Chapter 341 - 332: The Majestic Celestial Dragon Mountain

In theory, Song Ciwan should not have recognized Tushan Keji, and Tushan Keji, in turn, should have been meeting her for the first time.

However, Song Ciwan’s deliberate reveal of Tushan Keji’s identity was no slip of the tongue. She stated frankly, "Tushan Keji, the Celestial Pride of the Demon Race, has been Traveling the Nine Provinces. Who in this world does not know of you?"

She wasn’t wrong.

After all, the last time the Fox Demon had blocked her path, Song Ciwan had been with the Situong Escort Agency. They had discussed the Dao, and though it had been a peculiar sort of clash, the Fox Demon had never actually introduced himself.

He had never said anything like, "I am Tushan Keji," to Song Ciwan; he had only introduced himself to Duan Xinghun.

Of course, Song Ciwan was unaware of this. She was even more oblivious to the fact that Tushan Keji had once used her theory of species equilibrium to lecture Duan Xinghun on the Dao.

Tushan Keji had managed to extrapolate a twisted line of reasoning, a perversion of logic so effective it had even made Duan Xinghun cough up blood!

Song Ciwan knew nothing of all this. She only had her own perspective, which was sometimes incomplete. This was unavoidable.

Song Ciwan was so certain that this was Tushan Keji because she had later gone to Pinglan City and deliberately looked up information on the Demon Race, which allowed her to accurately identify him.

Tushan Keji said, "You recognize me, Fellow Daoist, yet I do not recognize you. Logically speaking, someone of your extraordinary Cultivation should not be an unknown figure."

This Celestial Pride of the Demon Race had never directly fought Song Ciwan, but their earlier chase was, in reality, an unseen contest.

Tushan Keji had won a point when he’d managed to follow her like a shadow as she crossed through space, never losing her trail. But before that, Song Ciwan had won a point by exposing his hiding place within the mountain wind with a single sentence.

Being able to expose Tushan Keji’s whereabouts was, in itself, proof of her strength.

The exchange between them appeared calm and placid, but in truth, a turbulent undercurrent surged beneath the surface.

Song Ciwan smiled faintly. "The world is vast. Those mighty enough to rule their own corners of it are as countless as the stars in the sky, hardly worth mentioning. You call me extraordinary today, Fellow Daoist, only because you yourself are extraordinary, and thus you see me as such."

Tushan Keji said, "I see the green mountains are so charming?"

Song Ciwan replied, "And I expect the green mountains see me in the same way."

Tushan Keji instantly clapped his hands and laughed. "’So that’s how it is! You truly are a fascinating person, Fellow Daoist. In that case, I must see you as even more extraordinary!’"

As they spoke, Song Ciwan took another step and crossed ten miles.

This time, she arrived directly at the foot of Celestial Dragon Mountain!

Beyond the vast Celestial Dragon Mountain lay Fengling County.

Tushan Keji followed close behind, also coming to a stop at the foot of Celestial Dragon Mountain.

Celestial Dragon Mountain was so high it seemed to pierce the clouds. A plank road had been built up the mountain, but it clung to the cliff face, as steep as if carved by a knife. It was treacherous and precarious, with every step fraught with danger.

A mountain as treacherous as Celestial Dragon Mountain was impossible for ordinary people to climb.

Those who could cross this mountain range were, at a minimum, Martial Artists of a certain level.

Another peculiar thing about Celestial Dragon Mountain was that, in addition to its treacherous terrain, it exuded an indescribable, baleful aura that radiated outward like sharp needles.

Even Cultivators who could fly would find it extremely difficult to fly over Celestial Dragon Mountain.

To cross this mountain, one could only climb the plank road—that is, take the Great Zhou Official Dao established by the Great Zhou Court.

The Great Zhou Official Dao was sustained by the fortune of the dynasty.

Even if Celestial Dragon Mountain’s baleful aura was hard to dispel, the official road ensured that it could not block passage between the two counties.

