Chapter 326: In the Alley
When Chen Ping'an woke up, the moon had already risen above the treetops. Perhaps because he was carrying a saber and sword, the tavern owner hadn't dared to chase him away, holding his nose and letting this wandering swordsman take up space without spending much. Chen Ping'an gave him some extra silver, and the old owner was quite happy with this windfall. Chen Ping'an slowly strolled back to Scholar's Alley. The brothels were quiet, with bored, seductive women lazily leaning on the railings. Chen Ping'an looked up and noticed that these women had much lighter makeup, but they seemed prettier than before when they were heavily powdered.
Along the way, many women on the upper floors flirted and teased him. One woman even threw an embroidered handkerchief at Chen Ping'an, shouting, "Handsome young man, come on up! Big sister will treat you to tea. Sit on my lap!"
The women in her brothel and nearby pleasure houses immediately started jeering and cracking dirty jokes. Chen Ping'an easily dodged the handkerchief, but then he looked back at it on the ground, went back to pick it up, rolled it into a ball, and gently tossed it back to that woman. The women on the street were silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Chen Ping'an's heart was as still as water as he walked back into that alley. At the corner, a man and a woman in ordinary civilian clothes stood. They weren't old, under thirty, but their breathing was long and steady. In this world of Lotus Petal Paradise, they should be considered talented young experts with good foundations. But of course, compared to geniuses like Smiling Face or Flower-in-Hair Zhou Shi, the gap was still huge.
The two introduced themselves as capital spies directly under the command of National Preceptor Zhong Qiu. The man handed Chen Ping'an two packages. One contained stolen books they had collected from a nearby market bookshop, and the other held books about bridge construction selected from the Ministry of Works. The woman gave Chen Ping'an a secret dossier about the scholar surnamed Jiang and the pipa lady.
Chen Ping'an noticed that whether it was the man or the woman, both of them were very unstable in both their minds and their hands when handing things to him.
Chen Ping'an smiled at them, thanked them, and then walked toward Cao Qinglang's house.
Killing Powder Vajra Ma Xuan and the Pipa Lady in the street, then almost killing Bird's-Eye Peak Lu Fang, defeating National Preceptor Zhong Qiu, and finally killing the Demon Sect's Supreme Patriarch Ding Ying.
For these spies of Nanyuan Kingdom who walked the line between court and martial world, it was like when old General Lü Xiao stood on the city wall and saw the peak battle between Yu Zhenyi and Taoist nun Huang Ting, he couldn't help but sigh, "Truly immortals!" Now Chen Ping'an in this world was even more formidable than Ding Ying at his peak.
When Chen Ping'an slowly walked to the courtyard gate and pushed it open, the young woman finally took a deep breath — it turned out she had been holding her breath. She whispered softly, "He really is this young."
The man was a bit helpless and said nothing.
She laughed, "And he's so handsome."
After saying that, she herself felt a bit embarrassed.
Just then, that person suddenly stepped back out of the courtyard, leaned back, and gave the woman a thumbs up, smiling. "Good taste."
The woman was stunned like a wooden chicken, and even the usually unsmiling man was caught off guard.
When the sound of the door closing softly came, the woman suddenly covered her face and stomped her foot hard.
The man sighed. Actually, she wasn't usually this silly. In seven years as a spy, she had excelled at infiltration and was always meticulous and steady, having earned great merit for the Nanyuan court. Even National Preceptor Zhong had high regard for her. This time, the two were assigned to tail Tang Tieyi, the Grand General of Dragon Might of Northern Jin, which showed Zhong Qiu's trust.
In the courtyard, Cao Qinglang and the little girl whose name they still didn't know sat on small stools. The two same-age kids weren't chatting; the little girl was cracking melon seeds, probably gotten from Cao Qinglang. She had tossed the shells everywhere. When she saw Chen Ping'an, she got flustered. Chen Ping'an glanced at the ground, and she immediately put the seeds in her pocket and started cleaning up.
After greeting Cao Qinglang, Chen Ping'an went into the house, lit an oil lamp, and opened the two packages. The books the little girl had sold off cheap were all intact, restacked on the table. The Ministry of Works books were placed on the other side. Two small mountains of books, left and right, like guardian door gods. Chen Ping'an opened the secret dossier, which recorded in detail the pasts of the scholar surnamed Jiang and the Pipa Consort.
Chen Ping'an put it back in the envelope and tucked it inside a book.
Chen Ping'an began to review this inexplicable chess game.
Entering this Lotus Petal Paradise, although fraught with danger, the gains were substantial.
