In years past, when Embroidered Tiger served as the State Preceptor for a century, the Great Li Dynasty court was not a monolith.

Just like Mountain Lord Chen at the Azurepeak Ancestral Hall, it is not a monolith either.

The Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonials stopped outside the hall, bowed with hands clasped, head lowered, and respectfully ushered the State Preceptor across the threshold to deliberate within alone.

Presently, within this grand hall, hearts were divided and undercurrents surged, solely because from last night until dawn, hardly any officials in the capital had managed to sleep soundly with peace of mind. This was especially true for the households in Yichi Lane and Chier Street, who were frantically gathering and sharing information through various channels. Some wailed and grieved at their front gates as if mourning deceased parents, while others first watched the commotion with schadenfreude only to have the trouble land on their own doorstep. Some officials nervously stayed up all night until dawn with no incident, while others were in a daze, as if undergoing a Daoist tribulation. There were many families holding emergency meetings to discuss how to safely relinquish the “fat meat” they had gained. Only when they compared notes did they realize how much immortal money their families, relatives, or branch households had accumulated… The fully armored and armed officials, cavalry, and soldiers of the Capital Patrol were dispatched in full force. Forget about them knocking on the doors of these wealthy and influential families; even officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Grand Court of Appeals were arrested. The Northern Garrison, especially its commander Hong Ji, practically became a plague god and harbinger of misfortune for the Great Li officialdom overnight.

Within the Great Li capital alone, the Minister of Revenue, Mu Yan, was imprisoned, the Vice Minister of Rites, Dong Hu, voluntarily resigned due to fault, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonials, Yan Yongfeng, took leave due to illness, and his Vice Minister was already in the Grand Court of Appeals… Outside the capital, the General of Mizhou and the Vice General of Wuzhou were apprehended and brought to justice. The garrisons in both areas triggered minor mutinies that night, which were forcibly suppressed. Although no more serious situations occurred, the entire Ministry of War was on high alert. Conveniently, the Ministry of Justice spies and military cultivators responsible for monitoring the State Preceptor’s celebration had not yet left the capital, so they were deployed like a net to the secondary capital, Luojing, and the various prefectures.

Every day at the Great Li court session, the topics discussed would be copied into official court gazettes and distributed to officials in the capital and frontier governors. So, how should today’s gazette be written?

Previously, His Majesty the Emperor remained silent and did not discuss this unprecedented upheaval in Great Li’s officialdom with any official, surely waiting for State Preceptor Chen to attend court. But when Chen Ping’an arrived and stood in the hall, he didn’t mention this matter at all from beginning to end, as if this earth-shattering event was not that important, not even worthy of court deliberation?

Chen Ping’an walked to his position, facing the civil and military officials of Great Li, hands clasped within his sleeves, and spoke frankly, “Last night, I led a group to the capital of the Great Shu Dynasty. Crown Prince Yin Mi ascended the throne and became Emperor, and State Preceptor Liu Rao, who had been missing for a long time, resurfaced that night. The ruler and subject immediately reached an agreement to respect our Great Li Dynasty as the suzerain state. The Yin clan of Great Shu is willing to become a vassal state and pay annual tribute to Bottle gourd Continent. The Middle Mount Lord Yin Ni seconded this matter and had no objections. Since Deputy Head Instructor Han of the Literati Academy was in the capital at the time, Great Shu Yin clan’s state letter will arrive here soon.”

Emperor Song He mistakenly thought he had misheard.

If the Emperor was so shocked, let alone the civil and military officials. Great Shu was the fourth strongest nation in Haoran, and it was not on the same continent, so it was impossible for them to go to war directly. Even if our Great Li had decided to declare war on them and face them head-on in the Savage Wilds battlefield, why would Great Shu surrender without a fight? How could they humiliate themselves and cede their rights in this way? The Yin clan was not even willing to fight one or two losing battles before admitting defeat to Great Li’s Song clan?

Chen Ping’an turned to Emperor Song He and said, “Your Majesty, do we accept the Yin clan of Great Shu as a vassal state? If we are willing to accept, the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonials can discuss the exact date and specific itinerary for their annual tribute with them.”

Envoys from various vassal states and local tributary forces who came to the Great Li capital to pay homage to the Emperor were officially said to be “facing the heavens”. If they went to the secondary capital, it would be called “Yan Xing”.

