A mountain deity, adorned in black official robes, possessed an imposing aura. Although a spirit of unorthodox worship, his procession was grand. Seated in an eight-bearer palanquin carried by ghost-officials, he lightly lifted the curtain with a jade lingzhi during their journey. Witnessing the flashes of sword light, he slowly lowered the curtain. The mountain deity’s face was a shifting landscape of emotions. As the Mountain Sovereign’s intelligence indicated, this youth was indeed a mid-Fifth Realm swordsman. The Zhang Clan of Tiancao Prefecture had truly found a treasure!

Beside him rode a veiled woman of graceful form, garbed in scarlet, upon a peach-blossom steed. The woman and her mount kept pace with the black-gold palanquin.

Unlike the talisman-summoned mounts of the young man and woman earlier, this peach-blossom horse, capable of riding the clouds and mist, was a genuine spirit steed of extraordinary power.

Trailing behind them was a cohort of hulking lackeys, each two zhang tall. Some were draped in writhing snakes and vipers, while others wore necklaces of skulls. These beings were neither of the mortal realm nor of benevolent nature. Their brows were thick, their hair like needles, an unsettling sight that raised goosebumps.

The mountain deity softly cautioned, “Fourth Miss, when we reach Ink Splash Peak, please refrain from instigating a conflict. It would put this humble official in a difficult position. Should I inadvertently disrupt the Sovereign’s grand design, I could never atone for it, even with a hundred deaths.”

The woman, her eyes shining with excitement, replied, “A young swordsman of boundless talent! How could I dare provoke him? Rest assured, Warden Li, I vow to remain silent when we arrive.”

Exposed, the mountain deity’s face turned as dark as the abyss, yet his lips curved into a mirthless smile. Cupping his fist, he bowed slightly, “Then this humble official offers his gratitude to Fourth Miss in advance.”

The procession halted dozens of zhang away from the precipice, instantly summoning forth rolling black clouds, like a carpet spread across the sky. Upon this ephemeral stage stood the palanquin, the steed, and the ghost-officials, facing Ink Splash Peak from afar.

Through the thin veil, the woman fixed her gaze upon the handsome Zhang clan scion. The closer she got to this young sword immortal, the more her eyes refused to stray.

If she could marry this young man, she would surpass her eldest and third sisters, wouldn’t she? Eldest sister, of course, had married beneath her, a slight to her station. Third sister, though, was about to secure an excellent match, betrothed to the direct son of the Water Lord of a vast lake within Crimson Mountain Kingdom. While ostensibly a marriage of seeking a suitor, the union was already preordained. However, Father adored festivities, and Harmonious Joy Mountain was currently struggling financially. The debacle with the Zhang Clan of Tiancao Prefecture had resulted in heavy casualties, and they were nearly unable to pay their soldiers. Father was particularly wary of those terrestrial immortal cultivators who had gradually obtained official positions in various kingdoms, especially that Cheng Qian. Father practically crafted straw effigies to curse him. Recently, Harmonious Joy Mountain had been busy constructing a mountain-protecting array, burning through money like flowing water. They were desperately short on funds! Thus, they planned to use this marriage to recoup some money through betrothal gifts and congratulatory offerings. It was said that Father had been inspired by some news he read in a landscape gazette. Mother, on the other hand, was obsessed with the genre of scholar-beauty romances, such as stories of throwing embroidered balls, lantern riddles, and moonlight serenades… these were her favorite things.

The palanquin swayed. The portly mountain deity reached out, lifted the curtain, bent low as he stepped out, and announced in a booming voice. He wasted no words, going straight to the matter at hand, “I am Li Ting, the祠 Mountain Deity beneath Harmonious Joy Mountain, and also serve as the Supervising Military Envoy of the various departments of Harmonious Joy Mountain’s three thousand soldiers. I bear a message from the two Sovereigns for you all.”

