The old scholar strode over the threshold, waving his hand to indicate that no one needed to move. He sat down on the bench next to Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan’s lips moved slightly, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to say “Grandmaster.”

Chen Ping’an took out a jar of wine and a set of twelve Flower Goddess wine cups, all “borrowed” from the Literary Temple during the last meeting. He had Xiao Mili help distribute the cups and pour the wine.

The old scholar accepted a wine cup. After Xiao Mili filled it for the Literary Sage, she placed the wine jar on the bench next to him. The old scholar remembered something and pulled out a large stack of red envelopes from his sleeve. Each envelope contained two Snowflake Coins. The money wasn’t much, but the auspicious New Year’s greetings written on the envelopes were freshly inked. He had specifically asked someone to write them before leaving the Merit Forest.

So, as the old scholar handed the red envelopes to Xiao Mili, he said with a smile, “Xiao Mili, don’t lose these red envelopes. They’re worth a little bit, but more importantly, they’re rare. If you ever need money in the future, go to the Guanhai Academy or the Divine Edict Sect in your Precious Bottle Continent. Find a knowledgeable buyer, and don’t sell them for less than two Grain Rain Coins.”

Cui Dongshan lightly shook the red envelope in his hand. It rustled with the sound of two Snowflake Coins, not Lesser Heat Coins or Grain Rain Coins. The old scholar promptly smacked him on the head.

Xiao Mili held the red envelopes with both hands, bowed her head, and said in a clear voice, “Happy New Year, Literary Sage! Thank you, Literary Sage! Wishing you blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and a lifespan as long as the Southern Mountain! May you grow younger with each passing day and always be in good spirits!”

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled, “Good, good.”

Even Chen Ping’an received a red envelope.

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Teacher, I’m already so old. I think I’ll pass.”

The old scholar shook his head. “In the eyes of a teacher, you’re all still children. Take it, take it quickly.”

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to accept the red envelope. Looking at the writing, it was all from the same person. However, the auspicious greetings on each envelope were slightly different. For example, Cui Dongshan’s envelope read “Great Luck in the New Year,” while Chen Ping’an’s read “Family Peace.” Since it could be confirmed that it wasn’t the calligraphy of the Ritual Sage or Jing Sheng Xi Ping, could it be from the Supreme Sage?

The old scholar sipped his wine. Time was the most unreasonable thing, like a thief who never lost a fight or failed to steal. Chen Ping’an had grown up, already at the age of no confusion. Xiao Bao Ping and Pei Qian had also grown up. Now, of the Literary Sage’s lineage, only Jun Qian’s disciple, Zheng Youqian, was still a proper child.

So, the old scholar turned to Zheng Youqian and said with a smile, “Youqian, while your Little Martial Uncle is still young, very young, don’t be in a hurry to grow up. When you’re young and out in the world, you don’t need to be too sensible. As long as you’re in the right, don’t be afraid. If you can argue, argue. If you can fight, fight. If you can’t win, don’t rush to run away. Just mention your Little Martial Uncle’s name and ask if they’re afraid.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “If mentioning Little Martial Uncle’s name doesn’t work, quickly mention Grandmaster’s name.”

The old scholar laughed heartily, “Mentioning my name might get you beaten twice.”

Zheng Youqian said softly, “My master said I have a bad temper and told me not to fight with people.”

In fact, before Liu Shiliu left the Great Hao Continent, he had indeed told Zheng Youqian that if he was ever bullied, don’t bother your Grandmaster, just find your Little Martial Uncle.

The old scholar grumbled, “Nonsense! When I see Jun Qian again, I’ll have to say a few words to him. Where does Youqian have a bad temper? He’s very polite and knowledgeable in his interactions with others.”

Chen Ping’an smiled slightly, “Senior Brother Jun Qian isn’t wrong. Which of our Literary Sage’s direct or second-generation disciples has a good temper? Well, maybe Bao Ping and Qinglang are slightly better.”

Li Bao Ping narrowed her eyes and smiled, “So-so.”

Cao Qinglang smiled without saying a word.

The old scholar raised his wine cup and took a sip, “True, true.”

Cui Dongshan grinned. The only person who dared to directly contradict and expose the old scholar, and whom the old scholar didn’t mind, was his own teacher.

