Chapter 340: The Pen Wields Divine Power

Chapter 340: The Pen Wields Divine Power

Chen Ping'an lay on his bed, that strange dream still lingering in his mind.
Last time, it was reading books in a dream aboard the ferry at Osmanthus Island. He wondered what deeper meaning this time held—or perhaps it was just a dream, and he was being overly suspicious?
Chen Ping'an sat up. Since he couldn't sleep, he went to the table and began taking stock of his belongings.

During the day, Ninth Lady had sent word: at dawn tomorrow, the Yao family's procession to the capital would pass through Fox'er Town. They would then travel together to Mirage City and part ways at a famous ferry outside the capital. Chen Ping'an and his group would continue north into the mountains to seek the Celestial Peak. Old General Yao Zhen had already arranged two identities for them, ensuring smooth passage through the mortal realm for the latter half of the journey.

Chen Ping'an lit an oil lamp and placed his sword-nurturing gourd on the table. Flying sword Fifteen shot out. He took out the Dharma robe Golden Nectar, feeling some distress—both for the damage to this artifact left by an overseas immortal, and even more for the single copper coin it had cost to repair it. The Grain Rain coin was already used up; it wasn't a Minor Heat coin, let alone a Snowflake coin. It was one of the Gold Essence Copper Coins from the small pouch Zheng Dafeng had given him as repayment when he broke through in Old Dragon City.

Chen Ping'an stroked the neatly folded robe and sighed.
No wonder they said that cultivating was a business that consumed mountains of gold and silver. No one could claim they had more money than they could spend.
But for some reason, Chen Ping'an thought of Liu Youzhou from the Ape Trampling Residence at Inverted Suspension Mountain. He figured that having a father who was a contemporary of the God of Wealth of the Snowy Continent was the only way to worry about having too much money.

Chen Ping'an then poured out the pouch of Gold Essence Copper Coins onto the table, stacking them one by one into a small tower less than a palm's height. He smiled to himself—the tower was just too small and short. If it were bigger, he'd be happier.
These priceless Gold Essence Copper Coins were not a single Offering Coin or Spring Welcome Coin. They were all Suppression Coins, inscribed on both sides with "Remove calamity, expel misfortune" and "Peace under heaven." The characters were different from the Suppression Coins he had first encountered in the Lizhu Cave Heaven, likely because the coinage changed every sixty-year cycle.

Back at Inverted Suspension Mountain, Chen Ping'an had learned a refinement technique from the sword-bearing man at the gate. Though it seemed crude, it was actually quite orthodox. Refining that Gold Essence Copper Coin had taken no more than the time of a cup of tea. The multiple tears and rips in the Golden Nectar robe had come alive as if the warp and weft threads were willow branches sprouting new buds—truly miraculous.

Chen Ping'an estimated the robe would fully recover in at most ten days. There was an unexpected bonus: he noticed a change in the golden dragons embroidered on the robe. Previously, the largest coiled dragon holding a pearlescent orb and the eyes of the two smaller golden dragons had shown only faint golden light. But after "feeding" on the Gold Essence Copper Coin, it was like adding the finishing touch to a painting. The spiritual energy contained in that golden pearlescent orb was now thick as water.

This discovery made Chen Ping'an, who usually wasn't obsessed with spiritual tools and Dharma artifacts, feel a stir of desire. Because the quality of the Golden Nectar robe was rising, just like the martial realms of Wei Xian and Zhu Lian. One had to know—what lay above Dharma artifacts? Immortal weapons! The Fu family of Old Dragon City, who had wealth enough for an entire continent, had amassed for a thousand years and still not possessed a single true immortal weapon.

But Chen Ping'an didn't dare hope that Golden Nectar could grow into a robe of immortal weapon quality. After all, who knew how many Gold Essence Copper Coins it would need to be fed? And now that the Lizhu Cave Heaven no longer existed, the three types of Gold Essence Copper Coins might well be cut off forever, never to appear again.

