The three departed Wu Kui City, prompting a chorus of whistles from atop the city walls.

“So what if Ning Yao’s here? We still have Second Shopkeeper!”

Everyone at Sword Qi Great Wall knew that outside of the Ning Estate, Ning Yao gave Second Shopkeeper plenty of respect. As for whether Second Shopkeeper would be kneeling on a washboard back at the Estate, that was none of their business.

Traveling on the wind, Chen Ping An smiled and said, “Let’s take a look at Fuxian Lake first.”

The Ascending City now boasted two immortal ferry crossings: the Summer Retreat Ferry within the Summer Retreat City in the far north, and the Soul-Entrancing Ferry, built on Fuxian Lake at the foot of Purple Mansion Mountain, Deng Liang’s cultivation ground. One in the north, one in the south, perfect for commerce in both directions.

Summer Retreat Palace, Summer Retreat City, Summer Retreat Ferry…

Naming things was proving easy and effortless.

Ning Yao, with a straight face, said, “It’s not like we could think of any particularly good names.”

Chen Ping An nodded. “If there are too many good names, choosing becomes difficult indeed.”

Ning Yao glanced at Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo immediately explained, “My Lady, the reason Master hasn’t gone straight to Ascending City is because Master, due to bearing the true names of great demons and being connected to the half of the city wall where he merged with the Dao, is separated from this world. Therefore, he is naturally repelled by the invisible Dao rhythm of the Ascending City territory, even regarded as some kind of potential threat of uncertain allegiance. If Master were to rashly enter Ascending City, it would be mistaken for a sword challenge.”

Xiao Mo pressed down on his hat, apologetically adding, “This matter is also due to Xiao Mo’s origins. Accompanying Master here is like confirming Master’s identity as a great demon.”

Ning Yao was utterly confused.

Could an Ascending Realm city possess sentience, like a cultivator whose apertures had opened and developed spiritual wisdom?

Like the sword spirit of the immortal sword “Innocence” in her sword sheath?

But as an Ascending Realm cultivator herself, why was she unaware of this?

Chen Ping An then explained, likening it to his hometown’s Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, which had once nurtured a golden incense figurine, hidden in Chen Ping An’s paulownia sword sheath and eventually given to Old Yang. Such wonders of nature, akin to a cultivator’s nascent soul, were ignorant at first, with ill-defined intellect and a volatile temper, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Naturally, the incense figurine of Ascending City, nurtured by its unique landscape, would be even more temperamental.

Chen Ping An said, “Chen Ji should be the only one who has noticed this. He deliberately didn’t tell you, likely for his own reasons.”

Initially, Chen Ping An had hoped that even if Ascending City truly possessed this fortune, it couldn’t have developed sentience so quickly in just over a decade, remaining mostly in a dormant state. Furthermore, Chen Ping An carried the Hidden Official jade token, which could, to some extent, prove his identity. However, even after taking out the token and hanging it on his waist, the effect was limited. Upon approaching Ascending City with Xiao Mo, Chen Ping An felt as if he were facing a Grandmaster of Martial Arts in the God Manifestation Realm, subtly being reasoned with.

Halt your steps, dare to approach, and face my fist.

This meant that if Chen Ping An forced his way into Ascending City, it would be tantamount to a sword challenge.

With Xiao Mo at his side, entering Ascending City would be no problem, but Chen Ping An was unwilling to expend even a trace of Ascending City’s spiritual energy.

Therefore, Chen Ping An planned to “become familiar” with the surroundings of Ascending City before finding Ning Yao in the city. He would first explain himself outside the city and find a way to ensure he wouldn’t harm the ethereal Ascending City incense figurine before entering.

He would take a foreigner’s perspective to examine three places, hoping to find ways to improve Ascending City from the subtle details. First, the Wu Kui City of the Punishment Official lineage, then the Summer Retreat City of the Hidden Official lineage, and finally, the Soul-Entrancing Ferry of the Springs Office lineage.

Ning Yao suddenly understood why she had sensed something amiss. That was why she had risen into the air on her sword to inspect the surroundings, quickly discovering Xiao Mo’s figure.

Ning Yao softly asked, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Had she known, she wouldn’t have appeared directly at the entrance of Wu Kui City, possibly disrupting his plans.

Chen Ping An smiled. “The situation will improve greatly once I re-enter the Jade Pure Realm. If I reach the Immortal Realm one day, coming to Ascending City will be no problem at all.”

A nascent soul realm cultivator found it difficult to truly suppress the true names of those great demons, especially in the current Savage World, which held a number of ancient cultivators of similar “Dao age” to Xiao Mo. Among them were the true names of three great demons that Stitching Woman Nian Xin had helped Chen Ping An stitch.

Xiao Mo smiled. “In a few days, it will be the Start of Spring in Vastness World, and it so happens that Master has just recovered to the Nascent Soul Realm. Generally speaking, he should remain in the Immortal Capital Mountain Daoist temple to continue stabilizing his realm. Therefore, this journey to the Five-Colored World was Master’s spur-of-the-moment decision, and Xiao Mo couldn’t dissuade him.”

Thanks to the prayer chapter of the Buried River Ancient Stele, forming the golden core and reaching the nascent soul realm were both matters that Chen Ping An had long since mastered.

Ning Yao glanced at Chen Ping An, thinking, *Such well-coordinated teamwork, did you two rehearse before coming here?*

Chen Ping An exclaimed, “Heaven and earth are my witnesses!”

Ning Yao asked, “Is it a good thing? Are there any additional precautions to take, any hidden drawbacks?”

Chen Ping An clapped his fist into his palm, his eyes shining with excitement, and nodded, smiling. “Of course, it’s a good thing, and a great one at that! There are no side effects, not even a ‘benefits outweigh drawbacks’ situation. It’s truly only beneficial, absolutely a stroke of great fortune that the Daoists of White Jade Capital would desperately seek!”

In reality, being repelled by Ascending City was a tricky situation for Chen Ping An, but for Ascending City as a whole, it was an incredible boon.

Because it meant that Ascending City had not only truly integrated into the Five-Colored World but had even gained the approval of this world’s Great Dao, receiving some kind of “Heavenly Grace.”

Unlike White Jade Capital and the Western Buddhist sects, where only cultivators crossed the gate into the Five-Colored World, the sword cultivators of Ascending City had brought an entire city, forcibly severing the river of time and “ascending” here on their swords.

To illustrate how rare this gift of Heavenly Dao was, consider this:

If any Ascending Realm great cultivator wanted to secretly sneak into this place, it would trigger some kind of celestial phenomenon.

As long as Ning Yao was in the city at the time, she could immediately sense something was wrong.
This kind of profound and mysterious city-protecting grand formation is simply designed to target all cultivators at the Fourteenth Realm and Ascended Realm.

Moreover, it doesn’t consume the slightest bit of heaven and earth spiritual energy from Ascended City, nor does it require a single immortal coin.

Arriving at伏仙 Lake (Fu Xian Lake), they descended together. Chen Ping’an squatted by the shore, cupping water in one hand,凝 (ning – condensed) it into a jade-green water sphere, carefully examining the subtleties and flows of the water’s fortune. Then, with the other hand, he twisted and cupped a handful of heaven and earth’s aura, a mixture of purity and turbidity, like clouds swirling around his fingertips.

When building an immortal ferry, the most crucial thing is “hydrology and geography”. Even ordinary ferries in waterfront dynasties need to find deep-water ports and determine the draft of ships. Because Chen Ping’an is at least half an expert in a series of immortal ferries, including 牛角渡 (Niu Jiao Du – Ox Horn Ferry). He released his hands, looked around, and saw that the ferry had no elaborate carvings, appearing extremely rough.

This is actually correct. Determine the general direction, build the framework, be pragmatic, and it is enough for the ferry to be able to dock and set sail.

Ascended City is far from being refined in all aspects. That is something to be considered at least a hundred years later.

A sword light cut through the night sky, landing at the foot of the mountain. Deng Liang held his fist high and said loudly, “Greetings, Hidden Official!”

Looking at the man in the green shirt, Deng Liang was in a great mood. This fellow has finally returned.

Deng Liang really wants to pour out his bitterness to the person in front of him about some things.

Ascended City has a complex web of relationships. In recent Ancestral Hall discussions,

Take 避暑行宮 (Bi Shu Xing Gong – Summer Palace) for example. It’s not that Ning Yao, the temporary Hidden Official, is difficult to negotiate with, but rather that she is too easy to negotiate with. It’s simply a matter of whether something succeeds or fails, without any hesitation.

However, being accustomed to the atmosphere of the Summer Palace in the early years, Deng Liang always felt that something was missing.

Ning Yao, as the number one person in the world, has too high a realm. On the path of cultivation, she gallops ahead, making it difficult for everyone to catch up. Like a towering tree, its shade covers the city. In fact, even Dong Bude and others do not truly regard Ning Yao as a Hidden Official with a pure identity in their hearts. And Ning Yao’s ideas, such as swordsmanship, cultivation, and battlefield sword delivery, are straightforward.

In the past, the Summer Palace, from Chen Ping’an to the Sword Immortal Chou Miao, to Lin Junbi, Dong Bude and all others, all the sword cultivators of the Hidden Official lineage complemented each other. Regardless of their different personalities and backgrounds, whether they were local or foreign sword cultivators, as long as something was put on the table for discussion, often everyone could not only solve the immediate problem, but also follow the vine and solve three or five or even all related problems on the same vein.

Moreover, Deng Liang has been away from his hometown for many years and also wants to know some news about 九都山 (Jiu Du Shan – Nine Capital Mountain) from the Hidden Official.

Chen Ping’an clasped his hands in return and smiled, “Greetings, Chief Deng.”

Together they ascended 紫府山 (Zi Fu Shan – Purple Mansion Mountain), which used to be an ancient relic, and arrived at the summit. Chen Ping’an squatted in front of the stone tablet.

Deng Liang squatted beside him and said generously, “Don’t blame me for using my position for personal gain. I will snatch this opportunity even if I have to.”

Chen Ping’an啧啧 (ze ze) exclaimed, “These words sound wrong. Like a jar of soured wine, it sounds like betraying the Hidden Official lineage and defecting to the Criminal Official.”

He cursed and pointed the spearhead directly at the head of the Criminal Official lineage, “Damn Qi Shou, he’s even digging at the foundation of our Summer Palace. I’ve been treating him as a good brother with all my heart.”

Deng Liang just listened.

Qi Shou also had bad luck. He encountered Chen Ping’an when guarding the pass, and then the two sides began to clash. As a result, Qi Shou happened to be neighbors with Chen Ping’an and Cheng Quan during his tenure on the city wall.

There are several old sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall who are famously fearless. Cheng Quan is definitely one of them. Because he has fallen in realm, Cheng Quan has always been unreserved in his words to the old Sword Immortal Qi Tingji, who owns a flying sword “兵解 (bing jie – Soldier Dissolution)” and nicknamed “齐上路 (Qi Shang Lu – Qi On the Road).”

Chen Ping’an still carefully examined the inscription on the stele. There are not many words, but there are many meanings. Moreover, the stele head, stele body, and stele base are all knowledge that can help future generations “到代 (dao dai – reach the era)”, identifying the year.

Before leaving Ascended City, he must come here to make a rubbing of the stele and go back to give it to Liu Jinglong for research. Anyway, everything is complete inside a 咫尺物 (zhi chi wu – miniature world), and it can be completed in at most a quarter of an hour.

Chen Ping’an handed over a jar of wine, the 百花釀 (Bai Hua Niang – Hundred Flower Brew) given by Aunt Feng.

Deng Liang recognized the goods, caught the wine jar, “Is it?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “You guessed it.”

Deng Liang held the wine jar and unhesitatingly stretched out his hand again, “Give me another jar. I’ll drink one jar and keep one jar. Later, help me bring it back to the Ancestral Hall of Nine Capital Mountain. It’s very useful.”

Knocking off Deng Liang’s palm with his elbow, Chen Ping’an smiled, “The face of a chief offering is different. Okay, I’ve already reserved two jars of Hundred Flower Brew for you. When I travel to 皚皚洲 (Ai Ai Zhou – Snowy Continent) in the future, I’ll send them to Nine Capital Mountain in your name.”

Deng Liang entered Ascended City in the sixth year of 嘉春 (Jia Chun), almost a year later than Zheng Dafeng.

Deng Liang’s greeting gift to Ascended City was not light. He brought a large batch of mountain resources unique to Nine Capital Mountain: sixty jars of secret 歲旦酒 (Sui Dan Jiu – New Year’s Day Wine), three hundred ghost-repelling talismans known as 綠筋金書 (Lv Jin Jin Shu – Green Vein Golden Book), and eight hundred catties of immortal rice called 重思米 (Chong Si Mi – Heavy Thinking Rice). In Chen Ping’an’s view, if the wine and talismans are icing on the cake, then the rice seeds are a real help in the snow. Now, this kind of immortal rice has begun to be widely planted in the Purple Mansion Mountain area and 武魁城 (Wu Kui Cheng – Martial Champion City).

Many ideas coincided.

The only problem is that the current Ascended City is wholeheartedly devoted to expansion. Some of the suggestions made by Chief Offering Deng Liang have not been adopted by the Ancestral Hall, but can only be put on hold temporarily, or not given enough attention.

This is also normal. There are too many things to do, and things that can be done at hand, are too many.

In fact, the three veins of cultivators in Ascended City have done a good job.

He politely declined Deng Liang’s invitation and did not go to his mansion for a drink. Now Deng Liang has also accepted two disciples and a group of registered disciples, and has decided to establish a lower sect for Nine Capital Mountain here.

Riding the wind away from Purple Mansion Mountain, Ning Yao spoke to Chen Ping’an with her mind. Chen Ping’an immediately asked Xiao Mo to go to Ascended City first, and then sacrificed a 籠中雀 (Long Zhong Que – Caged Bird).

Ning Yao’s face turned slightly red, and she took off the 法袍金醴 (Fa Pao Jin Li – Law Robe Golden Sweet Dew) on her body, and then took off the sword box, handing them all to Chen Ping’an, like a very special passport, helping Chen Ping’an enter Ascended City.
Chen Ping’an only blinked, and Ning Yao had already donned a standard Dharma robe from the old Clothing Workshop.

Ning Yao said, “Don’t delay your cultivation.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, putting on the Dharma robe Golden Libation and holding the sword box in his arms.

Ning Yao said, “I’m not joking with you.”

If this love could last forever, why fret over every morning and evening? Especially for mountain cultivators who hoped to truly achieve immortality, a few decades were indeed nothing.

Chen Ping’an put away the caged sparrow and nodded, “Recently, at Immortal Capital Mountain, I’ve been more diligent in my cultivation than ever before, almost like when I first started learning the Mountain-Shaking Fist.”

Ning Yao nodded and said, “Once we’re home, I’ll be entering secluded cultivation, but if anything comes up, just knock on the door, it won’t hinder my practice.”

This was a uniquely Ning Yao statement.

Chen Ping’an asked, puzzled, “Why are you going into seclusion again?”

It seemed that since he’d known Ning Yao, she had only entered seclusion twice, the last time not long ago, when she was in Dali’s capital, needing to stabilize her Ascension Realm, first layer, cultivation.

Ning Yao glanced at him, hesitant.

Chen Ping’an became even more curious, “What is it?”

Ning Yao spoke in a mental voice, “I need to prepare early to reach the Fourteenth Realm. The path is there, but there are about two or three thresholds to cross.”

Chen Ping’an rubbed his face, silent.

Xiao Mo should really listen to this. After cultivating for ten thousand years, he still hadn’t truly found the path to becoming a pure sword cultivator in the Fourteenth Realm. Xiao Mo, aren’t you ashamed?

Ning Yao’s lips curled up, then quickly suppressed the smile.

She’d heard that someone had once boasted to the great demon Yuanxiong at Tuoyue Mountain, “If I were your age, you wouldn’t even see my sword strike.”

The two didn’t travel fast. Xiao Mo concealed his presence in the sky above the boundary of Ascension City, waiting for a long time.

Compared to Chen Ping’an, who carried the true name of a great demon, Ascension City was less wary and hostile towards Xiao Mo. This was actually somewhat related to Xiao Mo’s swordplay lineage being too “orthodox.”

After all, if one were to be picky, without talking about the root of the Great Dao, only discussing the lineage, Xiao Mo could even be considered a martial sibling of the Old Sword Immortal, Chen Qingdu.

Ning Yao brought the two down to the practice field in their home, then went into secluded cultivation on her own. Anyway, a certain someone was very familiar with the place.

Chen Ping’an had already returned the sword box to Ning Yao’s embrace.

The vast Ning Manor…

Seemed even more empty and quiet.

Missing two old people, gone was the Dragon-Slaying Cliff.

Chen Ping’an’s residence was clean and tidy, the bedding folded neatly, without any sign of decay, likely because it was often taken out to bask in the sun.

Across the courtyard, on a table in the side room, were some unfinished blank seals from back then, piled up like a small mountain, along with several booklets filled with poetry and phrases copied from books. If Fatty Yan’s silk shop had been in business for a few more months, there would probably be an additional “Three Hundred Sword Immortal Seal” manual by now.

Back then, Dong Bude had asked the Second Shopkeeper, who was doing a booming business in seals, for three collector’s seals for herself and two of her闺阁 friends, who were female sword cultivators, namely Situ Longqiu and Guan Mei.

Dong Bude was generous, directly giving Chen Ping’an a large piece of precious Immortal Material called Frostfall Jade, heavy, weighing seven or eight pounds. It was a treasure of heaven and earth worth a fortune in the Vast World.

According to the agreement, the remaining “scraps” from the three seals would be used as the Second Shopkeeper’s wages.

As a result, Chen Ping’an carved twelve extremely small blank seals from those scraps, using Flying Sword Fifteen as his “carving knife,” each private seal costing one Minor Heat coin, no haggling.

Among them was the collector’s seal with the inscription “Observe the Dao, Observe the Dao, Observe the Dao” on the bottom. It remained a mystery as to who owned it now.

If it had fallen into the hands of discerning experts in the Vast World, who could “find clues according to a map” based on the “Hundred Sword Immortal Seal” and “Two Hundred Sword Immortal Seal” manuals, confirming it as a genuine article, like Tan Rong, the Law-Enforcing Master of Cloud-Grass Hall in Pu Mountain, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to spend a Grain Rain coin to buy it, if he could.

Chen Ping’an twirled the lamp wick with two fingers, instantly lighting a lamp on the table. Then he sat down, opened the booklet, and asked with a smile, “Xiao Mo, come take a look, is there any inscription you particularly want? I can give it to you.”

Xiao Mo sat beside him, took the booklet, carefully flipped through each page, then stopped and said with a smile, “Young Master, how about this one?”

Chen Ping’an turned his head and glanced at the inscription on the page. It was the phrase “The pure and unrestrained spirit is like Taia emerging from its sheath.” Ho, Xiao Mo had good taste, quite discerning.

Raising his chin, Chen Ping’an took out a brand-new carving knife from his sleeve. He’d personally forged the knife during his free time cultivating in the Immortal Capital Mountain dojo. “Choosing your own seal, this kind of treatment is rare.”

Xiao Mo stood up, selected a blank seal that was the tallest, like a solitary peak, and handed it to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands, and blew on them, returning to his old trade. He wondered if he’d become rusty. After doing a few stretches to loosen his arms, since this was a gift for Xiao Mo and not a money-making venture, he needed to put in some effort.

As Chen Ping’an sat at the table, carving, the only sound in the room was the rustling of clothes.

When his Young Master twirled the seal with two fingers, having finished carving several lines of hastily composed inscriptions on the side, slightly raised it, and gently blew away the seal shavings, Xiao Mo softly said, “Young Master, nothing unusual has been found in either Martial Champion City or Tuoyue City for the time being.”

Chen Ping’an simply hummed softly, continuing to bury himself in the carving.

Earlier, when Ning Yao appeared in Martial Champion City, Chen Ping’an had Xiao Mo travel far with his Yin Soul, then rush to Tuoyue City with his Yang Soul, looking at the changes in the heartstrings of the cultivators in both cities.

Like a hurried and impromptu piece of work.

But Xiao Mo’s true form, sitting quietly at the table at this moment, knew that his Young Master wasn’t truly willing to do this, but had to.

And this impromptu trip was not because the Young Master was worried about the vibrant Ascension City, but because he was worried about Ning Yao.

As for the reason, the Young Master only gave a strange analogy, without elaborating.

He only said it was a very troublesome riddle, a riddle with both the question and the answer given.

It was related to the female Taoist Huang Ting of Taiping Mountain and the disciple she had taken in this world.

In fact, besides Ning Yao, there was another guest at Ning Manor at this moment, not a local from Ascension City, but a survivor from Tongye Continent. More precisely, a descendant of those survivors who had sought refuge in the Five-Colored World.

It was a little girl, born in the Five-Colored World.

Therefore, whatever year of Jiachun it was in the Five-Colored World, that was how old she was.
It was Huang Ting’s only disciple collected here, surnamed Feng, named Yuanxiao, seemingly because she was born on the Yuanxiao Festival of the Jiachun year, her parents gave her this name.

Huang Ting didn’t take her to the Great Harmony World at that time, but entrusted Ning Yao to take care of her. The little girl was left in the Ning Mansion of Ascending City.

Chen Ping’an initially thought she would be a little girl similar to Chai Wu, with a cultivation aptitude that would be heaven-defying.

However, Ning Yao said that the little girl’s cultivation aptitude was average, very average, but she was honest and simple, and very likable. If she hadn’t met the blessed Huang Ting, it would have been unlikely for Feng Yuanxiao to embark on the path of cultivation and ascension.

But precisely because of this, Chen Ping’an’s mood was not relaxed.

There are several types of cultivation geniuses.

Ning Yao is one extreme.

Another type is like Huang Ting of Tongye Continent, He Xiaoliang of the former Divine Edict Sect, and Xu Yuan, who has the nickname “Young Jiang Taigong” in Middle Earth Divine Continent.

Xiao Mo suddenly said, “I didn’t agree to go to Fiyao Continent with you before. If you are angry, scold me a few times.”

It turned out that Chen Ping’an had discussed a matter with Xiao Mo, asking if Xiao Mo could make a trip to the Fiyao Continent mines to meet with several Great Harmony World sword immortals.

Xiao Mo did not agree. Since he was his master’s sworn protector, there was no reason for him to leave the territory of Xiandu Mountain and had to stay by his side at all times.

Once an accident happened to the master’s cultivation, Xiao Mo would not be able to atone for it even with ten thousand deaths.

This was also the first time that the usually easy-going Xiao Mo had refused Chen Ping’an’s request.

“I will definitely be a little upset that you refused this matter, but I definitely won’t be angry.”

Under the lamplight, his master looked gentle and amiable, shaking his head gently and smiling, “Xiao Mo, believe me, everyone should have their own life. Perhaps a good life is when we can be responsible for our own lives. Right?”

Xiao Mo smiled, “The master’s reasoning is always right.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head, no longer speaking. After carving the seal, he took a deep breath, stretched, and asked with a smile, “Xiao Mo, do you want to have some supper? I’ll cook it myself, try my cooking?”

Xiao Mo nodded with a smile, sincerely saying, “I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

“Wait a moment.”

Chen Ping’an stood up and went to the kitchen familiarly, then took out the prepared ingredients, eggs, green peppers, scallions, and garlic, from his storage space, rolled up his sleeves, put on an apron, placed the cutting board, and arranged the bowls and plates. Xiao Mo, who was watching from the kitchen door, felt pleased just by looking at it. Chen Ping’an quickly stir-fried two large bowls of egg fried rice and brought them to the table in the main room, sitting opposite Xiao Mo, and they ate their meals.

Chen Ping’an put down his chopsticks, seeing that Xiao Mo was still chewing slowly, telling him to eat slowly. Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment and asked, “Xiao Mo, did you encounter any particularly strange Daoists in the Barren World back then?”

Xiao Mo swallowed a mouthful of rice and asked doubtfully, “Master, are you talking about the later Barren World, not the human world under the jurisdiction of the Old Heavenly Court?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I’m talking about the later Barren World.”

Xiao Mo shook his head, “I was seriously injured back then. I left those few cave abodes in the Barren World and quickly went to Haocai Bright Moon to rest. I didn’t encounter anything strange.”

Daoists and things that could be called “strange” by Xiao Mo, the Ascending Realm cultivators revered by later generations, of course, couldn’t be counted.

It had to be someone like the immortal guards with “wooden hairpins on their heads.”

Not to mention the new kings of the Barren World, even among the old kings, if it hadn’t been for Zhu Yan saving him, Xiao Mo would have killed Yangzhi back then.

As for the cause of the conflict between the two sides, it was very simple. It was just that Yangzhi ridiculed Xiao Mo a few times, thinking that Xiao Mo’s swordsmanship was “improperly obtained” and not as pure as the human sword cultivators like Chen Qingdu and Yuanxiang. It wasn’t even Yangzhi’s direct words to Xiao Mo, but it accidentally spread and was heard by Xiao Mo during his travels, which led to the sword duel and the chase.

There was no way, Bai Ze personally spoke, so he had to go. If he didn’t go, Bai Ze would take action. In ancient times, mountain peak Daoists from the demon race, no matter how good-tempered they were, couldn’t be too good.

And Xiao Mo and a few others were seriously injured at the time. Moreover, even if they weren’t injured, they would definitely not be able to beat the old master Bai, who never easily made a move, but when he did, it would be earth-shattering.

Otherwise, none of the fellow Daoists of the same age, including Xiao Mo, would have been willing to fall into slumber for the sake of healing their injuries. After all, that kind of “seclusion” was a long “hibernation” that might not have a chance to wake up, a true “great sleep and small death.”

Xiao Mo asked cautiously, “Master, is it because of the rejection of Ascending City that you thought of something?”

Chen Ping’an hummed, without any concealment, and directly told Xiao Mo what he was thinking, “I guess that every world has some kind of greatest suppression, so the three founders of the Three Teachings are traveling far away, and it is very likely that one of the most important things is to discuss the Dao with them separately.”

Xiao Mo smiled, “So Master is still worried about Madam.”

The so-called mystery, is it about the little girl named Feng Yuanxiao?

As for what the three founders of the Three Teachings are doing and thinking, Xiao Mo doesn’t really care. He is just an Ascending Realm sword cultivator, not even at the fourteenth realm yet, so he won’t get involved.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “It’s a kind of preparedness, but this kind of situation doesn’t really have a strict sense of good or bad. Both sides are born in response to the times and rise with the trend. To be precise, they are mutually suppressing relationships, not an either-or relationship.”

Because before in the Merit Forest, Chen Ping’an heard the Master tell a very old story. The Master said that when the Sage Confucius was traveling around the world in his early years, he passed by a river and met an old fisherman who was ferrying people across the river. The two sides had a discussion on the Dao, but they held their own opinions and no one could persuade the other.

In short, the Sage Confucius failed to cross the river by boat in the end, and the fisherman rowed away alone.

This seemingly small matter was not recorded in any texts in the Temple of Literature.

However, it was described in a fable fabricated by Lu Chen, as if the Third Master of White Jade Capital had witnessed it with his own eyes.

The Master would never deliberately tell his closed disciple some old stories in front of the students.

And at that time, the student Xi Ping’s expression was indeed strange, which helped to verify what Chen Ping’an was thinking.
Like that desolate world, Chen Ping’an suspected that Fei Ran was very likely the one who was suppressing the Barbarian Ancestor.

However, he didn’t rule out the possibility that there was an even more ancient and hidden existence, and that Fei Ran, who had now become the co-ruler of the desolate lands, was merely mutually suppressing it.

If it was the latter, then this enlightened master of the desolate world would be a few years younger than the Great Ancestor of the desolate lands, as well as Bai Ze and Xiao Mo.

Because this existence’s true age of cultivation would be exactly “the same age” as the desolate world, and it would surely be “coeval” with the entire world.

This cultivator, who could almost be regarded as the world’s fortune incarnate, would live and die with the world, born and deceased on the same day of the same month of the same year.

And the relationship between this “Daoist,” who could almost be seen as the embodiment of a world’s fortune, and the world’s foremost cultivator, would become very complex and subtle.

If their Great Daos diverged, it would be an extremely dangerous battle of the Great Daos.

If their Great Daos were in harmony, they could become true friends of the Great Dao.

Xiao Mo said, “If this were in the desolate world, regardless of whether we could determine the identity of this little girl, she would definitely be dead by now. To be precise, it would be a fate worse than death. They would use some kind of secret method to tightly confine her, stripping away her three souls and seven spirits, leaving at most one soul and one spirit, allowing her to reincarnate, lest they overdo it and face too much backlash from the world’s Great Dao. The rest would definitely be imprisoned in the four corners of the world, suffering the same fate as the ‘joint execution’ of that founding ancestor of the Military School.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Then let’s each cultivate and meet at the summit.”

Xiao Mo smiled and said, “The little girl is truly lucky to have met you and your wife, young master.”

Afterward, Chen Ping’an walked out of the residence alone, strolling leisurely under the starry sky.

Unconsciously, Chen Ping’an walked to the entrance of the mansion and sat in the small gatehouse.

Life is impermanent. Gatherings and separations are fleeting.

Nothing happened overnight.

At dawn, an old Golden Core cultivator came along the street outside, a pleasant surprise. Seeing the Second Shopkeeper in the gatehouse, he was immediately delighted without even needing to knock.

“Second Shopkeeper, you’re not a bookkeeper anymore, but a gatekeeper? Standing guard as punishment? What’s going on? As soon as I get back to the Sword Qi Great Wall, I get this kind of treatment? Should I go tell Ning Yao? This is outrageous and embarrassing; it damages the prestige of Lord Hidden Official.”

The Second Shopkeeper often got drunk at his own wine shop and was locked out. Old sword cultivators had once solemnly said that the Second Shopkeeper was pitiful. Coming home late at night, he would knock on the door and get no response, yet he wouldn’t dare to break in, not even having the courage to secretly climb over the wall. He could only lie down on the steps at the entrance and spend the night there.