The battle with martial arts grandmaster Zhong Qiu not only successfully broke through the bottleneck of the Fourth Realm, but in the second bout, Zhong Qiu even lowered his status and actively fed him punches, helping Chen Ping'an stabilize at the Fifth Realm. Although Zhong Qiu had his own considerations — guessing that Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi might be colluding in a scheme and not wanting them to succeed — regardless, Zhong Qiu's bearing as a grandmaster, his martial strength, and his temperament all earned Chen Ping'an's admiration.
Then the battle with Ding Ying was exhilarating and full of twists. Chen Ping'an for the first time truly wielded a sword to face an enemy. Indeed, pure martial artists must temper their bodies at the edge of life and death. Even if Chen Ping'an didn't know the Fifth Realm of other martial artists in the Bright World, he felt his own Fifth Realm foundation was quite good.
This was the foundation of his existence. No matter how money-grubbing Chen Ping'an was, he wouldn't trade it for ten thousand gold.
Even if this trip to Lotus Petal Paradise still couldn't build the Bridge of Long Life, it was worth the journey. Compared to earlier when Chen Ping'an hoped to try his luck at ancient battlefield ruins or the Martial Saint Temple to break into the Fifth Realm, the outcome was far, far better.
But even in this favorable situation, hidden dangers lurked.
The problem lay in being beaten by Ding Ying's Yin Spirit Golden Body from the top of Old Ox Mountain into a large pit outside the mountain, especially at the bottom of the final "Thunder Pond". The Lotus Petal Paradise's vast spiritual energy and shattered martial fortunes that had been drawn to Old Ox Mountain inversely surged into Chen Ping'an's body like seawater, penetrating his soul. Chen Ping'an vaguely sensed that on his heart lake, a mist had risen, lingering without dispersing, with lightning weaving like dragons and snakes riding clouds, and streaks of sword light flashing in the mist, disappearing in an instant, as if slashing at those dragons.
Fortunately, these spiritual energies, which conflicted with the True Qi of pure martial artists, were like distant vassal states in rebellion — for now, they hadn't risen up or revolted. In the Bright World, Qi refiners and pure martial artists had been on completely different paths from the start. Martial artists must disperse all spiritual energy from the body and refine a pure True Qi like a fire dragon patrolling the wilds. The first step for Qi refiners, on the other hand, was to absorb as much heavenly and earthly spiritual energy as possible, then purify it, expand territory, and transform each Qi mansion and acupoint into mansions and cities, becoming their own small heavens. Like a great lake beside a great river, whether during floods or droughts, the Qi refiner could always connect themselves to heaven and earth, with a constant supply of spiritual energy. Eventually, they would open a pill chamber, form a golden elixir, then nurture Yin and Yang spirits, ultimately achieving the Earth Immortal level.
Currently, the structure inside Chen Ping'an was that pure True Qi and heavenly-earthly spiritual energy were facing off like two armies, each forming their formations, barely maintaining a situation of "well water not interfering with river water".
Chen Ping'an put aside his thoughts, picked up the Sword-Nurturing Gourd beside the table, and took a sip of wine.
Building a Bridge of Long Life — so difficult. Truly, destroying a bridge is easy, building one is hard. He had almost died in this Lotus Petal Paradise. Whenever he thought of that possibility, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but feel lingering fear. Even if sixty years in Lotus Petal Paradise didn't equal sixty years in the Bright World, he would surely miss the ten-year promise with Miss Ning. In ten years, how old would Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the others be? Would they be bullied during that time? And what about Gu Can, who had gone to Letter Bamboo Lake? Would Liu Xianyang return home in glory to the small town and not find him? What about the Fallen Mountain Bamboo Tower in Dragon Fountain Prefecture, the ancestral home in Clay Vase Alley, and the shop on Dragon-Riding Alley?
Chen Ping'an stood up. Soon, knocking came from the courtyard gate. The skinny little girl also ran to Chen Ping'an's side room as if to claim credit, about to inform him of a visitor, but the door was already open. Chen Ping'an saw the female Nanyuan spy standing outside the gate, holding a long box. Chen Ping'an walked over, and she explained softly, "This is the Pipa Consort's belongings. The National Preceptor just sent someone to bring them and told me to give them to Immortal Chen."
Before Chen Ping'an could say anything, she blushed slightly and fled.
Cao Qinglang watched this scene with curiosity. The skinny little girl's eyes rolled around, lost in thought.
