Chapter 167: I Have Many Magic Treasures

Chapter 167: I Have Many Magic Treasures

(Only 5,500 words yesterday, and you said it wasn't a big chapter… Today, I'm giving you a big one.)

A tall old man with a redwood ruler at his waist stood half-way up the mountain in the Wenzheng Hall, his eyes narrowed as he dozed.

Ever since the Emperor had personally visited Eastflower Mountain, all spies and secret agents had been withdrawn. Even a Tenth Realm qi refiner was only allowed to hide near the mountain's base, never to set foot in the academy. This was the respect Great Sui showed to Cliff Academy, or rather, the trust the Great Sui Emperor placed in the old scholar Mao Xiaodong.

Inside Wenzheng Hall, incense was burned in worship of the three sages venerated by this lineage of Cliff Academy. In the center hung the Supreme Saint and First Teacher, the ancestor worshiped by all Confucian disciples under heaven. Then there was the Literary Sage, who deliberately concealed his identity in the portrait, and finally the first academy master, Qi Jingchun.

A white-clothed youth had presented his travel permit at the academy gate at the foot of the mountain and walked all the way here. He poked his head into the hall, took a good look around, then flatly refused to enter any further. Standing outside the threshold, he said angrily, "Mao Xiaodong, are you deliberately trying to disgust me, or do you want to harm me? Give me a clear answer today. If I'm not satisfied, I'll just turn around and leave right now, and I'll never come back to this mountain to annoy you again!"

Mao Xiaodong still had his eyes closed, his expression indifferent. He said, "Either you go inside and burn incense, or you explain things clearly. Otherwise, if I so much as look at you, I'll be your grandson."

Cui Chan plopped down on the threshold, "Even if you want to be my grandson, I might not accept you. Tsk, I wonder who it was that, back then, followed me around with two runny noses, learning to play Go, studied thousands of games for ten thousand years, and still lost even when I gave him a two-stone handicap, his face dark and his hands trembling, so eager to make a move that he'd delay for a hundred years."

Mao Xiaodong said calmly, "Go is only a minor art."

Cui Chan sneered, "'The art of Go is a minor skill'? Oh, ho! Who doesn't know that among that batch of unaccomplished nominal disciples, your scholarship was mediocre? But you were the most respectful to your teacher, serving the Old Scholar more devotedly than your own father. And now you're starting to praise the teachings of another sage? Especially one who was the Old Scholar's sworn enemy. What, are you learning Go from me, and now learning how to be a man from me too?"

Mao Xiaodong, who had been keeping his eyes closed all this time, snorted coldly, "If I say one more word of nonsense with you, I'm your son."

Cui Chan's eyes darted around. "This time I came to Eastflower Mountain because I'm homeless and just passing through. You, Mao Xiaodong, are now the esteemed academy master. Just turn a blind eye and let it slide. If you don't want to see me, just don't look. You won't see, and you won't be annoyed. I'll be free and happy. Everybody wins."

Mao Xiaodong sneered, "With your opportunistic nature, I'm afraid that within a few days, you'll get the academy dismantled by Great Sui. If you want to fight with Great Sui, I won't stop you. But don't you dare make trouble here on Eastflower Mountain. This academy is a place for moral learning, not some place where you, Cui Chan, can shit and piss without wiping your ass!"

Cui Chan frowned. "Didn't you receive my secret letter? The one with a chess piece inside it."

Mao Xiaodong nodded. "I received it, but I didn't open it. I threw it straight into the stove, then went to wash my hands. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to pick up my chopsticks to eat."

That was harsh enough. But Cui Chan didn't get angry at all. He stood up, walked over to the tall old man, and said with a grin, "Xiaodong, I really didn't come here this time for any schemes. I just want to study properly, soak up some sun when I'm free, play a game of Go with you, and look after the children from Porcelain Bead Cave Heaven."

Mao Xiaodong laughed mockingly. "Believe you? Then I'd be your ancestor."

Cui Chan was a bit puzzled. He pointed at his own nose. "What's so bad about being my ancestor? You'd be getting a huge advantage, wouldn't you?"

Mao Xiaodong twitched the corner of his mouth. "If someone was your ancestor, they'd be so angry that their coffin lid wouldn't even stay shut. Of course I don't want to be that."

Cui Chan bellowed, "Mao Xiaodong! That's enough!"

The tall old man shook his head with his eyes still closed. "Not enough."

Cui Chan pointed at Mao Xiaodong. "Want to fight?"

Mao Xiaodong suddenly opened his eyes, his aura ferocious, like a wrathful vajra in a temple. "Fighting? Good! Back in Great Li, I couldn't beat you. But now, I'll let you use one hand!"

Cui Chan blinked. "You're my grandson now. It's not right for a grandson to hit his grandfather, is it?"

Mao Xiaodong reached out and pressed the ruler at his waist. "After I beat you to death, I'll burn incense for you."

Cui Chan quickly stretched out a hand. "Stop, stop! The Old Scholar and Qi Jingchun both asked me to pass on a message to you. Listen to it first, and then we'll talk."

Mao Xiaodong squinted, his killing intent even thicker than when he'd opened his eyes. "Watch out—it might be your last words."

Cui Chan's lips moved slightly.

