Chapter 54: The Enemy is at Hand

Chapter 54: The Enemy is at Hand

Chen Ping'an led Ning Yao to stand before a five-colored divine statue. It was roughly a head taller than a grown man, originally possessing three pairs of arms, but now only the uppermost arm with a clenched fist remained, raised high, and the lowest arm, its hand clasped in a "handshake" pose. The reason a single arm could form a handshake was that the divine statue's ten fingers were interlaced, so even though the other arm had been severed at the shoulder, the palm and wrist still remained behind.

The five-colored clay statue was of an armored divine being, with a great beard and clanging armor that featured a continuous pattern of scales. The edges of the armor plates were adorned with two strings of beads, the connected beads plump and full. Compared to Liu Xianyang's heirloom warty armor, which was hideous, this was like the difference between Zhigui and Granny Ma in terms of sheer appearance.

The statue stood atop a square black stone base. Unlike the headless divine statue where they had lodged the previous night, this painted statue, despite having many broken arms and faded paint, still exuded a vibrant spirit. The most important feature was at the waist of the clay divine being: its hands were intertwined in an extremely peculiar gesture.

Ning Yao saw the key at a glance and understood why Chen Ping'an had hurriedly brought her here. She nodded and said, "It does look somewhat like the standing stance from the Mountain Shaking Manual, but it's a bit different from the sword furnace in the manual."

Ning Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Can you find any other broken arms nearby?"

Chen Ping'an crouched on the ground, a look of regret on his face as he shook his head. "I've looked but didn't find anything. They've probably long been trampled to pieces by the kids who come here to play hide-and-seek. Over so many years, these earthen gods and clay bodhisattvas have probably endured all kinds of suffering. Look at this one—the highest fist is missing a large chunk at the wrist, and there are many cracks around it. It's clearly been vandalized with slingshots or pebbles. The kids in this town are all like this. The more the adults forbid them from playing here, the more they love sneaking over to catch crickets and dig for wild vegetables. Especially when it snows each year, there are often dozens of people having snowball fights here, making a huge racket. Once they get carried away, they don't care about anything. When I was little, we also liked to compete to see who could climb higher, and some even climbed onto the statues' heads to pee, competing to see who could urinate farther. So over the years, not a single statue has remained intact. Actually, when I was a child, there were a few wooden statues too, but later I heard that some lazy guys hated the effort of going up the mountain to chop firewood, so they targeted them. Just as winter was beginning, they secretly hauled them home, chopped them up, and burned them."

The boy kept mumbling, a hint of melancholy in his voice. "At the time, Old Man Yao thought I had no talent for kiln work and sent me up the mountain to make charcoal. If I had been in town when I heard about this, I would have tried to persuade them not to. If that didn't work, I would have offered to chop wood for them. Earthen gods, wood immortals, and clay bodhisattvas—though they never show their divine power, they are still bodhisattvas and immortals. How could anyone do such a heartless thing as chopping them up for firewood..."

The focus of Ning Yao and Chen Ping'an at this moment was entirely different.

Ning Yao held her chin with one hand and propped up her elbow with the other, her eyes gleaming as she slowly said, "If I'm not mistaken, the sword furnace in your family's manual was derived from this. But not from the hands you see now—it was from the middle pair of arms on this Daoist Guardian statue. The sword furnace was formed by the hand seal of those missing arms. Although I don't know why the author of the manual chose only one and didn't use the gesture we see now, I can be certain of one thing: the sword furnace, or the Daoist Guardian's Finger Sword Hand Seal, might come in different sizes."

Chen Ping'an was completely lost but still took the opportunity to correct her, "The manual is Gu Can's. I'm just keeping it safe."

Ning Yao didn't bother arguing with Chen Ping'an. She pointed at the Daoist Guardian statue's sword furnace posture and explained, "See that? In the manual, it's the little finger of the right hand that sticks out. But here, nine fingers are entwined, encircled, and locked together, with only the left index finger extended—a single branch shining alone. The purpose is to form the sword hand seal, ultimately to nurture that index finger."

Ning Yao continued, lost in thought, "In all my years traveling through this world of yours, I've seen the Four Heavenly Kings in many temples and various Daoist Guardian statues from different temples. But this clay statue..."

Chen Ping'an waited for her to continue, but after a long silence, he had to ask, "Is there something strange about it?"

Ning Yao nodded seriously and said, "It's the shortest."

The boy crouching on the ground said nothing, just gave her a thumbs up.

Ning Yao turned to ask, "Have you ever seen a Daoist Guardian statue taller than your Cloak Cloud Mountain?"

"Of course not," Chen Ping'an said, puzzled. "Is Cloak Cloud Mountain on our side?"

