The ten candidates for the role of “Benevolent Man” have, ironically, become more famous than those twenty young prodigies. Chen Ping’an, your luck is truly remarkable, as good as ever.

Li Baozhen raised his wine cup, slowly swirling it, and said with a faint smile, “Which scholar doesn’t enjoy tales of romantic encounters in the pugilistic world and fortuitous events in the mountains? However, moralists who read this book will have much to say. Heroes of the martial world will condemn him for seeking fame and reputation, not killing Gu Can, yet using this to cultivate a benevolent image, spending a few hundred taels of silver to hastily hold a few memorial services, allowing him to rest easy? Immortal masters of renowned lineages will see him as a wild cultivator from the mountains, while those wild cultivators will mock his lack of experience, possessing only good fortune, a mere embroidered pillow. If he weren’t a character in a book, he would have died a dozen times over. Scholarly gentlemen, while envying his entanglement in love affairs, will undoubtedly denounce him as a hypocrite, worse than a beast.”

Zhu He added, “Moreover, the book deliberately describes the contents of the boxing manual and immortal arts in great detail, even though they are merely basic introductory principles and techniques. Many in the martial world and wild cultivators will undoubtedly yearn for them, further facilitating the widespread dissemination of this book in the mountains and among the common people. How can it be prohibited? It’s simply unstoppable. If the Dali government openly bans this book, it will only inadvertently fuel its popularity.”

Li Baozhen drained his cup in one gulp. “In the future, as Fallen Phoenix Mountain expands and Chen Ping’an’s cultivation deepens, the criticism of him in Treasure Bottle Continent will only intensify. The greater the feat he accomplishes, the greater the scorn. Everything will be attributed to excessive self-interest, at best, a hypocritical display of benevolence. The author of this book is, besides Liu Qingfeng, the scholar I admire most. I truly wish to meet him and humbly seek his guidance.”

Li Baozhen looked towards the entrance and smiled, “Mr. Liu, do you agree? If the opportunity arises in the future, why don’t we join hands and visit this fellow traveler?”

Liu Qingfeng stood by the entrance, smiling. “To hunt righteousness with unrighteousness, isn’t that easy for scholars like us who have misinterpreted the teachings of the sages? Even if we succeed, what sense of accomplishment would there be?”

Li Baozhen raised his empty cup. “Mr. Liu is always a step ahead of me.”

Liu Qingfeng waved his hand. “I’ve come to discuss something with you.”

Li Baozhen put down his cup, rising with a smile. “Then let’s find another place.”

Zhu He and his daughter Zhu Lu both recognized the uninvited guest, so they rose earlier than Li Baozhen, cupping their fists in salute, and respectfully addressed him as “Greetings, Inspector Liu.”

According to their Young Master, this former Qingluan Kingdom official with a notorious reputation is destined to become a high-ranking official in the Dali Dynasty. Aside from his short life expectancy, Liu Qingfeng has no weaknesses and is an extremely dangerous individual. Mountain immortals and vassal kings are nothing in his eyes.

Liu Qingfeng smiled amiably, nodding lightly to the two of them.

After discussing matters with Li Baozhen, Liu Qingfeng, accompanied by Wang Yifu, had a military cultivator, who was also a close guard, pilot a celestial ferry towards a high mountain peak, with a road at its base. Liu Qingfeng had the cultivator use the “Palm Gazing Mountains and Rivers” divine ability to remotely observe a pair of men and women slowly walking along the road at the foot of the mountain.

The young man on the road limped along, while the plain-looking woman with a saber intentionally glanced at the mountain peak, then nodded slightly, pretending nothing had happened.

However, that single glance from the woman startled the Nascent Soul military cultivator, such heavy killing intent!

Liu Qingfeng said, “You can withdraw your divine ability now.”

The two at the foot of the mountain were Liu Qingshan and Liu Boqi, returning from a journey. The couple had gone to the Saber Forging House on Upside Down Mountain, her maternal home.

In truth, Liu Boqi didn’t have this intention, but Liu Qingshan insisted on meeting her master, no matter the outcome, whether it was a scolding or being chased away from Upside Down Mountain, it was a necessary formality. However, unexpectedly, upon reaching Old Dragon City, several transcontinental ferries refused to set sail. No matter how Liu Qingfeng inquired, they only said they didn’t know the reason. In the end, Liu Boqi secretly went out and returned with a shocking piece of news: Upside Down Mountain no longer allowed intercontinental ferries to dock because the Sword Qi Great Wall had begun a state of martial law, severing all trade with the Vast Bright World. Liu Boqi wasn’t too worried about the Saber Forging House, but she couldn’t help but feel some regret. She had originally planned to leave behind descendants, then travel alone to the Sword Qi Great Wall. As for when she would return home, she would tell her husband three words at that time: “Not necessarily.”

Liu Boqi hesitated for a moment and said, “Big Brother is now supervising the dredging of the Great Canal, shouldn’t we go and take a look?”

Liu Qingshan shook his head.