After a fierce internal struggle, Chen Ping’an finally allowed Cui Dongshan and Shi Rou, residing in that Yang God’s external body, to enter the house.

Cui Dongshan, as before, used that golden flying sword to draw a large circle. Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but inquire about this technique, this divine power. Cui Dongshan smiled and said it was an ancient deity’s method, “drawing a boundary as a prison,” serving as both a sanctuary and a means to confine others, preventing entry or exit. Hence the saying “Thunder Pool.” Later generations refined and evolved it into dozens of immortal techniques, mostly deviating from the righteous path and unworthy of mention.

After settling down, when Shi Rou was mentioned, Cui Dongshan spoke with great animation, praising Shi Rou’s inherent qualities at length. He said that opening the mountain (referring to Shi Rou’s situation) was smooth sailing, save for the expenditure of two pouches of gold essence coins. The glass-like golden body, stripped from a great cultivator of the Ascension Realm, was actually, through Shi Rou’s great perseverance and fortune, successfully transformed into a blessed land, a haven for her soul. Although there was still some mutual repulsion between Du Mao’s flesh and Shi Rou’s soul, it would only take time and money to resolve, no longer a significant obstacle.

After delivering this overwhelmingly good news, Cui Dongshan began to pick at flaws. “Opening the gate and turning guest into host is only the first hurdle. Shi Rou is blessed with exceptional inherent qualities. Had someone recognized her potential earlier and been willing to invest, they could have planned for her to become a first-rate Sacred Mountain deity of our Treasure Bottle Continent. Her foundation is good, allowing her to take such great advantage. However, good inherent qualities do not necessarily equate to superior cultivation talent. In fact, Shi Rou, as a wandering ghost existing for hundreds of years, hasn’t managed to amount to much, failing to become a Ghost King or anything of the sort. Besides her former master’s unreliability, Shi Rou’s own cultivation aptitude is unremarkable. Therefore, Shi Rou’s bottleneck is quite critical, destined to be unable to break through the limitations of this glass-like golden body and advance further, truly attaining a great freedom.”

Chen Ping’an took out a pot of Osmanthus Wine. Cui Dongshan accepted it, tilted his head back, and took a hearty gulp, wiping his mouth. “Fortunately, she entered a mountain of gold. Even if a pitiful little ghost is moving treasure, no matter how little they carry each time, they will eventually, after decades or centuries of unremitting effort, accumulate a fortune and become wealthy. After that, Shi Rou only needs to stubbornly gnaw on hard bones. There are no major cultivation barriers. This is the most envied aspect of a deceased immortal’s remains, going straight to the Upper Five Realms, needing neither to form a Golden Core, nor nurture a Nascent Soul, nor even bother with Heavenly Demons. Who wouldn’t envy that?”

Cui Dongshan chuckled. “Of course, Master’s mind is unwavering and wouldn’t be envious. As for student, I have a precedent to follow and have no need to be envious. Ultimately, I’m still not as good as Master.”

Chen Ping’an reminded him, “No matter how Shi Rou accumulates gold essence coins through cultivation, I will keep six gold essence coins on hand. Don’t try to get your hands on that money.”

Cui Dongshan said solemnly, “Having a benevolent Master like you to be the owner of the four ants in the Lotus Root Blessing Land is truly their good fortune accumulated over several lifetimes. If they don’t cherish it, they deserve to be struck by lightning. Master, rest assured, student knows some of the Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Five Thunders Righteous Law, perhaps even more proficient than some of the Heavenly Master’s Mansion’s esteemed nobles. When Master gives the order, I will act on behalf of Heaven.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I still hope to have a good beginning and a good ending with those four.”

Cui Dongshan said softly, “Why doesn’t Master ask how to firmly control Shi Rou after sixty years?”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “If I don’t ask, you wouldn’t say? When it comes to business and planning, I’m far inferior to you. I trust you, and I especially trust that you won’t act furtively outside the Great Dao. That would be looking down on Cui Dongshan too much.”

Cui Dongshan was moved to tears. “I never imagined that in Master’s eyes, student is such an understanding person. Master is willing to trust student. How dare student not repay you with my life?!”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the alluring skeleton about to walk the world in Du Mao’s image and asked, “No regrets?”

Shi Rou smiled. “Master doesn’t know the various hardships suffered by a wandering soul. Hearing the sound of spring thunder, the morning bells and evening drums, the righteous gale between Heaven and Earth, the killing intent of golden autumn, the atmosphere of war on the battlefield, various mountain and water shrines and City God Pavilions, all these are tribulations for us wild ghosts. And it’s easy to lose the last bit of intelligence and become a fierce ghost knowing only slaughter…”

Shi Rou spoke slowly and carefully, recounting many rules and secrets of the existence of Yin creatures.

Chen Ping’an listened attentively, which slightly alleviated his discomfort in facing “Du Mao.”

Cui Dongshan remained smiling, accompanying Chen Ping’an as he listened intently to Shi Rou’s exposition.

The matter of inhabiting Du Mao’s glass-like golden body was more or less settled.

Cui Dongshan only said that he needed another day to rest, and Chen Ping’an nodded in agreement.

The scene inside the house resembled a celebration feast, but it was only the three involved, with just a pot of Osmanthus Wine.

Finally, Cui Dongshan got up to bid farewell. Chen Ping’an escorted them to the doorway. After closing the door, the white-robed youth and the white-haired old woman walked one after the other in the corridor.

