Chapter 459: All in a World of Wine

Chapter 459: All in a World of Wine

Shi Rou abruptly stood up and looked up. On the second floor, the barefoot old man was holding Chen Ping'an by the neck, lifting him gently above the railing, then casually tossing him down. Shi Rou hurriedly caught him.

The old man said, "This fellow thinks too much and sleeps too little. Let him sleep his fill first. For the time being, don't let anyone disturb him."

Shi Rou quickly placed Chen Ping'an on the bed on the first floor, quietly withdrew, closed the door, and obediently sat on the bamboo chair outside, acting as a door god.

The old man walked down the bamboo building and came to the cliff's edge. Today, the clouds and mist were thick, obscuring the view. The scene was magnificent, like a heavenly wind shaking the great tide of the sea. Standing on the heights of Luopo Mountain, it was like being in a watery kingdom. Slightly to the left, there was a peak adjacent to Luopo Mountain that stood alone above the sea of clouds, like an immortal walking on stilts. The old man casually waved his sleeve, easily dispersing the entire sea of clouds, as if opening a door to reveal mountains and rivers.

This scene made Shi Rou's eyelids twitch slightly, and she quickly lowered her gaze.

If he had swung that sleeve against her immortal remains, she really didn't know if her soul would have completely dissipated.

Earlier, the one she feared most, Cui Dongshan, had visited Luopo Mountain. He was on the second floor. Shi Rou had never seen Cui Dongshan so utterly dejected. The old man sat inside the room without stepping out, while Cui Dongshan sat on the corridor outside, also not entering, but he called the old man "Grandfather."

From that moment on, Shi Rou knew how to deal with the old man: it was simple—try as much as possible not to appear within the line of sight of the old man surnamed Cui.

The old man stopped and gazed into the distance.

A huge black snake with a golden line on its belly and four claws was swiftly climbing the mountain from the mountain gate along the broad path. When it neared the bamboo building, it dared not approach. Pei Qian knew it was well-behaved, so she didn't make things difficult for it. She floated down to the ground, bent forward, and ran. The little girl in the pink dress followed behind, fluttering like a pink butterfly, extremely cute. The little boy in green looked rather listless, sliding off the black snake's tail and slowly trailing behind the two. When he was about to see Chen Ping'an, the boy in green inexplicably felt a bit guilty.

Pei Qian arrived at the bamboo building, and Shi Rou quickly repeated the old man's words. Pei Qian was both disappointed and worried. She lightly walked to the bamboo building's door, trying to see inside through the gaps in the green bamboo, but she saw nothing. Still unwilling to give up, she circled the bamboo building once and finally plopped down on Shi Rou's bamboo chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and sulked. Her master had returned home, and she wasn't the first to see him. As the burden-bearing first disciple, she wasn't doing so well. Not very proper.

Pei Qian secretly shot a glance at the little girl in the pink dress.

The little girl in pink immediately understood and ran over to the barefoot old man, asking softly, "Grandfather Cui, is my master all right?"

The old man nodded. "Some trouble, but not to the point where it can't be resolved. After Chen Ping'an sleeps his fill, we'll feed him some fists, and he'll be straightened out."

The little girl in pink turned pale.

Feed fists?

She knew well what her master had gone through back then. Truly, "miserable" didn't even begin to cover it.

The little boy in green, who had been eavesdropping intently, also looked distressed. Poor master, just back home and he's jumped into a blazing pit. No wonder he had wandered outside for five years before daring to return. If it had been him, he might not have dared to come back even after fifty years.

Chen Ping'an slept for a full two days and one night before waking up. After opening his eyes, he did a carp flip and sat up. He stepped out of the room and found Pei Qian and Zhu Lian keeping vigil outside the door, each on a small bamboo chair. Pei Qian was leaning back against the chair, legs stretched out, already fast asleep, drooling. For a charcoal-like girl like her, this was probably a case of "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"—life's helplessness. Chen Ping'an lightened his steps, crouched down, and looked at Pei Qian. After a moment, she raised her arm, wiped her mouth haphazardly, and continued sleeping, murmuring indistinctly in her dream.

Chen Ping'an stood up and gestured for Zhu Lian to follow him. The two went to the cliff's edge, where a stone table carved with a chessboard and four ancient stone stools engraved with cloud patterns had been made.

Zhu Lian lowered his voice and said with a light laugh, "If Pei Qian saw the young master like this, she'd be heartbroken."

Chen Ping'an sighed. "It's already very good. I had made the worst-case plan: I thought I wouldn't be able to escape from Shujian Lake for seven or eight years."

