Chapter 341: Golden Bridge on the River

Chapter 341: Golden Bridge on the River

On the northward journey, the wind was calm and the waves were still.

The Great Spring Dynasty's military fortunes were flourishing. In the last few decades, it had only been the border troops bullying others. The Northern Jin to the south and the Southern Qi to the north had both suffered greatly. If it weren't for the three imperial princes vying for the dragon throne, almost coming to open blades and naked spears, which had consumed much of the eldest prince's energy, this Liu clan eldest son, stationed in the north, would have had to halt a planned northern campaign. He feared that if he carelessly conquered a thousand li of Southern Qi territory, he would be severely weakened and lose the upper hand, only to be making a wedding dress for the new emperor in Shenjing City?

There were also four or five small countries bordering the east and west. The ruler of one of them styled himself as a nephew and respectfully addressed Great Spring Emperor Liu Zhen as "Uncle Emperor," while another had directly become a vassal state of Great Spring.

The escort stopped every thirty li to clean the warhorses' nostrils. At these times, Yao Zhen would leave the carriage and chat with Chen Ping'an for a few words.

As a result, his legitimate grandson Yao Xianzhi had become familiar with Chen Ping'an, but this "uncut jade of the Yao clan" was very reserved in front of Chen Ping'an.

Yao Xianzhi was only fourteen years old this year, but he had already served in the border army for three years. In his second year, he became a formal scout, and subsequently, through military merit, was promoted to squad leader. Since childhood, he had studied military strategy with the family tutor, but he did not like to boast and was mature beyond his years. He was highly regarded by his grandfather Yao Zhen.

Yao Xianzhi made no secret of his admiration for Chen Ping'an. Back in the mountain valley, when he was being brutally hunted down by two mountain cultivators, it was Chen Ping'an who appeared out of nowhere, saving the border army soldiers, including his grandfather Yao Zhen. With one punch, he sent that terrifying martial grandmaster, clad in Sweet Dew Armor, staggering backward. And when facing a terrifying sword cultivator of immense killing power, he handled himself with ease.

Later, Yao Xianzhi heard from Yao Lingzhi about Chen Ping'an's feats at the inn—how he had beaten the son of the Duke of Shen to death with three thumping punches and dared to confront Li Li, the seal-holder of the Imperial Horse Administration. Yao Xianzhi's admiration grew beyond measure. He wished he could lead Chen Ping'an's horse and feed it every day.

Chen Ping'an had a very good impression of Yao Xianzhi. The determined look in the armored boy's eyes during the bloody battle in the valley was unforgettable.

However, Yao Xianzhi, perhaps trying to get closer to him, would always force conversation, often blurting out some not-so-funny jokes. For example, he said that Southern Qi was in the north while Northern Jin was in the south. He also mentioned that some literary masters who excelled at frontier poems yearned most for the Yao family's iron cavalry in the Great Spring border army. One great poet wanted to trade poems for a first-class warhorse but was refused by his grandfather. Bearing a grudge, he returned to the capital and slandered the Yao family's border army for ten years. Yao Xianzhi solemnly swore that once they reached Shenjing City, he would definitely confront that gentleman.

Chen Ping'an didn't respond much, but he wasn't annoyed either.

Among the younger generation of the Yao clan, Yao Lingzhi, who was the most talented in martial arts, had complex feelings toward Chen Ping'an—gratitude, awe, and a touch of unwillingness to admit defeat. Being a young woman in her prime, she wasn't keen on following Yao Xianzhi to hang around Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an had ridden horses before. In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, he had even ridden a donkey alongside an old Daoist. So he knew that the so-called "a thousand li a day" in the tales of storytellers and romances was all deceptive. In ordinary secular dynasties, the eight-hundred-li urgent delivery of military intelligence boxes by relay stations was indeed possible, but it required changing both riders and horses. If someone was trampled to death on the post road, there was no liability. However, after such a run, the horses were often severely injured. Even with horseshoes nailed on, the hooves might still be worn down completely.

