Chapter 323: Human World's Twinkling Lights
Chen Ping'an pushed open the door and entered.
There was no one in the house.
Without the nagging, complaining old woman, naturally there was no more of her cursing heaven and earth, her sharp tongue and stinky tofu heart. Without the seemingly simple and honest woman who would still steal books, the look in her eyes when she gazed at her son was forever filled with pride. Without the old man who was a terrible chess player, and without the man who would carry a bundle to try his luck, tiptoeing every time he left early in the morning, probably afraid of waking his son who had to go to the school.
Chen Ping'an stood in the courtyard for a while, then returned to his room. He placed the longsword of qi back into its scabbard on the table. The books on the table were gone. Chen Ping'an crouched down, pressed his palm against the ground, and closed his eyes, trying to find some clue. The flying sword Fifteen shot out from the gourd in a whoosh, skimming close to the ground, spinning rapidly, and finally pointed its tip downward at one spot.
Chen Ping'an immediately began digging into the ground with both hands. At his current martial realm, his fingers could be called "cutting iron like mud."
After the battle on the main street with Zhong Qiu, he had broken into the fifth realm. Then after the battle with Ding Ying, these two whetstones for honing martial arts were far superior to the sparring with the old Golden Core sword cultivator on Osmanthus Island, both in terms of physique and temperament. Especially the life-and-death battle with Ding Ying, which shifted from the city walls to Guniushan, involving the very foundations of martial arts and the "world's" martial fortune. Even from the perspective of that old man surnamed Cui in the bamboo tower of Fallen Mountain, it would be praised, and he would say that even pure martial artists of the eighth or ninth realm might not be able to unleash such momentum.
After a moment, he dug a pit nearly as tall as a man. Chen Ping'an scooped up the dying lotus flower figurine with both hands, leaped out of the pit, and carefully placed it on the table. He first took off his dharma robe, the Golden Liquor Robe, bundled it up like a small grass nest, and placed the little thing inside the robe.
Then he quickly took out a Grain Rain coin from his storage artifact. Compared to the Minor Snow coins with thin spiritual qi, and the Minor Heat coins which, when touched, vaguely felt like spiritual qi flowing like water, the Grain Rain coin contained the most abundant spiritual qi, like frozen ice. Chen Ping'an clenched the mountain immortal's coin in his palm, squeezed hard, and the Grain Rain coin shattered in his hand. He loosened his grip slightly and sprinkled the fragments over the lotus flower figurine.
As for what this Grain Rain coin could buy in an immortal's shop—how many strange goblins and sprites, rare even in the houses of nobles and the wealthy—Chen Ping'an was no longer the fledgling wanderer who had just left home, no longer the mud-legged kiln apprentice from Clay Bottle Alley. So he understood it all very well.
Chen Ping'an knew more and more about this world.
Pearl Grotto Heaven, Great Li Dynasty, Vase Bottle Continent, Sword Qi Great Wall, Parasol Leaf Continent, Lotus Flower Blessed Land.
Chen Ping'an carefully observed the lotus flower figurine. Spiritual qi flowed through its whole body like a spring, slowly seeping into a cracked, drought-stricken field.
Chen Ping'an felt a slight relief. As long as it could still absorb spiritual qi, it meant it could be saved. He extended his thumb and gently caressed the little creature's pure, smooth forehead.
After settling the lotus flower figurine, he refilled the pit and walked out of the house. He sat down on a small stool under the eaves, took off his wine gourd, and swayed it gently, but did not drink.
After removing the Golden Liquor Robe, a strong smell of blood emanated from Chen Ping'an. The desperate battle with Ding Ying had left him thoroughly injured. Because of this, so much spiritual qi had poured into him like seawater, seizing the opportunity and flooding into Chen Ping'an's various qi mansions and acupoints. Now that spiritual qi was entrenched in those mansions like separate feudal forces. Since it did not involve the paths of his original pure martial true qi, these qi mansion cities were like lands beyond the passes, forming a pattern of "separate feudal lords" each dwelling in their own corner—abundant but scattered, not yet connected, so they were nothing to worry about.
