Chapter 152: Beneath the Emperor's Feet, Drinking Wine, Eating Meat, and Painting—A Peaceful Era [Seeking Monthly Votes]

Outside Lin'an City, all was dead silent.

Though golden-armored Imperial Guards, silver-armored city defense troops, fierce tigers of the Grand Court of Judicial Review, and bailiffs of the Black Yamen had gathered in such vast numbers, not a single sound escaped them.

Deep within the imperial city, since the Emperor of the Zhao family sitting high upon the dragon throne gave no command, they naturally neither could nor dared to make a move against An Le, who had already qualified to converse with the Saint Master.

They could only watch helplessly as An Le and his party stepped into Lin'an Prefecture.

"Your Majesty... has indeed taken a step back after all."

Standing atop the city tower, Qin Lishi gazed at the magnificent and peculiar scene, a soft sigh involuntarily escaping his heart. Such a sight was truly rare; after all, not everyone could borrow the momentum of a Holy Mountain as a tiger skin.

However, the decision of the Zhao family's Emperor was actually anticipated by Qin Lishi and quite a few officials of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

Though these officials could not be said to be the worms in the Emperor's belly when guessing his intentions, they understood the Son of Heaven's temperament quite thoroughly.

The Emperor of the Zhao family would absolutely never do something as offensive as making an enemy of the Holy Mountain.

Even if it meant losing a great deal of face, he would not hesitate. After all, when it came to losing face, could there anything be more humiliating than migrating the entire country southward simply upon learning that the Great Yuan Mongol Emperor had broken through the double-tenth realm?

Qin Lishi sighed, his headache growing increasingly severe regarding how he should kill An Le.

Just as the Emperor of the Zhao family dreaded the Holy Mountain, Qin Lishi dreaded it just as much. In this world, who did not fear the Holy Mountain?

"With the appearance of the one who will converse with the Saint Master, the opening of the Seventh Mountain is not far off..."

"Lin'an from here on out... is likely to be even more lively than in the past."

Qin Lishi murmured to himself.

Following the conversation with the Saint Master would be the opening of the Seventh Mountain. As the one chosen to converse with the Saint Master, An Le held a crucial and vital connection to the opening of the Seventh Mountain.

With the opening of the Holy Mountain, all factions attached supreme importance to it.

The Great Yuan Empire, the Kingdom of Dali, the Western Liang Kingdom, and other nations would naturally not let slip this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a bond and connection with the Holy Mountain.

On the other hand, top-tier martial arts factions such as the True Wu Temple, the Celestial Master Mansion, the three Buddhist sects, the Star-Plucking Sect, and even the Hell Prefecture, would likewise not miss such an opportunity.

Geniuses from major nations and top martial sects would arrive one after another, stirring up a massive vortex centered around An Le, the person who had beheld the Saint Master.

The Falcon Ranking of Great Yuan, the Astral Ranking of Dali, the Demon-Inquiring Ranking of Western Liang, and so forth—practitioners of this generation and even the previous generation, as long as they were under fifty years of age, would all rush to the scene.

Qin Lishi narrowed his eyes, as if he could already foresee the challenges Lin'an Prefecture would soon face.

The face of the Zhao family's Emperor would likely be trampled upon a few more times in succession.

After all, when the geniuses of the Great Yuan Empire, the Kingdom of Dali, and the Western Liang Kingdom entered Lin'an Prefecture, the Emperor of the Zhao family might well dare not utter a single extra word, just as he did today when facing An Le's actions.

It was not only Qin Lishi who foresaw these things.

Liu Guanshi, Su Qingke, and other high-ranking officials and powerhouses of the Great Zhao Dynasty all vaguely anticipated the events about to transpire.

This caused a somewhat heavy depression to settle in the heart of each and every one of them.

Ever since the Great Zhao's southward migration, its backbone and martial spirit... had truly been worn away bit by bit.

...

Passing through the dark, arched gateway, the Golden-armored Guards on either side, the city defense troops, the fierce tigers of the Grand Court of Judicial Review, and the bailiffs of the Black Yamen all stared fixedly at An Le's group, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Truth be told, under such intense gazes, it almost seemed as if the Zhao family's Emperor had truly summoned an army of ten thousand to celebrate and welcome the return of An Le and the Elder Imperial Uncle to Lin'an.

