Chapter 394: Water Falls, Rocks Reveal, Small Coin Pile
When strange phenomena arose outside the outer wall of Lion Garden.
Liu Boqi was the first to land on the roof of a pavilion, gently nodding, showing a rare hint of admiration.
At the Blade Master Hall on Inverted Mountain, one could encounter stranger people and events than anywhere in the entire Bright World. And Liu Boqi was a favored child of heaven, held in high regard by that Great Heavenly Lord of Inverted Mountain, often following senior sect members out to sea to capture weary old flood dragons returning from rainmaking. Her standards were naturally very high.
Zhu Lian stood by the railing of the beauty's bench, Pei Qian stood on the railing itself, and asked curiously, "Is it my master?"
Zhu Lian smiled. "Young master knows how to use talismans. At the battle on the border mountains of Great Springs, I saw it with my own eyes. Three Iron Cavalry Sieging Amulets, formed into a set of Three Talents Military Amulets, with tremendous power, trapping that Buried River demon alive. I never imagined he could also draw talismans himself, with no small skill and ambition..."
Pei Qian said impatiently, "What can't my master do? What's so strange about that?"
Zhu Lian teased, "Then why were your eyes wide as winnowing baskets just now, and you were secretly grinning with a mouth like a huge basin?"
Pei Qian pulled a long face, refusing to bicker with the old cook. She lifted her head, glanced at the eaves above, then looked at the ground outside the railing, took a deep breath, jumped hard, leaping high, grabbing the eaves with both hands, intending to roll onto the roof, but instead dragged the tiles down with her. Zhu Lian was about to grab this reckless girl by the back of her collar and pull her back to the corridor, but suddenly he changed his mind, letting Pei Qian fall toward the courtyard. In the process of falling, her mind went blank, but by instinct, a surging Fire Dragon Qi flowed inside her, and she instantly curled up into an ape-like shape somewhat resembling Zhu Lian's fist stance, then when she was about a zhang from the ground, her limbs suddenly stretched out, landing lightly like a wild kitten.
Zhu Lian leaned over the railing, clucking his tongue. "This young lady can walk on walls and leap over roofs—quite the light kung fu."
Pei Qian sat on the ground, her face pale with fright. After recovering, she cursed Zhu Lian, who didn't know the hardship of carrying a load. "Old cook, why didn't you save me?! If I had fallen half-dead, missing an arm or leg, and Master abandoned me because I'm useless, what would I do? I'm already a burden, slow on my feet, always holding Master back. If Master gets unhappy and just doesn't want me anymore..."
As she imagined that tragic scene, she began to wail loudly.
She wailed so much that Zhu Lian's ears couldn't take it. Even the maid Zhao Ya hurried out of the house. Seeing Pei Qian sitting on the ground, Zhao Ya had been whispering with the young lady inside, and now she was full of confusion, not understanding how this mischievous little girl had ended up in the courtyard.
Zhu Lian pretended to panic. "Quick, go upstairs! There's a demon!"
Pei Qian didn't hesitate. She scrambled up, stopped crying, and ran quickly up the stairs of the embroidery tower, charging into the unlatched boudoir door, turning to close it, grabbing the mountain walking staff, and running in one breath to stand beside Zhu Lian. She looked around, wiping her tears while patting the yellow paper talisman on her forehead, asking, "Where? Where?"
Zhu Lian suppressed a smile and made up a lie on the spot. "Lucky for you, it seems the demon couldn't break into the tower and left."
Pei Qian roughly wiped her tear-streaked and sweaty face. She was too frightened to notice Zhu Lian's teasing expression. She strained her eyes wide, carefully searching for traces of the demon, and said seriously, "Zhu Lian, if the demon comes to the embroidery tower again, you must protect Miss Liu and Sister Zhaoya well. Otherwise, when Master comes back and sees that they've been captured by the demon, even if Master doesn't scold me out loud, he'll definitely be angry with me inside."
Zhao Ya turned her head, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Zhu Lian smiled. "Not worried about your own safety?"
Pei Qian took out another talisman, stuck it on her forehead, and gripped her mountain walking staff tightly. "Master told me to protect myself, and I must do it!"
Zhu Lian, one hand forming a fist behind his back, the other placed lightly on his abdomen in front, exuding the aura of a grandmaster, said with a smile, "Don't worry. Your master also said he wants me to protect you."
———
In the Book Collection Tower.
Lord Dugu smiled. "That sneaky demon is probably going to be trapped like a dog in a closed door."
Meng Long asked, "Can it really trap the entire Lion Garden?"
Lord Dugu explained, "It might not withstand a few charges from that demon, but as soon as it reveals its true body, that's when the female cultivator will strike with her blade."
