The night was deep.
Spiritual boats hovered in the air above the forest. Among them was Cao Ying’s vessel, furnished with her bed. At this moment, Cao Ying stood by the ship’s railing, her beautiful eyes gazing toward the Snow Region Heavenly Pool in the distance, her heart filled with worry.
Beside her, a wisp of deep yellow robe spun and transformed into the appearance of Huang Qingning.
“What should we do?”
Huang Qingning frowned and said, “With Lin Zhao making such a fuss, should we continue building this River God Shrine? If it’s completed and Lin Zhao really causes trouble, what then? We can’t possibly fight the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, can we? If we are to fight, we should have a more far-reaching plan, such as the Lin Lu Legion marching north in advance and seizing the opportunity to destroy the Snow Region Heavenly Pool.”
“Huang Qingning.”
Cao Ying looked at him with confusion, “Should I say you are bold and talented, or that you are utterly foolish? With your meager Shan Hai Division, you think you can kill Lin Zhao and raze the Snow Region Heavenly Pool? Is the neck beneath your head made of iron? Can’t Su Qingjiu, the Mountain Lord of Changming Mountain, defeat him? If Su Qingjiu can’t, can’t Lin Wanhua? And if Lin Wanhua can’t, can’t Ding Muchen?”
Huang Qingning’s expression was complicated. “I only wished to strategize for Your Highness’s overall benefit.”
“Strategize my foot.”
Cao Ying’s expression was calm. She suddenly sighed, “Huang Qingning, do you truly believe this world is ruled by the Great Shang Dynasty, by His Highness Prince Ji Nan? You are a cultivator from the mountains, holding an important position in the court, but you shouldn’t take secular official titles too seriously. Don’t let being an official make you foolish. Who do you think rules this world?”
She looked up at the sky and smiled, “It is the Confucian literary world, the ancestral land of the Military School, the ancestral land of the Mohist School, the Eternal Secret Realm of the Upper Realm. It is the sages who rule. As for you and me, we are merely the outstanding ones among ordinary beings, mere ants. To contend against heavenly might? Are you seeking death?”
Huang Qingning said, “Cao Ying, it’s not that I don’t understand some things, but rather, I cannot act on them even if I do. Since I, Huang Qingning, am the Director of the Shan Hai Division of the Great Shang Dynasty, I naturally must seek fortune for the Great Shang Dynasty. As for you, tell me directly, what do we do now? Should we continue building the River God Shrine?”
“Yes, we must.”
Cao Ying frowned. “We must continue building. His Majesty’s imperial decree is here. What else can we do if we don’t build? As for how to deal with it if Lin Zhao truly wants to cause trouble, that will depend on us. But I still want to advise you: don’t think about completely falling out with the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, and even less about killing Lin Zhao. Killing Lin Zhao will not save Your Highness, but harm him. Supreme beings like the God of War Ding Muchen, they wouldn’t care about any Prince Ji Nan. Even if ten Prince Ji Nans were tied together, what could anyone do if he struck with his sword? Even if he wanted to change the Emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty, do you think it would be difficult?”
“…”
Huang Qingning was somewhat speechless. Cao Ying’s words pierced the heart, and what made it even more unbearable was that her words were all true.
…
Late at night, the mountain peak villa was brightly lit, and a group of cultivators were still awake.
The absence of Wang Yue and Chen Ben’s boxing routines descending and ascending the mountain made the mountain feel somewhat desolate. However, Wu Zhi was nurturing his sword intent, Chu Yu was practicing boxing, and Mu Fa was practicing boxing in the army camp below the mountain. No one was idle.
When Lin Zhao returned to the mountain, he went directly to Wu Zhi’s residence by sword.
As the “second-in-command” of the Mountain Peak Villa, Wu Zhi’s residence was on the mountainside, less than two li from Lin Zhao’s Natural Dwelling. It was an elegant and quiet small building, with a bamboo forest beside it. As Lin Zhao dismounted from his flying sword, Hongye, Wu Zhi had already walked out of her room. Bathed in the moonlight, she smiled and asked, “Is something the matter, my lord?”
