# Chapter 391: A Gentleman's Rescue and Non-Rescue
Not long after the female Daoist of the Knife Room had departed, Pei Qian crept out of the house, a yellow paper talisman plastered on her forehead.
Shi Rou stood by the door, her expression tense. Even though she could no longer sense any trace of the female Daoist's aura, she was still shaken.
As a female ghost and yin creature, striding boldly through the mortal world was fraught with danger at every turn. A monkey wearing a crown only invited ridicule, but for her—a crooked path practitioner who had usurped another's nest and stolen an immortal's discarded shell—if a high-ranking cultivator from a registered lineage saw through her true identity, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Pei Qian reached Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian's side and glanced toward the base of the wall.
Zhu Lian chuckled. "Just a fox hair with its spiritual energy exhausted, and you want to pick it up like it's a treasure?"
He reached out, grabbed the black fox hair that had been propping up the fox demon's illusion technique, pinched it between two fingers, and handed it to Pei Qian. "If you want it, take it."
Pei Qian hid behind Chen Ping'an and asked cautiously, "Can it be sold for money?"
Zhu Lian twisted the remarkably resilient fox hair between his fingertips, but found he couldn't easily grind it to ash. Slightly surprised, he examined it closely. "It's a good item, but it's hard to put to any practical use. If you could peel off an entire fox pelt, that might be a natural Dharma robe."
Chen Ping'an warned, "It's best not to say such things."
Zhu Lian smiled. "Indeed, this old servant spoke out of turn."
The commotion here had obviously already alarmed the other two groups of demon catchers. The young master with the compound surname Dugu and his entourage, along with the Daoist couple, all rushed over at the sound. When they entered the courtyard, their expressions varied. Their gazes toward Chen Ping'an were somewhat complicated. The fox demon, which was supposed to show up half a month later, had appeared ahead of schedule—why? And that fierce, awe-inspiring saber light had startled both parties. They hadn't expected the saber-wielding female Daoist's cultivation to be so high—one slash had shattered the fox demon's illusion. The intelligence from Lion Garden had previously indicated the fox demon was elusive, and no cultivator, whether with formations or magical treasures, had been able to catch even a corner of the fox demon's robe.
Chen Ping'an gave a restrained account of the conflict between the fox demon and the female Daoist of the Knife Room, and he did not reveal the female Daoist's identity at all.
The old man with a small fiery red fox cub crouching on his shoulder suddenly spoke up. "Young Master Chen, can you sell me that fox hair? Perhaps I can find some clues from it and uncover where the fox demon is hiding. It's not impossible."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "What price?"
The old man weighed the pros and cons and said, "That fox hair has completely lost its spiritual nature. In itself, it's not even worth a single Snow Flower Coin."
Chen Ping'an didn't immediately respond.
The beautiful maid behind Master Dugu, with her clear autumn-water eyes, showed a hint of mockery.
It seemed that this young cultivator in white robes, with a white-sheathed longsword on his back, looked like a mountain dweller but was actually quite mercenary. A fox hair worth one Snow Flower Coin, and he still wanted to make a big deal out of it? But she quickly understood. Wasn't this exactly how so-called registered lineage masters behaved—sanctimonious?
Following her master on their travels through mountains and rivers, experiencing the martial world and seeking immortals on countless peaks and waters, how many people had made her master look at them with admiration? No wonder he always left disappointed after every enthusiastic trip.
This maid suddenly noticed that the charcoal-black little girl behind that man was staring at her.
The maid smiled warmly at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian grinned back.
Chen Ping'an said to the old man, "It just occurred to me that I happen to know some crude techniques that could use this to track the fox demon. So I won't sell it."
The old man laughed freely. "We're all here to subdue the demon. Since Young Master Chen has his own use for it, a gentleman does not take what others treasure. I won't insist."
After they left, Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then said to Pei Qian with a serious expression, "Do you know why your master refused to sell that fox hair?"
Pei Qian replied bluntly, "That man lied and deliberately lowballed you. He had ulterior motives. Master saw through it with his keen eyes and took a dislike to him. He didn't want to invite trouble. What if the fox demon was spying secretly? That would anger the fox demon for no reason, and we'd become the target. It would disrupt Master's plans. Originally, he wanted to watch from the shore and enjoy the scenery with a cup of tea. But now we'd be drawing fire onto ourselves, and the little courtyard would turn bloody and stormy... Master, I said so much—surely at least one of those reasons is right? Haha, pretty clever, aren't I?"
Zhu Lian smacked his lips. "Someone's about to get a knuckle sandwich."
Sure enough, Chen Ping'an rapped her on the head.
Pei Qian turned and glared at Zhu Lian. "Jinx!"
