Chapter 330: Crossing Mountains and Rivers, Stopping upon Meeting Yao
(Ten-thousand-character chapter. The promised 140,000-character update at the beginning of the month has been completed. Sword's Gaze has made three promises about update word counts: once during the New Year, once last month, and this time. All have been fulfilled.)
Whether it was an illusion or not, Cao Qinglang felt that time was passing very quickly. In the past, it had been like a great river, flowing slowly and unhurriedly. Now it was like a mountain stream, babbling noisily as it rushed by, the sound of flowing water almost audible.
In the blink of an eye, autumn had passed and winter had arrived, and the first snowfall of the year came suddenly. The snowflakes fell like goose feathers, and Cao Qinglang, waking at dawn, sat on his bed and stared out at the vast expanse of white snow, stunned. He quickly dressed and put on his shoes, pushed open the door, and the first thing he wanted to do was to tell that person that it was snowing heavily. But as he looked at the entrance of the side house, he scratched his head and finally remembered that that person had been gone for a long time. Still, he often felt that the person would be sitting on the small stool in the yard, whether in the early morning or the middle of the night. As soon as he stepped out, he would see him. He didn't say much, just smiled at him.
He hoped this heavy snow would herald a bountiful year.
Cao Qinglang raised his hand and breathed on it to warm it. It was cold; he needed to add a layer of clothing. He shrank back into the room, put on more clothes, then sat upright at a small wooden table his father had made with his own hands. He opened a book and began to recite the writings of the sages.
At the end of autumn, the private school had changed teachers. The new teacher was stricter and seemed to have more knowledge. He explained principles clearly, so clearly that even the students who disliked studying the most could understand. He was very impressive.
After finishing his recitation, Cao Qinglang rubbed his hands together to warm them and felt a little worried. There wasn't much money left in the house.
After his parents died, the government had given him a sum of compensation, but not all at once. The yamen sent money to him every month at a fixed time.
Cao Qinglang didn't think much about it. He just assumed that was how the yamen handled things. Besides, without his parents, he had no relatives in the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom. In the past, if he wanted to eat something or buy something, he only needed to tell his elders. Now he had to budget carefully, spending every copper coin cautiously. This feeling wasn't pleasant, but there was no way around it. Life had to go on.
The good thing was that during his most difficult time, that person had lived in the house, giving Cao Qinglang, who was left alone in this house, a secret hope.
Cao Qinglang put on a pair of yellow deerskin boots suitable for snowy and rainy weather. But as he put them on, he started to cry. His mother had bought these on New Year's Eve. What about this year?
Fortunately, Cao Qinglang quickly composed himself. He went to the kitchen to grab a quick bite, then prepared to head to the private school. But while packing his books in the room, he was lost in thought. That person had promised to make him a small bamboo backpack when he had time. The books said that a gentleman keeps his word, a promise worth a thousand gold. So he must have been really busy with something urgent. He just didn't know when they would meet again.
Cao Qinglang picked up an oilpaper umbrella and shouldered his travel bag, stepping out of the courtyard. He was surprised to see a familiar person outside the gate—it was Teacher Zhong from the private school, a very unusual surname. The old teacher, dressed in a blue gown and also holding an oilpaper umbrella, stopped when he saw Cao Qinglang and asked, "What a coincidence. You live here?"
Cao Qinglang wanted to put down his umbrella and bow to Teacher Zhong, who had happened to pass by his house, but Teacher Zhong waved his hand and said, "No need, it's snowing heavily."
Teacher Zhong was deeply learned, but when he imparted knowledge and resolved doubts, he was always serious and seldom smiled. Everyone was afraid of him, and Cao Qinglang was no exception. But he respected him more than his classmates did. So when the teacher said there was no need to bow, Cao Qinglang instinctively obeyed the old man's words. Then, the old and the young, each holding an umbrella, walked through the deep snow in the alley.
Teacher Zhong had naturally heard about Cao Qinglang's family situation. After all, many of the children in the private school were his playmates and classmates from the neighborhood. He had seen the different looks they gave Cao Qinglang and heard their whispers. Cao Qinglang just pretended not to see or hear them. So the old man asked, "Now that you're living alone, are you having any difficulties?"
Cao Qinglang smiled and shook his head. "No, Teacher."
His answer was precise, and his wording and demeanor were not like those of a child from a humble alley. No wonder the skinny little girl had mockingly called him "Little Confucian."
