Chapter 92: The Little Bamboo Book Box
Deep water makes no sound, heavy rain does not last long.
This torrential downpour had already turned into a drizzling rain not long after Chen Ping'an and A Liang returned to the big tree. Raindrops kept falling from the leaves. When Chen Ping'an returned to the tree, the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket was full of worry. Chen Ping'an gave her a bright smile, rubbed her little head, and quietly said it was nothing. The girl's face suddenly lit up like an unexpected rainbow after the rain, clean enough to make one's heart tremble. At that moment, Chen Ping'an suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but he didn't know how to speak for a while. Many words were stuck in his heart, so he could only silently practice the sword furnace standing stance.
A Liang saw this scene and smiled knowingly, but Li Huai's words quickly ruined A Liang's good mood. "A Liang, A Liang, I heard Chen Ping'an say you went up the mountain to take a shit, because then you wouldn't have to wipe your ass." A Liang chuckled and asked, "Did Chen Ping'an really say that?" Li Huai glanced at Chen Ping'an, who was standing not far away, probably afraid that A Liang would confront him face to face. He also learned from A Liang's tone and chuckled, "Although Chen Ping'an didn't say it out loud, I think he must have thought so. Of course I don't think you're that kind of person, A Liang. I even explained it to Sister Zhu Lu specifically, and patted my chest to guarantee that you, A Liang, are not like that." A Liang gently pulled Li Huai's ear, lowered his head and smiled, "Oh?" Li Huai said with a pained expression, "A Liang, it's all Chen Ping'an's fault. He's not a good person. Do you want me to scold him for you?" A Liang twisted that little bastard's ear hard, "Do you think I, A Liang, am easy to fool?" Li Huai screamed, but unfortunately no one was willing to pay attention. Li Huai immediately changed his tune, "A Liang, A Liang, I have a sister named Li Liu. The name is a bit unpleasant, but she's really pretty. I'm definitely not lying to you. Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing, those two lechers, both secretly like my sister. Dong Shuijing comes to our house for meals for no reason at all. Every time he sees my sister, that grown man blushes. It's disgusting. A Liang, I think you're much better than Dong Shuijing. You're handsome and have a good temper, you can ride a donkey and drink. Do you want me to help you get to know my sister later?"
A Liang quickly let go of Li Huai's ear, placed both hands gently on Li Huai's shoulders, pressed down, and laughed, "Let's squat down and talk slowly."
Chen Ping'an walked up to Zhu He and Zhu Lu, father and daughter, and asked, "Uncle Zhu He, can we talk?"
The man grinned and said, "I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time. Let's take a walk. The rain is light anyway."
The two walked side by side out from under the shade of the nameless big tree, whose canopy was like a mountain peak. Before Chen Ping'an could ask, Zhu He took the initiative to state his background and origins. "Chen Ping'an, since so many strange things have happened in the small town before, and since you managed to survive under the Mountain Moving Ape of Zhengyang Mountain and even became an allied partner with that outlandish young lady, I reckon you already know a lot of things. So I won't hide anything. After all, the safety of the young miss is the most important thing. Both of us, father and daughter, are family-born servants of the Li family. We've been menial servants for generations, earning our meals from the master Li family. Although it sounds pitiful, it's not as miserable as you think. From the Old Ancestor, whom we see only a few times a year, to the family head, and then to our young miss Bao Ping, no one treats us as servants. Especially the young miss and my daughter, their relationship is no worse than that of biological sisters in an ordinary family."
When he said this, the middle-aged man turned his head and looked at his daughter standing under the big tree, looking into the distance. She was at the age when a girl's figure is just beginning to develop, not yet fully grown. Perhaps in another year, she would be a real grown-up girl. He felt that his daughter would not be inferior to any young lady in the capital of Dali. He had always been proud of this and firmly believed that his daughter Zhu Lu would surely shine brightly in Dali in the future.
