Chapter 455: Reporting the Master's Return

Chapter 455: Reporting the Master's Return

(This is the final chapter of this volume.)

At the Winter Solstice, though the daylight is shortest and shadows are longest, it is actually the beginning of the resurgence of heaven and earth's yang energy.

The emperors and monarchs of various countries in Bottle Gourd Continent would all offer sacrifices to the mountains on this day, and even if they could not attend in person, they would have high officials from the Ministry of Rites go to the mountain temples to burn incense.

Similar to Dragon Spring County, the Meizhou Kingdom also had the custom of celebrating the Little New Year. Even poor households, according to local customs, would prepare dumplings, lamb soup, or glutinous rice.

Three riders, including Chen Ping'an, ate glutinous rice balls bought from the market and returned from Jingzhou, the southernmost part of Meizhou Kingdom.

At a border pass, Chen Ping'an stopped his horse, letting Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi cross the pass first. Chen Ping'an then turned his horse alone toward a hillock and climbed to the top. Just then, an old cultivator slowly walked toward the summit. Chen Ping'an dismounted, and the old cultivator said in a slightly rusty Bottle Gourd Continent standard language, "You might not know me, but I know you very well."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Thank you, senior, for the escort along the way."

The Nascent Soul old cultivator ignored the sarcasm in the young man's words. After all, no one would feel comfortable being shadowed the entire way.

The old cultivator laughed and said, "I was once a cultivator of Tongye Sect, so this journey of forbearance has truly been hard work."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Was once?"

The old cultivator still suppressed his aura to the level of a Golden Core Earth Immortal. On his skin, light flowed and swirled, as if the sun and moon revolved within the small world of his body. He did not answer the question but looked the young man up and down, as if trying to discern some clue—how exactly could this person become a friend of that great Sword Immortal... or perhaps a fellow disciple? Neither could be confirmed for now; both were possible. But there was no good fortune in the world that came without cost, especially in the mountains. One wrong move and the whole game was lost.

Standing at the top of the small hill, the old cultivator looked around. The landscape of Meizhou Kingdom was truly uninteresting and dull, with sparse spiritual energy, far inferior to Shujian Lake.

There were some secrets he had not told this young man. Currently, he was traveling here with his Yin Spirit, while using his Yang Spirit to carry the specially made Tongye medallion used to monitor him, thereby concealing his true whereabouts and preventing this meeting from being detected by the Shujian Lake side. The reason he was willing to take such a great risk naturally came from careful consideration and calculation. Those outsiders who had been carefully selected by the Jade Pool Realm wild cultivator Liu Laocheng as honored guests of Palisand Island and thrown into Shujian Lake were no easy characters, and he was no exception.

But on the path of the Great Dao, working for others also depended on the price.

And he felt the price was too low.

Even though the Great Yin Yang Master had determined that he had no hope of reaching the Upper Five Realms, he was still an old Nascent Soul cultivator skilled in combat, with another two hundred years of life. If he was willing to spend a large sum to prolong his life, he might even live another three hundred years.

After receiving this secret mission, he had thought it over and always felt it was a series of interlocking traps, using a borrowed knife to kill. The Upper Five Realm guide was being used as a knife, and so was he. Unfortunately, Bottle Gourd Continent was not his home turf, and he had no foundation here, nor anyone he could use. Otherwise, if he could find another knife—a sharper one, a dumber one—he might be able to seek fortune amidst danger and reap a windfall of riches. Of course, it was also possible they were all grasshoppers tied to the same string, borrowing knives back and forth, and everyone would perish together, while the true mastermind, whose identity even he could not guess, would be free and unburdened.

The old cultivator asked, "I have a mutually beneficial deal. Are you interested?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and said, "Let's hear it."

The old cultivator laughed and said, "But I need to get your promise first that within a hundred years at least, you, Chen Ping'an, will not tell anyone about our transaction."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Even if I agree, the question is, dare you believe me?"

The old cultivator nodded and said, "I don't believe it completely, but I plan to gamble. Me standing here, appearing before you, is already proof in itself. In mountain cultivation, anyone with higher cultivation than me can see through me. But living with someone day and night for so long, judging their temperament, is not too difficult. I've seen many people like you, mostly when I was young. But I found that most of you died early, fell by the wayside. That's why I only mentioned a hundred-year agreement."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "The New Year is coming soon, so please say some auspicious words, senior."

The great Nascent Soul cultivator smiled and said, "If I were to exchange pleasantries with you, wouldn't you be suspicious? How could we do business then?"

Chen Ping'an felt that was not wrong.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, Chen Ping'an drove his horse down the slope. His already pale face turned ashen, like gold leaf, and he sat on his horse, swaying, barely staying upright, as if he had just survived a great life-and-death calamity. His already weak body was almost completely exhausted.

This frightened Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi, who had stopped and waited after crossing the pass. Their hearts were pounding, and they dared not even breathe heavily.

Earlier, almost everyone inside and outside the pass had seen the rainbow-like sword light from where Chen Ping'an had disappeared.

Chen Ping'an waved his hand weakly and said, "It's fine, handled. Let's continue. There won't be any more trouble on the way back. Same rules as before—you won't return to Shujian Lake with me."

Over by the slope, the Nascent Soul cultivator had already dispelled his illusory technique. It turned out he was actually a middle-aged woman of ordinary appearance. A drop of blood slowly seeped from between her eyebrows, which she lightly wiped away with her finger. But the trace left behind, if observed by any cultivator of the Middle Five Realms, would be extremely eye-catching.

She was somewhat reassured by her business dealings with that young man. After both sides decided to proceed, they had meticulously worked out the details, leaving no room for error. Several rounds of probing, and the young man had handled everything appropriately.

She looked toward the sky, bowed respectfully, full of piety and fear, and said in a trembling voice, "I, Li Fuqu, am crude and unworthy, but dare offend a gentleman, not a petty person. Please forgive my rudeness."

A moment later, heaven and earth fell silent.

The woman gave a wry smile. She must have been overthinking.

Now that Bottle Gourd Continent was in chaos, the accompanying sage had too many people and matters to watch over: Xie Shi, the Heavenly Lord of North Juzhou Continent; Song Changjing, the vassal king of Great Li; the Emperor of Zhu Ying Dynasty; and so on. How could it be her turn, or Chen Ping'an's? Even if Liu Zhimao, imprisoned at the bottom of the water prison, had personally said that Chen Ping'an now carried the sage's jade token inscribed with "I skillfully cultivate vast righteousness," she knew some inside information about the accompanying sage seated in the continent's sky-dome. As long as there were no truly extraordinary battles in the mortal world below, he would not bother to shift his gaze and glance over. As for things like the Great Peace Mountain's old sect leader personally chasing and killing the old ape with a sword on his back, the commotion was simply too great; it would definitely be detected by the Tongye Continent sage at the first moment.

But caution was the key to sailing the seas.

Some necessary formalities were always better to have more than less, better to have than not.

After leaving the Meizhou Kingdom pass and about to enter the Shujian Lake territory, Chen Ping'an, near a rural village, turned his head to look at the two behind him who were in low spirits. He said hoarsely, "Sorry for worrying you. I've had a lot on my mind this whole way."

Ma Duyi clutched her chest and said, "Mr. Chen, you've finally come back to life. On this whole journey, you were either spacing out or frowning. It's been so long since you last drank, and the two of us were almost scared to death."

Zeng Ye nodded vigorously.

Chen Ping'an comforted them softly, "I encountered something I couldn't figure out right away. Sorry."

Ma Duyi smiled and asked, "Have you figured it out now?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "Still can't figure out the reason, but compromising, I've roughly figured out how to deal with it."

Ma Duyi asked worriedly, "Really nothing?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and said, "Nothing."

Ma Duyi hesitated, "Then Mr. Chen, have a drink of wine, let us see. Otherwise, we won't feel at ease."

Zeng Ye looked embarrassed.

Chen Ping'an, of course, did not actually take a drink. He smiled and said, "Stop here. Remember not to disturb the nearby villagers. Both of you cultivate properly and keep each other in check. Don't slack off. I'll try to meet up with you by early spring next year at the latest, maybe even earlier. Then we'll head south of Shujian Lake. There's lots of miasma there, many mountain swamp spirits, and I've heard there are also evil cultivators and demonic cultivators. It'll be much more dangerous than Stone Spear Kingdom and Meizhou Kingdom. Don't hold us back too much."

Ma Duyi snorted coldly.

Zeng Ye, on the other hand, quickly promised that he would cultivate diligently.

Chen Ping'an rode away alone.

