As dusk approached, a figure landed in front of Tian Ran Ju, clad in a simple blue short shirt, radiating vitality. This was Chen Ben, a sixteen-year-old youth, tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a large grass carp weighing at least thirty jin on his shoulder. This morning, Lin Zhao had promised to properly host Sister Xiao Jiu Er, so Chen Ben skipped his afternoon martial arts practice and headed straight to a large lake south of Ji Zi Lin. He stirred the water into a frenzy, eventually capturing this monstrous grass carp, hailed as the "King of Fish"!
"Oh my..."
Lin Zhao, who had been practicing his punches, couldn't help but laugh. He had just been preparing to scoop a few white-skinned and curly-tailed fish from the pond's basket for soup when Chen Ben returned with such a behemoth. The grass carp was still gasping, incredibly fresh. Lin Zhao rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Chen Ben, where did you get this?"
"Well... there's a large lake south of Ji Zi Lin. Brother Lin Zhao has been there before, you must know it."
"That lake..."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Did you see a Dragon King Temple by the lake when you were fishing?"
"I think there was." Chen Ben replied.
Lin Zhao slapped his thigh, "Isn't this a case of a flood washing away the Dragon King Temple? That's the Dragon King Temple of Old Sword Immortal Han Bu Yu!"
"Ah?!"
Chen Ben put down the fish and scratched his head, "What should I do? Should I put it back?"
"No need."
From afar, Han Bu Yu's voice drifted on the wind, "When we have dinner tonight, just add two more sets of chopsticks for me and Su Shan Jun."
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao cupped his fists towards the distance and said, "Old Sword Immortal Han is truly a reasonable man!"
Lin Zhao and Chen Ben began to prepare the carp. It was so large that even the biggest pot in the kitchen had trouble accommodating it. There was no choice but to leave the fish head and the tender meat near the tail for soup, while the rest was chopped into chunks to be dried into fish jerky. Dried old fish would have a unique flavor when cooked later.
Dong Zang and Liu Li Ying were also busy stir-frying a variety of wild vegetable dishes in the kitchen, their aroma filling the air.
...
South of Xue Yu Tian Chi Mountain, at the south gate of the small town.
In the evening, a young Taoist priest, clad in a worn Taoist robe and carrying a bamboo basket on his back, arrived at Xue Yu Tian Chi. He held a long sword wrapped in cloth. With great courtesy, he bowed to Tang Guang Jun, the gatekeeper, and announced, "Taoist disciple Xu Ming An visits Xue Yu Tian Chi."
"Oh?"
The slovenly man, arms crossed, looked impatient. He was about to head to the mountain peak villa to loiter and eat and drink. Suddenly, someone arrived from the mountain. And not just anyone, but a cultivator. He had to stop him, otherwise, his role as the gatekeeper of Xue Yu Tian Chi would be meaningless. Tang Guang Jun narrowed his eyes, sat down on the stool behind him, and crossed his legs. "Little Taoist, what brings you to Xue Yu Tian Chi? Are you traveling? Performing rituals for people? Or perhaps telling fortunes and reading characters in Xue Yu Tian Chi? Hmph, there are many charlatans in Xue Yu Tian Chi. Be careful, you might not fool anyone but get swindled yourself..."
Xu Ming An scratched his head and said, "Esteemed sir, I do not tell fortunes nor do I travel. I am here to find someone."
"Oh?"
The slovenly man raised an eyebrow. "Tell me who you are looking for. Tang Guang Jun knows every single one of the tens of thousands of people who reside in Xue Yu Tian Chi."
Xu Ming An whispered, "Lin Zhao... I wonder if you have heard of my friend's name? When Lin Zhao traveled south, he accompanied me... He said he was in Xue Yu Tian Chi and invited me to visit if I had the chance. So... it's been a long time, and I finally came to visit Xue Yu Tian Chi."
"Ah?!"
The slovenly man's demeanor instantly turned sly. His mind raced. Judging by Xu Ming An's tone, it seemed Lin Zhao hadn't revealed his identity to Xu Ming An. Since their mountain lord did not wish to disclose it, he saw no need to overstep. Tang Guang Jun's attitude improved significantly, his arrogance and insolence vanishing. He smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I happen to know where he lives. Follow me."
"Alright, thank you very much!"
The slovenly man, carrying his sword, led Xu Ming An through the small town towards the mountain peak villa. Xu Ming An, looking at the town's scenery, was filled with surprise. The place where Lin Zhao lived was so prosperous. There were various steamed bun shops, taverns, snack shops, blacksmith shops, and even the extremely luxurious Ju Bao Fang and Qian Ji Ge, clearly important establishments. Such places, Xu Ming An thought, he would likely never dare to visit in his lifetime.
However, as Tang Guang Jun led Xu Ming An to the foot of the mountain, news had already reached Tian Ran Ju.
Lin Zhao exclaimed with joy, "Xu Ming An is here!"
"Ah?"
Su Qing Jiu asked in surprise, "Who is Xu Ming An?"
"A good friend of mine from the martial world, a top-notch friend!" Lin Zhao grinned. "But he doesn't know I'm the lord of Xue Yu Tian Chi. You all help me keep it quiet later, just say I'm a sword cultivator guarding the mountain peak villa."
Old Huang nodded, "Alright, a bunch of twelfth-realm sword cultivators in our mountain peak villa, and we're relying on a ninth-realm Grand Sword Immortal as a guard. Tsk..."
"You damn old Huang!"
Lin Zhao kicked him.
Old Huang swiftly dodged and burst into laughter.
