Tenglong

All the dragons gathered above, frolicking together and drooling.

"Kill gods when you see them, kill Buddhas when you see them"—the name was pretty straightforward. Of course, it also had a more proper name: the Crimson Vein Child Sword Technique. It was said to have been passed down from an extraordinarily gifted senior of the Beichen Sword Sect...

So it wasn't thought up by that screw-loose Profound Heaven Sword Intent after all. Li Fan could only sigh that birds of a feather flocked together...

Ahem! Anyway, one of Profound Heaven's exceptionally brilliant seniors had once crossed swords with an enemy in his youth. He had beheaded his opponent, but had also been blinded in both eyes. From then on, he could only see by relying on his Divine Sense...

Li Fan had just experienced that himself, so he knew how inconvenient it was to see with Divine Sense alone. For instance, if the table, chairs, and walls were all made of wood, they would all look like a single expanse of Purple Radiance spiritual energy. He couldn't tell them apart at all. If he went outside without a cane, he'd probably be asking for trouble with his own toes...

Ahem, ahem! Anyway, this senior, who had holes in his eyes and maybe in his brain too, worried that his enemy might come after him while he was blind and his strength greatly diminished. In a flash of inspiration, he realized that the Child's Black-Eyed Technique was Yin, while the White-Eyed Crimson Vein Technique was Yang. He invented a secret technique that shot Sword Light from his eyes! Whenever his Divine Sense stirred and he sensed someone approaching, he'd open his eyes and—pew!—stare them to death. Then someone else would come, and—pew!—he'd stare them to death too. This went on and on until no one dared bring him food in the back mountains anymore. The end.

Li Fan had the exact same expression as a perplexed fox...

All right, the Crimson Vein Child Sword Technique was indeed quite powerful. In fact, it was so powerful that when the Sword Light shot out, it would blow up both the enemy and the user's eyeballs. So unless someone was already blind, no halfwit would use a blinding sword art like this.

Of course, Li Fan wasn't going to use such a deranged secret technique himself. But that didn't stop him from learning it. He still had a long life ahead of him. Who knew when he might get his eyes stabbed out in a sword duel?

More importantly, cultivators of the Tai Su Dao in this era could grow multiple pupils, regrow their eyeballs, or have three heads and six arms. Those things didn't seem all that rare anymore. That meant this killing move had room to shine.

And it wasn't just a powerful surprise attack. Li Fan tried not channeling sword energy and simply using his Divine Sense to activate the Crimson Vein Child Sword Technique's flow of force. To his surprise, it greatly enhanced his eyesight.

After practicing for a little while, he could already make out the dragons weaving through the clouds.

But to be fair, if you looked at them for long enough, dragons weren't all that impressive. They were much like the ones in murals. Right now, they were coiled together like a huge pile of twisted dough, play-fighting. They didn't look imposing at all; they were almost like ordinary beasts. Their drool streamed wildly in the wind, and whenever one of them had its reverse scales touched, it would thrash and howl, knocking off a bunch of whiskers.

After watching for a while, he saw Senior Brother Lu riding a beam of light out to circle the area. He slapped a talisman onto each of the four little dragons' horns.

Perhaps noticing Li Fan's gaze, Lu Yu returned and landed nearby. He explained to Li Fan,

"These young dragons are still growing. They shed their skin once every three to five years. Their shed scales, claws, skin, horns, dragon saliva, and dragon fat can all be refined into pills or used as medicine. There are also many rare medicinal herbs that grow alongside the dragons in Canglong Jian. Some disciples are collecting them right now.

"We'll be traveling a little farther this time. Soon we'll be outside Ink Bamboo Mountain's territory. It's possible some bold rogue cultivators will see the true dragons and grow greedy, then try to steal or rob them.

"I've marked their heads with Ink Bamboo Mountain's talismans to make it clear who they belong to. Qingyue, if you see anyone trying to steal a dragon, don't waste your breath arguing with them. Just summon your sword and cut them down."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Killing people to steal their treasures was a classic immortal-cultivation trope. Judging by the old-fashioned values of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, Li Fan figured most cultivators had probably started out robbing people along the way. He immediately clutched the sword he'd been given and stayed on guard.

