After leaving the East Sea, the sword cultivator, clad in plain white robes, descended from his flying sword. He casually captured a wild horse with snow-white fur from the forest. Without the need for reins or stirrups, he mounted the horse. Though wild, the horse showed no aversion to the sword cultivator, allowing itself to be controlled and thus journeying westward along the forest path.
Before long, a wisp of cooking smoke drifted through the forest.
Instantly, the young fourteen-realm cultivator's senses stirred, and a smile touched his lips. He dismounted, patted the white horse, and set it free. Then, he ascended the rocky slope step by step, arriving at a nearby hillside. As he reached the summit, he saw an old gentleman in gray-white robes, radiating an scholarly aura, seated and preparing food.
A fish soup was simmering in an iron pot, and a smoked deer leg was roasting beside it. The old gentleman, looking quite at ease, was applying oil, salt, and sauce to the deer leg. Without looking up, he chuckled, "Come sit freely. I'll let you taste the finest wine in the world later."
"Alright, Yan Beichen pays his respects to the elder!"
The young sword cultivator first straightened his robes, performed a sword cultivator's cupped-hand salute, and then surveyed his surroundings. Not seeing any convenient place to sit, he simply followed the old gentleman's example and sat cross-legged on the rocks. Watching the old man busy himself, he smiled, "The elder has traveled the martial world for so many years, I truly didn't know you possessed such exquisite cooking skills."
"Alas."
The old gentleman beamed, "I learned from my little Zhao. This disciple of Suihan is truly a jack-of-all-trades, knowing everything and being so sensible. It's a pity Suihan is no longer with us. Otherwise… if he had personally taught him, who knows what a remarkable scholar Xiao Zhao would have become~~~"
"Indeed."
The young sword cultivator nodded, his gaze drifting towards the Snow Region Heavenly Pond in the distance. "Although I've only met Lin Zhao a few times, I've heard of Lin Baiyi of the Snow Region Heavenly Pond. Moreover, Wen Liang and Gu Zixi are considered his senior fellow disciples. I am quite familiar with those two; their drinking capacity surpasses their cultivation."
The old gentleman sighed sentimentally and said with a smile, "Zi Huai, Wen Liang, Zi Xi, these children are all excellent. It's a pity the world is so chaotic. Scholars, after filling their minds with knowledge, eventually must venture out. Some, ultimately, will die for the sake of the world."
As he spoke, the old gentleman's eyes reddened. "My disciples, each has found their own path. While I, their teacher, feel heartache, in the end… I can only let their tender shoulders bear the mountain-like weight of righteousness."
"Elder…"
Yan Beichen's brow furrowed slightly, his heart aching as well. The old gentleman's disciples had perished one after another. Even Qin Suihan, the Confucian Sage, had fallen a hundred years ago. The reason the old gentleman now doted on Lin Zhao was partly because Lin Zhao possessed an exceptionally good character, and partly due to the affection for a subsequent generation. The old gentleman had pinned almost all his hopes on Lin Zhao, as well as on Gu Lingyu, Liu Xingshu, and other descendants of later generations.
"It's alright now."
The old gentleman ladled a bowl of fish soup and handed it to Yan Beichen, then tore off a piece of deer leg for him. "Taste it."
Yan Beichen took a sip and frowned. It didn't taste very good.
The old gentleman seemed a bit embarrassed and said with a smile, "I'm just learning, so the taste is generally mediocre. But the wine Xiao Zhao gave me is truly exceptional!"
Saying this, he produced a pot of peach blossom wine and handed it to Yan Beichen. "Try this, you definitely won't be disappointed!"
"Oh?"
Although Yan Beichen was a sword cultivator, he was a rare one who disliked drinking. The few times he had drunk excessively were due to Wen Liang and Gu Zixi's formidable powers of persuasion, which he simply couldn't resist. He took a sip of the peach blossom wine, finding it smooth and fragrant. He immediately exclaimed, "Indeed, it's the finest wine. What is its origin?"
"It is said to be a gift from a good friend of Xiao Zhao, a rather peculiar friend, a peach blossom demon."
The old gentleman himself took a large gulp of wine, his face beaming, and said, "This is the good thing about my Xiao Zhao. He only judges friends by their hearts, not their origins. His circle of friends is truly formidable, including a peach blossom demon, a apricot maiden, a cloud master from the heavens, a mountain god from the earth, a natural sword immortal embryo, a warrior with innate divine strength, and even a one-armed sword immortal, a disgustingly ugly warrior, and many others."
Yan Beichen couldn't help but chuckle and repeatedly praised, "Impressive, impressive!"
The old gentleman took a bite of the deer leg, feeling it tasted quite good, and said with a smile, "What are your plans for this westward journey? Have you decided where to choose your battlefield?"
"I have."
Yan Beichen smiled. "The elder should continue his travels peacefully. Don't concern yourself with me. Leave the matters of Man Yuan and Liu Bai to me. My sword, Yan Beichen's sword, can at least kill one of them. The other will not escape unscathed; at the very least, I will sever several vital arteries, preventing them from continuing their rampant behavior. Xu Zhan Jianxian of the Mohist school will not have died in vain, nor will the suffering of Empress Lin Xingchu of Xi Jian Jiang have been in vain."
"That's good."
