Could it be that a true Confucian Sage has graced our humble Water Mansion with their presence?

Moreover, this Confucian Sage is not merely some mountain master of an ordinary academy?

The green-robed man seated in the main seat clenched his teeth so hard he nearly shattered them.

His posture was stiff, his body tense. This Cold Food River Water God, who had held sway in the northern Huangting Kingdom for hundreds of years, now had to clench his fists tightly and pound them heavily on the armrests of his chair to forcibly suppress the urge to beg for mercy and prostrate himself in supplication.

The Huangting Kingdom was merely one of the Sui Dynasty’s vassal states. This uninvited guest, whose appearance was deceptively youthful, could not possibly be a native of this land. He knew the Huangting Kingdom’s cultivator power players like the back of his hand. He knew who could be provoked and warned, and who should be courted and appeased. After hundreds of years of painstaking management, the green-robed man could be said to be confident about all of this.

The seventy-two Confucian Academies each required a mountain master with at least a tenth-realm cultivation base to be qualified to lead the academy.

Great cultivator powerhouses of the upper five realms often appeared and disappeared like dragons, rarely seen. Therefore, tenth-realm cultivators closer to the secular dynasties, such as academy mountain masters, were already qualified to be respectfully called Confucian Sages by the secular world. Similarly, there were Buddhist Golden Body Arhats and Daoist Terrestrial Immortals, all of which were commonly used honorifics in the court and among the people.

This small group of top cultivators was like the statues in shrines and temples—their divine positions were high but not too distant. One could still burn incense and kowtow to them. Otherwise, those upper five realm old immortals hidden in the clouds were impossible to find, even with a pig’s head as an offering.

The green-robed man’s eyes gradually turned red, filled with bloodshot veins, and a faint golden light emerged. He still tried his best not to blink, staring fixedly at the Sage statue behind the white-robed youth. In his vision, on the altar, a dignified old man, dressed in a snow-white robe, shone brightly. Strands of light seemed to contain the ultimate principles of the Great Dao.

Each strand of light, upon closer inspection, was connected by countless fleeting golden characters, writing out Confucian etiquette and rules. This Sage Dharma Image wore a tall crown and a wide belt, its sleeves broad like bird wings, swaying without wind. A dazzling jade pendant hung from its waist, particularly eye-catching, like a miniature human moon.

There was no mistaking it—it was truly the aura of a Sage!

The green-robed man’s background was actually quite profound. Having been exposed to many secrets and inside stories from a young age, he was an expert who knew the goods. Therefore, seeing this scene only made him more terrified. If it were an ordinary middle five realms cultivator from a sect, they might have mistaken it for some kind of deceptive trick.

The tall man in green robes embroidered with golden coiled dragons finally blinked his eyes, forced to shift his gaze. Tears from the pain slowly slid out of his eye sockets but were quickly dissipated. He naturally did not want to reveal the slightest sign of retreat or timidity in front of his subordinates and guests. Throughout his long cultivation career, he was able to reach this point and sit firmly in this prominent position, not only because of good roots and opportunities, but also because of his perseverance and determination. Otherwise, all his past glory would have been washed away by the surging waters of the Cold Food River.

Someone once taught him that the more one delves into the Sage’s knowledge, the firmer it becomes. The more one looks up to the Sage’s statue, the higher it seems.

In this world today, the rules established by Confucian Sages are becoming increasingly complex and meticulous, and the rituals are becoming more stable. This was no longer the case in the ancient Shu Kingdom of long ago, where there were many dragons that did not obey the laws of Heaven and Earth. Legend had it that only the ancient sword immortals with astonishing killing power liked to come here to hone their swords, controlling their swords to overturn rivers and seas, taking pride in slaying dragons.

Wasn’t Qi Jingchun dead? The Sage currently in charge of the Li Zhu Grotto Heaven should be Ruan Qiong, the strategist who broke away from the Wind and Snow Temple.

Then who on earth is he?

He seemed to be coming with ill intentions.

