Chapter 1057: So It Was a Guardian
Cao Gengxin arrived at a secluded, dilapidated house in an alley in the capital, took out a key, and unlocked the courtyard gate. It was a two-courtyard residence, covered in dust and fallen leaves, with a rotting stench wafting out. A house that had been uninhabited for a long time aged quickly.
This was the first time Cao Gengxin had actually stepped inside the courtyard. He had passed by the door several times before without entering, because someone had instructed in a secret letter to the then Director Cao that, when the next person succeeded as Grand National Teacher of Great Li, he should come here, open the courtyard, and convene a meeting. But the letter did not specify what to discuss or whom to summon. The person had only given Cao Gengxin a title that carried no court salary and was not recorded in the official registers. Surprisingly, there was a small well inside the courtyard. Cao Gengxin crouched by the well and peered inside for a while. It was pitch dark, didn't seem to contain any corpses, nor did it appear to be the entrance to some land-bound dragon palace. It wasn't unlucky, nor did it promise wealth or romantic encounters. So Cao Gengxin tossed a pebble in. With a thud, it sounded like the well could still draw water. He drew some water, then went to the storage room to fetch a broom and dustpan, and began sweeping the courtyard. The main hall and the two side rooms were empty, utterly destitute.
After finishing these chores, Cao Gengxin sat by the well, took off the small purple gourd wine flask with a glossy patina from his waist, pulled out the stopper, tilted his head back, and took a drink of the imperial gift "Spring Brew."
A pair of spring couplets was pasted by the main hall's door, but after many years of wind and rain and scorching sun, the original red paper had long since faded, the characters blurred like worn stone inscriptions, and the first half of the upper couplet was missing.
"The brush has no spirit, echoing others' words."
"Heaven is about to destroy this culture; the Way manifests in me. Opening a book benefits, culture is here."
Cao Gengxin had drunk about three ounces of wine but still hadn't figured out how to complete the couplet. He gave up in frustration, reattached the wine gourd, and pulled a jade token from his sleeve. On it was carved the seal script characters "Earthly Branches."
Following the cumbersome instructions in the letter, he infused spiritual energy into the jade token, as if writing the two characters "Earthly Branches" with different stroke orders.
After a moment, two groups of people arrived at the courtyard one after another. Cao Gengxin remained composed, which he had decided on before summoning them—he had to put on a bit of an immortal air and not show any stage fright. However, when Director Cao opened his eyes and saw that Zhou Haichao was among them, his expression became a bit unnatural. It turned out that before his uncle Cao Ping left for the Sunken Dock on the Desolate Barbarian Continent, he had called Cao Gengxin to his study. One of the matters was for Cao Gengxin, who was no longer young, to marry and have children. If Cao Ping returned to Great Li and found that nothing had been arranged, he would surely take off his jade belt and give Director Cao a good thrashing, like a meal of bamboo whip stir-fried meat. At the time, Cao Gengxin had used this female great grandmaster as a shield, never expecting that Cao Ping would take it seriously.
No one in the courtyard held any official rank.
So even when Cao Gengxin saw Prince Song Xu, he didn't stand up to greet him.
Yuan Huajing asked, "Cao Gengxin, how did you come to possess this jade token?"
Because according to the rules of the Earthly Branches lineage, seeing this jade token was like seeing Cui Chan.
Yu Yu laughed, "Just a temporary holder. It will soon be handed over to Mr. Chen. Does that count as returning it to its rightful owner?"
Cao Gengxin smiled, "Not necessarily. But a mere Vice Minister of Personnel ordering the twelve of you around—seems like a bit of a downgrade, doesn't it?"
The courtyard was filled with an extraordinary gathering of talents and supernatural beings, all exuding an ethereal immortal aura.