Song Ciwan stood before the official road at the foot of Celestial Dragon Mountain. Although it was late, she saw a group of more than a dozen people still making their way up the mountain path.

Song Ciwan took special notice of this group mainly because there was a common piece of wisdom among the people of the Great Zhou: it was best not to travel at night.

If one was on a long journey and had to spend the night outdoors, the proper course of action was to make camp on the spot and light a fire for a watch.

One would certainly not still be climbing Celestial Dragon Mountain at dusk.

This behavior went against common sense, which was why Song Ciwan gave them a second look.

Tushan Keji noticed her gaze and said, "Those are traveling merchants. They buy and sell goods between the north and south. Some of their wares are seasonal and cannot be delayed on the road. Merchants cherish their goods and their wealth, so they’re willing to forsake caution and risk their necks to press on. I didn’t understand it when I first saw it, but now that I’ve seen it more often, it’s no longer surprising."

’So that’s why!’

Tushan Keji had been Traveling the Nine Provinces for many years. Compared to Song Ciwan, who had never even left Cangling County, he was actually far more familiar with the affairs of the Mortal World.

Song Ciwan withdrew her gaze and stepped lightly onto the plank road ahead.

On this special official road, she could no longer freely use her Space Technique, but her steps were still as swift as a gentle breeze and as fast as lightning.

In the blink of an eye, she could cover a distance of several dozen yards, and Tushan Keji still followed close behind.

The Human and the demon soon overtook the group of merchants. The merchants, carrying their loads on shoulder poles, chatted animatedly as they hurried along, completely unaware that two figures had just sped past them.

Tushan Keji said, "Fellow Daoist, I have a wager. It’s quite interesting. I wonder if you would be interested?"

Song Ciwan asked, "What is the wager?"

Tushan Keji said, "Let’s wager on that group of people we just passed. Will they make it over Celestial Dragon Mountain successfully? If not, how many will be dead or injured? The one with the more accurate prediction is the winner. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Song Ciwan did not like this wager. She said, "To use the lives of others as a stake is to show contempt for life. I won’t hide this from you, Fellow Daoist: there is much sorrow in this world. Though I may not always interfere, I will not wager on the lives of others. If one engages in such acts for long, their heart loses its humanity. How can they still be considered Human?"

Tushan Keji had not expected Song Ciwan to refuse, much less so bluntly and decisively.

He was completely perplexed. "Fellow Daoist, why not hear the stakes first?"

Song Ciwan said, "You may state the stakes, Fellow Daoist."

Tushan Keji then smiled. "I have a handful of Spirit Tea, picked from Kunshan. This tea has the foundation of an Immortal Grade item. It is called Kunshan Cloud Mist, and consuming it can raise one’s comprehension by three levels. Kunshan Cloud Mist is a Five-star Level Spirit Tea. Are you sure you won’t take the wager, Fellow Daoist?"

’Five-star Level!’

To date, Song Ciwan had only ever obtained one Five-star Level Marvel: the Golden Cicada Jade Exoskeleton.

And yet, Tushan Keji was casually offering a Five-star Spirit Tea as a stake. Such a temptation would be difficult for an ordinary Cultivator to resist; even the scions of wealthy and established families would not necessarily be willing to refuse.

’After all, even if I already had some, I certainly wouldn’t mind having more.’

But Song Ciwan still refused. She said, "Let me make this clear, Fellow Daoist. The reason I listened to the stakes was not to weigh the pros and cons to decide whether to accept the wager. It was to make you understand, willingly, that no matter the stakes, I will never bet on something that shouldn’t be bet on."

To put it bluntly, this attitude was almost mocking.

Song Ciwan had even prepared for Tushan Keji to fly into a rage and turn on her, but unexpectedly, the Fox Demon remained calm and composed.

Tushan Keji just smiled faintly. "No, Fellow Daoist. You haven’t heard the full stakes yet. There’s no need to jump to a conclusion so soon."