Knowing that his master had passed, the young novice monk wept inconsolably, unable to let go of his grief, behaving nothing like a disciple of the Buddha.

But Chen Pingan, watching that little bald head wailing and shaking the old monk’s arm as if trying to rouse him from a dream, felt that such behavior was only human nature.

Later, upon learning that his master had manifested relics, as described in the Buddhist scriptures, after cremation, the young novice smiled, thinking that his master’s Buddhist Dharma must have been quite profound. Still, the young novice did not act like a true monk.

Chen Pingan helped the temple manage the old monk’s funeral arrangements, busying himself with every task. In private, he discussed the old monk’s wishes with the new abbot of Heart Reflection Temple, suggesting that the matter of the relics not be publicized hastily, to avoid unnecessary criticism from the common folk, and even possible scrutiny from the authorities. The new abbot agreed, bowing with his palms together to Chen Pingan in gratitude.

After that, Chen Pingan no longer went to Heart Reflection Temple to meditate, but he told the new abbot that if the temple faced any difficulties, he could be informed at his residence, and Chen Pingan would help as much as he could.

The middle-aged monk chanted a Buddhist prayer and, after Chen Pingan departed, went to the Buddha shrine in the main hall. He silently lit a perpetual lamp for this kind-hearted benefactor, called the young novice over, and instructed him to tend to this lotus lamp regularly.

The young novice said “Okay” and nodded in agreement. Seeing how quickly the little fellow had agreed, the monk knew he would be lazy, so he lightly tapped the little bald head with his finger, rebuking him, “Wooden Fish, you must take this matter to heart.” The young novice grimaced and said “Okay” again. Whether he remembered the matter was uncertain, but he certainly knew the consequences of being forgetful.

Once the abbot-brother left the main hall, the young novice sighed. His brother used to be so amiable, but after becoming the abbot, he was as unyielding as their master. Even if he could become the abbot in the future, he wouldn’t want to, or he would surely hurt his junior brother’s heart… Wait? He was the master’s youngest disciple, where would he get a junior brother? There wouldn’t be one in the future, that was too unfair! Thinking this, the young novice spun around and ran out of the main hall, chasing after the abbot, eagerly asking when his brother would accept disciples.

The abbot monk knew the young novice’s little thoughts, and couldn’t help but smile wryly, making as if to use the young novice’s head as a wooden fish again, since his Dharma name was indeed Wooden Fish.

The young novice sighed in lamentation and ran off.

Chen Pingan, his mind trending towards peace, found it strange that he still hadn’t picked up the *Mountain Shaking Fist Manual* and the *Classic of Swordsmanship*, but continued to wander around the capital. This time, carrying a small cotton cloth package, he walked slowly, eating dry cakes with wine, without a fixed abode, content to find a quiet place to settle down, whether it was under the shade of a tree, on a rooftop, or beside a babbling brook.

He saw the tall vermillion walls, the greenery peeking over the walls, the sounds of swings and laughter from within.

He saw scholars in high hats and wide sleeves engaging in the winding stream party, composing poems and essays in this prosperous age, their words flowing effortlessly.

At that time, a figure in white silently sat on a tree branch, drinking wine.

There was a waterside tavern, filled with young talents from the Southern Garden Kingdom’s capital, discussing the affairs of the state with fervent opinions, believing it was the scholar’s duty to govern the country. Chen Pingan sat on the tavern rooftop, listening carefully to their discussions, full of passion and righteous indignation. However, Chen Pingan felt that their proposed policies might be difficult to implement in practice, but it was also possible that these young talents were too drunk to elaborate on the details.

Two gangs of ruffians had arranged a brawl, each with thirty or forty men, perhaps this was their *jianghu*, their way of experiencing the pugilistic world. Chen Pingan squatted on a dilapidated low wall in the distance, observing that the “old *jianghu*” members over twenty years old were cunning in their moves, while the young men under twenty were reckless and ruthless. Afterward, with bruised faces and bloodied features, they draped their arms around their comrades in hardship, already looking forward to the next *jianghu* feud.

