Ask Me, Spring Breeze

The gathering of heroes finally broke up. Cui Dongshan sat cross-legged with his back against a wall and chatted with Chun Qing through a private voice transmission. "Why didn't the Qingshen Mountain Madam wait another ten years or so? At least until you'd reached the Upper Five Realms and the Peak Realm before letting you leave Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven? The world's in such chaos now. Talents are worth less than anything; one moment they're here, the next they're gone. Madam's handed me a terrible problem. Let's be clear from the start: you must return to Central Divine Continent alive and well. Don't go losing a realm lightly, much less dying."

For public and private reasons alike, Cui Dongshan did not want the Qingshen Mountain Madam's only direct disciple to die on Treasure Bottle Continent, her body gone and her Dao extinguished.

Cui Dongshan respected the Qingshen Mountain Madam and trusted her. Back when that old turtle had become a rat everyone in Vast Heaven and Earth wanted to beat, the Yu family of Central Divine Continent, the Liu clan of Aiai Continent, and Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven had all extended him a helping hand. Yu Panshui and Liu Jubao had, inevitably, harbored a little ordinary self-interest: they hoped the Embroidered Tiger would be both a friend and an adviser. Only the Qingshen Mountain Madam had wanted nothing. She had seen a friend in trouble, and her mountain happened to have more than enough wine. That was all.

Chun Qing squatted beside him. "My master, the Mountain Lord, said that when it comes to fighting, no matter how fiercely an Apex Grandmaster feeds you punches or how hard they strike, they won't actually kill you. So it's more useful to fight for your life against someone at the Peak Realm.