(Humbly I beg forgiveness! Two hours past the appointed hour for this upload, but a chapter of twenty-eight thousand words awaited completion!)

A torrential downpour at midday shrouded the world in gloom. Roads became treacherous rivers of mud, each step sending plumes of brown spray skyward.

A perilous rope bridge spanned the raging currents of the Crystalline Scale River. The ancient bridge, a tapestry of iron chains and weathered planks, swayed violently in the tempest, threatening to tear itself asunder.

A party of travelers braved the riverside, their progress marked by the bobbing of oilskin umbrellas. Foremost strode a swordsman in verdant robes, accompanied by a woman in garments of sun-kissed gold.

Behind them trailed a young couple, the man possessed of the grace of a willow in springtime, the woman adorned with a playful topknot of braided hair.

Two men of humble mien brought up the rear, an elder with a yellow cap, azure shoes, and a green bamboo staff, and a younger companion.

Raindrops, fat as millet seeds, drummed a relentless tattoo upon the oilskin canopies.

In the distance, a single point of light flickered, faint as a firefly.

Chen Ping’an gazed at the windswept bridge and inquired, “Is this tumultuous river, the Crystalline Scale, the site where the Immortal’s Painting first graced the world?”

Ye Yunyun nodded gravely. “Indeed, it is.”

At the break of dawn, Ye Yunyun had sought out Chen Ping’an with a frank request. Their plan to catch Du Hanling, of the Golden Peak Temple, red-handed had faltered. Now, they sought a new thread to unravel, a pretext for her and Du Hanling to meet in a contest of skill.

How dared this Lord of Mount Tongye offer himself as a fleeting companion on the path? Ye Yunyun intended to gauge the mettle of this cloaked cultivator of the Golden Peak, to weigh his arcane arts and determine if his power justified the whispers. Was Du Hanling merely a nascent Immortal, or had he slyly ascended to Jade Purity? A martial test would reveal all, allowing her to dissect the golden-boned frame of the Abbot Du and see what true weight lay within.

Ye Yunyun, of course, held no further interest in the “Ascension by Spirit Writing” method gleaned from the mural. It lay secured within the vaults of Pu Mountain.

Having already committed to one favor, a second weighed little. Thus, she sought to enlist Chen Ping’an in this expedition to the Crystalline Scale, hoping he might unearth some overlooked clue.

He had agreed to accompany her.

Truly, his wisdom rivaled that of a master artisan. Such was the difference between her, a mere mountain lord, and a scholar’s mind. The gift to unravel schemes belonged to these learned men. A brief glance at the仙圖 the young lord had seen through layers of deceit, and in a few well-chosen words, illuminated the path.

Ye Yunyun began to recount the仙圖 ‘s convoluted journey, “Its true acquisition occurred at a humble riverside crossing known as Green Skirt Ferry, nestled within the realm of Yuan, bordering our own Immortal Garden Kingdom. Years ago, word reached me of a powerful demon lurking in Yuan, carelessly revealing its presence. Xue Huai was dispatched, but based on intelligence gleaned from the Great Vista Academy, it was deduced that this entity was a demon of ghost lineage, possessing the strength of a nascent Immortal. Fearing it might be even stronger, I feared a gentleman scholar would only be slaughtered, so I made a solo trip to Yuan but no search was fruitful.”

“During my travels, I happened upon Green Skirt Ferry, an area once leased by Pu Mountain. An old mountain hermit and a young boy were hawking wares by the roadside. I gave the table a cursory glance, they were all worthless trinkets… except one. I did notice a finely crafted gilded chest. Its condition was acceptable, possibly fit to hold a small item, so I intended to give it to Ye Xuanji. The old hermit saw my attention, and he began to brag, claiming it was an antique from the Yuan imperial palace, once a desk ornament of the emperor himself. He said that after existing so close to the Yuan emperors, it was infused with dragon energy for hundreds of years. The old hermit raised both hands and offered it for ten copper coins, but fearing I’d think it was too expensive, he offered it for eight coins, saying that he really couldn’t drop the price lower.”

Cao Qinglang was puzzled. Could a chest from the emperor’s personal collection really only cost ten coins? He turned to Pei Qian, who was well versed in the ways of the Jianghu and the secret language of the cultivation world.

Pei Qian chuckled. “Purse Shops have their own slang. Ten coins actually means ten snowflake coins. If someone doesn’t understand that, then the Purse Shop can slaughter them at will.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Was the仙圖 inside of the gilded chest from the Yuan palace?”

Ye Yunyun said angrily, “That’s the problem! The chest was empty! I thought I had found a fantastic deal! After I bought the chest for eight snowflake coins, the hermit asked if I understood calligraphy and painting. He had a treasure of even better quality that he could sell me that was guaranteed to be a prized possession of the Yuan royal family. He raised his hand and swore that if he was lying, heaven would strike him dead. I figured I would take a look, and the silent youth pulled the scroll from the side of his mat and dropped it on the table.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “An old man and a youth working together? This is a true Purse Shop operation.”

Ye Yunyun did her best to ignore his comment and continued, “The moment I held the scroll in my hands, I knew that it was not a common object. My dao heart produced ripples that showed me that the item could provide me with a dao opportunity! Stabilizing myself, I bought it for ten snowflake coins. As soon as the transaction was over, the hermit and the youth packed up and ran. At the time, I laughed and thought that they were fools, but now I am the fool.”

“After I got the仙圖, I took extra precaution to keep the secret. I took a secret trip to the Yuan royal archives, the Huangshicheng. The old archives had become ruins after the war, so it was rebuilt. There were plenty of scrolls and documents that had been scattered. There I found a stack of chests just like mine, and it was clear that they weren’t the desks of the Yuan emperor. After reading through all the scrolls, I finally found records that mentioned the painting. It had come from an imperial quarry on the banks of the Crystalline Scale. It had happened three hundred years ago, when the laborers pulled up an iron box from the bottom of the river. The quarry didn’t dare to keep the contents to themselves, so they sent the stone and the painting to the capital as tribute. The emperor wasn’t impressed, so he threw it into the Huangshicheng, where it was forgotten. The box, according to the records, ‘had six sides covered in water paintings,’ and it was lost to history. Even after searching, I wasn’t satisfied, so I came to the Crystalline Scale and searched the depths for six hundred Li, but I didn’t find anything.”

The fact that the hermit’s claims were false only strengthened Ye Yunyun’s belief.

Chen Ping’an chuckled, “Royal archives often suffer from theft, and it is always hard to defend against family thieves.”

Gazing at the river’s turbulent waters, Chen Ping’an was reminded of Dragon Whiskers River. After he left his hometown, countless people went to the river looking for the snake bile stones. Unfortunately, the people of the town didn’t search for treasures until it was too late.

Perhaps it was true that the early bird gets the worm.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an had told Ye Yunyun, at Pu Mountain’s Liangting pavilion, “Mountaintop information is like immortal coin,” and that was enough to show his sincerity.

When they were flying here, Xue Huai had told Chen Ping’an about the Crystalline Scale. There were never river gods here, but the river produced beautiful stones that sound like clear chimes and shine like jade. They were various colors, but many were green, and the best were red, with patterns that looked like koi scales. The biggest stones were used as feng shui in rich households, and the smallest were used as decorations for scholars’ studies. The Yuan dynasty periodically set up quarries on the river to fill their national treasury.

Whenever the quarries were closed, swimmers would sneak into the river to collect the stones. Green Skirt Ferry’s source of income came from that. But the businessmen were profit driven and would create fake or spliced stones. They would purposely hollow out the stones to create the “leaking” form, and they could sell it for gold. They would edit the shape of plum blossoms that had some disease to sell them at higher prices than normal plum blossoms. The locals knew they were tricking the rich outsiders.

Pu Mountain’s Yuncao Hall disciples all had at least one desk decoration made of the beautiful stones, but of course those weren’t fakes.

The sects and prominent clans in the central Tongye Continent were ranked in six classes: cream, flower, A, B, C, and D. Tongye was the most closed off of the nine continents. It had plenty of cream areas and rich resources. There were many plains and plenty of mountain landscapes that were rich in spiritual energy. Even though Tongye didn’t have many sects, they all had powerful roots, but they couldn’t even get a ship to cross the continent.

The immortal cultivators and royal families were richer than the sea.

Pu Mountain, with a chest of land deeds, was a great example. The lands of Pu Mountain were acquired with immortal coins and favors.

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “Since this happened hundreds of years ago, and rivers change course, did you check the local folklore or the maps or gazettes?”

Ye Yunyun was silent.

She had been in a rush. How could she have thought about that?

To lighten the mood, Chen Ping’an proactively changed the subject, “Did the archives say anything about what was painted on the six sides?”

Ye Yunyun immediately nodded and said, “Yes. Besides the water, there were six words: Surge, Coil, Muddy, Glimmer, Abyss, and Shallow.”

Chen Ping’an reluctantly complimented her by saying, “You were very observant.”

Ye Yunyun managed a weak smile, but the man’s compliment sounded more like an insult.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t resist asking, “Did they trace the water paintings in the Yuan royal archives?”

The archives should have had a copy within a few steps.

Ye Yunyun was silent again.

She felt like a student being interrogated by a teacher.

Chen Ping’an was helpless.

It was a bunch of chaotic debts, but nothing could be done, so there was no point in saying anything more.

Pei Qian thought to herself, “At most I would have remembered to trace the paintings, because I would have wanted to take all the treasure for myself. The changing river courses is something I would have never thought of.”

Xue Huai couldn’t help but sigh. It was true that putting people together showed who was worse. Yuncao Hall needed a true pillar, because right now it relied on the teacher to be in charge of everything, and there were bound to be mistakes. If his Pu Mountain had a young swordsman as meticulous as Chen Ping’an, then they would truly have nothing to worry about.

Xue Huai secretly glanced at his teacher, then at the swordsman. He was wondering if his teacher had any chances of getting someone to call him… teacher’s husband?

He wondered if Chen Ping’an had a dao companion. With Chen Ping’an’s realm, status, appearance, and temperament, he must have had many friends both on and off the mountains. That was probably why he was close friends with Jiang Shangzhen.

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what Xue Huai was thinking about. He turned and smiled. “Before I came to Pu Mountain, I read a ghost story. It talked about the love and hate of the East Sea woman and the Blue Flood King. It also talked about a Dragon Tiger mountain true being’s journey. How much of the book was real?”

Xue Huai shook his head and said, “It’s impossible to tell, and there is no way to check. People would only try to find traces of the immortals, but their research would be fruitless.”

Legend said that thousands of years ago, a Dragon Tiger Mountain Daoist came down to Tongye Continent and saw a nest of rogue dragons from the Big Ditch Ancient Dragon Palace. They created floods and caused disasters. That Daoist, who wasn’t an immortal yet, used their wits to fight the dragons, killing most of them. Then they nailed one dragon to a cliff with a peach sword, cutting off its tail and turning it into a bamboo sword. They chained the mountains and ordered it to stay in place for a thousand years. Another dragon ran away, so the Daoist trapped it in a local temple, where it had to become a door ring, promising to protect the temple for three hundred years.

Then the Daoist dug a well and trapped the leader of the dragons in it, casting an iron tree to lock it in place.

Then the Daoist went to the Big Ditch Dragon Palace to punish the dragon for their crime of failing to watch over their dragons.

The dragon complained and had to ask for help from the dragon king, who controlled the entire East Sea. It was said that the case was brought to the Zhongtu Literary Temple.

The novels in the mortal world had many themes, writing about monsters, legendary cases, love stories, ghosts, gods, and more.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “You can try your luck in Daquan dynasty, and try to borrow some scrolls from the Huangshicheng or the ministry of Rites.”

Xue Huai nodded and said, “I will listen to you. If I find the location of the Big Ditch Dragon Palace, I’ll notify you right away, and we’ll enter the palace and split it four/six.”

Ye Yunyun said angrily, “Xue Huai, what are you dreaming about? The world is different now, and we have four sea monarchs. Even if the ruins appear, they belong to the true dragon of Treasure Bottle Continent. If you dare to touch the dragon palace’s treasures, she might get angry and flood Pu Mountain!”

Then, Ye Yunyun said curiously, “That true dragon has a practice site in your mountain. Doesn’t that mean you’re close neighbors with her?”

Chen Ping’an told the truth, “Yes, we’re neighbors.”

Ye Yunyun asked, “I heard that the new East Sea monarch has ascended. Are you familiar with her?”

After parting ways in Liangting pavilion, Ye Yunyun read a lot of information and went to Kou Xuanqu’s water god temple and the Qing Flood Monarch’s mansion to get all the news about Treasure Bottle Continent and Mount Luopo. It was shocking to see so many geniuses rising in that small Blessed Land. Besides that ascended woman who was the true dragon, there was Chen Ping’an, Liu Xianyang, Ma Kuxuan, and Zheng Juzhong…

Chen Ping’an could only say, “Next door neighbor.”

Ye Yunyun didn’t understand. Even if they were thousands of miles away, didn’t that count as next door?

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “I mean that literally.”

Ye Yunyun felt like he didn’t want to talk about the true dragon, so she changed the subject, “Did you participate in Beiyue’s night banquet?”

Chen Ping’an said awkwardly, “Not even once.”

Ye Yunyun was puzzled. She felt like she had found a loophole.

They continued following the dim light. It turned out to be a tea shack, but it didn’t have any customers at the moment. Inside was an old woman and her granddaughter sitting around a brazier and looking at the rain. The fire warmed them up as they boiled some yellow wine to keep out the cold. The youth looked about fifteen, and although her clothes were poor, her skin was white and her face was beautiful.

Chen Ping’an walked to the door of the tea shack, turned around, and shook off the water.

They folded their umbrellas.

But Little Mo was missing.

The old woman was surprised to see the customers, but she immediately welcomed them and asked if they wanted tea.

Ye Yunyun smiled and said to bring a bowl for everyone. Realizing that there would be business, the youth walked out, looked back, saw something, and smiled.

The old woman and youth brought the tea to the table and returned to the brazier. The old woman smiled and said, “This is old fish blowing waves. Don’t worry.”

The business of the tea shack depended on the day. If there was a temple fair or a festival in the county, some people might stop by for tea.

The old woman was speaking the official dialect of a kingdom, but it was a heavy local dialect. In Treasure Bottle Continent, the official dialect was a clear language, and it was easy to travel with it.

The official dialect of Tongye was more confusing, with kingdoms speaking their own language. After the great war, only the Daquan dynasty worked hard to spread the official dialect and incorporated it into the evaluation system.

Ye Yunyun helped translate for Chen Ping’an.

The old woman looked at the verdant man next to the golden woman and asked, “Madam, are you following your husband here to look at the scenery?”

They looked like a good match.

Ye Yunyun didn’t translate that. She just shook her head and said, “We’re just friends.”

The old woman smiled and said, “What a pity.”

Following Chen Ping’an’s advice, Ye Yunyun asked, “Do you know if any rivers have dried up around the Crystalline Scale? Are there any strange things?”

The old woman smiled and said, “I’ve never heard of any rivers drying up, but ghosts often haunt this river. They like to trick people into the water and take their life to replace them. We can’t do anything about it, and neither can the immortals. The county officials come here every year to hold a ritual. I’ve seen a few daoists and monks here, but I don’t dare to ask who they are.”