Song He was also caught completely off guard and had to ask, “What does the State Preceptor think?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Since it won’t cost us a single copper coin from the national treasury, why not agree? At that time, let the Ministry of Revenue estimate the overall value of Great Shu’s tribute, and we can return half the value as a gift. It’s unavoidable for the poor suzerain and rich vassals. In any case, the face of the Heavenly Dynasty has never been on these elaborate ceremonies of giving and receiving gifts.”

Chen Ping’an shifted his gaze and asked, “Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonials, who among you can tell me, as the third strongest dynasty in Haoran, where does our face lie?”

The high-ranking officials from both ministries immediately felt as if thorns were pricking their backs. Finally, it was Vice Minister of Rites Dong Hu, who had already submitted his resignation, who stepped forward and answered that it lies in whose horse hooves sound louder on the battlefield.

Chen Ping’an did not comment, but simply shifted his gaze again, looking at Cao Gengxin, and said, “Vice Minister Cao, let’s discuss the initial concept of establishing a Dao in Bingzhou. This matter will be formally deliberated in court today.”

The handsome and elegant Vice Minister Cao walked out of the ranks. On this matter, according to the State Preceptor’s instructions, he had discussed it the most with Zhao You of the Ministry of Justice and Wu Wangcheng of the Ministry of War. Since they were all Vice Ministers of the same rank and similar age, they had much to talk about. According to Cao Gengxin, for example, the four relatively small prefectures including Wuzhou and Shuzhou would be merged into a “Dao” tentatively named Hehuang Dao, and two large prefectures like Haozhou and Luzhou would be merged into a Huainan Dao. The chief official of each Dao would be a second-rank frontier official, and the candidates could only be discussed and selected by His Majesty and the State Preceptor, with the Ministry of Personnel having no right to interfere… Cao Gengxin was clearly confident and spoke eloquently for nearly an hour, until his mouth was dry, and he instinctively reached for the “wine gourd” that wasn’t hanging at his waist several times.

After that, the Minister of Personnel reported the results of this year’s evaluations.

Conveniently, using this Great Li evaluation that was ostensibly concluded early but in fact started early, they tried their best to prevent the officialdom earthquake from last night from being too obvious. Of course, it couldn’t be hidden from those who paid attention and those with discerning eyes. As for outside of officialdom, it was simply seen as the young State Preceptor and the Minister of Personnel taking charge with their “three new fires”. At the same time, Great Shu’s Yin clan’s tribute and submission could also divert most of the attention from both the court and the public. This was also why Chen Ping’an insisted on taking Qi Tingji and Cui Dongshan to Great Shu’s capital last night.

This elderly official of Great Li, who had been transferred and promoted twice in succession, seemed to have mentioned a lot of information worth pondering, such as the establishment of guild halls by various prefectures in the capital. But everyone in the hall came to realize that all the clues ultimately pointed to the “Qi Du” that Great Li’s Song clan had built with the strength of the entire nation back then!

They finally realized that Embroidered Tiger had deliberately ignored it and allowed various forces to make a fortune. Was it so that the new State Preceptor, Qi Jingchun’s junior brother, could wield the knife?

In that case, as Great Li’s Minister of Planning, Minister of Revenue Mu Yan, was truly beyond salvation in this matter, being held accountable by State Preceptor Chen after the autumn harvest.

Who didn’t know that State Preceptor Chen, from being an apprentice kiln worker from a humble alley, achieved all his current amazing, terrifying, and unparalleled “achievements” due to the favor and guidance of that school teacher in the small town? Moreover, this Mountain Lord Chen was known for being nostalgic and loyal, as well as holding grudges. If gentlemen don’t believe it, just look at Zhengyang Mountain.

Today’s court session mainly deliberated on three matters: accepting the tribute from the vassal state Great Shu’s Yin clan, reporting the results of the evaluations, and the Great Li court’s upcoming implementation of establishing Daos in Bingzhou.

The Emperor, sitting facing south from the north, raised his gaze and looked at the scene of the Imperial Street extending all the way south. Song He had heard from his teacher Cui Can before that this throne in the main hall faced the Old Dragon City on the coast.

Mount Luopo.

