Chapter 396: Drawing Water with a Bamboo Basket to Fish for the Moon
(Happy Mid-Autumn Festival~)
Both noticed Chen Ping'an's unusual state. Zhu Lian and Shi Rou exchanged a glance. Zhu Lian chuckled and said, "You go first."
Shi Rou suppressed the discomfort in her heart. This old bastard's lecherous gaze would probably still be nauseating even a hundred years from now. She whispered, "I am a yin creature, inherently restrained by the capital's terrain. Within the range of the young master's vision, something has appeared that makes me even more unsettled. And you?"
Zhu Lian nodded and said, "Just now, the young master sensed something and turned to look. Miss Shi Rou, you then raised your gaze into the distance with a dazed expression—it was quite moving."
Shi Rou snapped angrily, "Even Pei Qian knows to treat people with sincerity. Don't you, you old shameless man, understand?"
Pei Qian felt a bit wronged. "Sister Shi Rou, what do you mean by 'even'? I study reading and writing very diligently, okay?"
Shi Rou could only offer an apologetic look.
Pei Qian waved her hand grandly and began haphazardly piecing together grand principles she'd read in books: "No one is a sage without fault. There is no one in the world who cannot be forgiven..."
Pei Qian sensed trouble and, sure enough, soon found herself being pulled along by the ear, walking on tiptoe with squeals of pain as Chen Ping'an dragged her.
Chen Ping'an scolded, "Those hard-won sages' principles in the books—you don't even have a partial understanding of them yet, and you dare to show off nonsense like that?"
Pei Qian immediately admitted her mistake.
Her ear was burning hot and painful.
After going through storms and tribulations, she now had a rough idea of the severity of her master's anger. Knuckle raps on the head, even heavy ones, were still okay—it meant the master wasn't truly angry. But ear-pulling meant the master was genuinely angry. If he pulled hard, that was serious—his anger was considerable. However, thumps on the head and ear-pulling were nothing compared to when Chen Ping'an was angry but kept silent, doing nothing, neither hitting nor scolding. That was what Pei Qian feared the most.
Chen Ping'an found an inn in the bustling market district, located in the capital's most prosperous area, Changle Ward, which had many bookshops.
But today, inn rooms in the capital of Qingluan Kingdom were extremely tight. Only two separate rooms were available, and the price was obviously price gouging. The young clerk at the counter had an expression that said, "Take it or leave it, get lost if you don't want it." Chen Ping'an still paid and checked in, though he first had to show the clerk his travel permit. The clerk copied the details into the registry, which the capital's government offices would later check. When Chen Ping'an produced several household registries and permits that Cui Dongshan had prepared in advance, the clerk, after confirming they were correct, immediately changed his attitude. After copying everything, he respectfully returned the documents with both hands. The clerk became extremely attentive, even apologizing to Chen Ping'an, saying that the inn really couldn't free up any more rooms, but as soon as a guest checked out, he would definitely notify Young Master Chen immediately.
Chen Ping'an smiled and said okay. Soon, a young maiden called out by the clerk led Chen Ping'an's group to their lodgings.
The clerk immediately went to find the innkeeper and reported that a group of travelers from the Great Li Dynasty's capital had arrived, journeying south.
The innkeeper was a bloated, fat man whose eyes were nearly invisible. He wore the common silk robes of a wealthy man and was leisurely sipping tea in a quiet side building. After hearing what the clerk said, and seeing the latter's simpleminded expression of attentive listening, he immediately lost his temper. He kicked the clerk and cursed, "What are you standing here dumbfounded for? Do you want me to pour you a cup of tea to quench your thirst? Since these are distinguished guests from the Great Li capital, hurry up and attend to them! Damn it, the Great Li iron cavalry is almost at the gates of Zhuying Dynasty. If this really is some noble young master from a Great Li official's household... forget it, I'll go myself. I don't trust you to handle this, boy..."
The young clerk, who had tried to claim credit and instead got a kick, muttered complaints under his breath. Then he got a heavy slap from the innkeeper. "I know with my ass that you gave them that 'dog eyes look down on people' attitude earlier. If it weren't for the fact that you call me 'brother-in-law,' I'd have sent you out to pick up dog shit on the streets long ago."