Little Mo walked into the tea shack and sat down next to Chen Ping’an, who ordered another bowl of tea for him.

Little Mo took the tea and pulled out a few stones from his sleeve.

Chen Ping’an picked up one of the stones and saw that the patterns looked like red scales.

Pei Qian used sound transmission to ask, “Master, do these look like the snake bile stones from Dragon Whiskers River?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “They look similar, but the quality is much lower. There might be a dragon descendant here cultivating. They are passively converting the energy into dragon energy. The stones have absorbed the energy and formed a core, or the dragon intentionally shed a few old scales, turning them into a red stone that can be refined. It is like they are announcing to someone, ‘Don’t forget this place.'”

Chen Ping’an didn’t use sound transmission or heart speech. “If the rumors are true, then a Daoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain came here and fought demons here. It must be that the remaining dragons are not strong enough to move, so they stayed here and waited for an order from Dragon Tiger Mountain.”

It seemed unintentional, but it was meaningful.

The old woman looked at the verdant swordsman.

Chen Ping’an turned and smiled at the old woman.

The old woman looked at Ye Yunyun and pointed at the yellow wine. “Madam, would you like to drink? It’s better than the tea, but it’s not cheap. Twenty coins for a pot.”

Ye Yunyun looked at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an nodded. Taking the stone, he stood up, walked over to the brazier, crouched down, and put the stone in the coals to warm up. Rubbing his hands together, he smiled and said, “The weather isn’t good, and the rain continues to fall. Even if I turn into a big wave, I won’t fear or worry.”

Little Mo had seen that this was a Marriage Shop.

It wasn’t run by the old woman, but by the youth. She had revealed a flaw in front of Little Mo.

The ancient Marriage Shop controlled all marriages. Following the lunar books, they tied the ankles, wrists, and hearts of men and women based on fate.

The old heavenly court had an agency to control the marriage shops.

Ten thousand years later, Little Mo had never seen a marriage shop before, even when reading news and books.

Everyone knew about moon elders pulling threads and checking the marriage books. Marriages are determined by fate.

The old woman’s dao roots were nothing special. She was just an old dragon. She must have found some opportunity to open up this Marriage Shop.

If this was in ancient times, Little Mo wouldn’t even bother looking at her.

Normally, she wouldn’t dare to look at Little Mo, fearing that she would be asked about swords.

Even the true water dragons with heavenly court rain commands would avoid Little Mo ten thousand years ago.

A swordsman that could chat and brew wine with Jade Firmament Lord must have had an interesting temperament.

Raising his head, Chen Ping’an looked at the youth that had moved to sit next to the old woman. Standing up, he raised his foot and smiled. “Maiden, the marriage thread can’t be tied randomly. Please put it away.”

The youth was confused and innocent.

According to his master, it was an immortal swordsman!

Without weapons, the youth had immediately cut the marriage thread, showing that the person had to be a sky immortal.

The old woman stared blankly at the verdant “swordsman.” She sighed, patted the youth’s head, and told her not to be afraid. Realizing that they couldn’t just leave, the old woman laughed and pulled out a purple mirror from her sleeve. Wiping it with her sleeve, it looked like glass but wasn’t. The workmanship was something a craftsman could not have produced.

Raising her head, the old woman said in a hoarse voice, “I didn’t expect to meet a land immortal so far from the ancient kingdom of Shu.”

Chen Ping’an ignored her, just putting his hands in his sleeves and glanced at the item. It looked like it was made from a dragon palace’s jade crystal. In Zhongtu, it could be used as a telescope. The old and weak could use it to see as they did in their youth. In Zhongtu, the Astronomical Observatory had items that allowed a mortal to see the stars like a god.

Chen Ping’an crouched down, warmed his hands, and asked, “Is that box with water paintings from a dragon palace, or did someone bring it to the Yuan palace three hundred years ago?”

Looking at Chen Ping’an, the old woman smiled and said, “If the swordsman can take away a talisman, then I will tell you everything. Otherwise…”

The old woman shook her head. “Even if you’re an immortal, you won’t dare to kill me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “A true talisman from Dragon Tiger Mountain is a good restriction and a lifesaving treasure.”

The old woman looked at Ye Yunyun, then back at the man who spoke the official dialect of Tongye. She praised him from the bottom of her heart. “You have amazing insight. You know everything.”

Three thousand years ago, the slaughter of dragons kept the descendants of the dragons and water spirits from progressing.

There were no fish that could turn into dragons anymore.

Now that the mountains and rivers were unsealed, the water spirits could jump over the dragon gate at White Emperor City to get recognized by the Literary Temple.

Unfortunately, there was no one from Dragon Tiger Mountain to take the talisman away.

It seemed that they had forgotten.

Ye Yunyun drank her tea and felt frustrated.

The rain stopped.

A Daoist in purple robes walked in.

He was Liang Shuang, the guardian of the kingdom of Liang.

He was an outside Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Looking at the purple Daoist, the old woman, familiar, so familiar, knew that there was a Daoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain. She suddenly shouted, pressed her fingers against her face, and begged, “Please take away the talisman. I know that I was wrong.”

The Daoist didn’t pay attention to the pitiful old woman. He smiled and said, “Helping people is not so simple. It’s even harder to finish something well.”

Liang Shuang walked over to the brazier, pressed on Chen Ping’an’s shoulder, squatted down, took the pot of yellow wine, drank it, grabbed a piece of charcoal, wiped his mouth, and threw the pot into the river.

He continued, “Like my friend, Chen, he was young and easily lost. He has done a few reckless things already. The reason he is still alive is just because he is lucky. He knows the feeling, but he can’t tell anyone.”

Chen Ping’an took out two pots of rice wine and put them into the fire to heat them up.

Liang Shuang waited for the wine to heat up and asked, “Since you like to read, which novel is your favorite? Don’t answer, let me guess. Is it Wen Qi? Is it Wen Tingyun’s?”

“You’re amazing at predicting things.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and nodded. “That is one of my favorites.”

He had used the pen name, Dou Yi, and wanted to travel with Liu Jinglong using that name.

Liang Shuang asked, “What is so great about it?”

Chen Ping’an answered, “When Dou Yi was young, he planted trees for five years. Only he knew the feeling, and perhaps even Wen Tingyun didn’t know it.”

Liang Shuang threw the charcoal into the brazier, clapped, and laughed loudly. “That is why I’m close with you!”

As Liang Shuang’s yin spirit, he didn’t have any cares.

Besides the two of them, everyone in the tea shack was confused.

Cao Qinglang, Little Mo, and Xue Huai had heard of Wen Tingyun, but they didn’t know he had written a novel.

Liang Shuang looked at the kneeling old woman and said, “What good will praying do?

He smiled. “You don’t need to pray anymore. I didn’t drink your wine for nothing.”

The old woman realized that the talisman had disappeared.

Liang Shuang warned, “Don’t kowtow, or you might shorten my life. I might get angry and put a new one up. It was your fault, so it is not a matter of praying.”

The old woman sat down and looked at Chen Ping’an and said, “A Daoist bought the box from me. He was from Taiping Mountain, and he showed me their jade badge, so I agreed. But the box was empty.”

Chen Ping’an understood that it was the culprit that had caused the internal strife of Taiping Mountain. They must have been an ancient demon.

It seemed that Zhou Mi had truly wanted Pu Mountain.

The old woman looked at Chen Ping’an and grabbed the youth. “She is my only disciple. I told her to tie the red string. Please don’t blame her.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, stood up, used sound transmission to talk to Liang Shuang and Xue Huai, and walked out of the tea shack.

At the river, Chen Ping’an stopped and looked at Xue Huai. “You can come out now. With the true being here, there’s no need to hide.”