Although Cui Dongshan’s face was full of joyful color, Shi Rou, for some reason, became increasingly frightened as she walked. Upon reaching Cui Dongshan’s room, as expected, he grabbed “Du Mao’s” head, his five fingers like hooks, pressing Shi Rou against the wall. He said sternly, “A tiny Yin creature, a being even inferior to an ant, dares to boast in front of my Master?! Who gave you the gall!”

A glass-like golden body equivalent to an Immortal Realm physique, a vigorous body no less than a Ninth Realm martial artist, should have made Cui Dongshan’s grasp, at his current Earth Immortal Realm, no more than a tickle to Shi Rou. However, Cui Dongshan clearly used some kind of secret divine power. Her spirit surged, like five powerful gales blowing across Shi Rou’s spiritual foundation, causing Shi Rou’s aged face to contort in pain, tears streaming down her face.

Cui Dongshan raised his other hand and flicked Shi Rou’s forehead, a sound like a resounding bell echoing in Shi Rou’s heart.

After releasing his five fingers, Shi Rou collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, drenched in sweat.

Cui Dongshan stepped on her forehead, causing the back of Shi Rou’s head to violently hit the wall. Cui Dongshan bent down, looked down at her, and sneered, “Talent doesn’t match virtue, and virtue doesn’t match position. You possess both! Do you believe that I will pull your spirit back out of the remains right now, have you washed by the Righteous Wind and bathed by the Sweet Rain day and night, or simply use the remains as a lantern, with your soul as the wick, yet allow you to be completely unaware, only to suddenly die after sixty years?!”

Cui Dongshan increased the pressure on his foot, and the wall behind Shi Rou’s head gradually cracked.
Cui Dongshan’s gaze was icy, “What, just because you’ve sprouted a pecker between your legs, you’ve become so conceited?”

Shi Rou’s expression suddenly shifted, her eyes becoming indifferent. Despite enduring immense humiliation and agonizing pain in her spirit, she raised her head, meeting the white-clad immortal master’s gaze for the first time.

Cui Dongshan found it amusing, smiling as he said, “You, a remnant of a fallen kingdom from six centuries ago, a dying ember of a Daoist offshoot, have painstakingly endured for so many years, only to accumulate this little bit of forbearance? You dare to compete with me in chess? Seeking knowledge from others, answering with a song: ‘Form like withered bones, heart like dead ashes.’ How about that, did I strike at your roots? Otherwise, I shall use the unique secret art of the founding ancestor of your lineage on that seeker of knowledge, completely erasing the last glimmer of your Daoist vein?”

Shi Rou’s face was filled with disbelief, finally revealing immense terror, a fear greater than death itself.

She had once softly hummed a poem on a stone tablet within the City God Temple of Caiyi Kingdom, a poem that Chen Ping’an had mistakenly believed to be an ancient folk song of Caiyi Kingdom. She had thought that this affair from centuries past, along with all traces being destroyed by the combined efforts of various forces in Bao Ping Continent, would no longer be known. Moreover, even if one were to accidentally come across fragments of these poems in miscellaneous books, how could they accurately deduce her true identity? To think he would so easily grasp the true Achilles’ heel of this tiny female ghost!

Cui Dongshan extended two fingers, and the golden flying sword that had emerged from between his eyebrows circled his finger, finally drawing a long-lost golden talisman, as if a solemn golden lotus was blooming at Cui Dongshan’s fingertip.

Shi Rou wanted to beg for mercy, but found herself unable to utter a sound no matter how she struggled, forced to watch as the person’s finger steadily approached her forehead.

Shi Rou closed her eyes, her lips moving slightly, silently chanting the opening verse of her Daoist offshoot’s song.

Preparing for her imminent demise, Shi Rou slowly opened her eyes, finding that the person had retracted his hand, examining her with a pitying gaze.

Cui Dongshan straightened up, scrubbing the sole of his shoe against “Du Mao’s” face, as if wiping dirt from his shoe on the muddy ground.

He glanced at Shi Rou, who had survived her ordeal, “Don’t let there be a next time.”

Shi Rou nodded lightly.

Cui Dongshan had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned around, heavily kicking Shi Rou in the head, burying most of her head into the wall, angrily saying, “I spared your life, and you don’t even know to thank me?”

Shi Rou pulled her head out of the wall and silently knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times to Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan sat down at the table, annoyed, “I won’t be accompanying Mister all the way. After I leave, remember not to waste this most resilient body. If Mister is injured while you are not exerting your utmost effort, regardless of how minor the injury, I will extract that sliver of your Daoist essence from the depths of your soul and transplant it into a monk.”

Shi Rou slowly raised her head, her face filled with sorrow as she looked at this seemingly divine yet cunning and malicious immortal master, murmuring, “How can there be such a terrifying person in this world?”

Cui Dongshan chuckled, “Mister didn’t teach me this, I learned it on my own.”

Shi Rou stood up, daring only to lean against the wall.

Cui Dongshan slammed the table, “Aren’t you going to your room? Are you trying to court death by standing here? Do you believe I won’t chop off that thing between your legs and force you to eat it?”

Filled with grief and indignation, Shi Rou lowered her head and quickly left the room, which felt like a living hell.

Cui Dongshan opened the books written by the Qingluan Kingdom’s scholars, becoming increasingly infuriated as he read them. He slammed the books shut, cursing, “Bullshit ‘three days without reading, and one feels the language is tasteless and the face repugnant.’ Reading this crap makes me feel like someone smeared a big pile of shit on my face, and it’s runny shit at that.”

Cui Dongshan couldn’t sleep, feeling bored and restless, so he quietly left the inn to wander around the outer county town.