Chen Ping'an didn't know if this was good or bad, but for now, he had no way to deal with it.
Building the Longevity Bridge and leaving this world were the most pressing matters.
This Contemplating the Dao Temple wasn't actually a real temple; it was wherever the old Daoist wandered in the human world. This made Chen Ping'an laugh and shake his head.
That great sword immortal who built a thatched hut on the Sword Qi Great Wall—why hadn't he mentioned this earlier?
But thinking back, when he first entered the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom and wandered around like a headless fly, he had become irritated and simply calmed down and strolled. It was a very different feeling. He had seen all kinds of ordinary life. Although he seemed idle, it reminded Chen Ping'an of his early apprentice days. The money he earned at the Dragon Kiln wasn't enough to let him be extravagant, but it was enough to support himself and not starve. So after he had enough to eat and wear, whenever he followed Old Man Yao into the mountains to collect clay, he probably felt the same way. Even if they slept in the open, ate in the wind, and the mountain roads were hard to travel, exhausting him every day, his heart wasn't tired, and he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Since Chen Ping'an first left Dragon Spring to escort Li Baoping and the others to study in Great Sui, and then stumbled into this world by accident—
How many peaceful nights had he slept?
Chen Ping'an got up every now and then to go check on the lotus flower figurine in the room. Although the progress was slow, it was healing bit by bit in the right direction, so he finally felt completely at ease.
Those partings between life and death so close at hand—how could drowning sorrow in wine smooth them over? A person always sobers up eventually.
He could rest easy about what was inside the house, but what about outside?
Chen Ping'an bent over and sat on the small stool, waiting for the child named Cao Qinglang to come home.
From now on, the house in this nameless alley was no different from that little house in Clay Bottle Alley back then.
Chen Ping'an stood up. In the twilight, a child walked into the alley. The courtyard door was open. When he saw Chen Ping'an, his expression was wooden. Cao Qinglang lowered his head, silent and indifferent, and walked into his own room.
Chen Ping'an wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he said nothing and sat back down on the stool, sitting there until late at night. Even at night during the Great Heat season, the breeze on his face was not particularly cool. When Chen Ping'an went to check on the little lotus flower, he happened to catch a glimpse of a crudely made round fan woven from rushes. He picked it up and walked out of the house.
In the small hours, the night watchman's clapper could be heard from afar.
Cao Qinglang walked out of the house, carrying his small stool, and sat down next to Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an handed him the rush fan. Cao Qinglang hesitated for a moment, then took it.
After a moment of silence, Chen Ping'an said softly, "I'm sorry."
From beginning to end, the child said nothing. He didn't blame Chen Ping'an, nor did he say he didn't blame him. He just lowered his head and sobbed.
The next day, Cao Qinglang got up very late. There was no sound of him reading aloud in the morning. Chen Ping'an went to the school, intending to help Cao Qinglang make excuses for him. But the streets were nearly empty. When he reached the school, it was closed. He didn't even get to see the teacher.
However, Chen Ping'an noticed that not a single Nanyuan spy appeared nearby.
He guessed it was the intention of Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu.
Over the next two days, families kept quietly moving away from the neighborhood. The brothels and taverns on Number One Scholar Lane became quiet overnight, with hardly any customers.
One evening, Chen Ping'an carried a stool and sat at the corner of an alley. In the past, there would have been a chess stall here, where two terrible players would battle fiercely, surrounded by many other terrible players offering terrible advice.
The main street was still full of ditches and broken walls, an eyesore.
Chen Ping'an stood up. It turned out Zhong Qiu had come.