After hearing the voice transmission, Mao Xiaodong fixed his gaze on the white-clothed youth, who was only at the Fifth Realm, especially on Cui Chan's eyes. A person's eyes were said to be favored by spiritual energy because if the heart-mind was like a lake, then the eyes were like the spring at the bottom of a deep well. A righteous body brought clear spirit and qi; an evil heart clouded the vision.

If Mao Xiaodong had encountered Great Li's National Teacher Cui Chan back at the old Cliff Academy in Great Li, he wouldn't have bothered with this—the gap in their realms was simply too vast. Two realms apart; a difference like clouds and mud. No matter how long he looked, he wouldn't see anything. But now the situation was reversed. Mao Xiaodong held the advantage in cultivation, so it was somewhat useful. Moreover, since they had once belonged to the same Confucian lineage, he could see more clearly.

Mao Xiaodong withdrew his gaze and strode away.

Cui Chan called after him with a laugh, "Where are you going? Don't you want to talk some more?"

Mao Xiaodong snorted. "I need to wash my eyes quickly, or I'll go blind!"

Cui Chan reached down and flicked at the front of his robes, preening. "This young body of mine is truly one that could topple cities and kingdoms."

Mao Xiaodong stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked ready to fight. The old man had wanted to beat this teacher-betraying, ancestor-dishonoring bastard to death for not just ten or twenty years.

A faint golden light shot out from Cui Chan's sleeve, poised and ready. He was shocked. "You're really going to fight? The Confucian sages transform people through virtue; gentlemen convince with reason. Even though you, Mao Xiaodong, have been held back by your master's lineage and are still only a Worthy, that doesn't mean a Worthy can roll up his sleeves and throw a punch!"

Mao Xiaodong strode away.

Cui Chan quickly followed, hands clasped behind his back, walking with an air of transcendent grace. He pestered, "How are Li Baoping and the others doing with their studies here? Have they been causing chaos in the academy?"

Mao Xiaodong replied curtly, "Yes."

Cui Chan's face darkened. "Don't tell me someone has been trying to make an example of them?"

Mao Xiaodong sneered, "I thought it might be you, National Teacher, secretly stirring things up. Trying to drive a wedge between the academy and Great Sui, making the Great Sui Emperor lose face, and completely severing the literary lineage of Cliff Academy."

Cui Chan looked a bit embarrassed. He raised an arm and scratched his head, giving a dry laugh. "The old fogeys in the capital might do something like that, but I wouldn't. I've been constantly putting myself in others' shoes lately, doing good deeds for everyone, and 'correcting my deviant ways'... ah, no, I mean 'turning over a new leaf' for a long time now."

Mao Xiaodong sighed. He looked up at the pavilion at the peak of Eastflower Mountain. His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was firm. "Cui Chan, if you ever dare to do anything harmful to this academy, just once, and I will kill you."

Cui Chan didn't take it to heart at all. "Whatever you say, whatever makes you happy. But first, tell me what exactly happened. I'm worse off than you now, I'm not lying. Who under heaven dares compete with me in misery? Whenever you're in a bad mood, Xiaodong, just come and listen to my stories—I guarantee you'll feel better. Just remember to bring a few jugs of wine. The Great Sui Emperor isn't stingy; I'm sure he's rewarded you with plenty of good wine."

Mao Xiaodong gave him a strange sidelong glance, shook his head, and continued walking while briefly explaining the situation.

Especially the final battle in the book building: Yu Lu, one against two, with both sides ending up badly injured. All three had entered upright—a young Worthy at the Cavern Mansion Realm, an old Sword Immortal at the Sightsea Realm, and a tall youth at the peak of the Sixth Martial Realm—but they all came out lying flat.

Even the vice master Mao Xiaodong couldn't suppress such a huge piece of news.

That night, the Minister of Rites of Great Sui, wearing his official robes, along with a eunuch from the palace in bright red python robes, and a Tenth Realm cultivator who had been lurking near Eastflower Mountain, climbed the mountain together.

But when faced with the three of them, Mao Xiaodong only said that this matter was his to explain to the Great Sui Emperor. As for anyone else, whether prince or minister, they had no right to interfere with the academy's affairs. In truth, the three hadn't come to demand an explanation, but Mao Xiaodong was still cold and unyielding, sending them away with a giant rebuff.

The Tenth Realm qigong practitioner had been ready to fight on the spot, but the Rites Minister stopped him, and they all hurried down the mountain to the palace for an audience.

Among the group descending the mountain were the old Sword Immortal and Li Changying, who could walk now but looked ghastly, as if still sick.

Mao Xiaodong finally asked, "In what capacity are you staying here?"

Cui Chan answered without hesitation, "If you'd read my secret letter, you'd know that one of the identities of Yu Lu and Xie Xie can be revealed. For example, as Xie Lingyue, the leading disciple of the Luk's Dynasty's foremost sect, I can appear as an elder of her sect. If it's Yu Lu, then I'm one of the hidden gatekeepers of the Luk's Palace. Don't worry, I've prepared both identities in advance—airtight."

Mao Xiaodong was still uneasy. "Great Sui's intelligence network is no worse than Great Li's. And Great Sui and Luk's Dynasty are longstanding allies..."

Cui Chan silenced the tall old man with one sentence: "Who am I?"

