(My cold is finally gone, sorry for the long wait everyone.)

A voice laced with respect and awe arose from behind, “Young Master Chen, what is the meaning of this?”

It was none other than Prefect Liu, finally snapping out of his daze.

While Liu Gao Hua, Prefect Liu’s son, could only glean fragmented knowledge of mountain and river deities, and妖魔 (yao mo, demons and monsters) from scholarly writings and tales of the strange, Prefect Liu, as the high-ranking official in charge of a prefecture’s livelihood, and especially of Rouge Prefecture, the premier prefecture of Caiyi Kingdom, knew far more of the hidden histories and secrets. At the very least, he had to be clear on the affairs of the city隍 (cheng huang) pavilion and the mountain and water deities; the Ministry of Rites of the Imperial Court would specifically dispatch someone to explain the mystical aspects to these local dignitaries.

Chen Pingan slightly calmed his Qi sea, reattached the gourd for nurturing swords, and turned to look at Prefect Liu, hesitating to speak.

His victory in this battle was incredibly perilous. In truth, after the battle in the city隍殿 (cheng huang dian) and drawing talismans for the young girl, his body was already at its limit. It was true that he could wield two flying swords of extraordinary origin without consuming the so-called spiritual Qi of a cultivator, because he was “inviting” the two little ancestors within the gourd to help him vanquish妖魔 (yao mo, demons and monsters). Their minds were connected, and their divine will intertwined, so the Serpent Scorpion Mistress’s trump card, the meticulously crafted “Great Snow Seals the Pass,” was meaningless to Chen Pingan. However, inviting 初一 (Chu Yi, First Day) and 十五 (Shi Wu, Fifteenth Day) would still consume Chen Pingan’s spirit and mental energy. If the assassin from the Buy-Box Pavilion, who claimed the surname Dou, hadn’t been frightened off, Chen Pingan would very likely have had his head taken, or at the very least, the battle would have ended in mutual destruction. In that case, not only would Chen Pingan’s Bridge of Longevity be broken, but even his path as a pure martial artist would have become fragmented and irreparable due to the damage to the origin of his physique and the foundation of his soul.

Chen Pingan didn’t know how to explain things for a while, as it involved too many secrets. Fortunately, Prefect Liu, seeing the immortal master’s troubled expression, didn’t press for details. Divine immortals walking in the mortal realm had many rules and taboos, and Prefect Liu was aware of this common knowledge. As long as he was sure that the young sword immortal before him was “one of us,” and wasn’t he a friend of his son, Liu Gao Hua? That was enough!

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries with Prefect Liu, Chen Pingan turned and walked towards the old man, squatting down to help the kind-hearted cultivator take his pulse. The pulse was steady, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. Once the effects of the “Great Snow Seals the Pass” were dispelled, he would soon awaken. Chen Pingan suddenly looked up, seeing the little girl blinking her big eyes, filled with curiosity.

A pair of naturally yin-yang eyes, under the guidance of the sun-warding talisman made of gold, now radiated a faint golden light.

Chen Pingan smiled and reached out to wipe the blood from her face, comforting her, “It’s okay now. Does it still hurt?”

The corners of the girl’s mouth curved upward, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Chen Pingan helped the old man up and placed him on a chair, then walked towards the door. Prefect Liu figured that staying close to this sword immortal was the safest option, so he followed Chen Pingan out of the main hall’s threshold. Chen Pingan walked to the Serpent Scorpion Mistress’s corpse. From the plain white cotton pouch around her waist, he found a small pink porcelain brush-washer, within which coiled a small white snake, no longer than an inch, extremely slender, raising its head to the sky and frantically hissing, but filled with bluster, as well as a sickly black scorpion, lying prone on the ground. Upon closer inspection, its body was shaped like an ink-colored琵琶 (pipa, a Chinese lute).

Chen Pingan’s thoughts stirred slightly. It was wishful thinking to command 初一 (Chu Yi, First Day) and 十五 (Shi Wu, Fifteenth Day) to slay powerful enemies, but it wasn’t difficult to let them come out and flaunt their might.

初一 (Chu Yi, First Day) transformed into a streak of snow-white rainbow light, darting out of the gourd for nurturing swords and heading straight for the antique brush-washer, hovering in the air above the two small creatures, scaring the white snake into trembling. Its slender body clung tightly to the inner wall of the brush-washer, while the little black scorpion even made a human-like gesture of covering its head. 初一 (Chu Yi, First Day) slowly spiraled and flew around the brush-washer, like a martial general inspecting a garrison, full of imposing aura.

