The young sword cultivator from the Wind and Thunder Garden beamed upon seeing the young man and woman. The first words he spoke to Ning Yao were, “Little girl, if you were a bit older, you certainly wouldn’t be inferior to our Su Fairy.”

This was likely the highest praise the young sword cultivator could bestow upon any woman.

Ning Yao’s expression soured, but before she could retort, Liu Baqiao, who spoke the local dialect of the town, turned and gave Chen Ping’an a thumbs up. This genius sword cultivator from the Wind and Thunder Garden said with clear eyes, “To dare challenge the Guardian Ape of Righteous Sun Mountain with just a mortal body, and even survive, is simply a miracle!”

Liu Baqiao was genuinely curious how this straw-sandaled youth, who looked so frail and thin, could nurture such an astonishing burst of power.

Liu Baqiao lowered his thumb and, instead of walking alongside Chen Songfeng, walked beside Chen Ping’an, turning his head to laugh, “Although Righteous Sun Mountain is just a small hill, hiding a bunch of unworthy cowards, that Guardian Ape has earned its fearsome reputation with its fists. Especially after the death of Righteous Sun Mountain’s founding patriarch, and in the first two hundred years before the opening of the third peak, it was almost entirely thanks to that old ape that Righteous Sun Mountain wasn’t swallowed up by surrounding forces. Of course, back then, Righteous Sun Mountain was still just an insignificant little sect, so the enemies it faced weren’t too strong. If it had provoked our Wind and Thunder Garden back then, hey, no suspense. With just a command from our ancestor and the bestowal of a Sword Riding Token, I could single-handedly fly to the skies above Righteous Sun Mountain and gently drop our Thunder Pool Sword Formation. After that sword rain, Righteous Sun Mountain would be finished.”

Liu Baqiao made a gesture of casually tossing something onto the ground.

Ning Yao bluntly exposed him, “Righteous Sun Mountain isn’t as insignificant as you make it out to be, and the Wind and Thunder Garden isn’t as powerful as you claim.”

Without any sign of embarrassment, Liu Baqiao swiftly changed the subject, speaking mysteriously to Chen Ping’an, “I heard that the predecessor to this covered bridge was a stone arch bridge, and hanging beneath the stone arch was a rusty old sword, to prevent dragons from causing floods? Generally speaking, these seemingly unremarkable old things are definitely not ordinary. It might be a spirit treasure that could shake the heavens and earth.”

Liu Baqiao stomped hard on the wooden planks of the covered walkway, saying, “But I just lay down on the ground and tapped for a long time, and couldn’t find any clues. Could it be that this object is not fated to be with me? It shouldn’t be possible. A peerless sword genius like myself, if that old sword was truly a divine weapon, it should not only run to me and acknowledge me as its master, it should at least have some resonance, right? Could it be that the old sword is really just an old object that has aged a bit? Alas, what a pity, what a pity.”

Chen Ping’an, standing beside him, was somewhat dumbfounded. This guy didn’t seem to be joking at all. He was quite serious, though his words were definitely not logical. Yet, you couldn’t say he was purely talking nonsense.

Regardless of whether Chen Ping’an was annoyed or not, Liu Baqiao went on to tell interesting anecdotes from the town, like how so-and-so had obtained an enviable stroke of luck and actually pulled the entire iron chain of the Dragon Locking Well out of the deep well. There was also someone who wandered around for days without finding any opportunity.

But in the end, in a dilapidated alley, he happened to look up and discovered a small bronze mirror embedded in the wall above a doorway. With the mentality of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, he climbed a ladder to take a look. Good heavens! It was the ancestor of all demon-revealing mirrors, with cloud and lightning arc patterns and eight small characters inscribed on it: “The light of the sun and moon illuminates all under heaven.” That brother was so happy that he burst into tears on the ladder. And there was the young lady from the Iron Cavalry of the Sea, who turned misfortune into blessing and met Young Master Cui from the Lakeside Academy. The two fell in love at first sight…

After crossing the covered bridge, Chen and Chen Songfeng naturally slowed their pace, letting Chen Ping’an lead the way.

