Chapter 195: The Sword-Suppressing Tower
From behind a courtyard wall, Zhigui saw Chen Ping'an sitting on a small stool, swaying gently as if dozing off. But to the sword cultivator Cao Jun's senses, Chen Ping'an's soul was violently shaking—like a lone leaf boat on a surging river, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.
The fiery red fox stood on Cao Jun's shoulder and teased, “That sword embryo—though its origins are unknown—can definitely be said to be of extremely high rank. Even I would covet it. You only suffered a small loss and you're giving up? That's not like your style, Cao Jun.”
Cao Jun spat melon seed shells into the neighboring courtyard and shook his head. “Not fighting for it. Old Cao is right. Lately it's better to stay still than to act. If a man dies, it's over. If you lose your life, everything is for nothing.”
The fiery red fox tried to tempt him. “Things shouldn't be done three times. There's still one chance. Take a gamble—a horse won't grow fat without wild grass, a man won't get rich without windfall. You, Cao Jun, took a big fall early on. Someone stirred your heart lake into a muddy swamp, stalling your cultivation. If you don't use unconventional methods now, how will you achieve great things?”
Cao Jun remained silent, only lowering his head to eat melon seeds, his eyes dark and obscure.
Since birth, Cao Jun had enjoyed a great reputation. He was originally a once-in-a-century great sword immortal seedling from Southern Bebbo Continent. Within his heart lake, pure strands of sword qi naturally grew, standing tall and graceful like a lake full of lotus flowers, just waiting for the day they would bloom. But later, he suffered a calamity. A peak-level powerhouse forcibly smashed his heart lake, his sword qi withered away for the most part, becoming withered lotuses. From then on, Cao Jun became the laughingstock of the entire Southern Bebbo Continent. The sword dao geniuses of his generation, whom he had once left far behind, one by one surpassed him.
The fiery red fox sighed, patted Cao Jun's head with its paw, and said, “Poor child. Your sword dao foundation shattered, your future ruined. For so many years, you haven't even had the spirit to wrestle with the heavens.”
Cao Jun was slightly surprised. He turned his head to look at the youth's ancestral home. “This kid has a very good temperament. I couldn't see it before, but he actually found his own expedient method.”
Many things in the world, to experienced mountain immortals, aren't necessarily frightening, but they can still be interesting.
The fiery red fox was also mildly astonished. It hopped onto Cao Jun's head, craning its neck to peer over, focusing on the youth's internal struggle with the sword embryo. It said softly, “Hmm, similar to a Buddhist hitching post, acting as an anchor for the youth's soul boat. The youth's body is broken, patched together. Being able to reach this point is no easy feat. But subduing that sword embryo isn't enough yet. Cao Jun, before you were wronged, things went too smoothly for you. Afterward, it was too rough. Perhaps the youth's experience today might give you some insight on your path of cultivation...”
Cao Jun stopped showing a smiling face. He withdrew all his smiles, his expression turning grave.
Cultivation—the size of one's talent is like the bowl the patriarch gives you to eat from. Even if some people have very large bowls, if the rice inside is too little, they still can't eat their fill; their achievements are naturally limited.
On this long journey, from the magnificent Southern Bebbo Continent to the barbaric Eastern Treasure Vase Continent, Cao Jun had instead reaped many benefits along the way, bit by bit, all of which were helpful.
In the struggle with the sword embryo, although the youth had a tough mind and an anchor to steady his heart, preventing his soul from drifting with the current, the sword embryo's essence, energy, and spirit were extremely vigorous. It charged recklessly, using brute force to overcome ten skills.
The fiery red fox clapped its paws together gleefully. “He's going to lose! Miserable, miserable! He might end up lying in bed for ten days or half a month. The sword embryo has clearly just awakened its spirituality; it doesn't know how to use its innate divine abilities. Otherwise, the youth wouldn't have lasted this long.”
Although Cao Jun's cultivation was not as high as the fox on his head, different trades are separated by mountains. As a sword cultivator who had once hoped to reach the peak, he had his own unique insight. “Not necessarily.”