Zhong Qiu and Chen Ping'an strolled along the street. Zhong Qiu looked exhausted but smiled. "The markets around the capital have been quietly sealed off, and all rumors are under control. His Majesty and the Crown Prince are very curious about you and wanted to meet you, but I dissuaded them. However, if you're willing, you can enter the palace anytime or go to my residence to relax."
Chen Ping'an nodded in agreement.
Zhong Qiu was dressed in a blue robe, his temples slightly gray. In just a few days, he had taken on a somewhat weathered appearance, showing that the Imperial Preceptor was not at ease. He continued, "Yu Zhenyi built a small thatched hut at the ruins of Guniushan and is cultivating there in seclusion. His Majesty demanded that unless Yu Zhenyi moves the Lake and Mountain Sect into Nanyuan territory, he will use force to expel him. Yu Zhenyi ignored the demand. I hoped His Majesty would wait a bit longer, but he didn't agree. He has already mobilized troops. Soon, over ten thousand elite soldiers will surround the Guniushan area."
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and asked, "And Fan Wan'er of Mirror Heart Studio?"
Zhong Qiu first gave Chen Ping'an a rough outline of Fan Wan'er's life, then said helplessly, "I suspect His Majesty met her in private and then made this decision. He thinks that with her holding the line, plus General Tang Tieyi of Northern Jin who is still in the capital, and of course me, Zhong Qiu, the situation couldn't get much worse no matter what."
Speaking of this, Zhong Qiu stopped at the edge of a ditch. It was the exact spot where Chen Ping'an had used the peak fist posture to soar over the Great Dragon and punched him flying. He smiled. "His Majesty kept probing me with questions, asking about your temperament and background. I didn't want to deceive His Majesty, nor did I want to drag you into these mundane grudges. I only said that you would neither support Nanyuan Kingdom nor help Yu Zhenyi. You are a free spirit, dwelling deep in the clouds, and would not mix with chickens and dogs, much less fight them for food."
Chen Ping'an clasped his hands in thanks.
Zhong Qiu waved his hand. "If it were me, I'd be even more troubled than you."
Chen Ping'an took off his wine gourd and took a sip.
Zhong Qiu remembered something. "I handled the tragedy at your lodgings myself. The court arrested many remnants of the demon cult. It's confirmed that Ding Ying ordered the murders. It was probably to force the Spring Tide Palace's Zanhua Scholar Zhou Shi to fight you early, so he couldn't stay out of it, making it easy to drag in Lu Fang and Zhou Fei. And from Cao Qinglang's testimony at the yamen, it was learned that Ding Ying's motive had little to do with you. He mistakenly believed that Cao Qinglang was connected to Mirror Heart Studio's Tong Qingqing."
Chen Ping'an responded with a soft "Mm."
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Where exactly is this place?"
Zhong Qiu was taken aback, his face full of confusion.
Chen Ping'an pointed to the longsword on his back and explained, "I came in here by accident with this sword. I wandered around for a long time without realizing I was already inside it."
Zhong Qiu smiled and introduced some historical records about Lotus Flower Blessed Land and the banished immortals.
Only then did Chen Ping'an understand.
The old Daoist had only spoken half the truth earlier. The Contemplating the Dao Temple indeed did not exist, but in fact, the entire Lotus Flower Blessed Land was the old Daoist's "place of contemplation."
At first, Chen Ping'an sensed something was wrong when he discovered there were two Northern Jin kingdoms on a single continent. The lotus flower figurine had been found in a Northern Jin temple. At first, he thought it might be because the customs of Parasol Leaf Continent and Vase Bottle Continent were different. He even went to the bookshops on Number One Scholar Lane to browse many unofficial histories and scholarly notes. The more he read, the stranger it became. He still wouldn't give up and went to a private library that clearly belonged to a noble family, trying to confirm the exact location of Nanyuan Kingdom on Parasol Leaf Continent through official histories. But it was still shrouded in mist. The books only ever recorded the histories of four kingdoms.
