Chapter 360: Arrival at Old Dragon City
(Still a 12,000-character chapter. A new volume begins~ ps: Announcing a new reader group, name "Grass Long Flies Youthful Boy", group number 16551024. Also, the second issue of our journal has been published on the public account, feel free to check it out, mine.)
This ferry of the Green Tiger Palace at Tianque Peak, before reaching Old Dragon City on Bottle Gourd Continent, still had three ferry stops to make. The northernmost one was the Ever-Spring Ferry outside the gates of Tongye Sect, where spring lingered all year round.
But Chen Ping'an now only wanted to reach Old Dragon City safely. During the stops at the three ferries, which added up to nearly ten days' time, he never allowed Pei Qian to go down to the ferry shops to browse. The charcoal-black girl could only drag a bench to the observation deck and wistfully watch the bustling prosperity of the three ferry docks. Occasionally, Wei Xian would come over to chat with Pei Qian for a while.
Although he didn't leave the ship, Chen Ping'an did ask the Green Tiger Palace elder in charge of the ferry to help purchase many items. Wei Xian and the other three each gave him a list, which was all handed over to the elder.
Wei Xian wanted some books on local customs and traditions. Lu Baixiang bought an ancient imperial zither that had circulated out of a mortal dynasty's palace. Sui Youbian had no requests, maintaining her stance of needing nothing but her sword. Zhu Lian, however, provided a long list of book titles. Chen Ping'an immediately made him take it back, saying that immortal ferry docks didn't sell these kinds of books, and he would have to search the market bookstalls himself once they reached Old Dragon City. Zhu Lian sighed in regret and had to give up. It turned out the hunchbacked old man had wanted to buy a large pile of books—just seeing the titles on the paper made Chen Ping'an's scalp tingle. He absolutely refused to hand it over to the ferry manager; he simply couldn't bear the shame.
Besides practicing the three stances of the Mountain-Shattering Fist—walking, standing, and sleeping—Chen Ping'an hadn't neglected the swordsmanship recorded in the *Orthodox Sword Manual*. The two could be practiced together anyway. He also continued studying the immortal oral formula. Although the formula was extremely advanced, crafting artifacts in the world most feared the situation of a clever woman unable to cook without rice—having excellent skills but no materials to work on. His flying swords, First and Fifteen, since they weren't his own innate flying swords forged by himself, only needed to be nurtured. And with the "Jiang Hu" Sword-Nurturing Gourd, it couldn't be more convenient. But once he started to refine his own innate object, the quantity and value of the required heavenly treasures and earthly rarities would be staggering. The higher the quality, the more bottomless the pit.
The old Daoist of the Guan Dao Temple, the one from the Eastern Sea, had Lu Baixiang pass on a message to Chen Ping'an: "Spending money like water." Besides being a tease, it was also an undeniable truth.
Now, most of the Longevity Bridge had been built, its gate wide open to welcome guests from all directions. The more Chen Ping'an stayed in a blessed land abundant with spiritual energy, the more dangerous it became. That was why he had stumbled on the stone arch bridge near Qingjing Mountain close to Tianque Peak—at the time, he couldn't fully control his Dharma robe, Golden Sweet Wine, to block the torrent of spiritual energy. The clash between the spiritual energy and the pure true qi of a martial artist in his body had caused him to lose control.
No matter how much spiritual energy the Dharma robe Golden Sweet Wine could absorb and transform, there was still a bottleneck. Once the wine was fully saturated, and the spiritual energy was allowed to surge into the various apertures and energy cavities of his body, it would be Chen Ping'an's turn to see his martial arts realm decline.
The current problem was which artifact to choose as the treasure for refining the first cavern dwelling. If he chose the element of Water, it would be relatively simple, because on the jade slip, the former River God of the Buried River used water refining as an example to explain the great Dao contained in the Prayer for Rain Stele, elaborating on the materials generally needed for water refining. Among them, she emphasized the crucial item "Water Essence"—any treasure that condensed the essence of water's fortune could serve as Water Essence, though their quality varied vastly. The Water Essence treasures born from river water overseen by a River God and those from the River Du water overseen by an ancient Dragon Palace were as different as heaven and earth.
It could be said that the grade of Water Essence used to "refine water" would directly determine the quality of Chen Ping'an's Water-element innate object.
The ferry hovered and docked beside the Ever-Spring Ferry. Pei Qian stood on a bench on the observation deck, gazing at the ferry dock, her eyes full of longing and melancholy.
At this moment, Chen Ping'an sat by the table, staring at the adorable and endearing Water Seal on it—also full of worry.
What worried him even more was that, after gaining a deep understanding of the mantra that "can refine all things," he guessed that once he refined the Water Seal into his innate object, each time he stamped it to help a fated water deity in the world improve their water fortune, it would very likely damage his own innate vitality. The benefit was that the Water Seal, which previously consumed a portion of its divine power with each stamp, would no longer risk becoming an ordinary seal. So Chen Ping'an had made up his mind: for the Water element, this Water Seal was what he would refine!
Since this involved an innate object, it was no longer like the Binding Demon Rope made from the golden whiskers of the old flood dragon. It wasn't just ordinary refinement into emptiness. Now, he must obtain a alchemy cauldron for refining objects—another huge trouble. Purchasing one wouldn't be easy; he would need to find an immortal clan willing to sell. And once found, buying a good one—saying it was easy was easy, but saying it was difficult was harder than reaching the heavens. It all depended on how much spirit money Chen Ping'an had in his pocket.
I'm basically broke now!
Chen Ping'an looked indignant.
He didn't have a single Grain Rain Coin left. Now that the Lit Pearl Cave Heaven was gone, it meant there would be no new Gold Essence Copper Coins in the world. Every coin used was one less. During the battle at the ruined temple, he had used up two in one go.