Zhu Lian chuckled. "Bullying the weak? Think I'm easy to push around? Believe me, I'll sprinkle dirt into your favorite dishes."
Pei Qian felt a bit guilty and looked at Chen Ping'an, then hung her head.
From their first meeting in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to the moment that stinking ox-nose old Daoist had thrown her out, Pei Qian felt that Chen Ping'an was the person in the whole world who knew her best. As it said in books, her record was stained with misdeeds. So now she was a bit afraid.
Chen Ping'an rubbed the little one's head and said softly, "I read in a scholar's notebook that there's a saying in the Buddhist sutras: 'Yesterday's myriad things died with yesterday; today's myriad things are born with today.' Do you know what that means?"
Pei Qian looked up and shook her head gently.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "You'll understand later."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up. "Master, can you carve those words onto a small bamboo slip and give it to me? If you can, add those two lines from the River God's Temple too?"
Chen Ping'an nodded in agreement. Then, for this small matter of selling or not selling the fox hair, he gave her some rare words of wisdom. "When traveling the martial world, you need to be extra careful. You must not have the heart to harm others, but if you don't even have the heart to guard against them, aren't you just letting villains take advantage of you? If you always show superficial sincerity to everyone, pouring out your heart to anyone, wealth stirs people's hearts—it only makes the martial world more dangerous. True sincerity is a wonderful thing, but how to protect it without hurting others or yourself requires accumulating experience in the martial world."
Zhu Lian smiled. "A kind heart should not be naive; being worldly-wise is not the same as scheming. Such golden sayings and jade words are the real truths in books."
Chen Ping'an grunted in agreement. "Zhu Lian said it better than I did, without being long-winded."
Chen Ping'an took out one of the last three bottles of osmanthus wine and handed it to Zhu Lian. Back then, the Fan family had sent a lot of osmanthus wine, but there were two kinds. One kind was for Chen Ping'an to drink on the road, and there was a fair amount of it. But along the way, he gave a bottle here and a bottle there—one to Xu Yuanxia, one to Zhang Shanfeng—and before they even reached the capital of the Green Luan Kingdom, it was almost gone. The other kind was extremely rare. It was said to be personally brewed by Lady Gui on Osmanthus Island, and there were only six jars. Even Fan Junmao had coveted them and shamelessly taken one for himself.
Pei Qian turned to Zhu Lian and asked curiously, "Which book says that?"
Zhu Lian laughed heartily. "The book of life's hardships teaches people best."
Pei Qian couldn't stand it when her master was outshone by someone, so she sneered at Zhu Lian, "Then I say the sea of learning has no bounds, and the bag of books has no bottom. Anyone can spout nonsense like that. My master said it much better, way better!"
Zhu Lian shook his head and drank his wine, humming a tune. With good wine in hand, he had no more inclination to argue with this girl.
Chen Ping'an said to Pei Qian, "Don't dismiss all the truths he speaks just because you're not close to Zhu Lian. Anyway, we'll talk about these things later."
Chen Ping'an finally decided not to rush. He didn't need to cram all the truths he thought were right into Pei Qian at once. For someone like Pei Qian, who had a good memory and had memorized tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of words from the sages' books, it was better for her to truly understand a sentence or two of their teachings on her own.
Zhu Lian had once said an unintentional remark at the River God's Temple that made Chen Ping'an think deeply: "Return the sages' books to the sages." Chen Ping'an had begun to examine himself. Compared to true scholars, he hadn't read much, but compared to common folk, he actually hadn't read little. So when he thought carefully, how many of the sages' books had he given back over the years?
Chen Ping'an sighed and said he was going into the house to practice his fist stances.
Here in the courtyard, it was too conspicuous.
Inside the house, the female ghost Shi Rou, after hearing Chen Ping'an's words from the Buddhist sutra, stared blankly for a while. Finally, she sighed softly, collected her thoughts, held her breath, and began to circulate her qi using a secret method taught by Cui Dongshan. Drop by drop, with the patience of grinding, she refined the immortal's discarded shell.
After Chen Ping'an closed the door, Pei Qian whispered, "Old Cook, my master seems a bit unhappy. Is he annoyed that I'm stupid?"
Zhu Lian asked with a grin, "Want some wine? 'To drown the eternal sorrow with you,' as they say."
Pei Qian crossed her arms and said angrily, "I already suffered a big loss from Cui Dongshan. Don't you try to corrupt my Dao heart!"
Zhu Lian nearly sprayed out his wine. "You little brat, what Dao heart do you have?"
Pei Qian stood up, clasped her hands behind her back, and sighed deeply, not forgetting to glance back at Zhu Lian with a pitying look—probably meaning she didn't want to waste her breath on a cow.