Yuan Huajing, of the Pillar State Yuan clan, a Nascent Soul realm sword cultivator. Great Li Prince Song Xu, a Golden Core realm sword cultivator. Han Zhoujin, a female formation master from the Qingtan Blessed Land of the Divine Proclamation Sect. Yu Yu, a military strategist cultivator from the Pillar State Yu clan. Ge Ling, the Capital Taoist Registrar, a native of Jurong. Hou Jue, a novice monk from the Translation Bureau. Sui Lin, a Yin-Yang School Qi refiner. Lu Hui, a Confucian scholar. Gai Yan, a ghost cultivator. Gou Cun, a youth born from spirits and monsters. Ku Shou. And Zhou Haijing, the only pure martial artist, a peak martial grandmaster from a coastal fishing village.
Cao Gengxin only knew most of the twelve members of the Great Li Earthly Branches.
After a moment, a figure in a blue robe appeared in the alley. He curled two fingers and gently knocked on the courtyard gate, then stepped inside with Xiao Mo, who quietly closed the gate behind them.
Cao Gengxin stood up and smiled, "Mr. Chen, I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
Chen Ping'an shook his sleeves, letting the smell of alcohol dissipate in the wind, and laughed, "I'm not being polite with Vice Minister Cao. I had just taken Liu Xu and the others to the Sweet Flag River Tavern. Who would have thought that when I mentioned your name, not only did they not give us a discount, they doubled the price and wouldn't let us leave. I said, 'Can we not put it on the tab?' They said no. We tried to leave, but they grabbed us and wouldn't let us go, saying they wanted to help Vice Minister Cao pay off some of his drinking debts."
Even Yuan Huajing couldn't help but glance at Cao Gengxin.
Lu Hui, Ku Shou, and a few others had suffered greatly at Mr. Chen's hands before. They nearly gave Vice Minister Cao a thumbs-up.
This audacious Vice Minister Cao was seriously asking for trouble.
Who did you think you could mess with, to dare to mess with Mr. Chen?
Just take Lu Hui, for example—Chen Ping'an had once used a move that was both fist technique and sword art, "Blossom," instantly piercing him with dozens of long swords. And the female ghost Gai Yan, back then, "that Chen Ping'an" had shown no mercy; with a sword move supposedly of his own creation, "Sliced Moon," he had chopped her to pieces on the spot.
Only Zhou Haichao, being a latecomer, didn't yet understand the stakes or the consequences. She didn't know what would happen if she provoked Chen Ping'an. So when she noticed the awkward atmosphere in the courtyard, she was rather curious. These geniuses among geniuses—they were pretty tough with her, weren't they? Why were they now acting like mice seeing a cat when they met Chen Ping'an? Was it really that serious?
Cao Gengxin awkwardly said, "Retribution comes so fast?"
Chen Ping'an explained to them, "Xiao Mo said you were all gathering suddenly in one place, so I got curious. Since Vice Minister Cao is convening you here, it has nothing to do with me."
Cao Gengxin quickly said, "It does have something to do with you, Mr. Chen. Don't try to stay out of it. Grand National Teacher Cui has something he instructed me to say openly in front of both parties."
Gou Cun, who was quick to notice what needed doing, went inside and brought out a long bench, intending to give Mr. Chen a place to sit.
But Gai Yan snatched it away from him and placed it beside Chen Ping'an.
Given Mr. Chen's golden words earlier in the Ministry of War office, Gai Yan, the innkeeper, would not only move a bench for him—if Mr. Chen was willing, he could sit on her!
When Gai Yan set down the bench, she saw the young man in the yellow hat and black shoes smiling at her, and she returned the smile.
All she knew was that he was Mr. Chen's personal attendant, and they had once entered the palace together to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
Chen Ping'an thanked Gai Yan and sat down on the bench. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
Cao Gengxin said, "Two sentences. The first one is for Sword Immortal Yuan and the others: From today on, those in the courtyard who hold the token are under my command, not the new Grand National Teacher's deployment. However, the new Grand National Teacher can offer suggestions, and that's it. The second sentence is for Mr. Chen. Actually, Grand National Teacher Cui's letter didn't mention a name... I'll just repeat it as written: 'Your heart isn't dark enough, your hand isn't ruthless enough. You simply cannot use this group of people well. It's like a sword in a sheath—over time, the sword's intent wears away, and they will lose all their edge, becoming worthless as chicken ribs—a pity to discard but tasteless to keep.'"
