A light rain fell as they stood beneath their separate umbrellas, a torrent of words and laughter flowing between them.

Zhu Lian, stealing a moment from his endless tasks, had come to the mountain gate’s archway to offer a few words of congratulations to the venerable Immortal Jia.

Immortal Jia, in turn, was a frequent visitor to the foot of the mountain, where he would exchange confidences with the diligent Immortal Wei, who served as a kind of guardian.

Some men claim every stranger as a kindred spirit, call all men brother, yet their friendships remain shallow.

But the old cook and Immortal Jia were not such men. Theirs was a true affection, built year upon year, a broth simmered slow, yielding a delicate flavor and honest heart.

Now, the Fallen Peak possessed two grand vessels for crossing continents. One, the Wind Kite, had been “acquired” by Lord Chen through his own prowess from the Xuanmi Dynasty of Middle Earth. The other, a brand new “Thunder Chariot,” was purchased from the Yao Clan of Daquan on Tung Leaf Continent. Jia Sheng, who had only recently become the Second Officer of the Wind Kite, was now to be promoted. Lord Chen, before entering seclusion, had decided that Immortal Jia would oversee both Thunder Chariot and Wind Kite. Furthermore, Jia Sheng was granted the honor of choosing those who would protect these cross-continental voyages.

Immortal Jia, shrewd as ever, sensed the underlying purpose: “We are preparing to act against the Lower Sect.”

As the principal lecturer of the Green Reed Sword Sect’s academy, Immortal Jia was, of course, willing to risk his reputation.

Zhu Lian remarked that Immortal Jia would be busy. Jia Sheng replied, filled with humility, “What is my busy-ness compared to that of our Lord and Elder Zhu? I merely lend a hand to those who truly toil.”

“Does our Lord task me thus to burden me?” he continued. “Nay, he takes these burdens upon his own shoulders.”

For if anything were not done aright, Lord Chen, with his temperament and generosity, would not fault another, but only himself.

To share a heart with Immortal Jia was always a pleasant thing.

After a delightful conversation, as they parted with reluctance, Zhu Lian invited Immortal Jia to visit the Sword Worship Terrace when he had the time.

Jia Sheng hesitated. He had long desired to pay homage to the sacred ground, but feared he would interrupt the sword cultivation of the esteemed Gan Tang.

Zhu Lian smiled, assuring him that he would not.

Thus, Immortal Jia, summoning the wind, returned to Riding Dragon Alley. He prepared some wine and cakes and then walked up the mountain to the Sword Worship Terrace.

But there he learned that the newly nicknamed Old Deaf Gan had gone to Preying Fish Mountain to teach and preach, his return uncertain.

Immortal Jia stood beneath the eaves, composed and patient, sheltering from the rain as he waited.

Previously, Lord Chen and his Right Protector had strolled leisurely through Preying Fish Mountain, where the Lord remarked that he owed many debts, both of kindness and of word, with no exaggeration.

At the Sword Abode on Clear Radiance Peak, several missives arrived each day by flying sword, from origins beyond all guessing. Nuan Shu was charged with collecting the letters and delivering them to Master Zhu. The invitations and notes piled up into several overflowing baskets.

When Chen Ping An entered his seclusion, Zhu Lian upheld his own principle: though the outside world might deem Fallen Peak aloof and unapproachable, their Lord would remain true to a single aim – neither fame nor power should be entrusted to another.

Those letters from persons with whom they had no kinship, Zhu Lian set aside unread, save to record their details in a ledger. Many of these letters were a riot of requests. Some invited Lord Chen to attend celebrations, or to inscribe calligraphy for their academies or pavilions. If Lord Chen could not spare the time to bestow a work of ink, they inquired whether they might copy from the printed works of the Hundred Sword Immortals or Two Hundred Sword Immortals. Others pleaded for the honor of Chen’s presence at gatherings or poetry circles, or sent collections of writing, hoping he would pen a preface or correct their errors. Still others related strange family or sect matters, or offered their opinions on current affairs, imploring the Hidden Official Chen to speak on their behalf. Some demanded a response, and these Zhu Lian answered, imitating his Lord’s style with ease.

However, certain missives, such as those bearing the mark of Leaning Earth Peak or Water Scripture Mountain, required Zhu Lian to respond and offer explanations on behalf of his lord.

