Within the ruins of the Grand Canal Dragon Palace in Tongye Continent, a woman in white stood inside the main hall, while a man in azure robes lingered outside the door.

These two neighbors, reunited in a foreign land, shared none of the warmth of old acquaintances.

Back in Falling Mountain, Precious Bottle Continent, within the bamboo building on the main peak, Spirit Gathering Peak, a sheathed longsword hung on the wall of the first floor, its sword energy swirling like dragons and snakes painted on the surface.

Suddenly, a flash of sword light erupted, the unsheathed blade leaving Falling Mountain in the blink of an eye, its sword energy like a rainbow, swiftly piercing through the northern border of Great Li.

Mountain God Wei Bo couldn’t even manage to conceal the spectacle of the sword light. Fortunately, the sword’s speed was so great that human cultivators only caught a fleeting glimpse before it vanished without a trace.

Standing atop Cloud-Draped Mountain, Wei Bo couldn’t help but worry, and so he paid a visit to Falling Mountain, finding Zhu Lian.

Zhu Lian simply smiled and offered a simple answer: “It’s alright, it will all pass.”

Wei Bo felt slightly relieved. Indeed, even in a foreign land, Chen Pingan had Cui Dongshan and Mr. Xiao Mo by his side.

Inside the main hall of the Grand Canal Dragon Palace, Qiu Du hadn’t been able to discern the true realm of the azure-robed sword immortal back at the teahouse by the Scarlet Scale River. The old crone simply believed that a sword cultivator who dared to confront a true dragon without losing any ground in terms of aura must be a Sword Immortal in the Immortal Ascension Realm, or even possibly the Ascendant Realm.

Otherwise, within this near-sea Dragon Palace ruin, even the Great Sword Immortal Wei Ying of the Jade Decree Sect would have no chance of victory against this woman named Wang Zhu, as long as the battlefield wasn’t changed.

Zhi Gui asked with a sweet smile, “Old Auntie, if I were to fight this sword immortal, who would you help?”

The old crone replied without hesitation, “This old one is willing to serve the True Dragon, even if it means going through fire and water.”

If Cu Cu could follow this True Dragon in cultivation, her path to the Great Dao would be promising, her future limitless.

Her little girl possessed extraordinary aptitude for cultivation. If she could cultivate the water arts to their peak, she might not only establish her own sect in the future, but even reach the pinnacle of the Vast Expanse, which wouldn’t be entirely impossible.

Just like the Fire Dragon True Man of Crawling Peak, whose mastery of fire arts was acknowledged as the best in the world, allowing him to suppress the Lady Dan Dan, who was also in the Ascendant Realm, within the Green Water Pit, forcing her to become a shrinking tortoise.

Chen Pingan chuckled silently.

One dared to ask, and the other dared to answer.

Were they playing house here?

However, the old crone harbored no murderous intent.

Being confined by talismans by the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain for so many years had left this old horned dragon with neither the ambition to establish a sect nor the desire to achieve immortality. All her actions were mainly for the sake of that little girl.

All living beings possessed their own nature. Among the dragon-like creatures, certain traits were especially prominent.

Zhi Gui stood at the bottom of the steps, glancing at the old horned dragon.

This old auntie resembled the gossiping, long-tongued women who drew water back in her hometown – all bluster and no bite, a weathercock that changed with the wind.

That was why she felt all the more familiar.

Zhi Gui suddenly turned her head to look at a certain direction, her Dao heart trembling slightly.

She shifted her gaze again, her eyes turning icy, and looked towards Chen Pingan outside the main hall.

If she had previously held murderous intent greater than murderous desire, now it was murderous desire outweighing murderous intent.

Resentment surged within her like rampant weeds, with no logic to it.

It was as if she were saying, “Are you going to kill me too?!”

Chen Pingan outside the door deliberately ignored it.

Zhi Gui’s face turned ashen. She sneered, turned her back to the door, and slowly walked up the steps to the dragon throne. Turning around, she reached out and grasped the armrest.

Because the Dragon Palace ruin was currently in a semi-open state, even Qiu Du sensed the vast aura “outside” the door. The old crone was instantly terrified and aghast.

Recalling the ancient times when dragons roamed the land under imperial decree to bring rain, the old crone, who was then serving as a tutor here, remembered a time when the Grand Canal Dragon Palace faced a crisis: a group of Sword Immortals joined forces to challenge the Grand Canal with their swords.

Fortunately, the Sword Inquiry, though formidable, ended without much bloodshed thanks to the personal intervention of the East Sea Dragon Lord.

Azure robes, surname Chen.

A gentle demeanor, but decisive actions.

In the past, there was such an unknown Sword Immortal, clad in azure robes and wielding a sword, who seemed to appear out of nowhere in the Vast Expanse. No one knew his origins, only that before the Dragon-Slaying Battle, he had once engaged in a Sword Duel with a group of Sword Cultivators within the Cicada Molting Grotto of the ancient Shu region. After that, the sword path destiny of Precious Bottle Continent had declined.

The old crone’s face suddenly turned pale, and she trembled as she asked, “Are you the Dragon Slayer?!”

Chen Pingan remained silent.

Zhi Gui tittered, “How like you, always acting this way.”

Always cautious and careful, never seeking to maximize profits, only seeking to avoid mistakes.

Ordinary people who become wealthy return to their hometowns, reveling in their success.

But this neighbor before her was indifferent to his sudden wealth.

In fact, she had already noticed the clues before that sword energy approached the Grand Canal Dragon Palace.

The so-called Chen Pingan before her was actually just a puppet talisman, enhanced with several lost ancient talismans.

Like a layered talisman formation.

His true body was outside the Dragon Palace.

No wonder he seemed lifeless, using this to conceal the heavenly secrets, deceiving the heavens. Combined with his affinity for water and the inherent ability of his flying sword to isolate small worlds, he was able to let his substitute sneak into this place without anyone noticing.

Sure enough, another figure in azure robes arrived, carrying a sword.

Two Chen Pingans appeared simultaneously.

The latter extended two fingers, and the former dissolved, transforming into a miniature flying sword, ethereal and intangible like the spring breeze.

Chen Pingan collected the Well-in-the-Moon into his sleeve. As his mustard-seed mind returned to his true body, Chen Pingan also subtly erased the overlapping talisman arrays from the flying sword.

This talisman technique of Chen Pingan originated from an idea of his friend Liu Jinglong, who, as the youngest Sect Master in the history of the Grand Empyrean Sword Sect, was both a sword cultivator and a formation master.

Zhi Gui’s face darkened. “Why did you unilaterally terminate the contract?”

Chen Pingan was too lazy to answer such a question.

You didn’t ask me when you made the contract, so why should I ask you when I break it?

Zhi Gui was quite angry, but she soon smiled sweetly, as many old memories resurfaced.

This mud-legged boy from Mud Bottle Alley was indeed still the same as ever, not a bit different.

Back then, Song Jixin was often infuriated by Chen Pingan. The two of them, separated by a wall, often had Song Jixin teasing Chen Pingan for fun, provoking and mocking him, throwing a barrage of sarcastic words at him.
The silence from the neighboring courtyard only deepened Song Jixin’s frustration. No need for verbal sparring; the mere act of being ignored left him feeling like his punches landed on air.

Chen Pingan, with a mere glance, a subtle expression, or the occasional offhand remark, could deflate Song Jixin entirely. Many times, he teetered on the brink of explosive anger, wanting to vault the wall and start a brawl. His fists clenched, veins bulging, but he ultimately held back. When it came to a real fight, Song Jixin knew he didn’t stand a chance against Chen Pingan.

For example, if Song Jixin annoyed Chen Pingan enough, the latter might casually mention his meager wages as a kiln apprentice, and how he couldn’t even afford Spring Festival couplets at year’s end.

Such a simple sentence carried layers of unspoken meaning, naturally prompting the sharp-minded Song Jixin to dwell on them. He’d overthink, and the more he pondered, the more stung he felt. Was Chen Pingan implying that, despite Song Jixin’s wealth and carefree existence, he earned his own living? Or, even further, was he subtly suggesting that Song Jixin, as the illegitimate son of the kiln supervisor, had no need for ancestral graves, and that his money was undeserved?

Back then, Zhi Gui felt that this taciturn neighbor was only pretending to be a nice guy. Otherwise, if he were willing to open his mouth and hurl insults, even the widow from Mud Bottle Lane and Granny Ma from Apricot Blossom Alley might not be his match.

Zhi Gui chuckled, “You’re not one to care about appearances. Since you’ve lost a realm, why bother pretending to be strong?”

Chen Pingan, holding Night Wanderer, strode across the threshold into the hall. He approached the dragon pillars, examining them closely, and remarked casually, “In the Great Li capital, some of the Earthly Branch cultivators were saying that with the National Preceptor gone, they should do this and that. I happened to overhear them, and it didn’t end well for them.”

Zhi Gui scoffed, “Do you really think you’re him?”

The one person who could control her was gone.

Chen Pingan seemingly ignored Zhi Gui’s Ascension Realm cultivation, closing the distance between them.

Zhi Gui suddenly sneered, “Bringing backup, are we?”

Chen Pingan raised his sword, lightly stroking the blade with his left hand. The sword’s surface was clear and bright, like autumn water reflecting the sky.

When the sword-wielder met his gaze, it was like seeing a pool of autumn water rippling with new life.

Zhi Gui glanced at Chen Pingan’s sword-holding hand, then stretched languidly and yawned, as if suddenly in a much better mood.

A woman’s heart is a sea of mysteries.

Qiu Du wore a strange expression.

Did they have a complicated relationship, like old adversaries?

Could they be star-crossed lovers with a tangled history of love and hate?

Zhi Gui asked in a hushed voice, “Now that I have the title of Eastern Sea Water Lord, will those lurking dragon breeders still bother me?”

Chen Pingan replied in a hushed voice, “Of course. They’re just waiting for you to make a mistake.”

Zhi Gui descended the steps and asked with a smile, “Want to chat for a bit?”

Chen Pingan nodded and turned to walk towards the main door of the hall.

Zhi Gui gathered her robes and hurried to catch up.

Leaving behind a dumbfounded old crone.

After exiting the hall, Zhi Gui asked with a smile, “Did you come here specifically for me?”

Chen Pingan shook his head. “It was just a coincidence. I followed you here because I was worried that old woman would be unaware of the situation and you’d punish her later.”

Whatever Qiu Du’s purpose in revisiting the dragon palace and selecting treasures from its old collection, Zhi Gui would surely make him pay.

Chen Pingan knew about the promise between the Central Earth Confucian Temple and Zhi Gui, and he also understood his former neighbor’s temperament. She would definitely hold a grudge. Even the petty disputes from their hometown market streets, where she was clearly in the wrong, she’d remember meticulously. How much more would she remember this, where she was entirely justified? When Zhi Gui took action against Qiu Du, she wouldn’t hold back.

Furthermore, the Buried River within the Great Spring Dynasty was once a main channel of the Old Du. Chen Pingan worried that Bi You Palace and the Buried River Water Goddess would be caught in the crossfire.

The only surprise was that he hadn’t expected to encounter her here.

During those sixty years in his hometown, Mr. Qi was constrained by his position and couldn’t interact with her too much.

But for Zhi Gui to regain her freedom, to climb out of that iron-locked well on that snowy night and stagger all the way to Mud Bottle Lane, how could that have been a “oversight” by Mr. Qi?

It was definitely intentional.

Because of that, Chen Pingan had reminded Zhi Gui to be careful at the Qi Du Ancestral Hall.

Otherwise, no matter how much Chen Pingan liked to act as a mentor, he wouldn’t bother with Zhi Gui. After parting ways, they’d simply walk their separate paths.

Chen Pingan asked in a hushed voice, “In Mud Bottle Lane, the houses next to ours have been uninhabited for years, abandoned and without an owner since I can remember. I’ve checked the archives in the kiln supervisor’s office and later in the locust-yellow county registry, but I can’t find anything. Do you have any leads?”

Zhi Gui walked side-by-side with Chen Pingan, turning her head to smile. “Is this you asking for my help?”

Chen Pingan nodded. “It is.”

They were neither relatives nor enemies, and they were both from the same hometown and neighbors. Asking a couple of idle questions wouldn’t hurt.

Zhi Gui smiled, seemingly unwilling to answer.

She raised her head high, strolling leisurely through the ruins of the dragon palace.

She recalled the past, when the peasant boy next to her would help carry her water bucket when he saw her returning to Mud Bottle Lane.

She would carry a large sack of charcoal in winter because she didn’t want to make multiple trips. Back then, she was the most oppressed wretch by the Great Dao of the small town, always feeling that the road was too long and the load too heavy.

Even petty men like Song Jixin and Liu Xianyang never misunderstood when he helped her.

Neither of them thought that Chen Pingan would have any ulterior motives.

The woman clasped her hands behind her back, fingers intertwined, looking ahead and asking softly, “Do you think that I’m good for nothing except for my cultivation realm?”

Chen Pingan thought for a moment, not rushing to answer.

But it was precisely this lukewarm response from the man beside her that made her face darken instantly. She’d rather he had blurted out a nod in agreement.

Chen Pingan said slowly, “Not really.”

Perhaps recalling some old stories from his hometown, Chen Pingan’s expression softened slightly.

He remembered the naive straw-sandal-wearing boy seeing Mr. Qi asking for help for the first time.

Later, Chen Pingan reviewed the Scroll of Fleeting Time and discovered that the young girl had once scolded the locust tree in her hometown.
It brought Chen Pingan a sense of… satisfaction.

Chen Pingan collected his thoughts and asked, “How did they all come to know each other?”

“Dragon tenders” and “dragon supporters” differed by only a single character, yet their respective pursuits of the Great Dao were worlds apart.

Zhi Gui seemed impatient, “They met along the way, merely fulfilling each other’s needs. Anyway, my water mansion will need people who can actually get things done in the future.”

Chen Pingan didn’t restrain Zhi Gui from doing anything he shouldn’t, but instead said, seemingly casually, “Everything we see on this journey is either good or bad.”

Zhi Gui asked, puzzled, “Not good people and bad people?”

Chen Pingan smiled, “That’s where the crux of the problem lies.”

Zhi Gui chuckled in exasperation, “Why don’t you just become a schoolteacher?”

Unexpectedly, the man next to him nodded, “I’ve already chosen a school.”

Within the Dragon Palace ruins, there was a former private garden of a dragon prince, sprawling in its extent. A lotus pond shimmered, its surface dotted with verdant leaves. A small skiff floated there, carrying four figures: an old man, a beautiful woman, a burly man, and a young man.

They were now all attendants of the True Dragon King Zhu, having pledged allegiance to her, the newly ascended Water Sovereign of the Eastern Sea.

The beautiful woman stood at the bow of the skiff, dressed in courtly attire, her hair styled in a flowing cloud updo, adorned with a golden hairpin. Lightly powdered, her slender waist bore a bronze mirror and a crystal pendant. She turned to the old man at the stern, asking curiously, “Li Ba, do you think the sovereign and that Hidden Official will come to blows over a disagreement?”

The old man named Li Ba, with his white hair and gaunt frame, possessed an air of refined grace. He gently shook his head, “With no grudges between them, they won’t fight.”

Beside the old man, the burly man sat cross-legged.

Lastly, the young man must be a mountain immortal with cultivated essence, his skin like jade, his beauty captivating. He lay in the skiff, one hand behind his head, legs crossed casually, in a relaxed and carefree manner. He shook a wine gourd in one hand, the amber liquid falling in a straight line into his mouth. Shaking the empty gourd, he sat up and glanced toward the main hall, “Such heavy sword qi, worthy of someone who became a sword cultivator in the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

The beautiful woman’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the stalwart man sitting like a rock, “Xi Man, if you were allowed to fight him only as martial artists, unarmed, could you win?”

According to the list of the ten most promising young individuals from several realms, it was said that when this young Hidden Official defended the city alone, he was already a ninth-realm martial artist. Later, after returning to the Great Bright World, he even exchanged blows with Cao Ci at the merit forest of the Central Earth Confucian Temple.

The man, clearly a martial arts grandmaster, said bluntly, “He could beat me even giving me a hand.”

Pure martial artists often saw the world only through the lens of martial arts.

This native Great Bright World demon named Xi Man had carefully weighed his options. He had no chance of victory against the old mountain ape from Zheng Yang Mountain, as the latter was also naturally strong and resilient. So, what was the point of seeking a martial arts exchange with Chen Pingan?

That wouldn’t be a sparring match, but a pointless suicide.

The woman laughed and scolded, “How old is he, and how old are you now? Why don’t you just die?”

The man scoffed, “If that’s the case, besides Cao Ci and Chen Pingan, no one else should bother learning martial arts.”

These four attendants of Zhi Gui’s water mansion consisted of one immortal, two Jade Pure realm cultivators, and one peak realm martial artist.

Besides human cultivators, there were also ghost immortals and demons, all of whom had been recorded and verified by the Confucian Temple.

After sitting up, the young man recalled something, “The Green God Mountain wine from that wine shop in the Sword Qi Great Wall, I spent a fortune and pulled strings to finally get a pot, but drinking it made me question my entire life.”

Could it be that the wine served at the previous Green God Mountain banquet was all fake?

The burly man nodded, “It was indeed awful. Drinking bad wine is one thing, but drinking fake wine is another. I’d need to stand in front of a pharmacy to dare drink that.”

As he spoke, the man habitually reached down to adjust himself.

The woman glared and complained, “How disgusting! Can’t you get rid of that habit?”

The burly man said gruffly, “I can’t.”

He also had a catchphrase that Gong Yan found particularly annoying, “Little brother, don’t look up, we brothers don’t have that good fortune or that destiny.”

Among the group, the woman was named Gong Yan, nicknamed A Wu. She was a native cultivator from the Soaring Shuttle Continent and had even been a female founder of an ancient sect, but after a war, she was now essentially homeless.

Gong Yan felt a sense of schadenfreude toward the situation of the Mountain Water Cave. Later, she had met a female sword cultivator with the surname Nalan there, a foreigner of unknown realm, possibly a nascent soul realm cultivator, who claimed to be from the Upside Down Mountain Water Crystal Palace.

They had engaged in several major deals. The foreign sword cultivator who was in charge of the Mountain Water Cave at the time was a spendthrift. Probably having connections with the Confucian Temple in the Central Earth, she dared to openly sell off the sect’s assets at low prices. Gong Yan accepted everything, like shopping on the street, reaping a rich harvest.

The old man was named Li Ba, from the Golden Armor Continent, with the Daoist name Cui Zhang. He was a close friend of Wan Yan Lao Jing from the Golden Armor Continent, dedicated to the Dao. He had served as a national teacher for a large dynasty below the mountains, but had assisted three emperors who were all incompetent. The last one, a talented but doomed ruler, even petitioned the Qingzhang Dao Academy, which was under Li Ba’s control, intending to proclaim himself a Daoist Emperor.

After the Water God’s escort mission in the Great Bright World temporarily concluded, Sovereign Wang Zhu had promised them that they could each choose a good tree to perch on afterward. For example, two of them were determined to cultivate in the water mansion for a long time, while the other two planned to settle in the Dali capital of Treasure Bottle Continent because they were quite optimistic about the feudal lord Song Mu.

A snow-white figure, like a wisp of white cloud falling onto the lotus pond, stepped onto a green lotus leaf, swaying precariously. Finally, it managed to steady itself, stretched its neck, and looked at the handsome man sitting in the middle of the skiff, shouting, “Oh my, isn’t this the once-famous, the one who loves ‘white bones lying on pine clouds’, calling himself ‘Jiangdong Drunkard’, claiming ‘my ambition is beyond the heavens’, vowing to ‘remove the heart prison, guard the heart fast, build the heart palace’, rumored to be able to summon wind, rain, clouds, mist, and thunder with a single breath, and then almost beaten to death by Zhang Tiaoxia for fighting over a fishing spot, Jade Daoist Huang Man?”

The white-clothed youth put his hands on his hips, “Let me catch my breath, I’m exhausted.”
This uninvited guest stared blankly at the four people in the boat for a moment, then the white-robed youth turned to look at a waterside pavilion on the shore, and asked with a grin, “In this confined space, to have the good fortune to meet so many worldly experts, Mr. Xiao Mo, tell me, what is this called?”

Inside the pavilion, a frail scholar in a yellow hat and green shoes had appeared at some point, holding a green bamboo staff. Hearing this, he smiled and replied, “It can probably be considered ‘Great scenery without leaving the courtyard, encountering high-ranking people in the alleyway.'”

The one sitting there in the yellow veil never expected that his true identity would be exposed in one breath. He asked with a smile, “Who are you?”

He had used multiple layers of illusion techniques, hiding his identity for over a hundred years. Logically speaking, he shouldn’t have been seen through at a glance.

The four extraordinary individuals in the boat only heard the white-robed youth say in a serious tone, “I am Cui Dongshan.”

Cui Dongshan shifted his gaze, looking at the old man, whose face was full of the scent of herbal medicine and a bitter expression. He said in surprise, “Oh? Isn’t this Li Ba, the national preceptor of Flowing Rosy Isle? Ah, I see, I see. He must have been heartbroken by that extremely respected Wan Yan Lao Jing, and he doesn’t want to stay in his sad hometown anymore. If it were me, I would also change places to relax.”