Supported by An Le and Su Muzhe, Zhao Huangting couldn't help but chuckle softly at the sight.

He had long known An Le's backing, but when this scene actually played out before him, his heart was still filled with a myriad of conflicting emotions.

He vividly remembered how back then, he had personally run to see the Master of the Sixth Mountain, holding the Painting of Bamboo and Stone created by An Le, so that An Le could become the Mountain Guardian of the Sixth Mountain.

However, he had been narrow-minded at the time, thinking that becoming the Guardian of the Sixth Mountain was already an incredible stroke of fate for An Le.

It was Madam Hua who had possessed true daring and foresight, holding even higher hopes for An Le. She had gone straight up the Sixth Mountain to request a Lesser Saint Token for An Le, who was then only at the second realm.

What kind of trust was that? Holding a Lesser Saint Token at the second realm brought immense pressure, leaving one unable to even glimpse hope, because the higher one climbed on the Lesser Saint Ranking, the more monstrous and talented the occupants became.

As a result, in a remarkably short span of time, An Le had climbed all the way from the very bottom of the Lesser Saint Ranking to the top spot, and had furthermore become the second young heaven's chosen, after Li You'an, to converse with the Saint Master.

Although all of this had occurred only recently, in Zhao Huangting's mind, it felt as though a very long time had passed.

A gentle and peaceful look appeared in Zhao Huangting's eyes as he looked at An Le, his gaze soft. He still remembered the promise An Le had made to him—to bring him home.

Now, An Le had fulfilled it. Not only had he fulfilled it, but he had also... given him a sense of returning in glory.

"An Le, thank you."

Zhao Huangting looked at An Le and said softly.

Carrying the yellow pearwood sword case on his back—within which rested Returning Swallows and Ink Pool—and wearing Green Mountain and Stilling the Wind at his waist, An Le was slightly startled upon hearing Zhao Huangting's words, and then broke into a bright smile.

"Why should the Senior thank me? If not for the Senior bestowing Green Mountain upon me, I fear my understanding of the sword path would still be muddled today. How could I have attained such fortune?"

An Le smiled lightly.

Every action and reception naturally carried its own cause and effect.

Zhao Huangting's gaze flickered and he nodded, though his emotions grew all the more profound.

His time had nearly run out in this life. Traveling north to battle the Great Yuan Mongol Emperor could be considered fulfilling a wish, and then to have encountered and bestowed Green Mountain upon such a monstrous talent like An Le—

He was content and without regret.

"Young An, conversing with the Saint Master is a rare opportunity, do not waste it. Furthermore... after conversing with the Saint Master, you must seize every opportunity to break into the sixth realm. Because once the conversation with the Saint Master concludes, the Holy Mountain will open the Seventh Mountain. As the one who converses with the Saint Master, you will inevitably become the target of geniuses from all factions."

"If you do not possess the cultivation of the sixth realm, I fear you won't be able to handle the situation."

"Dali's Astral Ranking and Western Liang's Demon-Inquiring Ranking aren't too much of a problem. Though those top-ranked individuals are in the sixth realm, given a monster like you, you might not necessarily lose to them. Instead, it is the Great Yuan Falcon Ranking, along with the Dao Child of True Wu Temple, the Young Celestial Master of the Celestial Master Mansion, the Wandering Monk of Lanke Temple, the Buddhist Son of Lianhua Temple, the Young Guanyin of Ganye Temple, and the like... their cultivation should have already stepped into the seventh realm. For you, they will be the real, major challenges."

Zhao Huangting spoke in a low voice.

He wanted to offer An Le some final words of caution.

Hearing this, An Le's expression turned somewhat solemn.

Over these past few days, Zhao Huangting had also familiarized him with news regarding the Great Yuan Falcon Ranking, which was the Great Yuan Empire's ranking of the younger generation.

The Great Yuan Emperor refined the power of the dragon veins, and this power fed back into the Great Yuan Empire, causing the younger generation of the empire to possess peerless talent and giving birth to numerous monstrous figures.

The geniuses at the top of the Falcon Ranking were truly not to be underestimated.

