The next day, at dawn.
"Huang Tingyu, requesting to see the Mountain Lord."
Lin Zhao had not yet gotten out of bed when he heard Huang Tingyu's voice from outside Tianran Ju.
He rolled out of bed. His mental and physical strength had been fully replenished in online dormant mode, though in reality, Lin Zhao himself hadn't slept and had instead been online watching movies.
"Old Huang, what's up?"
"Mm!"
Huang Tingyu raised his hand and summoned a sword light, saying, "Mountain Lord, Zhu Zhi, let's go see what's happening in the north?"
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao leaped up and landed with the gracefully arriving Zhu Zhi within Old Huang's sword light. In the next moment, Huang Tingyu conjured a small thirteen-realm sword-dao world, enveloping the two of them and heading straight north. In an instant, the three figures disappeared, leaving only a wisp of formless sword intent in the cold wind.
Early spring.
The mountain peak villa enjoyed perpetual spring, and all things in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool were reviving. However, the northern region remained bitterly cold, with snow falling from the sky. After Huang Tingyu flew past Jiuzhangyuan, looking further north, he could see the scene in the direction of Panyun Mountain. At this moment, the demon army's tents were nowhere to be seen on Panyun Mountain.
"Huh?"
Lin Zhao's heart sank. "What's going on? Where did the five demon army tents go?"
"Over there."
Huang Tingyu pointed north and said, "The troops from the five demon army tents have all retreated five hundred li and are now in the fertile plains south of Zushan. Panyun Mountain is now empty of demons, an abandoned mountain."
Zhu Zhi asked, "My Lord, should we send people to occupy Panyun Mountain and build defensive fortifications there?"
"No need."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Panyun Mountain is an isolated peak, defenseless, and very close to the demon realm. For us, it's a place that's neither tasty to eat nor worth discarding, like a lame chicken."
"Mm."
Huang Tingyu nodded in agreement. "Then what do we do?"
"Ignore them."
Lin Zhao said, "Speed up the final construction of Bai Cheng, and strive to complete it as soon as possible. Additionally, increase the intensity of training. Perhaps the Snow Region Heavenly Pool will welcome a new battle not long from now."
"Yes!"
...
In the morning, the Snow Region Heavenly Pool was bathed in brilliant sunshine.
Han Xin did not go to Tianran Ju for breakfast. Instead, he walked down the mountain with his sword on his back and stopped in front of a breakfast stall. Looking at the owner frying dough sticks, he felt a sense of déjà vu. Beneath the owner's oilcloth were stacks of fried dough twists, their aroma wafting towards him.
The taste of home!
Han Xin plopped down. "Boss, a bowl of your signature spicy soup, ten dough sticks. Oh no, two bowls of spicy soup, twenty dough sticks!"
"Coming right up, honored customer!"
The owner squinted his eyes. This young man looked ordinary, could he really eat that much? He would believe it if it were the warriors from the town's barracks, but for this refined-looking young man, who even seemed somewhat sickly, to claim he could eat that much, the owner didn't believe it.
However, business was business.
The owner still smiled as he served Han Xin two steaming bowls of spicy soup and twenty freshly fried dough sticks. The young man then seemed to transform, devouring the food with gusto, his eating manners not at all elegant.
Han Xin didn't pay much mind. The reason for eating so quickly was the habit cultivated during his military service. Enemies could attack at any time and wouldn't wait for you to finish your meal before striking. Therefore, eating quickly was also one of the virtues of a soldier. Sometimes, he would mount his horse and charge into battle with a piece of flatbread in his mouth, eating as he went. Such things had happened before.
After breakfast, Han Xin had nothing to do.
The early spring breeze was still a bit cold, so he tucked his sleeves in, much like the Mohist wanderers passing through the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, hunched his neck, and wandered around, similar to the idle loafers and ruffians in town.
He arrived at a small table next to a tavern and saw a group of martial artists gambling. He craned his neck to watch for a while.
