Chapter 53: The Gift
(Only this chapter today, six thousand words.)
Chen Ping'an carried the girl on his shoulder and ran wildly, even faster than when he had climbed the mountain before. He looked like a flower thief who had snatched a pure young maiden. Ning Yao had suffered a serious internal injury, and the jostling was uncomfortable, but she couldn't be bothered with face. If that old ape caught up and smashed a fist into them, she and Chen Ping'an would probably really "die for love."
Ning Yao's forehead was covered in sweat as she asked, "How did you survive? Didn't any stones hit you? How did you know the old ape's follow-up move was aimed at you and not me?"
After a string of questions, Ning Yao suddenly snapped alert, "Don't talk about that first! While the old ape needs to catch his breath, let's get as far as we can! I've already had that sword delay him as much as possible, but I estimate it won't hold out much longer."
The grass-shoe-clad youth nodded lightly, his steps swift and steady as he expertly navigated the crisscrossing alleys, like a fish swimming along a streambed.
After leaving the small street on the west side of town, Chen Ping'an still didn't stop. He took the chance to quietly explain, "Earlier over by Niping Alley, I tricked the old ape onto the roof of a broken-down house, and he fell into a pit. Then I secretly threw a small broken tile onto the house next to the hole in the wall. Sure enough, the old ape thought it was me being careless and revealing my footsteps. He suddenly smashed a tile that blasted right through the wall and the neighboring roof. Scared me into a cold sweat."
"Just now I was actually crouching on that roof, not daring to show myself. I was afraid you'd get distracted, and I also wanted to see if I could shoot an arrow at the old ape. Then I saw that stone he smashed you with, hanging in the sky like a fire snake. I figured that if anyone looked up, everyone in our town could see it. How could I dare let my guard down? At that moment, I took an extra turn of thought and figured that if it were me, I'd definitely use you as bait, first hit the one hiding in the shadows, then turn back to deal with the one in the open. Bait one hook and catch two fish—what could be better, right? So I first took off Liu Xianyang's coat, tossed it out, and only then dared to go save you."
Ning Yao's eyes brightened with surprise and admiration. Then she inexplicably started settling old scores, "Chen Ping'an, who taught you all these twisty schemes?! You seem so proper on the surface, can't be nearly as honest as you look. Tell me! That time Daoist Lu saved me at your family's old house on Niping Alley, besides taking off your hat, did you take the chance to take advantage of me?"
Chen Ping'an was completely bewildered, like when he was a kid and a cow's tail hit him in the face. "Huh?"
The girl didn't continue her inquisition; instead, she started laughing to herself.
Chen Ping'an was a money-grubber, definitely not a lecher.
Ning Yao was as sure of that as she was that she would one day become a great sword immortal—not just one of the rare few, but the only one.
Ning Yao said quietly, "Put me down!"
Chen Ping'an asked, "Can you walk on your own now?"
Ning Yao said helplessly, "Not yet. But if you keep running like this, my guts are going to get shaken right out. If I end up not getting beaten to death by the old ape's fists but instead die hanging over your shoulder like a slab of pork, that old ape would die laughing at us."
Chen Ping'an slowed his pace, frowning. "What do we do then? Find a nearby place to hide? I was thinking of leaving the town—somewhere not easy to find."
Ning Yao suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "What about that wooden porcelain armor you made? Why aren't you wearing it?"
Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly. "Against the old ape, it doesn't mean much. It would actually slow me down, so I just took it off. Good thing too, otherwise I wouldn't have known how to get you out of there. Couldn't carry you on my shoulder, couldn't carry you on my back, couldn't even hold you in my arms. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
Ning Yao sighed and made up her mind. "Chen Ping'an, put me down first, then carry me on your back to that place you mentioned."
Chen Ping'an had no objection. Without any hesitation, he did as she said. Hoisting the girl onto his back, he continued running and asked, "Miss Ning, what about your blade? I only see the scabbard."
The girl, holding onto the youth's neck, replied irritably, "Burying it in the ground."
Chen Ping'an didn't ask further and ran toward a remote spot outside town.