Suddenly, Cui Dongshan took out an object from his snow-white sleeve, struck a crane stance, held up a demon-revealing mirror, and aimed it at the woman, shouting, “Demon spirits, where can you run? Quickly reveal your true form!”

It didn’t work? The white-robed youth frowned slightly, put the ancient mirror back into his sleeve, and then took out a new one. With a jump, he changed positions, shifted his body, and landed on a verdant lotus leaf beside him. As he leapt into the air, he tossed the ancient mirror, caught it with the other hand, and shouted, “Freeze!”

After that, he took out two more ancient mirrors. The four most famous demon-revealing mirrors in the vast world were all shown off by the white-robed youth. Two of them were refined by the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Residence and the sect where Fu Yu Xuan was located. The other two were the “Mountain Mirror,” known as such in Golden Armor Isle, and the Water Mirror of Great Dragon Pool. The latter two respectively absorbed and refined the essence of the sun and the radiance of the moon, each with its own strengths. The Mountain Mirror had great killing power and broke through obstacles quickly, while the Water Mirror could better find traces of demons and monsters, leaving them nowhere to hide.

The four people on the grasshopper boat looked at each other.

Especially the targeted woman, Palace Yan, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Had her group run into a mountain immortal master with a brain problem?

The white-robed youth, who had essentially returned to his starting point, disappointedly put away the demon-revealing mirror. “Ha, misunderstanding, misunderstanding. It’s just that this sister is too beautiful. As the old saying goes, encountering someone in the mountains is either an alluring ghost or a fox spirit.”

Creek Barbarian looked at the old man, and Li Ba nodded, indicating that he could take action, maintain a sense of proportion, and see if he could find out the other party’s cultivation level.

The burly man’s figure suddenly surged, and the water level of the lotus pond around the boat suddenly dropped. The distant lake water churned, and the waterways rose in layers, spreading towards the shore. Only the pavilion where the youth in the yellow hat was located remained unaffected.

Creek Barbarian, a ninth-realm martial artist, struck the white-robed youth’s forehead with an elbow. The other party had no power to resist and was driven into the water like a slanting arrow. After a moment, the white-robed youth poked his head out in the distance, wiped his face, swam over, reached out and grabbed a lotus branch swaying with the water, then grabbed a lotus leaf leaning towards him, flipped his body, jumped onto the leaf, and jumped up and down, cursing loudly, “You thief, daring to commit violence and hurt people, this matter is not over. You wait, I’ll go call for help, don’t run if you have the guts…”

Cui Dongshan suddenly stopped talking, his face full of self-pity, stomping his feet and saying, “I never thought I would become the person I hated the most back then. My actions are just like a spoiled son of a wealthy family who harasses a virtuous woman on the street and is then beaten to the ground by a hero, and after getting up, only dares to run away, while running away, he still yells at people and utters threats?!”

Creek Barbarian gathered his voice into a line, reminding the other three, “This one is tricky.”

The woman glanced at the yellow veil and sneered, “Jade Daoist, can you even tolerate this?”

The yellow veil smiled, “Be careful not to capsize in the gutter. I can tolerate it a little longer.”

Xiao Mo watched the farce from afar, with no intention of interfering.

He was just a sworn follower of his young master. Moreover, this Sect Leader Cui was his young master’s proud disciple, so Xiao Mo didn’t need to worry about his safety.

Cui Dongshan looked at the voluptuous beauty, took out a ruler mirror engraved with the inscription “Shang Da Shan” from his sleeve again, “Oh? This sister’s ancient mirror hanging on her waist looks so familiar. Old friends meeting old friends, tears welling up in their eyes?”

Palace Yan said helplessly, “This guy is so annoying.”

Xiao Mo leaned against the pavilion pillar and raised the mountain-walking staff in his hand. “I advise you not to act rashly. The intention to kill is easily aroused, and spilled water is hard to recover.”

The white-robed youth seemed to have found a backer, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly, “Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Mr. Xiao Mo told you to be honest, to be well-behaved, to restrain yourselves, and to speak to me politely!”

Xiao Mo did not deny that if this Sect Leader Cui was just a passerby they had just met, his words and deeds were indeed quite annoying.

In the boat, the Jade Daoist, the one with the highest cultivation level, seemed to be unable to bear the white-robed youth’s absurd behavior any longer and planned to take action personally.

