably, “Without long life, there are fewer peers to sing praises, fewer disciples and descendants, less effort to promote their name. Without that effort, they cannot be elevated to the divine, unable to be sold for high prices. In the future, when times are better, pockets are deeper, fools with money abound, recognizing only reputation, never the artist. How, in the antique trade, can one weave a tale to earn great wealth?”

Bai Mao slapped his thigh. “Taoist, your insight is astounding!”

Chen Pingan glanced at the flowers and birds, unsigned, but with several seals. From them, he knew the album came from the Azure Apricot Kingdom’s crown prince. Bai Mao’s eye was not bad. There was a chill. As the kingdom’s dragon in waiting, the prince lacked the hearty spirit of a founder. His ink stroke was weak, more like the hand of a lost monarch. Talk in the Azure Apricot Kingdom and the inns was still quite favorable toward the talented Liu crown prince.

Lu Shen laughed. “Ultimately, he failed to capture the essence of perspective painting. Otherwise, it would have been lively, brimming with life, rather than leaving Lord Bai so bored, devoid of interest.”

With that, Lu Shen sighed, slamming the album on the table. “Enough! Consider it a loss! Out of sight, out of mind. I’d rather sell it cheap to Lord Bai.”

Bai Mao saw the shameless young Taoist pushing the album his way. Was this the “bargain” for which the groundwork had been laid? The dagger revealed! Bai Mao held the album firmly, smiling humorlessly. “Though not a priceless treasure, it is no crude painting. A gentleman does not take what others cherish. Even if the Taoist is willing to sell it cheap, I am ashamed to buy. I beg you, take it back!”

The young Taoist strained, his fingers trembling, secretly increasing his strength, yet unable to move the album. His face flushed. “Lord Bai, we’re friends! The price is negotiable!”

“Why part with it, Taoist?”

“In truth, there is a Taoist scripture, copied by an unknown hand, a thousand words of supreme wisdom! It speaks of growing flesh upon bone, and the reasonings of the Tao, such as ‘What grows flesh upon bone?’ Lord Bai, money cannot buy immortality! A rare opportunity! Miss this village, and you miss the shop!”

“Since it holds the formula for immortality, why sell it to another?”

“My talent for cultivation is… passable. I have learned all I can. There is nothing more to learn.”

“How much?”

“Two snowflake coins! No less!”

“…”

Bai Mao’s face was frozen, on the verge of cursing. Did he think him a fool? To offer the elixir of immortality for two snowflake coins?

“For the sake of friendship, one snowflake coin!”

“…”

Bai Mao’s face darkened. He was sure of it: the other party was a fool, trying to drag him down.

At that moment, the sword-bearing youth asked a maid for another pot of wine. Bai Mao thought for a moment, then pulled out a snowflake coin, placing it on the flower-and-bird album.

Money exchanged for goods. Bai Mao had intended to return the album after buying it, offering the bungling Taoist words of heartfelt advice: “Don’t do this again. You’ll get beaten if you travel like this.” But he feared embarrassing the other party, so he desisted. He would treat it as the price of a friendship that would never be renewed.

As he offered the coin, a page within the album grew, revealing a Taoist scripture in golden ink, speaking directly of the Golden Core.

As Bai Mao considered this, more words of scripture appeared, speaking of the Jade Purity Realm.

Lu Shen of White Jade Tower, the Bone Immortal beneath the plum tree.

Now a candidate for the newest top ten in the Azure Vast Heaven.

This scripture was the Bone Immortal’s fundamental Dao. Lu Shen’s “immortality formula” was, indeed, apt.

With the two Mount Harmon Lords tarrying in their arrival, the guests attending the betrothal feast sensed something amiss.

In a distant flower hall, the esteemed guests of Hundred Flower Lake’s Summer Moon Retreat stirred.

The elder and fourth daughters of Mount Harmon, Zhao Yan and Yu Youyi, appeared to be placating Lake Lord Zhang Xiangdao.

Yu Zhen called Qin Que from a private room, along with Fu Qi from the next chamber, heading directly out of Powder Pill Manor.

The goddess of Fallen Kite Mountain and Li Ting of Mount Wuteng appeared to have received a secret decree from the two Lords, stating that the feast would begin in a quarter of an hour.

Outside the manor, Yu Zhen bowed, offering apologies, saying with a bitter smile, “We have run into some troubles. Uncle Qin, Brother Yan, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Qin Que, a native of the Book Brief Lake, was used to such affairs, not asking, not even offering a farewell. Without a word, he flew away on the wind.

