The group initially planned to stay at an inn at the foot of the mountain, but it was overcrowded. There was only one room left here and there. Chen Pingan, worried that Shi Rou alone couldn’t protect Pei Qian, had no choice but to take a flying shuttle back to the ferry, “Azure Garment,” suspended in the air.

Zhu Lian inquired about the incense offerings at the Zhongyue Shrine on the mountaintop. Chen Pingan said he hadn’t gone inside to burn incense, only wandered around the summit. However, along the way up, he passed several Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, and it was clear they were sparing no effort in competing for pilgrims. The Taoist temples had invited a third-rank high official of the Chengtian Kingdom to erect a stele outside their gates, while the monasteries hired famous calligraphers to write plaques. Besides, they maintained the mountain paths leading to their respective temples and monasteries, making them exceptionally smooth and shaded by lush trees.

This was the case on a single mountain. Among the Five Sacred Mountains of a nation, the competition for incense was even fiercer, with every trick imaginable. The deities of a single Sacred Mountain would often invite mid-fifth realm Qi refiners to build thatched huts for cultivation, even if they weren’t actually present. This was a case of “A mountain need not be high, if there is a celestial, it has spirit.” They would also warmly invite literati and poets to tour the mountain scenery, leave behind poems and ink treasures, and then have the secular dynasties promote them, and so on, with endless variations. It was said that in Chengtian Kingdom’s Southern Sacred Mountain, a famous courtier later known as the “Plantain Scholar” wrote a well-known and exquisite poem during a rain shelter on the Southern Sacred Mountain. The deputy head of Guanhai Academy highly praised it and included it in a poetry collection as the finale, so that even a century later, the Southern Sacred Mountain shrine still benefited from this “literary aura.”

Chen Pingan neither liked nor disliked these operations that had nothing to do with immortal energy.

Perhaps in the future, if he really had to establish a small sect in his hometown of Longquan County, he might need to replicate these methods.

Before taking the flying shuttle into the air, Zhu Lian whispered, “Young Master, should this old servant show off a little? Pei Qian has obtained such a large piece of Lampfire Stone Marrow, it’s inevitable that someone will covet it.”

Chen Pingan shook his head and smiled, “We haven’t provoked any trouble, and we’re not incapable of dealing with ordinary ghosts and monsters. There’s no reason to be paranoid and sound the alarm every night. If someone really comes knocking, you, Zhu Lian, can just consider it doing a good deed for the people.”

Shi Rou rarely took the initiative to speak, “But we possess treasures, which is why people are greedy.”

Chen Pingan patiently explained, “You’re wrong. First, to see wealth and develop the intent to seize treasure and kill is wrong in itself. Second, it seems that we are guilty of possessing treasures first, which makes outsiders envious afterward, but the truth is, evil exists in the hearts of evildoers first. Today they see Lampfire Stone Marrow, tomorrow they see some magical weapon, the day after tomorrow someone else’s good fortune, and these will all be reasons for them to take risks and disregard the law.”

Explaining the order of events carefully, Chen Pingan had practically broken down the reasoning. Shi Rou nodded, indicating her agreement.

Chen Pingan finally smiled slightly, “The pugilistic world is already filthy enough, let’s not be too harsh on the good people. The Spring and Autumn Annals hold the virtuous accountable, which is the good intention of the Most Sage Teacher, but it’s not something that any of us later generations can copy verbatim.”

Zhu Lian asked Pei Qian with a smile, “Do you understand?”

Pei Qian glared, “Is it any of your business?!”

Zhu Lian clicked his tongue, “The Debt-Losing Girl finally stepped on dog poop, and made a fortune for once. Her back is straighter than a walking stick.”

The flying shuttle slowly rose into the air.

Pei Qian sat next to Chen Pingan, struggling to suppress her laughter.

Zhu Lian asked, “Why didn’t you buy a few more pieces of Lampfire Stone… gamble a little? For example, you still have three Snowflake Coins on hand. If it really doesn’t work, you can let Shi Rou sell that small piece of Lampfire Stone Marrow. Use the small to win big, earn more and more. Wouldn’t gold mountains and silver mountains be here in this treasure land, making you rich? Not to mention this year’s birthday gift for your master, maybe next year and the year after will be settled as well…”

Pei Qian held up two fingers, her face full of smugness.

Zhu Lian smiled slightly, “Tell me about it, I’m all ears.”

Pei Qian imitated Chen Pingan slowly, “First, on the way out of the Lion Garden, Master taught me that a gentleman doesn’t take what others cherish, so I won’t ask Shi Rou to sell the Lampfire Stone Marrow. Second, when traveling the pugilistic world, you must know when to stop! This is also what Master said.”

Zhu Lian clasped his hands in salute, “I am enlightened, I am enlightened. I wonder when Lady Pei, Master Pei, will open a school, imparting knowledge and teaching students. I will definitely support it then.”

Pei Qian threw a punch to deliberately scare Zhu Lian. Seeing that the old cook didn’t budge, she reluctantly withdrew her fist, “Old Cook, why are you so childish?”

Zhu Lian threw a punch.

Pei Qian leaned back instantly, dodging the punch, and then laughed heartily.

Zhu Lian and Chen Pingan exchanged smiles.

Shi Rou, after all, wasn’t a pure martial artist and didn’t understand the subtleties of this.