At this moment, Prefect Liu was devoid of his prefectural authority and scholarly elegance, squatting down with Chen Pingan, marveling, “A true immortal sword, a true sword immortal indeed!”

Chen Pingan held the brush-washer, stood up, focused his gaze, and only then discovered that around the bottom of the brush-washer, there were subtle words like tadpoles slowly flowing and undulating, like a group of lively and lovely children playing childhood games, happily circling around.

In total, there were sixteen characters: Spring flowers, autumn moon, spring breeze, autumn trees, spring mountain, autumn stone, spring water, autumn frost.

Chen Pingan smiled knowingly, recalling the sisters he met on the Kun vessel, the elder sister 春水 (Chun Shui, Spring Water), with a steady personality, and the younger sister 秋實 (Qiu Shi, Autumn Fruit), who was more childlike. Chen Pingan couldn’t help but look up towards the southern sky, wondering if they had reached Old Dragon City yet? If he could see them again next time, Chen Pingan would like to give them this beautiful brush-washer, but unfortunately, the brush-washer had 春水 (Chun Shui, Spring Water) but not 秋實 (Qiu Shi, Autumn Fruit), with a difference of one character, unable to be completely pieced together, otherwise it would be even better.

But the current Chen Pingan didn’t know that some regrets could not be made perfect, and some regrets were some lasting regrets.

Chen Pingan said, “Lord Liu, respect the dead. Could you help collect the body of this woman and find a place to bury her in the future? I will pay for all expenses.”

Prefect Liu laughed, “There’s no need for Young Master Chen to worry about such a small matter. Just leave everything to the Prefectural Office, and we will handle it properly.”

Prefect Liu composed his smile and tentatively said, “But this time, the妖魔 (yao mo, demons and monsters) wreaked havoc, and that old rascal surnamed Huang harbored evil intentions. Perhaps Young Master Chen will still need to use his flying sword to镇妖魔 (zhen yao mo, suppress妖魔 (yao mo, demons and monsters))?”

Chen Pingan bitterly smiled, “I temporarily need a large bucket, filled with boiling hot water. As for medicinal materials, I already have them myself. I need to soak for at least several hours to recuperate.”

Prefect Liu nodded, “Of course, of course. This official will have the servants of the mansion prepare it immediately. Young Master Chen’s health is paramount, paramount. The safety of tens of thousands of people in Rouge Prefecture now rests on Young Master Chen alone, and there must be no slightest mishap. This official will go and have it done…”

Prefect Liu hurried away. The implication was that this local official of the fourth rank in Caiyi Kingdom was speaking quite frankly, without being circuitous. Even though Chen Pingan didn’t dabble in officialdom, he certainly understood. However, he could neither pat his chest and guarantee anything, nor could he shirk his responsibility on the eve of battle. He could only smile bitterly and remain silent.

Besides sending swords, Chen Pingan had only four words for everything: within his ability.

It was the same for the Golden city隍 (cheng huang) Shen Wen, and it was the same for this territorial magnate guarding his domain.
Finally, in a quiet room, Chen Pingan was completely immersed in a large medicinal bath. The herbs were a gift from Wei Bo before leaving Longquan County, enough for three uses. Of course, Wei Bo could have given more, as the Northern Mountain God’s coffers were full, and the Treasure Trove at Ox Horn Mountain had plenty of rare materials. However, Wei Bo didn’t want to give too much all at once, jokingly saying it was bad luck. Giving too much would seem like he didn’t care if Chen Pingan ever returned. He hoped Chen Pingan would have a smooth journey, suffering no more than three injuries, just for good luck.

Before entering the room, Chen Pingan asked Prefect Liu to keep his secret, not to reveal that he was a “Sword Immortal.” Prefect Liu understood completely and agreed readily, almost swearing an oath.

At the same time, he returned the Divine Speed Talisman to Prefect Liu, saying it was for his Daoist friend, Zhang Shan.

As Chen Pingan soaked, he clearly sensed earth-shattering movements from the City God Pavilion in Rouge County. However, Chen Pingan couldn’t afford to worry about it, so he simply didn’t dwell on it, focusing on nourishing his vital energy. He combined the Sword Qi Eighteen Stops taught by Liang, and the breathing techniques taught by Old Yang, entering a meditative state in the water, forming the Sword Furnace Seal from the Earth-Shaking Fist manual with his hands, like a withered tree in winter, quietly awaiting the spring breeze.