The fiery red fox exclaimed in surprise, “Eh? Inside that youth, there are three very deep city mansions. Could he be a good sword cultivator seedling? No, no—they must be artificially carved, but they look completely natural. Quite a feat. No wonder I misjudged him.”
Having deep city mansions is usually a worldly saying, describing someone as calculating or unfathomable, with a slight derogatory tone. But among mountain cultivators, it is a great compliment. Acupuncture points are like city mansions—the bigger and more spectacular, the better.
The fiery red fox sighed softly. “Such an unremarkable youth, yet he has this kind of strange thing not to be underestimated. Cao Jun, you'd better listen to that old turtle egg and stop making trouble for now. This broken Lizhu Cave Heaven may be like doing Buddhist rites in a snail shell, but it hides dragons and crouching tigers. It's indeed better not to be too arrogant.”
Cao Jun nodded. “I need to live with my tail between my legs.”
The fiery red fox angrily stamped a foot on Cao Jun's head. “You ungrateful little bastard! I kindly warn you, and you curse me?!”
The youth's aura gradually stabilized. For some reason, the sword embryo, which had been gaining the upper hand, suddenly beat a retreat and swam quietly in a majestic qi mansion.
Cao Jun stopped peeking at that scene. With a mischievous smile, he said, “I heard you have a sister named Qingying. Both of you are patriarchs of the fox clan. There's hope she might grow a ninth tail. Old Cao has coveted her beauty for many years. Is she really that pretty?”
The fiery red fox lifted its tail, using it as a fan to gently stir the breeze. It bared its teeth and said, “Pretty my ass! She has a deadpan face, never smiles since she was little, and looks down on everyone. Obviously unlucky. With that old turtle egg's eye, even a sow with a big ass would look like a fairy to him.”
Cao Jun hesitated, then asked softly, “I heard she lingered near that Heroic Suppression Tower for a hundred years. Was she hoping to become that fellow's concubine?”
The fiery red fox let go of its tail, clutched its belly, and burst out laughing, as if it had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. “Lord Bai would take a fancy to her? Lord Bai is one of the oldest great demon kings in all worlds. He has traveled to every corner of two worlds. What female hasn't he seen? Would he take a fancy to such an ordinary little fox?”
The Sea-Suppressing Tower stands by the southern coast of Bebbo Continent, and the Cao clan just so happens to be one of its gatekeepers, so Cao Jun knows many inside stories.
The fiery red fox lowered its voice. “The saints of the three teachings have treated our Lord Bai unfairly! It was Lord Bai who helped...”
Cao Xi roared from inside the house, “You stinking woman, are you looking for death? Shut up!”
The fiery red fox suddenly came to its senses, realizing it had misspoken. It actually looked up at the sky, clasped its hands together, bowed at the waist, as if sincerely making a kowtow apology. It didn't dodge, letting its physical body be torn apart by a strand of sword qi that Cao Xi flicked at it.
“Twenty words. Take your punishment obediently!”
Cao Xi shot off twenty strands of sharp sword qi in succession. The fiery red fox didn't dodge even once. In the end, Cao Jun held the barely alive fox in both hands and walked back into the house.
Cao Xi was still not appeased. He pointed at the fox in Cao Jun's arms and cursed, “Looking for death? Go jump into Ruan Qiong's sword furnace! Ruan Qiong might even appreciate it. Don't spout nonsense here and drag my Cao clan down with you! The heavens are vast, the earth is great. The three patriarchs might not care, but what about their disciples and students? Not to mention anyone else—just the master of Inverted Mountain. Do you know his temper, or don't you?! You wasteful woman!”
The fiery red fox turned its head to the side and fainted.
Cao Jun said softly, “That's enough. Without her, you wouldn't be where you are today, Cao Xi. You can do bad things, you can be a villain, but you still need a little conscience.”
Cao Xi suddenly stopped, his eyes dark, staring fixedly at this descendant who had lost his smile.