The group walked upstream along the nameless creek. Chen Ping’an carried a large, yellowed bamboo backpack, while Chen Songfeng carried a still-vibrant green bamboo book case. Liu Baqiao was very curious about what was inside Chen Ping’an’s backpack and insisted on finding out. So he had Chen Ping’an slow down, and he rummaged through the backpack as he walked alongside, discovering quite a few odds and ends: three stacked bamboo hats, two gourds, one for water and one for oil, a large and a small wood-chopping knife, two pieces of flint and a bundle of tinder, and at the bottom of the backpack, a row of about seven or eight bamboo tubes that had been split in half and then rejoined, with a small cloth bag containing fishing hooks and fishing line.

Liu Baqiao asked, “Chen Ping’an, what are those bamboo tubes for?”

Chen Ping’an answered, “There are eight bamboo tubes in total. Six of them contain four white rice balls each, and the other two contain some pickled vegetables that don’t spoil easily.”

Liu Baqiao looked smug, his steps almost floating as he said loudly, “Pickled vegetables! I’ve eaten them before!”

Chen Ping’an gave him a strange look, wondering, is it such a big deal to have eaten pickled vegetables? Unless you can eat a whole bamboo tube of pickled vegetables in one go without drinking water or eating rice, that would be impressive.

Liu Baqiao suddenly asked curiously, “We’ll only eat three meals at most on this trip into the mountains. Do we need two large bamboo tubes of pickled vegetables? With a tiny chopstickful of pickled vegetables, I can eat half a bowl of rice!”

Chen Ping’an, who was thinking about which mountain path would be the fastest, casually said, “Ning Yao and I will eat from one bamboo tube of pickled vegetables, and you and your two friends can share the other one.”

Liu Baqiao was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly, “Don’t be so distant. I’ll share a bamboo tube with you guys.”

Ning Yao said definitively, “No way! You go eat with your friends.”

Liu Baqiao protested indignantly, “Why?!”

Ning Yao raised her chin, indicating that the answer was with Chen Ping’an, meaning she didn’t even deign to talk to him.

Liu Baqiao shifted his gaze, his eyes somewhat resentful, yet also expectant.

Chen Ping’an smiled and shook his head.

Liu Baqiao sighed helplessly, “Putting romantic interest over friendship, I can understand.”

Ning Yao retorted sarcastically, “You became friends so quickly? Then you must have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of friends.”

Liu Baqiao glared, “How is that possible!”

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and added three words for him, “How is it possible to have so few?”

Liu Baqiao tutted, “Ning Yao, your personality is not as good as our Su Fairy’s.”

Ning Yao frowned, “Is it Su Jia of Righteous Sun Mountain?”

Liu Baqiao became even more pleased, “Yes! Su Jia, the ripe and fruitful one, the one the Sage called ‘Many are those who love the harvest’! What do you think? Isn’t our Su Fairy’s name also soul-stirring?”

Ning Yao asked a question that Chen Ping’an would definitely not understand, “If you really like Su Jia so much, have you ever thought about what would happen if she also liked you?”

Liu Baqiao suddenly deflated, stammering, and finally muttered to himself with a guilty conscience, “How could she possibly like me?”

Chen Ping’an thought that Liu Baqiao was not a bad person.

Chen and Chen Songfeng stayed ten steps behind the group.

Seeing Liu Baqiao chatting so amiably with the straw-sandaled youth, Chen Songfeng felt somewhat envious. Liu Baqiao seemed naturally adept at interacting with people. Whether they were from the three religions and nine schools, the hundred families, emperors and generals, or peddlers and commoners, there was no one he couldn’t talk to.

Chen Songfeng asked in a low voice, “That woman immediately visited the government office after hearing the news and offered to return the armor as an apology from the Xu family of Clear Wind City. Why didn’t you accept it?”

