The moonlight of Yashan was like silk, illuminating Jian Chou’s slender figure, casting her shadow behind her.

She raised her hand and pointed, and that wind message flew into her palm, floating two inches above it, gently rising and falling. Jian Chou cupped her palm and crushed the silver light with her fingertips, opening this new letter.

Seeing this letter is like meeting you. Xiao Wan inquires after Senior Sister Jian Chou’s well-being. The injuries I sustained on the Western Sea, thanks to Master’s care, have completely healed. Though my cultivation realm has declined slightly, my temperament has strengthened—this is fortune, not misfortune. I have heard that Senior Sister acted righteously to help others, and everyone at Wuwang Studio is deeply grateful. Worldly affairs are difficult, and I hope Senior Sister will understand.”

Jian Chou read this with a start.

Nie Xiaowan’s intelligent face, tinged with a bit of shyness, appeared before her eyes.

Such a sensible little girl.

That Wuwang Studio couldn’t stand up for her—she probably understood this clearly. Yet she still felt grateful for her master’s healing grace, and knowing the difficulties of Wuwang Studio, she was instead consoling Jian Chou.

Sighing inwardly, she continued reading.

“Sects have their relationships, but the grievances between disciples are not resolved because of sect affiliations. Xiao Wan was injured by Xu Lan’er’s malicious heart, and truly has melancholy qi lingering in my heart. Recently, I have contacted Senior Brother Zhang from Fengmo Sword Sect and Senior Brother Zhou from Chongxiao Sect, arranging to meet at the Left Three Thousand small gathering in the Central Domain. In two years and seven months, I will certainly do my utmost, going into closed-door cultivation and ignoring worldly affairs. Someday, beneath Kunwu’s ‘One Person Platform,’ I will wash away this previous shame. If there is fate, I hope to see Senior Sister again.”

…

Among the Left Three Thousand sects in the Central Domain, there was a small gathering every thirty years, bringing together all the elite disciples of the new generation from all sects in the Central Domain to compete on Mount Kunwu.

It was said that the sole victor could alone ascend Kunwu’s “One Person Platform,” becoming the “One Person” that all cultivators of that generation would look up to.

It seemed that whether it was Nie Xiaowan or Zhang Sui and the others, they all valued this “Left Three Thousand small gathering” greatly.

After reading Nie Xiaowan’s letter, those lines of characters formed by silver light gradually dispersed.

Dots of silver radiance danced under the moon, falling into Jian Chou’s eyes, giving a feeling like fireflies.

Kunwu.

One Person Platform.

The sole “One Person” among the new disciples of a generation.

Who would ascend the “One Person Platform” after two years and seven months?

When Jian Chou thought of the word “Kunwu,” she naturally couldn’t help but think of Xie Buchen.

As Kunwu’s most outstanding disciple, would he participate as well?

Moonlight illuminated thousands of miles.

Tomorrow would be Yashan’s once-every-ten-years recruitment of new disciples. When dawn broke, she would become the overseer of this recruitment.

This feeling was quite wonderful.

Jian Chou couldn’t help but turn back to look at the steep and precipitous Yashan Path, which was like a belt tied around Yashan’s mountainside. But looking at it in this dim night light, she felt it looked more like a sharp whip mark.

As if some expert had once lashed down with a whip, leaving such a unique mark on Yashan’s mountainside.

All the recent events flashed through her mind.

She summoned the Liwai Mirror, rising from the ground, climbing up along the cliff face, landing on the Yashan Path. Following the Yashan Path toward the front mountain, when she passed Star-Plucking Platform, she saw that on Yashan’s steep stone faces were scattered stars, some bright and some dim.

It truly was a place very close to the heavens.

Yashan was so high that it had a Star-Plucking Platform and a Moon-Embracing Hall.

Jian Chou smiled slightly. Unlike her previous wolf-like state when she first came, she now walked as if on level ground, turning the corner and stepping onto the front mountain’s Yashan Path.