The leader of one gang, slightly older, nearly thirty, was calling for them to go to the tavern to drink, heading there in a boisterous throng. The pretty woman serving wine was his wife. Seeing these familiar faces, she could only force a smile, taking out wine and food to treat her husband’s brothers. Watching the man surrounded and holding court in the center, a hint of melancholy over the difficulties of making a living could be seen in the woman’s brow, yet there was also a bright admiration in her eyes.

She looked at her man, while one of her man’s most capable and daring subordinates, a tall youth, secretly looked at her.

Chen Pingan sat in the furthest place from them, ordering two jugs of wine, one poured into his sword-nourishing gourd, and the other for immediate consumption.

The young woman gritted her teeth and raised the price of the two jugs of wine, charging this young master thirty *wen* more. Fortunately, the man seemed unaware of the market price and paid without hesitation. The woman felt a little guilty, so she gave him two extra dishes of her homemade appetizers. The man stood up and smiled at her in thanks.

The woman blushed, quickly turning away, not daring to look at that handsome and clean face again.

At the crowded table over there, the nearly thirty-year-old man, emboldened by alcohol, was saying to his brothers that one day they would have a real territory in the capital. At that time, everyone would drink and eat meat. When they saw the constables and officials with swords at their waists, they wouldn’t have to be afraid at all. At that time, people would definitely beg to be brothers with them, and then they would ask that Ma scholar, who looked down on them, for a few Spring Festival couplets and a few *Fu* characters, and see if he would dare to look askance at them at that time, and if he had the courage to say no…

The man’s tongue was tied, but those listening felt their hearts surge, cheering loudly, spitting everywhere.

Especially the young men, full of vigor, drank and vomited, vomited and drank, returning to the table, their eyes glazed with drunkenness, vaguely seeing that everyone around them was a brother, feeling that living life like this was joyful, so joyful!

Chen Pingan quietly left the streetside tavern.

After walking a distance away, he couldn’t help but look back, as if seeing himself, Liu Xianyang, and Snotnose Gu Can sitting there, when they were still charcoal-skinned dragon kiln apprentices. He would probably be distressed about the cost of the wine. Liu Xianyang would surely start to worry after shouting grandiose words, complaining about why Zhi Gui just didn’t like him. Gu Can, precocious from a young age, would probably grit his teeth, imitating the tone of the *jianghu* people, saying that revenge should be taken swiftly and decisively, and to hell with everything else.

Chen Pingan withdrew his gaze and continued onward.

A sharp-eyed young man jokingly said, “That pretty boy just now, stopped and looked at us for a long time, could it be that he took a fancy to our sister-in-law?”
The already drunk man slammed the table and roared, “If anyone has the gall, I’ll hack him to death! Believe it or not, even if I die tomorrow, your sister-in-law will remain a widow for life, never marrying another! Not even the Emperor! A delicate, pretty boy, what’s he worth? Just carrying a sword makes him special?”

As he spoke, his head drooped, slamming heavily onto the wine table, and he passed out completely.

The young woman lowered her head, wiping the wine table, and secretly curved the corners of her mouth, smiling for reasons unknown.

The tall, handsome youth whose gaze frequently swept over the woman’s graceful figure, also lowered his head, feeling a mixture of unease and resentment. He took a swig of wine, finding it tasteless.

A haggard woman from the back alleys, for some inexplicable reason, grabbed a mischievous child and started spanking him. The child wailed, but secretly winked at his companions nearby. As the shabbily dressed woman hit, she suddenly began to weep herself. The child was taken aback and truly began to cry.

After a torrential downpour, the capital city finally saw the warm sun again. A group of pampered young masters from wealthy families galloped down the street, whipping their horses, splashing mud everywhere. An old woman’s stall by the roadside, unable to be moved in time, with some crudely knitted items displayed, was unfortunately splattered with mud, leaving her face deathly pale. The last rider, a young woman with arrogant eyes and brows, saw this scene, but continued galloping forward. However, she casually tossed a money pouch onto the stall. Because her riding skills were not very adept, and she was too focused on accurately throwing the heavy pouch, she accidentally fell off her horse. She rolled around in the mud for a while, crying out in pain. After she got up, her originally beautiful face and expensive dress were ruined.

The woman staggered towards the stopped steed and climbed back onto the horse with some difficulty, then whipped the horse and rode away.