He inadvertently spotted a destitute rogue cultivator of the lower five realms, using a second-rate ghost stealing technique, controlling a dozen mischievous little ghosts to steal the wealth and savings of an ordinary family, like ants moving house, working together in twos and threes to carry copper coins and loose silver. The cultivator squatted by the wall, weighing two or three of the most valuable pieces of silver, grinning from ear to ear.

Little by little, adding up, not disdaining the small amounts.

But then, he turned his head and saw a white-clad youth squatting next to him, keeping him company as he enjoyed the moonlight?

The rogue cultivator was startled into a shiver.

Cui Dongshan smiled, “You can bring yourself to do this? Why not steal from the wealthy families’ gold and silver?”

The rogue cultivator swallowed hard, trembling as he said, “The door gods of those wealthy families are too difficult to deal with. I’d just be getting my hard-raised money-moving ghosts beaten to death for nothing, a losing business.”

Cui Dongshan nodded, “That’s true.”

The rogue cultivator’s eyes darted around, wanting to run away and silence the strange youth? Was it worth it for a few taels of silver? Besides, who knew who would be killing whom?

Cui Dongshan extended two fingers, pinching up a thumb-sized money-stealing ghost, then placing it in his palm, clasped his hands together, and randomly kneaded it. The sight made the minor mountain and marsh rogue cultivator’s eyelids twitch. Well, one of his generals had fallen. It couldn’t withstand being rubbed round and flat like that. The money-stealing ghosts he raised were of extremely low quality, otherwise they wouldn’t have failed to pass the door god barrier of even moderately wealthy families.

While the rogue cultivator was feeling pained, Cui Dongshan opened his hand, and the snarling money-stealing ghost seemed to be wearing a red garment. He threw it on the ground and commanded, “Go, steal a piece of gold from a wealthy family and bring it back.”

The little guy clenched his fists, puffed out his cheeks, and ran off, working hard.

After about an incense stick’s worth of time, it actually carried back a fingernail-sized piece of gold.

The rogue cultivator was dumbfounded. After he came to his senses, he quickly clasped his fist and said, “Immortal Master, your supernatural powers are vast, truly opening my eyes.”

Cui Dongshan stood up and vanished in a flash, leaving behind a delighted mountain and marsh rogue cultivator.

After visiting the county town’s Confucian and Martial Temples, Cui Dongshan couldn’t stand their obsequiousness. After spouting some nonsense, he quickly left.

Still feeling bored, Cui Dongshan casually used the technique of “dotting the dragon’s eyes” on the painted door gods of a family, allowing the two door gods to condense the rudimentary form of a golden body. They were still a hundred thousand miles away from becoming true deities, but they could scare away the most useless of Yin creatures and block more baleful energy. He also went to the house of the second wealthiest family in the county town and broke off each of the ridge beasts on their roof, discarding them casually.
Aimless wandering, following his heart’s whim.

To be a terrestrial immortal and this bored could only be Cui Dongshan.

That evening, after Cui Dongshan left with Shi Rou, Chen Ping’an practiced the Heaven and Earth Stance, then walked out of his room. He gently knocked on the door of the adjacent room, and said with amusement, “It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep?”

Pei Qian was poring over a martial arts novel she had just gotten her hands on, reading by lamplight. When Chen Ping’an knocked, she quickly blew out the lamp, leaped onto the bed, and pretended to be awakened, “I was asleep! Why isn’t Master asleep yet? Do you need me to open the door?”

Chen Ping’an chuckled, not bothering to call out her little lie, and reminded her, “No need to open the door. You can read the book anytime, just don’t hurt your eyes. We don’t have to hurry tomorrow, you can read it during the day.”

Chen Ping’an turned to leave, but remembering something, he added at the door, “After I leave, don’t hide under the covers with the oil lamp to read.”

Inside the room, Pei Qian’s mouth fell open. Master was truly quite remarkable; he could even guess that?

She had no choice but to answer, “Understood.”

After Chen Ping’an left, although she still longed for the chivalrous grudges and gleaming blades in the novel, Pei Qian resisted the temptation and tried to sleep. However, she kept her eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep. She drifted in and out of consciousness for a long time before finally drifting off.

The next day, after breakfast, Cui Dongshan was teaching Chen Ping’an how to play Go in Chen Ping’an’s room, still endlessly纠缠 (jiū chán – can’t translate directly, so used ‘entangled’) with that small point.

First, Lu Baixiang watched from the sidelines, immediately becoming engrossed. Eventually, he quickly left during a pause and called Sui Youbian to watch the game together, saying it was incredibly profound. Sui Youbian had once been slaughtered by Lu Baixiang with a small point opening on the Go board, losing all her armor and abandoning her shield. She stubbornly refused to believe it, and in three consecutive games, she allowed Lu Baixiang to use this fixed pattern, resulting in the loss of the first move and a crushing defeat. As a result, she broke her rules and played a series of unreasonable moves, but still couldn’t turn the tide. Therefore, when Lu Baixiang said he had only grasped three or four tenths of the essence of this unparalleled small point, Sui Youbian became somewhat intrigued and followed him to see how Cui Dongshan was teaching people to play Go and how Chen Ping’an was learning.

Soon, Zhu Lian also came to join the fun, and Wei Xian was the last to enter the room.

However, Sui Youbian quickly lost interest in watching the game. Chen Ping’an’s talent for playing Go was simply too mediocre. No matter how skillfully Cui Dongshan taught, facing someone like Chen Ping’an who was not enlightened,

It was inevitable that Sui Youbian, who had already mastered Go, would feel impatient and bored. So, she quietly left. During this time, Sui Youbian couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at the old man standing behind Cui Dongshan. No matter how she looked at him, he felt awkward, and somehow even more disgusting than Zhu Lian… an old pansy? You’re an old man, afraid to make eye contact with people, and you like to purse your lips and hold the corner of your clothes with a delicate hand gesture? What’s that all about?