One must know that Dali has always respected women, not prohibiting them from joining the battlefield to fight bravely. The late emperor of Dali even specially ordered the Ministry of Rites to establish a complete set of military merit titles for female martial artists and cultivators, pioneering a new path for the continent. This was once heavily criticized by scholars headed by the Guanhu Academy, sparking a great upheaval, with the spearhead directed straight at the northern barbarian Dali dynasty. If it hadn't been for Qi Jingchun, the mountain master of Shanya Academy, who overrode objections and pushed back against the court and public opinion, the young emperor at that time might have been forced to retract his imperial decree.
Zhu He laughed, "Back when I was found to have the talent and aptitude for martial arts, the family didn't hesitate to spend a fortune to train me, Zhu He, which is why I have my current skills. My daughter Zhu Lu is similar. If it weren't for her own lack of perseverance, failing at the second realm of martial arts, her future achievements would be higher than mine, this father of hers, without a doubt. After the Old Ancestor discovered that Zhu Lu was a good seedling for martial arts, he told me personally that Zhu Lu has the hope of reaching the legendary seventh realm of martial artists. I, Zhu He, am only barely at the fifth realm."
Saying this, Zhu He felt somewhat disappointed. For a martial artist to advance in realms, without comparable opponents to fight to the death, without life-and-death tempering on the edge of a precipice, relying solely on talent would definitely not go far. Moreover, once you miss the opportunity and cannot push through in one go, your spirit and drive will gradually diminish, weakening again and exhausting thrice, completely cutting off the path to the summit.
Zhu He suppressed the gloom in his heart and continued, "This time, we were tasked with escorting the young miss out of Dali. Firstly, we are the closest, and our skills are decent. Secondly, we are family-born servants of the Li family. I dare not claim to have great skills, but at least we are loyal. Thirdly, this is the young miss's first long journey, and she needs someone meticulous to take care of her daily life. Zhu Lu is the right person. Fourthly, well, our young miss is the Old Ancestor's most beloved younger generation. Actually, the person who was originally supposed to truly escort the young miss on this journey was none other than the Old Ancestor himself. But after Master Ruan's Snow Wind Temple sect mate, that A Liang, appeared, the Old Ancestor returned to the small town. Because now that the town's restrictions are gone, it can freely absorb the world's spiritual energy. It's like cultivating in a blessed cave heaven. The Old Ancestor is on the verge of breaking through to the next realm, and the opportunity must not be missed. Anyway, with A Liang acting as a personal bodyguard, there shouldn't be any problems."
Zhu He thought for a moment and explained, "Our Old Ancestor has unique insight and a broad mind. Although he dotes on the young miss deeply, when it comes to the young miss traveling far for studies, not only does the Old Ancestor not insist on keeping her by his side and protecting her under his wings, he actually explicitly stated that the little girl not only has to go to Shanya Academy, but also that for the latter part of the journey, she must go on her own. The descendants of the Li family should have such boldness."
Zhu He suddenly laughed out loud, "But after saying that, the Old Ancestor immediately looked worried again, muttering endlessly, 'But our little Bao Ping is not even ten years old yet! Can't we talk about boldness later?' In the end, when the Old Ancestor made up his mind not to follow in secret all the way, he kept turning back with every step, like an old child, for the first time ever. So Zhu Lu told me privately that the Old Ancestor is truly good to the young miss."
Zhu He said gratefully, "The young miss is also good to my Zhu Lu. Since childhood, the young miss has liked to chat with Zhu Lu and watch her practice martial arts. Zhu Lu's achievements today are largely due to the young miss's contributions."
Chen Ping'an sighed in relief. "Uncle Zhu He, with you all here, I can rest assured."
In the small town, besides Mr. Qi, Chen Ping'an didn't trust anyone.
Even Master Ruan, as Chen Ping'an had told Li Bao Ping, he only trusted the promise of a sage of this world, certain rules that Mr. Qi had once observed, not Master Ruan himself.