That night, Rouge County was still engulfed in fighting. On one hand, the demons had successfully activated their array, and people everywhere were possessed by demonic influences, keeping the Prefect’s office busy. On the other hand, it was both good and bad. The good news was that General Ma from the east gate sent a secret message that the Old Devil Huang, disguised as a celestial being, had somehow turned on his comrades and was fighting three others at the City God Temple. The bad news was that the four weren’t holding back, unleashing their signature treasures and sinister spells, destroying hundreds of houses and causing heavy casualties among the people. The elite cavalry under General Ma, rushed in from their garrison to reinforce Rouge County. They couldn’t charge through the streets on horseback, so they had to dismount and fight on foot. They were clad in iron armor, wielding powerful bows and crossbows, but against those four demonic cultivators from the mountains, only the dozens of specially crafted arrows from the Prefect’s arsenal could pose a real threat. The other arrows couldn’t keep up with their movements, or were deflected before they got close. Some arrows were even caught by the demons during battle and flung back, killing or wounding over eighty elite soldiers.

It was impossible to inflict damage, even at the cost of death.

General Ma truly deserved the title of “undaunted warrior”. Having fought bravely on the border battlefields, he led from the front against these cultivators, and on several occasions, he and his deputy seized the opportunity to engage a lone demon in close combat. This enraged the “Old Immortal Huang” and Old Devil Mi, who were fighting each other to the death. They called a brief truce to severely wound General Ma and his deputy. If not for the dozen or so personal guards who used special Moist bows and arrows to intercept, and the few who shielded them with their lives, they wouldn’t have escaped the battlefield alive, and would have died that night in Rouge County.

Later that night, the “Old Immortal Huang”, fighting three opponents at once, had a handful of “white rice” sprinkled on his head by Old Devil Mi. His entire body hissed and smoked, covered in countless bloody holes. He had to use earth-burrowing magic to escape underground, and the three devils began to search for him, mercilessly killing any constables or soldiers who dared to stand in their way.

At dawn, Chen Pingan dressed and left the room, only to find Liu Gao Xin sitting at the end of the corridor, dozing on a small stool.

The young lady was a light sleeper and quickly woke up, afraid of drooling in her sleep. She quickly turned her head to wipe her face.

She hadn’t been back to the residence long. She changed into clean clothes and came to sit here as a gatekeeper.

Chen Pingan and she went to the main hall together, asking and answering, and Chen Pingan learned about the recent movements in the county. He was a little surprised to hear that the demons had turned on each other, but the fierce battle couldn’t be faked. Although he didn’t know the details, it was still a good thing for Rouge County, but no one could control the extra casualties.

In Cui Chan’s words, there was one guy in the world who was the most powerful, those who obeyed him prospered, and those who defied him perished.

The white-clad young strategist had deliberately kept it a secret, but there was no way to make eyes at a blind person, so Chen Pingan refused to answer, and the young Cui Chan had no choice but to give the answer himself, calling it “the great trend”.

Such was the great trend.

Cui Chan also said that the rise and fall of this great human field depended on the direction of certain great trends.

Chen Pingan was not interested in what Cui Chan was talking about, because he did not understand it at all, and he was actually afraid of being followed by that guy.

Don’t look at Lin Shiyi, Li Huai, and Yu Lu Thank You, who are not very close to Cui Chan, but in fact, they should all have a considerable amount of awe, or even admiration, for this person in their hearts.

Of course, only the little girl in the red cotton jacket, Li Baoping, was not in this list.

It was the young Cui Chan who was afraid of her.

Through Liu Gao Xin’s words, Chen Pingan learned that there was war everywhere in the county. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, among other Jianghu experts and mountain cultivators, would return briefly to rest and bandage their wounds, and then go out to continue suppressing the demonic disturbances everywhere. During this period, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng also encountered a young master of the demonic path, who should be one of the key figures in the arrangement of the formation. The two sides fought for less than a cup of tea, and it was a dangerous situation. The big-bearded man had a large piece of flesh torn from his shoulder by his bare-handed opponent. Later, the Daoist priest Chong Miao arrived with a bronze warrior to help, and only then did he force back the ruthless demon.

