The Kingdom of Huaihuang, a small nation in the northern lands, was a barren place. From the royal court down to the common folk, all were impoverished. So much so that even the king was unable to dispatch officials to offer timely sacrifices to the deities of the Five Peaks, hence the saying that neither the Ministry of Rites nor the Ministry of Revenue sent officials to the mountains.

Perhaps due to the court’s lack of reverence for the mountain lords of the Five Peaks, coupled with the sparse number of local shrines and the lack of incense offerings, demons and monsters often plagued the towns and villages of Huaihuang Kingdom. Consequently, wandering cultivators and eminent monks from other countries would often travel the land, rescuing the people from their suffering. However, these esteemed figures, who were quite popular among the common folk, were never able to gain entry into the inner circles of Huaihuang Kingdom’s true power, and eventually simply bypassed the capital altogether, saving themselves the trouble of facing rejection.

On this day, at the border pass of Huaihuang Kingdom that adjoined the Silver Screen Kingdom to the south, a white-robed scholar wearing a bamboo hat presented his travel documents, entered the border town, and wandered about. At a market bridge, he sat on a bamboo chest, munching on a scallion pancake he had just bought, listening to a storyteller recount tales of the supernatural to the local people and small-time merchants. The storyteller was old, nearly seventy, but surprisingly, his voice was strong and resonant, capable of shaking the heavens. He was gesticulating wildly, describing how a peerlessly fierce demon had appeared in Buyao County, occupying a mountain. At night, it would transform into black smoke and infiltrate the county town, preying exclusively on young maidens. The local government was powerless to stop it. Eventually, an old cultivator invited by the county governor set up an altar and performed a ritual, invoking thunder magic. In the dead of night, amidst what was initially a clear, starry sky, a sudden downpour and peals of thunder erupted. A bolt of lightning struck the demon’s hiding place in the miasma-filled mountains. Afterwards, a courageous woodcutter, following the sounds, ventured into the mountains and found a snake as thick as a well, struck dead by the lightning. Alas, the young maidens were not so fortunate; in the mountain gully, skeletons were scattered everywhere, their white bones gleaming, clearly the remains of the unfortunate women.

The listeners all gasped, their hair standing on end, a chill running down their spines.

The traveling scholar in the snow-white robe also reacted with surprise, like everyone else.

Clink, clink, clink. A listener stepped forward and took the lead in offering a reward. Others followed suit, reaching into their pockets and tossing copper coins into the large white bowl. The storyteller glanced at the bowl’s contents, stroked his beard, and smiled. Enough to buy two jugs of wine.

Finally, the storyteller recounted how demons were also causing trouble in Yu Hu County, acting lawlessly. Unfortunately, the county’s magistrate was a miser, lacking both connections and the willingness to spend heavily to hire cultivators or immortal masters to descend the mountain and subdue the demons. The people of Yu Hu County were truly pitiful, harassed to the point of chaos. Fortunately, although the demons were unbridled, their cultivation was not high, far inferior to the snake demon of Buyao County that had been struck by heavenly lightning; otherwise, it would have been a human tragedy.

The common people enjoyed lively stories, so a burly man asked what sort of demons were plaguing Yu Hu County. The storyteller then elaborated, saying that there was a white-clad hanging ghost in the county town, who enjoyed scaring watchmen and knocking on people’s doors late at night, making it so that no one dared to go out at night. There were also foxes and rabbits from the desolate tombs, often appearing as bewitching women, fond of seducing men and draining their essence. A gang of fierce ghosts had driven away the monks from a temple, taking it over. And there was a green-clad maiden at the ferry crossing, making her home in the river, stirring up waves.

Someone then scoffed, saying that the Silver Screen Kingdom and their Huaihuang Kingdom had always been peaceful, without any signs of monsters or demons for hundreds of years. Why were they suddenly appearing all at once? Was it some good-for-nothing trying to trick people out of their money by pretending to be supernatural? The storyteller huffed and puffed, insisting that he had personally seen the corpse of the snake demon in Buyao County, and the pale face of the green-clad water ghost at the ferry.

The audience sneered, disbelieving.

The elderly storyteller scanned the crowd, finally looking at the white-robed scholar who had just finished his scallion pancake. He pointed and said, “This traveling scholar from afar must have read many books and seen much of the world. Ask him whether there are ghosts and monsters in this world. Scholar, even if you haven’t seen them yourself, you must have heard of them.”

Everyone turned to look at the young man in the bamboo hat. The man shook his head and said, “I have neither seen nor heard of them.”

A chorus of boos arose.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the storyteller quickly collected the large white bowl, declaring that the show was over. Damn it, none of the scholars were any good. Not only did they not offer financial support, they wouldn’t even offer moral support. He could tell at a glance that this one had no hope of passing the imperial examination.

As the stall was packed up, the audience dispersed.

The storyteller glared fiercely at the traveling scholar.

Chen Ping’an smiled, stood up, and slung his bamboo chest over his shoulder. The Sword Immortal, the Gourd of Nurturing Swords, and the Jade Bamboo Fan had all been placed in the chest earlier. In his hand, he held only the verdant walking stick. Throughout the journey, the walking stick had been fully refined. At the same time, he had hidden several ordinary yellow paper talismans in his sleeve. They were all ordinary introductory talismans from the *True Traces of Alchemical Writings*, such as the Yang Qi Lantern-Lighting Talisman, Dust-Cleansing Talisman, and Obstacle-Breaking Talisman.