The officials at the relay stations along the route, as well as the county and prefectural yamens where the stations were located, were all very attentive. After all, this was a general with the "conqueror" title, the old patriarch of the Yao family's iron cavalry. And it wasn't a matter of retiring to the countryside; he was going to the capital to assume the post of Minister of War, trusted by the Son of Heaven. He had gone from a pillar of the border to a pillar of the court. If Old General Yao stretched out his little finger, he could probably crush a few petty county magistrates. Who would dare take this lightly?

Yao Zhen was busy with social obligations, tired of the formalities. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic toward local officials, but he never showed any arrogance. He hardly ever refused a banquet invitation from a prefectural governor. As for the warm invitations from commandery governors, he occasionally found excuses to decline. County magistrates, of course, didn't have the nerve to hold a welcome feast for a minister on their own authority.

Chen Ping'an didn't attend these banquets. Pei Qian, on the other hand, tried every which way to get in. Once, just from hearing Yao Xianzhi describe the dishes, she started craving them, her mouth watering. Strangely, Yao Zhen always brought Yao Lingzhi and Yao Xianzhi to the banquets, but he always left out Yao Jinzhi, who seemed to treat the carriage as her own private mansion.

This time, they passed through a commandery city that wasn't particularly famous. The city had been swept clean as if for a pure land ceremony. Chen Ping'an still didn't participate. Instead, he took Pei Qian and Zhu Lian away from the relay station to buy some odds and ends, like a jade hairpin. However, Yao Jinzhi unexpectedly left the station's lodgings to accompany them on their shopping trip.

She still wore that elegant veil hat with the skirt reaching her neck. Actually, during previous stops, as long as there were no outsiders present, Yao Jinzhi would take off the veil hat. Chen Ping'an had seen her face many times. She was indeed beautiful, her looks surpassing even the female sword immortal Sui Youbian. According to Zhu Lian's joking words, with a face that could topple cities like Miss Yao's, in the thirty years he had been ruling the roost in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, he had never encountered one. He had heard that later there was a little girl from Mirror Heart Pavilion named Tong Qingqing, but he didn't know if she could compare to Yao Jinzhi. At the time, Chen Ping'an had nodded and said yes.

Zhu Lian then said that if a woman's beauty was measured in a hundred cash, then Yao Jinzhi and Tong Qingqing should both be worth at least ninety-something cash.

Chen Ping'an didn't like to discuss others' appearances behind their backs. In his heart, he thought: these women are flawless, yet only a hundred cash. In his mind, Miss Yao was worth Grain Rain coins and Fine Copper coins.

So when Chen Ping'an met a girl like Yao Jinzhi, he simply met her, that was all.

Chen Ping'an wanted to buy a hairpin. Yao Jinzhi said the commandery city had a Child Lane that specialized in selling antiques and curios. Following some small tip, she wanted to look for roof tiles and a type of ancient New Year's coin called "Huai Jing." Zhu Lian was fond of strange tales. As for Pei Qian, she liked and wanted anything valuable, but being around Chen Ping'an, her natural gloomy disposition had been mostly worn away. Now she just begged him to let her be the accountant, like Zhong Kui at the inn. Even if she only had a few taels of silver in her pocket, she would be content.

Chen Ping'an completely ignored her. "With ten cash in his pocket, he must jingle his clothes"—that described Pei Qian perfectly.

This commandery city had put a lot of effort into welcoming Yao Zhen. On the way to Child Lane, Yao Jinzhi explained the reason: the commandery governor was a former member of the Yao family's border army. By chance, after leaving the border army, he had started climbing the ladder in local officialdom. The Third Master at the inn said he had been a very ambitious young man back then.

Entering the extremely long Child Lane, there were all kinds of shops. Besides the legitimate stores, there were also many "bundle wanderers"—scholars dressed in shabby clothes, likely from families that had fallen on hard times, and shifty-eyed types whose bundles probably contained goods of questionable origin, obtained through illicit means, or perhaps they were outright thieves.