Cao Xi's face showed disgust and contempt. He waved his sleeve and said, “Get out of here! Go tell that little brat named Cao Mao not to bother with Yuan. He has the vision of a grain of rice, only seeing gains and losses on the Great Li dynasty's court. A bunch of useless trash! Why don't they just go die? And they still have the face to come see me, the ancestor? Tell them to scram!”
Cao Jun held the fox and turned away with a blank expression.
Cao Xi stayed alone in the ancestral home. He began to walk slowly around the central courtyard.
Once upon a time, there was an old man here, sickly, lying in a dimly lit room all year round. There was a no-good, drunkard man, worrying all day about the cost of a future funeral. There was a timid, indecisive woman, working from dawn to dusk, doing housework and field work, looking older at thirty than other women in Clay Bottle Alley at forty.
But at that time, there was a mischievous, impoverished youth. Fearless, laughing every day. He didn't read, didn't work, just daydreamed. Always feeling that sooner or later, he would buy the biggest mansion on Fortune Street. As for whether his grandfather and parents would still be alive by then, the youth, busy idling and dreaming, never thought about it.
The old man, no longer a youth, took out the rusted ancient copper coin, raised it high above his head, and looked through the square hole of the coin, and then through the square skylight of the roof.
Thinking back, it seemed there had been a conversation like this.
“Mom, when I make it big, I'll let you sleep in a mountain of gold and silver.”
“Alas!”
“Mom, I'm serious!”
“Put away the coin. If your dad sees it, he'll take it again.”
...
Cao Xi withdrew his thoughts, looked around, and said with self-mockery, “After becoming an immortal, the human touch is gone.”
---
Chen Ping'an locked the door, left Clay Bottle Alley, and arrived at the Year-Pressing Shop in Dragon Riding Alley. The green-robed child sat on the threshold, staring blankly. Seeing Chen Ping'an, she only called out “Master” weakly. Chen Ping'an stepped over the threshold and saw the pink-skirted girl standing on a stool, her expression solemn and serious. Behind the counter, she was working an abacus over a ledger laid out on the table. Her ten fingers moved like butterflies around flowers, dazzling to watch. Click-clack, crisp and pleasant. Around her stood a few local women and young girls, their faces full of shock and admiration.
The simple women and girls, upon seeing Chen Ping'an, smiled and called him “Shopkeeper Chen.”
The pink-skirted girl looked up at the sound. “Master, I'm helping with the shop's accounts. It'll be done soon.”
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. He walked behind the counter, asked for paper and brush, and began writing a gift list. Before leaving the town last time, he had asked Ruan Xiu to help deliver gifts to many neighbors. Back when Chen Ping'an was about to start firing porcelain at the Dragon Kiln, he had lived on the charity of many families. For example, he often went to Gu Can's house for meals, and he often received old clothes that other boys had outgrown. For Chen Ping'an, every meal and every piece of clothing was a life-saving grace. At the time, he had told Ruan Xiu that as long as he lived, he would go door to door every year. Each time, the gifts wouldn't be too much, but for small households near Clay Bottle Alley, various items worth seven or eight taels to twenty taels of silver were definitely not little.
Ruan Xiu had asked him at the time why he didn't just give more silver in one go, to make things simpler and let those people be grateful.
Chen Ping'an said that wouldn't work. He had grown up at the bottom of the market, and he actually understood human hearts and the ways of the world. He just couldn't express it in scholarly terms. For instance, a peck of rice nourishes kindness, but a ton creates enmity. Or how seemingly trivial matters most wear down filial piety and kindness. So he carefully explained his small reasoning to Ruan Xiu: in this town, every household's situation is like a field—some years are good, some bad. Some families have accomplished descendants who don't lack money. Others suddenly encounter misfortune, and a once well-off family might collapse overnight. So the things Chen Ping'an prepared—things to eat and wear—could even be converted into silver if someone really needed cash. Giving to well-off families makes them happy; giving to struggling families makes them cherish it more.
Whether adding flowers to brocade or sending charcoal in snow, both are good deeds.