The young man, who had gotten the job at the inn through this connection, only dared to curse and complain when he returned to the counter. His sister, as beautiful as flowers and jade, becoming the concubine of this fat pig... well, it was actually quite a blessing. No worries about food or clothing, wearing gold and silver. Every time she returned to their family's shabby alley, it was like an imperial consort from the palace, very glorious. And because of that, he, as her younger brother, also had face to show off.
The innkeeper personally came out and managed to free up one more room for Chen Ping'an. So Pei Qian and Shi Rou shared a room. Shi Rou, being a yin creature, was suited for nighttime cultivation and didn't need sleep, so Pei Qian got the bed to herself. Chen Ping'an was worried that Pei Qian might be uncomfortable with Shi Rou's yin creature identity and Du Mao's skin casing, so he asked Pei Qian first. Pei Qian said she didn't mind at all. Shi Rou certainly didn't mind either. If she had to share a room with Zhu Lian, that would be a dragon's pool and tiger's den that made her hair stand on end.
Worldly matters were as numerous as hairs. Chen Ping'an had long grown accustomed to being more attentive. If he was attentive, the people around him could deal with fewer trivial matters and focus on serious things. This was the same approach he'd used when escorting Li Baoping and the others on their studies in Great Sui.
The two rooms were quite far apart, so Pei Qian stayed in Chen Ping'an's room to copy texts.
Chen Ping'an practiced his Heaven and Earth Stance, while Zhu Lian, having nothing to do, stood in a corner maintaining the form of an ape.
In truth, both Zhu Lian, who was already a Far Roaming realm martial artist, and Chen Ping'an, who had yet to break into the sixth realm, had long known that true skill lay in the minutiae of daily life. The fist frames while walking, the different methods for climbing mountains and wading through water, the breathing while sitting, and even the sleeping posture—both Zhu Lian and Chen Ping'an had their own methods for nurturing their fist intent. As for Pei Qian, she was still young and hadn't reached that level, but Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian had to admit that some people in the world indeed had extraordinary talent for martial arts. Even the martial path, which was famously about being down-to-earth and having no shortcuts, seemed to have been cheated by Pei Qian. For example, Chen Ping'an had taught her the Eighteen Halts of Sword Qi, and the speed of her progress had already made him feel ashamed of his inferiority back at the Dust and Ashes Medicine Shop in Old Dragon City.
When Chen Ping'an withdrew from his Heaven and Earth Stance, Zhu Lian was eager to try. Chen Ping'an understood, so he had Pei Qian, who had already finished copying, use her walking staff to draw a circle on the ground. He and Zhu Lian would spar inside the circle; whoever stepped out lost. Back on the main street of the Colorful Garlands Kingdom, when Chen Ping'an had "reunited" with Ma Kuxuan after a long separation, they had used this method to determine a so-called victory and defeat that hid deeper mysteries. If Chen Ping'an hadn't known that Ma Kuxuan's True Martial Mountain guardian was watching coldly from the shadows, the two peers from Mud Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley might have fought to the death right there.
For Ma Kuxuan, whose parents had owned a dragon kiln very early on, Chen Ping'an would not be lenient. Old grudges and new grievances—there would come a day when the thread of truth was unraveled and accounts settled.
After Pei Qian finished drawing a large circle, she looked a bit troubled. The immortal technique that Cui Dongshan had taught her—she just couldn't learn it no matter what.
Chen Ping'an and Zhu Lian stood inside the circle, exchanging dull punches in a space of only about ten square feet.
Zhu Lian naturally suppressed his martial realm, just like Zheng Dafeng had done when feeding punches to the four of them in the painting.
After the time it takes to burn one incense stick, Chen Ping'an was struck by Zhu Lian's fist and fell backward. With both feet rooted inside the circle, he then took an elbow to the chest and crashed heavily to the ground. Chen Ping'an slammed both palms onto the ground. When his back was only about a foot from the floor, his body spun, sleeves fluttering like a top. His feet traced the circle's boundary line as he circled around to Zhu Lian's side, only to get kicked in the chest and sent crashing into the wall.
Chen Ping'an pressed his palms against the wall before his back hit it, dispersing all the force. Otherwise, given the power of Zhu Lian's kick, it wouldn't have been just a matter of breaking through one wall. He eventually landed lightly and said with a smile, "I lost."
Zhu Lian asked with a grin, "All those weird and wonderful moves you have, young master—did you learn them from the final sixty-year battle in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land? Like Ding Ying, who took my Daoist crown back then?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Ding Ying's martial arts were very eclectic. I learned a lot from him."
