Chapter 25: Parting
Outside a house in Mud Vase Alley, there was a mischievous boy with a runny nose, ferociously kicking at the door, cursing and spitting everywhere, "Chen Ping'an! If you don't roll out right now, I'll find someone to chop you up and smash all your broken junk! I know you're home, what are you busy with? Are you fooling around with Song Jixin's little wife, with Zhigui? In broad daylight, don't you care at all about how Song Jixin feels? Fine, fine, you're not coming out, are you? I'm leaving, I really am leaving now? Once I'm gone, you'll never, ever see me again! I was thinking of leaving all my treasures to you, Chen Ping'an! Come out!"
For some reason, by the end of his cursing, the boy's voice was tinged with a sob. He fiercely sucked the two snot trails back into his nose.
Gu Can suddenly felt a sharp pain on his head. He quickly turned around and saw that familiar face. The boy burst into curses: "Chen Ping'an! Your grandpa..."
The straw-sandal boy's expression was not good. Gu Can quickly changed direction, adding, "How's your health?"
Smooth as flowing clouds and water, a seamless turn, not awkward at all.
Accustomed to this little brat's thoughtlessness, Chen Ping'an, carrying a new clay pot, said in exasperation, "Whether I'm good or not, don't you know?"
Gu Can remembered he had important business. He hurriedly pulled Chen Ping'an to the front of the courtyard gate, then shoved two exquisitely embroidered pouches into Chen Ping'an's hands. The boy lowered his voice and asked, "Remember that little loach I asked you for last year?"
Chen Ping'an was confused. The heavy pouches were not unfamiliar—the silk-clad youth who had forcibly bought the golden carp had once specially sent a pouch of copper coins to him. Chen Ping'an looked around. There were no pedestrians at either end of Mud Vase Alley. He quickly opened the door, brought Gu Can into the yard, set the clay pot aside, and asked directly, "Has an outsider come to buy that loach from you, right?! Gu Can, I advise you not to sell it! Don't sell it even if it kills you! Don't you want to give your mother a good life in the future? You must keep that loach, understand?!"
Gu Can burst into tears. He grabbed Chen Ping'an's sleeve and choked out, "I wanted to give the loach back to you, but Mother wouldn't let me. She even slapped me—she's never hit me before in my life. And that storyteller, I don't know if he's a god or a ghost, he was terrifying. First, he took me into that white bowl, and then the loach suddenly grew huge, much thicker than our big water vat..."
Chen Ping'an covered the boy's mouth tightly, his face stern as he glared, "The loach is yours now as a gift! Gu Can, do you still want to give your mother a good life in the future? Eating meat every day, letting her use rouge and powder, buying those smooth and silky satin clothes?"
Gu Can sniffled and nodded vigorously.
Chen Ping'an let go of his hand, crouched down, and asked, "What's with the two pouches of money? Did you sneak them out?"
Gu Can's eyes darted, about to lie, but Chen Ping'an knew him far too well. The moment this little bastard lifted his tail, Chen Ping'an knew what kind of shit he was going to drop. He gave Gu Can another rap on the head and said sternly, "Take them back!"
Gu Can's stubborn streak flared up. "No!"
Chen Ping'an's face turned pale with anger. He raised his hand to deliver a real, hard knock, but seeing the child's dead-set expression, he softened a little. He calmed his tone, thought for a moment, and asked, "Tell me exactly what happened."
Gu Can recounted the whole story from beginning to end. It wouldn't be fair to say this boy wasn't often infuriating, but he was indeed exceptionally sharp for his age. He told Chen Ping'an clearly about the encounter from the old locust tree to the iron-locked well to the Mud Vase Alley courtyard, and how the storyteller wanted to take him as a disciple. At this moment, Chen Ping'an had a general idea. Gu Can was most likely one of the people in town who had obtained the ancestral shade of the locust leaf. Whether it was ancestral blessings or, as Mr. Qi and Daoist Lu said, a matter of fate and fortune, Gu Can would probably be taken out of town by that storyteller. But at the thought of that River-Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao, Chen Ping'an's heart tightened. According to Mr. Qi, this man had a truly despicable character and wanted to get rid of Chen Ping'an as quickly as possible. He had even used immortal arts to frame Chen Ping'an and Cai Jinjian. Was having Gu Can call this man master truly a good thing? But stepping back, the man willingly accepted Gu Can as a disciple instead of swindling him or making a forced transaction—could that mean Gu Can wouldn't be in immediate mortal danger?
The clever, mischievous boy's eyes darted quickly. While Chen Ping'an was thinking, he suddenly snatched the two money pouches from Chen Ping'an's hands, hurled them into the house, and turned to run.
But Chen Ping'an grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him back.
Gu Can covered his head with both hands, putting on a pitiful look.
Although Chen Ping'an had forcibly pulled the boy back, he hesitated about what to do next. The matter was too serious. Chen Ping'an was terrified of making the wrong choice and causing harm to Gu Can and his mother.
