Chapter 163: Finally, Teacher and Student
Cui Chan, dressed in flowing white robes, made his way through the streets and alleys until he finally found the residence where that tower stood. As expected, it was a grand house with two stone lions guarding the gate, the threshold extremely high, and the inner doors tightly shut. However, the strange thing was that this residence bore the name "Zhilan" rather than something like Zhang Manor or Qian Manor.
The tower where Cui Chan had previously seen the unusual phenomenon was likely this family's private library. Its height was almost comparable to the Confucian Temple's Kuixing Pavilion within the city, so it was certainly no ordinary wealthy household.
The closer he got to this "Zhilan" mansion, the more clearly Cui Chan sensed the impending storm. This feeling was like the heavy gloom before a downpour, oppressive and suffocating.
Between heaven and earth, besides the righteous qi revered by Confucianism, there were many other intangible types of qi. Generally speaking, they could be divided into pure and turbid. The former was spiritual and beneficial for cultivation, while the latter was filthy and corrupted, damaging the soul. Places like mass graves, ancient battle mounds, and battlefield ruins each had their own mysteries, not all of which were necessarily turbid qi.
The paradises and blessed lands in the world that aided cultivation were like a room filled with orchids, refreshing the heart and mind.
Cui Chan clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely walked up the steps. A middle-aged gatekeeper emerged from a side door. Seeing the white-clad youth's extraordinary bearing, he dared not be negligent and respectfully asked for his identity.
Cui Chan said he was a loose immortal who accumulated yin virtue by slaying demons and vanquishing monsters. He had noticed something amiss with the residence even from outside the city—there might be bloodshed and disaster—so he had come specifically to help.
The gatekeeper dismissed it as a joke. Did ghosts and spirits really exist? The gatekeeper knew they did, because his own household kept many harmless imps and phantoms. But to say that evil spirits would dare to cause trouble within the city, especially at their "Zhilan" residence—that was an enormous joke. Who didn't know that the family's four men were all recognized immortals? Especially the youngest son, Cao Xishan, who, it was said, had just become the direct disciple of a mountain sect master last year, proficient in both flying sword and thunder magic.
Cui Chan, now treated as a liar, didn't get angry. He patiently explained further: "Your residence's feng shui for storing wind and gathering water is quite good. The library's layout is the best, serving as the formation's core. Plus, I suspect that among the books, there are many rare editions and first prints stamped with the personal seals of sages and gentlemen. Over time, this tends to gather spiritual energy. Ordinary demons and ghosts dare not come here to walk into a trap, but some timid, gentle little creatures that like to live near people will grow very smoothly."
The gatekeeper looked impatient and told Cui Chan to leave immediately, saying he had no time to listen to a young lad's nonsense.
Cui Chan gently brushed aside the gatekeeper's pushing hand and smiled. "But there is indeed something strange about this mansion's library. A large python has taken up residence inside. It may have been there from the start, its origin unknown, or it may have been invited in later. If I'm not mistaken, it's a fire python. Recently, it's about to undergo its second-to-last shedding. Next time it sheds, it will bring about a flood. If successful, it will become a great flood dragon."
Cui Chan pointed toward the city outskirts. "But there's a water snake in the river, of a higher realm than the fire python, lurking underwater and biding its time. It will not easily let this close relative and mortal enemy succeed in shedding. All creatures of dragons, serpents, and pythons, once they awaken and develop intelligence, regardless of their previous nature, dislike the approach of their own kind. So if your residence doesn't prepare early, when the fire python is weak during shedding, the water snake will leave the river surface and charge straight here, trying to strike a fatal blow and seize the half-way fire pill inside the fire python, converting it into its own cultivation. Water and fire intermingle—the great path will be near!"
The gatekeeper's expression turned complex, then suddenly he erupted in rage. He reached out to push the white-clad youth away. "Get out, get out! A mere child, spouting nonsense!"
Cui Chan sighed and muttered to himself, "Master, see? Reasoning doesn't work. So troublesome. I'll just do it my own way."
With a flick of his sleeve, the middle-aged gatekeeper was swept several yards away by a gust of fresh wind and fell unconscious on the spot.
From the side door, five or six burly men quickly rushed out. Cui Chan strode forward boldly. Those martial artists of the first or second realm fared even worse than the gatekeeper. Before they even saw how the handsome youth with the birthmark between his eyebrows waved his sleeve, they were sent flying backward, tumbling all over the ground, groaning.
Cui Chan continued on his way. More and more guards swarmed in, but none could make him pause even slightly.
