Chapter 403: A Visit
Chen Ping'an first went to the separate courtyard that Cui Dongshan had claimed for himself. At the entrance, Li Baoping asked if Pei Qian could sleep at her place tonight. Chen Ping'an said it was fine as long as Pei Qian agreed.
Li Baoping also asked if she could give or lend the narrow dao Xiangfu and the small silver gourd to Pei Qian, so that Pei Qian could look more impressive when roaming the jianghu.
Chen Ping'an smiled and said there was no need to give Pei Qian such expensive gifts for now. As her master, he would prepare everything she needed for her travels, including her travel bags and all necessities. Besides, for her first time out in the jianghu, it was better not to be too conspicuous. Riding a little donkey was fine enough. The dao she had, similar in appearance to Xiangfu, was called Tingxue (Stopping Snow). The sword was called Chixin (Foolish Heart). Neither was too shabby.
Li Baoping still felt a bit regretful.
She waved goodbye to her little master and sprinted off with her small green bamboo box on her back.
Before Chen Ping'an could knock, Xie Xie gently opened the courtyard gate.
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "It won't be inconvenient, will it?"
Xie Xie shook her head and stepped aside to let him in.
Her impression of Chen Ping'an was much better than that of Yu Lu, after all.
Besides, he was the teacher of "her young master," so Xie Xie dared not be careless. Otherwise, she would be the one to suffer in the end.
She openly looked Chen Ping'an up and down a few times and said, "I've only heard that women change eighteen times before settling down. How have you changed so much?"
Chen Ping'an entered the courtyard. Xie Xie hesitated for a moment but still closed the door. She chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Given how utterly repulsive I look now, even if Chen Ping'an lost his mind and wanted to have a taste, that would be his skill."
Besides, Xie Xie was well aware of what kind of person Chen Ping'an was. She never considered them to be on the same path, let alone feeling an instant bond or admiration for him. It was just that she didn't dislike him, nothing more.
It was like how people view calligraphy—some love the unrestrained cursive script, others prefer the orderly regular script. It's a matter of personal taste, with no higher or lower judgment.
Compared to her disdain for Yu Lu, Xie Xie was much more polite and tolerant toward Chen Ping'an. She proactively pointed to the green bamboo corridor outside the main hall. "No need to take off your shoes. This is a special immortal bamboo from the Azure Soaring Ferry Port in Great Sui. It keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter, suitable for cultivators to meditate on. Before your young master left, he asked me to tell Lin Shouyi that he could come here to practice his thunder arts. But I felt Lin Shouyi wouldn't agree, so I didn't bother."
Chen Ping'an still took off the boots that Pei Qian had secretly bought for him in Fox Village.
He sat cross-legged on the green bamboo floor, which was indeed comfortable. He flipped his wrist and took out a jug of wine he had bought from a well at Bee Tail Crossing. He asked, "Want a drink? It's just a good market wine."
Not far away, Xie Xie, who was sitting sideways on the steps, nodded.
Chen Ping'an tossed the wine jug gently to her.
Xie Xie caught it, opened it, and sniffed. "Not bad at all. As expected of something taken from a storage item."
Xie Xie didn't drink immediately. She smiled and asked, "That robe you're wearing, is it a dharma robe? It's only because we're in this courtyard that I can sense a trace of spiritual energy flowing from it."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "The robe is called Jinli (Aged Sweet Wine). I obtained it by chance on my way to Daoxuan Mountain, in a place called Dragon Lizard Trench."
Xie Xie turned her head to look toward the courtyard gate, her eyes complex. She murmured, "Then you're really lucky."
Chen Ping'an hummed in acknowledgment, took off his Sword Nurturing Gourd, and took a sip of wine.
Xie Xie laughed. "So you really can drink now. This long journey to the jianghu wasn't a waste."
Chen Ping'an pretended not to hear and reached out to touch the bamboo floor. Spiritual energy flowed like a fine stream. Although it wasn't as good as a first-rate immortal mansion or cave paradise, the spiritual energy here was still richer than the best rooms in immortal inns in the secular world.
The world was vast and silent.
Xie Xie muttered to herself, "Stars and scattered lights all around, a silver river in the middle of the sky. Is it cool enough? An immortal's thatched hut is so refreshing."
Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Was that written by some literary genius or immortal poet from your Lu Clan Dynasty?"
Xie Xie slowly shook her head. "A long time ago, on a night much like this, my master casually recited it. It had no head or tail. She said it was a 'shiyu' (poetic fragment), a minor art, no more valuable than calligraphy or chess. Not worth mentioning."
Chen Ping'an said, "At the Lingzhi Studio on Daoxuan Mountain, I originally prepared gifts for both you and Lin Shouyi. For your gift, I mistakenly thought it was an irreparable, broken Sweet Dew Armor and bought it at a very low price. Later, I found out it was one of the eight ancestral armor pills of the Divine Dew Armor, and a friend repaired it for me. After meeting Cui Dongshan in Qingluan Nation, he said I shouldn't give you something so expensive—our friendship wasn't to that level, and you might misunderstand my intentions. I thought it made sense, so I decided to keep it for now. When we become true friends, I'll give it to you then. So for today, I'll give you this first. Catch."
Xie Xie turned her head and caught a finely carved piece of white mutton-fat jade, shaped like a white ox holding lingzhi in its mouth.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "It was a small bonus gift from the Lingzhi Studio on Daoxuan Mountain. Don't disdain it."
Xie Xie laughed. "Are you implying that if I become friends with you, Chen Ping'an, I'll get a priceless military heavy treasure?"
Chen Ping'an just smiled and said nothing.
Xie Xie clutched the warm, smooth jade piece and said to herself, "You're not that kind of person."
Chen Ping'an raised his Sword Nurturing Gourd, suppressing a laugh. "Thanks, then."
Xie Xie glanced at Chen Ping'an. "Huh. After just a few years away, you've learned to be glib. Truly, one should look at someone with new eyes after three days."
Chen Ping'an tucked the gourd back at his waist, clasped his hands in his sleeves, and said with emotion, "Back then, when Li Huai was being bullied by outsiders, you, Lin Shouyi, and Yu Lu all acted bravely. When I heard about it, I was truly happy. So when I mentioned the Sweet Dew Armor and West Peak earlier, it wasn't to show off. It was because I really hope that one day I can become friends with you, Xie Xie. I also have selfish reasons. Even if we can't be friends, I hope you can become good friends with Xiao Baoping and Li Huai, and take care of them more at the academy."
There was another reason Chen Ping'an couldn't say out loud.
No matter how many twists and turns there were, Chen Ping'an was ultimately Cui Dongshan's nominal teacher, and there was a suspicion that he had failed to teach properly.
Cui Dongshan had taken Xie Xie as his personal maidservant. No matter how you looked at it, it was ruining Xie Xie, who had once been a prodigy cultivator of the Lu Clan Dynasty.
But the world was complicated. Many seemingly well-intentioned impulses could end up causing harm.
Some people's wounds are best left untouched; they coexist peacefully.
But once uncovered, they bleed profusely.
Chen Ping'an sat at the bottom of the steps, still wearing his boots.
Xie Xie said softly, "I won't see you out."
Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "No need."
After Chen Ping'an left, Xie Xie inexplicably covered her mouth and laughed.
For some reason, she felt like he was a cat that had stolen some fish, sneaking home late at night to avoid the wrath of the tigress at home.
Of course, this was just a very strange thought of Xie Xie's.
A woman's heart is like the bottom of the sea.
It could only mean that Xie Xie was in a good mood at the moment.
She raised her hand, holding the white ox with lingzhi jade piece high.
It's quite pretty.
---
Chen Ping'an left this piece of feng shui treasure land, one of the best in the academy. Yu Lu lived alone in his student dormitory. Although the lights were already out, Chen Ping'an knocked on the door without hesitation.
Yu Lu quickly came to open the door, wearing his boots casually. He smiled. "A rare guest, a rare guest."
Yu Lu turned around first to light the lamp. Chen Ping'an helped close the door, and they sat facing each other.
In Yu Lu's room, aside from the items the academy had prepared for its students, there was nothing else.
That was Yu Lu.
As if his heart held no attachments.
