The moon rises above the sea.

That single word, “rises,” is truly a marvel, leaving behind boundless echoes.

Even a sword immortal, employing the most potent spirit-traveling techniques, their blade-swift passage could never rival the intercontinental stride of a Tri-Mountain Talisman, nor the silent glide of a Night-Sailing Ship.

A spectral 法相, shimmering and vast, swept over countless islands, born from the endless ocean. Above, a torrent of sword energy shattered the clouds into a thousand pieces, the emerald aura cleaving a highway of light through the heavens.

Occasionally, water spirits would gaze upwards in startled awe, catching but a glimpse of verdant sword-light, a fleeting glimmer. Moments later, a deafening thunderclap would reverberate through the empty sky, shaking the very heavens.

At times, the sword immortal would deign to lower their flight, the sword’s edge slicing through the waves. Islands bowed in reverence as the power passed, leaves shuddering and trembling.

Once, their path took them past a hidden Immortal Palace, nestled amidst the sea. Its intricate towers and glittering halls shone with a thousand lights.

The emerald form, threatening to crash headlong into the island, instantly fractured into a constellation of blade-stars, dancing around the sacred peak with graceful ease.

Those shards of light, tracing trails of pure brilliance across the sky, rejoined as one above the waters a hundred leagues distant.

During a moment of respite, slowing their sword-borne flight, the immortal 陳平安 manifested fully. In an arc of elegant grace, they landed, robes billowing in the sea wind, upon the water’s surface, and strode forth across the waves.

To encounter a single vessel, or even a lone cultivator traversing the winds, upon the boundless sea, was akin to seeking a needle in an endless haystack.

Yet, this night, 陳平安 was granted just such an encounter. A young cultivator steered a talisman-craft, trailing a most wondrous, moonlit, iridescent cloud.

陳平安 halted at the cloud’s edge, observing the youth, who cast his line with apparent leisure, into the strange skies. Lifting his gaze, the youth inquired in the elegant tongue of the Southern Emerald Continent, “Who goes there?”

陳平安 replied with a smile, employing the same refined language, “A terrestrial immortal, come forth to seek the fabled isles.”

With a flick of the wrist, the youth retrieved his line, scattering bait into the cloud-sea. With a new pellet of mysterious mixture upon his hook, he cast again. The near-invisible golden line, hundreds of feet long, whistled as it unspooled. “A fellow traveler, perhaps?” he inquired.

陳平安 nodded. “A master of this art, no less than any.”

The youth chuckled, offering no further word. The strange, green-robed traveler merely stood, patient, as the clouds danced around him. For half an hour, he watched.

At last, the youth broke the silence. “One may sit in vigil for weeks, and still catch naught. If you await the capture of a 彩翼鳳頭魚, friend, you are doomed to disappointment.”

陳平安 nodded to the fishing tackle. “Might I see your creel?”

A bamboo basket hung from the boat’s prow, disappearing into the cloud. It was clearly of fine make, likely from a mountain Dragon King’s lair.

The youth smiled. “Finding no others, ensuring I have no hidden protectors, seeing I am of humble cultivation…do you intend to murder me and steal my prize?”

陳平安 smiled again. “You hail from the Great 瀼 Water of the Southern Emerald Continent, do you not?”

The youth, a jade seal hanging at his waist, frowned. This one comes prepared? For both the Dragon King’s basket and the ancestral token? The bandits of the sea are growing bold.

Could it be that I’ve stumbled upon some remnant of the primordial beasts, lurking amidst the waves?

Very well. When small fish won’t bite, lure the larger ones. I shall test this one’s mettle.

Long 澄, the founder of the Great 瀼, had once obtained an ancient stone box, protected by divine beings. Within were five seals. Long 澄 kept only one, a jade seal, gifting the rest to the 文廟. For three hundred years, Long 澄 refined the seal, making it the treasure of the Great 瀼, almost the symbol of their lord. It now hung at the youth’s waist.

The youth set aside his fishing rod and stood, declaring his name: “劉 廂 of the 采芝府 line of the Great 瀼. May I inquire as to your name, your heritage?”

陳平安 waved a hand, dismissing any thought of combat. “I know 元 青 蜀 well.”

