Chapter 102: White Rainbow Rises from the Ground
Once bamboo gathers into a cluster, as long as it doesn't suffer too many natural disasters, it can easily become a bamboo sea.
But this small, unknown bamboo grove on Chess Block Mountain had grown slowly for thousands of years. Even with the careful protection of generations of mountain lords and earth spirits, it had never been able to usher in a bountiful harvest.
Now the young and handsome earth god of Chess Block Mountain thrust his green bamboo staff into the ground beside his feet. He crouched next to the two severed green bamboos, on the verge of tears, and said in a sorrowful, trembling voice: "This is just too much bullying. No matter how distinguished the guest, they are still a guest! How can they bully the host like this? Cutting through the formation with a single blade, exposing this treasured feng shui land—it's like coming to visit someone's home, seeing their young daughter standing gracefully, fair and beautiful, and then stripping off the daughter's clothes! What's the difference? What's the difference?"
The black serpent and white python, born from the earth essence and cloud roots of Chess Block Mountain captured by immortals, coiled at the edge of the bamboo grove. Their two sinister eyes revealed a glint of human-like schadenfreude.
A voice sounded nearby, mocking: "Then you have too many daughters, you'll be bankrupted by the dowries."
The young earth spirit jumped up in shock. All traces of sorrow and indignation vanished. He bowed apologetically to the straw-hatted man: "Please forgive my rudeness, great immortal. I am a poor man used to hardship in this small patch of land, with shallow insight. I am not like you, great immortal, who has traveled the world and seen its mountains and rivers. With your keen eyes, you must surely see that this bamboo grove is my only pitiful treasure. So even losing just two green bamboos, I could not help but grieve. I hope the great immortal will pardon my unintentional offense."
A Liang, who had returned, leaned against a tall, verdant bamboo. He looked up at the lush leaves, then withdrew his gaze and asked: "Was the earliest ancestor of this bamboo grove transplanted from that Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven? And then you made it into this green bamboo staff? Thus angering some immortal, who in a fit of pique removed your original golden divine position as the earth god of Chess Block Mountain?"
The young earth spirit was genuinely shocked this time. The flattery on his face faded rather than intensified. He quietly straightened his back and bowed solemnly: "Wei Bo, earth god of Chess Block Mountain, was appointed mountain god by the last emperor of the former Shenshui Dynasty, responsible for the thousand-mile territory around Chess Block Mountain. Later, when the dynasty changed and the Great Li Song Clan rose, annexing Shenshui, I incurred the wrath of the founding emperor of the Song Clan for some matter. I was demoted from mountain god to a mere mountain earth spirit, my jurisdiction reduced to just over three hundred miles. I am still in a state of atonement."
He lifted the spiritually charged green bamboo staff in his hand and smiled bitterly: "Misfortunes never come singly. In that upheaval, I was forced to cut down green bamboo from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven to make this mountain staff. Not long after, I angered an immortal friend of the bamboo planter. With a few casual words, he beat me, this little earth spirit born from the soil, back into the dirt."
A Liang leaned against the green bamboo, shifted to a posture he thought was more elegant, and clicked his tongue: "Sounds pretty miserable."
The young earth spirit looked disgruntled.
Ignoring the pitiful earth god for now, A Liang turned his gaze outside the bamboo grove. In his field of vision, Chen Ping'an, who had returned with him, stood on a hillside. The snake and python wisely kept their distance, especially the white python, which still had lingering fear and an extremely wary look in its eyes. A Liang laughed: "This friend of mine wants to discuss a deal with you two. Settle the price yourselves. If you reach an agreement, you'll be friends. If not, that's fine too—business is business, but friendship remains..."
As he spoke, A Liang smiled and rested his hand on his bamboo knife at his waist.
A Liang withdrew his gaze from the two massive creatures and asked curiously: "Those two beasts aren't true dragons after all, especially the black serpent—how did it achieve the embryonic form of an ink dragon, growing four-toed dragon claws? Did they have some lucky encounter?"
