(Sorry for the wait, everyone)

The time when the snow melts is especially frigid.

Either the official roads are muddy, or the secluded paths are covered in deep snow, making rustling sounds as one treads upon them.

Moreover, according to the calculations of several Earth Immortal cultivators in Book Brief Lake, there will be an even larger snowstorm in the vast territory of Book Brief Lake at the end of this year. In addition to Book Brief Lake, that once-in-a-century heavy snow will also encompass several vassal states of the Vermilion Glory Dynasty, including Stone Bristle Country. The Book Brief Lake cultivators will naturally be happy to see it happen, but the several vassal states will probably suffer. It’s just unknown whether the three heavy snowfalls after the onset of winter will imperceptibly hinder the southward speed of the Great Li iron cavalry, giving the Vermilion Glory Dynasty, which is adopting a scorched-earth strategy for the first time since its founding, more breathing room.

However, these major events in the world seem to have little to do with the daily lives of cultivators on stable mountain peaks, after all, there is a distinction between “the world” above and below the mountains.

Inside the main hall of the Spirit Official Temple, Zeng Ye went to collect firewood from the surroundings and lit a bonfire.

Chen Pingan was still wearing a thick cotton robe, just like on Azure Gorge Island, except that he no longer carried his sword on his back, but instead used the “innovation” of Pei Qian, carrying a self-made bamboo knife and a large imitation Qu Huang sword purchased from Ape Cry Street in Pond Water City, hanging on one side of his waist.

The two ate dry rations. This journey was Zeng Ye’s first time traveling far, so compared to the taciturn Chen Pingan, the young Zeng Ye inevitably felt a bit exuberant. Even passing a pass and submitting the genealogy issued by the ancestral hall of Azure Gorge Island to the soldiers on the border of Stone Bristle Country made Zeng Ye feel fresh, but he didn’t dare to show it. Chen Pingan’s mind was heavy, Zeng Ye wasn’t blind, he had that much understanding.

The two barely spoke.

After Chen Pingan finished eating his dry rations, he began to spread out a map of the Stone Bristle Country’s prefectures and counties. Currently, the southern territory of Stone Bristle Country was still relatively good. Only sparse Great Li iron cavalry scouts roamed within it. Chen Pingan and Zeng Ye had seen them twice, but in fact, the south, which had not yet been affected by the war, had already shown signs of chaos. For example, the Spirit Official Temple where the two were located was an example.

This was an old Spirit Official Temple that had not been repaired for a long time, and was slightly dilapidated. According to the explanation of the nearby villagers, the old temple elder who was in charge of incense offerings passed away in the autumn of this year. The county office should have selected a new temple elder. Generally speaking, as long as the candidate’s background was clean and a Daoist elder with a genealogy was willing to sign, the prefecture and county would nod in agreement. This trivial matter didn’t even require troubling the Ministry of Rites in the capital. However, with the arrival of the Great Li barbarians, the world was in chaos and they couldn’t take care of it. After all, the common people could flee, and the court wouldn’t blame them for returning to their hometowns after the fact. However, the temple elder’s chicken-rib position was similar to that of the county magistrate, bearing the words “responsible for guarding the territory”. Therefore, the two candidates originally favored by the county office, even if the county office made a big concession, privately stating that they didn’t need to spend their own money to smooth relations with a high-ranking genealogy Daoist in the county, were still unwilling to take office. The matter was dragged on and on. It was estimated that when the Great Li barbarians, who had already surrounded the capital of Stone Bristle Country, freed their hands and went south, the incense offerings for this Spirit Official Temple, which were already sparse, would be completely gone next year.

In times of chaos.

The common people were unable to take care of themselves. Where could they manage the matter of offering incense in the temple? They had to fill their own stomachs before they could worry about whether the clay gods were full or not. This was human nature.

Chen Pingan handed the bamboo box to Zeng Ye to carry on his back. Inside was the ghost Dao treasure, the “Underworld Prison” Yama Palace, which he had purchased on credit from the secret vault room of Azure Gorge Island.