Chen Ping'an nodded, hands folded in his sleeves, a faint smile on his face. Then he asked, "Senior Brother Cui thinks I'm not up to the task, but you are?"
Cao Gengxin was momentarily speechless. This question was not easy to answer.
Yu Yu's eyes sparkled. She transmitted her thoughts: "Here it comes, here it comes. Place your bets! I bet Mr. Chen will chop Cao Gengxin—at least one sword strike or one punch."
Gai Yan immediately chimed in, "This time, let's not bet money. Let's bet on the Spring Palace wine brew instead."
Chen Ping'an extended his hand. "Let me see that letter. Before I went to Sweet Flag River to drink, I certainly trusted Director Cao, who had a good reputation as an official in my hometown. But now, I'm not so sure."
Cao Gengxin said helplessly, "At the end of the letter, Grand National Teacher Cui specifically reminded me to destroy it after reading. I really can't give you any evidence, Mr. Chen."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Then let's try a simpler way to prove it. How do you prove that your heart is dark enough and your hand is ruthless enough?"
Cao Gengxin glanced at the twelve members of the Earthly Branches, then at the man in the blue robe sitting on the bench. He took off his wine gourd, lifted it, and laughed, "Before I speak my true heart, Mr. Chen, mind if I have a drink to steel my nerves?"
Chen Ping'an adjusted his blue robe, crossed one leg over the other, extended his hand, and smiled, "By all means."
Cao Gengxin took a gulp of wine, lowered his head, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then looked up, squinting as he smiled, "If I had entered this courtyard earlier, Yuan Huajing and the other twelve would probably now be standing outside the gates of certain imperial capitals and ancestral halls south of Baoiping Continent. The head of some country's emperor, the corpse of some mountain's sect leader—double it, twenty-four in total."
"Before returning to Great Li, I would leave a warning for those courts and immortal mansions: If any mountain and river gazette afterward mentions these accidents—whether in mourning or in obituary—or if anyone rashly guesses or frames the northern dynasties, then in retaliation, the dragon throne in their court or the sect leader's seat on the mountain will stay empty. One person sits, and that person dies."
After Cao Gengxin finished speaking, the courtyard fell into dead silence.
Cao Gengxin glanced at the pair of thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes by the bench—one on the ground, the other dangling in the air.
"Hunting the unjust with injustice is easy; hunting the just with justice is hard."
Cao Gengxin said this, then took another big gulp of wine, gurgling, before reattaching the gourd. "In the strategic calculations of all the world's nations, hunting the unjust with injustice is only natural and right. Don't you agree, Grand National Teacher Chen?"
Yu Yu's mouth fell open. She clenched her fist and pumped it vigorously.
Cao Gengxin's second-to-last sentence had really hit the nail on the head for her.
Chen Ping'an nodded, "Leaving aside isolated examples, it's generally true."
Cao Gengxin sighed, as if he hadn't expected such an answer. That statement, full of reason, was itself utterly unreasonable.
Chen Ping'an stood up and asked with a smile, "Cao Gengxin, in the future, when the Earthly Branches lineage acts, do I have the right to prior knowledge and a single veto?"
Cao Gengxin said, "Grand National Teacher Cui didn't mention that in the letter."
Chen Ping'an said, "Then that means I have it."
Cao Gengxin was at a loss for words, so he just let out a heavy sigh.
He suddenly asked, "Mr. Chen, did you really go to Sweet Flag River with your friends?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Good thing I drank to bolster my courage before coming here. You all go ahead and chat. I won't stay and get in the way."
Chen Ping'an left the courtyard with his attendant, slowly walking out of the alley.
Cao Gengxin, listening intently to the footsteps, waited until he was sure they were far away, then plopped down on the well's rim. He pulled open his collar to fan himself and began drinking alone to calm his nerves.