Covered in mud, she held her head high, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a swordsman dressed in a snow-white robe, standing by the side of the street looking at her. She couldn’t help but turn her head.

The man raised his arm towards her and gave her a thumbs up.

The woman rolled her eyes, not taking it to heart.

Chen Ping An continued walking, stopping and going, witnessing much of the elegance of scholars and the common lives of ordinary people.

The scandalous affair at White River Temple only lasted for less than ten days before it was swiftly brought to a close. The imperial court had already made its final judgment. Almost all the monks of White River Temple were gone. Apart from the main culprits who were sentenced to immediate execution, some were imprisoned, and others were expelled. All the property of White River Temple was confiscated. As for who would accept this hot potato, some said it would be the eminent monks from the other three major temples in the capital, while others said it would be the abbots of several famous temples in the provinces.

The Southern Garden Kingdom clearly had experts advising the Emperor. The White River Temple scandal was swiftly and silently suppressed by cutting it off at the waist. Because the attention of the court and the public was quickly shifted to another grand event. One of the four Grandmasters of the world, Yu Zhenyi, the Sect Leader of Lakeside Mountain Sect, emerged from a ten-year seclusion, having successfully broken through. He convened a martial arts conference, gathering heroes to discuss the matter of jointly suppressing the Three Sects of the Demonic Cult.

At that time, Zhong Qiu, the national preceptor of the Southern Garden Kingdom, known as the “Number One Hand in the World,” Tong Qingqing from Mirror Heart Hall, and Lu Fang, the Lord of Birdview Peak, who claimed to nurture sword intent in the mountain mist and clouds, would all be present. The four Grandmasters gathered at Cow Mountain, adjacent to the capital of the Southern Garden Kingdom. This was a grand spectacle unseen in the martial arts world for a hundred years.

These four were all the leaders of the martial arts world in their respective countries. Stomping their feet would cause a tempestuous storm in the martial world of their country. Especially the national preceptor Zhong Qiu of the Southern Garden Kingdom and Yu Zhenyi of Songlai Kingdom, their grievances had entangled them for a full sixty years. Both were born in the marketplaces of Songlai Kingdom, were childhood neighbors, and were a pair of brothers in life and death. By chance, they began to wander the martial world together, each with their own adventures, becoming the most eye-catching pair of martial arts geniuses in the martial world at that time. In the end, for some unknown reason, they turned against each other. After a life-and-death battle witnessed by only four or five people, both were seriously injured. Zhong Qiu then came to the Southern Garden Kingdom. After that, the two never interacted with each other, neither mentioning their affection nor speaking of their grievances.

In the twilight, Chen Ping An returned to the house near Scholar Lane. Before that, there was still a group of people playing chess at the street corner. A grandfather and grandson were watching others play chess. When they saw Chen Ping An’s figure, the child’s face turned pale, and he quickly got up and invited Chen Ping An to watch the chess game. After Chen Ping An approached and watched for a while, the child said he had something to do and had to go home, and ran away. Chen Ping An hesitated. He did not feel like watching chess, so he stood for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then slowly walked back to the house.

After opening the door and entering the house, from across the way, the child stood on a small stool and looked at Chen Ping An through the window. The child gently breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Ping An closed the door, took off the bundle and put it on the bed. Little Lotus Person immediately bounced out of the ground, babbling and pointing, seeming very angry.

Chen Ping An glanced at the stack of books on the table. Some subtle, imperceptible wrinkles were more than when he left the house, which was obvious. He crouched down and spread out his palm, letting the little thing walk into his palm, then got up and sat at the table. Little Lotus Person jumped onto the table, and the little thing, not disturbing the dust, gently jumped onto the mountain of books, kneeling on the title page of a sage’s book, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles with its little arms.

Chen Ping An smiled, “It’s okay, books are meant to be read. Besides, they’ve already returned them, don’t be angry.”

The little fellow, who was working hard over there, turned its head, blinked its eyes, and looked puzzled.

Chen Ping An rubbed its little head, took out a bamboo slip and carving knife, and gently placed them on the table.