After she turned around, Zhu Lian kicked her right on the butt, nearly sending the charcoal-girl sprawling face-first. Thanks to their long journey through mountains and rivers and her practice of fist stances, Pei Qian caught herself with her hands, flipped over, and stood up. Turning around, she said indignantly, "Zhu Lian, why do you stab people in the back? Don't you have any sense of martial honor?! I'm wearing a new set of clothes I just got not long ago!"
Zhu Lian asked, "Do you want to learn a martial art I created myself? It's called Awakening of Insects. Once you achieve small success, your fists can strike like spring thunder. It's not just for facing off against martial artists—it can knock them senseless and weak in the bones—it's also remarkably effective against demons and monsters."
Pei Qian shot back, "Who do you think you are?"
Zhu Lian didn't really mind his kindness being mistaken for malice, but he didn't want to listen to whatever nonsense she'd come up with next. He waved her off. "Get lost, go practice your 'Mad Demon Sword Technique.'"
Pei Qian had a bellyful of words she couldn't say. Feeling frustrated, she went into her room, took out her mountain-walking staff, and began to practice this martial art she had also "created herself." On the road, after she subdued that roadside mutt, her confidence had soared. For a while, aside from faithfully following Chen Ping'an's six-step fist stances, she had set aside the White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique and the Sword-Dragging Technique, only perfunctorily practicing them occasionally. Instead, she focused mainly on this supremely powerful, instantly effective sword technique.
Pei Qian was thoroughly enjoying herself.
As for Zhu Lian, a Traveling Realm martial artist, watching her was... an eyesore.
Zhu Lian looked around.
No abnormalities.
It seemed that after taking that Dharma saber strike, the fox demon had learned its lesson.
In the two rooms of the courtyard, Shi Rou was using the soul of a female ghost and the discarded shell of an immortal to cultivate the supreme secret method taught by Cui Dongshan.
As for Chen Ping'an, he was doing handstands on heavenly-and-earthly stakes, supporting himself on only a single finger.
At the same time, his mind was immersed in that "Water Mansion" where he had refined the Water Character Seal.
According to Cui Dongshan's explanation, that jade slip from the Blue Wandering Manor, which had manifested unusual phenomena when refined over the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City, was most likely a precious relic from an ancient great river dragon palace. It was a water-transport jade slip formed from the condensed essence of a great river's waters. Cui Dongshan had joked at the time that the River God Mother of the Buried River had quite a bit of Master's style in how she scattered her wealth. As for the characters carved on the jade slip, they eventually resonated with the refiner, Chen Ping'an. When his mind stirred, they arose with it, transforming into little figures dressed in green clothes. They carried the jade slip on their shoulders into Chen Ping'an's qi mansion, helping him paint door gods on the "mansion gate" and depicting a great river on the qi mansion walls. This was a rare blessing for the Dao.
Even someone as proud as Cui Dongshan had to admit that unless Master and student moved heaven with their sincerity, no matter how exhaustively he schemed and planned, refining the second life-bound object—the golden literary courage—in Great Sui would be very, very difficult to match the quality of the first life-bound object, the Water Character Seal.
Chen Ping'an was quite open-minded about such things: "If I gain it, it's my fortune; if I lose it, it's my fate."
But between these illusory gains and losses, Chen Ping'an still liked one of the four plaques from the Crab Alley in his hometown, on which were written four characters: "Do Not Seek Outwardly."
When praying to gods and Buddhas, one must first sincerely seek within oneself, then talk about the obscure will of heaven.
By now, the small alchemical wine in the Nourishing Sword Gourd had been finished. With the recuperation along the way, Chen Ping'an had mostly recovered. His martial cultivation was roughly equivalent to what it had been before his battle with Ding Ying in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.
After he inscribed words on the wall of the River God's Temple, Chen Ping'an vaguely sensed that the acupoint inside him, resembling a water mansion, seemed to produce some kind of response. The flow of the great river increased slightly, mist rose and spread over the water's surface, and occasionally it would even overflow the "water channel," permeating the qi mansion. However, it was blocked at the water mansion gate and returned to the water channel on the wall, settling back to calm.
So today, Chen Ping'an decided to use the crude "inner vision" method of mountain dwellers to observe carefully.
Unexpectedly, even as the master, he almost couldn't enter the mansion gate. For a moment, the pure true qi born from a martial artist's cultivation surged forward murderously, as if with the intent of "if the master is humiliated, the servants must die," wanting to fight for Chen Ping'an. Of course, Chen Ping'an didn't dare let this "fire dragon" break through the gate—wouldn't that be like his own people smashing their own courtyard door? This was precisely why the world's lofty figures could but were unwilling to cultivate both paths simultaneously.