Zhu Lian’s replies were always elegant and diplomatic, beginning with phrases such as, “Having received your letter, I am filled with both shame and gratitude.”

“Your kindness is too generous; I dare not inscribe.”

“I cannot bear to inflict further carving upon these already engraved books; I cannot agree to reprint the two works. My refusal is not meant as rudeness, but arises from my inadequacy. I am both regretful and grateful.”

“Alas, I am burdened by worldly affairs and cannot find the time to visit. Your description of the mountain’s beauty is so evocative that I can experience it in my mind as if I were there.”

“Your esteemed sect is too kind. I am humbled and grateful… My reply is hasty, and my writing is poor.”

Never one to neglect himself, Xie Gou procured a few dishes of fermented bean curd and salted vegetables from Master Zhu’s kitchen. He also brewed himself a pot of steaming rice porridge, for porridge, after all, was the greatest restorative in the world.

On this day, Wei Bo had pressing matters to discuss and came in person to the Private Estate of Floating Cloud. But he was stopped by the girl in the sable hat, her cheeks flushed, clutching a bowl of porridge. She mumbled that her Lord was in seclusion and would see no one.

Wei Bo was not offended by the “no one” including himself, but he found it strange. “Is the fellow truly in seclusion?”

Xie Gou nodded, clarifying, “He is not shirking his duties, or repeating his past habit of being an absentee lord. This time, our Lord is in seclusion seriously, solemnly, and with great ceremony.”

Wei Bo looked concerned.

Xie Gou immediately perked up, raising his chin. He tapped his white bowl lightly with his chopsticks, declaring with pride, “If you have any matters, tell me, and I’ll pass them on. I am, after all, the Vice Emissary. Beyond the Five Pillars of Fallen Peak, I hold the highest rank and wear the biggest hat.”

Wei Bo smiled and shook his head. “This matter must be discussed face-to-face with Chen Ping An. It’s not so urgent; I’ll return in a week. If Chen Ping An emerges from seclusion before then, Xie Vice Emissary should tell him to visit Cloud-Draped Mountain.”

Xie Gou replied, “A week or a month, it’s hard to say now.”

Wei Bo smiled. “It matters not; I shall come here every week to check in.”

Xie Gou wondered, “What matter is it that warrants the Lord of the Nightly Wanderings coming so frequently?”

Wei Bo considered it. “Very well, I’ll have you pass along the message. The Emperor is too shy to speak of it himself, so he has sent me as his envoy. Since he has agreed to attend the ceremony soon, the Emperor fears that your Lord will not take the appearance of the new Da Li National Preceptor in court seriously enough. Though the court has no intention of making a spectacle of the event, it would not do if he simply arrived at the imperial palace for the morning audience one day, showed his face, and left without a word. Therefore, the Emperor wishes him to put on a bit of a show.”

Xie Gou sighed. “Is that all? The Lord of Nightly Wanderings has become a messenger?”

Wei Bo smiled faintly. “The message has been delivered. How it is handled is up to Lord Chen.”

Xie Gou tried to persuade him to stay. “Is the Lord of Nightly Wanderings leaving already? Won’t you stay and chat? It’s dreadfully boring standing here as a guardian spirit.”

Made uncomfortable by the girl’s constant address of him as “Lord of Nightly Wanderings,” Wei Bo was eager to depart.

Suddenly, Xie Gou spoke in a mind-voice. “I glanced through the yearly records of the Sky Harp, and it mentioned a Daoist of Full Clarity Mountain named Cui Chengxian. He came here earlier and sat by the table at the foot of the mountain for half a day. I sensed nothing amiss, but the realm of cultivation he displayed did not match his manner of speaking. The Full Clarity Mountain of Floating Cloud Continent is a strange place that cannot be held by ordinary Daoists. As the Master of the Northern Peaks, did you sense anything out of place before?”

Wei Bo frowned slightly and shook his head. “I didn’t notice anything either.”

If there had been the slightest sign of anything amiss, Wei Bo would have been watching the mountain gate closely. Since there was nothing to stir his heart, there were only two possibilities: either the visitor’s cultivation was too shallow, and he was merely boasting at the mountain gate; or his realm was so high that he could conceal his cultivation perfectly, allowing himself and Bai Jing to overlook him. The strangest thing was that any ascendant realm cultivator travelling across continents had to first register with the Imitated White Jade Capital above the Da Li capital. Even assuming the visitor was an unrevealed wandering immortal, for him to linger so long at the Fallen Peak’s mountain gate indicated that he was no ordinary being.

