Looking at the ever-grinning Zhou Mili, Pei Qian felt somewhat helpless. It was fortunate that she was the right-hand protector of the Fallen Mountain; otherwise, even Chen Lingjun, let alone a favored disciple like Cao Qinglang, would be in dire straits tomorrow.

Zhou Mili bid farewell and dashed off to her own room. When she returned, she carried a large sack of melon seeds and a small bag of dried stream fish.

Chen Pingan stood by the window, glanced at the sky, then took out a Providential Lamp talisman and slowly burned it. It was no different from the previous two talismans. He then formed a sword gesture with his fingers, silently recited the word “Rise,” and a golden sword qi, like a swimming dragon, finally connected head to tail, drawing a large golden circle in the room, creating a forbidden technique realm of a golden thunder pool. The talisman array’s aura was almost like a miniature world.

Compared to Pei Qian’s clumsy imitation with an iron rod on the street, Chen Pingan’s array deployment was clearly more fluid and in harmony with the Dao.

The phrase “The Dao of Heaven is profound” immediately popped into Pei Qian’s mind.

Back when she was learning boxing at the bamboo building, the old man teaching boxing often said, “Pei Qian, your aptitude is too poor, not even as good as your master; there’s no point.”

Even after Pei Qian became the renowned Zheng Qian, she returned to Fallen Mountain. Once, when sparring with the old chef, Zhu Lian, after收斂收拳, also said something similar, “Compared to the mountain lord, you’re always lacking a little something.”

Ning Yao, cracking melon seeds, asked, “Is this a sword array?”

Clearly, Ning Yao also found this sword technique fused with array formations to be quite extraordinary.

Chen Pingan nodded and said, “Learned it from someone, but added some of my own swordplay and boxing intent.”

This array formation, which had never had a name, originated with his student, Cui Dongshan, who liked to use a flying sword relic, the Golden穗穗, to draw a circle and isolate the heavens and earth, which was very mystical. Later, at Fallen Mountain, Chen Pingan brought in Liu Jinglong, plus Cui Dongshan. Chen Pingan took out a secret record copied from the Summer Palace, which had some connection to the Thunder Pool of the Inverted Mountain, but the written records were more “ancestral,” involving the Washing Sword Pool of the Dou Shu院, one of the three departments and two institutes of the Thunder Department. Chen Pingan had them read the files. Finally, Liu Jinglong and Cui Dongshan worked together to perfect this array formation. However, when Chen Pingan displayed it now, he still habitually added some of his own boxing intent and the eighteen stops of sword qi taught by Ah Liang.

Being on a ferryboat, he was ultimately a guest and should not talk much about Ascension City and Fallen Mountain matters.

Earlier, Li Shilang’s Palm-Grasping Mountains and Rivers had been exposed by Chen Pingan with a single word, and the two had opened the skylight to speak frankly. The fact that the Lord of the Itemized City was spying on the inn was, in fact, a kind of reminder.

It meant that within this Itemized City, especially on this night ferry, as long as the heavens had the will, there was nothing that could not be known.

Immediately, the group was within the array, and Chen Pingan looked at Pei Qian. Pei Qian immediately understood and reported a number.

Before Chen Pingan “ascended” from the Itemized City, he had given Pei Qian a riddle, speaking the words “page” in his mind.

From the moment Chen Pingan left the inn to find Ning Yao, Pei Qian had been distracted, counting, waiting for her master to ask before giving the number.

Ning Yao was somewhat puzzled.

Chen Pingan explained with a smile, “Afraid of being schemed against, being kept in the dark without realizing it, and accidentally delaying the trip to Northern Ju Lu Continent for too long.”