Regardless, even if the Heavenly King himself came to his territory, there was no way he would willingly offer his neck to be slaughtered.

The green-robed man forcibly dispelled the gloom in his heart, took a deep breath, and slightly raised his left fist, gently tapping the armrest of his chair. It seemed casual, but the entire Water Mansion shook with it. The section of the Cold Food River adjacent to the mansion suddenly rose with large waves, layer upon layer, forcefully beating against the banks.

With the green-robed man’s tap,

Everyone in the hall swayed. The swords in the sheaths of the two young sword cultivators could no longer bear the pressure and buzzed, struggling desperately like trapped beasts.

Only the white-robed youth remained motionless, and the Dharma Image behind him was as steady as a mountain.

The youth slightly raised his head, looking at the green-robed man sitting north and facing south, his mouth full of sarcasm.

Although the Water Mansion was built along the river, in fact, there were hidden secrets beneath the mansion. Deep and wide waterways had already been carved out, so it was closely connected to the fortune of the Cold Food River. It was itself a large formation. Although it was not as good as some of the top immortal families’ mountain-protecting formations or the dynasties’ capital city-protecting formations, the green-robed man, with his extremely high level of cultivation, could possess the mystical blessing of a small world as long as he remained in it and did not leave this territory without permission.

Being able to do this, in addition to opportunity, was closely related to the green-robed man’s peculiar bloodline.

Generally, only after reaching the tenth realm could cultivators, such as those from the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, plus the Strategists, occupy the home field. These three religions and one faction could then possess the advantages of heavenly timing, geographical advantages, and harmony. Confucian academies, Buddhist temples, and Taoist palaces and temples, as well as the ancient battlefields of the Strategists, were equivalent to being the masters of that small world. Other cultivators entering it were like living under someone else’s roof and had to follow the local customs and act according to the host’s rules.

The hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere was strange.

This Cold Food River Water God could see the strange phenomenon at the entrance, but everyone else was kept in the dark. Each of them felt completely clueless. Why did their Water God Master start to stare blankly after that white-robed youth spoke wildly? Could it be that the handsome youth who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth actually came from an immortal aristocratic family that had been on good terms with the Water Mansion for generations? That’s why he dared to be so arrogant and domineering?

Although the effeminate man had already stepped out from the table full of delicacies and fine wine, he stopped in his tracks. If he didn’t have some discernment, how could he work under the green-robed man? This water snake monster, who was always cunning and treacherous, had already realized that something was wrong.

The green-robed man, as the host, still refused to speak. The previous tap on the chair, although loud and seemingly meant to warn, seemed to be a bit of a bluff.
The white-robed youth remained standing, a picture of “come and get me if you dare,” further highlighting the bizarre situation of the Great Water Mansion.

The green-robed man finally spoke, a smile on his face, “Guests are welcome. May I ask what brings you here?”

He subtly drew upon a portion of the Cold Food River’s aura, shaking the entire mansion’s Qi, attempting to probe the divine statue’s true nature. After all, no matter how much seeing is believing, he couldn’t bring himself to bow to an outsider in his own home without personally verifying things. The green-robed man was far too proud.

If the divine statue’s Dharma appearance showed even the slightest fluctuation, the green-robed man wouldn’t mind smashing the youth’s head. Daring to play tricks in the Great Water Mansion and trying to deceive him? That was simply courting death.

Unfortunately, the divine statue remained as still as a mountain, shocking him and causing him to quickly abandon all wishful thinking.

On the path of cultivation, going against the current, being courageous and diligent was true. Meeting a strong enemy and becoming more courageous with each setback was even more correct. But that didn’t mean a cultivator should be stubborn, unyielding, and completely inflexible.

The white-robed youth, one hand behind his back, the other loosely clenched into a fist at his abdomen, still had that extremely infuriating arrogant look. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and coldly laughed, “You’ve already made your move once. Now it’s my turn, right?”

The green-robed man’s expression turned ugly.

The water snake monster couldn’t stand the youth’s face any longer. He strode forward, turning his back to his Water God Lord. The effeminate man raised an arm, wielding an iron mace that flew towards the youth, his voice shrill and thin, “I can’t take it anymore, I can’t! Even if Lord punishes me severely afterward, this subordinate will smash this kid’s head open and collect his brain matter, mixing it into the Golden Jade Nectar in the wine cup. Then the saying ‘Jade Nectar’ will be complete!”

The green-robed man’s face was gloomy, “Qing, do not be rude to our guest. Quickly return to your seat.”

The effeminate man holding the iron mace not only didn’t obey but instead quickened his pace. “Lord, please don’t be so merciful anymore. An unwelcome guest has arrived, lacking in etiquette. Let this subordinate teach this kid how to be a guest in our Great Water Mansion!”

After the Cold Food River Water God spoke to dissuade him, the water snake monster understood his Lord’s true intentions. If he truly didn’t want him to offend the esteemed guest, with his Lord’s seemingly restrained but actually violent nature, he would have already casually flung him out the door with a sleeve. Why would he deliberately say those empty, polite words?

The water snake monster thought his luck was good tonight. The stupid carp had snatched the first credit, but if he could make his Lord look good in front of everyone, with his Lord’s consistent generosity towards outsiders, a jar of the Great Water Mansion’s special Golden Jade Nectar was guaranteed.

This aquatic monster, who had finally managed to cultivate into human form, certainly didn’t know that his Water God Lord, who clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments, was deliberately sending him to his death, just to probe the truth of the matter one more time in a seemingly reasonable manner.

All the guests were now filled with curiosity and anticipation. The previous veiled back-and-forth had been uninspiring.

Even if the white-robed youth was just a fancy pillow, without any backup, witnessing the scene of a great general under the Water God Lord killing someone would be good too.

“Accumulate soil to form a mountain, and wind and rain will arise.”

The white-robed youth didn’t even bother to look at the water snake monster from beginning to end. He smiled amiably, like a student reciting classics for a tutor in a school, appearing very lazy and casual. But after saying this inexplicable sentence, the youth’s expression suddenly became solemn, transforming from a cynical playboy into another extreme: a pedantic Confucian scholar, exuding an aura of righteousness.

Finally, the youth raised a foot and stomped down heavily, shouting, “Accumulate water to form a deep pool, and the Jiaolong (Flood Dragon) will be born!”

The Dharma appearance of the divine statue behind the white-robed youth also raised a foot high and stomped down swiftly.

At that moment, the green-robed man couldn’t move, had difficulty breathing, and his face was full of fear. His throat moved slightly, wanting to say soft words of begging for mercy, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Like encountering a natural enemy.

No matter how profound your cultivation or how high your realm, once you encountered it, you would be equally powerless to resist, only able to obediently await your death.

The incomparably dignified and solemn words “Jiaolong Sheng Yan” (Flood Dragon is born) were like thunder exploding in his ears, repeatedly booming in the green-robed man’s ears. On the lake of his heart, someone had directly pointed at his heart, stirring up a series of uncontrollable stormy waves.

The golden coiled dragon on the green-robed man’s chest, as if an immortal had added the finishing touch to a painting of a dragon, actually transformed into a living creature, rapidly spinning and moving. The green robe was like a green lake, but the golden dragon’s frenzied scurrying showed no sign of a leisurely dragon swimming. There was only madness and pain.

In the process of the half-arm-length golden dragon crashing around, the originally bright golden light gradually dimmed, and golden threads, like delicate feathers, peeled off from the green robe, falling to the ground and turning into ashes.

The white-robed youth smiled and took a step forward, then raised his foot again, “A tiny pond crawler dares to probe this grandpa repeatedly? You probed twice before, so I’ll stomp your Cold Food River into three sections with two feet. Let’s see how you’ll command sixteen rivers of all sizes in the future.”