The old scholar asked, “Ping’an, are you confident in regaining your place in the upper five realms soon?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I am confident.”

The old scholar was relieved and said, “Then I can approve the release of a ‘Mountain and River Dispatch’ to clarify that after the sword-asking battle at Mount Tuoyue, your realm decreased significantly, and you need to seclude yourself for many years to cultivate.”

Currently, the Central Earth Literary Temple’s control over the Sect Dispatches is the strictest it has been in thousands of years. In addition to the decisions made during the last Literary Temple meeting, besides not allowing unauthorized reports on the progress of the Wilderness battles, not even the great battle itself is allowed to be discussed arbitrarily by any mountain or immortal residence. Furthermore, the movements of any top cultivator in the Great Hao Continent cannot be mentioned casually in any dispatch. The few exceptions are Hao Su, the Penal Official, killing Nangong Zhao, and the Mountain and Sea Sect privately informing the Great Hao Continent that several Sword Immortals from the Great Wall of Sword Intent had jointly asked their swords of the Wilderness, as well as Chen Ping’an opening Mount Tuoyue with his sword alone and the recent inscription on the city wall… This was all because the Mountain and Sea Sect had overstepped the rules and acted without authorization. If the Literary Sage hadn’t personally helped plead for them afterward, and given that the famous young Hidden Official was also the old scholar’s closed-door disciple, the Literary Sage was willing to make an exception in this matter. The Literary Temple then used a symbolic punishment measure, making a mountain out of a molehill, fining the Mountain and Sea Sect a sum of Immortal Coins, with all the income from that dispatch going to the Literary Temple, and recording a demerit. Otherwise, the dispatch writer from the Mountain and Sea Sect would probably be diligently studying the books of sages and worthies in the Merit Forest by now.

“I heard earlier that Teacher was inscribing words on the city wall and thought it was hopeless.”

Cui Dongshan tsked, “But once this dispatch is released, and people hear that Teacher is only in the Nascent Soul realm now, they’ll immediately think it’s possible again.”

As for why the old scholar would go to such lengths, it wasn’t hard to understand: it was to reduce criticism.

Since he was the last Hidden Official of the Great Wall of Sword Intent, why didn’t he go to the Wilderness?

He went.

But there would definitely be new questions next.

Since he could inscribe words on the city wall, why didn’t he go to the Wilderness again?

Therefore, this dispatch was an explanation.

Cui Dongshan said, “Remember to casually mention in that dispatch that our Green Willow Sword Sect’s Chief Mi has broken through to the next realm.”

The old scholar asked in surprise, “Sword Immortal Mi finally broke through?”

Cui Dongshan said in exasperation, “He just broke through.”

The old scholar slapped his knee and laughed loudly, “That’s great!”
With a sword dao sect possessing an immortal sword cultivator as its prestigious figurehead, there would be no worries about attracting unwanted attention; rather, others would be on tenterhooks.

Moreover, this grand sword immortal was none other than Mi Yu. The name alone carried weight, and the moniker “Mi Intercepting Waist,” earned by Mi Yu in the Earth Immortal and Terrestrial Immortal realms, still held considerable significance in the Great Harmony World.

The Old Scholar said, “Just now, Han, the Master, as the initiator, and I merely offering a trivial suggestion, the Literary Temple urgently convened a small-scale gathering of mountain deities. The Mountain Gods of the Central Earth’s Five Peaks, including Juxu Mountain and Jiuyi Mountain, were all present, along with dozens of mountain deities from major kingdoms, all gathered together. Of course, they used a method similar to how Liu, the God of Wealth, and Yu, the corpulent one, observed the Immortal Capital Mountain ceremony today, chatting animatedly. Zhou You and Huai Lian, among others, came in high spirits and left in even higher spirits, appearing as if they were still somewhat unfulfilled.”

The Sage of Rites still rarely made an appearance.

The Sub-Sage had gone to the Wilderness World, responsible for overseeing the specific affairs of the Literary Temple there.

Currently, the one truly in charge of the Central Earth’s Literary Temple was the Sage of Literature. Of the three co-leaders of the Confucian Literary Temple, only one deputy leader remained, and this Master Han served as the Sage of Literature’s assistant.