As for Yu Gui’s later visit to Azure Gorge Island, where he proactively sold the superior spiritual artifact that was a replica of the Lapis Lazuli Pavilion to Chen Pingan, Chen Pingan temporarily stored it in his Contained Space. The twelve houses that could nurture ghost generals and the like were currently filled with yin spirits and ghosts with relatively full souls. Except for one of them, the remaining eleven yin ghosts were all Qi Refinement practitioners who had reached the middle five realms before their deaths and were still killed by Charcoal Snow. Their resentment was relatively heavy and their obsessions were deeper.

Although Zeng Ye’s cultivation aptitude was mediocre and his temperament was dull, he was a tall young man who was diligent and attentive. After leaving Book Brief Lake, Zeng Ye had done a lot of things along the way north.

However, Chen Pingan wasn’t the kind of genealogy immortal master who was accustomed to a life of luxury and didn’t need Zeng Ye to serve him. Therefore, the two, who were like master and disciple but without the name of master and disciple, traveled together harmoniously and naturally. This time, entering Stone Bristle Country required visiting forty places, involving the eight states and more than twenty counties of Stone Bristle Country. The place that Zeng Ye was more concerned about was that half of these places were located in the north of Stone Bristle Country, where there was war and chaos. Perhaps they would have to deal with the Great Li barbarians in the north. However, just thinking that Chen Pingan was a god, Zeng Ye was slightly relieved. The poor young man had been taken to Book Brief Lake since he was young and had grown into a young man on Mao Yue Island. He had never traveled with his master’s elders before, had not tasted the “mountain immortal master”, and still had a trace of innate fear of the imperial court and soldiers.

It seemed naive, but in Chen Pingan’s view, this was the right thing to do. Otherwise, if they encountered that foreign iron cavalry from the distant north and mistakenly thought they were ordinary soldiers from the central territory of Treasure Bottle Continent, once there was a conflict, let alone Zeng Ye, a lower five realm cultivator, even a Golden Core Earth Immortal who could be second only to one person and above ten thousand in Stone Bristle Country would run into a brick wall with the Great Li iron cavalry, and might even end up dying.

Regarding this matter, Chen Pingan didn’t deliberately remind Zeng Ye. Many seemingly superficial truths still had to be experienced personally to be profound, at least they should be heard and seen personally.

Zeng Ye began to cultivate, using the immortal secret technique taught by Chen Pingan, breathing and exhaling. Diligence could make up for shortcomings. The more impoverished and destitute the wild cultivator’s background, the more they could cherish this hard-won opportunity.

Chen Pingan now found it difficult to cultivate his mind, and the matter of cultivating his strength naturally stagnated. Boxing, swordsmanship, and cultivating Dao by absorbing spiritual energy were all the same.

Chen Pingan then stood up, crossed the threshold, and came to the outside of the main hall of the Spirit Official Temple, frowning slightly.

There was a widely circulated old saying in the countryside: “One person should not live in a temple, two people should not look at a well.”

The common people may not truly understand the mystery of it, but those who cultivate Dao will feel it more deeply.

When one person’s heart and mind are like a house, and good intentions scatter like birds and beasts when the tree falls, miscellaneous thoughts and evil thoughts will enter in droves, and vice versa.

Extending it to temples and Taoist temples, which were originally places where incense offerings were prosperous, it is almost the same. Originally, it was the place where gods and rules that ghosts and monsters feared resided. Once there were no incense offerings and the spiritual energy dissipated, it was easier to attract the coveting and peeping of ghosts and yin objects.
Many scholars’ reading notes record strange and uncanny tales occurring within dilapidated temples, and this is precisely the reason why.

Once, between the kingdoms of Colorful Garments and Combing Waters, Chen Ping’an encountered a fox spirit within a crumbling temple.

That time, there was meeting, and there was parting.