Jiang Shangzhen had been correct.

Pu Mountain’s Yuncao Hall was hiding something.

It was Xue Huai, who had the best reputation in Pu Mountain and was the most trusted disciple.

The Daoist chuckled. A nascent spirit was nothing.

In an instant, the true one had taken away the soul, not allowing the ghost to say anything.

Xue Huai felt like his head had exploded. He tried to raise his hands, but Chen Ping’an held his arm, helping him to stabilize his energy.

After a moment, Xue Huai was covered in sweat. He smiled bitterly and said, “Was I tricked?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “They attacked an unsuspecting target, and they were an upper level ghost, so you don’t need to blame yourself.”

Chen Ping’an was just guessing, but the most likely target was the one closest to the light.

Chen Ping’an knew those things well.

There were a few people that could take Ye Yunyun’s spot. Besides Xue Huai, there was Tan Rong and Ye Yunyun’s brother. At the mountain gate, Chen Ping’an talked about gold and stone, which allowed Little Mo to observe them.

Some people had to be smarter than the bad guys to get good people to have good fortune.

Xue Huai hesitated and then nodded.

Chen Ping’an bowed.

The true one smiled. “You can go back to the tea shack. I want to talk to Chen.”

Xue Huai didn’t say anything. He bowed to the purple Daoist, turned, and left.

After Xue Huai returned to the tea shack, the true one and Chen Ping’an walked along the river.

“Today, the division of the Dao is half human and half ghost.”

“Ha, slaying demons and monsters, a true demon or monster will be slain. A true being will deal with them easily. The difference between yin and yang is something a true person can see. But you can’t slay the hearts of people, and you can’t remove the greed.”

The true one sighed and didn’t say anything.

“It’s hard, as hard as ascending to heaven. It’s easy, as easy as turning your hand over.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Even though there is a limit, you have to do everything you can. You should do what you can.”

The true one nodded. “That’s right.”

The true one prepared to return to the kingdom of Liang. He smiled before leaving, “I had to talk nonsense at the mountain god temple. Don’t take it to heart.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Don’t worry. I won’t hold a grudge!”

He returned to the tea shack and saw that the rice wine was ready, but the true one didn’t drink it, so he took it and shared it.

The old woman was so happy that she sat next to the brazier and wiped her tears.

The youth’s eyes were wide as she stared curiously at the verdant swordsman.

It seemed that the scenery was better than the wine.

Ye Yunyun was relaxed. Although they hadn’t gotten any solid evidence, they had removed a potential danger. It made her happy.

Chen Ping’an stood up to leave, and the old woman followed and thanked him.

Chen Ping’an thought. Since you said you won’t thank me, what can I say?

He had wanted to ask if he could buy the stones from the river, but nevermind.

At least it was better than the youth saying, “I will give myself to you in return.”

As the swordsman was about to leave, the youth blinked.

Chen Ping’an spun around and warned in his heart, “Don’t repay kindness with hate!”

The youth burped and covered her mouth as she laughed.

—-

After leaving the tea shack, Chen Ping’an didn’t go to Pu Mountain. Instead, he went to the river, Lin. There were several Immortal Ferry Crossing.

Flying in the clouds, Chen Ping’an looked down at the river, where there was a base for a ferry crossing.

This river was connected to the West Sea. There were many forces that wanted to control this place, because there were no nascent souls here.

So five or six groups worked together, either giving money, manpower, or allying with a sect.

The simple truth was that the more someone eats, the less others have.

Chen Ping’an continued to travel along the river, soon arriving at his destination.

According to Cui Dongshan, all the parties fought, and only three groups were successful in founding a foothold.

One unfinished ferry crossing was left there, abandoned. The construction had been started, but the cost was too high, so they left.

Building a mountain ferry was like filling a lake with gold. The risk was huge.

Besides all the labor to build it, the cost to gather spiritual energy was expensive. Otherwise, no one would bother to stop.