Therefore, the Old Scholar was jokingly referred to as a “housekeeper” by an old scholar named Li.

These days, the Old Scholar was indeed genuinely busy at the Literary Temple, working day and night without rest.

The Literary Temple’s summoning of the mountain deities for this discussion was because even the Water God had engaged in escorting goods; the mountain deities couldn’t simply stand by and watch. It wouldn’t sound good if word got out. They needed to do something substantial, as everyone had a sense of honor. They had to at least silence the murmurs of the world, lest people secretly criticize these mountain deity lords for only enjoying leisure without contributing. However, all the high-ranking mountain deities from various kingdoms, aside from the Central Earth’s Five Peaks Mountain Gods, clearly perceived that the Old Scholar seemed to be deliberately targeting Huai Lian and the others. Even the most amiable female mountain deity of Yanzhi Mountain, Zhu Yuxian, whose divine title was “Bitter Herbs,” was provoked. She forcefully slammed her hand on the armrest of her chair and directly refuted the Sage of Literature a few times. Zhu Yuxian even declared that within the Literary Temple, they should discuss matters as they were and refrain from saying sarcastic remarks. If the Sage of Literature continued to be so ambiguous, she would leave on the spot. She assured Master Han that Yanzhi Mountain would not shirk its responsibilities. Whatever needed to be done, the Literary Temple could provide a list afterward, and as it was their duty, they would fulfill it without hesitation. However, today, she refused to endure this unpleasantness any longer in the Literary Temple. It was rare for Zhu Yuxian to be so vehement. Zhou You of Sui Mountain was about to stand up, planning to be the first to leave, but the Old Scholar quickly stood behind Zhou You, pressing his hands on the Sui Mountain deity’s shoulders, asking why he was getting so angry. However, the Old Scholar’s gaze at that moment shifted toward the Gui Mountain deity, whose divine title was “Heavenly Tendon.” The latter had just lifted his buttocks before having to sit back down.

Chen Ping’an softly said, “Actually, the reason I received the cold shoulder on those few mountains, I suspect, was that I had indirectly received the tacit approval of the Most Sage Teacher, deliberately preventing me from climbing the mountains, and it had little to do with the four mountain deities.”

The Old Scholar said with a face full of guilt, “Ah? There was such a convoluted hidden story? Then Mister misunderstood Huai Lian and the others. It’s alright, it’s alright, Mister doesn’t have any other skills, but he’s not afraid of misunderstandings. Next time we meet, we’ll speak frankly and openly. If those few are really still upset, Mister can simply take the initiative to apologize in person.”

In fact, after the Literary Temple’s gathering of mountain deities concluded, the Old Scholar waited for Zhou You and the others to pay him a visit in the Merit Grove. Sure enough, the five deities arrived together. Zhu Yuxian was the first to apologize, but the Old Scholar thanked her instead. After all, the female mountain deity’s phrase “not shirking responsibilities, fulfilling everything one by one” was the outcome that the Old Scholar, or rather, the Literary Temple, desired. With Zhu Yuxian taking the lead in expressing her stance, the other mountain deities understood the situation. As for the slight “squabbling” during the discussion, it was merely a few side dishes to accompany the wine. To speak frankly, those mountain deities of great dynasties might even want to replace the Five Peaks Mountain Gods and be personally criticized by the Sage of Literature a few times.

Speaking of the debates among the three teachings, before the Old Scholar’s emergence, it was almost always the Buddhist disciples of the Western Buddhist Kingdom, those Tripitaka Masters who were not only proficient in the scriptures, precepts, and treatises but also extremely familiar with the knowledge of the other two teachings, who overpowered the Confucian Literary Temple of the Central Earth and the Daoist Jade Capital. Even if the Literary Temple and Jade Capital occasionally achieved victories, they had never won consecutively. In particular, the Confucian school had historically lost especially often. Therefore, the Old Scholar’s sudden appearance, winning two debates in a row, caused many of those hailed as Buddhist disciples and Daoist seeds from the two teachings to directly join the Confucian school, which was once regarded as a groundbreaking feat.

Li, the old scholar currently temporarily working in the Literary Temple, once said a popular fair remark: If the Old Scholar doesn’t joke around and banter with you, does he seriously argue with you?