If it hadn't been for Sui Youbian, but for Wei Xian and the other two rough men, Chen Ping'an would have wanted to drag them out and beat them up.
Pei Qian carried the bench back into the room and sat down beside Chen Ping'an, asking worriedly, "What's wrong? We don't have enough money?"
An unintentional remark hit the nail on the head.
Chen Ping'an glanced at Pei Qian. From whom did this girl learn to comfort people?
Pei Qian thought Chen Ping'an had started to see her as a liability, which scared her. On the verge of tears, she wrinkled her dark little face and said, "Don't throw me off the boat, okay? From now on, I won't keep clamoring for fish and meat. A bowl of white rice with three chopsticks of pickled vegetables is enough to feed me!"
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "It has nothing to do with how much you eat. You're at the age to grow taller. A few extra bowls of rice won't cost much."
Pei Qian wiped her face and instantly beamed, "Once we reach Old Dragon City, do we have a place to stay? If we do, we can save some unnecessary expenses."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Yes, I have a friend there who is relatively wealthy. But let's make it clear beforehand: it's one thing for him to be generous, but it's not a reason for you to go around asking for things."
Pei Qian slumped dejectedly and said weakly, "Got it."
She had hoped to meet another person like Yao Jinzhi—someone who would give her things without batting an eye, even begging her to accept them, and Chen Ping'an couldn't refuse. If she had known, she wouldn't have made that jab at Yao Jinzhi. Once, when Yao Jinzhi, wearing a veiled hat, was chatting privately with Pei Qian, and after taking off the hat to reveal her fair, tender skin—making Pei Qian feel deeply inferior—they somehow got onto some topic, and Pei Qian had cheerfully delivered a veiled compliment: "Sister Jinzhi, you're so beautiful, it's only right for you to think beautiful things." Yao Jinzhi hadn't gotten angry; she had just smiled, extended a finger as tender as a green onion, and gently tapped Pei Qian's forehead.
Day after day.
From early winter, it had now reached the Winter Solstice. The ferry had left the territory of Tongye Continent and was now at sea between two continents. By the time they docked at the ferry on the isolated island off Old Dragon City, it would probably be late winter.
During this time, Lu Baixiang watched Chen Ping'an practicing his monotonous walking stance in the room and asked, "This fist frame is very ordinary. Why persist so much?"
Chen Ping'an replied, "The foundation of standing tall doesn't lie in how high it is."
Lu Baixiang pondered thoughtfully.
After Lu Baixiang left the room, Pei Qian quietly asked Chen Ping'an what he meant. Chen Ping'an smiled and said he hadn't thought of anything particularly clever; he was just bluffing. People who were good at playing chess liked to overthink things. Pei Qian found this hilarious.
One day, Chen Ping'an sat in the study, picking up and putting down his brush repeatedly, making Pei Qian, who was copying books across from him, more anxious than he was.
Finally, Chen Ping'an stood up, left the room to find Zhu Lian, and when he returned, Pei Qian noticed that he seemed even more indecisive. In the end, he had to put away his brush and paper.
Pei Qian was very puzzled.
Earlier, when he had written letters to the Great Fu Academy and Peace Mountain, the two letters he had sent off with a whoosh via flying sword, Chen Ping'an had written them very quickly.
So who was this letter meant for?
Chen Ping'an went to the observation deck to practice the Sword Furnace standing stance.
Someone knocked on the door. Pei Qian ran to open it and, upon seeing the person, made a proper bow and said, "Pei Qian pays respects to Green Tiger Palace's Old Immortal Lu!"
The old man smiled and nodded, his mood lightening.
It was none other than Lu Yong, the Nascent Soul Earth Immortal of Tianque Peak. Chen Ping'an quickly came over to greet him.
After they sat down, Pei Qian briskly poured three cups of tea, first for Chen Ping'an, then for Lu Yong, and naturally one for herself.
Lu Yong took nearly a quarter of an hour to circle around with pleasantries and polite conversation. Chen Ping'an patiently endured, exchanging polite formalities with this Earth Immortal of Tianque Peak, whose reputation had been overshadowed by Jiang Shangzhen.
Never underestimate an Earth Immortal.
Chen Ping'an had traveled through many martial arts worlds and understood the weight of an Earth Immortal. Just because he knew Zuo You and could remain unflustered in front of Jiang Shangzhen didn't mean he would look down on the Green Tiger Palace's palace master. For an old Nascent Soul cultivator who could command a geomantically blessed land and own an immortal ferry dock—to put it bluntly, if he set aside all entanglements and was determined to kill Chen Ping'an, at most it would take two or three sweeps of his sleeve.
Seeing that Chen Ping'an wasn't throwing his weight around, Lu Yong's impression of the young man improved.
The "weight" being thrown around wasn't just Jiang Shangzhen, a Jade Purity Realm cultivator who had traveled thousands of miles to Tianque Peak, but even more so the big shot behind Jiang Shangzhen's current actions.
Otherwise, why would Lu Yong, having no connection with a young outsider he couldn't afford to provoke, simply go his separate way on the path of cultivation? Why bother flattering him and delivering gifts?
After drinking two cups of weak tea, Lu Yong finally got to the point. "When you, Young Master Chen, graced Tianque Peak with your presence, it was a great fortune for my Green Tiger Palace. As it happened, I was just refining a furnace of pills—the Daoist Sitting-Forgetting Pill. This pill is mild in nature and best taken by cultivators during meditation and breathing exercises. Apart from calming the mind, its most important function is to nourish the spirit, especially to gently warm the heart orifice. Hence the name 'Sitting-Forgetting Pill.' In secular terms, though crude, it's accurate: after taking it, one can sit and it already counts as cultivation, even forgetting the original practice is fine."