Even if he managed to build the Bridge of Long Life, he would still need to refine five Dharma artifacts corresponding to the Five Elements. Describing it as "harder than ascending to heaven" was no exaggeration. But for Chen Ping'an, it was still manageable—just like practicing one million punches and then another million. As long as he could clearly see the path beneath his feet and know where to take the next step, that was enough. He didn't dwell on how far the road was or how hard it would be to travel.

Chen Ping'an continued to take out some long-cherished items.
The golden courage pellet given by the City God Shen Wen, fragments of divine golden body left in the mortal world after the deity's death and Dao dissipation.
A pile of emerald bamboo slips that could be traced back to the Green Spirit Mountain, most of which Chen Ping'an had already inscribed with fine poems and verses.
The snake gallstone that He Xiaoliang of the Divine Edict Sect had returned to him.

Finally, Chen Ping'an took out the Water character seal personally carved by Master Qi, placing it gently in the center of the table. He rested his head on the table. There was a saying that mountains and waters never separate, but the Mountain character seal had already been destroyed in the Dragon Abyss Trench. The Water character seal seemed rather lonely.

Chen Ping'an was lost in thought. A notion arose: on the journey, he might find an opportunity to buy a white jade hairpin. Even if the material was ordinary, it wouldn't matter. After carving those eight characters, he could wear it in his hair bun. Not to show off—purely because he felt that with his current attire, even without the Golden Nectar robe, he could wear a blue shirt and a jade hairpin. He might not be a scholar, but he could pass for one well enough. Then, when he returned to Bottle Continent and went to the Cliff Academy of Great Sui to find Li Baoping and the others, he could finally stop worrying that he might cause them to be looked down upon by their classmates.

He had read so many books and seen so many truths of the sages, but he still liked those eight characters the most.
"In my heart, the gentleman is gentle as jade."

But thinking that the inn's guest sleeping on the floor was a gentleman from an academy, Chen Ping'an grew curious about the Great Fortune Academy. If it weren't that he couldn't afford to delay the journey through Tongye Continent, he really would have liked to visit the academy.

One by one, Chen Ping'an put away all his belongings and stored them back in his portable dimension.
When Zheng Dafeng had settled the old and new accounts, he had given Chen Ping'an, besides a pouch of Gold Essence Copper Coins, a legendary "inch-long object"—a jade plaque with no inscriptions, extremely elegant.
But Chen Ping'an was accustomed to dealing with Flying Sword Fifteen, which was both handy and satisfying, so he had never bothered to use the inch-long object. A treasure that even Nascent Soul Earth Immortals might not each possess—he simply shelved it.

The raincoat armor "Western Peak" was temporarily left with Wei Xian. The narrow saber Stopping Snow hung at Lu Baixiang's waist. The Heartbreaker Sword was carried on Sui Youbian's back.
The golden demon-binding rope made from the old flood dragon's whiskers—if its color weren't so eye-catching—could have been used as a belt. But neither the usual snow-white color of Golden Nectar nor the two blue robes bought from market stalls matched it well.

Having stored away his ample belongings, Chen Ping'an felt at ease. What could dispel worries? Only money and wine.
He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. He suddenly noticed that Pei Qian, in the next room, was completely silent. The inn's walls were not soundproof, and the little girl usually snored softly when she slept. Chen Ping'an thought Pei Qian might have snuck down to the kitchen again, like before, playing the mouse. But after waiting about the time of an incense stick, he heard the inn's front door open and close. Chen Ping'an snapped his fingers, instantly extinguishing the lamp. Soon, he heard Pei Qian's footsteps coming upstairs.

Only after the door to the next room closed did Chen Ping'an calm down. He relit the oil lamp, took out three books, and leafed through them casually.
They were "Mountain Toppling Fist," borrowed from Gu Can; "True Trace of the Cinnabar Book," given by Li Xisheng; and "Orthodox Sword Techniques," given by Zheng Dafeng.