Chen Ping'an found these back-alley bundle wanderer transactions very interesting. When both parties had a desire to trade, they would go to a secluded corner. Instead of talking money openly, they would negotiate prices secretly within their sleeves. Yao Jinzhi joked that this practice was mockingly called "conversation in a cage." Apart from the unique hand gestures representing copper and silver coins, numbers also had their own rules. A bent index finger meant nine; overlapping the index and middle fingers meant ten.

On Child Lane, the three of them each found something to buy—except for Pei Qian.

Yao Jinzhi got what she wanted: a pile of ancient coins from various dynasties, known as "famous springs." The prices varied. That was nothing special. But when Yao Jinzhi found a few roof tiles in a small shop—some with taotie patterns, some with auspicious words, and a complete set of Four Spirits tiles—Chen Ping'an could feel her delight even through the white gauze of her veil.

After leaving the shop, she had one more bundle. Chen Ping'an made a polite offer to carry it, but Yao Jinzhi quickly declined.

Zhu Lian bought two books about talented scholars and beautiful maidens disguised as strange tales.

Chen Ping'an bought a white jade chi-dragon hairpin. It was plain, with no inscriptions, and the dragon pattern was simple and fluid. Chen Ping'an fell in love with it at first sight, but he thought it was a bit expensive. The shopkeeper actually asked for eighty taels of silver, claiming it was the work of a famous jade carver from the previous dynasty, just without his signature; otherwise, he wouldn't sell it for even three hundred taels. If this were during his student days in Great Sui, Chen Ping'an would have turned and left. Before today, he might have gritted his teeth and bought it. But fortunately, Yao Jinzhi stepped in and haggled the price down to thirty taels. She basically said that she herself had a jade carving of a narcissus by that same famous master in her collection—now that was truly exquisite and ingenious. She said she was very familiar with his carving techniques, and then she disparaged the material of the chi-dragon hairpin. She talked the shopkeeper into silence, and with a deflated look, he halved the price for the young lady and sold the hairpin to Chen Ping'an.

Outside the shop, Chen Ping'an, holding the small brocade box, first thanked Yao Jinzhi for helping with the price negotiation, then couldn't help but smile wryly. "After what Miss Yao said, I feel like even thirty taels is too much for this hairpin."

Yao Jinzhi was silent for a moment. After they had walked a good distance from the shop, she said softly, "The hairpin truly is the work of that jade-carving master. Not just three hundred taels; even five hundred taels would be worth collecting. Moreover, this man advocated not carving inferior jade. The material of your hairpin is excellent—so good that he would consider it 'the finest of fine jade, where even the Kunwu knife dares not fall upon a beauty's face.' But as for fine jade in the world, everyone can see if it's good, but how good it is, that's hard to say. Besides, tastes differ, making it difficult to reach a conclusion."

Zhu Lian smiled and nodded, either in approval of Yao Jinzhi's knowledge or of the jade-carving master's attitude toward fine jade.

Chen Ping'an put the brocade box into his sleeve and asked with a smile, "Does Miss Yao really have that jade narcissus?"

Yao Jinzhi laughed. "Those words were all copied from books."

So she didn't have it.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes. She had been thinking that in the future, she should flatter Yao Jinzhi more. Maybe one day, if Yao Jinzhi was in a good mood, she might give her that jade narcissus.

Yao Jinzhi added, "The words were from a book, but that jade carving was indeed one of my aunt's dowry items."

Chen Ping'an could only offer a polite smile.

In this regard, Miss Yao was actually quite similar to her younger brother Yao Xianzhi, only more skilled at it, so it didn't become too awkward.

This showed that Yao Jinzhi wasn't hard to get along with.

Pei Qian immediately started flattering her, saying in a sweet voice, "Sister Yao, are you tired? Let me carry your bundle for you? I'm very familiar with carrying things. I've been carrying stuff all the way here. I promise I won't break any of your treasures."