It was only after Chen Ping'an learned to read and write that he understood why he had done the right thing.
When Ruan Xiu heard this, she laughed happily, saying it was a bit different between the mountains and the mundane world.
This year's gift list had a few fewer names than last time. Favor has degrees of weight. Some of the friendships left by his father were only nodding acquaintances, not really favors. Chen Ping'an wasn't generous enough to give gifts every year to those. But for some elderly neighbors, even if they had no real connection, he still kept them on the list.
No one's money falls from the sky. That has nothing to do with how much money someone has in their pocket.
Chen Ping'an thought that if he had the chance in the future, he would still build bridges and repair roads.
The pink-skirted girl finished checking the accounts and began inquiring about the shop's operations. Chen Ping'an didn't get involved. After thinking for a moment, he handed her the gift list and told her not to rush in buying the items. The girl accepted the list solemnly and promised to handle everything properly for Master. Chen Ping'an patted her head gently, then went to sit beside the green-robed child. The latter was full of worry, sighing deeply, repeating the phrase “the martial world is dangerous.”
A handsome youth named Cui Ci, carrying a travel bag, found the shop. He said his master was too busy to come, so he had been sent to deliver something. He told Chen Ping'an not to take it lightly, to accept it and keep it safe. The green-robed child couldn't stand this youth. She looked askance at the precocious Cui Ci, her anger flaring. She suddenly stood up and said, “Your master and my master are friends of the same generation. You're just a little bookboy. Show some respect! It's not like my master has received some great favor from you. What are you acting high and mighty for?”
Cui Ci's face turned bright red.
Chen Ping'an smoothed things over. “Cui Ci, tell your master I've accepted the items. I'll practice drawing talismans diligently.”
Cui Ci nodded stiffly, turned to the green-robed child with a cold snort, and strode away.
The green-robed child made a series of wild punches and kicks at the youth's retreating back from a distance, feeling a bit better. She sat back on the threshold, her face full of worry. “Master, this town is such a vicious dragon's pool and tiger's den. How did you survive until now? If it were me and that silly girl, we'd probably have been skinned alive long ago.”
Chen Ping'an said with emotion, “I don't know.”
The pink-skirted girl came to the threshold, still shaken. “Master, that little sister who carries the water bucket—who is she? So terrifying. I don't think she's any weaker than Master's student.”
The green-robed child shook her head vigorously. “I'm never going to Clay Bottle Alley again! I'd be a lamb walking into the tiger's mouth!”
Chen Ping'an changed the subject. “I've named the locust wood sword, and also the other sword Master Ruan is forging, Demon-Subduing and Evil-Exterminating. What do you think?”
He lowered his voice. “As for that sword embryo, I think ‘First Day’ or ‘Morning’ is more appropriate.”
The two little ones looked at each other.
Chen Ping'an smiled. “I'm pretty good at naming things, aren't I?”
The green-robed child's mouth twitched. Then she forced a smile and gave a thumbs up. “Master's skill at naming is very deep, unfathomable, returning to simplicity. The vulgar is the elegant. You have more learning than a scholar!”
The pink-skirted girl hesitated, wanting to speak. She touched her chest, thought it over, and decided to keep her conscience silent. It was the first month of the year; she shouldn't spoil Master's fun.
Chen Ping'an glanced at the pink-skirted girl, puzzled. “Is it not that good? At least it's passable, right?”
The pink-skirted girl kept her mouth shut. If she didn't speak, she was betraying her conscience. If she said it was good, she couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart.
The green-robed child said indignantly, “Master, what, you don't trust my judgment? That just shows your judgment really stinks!”
Chen Ping'an tested, “My naming isn't good?”
The green-robed child shouted, finally unable to hold back from speaking out. She stood up, hands on her hips, and said passionately, “Master! Demon-Subduing, Evil-Exterminating—which swindling Daoist doesn't chant that? ‘Morning’? What about noon, evening? ‘First Day’? What about the tenth, the fifteenth?! Master, these are all common as mud! Not only do they lack presence, they're not even original! Look at other people's sword names. Your student's sword is called Golden Tassel—fits the image, not clichéd. And Cao Jun's swords are White Fish and Black Dragon. Now look at yours: Demon-Subduing, Evil-Exterminating, First Day, Morning. If I were a sword spirit awakening, I'd spit out a mouthful of old blood.”