Just as the youth was about to step down a second time, the seat under the green-robed man’s buttocks shattered with a bang, turning into dust. This arrogant Cold Food River Righteous God staggered to his feet, one hand tightly covering the golden dragon on his chest, preventing it from continuing to crash around like a headless fly. The other hand was raised high and slammed down with difficulty, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth, hoarsely saying, “Disobeying orders, offending distinguished guests, death is not a pity!”

With a bang.

The water snake monster’s head exploded.

After the corpse fell to the ground, it returned to its true form, a slender, mottled water snake.

The sound of the immortal relic magic weapon, the iron mace, falling to the ground, was particularly crisp and ear-piercing in the empty hall.

The bottom of the white-robed youth’s foot was less than half an inch from the ground.

The green-robed man didn’t bother to wipe the corners of his mouth, straightened his body, and was about to bow and apologize.

The white-robed youth, who had already stopped his stomping motion, had bright eyes and made a slow retracting motion.

But in an instant, the youth once again silently recited, “Jiaolong Sheng Yan.” (Flood Dragon is born).

One foot stomped down!

Crisp and neat.

The divine statue naturally followed suit and stomped down as well.

The white-robed youth’s foot stomped on the blue brick floor of the Great Water Mansion.

And the divine statue’s foot, when it went down, stomped on the Qi Luck of the Cold Food River.
The man in azure robes clutched at the golden dragon’s five claws, already piercing into the flesh of his chest. Though the pain was excruciating, he refused to let go.

This was the glimmer of hope for his Dao, the embodiment of his will and perseverance, and the very crux of his inner demons. He would rather die than relinquish it!

The white-robed youth loosened his tightly clenched fists, flicked his sleeves in a carefree and elegant motion, and slowly stepped forward. He bypassed the corpse of the pitiful water snake spirit, raised his head, and gazed towards the main seat. Lifting his foot, he stomped on the iron mace, sending the immortal weapon rolling across the ground. He grinned, saying, “Water God, were you surprised?”

Blood trickled from the seven orifices of the azure-robed man.

With a wretched expression, he steadied his swaying form, tilted his head to spit out a mouthful of blood, and then lowered his gaze to the dim golden dragon wailing incessantly at his chest. Slowly raising his head, the Water God, who had not personally slain an enemy in nearly two centuries, looked dazed and murmured, “Immortal, can you not spare me? Another kick, and I’ll be as good as dead.”

The crowd inside the hall was utterly bewildered, not knowing what had just transpired.

The Jiang Water Righteous God, a figure they deemed almost invincible, had been toyed with in the palm of someone’s hand?

The white-robed youth began to look around idly, his gaze settling on the scholar in Confucian robes. The latter immediately bowed and saluted, not daring to straighten up for a long time. As expected of a scholar, he knew how to assess the situation, humble himself, and play the servile role.

The youth looked at the fatty whose true form was an Intercepting River Toad. Without a word, the latter knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting in a loud voice, “Greetings, True Immortal!”

Only the heavily armored carp spirit, with its burly frame, stared straight at the white-robed youth, eyes wide.

Before the azure-robed man could even scold his subordinate, the white-robed youth had already chuckled, “Slaughter him.”

“I’ll count to three. Three, one.”

Although the white-robed youth was intentionally cheating, clearly intending to deliver another kick.

He had learned this trick from someone.

Unexpectedly, the azure-robed man was even more decisive in his killing. He disposed of his top general without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, he stood behind the carp spirit. Only a hand grasping the former’s heart protruded from his chest through his back. He slowly withdrew his blood-soaked arm, held the head of the burly man, who died with eyes wide open, and with a gentle twist, pushed the corpse aside. The heart quickly transformed into a crimson pellet the size of a goose egg, which the azure-robed man tossed into his mouth and quickly swallowed.

The white-robed youth kept his word and reluctantly withdrew his foot.

He smiled at the old and two young from the Spirit Rhyme Sect, “Do you recognize me?”

The outer elder of the Spirit Rhyme Sect hurriedly stood up, clasped his fist and bowed his head, saying, “We were blind and ignorant before. We implore the Immortal Master to forgive us. May we be so bold as to invite the Immortal Master to our Spirit Rhyme Sect as a guest…”

Before the white-haired old man could finish speaking, the youth began issuing orders again, “Then gouge out their eyes.”

