Chapter 127

In the 427th year of the Ming era, this year passed very quickly and very fulfilling for Cheng Xinzhan.

This year began after "Taodu" was broken in two, when he ascended against the torrent of swords above the sky of Baiyujing.

Studying thunder arts at Shuji Mountain, sword arts at Toujian Mountain, and refining arts at Bai Hu Mountain—these three things spanned this entire year.

These three things were undoubtedly his greatest gains this year.

In one year, he learned all five types of thunder, drawing exclamations of wonder from the various Elders of the Five Thunder Institute.

His swordsmanship was no longer just following his whims or relying on speed to win, but was now measured and controlled, advancing and retreating with ease.

His refining arts had just begun to show promise; he had recast "Taodu," refined "Qiushui," and his first Five Elements magic sword was also about to be finished.

On the path of Qi Refining, he visualized the mountains, and the Inner Landscape deity, Crown Prince Bingling, within his Earth Mansion had already begun to take on a divine charm.

In the way of talismans, his thunder talismans and mountain talismans were things that even the Ancestral Master Tongxuan praised endlessly.

And this was only Cheng Xinzhan's fourth year of studying the Dao.

There were also some interludes, for instance, the reputation of Sanqing Mountain's sword mastery spread through the mouths of guests who had watched the Sword-Fighting Assembly at Baiyujing.

Quite a few people learned that there was a young disciple at Sanqing Mountain named Cheng Xinzhan.

For example, in the eighth month, the daughter of the Xiao family from Baiyujing, accompanied by hundreds of her servants, paid a visit to Sanqing Mountain.

For example, people from Longhu Mountain came to invite Sanqing Mountain to participate in the Longhu Fa Hui the year after next.

In short, for Cheng Xinzhan, this was a brilliant year; perhaps it was because his cultivation realm was low and he had not yet had the experience of closing off for decades at a time, so every year was very brilliant.

This year, in the midst of his busyness, it reached the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. With the end of the year approaching, he asked for leave from Bai Hu Mountain and his Master, Wen Sukong, promising to return by the second day of the new year at the latest.

He had promised to change the door god paintings for the Miao village this year.

After receiving permission, he left his physical body in the Wuyou Cave to continue Qi refining and visualization. Early on the morning of the twenty-ninth, his soul drove his bamboo body, carrying all his weapons and daily necessities, and set off.

Of course, he held the third sister in his arms, and Deng Ge'er followed by his side.

He arrived silently at Yulin Temple and left a bottle of "Blood-Reviving and Spring-Returning Pills" and a Mirage Pearl in front of the old temple master's door.

The "Blood-Reviving and Spring-Returning Pills" were obtained from Feng Jihu; they were pills for invigorating blood and regulating essence, with mild potency, most suitable for a mortal of the old temple master's age.

As for that Mirage Pearl, it was a gift from the External Affairs Institute; it recorded the scenes of him at the Sword-Fighting Assembly, though he did not know where the External Affairs Institute had acquired it.

But it was just right to give it to the temple master now.

Because it contained the scene of him demonstrating "Qiushui" to the various swordsmen.

This was the old temple master's wish.

He left the Mirage Pearl and departed without meeting him again.

Subsequently, he went directly to his parents' graves without going to the town again.

His parents' graves were well cared for, with no weeds or shrubs, showing they had been meticulously tended to all along.

He knelt down, kowtowed, and spoke for a while, burning talisman paper on which were the soul-transcending scriptures he had written earlier in the sect.

Then, he left.

This trip was not for training or seeing the world, so he did not walk slowly. Having already refined the "Yangming Yuntang Gang," he held the third sister in his arms and flew away, his body transforming into light clouds.

As for Deng Ge'er, he was even more extraordinary now. Unlike the third sister who was always lazy and sleepy, Deng Ge'er was diligent in body tempering and Qi consumption. He must have awakened the demonic blood within him, as he could now use some minor spells by instinct. For instance, right now, as Cheng Xinzhan flew and slightly evolved some wind, Deng Ge'er could ride the wind and tread on air to follow behind.