When the topic turned to alchemy, Lu Yong's spirits lifted, and he seemed a completely different person from the one standing beside Jiang Shangzhen. "The heart is the master of the body, the general of all spirits. But since ancient times, the heart has been hard to settle. Buddhism speaks of the 'mind-monkey unsettled, will-horse galloping in four directions.' Therefore, in cultivation, there is the saying of 'tying the will-horse at the Spirit Mountain, locking the mind-monkey in the Jade Mansion.' The Sitting-Forgetting Pills I refine are extremely difficult to produce. Even if I succeed, out of enough materials for ten pills per furnace, I can barely get three or four. The reason they are still welcomed by many Earth Immortals on Tongye Continent is a unique property that alchemists from other clans don't possess: the Sitting-Forgetting Pills made by me, Lu Yong, can cause the heart gate of a cultivator to give rise to something like the two door gods that commoners paste on their front doors, guarding the heart's pass!"
Chen Ping'an sincerely praised, "Nurturing door gods outside the heart orifice—truly a masterstroke of an immortal."
Lu Yong was very pleased and stroked his beard, smiling.
He hadn't just happened to be refining this batch of Sitting-Forgetting Pills. In fact, to make them, besides a multitude of heavenly treasures and earthly rarities, one had to wait for the right celestial timing and expend the 'earthly advantage'—the precious fortune of the landscape around Qingjing Mountain. Otherwise, how could the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Earth Immortals of Tongye Sect come scrambling for them? As for why other alchemy immortals couldn't produce them, besides Lu Yong's superior alchemy skills, the unique landscape fortune of Qingjing Mountain was even more crucial.
This was precisely why Earth Immortals had to be extremely cautious when establishing a sect or opening a residence.
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Since the Earth Immortals of Tongye Continent treasure them so highly, can pure martial artists of the sixth or seventh rank use them to stabilize their souls?"
Lu Yong was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Of course, but giving my Green Tiger Palace's Sitting-Forgetting Pills to those reckless warriors at a dead end would be a colossal waste—like feeding peonies to a cow."
Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Palace Master, when you mentioned the Sitting-Forgetting Pill to me, did you intend to sell it to me at a slightly lower price out of respect for Jiang Shangzhen's face?"
Lu Yong's heart tightened.
This fellow dared to call Jiang Shangzhen by name directly.
Lu Yong's expression remained unchanged. "Young Master Chen, you underestimate my Green Tiger Palace too much. When dealing with friends, why talk about price? This batch of pills just happened to be ready at a lucky moment. The moment you arrived at Tianque Peak, I saw you off along with Patriarch Jiang. Then, as if blessed by heaven, I unexpectedly managed to produce six pills—a first in my centuries of alchemy! Such fortune only comes twice in a lifetime. It's clearly the will of fate. It shows that you and my Green Tiger Palace, and me, Lu Yong, have a great karmic connection. How dare I hoard such a Dao opportunity? So I've brought you these six Sitting-Forgetting Pills!"
Pei Qian's mouth fell open.
Good heavens, was there anyone in the world better at lying through their teeth than her?
This old immortal's flattery was something she could learn from—perhaps more refined and scholarly than hers?
Lu Yong, probably feeling his own words were a bit 'overdone,' put on a pained expression. "Though it is the Dao's guidance, and I must follow heaven's will, I still feel a bit regretful. I only hope that in the future, Young Master Chen can put in a good word for my Green Tiger Palace in front of Patriarch Jiang. The Jiang family's business spans half of Tongye Continent. Perhaps one day, the miraculous pills produced by Green Tiger Palace can make up for this loss from these six pills. That would also be a blessing. So, Young Master Chen, please accept them without hesitation. Even if Patriarch Jiang looks down on Green Tiger Palace's meager output, for Green Tiger Palace to become friends with Young Master Chen—that's not a loss either!"
Pei Qian quickly handed another cup of tea to Old Lu, the flatterer—er, Old Immortal Lu.
Naturally, Chen Ping'an thought more deeply than Pei Qian.
For instance, it involved Jiang Shangzhen, the Jiang family business, and Green Tiger Palace's production.
These six Sitting-Forgetting Pills were quite hot to handle.
After a brief consideration, Chen Ping'an planned to decline. If Jiang Shangzhen were replaced by the Fan family of Old Dragon City, there might be room for negotiation. Business was about mutual benefit, but Chen Ping'an didn't want any more dealings with Jiang Shangzhen.
So Chen Ping'an said, "Palace Master Lu, I sincerely appreciate your kindness, but this batch of Sitting-Forgetting Pills is too valuable. I dare not take something so precious from you. Besides, my relationship with Jiang Shangzhen is actually quite ordinary... Regarding your gift of pills, I can write to Jiang Shangzhen at the Jade Token Sect, explaining that I declined the pills, so Lord Palace Master won't be put in a difficult position."
Lu Yong maintained a composed expression, seeming to weigh the pros and cons.
Inwardly, he regretted overcomplicating things.
He shouldn't have harbored the ulterior motive of using Chen Ping'an as a connection between Green Tiger Palace and the Jiang family.
On the floor below the ferry, a young cultivator stood by a window, his expression dark.
This fool Lu Yong really didn't know his place.
Also in the room was a strikingly beautiful but pale-faced female cultivator—the Golden Core Earth Immortal who had nearly been slapped to death by Jiang Shangzhen at Tianque Peak.