“Objection noted.”
Chen Ping'an thought for a long time. “Names not changing!”
The green-robed child slapped her forehead and said earnestly, “To the south of our Treasure Vase Continent, there's a famous immortal mansion. The founding patriarch named it the Invincible Divine Fist Sect. They've been laughed at for years. Master, your naming is similar in spirit. But at least you're not a genius sword cultivator. Probably no one will ever hear your future sword's name anyway, so as long as you're happy, Master, that's fine.”
Chen Ping'an was about to speak when his heartstrings twitched. He rose calmly and said, “Stay here in Dragon Riding Alley. I'm going to take a walk somewhere else.”
Chen Ping'an arrived at the back courtyard of the Yang family shop.
After Chen Ping'an sat down, Old Man Yang spoke slowly. “First, a small matter. Those two little snake pythons following you—get them to leave the town and go to Fallen Mountain. Ruan Qiong is about to start forging a sword. The commotion will be huge. All demonic creatures, ghosts, and spirits in Dragon Fountain territory will likely suffer. At the least, the sound of the sword forging will scatter their hard-earned centuries of cultivation. At worst, they'll be knocked back to their original forms, or even have their souls scattered. The Dragon Fountain Commandery office and Locust Tree Yellow County government will notify all registered creatures to either leave temporarily or take refuge in the civil and military temples or deep in the mountains. Those places gather wind and water, rich in spiritual energy, and can help block the aftershocks of Ruan Qiong's sword forging. Your two little ones—don't think that having that Peace and Safety Tablet means they can really be at peace.”
Chen Ping'an's face was heavy. “Understood. I'll inform them as soon as I get back.”
Old Man Yang smoked his dry pipe, as if choosing his words.
Chen Ping'an sat upright, uneasy.
Old Man Yang finally spoke. “Qi Jingchun secretly kept an incense fire little man—something I had been desperately seeking. Hmm, it's the little fellow that used to live in your locust wood sword. It now belongs to me. As payment, I need to protect you once. That's this time. The situation in the town is changing rapidly. This is absolutely not a place for you to show your face. So you shouldn't stay. I had someone cast a divination for you. Once Ruan Qiong succeeds in forging the sword, you head south to travel. Where you go is up to you—sightseeing, wandering the martial world, or tempering your martial arts on the battlefield. It's all your choice. In any case, don't come back within five years.”
Chen Ping'an's mouth fell slightly open.
Old Man Yang continued, “You don't need to worry about the ancestral home in Clay Bottle Alley, the five mountains including Fallen Mountain, the shop in Dragon Riding Alley—they'll be better taken care of than if you handled them yourself.”
Chen Ping'an's lips moved slightly.
Old Man Yang smiled. “Among your friends, isn't there a girl named Ning Yao? I might as well tell you: she comes from Inverted Mountain, or more precisely, the Sword Qi Great Wall. In her hometown, they are most lacking in a good sword that suits the hand. If you have the guts, go there and deliver a sword for her.”
Chen Ping'an took a deep breath. “When do you want me to leave?”
Old Man Yang thought for a moment. “Pack up. Once Ruan Qiong produces that sword and you get it, leave immediately.”
Chen Ping'an asked, “What if I don't leave?”
The old man sneered. “What? Dead, that's what. All that bit of capital you've painstakingly accumulated will be used as a dowry for others. A group of people will sit down, divide the mountain peaks, take the sword embryos, raise the snake pythons—carve up everything, everyone happy. As for you, even getting someone to collect your corpse will be difficult. And that's not the worst outcome. The worse one—I won't tell you now. It's not a good thing.”