Before long, he arrived at Poyanghu, still reaching the south bank, and he even took a detour to glance at that laurel forest from back then.

The last time he came, it was summer, with lush green trees, but now it was a sheet of white snow.

The shores of Poyanghu were ice-bound. He flew inward, his body now transformed into light clouds, supplemented by wind arts, making him faster than the second-realm Jiang Yanxing and Jiang Yuexing. Soon, he caught sight of the Jin Xiangzong island and descended toward the Mingguang Hall.

However, this time there was no one to escort him, and as soon as he approached, someone came to greet him.

"Please convey to Daoist Xuanhui that an old friend from the summer before last has come to visit."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

The person on duty smiled upon hearing this, "Daoist Cheng may not recognize me, but I still remember Daoist Cheng. Last year, Daoist Cheng saved the life of our Young Master; how could we easily forget? Daoist Cheng, please."

The man reached out to lead the way for Cheng Xinzhan.

He was somewhat surprised, then smiled and followed the man.

As soon as he landed, he heard a loud shout,

"Benefactor!"

He knew who had come.

Jiang Nanjing walked over quickly, and upon reaching him, bowed deeply,

"Greetings, Benefactor."

Cheng Xinzhan quickly helped him up, telling him not to stand on ceremony. Immediately after, Jiang Nanjing's uncle, parents, and teacher all arrived.

The group took their seats in the hall.

"Daoist Cheng's demeanor at the Huanzhu Louzhu's Sword-Fighting Assembly is still vivid in my mind!"

As soon as they sat down, Jiang Yanxing said with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan was a bit surprised, "You were there that night too?"

The group nodded with smiles.

"We were in Peacock City at the time. We originally intended to pay a visit to the Daoist after the sword-fighting ended, but at that time, the Daoist's flying sword was damaged, and you were in a hurry to return to the sect, so it was inconvenient for us to come forward to pay our respects."

Jiang Yanxing explained.

"I only knew that Benefactor's curse arts were extraordinary, but I never expected Benefactor's attainments in sword arts to be so high!"

Jiang Nanjing exclaimed in admiration.

Jiang Yanxing and Jiang Yuexing then chimed in.

"We were already extremely surprised when we saw the Daoist on the body-sword field, and seeing the Daoist win first place on the magic-sword field made us think you were a celestial being, but we truly never expected that the one who fought the Emei swords alone at the end was also the Daoist, leaving us truly speechless."

Jiang Yanxing exclaimed. Finally, the Emei Sect Master's wife appeared, letting all the spectators know that those flying swords were all Emei's, and the scene of Cheng Xinzhan controlling the swords with his spirit and manifesting in the high sky to bid farewell to Huanzhu Louzhu was also realistically reflected by the Moon-Reflecting Mirror, letting everyone know that the owner of that crimson flying sword that suppressed Emei was indeed Cheng Xinzhan of Sanqing Mountain.

Body-sword, magic-sword, flying-sword—he was proficient in all of them.

Numerous flying swords were struck down, and the five Emei swords besieged Cheng Xinzhan; the thirty flying swords that remained at the end were all from the Shu Daoist lineage.

This obviously made Huanzhu Louzhu very unhappy.

In the end, Huanzhu Louzhu did not even hold the flying-sword field again. After Cheng Xinzhan left, the Sword Immortal himself directly announced that the remaining thirty flying swords were tied for first place!

And the reward Huanzhu Louzhu gave for first place in the flying-sword field was one "Clear Heart and Few Desires Pill" each.

This undoubtedly turned the behavior of those thirty Shu flying swords joining forces to strike down others' swords into a joke.

And in the eyes of the spectators, the true first place of the flying-sword field was still Cheng Xinzhan of Sanqing Mountain.

In the eyes of the spectators, Cheng Xinzhan had won the triple crown.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this and did not continue the topic, instead asking Jiang Nanjing,

"How are you doing with that curse art?"