The old man nodded and added, "You're still young after all. If you ever hit a real obstacle, you can tell me. Don't feel embarrassed. Life has its difficulties, both in books and outside. Not just you, even someone my age sometimes needs help from others."
Cao Qinglang said, "Hmm, Teacher, I understand. If I really have trouble, I'll come to you."
He hesitated for a moment, then said a little shyly, "Someone once told me something similar on the way to the private school. He said that in the future, as I study and try to make a living alone, asking for help is inevitable. If others don't help, I shouldn't resent or bear a grudge. If they do help, I must remember it in my heart."
Teacher Zhong showed a rare hint of a smile. "That person is Chen Ping'an, isn't he?"
Cao Qinglang was startled. "Teacher knows him?"
Teacher Zhong nodded. "We are friends. I didn't expect you two to know each other too."
Cao Qinglang immediately felt happy.
Chen Ping'an was Teacher Zhong's friend!
Teacher Zhong put on a stern face and scolded, "Don't think that because of this connection, I'll let you off with the ruler if you don't study diligently."
Cao Qinglang quickly nodded.
The old man and the young, teacher and student, walked with difficulty down the main street that the government had already repaired and leveled. The snow was deep, and their pace was slow. Cao Qinglang grew a little bolder and asked the teacher how he had met Chen Ping'an. Teacher Zhong simply said that their temperaments were compatible, and though they hadn't known each other long, they could indeed be called friends.
The heavy snow kept falling, unwilling to stop. Cao Qinglang felt warm inside. He walked to the entrance of the private school with the teacher and turned to look back.
The last time they had met and parted, that person had stopped there. After saying those words, he held his umbrella and watched until Cao Qinglang entered the school.
Teacher Zhong turned around ahead and asked, "What's wrong?"
Cao Qinglang shook his head, beamed a bright smile, and turned to walk quickly into the school.
After Teacher Zhong took his seat in the classroom, he waited until all the children had arrived before beginning his lesson.
The old teacher, with graying temples and dressed in a blue gown, spoke slowly. When he imparted the principles of the sages to the children, he possessed an almost saintly aura of righteousness.
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In the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom, there was a high-ranking official's family with a deep courtyard. Their private library was quite famous in the capital. Today, a boy of concubine status went upstairs to read. He often came here to browse books. However, the books were precious. The family rules forbade not only bringing candles upstairs but also taking books outside. Many wooden cases for rare and valuable editions were sealed and forbidden to be opened without permission.
Today, the boy was angry and depressed. He had come not really to read, but to find a quiet place to clear his mind.
He had passed both the county and prefectural examinations, which were open to all scholars in the capital, and had obtained the status of a licentiate. But his results were not outstanding, so he hadn't become a xiucai. He was only eligible for the provincial examination. This made him feel very guilty towards his mother. His two elder brothers, who had also taken the two tests, had both become xiucai at once. The boy, who had a reputation as a child prodigy, was puzzled. He didn't understand why their essays, which were mediocre and far less learned than his, had gotten better results. He had initially thought it was because he had performed poorly on the spot, while his two legitimate elder brothers had just happened to do better. But today, he accidentally overheard his two drunken brothers talking about the tricks behind the county and prefectural exams. They revealed the secret: their father had privately bribed the examiners.
Because the three brothers' grandfather had been the Minister of Rites in the capital, with students all over the country, and had presided over the Nanyuan Kingdom's metropolitan examinations multiple times. The chief examiners of the capital's county and prefectural exams had to respectfully call him "seat master" or "room master," the most significant "teacher-student" relationship in officialdom. The boy firmly believed that his grandfather would never do such a dirty thing. It must have been his two brothers' father who used his name, at the expense of the family's reputation, to seek personal gain.
Even that might have been tolerable. Though a concubine's son, the boy was born into a high-ranking family and knew a thing or two about the dark secrets of officialdom. But from his two brothers' smug chatter, he learned something else. Why had his eldest uncle deliberately suppressed him? Why had he snatched away the xiucai status that should have been rightfully his? Standing on the top floor of the library, looking at the countless bookshelves and books, he smiled bitterly. In this huge, prestigious family of scholars, besides him, this concubine's son, how many of his peers in the family were still willing to come here to read? So many rare books, left to gather dust year after year, with no one paying them any attention. Wasn't that a pity?
The boy raised the back of his hand to wipe his tears. "What use is reading? Crap narrative about a jade tree in the courtyard..."