These martial artists were constantly making small movements, resorting to any means to win money. Such tricks, of course, could not escape the eyes of a fourteenth-realm military immortal. But Han Xin said nothing, merely watching the spectacle and inwardly scoffing. Shaking the dice, switching cards – these were mere trivial tricks he had long since mastered.
This martial world, after so many years, truly hadn't progressed. In terms of innovation, it was severely lacking.
"Young man, want to play a round?"
Suddenly, a burly man invited Han Xin to join the game.
"No, no."
Han Xin kept his sleeves tucked and smiled innocently. "I'm broke. I'm afraid I'll get beaten if I lose."
"Hahahaha~~~"
A group of fierce martial artists burst into laughter and stopped paying attention to him.
Han Xin continued to wander, chiming in on every domestic dispute he encountered. He would comfort a heartbroken elder sister while reprimanding a good-for-nothing lazy husband, even to the point of wishing he could draw his sword and strike down the unfaithful man in his anguish.
He wandered until noon, drinking in a reasonably priced tavern.
While drinking, a woman sang a sorrowful song in the tavern, accompanied by her elderly father playing the erhu. As the woman sang of her misfortune, tears welled up in her eyes.
She sang of her bitter fate:
Born a village flower, praised by all since childhood.
Alas, fate was cruel, and she could not escape,
Falling into an ordinary family's lot.
Her husband was a gambler, his fate also ill-fated,
At only thirty, his soul departed this world.
Traveling the martial world with her old father,
Wandering endlessly, when will she find peace?
The woman's name was Jin Cuilian, and the village bully was Zhen Guanxi.
He defiled my body and stole my wealth,
I only regret not becoming an immortal in this life.
...
As he listened, Han Xin was deeply moved, almost wanting to kick over the table immediately and go to town to beat up the bully named Zhen Guanxi. But he ultimately restrained himself. He was a military strategist, not some knight-errant. There were so many injustices in the world, should he intervene in every single one?
Sometimes, inaction and letting things develop was also a form of the Way of Heaven, somewhat similar to the philosophy of the Daoist ancestral court.
At noon, after eating and drinking his fill, he gave the singing woman a generous reward of copper coins.
Then, he stood up and continued to wander.
In the afternoon, with nothing else to do, Han Xin cut down a bamboo stalk from the town and made a fishing rod. He then went to Baiyu Creek to fish. His angling skills were quite decent, and he kept catching fish. Soon, a willow branch was laden with fish of all sizes.
A short while later, a person walked over the stone bridge, dressed in white, with two swords on his back. It was the Mountain Lord, Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao floated down beside Han Xin and looked at the fish on his willow branch. Besides the common white fish from Baiyu Creek, there was a grass carp weighing at least three to four pounds, as well as several decent-sized mud carp.
"How is it?" Han Xin asked.
"Not as good as mine," Lin Zhao replied honestly.
Han Xin felt a bit dejected.
"I suggest we grill these fish," Lin Zhao said with a smile. "While they're fresh, they'll surely taste good."
"Alright!"
Han Xin chuckled. "I'll keep fishing, and you handle the grilling. I'm not very good at it. Did you bring wine?"
"I did, Dongting Purple Bamboo Wine."
"Ah?"
Han Xin's eyes lit up. "Why didn't you bring it out yesterday?"
"There were too many people yesterday. If I brought it out, it would have been gone. Old Huang, Tang Guangjun, Mu Cha, those guys are all drunks!"
"That's true."
Lin Zhao began setting up a frame. These tasks were all done with ease. Soon, a fire was lit, and he found suitable branches to skewer the grass carp and place them on the frame to roast. He also threaded the mud carp onto thin bamboo skewers and roasted them in his hands.
Before long, the aroma filled the air. As Lin Zhao sprinkled on cooking wine and seasonings, the fragrance became even more intense.
He placed the roasted fish one by one on clean lotus leaves, then took out two jars of Dongting Purple Bamboo Wine from his pack and threw them to Han Xin. He then took out a pot of Peach Blossom Brew for himself.
"Oh?"