Splash, splash.

The sound of rushing river water suddenly flooded into her ears.

A rope bridge slanted downward toward the opposite shore.

The river flowed beneath the rope bridge, and on the riverbank were thousands of grave mounds, all silent in the night wind, with only small insects flying through the weeds.

Splash, splash…

Jian Chou stood at the end of the rope bridge, looking across to the opposite shore.

On the opposite shore was a high platform.

When tomorrow’s sun emerged from the mountains, illuminating the earth, a group of new Yashan disciples would appear on the platform across the way, hoping to successfully cross the Yashan Path and become “disciples under Yashan’s gate.”

Not long ago, she had been a newly admitted Yashan disciple, but now she was to oversee such an important matter as recruiting disciples. It was quite wonderful to think about.

Walking step by step toward the opposite shore of the rope bridge, Jian Chou couldn’t say exactly what she was feeling.

The sound of the rushing river, in this silent night, seemed incredibly clear.

Jian Chou suddenly stopped her steps. At this moment, she stood in the center of the rope bridge, right over the heart of the river. The high Yashan rope bridge stretched across the river surface, with ropes serving as railings on both sides.

Perhaps it was thinking of the two letters that came today, perhaps it was thinking of the future beyond the future—Jian Chou had some unsettled emotions, which quite matched this endlessly flowing great river.

Since it was destined to be a sleepless night anyway, Jian Chou, having just completed her body refinement, felt full of energy and refreshed.

She directly pressed her hand against the rope and leaped down!

The wind over the river surface was somewhat cold, blowing across her cheeks.

Her figure rapidly descended.

The glazed golden light of the Liwai Mirror slowly bloomed around her, like a flower opening in the night.

The water flow at the heart of the river was somewhat turbulent, and Jian Chou stepped down onto it.

The Liwai Mirror, close to the river water, was covered by some waves and got somewhat wet.

Jian Chou didn’t mind.

Fudao Shanren had said that in ancient times, there was a nine-headed bird that, every new moon night, would enter from the mouth of Nine-Head River into the sea, traveling upstream against the current to carry the souls of the dead to the land of reincarnation.

Nine-Head River got its name from this.

Jian Chou slowly bent down, and in a rare moment of leisure, actually extended her hand into the river water.

The highest good is like water.

The flowing river water, carrying a force of rushing forward, passed through her fingers, giving a sense of moving forward without retreat.

Even though her hand passed through it, it was difficult to stop their flow…

At that moment, suddenly, a phrase flashed through her mind.

“Time passes like this river, day and night without cease…”

That was a long, drawn-out sigh.

Xie Buchen stood at the bow of the boat, and she sat in the boat canopy, looking at the river surface covered by the setting sun ahead, as rippling river water passed before their eyes.

Xie Buchen, whose family had been destroyed and people killed, stood with his hands behind his back. Jian Chou could only see his back.

He looked at the great river flowing away and recited such a line…

Time passes like this river, day and night without cease.

Those were words spoken by a sage.

Those were also words that Xie Buchen had once recited.

Suddenly, as if stabbed by something, Jian Chou felt that the river water at the heart of the river was sometimes like ice, sometimes like fire, making her entire being suffer.

She withdrew her hand in a daze, standing on the river surface, momentarily melancholy.

A long wind blew over, Jian Chou’s robes fluttering, her black hair like a waterfall.

Moonlight crossed the river, and water light met the sky—it was breathtakingly beautiful.

The same long wind also blew over Kunwu.

A single lamp like a bean.

Wind blew in from the open window, and the lamp flame suddenly began to flicker.

“Rustle, rustle…”

A book placed on the ancient long table under the window was also blown by the wind, pages constantly turning.

Xie Buchen’s jade-white fingers rested on the edge of the table, and his wandering thoughts were called back by the sound of turning pages.

Looking down, he saw that the wind had disturbed the book he was reading.