The two groups of young boys and girls who were seeking Dao on Flowery Shadow Peak and practicing martial arts on Oriole Speech Peak gathered at the mountain gate archway of Spirit Gathering Peak this morning, led by Old Deafie, Zheng Dafeng, and Cen Yuanyi. They were preparing to ascend the mountain and could finally step across that mountain gate archway.

There were quite a few people, but there was no noise. Their eyes were full of fervor, and their hearts were filled with excitement. They looked up at the three large characters “Mount Luopo” written on the plaque.

Previously, Mount Luopo did not restrict their correspondence with their families or former teachers. Of course, the latter would never dare to write carelessly in their letters; the content was carefully chosen and repeatedly checked, fearing that Great Li spies would seize on it. Even the salutation and line breaks in the letters had to be particular, and how to refer to “Mount Luopo” and “Mountain Lord Chen”, and how to write the concluding remarks, all required a lot of thought from the senders because there was an “An” in Mountain Lord Chen’s name, and whether it needed to be avoided for the sake of the venerable one… However, whenever they asked about the scenery in the mountain, the young boys and girls often did not know how to reply, as they had not even stepped across a single step of the Spirit Gathering Peak’s divine path, let alone gone to the Azurepeak Ancestral Hall.

If passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi meant becoming a disciple of the Son of Heaven, then what about them?

A lively girl named Wu Chen was somewhat disappointed that she did not see her good friend Chai Wu.

Ding Yao and Ding Tiao, the twin sisters, one cultivated Dao on Flowery Shadow Peak and the other practiced martial arts on Oriole Speech Peak. Due to the “internal conflict”, the two small mountain peaks were at odds with each other. Now that they met, if it weren’t inappropriate to whisper and chatter at this moment, the sisters would probably have started arguing a long time ago. As for the siblings Wu Shangge and Wu Long, they did not need to “turn against each other” like the Ding sisters, but only needed to unite against a common enemy and beat up their cultivating peers.

Zheng Dafeng and the other teachers stood together. Old Deafie was at the Sword Worship Platform and had heard some stories about Master Cen through Bai Xuan, that honey-mouthed brat, so he held her in high regard, feeling that they were kindred spirits. Both of them were “lone subjects” on Mount Luopo and did not quite fit the mountain’s atmosphere.

The Patriarch of Regulations with the Daoist title Lingchun, Changming, was tall and well-proportioned. She wore a plain white robe without any embellishments, and she never even wore light makeup.

In the eyes of “outsiders”, this female Patriarch of Regulations of Mount Luopo looked like an extremely gentle woman, without any sharpness. No matter who she looked at, she always had a smile on her face.

Changming smiled and said, “Ascend the mountain with me.”

Whether they were seeking immortality or learning martial arts, they had come to a mountain that was once a fish jumping into the air. From this moment on, they were truly like carps leaping over the dragon gate.

After the morning court session ended, the officials in the capital returned to their respective yamen, and the high-ranking officials of Great Li went to His Majesty the Emperor’s imperial study for a small court session. The Five Sacred Mount Lords, as well as Marquis Changchun Yang Hua and Count Lingli Cao Yong of the Great River, were temporarily notified by the Ministry of Rites to attend the deliberation.

While His Majesty the Emperor and State Preceptor Chen had not yet entered the room, Fan Junmao was asking Night Roving Deity about the precautions for the Night Roving Banquet. Jin Qing listened for a while and felt greatly enlightened.

Although they were both on sick leave, the elderly prince from the Clan Affairs Office did not attend, but the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonials, Yan Yongfeng, who had not attended the morning court, had already arrived at the imperial study. Yuan Chong of the Censorate had a normal expression and showed no signs of good or bad mood. The Minister of Rites, Zhao Duanjin, was clearly a bit constrained. The matter of Old Vice Minister Dong Hu’s resignation due to fault was not mentioned in court deliberation at all. Zhao Duanjin felt somewhat guilty. Dong Hu was an old official of the Ministry of Rites, diligent and hardworking. If it weren’t for the matter of Old Oriole Lake, besides a separate biography in the official history of Great Li, he should have received a posthumous title in the future. Now it was uncertain.

His Majesty the Emperor walked with State Preceptor Chen for a while and asked, “Ruan Qiong has voluntarily resigned as the Chief Enshrined One, and the tone of his letter is very firm. What should we do? This is already the third time.”