Jiang Nanjing puffed out his chest,

"Benefactor, this disciple has already reduced the seventeen-character curse to nine characters!"

Cheng Xinzhan's face stiffened upon hearing this, and he then coughed violently. After finally catching his breath, he did not want to talk about this topic anymore and took a small bottle from his bosom, handing it to Jiang Yanxing.

"This is?"

Jiang Yanxing took the grey, hazy bottle, not knowing what it was.

Cheng Xinzhan explained,

"Since you were all there that night of the sword-fighting, I don't need to explain too much. Inside is the "Yangming Yuntang Gang" bestowed upon me by the Sword Immortal senior. I thought that since your hall is called "Mingguang Hall" and you also practice the Mingguang magic arts within the Metal Phase, this spiritual gang should be useful, so I specifically came to give it to you. I have used quite a bit of this gang myself; there are only about two zhu left here. It is too little for Core Formation, but it should be enough for understanding the intent of the arts. Please do not mind."

There was a long silence in the hall, so quiet that one could hear the sound of swallowing.

This was Gang Dew!

After a long while, the lead bottle seemed to suddenly become hot to the touch. Jiang Yanxing hurriedly held the lead bottle and returned it to Cheng Xinzhan,

"Daoist, this gift is too heavy; we cannot accept it without merit!"

Cheng Xinzhan stood up and stuffed the bottle into Jiang Nanjing's arms, his smile bright and warm,

"Senior, when I came here before, were the gifts you gave any lighter? That golden seal, that cave stone, that full basket of talisman arrows—didn't I accept them all?"

He never forgot those who were good to him.

=9+Shu_ba

"This, this, this..."

Jiang Yanxing stammered. The gifts given before were in gratitude for Daoist Cheng's kindness in saving Jiang Nan and teaching him the arts; he never felt the gifts were heavy, but he never expected Daoist Cheng to have kept it in mind all along!

At this time, Jiang Yuexing said, "Did the Daoist go to the Southern Frontier after leaving here last time?"

Cheng Xinzhan did not know why he asked this, but nodded.

"The Daoist must have sold talisman arrows in the Southern Frontier; those talisman arrows had my Mingguang Hall's mark on them."

Jiang Yuexing said with a smile, "Hongmuling and Baiman Mountain fought for several years until the "Purple Fire Rotten Peach Sha" appeared and stopped. For a period before that, my Mingguang Hall's talisman arrows suddenly became hot commodities. Quite a few people contacted the hall to buy them, saying the effects were particularly good. I thought about it, and that was exactly the time the Daoist left Jin Xiangzong. My family's talisman arrow manufacturing method has never changed; only that batch was given to the Daoist as empty shells."

"So that batch of talisman arrows was not produced by my family; it was because the talismans drawn by Daoist Cheng were good."

"However, because the talisman arrows made by the Daoist gained a reputation on the Southern Frontier battlefield, it made my hall's business much better for no reason."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this, never expecting such a follow-up.

"Our hall has also prepared some modest gifts..."

Cheng Xinzhan could not bear to hear him say this, hurriedly waving his hand to stop him, and said,

"Seniors, and Jiang Nan, everyone is busy with cultivation, so I will not disturb you further. I will take my leave now, and we shall meet again if fate allows!"

Having said that, Cheng Xinzhan bowed, and without waiting for the group to react, left the hall, ascended to the sky, and was gone.

Jiang Yanxing held the lead bottle, gazing at Cheng Xinzhan's departing figure, and could not help but say:

"Truly the style of an immortal!"

————

Leaving Poyanghu, he traveled all the way west and soon saw the Ganjiang, the largest river within the Yu Zhang region.

Although he was flying this time, the path he took was the same as last time. He looked down at the wide and majestic Ganjiang, feeling refreshed and happy.

However, the last time he crossed the Ganjiang, it was the season of abundant summer waters. Now, although the sound of the water was still roaring, the water level was much lower than in summer; he could even see sandbars emerging in the middle of the river, which he had not discovered last time.

