Having stayed at Autumn Reed Inn for three days, Lin Shouyi finally suggested that staying any longer would be pointless as they weren’t absorbing much spiritual energy. Especially, he couldn’t explain why, but after prolonged Qi circulation in the pavilion, he would feel a sharp aura, like that of a weapon, emanating from somewhere. His body and soul could barely withstand it. Lin Shouyi, in a rare moment of humor, suggested that Chen Pingan check the bottom of the well for treasures.

Chen Pingan roughly guessed the truth. It must have been the clash with Cui Chan, those two wisps of sword Qi that left his Qi Palace, which damaged the landscape fortune of this old City God site. Because it involved sword spirits, Chen Pingan couldn’t say much. He could only give Cui Chan a few extra glances as they left the inn. The latter had been in high spirits these past two days, walking with a spring in his step. After Chen Pingan’s glances, he immediately became much more subdued. Cui Chan was bewildered, wondering what evil deed of his had finally caught up to him.

As the group left the inn, others were just arriving to stay at Autumn Reed Inn. Cui Chan looked straight ahead, but Li Baoping and the other children were quite surprised. It was the old Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue from Huang Ting Country, traveling with his family and servants, who had come to the prefecture city. Three carriages were parked in the alley outside the inn.

Meeting an acquaintance in a foreign land, the old Vice Minister laughed heartily, especially seeing that Li Baoping and Li Huai had replaced their straw sandals with boots and were wearing new clothes, full of vigor. The old man was even more gratified and insisted on seeing them out of the city.

Among the old Vice Minister’s family, a woman in simple, elegant clothing with a dignified bearing and a young man in a green robe with a heroic air were the most eye-catching. The old man introduced them as his eldest daughter and youngest son, saying they were both hopeless at studying and that he couldn’t expect them to bring glory to the family. Listening to his father complain in front of outsiders, the green-robed man remained expressionless. The mature woman smiled at the young men, women, and children, finally focusing her gaze on Yu Lu. Her smile deepened, as if she had stumbled upon the most delicious delicacy. The woman seemed to have a sudden coughing fit, quickly turning her head and raising her sleeve to cover her scarlet lips, coughing twice.

Inside the wide sleeve, the true scene was the woman secretly swallowing her saliva and licking the corner of her mouth with her tongue.

Chen Pingan frowned.

The tall young man serving as the coachman smiled as usual, turning to look at Cui Chan. “Young Master, when shall we depart?”

Cui Chan said indifferently, “Depart.”

The old Vice Minister laughed. “This old body of mine caught a cold earlier and can’t stand the wind and sun. I’ll ride with Young Master Cui. I’d like to learn more about the cliff carvings. You two can follow behind. If you don’t want to walk out of the city, it’s up to you whether you ride in the carriage or not.”

Two carriages drove out of Flowing Cloud Rushing Water Lane. Inside the front carriage, Cui Chan and the old Vice Minister sat facing each other, the atmosphere heavy.

The old man, whose surface identity was Vice Minister of Huang Ting Country, clasped his hands and said, “This old one has come uninvited. I hope State Preceptor will forgive me.”

The white-robed youth with a cinnabar mark between his brows, rubbed the jade pendant at his waist and stared impolitely at the old man, his words even more offensive. “Did that little bastard of yours incite you to come and investigate? To see if I have the ability to kill you father and son?”

The old man, who had once sailed into the Star River in a drunken stupor, was not angered. He said with a kind expression, “State Preceptor, my youngest son has little ability but plenty of petty thoughts. This time, he was truly both fearful and delighted, unable to remain calm, so he informed me, hoping I would help him devise a plan to cooperate with the State Preceptor and Great Li. How can that be considered a test? State Preceptor is mistaken, and overestimates my youngest son.”