The mountain deity coughed, clearing his throat. He turned slightly, cupped his fist high, adopting a tone of authority and a sonorous voice, “Zhang Yujiao, swordsman of Tiancao Prefecture, Jinlu of Hanging Peak, Golden Que Sect, you are guests. Feel free to travel as you wish, even to wander through the small towns. However, you two must halt at the foot of the mountain. Ascending the mountain will be regarded as a provocation against the two Sovereigns of Harmonious Joy, and then this Sovereign will not consider the old friendship between Cheng Qian and myself in the mortal realm. Dare to ascend and cross the boundary, and you shall be slain without mercy!”

Zhang Yujiao twitched his lips, making no effort to hide the disdain on his face.

“This Sovereign,” he kept saying, what arrogance! He truly believed himself to be the local emperor of this filthy place? Why didn’t he simply call himself “朕,” and end his pronouncements with “欽此”?

Having delivered this “imperial decree,” the mountain deity, resembling a local tycoon, immediately adopted a different demeanor. With a hint of obsequiousness, he cupped his fist and smiled, “The Sovereign’s decree must not be defied. It is hoped that Swordsman Zhang and Miss Jin will take it to heart.”

He did not address Zhang Yujiao directly, but spoke of the fair-skinned young girl. Though young in age, her seniority within the Golden Que Sect was frighteningly high, simply because this little lass’s master was none other than Cheng Qian, whom even the two Sovereigns feared. Now, Cheng Qian was revered as the National Protector of Qingxing Kingdom, a renowned terrestrial immortal, proficient in the three arts of water, fire, and thunder. He wielded a Qingjing Talisman, an ancestral treasure obtained from an ancient immortal, which he had refined into a flowing gold fire bell, which was extremely effective for exorcising evil and subduing demons. He was also adept in water techniques, capable of breathing in rivers and oceans. He commanded hundreds of Vermilion Soldiers, all experts of half-human, half-spirit lineage. Especially the Real Person’s thunder techniques were filled with celestial might. He was a scourge of demons and evil spirits… Having cultivated for five hundred years, he had left behind many immortal traces. He had many friends in the cultivation world, but even more enemies. In short, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Li Ting said through his mind, “Miss Jin, after your travels, upon returning to your immortal abode, please extend my regards to your master.”

The girl smiled and nodded, “I will definitely convey Warden Li’s message.”

Although the girl was embarking on her first experience, she possessed a decent amount of understanding in how the world worked.

Hearing the little girl address him as “Warden” instead of Mountain Deity, Li Ting’s face beamed with joy. He found the female cultivator from the Golden Que Sect increasingly pleasing to the eye.

Having delivered the message, Li Ting was about to turn back, but his mistress was staring intently at Zhang Yujiao. Li Ting felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. A young swordsman from the Zhang Clan of Tiancao Prefecture; Harmonious Joy Mountain might be powerful, but she couldn’t just abduct him and bring him back to the mountain as her consort. Besides, by some stroke of luck, she snatched Zhang Yujiao back to the mountain, what would she do with those pretty boy companions in the mansion?

Li Ting had no choice but to introduce, “This is the Fourth Miss of our Harmonious Joy Mountain, the dearest to the two Sovereigns. They would gladly pluck the stars and seize the moon for her.”

Currently, in Harmonious Joy Mountain, the eldest daughter had already married, and the second son preferred to travel far and wide. The one putting out the call for prospective husbands was the third daughter of Harmonious Joy Mountain.
The two Lords of Hehuan Mountain, Zhao and Yu, were a couple formed halfway through life. Before that, they each had their own Dao companions and offspring on the mountain. Therefore, the only child they could truly call their own was the crimson-clad woman wearing a veiled hat before them. Otherwise, Hehuan Mountain wouldn’t have gifted that peach blossom horse to her as a mount. If it were in some remote, backward country incapable of producing even a cultivator in the middle five realms, it would have already successfully refined its form and easily become a mountain king.

Fortunately, the Fourth Miss didn’t pester Zhang Yujiao too much. She merely straightened her slender waist, glanced askance at the maiden beside him, and scoffed. Then, she extended two jade-like fingers, lifted a corner of her veiled hat, and intentionally puffed out her chest, smiling, “Young Master Zhang, my given name is Xiaomei. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”

Zhang Yujiao ignored her.

A horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by a large retinue, gradually moved away from Ink Splatter Peak.

Jin Lou smiled radiantly and asked, “Yujiao, what do we do next?”

Zhang Yujiao said, “Let’s first go to the town at the foot of the mountain and see if we’ll ascend. We’ll decide after assessing the situation there.”

Jin Lou nodded. From her posture, it was clear that as long as Zhang Yujiao chose to climb the mountain, she would follow him without hesitation and brave the mountain gate together.

The White Mansion Master, who hadn’t uttered a word from beginning to end, was filled with emotion. The courage and boldness of these immortal masters with established lineages were simply different from those of lonely wandering spirits like them. Wherever they went, they acted as if they feared nothing. Take this maiden from the Hanging Green Peak, for example. Not only was she born into a fortunate family, but she also had a good master. When she went out to train, she was either accompanied by a vermillion soldier steward bestowed by her sect or went together with a young sword immortal from a noble immortal clan.

Zhang Yujiao looked at the local “natives” and asked, “May I inquire when the Hehuan Mountain marriage recruitment begins, and what the specific time is?”

The sword-bearing youth crossed his arms.

The White Mansion Master feigned deafness, afraid that saying the wrong word would result in being “slain again.”

Only the headless female ghost holding the umbrella didn’t seem particularly afraid of the young sword immortal. She took out a verdant willow leaf from her sleeve, and as the willow leaf spun, a crisp female voice resounded, “Reporting to the sword immortal, there are approximately two and a half hours remaining.”

Zhang Yujiao nodded and said to the maiden beside him, “Then let’s walk to Hehuan Mountain.”

The maiden was clearly agreeable to anything on his side, simply nodding.

Zhang Yujiao looked at the female ghost, “If the lady is willing, you can accompany us, provided you’re not afraid of being misunderstood by the Hehuan Mountain side and being given trouble afterward.”

She held the oil-paper umbrella and gracefully performed a Wanfu salute, leaning to the side.

Zhang Yujiao and Jin Lou, accompanied by that unique “Vermillion Soldier Divine General” of the Golden Que Sect, went down the mountain.

The umbrella-holding female ghost sauntered along, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from them.

Atop Ink Splatter Peak, only the sword-bearing youth and the White Mansion Master were left staring at each other.

“Isn’t the White Mansion Master going to set off?”

“Not in a hurry. There are still two hours until the recruitment ceremony. What about you, what are you staying here for?”

“To continue enjoying the moon.”

The two were silent for a long time, until finally, Bai Mao took the initiative to speak, “That peddler and the one eating entrails, they’re both paupers. One is a mountain rogue cultivator who commits murder and robbery, and the other is a newly refined monster. If they have any savings at all, they’ll immediately consume it, like the snowflake money I tossed over earlier. All of it is used to improve cultivation and replenish spiritual energy, seeking immediate results. External possessions, if accumulated too much, are a disaster instead. Without a mountain stronghold or backing, it’s easy to invite a deadly calamity, only to work for others, which wouldn’t be worth it. That young sword immortal earlier repeatedly slew them until they were gone. Even the demon core of that peddler was eaten by the Vermillion Soldier of the Golden Que Sect, not leaving a single scrap. That oil pot was originally a rather evil and bizarre valuable spiritual artifact, but unfortunately, it was shattered along with that carrying pole. All that’s left are those paper money…”

The youth said, “Enough nonsense. Finder’s keepers, fifty-fifty split.”

The White Mansion Master was greatly relieved, “Brother Chen is truly straightforward, a deal’s a deal!”

However, this ghost who had self-proclaimed the title of “Mansion Master” soon became suspicious. This youth agreed so readily, could he be a deep-hidden mountain rogue cultivator?

Was he a ruthless fellow skilled in double-crossing?

So Bai Mao distanced himself from the sword-bearing youth and asked with a smile, “Young hero is so young, yet he already possesses the strength of the martial arts Qi refining realm. He must be either rich or noble, otherwise, how could he have achieved such remarkable martial arts achievements? I imagine he’s a scion of a noble family out on a journey? Doesn’t young hero have any guards or attendants around him?”