Fu Qi, born of a noble house, had wandered for years, yet had never encountered such a sight. He asked softly, “Have you broken ties with the Golden Void Sect and Zhang of Celestial Correspondence Prefecture? If so, with the ways of those mountain immortal halls and cultivator clans, surely they were prepared. Tonight’s guests may contain their spies.”

Yu Zhen could not reveal his father’s scheme. He offered a lie he had practiced in the clan’s ancestral hall. “A treasure, vital to my father, was stolen from Emerald Mist Retreat’s vault. My father is enraged and has ordered the mountain sealed, all to be searched, none allowed in or out. The scum who came to celebrate tonight are no easy lot, restless thugs who will surely cause a scene, spilling blood.”

Fu Qi asked, “Do you need me to stay and help?”

In the surrounding kingdoms, those at the Golden Core Realm, such as the two manor Lords, Cheng Qian, and Zhang Qiong, were the pinnacle of power. He, at the Dragon Gate Realm, would not be able to turn the tide, he’d be able to make a contribution.

Yu Zhen shook his head, his gaze earnest. “Fu Qi, take my advice: don’t get involved. This is big. We’ll catch up later.”

Fu Qi nodded. “I’ll go to Book Brief Lake. Zhong Su of Yellow Oriole Isle is friendly with my ancestor. Send a flying letter there if you need me.”

In Joyful Harvest Town, Qi Song found Zhang Yujiao and Jin Lou. The old man said nothing, whispering a few words to the youth and girl, and directly led them away from the town.

As Qi Song was a Golden Body martial artist, unable to traverse the lands, the old man flew through the night.

The youth flew upon a sword, ten feet above the ground. The girl flew upon the wind beside him.

Jin Lou teased, “Grandpa Qi, a wine lover! Why not climb the mountain for the feast? We could have joined you.”

Qi Song, a renowned old rogue favored by the young, laughed. “Wine is a flame that burns the body, beauty a blade that cuts the flesh! If I climbed the mountain, lost control, and caught the eye of the third miss, Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi would force me to become a son-in-law. The wine, the wedding chamber… I could not handle it!”

Jin Lou spat.

The old man teased, “That Yu Youyi wouldn’t want an old geezer like me is no surprise, but to say she wouldn’t want a handsome youth like Yujiao? You must be pleased!”

Zhang Yujiao asked, “Grandpa Qi, what’s happening at the town ahead?”

Qi Song patted his belly, shaking his head. “Something is happening, but I cannot say. If you buy me a good wine in the future, I may change my mind.”

Grandmaster Pei had warned him not to reveal her whereabouts. Qi Song would never joke about such a thing.

The old man’s toe flicked a few stones into the air. With a wave of his sleeve, they shot up. His body rose, standing upon the stones as if ascending stairs.

Though Qi Song appeared stout, he drew upon pure essence, becoming light as a feather, lifted by the final stone, rising slowly.

Pausing at the highest point, the old man surveyed the area, spotting his disciple Lu Mo leading a dark-skinned girl through the night.

Qi Song landed gracefully, laughing. “Follow me! The last one buys the wine!”

Clad in night-hunting clothes, Yu Youyi moved like a wraith, leaping through the forest, swift as smoke, arriving at the town below.

She stood upon a roof, dropping a silken bundle soaked in blood into a courtyard. “This head belonged to Gu Feng, the Vice Adjutant of Military Observation. As for Li Ting, the mountain god of Wuteng Shrine, neither he nor Gu Feng will live through the night. Consider this a recompense from my father and Mount Harmon. Do not pursue the matter further, Miss Liu. You and Liu Tie must leave the town within half an incense stick. Delay, and face the consequences. Should the capital of the Azure Apricot Kingdom investigate, we will answer with a clear conscience.”

Unlike the past, when Yu Youyi would act like a lecher, pestering “Miss Liu” to chat, her actions were decisive. Having delivered her message, she returned to the mountain.

Zhou Qiu summoned Liu Tie. Liu Tie asked in a low voice, “What say you? Shall we wait for those three to come down?”

Zhou Qiu laughed. “We need not worry about their plight. Let us wait for news at Ink Splash Crag.”

In Powder Pill Manor, Chen Pingan suddenly asked, “How high will Zhao Fuyang rise?”

Lu Shen smiled. “Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch. There are two answers.”

Chen Pingan said, “Assuming Zhao Fuyang succeeds?”

“The new Nascent Soul will have a chance to reach Jade Purity, though not easily. He will struggle in the Tong Ye Continent.”