The young cultivator at the window, using a concealing technique, was actually Jiang Shangzhen in disguise. After giving his lecture at Green Tiger Palace, he hadn't immediately returned to the Jade Token Sect. Instead, he secretly boarded the ferry and sought out the pitiful Golden Core female cultivator who had been 'dug out from between the cracks.' When she angrily opened the door and Jiang Shangzhen dropped his concealment of aura and appearance, she was so terrified she almost fell to her knees begging for mercy.
Jiang Shangzhen didn't intend to reveal himself to Chen Ping'an, nor did he have any other ulterior motives.
In matters concerning the foundation of the Dao, hesitation was always a great taboo in cultivation. A drop of water could break the mind ground; a speck of mud could tarnish the golden body. One had to be cautious.
He was just waiting for Lu Yong to finish handling the task he had assigned and then return to the Jade Token Sect at the southernmost tip of Tongye Continent. There was a pile of messy affairs waiting for him to deal with. For instance, his 'only son' Jiang Beihai, who had acted recklessly and arrogantly, Jiang Shangzhen wished he could break the brat's limbs and throw him into Cloud Cavern Blessed Land to be a beggar or prostitute for eternity. It seemed that after sixty years of absence from the family, this incompetent dandy had gotten carried away.
For cultivators in the upper five realms, having offspring was especially difficult, far less common than the middle five realms, where one could have many children if desired.
Upstairs, Lu Yong didn't dare have any more ideas. He only wanted to give away the bottle of Sitting-Forgetting Pills.
But the first step was the hardest; after a misstep, it became even more difficult.
Chen Ping'an didn't know about Jiang Shangzhen's subsequent carrot-and-stick treatment of Green Tiger Palace. He only knew one thing: any matter involving Jiang Shangzhen could only be limited to Zuo You having Jiang Shangzhen transfer the demon core. That was all. Nothing more.
Practicing fist techniques to prolong life was Chen Ping'an's external foundation.
Maintaining a pure mind, being able to hold steady—in this world of complicated human hearts, that was even more fundamental.
Chen Ping'an was clear that as long as Jiang Shangzhen had appeared at Tianque Peak, Lu Yong wouldn't dare harbor malicious intentions toward him. So he didn't accept the bottle of Sitting-Forgetting Pills, not worried that Green Tiger Palace would turn hostile.
Especially since Lu Yong was a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, who would only cherish his current cultivation and position more.
Thus, the regretful old palace master of Green Tiger Palace suffered.
In the end, no matter how much he coaxed and cajoled, the young man remained polite and gentle in his words, but simply refused to accept the pills.
Could he really have to resort to Jiang Shangzhen's joke—a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, on his own turf, putting on a show of crying and throwing a tantrum?
Lu Yong couldn't bring himself to do it.
So he had to ask Chen Ping'an to reconsider, then left the room and went to another room on the same floor of the ferry.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the face he least wanted to see: Jiang Shangzhen, expressionless.
Jiang Shangzhen, who hated nothing more than others 'playing smart,' didn't waste a single word on Lu Yong. He directly employed the great divine power of the Jade Purity Realm, having long since turned this room into a prison of a square-foot world. He reached out and grabbed the caught-off-guard old Nascent Soul, dragging him into the world within the room. In the air, golden pillars with coiling dragons appeared. The dragons flew off the pillars like golden chains, piercing through Lu Yong's key energy cavities. Finally, the most majestic golden dragon pressed one claw on Lu Yong's head and slammed him to the ground.
Jiang Shangzhen walked over to the prostrate old Nascent Soul, stepped on the back of his head, and said with a light smile, "I gave your Green Tiger Palace immense face, and yet you're still not satisfied. Do you really think I, Jiang Shangzhen, am a merciful Bodhisattva? Do you know that if Chen Ping'an hadn't appeared at Tianque Peak, and that jade hairpin hadn't given me a small idea, I wouldn't have given your Green Tiger Palace disciples a lecture on the great Dao and blessings? I would have directly slammed your old soul, Lu, into that stone wall as a mural?!"
Jiang Shangzhen slightly increased the pressure with his foot. Poor Lu Yong, trapped in the small world, couldn't even cry out. His soul trembled violently, and the Nascent Soul cultivator, unused to combat, felt worse than death.
Jiang Shangzhen squinted, increasing the force. "How many cultivators in this world are like you, Lu Yong? Not knowing when to stop! Because of a bit of luck, you become a half-baked mountain person and think you're so great? Even I, Jiang Shangzhen, have to keep my tail between my legs. For the sake of a single sword cultivator, I suppress all my murderous intent and speak nicely in front of Chen Ping'an. But you, Lu Yong, are even more arrogant than me!"
The back of Lu Yong's head had already collapsed slightly. If it continued for a moment, his soul would explode, and both his Golden Core and Nascent Soul would detonate within this small world. Jiang Shangzhen would certainly be affected and injured, but he seemed to care nothing about the consequences.
Jiang Shangzhen had originally agreed to give Green Tiger Palace a moderately talented disciple the opportunity to go to Cloud Cavern Blessed Land for training on the day he reached the middle five realms, to seek his own fortune.
Thus, Green Tiger Palace would also have formed a connection with the Jiang family and the Jade Token Sect.
Barring accidents, there would never again be a Golden Core cultivator bold enough to talk back to a Green Tiger Palace ferry elder or curse Lu Yong by name.
But so what?
A blessing in hand, if not grasped, turns into disaster—all is lost.
Looking further back, there were also youngsters from the Lit Pearl Cave Heaven, Zhao Yao and Song Jixin. Compared to Chen Ping'an, who had never attended a school, these two peers were even direct disciples of Qi Jingchun's school. In particular, Zhao Yao had received Qi Jingchun's most fundamental 'Spring Seal.' Yet when that youth faced the great state preceptor Cui Chan of the Great Li, Zhao Yao, on whom Qi Jingchun had placed such high hopes—even the gatekeeper Zheng Dafeng loved the ox-cart-riding boy—wasn't he still just a slightly larger ant in Cui Chan's eyes? Thus, the Spring Seal dissipated completely between heaven and earth.