But before leaving, he gave the golden Binding Demon Rope and a few talismans to Ma Duyi, just in case. He also reminded her to hide the Binding Demon Rope well and not to reveal it easily. If a passing wild cultivator saw it, it would be a surefire disaster.

Since it involved matters of life and death, Ma Duyi dared not take it lightly and didn't make any jokes. She just told Mr. Chen to rest assured that they would never be so careless.

That day, Chen Ping'an slept in a desolate wilderness where the yin sha aura was quite heavy. It was almost certain that a fierce ghost was hiding there. But strangely, nothing happened all night. This puzzled Chen Ping'an. Now, it was inconvenient for him to reveal his true cultivation, and the other party was hiding very deeply, probably connected to the local mountain roots and qi. So he had to let it go.

He rode slowly away.

Full of worry.

According to the vague words of the old Nascent Soul cultivator Li Fuqu, the mastermind who sent her away from Palisand Island was an Upper Five Realm cultivator from Tongye Sect who had once been in charge of the disciplinary rules of the sect's ancestral hall, held in high esteem. Even when Du Mao was alive, this person was quite powerful. The current sect leader of Tongye Sect had to call him Senior Uncle.

This was not the most worrying thing for Chen Ping'an.

The truly terrifying part was that this great cultivator of Tongye Sect was now a guest elder of Yugui Sect. And Yugui Sect was about to select Shujian Lake in Bottle Gourd Continent as the site for its subordinate sect!

Yugui Sect—the old man named Xun from the Dust Pharmacy in Old Dragon City, the place where Sui Youbian would eventually attain the Dao and prove her cultivation, and Jiang Shangzhen who had appeared earlier at Azure Tiger Palace.

Among them, Jiang Shangzhen was most likely to be the first sect leader of Yugui Sect's subordinate sect in history, but the Yugui Sect's ancestral hall had not yet confirmed this, so there was still room for change.

The fact that Jiang Shangzhen had not yet rushed to Bottle Gourd Continent was also evidence.

As for the chief guest elder of the subordinate sect, it would naturally be Liu Laocheng of Palisand Island.

That's all the Nascent Soul cultivator Li Fuqu had said.

Since Jiang Shangzhen, who loved to join in the fun, had not shown up, but instead the ambitious former ancestor of Tongye Sect had become the vanguard of Yugui Sect's expansion, it was quite possible that this great cultivator had developed some natural ideas about contending with Jiang Shangzhen for the position of subordinate sect leader.

No wonder Li Fuqu had been tracking him all the way, waiting for an opportunity.

No wonder Su Gaoshan had given him the cold shoulder. Even Tan Yuanyi knew part of the Green Wave Pavilion archives and was clear about his tangled connections with Great Li. Su Gaoshan, who completely disregarded Tan Yuanyi, would know even more. At Su Gaoshan's high position, although he couldn't freely deploy Green Wave Pavilion spies, it wouldn't be difficult for him to access archives and even learn more inside information than Tan Yuanyi.

Fortunately, Li Fuqu was cautious enough, reverent enough toward the unpredictability of the Great Dao.

So she had staged a bitter-measured play with him, each side taking some losses.

Of course, they would meet again somewhere near the pass border outside the slope.

The news that he had managed to make a wound on an old Nascent Soul cultivator's brow, if it spread to the thousands of islands and tens of thousands of wild cultivators in Shujian Lake outside Palisand Island, no one would believe it.

But as long as Liu Laocheng wasn't determined to harm him and didn't actively reveal his true background—after all, that would mean Liu Laocheng harming others without benefiting himself, completely tearing face with a future top guest elder of Yugui Sect's subordinate sect—as long as Liu Laocheng said nothing or spoke vaguely and harmlessly, the former Tongye Sect ancestor would likely be skeptical, and that would be enough.

However, on the slope, Chen Ping'an had not mentioned a single word about Liu Laocheng's earlier warning via Liu Zhimao's flying sword message. Even though he wanted to form an alliance with Li Fuqu, he did not use this as a zero-cost yet immediately effective reassurance to curry favor with her.

Some things, he could not do.

Otherwise, he would really have to reflect deeply and weigh his conscience to see if he had become a thoroughbred Shujian Lake wild cultivator.

Neither Chen Ping'an nor Li Fuqu knew that after the two had left the pass one after another, on the border city wall, faint ripples appeared, shifting between reality and illusion, eventually revealing the figure of an acquaintance that both actually knew.

If Li Fuqu knew about this, her Dao heart would probably be terrified.

Because this uninvited guest was Liu Laocheng himself—the number one wild cultivator of Bottle Gourd Continent, who, after obtaining the piece of glazed golden body that even Dao Lord Qi Zhen had wanted to seize, had an even greater chance of reaching the Immortal Realm.

When he left Shujian Lake this time, he was supposed to discuss important matters with Su Gaoshan, and he did. But how he returned to Palisand Island and when he returned was no one's business but his own.

Even that Upper Five Realm cultivator who had defected from Tongye Sect to Yugui Sect and conveniently stolen a heavy treasure from the ancestral hall did not dare to restrict Liu Laocheng too much, let alone test him repeatedly.

An Upper Five Realm wild cultivator was an extremely troublesome existence, even in Tongye Continent, which was far more vast than Bottle Gourd Continent.

No matter why Liu Laocheng had been there at that time, he waved his sleeve and withdrew his nearly Immortal Realm spell of "grasping mountains and observing rivers." A mountain marsh wild cultivator always needed to have one or several particularly outstanding specialties—killing moves or magic treasures with great killing power but extremely concealed, life-bound objects like turtle shells to protect Yin and Yang spirits, escape techniques, spying techniques—the more, the better. The more skills and the more refined, the longer a wild cultivator without backing could survive.

Li Fuqu shot up into the air, turning into a rainbow that flew away into the distance. The thunderous rumbling above the pass echoed like winter thunderbolts.

After Liu Laocheng appeared, he smiled and said, "Good kid, still knows a bit about brotherhood. Counts as smart. Otherwise... heh."

Liu Laocheng flickered and vanished.

This kind of narrow escape from death, this kind of ghost gate hidden on the bright path—even though Chen Ping'an had personally walked through it, he remained completely unaware.

That's how the world and its affairs often are. But most of the time, it's not a matter of life and death, but lighter matters—unexplained opportunities, sudden loss of power, baseless disputes, unexpected good fortune. One thing after another, each making people confused, either overjoyed or complaining endlessly.

Seemingly all are fated, but in truth, it's not in heaven's decree but in people's doing.

People do, heaven watches. Even if heaven doesn't watch, others watch.

As for how one should act, each person has their own karmic circumstances. It's just different choices based on different environments. Treating others sincerely, seeking nothing but profit, drifting along—all can become foundations for establishing oneself in the world. But the ridiculous thing is that such a simple truth—good people, bad people, many don't know it, and knowing it still doesn't help. They console themselves that the world is like this, that truth is useless. After all, everyone who reaches their present moment has some potential truth beyond words supporting them. Each person's most fundamental thoughts and veins are like those most crucial beams and pillars. Change—easy to say, harder to do, like renovating a house, adding bricks and tiles, which costs money. If the pillars shake, the house is unstable. If you only want to replace tiles or mend window paper, that's fine. But trying to replace the pillars? That's naturally as painful as injuring one's bones and muscles, looking for trouble. Few can do it. The older you are, the richer your experience, the more accustomed you become to your existing house, and the harder it is to change. Once calamity strikes and you're trapped in difficulty, at that moment, it's easier to think, "the world is like this, everyone is like this," then borrow a few slick proverbs from books to temporarily calm your mind. Otherwise, look at others' even more pitiful situations—these are all understandable thoughts.

Chen Ping'an was nearing Shujian Lake when he suddenly turned his horse's head and galloped back toward Meizhou Kingdom.

But not to reunite with Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi. He abandoned his horse, letting it roam free in the forest. Whether they would meet again depended on fate.

Chen Ping'an directly took a desolate path only used by woodcutters, crossed the mountain border on foot, and went to find someone.

A young monk who could subdue the Heart Ape.

Arriving at the foot of a cliff, Chen Ping'an stopped, pressed his palms together, and bowed toward a high grotto.

The young monk rose from his meditation mat, seemingly unsurprised. He returned the gesture, then extended a hand, signaling Chen Ping'an to climb up the cliff path.

On this journey, even though Chen Ping'an had not sensed anyone following, he had never walked too fast, slightly feigning less smooth breathing than usual. As for his inner aura, Li Fuqu's unique method helped conceal it, but he still needed to be careful everywhere, or he would harm both himself and others, implicating Li Fuqu and putting himself in danger.

He climbed up like a forest monkey.

The young monk stood by the narrow grotto. After Chen Ping'an steadied himself, the monk sat cross-legged further inside but yielded the meditation mat to his guest.