Without Xie Gou’s prompting, Wei Bo released his divine sense. After a moment, he reported, “A cursory scan reveals no trace of this person within the Northern Peaks domain.”

Xie Gou also concentrated his mind, and “saw” the vast mountains and rivers of the Northern Peaks, as if a golden dragon were swimming freely, patrolling its realm with lightning speed. Because a divine lord’s thoughts moved so swiftly, the mountains and rivers of a continent wove a web of golden light with his divine sense. While ascendant realm cultivators might perceive such movements, ordinary Qi cultivators would remain unaware. This change would not be hidden from the Four other Peak Gods.

But Xie Gou clearly did not trust the effectiveness of Wei Bo’s native supernatural power. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, rose to his feet, and said, “If you trust me, I can attach myself to your divine sense and investigate further.”

Wei Bo nodded. “Then let’s try again.”

As adepts, they needed only a few words. Wei Bo temporarily granted Xie Gou the authority to survey the Northern Peaks alongside him.

Xie Gou quickly complained, “Don’t rely on that piecemeal method; it’s too slow to examine the mountains and rivers. Are you looking down on me? Just unleash your divine sense, spread it as far as it can go.”

Wei Bo glanced at her. Xie Gou nodded confidently. “Not to boast, but the toughness of our sword cultivators’ bodies and souls is unparalleled. Today, I must enlighten the Lord of Nightly Wanderings.”

Instantly, countless golden rays were cast out from the Private Estate of Floating Cloud, falling in arcs across the Northern Peaks, connecting point to surface, vertically and horizontally.

The golden net grew denser.

Wei Bo withdrew his supernatural power. Xie Gou adjusted his sable hat. “Either he’s hiding deep, or he’s running fast. He’s definitely no easy catch.”

Wei Bo said, “Since he dared to appear openly at the mountain gate and chat with Jia Sheng for so long, it’s unlikely he’s a treacherous and shadowy villain.”

Those who cultivated on the mountain, whether men or women, and who held high positions, were likely to become targets of curiosity.

Consider Mi Yu, who had only to stop in the Tung Leaf Continent to be admired at the ferry dock by countless women falling in love.

Wei Bo had thought that Xie Gou was about to say something more, but instead the girl puffed out her cheeks and blinked her eyes.

It was as if she was signaling him. Why was the Lord of Nightly Wanderings not leaving? Had he changed his mind and decided to stay and chat?

Wei Bo turned to look at the closed door of the bamboo house. After a moment’s thought, he was about to bid farewell and return to his book-reading spot. Then he heard a retching sound.

Wei Bo turned quickly to see Xie Gou standing with his back to him, holding the bowl and spitting into it.

The girl in the sable hat raised the back of her hand to wipe her mouth, without turning around to explain. Perhaps she was feeling embarrassed for once?

Wei Bo, always considerate, pretended nothing had happened and prepared to return to Cloud-Draped Mountain. But then he saw Xie Gou lift his head and “drain the bowl.”

It was now Wei Bo, with his fastidious nature, who nearly lost his lunch on the spot.

Xie Gou smacked his lips and muttered about how every grain was hard-earned and how it was hard to go from luxury to thrift. He turned around, smiling brightly, and said, “Lord of Nightly Wanderings, I just remembered something I need to discuss with you.”

Wei Bo smiled awkwardly. “It’s not urgent.”

Calling him “Lord of Nightly Wanderings” no longer seemed to matter so much.

Xie Gou said, “It’s important, so no delays.”

Wei Bo sighed inwardly and sat down on the steps. “Speak then.”

What Xie Gou said next was indeed no small matter. First, he spoke of the trade between True Martial Mountain and Fallen Peak. This implied that the Grand Li secret records were accurate. “A. Wei Bo understands,” he said, and promised to speak to the Wind Snow Temple and Ruan Qiong about the matter. Next came the matter of Fallen Peak’s long-planned mountain-buying project. Similarly, it was the Grand Li dynasty that most wanted to see this succeed, even more than Fallen Peak itself.

When the Li Zhu Cave Heaven took root, there were a total of sixty-two mountains, including Cloud-Draped Mountain, to the west of the town.