After the group boarded the ferry, perhaps the rumors of “a young sword cultivator with two Natal Flying Swords” were too deterrent, far greater than the temptation of three Grain Rain Coins. So until the ferry sailed out of Chengtian Kingdom, no lawless people dared to test the sword cultivator’s mettle.

However, the slow speed of this ferry, the winding route, and the various means of earning money were truly admirable to Chen Pingan.

On this day, when the ferry was once again suspending, flying shuttles were casting nets, and a certain immortal abode was operating a “single-plank bridge,” even Chen Pingan couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “We really got on a pirate ship.”

That immortal sect was only third-rate in the Treasure Bottle Continent, but they had built a single-plank bridge spanning over ten miles between two mountain peaks, permanently high above the sea of clouds. The scenery was good, but they weren’t ambiguous about collecting money. A single trip cost a full three Snowflake Coins. It was said that the fifth-realm wild cultivator from the Bee Tail Ferry once walked across this single-plank bridge and happened to witness the sunrise. Inspired by the moment, he achieved enlightenment and broke through, reaching the Golden Core Earth Immortal realm right here. It was this step that led to his great achievements later, standing proudly at the peak of the Treasure Bottle Continent as a lowborn wild cultivator.

Chen Pingan still obediently took out twelve Snowflake Coins.

Pei Qian initially thought about running back and forth seven or eight times, but a lovely maidservant who was fortunate enough to cultivate in the immortal sect smiled and reminded everyone that this single-plank bridge had a rule: you couldn’t walk back.

This made Pei Qian stomp her feet in annoyance. Another loss of money?!

Although it was called a single-plank bridge, it wasn’t narrow or difficult to walk.

The bridge that the wild cultivator from the Bee Tail Ferry walked across that year was indeed dilapidated.

Later, the mountain gate sold everything to rebuild it to its current scale, which was not only wide and stable but also rebuilt to be extremely exquisite and beautiful.

After this, the ferry bypassed the war-torn central part of the Treasure Bottle Continent, circling a truly large loop.
Such that beneath the ferry’s hull, lay the very Dragon Vein path that Chen Pingan once sailed south on.

That time, Chen Pingan parted ways with Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia, venturing south alone.

This time, he was accompanied by Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, and Shi Rou.

During their time on the ferry, besides practicing his boxing stances, Chen Pingan had to dedicate half his time to entering a meditative state, absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his “Water Mansion.”

The longer he delved into the path of cultivation, the more he felt the aftereffects of treading both the Qi refining and martial arts paths simultaneously. Chen Pingan roughly concluded that this path would offer a brief period of benefits after he reached the seventh realm of martial arts and the Cave Realm of Qi refining. However, beyond that, especially after his natal item was refined and he eventually formed his Golden Core, the conflict between the two would become increasingly irreconcilable, making his martial arts ascent fraught with difficulties, and advancing to the Nascent Soul stage even more arduous.

But those were future matters.

For now, he still had to practice his boxing and do his utmost to absorb and refine the spiritual energy of the world.

Chen Pingan, after completing one million punches of the most basic six-step stance in the Sword Qi Great Wall, from leaving Upside-Down Mountain to Tongye Continent, then to Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and then to the Great Spring Dynasty, Azure Tiger Palace, and the southernmost Old Dragon City of Treasure Bottle Continent, had now thrown roughly another forty thousand punches on his way from the southeastern Azure Luan Kingdom to the northern Great Sui.

After the cyan-clad ferry sailed away.

It was the season of Minor Heat, already entering the scorching heat of steaming above and boiling below. Three old men ascended the mountain towards this single-plank bridge.

Few were the tourists.

Apart from the mountain gate women collecting fees at both ends of the bridge, there were hardly any visitors on the bridge.

A short, hemp-clad old man with a bandit-like air slapped the shoulder of a fellow old man. “Hey Xun, what are you dawdling for? Fork over the money!”

The old man surnamed Xun was busy asking the young woman about the unique scenery of the place. After being grabbed by the shoulder, he immediately and obsequiously produced nine snowflakes of money, acting as a generous sucker.

This old man paying the bill was none other than the senior Xun mentioned by Zhu Lian, who had gifted Zhu Lian several romantic novels of immortals fighting in the dust of Old Dragon City’s pharmacy.

Zhu Lian greatly admired this senior’s knowledge, considering his scholarship was quite profound.

Later, Sui Youbian would go to this old man’s Tongye Continent, to the Jade Tablet Sect. After Du Mao’s ascension failure, which greatly damaged the sect’s vitality, the Jade Tablet Sect was now undoubtedly the leading power in the continent.

The remaining ordinary-looking old man hesitated, wanting to advise his carefree close friend. Senior Xun had kindly crossed continents to visit him, yet he hadn’t shown a good face from beginning to end. Did he really think this senior was a junior disciple of his Invincible Divine Fist Gang? Moreover, if Senior Xun hadn’t helped this time, how could he have smoothly obtained the largest fragment of glazed golden body that Du Mao left behind in the mortal realm.

Even if one took a step back, Xun Yuan was, after all, a Celestial Realm grand cultivator of Tongye Continent, and even the former sect master of the Jade Tablet Sect! Where did a guy who had fallen back to the Nascent Soul Realm get the confidence to boss this senior around every day?

