(Yesterday’s 5500 words, you said wasn’t a large chapter… here’s a big one today.)

A tall, elderly man with a sandalwood ruler hanging from his waist stood in the Wenzheng Hall on the mountainside, dozing with half-closed eyes.

Since the Emperor’s personal visit to Donghua Mountain, all spies and secret agents had been withdrawn. Even a tenth-realm Qi Refiner was only allowed to conceal himself near Donghua Mountain, forbidden from easily setting foot in the academy. This was the Great Sui Dynasty’s respect for Cliff Academy, or rather, the Great Sui Emperor’s trust in the old scholar, Mao Xiaodong.

Inside Wenzheng Hall, incense burned in worship of the three Sages honored by the Cliff Academy lineage. In the center, naturally, was the Supreme Sage, the ancestor revered by all Confucian disciples in the world. Then there was the Literary Sage, whose identity was intentionally obscured on the portrait, and Qi Jingchun, the first Mountain Master of the academy.

The white-robed youth had submitted his credentials at the foot of the mountain and walked all the way here. He poked his head into the hall, but refused to go inside, standing outside the threshold, fuming. “Mao Xiaodong, are you deliberately trying to disgust me, or are you trying to harm me? Give me a straight answer today. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll just dust off my clothes and leave, and never come to this mountain to offend your eyes again!”

Mao Xiaodong remained with his eyes closed, his face indifferent. He said, “Either go in and offer incense, or explain things clearly. Otherwise, if I even glance at you, I’m your grandson.”

Cui Chan plopped down on the threshold. “Even if you’re willing to be my grandson, it depends on whether I’ll accept you. Tsk tsk, I wonder who it was who followed me around learning to play Go with two snotty noses hanging down, then studied the game for ten thousand years, and in the end I still had to give him two stones, and he was still slaughtered until his face turned ashen, his hands trembled, and he wanted to delay every move, stalling for a hundred years.”

Mao Xiaodong calmly said, “Go is just a minor skill.”

Cui Chan sneered, “‘The art of Go is a small matter’? Oh ho, who doesn’t know that among your untalented disciples, Mao Xiaodong, your scholarship was sparse, but you were the most respectful to your teacher, serving the old scholar even better than your own father. How did you start promoting the teachings of other sages? Especially this sage, who was the old scholar’s mortal enemy. What, you learn Go from me, and you want to learn how to be a person from me too?”

Mao Xiaodong, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, coldly said, “If I argue with your sophistry again, I’m your son.”

Cui Chan’s eyes darted around. “This time I came to Donghua Mountain because I have nowhere else to go, just a temporary stay. You, Mao Xiaodong, are now the esteemed Mountain Master of the academy, just turn a blind eye and it’ll pass. If you don’t want to see me, then don’t look. You won’t be bothered, and I’ll be free and easy, everyone’s happy.”

Mao Xiaodong scoffed, “With your nature of never doing anything without benefit, I’m afraid that in a few days, the academy will be destroyed by you at the hands of the Great Sui Dynasty. If you want to compete with the Great Sui Dynasty, I won’t stop you, but don’t even think about stirring things up here at Donghua Mountain. The academy is just an academy, a place for moral learning, not a place where you, Cui Chan, can just casually shit and piss without wiping your ass!”

Cui Chan frowned. “Didn’t you receive my secret letter? The one with a Go piece inside.”

Mao Xiaodong nodded. “I received it, but I didn’t open it. I quickly threw it into the furnace and then ran to wash my hands, otherwise I wouldn’t even dare to pick up my chopsticks to eat.”

These words were harsh enough, but Cui Chan wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. He stood up and went to the tall, elderly man, saying with a cheeky grin, “Xiaodong, I really didn’t come this time for some kind of scheme. I just want to study hard, bask in the sun, play Go with you, and take care of those children from the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven.”

Mao Xiaodong chuckled. “Believe you? Then I’m your ancestor.”

Cui Chan was now somewhat puzzled, pointing to his nose. “What’s wrong with being my ancestor? Is it a bad thing? How much of an advantage would you get?”

Mao Xiaodong twitched the corners of his mouth. “If I were your ancestor, wouldn’t you be so angry that you couldn’t keep the coffin lid down? I naturally wouldn’t want to be.”

Cui Chan raged, “Mao Xiaodong! That’s enough!”

The tall, elderly man shook his head with his eyes closed. “It’s not enough.”

Cui Chan pointed his finger at Mao Xiaodong. “Want to fight?”

Mao Xiaodong suddenly opened his eyes, his aura astonishing, like an angry Vajra in a temple. “Fighting is good. Before, in the Great Li Dynasty, I couldn’t beat you. But now, I’ll let you use one hand!”

Cui Chan blinked. “You’re my grandson now. It’s not appropriate for a grandson to hit his grandfather, right?”

Mao Xiaodong reached out and pressed on the ruler at his waist. “After I beat you to death, I’ll burn incense for you.”

Cui Chan quickly held out a hand. “Stop, stop, the old scholar and Qi Jingchun both asked me to bring you a message. Listen to it before you say anything.”

Mao Xiaodong narrowed his eyes, his murderous intent incomparably strong, even more so than when he opened his eyes. “Be careful that it’s not your last words.”

Cui Chan’s lips moved slightly.