When they parted ways, Mao Xiaodong, who had long held a grudge, couldn't help but curse, "Who are you? You're my son!"

Cui Chan said, "Hey!" and cheerfully called out, "Dad!"

Mao Xiaodong was stunned, then gritted his teeth in anger. His figure flickered and vanished.

Cui Chan shouted, "Where do the kids live? Dad, tell me!"

Deep in the night, there was no answer.

Cui Chan rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll just go knock on every door myself. Who's afraid of who?"

Back in Wenzheng Hall, Mao Xiaodong returned alone. He stood below the portraits, lit three sticks of incense, and said sorrowfully, "Teacher, Senior Brother, why did you do this? I can't understand it at all! I know that nothing can compare to you two, and if you did this, you must have had your reasons. But..."

The tall old man's weathered face was faintly stained with tears. "But I just feel a bit unhappy about it."

---

Cui Chan certainly wasn't foolish enough to actually knock on every door. He tapped his toe and leaped onto the roof of a dormitory. Looking around, he spotted a few buildings with lights still on. He headed for the nearest one, tiptoed to the window, and pressed his ear to it. Before he could see anything, he heard the sound of splashing water. He didn't rush; he poked a hole in the window paper and sure enough saw a "picture of a beauty bathing." Unfortunately, the woman's figure was far from pleasing to the eye. Just as Cui Chan felt he'd dirtied his dog's eyes, the girl standing in the tub inside the room let out a piercing scream.

Cui Chan didn't leave. He stood on the spot and complained, "What are you screaming for? I'm the one who got the bad end of this deal!"

With a *bang*, water splattered all over the window—she had thrown the water ladle at him.

Cui Chan had already drifted away, rubbing his eyes and muttering, "My eyes hurt."

Behind him came even sharper screams, and lights began flicking on in nearby dorms.

Cui Chan searched through dormitory after dormitory from memory. Finally, he found the people he was looking for. By coincidence, Li Huai, Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu were all there.

Yu Lu was lying on his side in bed. Though his face was pale, his spirits seemed good.

Li Huai sat at the head of the bed, looking down at the straw sandals on his feet, wearing a worried expression.

Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi sat opposite each other at the table, each reading a book.

Cui Chan pushed the door open and strode in, laughing loudly. "Happy to see me? Surprised?"

Li Baoping was stunned for a moment, then beamed. "Where's Little Master?!"

Cui Chan stepped over the threshold, hooked the door shut with his foot, and sat down on the stool between Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi. He rolled his eyes. "Master didn't come. It's just me, poor and alone."

Li Baoping jumped up, ran to the door, opened it, and looked around for a long time. When she didn't see her Little Master, she slumped back to her seat dejectedly, laid her head on the table, and moped.

Lin Shouyi put down the book *Clouds Above, Clear Readings*, carefully tied it with a golden thread, and tucked it into his robe. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Cui Chan poured himself a cup of tea, gulped it down, and waved a hand. "I already know everything."

He smiled at Lin Shouyi. "Go call Xie Xie here. Tell her her master needs someone to serve him tea and water."

Lin Shouyi hesitated. Cui Chan glared at him. "What, are you secretly in love with Xie Xie and afraid I'll make her warm my bed tonight? Are we both blind, or just you?"

Lin Shouyi sighed, got up, and left to fetch Xie Xie.

Cui Chan looked at Li Huai, who looked sickly. He smiled. "Li Huai, don't be sad. Chen Ping'an heard about this and praised you. He said you were brave and responsible, a real man."

The boy suddenly lifted his head. "Really?!"

Li Huai's face immediately lit up, and he grinned.

Li Baoping sneered. "Are you stupid? Little Master left the Great Sui capital so long ago—how could he know about recent events at the academy? And would Little Master praise someone like that?"

She lifted her head. "At most, he'd smile. That's already great. At the very most, he'd give you a thumbs up."

The little girl suddenly sat up straight, crossing her arms. "Little Master saves all his compliments and praises for me!"

Li Huai looked a little downcast.

After a long hesitation, he lowered his head and seemed to be talking to his straw sandals. "Maybe I should move in with Lin Shouyi?"

Li Baoping turned her head. "Li Huai, why are you still so spineless? Why should you be the one to move? Those three should be the ones to move out!"

The little girl suddenly dropped her head again and rested it on the table. "Forget it. I don't have the right to say that."

Yu Lu struggled to sit up. Li Huai quickly helped him. Yu Lu leaned against the wall, sat cross-legged, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry I can't properly welcome the master."

Cui Chan completely ignored the tall youth. He examined the simple decor of the dorm, then was silent for a moment before saying to Li Baoping, "Li Huai moving here is the right call. This has nothing to do with being brave or cowardly. Staying there is the worst option, moving here is the middle option, and moving to Li Changying's dorm would have been the best option."

Just then, Lin Shouyi returned with Xie Xie. He sat down, and the dark-skinned girl clearly showed great fear when she saw Cui Chan. She only dared to stand by the door.

Li Baoping asked, puzzled, "I understand why moving to Li Changying's dorm would be the best. But what about the worst option?"