This old man was none other than the wild cultivator of the Upper Fifth Realm from Honeycomb Ferry, and also Jiang Yun’s master.

Therefore, this single-plank bridge was precisely the blessed land where the old man formed his Golden Core.

That maidservant who was only a Third Realm cultivator couldn’t recognize the depths of the three men. Not only her, but even the Ocean Gazing Realm mountain master standing here wouldn’t be able to see through their true strength.

A Celestial Realm, a Jade Pure Realm, and a Nascent Soul Realm.

Any one of them could probably collapse this mountain with a stomp.

After Xun Yuan paid the fees, the three old men slowly walked on the single-plank bridge.

In terms of age and cultivation, Xun Yuan was the most respected.

But this One-Foot Spear of Tongye Continent really couldn’t act tough in front of the Jade-Faced Young Master of Treasure Bottle Continent.

Once, while watching the same mirage, the Young Master had unprecedentedly asked One-Foot Spear if he could fight, and if he could, to come and help with a small favor.

Xun Yuan patted his chest and guaranteed that even if he couldn’t fight, he definitely wouldn’t hold back.

Then, the old gang leader who was a Qi refiner but named his sect the Invincible Divine Fist Gang gave Xun Yuan an address and arranged to meet there.

Xun Yuan immediately flew away on the wind, as fast as lightning.

It turned out that the Taoist Celestial Sovereign of the Divine Edict Sect, who had just entered the twelfth realm not long ago, had clashed with the Jade Pure Realm wild cultivator of Honeycomb Ferry. Both sides were determined to get the glazed golden body fragment, resulting in a stalemate.

If nothing unexpected happened, at the very least, the Invincible Divine Fist Gang would become enemies with the Divine Edict Sect.

As a result, Xun Yuan’s appearance immediately broke the deadlock.

It could barely be considered a happy ending for everyone. The Jade Pure Realm wild cultivator spent money to buy the rare, large piece of glazed golden body, almost emptying his savings. But it was obvious that the nominal number one cultivator of Treasure Bottle Continent, the Taoist Celestial Sovereign Qi Zhen, had taken a big step back. In addition to collecting money, Xun Yuan also helped the Divine Edict Sect to ask one of the seventy-two Confucian Sages sitting in the sky above the Treasure Bottle Continent for an ancient, unknown broken cave heaven relic that the glazed golden body had escaped into, and handed it over to Celestial Sovereign Qi Zhen to bring back to the sect for repair and patching. If managed well, it would become a small blessed land where disciples of the Divine Edict Sect could cultivate with twice the results for half the effort.

Generally speaking, cultivators above the Upper Fifth Realm would not easily enter fragments of cave heavens and blessed lands, but there were no absolutes.

Moreover, among the Confucian sages of the Vast World, there was a special group of sages who were dedicated to “expanding the territory,” seeking out those relics floating at the bottom of the river of time, salvaging them, and either stabilizing them into one of the new cave heavens and blessed lands, or directly integrating them into the Vast World’s territory.

Historically, there were not a few Confucian sages who completely perished in the river of time because of this, and countless more who damaged the foundation of their great Dao.

But these dangers and sacrifices,

The mortal world did not know.

After Li Huai went to the Cliffside Academy of Great Sui to study, although he was bullied a lot at first, after the storm passed, not only did no one in the academy cause him trouble, but he also made two new friends, both of the same age. One was a talented child from a poor family named Liu Guan.

The other was Ma Lian, born into a distinguished and influential family of the Great Sui.
The penniless Liu Guan possessed boundless audacity, always brimming with whimsical ideas. In stark contrast, the well-born Ma Lian was timid and hesitant, his actions constrained by his privileged background. He became their follower, spending his days in the company of Liu Guan and Li Huai. As Ma Lian’s family was a leading aristocratic clan of the Sui Dynasty, linked to the powerful Gao clan of Geyang through marriage, and Ma Lian himself was the eldest grandson, his association with Liu Guan and Li Huai led to his ostracization by other students at the Sui Academy. They derisively labeled him a “sycophant” and a “moneybag.”

As summer arrived, the three young scholars, classmates and roommates, would sneak out of the academy after curfew to enjoy the cool air by the lake, risking reprimands, scripture-copying, standing penalties, and even the dreaded wooden paddle if caught by the instructors.

Tonight, Liu Guan led the way, strutting confidently as if he were a night watchman from the academy. Li Huai cautiously looked around, while Ma Lian, looking dejected, trailed behind Li Huai.

The trio successfully reached the lakeside. Liu Guan removed his boots and dipped his feet into the cool water, feeling something was missing. He turned to one of his relieved companions and said, “Ma Lian, it’s stifling hot in this sweltering summer. Your Ma family is known as the premier collector of fans in the capital. Bring out three of them later, and give one each to Li Huai and me, so we can cool ourselves while studying.”

Ma Lian lamented, “My grandfather treasures those fans more than life itself! Each one is his precious treasure. He’d never give them to me.”

Liu Guan rolled his eyes. “Then swipe a few that your grandfather doesn’t often use. If he finds out, is he really going to beat his own grandson to death?”

Ma Lian was on the verge of tears.

Li Huai attempted to mediate. “Forget it. Ma Lian is a coward; everything shows on his face. If he tries to steal fans, his parents will see through him the moment he gets home.”

Ma Lian nodded vigorously.