As the crown prince of a major dynasty, after the fall of his kingdom, he remained detached from the world. Even toward Cui Dongshan, one of the main culprits, he didn't show the deep-seated hatred that Xie Xie did.
In that regard, Yu Lu was somewhat similar to the martial madman Zhu Lian, who came from a powerful clan.
Back when Chen Ping'an was traveling to the Great Sui Academy, he and Yu Lu often took turns keeping watch—one for the first half of the night, the other for the second. If the person on first watch wasn't sleepy, they would sit by the campfire, but there wasn't much to talk about. Often, Chen Ping'an would practice standing sword meditation or the six-step stance. If he was standing, Yu Lu would simply daydream. If he was doing the stance, Yu Lu would watch for a while.
Yu Lu didn't drink.
Chen Ping'an didn't drink either.
He gave Yu Lu the immortal's book "Shan Hai Zhi" (Record of Mountains and Seas), which he had also bought from Daoxuan Mountain.
Yu Lu naturally thanked him, saying he was as poor as a church mouse and had no gift to offer in return, so he could only see Chen Ping'an to the door of the dormitory.
After Chen Ping'an left.
Yu Lu gently closed the door.
In the pitch-black room, he continued to "walk" with his eyes closed, alternately clenching and unclenching his fists, repeating the motion.
While Yu Lu practiced his boxing, Xie Xie was also sitting on the green bamboo corridor, diligently cultivating.
---
Lin Shouyi wasn't surprised to see Chen Ping'an.
In fact, he had known of Chen Ping'an's arrival earlier, but after hesitating, he didn't take the initiative to go find Chen Ping'an at the guest lodgings.
Chen Ping'an gave him the incomplete thunder arts Daoist book from Lingzhi Studio, which had annotations. It was said to be a unique copy in the world; if not for the missing dozens of pages, it would be priceless.
Lin Shouyi didn't refuse.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Xie Xie asked me to tell you that if you don't mind, you're welcome to come to her place for your daily cultivation."
Lin Shouyi thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. I'll go whenever I have free time during the day."
Chen Ping'an didn't stay long. He had barely warmed the bench for less than half a stick of incense before he was about to take his leave. Before opening the door, Lin Shouyi was clearly meditating on a cushion, practicing a breathing technique.
Lin Shouyi suddenly smiled and asked, "Chen Ping'an, do you know why I was willing to accept such an expensive gift?"
Chen Ping'an stopped and turned around. "What do you mean?"
Lin Shouyi, who never kept guests in his dormitory, for once walked to the table and poured two cups of tea. Chen Ping'an returned and sat down.
Lin Shouyi, now a handsome young gentleman, was silent for a moment before saying, "I know that in the future, I'll definitely give you a gift of even greater value in return."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
Sure enough, nothing had changed. This guy still had that cold personality.
Lin Shouyi turned to look at the bamboo box, his lips curling upward. "Also, I'm very grateful to you for one thing. Guess what it is."
With you making that gesture, what's there to guess? Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Isn't it just that I gave you that bamboo box? Although it was made from bamboo transplanted from Qishen Mountain at Chess Mound, honestly, it can't compare to the thunder arts Daoist book now."
Lin Shouyi smiled and shook his head. "Guess again."
Chen Ping'an recalled that trip. He tentatively asked, "That time we stayed at the inn?"
Lin Shouyi shook his head again, laughed heartily, stood up, and began to usher him out. "Don't think that just because you gave me a gift, you can delay my cultivation."
Chen Ping'an left the dormitory with a confused look.
After seeing the three of them, he didn't return by the same route.
He finished delivering the gifts half an hour earlier than expected, so he took a slight detour, walking along the quiet paths of Cliff Academy.
By chance, he passed by the guest lodgings and saw Li Huai sneaking over alone, looking furtive.
When Li Huai saw Chen Ping'an, he quickened his pace and said urgently, "Chen Ping'an, I came just to ask you a question, otherwise I won't be able to sleep."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "About Pei Qian? Go ahead."
Li Huai lowered his voice. "At first, I thought Pei Qian was bragging, but the more I listened, the more I felt she was incredible. Chen Ping'an, be honest with me: Is Pei Qian really a princess from the fallen royal family who's been living among commoners?"