The youth chuckled. “Is 元 Master 叔 so familiar with you?”

陳平安 nodded. “Also familiar.”

劉 廂 narrowed his eyes. “Why not simply say that a sign hangs upon your shop, proclaiming ‘The world knows this place is the home of 元 青 蜀, Sword Immortal’?”

Unexpectedly, the impudent one nodded. “You speak the words I wished to say.”

If not for his training, 劉 廂 might have unleashed a string of curses. I am fishing above a remote stretch of ocean, far from Treasure Bottle Continent, and this wayfarer declares himself the last, hidden guardian of the Sword Wall?

Is this sea-thief truly mad, or does he deem 劉 廂 a fool?

陳平安 spoke. “郦 采 once returned a shattered Sword-Nourishing Gourd to the Great 瀼.”

劉 廂 was stunned. How could this one know of such an event?

Of the five branches of the Great 瀼, the sword lineage was born of 元 Master 叔. The relic in question was indeed entrusted to the Blowing Dust Mansion of the Great 瀼 by 郦 the Sword Immortal of Floating Duckweed Lake.

陳平安 continued. “The sword immortal 元 loved wine, and once jested with Gao 魁 atop the wall that to drink from a Sword-Nourishing Gourd, and to name great demons as appetizers, was the greatest pleasure, the sweetest taste.”

劉 廂 demanded, “Who, in the heavens, are you?!”

May the gods damn me if he truly is that young Guardian!

劉 廂 refused to believe that the green-clad traveler before him could possibly be the celebrated 陳 Sword Immortal. Such a coincidence was beyond reckoning.

Furthermore, those sword immortals, 郦 采 and others, who visited the Great 瀼, swore that the new Guardian, who first revealed his identity at Spring Banner Hall on Upside-Down Mountain, was possessed of a palpable, deadly aura, almost to the point of slaying his own allies…劉 廂 had verified this with numerous cross-continental ship stewards, concluding that the new Guardian was indeed swift to anger, ready to kill at a moment’s notice.

Most importantly, they all insisted that the young sword immortal was impossibly handsome, possessing an otherworldly radiance that could not be mistaken.

劉 廂 scrutinized the man before him. A jade hairpin, a green robe, cloth shoes…in terms of appearance, he was merely presentable. As for bearing…standing there for half an hour, watching me fish like a simpleton? It simply cannot be 陳平安!

陳平安 offered a gentle smile. “Friend, you are being too worldly. One must not judge a book by its cover.”

After struggling for a response, 劉 廂 tentatively offered, “Have you employed a glamour? Used the arts of illusion?”

陳平安 faltered.

It is difficult to converse with those who do not wield swords.

劉 廂, still clinging to a sliver of hope, attempted to engage further. But the green-clad man merely waved his sleeve. Instantly, the cloud-sea roiled, and several fish leapt from the depths, landing within the talisman-craft.

The emerald figure vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only an echo in 劉 廂’s ears: “Take them home, friend. Claim them as your own catch. No need to spend coin at the Southern Sea Fish Market.”

劉 廂 stared, dumbfounded. Though uncertain of the traveler’s identity, he knew that they were, without a doubt, “fellow travelers.”

Later, at the border between the Southern and Eastern Seas, 陳平安 halted abruptly, gazing down at the moon’s reflection upon the waves. From that argent disc arose the form of a purple-robed old Daoist, a gourd strapped to his back.

於 玄, employing potent magic, manifested a spectral image in the mortal realm.

陳平安 bowed. “I greet you, Elder True Man 於.”

於 玄 returned the bow with a smile. “No need for such formality, Daoist 陳.”

陳平安 smiled back. “Do you fear I will lead the boy astray?”

於 玄 waved a hand. “Impossible. My judgment of character, and your skill in instructing, are both unsurpassed.”

He spoke those words with a bit of a pause. After all, an immortal daring to speak of ascendance was a bit…bold. 白 景 almost thought his lord had lost his senses!

於 玄 was naturally concerned.

As they walked side-by-side upon the moon-swept sea, each ripple gleaming like white scales, 陳平安, sensing the old man’s worry, chose his words with care. “The trials of this closed-door training, for Daoist Ding, will span a decade, or perhaps a century.”