Cui Chan twirled the white porcelain teacup in his fingers and said slowly, "Stealing things, bullying Li Huai—these are common childish behaviors. But passionate youth is the most unreasonable. You've never experienced the real martial world. Those hot-headed young wanderers—they'll kill your whole family over a disagreement. Then when the authorities catch them and chop off their heads, guess how they act? On the execution ground, even as the executioner peers at their necks, wondering how to swing his blade, those guys still look proud, without a shred of regret. Do you think they're afraid of death? They kill without mercy and face death without bowing. That's how impressive they are."

Li Huai listened intently, thinking that these people's brains must be broken. Were there really such unreasonable people in the world?

Cui Chan laughed. "So even if those kids admit their mistakes and get their butts beaten by their fathers, one day, when they're still feeling aggrieved and holding a grudge, someone might say a few malicious words to egg them on. 'You're the son of a duke or a marquis. To suffer such humiliation—are you worthy of your ancestors? Your family's portrait still hangs in Great Sui's Zixiao Pavilion.'"

Yu Lu nodded slightly.

As the Crown Prince of Luk's Dynasty, he was familiar with this. He might have understood Cui Chan's reasoning best among everyone in the room.

Cui Chan gave two dry laughs and continued, "Then they think, 'Right! We're on our own turf, acting like cowards. How will we get by in the future? We'll drag the entire family down as the laughingstock of the capital!' So one night, they just take a knife and slit Li Huai's throat. Maybe those three kids from noble families can't match the flair of those wanderers who face death like heroes. But when the moment comes and Li Huai is already dead, does it matter whether they regret or wet their pants?"

Li Huai turned pale.

Yu Lu reached out and patted the boy's shoulder to comfort him. The boy turned his head, but his smile was worse than tears.

Cui Chan put down the teacup, tapping it lightly on the table. "Beyond the petty impulses, there's bound to be a tangle of conflicts of interest. Some throw stones to test the waters, others fan the flames, and some fish in troubled waters. They're all here. But it doesn't matter—I'm here now. From now on, you just focus on your studies. Leave everything else to me."

Everyone in the dorm had mixed feelings.

Cui Chan laughed heartily. "What, you don't believe me? Either you don't believe I have the ability, or you don't believe I have the goodwill? If it's the first, you can wait and see. If it's the second... well, my master Chen Ping'an was worried you might be bullied, so he couldn't relax the whole way. So he made a good deal with me. I'm here to watch over your studies. Do you believe me now?"

He looked at Li Baoping. "True Jianghu chivalry is never about a moment's pleasure."

He looked at Lin Shouyi. "The mountains are high, the waters long. There's plenty of time. If you hold a grudge against someone and feel unhappy, take care of the enemy first, then bully his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons. A gentleman's revenge is never too late."

Finally, he looked at Li Huai. "Remember: for cultivators, whether seeking revenge or repaying kindness, a hundred years is not too long."

Cui Chan clapped his hands. "Alright, I've said what I needed to say."

He slapped his forehead. "Oh, right, Little Baoping. When Master and I were passing a mountain range, we got lucky and ran into a huge group of Crossing-Mountain Carp on the move. My master had heard that among ten thousand Crossing-Mountain Carp, there might be one with a body completely of gold, the patriarch Crossing-Mountain Carp. Master insisted on dragging me up a tree to squat there, just staring. We waited for over two hours before we found one deliberately covered in mud—a golden one."

Li Baoping's eyes went wide. She stood up on her stool, then crouched down, as if that would bring her closer to Little Master and that Crossing-Mountain Carp.

Cui Chan shook his head. "After he got down from the tree, he crawled and scrambled all over, finally caught that rare carp, and was going to send it to you right away. But Crossing-Mountain Carp can live out of water for at most half a month. Even that one would only last a little over a month. He thought about telling the courier station to put it in water every few days, but he didn't trust them. He was afraid they'd be tempted by the treasure and run away with it, disappointing you. So he said that after he got home, when he visited your brother to let you know he was safe, he'd first leave it with Li Xisheng to raise."

Li Baoping's eyes sparkled. All her earlier gloom was gone. She was once again the little girl who had just left home on her travels, carrying her books on her back.

Cui Chan sighed. "Little Baoping, my master really treats you well. He saves all the good things for you. Hey, I just don't get it. With my master's stingy temper—he won't even put enough oil or salt in his stew—why does he stop treating real treasures like treasures when it comes to you guys? He's not stupid, is he?"

Well.

The little girl in the red cotton jacket wrinkled up her face, her mouth pulling down. She was about to cry.

Cui Chan quickly explained, "Don't cry, don't cry! Crossing-Mountain Carp can't be sent through the courier station to the academy, but letters can. At the courier station on the Great Sui border, Chen Ping'an wrote letters to all of you. They should arrive in about ten days or half a month. Then, you little darlings can cry or laugh as you please."

Cui Chan finally said helplessly, "Chen Ping'an also said that his student Cui Chan is still a big bad guy, and you should never trust him. But if you run into trouble, you can ask him for help."

After Cui Chan said this, Li Baoping and the others believed him about half. Even Yu Lu and Xie Xie believed him four or five parts.

Li Huai followed Lin Shouyi to rest in the dormitory. Li Baoping went back to her own, parting ways halfway.

After the three left, Cui Chan waited a moment, drank another cup of tea, and then left Yu Lu's place with Xie Xie.

The girl's nerves were stretched taut. She cautiously followed behind the white-clothed youth. At that moment, facing him was even more terrifying than facing "that Great Sui general's orphan who'd lost his father."