A desolate wilderness, surrounded by graves that had long since received no offerings. The tombs were overgrown with weeds, lush as a vegetable garden. Every now and then, the calls of night owls sounded, one after another, truly eerie. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an felt a connection to this place that his peers did not, so he wasn't uncomfortable. After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Chen Ping'an, carrying the girl on his back, threaded through countless fallen statues lying in broken pieces and circled behind a huge statue. The clay statue was toppled over, and for some reason, its head was missing. It was over two zhang long, making one imagine how imposing and majestic it must have been when it sat intact in a temple or shrine.
Chen Ping'an crouched down, trying to set Ning Yao down. But after a moment, she didn't move. Panicked, Chen Ping'an thought Miss Ning had died on the way. Just as he stood frozen, struck dumb as if by lightning, unable to utter a word, the girl, who had been sleeping soundly the whole journey, finally woke up. She instinctively wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and mumbled dazedly, "We there?"
The youth, still crouching, felt for a reason he himself couldn't understand as if tears were about to fall.
He took a deep breath to control his emotions, gently released his hold on her legs, turned his head, and smiled. "This is a little shelter I built last autumn. I used to bring Gu Can here to play. He made a racket about wanting to make something, so I used a hatchet to cut some branches and built a frame, then covered it with leaves and grass. It's pretty sturdy—didn't collapse even under those two big snows last winter."
Ning Yao stood up straight and looked back. The flying sword hadn't returned in a sorry state—a good sign, meaning the old ape hadn't pinpointed their hiding spot.
Chen Ping'an told Ning Yao to wait, then bent down and entered the makeshift shelter. He tidied up a bit before inviting her in.
Ning Yao sat down inside. It wasn't cramped, and she felt a great relief.
Chen Ping'an didn't close the rough wooden door; instead, he sat at the entrance, his back to the girl.
Ning Yao asked, "Aren't you going to close the door?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "If the old ape finds this place, it won't make a difference."
Ning Yao sat cross-legged and nodded. "True."
After a moment of silence, Ning Yao asked, "Don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Chen Ping'an did indeed ask, "Did the old ape use up three breaths?"
Ning Yao said, "Mm. But let me tell you a bad thing: the old ape can still break the rules at least once more. More than enough to deal with the two of us, wounded as we are."
Chen Ping'an asked again, "Miss Ning, how much do you think the old ape has paid for this?"
Inside the shelter, the fragrance of grass seeped in from all sides, refreshing. Though the ground was a bit damp, the girl felt she couldn't ask for more.
Ning Yao thought carefully. "The old ape made three moves total. The first time, from your Niping Alley to the far west of town, he was relatively restrained—mainly testing whether you had backers. He was wary of someone pulling strings behind the scenes, afraid of someone targeting the young master of Zhengyang Mountain he was escorting. So he might have lost only about three to five years of life. Then, when he faced off with me by the stream, about twenty years. The third time, I'd guess at least fifty years. If he makes a fourth move, it'll start at a hundred years."
Chen Ping'an's eyes sparkled. He bent down, pulled up a blade of grass, brushed off the dirt, and chewed it happily. "Even if it's a hundred eighty years, that's still a huge gain! Even ignoring that woman surnamed Cai from Cloud Gorge Mountain trying to frame me, ordinary people only live about sixty years. So I've earned two extra lives. Besides, for the old ape to trade nearly two hundred years of lifespan for three of my lives, I think just thinking about it would piss him to death."
Ning Yao frowned. "Chen Ping'an, do you really think your life is worth so little?"
Chen Ping'an said without hesitation, "Compared to a celestial being or demon who's lived a thousand years like that old ape, I'm just a commoner from a small town kiln worker's family. Of course, my life isn't worth much. Admitting that isn't shameful."
Ning Yao was stumped by Chen Ping'an's twisted logic.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Of course, thinking about it, accepting fate is one thing, but I still feel resentful. Think about it—why is it that when we all come into this world, my life is inherently worthless?"