This was an indescribable intuition. It could be said to be innate, but more often than not, it was forged through hardship, just like the medicine the straw-sandal boy had brewed for that Miss Ning.
The same went for A Liang and Zhu He earlier, no exception.
Chen Ping'an was not someone who had never known hardship and therefore naively treated everyone well. The hardships of life, the ugliness of the human heart, the tribulations of poverty—the lonely and helpless boy had long engraved them into his bones.
Zhu He patted the boy's slender shoulder. Under his pat, the toughness and resilience of the bones surprised this fifth-realm martial artist somewhat, but he quickly accepted it. If not for this, how could he have directly faced the Mountain Moving Ape? He, Zhu He, would absolutely not have such courage and ability. But just thinking about it, Zhu He couldn't help but sigh. He wasn't even forty yet, and had his ambition already been completely worn away? He was even inferior to a boy who had just begun to stagger along the path of martial arts.
Zhu He was also a bit curious, and asked with a smile, "Although I have never left the small town and don't know the rules of the outside world's martial arts community, the Old Ancestor once mentioned casually that when meeting fellow martial artists in the mundane world, there are many taboos. For example, 'monks don't speak their names, Daoists don't speak their age,' and also that one may ask about their master's lineage but not about their martial arts techniques. But I'm really curious: how did you escape from under the Mountain Moving Ape? I only heard about that chase in the small town later from the Old Ancestor."
Chen Ping'an looked a bit embarrassed. "Actually, I was just constantly fleeing for my life, from the Clay Vase Alley all the way into the mountains. If it weren't for Miss Ning, I would have died long ago."
Zhu He hesitated for a moment, then softly reminded him, "Cherish these good karmic connections—the one with that Miss Ning, and the one with Master Ruan... Master Ruan. Be careful to maintain them steadily, and never let them break."
Chen Ping'an was a bit puzzled.
Zhu He said with emotion, "We are just frogs at the bottom of the well of the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven. The differences between us are limited. For instance, between you and me, in martial arts cultivation, the difference is at most five realms. As for status, I, a family-born servant, have no right to look down on someone with a clean background like you? But in the world outside the well, it will be very different. The farther you go and the longer you stay outside, the more thoroughly you will understand."
Chen Ping'an said sincerely, "I haven't thought that far ahead."
Zhu He laughed heartily, "You can start thinking about it now."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
He always cherished the goodwill of others.
As for the malice of others, if he couldn't reason with them temporarily, he would keep it in his heart and never forget it.
After all, the road was still long.
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Under the big tree, Li Huai, who had just sold out his sister Li Liu, now felt particularly brazen in front of A Liang. He said carelessly, "A Liang, later I'll have Chen Ping'an make you a wine gourd. You give me that small gourd at your waist. We're one family, so I won't treat you poorly. Anyway, this one of yours looks old and worn-out, not worthy of the status of my brother-in-law!"
A Liang said mysteriously, "What the hell do you know? This gourd is called a Sword-Nurturing Gourd. It's a rare good thing in the whole world. It may look unremarkable, but it's very valuable. How many sisters do you have? One is definitely not enough!"
Seeing A Liang talk to him with such a rare tough tone, the little brat felt a bit uncertain. He stared at the small gourd with longing eyes, reluctantly raised his head, and tentatively asked, "How about I have my parents give birth to a few more sisters? We can talk about this, right?"
A Liang covered his forehead.
He suddenly remembered walking down the hillside with Chen Ping'an earlier, where the boy had compared himself to Zhu He, a fifth-realm martial artist. A Liang let go of his hand, sighed, picked up a withered branch, and scratched on the ground.
Li Huai leaned over to look. It was a crookedly written character, honestly not as good as his own, an elementary school student, let alone Lin Shouyi, whom even Mr. Qi said was not vulgar.
Li Huai found it more and more embarrassing to look at. After seeing A Liang's handwriting and then glancing at the silver-white wine gourd at his waist, after a fierce inner struggle, Li Huai said, "A Liang, your handwriting is so ugly. I've decided I won't be your brother-in-law anymore. My parents both hope my sister will marry a scholar in the future."