Chen Pingan put his fingers together, lightly flicked his wrist, and from the flying sword cage within his own miniature world, he actually took out another Providential Lamp talisman, already half-burned. This, like the Azure Ox Daoist and the Bearded Stranger, was considered to have a special place on the ferry. Lighting a lamp within the miniature world, which was quite different from the Providential Lamp talisman suspended by the window, Chen Pingan finally discerned a deeply hidden truth. He chuckled and said, “The ferryboat side is indeed secretly controlling the flow speed of the River of Time, wanting to create a mountain decade, the world a millennium, without anyone knowing. It’s definitely not Li Shilang of the Itemized City; it’s very likely the ferry owner.”

Cui Dongshan’s Sleeve Universe could make a cultivator placed in a cage feel like they were living years, so naturally, it could also let those in the situation experience what true swift passage of time was.

Pei Qian felt her scalp tingle.

Imagine spending ten days or half a month leisurely strolling through the twelve cities on the night ferry, but upon leaving the ferry, realizing that Vastness World had passed by several months, or even years?

Chen Pingan walked to the window and said loudly, “Please tell Li Shilang and the ferry owner that it doesn’t matter whether the night ferry is approaching an entrance to the Ruins of Return or going directly to the Wildlands. The only thing is, since I’ve already noticed the matter of altering the River of Time, can it be avoided?”

The two Providential Lamp talismans that Chen Pingan lit earlier on the street and in the inn were helping the ferryboat side mistakenly believe that Chen Pingan had become self-righteous.

Believing that their Dao techniques were high enough and their spells were invincible across a continent, becoming the reviving ancestors of other sects; believing that their calculations were far-reaching and their opportunities were all in the bag, relying on an ancestral hall’s longevity lamp to fortunately re-ascend the mountain and walk the path of cultivation.

Chen Pingan stood by the window for a moment, then turned to look at Ning Yao.

Ning Yao shook her head and said, “Either the ferry owner didn’t pay attention here, or the other party’s Dao techniques are high enough that I can’t detect any clues.”

Chen Pingan nodded, sat back down, and softly asked, “How long can you stay in Vastness World this time?”

Ning Yao picked out three melon seeds from the mountain of seeds.

Chen Pingan slammed the table with a thunderous sound, cursing and venting his indignation, “Only three months?! Is the Wen Temple out of its mind or has water entered its brain? Don’t worry about it; if anyone dares to urge you, I’ll curse them back!”

Ning Yao gently shook her head.

Chen Pingan was shocked and asked, “Only three days?!”

Ning Yao remained silent.

Chen Pingan frowned, rubbed his chin, narrowed his eyes, and his mind raced, carefully considering the matter.

Zhou Mili quickly gave the mountain lord’s wife a large pile of melon seeds, encouraging her to crack more.

In an instant, Ning Yao’s longsword left its sheath. She held the sword in one hand, abruptly slashing at the void in the room. Ning Yao had already traveled far away with her sword.

Without Ning Yao needing to speak, and Ning Yao and Chen Pingan never having any mental communication, the two did not need to exchange glances. Chen Pingan had already followed Ning Yao’s figure and disappeared in a flash.

The two arrived at a mountain peak, the same place where Shao Bao had met the ferry owner earlier.
The middle-aged scholar and the drowsy monk were nowhere to be seen. The mountain peak was now deserted, save for a single futon left behind.

Chen Ping’an reached behind him and gently touched the sword hilt. Night Wanderer, which had been slightly unsheathed, returned to its scabbard on its own. He surveyed his surroundings and praised, “A world within a gourd, a land of great beauty. A truly grand gesture. The host treats their guests so well, it’s hard to offer a fitting return.”

Chen Ping’an squatted down, carefully examining the futon, as if it were deliberately left behind by the boatman as a reward for solving a riddle.

Ning Yao leaned on her immortal sword “Innocence,” gazing down at a golden palace in the sea of clouds. “It’s still difficult for just the two of us to catch this boatman.”

“Visiting has its etiquette, and fighting to the death has its own methods.”

Chen Ping’an left the futon behind, rose, and smiled at Ning Yao. “Let’s go back.”

Ning Yao offered her a sword hilt, a lift.