In the next instant, the azure-robed man held a pair of eyeballs in his hand. The old man clutched his face, blood constantly seeping through his fingers. The old man bit his lip, desperately trying not to cry out.

The white-robed youth glanced at the two pale-faced young talents from the Spirit Rhyme Sect, “Consider yourselves lucky, you two little brats. This is the Yellow Court Kingdom, not the territory of the Great Li Dynasty.”

The two promising young cultivators breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But the youth added, “But you also have your share of bad luck. From the sect master to the elders, almost everyone in the Spirit Rhyme Sect is a stubborn fool, determined to be loyal to the Hong clan of the Yellow Court Kingdom. So you’ll all die together.”

For the first time, hesitation appeared in the azure-robed man’s actions.

The youth put his hands behind his back and sneered, “This time your Great Water Manor set up this scheme, besides testing whether the local prefect is clever enough, is because you’ve already made up your mind. The Spirit Rhyme Sect has countless connections with the Hong clan emperor of the Yellow Court Kingdom, they are all grasshoppers on the same rope. You are unwilling to accompany the foolish Spirit Rhyme Sect and the Hong clan of the Yellow Court Kingdom to be buried under the iron hooves of the Great Li Dynasty, so you deliberately used this opportunity to sever the past karma with them, lest the Great Li troops go south in the future, and the Hong clan is destroyed, and the Great Water Manor will be affected by the war.”

The youth tsked and said, “Such clumsy tricks can only fool country bumpkins and idiots like the Spirit Rhyme Sect. They’re blind and ignorant, truly blind and ignorant. Well said, but you still have to die.”

The azure-robed man’s expression was uncertain, but then he burst into laughter, feeling much happier. With a palm strike to each of the three Spirit Rhyme Sect members, he instantly crushed their heads. None of them could even cast spells or use supernatural powers.

The white-robed youth slowly walked towards the main seat in the hall. On the way, he passed near the two young sword cultivators, without stopping, he turned his head and smiled, “One is an unorthodox rogue cultivator, whether he lives or dies, I’m not in a hurry, it depends on my mood later. The other is a closed-door disciple of the True Master of the伏龙 Fú Lóng [Subduing Dragon] Temple, his identity is barely acceptable, barely carrying some weight. Let me think, the reason you came here should be for that ‘宫’ gōng [palace] character, right? Is it strange that I guessed the answer? Don’t give me that constipated look, okay? If you do that again, Water God will make your head blossom.”

The two sword cultivators were on pins and needles, they had never seen such a thrilling scene. At this moment, they truly wished they could die.

The white-robed youth continued forward, suddenly stopping and looking at the scholar who gave the impression of flattery. He smiled, “Your real name in the Green Bamboo Pavilion’s C-level secret file should be Tang Jiang, right? So you’ve been lurking in the Yellow Court Kingdom for quite a few years, hard work, hard work. You really haven’t done much meritorious service, just a little bit of dispensable hard work. Well, then tell your Water God what you just received in that intelligence report, the tasks assigned to you. Now, you two brothers are truly on the same boat.”

The latter no longer had the slightest hint of servility. His aura was calm and serene. He clasped his fists and said, “Green Bamboo Pavilion C-level assassin Tang Jiang, greetings…”

At the end, this Great Li Green Bamboo Pavilion assassin was somewhat embarrassed and didn’t know how to address the big shot in front of him who had revealed his identity.

To know the secrets of this level of the Green Bamboo Pavilion, within the Great Li Dynasty, there are only a handful of people. So Tang Jiang no longer concealed anything. Besides, even if the white-robed youth was truly an enemy of the Great Li, his identity would be exposed, and he would be dead anyway. It just depended on whether he died quickly or painfully.
The white-robed youth waved his hand in dejection, saying, “Forget it, calling me anything now is meaningless.”