Sighing softly, Xie Buchen casually waved toward the window: “You don’t know how to read, so why are you randomly flipping through my book?”

The wind blowing into the window seemed to understand his words, or perhaps was driven away by his gesture, and retreated.

Slowly, the dim yellow bean-like flame finally stopped flickering.

The wind had ceased.

Xie Buchen sat cross-legged before the table, turning the book scroll back to its previous position. He looked at it twice but seemed to have no heart for reading.

This was an extremely simple, small room, built on an unremarkable hilltop.

The furnishings inside were also sparse—aside from the table and other necessities, there was nothing else.

A black-sheathed precious sword hung on the wooden wall behind him, clean, without a speck of dust.

“Senior Brother Xie?”

A charming voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The sound of knocking.

Outside seemed to be a woman, her voice carrying some excitement: “Senior Brother Xie, are you there?”

There were dim yellow shadows inside the room, so naturally, someone was there.

Xie Buchen rarely returned to his residence, and it was extremely rare for him to be there. Hearing the voice, he frowned slightly and only responded: “Junior Sister Gu, what matter brings you here so late at night?”

“Creak.”

The moment she heard Xie Buchen’s response, “Junior Sister Gu” pushed the door open and entered.

She was a graceful and delicate girl, though her features carried some arrogance. In a famous sect like Kunwu, she was also regarded as a treasured existence.

Her name was Gu Qingmei, the only daughter of Kunwu Executive Elder Gu Pingsheng. She had been precocious since childhood and had some fame within Kunwu.

Seeing Xie Buchen sitting by the window reading, Gu Qingmei felt slightly surprised: “So late, and Senior Brother Xie is still reading?”

“Just a scholarly habit brought from the mundane world that’s always been hard to change.” Xie Buchen didn’t explain much. Before Gu Qingmei walked over, he slowly closed the book and pushed it aside, only asking, “What matter does Junior Sister Gu seek me for?”

He had already asked once before but hadn’t received an answer from Gu Qingmei, so Xie Buchen asked again.

Gu Qingmei’s face immediately showed a smile, and she moved close to Xie Buchen’s side, extremely proud: “Qingmei heard that Senior Brother Xie has recently been practicing a very powerful technique, but it requires the assistance of ancient Dijiang Guyu that has long been extinct in the world.”

Xie Buchen nodded but gazed at Gu Qingmei, still not understanding her meaning.

Gu Qingmei’s face suddenly showed a trace of shy color. She brought forward the hand she had been hiding behind her back, and an ancient, round stone disc about half a foot in size appeared in her palm: “Senior Brother Xie, guess what this is?”

The disc had eight horizontal lines around its edge, as if representing eight directions, with nothing else—it looked quite ordinary.

This thing…

Xie Buchen seemed to have seen it somewhere before, but couldn’t say exactly what it was.

“When I heard that Senior Brother Xie needed Dijiang Guyu, I went and searched through all the scrolls and ancient texts in the Library Pavilion. Unexpectedly, I found something. In the fragmentary notes of Ancestor Luye, I discovered that before Ancestor Luye achieved enlightenment, he had obtained a piece of Dijiang Guyu, stored in the Shered Small Realm.”

The Shered Small Realm—Xie Buchen had heard of it.

Looking at that disc, he immediately understood what it was.

Sure enough, Gu Qingmei said proudly: “Ancestor Luye, in his worldly wandering, made six gates and seven keys for the Shered Small Realm. One key could simultaneously open all six gates and was called the ‘Kill Disc.’ When the ‘Kill Disc’ opened, those holding the other six keys would all be guided by the opened realm gates to enter the Shered Small Realm. However, this key has long been lost. I finally managed to find this ‘Red’ disc! It’s one of the six keys. As long as one knows the method of opening, one can independently open one gate of the Shered Small Realm!”

This disc was the Red Disc, a key to opening the Shered Small Realm.