Moreover, for some reason, her sister and brother, who had already safely left the city, returned to the mansion with her master. After talking to her father behind closed doors in the study, her master took her eldest sister and second brother to the backyard, as if they had encountered something very strange, and it was not clear whether it was good or bad. If it was good, everyone would be happy, if it was bad, everything would be over. In short, her father and master were unwilling to let the young girl Liu Gao Xin get involved in it. She was busy putting out fires everywhere tonight, and she really couldn’t take care of it.

Then, the girl from the Zhao family who was rescued by Chen Pingan, and the stubborn boy who depended on the girl for life, had been arranged to live in the Prefect’s mansion.
As Chen Ping’an and Liu Gaoxing approached the main hall, they sensed a heavy atmosphere. Quickening their pace, they entered to find a room thick with the stench of blood. An aged Daoist, his Daoist robes torn, slumped in a chair, his face smeared with blood and his hair disheveled. Blood gushed from a wound in his chest, and countless other injuries covered his body, defying any attempt at bandaging. He was in a desolate state, barely drawing breath. Prefect Liu, Xu Yuanxia, the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng, and an old man with a writing brush hanging from his waist surrounded the dying Daoist. The old man who had rescued the girl shook his head at the others, his face filled with bitterness and remorse. Prefect Liu sighed deeply.

The Daoist on the verge of death was none other than Chongmiao Daoren, the one who had initially given the impression of arrogance and avarice.

The old Daoist seemed to experience a brief moment of lucidity, his once cloudy vision clearing slightly. He looked up at Prefect Liu and smiled, “Lord Prefect, if the celestial masters of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect manage to save Rouge Prefecture this time, and eradicate the demons, big and small, then I would be grateful if you, as the local official, could look after my entire family of several dozen souls.”

Prefect Liu nodded solemnly, “Daoist Chongmiao, rest assured. Even if I am no longer serving in Rouge Prefecture one day, I will ensure that the new prefect knows of today’s battle, and of Daoist Chongmiao’s contributions to Rouge Prefecture. In short, I will never allow your family to suffer any injustice.”

The old Daoist struggled to clasp his fist in thanks, then turned to the young Daoist Zhang Shanfeng, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and chuckled, “Zhang Shan, if it weren’t for you, you foolish brat, throwing your life away, I’m afraid I would have been beaten to death on the spot, and that demon might have escaped. How could I have achieved the glorious feat of personally slaying that demon…”

The old Daoist coughed, a violent, hacking cough. Everyone urged Chongmiao Daoren to stop talking.

The burly man Xu Yuanxia asked softly, “Old Daoist, should we summon your family to come here?”

The old Daoist nodded.

Prefect Liu instructed his servants to quickly inform the old Daoist’s direct family members in the city.

The old Daoist, seizing the last surge of his vital energy, silently calculated the time it would take for his descendants to arrive. After resting in silence for a moment, he surveyed the crowd and slowly smiled, “I know, you all looked down on me before, seeing me as someone who takes advantage of others’ misfortune. But business is business. Cultivators shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about trade, or afraid to mention money. We wild, untamed cultivators have no great tree to seek shelter under, no ancestral blessings from a master’s lineage to protect us. We can only rely on ourselves to earn money, to strive for that one chance. If we don’t, how can we survive?”

At this point, the old Daoist fell silent, his expression distant, as if recalling the ups and downs of his life.

After a long while, the old Daoist shook off his thoughts and suddenly exclaimed, “But business is business, and a person must still be a person, right?”

The old Daoist coughed and chuckled to himself, “But perhaps my talent is too poor. I knew early on that I had no hope for the Great Dao, which is why I have such naive and ridiculous ideas. The true cultivators on the mountains, where would they be covered in the stench of copper coins? And where would they care about the birth, aging, sickness, and death of the people below?”

The old Daoist stared blankly towards the door, as if searching for familiar figures. The old man murmured, “I’ve been called Chongmiao Daoren my whole life, but I haven’t even earned a single word, haven’t been respectfully addressed as ‘Chongmiao Zhenren’. A regret! A great regret!”

As soon as the word “regret” left his lips, the old man’s spirit seemed to collapse completely. His vision blurred, his breathing was extremely weak, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible, “Why haven’t they come yet…”

In the end, the old man did not wait for his family to arrive. He leaned back in his chair and passed away.