Gou Cun walked over to the bench, intending to move it back, but Gai Yan stopped him. When Gou Cun looked confused, Gai Yan said matter-of-factly that she was going to move it to the inn and keep it as a treasure.
Yu Yu sat on the steps outside the main hall and praised, "Cao Double-It, impressive! Very impressive!"
Yu Yu was young but of high standing in her clan. In the alleyways of Yichi Lane and Chi'er Street, where wealthy families clustered, she had long heard about the legendary exploits of the previous generation, like Cao Gengxin, Yuan Zhengding, and Liu Xunmei. Yu Yu, along with Zhao Duanming and the younger generation, knew that Cao Gengxin had once "made his fortune" selling erotic books and spring pictures. When he finally went to a local post as an official, the elders breathed a sigh of relief—that menace was finally gone.
Cao Gengxin said helplessly, "That nickname isn't very nice."
Yu Yu laughed, "Still better than 'Cao the Bandit,' right?"
It turned out that among the two generations in Yichi Lane and Chi'er Street, everyone habitually called Cao Gengxin "Cao the Bandit"—a master at making money, stirring up trouble, tricking younger kids into drinking, and flirting with older sisters.
Zhou Haichao leaned her arms against the pillar of a side room, smiling slyly. "Vice Minister Cao, were those all sincere words just now?"
Cao Gengxin glanced at her arms but didn't dare look too long. He said wryly, "Even wine can be fake, so why not words?"
Song Xu said, "Your approach has too many repercussions. Even if we act in secret, the Guanyu Academy isn't stupid."
Cao Gengxin smiled, "I said those things just to get past Grand National Teacher Chen. I don't even believe them myself. Why should any of you believe them?"
Zhou Haichao teased, "Cao Gengxin, you're just a vice minister. How dare you speak to His Highness the Prince like that?"
Cao Gengxin laughed it off, but old habits die hard. He couldn't help sneaking another glance at her curves.
Last time, when he dragged Zhao Duanming onto the roof to watch that arena match, the distance had been too far to see clearly.
Yuan Huajing asked, "Does Vice Minister Cao have any other instructions?"
Cao Gengxin smiled, "Everyone go home. We'll gather when there's business. Since there's nothing today, let's call it a day."
Gai Yan and her group returned to the inn. Each retreated to their own snail-shell-like cultivation grounds to refine their swords or qi.
Following Mr. Chen's advice, Gai Yan took the initiative to talk to Zhou Haichao about going into business together and expanding the inn's operations.
Zhou Haichao's eyes lit up. Without even saying yes or no, she immediately started discussing how to split the profits. She opened her mouth wide, demanding a fifty-fifty split.
If it had been before, hearing Zhou Haichao be so unreasonable, Gai Yan would have told her to get lost. But today, Gai Yan was confident and not flustered at all. She shared some of her "insights," talking about a "business plan" for how the inn would operate in the future. Zhou Haichao listened, both suspicious and startled. Had Gai Yan, that idiot, been possessed? No, she was a ghost herself. So Gai Yan had... suddenly become smart? Like divine help!
It was just like a boxing match: once your momentum weakens, it's hard to haggle. Zhou Haichao had to back down and agreed to a seventy-thirty split in Gai Yan's favor.
Then a young female cultivator who had just been "laid off" from the gate ran over to discuss something with the innkeeper. She said that a few distinguished out-of-town guests from Beiju Continent had arrived. One looked like a young man, and he asked if they could directly buy the two waterside residences, "Luzhou Moon" and "Rainbow Cloud Pavilion," right there at the inn. If the inn agreed to sell them those two houses, they promised to stay at most one month out of the year. For the remaining eleven months or longer, the inn could open them to other guests. They would still charge full price for any other lodgers, and all income would go to the inn.
Gai Yan was stunned. Had she run into a big fool with too much money and nowhere to spend it?
Zhou Haijing asked, "Are their travel permits filed? What are their identities?"