Qi cultivators also included rogue cultivators and loose immortals, but almost every martial arts grandmaster among pure martial artists had a background and a clear lineage. This was common knowledge on the mountains.

Especially after the great battle that sank half the continent, almost all the noble clans in the southern Precious Bottle Continent, who had suffered greatly, redoubled their efforts to train family assassins and death warriors, extensively searching for and selecting children with good roots, having martial arts masters who served as family enshriners teach them martial arts from a young age, sparing no expense, eating medicinal meals three times a day, and soaking in medicinal vats daily to temper their muscles and bones. Even if it meant forcing growth and consuming future potential, they had to quickly elevate them from the Body Tempering Three Realms to the Qi Refining Realm, seeking to be able to stand alone by the age of twenty or thirty. Looking at this youth, if he wasn’t a Qi cultivator deliberately using illusions to pretend to be a pure martial artist, then his age and realm would match up.

Coupled with the youth’s “eloquence” earlier, Bai Mao felt that his guess was pretty much the truth.

Anyway, as long as he wasn’t a fickle mountain rogue cultivator, Bai Mao had served as an official in life,

“Stop calling me ‘hero,’ I only came down the mountain for training a few days ago, and haven’t accomplished any heroic deeds yet.”

The straw-sandaled youth said indifferently, “Either call me by my name directly, or call me Young Master Chen.”

Bai Mao muttered inwardly, “The Fourth Miss of Hehuan Mountain called Zhang Yujiao Young Master Zhang earlier, and you became jealous?”

Together, they walked to the edge of the cliff. The ground was littered with paper money from the dismantled peddler’s carrying pole, as well as various folded paper houses, carriages, and beauties. What distinguished the gold ingots and silver taels from the paper money sold in ordinary funeral shops was that the peddler had written the dynasty and year on them in cinnabar ink.
Unlike those Qi Refiners who select certain copper coins as “magical artifacts,” choosing copper coins requires finding those from dynasties with flourishing national power and auspicious meanings. It is said that this way, they will have abundant Yang energy. The more people a copper coin passes through, the more Yang energy it naturally absorbs. Conversely, the inscriptions on these paper money often belong to dynasties that had declined to their lowest point, mostly cast during the reign of rulers of perished kingdoms. Therefore, they have heavy Yin energy and are often “hanging paper” that peddlers pick up from graves, or when people burn paper money at graves, the peddlers use some kind of illusion, seemingly burned, but actually snatched halfway by the peddlers.

The sword-carrying youth surnamed Chen and the White Prefecture Master with his official seal and military tally hanging from his waist each picked their own, minding their own business.

Bai Mao deliberately selected those delicately folded paper figures of carriages, pavilions, maids, and servant girls, amounting to about a hundred snowflakes coins.

Seeing the sword-carrying youth squatting on the ground, taking out a fire starter from his sleeve, he burned all the paper money he had just obtained.

The White Prefecture Master was bewildered and couldn’t help but ask, “Little brother, what are you doing?”

These paper money, when encountered by knowledgeable and wealthy people in the market, can be sold for a lot of real gold and silver, worth dozens of snowflake coins.

The youth said, “As the old saying goes, wealth is like flowing water, something that is easily gained and lost. These paper money were originally burned for the dead. When they arrived in the underworld, there were already shortages. Now, burning them will mean that the underworld will have an extra sum of money that should have belonged to them.”

The White Prefecture Master was stunned, speechless, and after a long silence, he blurted out, “You are indeed kind-hearted.”

The youth corrected, “I call this being skilled and courageous, not afraid of walking at night. What is this bit of ill-gotten wealth? A mere drizzle.”

He stood up and asked, “Shall we go down the mountain together?”

Bai Mao nodded.

He felt that this simple-minded young man who had popped out of nowhere, though foolish, had remarkably good luck, managing to escape this calamity.

The youth suddenly said, “I think I still owe you two snowflake coins.”

Bai Mao shook his sleeves and laughed, “It’s all accounted for here.”

As a result, the youth glanced at the White Prefecture Master’s belt and said, “You only served as a petty official in life, never a high-ranking one, right?”