Chen Ping’an countered, “Who will fill the vacancy? Changchun Palace temporarily has no Upper Five Realms cultivators. Although Cao Rong of Lingfei Palace has ascended to Dao, he may not agree. Even if Cao Rong agrees, at this critical juncture, having a personal disciple of the White Jade Capital Head Instructor lineage serve as Great Li’s Chief Enshrined One would put the Middle-earth Literati Academy in a very passive position. Both the court and the public will also speculate whether the Great Li court is going to support the Daoist sect. In the battle of Bottle gourd Continent, the Yunlin Jiang clan did not exert much effort and only made a superficial show of it. It is not appropriate to give them this title, otherwise the two military ancestral halls of Zhenwu Mountain and Fengxue Temple will fight for Longquan Sword Sect. As for Mount Luopo, it is even more inappropriate to have someone fill the vacancy. Your Majesty, you might as well write a personal letter back and say that the court can approve his resignation after Ruan Qiong answers this question.”

Song He laughed and said, “Liu Xianyang’s wedding is approaching. Why don’t the State Preceptor go to Youyi Peak and discuss this matter with Ruan Qiong privately? It might be more effective than official written communication?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Since you are asking me to use private matters for public gain, why don’t Your Majesty and I go together to drink the wedding wine?”

Song He waved his hand and laughed heartily, “Forget it, forget it. I will still write a letter to Saint Ruan despite myself and, following the State Preceptor’s plan, throw the problem back to him.”

Upon entering the Imperial Study, the court had deliberately postponed the matter of the capital’s officialdom turmoil. However, the atmosphere at the small court session was heavy, focusing on this issue. Zhao You of the Ministry of Justice was responsible for recounting past misdeeds, reporting numbers, and naming names, involving over two hundred noble families of Great Li, and various yamen in the capital and provinces. Most of these were secret files that the State Preceptor’s Mansion had already sealed, and a small portion was information unearthed by the Ministry of Justice and the Capital Patrol working through the night. The countless businesses, banks, and mountain sects connected to this were numerous… It made Wu Wangcheng of the Ministry of War, a Vice Minister from a frontier army background who even rented his house in the capital, feel his scalp tingle. It was practically a hundred ways to embezzle and line one’s pockets. If these contents could be compiled and organized into a book, it would probably be a copy in hand for every official in future generations, a peerless secret manual?

Emperor Song He’s face was ashen, and he almost overturned the desk on the spot.

The Minister of Works, Wen’er, had a strange expression and glanced at the head of the Poyang Ma clan, Minister of Justice Ma Yuan, beside him from the corner of his eye.

One should know that the Minister of Revenue, Mu Yan, who was imprisoned last night, was the one who replaced Ma Yuan as the nation’s Minister of Planning.

But more people were observing the change in expression of Yuan Chong of the Censorate. Unfortunately, this pillar of the state and head of a surname clan remained expressionless.

After Zhao You finished speaking, which sounded like “spreading rumors” no matter how one listened, Yuan Chong slowly stood up. This head of the Censorate did not have a booklet prepared but began to explain the solutions one by one. He needed to clarify the source and destination of the gold, silver, and immortal money, whether it went to a certain immortal mansion or a certain bank south of the Great River. Yuan Chong also needed to have a thorough understanding and deep insight into the hidden world of Great Li’s officialdom. Of course, excellent memory was just a prerequisite.

The Emperor’s face eased slightly.

Chen Ping’an just sat in a chair with his eyes closed, resting. It wasn’t entirely intentional to ignore these sordid affairs in this way. The two consecutive “earth-shattering” disturbances, literally, had truly exhausted his mind to the extreme. If it weren’t for the physique of an eleventh-realm martial god supporting him, he would have slept more soundly than the Daoists and immortal officials from last night.

Chen Ping’an opened his eyes and proactively mentioned the maid Fu Qing who had left the State Preceptor’s Mansion for the south, explaining her true identity and the State Preceptor’s Mansion’s plan. Fu Qing was of the legitimate royal bloodline of the former White Frost Dynasty, and the Yunxiao Hong clan dynasty, which inherited most of the territory today, was the most troublesome one, and also the strong nation that had planted the most spies and death warriors within Great Li. Fan Junmao understood the subtle hint and said that Mount Nan would ensure that the little girl was well taken care of, and that he would inform Wang Juan of Caizhi Mountain upon his return to make sure they paid attention.