Chen Ping’an lowered his head, cupped his hands, and gently exhaled a plume of white mist, rubbing his palms together for warmth. After a moment’s thought, he went to close the door, lest he disturb Zeng Ye’s cultivation.

Zeng Ye possessed a pure heart, but lacked resilience on the path of cultivation, easily becoming distracted. If tonight’s Qi refinement and nurturing of the Qi Palace were to be interrupted so soon after beginning, he would have to start all over again. Doing so once or twice would be fine, but if it happened repeatedly, it could form an unconscious habit, a treacherous path of the heart. Human laziness, greed, and the like often arise in this manner, seemingly naturally and unobtrusively, yet in the eyes of others, they are already evident.

Therefore, in the early stages of Zeng Ye’s cultivation, Chen Ping’an needed to exert extra effort, watching over the young man.

Though not a master, he was much like a protector of the Dao.

Thinking of this, Chen Ping’an chuckled softly.

Far from feeling burdened, Chen Ping’an felt somewhat lighter, perhaps recalling some past happy memories. Unconsciously, his brow relaxed, and he smiled, saying, “Come out, I know you are there. Although this Spirit Officer Hall has suffered from dwindling incense offerings, causing one of the golden body avatars of the Spirit Officer to slumber for many years, and the remaining divine essence of the Spirit Officer is insufficient to manifest and protect the fortune of this land, you bear no grudges against each other. It is better to coexist peacefully than to become enemies for no reason, isn’t it? If you were to encounter a Spirit Officer with a less amiable temperament, they might expend their divine essence and shatter their golden body to destroy you. You are welcome to feed on the residual incense outside the main hall. I believe the Spirit Officer behind me would not be angered by this. The difference between Yin and Yang means that mortals often favor Yang and dislike Yin, but Daoist Spirit Officers may not be the same. Your survival after death is due to the will of Heaven and a stroke of luck, so you may linger around the main hall, helping yourselves maintain a bit of spiritual light, but do not enter the main hall itself.”

Chen Ping’an spoke patiently and carefully, because many Yin beings and vengeful spirits, formed from lingering resentment, hatred, or obsessions after death, are muddled and confused. Their understanding of the world is no greater than when they were alive, and perhaps even inferior to lower-tier cultivators like Zeng Ye.

In Chen Ping’an’s eyes, there were several Yin creatures hiding near the front hall and back door, emitting chilling winds that were not particularly strong. It was the depths of winter, and ordinary people with ample Yang energy, such as robust young men, standing where Chen Ping’an stood, might not clearly sense the Yin aura emanating from the creatures. However, those with weak Yang energy, prone to attracting misfortune, might be affected, allowing Yin energy to invade their bodies, making them susceptible to colds and unable to recover. The Qi-nourishing medicines of village doctors might not be effective, as they only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. The patients’ souls are wounded, and the crude methods of spirit mediums, such as summoning and settling the spirit, might prove more effective.

Whether out of fear of Chen Ping’an or understanding of his words, the Yin creatures gradually retreated, giving up their plan to enter the main hall of the Spirit Officer Temple.

Since they stopped, Chen Ping’an said no more and did nothing further.

The first place they were heading to was a small mountain abode in the Stone Bristle Kingdom. When female Yin spirits appeared in the mortal realm, Chen Ping’an would often ask for their opinions. They could entrust themselves to Zeng Ye, but if they felt uncomfortable, they could temporarily reside in a fox-skin beauty charm paper from the Xu clan of Qingfeng City. As enchanting talisman women, they could stay in Chen Ping’an’s sleeve or his “inch pouch” during the day, and manifest at night. They could travel with Chen Ping’an and Zeng Ye on their journeys.

The twelve fox-skin beauty charm papers were like inns, and were now all occupied. Moreover, they had all been residents of the Stone Bristle Kingdom, so every night, when there was no one around, Chen Ping’an would take out the talismans they resided in. However, Chen Ping’an needed to expend some snowflake money, or else the talismans would close their doors, preventing them from returning to the mortal realm, unable to see a few more glimpses of the enchanting, yet freeze-proof snowscape of this world.

