Chapter 451: Crossing the Bridge

Trees flourished and flowers bloomed following the arrival of spring, yet it was now almost impossible to see a single royal descendant going on a spring outing in the northern region of the Stone Brush Nation.

The three steeds continued to travel north, stopping and starting numerous times as they did so. Before they knew it, summer had already arrived.

They decided to rest on a small path winding through a mountain ridge near a border pass of the Stone Brush Nation today, and Zeng Ye was busy preparing a meal while Ma Duyi was putting on makeup in front of a mirror. She was humming a song, and she appeared to be in a fairly good mood. The small and green copper mirror in her hand was a spirit tool that she had obtained for a low price, and it was a relatively rare Sun and Moon Radiance Arc Design Mirror.

Ma Duyi had spent less than two taels of silver to purchase this mirror after haggling with a stall owner who had very poor appraisal skills. According to the elderly ghost cultivator who was responsible for appraising treasures for Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi, this mirror could sell for at least forty to fifty snowflake coins at immortal ferry stations.

Chen Ping'an sat beside them and flipped through his so-called ledger book, inside of which the large majority of names already had a faint vermilion mark under them. This mark signified the successful completion of their final wishes. However, the final wishes of some other ghosts and yin entities could only be set aside for the moment. In reality, however, both Chen Ping'an and the deceased individuals were well aware that these final wishes would very likely become "long-cherished but unfulfilled wishes," to borrow the concepts of Buddhism. These wishes would be extremely difficult to fulfill regardless of whether one was alive or dead.

This was a knot in the hearts of the yin entities, and some of these knots became tangled knots that couldn't be undone. Overcome with grief and fury, some yin entities couldn't control their emotions and eventually experienced an explosive rise in rage and hostility, almost transforming into malicious ghosts on the spot. In the end, they could only rely on the Heart Purification Talismans plastered around the Hall of the Underworld to maintain their final slivers of reason.

The "thrifty" Ma Duyi didn't complain about Mr. Chen drawing up Heart Purification Talismans again and again, immediately replacing those that had lost their spiritual energy. This was a continuous drain on their immortal coins, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this activity a bottomless abyss for money.

They came across many defeated and scattered soldiers of the Stone Brush Nation as they traveled north, and many of these soldiers would come together to form groups of wandering bandits in the mountains and forests, gathering and dispersing on a whim. These wandering bandits furiously attacked and pillaged the army provisions of the Great Li Empire, and for the sake of living on and carrying out the lofty sense of justice in their hearts, some of the bandits were forced to turn their blades toward the common people of the Stone Brush Nation.

Three bouts of heavy snow had descended at the end of last year, and coupled with the chaos of war, few people remained in the northern region of the Stone Brush Nation. There were only three hundred to four hundred wandering bandits and steeds at most, yet there was only a pitiful amount of food to go around the region. Moreover, the families in the smattering of impoverished cities on the border of the nation were hoping to rely on this food to survive until the next harvest time. As such, they couldn't afford to feed the defeated soldiers of the Stone Brush Nation.

And thus, it was inevitable that conflict arose between the two parties, with one side trying not to starve to death and one side trying to stay alive to fight against the existential crisis gripping the nation. As time went on, the rift and conflict between the two parties continued to grow and worsen.

Chen Ping'an and his companions had come across one such conflict that almost resulted in bloodshed. As the two sides argued, a young soldier dressed in tattered armor almost swung his saber at a skinny old man's shoulder. However, Chen Ping'an suddenly dashed over and grabbed the standard anti-cavalry sword of the young soldier, causing the dozens of defeated soldiers to immediately charge over. Chen Ping'an stomped his foot in response, and the soldiers and horses of the Stone Brush Nation were sent stumbling and rearing. Chen Ping'an then tossed away the anti-cavalry sword in his hand, having it return to the scabbard of the young soldier. The powerful impact of the landing sword caused the young soldier to stumble back several steps.

Chen Ping'an didn't say anything afterward, simply standing on a street of the small town with his horse. The starving soldiers of the Stone Brush Nation had no option but to silently retreat from the county city.

Chen Ping'an and his two companions slowly took their leave as well.