At the inn in Item City, Ning Yao and Chen Ping’an returned together.

Pei Qian was already sitting on the long bench next to Zhou Mili. Little Mili remained in the same half-open stance, cracking sunflower seeds at a snail’s pace, like a wooden doll. Only when the good mountain master and his wife returned did Little Mili resume cracking seeds at lightning speed. Chen Ping’an chuckled, “It’s alright. We just visited an interesting place, almost met a Zhang Fuzi. Let’s chat more freely now.”

Chen Ping’an took out four jars of wine in one go: two jars of osmanthus wine, one jar of glutinous rice wine from his hometown, and four wine bowls. He arranged them on the table, all items from his old family’s wine shop in the Sword Qi Great Wall. He handed the jar of glutinous rice wine to Pei Qian, saying, “You and Little Mili can have a little today, but don’t drink too much.” He poured a bowl of osmanthus wine for himself and Ning Yao and tentatively asked, “Is it really only three days?”

“It’s three years. But I won’t stay for long.”

Ning Yao said, “Before coming here, I first cleaved a remnant of the ancient gods, ‘The One-Eyed.’ It seemed to be one of the former twelve high-ranking deities. I earned a sum of merit at the Confucian Temple for it. Being able to slay the One-Eyed is also related to my breaking through my bottleneck to reach the Ascension Realm. It’s not just a difference in realms; the swordplay has differences in skill, but rather that heaven’s blessings and the terrain aren’t entirely on the opponent’s side, so it was much easier than the first sword duel.”

Breaking through, Ascension. Two sword duels, blessings of heaven and earth, the One-Eyed, a high-ranking deity.

As she spoke, Ning Yao’s tone was calm and her expression normal. It wasn’t that she deliberately downplayed the earth-shattering events, but for Ning Yao, all past troubles were not worth dwelling on.

Ning Yao added today, “If you were there, it would have been easier.”

But Ning Yao didn’t say whether it was easier because the Sword Qi Great Wall’s last hidden official was in Ascension City, or because Chen Ping’an was by her side. Maybe both, maybe the same.

Ning Yao had nothing to be embarrassed about because it was the truth.

Even the entire Ascension City wouldn’t deny this fact, especially the swordsmen of the Hidden Official lineage and the martial artists of the Punishment Official lineage, plus the young swordsmen of the Spring Mansion lineage. They all especially missed the young Hidden Official who had left behind so many interesting events and countless large and small stories. Even those swordsmen who had no affection for the second shopkeeper or the half-outsider would gather for drinks and always bring up the topic of this person, whether it was “Looks like A Liang from afar, the Hidden Official up close,” or “The Second Shopkeeper falls with one punch,” or his flamboyant style on the battlefield. These were all topics of conversation and excellent snacks to accompany wine.

For example, even among the nine sword immortal seeds that Chen Ping’an brought back to the Vast World, there would be children who disliked the young Hidden Official, and more than one. But no one denied that, in battle, whether or not there was a Hidden Official in their camp to help strategize, fill in the gaps when sheathing his sword, and to risk their life when drawing it, made a significant difference.

Hearing this, Chen Ping’an felt somewhat guilty. He raised his wine bowl, took a sip, and picked up a dried stream fish from his Fallen Mountain as a snack.

Ning Yao said, “In that new world full of opportunities, if anyone can slay an ancient god, even if it’s not one of the twelve high-ranking ones, as long as they have a little luck, they can obtain a divine ability. Daoist Shan Qing of Mount Taiping, female Daoist Huang Ting of Willow Leaf Continent, and Shu Zhongshu of Flowing Rosy Continent have all had their own opportunities, according to Ascension City’s intelligence.”

Ning Yao’s implication was, of course, that if Chen Ping’an was also in the fifth world, even without the Ascension City or the Hidden Official lineage, he would definitely be busy every day and be a first-rate troublesome person.