If it were just about himself, this straw-sandal boy with no one to rely on would probably have acted much more decisively.
The black-clad girl had gotten out of bed at some point and was standing behind the threshold. "My mother once said that everyone has their own fate. This kid looks like the type of disaster that lasts a thousand years. He's not going to run out of dumb luck anytime soon."
Gu Can's eyes lit up. He quickly wiped away the snot, bared his teeth with a gap-toothed grin, and said flatteringly, "Sister, you're really beautiful, exactly like my second sister! This place is too small—why don't you come to my house for a visit?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "When did your mother remarry your father?"
The boy, caught red-handed, rolled his eyes and changed his expression and tone. "Hmm, Chen Ping'an, you're really something now. When did you swindle a wife into your home? Are we going to have a wedding night? Too bad I won't be around to see it. I'd have loved to crouch by the corner of the wall and listen to the two of you having your divine battle in bed..."
Chen Ping'an pressed a hand on Gu Can's head and said apologetically to the black-clad girl, "He's always like this. Don't be angry."
The girl glanced at the boy. "What a brat!"
Gu Can was about to show off his family's legendary skills when he felt the hand on his head tighten slightly. He immediately wilted, saying weakly, "Sister, with a face as pretty as yours, everything you say is right."
The black-clad girl ignored the boy. She turned to Chen Ping'an and said with meaning, "You'd better keep those two pouches of copper coins. It'll save you from becoming enemies later on. And if this kid ever achieves anything in cultivation, if you don't let him feel a little less guilt today, it might disrupt his Dao heart and allow external demons to take advantage."
Gu Can loved hearing this. He gave the sister a thumbs-up. "Long hair, long wisdom too—much more reliable than some little wife next door!"
The black-clad girl raised an eyebrow and seemed to accept the praise graciously.
From far down Mud Vase Alley came an urgent roar, "Gu Can!"
The boy's face paled. "I'm going, I'm going! Chen Ping'an, I'm leaving!"
He said he was leaving, but he didn't even realize it himself—his five fingers gripping Chen Ping'an's sleeve were tightening.
Maybe subconsciously, Gu Can had already regarded Chen Ping'an as the only family besides his mother.
Chen Ping'an led the boy out of the yard, crouched down, and whispered, "Gu Can, remember to be careful of your master. And take good care of your mother. You're a real man now—your mother can only rely on you from now on. Don't always make her worry."
Gu Can hummed in response.
Chen Ping'an continued, "When you're outside, do more and talk less. Keep that mouth of yours under control. It's okay to take some losses—don't always try to win every argument with words. People out there aren't like us; they hold grudges."
The boy's eyes reddened, but he argued back, "People around here hold grudges too. You're the only one who doesn't."
Chen Ping'an was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Chen Ping'an suddenly tensed and asked seriously, "Gu Can, did you get a locust leaf?"
If not, Chen Ping'an didn't think Gu Can had truly received an immortal's blessing. That storyteller's arrival might have been a death warrant.
The boy got angry as soon as this was mentioned. He fished out a big handful from his pocket and cursed out of habit, "I don't know which damn bastard secretly stuffed so many broken leaves into my pocket. I only found them when I sneaked out and hid those two pouches of money. It's either Fatty Zhao or Liu Mei! If my mother sees them when she's washing my clothes, she'll scold me for being a troublemaker! Just as well I'm leaving—otherwise, I'd sneak over and throw rocks into their latrines..."
As the boy cursed enthusiastically, Chen Ping'an was first stunned, then relieved. Seeing that the kid was about to throw the leaves on the ground, he quickly stopped him and said with extreme gravity, "Gu Can, keep them! You must keep them! If possible, don't even show these locust leaves to your mother. It might be for her own good."
The boy looked confused but still nodded. "Okay."
Chen Ping'an let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "Now I'm truly at ease."
Gu Can suddenly leaned forward and banged his forehead hard against Chen Ping'an's, sobbing, "I'm sorry!"
Chen Ping'an rubbed his little head and scolded with a smile, "You idiot!"
Gu Can suddenly whispered in his ear.
Chen Ping'an froze on the spot.
The boy turned and ran, slowing to a jog and waving back, "That old man said he's taking me and my mother to a place called Green Gorge Island on Letter Scroll Lake. If you end up too poor to get a wife in the future, come find me. I'm not bragging—I'll give you seventeen or eighteen pretty girls like that Zhigui next door!"
Chen Ping'an stood there and nodded.
He felt a little sad, too.
After all, Gu Can was like a younger brother to him. That was why Chen Ping'an always let Gu Can have his way.
The straw-sandal boy stared at the receding figure, lost in thought.
It always seemed to be like this in his life—the people he truly cared about, he could never hold onto.
The boy in Mud Vase Alley grinned.
The heavens were pretty stingy.
The gate of the neighboring yard opened softly, and the maidservant Zhigui stepped out. She stood gracefully, like a lotus flower in a pond.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Did you hear Gu Can talking bad about you earlier?"