The young female cultivator said, "Yuan Xuan from the Three-Lang Temple, Fan Yu, Liu Wuding. And Liu Xu from the Luo Ma River."
Zhou Haijing grinned, "Good heavens! Yuan of Three-Lang Temple and Liu of Luo Ma River—they're both big moneybags from Beiju Continent! We have to double the original price, then double it again!"
But Gai Yan said to the young female cultivator, "Tell the steward to sell them at cost."
Zhou Haijing fumed, "Gai Yan, you're turning down money! Have you lost your mind?!"
Gai Yan said, "Liu Xu has been to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Fan Yu came to our Great Li auxiliary capital battlefield."
Zhou Haijing stared straight at Gai Yan.
Gai Yan said, "What are you looking at me for? So we're dissolving the partnership already? Each goes his own way. From now on, I'll just make my small money."
Zhou Haijing suddenly burst out laughing, "Alright, alright. You're the innkeeper, I'm just the second innkeeper. You call the shots. Before, I thought you were stupid and didn't know how to make money."
Gai Yan smiled, "And now?"
Zhou Haijing said, "You're truly stupid."
Gai Yan's eyebrows shot up. "Say that again!"
Zhou Haijing told the young female cultivator to go discuss the matter with the inn steward, then turned to Gai Yan, winked, and chuckled, "How about lending me that bench you brought from the small courtyard? I'm a pure martial artist. I want to soak up some literary fortune and immortal aura."
Gai Yan glared at her, "You shameless woman!"
Zhou Haijing laughed, "Who was it that, back at the gate, pounced on Mr. Chen like a hungry tiger, desperately trying to get close to him?"
Gai Yan blushed, "I was just fooling around with Mr. Chen."
Zhou Haijing lowered her voice, "I think Chen Ping'an is still a virgin."
Gai Yan waved her sleeve, and the door slammed shut. They definitely needed to have a good talk about that.
Leaving the alley, Chen Ping'an strolled through the capital with Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo said, "Chief Zhou asked Lord Wei to help him return to Fallen Mountain."
In detecting the ripples of Qi refiners' Qi and the flow of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, Xiao Mo was actually better than Bai Jing. It was precisely because of this signature skill that, ten thousand years ago, he and Bai Jing had only exchanged three sword duels. Otherwise, not just three forced duels, but thirty would have been possible.
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Did he get surrounded at the Spring Palace and, out of face-saving, just endured the insults without fighting back, then ran away?"
He remembered that during his first journey to Beiju Continent, he had heard many stories about Jiang Shangzhen there—infamous ones. For instance, he had the peculiar habit of only seducing one female cultivator per mountain and only tricking one martial arts heroine per sect—what a strange quirk.
If Jiang Shangzhen hadn't used an alias as the chief guest elder back then, Chen Ping'an couldn't imagine what kind of reputation Fallen Mountain would have among the mountains of Baoiping, Tongye, and Beiju continents.
Xiao Mo smiled, "I'm not sure of the exact details."
He had a great deal of respect for Chief Zhou. When Chen Ping'an's Fallen Mountain was still nothing, Chief Zhou had been the one pouring money into it—not just icing on the cake, but sending coal in a snowstorm.
A cash coin given in times of need was worth more than a gold ingot in times of plenty. And back then, Chief Zhou was spending Grain Rain coins.
So Xiao Mo felt that, unless Chen Ping'an decided otherwise, if anyone ever tried to contest Chief Zhou's position, he, Xiao Mo, would be the first to object.
Xie Gou hadn't returned from the Fire God Temple yet. Xiao Mo wondered, "I wonder what Xie Gou and that Aunt Feng have to talk about for so long. I remember their relationship used to be pretty ordinary."
Chen Ping'an smiled, "When women talk about men, there are no taboos. Compared to that, men's dirty jokes are like children playing house."
Xiao Mo sincerely praised, "Even the master understands that?"
Chen Ping'an quickly shook his head and clarified, "Of course not. I heard it from the old cook, Chief Zhou, and Sword Immortal Mi. They are the true experts. I listen for a moment and then walk away."