Behind them, the residents of the small town started to loudly abuse the soldiers of their nation, launching into a tirade of vulgarity. They accused the soldiers of being too weak to fight against the barbarians of the Great Li Empire, yet becoming increasingly capable of harassing the common people of their own nation. It would have been better for these soldiers to have died on the battlefield, as that would have at least prevented them from turning around and harassing their own people. In fact, some people even suggested that they provide intelligence to the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire stationed in a large county city nearby, potentially earning them some bounty money.

The young soldier suddenly started bawling after the cavalrymen left the county city.

An old military officer who looked like a lieutenant stopped his horse and also shed tears. All of the soldiers were emaciated and pale, with almost all of them carrying wounds as well. They also stopped their horses, looking around in anxiety and confusion. They were at a complete loss.

Chen Ping'an told Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye to stay put, after which he slowly rode over by himself.

This was a renowned and time-honored cavalry unit from the border region of the Stone Brush Nation, and it had once boasted more than two thousand elite soldiers at its peak. Now, however, there were fewer than eighty survivors, with all of them filled with deep apprehension as they looked at the approaching Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an tossed them a large and heavy pouch, saying in his increasingly fluent official dialect of the Stone Brush Nation, "It's time for you to disperse. Take off your armor and take off the armor of your horses. Use this money to return home and settle down."

The old military officer caught the pouch and opened it up to take a look, only to see a pouch full of official gold ingots. A confused look spread across his face as he looked up at Chen Ping'an.

"If you're unwilling to give up like this, then you can pick a few quick-witted brothers to disguise as merchants and travel to a county city that's already regained peace and stability to purchase some rations," Chen Ping'an said. "You'll need to do your best to avoid the spies and scouts of the Great Li Empire, and you should buy fewer rations each time to avoid raising the suspicion of the local officials. I'm sure that even you guys can't tell who's a friend and who's a foe right now."

"Is that all? Or do you want something else?" the old military officer asked.

Chen Ping'an nodded and replied, "You don't have a choice right now. Since things are already as bad as they can be for you, why don't you take a risk and give this a try? Moreover, if I wanted to rely on your dozens of heads to ask for rewards from the prefectural officials who have already defected to the Great Li Empire, I wouldn't have needed to go to so much trouble. Perhaps your subordinates can't tell, but you should be very clear about this as a fourth tier martial artist."

The old military officer wanted to say something, but he couldn't help but hesitate.

Chen Ping'an shook his hand and continued, "I can't help you any more than this. I'm not a charity or anything, so don't try to treat me as such."

The old military officer could only huff and abandon his thoughts that were indeed a little bit shameless. After accepting the pouch of gold ingots that could save their lives, he cupped his fists in gratitude at the young man in azure cotton robes and said, "Thank you for being so just and righteous!"

Chen Ping'an cupped his fists in response before turning around and leaving. As for what the scattered soldiers of the Stone Brush Nation decided to do in the end, Chen Ping'an didn't stay behind to observe them from the beginning to the end like he had the young shop attendant from the dog meat shop.

The old military officer felt slightly deflated; he hadn't even asked the young man for his name yet.

When Ma Duyi saw Mr. Chen returning on his horse, she teased, "You claimed that you aren't a charity, but in reality?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "Even if you see through me, you don't have to expose me like this. Keeping quiet is a top-notch interpersonal skill to have."

Ma Duyi was just about to retort him in an incisive manner, yet Chen Ping'an had already trotted off on his horse. She and Zeng Ye had no option but to hurriedly catch up.

Following the resolution of the conflict, the hooves of the three horses lightly galloped across the land that was filled with lush greenery and blooming flowers.

Returning to the present, Ma Duyi put down her copper mirror and turned around to look at Chen Ping'an who had already closed his ledger book, asking, "Mr. Chen, will we return to Bamboo Scroll Lake before autumn arrives?"

"We should be able to," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

Ma Duyi stretched lazily and accidentally hit the large bamboo case behind her, and she hurriedly reached back to stabilize it. The bamboo case was brimming with treasures that they had purchased for low prices from the three cities that they had recently visited. Even though the treasures were all wrapped in silk and protected by cotton, Ma Duyi was still worried that she would accidentally damage those especially delicate children.