Bai Mao smiled bitterly and didn’t refute anything.

They walked together towards the sedan chair and the four porters who were still standing in place.

The youth said with a grin, “It is said that comparing goods makes one discard them, and comparing people makes one want to die. I never felt that way before, but today I understand the subtlety of these old sayings. Look at Zhang Sword Immortal of Tian Cao County, then look at the mountain god’s eight-bearer sedan chair, and finally look at you. I feel sorry for you. People go out with pockets full of money, inlaid with gold and jade. You, Brother Bai, are so pathetic. You must make your clothes rustle with the ten Wen you have. You’re a Prefecture Master, why don’t you set up your Prefecture gate at the foot of Mount Hehuan as a mountain gate?”

Bai Mao smiled awkwardly, reached out his hand to cast a spell, chanting incantations, turning the sedan chair and the porters into several paper figures, and then grabbing them, the white paper fluttered into his sleeves.

This set of travel gear was bought from the peddler in his early years, costing the White Prefecture Master quite a few snowflake coins.

As for this ignorant and reckless youth, his words were harsh, but he was a good person.

However, the more the White Prefecture Master thought about it, the angrier he became. His words were not just generally unpleasant, they seemed to strike right at the heart.

Where did he come from? Do great families teach such verbal skills in addition to martial arts?

The youth asked, “The umbrella-holding girl up ahead who looks like a well-read lady from a noble family, a beautiful woman, does the White Prefecture Master know her background?”

Bai Mao looked at the oil-paper umbrella and embroidered shoes in front. How could you tell that a headless female ghost was “beautiful” with either of your eyes?

Could it be that you only speak kindly of women?

The White Prefecture Master was not yet aware that the merit of burning paper money by the sword-carrying youth was actually attributed to him, Bai Mao.

Bai Mao hesitated for a moment, selecting some non-offensive words, “I only know her surname is Liu. Of course, she has no relation to the Liu imperial family of the Qingxing Kingdom. It is said that she died for a scholar, beheaded by the executioner as a warning. She was not included in the family tree in life, and naturally even less so after death. She is also a pitiful person.”

“Is the horse under the Fourth Miss’s bottom a real horse?”

“Absolutely true. Since this kind of mountain spirit can control the wind, its level of cultivation can be imagined. It might be a great demon that has long since transformed and attained enlightenment, perhaps a Cave Abode Realm? Only the daughters of the Zhao and Yu Prefecture Lords of Mount Hehuan can use it as a mount. The eldest miss, the second young master, and the third young lady who is getting married tonight don’t seem to have this treatment.”

Bai Mao, recalling the previous danger, asked, “Are you so poor that you can’t even afford an iron sword? You can only fiddle with a sword hilt as a pretense. What were you thinking?”

“Whether I have money or not is none of your business.”

“Can’t you just chop down a peach tree and make a peach wood sword?”

“You have shallow Jianghu experience. I call this showing weakness to the enemy.”

Bai Mao, speechless for a long time, raised his chin towards the three figures at the very front, “Seriously, you are lucky. You managed to run into them. If you had come later, the consequences would have been unthinkable. The peddler and that liver-eating one are not good people. Their cultivation levels are not low. When they join forces, they are notorious even in this area.”

“Weren’t they still casually killed by a beardless youth?”

Bai Mao laughed angrily, “Sword Immortal! That Zhang family scion from Tian Cao County is a cultivation prodigy, hailed as a Sword Immortal! A genius among geniuses! Do you even know what a Sword Immortal is? There are only two types of Qi Refiners in the world: Sword Cultivators and Qi Refiners other than Sword Cultivators!”

The straw-sandaled youth said indifferently, “I am also a Sword Cultivator, would I not know that? Are you stupid?”

Bai Mao almost choked with rage.

The youth folded his arms across his chest and asked, “Since the Zhang family of Tian Cao County is so powerful, why not simply level Mount Hehuan, returning the world to clarity, which would also be a great merit?”

Bai Mao scoffed, “Since you have so much Jianghu experience, why would you ask such an idiotic question?”

The youth said, “I am not ashamed to ask those below me.”