Yao Jinzhi smiled and shook her head. The white gauze of her veil hat swayed gently.

Somewhat disappointed, Pei Qian didn't give up. "Then Sister Yao, you must tell me when you're tired. This lane is still over five thousand six hundred steps from the station. Sister Yao, with your long legs, it's probably about four thousand seven hundred steps."

Yao Jinzhi had no choice but to nod.

What a strange little girl.

The four of them walked through the bustling Child Lane. Zhu Lian lowered his head and asked with a smile, "You remember the steps so clearly?"

Pei Qian sighed. "I'm bored. Since no one is going to spend money on me anyway, I have to find something to do. What else can I do?"

Zhu Lian burst into laughter.

In the twilight, they returned to the station. As they strolled in the backyard courtyard, Chen Ping'an discovered Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian had somehow acquired a chessboard and were playing in a small pavilion. Wei Xian was watching from the side.

Chen Ping'an entered the pavilion just as the game ended, with Lu Baixiang winning by a small margin.

Sui Youbian's play was extremely aggressive and forceful. Lu Baixiang, though a man, was less decisive in his attacks than Sui Youbian.

Zhu Lian also came over. Sui Youbian bid Chen Ping'an farewell and left. Lu Baixiang then challenged Zhu Lian to a game. The stooped old man laughed and waved his hands, saying he was a terrible player and didn't dare to show his incompetence. When Lu Baixiang's gaze turned to Wei Xian, he said he wasn't even a terrible player; he simply didn't understand the game at all. He was just idly curious to see who won.

Since no one was playing, Wei Xian left, and Zhu Lian followed.

Only Chen Ping'an and Lu Baixiang, who was clearing the board, remained.

Chen Ping'an leaned against the railing, drinking plum wine from his Sword-Nurturing Gourd. Lu Baixiang pinched the stones between his two fingers and quickly dropped them into the stone bowl. Even such an unremarkable action, combined with the crisp clicking of the stones, was not tedious but rather pleasing to the eye.

Chen Ping'an was secretly impressed.

If it weren't for his own lack of talent for chess, and his belief that playing chess was too time-consuming and would delay his fist practice and sword practice, he would really want to study the game seriously.

Yao Jinzhi arrived belatedly. Inside the station, she had taken off her veil hat. After sitting down, she said to Lu Baixiang, who had almost finished clearing the stones, "Mr. Lu, shall we have a game?"

Lu Baixiang glanced at the sky and smiled. "I suspect this will be a protracted battle. Playing after dark is fine for me, but I wonder if Miss Yao will be able to see the board clearly?"

Yao Jinzhi nodded. "The fifteenth night is a full moon. With the moonlight, I should be able to make it out. Mr. Lu need not worry about that."

They drew lots to determine who went first.

Lu Baixiang took the white stones; Yao Jinzhi took the black.

Chen Ping'an stood up and looked at the opening moves of both sides. He couldn't tell who had the advantage or disadvantage, so he returned to the long bench, sat cross-legged, and slowly drank his wine.

Since there were two Great Spring imperial priests in the escort, Chen Ping'an was not eager to reveal the secret of the "Jiang Hu" gourd. During the day, he couldn't drink freely, as both cultivators and martial grandmasters had sharp eyes. The mere gesture of raising the gourd might give something away. Chen Ping'an let his thoughts wander far and wide. Before he knew it, Yao Jinzhi had left, and Lu Baixiang was once again clearing the board by himself.

As he cleared the stones, Lu Baixiang said with a smile, "I hope that one day I can visit White Emperor City, which sits amidst the colorful clouds. The saying 'I yield the first move to the world' is truly inspiring."

Chen Ping'an blurted out, "I have a... student who is very good at chess. You can have a match when you meet him."

The young Cui Chan, or rather Cui Dongshan, was a grandmaster who had once played ten games with the city lord of White Emperor City.