Fan Junmao, with the divine title “Cuiwei”, also politely inquired whether the State Preceptor had time to attend his Night Roving Banquet. Chen Ping’an shook his head and directly said he had no time.

Yang Hua’s eyes were complex, and her mood was extremely strange, with a trace of irrepressible admiration. Besides the inexplicable feeling of embarrassment, this Great River Water God, the number one Golden Body divine position in Bottle gourd Continent, felt a “conscious” need to respect Chen Ping’an like a god when she saw him again today.

Chen Ping’an spoke to this highest-ranking mountain and water deity of a continent, “The reason I have summoned you all for deliberation is that the Great Li evaluation has entered the latter half, and what needs to be investigated are all the yamen responsible for supervision, including the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Grand Court of Appeals, and the Capital Patrol.

“See if they have any transgressions in the subsequent investigations, prosecutions, sentencing, and confiscation of property, such as deliberately making strict judgments to eliminate dissidents, seeking personal revenge, abusing their authority, secretly instructing old officials skilled in law to tamper with things, accepting bribes, secretly threatening mountain sects, etc. All of you must monitor them closely, very closely.”

“If there is any oversight during this period, such as leaking information. Your titles as Divine Lords can be granted by the Middle-earth Literati Academy, and the Great Li court can also take them back.”

After the small court session ended, the new State Preceptor did as he said. The first yamen in the capital he went to was the Ministry of Justice in Nanxun Ward.

Minister Shen Chen and Vice Ministers Xu Tong and Wu Wangcheng, the three main officials of the Ministry of War, were waiting respectfully at the yamen entrance for the State Preceptor’s arrival.

In fact, during Cui Can’s tenure as State Preceptor, he was most opposed to this kind of meaningless welcoming and seeing off.

However, Shen Chen was indeed old and should make way for younger people. At the same time, the old minister, a literati official, also wanted to break the routine and be somewhat superficial before retiring to his hometown, to earn a glorious honor for the most pragmatic Ministry of War.

Looking at the few yamen across the thousand-step corridor in Nanxun Ward, Shen Chen smiled and said, “You guys can be angry to death.”

Chen Ping’an could understand the good intentions of the octogenarian, so he only said that it wouldn’t happen again, but he said it for Xu Tong and Wu Wangcheng to hear.

Shen Chen led State Preceptor Chen towards the main hall of the Ministry of War and sighed, “It’s good that we don’t have to go to war directly with Great Shu. It’s always a good thing if fewer people die.”

Contrary to what the outside world imagined, the old officials of the Ministry of War who truly knew the meaning of battlefields and wars were instead averse to rashly resorting to military force.

Chen Ping’an did not stay long at the Ministry of War yamen, less than half an hour. He only listened to reports from a large number of officials and department heads in the official hall and asked them some questions about garrisoning, postal services, and military records. According to the old minister’s itinerary, he was also invited to meet a group of officials and deputy directors whom he described as young and promising, with a very systematic way of doing things. After that, they could go to a subordinate yamen not in Nanxun Ward. Although that yamen was small, it was very important. After returning to Nanxun Ward together, it would be almost time for lunch, and they would have a small meal at the Ministry of War, using tea instead of wine… As a result, Chen Ping’an smiled and asked the old minister if he wanted him to move the State Preceptor’s Mansion to be neighbors with their Ministry of War yamen.

The old minister leaning on his walking stick chuckled and said he wouldn’t object, but unfortunately, the Ministry of Revenue might not be willing. The two young and strong Vice Ministers and a large group of Ministry of War officials burst into laughter.

Many young officials of the Ministry of War who could not see the State Preceptor up close had to stay in the room. When they saw the figure of the “maid” next to the State Preceptor, those who were unmarried and still single were truly moved. After all, a fair maiden is a worthy pursuit for a gentleman.

Afterwards, Chen Ping’an went to the Court of State Ceremonials located in the southernmost part of Nanxun Ward. Apart from Rong Yu, he was not accompanied by any attendants or officials and walked on the thousand-step corridor street. So when the State Preceptor arrived at the main entrance of the Court of State Ceremonials yamen, Minister Yan Yongfeng quickly walked out alone and led the State Preceptor around the yamen. Although the Court of State Ceremonials appeared to be a clean and minor yamen on the surface, it actually had over five hundred officials, which perhaps reflected the style of a superior state where one nation was equivalent to a continent in the early years of Great Li. Among the ten strongest dynasties in Haoran, only the Court of State Ceremonials of the Dayuan Lu clan dynasty in Beiju Luzhou had less than two hundred people, while the Chengguan Dynasty, the strongest nation in Haoran, had as many as a thousand.