If a ferry crossing opened, it would be a fight for resources, because it would take from the same bowl.

Chen Ping’an looked at the river.

This was his third ferry crossing after Bull Horn and Wild Cloud.

To others, this abandoned site had been found by a sect.

A white youth had stood there with a table, challenged people, and declared, “I’ll get money for it.”

“Three punches, three techniques. A swordsman can only deliver two swords. I can’t take a third. If you can beat me to death, then this crossing is yours.”

The nearby crossing hired a golden body martial artist to punch him.

The youth surprised everyone.

It wasn’t because of some powerful magic, but because he took a punch and fell.

The martial artist stood there. The goal was true, but he didn’t want to kill anyone. He didn’t want to fill out a report.

When the youth stood up, he coughed up blood.

The martial artist had to pull back. Still, the youth fell to the ground.

The martial artist was puzzled, but it wasn’t like he could just stop.

The third punch did more damage. The youth tried to get up but fell. In the end, he raised a thumb and said, “Good punch?”

The martial artist felt guilty.

The youth sat up when the timer was about to run out.

The martial artist pulled the youth to the table and drank three bowls of wine. He apologized and said that he had things to do. He didn’t want the money.

That day, the group at the source of Lin hired an old nascent soul to use their magic.

After three techniques, the youth lay in a pit, twitching.

Before the countdown was over, he got up and walked to the table. The old golden core harrumphed and left.

Less than an hour later, the crossing at the mouth of the river sent a golden core swordsman.

But that fight was even more bizarre. After chatting, the swordsman started attacking the river and left.

That was enough. The swordsman took over for the youth and said that he would give three sword strikes.

No one dared to come.

The swordsman was about one hundred years old, and named Tao Ran.

He was a swordsman from Tongye, but he hadn’t joined a sect.

Now he was fishing here.

Chen Ping’an landed and walked over to the table.

The swordsman was walking over, pulling a net full of fish.

Chen Ping’an was there was because someone wanted to found a kingdom here, not just restore it.

Shao Xian from Green Firmament Sect would help the maid, Meng Long, give her the name, Dugu Menglong.

Shao Xian had gotten permission from Cui Dongshan.

Chen Ping’an said, “We’re from Green Firmament Sect.”

Tao Ran was surprised.

Looking at them, Tao Ran was curious and thought that he was a martial artist.

Perhaps he was a descendant of Elder Cui.

Looking at the verdant man, he must be a senior.

Chen Ping’an sat down at the table, picked up a bowl of wine, and said, “I heard that you’re Tao Ran, a golden core swordsman.”

Tao Ran was cooking and said, “Just a golden core. I’m not a swordsman.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “How did your weapon get damaged?”

Tao Ran said, “Would you answer if I asked?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “That’s right. Let’s drink a few times and you can answer when you want.”

Tao Ran scoffed and said, “Don’t try to flatter me. I’m just getting paid by your sect. I can’t stand a martial artist.”

Chen Ping’an just looked at the river.

Tao Ran was unhappy and said, “I’m already letting you drink. Don’t try to eat too.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “You don’t act like a free cultivator, Tao.”

Tao Ran said, “Can you shut up?”

Chen Ping’an raised his bowl. He could.

Little Mo asked, “Tao, do you want my help?”

Tao Ran said, “Get out of here.”

Little Mo nodded.

Tao Ran sized up the group. Their temper was acceptable.

If they complained, he wouldn’t bother.

In the end, Tao Ran squatted down and ate by himself.

Chen Ping’an put down the bowl and said, “You should have put more ginger and less cinnamon.”

Tao Ran grinned. That comment was acceptable.

Chen Ping’an didn’t bother waiting for Shao Xian and Meng Long.

Standing up to leave, Chen Ping’an said, “I’ll cook you a stew at Green Firmament Sect.”

Tao Ran rolled his eyes.

Seeing him leave, Tao Ran hesitated and