Ever since the Dragon Spring Sword Sect offered to cede land to Fallen Peak, there were now a dozen or so immortal families who were stubbornly refusing to move.

Ruan Qiong was the Grand Li dynasty’s chief supplicant and had been a guest of the Song emperors for two generations. Yet even he needed to “avoid suspicion” in this way. Small wonder that the dozen or so sects were anxious.

They were unwilling to leave, unwilling to relinquish the morsel of fat that had just reached their mouths.

They had neither Ruan Qiong’s status nor Liu Xianyang’s face, which might have persuaded the Divine Wei to personally help them move their mountains.

Everyone with eyes knew that Fallen Peak’s dominance in the New Chu Prefecture was inevitable. It was a flood of the mortal world, and as such, the trend was impossible to resist. To attempt to do so would be a futile gesture.

Back then, Wei Bo had relocated seven mountains, including Divine Splendor Mountain, in two purchases of three and four. The second lot included the spot for Xu Xiaoqiao’s Daoist temple, and the newly appointed sect head Liu Jianxian’s Youyi Peak.

Ayu’s Back was leased in black and white to the Pearl Hairpin Isle. It was said that Liu Chongrun, who had migrated here from the Bamboo Scripture Lake, had met Lord Chen in times of crisis.

As for the Belt Mountain descending from the Yellow Millet Faction, its relationship with Fallen Peak was also harmonious. A girl in a pink skirt often sent local produce to the mountain. It was a privilege that others envied.

Therefore, when Preying Fish Mountain and Floating Cloud Peak were taken into Fallen Peak’s fold, the mountain masters who remained in the New Chu Prefecture immediately took action, making inquiries about prices.

Some of the remaining sects had repeatedly communicated with the mountain about this matter via flying sword, their hearts burning with anxiety. Why wouldn’t Fallen Peak just open a price and talk to them!

Once, during a meeting in the Ancestral Hall of Clear Radiance Peak, Lord Chen Ping An had said that he hoped to occupy half the mountains within the next century.

In this process of gradually gathering the mountains together, Fallen Peak would not engage in forced sales. The price had to be fair and to everyone’s liking.

Xie Gou said earnestly, “Don’t misunderstand, we at Fallen Peak are upstanding people. We never bully others. When we trade, we pay what is required. We only overpay, we never discount.”

Wei Bo smiled. “It’s not just about money.”

Xie Gou said, “Exchanging goods for goods, or treasures for mountains, is fine too. The treasure trove in Fallen Peak’s treasury can be converted into immortal coins. Besides, we can help find mountains elsewhere. The deal is basically an immortal coin, plus a few treasures, plus a mountain. We don’t fear that they’ll demand too much, we fear they won’t make an offer.”

“Lord Chen even said that some sects whose backgrounds have been thoroughly vetted by the Northern Peaks God Monarch Office can invite a member of the Clear Radiance Peak Ancestral Hall to serve as a recorder guest officer.”

“In the future, we can also send two or three cultivation embryos to Preying Fish Mountain to study supreme immortal methods, and no more than that. The matter of spreading the Dao must be taken seriously. The word ‘hearing the Dao’ cannot be taken lightly. Of course, in this case, the price of the mountain must be calculated separately.”

Wei Bo nodded repeatedly, but when he heard the phrase “supreme immortal methods,” he couldn’t help but be puzzled. What Dao would be taught at Preying Fish Mountain? Those few Peach Charm Mountain Daoists were probably not suitable for teaching true methods. Chen Ping An, with his eclectic knowledge, could indeed select a few techniques to teach others. But the problem was that Chen Ping An did not care much about the sixteen people cultivating or practicing martial arts at Preying Fish Mountain. Instead, he seemed to intentionally distance himself from them.

Xie Gou laughed. “Gan Yiban still had some good techniques before entering the Sword Qi Great Wall. There’s nothing to fear. He personally teaches them to others and no one on the mountain will mind.”

“Besides, I also have some crude introductory techniques, which are the high-level Qi refining methods that Earth Immortals dream of. Not to boast, but they are indeed the safest way to ascend. Like rice porridge, they nourish the stomach and replenish the body, greatly benefiting the soul. The only drawback is that the requirements for talent are high, and the threshold for cultivation is not low. That’s why I, this Vice Emissary, would like to cooperate with Gan Yiban. Geniuses have their way of cultivating the Dao, and mediocrities have their way of climbing the mountain, ha ha. The two cooperate and catch everything in one net. No one will feel like they’ve lost out.”