Lu Shen raised his hand, calculating, pondering for a moment. “Should he fail, losing his Dao instead of refining the mountain, Zhao Fuyang will fall from the Golden Core bottleneck to the Dragon Gate Realm. As for the future? He will at least be a Celestial.”

Besides Bai Mao, who could not hear, Pei Qian could hear everything Chen Pingan and Lu Shen were saying.

Chen Pingan said, “Master Lu is missing one or two possibilities.”

Lu Shen nodded, smiling. “If Zhao Fuyang remains here, with both mountains untouched, and keeps the Liu family of Azure Apricot Kingdom at arm’s length, he will inevitably be killed by Gu Can. Were he to succeed in reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, using the Golden Void Sect’s secret ‘Mountain Bearing’ power, and leave this place of conflict, he might, just might, become one of the many true dragons of humanity. He might even, as the leader of the Mountain Settling lineage, occupy the land’s fortune, standing shoulder to shoulder with the strongest ascended cultivators.”

“At this moment, Zhao Fuyang has four paths.”

“But which path Zhao Fuyang takes, his future achievements, seem to depend on our conversation at this table.”

“Like this table, with you, me, Pei Qian, and now the Wedge Ridge ghost Bai Mao. If I wished, I could pull in Yu the overseer, and the maid serving wine.”

Chen Pingan asked, “Passing through Vastness, imparting the formula for immortality to Bai Mao, taking in an unlisted disciple with the potential for ascension, Master Lu, is this just a whim?”

Zhao Fuyang could only reach the summit if he followed Lu Shen, his ancestor several times removed, to the fortune-laden Azure Vast Heaven.

Lu Shen countered, “In the history books, how many emperors of humble birth were surrounded by men of great ability, in a single county, or even prefecture? Throughout the lands, how many mountain paradises are there like Green God Dynasty’s Five Mound Boy Caves in Treasure Bottle Continent?”

Lu Shen placed his chopsticks on his bowl, creating a bridge. He asked and answered, “The paths of the world are as tangled as hemp, how many true paths exist? To follow the right person, to walk the right path, that is when all the power of the world is on your side. To walk the wrong path, even a hero whose heart reaches the heavens will be miserable and unfulfilled. Perhaps there are exceptions, but they are only exceptions. Even with a broad path to success, without perseverance, without strength, it is hard to go far.”

“Chen Pingan, you are wrong. Zhao Fuyang must not be led by the nose, nor rest under a large tree. That is his fifth path.”

“Do not forget why some say there are no truly wild cultivators above the Fifth Realm. And do not forget that Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, though he had a lineage, was truly a wild cultivator.”

Lu Shen picked up a chopstick. “A single stick cannot stand. Even on a table, picking at the food with one’s hands is unseemly. One is liable to be slapped, scolded, or driven from the table.”

Lu Shen picked up another chopstick. “Together, they can pick up food. As to how much one can eat, that depends on the appetites and stomachs of those at the table.”

“A pair of chopsticks can be Chen Pingan of Mud Bottle Lane and Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Flower Lane, Liu Xianyang and Chen Pingan, Gu Can and Song Jixin, Song Jixin and Zhao Yao, Li Huai and Hu Feng, Hu Feng and Dong Shuiqing, and so on. It can be a dining table, a gambling table where chairs are removed when one loses, or an offering table with incense smoke.”

At the Golden Void Sect’s ancestral mountain, Clear Tranquility Peak, in the Golden Immortal Nunnery, the current peak master, an old woman at the Golden Core Realm, led her direct disciples near a pavilion overlooking a sea of clouds, welcoming the “Upper Sect’s” immortal master.

Before ascending, the Golden Void Sect’s founder had left a decree, a wish: that her disciples might accumulate merit, helping her Spiritual Flight Monastery in White Frost Dynasty regain its status. Nothing more. She had also issued a death order: even if the sect were at the brink of destruction, they must never disturb her master in the Spiritual Flight Monastery. To disobey was to betray the master and destroy the ancestor.

Thus, throughout the war, the Golden Void Sect kept to its founder’s decree, never contacting Spiritual Flight Monastery.

Even when Old Monastery Lord Cao Rong of Spiritual Flight Monastery emerged, achieving immortal deeds in Old Dragon City, the Golden Void Sect, especially the Golden Immortal Nunnery, was overjoyed, but could only keep their secret within.

Therefore, when Spiritual Flight Monastery, now Spiritual Flight Palace, sent a letter to the Golden Immortal Nunnery, saying the Palace Lord would visit, the Golden Immortal Nunnery’s disciples were elated.

In the moonlight, a young Taoist woman traversed mountains and rivers with an art, appearing first at the cliffside. Following her was a white-haired monk holding a fly whisk and a peach wood sword.