Meng Long asked again, "But what if the demon decides to stay hidden and not come out?"
Lord Dugu pointed to the strange spiritual energy phenomena at the edge of Lion Garden. To ordinary people inside the garden, it might be indiscernible, but to an expert's eyes, that golden light winding around the mountain like a flowing stream, "This unknown talisman formation, turning spiritual energy into liquid, has a brilliance that goes beyond just 'enclosing.' If nothing unexpected happens, it will also involve the mountain roots and water veins here. Now that the land god has been freed, searching for the demon's hiding place will be easier. Furthermore, since this young immortal master can draw such a large talisman array, he can continue drawing talismans in key feng shui points inside the garden, even if the demon isn't suffocated to death, it will be sickened, like a person immersed in boiling water—very uncomfortable."
Meng Long said dismissively, "It took so many talismans to make such a small stir—that's nothing impressive. My master's master, with a casual talisman, can send down purple smoke enveloping a city of hundreds of thousands of people, or grab black clouds to turn into a flying serpent, directly suppressing and killing a Golden Core great demon..."
Lord Dugu said helplessly, "I was praising that young man, and you're talking about how amazing my master is. The two are unrelated. Don't always look down on any cultivator or martial artist who isn't me."
Meng Long said bluntly, "I just can't stand anyone being compared with my young master. If that young man surnamed Chen were a woman, even a Sword Immortal, would I be jealous?"
Lord Dugu smiled and asked, "What if she were both a young female Sword Immortal and prettier than you?"
Meng Long leaned on the railing. "Then I'd be so jealous I'd want to kill someone."
Lord Dugu said gently, "All petty-minded and filled with desires. You should take that as a warning."
Meng Long looked into the distance and said softly, "We sword cultivators are already walking the narrowest goat path. As long as my flying sword can pass, that's enough."
Lord Dugu shook his head. "That's because you haven't climbed high enough or gone far enough yet. But it doesn't matter. Your talent is good enough that you can slowly climb the path of the sword. My parents think highly of you, thinking you're an excellent natural sword embryo. That's why they gifted you that Night Wandering Deity."
Meng Long suddenly felt that her master might have some unsaid thoughts, so she turned her head, pressing her cheek against the railing.
Lord Dugu was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Are you the worm in my stomach? Fine, I'll tell you an interesting story. My parents once accompanied that person to the Wind and Thunder Garden to visit Li Tuanjing, and they were able to watch the third battle between Nascent Soul sword cultivators. Of course, we lost, but Li Tuanjing, after boiling tea for guests, said something very strange. This number one Nascent Soul of Bottle Gourd Continent laughed and said, 'What face do cultivators have to look down on the mortal world and despise those below the mountains? It's just that they happened to walk on a broad road. If the earliest rule wasn't about cultivating spiritual energy but whoever was best at growing crops was the most 'in tune with the Dao,' or whoever was best at mending shoes was 'endowed by heaven,' then what would those lofty immortals be like now?'"
Meng Long said softly, "Li Tuanjing of Wind and Thunder Garden really is a strange man who likes to say strange things and do strange things."
Lord Dugu hummed in acknowledgment. "Li Tuanjing was a true person of his time. But after his death, even though Wind and Thunder Garden has Huang He and Liu Baqiao, they still can't suppress the soaring sword aura of Zhengyang Mountain."
Meng Long suddenly remembered something. "What about Liu Baqiao and Su Jia? Did they end up like in the storybooks, with a perfect conclusion, getting together as they should?"
Lord Dugu thought for a moment. "Even if the love story of these two were a perfect tale, we're probably only halfway through the book right now."
Meng Long suddenly lowered her voice and whispered, "Master, is it true that that school of thought is gathered in that White Paper Blessed Land, where whatever is written in their books, the countless creatures in that blessed land do accordingly? The Lady also said that the sages of that school among the hundred schools are extremely powerful. The high-level ones can write the affairs of an entire country, the middling ones can write a single state or region, and the least accomplished disciples, just starting out, can only write about a single person's life, old age, sickness, and death. In the end, the more characters those writers write, the larger the territory of that blessed land becomes."
Lord Dugu smiled. "In this vast world, there are all kinds of wonders—true or false, who knows?"
Meng Long asked, "Master, when we both become Earth Immortals, should we go see if it's true or false?"
Lord Dugu put his hands behind his head and squinted, smiling. "Alright."
———
In Liu Qingshan's study, the black-robed youth looked panicked.
That damned young man with the sword on his back—how could he be so skilled in talismanic arts and carry so many high-quality talismans with him?!