After the two sat down, Zhu Lian poured a cup of tea for Chen Ping'an and said slowly, "Ding Ying is the most talented martial artist I've ever seen. He was meticulous and showed signs of being a hegemon early on. In the battle of the Southern Gardens Kingdom, I knew I was done for. I had accumulated fist intent all my life, but the spring thunder just wouldn't strike. At that time, although I was seriously injured and Ding Ying had endured hardship until the very end before revealing himself, if I had really wanted to kill him back then, it would have been no more than snapping a chick's neck. So I simply spared his life and even gave him the Daoist crown, a relic of an exiled immortal. I never expected that in the sixty years that followed, not only did that young man not disappoint me, but his ambition was even greater than mine."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "No wonder Ding Ying was so secretive about that battle that launched his martial career and never mentioned it to anyone. Probably because he was too embarrassed to brag about it and didn't want to expose his own shortcomings."
Pei Qian said angrily, "You don't know how much that old man made my master suffer."
Zhu Lian said with a sly smile, "If I'd known, I should have just killed Ding Ying with one punch back then. Right?"
Pei Qian had learned from her mistakes. She first looked at Chen Ping'an, then at Zhu Lian's smug expression that seemed to be digging a pit for her to fall into so he could fill it back up. She immediately shook her head. "No, no."
When Pei Qian saw that her master didn't give her a thump on the head, she knew she had answered correctly.
She carefully put away the brush, ink, inkstone, and paper from the table into Chen Ping'an's bamboo chest, poured herself a cup of tea, then suddenly stood up and whispered in Chen Ping'an's ear, "Master, I don't know what happened, but now when I look at books again, at a glance, it seems like the characters have become much more beautiful."
Chen Ping'an didn't take it seriously and asked with a smile, "What do you mean?"
Pei Qian, wary of Zhu Lian eavesdropping, lowered her voice even further. "Before, those little ink blocks were like me—dark and blurry. But now when I look at them, they're different. They're like... who?" She started counting on her fingers. "Huang Ting, who taught me sword and saber techniques; the vixen Yao Jinzhi; Fan Junmao, who's kind of bad-tempered; Jinsu, who's with Aunt Gui. Master, I have to say upfront, it was Old Wei who said Sister Jinzhi was a vixen—a country-toppling beauty. I didn't say that. I don't even know what 'vixen' means."
Zhu Lian burst out laughing, undermining her. "Oh, cut the crap..."
Pei Qian quickly ran over, trying to cover Zhu Lian's mouth—that mouth that could never produce anything good, like an old woman's prattle. But Zhu Lian wasn't about to let her succeed. He dodged left and right while Pei Qian flailed wildly.
Watching the old man and young girl's horseplay, Chen Ping'an reminded them, "After we buy what we're interested in and visit a few famous historical sites, we'll stay at most two more days. Then we'll head to that immortal ferry in the east of Qingluan Kingdom and go straight to the Cliff Academy in Great Sui."
Zhu Lian, while dodging Pei Qian, nodded with a smile. "The old servant naturally needs no worry from the young master. I'm just afraid this girl will be lawless, like a runaway wild horse, and then it'll be like that ox cart that charged into the reed marsh..."
Pei Qian shouted angrily, "Zhu Lian, if you keep being such a jinx, I'll really get nasty with you!"
Just as Zhu Lian was about to tease the charcoal girl a bit more, Chen Ping'an said, "Don't talk like a jinx."
Zhu Lian immediately nodded. "The young master's instruction is well taken."
Pei Qian sat down, one hand on her belly and the other pointing at Zhu Lian. Finally catching a chance to get back at him, she laughed heartily. "And you still have the nerve to accuse me of trimming my sails? Old cook, cut the crap."
Zhu Lian said seriously, "What you do is called 'a grass atop a wall bending with the wind.' What I do is called 'a wise man understands the times and adapts'—a brilliant man, a handsome man."
Pei Qian blinked her eyes and asked curiously, "Master said you were once an incomparably handsome young master in our Lotus Flower Blessed Land?"
Before Zhu Lian could start boasting about his past glories and achievements, Pei Qian was already clutching her belly with both hands, knocking her head on the table. "Cut the crap! I'm dying laughing! Oh my, my stomach hurts..."
Seeing Chen Ping'an also trying to suppress a laugh, Zhu Lian felt a bit wistful.