Zhu Lian and Wei Xian left the room one after another after Sui Youbian left.

During the slaughter in Old Dragon City, the battlefield was severely fragmented, so the four in the painting scroll had never met Du Mao from the Tongye Sect. As for the withered bone spirit Shi Rou, who had always been in the yellow paper talisman, she had never met them either. Therefore, when Du Mao’s immortal remains appeared, Sui Youbian and the others were kept in the dark, simply assuming that Cui Dongshan had dragged out an outsider from some unknown corner.

After lunch that day, Cui Dongshan began to seclude himself.

At dawn the next day, the group began to continue their journey to the capital of the Green Luan Kingdom.

Originally, the yellow ox in the group was quite eye-catching, but after Cui Dongshan rode the yellow ox, although it was still attention-grabbing, the passersby who saw this scene simply guessed that this handsome young man must have come from a wealthy family, traveling the world with his attendants. It was a little strange, but at a young age, he already had a bit of the demeanor of a famous scholar.

With Cui Dongshan around, the journey was more relaxed and casual.

The four in the painting scroll also savored some flavors. If Chen Ping’an’s encounter with those two friends, Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia, made his entire state lively and upward, without any trace of old age, then reuniting with this disciple in a foreign land brought a measured ease. The interaction between the teacher and student, although not quite in line with worldly norms, ultimately seemed to lessen some of the burden on Chen Ping’an’s shoulders. Moreover, as a teacher, Chen Ping’an would also ask his disciple for advice on Legalist thought in addition to learning Go.

Along the way, Cui Dongshan insisted on paying for everything, never allowing his teacher to spend a single copper coin.

Taking advantage of Cui Dongshan’s casual chats with Chen Ping’an, the four in the painting scroll also gained a lot, and their understanding of this vast world became clearer and more extensive.

For example, Lu Baixiang learned that in this extraordinary world, besides the pursuit of enlightenment and the pinnacle of martial arts, there was also pure Confucian scholarship, truly putting in hard work in academics and cultivating the mind.

There were also many Qi refiners from the various schools of thought who were regarded as enlightened beings, emphasizing the lineage of learning and lightly regarding the strength of cultivation.

Sui Youbian witnessed how Cui Dongshan’s bizarre and fantastical immortal techniques were integrated into everyday life.

Zhu Lian asked Cui Dongshan for advice twice when no one was around. His idea was simple: he just wanted to determine how many immortal treasures this guy actually possessed.

Wei Xian was still the most taciturn one, getting along best with Pei Qian. One big and one small, they were always disrespectful to each other.

Cui Dongshan still occasionally disappeared for a period of time, just like their journey together after leaving the Great Sui capital, and Chen Ping’an never asked about it.

The “old man” Shi Rou finally shed some of his affectations. His gait no longer resembled a woman’s swaying waist, the natural allure was gone, and he no longer unconsciously made delicate hand gestures. Finally, he looked like a proper white-haired old man.

However, Shi Rou was still the least liked in the group, and his status was probably even lower than the yellow ox.

Pei Qian practiced the White Ape Swordplay and the Dragging Blade Style diligently. Anyway, it was all just forms, and it was impressive. She didn’t have to endure the pain of stretching her muscles and bones. Compared to the six-step stance, she preferred to use the bamboo sword and bamboo blade that Chen Ping’an had made for her to practice the sword techniques and saber art taught to her by the female Daoist Huang Ting. However, once, Cui Dongshan, sitting cross-legged on the ox’s back, used a sarcastic tone to criticize her swordplay thoroughly. Cui Dongshan burst into laughter, to the point of falling off the ox’s back, which discouraged Pei Qian for several days. She only dared to practice the stance every day.

The group arrived at the county closest to the capital of the Green Luan Kingdom.

No one knew how Cui Dongshan found it, but the group settled in a secluded immortal inn.
Chen Ping’an indeed lacked talent in Weiqi (Go), but he didn’t abandon it altogether, nor did he obsess over it to the point of neglecting his boxing and swordsmanship. He dedicated about an hour each day to learning the game from Cui Dongshan.

They arrived at a Xianjia (Immortal Family) inn called Hundred Flowers Garden. It was said that the proprietor was a Guanhai Realm (Observing the Sea Realm) cultivator with the appearance of a middle-aged man, but he didn’t reveal himself to Chen Ping’an and his companions. The inn occupied a vast area and was planted with numerous exotic flowers and rare herbs, their fragrances intoxicating. Due to the imminent Buddhist-Taoist debate in the nearby capital, the Xianjia inn in this prefecture city had few rooms remaining. Pei Qian shared a room with Sui Youbian, while Lu Baixiang, Zhu Lian, and Wei Xian squeezed into one. Cui Dongshan, Shi Rou, and Chen Ping’an were the only ones to have a room to themselves.

Staying here was expensive, but the value was worth the cost. They gained benefits that couldn’t be bought with money, such as inside information and interesting anecdotes about the Buddhist-Taoist debate, which the inn’s staff provided to guests daily in the form of an official gazette. Furthermore, each room contained several clever little spiritual artifacts, bearing the title of Xianjia spirit tools but mostly crafted from leftover scraps. Valued at about two or three snowflake coins in total, guests were free to take them.

This delighted Pei Qian.

