Chapter 493 (3): Countless Mountains and Waters, Bright Moon in the Sky
Chen Ping'an had already ventured far away from Treasure Mirror Mountain.
In reality, Chen Ping'an had strayed significantly from the path leading to Green Cottage Town in order to make his trip to Treasure Mirror Mountain.
Judging from the result, however, it seemed like trying to get lucky was indeed not very suitable for him.
In contrast, things might have been very different if it were Lu Tai or Li Huai visiting Treasure Mirror Mountain instead.
Just like before, Chen Ping'an chose to traverse the tall and undulating peaks after he left Treasure Mirror Mountain, gradually making his way toward Green Cottage Town. The Golden Core Tier yin entity and his subordinates still didn't appear before Chen Ping'an, but this was very understandable when taking into account his battle at Crow Peak before.
Chen Ping'an had gotten too into things and hadn't purposely concealed his strength, and the female officials led by the Golden Core Tier City Lord Fan Yunluo of Meticulous Skin City had suffered a crushing defeat. As such, the so-called bandits that had roamed around Malicious Ghost Valley for many years most likely wouldn't run over to ask for a beating.
There were no obstructions as Chen Ping'an traveled north, and many ghosts and spirits that could potentially threaten the lives of Middle Five Tier cultivators were extremely cautious, only taking a glance at him from a distance before retreating back to their dens in the mountain forest.
On the other hand, if the pair of Dao partners were to come across the large python spirit and spider spirit on the broken suspension bridge, they would perhaps face life-threatening danger even if they simply stood there without actually crossing the bridge.
Evening arrived, and Chen Ping'an decided to stop and rest inside a peach tree forest.
There was naturally something strange about this peach tree forest. After all, how could peach blossoms remain in full bloom in the middle of winter?
However, as Chen Ping'an traveled around Malicious Ghost Valley to train, he wasn't afraid of things being peculiar or strange. Rather, he was afraid of things being too ordinary.
Before setting foot into the peach tree forest, Chen Ping'an had seen two stone tablets erected outside, one tall and one short. They were like a pair of feuding neighbors, with one engraved with the characters "Great Round Moon Monastery" and the other engraved with the characters "Small Mystery Capital Temple."
If it weren't for the character "Small" before "Mystery Capital Temple," Chen Ping'an wouldn't have dared to enter the peach tree forest no matter what.
This was because the genuine Mystery Capital Temple was an important immortal region in the Heavenly World that dared to oppose the rule of the three Daoist branch masters.
It was said that after the Daoist second disciple became a Daoist branch master, the only time that he had used his immortal sword in the Heavenly World was when he was in the Mystery Capital Temple.
Even though Chen Ping'an confirmed that the Small Mystery Capital Temple engraved on the stone tablet was definitely not the Daoist sacred land well-renowned even in the Majestic World, Chen Ping'an still soared into the sky on First and Fifteenth before entering the peach tree forest, casting his gaze over the vast forest that covered at least one thousand acres and making sure that there weren't any Daoist temples or abbeys.
There was not a single word about this peach tree forest in the Be At Ease Compilation.
As such, one could presume that there shouldn't be any ferocious ghosts or great demons in the area.
Chen Ping'an discovered that there was surprisingly not a single peach tree branch on the ground, and there was only the excessive shade overhead as well as the concentrated fragrance of the peach blossoms. In fact, the fragrance was so concentrated that it was no longer pleasant, and after smelling it for too long, it even started to become sickening.
Chen Ping'an took off his bamboo hat and sat down cross-legged, retrieving a Yang Energy Illumination Talisman from his sleeve and gently rubbing it between two fingers, causing it to slowly combust. It combusted just as quickly as the talismans he had used on the winding path to Green Cottage Town, so by the looks of it, the yin energy here was indeed very ordinary. It was just that the fragrance permeating throughout the peach tree forest was quite excessive.
Chen Ping'an bent down and placed the talisman in front of himself, after which he started to practice standing meditation. He channeled his pure breath of True Qi, causing it to swim through his acupoints like a fiery dragon. This allowed him to repel the concentrated fragrance and prevent it from entering his body, lest he fall victim to some unknown trap.
The silvery laugh of a young woman traveled over from underground.
Chen Ping'an paid no heed to this.
The laughter stopped, transforming into a seductive voice that said, "Handsome young lad, you've entered my pink residence and enjoyed the fragrance of my hair, so if I were you, I would stay in this place forever and never leave. I would stay here for this lifetime and every lifetime."