Liu Guan sighed. “What a waste of such a good background! You can’t do this, you dare not do that. Ma Lian, I don’t see much promise for you when you grow up. At best, you’ll just be coasting on your family’s wealth. Look, your grandfather is the Minister of Revenue, holding the title of Grand Scholar of the Wenyin Hall. Your father is only a regional governor. Although your uncle is an official in the capital, he’s just a low-ranking clerk. When it’s your turn to be an official, you’ll probably only be a magistrate.”

Ma Lian sighed dejectedly, offering no retort. He lacked the courage and spirit to argue with Liu Guan, and he also felt that Liu Guan’s assessment was quite accurate.

Among the three, although the instructors scolded Liu Guan the most, it was obvious to everyone that the instructors had the highest expectations for Liu Guan. Ma Lian’s performance was mediocre, only slightly better than Li Huai, who was perpetually at the bottom of the class.

Li Huai patted Ma Lian on the shoulder, consoling him, “Being a magistrate is already impressive. Back in my hometown, the highest official was some kiln supervisor with a ridiculously large hat. Only recently did we get a magistrate. Besides, whether we are high-ranking or not, aren’t we all friends with you and Liu Guan? If you’re just a small official, Liu Guan and I will still be your friends. But don’t become a big shot and forget about us!”

Ma Lian quickly assured them, “Never! I’ll always consider you my best friends.”

Liu Guan grinned. “So, who is your best friend between Li Huai and me?”

Ma Lian was at a loss for words, feeling that no matter how he answered, he would not be able to please everyone. Although he admired Liu Guan’s intelligence and maturity, he actually preferred spending time with Li Huai, who was easy to talk to, never said anything hurtful, and never made him feel inferior.

Li Huai laughed, putting his feet into the water and shivering from the cold. He chuckled, “I’m second best. I won’t compete with Liu Guan for first place. Liu Guan is always number one anyway.”

Liu Guan put his arm around Li Huai’s neck, laughing. “You’re saying that like you’re deliberately letting me win. Could you even beat me, you little rascal?”

Li Huai quickly begged for mercy. “I can’t, I can’t! Liu Guan, why are you picking on someone who’s always at the bottom of the class? Do you even feel good about yourself?”

Ma Lian secretly smiled.

These three children were, after all, still living in carefree times.

Suddenly, a shout from an instructor echoed from afar. Liu Guan pushed Li Huai and Ma Lian. “Run! I’ll hold off that drunken-nosed Instructor Han!”

Without hesitation, Ma Lian took off running barefoot.

Li Huai grabbed Ma Lian’s boots for him, asking, “What about you?”

Liu Guan glared at him. “Just go! If all three of us get caught, tomorrow will be even worse, and the punishment will be more severe!”

Li Huai hurriedly put on his boots, running with more stability than Ma Lian, having walked all the way from Dali Longquan County to the Sui Academy.

In the end, Liu Guan bore the brunt of the night-patrolling Instructor Han’s anger. Had Liu Guan not answered his questions flawlessly, the old instructor would have made him stand by the lake all night as punishment.

When Liu Guan returned to the dormitory, Li Huai opened the door and asked, “How did it go?”

Liu Guan snapped his fingers triumphantly. “There’s no problem in this world that I, Liu Guan, can’t solve.”

Li Huai, ever observant, asked, “Aren’t you left-handed?”

Liu Guan immediately cursed under his breath. He sat down at the table and opened his palm, revealing that his left hand was red and swollen. He fumed, “That old drunken Han must have been holding in his anger. Either the price of wine in the capital went up, or his two good-for-nothing grandsons got into trouble again. He deliberately took it out on me. The ruler hit especially hard tonight.”

Liu Guan was carefree, the kind of person who could fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. While Li Huai and Ma Lian worried anxiously about the consequences they would face the next day, Liu Guan was already sound asleep.

Liu Guan slept on the outer edge of the straw mat, Li Huai’s bedding was closest to the wall, and Ma Lian slept in the middle.

Li Huai was unable to sleep. By the moonlight, he sat against the wall, holding a painted wooden puppet and muttering to himself.

Ma Lian whispered, “Li Huai, why haven’t you been playing with Li Bao Ping lately?”

Li Huai casually replied, “I’ve always been afraid of her. Besides, what’s it look like if I’m always playing with the same girl? If people get the wrong idea that I like Li Bao Ping, I’ll be beaten half to death by her.”

Ma Lian simply said, “Oh,” sounding somewhat disappointed.

He thought the girl in the red cotton jacket was very beautiful.

If he could catch a glimpse of her in the academy someday, even from afar, it would make him happy all day.

Ma Lian was silent for a long time. Li Huai was still waving the painted wooden puppet, pretending to be a commanding general, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Ma Lian knew that inside Li Huai’s small green bamboo trunk were all of Li Huai’s most cherished possessions.

Ma Lian suddenly asked, “Li Huai, this Chen Ping’an you always talk about, you’ve been at the academy for almost three years, why hasn’t he ever come to see you?”

Li Huai stopped what he was doing, lost in thought, and finally smiled, “He’s probably busy.”

Ma Lian noticed that Li Huai quickly lay down on the bamboo mat, placing the painted wooden doll beside his head. Usually, Li Huai could fidget for half an hour, but today was an exception.

In reality, Li Huai stared wide-eyed at the moonlight outside the window.