He didn’t die with his eyes wide open in grievance, nor did he close them peacefully. He simply looked like an old man squinting into the distance, trying to see something, but unable to make it out clearly.

The entire room fell silent.

Chen Ping’an walked over and helped the old Daoist wipe the blood from his face.

Soon after he finished, Chongmiao Daoren’s younger family members swarmed in, numbering more than a dozen, men, women, old, and young. Prefect Liu explained the situation in general terms, and of course, he also publicly told the old Daoist’s descendants about the promise he had made to the old Daoist.

Chongmiao Daoren’s eldest son, a portly middle-aged man, naturally expressed his gratitude to the Prefect. The women were mostly sobbing and choking back tears.

Only a boy of about ten years old suddenly rushed out and angrily questioned everyone, “Why is it only my grandfather who died?”

The boy’s eyes widened with hatred and rage, his gaze like that of a jackal as he roared, “Answer me!”

The burly man Xu Yuanxia frowned.

The Daoist Zhang Shanfeng turned to look at the pale face of the deceased old Daoist and sighed in his heart. Some answers, if spoken, would be truly hurtful. At first, the old Daoist had intended to monopolize the credit for the victory and fell into the trap of the demon who feigned weakness. He was careless and rushed in. If he and Xu Yuanxia hadn’t been motivated by their sense of justice, they would have had to risk their lives to save him. Otherwise, the outcome would have been even worse than it was.

But the old Daoist did have selfish motives, but this selfishness was only human nature. The old Daoist had fought all the way from yesterday until his glorious death, which cannot be explained by “business is business”. The land nurtures its people. If the old Daoist didn’t have the most sincere feelings for the Rouge Prefecture, he would never have fought so desperately.

Human relationships and worldly affairs are the most difficult to reason with.

Because once you break it down and try to reason, it’s like the wine has been divided, tasteless and bland.

The exasperated child pointed his finger at everyone, shouting, “You are all murderers.”

The old Daoist’s eldest son quickly had his wife pull back his distraught son, then apologized to Prefect Liu and everyone else.

Prefect Liu’s expression remained unchanged, saying that a child’s words were innocent and he wouldn’t take them to heart. He even apologized to the man in return, saying that he, as the prefect, had failed in his duty, and was ashamed to face their family, causing them to lose a pillar of their family. He would definitely visit them to apologize in person in the future, and so on.

But what was on the official’s mind, and whether the friendship between Chongmiao Daoren and the Prefecture would be diminished because of this, was anyone’s guess.
Thus it is said that ancestral blessings and fortune, even when bestowed upon descendants, remain subject to individual fate. Some grasp it, some do not; some seize much, some little. And often, those involved are oblivious in the moment, acting only according to their hearts.

In a dim alley of Rouge County, a youth, though clad in simple attire, possessed a countenance so fair, with rosy lips and pearly teeth, that his beauty rivaled that of a maiden in her prime. He sat propped against a wall, cradling a dying man who continuously coughed blood. Beside them crouched another man, acting as lookout. The three were all apprentices of Old Devil Mi, servants of the rice store. The youth, a local of Rouge County, had only been accepted as a disciple by Old Devil Mi the previous year.

The senior apprentice in the youth’s arms, the very man who had swapped lives with Daoist Chongmiao, as expected of a devil, grinned. His last words before death were: “Junior Brother, who do you prefer, me or your Second Senior Brother?”

The youth gently supported the man’s chin with one hand, lowered his head, and with eyes full of affection, choked out, “Of course, it’s you.”

The man reached into his robes, pulled out a yellowed book, and tremblingly handed it to the handsome youth.

After the youth received the manual, the man in his arms breathed his last. The youth clenched the manual in one hand, raised it high, cried out for his Second Senior Brother, and turned around.

The man’s attention was almost entirely focused on the manual.

The youth suddenly accelerated his turn, holding the book in one hand, and with the other, swiftly thrust a sleeve blade towards his Second Senior Brother’s neck.

Thrusting and withdrawing, he repeated this action three times, almost tearing the man’s entire neck to shreds. The youth’s handsome face was splattered with blood, his lips curled into a smile.

The man clutched his neck with both hands, slumped against the wall, staring wide-eyed at his Junior Brother who had violently turned on him.

