Chapter 498: (3): Unrestrained

Zhu Quan started to drink, but most likely feeling like she was being slightly unreasonable for asking Chen Ping'an for more wine, she also started to drink sparingly and in small sips.

Sure enough, it was City Lord Gao Cheng of Skeleton Wall City, the most powerful heroic spirit in Malicious Ghost Valley.

When deciding to flee from Malicious Ghost Valley before, Chen Ping'an had also had some speculations in his mind. He had carefully filtered through all of the Nascent Tier ghost entities recorded in the Be At Ease Compilation, and he had naturally considered Skeleton Wall City's Gao Cheng as well. However, he had felt like the possibility was slim.

This was because the higher one's cultivation base, the loftier one's gaze. This was the case for White Cage City's Pu Rang, and it was also the case for the two mighty beings from the Great Round Moon Monastery and the Small Mystery Capital Temple in the peach tree forest. When standing on the bank of the Black River, Chen Ping'an's remark of "One needs to have the proper mindset to achieve proper results" had actually encapsulated a very large group of people. Of course, this was excluding vagrant cultivators.

There were also many unexpected surprises in the world, and there wasn't anything that was absolutely certain. As such, even though Chen Ping'an had felt like it was least likely for Skeleton Wall City's Gao Cheng to be the culprit when Yang Ningxing had mentioned a so-called watchful gaze from the north, he was coincidentally someone who was accustomed to preparing for the worst. As such, he had directly viewed Gao Cheng as his hypothetical enemy!

Otherwise, Chen Ping'an had already been staying at Green Cottage Town very close to where Sect Leader Zhu Quan had been cultivating in her thatched cottage, so had there been any need for him to use two gold paper Land-Shortening Talismans and split apart the barrier in the sky to leave Malicious Ghost Valley? Moreover, he had already been sure that there were spies of Skeleton Wall City hiding in Green Cottage Town beforehand, and he had purposely taken one extra trip to Copper Stench City. In reality, Chen Ping'an's escape plan had been silently set into motion the moment that he had tossed the lesser heat coin to the ghost captain at the city gate of Copper Stench City.

Chen Ping'an had, in fact, already figured out a rough vein linking everything together in the depths of his mind.

There were many critical points along this vein, for example, Yang Ningxing voicing his feelings near the suspension bridge between the two cliffs.

On the bank of the Black River, the old monk had gazed at the opposite shore and chanted "Amitabha" before silently saying that there was salvation in repentance, a seemingly offhand remark.

After entering Green Cottage Town, theoretically the safest place in Malicious Ghost Valley, Chen Ping'an had surprisingly been unable to lower his calligraphy brush and draw talismans. At the same time, he had even failed to calm his mind when trying to perform standing meditation. This was extremely rare.

Looking even further back, there was the fated opportunity pertaining to the female heavenly official from Mural City. The Deer Rider Divine Maiden had walked out from her mural and made her way to the dock at the Swaying River, transforming into an old lady to feel out Chen Ping'an.

Mural City was the first place that Chen Ping'an had stayed at after arriving at the Northern Complete Reed Continent!

Yang Ningxing had refined and condensed his evil thoughts into a small speck, and the scholar had once spoken casually at the water goddess shrine near the Black River and inadvertently said that he hadn't won a single time against Chen Ping'an.

When it came to worldly matters, fortune and misfortune always came hand in hand.

Chen Ping'an had a very deep understanding of this.

If one indulged in fortune for a long time, what would the outcome be?

Even though Chen Ping'an had already fled far away from Malicious Ghost Valley and arrived at the Flax Robe Sect's Wood Garment Mountain, he still felt a lingering sense of fear in his mind.

He had enjoyed a very successful run as a wandering merchant at Copper Stench City, so under normal circumstances, he should have naturally continued to travel north in Malicious Ghost Valley. This was especially the case since he had faced no genuine danger the entire time, and he had instead made a small profit everywhere he went. Chen Ping'an hadn't necessarily enjoyed exceptional fortune, but he had enjoyed continuous fortune that had allowed him to make some money here and there.

Moreover, the Deer Rider Divine Maiden ultimately had nothing to do with him, and the same could be said for the small thunder pool at Accumulating Cloud Mountain and the fated opportunity at Treasure Mirror Mountain. It was as if Chen Ping'an had relied on his own cautiousness and a "smidgen of fortune" to obtain the small profits. This was seemingly the type of situation that would make Chen Ping'an feel the safest and most relaxed.

Chen Ping'an squinted his eyes and downed the remaining rice wine in a single gulp.

