"Prefatory note": As usual, to keep the plot flowing, there will be another chapter after midnight, counting as tomorrow's update (I'm taking tomorrow off, so there will be no further updates). Readers can wait and read them together. The main text follows.
The south was a land of miasmic diseases, humid, hot, and sun-scorched, with wretched mountains and foul waters; the north was a place of bitter cold, clamorous wind and sand, and scant rain and dew; the west was even less worth mentioning, a place where heaven tilted, with plateaus and perilous mountains that could not retain spiritual energy, bare peaks hiding snow year-round, and little worth seeing. In Fu Shouzhen's view, only the lands along the Yangtze and Huai Rivers ranked among the finest places in the human world, blessed lands bestowed by heaven and residences fit for cultivators of the highest order. The rest were not worth discussing, seeking, or visiting.
But what could he do, when their True Lord aspired to sweep away demons and save the world, turning wilderness into fertile land? If his own people would not support such grand ambitions and visions, whose support could he possibly hope for?
Thus, when Cheng Xinzhan asked him to make a trip north, Fu Shouzhen agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"Since that is the True Lord's intention, this old Daoist will make the trip."
Fu Shouzhen spoke.
"Thank you for your efforts, Master Fu."
Cheng Xinzhan thanked him.
Fu Shouzhen waved a hand.
"We're family. There's no need for that."
"I'm going north too. Does the True Lord have any other assignments? Your master can run a few errands for you as well."
At that moment, Wen Sukong suddenly spoke. Calling him "True Lord" while referring to herself as his master sounded somewhat strange. Before her