As for the Chengguan Dynasty being the first, and the Great Duan Dynasty being the second, there was no objection from the court or the public, and even the Great Li court was convinced.

When the Middle-earth Literati Academy decided to officially go to war with the Savage Wilds, the two dynasties that were the earliest and put in the most effort were the Great Li Song clan and this Chengguan Dynasty.

And the Emperor of the Chengguan Dynasty was the first Haoran ruler to personally go to the Savage Wilds. He seemed to not care at all whether Chengguan would drop in rank.

The outside world did not know that this extremely popular and ambitious Emperor, in his great tent set up in the Savage Wilds, once held a standard battle saber, fiercely stabbed it into the map of the Savage Wilds, drew a route, and issued a death order to his various frontier army commanders and fierce generals, “All the elite of Our nation’s frontier army are here, and can serve as the spearhead of Haoran, piercing through the Savage Wilds!”

The young Emperor of the Chengguan Dynasty was named Huang Mang.

One wonders if a certain little boy in green clothes, who has always been carefree, will revert to his old ways, unlearn his lesson, and advise him to change his name when he passes through the Chengguan Dynasty in the future and meets that “Huang Mang”.

Over at Returning Sword Lake, Bamboo Essence’s emergence from seclusion was surprisingly an hour earlier than Ning Yao’s expectation.

Bamboo Essence also felt surprised, finding it unbelievably smooth, as if guided by destiny, which was literally like having divine assistance.

Ning Yao quickly understood and said, “Because you are a cataloged cultivator of the Mount Luopo lineage.”

Being recorded in the catalog and offering incense at the Ancestral Hall was a form of declaration to the world, a connection between the Dao heart and the heart of heaven.

Bamboo Essence suddenly realized. As a native sword cultivator of Sword Qi Great Wall, she had previously felt almost nothing about her cataloged status and being recorded in the Ancestral Hall.

Ning Yao said, “I’m going to Youyi Peak of Longquan Sword Sect immediately. You can continue to consolidate your realm and then return to Dragon Elephant Sword Sect yourself.”

Bamboo Essence nodded. Dragon Elephant Sword Sect could not be surpassed by Green Ping Sword Sect.

Xie Gou, holding a mountain staff, swaggered over to the lake by controlling the wind and handed Ning Yao an ancient mirror, saying that the Mountain Lord had entrusted Little Mo to get this “contribution” from Daoist friend Bixiao, and it was a gift for the soon-to-be-married couple, Liu Xianyang and She Yue, in Ning Yao’s name as the Mountain Lord’s wife.

It turned out that the piece of Green Cliff that the old Daoist master took from the small town river bank last time, a long-forgotten ancient treasure within the Bright Moon Daoist temple, had been refined by the old Daoist master back to its original form, which was the Moon Palace Mirror that the Dragon Girl was supposed to have as one of her most important dowries. The back of this bronze ancient mirror had a circle of inscriptions, ancient seal script engraved with “A touch of connection, eternal spirit”, and it contained a bright moon of very high rank, similar to the “original manuscript” of the ancient Heavenly Court.

This was the grand Dao opportunity that She Yue had desperately sought when she came to Haoran Continent.

The old Daoist master was quite satisfied with the final result of refining the ancient mirror, but he had given it away after drinking with Little Mo earlier, before it had even warmed up.

For the cave master of Bixiao, whose Daoist temple was named Falling Treasure Beach, it was not a sacrifice. He had seen and handled countless good objects in the world in his life.

Ning Yao put the ancient mirror into her sleeve. Xie Gou glanced at Bamboo Essence and nodded, “Finally looks a bit like a sword immortal.”

Bamboo Essence used to be somewhat afraid of “Ancient White Essence”‘s notorious fierce reputation and was even worried that she had other motives for coming to Mount Luopo. Now that the truth was revealed, Bamboo Essence deeply admired Xie Gou’s choice; daring to love and hate, having both taking and giving up, she was indeed White Essence.

