Before the mansion hung with a plaque that read “Lofty Integrity,” the old, blind Daoist priest, heavily injured, seemed to be rambling like a madman, perhaps sensing his imminent demise.

Lin Shouyi, with his hands concealed in his sleeves, clutched the “Plate of Beads” and “Fire Rain” talismans, resigned to fate after exhausting all possibilities.

Chen Ping’an was silently maneuvering the qi dragon within his body towards the two qi palaces, ensuring the sword qi remained intact and undisturbed.

The method of verification was extremely simple: if the fiery dragon, bringing a warm sensation to the meridians, dared not linger before the two qi palaces, it would signify that the two strands of “extremely small” sword qi were undoubtedly nestled within.

This time, Chen Ping’an felt that one strand of sword qi might not guarantee the slaying of the ghost in the wedding dress.

Then, two strands it would be!

Even if he would feel heartbroken about it later, it was more worthwhile than actually dying.

However, Chen Ping’an was already feeling a pang of heartache even before using the sword qi.

Hence, the money-grubbing teenager’s face appeared somewhat stiff, filled with murderous intent.

Li Huai suddenly noticed that the white donkey beside him had been heavily stomping the ground, transitioning from its earlier restlessness on the mountain path to its current state of joyful excitement.

Even when the ghost in the wedding dress materialized at the top of the steps outside the gate, the donkey only slightly slowed its hooves.

The female ghost lowered her head, glancing at her scarlet wedding dress, noticing a few tattered spots. She suppressed the overwhelming rage filling her heart, looked towards the young boys and girls, and gracefully descended.

The female ghost curtsied, her voice delicate, “Welcome, everyone, to my humble abode. You may call me Mistress Chu. It is a pity that my husband is away on a long journey, so I must be the one to receive you.”

Within the small bamboo forest on Chess-Mound Mountain, shielded by a formation, Wei Bo, who had taken the opportunity to restore his Mountain God status in one fell swoop, gazed at the mountain of broken bamboo. All the green bamboo had been severed at the waist by Ah Liang’s single blade. Even though the gains from this incident far outweighed the losses, seeing these green bamboos, which had absorbed the spiritual energy of Chess-Mound Mountain for thousands of years, fallen like beauties dismembered at the waist, still filled Wei Bo with sighs.

Wei Bo’s golden earrings had already been enchanted with a concealment spell. Even if he revealed his true form within his own territory, the black serpent would be unable to glimpse the truth, unable to see it. At this moment, he lightly tapped his finger on his ear, and the broken bamboo on the ground began to disappear one by one.

After tidying up, Wei Bo stepped out of the bamboo forest and saw, besides the trembling black serpent cowering not far away, a young swordsman with his hand on his sword hilt, and a “familiar face” who was tilting his head back and guzzling wine, the expert from the Great Li Dynasty whom Ah Liang’s rainbow light had knocked back to the stone platform of Chess-Mound Mountain. Wei Bo only knew that his surname was Liu, and he was eventually carried away by that swordsman. Wei Bo revealed a trace of doubt. Not long ago, the dying man, although still somewhat dispirited, had recovered enough to walk so quickly. Even if he had cultivated superior techniques for tempering the body, it shouldn’t be so effective.

However, who among those who had reached the latter two realms of the Middle Five tiers on the path of cultivation didn’t possess some trump card abilities? Wei Bo certainly wouldn’t ask. The rules that Daoists don’t speak of their lifespan and monks don’t speak of their surname have been in place since ancient times.

Wiping away the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, the burly man said in a deep voice: “Mountain God of Chess-Mound Mountain, my name is Liu Yu. Although I still dislike you, I will definitely repay the debt of saving my life in the future. If you have an urgent matter to ask of me, crush this letter talisman. As long as I, Liu Yu, am not on an imperial mission at the time, I will come, even if I am at Old Dragon City in the southernmost part of the Treasure Bottle Continent.”

The burly man casually tossed out a white jade token of mutton-fat jade. Wei Bo caught it and smiled, “Clear about what you love and hate, upright in your actions, and with this ‘Peace and Tranquility Token’ unique to the military-affiliated mountain temples, Liu Yu, are you a cultivator from the Wind and Snow Temple or the True Martial Mountain?”

The burly man snorted coldly: “Is that any of your business?”

The young swordsman who had just returned from Embroidered Flower River smiled: “Liu Yu is the typical type with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don’t take him too seriously.”

Wei Bo quickly waved his hands, “I wouldn’t dare.”

The swordsman casually rested his elbow on his long sword, his expression gentle as he smiled: “It just so happens that there’s a temporary matter to handle in Dragon Spring County. If you don’t mind, shall we travel out of the mountain together? Although I’ve already notified County Magistrate Wu Yuan of Dragon Spring County, there shouldn’t be any trouble in theory, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, around Fallen Phoenix Mountain, there’s Mr. Qing Wu of the Directorate of Astronomy, not to mention numerous external forces. I wouldn’t want the relationship you’ve worked so hard to ease with Great Li to fall apart again.”

Wei Bo said seemingly casually: “Judging from the commotion of the previous great battle, could it be that a Mount Guardian God of your Great Li has unfortunately fallen? What, could it be that I, Wei Bo, can take this opportunity to get a small slice of the pie?

(End of this chapter)
Let’s start with a small goal, like 1 second: