Upon the summit of Beiyue’s (North Peak) Cloud-Veiled Mountain.

Ancient pines towered, beneath which reclined a man upon a white jade couch, his cheek propped up by a single hand, seemingly asleep yet not, smiling yet not.

Adorned in a snow-white robe, shod in Cloud-Treading Boots, a colorful sash cinched at his waist, a golden ring dangled from his ear.

Was he a god, an immortal, or a ghost? His beauty was like a painting.

Rumor had it that the five Mountain Lords of Treasure Bottle Continent each possessed their own allure.

Zhongyue (Central Peak) Jin Qing was the most venerable, exuding an ancient aura. Nanyue (South Peak)’s female Mountain Lord, Fan Junmao, was the most valiant.

Dongyue (East Peak)’s Mountain Lord possessed an ethereal air, while Xiyue (West Peak)’s was filled with chivalry.

But Beiyue’s Wei Bo, among the continent’s five revered Mountain Lords, was recognized as the most handsome, thus the most imbued with divine charisma.

According to a certain high-ranking little ear-reporting spirit from Fallen Phoenix Mountain, within Beiyue’s domain, the only ones who looked forward to attending the Night Sojourn Banquets were the female cultivators from various celestial lineages. They merely needed to steal a few glances at the tipsy, slightly flushed Wei Mountain Lord at the feast, and they would be intoxicated, even without drinking a single drop of wine.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping’an felt compelled to defend Wei Bo and inquired of Little Rice Grain, “Who’s spreading these rumors?”

Little Rice Grain replied that it was Bai Xuan, who apparently heard it from Jing Qing.

Furthermore, Jing Qing had incited Bai Xuan to participate in the next Night Sojourn Banquet, to overshadow Wei Bo and prevent him from becoming too arrogant and self-important.

At that moment, Wei Bo opened his pair of pure golden eyes, sat up, and smiled. “Where’s Xiao Mo?”

A well-placed question.

Chen Ping’an chuckled in exasperation. “I advise you to keep your designs away from Xiao Mo!”

Wei Bo chuckled. “Now you understand how I feel?”

Did it do any good to advise you people from Fallen Phoenix Mountain to keep your designs away from my bamboo groves?

Back then, wasn’t Little Rice Grain often enticed to come to my Cloud-Veiled Mountain to count the bamboo?

Qing Tong stood beside Chen Ping’an, examining the renowned Mountain Lord of the Vast Expanse through the veiled hat. He merely remarked that the matter of the Night Sojourn Banquet had almost become synonymous with Wei Bo of Cloud-Veiled Mountain.

It was said that this Mountain Lord of a great continent, formerly a remnant of the ancient Shu Kingdom’s Divine Water Nation, was demoted to a local Earth God. For some unknown reason, he gained the favor of National Preceptor Cui Chan and was elevated to a Mountain Lord of the Great Li Dynasty.

The rise and fall of this person’s fortunes were truly astonishing.

Now, both the Treasure Bottle Continent and the Northern Entirety Continent knew that Cloud-Veiled Mountain and Fallen Phoenix Mountain were allies as close as brothers.

However, it was interesting to note that the young Mountain Master of Fallen Phoenix Mountain had first set foot on Cloud-Veiled Mountain as a young apprentice kiln worker. After Wei Bo took charge of this mountain, becoming the Great Li’s Beiyue Mountain Lord, and Chen Ping’an also became the master of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, Wei Bo often visited Fallen Phoenix Mountain as a guest. Chen Ping’an had never actively ascended Cloud-Veiled Mountain.

It wasn’t until Chen Ping’an journeyed through the Desolate World and returned home that he brought Xiao Mo with him to climb the mountain. The generosity of the greeting gift made Wei Bo look forward to their next meeting.

Chen Ping’an smiled. “I won’t waste words with you.”

Subsequently, after Wei Bo learned of Chen Ping’an’s intention for this dreamlike spiritual journey, he nodded in agreement without hesitation. However, he couldn’t help but sigh. “When I learned that you had seized the abundant water fortune of the Yelu River, I thought you would go into seclusion for a period of time. With a bit of luck, after a few centuries, you might have had the chance to compete for the title of ‘First in Water Arts’ in the world. But now, not only can you not retain this water fortune, but you’re even willing to forgo merit and virtue.”

The Five Thunders Orthodox Arts of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Celestial Master Mansion, the fire arts of True Man Fire Dragon, and the earth arts of Wei She of Snowy White Continent, could all be considered to have reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Chen Ping’an first truly realized his affinity for water thanks to Wei Bo’s reminder.

Wei Bo said, “The East and West Mountains of Treasure Bottle Continent may not be willing to agree to this. Without the unanimous agreement of the continent’s five Mountain Lords, it will ultimately be a scattered mess, and the Mountain Incense effect will be greatly diminished.”

Dealing with mountain and water deities was difficult because “advantage couldn’t outweigh the Dao.” On the roads of the human world, the crowds bustled for profit, but it was different in the divine realm.

Just as Wei Bo was willing to agree to this matter, it wasn’t solely for the sake of that merit and virtue. Once consumed by greed, Wei Bo’s Mountain Lord golden body might develop problems.

Ultimately, there was a major premise at play: the various deities who lit a stick of incense needed to sincerely recognize Chen Ping’an himself.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an was the crucial “Mountain and Water Incense Bearer.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and smiled. “I’ve already prepared myself for rejection, which is why I came to your place first, to seek a good omen for a successful start.”

Wei Bo said, “Do you want me to give those two official colleagues a heads-up?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “Forget it. Whether or not you send a letter, it won’t make much of a difference.”

Wei Bo nodded. That was indeed the case. The five Mountain Lords were of equal rank, and none could govern the others. Furthermore, Wei Bo had no strong relationship with the other two Mountain Lords. They didn’t have any personal friendship to speak of. Each letter exchange between the Mountain Lord Residences was merely a matter of official business.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Has Ye Qingzhu changed her mind? Did she visit your Mountain Lord Residence today and actively request to withdraw her official document of resignation as the Jade Liquid River Water God?”

Wei Bo shook his head. “You guessed wrong. On the contrary, Ye Qingzhu did rush to Cloud-Veiled Mountain, but she was just short of pleading with me through tears and hysterics. She’s become even more determined to pursue her previous intention and relocate elsewhere. She doesn’t hope for a lateral transfer and is willing to accept a demotion. She’s taken a liking to a few rivers, the only common point being that they’re all relatively far from Fallen Phoenix Mountain. She even argued with me, saying that if Beiyue didn’t approve of this matter, she would go to the capital to file a complaint. Her eyes were red as she spoke, and her tears glistened, appearing quite pitiful.”

Chen Ping’an rubbed his chin. “That can’t be. I had a pretty good chat with the Water Goddess at the Jade Liquid River Water Mansion earlier. After an open and honest discussion, we can be considered to have abandoned our previous suspicions.”

Wei Bo smiled. “Even if she trusts your words, she trusts her own intuition even more.”

Chen Ping’an fell silent.

Wei Bo restrained his smile and said seriously, “This means that you need to be careful of your own Dao Heart during your future closed-door cultivation. Is it a small matter that there is a discrepancy between the image of the keeper and the person in the mirror?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

This was a true friend.

Wei Bo pulled something from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ping’an. “This is a congratulatory gift for celebrating the lower sect. Take it.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the gift. “Have some shame, would you?”
It turned out that the two semi-immortal artifacts Xiaomo had previously gifted, including the yellow jade axe that could suppress the water currents, had been generously given away by our Great Mountain Monarch Wei as if they were his own.

At this moment, only the sword box that Wu Yi gifted remained with Xiaomo. Otherwise, Chen Ping’an would have taken it out and asked the Great Mountain Monarch Wei if he felt any shame.

Wei Bo narrowed his eyes with a smile and tentatively asked, “Then let it be?”

Chen Ping’an waved his hand, looking at the Mountain Monarch Wei, who showed no sincerity, and the miniature jade axe that flashed into his sleeve. He felt, using Pei Qian’s catchphrase from back then, a headache.

Wei Bo looked towards the cultivator in the emerald green robe. Since he couldn’t discern the depth of his cultivation, he must be at least an Immortal Realm cultivator. He asked, “May I ask who this Daoist friend is?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t even bother with telepathic communication and said, “His Daoist name is Qing Tong, the owner of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda on Tongye Continent, adjacent to the Sea Gazing Daoist Temple. Daoist friend Qing Tong was a great help on this dream-travel across the three continents. It’s a case of no discord, no concord.”

Qing Tong sighed softly. The Hidden Official Lord revealed all his secrets so readily, showing no regard for the customs of the cultivation world.

This gentleman possessed a distinguished air, truly exceptional, but upon closer inspection, Qing Tong felt he was still slightly inferior to the noble young master Zhu Lian from Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Wei Bo lowered his head, bowed deeply, and respectfully said, his voice warm and mellow, “Wei Bo of Cloud-Draped Mountain is honored to meet Senior Qing Tong.”

Qing Tong removed the bamboo hat from his head, returned the greeting, and smiled, “Qing Tong greets Mountain Monarch Wei.”

Wei Bo chuckled and said, “Senior Qing Tong, once you’re on this thief ship, it’s hard to get off. From now on, we’re in the same boat.”

Qing Tong’s smile was strained.

A certain someone stood with his hands behind his back, enjoying the scenery from a height, and upon hearing this, laughed, “Excessive familiarity breeds contempt, Mountain Monarch Wei, be careful.”

Qing Tong was somewhat envious of the two’s friendship. A god and an immortal, complementing each other so well. No wonder Cloud-Draped Mountain had been thriving in recent years, seemingly becoming the leader of the Five Peaks.

Chen Ping’an then spoke of the matters of Xiao Luan of White Stork River having his divine position elevated and Gao Niang of Iron Certificate River relocating his ancestral temple to Yun Prefecture. The only difficulty, in reality, lay with the Wu Creek within the borders of Yun Prefecture in the Yellow Court Kingdom, as it was rather unusual, harboring the ruins of a Dragon Palace. Such a place of abundant mountains and waters was a rare and lucrative position in the world of mountain and water deities. Moreover, the Fine Eyebrow River, one of the sources of the Wu Creek, had never been officially recognized with a water deity in the history of the Yellow Court Kingdom, not even a River Hag or River Count. To put it simply, once the Dragon Palace ruins were opened, the water currents would naturally overflow. Therefore, being transferred to the Fine Eyebrow River, which would experience a surge in water currents, and serving as its first River Deity, would be a promotion. Furthermore, as long as the River Deity managed things well, it would be easy to obtain an excellent evaluation from the Ministry of Rites of the Great Li Dynasty and the Mountain Monarch’s Office in terms of mountain and water assessment.

Wei Bo pondered for a moment and said, “I will handle the arrangements. You can tell Xiao Luan and Gao Niang to await news. You can be straightforward in the letters, telling them that they can start preparing for the elevation and gilding of their ancestral temples and divine statues.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Do you really not need me to inform the Great Li Imperial Court?”

The position of River Deity of the Fine Eyebrow River, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would definitely have several candidates from the Great Li Imperial Court.

Just like back then, the noble clans of the Great Li, the ones with the titles of national pillars, had secretly fought quite a bit in order to compete for the position of River Deity of the Iron Amulet River.

Wei Bo shook his head and said, “The Fine Eyebrow River’s rank isn’t too high, and it’s located in the heart of the Northern Peak territory, just a short distance from Cloud-Draped Mountain. I can make the decision with a single word.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Remember to caution Gao Niang when you get back, lest he becomes so proud and forgetful in his newfound wealth or brings the habits of the Purple Sun Prefecture to Yun Prefecture.”

Gao Niang was being transferred from the Accumulated Fragrance Temple of the Iron Certificate River to the Fine Eyebrow River. Chen Ping’an was not at all worried about how he would attract offerings, gather the spirits of the land, and interact with the local City God and the Temples of Culture and War.

Because this old River Deity knew very well how to “behave,” but Gao Niang’s familiarity with the ways of the world was ultimately far from sufficient for a local water deity.

Wei Bo laughed and said, “The Office of Merit Examination in my Mountain Monarch’s Office doesn’t have a single pushover.”

After chatting for a few more moments, Wei Bo saw that Chen Ping’an was about to bid farewell and leave. Was he really going to pull up his pants and leave after taking a dump?

Qing Tong felt conflicted. After this journey, he was even more envious of Mountain Monarch Wei Bo and the great dukes like Yang Hua and Cao Yong, each governing such a large territory of mountains and waters. More importantly, it was lively. If they had a few capable assistants and recruited a group of officials skilled in administrative matters, wouldn’t they be able to enjoy the same leisure as Wei Bo had shown when they first met?

Wei Bo called out to Chen Ping’an and said with a smile, “Your second gatekeeper of the Fallen Mountain, Daoist Immortal Wei, hasn’t been idle at all. He has secretly taken in an unregistered disciple. He is a young rogue cultivator who admires the Hidden Official Lord. Even though he knows that you won’t be accepting any disciples for thirty years, he still rented a house in the small town, planning to stay for the long term. He goes to the mountain gate every few days to wander around. Daoist Immortal Wei, seeing his eagerness to seek the Dao, has developed a sense of appreciation for talent. Occasionally, the two discuss the Dao, talking at cross-purposes, and occasionally the disciple is scolded by Daoist Immortal Wei for his dull aptitude.”

Cao Qinglang, Yuan Lai, and Little Rice Grain had all served as gatekeepers at the mountain gate, but those were just part-time jobs of sorts.

Chen Ping’an’s head throbbed upon hearing this.

Previously, through the mountain and water gazettes of Cloud-Draped Mountain, the Fallen Mountain had announced to the outside world that it would be essentially sealed off for thirty years, neither receiving outsiders nor accepting disciples.

Regarding this matter, Chen Ping’an had only opened a very small loophole, allowing the members of the Jise Peak to accept direct disciples in secret, according to their own intuition. He had not expected that Xianwei would exploit this loophole.

Chen Ping’an helplessly asked, “What is the character of that rogue cultivator?”
Wei Bo stated, “He possesses a resolute spirit, but his aptitude is merely average. After sixty years, he remains in the Cave Dwelling Realm and is not a sword cultivator. I have investigated his background; his lineage is clean. He hails from the old Qian Prefecture of the White Frost Dynasty, born into a family of scholars. He had no interest in the imperial examinations, instead, he yearned for the Dao. He once served as a lecturer in a small Daoist temple in Qian Prefecture. The temple was destroyed in the war, and he single-handedly rebuilt it to its former glory after the fighting ceased. Then, he began to travel north, and upon seeing the imperial gazette, he wholeheartedly desired to settle down and cultivate on Mount Luopo. However, he is not the type to seek shortcuts for fame and fortune, he merely feels that the young Hidden Official of our Treasure Bottle Continent is an unparalleled hero, and wishes to seek guidance on the Dao from Master Chen, whose mastery of swordsmanship, fist techniques, scholarship, and talismans has reached a transcendent state.”

Chen Ping’an recalled his first encounter with Xian Wei in the capital of the Great Li Dynasty. Even setting aside Xian Wei’s other identity, even an experienced person like himself was almost stunned by the latter’s nonsense. He felt a sense of empathy and nodded, saying, “If he weren’t from a respectable family, he wouldn’t have been deceived by Xian Wei.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “Judging by your tone, you hope I will agree to this matter?”

Wei Bo answered indirectly, “This Daoist seems to possess past-life wisdom, his name is Lin Feijing.”

The reason Chen Ping’an passed by his hometown without entering, the so-called “nearness to home causing timidity,” was just an excuse. The real reason was that he did not want Qing Tong to see the new gatekeeper, Daoist Xian Wei, too soon.

However, after arriving at Mount Piyun, Chen Ping’an changed his mind and did not stop Qing Tong from gazing at Mount Luopo from afar. Therefore, Qing Tong saw Daoist Xian Wei near the mountain gate.

Qing Tong was even more shocked than when he saw the old master resembling the Jade Capital.

At the foot of Mount Luopo, there was a person with a Daoist hairpin in their hair.

Qing Tong’s face instantly turned pale, and he silently raised his hand to put on the veiled hat again, concealing his face.

“Is this the true foundation of Mount Luopo?”

“The first ‘Daoist’ in the human realm.”

“One of the ten heroes of the ancient world!”

At the gate of Mount Zhongyue.

The lush green color of the mountain cascaded down from top to bottom, like flowing water, all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Qing Tong’s agitated Daoist heart had gradually calmed down, and he joked in his mind, “No wonder there is the character ‘Qing’ in this Mountain Lord’s name.”

Chen Ping’an reminded him, “Mountain Lord Jin is not one to joke around. Listen more and speak less later.”

In a secluded training ground near the mountain peak shrine, upon meeting Jin Qing, the Mountain Lord of Zhongyue who was waiting to receive guests, Chen Ping’an cut straight to the point, “The two unlisted offerings from the Xiandu Sect, Shao Po Xian and the maid Meng Rong, are about to establish a kingdom in the Phosphorous River region in the central part of Tongye Continent. The royal surname will be Dugu, but it will be a female emperor. Shao Po Xian, the prince of the fallen kingdom, will not restore his true name, but will serve as the national preceptor. Cheng Shanchang’s eldest daughter, Wu Yi, the founder of the Ziyang Prefecture, will have a status similar to that of a protector of the nation. Since I am the one who facilitated this matter, I certainly won’t abandon it halfway.”

Unsurprisingly, the great Mountain Lord faced south again and bowed in obeisance.

Jin Qing smiled slightly, “I know nothing about this.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I didn’t say anything either.”

Originally, this knot was a deadlock between the Song family of the Great Li Dynasty and Jin Qing of Zhongyue.

As the Mountain Lord of a great mountain, Jin Qing could be considered the greatest remaining official of the former Zhu Ying Dynasty, without exception.

Therefore, Jin Qing would offer this incense with utmost sincerity, as it was a way to fulfill both his wishes and his past karmic connections.

Even if the Great Li Emperor were to investigate and question him afterward, Jin Qing would not care much, as it wouldn’t be considered an act of transgression. After all, Jin Qing had never had contact with “Shao Po Xian” until today. Moreover, Jin Qing wasn’t too worried about the consequences, as it was a deal he made with Chen Ping’an. Would the Great Li court dare to trouble the Hidden Official?

However, he believed that with the current Emperor’s temperament and magnanimity, he wouldn’t be so petty.

After all, after this, Jin Qing could focus on being the Mountain Lord of Zhongyue for the Great Li Dynasty.

This was actually something that only a national preceptor would do and could accomplish.

Jin Qing touched his sleeve and smiled, “Master Chen is about to establish a lower sect, but unfortunately, due to my duties and status, I am destined to be unable to attend the celebration in person. The matter of congratulatory gifts… I will have to delay for a few days.”

Because Jin Qing only remembered that he was in the other’s dream.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Mountain Lord Jin only needs to focus his mind and contemplate, and the congratulatory gift that has been prepared long ago can be transformed from illusion to reality.”

Jin Qing thought for a moment, and indeed took out a collection of rubbings from his sleeve, gathering all the cliff inscriptions and calligraphy of Zhongyue, more than two thousand pieces, including rare editions of original steles that had been lost.

Jin Qing said in his mind, “This is the only copy, cherish it.”

Generally speaking, rubbings were often given as gifts between scholars and elegant people in the mountains. For those who cultivate the Dao on the mountain, it was considered a light gift with deep meaning.

However, Chen Ping’an solemnly accepted the heavy collection of rubbings.

Because for Chen Ping’an at this moment, this was undoubtedly a timely help.

He urgently needed this for the path of refining characters.

Like the four plaques in his hometown, commonly known as the Crab Workshop, after being copied by the officials of the Ministry of Rites several times, they gradually lost their spirit and energy, because the pure Dao energy contained in those characters quietly transferred into those rubbings. The characters on the plaques of the Crab Workshop seemed the same, but in the eyes of enlightened people, they were “pale and weak.”

If one were to extract characters from books printed by bookstores in the marketplace and use them to refine characters, it would ultimately be of the lowest grade, and the refined characters would be of low quality. The best method for refining characters, of course, was to take materials from those Daoist golden rules and jade edicts, and Confucian sages’ handwritten works, Buddhist dragons, and scriptures copied and annotated by enlightened monks, which were recorded or engraved on special materials, and which were “laws not lightly transmitted.” However, these characters were hard to come by, and once they were refined, it would be a kind of great Dao loss, irreparable. For example, the prayer for rain formula of the Buried River, because it was a genuine work, was equivalent to a source of water. Once Chen Ping’an refined it, it would become an incomplete version, which would cause a series of immeasurable qi movements and dispersals, and even lead to the practitioners of this immortal formula stumbling and fumbling in the future, their inner words becoming blurred, unable to truly attain enlightenment, just like ordinary scholars who would occasionally find themselves not recognizing a certain word when reading a book.

And the characters in this collection of rubbings were precisely in between the two.
Previously, when Chen Ping’an was in Qilong, he “borrowed 300,000 characters” from the old and new books on both sides of the Qiantang River, it was truly a matter of quantity over quality.

Poetry often repeats words, but these repeated characters can be refined into a single character, like forging iron, becoming increasingly tough, and increasing in density. Therefore, the more times a character is repeated, the more weight it carries, and the heavier the Dao rhyme within it.

As for the sword box that Wu Yi sent, secretly bearing those sixty-plus precious talisman true edicts, it belonged to the first type of “serendipitous encounter.”

Chen Ping’an said, “In this way, it will inevitably damage the Dao Qi of Central Mountain.”

Jin Qing scoffed, “Then give it back to me?”

This Mountain Monarch was practically saying, “Stop acting like you’re at a disadvantage after already benefiting.”

Chen Ping’an promised, “Beyond this transaction, when I have time in the future, I will naturally repay Central Mountain.”

Jin Qing said half-jokingly, half-seriously, “In the future? Why wait? Grand Master Hidden Officer can serve as a nominal guest official of Central Mountain today. As long as you nod, I will immediately have the Ministry of Rites issue an elegantly worded landscape bulletin.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head, politely declining. If he truly agreed to become a guest official of Central Mountain, wouldn’t Mountain Monarch Wei jump up and down in anger?

From beginning to end, Jin Qing never inquired about the identity of the cultivator beside Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an asked with a smile, “Has the Huangshan Sword Sect not held its founding ceremony yet?”

Jin Qing said, “Zhengyang Mountain has been scared out of their wits by you all. Where would they dare mention anything about a ‘lower sect’? They found a way to save face and changed the character ‘Sect’ to ‘Faction’ early on, naming it Huangshan Sword Faction. It seems they have completely given up, not believing there is any chance of creating a lower sect. As for the celebration date, it was initially set for next spring, choosing an auspicious day, but judging by the current situation, the earliest will be the end of next year.”

Not to mention Chen Ping’an and Liu Xianyang, who came together to ask about swordsmanship, but also the sword immortal Mi Yu, whose identity was revealed, and the female grandmaster Pei Qian, were two insurmountable mountains for the cultivators of Zhengyang Mountain.

The Zhenggyang Mountain subordinate, temporarily named “Huangshan Sword Faction” by the Bamboo Emperor, the former Zhu Ying Dynasty’s “Twin Jewels” sword cultivator, Yuan Bai, finally did not detach himself from the Zhenggyang Mountain lineage, did not serve as a guest official of Central Mountain, but instead returned to his homeland, serving as the first sect master of the Huangzhu Sword Faction. The Qingwu Peak female cultivator Ni Yuerong, essentially skipped several ranks, directly promoted from the manager of the Passing Cloud Pavilion to the financial benefactor of this “subordinate mountain” of Zhenggyang Mountain.

Chen Ping’an said, “Still self-righteous. Well, when good things come in the future, they will be all the more delighted.”

Initially, Zhengyang Mountain thought the lower sect would be in their grasp, becoming the first sect in the history of Treasure Bottle Continent to possess a lower sect, with a “who else but me” kind of momentum.

Now they feel that the matter of the lower sect is destined to be a mirage, but they do not know that the Great Li Dynasty has already made arrangements. The Huangshan Sword Faction, even if Zhengyang Mountain and the Bamboo Emperor do nothing, is still destined to be promoted to a Sect-level sect.