Was he determined to fight to the death with him? Wasn't he afraid of mutual destruction in the end, with neither side gaining anything? What the hell are you, surnamed Chen, an outsider, after? That Imperial Hunting Treasure on the table is only useful to that perverted old Dragon Suppressor! Throwing down so many talismans—do you think you're a child of the Liu clan, the wealthy deity of Snowy Continent?
He was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing around the study in circles.
Madness. All madmen.
First there was that so-called Jing God, that ridiculous Blade Master Hall woman, and now a righteous gentleman who does good without seeking reward. Two people who had nothing to do with each other actually knew how to join forces to set a trap against him, one drawing strange talismans on the outer wall, the other inside the garden diverting his attention, disturbing his sight.
Could it be that this time, following the general trend and scheming for Lion Garden, all his efforts would come to nothing? Thinking of that hook-nosed old pervert and that powerful old man surnamed Tang, he felt some trepidation.
He almost let his mind stir, letting his true body appear and recklessly smash through the wall. As long as he left Lion Garden, then the sky would be the limit. With his innate talent for burrowing, and the garden being surrounded by mountains, unless a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal came personally to search for him, with earth-shaking power able to cleave the green mountains apart, he was not afraid of anyone.
But he quickly admonished himself to stay calm in the face of trouble. Lion Garden had temporarily become a cage; that was settled. He couldn't rush, absolutely couldn't make mistakes in panic.
He forced a smile and came up with an idea. "Let Master Qing test the true strength of these fellows first."
———
On the outermost wall of Lion Garden, Chen Ping'an was hesitating whether to let Shi Rou go ask the Liu family for official silver ingots from the Green Luan Kingdom. He could still draw talismans with silver, but the material of silver talismans was far inferior to the gold ink made from ground gold ingots. However, there were pros and cons. The disadvantage was poor results and reduced talisman power; the advantage was that Chen Ping'an could draw them more easily, without expending so much mental energy. Honestly, this losing business aside from emptying his long-hoarded stash of yellow paper talismans, even the spiritual energy not yet tempered in his Dharma Robe Golden Nectar was almost entirely squandered.
But these insider details were not for outsiders to know.
He tried to think positively.
For example, if he truly managed to complete the grand feat of covering Lion Garden with talismans, it would certainly be a good story to share with Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia over drinks in the future—as a snack to go with alcohol.
Just as Chen Ping'an made up his mind, he squinted.
He saw that within the vast Lion Garden, nearly a hundred black-robed youths appeared almost simultaneously, some sprinting wildly along corridors and paths, others leaping onto rooftops, skimming across like dragonflies.
All fleeing toward the outside of Lion Garden.
It was highly possible that one of these handsome youths was the demon's true body.
Once it escaped Lion Garden, the next time it sneaked back, Chen Ping'an would have absolutely no way to deal with it.
Chen Ping'an knew the limitations of the talismans he had drawn. They could barely be considered strong but lacked durability; the spiritual energy dissipated very quickly. That was the most fatal flaw of a martial artist drawing talismans.
Chen Ping'an said decisively, "I'll stay here. You guard that wall to the right. Fox demon illusions are easy to shatter. If you find the true body, just delay it for a moment. That binding rope I lent you..."
Shi Rou thought Chen Ping'an wanted to take back the magic treasure for himself, so she calmly handed over the golden rope. Chen Ping'an laughed in exasperation. "I'm telling you to use it well. Hurry over there and guard!"
Shi Rou was slightly surprised. Holding this high-quality binding rope, she flickered away.
Chen Ping'an lightly patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd and silently murmured, "Don't come out yet. You're my trump card. Wait until I'm sure which direction the demon's true body is breaking through, then it won't be too late."
———
At the Book Collection Tower, the maid Meng Long was eager to try, her eyes burning. "Whether it's an illusion or not, Master, let me take action! Staying in this Lion Garden is stifling."
Lord Dugu reminded her, "Right now, many people in Green Luan Kingdom are watching Lion Garden, so you must not use your life-bound flying sword. Having a treasure will bring trouble—I don't want to invite a bunch of headaches. Also, don't damage too many buildings in Lion Garden."
The maid was a little disappointed, but it was still better than standing around like a wooden statue. She tapped her toes, drifted to stand on the railing, muttered something, formed a hand seal, and stretched one hand forward. In her bright, spiritual eyes, golden specks of light gathered, and finally she cried out softly, "Come forth!"
A golden-armored deity, three zhang tall, crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.
Apart from its towering physique, this deity was wrapped in five ribbons of gathered spiritual energy, wore a crown, and on one arm, the golden armor was covered in miasma; on the other, the golden armor was inscribed with ferocious patterns of various ghostly faces.
But the deity's eyes remained closed.
It seemed to have received Meng Long's command.