Xie Gou hurriedly took her leave, saying she had to rush to the Sword Worship Platform to meet with the selfless Alliance Leader Guo and a villainous official who only knew how to fawn.

Ning Yao didn’t find anything strange, but Bamboo Essence inevitably felt awkward and uncomfortable. Could it be that because her realm wasn’t high enough, she couldn’t understand “Senior White Essence”‘s thinking?

Afterwards, Ning Yao went north by controlling the wind. Bamboo Essence stayed by the lake, and this female sword immortal sighed faintly, “Fortunately, the incident of yielding to the Hidden Official for the third time did not happen.”

Over at the Sword Worship Platform, Guo Zhujiu was rarely so radiant. It turned out that her master had asked her to serve at the State Preceptor’s Mansion for a period of time, which was to fill the gap left by Fu Qing. This was her old profession.

Seeing their Alliance Leader in a good mood, the white-haired boy said sincerely, “Alliance Leader, you are going to a higher position, building achievements with the Hidden Official Ancestor. What about us subordinates?! Our gang will collapse without its backbone, the sky will fall…”

Xie Gou somewhat admired the face and words of this deputy helmsman. It was truly disgusting and sickening.

Konghou was a catalog official, and she was also the first and only outer disciple in the history of Mount Luopo before today. As for how the white-haired boy, who had now transformed into a human, felt? What could he feel? He was probably proud instead of ashamed.

Guo Zhujiu raised her arms, reached out to press on White Head and Sable Hat, and said with a smile, “When I’m not in the mountain, you should scheme less and get along harmoniously with your fellow disciples, love each other…”

The Sable Hat girl held the green bamboo staff in her arms and smiled happily. The white-haired boy turned his head and spat.

Noticing that Alliance Leader Guo had increased her grip, Xie Gou immediately became serious and promised to be of the same mind as the catalog official. The white-haired boy even showed a flattering expression and said that they must be good sisters with Chief Xie.

Carrying a small bookbag and holding a green bamboo staff, Guo Zhujiu rode her sword north with soaring momentum and soon caught up with her senior sister Pei Qian. They sat in the sea of clouds together, looking at the human world where the sea and land met.

At noon, with the sun shining brightly, in the former Middle Peak area of Great Li, near the Longquan Sword Sect, a blind old Daoist priest with a bag slung across his shoulder and holding a bamboo staff passed through a county town located at the junction of three prefectures. The compasses produced here were quite famous in the mountain. The old Daoist priest visited several shops, compared prices, and spent five taels of silver to buy a well-crafted compass, which he carefully wrapped in cotton cloth. Then he went to a restaurant, ordered a stinky mandarin fish and a portion of hairy tofu, and drank rice wine. The old Daoist priest drank by himself, paid the bill with the shopkeeper, and continued on his way. The old Daoist priest left the city and went to Qiyun Mountain, formerly known as “Bai Yue”.

Perhaps the solitary old Daoist priest, looking somewhat like an immortal being, was often approached by people who asked if he could help them interpret their fate or look at the feng shui of their houses and graves. The old man only smiled and declined, saying that he was not skilled enough to mislead others, and besides, small feng shui is in geography, and great feng shui is in the human body. Those who seek blessings for themselves will surely be helped by heaven, so why ask a blind person for fate. Although he said this, the blind old Daoist would also take out one or two yellow paper talismans from his sleeve and give them away, saying that meeting was fate.

Walking all the way to the foot of Qiyun Mountain, the old Daoist priest Jia Sheng’s visit to Saint Ruan of the military lineage, the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect, was not to attend the wedding banquet tomorrow for free food, but because he had a mission.

Although blind, the old Daoist priest, who was in the Dragon Gate realm and about to form a Golden Core, actually had unobstructed vision long ago.

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a Daoist priest named Gong Qixia, who traveled across continents to live and cultivate on this mountain. The Daoist priest used his hometown’s national name “Qianyuan” as his Daoist title. Without any fellow Daoists or attendants, he single-handedly opened up a mountain path and left behind immortal traces. It is said that after Master Gong opened the mountain, this mountain in several prefectures had the most white clouds, making it appear like an immortal island in the sea. Over time, the annual pilgrimages and incense fairs attracted a continuous stream of devout men and women, and the incense from the various shrines curled up to the heavens. As for whether that Master Gong ascended to immortality, attained Dao and ascended, or remained on land, no one could say for sure.