Cui Chan shook his head. “I never care what you think when I act. I only care about what you do and the final result. So since that little bastard broke my rules first, I will naturally have ways to teach him a lesson later. If you, the old daddy-long-legs, are not satisfied and plan to tear up the agreement and not become the Mountain Lord of the new Piyi Mountain Academy, we can calculate all of this slowly. We’ll see who is a foot taller in virtue and who is an inch higher in wickedness.”

The old Flood Dragon, disguised as the old Vice Minister, had a gloomy face. “State Preceptor, why be so aggressive? Even if my youngest son’s actions were somewhat over the line, isn’t the overall situation more important to a State Preceptor who wields great power? Don’t I have any face at all? Isn’t it worth the State Preceptor making an exception and being accommodating?”

“You guys, who treat scheming and infighting as casual conversation, might think that this kind of testing is normal. I used to be like that too, but now the situation is different.” Cui Chan narrowed his eyes. “My teacher just taught me a lesson: sometimes, you can’t take even one step out, or you’ll be beaten.”

Cui Chan leaned forward, looking at the weathered face, which was a mix of emotions, and mocked coldly, “Do you really think you’re qualified to ride in the same carriage as me? Do you know that your true form, the old, skinny little Flood Dragon on the inkstone at Fulong Temple, is now in my hands?”

The old man smiled bitterly. “State Preceptor, why go so far? Even if there are minor disputes between allies, it shouldn’t affect the very foundation of the Great Dao, right?”

The old man’s expression changed, his eyes revealing the cruel meaning of his cold nature. “Such a great opportunity, isn’t State Preceptor afraid of mutual destruction? That both sides will end up with nothing?”

Cui Chan stared intently at the old man’s eyes, which had not yet completely removed the illusion, and his wording became even more aggressive, but his tone was extremely calm, like the widest and most vast river in the world, all the power hidden beneath the surface. “You are not qualified to talk to me about your logic. You have to carefully understand my, Cui Chan’s, logic, understand? Next, I will use the ancient thunder method to strike the inkstone, the sleeping old dragon, which is your true form, until I have scattered about three hundred years of your cultivation. So you see, I don’t need to personally deal with your little bastard. In the end, you will naturally blame him.”

The old Flood Dragon’s gaze was filled with murderous intent. He said in a low voice, “Cui Chan! Don’t push it too far!”

Cui Chan laughed loudly. “Push it too far? Are you, this old daddy-long-legs, even human? None of you are human. Look at your behavior, and look at your bastard son. You want to bring glory to the family? Especially that Founding Ancestor of Ziyang Prefecture outside, seeing Yu Lu, who is carrying a rich dragon aura, he can’t even walk straight, can he? Even if I dare to support you guys to a very high position, can you sit firmly and stand stably?!”

Cui Chan extended his two fingers, held them together, and waved them in front of him. “You can’t do it.”
Before the Old Flood Dragon could speak, Cui Chan pointed two fingers outside the window, “Get out, you’re an eyesore to me. If I don’t receive a satisfactory answer within three days, I won’t give you any response. At that point, you can come and kill me.”

The Old Flood Dragon remained silent for a long time, finally bowing and retreating backwards.

From beginning to end, Cui Chan’s mind remained calm, without a single ripple. Any hint of bravado was out of the question.

As the carriage paused briefly and then continued onward, Cui Chan closed his eyes, exuding confidence.

Cui Chan’s lips curled into a smile, and he murmured, “Three.”

Inside the carriage, a gentle breeze stirred without warning, and the white robes of the young man seemed to flow like a slow stream.

Beside the road, the old man, having left the carriage, exchanged a few words with the children before staying behind alone, watching the group depart from the county city.

A man in azure robes and a dignified woman stepped down from the carriage behind, looking puzzled.

The old man kept gazing at the carriage, and in the end, he despondently retracted his gaze. He had not only failed to find any flaws, but had also witnessed an inconceivable and terrifying scene.

A breakthrough in cultivation realms!