The Second Shopkeeper walked out of the gatehouse, leaned against the doorway, hands in sleeves, and smiled.

The old cultivator sensed something was amiss and scurried up the steps, throwing a pot of wine at the same time. However, the Second Shopkeeper slapped it back. “Old Song, what kind of soul-reviving wine are you drinking so early in the morning? Didn’t you hug your bamboo wife enough last night?”

Yes, this was the real Second Shopkeeper; there was no mistaking it.

Ordinary people couldn’t speak with this kind of flavor.

The Acting Shopkeeper was also flamboyant in his speech, but still different from the Second Shopkeeper.

Sitting together on the steps outside the gate, this Old Song was, of course, one of the wine promoters from earlier years.

He was an old Golden Core at the Sword Qi Great Wall, formerly a cultivator from the Pill Workshop, who also helped record war merits. He liked wine and gambling, but his character was really bad. When he got drunk, he would be a mess of snot and tears. His gambling skills were poor, and his luck was even worse; he always lost. Although he was called Old Golden Core, it wasn’t necessarily because of his age. Before forming his Golden Core, he was also a fairly talented sword cultivator. When Old Song was young, even if he couldn’t be called a top-tier genius, he was still considered an outstanding figure among his generation. At the wine table, he always said how handsome he was in his youth, even Wu Chengpei and Mi Yu had to admit defeat.

Many older Nascent Soul Realm sword cultivators also liked to call him Old Song when drinking at the wine shop.

“Lord Hidden Official, how long do you plan to stay?”

“Are you short on money again?”

“We’re talking about emotions, what’s the point of talking about money?”

“Old Song, you’re at least a Golden Core, why didn’t you go to the Criminal Official line to get a job?”

“I didn’t go. The Ancestral Hall of Flying Ascensions City doesn’t want me, and I don’t have the face to sit there. Your Summer Resort Palace doesn’t accept me either. I’d like to go, but I don’t have any connections. I’m stuck in the middle, just muddling along. You know, I can’t stand those young masters from big families like Qi Shou. I used to get Chen Sanqiu drunk all the time. I got a fairly lucrative job in Old Lin City, at least I didn’t have to read people’s faces. Unfortunately, as soon as I had some spare money, I gave it all to your wine shop, ordering two jugs of Green God Mountain wine at the beginning of each month, then drinking Bamboo Sea Grotto wine in the middle of the month, and finally drinking Dumb Lake wine at the end of the month. That’s how the month went by. Now, those little bastards, as long as they’re sword cultivators, don’t even talk about being sword immortal embryos. Their realms are not high, and their eyes are all on their foreheads. When they see me, Old Song, they don’t even invite me for a drink.”

“Didn’t the kids who wore split pants used to call you Old Song on the road?”

“It’s not the same, I can’t say exactly how it’s different, it’s just a feeling.”

Speaking of this, Old Song couldn’t help but take a sip of his wine.

“Second Shopkeeper, is it not very good?”

“It’s a good thing now, whether it will be good in the future is hard to say for sure.”

“Then you should do something about it.”

“Some things can only be taken one step at a time; otherwise, in the end, it will just be a matter of ‘if this, then that,’ a muddled mess full of resentment.”

“Second Shopkeeper, don’t give me all that highfalutin stuff. You finally came back, you can’t… how does that saying go again?”

“Stand idly by?”

“No, not that literary.”

“Is it a local saying from my hometown, standing on the shore watching the flood?”

“That’s right, that’s the one. But it sounds better in your dialect.”

“Running here to block the door so early in the morning, wouldn’t be just to show off that you’re still a bachelor, right?”

“It’s just that I miss you, Second Shopkeeper.”

“Old Song, in the future, when you and Feng Qi and the others go to the wine shop for a drink, you can make an exception to put it on credit. I’ll tell Zheng Dafeng, but remember not to publicize it, or else the shop won’t be able to open for business in the future.”

“That’s really good.”

“What are you thinking about? It’s just on credit, not free!”

“I understand, I understand.”

“You understand shit. Put it on credit in the middle of the month, pay it back at the beginning of the month.”
“As long as I can run a tab, it doesn’t matter if they know anything, even if they’re utterly clueless. Is this about money? It’s about face, about being the only one! Second Master, how about we make a deal? My friends can pay up front from now on; they have coin to spare. Just me, allow me to run a tab, what do you say? Their acting is still rough, they’ve almost blown our cover several times, been called shills more than once. Unlike me, barely anyone suspects the connection between us even now.”