This rare Night Wandering Deity, each time it walked forward, though its eyes were tightly shut, still deliberately avoided the various buildings of Lion Garden. As it moved, the earth trembled.
One kick smashed a black-robed youth who couldn't dodge in time into pieces.
The five ribbons, refined from immortal spiritual energy, were like five flood dragons leaving a dragon pool. Though only about two zhang long, they moved swiftly, easily piercing through the bodies of those handsome youths.
The Night Wandering Deity swept one arm, slapping to pieces a demon illusion that was skimming over a rooftop.
Meng Long changed her position, sitting on the railing, and said disdainfully, "So fragile?"
Lord Dugu explained, "That demon has scattered a bit of its divine will and spiritual light. Being able to maintain such a nimble form is already quite impressive."
It was probably after witnessing the Night Wandering Deity crushing the fox demon illusions, with such a lopsided victory and little danger, that the master-disciples and the Daoist couple, who had ascended to high points elsewhere in Lion Garden, belatedly—just a beat slower than the Book Collection Tower—began to display their abilities to slay demons and eliminate evil.
The fiery red marten on the old man's shoulder leaped into the air, its body shuddering, suddenly growing enormous. When it landed on a roof ridge, it was as big as an ox, a fire marten with flames flickering over its body.
And the tall youth waved his arm. The snake coiled around his arm, green as bamboo leaves, also lunged forward, turning into a giant snake over two zhang long.
They each pounced on the black-robed youths frantically fleeing toward the outside of Lion Garden.
The Daoist couple moved together, selecting an area near a garden. One wielded a flying sword from its sheath, like a swordsman controlling a sword to kill enemies; the other formed hand seals and paced in an asterism pattern, opening his mouth to spit out a thick mouthful of spiritual energy that surged out and scattered into the garden, covering the plants like fog. In an instant, from within the garden, various waist-high phantom spirits of all colors suddenly rose. When they caught up with the black-robed youths, those spirits exploded with a bang.
Chen Ping'an, Shi Rou, the Book Collection Tower each occupied one position, and together with the master-disciple and the couple, they totaled four people guarding the western side of Lion Garden.
On the wall, Chen Ping'an threw punches; Shi Rou used the golden dragon-whisker binding rope to block.
But there were too many demon illusions. On all four sides of Lion Garden's outer wall, nearly over forty black-robed youths kept crashing into the walls where golden talismans swam like dragons.
Lord Dugu in the Book Collection Tower forbade Meng Long from using her life-bound flying sword, and he himself stood idly by.
So there were many fish that slipped through the net, but even so, the presence of that Night Wandering Deity was so intimidating that many demon illusions originally heading toward the high wall near the Book Collection Tower changed their escape routes.
The direction of the Book Collection Tower actually had the fewest collisions.
While the western side, with "more people," had four cultivators stationed, it was the most dangerous area with the most collisions.
On Shi Rou's side, she was a bit flustered. After all, she was not a ghost adept at combat. And she didn't dare use the trump card given by Cui Dongshan, so nearly ten black-robed youths crashed into the wall, then were dissolved by the golden river on the outer wall. Some illusions that managed to break free crashed again, as if sacrificing themselves.
Shi Rou managed to hold on without major mistakes.
Chen Ping'an's punches didn't seem fast, but he blocked the most effortlessly.
He moved back and forth along the wall with his six-step stance, sleeves flapping, fists brimming with powerful energy.
However, the golden dragon swimming along the white wall had already dimmed significantly, and the surrounding walls were filled with countless holes like "small doors."
It was as if Chen Ping'an, after drawing talismans, was again dealing with these dazzling black-robed youths. When his pure true qi ran low, he had to stop and take a breath.
At that moment.
A sound like a giant fish turning over came from near the Liu clan's ancestral hall, then earth tremors shook from all directions with a rumbling noise.
The western side was the most intense.
Meng Long suddenly stood up, formed hand seals, closed her eyes, and used a secret technique to let her spirit leave her body and attach to the Night Wandering Deity. The golden-armored deity opened its eyes, bent its knees slightly, and launched itself into the air, leaving a large pit where it had stood. The three-zhang-tall Night Wandering Deity flew toward the west.
The Night Wandering Deity landed in the flower garden by the western high wall, sinking deep into the ground. It crouched down, swung one arm, and punched heavily into the ground again and again, sending mud flying.
It forcibly broke a small mountain root beneath Lion Garden.
Lord Dugu hesitated for a moment but still did not intervene.
Near the Book Collection Tower, a handsome youth five or six zhang tall emerged from the ground, drifting upward. Almost as tall as the Book Collection Tower, the demon rushed straight for the wall.