The Confucian-robed old man turned to look at the woman and child, smilingly saying, “Only one is missing. It’s a small family reunion, and I am very happy.”

As the woman who founded the Ziyang Sect, she was obviously more intuitively perceptive. The Dragon race, due to the association with the word “lake,” seemed to possess a natural ability to sense the inner turmoil of others. She had already realized that the Old Flood Dragon’s state of mind was not right. Without hesitation, she leaped into the air, transforming into a rainbow of light, attempting to flee the county city. However, she had forgotten that the difference between her and her father was more than just seniority.

The Confucian-robed old man was clearly enraged, not caring whether the county city would be affected. Moreover, not to mention a small county city, what qualifications did the entire Huangting Kingdom have to claim hidden dragons and crouching tigers? There were indeed some small cats and snakes, but none that could impress the Old Flood Dragon. Now that the Dali cavalry was advancing south, it was a foregone conclusion, and he originally no longer needed to hide his presence too much, but this was based on the premise that he had established a stable alliance with Dali.

The reason for this unnecessary complication, which angered the State Preceptor Cui Chan, was ultimately because the old man was too shocked. The fluctuations in his state of mind were too great, and he lost his composure, no better than the young son of the Hanshi River God. After all, he and Cui Minghuang of Guanhai Academy had personally witnessed that “thunder pool” at the Cliffside Inscriptions, and the old scholar who had waved his sleeve and let them leave the thunder pool, after which a string of golden characters appeared in the palm of his hand.

In the secret letter from the Azure-robed man’s Great Water Mansion, he had described the young-looking Dali State Preceptor to his father, detailing Cui Chan’s various actions. He also said that Cui Chan now had no realm and no cultivation left. The Hanshi River God’s words contained no malicious intent; he merely hoped that his father could help test the waters to see if he could help the Great Water Mansion gain more benefits. After all, how could a Great Water Mansion dare to cross swords with Cui Chan? Even if they killed Cui Chan, what good would it do? Wouldn’t it be the time of the Great Water Mansion’s destruction when Dali marched south?

The Azure-robed man asked in a trembling voice, “Father, why is this? Did elder sister do something wrong?”

The old man extended a withered palm, his five fingers forming hooks, and slowly scratched downwards, his face cold, “It has little to do with your sister. It’s mainly because your unnecessary actions have cost me three hundred years of cultivation, causing many twists and turns in the future. Your father is not in a good mood; is that reason enough?!”

Between the old man’s fingers bloomed tiny, scarlet blood flowers, looking small and cute, but in fact, they were anything but gentle.

Because in the high sky, in the same way, five huge blood grooves were scratched on the woman’s body, even more miserable than pork on a cutting board. With one knife, a wound deep enough to see bone was gouged out.

Not only that, but the woman, who had already escaped hundreds of feet in an instant, was quickly pulled back to the county city.

However, because the tragic situation occurred silently in the high sky, the people of the county city did not notice, except for a few who happened to look up at the sky, who were all stunned. The rest did not cause too much of a stir.

Finally, the woman crashed back to the ground with a thud, her body a bloody mess. Her talisman robes, which were originally of excellent quality, were tattered and barely covered her body. The woman curled up on the ground, wailing in pain, begging the Old Flood Dragon.

The dignified Sect Master of the Ziyang Sect, one of the few Qi Refiners in the Huangting Kingdom, a great immortal with the potential to reach the tenth realm of cultivation, was now rolling on the ground in such a state.

The Confucian-robed old man waved his hand casually, and the woman’s entire body crashed sideways into a shop by the side of the road, breaking a beam, and then collapsed like mud against the corner of the wall.

The Azure-robed man’s face turned pale, “Is that the State Preceptor who’s angry? This trivial test, even if your son was indeed wrong, is it worth him making such a fuss? Is he not afraid that we will simply turn to the Great Sui?”

The Confucian-robed old man stared at his youngest son, whose face was full of fear, sighed, and left, not even bothering to teach him a lesson, only leaving two words, “Waste.”