Just as Ning Yao was about to chime in and show off some wise maxims that combined bold spirit and scholarly depth, the youth soon answered himself, seriously introspecting. "Was it because I didn't do enough good deeds in my past life? But I haven't had time to do many good deeds in this life either. So in my next life, I'm still doomed. What do I do?"
Ning Yao picked up the empty green scabbard lying across her thigh and lightly tapped the youth's back with its tip.
The grass-shoe-wearing youth winced and turned his head, looking as if he dared to be angry but not speak.
Ning Yao glared. "This life isn't over yet! Why are you thinking about the next life?!"
Chen Ping'an quickly raised a finger, signaling her to keep her voice down.
The girl immediately shut up.
Chen Ping'an scooted his butt outward, trying to get away from the girl and the scabbard.
Ning Yao hesitated, then decided to tell him the truth. Her voice hoarse, she said, "Chen Ping'an, have you considered that even though that protective ape of Zhengyang Mountain has lost a hundred eighty years of life, how long could he have originally lived?"
The youth, facing away from the girl and looking into the distant sky, just shook his head.
Such profound matters—how could a youth know? Even if he racked his brains, he probably couldn't guess.
Some things were like the bluestone streets of Fulu Street and Taoye Lane. If it hadn't been for his delivery job, the youth would never have known that not all roads in the world were dirt roads.
Ning Yao sighed. "These ferocious beast remnants born of celestial anomalies have apertures far less profound than humans. While this makes cultivation extremely difficult for them, the upside is that their essence, energy, and spirit drain more slowly, making them extremely long-lived. Five hundred years at the least, five thousand at most. A mountain-moving ape is naturally active and dislikes stillness. Without cultivation, its lifespan wouldn't be too long—naturally not as long as tortoises or flood dragons. But the mountain-moving ape was once a dominant force, with a lifespan of about two thousand years. And this protective ape has clearly already cultivated divine powers. If he manages to reach the upper fifth realm, with his ninth realm physique, he could live not just two thousand years, but three thousand or four thousand."
Ning Yao looked at that thin back. "So don't think you've lived enough."
Chen Ping'an was silent.
Ning Yao's heart ached.
No words passed between them. Having revealed the celestial secrets, the girl gradually felt a twinge of guilt. She racked her brains for words, trying to think of something to comfort the guy.
But just as Ning Yao's head was about to burst from thinking, she heard the grass-shoe youth's faint snores.
Ning Yao was dumbfounded.
---
Deep in Apricot Flower Lane, a large house was spotlessly clean inside and out. Even the road in front of the gate was much tidier than at other people's houses.
An old woman with a face far from kind or benevolent trimmed the lampwick, making the room brighter, then looked with doting affection at her grandson and began her yearly, daily nagging. "Why were you out on the roof again late at night? The old saying goes, 'Spring covers, autumn freezes,' but you never listen. You're in a growth spurt. If you catch a chill and it takes root, how will your grandmother live?"
The simple, foolish-looking youth grinned.
The old woman sat down and sighed, sigh of her family's hard-to-read scripture. "Oh, my precious grandson, you don't know. Today, during the day, that ungrateful wolf must have smelled some meat. He suddenly showed up carrying big bags and small bundles of gifts. You weren't home. You should have seen his face—like a filial son and kind father. He almost moved your grandmother to tears."
At this point, the old woman's face was full of sarcasm. She abruptly spat a glob of phlegm on the ground, then regretted it and quickly ground it out with her toe. She looked up at the youth, who seemed completely indifferent, and her anger flared. But she couldn't bear to hit him, so she said huffily, "Heartless little wretch, you don't even pity your grandmother. Your given name is Ma Xuan, but you have a father who fathered you but no mother to raise you. Isn't that bitter enough? So your grandmother added the character for 'bitter' to your name. If you think it's unlucky, you can change it back later. It doesn't matter. Don't worry about your grandmother's feelings. I'm just a village old woman, a toad in the fields. My vision is short. I deserve to suffer all my life..."
The old woman began to wipe tears.
The youth, Ma Kuzhuan, placed his hand on the old woman's bony, skin-covered hand.