Inside the green bamboo trunk were a pair of straw sandals, an ink jade hairpin engraved with “Huai Shade.”

These three items were Li Huai’s most treasured.

He, Li Bao Ping, and Lin Shouyi each had a hairpin. Chen Ping’an had gifted them all together, but Li Huai felt that theirs were inferior to his own.

There was also a copy of “Breaking the Great Cliff” purchased from Red Candle Town, paid for with Chen Ping’an’s silver.

Then there was the painted wooden doll that Li Huai often used to play with and show off. It and the delicate yellow wooden box were obtained during a “division of spoils” with Land Deity Wei Bo on Chessboard Mountain. The wooden doll was the number one general under Li Huai’s command.

At the time, Li Huai wanted to give it to Chen Ping’an, but Chen Ping’an refused, telling Li Huai to keep it safe.

So, he tucked it inside the book “Breaking the Great Cliff.”

There was also a set of lifelike clay figures, a gift from Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple. They weren’t as “tall and imposing” as the painted puppet. The five clay figures were only half a finger tall, depicting a wandering swordsman, a Taoist with a whisk, an armored general, a crane-riding woman, and a gong-beating watchman. Li Huai had given them all nicknames and assigned them the title of “General.”

The flying Sword Immortal Wei had said something back then, which Li Huai had long forgotten, something about Yin-Yang experts, Moist puppet techniques, and Taoist talisman schools, something about cultivators at the seventh or eighth realm. He was too busy enjoying himself to pay attention to those confusing things. Later, when he introduced the clay figures to his two friends, he wanted to boast about how valuable the five little fellows were. He racked his brains to come up with something impressive but failed. Only then did he remember that he could ask Li Bao Ping or Lin Shouyi, who had good memories. But he figured Chen Ping’an had promised to come see them at the academy, so he could ask him then. After all, Chen Ping’an remembered everything.

There was also a piece of paper with the character “Qi” that Master Qi had asked them to practice calligraphy with.

But it seemed that Chen Ping’an had forgotten them.

At first, he would write letters and send paintings to Li Bao Ping, but later, it seemed that even the letters stopped.

Compared to the childish games of Li Huai and his two peers,

Lin Shouyi was already recognized as the academy’s favored son of heaven.

His studies and cultivation were equally outstanding, and he was highly valued by many of the academy’s masters.

He had long been traveling the mountains and rivers of Great Sui with an old immortal adept in thunder magic, spending almost half his time at the academy and half away.

The previous person to receive such treatment was the youngest sage of Great Sui’s Lake View Academy, praised by the academy’s deputy headmaster as having the disposition of a noble scholar.

As he grew older, Lin Shouyi transformed from a handsome young man into an elegant nobleman. More and more women inside and outside the academy admired Lin Shouyi. Many young women from the leading aristocratic families of the Great Sui capital came to the academy built on Little Eastern Mountain just to catch a glimpse of Lin Shouyi from afar.

Lin Shouyi gradually developed an otherworldly aura, as if he were drifting further and further away from the mortal realm.

As Lin Shouyi’s reputation grew and became as pure as white jade, even the power holders of the Great Sui capital, in casual conversations with colleagues in government offices and in discussions with younger family members in their own courtyards, heard the name Lin Shouyi more and more often. They began to pay more or less attention to this young scholar.

Regarding the attention from these behind-the-scenes gazes, as well as the many entanglements of daily life,

Lin Shouyi, born the illegitimate son of a clerk in the Longquan County government, was neither arrogant nor annoyed.

Cultivating the mind was also cultivation.

The more effort one put into tempering one’s state of mind today and yesterday, the fewer flaws one would have when breaking through realms tomorrow and in the future.

Lin Shouyi was quite knowledgeable about the shifting political landscape of Great Sui because of his travels, and the dynasty, which was originally the most prosperous in terms of literary style in a certain continent in the north, had a mournful atmosphere.

However, Lin Shouyi was not interested in any of it.

He was even indifferent to the overwhelming advance of the Great Li iron cavalry southward into his hometown.

Besides the thunder magic taught by the old master at the academy, Lin Shouyi had been diligently studying the “Cloud Top Luminous Book” obtained from Chessboard Mountain.

This time, he followed the old master to North Mountain on the border of Great Sui and a celestial abode called Divine Firmament Mountain, spending three months. Lin Shouyi also rode a celestial flying boat for the first time in his life, just to get a close-up view of a thundercloud, the scene was magnificent and breathtaking. The old master, riding the wind, left the swaying flying boat and performed a feat of capturing lightning with his bare hands, collecting it in a special celestial porcelain bottle used to hold lightning, called the Thunderous Belly Drum Bottle. The old master gifted it to Lin Shouyi, so that Lin Shouyi could absorb spiritual energy after returning to the academy.

Tonight, Lin Shouyi walked alone in the night, heading to the library to read books. The master on duty naturally wouldn’t stop him. Confucian academies had many rules, but they weren’t rigid.

He ascended the library, reading late into the night until dawn.

After becoming a cultivator, as long as his spirit was properly nourished, Lin Shouyi wouldn’t feel tired from staying up late to read.

Lin Shouyi returned the books and came to the window, just as the turbid air in the world was sinking and the clear air was rising.

The world seen through the eyes of a cultivator was completely different from what ordinary mortals saw.

