Chapter 104: Dividing the Spoils on the Spot

Chapter 104: Dividing the Spoils on the Spot

The spirit mountain turtle, native to Qidun Mountain, was naturally familiar with shortcut mountain paths. Moreover, its ability to climb over mountains and traverse ridges far surpassed that of donkeys and mules. Carrying a group of people, it soon arrived at the border zone of Qidun Mountain. Heading south for another twenty-odd li down the mountain post road, they would be able to enter Red Candle Town. Although this northbound post road was now blocked and severed due to the sudden descent of the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, Chen Ping'an and his group still chose to be cautious, hoping that the three giant mountain turtles would not disturb woodcutters, hunters, or traveling merchants.

Chen Ping'an and the others took a short rest on a small hilltop. Li Huai looked forward eagerly, harboring intense dislike for the young local god. However, A'Liang said that the Hengbao Pavilion contained treasures, one for each person. Li Huai was very much looking forward to this, thinking that when he saw his sister Li Liu later, he would definitely make her terribly envious.

The Qidun Mountain local god soon arrived as promised. This time, he did not use the divine ability of shrinking the ground; instead, he strode up the mountain in large steps. His white robes fluttered, and his wide sleeves drifted upward like two white clouds. Even the maidservant Zhu Lu, seeing this, had to admit that if one only looked at his appearance, the young local god deserved the description "elegant and handsome" found in books.

Behind the handsome man followed A'Liang's white donkey and the Li family's horses. No one knew what sorcery the local god had used, but not only did they keep up with the main group, the donkeys and horses showed not the slightest sign of fatigue.

Wei Bo, who had lived for I-don't-know-how-many centuries, carried a long wooden box horizontally. He first bowed to the man in the bamboo hat, who nodded in return.

The deep and calculating local deity and the cynical, unconventional swordsman, at this moment, surprisingly gave the same impression.

Walking the same Great Path.

Wei Bo handed the bright red wooden box, made of some unknown material, to A'Liang. Li Huai hurried over to touch it; his palm felt full of warmth, as if touching the finest satin that was the treasure of a cloth shop on Qilong Lane. Last year at the New Year, he had followed his mother and sister to buy cloth for new clothes. He had only secretly touched that beautiful piece of brocade embroidered with flowers and birds when the furious shopkeeper had thrown him out.

Li Huai looked up and asked, "A'Liang, let me discuss something with you. After we divide the treasures in the box, can you give me the box itself?"

A'Liang asked back, "And who the hell are you?"

Li Huai replied seriously, "If you marry my sister, you'll be my brother-in-law."

A'Liang slapped him over. "That's called being my little brother-in-law!"

The kid suddenly said, "I don't want to be the little brother-in-law. I like being the brother-in-law. The worst people in the world are little brothers-in-law."

A'Liang looked at Wei Bo and asked, "Is the box worth anything?"

Wei Bo smiled sheepishly. "It's fine. It's an item made from rare yellow darkwood. It's been buried in the soil for quite some years, not rotting but instead emitting a fragrance. The color has also changed from yellow to red. The thing isn't worth much, just not commonly seen."

A'Liang looked down at the child, whose face was full of hope. "Since it's not worth anything, it's yours."

Li Huai was about to snatch the wooden box in a hurry, but A'Liang slapped him again, making him dizzy. "Want to hog it all?"

A'Liang looked around, beckoned with his hand, then crouched down on the ground and opened the long wooden box called "Rare Yellow." He shouted loudly, "Chen Ping'an, Little Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Zhu He, Zhu Lu, come over, all of you come over! Dividing the spoils on the spot! Dividing the spoils on the spot! First come, first served. No waiting for latecomers. No other rules, just one: each person can only take one item from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Take what you get, no backing out."

Chen Ping'an looked at the young local god, who noticed the boy's gaze and asked with some confusion, "Aren't you going to seize the opportunity?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Let them take theirs first."