——
As the Buddhist-Daoist debate was coming to an end, at a summer retreat palace on the outskirts of Qingluan Kingdom's capital, Emperor Tang Li made a secret visit. Distinguished guests had arrived, and even though Tang Li was a mortal sovereign, he could not afford to be negligent.
The visitor was an elder of high prestige from the Yunlin Jiang Clan. He was not only an old immortal of the Upper Five Realms, serving as a stabilizing pillar, but also the Grand Tutor responsible for teaching all the disciples of the entire Yunlin Jiang Clan. His name was Jiang Mao.
Also present was a legitimate daughter of the Jiang Clan who had married into the Fu family of Old Dragon City and had returned home for the first time to visit her family, accompanied by a tutoring matron who had left the Jiang Clan with her. Rumors said she was an infant-binding sword cultivator of terrifying killing power.
Tang Li had two people with him. One was an imperial elder to whom he could safely delegate power, Tang Zhong, who by seniority was actually Emperor Tang Li's uncle. He had engaged in extensive private correspondence with old Vice Minister Liu Jingting, often arguing—correspondence that Tang Li had actually read.
The other was an old man with an aquiline nose, the number one registered immortal master of Qingluan Kingdom: Zhou Lingzhi. Many had forgotten that this old immortal master was originally a wild cultivator from the mountains and marshes. But he had served the Tang emperors for three generations. Although his reputation wasn't great, Tang Li had grown up in the imperial household, his vision focused on unifying the realm and ensuring the dynasty's longevity for ten thousand years. How could he care about such insignificant criticisms?
When he saw the old immortal from the Yunlin Jiang Clan, Emperor Tang Li of Qingluan Kingdom had to greet him with the courtesy of a junior, no matter how poorly he usually treated the immortal masters on his own territory.
The two parties sat facing each other, as if deliberately avoiding any distinction between host and guest—certainly no sense of a sovereign.
The old man did not put on airs as he had in previous encounters. His conversation was cordial.
Tang Li had a Ministry of Rites official present a large stack of dossiers and some scrolls recorded using immortal inscription techniques. The official was a young, well-featured, articulate man from the Ministry of Rites. While Jiang Mao casually flipped through the dossiers and browsed the scrolls, the bureau vice director briefed the old Jiang immortal on the process of the Buddhist-Daoist debate. He covered the details appropriately, focusing only on the highlights, the thrilling and breathtaking parts, in a concise and crisp manner. Even when speaking to a legendary Upper Five Realms cultivator, he was neither humble nor arrogant. Occasionally asked questions, he responded appropriately, bringing credit to the emperor.
Tang Li was very satisfied. He turned sideways and looked at his uncle Tang Zhong.
Tang Zhong introduced softly, "Song Shanxi of the Rites Ministry's Bureau of Ceremonies, a member of the Qingsong Commandery Song Clan, second-place scholar of the Autumn Champion second year."
Tang Li said, "At the next capital examination, he can be promoted."
Tang Zhong nodded with a smile.
Tang Li suddenly asked, "Why isn't Marshal Wei here today?"
Tang Zhong explained, "Marshal Wei has a good relationship with a Jiang Clan disciple named Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun is reunited with his sister here, so he dragged Marshal Wei along."
Upon hearing the emperor address Wei Liang as "Marshal Wei," the old man Zhou Lingqing, nominally the number one immortal master of Qingluan Kingdom, felt his eyelids twitch slightly.
In the southeastern region of Bottle Gourd Continent, the world knew that Qingluan Kingdom's central region had a hereditary Grand Marshal Wei, always a single son, yet the lineage had been passed down successfully and smoothly through the generations, despite the risks.
Since the founding of the Qingluan Kingdom by Emperor Tang, many emperors had come and gone, but Marshal Wei had always been one and the same person.
This Wei Liang, who kept a low profile and had a profound connection with the Tang clan, was the one Zhou Lingzhi feared most in Qingluan Kingdom—no question about it.
After finishing his reading and listening, Jade Perfection realm cultivator Jiang Mao asked with a smile, "I heard that Liu Qingshan of Lion Garden performed exceptionally after being added to the test temporarily. Besides the written records, do you have any scrolls I could view?"