After sweet-talking Sui Youbian and obtaining the small objects from their room, she ran to Old Wei and Little White, asking them to share sunflower seeds and fruits. She lingered stubbornly, unwilling to leave. Eventually, Zhu Lian grew annoyed and told Pei Qian to take the three trinkets and disappear. Adding the four items from Chen Ping’an’s room, Pei Qian suddenly had ten low-grade spiritual artifacts. Middle Fifth Realm celestial masters wouldn’t deign to look at these useless ornaments, while Lower Fifth Realm celestial masters couldn’t afford to stay here, resulting in Pei Qian’s “overnight wealth.” Her treasure box couldn’t “accommodate” so many, so they had to be temporarily stored in Chen Ping’an’s miniature world.

The lodging of celestial masters had to be quiet and secluded, and after arranging matters with the local government, formations that gathered and stored spiritual energy could be established, making the spiritual energy far richer than in the common marketplace.

Moreover, the two painted door gods pasted at the inn’s entrance were genuine talisman door gods. If any evil spirits approached, golden-armored divine warriors would emerge, wielding weapons and devouring ghosts.

In addition, a small plate of Xianjia fruits and vegetables was served on the table each day, the specialty of a farmer-cultivator from Hundred Flowers Garden and the hallmark of this mountain inn located below the mountain.

While Pei Qian copied scriptures, she paused several times, flexing her wrists, and noticed Chen Ping’an staring blankly at the plate of dates and fragrant pears.

She couldn’t quite understand it.

She just felt that her Shifu seemed to have remembered something unpleasant.

When she finished copying the scriptures, she found Chen Ping’an still sitting in the same spot, but he had turned to look out the window.

Pei Qian was a little worried and joked, “Shifu, what’s wrong? Missing Shimu?”

Chen Ping’an snapped out of it and smiled, “Want to copy another five hundred words?”

Pei Qian made a face.

Chen Ping’an stood up, patted Pei Qian’s head, and began practicing the six-step walking stance around the table.

Pei Qian grew even more puzzled. Now, Chen Ping’an mostly practiced the combined heaven-earth stance; he rarely practiced this most basic and simple boxing stance.

Pei Qian tidied up the paper and brush, leaned on the table, and casually asked, “Shifu, have you never been afraid of ghosts and monsters since you were little?”

Chen Ping’an slowly walked the stance and replied, “Unlike you, I wasn’t afraid when I was very young. On the contrary, I hoped there were really ghosts and monsters in the world. I often went to the Immortal Tombs outside my hometown alone. When I got a little older, I would go to the mountains with people to chop firewood and burn charcoal, or go alone to find soil suitable for burning porcelain. I was never afraid.”

Pei Qian exclaimed, “Shifu is truly naturally gifted!”

Chen Ping’an smiled and dismissed it, without explaining the reason.

At noon that day, the inn’s staff delivered another Xianjia gazette. The content was diverse, but one item particularly interested Chen Ping’an. After studying Weiqi with Cui Dongshan, he sought Cui Dongshan’s opinion.

On his way north with his troops, Wei Liang, the Grand Commandant of the Qingluan Kingdom, passed through a prefecture city. Because of a minor incident, he exposed two derelict officials. One was a military officer who had embezzled and accepted bribes of tens of thousands of taels of silver, and the other was a scholar who played with words. The former was only demoted, but the latter was executed without delay.

Cui Dongshan, without much thought, blurted out, “This is the style of the Legalist school. For the latter, ordinary people would often consider the crime to be lighter than the former, but the Legalists insist on adding to the punishment.”

Cui Dongshan smiled and asked, “Can Shifu figure out the key point?”

After careful consideration, Chen Ping’an sighed, “Truly formidable.”

Cui Dongshan casually said, “Among the various schools of thought besides the Three Teachings, those that have stood firm for thousands of years and been passed down to this day all have their foundation and unique features. That’s why a certain fellow said long ago, ‘My life has a limit, but knowledge has no limit. To use the limited to pursue the unlimited is certainly dangerous.’ Common people like the first half of the sentence, but cultivators will find the second half to be profound. In the end, the learning of the Three Teachings and the various schools of thought, even a single one, I am afraid that cultivators, throughout their lives, would not dare to say they have reached the end of the learning. It all depends on how to choose. Of what one has taken, how much learning truly becomes one’s own ability? Of what one has given up, has one picked up sesame seeds and lost the watermelon?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Cui Dongshan grabbed a fragrant pear and began to eat it, mumbling, “But learning is learning, and being a person is being a person. There are some relationships, but no absolute relationships. That’s why worldly affairs are complicated. How a person lives, what books they read, and whether reading books is useful are all their own karmic connections. There are too many fools in the world who don’t know that the primary thing in reading is to allow us to better understand this world, wasting the well-intentioned advice of the sages of the Three Teachings and the various schools of thought. Sages impart learning, and each classic is like a lantern hanging in the night. The roads are different, and the lanterns have different brightness and size, but unfortunately, the people themselves are blind.”

Chen Ping’an remained noncommittal about this.

Cui Dongshan was just looking for something to talk about, so he changed the subject and spoke about the glorious deeds of Little Bao Ping.
It’s said that at the end of last year, Li Huai, that little simpleton, got into an argument with a classmate. A book newly distributed by the academy was taken away by the classmate, who claimed it was his. Li Huai couldn’t provide any proof. Just then, Li Baoping happened to pass by and immediately judged the case. She used a method, taking the book and saying to the two Li Huais, “Since you can’t explain it clearly, let’s just tear it in half, each of you gets half.” Li Huai got anxious, but the other child happily agreed. So Li Baoping threw the book to Li Huai and then severely beat the other child. An old scholar who had been watching from afar laughed heartily. The child didn’t know what went wrong, crying and complaining to the old scholar, only to receive another beating with a ruler.