After hearing the message in his heart, Mao Xiaodong stared intently at the white-robed youth, whose cultivation was only at the fifth realm, especially Cui Chan’s eyes. Human eyes are praised as the essence of spiritual energy because if one’s state of mind is like a lake, then one’s eyes are like the spring of a deep well. If the body is upright, then the spirit is clear. If the heart is evil, then the eyes are muddy.

If Mao Xiaodong had encountered the Great Li’s National Preceptor, Cui Chan, at the old Cliff Academy in the Great Li, then Mao Xiaodong would not have bothered with this effort, because the difference in their realms was there, a difference of two realms, like clouds and mud. No matter how long he looked, he couldn’t see anything. But now the situation was reversed, and it was Mao Xiaodong who was superior in cultivation. Of course, it was of some use. The key was that they had once been on the same sage lineage, so he could see things more clearly.

Mao Xiaodong retracted his gaze and strode away.

Cui Chan asked with a smile, “Where are you going? Not going to chat anymore?”

Mao Xiaodong snorted coldly. “Hurry up and wash your eyes, otherwise you’ll go blind!”

Cui Chan reached out and flicked at his clothes, self-satisfiedly saying, “This youthful appearance of mine is indeed devastatingly beautiful.”

Mao Xiaodong stopped and was about to turn around and move, after all, the old man had wanted to beat this ungrateful bastard to death for more than ten or twenty years.

A faint golden light flashed from Cui Chan’s sleeve, ready to strike. He said in shock, “Are you really going to move? Our Confucian sages use virtue to influence people, and gentlemen use reason to persuade people. Although you, Mao Xiaodong, have been implicated by your master and are still just a Worthy, even Worthies don’t roll up their sleeves and fight.”

Mao Xiaodong strode away.

Cui Chan quickly followed, hands clasped behind his back, drifting like a feather, relentlessly pestering. “How are Li Bao Ping and the others doing with their studies here? Have they turned the academy upside down?”

Mao Xiaodong said unpleasantly, “Yes.”
The smile on Cui Chan’s face froze, replaced by a sinister expression. “Could this be a warning shot across the bow?”

Mao Xiaodong scoffed, “I thought it was you, National Preceptor, stirring things up in the dark, trying to sow discord between the Academy and the Great Sui Dynasty, embarrassing the Emperor and ultimately destroying the Mountain Cliff Academy’s lineage.”

Cui Chan seemed a bit awkward, scratching his head and chuckling dryly, “Those old geezers in the capital might be capable of such schemes, but not me. I’m now always trying to put myself in others’ shoes, always acting with goodwill, correcting my… uh, I mean, I’ve been reforming my wicked ways for quite some time now.”

Mao Xiaodong sighed, gazing up at the pavilion atop Donghua Mountain. His voice was soft, yet his tone firm: “Cui Chan, if you dare do anything to harm the Academy, just once, and I will personally strike you down.”

Cui Chan waved it off dismissively. “Whatever, whatever makes you happy. Tell me what happened. I’m in a worse position than you right now, I swear. Who in this world is more miserable than me? Xiaodong, anytime you’re feeling down, I can tell you my story, guaranteed to cheer you up. But remember to bring a few jugs of wine. The Great Sui Emperor isn’t stingy; he must have rewarded you with plenty of good stuff.”

Mao Xiaodong cast a strange glance at the white-robed youth and shook his head before continuing forward, recounting the general situation.

He focused on the final battle within the Book Depository. Yu Lu alone faced two opponents, resulting in a stalemate where all three were critically injured. They entered standing tall – a young sage of the Cave Realm, an old swordsman of the Sea Gazing Realm, and a towering youth at the peak of the Sixth Realm of martial cultivation – but they were all carried out horizontally in the end.

This earth-shattering news was too much even for Vice Headmaster Mao Xiaodong to suppress.

That very night, the Great Sui Dynasty’s Minister of Rites, clad in his official robes, and a palace eunuch in a scarlet python-embroidered robe, accompanied by the Tenth Realm cultivator who had been lurking around Donghua Mountain, ascended the mountain together.

However, Mao Xiaodong, facing the three, simply stated that he would personally provide the Great Sui Emperor with an explanation. As for the rest, be they princes or ministers, none had the right to dictate terms to the Academy. The three hadn’t even intended to interrogate or condemn them, but Mao Xiaodong remained unapproachable, his attitude unyielding, leaving them utterly humiliated.

The Tenth Realm Qi cultivator nearly acted out then and there, but was fortunately stopped by the Minister of Rites. They hastily descended the mountain together to report to the Emperor.

The old swordsman and Li Changying joined the descending group, able to walk but looking sickly, as if recovering from a severe illness.

Mao Xiaodong finally asked, “In what capacity are you staying here?”

Cui Chan answered without hesitation, “If you had read my secret letters, you would know about Yu Lu and Xie Xie’s identities. We can reveal one. For example, if it’s Xie Lingyue, the top disciple of the Lu Clan Dynasty’s premier sect, I can appear as a senior elder from her sect. If it’s Yu Lu, then I’m one of the hidden gatekeepers of the Lu Clan imperial palace. Don’t worry, I’ve prepared both identities thoroughly; there won’t be any loopholes.”

Mao Xiaodong remained unconvinced, his brow furrowed with worry. “The Great Sui’s intelligence network is no less capable than the Great Li. Moreover, the Great Sui and the Lu Clan Dynasty have enjoyed friendly relations for generations…”

Cui Chan silenced the tall old man with a single question. “Who am I?”

As they parted ways, Mao Xiaodong, filled with years of suppressed resentment, couldn’t help but curse, “Who are you? You’re my son!”