On ordinary nights, Chen Ping’an and Zeng Ye would be surrounded by a lively chorus of chattering, as even those female Yin spirits who initially disliked socializing had, over the course of their travels, found one or two close friends among the other female ghosts, forming small groups and chatting about boudoir secrets. As for the Great Dao and cultivation, they would not utter another word, as it was futile and only brought sadness.

As for why they were not appearing tonight, it was because Chen Ping’an had asked them to return to the talismans, as it was proper etiquette to respect the local customs when staying at the Spirit Officer Temple. Some of the bolder female Yin spirits had even teased and complained to Chen Ping’an, saying that such rules were only for common villagers. As a divine offering of Azure Gorge Island, Master Chen had no need to pay them any heed. If a minor Spirit Officer dared to step out of its clay statue, Master Chen could simply beat it back. However, Chen Ping’an insisted, so they had no choice but to obediently return to the meticulously crafted fox-skin talismans of the Xu clan.

At that moment, Chen Ping’an stood in the corridor, behind whom, in the main hall, was enshrined a Spirit Officer with a red face, a large beard, and golden armor, holding an iron whip, standing on one leg, radiating majesty.

Legend had it that he was one of the more than two hundred registered orthodox Spirit Officers of the Daoist tradition.

There was an even more hidden rumor, circulating in the Vast World for nearly a century, that only upper-fifth realm great cultivators and earth immortals like Liu Zhimao were qualified to hear.

It was that Dao the Second, one of the three Daoist patriarchs who once presided over the White Jade Capital, known for his unparalleled power, proposed the existence of five hundred Daoist Spirit Officer positions. Everyone in the three worlds, even Heavenly Masters from Dragon Tiger Mountain, and even those who were not originally Daoist disciples, whether followers of the other two religions or students of the various schools of thought, would have the opportunity, once they accumulated enough merit and good fortune, to be bestowed a position and ultimately be enshrined in the Spirit Officer Hall of one of the five cities of the White Jade Capital, enjoying endless incense offerings.

So, aside from the existing two hundred-plus “immortal” Spirit Officer deities, it meant that nearly half of the divine positions were vacant, awaiting those predestined by Heaven.

Chen Ping’an walked down the steps, made a snowball, gently packing it firm with both hands. He did not go to the front hall, but wandered and strolled in the courtyard between the two halls.

This was probably a case of “live and let live.”

Chen Ping’an pondered some matters.
The Southern Pōṣa Continent, the Tóngyè Continent, and the Fúyáo Continent, the three continents closest to the Upside-down Mountain, are seeing treasures emerge, and heroes vie for them. Dù Mào’s failed ascension and the scattering of his Lapis Lazuli Golden Body fragments have sparked a great opportunity, rumored to have ignited a struggle among Fifth Realm cultivators on the Precious Bottle Continent.

Furthermore, there’s talk of five hundred spirit official godhoods.

This is the true ebb and flow of the world.

Chén Ping’an himself had personally experienced the turmoil of the Tóngyè Continent, getting slightly caught in the crossfire. Fortunately, his life wasn’t in danger, but he was ruthlessly schemed against by the “young Daoist” from Taiping Mountain who handed over a Patriarch Hall jade token.

Zhong Kui, because of this, was reduced to a ghost, losing his status as a gentleman of the academy.

On the Great Dao, danger lurks, yet mystery abounds, residing in the coexistence of risk and opportunity. It’s a question of whether one can profit in troubled waters, even experiencing a sudden windfall that surpasses centuries of accumulation, or suffer setbacks on the Great Dao, becoming dispirited and failing to recover. Ultimately, it depends on the cultivator’s own skill. Under the wave of great events, both Taiping Mountain’s Zhong Kui and Tóngyè Sect’s Dù Mào are swept along, with no distinction between good and evil.