The old woman looked at her grandson. There was finally some emotion in the youth's eyes. She smiled, comforted, and patted his hand in return. "Your grandmother, I have no luck. Your grandfather had a conscience but no ability. Unreliable. Your son has ability but no conscience. Also unreliable. So you're all I have left to think about. If you don't amount to anything, then all the suffering I've endured in this life will have been for nothing. Suffering isn't the problem. Just don't end up like your grandmother. You have to make something of yourself, make a big name for yourself. Anyone who bullies you, bully them back to death. Don't ever be a good person. As for being a bad person, it's okay once in a while. Just don't go out of your way to hurt people for no reason. You might get your comeuppance, right? Old Man Heaven likes to doze off all year long, but he opens his eyes sometimes. If he catches you red-handed, oh dear..."
The youth had heard these old, stale sayings since he was a child. His ears had probably long since calloused—not just once, but several layers of calluses. But the youth never withdrew his hand, letting his grandmother gently hold it.
The old woman suddenly asked, "Why do you like that little slut Zhigui?"
The youth smiled. "She's pretty, isn't she?"
The old woman slapped his hand a little harder. "Heartless little maggot! You won't even tell your grandmother the truth?"
The youth chuckled. "Grandma, don't worry. It's a good thing."
The old woman was skeptical but set the question aside for now and changed the subject. "Do you know why your parents didn't want you?"
The youth smiled. "The family was poor back then. They couldn't afford to raise me?"
The old woman suddenly raised her voice, shrieking, "Poor? Our Ma family for seven or eight generations has never been a poor household. We've just been playing the part of the humble for so long that even the master doesn't know how to act anymore. Actually, our ancestors left a family rule: no matter how rich, never build a house on Fulu Street, and not on Taoye Lane either. Those parents of yours, who deserve to be struck by lightning—if they were poor, could they wear gold and silver every day? Eat fine food every meal? They haven't missed out on a single pleasure except not daring to move to where the four surnames and ten clans gather to show off. What good things have they ever missed?"
Every time she talked about her son and daughter-in-law, the old woman ground her teeth in hatred. She sneered, "Those ancestor's rules are just stuff buried in the ground and rotting into mud. How many years have passed? How much are they worth now? Grandson, when you make it big, don't take them too seriously. Your grandmother has lived a long time and seen plenty of rich and poor. In the end, only useless people choose to be honest!"
Ma Kuzhuan smiled brilliantly. It was unclear whether he found it reasonable or ridiculous.
This youth had been like this since childhood. He could endure any loss, tolerate any bullying. But when it came to some things, he was so stubborn that even his grandmother couldn't persuade him.
The old woman thought for a moment, then got up and ran to check that the courtyard gate was bolted. She returned to the room, sat down, and lowered her voice. "Grandson, don't think your grandmother has been playing tricks all these years. Besides being a midwife, I just give people a bowl of charm water or shamelessly collect junk. But let me tell you, those old things I collected back are absolutely priceless treasures..."
The youth resumed his lazy demeanor. Clearly, he had no interest in the old woman's big box of junk.
The old woman continued to recount her various swindles and tricks from earlier days, brimming with pride.
Ma Kuzhuan suddenly asked, "Grandma, did Chen Ping'an of Niping Alley's father die..."
The old woman's face changed drastically. She quickly reached out and covered her grandson's mouth. Harshly, she said, "Some things can be done but not said!"
The youth smiled and nodded, not pressing further.
After that, the old woman lost her enthusiasm for bragging about past glories. She looked listless, her mind heavy, occasionally glancing out the window at the night scene.
Ma Kuzhuan laughed and asked, "Grandma, you've been a witch in our town for so many years. All the neighbors in Apricot Flower Lane say you can cross the boundary between yin and yang and summon dead souls back to the land of the living..."
The old woman rolled her eyes. "Other people believe in that smoke and mirrors, but do you? I'm someone who's even afraid of thunder. If I really saw a ghost, I'd scare myself to death!"
"Don't be afraid, Grandma."
The youth, Ma Kuzhuan, said softly with a smile, "People and ghosts walk different paths. Immortals and mortals are separate. The great Dao faces the heavens—each walks their own side."