Only then did Li Fan notice that the four-foot-long sword was surprisingly light. Were flying swords all like that? Maybe he could pull it out and take a look while no one was watching, then stick the talisman back on afterward...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Host, don't do anything stupid. This isn't a flying sword. It's a ritual sword used as a ceremonial object. The blade is solid wood, and the talismans carved on it seal the Sword Light released by the Black Sword. It can kill anyone below the Golden Core Stage in a single strike. Even a Nascent Soul Real Person could be seriously injured if caught off guard. The host's cultivation is too low. If you draw it and get cut down by the Sword Light, no one will be able to save you.'

The hell? Did I look like that kind of idiot?

Li Fan sheepishly smoothed the corner of the yellow talisman he'd almost lifted, pressing it back into place.

Then Kun swam over and interrupted them.

'Kun says it's hungry. It doesn't want water. It wants to eat Scarlet Fruit.'

Wasn't a fish supposed to have a three-second memory? Why was it still thinking about Scarlet Fruit...

He glanced at the young dragons rolling around nearby and drooling. They looked even dumber than Kun...

Forget it. Maybe Kun was easier to take care of after all.

Li Fan stopped sitting at the back of the boat, watching the dragons' habits. He brushed off his Daoist robe, stood up, picked up Kun, tucked the sword under his arm, and took out the food box Fuling had prepared. Then he went to the front to invite Senior Brother Lu and the other two boys to eat.

They agreed happily. Each of them brought out some pastries and candied fruit, laid everything out on the table, and dug in. Lu Yu was young too and didn't put on airs. He even brought out a pot of sweet wine to share with the boys.

After all, tending dragons sounded like an impressive job, but in practice it was no different from herding cattle or sheep. They just followed along and kept an eye on them. It was actually quite boring.

As they ate and drank, Li Fan gradually got to know the other three.

Chen Daotong and Yuan Xuanbao had joined Lou Guan together and become disciples of Real Person Liang. One was gentle and easygoing; the other was somewhat quiet and reserved. They weren't only cultivation partners. Even back in the Qi Refining Stage, they'd been close friends with similar interests. Before that, their families had been on friendly terms for generations. Both had ancestors who'd been disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Though neither family had ever produced a proper Golden Core immortal, they could still be considered Cultivation Families.

Lu Yu's background was even more orthodox. His ancestors had been a rogue cultivator sect that migrated to the area long ago. His family was a genuine cultivation clan with secret arts passed down through the generations. That was partly why he'd been put in charge of these two boys, who came from cultivation families.

Originally, there had been another boy from a Cultivation Family in their group of dragon-herding disciples. Unfortunately, Jade Toad Granny had eaten him a while back. Li Fan had taken his place.

"Uh, what is this Jade Toad Granny?" Li Fan asked. He remembered that when he'd first been kidnapped from the Human Dao and brought to Bamboo Mountain, Jade Toad Granny had played a part in it.

"What else would she be? A toad." Yuan Xuanbao spoke coldly. He clearly got riled up just hearing her name.

Chen Daotong shook his head with a bitter smile. "Xuanbao, watch what you say. Don't offend a senior."

"Hmph!" Xuanbao turned away and said nothing.

Lu Yu poured him a cup of wine, then said to Li Fan, "Jade Toad Granny is a mighty Divine Transformation cultivator from Yaoguang Cave to the south. Her faction has been fighting us for control of Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land for a long time. She often comes to challenge the mountain master.

"Recently, Jade Toad Granny came to play a game of Go again. She lost by one move, then threw a tantrum while being forced out of her Dharmic Form and ate quite a few of our disciples and boys."

Li Fan hesitated, then asked, "If she's no match for the mountain master, why let her eat people? Is Yaoguang Cave that powerful?"