Chen Ping'an happened to have matters to discuss with the young local god: the settlement of the black serpent on Fallen Mountain, and the situation of Wei Bo leaving this territory to go to the jurisdiction of Dragon Spring County. On the way back, A'Liang had roughly explained the conventions regarding true mountain and river deities: they must not easily leave the territory enfeoffed by the court in the mountain and river genealogical registers. This was somewhat similar to the rule established by many dynasties that "feudal lords must not meet each other." Once someone violated this taboo, those deities would at the very least be reprimanded by the court, reducing their incense offerings; at worst, they would have their divine rank reduced, and for many years their folk incense offerings would be completely cut off. In history, there were also many mountain and river deities who overstepped the rules and met with even more miserable fates: their golden statues were pulled out of the shrines by the court, dragged off the altars, beaten with majestic rods by the yamen runners as a warning to others, or personally whipped by local officials, or even smashed to pieces by drafted laborers. This had happened in the histories of various nations.

So when Wei Bo said he would personally take the black serpent to Fallen Mountain and even build a bamboo building on the mountain using those vigorous bamboos, Chen Ping'an certainly wouldn't refuse the kindness, but he also didn't want Wei Bo to suffer severe punishment as a result. In fact, the boy had previously been unable to deeply understand matters of divine path incense, mountain and river feng shui, and dynastic fortune. This was also partly because A'Liang was uneducated. This guy talked like he was stepping on watermelon rinds—sliding wherever they went, his explanations very confusing. Sometimes, just to show off, he liked to be mysterious. Even simple things with no hidden secrets could be made to sound extremely profound by him.

Later, Li Baoping gave an example, and Chen Ping'an's thoughts suddenly became clear. The little girl said that those incense offerings and numerological fortunes were like the Dragon Beard Stream outside town. There was only one water source. To ensure the harvest of their respective crop fields, the commoners would fight for water. Large-scale brawls occurred almost every year.

Li Baoping ran over to Chen Ping'an and said urgently, "Little Master Uncle, why aren't you going to get the treasures? Look, even someone with Lin Shouyi's temperament is running fast. Li Huai is practically trying to shove his head into the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

Chen Ping'an casually said, "It's fine. I'll choose last."

Li Baoping turned and ran. "It's okay, Little Master Uncle, I'll pick one for you."

Chen Ping'an was about to speak, but the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket had already reached A'Liang's side. With one hand, she pressed Li Huai's head and pushed him away; with the other, she pushed Lin Shouyi's shoulder aside.

Li Huai said aggrievedly, "Li Baoping, you're bullying!"

Li Baoping turned her head and said matter-of-factly, "I'm picking something for Little Master Uncle!"

Li Huai thought about the small bamboo box he hadn't yet obtained and sighed. "Then you pick."

Lin Shouyi, pushed aside, wasn't annoyed. He pointed to a rolled-up, yellowed ancient text inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. It was tied with a golden thread, revealing the title written in cloud seal script. "I've chosen this Daoist book, called 'The Book of Chanting Above the Clouds.' I only want this. I won't compete with you for the other things."

Li Huai leaned forward, craning his neck, slightly bypassing Li Baoping, and asked, "Shouyi, why aren't you choosing that knife? It's so beautiful. If it were me, I'd pick it."

Lin Shouyi, with great effort, reluctantly tore his gaze away from a narrow blade that occupied the largest space in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and said softly, "I'm not cut out for martial arts anyway, and I don't like practicing sword or blade."

Li Huai, seeing that Lin Shouyi was unwilling to change his mind, started trying to persuade Li Baoping. "This knife, at first glance, is a peerless divine weapon. Cutting a hair blown in the wind is nothing. I bet it can even cut through the iron chain of the Iron Lock Well in our town in one stroke. Li Baoping, you really don't want something this good? Besides, your Little Master Uncle doesn't have a handy weapon right now. I think this knife would be great for him. At the very least, using it to clear a path in the mountains would be quite majestic, much better than holding a tattered firewood knife, right?"