Chen Ping'an put the pipa back in the house. Cao Qinglang returned to his room to read by lamplight. The little girl continued sitting on the stool, cracking melon seeds. This time she had learned her lesson and didn't scatter the shells everywhere like scattering flowers. She piled them all by her feet.
Chen Ping'an walked toward the stool and found that Cao Qinglang had left the palm-leaf fan on it. He picked it up gently, sat down, and said to the little girl, "You can go home."
She cracked melon seeds, blinked, and shook her head. "Home? I don't have a home. I'm just a little beggar. How would I have a home? There are so many bad people among the beggars. They hit me all the time. I'm too young, can't get enough to eat, even weaker. I can't beat them. The good spots in the capital are all taken by them. I can't compete, so I just find anywhere to stay, like under bridges, or on top of rich people's stone lions."
Chen Ping'an asked, "What about your parents?"
The skinny little girl cracked melon seeds and laughed. "Died long ago. I'm not from the capital; my hometown is thousands of miles away. A plague hit our village. I was very young then, followed my parents fleeing. Mother died on the road. Father brought me here. The officials in the capital were decent — they set up many porridge stalls outside the city. Father died after drinking a big bowl of porridge."
Chen Ping'an asked again, "How old are you this year?"
She finished eating the seeds, held out both hands, curled the little finger, and shook it. "Nine years old."
Chen Ping'an said nothing more.
She laughed out loud. "I don't look nine, do I? No helping it — hunger stunts growth. Last time you saw the person who sent me the little snowman — she's only six, but she's already taller than me. And that little scholar in this courtyard, Cao Qinglang, he's younger than me too."
Chen Ping'an gently waved the palm-leaf fan, appearing indifferent and cold-hearted.
The little girl had actually been watching Chen Ping'an's expression and eyes all along. Seeing him like this, she cursed in her belly: Rich people, truly none of them are any good! Never care about others' lives. He's clearly a very powerful big shot, and if a bit of silver leaked through his fingers, it would let her live a good life, but he just won't.
She was nine, but as skinny and small as a child of five or six. Chen Ping'an wasn't particularly surprised, because he had also been like that back then. Until he left Clay Vase Alley and the small town to become an apprentice at Old Man Yao's dragon kiln, that's when he started to grow. Before that, Chen Ping'an was half a head shorter than his peers.
Chen Ping'an hadn't taken off Heart of Obsession and Snowstop all day today, so even sitting on a small stool, he still had a lot of authority.
This was the real reason the little girl had been especially well-behaved tonight.
The fan swayed, bringing gusts of cool breeze. Chen Ping'an asked, "You stole those books — how much did you sell them for?"
She wrinkled her face, trying to force out tears but failing. She could only raise one hand and cry out in protest, "I really didn't steal books. I can swear. If I'm lying, may Heaven strike me with lightning and may I die a miserable death!"
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "You said if you lie, who gets struck by lightning and dies a miserable death? You didn't make it clear."
Her expression shifted slightly, and she laughed dryly. "Of course it's me — who else would it be?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Then who are you? What's your surname and given name?"
The little girl bent down, fiddling with the pile of melon seed shells with her fingers. "I have a surname, but no name yet. My parents left too early; they didn't have time to give me a name."
Saying this, she looked up with a bright smile. "But Dad told me our ancestors were very rich and had very important officials, managing several thousand people."
Chen Ping'an stopped waving the fan and shook his wine gourd. "Do you miss your parents?"
She blurted out, "Why would I miss them? I can't even remember what they looked like."
Probably feeling that saying this wouldn't endear her, she immediately changed her tune. "Actually, I do miss them a lot. I often dream about them, but I still can't see their faces clearly. Every time I dream of them, I wake up with tears all over my face. So sad."
Chen Ping'an turned to look at her.
The little girl held out her hand again. "I swear!"
Chen Ping'an asked, "Aren't you afraid there's a Lord of Heaven?"
The little girl was a bit annoyed but didn't dare to talk back to this guy. She quickly lowered her head and muttered, "There's no damned Lord of Heaven."
Chen Ping'an stood up, put down the fan, and walked out of the courtyard. There was a person standing at the corner of the street.
That person wore a silver lotus crown on his head, had the face and height of a young child, and carried a long sword diagonally on his back.
Chen Ping'an walked to the corner. That person had already retreated to the other side of the street, showing his stance — he wasn't there to pick a fight, but to discuss something.
Chen Ping'an didn't have a good impression of this person.
Yu Zhenyi, leader of Lake Mountain Sect, a so-called righteous leader who had secretly colluded with Ding Ying, and the unmovable number two in the world.