Chen Ping’an smiled heartily after hearing this.

Pei Qian, listening from the side, sighed, “That book thief was too stupid. Alas, there are just too many fools under heaven, nothing can be done.”

Chen Ping’an flicked her forehead with his finger, “It’s not about being stupid or not. Stealing a book is wrong to begin with. Stealing a book and being clever enough to not get caught is even more wrong.”

Pei Qian felt wronged, “I didn’t say stealing a book is right.”

Cui Dongshan chuckled, “There are also many people under heaven who are both stupid and wicked. These sorts, Confucianism cannot teach them.”

Pei Qian deeply agreed, nodding, “The Legalist philosophy you were just talking about is pretty good. It seems very effective for dealing with bad people.”

Speaking of this, Pei Qian immediately stopped, afraid that Chen Ping’an would get angry.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “It’s fine for you to think this way now, but you still need to read more books. Don’t think you’ve already arrived at the correct answer.”

Pei Qian thought for a moment, “Then Confucianism is still better, right?”

She was already tired enough copying that Confucian classic, adding another Legalist text would be just asking for trouble, wouldn’t it?

Cui Dongshan gave a thumbs-up, “Worthy of Zhu Lian’s description of ‘unyielding spirit’.”

Pei Qian pretended not to hear.

Cui Dongshan asked with a smile, “Pei Qian, are you on good terms with Wei Xian?”

Pei Qian became wary, smiling slyly, “We’re just so-so.”

Cui Dongshan exclaimed in mock surprise, “Able to shift with the wind, very clever indeed!”

Pei Qian rolled her eyes.

She flattered her master constantly, but when it came to her, only harsh words came out. This guy was really annoying.

Someday, if this Cui person angered her master, and she, as the foremost disciple, had mastered peerless sword and saber techniques, she would learn from those wandering hero novels and eliminate the troublemaker from the sect!

Cui Dongshan seemed to read Pei Qian’s mind, chuckling, “What, with your clumsy sword and saber skills, you want to find an opportunity to cross swords with me someday?”

Pei Qian looked blank, “What are you talking about?”

Cui Dongshan picked up a jujube from the small plate and gently threw it at Pei Qian’s forehead, “Little one, trying to fight me?”

Pei Qian reached out and caught the falling jujube, pretending to throw it back. Cui Dongshan remained unmoved. Pei Qian made several attempts, but Cui Dongshan just smiled without budging. Pei Qian figured she probably wouldn’t hit him. If she actually succeeded, she estimated she’d be the one to suffer in the end. So, she simply stuffed the jujube into her mouth and glared at him fiercely.

Cui Dongshan suddenly looked panicked, “Oh no, this jujube is a descendant of the Jujube Tree Sprite of Hundred Flowers Garden! We cultivators aren’t afraid of being harassed by that sprite, but you, Pei Qian, you’re such a little thing, that fellow will definitely think you’re an easy target! So, you must be careful to secure your doors and windows before going to sleep, or else branches will crawl into the room in the middle of the night, that’s really scary…”

As he spoke, Cui Dongshan deliberately twisted his arms and vividly imitated how a tree sprite would sneak into a room to harm people.

Scared, Pei Qian immediately took out her beloved talisman and heavily stuck it on her forehead, then crossed her arms.

Cui Dongshan sighed, “That won’t do, your talisman is a Pagoda Suppressing Demon Talisman, plants becoming spirits don’t fall for that.”

Pei Qian then took out the Yang Energy Illuminating Lamp Talisman that Chen Ping’an had given her later and stuck it on her forehead as well.

Cui Dongshan clapped his palm, looking worried, “Don’t! That talisman is a guiding talisman, it can’t ward off ghosts and spirits. It might even attract the attention of other tree sprites, making them think you’re provoking them! Then flower and grass spirits, a grand procession, will follow the jujube tree sprite and visit your room together! Then your bedside, under your bed, will be full of them.”

Pei Qian pursed her lips, her dark face wrinkled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Chen Ping’an smacked Cui Dongshan on the head, scolding with a smile, “Stop scaring Pei Qian.”

Cui Dongshan said “Oh,” then clutched his stomach and pointed at the enlightened Pei Qian, “Haha, what a little fool!”

Pei Qian was infuriated and embarrassed, and was about to go to the next room to retrieve the Walking Stick, after all, she still thought her original Mad Demon Swordplay was more powerful, and she would fight him!

Seeing that the situation was not good, Cui Dongshan had already greased his soles and fled.

After Cui Dongshan slipped away, Pei Qian squeezed out a smile for Chen Ping’an, saying, “Master, I was just pretending to be scared. Even without these two talismans, I would recite the books of sages before going to bed, and I would definitely be immune to all evil, and ghosts and spirits wouldn’t approach me, right?”

Chen Ping’an looked at the little girl with two talismans still stuck to her forehead, and holding back his laughter, nodded, “Maybe.”

Pei Qian was a little flustered, “Just ‘maybe’?”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “This is an immortal inn, what spirits would dare to harm the guests?”

Pei Qian said pitifully, “What if?”

Chen Ping’an was stunned for a moment, then touched her head, “Don’t worry, I’m right next door, what are you afraid of?”

Pei Qian’s eyes lit up, quickly took off the talismans and put them in her sleeve, ran to the window and stood on tiptoes, muttering to the garden, nothing more than naive words like ‘My master is Chen Ping’an’, ‘Let’s mind our own business’.

Elsewhere in the inn, Sui Youbian took the initiative to find Cui Dongshan and asked, “Do you have a secret method for nurturing a natal flying sword?”