That narrow blade, even though it lay quietly inside its white scabbard like a lady hidden in her boudoir, had a beautifully stunning curvature.

A'Liang smiled and bent down to draw the narrow blade.

Its edge was fully exposed; the blade itself was like a white rainbow lingering in the human world.

There was no inscription on the blade, but there were natural patterns, like auspicious cloud talismans meticulously carved by Daoist immortals.

A'Liang was slightly surprised. He flicked the blade with his finger. Instead of a muddy buzzing sound, it produced a clear, melodious, lingering tone. A'Liang listened attentively for a moment, then nodded. "Not bad. Must be that 'Auspicious Charm' that's considered the lowest-tier treasure in the collection."

A'Liang sheathed the blade and handed it to the little girl. He smiled and said, "Take it. This blade suits you. In the future, find a sword-nurturing gourd as well, hang it on your left and this Auspicious Charm blade on your right. Find a tall horse, wear a set of red clothes, ride alone through the martial world, drink wine as you ride, and everyone who sees you will like you."

A'Liang laughed heartily. "Who wouldn't like a girl like that?"

Li Baoping held the narrow blade, which was quite heavy in her hand, in a daze.

Zhu He was also crouching nearby. Zhu Lu originally didn't want to come over and had even said a defiant line, claiming she didn't covet this handout. But after her father gave her a stern glare, he forcefully dragged her over. This was the first time the girl had seen her father angry. She was a bit scared, but still unwilling to crouch down like Zhu He, she stood there stubbornly with a cold expression on her face.

Taking advantage of Li Baoping's inattention, Li Huai grabbed a painted wooden puppet about the length of a palm. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, lifelike.

This was the object he had fallen in love with at first sight.

Lin Shouyi gently picked up the rolled-up Daoist ancient text. Once he held it in his hand, the usually introverted boy, for the first time, revealed a look of pure joy.

Zhu He chose a book and a mud-sealed pill. Then he looked up at the bamboo-hatted man with a face full of shock. The latter said cheerfully, "What, it just so happens to be things you and your daughter can use? Don't thank me. Thank Wei Bo and that serpent python. Over the millennia, they've amassed a sufficient foundation. They could bring out a martial arts secret manual from a celestial mansion and a unique pill from the True Martial Mountain."

Zhu He held the pill in his palm and said in a trembling voice, "Senior A'Liang, is this truly the legendary 'Hero's Gall'?"

A'Liang stopped paying attention to the ecstatic Zhu He and looked up. Chen Ping'an and Wei Bo were walking side by side. When the latter saw the only remaining item in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion—a pale golden seed—and the narrow blade in Li Baoping's hand, the young local god's expression was calm. Then, when he saw the books and pills in the others' hands, he was momentarily stunned. He couldn't help but look at the bamboo-hatted man, who pretended not to see and said to Chen Ping'an with a smile, "Only this little thing is left. But I figure it doesn't matter whether you came early or late, you'd only get this single lotus seed anyway."

Seeing the lone pale golden lotus seed, Chen Ping'an crouched down, picked it up with a smile, and put it into his sleeve pocket.

Li Baoping said softly, "Little Master Uncle, let's trade. A'Liang said this knife is really good..."

At this point, the little girl quickly shut her mouth, her face full of regret. Clearly, she shouldn't have said the second half of that sentence. Sure enough, Chen Ping'an patted her head. "If it's good, then keep it. Little Master Uncle doesn't practice with blades anyway. For clearing a path in the mountains, using a firewood knife is more than enough."

A'Liang teased, "Right, Chen Ping'an is a swordsman. Carrying a blade wouldn't be fitting."

Chen Ping'an said disdainfully, "Then why do you use a bamboo blade?"

A'Liang was being shameless. "None of your business?"

Li Huai said softly, "A'Liang, this box is mine, right?"

A'Liang asked, "What do you want the box for? Do you have that many treasures to put in it?"

Li Huai gave tit for tat. "None of your business?"