Chen Ping’an walked up to the old man and said, “Old sir, let me buy you a drink. Would you like to drink?”

The storyteller squinted at him, sizing him up. He seemed harmless, not like a robber or bandit. But the path of the world was treacherous. Who knew which seemingly shallow puddle would cause one to stumble? So, even though he was truly craving a drink, he forcibly swallowed his saliva and politely declined with a smile, “No need, no need. I appreciate the gentleman’s kindness, but I must hurry on my way, cross the border, and make a living in Silver Screen Kingdom. The inns in the city charge like they’re slaughtering pigs. Sleeping on the streets will only bring trouble. It’s better to cross the border and sleep in the wilderness, where heaven and earth don’t care.”

Chen Ping’an said regretfully, “Alright then, I won’t keep you. I’ll just save myself a jug of Bishan Tower’s Fly-Whisk Wine.”

The old man’s eyes lit up, and the wine demons in his stomach began to rebel. He immediately changed his tune, looked up at the sky, and chuckled, “Looking at the sky, it’s still early. No rush, no rush. Let the Coin Masters of Silver Screen Kingdom wait a moment longer. Since the gentleman is so generous, I won’t refuse. Let’s go to Bishan Tower. I haven’t tasted this Fly-Whisk Wine before. Thanks to the gentleman’s good fortune, I’ll have a good jug of it.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and smiled, “Old sir, won’t you call your apprentice along?”

The old man looked awkward, turned his head, and beckoned the man who had been the first to put money in the bowl. He called him to his side and whispered, “The gentleman has sharp eyes.”

Upon reaching the largest restaurant in the city, guided by the attentive waiter, the three of them were seated on the second floor. Chen Ping’an ordered a table full of dishes and three jugs of Fly-Whisk Wine. The old man waited until the three jugs of wine were served before silently placing the scholar in line to be his…
The flagon of Fly-Whisk Wine at the storyteller’s side was quietly placed before him. He smiled and said, “I forgot to mention to you earlier, young master, my disciple cannot hold his liquor. You’ve spent too much, truly.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly understood. “Then I’ll have the waiter take away this extra Fly-Whisk Wine. It costs two silver taels, after all.”

The old man hastily wrapped his arm around both flagons of wine. “Young master, don’t be like that. What kind of sense is it to take away good wine that’s already on the table? It’s like undressing a beauty and putting her back in bed before anything happens. A terrible breach of etiquette, absolutely not.”

Chen Ping’an opened the mud seal and poured himself a bowl of wine, smiling as he asked, “Old sir, you wouldn’t happen to be a native of Mengliang Kingdom, would you?”

The old man shook his head. “This old one comes from the westernmost Azure Essence Kingdom. I’ve been a storyteller since I was twenty-six. I’ve traveled through most of the ten-odd kingdoms. Mengliang Kingdom? I’ve been there. A true paradise rarely seen in this mortal realm. I’m thinking of choosing Mengliang Kingdom as my retirement place. After all, I have no relatives or attachments in my hometown. If my disciple proves to be ambitious and earns some real coin, perhaps I could be buried back home when I close my eyes.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “Then let’s just drink.”

Chen Ping’an could only discern that the storyteller before him was a Qi Cultivator of the Third Realm. But that meant the old man was either a wandering cultivator of the Lower Five Realms, or his cultivation realm was far beyond that of Ye Han and Fan Weiran, those paper-tiger Golden Cores. In these ten-odd kingdoms, besides the two behind-the-scenes masterminds, Ye Han and Fan Weiran were the undisputed “apex” cultivators.

Previously, there was a day when the spiritual energy at the border of the ten-odd kingdoms rippled intensely, like the budding of spring thunder. Chen Ping’an sensed this and immediately soared into the sky on his sword. He saw an extremely long, golden line suddenly appear on the earth, then burn away like ash. It must have been one of the great cultivators withdrawing his divinely-imbued restriction that imprisoned the lands. Most likely it was the mastermind from Mengliang Kingdom who obtained the Extraordinary Treasure from Suijia City. As for the other great cultivator, only known as Xia Zhen for the time being, he had yet to reveal himself or come looking for trouble. Logically speaking, this was very strange. The forces headed by Fan Weiran’s Precious Grotto Celestial Realm and Ye Han’s Yellow Axe City were most likely birds in cages and fish in a pond, raised by this person. With such great losses, the lack of movement suggested two possibilities. A lion uses its full strength even to hunt a rabbit. Xia Zhen was currently waiting for him somewhere, or…Jiang Shangzhen had secretly cleaned up the mess before appearing in Suijia City. Xia Zhen was either already dead, or had luckily escaped, but was severely weakened and unable to launch a fatal attack against him.

If this storyteller was truly that expert from Mengliang Kingdom who had made a special trip to see him, Chen Ping’an didn’t want to engage in verbal sparring or play dumb. He would roll up his sleeves and fight it out.

The old man chuckled, “What’s this? Do you have acquaintances in Mengliang Kingdom? An irreconcilable enemy, or a beloved friend? If it’s the latter, when I finish my tour of Silver Screen Kingdom and travel to Mengliang Kingdom with my foolish disciple, I can help you deliver a message or two, but…”

The old man mischievously wiggled two fingers.