As for the Dao Child, the Young Celestial Master, the Lanke Wandering Monk, the Buddhist Son, and the Young Guanyin, they were all top-tier martial arts factions pouring all their resources into cultivating their most talented youths, every single one of them extraordinary.

It was entirely normal for them to step into the seventh realm at such a young age.

After all, these geniuses carried the hopes and painstaking efforts of major factions, and their ultimate goal was even to assault the tenth realm.

If they truly competed together for the position of the Master of the Seventh Mountain on the Holy Mountain, the pressure on An Le, who was currently only in the fifth realm, would indeed be quite substantial.

Those people were unlike the Second Prince Zhao Pei, who lacked combat experience and possessed only cultivation, making him unworthy of fear.

Most of them were like Zhao Huangting in his youth, traveling across the mortal realm and rivers and mountains to temper themselves, and the battles they had experienced and the dangers they had faced were by no means few.

"Challenges are a good thing. If I want to break into the sixth realm, I need some pressure. I hope they can give me enough pressure."

An Le said with a smile.

Presently, the innate spiritual Qi condensed within An Le's Dantian was as vast as a massive lake, even larger than the innate lake the Second Prince Zhao Pei had opened up after breaking into the sixth realm. Therefore, he was actually not far from assaulting the sixth realm of the Qi-Viewing Sea.

However, precisely because the lake formed by the innate spiritual Qi was so vast, breaking through the realm would become increasingly difficult. Although he was only a juncture and an opportunity away from the sixth realm, truly breaking through was no simple matter.

The transition from the fifth realm to the sixth realm was a leap from the lower five realms to the upper five realms, and it was by no means trivial.

As for spiritual refinement, An Le's Sitting-Oblivion Rosy Clouds had not yet reached their peak. Moreover, due to the condensation of the Heart Sword, every single breakthrough in An Le's spiritual refinement would not be easy.

Because the Heart Sword also needed to be tempered to the next realm.

Perhaps geniuses like those on the Great Yuan Falcon Ranking, the Dao Child, the Young Celestial Master, and the Buddhist Son could give him enough pressure to break through the massive barrier of the sixth realm.

The transition from the second realm to the third realm was a minor barrier.

The transition from the fifth realm to the sixth realm, and from the eighth realm to the ninth realm, were termed major barriers.

As for the transition from the ninth realm to the tenth realm, it could be called a heavenly chasm.

As for the tenth realm to the eleventh realm... that was already an unimaginable leap. Not to mention the present day, since ancient times, those who had stepped into the eleventh realm were pitifully few.

In the era of a hundred schools contending a myriad of years ago, quite a few eleventh-realm figures did exist, such as the founding patriarchs of various schools of thought, as well as that peerless emperor of ten thousand years ago, who was recorded in texts as a genuine existence who had stepped into the eleventh realm.

Yet today, with the passage of years and the shifting of time, even the birth of a tenth-realm master had become extremely difficult, let alone the eleventh realm.

"There will be opportunities. Do not underestimate those people. Among so many youths, those who can stand in such positions are no simple characters."

Zhao Huangting said.

An Le nodded, and the two of them ceased speaking, continuing to walk along the familiar bluestone slab path.

On both sides, layer upon layer of figures were piled high—they were the common folk of Lin'an Prefecture, scholars and literati who had come to watch the spectacle, and so forth.

Of course, there were also quite a few practitioners from the martial world, their eyes wide with awe, clicking their tongues in astonishment as they whispered to one another while watching An Le, who swaggered in from outside Lin'an Prefecture.

Everyone naturally knew the reputation of this renowned An Dajia, and they were certainly well aware of the friction between An Dajia and the Zhao family's Emperor.

Hearing that An Dajia was returning to Lin'an Prefecture, many people had felt it was akin to courting death. Since An Dajia had offended the Zhao family's Emperor, how could the Emperor allow him to enter the city scot-free?

The grand momentum earlier—with the golden armor, silver armor, temple tigers, and bailiffs all deploying together—was enough to demonstrate the anger of the Zhao family's Emperor.

Yet what happened? In the span of a moment, a series of terrifying powerhouse auras erupted outside the city, and then, the renowned An Dajia swaggered right into Lin'an.