If Zhao Yao hadn't been so 'smart,' if he had sworn not to exchange the Spring Seal with Cui Chan for fortune...
Then Qi Jingchun, whose 'spring breeze still lingered in the youth's sleeves,' would never have let Cui Chan take the seal.
Now, Lu Yong was about to lose his life here because of a momentary misjudgment.
Jiang Shangzhen took a deep breath, withdrew his foot, but then kicked Lu Yong in the face, sending him crashing into a pillar entwined with a golden dragon.
Lu Yong struggled to sit up, leaning against the pillar. Above him hung the golden dragon, its head slowly turning, ready to bite off Lu Yong's head at any moment.
Jiang Shangzhen suppressed his anger and restrained his smile, crouching down to look Lu Yong in the eye. "Having suffered such humiliation, are you angry?"
Lu Yong said in terror, "I dare not! I dare not!"
Jiang Shangzhen's mind stirred slightly, and a verdant willow leaf appeared before him.
Lu Yong's spirit was greatly shaken. He immediately began kowtowing, thumping his head on the ground. "I beg the senior to spare my life!"
Jiang Shangzhen of the Jade Token Sect was only known on Tongye Continent for his bulging purse; news of him fighting rarely spread.
However, the old sect leader of the Jade Token Sect had always regarded Jiang Shangzhen highly—a fact known across the continent. Originally, the Cloud Cavern Blessed Land jointly managed by the sect and the Jiang family had been handed over entirely to the young head of the Jiang family at that time, despite much controversy.
About five hundred years ago, an unwritten rule had emerged on Tongye Continent: "The Jade Token can be bullied, but avoid the Jiang." It was said that this derived from the dying words of a Tongye Sect Nascent Soul cultivator.
The head of the Jiang family, Jiang Shangzhen, had an innate object that was just a willow leaf. No one—not even the Earth Immortals of Tongye Sect or the Jade Token Sect—had ever seen it.
The second half of that old Nascent Soul's regret was: "A single willow leaf beheads an Earth Immortal."
Jiang Shangzhen rubbed his chin. "In my hands, the Jiang family's prestige has lain dormant for two hundred years. Now that I'm emerging, if I don't kill an Earth Immortal, I'll be letting down my ancestors."
Lu Yong was in tears. He looked up and said, "If Senior kills a low-level Nascent Soul like me, wouldn't it further disgrace the Jiang family? Senior should choose another target!"
Jiang Shangzhen clicked his tongue. "That remark shows you're as clever as I am. Interesting, interesting."
Jiang Shangzhen snapped his fingers, and both the willow leaf and the small world disappeared.
Lu Yong, having walked through the gates of hell, still dared not rise. He sat awkwardly on the floor. "I beg Senior to give me one more chance. If this time I don't satisfy Senior, I will seek death myself. But if that happens, I hope Senior won't vent his anger on Green Tiger Palace."
Jiang Shangzhen nodded. "You've finally said something humane. Fine, get up. A dignified Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, crying and wailing—people might think I, Jiang Shangzhen, am bullying you by relying on my realm. You're lucky. If you had been in the Jade Purity Realm today, you would already be dead."
Lu Yong immediately stood up and, once again, tears streamed down his aged face. "Thank you, Senior, for sparing my life."
Jiang Shangzhen sighed. "Watching your antics, I actually feel a bit of pity. It seems I've been in a certain place too long, and my heart has softened. Think back to when I encountered a Tongye Sect Earth Immortal of the same realm. After I let him kneel and kowtow a thousand times, I still felt his sincerity wasn't enough. So I rewarded him with a willow leaf, cutting off the head of his Nascent Soul within. When I return to the sect this time, I'll have to find some troublesome business to keep myself busy."
Jiang Shangzhen waved his hand. "Get out. Once you've delivered the items, the matter is settled. Don't worry about any settling of scores with you later. That Green Tiger Palace disciple can still go to Cloud Cavern Blessed Land."
Jiang Shangzhen's mood inexplicably improved, and he laughed heartily. "By the way, this is called keeping accounts separate."
Lu Yong retreated out of the room. After closing the door, he suddenly realized that this room was actually his own lodging on the ferry. But he didn't dare knock again. He directly asked the ferry manager for an ordinary room.
That night, Lu Yong went to Chen Ping'an's room again. After sitting down, without saying much, he took out three small porcelain bottles of ancient design. Under Chen Ping'an's puzzled gaze, Lu Yong stood up and said, "The middle bottle contains six Sitting-Forgetting Pills. The other two bottles each contain six Fire Dragon Pills and Rain-Spreading Pills. The inscriptions on the bottoms indicate that the former's main ingredient comes from the shed skin of a fire dragon, and the latter from the unique moss on the sect gate's stone wall. They are suitable for all qi refiners below Earth Immortal. Taking both together yields excellent results, strengthening the soul, earning the reputation of 'painting lacquer on the golden body.' They are especially regarded as a shortcut by qi refiners stuck at the threshold of the Golden Core realm."
Before Chen Ping'an could refuse.
Lu Yong said solemnly, "If Young Master Chen refuses to accept them today, I, Lu Yong, won't insist. But I beg you, if you pass by Tianque Peak again in the future, remember to burn three sticks of incense for me on the ruins of my Green Tiger Palace."
After saying this, Lu Yong vanished immediately.
Pei Qian's eyes went wide.
Was there such a way to give gifts in this world?
She didn't want to learn that trick.