Chen, who was noticeably more amiable than she had been before entering the town, patiently explained, as if this were something she would never do, “If Clear Wind City had known the truth all along, that the Liu boy’s ancestors were the Chen family of Yingyin’s tomb guardians left in the town, then their daring actions would naturally require a price, and far more than simply returning the armor. But since they were unaware of the inside story beforehand, the fortune of the Great Path is precious and rare, and everyone can compete for it. Our Chen family of Yingyin is not so overbearing.”

Chen Songfeng smiled, “Perhaps Clear Wind City also had the idea of taking advantage of Righteous Sun Mountain. If that old ape hadn’t been at the forefront, being used as a tiger skin banner by the woman, Clear Wind City probably wouldn’t have been able to take the treasure armor.”

Chen regained her usual expression and sneered, “Frivolous and opportunistic, only knowing how to follow the current, never caring about what the real big picture is.”

Chen Songfeng lowered his voice and said seemingly casually, “Perhaps they lacked the power to do so. Rather than doing some futile great things, it’s better to grab some petty profits.”

Chen turned to glance at this member of the Chen family from Dragon Tail County, remaining noncommittal about Chen Songfeng’s “unintentional words.”

Just as they were about to enter the mountains, Chen Ping’an stopped. Chen spoke almost simultaneously, “Liu Baqiao, tell him to just lead the way, the faster the better.”

Because of the battle on the rooftops of the town between the straw-sandaled youth and the Mountain Moving Ape, Liu Baqiao had watched most of the fight from afar. After returning, he had boasted about it to Chen Songfeng. Chen was also present at the time, so she knew that Chen Ping’an could not be regarded as an ordinary town youth.

So in the end, Chen Songfeng became the one holding them back. Although this handsome young master of a wealthy family also enjoyed climbing high to write poems and exploring for adventure, compared to the other four, he was simply dwarfed. Chen was a martial arts master, Liu Baqiao was a sword cultivator who placed great emphasis on tempering his body, and those young men and women were able to tease a Mountain Moving Ape with an extremely powerful physical body.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse.

Especially after the spring rain, the muddy ground was slippery, and they had to cross streams and rocky cliffs from time to time. Chen Songfeng’s mouth was dry, and he was sweating profusely.

Later, even with Liu Baqiao helping Chen Songfeng carry the book case, Chen Songfeng was still panting like a bull, his face pale.

Chen Ping’an asked Chen once if they should slow down. Chen’s reply was a shake of her head.

When the group needed to wade up a stream, Chen Songfeng stepped on a moss-covered rock, his foot slipped, and he fell into the stream, becoming a drenched chicken, utterly embarrassed.

Chen stopped and turned to look, not saying anything, but her face was gloomy.

Liu Baqiao hurriedly turned back to help Chen Songfeng up.

Chen Songfeng apologized, “I’m fine, don’t worry about me, I can definitely keep up.”

Chen Ping’an simply took off his backpack and placed it in a rocky crevice, saying, “Let’s rest for a quarter of an hour.”

Ning Yao, of course, didn’t care. She squatted near Chen Ping’an, and in her boredom, she pressed her palms against the hilt of her knife and sword respectively, lightly pressing down, causing the ends of the scabbards to lightly tap against the green rocky cliff, one after another, like a chorus with the sound of the stream.

Chen said in a deep voice, “Continue on the road!”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “Don’t use up all your strength at once when entering the mountains. Let’s slow down and continue after he gradually adapts. He can keep up with us. He’s not physically weak, his breath is just disordered.”

Chen Ping’an was indeed an expert when it came to climbing mountains and crossing waters.

Unexpectedly, Chen didn’t listen to Chen Ping’an’s explanation at all, and said directly to Chen Songfeng, “You can go back to the town.”

Chen Songfeng looked bitter. Seeing the young woman’s undeniable expression, he turned to Liu Baqiao and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you to carry the book case from now on.”

Liu Baqiao was furious, took off the book case, and threw it at Chen, “I won’t serve you anymore!”

Chen’s expression was indifferent. After catching the book case, she carried it herself and said to Chen Ping’an, “Let’s go.”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment, took out two bamboo tubes from his backpack, and tossed them lightly to Liu Baqiao, “If you get hungry on the way back, you can fill your stomach.”

