Chen Ping’an hadn’t anticipated that this sojourn into the Jianghu would last half a year. It wasn’t that the journey to find the Guandao Temple was excessively long; rather, guided by the “long Qi” behind him, Chen Ping’an found himself circling endlessly within a majestic city. He spent a full three months, yet failed to locate the so-called Guandao Temple. In this capital city of the Southern Garden Kingdom, Chen Ping’an inquired of every peddler and porter, martial artist and bodyguard, yamen official and the like, but none had ever heard of such a Taoist temple. He scoured various historical records, local gazetteers, and personal notes, yet still found no clues. His only gain, perhaps, was that Chen Ping’an could now fluently speak the official dialect of the Southern Garden Kingdom.

Thus, from late autumn to swirling snow, to the pattering spring rain, until the arrival of the Beginning of Summer, Chen Ping’an was certain that the entrance to the Guandao Temple lay within this capital city, yet he could never find the gateway.

Even a spirit as resolute as Chen Ping’an’s began to waver and grow restless.

During this time, Chen Ping’an experienced many strange sights. He saw a fluttering, floating blue dress at night, resembling a beautiful woman dancing gracefully, her wide sleeves like flowing water.

He also inadvertently pierced through an illusion, witnessing a section of the inner city wall propped up by skeletons, each blue brick inscribed with Buddhist scriptures.

He even encountered monks, a rare sight in Treasure Bottle Continent. Buddhism flourished in the Southern Garden Kingdom, favored by the court and commoners alike, with temples erected throughout the land. Chen Ping’an learned the significance of the monks’ various kasayas and the distinctions between sutra-chanting monks, scripture-expounding monks, Dharma-transmitting monks, and Dharma-protecting monks. Once, seeking respite from the city, he followed a group of monks on a secret imperial mission to a site of a fierce and bloody battle. Chen Ping’an witnessed over a hundred sutra-chanting monks seated upon lotus cushions. Several of them removed their boots and walked barefoot, heads bowed, hands clasped. With each step and every utterance, snow-white lotus flowers bloomed. Each monk held a string of prayer beads, and any vengeful spirit that approached was repelled by the golden light emanating from them.

The prayer beads shone with golden light, the monks radiated solemnity, each step bringing forth a lotus.

They guided tens of thousands of resentful wandering souls, leading them together into the “Ghost Gate,” the boundary between yin and yang.

Finally, Chen Ping’an sat far away, emulating the monks, clasping his hands and bowing his head in silence.

Returning to the capital, Chen Ping’an still couldn’t find the Guandao Temple. Just as he gritted his teeth, preparing to secretly enter the Imperial Palace, that day, under the blazing sun, Chen Ping’an came to a well, peered down, and saw an unfathomable, dark abyss.

Chen Ping’an watched for a while.

But unable to discern anything of significance, he retracted his gaze and continued to wander.

Glancing back at the well, he felt a slight coolness standing there.

Since the battle against Cai Jing Shen, the Grand Sui Court Altar, Cui Dongshan had earned the informal title of Old Ancestor of the Cai Family, making him quite popular in the Cliff Academy. Added to that, Cui Dongshan’s current appearance—a vermilion mole between his eyebrows, and handsome features—made him especially likeable.

Cui Dongshan could roam freely within the academy, always accompanied by his personal maidservant named Xie Xie. Today, the two had attended Old Master Ge’s class on the Confucian classics. Halfway through, Cui Dongshan, who had been lying on the windowsill outside, fell asleep. Xie Xie stood nearby, not daring to disturb her young master’s sweet slumber, causing the students inside to struggle to suppress their laughter. Old Master Ge longed to strike Cui Dongshan’s head with a ruler, but remembering Cai Jing Shen, who had moved his family out of the capital, the old master held back his anger. He resolved to speak to Deputy Headmaster Mao Xiaodong later, forbidding Cui Dongshan from approaching his classroom in the future.

Startled awake, as if from a nightmare, Cui Dongshan took a long while to recover. He then swaggered out, leading his maidservant Xie Xie back to his residence.

Once Xie Xie closed the courtyard gate, Cui Dongshan removed his boots and stepped over the threshold. With a wave of his sleeve, mist arose, ultimately forming a picture of the Treasure Bottle Continent.