Chen Ping’an then spoke of the remains of Taiping Mountain, hoping that Huang Ting wouldn’t worry too much and could immediately rebuild her sect upon returning to the Vast World.

Ning Yao nodded and said, “When I return, I’ll tell that female Daoist.”

Noticing Chen Ping’an staring straight at her, Ning Yao asked, “Do you need me to send any extra messages? Are you in a hurry?”

Chen Ping’an said decisively, “No!”

Ning Yao took a sip of wine.

Little Mili felt that she could finally speak and turned to whisper, “Pei Qian, Pei Qian, isn’t that the female Daoist sister you mentioned who taught you sword techniques and the dragging blade technique, and said she’s really pretty but has terrible taste in people?!”

Both the master and apprentice at the table were dumbfounded.

Pei Qian said awkwardly, “Did I say that?”

Zhou Mili glanced at Pei Qian, then at the good mountain master and his wife, hesitated, and said, “No, probably?”

She realized that she had probably said the wrong thing and quickly took a large gulp of glutinous rice wine, laughing. “I can’t hold my liquor, just talking nonsense.”

Ning Yao laughed. It seemed she needed to chat more with Little Mili.

Speaking of senior connections on Fallen Mountain, besides Sister Nuan Shu, Zhou Mili considered herself third, and no one dared to claim second.

Chen Ping’an’s two senior brothers, Zuo You and Jun Qian, didn’t stay long on Fallen Mountain back then, but without exception, they all chatted the most with Little Mili. They indeed preferred to chat with Zhou Mili because this little water monster from Dumb Lake was the most innocent. Butler Zhu Lian was too meticulous, Mountain Lord Wei Bo was too restrained, Chen Lingjun would avoid them, only this Little Mili, who liked to patrol the mountain, both liked to ask questions and would answer every question.

Chen Ping’an immediately changed the subject. Later, during the chat, Pei Qian learned that her master had long admired Li Shilang of Item City.

Pei Qian found it a bit strange. It was hard to imagine that her master would admire someone so much.

Zhou Mili scratched her face.

It was quite awkward.
It was no worse than being driven out after losing a poetry contest back then.

Chen Ping’an, however, didn’t feel that this Li Shilang was disappointing after seeing the real “living immortal” outside of books. He smiled at Pei Qian, “Do you remember when you were little, and we were traveling on a dark road in Tongye Continent? Those rhymes I taught you to boost your courage?”

Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine, tapped the table lightly with two fingers, and smiled, “Gate facing house, lane facing street. Long day facing long night, old country facing other land. On Earth, the Qing Shu Palace; in Heaven, the Guang Han Palace. Grasping the spiritual talisman, the Five Peaks Record; wearing the precious sword, the Seven Stars Pattern.”

Pei Qian grinned, “Cooking early chives, cutting spring celery, Sophora facing willow, Chinese pistache facing juniper. Yellow dog facing blue luan, water swamp facing mountain cliff. Beneath the mountain, a pair of hanging white jade chopsticks; in the immortal’s home, the nine-turn purple gold elixir.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Actually, these were all selected and adapted from the rhymes compiled by Li Shilang, before I taught them to you. Your master used to recite them often when he first traveled far from home.”

These beautiful words had accompanied the straw-sandaled youth through countless mountains and rivers. Whenever he felt homesick, they would remind him of the streets and alleys of his hometown, the sophora trees in the town, and the Chinese pistache trees in the mountains. Whenever he was hungry, they would remind him of the aroma of stir-fried chives with eggs and dried celery with fragrant dried tofu. They would make an ignorant youth unable to help but wonder what the Cloud Attendant Snow-Clad Maiden, the white jade chopsticks, and the purple gold elixir were all about.