With Li Baoping and the other children gone, Cui Chan's face became expressionless. Without turning his head, he asked coldly, "Why didn't you strike against Li Changying? Was it because you dared not, or because you were unwilling?"

Xie Xie answered honestly, "Reporting to Master, it was both."

Cui Chan stopped walking. He gave the girl a vicious slap across the face. "You've been eating and drinking for free all this way, and in the end, all you did was beat up a Great Sui general's orphan whose father died? You've really made something of yourself! With such ambition, why don't you fly up to heaven?"

The girl's cheek was red and swollen. She summoned her courage and met Cui Chan's eyes. "Why should I do something I know is impossible? Master, tell me!"

Cui Chan slapped her again. "Because your life isn't worth a single one of Li Huai's fingers! In my eyes, you're even more worthless than that!"

The girl's heart was filled with desolation. She bit her lip so hard that blood seeped out.

Cui Chan raised his arm as if to strike again. The girl was terrified of him and dared not move, but she turned her head away.

Cui Chan laughed. He withdrew his hand and slowly reached out, gently patting her cheek. "So afraid of me? Good. I thought you might have grown a backbone, you shameless little slut. Master is both disappointed and pleased."

The girl's expression was numb.

Cui Chan turned and walked on. Suddenly he said, "Those Dragon-Trapping Nails firmly embedded in your soul—I can help you remove half of them. Then you can quickly recover to the Cavern Mansion Realm."

Xie Xie asked quietly, "Why?"

Without turning, Cui Chan suddenly kicked backward, striking the girl in the abdomen. Caught off guard, she nearly fell backward, wracked with sharp pain.

Cui Chan said calmly, "I just figured out a principle. I learned it from Chen Ping'an. He treats a single copper coin in his hand as if it's worth one tael of silver. Since you're worth one tael of silver, why should I spend you like a copper coin?"

The girl's eyes glistened with tears.

A copper coin. A tael of silver.

Such plain and vulgar terms, and her entire life, her entire being, was tied to a copper coin and a tael of silver.

How many treasuries and mountains of gold and silver had she, one of the most famous cultivation prodigies of her kingdom, spent in pursuit of higher realms?

Cui Chan rubbed his chin as he walked, deep in thought. When he came to himself, he turned around and gave a brilliant smile. "Do you want to tear off that face and show your true features? Master is in a good mood today, feeling merciful for once. From now on, your name can change back to Xie Lingyue. What do you think? Aren't you going to weep with gratitude for your master?"

The girl, who had never fought back or talked back, suddenly found some strange courage. She shrieked, "No!"

Cui Chan stopped, turned, and looked at the distraught girl. He let out a series of clicking sounds. "Still embarrassed, huh?"

The girl fell to her knees, her face streaming with tears. She choked out between sobs, "I beg you, Master, don't do this... I'm willing to stay as ordinary Xie Xie... Please don't tear off this face... I'm begging you, Master..."

Cui Chan held up two fingers. "Choose one: tear off the face, or reveal the identity of Xie Lingyue publicly. Choose quickly, or I won't even leave you a choice."

The girl slowly lifted her head. At that moment, her fierce gaze was like a dying young fawn. She said in a trembling voice, "I choose to change my name."

Cui Chan shook his head. "See? You claim you're not a little slut, but in the end, you value your own face more than your country or your sect. Fine. Soon you'll be Xie Lingyue of Luk's Dynasty's number one immortal estate. Xie Xie, quickly thank your master."

The girl said bitterly, "Thank you, Master."

Cui Chan stepped forward quickly and kicked the girl, sending her sprawling. He shouted angrily, "You should say 'Thank you, thank you, Master'!"

The girl lay sprawled on the ground, her shoulders shaking. "Thank you, thank you, Master."

Cui Chan rolled his eyes. "Boring. You go back on your own."

He turned around and walked back toward Yu Lu's dormitory, leaving the sobbing girl alone.

But before he left, Cui Chan threw out a strange remark, which the girl was too distraught to hear. "Changing your name changes your fate. From now on, Xie Lingyue is going to have the luck of a dog. If you don't believe me, just watch, haha. To have me, such a prodigal master, is the blessing of ten lifetimes."

The girl sat dazed, even forgetting to wipe away her tears.

The night wind in winter was bitterly cold.

The wind rose from the tips of duckweed. But no matter how it blew, for this girl, it would always blow over dead ashes.

---

When Cui Chan returned to the dormitory, Yu Lu was already sitting at the table, his complexion ruddy and his spirit high. Seeing Cui Chan, he stood up with a smile. "Forgive me, Master."

Cui Chan said, "Sit down. Since you're much smarter than Xie Xie, and your talent is a bit better, I won't hold it against you."

Yu Lu obediently sat down and even poured a cup of tea for Cui Chan. His movements were natural, nothing like someone who had been severely wounded and bedridden.

Cui Chan took the cup and asked with a smile, "Tell me, why did you step in to clean things up?"

Yu Lu sat there, his hands tucked into his sleeves as if to keep warm. Because of his large frame and the white-clothed youth's shorter stature, he hunched his shoulders a bit, looking somewhat curled up. He said slowly, "The first reason is that I originally felt there was no hope in life. But during this journey of study, I suddenly found that there was still something interesting to do. So, on a whim, I did it."