The Old Scholar was probably worried that his closed-door disciple would overthink things and feel that he was causing trouble for himself. He explained with a smile, “Zhou You is actually as clear as a mirror in his heart and shares my sentiments. He’s practically a long-lost brother whom I’ve reunited with! He wouldn’t fall out with me no matter who he fell out with. As for Huai Lian and the others, they already had a good impression of you. As for that Heavenly Tendon Daoist friend from Gui Mountain, he used to have some unresolved issues with our Sage of Literature’s lineage, belonging to old grudges that are difficult to forget. The Heavenly Tendon Daoist mainly felt that he was losing face. This time, when you visited Gui Mountain, firstly, he had indeed received secret instructions from the Literary Temple not to show himself, and he couldn’t explain it to you at all. He could only have the temple keeper go to the foot of the mountain and, with a forced smile, say harsh words to you. Secondly, seeing that you were extremely polite, not causing trouble or cursing, he actually felt much more comfortable in his heart. Mister also deliberately had friends publicize a few words for Gui Mountain, saying that Gui Mountain had a great air about it, worthy of being the Gui Mountain with heavenly tendons and earthly bones, daring to not receive guests and directly sending the Hidden Official Master back home… Therefore, within the Literary Temple, Gui Mountain has immense prestige. Whenever young people mention Gui Mountain in their leisure time, they must give a thumbs up and sincerely praise our Heavenly Tendon Daoist friend, saying that he is an old and vigorous true hero. Since he has face and a way out, after the discussion ended, the Heavenly Tendon Daoist asked me to pass on a message in the Merit Grove, saying that he welcomes the Hidden Official to visit Gui Mountain. In any case, the wine on Gui Mountain is extremely good. Mister has already agreed for you first. As for whether you will go to Gui Mountain in the future, it is all very casual.”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s really difficult for Mister Xi Ping and Old Scholar Li to also act as the messenger for Mister.”
Cui Dongshan muttered under his breath, “So, he’s secretly showing off his connections here.”

Li Baoping gave the big white goose a thumbs-up, praising, “Senior Brother Cui’s brain is still sharp.”

Cui Dongshan smiled awkwardly, “No, no.”

Xiao Mili scratched her face, wondering, “Why is the big white goose mimicking me?”

Chen Ping’an took out a small wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Cao Qinglang, smiling, “Inside is a very good ancient sword pill, named ‘Mud Pill.’ Try to refine it; consider it a congratulatory gift from your teacher for your Core Formation.”

The patterns carved on the wooden box were exquisite, depicting divine officials riding dragons, female immortals riding phoenixes, ancient grand masters riding turtles and unicorns, and other auspicious images.

Cao Qinglang hesitated for a moment before standing up and accepting the wooden box with both hands, bowing respectfully to his teacher in gratitude.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes, thinking, “This Cao Woodenhead is the most formal of them all.”

Chen Ping’an looked at his teacher and then said to Cao Qinglang, “Back then, my teacher’s teacher also retrieved a sword pill of extremely high quality from Mount Sui. Unfortunately, my aptitude was average, and I was never able to truly refine that sword pill into my natal treasure. It could only be considered a partial refinement.”

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled. “What is this? This is called the continuation of the literary lineage, the transmission of the torch.”

Chen Ping’an continued to introduce, “This sword pill was once the treasure of the Ziyang Mansion. Originally, it was gifted by the current head of the Dafu Academy to his eldest daughter, Wu Yi, as a gift for entering the Middle Five Realms. Wu Yi is the founder of the Ziyang Mansion in the Huang Ting Kingdom. Over the years, Wu Yi has never opened all the seals of this sword box, probably intending to give it to a promising sword immortal as a disciple acceptance gift in the future.”

“That’s how I got lucky, the kind of big windfall. So, the sword pill has to be given away as soon as possible, lest I dare not face Wu Yi in the future. If she regrets it and wants it back, I can say I’ve already given it away. As a last resort, compensating with money for this rare ‘Mud Pill’ is acceptable, but the thing itself is not returnable. After all, it’s a rare treasure that one misses out on forever.”