Cui Chan cheerfully responded with a playful “Dad!”

Mao Xiaodong was taken aback for a moment, then clenched his teeth in frustration and vanished in a flash.

Cui Chan called out, “Where do those kids live? Tell me, Dad!”

The night grew silent, and no one answered.

Cui Chan rolled his eyes. “I’ll just knock on every door and find them myself. Who’s afraid of whom?”

Inside the Wenzheng Hall, Mao Xiaodong returned and stood before the altar, offering three incense sticks with reverence. He said sadly, “Teacher, Senior Brother, why did you do this? I can’t understand it! I know nothing can compare to the two of you, and if you did this, you must have had your reasons. But…”

The tall old man’s weathered face showed faint traces of tears as he continued, his voice filled with anguish, “But I can’t help feeling uneasy.”

Cui Chan certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to knock on every door one by one. He tapped his toes, soaring onto the roof of a student dormitory. He scanned the surroundings and saw a few places with lights still on, so he flew to the nearest one. He tiptoed over to the window, and even before seeing inside, he could hear the sound of rushing water. Cui Chan leisurely poked a hole in the window paper and, as expected, saw a “beauty bathing” scene. Unfortunately, the woman’s figure was truly unsightly. Just as Cui Chan felt he’d ruined his eyes, the girl standing inside the water bucket shrieked.

Instead of leaving, Cui Chan stood his ground and complained, “Hey, hey, I’m the one who’s suffering here!”

With a bang, water splashed across the window as a water ladle was hurled at him.

Cui Chan, already rubbing his eyes, drifted away, muttering, “My eyes hurt.”

Behind him, the shrieks grew louder as lights began to flicker on in nearby dormitories.

Relying on his memory, Cui Chan searched dormitory after dormitory, finally finding the people he sought. As luck would have it, Li Huai, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu were all together.

Yu Lu lay on his side in bed, pale but looking surprisingly well.

Li Huai sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the straw sandals on his feet, deep in thought.

Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi sat across from each other at the table, each reading a book.

Cui Chan pushed the door open and laughed, “Happy? Surprised?”

Li Baoping paused, then exclaimed in delight, “Where’s Little Martial Uncle?!”

Cui Chan stepped over the threshold, used his foot to hook the door shut with a bang, sat on the stool between Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi, and rolled his eyes. “The Teacher didn’t come, it’s just poor, lonely me.”

Li Baoping jumped up, ran to the door, opened it, and peered out for a long time, but couldn’t see Little Martial Uncle’s figure. She sat back down, dejected, and slumped onto the table, lifeless.

Lin Shouyi put down the book “Clouds Above the Langlang”, carefully bundled it with the golden thread, tucked it into his robes, and hesitated to speak.

Cui Chan poured himself a cup of tea and gulped it down in one go, waving his hand. “I know everything that happened.”

He smiled at Lin Shouyi. “Go get Xie Xie. Tell him his young master needs someone to pour tea and serve water.”

Lin Shouyi hesitated, and Cui Chan snapped, “What’s wrong? Do you secretly like Xie Xie, afraid I’ll make him warm my bed tonight? Are you blind, or am I blind?”

Helpless, Lin Shouyi got up and left the dormitory to call Xie Xie.
Cui Chan gazed at the listless Li Huai and smiled gently, “Li Huai, don’t be sad. Chen Ping’an heard about this and praised you, saying you’re bold, responsible, and a true hero.”

The boy suddenly raised his head, “Really?!”

Li Huai instantly beamed, his face splitting into a wide grin.

Li Baoping scoffed, “Are you daft? Little Martial Uncle has been away from the Great Sui capital for so long, how would he know about recent events at the academy? And would Little Martial Uncle praise someone like that?”

Li Baoping lifted her head, “At most, he’d smile, which would be pretty good. At most, he’d give you a thumbs up.”

The little girl suddenly straightened her back, folding her arms, “Little Martial Uncle’s praise and compliments are all reserved for me!”

Li Huai looked dejected.

He hesitated for a long time, then lowered his head, as if talking to his straw sandals, “Should I move in with Lin Shouyi?”

Li Baoping turned her head, “Li Huai, why are you still such a coward? Why should you be the one to move? Those three should be the ones to leave!”

The little girl suddenly lowered her head again, resting her face on the table, “Forget it, I’m not in a position to say such things.”

Yu Lu struggled to his feet, and Li Huai quickly helped him, supporting him against the wall. Yu Lu sat cross-legged, apologetically saying, “I’m unable to welcome the Young Master.”

Cui Chan ignored the tall youth, examining the simple decorations of the study hall. After a moment of silence, he said to Li Baoping, “Li Huai moving here is the right decision, and it has nothing to do with being cowardly or brave. Li Huai continuing to stay there is the worst option, moving here is a mediocre one, moving to Li Changying’s study hall is the best.”

At this moment, Lin Shouyi returned with Xie Xie. After Lin Shouyi sat down, the dark-skinned girl saw Cui Chan and was clearly filled with fear, only daring to stand by the doorway.

Li Baoping asked, puzzled, “I understand why it’s the best option. But what’s wrong with the worst option?”