Cui Dongshan smiled without speaking.

Sui Youbian directly asked, “What do you want me to pay?”

Cui Dongshan sat at the table, looked at the sword-bearing woman standing at the door, and smiled, “It’s very simple, don’t forget your roots.”

Sui Youbian frowned, “What do you mean?”

Cui Dongshan looked disgusted and waved his hand to drive her away, “You can’t even figure this out, and you dare to hope to nurture the embryo of a natal flying sword early on with your pure martial artist body?”

Sui Youbian’s face was as cold as frost, and she turned and left.

Cui Dongshan didn’t take it to heart, thought for a while, and went to Wei Xian’s residence.
Zhu Lian was out strolling in the Garden of a Hundred Flowers and happened to be away from his residence, the door unlatched. Cui Dongshan directly pushed the door open and entered.

Wei Xian was reading some local county chronicles and unofficial histories he had purchased along the way. He put down his book and asked, “Something the matter?”

Cui Dongshan’s imposing aura wavered as he stepped over the threshold. The door closed on its own behind him.

Cui Dongshan extended a palm, lightly clenching it into a fist. “You, Wei Xian, only care about the results and not the process. Among the four of you, you are the biggest bungler, yet also the one who inadvertently adheres to the principles of chess. Eventually, you will land a punch on my teacher’s vital spot. I might as well kill you today and be done with it.”

Wei Xian calmly said, “To condemn someone, one can always find a pretext.”

Cui Dongshan waved his sleeve, and a scroll landed on the table beside Wei Xian, along with three gold and copper coins.

Cui Dongshan strode forward, one hand behind his back, the other clenched into a fist. “If I kill you wrongly, then so be it. I’ll reduce your cultivation to a point where it can’t fall any further. When my teacher recovers from his injuries, he can take the opportunity to break through the bottleneck of the fifth realm. By then, you won’t be able to make a move even if you wanted to.”

Wei Xian sneered, “I’d like to see whether my loss of realm is a greater loss, or your loss of the master-disciple relationship is more miserable. Do you really think I don’t know that this scroll is a smokescreen created by you, Cui Dongshan? You and I both know what kind of person Chen Ping’an is.”

Cui Dongshan was slightly surprised and slowed his pace. “I underestimated you, the founding emperor of the Southern Garden Kingdom. Tell me, since we both know that you, Wei Xian, are the true hidden danger, why are you hesitant to act? I’m very curious. Is it because of… Pei Qian?”

Wei Xian remained expressionless and silent.

Cui Dongshan smiled and sat down. “When I borrowed the opportunity of playing chess with my teacher to help him review the past, I asked about everything in detail regarding the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. As long as he knew about the origins and backgrounds of you four in the painting, I know it too. Any clues he didn’t notice, I took note of.”

Cui Dongshan pointed to a book of low-grade unofficial history on the table. “For example, according to the historical records of the Southern Garden Kingdom, their iron-fisted founding emperor doted on his young, short-lived princess. For her sake, he sent all the court’s sorcerers to find immortals. So, in your eyes, Wei Xian, how similar are Pei Qian and your daughter? Is it that by killing Chen Ping’an, you can resurrect her in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, or simply have her possess Pei Qian’s body, reuniting father and daughter in this vast world? Hmm, perhaps you, Wei Xian, will still die, but at least she can live another life. As for whether it’s in the Southern Garden Kingdom of the homeland, it doesn’t matter. After all, the relatives are already withered bones. Perhaps she can achieve even greater things in this world. So, you, Wei Xian, choose to wait silently, hoping to pave more roads for her? Accumulate more wealth to avoid another premature death? Therefore, Chen Ping’an must die, but you also want the many treasures on him to leave for the new Pei Qian as her future cultivation foundation?”

Wei Xian clenched his fist under the table.

Cui Dongshan clicked his tongue. “My teacher said it well. That old senior is truly profound in his cultivation, and his plans are foolproof. Within the rules, he gives Chen Ping’an, Pei Qian, and you, Wei Xian, their own choices, scheming for the great path within certain constraints.”

Wei Xian sincerely praised, “Although I don’t understand chess, Master Cui’s chess skills are indeed brilliant.”

Then Wei Xian smiled, “But what can Master Cui do if I refuse to admit anything on Chen Ping’an’s side?”

Cui Dongshan laughed heartily, “Do you really think you understand Chen Ping’an, Wei Xian? Not to mention my unique secret techniques to detain souls and force you to speak the truth, I can guarantee that as long as I tell Chen Ping’an these deductions, your fate, Wei Xian, should be… I will draw a circle with a flying sword to shield the heavens and earth, and then he, Chen Ping’an, will use his current cultivation realm to beat you to death three times over. The most important thing is not this, but that you, Wei Xian, are destined not to see the person you want to see most in this life.”

Wei Xian released his fist under the table and frankly said, “That is indeed the case.”

This should be the first time Cui Dongshan directly called Chen Ping’an’s name in front of the four in the painting.

After Cui Dongshan controlled the flying sword to draw a golden circle, he took out the Running Horse Picture, unfurled it, and extracted a section of the flow of time. He smiled and said, “Harmony brings wealth. There’s no need for fighting and killing. You, Wei Xian, have a good nature, but you still lost because of your narrow vision. Come, come, come. I’ll tell you, you bumpkin, how I carefully pieced together a lively person from a bunch of broken natal porcelain shards in the Liju Grotto-Heaven. Open your dog eyes wide and watch carefully so that you know that, besides that smelly old bull-nosed Heavenly Lord in your Lotus Flower Blessed Land, I, Cui Dongshan, also have a chance to fulfill your wish. I can’t guarantee it will definitely succeed, but the chances are much greater than you, the founding emperor, taking a risky move under my nose, right?”