Chen Ping'an hesitated, then sat on the mat.

As for the Heart Ape, it kept its eyes closed, as if in deep sleep.

The young monk spoke, "I come from Tongye Continent. I am not familiar with your Bottle Gourd Continent language. As for Buddhist principles, I only know the surface. With two barriers of text—one being the language between us, the other being the distance between Buddhist teachings and the original scriptures—I dare not speak recklessly."

Chen Ping'an smiled in Tongye Continent standard language, "Fortunately, I've traveled in Tongye Continent and can speak the language there. That can barely break one small barrier."

The young, gaunt monk smiled slightly, "Do you know, layman, that there is a saying in Tongye Continent about 'breaking away from the Bull-Head School'?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "I don't know. My knowledge of Buddhism is extremely shallow. My previous travels gave me no opportunity to study Buddhist scriptures."

The young monk raised a single palm before him, "It's good not to know. Fewer barriers in the mind."

A thought stirred in Chen Ping'an's heart, but he gently suppressed it.

After all, subduing the Heart Ape was this monk's opportunity for the Great Dao, not something an outsider could mention casually. He wanted to ask about some doubts in his heart.

But the young monk had already smiled, "You, layman, have an affinity with the Buddhist teachings, and you and I also have an affinity. The former is visible to the naked eye; the latter can be faintly seen. You must have walked past a mountain peak while traveling through northern Tongye Continent, where you saw a small spirit that seemed mad, chanting incessantly, 'With such a heart, how can one become a Buddha?' Am I right?"

Chen Ping'an was dumbfounded.

The young monk smiled slightly, "It's so."

The young monk looked out from the grotto, as if seeing millions of miles beyond a continent, and said slowly, "He asked the right question. I had no answer to give."

The young monk continued, "Back then, on the journey to retrieve the scriptures, I was both master and disciple. One body divided into five without knowing it, deeply trapped in the miasma of self-attachment. I chanced upon a cave of benevolent mountain spirits who kindly showed me the way. Later came a storm, and then... one strike of the staff fell, killing countless. The path of scripture retrieval was broken again at that point, broken again and again, each step never turning back. Still not knowing, I traveled from continent to continent, endured countless hardships, left this world, and finally saw the Pure Land of Buddha. But I turned back, my hands and heart empty."

The young monk sighed, looked at Chen Ping'an, "You may ask, layman."

Chen Ping'an slowly voiced some doubts in his heart, both about Buddhist scriptures and about how to conduct himself in the world.

The young monk answered using Buddhist teachings.

Chen Ping'an had only read a few orthodox Buddhist scriptures recommended by Cui Dongshan. He had no concept of the rather complex Buddhist sect lineages, nor was he particularly concerned about them.

He simply listened to the answers of this wandering monk from Tongye Continent with a devout heart seeking the Way.

Among them, a few things left a deep impression, especially the study of causes and logic.

One question, one answer. Beyond the answers, the young monk would expand his explanations. Some statements clearly bore traces of Confucian and Daoist teachings and the hundred schools of thought, and the monk had no qualms about this.

When Chen Ping'an had no more questions, the young monk smiled, "Don't be afraid that asking about Buddhism will make you flee from Zen. This is a common misunderstanding of the world."

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.

He did respect Buddhism, but he had no intention of actually becoming a monk.

Afterward, he talked with the young monk about his experience at Heart-Facing Temple in Lotus Flower Blessed Land, especially his idle chats with the old monk there. He told everything to the young monk in detail.

The monk listened attentively, occasionally understanding something and softly chanting a Buddha's name.

Finally, Chen Ping'an stood up from the mat, took a step back, lowered his head, and pressed his palms together before the young monk, "My doubts are resolved."

The young monk also stood up, lowered his head, chanted a Buddha's name, and murmured, "Thus come, thus gone, Venerable Shenxiu."

Chen Ping'an withdrew from the grotto and returned the same way down the cliff.

The young monk looked at the mat, pressed his palms together again, and repeated the second half, "Venerable Shenxiu."

Chen Ping'an did not understand the deep meaning.

He only recalled that in his hometown, there was indeed a high mountain with a great cliff face engraved with four large characters: "Heaven Opens Divine Beauty." Long ago, he had walked with someone through mountains and rivers to that place, but at that time, Chen Ping'an's eyesight was poor, and with the clouds and mist shrouding it, even looking up, he couldn't see clearly. Later, it was Wei Bo who took him to visit the Northern Sacred Mountain's territory that he got to see it. At the time, he thought Master Ruan chose that mountain as the sacred mountain for establishing his sect because Miss Ruan's name contained the character "Beauty."

Chen Ping'an returned to the Meizhou Kingdom border. In the forest, he actually found the horse. When it saw Chen Ping'an, it galloped toward him, very affectionate.

Chen Ping'an gently patted the horse's back and joked, "Only now I realize we've both lost weight. But you're still okay—'strike the thin bones forward, still with the sound of bronze.' As for me, I'm 'bony and gaunt, not a few pounds of flesh, falling at the slightest wind.'"

He mounted the horse and headed straight for Shujian Lake.

At his waist hung a sword and scabbard, and around his neck hung the Gourd of Nurturing Swords.

But Chen Ping'an's current appearance was such that he guessed even that night at Purple Sun Mansion, there would have been no sinister knock at the door from the dangerous world.

No wonder the old swordsman at Left Behind Pass had said that not every blue-robed wanderer is a Sword Immortal.

Chen Ping'an entered Shujian Lake through Green Sycamore City again. He still boarded the horse at the inn and went to that shabby alley, buying four cheap and delicious meat buns from the bun shop. But it seemed business had been much slower than half a year ago. The young shopkeeper looked dejected and often sighed. Chen Ping'an ate the buns along the way, found his ferry boat at the dock, cleaned it up, and punted back to Green Gorge Island.

As the New Year approached, the current Shujian Lake was even more dismal than last year, and worse than the meat bun shop. At the end of last year, there had been three consecutive heavy snowfalls, and the spiritual energy in Shujian Lake had grown noticeably. Even cultivators, who were usually indifferent to the New Year, felt they had truly had a good year. But this year hadn't even ended, and things had already come to this. Including Green Gorge Island, the thousand-plus islands needed to hand over half of their assets as tribute to the Great Li Iron Cavalry under Su Gaoshan's command. Some islands related to Zhu Ying Dynasty and its vassals Stone Spear Kingdom and Meizhou Kingdom were truly miserable, not only suffering heavy losses but also pleasing no one.

The most terrifying thing was that Tan Yuanyi of Grain Island, along with Tian Hujun of Plain Scale Island and Yu Gui the guest elder, had joined forces with all islands whose ancestral founders had Earth Immortal cultivators, such as the Earth Immortal couple of Oriole Island, to form a new alliance. This time, there was no argument, only an unusually sincere cooperation. They proactively used the four lake-border cities including Lakebank City and Green Sycamore as "passes," drawing a cordon. Anyone who dared to secretly flee the islands with wealth would be captured and handed over to the several responsible persons from the Great Li Iron Cavalry stationed there. There were Iron Cavalry generals, a civil official, and two accompanying army cultivators. The four of them set up camp in the cities, forming a net that trapped the tens of thousands of mountain marsh wild cultivators inside, unable to leave, forcing them to grit their teeth and cut flesh from their own bodies. Cask after cask of immortal coins flowed continuously toward Lakebank City. Meanwhile, various incidents and conflicts arose, and after nearly a hundred mountain marsh wild cultivators died, including two Golden Core cultivators, Shujian Lake finally fell silent, with everyone meekly keeping their heads down.

It was said that this was only the first round.

Next, some large islands would receive permission from the Great Li Iron Cavalry to swallow up smaller fish and shrimp, expanding their vassal islands. In the end, of the thousand-plus islands in Shujian Lake, it was very possible that within a year, three-tenths of the ancestral halls of various sizes would disappear, their incense cut off, and they would completely become vassals of the big islands. In this inevitably bloody process, any cultivator who dared to resist would face only one fate. It was rumored that Su Gaoshan would soon establish a new position without official rank: "horse-leading cultivator." This meant these cultivators would serve as horse-leading attendants for the regular Great Li accompanying army cultivators. Once Su Gaoshan broke through the Meizhou Kingdom defense line, combined with Cao Bing's army, the two Iron Cavalry units would divide into five groups and form a huge encirclement around Zhu Ying Dynasty. These horse-leading cultivators' only luck was that they could accumulate military merit through battlefield slaughter against Zhu Ying's border troops, with the hope of becoming low-level accompanying army cultivators. But out of ten horse-leading cultivators, whether two or three could survive to become accompanying army cultivators—who knew? Even if they did become accompanying army cultivators, the Great Li Iron Cavalry would still head south. What then?