The young man who called himself Wei Bo answered cautiously: "Indeed, they had a lucky encounter. But I don't know the specifics. I only suspect it has something to do with that Lizhu Cave Heaven. They must have accidentally swallowed something strange, something highly beneficial to serpents, pythons, carp, and the like. The Red Candle Town on the border of Chess Block Mountain is a confluence of three rivers connected by waterways. Among them, the Chongdan River has a carp that has grown two genuine golden dragon whiskers, envied by many. A hundred years ago, this carp swam upstream through rivers, streams, and mountain springs to reach Chess Block Mountain. I saw it myself. Logically, even with four or five hundred more years, it should never have been able to grow such astonishing dragon whiskers."
A Liang nodded, suddenly enlightened: "That gives me an idea."
The young earth spirit glanced at the straw-hatted man's waist knife and tentatively asked: "How did the great immortal know the origin of this green bamboo staff?"
A Liang's expression turned strange. He laughed evasively, changed the subject, and said: "When I was young, I visited the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven once. I have some slight acquaintance with the Bamboo Lady. Not deep, just so-so, very so-so..."
Hearing the name Bamboo Lady, Wei Bo's face lit up with reverence. This lady was the sole mountain spirit of the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, rarely seen. Legends said her figure was tall and slender, surpassing even men. The founder of the Hundred Schools of Thought once vowed to travel all four worlds and record all customs, specifically mentioning this Bamboo Lady: "Beautiful appearance, fond of bare feet, hair perfectly black."
Although also a deity of the mountain and earth spirit lineage, Wei Bo was far beneath her in status and cultivation. He couldn't even feel self-pity; only admiration remained. Many of the Bamboo Lady's deeds were widely circulated, even familiar in East Treasure Vase Continent.
Beneath the Ten Major Cave Heavens, there were Thirty-Six Small Cave Heavens. The Lizhu Cave Heaven that had floated above the Great Li Dynasty was one of them, the smallest among them, despite its thousand-mile territory.
Small Cave Heavens were often referred to by cultivators as secret realms, to distinguish them from Major Cave Heavens. Secret realms often had abundant spiritual energy, but compared to the Ten Major Cave Heavens, their territories were incomplete. Their origins could be diverse—former ruins, dragon palace battlefields, or even island cave heavens that were ancient immortal islands that had mysteriously disappeared, now inside the belly of a giant whale that swallowed islands.
The Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven ranked high among the Thirty-Six Small Cave Heavens, abundant with various marvelous bamboos, highly valued by immortal scholars through the ages. Instruments made from them were all the rage across the world.
Within the cave heaven, there was only one transcendent immortal force—the historic Green Spirit Mountain. It was said that its founding ancestor once sought knowledge from the Confucian Sage, carrying a young meritorious bamboo as a gift. Later, it grew vigorously in the Confucian holy land "Moral Forest," while the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven gradually declined. Legend had it that this bamboo could record a nobleman's merits and faults, one of the origins of the folk saying "Merit Book."
While A Liang and the young earth spirit chatted, Chen Ping'an sat on a mountain rock, holding the half-length firewood knife. Not far away were two terrifyingly huge heads. Behind the heads facing the boy, the snake and python bodies stretched like curved mountain paths, eventually disappearing into the wild forest, occasionally accompanied by the crack of trees broken by tails.
Along the way, besides reading and learning characters with Li Baoping, Chen Ping'an had been learning the official Great Li language from her. He had made good progress, though his pronunciation still carried a heavy rural accent. But for ordinary conversation, he could understand maybe fifty to sixty percent. So Chen Ping'an explained the situation of his five mountain peaks in Longquan County, Great Li, to the snake and python, who had previously been on high alert. He hoped they could move to the Luopo Mountain. He also mentioned that Saint Master Ruan had borrowed three of his mountains.
Clearly, the snake and python had a much better understanding of the weight of the Saint stationed in Lizhu Cave Heaven than Chen Ping'an did. Even the black serpent, which had always worn an indifferent expression, changed its gaze at that moment. The white python had shown slight interest upon hearing the county name "Longquan County," and after hearing that the Great Li court had already sent the Qingwu Mr. from the Imperial Observatory and officials from the Ministry of Rites together to survey over sixty mountains, and that the Great Li Emperor was preparing to appoint more than one orthodox mountain god, the white python's eyes couldn't hide its excitement. It couldn't help but flick its tongue rapidly, hissing loudly, until the black serpent slammed its head into it to shut it up.