Chen Ping'an stood up and looked around. "Jiang Shangzhen, come out and meet me?"
Jiang Shangzhen stood on the observation deck, smiling and waving.
After waving, he leaned back, flipped backward off the observation deck, and plunged into the sea of clouds beside the ferry, leaving gracefully.
Chen Ping'an rubbed his forehead.
Headache.
Lu Yong nervously went to the room where Jiang Shangzhen had 'reasoned with him.' He knocked, but there was no answer. He plucked up his courage and knocked again, still no response.
After waiting a long time, he pushed the door open.
Jiang Shangzhen was gone.
Only a large handful of Grain Rain Coins lay on the table.
Lu Yong sat blankly by the table. The old Nascent Soul was silent for a moment, then raised a hand and wiped away the bitter tears.
He decided that when he returned to Tianque Peak this time, he would just refine pills—nothing else for the rest of his life. He would never deal with these temperamental mountain-top cultivators again!
Over there.
Chen Ping'an called the four from the scroll together to discuss the matter. There was no concealment; the three porcelain bottles sat on the table.
Wei Xian's opinion was that the pills were definitely not problematic, so Chen Ping'an could rest assured.
Lu Baixiang suggested that the techniques of mountain people were insidious and hard to guard against. To be safe, they should sell them at an exorbitant price once they reached Old Dragon City.
Sui Youbian said nothing—this wasn't her area of expertise.
Zhu Lian was the most straightforward. He smiled and proposed a compromise: he begged the young master to reward him with one Fire Dragon Pill and one Rain-Spreading Pill, to test their effects. If, before reaching Old Dragon City, he neither dropped dead nor experienced any nourishing effects on his soul, then the pills in the bottles were safe. Then they could decide whether to take them or sell them to some fool.
Chen Ping'an simply put away the three porcelain bottles inside the flying sword Fifteen.
That night, Zhu Lian secretly came to knock on Chen Ping'an's door, begging to buy two Green Tiger Palace pills, promising to pay later.
Chen Ping'an sighed helplessly. "Zhu Lian, aren't you afraid of death?"
The hunchbacked old man sat at the table with a grin, rubbing his hands. "Having been the number one under heaven in Lotus Flower Blessed Land, now that I'm in such a big world, I don't expect to be number one again. But at least I should strive to be first among the four of us. Otherwise, how can I, an old servant, have the face to serve the young master? If I can't even surpass that little girl, I might as well hit myself with a piece of tofu."
Zhu Lian continued, "Fortune favors the bold. After the battle at the ruined temple, I let loose and fought without restraint, leaving some hidden injuries on my body. Are you really willing to let me be the last to break into the Golden Body Realm?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "Have you thought it through?"
Zhu Lian nodded seriously. "If I hadn't, I wouldn't have knocked on the door to bother the young master's rest."
Chen Ping'an took out the two porcelain bottles and poured out two pills of different colors. Helplessly, he said, "Life and death are your own responsibility. Consider these two pills your reward for not retreating in that battle at the ruined temple."
Zhu Lian took the two pills in his palm, directly popped them into his mouth, stood up with a grin, and bid farewell, "The young master rewards and punishes fairly. This old servant will be loyal and follow."
Chen Ping'an dismissed such flattery as soon as it entered one ear and left the other.
Zhu Lian glanced at Pei Qian, who had her head tilted, cheek pressed against the table, staring blankly at him.
Zhu Lian left.
Later that night, Pei Qian had gone to sleep in the next room. Chen Ping'an was alone in the room, practicing the standing stance. He sighed and went to open the door.
Sui Youbian stood outside.
She said, "I don't want the Fire Dragon Pill or the Rain-Spreading Pill. I just want one Sitting-Forgetting Pill."
"Do you really want to rush into the fire like Zhu Lian? Are you planning to die together with him, or what? Can't you even wait until we get to Old Dragon City? I think even giving you a whole bottle of Sitting-Forgetting Pills would be a waste!"
After saying this, Chen Ping'an didn't even let her enter the room. He slammed the door shut.
Sui Youbian stood outside the door for a long time, expressionless. Finally, she silently walked away.
The next half month passed peacefully. The sea of clouds was breathtakingly beautiful.
They were still about a month's journey from the enormous city at the southernmost tip of Bottle Gourd Continent, which stretched out like a dragon probing its head into the sea.
One day, Chen Ping'an went to find the Green Tiger Palace manager in charge of ferry affairs and directly asked if there was any top-grade alchemy cauldron for sale.
The manager said there was. Although Green Tiger Palace didn't deal in such items, the old palace master's life's work had been alchemy, and he had a large collection of cauldrons. Since Young Master Chen was a friend of Green Tiger Palace, he dared to make this inquiry to the old palace master. But whether the old palace master would be willing to part with a cauldron, he, as a mere ferry worker, couldn't guarantee. He would need to send a flying sword message to Green Tiger Palace first.
Chen Ping'an cupped his hands in thanks.
That self-proclaimed 'errand boy' Golden Core Earth Immortal, indeed unaware of many behind-the-scenes details, only knew that this young master was from an immortal noble lineage with a terrifying background and seemed to have a friendship with the unattainable head of the Jiang family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to agree on his own to ask the old palace master about selling a cauldron—that was the old palace master's lifeblood. Every temporarily unused cauldron was carefully treasured by Lu Yong, who would personally polish it daily when not refining pills.
The flying sword messaging from Tianque Peak was a specialty product of a major sword cultivator sect in Northern Juzhou. It was expensive, but you got what you paid for—extremely fast, far superior to this ferry, which was only known for its stability.
When that manager, looking as if he had seen a ghost, found Chen Ping'an, Chen Ping'an himself felt somewhat guilty and embarrassed.