Knowing these things may not be useful, but understanding the underlying connections is certainly better than being kept in the dark from beginning to end.

Since this journey will take him through various states and counties of the Shíháo Kingdom, Chén Ping’an has already gained considerable knowledge about the imperial court, the martial world, and the local customs of the Shíháo Kingdom while on Green Gorge Island.

The Shíháo Kingdom reveres Daoism and honors a Daoist rogue immortal as its national preceptor. A rogue immortal, of course, belongs to a side branch outside the four main lineages of Daoism. The three lineages under the Dao Ancestor differ in the style of their Daoist robes, but the Daoist coronets are the easiest to distinguish, namely the Hibiscus Coronet, the Fish Tail Coronet, and the Lotus Coronet. The hierarchy within Daoism is reflected in the subtle variations of the Daoist coronet. Furthermore, there’s the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage in Central Earth Continent, a native Daoist force of the Boundless Heaven.

Rumor has it that during this obstruction of the northward march of the Northern Barbarian Dali cavalry, the National Preceptor summoned wind and rain and scattered beans into soldiers on the front lines, protecting the capital from being lost, a feat of immense merit.

In addition to these written reports from Willow Fluff Island’s immortal family newsletters, Chén Ping’an also deliberately held a banquet in Pondwater City, taking the opportunity to invite Gu Can’s two brothers, Prince Hán Jìnglíng, a Shíháo Kingdom prince who had fled here for nearly a year, and Huáng Hè, the son of a Shíháo Kingdom border general.

Chén Ping’an asked many questions, chatted lightly, and remained polite.

Although Hán Jìnglíng is a prince of the Shíháo Kingdom, one of the current emperor’s legitimate sons, a true descendant of the imperial family, he had been enfeoffed for many years. However, before the war even started, he found an excuse to leave his fief and quickly fled south to seek refuge, making it easy to guess his temperament. But the world is unpredictable. As the Dali cavalry marched south, leaving desolation in their wake in the stubbornly resisting northern Shíháo Kingdom, Hán Jìnglíng’s fief, being leaderless, miraculously escaped disaster without any war damage. Within the fief, Hán Jìnglíng inexplicably gained a reputation as a “virtuous prince,” but Chén Ping’an knew that this was mostly due to the strategizing of the counselors around Hán Jìnglíng, those ministers who wished to help him ascend the throne.

When Hán Jìnglíng faced the famous accountant from Green Gorge Island, he naturally spoke without reservation, wishing he could show his heart and lungs to Master Chén, who had made a name for himself in Shujian Lake. Huáng Hè, the eldest son of a Shíháo Kingdom general, had previously left Shujian Lake to plot with his father, who had joined the Dali cavalry, to support Hán Jìnglíng as the new emperor of Shíháo Kingdom. It was said that they had even met with Sū Gāoshān, so this trip back to Pondwater City in Shujian Lake was to bring good news to Hán Jìnglíng.

Chén Ping’an didn’t give them the chance to address him as a brother; of course, neither Hán Jìnglíng nor Huáng Hè dared to. However, there were subtle differences in their temperaments. The former was down on his luck and not arrogant, but as for what the situation would be once he successfully became the new emperor of Shíháo Kingdom, and whether he would regret his obsequiousness at the banquet in Pondwater City, Hán Jìnglíng probably hadn’t thought that far yet, something Chén Ping’an didn’t care about. As for the latter, Huáng Hè, in the face of Chén Ping’an, seemingly showed even more humble appearance than Hán Jìnglíng, hiding a hint of a mind that was gradually tightening like a bowstring. Because the Dali general Sū Gāoshān, like a towering mountain, had given their borderland Huáng family an immense reassurance. If they really managed to rely on this backer, not to mention the no-longer-arrogant little devil Gu Can, even Chén Ping’an would probably have to treat him, Huáng Hè, with respect when they met again in the future.