Later, the White River Temple scandal broke, and the four grandmasters gathered at Guniushan. Chen Ping'an found it even more unbelievable. They all loved using the term "world." Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu was the world's number one hand, Nanyuan was the world's strongest kingdom, Mirror Heart Pavilion's Tong Qingqing was the world's most beautiful woman, and so on—countless examples.
Later that night at White River Temple, Ding Ying, Zhou Shi, and the Crow Girl sneaked into the main hall to search for the arhat golden body.
Before that, since Chen Ping'an had the old monk from Heart Manifest Temple nearby as a qi refiner, and not long after entering the capital, he had quickly encountered that green dress that liked to dance gracefully under the moonlight. So he hadn't thought deeply about it, just considered it a "lawless place" with blocked environments, like Comb Water Kingdom on Vase Bottle Continent, where martial artists thrived under the old sword saint Song Yushao.
Now, thinking carefully, Chen Ping'an felt a chill of terror.
It was like the time he had glanced at that well.
Even though he now knew he was in Lotus Flower Blessed Land, he was still completely baffled about how or when he had entered.
As long as the old Daoist didn't appear, Chen Ping'an would never know the answer.
As Imperial Preceptor, after a great battle, the situation of the world had become turbulent and unpredictable. Zhong Qiu had countless matters to decide. Coming to visit Chen Ping'an today was partly to avoid misunderstandings, and partly out of selfishness—to relax and catch his breath. So after chatting about what needed to be discussed, Zhong Qiu took his leave.
As they parted, Chen Ping'an said apologetically, "I can't leave Lotus Flower Blessed Land for now."
Zhong Qiu smiled and said, "It's fine. After all, you, Chen Ping'an, don't seem like a banished immortal."
After Zhong Qiu left, he walked alone down the cold street, his expression dim.
If the first banished immortal he and Yu Zhenyi had met back then had been Chen Ping'an, would the outcome have been different now?
Chen Ping'an picked up his small stool and walked into the dark alley.
Chen Ping'an suddenly squinted.
Outside the courtyard gate stood a gaunt little girl.
She instinctively stepped back, looked up, and carefully examined his face. The many words she had prepared to say, she didn't dare utter a single one.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Where are those books?"
The little girl blinked and shook her head vigorously. "I don't know."
As if afraid Chen Ping'an wouldn't believe her, she said with a pitiful look, "A few days ago, you were fighting so fiercely with those bad guys. And at that time, a man and a woman came out of the alley onto the street. How could I dare go back to the alley? I stayed obediently on the stool the whole time. Later, I couldn't find you, and I couldn't wait for you. I was afraid the bad guys would find me, so I ran away quickly."
Chen Ping'an waved his hand, signaling she could leave. He didn't want to see this scheming little girl again.
The little girl said pitifully, "Please, let me eat dinner before I go?"
It turned out she had smelled the aroma of food.
Chen Ping'an ignored her. After entering, he latched the courtyard gate. It turned out Cao Qinglang had cooked dinner. The child was smart and filial. Although he had never cooked before, he had often seen his mother prepare meals. When he tried it on his own, the food wasn't exactly delicious, but it was edible.
For the past two days, Cao Qinglang had been cooking for himself.
Chen Ping'an never approached. Whenever Cao Qinglang went to the kitchen, Chen Ping'an would voluntarily leave the courtyard. Today was the same.
In the past, when he returned, the child would have already eaten, cleaned up the dishes and table, and retreated to his own room. Occasionally, during the cool evening, Cao Qinglang would come out and sit for a while. But today was different. Cao Qinglang sat at the table, eating very slowly. And opposite him at the table, an extra set of bowls and chopsticks had been placed.
Chen Ping'an walked quietly into the room, sat down, and ate slowly and carefully, making no sound.
A thud came from the courtyard.
The gaunt little girl stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and tiptoed to the outside of the room. She didn't dare go in. She just crouched there, craning her neck to look at the food on the table.
