A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

The Four Heroes of Kunshan are very generous.

Although they have their flaws, they are ultimately good people. That's why they haven't been doing very well in life.

Zhang Zhengdao drank and ate meat with them, and they told him stories from the martial arts world. Both sides could provide emotional value to each other, so they got along very well.

The women did not sit at the table while the men were drinking.

However, when the drinking was in full swing, Zhang Zhengdao slapped the table and shouted, "Keep the music playing, keep dancing!"

To the astonishment of the four heroes of Kunshan, three women appeared: two playing flutes and drums, and one dancing.

The Four Heroes of Kunshan never dreamed they would receive such treatment one day.

The renowned Butterfly Fairy and her disciple Guo Lanying played music for her, and a beautiful woman danced for her.

They had never seen Fairy Yue, Shu Baimei, but they thought this woman danced beautifully. It was like a flying dance; she seemed to float in the air without touching the ground. It was truly amazing, like a real fairy.

The Taoist priest is truly a master!

Even the peaches I eat are like celestial peaches; one bite and the juice overflows, filling my mouth with saliva, giving me a jolt, as if I've eaten a ginseng fruit, leaving me feeling refreshed and invigorated.

I felt hot all over and was covered in sweat.

When they woke up the next morning, they found that all four of them had arrived in Linbin Town and were still sleeping on the street. They didn't know when they had descended the mountain.

Moreover, they were covered in foul-smelling mud, so foul that even they, who were used to the smell, could not stand it and jumped into the river to wash themselves frantically.

After washing for a while, One-Eyed Dragon was the first to get ashore. He immediately felt incredibly relaxed, as if he were as light as a swallow. With a slight movement of his internal energy, a surge of powerful internal force suddenly flowed into his body.

He slapped the water's surface with his palm, and the water exploded with a loud "boom," sending a water column four or five feet high into the air.

"Holy crap, guys, I... broke through?"

The shackles within his body seemed to have been broken, and a completely new world opened up within him. The eight extraordinary meridians were connected—this…this was clearly an ability possessed only by top-tier masters.

In particular, internal energy circulates endlessly, like a stream or brook, flowing continuously.

"Haha... I'll be a top-tier expert from now on, damn it..."

The one-eyed man laughed wildly.

……

"Boss, me too!"

"Eldest brother, second brother, me too."

"Eldest, second, and third brother, me too!"

One-Eyed Dragon: ...

"Brothers, we've met a master! From now on... the Taoist priest will be like our second parents... we must be filial to him, understand?"

The lame second brother: "But we just became sworn brothers with the Taoist priest last night..."

The hunchbacked third brother said, "Let's each keep to ourselves. When we're together, we'll still call each other brothers. When we're not together, we'll still have to call each other godfather."

Fourth Brother with the Crooked Mouth: "I think it's a good idea!"

And so the Four Heroes of Kunshan made their decision happily.

The one-eyed leader declared, "From now on, when we roam the world, we will do good deeds, not bad ones."

The lame second brother: "Big brother, we've never done anything bad before!"

The hunchbacked third brother: "Last year you peeked at the Iron Palm Gang's second elder's daughter taking a bath..."

The lame second brother: "I didn't see it. It was an attempted evil deed, not a crime!"

The crooked-mouthed fourth brother: "Last month, the eldest brother stole several robes from Master Wang's family..."

One-Eyed Boss: "I'm a Robin Hood, you know nothing! Without me, what would you wear? Get out, get out, get out... You're all clueless. Listen up..."

The other three immediately perked up their ears and fell silent.

The one-eyed leader lectured, "From now on, we, the Four Heroes of Kunshan, will be top-tier masters in the martial arts world. We must all act with decorum. Things like slacking off while bathing and stealing clothes are beneath us and cannot be done anymore. We must earn our living through our own abilities, understand?"

"Yes, boss!"

"But, boss, how are we going to get money in the future?" the fourth brother asked.

One-Eyed Dragon pondered for a moment: "How about... the four of us go to the government office and try to get a job? Before, we were just second-rate, so it was normal for the government office to look down on us. Now that we're all first-rate experts, how could the government office refuse us?"

"That's true. Even if I can't be a squad leader, being a regular constable is fine too."

"If we're rejected too, we can become bounty hunters. We're all top-notch experts now, so we can take down some second- or third-rate criminals on wanted lists."

……

They talked all at once and planned out their life path after becoming top-notch masters.

Even those who become top-tier martial arts masters ultimately aspire to nothing more than a government job or similar position. Having a government job still holds a high status in the minds of many martial arts practitioners. Especially these low-level government positions like constables or yamen runners are incredibly alluring to second- or third-rate martial arts enthusiasts.

Second- or third-rate江湖人士 (jianghu figures) often go hungry, except when they rob others. Many help others with escorting goods or guarding homes, but these jobs are not very stable.

Even those who become top-tier masters are often willing to serve the imperial court. The difference lies in the level of loyalty they show. For example, a grandmaster like Hai Tianfu serves a local prince.

Of course, grandmasters can also establish their own sects, but there are costs involved. They are subject to the jurisdiction of the imperial court, have to pay taxes, and sometimes even have to obey the imperial court's orders and levies.