Just to calm the fire dragon, Chen Ping'an nearly toppled over, so he had to switch from using just one finger to his fist.
After diverting the fire dragon to other "post roads" in his meridians, his breathing eased. At the same time, the two door gods on the mansion gate, under the control of the little figures in green clothes formed from the jade slip's characters, hurriedly opened the gate for Chen Ping'an. They bowed apologetically, as if admitting their fault. When "Chen Ping'an's" tiny spark of inner vision entered, he found a completely different world inside. The sense of wonder surpassed even his first view of Lion Garden surrounded by mountains.
The jade slip, which had been successfully refined before the Water Character Seal, hung suspended in this elixir chamber within the water mansion, while the Water Character Seal hovered at a higher point.
Those green-clad little fellows were still diligently repairing various parts of the mansion. Some, larger in size, were like master painters, crouching by the great river on the wall, sketching the outlines of waves.
Not only that, but some impure water mist surged in through the gate into the mansion, mostly dispersing slowly on its own. Only a tiny thread, as thin as a hair, would fly into the "wave" being painted by a green-clad little figure. Once it flew in, the wave gained spirit and began to flow. But most of these lovely green-clad little fellows on the walls had nothing to do. They had painted many waves and water currents, but only a handful had come to life.
So when they saw Chen Ping'an by the water, they all looked a bit aggrieved, as if saying, "Even a clever woman can't cook a meal without rice." They wanted him to absorb and refine more spiritual energy.
Chen Ping'an knew that the severing of the Bridge of Longevity had severely damaged his root constitution, making the source water of this water mansion far too scarce. Moreover, his refining speed was far from worthy of the word "genius." The two factors combined made things even worse. These green-clad boys could only waste time, unable to busy themselves. Chen Ping'an had no choice but to retreat from the mansion in shame.
After "Chen Ping'an" walked out of the water mansion, the largest of the green-clad boys gathered together and whispered among themselves.
Chen Ping'an didn't interrupt his inner vision technique just yet. Instead, he began to follow the fire dragon's trajectory, "strolling" on a spiritual journey.
His spiritual sense was as small as a mustard seed, but the fire dragon formed from pure true qi could traverse a hundred miles in an instant. Walking along the paths of his meridians, "Chen Ping'an" had to travel a thousand miles, and although he knew where the fire dragon was, he couldn't catch up.
But this was also related to the injury he had received from the Sword-Swallowing Boat's thrust. Otherwise, he could still use a spark of spiritual light to guide that true qi fire dragon to swim back, perhaps even use it as a mount to patrol the surroundings.
In the end, "Chen Ping'an" returned to the water mansion gate, sat cross-legged, and began to refine spiritual energy.
Diligence compensates for lack of talent.
Chen Ping'an was good at this, very good.
What Chen Ping'an didn't yet know was that Aliang's words—"All methods return to the same principle; practicing fist is also practicing sword"—was a great recognition.
Of the millions of martial artists in the world, there was only one Chen Ping'an.
---
Inside a delicately decorated embroidery tower where a young lady waited in seclusion.
A haggard young woman, like a withered flower, sat in front of a dressing mirror, supported by her close maid. Though she looked pitifully ill, her eyes were still bright and spirited. As long as there were thoughts and hopes in her heart, a person could still have vitality.
This poor soul was none other than the youngest daughter of the retired Vice Minister Liu, Liu Qingqing. According to the genealogy, Liu's generation used the character "Jing," and Liu Qingqing's generation used "Qing."
Her elder sister, Liu Qingya, was already married. But because of her younger sister's troubles, she was now staying in Lion Garden with her husband.
Her second elder brother, Liu Qingshan, who used to come often to talk with her, hadn't visited her in a long time. The young woman had the best relationship with this second brother, so she was quite sad.
Her third younger brother, Liu Qingyu, often came to play here, but he was young and noisy. She was now weak, and this lively brother couldn't keep his hands still. She was afraid that if she wasn't careful, he'd break or ruin some beloved item—it gave her a headache.
The maid was Zhao Ya, the daughter of the old steward. This girl with a few freckles on the tip of her nose saw how her young lady was putting up a brave front. Having served her since childhood, Zhao Ya endured the grief in her heart and tried her best to say comforting things—like how her young lady looked much better today, how the weather was warming up, and how tomorrow she could go out for a walk.
When Zhao Ya came upstairs, she had brought a bucket of hot water. They had agreed that she would wash Liu Qingqing's hair today.
Liu Qingqing sat on the stool, raised her arm, and touched her gaunt cheek. She said to Zhao Ya, "Ya'er, let them do it today. You rest for a while. Read me a passage from a book."