“He said in his book that the way for the poor to find joy was no secret, only the ‘take a step back’ method. When I read this, I felt that this senior was absolutely right, that’s how it seemed to be. Many things, you can’t avoid, you just can’t avoid no matter what, so what can you do? You really can’t do anything.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “But I didn’t expect Li Shilang to give an example later in the book, roughly saying that in the hot and humid season, there were many mosquitoes in the tent, and travelers staying at a post station were unbearable bothered by them. Then the station chief said a few words. The principle that Li Shilang wanted to use was ‘no need to look far for others to take a step back’, because the reasoning was very simple, ‘in this very body, who hasn’t had adverse circumstances?’ Therefore, comparing the past with the present, you don’t feel the suffering, but only feel the joy. So every time after I practice my fist and walk the stance, or when I encounter something and get through the difficulties, I feel more and more that Li Shilang’s words seem to have said a certain principle completely without any room for maneuver, but he himself said ‘the intention of encouragement and punishment is definitely not stated clearly’, isn’t it strange?”

Pei Qian widened her eyes, “Master’s saying that you should fight against yourself, and don’t rush to compare with anyone, but that today’s me should surpass yesterday’s me, and tomorrow’s me should surpass today’s me, that’s the reasoning that came from here?”

Chen Ping’an nodded with a smile, “Of course, otherwise, did you think that Master’s principles all fell from the sky and I caught them?”

Chen Ping’an raised his wine bowl, turned to look out the window, and then suddenly drank it all in one gulp, as a sincere toast to Li Shilang, thanking him from the bottom of his heart.

In a layered garden in Item City, the white-haired old scholar stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Shilang, looking at the ripples in the pond, and smiled, “This flattery, this sincerity, will you accept it or not?”

Li Shilang snorted coldly and said, “What if this kid admires me? There are more than millions of people in the world who admire my Li Shilang’s talent and knowledge. This kid is extremely slippery, don’t he think I’m a fool who can be swayed with a carrot and a stick? I dare to assert that this kid is very clear that you and I are listening right now, because he already knows that if he directly calls Li Shilang’s name, I can feel it.”

The old scholar啧啧啧 sighed incessantly.

Li Shilang then relaxed his expression, stroked his beard and smiled, “It’s just that these heartfelt words can’t be hastily improvised. Whether or not it is sincerity, is visible at a glance.”

The old scholar nodded in agreement, “After all, he is the Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall. He even dared to scheme against the boat owner, and was actually schemed against by him. To be able to make such a shrewd youngster admire him so much, Shilang has really shown his face this time.”

Li Shilang nodded and said, “That Green Ox Daoist only knows how to eat melons.”

In Rongmao City, one of the four lower cities under the Night Navigation Ship, a middle-aged scholar concealed his figure and came to a banquet, full of red strings and green sleeves, and flickering candlelight, making those who looked at it think they were in the realm of immortals. There was a woman playing the zither, and the one in the main seat was the handsome man who took the initiative to give up the position of city lord to Shao Baojuan, nicknamed Beautiful Zhou Lang.

The middle-aged scholar took another step, silently coming to another place, and smilingly asked a blurry figure, “You and Chen Ping’an were once colleagues at the Sword Qi Great Wall, why did you let Shao Baojuan attack him? Did you and the previous Criminal Official, Wenhai Zhoumi, have some agreement long ago, something you had to do?”

The man whose face even the boat owner couldn’t see clearly turned out to be the Criminal Official in the prison of the Sword Qi Great Wall, who had taken in a young sword cultivator as his direct disciple, named Du Shanyin.

And this strange sword immortal, who was nameless in the Bishu Palace archives, was the only one who made a move in the small world of the prison, using his sword to kill the Ascension Realm extraterrestrial demon Wu Shuangjiang.

After leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall, this person had been a guest on the Night Navigation Ship. At this moment, the man said indifferently to the boat owner Zhang Fuzi, “It’s just a transaction, there’s a woman who wants to escape from the Treasure Bottle Continent.”

The middle-aged scholar smiled and said, “How strange, Chen Ping’an is already on this ferry, isn’t this the best time for her to escape? To take a step back, even if Chen Ping’an goes to the Northern Ju Lu Continent, can he directly determine the changes in the situation on the side of the Zhengyang Mountain?”