The golden dragon that had been circling the wall was like a tripwire for this black-robed youth. Manifesting its true form, it roared and continued striding forward, dragging the golden talisman light from other areas toward its direction.
It had already smashed through the wall, but a golden talisman line still clung stubbornly to its knee.
It lifted one foot high but could not break free from the annoying line, so it simply charged ahead.
The originally connected golden dragon snapped with a bang, pulled along by the black-robed great demon now in its golden body dharma form, dragging on the ground.
It was like a big fish that hadn't come off the hook but was so strong that it was dragging the fishing line and rod away.
Chen Ping'an pressed his hand on the mouth of the Sword-Nurturing Gourd. "Something's wrong. Wait a little longer."
A slender figure, who had been standing on a pavilion roof, turned into a white rainbow hanging in the sky. The pavilion beneath her collapsed with a crash as she swung her blade.
Liu Boqi had finally made her move. Her body now taller than the Book Collection Tower, she cut the golden dharma body in two with a single slash.
She didn't even look at the pitiful ruined golden body. "Go!" she said coldly.
From behind her back emerged a figure holding a blade, about the height of an ordinary person. Its body was like liquid silver and thunder, holding a black, slender blade longer than a person.
It flashed and disappeared.
In the next instant, it stood still, the tip of its long blade piercing a small hole in the wall.
Shi Rou swallowed her saliva and looked down.
At the tip of the blade was a squirming creature, pure white, palm-sized.
Liu Boqi flickered to the high wall near Shi Rou, walked toward the blade-wielding deity, and the two merged back into a single Liu Boqi.
But that extremely long blade remained, suspended still in the air. Liu Boqi walked to the tip of the blade and smiled. "Got you."
She did not immediately claim this Treasure Transformation Demon. Instead, she turned her head to look at the white-clad young man on the distant high wall, whose hand had already left the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, and asked, "What do you say? There are many of you. Want to fight for it?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "You've got the advantage; don't be smug."
Liu Boqi was "understanding." "I don't deny you put in a lot of effort to catch this thing, but I'm not used to sharing treasures with others. So, since I'm afraid you might be unhappy, how about we fight it out to decide who gets this little thing? I promise not to kill anyone. After the fight, if you're convinced, you might even be secretly glad you survived—that's already a good result."
Chen Ping'an walked along the wall toward the female swordsman from the Blade Master Hall.
At the Embroidery Tower, Zhu Lian darted out and stood on a protruding eave of a nearby roof, exactly the same as when the female swordsman first appeared in their courtyard.
Shi Rou took a few steps, stopped mid-air, first yielding the wall to Chen Ping'an, then following behind him when he passed.
Chen Ping'an waved his hand at Zhu Lian.
Liu Boqi also came to the wall and walked toward Chen Ping'an.
She left her life-bound treasure "Jiazuo" where it was, but held her drawn saber, "Jingshen."
She had a strange look in her eyes and asked, "Just you alone?"
Chen Ping'an reached behind his back, continued forward, and had already grasped the hilt of that "Sword Immortal."
A female swordsman from the Blade Master Hall.
A pure martial artist carrying a half-immortal weapon.
The two were no more than fifty paces apart.
Liu Boqi suddenly turned her head to look at the summit of a green mountain.
Almost simultaneously, Chen Ping'an also turned his head, seeing an old man's figure just then disappearing.
Liu Boqi withdrew her gaze and, from the corner of her eye, saw Liu clan members running over in the distance, including a pitiful scholar limping along.
Liu Boqi sheathed her saber. "Treasure Transformation Demon: I get seventy, you get thirty."
Seeing Chen Ping'an's puzzled expression, she was a little irritated. "What? You don't want it?!"
Chen Ping'an recalled her previous glance, had an epiphany, released the sword hilt, put one hand behind his back, and rubbed the Sword-Nurturing Gourd with the other, smiling. "A fifty-fifty split, and I'll agree."
Liu Boqi squinted. "Don't push your luck. Knowing when to stop is a good habit."
Shi Rou sighed, looking regretful, as if persuading Chen Ping'an, or perhaps afraid that Chen Ping'an would fight Liu Boqi. She said softly, "Master, perhaps just forget it. After all, Master isn't just a mountain dweller. It's good to have a reputation. Why not just let the immortal take the big advantage and we'll be done with it. Master still needs to stay in Green Luan Kingdom, watch the debate between Buddhism and Daoism, and visit old friends. Reputation and fame are very important to those scholarly gentlemen who care about face."
Chen Ping'an, one hand behind his back, gave Shi Rou a thumbs up.
Liu Boqi glanced at Shi Rou. "You, a ghost woman hiding inside an old man's skin, isn't it disgusting?"