Seeing that the snake and python hadn't immediately refused the proposal, Chen Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "I know very little about cultivation, but I'm certain that Chess Block Mountain's spiritual energy is far inferior to my mountain peaks. If you cultivate on my land for a hundred years, it might be worth several hundred years here. Also, A Liang told me some inside information about the path of dragons: how carp, snakes, and pythons transform into dragons by traveling through rivers. The waterway will be very treacherous. Many mountain and river gods will deliberately obstruct you. So I believe that if you can build a good relationship with Master Ruan and the Great Li officials early on, that path might become much smoother."
These words—the first half Chen Ping'an had figured out himself; the second half was A Liang's self-proclaimed divine strategy "revealing celestial secrets."
Chen Ping'an said solemnly: "An old man who taught me to fire porcelain once said that mountain spirits, ghosts, and river monsters aren't necessarily worse than humans. After seeing you, I think that saying doesn't hold much truth. But since A Liang subdued you, it's not really my concern. If A Liang is willing to spare you, I have no say. If I had A Liang's skill, and you dared to provoke me, dared to eat people in front of me..."
Chen Ping'an raised the half-length firewood knife in his hand, staring fixedly at the white python: "Then you wouldn't just have lost half a flying wing. Last night's midnight snack would have been a big pot of stewed snake meat."
The white python had lost its flying wing, severely damaging its cultivation. It was already heartbroken. Now, with the boy rubbing salt in the wound, the cold-blooded beast grew furious, as if a human had been slapped in the face. It raised its head high, tensed its body, ready to pounce and kill this hateful boy.
Chen Ping'an remained unmoved.
The black serpent moved as well—but not to help the white snake against the straw-sandaled boy. Instead, it opened its enormous mouth, fiercely bit the white snake's neck, and flung it backward, sending the "slim" white snake with only half its body sprawling in confusion.
The young earth spirit was startled and was about to intervene to calm the white python and black serpent, fearing the boy might be accidentally injured and that he himself might be caught in the crossfire. But he heard the straw-hatted man shake his head and say softly: "Don't interfere."
The young earth spirit hesitated and couldn't help glancing at the man. He saw him still leaning against the green bamboo, standing on one tiptoe with a lazy posture, arms crossed over his chest, expression calm.
The snake and python, originally of the same kind, now confronted each other fiercely.
Chen Ping'an stood up but didn't leave the rock, gripping the firewood knife tightly.
They seemed to communicate something. Finally, the white python gradually calmed down, but its gaze at the boy was still ferocious.
Chen Ping'an stared straight back at the white python: "Now, tens of thousands of people are opening mountains and building roads in the mountains. Once you enter the mountain peaks for cultivation, you must not kill people to satisfy your hunger. But if you act in self-defense—for example, if cultivators come into the mountains to hunt you—that's another matter. If you gain benefits but break the rules, Master Ruan will take action. What you did before doesn't concern me. But if you agree to enter the mountains, what you do afterward concerns me."
Chen Ping'an said seriously: "So I'm laying out the ugly side beforehand."
The black serpent remained still, silent.
The white python seemed unable to let go of its anger. Although it had given up the impulse to tear up the agreement, even with the lure of the Great Way before its eyes, it still rubbed its belly against the ground, emitting a restless, violent aura.
Deep in the bamboo grove, A Liang had somehow sat down on a bamboo stalk. A green bamboo with great flexibility was bent into an arch under his weight.
The young earth spirit, wanting to support the green bamboo with both hands, glanced at the tense standoff between the boy and the snake and python, and explained: "The black serpent, though inherently more cruel and fierce, has more insight. It has learned to read the situation, to advance and retreat. The white python seems less inclined to harm people, but is more troublesome to deal with because it follows its heart more. This relates to their positions on the chessboard back then: the white python was just a spare piece, while the black serpent was the key to killing the major dragon. So over the years they've ruled Chess Block Mountain as kings, the white python likes to wander around. Many troubles have been caused by its movements. The black serpent focuses more on cultivation, diligently absorbing the essence of sun and moon every day, with great ambition."
A Liang grunted.