In an instant, the youth in the yellow hat and green shoes arrived at the grasshopper boat, standing on one side of the boat’s edge, lightly holding the Jade Daoist’s brow with the mountain-walking staff.

A green bamboo staff was like a cyan long sword, and at the tip of the sword, the Jade Daoist’s forehead oozed blood.

“Friend Yellow Veil, cultivation is not easy. Cherish your life.”

Xiao Mo smiled and said, “Walking the world, you often stand by the riverbank, how can you not wet your shoes? Only knowing how to fight and kill, you won’t go far.”

The white-robed youth began to make trouble again, clapping his hands quickly but without a sound.

Just as Creek Barbarian was about to make a move, he was sent flying out as if he had been hit by hundreds of sword energies at the same time. Stepping on the surface of the lotus pond, he retreated again and again. Those invisible sword energies were extremely measured, as if they were only meant to knock a ninth-realm peak martial artist out of the boat.

A man and a woman appeared on the shore of the lotus pond.

Xiao Mo put away the mountain-walking staff, left the boat, and disappeared in a flash, coming to his young master’s side.

As soon as Cui Dongshan saw his teacher, he immediately transformed, followed Xiao Mo to Chen Ping An’s side, and introduced Yellow Veil and Li Ba with his mind-voice.

After hearing this, Chen Ping An cupped his fists towards the four people in the boat from afar, and then told Cui Dongshan to call Qiu Du to leave this place together.
Zhi Gui suddenly spoke telepathically, “Chen Ping’an, give a message to that old horned dragon. Tell her I’ll let her take ten percent of the dragon palace treasures. This dragon palace will close in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. If she has the nerve to steal things here, and even more nerve to disobey my orders, then the old horned dragon will bear the consequences!”

Chen Ping’an laughed, “As expected of the Water Lord of the Eastern Sea, such immense authority.”

Zhi Gui rolled her eyes at him.

Chen Ping’an, with Cui Dongshan and Xiao Mo, waited outside the dragon palace ruins for about half an incense stick’s time before Qiu Du scurried out in a panic.

They then rode the wind back to Immortal Capital Mountain together.

Cui Dongshan, moving with the grace of a grebe on water, chuckled, “Teacher, Lady Zhi Gui is now learning to recruit soldiers and buy horses. She’s really making progress.”

Now, in the Vast World, apart from the Central Earth’s Five Peaks, including Mount Sui, Mount Jiuyi, and Mount Yanzhi, there are also the Five Lakes and Four Seas. Currently, the rank and position of these mountain and river deities are relatively high, all being of the First Rank from the Golden Jade Register established by the Confucian Temple. However, although the Water Lords of the Five Lakes have the same rank as the Water Lords of the Four Seas, the difference in the water territories they govern is like heaven and earth.

Among them, the land water transport master of the vast Central Earth Continent is Lady Tan Tan of Lu Water Pit.

According to the territorial division of the Four Seas Water Lords, the Eastern Sea waters governed by Zhi Gui include the vast waters outside the land of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent and the Southeastern Tongye Continent.

Therefore, the reason Zhi Gui chose the Tongye Continent’s dragon palace ruins is that the focus of her future management of the Water Mansion, besides pursuing clear rivers and peaceful seas within her jurisdiction, is to also support the rise of the Yao Dynasty in central Tongye Continent, the Yu Dynasty in the north, and the former Yuan Clan of Dayuan, apart from the Dali Dynasty of Treasure Bottle Continent. These new and old dynasties’ strength and prosperity will help Zhi Gui increase and strengthen her own dragon aura.

And the newly appointed Water Lord of the Southern Sea will govern the Southern Poso Continent and the Southwestern Fuyu Continent.

Therefore, if Chen Ping’an wants to mend the mountains and rivers of the three continents, the ones he truly needs to deal with are Zhi Gui, his old neighbor, and Li Yehou, the former Water Lord of Jiaoyue Lake, whom he had met once at the Merit Forest, one of the honored guests who congratulated his teacher on regaining his status in the Confucian Temple.

Because of the Mountain and Sea Sect’s Mountain and Water Gazette, it is estimated that all the peak cultivators now know that Chen Ping’an has obtained a portion of the traction river water transport from the barbaric world.

Perhaps the newly appointed Water Lord of the Southern Sea will soon secretly send an envoy to take the initiative to visit, or even Li Yehou might take the time to personally visit Fallen Mountain.