Now, the chapters in these books were already committed to memory. But while he had recently begun studying the sleeping stance "Thousand Autumns" from Mountain Toppling Fist, his progress in talismans and swordsmanship—compared to before he stumbled into the Hibiscus Paradise—was almost nil. He simply couldn't divide his attention. However, Chen Ping'an believed that some talismans from "True Trace of the Cinnabar Book," which were of a slightly higher grade than the Pagoda-Suppressing Demon Talisman, were now within his reach. He might try inscribing them and might even complete them in one go.

Chen Ping'an read through the night until dawn. Before daybreak, he heard faint rustling sounds from the next room. Shortly after, there was a knock on the door. Chen Ping'an put away the three books, got up, and opened it. He found Pei Qian, who seemed to be fully packed, already wearing her cotton cloth bundle and holding her walking staff. She grinned up at him and asked, "When are we setting off for Mirage City?"

Chen Ping'an asked, "Didn't I tell you to stay at the inn?"

Pei Qian's smile didn't waver as she continued playing dumb. "Should I go wake up Little Lame to make us breakfast? We need to eat well before we hit the road. I hear Fox'er Town is two or three thousand li from the capital. It's far."

Chen Ping'an was about to reply when a yawning, disheveled scholar appeared at the top of the stairs. As he walked over, Zhong Kui slapped Pei Qian on the back of her head and, still bleary-eyed, asked Chen Ping'an, "The Yao family's here this early? Is Yao Zhen so eager to become Minister of War?"

Pei Qian, having been slapped for no reason, was furious. She raised her walking staff as if to deliver a horizontal strike to his waist, but catching sight of Chen Ping'an, she stopped immediately and muttered resentfully, "A gentleman uses words, not fists. That's what it says in the books. How can you call yourself a scholar? No wonder Ninth Lady doesn't think much of you. Little Lame was right—nothing's worse than you poor scholars."

Zhong Kui ignored the little girl's muttering. He slapped a hand on top of Pei Qian's head and said with a smile, "Chen Ping'an, you might as well take her. I don't want to deal with this little girl every day. Too much trouble. Even my green plum wine would lose its flavor. Besides, Fox'er Town isn't safe. Leaving her here goes against your original intention."

Pei Qian immediately stood up straight, puffed out her chest, and looked at her nose, trying to appear obedient and well-behaved.

Chen Ping'an didn't give an immediate answer. "I'll think about it some more."

Zhong Kui nodded with a smile. "Yes, you should think it over carefully."

Chen Ping'an went downstairs and out for a walk. As soon as Zhong Kui opened the inn's front door, Ninth Lady and the other two had already gotten up and were busy preparing breakfast.
Zhu Lian and the other three opened their second-floor doors almost simultaneously.
The place suddenly became lively.

As Pei Qian and Zhong Kui came downstairs, she secretly tugged at his sleeve. When he turned, she whispered, "I'll put in a good word for you with Ninth Lady later."
Was this returning the favor?
Zhong Kui gave her a thumbs-up. "You're a loyal one!"

Chen Ping'an wandered a few li, walking slowly back and forth on the official road using the six-step stance, feeling refreshed.
He glanced several times at the distant outline of Fox'er Town.
He almost couldn't resist taking out the Yang Qi Lantern Talisman—the only golden one—to see what divine being was lurking in Fox'er Town. If it were a high-ranking demon causing trouble, an ordinary lantern talisman might not reveal it. For a gentleman from the Great Fortune Academy to stay here and keep watch, it certainly wasn't some "Fifth Realm Great Demon" from the Colorful Garment Country or anywhere else.

But the thought was barely born when Chen Ping'an forcibly suppressed it. If he actually offered up that golden lantern talisman, and if a truly formidable demon was lying low in Fox'er Town, the talisman burning would be both a warning and a provocation. Chen Ping'an wouldn't go out of his way to cause trouble for himself. Besides, a rare golden talisman paper was something he used one less of each time. He wasn't so wasteful.