Half an incense stick later.

Wei Xian stood up, bowed his head with his hands clasped, and said nothing.

Cui Dongshan put away the Running Horse Picture of Time and also said nothing.

Wei Xian raised his head, still clasping his hands, “Is Master the Great Li National Preceptor, Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan?”

Cui Dongshan raised an eyebrow, “Worthy of being someone who has been an emperor, seeing the slightest hint and understanding the whole picture. Much smarter than Lu Baixiang.”

Wei Xian’s eyes burned with fervor. “National Preceptor, can you tell me how, specifically, you used a corner of Great Li to annex half of a continent’s territory?”

Cui Dongshan smiled playfully. “Why should I grant you such a request?”

Wei Xian put away his posture and sat back in his seat. “Just because the National Preceptor is willing to waste so much breath in this room with me, Wei Xian, who is destined to lose. There must be something valuable on me in the National Preceptor’s eyes. If not today, then in the future.”

Cui Dongshan nodded, sighing, “Old Wei, you’re very perceptive. Chatting with you isn’t too tiring.”

Wei Xian hesitated for a moment, about to speak.

Cui Dongshan waved his hand. “I know what you want to say. This is the key to your survival. Pei Qian is my teacher’s first disciple. If you could really steel your heart and harbor malicious intentions towards her, treating her only as a puppet, you would have died long ago once you showed the slightest hint. It wouldn’t be me who killed you, but Chen Ping’an.”

Cui Dongshan’s eyes were deep. “You are waiting for an opportunity, and Chen Ping’an is waiting for you to make a move. It could be like this, or it could not be, but the possibility is high.”

Wei Xian shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”

Cui Dongshan hugged the back of his head with both hands and looked up. “That’s because you don’t know who Chen Ping’an has pulled ropes and competed with in terms of mental state. That’s why I say you have a narrow vision, Wei Xian.”
Wei Xian inquired, “What does the Imperial Advisor desire now?”

Cui Dongshan sighed, “Difficult to say, we shall wait and see. Remember, do not call me Imperial Advisor henceforth. I am now, more or less, at odds with myself.”

Cui Dongshan rose to his feet and with a flick of his sleeve, a map of Baoping Continent appeared on the ground. It was the map from before the Great Li Song Clan devoured the Lu Clan Dynasty. Cui Dongshan walked to the northernmost end of the map and, filled with vigor, laughed aloud, “Since we have nothing better to do, let me tell you of my glorious achievements of yesteryear, how I marched southward, and how I will transform the continent’s territory into a unified kingdom!”

Pei Qian left the room.

Chen Ping’an, alone, closed his eyes to rest, appearing somewhat weary.

He opened his eyes, stood up, and walked to the window.

Another spring was drawing to a close.

Chen Ping’an leaned on the windowsill, smiling as he looked out at the scenery.

Upon Mount Yunxia, a newly established immortal dwelling served as the current abode of the fairy, Cai Jinjian.

The dwelling was situated near a cliff, offering an expansive view.

She dismissed her maids, whose aptitude for cultivation was merely passable, and sat alone in the lotus position on a prayer cushion, holding a scroll that she never showed to anyone.

Cai Jinjian now enjoyed great renown on Mount Yunxia and even among the various immortal sects of Baoping Continent, having become a rising star qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with seasoned earth immortals.

Besides her explosive increase in cultivation after returning from the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, there were many unknown secrets, such as her close relationship with Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City.

After experiencing a great rise and fall, especially that tribulation of life and death which she did not even tell her sect’s founder, Cai Jinjian underwent a transformation, both in cultivation and temperament, that left people astonished.

In previous years, Cai Jinjian often descended the mountain on journeys far and wide, but in the past two years, she often secluded herself in cultivation.

Cai Jinjian unrolled the scroll she held in her hands, revealing a white-haired Confucian scholar in a green robe.

It was a portrait she had painted herself.

Cai Jinjian, who in the eyes of others possessed an increasingly firm Dao heart and a promising path, lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and whispered, “Mister Qi.”

She slowly rolled up the painting, held it to her chest, and let her mind wander far and wide.

When she died and was reborn, upon parting with Mister Qi, he said he had a favor to ask.

Cai Jinjian, of course, was willing.

Mister Qi wanted her to help send a ‘Passing Time’ scroll to the Sword Qi Great Wall in the Upside-Down Mountain.

And after that, Mister Qi asked her to help him send several more scrolls.

The main character in the paintings was the clay-bottle-lane youth, and the content included Chen Ping’an as a child in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, traveling far to the Great Sui, traveling south alone to deliver a sword, and the last picture was before arriving at the Colorful Clothes Country. After that, Mister Qi thanked her and said goodbye to her.

Cai Jinjian once plucked up the courage to ask if she could look at the scrolls.

Mister Qi smiled gently and nodded.

The last scroll showed Mister Qi and contained some words of farewell.

They were for the person at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

“I have an unreasonable request, and I implore Miss Ning to consider it.”

“This kind of Chen Ping’an will treat the world kindly. Then please, Miss Ning, treat Chen Ping’an kindly.”

“If in the end, Miss Ning still does not like Chen Ping’an, it does not matter. Only, please do not let my junior apprentice brother be too heartbroken by the word ‘love’. Qi Jingchun bows in thanks.”

At this moment, Cai Jinjian raised her head, staring blankly into the distance.

Mister Qi always made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.