Zhao Ya softly agreed, tiptoed to the desk, and opened the little door of an exquisite birdcage.
Though it was noisy inside, the sounds were faint and wouldn't disturb the young lady.
It was called a birdcage, but besides having the shape of a cage for keeping birds, it was crafted like a miniature pavilion. This was a "luan cage," a specialty of the capital of the Green Luan Kingdom, which almost every well-bred young lady in the country possessed. What was kept inside was not birds, but many kinds of tiny, delicate spirits. There were "combing girls," whose appearance resembled dragonflies but had the faces of human women. They were naturally drawn to clean water and liked to comb women's hair with their tiny claws, doing so with great care and helping to moisturize the hair, ensuring the woman wouldn't get white hair early.
There were "eyebrow-painting" flower-butterfly spirits. If you provided them with a full set of miniature carving brushes and showed them various eyebrow styles, they could paint the most beautiful brows for women.
There were also small spirits that liked to eat rouge, with bird claws and human arms and a pair of wings. They could apply rouge for women with great precision, enhancing their beauty better than if they did it themselves.
When the maid Zhao Ya opened the door, dozens of strange mountain and wildflower spirits living in the luan cage's pavilion flew out in an orderly manner and began to groom and dress their mistress Liu Qingqing, perfectly practiced.
Zhao Ya, meanwhile, opened a book and read aloud in her soft voice. She was reading a collection of poems that was currently all the rage in both the court and countryside of the Green Luan Kingdom.
With a creak, the door opened, but no one walked in.
Zhao Ya sighed inwardly, pretending nothing had happened, and continued reading a landscape poem from the book.
A breeze brushed the pages, and soon a handsome young man in a black robe stood behind the young lady. He gently flicked away the small spirit combing her hair with a finger and took over washing Liu Qingqing's hair.
The young lady didn't turn around or look up. She smiled and said, "You came."
The fox demon who had thrown Lion Garden into chaos smiled charmingly. "The mortal world harms people, but it's my dear lady who suffers."
Liu Qingqing shook her head gently.
The fox demon said softly, "Don't move. Be careful not to splash water on yourself."
Liu Qingqing sat still and tilted her head, letting the handsome young man comb her black hair. His movements were gentle, and she felt at ease.
The fox demon washed her hair, applied rouge, and painted her eyebrows from beginning to end.
Finally, they sat shoulder to shoulder. Liu Qingqing asked softly, "Ya'er said another group of people came to the house."
The fox demon, who called himself Master Qing, smiled. "I can't gauge their depth. They might be more troublesome than that female Daoist with the Dharma saber. But it doesn't matter. Even if an Infant Soul immortal came, I could still come and go freely. I would never miss seeing my lady."
Liu Qingqing's face flushed a delicate red. She turned to Zhao Ya and said, "Ya'er, go downstairs and keep watch. Don't let anyone come up."
Zhao Ya nodded, closed the book, shut the luan cage's door, and went downstairs.
Liu Qingqing pricked up her ears. After making sure Zhao Ya was far away, she whispered, "My lord, can we really stay together forever?"
The fox demon reached out, gently stroked her brow with one finger, and smiled. "Of course. Forever and ever, far more than a hundred years."
Liu Qingqing's expression darkened. "But what about my father? What about Lion Garden?"
The fox demon said confidently, "I've said it before. As long as your father agrees to this marriage made in heaven, he'll be my father-in-law. Why would I mistreat Lion Garden?"
Liu Qingqing fell limply into his arms, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled. "I only beg you, my lord, never to betray me."
The fox demon looked down at her face, which had regained some of its color, and smiled. "The infatuation of foxes is known to all. Why are there always foxes and rabbits haunting desolate tombs and wild graves? Isn't it because foxes guard the spirits and rabbits watch over the tombs?"
---
When Chen Ping'an slowly opened his eyes, he found that he was supporting himself on his palms. Outside the window, the night was deep with heavy clouds, the moon and stars dim.
He lightly patted the ground, flipped upright, and stood steadily. Pushing open the door, he saw Zhu Lian sleeping soundly at the table in the courtyard, with the moon and sparse stars overhead.
Zhu Lian smiled and stood up. "The young master was in a state that Daoist texts describe as 'obtaining meaning and forgetting form.' This old servant didn't dare disturb you. I kept away for two days because of it. For this, Pei Qian sparred with me three times, and I had to forcibly keep her in her room. Tonight, she stood on a chair and peeked at the houses of the old master and young master for a long time, waiting for the lamp in your room to light up—but it never came. She only fell asleep not long ago."