Chen Ping'an switched to transmitting his thoughts: "Xiao Mo, have you truly decided to join the Fallen Mountain Ancestral Hall register and become a registered guest elder of the Jise Peak?"
Xiao Mo smiled, "Shouldn't the master be asking Xie Gou that question?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Xie Gou has always just been Bai Jing. A registered identity in the Haoran world can't restrain her, neither in status nor in heart. Her wanting to be a secondary guest elder is just playing around. Of course, our Fallen Mountain does need another flying ascension realm pure sword cultivator. To put it precisely, if the Haoran world can keep Xie Gou, then the Desolate Barbarian world loses one Bai Jing. I know this, and Xie Gou knows it, too. But because you're here, neither of us says it outright."
Xiao Mo asked, puzzled, "Does the master not trust me?"
Chen Ping'an laughed in exasperation, "So, Mr. Xiao Mo only speaks nonsense at crucial moments, thereby ruining all your previous good work?"
Xiao Mo fell silent, then chuckled.
"Whether you join the golden jade register of the ancestral hall or not doesn't matter to me. If you sit in on the Jise Peak council, registered or not, you are still Xiao Mo."
Chen Ping'an continued, "But for you, it's a kind of restraint, however slight."
Just then, nearby children were flying kites. Chen Ping'an pointed at the kites in the distant sky.
"You pure sword cultivators—the sky is high and the earth is vast. You should enjoy that freedom, unfettered and unrestrained."
"But every form of nostalgia, hatred, concern, attachment, and remembrance in us is like a string on a kite. A gentle tug, and thoughts arise."
"Once a thought arises, the heart-mind ripples like water. It's easy to generate a thought but hard to stop it."
Xiao Mo thought carefully for a moment. "Once, under a tree, I heard the Buddha discussing Dharma with an anonymous person. The latter said that others are a living hell on earth. But the Buddha said that because of this, a lotus flower blooms in the world."
Chen Ping'an was silent for a long time.
He couldn't remember who said it: making mistakes and forgetting are the favors of heaven, a gentle mercy, an exception to the law.
Xiao Mo said softly, "Master?"
Chen Ping'an was full of smiles, but his tone was helpless. "You've invoked the Buddha, so what more can I say?"
Xie Gou appeared on the road ahead, handing them several oil-paper-wrapped "barrel cakes." "Delicious."
Chen Ping'an took the cakes and asked, "Did you pay?"
Xie Gou went, "Ah!" She slapped her sable hat. "Forgot."
She had thought that in the Great Li capital, calling out the mountain lord's or grand national teacher's name when drinking or eating would mean no payment needed. A misunderstanding.
Back in Beiju Continent, she wasn't like this. She would gather herbs in the mountains and set up a stall at the mountain market. Her prices were fair—you got what you paid for.
Xie Gou immediately turned around and ran off.
At the barrel cake stall, which was doing a booming business, the vendor was cursing. That girl looked so honest, but she turned out to be a cheat.
The girl in the sable hat pulled a small piece of silver from her sleeve. The vendor took it, his face immediately breaking into a grin, and he hurriedly said, "Welcome back anytime!"
When she returned to Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo, Xie Gou was gnawing on the only remaining barrel cake, which was stuffed with preserved vegetables and meat. She said indistinctly, "Mountain Lord, Aunt Feng told you to come to the Hundred Flowers Blessed Land soon. She said if you don't come quickly, she won't need your help anymore, and she'll take it back."
Chen Ping'an understood Aunt Feng's implication and said, "Got it. I'll definitely go soon."
As long as it wasn't transmitted thoughts, Aunt Feng was sure to hear it.
Xie Gou added, "Oh, and Aunt Feng told me to bring you some good news. At the Confucian Temple, there was no objection to your becoming a Confucian gentleman."
Chen Ping'an found it a bit strange. No matter how bold Aunt Feng was, she couldn't possibly eavesdrop on the discussions at the Central Earth Confucian Temple.