Tang Zhong shook his head. "Reporting to Elder Jiang, someone warned us not to enter Lion Garden without authorization. Even our Master Zhou could only observe from a mountain peak outside Lion Garden. But based on reports from inside and Master Zhou's reserved observations through controlling mountains and rivers, Liu Qingshan, the second son of Liu Jingting, did indeed pass on his own merits, without any external help."
Jiang Mao smiled slightly. "Isn't it just that Great Li National Master Cui Chan? What's there to be taboo about?"
Tang Zhong said with a smile, "It is indeed National Master Cui."
But Emperor Tang Li felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.
Given the overall situation on the continent, Qingluan Kingdom was forced to scheme with Cui Chan and Great Li. As emperor, he knew this well. In front of the Embroidery Tiger, he had already fallen behind in many respects. Jiang Mao's casual mention of Cui Chan's name showed that he and the Yunlin Jiang Clan behind him did not take Great Li and Cui Chan seriously. So for Qingluan Kingdom, despite the outward politeness, how much contempt did the Jiang Clan hold for the Tang clan deep down?
Although Tang Li was displeased, his face remained expressionless.
To put it bluntly, if Jiang Mao wanted to spit in his face, Emperor Tang Li of Qingluan Kingdom would have to smile and bear it, and perhaps even ask if the old immortal was thirsty.
Jiang Mao didn't continue to embarrass Tang Li. He pulled out a few scrolls. On them were two locations with two people: White Water Temple, south of the capital, famous for its clear spring water; and White Cloud Temple in the capital, which had little renown. One was a young white-robed monk, the other a middle-aged temple-abbot Daoist. Jiang Mao nodded and said, "From the current situation, the Buddhist side wins on the surface, the Daoist side wins behind the scenes. The Confucian student Liu Qingshan, pushed forward by your Qingluan Kingdom, has performed admirably. He might still have a chance. But if nothing more impressive is presented, he'll at most compete for second place. Is that acceptable? Would it be good for either the Daoist or Buddhist side to become Qingluan Kingdom's state religion?"
There was some aggressiveness in his tone.
The Yunlin Jiang Clan was the most ancient powerful clan on Bottle Gourd Continent, once a top-tier great clan in the Central Earth Divine Continent.
The Jiang Clan had served as one of the ceremonial officials before Confucianism was "established as a teaching." In this first Three Teachings debate on Bottle Gourd Continent, who the Yunlin Jiang Clan would favor was obvious.
But if Qingluan Kingdom, merely out of deference to Jiang Mao and the Jiang Clan's face, forcibly elevated Confucianism—which wasn't even part of the Buddhist-Daoist debate—to become the Tang state religion, then sharp-eyed observers would know it was the Jiang Clan's doing. How could the Jiang Clan tolerate such criticism as "a flaw in white jade"?
Thus, this was the hardest part about dealing with Jiang Mao. The result had to be achieved, and the process had to leave no fault for onlookers to find. Not a single word of gossip could be attracted to the Yunlin Jiang Clan.
Currently, scholars from the central regions of Bottle Gourd Continent were migrating south, and gentlemen were gathering in Qingluan Kingdom. They were already very dissatisfied with this Buddhist-Daoist debate, which had no scholar participation. These foreign powerful clans were very vocal. Many arrogant families with bad tempers clamored that if either Buddhism or Daoism became the state religion, they would move out of Qingluan Kingdom. In fact, the core figures in Qingluan Kingdom's central government, as well as true Daoist immortals and eminent Buddhist monks, knew well that this contest between the two teachings was for second place—to avoid being last.
And the emperor of Qingshan Kingdom, willing to bring his several astonishingly beautiful consorts to watch the excitement in Qingluan Kingdom's capital, was really there to see how shameless Emperor Tang Li would be, how he would curry favor with the Yunlin Jiang Clan and the surging wave of southern-gentried scholars, and whether he would end up becoming a joke across half the continent, pleasing none of the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist sides.
Emperor Tang Li had a faint smile, rubbing his finger on the tea table in front of him.
Tang Zhong spoke up: "In truth, the person Grand National Master Cui Chan of Great Li is truly promoting is Liu Qingshan's elder brother, Liu Qingfeng, a Confucian disciple whose scholarship borders on Legalism."
Jiang Mao narrowed his eyes. "Oh? What is unusual about him? I would like to see for myself."
Tang Zhong stood up and took out two yellowed books he had prepared. One was a Confucian sage's text, the other a Legalist work.
Tang Zhong was about to walk over and present the books.