However, admitting that Cui Dongshan was his disciple made Chen Ping'an a bit uncomfortable. After all, he couldn't exactly say they were friends.

Lu Baixiang, however, didn't take it too seriously. Neither Sui Youbian nor Yao Jinzhi had been able to make him use seventy or eighty percent of his strength on the chessboard. Sui Youbian had genuinely lost, while Yao Jinzhi had hidden her skill, but even if she had tried her best, she would still have lost. Lu Baixiang was almost arrogant about his chess prowess. In that distant Jianghu of a hundred years, as the founding patriarch of the demonic cult, he had been peerless in martial arts and invincible in chess.

What Lu Baixiang was really curious about was that Chen Ping'an, who was not old and was not a Confucian disciple of this Bright World, already had a student or disciple.

After chatting for a while about the local customs of the commandery city, Lu Baixiang went to return the chessboard and stones, leaving Chen Ping'an alone in the pavilion.

It was already late autumn. According to the escort's schedule, they would arrive at the ferry outside Shenjing City just as winter began.

He had heard that after a heavy snowfall, Shenjing City was one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

Chen Ping'an's mind was at peace. As for martial arts, compared to his expectations when he first left Hanging Mountain, entering the seventh realm, the Golden Body Realm, in ten years had already been incredibly fast, far beyond his imagination. This was due to the two life-and-death battles inside and outside Eagle Fort, as well as the series of fights in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and the border inn. Not only had he successfully entered the fifth realm, but his foundation was also solid and strong. Even if he were to break through the bottleneck now and enter the sixth realm, Chen Ping'an didn't feel that his steps would be unsteady.

Leaving aside Zhong Qiu, the other opponents—the Golden Core cultivator with the Five Peaks Crown, Ding Ying, the number one in the blessed land, and Li Li, the palace guard of the Great Spring Dynasty—had any of them been easy victories for Chen Ping'an?

Chen Ping'an couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to enter the seventh realm from the sixth, and what kind of opportunities and foundations would be needed. After the seventh realm came the Ascension Realm, also known as the Far Journey Realm, where a pure martial artist truly reached new heights and could travel through the wind like a mountain immortal.

There were nine realms for pure martial artists, plus the true final realm that was kept secret, making ten in total.

Among them, the eighth realm, the Far Journey Realm, was what Chen Ping'an yearned for most.

In the cold, quiet night, Chen Ping'an, who even practiced the Eighteen Halts of Sword Energy while riding his horse, was taking a rare break, just sitting in the pavilion drinking and daydreaming.

It wasn't until Yao Zhen and his granddaughter Yao Jinzhi came strolling over that Chen Ping'an stood up. He noticed that the old man's expression wasn't good. Yao Jinzhi said softly, "At the banquet, the commandery governor only talked about old war stories with Grandfather. Grandfather drank freely. But privately, the governor's mansion sent a heavy gift to the station, hoping that after entering the capital, Grandfather would look after him, this former student, in the court. It made Grandfather very angry."

Yao Zhen gently slapped his knee, his expression desolate, and sighed, "What a fine young man he was back then—full of vigor, righteous, never flinching from battle. How could he have changed so much after just over a decade in officialdom?"

Yao Jinzhi smiled. "Grandfather, ten years is a long time. 'With an official hat slightly worn, the heart changes; with a yellow pavilion newly ascended, the face is renewed.'"

Yao Zhen snorted coldly. "Drawing a snake and adding feet! In the court, don't expect me to say a single word against my conscience for this boy."

Yao Jinzhi asked with a smile, "If he hadn't sent the gift, would Grandfather have spoken well of him because of past friendship? Obviously not. Since it's the same either way, he might as well gamble—gamble that Grandfather understands the involuntariness of officialdom and has to follow local customs. Gamble that after taking charge of the Ministry of War, Grandfather would need to rally some old comrades from the military to avoid being sidelined by the capital officials and nobles. When the time comes, isolated and pressured by circumstances, Grandfather might remember this commandery governor's name first."