Chen Ping'an could fully imagine Pei Qian's expression when she made up that lie—a straight face with a secretly amused heart. She was probably laughing at Li Huai for believing it. How silly.
Not just Li Huai. Back in Fox Village on the border of Great Spring, even the three experienced constables in town were fooled by Pei Qian's nonsense. Li Huai, Liu Guan, and Ma Lian were just kids; of course they fell for it.
But Chen Ping'an didn't intend to expose this innocent trick among children. He wouldn't reveal Pei Qian's lie in front of Li Huai.
Chen Ping'an patted Li Huai on the shoulder. "Guess for yourself."
Li Huai nodded vigorously, a look of realization on his face. "Got it!"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "What did you get?"
Li Huai crossed his arms and rubbed his chin with one hand. "No wonder that little darkie had such a disdainful expression when she saw my painted wooden puppets. No way. Tomorrow, I'll compare family treasures with her. When masters spar, victory lies in momentum! We'll see who has more treasures! So what if she's a princess? She's still a little darkie kid. Big deal. Hmph. Carrying bamboo swords and knives at such a young age—who's she trying to scare? By the way, Chen Ping'an, what does Her Highness the Princess like to eat?"
Chen Ping'an grabbed Li Huai by the head and gently turned him toward his dormitory. "Go back to sleep."
With his question answered, Li Huai was satisfied and turned to run back to his room.
Soon after, an angry roar came from somewhere in the distance.
No doubt, Li Huai had been caught by the night patrol teacher.
Chen Ping'an was about to go help Li Huai out of trouble when he saw Li Huai striding over with a swagger, followed by Zhu Lian.
It turned out that Zhu Lian had already made an excuse, claiming to be a distant relative of Li Huai's who didn't know the way at night and needed Li Huai to guide him back to the guest lodgings.
Li Huai gave a thumbs-up to Chen Ping'an. "Brother Zhu is truly someone to rely on! Chen Ping'an, you're lucky to have a steward like him."
Then Li Huai turned to the stooped old man with a grin. "Brother Zhu, if Chen Ping'an ever treats you badly, come find me, Li Huai, and I'll get justice for you."
Zhu Lian looked left and right at the boy, who was bold and simple-faced, and indeed didn't seem well-suited for scholarly studies.
Zheng Dafeng, Li Er, Li Baozhen, Li Baoping.
It was rare to meet someone from Pearl Paradise who wasn't some kind of freak.
Zhu Lian felt he should treasure this, so suddenly he found Li Huai much more pleasing to the eye and thus became even more kind-hearted.
Hmm, come to think of it, this Li Huai looked a bit like that tenth-realm martial artist who had visited Old Dragon City. Li Er, Li Huai—both surnamed Li. Could they be from the same family?
Only a pure martial artist could truly understand the terror of a grandmaster at the peak of the stopping realm.
Zhu Lian was extremely proud of his martial arts talent, but even he dared only say that if he had been born in Haoran Heaven under the same natural talent, he might be able to reach the ninth-realm mountain peak in his lifetime. The tenth realm? That was uncertain.
Zhu Lian turned his head and shot a questioning look at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
Zhu Lian was half annoyed. He lightly kicked Li Huai on the backside. "Wandering around like a ghost in the middle of the night. Get out of here."
Li Huai jumped in fright. After running off, he pointed at Zhu Lian from a distance and said, "You helped me once, kicked me once. Our debts are settled. If we run into each other again at the academy tomorrow, whoever runs first is the coward!"
Zhu Lian made a motion to lift his foot.
Li Huai disappeared in no time.
At Li Baoping's dormitory.
Li Baoping and Pei Qian were sitting opposite each other at the desk, copying books.
One wrote as fast as flying.
The other crawled like a turtle.
Every time Li Baoping finished copying a page, she would shout "And away!" then put down her brush, shake her wrist, and walk over to see how Pei Qian was doing.
Pei Qian remained silent, sweating profusely.
---
In the city of Liuzhou, adjacent to the capital of Great Sui, the recently moved-in Cai family mansion received a "very high-ranking" guest.
It was none other than Cui Dongshan, who had earned himself the flashy nickname "Ancestor of the Cai Family" at Cliff Academy because of the vast array of treasures in his storage item.