Han Xin put down his fishing rod, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "You're not willing to drink it yourself?"
"Mm, Purple Bamboo Wine is only for distinguished guests. Drinking some Peach Blossom Brew myself is the same."
"Then I won't be polite."
Han Xin picked up the wine pot and took a gulp. He found the taste incredibly mellow and fragrant, and he immediately felt a buzz. He picked up a mud carp and took a bite, finding it very delicious. Lin Zhao's cooking skills were truly impeccable. No wonder not only Ding Muchan, but also the esteemed Mr. Fu Sheng and the Daoist ancestral court's Abbot Wei, all praised him.
"Speak."
He looked at Lin Zhao and smiled. "Offering favor without reason means you have something to ask. Just ask directly."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao frowned. "How did Old Daoist Wang die?"
"That..."
Han Xin sighed and said, "He died in a place called the Abyss of Sky Demons in the Outer Heavens. He chased the inner demons of the Outer Heavens into the abyss, investigating the clues. In the end, he was cornered at the bottom of the abyss by a group of extremely powerful fear demons."
As he spoke, Han Xin gave a wry smile. "Old Daoist Wang was indeed a formidable fighter, and he could be considered one of the founders of our military school. However, facing so many fear demons, he was eventually worn down to death."
"That old daoist..."
Lin Zhao whispered, "Did he have any last words?"
"Yes."
Han Xin said, "Before he died, the old daoist said his only regret was not seeing Ding Muchan reach the fifteenth realm of sword cultivation, and not seeing you, Lin Zhao, ascend to the realm of the five great sword cultivators. A pity, a true pity."
"..."
Lin Zhao's eyes reddened. He turned and poured some of the wine from his pot into Baiyu Creek, whispering, "Old Daoist, I'm sorry... It's my Lin Zhao's incompetence, my slow progress, that prevented you from seeing that day. This pot of wine is for you!"
Han Xin, however, was unwilling to pour out the Purple Bamboo Wine. Every drop had to be consumed. As for Old Daoist Wang's death, Han Xin felt it was just a matter of life and death, impermanent. What of being a fourteenth-realm expert? He would face the same fate sooner or later. Perhaps looking at it with a more detached perspective would make things easier.
"What about my senior brother?"
Lin Zhao asked, "How is my senior brother doing?"
"Not too good."
Han Xin said, "After Old Daoist Wang sacrificed himself to the realm, Ding Muchan entered the Abyss of Sky Demons alone with his sword. He found a wisp of Old Daoist Wang's remnant soul and also discovered the rift at the bottom of the Abyss of Sky Demons. At least a million umbrella-wielding inner demons have infiltrated the Three Realms. When he returned to the Upper Realm, he was already severely injured. Fortunately, he is in the Rebirth Realm, so he cannot die."
"And,"
Han Xin looked at him and smiled. "Abbot Wei of the Daoist ancestral court, your… Cun'er, after Old Daoist Wang's sacrifice, challenged the Sea of Heavens with his sword and clashed with several sages in the Sea of Heavens, almost coming to blows. Fortunately, she managed to retreat unharmed and returned to the Daoist ancestral court."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao began to frown and fell silent, occasionally clinking his wine pot with Han Xin, but his mind was elsewhere, and he seemed to be getting closer to the answer he sought.
...
In the Upper Realm, an ancient millstone lay across an ancient immortal realm.
Beside the old millstone appeared an elder with soaring literary fortune. He wore a gray robe, was not particularly handsome, with slightly bulging eyes, upturned nostrils, drooping earlobes, and even noticeably protruding teeth, but he possessed an aura of great righteousness.
In front of him appeared an elder radiating a heavy military killing aura, dressed in a white robe.
Further in the distance, two figures slowly approached.
One was an old daoist with a large head and large ears, a smile on his face.
The other was a burly but slightly hunched old man, with kind eyes and a benevolent expression, carrying a secret mechanism box on his back.
The four gathered beside the old millstone, looking down upon the configuration of the Three Realms.