Chen Ping'an was startled. "Two days have passed?"
Zhu Lian nodded with a smile.
Chen Ping'an sat down with Zhu Lian and said with emotion, "No wonder mountain dwellers say that when cultivating the Dao, sixty years pass in the blink of an eye."
Zhu Lian said, "Indeed. It's much better to be a martial artist—practice your fists, eat, sleep, wake up, and kill people."
Chen Ping'an pretended not to hear the "kill people" part and asked, "Has there been any news from Lion Garden recently?"
Zhu Lian shook his head with a smile. "The breeze is gentle, the moon is full, the flowers are blooming. But it's a pity we'll miss the Buddhist-Daoist debate in the capital that's so close. I feel sorry for the young master."
Chen Ping'an said seriously, "Even if you longed for that grand event in the capital, you still couldn't leave Lion Garden. Without you, Zhu Lian, to hold the line, it would never do."
Zhu Lian took the opportunity to ingratiate himself. He shook the nearly empty osmanthus wine bottle, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "Then how about the young master rewards me with another bottle? After drinking osmanthus wine, the wine from Lion Garden is like water."
Chen Ping'an refused. "Don't get any ideas about my osmanthus wine. There are only two bottles left, and I can't bear to drink them myself."
Zhu Lian sighed. "Beautiful scenery, good wine, and a lovely companion—truly, perfection is rare in this world."
Chen Ping'an turned to business. "A family that has accumulated good deeds for generations will surely have the protection of hidden virtue. This is no empty saying. If I'm not mistaken, Lion Garden has excellent feng shui, and the Liu family's moral character is upright. There should be incense-and-fire little people and a local earth deity protecting this place. Unfortunately, I don't have Cui Dongshan's cultivation and divine powers to command the earth deity to emerge. If I did, I could learn more about that fox demon's background."
Zhu Lian glanced toward the main house. "Should this old servant go ask Shi Rou?"
Chen Ping'an wondered, "If she could do it, would she hide it?"
Zhu Lian looked at Chen Ping'an, drained the last drop of osmanthus wine, and said, "Forgive this old servant for speaking bluntly. When it comes to those around you, you might be able to estimate their worst possible actions, but when it comes to their nature, you're still too optimistic. You're not like your student... who sees everything clearly and in detail. Of course, this is also due to the young master's impeccable conduct and being a gentleman."
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll ask Shi Rou tomorrow. I can still judge the truth of others' words."
Zhu Lian shook his head and laughed. "Why wait until tomorrow? What's wrong with now? The young master is her master and has given her a great favor. Can't you ask a few questions? If I look at Shi Rou with my eyes, she's a lovesick man admiring a beauty—of course, he'd cherish her and would think even a harsh word is a sin. But young master, you don't see her like that, do you? Shi Rou's actions are like 'three days without a beating, she'll tear down the roof.' You need to know that in this world, fools who don't get it are mostly those who fear power more than virtue. She's far inferior to your disciple Pei Qian."
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh. "The sun must be rising in the west for you to say something good about Pei Qian."
Zhu Lian said with feeling, "She's purely bad, purely good—such an interesting little creature. It's hard to dislike her."
The door of the main house opened, and Shi Rou appeared.
She came to their side and spoke first. "Master Cui did teach me a divine technique to command the earth deity. But I was worried it would cause too much commotion and make that fox demon wary, perhaps even turn murderous?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "That reason is plausible. But I want to ask about two slightly earlier things. First: Who were you more worried about being targeted by the fox demon—yourself, or the three of us? Second: Since you knew this heterodox technique and could command the earth deity, even if you couldn't do it, why didn't you say so first?"
Zhu Lian fanned the flames with a grin. "Hit the nail on the head."
Shi Rou's eyes flickered evasively.
Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "You and I both know what's what. Don't let it happen again. If there's another time, I'll invite you out of this shell and put you back into the talisman. Once the sixty-year term is up, you'll still be free."
Shi Rou's gaze turned cold.
Zhu Lian grinned cheekily, took a brocade pouch from his sleeve, opened it, and pulled out a small paper folded into the shape of a horse. "Before he left, Master Cui gave me this. He said that if one day his master got angry because of Shi Rou, I should take this out and let him speak well of her. By the way, Miss Shi Rou, Master Cui instructed me to let you see it first. Whether or not to tell the young master what's on it is for you to decide."
Zhu Lian stood by with folded arms, but he had already stirred killing intent, and he made no effort to hide it from Shi Rou.
Even if a gentleman bestows kindness without expecting repayment, it's hard to guarantee a good outcome, because a petty person will turn a peck of rice into a grudge and a bushel into an enemy.