That Lord Hanshi River God went to pick up his dying sister and returned to the carriage. The coachman was the River Count scholar under the Great Water Mansion. When the Azure-robed man lifted the curtain, he turned his back to the scholar, somewhat regretfully saying, “Sui Bin, you were right. I shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

The scholar waved his whip, slowly driving the carriage back to the Qiulu Inn, and softly said, “Misfortune and fortune depend on each other. It’s not all bad. Knowing the State Preceptor’s bottom line, it will be easier to deal with him in the future. It’s better to suffer a small loss now than to have the Water God Lord get carried away in the future and be killed without knowing why.”

The Azure-robed man placed his sister in the carriage, sat behind the scholar, and said in exasperation, “A small loss?! My father lost three hundred years of cultivation, and with his bad temper, I’m going to suffer! Others don’t know, but you, Sui Bin, know how my seven or eight brothers and sisters died?”

The scholar Sui Bin said indifferently with a smile, “It’s good that they died. It’s good that only three are left. Those who are alive won’t have to die. In the past, I would have needed to help the Water God Lord collect corpses. Hmm, maybe I would even need to piece together the corpses, picking up one piece here and picking up one piece there. It would be quite troublesome.”
If Sui Bin, this strategist behind the scenes, kept offering words of comfort, the green-robed man would likely grow increasingly uneasy, unable to even stay in the Prefectural City. He might even dare to leave the Great Water Mansion and flee thousands of miles away to avoid the storm. But now, listening to Sui Bin’s harsh, sarcastic remarks, the green-robed man felt somewhat relieved. He glanced at the River God’s back, this water ghost, and thought, “No wonder he and Prefect Wei Li are both valued by that young National Preceptor.”

“Stop calling me Water God, Old Man, I’m not used to it. Over the years, I’ve treated you with special favor, and you’ve never been obsequious towards me, which is good. Don’t let us not be able to share the riches after enduring hardship together.”

The green-robed man finally exclaimed with indignation, “Sui Bin, you tell me, my father studied for so many years, no less than the Confucian Sage, and his private library is the most abundant in the Huang Ting Kingdom. Why is his temper still so bad?”

Sui Bin laughed, “Isn’t your father’s temper very good towards those young scholars? And it’s genuinely good.”

The green-robed man felt helpless about this.

Sui Bin hesitated for a moment, “Actually, the reason your father is so furious is probably related to a Great Dao契機. Although you deliberately concealed it, the Great Li National Preceptor likely believes that your father is aware of it. Seeing things so far ahead, he may have intended to use this to sow discord between you and your father.”

The green-robed man felt a chill in his heart.

From inside the carriage, an unexpected, aged voice spoke, “Sui Bin, your cleverness may not be a good thing.”

Sui Bin laughed heartily, “Old Sir, I was once a scholar too, well, now I’m a scholar-ghost. Since I’m not afraid of death, how can I be intimidated by it?”

The elusive old Jiao smiled, “With you assisting this good-for-nothing, I can rest assured.”

The green-robed man felt a slight suffocation.

“A wise bird chooses its tree to roost on,” he thought.

If he used to think that his father looked down on the small River God, or that he needed to bide his time and didn’t need outsiders, then from now on, he had to start “building his empire”. Wouldn’t it be better to have as many “civil officials and military generals” as possible under his command?

Sui Bin seemed to see through the Han Shi River God’s thoughts and smiled, teasing, “Don’t worry, I won’t betray you. Even as a ghost, I still have some integrity.”

The old Jiao, sitting in the carriage, glanced coldly at his daughter huddled in the corner, then turned his head towards the carriage curtain, his face changing into a heartfelt and warm smile, “I’ve heard about your daughter’s matter. Do you want me to lend a hand and help her become the Mountain God of Hengshan?”