After venting his grievances, he still started looking for books. He still had to take the provincial exam, still had to read the sages' books. Even if he wasn't reading for himself, even if he wasn't studying for a degree, he couldn't disappoint his mother again. But today his mind was in turmoil, so he decided to first look for a book outside the classics. He browsed through the selection, and finally, in a corner of the library, he picked out an almost brand-new collection of literati notes. Then he froze. As soon as he opened the title page, he felt something was off. He used his finger to separate a page and found a coin inside. It was different from the standard copper coins of the Nanyuan Kingdom in its shape and the strange seal script characters on it. Moreover, it wasn't made of copper or iron. It looked like jade but wasn't, translucent and sparkling.
The coin was wedged between the pages, leaving slight imprints on both pages. The imprints happened to be on a sentence that all scholars knew, but not everyone believed.
In books there are houses of gold, in books there are beauties like jade, in books there are bushels of grain.
The boy was puzzled. He hesitated for a long time, then quietly slipped the coin into his sleeve, thinking he would take it back to show his mother.
He didn't expect that this act would almost cause a major disaster. Later, when he was studying at the family school, he took the coin out and rubbed it in his palm, and his brother accidentally saw it. The brother falsely accused the boy of stealing a decorative item from his desk, causing an uproar that even alarmed his grandfather, who had been ignoring worldly affairs for years. After that, the old minister, who had long been immersed in Daoist techniques, took the coin and, on the same day, mobilized all the trustworthy stewards and managers in the house. They took two full days and one night to carefully search through the ten thousand volumes in the library, but found nothing. There was no second coin.
The old minister ordered everyone to leave the library and forbade anyone from speaking about the matter outside the family, on pain of being expelled from the family. The old man stayed alone in the library for a long time, thinking. Then he found his terrified grandson and brought the boy back to the library. The old man handed the boy the collection of literati notes that had originally held the coin, and said with a smile, "If there had been two such coins, you wouldn't have this immortal opportunity. Take it. It's yours. Study hard from now on. All the books in this library are open to you. You can take anything you want, and you can even take them out of the library to read."
The boy, who had gained good fortune from misfortune, took the book, bewildered.
The old minister then revealed a secret matter. Speaking earnestly, he said, "In the previous dynasty, two young top scholars, both child prodigies, rose meteorically through the imperial examinations. Both had poor official reputations, and one of them even lost his integrity in his later years. Therefore, our current dynasty is deeply wary of such things. Your failure to become a xiucai this time was not your eldest uncle's doing. He doesn't have such a vicious heart, nor would he dare. I'm not dead yet. It was actually my idea. I wanted to suppress you a bit, to temper your character, so that you can accumulate strength and make a late breakthrough in officialdom. In the end, officialdom is not like playing chess. Making the first move too brilliantly is not necessarily a good thing in our dynasty."
After the boy, his heart stirred, left, the old man turned and took out another book. There were also imprints in this one, but no coin. The imprints were on a sage's teaching: "A gentleman is like jade, cut and polished, carved and ground."
Because there was only one coin, the boy unknowingly monopolized all the good fortune.
In the unseen, there is heaven's will.
Even the old minister, who yearned for Daoist techniques, dared not seize it.
The old man, who had weathered the ups and downs of officialdom for most of his life, said with sincere reverence and admiration, "A transcendent master, truly a divine hand."
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On the mountain path, Chen Ping'an had made himself a large bamboo backpack. Normally, besides his cloth bundle, he could store quite a few things. But Chen Ping'an still made Pei Qian carry the bundle and the green bamboo fishing rod, and he also made her a walking stick that was small and handy.
After that, the journey was long. Chen Ping'an seemed to have initially been in a hurry, eager to leave the Tung Leaf Continent and return to his home on the Vase Bottle Continent. But then he settled down again. This only tormented the little girl Pei Qian. She complained endlessly, but compared to when they first met, when she was direct and sharp-tongued, she had now learned to speak in a roundabout way, perhaps because she had read some books or because she was afraid Chen Ping'an would get angry and abandon her.
Chen Ping'an always let her complaints go in one ear and out the other, which only deepened Pei Qian's resentment.
Along the way, they saw many sights that opened Pei Qian's eyes wide. For example, one autumn night they encountered countless fireflies, like a sea of small lanterns. When Chen Ping'an wasn't looking, she would swing her walking stick wildly, creating a scene of carnage. But the moment he turned his head, she would stop immediately, acting like she was just walking.