“Qinglang, why don’t you open it and take a look? When the teacher first obtained it, a series of purple-gold characters appeared, with profound meanings, including the saying ‘Facing the wall for a thousand years, none shall know, the Three Purities need only a body of clay.’ But as soon as it was opened, the characters melted like snow. Such a phenomenon is quite rare. According to Wu Yi, the sword pill has a great origin, coming from the Central Earth’s Western Mountain in ancient times, meticulously forged by a perfected Daoist. Originally, it was intended as a treasure for the Crown Prince Mountain of the Western Mountain. As for how it was scattered outside the mountain and how it was obtained by Head Cheng, that’s probably another muddled story.”

Cao Qinglang nodded, “Your student has read in books that the ancient Western Mountain was in charge of the casting and smelting of metals, and also governed the birds of the world. So, its main function was somewhat similar to the Ministry of Industry in later dynasties.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and nodded. Cao Qinglang’s words were almost identical to what he had heard from Wu Yi. Teacher and student both read widely and enjoyed miscellaneous books.

If Cao Qinglang takes over the position of Sect Leader in the future, there is no need to doubt whether he can convince the masses even if he is not a sword cultivator. From Luo Po Mountain to Immortal Capital Mountain, they don’t particularly emphasize realm or status. However, it is still a pity that Cao Qinglang, as the second Sect Leader of the Green Breeze Sword Sect, is not a sword cultivator, especially since Cao Qinglang has been deep-thinking since he was a child. He will probably have to drink actively at that time.

From Chen Ping’an’s insistence on bringing Zhou Mili back to Luo Po Mountain from Dumb Lake, not only including her in the Jade Color Peak Ancestral Hall’s landscape lineage but also directly promoting Xiao Mili to be the Right Protector of Luo Po Mountain, a mountain-protecting offering on the mountain’s lineage.

Probably from that moment on, everyone knew it in their hearts.

The young Mountain Master respects everyone’s wishes, and indeed, everything can be discussed.

But as long as Chen Ping’an considers something to be a truly significant matter for Luo Po Mountain, there is no room for discussion, argument, or muddling through.

After Cao Qinglang opened the sword box, the room was instantly filled with a chilling sword aura. Just as Chen Ping’an was about to stop him, he immediately paused because the originally “lifeless” sword pill suddenly transformed into a miniature flying sword. Then, it soared into the air and drew an arc, instantly piercing Cao Qinglang’s hand holding the box. Even though Cao Qinglang was a Golden Core cultivator, he could not avoid this sudden “sword questioning.” Eventually, a drop of blood condensed at the tip of the sword before disappearing. The sword pill, like a thirsty person drinking sweet spring water, hovered in the air, its tip trembling slightly, humming, like a child cheering joyfully.

On the mountain, this is a kind of active “recognition of master,” similar to a spiritual object, and a rare immortal opportunity.

In simple terms, it’s as if Cao Qinglang did nothing and had already “partially refined” this “Mud Pill” on the spot. This is called telepathy.

As for when he will successfully achieve grand refinement, Cao Qinglang only needs to spend time and effort, and there will be no more difficulties or obstacles.

Afterward, the “Mud Pill” flying sword circled around its master, Cao Qinglang, like a sparrow hovering around a branch.

Then everyone looked at Chen Ping’an in unison.

Even Xiao Mili was no exception, wondering if the good Mountain Master was truly “of average aptitude”?

Cui Dongshan deliberately burped, helping the teacher break the awkward atmosphere.

The old scholar couldn’t help but smile, raising his glass and saying, “Drink, drink.”

Chen Ping’an drank the wine, his expression natural, and smiled, “Qinglang, I’m not particularly familiar with the Mountain Lord of Mount Ju Xu, Huai Lian, but there is now a conferred lord there, known as the ‘Green Ox Daoist,’ revisiting his old haunts. I happened to meet the old senior for the first time on the night boat, and we got along extremely well. Coincidentally, this old immortal is one of the three old immortals stationed at the ancient Western Mountain, with his residence on Bird Raise Mountain, one of the subsidiary mountains of Mount Ju Xu. Next time you travel to the Central Earth Divine Continent, you can go and humbly learn from the old senior about the true origin of this sword pill.”