In the darkness of that night, Chen Ping An quietly went to White River Temple. He had burned incense here before, so Chen Ping An was not unfamiliar with it. There was a grand hall in White River Temple that was extremely peculiar, enshrining three Buddha statues. One Buddha statue had angry eyes, another had lowered eyebrows, and the Buddha statue in the middle was actually seated backwards. For thousands of years, no matter how much incense was offered, the Buddha statue always faced away from the door and the worshippers.

White River Temple was recently a bit desolate, even during the day it was deserted. At night, it was even more desolate. Coupled with those terrifying rumors passed on through hearsay, the once dignified Bodhisattva and Heavenly King statues looked sinister and hideous no matter how you looked at them. A few days ago, a group of thieves came to try their luck, but they all ran out howling, all of them insane. They only quieted down after being thrown into prison, saying that White River Temple was haunted and should never be visited.

Before Chen Ping An entered this side hall with its unclosed gate, he specially lit a Yang Energy Lamp Charm. There was nothing unusual. He quietly changed places several times within the temple, and the charm was only burning out slowly and evenly.
Chen Ping’an was about to leave White River Temple when he suddenly retreated at the door of the hall. He tapped his toes, and in an instant, he was sitting on the beam of the main hall, lying on his side, holding his breath.

Three people swaggered into the hall from outside, not at all like thieves, but more like wealthy dignitaries enjoying the moonlight.

Chen Ping’an frowned. He had actually seen two of them before. They were martial arts peers from a quiet mansion in Zhuangyuan Lane. The old man was tall and thin, and although he wasn’t a Daoist, he wore an ancient silver lotus crown. Compared to Chen Ping’an’s distant glimpse on the street, the old man no longer deliberately concealed his aura tonight. As he crossed the threshold, he was like a towering mountain, crashing into the White River Temple’s main hall.

The woman took off the veil concealing her face, revealing captivating beauty. She removed the floor-length cloak covering her figure, revealing vibrant colors. Most strikingly, she wore wooden clogs, her bare feet as white as snow.

A handsome young master was a new face, tall and slender, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe of dark blue. A string of coral beads was wrapped around his hand, and he gently rubbed the beads as he walked.

The woman’s voice was crisp, not from the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom. She glanced flirtatiously at the young master and teased, “My Zanhua Lang, since you are so devoutly Buddhist, why not kneel down and kowtow? When I stand in front of the Buddha statue, taking such advantage of Young Master Zhou, wouldn’t my name shake the world overnight? I would die without regrets.”

The young master smiled silently, only looking up at the three divine statues.

The world was silent. In such a large Buddhist hall, only the subtle sound of beads rolling could be heard.

The old man laughed, “Ya’er, don’t tease Zhou Shi. He’s good-tempered and doesn’t bother with you. Otherwise, if we tear down the pretense and fight, who will pay for Zhou Shi’s coffin?”

“Ya’er,” who looked like a young girl but had the charm of a mature woman, covered her mouth and giggled. Her eyes sparkled with alluring beauty, infusing a touch of vibrant spring into the originally eerie hall.

The young man named Zhou Shi, nicknamed “Zanhua Lang,” smiled helplessly. “Sect Leader Ding, please don’t bully this junior.”

“Yu Zhenyi of Lake Mountain Sect, Zhong Qiu of this Nanyuan Kingdom, Tong Qingqing of Mirror Heart Pavilion, Lu Fang of Bird’s View Peak, are all remarkable immortal figures. Among them, the old hag Tong Qingqing is even of the same generation as your grandmaster. On the other hand, we are weak and isolated. Are we really going to play this game of snatching chestnuts from the fire? Even if we obtain the Arhat Golden Body and that scripture, can we leave the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom alive?”

The woman counted on her fingers, naming them one by one, revealing the most secretive matters of this Jianghu, “Although Grandmaster, you are the true number one in the world, a hero can’t fight four hands. Yu Zhenyi has so many disciples and grandchildren. Zhong Qiu of Nanyuan Kingdom is a local tyrant. The old enchantress Tong Qingqing loves to bewitch people. Perhaps last time Zanhua Lang came back injured, claiming to have been beaten half to death by her, he was actually infatuated with the old enchantress’s beauty and put on a show of self-inflicted suffering for us. Especially that Lu Fang, the number of times he has acted in decades is countable. People in Jianghu say he is a righteous version of Grandmaster, which shows how good his talent is. After so many years of dedicated sword practice, he might have already surpassed Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu, right?”