於 玄 stroked his beard in silence. Calculations must be made.

With Ding’s natural gifts, to ascend within two or three centuries was not impossible.

陳平安 continued. “It is not that it cannot take longer. It is that a longer duration would be meaningless.”

At last, 於 玄 could no longer contain himself. “How so?”

陳平安 smiled. “Does not the saying go, ‘A decade in the mountains is a thousand years in the world’? Can the years spent by a cultivator be measured in the same way as those of a mortal man?”

於 玄 grew tense, testing the waters. “Daoist Chen, Ding is my finest student. Even the finest jade must be tempered, but there are limits. Would you, as an observer, hint at the true passage of time? How many years, in truth, will he experience?”

陈平安 offered an ambiguous answer. “Ten thousand, perhaps. A hundred million, perhaps.”

於玄 looked dumbfounded.

Half true, half false.

True, in that Chen’s method was truly extraordinary, unlike anything ever conceived. False, in that he still feared Ding would be swept away in the river of time, his spirit crushed by the relentless tide.

陈平安 spoke gently. “He who finds their true self amidst chaos, may ascend beyond the confines of the 道.”

于玄 asked, “Could you elaborate?”

陈平安 shook his head. “I would, but I cannot.”

于玄 seized Chen Ping An’s arm. “It has only been a few days! Have we become strangers? On Spirit Gathering Peak, did we not speak frankly?”

Daoist Chen, you still owe me five hundred gold-infused copper coins! I have made the arduous journey to this realm, and we must consider this matter further!

Chen Ping An sighed. “Henceforth, I will inform you, at regular intervals, of Ding’s progress, in its entirety.”

Yu Xuan nodded. “That will suffice. To receive intermittent surprises is far more desirable than a single transaction.”

Chen Ping An pondered, then gave a cryptic answer. “The ascendance I have devised requires one to first seek their own truth, then to build a Bridge of Immortality, and finally, to seek the Dao beyond.”

Yu Xuan chewed on the words. “To simply hear this concept is worth the journey.”

Chen Ping An changed the subject. “Do you have other matters to discuss?”

Yu Xuan hummed in response, pointing toward the horizon. “I divined a reunion in the near future. It may concern you, or it may not. It depends on whether or not you wish to wade into troubled waters.”

Chen Ping An guessed the reason, and, with a decision made, asked, “Why does the 全椒 Mountain of Supporting Upright Continent never have a presiding mountain god? Neither one appointed by the court nor one self-proclaimed from righteous spirits. It seems no such deity has ever resided there.”

Yu Xuan hesitated, then laughed. “Mountains harbor spirits; gods and immortals both. Those who practice their arts in the mountains sometimes prefer solitude.”

The Old True Man dismissed his illusory form, and Chen Ping An resumed his sword-borne journey.

—-

Several well-ordained Daoists, offering instruction without compensation on Jumping Fish Mountain, teaching basic and non-esoteric arts to eight promising youths, carefully selected by the Dali Dynasty, was not a difficult task. So these four teachers, from the same ancestral origin, but different sects, naturally became well acquainted.

While the martial arts were taught at the training ground, the Daoist teachings took place within a spacious hall, with a few prayer mats laid out on the floor, purchased at great cost from the Three Solitudes Temple of the Northern Subjugation Continent.

Bai Feng and the others had shared their pasts, but Xiang Tong remained silent.

Even Xue Zhisui, the most senior of the four, had readily spoken of how, led by Lord Chen, he had swept a nine-story Glass Pagoda, Chen Ping An sweeping from the top floor down, while he swept from the bottom up. When Xue Zhisui started from the top, Chen Ping An would start from the bottom.

Today, constantly pressed by Liang Zhaoguan, Xiang Tong finally squeezed out two words: “Wandered aimlessly.”

It was not that Xiang Tong was being difficult. His past was simply too painful to recall.