Chén Ping’an silently watched these people’s subtle stirrings in his eyes.

As for the Shíháo Kingdom emperor issuing an edict on the Willow Fluff Island newsletter, announcing it to the court and public, using the words “arrogant, disobedient, and indulging troops to harm the people” to pronounce a final verdict on Huáng Hè’s father, who had once been granted the title of “Loyal and Resolute Marquis” by the late emperor.

Huáng Hè, who had been keeping Chén Ping’an and Hán Jìnglíng company and speaking little, only mentioned this matter, his expression somewhat flamboyant, his face full of smiles, saying that his father, upon hearing the edict, was not angry at all, only saying the four words “exasperated and defeated.”

Chén Ping’an, looking at that spirited young face at the time, drank a glass of wine alone. Seeing him raise his glass, Hán Jìnglíng quickly called to Huáng Hè to raise their glasses together.

There was a hint of sharing in a great undertaking.

Making Chén Ping’an laugh and cry.

These banquets are all full of such knowledge; even the best wine has no taste.

After that banquet, which seemed to please both the host and the guests and was filled with pleasant conversation, Chén Ping’an returned to Green Gorge Island alone. He once again thought highly of the Dali general Sū Gāoshān, the last time being because of Tan Yuanyi of Millet Island’s misguided retreat.

Chén Ping’an snapped back to his senses.

It turned out that a tall Yin entity clad in armor had appeared in the front hall, likely a field officer who held an official position in life.

The Yin entity walked out of the front hall, stepped over the threshold with his left foot, and cupped his fist, saying, “Immortal Master, we and our subordinates were offensive earlier, almost disturbing the Spirit Official Lord in the main hall. Thank you for your reminder, which saved me a lot of trouble.”

Saying this, the pale-faced Shíháo Kingdom warrior Yin entity smiled sadly, put away his hands, and habitually reached out to press the hilt of the long saber at his waist.

The armor and the saber, like the Yin entity’s body, are all manifestations of his obsessions in life.

Looking at the Shíháo Kingdom warrior covered in wounds, especially the wounds on his chest and neck caused by machete blows, Chén Ping’an, although he had never truly experienced the battlefield clashes between two armies, knew that this person had died on the battlefield and deserved the title of “heroic.”
The spectral figure glanced at the front hall before turning its head and continuing, “Immortal Master, you are a person of the mountains, so you might understand that we, these ghosts and spirits rejected by heaven and earth, the more we are dead, the more intense our desire for life becomes, even stronger than that of the living. As long as we can eke out an existence, we will resort to any means. Therefore, after the battle, my fellow soldiers and I, our souls remained unscattered, resting by day and wandering by night, making our way south to this place. Some brothers couldn’t endure it and their souls dispersed on the way. Some reached their hometowns, saw their wives, children, and parents, and mostly found peace in ancestral halls and graves, embarking on their final journey. However, many brothers became increasingly demonic. As long as they encountered living people at night, they wanted to devour their Yang energy, or pass by local spirit officer temples that no longer had deities stationed there, disregarding everything, just wanting to feast, becoming extremely difficult to restrain, increasingly so…”

Chen Ping’an nodded and asked, “May I ask this General, if any of your comrades want to act in such a way, such as harming ordinary people on the road, and you cannot stop them, how would you handle yourself?”

This was a very inauspicious question.

The ghostly martial general gently pushed his scabbard, his face full of pain, but without the slightest hesitation, “Then I have to ask my saber if it agrees! In life, we were soldiers defending our country. Since we died in battle, we have already failed to serve our country. But if you say that after death, we should harm the people, you’ll have to get past me first.”