This rumor spread convincingly. It held up to scrutiny. Su Gaoshan, that Great Li barbarian who seemed crazy about money, could really pull off such a "killing the goose for the eggs" scheme.

But now morale was shattered. The major powers had long since fallen apart. Who would dare to be the first to raise the banner of revolt?

At this moment, the wild cultivators of Shujian Lake all began to miss Liu Zhimao's good old days. Back then, everyone had feared his advancement to the Upper Five Realms. Now, they only regretted that Liu Zhimao hadn't been focused enough on his cultivation. Otherwise, how could he have ended up as a prisoner on Palisand Island, unable to speak out for Shujian Lake?

Chen Ping'an stepped onto Green Gorge Island. First, he sat in the mountain gate hut for a while and found no dust. He soon understood—it must have been Gu Can who cleaned it.

It seemed to violate the agreement between them, but in truth, this was a good thing.

Chen Ping'an walked out of the hut and glanced at the lake view.

He had passed quite a few islands on the way, and surely interested parties had long known of his arrival.

But times had changed. There were no more visitors. In fact, when Chen Ping'an had returned to Shujian Lake from Stone Spear Kingdom last time, it had already been this desolate scene.

Yu Gui, the island master of Purple Bamboo Island, Liu Chongrun of Pearl Hairpin Island, and a host of other island masters had come in an endless stream, visiting one after another. The clamor had been as if Chen Ping'an were the ruler of the Shujian Lake underworld.

"A rich man in a deep mountain has distant relatives; a poor man in a bustling market has no one to ask about."

So it had always been.

Chen Ping'an was happy to have peace and quiet. He still went to the ruins of Crosswave Mansion and stayed there for a moment. Looking at it more would help him better understand the dangers of mountain cultivation.

This time, Gu Can soon arrived at the Crosswave Mansion ruins and stood beside Chen Ping'an, "I thought you wouldn't be back until after the New Year."

Chen Ping'an sighed, "I'm going to the mountains south of Shujian Lake next. It might take a bit longer."

Gu Can nodded.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Has Tian Hujun looked for you?"

Gu Can said, "She did. She spoke quite sincerely and advised me to lower my stance. She said since I'm from Dragon Spring County, that's quite a capital. I should go to Lakebank City and find a young accompanying army cultivator. She said that at such a young age to be stationed at Lakebank City, he must have a big background. If I cultivate a relationship with this person, I might secure a stable situation. But I don't quite trust her. Nowadays, she's been getting close to Han Jingling and Huang He privately."

Chen Ping'an thought it over, "The reasoning she gave for you to go to Lakebank City isn't exactly lying. But it doesn't necessarily lead to the result she suggested. You weren't wrong not to agree to go find that Great Li accompanying army cultivator. Because you have no idea what that supposedly well-connected army cultivator is really like, or whether Han Jingling and Huang He have already laid traps for you. I don't know either. But I can talk about common sense. For instance, if that young cultivator is indeed from a powerful Great Li clan but is willing to join the army as an accompanying cultivator who must fight on the battlefield, it means that person is proud and unwilling to rely on his family to get ahead. That's one thing. And people from noble families, even if they understand your past conduct in Shujian Lake, won't necessarily approve of it, because they're familiar with officialdom's rules and recognize that code of conduct more. So, I'm not saying you're definitely right not to go to Lakebank City, but you're certainly not wrong."

Gu Can turned his head to look at Chen Ping'an and asked with a smile, "How do you know all this?"

Chen Ping'an pointed at his own eyes, then at his own head, "Look more, think more, and you'll make fewer mistakes, and you'll always be prepared to know your mistakes and correct them. Outside of life and death, leave some room for everything, leave a retreat. Don't let your path get narrower and narrower, or one day you'll suddenly find yourself at a dead end, in a blind alley."

Gu Can crouched down, picked up a piece of gravel, and tossed it away, "Don't they also say, 'Better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile'?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "That's when there's no other choice. On this point, you need to think clearly first: what does it truly mean to have no other choice, and why have you reached the point of no return? Then think about whether there might be a way when heaven doesn't seal off all roads, whether you actually still have a choice."

Chen Ping'an also crouched down and picked up a piece of green glazed tile—which in a secular dynasty would be considered treasonous—"You may find it complicated now. That's because you haven't built up this line of thought yet, so it feels annoying and troublesome. Actually, it's not that hard. It's like a person walking through mountains and rivers, paving roads when meeting mountains, building bridges when meeting water. As long as you know how to pave roads and build bridges, you'll find that encountering mountains and water blocking your path—the difficulties of life—are not that hard to get through. Of course, even knowing how to pave roads and build bridges, finding those materials can be tiring. Picking stones yourself, chopping firewood up the mountain yourself. When you run out of money, you have to borrow from friends, even humble yourself and borrow from people you don't like, in order to pave the road and build the bridge. But when you cross the river and climb the mountain, you'll find it's all worth it. And even then, you might not succeed. But only at that moment can you say, 'I have a clear conscience.' If you're still trapped in a desperate situation at that point, then you can talk about the 'shattered jade' you mentioned earlier. That would be in line with the proper order."

Gu Can lowered his head and murmured, "In Shujian Lake, this is how you've been doing it, right?"

Chen Ping'an lowered his head and blew the dust off the green glazed tile, "Mm. To say something you might not want to hear—it was only after I came to Green Gorge Island and was very disappointed in you that I realized the difference between us. Harsh words, but they're my honest feelings. Listen first. When we first walked out of Li Zhu Cave Heaven, we were both afraid of this world, right?"

Gu Can nodded vigorously.

Chen Ping'an said slowly, "But we chose different paths. I carefully examined this strange world. For everyone who appeared in my life, I tried my utmost to see their true thoughts, to learn their good points, to think about how they became strong. You, on the other hand, searched for the most effortless shortcut. I understand all the hardships you faced on Green Gorge Island, and I admire your protection of your mother. But some things—just because I'm close to you and know your suffering doesn't mean I can say to you, 'Gu Can, you did nothing wrong.' In the affairs of the world, right and wrong are actually clear. Don't let the complexity of people's hearts confuse even the most basic distinctions. Let me say something even more outrageous: even if you're a bad person, you should still know what kind of thing you are, how many rules you've broken. Only such a bad person can cause havoc for a thousand years. These things, you don't understand. And before, you liked to pretend you did."

Gu Can sighed and complained, "Still your fault for coming to Shujian Lake so late. If you'd told me this earlier, I would definitely have listened."

Chen Ping'an was not the least bit angry. This was just a child's habitual stubbornness with words, a sign of inner recognition.

Compared to the first meal at Spring Court Mansion and the night Gu Can had admitted he "liked to kill people," this was worlds apart.

Chen Ping'an ruffled Gu Can's head.

Gu Can lowered his head.

Chen Ping'an said softly, "If someday your mother secretly tells you to orchestrate an assassination at Spring Court Mansion to make me stay on Green Gorge Island as your bodyguard, don't agree to it. It won't work. But you don't need to argue with her either, because that also won't work. Have you ever thought that the person who can truly change some of your mother's ideas isn't even your father, but you?"

Gu Can looked up, shocked.

Chen Ping'an smiled, "What, has she already told you?"

Gu Can groaned and muttered, "I'm starting to be afraid of you, Chen Ping'an."

Chen Ping'an put down the piece of glazed tile and said hoarsely, "Back then in the town, I hid things well. I didn't tell you many upsetting things."

Gu Can laughed, "True. Back then, I wouldn't have thought about any of this. I just thought about you buying me this and that. Every time you came back to Mud Vase Alley from the dragon kiln with copper coins, it was like New Year for me. By the way, did you really not mind spending the money?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Different people, I would mind. With you, I never did. At first, it was out of gratitude. Later, it wasn't. It became a habit."

Gu Can suddenly asked a question, "Have you ever thought that your friends might feel burdened?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "That's a good question."

Gu Can grinned.

Chen Ping'an raised his arm and drew a long line, saying seriously to Gu Can, "First, our lives can generally be much longer than ordinary people's, so we need to look further ahead. Think more about good people and good things. Travel the world, see the mountains and rivers. On my life's journey, I've also encountered insurmountable obstacles and things I couldn't understand. At those times, I'll come to you for help, without embarrassment. That's why I said before that a good friendship is like aged wine stored in a cellar—the longer it stays, the more fragrant it becomes."