Cui Chan swirled the white porcelain teacup, slowly saying, “Stealing things and bullying Li Huai are the common behavior of immature children. Moreover, young blood is the most unreasonable. You haven’t encountered the real world. Those hot-blooded wandering swordsmen can kill entire families over a single disagreement. Afterwards, they’re arrested by the authorities and beheaded. Guess what they’ll do? Even when the executioner is staring at their necks, thinking about how to swing the blade, those fellows are still smug and have no regrets. Do you think they’re afraid of death? They don’t hesitate to kill, and they don’t bow their heads when killed. That’s just how formidable they are.”

Li Huai listened intently, wondering if these people were insane. Could there really be such unreasonable people in the world?

Cui Chan smiled, “So even if those children apologize, they’ll be beaten black and blue by their fathers afterward. Perhaps one day, in a fit of anger, feeling aggrieved, and always holding a grudge, they’ll be provoked by someone with malicious intent. They’ll be told, ‘So-and-so, you’re the son of a Duke or Marquis. How can you be so oppressed? Are you worthy of your ancestors in heaven? Your family’s ancestral portrait still hangs in the Great Sui’s Zixiao Pavilion.'”

Yu Lu nodded slightly.

As the Crown Prince of the Lu Dynasty, he was no stranger to this and was probably the one in the room who understood Cui Chan’s words the most.

Cui Chan chuckled twice and continued, “Then they’ll feel that’s right, how can they be so weak in their own territory? How will they get by in the future? Wouldn’t they drag their family down and become the laughingstock of the entire capital? So one night, they’ll directly slit Li Huai’s throat. Perhaps those three sons of wealthy and powerful families can’t be as heroic as the wandering swordsmen when facing death, but by the time they get to that point, Li Huai will already be dead. Does it even matter if they regret it or are scared witless?”

Li Huai’s face turned pale.

Yu Lu reached out and patted the boy’s shoulder to comfort him. The boy turned his head, but his smile was more like a grimace.

Cui Chan put down the teacup and tapped the table lightly, “Apart from those who truly act impulsively, there are bound to be many deeply rooted conflicts of interest. Some are testing the waters, some are fanning the flames, some are fishing in troubled waters. They all exist, but it doesn’t matter, I’m here. From now on, you just need to focus on your studies. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”

Everyone in the study hall felt complicated.

Cui Chan laughed heartily, “What? Don’t believe me? Is it that you don’t believe I have the ability, or that you don’t believe I have the kindness? If it’s the former, you can wait and see. If it’s the latter… well, my teacher Chen Ping’an was worried that you would be bullied, so he hasn’t been able to truly settle down on this journey. So he made a profitable deal with me, asking me to watch over you while you study at the academy. Now you should believe me, right?”

Cui Chan looked at Li Baoping, “True chivalry of the martial world never lies in momentary recklessness.”

He then looked at Lin Shouyi, “The mountains are high and the rivers flow, the future is long. If you really feel uncomfortable holding a grudge against someone in this life, then deal with the enemy first, and then bully their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons. Isn’t it said that a gentleman takes ten years to avenge himself?”

Finally, he looked at Li Huai, “Remember, whether a cultivator is seeking revenge or repaying a debt, a hundred years is not too long.”

Cui Chan clapped his hands to himself, “Alright, I’ve said what I needed to say.”

Cui Chan smacked his forehead, “Oh right, Little Baoping, when my teacher and I were passing through a mountain range, we were lucky enough to encounter a large group of migrating crucian carp. Then my teacher heard that among ten thousand migrating crucian carp, there might be an ancient golden crucian carp patriarch. My teacher actually dragged me to squat in a tree like idiots, just staring blankly, waiting for more than an hour before we found a golden crucian carp that had deliberately rolled around in the mud.”

Li Baoping’s eyes widened, and she stood on the bench, then squatted down, as if that way, she could be closer to Little Martial Uncle and that crucian carp.

Cui Chan shook his head and swayed, “After he got down from the tree, he stumbled all the way and finally caught this rare crucian carp. Originally, he wanted to give it to you as soon as possible, but migrating crucian carp can only survive out of water for at most half a month. Even that one in his hand would only last a little over a month. If he told the truth to the people at the post station and asked them to put it in the water every few days to keep it alive, Chen Ping’an didn’t trust the post station. He was afraid they would be tempted by the treasure and run away with it along the way, leaving you disappointed. So he said that after he got home, when he went to visit your elder brother to tell him you were safe, he would put it in Li Xisheng’s care first.”
Li Baoping’s eyes shone with excitement, all traces of her previous dejection vanished, transforming her once again into the naive and eager young girl embarking on her studies.

Cui Chan sighed, “Little Baoping, my master is truly good to you, always thinking of you whenever there’s something good. Honestly, I don’t understand it. My master is so stingy, barely adding any oil or salt to his stewed meat and fish. Yet, when it comes to you, how can he treat real treasures so casually? He’s not a fool, either.”

Oh, great.

The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket furrowed her brow, her lips downturned, on the verge of tears.

Cui Chan quickly explained, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. The crucian carp can’t be sent to the academy via the postal stations, but letters can. Chen Ping’an has written letters to all of you at the border stations of the Great Sui Dynasty. They should arrive in about ten to fifteen days. Whether you cry or laugh then is up to you little ancestors.”

Cui Chan finally said helplessly, “Chen Ping’an also said that his student, Cui Chan, is still a big bad egg, and you shouldn’t trust him. But if you encounter any problems, it’s okay to ask for his help.”

After hearing Cui Chan’s words, Li Baoping and the others believed most of it. Even Yu Lu and Xie Xie believed at least half.