However, when Xu Ming An arrived on the mountain, everyone still helped to conceal the truth. They understood Lin Zhao's intentions. After all, Xu Ming An was just a young Taoist from a rural Taoist temple, completely unaware of the outside world, and not interacting with people from the martial arts community, ignoring any rumors. If he knew Lin Zhao was the lord of Xue Yu Tian Chi, with numerous high-level cultivators under him and an army of tens of thousands of cavalry, their friendship might not have remained so pure.
Everyone stayed at Tian Ran Ju, while Lin Zhao went alone to meet him on the mountain path.
"Xu Ming An!"
"Lin Zhao!"
The two good friends embraced warmly. Lin Zhao quickly took the bamboo basket from Xu Ming An's back. It was quite heavy, and he chuckled, "What's this? It's quite heavy..."
Xu Ming An looked a bit embarrassed. "Actually, since childhood, I've never visited anyone's home as a guest, so I don't quite understand the etiquette. But I know coming empty-handed isn't good, so I brought some inexpensive fruits, vegetables, and the like."
"Hahaha, thanks!"
Lin Zhao turned and said, "Let's go, we're just about to have dinner. You've come at the perfect time. Dinner is quite lavish today. Eat plenty later, and I'll drink with you until we're both drunk!"
Xu Ming An scratched his head. "Drinking again?"
"Are you kidding? Can a future Taoist Sword Immortal not drink?"
"Then..."
Xu Ming An smiled, "Alright!"
...
In front of Tian Ran Ju, upon seeing Su Qing Jiu, Wu Zhi, Huang Ting Yu, Chen Ben, and others, Xu Ming An became very uneasy. Everyone there looked extraordinary, especially Su Qing Jiu and Wu Zhi, whose sword intent was so potent. But Xu Ming An dared not ask, and could only ask Lin Zhao in a low voice, "Lin Zhao, are you here?"
"Oh..."
Lin Zhao smiled. "I'm a sword cultivator guarding this place. Although my realm is low, everyone is very kind. You don't need to be reserved; these are all our people. No need to stand on ceremony."
"Oh..."
Xu Ming An looked at everyone, then at Tian Ran Ju, which resembled a celestial dwelling behind him. His heart pounded. But when he saw Lin Zhao, he knew Lin Zhao's gaze was clear and sincere, so he no longer felt embarrassed. He opened his bamboo basket and began taking things out: a pile of dewy, freshly picked string beans, some potatoes with the fragrance of the earth, and two loudly clucking roosters. The vegetables were grown by himself, and the chickens were raised behind his Taoist temple. Xu Ming An didn't have many valuable possessions, so this was all he could offer.
Lin Zhao didn't hesitate, he picked up the chickens and said, "We'll eat our own food today. These two chickens of yours... are good free-range chickens. I'll save them to eat during the festivals."
"Ah?"
Xu Ming An felt a little embarrassed. Lin Zhao handed the two chickens and the pile of vegetables to Dong Zang and Liu Li Ying for safekeeping. Then, he smiled and said, "Thank you, two older sisters."
Liu Li Ying covered her mouth and giggled, while Dong Zang's pretty face flushed. This was the first time Lin Zhao had called them that.
Not long after, the banquet began.
With a nod from Lin Zhao, Old Huang sat grandly in the host's seat. He was the most respected here. After Lin Zhao shed the title of the lord of Xue Yu Tian Chi, he was most qualified to sit in the main seat. Su Shan Jun and Han Bu Yu sat on either side, followed by Su Qing Jiu, Wu Zhi, and the others. Lin Zhao and Xu Ming An sat in the least prominent positions. Lin Zhao didn't mind, and neither did Xu Ming An. The two of them secretly ate and drank, enjoying themselves.
The meal concluded, with everyone satisfied and drunk.
Chen Ben, along with Tong Yu, Zhang Luo Bai, and Zhuang Yi Rong, headed down the mountain path to practice their punches and swords. Lin Zhao, not claiming the title of the host of the mountain peak villa, secretly grabbed two pots of wine, packed some braised beef and peanuts, and led Xu Ming An into the depths of the bamboo forest. They sat down on a large rock, and the two good friends drank and ate meat again. Having followed Lin Zhao for a while, Xu Ming An's strict adherence to rules had loosened. He didn't care much. If one was starving, one shouldn't be bound by the rules of not killing and not eating meat. There was no such logic in the world. In Xu Ming An's mind, the fundamental rules of Taoism were to refrain from greed and maintain tranquility. Guarding Dan Xia Mountain alone, he could indeed refrain from greed and maintain tranquility. As for eating meat and drinking wine, if he were to become an immortal on the mountain in the future, he could truly disregard such trivialities.
He thought of his master, Old Taoist Wang, a Taoist master who was quicker than anyone else when he heard about eating meat and drinking wine.
...
"How is your Dan Xia Manual practice coming along?" Lin Zhao asked.
"It's alright..."
Xu Ming An scratched his head. "But I haven't broken through yet. I'm still at the fifth realm, and it feels so difficult..."
"It's okay, take your time. What about alchemy?"
"Several alchemical furnaces have exploded, and I've spent a lot of money on medicinal ingredients, but the pills still aren't coming out."
"Oh dear..."
Lin Zhao covered his face. "It's okay, take your time. The pills will come out eventually."
"Mm!"
Xu Ming An took a sip of wine. With Lin Zhao's words, his heart felt much more at ease.
"Don't rush to leave. Stay at the mountain peak villa for a few more days. You can also stroll around the town when you have time."
"Okay, sure!"