Chen Ping'an gently clenched his fist, "Second, Gu Can, have you ever thought that I've also met many people who made me feel ashamed of myself? Yes, more than one or two. Even in Shujian Lake, there are Su Xinzai and Zhou Guonian and others. Even setting aside my relationship with you, just meeting them made my heart uneasy, made me think, how can there be such good... people, ghosts, in this world?"

Chen Ping'an looked at Gu Can, at the subtle changes in his eyes and expression.

And he did not hide his observation.

Gu Can met Chen Ping'an's gaze, "Chen Ping'an, can I ask you a favor? Can you send my mother out of Shujian Lake? Like back to Mud Vase Alley or to my father's side."

Chen Ping'an asked, "And you?"

Gu Can said, "You said that both being reasonable and unreasonable come at a price. I understand the price of being unreasonable. I want to try the price of being reasonable too. I'll go to the mountains south of Shujian Lake with Zeng Ye. You just need to send my mother out of Shujian Lake."

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Alright."

It was as if he had been waiting for these words for a long time.

Gu Can tucked his hands into his sleeves. Chen Ping'an also tucked his hands into his sleeves. Together, they gazed at the ruins.

Afterward, Gu Can returned to Spring Court Mansion. He didn't say a word about his new agreement with Chen Ping'an to his mother, only saying some comforting words.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an went to Lakebank City.

That piece of Great Li Peace and Tranquility Token might not be enough to get him a meeting with Su Gaoshan, but to see a city-stationing accompanying army cultivator, it carried enough weight.

When he entered the heavily guarded Fan Family mansion and saw the young cultivator, both were stunned.

Guan Yiran.

Chen Ping'an.

Life is full of coincidences.

Guan Yiran was very polite, warm, and sincere.

But when Chen Ping'an said he wanted to send Gu Can's mother to Dragon Spring County, Guan Yiran did not immediately agree. Instead, he handled it officially, saying that the matter could be big or small, and he couldn't decide on his own—he had to report to Grand General Su Gaoshan.

Chen Ping'an naturally had no objection.

This was the proper way to do things.

Mixing personal feelings with official business, not distinguishing between public and private, might seem like using connections to take shortcuts, with smooth interpersonal interactions and initially sweet friendships, but each of these leaves hidden troubles on life's path that might come back to bite you one day.

Guan Yiran said that within ten days, at most half a month, the Grand General would give an answer. Whether good or bad, he would notify Chen Ping'an immediately.

After discussing official matters, the two had a drink together, with Chen Ping'an treating.

As Guan Yiran had joked at the city gate of Stone Spear Kingdom's capital last time, he could default on anything, but even the Jade Emperor couldn't owe him a drink.

Although Guan Yiran was the great-grandson of the current head of the Guan clan, a pillar of Great Li, as Chen Ping'an had guessed earlier, the more ambitious among the children of officials often took the word "rules" more seriously. If it had been Gu Can coming here, Guan Yiran would very likely have sent him away empty-handed. And Huang He and his ilk had indeed been whispering in Guan Yiran's ear recently, with malicious intentions that weren't particularly clever. Guan Yiran saw through them at a glance. After all, the Guan clan had been the mainstay of Great Li officialdom for two hundred years. They had seen too much of this kind of thing. Guan Yiran even felt that Huang He and his ilk weren't smart enough. Even if they could gain short-term benefits by using Gu Can, at least on his, Guan Yiran's, line, they could forget about connecting. Huang He might have thought about the gains and losses, but the immediate benefits were too tempting, so he might not have thought it through, because he couldn't possibly imagine the depth of Guan Yiran's family background. Guan Yiran had never revealed his identity to outsiders either.

But these inside stories, just as Chen Ping'an hadn't revealed Liu Laocheng's warning to Li Fuqu, even if Guan Yiran felt a connection with Chen Ping'an, he wouldn't bring up Huang He, Tian Hujun of Plain Scale Island, and their group as drinking talk.

Ten days later, a flying sword message from Lakebank City arrived at Green Gorge Island. Guan Yiran told Chen Ping'an that Grand General Su Gaoshan had personally agreed. Gu Can's mother could take an immortal ferry back to Dragon Spring County, but she was not allowed to bring too many immortal coins or treasures from Green Gorge Island's secret vault. In exchange, Chen Ping'an had to hand over the Great Li Peace and Tranquility Token, return it to Great Li, and have his files removed from the Ministry of Rites, which meant completely losing his status as a top-level Great Li cultivator's protective charm. If he wanted another one in the future, he would have to earn it through meritorious service.

Chen Ping'an agreed without hesitation.

At Spring Court Mansion, when the woman suddenly heard this news, it was as if she had been struck by lightning, as if she had heard of a terrible catastrophe.

After calming down a bit and seeing Chen Ping'an and Gu Can both silently in agreement, the woman seemed to accept her fate. She asked Chen Ping'an what would happen to Gu Can and said that if Gu Can didn't leave Shujian Lake with her, she would rather die than leave Green Gorge Island.

Gu Can looked at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an said, "You can leave together. I can go to the mountains south of Shujian Lake alone."

Gu Can asked, "Will my mother be safe on this trip back to Mud Vase Alley?"

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Whether it's Su Gaoshan or Guan Yiran, if they've agreed, you can trust them. If you're really not at ease, I hope you can accompany your mother back. Some things, as long as you sincerely want to do them, it's not too late."

Gu Can fell into deep thought.

The woman timidly asked, "Can I come back later?"

Chen Ping'an said, "There is that possibility, but I dare not guarantee it now."

Afterward, the woman asked about many details of the return journey, and Chen Ping'an answered them one by one. Clearly, whatever she thought of, he had already thought of. What she hadn't thought of, he had also considered.

This made the heartbroken woman feel a bit more at ease.

She could take part of Spring Court Mansion's savings, such as a large number of immortal coins, and could also select five or six maidservants. There was also a quota of three large cases of paintings and antiques. Furthermore, she could personally pick ten spiritual artifacts and one magical treasure from Green Gorge Island's secret vault.

After that, the woman seemed like an ant moving its nest, full of fighting spirit, radiating a kind of brilliance similar to when she had been in Mud Vase Alley, like a swallow gathering mud to patch up the household.

Chen Ping'an no longer concerned himself with these matters; Gu Can stayed with her the whole time.

Finally, Gu Can came to the mountain gate hut to find Chen Ping'an and said he planned to accompany his mother on this trip because he still wasn't at ease.

Chen Ping'an smiled and agreed.

The two sat on the small bamboo chairs Chen Ping'an had made with his own hands, basking in the warm winter sun.

Gu Can asked, "Aren't you afraid I won't come back?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "The things I feared most have already happened, and I've faced them. It's hard to be disappointed anymore."

Gu Can held the charcoal hand warmer that Chen Ping'an had handed him earlier, "I'm sorry."

Chen Ping'an smiled, "It's the same. I had already prepared for the worst. I told you before, I had a ten-year agreement with a girl. If I really had to spend that many years in Shujian Lake, I would also leave for a while, go to Hanging Mountain and Sword Qi Great Wall, see her, explain everything to her from beginning to end, and then return to Shujian Lake. What do you think about that? Go ahead. As long as you truly come back, even after ten years or a hundred years, a little late is fine."

Chen Ping'an turned his head, "But I'll say this in advance: if you come late, it might as well be that you don't come at all."

Gu Can nodded, "I won't. Trust me this once."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

At the end of this year, not a single snow fell on Shujian Lake.

One day, Tian Hujun of Plain Scale Island personally had someone dock a Green Gorge Island tower ship at the ferry. The woman led six favorite maidservants and several cases onto the ship.

Chen Ping'an accompanied Gu Can as they stood at the prow.

Tian Hujun, aside from greeting them at first, did not show herself again. Whether it was assessing the situation or feeling guilty, in any case, she did not appear.

Gu Can asked softly, "You must have spent a lot for this."

Chen Ping'an held the charcoal hand warmer, "Back then, I fought many times for your family's water rights at night. Even after I became a kiln worker, since I'd go back to town to help your family with farm work whenever I had free time, the gossip that spread nearly broke me at the time. That kind of feeling was no better than paying some external things now. In fact, it could be even harder to endure. It made me feel constrained, as if helping was wrong and not helping was also wrong, as if everything I did was a mistake."

Gu Can had never really cared about gossiping tongues. He gently bumped Chen Ping'an with his shoulder, "Chen Ping'an, let me tell you a secret. Actually, back then, I always thought it wouldn't be so bad if you really became my father. If it were any other man who dared to step into my house, I'd see if I could piss in his rice bowl or throw shit into his family's rice jar."

Chen Ping'an's face instantly darkened, and he slapped Gu Can's head hard.

Gu Can grinned, "Just a joke. Don't take it seriously."