Saying this, Xie Gou held out her hand.
Chen Ping'an took out a small piece of silver he carried with him and placed it in the sable-hatted girl's palm.
Xiao Mo looked bewildered.
Xie Gou grinned, "In all those romance novels, doesn't it say that when a scholar goes to the capital for the imperial exams and passes as a metropolitan graduate, the people who come banging gongs to report the good news all get rewards?"
Xiao Mo was speechless.
And you actually had the nerve to take it, and the master actually gave it...
Xie Gou, having gotten the money, beamed. "Aunt Feng just said that it was Vice Minister Mao from the Book of Rites Academy who thought a flying sword message was too slow, so after the meeting ended and he left the Confucian Temple, he called out her divine title and asked her to relay the message."
Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up.
Xie Gou laughingly voiced her mountain lord's inner thoughts, "It's a brand-new, one-of-a-kind source of income in the whole world!"
Chen Ping'an sighed, "Nonsense. How dare I trouble Aunt Feng?"
In fact, Xiao Mo was increasingly feeling that with Xie Gou on Fallen Mountain, his presence or absence didn't much matter. She had adapted to local customs so well and was having so much fun every day.
Xie Gou whispered, "Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, Aunt Feng said that the Emperor is luring Vice Minister Cao to work in the inner court with a jar of Spring Palace wine brew, just like Fallen Mountain luring me with you."
In truth, under the grape trellis at the Fire God Temple, she and Aunt Feng had talked about far more interesting things than this. They had "happened to overhear" Xiao Mo and the mountain lord's "idle chat," and Aunt Feng had gifted her this brilliant stratagem.
Xiao Mo asked, "And you weren't angry?"
Xie Gou tilted her sable hat, "Why would I be angry? I think it's a compliment. The Spring Palace immortal brew is a wine everyone loves. So good that even after drinking it, people keep the jars."
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Hey, I'm still here. Keep it reasonable."
Xie Gou grinned, "Aunt Feng also said that Vice Minister Mao told her that the Confucian Temple has already settled on the words of praise for you."
Chen Ping'an was curious. "Which one?"
A Confucian disciple, upon becoming an academy sage or gentleman, would receive a parting message from the academy's headmaster or a accompanying sage.
If someone became an academy libationer or vice minister, or the headmaster of one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, they could receive a message from Ritual Sage, Second Sage, or Literary Sage.
If someone became the chief (or one of three deputy chiefs) of the Confucian Temple, it was said that the Ultimate Sage himself would "cut and abridge" a line from some book to give as a auspicious saying.
Xie Gou gave her mountain lord a meaningful look. "Since the mountain lord is so good at guessing thoughts, do I need to say it?"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Why ask when you already know?"
Xiao Mo was completely lost.
Xie Gou nodded, "Vice Minister Mao also explained that Patriarch Wen seemed to have taken it from a book in the 'Everyone Echoes Tower.' There, next to that sentence, was a red brush stroke marking it."
Chen Ping'an nodded. He had already guessed the answer.
And sure enough, Xie Gou's words matched his expectation.
His heart stirred, and a thought arose. But Chen Ping'an quickly dispelled that ripple of feeling.
Chen Ping'an changed the subject, transmitting his thoughts to them: "Xiao Mo, I've agreed with Sect Leader Lu. He'll help me pass a message to Senior Brother Jun Qian, who will soon return to the Haoran world. I've already sent a letter to the Confucian Temple. I want you to make a trip to the Bright Moon Splendid Color in the Green Firmament World to catch up with Old Temple Master. You can stay there for a while; there's no hurry to come back to Fallen Mountain. I'm planning to go into seclusion soon anyway."
Xie Gou asked tentatively, "Mountain Lord, can I go with Xiao Mo?"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "I mentioned that in the letter too, but I can't say whether the Confucian Temple will reject it."
Xiao Mo said, "Xie Gou, you'd better stay on the mountain. Otherwise, I won't feel comfortable leaving. When I'm not by the master's side, you need to help guard his seclusion."