Wei Bo laughed. “In that case, it’s not impossible to talk. In fact, it might be easier to talk if the Grand Li court were to announce to the continent that Chen Ping An had become the National Preceptor.”

The trade would still be a trade, but it would be a bit unkind.

Xie Gou’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, that’s what I said, but our Lord doesn’t want to do business that way. What can I, as the Vice Emissary, do?”

Wei Bo recalled a saying and asked with a smile, “By the way, isn’t it the Four Pillars of Fallen Peak? How did it become the Five Pillars on your end?”

Because of Xiao Mi Li, Wei Bo was very familiar with the situation in Fallen Peak.

The four prominent “high officials” and “prime ministers” were Zhu Lian, Chang Ming, Wei Wenlong, and Jiang Shangzhen.

Xie Gou looked at Wei Bo.

Wei Bo was bewildered and confused.

Xie Gou explained in a low voice, “The Four Pillars were missing a behind-the-scenes hero. I got angry when I heard it, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So I took the liberty of adding the Lord of Nightly Wanderings. Xiao Mi Li thought the idea was good and said he agreed. Is it possible that Xiao Mi Li didn’t go to Cloud-Draped Mountain to give the Lord of Nightly Wanderings the good news?”

Wei Bo maintained a smile. “Thank you.”

Wei Bo had previously thought the saying was funny, but in the end, was he just a joke?

The girl in the sable hat waved her hand. “No need to thank me. I just happen to have a request for the Lord Wei to act as a matchmaker.”

Wei Bo smiled. Good heavens, she was asking him to repay evil with good?

Xie Gou lowered his voice and said, “Thanks to the Lord’s trust, I entered the mountain late and suddenly became prominent, occupying a high position. I was worried that I would not be accepted by the crowd, so I racked my brains and finally came up with a way to remedy the situation.”

Wei Bo’s already tight smile grew even stiffer.

He was disgusted by her flowery and affected language.

To hell with coming to Floating Cloud Peak every week to check in. Chen Ping An could go to Cloud-Draped Mountain himself to discuss the matter with him.

Xie Gou continued, her eyes sparkling, as she calculated. “Now that the two neighboring mountains of Fallen Peak, Floating Cloud Peak and Preying Fish Mountain, have become tributary mountains, only Heavenly Capital Peak, which is a few steps away, seems a little lonely and pitiful. I want to secretly buy it without telling our Lord and Xiao Mo. I still understand the rules of inquiring of woodcutters about the mountains, and inquiring of fishermen about the waters.”

Wei Bo remained silent.

The adjacent Heavenly Capital Peak occupied a large area, second only to Fallen Peak, but such a large mountain had only a dozen or so Qi Refiners, and not even a Golden Elixir.

The sect at Heavenly Capital Peak was not well-known in the south of Treasure Bottle Continent, and its foundation was similar to that of the Yellow Millet Faction.

There was a Nascent Soul grandmaster who was rumored to have been in seclusion for many years, and the current sect head was a Golden Elixir Earth Immortal who sat on the mountain. There were also a few outstanding disciples who were said to possess the qualifications of Earth Immortals.

Apart from the sect head being a genuine Golden Elixir, the other two claims were either rumors or so-called claims.

Xie Gou continued, “According to the prices back then, buying Heavenly Capital Peak would probably cost no more than ten gold essence copper coins. Of course, it has to be calculated according to the current market price, which has to be multiplied by ten, and then multiplied by five. Is five hundred Grain Rain coins enough?”

Wei Bo said, “The buyers of Heavenly Capital Peak don’t value money.”

As for the ostensible master of Heavenly Capital Peak, and its real master behind the scenes, Cloud-Draped Mountain could not reveal any secrets. Chen Ping An also had a tacit understanding and would never make things difficult for Wei Bo in this regard.

Xie Gou was still not resigned. “Do they not value money at all, or do they not value money very much?”

Wei Bo said, “From beginning to end, they never thought about earning a single copper coin from Heavenly Capital Peak.”

Xie Gou said helplessly, “If they don’t want to talk about money, it’s hard to talk.”