Back at the inn, Chen Ping'an sat on the doorstep, his head aching.
It turned out Pei Qian and Zhong Kui were sitting at the same table. Zhong Kui had had a little wine and was spouting nonsense, while Pei Qian listened with rapt attention, looking as though light was dawning on her.

Zhong Kui asked, "Do you know why they say 'A gentleman uses words, not fists'?"
Pei Qian replied, "Because scholars can't fight."
Zhong Kui lowered his voice mysteriously. "The real meaning is that if a gentleman uses words, the other party is already dead."
Pei Qian was puzzled. "Are scholars so good at arguing that they can scold someone to death?"

Zhong Kui put one foot on the bench, looking smug, and raised an eyebrow, signaling the little girl to pour him wine before he'd reveal the truth.
Pei Qian rolled her eyes, full of contempt, and looked at him sideways. Her dark little face clearly said, "Who do you think you are?"

Zhong Kui wasn't offended. He pointed a finger at the little charcoal-like girl and laughed. "You really don't like to suffer a loss."
That made Pei Qian angry. She stood up, bent over, and slapped his finger away.
Zhong Kui swayed his body as if to point at her again, while Pei Qian kept swatting at his hand.

At the distant counter, Ninth Lady watched Zhong Kui. She didn't think a grown man acting like a child was something that would make a woman look up to him.
Still, if Zhong Kui could behave like this, he probably wasn't a bad person.

Pei Qian had never met such a shameless scholar. Panting from the exertion, she sat back down and sneered, "If a gentleman is so formidable, why do they say, 'Better to offend a gentleman than a petty person'?"
Zhong Kui smiled. "That's because they haven't met me."
Pei Qian twitched her mouth. "You're just making it up. Could you have read as many books as my father?"
Zhong Kui slapped his own face, at a loss for words, as if he couldn't face the sages and worthies on their altars. "Fine, I lose."

Chen Ping'an walked over to Ninth Lady and took out silver he had prepared earlier. This time, Ninth Lady didn't decline. Twenty or thirty taels—since the benefactor of the Yao family was willing to give, she would accept it. She smiled bitterly. "Young Master Chen, when you enter the capital, I hope you can look after Lingzhi a little. She has a proud nature, which isn't likable. Please be patient with her. I'm being presumptuous."

Chen Ping'an nodded in agreement, then smiled and held out his hand.
Ninth Lady was baffled.
Chen Ping'an laughed. "For taking care of Miss Yao, it wouldn't be right without at least twenty or thirty taels."

Ninth Lady hadn't laughed so heartily in years. She slapped the silver into Chen Ping'an's palm with force. "Oh my, I didn't expect Young Master to be such a shrewd businessman!"
Chen Ping'an actually pocketed the silver and joked, "When traveling far, one needs a way to make a living."

Zhong Kui turned to look at the happy rapport between Ninth Lady and Chen Ping'an. He shouted toward the kitchen, "When breakfast is served, remember to bring me a big bowl of vinegar!"

After everyone had eaten breakfast, the sound of hooves on the official road outside the inn grew louder and clearer.
The moment of parting was near.

Chen Ping'an suddenly remembered something. He asked Zhong Kui tentatively, "Could you write a pair of Spring Festival couplets for me?"
He figured that a scholar-gentleman from an academy must have excellent calligraphy. It would be a good omen for the coming year.

Zhong Kui's eyes lit up. "Do I get paid?"
Ninth Lady laughed angrily. "Are you obsessed with money?"
Zhong Kui glanced sheepishly at her, then trotted over to the counter, rubbing his hands. "Ninth Lady, I'll trouble you for brush and ink."
Ninth Lady rolled her eyes. "You're the accountant. Can't you find them yourself?"