This female ghost, who had obtained a tremendous fortune, might not have a malicious heart. She might even have been a yin creature with a decent nature. But the subtleties of the human heart are like mustard seeds—once magnified by external things, certain flaws become as big as winnowing baskets.
When virtue is not matched by position, the collapse of a grand mansion is just a matter of time.
Shi Rou's mind was in turmoil. She took the paper horse, opened it, and her body trembled slightly.
Shi Rou clenched her fist, gripping the paper note tightly. She said to Chen Ping'an in a trembling voice, "This servant knows her mistake. Shall I summon the earth deity now and ask the truth?"
Chen Ping'an wasn't particularly angry at Shi Rou's abrupt change of attitude. He nodded. "The fox demon has already been here and provoked us first. It doesn't matter if you summon the earth deity."
Shi Rou tucked the note into her sleeve. Then she stepped out in the pace of the Big Dipper, forming hand seals. As she moved, a shimmering golden light and a wisp of yin-gathering aura emerged from the center of Du Mao's immortal shell's brow and the Yongquan acupoint at the soles of its feet. Shi Rou silently recited the final line of the incantation, "Blow on the staff to make thunder roar, stomp the ground to root the Five Peaks," and then stamped heavily. On the ground of the courtyard, an ancient talismanic pattern flashed and vanished.
Shi Rou took a deep breath and stepped back.
Then the ground in front of her rippled like water, and an old woman in ragged clothes burst forth, tumbling to the ground. The old woman wore a wreath of green willow on her head, and five black ropes bound her neck, wrists, and ankles, leaving deep impressions.
The old woman couldn't stand. She curled up on the ground, raised her head, and looked at Shi Rou, who had pulled her out of her prison. She begged bitterly, "I beg this powerful cultivator to save Lion Garden!"
Shi Rou's face was cold. "You're worshipping the wrong Buddha."
The old woman with the willow wreath turned her neck. With a slight movement, the rope around her neck tightened a few notches, but she paid it no mind. Finally, she saw the white-clad young man with the sword on his back. "Little cultivator, please save Liu Jingting's youngest daughter, Liu Qingqing! The fox demon has cast a bewitching spell on her—she's not truly in love with that fox! This great demon has deep Dao power and extremely vicious methods. He wants to drain all of the Liu family's incense and literary fortune and transfer it to Liu Qingqing. This is an act against all reason. How can Liu Qingqing, a mortal girl of a Confucian family, bear such a burden..."
The old woman was choked off by the tightening black ropes, unable to speak. But a green willow leaf from her wreath withered and fell, and her complexion improved slightly.
Chen Ping'an still didn't rush to cut the "binding ropes." He asked, "But I've heard that the fox demon lineage reveres the character 'love' the most, and their Dao does not depart from this character. Since that fox demon is already at the Earth Immortal level, logically it shouldn't behave so recklessly. How do you explain this?"
The old woman, the local earth deity, shook her head. "I dare not deceive the cultivator. I don't know either—I've pondered it a hundred times and can't understand. But the changes in Lion Garden's feng shui are no lie! Among the younger generation of the Liu family, Liu Jingting's second son, who had the most hope of bringing glory to the family, has already had his official career completely cut off. And with the Liu family's accumulated ancestral grace and hidden virtue, with ancestors even serving as minor officials in the underworld, Liu Qingshan should not have suffered such an undeserved calamity..."
The old woman was again unable to speak. Another willow leaf withered and scattered into smoke.
Chen Ping'an exchanged a glance with Zhu Lian. The latter nodded slightly, indicating the old woman didn't seem to be acting.
Chen Ping'an patted his Nourishing Sword Gourd. Only the flying sword Chu Yi flew out like a white rainbow. It slashed through the five ropes binding the old woman.
The sword spirit had left behind three pieces of Dragon-Slaying Platform. Chu Yi and Shi Wu, the two little darlings, had feasted on two of them. Only the last thin piece, like a whetstone, had been sold to Sui Youbian.
Now, the sharpness of the two flying swords far exceeded before.
The old woman was greatly relieved. She stood up tremblingly and said with tears of gratitude, "This old one's eyes were clouded. I pay my respects to the sword immortal senior!"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No need to be so polite."
The old woman suddenly fell to her knees again, sobbing uncontrollably. "I beg the sword immortal senior to act swiftly on behalf of heaven! Since senior can free me, with a grandmaster as attendant, and as a sword immortal who can break all methods with one sword, saving Lion Garden is just a casual act..."
Chen Ping'an was about to speak.
The old woman raised her head and stared at him fixedly, her expression tragic. "Seven generations of the Liu family have been loyal and virtuous. Senior, can you bear to watch this scholarly family be destroyed? Can you bear to let that great demon roam free?!"