If it were in the Wild Lands, it would be different. It was difficult to talk to those who were willing to talk about money.

Wei Bo paused, and continued, “The matter of Heavenly Capital Peak can only be discussed after Chen Ping An becomes the National Preceptor of Da Li.”

Xie Gou was dispirited. She didn’t like the other mountains very much.

Earlier, a stranger who claimed to be the Collapsed True Lord was wealthy and generous. He went door to door and had a verifiable Tung Leaf Continent genealogy identity. He offered the twelve sects a high price that was hard to refuse. He was willing to give a large deposit first. As long as there was an intention, they could take the deposit. A money bag was thrown directly on the table, and it was full of Grain Rain coins! The Collapsed True Lord also swore that if they regretted it one day, no matter who regretted it, the deal would not be broken. There was no need to return the deposit.

If they were worried about being scammed, they could bring the Yamen of Locust Yellow County. The two parties would sign a draft contract first.

Was there such a business in the world that did not treat money as money? He should be called the Benevolent True Lord!

But the problem was that he dared to buy, but they might not dare to sell. First of all, when the money and goods were cleared and the land deed was formally handed over, both parties needed to meet with the Ministry of Revenue of the Da Li court. If someone resold the mountain at a high price, and then the Collapsed True Lord started causing trouble, what if there were any mistakes? They might have to go to Fallen Peak to apologize, or go to the Ministry of Punishment of Da Li to explain the matter, before the bag of immortal money was warmed.

Or, was the so-called Tung Leaf Continent buyer actually the money bag of a mountain top cultivator, who had preemptively bought the mountain at a “low price” because he had received some inside information, and then went to Fallen Peak to negotiate face to face with Lord Chen?

Some speculated that it might be a vengeful act by an old sword immortal from True Yang Mountain. You made us erect a monument at the border, and we’ll buy a mountain next to your house to disgust Fallen Peak?

But it was impossible that it was the Old Dragon City Fu clan’s throwing money around and trying to ease the relationship with Lord Chen by doing so.

Regardless of how the outside world speculated, Chief Zhou’s sincere act of throwing money was soon stopped by Lord Chen.

As a result, those sects that had chosen to wait and see regretted not taking the deposit. Those who had taken the money felt uneasy.

After all, Fallen Peak now had a lower sect, and the Green Reed Sword Sect had divided a lot of Clear Radiance Peak Ancestral Hall members. It had also announced that it would close the mountain for twenty years.

The “unification of the mountains” could not be guaranteed.

Apart from Lord Chen himself, no one else knew whether all the mountains to the west would “fall into the Chen family.”

Xie Gou casually said, “I think the Dragon Spring Sword Sect that moved away is quite powerful. Looking at its Qi, it’s no less than the Five Peaks.”

Ruan Qiong, as the last Holy One who sat in the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, had first chosen Divine Splendor Mountain, Lantern Mountain, and Cross Lance Peak. Later, he bought four more mountains, three for his personal disciples Dong Gu, Xu Xiaoqiao, and Xie Ling, and reserved Youyi Peak for Liu Xianyang, who was “temporarily borrowing the Pure Confucian Chen clan.”

Wei Bo nodded. “The first disciple, Dong Gu, can endure and become a Jade Coffer Realm. Xu Xiaoqiao has another chance. The key to her cultivation lies in the fact that she can occupy Cooking Sea Peak. That blessed child with long eyebrows first entered seclusion and entered the Fifth Realm. Not long after leaving seclusion, he had a rain enlightenment and, relying on the exquisite pagoda of the immortal soldier grade, he could naturally extract merit from the rain. It’s like the skylight in the town, where all the waters return to the hall. In fact, he has opened a new vein as a ditch to draw water into his home. Maybe he will enter the Immortal Realm earlier than Liu Xianyang.”

Wei Bo had a good relationship with both Ruan Qiong and Liu Xianyang, the two sect heads. Even Chen Ping An was unaware that Ruan Qiong often invited Wei Bo to Dragon Spring Sword Sect to drink in private. It showed the close relationship. What’s more, everyone on the continent knew what kind of relationship Liu Xianyang had with Chen Ping An.

Xie Gou laughed. “Xie Ling’s ultimate Dao achievement will definitely not be as good as Liu Xianyang’s. He’s far behind.”