Everyone got something. Even the young local god Wei Bo and the black serpent got something, except for the white python whose head had been blown off and body eaten. It was a win-win situation for all.

Chen Ping'an got a slightly shriveled pale golden lotus seed, about the size of a thumb. Li Baoping got the narrow blade named Auspicious Charm, but she was a bit sullen. She leaned it somewhat disdainfully inside her small book case. However, following her Little Master Uncle's advice, she wrapped the narrow blade from end to end with a piece of cotton cloth, tightly concealing it.

Li Huai got the painted wooden puppet and the rare yellow wooden box. The puppet temporarily "lodged" inside Li Baoping's bookcase. Before putting it in, the child was very reluctant, repeatedly patting his chest and promising the puppet that when he got his own bookcase, he would move it, guaranteeing ample space. Lin Shouyi kept the "Book of Chanting Above the Clouds" close to his person. The name was strange, yet full of ancient charm.

Although Zhu Lu was unwilling, she still accepted that celestial manual, the "Book of Purple Qi."

Zhu He, like a lucky one receiving rain after a long drought, a very steady man, couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. It wasn't that he was usually like this, but he was too fortunate. Right now, you could give him a mountain of gold and silver, and it wouldn't compare to the True Martial Mountain Hero's Gall pill that couldn't be bought even with money. This medicine helped the user consolidate the scattered souls in their acupoints and qi palaces, finally forming a "residence" for the Yin Spirit to rest—the Hero's Gall. Zhu He was not a qi refiner, nor a military cultivator. But the rarity and expense of the Hero's Gall lay precisely in its applicability to pure martial artists as well, especially those stuck at the peak of the Fifth Realm. Obtaining one Hero's Gall was almost like gaining an extra half a life.

A'Liang asked softly, "How did your talk with the local god go?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Pretty well. I also gave away that bag of things."

A'Liang clicked his tongue. "You don't hesitate at all, giving away things just like that. I just made a casual remark earlier. Besides, if we're talking business, you should have treated it as a transaction. Believe me, given the foundation of that black serpent and white python, no matter how stingy it was, it would have been willing to give you a truly good item with all its heart."

Chen Ping'an said, "I still understand the principle of 'don't let good water flow into someone else's field' and 'sow in spring, reap in autumn.'"

A'Liang nodded, adjusted his bamboo hat. "We'll soon reach Red Candle Town."

Then this man wiped his mouth. "Newly brewed Apricot Spring wine, little painted pleasure boats. I, A'Liang, am back again!"

Chen Ping'an suddenly had a bad premonition about Red Candle Town, which A'Liang was so obsessed with.

Wei Bo watched the group's retreating figures descending the mountain. He sighed, then lightly tapped his foot and leaped to the top of one of the mountain turtle's shells, sitting cross-legged. After traveling several dozen li, the black serpent, with its bulging belly, traveled alongside him from afar. Although its body was grotesquely bloated, its aura had skyrocketed, becoming extraordinarily fierce.

Wei Bo suddenly smiled and tossed a bag toward it, landing coincidentally on its path. The black serpent cautiously lowered its head and sniffed. Detecting nothing unusual, it turned its head and looked at the divine being on the mountain turtle.

The handsome local god, whose demeanor resembled a banished immortal, smiled and said, "Consider it a housewarming gift from that young man."

The black serpent, which had grown four claws with four toes on its belly, hesitated briefly but eventually tore the bag open with its teeth. A dozen or so snake gallstones that the young man had picked from Dragon Beard Stream rolled out. Their color had faded in the stream; at first glance, they were no different from ordinary pebbles in a creek. However, after the black serpent scrutinized them closely, its eyes burned with intense heat, but also filled with anxiety, afraid that the next moment would bring disappointment. Slowly, it extended its tongue, tentatively rolled one pebble into its mouth.

After seeing this, the young local god continued forward on the mountain turtle, muttering to himself, "A good beginning for a good karma, just don’t know if it will end well."