Yao Zhen smiled bitterly.

Chen Ping'an didn't interrupt. But since the grandfather and granddaughter were willing to discuss these intricate official rules in front of an outsider, Chen Ping'an treated it as a lesson worth a thousand gold—he just listened and absorbed.

Once they crossed the Buried River that ran through the Great Spring territory, they would have covered half of the northward journey.

The Yao family escort arrived at a station on the south bank of the Buried River at dusk that day, half a li from the riverbank. Yao Zhen pulled Chen Ping'an along to enjoy the scenery by the river.

The standout dish at dinner was the Buried River carp, a true delicacy. The carp in this great river had golden scales and red tails. Whether steamed, sweet-and-sour, or braised, there was no fishy taste at all. It was extremely delicious and was one of the Great Spring Dynasty's tributes.

Unfortunately, the famous Buried River Water God Temple, renowned at court and among the people, was some distance from the station and ferry—over three hundred li away. Throughout history, poets and scholars from several kingdoms had left precious calligraphy on the temple's walls, going back as far as six hundred years. There were even poems by great literary masters from different eras, written in response to each other, asking and answering, complementing each other perfectly, as well as secret rivalries on the same subject. Combined with later commentaries by famous literati, the temple shone brilliantly. Its literary splendor and concentration of literary fortune were almost more extravagant than the Confucian Temple in Shenjing City.

The strolling group was divided into three groups. At the head, Yao Zhen and Chen Ping'an walked side by side. Pei Qian followed behind, holding her mountain-walking staff.

The two Great Spring imperial priests, acting as accompanying military cultivators, stayed with the "Three Zhi" of the Yao clan.

The two cultivators were a Daoist master and disciple. For this covert journey, they didn't wear conspicuous Daoist robes but instead wore standard border army waist sabers to avoid attention. Throughout the journey, the master and disciple kept their distance from everyone. The young Daoist had a face like jade and a gentle temperament, like a noble son from a family of great wealth.

Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, Lu Baixiang, and Sui Youbian all appeared together for once.

Yao Zhen genuinely enjoyed spending time with Chen Ping'an. Although most of the time Chen Ping'an didn't say much, the old general, who was usually taciturn in his family and the military, became much more talkative with Chen Ping'an. Now he was explaining the ranks of the mountain and river spirits in the Great Spring Dynasty. Besides the Five Sacred Mountains' main gods, the Buried River Water God was the highest, a Grand Lord. He could not only establish his own mansion but his rank was also equal to that of a secular feudal prince.

However, the Water God's mansion had been closed for years. The Buried River Water God hardly ever interacted with the world. In two hundred years, he had only appeared a few times, always like a misty dragon, appearing and disappearing. His incense offerings were so abundant that they surpassed even the most orthodox and lofty Five Sacred Mountains' spirits. At temple fairs, hundreds of thousands would gather from north and south on the banks of the Buried River, so that the golden statue enshrined in the Water God Temple seemed perpetually shrouded in mist.

Yao Zhen said with a hearty laugh, "Whenever there is a drought, the Emperor personally comes to the Water God Temple to pray for rain. Even if he can't come himself, he sends a Liu clan relative and the Minister of Rites south. It's extremely efficacious. The Buried River Water God has never let the people of Great Spring down."

Hearing this, Chen Ping'an regretted that they couldn't pass by the Water God Temple. Otherwise, he could drink his plum wine and use his carving knife to write down everything he saw and heard on bamboo slips.

Walking about four or five li downstream along the rolling Buried River, they encountered an old man squatting by the riverbank, staring blankly at the water.

Yao Zhen turned to look at the old serving Daoist. The latter nodded slightly. Only then did the old general stride toward the old man.

The old man looked simple and honest but had a sturdy build. He was startled by the entourage of Yao Zhen and the others. He stood up nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. Timidly, he called out "honorable official," and then didn't know what to do, not knowing where to put his hands.