According to the old ghost who resided in the Colored Glaze Pagoda, most of these treasures were precious curios that nobles in the mortal world liked to collect. However, these treasures were far less valuable than gold and silver in chaotic times like these. When peace eventually returned, though, even the small bird feeder that they owned would be worth two hundred to three hundred taels of silver. If they came across a wealthy individual who was truly fond of the treasure, then even raising the price twofold wouldn't be a difficult task.

In reality, these treasures could also be placed inside Mr. Chen's minimization treasure. However, Ma Duyi liked to open the bamboo case to rifle through the treasures whenever they stopped to take a break. For example, she always liked to take out the small copper mirror to look at and play with. Since she wanted to do this, however, she had to suffer the consequences and carry the bamboo case herself.

Zeng Ye was already a legitimate fourth tier cultivator now, and with Ma Duyi's superior talent and comprehension, she had already advanced to become a fifth tier yin entity.

In terms of actual cultivation potential, however, Zeng Ye still had the edge over Ma Duyi. This was the importance of one's physique.

One wasn't afraid to cultivate slowly, while the other wasn't afraid to cultivate quickly. As time went on, Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi were building a stronger rapport and managing to cooperate better and better.

When they ate, Chen Ping'an still chewed slowly as was his habit. On the other hand, Zeng Ye was squatting beside him and wolfing down his food. The sturdy young boy asked casually, "How is my walking meditation fist stance, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Ping'an smiled faintly and replied, "It's so-so."

Zeng Ye sighed in grief upon hearing this. Even though he knew that his performance of the six-step walking meditation wasn't necessarily smooth and perfect, he thought that it would at least be practiced and improving.

Ma Duyi poured fuel on the fire, commenting, "You're not cut out to practice martial arts, and even a martial arts novice like me can see this clearly. Your fist stance is loose and empty, and you haven't even set foot on the correct path yet. Zeng Ye, were you mistakenly thinking that you were quite skilled already?"

Chen Ping'an consoled Zeng Ye and said, "Martial arts isn't your main focus, and having it strengthen your physique and temper your body is already enough. In fact, developing a breath of True Qi and having it conflict with the spiritual energy in your acupoints is actually undesirable."

"Either I fail to learn things properly, or I learn things very slowly. Why aren't you worried, Mr. Chen?" Zeng Ye asked gloomily.

Chen Ping'an was very amused to hear this, and he replied, "I would definitely be worried if worrying could help solve the problem."

Ma Duyi couldn't contain herself any longer, and she was just about to say something.

However, Chen Ping'an had already raised his hand and said, "Shut up, you're not allowed to pick on Zeng Ye's cultivation for your own amusement. Also, I would be shocked if you could determine how good or bad Zeng Ye's fist stance is. Are you just borrowing the casual assessment of some senior?"

A wide smile appeared on Ma Duyi's face, causing her beautiful eyes to squint slightly. She remained silent and tacitly accepted Chen Ping'an's accusation.

The three of them continued to travel along the border of the Stone Brush Nation.

They arrived at an immortal force in the north called Descending Falcon Mountain, where the green mountains were undulating, the scenery was beautiful, and spiritual energy was relatively abundant. Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye both felt extremely relaxed and satisfied after entering the territory of the immortal force, and they couldn't help but take a few extra breaths.

This was the reason why ordinary people in areas of scant spiritual energy might never come across a cultivator in their entire life. Merchants sought profits from bustling cities, and in the same vein, cultivators would subconsciously avoid regions with little spiritual energy when they traveled around the world. After all, there were far too many requirements when it came to cultivation, and it was necessary to take things slowly and steadily, especially for cultivators at the Lower Five Tiers and immortals at the Middle Five Tiers. Wasting their precious time in areas with no spiritual energy for thousands of kilometers would be absolute stupidity.

The relentless battles near the border regions before had affected the immortal forces of the Stone Brush Nation, and for some unknown reason, many small immortal forces gathered in this area and vaguely appeared to treat Descending Falcon Mountain as their leader. Descending Falcon Mountain owned a large territory, and it had previously maintained a single lineage system as well, meaning that there were few people in the large and powerful sect. As such, Descending Falcon Mountain loaned many of its mountains to the small immortal forces of the Stone Brush Nation that had come here to take refuge.

Thanks to this phenomenon, Descending Falcon Mountain gained much renown in two short years.