"Second, 'stones from another mountain can polish jade.' Throughout the journey, I felt a bit unwilling, thinking I should put what I'd learned into practice. But Chen Ping'an was too low in realm, and you, Master, were too high and mighty. Lin Shouyi took care of all those petty demons and monsters—truth be told, their cultivation wasn't much to look at. So what was I to do? I used this opportunity to treat that Great Sui sword cultivator as a whetstone for my martial arts, to take one step further. Besides, life is boring anyway. Seeing the view from higher up doesn't cost me anything."

Cui Chan laughed. "More like a stepping stone."

Yu Lu nodded with a smile. "Master is right."

Cui Chan said, "Go on."

Yu Lu thought for a moment.

Cui Chan asked with a smile, "Should I say it for you?"

Yu Lu smiled bitterly. "As long as I don't die, Chen Ping'an will always feel he owes me a favor."

Yu Lu looked a bit nervous. He didn't dare hope he could bluff his way through, so he braced himself and said, "Master said before that Xie Xie and I are as different from Chen Ping'an as heaven is from earth, and that we could never be his friends. I know that's probably true, but deep down I still don't believe it. Even now that you're standing right in front of me, Master, I still have the audacity to say I want to try. If I can prove you wrong, that would be best."

Yu Lu stood up, resigning himself. "I never expected you to come back, Master. Please punish me."

Cui Chan pressed his hand down. "Three birds with one stone. Very well done. I'm delighted to have a servant like you. Why would I punish you?"

Yu Lu sat down calmly.

This was probably the biggest difference between him and Xie Xie.

The girl was clever too, but she wanted many things she might never obtain. This tall youth, on the other hand, could let go of anything. What he wanted to pick up wasn't too heavy, and it was never related to Cui Chan's grand schemes. So he lived more lightly.

Great Li's National Teacher, Cui Chan, was renowned for his Go skills, reaching the highest level.

Yu Lu and Xie Xie lived with the white-clothed youth day and night, essentially constantly playing Go with him. Xie Xie played too hard, which made Cui Chan find her foolish—he couldn't even be bothered to raise an eyelid.

Yu Lu, on the other hand, only showed his cleverness in insignificant places, playing a few small joseki that Cui Chan had long grown tired of. This allowed Cui Chan to nod and think, "Not bad."

Xie Xie's heart was too heavy, her vision too far. She was extremely resilient and admirable, but having just escaped the grasp of the Great Li Empress, only to fall into being Cui Chan's marionette, was her great misfortune.

Yu Lu, however, could see the subtle truths of the people closest to him. He didn't seek much, so he lived lightly.

A flying sword shaped like a wheat ear, named "Golden Autumn," flew out of Cui Chan's sleeve and spun rapidly around the lamp.

Yu Lu's expression didn't change. He asked with a smile, "Master, walking into the academy like this, aren't you afraid your identity will be exposed?"

Cui Chan stared intently at the flying sword as he spoke softly, "Stop killing with killing, curb evil with evil—do you understand?"

Yu Lu nodded.

Cui Chan kept his eyes fixed on the golden trail left by the flying sword, thread after thread. Because the flight was so fast, the sword qi dissipated much slower than it was generated, tangling together until it looked like a golden ball, with the lamplight at its center.

Cui Chan said, "Same principle: give Great Sui one seemingly absurd reason. If one isn't enough, give them two. As long as you don't overdo it, two should be just right."

Yu Lu hesitated, then said with a bitter smile, "Should I be the first one? Instead of..."

Cui Chan glanced at him sideways. "Cherishing the jade?"

Yu Lu sighed and said no more.

Cui Chan laughed. "You see clearly because you're too close. But remember, a single leaf can block your view. Even if you understand every vein of that one leaf thoroughly..."

He stopped, closed his eyes, and said something Yu Lu hadn't expected: "If you truly can see through the finest depths, that's very good—better than anything. You see, that is actually my great Dao... one of them!"

Yu Lu seemed unable to comprehend at all, so he didn't dwell on it.

Cui Chan stood up and silently left the dormitory.

Long after Cui Chan had gone, Yu Lu stretched out one hand from his sleeve and looked down. His palm was covered in sweat.

The Great Li National Teacher once said with a laugh that the three great established teachings under heaven each had their core tenets: the Dao was extremely high, the rules were extremely broad, and the Buddha's law was extremely far.

Then what about this "extremely small"?!

The world says "a leaf obstructs the eye."

But what if someone truly, utterly sees through that single leaf? Would it still obstruct their eye?!

Yu Lu suddenly raised an arm and pressed the back of his hand hard against his forehead, his face twisted in pain. He muttered, "Don't think about it. Don't think about these things now."

---

Cui Chan arrived at Wenzheng Hall, which he had previously refused to enter. He strode directly over the threshold, picked up a single stick of incense—not the customary three—held it in one hand, and twisted the tip with his other hand, instantly igniting it.

He didn't look at the Supreme Saint and First Teacher. He glanced at Qi Jingchun's portrait, then shifted his gaze to the Old Scholar's image. He held the incense before his forehead and prayed silently.