Lu Yong's reply was that he would personally deliver a top-grade cauldron he had treasured for years. Chen Ping'an's embarrassment stemmed from the fact that he definitely couldn't afford the cauldron with the spirit money on him. He would have to borrow from Fan Er or Zheng Dafeng once they reached Old Dragon City. But that would be too overbearing. Business shouldn't be conducted like that. After all, Chen Ping'an was used to the old man's style at the Yang Family Shop back home.
Full of guilt, Chen Ping'an met the old Nascent Soul, who had traveled in haste to catch the ferry. After explaining the matter, unexpectedly, Lu Yong burst into hearty laughter and looked even more relieved. He went to Chen Ping'an's room, ordered the Green Tiger Palace Golden Core cultivator to wait outside, and then took out a special dimensional object that was just barely enough to hold his beloved cauldron. When the cauldron appeared, hovering a foot above the table, multicolored clouds rose and swirled around it, filling the room with fragrance.
Unless one was blind, anyone could see how extraordinarily precious this cauldron was.
Pei Qian tiptoed around the table, eagerly examining the vermillion cauldron, which was about an arm's length in height and width.
The cauldron had five legs, each formed by the legs of a different mythical beast joined together. The beasts' heads opened their mouths at the rim of the cauldron, emitting the multicolored clouds, seemingly corresponding to the five elements' colors.
The old Nascent Soul Lu Yong, full of pride, pointed at the floating cauldron and said with a smile, "This cauldron is named the Five-Colored Golden Cauldron Stove. Its main material is the Metal element, following the ancient alchemists' ancestral teaching: 'Metal's nature does not decay, therefore it is the treasure of all things.' In my early years, I had a great Dao fortune, obtaining it from an immortal mansion in a shattered small cave heaven. Thinking back on that battle among various forces now, it was still thrilling. I was just the luckiest and got this cauldron. Since it was a fortune, not purchased, I'll give you a fair price. I won't ask for an outrageous sum. Fifty Grain Rain Coins—only fifty!"
At the end, the old Nascent Soul stretched out a palm.
Chen Ping'an's mouth twitched.
Fifty whole Grain Rain Coins!
A sky-high price.
But deep down, he knew that the price Lu Yong had quoted was absolutely fair, more than fair. Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, stopped hesitating, and said without any hesitation, "Lord Palace Master, I definitely want to buy it. But to be honest, I can't say for sure whether my friend in Old Dragon City will be willing to lend me that many Grain Rain Coins."
After saying this, Chen Ping'an cupped his hands. "If it turns out that I've made you come all this way for nothing, I apologize in advance."
Lu Yong felt a complicated mix of emotions. He thought to himself, if all mountain cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level, were as easy to talk to and as courteous as Chen Ping'an, how wonderful that would be.
As for whether he was willing to sell this rare Five-Colored Golden Cauldron Stove—before meeting Jiang Shangzhen and Chen Ping'an, anyone who dared to ask would get cursed out. If it were a qi refiner below the Nascent Soul realm, they might even get beaten up.
But now, his state of mind had undergone a tremendous change. After returning to Green Tiger Palace this time with those Grain Rain Coins, which he had nearly died to obtain, he had thought it over and actually figured out one thing: how to deal with Jiang Shangzhen. So when he received the flying sword message from Chen Ping'an on the ferry, instead of being angry, he was delighted. Suppressing the heart-wrenching pain, he brought this cauldron, which could be considered his coffin-nail treasure. As long as Chen Ping'an dared to buy, he, Lu Yong, dared to sell!
There was also a secret unknown to others: the Five-Colored Golden Cauldron Stove was of such high quality that it had always been Lu Yong's regret. The refining arts he excelled at weren't the most superior, and the heavenly treasures and earthly rarities he possessed or received from others might only allow him to use this cauldron once every hundred years. And each time he produced pills or refined items, the profits barely broke even, occasionally resulting in losses. Even Lu Yong had to admit that this cauldron, sitting in Green Tiger Palace, was a chicken rib to him—useless but a pity to discard—and to the cauldron, he was... a waste.
Before Lu Yong returned to his own room, Chen Ping'an could only say some polite words: "Great kindness requires no words of thanks."
Lu Yong was in a good mood and left with a smile, directly leaving the Five-Colored Golden Cauldron Stove with Chen Ping'an, along with a book on alchemy made of unknown material.
Chen Ping'an carefully put the cauldron into his Dimensional Artifact and began browsing through the alchemy manual written by Lu Yong himself. After reading for a while, he left the room and went to the sword chamber on the ferry, which was specially used for sending flying sword messages. He sent a letter to Jiang Shangzhen at the Jade Token Sect.
In addition to briefly mentioning Lu Yong's sale of the cauldron, the secret letter ended with: "Big and small, I owe you two favors."
In another room, the Golden Core manager stood beside Lu Yong and mentioned that Chen Ping'an had written a letter and sent it to the Jade Token Sect.
The details, of course, were unknown. Otherwise, who would dare use flying sword messaging?
Lu Yong grunted.
The Golden Core Earth Immortal asked curiously, "Lord Palace Master, does this Young Master Chen have an extraordinarily distinguished background?"
Lu Yong thought carefully, then smiled and asked, "How about the fact that he owns a Dimensional Artifact at such a young age?"
After leaving the room earlier, Lu Yong, having learned his lesson, had realized something was off. He had left the Five-Colored Golden Cauldron Stove with Chen Ping'an as a gesture of sincerity, but this cauldron was extremely extraordinary. Ordinary dimensional artifacts might not be able to hold it, and even if forcibly stuffed in, it would show signs of instability, as if it were about to tear open the 'small cave heaven.' However, when Lu Yong paused for a moment, he was surprised to find that the cauldron's aura had vanished instantly, and the energy in Chen Ping'an's room was perfectly calm.