Li Huai went with Lin Shouyi to rest at the schoolhouse. Li Baoping returned to her own quarters, parting ways with the two of them halfway.

After the three children left, Cui Chan waited for a moment, drank another cup of tea, and then left Yu Lu’s residence with Xie Xie.

The young girl was tense, cautiously following behind the white-robed youth. She was even more nervous than she had been when facing the “Great Sui general’s son whose father had died.”

Without Li Baoping and the other children present, Cui Chan was expressionless, not even turning his head as he coldly asked, “Why didn’t you act against Li Changying? Was it out of fear or reluctance?”

Xie Xie honestly replied, “Reporting to Master, it was both.”

Cui Chan stopped in his tracks and slapped the girl hard across the face. “You’ve been eating and drinking for free all this time, and in the end, you only beat up a Great Sui youngster whose father is dead? You’re really something! Why don’t you fly up to the heavens?”

The young girl, her cheek swollen and red, mustered her courage and met Cui Chan’s gaze. “Why should I do something that I know is impossible? Master, tell me!”

Cui Chan slapped her again. “Because your life is worthless, not even worth one of Li Huai’s fingers! In my eyes, you’re utterly worthless!”

The young girl felt a wave of despair, biting her lip until it bled.

Cui Chan raised his arm as if to strike again. The young girl was terrified of him, not daring to move, but she turned her head away.

Cui Chan smiled and actually retracted his hand, finally reaching out slowly and gently patting the young girl’s cheek. “So afraid of me, huh? Good. I thought you shameless little hussy’s wings had hardened after not seeing you for a while. I’m both disappointed and relieved.”

The young girl’s expression was numb.

Cui Chan continued walking, suddenly saying, “I can help you remove half of the Dragon-Binding Nails that are firmly embedded in your soul. Then you can quickly return to the Cave Realm.”

Xie Xie asked softly, “Why?”

Cui Chan didn’t turn around, kicking backward without warning, striking the young girl in the abdomen. Caught off guard, the young girl almost fell backward, writhing in pain for a moment.

Cui Chan said calmly, “I just figured out a principle, learned from Chen Ping’an. He holds onto a single copper coin as if it were a tael of silver to spend. Since you are a tael of silver, why would I spend you like a copper coin?”

Tears welled up in the young girl’s eyes.

Copper coins, silver taels.

Such a crude and vulgar way of putting it, and it was all about one’s life, merely linked to a copper coin, a silver tael.

Which cultivation genius who could bring renown to a dynasty wouldn’t calculate the gold and silver spent on ascending realms in terms of “seats” and “mountains”?

Cui Chan rubbed his chin as he walked, lost in thought. Coming back to his senses, he turned his head and smiled brightly. “Do you want to tear off that mask and show your true face? Your master is in a good mood today and is generously offering to help. From now on, your name will be changed back to Xie Lingyue, okay? Aren’t you going to be moved to tears of gratitude for your master?”

The young girl, who had always been willing to take his abuse without fighting back, cried out in a shrill voice, “No!”

Cui Chan stopped, turning around to look at the distraught girl, tsking repeatedly. “You’re still embarrassed.”

The young girl knelt on the ground, her face covered in tears, sobbing intermittently. “Please, Master, don’t do this… I’m willing to continue being the ordinary Xie Xie… Please don’t tear off this mask, I beg you, Master…”

Cui Chan held up two fingers. “Choose one of two: tear off the mask or reveal Xie Lingyue’s identity. Choose quickly, or I might not even leave you a choice.”

The young girl slowly raised her head, her gaze filled with the sorrow of a dying young deer. She said in a trembling voice, “I choose to change my name.”

Cui Chan shook his head. “See, you still deny being a little hussy. What national loyalty or sect values? Turns out, they can’t compare to your own face. Fine, soon you’ll be Xie Lingyue of the foremost immortal residence in the Lu Dynasty. Xie Xie, hurry up and thank your master.”

The young girl said bitterly, “Thank you, Master.”

Cui Chan strode forward, kicking the young girl, sending her sprawling. “You should say, ‘Thank you, thank you, Master!'”

The young girl lay on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly. “Thank you, thank you, Master.”

Cui Chan rolled his eyes. “Boring. Go back yourself.”

He returned the way he had come, heading alone toward Yu Lu’s schoolhouse, leaving the sobbing young girl alone there.

But before he left, Cui Chan uttered a strange remark, but unfortunately, the young girl couldn’t hear it. “Changing a name is like changing one’s fate. From now on, Xie Lingyue will have nothing but good luck. If you don’t believe it, just wait and see. Haha, it’s truly a blessing for ten lifetimes to have met a master like me who scatters wealth like this.”

The young girl sat there in a daze, even forgetting to wipe away her tears.

The winter night wind was bitterly cold.

The wind rose from the tip of the green blade of grass, but no matter what, on the girl’s side, all that blew was dead ashes.

When Cui Chan returned to the schoolhouse, Yu Lu was already sitting at the table, his face rosy and his spirits high. Seeing Cui Chan, he smiled and stood up. “Master, please forgive me.”

Cui Chan said, “Sit down. Considering that you’re much smarter than Xie Xie, and your talent is a bit better, I won’t bother arguing with you.”
Yu Lu obediently sat down and poured a cup of tea for Cui Chan, his movements natural and fluid, showing no sign of the severe injuries that should have confined him to bed.

Cui Chan accepted the teacup and asked with a smile, “Tell me, why did you step in to clean up the mess?”