Yu Zhenyi smiled lightly. "I returned to the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom this time for both public and private matters. The public matter is to discuss with Zhong Qiu about turning over the Five Peaks Atlas. Lake Mountain Sect and I can move into Nanyuan Kingdom and not compete with Zhong Qiu for the position of National Preceptor. The private matter is to ask you if you have any of what the fallen immortals call divine money — Snowflake Coins, Lesser Heat Coins, Grain Rain Coins. As long as you have any kind, I am willing to trade with you. Anything that exists in Lotus Petal Paradise, I can find for you."
Chen Ping'an countered, "If I really wanted them, couldn't I find them myself?"
Yu Zhenyi shook his head. "Why waste time? I am ultimately more familiar with the four kingdoms' jianghu and courts of Lotus Petal Paradise. For a cultivator, time is most precious."
The convergence of spiritual energy at Old Ox Mountain was the old Daoist using earth-shattering techniques to move all the spiritual energy of Lotus Petal Paradise there — absolutely not a normal occurrence, rare even in a century. But the three types of divine money of the fallen immortals were the physical manifestation of heavenly-earthly spiritual energy. Yu Zhenyi, who was wholeheartedly seeking the Dao of immortality, desperately needed these items, and only he could afford the price.
Yu Zhenyi pointed to the glazed flying sword on his back. "Chen Ping'an, aside from using this sword to exchange for divine money, I can also personally help you collect the fallen immortals' relics left in Lotus Petal Paradise. I can even help you take the newly acquired treasures from people like Tang Tieyi and Monk Cloud Mud. Also, you are a pure martial artist. The Demon Sect's three branches of Ding Ying, the Mirror Heart Studio of Tong Qingqing, and these other martial arts holy grounds have collected many martial arts manuals. There might be some that catch your eye."
Chen Ping'an asked, "When you entered the capital this time, you definitely came to me first to discuss business. I can be sure that you, Yu Zhenyi, genuinely want to make this deal, but you also want to use this momentum to pressure National Preceptor Zhong, right? Once I nod, National Preceptor Zhong and Nanyuan Kingdom will feel pressure. Moreover, your so-called personally helping me collect martial arts manuals — isn't that using the titles of number one and number two in the world to suppress the entire jianghu, allowing you to search for those broken techniques of the fallen immortals? Otherwise, you, Yu Zhenyi, even with your high strength, wouldn't dare to defy the world's consensus. After all, Martial Madman Zhu Lian and Demon Sect's Ding Ying are precedents."
Yu Zhenyi did not deny it. He nodded. "But you will still benefit from it. From start to finish, you don't need to show yourself. I alone will play the villain."
Chen Ping'an drew the narrow saber Snowstop.
The glazed flying sword on Yu Zhenyi's back hummed and trembled, ready to be unsheathed.
His expression darkened. He hadn't expected Chen Ping'an to be so unreasonable.
But then Chen Ping'an used the tip of the knife to poke two small holes in the ground, then drew a curved line between the two points. After sheathing the knife, he asked, "The original intention is good, and the outcome you hope for is also good, but is that an excuse for using unscrupulous means?"
Yu Zhenyi glanced at the curved line at Chen Ping'an's feet, then withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Those who achieve great things do not bother with minor details. Losses today, gains tomorrow — there is a difference in magnitude, and the disparity is enormous. I, Yu Zhenyi, have a clear conscience. Why shouldn't I do it? During this process, if a few or a dozen people on the list die, what does it matter? Do you know how many tens of thousands of innocent people have died in this world throughout history because of the fallen immortals? Not to mention those brutal wars — just look at the ten on the list you've seen, like Zhou Fei of the Spring Tide Palace. How many people did he harm?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I've flipped through many books. I dare not say I know everything, but I know quite a bit. Just over sixty battles in history that might have been triggered by the fallen immortals — I can name them right now."
Yu Zhenyi said nothing more.
Those with different paths cannot plan together.
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then crouched down and added two more lines with his finger: a straight line, and a line between the curve and the straight line, with a smaller curve.
After standing up, Chen Ping'an said, "I don't demand that you, Yu Zhenyi, become a moral saint, nor do I have that ability. For now, I can't even say you are wrong. But setting that aside, I won't do business with you. Divine money — I have some, and quite a bit, but I won't sell a single coin to you."
Yu Zhenyi narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
Chen Ping'an laughed. "What? Upset? Good. Then I'm feeling pretty good right now."
Yu Zhenyi suddenly smiled broadly. "I hope we meet again."