---
Dawn.
Ning Yao slowly opened her eyes inside the grassy shelter.
The youth was nowhere to be seen.
She quickly got up, bent down, and walked out. With a light point of her toe, she jumped onto the massive shoulder of the side-lying, ruined statue.
In the distance, the grass-shoe youth was running toward her, his pace neither hurried nor slow, not like he was being chased. When he saw the ink-green girl, he quickly waved for her to come down.
Ning Yao jumped down from the statue's shoulder and stood in front of the youth.
"The old ape didn't find us here," Chen Ping'an said.
After that, he faced the headless statue, pressed his palms together, bowed his head, and muttered something. Ning Yao vaguely heard something about begging not to blame her. She rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Then Chen Ping'an said mysteriously, in a low voice, "Let me take you to see two statues. They're very interesting!"
Ning Yao asked, "Did the immortals and bodhisattvas show themselves and come out to see you? So sincerity works?"
Chen Ping'an looked a bit embarrassed. "Miss Ning, that's really..."
Ning Yao raised an eyebrow.
With lightning speed, Chen Ping'an continued, "Any sentence that starts like that must be from someone who's read books!"
Ning Yao instantly transformed into a different person. She coughed a few times and silently recited, "Composure, composure."
The youth led the way, and the girl quietly followed.
Ning Yao unconsciously raised a finger and rubbed between her eyebrows.
What a close call.
The girl struggled internally for a long time, took a deep breath, and then weakly said two words: "Thank you."
The youth, who had been keeping his eyes and ears open all along, naturally heard the girl's sudden thanks. Deep down, he didn't think she owed him thanks—he should be thanking her instead.
But Chen Ping'an had no idea how to respond, so he just ignored it.
Chen Ping'an suddenly stopped and looked blankly toward the south. He muttered to himself, "What if the old ape has already been expelled by Teacher Qi, and that's why he didn't chase us?"
The girl was silent.
Chen Ping'an continued walking, showing no change.
Ning Yao quickened her step to walk beside him. She couldn't help asking, "Chen Ping'an, are you okay?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I'm fine. I know some things are just like that. If you can't do anything, you can't do anything."
The youth had never read any books, so he didn't know that phrase. Put another way: human strength always has its limits.
Ning Yao suddenly stopped. When the youth turned around in confusion, she pointed at the red mark between her brows. "I know you're curious but too polite to ask. Let me tell you the truth. This is my killer move, Ning Yao's trump card. That old ape of Zhengyang Mountain is formidable, right? He chased us like stray dogs, didn't he? But inside this aperture between my brows, I have a tenth birthday gift from my mother—my lifebound object. If it comes out, that old ape is dead, and not just him..."
At this point, the girl cut herself off and skipped ahead. "I'm telling you this because I want you to know: the world is vast. Don't underestimate yourself, and don't be discouraged. You've already started martial arts, haven't you? Why not practice swordsmanship too!"
Chen Ping'an asked, "Would you teach me swordsmanship?"
Ning Yao said matter-of-factly, "My talent is too good. I learned swords very early and advanced in realms very quickly. But I haven't the slightest idea how to teach anyone else!"
Chen Ping'an scratched his head.
Ning Yao thought for a moment and said seriously, "Even if I wanted to give you that flying sword, it wouldn't agree. And I won't insult it that way. Where I come from, we believe that any sword with spirit is a fellow traveler on the path."
Finally, Ning Yao unbuckled the snow-white scabbard from her waist. "But I can give you this scabbard!"
Chen Ping'an was completely confused. "Why?"
Ning Yao slapped Chen Ping'an's shoulder firmly and said meaningfully, "You've got the scabbard now. Is the sword immortal far behind?"
Chen Ping'an took the empty scabbard dumbly, stunned. "What?"
Ning Yao strode forward.
At that moment, the girl only felt she had done something extremely cool. Nothing more.
Chen Ping'an carefully carried the scabbard, wondering where on earth he was going to find a sword.
(Sanqi Chinese)