Zhu Quan glanced at the sword on Chen Ping'an's back and lightly shook her head, thinking that it most likely wasn't this item that Gao Cheng was after. Even though the city lord of Skeleton Wall City was the arch enemy of the entire Flax Robe Sect, the past leaders of the sect had all acknowledged that this heroic spirit of Malicious Ghost Valley was indeed a mighty figure among ghosts. He possessed an impressive cultivation base and an equally impressive breadth of mind. As such, Gao Cheng wouldn't stoop as low as to covet the weapon of Chen Ping'an even if it truly was a pseudo-celestial tool. He most definitely wouldn't become so apoplectic with rage either.

In a rare turn of events, Zhu Quan actually thought for a moment before speaking, and after finding the right words, she said, "I won't ask about how you attracted Gao Cheng's attention, and you don't need to voluntarily tell me either. This is something between you and him. Of course, fighting against Gao Cheng and Skeleton Wall City has always been the responsibility of cultivators from the Flax Robe Sect, and we won't complain about this even if we get injured or die. You don't need to feel obliged to get involved in the future simply because you sought shelter at Wood Garment Mountain after fleeing from Malicious Ghost Valley. There's no need to repay us for this help. There's no need for us to be so polite with each other either."

"Alright," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

Zhu Quan chuckled and remarked, "Good one, you truly aren't being polite anymore."

————

At the Small Mystery Capital Temple located in the peach tree forest of Malicious Ghost Valley...

The old Daoist priest stood under the towering peach tree, with mist permeating around his feet like a gigantic painting of mountains and rivers that was slowly rolling open.

When a scholar appeared in the painting and entered Copper Stench City to participate in that childish so-called imperial examination...

The heart of Xu Song, the "young" Daoist priest holding a horsetail whisk, jolted, and he asked in a quivering voice, "Master, is this one of those rumored Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls?"

The old Daoist priest nodded and replied, "The branch master from the Lofty Cloud Palace of the Great Origin Empire's Esteemed Mystery Department personally wrote a letter and sent it to the Small Mystery Capital Temple, asking me to act as the temporary Dao guardian of Yang Ningxing. Since I decided to help, I thought that I might as well help to the best of my ability, so I made this painting as a means to achieve this aim. However, you can rest assured that this is only a copy of the genuine Fleeting Glance Picture Scrolls, so the price to pay won't be very high.

"Outsiders can only observe things three times, and the reason that I'm letting you observe it once is because I want you to observe Dao as you watch these events unfold. This is called borrowing stones from another mountain to polish jade.[1] So, make sure to watch carefully."

Xu Song was astounded, and he exclaimed, "Yang Ningxing, that Young Heavenly Lord from the Esteemed Mystery Department, only came to Malicious Ghost Valley to sightsee, and it was actually his older brother who was obtaining the treasure at Treasure Mirror Mountain. That being the case, was there any need to take things so far?"

The old Daoist priest smiled and replied, "I was also puzzled in the beginning, and I could only guess that these matters very likely pertained to battles of the Great Dao. In any case, everything will make sense once you finish watching the events play out on this picture scroll."

Xu Song widened his eyes, not willing to let slip a single detail on the picture scroll.

However, Yang Ningxing's actions at Copper Stench City were truly unsightly, and Xu Song would have felt like his master was making a big fuss over a small issue if it weren't for the fact that he had gone as far as to use a Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll. He would have also felt like the branch master of the Lofty Cloud Palace was getting overly worried for nothing.

However, Xu Song immediately pushed aside these thoughts when he saw the so-called scholar reduce Peeling Mountain's Lady Bishu to nothing but black smoke. Meanwhile, the young swordsman was squatting on the wall and watching on as this happened.

Xu Song's expression became slightly serious.

Many more things happened afterward.

Xu Song was terrified by what he saw, with his mind fluctuating greatly as he watched.

When the scenes on the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll finally came to a stop, the picture scroll transformed into an ordinary one that was gently picked up by his master.

"What are your thoughts?" the old Daoist priest asked with a smile.

There was an ashamed expression on Xu Song's face as he replied, "If I were... Brother Haoren, then I would have died by Yang Ningxing's hands countless times."

The old Daoist priest nodded and added, "And if you were him, you most definitely wouldn't have been able to escape from Malicious Ghost Valley."

Xu Song recalled the commotion at Green Cottage Town a few days ago as well as the legitimate battle between immortals immediately afterward, and this caused the young Daoist priest to feel slightly deflated and dispirited.

The old Daoist priest looked at his prized disciple and said with a faint smile, "What's wrong? You feel like you're inferior to someone else because of this? If that's the case, then will you smash your head against a tree to commit suicide if I tell you that the true age of that young wanderer from the outside world is only a sliver over twenty?"

Beads of sweat formed on Xu Song's forehead.