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “No deep hatred or great grievances. We keep to our own sides. I simply admire a Mengliang Kingdom expert’s heaven-defying methods, meticulous and flawless. I sincerely want to treat him to a flagon of wine. Anyway, the situation is already set. Like a replay of a chess game, this expert made the first move back then, with immense force. He was steady in the mid-game, and made so many brilliant moves at the endgame, yet no one realized it. I just want to applaud him a few times. It’s like you telling stories, old sir. If the whole audience is silent and not a peep is heard, even if you receive a large bowl of copper coins at the end, wouldn’t it still be a significant regret?”

The old man took a sip of wine. “Although I don’t know what you’re talking about, it sounds about right. Then shall we have a toast?”

Chen Ping’an picked up his wine bowl and clinked it against the old man’s. They each drank their wine.

It wasn’t just that drinking fine wine with kindred spirits had flavor.

Amidst the flashing of blades and the shadows of swords, scheming against those who were self-seeking and viewed each other as enemies, with murderous intent swirling in the cups and bowls, was also cultivation.

As for the fresh anomalies now present in the northern small kingdom of Locust Yellow Kingdom, the sudden increase in demons and monsters, was also related to the influx of spiritual energy from outside the ten-odd kingdoms. Without the existence of the Thunder Pool that suppressed all things, they naturally became lively, like snakes and insects stirring after the Awakening of Insects, breaking out of the soil.

However, Chen Ping’an didn’t plan to show his hand to the Mengliang Kingdom expert and the behind-the-scenes cultivator named Xia Zhen for the time being. Above the Golden Core, the Nascent Soul was still manageable. If he couldn’t win, he could still run. But as long as there was a Jade Purity Realm cultivator, even if there was just one of them, it would be an immense problem for him. Chen Ping’an had no advantages of timing, terrain, or popular support. If they really wanted to kill him at any cost, given the temper of the Northern Entirety Continent cultivators, they definitely wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest. In this sword cultivator exclusionary Northern Entirety Continent, it wasn’t just one or two foreign cultivators with backgrounds and backers who had died unexpectedly.

Otherwise, with a bit of ruthlessness, Chen Ping’an could have used the Saint Token to collect the spiritual energy that flooded into the rivers. However, using this token that made Liu Laocheng wary in the Book Brief Lake across continents, would be a different matter in the Entirety Continent. It would be very taboo and might attract the resentment and questioning of the continent’s academies.

Between the two behind-the-scenes people, Chen Ping’an was more wary of the great cultivator connected to Mengliang Kingdom. He was scheming and plotting, step by step. He didn’t even need to take action himself. He simply sent two subordinates and obtained that important treasure from Suijia City. In the end, if he hadn’t broken into the dragon palace in Azure Mallard Lake, that Golden Body Realm martial artist who pretended to be a grandson among the Mengliang Peak Qi cultivators would have continued to hide.

Seeing a Du Yu, one could roughly understand the situation of the Ghost Axe Palace. Seeing the Canal Chief of Water-Cress Canal and Madam Algae Canal, one could roughly understand the customs and practices of Azure Mallard Lake. Seeing Yan Qing, one could know the general idea of the Precious Grotto Celestial Realm, and seeing He Lu, one could know the style of Yellow Axe City. They all follow this principle. Of course, there would be errors, but the longer one interacted and the more cultivators one saw, the closer one would get to the facts and the truth. That “what if” would become smaller and smaller. Sometimes, one could know the whole picture from seeing just one part, which was referring to the City God of Suijia City, Fan Weiran and Ye Han, because they were all heads of households. Their family style was often determined by them.

One looked up, one looked down. The two combined were like the two ends of a vein. Once the two ends were lifted up, no matter how far you had planned, you couldn’t escape discerning eyes.

The world was complex.
To live an increasingly easy life, one either buries their head in the sand, living only for oneself, accepting both hardship and fortune as fate, or one must observe and contemplate more. The latter, however, requires mental and physical exertion, for there is always a higher mountain to climb. Even the saints who preside over their own small worlds, akin to being their own little heavens, will find themselves restricted and dependent on others once they step outside their domains, still needing to observe the myriad connections and intricate rules of the world.

Reasoning is not always effective.

Understanding the rules is never a bad thing.

Does the Lake Lord Yin Hou reason? Yet, he understood how to discern the rules of others, grasping Chen Pingan’s patterns of behavior. Therefore, on Azure Canopy Lake, when dark clouds blanketed his jurisdiction, Chen Pingan dared not kill him, fearing that the lake, three rivers, and two canals would flood, harming countless innocent people. Within the Dragon Palace, he deserved to die no less than Ye Han and Fan Wei’ran, but he proactively promised to protect the common people within his domain in the future, repairing the mountain and water’s fortune, making amends for his misdeeds. Thus, the white-robed sword immortal’s fist and sword did not fall upon his head.

Afterward, the storyteller and his apprentice devoured their food ravenously, enjoying it immensely.

Chen Pingan merely sipped his wine slowly, never touching his chopsticks.

The storyteller let out a satisfied burp and chuckled, “Young master hasn’t touched a single chopstick, only drinking wine. Are you not hungry at all?”