Bai Mao rubbed his temples, wondering if he should abandon this little bastard and walk with the Liu-surnamed umbrella-holding female ghost.

The youth took out an oil-paper package from his sleeve. When he opened it, it was fragrant braised meat. Only old-established shops have this skill. He spread out his palm and handed it to the White Prefecture Master beside him.

“I appreciate the kind gesture.”
Bai Mao smiled and pushed the fruit back, “We are beings of different realms, ghosts and humans. I cannot partake for now.”

Once he reached the Cave Dwelling realm and became a Ghost King of the Middle Five Realms, he would likely regain his ability to taste.

Or so he had heard.

Being human was a first, wasn’t being a ghost even more so?

Zhang Yujiao and Jin Lou, walking at the front of the mountain path, could clearly hear the conversation between the straw-sandaled youth and the ghostly figure at the rear. It wasn’t just her fourth-realm cultivation that allowed this, but also a profound talisman bestowed upon her by her master. Once activated, it would allow her to clearly hear the slightest sounds within a mile, with extreme subtlety.

Zhang Yujiao spoke in her mind, “This youth of unknown origins is a martial artist, perhaps in the third or fourth realm. Considering his age, he’s quite remarkable. Moreover, he is also a half-baked formation master. While not a true cultivator of the mountains, he knows a few tricks of unorthodox formation deployment that don’t require spiritual energy. You might not have noticed it earlier at the summit of Po Mo Peak, but the scattered branches on the ground were placed with great care and significance. If you face him alone, you might suffer a great loss if you are not careful and he manages to take the initiative, especially if he gets close enough to land a punch.”

Jin Lou said in shock, “Could this fellow be one of those reclusive experts skilled in eternal youth?”

Zhang Yujiao shook her head. “Definitely not. There is no trace of spiritual energy flowing within him, making him undoubtedly a pure martial artist. Judging by his demeanor and speech, he’s likely from a similar background as myself.”

Both were chosen and nurtured by powerful families.

Jin Lou chuckled, “How can he compare to you?”

Zhang Yujiao said with a calm expression, “I only meant that our origins are similar, not our future circumstances and cultivation realms.”

Jin Lou suddenly said with anger, “This Joyous Union Mountain is truly audacious, running rampant and unchecked. Do they really think no one can deal with them? Just wait, one day, Master will lead an army to wipe them out!”

Zhang Yujiao smiled without responding.

These disciples from overly privileged backgrounds always seemed so naive.

The Joyous Union Mountain had been able to stand firm here for so many years because of its deep foundations. Beyond the combat prowess deliberately displayed on the surface, there were also some shadowy trump cards and intertwined connections with the surrounding four countries, including the Green Apricot Kingdom. This was why they were able to easily repel the attack of nearly thirty Qi Refinement cultivators from the Zhang Clan of Heavenly Prison Prefecture. They didn’t even reach the small town at the foot of Joyous Union Mountain before suffering heavy losses. Across six hundred miles of mountains and rivers, two ambushes and one direct confrontation, the Zhang Clan suffered significant attrition. Fortunately, aside from two cultivators who died in battle, the rest were only injured. However, the damage to their spiritual tools was extensive, especially the varying degrees of damage to the offensive and defensive natal treasures of over a dozen cultivators. After the war, the Zhang Clan convened a family ancestral hall meeting and roughly calculated the compensation for the post-war repairs and artifact refinement, amounting to a staggering seventy-two Millet Rain Coins! This proved that the Zhang Clan of Heavenly Prison Prefecture had underestimated the Joyous Union Mountain, which they originally thought was just a rabble of disorganized vagrants.

It should be known that among the Qi Refinement cultivators participating in the siege of Joyous Union Mountain, the Zhang Clan sent six Qi Refinement cultivators of the Middle Five Realms. Among them, two seniors were highly valued elders and honored guests of the family, both Golden Core Immortals. One was even a well-known Talisman Master, possessing the divine ability to scatter beans to transform into soldiers. As a result, during the three encounters with the Joyous Union Mountain, the old immortal used nearly three hundred talismans of different ranks.