After speaking, Gu Qingmei secretly observed Xie Buchen’s expression, hoping that this genius Senior Brother Xie would smile at her. Seeing that Xie Buchen showed a slightly interested expression, she almost wanted to cheer in her heart!

Indeed, her efforts had not been in vain!

As if greatly encouraged, Gu Qingmei was practically beaming with joy, moving closer to Xie Buchen’s side.

“Senior Brother Xie, I already know the method to open the kill disc!”

Xie Buchen still said nothing.

Gu Qingmei giggled: “However, the small realm can only be entered by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. Senior Brother probably can’t enter… but don’t worry, Senior Brother. My realm happens to be suitable. If I secretly open the small realm now, I will retrieve the bone jade for Senior Brother and ensure Senior Brother’s smooth cultivation of that powerful Dao Seal!”

Dijiang Guyu.

For Xie Buchen, it was indeed very important.

Looking at the “key” in Gu Qingmei’s hand, he smiled slightly and nodded, showing his approval.

Seeing this, Gu Qingmei’s cheeks immediately turned completely red, as if she were about to be cooked.

If others saw how the usually arrogant Junior Sister Gu became so docile in front of Xie Buchen, they would probably be shocked speechless.

Moonlight spread across the table.

Outside the window, in the night sky, was a stretch of ink blue.

By the tributary of Nine-Head River, Jian Chou still stood at the heart of the river.

Everything from the past, like the river water before her eyes, flowed to the sea and would never return.

The noble young master Xie Buchen, the talented scholar Xie Buchen, her beloved Xie Buchen…

We’re all gone.

What remained was Kunwu’s current most prominent existence.

He was her mortal enemy, her foe, the existence she needed to surpass.

In Jian Chou’s eyes, a faint complexity suddenly appeared.

Perhaps the vicissitudes of the world were composed of many such stories that flowed away and could never return.

And her story was just one of them.

Jian Chou inexplicably laughed and shook her head, preparing to ride the Liwai Mirror upward.

“Whoosh!”

Just as she was about to fly up, a gray shadow suddenly flashed quickly past from beside some riverside grave mound, swift as lightning, drilling toward the deep grass!

What was that?

Jian Chou frowned, and the ancestral aperture at her brow blazed with light. Raising her hand, the giant ghost axe flew toward that gray shadow!

Whoosh!

The gray shadow was fast, but the axe shadow was faster!

In the blink of an eye, the axe shadow had already caught up with that gray shadow!

From the weedy grave mounds came a sharp, piercing cry—”Squeak!”

That small gray shadow looked up and was so frightened that all its fur stood on end. Its four legs, originally racing toward the deep grass, immediately pressed hard against the stones beneath its feet and stopped urgently!

Bang!

The giant ghost axe fell from the sky with tremendous force!

A gust of wind accompanied the axe shadow, striking directly into a boulder among the grave mounds!

Sparks flew everywhere!

In this instant, everything fell silent.

That little thing was so frightened it nearly lost its soul. If its four claws hadn’t reacted quickly, it would probably have been split in half by the axe the moment the ghost axe arrived.

It stood dumbly in front of the ghost axe, as if it had already been scared to death.

Jian Chou rode the Liwai Mirror over, frowning as she looked carefully. Under the moonlight, the little thing in front of the ghost axe had shiny gray fur and dragged a fluffy tail—it looked like a small marten.

So it was such a little fellow.

Jian Chou had thought it was some ghostly thing.

She secretly laughed at herself for being too alert. She walked up, about to grasp the ghost axe and pull it out.

However, at that moment, the small marten that seemed scared silly suddenly moved.

Its two black, beady eyes stared at the ghost axe for a long time, then it seemed to see something and suddenly bared its teeth fiercely at the ghost axe, as if facing some great threat.

This scene made Jian Chou frown.

This small marten that appeared among the riverside grave mounds had all four paws pressed to the ground, but it took a stance like a hunting dog facing an enemy.

However…

The ghost axe stood quietly before it, not moving at all.