Cao Qinglang smiled and nodded, “Okay, your student must make a trip to Mount Ju Xu and Bird Raise Mountain.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “Teacher, what about that Dragon Slayer?”

The old scholar smiled, “Although this senior on the mountain cannot be considered a pure sword cultivator of the Fourteenth Realm in the narrow sense, don’t underestimate this Dragon Slayer.”
Cui Dongshan curled his lip, “Of course he’s formidable. It’s like saying, ‘I possess the skill to slay dragons, behold my sword’s resplendence!’ Besides, this fellow is Zheng Juzhong’s master.”

Zheng Juzhong was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to betray his master, but the problem was, if outsiders dared to oppose his master, the “Sealed Mountain” of the Central Earth’s Iron Tree Mountain would be the prime example of the consequences.

The Old Bookworm nodded, “Indeed, he’s very powerful. Later generations of Qi Refiners can only vaguely speculate about this person’s swordsmanship through fragmented tales passed down orally. In fact, Chen Qingliu’s dragon-slaying feat has obscured a portion, and the most crucial part, of the truth. Roughly three thousand years ago, Chen Qingliu’s emergence was an isolated case. Not only for the dragon race, but for the entire world… or rather, for the entire human realm across several heavens, all aquatic beings and water spirits faced a formless Grand Dao suppression. Back then, Chen Qingliu, armed with his sword, hunted dragons to extinction. Wherever he encountered dragon palaces or the abodes of water deities, even if they ruled their own small worlds, they would still find themselves at a disadvantage, as if their cultivation had regressed by a stage. Alas, there are always people and events that seem utterly inexplicable.”

“Furthermore, according to the Wen Temple’s secret records, listen to this and keep it to yourselves, as divulging it could have dire consequences. Besides his main sword, Chen Qingliu possessed two natal flying swords. Just hearing their names will tell you how formidable they are: one is called ‘Source of Water,’ and the other is called ‘Spirit of Fire.’ As a result, all Qi Refiners who cultivated water-based arts, especially those who specialized in them, could imagine the outcome of being challenged by Chen Qingliu.”

“Let me tell you another little story. The Hao Ran cultivator who previously blocked Yang Zhi from returning to the desolate lands through the Ruin Return was Liu Qi, who had returned to Hao Ran from the Azure Sky. In fact, the Wen Temple has some targeted plans against the great demons of the desolate lands. If it weren’t for Fei Fei’s swift escape, Chen Qingliu would have been on his way to intercept her. If Chen Qingliu had managed to find her, Fei Fei’s fate would likely have been even worse than Yang Zhi’s.”

Chen Ping An hesitated.

He wanted to ask why Chen Qingliu had to slay dragons, the reason behind it, and the original intention.

The Old Bookworm paused, raised his head, and took a sip of wine, offering a subtle explanation that seemed irrelevant, “This is also one of the reasons why Master Zou lamented the ‘troubles of the world.’ Can you understand what I mean?”

Sword cultivators act according to their own reasons.

With great freedom and no constraints.

What about the common people after a pure sword cultivator has delivered a satisfying strike?

Chen Ping An smiled and nodded.

The Old Bookworm said with a gratified smile, “A clear sense of gratitude and resentment is the mark of a great man. There’s no need to be too restrained because of this. If you go to the other extreme, that’s not good.”

A person with many people in their heart tends to be softhearted, viewing the world with too much gentleness.

“The origins of all swordsmanship in the world can be traced back to just a few fundamental lineages.”

The Old Bookworm continued, “It’s similar to how there are only five musical notes: Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu. However, the variations of these five notes are endless, impossible to hear them all. Swordsmanship is the same.”

At this point, the Old Bookworm turned to look at Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan wore a blank expression, shaking the wine jar, “What’s up? There’s still wine left.”

The Old Bookworm pinched the white-clad youth’s ear, “You like to play dumb, don’t you? Utterly lawless.”

Cui Dongshan tilted his head, crying out in pain, “Ouch, ouch, ouch, what’s going on? Can you be specific?”

The Old Bookworm said, “Those two sword strikes you received from your master at the bottom of that well, did you devour them?!”

Cui Dongshan tilted his head, his face filled with a lifeless expression, sniffing and wiping his face with a sleeve, looking extremely wronged.