When he reached the square outside the library, Cui Chan, yawning, finally showed some interest. He looked at three men standing side by side, who appeared to be a father and his sons. Apart from them, there was no one else. They probably didn't want to expose the truth about the library or didn't want to harm innocents, so they had forbidden anyone from approaching.
Cui Chan's gaze quickly passed over the three men. The library occupied a very large area, standing six stories high. Above its roof, the sky was covered with dark clouds. Thunder rumbled heavily, and lightning flashed and intertwined. A massive python, over ten zhang long, extended its body from the ground floor of the building, winding upward. Its head, as large as a water vat, faced the thunderclouds and flicked its tongue, filled with natural reverence yet brimming with fighting spirit. Among worldly monsters, few were not afraid of thunder—it was an imprint carved into their bones, passed down through generations for tens of thousands of years.
According to ancient legends, a certain Heavenly Emperor who governed thunder once toured the various worlds with a host of thunder gods and many rain masters. Countless demons and monsters had perished.
Cui Chan continued forward.
A middle-aged man clad in ancient bronze armor extended his hand to stop his two sons from teaching the uninvited guest a lesson. He signaled them with his eyes to stay calm and not act rashly. He cupped his fists and said, "I am Cao Hushan. May I ask what guidance the honored guest has for visiting?"
Cui Chan didn't stop walking. He said lazily, "I used up all my good temper at the front gate. Now I want to ascend the tower. If you insist on blocking me, don't say I didn't warn you. Annihilating your entire household... I won't do that now. But killing you three father and sons and destroying the evidence? That's no problem. At worst, I'll explain to my master that you died in a battle between snakes and pythons. I'd have no psychological burden. I might even shed a sympathetic tear for you in front of him. Ah, what can I do? I have such a rigid master."
The middle-aged man gripped the hilt of the long sword at his waist. A thick, earthy yellow glow flowed over his armor. He said fiercely, "Do you really think our 'Zhilan' Cao family are soft persimmons to be carved up at will?"
Cui Chan spat. "You still dare to call yourselves 'Zhilan'? With so many good books stored at home, you don't let your descendants study the sages' teachings. Instead, you all practice martial arts. Worse still, you collude with monsters, allowing them to occupy the library and absorb the 'fragrance of books.' And even that's not the worst. Knowing that the fire python's shedding day would be when the river water snake fights to the death, you didn't warn the city's residents to flee. Instead, you deliberately used illusions to hide the scene of the thunderclouds descending and the python climbing the tower. Do you know that this sudden conflict between water and fire will kill at least a thousand people in the city?"
Cui Chan, having said this, looked a little aggrieved and muttered, "Master, this is all your fault. I've gotten a bit addicted to talking nicely."
A tall young man holding a silver spear sneered, "Father, stop wasting words with this guy. Let me kill him. Anyone who dares to ruin our Cao clan's century-long plan to dominate the entire prefecture deserves death!"
Cui Chan laughed heartily and pointed at the tall young man. "I like this violent temper of yours..."
Before he finished speaking, a barely noticeable drop of blood appeared on the young man's brow. Just as he was about to use his divine abilities to empower the silver spear in his hand, he felt a slight sting at his brow. Before he could even raise his hand to wipe it, he collapsed limply. No lingering on the brink of death, no agonized screams—he died instantly.
The middle-aged man's armor glowed even more brightly, and he himself seemed shrouded in a yellow mist.
His other son, who had a scholarly air, chanted incantations, formed hand seals, and paced out celestial steps in a flurry of activity. Soon, a string of gleaming white characters appeared around him, linked end to end, forming a full moon that protected him within. Not only that, but a small fire python wreathed in flames materialized in the air, spinning rapidly around the youth. Additionally, the ancient high crown on his head emitted a five-colored light that sprayed down like a fountain, enveloping the youth on all sides.
Inside and out, above and below—layer upon layer of defenses, a barrage of techniques.
Cui Chan was amused by the youth's life-preserving methods. "You sure are afraid of death. Being afraid of death is good."
Still, no visible movement occurred.
A "cinnabar dot" likewise appeared on the brow of the death-fearing youth, and he instantly expired.
Cui Chan said with a grin, "Once you become a ghost, naturally you won't have to fear death anymore. Don't thank me."
The middle-aged man turned and fled.
Cui Chan didn't even bother to pursue. He felt too lazy for that now, so much so that even the idea of wiping them all out seemed too troublesome.
Cui Chan didn't enter the library in a hurry. He stood outside the door. The wine flask at his waist was quite heavy, filled with liquor.