The youth first put away the manual, wiped his face, constantly wiping it on the man’s clothes, and then pulled another book from the man’s robes, playfully saying, “Second Senior Brother, I was just deceiving First Senior Brother. Actually, I like you a little more. But of course, I love myself the most. First Senior Brother always says that ‘Heaven punishes those who are not for themselves’. Although our eccentric, smelly master always mocks First Senior Brother for not having read much and not understanding the true meaning of this saying, I think First Senior Brother understands it well. Anyway, that’s what I think too. Besides, we are originally heretical paths, demons and devils, so don’t blame me, Second Senior Brother. You can just think of it as accompanying First Senior Brother on a journey to the Yellow Springs. When you get down there, tell First Senior Brother that I actually liked you a little more…”

The man died with his eyes wide open, unwilling to accept his fate.

The youth continued to mutter to himself, shaking his head, rummaging through the two corpses, checking if there were any missed treasures or hidden spiritual artifacts, just like a youth usually humming a tune while preparing vegetables.

However, the youth soon stiffened, stopped his hands, and obediently took out the two manuals from his robes, placing them on top of his head.

A weathered voice, familiar to the youth’s very bones, carrying the even more familiar tone of mockery, echoed above his head, “Truly accomplished, as expected of my prized disciple, Old Devil Mi. You haven’t learned much skill, but you’ve certainly picked up several pounds of the aura of a great devil.”

The youth’s teeth chattered, this time he was truly terrified.

The tall, gaunt old man turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, which, upon touching the wall, immediately transformed into a cloud of black mist.

This Old Devil Mi, who had been lurking in Rouge County for nearly twenty years, cursed in a low voice, “Damn you, Glass Immortal Chen Xiaoyong! Even if you escape from Rouge County this time, I will beat you, you fallen dog!”

The old man looked at the youth with disdain, “Get up, put away those two items. Since both your Senior Brothers are dead, you are now the eldest disciple.”

The youth rose tremblingly.

Old Devil Mi took out a small oil lamp with thick, viscous oil from his sleeve, took a deep breath, and the souls of the two disciples were extracted from their corpses, all floating into the oil lamp. The faces of the disciples appeared on the viscous oil, revealing expressions of pain and distortion, but they quickly flashed and disappeared, merging into the oil.

The handsome youth felt a chill run down his spine.

One person appeared at each end of the alley, slowly approaching. It was the couple who had previously gone to the rice store. The woman swayed her waist more dramatically than a willow branch in a gale, smiling coquettishly, “Old Devil Mi, what a coincidence, we meet again.”

Old Devil Mi’s eyes narrowed, and he sneered, “What, you want to go back on your word? We agreed beforehand, the Glazed Lamp is mine, and the rest of Old Chen’s belongings are all yours.”

The woman ran a hand down the wall, her fingers like hooks, smiling seductively, “That’s what we said, but now the Glass Immortal is acting like a tortoise, hiding its head. He can play dead, but we can’t just wait here to die with him, can we? Old Devil Mi, aren’t you going to share some of the benefits? You can’t let us run this errand for nothing, can you?”

Old Devil Mi’s expression was uncertain.

The handsome youth lowered his head, standing against the wall, his eyes subtly darting around.

On the east city tower, with General Ma leading troops away from the tower to reinforce the city, it was now unguarded.

A young man wearing a pink Daoist robe stood outside the corridor on the top floor of the tower, smiling, looking towards the alley where Old Devil Mi was, and scoffed, “A small, broken Glazed Lamp, a worthless trinket I used to drink from back then, and they’re fighting over it so fiercely? Has Painted Garment Country become so boring after a thousand years?”

He glanced at it and didn’t want to waste any more time. He turned his head to look at the prefect’s mansion, “Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master’s Mansion, hehe, you didn’t expect it, did you? The ‘seal’ you sent people to add two hundred years ago, placed in Rouge County in the image of the Heavenly Master’s seal, the Painted Garment Country’s emperor must have been acting out of selfishness, unwilling to properly bless it with spiritual energy. Moreover, the appearance of the burial mounds should have disrupted your plans, allowing me to finally escape this cage. Man’s plans are ultimately inferior to Heaven’s calculations.”
He held onto the railing with one hand and formed a hand seal with the other. Starting from Rouge Prefecture, he deduced the national fortune of the Colorful Garment Kingdom from five hundred years ago to the present. Suddenly, he smiled and looked north, not just north of the Colorful Garment Kingdom, but the entire northernmost region of Treasure Bottle洲. “An expert, a true expert. The Colorful Garment Kingdom has lost a national treasure passed down for generations, and the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect, which protects the Colorful Garment Kingdom, has also suffered a great loss of vitality. The Colorful Garment Immortal Dress, the sect’s treasure, was stolen. How could the three neighboring countries, including the Ancient Elm Kingdom, stand idly by? Taking advantage of someone’s weakness is a simple principle. In addition, near the capital of the Colorful Garment Kingdom, due to the emperor’s long-term negligence of governance, the imperial court and the people have long been critical. As long as there is another natural disaster, it will inevitably lead to popular grievances and possibly turmoil and great chaos. And this chaos will be a mixed war between several countries.”