Cui Dongshan asked the old woman with a grin, “Awkward, isn’t it?”

The old woman’s smile was forced.

It was indeed extremely awkward, so much so that she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.

According to a mountain saying in Tongye Continent, this is called “Jiang Shangzhen looking in the mirror, displeasing inside and out.”

How could she have imagined that this unassuming Chen Sword Immortal was not only the Hidden Official of Sword Qi Great Wall, but also had been neighbors with that true dragon for many years.

In the previous half incense stick of time, Wang Zhu had accompanied her the whole way, even helping the old woman pick out several water-based treasures. Refuse? How dare Qiu Du refuse to accept them?

Chen Ping’an smiled and comforted her, “Old Granny, there’s no need to feel awkward. Some misunderstandings are just human nature. Once clarified, there’s no need to hold grudges.”

Many things that are difficult to let go of, what is cherished today may be laughed off next year.

The old woman felt a little relieved. “Chen Sword Immortal is magnanimous. It was indeed my short-sightedness and measuring a gentleman’s heart with a petty person’s yardstick. Now, I have made a laughingstock of myself, and it is my own fault.”

Qiu Du had already made up her mind to change her original intention. For Cu Cu’s sake, what did she care about face? Now that she knew the true identity of the Chen Sword Immortal beside her, what was there to be vague about? The old woman immediately pressed the matter forward, “Chen Sword Immortal, this trip to Immortal Capital Mountain with Mountain Master Ye was originally for Cu Cu’s future. Even if Sect Master Cui doesn’t invite us, I would shamelessly follow Mountain Master Ye. I don’t dare to expect Cu Cu to become Chen Sword Immortal’s direct disciple, I only ask that Cu Cu’s name be on the Golden Jade Register of Immortal Capital Mountain’s Ancestral Hall.”

What guest elder, that was too small-minded.

As for the Water Lord of the Eastern Sea, Wang Zhu, the only true dragon in the world, the old woman had tasted some aftertaste.

She and the cyan-robed sword immortal beside her, who excelled in both wind spirit and law, had been neighbors for many years, and there was quite a story between them!

Xiao Mo smiled and used telepathy to reveal the secrets to her young master.

In Xiao Mo’s opinion, cultivators below the Ascension Realm should not think too deeply.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an said bluntly, “To be honest, even if Old Granny dares to send Cu Cu to Immortal Capital Mountain to cultivate, I wouldn’t dare to accept her.”

Before, in that matchmaking shop by the river, the girl dared to randomly tie herself to Huangyi Yun with a red string, fearless of heaven and earth, her personality was too carefree.

To put it bluntly, the little girl was the kind of person who only considered the beginning and not the end of things.

Qiu Du cautiously glanced at the cyan-robed sword immortal.

For no reason, the old woman felt a little guilty.

Cu Cu, that little girl, really liked to randomly match people up.

Not only had she secretly tied Chen Ping’an and Ye Yunyun with a red string before, but in fact, just this year, she had encountered two outsiders, an old scholar and a wooden man, traveling through the Chililin River. During their rest at a tea shed, Cu Cu almost caused trouble.

Cui Dongshan said softly, “Teacher, I dare to accept her.”

His own upper sect was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with a wealth of talent, sword immortals like clouds, and grandmasters like rain.

But his own lower sect was just starting out and urgently needed talent. That little girl, according to Xiao Mo, was descended from the ancient Moon Clan, and although her bloodline was thin, her aptitude for cultivation was indeed good, “with hopes of reaching Jade Purity.”

With hopes of reaching Jade Purity, that meant she was a confirmed Nascent Soul Earth Immortal. One must not underestimate the Earth Immortals. In peaceful times, Earth Immortal cultivators were often the face of a sect outside the mountain, and a golden signboard at that, just like Huangyi Yun’s Pu Mountain Cloud Grass Hall. Did Ye Yunyun really manage everything? Wasn’t it the Law Master Tan Rong and disciples like Xue Huai who were running around outside, busy with everything?

Besides, this old horned dragon had one good point: she was protective of her own!

Wasn’t that a natural fit for their sect’s style?

Chen Ping’an glanced sideways.

Cui Dongshan immediately changed his tune and said, “Teacher is right!”

When the group returned to Immortal Capital Mountain’s Dense Snow Peak, Ye Yunyun immediately found Chen Ping’an, saying that the two disciples and teachers should have a martial exchange.