A Liang slowly raised his head, looking utterly bewildered. "Is it really that ugly?"
Li Huai nodded heavily with a grave expression.
The child thought that if his sister Li Liu dared to snatch food from him again in the future, he would scold her for being ungrateful. After all, he had given up that Sword-Nurturing Gourd for her.
A Liang, with an expression of "you're too young to understand," chuckled, "Impossible. I'm not bragging to you. In a place far, far away from here, countless people saw this character and all gave a thumbs up."
Li Huai asked doubtfully, "To your face?"
A Liang said dryly, "So I've heard, so I've heard."
Li Huai said, "That's what I thought. Who would have the nerve to tell you to your face that it's well written? I'll become their disciple. I doubt even my mother could out-scold them."
A Liang sneered, "If you want to become their disciple, will they accept you?"
Li Huai said seriously, "Not accept? Are they blind?"
A Liang covered his forehead again, because that person was indeed blind.
A Liang decided it was better to talk less with this little bastard. He looked up and glanced around, left and right, finally seeing the girl Zhu Lu. He laughed, "Zhu Lu, do you want to learn swordsmanship? I have some interest in drawing my sword now..."
Not far away, Zhu Lu was worrying about her young miss.
The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket was holding her cheeks with both hands, staring in the direction her little master had left, frowning tightly.
Hearing A Liang's words, the girl said angrily, "Go cool off somewhere!"
A Liang looked innocent and confused: "It just rained so heavily. Look, I'm soaked through."
The girl realized her mistake but still sneered, "Sloppy, unlearned, not a good person!"
A Liang said indignantly, "Little Bao Ping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, am I a good person?!"
Li Huai poured oil on the fire: "Just seems like a good person. But if you give me the wine gourd, you'll be a good person."
Lin Shouyi said coldly, "Don't trick me into drinking anymore. Master has long said that scholars writing a hundred poems after drinking a dou of wine is all fake."
Only the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket secretly smiled at A Liang. A Liang immediately felt warm inside, gave her a thumbs up, and turned a deaf ear to the taunts of the other two.
A Liang's experience in the martial world was not for nothing after all.
When Chen Ping'an and Zhu He returned, the group set off again.
When the Dragon Tail Creek, which originally flowed southeast, turned due south and became the Tie Fu River, newly marked in red on the local gazetteers of Dali, the river suddenly surged, its waters rising greatly.
The width and depth of the river far surpassed that of the previous creek.
On Chen Ping'an's suggestion, they took a short break, cooked rice here, and continued on after lunch.
Li Huai stood by the river, hands on his hips, clicking his tongue. "A Liang, have you ever seen such a big river before?"
A Liang, riding his white donkey, glanced at the junction of the creek and river, then looked back, and finally laughed at Li Huai, "The big rivers I've seen are more than the grains of rice you've eaten."
Li Huai was immediately displeased. "A Liang, do you feel uncomfortable if you don't brag for a day?!"
A Liang ignored him, walked over to the boy setting up a simple stove, and said softly, "Come, let's walk by the river. I have something to tell you."
Chen Ping'an was taken aback, then asked Zhu Lu, the Li family's maidservant, for help. Li Bao Ping, on the journey, had already been able to help a lot, even becoming familiar with helping A Liang feed the white donkey. So she quickly helped Sister Zhu Lu cook, telling her little master in a playful manner to just go for a walk by the river, she had everything under control.
These days, the little girl insisted on carrying her own basket and managing everything she could by herself.
Every time the boy practiced his punches and stances, she would often silently accompany him, imitating him, innocent and adorable.
The two walked to the riverbank and then followed the river downstream.
A Liang said frankly, "I really like little Bao Ping. Of course, you like her even more than I do."