Chen Pingan smiled, “Indeed, I’m not hungry. Besides, I believe this meal should belong to you, old sir.”

The old man said helplessly, “Young master’s words are like a bald donkey’s zen koans, leaving one utterly bewildered.”

Chen Pingan asked, “When will you, old sir, cross the border to the Silver Screen Kingdom?”

The old man smiled, “I’m about to leave, now that I’m full and satisfied. Oh, right, I’ve learned some physiognomy. Since young master has treated me to such a meal, how about I tell your fortune? Don’t worry, it’s free.”

Chen Pingan nodded, “Then I’ll trouble you, old sir.”

The old man pulled out a few copper coins he had acquired earlier from his sleeve, tossed them casually onto the table, stroked his beard, and fell into a silent contemplation.

Chen Pingan smiled without saying a word.

The old man gently moved the coins on the table with his fingers, frowning as he said, “Young master is kind-hearted, a person of profound fortune. However, you must remember that the fortunate should not dwell in places devoid of fortune. Old sayings are never without reason; listeners should not take them lightly. I see that young master’s journey north to the Locust Yellow Kingdom has many places to visit, but the Hair Bun Mountain, about a hundred miles ahead, is not one of them. For you, young master, it is a place devoid of fortune. Going there may not bring great danger, but if you encounter troublesome evil spirits blocking your path, it would ultimately be inauspicious.”

Chen Pingan smiled, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, old sir, and detour around Hair Bun Mountain.”

The old man raised his head and laughed, “Does young master truly believe me?”

Chen Pingan smiled, “Old men speak old truths. How can I not believe them? Anyway, while traveling through the Locust Yellow Kingdom, taking a detour and walking a few extra steps is nothing.”

The old man stood up and praised, “Then I won’t disturb young master any further. I’ll take my leave immediately and quickly cross the border. Telling fortunes exposes celestial secrets, which always makes one uneasy.”

Chen Pingan nodded, “I’ll finish this pot of wine and then also detour north. I won’t seek trouble for myself by going to that Hair Bun Mountain.”

The old man left Bi Shan Pavilion with his simple-minded apprentice.

Chen Pingan finished the pot of locally produced Fly Whisk Wine. When he went downstairs to pay the bill, he was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. He paid a full twenty taels of silver for the wine and dishes. It turned out that the storyteller had secretly taken two jars of Bi Shan Pavilion’s treasured twenty-year-old vintage when he went downstairs, saying that a friend sitting upstairs was paying for him. Chen Pingan didn’t dwell on it too much, as the person’s identity was obvious. Saving himself a worry and not having to distract himself from cultivation, paying ten or so extra taels of silver was still worth it.

In the end, Chen Pingan truly bypassed that Hair Bun Mountain, a place with many cascading waterfalls that he had originally wanted to visit for its scenic beauty.

Inside Hair Bun Mountain.

In a half-mountain pavilion built for travelers to rest.

A young man with a cyan jade belt around his waist had a livid face. Beside him were Ye Han, Fan Wei’ran, and a second ancestor-level woman from the Treasure Grotto Immortal Realm.

It was Xia Zhen, who had luckily escaped death.

Xia Zhen roared, “Old fool, why did you ruin my plans?! I had already clearly told you that I had sent a letter to the Great Sword Immortal in the Central Continent. This person is Jiang Shangzhen’s accomplice! Even if Jiang Shangzhen is hiding in the shadows, he will still be terrified and cowering! You scared away the bait! Once the Great Sword Immortal becomes angry, do you really think you’ve already refined the Innate Sword Pellet and entered the Upper Five Realms?! Are you stupid?! I already swore that I’d give you that Half-Immortal Weapon, I only wanted the other items on him, aren’t you satisfied?! Do you only feel happy when we both gain nothing?!”

On a distant mountain peak, an old man in a Confucian robe smiled slightly. A storyteller and a simple-minded young man appeared beside him, then their figures overlapped, becoming one person.

It should be an immortal technique involving both the Yang Spirit True Body and the Yin Spirit leaving the body for a distant journey.

The old man smiled, “Don’t use these empty words to scare me. With that Great Sword Immortal’s temper, even if he received a secret letter, he wouldn’t bother with such things. Fishing? Do you really think this is our small-scale game in these dozen or so countries, requiring so much effort?”

The old man pinched a message-bearing flying sword with two fingers and gently crushed it. “Furthermore, that Great Sword Immortal never received your secret letter.”

Xia Zhen’s face darkened, then suddenly he laughed in extreme anger, “Are you planning to forge a deadly feud with me, Xia Zhen?!”

The old national preceptor smiled, “The territory of these dozen or so countries is now experiencing a significant increase in spiritual energy, making it a place that’s neither bad nor good. You and I have been neighbors for many years, and you, Xia Zhen, are known for being difficult to deal with. Although your Great Dao has been damaged at its foundation, I still cannot kill you, and it’s even harder for you to kill me. We’re competing to see who can enter the Upper Five Realms first, so why would I stand by and watch you send a letter to the Great Sword Immortal’s immortal mansion in the Central Continent? What if the Great Sword Immortal truly hated Jiang Shangzhen and was willing to lower himself to deal with a small sword cultivator? If you then attach yourself to such a powerful backer and have him remember your kindness, how could I, in the future, have the nerve to compete with you for the territory of these dozen or so countries, even if I enter the Jade Purity Realm? Xia Zhen, what a pity. You became enraged and slowed down the speed at which you were swallowing the spiritual energy of the border regions. You also spent two full weeks bringing three lackeys to this Hair Bun Mountain, meticulously setting up a Mountain Moving Array. In the end, it seems like it won’t have a chance to be used?”

Xia Zhen sneered, “Aren’t you here?”

The old man feigned realization, “That’s right, but I wonder…”
Let’s see whose killing power is stronger, whose might is greater, mine, with this fledgling Sword Pill embryo, or yours, with this Mountain-Moving Array. Sooner or later, we will clash. Bringing it forward saves trouble. This isn’t the old days of your strength and my weakness, fortune turns, Xia Zhen, can’t you even see the tides have shifted?”

The national preceptor of Mengliang Kingdom smiled and shook his head. “But it’s not that I, a humble one, look down on you, Xia Zhen, but this talisman array, while capable of harming him, might not be able to trap him. I am helping you pull back from the brink. You, Xia Zhen, shouldn’t take such good intentions for ill will, daring to gamble in a self-destructive play against that Jiang Shangzhen with a secret letter that might sink without a trace. For the past few centuries, to prevent you from catching even a wisp of a clue, information has been blocked, and I am not as informed as you. However, I know more about past events than you, Xia Zhen. If you send the secret letter to the Great Sword Immortal of the North, I would not intercept that flying sword.”

The old man suppressed a smile, gazing at Xia Zhen, his eyes full of mockery and pity. “Because that is a male Sword Immortal, whose beloved daughter was ruined by Jiang Shangzhen, delaying her path to the Great Dao. Slaying Jiang Shangzhen would naturally be done with all his might. However, the one you are sending the letter to is a woman. It seems you are not very clear on the past grievances and love-hate relationship between her and Jiang Shangzhen. What she resents is not, as the rumors say, her regret for her infatuation with Jiang Shangzhen, but her hatred for his infidelity, for his promiscuity. If they were to meet, and Jiang Shangzhen were to spew a few sweet words, filling her with illusions, are you not afraid that the female Sword Immortal would turn around and reward each of us with a sword? Therefore, you, Xia Zhen, are not a good ally. If that young man had a higher level of cultivation, and was also a Nascent Soul cultivator like us, I might join forces with him and kill you. As for now, since things have come this far, more words are useless. I will not fight you and waste my cultivation. You can slowly absorb spiritual energy to recover. A step slower, and every step will be slower. According to my deductions from years ago, your bottleneck in Nascent Soul realm will arrive sixty years later than mine. It seems that your Dao heart is still unstable. At our level, if you still act like the unscrupulous rogue cultivator you were in the past, you will suffer greatly.”

The pavilion where Xia Zhen stood instantly turned into dust. Ye Han, Fan Weiran, and the two patriarchs of Baodong Immortal Abode were all forced to flee, hovering in the air, their faces filled with panic.

The old man acted as if he did not see them. “You and I have at least been allies in the past. I have lived in disguise in Mengliang Kingdom. Although I did have an agenda at first, experiencing the mortal world has indeed benefited my Dao heart. Therefore, I have always been able to surpass you, always earning more than you. Do you really think it’s just about scheming? No, it’s because I, earlier than you, Xia Zhen, have grasped a sliver of opportunity for Nascent Soul to merge with the Dao. If Jiang Shangzhen was truly that person’s friend, would he have deliberately left behind trouble? He merely sees further than you and I, calculating the occurrence of today. Are you not afraid? I am afraid, because this is a calculated scheme. I am willing to enter the trap myself, ruin your plans, and act for the sake of my future establishment of a sect encompassing over a dozen countries. For you, Xia Zhen, it is naturally a conspiracy, one after another, each time a fruitless effort. I even suspect that this flying sword carrying a message that I intercepted was deliberately left for me by Jiang Shangzhen.”

Xia Zhen restrained his aura and smiled slightly. “Ruin my great affairs and also disrupt my state of mind, you old thief have a good plan.”

The old man sighed. “Xia Zhen, true or false, good or bad, regardless of my initial intentions, sincerity or insincerity, according to the previous agreement, I will not deliberately stop you from absorbing the spiritual energy of the world. However, I have already taken a step ahead, no, it should be two steps. So, when I break through to the Upper Five Realms in the future, I will give you a choice: to flee this place and continue to be a homeless rogue cultivator, or to be the chief enshrined elder of my sect. You and I will no longer need to fight over this little piece of land in an unnecessary Dao struggle? If we can both be Jade Immortals in the same sect

Two Jade Immortals, sharing honor and disgrace, closely related, both of us being despised rogue cultivators, would that not be a great tale in Beiju Luzhou?”

Xia Zhen remained silent, looking up at the scholar-robed old man standing on the mountaintop.

Finally, Xia Zhen asked with a smile, “Did you have such a big appetite from the beginning, wanting to recruit me to be your sect’s enshrined elder?”