Zhu Lian nodded. "Although I don't know the specific reasons, in our letters, I dared not ask on paper. But if it made the young master feel each day like a year, it must have been a tremendous difficulty."

Chen Ping'an took out two flasks of Wuti Wine from Shujian Lake, handing one to Zhu Lian. They clinked their flasks lightly. Chen Ping'an leaned sideways against the stone table, resting one arm on it, took a sip of wine, and said with emotion, "It's a long story."

"What is character? It's being able to endure heaven's trials."

Zhu Lian turned his head and stared at Chen Ping'an's profile, taking a small sip of wine, and gently advised, "The young master's current appearance, though haggard, is, for an old hand like me who has been through the romantic battlefield, the most likely to stir a woman's pity. From now on, when you go down the mountain to the town or the commandery city, it would be best for the young master to wear a bamboo hat to cover up. Otherwise, be careful not to repeat the mistake of Ziyang Manor—just by glancing at a few women on the street, you'll incur romantic debts and rouge expenses."

A rare bit of flattery.

Chen Ping'an reached out and rubbed his cheeks, saying with a smile, "You're either taking me for a fool or those women for blind, huh?"

Zhu Lian sighed emotionally, "If you don't listen to an old man's advice, you'll suffer losses before your eyes. Young master, just wait. Once you're outside the mountain, sooner or later, women will..."

Chen Ping'an quickly waved his hand. "Whoa, stop right there. Drink your wine."

Zhu Lian said in a pained voice, "Good advice is hard to hear!"

Chen Ping'an smiled without speaking. Leaning on the pure moonlight that spilled over the world, he squinted into the distance.

Though he was currently looking south, Chen Ping'an's new business in the future lay to the north of Luopo Mountain.

Besides the Niujiao Mountain, where the former "bundle peddler" had "set up camp," and the Zhusha Mountain, which the immortal forces, including the Xu family of Qingfeng City, had chosen after sensing trouble and planning to jump off the Great Li "sinking ship," there were also Aoyu Bei, Sword Worship Platform, Weixia Peak, and Gray Mist Mountain. Except for Sword Worship Platform, which was farthest west, solitary and with a small mountain peak, most were in the southern part of the western mountain range, not far from Luopo Mountain. Gray Mist Mountain in particular covered a vast area. The previous immortal force had invested heavily, and with the hard work of a large number of Lu clan refugees, they had built a continuous stretch of celestial mansions, like a paradise on earth. In the end, they had essentially sold it half-price, even giving it back to the Great Li court. Who knew what they thought now? Probably they regretted it to the point of green intestines.

Those debts of gold-copper coins that the Great Li Song clan had run up in Old Dragon City were brokered by Wei Po, and then Chen Ping'an used them to buy mountains, and thus the debts were canceled. It was quite clean.

Especially Niujiao Mountain, which had already built a celestial ferry, was about to be taken into Chen Ping'an's possession. But for the time being, it had to be registered under Wei Po's name; otherwise, it wouldn't be proper. The benefits were too enormous, and Chen Ping'an would be the target of envy from Great Li's powerful figures. But privately, this source of living water, flowing with immortal coins, would be split fifty-fifty between Chen Ping'an and Wei Po.

Back then, he had fought countless times with Gu Can's family for water in the fields. Who would have thought that now he could also guard such a "fertile field" with astonishing yields?

Chen Ping'an withdrew his thoughts and asked, "Zhu Lian, haven't you often sparred with Grandmaster Cui?"

Zhu Lian smiled and shook his head. "The old master's fists are extremely hard. He has already reached the end of the martial path that we martial artists dream of. Who wouldn't admire him? But I don't want to disturb his cultivation."

Zhu Lian leaned back, turning his head toward the bamboo building. "Saying so, the old master won't mind, will he?"

Silence. No response.

Zhu Lian laughed. "Besides occasionally holding a walking staff and traveling through the mountains, or discussing scholarship with a few old masters from Linlu Academy on Piyun Mountain, the old master generally doesn't show himself much. A carefree spirit, just like that."

Zhu Lian remembered something and said, "In the commandery city, I accidentally found a good seedling. She's a wealthy young lady who moved from the Great Li capital region to Longquan. Not old, just thirteen, about the same age as our little 'compensation money' girl. Although she's starting martial arts now, a bit late, it's still just barely in time. I've already explained things to her elders. Now I just need the young master's nod, and I'll bring her up Luopo Mountain. We've built a few new residences on Luopo Mountain. Besides our own accommodations, there's more than enough for receiving guests. And all of it was paid for by Great Li, not a single copper coin from us."