The young earth spirit hesitated, then said: "The boy's words are reasonable, all solid logic. But he doesn't understand the habits of the snake and python pair well enough. For beings that have embarked on the path of cultivation, their original nature is the foundation of their Great Way. Beyond that, enlightened snakes and pythons generally understand the concept of face. Used to lording over Chess Block Mountain, they would feel that moving to the boy's mountain peaks means living under someone else's roof. Especially when the boy invokes a Saint, threatening to kill them if they eat people, it makes him seem arrogant and difficult. They will inevitably resent it. After all, if they nod in agreement, they become long-term neighbors for centuries. They worry about encountering someone unworthy..."
A Liang interrupted his rambling: "You don't need to plead for your neighbors in a roundabout way. Since I said I wouldn't interfere, what are you afraid of? In the end, the snake and python are unwilling to bow their heads early because they think this martial arts second-realm boy has no right to stand equal with them. So even though the boy's demands are reasonable, they find it hard to tolerate. If I were in his place, what do you think the snake and python would do?"
The young earth spirit said flatteringly: "The great immortal sees people and matters clearly, like a flame in a cave."
A Liang said indifferently: "Answer my question."
The young earth spirit instantly fell silent. After a moment of composing himself, he answered seriously: "They would move without a second word, without even daring to harbor resentment!"
A Liang nodded, expression unchanged, looking in that direction. "Good. You've saved half the bamboo grove."
All around them, the bamboo grove crackled.
About half the green bamboos seemed to have been sliced in two by a blade, falling to the ground.
The young earth spirit knelt on the ground, trembling and said fearfully: "Great immortal, please calm your anger."
A Liang completely ignored the fellow. His face cold, he slowly said: "See? Even after showing off and scaring people, just because you're too easygoing, too good-natured, a minor earth god thinks he can fool you like a fool. So, being a good person is difficult."
The young earth spirit didn't even dare to breathe.
A Liang suddenly laughed heartily. "Get up and talk. Kneeling is unbecoming. I'll make a bet with you. Bet on whether that money-grubbing boy is willing to make a deal that's a loss for him. You bet he's willing; I bet he's not. If you win, you keep the remaining half of the bamboo grove. If you lose—you just recovered your earth god form, didn't you? I'll beat you back to your original form."
The young earth spirit, who had just stood up, now wished he could die. He muttered: "May I ask the great immortal, what are my chances of winning?"
A Liang held up one finger.
The young earth spirit's face turned ashen. One in ten chance.
The straw-hatted man grinned. "It's one percent."
Then A Liang looked toward the boy and shouted: "Chen Ping'an! Just ask for the sky! Make the conditions as excessive as you want! I, A Liang, am watching. Don't worry about angering those beasts. If a conflict happens, it'll be a good chance to practice on those snake and python. Don't worry, I'll watch the situation and step in at the right time. Earlier, you sparred with fifth-realm expert Zhu He, didn't you? You clearly gained some insights from the fight. Seize the momentum. Maybe you'll make another breakthrough."
The young earth spirit stood dumbfounded.
A Liang laughed. "Sorry, you've lost that one percent chance now."
The young earth spirit's heart died like ashes. Instead, it gave birth to a bit of extra courage. He turned and smiled bitterly: "Senior A Liang, your gambling ethics are really not good."
The straw-hatted man said something strange: "Fussing about just to guarantee a win? Do you think I, A Liang, am that bored?"
The young earth spirit chewed on these words, then looked again at the boy named Chen Ping'an, with both envy and pity.
A moment later.
A sword aura, a white rainbow powerful enough to shake mountains, rose into the sky.
The young earth spirit was so frightened he fell to the ground.
The figure of the straw-hatted man instantly disappeared from the arched green bamboo stalk, appeared high above Chess Block Mountain, swiftly drew the green-sheathed bamboo knife from his waist, and slashed the white rainbow in two, preventing it from rising further into the sky.
Another moment later, A Liang returned to the bamboo stalk, which still hadn't straightened. He carelessly discarded the broken bamboo knife—ordinary material, not snapped, but the blade was already ragged and broken.
The black serpent frantically fled deep into the forest of Chess Block Mountain.
In front of the boy, not far away, the white python that had suddenly lunged at him had now lost its entire head, revealing a bloody, mangled stump of a neck—horrifying, tragic.
Chen Ping'an's face was calm. He bared his teeth.
His gaze was exactly like when he had killed Cai Jinjian of Cloud-Rise Mountain in that alley.
A Liang held back a laugh, took off the small gourd at his waist, took a big swig of wine, and murmured with a smile: "This is getting interesting."