The man said, “Tian Wan just calculated a hexagram, and it seems that this must be done to have a one in ten chance of survival.”

The middle-aged scholar asked in confusion, “Is it that extraterrestrial demon hidden in the lamp wick?”

He shook his head to himself and said, “Even if there is that extraterrestrial demon, it’s still not enough, here, extraterrestrial demons, even if they are in the Ascension Realm, are still relatively useless.”

The man waved his hand, issuing an order to leave.

The middle-aged scholar just stood in place, lost in thought.

Inside Item City.

Ning Yao took out an oil lamp, gently pinched the wick, and opened a mountain and water restriction.

Before the Sword Qi Great Wall ascended and left that year, Chen Ping’an gave this oil lamp to the seamstress Nianxin, to take with her to the Fifth World.

Now that Ning Yao was an Ascension Realm sword cultivator, its existence was dispensable.

A white-haired child bounced out of the house, sat cross-legged, suspended in the air, with a large forehead, jade snakes as earrings, two swords hanging, wearing a magic robe, a pair of eyes shining brightly. He was probably bored in the small world, and now that he was forced to appear, he was still gnawing on his fingers.
A Celestial Demon of the Ascension Realm, going by the alias Wu Shuangjiang, was currently residing in the Sword Qi Great Wall’s prison. He would pester Old Deafie to call him “Grandpa” every now and then, and Old Deafie, without hesitation, would oblige.

However, his azure serpent, paired swords, and Daoist robes had long been bartered with Chen Ping’an. Currently, they were just pitiful, nostalgic illusions. He was, in essence, utterly broke.

When he saw Chen Ping’an clad in azure robes, the white-haired child’s face was filled with disbelief, as if struck by lightning. His eyes were dull, like a man from another lifetime, on the verge of tears. Then, his expression turned into one of heartache and grievance, like a drop of dark ink dissolving in clear water, instantly spreading. He collapsed to the ground, flailing his limbs, and began to wail loudly. Finally, he pounded his chest, seemingly too heartbroken to utter a single word, just sitting on the ground and lamenting.

Chen Ping’an, munching on melon seeds, squinted and said, “Cut it out.”

The white-haired child immediately stood up and began to shout at the top of his lungs, his face flushed. He started pacing around a table, waving his arms, and proclaiming, “Hidden Officer Ancestor, a jade tree in the wind, returning home in glory, with unparalleled merit, invincible under heaven, fist strength reaching the pinnacle of the Eleventh Realm, and sword skills even higher, at the Fifteenth Realm…”

Pei Qian, also munching on melon seeds, watched this peculiar being, finding his words somewhat absurd and unbearable. Compared to Guo Zhujiu, he was far inferior.

Zhou Mili, on the other hand, mistakenly thought that this short, stocky fellow was possessed by Jing Qing.

Chen Ping’an said, “That’s enough.”

The white-haired child first fawned over Ning Yao, “Sister Ning is indeed true to her word, worthy of being the undisputed number one under heaven for ten thousand years to come!”

Ning Yao ignored him.

Then, the white-haired child ran to Chen Ping’an’s side and cautiously asked, “Hidden Officer Ancestor? How’s that deal going to be settled?”

Chen Ping’an said, “You are a free man now.”

After Chen Ping’an returned to the Vast Expanse, he inquired with Cui Dongshan about “Wu Shuangjiang” and learned that the real Wu Shuangjiang could actually be counted among the top ten individuals in the Azure Billow World. And the white-haired child, as he had expected, was Wu Shuangjiang’s inner demon, even his Dao companion from the mountain.

Her true name was Tian Ran – Natural. That was her name on the Mountain and River Gazetteer of the Year-End Palace, as if she had no surname.

However, Chen Ping’an thought it was fine for this Celestial Demon to be Wu Shuangjiang.