“Liu Chicheng,” wearing a pink Daoist robe, nodded and said, “Since the general trend is like this, I also need to take in a few disciples.”

He took a step, his figure fluttering and illusory, disappearing in an instant.

The next moment, he walked out of that narrow and dark alley.

The Old Demon Mi and the couple, who were about to fight to the death, were so frightened that they stood motionless.

The pressure in terms of aura was like a few small shrimps and crabs encountering a flood dragon whose body filled the entire riverbed in a silent river channel that was originally flowing slowly.

This “Liu Chicheng” in the pink Daoist robe didn’t waste any words. With a wave of his sleeve, the couple in the alley vanished on the spot, without leaving a single trace of ash. As for any spiritual artifacts, magical treasures, or snowflake coins, they also disappeared into the world along with them.

Those pink lotus flowers with intertwined branches were not lifeless objects, but swayed gracefully on the Daoist robe, and there was even a burst of fragrance.

The Daoist robe itself was more like a lotus pond.

Old Demon Mi, who was accustomed to storms, was still sweating profusely and asked, “Why didn’t the Immortal Master kill me as well?”

“Liu Chicheng” smiled slightly and said, “Just because I’m wearing a Daoist robe, does that mean I have to eliminate demons and defend the Dao? Am I not allowed to wear it just because I think it looks good?”

Old Demon Mi was speechless.

Damn it, he was definitely a giant in the demonic path, and one of those legendary figures standing at the highest peak.

“Liu Chicheng” flicked his finger, sending Old Demon Mi flying from the middle of the alley to the end of the alley. “Don’t get in my way, get lost quickly. Also, I’ll take your disciple.”

He walked up to the teenager, put his hands behind his back, looked down, and asked with a smile, “Little fellow, what’s your name?”

The handsome teenager slowly raised his head, swallowed, and said timidly, “Reporting to Immortal Master, my name is Yuan Tiandi.”

“Hmm?”

He was slightly puzzled, “Is it ‘heaven and earth’ Tiandi?”

The teenager shook his head, his face pale, fearing that his head would be shattered in the next moment, but he didn’t dare to lie. He honestly replied, “When my mother was pregnant with me, our family was poor. When she was nine months pregnant, she was still working in the fields. As a result, she accidentally gave birth to me prematurely. My father named me ‘Tiandi’.”

“Liu Chicheng” smiled brightly and patted the teenager’s shoulder lightly. “Then your name is really good, I like it. From now on, you’ll be my disciple. Your teacher will first give you an entrance gift for the sect.”

The teenager then saw this inexplicable master snap his fingers, and then the scarlet miasma from all directions surged wildly, strands and wisps, gathering into a huge red ball. The “young” cheap master wearing the pink Daoist robe casually rubbed two fingers together, and the miasma ball, as large as a water vat, condensed into a small ball as large as a fist.

“Liu Chicheng” gently patted the teenager’s forehead with his palm and said with a smile, “I forgot to tell you, to be my disciple, you have to be alive. If you can successfully survive until dawn, you’ll be the… second big shot in our big sect.”

The teenager’s back slammed against the wall, the pain was intense and indescribable, and his brow seemed to crack open.

“Liu Chicheng” was indifferent to this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After opening his eyes, he looked west and muttered to himself, “Your White Emperor City, Senior Brother, still has a better scent.”