In the dead of night, the white-robed youth pounded violently on the Cai family's door, making a thunderous racket, and shouted, "Little Cai! Little Cai! Open up!"
Behind the handsome youth with a red mole between his eyebrows followed a short, wiry man, and the man had a yellow ox with him.
Cai Jingshen, the old immortal who had once been the Great Sui imperial grand protector stationed near the academy, came out of his secret chamber with an ashen face. With a leap, he landed on the street outside the front door. "Cui! What are you doing here?!"
Years ago, in the sky above what the Great Sui capital's residents called "Little East Mountain," Cui Dongshan and Cai Jingshen had a thrilling immortal battle that left a deep impression.
Cui Dongshan became famous overnight, as if he had put on a free fireworks show for the capital's citizens. Countless people in the capital that night looked up at the East Flower Mountain of the academy, thoroughly entertained.
Thanks to the presence of a Nascent Soul earth immortal as the family's anchor, the once-mighty Cai family in the capital quickly moved out, leaving only a single family member serving as an official in the capital to guard a mansion no less grand than those of princes.
Cui Dongshan laughed heartily. "Jingshen! So polite, coming out personally to welcome me? Let's go, let's go! Let's go sit in our house. I got into the city late, and there's a curfew. I'm starving. Have someone make me a midnight snack. Let's have a nice chat, grandfather and grandson."
Cai Jingshen said darkly, "You're not welcome here."
Cui Dongshan suddenly pointed at Cai Jingshen and jumped up, cursing, "You unfilial turtle who doesn't recognize his ancestors! Are you asking for a slap in the face? Come on, let's fight again! If you can withstand fifty of my magic treasures this time, I'll call you ancestor. If you can't, then tomorrow in broad daylight, you'll ride a horse through the streets and shout 'I am Cui Dongshan's good grandson' a thousand times!"
Cai Jingshen gritted his teeth. "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Either kill me tonight, or you can forget about setting foot in my Cai home!"
Cui Dongshan flickered out of sight, using a spatial-shrinking technique. It seemed casual, but it was far different from ordinary Daoist methods. He flickered back to the same spot. "What do you say? Do you want to just slit your own throat? If you, as a grandson, are unfilial, I, as an ancestor, still have to acknowledge you. So I can lend you a few sharp magic treasures, so you won't have to complain about not having a suitable weapon to kill yourself..."
The guy kept babbling endlessly.
The burly old man's dantian qi was churning like a storm, fanning the flames, his momentum surging.
Cui Dongshan suddenly dropped his smile, squinting his eyes, and said sinisterly, "You little bastard, I suppose you think the battle at East Flower Mountain was unfair because I had the home-field advantage at the academy, and you lost unjustly, right?"
Cai Jingshen's mind was in turmoil. Just as a life-or-death battle was about to erupt, he was horrified to discover that in Cui Dongshan's eyes, the pupils were vertical and emitted a dazzling golden light.
Cai Jingshen felt as if he were being stared down by an ancient, storm-raising flood dragon.
A chill ran down his spine.
Cai Jingshen quickly reined in his momentum, extended a hand, and said in a deep voice, "Please!"
The old gatekeeper, who had been peeking through a crack in the door, had gone from being half-asleep to feeling ice-cold in his limbs, and now looked like he was attending a funeral. Trembling, he opened the door.
Cui Dongshan swaggered across the threshold first.
Cai Jingshen followed closely behind.
Wei Xian and the yellow ox also entered the Cai mansion one after another.
After the gatekeeper closed the door, he sighed mournfully to himself. They had barely managed to avoid this plague. The old ancestor had made a strong showing in the prefectural city, helping the governor deal with a wily river demon, and had just re-established the Cai family's authority locally. But they had only had a few days of peace. Here he was again. Truly, no good comes from such a visitor. He could only hope for a peaceful resolution this time and no more trouble.
Cui Dongshan kept demanding a midnight snack, insisting on sincerity. Cai Jingshen swallowed his pride. That pure martial artist surnamed Wei wanted the most expensive jar of wine in the city. Swallow that. Even the yellow cow demon, just a Small Dragon Gate realm spirit creature, demanded its own separate courtyard in the Cai mansion. Cai Jingshen couldn't swallow that... but he swallowed it anyway.