Fortunately, the Zhang Clan of Heavenly Prison Prefecture had a Golden Body Realm martial artist sitting in command on the battlefield, otherwise, it would have been difficult to salvage even a barely satisfactory outcome.

The aforementioned Li Ting, nicknamed “Li the Wealthy,” was a wealthy and influential merchant during his lifetime. After death, he somehow became the mountain god of one of the two lewd shrines of Joyous Union Mountain. Since he was a deity of a lewd shrine, he naturally had no official rank in the mountain and river bureaucracy.

If this were north of the Great River, how would a third-rate mountain god like Li Ting dare to occupy a mountain and establish a shrine like this? Wouldn’t that be courting death? The Great Li Dynasty had once erected stone tablets atop the mountains across the continent, were they playing around?

Back then, how many lewd shrines of vassal states on the continent were banned by the Great Li Dynasty? It wasn’t just dozens or hundreds, but over a thousand, with some saying two thousand or even three thousand.

The problem was that the area south of the Great River no longer belonged to the Great Li Dynasty. All kinds of mountain spirits, water monsters, goblins, and demons emerged in droves, bypassing territories with strong national power like the Cloud Soaring Dynasty and choosing small countries with few Qi Refinement cultivators and immortal abodes. In particular, those deities of lewd shrines whose temples and golden statues were destroyed by the Great Li iron cavalry in the past, reappeared, each seeking a way to establish connections and build shrines and rebuild statues in the states and counties of various countries, reaching mutually beneficial agreements with the local governments. The former earned human incense to repair their golden bodies, while the latter extracted real gold and silver from the former. Otherwise, they would gather in places like the Joyous Union Mountain and rely on the two Mountain Sovereigns.

Because of her background in the Zhang Clan of Heavenly Prison Prefecture, Zhang Yujiao knew more about the behind-the-scenes secrets than Jin Lou. For example, the ghosts and monsters who joined the Joyous Union Mountain, through the secret operations and matchmaking of the two Mountain Sovereign’s residences, became deities of lewd shrines in various countries. As long as they gave enough divine money, they could even obtain official recognition from the court of a certain country. Of course, the ranks in the mountain and river bureaucracy would be very low, listed only in the supplementary registers of the local mountain and river officialdom, and definitely not recorded in the academy archives. It was somewhat similar to the white book status of a county yamen clerk, not occupying a government-established position.

For example, the White Estate Master, being a ghost, probably wanted to seize the opportunity of attending the wedding banquet to pay a sum of money and curry favor with the Joyous Union Mountain, in order to be transferred to the position of a city’s City God or something similar.

Therefore, the Joyous Union Mountain in front of them was privately ridiculed by Mr. Hong as “truly the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites of the mountains of several countries.”

Why didn’t Cheng Qian, the national teacher of the Green Apricot Kingdom, travel with the Zhang Clan of Heavenly Prison Prefecture, with whom he had a very good relationship, last time?

Wasn’t it still because of the three imperial seals? The emperor of the Green Apricot Kingdom had a weakness in the hands of the Joyous Union Mountain.

Jin Lou remembered something and asked curiously, “Yujiao, you mentioned earlier that the Cloud Soaring Dynasty wanted to smash six stone tablets within its borders, but there was no follow-up. Why is that? Wasn’t it said that Cui Chan is already dead? And the Great Li Song Clan retreated north of the Great River as agreed. By reason and by rights, the Great Li Dynasty can’t interfere in the internal affairs of the southern countries anymore. Isn’t it annoying to keep those stone tablets on the mountain tops? The local courts and immortal masters definitely don’t want the stone tablets to remain, right? Is the Cloud Soaring Dynasty worried about being questioned by the Great Li Song Clan? But now the rules of the Confucian Temple are strict, and no matter how powerful the Great Li iron cavalry is, they can’t launch another southern expedition, right?”
From a young age, she had cultivated in the mountains. Firstly, she was young, and secondly, the Golden Citadel Sect’s rules were strict, forbidding disciples below the fifth realm from knowing too much about the mundane world.