Shi Rou smiled and said nothing.
The Liu clan members were getting closer.
Liu Boqi reached out, grasped her life-bound dharma blade Jiazuo, then took a very small handheld gourd from her sleeve, collected the slug into the yellow-skinned little gourd, and lowered her voice, speaking angrily to Chen Ping'an, "We'll split the spoils later."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. "Alright."
———
Old Minister Liu's entire family naturally expressed their boundless gratitude for the joint demon-subduing effort, especially toward both Liu Boqi and Chen Ping'an.
The crippled Liu Qingshan, red-eyed, found a private moment to bow first to the middle-aged female swordsman, then to Chen Ping'an and the others.
Liu Boqi pursed her lips and said nothing.
That evening, Lion Garden held a welcoming celebration banquet. Liu Boqi still wore a blank expression, occasionally picking up a chopstick of food. But even if she found it tedious and a waste of time, she sat through the entire banquet.
The next day, Liu Qingshan, somehow, stood shoulder to shoulder with Liu Boqi and invited Chen Ping'an to tour Lion Garden.
Chen Ping'an tried to decline but failed, so he had to go for a walk with them.
During the walk, Liu Boqi gave Chen Ping'an a cold glance.
Chen Ping'an pretended not to notice.
The sun was bright that day. After getting Chen Ping'an's permission, Pei Qian volunteered to single-handedly move books and bamboo slips to a clearing in Lion Garden to sun them out.
After she finished bustling, Pei Qian squatted on the ground, satisfied.
Two people approached from afar. Pei Qian knew who they were: the old teacher named Fu Sheng and the middle-aged Confucian scholar surnamed Liu, tutors at the Lion Garden family school.
So Pei Qian didn't stop them from coming closer.
The middle-aged scholar stopped a little way off.
Only the old gentleman walked over to Pei Qian and asked with a smile, "Little girl, could I take a look at the text on these bamboo slips?"
Pei Qian got up, made a formal bow, and greeted him as "Old Mr. Fu." Then, after thinking for a moment, she squatted back down and waved her hand. "Go ahead. It's nothing shameful. They're good things, copied painstakingly by my master from books, or else heard from others while traveling far away."
For example, Zhu Lian's recent casual remark about life being a book of suffering that best teaches how to live.
That was also carved word for word by Chen Ping'an onto a bamboo slip, but Pei Qian disliked that slip the most, so she put it at the very edge, all alone.
Anyway, she felt that bamboo slip couldn't compare to any of her master's other ones.
Pei Qian lifted her head and said with great seriousness, "Old gentleman, I'll say this in advance: If I let you see these precious treasures of my master, and if by chance my master gets angry, you'll have to take responsibility. You don't know how strict my master is with me. Oh well, there's no helping it—Master likes me, after all. Copying books, walking the stance... Ah, forget it, you old gentlemen in your study probably wouldn't understand these things. I bet you don't even know how many copper coins a steamed bun costs."
Pei Qian reminded him again earnestly, "Old gentleman, you can't make me suffer for my kindness, alright?"
The old man in blue smiled broadly. "Alright!"
And so the little girl stayed squatting, and the old man also squatted down, leafing through the bamboo slips one by one, gently picking them up and carefully putting them down.
This made Pei Qian breathe a sigh of relief.
After reading through about half the slips, the old man asked, "'A big fist is the greatest truth in the world.' Little girl, do you believe that?"
Without hesitation, Pei Qian said, "Yes! Otherwise, at such a young age, why would I practice walking stance every day, practice swordsmanship and knife techniques? The martial world is full of dangers and many bad guys."
Pei Qian wanted to say something about her grand ambitions, but suddenly remembered what Old Wei said: sharing deep thoughts with shallow acquaintances is a major taboo in the martial world. So she held back. She would keep those heart-to-heart words in her own heart. Only her master needed to know.
The middle-aged scholar in the distance furrowed his brow habitually.
But the old man laughed heartily.
Pei Qian didn't know what was so funny. She went to turn over some nearby bamboo slips to let the sun hit them, working hard while saying casually, "But Master taught me that to explain this truth, you have to talk about the order. The order can't be wrong: first, people must be reasonable, then if someone is unreasonable, a big fist makes it easier to reason with them. It's not about just telling people to rely only on how hard their fist is—and then completely forgetting things like being cautious in solitude, restraining oneself and returning to propriety, or asking oneself. Ah, Master said I'm young, I just need to remember these. Whether I understand or not, the books are waiting for me."
Finally Pei Qian concluded, "So what the old gentleman said has some truth, but it's not complete."
Only then did the middle-aged scholar's expression soften slightly.
The old man didn't laugh at Pei Qian, nor did he say anything.