Cao Qinglang thought for a moment, then went to the kitchen to fetch her a bowl of rice. He walked up to her and handed her both the bowl and chopsticks. "Eat with us."
Chen Ping'an put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at her.
Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She put down the bowl and chopsticks and didn't move.
Cao Qinglang said helplessly, "It's fine. Eat."
She still stared unblinkingly at Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an picked up his bowl and chopsticks, not wanting to look at her.
Only then did she lower her head and start wolfing down the rice. Occasionally, she would reach out with her chopsticks to pick up some vegetables from the dishes, as stealthily as a thief.
The three of them finished eating around the same time. Cao Qinglang stood up to clear the table. The little girl glanced at Chen Ping'an and pretended to help Cao Qinglang clean up.
The two children, about the same age, carried the bowls and plates to the kitchen together. She glanced at the courtyard. That guy wasn't there. She lowered her voice and complained, "No oil, and it's so salty. Can you cook at all?! You're so big—can't you be more capable?"
Cao Qinglang was speechless. Seeing her relentless attitude, he had to say, "I'll pay more attention next time."
But then Chen Ping'an suddenly appeared at the kitchen door. The gaunt little girl immediately shut her mouth. She was about to turn away and deny it, pretending she hadn't seen Chen Ping'an, but she had already seen him beckoning her with a sharp look.
She had to droop her head and walk out. Chen Ping'an grabbed her by the collar, as if picking up a chick, opened the door with one hand, placed her outside, and before closing the door, said, "If you dare jump the wall again, I'll throw you out of the capital myself."
That night, Chen Ping'an sat with his eyes closed, resting. Not long after Cao Qinglang came out to enjoy the cool air, he heard coughing outside the courtyard gate.
He went to open the door and saw her crouching on the ground, looking up at him with her arms crossed, smiling. "Don't mind me. It's cooler out here in the alley."
Cao Qinglang scratched his head with both hands. He was truly afraid of this one.
Chen Ping'an looked up and frowned. On a distant rooftop in the bright moonlight, there was a man with a saber hanging at his waist, dressed in a black robe with an elegant bearing. He held a jug of wine in one hand and smiled at Chen Ping'an in greeting. Seeing that Chen Ping'an said nothing, he tapped his foot and floated toward Chen Ping'an's house.
Taking advantage of the fact that Cao Qinglang was still outside the gate, Chen Ping'an threw a punch. It was naturally perfect.
That imposing Northern Jin Grand General Tang Tieyi was hit silently in the chest by a fist force. He flew backward and landed back on the same rooftop, exactly where he had been.
The fist force was exquisitely balanced. Tang Tieyi, himself one of the world's few grandmasters, was unharmed but extremely embarrassed.
Yet, far from being furious, Tang Tieyi smiled apologetically at Chen Ping'an, as if to say he was sorry for the intrusion, feeling guilty for coming uninvited. The saber-wielding Tang Tieyi then turned and vanished in a flash.
Chen Ping'an had no deep impression of this man and didn't want to interact with him much.
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, then told Cao Qinglang not to wait up for him. He walked out of the alley and headed for Number One Scholar Lane.
There was no more wine in his gourd anyway. Might as well go out.
Late at night, a quiet tavern on Number One Scholar Lane still had its colored lanterns lit. Only one table had guests.
It was practically a family banquet, since the cook had been brought from home.
Three men and three women.
Not only this tavern, but the entire Number One Scholar Lane was heavily guarded. Besides armored soldiers standing guard every few steps, there were also hidden masters stationed there. Unless it were one of the top ten grandmasters on the list, anyone trying to assassinate would not even be able to reach these people.
The six people were Emperor Wei Liang of Nanyuan Kingdom, Empress Zhou Shuzhen, Crown Prince Wei Yan, the Second Prince, and the youngest princess.