Cai Jingshen dismissed two curious maidservants with a wave of his hand. When no one else was around, he asked, "Just what do you want? Get to the point!"
Cui Dongshan propped one foot on a chair, holding a wine jug in one hand and wielding his chopsticks like a whirlwind with the other, not neglecting either the fine food or the wine. He wolfed everything down and said between mouthfuls, "You were a local boss in the Great Sui capital for over a hundred years. Tell me, who are the idiots behind this assassination plot? General of the Flying Cavalry Tang Zhuangshan, Vice Minister of War Tao Jiu, General Dragon Ox Miao Ren—these I already know. But you and I both know these aren't the real big shots behind the scenes in your Great Sui government and the mountains. Tell me what you know, just a few names."
Cai Jingshen's eyelids twitched.
Cui Dongshan tossed aside an incredibly tasty piece of secret-recipe braised duck leg, licked his fingers, and glanced sideways at Cai Jingshen. He smiled. "For every person involved in this matter you name, I'll allow you to name one person who has nothing to do with it. It could be an old enemy among the mountain cultivators, or just some noble clansman you don't like."
Cui Dongshan burped. "This offer is valid until I finish my midnight snack. After that, your Cai family will lose this chance. You might not be fully aware, but that Gu Gao descendant you left in the capital, the one studying at the Imperial Academy—the Cai family's scholarly hope—is also one of the pawns. Scholars, you know. They can't bear to see Great Sui decline, to bow their heads to the barbarians from Great Li. Understandable. The Gu Gao clan has nurtured scholars for centuries; they're willing to die for their country. I admire that. But admiration doesn't fill the belly. So, Cai Jingshen, you figure it out."
Cui Dongshan resumed his gluttonous feasting.
Cai Jingshen asked in a heavy voice, "I need to know one thing first: Is Cai Feng truly involved in this?"
Cui Dongshan sneered. "Do I need to waste words on Cai Feng's literati integrity and lofty ambitions? Do you really take me for your Cai family's ancestor?"
Cai Jingshen's face was full of pain.
Although he was a Nascent Soul earth immortal, one who could look down on princes, and one of the rare great immortal grand protectors of Great Sui.
Yet protecting one's family was the natural duty of an elder. Deceased ancestors could only rely on inscrutable yin virtue. Cai Jingshen, as a man of cultivation, knew how to strike the right balance—neither hindering his own practice nor failing to support those promising sprouts who could in turn benefit the family. For the younger generations, whether they pursued civil or military officialdom or embarked on the path of cultivation, it was their duty to glorify the family name and bring honor to their ancestors.
Over the past hundred years, the Cai family had produced only one mediocre Qi refiner. Even with Cai Jingshen's guidance and generous immortal funds, he was still stuck at the Cavern Dwelling realm with limited prospects.
So Cai Jingshen had pinned most of his hopes on Cai Feng, the second-place scholar in the imperial exams. He had even planned out Cai Feng's official career over the next fifty or sixty years, including being posthumously granted a beautiful courtesy title like Wenzhen by the emperor, then manifesting as a yin spirit in some location, whereupon the Great Sui court would appoint him as the city god of some prefecture or county. From there, he would have about a hundred years to operate and gradually rise to become the city god of a whole province. Cai Jingshen had already arranged everything. If Cai Feng just followed the plan, he would reach the high position of a provincial city god—also the limit of what a Nascent Soul earth immortal could do with human effort. Beyond that, Cai Feng would have to rely on himself for more opportunities on the Great Path.
Fortunes change, shifting like a wheel. Common mortals find it hard to grasp; a missed opportunity might never come again. But Qi refiners are different. If they live long enough, fortune will eventually flow into their homes. Then they can use immortal techniques to intercept and keep it within the family, accumulating wealth over time, much like commoners save gold and silver. Over generations, more and more "incense fire" offspring would be born.
Cai Jingshen had never imagined that Cai Feng, with such a bright future, would lose his head and get involved in such a conspiracy behind his back and the whole family's back.
Cui Dongshan gently set down his chopsticks.