Chen Daotong explained, "They aren't particularly powerful, but the southern Ten-thousand-mountains aren't home to just one Yaoguang Cave. With the False Moon hanging in the sky these past few years, every cave and mountain probably has a Divine Transformation or Nascent Soul cultivator guarding it. There are quite a lot of them altogether.

"These demons usually kill each other and keep one another in check, so they aren't a threat yet. And by relying on the mountain master's authority to make them choose representatives to gamble over the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land, we've already eased many of the conflicts.

"But if the mountain master made a move and wiped out Yaoguang Cave, it might instead rekindle the fighting and provoke even greater disaster."

Lu Yu added, "Besides, the Immortal Palace has long been unhappy with our control over Li Country. Imperial Censor Wen Jin of Li Country isn't one to stay idle either. Recently, he's been playing both sides at Liqiu Palace, stirring up a fight between the sect leader and the Nangong Immortal Family so he can profit from the chaos. He wants the Li Country court to gain something from both sides of the Immortal Family. He may be even harder to deal with than those monsters in the wilderness."

"Worrying about this and that just means trying to do two things at once and biting off more than you can chew." Yuan Xuanbao drained his cup. "If you ask me, we should give up Li Country's tribute and focus on developing the southern Ten-thousand-mountains. We should wipe out all those demons and monsters. That'd be better than getting tangled up with the Immortal Palace. We're caught between both sides!"

Lu Yu shook his head repeatedly. "How many disciples does Ink Bamboo Mountain have? We can't possibly clear out the Ten-thousand-mountains on our own. Besides, the Three Great Sects don't really need beast materials from the South Border anymore, so they won't send anyone to help.

"And even if we won, what then? We have so many disciples and their families. Who'd want to move south and settle in a place like Lei Marsh, full of miasma? In the end, we'd just be making room for other demons."

Listening to them go back and forth, Li Fan pieced together a rough picture of the situation.

Geographically, Ink Bamboo Mountain sat northwest of the Mount Buzhou battlefield, and northeast of Li Country, one of the Twelve Countries, as well as the Immortal Palace's territory. To the south lay the Ten-thousand-mountains, presumably full of unorthodox cultivators who worshipped the moon, along with demons and monsters.

At least for the ordinary people of the Human Dao, it had become very difficult to continue expanding into the South Border.

Ink Bamboo Mountain's recognition by the Three Great Sects probably had something to do with its role as a gateway defending the south. Perhaps the Immortal Palace turned a blind eye to Li Country paying tribute to Ink Bamboo Mountain because it wanted the mountain to hold back the southern demons.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Once the host reaches the Golden Core Stage, you can go explore the Ten-thousand-mountains. Especially Lei Marsh.'

What, to temper my will?

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: I hid half a Heavenly Tome and two cases of flying swords in Lei Marsh. They should still be there.'

Oh? Treasure hunting! Now that sounded good. A Heavenly Tome and flying swords—those sounded properly immortal. What kind of awesome cultivation method or magical treasure were they?

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: They aren't anything particularly special. Someone at the Nascent Soul Stage could use them, more or less. I left them as a prize for my disciples' trials and hid them for fun. It's a pity...'

...I see. His disciples had all died...

'Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.'

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: It's a pity I'd completely forgotten about it. I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't mentioned Lei Marsh...'

Give me back my mood, damn it!

The flying boat rode the wind along as they chatted and feasted. It carried the four little dragons to a range of mountains that stretched into the distance beneath a gray sky.

"Is this Mount Buzhou?" Li Fan gazed into the distance. The landscape was clearly different from the area around Bamboo Mountain, but there weren't any especially tall peaks.

"That's right. We've entered Mount Buzhou's territory. This range stretches tens of thousands of miles to the northwest, lying between the Immortal Palace, the Xuan Sect God Sect, and the other great powers. It contains countless ancient immortal caves, battlefields, Divine Beast lairs, Spirit Pools, underground caverns, and Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands. We won't go far in. We'll just release the young dragons near the border and let them hunt for themselves."

Following Lu Yu's instructions, Chen Daotong and Yuan Xuanbao rang their gongs and bells. Amid a clatter of chimes, the four little dragons immediately shot out from the clouds behind them, roaring as they plunged into the mountains.