Then Gu Can's expression darkened, "Honestly, I have no memory of that father of mine at all. I don't even know what I'd say if we met."

Chen Ping'an sighed, "Take it slow."

Upon reaching Lakebank City, Guan Yiran personally greeted them and had a pleasant conversation with Chen Ping'an after he disembarked. This surprised Tian Hujun, who was watching from the top-floor cabin.

Gu Can bid Chen Ping'an farewell, "Don't worry. I'll be back soon. You might be able to leave Shujian Lake earlier than expected and then do your own things."

Chen Ping'an, holding the charcoal hand warmer, nodded and watched them leave. On the Fan family's white jade square in Lakebank City, an immortal ferry dispatched by Su Gaoshan himself was already moored. A Golden Core cultivator was overseeing it, along with two accompanying army cultivators.

Now, the entire northern part of Bottle Gourd Continent was part of Great Li's territory. Even without a Golden Core Earth Immortal, there wouldn't be much risk.

The ferry slowly rose into the air.

Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze. Guan Yiran stood beside him and smiled, "I had only heard rumors about your matters before—knew there was a strange accountant on Green Gorge Island—but didn't pay much attention. When I found out it was you, I recently picked out some Willow Flake Island gazettes and extracted some Green Wave Pavilion intelligence to get a deeper understanding. I have to say, it's the most foolish method possible."

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Polishing a brick into a mirror, storing snow as grain. What if it actually works?"

Guan Yiran said, "But if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have dared to write an extra letter to the Grand General, urging him along. This isn't taking credit, nor is it boasting. I'm still scared thinking about it. You don't know our Grand General's temper. My old squad leader back then is now a general with real power, and along with my current direct superior, they usually blow their mustaches and glare at me like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law—finding fault no matter what. But when they see the Grand General themselves, each one turns into a mouse seeing a cat, flattering him without a hint of embarrassment. So I have to ask you for a couple of jugs of wine to steady my nerves."

Chen Ping'an laughed heartily. He drank with Guan Yiran and a few of his friends, with Chen Ping'an providing all the wine. The impoverished bunch asked the Fan family for a few plates of appetizers. Since there were rules, even sitting on a mountain of gold and silver, no one dared to feast on meat and fish. They could only bask in Guan Yiran's presence, finally catching a patsy to fleece without mercy. A sturdy man named Yu Shanfang, also an accompanying army cultivator, complained that Guan Yiran, that pretty boy, had simply been born with a silver spoon, and he wasn't convinced. Guan Yiran shook his head, grinning, and said, "If you're not convinced, come hit me then."

Yu Shanfang hesitated for a long time, then gave Guan Yiran a light "punch" on the shoulder, grinning as he turned his fist into a palm and lightly brushed it, saying that Guan the Great General was the most petty-minded, not very skilled at killing enemies but very good at holding grudges, so he wouldn't dare.

Watching their camaraderie and banter, Chen Ping'an just smiled and drank.

Then Guan Yiran told an interesting story from Stone Spear Kingdom.

Actually, it was an embarrassing story for their group.

At the capital city, there was a pedantic old scholar who had just moved his family from the capital to the city. He was said to have a great family background, but it had declined over two generations and was far from what it used to be. Even the local Stone Spear Kingdom officials didn't take them seriously. This household stubbornly refused to paste up the Great Li door gods.

A furious Yu Shanfang personally led troops to their door, and what he saw was unforgettable.

Even now, as Yu Shanfang spoke of it, he couldn't help but sigh and take a deep drink.

That day.

An old man, nearly blind, wearing a worn blue robe washed almost to gray, sat upright in the main hall. The old man sat there alone.

Blurry-eyed, he could barely see the Great Li soldiers, but the clanking of their armor and the sound of their footsteps carried a battlefield aura enough to make even the Stone Spear Kingdom governor's heart pound.

But before Yu Shanfang and the dozen Great Li elite soldiers could speak, the old scholar sneered in the most standard Great Li official dialect, "Is this how Cui Chan taught you to conquer the world?! Is this how Qi Jingchun taught you the principles?! What a majestic Great Li Iron Cavalry! What a Great Li that has listened to the century-long sound of reading at Cliff Face Academy!"

The Confucian-robed old man slammed the table, straining his eyes wide to glare at the Great Li officers and soldiers, "Let me see how long this crappy Great Li can last!"

The old man stood up and pointed at the armored Great Li elite, scolding them relentlessly.

He cursed so fiercely that Yu Shanfang was aggrieved, but in the end, not a single soldier, including Yu Shanfang himself, drew his blade, nor did they utter a single harsh word.

They simply left that mansion and ordered no one to harass the household.

When Guan Yiran learned of this, he personally wrote to Su Gaoshan, asking if an exception could be made to allow this household not to display the Great Li Yuan and Cao door gods.

In truth, Guan Yiran thought it unlikely, as Great Li's ironclad rules meant no one dared to cross the line.

As a result, Su Gaoshan sent a letter back, cursing Guan Yiran roundly, saying that Stone Spear Kingdom was now a vassal of Great Li. If scholars like that weren't respected, then who should be respected? Han Jingling, that turtle-son? Or the waste from the Huang clan? The matter was settled. This old gentleman was permitted not to display the Great Li door gods. If the National Teacher held anyone accountable, he, Su Gaoshan, would bear full responsibility. Even if it reached the Prince's ears, he would still do this. If Guan Yiran had the balls and was ever held a grudge against by the National Teacher, he should remember to put in a good word with his great-grandfather, then trouble him to say a few nice words to the National Teacher as well, so that perhaps the National Teacher would calm down a bit.

Chen Ping'an listened silently.

Finally, Guan Yiran leaned back in his chair, looked at Chen Ping'an, and said, "I think there should be more scholars like that. What do you think, Chen Ping'an?"

Chen Ping'an nodded, "The more, the better."

Guan Yiran squinted and smiled, raising his wine bowl, "Right here, you and I count as half-scholars. Yu Shanfang and these rough warriors—what do they know? Come on, let's drink to that."

Chen Ping'an smiled and raised his bowl, clinking it with Guan Yiran's without any distinction of rank, "Let's drink to that."

Yu Shanfang spat and rallied his other comrades, saying loudly, "We border heroes should drink to ourselves. Don't mind these sour scholars."

They too clinked their bowls with a crisp sound.

Finally, slightly drunk, Guan Yiran personally escorted Chen Ping'an to the mansion gate. The cold winter wind blew, clearing his mind a bit. He quietly reminded, "As for the overall direction of Shujian Lake's situation, at least in the near future, don't get involved. Since even I can't access some of your files, to be honest, I specifically sent a flying sword message to my family in the capital about this. The reply was very vague, full of mysteries. So I know what this means. It's not that I don't trust you, but..."

Chen Ping'an had already nodded and teased, "Looks like we didn't drink enough for you to say these things. Besides the first sentence, you didn't need to tell me the rest."

Guan Yiran slapped Chen Ping'an's shoulder, "Kid, you said that yourself. That means you owe me another drink."

Chen Ping'an smiled, "When the overall situation is settled, consider it your promotion party. I'll treat you to a celebratory drink then."

Guan Yiran smiled and nodded.

Everything was understood without words.

If Chen Ping'an frequently visited afterward, Guan Yiran would also be happy, but that would touch on many official taboos and could bring aftereffects for both sides.

But Guan Yiran could only keep that to himself. Since he considered Chen Ping'an a friend, he had to pay this price. He was hardly just greedy for drinks and coveting Chen Ping'an's wine cellar, was he? As the future head of the Guan clan, the pillar of Great Li's court, did he lack that? What he lacked were friends he recognized.

But since Chen Ping'an had understood from the first sentence, said "when the overall situation is settled," Guan Yiran was even happier.

Real friends must drink heartily, but life isn't always satisfying. There are always unpleasant things standing in the way. If a friend values you, cares for you, and is willing to think of you, that is truly the best. Even without a cup in hand, it's like drinking fine wine.

The young man in a cotton blue robe walked slowly down the quiet, cold street.

Guan Yiran watched the gaunt figure and recalled that thin, sunken face.

For no reason, Guan Yiran felt a pang of sadness, yet he also felt that friend was somewhat carefree.

Perhaps a true swordsman is always like this—drinking heartily at the feast and walking the path alone when the feast ends.

Guan Yiran had drunk with many people and treated many to drinks.

But once, a notorious Great Li Nascent Soul cultivator, a lofty immortal, had personally appeared when he was returning from the border, finding him on Chier Street. He said he wanted to treat Guan Yiran to a drink and chat about something.

Guan Yiran had asked, "Are you worthy?"