There is no place outside the imperial court, nor is there any place beyond the law.

Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; within the borders, all people are his subjects. This applies to both Earth and the world. Those who transcend the mortal realm can only be immortals.

The Three Beauties of Tianshan stayed in Linbin Town for several more days.

Based on the information gathered, it was deduced that the Sword God senior might have left. As for his next destination, no one knew; after all, he was the Sword God, and not just anyone could know his whereabouts.

However, just when they were extremely disappointed, they made a new discovery.

The elder of the Lingying Sect of Mount Emei, Hu Yunying, who performed a ritual for her third junior brother, is carrying a sword that seems to be the "Moon in the Mirror" from the Sword God.

Because the scabbard is so distinctive, it has a flashy engraving of the Chinese character "白" (white) on it.

The character "白" (Bai) is the surname of Bai Rong, the wife of the Sword God Qin Shouzhong.

Simps are never limited by age or social standing.

Sword God was once such a sycophant.

But now he doesn't want to be that sycophant anymore; he wants to cultivate immortality. Since he's decided to cultivate immortality, he should change his sycophantic nature. The first step in changing his sycophantic nature is to kill Bai Rong, the scheming woman who stole his martial arts manual and planned to poison him, but whose plan failed and who then ran away with her lover.

There's some big news coming from Linbin Town these past few days.

Zhang Zhengdao planned to build a main road from Taohua Temple to Linbin Town. The road would be paved entirely with bluestone slabs, requiring the requisition of most of the labor force from Linbin Town.

This news has excited many people.

Even the town supervisor was alarmed, asking around to find out who would be commissioned to do the project, and even introduced Zhang Zhengdao to a craftsman. It is said that this craftsman had once built the imperial palace, but was later sent home because he was implicated in the Jianwang case.

However, it was soon rumored that the matter was a fabrication. When Sun Yizheng, the son of the town supervisor, invited Zhang Zhengdao and others for drinks, Zhang Zhengdao denied it in front of everyone.

The matter gradually subsided.

Zhang Zhengdao certainly wanted to build the road, but the best road would be the one built with the least amount of money. He planned to first release some information, then, after various parties jumped in to negotiate, suddenly announce that the road construction was a rumor.

In essence, it involves raising expectations and then lowering the price to achieve a satisfactory result.

"Greetings, Daoist Master!"

The one speaking was Tian Guiguang, the eldest of the Three Heroes of Tianshan, known as the One-Word Lightning Sword Master.

"You're very polite!"

Zhang Zhengdao smiled broadly.

"I have a question I hope you can answer, Daoist Master," said Tian Guiguang, wielding the One-Word Lightning Sword.

"Speaking!"

Zhang Zhengdao is very easy to talk to. People in the service industry are generally easy to talk to.

"The fairy Hu, who is by the Taoist priest's side, has a sword. After careful examination, I believe that the sword belongs to my senior master and is called 'Moon in the Mirror.' There is a white character engraved on the scabbard."

Tian Guiguang spoke with a serious tone.

It was so serious that Zhang Zhengdao thought the moon in the mirror was Tian Guiguang's sword.

You should ask Hu Yunying!

Zhang Zhengdao was displeased.

"Miss Hu is the Taoist priest's wife, and I presume the Taoist priest feels the same way."

When he said this, Tian Guiguang still carried a hint of arrogance. He was a master of innate cultivation, renowned in the martial arts world on par with Butterfly Fairy Hu Yunying. Both came from prestigious and righteous sects. However, Hu Yunying had chosen an unknown and unconnected Taoist priest instead of him, which was truly infuriating.

“It’s different. I am not her, I cannot represent her, and I cannot make decisions for her. She is a free person, not my appendage.”

"You're asking for death!" The junior sister, used to being arrogant, picked up a chopstick from the table and threw it towards Zhang Zhengdao's temple. Like a bolt of lightning, a young, top-tier expert like her was something most martial artists couldn't dodge.

The chopsticks flashed by, a gesture aimed at taking Zhang Zhengdao's life.

Tian Guiguang didn't want to cause trouble, but since his junior sister had made a move, he hesitated to speak. He decided to let it go and not bother to stop her, and also to test Zhang Zhengdao's abilities.

The chopsticks were about to pierce Zhang Zhengdao's temple, but Zhang Zhengdao didn't move.

The chopsticks have disappeared!

The chopsticks disappeared just as they were about to pierce his temple.

Tian Guiguang's eyes widened in disbelief. If he hadn't been staring intently, he would have thought the chopstick had never appeared at all.

Yes, it disappeared, not was it flung away, nor was it pulverized by internal force, but it simply vanished.

Covered in cold sweat.

"Again!" The reckless junior sister thought Zhang Zhengdao had dodged it; her eyesight wasn't as sharp as her senior brother's. She grabbed another handful of chopsticks, this time unleashing a shower of chopsticks—let's see how you dodge that!

"Junior sister, stop!" Tian Guiguang, the one-word lightning swordsman, quickly intervened.

Zhang Zhengdao stood up and bowed to his junior sister: "Two great heroes, if there are any more good deeds to be done, such as holding a Taoist ceremony after someone has died, be sure to come and find me!"

After saying that, he drifted away!