They also passed through a bizarre, dense forest. The soil was fertile, and the branches stretched out, hung with the desiccated corpses of countless birds and beasts.
Pei Qian was so scared she grabbed Chen Ping'an's sleeve just to walk. Before entering the forest, Chen Ping'an took out a Yang Qi Lamp-Lighting Talisman and tossed it into the forest. The talisman, made of ordinary material, suddenly ignited but burned slowly. Chen Ping'an walked straight into the forest. Pei Qian begged him for a talisman as a protective charm, but he ignored her and told her that if she was afraid of the strange things, she should recite her book loudly. The principles of the sages could ward off evil.
Pei Qian was skeptical, but she still clutched Chen Ping'an's sleeve tightly and did her best to recite the contents of that book.
In fact, that Confucian text was very thin. She knew all the characters in it and had finished reading it. She had previously wanted a new one, tired of going back and forth over the same book. It was too boring. But Chen Ping'an refused to let her. He made her read it over and over, and not just look at it—she had to read it aloud. In the early morning, when he practiced his sword stance by the furnace, she had to start reading. At dusk, when he was still practicing his stance, she had to read again. In the end, she could recite all the chapters from memory.
After they left the forest, there was no strange activity at all.
Pei Qian was drenched in sweat, exhausted from reading, her voice hoarse.
It wasn't until they were more than ten li away that the large trees began to shake violently, as if venting their anger.
Later, they passed through a valley. Beside a waterfall and pond, colorful butterflies fluttered in a dizzying display.
Seizing a moment when Chen Ping'an was cooking, Pei Qian, with lightning speed, killed over a dozen of the butterflies. She picked the prettiest one, flattened it, and stuck it between the pages of her book. She then received a solid knock on the head from Chen Ping'an. She crouched on the ground, clutching her head and howling in pain, with a swollen bump on her forehead. She didn't have a good expression even during the meal.
They also met a woodcutter coming down the mountain and ate a meal at his house. Chen Ping'an tried to pay, but the simple, honest family absolutely refused. He had to give up. Before leaving the wicker fence yard, he made Pei Qian thank them. Pei Qian, who had eaten her fill, wasn't very willing, but after accidentally catching a glimpse of Chen Ping'an's gaze, she obediently bowed and thanked them.
They walked out of the endless mountains and came to a great river. Pei Qian saw boat trackers pulling a large barge for the first time. Under the scorching sun, the men shouted their labor chants. She stared, dumbfounded, then secretly laughed to herself. It seemed there were quite a few people in the world living miserably. But she quickly put away her smile. If that guy saw her, she'd be in trouble again. Last time, she had only gathered a little less firewood, and he had made her, who was starving, only eat one small bowl of rice. Oh, this Chen Ping'an was really hard to please. Rich folks like him just deserved a beating. Once she secretly mastered a peerless sword technique with her walking stick, she would definitely beat him until he wailed for his parents. Then we'll see if he still dares to glare at her.
Live on the mountain, eat from the mountain; live by the water, eat from the water.
Walking by the river, she suddenly wanted to fish, so she asked Chen Ping'an to make her a fishing rod. But he didn't even acknowledge her. Pei Qian had to take the woodcutter's knife herself and chop down a thick green bamboo. After cutting it down, she realized it wasn't suitable for a fishing rod—it would be better as a pole for a boat. She grimaced and picked a thinner one. Fortunately, that miserly cheapskate Chen Ping'an wasn't too unreasonable and gave her a hook and fishing line. But even though they were both fishing, not far apart, Chen Ping'an kept catching fish, including a large carp as long as her arm. She, on the other hand, didn't get a single nibble. Did even the fish in the water judge people by their appearance? She felt like jumping into the water and smashing all the fish and shrimp with the fishing rod.
But that evening, the big pot of fish soup made Pei Qian beam with joy. She nervously asked Chen Ping'an for three bowls of rice, saying that she had exhausted her energy fishing today and needed the rice to replenish her strength. She would drink less fish soup and wouldn't compete with him. She thought he wouldn't agree, but to her surprise, that guy nodded. This full meal of rice drenched in fish soup was the most delicious thing in the world. Anyway, she ate until her belly was round.
Later, she went fishing with Chen Ping'an again. She still clumsily cast the line and yanked it up, but still no bites.