At that time, everyone around thought Guan Yiran had drunk too much and would surely cause trouble. Even the Guan clan might have to endure some punishment.

Later, when he returned to the Yizhi Alley mansion, his great-grandfather laughed heartily and slapped the young great-grandson's shoulder vigorously.

That was the second time Guan Yiran had seen his great-grandfather so happy. The first was when he decided to enlist and become a low-level scout cultivator on the border.

There were always people who thought social status and position determined whether one could sit at certain tables.

These people, even if they were incredibly lucky enough to sit at a certain table, would only bow and scrape, repeatedly toasting, lowering their cups lower and lower, practically lying on the ground to drink.

How amusing and ridiculous.

Guan Yiran clasped his hands behind his head and said with a grin, "Every family has its own difficulties. We have to understand these people—some are forced by life, with no other choice. But most are trying desperately to exchange vague things like upbringing, family values, and backbone for solid silver. Some of them will climb very, very high. But, well, at least at my table, they won't be drinking. To avoid having to deal with these people in the future, I should work harder. Otherwise, if someday I have to toast them, I'll be done for. Besides dishonoring myself and the entire Guan clan, I'd also dishonor all the friends I've drunk with."

Chen Ping'an, who had already left Lakebank City, naturally couldn't guess how much or how far Guan Yiran had thought.

When he returned to the ferry, he found the Green Gorge Island ferry still waiting.

This was expected.

A figure as mysterious and intimidating as Guan Yiran was enough to make Tian Hujun and the others reassess the situation.

Perhaps Huang He, upon hearing of this, would even abandon the idea of treating Chen Ping'an to a drink, because he wouldn't be able to show off his wealth anymore.

After boarding the ship, Tian Hujun said with a face full of guilt, "I can only watch helplessly as the little junior brother leaves Spring Court Mansion with auntie. I'm very sorry."

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Human strength is limited. Doing one's best is enough."

Tian Hujun looked at that face, especially the accountant's eyes, but found no trace of sarcasm. Still, she was uneasy. After all, with her master Liu Zhimao having virtually no chance of making a comeback, her actions—striving for herself and Plain Scale Island—were genuine, but her efforts for her master and junior brother... there were none left.

Chen Ping'an had already changed the subject, "What about Spring Court Mansion?"

Tian Hujun smiled, "If Mr. Chen is willing, you can move there anytime."

Chen Ping'an waved his hand, "Forget it. I'm used to my original place."

Tian Hujun didn't say anything more.

Spring Court Mansion was the place on Green Gorge Island with the richest spiritual energy, second only to Crosswave Mansion. As soon as the woman left, almost all the top guest elders, including Yu Gui, began to covet it. As for Crosswave Mansion, everyone wanted it, but no one had the ability to claim it. Even Tian Hujun, the current de facto leader of Green Gorge Island, didn't think she could rebuild Crosswave Mansion and take up residence there.

Seeking death?

As for Spring Court Mansion, Tian Hujun definitely planned to take it back. Letting Chen Ping'an move there was just a polite gesture that cost nothing. She also knew Chen Ping'an wouldn't agree.

Dealing with smart people, especially those who followed rules, was relatively easy.

If Chen Ping'an hadn't suddenly produced a friend named Guan Yiran, Tian Hujun might still have docked the ship at the ferry, but she certainly wouldn't have greeted him personally or spent time here wasting words with an accountant whose power had waned.

Tian Hujun silently accompanied him for a while before taking her leave.

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, holding the charcoal hand warmer.

Looking at the haggard man's smile, Tian Hujun's heart rippled slightly, but she didn't dwell on it.

Chen Ping'an turned his back to Tian Hujun, gazing at the lake view, his mind wandering thousands of miles away.

Yugui Sect.

A light under the lamp—who would have thought?

If it was Yugui Sect, then the Great Dao struggle that had previously defied all understanding and speculation was actually perfectly timed.

But the twists and turns within were still hidden behind many veils.

So Guan Yiran's reminder as an outsider was very much appreciated.

However, this meant many plans would have to wait and see again. Perhaps this waiting would only lead to nothing.

For example, establishing new rules for Shujian Lake, occupying an island there to create a mountain sect for ghostly beings and spirits, a place free from worldly strife with the ability to protect itself.

Chen Ping'an had thought of many things, but since the world was unpredictable, he could only adapt to the situation.

The good and bad, the ups and downs, the gains and losses—these were not for outsiders to know.

Many things could only be met with silence.

Returning to Green Gorge Island, Chen Ping'an went back to his hut, lit the stove, and added some warmth to the room. There wasn't much charcoal left in the bag. Chen Ping'an smiled wryly. If Guan Yiran hadn't appeared, he would have had to ask Green Gorge Island for charcoal. They would have given it, of course. But now, someone would probably come knocking tomorrow, asking if Mr. Chen needed more charcoal. And starting tomorrow, there should be more familiar-faced visitors at his door.

Chen Ping'an sat at the desk and continued his accounting.

He didn't sleep all night.

At dawn, Chen Ping'an pushed open the door and took a walk to Crimson Strings Mansion. The doorkeeper Red Su was still serving at Spring Court Mansion. He wondered if, with his loss of power this year, the maidservants' gossip had resurfaced or even intensified, worse than before. But it didn't matter. Now things were different again. After two or three times, the people at Spring Court Mansion should have learned their lesson. Red Su's days shouldn't be too hard.

The ghost cultivator of Crimson Strings Mansion, Ma Yuanzhi, was particularly happy to see Chen Ping'an's increasingly gaunt and haggard appearance. In this matter, a ghost cultivator couldn't afford to be kind. It involved his marriage with the eldest princess Liu Chongrun, so he had to be cautious of a young man like Chen Ping'an. He didn't want to one day receive a wedding invitation from Chen Ping'an and Liu Chongrun instead of inviting them to his own wedding.

Chen Ping'an chatted with Ma Yuanzhi for a bit before leaving Crimson Strings Mansion.

Ma Yuanzhi couldn't stop smiling. He had never looked so kindly upon Chen Ping'an, calling him "Mr. Chen" with unprecedented sincerity.

Chen Ping'an was amused and annoyed, too lazy to argue with Ma Yuanzhi.

The new doorkeeper of Crimson Strings Mansion was a maidservant from Spring Court Mansion. When she saw Chen Ping'an, she was especially warm. After all, this was where Red Su had "made her fortune." It was by attaching herself to Mr. Chen that she had become a minor manager at Spring Court Mansion with an easy life. Chen Ping'an was polite to the woman, but that was all. What more was there to say? In all of Green Gorge Island, how many Red Sus were there? Just one.

As Chen Ping'an had guessed, several acquaintances visited Green Gorge Island that day to chat and reminisce.

Chen Ping'an was now adept at handling these things, no longer feeling awkward or unnatural as before.

It was all accumulated bit by bit through experience.

Chen Ping'an did not spend the New Year on Green Gorge Island. He punted his boat away from Shujian Lake, stopping occasionally to moor far outside Palisand Island before continuing.

He went to Green Sycamore City, picked up his horse, but unfortunately, the bun shop had closed. He didn't know if it had gone out of business or was just closed for the New Year, planning to reopen after the Lantern Festival.

Chen Ping'an spent the New Year on the road.

On horseback.

Content.

Not finding it hard.

On the first day of the first lunar month, he finally found Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi, who had been waiting for him.

Chen Ping'an rested for a day and set off on the second day. The three riders skirted the border of Shujian Lake, heading south.

Finally, at an immortal ferry dock that had long ceased operations, Chen Ping'an said he would wait here for someone. If the person didn't show within ten days, they would continue on.

Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi, when not cultivating, would go explore the immortal dock, with its rows of shops and dazzling array of goods.

After browsing, Ma Duyi said she couldn't look anymore, or she'd feel even more depressed about how poor she was.

Chen Ping'an gave Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi each one Minor Summer coin, saying it was a New Year's red envelope.

Zeng Ye was too embarrassed to accept it and refused no matter what. Ma Duyi, who never stood on ceremony with Mr. Chen, asked if she could have Zeng Ye's coin too.

Chen Ping'an smiled, "You don't think silver is too heavy to carry, right?"

Ma Duyi nodded eagerly.

Chen Ping'an naturally didn't agree. He took back the Minor Summer coin, "Sorry, but I don't think silver is too heavy either."

Zeng Ye burst out laughing, gloating, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Ma Duyi, making him wince.

They waited at the immortal dock for nearly ten days.

At dusk one day, a ferry dared to dock. When various cultivators saw the flag on the ferry, they understood.

Damn it, it was the battle flag of the Great Li barbarians.

Chen Ping'an led the person back to the inn. Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi looked awkward.

It was Gu Can.