And also the Taiping Mountain Daoist nun, Huang Ting, who was once Mirror Heart Studio's Fan Wan'er and Tong Qingqing.
The young princess Wei Zhen had inherited her parents' looks and was a rare beauty. But standing next to that Daoist nun, she still felt inferior. Normally lively, she didn't dare speak much tonight. She clung to her mother Zhou Shuzhen, especially admiring the ethereally beautiful Daoist nun, who could stand before her father and act even more… Jianghu than Imperial Preceptor Zhong!
Over the years, she had collected many forbidden books, all sorts of strange tales and romances that her two brothers, unable to resist her pleas, had gathered from the market bookshops.
What was the jianghu? The jianghu she dreamed of was a couple of chivalrous immortals, under a moonless and windy night, storming into the lair of villains that made the martial world tremble. When the sky turned fish-belly white, the bandits and demons would have been executed. The man and woman would smile at each other, then ride off into the sunset, continuing their journey through the jianghu.
Emperor Wei Liang smiled and asked, "With Yu Zhenyi outside and Chen Ping'an inside, is it really nothing?"
Huang Ting's answer was not very polite: "Actually, even with both of them in the capital, it's fine. One has an extremely firm cultivation heart, and the other couldn't care less about you. But you emperors love that saying, 'How can another snore beside my bed?' I understand you're uncomfortable. And I don't like Yu Zhenyi either. So I'll just fight it out with him."
Huang Ting's next words were even more presumptuous. "I guarantee I'll give it my all when I fight Yu Zhenyi. After that, if I lose, and the so-called elite army of Nanyuan fails to stop Yu Zhenyi, and he storms the palace and kills your entire family, I'll try my best to avenge you before I ascend."
Wei Liang shook his head with a wry smile and drank to drown his frustration.
The most uncomfortable person was probably Empress Zhou Shuzhen, whose junior sister had become her master, and then became Taiping Mountain's Huang Ting.
Perhaps the most disappointed was Crown Prince Wei Yan.
He had loved Fan Wan'er in his heart, but she was gone forever. Even though the Daoist nun before him was more beautiful than Fan Wan'er, Wei Yan couldn't bring himself to like her.
The most anxious was the Second Prince, who looked very much like Wei Yan. The demon cult—from its supreme leader Ding Ying, to the Crow Girl, to the many hidden masters in the capital—had all been rounded up by Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu, working with Mirror Heart Studio's immortal and the court's offerings. They were all in prison. And the demon cult's three branches all had countless ties to him, this imperial Wei prince.
This meal was tasteless for the Second Prince, like chewing wax.
He envied his sister's carefree nature and envied Crown Prince Wei Yan's incredible fortune.
Who could have imagined that the legendary old demon Ding Ying would be killed?
That damned Crow Girl had once sworn to him: You'll be dead of old age before my master's master dies.
An unusual commotion erupted outside the tavern.
Huang Ting smiled. "An honored guest has arrived."
Emperor Wei Liang immediately looked out the window, very nervous. He regretted not having called Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu. After all, the Imperial Preceptor had a good relationship with that man, with some shared goodwill.
But after waiting for a long time, he saw the man appear at the top of the stairs, having properly entered through the tavern's main door and climbed the stairs.
That young banished immortal Chen Ping'an was not wearing his eye-catching white robe, but ordinary clothes like those of a well-off family in Nanyuan.
Wei Liang steadied himself and stood up.
Since the emperor stood to greet him, Zhou Shuzhen and the three royals quickly stood up as well.
Huang Ting didn't put on airs, but she didn't act overly enthusiastic either. She stood up, but left the table and walked to the window, as if removing herself from the situation, leaving it to the local boss and the outsider to handle things however they liked. She wouldn't favor either side.
Wei Liang laughed loudly. "My Wei family has been remiss in hospitality, causing such a commotion. Forgive us, Immortal Master Chen."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Your Majesty, don't worry about it. This storm has little to do with Nanyuan Kingdom."