It was said that many immortal shops had opened here as a result, and this was the main reason for Chen Ping'an deciding to visit. Since they were passing by, Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi could try to see whether the dozen or so spirit tools that they had bought for bargain prices could sell for a good price. Moreover, all of the immortal coins they earned would belong to them. As for how they split up the profits, Chen Ping'an didn't care at all. He would leave it up to Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi to discuss by themselves. However, he figured that Zeng Ye would definitely get the shorter end of the stick. With how skilled and shrewd Ma Duyi was with her plans and calculations, even three Zeng Yes combined wouldn't be able to rival her.

Chen Ping'an thought to himself that if he even opened a shop to do business in the future, Ma Duyi would indeed be a very good helper.

When they arrived at a mountain on the outer regions of Descending Falcon Mountain's territory, Chen Ping'an discovered that there were many mortal refugees gathered here as well. There was a bustling marketplace that appeared no different from those in the cities, and as they made their way through the area, they saw many construction sites that were bustling with workers.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Apart from strong young men, there were also women and children who had survived the trip to Descending Falcon Mountain providing their help as well. What surprised Chen Ping'an the most was the fact that a martial sage temple of the Stone Brush Nation had already been completed. Even though it was crude, it possessed everything required by the imperial etiquette of the nation. Apart from all this, some cultivators were still busy setting up a mountain-protection formation.

This was probably the earliest foundation for an immortal ferry station or an immortal force in the mountains.

Two cultivators saw Chen Ping'an and his companions walking over with their horses, and there was a slightly guarded look in their eyes as they observed the three unfamiliar faces. They secretly communicated with the others, intending to have numerous cultivators gather over from all directions to deter these outsiders.

Chen Ping'an was no longer wearing the guest elder jade tablet of Cyan Gorge Island, so he could do nothing but sigh in helplessness regarding this situation. He asked one of the cultivators for directions, saying that he wanted to visit the mountain where the ancestral hall of Descending Falcon Mountain was located.

After the cultivators belonging to the same force as a Cave Abode cultivator pointed out the directions for Chen Ping'an and his two companions, they watched the three people leave the market before finally breathing a sigh of relief. They then continued to work on the mountain-protection formation.

There was nothing they could do about this. They were from a third-rate immortal force, so even if they had moved here to seek refuge with Descending Falcon Mountain, they could only scrape together a pitiful amount of immortal coins compared to the extremely wealthy first-rate forces. As a result, they were tossed to this area by the ancestral hall of Descending Falcon Mountain, and they were essentially forced to act as the door gods for the eastern entrance of Descending Falcon Mountain.

If any trouble arose — for example, if the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire saw Descending Falcon Mountain as an eyesore and decided to charge over — then they would naturally be the first to suffer the consequences. They would have no option but to grit their teeth and act as a shield for Descending Falcon Mountain.

It was necessary for all immortal sects in the mountains to experience hardships, humiliation, and grave dangers as they were established, rose to prominence, and passed down their teachings.

The elderly Abode Tier cultivator who was already the so-called old ancestor of his force stood on an elevated platform and secretly observed a little refugee child who was helping his parents wipe off their sweat. The old cultivator smiled knowingly. This child possessed great potential, yet the ancestral hall of Descending Falcon Mountain was slow to realize this, and it was only now that they planned to offer one lesser heat coin and a mountain of more than five kilometers in radius to change the passports of this family.

However, the old cultivator staved off the overwhelming objections to turn down the goodwill of Descending Falcon Mountain. He planned to personally take this child in as a direct disciple, and after sixty years or one hundred years, perhaps his immortal force would gain a new Abode Tier cultivator? Or perhaps the child might even advance to the Sea Observation Tier like the clan rejuvenation ancestor from back then? This wasn't a wild dream, and just thinking about this made the old cultivator feel extremely happy and satisfied.

Even though the junior brothers and senior brothers had argued intensely in the ancestral hall before — one lesser heat coin and an additional mountain would be of extraordinary significance to their immortal force — they stood strong and united after they decided to turn down the suggestion of Descending Falcon Mountain's ancestral hall. Even the most miserly junior brother among them decided that he would gift a spirit tool that he had cherished for a long time to the little child when they eventually joined their immortal force and became a disciple of their old ancestor.