Without any visible movement from Jiang Mao, the two books flew out of Tang Zhong's hands and landed on the table in front of Jiang Mao. He casually placed the Confucian text in a corner, as if looking at it would be a waste of time. On Bottle Gourd Continent, who was qualified to speak of "rites" in front of the Yunlin Jiang Clan? This wasn't because the old immortal was arrogant, but because of the clan's foundation and his own scholarship—as solid as a mountain.
Jiang Mao opened the Legalist book with Liu Qingfeng's reading notes. He read quickly, sometimes disapproving, sometimes nodding slightly. Finally, his gaze stopped at a certain page. Next to a certain sentence, judging by the handwriting, it had been annotated three times. The original sentence in the book was: "Loving people without favoritism, hating people without inflicting harm, liking and disliking each according to their correctness—this is the ultimate governance." In the margin near this sentence, Liu Qingfeng had first written: "'Ultimate' is inappropriate, too lofty; it should be revised to 'fundamental.'"
Jiang Mao looked over the other two reading notes and smiled. "Not bad. You can try using this to test the capacity of that Daoist from White Cloud Temple."
This old immortal, nominally the highest cultivator in the Yunlin Jiang Clan, casually tore out the page stamped with Liu Qingfeng's personal seal mark. The two books returned to the table in front of Tang Zhong. Jiang Mao said, "Find an opportunity to let that Daoist from White Cloud Temple coincidentally obtain this book recently. Then we'll see what that temple abbot has to say."
Tang Zhong agreed.
Compared to the undercurrents in Jiang Mao's presence.
At the summer retreat palace, in a secluded cool pavilion surrounded by green bamboo, things were much more harmonious and joyful.
The tall young man who had once obtained the opportunity of the iron chain from Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, Jiang Yun—the one who lived at the end of the alley in Bee Tail Ferry—was chatting with his sister, who had married into Old Dragon City.
Grand Marshal Wei Liang sat off to the side, also chatting idly with the listless tutoring matron.
Jiang Yun looked at his sister's appearance and was caught between laughter and tears.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Judging by appearance? I think it's quite beautiful."
Jiang Yun smiled bitterly. "Sis, I have to be honest: your current looks really don't count as beautiful."
The plump woman rolled her eyes. "I'll just wait and see what kind of celestial maiden you end up marrying. When the time comes, I'll help you take a look, so you don't get fooled by some fox spirit."
Jiang Yun put his palms together in a plea. "Please, no. I'm afraid your temper will scare off my future wife with just a few words."
The woman was about to nag a bit more, but Jiang Yun wisely changed the subject. "Sis, what is Fu Nanhua like?"
The woman shook her head. "He's just so-so. Pretty good. We don't interfere with each other. Mutual respect. Very good."
Jiang Yun laughed loudly. "Then I definitely need to find a chance to have a drink with that poor brother-in-law of mine. We can complain to each other. If we talk for a few days and nights, we might even become friends."
The legitimate Jiang daughter said indifferently, "Do whatever you want."
She remembered something and asked quietly, "Did your master and his close friend go treasure hunting? Did they succeed? If they did, let me sneak with you to Bee Tail Ferry. I've never seen the glass-gold body of a Flight Ascent realm great cultivator after death and dissolution. We have a piece at home, but the old ancestor hides it away. I haven't been able to find it all these years."
She whispered, "If you let me see that thing, I'll give you a very special gift. I guarantee it will make all the young cultivators on the continent jealous."
Jiang Yun waved his hand. "No need. My master's temper is just as bad. When it comes to something as big as glass-gold body fragments, if I dare to act on my own, even if he's usually easygoing, it won't work. He'll skin me alive. No joke. Back then, my master said I had to choose either to go to Pear Blossom Cave Heaven or to train in that blessed land of the Divine Edict Sect. I had to pick one. When I came back, he started backtracking, saying that blessed land training was also necessary. Since I'd already been to the Cave Heaven, good things come in pairs. With my good fortune in the Cave Heaven, having obtained a treasure, maybe I'd trick a pretty wife in the blessed land..."
Jiang Yun looked frustrated. "Having such a shameless master, there's no reasoning with him."
The woman snorted. "You really don't know your blessings. In the history of Bottle Gourd Continent, how many wild cultivators from mountains and marshes have managed to reach the Upper Five Realms? Let someone as arrogant as Li Tuanjing admire you sincerely? Let you become sworn brothers with that eccentric old gang leader? You should be satisfied. When you have time, go back to the clan and burn some incense to honor the ancestors. Thank them for accumulating virtue."
