Due to Xing Qiu using some unknown method to secretly sneak into the immortal realm, Ye Jiuya stayed at the Sword Pavilion for another day.

Chen Weichen thought for a moment, and felt that Xing Qiu probably completely disregarded his status as the Demon Emperor, secretly observing how he passed through the formation in order to safely cross the Heavenly River.

He felt a bit guilty as he rubbed his nose.

Although he didn't know why this person came to the immortal realm, as long as he came alone, it was fine and could be considered harmless—but if he unfortunately became possessed by that fierce and violent thing again, it would cause a great calamity.

Xie Lang counted on his fingers: "Swordmaster Ye, Lord Lanshan, as well as Master Kong Shan who entered the mortal world from Zhichen Temple, and Master Kong Ming who left the mortal world, not counting Emperor Yan, these four are the top experts in the immortal realm today. Young Master Chen, how are things on the other side in the demon realm?"

Young Master Chen leaned against the snowy pine: "That side also follows the titles of Emperor and Marquis. Converting to immortal cultivation levels, the Demon Emperor is about equivalent to the third level of the heavenly realm, but after descending the mountain there are Heavenly Dao restrictions, so at most, he's at the peak of the second level—with Swordmaster Ye's Heartless Sword, the immortal side definitely won't lose out."

"Decades ago in a fierce battle with the demon realm, the immortal side suffered countless losses. Fortunately, Emperor Yan appeared out of nowhere and made his name with a single sword, reversing the dire situation. Now Emperor Yan has likely passed on, but our immortal side has Swordmaster Ye's demon-slaying, evil-breaking sword intent. It shows that the cycles of fate in the Heavenly Dao have their own destined pattern, and the immortal way continues on endlessly." Xie Lang stroked his whisk as he nodded.

As Chen Weichen listened to him speak, his eyes were filled with gentleness and peace, the green pines and white snow behind him in harmony, his immortal aura floating about. Xie Lang saw this and was greatly surprised, thinking that his extensive reading of immortal texts in the Hidden Books Pavilion had led to a breakthrough, losing that frivolous, romantic mortal air.

But then he saw a figure in red accompanied by one in white slowly descending the long steps, immediately capturing Young Master Chen's gaze. He promptly took out his fan, laughter flickering in his eyes as he stared fixedly, his immortal bearing dropping by eighty percent.

Xie Lang: "..."

He kindly reminded: "Young Master Chen, tying your mind to external things is of no benefit to cultivating the Dao, no benefit."

"There is only one path in my heart," Chen Weichen tapped his head with the fan handle. "Daoist, can you guess what it is?"

"Immortals naturally revere the Heavenly Dao," Xie Lang replied, then recalling this person's half-immortal half-demon cultivation that he got for free, asked in shock: "You wouldn't be trying to defy Heaven, would you?"

Chen Weichen was silent for a moment: "If it really could be defied..."

Xie Lang stared at him nervously.

But this young master just lightly laughed: "But I don't want to defy it either."

Xie Lang let out a sigh of relief; it seemed this person was still on the side of the immortal way, though he also felt Chen Weichen's tone was quite arrogant.

He was originally curious about Chen Weichen's identity, so he took the chance to ask another question: "Why?"

Chen Weichen opened his fan, smiling as he watched the people coming down the nine hundred steps, casually responding to him: "I'm just an ordinary mortal, living one day less each day. I'm busy enough embracing beauties and living freely and happily, where would I have the energy to go looking for trouble for no reason, waiting for Heavenly thunder to strike my head?"

Xie Lang rolled his eyes: "If you want to live freely and happily, why come to cultivate immortality then?"

Chen Weichen gave him a cool glance, turning to follow behind Ye Jiuya and Lu Hongyan as they walked.

Xie Lang followed. At this time, without the cat in his arms, he felt empty inside. He originally followed Ye Jiuya to seize opportunities to aid his cultivation. After seeing the Heartless Sword, he could have gone his separate way. But now his junior sister was missing without a trace, and Chen Weichen was certainly going to look for Wen Hui. That Chi Juntian who took Wen Hui and Qingyuan seemed to also know Ye Jiuya. Following these three people, at least there was still some hope.

He suddenly reacted to something, slapping his head as he went up to ask: "Who exactly is that Chi Juntian? Why have I never heard of her? If she could stay in Guixu for twenty years, could she be a third-level heavenly realm expert? Then what do we have to fear from the demon race?"

Chen Weichen walked shoulder to shoulder with him, answering with a sentence: "Then you should at least know about Tianyan."

Xie Lang's foot suddenly slipped and he nearly fell off the steep mountain path.

Chen Weichen's luck had gotten better since soaking in the Nine Nether Heavenly Spring, and a mere mountain path could no longer give him trouble. Seeing Xie Lang in a sorry state, he felt very smug as he grabbed him: "Promising."

"Indeed not promising at all," Xie Lang had a bitter face. "I originally thought I was somebody, but since coming down the mountain, each person I've met is greater than the last. Any one of them could flatten my little Qingjing Temple. Now even the Tianyan from the ancient texts has appeared. We're just missing Emperor Yan and we'd have a full view of the pinnacle of the immortal world. It really makes me afraid."

Chen Weichen's expression was a bit unnatural for a moment.

"The disciples of Tianyan peer into the Heavenly secrets and deduce all things. To avoid karmic cause and effect, they cannot carry a single weapon as they walk the world," Xie Lang sighed. "Among the One Emperor, Three Lords, and Fourteen Marquises, there has never been a Tianyan disciple. The immortal way today determines rank by martial power, so even if their cultivation is higher, it's futile. It's really a pity."

Chen Weichen seemed to let out an extremely light, cold laugh, not speaking further.

Thus they went down the mountain all the way, heading straight for Southern Dynasty territory.