Pei Qian's eyes sparkled. "Old gentleman, is my master very learned?"
The old man replied, "Just from these few words of your master, it's hard to tell how learned he is, but at the very least... he's very right. Mm, he makes no mistakes. It sounds simple, but it's actually not easy. And living by this principle is even harder."
Pei Qian raised an eyebrow and blocked the old man's path to reading more bamboo slips with her arms crossed. "Then old gentleman, better not read too many of them."
The old man laughed. "Oh, the little girl holds grudges."
Pei Qian nodded. "Respect the old and cherish the young. Old gentleman, you're old and I'm young, so we're even. Don't pull rank on a little girl."
The old man had to say, "Your master teaches well. What's even more commendable is that he can preserve your spiritual nature. Your master is very impressive."
Pei Qian first beamed with joy, then shook her head. "Are you saying that so you can read more bamboo slips? Fine, fine, go ahead. I'm afraid of you old teachers—always using tricks. Ah, how troublesome."
At this, even the middle-aged scholar allowed a slight smile.
The Supreme Sage once compiled a book with the core purpose being just three words: "thought without evil."
So much so that a great sage of later times, in order to maintain the Supreme Sage's moral perfection and not daring to arbitrarily cut out certain passages, had a very hard time annotating and explaining.
This caused Mr. Fu to laugh at him quite a bit.
This middle-aged scholar deeply agreed.
It seemed that the three teachings and hundred schools, including emperors and generals, the whole world had this problem.
But the middle-aged scholar thought that today's Mr. Fu was behaving a bit strangely—he had laughed again.
After flipping through all the bamboo slips, the old man stood up, looking at the little dark-skinned girl still diligently turning over the slips to dry them. He wanted to help, but Pei Qian quickly waved her hand, wiping sweat from her forehead with her arm, and laughed. "I respect the old a lot, old gentleman. No need for your help. If my master sees you helping, he'll definitely pull my ear."
The old man smiled, said goodbye, and made a gesture to signal that Pei Qian didn't need to stand up to bow—that was his way of cherishing the young.
The two teachers walked side by side on the shady path.
The middle-aged scholar seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
The old man named Fu Sheng said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, that young man is the closed-door disciple of the Old Scholar."
The middle-aged scholar's expression was complicated.
Fu Sheng sighed. "Let's not get involved."
The middle-aged scholar nodded, then asked, "When will you accept Liu Qingshan as your disciple? I think Liu Qingshan has already passed the test this time."
Fu Sheng shook his head. "It's still too early. He's read ten thousand volumes in the study, so he understands some principles. But how to put them into practice? He needs to travel ten thousand miles, see more people and things."
The middle-aged scholar asked, "Are you planning to take Liu Qingshan back to the Central Divine Continent? And hand him those copies of the sages' classics that you single-handedly saved back then?"
Fu Sheng thought for a moment. "I might not necessarily accompany this child on his travels. That would be too conspicuous and might not be a good thing."
This old man, once lauded as "continuing the incense of Confucianism for the world," suddenly laughed. "Although the Old Scholar's scholarly lineage is different from ours, I have to admit that his eye for choosing disciples has been going upward—from Cui Chan to Zuo You to Qi Jingchun..."
The middle-aged scholar shook his head. "That young man, at least for now, doesn't deserve such praise from you, Mr. Fu."
———
The crippled Liu Qingshan brought Chen Ping'an and Liu Boqi to his study for a visit.
Liu Boqi immediately spotted the small wooden box containing the last emperor's Imperial Hunting Treasure from a great dynasty. In the hands of a cultivator with no affinity for it and limited vision, it was just a small gold piece, worth at most a few Minor Heat coins.
And she certainly belonged to the category of cultivators with no affinity.
She had some ideas.
Afterward, Lord Dugu and his maid Meng Long were the first to leave Lion Garden, taking only a couple of mundane antiques.
The master-disciple pair of cultivators who also traveled with them—the Liu family didn't know where they'd gotten a pile of immortal coins—left with even more, their pockets full.
Then the Daoist couple also departed, equally richly rewarded, with Minor Heat coins in their pockets far beyond expectations, hopping with joy.
Chen Ping'an had originally wanted to leave much earlier, but Liu Qingshan kept insisting he stay, so he remained three more days, exploring Lion Garden thoroughly.
Liu Qingshan, occasionally worried, invited Chen Ping'an for drinks every time.
Chen Ping'an understood that it was about the family affairs concerning the Embroidery Tower, but he didn't meddle.
During these days, Liu Boqi came to the small courtyard twice. Once to tell Chen Ping'an that she had beaten the Willow Tree Lady almost to death and that she would likely behave for the next century.