Chen Ping'an opened his eyes and focused his gaze, looking at the mist hovering one foot above the ground and swirling around.
He was slightly surprised, and he asked, "Why did the Flax Robe Sect purposely leave you, a peach tree spirit, out of the Be At Ease Compilation?"
The entire peach tree forest started to gently sway back and forth, appearing much like a beautiful woman in a pink dress beginning to dance.
It was as if the one thousand acres of peach trees were truly nothing more than her hair.
Chen Ping'an noticed that the scenery in his eyes was also starting to sway gently.
The peach tree spirit was hiding at some unknown location underground, and she laughed softly as she replied in an enticing voice, "This is naturally because the cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect are afraid of me. Why else could it be? Handsome young lad, you're very handsome, but you're also a bit too dimwitted. Otherwise, you would truly be an ideal and flawless partner."
She suddenly stopped laughing after a moment, asking, "Hmm? How is your body able to remain calm? And how is your heart able to remain calm as well? Perhaps you're a Buddhist monk who hasn't shaved your hair? Perhaps you're a stinky Daoist priest who isn't wearing Daoist robes?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "I'll cut down all of the peach trees here if you continue to hide and play tricks. I'll treat this as sword training, and I'll turn you into a nun with no hair."
The peach tree spirit didn't get angry, and she instead laughed and exclaimed in excitement, "Wow, that sounds amazing! I'm respectfully waiting for you to display your immortal sword techniques."
Chen Ping'an looked up and gazed into the distance.
A young Daoist priest holding a horsetail whisk dashed over using a land-shortening technique, his lips full and his teeth sparkling and the lively True Qi flowing around his body unable to be concealed.
He was surprisingly a powerful cultivator who was imminently about to become a Golden Core Tier earth immortal.
The young Daoist priest's eyes were cold as he glanced at Chen Ping'an and said, "This is where my master and his friend are cultivating in seclusion, and this has been the case for the past one thousand years. This peach tree forest is widely recognized as an otherworldly paradise in Malicious Ghost Valley, and it has always disliked being disturbed by outsiders. Even City Lord Pu Rang of White Cage City won't lightly enter the forest unless he has some important matter to discuss. Yet, as an outsider visiting Malicious Ghost Valley to train, why are you facing off against this measly peach tree spirit? Make haste and leave!"
The peach tree spirit clearly respected and feared the young Daoist priest, but her mumbling voice carried a hint of resentment as she said, "Otherworldly paradise? You simply used an immortal mystical ability to forcefully restrain me to this place so that I could protect that Daoist temple and Buddhist monastery and prevent their remnant spiritual energy from dispersing outward."
"Impudence!"
There was anger on the young Daoist priest's face, and as he flicked his horsetail whisk, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm surprisingly materialized in the air and thundered into the ground, causing the peach tree spirit hiding underground to wail in muffled agony. Peach blossoms rustled and drifted to the ground.
Chen Ping'an gained a better understanding of the situation.
There were definitely some powerful cultivators who were unafraid of the abundant yin energy and had chosen to settle down and cultivate inside Malicious Ghost Valley. They wanted to rely on the overwhelming amount of yin energy that filled every corner of heaven and earth to temper their cultivation.
The young Daoist priest was still feeling angry, so he flicked his horsetail whisk again and sent a net-shaped arc of immortal lightning into the ground, instantly causing it to rumble loudly. "You can't go three days without a beating, huh?! If it isn't for my master's benevolence, how can a measly peach tree spirit like you, who only knows some illusion techniques, stay alive and maintain your status in Malicious Ghost Valley? Not only that, but you're even eavesdropping on the Dao discussions between my master and his friend, and it's only thanks to this fated opportunity that you've managed to slowly cultivate to the Dragon Gate Tier. You ungrateful spirit..."
The peach tree spirit was extremely pained, and it bitterly pleaded with the fierce young Daoist priest and begged him to show some mercy.
However, the young Daoist priest became increasingly angry as he spoke, and he flicked his horsetail whisk once again and surprisingly summoned a peculiar phenomenon atop the sea of clouds in the sky. A bolt of secret heavenly lightning of the Daoist immortal force was just about to descend and teach that peach tree spirit a lesson.
Chen Ping'an had no option but to speak up, saying, "Please calm down, Young Daoist Senior. I'll leave this peach tree forest straight away."
A dark cloud left the sea of clouds, slowly bearing down and crackling with webs of astonishingly powerful lightning.