Sui Bin shook his head, “That孽障 who is worse than a pig or dog, just let her live or die on her own.”

The old Jiao laughed heartily, “That temper is like mine.”

The green-robed man outside and the severely injured woman inside the carriage both felt a deep sense of desolation.

Every family has its own трудно.

Whether it’s the Han Shi River God or the founder of the Zi Yang Mansion, they are only one step away from the tenth realm of cultivation. In their respective territories, they are high above, wielding the power of life and death, even more carefree than secular monarchs.

But what does it matter?

Leaving the Prefectural City, the team and carriage headed west.

Cui Chan stepped down from the carriage, came to Chen Ping’an’s side, and first smiled at Li Huai, “Want to sit in my carriage? It’s spacious and comfortable, you can even lie down and sleep.”

Li Huai was eager to try, but didn’t dare to act without permission. Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly, “Go ahead.”

Cui Chan whispered, “Teacher, learning your way of conducting oneself is indeed useful to me, I’ve benefited greatly. How do you want me to thank you?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Cui Chan was overjoyed, “What do you say, Teacher? Although I can’t open the treasure trove inside my 寸心物 and can’t take anything out for now, I bought his belongings from that spendthrift last time I entered the city. There are actually two good items, such as that琉璃 little figurine, which actually contains hidden玄機. As long as you infuse it with spiritual energy真氣, it will dance gracefully, lifelike. It can also sing melodious songs…”

Chen Ping’an said to him, “Disappear.”

Cui Chan was greatly saddened and left silently, going to pester Lin Shouyi and Li Baoping, but both were rejected. Finally, he dejectedly returned to the carriage, saw Li Huai happily rolling around in the carriage, and Cui Chan squatted beside him, opened a package, took out the dimly colored 琉璃 little figurine, and waved it at Li Huai, “Want it?”

Li Huai stared intently at the exquisite 琉璃 woman, about half a foot tall. The child said words that didn’t match his feelings, “I don’t want it at all.”

Cui Chan slightly increased the force, and the 琉璃 gradually emitted a soft light from the inside out. Cui Chan then placed it on the carriage floor. Soon, the 琉璃 beauty made creaking sounds. After a moment of silence, it suddenly came to life and even started dancing, its posture graceful. At the same time, it hummed an unknown ancient song, not the Mandarin of the Great Li or Great Sui, nor the orthodox雅言 of Bao Ping Continent. So Li Huai didn’t understand what it was singing, but this scene was really pleasing to the eye, and the child couldn’t help but lie on the ground, gazing癡癡 at the 琉璃 beauty’s graceful dance.

When the light overflowing in the 琉璃 body faded away, the 琉璃 beauty returned to stillness, reverting to its rigid and immobile dead object state.

Cui Chan induced with painstaking care, “You don’t even want it if I give it to you for free? What are you afraid of? You and Chen Ping’an are friends, and I am Chen Ping’an’s student. Our relationship is so close, what am I after from you? Besides, what do you have on you that’s worth me coveting, right?”

Li Huai withdrew his gaze, looked at Cui Chan, and said angrily, “That’s a load of bull, I have a lot of treasures on me! Do you have 蟲銀? It can turn into grasshoppers and dragonflies!”

Cui Chan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Didn’t I give that to you?”

Li Huai nodded, “Yeah, now it’s mine, so you don’t have it, right?”

Cui Chan sat down against the carriage wall and laughed heartily, “As expected, the little崽子s from Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, especially you guys who rely on your luck and good fortune to finally become the last batch of 親傳 disciples of Qi Jingchun, none of you are easy to deal with. Shi Chunjia and Dong Shuijing are a little worse, not much better than Yu Lu Xie Xie.”

Cui Chan raised his head and looked above him,啧啧 said, “What a ‘there is天意 in the冥冥’. ”

After Cui Chan withdrew his gaze, he looked at the child lying on the floor in a daze and asked curiously, “You really don’t want it?”