The youth stared intently at the Prefecture Vice-Governor, whose legs were trembling, without uttering a word.

Vice-Governors were mostly drawn from local prominent clans, as the Hong Clan Emperor believed this was the way to keep the externally appointed provincial inspectors in check. The two sides would constrain each other, preventing either from forming a regional separatist regime. This was yet another strange phenomenon of the Yellow Court Kingdom.

The white-robed youth paused to consider, then reached out and pointed at the Vice-Governor.

The latter immediately knelt and kowtowed, “I only beg this immortal master of the Great Li Dynasty to show mercy. I am willing to be your ox and horse. If I speak a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!”

The youth, Cui Chan, tapped the man with his finger, “Get up. You don’t need to die. After you leave this Grand Water Mansion, find the elderly provincial inspector. Ask him directly if he wishes to continue being a provincial inspector, only switching from the Yellow Court Kingdom to our Great Li Dynasty. If he is sensible and agrees, then naturally that would be best. You will still be colleagues in the future. If he doesn’t agree, then you must kill him. Remember, send the old provincial inspector’s head to the Autumn Reed Inn in this prefecture city and find Liu Jia-hui, a cultivator from the Violet Sun Prefecture. You don’t need to say anything. She will naturally understand everything.”

Everyone knew that the Great Li’s southward advance was an unstoppable trend.

It was just that they were now speeding up the pace slightly.

The youth Cui Chan looked at the Vice-Governor’s face, smeared with tears and snot, and shook his head, “Truly pathetic. Hurry up and get lost. Don’t be an eyesore here.”

The man in official robes immediately rose to his feet.

The youth suddenly asked, “Are you happy or not?”

The man was so frightened that he lost all color in his face, not daring to move an inch.

The youth waved his hand, signaling the fellow to scram, then stopped looking at him. He walked directly to the main seat, sat behind the large desk, and with a flick of his sleeve, conjured a white jade chair of ancient craftsmanship out of thin air.

The white-robed youth sat on the white jade chair.

The Cold Food River Water God, who had been usurped, stood respectfully below the hall.

The youth Cui Chan looked towards the outside of the main gate, and lazily said, “Apart from that Spirit Rhyme Sect cultivator who betrayed his master, all the other irrelevant people are less than ants. Water God, please kill them all, so they can keep each other company on the road to the Yellow Springs.”

The white-robed youth picked up a pot of wine, raised his hand, and shook it, “Oh right, would you like to drink a cup of Golden Jade Nectar before you depart?”

Finally, some people in the hall began to curse loudly, some collapsed on the ground in fear, and some began to flee wildly.

The youth Cui Chan began to tilt his head back and guzzle wine.

One hand gripped the wine pot.

The other hand was clenched tightly, and a piercing pain came from the palm.

Each lashing struck at the spirit and soul.

The youth allowed the wine to spill, as he still had the water-repelling talisman on his body. The wine flowed down his white robe and onto the ground, like the surface of lotus leaves tilting in the rain.

The youth Cui Chan gently tossed the wine pot forward, leaned back against the white jade chair, and tilted his head back. His face was somewhat distorted, and he silently recited in his heart, “Old man, stinking scholar, you old geezer! Even if my soul is split apart, I am still Cui Chan! If you have the ability, just kill me outright! Who was it that said human nature is inherently evil? Wasn’t it you?!”

He twisted his neck, as if talking to someone, just like his first appearance outside the threshold, “I didn’t kill your enemies, are you very disappointed? You thought I was going to seek justice for you, but you never expected that I am even more heinous than them. Are you even more disappointed?”

Without waiting for the soul to give an answer, the white-robed youth waved his sleeve, completely scattering the remaining soul.

Since he showed himself on the post road at the wild man pass in the Great Li border, how could he have been traveling with a group of children for sightseeing?

Slaughter broke out in the hall.

The hand that was in pain, was quietly placed on the lower abdomen, while the other hand, which was fine, covered the mouth, and let out a yawn.

It is easier to move mountains than to change one’s nature.

(End of Chapter)