Mortal eyes couldn’t see the flow of spiritual energy, the rising of baleful aura, the gathering of yang energy, and the dissipating of yin energy.

However, the closed doors of each and every mortal’s dwellings, while unable to accept the tempering and purification of spiritual energy to prolong life, could also remain undisturbed by the various gales of the world. Birth, old age, illness, and death were all determined by fate.

Cui Dongshan had once recited a poem.

That filled Lin Shouyi with longing.

“The wind is high, the waves are swift, riding on the back of a toad for ten thousand miles, traveling the celestial palace, overlooking the misty air. In a drunken dream, an immortal shakes the cinnamon tree, in the mortal world, it is called a clear breeze.”

After entering the academy, he flipped through those yellowed books. It was said that ancient immortals could indeed go to the sun palace and moon palace to drink celestial wine with the gods, and get drunk for thousands of years.

Lin Shouyi was filled with longing for this.

Lin Shouyi suddenly sighed.

If that day ever came, he hoped that the woman of willow-lined banks would be by his side.
Lin Shouyi couldn’t help but smile when he thought of her.

If the women of the Great Sui capital saw this, their hearts would surely flutter.

In recent years, Lin Shouyi would occasionally recall that naive youthful journey, a trip full of thrills and novelty. The first time he saw mountain spirits, the first time he saw a local deity, the first time he received a chance for cultivation, the first time he stayed in a celestial inn filled with immortal aura, the first time he saw painted door gods as tall as a man. The first time he received a small gift of a book case and a jade hairpin. The first time he was in an unfamiliar academy of Great Sui, fighting alongside those who had traveled here, sharing weal and woe, overcoming difficulties together.

Lin Shouyi suddenly felt a sense of regret.

It seemed that after that person left, everyone drifted apart, even though they were still in the same academy, often bumping into each other, but their hearts were no longer united.

A clear, shallow stream at its source began to branch out, each flowing in a different direction. Though it seemed to gradually grow stronger, becoming a joyful brook like Li Huai, a surging river like himself, or a lake like Li Baoping choosing to wait and stay, or a deep well or underground river like Yu Lu, looking back now, in the very beginning, noisy and bumbling, everyone was covered in mud, wearing straw sandals, carrying bamboo baskets, eating and sleeping outdoors, with someone standing watch at night…

Lin Shouyi sighed.

There was no going back.

At first, no one lived in Yu Lu’s study, but later a prince, Gao Xuan, moved in, and the two were inseparable, their relationship exceedingly close.

But not long ago, Yu Lu once again became a “lonely man,” because Gao Xuan had quietly left the Cliff Academy and gone to the Deer Arbor Academy on Pi Yun Mountain in Longquan County, supposedly to study, but the truth was clear to everyone: he was simply a hostage. After the Great Li Song clan and the Great Sui Gao clan signed that pact, besides Gao Xuan, there was also that eleventh-realm doorkeeper of the Great Sui capital Gao clan, along with the old flood dragon from the Yellow Court Kingdom who had originally resigned from his post and retired to the mountains, both of whom became vice-chancellors of the newly built Deer Arbor Academy of Great Li.

Yu Lu had sent Gao Xuan to the foot of the academy mountain and then stopped seeing him off.

This morning, Yu Lu, for the first time in a long time, knocked on the door of a small, detached courtyard.

The one who opened the door was Xie Xie.

Yu Lu saw Xie Xie holding a broom.

Even though Cui Dongshan had been away from the academy for some time, it seemed she was still diligently performing the duties of a maidservant.

Xie Xie asked with a stern face, “What are you doing here?”

Yu Lu smiled slightly, “I suddenly remembered that we haven’t seen each other in a long time, so I came to see you.”

Xie Xie asked, “Now that you’ve seen me, what’s next?”

Yu Lu said helplessly, “Is it too much to ask to come in for a cup of tea?”

Xie Xie hesitated for a moment, but still allowed Yu Lu, this young man she should have respectfully addressed as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, to enter the courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, but it was very clean. It must be quite a task in the autumn when leaves easily fall, or in the early spring when catkins easily drift.

Xie Xie pointed to the main room, the door tightly closed, with a porch made of green bamboo strung together like a large mat. Yu Lu could even imagine that white-robed youth with a mole between his eyebrows, lying lazily on his side, watching the stars when the night was cool as water.

Xie Xie reminded, “Remember to take off your shoes before stepping onto the platform, otherwise I’ll have to clean it again after you leave.”

Yu Lu took off his boots and sat on the green bamboo floor. It should be green bamboo planted by a qi cultivator from a cultivator family in the Great Sui territory. Ordinary Great Sui dignitaries would consider it a luxurious gesture to use it to make a pen holder, a fitting gift for scholars and literati. If there were a summer sleeping mat or a cool bamboo chair, it would be an extraordinary sign of favor and wealth. But in this courtyard, it was just like this.

Xie Xie continued to work, not offering Yu Lu any tea. What tea would he drink so early in the morning? Did he really think he was still the Crown Prince of the Lu clan? Yu Lu was now even less fortunate than Gao Xuan. At least the Geyang Gao clan still maintained the national destiny of Great Sui, unlike those Lu clan remnants who were sent to the mountains west of Longquan County to serve as laborers, exposed to the scorching sun and rain all year round, often whipped, or turned into goods, bought by mountain peaks where mansions were being built to serve as servants. The difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.