After crossing the Ganjiang, he flew straight toward Mount Heng. He made a brief stop here, circling the mountain, watching the sword Qi soar and Mount Heng as if flying.

This time, the scenery he saw was different from when he passed by last time.

Perhaps this is the meaning of cultivation: looking at the mountains, rivers, and all things in the world at different times will always yield different gains. These changes sometimes stem from the changes in the mountains and rivers, and sometimes from the changes in one's own realm and state of mind.

This was only two or three years apart; if one existed for thousands of years, what kind of changes would one see?

Leaving Mount Heng, he headed toward the Miao region full of joy, still entering the great mountains from Wugang.

The last time he came, he only visualized the Pleiades, and those snakes, insects, and yin creatures dared not approach. Now that he had practiced the Dragon Thunder, those filthy things ran away as soon as they sensed the heavenly might.

Deng Ge'er smelled the familiar scent and ran all over the mountain, chasing out some guys who were sleeping in caves.

Arriving again at that small stream, the water was rushing and not frozen. He scooped up a handful with his hands and washed his face; the winter water was cold and biting, making him feel even more refreshed.

He walked upstream and soon saw the Miao village.

Even in winter, the Miao people were not idle; some were tidying the fields, some were dredging irrigation ditches. He cast his gaze far and found that some were hunting in the snow; at this time, following the fox and rabbit tracks in the snow often yielded results.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Deng Ge'er transformed into a white wind and darted into the village, barking all the way, leaving a string of plum blossom prints in the snow.

As soon as Deng Ge'er entered the village, the village suddenly became chaotic, with chickens flying and dogs jumping. The villagers cursed, not knowing what madness this dog had caught. However, as they cursed, they felt something was wrong—how could there be such a sturdy dog in the village?

The old village chief was, after all, the old village chief. He was pounced on the ground by Deng Ge'er, and he grabbed the big white dog that was frantically wagging its tail and licking his face. Suddenly realizing, he laughed loudly, rolled over, escaped from under the big dog, leaped up, and shouted,

"It's Daoist Yun who has returned! It's Daoist Yun who has returned!"

He laughed and ran outside the village, and despite his advanced age, he ran with a vigorous feeling.

Sure enough, as soon as he exited the village gate, he saw a young Daoist holding a flower cat in his arms, walking slowly toward him with a smile on his face.

"What are you all standing there for? Call back everyone who went out. Oh right, no need to call those hunting; let them hunt more before returning. Tonight, we hold a bonfire party!"

The old village chief saw the villagers following him out, all staring blankly at Daoist Yun without moving, and immediately shouted to direct them.

The crowd scattered, each busy with their own tasks, making the already rich festive atmosphere even livelier.

Deng Ge'er understood the old village chief's words, and hearing that there were people hunting outside, he glanced at his master, and after seeing his master nod, he immediately rushed out of the village.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled; it seemed the food tonight would not be bad.

The old village chief stepped forward to receive Cheng Xinzhan and welcomed him into the village.

"We thought Daoist Yun was busy and wouldn't be able to come this year!"

The old village chief said with a smile.

"Grandfather Munai, I said I would bring door gods for everyone!"

Cheng Xinzhan also replied with a smile.

As soon as he entered the village, he saw several Miao women carrying buckets and rags heading to his house.

The old village chief looked at him and asked nervously,

"Daoist Yun, stay for a few days before leaving, okay?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, "Naturally, I will stay for a few days."

Hearing this, the old village chief's face blossomed into a smile.

"How has the village been these past two years?"

"Good! Very good!"

The old village chief began to talk to Cheng Xinzhan in high spirits.

With Deng Ge'er there, those who went out hunting naturally returned with a full load. Deng Ge'er stuck close to his father, but he was already much taller than his father.

In the evening, there was a bonfire party with singing and dancing. The Miao village men and girls brought out the ox-horn wine prepared last year and poured it into the guest's mouth one after another.

Cheng Xinzhan refused none of it.

Asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month~

Welcome to comment and leave messages~

(End of chapter)