Upon reaching the foot of Qiyun Mountain, the old Daoist priest Jia Sheng performed a Daoist spell to invite a deity. The deity he respectfully invited was not a mountain or water deity, but a short Land Deity holding a rattan staff with a gourd tied to it.

Nowadays, how would those who study Dao know the old rule of first paying respects to the Land Deity upon entering a mountain? Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care.

Jia Sheng patted his Daoist robe, shook his sleeves, and bowed, “A cataloged cultivator of Mount Luopo, Daoist Jia Sheng, greets the God of Fortune.”

The Land Deity was slightly surprised and quite flattered, and quickly returned the greeting enthusiastically to the old Daoist priest who claimed to be from Mount Luopo.

As the “landlord” of this mountain, he thought that the old immortal Jia would mobilize and direct him, or at least accompany him on a tour of the mountain and help with guiding the way. He never expected that the old Daoist priest would only offer a small gift as a token of appreciation for the inconvenience and politely declined the Land Deity’s offer to ascend the mountain together. The old Daoist priest said he would never dare to let the hardworking God of Fortune accompany him, as he was absolutely unworthy.

After bidding farewell to the Land Deity, Jia Sheng ascended the mountain alone.

This mountain had nine li and thirteen pavilions, scattered and well-arranged, adorning the green mountains like high-ranking immortals, beautiful women, chivalrous heroes, or reclusive scholars… standing gracefully on the mountain ridge. In the perpetually cloudy mountains, several clusters of yellow sprout wild tea could often be seen. The old Daoist priest slowly ascended the mountain, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. He entered the second to last pavilion, the Pavilion of Gradual Immersion into the Immortal Pass, and stopped there to rest for a while.

The old Daoist priest opened his Dharma Eye and looked into the distance, seeing several peaks winding in the distance, a ridge forming a continuous line like the silent back of a centipede lying on the ground.

The thick soil was like clothing, and the ancient trees and flowers were like brocade.

Jia Sheng stroked his beard and nodded, indeed there were old creatures that had become spirits close to gods, living and cultivating their spirits here in seclusion.

After parting ways with her senior sister Pei Qian, Guo Zhujiu arrived at the capital of Great Li, but did not go directly to the State Preceptor’s Mansion. Instead, she concealed herself and landed on the road outside the capital, walking in the bustling crowd and entering the city together.

On the road, there were carriages as well as pedestrians. Although it was congested, it was orderly, without the shouting and reckless charging of the wealthy and influential, and without the condescension and haughtiness of the mountain cultivators. Instead, they tried their best to restrain the immortal mounts that the ordinary people had long become accustomed to, simply because everyone was going to the capital of Great Li, where the imperial surname was still Song. Perhaps the slight difference compared to the past was simply that the State Preceptor had changed from Cui Can to Chen Ping’an.

Leaving the Court of State Ceremonials, Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment and still did not go to the Northern Garrison to take a look.

Returning to the State Preceptor’s Mansion, he first changed his clothes and then went alone to a “prison” secretly set up by Great Li to find Nian Xin.

This place was the top secret location of the Great Li Dynasty, a forbidden area just like the “dockyard” for building sword boats and mountain ferries, used to imprison defeated prisoners of war from the Savage Wilds demonic race in the Bottle gourd Continent battlefield.

One had to admit that some Savage Wilds demonic race members were truly stubborn. Previously, Nian Xin said she would give it a try, so she came here, returning to her old profession.

Chen Ping’an carried a booklet under his arm, looked around, at the familiar scene, and whispered with a smile, “Old Deafie should come here to take a look.”

Nian Xin spoke plainly, “It won’t help even if he comes. He only has the realm.”

Chen Ping’an said, “You can’t even imagine how obsessed Old Deafie is with teaching and imparting knowledge now. He’s even planning to regularly go down the mountain to help people ascend the mountain.”

Nian Xin was speechless.

When those Savage Wilds demonic race members noticed Chen Ping’an’s appearance, the originally deathly silent prison became lively, and in an instant, the title “Hidden Official” rose and fell, becoming unusually bustling.

Only Nian Xin knew the reason, otherwise, an ordinary Haoran cultivator who was unaware would mistakenly think that Chen Ping’an was the co-lord of the Savage Wilds.