Then he opened his eyes. Cui Chan showed no trace of a worshiper's piety or solemnity. He stuck the incense into the censer on the altar, raised his head, and leered at the portrait. "Old man, I'm just borrowing it from you. Don't be too stingy. Just three realms, just three, and only effective here at Eastflower Mountain. That should be fine, right? I'm already at the Fifth Realm now. See? By following the master you assigned to me, I, Cui Chan, have truly learned something. And now, the most accomplished disciple's most accomplished disciple is in trouble. My own master entrusted me with this heavy responsibility. If you don't show your support, isn't that unreasonable?"

Cui Chan waited patiently. There was no response. The incense in the censer, after being lit, didn't burn down at all.

Cui Chan burst out cursing, "Old man, are you really going to abandon me like this? Even mentioning Qi Jingchun's name doesn't work? What kind of teacher are you, you old bastard! Hey, hey, can you hear me? I'm cursing you! You heartless..."

It was useless.

Cui Chan paced around anxiously. Finally, he closed his eyes again and tried once more, but this time he added the names "Chen Ping'an" and "Li Baoping."

A moment later, the incense in the censer burned down at an incredible speed.

Cui Chan fell silent.

He turned and left with a dark face.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he had already become a Ninth Realm qi refiner.

A full four realms higher, not just the Eighth Realm Dragon Gate Realm that Cui Chan had originally asked for.

Instead, he was at the Golden Core Realm—the realm where "one who forms the golden core is truly one of our kind"!

Cui Chan stopped outside the threshold, looked up at the sky, and stared blankly.

Soon, he resumed his cynical expression and made a motion of poking out his own eyes as he walked on. "Recognizing you as my teacher before—that was me going blind. Starting today, my name is Cui Dongshan, and I am only a student of Chen Ping'an!"

Suddenly, an excruciating pain shot through his palm, piercing straight to his soul.

It hurt so much that Cui Chan jumped up on the spot. He kept hopping and skipping as he ran far away, finally calming down only when he reached the mountaintop.

Cui Chan sucked in cold air, shuddered all over, and shook his arm furiously.

A student from the academy, who couldn't sleep and had come to the peak to enjoy the view, stared dumbfounded. He thought, "Is this guy having an epileptic fit?"

Cui Chan grimaced and bellowed at that clueless fellow, "Go cool off somewhere else, or I'll screw your mother!"

The unprepossessing guy turned out to be a tough nut willing to suffer a thousand losses to wound an enemy by eight hundred. "She died a long time ago."

Just as Cui Chan was about to slap this little bastard to death, the tall old man appeared on the mountaintop. The student quickly bowed to the old man and hurried down the mountain.

Cui Chan shouted angrily, "Hey, Mao! Who is this little bastard, and where does he live?"

Mao Xiaodong sized up Cui Chan. Seeing his aura and realizing his depth, he said coldly while walking down the mountain, brushing past Cui Chan, "Since that's the case, just behave yourself and stay in the academy. I, Mao Xiaodong, will just hold my nose and endure the stench of manure. Don't forget, this is the Great Sui capital. Think twice before you act!"

Cui Chan leaped to the top of the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, looked around, and after fixing his gaze, he began cursing at a secluded mansion near Eastflower Mountain: "You old turtle bastard named Cai Jingshen! Yes, I'm calling you! Come recognize your ancestors! I, your ancestor for eighteen generations, want to teach you the family rules today! Hurry up and bathe, change clothes, kowtow, and listen to the lecture!"

Mao Xiaodong took a deep breath and quickened his pace down the mountain.

The white-clothed youth kept cursing, "Cai Jingshen, you unfilial grandson! Don't play the shrinking turtle! Hurry up and go home, call your sons and grandsons, and come kowtow to your ancestor! Hurry! Your ancestor is waiting here!"

From the mansion near Eastflower Mountain, a rainbow light shot straight up, rising to the same height as the peak. A burly figure roared, "You're asking for death!"

The white-clothed youth shouted back even louder, "Your ancestor is here looking for his turtle grandson! I'm not looking for death!"

The burly old man bellowed, "Come out here!"

When the old man rose into the sky, lights began to turn on around Eastflower Mountain, spreading from near to far, more and more.

The white-clothed youth, under the gaze of countless eyes, chuckled. "Good grandson, hurry up and get in here!"

The old man seemed stunned by the little madman's words, momentarily dumbfounded.

The white-clothed youth pressed his advantage. "Who the hell gave you the guts to bully my disciples? Cai Jingshen, be quick about it. Pull out a knife and kill yourself! Make sure you do it sincerely, with the style befitting a Tenth Realm cultivator! Then your ancestor here might forgive you..."

The burly old man, renowned throughout Great Sui, let out a furious roar that echoed for nearly three miles. "Mao Xiaodong! If your academy doesn't deal with this crazy bastard, I, Cai Jingshen, will help you manage it! Just prepare to collect the corpse! I'll bear the consequences with His Majesty!"

The old man stood in the wind, facing Cliff Academy. He took a heavy step and made a throwing motion.

A snowy-white spear, crackling with lightning, shot forth with a roar, aiming straight for the ginkgo tree at Eastflower Mountain's peak.

The white-clothed youth laughed heartily. "Well done! My good grandson still knows how to honor his ancestor! As the saying goes, one should return the favor! Your ancestor bestows a gift on you, Grandson Cai Jingshen—catch it well!"