Another time to split the spoils with Chen Ping'an.
You couldn't cut a Treasure Transformation Demon in half with the blade Jingshen. In fact, any Earth Immortal Treasure Transformation Demon in the world, if properly nurtured and trained, could achieve great potential in the Dao.
Of course, if one found it too costly in immortal coins and opportunities and killed it for its treasure, that would also be a huge fortune.
So Liu Boqi converted it into a sum of Grain Rain coins as compensation for Chen Ping'an.
After Liu Boqi left, Chen Ping'an and his apprentice Pei Qian faced a small pile of coins on the table. Pei Qian beamed, and Chen Ping'an smiled too, patting her head. "Then I won't pull your ear."
Pei Qian was confused. "What?"
Chen Ping'an bent over the table without answering, looking at that small mountain of Grain Rain coins.
Pei Qian crossed her arms, stood up straight, and stopped thinking about that remark. Happily, she asked, "Master, I'm not a loss-making asset this time, am I?"
Chen Ping'an sat up, smiling, and grabbed Pei Qian's cheeks, kneading them into funny shapes.
Zhu Lian sat at the door reading a book, completely absorbed. At a particularly exciting part, he couldn't bear to turn the page.
He missed that Old Man Xun.
Shi Rou glanced at the book in Zhu Lian's hand and was nearly furious.
———
On the last day in Lion Garden, as Chen Ping'an and his party were about to set off for the capital, just around dawn, Liu Boqi came alone and handed Chen Ping'an the Imperial Hunting Treasure that had been taken from the wooden box. Expressionless, she said, "This is what Old Minister Liu promised you earlier. It's yours. If you refine it into your life-bound object, it will be exceptionally outstanding. Apart from the lingering literary fortune of a secular dynasty, having been placed in Lion Garden for several hundred years, it also contains the Liu family's literary fortune. I have no use for it, but you, Chen Ping'an, if you successfully refine it, it will have miraculous effects for a half-baked scholar like you. Most importantly, even if you already have a metal-element life-bound object, you can still dissolve and refine this. It might even upgrade the quality of your original life-bound object, making your future cultivation path smoother."
Chen Ping'an took the small Imperial Hunting Treasure, examined it, then handed it back to Liu Boqi, whispering, "Quietly put it back in Liu Qingshan's study. Don't put it in too conspicuous a place."
Liu Boqi frowned. "You don't want it? Do you think I'm deceiving you, that this Imperial Hunting Treasure is not what it's purported to be?"
Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered to explain.
He called Pei Qian, who had already slung her small bundle over her shoulder and held her mountain walking staff, and left the courtyard, walking along the quiet path outside Lion Garden.
Liu Boqi remained in the courtyard and suddenly smiled.
If Chen Ping'an had dared to accept it.
She would have drawn her blade and killed him.
So why did Chen Ping'an refuse this gift that was rightfully his?
Was it because he sensed her motive and dared not take it, or did he genuinely not want it?
Liu Boqi didn't dwell on it. Since the Imperial Hunting Treasure stayed, Chen Ping'an's thoughts were none of her business.
Pei Qian hopped and skipped beside Chen Ping'an, who was walking his six-step stance, and asked curiously, "Master, why didn't you want that gold piece? It looked so nice. And that female swordsman said so many good things."
As Chen Ping'an punched and walked his stance, he smiled. "The Liu family's literary fortune is tied to it. If we took it away, what would happen to Liu Qingshan? He did give you a book, after all."
Pei Qian thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, Uncle Cripple is already so pitiful. Better to let him keep it."
Then Pei Qian fell into step with Chen Ping'an's stance.
She suddenly laughed. "Master, is this called 'A gentleman does not take what others cherish'?"
Chen Ping'an continued his punches, walking slowly, and shook his head. "I am still far from being a true gentleman."
"How far? As far as it is from Lion Garden to here?"
"Probably farther than from Lotus Flower Blessed Land to Lion Garden."
"That far?!"
"That's right."
"Master, but no matter how far, it's still within walking distance, isn't it?"
"Exactly. As long as you don't take the wrong path."
Pei Qian suddenly stopped, standing still for a moment. After Zhu Lian and Shi Rou passed her and walked ahead, she quietly reached behind her back, made a loose fist, then ran over to Zhu Lian, grinning. "Wanna guess what I'm hiding in my hand?"
Zhu Lian glowered. "Get lost."
Pei Qian extended her hand to Shi Rou. "Big sister Shi Rou, guess! If you're right, I'll give it to you."
Shi Rou rolled her eyes.
Chen Ping'an had been secretly amused, but when he saw Pei Qian turn to him with a grin, he didn't wait for her to speak and immediately gave her a rap on the head.