Li Huai嗯’ed, “I don’t want it. Last night before going to bed, Chen Ping’an told me that after arriving at the Great Sui Academy, I can’t accept other people’s benefits casually.”
Cui Chan jested, “But it’s still several hundred *li* away from the border of the Great Sui Dynasty. Even if we enter the territory of the Great Sui, it’s still seven or eight hundred *li* to that new Cliff Academy. Adding them together, it’s at least a thousand *li*. Li Huai, what’s the rush?”

Li Huai gazed at the ceiling. “Chen Ping’an said he won’t stay at the academy to study. After he sends us there, he’ll turn around and go home.”

Cui Chan smiled. “Isn’t that something you knew from the beginning?”

Li Huai folded his hands as a pillow and said softly, “As we walked, I just forgot.”

Cui Chan was stunned.

He said with schadenfreude, “It’s okay, I won’t stay at the academy either. I’ll accompany Chen Ping’an back to the small town. Li Huai, aren’t you envious?”

Li Huai turned his head in astonishment, Cui Chan’s face full of smugness.

Li Huai suddenly sat up, lifted the curtain, his face full of grievance, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Chen Ping’an, this guy Cui Chan is trying to swindle my money!”

Cui Chan hurriedly and flusteredly hugged the little rascal, preventing him from continuing to slander him, and wailed to Chen Ping’an, “I’m wronged!”

A moment later, Chen Ping’an, who charged into the carriage, left the carriage with Li Huai. Li Huai cautiously said, “Chen Ping’an, I lied to you.”

Chen Ping’an said in a low voice, “I know. I just can’t stand that guy.”

Inside the carriage, the white-clad youth with a bruised face lay in the carriage, grimacing, but not only did he not look dejected, but he even had a hint of a smile.

At the edge of a river in the northwest border of the Huang Ting Kingdom, after visiting a water god temple that was far smaller in scale than the Hanshi River’s, the group walked more than twenty *li* further and began to rest and prepare lunch.

Now, Yu Lu was in charge of starting the fire and cooking, and Xie Xie was no longer completely idle, helping out. With their help, Chen Ping’an could relax and go fishing by the river. “Spring fishing on the banks, summer fishing in the deep, autumn fishing in the shade, winter fishing in the sun,” was a saying passed down in the small town. In the late autumn season, Chen Ping’an trotted all the way, specifically found a small backwater bay in the river, and then began to fish.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Ping’an successfully caught a bluish-green river fish more than a foot long, but just dragging the fish ashore, for fear of breaking the fishing rod or the big fish getting away, took nearly another quarter of an hour. Cui Chan had been squatting next to him, watching intently. When they went back, he insisted on helping to carry the fish, and as a result, the dinner had a rich and delicious stewed fish. Cui Chan, believing he deserved the credit, devoured the food and argued with Li Huai until they were red in the face.

After eating, Chen Ping’an cleaned up the mess with Yu Lu. After he was free, he began to practice walking the *zhuang* along the river.

Yu Lu borrowed the fishing rod and went to find a place to fish himself.

Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie played chess, Li Baoping was engrossed in reading, and Li Huai’s book box had an extra glass beauty, which he had won from Cui Chan in a bet. It wasn’t really Cui Chan letting him win either. The two relied on guessing the number of black and white *weiqi* pieces. To be fair, Yu Lu, who was facing away from them, grabbed a handful. As a result, Cui Chan won two and lost three, losing the glass beauty. Li Huai not only kept the insect silver, but also gained “another fierce general.”

Chen Ping’an walked a long way, finally sitting alone on a stone cliff by the river, facing the river wind. On the stone cliff, cooperating with the eighteen-stop breathing method, the young man tried to practice walking the *zhuang* at the slowest speed.

Between movement and stillness, his *qi* was calm and relaxed.