Yu Lu leaned back and asked, “Xie Xie, have you ever thought about what kind of life you want in the future?”

Xie Xie sat by the stone table, “I haven’t.”

Yu Lu, wearing the academy’s Confucian robe, folded his hands over his abdomen, “Your young master beat me up before he left the academy.”

Xie Xie sneered, “What, can’t beat Cui Dongshan, so you want to vent your anger on me? As expected of a seventh-realm martial artist with half the nation’s martial prowess. But are you sure you can definitely beat me?”

After she was captured by Great Li, that imperial concubine had a Great Li enshrined sword cultivator nail several dragon-trapping nails into her key acupoints, extremely vicious.

Later, Cui Dongshan removed half of the dragon-trapping nails, restoring her cultivation to the cave realm of a qi cultivator. Before Cui Dongshan left the academy, he removed several more. Xie Xie’s body only had the last dragon-trapping nail left, pinning down the gate of the acupoint where her natal object was located. But now she had finally returned to the Viewing Sea Realm. In addition, Cui Dongshan had set up many secret arts in the small courtyard, and most of the formation core controls had been taught to Xie Xie to open, drive, and close. Therefore, as long as Xie Xie was in the small courtyard, she had a prototype of Mao Xiaodong guarding the Cliff Academy.

Yu Lu sat up, smiling slightly, “If we really fought, you would still lose.”

Xie Xie said “Oh” with a indifferent expression, “Then you’re really amazing. I misjudged you. Do you need me to apologize to you?”

Yu Lu leaned back again, using his hands as a pillow, and said with emotion, “You…”

Although they were both remnants of the Lu clan dynasty, they should have been sympathetic to each other and supported each other, but Xie Xie, deep down, extremely disliked this Yu Lu who went with the flow, and did not hide it at all.

Yu Lu closed his eyes, “It’s comfortable lying here, let me nap for a while.”

Xie Xie hesitated for a moment, but did not chase him away.

She was actually a little curious as to why Yu Lu had not followed Gao Xuan to the Deer Arbor Academy.

If Yu Lu went to Great Li, he could at least look after the Lu clan remnants who were in dire straits. Moreover, there were actually many Lu clan civil and military officials who, although they had become attached to Great Li, were still valued and trusted. Many military officers followed the Great Li iron cavalry south, and it was said that they had made great achievements and were very eye-catching, beginning to integrate into the Great Li military.

Even if none of this mattered, Yu Lu was now a registered resident of Great Li, such a young Golden Body Realm martial artist.

It would scare people to death to say it out loud.

The Great Li Song clan emperor, to say nothing else, had a magnanimity that Xie Xie had to admit.
The Prince Consort Song Changjing was of the same mind.

By all accounts, Yu Lu should have gone to Linlu Academy.

Yet, Yu Lu stubbornly remained at Cliffside Academy.

Among their cohort of outsiders who entered the academy together, beyond the notice of the Great Sui Dynasty’s court and the highest echelons of the academy, Lin Shouyi, with his innate Daoist potential, always shone the brightest, destined for the greatest achievements. The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket, Li Baoping, was the most amusing, impossible to dislike. Xie Xie had the most powerful backing. Li Huai possessed the most mediocre academic talent but was the least to be trifled with. As for Yu Lu, he was always the most inconspicuous, easily forgotten. Even after becoming friends with the imperial prince Gao Xuan, he still didn’t strike people as noteworthy. Instead, he was looked down upon as a young man who enjoyed opportunistic scheming and clinging to the nobility.

Yu Lu suddenly opened his eyes. “Your young master says that Chen Ping’an is already a fifth-realm martial artist on the verge of breaking through, with even greater actual combat prowess.”

Xie Xie gloated, “What, are you afraid of being overtaken?”

Yu Lu shook his head. “I will definitely be overtaken.”

Xie Xie frowned. “Soon?”

Yu Lu nodded. “So soon that it’s beyond your imagination.”

Xie Xie asked again, “Martial fortune’s blessing?”

Yu Lu shook his head. “Precisely because it has nothing to do with that, I feel somewhat… melancholy.”

Xie Xie was at a loss for words.

He wondered what Chen Ping’an would be like the next time they met.

Xie Xie couldn’t imagine it.

Would he still be carrying a bamboo case and wearing straw sandals, just taller?

Li Baoping also lived alone in a student dwelling.

This was the only thing that Mao Xiaodong and Cui Dongshan, sworn rivals, didn’t argue about.

Because the dwelling was for four people, the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket, living alone, should have had an empty dwelling.

But in reality, besides her own bed, the other three were piled high with paper, neatly stacked in piles.

The instructors had to complain to the academy masters about this. The little girl had already copied enough books to be punished over a hundred times. How could they punish her further?

The patrolling teachers on duty were even more amused. Almost everyone saw the little girl burning the midnight oil, copying books with rapid strokes, diligent to an excessive degree.

At first, some older gentlemen spoke out on behalf of the little girl, mistakenly believing that the instructors responsible for teaching Li Baoping were targeting her too harshly. They grumbled about it in private. But the truth was both funny and exasperating. Those instructors said that it was the little girl’s hobby. She didn’t need to copy so many sacred texts. Li Baoping occasionally skipped class to daydream on the peak of Little East Mountain or sneak out of the academy. Afterwards, she was punished with copying books according to academy rules, but she didn’t need to copy this much. The problem was that the little girl enjoyed copying books. How could they stop her? Other academy students, especially those with unruly natures, were forced to copy books by the instructors with paddles and rulers. This little girl, however, had copied a mountain of books!