The old Daoist priest sighed and shook his head, continuing, "Naive child, is it truly a good thing to always walk the tightrope between life and death and fortune and calamity to fight for that one-in-ten-thousand chance? To cultivators, just how terrifying is it to become mired down in the mortal world and to be entangled by the tendrils of karmic fate?

"Taking a step back, even if you're genuinely inferior to that person right now, is that any reason for you to stop cultivating and stop comprehending Dao? Translating this to me, your master, should I feel deflated and dispirited every time I think about the lofty Dao Ancestor, the three branch masters slightly below him, or the transcendent immortals at White Jade Capital another step below? Should I tell myself that I'll give up and just let things be?"

Xu Song looked up with a dazed expression.

The old Daoist priest lightly flicked Xu Song's head and explained, "Daoists like us cultivate ourselves, and our greatest enemy is the withering of nature and the restrictive confines of life and death. Our enemy isn't some other person. Do the glory and fall of other people have anything to do with us? In my view, perhaps there's no need to even fight for the genuine Great Dao. However... Forget about it. Saying too much will be counterproductive."

Xu Song took a step back and bowed in respect, saying, "Thank you, Master, I understand things a bit better now."

"Then that's sufficient," the old Daoist priest said with a satisfied nod.

————

Each mural was originally a door to an immortal mystical realm.

Following the eight murals transforming into white sketches, however, the immortal abode lost more than half of its spiritual energy, transforming into ordinary immortal abodes which were superior to blessed lands but inferior to small worlds. It was still a treasured land with good feng shui, but there was no longer anything astonishing about it.

Jiang Shangzhen was very disappointed as he walked through the mystical realm again.

After using his bonded item, a willow leaf, to slash open the barrier in the sky and return to Skeleton Shoal, Jiang Shangzhen didn't immediately leave the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and he instead secretly came to this mystical realm.

There were some things that would leave an itch in his heart if he didn't figure them out properly.

Moreover, hiding in this mystical realm was killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, hiding here was safer than hiding at Wood Garment Mountain. Secondly, he was worried that the after-effects would be relatively terrifying after he formed a bad relationship with He Xiaoliang. That ruthless woman was someone who enjoyed incredible fortune, so once she developed resentment toward Jiang Shangzhen, it was extremely likely that he would mysteriously suffer misfortune if he remained in ordinary areas of the Northern Complete Reed Continent. He wouldn't suffer great calamities per se, but he would definitely suffer enough misfortunes to feel completely disgusted.

For example, Jiang Shangzhen was incredibly worried that he would encounter that old woman who was traveling around the south if he showed his face at Skeleton Shoal or Wood Garment Mountain. Afterward, she would have tears and snot streaming down her face as she tearfully complained to Jiang Shangzhen. He genuinely couldn't stand these kinds of reunions.

However, thinking as he lay in the field of flowers in this mystical realm, thinking as he sat in the bed with brocade blankets, thinking as he lay on the makeup table with lingering fragrance, and as he sat on the railing of the tall building that celestial maidens had definitely leaned on before, Jiang Shangzhen was ultimately unable to fully comprehend some matters. It was as if three days had flashed past in the blink of an eye.

He would ask if he couldn't figure these things out by himself.

Jiang Shangzhen controlled his bonded item and had it knock loudly on one of the doors of the mystical realm.

It wasn't long before a familiar face arrived. However, the old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect was infuriated when he saw Jiang Shangzhen, and he bellowed in anger, "You're still not going to fuck off, Jiang Shangzhen?! The Flax Robe Sect doesn't have any more dog shit to feed you!"

Jiang Shangzhen sat on a railing and peered down at the short-tempered old man, saying with a cheerful grin, "Don't mind me, and please speak in a more civilized manner. I'm now an ally of the Flax Robe Sect, after all..."

The old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect didn't speak any nonsense, and he was just about to resort to violence.

Jiang Shangzhen hurriedly raised his hands and said in a serious voice, "I have proper matters to discuss with Sect Leader Zhu Quan, and I naturally have matters to discuss with your guest at Wood Garment Mountain as well. It's best that you ask them to come over here to chat with me."

The old ancestor had already retrieved his bonded item, and by the looks of it, he wasn't simply stretching his body to loosen up.

Jiang Shangzhen lightly patted the railing with his hands and sighed in exasperation, "This place is a precious base for your Flax Robe Sect, so will you guys not be the ones to suffer if you always fight here and destroy the surroundings?"

The old ancestor chuckled coldly, and four heavenly king statues had already appeared around him after he retrieved his bonded wooden tablet. The limbs of the heavenly king statues moved slowly as golden light continued to gather in their eyes.

This was what Jiang Shangzhen was afraid of when it came to cultivators from the Northern Complete Reed Continent — they all liked to fight first before discussing matters later.