After leaving the market, Chen Ping'an suddenly glanced back into the distance and asked, "Did the two of you notice anything?"

Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi were completely baffled by Chen Ping'an's question.

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "It's nothing. Maybe I saw wrong."

"Mr. Chen, it's not good to leave people hanging," Ma Duyi said in amusement.

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "When you guys become powerful enough to stand alone and take charge in the future, you'll understand that saying things halfway is a profound skill that's worth investigating."

Ma Duyi clicked her tongue in wonder and remarked, "Mr. Chen's ability to praise himself in a roundabout manner is becoming increasingly smooth and practiced."

Chen Ping'an turned around and cupped his fists, saying, "Thank you for your praise."

Ma Duyi chuckled in annoyance and exclaimed, "Mr. Chen, you'll no longer be the Mr. Chen that I respect and look up to if you continue to behave like this!"

Zeng Ye bobbed his head around and chirped, "No, you're just exaggerating."

It was clear that the young boy sided more with Mr. Chen.

However, Zeng Ye was immediately punished for his words, with Ma Duyi stretching her arms and causing her sleeve to whip across his face and leave stinging pain.

"A noble person settles conflicts with words, not violence," Zeng Ye complained in annoyance.

It was Ma Duyi's turn to bob her head around this time, and she replied, "Only villains and women are hard to deal with — a sage said this. Don't you understand a principle as simple as this?"[1]

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly and interjected, "This saying isn't interpreted like this, but if you're willing to deride yourself as such, then I have no complaints either."

The three of them jested and laughed as they arrived at the proper entrance of Descending Falcon Mountain.

Compared to the two immortal forces that they passed when traveling here, it was clear that things were much stricter and there was more than met the eye. Even the concentration of spiritual energy here was slightly superior to that of Yellow Barrier Mountain.

There was a small and peaceful town beside a river at the bottom of the mountain, and it was perhaps more accurate to call it a relatively large village. Looking at the number of houses and other structures, there were probably around one thousand people living in this village.

Without the presence of the mortal world, the so-called might of immortal forces in the mountains would be nothing more than buildings without foundation and water without a source.

However, many immortals who were yet to reach the peak of the mountains couldn't be bothered or found it beneath themselves to ponder on this principle.

In order to reach the village at the foot of the mountain and climb the mountain afterward, one needed to first cross a river, not on an arch bridge, but instead on a flat and narrow bridge that looked like a thin snake lying on top of the river. There was a villager walking over with a buffalo in tow, and the sturdily-built man most likely heading to the nearby fields to do manual work. Behind the man was a little child riding on a lush green length of bamboo and shouting "giddy up" as if they were riding a horse.

Chen Ping'an stopped with his horse, letting the villager and his buffalo with curved horns to pass first.

The villager had clearly seen and experienced many things before, so he didn't really pay any extra attention to the three outsiders. On the other hand, the little child riding the bamboo horse was extremely curious after seeing a real horse. Chen Ping'an smiled at the little child, and the child smiled shyly in response. The child then chased after their father and the buffalo.

Zeng Ye found this quite interesting.

Flashes of brilliant sword light frequently sliced through the sky atop Descending Falcon Mountain which was surrounded by swirling clouds and mists.

However, the little child riding the bamboo horse was already accustomed to this, so he was instead more interested in the horses behind them. He turned around again and again to look at the three horses.

Chen Ping'an led his horse onto the narrow stone bridge that only sat a small distance above the river.

When he reached halfway, the villagers walking over from the other side of the river also needed to stop and patiently wait for him to cross first.

Chen Ping'an nodded in thanks after he finished crossing the stone bridge, and the villagers waiting to cross also smiled and nodded in response.

Zeng Ye watched on in thought.

Ma Duyi also fell into contemplation.

It was at this moment that Chen Ping'an suddenly turned around and looked up at the sky.

The Small Sword Resting Ground in his sleeve and the guest elder jade tablet of Cyan Gorge Island became hot at almost exactly the same time.

Liu Zhimao hadn't kept things a secret back then, and he had revealed to Chen Ping'an that he could track down his location based on these two items.

Chen Ping'an had expressed no issues regarding this.

A streak of snow-white light rapidly shot through the sky, entering the territory of Descending Falcon Mountain before landing with a loud boom.