Chen Songfeng softly advised Liu Baqiao, who took the bamboo tubes and sneered, “I won’t take this useless anger. I’ll go back to the town with you. At the government office, we’ll order a table full of good wine and delicious food, big fish and big meat! Isn’t that more comfortable than this?”

Chen turned and continued to move forward.

After Chen Ping’an carried his backpack, he was a little worried and looked at Liu Baqiao, asking, “Do you know the way back?”

Liu Baqiao smiled, “I remember it.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and left with Ning Yao.

The figures of the three in front gradually disappeared into the distance. Chen Songfeng simply sat on a rock and said with a wry smile, “Why did you do this? Forming some friendship with the Chen family of Yingyin is not a bad thing for you or the Wind and Thunder Garden. Why be so impetuous?”

Liu Baqiao opened a bamboo tube, revealing the snow-white rice balls, and said excitedly, “Chen Ping’an is still kind, truly my good brother.”

Chen Songfeng knew Liu Baqiao’s temper and didn’t try to persuade him anymore.

Chen Songfeng mocked himself, “A scholar is useless for anything.”

Liu Baqiao muttered, “I should have asked Chen Ping’an to leave a bamboo tube of pickled vegetables.”

He grabbed a rice ball and began to gnaw on it, asking unclearly, “What you said isn’t right either. Mr. Qi of the town, and Mr. Qi’s teacher, are very powerful.”

Chen Songfeng’s eyes were distracted, “What exactly is Mr. Qi trying to do?”

Liu Baqiao replied casually, “Heaven knows.”

Chen Songfeng reached out and shook his soaked outer garment, sighing, “What a ‘Heaven knows.'”

—————

At the streamside shop, Liu Xianyang fell asleep again.

Ruan Qiong sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes solemn.

Each breath of the tall youth was long and drawn out. That was fine, but the key was that with each exhalation, it was like mountain mist, like lake mist, white and misty. They did not dissipate with the wind, but instead gradually gathered between his mouth and nose.

Finally, on the youth’s face, it was as if a three-inch-long white dragon was coiled.

Using dreams as a sword furnace.

A divine sword formed in one breath.

Ruan Qiong rubbed his chin and praised, “So he’s taking the extreme path of breaking and then standing, breaking all the orifices, with no obstacles in the passes. Although this body is completely decayed, the sword has finally been formed.”

“It can not only forge swords but also practice them. No wonder this sword scripture is so sought after. Sleeping is cultivation, dreaming is cultivation, the Great Path is within reach.”

Ruan Qiong stood up and mocked himself, “If I had known this, I wouldn’t have agreed to lend you to the Chen family of Yingyin for twenty years.”

—————

Three carriages traveled upwards along a seemingly endless mountain road.

Finally, they reached the summit.

Song Jixin and Zhi Gui stepped out of the carriage, looking at each other. The summit was a large, flat platform, with two stone pillars erected in the center. But between the stone pillars, there seemed to be flowing water, making it impossible to see the scenery behind the “water surface.” It was as if the young man and woman were standing before a heavenly gate.

The girl stared intently at the gate.

Song Jixin turned and walked to the edge of the summit, gazing into the distance, feeling refreshed by the beautiful scenery.

Song Changjing, the prince of Great Li, wore a fox fur coat, his face pale but his spirits were high. He came to Song Jixin and smiled, “This Luminous Pearl Grotto-Heaven, located in the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, is one of the thirty-six small grotto-heavens. It is not known for its vast territory, but is only a thousand miles in radius.”

Song Changjing didn’t turn his head, but simply pointed to the gate behind him. “After passing through that gate, and going down the cloud ladder for about thirty miles, you will be stepping on the territory of my Great Li. At that time, you may not be able to see anything clearly if you turn back, but you can understand one thing: this Luminous Pearl Grotto-Heaven is actually hanging high in the sky as…”

Song Changjing paused slightly, “a single pearl.”