If this were the past, Jiang Shangzhen would have happily entertained his opponent and given them a fight. He had only been at the Golden Core Tier back then, but he had dared to call himself the number one troublemaker and the best at fighting and cursing. If things went south, then he would be the most capable at fleeing. Indeed, he regarded himself as a leader in these three fields. However, Jiang Shangzhen wasn't planning to return to the cultivation world during this trip to the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Jiang Shangzhen glanced up and breathed a sigh of relief.

Sect Leader Zhu Quan's embroidered shoe once again appeared amid the sea of clouds in the sky, and it was as large as a mountain to begin with, blotting out heaven and earth. However, Zhu Quan immediately shrank down to a normal size by the time she arrived on the ground.

Standing beside Zhu Quan was Chen Ping'an.

The two of them appeared in the corridor on the top level of the towering pagoda.

Zhu Quan told the old ancestor to return to Wood Garment Mountain first.

The old ancestor cursed as he put away his bonded wooden tablet and retracted the four heavenly king statues.

Jiang Shangzhen roared with laughter and jumped off the railing, saying, "Little Quan'er, it's said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, with one day apart feeling like three years separated. In this sense, we've essentially been apart for ten years already, so do you miss me a lot? I know that you definitely don't miss me at all, am I right?"

Zhu Quan couldn't be bothered to even take a glance at him, and she said to Chen Ping'an, "Rest assured, I'll immediately make my way over if you face any trouble. I'm more motivated to kill this pervert than I am to flatten Skeleton Wall City."

Jiang Shangzhen paid no heed to this, and he leaned against the railing and used his hand as a fan, lightly flapping it back and forth as he said with a wide grin, "Little Quan'er is just as lively and adorable as in the past."

Zhu Quan disappeared with a flash, returning to Wood Garment Mountain through the sea of clouds.

Once Sect Leader Zhu Quan and the old ancestor of the Flax Robe Sect left, Jiang Shangzhen flicked his large sleeve and retrieved numerous strange and wonderful immortal treasures, surprisingly sealing the gate amid the sea of clouds that linked this mystical realm to Wood Garment Mountain. At the same time, he also sealed the eight small gates linked to the murals of the female heavenly officials.

After he did this, Zhu Quan's muffled voice immediately traveled over from outside, cursing, "Do you want to eat my saber strikes, Jiang Shangzhen?"

The sea of clouds then started to tremor violently, with Zhu Quan presumably starting to attack the gate at Wood Garment Mountain.

Jiang Shangzhen flicked his sleeve again, causing an endless stream of dazzling immortal treasures to fly out and comprehensively block the gate in the sea of clouds. He then promised loudly, "If I commit a violent crime in here, then I'll allow you to beat me to death once I leave. What do you say?"

Chen Ping'an was unfazed, and he took out a pot of wine and tossed another pot to Jiang Shangzhen, saying, "Thanks."

The casual expression disappeared from Jiang Shangzhen's face, and he sighed with emotion and asked, "I'm very curious; have you managed to guess who the person targeting you is?"

"Isn't it Gao Cheng?" Chen Ping'an replied with a chuckle.

Jiang Shangzhen didn't joke around in a rare display, and he simply fixed his gaze on Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an nimbly hopped up and sat on the railing, and Jiang Shangzhen did the same and sat next to him. The two of them then started to drink wine.

"Your question has allowed me to confirm my suspicions," Chen Ping'an said.

Jiang Shangzhen had a puzzled expression as he replied, "Then that makes me even more confused. I've investigated your past through all kinds of methods, and theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be such a deep connection between you and her."

Chen Ping'an answered with something off-topic first, saying, "Sect Leader Zhu told me before about a remark from White Cage City's Pu Rang after he attacked Gao Cheng with his sword a few days ago. He said that the actions of sword cultivators have always been unrestrained by heaven and earth. This is truly a brilliant remark."

Jiang Shangzhen took a large swig of wine, with his cheeks gurgling and vibrating slightly as if he were gargling the wine. He then threw his head back and downed the wine in a single gulp.

After doing this, Jiang Shangzhen immediately leaned back and took another swig of one, once again in no hurry to swallow the contents in his mouth.

He had only lost a crappy net worth seventy to eighty grain rain coins in Malicious Ghost Valley, yet he had been afforded the opportunity to watch this good show from the beginning to the end. This was a very good deal.

After all, would it make any sense to discuss monetary matters with Jiang Shangzhen? To do so would be attempting to humiliate him, no?

"The reason that there exists an ambiguous connection between He Xiaoliang and me is because...

"I was screwed over by that bastard, Lu Chen," Chen Ping'an revealed slowly and expressionlessly.

Jiang Shangzhen immediately spat out his mouthful of wine.

1. This means observing someone else or receiving someone else's criticism and helping to correct one's own mistakes and shortcomings. ☜