North of the Huaihuang Kingdom lies the Baoxiang Kingdom, a land where Buddhism flourishes, and temples stand as numerous as the clouds.

Chen Ping’an crossed the border, still presenting his travel permit, a new one penned by Wei Bo. The old one, stamped countless times, remained at the bamboo lodge.

Adorned with a bamboo hat and carrying a bamboo chest, Chen Ping’an walked with his mountain staff, traversing perilous paths alone. Occasionally, he would ride the wind on his sword. When encountering human cities, he would dismount and proceed on foot. He still had a considerable distance to cover before reaching Chunlu Orchard, where the Golden Core Song Lanqiao awaited.

In the common world, hunchbacks often meet hunchbacks, and cripples encounter other cripples.

It’s the same for those who embark on the path of longevity. They are more likely to encounter other cultivators, as well as mountain spirits and lurking demons.

Traveling from Suijia City in the Yinping Kingdom to the border of the Baoxiang Kingdom, Chen Ping’an noticed a large number of wild spirits heading south.

However, aside from the incident in Yuhu County of the Huaihuang Kingdom, Chen Ping’an merely observed from afar, overlooking the mortal realm from the mountains, finally adopting a semblance of a cultivator’s mindset.

He continued his fist practice without pause. Since the Ghost Domain Valley, Chen Ping’an had dedicated himself to the Six Steps Stance, planning to accumulate two million punches before considering anything else.

Previously, had he not encountered the quartet of demon slayers, Chen Ping’an had intended to single-handedly subdue the ghosts. Upon the monk’s return, he would have stayed at the Jinduo Temple for a few days to inquire about the Sanskrit text on the cyan paper with golden characters. He would have broken down the Sanskrit and questioned the monk repeatedly. There weren’t many characters, only two hundred and sixty in total. Discounting the recurring ones, it wouldn’t be difficult to ask. Wealth stirred hearts, and temptation gave birth to demons. The human heart was a ghost domain where ghosts feared humans, as exemplified by the martial arts master and disciple at the Jinduo Temple.

After passing through two southern cities of the Baoxiang Kingdom, Chen Ping’an noticed many traveling monks, emaciated and austere, begging for alms in all directions.

Whenever he encountered them on the road, Chen Ping’an would raise a single hand in front of him and nod slightly in respect.

Besides the abundance of monks, temples, and incense in the Baoxiang Kingdom, martial artists of the pugilistic world were also as numerous as the hairs on an ox. One day, amidst a stretch of yellow sand, Chen Ping’an encountered a caravan of escorts heading to a northern city. Along with the carriages laden with goods, there was the jingling of camel bells. The escorts were all robust and powerful, even the women had tanned skin, yet exuded a valiant and spirited aura. Such women, in fact, were quite pleasing to the eye.

A young man on horseback noticed the white-clad scholar ahead. His snow-white robe was covered in yellow sand, and his head was also dusted with it. He was struggling to walk against the wind, his steps faltering, constantly falling behind the caravan. He slowed his horse, bent down, and detached a water skin hanging beside the saddle. He asked with a smile, “There’s still a hundred miles to Yellow Wind Valley. Does the young scholar have enough water? If not, feel free to take it, no need to be polite.”

Chen Ping’an turned to look at the young escort, whose lips were cracked and bleeding. He pointed to the sword-nourishing gourd at his waist and said with a smile, “Thank you, but I don’t need it. I have water in the gourd and a water skin in the bamboo chest.”

The young man put the water skin back in place and smiled again, “Yellow Wind Valley is extremely cold at night, and these days the world is becoming stranger and more unsettling. More and more filthy things are invading the towns and cities, so many monks from various temples have been coming out recently. Young scholar, try to keep up with us, and it’s best to stay overnight together by the Dumb Lake ahead. A large group of people have strong yang energy, so it’s good to have some support. This place is already prone to the mischief of spirits at night, and this is no exaggeration. So the young scholar must not be alone. But don’t be too afraid, high monks and virtuous people often come to Yellow Wind Valley to build huts and chant sutras. If those filthy things really appear, they may not dare to approach and harm people.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Thank you for the reminder, young hero. I will definitely reach the lake before dark.”

The Baoxiang Kingdom was not within the territory of the dozen or so countries including Yinping and Huaihuang. Therefore, common people and martial artists of the pugilistic world were already accustomed to spirits and demons. In the southeastern part of Beiju Luzhou, spirits and humans had coexisted for countless years. So, the Baoxiang Kingdom, from the imperial court to the common people, had their own ways to deal with ghosts and evil beings. However, after the “Storyteller” of Mengliang Kingdom removed the Thunder Pool Array, spiritual energy poured into the dozen or so countries. The cultivators on the border lines were the first to perceive this phenomenon, and the spirits and demons who had cultivated their powers were not slow either. Like a bustling market where merchants sought profit, demons also followed their instincts to pursue spiritual energy. This was why there were anomalies in Buyao and Yuhu counties of Huaihuang Kingdom, mostly flowing in from Baoxiang Kingdom to the south.

This was the reason for the young escort’s statement about the world becoming increasingly turbulent.

As the sun set, Chen Ping’an walked at a leisurely pace to the emerald green lake that the local people called Dumb Lake for some unknown reason.

Several groups of people had already gathered there, their bonfires stretching into the distance, everyone drinking alcohol to ward off the cold.

That night, several sword lights lit up from the west, soaring toward Yellow Wind Valley with imposing momentum, landing on the ground dozens of miles away from Dumb Lake. Sword lights crisscrossed, accompanied by the wailing and shrieking of ghosts. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, streaks of dazzling sword light rose from the ground and departed. During this period, the martial artists who knew a few boxing stances, as well as the passing merchants, were all calm and composed, only caring about drinking, making merry, and discussing which mountain sect’s sword cultivators had come to practice their swords.

The sword cultivators had already left, and the night was deep. Few people by the lake went to rest early. There were even some playful children, wielding wooden knives and bamboo swords, sparring with each other, stirring up the yellow sand, laughing and chasing each other.

Chen Ping’an drank the deep mountain stream water from the Baojing Mountain in his sword-nourishing gourd, leaning against the bamboo chest by the lake.

He saw a woman wearing a veiled hat leave the group alone and squat by the water, wanting to scoop up water to wash her face. She raised a hand, and a string of snow-white bells was tied to her wrist. When she lifted the corner of the veil, Chen Ping’an had already averted his gaze, looking at the Dumb Lake that was said to be bottomless. According to rumors in the city, this small lake had never dried up in a thousand years, no matter how severe the drought, the lake surface would not drop by an inch, no matter how torrential the rain, the lake water would not rise an inch.

When a ripple appeared in the center of the lake, first there was a small black dot, probing around, and then quickly submerged into the water. The woman still seemed completely unaware, only carefully tending to the hair on her forehead and temples. Each time she raised her hand, the sound of bells would ring softly, but it was drowned out by the noise of drinking and merrymaking by the lake.

A huge vortex appeared on the lake surface silently, and then a strange fish more than ten zhang long suddenly leaped out, its entire body as black as ink. It suddenly opened its mouth toward the veiled woman, its teeth as sharp as a battlefield of knives.
Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged, unmoving, one hand propping his chin, gazing at the pair of figures, one human and one fish.

From eight directions around Dumb Lake, eight figures simultaneously appeared, each holding a Luo Pan compass. They plunged the instruments into the sand, then stood firm, fingers forming hand seals, feet treading the Dipper steps. Instantly, silvery threads, like ropes, shot towards the lake’s center. As these silver cords converged at a single point, a dazzling silver Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation appeared on the lake’s surface, vying with the moonlight for brilliance.

These eight individuals clearly hailed from the same sect, their cooperation seamless. Each reached out and grabbed a silver thread from the Luo Pan on the ground, then with two fingers together, pointed towards the sky above the lake’s center. Like fishermen casting a net, eight more silver threads flew out, constructing a cage. Then, the eight began to spin in circles, continuously adding arc-shaped “fences” to this talisman array cage. As for the safety of the woman confronting the fish monster alone, the eight seemed utterly unconcerned.

The fish monster, mouth agape in a bloody maw, had sensed something amiss the moment the Luo Pans struck the ground. It rapidly closed its massive jaws, but the sheer momentum carried it towards the rapidly rising veiled woman. However, instead of retreating, the woman took a step forward, leaping high into the air. With a single punch, she sent the fish monster crashing down into the Bagua formation on the lake. When its massive body touched the Gen (艮) trigram within the Bagua, a small mountain instantly crashed down upon the monster’s head. The poor fish monster was then bounced to the Zhen (震) trigram, where lightning flashed and crackled, shocking it with its electric power. Bouncing and sliding, it landed in the Li (離) trigram, where raging flames erupted. It endured such miserable torment, then experienced an array of icy spikes thrusting from the lake like a forest of spears. Finally, it transformed into a little girl in black, fleeing frantically, wailing and wiping tears from her face, dodging fire dragons and ice cones. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would strike her, causing her to convulse and roll her eyes.

Chen Ping’an found this scene almost unbearable to watch and averted his gaze slightly, even closing one eye.

He had seen many ferocious and evil spirits wreaking havoc in their territories. Regardless of their eventual fate, they were all impressively imposing when they first appeared. Take the Ghost Domain Valley, the carriage of Fan Yunluo in Skin-Fat City, or even the monster confronting the ghosts in Copper-Stench City, who had lackeys carrying a large wooden plank. Chen Ping’an had never seen such a miserable and pitiful creature as the one before him.

Back on the lake scene.

The spectators by the lake, aside from the Immortal Masters, were heartily drinking and cheering. Even the mischievous children hid behind their elders. Except for the initial fright of the giant fish leaping from the lake and opening its mouth to devour a human, they were no longer afraid. In the Precious Elephant Kingdom, the greatest spectacle was an Immortal Master subduing a demon, more festive and joyous than even the New Year.

As the little girl, keeping about a foot above the Bagua formation on the lake, fled into the Xun (巽) trigram, a wooden log as thick as a well fell down. The little girl in black had no time to dodge. She took a deep breath, raised her hands above her head, and desperately held up the log, sobbing with tears and snot streaming down her face. “That string of bells is mine! I gave it to a scholar who almost died passing by. He said he was going to the capital for the imperial examination and had no travel funds. I gave it to him and told him he had to return it. It’s been over a hundred years, and he still hasn’t returned it, waaaah, you big liar…”

Chen Ping’an believed the seemingly absurd words of the little girl water monster.

The strange phenomenon of Dumb Lake’s water level remaining constant should be attributed to this little fish monster girl, whose true form was not very appealing. Over the years, merchants and travelers had camped here overnight without any casualties. Whether people or ghosts, no matter what flowery language they used, nothing mattered more than a plain fact, a clear cause and effect. In any case, for so many years, the local people and passing merchants should be grateful for her protection, regardless of her initial intentions. They should remember her kindness. However, Immortal Masters subduing demons was also a matter of course. Therefore, even though Chen Ping’an knew she had no baleful aura or murderous intent when she first emerged, but was likely just coveting the string of bells and indulging in a playful impulse. Chen Ping’an had already seen through the veiled woman, recognizing her as a deeply hidden Fifth Realm martial artist…or perhaps a Sixth Realm one from the Precious Elephant Kingdom? In any case, Chen Ping’an had not intervened.

However, the fact that the string of bells in the veiled woman’s hand actually belonged to the little fish monster girl was a bit unexpected to Chen Ping’an.

After the little girl revealed the truth, the veiled woman who repelled her with a punch stood by the green lake and smiled. “Don’t worry, taking you back isn’t to kill you. It’s the meaning of the national master of the Qian Gou Kingdom. They need a River Goddess there to preside over water transportation. It’s not all bad. But let me be clear, I don’t want to deceive you. You are a water monster born of this lake, naturally attuned to water. The possibility of you shaping a golden body and becoming a River Goddess is greater than those who die and become heroic spirits. But it’s not a guaranteed success. I can’t help it. We have had generations of good relations with the Qian Gou Kingdom, and the national master’s mansion gave a large sum of immortal money. What I’m doing, forcibly taking you away from Dumb Lake, is a bit unkind. The reason I’m telling you all this is because I think that Qian Gou Kingdom scholar who you gave the bells to back then was even less kind. He not only didn’t return your bells, but also treasured them and passed them down as a family heirloom. His descendants gifted the bells to the national master of the Qian Gou Kingdom, and as a result, he was promoted to a first-rank official and also obtained a posthumous title for his ancestor. If you want to curse, you can wait until you become a River Goddess and curse as much as you want. Right now, you should obediently surrender and save yourself some suffering.”

The little girl in black was still holding up the slowly descending log with both hands. When her feet were about to touch the Bagua formation on the lake, she wailed even louder, “I’m about to become boiled fish! You big bad guys who just like to fight and kill! I’m not going with you! I like it here! This is my home! I’m not going anywhere! I don’t want to move and become some River Goddess. I’m still young, what Goddess, what Goddess!”

The veiled woman sighed and signaled the other eight sect cultivators not to rush to close the formation. She patiently coaxed the water monster little girl, “Then how about I make a deal with you? I can help you plead with that national master, and I won’t earn that immortal money first, but you must return to my sect with me. You still have to move somewhere.”
“I can’t just make a wasted trip. If I return empty-handed, my master will be displeased. There’s a river near my sect, currently presided over by a Water God. Why don’t you observe what it’s like to be a Water God first? If you decide that being a River Matron isn’t so bad, I’ll take you to visit the State Preceptor’s manor one day, how about it?”

The little girl in black nodded lightly.

The woman, a pure martial artist, formed hand seals and chanted incantations, surprisingly able to manipulate spiritual energy, removing the pillar above the Xun trigram.

The little girl hopped around a few times, swinging her arms back and forth, her eyes darting around.

The woman with the veiled hat smiled, “Don’t think about running away, or you might end up as braised fish or steamed fish.”

The little girl sniffled, a look of despair on her face, “Then you might as well just kill me. Leaving this place, I’d rather be dead.”

The veiled woman was somewhat helpless.

The other immortal cultivators seemed to find it amusing as well, none of them in a hurry to close the net and capture the demon.

Suddenly, from the distant horizon, a dazzling sword light appeared, arriving in an instant, the sword suspending above everyone’s heads. It was a young sword cultivator in a light purple robe, a gold hairpin with crackling lightning intertwined in his hair, smiling, “This mute lake demon is extremely difficult to catch, your methods are impressive. How much? I’ll buy it.”

The veiled woman smiled, “Could this be Young Master Jin of the Golden Crow Palace?”

The young sword cultivator laughed, “Indeed, it is I.”

The woman shook her head apologetically, “This demon cannot be sold to Young Master Jin.”

The young sword cultivator frowned, “I’ll offer double the price. My master’s wife happens to be short of a maid.”

The woman hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head, “I’m sorry, I cannot comply. This creature is promised to the State Preceptor’s manor of Qian Gou Kingdom by my sect. I cannot make the decision tonight.”

The Golden Crow Palace Lord’s wife was notoriously cruel, her natal artifact being a “Ghost-striking Whip” rumored to be crafted from the green bamboo of Azure God Mountain, with a penchant for flogging maids to death. Besides the single one who managed to live long enough to become an instructor, the rest had all perished, their bodies tossed into the thunderclouds atop Golden Crow Palace, never to be reborn. However, the Golden Crow Palace was by no means a demonic sect, sparing no effort in slaying demons and monsters. They also preferred choosing troublesome ghost kings and fierce demons. It’s just that the Golden Crow Palace Lord, a dignified Golden Core sword cultivator, was most afraid of his wife, the daughter of the Great Mountain Monarch, so much so that all the female cultivators and maids of the Golden Crow Palace dared not speak a single extra word to the Lord.

Otherwise, this deal wasn’t entirely impossible to negotiate. The sect and the State Preceptor of Qian Gou Kingdom would probably not mind currying favor with the powerful Golden Crow Palace.

The young sword cultivator raised an eyebrow, “You refuse to listen to reason, insisting on forcing me to draw my sword? You little hussy from Azure Chime House, a sixth-realm martial artist with some talisman tricks, believe me, I’ll disfigure that face of yours, which isn’t much to look at anyway, and then buy that little demon?”

The young sword cultivator added with a sneer, “Don’t worry, I’ll still, buy! But from now on, Jin Le will remember your Azure Chime House.”

The veiled woman sighed inwardly, she couldn’t possibly implicate the entire sect because of herself. Golden Crow Palace cultivators were always clear about their loves and hates and often unpredictable. Once they became unreasonable, they were extremely troublesome.

She turned to look at the little water monster hugging her head and deceiving herself.

Just as she was about to nod in agreement, on the silent shores of Mute Lake, a weak scholar who had long removed his bamboo hat and placed it on his book case, dressed in white, holding a folding fan, slowly stood up and smiled, “If this counts as reason, I think it’s better not to reason at all from the start, just strong-arm the situation. Anyway, whoever has the greater strength is the boss, no need to take off your pants to fart and shit.”

The little girl in black, her pointed ears twitching, raised her head, puzzled, “Taking off your pants to fart is wrong, the wind in Yellow Wind Valley is strong and the night is cold, exposing your bottom will make you chilly, but shitting is unavoidable, how can you not take off your pants?”

The white-clad scholar slapped his forehead with his folding fan, suddenly realizing, “You’re right.”

The little girl beamed, hovering in the air, cross-legged, arms crossed, “Scholars are always slow-witted.”

But as soon as she thought of the string of bells she had kindly given away as travel expenses, the little girl in black began to sniffle and frown again.

All lies, acting! Back then, that guy also said that his greatest interest in life wasn’t becoming an official, but writing a popular collection of strange tales. He would definitely write an article about her, and it would definitely be a very long, richly detailed piece. He even came up with a name for it, “The Great Water Monster of Mute Lake.” She was so excited that she almost drooled, and she specially reminded him to depict her as fierce and terrifying, with high magical power. The scholar readily agreed.

Why is it that now that the string of bells has been seen, she hasn’t seen the article she’s been waiting for for over a hundred years? Even if it’s shorter, it doesn’t matter.

The young sword cultivator leaned forward, staring at the seemingly scholarly white-clad bookworm, grinning, “Oh, you’re singing a duet with this little demon? Are you two putting on a show here?”

The scholar, whose snow-white robe was still dusty, clasped his fist with his folding fan and said, “I implore Young Master Jin of the Golden Crow Palace to be merciful.”

Another sword light tore through the air, hovering beside Jin Le. It was a graceful middle-aged female cultivator with a gold hairpin adorning her hair. She glanced at the scene on the lake and smiled, “Alright, this trial, under the watchful eyes of Junior Grand Uncle, we failed to kill the Yellow Wind Ancestor. I know you’re in a bad mood right now, but Junior Grand Uncle is still waiting for you over there. It won’t be good if he waits too long.”

Jin Le nodded, pointed with his finger, “Azure Chime House, right? I’ve remembered it. Wait for my visit soon.”

Then he pointed to the white-clad scholar who was secretly wiping sweat from his forehead. After meeting his gaze, he immediately stopped and deliberately opened his folding fan, gently fanning the breeze. Jin Le laughed, “I know you’re also a cultivator, and you’re actually wearing a magic robe, right? If you’re a man, don’t act like a coward with me. Dare to announce your name and sect?”

The man smiled, “I don’t change my name or alter my surname, my name is Chen Good Person.”

Jin Le’s face darkened, and he said to the middle-aged woman beside him, “Senior Sister, I can’t stand this. Just let me unleash one sword strike, just one.”

The Golden Crow Palace female cultivator reminded softly, “Junior Grand Uncle might be watching us.”

Jin Le snorted coldly at the white-clad scholar, “Hurry up and burn incense and pray that you don’t fall into my hands in the future.”
The two sword cultivators from the Golden Crow Palace soared into the sky, streaks of brilliant sword light tracing their departure.

The eight Immortal Masters from Azure Sound Manor, gathered around the veiled woman, breathed a collective sigh of relief as the sword lights vanished. However, the prospect of Jin Le’s challenge cast a shadow, eliciting wry smiles. The veiled woman, in particular, felt a heavy weight on her heart. Still, they all looked at the white-robed scholar, now diligently wiping his brow, with gratitude. Had he not stepped forward to divert Jin Gongzi’s attention, they might have faced a disastrous confrontation that night. Although Azure Sound Manor was less powerful than the Golden Crow Palace, they certainly wouldn’t kneel before two sword cultivators.

In any case, this demon-hunting expedition had been plagued by ill fortune.

In the future, the sect would surely handle Jin Le’s challenge. With Azure Sound Manor’s foundation, it wouldn’t be difficult. However, a feud between Azure Sound Manor and Golden Crow Palace was now inevitable.

The veiled woman cupped her fist in a formal greeting and said, “Esteemed Chen Gongzi, I am Mao Qiulu, from Azure Sound Manor in Peach Branch Kingdom, northeast of Bao Xiang Kingdom. I thank you for your righteous words.”

The man smiled, “I wasn’t being righteous. I simply wished to purchase the mute lake monster from the Immortal Masters.”

The black-clothed girl, still with her arms crossed, exclaimed, “The Big Water Monster!”

Chen Pingan turned and chuckled, “You saw the Golden Crow Palace Sword Immortal just now, why didn’t you call yourself the Big Water Monster then?!”

The little girl’s eyes darted around. “My throat was on fire just now, I couldn’t speak. You bring back your Golden Crow Palace dogsh*t Sword Immortal, and see if I don’t give him a piece of my mind…”

Before the black-clothed girl could finish her sentence.

In the far reaches of the sky, a beam of azure and golden light, perhaps over a thousand zhang long, shot directly towards a remote area of Yellow Wind Valley.

Chen Pingan narrowed his eyes, glanced at it, and then averted his gaze.

*Oh*, a Golden Core Realm sword cultivator.

It seemed that the Junior Ancestral Uncle mentioned by the Golden Crow Palace cultivators had taken action himself?

After that, the world returned to clarity, and the sword light gradually dissipated.

The little girl quickly covered her head and cried, “Little Water Monster, I’m just a tiny, little Little Water Monster…”

The veiled woman and an elder from her sect smiled wryly. “If *he* were to challenge us, it would be a great calamity.”

The old man shook his head and chuckled softly, “That Sword Immortal is of a cold and aloof disposition. His arrogance is true, but his actions are unlike Jin Le, who enjoys flaunting his power. He is a true mountain person, untouched by mundane affairs. Every time he descends the mountain, it is only to slay demons and purify his sword. He’s likely protecting Jin Le and the others this time. After all, the Yellow Wind Old Ancestor here is a genuine Golden Core cultivator, skilled in escape techniques. A moment of carelessness could lead to a disastrous demise. I reckon this one sword strike will prevent the Yellow Wind Old Ancestor from showing his face and preying on monks for decades.”

The veiled woman, Mao Qiulu, looked at the white-robed scholar and shook her head, smiling. “Firstly, the Imperial Preceptor’s Office has offered a high price for this demon. Secondly, you’ve now offended Jin Le from the Golden Crow Palace. It would be unwise for Chen Gongzi to accept this hot potato. Although Azure Sound Manor is not as powerful as the Golden Crow Palace, we still hold the moral high ground regarding this dispute over the mute lake monster and are not overly afraid of them.”

Chen Pingan closed his folding fan and tucked it into his sash, smiling. “It’s alright. I’m traveling north and earning money precisely to spend it. Mao Xianshi, just name your price. Besides, I’m a wandering rogue cultivator like a drifting leaf. Even if the Golden Crow Palace wishes to vent their anger, they’ll have to find me first. So, as long as Mao Xianshi is willing to sell, I’m willing to buy.”

The black-clothed girl huffed angrily, “I don’t want to be sold to you. You bookworms are all sly and cunning. I’d rather go to Azure Sound Manor with that sister and be neighbors with a river god. Maybe I can scam some food and drink!”

Chen Pingan turned and chuckled, “Aren’t you afraid of the Golden Crow Palace Sword Immortal’s sword light? Once Jin Da-jianxian learns of your whereabouts, there’s only doing the thieving for a thousand days, never defending against the thieving for a thousand days. Can you, Big Water Monster, handle living in constant fear?”

The little girl frowned, beginning to think hard. Whether she was truly pondering the question could be seen by the intensity of her furrowed brow.

Chen Pingan looked towards the group of Azure Sound Manor Immortal Masters and smiled, “Name your price.”

The woman looked towards the elder of her sect, who nodded slightly.

Mao Qiulu asked softly, “Chen Gongzi, are you truly not afraid of the Golden Crow Palace’s relentless pursuit?”

Chen Pingan nodded, “I’ll simply evade the Golden Crow Palace.”

Mao Qiulu looked troubled and said, “But the Imperial Preceptor’s Office offered a Grain Rain Coin to purchase this little fish monster. It normally wouldn’t fetch such a high price, but it’s connected to that River Grandmother deity position, so…”

The little girl exclaimed angrily, “What? Only one? Not a hundred?! This is infuriating! You white-clothed bookworm, hurry up! Give this soft-fisted little girl a hundred Grain Rain Coins! If you even bat an eye, you’re no hero!”

Chen Pingan ignored the water-brained little water monster and handed over a Grain Rain Coin.

Mao Qiulu’s face was filled with surprise, and she said helplessly, “Chen Gongzi, you’re really buying it?”

Just at that moment.

A wizened old monk arrived, floating gently onto the hilltop. Behind him followed a dozen or so monks with wooden expressions, of varying ages.

Each of them wore prayer beads, made of ordinary materials, yet each string shone with a golden light, extremely eye-catching in the night.

The old monk stopped and said in a deep voice, “The Golden Crow Palace Sword Immortal has departed. This Yellow Wind Old Ancestor has been severely wounded and is in a state of frenzy. Instead of hiding in the mountain roots to recuperate, he wants to devour people. My Shibo is already confronting him a dozen or so li away. He cannot restrain him for long. Quickly, follow me and leave the Yellow Wind Valley. We must depart at once, there is not a moment to lose.”

Chen Pingan tossed the Grain Rain Coin lightly to the veiled woman, smiling. “Once we complete the transaction, we can all flee.”

Mao Qiulu gritted her teeth, caught the Grain Rain Coin, and clutched it in her hand. It was indeed a genuine Grain Rain Coin.

The little water monster cried out urgently, “Don’t forget those bells! Buy them for one Grain Rain Coin too!”

Chen Pingan still ignored her.

The little girl’s cheeks puffed out. *This bookworm is so unsatisfactory!*

The veiled woman smiled, removed the string of bells from her wrist, and handed them to the white-robed scholar, whom she still couldn’t tell was a qi refiner.
Her esteemed elder from the sect, with a wave of hand, used the entire lake surface as a Bagua diagram-based array. It instantly converged, imprisoning the convulsing little girl in the silver net of talismans and dragging her to the shore. The other Qingqing Mansion immortal masters also recalled their compasses.

Mao Qiulu smiled and said, “We will remove the talisman array. Young Master Chen, please keep a close eye on her, lest she escape back into the lake.”

Chen Pingan nodded with a smile, “Naturally.”

The glowing light of the talisman array dissipated instantly.

Chen Pingan took a step forward, grabbed the little girl by the scruff of her neck, and lifted her high. She hung in the air, still wearing a stern face, arms crossed over her chest.

On the hillside, the escorts and passing merchants had quickly packed their belongings and, escorted by the monks, were hurrying on their way through the night.

The Qingqing Mansion immortals didn’t exchange a word. They simply merged into the group, obviously intending to help the Bao Xiang Kingdom monks with their escort duty.

Chen Pingan shouted loudly, “That escort!”

A young escort, riding a horse to the top of the slope, turned to look.

He saw the white-robed scholar, in addition to holding the little girl in one hand, now had a wine pot in his other. He swung it forcefully, tossing the pot of wine high towards him.

The young escort simply reached out from horseback and caught the pot.

The young man put away the wine pot, revealing a smile, and cupped his fist in thanks.

A chance encounter on the road, meeting by chance.

If there is rapport, drink wine; no need for pleasantries, don’t ask names.

Mao Qiulu turned her head and asked, “Young Master Chen? Not coming with us?!”

Then the veiled woman heard a reason she couldn’t have imagined. She heard the man say, frankly, “I’m running away in a different direction. There are so many of you, Old Ancestor Huangfeng will definitely come after you first.”

Mao Qiulu was so angry she couldn’t say a word. She turned around, turned her back to the man, raised her arm high, extended her thumb, and then slowly pointed it downwards.

But the man even had the nerve to say, “I’ll visit your Qingqing Mansion if I get the chance.”

The veiled woman ignored him after retracting her gesture and strode away.

The little girl being held in the air shook her head, gloating. “Scholar, can’t you tell? She had a bit of a crush on you, but now there’s absolutely none left.”

Her collar loosened, and her feet touched the ground.

The white-robed scholar smiled, “Didn’t realize you were so experienced in the ways of the world.”

The little girl in black put her hands behind her back, widened her eyes, and stared intently at the string of bells in the man’s hand.

Chen Pingan tossed the bells to her, then put on his bamboo hat, bent over, and shouldered the large bamboo box.

The little girl was stunned. She spun around, but nothing seemed amiss. She craned her neck, her entire small face and light eyebrows furrowed together, indicating her mind was a mess. She asked, “What are you doing? You’re just going to leave me like this? You really don’t treat a Great Water Demon as a Great Water Demon, do you?”

Chen Pingan pushed her forehead with one hand, “Get lost.”

The little girl was furious, “What?! What?!”

Suddenly, she opened her mouth wide, her small face splitting into a large grin, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming teeth. She kept her mouth open, unable to close it, “Scared?”

Chen Pingan, with the bamboo box on his back, walked slowly towards the hillside, leaving behind the words, “Scared to death.”

The commotion was getting louder and louder not far to the north of the hillside.

The little girl in black hesitated. She casually tossed the string of bells into the lake, then, pinching her chin, began to frown in thought, watching as the white-robed scholar walked up the hillside.

She snorted, turned around, and swaggered towards the emerald green lake. Then she suddenly stopped, turned her head, but only saw that the man was already standing on the top of the slope, his footsteps unstopping, just walking away.

The little girl scratched her head, feeling that something was definitely wrong.

With a leap, she plunged into the water, transforming into a fish demon, chasing after the ever-sinking string of bells, wagging her tail as she swam towards the bottom of the lake.

On the hillside.

When the white-robed figure had walked several miles.

He stopped, took off his bamboo hat and the bamboo box.

A blood-soaked old monk was sitting in place, chanting scriptures silently.

Beside him, on the yellow sandy ground, was stuck a tin staff, the copper rings clashing against each other violently.

The old monk’s blood was actually a light golden color.

As the old monk entered a meditative state and chanted scriptures, golden lotus flowers continuously bloomed in the surrounding ten-foot radius.

A yellow tornado was constantly swirling around the old monk, within which a yellow robe could vaguely be seen.

Being violently buffeted by the yellow sand tornado, the golden lotus flowers withered petal by petal.

Although the old monk’s eyes were closed, he waved his sleeve, vaguely sensing the presence of an outsider behind him. Somewhat anxious, he said in a deep voice, “Leave quickly! Grasp my tin staff, it will help you escape this place. Do not look back!”

The tin staff flew out, towards the white-robed scholar, and then hovered beside him, the rings seemingly agitated, urging the scholar to quickly grasp it and flee this place of trouble.

The old monk, distracted by controlling the tin staff to leave the ground and save the person, had exposed a flaw. The yellow sand tornado became even more ferocious, and only a few golden lotus flowers remained within the ten-foot radius.

Just as the old monk was about to be completely engulfed by the yellow sand and his golden body completely eroded, he heard a warm, mellow voice softly ringing in his ears, “Master, just focus on entering a meditative state and expounding the Dharma. This junior is fortunate to listen to a few words and is immensely grateful.”

Then the young man lunged forward ten feet in a single step, and at the same time declared, “Follow me to subdue the demon!”

The bamboo box opened on its own, and a golden demon-binding rope shot out, like a golden dragon following the snow-white figure, rushing forward together.

The demon-binding rope plunged into the yellow sand tornado, trapping the yellow robe.

The white-robed scholar then unleashed punches like thunder.

His fist wind was like a rainbow, an astonishing display of power. However, the scholar strolled leisurely, casually flicking his sleeve, often cleaving the entire soaring tornado in two on the spot.

The old monk slowly opened his eyes, smiled slightly, clasped his hands together, and lowered his head, not to chant scriptures, but to murmur, “Awesome virtue, dwell on purity. A pity there is no tea, otherwise, please take a seat.”

The white robe and the tornado had moved far away, locked in battle.

The old monk slowly rose, turned, walked to the bamboo box, grabbed the tin staff, whose copper rings were now silent. The old monk intoned a Buddhist chant and strode away.

That night.

A white-robed scholar walked slowly, carrying a box on his back and holding a staff.

A little girl in black was hanging on his leg, her arms tightly wrapped around his ankle, so with every step, he dragged the little limpet-like girl a foot forward.

Chen Pingan didn’t even look down, “Are you just going to keep clinging to me like this?”
The little girl, still wrapped in a bundle, nodded, “The treasures from the lake bottom in my package are worth far more than a single Grain Rain coin. It’s a deal, I’ll give them all to you, but you have to help me find a scholar who knows how to write stories, someone who can write a thrilling tale about me, making me fierce and terrifying in the story.”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “If you keep this up, I’ll get serious with you.”