Yu Lu sat there, hands tucked into his sleeves as if seeking warmth. His tall frame made him appear hunched, especially compared to the shorter white-robed youth across from him. He spoke slowly, “The first reason, of course, is that I originally felt life held no promise. But along this path of learning, I suddenly realized something was quite interesting, so I acted on impulse.”

“Secondly, a foreign stone can polish jade. Having journeyed so far, I was somewhat unwilling, always wanting to put my knowledge to practical use. But Chen Ping’an’s realm is too low, and you, young master, keep too much aloof. Those imps and monsters are all dealt with by Lin Shouyi, and their cultivation is not enough to be worthy of my attention. What to do? I simply used this opportunity to regard that Great Sui swordsman as a whetstone to advance in my martial path. Anyway, life is boring; seeing a higher vista won’t cost me anything.”

Cui Chan smiled and said, “A stepping stone would be more accurate.”

Yu Lu nodded with a smile, “Young master is right.”

Cui Chan: “Continue.”

Yu Lu pondered for a moment.

Cui Chan asked with a smile, “Or should I help you explain?”

Yu Lu smiled wryly, “As long as I don’t die, Chen Ping’an will feel he owes me a favor in the future.”

Yu Lu was somewhat nervous but dared not hope to deceive him. He had to bite the bullet and said, “Young master previously said that my temperament and that of Xie Xie are worlds apart from Chen Ping’an’s, so I could never be his friend in this lifetime. I know that’s probably right, but deep down, I still don’t believe it. Even though you are standing before me, young master, I still have that impudent thought: I want to try. If I can prove you wrong, young master, that would be the best.”

Yu Lu stood up, resigning himself to his fate, “I really didn’t expect you to return, young master. Please punish me.”

Cui Chan gestured downwards with his hand, “A threefold benefit in one fell swoop. You did it beautifully. I’m overjoyed to have a servant like you; what punishment is there to speak of?”

Yu Lu sat down generously.

Perhaps this was the biggest difference between him and Xie Xie.

That girl was equally clever, but she wanted many things she might never obtain in her lifetime. In contrast, this tall youth could let go of anything. The things he wanted to pick up were not too heavy, and they never concerned Cui Chan’s overall plan, so he lived more easily.

The Great Li National Preceptor, Cui Chan, was universally acknowledged to be extremely skilled in strategy.

Yu Lu and Xie Xie, living with the white-robed youth day and night, were in constant engagement with him in a game of strategy. Xie Xie put too much effort into her moves, which made Cui Chan feel she was hopelessly foolish, and he didn’t even bother to glance at her. Yu Lu only showed off his cleverness in unimportant matters, playing a few small, well-worn strategies that Cui Chan had long grown tired of. This would make Cui Chan nod, thinking he was passable.

Xie Xie carried too heavy a burden in her heart and looked too far ahead. Although she was extremely resilient and admirable, having escaped the Great Li Empress’s control only to become Cui Chan’s puppet was her great misfortune.

Yu Lu, on the other hand, saw the subtle human hearts nearby clearly and asked for little, so he lived with ease.

From Cui Chan’s sleeve flew that “Golden Autumn” sword, shaped like a head of wheat, spinning rapidly around the lamp flame.

Yu Lu’s expression didn’t change as he asked with a smile, “Aren’t you afraid your identity will be revealed by entering the academy like this, young master?”

Cui Chan stared intently at the flying sword and said softly, “To stop killing with killing, to control evil with evil, you understand?”

Yu Lu nodded.

Cui Chan continued to gaze at the golden trails left by the flying sword. The strands of sword energy were dissipating slower than they were being generated, intertwining to form a golden sphere with the lamp flame at its center.

Cui Chan said, “The same principle. Give Great Sui a seemingly absurd reason. If one isn’t enough, then two. As long as it’s not more than three, two should be just right.”

Yu Lu hesitated for a moment and said with a wry smile, “How about substituting me for the first one?”

Cui Chan glanced at him sideways, “Showing chivalry?”

Yu Lu sighed and said nothing more.

Cui Chan smiled and said, “You see clearly because you’re too close, but remember, a leaf can block the view of the entire mountain. If you only see all the veins of a single leaf…”

Cui Chan stopped speaking, closed his eyes, and said something that surprised Yu Lu, “If one can truly see through the deepest parts of the most minute details, that’s excellent, better than excellent. You should know that this is actually one of my Great Daos!”

Yu Lu seemed utterly unable to comprehend and didn’t dwell on it.

Cui Chan stood up and silently left the schoolhouse.

Long after Cui Chan had left, Yu Lu reached out a hand from his sleeve and looked down. His palm was covered in sweat.

That Great Li National Preceptor had once jokingly said that the fundamental tenets of the three major powers that had established sects and claimed ancestors in the world were nothing more than profoundly supreme Daoist arts, extensively broad rules, and exceedingly far-reaching Buddhist doctrines.

Then what about this extreme smallness?

What the world calls a leaf blocking the view…

If someone truly, completely saw through that single leaf, would it still block the view?

Yu Lu abruptly raised an arm and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead, his face full of pain. He murmured, “Don’t think, don’t think about these things yet.”

Cui Chan arrived outside the Wen Zheng Hall, which he had previously refused to enter, and stepped directly across the threshold. He picked up a stick of incense, just one stick, instead of the customary three.

Holding the incense in one hand, he flicked the tip with the other, instantly igniting it.