Behind him, moments later, the black serpent dug its four claws into the ground, raised its head to the sky, and let out a roar that echoed through the mountains, startling countless birds into taking flight and soaring away.

Even the young local god felt a hint of envy. "I've heard that nowadays, aside from the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, this thing has almost disappeared entirely on the East Treasured Vase Continent. For the dragon and serpent species, eating it can cause the growth of true dragon bones, tendons, scales, and whiskers."

Nearing Red Candle Town, the white donkey's hooves made crisp, rhythmic sounds on the bluestone post road. A'Liang wasn't holding the donkey's reins; it followed him on its own. A'Liang vaguely heard that roar and smiled. "Looks like it really was useful."

Chen Ping'an whispered, "I kept the most valuable snake gallstone and didn't give it away."

A'Liang laughed heartily. "You little rascal."

At the back of the group, after putting some distance between themselves and Li Huai and Lin Shouyi, Zhu He walked while leading the horse, speaking softly to his daughter. "You absolutely must take good care of that 'Book of Purple Qi.' If things go smoothly, this book can take you all the way to the Fifth Realm! Then, combined with that Hero's Gall pill, you'll be able to steadily ascend to the Sixth Realm!"

The girl was stunned. "Dad, if you gave me the pill, then what about you?"

Zhu He said with a light smile, "Dad is still young. Now that my spirit is back, maybe I can break through on my own, take a big step forward, even have aspirations to see the high scenery of the Seventh Realm now."

The girl, who had been in a gloomy mood all along, suddenly beamed. "Still young? Then Dad, in Red Candle Town, should you find yourself a pretty young wife?" She continued teasing without concern, "Dad, don't worry, I won't stand in your way."

Zhu He's face was awkward. He glared at his daughter. "Nonsense!"

The girl thought for a moment. "Dad, you should keep the pill for yourself. I'm only at the peak of the Second Realm now, and it's still a long way to the Fifth Realm."

Zhu He laughed heartily. "That works too. Consider it part of your dowry for the future."

The slender girl seemed to think of someone, and her face flushed bright red. Zhu He was in an excellent mood, full of heroic spirit. "Later, when we reach the capital of Great Li, we'll see which fortunate young master from a prestigious family gets to marry my daughter."

The girl stamped her foot in bashfulness. "Dad!"

Zhu He quickly waved his hand. "Alright, I won't say anymore. Dad won't say it."

On the post road in the twilight, A'Liang stood on tiptoe, rubbing his hands together incessantly. In his eyes, the gentle silhouette of Red Candle Town was like a beautiful woman lying drunk in a tavern.

He said hurriedly, "Chen Ping'an, we agreed earlier. You have to lend me one gold ingot."

Chen Ping'an nodded but was a bit confused. "A'Liang, are you short of money?"

A'Liang grinned. "You don't get it, do you? When traveling the martial world, the one borrowing money is the grandson, but the one who repays is the ancestor. Along this trip, I've been ragged on too badly by brats like Li Huai and Zhu Lu. I've got to enjoy being the ancestor for a while, to compensate myself."

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Then I'll give you a gold ingot. I won't lend it, I'll just give it."

A'Liang slapped the boy's shoulder and laughed loudly. "Deal! The gold ingot is a gift to me."

A'Liang looked straight ahead, raised his arm and clenched his fist. "To actually get a gold ingot for free from a money-grubber like you, I, A'Liang, am really something!"

Chen Ping'an didn't go back on his word. He just quietly looked at the approaching town of Red Candle. The familiar atmosphere of the marketplace rushed toward him. No longer were there surging rivers and deep mountain forests.

Chen Ping'an turned to the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket beside him and smiled. "When we get to the town, after we buy all the food and supplies for the road, let's see if we can find some candied hawthorn sticks to sell."

Li Baoping happily hopped along, gently bouncing the little green bookcase on her back. "Little Master Uncle! Let's just buy two small sticks. The small ones taste better!"

(End of this chapter)
(Thirty-Seven Chinese Website)