Fortunately, this little girl, known to everyone in the academy, although she annoyed the instructors by skipping class from time to time, was still very lovable, except for those strange questions, which often gave the instructors headaches. How could her little head contain so many bizarre ideas? Why did all the rivers in the world like to twist and turn? Instructor, do you know the answer? During heavy rain, would the mosquitoes outside the dwelling be killed by raindrops? Instructor, do you know? Anyway, I searched the ground for a long time after the rain stopped, but I couldn’t find a single mosquito corpse. Why don’t the fish in the lake burst after drinking so much water? Instructor, you still don’t know, do you? Is it written in the books? I can go look it up myself…

As a result, the instructors who taught the little girl, while having headaches, would chat and joke about whether they could compile a collection of Li Baoping’s questions someday.

Today, Li Huai, on a whim, didn’t follow Liu Guan and Ma Lian, saying he needed to go to the privy. Alone, he went to the peak of East Mountain.

Coincidentally, he saw Li Baoping, wearing a red skirt, sitting on a tree branch.

Li Huai didn’t dare to greet her. He lay on the stone table at the summit, watching the one who often climbed trees there from afar.

After spacing out, Li Baoping skillfully slid down the tree trunk and ran away.

She also saw Li Huai over there, raising his arm high but unable to speak.

Li Baoping glanced at Li Huai and turned her head, running down the mountain like the wind.

Li Huai felt a bit resentful and wronged for a moment. He found a branch from the ground, squatted down, and drew circles on the ground.

Li Huai’s eyes lit up. He remembered that the last time he wrote about his parents, they came to the academy to see him.

Would it work if he wrote Chen Ping’an’s name?

Li Huai grinned and began to write the three characters for Chen Ping’an.

Before he could finish writing, a hand reached out and erased the characters that were just one stroke away from being completed.

Li Huai was bewildered. He saw Li Baoping, who had returned without him noticing.

Li Huai stubbornly wrote the character “Chen” again. Li Baoping reached out and wiped it away.

If it were in the past, Li Huai might have backed down, but today, as if he had eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall, he stubbornly started writing again.

Li Baoping didn’t say anything. Li Huai wrote with a branch, and she wiped it away with her hand.

As a result, by the time Li Huai broke the branch, he still couldn’t write the complete character “Chen” on the ground, let alone the two characters for “Ping’an.”

Li Huai threw away the broken branch and began to wail.

Li Baoping ignored Li Huai, picked up the branch, and continued squatting, resting her slightly pointed chin on one arm. She began to write the three characters for “Little Martial Uncle.” After writing, she nodded in satisfaction.

Li Huai wiped his face haphazardly and sobbed, “Li Baoping, if you keep bullying me, I’ll tell Chen Ping’an when he comes! If he gets angry, he might not want to be your little martial uncle anymore!”

Li Baoping changed the font and continued to write the three characters for “Little Martial Uncle,” focusing intently on the ground, ignoring Li Huai’s threat.

Li Huai suddenly forced a smile and asked cautiously, “Li Baoping, just let me write three characters, okay? It’s very effective. Maybe Chen Ping’an will come to our academy tomorrow. I’m not lying to you. Last time I thought about my parents, and as soon as I wrote it, the three of them came. You know that.”

Li Baoping didn’t even look up and just handed over the branch.

Li Huai was overjoyed. But as soon as the branch touched the ground, Li Baoping frowned. “Write properly!”
Li Huai’s hand trembled in fright, his writing immediately becoming crooked and illegible. With a tearful voice, he cried, “What are you doing?!”

Li Baoping helped to wipe away the smudge.

Li Huai, his tears drying, smiled through his relief and began to earnestly write the character “Chen.”

After he finished writing.

Li Baoping surveyed their surroundings, “Where are they?”

Li Huai, wearing a mournful expression, said, “How could they be so fast?”

Li Baoping rose and nimbly darted towards a large tree, climbing onto a branch to peer into the distance.

Li Huai’s eyes darted about, sensing impending misfortune. He dropped the tree branch and started to flee.

However, how could he outrun Li Baoping? She swiftly caught up to him after descending the tree. Li Huai, terrified, crouched down and covered his head.

Yet, Li Baoping, for once, did not beat him. Instead, she sprinted along the mountain path towards the Mountain Cliff Academy’s gate, eager to explore the bustling streets and narrow alleys of the Great Sui Dynasty’s capital.

While Li Baoping was enthusiastically touring the capital’s streets and Li Huai was returning to his dormitory, having narrowly escaped a beating.

At the gate of the Great Sui Mountain Cliff Academy.

A weary group of four travelers arrived. A young man in white robes, carrying a sword on his back and a bamboo chest, smiled as he presented a travel document to an elderly Confucian scholar guarding the gate.

The old scholar examined it for a long while. The seals and stamps from various countries and regions across the two continents were densely packed on the document. The old man was filled with surprise. He looked up and smiled, “So this young Master Chen has traveled to so many places?”

The young man visiting the academy nodded with a smile.