The old man shook his head. “Below the Upper Five Realms, even if you are what the world calls a Land Immortal, you are still at the mercy of the tides. It was after I obtained a treasure of merit that my state of mind became perfect, and I gained such a broad mind and vision. Therefore, after Jiang Shangzhen injured you, he had no intention of kicking a man when he was down. Otherwise, since I intercepted the flying sword, would I have watched you linger in this Jihuan Mountain? Even if it meant trading injuries for injuries, I would have cut off the roots. Which rogue cultivator wouldn’t?”

Xia Zhen pressed his hands on the horned green snake that had fallen asleep, and twitched the corner of his mouth. “Have you ever thought that my flying swords carrying messages are not just one? The one you intercepted is just a smokescreen? I deliberately let you catch it? You should calculate whether the days from when Jiang Shangzhen left Suijia City and returned south to when I appeared in Jihuan Mountain were calculated by me, Xia Zhen, anticipating that he and the Sword Immortal of the North would appear together.”

The old man sighed. “I have said all that needs to be said. If you want to gamble, then go ahead. You, Xia Zhen, are already gambling with bloodshot eyes. More words are useless.”

Xia Zhen sneered. “Yes, I am already gambling with bloodshot eyes. If you keep standing there and talking without feeling any pain, don’t blame me for risking another injury to slow down your refinement of the Sword Pill!”

The old man waved his hand. “Forget it, just consider that my future sect will have one less Jade Immortal enshrined elder.”

Xia Zhen waved his sleeves and said sternly, “Get out, old dog, seeing you annoys me!”

The old man smiled indifferently, and his figure dissipated.

Xia Zhen stood among the ruins of the pavilion, like a caged beast, walking in circles, then waving his hands. More than a dozen mountains, large and small, including Jihuan Mountain, rose into the air as if their roots had been cut by a knife. Xia Zhen drove the Mountain-Moving Array, with the mountain peaks pointing to the ground, suspended upside down, and then slammed them down one after another. Each time they crashed into the nearby landscape, they stirred up dust that blotted out the sky. The power of each mountain peak slamming into the ground was already a terrifying killing force between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms. It was just a pity that this Mountain-Moving Talisman Array was inanimate and took too long to operate, and could not be moved away. That damned young Sword Immortal had alerted the old bastard, and he refused to enter the boundaries of Jihuan Mountain. The grand Mountain-Moving Array became a joke and an ornament, so Xia Zhen used it to vent his anger.

Within a thousand miles
All felt a shocking movement as if the earth bull was turning over.
The sight made Ye Han and his companions’ hearts clench with anxiety.

Xia Zhen was on the verge of uprooting the entire Jihuan Mountain beneath his feet, intending to hurl it down from the clouds.

However, Xia Zhen furrowed his brow.

Two figures, or rather, three, were descending the mountain path.

They were a pair of Daoist partners, a man and a woman, walking side-by-side, chatting and laughing. The woman cradled an infant in her arms, her gaze filled with tenderness.

A slender, snow-white sword hung at the woman’s waist.

Xia Zhen felt a prickling sensation on his scalp.

As for the man, he sent shivers down Xia Zhen’s spine.

The man complained, “Hey, hey, you’re disturbing my little darling and Sister Li’s child. Now I’ll have to make funny faces for ages to calm her down.”

This time, Xia Zhen was truly despondent.

The woman the man affectionately called “Sister Li”…

If she was who he suspected, even risking his life wouldn’t guarantee escape today.

In the central region of Beiju Luzhou, there was a swordswoman named Li Cai.

Her natal sword was named Snowflake.

Her personal sword was called Frost Serpent.

She was one of the sword immortals who hadn’t journeyed to the Inverted Mountain, still remaining in Beiju Luzhou.

Out of respect, “sword immortal” became “great sword immortal.”

It sounded forced.

But the killing power was very real.

Every sword immortal in the upper five realms of Beiju Luzhou was the real deal. Even a Jade Purity Realm cultivator, like the one from the Qionglin Sect, wouldn’t dare provoke them, feeling it would be a disgrace even to win. However, if a new sword cultivator reached the Jade Purity Realm, they would almost certainly engage in a deadly duel with other sword immortals. Death meant they were unlucky, their skills insufficient to bear the title of sword immortal. But surviving granted them the right to stand alongside the others on the lands of Beiju Luzhou.

Xia Zhen gritted his teeth, faced the mountain path, and bowed, saying, “Greetings, Great Sword Immortal Li, greetings Senior Jiang.”

Jiang Shangzhen grinned playfully, “Oh, so now you know to call me Senior.”

The woman frowned, “If it weren’t for you being somewhat sensible, knowing to send a flying sword message to inform me, you’d be dead by now. You wild cultivator, do you even know etiquette? Switch the order.”

Xia Zhen’s mind nearly exploded on the spot, and he trembled, “Greetings, Senior Jiang, greetings, Great Sword Immortal Li!”

Jiang Shangzhen patted the swordswoman’s arm, “Don’t be like that. Sister Li knows what kind of person Jiang Lang is, right? I never care about these formalities.”

The woman snorted, “I’ll settle your account later. I didn’t promise to go to Book-Scroll Lake and show off for you.”

Jiang Shangzhen remained composed, bent down, lifted a corner of the swaddling clothes, and smiled softly, “Little girl, your newly recognized mother is angry. Grow up quickly, learn to speak, and help your dad to beg for mercy.”

The woman’s lips curled up and then pressed down.

Poor Xia Zhen was about to go mad.