She blinked her long autumn-water eyes. "I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. I can't win a quarrel with that mother and son anyway."
Chen Ping'an felt awkward, so he tried to smooth things over for Gu Can, the little bastard. "Actually, his heart isn't bad. He just has a sharp tongue."
Zhigui pulled a corner of her mouth expressionlessly. "Whether Gu Can's heart is good or bad, I don't know. But I'm sure of one thing: that widowed mother of his is no easy pushover."
Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond, so he followed her example and pretended not to hear anything.
She suddenly asked a strange question out of the blue, "Chen Ping'an, do you really have no regrets?"
Chen Ping'an was startled. "What?"
Seeing that he wasn't playing dumb, she sighed, turned back into the yard, and closed the wooden door.
Chen Ping'an, with his excellent eyesight, stood in the alley and finally saw the gate of Gu Can's house in the distance open. Three people came out. Among them, the mother and son each carried large and small bundles, slowly walking toward the other end of Mud Vase Alley.
Chen Ping'an could even clearly see the storyteller turn his head, glance at him, and smile meaningfully.
After the three figures disappeared at the end of the alley, Chen Ping'an returned to his own yard and saw that the black-clad girl was already able to sit by herself on the threshold.
Was her body made of iron?
Chen Ping'an first placed the jade hairpin that Mr. Qi had given him and the two pouches of copper coins Gu Can had brought on the table. Then he started boiling water, preparing ingredients, and decocting medicine. He was so familiar with the process that he didn't seem like a kiln worker but more like an apprentice who had spent many years in a pharmacy.
The black-clad girl was somewhat puzzled but didn't ask. Bored, she got up and walked to the table. After a moment's thought, she took out the money pouch Chen Ping'an had hidden inside a bottle.
She sat down. On the table were three pouches of money and one jade hairpin, plus the sensible longsword that had "shrunk" into a corner.
Chen Ping'an didn't stop her from taking the money, but he turned and warned, "That jade hairpin was given to me by Mr. Qi. Please be careful with it, Miss Ning."
Afraid she might not take it seriously, Chen Ping'an added embarrassedly, "Really, be careful."
The girl rolled her eyes.
Three pouches of gold-essence copper coins: greeting-spring coins, offering coins, and exorcism coins—coincidentally, just the three types.
The girl propped her cheek with one hand and used a finger of the other to toy with the three coins, asking casually, "What about your situation? Can you tell me?"
Chen Ping'an was squatting by the wall near the window, carefully monitoring the fire, occasionally flipping through the three medicinal prescriptions. Hearing her question, he said, "Is it appropriate to talk about?"
The girl frowned. "You're already in such a miserable state, are you still worried that I'll be silenced by someone for hearing your secrets? Chen Ping'an, I'm not trying to be mean, but with your kind of goody-two-shoes personality, I suggest you never leave this town for the rest of your life. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."
The girl was truly sorrowful over his misfortune and angry at his lack of ambition.
A boy with such an old-fashioned character—even if he were a powerful sword immortal with both a vajra body and a celestial lord's Dao techniques—would be dead within a year if thrown into her hometown, with not even bones left.
The straw-sandal boy chuckled. "Then how about I tell you?"
The girl rubbed the three coins back and forth on the table with her three fingers. "Say it or don't, I don't care."
Chen Ping'an then told her what had happened before Mr. Qi appeared, selectively recounting some of the later events.
After listening, the girl said casually, "That River-Severing True Lord Liu Zhimao is clearly the chief culprit. But Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua aren't good birds either. If Mr. Qi hadn't stepped in to muddle things, even if you'd fled to the ends of the earth, you wouldn't have escaped the encirclement and killing of those three forces. To put it bluntly, killing you is too easy. If it weren't for this town, even that woman from Cloud Gorge Mountain could have crushed you with one finger—soul and spirit obliterated."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I know."
The girl said angrily, "You know jackshit!"
Chen Ping'an didn't argue and continued decocting the medicine.
She asked, "The reason you got into this disaster was entirely because of that loach. Why didn't you tell that kid the truth?"
This time, Chen Ping'an didn't stay silent, nor did he turn around. He sat on the low stool, looking down at the blue-red flames, and said softly, "That wouldn't be right."
The girl seemed to want to say something more but stopped. Finally, looking at that thin, weak back, she sighed emotionally and said, "Do you realize that if your fists aren't hard enough, nobody will care whether you're right or wrong?"
The boy shook his head. "No matter whether others listen or not, right is right."
He seemed uncertain and turned to smile, asking, "Right?"
The girl glared at him. "Right my big head!"
The boy shrugged sheepishly, turned back, and continued brewing the medicine.
The black-clad girl, an outsider named Ning Yao, picked up the jade hairpin and looked at it closely. She noticed a line of small characters engraved on it.
She glanced at the boy named Chen Ping'an.
There were eight characters on the hairpin. Even for Ning Yao, who was barely literate, they were deeply moving.
"Thinking of my gentleman, warm as jade."