The gray-furred marten seemed to forget there was still a person behind it. It walked around the ghost axe in confusion for two steps, even extending a small, soft paw to touch the ghost axe. The evil spirits carved on it didn’t emerge either.

After trying several more times, the marten seemed to confirm they were dead and suddenly became excited, as if extremely happy. It raised its head and howled at the moon.

“Woo woo woo…”

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched.

Did it think it was a wolf?

After howling, the marten walked around the ghost axe twice more. This time, its movements became bolder.

After pushing the ghost axe a few times without seeing any reaction, the marten moved closer and stuck out its tongue to lick the patterns on the ghost axe…

The wet tongue passed over the patterns on the ghost axe, immediately leaving a sticky trail of saliva.

Jian Chou had originally wanted to see what this little thing was up to, but she hadn’t expected such a scene. She immediately felt a headache—it was just a mischievous little marten.

She sighed, thinking it was good she hadn’t hurt this little thing’s life. In the future, it would be better not to be so suspicious.

Gripping the axe handle firmly, Jian Chou finally pulled the ghost axe back.

The marten was startled and quickly retreated two steps. Turning around, it finally saw that Jian Chou was there.

Jian Chou also looked at it, then glanced at the saliva on the ghost axe, and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, the marten hesitated for a moment, then actually followed her, biting onto Jian Chou’s hem and whimpering twice. Its two black, beady eyes were moist and bright, as if it didn’t want her to leave.

Jian Chou turned back, almost having the urge to roll her eyes.

Stay here so you can lick my ghost axe?

Dream on!

She didn’t want to pay attention and tried to walk away directly.

The marten seemed to sense her intention and whimpered once more. Then something happened that made Jian Chou’s scalp explode…

Sticking out its tongue, the marten licked directly onto Jian Chou’s shoe!

Sticky saliva immediately wet a large area!

Stunned…

Looking at her feet, Jian Chou felt like a string in her brain was constantly tightening, tightening, almost about to snap.

The marten licked Jian Chou once, then looked up at her, showing a pitiful expression.

The anger that was about to erupt was strangely calmed down in this instant.

Jian Chou sighed, feeling that this marten was quite spiritual. She crouched down, looking at this palm-sized little thing, and said helplessly: “Alright, it was my fault for accidentally attacking you with the axe. Please don’t follow me, okay?”

“Woo woo woo.”

The marten seemed to understand Jian Chou’s words and shook its head.

After Jian Chou crouched down, her hem fell to the ground, and the marten quickly went to bite it and wouldn’t let go.

It shook its small head, then looked at the ghost axe Jian Chou had set aside, seeming even more confused.

Jian Chou didn’t understand its meaning, only noticing that this marten seemed very interested in the ghost axe.

“Woo woo woo woo…”

The marten made a series of sounds at Jian Chou, actually standing upright in a human-like posture, placing its two paws in front of itself and bowing to Jian Chou.

Jian Chou was greatly surprised.

The marten extended one paw, pointing at Jian Chou, then at itself.

Seeing this, Jian Chou was extremely amazed.

The Nineteen Continents had legends of spirit creatures—mountains, stones, and animals could all cultivate. She had heard of this but never seen it.

Looking at this marten now, could it be one of them?

Jian Chou asked hesitantly: “You… want to come with me?”

“Woo woo woo…”

The marten was immediately delighted, nodding repeatedly.

It approached ingratiatingly, pushed off with its hind feet, actually jumped up, and clung to Jian Chou’s arm. It licked her hand holding the axe, its two eyes sparkling brightly.

Jian Chou only saw its tongue extend, and her axe-holding hand became completely shiny.

At that moment, she had the urge to collapse. She picked up the marten: “No licking me!”

The marten immediately became dejected, then looked toward Jian Chou’s ghost axe.

Jian Chou immediately said, “The ghost axe is off-limits too!”

The marten hung in mid-air, unable to move, looking at her pitifully with an extremely human-like expression, as if it were about to cry.