The inn had brushes, ink, and red paper cut for blank couplets. In previous years, Old Hunchback had always written them himself. He had excellent handwriting—after all, he was Yao Zhen's third brother. Although the Yao family was a great military clan on the frontier, they did not neglect poetry and prose. Marching formations and military strategy—if the Yao sons were all uncouth warriors, they wouldn't have been up to the task.

Chen Ping'an said there was no need to prepare brush and ink; he had his own.
Before he said this, he had already turned his wrist and taken out the Little Snowcone from his portable dimension.
Pei Qian obsequiously took the two sheets of red couplet paper and spread them on a drinking table.
She didn't forget to remind Zhong Kui, who was rolling up his sleeves at the table, "Put your heart into it. Write something good. It'll be hung on our door!"

Zhu Lian and the other three gathered around, curious to see what the gentleman would write.
As for how Chen Ping'an had produced a brush or why he didn't need to dip it in ink, Ninth Lady pretended not to notice anything unusual.

Zhong Kui took the brush, gathered his breath, and assumed a solemn expression. With a light shout, his brush danced like a dragon and snake, writing five characters.
The characters were indeed upright, but as for style and spirit, that seemed a stretch.
The content was: "The pen writes that startles the wind and rain."

Clearly, this wasn't the sort of text for a couplet. It was more like Zhong Kui, seizing a rare opportunity, showing off his scholarly identity.
Zhu Lian, still hunched, scrutinized the five characters with a wide grin.
Sui Youbian had already turned her head to look toward the inn's main door. The Yao family would arrive soon.

Ninth Lady expressionlessly said, "Little Lame, go get a broom. Someone's skin is itching."
Zhong Kui said innocently, "Hey, I put a lot of effort into that. If it's not good enough, I'll write another pair. The cost of these two sheets goes on my tab."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "It's fine as is. Just write five more characters."

Ninth Lady glared at Zhong Kui, who quickly pushed the gleeful Little Lame. "Go fetch another pair from your master's room. Actually, bring two pairs. In case Ninth Lady isn't satisfied, I'll revise."

Zhong Kui wrote the second half of the first couplet: "Poetry completes that makes ghosts and gods weep."
Perhaps even he felt he had written too "big." He let out a dry laugh and made an excuse. "Out of practice. Not good. Not even half my usual skill."

For the next two couplets, Zhong Kui wrote very properly and festively—real New Year couplets, unlike the first frivolous one.
"New Year brings accumulated blessings; the auspicious festival is called Eternal Spring."
After finishing the second pair, Zhong Kui was extremely satisfied, saying this was the ancestor of all Spring Festival couplets in the world.

The third pair pleased Ninth Lady the most, as it was clever and apt: "May the state prosper, the family prosper, the nation and family prosper; may the old be safe, the young be safe, old and young be safe."
Even Pei Qian felt it was pretty good on that one, finally giving Zhong Kui a friendly look.

Chen Ping'an carefully put away the three pairs of couplets and clasped his hands in thanks to Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui accepted it without humility.
Then the two stared at each other.
Chen Ping'an reminded him helplessly, "The brush."
Zhong Kui asked, "I gave you three pairs of such auspicious couplets. Can't you give me this brush?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No."

Zhong Kui wanted to haggle, but seeing Ninth Lady's face darken—she might not even need Little Lame to fetch the broom, she'd throw him out herself—sighed reluctantly and handed the Little Snowcone back to Chen Ping'an. He murmured, "The four characters 'pen wields divine power' on this shaft are fated with me. How well they match! Chen Ping'an, you're breaking up a perfect match. Kills the mood."

Chen Ping'an didn't bother to hide it. He put away the Little Snowcone gifted by Li Xisheng and said with a smile, "I really can't give it to you."
Seeing Zhong Kui's pitiful expression, Ninth Lady laughed. "The cost of the couplet papers is waived. Not only that, but since you wrote three pairs, today you can take a jar of five-year-aged green plum wine."
Zhong Kui brightened up immediately.