For a time, the onlookers among the commoners, practitioners, and scholars were all struck with profound shock.

The vast long street was left in absolute stillness.

An Le paid little heed to these people, walking along the familiar imperial street with Zhao Huangting, passing the bluestone slab road until they reached Qingbo Street.

The people following closely behind them gradually dwindled, as the troops, the temple tigers, and bailiffs of the Grand Court of Judicial Review all dispersed.

Even the Zhao family's Emperor dared not make a sound, so these public servants had no need to cultivate an overwhelming sense of justice and draw their sabers for the Emperor.

Thus, An Le and Zhao Huangting instantly enjoyed a hard-earned tranquility.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple stood at the entrance of Qingbo Street.

Zhao Huangting had left the Ancestral Temple, but the Zhao family's Emperor had not forgotten this place; he still dispatched people to clean it daily and burn incense, maintaining its vitality so it would not fall into ruin.

Gazing at the Ancestral Temple, a ripple emerged in Zhao Huangting's eyes. In truth, it hadn't been all that long since they left it.

Yet for Zhao Huangting, returning here once more gave him the surreal feeling of a lifetime having passed.

Supported by Su Muzhe, he walked up to the doors, pushed them open, and stepped inside.

Zhao Huangting seated himself in a rocking chair, which began to creak back and forth, as if chanting a song of the years.

Standing outside the door, An Le watched for a moment and smiled.

After cupping his fists in farewell, he walked toward the direction of Taimiao Alley. In the narrow and unspacious alley, the black eaves on both sides protruded slightly outward; after rain, droplets would cascade down along the eaves, resembling intertwined curtains of water.

Wan Jieliuhu had not followed; he had wandered off on his own to enjoy Lin'an. It was rare for him to visit Lin'an, so Wan Jieliuhu naturally wouldn't mistreat himself.

Li Qingchuan, however, could not leave. As An Le's Daoist servant, he was essentially a domestic servant by An Le's side and had to follow his master.

Moreover, Li Qingchuan had already resigned himself to his fate by now, even feeling that serving a heaven's chosen capable of conversing with the Saint Master wasn't a bad deal at all. If An Le were to become a Mountain Master in the future, he would even have to consider extending his servitude and continuing to follow him.

Therefore, dressed in a neat Daoist robe, Li Qingchuan quietly followed behind An Le.

Paying him no mind, An Le pushed open the tightly sealed gates of the small courtyard and stepped into the modest yard.

The old scholar tree still stood firmly within the courtyard, its branches lush and verdant. Accompanied by a gentle breeze, the leaves rustled, producing a sound like flowing water.

The two sword holes on the trunk still hummed with potent, lingering sword Qi.

Perhaps sensing An Le's return, the old tree gently quivered.

Glancing at the old scholar tree, An Le smiled faintly. To respond to its welcome, a thought stirred in his mind.

The swords in the case successively broke through the air.

Green Mountain, Ink Pool, Returning Swallows... Three swords, forming the character '品', pierced straight into the trunk of the old scholar tree.

Green Mountain and Ink Pool returned to their familiar sword holes.

As for Returning Swallows, that supreme-grade first-tier sword possessed an immensely potent aura of sword Qi, directly carving a palm-length, vertical split into the old scholar tree.

As a broad sword, Returning Swallows simply couldn't fit into the existing sword holes.

The three swords embedded in the tree caused its leaves to rustle even more violently.

An Le smiled, his mood quite pleasant.

Entering the room, he changed into a clean white robe, then sat in the courtyard beneath the old tree, closing his eyes to rest his mind and enjoy a rare moment of peace.

However, wave after wave of spiritual fluctuations continued to sweep through Lin'an Prefecture.

Now that Zhao Huangting's shielding presence was gone, these spiritual probings were naturally endless.

Unlike before, An Le's identity within Lin'an Prefecture was now far too special; it was impossible for no one to pry.

Of course, An Le didn't mind. He rested calmly and unhurriedly for a moment, his mind seeming to settle completely.

After being away for a long time, returning home brought a period of mental fatigue and laziness.

To be honest, this feeling was quite wonderful.