Chen Ping An had been confused, but after hearing his master’s explanation, he immediately understood.

Perhaps those three strands of sword energy lingering within his Qi Reservoir were, in a way, three lineages… ancient sword dao, at least important offshoots of three main lineages.

As a result, two of those strands of sword energy were “rewarded” to Cui Dongshan, who was hiding at the bottom of the well and refusing to come out.

The master and student were indeed deeply connected from the very beginning.

Chen Ping An laughed, “Master, let Dongshan decide the fate of those two strands of sword energy. He can consider them my congratulatory gift to the Green Ripple Sword Sect.”

The Old Bookworm released his hand and nodded, “I’m just annoyed that he got such a great advantage and still acts like everyone else is a fool.”

Cui Dongshan rubbed his ear, indignant, “I have long-term plans for them, I wouldn’t use them for personal gain.”

The Old Bookworm flicked Cui Dongshan’s forehead with two fingers, sternly lecturing, “A person’s abundance of knowledge can be a great trap. The sense of superiority from computational power and intelligence, that habitual condescending gaze, will eventually lead to problems, big problems!”

Cui Dongshan swayed, starting to act like a spoiled child, wailing, “Why are you only scolding me? Why are you only being fierce with me? What about Bao Ping? What about Eldest Sister? What about Cao Qinglang?”

Chen Ping An coughed.

Cui Dongshan immediately sat up straight, saying solemnly, “Ancestor is right, I’ll write everything down word for word later.”

Little Rice Grain turned to look at the desk and asked softly, “Sect Master Cui, do you need help getting paper and a pen?”

Even Little Rice Grain, who was closest to him, was starting to side with others. Cui Dongshan was initially speechless, then started wailing again.

Little Rice Grain quickly offered a handful of melon seeds, and Cui Dongshan’s face immediately lit up with joy.

Chen Ping An ignored the fellow and changed the subject, laughing, “I ran into Zhao Yao in the Dali capital. Our Lord Vice Minister mentioned an idea: to reassemble that immortal sword, to unite the four fragmented pieces of ‘Tai Bai’ into one, likely hoping that when he sees Mr. Bai again, he can return it to its rightful owner.”

The Old Bookworm nodded, “A very thoughtful gesture. The intention is good, but it’s just too difficult, extremely difficult.”

Cui Dongshan fumed, “Lord Zhao Vice Minister has some nerve! Doesn’t he know that Master possesses one of the four pieces of the immortal sword? The next time we meet, don’t expect me to call him Senior Brother Zhao!”

One of the four immortal swords, “Tai Bai,” apart from the scabbard, which still exists, the sword blade itself was shattered into four pieces, each recognizing its own master: Chen Ping An, Zhao Yao, Fei Ran, and Liu Cai.

Because Zhao Yao studied under a scholar for many years on that isolated overseas island, he can be considered, in a way, half of Bai Ye’s student.
To reassemble the immortal sword “Tai Bai,” Zhao Yao needed to challenge at least three others with his sword, and he had to succeed in all three duels.

Therefore, there was a conversation about this sword earlier in the Great Li capital.

Zhao Yao was the first to speak, directly calling out, “Chen Ping An.”

Chen Ping An immediately reminded him, “That’s improper. You must call me Martial Uncle.”

Then, silence ensued.

After all, they were discussing serious matters. Chen Ping An smiled and said, “If you can win against your Martial Uncle in a sword duel, you can take my Night Wanderer Sword.”

But Chen Ping An added, “Of course, you can challenge me with fists too.”

Zhao Yao, the clever nephew, smiled and asked, “What about scholarly pursuits?”

Chen Ping An laughed, “Learning? You’re still far behind.”

Zhao Yao smiled without a word, his face seeming to say, “I disagree.”

Chen Ping An said, “Mister Qi once said, ‘Principles are in books, but being human is beyond the books.'”

Zhao Yao thought for a moment and nodded, “In that case, I am indeed far behind Martial Uncle.”

Li Bao Ping wondered, “Is Zhao Yao a sword cultivator?”

Chen Ping An shook his head, “He’s not a sword cultivator, at least not yet. Perhaps he wants to walk the same path of cultivation as Mister Bai.”