This unexpected disaster erupted quickly, catching people off guard, but it ended quickly as well, making people feel unbelievable. As a result, the entire Prefecture Governor’s Mansion and General Ma’s elite troops in the city mistakenly thought that the great demon heads had even more swift follow-up moves. However, when the morning sun rose, and the glow of the sun shone, the prefecture city began to return to normal. The number of people who entered the demonic barrier decreased sharply on their own. Everyone waited anxiously for the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect Immortal Master to come on a colorful phoenix to stabilize the military’s morale. Then came the “failure to arrive.” From noon until the evening, they didn’t see the slightest trace. Then the Prefectural Governor Liu “fell ill in bed.” Fortunately, after midnight, no more tragic events of demons and monsters wreaking havoc occurred in Rouge Prefecture. In the middle, there were only a few cases of street ruffians and rogues taking advantage of the chaos to break into houses and rob, but they were directly suppressed by General Ma, who had righteousness on his head, and he directly ordered the troops to suppress them, killing two gangsters who resisted with weapons on the spot. In fact, those two poor insects only subconsciously picked up two wooden sticks.

Another night passed, and Rouge Prefecture was still peaceful and harmonious, but no one dared to take it lightly. A large number of armored soldiers were on guard and patrolling the city day and night.

Then on that morning, the colorful phoenix did not descend upon the prefecture city, but two sword immortals, one old and one young, flew through the air on their swords. One, Chen Pingan and the others knew, was the round-faced girl surnamed Fu. The other was the Supreme Elder of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect. The two landed at the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion, and Prefectural Governor Liu’s illness immediately healed. After the Supreme Elder took a seat in the official residence, although his demeanor was extraordinary and his speech was refined, the worry between his brows was difficult to conceal. After sitting for a short time, after confirming that the miasma in Rouge Prefecture had been cleared, he quickly bid farewell to the young sword immortal surnamed Fu and left on the wind, rushing back to the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect’s mountain gate.

It turned out that on their way south to rescue Rouge Prefecture, they suddenly received a flying sword message from their sect that the sect’s treasure, passed down for thousands of years, had disappeared!

However, such a confidential matter involving the life and death of a sect, the old man of the Spiritual Rhinoceros Sect, of course, would not tell outsiders.

In fact, if it weren’t for the sake of face, mainly for fear of leaving a bad impression on the girl from the Divine Edict Sect, this Supreme Elder of the Middle Fifth Realm sword cultivator would not have made this trip to Rouge Prefecture at all. How could the safety of a prefecture in the Colorful Garment Kingdom be more important than that Colorful Phoenix Dress? This was the foundation of the sect.
Afterward, a monumental stroke of good fortune befell the Prefecture Governor’s manor. The young swordswoman, rumored to be from the Divine Decree Sect, took a liking to Liu Gaoxin, the Prefect’s youngest daughter. She offered to personally recommend her for entry into the outer sect of the Divine Decree Sect, and with great probability, she could directly become a personal disciple of one of the ancestral masters within the inner sect.

Joy filled the manor.

Only the young maiden herself was sullen. She was then scolded by her parents, her elder siblings, and even her mentor, the Prefect’s old strategist, severely reprimanded her.

Despite her lofty status in the Divine Decree Sect, the center of the continent’s Daoist lineage, the round-faced girl was rather amiable with Liu Gaoxin, unlike her cold demeanor towards the old Daoist Zhao Liu and the ghoul Yang Huang. She was always cheerful and would take Liu Gaoxin around the prefecture city, buying her various boudoir accessories.

Unlike last year, when spring arrived late and summer lingered, this year, early spring came and late spring departed. The day after tomorrow would be the beginning of summer, marking the end of spring.

On this day, at the break of dawn, the maiden Liu Gaoxin left the prefecture city without any tearful farewells. She left behind letters in her room. With reddened eyes, she and the immortal-like Sister Fu each rode a snow-white steed. The hooves beat a steady rhythm on the flagstones, carrying them farther and farther from their family and hometown.

As the maiden rode her white horse down the sparsely populated street, a sudden impulse made her turn her head. She saw a youth carrying a sword case on his back, standing on a distant rooftop, waving goodbye to her.

The maiden pouted and abruptly turned back, tears streaming down her face, shattering like pearls.

Liu Gaoxin’s mood suddenly improved. She raised her head high, turning her back to the fellow who had quietly seen her off, and smiled happily.

The round-faced girl surnamed Fu glanced back. She thought the youth on the rooftop looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him, so she didn’t bother thinking about it.

After seeing Liu Gaoxin off, Chen Pingan sat alone on the rooftop, took down the wine gourd from his waist, and drank slowly.

The youth sipped the wine, remembering Mister Qi, as the spring breeze caressed his sleeves.

Let’s set a small goal first, like 1 second: