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Nearing the small town, the martial cultivator from True Martial Mountain released Ma Kuxuan’s shoulder. Ma Kuxuan, feeling dizzy, shook his head and asked, “Do you know who is behind this? Could it be my father or my eldest uncle? Perhaps someone coveted our family treasures, one unwilling to give, the other forcefully demanding, resulting in a situation like Liu Xianyang’s, attracting great trouble?”

The sword-bearing man led Ma Kuxuan forward quickly, shaking his head. “The reason the Moving Mountain Ape of Orthodox Sun Mountain dared to act so brazenly, even breaking the rules, wasn’t just because the sword scripture itself was precious. The most important reason was the long-standing feud between Orthodox Sun Mountain and Thunderclap Garden. If Chen Songfeng from Thunderclap Garden hadn’t arrived in the small town almost simultaneously, that Moving Mountain Ape wouldn’t have dared to commit the assault. Therefore, in this town, even those who practice cultivation, even if they act, wouldn’t dare to be too blatant. The resident Mr. Qi, after all…”

The man suddenly stopped speaking, looking towards a rooftop in the distance. A pitch-black wildcat was crouching there. Upon seeing Ma Kuxuan, it immediately screeched. Once Ma Kuxuan noticed it, the wildcat took off running, heading towards Apricot Blossom Lane.

Ma Kuxuan’s face instantly paled. He followed the wildcat on the rooftop, running wildly as if possessed.

The man understood the crux of the matter and sighed. He followed the youth at a steady pace, never allowing Ma Kuxuan to increase the distance between them.

Ma Kuxuan ran all the way back to the familiar lane. When he saw the courtyard gate wide open, the usually audacious youth stopped outside, no longer daring to cross the threshold.

The youth knew that his courtyard gate almost never stayed open for so long, because his grandmother often repeated a truth: Apricot Blossom Lane was full of good-for-nothing paupers. And the poor were often narrow-minded and envious. Our family was easy to covet, so the gate must be kept tightly shut, or thieves would take notice.

Ma Kuxuan, with red eyes, walked into the courtyard. The main house’s door was also open.

Ma Kuxuan saw a familiar, thin figure lying on the ground.

The black cat squatted on the threshold, meowing repeatedly, its cries eerie and chilling.

“Don’t go over there!”

The sword-bearing man placed his hand on the youth’s shoulder, urging him, “Now that things have come to this, steady your mind!”

Ma Kuxuan forcefully suppressed his tears, taking deep breaths, slowing his pace, and gently calling out, “Grandmother?”

The martial sword cultivator swiftly moved to the old woman’s side, placing two fingers at her nostrils to check for breath. She was already lifeless.

The black cat, frightened, quickly ran into the house, disappearing in a flash.

The sword-bearing man pondered briefly, then raised his head and spoke to Ma Kuxuan standing outside, his voice grave. “Stay put! You have an exceptionally strong yang energy. If you take another step closer, you’ll harm your grandmother, causing any remaining lingering soul to dissipate completely!”

The youth’s dark face was contorted with pain. He somehow managed to suppress any sound of crying.

The man made a decision. Gripping the tiger tally at his waist, he said sternly, “Mr. Qi, this matter is not to be taken lightly. You have your rules, and I have my reasons. I hope Mr. Qi won’t interfere in what follows.”

After saying this, the man’s aura completely changed. His sleeves billowed, his hair swayed, and he silently chanted a string of obscure incantations, concluding with five words: “True Martial Mountain, I request!”

Ma Kuxuan turned his head in a daze.

A golden-armored divine warrior, towering over ten feet tall, descended from the sky. He slammed his fists together at his chest, the sound like thunder, and said, “Descendant of True Martial, what is your command?”

“This place forbids术法, and I am not skilled in imprisoning souls. Therefore, I ask you to patrol the area around this house. If you discover the wandering soul of this old woman, gather it together, but remember, do not harm its foundation.”

The golden-armored divine warrior remained silent for a moment, then nodded, “As you command!”

The golden light dissipated, and the divine warrior vanished.

———————

Inside the kiln affairs supervisor’s office, Chen Songfeng, a descendant of the Chen clan of Dragon Tail County, was buried in documents in a spacious room. At his feet was a vermilion lacquer wooden box, filled with half a box of yellowed ancient books. Chen Dui, a woman, casually grabbed a book from the wooden box and stood near the window, slowly flipping through the pages.

The old steward of the office was sitting in a chair in the room, drinking tea. Liu Baqiao, a sword cultivator from Thunderclap Garden, sat opposite him, exchanging pleasantries with the old man. The sprightly old steward laughed, “It’s lucky how things worked out. Li Hong from the Li family personally came to our office, asking for a few Chen clan archives from our small town. He only wanted household registration archives from the last three to four hundred years. The Prince nodded in agreement, so I had Li Hong’s people take away the seventy or eighty books at the top of the box. The remaining books below are older, exactly the old records that you, young Master Chen, want. Speaking of which, if the office didn’t require all books to be aired twice a year during the summer and autumn, they would have been eaten by bugs long ago.”

Standing by the window, Chen Dui didn’t even lift her head, asking indifferently, “I heard that the Chen clan people in the small town today have all become slaves and servants to the Four Clans and Ten Families of Peach Leaf Lane in Fortune Street. Some Chen clan people have even become hereditary servants of these wealthy families, kowtowing and kneeling generation after generation. When they see ordinary people of the small town, they even act superior?”

The old steward felt somewhat awkward. This woman repeatedly referred to the “Four Clans and Ten Families” or “wealthy families,” but the true, thousand-year-old aristocratic clan, the eldest grandson of the Chen clan of Dragon Tail County, was sitting there, silently examining the archives like a servant. This woman, also named Chen, seemed perfectly at ease. The aged and experienced steward could easily guess her true identity and noble lineage.

Although the old steward didn’t keep any maids or servants named Chen, he had always maintained a good relationship with the prominent local families of the small town. He didn’t want to offend a powerful and aggressive outsider due to his inappropriate response.

After carefully considering his words, the old man put down his ice-crackle-patterned teacup and slowly said, “Miss Chen, it’s a matter of necessity. According to an old senior in our office, there were two Chen clans in this small town with different distant ancestors. One clan moved out of the small town a long time ago, leaving no direct descendants behind. It’s vaguely said that this Chen clan specifically left gravekeepers when they moved, but it’s been so long that the surname of the family responsible for sweeping the graves and offering incense for that Chen clan can no longer be verified. As for the other Chen clan, they were also among the prominent families a long time ago, ranking quite high. Unfortunately, things are impermanent. They went through several internal and external upheavals and gradually declined. Especially in the last few hundred years, as Miss Chen said, they have indeed become weaker generation after generation. There aren’t any Chen clan people who can stand on their own now… No, I remember now, there is still one remaining scion, probably the only one among all the Chen clan descendants in the small town who hasn’t attached himself to the Four Clans and Ten Families. His father was a skilled porcelain maker and even received awards from the previous two supervisors, so I remember clearly. However, he died early, so I don’t know how his child is doing now. But speaking of what I’ve seen and heard, the small town is generally good to the Chen clan descendants, especially the Song and Zhao clans. The chief stewards of their mansions are named Chen. They are nominally master and servant, but they’re practically like family.”

Having said all these old stories in one breath, the old steward turned and picked up his teacup for a sip of tea.

Chen Dui smiled and nodded. “Steward Xue is an understanding man. No wonder the office operates so smoothly.”

The old steward beamed. “Miss Chen is too kind. People like us only know our own limitations, so we can only do our best. It’s a life of hard work, just a life of hard work.”

Chen Dui smiled without further comment, shifting her gaze towards the formally seated Chen Songfeng, and said coldly, “If it’s really impossible, turn the box upside down and start with the books at the very bottom. Didn’t you hear what Steward Xue said just now? The archive records for thousands of years in this small town are only related to the other Chen clan. If I remember correctly, this Chen clan in the small town can be considered to have the same distant ancestor as your Chen clan in Dragon Tail County. Why, flipping through one family tree after another, are all the names those of slaves and servants? Is that fun?”

Beads of sweat appeared on Chen Songfeng’s forehead, his lips slightly white. He didn’t dare to refute a single word, quickly standing up from his chair to bend down and turn the box over, moving books.

The old steward immediately straightened his back, no longer displaying any sense of ease in his work.

Liu Baqiao couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Chen Songfeng’s personality might be soft, but he was still the future head of the Chen clan of Dragon Tail County. No matter Chen Dui’s background or origin, whether they were from the same clan or not, at least some respect should be given. So Liu Baqiao said sternly, “Chen Dui, if I’m not blind, I can see that Chen Songfeng is helping you. Even if you’re not grateful, you shouldn’t speak so harshly!”

Chen Songfeng quickly raised his head and made eye contact with Liu Baqiao, the latter widening his eyes and glaring back. “Even the emperor has some poor relatives, so what, does someone get an exception?! Okay, even if someone gets an exception, does that mean they can look down on people?”

Direct and straightforward.

This was Liu Baqiao of Thunderclap Garden’s true nature and heart.

Chen Songfeng’s face was full of bitterness.

The old steward lowered his head to drink tea, turning a blind eye and deaf ear.

Chen Dui was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “That makes sense.”

Now it was Liu Baqiao’s turn to feel uncomfortable.

Chen Dui placed the book in her hand on the table, planning to go outside for some air. Steward Xue naturally wanted to fulfill his duty as the host, but the Chen woman politely declined.

Chen Dui walked out of the office side hall and stood in the corridor, looking into the distance.

Outside the office’s main hall was a plaza of considerable size, with a memorial archway facing the main gate. A large, ancient character was written on it: 岳, a mountain peak, the upper part being a hill, the lower part being a prison. This was not uncommon. Every secular dynasty and kingdom was legally required to confer the title of Five Peaks to five mountains within its territory, east, south, west, north, and center. The mountain gates would invariably have the two characters written by the founding emperor, and the character 岳 would invariably be written in the ancient style.

Later scholars, poets, cultivators, and immortals offered thousands of explanations for this, but the true reason had probably been lost to the dust of history.

Chen Dui saw two figures, one large and one small, sitting on the white stone steps of the archway, whispering to each other.

She hesitated for a moment and walked slowly towards them. To avoid suspicion of eavesdropping, Chen Dui deliberately coughed softly when she walked up the steps behind the two, but the two seemed completely unaware of Chen Dui’s presence, one speaking enthusiastically, the other listening attentively. Chen Dui didn’t mind. She sat down on the farthest part of the steps in a casual manner, but the aura emanating from her posture gave people a sense of uprightness.

The two, one large and one small, were speaking in the standard elegant language of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, which Chen Dui understood. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to this small town. However, her pronunciation was somewhat awkward, so she had been relatively silent on the way with Chen Songfeng and Liu Baqiao. Of course, the main reason she didn’t want to speak was that she felt she had nothing in common with Chen Songfeng and Liu Baqiao and didn’t want to open her mouth.

Liu Baqiao seemed worldly and cynical on the surface, but was wholeheartedly focused on the sword, seemingly interesting but actually dull. Chen Songfeng was focused on reviving his family, seemingly simple but actually thoughtful. The so-called top talents of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent were not her kind of people. Those with different paths can’t work together, and that was all there was to it.

The youth glanced at the woman, who was about ten years older than him, his impression quite ordinary.

Chen Dui sat quietly without any sign of speaking.

However, she had caught a glimpse of the little girl holding a lustrous, emerald green gourd, and Chen Dui, with her discerning eyes, knew that it was no ordinary object.

The richly dressed youth and the exquisite little girl, like a porcelain doll, were none other than Song Jixin from Mud Bottle Lane and Tao Zi from Orthodox Sun Mountain.

Song Jixin had gone to the Li residence to offer condolences with Song Changjing, and he had fallen in love with the little girl at first sight because he had always liked exquisite and beautiful things. He had no use for things that were rough and simple. Tao Zi also took a liking to Song Jixin, and the two inexplicably became friends. The key was that there was a large age gap, but they could still chat. Song Jixin didn’t even feel like he was putting on a show. In the end, he requested his uncle Song Changjing to forcefully make the Li family let Tao Zi go, and he took her to the supervisor’s office to play. Ignoring the Li family’s miserable appearance, Song Jixin took the little girl’s hand and left the Li residence. At the same time, he sent a message to the maid Zhigui in the small house, asking her to find the emerald green gourd in the box and give it to Tao Zi as a first meeting gift.

The little girl was very affectionate with Song Jixin, coquettishly asking, “Lumber-carrying Big Brother, you just mentioned the academy memorial archway of the twelve kinds of memorial archways. Before I came here, I heard my grandpa talking to someone about how poorly your Great Li’s Cliffside Academy is doing now. Do you know what’s written on their academy’s memorial archway?”

Because of the last two characters in Song Jixin’s name, Tao Zi gave him the nickname “Lumber-carrying Big Brother.” Song Jixin didn’t care. At this moment, he no longer cared about the fate of that foreign woman. He lowered his head and smiled at the little girl, “I don’t know. I haven’t left this small town in my life. I haven’t read many books, and I’ve almost emptied my stomach talking to you for so long.”

The little girl sighed. “I wonder how the Ape Grandpa is doing with his search for people outside.”

Song Jixin smiled, looked down, and patted the hem of his brocade robe. At that moment, his eyes were complicated.

In the distance, Chen Dui suddenly asked softly, “Little girl, will your gourd make a sound on its own sometimes?”

The little girl turned her head, raised the gourd high with both hands, narrowed her eyes, and boasted, “Lumber-carrying Big Brother gave it to me!”

An irrelevant answer.

Chen Dui could only smile without further comment.

Song Jixin casually said, “It buzzes whenever there’s a thunderstorm.”

Chen Dui nodded. “It is indeed a sword-nurturing gourd.”

Song Jixin was somewhat puzzled.

The little girl from Orthodox Sun Mountain rushed to say, “I know, I know! We have three sword-nurturing gourds at home. My grandpa has one, but it’s gray and ugly. Grandpa Liu from Tai Bai Peak’s is the cutest. It’s tiny, the size of a palm, and it shoots out dozens of small flying swords. Sister Su’s is not too big and not too small, and it’s purple-gold in color. It’s a pity that Sister Su doesn’t usually want to take it out. I begged her many times before she let me touch it, but Sister Su quickly hid it away.”

Chen Dui explained, “Little girl, you can’t blame your Sister Su. A purple-gold sword-nurturing gourd is very rare among sword-nurturing gourds. It can be ranked in the top three. It’s estimated that she’s the only one on the entire Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent who has one. Moreover, although purple-gold gourds are excellent for nurturing swords compared to other sword-nurturing gourds, their disadvantage is that they are too fragile and easily cracked by sharp objects.”

Tao Zi hugged the emerald green gourd again. “Then what about mine?”

Chen Dui smiled. “It’s also very precious.”

The little girl tugged at Song Jixin’s sleeve, timidly saying, “Lumber-carrying Big Brother, are you going to take it back?”

Song Jixin rubbed the little girl’s head, his eyes full of affection, and laughed, “Not to mention this little gourd, even if I have more, I’d be willing to give them all to you.”

Chen Dui recalled an interesting story and said, “It’s said that the Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure Building once held an auction, and the final highlight was a sword-nurturing gourd vine that had never appeared before, with six small gourd fruits growing on it. It was said that the seedling was planted by the Dao Ancestor himself in this world before he became an immortal. I don’t know how many thousands of years passed before that string of small gourds sprouted, with different sizes and colors, which was very magical.”

Song Jixin sincerely exclaimed, “The vast world is full of wonders.”

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