Emperor Wei Liang was uncertain, worried there might be hidden meaning that he wasn't catching.
Chen Ping'an had already spoken. "I came because, since Your Majesty is here in person, I can speak plainly. Nanyuan Kingdom can act as if I don't exist. Please rest assured. If Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi hadn't come to me on their own, this fight might never have involved me, Chen Ping'an, from start to finish."
Wei Liang smiled and nodded in agreement. "Immortal Master Chen is a mountain immortal, naturally unwilling to meddle in mortal disputes."
Chen Ping'an suddenly laughed as well. "Your Nanyuan capital has some lovely scenery. Especially a certain food—it's very good. Before I leave the capital, I'll definitely go eat it again."
The emperor asked curiously, "May I ask the Immortal Master, where and what is it? I can..."
But he stopped mid-sentence, raised his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp. "Immortal Master Chen has just set the rules, and I've already broken them. I must fine myself a cup."
Chen Ping'an took off his wine gourd. "I might trouble Your Majesty to give me two jugs of wine."
Wei Liang laughed heartily. "Immortal Master Chen, you're such an honored guest, but too easy to please!"
The emperor had made a joke, so Empress Zhou Shuzhen, the two princes, and the young princess immediately laughed along.
Chen Ping'an was a bit slow to react, then also smiled, so as not to seem too aloof.
The far-off Daoist nun Huang Ting was facing the window, but the corners of her mouth curled up.
After filling his gourd with wine, Chen Ping'an left the tavern. But he didn't return to his lodgings in the alley. Instead, he relied on his memory to find the night market near White River Temple and ate a big bowl of that spicy, numbing, and hot stuff.
If you don't eat spicy food, don't drink, don't eat the spiciest hotpot while drinking strong liquor—what fun is there in life?
That was what the old sword saint of Comb Water Kingdom had said.
He hadn't thought it made much sense before, but now, amidst the bustling crowd, Chen Ping'an felt that the old master's saying really didn't lie.
Chen Ping'an paid and settled the bill, left the lively night market, and walked slowly. When he reached a quiet, deserted spot, he leaped onto a rooftop and went to that deep official's mansion with its private library. This time, he wasn't looking for the history and geography of "this world," but for books on bridge construction. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any, so he thought about raiding the archives and records of the Ministry of Works. After weighing his options, he decided to ask Zhong Qiu when he got the chance, to get the Imperial Preceptor to help with this favor. It shouldn't be too difficult.
Also, he needed to ask Zhong Qiu for news about a scholar.
He left the library.
Finally, Chen Ping'an stopped on the roof of a tall building, sat down, and drank. When he was done, he raised his middle finger to the sky.
No thunder struck.
Chen Ping'an put away his wine gourd and sat in the breeze, lost in thought.
Between leaving Eagle Castle's Upper Terrace and entering Nanyuan Kingdom, he had encountered a town of paper figures.
The abbot of Heart Manifest Temple, an old monk, had repeated a saying: "You look at it, and it looks at you."
That woman, who was still Fan Wan'er then, had stared at him hard twice at White River Temple and the night market. Her gaze seemed familiar, but she hadn't spoken. It probably wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she couldn't.
Thinking carefully, it was deeply chilling.
Chen Ping'an sighed.
The lamps of the human world, the stars of the sky.
Someone had once said that the latter might be the remains of many deities.
Who had said that? Chen Ping'an patted his head. He couldn't remember. He hadn't actually drunk much tonight, but he was unusually drunk.
Chen Ping'an leaned back and fell into a deep sleep.
An old Daoist stood on the upturned eaves, glancing at the sleeping young banished immortal.
Remembering what he had seen earlier, the old Daoist twitched the corner of his mouth.
In the small courtyard, the young man had softly said "I'm sorry" to a child, his face full of tears.
The old Daoist muttered to himself, "In your eyes, is there no small matter in the human world?"