Yao Zhen called out "elder brother" and told the old man not to be nervous. He casually asked where he lived and what he did for a living. The old man didn't dare hide anything and answered honestly one by one. His final answer was surprising: besides being a farmer, he also worked as a corpse fisherman, often wandering along the Buried River. According to the old traditions passed down, he called himself a "water ghost."

Curious, Yao Zhen asked in detail about being a water ghost and corpse fishing. The old man hesitated, probably feeling that the matter was hard to bring up, afraid that these nobles might be displeased. Yao Zhen comforted him with kind words, and the old man hesitantly told them about some local customs. There were indeed many hidden intricacies. It turned out that these boatmen, who called themselves water ghosts, would be hired to search for bodies in the river. When they encountered a corpse, they would fish it out. If someone came to claim it, they couldn't actively demand money. If the living family members were willing to pay, they would accept it; if not, they would let it go, counting it as accumulated hidden virtue. Otherwise, bad luck would plague them for at least three years. However, if the relatives of the deceased didn't pay and didn't even offer a meal, they would surely suffer misfortune.

Perhaps because Yao Zhen and Chen Ping'an both looked kind, the old man gradually lost his restraint once he started talking. His slurred Great Spring official language became more fluent. He took the initiative to tell them more about the intricacies of corpse fishing, a hint of a smile appearing on his simple face. "Honorable sir probably doesn't know this: a man who drowns will always be face down on the water, while a woman will be face up. There are no exceptions. You can tell just by looking from the shore. When you pull them ashore, if no one comes to collect the body, you have to bury them in a spot not far from the Water God's temple. Then you go into the temple and offer three sticks of incense. Outside the temple, you ask for a red cloth strip and tie it around your wrist. That counts as a good deed, and you'll be rewarded in the future."

The old man glanced at the surface of the Buried River, his expression turning grave. "But there are two kinds you can't fish. One is when the corpse is standing upright in the river. Whether male or female, it's not something we should fish. Their hair floats on the water, and you can't see the face. No matter how much money is offered, we don't dare. Another is young girls who drown themselves. If you try to fish them with a bamboo pole three times and can't get them onto the boat, you must stop. If you touch them, no one will have good fortune."

Pei Qian had been listening with great interest at first, but now she felt her scalp crawl and didn't dare look at the Buried River anymore.

The old man relaxed his brows and smiled simply. "When the day comes that I stop being a water ghost, I have to find a time when the sun is strong, come to the riverbank, and wash my hands. That's how I bid farewell to the Water God."

Yao Zhen nodded and asked, "Old brother, how many people have you fished out over the years?"

The old man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't remember."

Yao Zhen said solemnly, "Good deeds are rewarded. Don't think that corpse fishing is a disgraceful profession. Accumulating virtue and doing good is a fine thing."

The old man smiled sheepishly. "Honorable sir must be a good official, a great and righteous magistrate."

That was the most heartfelt compliment the old man could muster.

It was getting late, so Yao Zhen smiled and said goodbye to the old man.

Chen Ping'an said he wanted to stay a bit longer.

In the end, only the corpse-fisherman, Chen Ping'an, Pei Qian, and Zhu Lian remained. Everyone else returned to the station.

Zhu Lian continued walking downstream.

Chen Ping'an sat down beside the old man, smiled, and handed him his wine gourd. "Uncle, can you drink?"

The old man quickly waved his hands. "Young master, don't waste good things. Keep it for yourself."

Chen Ping'an extended his arm. "So that means you can drink."

The old man still hesitated to take the gourd. Chen Ping'an said softly, "Uncle might not believe me, but I also come from a poor background. I worked as a kiln worker for many years."

Seeing that the young master didn't intend to take back the gourd, the old man carefully took it, raised it high, took a sip, and quickly returned it to Chen Ping'an.

After swallowing the wine, he probably hadn't even tasted it, but his face was already glowing red with happiness.

Chen Ping'an took a sip of plum wine himself and asked, "Uncle, were you here today to see if any bodies were floating by?"