Jiang Yun's expression was indifferent as he shook his head. "Don't try to convince me to go back. I just don't have the energy for it."
The woman sighed and flicked his forehead. "You've been this stubborn since you were little. Now that you're an immortal master on the mountains, you still can't let go of those things from early on?"
Jiang Yun didn't respond.
He glanced at the tutoring matron. The woman gently shook her head, signaling Jiang Yun not to ask.
During their silence, it happened that Grand Marshal Wei Liang and the tutoring matron were casually discussing the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven and that Blue-Green Spirit Lady.
Wei Liang looked around at the lush green bamboo and said with a half-serious, half-joking smile, "Wise men, gentlemen, and scholars all love this green bamboo. But I would like to chop down ten thousand bamboo stems of evil."
The Jiang legitimate daughter teased, "Mr. Wei, if you start cutting bamboo here, it wouldn't be good to leave that ancestor of ours, who wanted to test his knowledge with you, cooling his heels, would it?"
Wei Liang smiled. "If I sat there, I'd be stealing too much of the limelight. That would go against a subject's duty."
She was about to jab him with a retort.
Wei Liang said with a grin, "Little Jiang, you know, I held you when you were a baby. Time flies. In the blink of an eye, the dark little girl in swaddling clothes has become a grown woman married off."
She glared at him, took out a piece of ginger—which she had loved to eat since childhood—and bit into it fiercely.
Wei Liang laughed heartily.
Jiang Yun was filled with admiration.
——
Recently, many people had left Lion Garden on the capital's outskirts. Once the haunting demonic creatures were eliminated, the outsiders left, and the family members also departed.
Liu Qingya, the eldest daughter who had been stuck at her parents' home for a long time, hurriedly took her husband and left first. Once bitten, twice shy—her husband had been thoroughly terrified this time.
Then the two private tutors of the Liu family left together.
Next, the second son Liu Qingshan and the female Daoist Liu Boqi prepared to travel north on horseback, first going to see Guanhu Academy.
Then came Liu Jingting's youngest daughter, Liu Qingqing, who headed to a certain immortal sect with her maid Zhao Ya. Her elder brother Liu Qingfeng took leave from the government to personally escort his sister. That mountain mansion was not close to Qingluan Kingdom's capital—over six hundred li. When old Vice Minister Liu was in office, he had a good relationship with the sect's head, so in addition to a generous apprenticeship gift, he also wrote a letter for Liu Qingfeng to bring. The general content was to beg the sect to accept his daughter as a nominal disciple to cultivate on the mountain for a few years, even if Liu Qingqing's aptitude was poor and she wasn't cut out for the Daoist path.
In truth, even if Liu Jingting was no longer a Vice Minister of Rites, as long as he was still alive, it wouldn't be difficult for his daughter Liu Qingqing to enter any immortal sect in Qingluan Kingdom. She didn't even need the letter.
Along the way, the two horse-drawn carriages traveled slowly. Liu Qingqing's smile gradually increased, and her maid Zhao Ya was naturally happy too.
Liu Qingfeng mostly sat in the carriage reading. When they stopped at post stations along the route, he got down to handle connections and socialize. It was more than just the meticulous etiquette of a noble son. The local petty officials and clerks, whether pure or turbid, were all slippery and observant. Liu Qingfeng, as a county magistrate, didn't treat them with false courtesy and true aloofness, nor did he truly treat them with respect. He was straightforward, so everyone had a good impression of him. This became an interesting topic of discussion at various post stations.
Liu Qingqing was a young woman and not very old, so she couldn't see the subtle details of her elder brother Liu Qingfeng's behavior. But the sharp-eyed Zhao Ya was astonished. She felt that the eldest young master inside Lion Garden and Magistrate Liu outside Lion Garden were two completely different people.
When they arrived at the immortal mansion nestled amidst layered green peaks, Liu Qingqing's visit to seek an immortal master and become a disciple went smoothly.
After settling Liu Qingqing, Liu Qingfeng did not immediately go down the mountain. He was led to a high viewing pavilion on a cliff. Upon ascending, he saw an old Confucian scholar in blue robes leaning on the railing to enjoy the scenery, and a dashing young gentleman.