Lu Yu closed his eyes and swept the area with his Divine Sense. Pointing northwest, he said, "There's a small town over there. It doesn't have any cultivators above the Golden Core Stage. You can go have a look around. I'll keep watch here. If any trouble comes up, just ring the gong and bell."

Oh, Senior Brother Lu was actually a pretty decent guy.

He rose into the air on his own Sword Light and followed the little dragons from a distance. The three boys steered the flying boat toward the town to do some sightseeing.

To Li Fan's surprise, the other two boys landed right in the market and started setting up a stall.

"The Outer Sect's businesses are all controlled by trading companies. Those of us at the Foundation Establishment Stage can only make a little pocket money when we leave the mountain. Senior Brother Lu knows that."

As he explained, Chen Daotong helped Yuan Xuanbao take various odds and ends out of their Storage Jade and arrange them for sale.

Li Fan went over to take a look. It was all junk: cultivation methods copied onto paper, talismans to ward off water and fire, bamboo carvings that gathered spiritual energy, pills to restore energy and replenish blood. There were also mechanical birds, kites, and scripture boxes. Those were more finely crafted, and probably bought for resale.

But surprisingly, they sold pretty well. In towns around Mount Buzhou, there weren't many ordinary people. The locals were mostly rogue cultivators from unorthodox sects, wandering warriors, and even bandits. They didn't have much spare money to buy high-end goods from the big trading companies, nor did they need them. These bits of junk made by Bamboo Mountain disciples suited their needs just fine.

"Qingyue, you don't have to stand around with us. Go look around on your own. We'll find you when we pack up." Yuan Xuanbao pulled out fifty Divine Astral Coins and stuffed them into his hand. "Buy yourself something to eat."

"Sure, I'll go have a look around." Li Fan was happy to experience the local customs of the immortal-cultivation world. And he had to admit, this old town really did feel like a movie set. The locals were dressed far more convincingly than extras... Uh, that was obvious, wasn't it?

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: There's an inn over there. Go buy some wine. Ink Bamboo Mountain's wine is no good—women's drink, sour and sweet. Get something strong. The stronger, the better.'

Still thinking about that, are you... And this inn...

Li Fan frowned as he looked at the four characters on the signboard: "Dragon Gate Inn."

That name didn't sound very auspicious...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: What's inauspicious about it? Everyone who passes through here is headed to Mount Buzhou to search for treasure. If they're lucky enough to find an immortal's legacy, they'll leap through the Dragon Gate and transform into dragons. How could the name be any more auspicious?'

Sigh, you wouldn't understand... Never mind. Surely the stories wouldn't get mixed up that easily.

So Li Fan walked into the inn and went straight to the counter. He glanced at the sign on the wall. "I'd like some wine. Oh, um, that Leishang wine."

The innkeeper didn't mind. So what if he was a young Daoist? There were all sorts of strange things in this world. Business was business. He took down a jar. "Yuanzao Leishang. That'll be two thousand gold."

Whoa, that expensive? But the Sword Intent had asked for it, and Li Fan had already agreed. He didn't care about spending a bit of his monthly stipend. He just wondered what sort of rare delicacy this was, for the Profound Heaven Sword Intent to be so eager for it.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: It's nothing like an immortal brew. The sect used to feed it to the horses. It's spicy and rank, like horse piss.'

Boss, could I get the five-coin bowl of rice wine instead?

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: But when the Beichen Sword Sect disciples were herding horses, they used to sneak off and drink it together. I can still vaguely remember what it tasted like back then.'

"Would you like to change your order, sir? This wine only makes it here when a trading caravan from the Northern Lands happens to pass through. This is the only jar."

...Sigh. Fine. It was a rare opportunity, so he might as well join this fellow in tasting the horse piss of his homeland.

'Li Fan's mood increased by 1 point.'

'Kun says it wants a drink too.'

Drink, drink, drink. Whatever you can't finish, I'll give to you.