Jiang Shangzhen turned his head, looked at Xia Zhen, “You, ah, you’re like me back then, good at fighting and running. Rare and valuable. That’s why I spared half your dog life, thinking that if I met Sister Li and we headed south together, you could be a bit more peaceful, and I wouldn’t bother you too much. But you’re as good at running as I was, but your brain is just mush. The Dream Liang Kingdom’s Imperial Advisor told you so many honest words, treating you like his own son, but you didn’t listen to a single word. Back in Beiju Luzhou, I, Jiang Shangzhen, saw many mountain people who wanted to die and asked me to help them fulfill their wishes. But someone like you, trying so hard to die in a different way, is truly rare.”

Xia Zhen said in a low voice, “I beg Senior Jiang to give me one more chance, a last chance!”

Jiang Shangzhen laughed, “That great sword immortal from the North, you really secretly lured him here. But we, husband and wife, worked together to resist the enemy and barely managed to drive him back. Near that great river in the central region, a huge riverbed and a large pit were cleaved out by the sword strikes. Now there’s probably an extra large lake there. Isn’t that funny? It’s really hard on him, a sword immortal, having to hide to kill me, Jiang Shangzhen. Luckily Sister Li is familiar with his sword intent, otherwise, if I, Jiang Shangzhen, didn’t leave an arm or a leg in your Beiju Luzhou, that sword immortal would have killed himself by running headfirst into a block of tofu. It was so close, so dangerous! Xia Zhen, you’re such a troublemaker. I’m afraid of you, alright? Xia Zhen, Master Xia, I’m begging you, okay?”

Xia Zhen no longer hesitated. There was no way to end this peacefully!

With a loud bang.

Hundreds upon thousands of Xia Zhen’s materialized from his true body, either riding the wind, running wildly, or burrowing into the ground, scattering in all directions. As long as one could escape, he could live! This extremely costly secret technique, even if it caused him further injury, was better than being beaten to the point of annihilation by two upper five realm cultivators.

Jiang Shangzhen was surprised, “That wasn’t how he ran away last time. Good heavens, he really deserves to be called an immortal in the eyes of these ants. Scared me to death.”

The swordswoman Li Cai beside Jiang Shangzhen twitched her lips, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. After a gentle tremor, the sword remained in its sheath.

Snow-white sword energies surged from all directions of Jihuan Mountain, either straight, winding, or drifting.

In an instant, the world fell silent.

Jiang Shangzhen reached out a hand, grabbed a golden core and a tiny, rice-grain-sized person, and put them into his sleeve’s Qiankun small world. Then, with another grab, he put the listless, horned green snake into his sleeve, annoyed, “How annoying, I have to make money and gain treasures again!”

The swordswoman Li Cai glared at him.

Jiang Shangzhen gently called out the newly chosen name of the child in her arms a few times, and smiled, “It’s fine, it’ll just be a future dowry for this little girl.”

Li Cai looked at the three people over there, finding them a bit annoying, and asked impatiently, “What about these three frogs in a well?”

Jiang Shangzhen glanced at the three.

The three were already suspended in the air, kneeling.

Xia Zhen was the mountain-peak immortal in their hearts.

He had died and vanished in the blink of an eye?

Jiang Shangzhen gently helped the woman brush a sleeve, “Why don’t we just let them go? We have our daughter here…”

As he spoke, a willow leaf instantly pierced through the foreheads of Ye Han and Fan Weiran, and finally entered Jiang Shangzhen’s body. He laughed, “Anyway, the little girl is sleeping, she can’t see.”

The corpses of the two Golden Core cultivators fell at the foot of Jihuan Mountain.

Jiang Shangzhen didn’t even look at them.

Was the paltry wealth on them worth Jiang Shangzhen bending over and reaching out? Would it delay him from making big money?
Only the last Second Ancestor from the Precious Citadel Immortal Abode remained, a Dragon Gate realm cultivator in the guise of a woman, still trembling, prostrate on the ground.

The two began their flight south.

Li Cai remained unfazed, showing not a hint of surprise.

Back then, if it hadn’t been for this glib-tongued man beside her, she would have perished at the Golden Core bottleneck.

That time, Jiang Shangzhen lost half his life.

It was one of Jiang Shangzhen’s few losing propositions during his trip to the Northern俱蘆洲 Continent.

However, she still didn’t know why he had done so.

He had indeed fancied her back then, but it was no different from his liking for other beautiful women, perhaps a touch more, but certainly not enough to risk his life for her.

For so many years, she had wanted to know the answer, even making a special trip to Tongye Continent, but she hadn’t been able to meet Jiang Shangzhen. The old Sect Master of the Jade Tablet Sect, Xun Yuan, said that Jiang Shangzhen had gone to the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land and would not be returning for the time being. The old Sect Master had even helped her berate Jiang Shangzhen, saying that this kind of ungrateful scoundrel should die in the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land. He even went so far to say that Miss Li shouldn’t even cast a glance at him, as it would only defile her eyes. Furthermore, he was getting what he deserved for the chaos he caused within the blessed land, nearly dying because of it… However, Li Cai knew that the old Sect Master was still biased towards Jiang Shangzhen, indirectly saying many things about her, clearly hoping that she wouldn’t give up on Jiang Shangzhen.