That guy, on the other hand, caught an enormous black carp. Just the struggle took at least fifteen minutes. Watching him run around the bank, she rolled her eyes. You're a guy who knows swordsmanship and magic, and you let a stupid fish play you like this? Aren't you embarrassed?
Looking at her own fishing rod, which was "as steady as a mountain," and cursing the creatures hiding underwater that gave her no face at all, Pei Qian sighed heavily. She felt she had all these skills but no place to use them.
So she decided she would never fish again. Spending so much patience and energy with no reward—why bother?
At lunch that day, Chen Ping'an, for the first time, talked to her about some fishing techniques.
She understood the principles, but she still didn't want to learn to fish like him. However, Chen Ping'an said that next time they went fishing, he would teach her himself, so she didn't throw away the fishing rod.
She tentatively said, "Fish soup is good, but eating it every meal is getting a bit boring. How about we eat something else?"
Chen Ping'an replied, "Sure, go find something to eat."
Pei Qian played dumb. "I'm too young. I'm willing but unable."
The next day, when they were fishing, Chen Ping'an didn't use his own rod. He took Pei Qian's rod and waited patiently. He ignored the small fish nibbling at the bait. When a fish weighing about seven or eight catties took the bait, he suddenly jerked the rod upward. The rod bent in a beautiful arc, just right. Pei Qian, who had been yawning for a while, immediately widened her eyes. Chen Ping'an told her to quickly take the rod and handle the big fish herself. Pei Qian jumped up, grabbed the rod, and what followed was something Chen Ping'an found hard to watch.
She held the rod tightly with both hands, relying on the sturdy, unreasonable thick green bamboo. Gritting her teeth, she said nothing and started pulling back with all her might, ignoring all of Chen Ping'an's advice about slowly playing the fish, reeling in and letting out line, not letting the big fish see the light too early, gradually exhausting its strength, and making it swallow water a few times. She just wanted to drag it ashore by brute force.
What should have been a leisurely fishing session turned into a tug-of-war for Pei Qian.
The fish was big, in the water, and it was a strong black carp. Pei Qian, on the other hand, wasn't very strong. In a moment of carelessness, the skinny little girl stumbled and was pulled into the water by the big fish, rod and all. She had once laughed at Chen Ping'an for talking nonsense, saying that fish wouldn't swallow water. Now it was her turn. She couldn't swim, but a fierce stubbornness welled up inside her, and she refused to let go even as she was drowning.
In the end, Chen Ping'an had to fish her out of the water. The rod had been pulled away by the big fish.
This time, Pei Qian didn't cry heartbrokenly. Soaking wet like a drowned rat, she stood on the bank, mouth wide open, crying silently.
The fish was gone. Tonight's fish soup was gone. The fishing rod was gone too. Even though she knew there was still dry food and she wouldn't starve, she didn't know why she was so sad.
Chen Ping'an wiped the tears and river water from her face but didn't comfort her.
He just thought back to his own childhood. Before he met Liu Xianyang, who was good at fishing, he didn't know the tricks. He didn't know the right times or places. He often came back empty-handed. Under the hot sun, an afternoon could make your skin sting. He probably felt the same way.
That meal, of course, was just pickled vegetables and rice.
She went to the small tent to change clothes. During the meal, she was glum. Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Why are you suddenly so brave? Aren't you afraid of drowning in the water?"
Squatting beside him, Pei Qian buried her head in her rice and mumbled indistinctly, "You were right there next to me."
Chen Ping'an gave her a knock on the head. Pei Qian looked up angrily. "Why did you hit me this time? I'm heartbroken enough!"
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Eat your rice."
Pei Qian snorted and turned to look at the river. The fishing rod she had made with such difficulty was gone. She felt a little sad.
Chen Ping'an said, "My fishing rod is yours now."
Pei Qian was a little puzzled. Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, she grinned. "Then I'll lend it to you often for fishing. I'm very generous."
Chen Ping'an was amused despite himself.
With her quick wits, why wouldn't she put them into her studies?
Chen Ping'an only practiced his six-step stance and formal sword techniques late at night, when she was fast asleep and he was standing guard.
They passed through a small town and bought some supplies. Chen Ping'an bought her a new set of clothes. Pei Qian was overjoyed. That night, they stayed in a small inn. Pei Qian hadn't slept in a bed for a long time, so she rolled around happily on it. But suddenly, she noticed a white cat curled up by the window, staring at her.
Pei Qian jumped off the bed, shouting, "How dare you stare at me!" She grabbed the walking stick leaning against the table and poked it at the white cat.