It pointed at Jian Chou, then at itself.

Jian Chou’s hand was sticky and disgusting…

“Why do you want to come with me?”

“Woo woo woo…”

Well, this question seemed a bit difficult—the marten couldn’t answer.

“Are you a demon that has gained spiritual intelligence?”

“Woo woo woo…”

The marten nodded, then shook its head, then raised its head and made a howling gesture toward the sky. It should have been extremely fierce, but…

Looking at its small body and fluffy head, it had no intimidating power at all; instead, it looked rather cute and naive.

Jian Chou couldn’t help but mutter: “Seems like it’s just a little demon that can only lick things but has no real use?”

“Woo woo woo!”

The marten’s small ears twitched, and it seemed to have heard Jian Chou’s words. It immediately howled angrily and struggled hard in Jian Chou’s hands.

Jian Chou wasn’t paying attention, and the slippery marten slipped out of her grasp.

A gray shadow flashed and disappeared directly into the grass.

A rustling sound came from within.

Just as Jian Chou was puzzled, she saw the grass in front of her shake violently, and the marten emerged from inside with something in its mouth, placing it directly at Jian Chou’s feet.

“Woo woo woo woo…”

It looked up at Jian Chou proudly, wagging its tail.

Jian Chou wanted to remind them: you’re a marten.

But thinking it probably wouldn’t understand anyway, she looked down at her feet.

A wet, mud-covered, broken straw shoe lay on the ground…

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched as she said expressionlessly: “I can’t wear this.”

The marten tilted its head in confusion, then turned and ran directly into the grass again, soon running back.

This time, it was a broken ceramic bowl.

Jian Chou almost fainted.

Was this marten trying to prove it was useful in order to follow her?

Only…

“I don’t need a bowl either…”

All around were grave mounds—heaven knows what this bowl was used for!

Though I’m someone who died once, I’m still not interested in this!

As soon as she finished speaking, the marten angrily turned and ran off again!

Soon, Jian Chou watched as the things at her feet accumulated more and more.

The marten brought many things…

Besides the broken straw shoe and broken bowl, there was also a pile of scrap metal, broken mirrors, a cracked glazed staff, a worn-out brush…

All sorts of junk, everything imaginable, piled up like a small mountain at Jian Chou’s feet.

The marten seemed finally tired from running, sitting beside the pile, panting with its tongue out, looking at Jian Chou expectantly.

Jian Chou looked down at this pile of junk, not knowing what to say.

“Woo woo woo!”

The marten pointed at the pile of things beside it, as if saying: So many treasures, surely there’s one you like?

Unexpectedly, Jian Chou only looked at it with an almost horrified gaze.

To be honest…

This marten might be a bit small, but it would be just right for making a stew for Fudao Shanren.

The marten had no idea it had already become a stew in Jian Chou’s eyes. Seeing that Jian Chou remained motionless, she thought she wasn’t interested in any of these things. For a moment, this marten that wanted to follow Jian Chou became troubled again…

It tilted its head as if thinking.

Then it suddenly made a “woo” sound and excitedly rushed back into the grass.

This time, the marten ran particularly far.

Jian Chou looked up and saw ripples spreading through the grass under the gradually dimming moonlight.

Countless grave mounds were hidden in this stretch of grass, lying quietly motionless.

The marten went very far, all the way to the end.

After a long time, Jian Chou finally saw a shadow causing the surrounding grass to tremble.

The marten was back.

A gray shadow stopped again at Jian Chou’s feet. The marten climbed to the top of that pile of junk treasures, something in its mouth. It lowered its head down and loosened its teeth, and that thing fell at the highest point of the small mountain.

“What other junk did it bring back…”

Jian Chou originally wasn’t paying attention, but when she casually glanced down, she was finally stunned.

This object was a full foot in diameter, round, a stone disc with eight horizontal lines around it. At the very center was a cylindrical protrusion the size of a fingertip, with a curled leaf carved in the center.