Ning Yao realized her mistake and explained, "It's the highest mountain around here. A long, long time ago, it's said that a Daoist master buried a Heavenly Master Seal there to suppress the dragon energy of this land."

Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up. "Do you know roughly where it is? Can we dig it up?"

Ning Yao smirked. "What, want to dig it up and sell it for money?"

Found out, Chen Ping'an blushed slightly and admitted honestly, "Well, I wouldn't necessarily sell it. If it's something good and valuable, keeping it at home as a family heirloom would be fine too."

Ning Yao pointed at the money-obsessed boy and said in exasperation, "If you ever establish your own sect, I imagine that with a sect leader like you who is so thrifty and manages so well, your disciples and guests would never have to worry about food or clothing for life and could just lie back and enjoy themselves."

Chen Ping'an hadn't thought that far ahead. As for establishing a sect, he didn't even understand what that meant.

He stood up and asked, "So, regardless of size, this can be considered a type of sword furnace?"

Ning Yao nodded. "The large and small sword furnaces correspond to the left and right hands. The true object of nurturing is definitely not the left index finger or the right little finger. Instead, it flows backward along the path until..."

At this point, Ning Yao closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't even need to form a hand seal or take a stance to feel the connection. Opening her eyes, she bent her fingers and pointed to two spots on the back of her head: the Jade Pillow and the Heavenly Pillar acupoints. These were indeed suitable places to nurture one's life-bound flying sword. She smiled and said, "The left-hand sword furnace corresponds to here, and the right-hand points to here."

Chen Ping'an looked bewildered. "Miss Ning, I've always wanted to ask: this sword furnace is said to be a standing stance in the manual, but what does twisting your fingers like this have to do with practicing boxing? Can it build strength?"

Ning Yao was dumbfounded.

If she had to explain the specifics of martial arts or cultivation in detail, that would be too much to ask, let alone expecting her to walk through all the ups and downs along the way. For Ning Yao herself, did these dull principles even need to be spoken aloud? Wasn't it just second nature?

So, putting on a stern face, the girl scolded the boy, "Your realm isn't high enough to understand! Why ask so many questions? Just train hard in silence! What, can't take the hardship?"

Chen Ping'an was half-convinced. He cautiously asked, "Miss Ning, is that really true?"

Ning Yao folded her arms, her face the epitome of righteous conviction. She countered, "Otherwise, what?!"

Chen Ping'an didn't press further. He looked up at the painted statue, which Ning Yao had called a Daoist Guardian statue, and said, "So these are the immortals from Daoist Lu's family."

Ning Yao said helplessly, "What do you mean, 'Daoist Lu's family's immortals'? First, Daoism is a school of thought. Although it has the word 'family' in it, it's definitely not the same as the 'family' you townspeople mean. The scope of Daoism is far beyond your imagination. Even I don't know exactly how many Daoist priests there are or how many branches and sects exist. I've only heard my father say that the current ancestral courts are divided into Upper, Lower, North, and South—four main ones... Forget it, talking to you about this is like casting pearls before swine. Second, when we say 'immortals and spirits,' although you're used to lumping them together, and even common people across the world do the same, at the end of the day, spirits and immortals walk different paths. Let me give you an example: you've heard the saying, 'People strive for a breath of dignity; Buddhas compete for a stick of incense,' right?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I used to hear Granny Ma from Apricot Flower Lane say that all the time when she argued with Gu Can's mother."

Ning Yao now had an air of authority as if she were explaining the world. "Why do Buddhas compete for a stick of incense? Because spirits indeed need incense offerings. Without incense, a spirit will gradually weaken and eventually lose all its boundless powers. The principle is simple: just like a person who doesn't eat grains for several days—where would they get the strength? Why do secular courts order local officials to prohibit unauthorized shrines? They fear that the incense of the mortal world will become chaotic, allowing those who shouldn't become spirits—or whatever—to occupy divine thrones. Even if those who become spirits on their own are naturally kind and willing to protect the local people year after year without ever transgressing the rules of heaven and earth, to emperors and monarchs who claim to be descended from the 'True Dragon,' these unauthorized shrines without official titles are nothing more than chaos in the local feng shui. They are like warlord separatist regimes, weakening the dynasty's fortune, and undermining the foundation. In the end, it shortens the lifespan of the dynasty. After all, how can one allow others to snore beside one's own bed?"

"As for immortals, it's simple. Most of the outsiders you see fall into that category. Even that old ape from Zheng Yang Mountain counts as half an immortal. They all walk the Great Path themselves, climbing the mountain step by step toward immortality and the summit. Those who cultivate are also known as Qi Refiners, and the practice of cultivation is called 'seeking immortality' or 'cultivating truth.'"