Therefore, she had only heard rumors about the tragic war where the barbaric demon clans fought all the way to the Grand Canal and the auxiliary capital of the Great Li Dynasty. It was only during this trial with her senior brothers and sisters that she heard some snippets. Furthermore, during her unauthorized escape from the capital with Zhang Yujiao, she learned much about the true matters of the mountains, the peaks, and even the heavens through her conversations with the young Sword Immortal. However, due to the Central Earth Literary Shrine’s ban on official gazettes for many years, her knowledge was fragmented. Moreover, she dared not purchase mountain and water gazettes at immortal ferries or inns without her master’s permission.

According to Zhang Yujiao, the southern countries, including the Cloud Canopy Dynasty, had been restless a few years ago, showing signs of wanting to destroy the stone tablets. However, they quickly quieted down. It was all thunder and no rain, and inexplicably, there was no follow-up.

Zhang Yujiao revealed a dazed look, took a deep breath, and said, “It is said that it was because Cui Chan’s junior brother, a sword cultivator, returned alive to the Grand Brightness World not long ago.”

Addressing the Great Li National Preceptor Cui Chan by his name was not disrespectful among the younger cultivators, but rather a strange form of reverence.

Jin Lou asked疑惑道, “Didn’t Cui Chan betray the lineage of the Sage of Literature long ago? Does he still have a junior brother?”

Zhang Yujiao laughed, “Who says he doesn’t?”

Jin Lou found it even stranger. “Besides, just a sword cultivator alone can deter half a continent? Could he be a great Sword Immortal like Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple?”

Zhang Yujiao was silent for a moment. “In terms of realm and merit, I am not worthy to carry his shoes.”

Jin Lou was dumbfounded.

Zhang Yujiao smiled. “Of course, even if I had the honor of meeting him, I would not carry his shoes.”

Jin Lou wanted to ask for more information about this person, but Zhang Yujiao was clearly unwilling to say more about this sword cultivator, and the matter ended there.

After walking out of the foot of Splash Ink Peak, Zhang Yujiao said, “It can be confirmed that the sword-bearing youth is not in the third realm, but a fourth-realm martial artist.”

Jin Lou clicked her tongue in amazement. “Young and promising, he can be considered a martial arts genius!”

No wonder he dared to travel alone in the Harmony Joy Mountain territory. A Qi Refining realm martial artist under the age of twenty was rare. If he could reach the sixth realm by the age of sixty, he would be able to stir up storms in the martial world of a country and become a guest of emperors and generals.

Pure martial artists, unlike Qi Refiners who can break through realms rapidly with good cultivation aptitude, require a steady and solid climb in martial arts. The Golden Citadel Sect had a grandmaster enshrined whom even the teachers respected. He was in the Golden Body realm, and it seemed that he was only at the fourth-realm bottleneck at the age of twenty?

Further back, Mansion Master Bai was sharing some inside information with the youth.

“The current Emperor of Qingxing Kingdom, Emperor Liu, is actually a blank slate emperor in the eyes of mountain cultivators.”

Seeing the youth’s expression of wanting to ask but being too embarrassed to do so, Bai Mao smiled and explained, “The so-called blank slate emperor is one who has lost the most important state seals commonly known as the ‘Imperial Seals’. If it were a change of dynasty, it would be fine, but the disappearance of the seals without the dynasty ending is very troublesome. If they were completely shattered, it would be easier to re-engrave one. The problem is that these three seals are rumored to have ‘fallen into the hands of the common people’. One is gold, one is green jade, and one is sandalwood. Among the twelve treasures of the Qingxing Kingdom’s emperor, the green jade seal is used to confer legitimacy on foreign lands and enfeoff foreigners. The Liu Dynasty is not a great power, and it has always been collecting dust. The sandalwood seal with the crouching dragon handle is fine; the Emperor can just replace it with another seal. The most troublesome is the gold, twisted dragon handle seal used specifically to confer the title of crown prince. Therefore, the crown prince of the Qingxing Kingdom, who is about to come of age, is neither the eldest son born of the legal wife, nor does the court have this seal. He is not legitimate in any way. Otherwise, why would a crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony require inviting people to observe? Isn’t that a joke?”