As it turned out, the cat really did "dare." Instead of being frightened and running away, it dodged and weaved nimbly on the windowsill, avoiding each strike of the walking stick. Occasionally, it hissed at Pei Qian. Pei Qian was out of breath. Propping herself up with the walking stick, she widened her eyes. "What demon are you?! Report your name quickly, and I'll spare your life!"
Of course, Pei Qian was just joking.
But that white cat actually "glanced" at her and said in human speech, "Crazy little girl, are you out of your mind?"
It turned around, jumped, and disappeared.
Frightened, Pei Qian dropped the walking stick and ran to the next room, pounding on the door.
Chen Ping'an opened the door. Pei Qian said tremblingly, "Just now, a cat spoke human language!"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I heard it."
Seeing that he wasn't surprised, Pei Qian asked blankly, "So, there are monsters even outside the deep mountains?"
Chen Ping'an sat back at the table and continued reading the divine book he had bought at the Inverted Suspension Mountain. He nodded. "Spirits and demons are common in the marketplace and among common people. It's not unusual. Most don't disturb people. Some wealthy families even keep many interesting spirits. For example, some rich women's dowries include all sorts of little creatures with wings that can fly through the air, like maidservants who help their mistress dress up and apply makeup."
Pei Qian sat dejectedly opposite him at the table and rested her head on her hands. "Isn't that scary? I was just about scared to death a moment ago."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "The world is full of wonders. After you've traveled through many mountains and rivers, you'll get used to them."
Pei Qian sighed. "Is that so?"
Chen Ping'an said casually, "That old man we saw earlier boiling tea with spring water on the mountaintop, and that woman washing her hair by the stream—they were actually mountain spirits. They didn't mean any harm. In fact, they yearn for the worldly life of the human world. Didn't you get along well with them?"
Pei Qian was dumbfounded.
The kind, genial old man, and that beautiful sister who, after washing her hair, had played her a tune with a leaf—they weren't human?
Pei Qian's face crumpled in fear.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "They were the only ones who weren't human. Everyone else we met was just like us."
Along the way, they had also encountered local officials urging the people to build roads and bridges, wealthy young dandies and famous literati traveling for pleasure, and a flower queen whose appearance made Pei Qian's eyes light up because she was dressed up so lavishly, practically covered in money. There was also a lone swordsman traveling the world on his horse, who, sitting high in the saddle, asked Chen Ping'an for directions with a haughty expression, which angered Pei Qian.
Suddenly, Pei Qian asked, "Where's that little one?"
She meant the little lotus man.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "He doesn't want to see you."
Pei Qian stood up, went to her own room, took the book from her bundle, and came back to Chen Ping'an's room to read with him.
She didn't dare go back to her own room for now. She was afraid that white cat would come back for revenge. Her swordsmanship still wasn't good enough to slay demons with any confidence.
Chen Ping'an closed his book and quietly took out the scroll. He had already sunk nine Grain Rain Coins into it, but the founding emperor of the Nanyuan Kingdom still hadn't come out of the scroll. This frustrated Chen Ping'an a bit.
He spread out the scroll, holding a Grain Rain Coin in his hand.
This was the last one. If it still didn't work, he would have to give up.
Throwing a Grain Rain Coin into an endless pit—it wasn't as if his money fell from the sky.
But when Chen Ping'an "threw" the Grain Rain Coin into the scroll, it was still like a stone sinking into the sea. Mist rose, but that was all.
Pei Qian had already put down the somewhat worn and wrinkled book. She stood beside Chen Ping'an. He didn't try to hide what he was doing, so she had seen the scene of the scroll "eating" money many times. Seeing Chen Ping'an disappointed again, she grinned. "If I changed my surname to Zheng, would that be better?"
Pei Qian, meaning "lose money." Zheng Qian, meaning "earn money."
Chen Ping'an sighed and was about to put away the scroll.
He turned to look. At the open window stood a white cat. It wasn't looking at Chen Ping'an, but at Pei Qian. It sneered, "Little girl, go eat shit."
Then it flashed and disappeared. On the table in the next room, it left a pile of shit.
Pei Qian was bewildered. Chen Ping'an was both amused and exasperated. So it held a grudge. That was just like Pei Qian.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Chen Ping'an's spine. He stood up and pulled Pei Qian behind him.