The old gentleman smiled. "Xiao Zhao had this same spirit when he drew that sword and killed Bai Lan, a thirteen-realm sword cultivator of the demon race, back then. However, Beichen, it's not a bad idea to be cautious in all matters. Although your Flawless Sword Heart is truly impeccable, Man Yuan and Liu Bai are not comparable to Bai Lan. In fact, either one of them is equivalent to two Bai Lans. Never underestimate your opponents."
Yan Beichen nodded. "Rest assured, elder. How could Yan Beichen underestimate them?"
The old gentleman couldn't help but chuckle. Indeed.
...
Mirror Lake, another light snow had fallen.
In the early morning, Han Yurou, the peach blossom demon, accompanied by the reed flower demon, carried empty wine jars. She gently swept the snow from the peach blossoms, her movements graceful and incomparably beautiful. The reed flower demon smiled and said, "Miss, have we prepared too much peach blossom wine? We've almost depleted the fruits in the mountains. The squirrels in the trees can barely find homes near Mirror Lake."
Han Yurou couldn't help but chuckle. "Is it that excessive? It's fine. Young Master Lin Zhao likes our Mirror Lake wine, so it doesn't matter if Yurou brews a little more."
The reed flower demon covered her mouth and giggled.
Just then, a strand of murky water transportation aura slowly flowed down from the mountains on the east side, along a stream. Although this gray water transportation contained extremely dense demonic energy, it was very hidden, so much so that the peach blossom demon and the reed flower demon, with their shallow cultivation, did not notice it at all.
The stream reflected a blurred figure.
It was a man in a green robe, his demonic energy contained. Although he was an eleven-realm water demon, he had evaded the detection of the many cultivators on the Snow Region Heavenly Pond. Water demons themselves were spirits formed within flowing water. This eleven-realm water demon had pledged allegiance to the Demon Ancestor Mountain and was now taking advantage of the chaos to descend, intending to gather spoils.
He now had a target: the Golden Core realm peach blossom demon before him!
Peach blossom demons in the world were full of spiritual essence, and their spiritual bodies were exquisite, practically flawless. They were always the preferred companions and cauldrons for mountain cultivators. Furthermore, a peach blossom demon who could cultivate to the Golden Core realm was one in ten thousand. Therefore, this eleven-realm water demon had been eyeing Han Yurou for a while. If he could abduct her, either by forcing her to become his companion or by directly using her as a cultivation cauldron, he might have a chance to break through to the twelfth realm!
However, this water demon was exceptionally cautious. He had previously heard that a twelfth-realm fellow Daoist, Lie Yanfeng, had suffered a setback here. This peach blossom demon had many powerful backing figures. Lin Zhao, the Golden Core sword cultivator on the Snow Region Heavenly Pond, was one of them. But that wasn't the worst. Even more formidable was the thirteen-realm military strategist, Sage Huo, who was said to have saved this peach blossom demon. Fortunately, Lin Zhao was currently unaware, and Sage Huo had been crippled by Man Yuan, perhaps even dead. This was why he dared to come.
Using a strand of water transportation, he gradually infiltrated the entire Mirror Lake, a legendary method of "slowly boiling a frog in warm water," making this peach blossom demon unaware and fall directly into his embrace without suspicion!
"I am truly a genius!"
He swam in the water, a smile plastered on his face.
However, in the afternoon, a figure emerged from the eastern forest. It was a sword cultivator in plain white robes, carrying a sword on his back, and exceptionally handsome. As he stepped into the boundaries of Mirror Lake, he sniffed the air. The scent was familiar. Yes, it was peach blossom wine, and the aroma was coming from the bottom of the lake.
In an instant, Yan Beichen understood. He saw through it at a glance. Mirror Lake was the peach blossom demon's natal artifact. So, the woman in the distance was a friend of Lin Zhao! He glanced towards the murky stream. Although the malevolent energy in the stream was sparse and cleverly concealed, how could it escape the eyes of a fourteen-realm sword cultivator?
"Rustle..."
Yan Beichen walked across the fallen leaves, heading straight for the stream, his eyes holding a hint of coldness.
"..."
Within the stream, the eleven-realm water demon, hidden at the bottom, suddenly felt his heart pound. The aura of this sword cultivator was so potent. Even though he hadn't unleashed any techniques or deliberately revealed his presence, the natural aura emanating from him was almost enough to crush the surrounding space. What was going on? How could there be such a powerful sword cultivator in the world?
Could it be…
His heart trembled. Was this the human fourteen-realm sword cultivator who had just broken through in the East Sea not long ago?
For a moment, the eleven-realm water demon pleaded desperately in his heart, *No, please don't let him be Han Yurou, the peach blossom demon's backer. If that's the case, my life is truly too bitter…*
At this moment, Yan Beichen stepped forward and gave a light kick. Instantly, sword energy surged from the water, directly forcing the eleven-realm water demon out of the water, revealing his true form.
"..."
The water demon stammered, "You... you are..."
"I am Yan Beichen!"
The young sword cultivator respectfully clasped his hands in a salute, his tone as gentle as a spring breeze. "May I ask if you, fellow Daoist, intend to harm Han Yurou, the peach blossom demon? She is a friend of a junior brother of mine. If you intend to harm Han Yurou, Yan Beichen will not be polite."
"I..."
The eleven-realm water demon's mouth gaped open, struggling to speak. "What if I say no... would you believe me?"
"Naturally not."
Yan Beichen looked up and smiled.