Back then, with the hidden innkeeper of the Stork Lodge, just because of the “ownership” of this Celestial Demon, the two, who had been on good terms, ended up on less amicable terms.

The white-haired child sighed, speechless and stunned. After so much hardship, his wish had been fulfilled, but he felt somewhat lost.

He suddenly put his hands on his hips and said, “Who are those two? The one with the round bun, and that short, stocky guy, what are they doing, daring to sit at the same table as my Hidden Officer Ancestor?! Did I lend you my guts? Huh? Don’t you understand human language? Hurry up and sit on the ground!”

Pei Qian chuckled.

Zhou Mili scratched her head, not afraid in the slightest.

In the next moment, this Ascension Realm Celestial Demon suddenly manifested an ethereal Dharma Idol, instantly propping up the heavens and earth of Tiao Mu City. It slightly bent its knees and lowered its head, taking in the entire landscape. With a flick of its sleeves, starlight twinkled and scattered across the heavens and earth. It then instantly withdrew its Dharma Idol and starlight, shrinking back to its original form. Apart from Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao, and Pei Qian, whose eyes were gleaming with brilliance, even the city patrol cavalry did not notice this ripple of energy. They couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the majestic Dharma Idol. Only Li Shilang and the old scholar raised their heads, noticing something unusual.

From this, one could see the height of Wu Shuangjiang’s magical arts. No wonder Cui Dongshan said that this Palace Lord of the Year-End Palace was about to become the newest Fourteenth Realm Great Cultivator of the Azure Billow World.

The white-haired child swaggered over to the empty bench opposite Chen Ping’an and sat down, resting his hands on the table. He was about to stand up when he suddenly lowered his head, saw that the little girl in black was also not able to touch the ground, and decided it didn’t matter. He continued to sit, pulled some melon seeds in front of him, and started munching on them. Then, he lowered his voice and said, “Hidden Officer Ancestor, what kind of place is this? It’s pretty scary. Beyond that, it’s all pitch-black. The landlords here are at least Ascension Realm. Could it be that this is our own territory? Holy crap, we’re really rich! Then we’re really rich!”

Chen Ping’an said, “We are on a ferry.”

The white-haired child was stunned for a moment. He leaned forward, forgetting to munch on melon seeds, and held his hand to his mouth, urging, “Hidden Officer Ancestor, when are we going to make a move? If we don’t fleece them, we’ll lose face! Now is the perfect time, with the moon dark and the wind high. With you and Sister Ning, plus me cheering you on from the side, responsible for holding down the fort, what ferry or no ferry, it’ll be our family business starting tomorrow.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Then why don’t you go scout ahead?”

He sighed and continued to munch on melon seeds, pretending he hadn’t said anything.

He found that there were some broken things on the table. Munching on melon seeds wasn’t very interesting. Bored, he stood on the bench and started fiddling with those illusory objects: a small bundle of dried plum branches, a small, elegant narcissus porcelain pot, an iron flower vase, and an ebony paperweight with the inscription “Shuye.”

He suddenly felt a little sad. He slowly raised his head and looked at the guy who was drinking opposite him, rubbed the corner of his eye, and said with a face full of bitterness, “How is it that Hidden Officer Ancestor is even more impoverished and shabby now that he’s returned home?”

Chen Ping’an…

He suddenly asked cautiously, “Did anyone from Upside-Down Mountain come looking for you?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t hide anything and nodded, “They did, I refused.”

He stood on the bench and asked with a smile, “That was then, what about now?”

Back then, Chen Ping’an was struggling to survive at the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was uncertain whether he could even return home, so he refused. Now that he had returned to the Vast Expanse, what would he do?

Chen Ping’an smiled, “I promised you. So within eighty years, even if Wu Shuangjiang comes, as long as I’m here, you are a free man.”

A young shop assistant dozing off at the counter suddenly raised his head, then yawned, propped his cheek with one hand, and smiled, “Young people with such big mouths, won’t they choke themselves to death?”