The glazed flying sword instantly left its sheath and hovered beside his foot. He stepped onto it, preparing to fly away from the Nanyuan capital on the wind.
As for Zhong Qiu, no need to look for him. As Chen Ping'an had revealed, only if Chen Ping'an agreed could there be a chance to persuade Zhong Qiu.
Just as Yu Zhenyi's flying sword had risen ten feet into the air, he heard that person laugh and say, "Short gourd, better not have a later date."
Yu Zhenyi suddenly emanated murderous intent, turned the sword tip, and coldly stared at the insolent young fallen immortal.
Chen Ping'an looked calm and asked, "You, Yu Zhenyi, feel greatly insulted just because someone called you a short gourd? Cultivated the Dao, became an immortal — so what?"
Chen Ping'an's hands had already pressed on the handles of Heart of Obsession and Snowstop.
Yu Zhenyi snorted coldly, then his sword rose, turning into a streak of light as he vanished into the sky.
Chen Ping'an turned and walked back into the alley. On that side, someone who had been poking their head out quickly turned and ran away.
As the little girl ran, she regretted that if only the two had fought to the death, how wonderful that would have been.
Chen Ping'an returned to the courtyard and closed the door. By the kitchen door, the little girl sat on a stool, tilting her head and pretending to sleep. Cao Qinglang had already turned off the lamp and gone to sleep. Chen Ping'an went into the house, took off his saber and sword, and began to flip through books, looking at matters related to bridge construction.
After that, everything was peaceful. So it was in the Nanyuan capital, and so it was throughout the world. Thus, from the last solar term of summer, amid the rustling of Chen Ping'an's pages, they slowly arrived at the Start of Autumn.
The old Daoist didn't come to him, so Chen Ping'an could only wait.
His hometown, the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, had once been a pearl hanging above the territory of Great Li.
The shattered Yellow Millet Blessed Land on Inverted Mountain was also a place where even immortals could not find the entrance. Heaven knows what Lotus Petal Paradise really is and where in Tongye Continent it lies.
The school near the alley was still not open.
The skinny little girl shamelessly stayed here, but she had learned to fetch water and sweep the floor every day, though she still cut corners and slacked off whenever possible.
Generally speaking, after the Start of Autumn, common households could look forward to the Mid-Autumn full moon. Especially children, who would eagerly wait, counting the days on their fingers. Families reunite, eat mooncakes, look at the big disc in the sky, and fill with laughter and joy.
That night, as Chen Ping'an was cooling off in the courtyard, he suddenly realized that of himself, Cao Qinglang, and the little girl, none of them seemed to look forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
But during this time, Cao Qinglang smiled much more. Sometimes he would get really annoyed with the little girl whose tongue was as sharp as arsenic, but after being annoyed, he would still treat her the same way. He didn't hold grudges. Occasionally he would argue with her, but Cao Qinglang was no match for her. Once, she scolded him until his eyes turned red and his lips trembled with anger. But that night, when she asked him for melon seeds, Cao Qinglang silently took them out for her and said this was all that was left. She said, "If they're all gone, go buy some quickly. You're so old, do I need to teach you how to buy things?" It made Cao Qinglang gloomy for a long time, not speaking to her all evening. The little girl didn't care at all. She cracked her seeds and chatted, never caring whether he responded, only saying what she wanted to say. Cao Qinglang rolled his eyes, and eventually couldn't take it anymore, so he went to his room to read. He mustered the courage to turn back and glare at her, but she glared back and made as if to get up and grab a stool to hit him. That scared him into quickly running into his room and closing the door.
Crouching by the window, Cao Qinglang saw that when Chen Ping'an glanced at that bad girl, she immediately sat up straight and explained, "I'm just joking around with Cao Qinglang. We get along great."
Cao Qinglang then laughed happily and began to read by lamplight.
This was also the real reason Chen Ping'an hadn't chased the little girl away.
One morning, it suddenly started to rain. The little girl came back carrying half a bucket of water (whether well water or rain was unclear), her face full of flattery. After returning to the courtyard, she told Chen Ping'an that the school had opened.
That day, Chen Ping'an held an oil-paper umbrella and accompanied Cao Qinglang to the school.
The two walked in the small alley.
The skinny little girl who had been sheltering from the rain under the eaves ran to the courtyard gate. She saw Chen Ping'an holding the umbrella, subtly tilting it toward Cao Qinglang. The two seemed to be chatting — Cao Qinglang was doing most of the talking, and Chen Ping'an smiled slightly as he looked at Cao Qinglang.
She stood at the courtyard gate for a long time.