That brute, relying on his high level, strange methods, and muddled mind, insisted on dragging Xiang Tong across mountains and rivers, for a century of illusionary time. Chen was fond of giving him trials. He would strip him of his powers, place him in a world devoid of spiritual energy, and then force him to become a beggar. Only when Xiang Tong had become a wealthy merchant, relying on his own wits and a broken bowl, would Chen deem the task complete. He had forced him to work as a minor official in a county yamen. Then, relying on his ancestral martial arts, he had to hunt down elusive, wall-leaping bandits and clear out river pirates, risking death on several occasions.

And then Chen, posing as a courier, would run through city streets, chasing the new scholars, and beg for money. The rascal would leap through the city streets and earn money. At the end of the day, when people tried to rob Chen, Chen would step in and say some phrase such as, “In broad daylight, under the Emperor’s gaze, don’t act so wildly,” scaring away the bandits and leaving Xiang Tong bruised and on his own.

Chen Ping An even made him a street performer, smashing stones on his chest for a pittance. After being hammered, Chen would start hawking elixirs.

Occasionally, there were peaceful mountain scenes to be found, for Chen said that it was important to combine work and rest.

Chen would carry a basket and herbal medicine, and they would roam the mountains. Then, Chen would spout off nonsensical poetry.

Chen even took over a small shoe shop. Xiang Tong was lost, but Chen taught him to sell lists of officials. They actually made money! Then, Xiang Tong worked as a silversmith. He had always thought that he had a moral compass, but he came to despise Chen.

But then, they even had a candle shop that was doing fairly well.

They didn’t make any money, but the shop was a nice place to relax.

Liang Zhaoguan said, “Xiang Tong, why do you stay? Why don’t you leave and forget about Lord Chen?”

Xiang Tong said, “To temper my mind.”

Liang Zhaoguan patted Xiang Tong on the shoulder. “Face the challenge and ascend to the heavens!”

Xiang Tong glared at Liang Zhaoguan, who quickly withdrew his hand.

Xiang Tong said, “Among the Daoist disciples, where do these children rank?”

Bai Feng stretched. She was too lazy to respond.

Liang Zhaoguan said, “They are chosen from a whole country. They could become the close disciples. Some of the best could apprentice and become another Lu Biyu.”

Lu Biyu was speechless.

He was in Flying Immortal Palace and Liang Zhaoguan was in One Waiting Peak. They didn’t know each other before coming here. Lu had heard of Liang. Liang practiced his sword and studied.

The girl with the mink hat checked the children. She wasn’t satisfied. She had taught them carefully, but they were still failing. She was ready to curse, but that would seem like she was a bad teacher. Xie Gou just made a few encouraging remarks and decided to let another instructor teach them.

Xie Gou looked at Bai Feng’s chest. The girl with the mink hat didn’t say anything, but she shook her head.

Liang Zhaoguan whispered, “What does Miss Xie mean?”

Lu Biyu didn’t dare to comment.

Xiang Tong said, “They’re a burden.”

Lu Biyu said, “Miss Xie is not simple.”

Liang Zhaoguan agreed. “She is unfathomable.”

Bai Feng scoffed. “Figure out what wine she wants and you’ll understand.”

Xiang Tong’s rank was highest. He had guessed at something, but didn’t say anything.

The Xie Gou girl might be an even more skilled swordswoman than Mi Yu.

He was convinced that she had once chopped up a throne.

He had also heard that she had a lover named Xiaomo.

Liang Zhaoguan shook his head. “I don’t know how Chen gathered all these people.”

In the Middle Earth Continent, the various continent lords, such as Qi Zhen and Xie Shi, were highly influential and respected.

But the Four Seas was even larger than the continents.

The Sea Lords, Lady Dan, Zhu, Li Yihou, Liu Rouxi, and Wei Tianting, all held power and influence.

In the Eastern Sea Lord’s underwater residence, purple air was rising. Guards were positioned everywhere. No one could come close without special permission.

Outside the red gates, a green robed old man appeared. “How imposing.”

A golden armored general asked, “Who is it? State your name!”

The old man ignored him. He looked at the plaques.

Another guard came to the gates. He drew his sword and said, “It is a crime to trespass!”

The old man shook his head. “I must suppress my power lest I scare you to death. It is very difficult.”

The guard took a step forward. “More foolishness. I will seize you!”