Cui Chan didn’t look at the Supreme Sage Confucius. He glanced at Qi Jingchun’s portrait, then shifted his gaze to the portrait of the old scholar, held the incense in both hands at his forehead, and silently prayed in his heart.

Then, opening his eyes, Cui Chan had none of the devout solemnity of someone burning incense. He stuck the incense into the incense burner on the altar, raised his head, and said with a playful grin to the portrait, “Old man, I’m just borrowing a little, don’t be too stingy. Not much, just three realms, only three realms, and only effective on Eastern Flower Mountain. Is that alright? I’m already a Fifth Realm cultivator now, so you can see that I, Cui Chan, have learned a lot by being with the teacher you arranged for me, right? Now your most proud disciple’s most proud disciple has encountered trouble, and I’ve been entrusted with an important task by my own teacher. You have to show some support, right?”

Cui Chan waited patiently, but nothing happened. After the incense stick was lit, it didn’t burn down at all.
Cui Chan erupted in a torrent of curses, “Old geezer, are you truly abandoning me?! Even invoking Qi Jingchun’s name is useless? What kind of teacher are you, damn it! You old turtle, hey, hey, are you listening? I’m scolding you, you heartless and unrighteous bastard…”

It was of no use whatsoever.

Cui Chan spun around anxiously, then closed his eyes once more, tentatively repeating the mantra, only this time adding the names “Chen Ping’an” and “Li Bao Ping.”

A moment later, the incense stick within the incense burner burned out with astonishing speed.

Cui Chan, however, fell silent.

With a solemn face, he turned to leave.

From the moment Cui Chan stepped over the threshold, he had already ascended to the ninth realm of Qi Refining.

A full four realms higher than he’d initially requested – not the eighth realm of Dragon Gate, but the Golden Core realm, where “only those who forge a golden core can be counted as one of us!”

Cui Chan stopped outside the threshold, lifting his head to gaze at the heavens in a daze.

Soon, Cui Chan regained his cynical expression, making a gesture as if to gouge out his own eyes, and continued forward, “Considering you my teacher was a mistake on my part, Cui Chan was blind. From today onward, I am called Cui Dongshan, merely a student of Chen Ping’an!”

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching, soul-searing pain erupted in his palm.

The pain made Cui Chan jump up on the spot, and he hopped and skipped away until he reached the mountain peak, where he finally came to a halt.

Cui Chan gasped for breath, trembling all over, shaking his arm vigorously.

A student from the academy who couldn’t sleep and had come to the mountaintop to admire the scenery was dumbfounded, wondering if this fellow was having a seizure.

Cui Chan bared his teeth and roared at the oblivious fellow, “Get lost, or I’ll screw your mother!”

Unexpectedly, the unassuming fellow was also a ruthless character willing to lose a thousand to wound eight hundred, “She passed away a long time ago.”

Just as Cui Chan was about to slap this little bastard to death, a tall, elderly man appeared on the mountain peak. The academy student quickly bowed to the old man and fled down the mountain.

Cui Chan raged, “You, Mao! What’s that brat’s name, and where does he live?!”

Mao Xiaodong scrutinized Cui Chan, observing his aura and discerning his depth. He then walked down the mountain with a stern face, coldly saying as he brushed past Cui Chan, “Since that’s the case, you better behave yourself and stay in the academy. I, Mao Xiaodong, will just hold my nose and tolerate the stench. Don’t forget this is the capital of the Great Sui, think thrice before acting!”

Cui Chan leaped onto the branch of the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, surveyed the surroundings, and finally fixed his gaze on a secluded residence near Donghua Mountain, launching into a tirade: “That old turtle bastard named Cai Jingshen, yes, I’m talking to you, come and acknowledge your ancestors! I’m going to lecture you on family rules and ancestral teachings today! Hurry up and bathe, change clothes, and kowtow to listen!”

Mao Xiaodong took a deep breath and quickened his pace down the mountain.

The white-robed youth continued to curse, “Grandson Cai Jingshen, don’t be a shrinking turtle, hurry home and call your sons and grandsons to kowtow to their ancestors, quickly, the ancestor is waiting here!”

From the residence near Donghua Mountain, a beam of rainbow light erupted from the ground, rising to the same height as the peak of Donghua Mountain, and a burly figure roared, “Courting death!”

The white-robed youth replied with an even louder voice, “The old ancestor is here looking for a turtle grandson, not courting death!”

The burly old man roared, “Get out here!”

As the old man ascended, lights began to illuminate the surroundings, centered around Donghua Mountain, growing in number and distance.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the white-robed youth chuckled, “Good grandson, hurry up and roll in here!”

The old man seemed stunned by the little madman’s words, and was speechless for a moment.

The white-robed youth pressed his advantage, “Who the hell gave you the guts to bully my disciples? Cai Jingshen, hurry up and cut yourself to death with a knife, remember to cut sincerely, cut with the demeanor of a tenth realm cultivator! Then I, the ancestor, might consider it a mistake, and maybe even forgive you…”

The renowned elder of the Great Sui roared in anger, almost deafening the surrounding ten miles, “Mao Xiaodong! If your academy won’t control this crazy madman, I, Cai Jingshen, will help you! You only need to collect his corpse, I’ll take responsibility with His Majesty!”

The old man stood against the wind, facing the cliffside academy, stomped heavily, raised his arm, and made a throwing motion.

A snow-white spear intertwined with lightning hurtled away, piercing straight towards the ginkgo tree on the peak of Donghua Mountain.