“Yes.”
Lin Zhao nodded. “Wu Zhi, you know what happened at the Washing Sword River, don’t you?”
“I know.”
Wu Zhi pursed her red lips. “As long as my lord gives the order, Wu Zhi’s blade will be ready for dispatch at any time.”
“Prepare for the twelfth realm.”
Lin Zhao looked at the Washing Sword River and then towards the Qingliang Mountain in the south. “Tang Guangjun, after all, is from the ancestral land of the Military School, not someone registered with our Mountain Peak Villa. Therefore, we need a sword immortal of the twelfth realm to guard it. You should spend this time thinking about how to break through your realm. It should be a natural progression, shouldn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Wu Zhi smiled and nodded. “The current eleventh realm is quite perfect. It is indeed time to break through. Otherwise, suppressing the realm for too long might not be a good thing.”
“Mm.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “Alright, I’ve told you what needs to be done. You likely have an idea of what to do. I’ll go find Chu Yu.”
“Alright, my lord. Travel safely.”
Wu Zhi watched Lin Zhao leave, a slight smile on her lips. In fact, Lin Zhao asking her to prepare for a breakthrough did not make Wu Zhi feel that her cultivation was being interfered with. On the contrary, Lin Zhao’s words gave her a sense of being “needed.” Both Lin Zhao and the Snow Region Heavenly Pool greatly needed her twelfth realm now.
…
At the foot of the mountain.
A small building stood against the mountain wind. Although not as exquisite as Wu Zhi’s residence, it was quite elegant. One could tell at a glance that it was a woman’s dwelling. As Lin Zhao descended from the wind, Chu Yu, who was practicing boxing in front of the small building, immediately retracted her stance. Her beautiful eyes looked at Lin Zhao, and she smiled, “My lord, you can speak directly. Chu Yu understands everything.”
“Try to break through your realm in the near future.”
Lin Zhao said, “Martial artist Heaven Origin realm, plus a sword cultivator Golden Core realm. It shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
“Not difficult.”
Chu Yu smiled and nodded. “Please rest assured, my lord. Before the new River God Shrine at the Washing Sword River is completed, Chu Yu will definitely have reached Heaven Origin and Golden Core.”
In fact, among the people at the Mountain Peak Villa, Chu Yu had the best martial arts aptitude. She excelled in both boxing and swordsmanship, and her progress was steady and accumulating. She had been in the Sea-Crossing realm as a martial artist and the seventh realm as a sword cultivator for a long time, constantly nurturing her intent. Now, with just a word from Lin Zhao, it would be a natural progression. At that time, the Mountain Peak Villa would have two martial artists of the eleventh realm.
Perhaps, after Chen Ben returned, that would be three Heaven Origin realms. How formidable was that foundation!
Moreover, Chu Yu’s Heaven Origin realm would surely be much more powerful than Mu Fa’s. Coupled with an eighth realm Golden Core sword cultivator, she could unleash swordsmanship unexpectedly while throwing punches. Her combat power would not be comparable to Mu Fa’s. Of course, the person Lin Zhao had the highest hopes for at the Mountain Peak Villa was still Chen Ben. If Chen Ben succeeded in challenging the Twelve Peaks of Iron Pagoda and returned having broken through to the eleventh realm, then his eleventh realm could be considered half of a Rebirth realm martial artist.
According to Lin Zhao’s thoughts.
Qingliang Sect had Zhao Jingyu, a thirteenth realm expert, and Zhao Suiguang, a twelfth realm expert. The rest were not to be feared. However, Qingliang Sect had dealings with the demon race, so Lin Zhao implicitly assumed that Qingliang Sect also had the secret assistance of a thirteenth realm great demon and a twelfth realm great demon. Therefore, more thorough preparations were needed to flatten Qingliang Sect.