Outside the inn, the official road was already dusty.
The saber-bearing girl Yao Lingzhi and the youth Yao Xianzhi dismounted together and came to the inn's entrance to welcome Chen Ping'an's group.
Ninth Lady told Yao Lingzhi to be careful on the road, then choked up.
The girl's eyes also reddened. She lowered her head, turned away, and stopped looking at her mother's sorrowful face.

Yao Zhen, in plain clothes, stood beside a carriage. The Yao family's procession to the capital included three deliberately empty carriages and five fine horses prepared specifically for Chen Ping'an—all first-class warhorses from the Daquan frontier army. Even the highest-ranking nobles' sons in the capital might not possess one.
Yao Zhen hadn't expected that, aside from the withered little girl and the stunning woman carrying a sword on her back, the other four, including Chen Ping'an, all chose to ride horses north.
Yao Zhen had no objection. After greeting Chen Ping'an, the old general returned to his carriage, which was stocked with over a dozen military treatises—all Yao family heirlooms. Each book was filled with marginal notes and insights left by Yao ancestors, nearly every page covered.
This was perhaps the true inheritance of a noble clan, its legacy unbroken.

This time, Yao Zhen brought only three Yao children, all of the same generation: Yao Jinzhi riding alone in one carriage, and Yao Xianzhi and Yao Lingzhi riding side by side at the rear.
Seven or eight accompanying military cultivators were scattered among the group.
Yao Zhen had frankly told Chen Ping'an that two of them were secret royal offerings of the Daquan dynasty. Had it not been for this summons to the capital, even he—the highest-ranking frontier general—would not have had the authority to mobilize them.

The remaining sixty-odd riders were seasoned frontier soldiers skilled in archery and horsemanship, along with a few of their family members—mostly Yao household stewards, servants, and maids.
Chen Ping'an rode among the group, his horse moving at a slow trot.
Even on horseback, Zhu Lian kept his shoulders hunched, bobbing with the horse's gait, looking the most casual and amiable of Chen Ping'an's four retainers.
Lu Baixiang was meditating with his eyes closed.
Wei Xian was most at home in the riding formation, moving naturally.

At the inn, Ninth Lady couldn't bear to look away.
Old Hunchback crouched at the door, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. The curling smoke veiled his wrinkled, weathered face, like mountain mist filling ravines.
Little Lame had climbed to the rooftop, gazing into the distance. Though they had only just parted, he already looked forward to reuniting with the sword-carrying sister.

Zhong Kui walked to the small grave mound. The stone tablet had fallen, and the earth had been dug up. Someone had taken the items from the cenotaph.
How amusing—children, after all.
Zhong Kui rubbed his head, glanced at the long procession fading into the distance, then withdrew his gaze. Hands clasped behind his back, he swayed as he walked back to the inn, muttering to himself, "The sun rises from the Eastern Sea, ten thousand miles of molten gold. When the moon sets over the Western Mountain, the night apes chirp and cry. Pity it's not a balanced couplet—otherwise it would be a surefire masterpiece passed down through the ages."

Zhong Kui thought for a moment, hesitating whether to make a trip to Fox'er Town.
His teacher was far too cautious. After all, he was the Head of the Great Fortune Academy, and a descendant of some sage's mansion in the Central Earth Divine Continent.
That nine-tailed fox—though its name was on the second page, very front, of the "True Name Chapter" written by Senior Master White—since he knew its true name, what was there to killing it but a single word?

Zhong Kui clasped his hands behind his head as a cool breeze brushed his face.
The autumn wind seemed to swirl inside his raised sleeves.
This Zhong Kui—the woman inside the inn had never seen.

(Note: The translation of the couplet 'In my heart the gentleman is gentle as jade' comes from the Classic of Poetry; the common rendering is 'In my heart the gentleman is gentle as jade.' I used a slightly modified version to fit context.)