On the way here, Cui Chan had bought another two jin of loose wine. After leaving the Great Sui capital, he finished the wine that had been in that flask. There were still several jars of good wine in the carriage, but he couldn't very well stick his head into them to drink. So Cui Chan had simply kept the flask without discarding it. Over time, he'd grown somewhat attached to it. Since then, he'd been buying loose wine at roadside taverns. What choice did he have? Now he had to borrow money from Chen Ping'an. He had no small silver of his own. Though he had a mountain of gold and silver, he couldn't access it. Until he became a fifth-realm Qi refiner, Cui Chan could only watch helplessly.
Cui Chan took off his flask and took a big gulp, then stepped forward and crossed the threshold.
The fire python, sensing the threat, had already retracted into the library. The thunder and lightning in the sky weakened somewhat.
Cui Chan walked toward the staircase on the first floor and sighed. "When youth knows not the taste of sorrow, one loves to ascend high towers. Ascend high towers, again ascend high towers, yet again ascend high towers, and once more."
When Cui Chan reached the fifth floor, he stopped going up. He sat down on the stairs, looking gloomy, and absolutely refused to go to the top.
Between the fourth and fifth floors, a huge crimson head slowly emerged. Its eyes were as black as ink. It cautiously looked at the white-clad youth who was both immensely powerful and ruthlessly cruel.
Cui Chan turned his head to look at the fire python and said regretfully, "Back when I was at home, if I'd had someone like you to talk with and relieve my boredom, I might not have ended up the way I am today."
The fire python gently rested its lower jaw on the floor, assuming a humble posture of listening attentively. It was very humanlike, and compared to the Cao father and son whose ambition was to "dominate the entire prefecture," this beast clearly had better judgment.
Cui Chan asked with a smile, "I've interrupted your path to longevity, causing you to miss this perfect moment of timing, location, and harmony. Aren't you angry?"
The python slightly shook its head. The entire fifth floor trembled, and dust flew everywhere.
Cui Chan nodded. "You have spiritual aptitude. If you had insisted on shedding, the water snake in the river would have had a much greater chance of success than you. Then your centuries of bitter cultivation would have merely sewn a wedding gown for another."
On the stairs higher up from where Cui Chan sat, there was a young boy in green robes, about six or seven years old, with vertical pupils. He crouched on the stair railing, looking at Cui Chan's back and clicking his tongue. "Wow, you outsider kid have a vicious hand and a poisonous heart, but your eyesight isn't bad. You even recognize this venerable one's power."
The fire python was greatly alarmed. It barely restrained the urge to flee back downstairs, its entire body trembling slightly.
Not only had it lost the protection of the Cao father and sons, but it had also been forced to interrupt its shedding process, leaving it at its weakest. And then this fellow had stealthily entered the Cao residence. How could it possibly be a match for him?
Cui Chan turned his head and said, "Naughty."
The green-clad boy looked bewildered, pointing a finger with nails as sharp as awls at himself. "You're talking about me?"
The next moment, the green-clad boy clutched his forehead. Blood kept seeping through his fingers. He fell from the stair railing to the fifth floor, rolling around in agony. The entire library began to shake.
Cui Chan pulled something out of his sleeve and said impatiently, "Alright, stop pretending. If you're naughty again, I'll truly send you to see the King of Hell."
The green-clad boy abruptly stopped rolling. He got up, dusted off his sleeves, and asked, "What exactly do you want? I have a very close relationship with the river god outside the city. We've been sworn brothers for over two hundred years. Compared to that little girl who doesn't even dare to meet the City God, I'm far, far stronger. Your cultivation isn't bad—you're worthy of being a guest at my mansion. If you help me today and let me eat it, then from now on, within a thousand li of this prefectural city, you can kill anyone you want..."
The green-clad boy seemed to have his throat seized. Not a single word could come out. He stared fixedly at the object in the white-clad youth's hand, so frightened that he lost his wits. His legs began to shake. The fire python transformed into a little girl in a pink dress, curling up at the stairway entrance, trembling violently.
Cui Chan held an ancient inkstone. Winding around it was an aged, gaunt flood dragon no more than an inch long. If one listened carefully, one could even hear the faint, genuine sound of snoring.
To the green-clad boy and the fire python in the library, those snores, which ordinary mortals wouldn't find unusual, were more terrifying than heavenly thunder.
Cui Chan lowered his head. He pinched a "sewing needle" that glowed with golden light between two fingers and scraped it along the edge of the ancient inkstone, producing a series of sparks and flashes, as if sharpening the blade on the inkstone.
Cui Chan extended the inkstone. "Come in obediently."
The fire python, now a little girl in a pink dress, leaned against the wall and rose with difficulty. She didn't dare to move.
The green-clad boy asked, "Any benefits?"
Cui Chan nodded and smiled. "Yes. For example, staying alive."