Not long after leaving the waterway, on a remote mountain, they encountered a group of bandits who were no match for them. Lin Shouyi showed off a bit of his newly-mastered thunder magic, and the villains were scared out of their wits.

Once, Chen Ping’an went night fishing and caught a large blue fish that was half a man’s length. He only managed to catch the rare big fish after going into the water. Chen Ping’an happily returned to the campfire and grinned at Yu Lu, who was on guard. Yu Lu looked at the guy who was wet all over and gave him a thumbs up.

Afterwards, they passed through a mass grave full of *liqi*, and ghosts attacked. Lin Shouyi, whose thunder magic was gradually improving, showed great power. Every time he attacked, there was a faint sound of thunder, especially his face, which was full of radiance, and there was a faint purple aura around his body, like a thunder deity. After dozens of Yin spirits and ghosts were suppressed and killed by thunder magic, deep in the mass grave, lights lit up, accompanied by eerie shouts. An extremely large sedan chair with lanterns hanging from its four corners floated in, full of Yin energy.

Under the protection of Chen Ping’an and Xie Xie, Lin Shouyi, with his not-so-skilled thunder magic, supported himself for a moment, but still could not resist the local tyrant of the mass grave, a ghost that had cultivated for a hundred years and condensed a True Spirit.

As a result, Yu Lu, who had never made a move, suddenly rushed forward and easily scattered all the spirit energy of the ghost with a single punch, causing it to vanish into thin air.

After that, Lin Shouyi consulted the *Cloud Shang Langlang Shu* even more frequently.

Just like that, the group finally arrived at Guannei of the Great Sui Dynasty and smoothly passed through the not-so-majestic gate tower. Li Huai muttered that this place was really not as good as their Great Li’s Yefu Pass, not even close.

But the next moment, on the streets inside the pass, the sound of horses’ hooves reverberated, approaching from afar, becoming more and more shocking.

Chen Ping’an told everyone to stay on the side of the road and not move, giving way.

More than twenty elite riders galloped towards them, led by a burly general in silver armor holding a spear. In addition, there was an old Daoist with an immortal air, carrying a peach wood sword, and a white-skinned old man without a beard, who sat comfortably on horseback with his hands in his sleeves. These two otherworldly old immortals guarded a jade-faced young man on the left and right.

Chen Ping’an felt a shock in his heart when he saw the young man.

What he feared had come.

The brocade-clad young man who had appeared in the small town, seeing Chen Ping’an and his group, laughed and took the lead, rushing out of the cavalry team. When he was still a dozen steps away from Chen Ping’an and them, he stopped early, skillfully dismounted, strode forward, scanned around, and finally smiled at Chen Ping’an, “We meet again!”

The young man tapped his palm with the horse whip in his hand and said to himself, “Do you know that because of that golden carp, and that treasure I only later knew was called the ‘Dragon King Basket’, I almost died on the border of Great Li?”

The young man suddenly burst out laughing, “But I’m still very grateful to you! Even though I gave you a bag of *jing jing* copper coins at the time, it seems now that I still took a great advantage of you. I swore that the next time we met, I would give you even more rewards…”

The young man slapped his forehead, feeling a little embarrassed, and introduced himself, “I am a member of the Gao family of Yiyang County in the Great Sui Dynasty. You can call me Gao Xuan directly.”
The beardless elder who had also met Chen Ping’an was about to speak, but the youth named Gao Xuan waved his hand, “It’s fine, a name is just a name, meant to be called.”

The youth looked at them and smiled, “I am here to personally escort you to my Great Sui Cliff Academy.”

From that day on, the escort team, starting with the thirty-odd Imperial Guards brought by the Gao-named youth, growing to two hundred elite frontier soldiers, and finally exceeding a thousand, grandly traversed the territories of two prefectures and seven counties, rapidly heading towards the capital of Great Sui.