The lightning spear streaked toward the mountaintop tree and soon entered the airspace above the academy.

This new Cliff Academy, though no longer one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, still had Mao Xiaodong stationed there. He commanded a considerable advantage within his own sage's small heaven and earth. But perhaps the academy felt it was in the wrong, or Mao Xiaodong was unwilling to oppose Cai Jingshen, so he withdrew the boundary's defenses without hesitation, letting the two outside and inside fight fairly and squarely.

From the ginkgo tree side, a faint golden light exploded in the air. Compared to the two-yard-long, majestic lightning spear, that golden speck was so tiny it was negligible.

But while laymen watched the excitement, experts watched the nuances.

As the golden light flew from the mountaintop toward the lightning spear, many experts who had initially been dismissive began to pay serious attention.

That tiny flying sword streaking through the air carved out a trail, around which faint cracks appeared, dark to the extreme. This was the legendary collision between physical objects and the river of time. The sword's flight speed, the toughness of its material, and the density of the sword intent it contained—all three were indispensable.

A life-bound flying sword at this level was said to be capable of cutting anything with a single flash of sword light!

Sure enough, the lightning spear, which had been more of a probe than a killing blow, was instantly shattered by the golden light.

Electric sparks flew everywhere in the sky, like a splendid rain of fire.

Cai Jingshen grinned savagely. "So you do have some skill! Try this!"

This time, the old man let loose. One lightning spear after another shot toward Eastflower Mountain.

The golden sword light also burst forth, painting brilliant trails of fireflies beyond the mountaintop.

Cui Chan sat cross-legged on a high branch of the ginkgo tree, looking relaxed and carefree, with a square jade seal resting in his palm.

He showed no excitement from the fierce battle; instead, he seemed somewhat lazy and bored. He sneered inwardly.

"I don't have many masters—just one now. I don't have many fellow disciples or like-minded friends. The beauties I fancy are few... But I have many treasures!"

That night, truly spectacular, full of twists and turns. By the end, nearly half the households in the Great Sui capital had been awakened. People put on clothes and went outside, either staring at Eastflower Mountain from their courtyards or climbing trees, walls, and rooftops. It was a long, thrilling battle between immortals, and the children, especially, were overjoyed—they only regretted not having enough melon seeds and pastries at home.

The two gods fought from deep in the night until dawn. As a result, almost all the officials, big and small, who had gone sleepless, attended the morning court looking utterly exhausted.

Afterward, experts roughly tallied up the battle. Aside from the initial golden flying sword, the white-clothed immortal from Eastflower Mountain had revealed no fewer than twenty-six treasures—every single one shimmering with light and of astonishing quality. He never used the same thing twice!

Some busybodies in the capital had already secretly dubbed him the "Ancestor of the Cai Family."

From top to bottom, the great noble clan in the capital that was Cai Jingshen's family felt as if they had truly acknowledged a new patriarch. The next day, no one in the family had the face to go out.

That very day, Li Huai received his long-lost set of little clay figurines, along with the belated apologies from his three former roommates.

At that moment, the timid, weak child—Li Huai, who was only seven years old—didn't weep with joy, nor did he stammer.

He just missed his parents and his sister.

One by one, he thanked them: Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, Xie Xie, and the white-clothed youth who called himself Cui Dongshan.

Lin Shouyi went to the book building again. The dormitory was left with only the child. This was his first time skipping class. Although he wasn't good at his studies, no matter what grievances he had suffered before, even if he was beaten black and blue, he had never missed a teacher's lesson. But today, Li Huai crouched outside the dormitory, not going to class. Instead, he basked in the warm winter sun and gently used a twig to write the names of his family on the ground.

This time, the child didn't cry.

---

In the Great Sui capital, a shabbily dressed trio asked for directions as they slowly made their way toward Cliff Academy.

A plump woman with sharp features and a sharp tongue, after her daughter had asked directions once again in broken Great Sui official language, angrily slapped her husband on the head. "Useless thing! When we get to the academy, you stay at the foot of the mountain. Don't embarrass our son!"

The short, downtrodden man, carrying a large pack, mustered a rare bit of backbone and argued back, "Let's at least see him. We brought him a lot of good food. It'll be tiring for you and our daughter to carry it up the mountain."

The woman was even more furious. She put her hands on her hips and scolded, "Li Er, that's all you're good for! Fine, your wife and daughter are tough enough to make a hard decision and leave. But you, a grown man, at the last minute, want to see your son?"

She reached out and fiercely twisted the flesh at his waist. After twisting for a while with no effect, she gave up in annoyance. "All muscle. You only use your strength to bully me at night!"

The man chuckled.

The woman kicked him and said coquettishly, "You devil!"

Beside them, a girl whose figure was slender as a willow branch ignored her parents' flirtations. She had a gentle smile, happy at the thought of seeing her mischievous younger brother soon.

The woman suddenly reddened. "I wonder if Huai'er has gained or lost weight. I hope he hasn't been bullied. As his mother, I don't dare to curse anyone here."

The man was habitually silent.

This uncommunicative man, whose parents had named him without much thought, finally looked toward the academy and grinned.

Bully my son?

Oh. If that's the case, then I, Li Er, will go and have a word with that hero. It's no big deal.