Chen Ping'an asked, "So is this Daoist Guardian a spirit or an immortal? According to Miss Ning, it should be considered an immortal within Daoism, right?"

Ning Yao's expression was solemn. She shook her head slightly and did not reveal any more secrets.

Suddenly, she frowned.

A pebble shot out of nowhere, slamming heavily into the fist of the Guardian statue that rose above its head, sending chips flying.

Ning Yao waved her hand to clear the dust and debris above her.

Chen Ping'an stood up and followed Ning Yao's gaze. He turned his head and saw an unexpected figure.

A short, dark, and skinny boy was crouching on a toppled statue not far away. In one hand, he kept tossing a pebble and catching it.

Chen Ping'an turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ning Yao and said softly, "His name is Ma Kuxuan. He's Granny Ma's grandson from Apricot Flower Lane. A very strange person, never liked to talk since he was a child. Last time I ran into him by the creek, he actually spoke to me first. He obviously knew a long time ago that the Snake Gallstone was very valuable."

The boy named Ma Kuxuan stood up, continued weighing the pebble in his hand, and grinned at Ning Yao and Chen Ping'an. Without any preamble, he said, "If I go to the Li manor on Fortune and Emolument Street and tell that old ape from Zheng Yang Mountain that I've found you two, I figure I could get a bag of money. But if you give me two bags of money, I can pretend I didn't see anything. Let me be clear: this is just business. Don't think about silencing me. All these spirits and bodhisattvas on the ground are watching us. Be careful you don't get divine retribution."

Flushed with anger, Ning Yao was about to speak, but Chen Ping'an grabbed her arm. Stepping forward, he said to Ma Kuxuan in a deep voice, "If I'm willing to pay, will you really not tell anyone?"

Ma Kuxuan was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't expected the boy and girl to be so agreeable, actually willing to do business with him.

But he was too lazy to keep up the act. He pulled out an exquisite, valuable-looking money pouch, tossed it casually to the ground, and laughed. "I've already been paid by the Li family. But it's not about the money for me. Chen Ping'an from Mud Vial Alley, Song Jixin's next-door neighbor, right? If you want to blame someone, blame the one beside you. She's too annoying. She ruined a lot of people's plans yesterday."

The boy curled his lips and pointed at himself. "Like me."

Chen Ping'an looked around.

Ma Kuxuan looked at Ning Yao and smiled. "Don't worry, that old ape has some business to take care of for now. So I'm taking this opportunity to ask you for something. You know what it is, don't you?"

Ning Yao sneered. "Be careful you don't get it and lose your life."

Ma Kuxuan laughed heartily. "You're not my wife, so why worry about that?"

Chen Ping'an couldn't imagine how anyone could think this aura of eerie gloominess around this boy made him look like a fool.

Ning Yao's face darkened. She nudged Chen Ping'an's shoulder and whispered a warning, "For some reason, my flying sword can't get close to this area."

Ma Kuxuan shifted his gaze slightly, grinning at Chen Ping'an. "That rooftop fight yesterday was quite impressive. I happened to see it all. Oh, and you can take off the sandbag tied to your leg now, because otherwise, you won't be able to catch me."

Chen Ping'an indeed crouched down and slowly rolled up his pant leg, keeping his eyes fixed on Ma Kuxuan.

It was only then that Ning Yao noticed, with surprise, that inside Chen Ping'an's pant leg, tied to his calf, was a thin but solid sandbag.

Chen Ping'an explained to Ning Yao, "When I was very young, Old Master Yang from the Yang family shop told me never to take it off, no matter what. I was originally planning to use it for the old ape's fourth breath, but now I think it's about right. Because I always feel that this guy named Ma Kuxuan is just as dangerous as the old ape."

Ma Kuxuan lightly jumped down from the statue, glanced at the spirited girl in her dark green long robe, and muttered to himself, "I thought I wouldn't meet my first Dao rival until I left the town. Didn't expect it to come so soon. Haha, when luck comes, you can't stop it."

Ning Yao suddenly asked, "Chen Ping'an, was that kid also hit by a cow's tail when he was little?"

Chen Ping'an stood up and gently stomped his feet, alternating left and right several times, seriously considering Miss Ning's question before answering, "Granny Ma was pretty rich, so I remember Ma Kuxuan's family's ox was especially big. That ox's tail was really scary when it swung around."

When Chen Ping'an stood up, Ma Kuxuan crouched down again, grabbing a handful of pebbles into his left hand.

Finally, the boy from Mud Vial Alley and the boy from Apricot Flower Lane, two of the same age, faced off from a distance.