After sitting in the chair for a while, An Le stood up and didn't linger in the courtyard. Li Qingchuan wanted to follow, but was rejected by An Le.

"Stay in the courtyard and water the flowers and potted plants."

An Le said.

Hearing this, Li Qingchuan could only smile wryly and nod. A dignified ninth-realm practitioner reduced to a Daoist servant, yet assigned to water plants...

An Le left the sword case in the courtyard, stepping out with only the Green Mountain sword at his waist. Leaving Taimiao Alley, he stepped onto Qingbo Street, walked for a short while, and headed straight toward Yanchun Lane.

Yanchun Lane boasted numerous taverns, their banners fluttering in the late-spring breeze.

Entering the long-neglected small tavern, the proprietress was unenthusiastically clicking away at an abacus behind the counter.

When An Le stepped inside, the proprietress glanced up and her eyes suddenly widened: "Oh my, Young Master An! An Dajia!"

Filled with pleasant surprise, the proprietress knew that nowadays in Lin'an, who didn't know of An Dajia?

An Le smiled: "Proprietress, bring me two jars of aged yellow wine."

Instead of calculating by the pot, he bought them directly by the unsealed earthenware jars. An Le intended to share a proper drinking session with Zhao Huangting.

"Coming right up! An Dajia, please wait a moment."

Still retaining her charm, the proprietress swayed her hips as she went to prepare them.

Before long, she emerged carrying two jars of wine with their mud seals intact.

"Take these to drink, An Dajia, drink to your heart's content. Consider it my treat to welcome An Dajia back."

The proprietress was well aware of An Le's exploits and displayed a grand, heroic spirit.

Hearing this, An Le did not reject her goodwill either. He cupped his fists in a bow of gratitude, and with the proprietress's assistance, secured the straw carrying baskets and properly packed the two jars of wine.

Carrying the two jars of wine, An Le strode out of the tavern.

The proprietress escorted him all the way to the doorway, gazing after him with lingering affection.

Inside the tavern, a somewhat intoxicated patron who recognized An Le casually asked the proprietress.

"掌柜的, What's the background of this young master, to make you so joyous?"

"Even letting him take wine for free?"

Just as the patron finished speaking, the proprietress turned with her hands on her hips and glared: "Keep your mouth clean! That was something I, your old lady, personally gave to Young Master An. Free? I was scrambling to let him take it for free!"

"This is An Dajia, the top scorer in both civil and martial imperial examinations, the very same An Dajia who was hunted all the way out of the city by Lin'an Prefecture's imperial guards and silver-armored soldiers!"

The patron was dumbfounded on the spot.

"Then you still gave him wine? Aren't you afraid of being targeted by the officials?"

Annoyed, the proprietress snapped: "If the government officials are so capable, why don't they go kill the Yuan barbarians? I run an open shop, and I'll give my wine to whoever I please. It's not like I'm committing murder; is it any of the officials' business?"

"Besides, the fact that An Dajia could return to Lin'an safe and sound and even come to buy wine at my place means the government certainly can't do a thing to him. If you can't even figure out this simple logic, you'd better drink a few more bowls and drink yourself stupid to find an excuse for your own stupidity!"

The surrounding patrons burst into hearty laughter, while the patron who had been rebuked by the proprietress didn't take offense; instead, he scratched his head and grandly ordered a few more bowls of wine.

Tossing her head with a haughty air, the proprietress returned behind the counter and resumed clicking her abacus.

An Le paid no attention to the goings-on inside the tavern.

Leaving the tavern, he made a detour to Dingya Alley, bought two catties of beef from the beef shop, paid the bill, and then strolled leisurely back toward Taimiao Alley.

Though many divine wills were following his movements, seeing that An Le had merely gone to buy wine and meat, they didn't stir up much of a commotion.

An Le couldn't be bothered to care, returning straight to Taimiao Alley.

At the entrance, he called out to Zhao Huangting, who was sitting in the rocking chair basking in the warm sun alongside Su Muzhe.

"Senior, come drink and eat meat."

An Le showed off the two jars of aged yellow wine he was carrying.

Zhao Huangting's eyes lit up instantly. Pulling Su Muzhe along, he followed An Le back into the courtyard.