The young Daoist priest chuckled coldly and said, "If it weren't for us cultivating in this peach tree forest, then you would have already had your yang energy sucked dry by this peach tree spirit who's innately skilled at illusion techniques and charm techniques after you accidentally set foot in the forest. Yet, foolish as you are, you're actually feeling pity for the peach tree spirit now? Master was correct. Mortal beings like you who are bathing in the mortal world outside every single day..."
Chen Ping'an moved a foot back before rapidly throwing a punch at the sea of clouds, unleashing the Rain Evaporation Technique to shatter the thundercloud that was gathering power in the sky. The dispersing energy swept chaotically into the surroundings, appearing much like ferocious mountain winds as it rushed through the peach tree forest and caused a rain of bright red peach blossoms to fall to the ground.
The young Daoist priest frowned and fell silent.
He wasn't afraid or anything, but he did feel slightly astonished.
Such a young martial arts lesser grandmaster? His punch just then was concise and magnificent, and even though he wasn't at the Vajra Body Tier yet, it was clear that he wasn't far from reaching this level.
However, it seemed as if the young Daoist priest had forgotten that he was also "such a young" Dragon Gate Tier cultivator.
He had advanced to the Abode Tier far too early, and his master had been describing to him the many mystical matters on the path of cultivation at the time, asking him whether he wanted to use the opportunity to maintain his current appearance. Naive and not knowing any better at the time, the young Daoist priest had felt like the physical body was nothing more than a sack of skin and flesh, so since maintaining his appearance wouldn't detrimentally affect his future cultivation, he had decided that locking it in wouldn't be a bad thing. In the following sixty years, however, the young Daoist priest started to kick himself with immense regret.
He should have at least allowed his physical body to reach the twenties before he locked in his appearance.
Because of this, he would feel extremely irritated whenever he came across Fan Yunluo, who looked like a little girl, when he secretly snuck out to relax his mind. However, the old monk would rub salt in his wounds, teasing him and saying that he and Fan Yunluo were truly like a golden boy and jade girl.
After retracting his fist, Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "It's correct for you to speak reason, but if you genuinely want to speak reason for the sake of your audience accepting your words instead of merely trying to put yourself at ease, then your state of mind and tone will also be extremely important. Remaining calm and speaking in a more amicable manner won't hurt."
The peach tree spirit that was almost scared out of her wits hurriedly concurred and said, "Yes, yes, this is a very reasonable assessment. You should listen to this and keep it in mind."
Holding the snow-white horsetail whisk that had its handle made out of the bones of a heroic spirit in his arm, the young Daoist priest appeared very hesitant.
Engaging in violent conflict because of a small disagreement was unbecoming of a cultivator from the Small Mystery Capital Temple.
However, since this person was a martial artist who had come to Malicious Ghost Valley to train, engaging in a sparring session with him wouldn't be wrong, would it? His master wouldn't reprimand him, right?
A golden-armored warrior strode over at this moment, facing the young Daoist priest's back and saying in a solemn voice, "Xu Song, the True Lord has extended an invitation to this young master to enter the temple for a chat."
"What's so great about this person? Why is he allowed to enter our Small Mystery Capital Temple?" the young Daoist priest raged.
The golden-armored warrior ignored the young Daoist priest's incandescent fury, and it had already turned to Chen Ping'an who had just put on his bamboo hat and said, "Young Master, the True Lord has invited you inside, so if you're not in a hurry to leave, then you can visit the Small Mystery Capital Temple to enjoy a cup of thousand-year-old peach syrup tea."
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists in respect and politely turned down the invitation, saying, "I've already disturbed True Lord's cultivation by accidentally entering this peach tree forest, so I truly don't dare to visit the temple to disturb True Lord even more. I'll take my leave straight away."
The golden-armored warrior nodded and replied, "If that's the case, then I won't insist any further. If you want to visit the temple to enjoy some tea in the future, feel free to instruct the peach tree spirit to lead the way."
Chen Ping'an turned around and left the peach tree forest.
The young Daoist priest called Xu Song humphed coldly and spat, "Good riddance! Him leaving will save us a cup of peach syrup tea that even Skeleton Pu has only managed to enjoy three times."
"That's right, that's right, this person is completely blind and actually let slip such a huge fated opportunity. The next time he comes to the peach tree forest, I'll go into hiding and not let him find me," the peach tree spirit underground said obsequiously.
"You dare to ignore Master's instructions?!" Xu Song exclaimed in rage.
The peach tree spirit immediately begged for forgiveness, saying, "I wouldn't dare to. Never in my life!"