The little girl smeared tears and snot on his leg, sobbing, “Please, just take me with you on your travels. You’re so powerful, you even killed the Old Devil Huangsha. Following you, I’ll have delicious food and drinks without worry. I must find that scholar to write my story, I want to be remembered in history, so every household knows I’m a monstrous water demon from Dumber Lake.”

Chen Ping’an stopped and looked down, asking, “Still not letting go?”

The black-clothed little girl stubbornly shook her head, wiping the snot on the snow-white robe with her face, then looked up, frowning, “Won’t let go.”

Chen Ping’an lifted a foot, “Off you go.”

The little girl was sent flying towards the emerald lake, tumbling in the air, drawing a long arc.

A moment later.

Chen Ping’an turned his head to look.

A little tag-along was following in the distance, and upon seeing him turn around, immediately stopped and began to gaze at the moon.

Chen Ping’an sighed, “Following me might lead to your death.”

The little girl scurried forward, but as soon as she saw the white-robed scholar frown, she quickly came to a halt, muttering, “Who doesn’t die? Everyone dies eventually. I’m not afraid of that. I just want everyone to know about me. If they know, I don’t mind dying.”

Chen Ping’an continued walking.

She followed behind.

At one point, she squatted on the ground, staring intently at the ground, tilting her head, then suddenly opened her mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and swallowed a lizard whole.

Standing up, the little girl with the package grinned, “Delicious!”

But then she noticed the man turn around.

She immediately straightened her face, her eyes darting around, but her cheeks couldn’t help but twitch.

The man smiled, “Then follow me. When we get to the Spring Dew Abode, I’ll help you find a place to settle down. But let’s get one thing straight: if you change your mind halfway and want to return to Dumber Lake, you’re on your own. I won’t care.”

She ran to his side, puffing out her chest, “Change my mind? Heh, I’m a great water monster!”

The man hummed, “A grain-sized great water monster.”

She was uncharacteristically embarrassed.

This sesame-sized embarrassing matter must never be written in a book.

After that, a black-clothed little girl who often complained of thirst followed beside the white-robed scholar.

They traveled through mountains and rivers together.

The little girl found it incredibly interesting.

The man would take her to sit on the wall of a street, watching the door gods of two households quarrel.

It was the door gods of two households facing each other. The family that posted the Civil God of Wealth produced a chivalrous hero, while the family that posted the Martial God of Wealth produced a scholarly talent, renowned in the local county as a child prodigy.

At that time, the scholar, who still only knew to be called Chen the Good Man, put a talisman with a nasty name on her, and then the two of them sat on the wall in the distance to watch the spectacle.

Later, they also saw the scene of the Mountain God marrying his daughter to the Water God’s son, a grand spectacle with booming gongs and drums, but in reality, it was silent. The man yielded the road, but an old matron from the Mountain God’s procession proactively handed him a lucky red envelope. The man actually accepted it and said a string of polite congratulatory words. It was truly shameful, as there was only a single Snowflake coin inside.

Later, they saw the legendary Five Peaks Mountain Monarchs on patrol, golden-clad deities riding white horses, followed by a long tail, very majestic.

They also witnessed three beautiful women near a dilapidated Lady Shrine, emerging gracefully from a worn-down, rarely visited place in the west corridor of the shrine to meet a mortal scholar in private. Unfortunately, the embarrassing scene that followed was not watched by the fellow, and he didn’t even allow her to peep. Only during the daytime did they go there to take a look, only to see three colorful, mottled clay statues of beautiful women, each missing a handkerchief, a hairpin, and a bracelet compared to before.

Even more fun was the time they stumbled upon a hidden paradise in the mountains. Inside were several spirits disguised as refined scholars. When they met the two of them, they were initially very enthusiastic, but when those mountain spirits asked him if he could improvise a poem, he was dumbfounded. Then those guys began to chase them away, saying how could such a vulgar person come. The two of them had no choice but to retreat from that mansion in a disheveled state. She winked at him, but he wasn’t angry.

These were all extremely interesting things. In fact, most of the time was spent on the boring tasks of traveling day and night, starting fires, and cooking meals.

However, sometimes this odd person was really strange.

Once, while walking on a mountain cliff path, he looked at the opposite green mountain cliff and, for some reason, he suddenly leaped away, directly crashing into the mountain cliff. Then, boom, boom, boom, he directly punched his way through the entire mountain. Yet, he often dared to say she was scatterbrained? Brother, don’t criticize your sister.

He would also often walk in circles alone when camping on a mountain peak at night, able to walk like that for an entire night, half-asleep, half-awake. As for her, as long as she felt sleepy, she would fall asleep, sleeping soundly. When she opened her eyes early in the morning, she could often see him still pacing around in circles.

He also had times when he wasn’t serious.

Once, they passed by a waterside pavilion outside a prefecture city, a gathering place for literati and poets. During a rainstorm, everyone in the pavilion watched the rain like a waterfall, their spirits high. Then, the man disappeared with a whoosh. Somehow, he managed to create a situation where there was no rain near the waterside pavilion, only inside the pavilion…