The green-clad boy said a single word: "Fine." And then... he crashed through the window of the fifth floor and flew out.
Immediately afterward, a stream of golden light two or three chi long followed closely behind him, also passing through the window and speeding toward the eastern outskirts of the city.
Moments later, in the great river east of the city, tumultuous waves surged, and blood splattered everywhere from time to time.
Chen Ping'an, who had been drinking tea at the city gate, immediately paid the bill and rushed into the city.
He found that the "Zhilan" mansion didn't even have a gatekeeper. Chen Ping'an went straight through without any hindrance. Finally, he arrived at the towering library building. He happened to see Cui Chan personally leading a little girl in a pink dress out. Perhaps to enjoy some comfort, Cui Chan had transferred the book case to the small, slender little girl, leaving his own hands empty, only the flask at his waist.
Cui Chan slapped his forehead and told the girl carrying the book case to go fetch a few ancient books with the strongest spiritual energy. Then he sat down on the library threshold, drinking wine, looked up, and said with a smile, "Master, go ahead. I'm listening."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you know why I asked you to return to Longquan County with me?"
Cui Chan took a big gulp of wine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I know. You're afraid I won't learn my lesson or that I still have ulterior motives, that I might cause trouble at the new Cliffside Academy in Great Sui. You don't feel at ease about Li Baoping and the other two. So you'd rather not sleep well yourself than let those kids meet with any accidents."
Chen Ping'an looked at Cui Chan.
Cui Chan said helplessly, "Hey, hey, hey. Is it hard to guess that answer? Master, don't look at me like that, alright? Even an iota of surprise would be an insult to me, Cui Chan."
Chen Ping'an hesitated, then finally said, "If you are willing to sincerely protect them, then from today onward, I will agree to take you as my student."
Cui Chan raised his wine flask high. "It's a deal!"
Chen Ping'an frowned. "Forget it."
"Because I agreed too quickly?" Cui Chan sneered. "Don't rush to back out. The moment I secretly left the carriage with you, I already anticipated this step. This isn't just pleasant surprise for me—it's the result of long and careful consideration. So don't think I'm just humoring you, Chen Ping'an. You might not believe this, but staying behind in the Great Sui capital was always one of my own predetermined moves. Do you think I was playing chess with myself along the way just for fun? If I told you, I'm afraid it would scare you to death—it was the Great Li playing chess with the Great Sui! This game is about the national fortunes of two dynasties!"
Cui Chan sighed. "But to be honest, putting myself in danger and playing hero in a dragon's den isn't my style. But I have no choice. In the end, I'm the one who poked the hornet's nest. I'm not necessarily at ease letting others clean up the mess."
Cui Chan made a bitter face. "Master, if I really die in the Great Sui capital..."
Chen Ping'an said seriously, "I'll try to build a cenotaph for you."
Cui Chan was stunned, then muttered under his breath, "He even knows about cenotaphs... Following Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi this whole way, he really didn't waste his reading! Haha, worthy of being my master—learning fast."
Chen Ping'an asked, "By the way, should the epitaph say Cui Chan or Cui Dongshan?"
Cui Chan looked horrified and spat, "Pah, pah, pah!"
Then Cui Chan laughed. "I knew Master would take this step, so I've already prepared a parting gift. That little girl is a fire python by origin. She's been absorbing the fragrance of books since childhood, so she has a very gentle nature. She'll be most suitable as Master's little book servant from now on. As for the other one, he has a similar origin but a more violent temperament. On this journey back to Longquan County, we'll need someone capable of fighting, someone who can help Master open mountains and cross rivers as needed. The Paradise of the Li Pearl Cave is a great temptation for them. Once they enter Master's territory, they won't dare to disobey. But Master will need to wait a moment—that river water snake will soon come here on its own to kowtow and admit its wrongs."
Chen Ping'an felt a mix of emotions.
"You are a bad person, and much smarter than me, so you know better than I do how to deal with bad people. I hope that after you return to the academy, you can truly protect Baoping and the others."
Chen Ping'an's gaze was sincere. He took a deep breath and said in a martial, fist-and-palm salute, "If you can do that, then I thank you here in advance!"
"Since Master is willing to make this decision, it means he truly acknowledges this student, even if just a little. For Master to ask something of his student is only natural—why should there be any need for thanks?"
Cui Chan started out a bit flippant, but seeing Chen Ping'an's serious expression, he immediately dropped the playful attitude. He shook his sleeves, made a solemn bow, his wide sleeves hanging down like a crane folding its wings, utterly graceful, and said in a deep voice, "Your student bids you farewell, Master! May your journey be safe!"