It was undoubtedly a Dimensional Artifact.
The Golden Core cultivator sighed. "Rich, truly rich! He must be a direct descendant of an immortal noble family that has been passed down for a thousand years. Yet, for a young immortal of such background to travel the world with pure martial artists as his attendants is quite interesting."
Lu Yong didn't want to discuss Chen Ping'an further. He waved his hand.
Alone, Lu Yong mused, "I didn't suffer that humiliation for nothing. My Green Tiger Palace will prosper."
When the ferry finally slowly docked at the island ferry station of Old Dragon City, isolated overseas, Chen Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief.
They had arrived at Bottle Gourd Continent.
It was already late winter.
He didn't see the Fan family's Osmanthus Island ferry at the dock. It was probably en route to Inverted Suspension Mountain and hadn't returned yet. He didn't know if there would still be a chance to meet Madam Cassia in person.
But when Chen Ping'an saw the Golden Core manager standing at the door instead of Palace Master Lu Yong, he knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, the Golden Core manager's expression was also somewhat odd. He said, "Lord Palace Master had urgent business and had to return to Tianque Peak immediately. He asked me to tell you, Young Master Chen, that there's no rush to pay those few Grain Rain Coins. You can send someone to give them to the ferry whenever it's convenient. He hopes you won't let this small matter bother you too much."
Chen Ping'an sighed helplessly. "I'll try my best to get the Grain Rain Coins to you, Senior."
The Golden Core cultivator smiled. "I wouldn't dare to rush you, Young Master Chen. Lord Palace Master made that clear, and he spoke very seriously before leaving. I have to follow his orders."
Not long after Lu Yong returned to Tianque Peak on Qingjing Mountain, an extremely fast flying sword message arrived at Green Tiger Palace. A sword chamber nearly collapsed on the spot.
Lu Yong took out the secret letter with trepidation, stiff-faced, and walked back to his residence before bursting into laughter.
From today onward, besides the Jiang family's main branch giving Lu Yong a separate gift of one hundred Grain Rain Coins, the Jade Token Sect would also take over the entire output of Green Tiger Palace's pills, helping to market them throughout Tongye Continent.
Lu Yong clapped his fist into his palm and quickly sent someone to recruit disciples from the mortal world. Whether seeking talents in the markets and countryside or directly asking large countries like Daquan and Nanqi for candidates, Green Tiger Palace needed to recruit disciples in large numbers! Even if their aptitudes were somewhat lacking, after seven or eight years of diligent training by Green Tiger Palace, they could at least refine the simplest pills. Every pill produced was a sure profit in small Snow Coins!
Lu Yong went to the Founder's Hall, lit incense before the portraits of the founding masters, and whispered, "Founding masters, bless Green Tiger Palace with flourishing incense and a legacy lasting a thousand, ten thousand years."
Carrying his bamboo crate, Chen Ping'an walked from the ferry onto the dock.
When Pei Qian reached the last step, she deliberately jumped with both feet together, landing on the ground and puffing out her chest. "Bottle Gourd Continent, I'm coming!"
Hmph, there seemed to be a little girl named Li Baoping, who liked to wear a red cotton-padded jacket. She was foolishly studying at some mountain cliff academy and had the audacity to call her father "Little Master Uncle." Just you wait!
The four of them—Wei Xian, Lu Baixiang, Sui Youbian, and Zhu Lian—got off the ferry and stood on either side of Chen Ping'an.
Zhu Lian leaned over and asked, "Young Master, where to next? Straight into the city?"
Chen Ping'an had already prepared an answer. He smiled and said, "There are people from the Fan family of Osmanthus Island Ferry at the dock. Let's go find them. I'm friends with the heir of their family—a guy whose parents gave him a very well-chosen name—good friends!"
Zhu Lian praised, "The young master's friends are truly extraordinary."
After taking those two Green Tiger Palace pills, Zhu Lian not only had his bone and sinew injuries healed but also saw his soul greatly nourished and strengthened. The benefits were immense.
As for when he would successfully break into the Golden Body Realm, Chen Ping'an didn't ask, and Zhu Lian didn't say.
Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian both thought of the same thing at the same time: being called a "good friend" by Chen Ping'an wasn't easy.
Wei Xian said to Pei Qian, "Don't forget you owe me that sugar figure."
Pei Qian's eyes darted around. She said pitifully, "I'm broke and have no money right now."
Wei Xian said solemnly, "In my day, deceiving the emperor was a capital offense."
Pei Qian secretly pointed at Chen Ping'an, then raised her little arm, pressing her thumb and index finger together, and said to Wei Xian quietly, "Look at how my father makes friends, and then look at how you, Old Wei, befriend me. Don't you feel even a little bit ashamed?"
Wei Xian laughed dryly. "Even brothers settle accounts clearly. Otherwise, even if you conquer the kingdom, you can't sit securely on the dragon throne."
Pei Qian kicked Wei Xian and grumbled, "Being friends with you is no fun."
Chen Ping'an turned around.
Pei Qian quickly crouched down and patted Wei Xian's pants leg. "Old Wei, you're so old and still so messy. Let me brush off the dust for you."
Relying on his memory, Chen Ping'an led the way toward the Fan family's Osmanthus Island Ferry.
Thinking about the fifty Grain Rain Coins he now owed, Chen Ping'an's steps were a bit heavy.
A young man's shoulders should bear the grass growing long and the orioles flying, and the willows gently swaying, right?
But I'm not a boy anymore.
Using Pei Qian's catchphrase: What a worry.