But after reuniting with Jiang Shangzhen, Li Cai, now a female sword immortal in the central part of the Northern俱蘆洲 Continent, no longer wanted to know the answer.

Li Cai turned her head and asked, “Aren’t you going to say hello?”

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head. “There are too many entanglements with He Xiaoliang. Plus, with you by my side, I’m a foreigner, so I’m not afraid of trouble, but you’re a local cultivator. I can’t implicate you.”

Li Cai smiled slightly.

She suddenly frowned and asked, “That Heavenly Tribulation in Suijia City, judging from the lingering cloud sea, would have been a huge problem even for weaker Nascent Soul cultivators. How was it stopped?”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and said, “What else could I do but fight desperately? Sincerity moves spirits, so one must believe sometimes. Human calculations are no match for Heaven’s calculations, geography is no match for Heavenly principles, a profound truth. That person who impersonated the Dream Liang Kingdom’s national teacher did grasp a bit of the essence after all. Peeking at the Heavenly secrets at the Nascent Soul realm is quite extraordinary, so naturally, his future prospects are much greater than Xia Zhen’s.”

Li Cai nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly said, “I heard you took in an extremely good female disciple? She’s even expected to be among the next generation of ten.”

Li Cai’s expression turned strange.

Jiang Shangzhen rolled his eyes. “What are you worried about? A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its own burrow, and I only like one woman per mountain. This is Jiang Shangzhen’s principle for traversing the mountains, fast as the wind, and stable as a pine for a thousand years!”

Li Cai’s face was frosty as she pressed, “Then why are you asking about this?”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and said, “I’m just afraid she’ll repeat your mistakes, disciples learn from their masters, falling in love with a rare and precious man.”

Li Cai shook her head. “My disciple’s Dao heart is even more steadfast than mine was back then. She won’t fall in love with anyone in this lifetime. The ‘good girls fear persistent suitors’ tactic won’t work on my disciple.”

Jiang Shangzhen laughed heartily and said, “Wrong, I’m afraid she’ll pester my good brother.”

Li Cai scoffed.

Jiang Shangzhen said with a playful smile, “Senior Sister Li, let’s make a bet. If I lose, I’ll let you do as you please. But if you lose, you’ll be a nominal honorary elder for my new sect in Shujian Lake?”

Li Cai nodded and said, “Alright!”

Jiang Shangzhen’s expression turned odd. “Senior Sister, you’ve personally experienced my gambling skills and luck in the past. Why are you being so decisive this time?”

Li Cai smiled and said, “My disciple needs to go into secluded cultivation for thirty years. Can that young man wander around the Northern俱蘆洲 Continent for thirty years?”

Jiang Shangzhen reached out and grabbed the female sword immortal’s sleeve. “Good sister, please spare me this time, won’t you?”

Li Cai’s expression turned lonely as she asked, “Can’t you just love one person?”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and said, “We’ll talk about it when Senior Sister Li surpasses me by one realm.”

Li Cai sighed and used her Heart Sword to sever some ripples of emotion, heading to the Bone Beach with Jiang Shangzhen to take the Hemp Robe Sect’s intercontinental ferry to Precious Bottle Continent.

It was said that this scoundrel was going to a place called Fallen Mountain in Dali’s Dragon Spring County to ask for a nominal honorary position under the guise of the Nascent Soul cultivator, Zhou Fei.

Judging from his tone, it seemed like it might not even work out.

Li Cai turned her head to look at Jiang Shangzhen, who was quietly contemplating.

When he smiled and spoke to people, he was asking for a beating.

When he wasn’t smiling, he was very serious.

It was a pity that the only woman he could never let go of in his life was a common woman from the foot of the mountain. He never touched her, only watched her marry and have children, grow old and gray, and pass away peacefully without any calamities.

Li Cai hesitated for a moment. “Jiang Shangzhen, if you were to meet the same woman again today, would you still like her so much?”

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head and said, “Of course not.”

Li Cai was puzzled.

Jiang Shangzhen slowly said, “The first encounter in life, seeing the lithe form of a young woman in the mountains and fields, seeing the grandeur of the mountains and rivers from a high place, seeing immortals soaring through the clouds when looking up, and seeing the sun and moon hanging in the sky while riding the wind, is a completely different scene from seeing similar images later on. It’s not necessarily that the person or thing from the first encounter is particularly beautiful, but that feeling lingers in the heart, and is hard to forget even after thousands of years.”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled again and turned his head. “Just like when I first saw Senior Sister Li, walking barefoot on the fragrant steps, carrying golden embroidered shoes in hand…”

Li Cai said in embarrassment, “Shut your dog mouth!”

Jiang Shangzhen said softly, “My dear, don’t be shy, my heart is in turmoil.”

Jade Tablet County, Huaihuang Kingdom.

Many notices from the government and wealthy families were posted near the county city gate, all seeking out experts to perform rituals in their homes, mostly ending with words of generous rewards, but without specifying the exact amount of silver.

Chen Pingan carefully read through those notices under the wall. It seemed that the county city was indeed in chaos, both inside and outside.

After buying some dry food and supplies in the county city, Chen Pingan settled down in an inn that night, and in the darkness, he sat on the roof ridge, quietly drinking wine.

Sure enough, late at night on the streets of the county city, there was a glimmer of