A little Daoist boy, carrying a huge golden gourd diagonally on his back, was sitting on the windowsill. He looked at Chen Ping'an with a smile. The white cat jumped onto his shoulder and curled up there.
Chen Ping'an had seen this little Daoist boy from afar once in the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom. Later, talking with Zhong Qiu, he learned the boy's general identity. The boy referred to the old Daoist as "my master." He was the one who beat the drum to send people into the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.
The little boy glanced at the Sword-Nourishing Gourd on Chen Ping'an's waist and sneered. "Not a bad looker, but far from top-notch. Ten thousand li worse than my Sword-Nourishing Gourd."
Chen Ping'an asked expressionlessly, "Is there something you need?"
The little boy said casually, "The Vase Bottle Continent has the two best Sword-Nourishing Gourds, doesn't it? How come you didn't get your hands on them?"
Before she fell from grace, the fairy Su Jia of the Zhengyang Mountain once had a purple-gold gourd.
The terrestrial sword immortal Wei Jin of the Wind Snow Temple also had a silver-white Sword-Nourishing Gourd. Later, it ended up in A Liang's hands, and A Liang gave it to Li Baoping.
The little boy propped his hands on the windowsill and swung his legs back and forth. "There are seven Sword-Nourishing Gourds in the world, formed on a gourd vine planted by the Dao Ancestor himself. They are the rarest. The flying swords nourished within each gourd, respectively, have the highest numbers, form the fastest, are the most indestructible, the sharpest, the best at strengthening their owner's body, and the smallest, truly killing without a trace. As for the last one, it's the one I'm carrying. Do you know what its marvel is?"
Chen Ping'an didn't answer.
Pei Qian, hiding behind Chen Ping'an, was very curious but didn't dare to peek.
Seeing Chen Ping'an playing dumb, the little boy found it boring. Carrying the white cat on his shoulder, he nimbly jumped down from the windowsill, walked to the table, and pointed at the rolled-up scroll. "My master asked me to pass on a message to you. He feels a bit sorry about choosing five people for you and then hurriedly driving you away. So he's bending the rules to let me tell you a few things. One is about that oilpaper umbrella. Keep it safe. Don't just throw it away. As long as it's with you, your aura will be concealed. The second is about the first scroll you chose. I'll warn you this once, and only once. I'll tell you directly the number of Grain Rain Coins needed. For this scroll with Wei Xian, it's..."
He smiled and held up both hands.
The white cat on his shoulder lazily raised one paw. The little boy smiled. "It's eleven."
Having said this, the little boy looked a bit regretful, and a bit gleeful. The total number of Grain Rain Coins for the four scrolls was set by the old Daoist, but how many were allocated to each scroll was his arrangement. Chen Ping'an wouldn't know these inside details. The little boy had thought that Chen Ping'an would definitely choose the martial lunatic Zhu Lian. Then Chen Ping'an would have had a hard time.
He hadn't expected that little lotus man to meddle and inadvertently make Chen Ping'an choose Wei Xian.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Then why are you only telling me the number now?"
The little boy snickered. "As long as I tell you the answer before you sink in the last coin, it doesn't break the rules. My master won't blame me."
Seeing that Chen Ping'an didn't look angry, the little boy was even more bored. He waved his hand. "That's all. I hope we never have to meet again. Just seeing you annoys me."
Chen Ping'an was unfazed. He asked, "Is there a celestial ferry nearby that can go to the Vase Bottle Continent?"
The little boy was very reluctant to tell him, but on thinking of his master's temper, he had to supply the location. He didn't dare to cause trouble.
The little boy saw the little head peeking out from behind Chen Ping'an. He snorted coldly, seeming very displeased. He didn't want to look at her for another moment. He leaped backward and, with the white cat on his shoulder, vanished from the window.
Chen Ping'an unrolled the scroll again and threw in the eleventh Grain Rain Coin.
Without any hesitation.
Mist filled the air, enveloping the entire room.
Chen Ping'an pulled Pei Qian back a few steps, standing five or six paces away from the table. The Sword-Nourishing Gourd's First and Fifteenth were ready to spring.
A short man in a dragon robe "rose up" from the scroll, stood on the table, then stepped onto a stool, and then onto the floor. He looked at Chen Ping'an. The founding emperor of Nanyuan said sternly, "Wei Xian greets his master. For killing enemies in the future, I await your orders."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
Then the two looked at each other in silence. The atmosphere was stagnant, a little awkward.