Taoism had immortals who could be forever young.

Then, thunder rumbled in the sky, and a young man with disheveled hair arrived with lightning speed, slicing through the clouds. He landed beside the white-haired child.

He reached out to touch the “child’s” head, but a flash of sword light forced him to retract his hand.

The Golden Immortal Nunnery old woman, unable to contain herself, her eyes reddened, offered a formal salute, trembling as she said, “The disciples of the Golden Immortal Nunnery on Clear Tranquility Peak pay respects to Ancestor Xiang of Spiritual Flight Palace!”

She knew the identities of the others, but had to address Xiang Ancestor of Spiritual Flight Palace separately.

In doing so, she offered respects to the Spiritual Flight Palace on behalf of the Golden Void Sect. More accurately, it was a salute to her founder and the Spiritual Flight Monastery.

Xiang Jun said calmly, “No need for formalities, Xing Zi. Only you remain. The rest, return to your cultivation.”

The old woman waved her sleeve. “You may all withdraw.”

Xiang Jun led the way down a flagstone path at the cliffside. Only then did Xing Zi, the old woman, offer a formal salute to the “child” and the youth. “Xing Zi of Golden Immortal Nunnery greets Realized One Wei and Patriarch Wen.”

Wei, who appeared to not have a Daoist name, had been the Keeper of the Law at Spiritual Flight Monastery. With the monastery raised to a palace, he had been relieved of his post.

No one thought the “little Taoist” had been demoted. He was the close disciple of Cao Rong, the former monastery lord.

Whether at mountain immortal halls or down-mountain sects, there were only bad first disciples, never bad close disciples.

As for “Patriarch Wen,” Wen Zixian by name, known as “Wen the Dandy,” he was an itinerant Realm martial artist before the age of forty, and also a Golden Core earth immortal.

A flirt to boot.

Xiang Jun had come to the Golden Void Sect from a small sect, having parted from Dong Shuiqing not long ago.

Wei had been in the capital of Azure Apricot Kingdom, while Wen Zixian had likely emerged from a den of powder and rouge.

Golden Void Sect’s Looping Cascade Peak was home to a famous waterfall.

Xiang Jun stopped, gazing at the snowlike cascading waters, saying, “Before leaving to travel, Master had decreed that she be allowed to regain her Spiritual Flight Monastery status. She also said that the Golden Immortal Nunnery can leave the Golden Void Sect and return to Spiritual Flight Monastery. We will not force you. The monks of Clear Tranquility Peak are free to stay or go. As for the other peaks of the Golden Void Sect, they will not be willing, so we will not interfere.”

The old woman wept, facing south, prostrating herself, knocking her head to thank Patriarch Cao, the Heavenly Lord.

Xiang Jun helped her up. “If Cheng Qian interferes, I can leave Realized One Wei and Wen Zixian on Clear Tranquility Peak.”

The old woman wept into her sleeves.

The youth laughed. “Have you heard the news? Many great things have happened in Tong Ye this spring.”

Realized One Wei sneered.

Besides a few families that trade in Old Dragon City, almost no one in Treasure Bottle bothered to listen to the matters of Tong Ye.

The fortunes of the lands turned. The cultivators of Tong Ye had once looked upon their northern neighbor Treasure Bottle in the same way.

Xiang Jun nodded. “Great things indeed.”

Realized One Wei gained a bit of interest. “How so?”

Wen Zixian raised his hands, shaking his wrists, smiling. “The first great thing is the emergence of a new sect called Azure Reed Sword Sect in the southernmost reaches of Great Abyss Yuan Dynasty, without warning. The Azure Reed Sword Sect is the lower sect of Fallen Ember Mountain in Treasure Bottle. The first sect master is Cui Dongshan, formerly an unknown, who only made a public appearance when the young Hidden Official and his friend Liu Xianyang went to ask about swords at True Yang Mountain. According to Fallen Ember Mountain’s ancestral tablet, he is Chen Pingan’s student.”

His level of attainment was a mystery.

Xiang Jun smiled. “Treat Master Chen of Fallen Ember Mountain and the Sect Leader of Azure Reed Sword Sect with respect.”

The position of first lower sect master should be held by one at the Jade Purity Realm. Later successors need not be at that level, so long as the sect had Jade Purity masters.

The Azure Reed Sword Sect was an extremely rare sword sect, something unprecedented in Tong Ye. If Cui Dongshan was truly a Jade Purity Sword Immortal, would he have accomplished nothing in Treasure Bottle’s bloody war? Like Pei Qian, Chen Pingan’s first