The white-robed youth laughed heartily, “Well done, grandson finally knows to show filial piety to his ancestor! Courtesy demands reciprocity, the old ancestor bestows a reward, grandson Cai Jingshen should receive it well!”

The lightning spear lunged towards the mountaintop tree, soon entering the airspace of the academy’s territory.

This newly established Cliffside Academy, having experienced many trials and tribulations, was no longer one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, but with Mao Xiaodong seated within, it still possessed the geographical advantage of a small world blessed by a sage. However, whether the academy felt guilty or Mao Xiaodong was unwilling to antagonize Cai Jingshen, they unhesitatingly removed the territorial defenses, allowing the two men on and off the mountain to engage in a fair and just duel.

On the ginkgo tree side, a faint golden light burst into the sky, appearing insignificant compared to the majestic two-zhang long lightning spear.

But while laymen watched the excitement, experts knew the true value.

As the golden light soared from the mountaintop to meet the lightning spear, many who had previously held it in contempt began to focus their attention.

The miniature flying sword cleaved a path through the air, revealing dim cracks in the surrounding space. This was the legendary collision between earthly matter and the river of time, requiring the flying sword’s speed, the strength of its material, and the power of its sword intent.

A natal flying sword of this level was said to be able to cut through anything with a flash of light!

As expected, the lightning spear, intended more as a probe than a fatal blow, was instantly shattered by the golden light.

Electric sparks scattered in the air, like a dazzling rain of fire.

Cai Jingshen sneered, “You have some skill, come again!”

This time, the old man finally unleashed his full power, launching lightning spears towards Donghua Mountain one after another.

The golden sword light blazed even brighter, drawing streaks of dazzling light outside the mountain peak.

Cui Chan sat cross-legged high in the ginkgo tree, leisurely, with a square jade seal resting in his palm.
Cui Chan showed no excitement from the fierce battle, appearing instead weary and bored, a sneer in his heart.

*My mentor is but one now, few of my fellow disciples catch my eye, the number of true friends I have in life is scarce, and the beauties that capture my attention are rare… but my magical treasures are plentiful!*

That night was truly a spectacle, filled with twists and turns. In the end, half of the Great Sui Dynasty’s capital was awakened. People donned their robes and went out, either gazing at Donghua Mountain from their courtyards, or even climbing trees, walls, and rooftops. They watched a long-lasting battle of immortals with great relish, especially the children, who were overjoyed, only regretting that they didn’t have enough melon seeds and pastries to eat.

The two immortals fought from late at night until the break of dawn, causing the officials, both high and low, who had been up all night, to attend the morning court in a state of exhaustion.

Afterwards, a master of the arts made a rough calculation. Apart from the initial golden flying sword, the mysterious white-robed immortal from Donghua Mountain revealed as many as twenty-six magical treasures, each dazzling and of astonishing quality, never using the same one twice!

Some busybodies in the capital had secretly begun to refer to him as the Old Ancestor of the Cai Family.

The Cai family, a wealthy and influential clan in the capital, seemed to have genuinely acknowledged a new ancestor. The next day, no one dared to leave their house.

That same day, Li Huai received his long-lost set of small clay figurines, along with belated apologies from his three roommates.

At that moment, the timid and weak child, only seven years old, neither wept with joy nor muttered a word.

The child simply missed his parents and older sister.

Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, thank you, the white-robed youth who called himself Cui Dongshan.

The child thanked them one by one.

Lin Shouyi went to the library again, leaving the child alone in the study hall. This was the first time he had skipped class. Although he wasn’t good at studying, he had never missed a lesson from the teachers and masters, no matter how wronged he felt, even if he had been beaten black and blue. But today, Li Huai squatted outside the study hall, not attending class, but basking in the gentle winter sun, lightly writing his family’s names with a branch.

This time, the child did not cry.

In the Great Sui capital, a group of three, dressed in shabby clothes, asked for directions as they slowly walked towards the Cliffside Academy.

The plump woman, with fierce eyes, slapped her man on the head in anger after her daughter once again asked for directions in broken Great Sui official language. “You useless thing! Once we get to the academy, you just stay at the foot of the mountain, so you don’t embarrass our son!”

The short and stout, henpecked man, carrying a large bag, retorted with a rare touch of firmness, “Let’s meet him anyway. We brought some food for our son. It’ll be tiring for you to carry it up the mountain.”

The woman was furious, and with her hands on her hips, she scolded, “Li Er, is that all you’re good for? Fine, your mother and I are tough enough to leave. You, on the other hand, a grown man, want to see our son at the last minute?”

The woman reached out and pinched the man’s waist meat hard, but after pinching for a long time, nothing happened, and she had to give up in frustration. “You’re all muscle, but you only use your strength to bully your mother at night!”

The man chuckled.

The woman kicked him and said flirtatiously, “You dog!”

Beside the man and woman, a slender young girl, as graceful as a willow branch, ignored her parents’ flirting and teasing, just smiling gently. She was happy at the thought of seeing her naughty younger brother soon.

The woman suddenly teared up, “I wonder if Huai’er has gotten fatter or thinner. I hope no one is bullying him. I, as his mother, don’t dare to scold anyone here.”

The man remained silent as usual.

This taciturn man, whose name his parents hadn’t put much thought into, finally looked towards the academy and grinned.

Bully my son?

Oh, if there really is someone, then I, Li Er, will go and meet this hero. No big deal.