Chen Ping'an looked back. The little girl was bustling about over there, her legs churning like wheels. Compared to Lin Shouyi, who only did what was told, and Li Huai, who never lifted a finger, although Li Bao Ping was young, she was full of vitality. Just looking at her was like seeing a beautiful spring.
Chen Ping'an nodded.
A Liang continued, "But you always feel something is wrong, don't you?"
Chen Ping'an let out an "mm." "Ever since she had that long talk with me about martial arts, she said a lot all at once. But after that, it seems she doesn't like to talk much anymore."
A Liang asked, "Did you say something to her full of expectation? Like what kind of person you hope she will become?"
Chen Ping'an turned his head abruptly, his face full of shock.
A Liang probably didn't want to inadvertently hurt with words, so he carefully chose his words. He simply stopped walking, squatted by the river, and gently tossed pebbles. After the boy squatted down beside him, A Liang said softly, "Deep feelings don't last long, high intelligence leads to injury. Ordinary people naturally don't qualify for these sayings, but Li Bao Ping is different. Although she's still young, the first point is certainly not an issue yet, but the second point is already applicable. She sees you, Chen Ping'an, as her support. So a careless word or a careless action from you will deeply lodge in the little girl's heart. Words are strange; they pile up in the heart word by word, sentence by sentence. You might think my explanation sounds like a half-bucket scholar or a sour bookworm, but the principle is indeed correct."
Chen Ping'an let out a soft breath. "It's my fault. At the time, I was afraid she didn't have confidence to make it to Shanya Academy, so I said I hoped she could become a female scholar, a little master."
A Liang smiled. "'It's my fault'? Chen Ping'an, you're wrong."
The boy was puzzled.
A Liang didn't look at the boy but lazily gazed at the calm river surface. "You just didn't do better, but you didn't do wrong."
The boy was even more confused. These two statements were different in wording, but didn't they lead to the same result?
A Liang finally turned his head, as if seeing through the boy's thoughts at a glance. He shook his head. "Very different. Do you know why good people in this world feel more and more aggrieved? Like Qi Jingchun, the Mr. Qi you know. He could have acted more decisively, but in the end, he ended up so humiliated and stifled? And then you look around, and the bad people seem to live more freely and happily. For example, the two enemies you mentioned to me earlier—the Zhengyang Mountain Mountain Guard Ape and the young city lord of Old Dragon City Fu. When they return to their own turf, they indeed live very comfortably. One has a lofty status, basking in respect while resting on his laurels; the other is ambitious, aiming for the north."
A Liang looked at the boy lost in thought and laughed freely. "So, being a good person is very tiring. You must not, after being a good person, feel that you did wrong just because you didn't get a reward or received an unexpected response. Even less should you think that you never have to be a good person again. That... is not right!"
A Liang's face turned serious, and he emphasized, "That is not right!"
A Liang laughed again, returning to his usual carefree rogue demeanor. "Of course, Li Bao Ping is fine. The little girl is just repaying you in her own way. Don't misunderstand."
Chen Ping'an shook his head vigorously. "No, no."
A Liang nodded. "That's why I was willing to tell you all this."
He sat down on the ground, placing the bamboo knife horizontally on his knees. "You know, I rarely reason with people. As for my principles..."
A Liang paused briefly, patting the green bamboo knife on his knee. "They used to be in the sword; now, for the time being, they are in this knife."
Even when it wasn't raining and the sun wasn't strong, A Liang wore that inconspicuous bamboo-woven rain hat. He adjusted the hat casually. "If your character didn't suit my taste, even if that hairpin was as meaningful as I imagined, even if you were someone chosen by Qi Jingchun, I wouldn't bother with these words. At most, I'd take you to Dali, or if I'm in a good mood, I'd just drop you off at the Sui Dynasty. What's so hard about that for me?"
This smiling, joking man took on a different demeanor when serious, gently patting the bamboo knife. "To me, A Liang, a person lives between heaven and earth. The road must be walked by oneself, words must be spoken by oneself, and one must be oneself. I think you, Chen Ping'an, should be the same. You don't have to be exactly like me, but you must have a straight spine, big enough fists, hard enough bones, and most importantly, high enough swordsmanship!"