The traveling study group finally ceased their arduous mountain treks. Even Li Huai was now openly seated in a carriage, flanked by powerful Great Sui cavalry on both sides and at the front and rear. The occasional gazes directed at the carriage were filled with a reverence and envy that Li Huai couldn’t comprehend.

All the way until they could see the outline of the Great Sui capital’s walls, Li Huai felt as though he were being treated like a bodhisattva.

At first, Li Huai found it novel and amusing, but as they approached their destination, he grew increasingly uneasy.

Li Baoping became more and more silent, clinging to Chen Ping’an every day.

Lin Shouyi remained oblivious to everything, secluding himself in a private carriage, focusing on his cultivation.

Yu Lu, still driving the carriage for Cui Chan, showed no change in expression.

Cui Chan, in the carriage behind, was bored, spending his days sleeping in or yawning, listless. He could only invite Xie Xie into the carriage for a game of Go.

Finally, only a hundred-odd cavalry were allowed to enter the capital. Li Huai was horrified to discover that the extremely wide Imperial Way was lined with Great Sui citizens, densely packed. It seemed the entire city had emptied, everyone inexplicably eager to watch their spectacle.

Lin Shouyi opened his eyes, ceasing his focused cultivation. He lifted the curtain and gazed at the dense crowd outside, sighing softly.

So, being a direct disciple of Qi Xiansheng was this extraordinary.

The newly relocated Cliff Academy of Great Sui was built on the most scenic and beautiful Eastern Flower Mountain in the Great Sui capital. The academy was built along the mountain, gradually increasing in height, its scale far surpassing that of the Great Li Academy era.

It was said that the Gao Emperor had not only invited the most learned Confucian scholars of Great Sui but also dispatched half of the Ministry of Rites, led by the Left Vice Minister, to all the dynasties and states allied with Great Sui, personally extending grand invitations to renowned scholars from various regions, ultimately inviting over thirty literary giants from various countries, esteemed masters and erudite scholars, to Eastern Flower Mountain in the Great Sui capital to serve as instructors at the new academy.

However, from the Great Sui Emperor to the common people, everyone knew that Cliff Academy with or without Qi Jingchun was almost like two separate academies.

Now that the Mountain Master Qi Jingchun was missing, rumored to have died of illness, whether or not Qi Jingchun’s direct disciples would “sit” at the academy became paramount. Otherwise, the academy would lack legitimacy and struggle to gain widespread acceptance.

Now, they had come, arriving in the Great Sui capital like sending charcoal in snowy weather. Therefore, the Great Sui Emperor felt that no amount of ceremonial grandeur was excessive.

Although there were only three children, it was enough!

They were Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, and Li Baoping.

In addition, there were two students who were not direct disciples, their weight naturally far less than the former three, but they were still considered icing on the cake.

Yu Lu, Xie Xie.

The streets leading to Eastern Flower Mountain had been cleared, prohibiting anyone from walking freely. Therefore, even the sons of wealthy and powerful families dared only watch the significant procession from the tall buildings on either side.

The Great Sui Gao Emperor, wearing the most formal imperial yellow dragon robe, stood at the foot of the mountain, outside the academy gate, smiling kindly as he watched the five children stepping down from the two carriages.

Behind the Emperor stood the most powerful figures in Great Sui.

The entire Eastern Flower Mountain was solemn and imposing.

Even the originally reclusive tenth-realm Qi Refiners, there were as many as six in the vicinity of Eastern Flower Mountain, all hidden in the shadows, guarding against any unforeseen circumstances.

Li Baoping asked, “Where is Little Martial Uncle?”

Everyone, including Yu Lu, exchanged glances.

Thus, the children simply left the Great Sui Emperor standing there.

On a street in the Great Sui capital, a handsome young man in white was walking backward, looking at the backpack-carrying youth of the same age, curiously asking, “You’ve changed your clothes, put on boots, and pinned a hairpin. Why don’t you go into the academy with them?”

The youth, who was no longer wearing straw sandals, remained silent, only turning his head to look back.