The ghostly martial general took a deep breath, grinning, “I’m not afraid of the Immortal Master laughing, along the way south, brothers successively returned to their hometowns and parted ways. We also went from being shadowy soldiers in the eyes of the common folk, over six hundred at the start, to less than ten now. Not only did we not harm any ordinary people of the Yang realm, but we also purged nearly a hundred vengeful and solitary ghosts from various mass burial grounds. It’s just a pity that the accompanying cultivators in our army ran faster than anyone else back then, causing me to have no time to ask after my death, not knowing whether our acts of eliminating harm for the people can accumulate Yin virtue for the brothers, so they can be reborn into a good life in the next cycle.”

Chen Ping’an first cupped his hands in a respectful bow, then withdrew them, and in an undoubtable and firm tone, said in a deep voice, “Heaven and earth are impartial, but human relations have principles. Believe that you and your comrades will have Yin virtue protecting you, which can not only protect yourselves but also benefit your family and descendants!”

Upon hearing these words, spoken so surely by the Immortal Master himself, this staunch and unyielding battlefield warrior actually burst into tears on the spot, turning his head away, “Did you hear that? I didn’t lie to you!”

From behind the back door of the front hall, soldiers appeared, each cupping their fists, not knowing whether they were thanking the martial general who lived and died with them, or grateful for the “definitive conclusion” from the young man in the azure cotton robe.

At a time when heaven and earth were bone-chillingly cold, when a nation’s mountains and rivers were destroyed, their armor clanked.

That night, in the deep darkness, Chen Ping’an took out paper and pen and recorded the names and origins of the martial general and the more than six hundred ghostly figures, saying that later a friend would be holding two grand Zhou Tian rituals and water and land ceremonies, and he could try to help have their names listed. During this time, Zeng Ye, who had finished his cultivation for the night, opened the main hall door and helped Chen Ping’an and the dozen or so shadowy soldiers a great deal. Chen Ping’an’s Treasure Bottle Continent refined language was of course extremely proficient, but he was not unfamiliar with the Zhuying Dynasty official language commonly used by cultivators and people in the Shujian Lake area. However, when the martial general and soldiers spoke with the local accents of various places in the Shihou Kingdom, it became very difficult, so Zeng Ye was able to “bridge the gap.”

It wasn’t until just before the crowing of the rooster that Chen Ping’an finally managed to record all the names.

For ghostly beings, the crowing of the rooster doesn’t necessarily mean they have to retreat. Some ghosts with strong Yin energy, as long as it’s not noon when the sun is shining, can walk in the Yang realm during the daytime without any hindrance. It’s just that ghosts resting at the crowing of the rooster is similar to living people working at sunrise, almost instinctive.

That General Wei of the Shihou Kingdom who died in battle, after Chen Ping’an put away the paper and pen, said that since departure was imminent, he wanted to take a walk with Immortal Master Chen outside the Spirit Officer Temple. Chen Ping’an of course would not refuse.

After the two walked through the front hall and stepped out the door, the ghostly martial general chuckled, “Immortal Master Chen, you are a foreign registered immortal, right? Otherwise, our official language here wouldn’t sound so awkward.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I come from the north.”

The martial general subconsciously rubbed his neck, laughing, “Even if you came from Great Li, it wouldn’t matter. I have to admit, that Great Li iron cavalry is really… formidable. On the battlefield, neither side needed accompanying cultivators to enter the battle. One side felt it was unnecessary, and the other didn’t dare to throw their lives away. When fighting, with almost equal forces, the battlefield situation was completely one-sided. It was also because that Great Li army dismounted and fought us on foot. Their battlefield skills and momentum were unmatched by our Shihou Kingdom soldiers. Losing in a humiliating and resentful way is one thing, otherwise my brothers and I wouldn’t have died with unresolved grievances. But speaking of it, I do have some admiration for them.”

Chen Ping’an hummed.

The martial general stopped walking, “I won’t ask too much, but I’m not stupid. I know that Immortal Master Chen is actually the one who will be holding the Zhou Tian ritual and water and land ceremony. So…”

The martial general lightly shook his armor, his hand releasing the saber hilt, and he was about to kneel on one knee. He had to express some gratitude to this mountain immortal for his brothers, for this great kindness.