The old man shook his head. "The river is low right now. It's not easy to find bodies."

Having said that, he felt he had misspoken and looked a bit embarrassed. "It's better not to find any."

Chen Ping'an hummed in agreement and drank his wine in silence.

The old man himself was a man of few words. He had probably talked more with Yao Zhen today than he usually did in a whole year.

Chen Ping'an looked at the waters of the Buried River in front of him and thought of the Dragon Beard River and the Iron Rune River back home.

Suddenly, the old man turned and smiled. "Young master, you've made it. You've achieved great success."

Chen Ping'an scratched his head, not knowing how to respond. If he said he was poor, that would sound like a rich man being insensitive. If he admitted to having great success, that didn't quite fit either.

Pei Qian was puzzled. She found it strange that Chen Ping'an had so much to talk about with such an old man. She thought, "You don't talk much even with Old Man Yao, a great general."

The three of them were silent for a long time. The old man, still squatting by the riverbank, suddenly sighed and looked at the water. "Young master, don't be angry if I say something unpleasant."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Uncle, just say it."

The old man said softly, "When my boy was about your age, he encountered a poor soul that shouldn't have been fished. He didn't listen to advice and brought it ashore. A few days later, he was gone. I should have stopped him."

As he said this, there was not much sorrow on his face.

Finally, as the old man left, he thanked Chen Ping'an, saying the wine was good—the best he had ever tasted in his life.

Chen Ping'an stood up and watched the old man walk farther and farther away.

Pei Qian still didn't dare look at the Buried River.

Zhu Lian had already turned back and returned. Pei Qian's courage grew a little.

Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, gazing at the river and the opposite bank. He told Zhu Lian to take Pei Qian back to the station first, but Pei Qian didn't want to go. She insisted on staying by Chen Ping'an's side. Zhu Lian had no choice but to stay with her on the riverbank.

Chen Ping'an closed his eyes, as if asleep.

Pei Qian, bored, picked up pebbles one by one, but didn't dare throw them into the Buried River. She was afraid of accidentally revealing a body standing in the water. The image of a female corpse with her hair floating on the water gave her goosebumps. Instinctively, she moved closer to Chen Ping'an, tightened her grip on her mountain-walking staff, and began silently reciting a passage from a book in her mind to give herself courage.

Zhu Lian, hunched over, gazed into the distance.

Mountain and river spirits, ghosts and goblins? The martial madman Zhu Lian naturally paid them no mind.

After a long time, in the deep of the night, Pei Qian exclaimed in surprise, "How is there a bridge on the river?"

Zhu Lian was taken aback. Following Pei Qian's gaze, he saw nothing but the surging river waters. There was no bridge.

Pei Qian's wide eyes sparkled. "Wow, a golden bridge!"

Zhu Lian first glanced at Chen Ping'an's back. There was nothing unusual about him.

The old man was a bit amused. He thought this cunning little girl was talking nonsense. It would be more believable to say there was a corpse on the river than a golden bridge.

Pei Qian looked confused.

Because she seemed to hear Chen Ping'an reading aloud. The content he was reading was a passage that Chen Ping'an had made her memorize by heart. It was the only thing besides the Confucian classic that he had insisted she remember. He had even used a small Snow Awl to write it on the back of that book, so Pei Qian remembered it clearly.

He had never been willing to explain any principles to her. Chen Ping'an only talked about those things outside books with Cao Qinglang. Pei Qian felt that these words were probably the only area where she excelled over that little bookworm.

At this moment, full of grievance, she recited them aloud.

It was: "The constellations revolve and follow; the sun and moon shine in turn; the four seasons succeed one another; yin and yang transform greatly; wind and rain spread widely..."

It was: "The gentleman does not act rashly; when he acts, there must be a reason. The gentleman does not speak idly; when he speaks, there must be truth. The gentleman does not seek improperly; when he seeks, there must be righteousness. The gentleman does not act aimlessly; when he acts, there must be correctness."