Leaving the northern lands, the grass of the Central Plains showed early green and apricot flowers were in full bloom. Once vitality burst forth, even the desolate air of the ruined city was concealed.

As for the willow-filled prosperous lands of the Southern Dynasty, it was an even greater scene of beautiful spring.

Chen Weichen called out in the carriage that he was getting more timid the closer to home, more timid the closer to home. "I lost Wen Hui, I really don't have the face to go back. Let's slip in and out quietly. If we see that old cripple, we'll leave. Don't let my family know."

Nervously, he arrived at the inner city gate, but encountered two old acquaintances.

It was none other than the scholar Zhuang Baihan, with whom they had stayed that day.

The scholar was just wiping the light sweat from his wife's forehead when he raised his head and saw a carriage stopped in front of them. The brocade curtain of the small window was pulled open, revealing a familiar face. He exclaimed in pleasant surprise: "Young Master Chen!"

Chen Weichen made a silencing gesture at him: "Get on. Once we're in the city, definitely don't call me Young Master Chen."

The scholar looked a bit puzzled, but didn't say anything more.

Once on the carriage, the scholar said: "I am on my way to the southern capital to seek my fortune and am just passing through."

"Perhaps my family can provide an introduction..." Chen Weichen was halfway through his words when he suddenly remembered his "come sneakily, leave sneakily" and paused for a moment.

"No need to trouble you, Young Master," the scholar smiled with great gentleness. "This Zhuang is confident in his extensive learning. As long as I can find a place to settle and register my hometown, passing the imperial exams and securing a government position shouldn't be difficult."

But Chen Weichen shook his head at him: "Brother Zhuang, in the last five years, the imperial exams have been halted."

Zhuang Baihan was shocked for a moment, eyes widening slightly: "How can the imperial exams be abolished?"

As they were talking, the carriage entered the inner city. They heard a commotion at the street corner, where a stage had been set up, surrounded by a crowd of people craning their necks to watch.

Vaguely, they could hear people saying, "The talented scholars of our Yue City are probably all gathered here. Let's see who can showcase their talents in the next few days - I heard the top three will get to have an audience with the Emperor!"

Looking towards the stage, they saw tables and chairs set up, with some people dressed as scholars, some in fine clothes and some in plain clothes, all furrowing their brows in deep thought.

On the side, an official-looking person announced loudly, "Time for one incense stick has passed. The next topic is 'Peach Blossoms' -"

It seemed to be a poetry competition.

Zhuang Baihan frowned slightly.

Chen Weichen said, "In the past it was just poetry gatherings, but now it seems to have become more rigorous. Before I left the city, I heard that His Majesty was recruiting young talented scholars to compose poems about peach blossoms and beauties in the spring. This must be it."

"In such circumstances, the scholars are clearly being treated like actors!" Zhuang Baihan's voice carried a hint of anger. "The country is in ruins, the imperial examinations are not being held, yet talented scholars are being recruited to promote the prosperity of the world through spring poems. What's the point of that?"

"I don't understand you Confucian scholars' affairs," Chen Weichen leaned back on the soft pillow in the carriage. "But this is a shortcut to meeting the Emperor. Brother Zhuang, if you can stand out, it would be much better than finding someone to recommend you."

Zhuang Baihan frowned, "I have studied rhyme and meter thoroughly in the academy, but poetry is just for leisure and entertainment, not the proper path for a scholar after all."

The young lady who was the transformed spirit looked at him with concern.

Chen Weichen said, "Throughout the journey, how come I haven't heard the lady speak at all?"

The young lady pointed to her throat and lowered her head.

Zhuang Baihan explained that the day after Chen Weichen's group left, some Yan rebels came. Having nothing left to plunder, their leader, in a foul mood, ordered his men to burn down the Zhuang residence with a wave of his hand. The two of them were fortunate to escape with their lives, but the young lady's throat was damaged by the thick smoke, so she had to speak as little as possible on a daily basis.

Zhuang Baihan laughed bitterly, "There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about making a humble contribution to the court, to eliminate the Yan rebels as soon as possible and recover the lost lands. But now..."

He fell silent for a long time, then said, "Forget it, no matter what, I must see His Majesty. If I do, I will remonstrate even at the cost of my life!"

Having made his decision, he bid farewell to the others, got off the carriage, and walked towards the poetry competition that resembled a stage play.

"This person's fate is extraordinary, with a hint of blood, but it is not a murderous aura," Xie Lang judged the scholar's fate for the second time.

"You originally said his fate was extremely prosperous, just with some blood calamity. Now there's an extra drop of Kaiyang Blood on him. Who knows what kind of future he will have." Chen Weichen smiled. "Perhaps the fate of finding the last object of human fortune lies with him. You never know."

They went straight to the street corner where the old cripple usually stayed.

Chen Weichen patted the old cripple, who was drawing talisman symbols, on the shoulder, "Old Cripple."

Old Cripple lifted an eyelid, "Young master, you were out wandering freely, why did you come back?"

Chen Weichen smiled, "Old Cripple, I want to ask you where a person is. She took my Ah Hui somewhere, and I need to find him."

Old Cripple waved his hand, "You didn't look after the person well, you should blame yourself. This kind of small matter can't be calculated, can't be calculated."

Chen Weichen smiled, "But she said she knows you. Her name is Chi Juntian. Do you know where she usually lives?"

Old Cripple's movements paused for a moment. He looked at Chen Weichen as if seeing a ghost, rolled up the dirty white cloth he used to draw fate charts on the ground, stuffed it into his bosom, and scrambled to leave, "Inauspicious spirit, you inauspicious spirit! How did you provoke that witch? This old man can't help you anymore!"

The inauspicious spirit who was unexpectedly stripped of his qualification as a human being rubbed his nose, "..."