The old man turned a deaf ear, remaining silent, his hands behind his back, looking at the Buddha statue facing away from the world.

The woman stamped her foot, somewhat resentful.

The wooden clogs clicked crisply on the stone slabs.

Zhou Shi consoled the woman, “These four are not monolithic. When it comes to life and death, I’m afraid no one is willing to sacrifice themselves for others.”

The woman smiled. “Are there any willing ones among us?”

Zhou Shi remained composed and continued, “In fact, just my father, plus Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan and the Sharpening Knife Man Liu Zong, in terms of top combat power alone, are no weaker than these four grandmasters combined. We are acting in secret this time, not a battle on the battlefield. There is no need to pay attention to the number of troops, Ya’er, you don’t need to worry.”

In fact, the Four Grandmasters was merely a self-proclaimed title by the righteous Jianghu, deliberately excluding those from the Demonic Cults and underworld overlords. It was a way to entertain themselves behind closed doors. The truly convincing claim was the more valuable Ten Great Masters.

Righteousness and evil were evenly divided.

The Four Grandmasters naturally occupied a place each.

Yu Zhenyi, the number one person in the righteous path who transitioned from martial arts to cultivating immortal Dao arts, ranked second.

Zhong Qiu, the number one master of external martial arts in the world, ranked sixth.

Tong Qingqing, rumored to be eternally youthful despite being ninety years old, after whom all so-called number one beauties were compared, was said to have more beauty and charm combined than any of them. She ranked ninth.

The reclusive swordsman of Bird’s View Peak, Lu Fang, was the youngest of the Four Grandmasters, not yet fifty years old. He ranked tenth. However, with the passage of time, almost everyone believed that Lu Fang, who was at the bottom of the list twenty years ago, was the most qualified to challenge and defeat the number one person.

Some even believed that Lu Fang had already surpassed Nanyuan Kingdom’s National Teacher Zhong Qiu and was among the top five.

As for Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan, mentioned by Zanhua Lang Zhou Shi, his martial arts were extremely high. He always fought to the death, so he was not recognized by the famous and righteous sects, who felt his martial virtue was too poor to deserve the title of Grandmaster. He ranked eighth.

The Sharpening Knife Man Liu Zong was a veritable top-tier evil master, purely enjoying killing, with a notorious reputation. He ranked seventh.

As for Zhou Shi’s father, Zhou Fei, he was an absolute demon in the eyes of countless righteous people. His martial arts were extremely high, and his character was extremely low. He founded the Spring Tide Palace, gathering beauties from all over the world. Besides his sons, the hundreds of people in the Spring Tide Palace were all women. Zhou Fei therefore styled himself as “Emperor of the Mountain, Immortal on Land.”

But what was frustrating was that Zhou Fei ranked fourth, and was recognized as having the best horizontal cultivation in the world. When Lu Fang was young, he once successfully pierced Zhou Fei’s body three times with a sword called “Dragon Around the Beam”, but Zhou Fei remained unscathed, his combat power hardly diminished. Lu Fang then proactively retreated.

Lu Fang, who had ventured into the Spring Tide Palace alone with his sword, had also paid a huge price for his impulsiveness. During his three years of distant travel, his sect’s six hundred members were slowly tortured to death by Zhou Fei, who did not display any of the qualities of a Grandmaster. It was rumored that Lu Fang’s Shimu and more than ten Shijie and Shimei were still serving as maids in the Spring Tide Palace.
As for why Lu Fang never challenged Zhou Fei again after returning from his travels and hearing the tragic news, it became one of the greatest secrets of the martial world. It was on par with how powerful the number one martial artist demon truly was, how beautiful Dong Qingqing of the Mirror Heart Pavilion truly was, and how many years Yu Zhenyi could live. These four mysteries were known as the four great unsolved cases of the world.

From the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom to Mount Guniu outside the city, intrigue lurked everywhere along this path.

A middle-aged man who had traveled thousands of miles arrived in the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom. He was like a fish in water, indulging in daily drinking at roadside taverns, living in a drunken haze. Eventually, he had to pawn his sword at the tavern for five taels of silver. This was only because the tavern owner’s wife saw his muscular physique and thought she could take advantage of him while he slept. Otherwise, it would have been worth at most three taels.