Suddenly, Wei Xian said, "Master exudes a very strong kingly aura."
Chen Ping'an was speechless.
Pei Qian thought she had learned something new. Holy crap, this guy is completely shameless, isn't he?
Wei Xian looked around the room and said slowly, "Master, do you have any inconspicuous clothes? I'll change, and then I'll go out and wander around tonight, to take in the great mountains and rivers of the Grand World. Master, when you're ready to set off again, I'll appear on my own."
Chen Ping'an gave him a new set of clothes. Wei Xian took off his dragon robe, changed into Chen Ping'an's plain clothes, propped one hand on the windowsill, leaped out, jumped onto the wall, and disappeared into the night.
Pei Qian asked, "In the middle of the night, what great mountains and rivers are there to see?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "How am I supposed to know what he's thinking?"
The night passed without incident.
Pei Qian went back to her own room and saw the pile of shit on the table. She gritted her teeth in anger.
The next day, when they set out, Chen Ping'an and Wei Xian were indeed waiting outside the inn.
After that, Wei Xian stopped talking.
Wei Xian was even shorter than Chen Ping'an. It was hard to imagine that this was a founding emperor, and the greatest martial grandmaster of that era, with unparalleled martial prowess, hailed by later generations as a one-man army on the battlefield.
As time went on, Pei Qian got used to Wei Xian's presence. It was as if he wasn't there at all.
At the end of winter, the three of them approached a border town. Further north was the Daquan Dynasty, a relatively powerful nation on the Tung Leaf Continent. The celestial ferry that the little Daoist boy had mentioned was at the northernmost tip of the Daquan Dynasty.
As they walked along the border, before they saw the town, Pei Qian begged Chen Ping'an, "Give me another talisman, you know, the one that emits golden light. It went 'shwoosh' and blocked that green water buffalo."
Chen Ping'an was lost in thought.
Pei Qian wouldn't give up. "I'm not asking you to give it to me for free. I'll just stick it on my forehead, and I'll walk faster. Please! Aren't we in a hurry? Don't you want me to walk faster so we can get back sooner to that Great Li Dragon Spring place?"
With a pop, a talisman was indeed stuck on Pei Qian's forehead.
It was even stuck crookedly, just so it didn't block her vision.
Pei Qian immediately beamed with joy. Indeed, she started walking as fast as flying.
With a big mansion from the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom stuck on her forehead, how could she feel tired? Walking with it was like strolling in her own big mansion.
Wei Xian, following behind them, looked at Pei Qian. His feelings were probably similar to those of the white cat. He thought this little girl was out of her mind.
Chen Ping'an wore the sword Foolish Heart and the narrow saber Snowstop on his waist. He took off his Sword-Nourishing Gourd and took a sip of wine.
Behind him, Wei Xian's steps, which had initially been somewhat heavy, had now become light and easy. Pei Qian couldn't see the subtle changes, but Chen Ping'an understood perfectly.
When the three of them climbed a slope, they saw dust flying in the distance. Over a hundred cavalry were fighting as they retreated. Dozens of bodies were already on the ground. The cavalry seemed to be desperately protecting an old man.
In Chen Ping'an's eyes, his main focus was on the two Qi refiners who were pursuing the cavalry, one of whom was a sword cultivator.
In Wei Xian's eyes, more attention was on the cavalry. There was a look of admiration in his gaze. He muttered to himself, "Veteran soldiers. Dismounted, they are brave warriors; mounted, they are iron cavalry. This must be the Yao family border troops of the Daquan Dynasty."
Now Pei Qian was no longer afraid of this short man. She asked in confusion, "How do you know that? You're always wandering around. Do you go around asking about these things?"
Wei Xian ignored her, his eyes burning with intensity.
The Nanyuan Kingdom had once been famous for having the finest cavalry in the world. They had beaten the grassland cavalry back beyond the border, forcing them to almost become a vassal state.
That was Wei Xian's sole achievement.
Chen Ping'an suddenly turned around and asked in a deep voice, "Yao family border troops? Are you sure?"
Wei Xian said nothing. He wasn't about to waste his breath.
The ground shook. Chen Ping'an shot up into the air and then descended like a thunderbolt, landing squarely between the fleeing cavalry and the two Qi refiners, cutting off their pursuit.
He had once made a promise to Master Qi, or rather, to that elm leaf that had been the only one willing to fall into his hand.
So today, upon meeting the Yao family, Chen Ping'an stopped.
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