Zeng Ye was purely afraid of Gu Can.

Ma Duyi was worried. Gu Can's appearance at this time was not a good thing.

Many of the unfulfilled wishes of ghostly beings would have been workable under Mr. Chen. But upon seeing Gu Can himself, they might immediately change their minds or even intensify their hatred. Many ghosts could directly turn into vicious spirits bereft of intellect, which would force Mr. Chen to waste his talismans again.

That night, Chen Ping'an had Zeng Ye take out the Descent Prison Yama Hall from the large book chest and placed it on the table in his room.

Only Gu Can was in the room.

Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi returned to their own rooms. Then, for the first time, Ma Duyi sought out Zeng Ye, and the two sat together in a daze.

In the middle of the night, Chen Ping'an knocked softly.

Ma Duyi hurried to open the door. Chen Ping'an motioned for them to sit down. He sat down as well and said softly, "Don't worry about me. Think about it—however hard things get, can it be harder than when we first started?"

Zeng Ye murmured in agreement.

Ma Duyi also nodded lightly.

Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Is it exhausting accompanying someone like me?"

Zeng Ye shook his head vigorously.

Ma Duyi rolled her eyes, "My heart is exhausted."

Zeng Ye timidly said, "Miss Ma, how can you still die?"

Chen Ping'an suppressed a laugh.

Ma Duyi, rarely at a loss for words with Zeng Ye, stomped hard on his foot under the table.

Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said softly, "I'll just doze off for a while. Don't mind me."

Before falling asleep, Chen Ping'an thought: I wonder how the people I care about are doing back in my hometown.

Besides my hometown of Dragon Spring County, in this world and elsewhere, in other worlds and blessed lands, is it still fine during the New Year season? Are there willows by the waterside and blooming spring flowers?

Chen Ping'an slowly drifted off to sleep.

There was a slight snore.

He was truly tired.

Zeng Ye thought that Ma Duyi, who loved to contradict Mr. Chen, would make fun of him.

But when the tall youth turned his head, he saw Miss Ma sniffing, her eyes brimming with tears.

The youth didn't understand. Mr. Chen was just snoring a bit while sleeping. Why were you so sad, Miss Ma?

---

Dragon Spring County.

A small house in Mud Vase Alley, whose owner was actually traveling far away.

On New Year's Eve, new Spring Festival couplets, blessing characters, and door gods had already been meticulously pasted up by someone.

There was not only an extremely sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner but also the chef was a far-traveling realm martial artist. An older man who used chopsticks to pick up food was an even more impressive tenth-realm martial artist who had once nearly reached the Martial God Realm. A white-robed man, as graceful as a god, was the Northern Sacred Mountain's principal god of Great Li.

There was also a female ghost dwelling in an immortal's discarded body.

A charcoal-black girl shamelessly sat in the host's seat, saying she was sitting in for her master. No one was allowed to argue. Family rules were family rules. Since her master was absent, she, as the senior disciple, had to maintain the rules.

Also present were a green-clad boy squatting on a long bench and a pink-skirted girl standing properly beside him.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the old man surnamed Cui left the house first. Wei Bo and Zhu Lian went out together to wander around the town.

Three "little ones" remained, sitting around the stove keeping vigil.

At dawn, firecrackers crackled and popped outside the ancestral home in Mud Vase Alley.

A charcoal-black girl, with a sword and scabbard at her waist, crossed her arms, nodded, and expressed satisfaction. The New Year's atmosphere at her master's house was pretty good.

Pei Qian followed her master's instructions and didn't just set off firecrackers all morning. Given her temperament, she'd want to wake up the entire town.

After setting off the firecrackers, Pei Qian waved her hand, "Let's go! Fight!"

The pink-skirted girl didn't join the fun. She wanted to watch over the house. Shi Rou was too lazy to accompany Pei Qian in her mischief. Since arriving at Dragon Spring County, she had only grown close to the pink-skirted girl.

The green-clad boy eagerly followed Pei Qian, eager for chaos.

When the green-clad boy first met the stooped old man and the charcoal-black girl, he thought that as a senior figure from Fallen Mountain, he needed to maintain some dignity. So he had been suppressing his lively nature, pretending to be worldly-wise every day. It was very tiring, and the pink-skirted girl found it hard to adapt.

Later, he discovered that the little charcoal-black girl couldn't understand what he was saying—she just stared wide-eyed in a daze. So he completely let loose, taking her on wild adventures, riding a black snake with a golden line on its belly, crossing mountains and rivers.

After spending time with Pei Qian, the melancholy and loss that had been lingering in the green-clad boy's heart faded somewhat.

As for Zhu Lian, he was respectful to the old man surnamed Cui, but that was all.

In Pei Qian's eyes, it seemed the old cook had lost his flattery skills as soon as he arrived at Dragon Spring County. But he got along very well with the outrageously handsome mountain god and often visited Clothes Cloud Mountain.

Pei Qian, with the green-clad boy, went "door-to-door" through the streets and alleys, but was very disappointed.

Not a single opponent dared to come out and fight.

Pei Qian stamped her foot, "So boring!"

The green-clad boy grinned, "Isn't there still that stray dog running around? Let's find it!"

Pei Qian hesitated, "On the first day of the New Year? Isn't that a bit much?"

The green-clad boy rubbed his chin, "True. Let's talk about it tomorrow?"

Pei Qian nodded.

Pei Qian's so-called "fighting" actually referred to the big white geese roaming the alleys. They were incredibly arrogant, each one a bully to newcomers.

Such a big alley—everyone could go their own way, live and let live. Was that not allowed? Did they have to peck at her? Didn't they know that provoking an expert would cost blood and tears?

The first time she encountered them, Pei Qian and her formidable foe engaged in a battle of wits and courage. She finally grabbed one big white goose by the neck, spun it around several times, and shouted, "Go!"

Dizzy.

But the big white goose grew stronger with each defeat. Flapping its wings, it came back to fight. Pei Qian found her rhythm, succeeding time and again. Snow-white goose feathers covered the ground. She picked them up and used copper coins to make a shuttlecock.

Over time, whenever the geese encountered that charcoal-black girl, they would actively take a detour. This made Pei Qian feel a bit lonely, but then a little happy. She felt she had tasted the flavor of a grandmaster, standing high above the cold. She was still so young and already so accomplished. She was worthy of being her master's senior disciple. She hadn't disgraced her master on his home turf!

Later, Pei Qian and the green-clad boy encountered a particularly wild stray dog in the western mountains.

This wouldn't do!

Pei Qian had great ambitions, and one of them was to fight the wildest dogs.

Then followed a chase across the mountains.

The green-clad boy helped block the dog's escape. They had a great time. After that, the two often went to bother that canine spirit.

Poor dog, suffering an undeserved calamity. Its current backer happened to be away from Dragon Spring County. It could only flee with its tail between its legs. Even when it escaped to Dragon Spring Sword Sect's mountain, it couldn't avoid disaster. Those two ruthless little bastards charged up the mountain. The immortal disciples on the mountain saw them but dared not intervene. Even Ruan Qiong, when he saw them, was all smiles and didn't stop them. Instead, he told the sect's disciples not to restrain those two mischievous ones.

Pei Qian hadn't forgotten her manners. Holding her mountain-walking staff, she bowed to Ruan Qiong with cupped fists, very much in the style of a wanderer.

Ruan Qiong, who never smiled in front of his disciples, actually smiled and ruffled the little girl's head, saying that if she ever wanted to join his sect to learn swordsmanship, whether as a registered student or not, she was welcome.

Pei Qian refused on the spot, reiterating that she was her master's senior disciple.

She wasn't afraid of this famous military sage; in fact, she felt somewhat close to him. She had a little secret.

After seeing the panorama of the long river of time, she had firmly remembered the green-clad sister. Even if becoming the primary wife was difficult, couldn't she become the secondary wife?

Ruan Qiong laughed heartily and said they could talk about it later; there was no rush.

But if he knew what was going on in this little girl's mind, he probably wouldn't be laughing.

He'd be cursing that surnamed Chen boy for his relentless scheming, always digging at the foundations of his sect.

Pei Qian and the green-clad boy walked near Mud Vase Alley. Pei Qian suddenly ran to the iron-locked well, which had lost its chain, leaned over, and looked inside.

The green-clad boy crouched beside her and asked, "Whatcha doing?"

Pei Qian said softly, "You all said Dragon Spring County is full of valuable stuff. I want to see if there's any treasure down there. If there is, wouldn't we be rich?"

The green-clad boy rolled his eyes, "I suggest you forget it. Other places might be okay, but this place is now a private restricted area. Only because I have so much face can you walk over here openly without anyone stopping you. Haven't you noticed that