Chen Ping'an reached out and rubbed his face hard. Suddenly, he asked a question that seemed unrelated to the matter. “You said before, sir, that this town is bigger than I can imagine. I want to ask one more thing: how big is this town, exactly?”
Old Man Yang puffed large smoke rings, his smile not reaching his eyes. “If I'm not mistaken, you've already seen that heavenly bridge, haven't you?”
Chen Ping'an immediately shuddered, ripples spreading through his heart lake.
Old Man Yang said calmly, “For the sake of that golden incense fire little man, I can leak a few heavenly secrets to you. For example, in that little temple, the town children who ghostwritten their own names back then—most have fallen. But those who survived are, without exception, heroes and tyrants ruling over their domains. For example, Xie Shi, the Heavenly Lord of Julu Continent, and Cao Xi, the sword immortal of Bebbo Continent. As for me, I'm just a rent collector. Year after year, I just keep an eye on the harvest in the fields.”
“Another example: that place you commoners call the Crab Arch—it's actually a contract. After the dragon-slaying battle, everyone sat down in order and were rewarded according to their merits. The three teachings and one family had four saints in total who first signed the covenant here. Ma Kuxuan is related to one of them. Besides that, the archway's true function is no longer known to people. It should be called the Sword-Suppressing Tower, one of nine Heroic Suppression Towers in the world. As for what sword it suppresses, you and I know in our hearts. But to throw people off, there also stands a Sword-Suppressing Tower on Golden Armor Continent. Although that tower is a convincing imitation, and the sword it suppresses is also impressive, it's still fake. But these kind of secrets—you can just treat them as stories. It doesn't matter if you haven't heard them, and it's useless even if you have.”
Old Man Yang squinted at the sky. “It's called the Sword-Suppressing Tower, but in the earliest days, this place was something like an Ascension Platform. But that's ancient history. Saying more is pointless.”
Old Man Yang withdrew his gaze and said frankly, “Because of your existence, you've unwittingly acted as a bridge. I've made quite a few deals over the years and earned a lot. Back when I taught you that breathing technique, it was also a surplus from one of my deals. So you don't need to be grateful to me for that. No need. Business is business. Perhaps one day, if one of your enemies sits here and offers enough bargaining chips, I'll make a deal with him and sell you out.”
Chen Ping'an was silent.
A little sad.
He was still a youth after all. No matter how much hardship he had endured, no matter how many mountain roads he had traveled, he was still that youth. After the New Year, he would only be fifteen.
Old Man Yang pointed to the hairpin on Chen Ping'an's head. “Although it's just an ordinary hairpin, I like the characters on it. So I'm prepared to make a small trade with you. You use this hairpin to exchange with me for a square-inch object. Even a second-tier martial artist can use it. Just for that, it's rarer than most square-inch objects or within-reach objects in the world. You're heading south alone next. Not like last time. This time, you'll truly have no one to rely on. Without something truly solid on your person, you won't get far.”
Chen Ping'an was dumbfounded.
Old Man Yang waited quietly for the answer.
Chen Ping'an asked softly, “If one day I want to redeem the hairpin, can I?”
Old Man Yang laughed. “Most people probably couldn't, but you, Chen Ping'an—you've helped me earn so many times—I can make a small exception. But I'll say the unpleasant things first: when that time comes, it won't just be a square-inch object that can redeem it.”
Chen Ping'an took off the jade hairpin and handed it to the old man.
The old man took the ordinary white jade hairpin, didn't even look at it, and tucked it into his sleeve.
The next moment, before Chen Ping'an could withdraw his hand, a small green jade dagger, less than an inch long, appeared in his palm. Old Man Yang smiled. “I think your name for the sword embryo is pretty good. ‘First Day’ is a great omen. Those two little ones just don't appreciate it. As luck would have it, this miniature flying sword can both be nurtured into a lifebound flying sword of no low rank and be used as a square-inch object. Its name is ‘Fifteen.’”
Chen Ping'an asked in a low voice, “Is it very precious?”
“Just accept it.”
Old Man Yang twitched the corner of his mouth. “Every family eats dumplings at New Year.”