"Mr. Lü, are there any cultivation realms beyond the Celestial Realm?"

  Faced with Wen Chaoshen's curious inquiry, Lü Zhiming teased:

  "Since you won't ever reach it, why bother asking?"

  Wen Chaoshen scratched his head, feeling a bit unsatisfied, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.

  "I hope Mr. Lü can enlighten me. As you said, these things are beyond the reach of a mere mortal like me in this lifetime, so I might as well listen for amusement."

  Lü Zhiming took a sip of tea, spat the tea leaves under the loquat tree beside him, and said slowly:

  "There are very few experts in the Celestial Realm in the world, and ninety-nine percent of them are in the sacred cultivation nds of the Four Kingdoms. For these people, worldly matters hardly stir their hearts anymore. They all lie dormant in pces rich with Dao essence, contempting the grandeur of the natural universe, attempting to advance their cultivation further."

  "The old Celestial Beings in the Sword Pavilion have vaguely mentioned that beyond the Celestial Realm, there are realms like 'Confound Me' and 'Freedom.' Some people in the Buddhist State of the Chen Dynasty refer to 'Freedom' as 'Tathagata,' but those people practice martial arts in such a mystical way that their words may not be entirely credible."

  "As for how to sense someone else's realm, it all relies on experience and intuition."

  "In the future, as you encounter more, you'll be able to roughly gauge someone else's realm compared to your own without needing to fight."

  Wen Chaoshen silently committed today's conversation to memory, then downed the hot tea in his cup and prepared to continue chopping wood.

  He had made good progress today, and the afternoon should be sufficient to finally verify the matter of the letter with the address A Shui had given him.

  After taking a few steps, he suddenly thought of another question and turned to ask Lü Zhiming:

  "Mr. Lü, I have one more question... what realm are you currently in?"

  This question was indeed important to Wen Chaoshen. Since neither of them had a dantian, whatever realm Lü Zhiming could reach, Wen Chaoshen believed he could too.

  Faced with his question, Lü Zhiming, sitting in pce, shook his head slightly.

  "I don't know myself."

  Wen Chaoshen opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but in the end, he didn't.

  He knew that whether Lü Zhiming was deliberately hiding it or truly didn't know, he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.

  After finishing chopping the remaining wood, Wen Chaoshen was drenched in sweat. He went to the backyard, heated a basin of hot water, took a hot bath, changed into new clothes, and, with the address A Shui had given him, left Lü Zhiming's residence, heading all the way to Baisang Street in the west of the county city.

  As he walked, he asked for directions from passersby, and finally arrived at the first address A Shui had given him.

  As soon as he reached the door, he saw that the gate of the house was covered with signs of decay, and the snow piled on the walls was left uncleared. He knocked on the door and called out a few times, but there was no response from inside.

  Helpless, Wen Chaoshen went to the second address A Shui had given him. This time, although someone lived there, the residents were no longer the Cui Cn as A Shui had mentioned. According to the current owner, the house had changed hands twice, and the previous owner, surnamed Ya, didn't know anything about the Cui Cn.

  Wen Chaoshen left there empty-handed, still without any leads. Watching the setting sun gradually fade away, he hesitated for a moment but decided to check the third pce.

  After all, the third house wasn't too far from there, so he might as well investigate it too.

  Light snow began to fall from the sky, and the wind was mild. Wen Chaoshen wrapped his arms around himself and quickly reached his destination. Not bothering to check if anyone lived there, he directly grabbed the door knocker and knocked.

  Thud, thud—

  Thud, thud, thud—

  Wen Chaoshen knocked several times, but no one came to open the door. Thinking the pce was uninhabited, he turned to leave and buy some wine. Unexpectedly, after taking just two steps, the door of the house across the street opened. A middle-aged woman in an apron came out with a basin of water, and without caring that Wen Chaoshen was standing nearby, she flicked her arm, scattering the water like a celestial maiden scattering flowers into the alley.

  Wen Chaoshen hurriedly dodged and then said to the middle-aged woman:

  "Watch where you're throwing that!"

  The middle-aged woman gave him a sharp look and sneered:

  "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

  "I've never seen you in this alley before. What, are you some loafer sneaking around here at night to steal something?"

  "If you don't leave, I'll report you to the authorities!"

  Wen Chaoshen was taken aback by her outburst but didn't argue back. He took out the paper A Shui had given him and said to the woman:

  "Don't report me just yet. I just want to ask you something... Is the family across the street surnamed Wang, and is there someone named Wang Kun?"

  The middle-aged woman initially thought Wen Chaoshen was some loafer pnning to steal something. But hearing his question, she let out a surprised "huh," and her disdainful expression turned curious. She looked Wen Chaoshen up and down and asked:

  "Who are you?"

  Wen Chaoshen's eyes flickered as he replied:

  "You don't know me. I'm not originally from Kuhai County; I just moved here recently. I'm looking for Wang Kun because someone asked me to deliver a message to him."

  The middle-aged woman, still wary, continued to ask:

  "Who asked you?"

  Wen Chaoshen hesitated for a moment before answering:

  "A young man."

  "I was paid to keep things confidential."

  "Just trying to earn a little hard-earned money, please understand."

  Hearing this, the previously sharp-tongued woman surprisingly softened, no longer as aggressive as before.

  "He hasn't lived there for a long time."

  Wen Chaoshen pressed on:

  "Where did he go?"

  The middle-aged woman gnced at Wen Chaoshen, then turned back into the house.

  "Wait here."

  She left him with those words, and soon, a woman's voice could be faintly heard from the courtyard:

  "Old Wang, there's a young man outside looking for you."

  Shortly after, a man still adjusting his clothes came running out. His face was pockmarked, with a rge patch of white at his temples, and he wore an expression of surprise and a hint of nervousness.

  "Are you Wang Kun?"

  Wen Chaoshen asked uncertainly, and the man nodded:

  "Yes, I'm Wang Kun, the owner of this house."

  "What do you want with me?"

  Wen Chaoshen looked into his eyes and got straight to the point:

  "Is your son Wang Ye the one who joined the army seventeen years ago?"

  Mentioning his son, Wang Kun was momentarily stunned. Then he stepped forward and grabbed Wen Chaoshen, his emotions slightly agitated as he asked:

  "How do you know?"

  "Wang Ye, he..."

  Wen Chaoshen, dizzy from being shaken, quickly broke free and kept his distance.

  "Wang Kun, don't worry, your son is fine."

  To calm Wang Kun, he began to lie with a straight face. Though feeling a bit guilty, his expression and tone were firm.

  Hearing this, Wang Kun finally calmed down a bit, slowly patting his chest and gasping:

  "That's good, that's good... You scared me, oh heavens."

  Wen Chaoshen tilted his head slightly, carefully observing Wang Kun's facial expression, and said:

  "Over the years, you should have received letters from your son Wang Ye, right?"

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