He originally envisioned the lineup for the Snow Region Heavenly Pool to be: Little Jiu’er, twelfth realm; Wu Zhi, twelfth realm; Gu Lingyu, twelfth realm; Chen Ben, Chu Yu, Mu Fa, Heaven Origin realm; Tang Guangjun guarding the mountain. Additionally, when attacking Qingliang Mountain, he would invite his thirteenth realm aunt Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua, also of the thirteenth realm, to help provide assurance. This would be truly foolproof.
“My lord.”
Chu Yu suddenly called out to Lin Zhao and smiled, “Are you going down the mountain to find Mu Fa?”
“Not looking for him.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “It’s useless to find him. He can’t break through anyway.”
Chu Yu chuckled, understanding Lin Zhao’s implication.
…
The next day, in the morning.
The morning light was warm. Lin Zhao descended the mountain with his sword on his back, passing through the small town, and finally headed straight to Hefeng Academy. There were some things that needed to be clarified with Gu Lingyu in person. Whether he was willing to help was another matter.
“Little Uncle-Master!”
Gu Lingyu stood on a pavilion in the academy and smiled, “Come up for tea?”
“Sure.”
Lin Zhao floated down. Gu Lingyu had already brewed the tea and pushed it towards Lin Zhao with a wave of his hand, smiling, “Little Uncle-Master, you must have something on your mind coming to see me so early in the morning, right?”
“Mm.”
Lin Zhao nodded. “Lingyu, some matters might trouble you, even requiring you to take action. What are your thoughts?”
Gu Lingyu smiled. “Little Uncle-Master, what are you saying? Lingyu is your junior nephew. Our sect has always had a rule: elders can command juniors directly without being polite. Moreover, Lingyu is now teaching and imparting knowledge in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, so am I not considered half a person of the Mountain Peak Villa? At the very least, Little Uncle-Master could list my name among the consultants of the Mountain Peak Villa, and then I would have a legitimate reason to act.”
Lin Zhao felt a bit embarrassed. Looking at the gentle and refined young scholar before him, “Lingyu…”
“Little Uncle-Master.”
Gu Lingyu smiled. “Don’t worry, I will go to the Washing Sword River, and I will also go to Qingliang Sect. Count Gu Lingyu as one of them. Although my scholarly skills are better than my fighting skills, it doesn’t mean I’m not good at fighting.”
“Understood.”
Lin Zhao felt greatly relieved and smiled. “Then it’s settled. Remember to come along then.”
“Yes, I bid farewell to Little Uncle-Master!”
…
Snow Region Heavenly Pool, South Gate.
In front of a small wooden house, Tang Guangjun, who was sitting on a rock nurturing his sword intent and killing aura, looked up at Lin Zhao, who was speeding back and forth. His heart felt complex. Why was even Gu Lingyu qualified to fight as a member of the Mountain Peak Villa, but not I, Tang Guangjun? Does the Mountain Lord’s junior brother always treat me, Tang Guangjun, as an outsider?
He was troubled and held his head, not wanting to practice his sword.
Since returning from the south, the Mountain Lord had not held any banquets at the Natural Dwelling, so he naturally had no chance to sit at the table. Had the Mountain Lord truly forgotten his loyal Tang Guangjun?
Just then, a graceful figure descended. It was Dong Zang, carrying a bamboo basket. In the basket was a roasted chicken and a bowl of stir-fried edamame with chili peppers. She smiled, “The kitchen at the Mountain Peak Villa cooked a little extra today. Young Master asked me to bring some for you too.”
“Ah!”
Tang Guangjun’s heart suddenly brightened. “Sister Dong Zang, there’s something… Tang Guangjun doesn’t know if I should say it or not.”
“Say it,” said Dong Zang.
Dong Zang was bewildered. This sword cultivator of unfathomable cultivation sometimes acted so indecisively.
Tang Guangjun scratched his head. “Tell the Mountain Lord, does the Mountain Peak Villa need consultants? Tang Guangjun wants a title of consultant, not even needing to pay for it. Even the lowest-ranking consultant would suffice!”
“…”
Dong Zang was momentarily speechless. She had heard others whisper that Tang Guangjun was a twelfth realm sword cultivator. He didn’t seem like one. How could a twelfth realm sword immortal be so humble?