This was an old cultivator from Cyan Gorge Island, and his expression was flustered and his spiritual energy was chaotic. He was none other than Zhang Ye, the cultivator responsible for looking after the secret chamber and the Fishing Room.

Zhang Ye had exhausted almost all of the spiritual energy in his bonded acupoints to make this secret trip to the north, and doing so was an extremely rash act that would damage the foundation of his Great Dao. This was similar to how delivering urgent military updates via relay horses would lead to injuries and eventually death for many horses.

A beaming smile initially spread across Zeng Ye's face, especially since Zhang Ye was his benefactor who had personally dragged him out from the large fire pit that was Thatch Moon Island. However, he immediately shut his mouth after seeing Zhang Ye's anxious expression and miserable state.

Chen Ping'an immediately provided support to the swaying Zhang Ye before asking in a soft voice, "Something happened at Bamboo Scroll Lake?"

"Things have been turned upside down!" Zhang Ye exclaimed with a heartbroken expression.

Chen Ping'an sighed upon hearing this. In reality, he had already predicted such an outcome. However, this wasn't the worst-case scenario, so he hadn't made too many plans to address the situation. Truth be told, there was not too much he could do about this situation anyway.

At the end of the day, human power had its limit.

The current situation was very easy to understand. Either General Su Gaoshan of the Great Li Empire had made his move, or the person supporting Palace Willow Island's Liu Laocheng was starting to enter the fray.

Of course, it was also possible that the two parties had decided to directly join forces.

It was possible that Millet Grain Island's Tan Yuanyi had defected and abandoned their alliance for the sake of self-preservation. On the other hand, Liu Zhimao might have been unwilling to give up his foundation in Cyan Gorge Island, and he might have also fallen victim to the schemes of others. As such, it would be completely understandable for him to be in grave danger.

No matter what, this was definitely bad news for Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an had initially analysed and understood the future trend of Bamboo Scroll Lake already, yet the Go board that he had worked so hard to create had perhaps been casually swept onto the floor by another Go player already.

Zhang Ye thudded to his knees and begged, "I beseech you, Mr. Chen, please save the island master!"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and directly asked, "Has Senior Zhang already hidden or detained Gu Can and his mother?"

The kneeling Zhang Ye looked up and replied, "Everything happened very suddenly, so Cyan Gorge Island had no time to do any such thing. Even if we had time, I wouldn't have done something like this because I understand that it would have definitely backfired and come back to bite us. Only Mr. Chen can save the island master."

Chen Ping'an helped Zhang Ye up and said slowly, "Please stand up to speak, Senior Zhang. I'll listen to your explanation first, but let me say that it's almost impossible to rescue Liu Zhimao right now. I'm sure that Senior Zhang already understood this fact when traveling over here. Indeed, you simply came here to do everything in your ability. However, the rest will be up to the will of the heavens."

Zhang Ye nodded lightly, a bitter smile on his face. However, there was still a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an was feeling a massive headache.

In front of Zhang Ye, there were some things that he could only avoid saying. Just like how he had joked around with Ma Duyi just then, there were some things that one couldn't expose even if one saw through them.

Zhang Ye was naturally doing everything in his ability, but it was extremely likely that he was also aware that his tracks had already been noted down by some people with ulterior motives. Perhaps these people were peering down at them from someplace in Descending Falcon Mountain.

Taking this into account, Chen Ping'an was already showing great benevolence by not beating him while he was down and killing him with a single punch.

"Let's walk and talk," Chen Ping'an suggested.

Zhang Ye composed himself, and the first thing that he said caused a violent ripple to surge through the minds of Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye who were listening with pricked ears. "The island master was no match for a cultivator of unknown identity, and he was severely wounded and detained in a water prison located in Palace Willow Island. Not only that, but General Su Gaoshan of the Great Li Empire personally came to Cloud Pagoda City and tossed a whip into the lake, proclaiming that he would execute all of the vagrant cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake who refused to yield within ten days."

Chen Ping'an's first thought was that the powerful cultivator who had managed to forcefully suppress Liu Zhimao was either Mohist Wanderer Xu Ruo or Sage Ruan Qiong.

1. A line from the Analects of Confucius. However, this is most likely using a misinterpreted meaning. ☜