A sharp crack split the air, the sound of a defensive barrier shattering. Jian Dan felt the ripple of spatial distortion, which meant the enemy had already escaped. She had no intention of letting a tiger back into the mountains.
"Liu Chuan, life or death, take him down."
"Understood!"
A branch wrapped in shimmering green willow leaves shot forward, streaking toward the direction where Jian Dan had swung her sword. She held the other end and waited patiently.
The disturbance had already drawn attention from the nearest cultivators in Yaoguang City, including a patrol squad from Heavenly Sword Sect. When they saw the Zhēnzūn robe on her, they realized she was one of their own high-level experts and immediately lowered their guard.
Almost fifteen minutes later, Liu Chuan finally retracted from the horizon.
"He got away, but he paid for it. I heavily injured him, and his cultivation is definitely going to fall."
His voice echoed through the willow branch at Jian Dan's wrist.
"Good. Next time, don't give him any chance."
Once she was certain he wouldn't circle back, she lifted her hand and dispersed the magnolia domain around her.
Yue Liang flickered onto Jian Dan's shoulder in an instant, and Mao Dou stood respectfully at his Master's side.
A cultivator approached through the sky and cupped his hands respectfully.
"Patrol Captain Xiao Ye of Heavenly Sword Sect greets Zhēnzūn."
Jian Dan hadn't met him before, but his name felt familiar. With a moment of thought, she remembered.
Xiao Ye had once mistakenly entered the underwater nest set by the evil cultivator Hai Yan outside Yunhai Sect and fought his way out to warn the sect. In the end, the Law Enforcement Hall's Intelligence Division rescued him. They kept him outside the sect until they confirmed he hadn't been parasitized, then he was allowed to return.
Because he risked his life to send the warning, he survived despite terrible injuries and was rewarded by the sect, eventually breaking through to late Divine Soul stage.
"Good, seems you've recovered completely and even taken on patrol duty."
Xiao Ye's heart leapt with excitement. The Zhēnzūn actually remembered him. He felt like he had won great honor.
"Thank you for your concern, Zhēnzūn. I recovered long ago and even advanced in cultivation. Only then did I join the mobile patrol squad."
"I just killed a late Unity cultivator who was parasitized by a blood insect. She was Wang Ping, the rogue female cultivator Purple Sky Sect has been hunting. Send word to Purple Sky Sect and repair the damaged ground from the attack talisman my disciple used for self-defense."
Jian Dan gave her order without hesitation.
"Yes, Zhēnzūn. I'll take care of it immediately."
After that, Jian Dan wasted no time and took Mao Dou back to the sect.
Both Yaoguang City and the cultivators across the Chonglin Mountain Range were left wondering which Heavenly Sword Sect Zhēnzūn had acted just now. Only a few knowledgeable cultivators could identify the magnolia spatial domain and realized that the legendary Jian Lü Zūnshàng who disappeared a century ago had returned, now already at Mahayana.
By the time Jian Dan returned to Tianyue Peak with her eldest disciple, half a day had passed.
Lü Se had been waiting outside the cave residence. The moment he sensed movement, he hurried forward.
"Greetings, Zhēnzūn, you're back!"
He lifted his gaze and spotted Mao Dou and Yue Liang as well. Surprise flickered through his eyes. Did they meet by chance and return together, or did the Zhēnzūn personally retrieve them?
"Mao Zhēnjūn, Senior Yue Liang, you're back as well. Zhēnzūn was just thinking about both of you."
Lü Se smiled as he spoke.
"I'm ashamed. I was ambushed, and Master had to step in to save me."
Mao Dou looked embarrassed.
Lü Se was stunned. Who would dare extend their hand toward a Zhēnzūn's disciple?
Whatever other disciples might be like, he had no opinion. But these three disciples of Zhēnzūn were humble and well-behaved, entirely focused on cultivation. They never flaunted their Master's status, and even when they went out to train, they kept a low profile with no fanfare.
"Senior Brother Mao, are you unharmed? Senior Yue Liang, are you alright?"
Both shook their heads, showing everything was fine.
Jian Dan sat beneath the great banyan tree before her cave residence and asked Lü Se,
"Is there something you need?"
"Reporting to Zhēnzūn, Sword Li Zhēnzūn and Sword Jun Zūnzhǔ from the Law Enforcement Hall came to request an audience earlier. Since you were in seclusion, they only left a message saying they'd come again after you emerged. Now that you're back, I wanted to ask for instructions."
Jian Dan nodded.
"I understand. Go inform them that I'm out for now and ask them to visit tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll handle it immediately."
Lü Se bowed and left.
Ting Feng then retrieved the refreshments prepared earlier by Yun Juan and Yun Shu and placed them neatly on the jade table.
"These are definitely Yun Juan and Yun Shu's work. They already left for training?"
Jian Dan recognized the style at a glance.
"Reporting to Zhēnzūn, the three of them left for training a month after you entered seclusion. They finished their responsibilities and went to seek their Divine Transformation opportunity."
"Did Lü Se prepare what they needed for the journey?"
Jian Dan sipped her tea and continued asking.
"Please rest assured, Zhēnzūn. Steward Lü prepared everything we needed."
"Good. Go handle your work. I'll call if something comes up."
"Yes."
Ting Feng bowed and left.
"Master, did my situation interrupt your seclusion?"
Mao Dou's thick brows drew together, heavy guilt in his voice.
"It's fine. My cultivation is steady. I just wanted some quiet, so I secluded myself for peace. Since all of you were out, I finally had time to rest."
Jian Dan spoke casually.
Hearing that, Mao Dou finally relaxed. He stood up, bowed solemnly, and spoke respectfully.
"Thank you, Master, for saving my life. Please grant me my title."
Jian Dan then realized why Lü Se still addressed him as Mao Zhēnjūn. He had been waiting for her to bestow it.
"You were born with sword bones, so I'll give you the title Jiàn Fēng. May my disciple's sword cut through all obstacles."
===
So, about Mao Dou's dao title, it's Feng, written as 锋, meaning sharp edge, cutting point, vanguard. Since it also reads Feng, I went back to double check Cao Chenfeng's dao name (or Mo Su's partner if you forget his real name), and turns out it's actually 堸. If you remember, I already messed up this character once. And guess what, I somehow messed it up again 🙃.
The correct one should be 堸, pronounced Píng. It's a rare character, and its meaning is related to a place where a dragon rests, basically a dragon's lair. Thinking about it now, it actually fits, because Jian Dan gave him that great opportunity in the secret realm where the main chamber was basically a dragon lair, and he even received dragon blood as a reward. So it does make sense in the end.
I honestly don't remember which character I mixed it up with the first time, before I mistakenly switched it to Feng. I just hope I didn't turn it into Ping initially, or that would be a complete disaster for me.
What can I say? Maybe this happened because I wasn't wearing my glasses. My eyesight's been minus 1.75 since 2020, and I still haven't gotten it checked again, and of course I wasn't wearing them while translating. LOL.
I'm really sorry about this, please bear with me. 😣