At the peak of Mount Guniu, a figure with the physique of a child and an innocent face meticulously polished a jade bamboo folding fan every day. The Nanyuan Kingdom general responsible for the eight hundred imperial guards at the foot of the mountain respectfully addressed this person as “Old Immortal Yu” upon seeing him.

In the Crown Prince’s residence, an old hunchbacked chef, who had been in charge of the kitchen for many years, opened a large jar of pickles that were not yet ready. A pungent sour smell wafted out as he muttered about these troubled times.

However, the three individuals who entered the White River Temple tonight without burning incense undoubtedly held the most weight.

They had little to do with the woman and Zhou Shi, the man with the flower in his hair, because the old man’s surname was Ding. For eighty years, he had stood unchallenged in the position of the world’s number one martial artist, killing based solely on personal preference and mood. He killed renowned martial artists, emperors, generals, heinous criminals, and even elderly, young, and women on the street. The list of his crimes was endless. Later, he passed on the position of sect leader to his only disciple, who was the only one left after he had killed everyone else in the sect. After that, he disappeared.

However, in the ranking held twenty years after his departure from the martial world, he was still undoubtedly the number one.

There was a seemingly laughable rumor in the martial world that the Respectful Viewing Pavilion, which specialized in collecting martial world secrets and ranking grandmasters, had been asked by two successive pavilion masters, who were close friends, why they didn’t remove the Ding Demon, whose life and death were unknown. Both had said the same thing: “If he’s not dead, I’ll be dead.”

At this moment, in the main hall, the woman asked with a smile, “Your father only wants Fairy Zhou as his beauty, but he’s putting in the most effort on the surface. Doesn’t he feel like he’s losing out?”

Zhou Shi said with a wry smile, “Don’t you know my father’s temperament? To put it nicely, he loves beauties more than his kingdom. To put it bluntly, he’s so obsessed with beauty that he forgets his life. If Zhong Qiu hadn’t lived next to the Nanyuan Kingdom’s imperial palace, he would have gone into the palace to snatch Empress Fan.”

The woman rubbed her cheeks, lamenting, “Zhou Shu, Fan Wan’er, one is the most beautiful woman of today, and the other was considered the most beautiful woman in the world twenty years ago. Your father has such high standards. No wonder it’s difficult to catch his eye. Even if we meet and drink tea together, he’s courteous and doesn’t look at me sideways.”

Zhou Shi could only smile wryly.

The woman asked with a smile, “Why doesn’t your father have any thoughts about Dong Qingqing?”

Zhou Shi looked up at the imposing Buddha statue glaring at the mortal world, twirling prayer beads in his fingers, and said softly, “My father says that a delicious dish that burns your mouth is worth it even if it causes blisters, but a delicious dish that is destined to burn through your intestines should never be touched, no matter how tempting.”

The old man, who stood with his hands behind his back, twitched his lips upon hearing this. He looked around and said softly, “Let’s go. The golden body is no longer here.”

The beautiful woman and Zhou Shi had no objections, nor did they dare to question him in the slightest. Although the woman called him “Grand-Master” in a sweet and affectionate tone, she was actually terrified, afraid that she would have her head smashed by the old man if she wasn’t careful. Zhou Shi was no better off. His father, Zhou Fei, was at best a dispensable talisman, far from being a true life-saving charm.

The old man, whose every move seemed to be in harmony with the heavens and earth, paused slightly as he stepped over the threshold.

This inconspicuous little action caused the woman and Zhou Shi’s breathing to become erratic, their chests to feel heavy, and sweat to break out on their foreheads. They stopped and stood motionless.

The old man then quickened his pace slightly, stepping over the threshold and descending the steps.

The two young martial arts geniuses, who had already gained great fame in the martial world, felt their blood flow rapidly, like puppets on strings, and couldn’t help but follow the old man at a quick pace.

The old man looked up at the moonlight and smiled, “This capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom is much more interesting than it was sixty years ago.”

The two behind him exchanged glances, both feeling that his words had profound meaning.

The night was cool as water.

Chen Ping’an went from lying down to sitting up, first putting his hands together to apologize to the three Buddha statues, asking them not to blame his disrespect.