Wei Bo said, “This is just the view of your small group of mountain top people. It seems that nothing below the Ascendant Realm counts. Before this Jiazi year, let alone another Immortal, it would have been a great event for someone to enter the Jade Coffer Realm in Treasure Bottle Continent.”

Xie Gou suddenly asked, “Was it Old Yang of the medicine shop who started the thread of the Dragon Slaying Battle? Chen Qingliu and him, one bright and one dark, one legitimate and one illegitimate, are intertwined.”

Wei Bo was silent for a moment and said, “The deceased are dead, and respect should be paid to those who have passed away. Let’s not talk about this.”

Xie Gou said helplessly, “You have too many rules.”

Wei Bo smiled. “You’ll get used to it.”

Old Yang was one of the Twelve High Gods, and the earthly Immortal Ancestor who controlled an Ascendant Platform.

Therefore, his attitude towards the true dragons who betrayed the ancient Heavenly Court was obvious.

The plans on the mountain always had a long line, extending for thousands of miles, with hidden murderous intent. The famous mountains in the ancient Shu area were gathered and moved to the place where the True Dragon fell, and they became the mountains to the west.

The pure Yang Lü Yan, who was a page of the old almanac himself, once solved Chen Ping An’s doubts. Back then, the born Chen Qingliu refined swords in his ancient cave, which was named Kuocang.

The bamboo house and the corridor outside the door seemed to be close at hand, but were actually as different as heaven and earth.

Before returning to Cloud-Draped Mountain, Wei Bo said another thing, “The Da Li Emperor personally suggested that the court would present five bags of five-colored soil as one of the gifts for Chen Ping An’s appointment as National Preceptor. Our mountain lords received the news and were pulled by the Emperor into a special Imperial Study Room meeting. We all felt that there was no problem, but the Emperor didn’t mention any hard requirements for the weight of each bag of five-colored soil. Anyway, Mountain Lord Tong has already had someone deliver a bag of five-colored soil to the Ministry of Rites of Da Li. It’s not light, a big deal. If it were me, I might not have been willing to take out so much in one breath. It’s no wonder Jin Qing mumbled a few times whether he had agreed with Chen Ping An beforehand and deliberately let Old Tong help inflate prices.”

The Lord Chen in the house was following the ordinary cultivation path of matching five element life-bound objects. Many years ago, thanks to his student Cui Dongshan, he got five bags of soil.

However, the grade of the five-colored soil was not too high at that time. Each of the Five Peaks of Treasure Bottle Continent naturally had one of the five-colored soils. When Wei Bo and the others went from being mountain lords of one country to being mountain lords of one continent, and then promoted to God Lord, the grade of the five-colored soil rose with it.

Xie Gou laughed. “This emperor is quite smart. He knows how to live a good life. Isn’t this obviously being generous with other people’s money? Why doesn’t he take out a pile of gold essence copper coins from the national treasury?”

Wei Bo hesitated. After thinking about it, he decided to open the skylight and tell the truth, “The Emperor hinted to me that when your Lord takes over as National Preceptor, the Da Li’s secret treasury will be open and the new National Preceptor can take anything he wants.”

Xie Gou’s eyes lit up, and she said, “Oh! Great talent and strategy, a good person. Are there any vacancies for royal benefactors in the Da Li Song family? I’m late for the meeting, but if I can’t be the first, I can be the second!”

Wei Bo asked with a smile, “Really?”

Xie Gou tentatively said, “Mr. Wei, we are a team. You can’t help outsiders harm our own people.”

Wei Bo smiled and said, “If Miss Xie doesn’t want to be serious, then forget it.”

Is it the Nightly Wanderer Wei when there is nothing to do, or is it Mr. Wei when there is something to discuss? Fallen Peak, you have a good atmosphere. Everyone, I don’t know who you learned the bad habits from.

Xie Gou urged, “Brother Wei, what’s the situation? Give me an accurate answer.”

Wei Bo paused. He was unsteady on his feet, and not only was the bamboo corridor under his feet like soft mud.

The entire Floating Cloud Peak seemed to be floating like a piece of paper.

But this extraordinary phenomenon was fleeting.

On the other hand, the girl in the sable hat lightly stomped her feet, helping to dispel the Taoist ripples. It seemed that she was used to it.

Wei Bo asked in a mind-voice, “This is?”

Xie Gou grinned, but only answered one word in a mind-voice, “Dao.”