Jin Qing laughed, “Wouldn’t you say Heaven never bars one’s way?”

Now, the entire cultivation world of Treasure Bottle Continent, and the officialdom related to mountains and rivers, especially enjoy watching the jokes of Zhengyang Mountain.

And this unintentional remark from the Mountain Monarch of Central Mountain is actually very insightful for Qing Tong, with endless aftertaste.

Chen Ping’an smiled, noncommittal, and instead asked, “After becoming the Huangshan Sword Sect, following the old example of the Confucian Temple, there must be an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator serving as the sect master, then Yuan Bai will not be able to serve as the sect master. What will happen then? Will he return to Zhengyang Mountain again, or come to Mountain Monarch Jin’s side as a guest official?”

Jin Qing said, “It still depends on Yuan Bai’s own wishes. Going to Zhengyang Mountain is like retiring, and he will occasionally be pulled in for discussions in the Ancestral Hall. With Yuan Bai’s temperament, having already regretted once, it is unlikely that he will come to my Mountain Monarch’s residence for cultivation. He will probably choose to stay in the lower sect, free from official duties and lighthearted.”

Chen Ping’an said sincerely, “Then I will trouble Mountain Monarch Jin to say hello to Yuan Bai. The first sword dao sect in Tongye Continent, the Qingping Sword Sect of Immortal Capital Mountain, eagerly awaits his arrival.”

Jin Qing laughed loudly, “Is Grand Master Hidden Officer digging up my foundation?”

Chen Ping’an said solemnly, “I earnestly request the Mountain Monarch to relay this matter to Yuan Bai, and it would be best if you could help persuade him.”

Jin Qing was a little surprised, “Do you value Yuan Bai so much?”

Yuan Bai has reached the end of the road, with no hope of entering the Upper Fifth Realm in this lifetime, completely missing out on the title of sword immortal, which is almost a foregone conclusion.

For ordinary sects, even those in the Central Earth Divine Continent with abundant geniuses, they would naturally still respect a Nascent Soul Realm sword cultivator whose Great Dao has stopped.

But for Chen Ping’an, who holds the title of “Grand Master Hidden Officer”, what kind of sword cultivator has he not seen in the Sword Qi Great Wall?

Chen Ping’an said in a deep voice, “Sword cultivators’ realms may be high or low, but only the word ‘pure’ knows no distinction.”

Jin Qing said, “When something is truly accomplished, I can pass on the message, and Yuan Bai himself can decide where to cultivate.”

Before Chen Ping’an left Jin Qing’s Daoist temple, he presented a green bamboo folding fan, and said with a smile, “A small token of appreciation, nothing of significance.”

Jin Qing took the folding fan, and upon receiving it, he knew it was indeed “nothing of significance”. He said politely with a smile, “I haven’t provided sufficient hospitality, please forgive me.”

After Chen Ping’an and his follower left North Mountain, Jin Qing opened the folding fan. There were inscriptions on the fan surface.

A thousand mountains embrace the peak, a hundred rivers converge in the courtyard, the national gate is verdant, the giant spirit guards the mountain, the sword lies in the frost and stars, ten thousand years of brewing this heroic and outstanding land.

Learn from grandmasters, human spirit, national essence, chivalrous heart and righteous courage, employing or abandoning depends on timing, the sun and moon bear witness, a loyal old minister’s heart.

There was some smile on Jin Qing’s face. He closed the folding fan, clenched it tightly in his hand, looked far into the mountains and rivers, and said softly, “Those who gain the Dao receive much help.”

Afterwards, Chen Ping’an took Qing Tong to the East Mountain and West Mountain.

The two Mountain Monarchs were still considered polite, opening their doors to welcome guests, and even wanted to host a banquet for Chen Ping’an.

But after hearing the young Grand Master Hidden Officer’s intentions, the final result was two wordings, but one meaning.

One was relatively gentle in words, the East Mountain Monarch, smiling and saying that this matter was against his own heart, and could only let Hidden Officer Chen make a trip for nothing.