Inside the yard, Li Qingchuan stood with his hands behind his back, craning his neck as he stared at the old scholar tree pierced by three swords, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"This old scholar tree... nourished by the non-mundane sword Qi of the young master's Green Mountain, Ink Pool, and Returning Swallows, is likely about to turn into a spirit."

Upon returning to the yard, An Le re-inserted the Green Mountain sword at his waist back into the sword hole of the old scholar tree.

He set up a small table, laid out the warmed wine and sliced beef, and with Su Muzhe sitting close to Zhao Huangting and facing An Le, the three of them began to drink and eat meat.

Knowing he had no qualification to join them, and having no interest in mundane yellow wine and beef, Li Qingchuan continued to inspect the old scholar tree, occasionally reaching out to pluck the sword hilts that were firmly embedded within it.

This repeatedly caused bursts of razor-sharp sword Qi to ripple through the branches and leaves of the old tree.

Zhao Huangting drank the aged yellow wine contentedly, his face full of enjoyment.

Having traveled north to battle the Great Yuan Emperor and yet still being able to return to this small courtyard to drink and eat meat was truly a heartwarming comfort to him.

During the meal, An Le had Li Qingchuan—who was idling about and teasing the old tree—grind some ink and properly spread out a sheet of Xuan paper.

Knowing his current status and position, Li Qingchuan busied himself quite diligently.

After eating and drinking his fill, everyone moved indoors, and An Le picked up his brush to paint.

This northern journey—the life-and-death pursuit on the Canglang River—had brought about many changes in An Le's state of mind.

Most importantly, he had even witnessed that peerless emperor from ten thousand years ago, and carried a distinct, extraordinary imperial aura upon his person as a result.

Opening his eyes, An Le let the brush touch the paper.

He painted ink bamboo as before, but the ink bamboo of today was vastly different from his earliest attempts, imbued as it was with An Le's essence, qi, and spirit.

With ink blooming on raw Xuan paper, the bamboo sprang vividly to life. Not only did the bamboo on the paper possess a proud backbone, but it also held an oppressive dominance, as if a sharp sword had been unsheathed to cleave away all the adversity blowing in from all four directions!

Zhao Huangting stroked his beard in praise, admiring An Le's newly completed Painting of Dominant Bamboo with fondness.

In Lin'an, beneath the emperor's feet.

Drinking wine, eating meat, painting... the years were peaceful.

No dust or clutter in the courtyard, ample leisure in the empty room.

Without slaughter and without strife, An Le's mind grew exceptionally serene, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before he knew it, the stars and moon hung high in the sky.

Indoors, Su Muzhe accompanied Zhao Huangting by lamp light to admire the painting.

An Le, meanwhile, sat cross-legged beneath the old scholar tree, his white robes fluttering as he gazed up at the starry sky.

Leisurely times were always the easiest to indulge in.

Yet An Le currently lacked the qualifications for such indulgence.

He needed to rapidly push his cultivation to the sixth realm. This was not only because reaching the sixth realm would allow him to continue ascending the Green Mountain stone path and condense the Sword Intent Golden Pill.

It was also because, having broken into the sixth realm, he would possess sufficient confidence to face the upcoming struggle for the Seventh Mountain.

A thought stirred in his mind.

He entangled with the [War Puppet] Dao fruit.

The Dao fruit he had never found time to study could finally be examined today to see what miraculous properties it possessed, having been condensed from the temporal Qi extracted from beneath the Great Yuan Emperor.

Of course, what anticipated An Le even more was the battle with the youthful Great Yuan Emperor.

That collision with a truly top-tier heaven's chosen made his heart surge with boundless excitement.

The scene before his eyes abruptly changed.

The next instant, An Le felt his mind being pulled.

Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself situated amidst a vast, emerald-green grassland.

The sky was boundless, the wilderness stretched endlessly.

As the wind blew through the grass, the Great Emperor of Yuan was revealed.

In the distance, the youthful Great Yuan Emperor stood amidst the green grass, locking his gaze firmly onto An Le as he drew his bow to its full moon.

Just as An Le stabilized his figure and expanded his spiritual awareness,

An arrow, carrying a mighty surge of innate spiritual Qi and spiritual willpower...

Had already pierced straight through his body.