The old man said, “Fine, fine, have Wang Zhu come out and see an old friend.”

The general was about to invoke the powers of the water veins, but he found he couldn’t command them!

The old man said, “That’s right. She doesn’t dare to appear.”

“It was pouring rain that day. The little girl was lucky. Her breakthrough was pure luck. She doesn’t compare to that dragon, Li Yihou is at a disadvantage.”

“That’s why she doesn’t dare to see me.”

A female officer came. She bowed and said, “I greet Chen Xianjun.”

Chen Qingliu nodded and smiled. “So Wang Zhu has decided not to come out?”

The female official looked embarrassed.

Wang Zhu had issued an order to turn away visitors.

Chen Qingliu scoffed. “Scared out of her mind, is she.”

Some of the water guards wanted to fight him.

Chen Qingliu took a step forward. All the water guards kneeled.

The pressure was overwhelming.

Inside the palace, Wang Zhu felt her face contort.

When Chen Qingliu entered the palace, the newly advanced level fourteen Wang Zhu transformed into a huge white dragon.

The huge dragon occupied half the palace.

Chen Qingliu clasped his hands behind his back. There was a hint of mockery in his gaze. He lifted his foot and put it on the threshold. “A little stronger than before, but you’re still hiding.”

The white dragon looked up, an action that took all of its energy.

It glared at the Butcher!

Blood debt.

Chen Qingliu smiled and said, “Despair, don’t you? You’re at level fourteen and yet it is difficult to even look up. Is this true despair?”

Wang Zhu said, “If you kill me, you will fall!”

The rules of the Temple wouldn’t restrain him.

Wang Zhu would never ask them for help.

Chen Qingliu mocked, “Things are different. I can always find another dragon.”

He had destroyed all the dragons three thousand years ago, creating the Dragon Pearl Grotto-heaven.

Chen Qingliu had disappeared, and yet no dragons had dared to take a single step forward.

“I was just passing by, but I don’t like those words you used.”

Chen Qingliu smiled. “Then I’ll use your head to test my blade!”

The white dragon wavered. The whiskers trembled and rippled.

Chen Qingliu had a hidden name, Qingzhu.

The dragon slayer wielded a hidden sword, forged in battle.

The power of the sword was simple: Slice!

Chen Qingliu reached out and all the water of the sea condensed into a long green sword.

Chen Qingliu flicked the sword. It trembled.

Wang Zhu was barely resisting the pressure, but she would never submit. She raised a claw.

Chen Qingliu shook his head. “Your batch of level fourteens are so weak.”

Wang Zhu transformed back into a human, bleeding from the orifices.

Chen Qingliu was about to cross the threshold when he stopped and said, “Old Yu, you always like to meddle.”

Chen Ping An appeared.

Chen Qingliu said, “Weren’t you two estranged?”

Chen Ping An nodded and said, “We bonded, and then severed the bond.”

Chen Qingliu said, “You have Ning Yao. What are you doing?”

Chen Ping An didn’t know what to say.

“You want to save her? By what means? You’ve only passed the Jade Realm.”

Chen Qingliu shook his sword. “Shall we set aside levels?”

Chen Ping An glanced at Wang Zhu. Wang Zhu looked unappreciative.

Chen Qingliu pointed his sword and said, “What will you do? Are you going to stop me because you are both Chen?”

Chen Ping An bowed and said, “Please sheath your sword.”

Wang Zhu screamed, “Don’t beg him!”

Chen Ping An glowered at the palace. “Shut up.”

Wang Zhu trembled.

Chen Qingliu smiled. “If you oppose me, the price will be high!”

Chen Ping An said, “Qi has entrusted Wang Zhu to me. I need to be a guardian. As of now, Wang Zhu has done nothing wrong. You don’t need to strike the dragon.”

“Oh?”

Chen Qingliu said, “Did Qi Jingchun say that?”

Chen Ping An shook his head and said, “Qi doesn’t need to say it.”

Chen Qingliu smiled. “You’re so weak. Get Old Scholar over here to smooth things over. I would advise you to bring Liyesheng along as well.”

Chen Ping An was silent.