A Liang laughed heartily. "Don't forget, the most important thing is to live long enough!"
Chen Ping'an said honestly, "A Liang, although I understand some of it and not all of it, I will remember it all. Whenever I encounter something in the future, I will take it out and think it over carefully."
A Liang nodded, gratified. "That's enough."
A Liang stood up first, took a few steps, then turned back and said, "Chen Ping'an, I've run out of my dry rations."
After saying that, A Liang walked briskly away towards Li Bao Ping and Zhu Lu, shouting, "Is it time to eat? Is it time to eat?!"
He left a dumbfounded boy behind.
After all that talk, going around in such a big circle, this guy just wanted to freeload a meal fair and square?
Chen Ping'an smiled and followed.
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One evening, as the group passed by a lush green bamboo forest in the mountains, the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket tugged at Chen Ping'an's sleeve, pointed in that direction, and asked softly, "Little Master, bamboo grove! Isn't it pretty?"
The boy, busy traveling, hummed in acknowledgment and continued on his way, because they were about to reach what A Liang called the post road, the official road of the Dali court.
The little girl said nothing, adjusted the basket on her back, and still followed closely behind the boy.
That night, sleeping in the narrow cowhide tent Zhu Lu had set up, the little girl remembered something, pouted a little, feeling wronged, but finally told herself that her little master was already very good, very good. Then she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the sleepy-eyed little girl dared not sleep in, afraid of delaying her little master's scheduled journey. She quickly dressed, put on the straw sandals her little master had made for her, and the moment she crawled out of the tent, she was stunned.
Right outside the tent was a beautiful little bamboo book box.
The little girl stared for a long time, and then suddenly burst into loud sobs.
The boy, who had been busy all night, was sleeping in the distance. Awakened by the crying, he quickly got up and ran over. Standing in front of the little girl, Chen Ping'an was at a loss for words for a moment, scratching his head, not knowing how to comfort her. He had thought the little girl would be happy when she saw the little bamboo box at dawn.
Seeing Li Bao Ping so sad, Chen Ping'an's heart ached terribly.
The little girl cried with her eyes closed for a long time. When she opened her eyes and saw Chen Ping'an, she suddenly stopped crying, quickly ran to him, hugged him tightly, and choked out, "Little Master, I'm sorry!"
Chen Ping'an could only gently pat the little girl's head. "Don't cry, don't cry."
The little girl just cried, as if heartbroken.
Chen Ping'an said softly, "Don't you like the little bamboo box? Did little master make it poorly? It's okay, next time I can change the style. I can't help it; your little master has only seen a book box once before. When we get to a lively place outside and you see a nice book box, just tell your little master..."
The little girl looked up, her face covered in tears. "I like it! I've never liked anything more!"
But the more she liked it, the more she felt she had no conscience, and the more ashamed she felt towards her little master. She crouched down and sobbed, not daring to look at him.
Chen Ping'an thought of A Liang's words from yesterday and suddenly understood. He crouched down, patted the little girl's head, and said softly, "Li Bao Ping, do you know? Your little master is really happy to be able to go on this long journey to study with you. I just never told you before, so I'm telling you now. If you can still like this cheap little bamboo book box, then your little master will be even happier. Really, I'm not lying."
The little girl slowly raised her head, but still covered her face with her hands. She only dared to peek through her fingers, revealing those intelligent eyes, and asked timidly through sobs, "Little master isn't lying?"
The boy's eyes were clear. He nodded. "Your little master does lie sometimes, but he doesn't lie to Li Bao Ping."
The little girl quickly took her hands away, her smile radiant.
She was again the carefree, innocent little girl in the boy's memory.
So the boy smiled radiantly too.
Some people's hearts are like trees and flowers, all turning towards the sun to grow.
The little master and the little girl were especially like that.