Liu Qingfeng sighed inwardly, suppressed his complex emotions, and made a bow. "Liu Qingfeng pays respects to National Master Cui."
It was Great Li National Master Cui Chan himself, who had personally come to Qingluan Kingdom.
Cui Chan smiled and gestured for Liu Qingfeng not to stand on ceremony. Then he pointed to the person beside him. "Li Baozhen, from Dragon Spring Commandery. He is now the full-power helmsman of Great Li's Green Wave Pavilion in southeastern Bottle Gourd Continent. You two will be dealing with each other often from now on."
That handsome young man bowed to Liu Qingfeng. "Greetings, Mr. Liu."
Liu Qingfeng had no choice but to return the bow.
In a pure Qingluan Kingdom official dialect, Li Baozhen said, "Mr. Liu, this trip south to Qingluan Kingdom has opened my eyes wide. So many fascinating people. Just that Daoist from White Cloud Temple is impressive—with mere meager cultivation, he dared to attempt a union with the Dao, stealing heavenly secrets, and actually succeeded in crossing that chasm that even infant-binding earth immortals find extremely difficult. But he's too conspicuous. Whether this is a blessing or a curse will probably depend on what the Yunlin Jiang Clan thinks."
Liu Qingfeng smiled and said nothing.
A show of force?
So young and vigorous, his sharp edges showing.
Li Baozhen waited for a reply, but when Liu Qingfeng remained mildly silent, he also smiled.
Cui Chan glanced at Liu Qingfeng and said with a faint smile, "Liu Qingfeng, from now on, for the three kingdoms of Qingluan, Qingshan, and Yunxiao, don't trouble yourselves with the big matters. As for the small matters, you can teach Li Baozhen more."
Liu Qingfeng nodded.
Li Baozhen, maintaining his composure and smiling, made a deep bow. "I will rely on Mr. Liu's instruction."
——
At that River God Temple where Chen Ping'an had once inscribed verses on the wall.
Recently, a group of generous worshippers had arrived, and they were staying inside the temple.
Two people and a yellow ox.
The temple custodian collected incense money with trepidation.
The white-robed handsome youth with a mole between his eyebrows liked to stroll through the stele corridors.
It was Cui Dongshan, who for some unknown reason was still lingering in Qingluan Kingdom.
That night, the full moon hung in the sky. Cui Dongshan asked the temple for a bamboo basket, went to fetch a basket of river water, and returned without a single drop leaking. That was already miraculous. Even more wonderful was that the reflection of the full moon in the basket's water swayed as the water rocked. Even when he walked into the shadow of the corridor, the moon in the water remained bright and lovely.
Cui Dongshan walked to a corridor, sat on the railing, placed the bamboo basket aside, and looked up at the moon.
Only the bamboo basket's water and the moon in the water accompanied him.
Cui Dongshan's thoughts drifted far away.
The Buddha was troubled by the suffering of all beings. The Supreme Sage of Confucianism worried that Confucian learning would eventually become only the learning of those who are not hungry.
And the Dao Ancestor?
He was said to be contemplating the "One."
Perhaps the Wang Zhu trapped in the well was a "One," and the old man in the Yang family's medicine shop was also a "One."
Or perhaps, in the eyes of the Dao Ancestor, whose Dao skills were boundless, everyone was a "One"?
Cui Dongshan rubbed his cheeks. From the "inch near object" inside his sleeve, he took out two ordinary jujube wood scrolls. He unrolled the two small paintings and suspended them in front of him.
One painting.
An old scholar in worn-out robes sat on the center of a long bench. On one side sat Cui Chan, at the age of crowning—around twenty. On the other side sat a juvenile Zuo You and young Qi Jingchun.
The bench was crowded with four people.
A head intruded into the painting, which should have belonged solely to the master and three disciples. The head was tilted, smiling brightly, with two fingers raised.
In another corner, a stocky figure was squatting, back to everyone.
The second painting.
The same person who had poked his head in the first painting now stood openly in the center of the painting, arms spread wide. The juvenile Zuo You and Qi Jingchun were hugging the man's arms, bending their knees and pulling up their legs, dangling in midair. The two youths were grinning widely.
The young scholar Cui Chan stood behind the man, smiling more reservedly, but still very sincerely.
——
Cui Dongshan thought about when he, Chen Ping'an, and that little charcoal girl could also leave behind such a painting.