Chen Qingliu waited and mocked, “How can one live such a pathetic life.”

Chen Qingliu released the water sword. “I won’t bully a young disciple. Let us have a duel at the same level another day.”

Chen Qingliu looked at Wang Zhu. “Saved twice! I can help watch the door for you.”

Wang Zhu wiped the blood from her face.

Chen Qingliu clasped his hands behind his back and said, “Chen, walk with me?”

Chen Ping An nodded.

Chen Qingliu’s first question was unexpected. “Did Chen Qingdu ever comment on my swordsmanship?”

Chen Ping An said, “The swordmaster has not mentioned you.”

Chen Qingliu rubbed his chin. “How annoying.”

Chen Ping An smiled.

Chen Ping An asked, “Did Zou target you?”

Chen Qingliu laughed and said, “I don’t like to meddle, and I could never become a pure level fifteen sword cultivator. I’m not pure enough.”

Chen Qingliu asked, “What do you think about my water sword technique?”

Chen Ping An said, “Ignoring killing power, on the dao, each is powerful. On swordsmanship, the gap is vast. You are both successful, but there is a difference in scale.”

Chen Qingliu nodded and walked away.

Wang Zhu paled.

Chen Ping An said, “You say you cannot be a level fifteen sword cultivator. I feel that is self-deprecating. You will not give up.”

Chen Qingliu said, “Okay.”

They walked side by side in silence.

Before Chen Qingliu left the Eastern Sea Palace, he said, “How does it feel to be at the top? It is not free. If you create a religion, you feel restricted.”

After saying these words, Chen Qingliu left for the barbaric world.

Chen Ping An was about to leave.

Wang Zhu came up to him.

She was a level fourteen and this was her domain.

Chen Ping An said, “Because Qi trusted me, I was able to become a sword wielder.”

Wang Zhu pursed her lips.

Chen Ping An said, “Don’t disappoint those who have given us hope.”

Wang Zhu bit her lip.

Chen Ping An clasped his hands in his sleeves. “If you never disappoint Qi, I won’t have to beg another senior to sheath their sword in the future.”

Wang Zhu turned to look at her former neighbor. She raised her hand.

Chen Ping An took a step back.

Wang Zhu brushed her hair.

Chen Ping An left the palace.

—-

The world was at peace. There was a traveller from the west.

A thin old man wearing a Daoist robe, with a gourd by his waist and a qin case on his back, came to the Dropped Mountain.

Jia, the old immortal, was drinking tea with the Immortal Wei.

The visitor said he was from Lushan, Hong Chengxian, and called himself Yujian. He hadn’t made a record of visiting.

The old man said he played the qin. Then, he played a tune.

Jia praised and said, “Like heaven! With no impurities!”

Many cultivators claimed to pass by. But not many sat at the table.

Hong Chengxian said that he had a friend who was a minister. Jia knew he was just making someone up.

Hong Chengxian said, “I met him when I was young. He was a secretary.”

Jia asked, “His first rank?”

Hong Chengxian nodded and said, “Yes, I was a scribe.”

Jia stroked his beard. “You have a fine background.”

Hong Chengxian said that his friend had been a troublemaker, but then began to study hard. As a minister, he had told the Emperor that he was too devout in Buddhism, wasting money. The next Emperor destroyed the temples. Then, the friend had opposed the Emperor’s actions. He was called a fraud. But a few people believed in him.

Then, the old man patted his qin case. “We were friends. But he became an official and I became an immortal. Then, we drifted apart. There were weeds around his house and the plants were weak. Only a plum tree remained. She was like a lonely beauty.”

Jia was moved.

Hong took a sip. “There’s no solution.”

Jia bumped bowls.

The young Daoist at the table said, “There is.”

Cui turned his head and asked, “What solution?”

Xianwei said, “Retire. Show the people. This is the right way.”

“If there is no choice, then work in secret. Don’t worry what people say. Even if you ruin your own life, you will be content. This is also right.”

“Two things, two people, two hearts, all will blossom like that plum tree.”

The old man pondered and said, “I see.”

Daoist Xianwei smiled.

He knew that this was his strength.