The white-haired child’s face instantly turned pale.

Chen Ping’an said, “We have kept Palace Lord Wu waiting.”

The young shop assistant smiled and asked, “What do you say now? Are you going to retract your ignorant and boastful words, and earn a considerable sum of incense offerings from me? Or are you going to stop me?”
Chen Ping’an plucked a talisman, smiling, “Since Palace Master Wu is so skilled in divination, accurately predicting my arrival on this Night-Sailing Ship, and lying in wait like a hunter by a tree, for the sake of caution, why not make an exception one more time? Temporarily restore your cultivation to its peak, use the power of a Fourteenth Realm great cultivator to cast another divination for yourself. Otherwise, be careful of capsizing in a drainage ditch. Coming to the Vast Expanse is easy, returning to the Azure Underworld might be difficult. As for Palace Master Wu’s exception, it will surely break the rule of a fallen-realm faring established with the Wen Temple. However, I can use merit in the Wen Temple to smooth things over for you, Palace Master Wu.”

The middle-aged scholar wore a helpless expression. Wu Shuangjiang’s arrival on the Night-Sailing Ship had completely escaped his notice.

The penal official said, “It’s a good thing. Aside from Ning Yao, who is an unforeseen variable for everyone, if Chen Ping’an truly has a hidden trump card, it should come to light once he confronts Wu Shuangjiang.”

The middle-aged scholar clicked his tongue in wonder, “Regardless of whether he has a backup plan or not, daring to challenge a Fourteenth Realm great cultivator like this truly befits the title of Hidden Official.”

He then sighed somewhat, “He wants to witness the methods of a long-unseen Fourteenth Realm cultivator, yet is unwilling to attract the Wen Temple’s attention. It’s quite the dilemma.”

He turned to look at the man, teasing, “Based on Shao Baojuan’s luck, he deserves to occupy a seat there alongside you and Tian Wan.”

Regarding the matter of the Curly Beard’s lost Jing Bow, Chen Ping’an had lost a share of Taoist fortune.

The man nodded, “It’s worth considering.”

The “young shopkeeper” of the inn stood up. Evidently, the Palace Master of Sui Chu Palace, who had already reached the Fourteenth Realm, would not cast that divination.

Chen Ping’an moved subtly in his sleeve, plucking a talisman. There was nothing profound about it. It was simply a talisman technique to “move a mountain” onto paper, depicting an unremarkable, ordinary mountain peak.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Palace Master Wu, do you really want to give it a try?”

Wu Shuangjiang of Sui Chu Palace, who had quietly traveled to the Vast Expanse and boarded the ship, merely scoffed.

Chen Ping’an instantly unleashed a natal flying sword, and had Pei Qian and the white-haired child protect Little Millet Grain.

A caged bird.

Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao stood shoulder to shoulder. The small world, besides lacking Pei Qian and the others, seemed as normal as ever.

In the next instant, the entire Tiao Mu City was devoid of any living immortals, only Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao, both with swords on their backs.

The Caged Bird was a cage of swords, within the small world, all the streets and buildings transformed into flying swords.

Wu Shuangjiang, with his hands clasped behind his back, was the first to step out onto the street, taking his time to examine the natal supernatural power of the flying sword. He walked onto the empty and silent main street.

The talisman in Chen Ping’an’s sleeve flashed with spiritual light and instantly dissipated.

Wu Shuangjiang frowned slightly.

Chen Ping’an reached out, Ye You was drawn, gripped in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Then let’s meet a Fourteenth Realm cultivator?”

Ning Yao smiled.

A white-robed youth suddenly appeared, clapping his hands together, “Alright, Teacher!”

A slender man in a green gown and cloth shoes raised his hand, a willow leaf spinning between his fingers, and jokingly said to Wu Shuangjiang, “Fourteenth Realm, scares the hell out of me.”