That old man surnamed Ding was quite formidable.

Chen Ping’an suddenly lay back down, and soon, two figures appeared like ethereal blue smoke.

What a perfect couple, the woman’s beauty and bearing were even better than that woman in wooden clogs.

The man was about thirty years old, handsome and elegant, dressed in an antique style, with a refined demeanor and an air of royalty.

He said with a pure Beijing accent, “Fairy Fan, as you said before, this old Ding Demon’s temperament is indeed strange. He clearly discovered us just now, but he didn’t even attack.”

The otherworldly woman was like a wild orchid growing in the mountains. Her beauty was unreasonably outstanding. Ordinary beauties would feel ashamed upon seeing her, and ordinary men would not even dare to desire her, knowing their own limitations.

Hearing the man’s words, she said, “This old sect leader disdains to attack us.”

The man laughed, “Surely I can block at least one of his moves? It can’t be, my master is at least among the group chasing after those ten people the closest. Now, I have a two or three-tenths chance of winning against my master.”

The woman shook her head and said, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is naturally extremely talented, but the life-and-death struggles between martial arts grandmasters are completely different from sparring. Your Highness must not underestimate this martial world. Even when facing a second-rate expert, you cannot be careless until the very end.”

The man was sincerely happy that the fairy was worried about him. However, having been born into an imperial family, he had long cultivated the habit of not showing his emotions on his face. He nodded lightly and smiled, “I will remember that. In the future, before facing an enemy, I will take the fairy’s words to heart, think carefully, and then act.”

The woman surnamed Fan smiled and said nothing.
This man’s shallow and flirtatious thoughts were lost on her. After six years wandering the martial world alone, she wouldn’t care, much less be moved by them.

She suddenly said with a cold smile, “Come out!”

The man’s expression changed slightly, his heart shaken. To be able to conceal themselves until now without being discovered meant that they were at least of equal strength to the two of them.

He and the woman scanned the hall together.

After a moment, the Fairy Fan sighed in relief and laughed, “Forgive us for the embarrassing display, Your Highness. When one travels the pugilistic world, caution is the key to survival.”

The man felt relieved, and couldn’t help but smile. He slightly turned his body, and copying the gestures of someone in the martial world, cupped his fist in a salute, “The Fairy’s teachings are received with gratitude.”

The woman also laughed.

Afterwards, the two groped around the three Buddha statues, but they didn’t find any hidden mechanisms. Their efforts were futile, and they had no choice but to leave White River Temple like the three before them.

Above a crossbeam, ripples subtly spread out, gradually revealing a patch of snow-white fabric. It turned out that the Golden Liquor Dharma Robe had grown much larger, allowing Chen Pingan to shrink inside. This could be considered an unorthodox trick that Chen Pingan had figured out himself, which was quite practical for dealing with people in the martial world. It just lacked the imposing aura and immortal demeanor.

Chen Pingan sat on the crossbeam, and was just about to take down his gourd to take a sip of wine, when he suddenly remembered that this was a temple hall. He withdrew his hand, gracefully descended to the ground, and prepared to leave White River Temple.

As soon as he reached the threshold of the hall, he saw the beautiful woman with the surname Fan in the distance, looking at him coldly.

Chen Pingan stopped.

The woman neither spoke nor made a move. She simply stared at Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan felt a bit sullen.

*Lady, what are you staring at? I already have a girl I like.*

*She’s even prettier than you! At least, that’s what I, Chen Pingan, think.*

However, Chen Pingan grinned. Actually, the lady before him was indeed quite beautiful.

*But lady, your beauty is your own affair. That’s not a reason for you to stare at me like an idiot, right?*

Chen Pingan didn’t want to waste any more time with her. Afraid that escaping by scaling the walls would be difficult, he simply used a Spatial Talisman and left White River Temple directly.

The woman slightly opened her mouth, her face full of shock. Could he be a reclusive senior master from the pugilistic world?

Not long after Chen Pingan left White River Temple, his attention was drawn to a bustling street lined with colorful lanterns. The fragrant aromas were rich, so he ran to a stall and ate a bowl of something numbingly spicy and scalding hot.

As a result, Chen Pingan discovered that another beautiful lady was standing next to him, also with a stunned expression.