The last time, he had been tricked by Li Muzhou of Jingwei Temple. Now, he was afraid of talking to Daoists. Fortunately, Jia was here.

But he wanted to add a few more words.

Jia knew what to do.

Jia said, “That’s how things are.”

“People cannot be ordinary, but cannot reject ordinariness altogether.”

“To make the idea take root, it must be broken down, step by step. This must be done by our lord.”

Xianwei was impressed. He was more skilled than himself.

Cui Chengxian said, “Since Senior Jia is so candid, I won’t pretend. My name is Kongshan, and my residence is called Cocoon Room.”

Jia asked, “Empty mountain by yourself? Self-imposed?”

Cui nodded. “I once practiced in Quanjiao Mountain, but I was not good enough. The path of immortality was wrong for me.”

The old Daoist patted his gourd and laughed. “I could have used a drink. But I was wrong for the wine, and the wine was wrong for me. It all evens out.”

Jia lifted his bowl and said, “Daoist, one wanders the mountains.”

The old man shouldered his case and said, “It’s funny. I used to be young and brash. I only knew San Shan.”

The old Daoist continued to wander.

Jia didn’t think it was a big deal.

After Chen crossed the sea, entered the Northern Peak, and teleported back, he heard about it from Jia. Chen said, “I missed a master.”

Jia said, “You both missed each other.”

Cui told Mi to return on time.

Jiang Shangzhen said he was better than Lord Chen.

Wen, the sleepy elder, still wanted to fight.

After Pei Qian raised her power to the limit, she punched a hole in the wall.

Before Wen fainted, he heard Zheng say, “Same as usual, put it on the books.”

Bai Xuan said, “He’s weak, but his soul is strong.”

Zheng Daofeng read the heroes book and said, “It’s a book of life and death.”

Bai Xuan looked at Wen. He figured he could be a vanguard in the effort to defeat Pei Qian.

Wen had no idea and was just glad that Bai Xuan, a skilled swordsman, approved of him.

Two idlers were sent to Jumping Fish Mountain.

Instead of helping, they worked at Flower Shadow Peak.

Bell Qian, the warrior, made the others practice. The girl with the mink hat seemed pleased. It was a riot.

However, they didn’t go to Flower Shadow Peak often.

Bell wanted the Gan Tang guardian to help, but the elder didn’t say anything.

Chen Ping An wanted the young girl, Xiao Mi Li, to avoid the outsiders.

But then he changed his mind. He decided to set up a Cloud Nest formation.

The mountain guardians appeared in the form of a speechless girl.

The little black girl walked the mountain alone, with a staff and a pole. She donned the coat and imitated Chen’s actions, showing her power.

Between the mountains, there was a rainbow stone bridge that she passed every day. The Dragon Lane colleague would face her on the other side. She would nod.

Then, they would run at each other. No one lost.

After they landed, the black girl would bow and say, “Until next time.”

It was Gu Can who changed Chen’s mind.

Gu Can had said that Chen was being too protective.

Why was he being so careful in his own mountain? Was he looking down on the guardians?

Today, the black girl wore her cloak and stood on the bridge.

She looked at the waterfall.

Yesterday, Xie Gou had suggested that she use her real form and drink from the waterfall.

Xiao Mi Li thought about it, and wondered if she would be embarrassed if someone saw her.

A warm hand touched her head. It was Lord Chen.

Chen told her about the Cloud Nest. She laughed. “Ha! That’s nothing.”

Chen carried a walking stick. Xiao Mi Li carried a shoulder pole.

They chatted as they walked, munching on seeds.

Chen complained, “It’s hard to practice. I owe a lot of people.”

“I have to deal with everything. I don’t know what to do with all the letters.”

This was the first time that Chen had revealed his thoughts like this.

The two shared the melon seeds. Xiao Mi made a fist.

Chen opened his hand. “What?”

Xiao Mi said, “I saved some happiness. I’ll share some.”

Chen closed his fist. “You will let me borrow, not give?”

Xiao Mi nodded. “Only lend.”

Chen squinted. “There will be interest, right?”

Xiao Mi giggled. “Of course.”

Chen exclaimed, “A good deal!”

A rainbow arced across the waterfall.