Li Bao Ping said, “Zhao Yao is quite rigid, but he’s very intelligent.”

Because they were from the same hometown and classmates, they knew each other well.

However, for the former young scholars of the school, they may still have some psychological trauma when they think of the red-clothed girl who was always rushing around, always the last to arrive at school and the first to run away…

The key was that this little girl went to and from school alone, carrying her small schoolbag, hopping and yelling. When someone asked, she would say she was practicing martial arts.

Li Huai didn’t even need to say anything. Even Zhao Yao, who was also from Fortune Luck Street, had once bullied a little girl with pigtails when he first went to school. He was chased all the way home by Li Bao Ping wielding a tree branch. When Zhao’s elders asked her why she hit him, the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket replied, “Reasoning with him doesn’t work! He won’t admit his mistake, and he’s only pretending to be convinced. I can tell!” They were all neighbors, and it was just a childish squabble, so Zhao’s elders couldn’t say anything. They didn’t even dare to tell Zhao Yao to fight back, as he really couldn’t beat the little girl who loved to climb walls. Then, the next day, when Zhao Yao returned home from school, the child was pitiful, covered in footprints. It turned out that on his way home, Zhao Yao had deliberately taken detours and carefully chosen a route, but he was still caught by the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket, who was waiting for him. She jumped up and started kicking him, “You like to tattle, huh? I won’t use my hands, but kicking is okay, right?” In fact, to ensure she only used her feet and not her hands, the little girl crashed into the wall several times and even sprained her ankle. Still, she insisted on “accompanying Zhao Yao home.” The next day, Zhao Yao found Li Bao Ping squatting outside his door. The child was scared and aggrieved, and suddenly overwhelmed with sadness, he squatted on the ground, hugging his head and wailing. The limping little girl walked to him and asked if he would admit his mistake. Zhao Yao, his face covered with snot and tears, still refused to admit his mistake, but suddenly started rolling on the ground. “Useless! You’re calling for help, huh?” The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket turned and left. After walking a dozen steps with her shoulders swaying, she suddenly stopped, turned her head, looked at the peer who had stopped crying, and signaled with her eyes, “Wait, when we get near the school, we’ll have another showdown!”

Zhao Yao was already like this, so Lin Shouyi and Dong Shui Jing and the others were even worse. Thinking about it too much might bring tears of bitterness.

Therefore, the small town school often had the teacher giving lessons while the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket had her palms hit with a ruler, then was punished to stand at the back of the school or outside the school window, secretly standing on one leg, arms crossed, sulking.

The old scholar, having drunk almost half a pot of wine, was already flushed. He stood up and laughed, “I must return. There’s still a lot of work waiting.”

Cui Dong Shan rarely argued. It wasn’t the old scholar being pretentious, he was truly busy. Shouldering the world’s affairs was not a joke.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible to steal a moment of leisure, but some decisions of the Confucian Temple, even if they were only slightly faster or slower, could lead to vastly different results in the Wilderness World.

Everyone in the room stood up and followed the old scholar outside. The old scholar originally wanted to cross the threshold and return directly to the Hall of Merit with a spatial stride, but as he walked, he went to the gate of the house. As he continued to walk, he reached the side of a cliff pavilion on Secret Snow Peak. Only then did the old scholar stop. He just looked up at the plaque, and the old man no longer climbed the steps into the Na Yun Pavilion with its wide view. He looked at Chen Ping An and the others and laughed, “Don’t see me off, go back.”

The old man grew older year by year, but the young men could no longer be young.

The old scholar looked at them, both proud and pleased, but also feeling a bit sad. He both wanted his juniors to grow up with the principles in books and didn’t want the children to grow up so early. However, this extremely contradictory feeling could only be truly understood when one became a father and a teacher. The old man resisted putting all his words into his belly and just smiled, “In the future, if you have the opportunity, come to the Hall of Merit in the Confucian Temple as guests. If there are any books you want to see, prepare a list in advance, and there won’t be any problem.”

Chen Ping An took the lead and bowed farewell.

The old scholar smiled and nodded, taking a single step across continents to return to the Confucian Temple.

The bright moonlight shines in the sky, and the hasty young men walk on earth, their steps the quickest.