Zhu Lian frowned. The old woman and the incense-offering man sought the same thing, but their methods were worlds apart.
Shi Rou also felt displeased.
On this matter, the stooped old man and the withered-bone beauty were exactly the same.
The old woman banged her head on the ground a dozen times. She looked up again at Chen Ping'an. "I beg the sword immortal to act, to turn the tide and slay the great demon! The Liu family will remember this great kindness. For generations to come, they will offer incense to the sword immortal senior!"
Zhu Lian's face darkened. He was about to speak, but Chen Ping'an waved him off.
Chen Ping'an reached out to help the old woman up. "Get up and talk."
But the old woman pushed his arm away and continued kowtowing. "If the sword immortal senior does not act, this old one's humble body is not worth regretting. I'll kowtow here until I die."
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to crouch down, silent, trying to find the right words.
Zhu Lian stood still, scuffing the ground with his toe. He wanted to kick the old woman, shattering her golden body. For an earth deity—or even a mountain or river god of low rank, or even the main gods of the Five Peaks in a small country whose territory was smaller than a single province of a dynasty—if Zhu Lian got close, they might not withstand a few kicks from an eighth-rank martial artist.
Shi Rou first sneered at the old woman's behavior, then smiled coldly. She glanced at Chen Ping'an, who seemed at a loss. She thought, "This is the trouble you've brought upon yourself, Chen Ping'an."
Crouching Chen Ping'an and standing Zhu Lian both turned their heads at nearly the same moment toward the protruding eaves. The female Daoist of the Knife Room, wearing her fish-tail crown, stood up there again.
She glanced at the local deity whose ropes had been cut by the flying sword and sneered, "A frog at the bottom of a well, crude and contemptible. No wonder you couldn't save the Lion Garden that shares your fate."
She looked at the cinnabar-red wine gourd, raised her arm, and wiped her eyes with two fingers, as if she were a god overlooking the mortal world. Her eyes turned golden. She suddenly understood. "So it's a top-grade Nourishing Sword Gourd. That's why you could cut those shabby ropes so easily."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Only kill the demon, not save the person?"
The female Daoist from another continent countered, "What else?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Then I'll save the person. You just kill the demon."
The female Daoist of the Knife Room hesitated. "That's best."
The old woman was overjoyed. Still kneeling, she straightened up and grabbed Chen Ping'an's arm, full of eager expectation. "Sword immortal senior, go to the embroidery tower right now to save her. This old one will lead the way."
This time, Chen Ping'an didn't need to help her up. She nearly dragged him to his feet and pulled him toward the courtyard gate. But she found the young sword immortal standing rooted like a mountain. She frowned. "Why isn't the cultivator moving? Saving people is like putting out a fire. If you're late..."
Chen Ping'an's expression was calm as he explained gently, "I need to wake up my disciple and have her stay close to me; otherwise, the fox demon might take advantage and come after her. Also, to go up to Liu Qingqing's embroidery tower, I need to have someone inform Vice Minister Liu first. Two matters, and they won't take much time..."
Before he could finish, the old woman said impatiently and reproachfully, "Sword immortal senior, you're a mountain dweller. Why bother with all these tedious formalities? Leave someone to look after your disciple. As for Liu Jingting—his family is about to be destroyed. Why care about such things? When you tell him later that you've saved his daughter, that bookworm will only be grateful. How would he dare to mind such trifles?"
Zhu Lian looked at the old woman's profile.
Zhu Lian's hand behind his back, from a palm, clenched into a fist, his knuckles cracking.
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "Have you heard of 'A Gentleman's Non-Rescue'?"
The old woman was stunned, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
But Chen Ping'an's next move made her, whose heart had been in her throat, breathe a sigh of relief.
He told Zhu Lian to quickly explain this to Liu Jingting.
He told Shi Rou to go wake Pei Qian.
Chen Ping'an gently brushed the dust off the old woman's sleeve. As he lowered his head, he said softly, "We must save her, grandmother. Set your mind at ease. I only hope that after Lion Garden escapes this calamity, if it encounters similar situations, it will also be able to save others, within its power."
At the base of the embroidery tower.
Zhu Lian had already returned and nodded to indicate that Vice Minister Liu had agreed.
Chen Ping'an climbed the tower.
The drowsy Pei Qian followed behind him, a yellow paper talisman on her forehead. As long as she was with her master, she wasn't too afraid.
Shi Rou followed closely.
Zhu Lian stood at the very bottom, not moving for a long time, just watching Chen Ping'an's ascending back.
The stooped old woman craned her neck, scratched her head, and felt that this Master Cui's master was walking quite high.