He and the Master of the Fallen Treasure Beach Blue Cave truly regarded each other as close friends. To say they were fast friends was no exaggeration.
Chen Ping'an was about to say something, but Xie Gou suddenly stopped in her tracks, stood up straight like the Right Protector, and said solemnly, "If there's the slightest mishap, I'll come to Xiao Mo with my head!"
Xiao Mo said softly, "Everything will be fine. The master will surely break through smoothly. You just need to stay with Xiaomili and crack sunflower seeds."
Xie Gou was about to speak.
Chen Ping'an interjected, "Miss Xie, when you hear such heartwarming words that are more than sweet talk, shouldn't you squeeze out a few tears?"
You two have been flirting all the way, acting as if I, the mountain lord, don't exist. If I can't disgust you, then...
Xie Gou sighed understandingly, "It seems the mountain lord is missing the mountain lord's wife."
Xiao Mo's eyes were full of smiles. He nodded, for once agreeing with Xie Gou. "It's only human nature. Nothing to be ashamed of."
"Both of you, shut up."
Chen Ping'an, walking between them, seemed to be feigning anger. He reached out and hooked his arm around Xiao Mo's neck, while pressing his hand down on the top of Xie Gou's sable hat.
This scene made Aunt Feng, sitting under the grape trellis at the Fire God Temple, feel like her horizons had been broadened.
On the road, Xiao Mo was smiling, Xie Gou pursed her lips and tried to keep a straight face, and Chen Ping'an—far from being old and weary—was like a young man.
Aunt Feng, seated on a stone stool, closed her book. She felt a bit envious of them.
No matter which of them reached the fourteenth realm first, no matter where the other two were or in which world, if they encountered a difficult trial, the sword light would arrive first, and after a short wait, the sword cultivator would follow.
Chen Ping'an didn't ask Lord Wei for help. Instead, he chose to take a ferry back to Oxhorn Ferry. After all, Lord Wei was probably busy hosting a night parade banquet.
That evening, Chen Ping'an pulled Xiao Mo up to the roof of the ferry to drink. Xie Gou bought a few dishes to go with the wine. Sitting beside Xiao Mo, she complained about how much they had overcharged her.
Xie Gou was the most generous drinker, but her skill at persuading others to drink was poor. Soon she was leaning back, saying she couldn't drink anymore—if she did, she would... She looked up at Xiao Mo and laughed.
The bright moon shone round and full, its long light falling on those who must part.
Clouds drifted across the moon, making it hazy.
Xiao Mo picked up a peanut, chewed it slowly, and transmitted his thoughts: "Master, you've been forgetting things often lately, only remembering them when you talk to people. Is this preparation for seclusion?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. "Thoughts beget thoughts. It's easy to let them bloom like flowers, but it's also hard to have no thought arise at all. You could ask me any question, like something we've seen or heard in the Great Li capital."
Xiao Mo smiled, "Does the master still remember that praise saying?"
Inside his heart-lake, it was like fishing.
The fishing hook and bait were the words "praise saying."
One pull of the rod, and he caught the fish.
Chen Ping'an then remembered a long chain of memories related to that sentence.
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
This praise saying from the Confucian Temple came from his teacher's "Discourse on Heaven."
It was that line: "The gentleman honors what lies within himself, not what lies in heaven. Thus, he advances daily."
But soon, Chen Ping'an forgot it. He truly forgot it completely. He shook his head and didn't dwell on it.
Xiao Mo didn't say anything more. He raised his wine glass, and Chen Ping'an lightly clinked his against it, laughing, "When it comes to drinking, a bowl is better than a cup."
The clouds parted on the horizon, and the moon shone even brighter.
In Chen Ping'an's Tao heart.
His golden-eyed self was hopping and skipping across those barriers called "forgetfulness," like a child playing hopscotch.
In a small Taoist temple in the Green Firmament World.
Chen Cong—so it was me, Chen Ping'an. Chang Bo—so it was you, Senior Brother.