Chen Ping'an nodded. Now that there were more people on Luopo Mountain, they did need such dwellings. But after formally signing the contract with the Great Li Ministry of Rites to buy those mountain peaks, even after excluding the peaks rented to Ruan Qiong, it seemed that each person could have an entire peak to themselves. Indeed, they were now wealthy and powerful. Chen Ping'an would soon become the second-largest landowner in Longquan Commandery, only after Ruan Qiong, occupying three-tenths of the western mountain region. Aside from the small and delicate Pearl Mountain, any of the other peaks had abundant spiritual energy, enough for a Golden Core Earth Immortal to cultivate.

Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "If you're willing to bring her up the mountain, of course you can. But under what status will she stay on Luopo Mountain? As your personal disciple?"

If she were Zhu Lian's first disciple in the Haoran World, Chen Ping'an was somewhat looking forward to her martial path.

Among the four from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land painting, Zhu Lian had the highest realm now—a solid Far Roaming realm martial artist. Though he had taken a shortcut, Chen Ping'an felt deep down that Zhu Lian's choice, seemingly eager for quick success, was actually the most correct.

Zhu Lian shook his head. "This old servant has no interest in being anyone's teacher. Let her first be a nominal disciple of Luopo Mountain. Later, whoever takes a liking to her natural talent and aptitude can take her. What I did was nothing more than keeping the water within the family, hoping to add some human presence to the young master's Luopo Mountain. Otherwise, with nothing but spirits, monsters, ghosts, and demons, it wouldn't be proper—it's not good for feng shui. That said, if this were in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, a disciple with that girl's talent would be like finding a book at a bookshop that I picked up on the roadside. But back in our homeland, she'd probably have a basketful of Jianghu masters fighting over her, beating each other bloody, brains splattering—very Jianghu."

Zhu Lian crossed his legs, pinched the immortal-brewed wine flask between two fingers, and gently shook it, sighing, "No wonder this is the Haoran World. Talents emerge in abundance, something the Lotus Flower Blessed Land can never match."

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "How did you convince the girl's family? 'The poor study letters, the rich study martial arts' is no joke."

Zhu Lian chuckled. "It wasn't complicated. That household moved to Longquan Commandery because they couldn't make it in the capital region. A beauty is a disaster, after all. The girl has a stubborn temper, and her parents and elders are also unyielding. They offended some local power they shouldn't have. I helped them deal with those 'river-crossing dragons' who had pursued them. The girl is family-oriented and feels deeply. Her family already has two scholars; she doesn't need to prop up the facade, and now she's burdened her elder brother and younger brother. She was already very guilty. Thinking she could attach herself to an immortal force in Longquan, she agreed without a second word. Actually, she has no idea what martial arts training really means or how much hardship it requires. A silly girl. But since I've taken a liking to her, she's certainly not lacking in intelligence. The young master will see for yourself when you meet her—she's similar to Sui Youbian, yet not quite the same."

Chen Ping'an murmured, "Mm."

Zhu Lian was reliable in doing things.

Suddenly, Zhu Lian turned and roared, "Compensation money girl! Your master is going on another long trip! Still sleeping?!"

Pei Qian toppled both herself and the bamboo chair. Half asleep, she saw the familiar figure and flew over. But when she saw Chen Ping'an's appearance, tears immediately fell like raindrops, pattering down. Her charcoal-like face was all wrinkled, the corners of her mouth drooping. She couldn't speak. How had her master become like this? So dark and thin—was he imitating her? Chen Ping'an sat up straight and said with a smile, "You've been on Luopo Mountain for three years, and you haven't grown any taller? What, not enough to eat? Just playing around? Have you forgotten to copy texts?"

Pei Qian threw her arms around Chen Ping'an and wailed loudly, heartbroken.

She should have shamelessly followed her master back then. If she had taken care of his food and daily needs, even if she was clumsy, at least at Shujian Lake, she could have kept him company, talked with him, and alleviated his boredom.

Chen Ping'an glared at Zhu Lian, who was gloating on the side.

Zhu Lian raised his wine flask and took a big swig as punishment. Then, while Chen Ping'an was softly comforting Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, carrying the half-full flask of Wuti Wine, stood up and left.

As if to leave the moonlight and time to the pair of master and disciple who had been reunited after a long separation.

It took a while for Pei Qian to stop crying. She sat on a stone stool nearby.

She had grown a little taller, but it was barely noticeable. For a typical thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl, the figure would be sprouting like a willow, and her face would be opening up.

But Pei Qian seemed to be still the same charcoal girl from the time they parted at Red Candle Town.

She chattered on, telling her master about her "great achievements" in Longquan Commandery over the years. Every so often she would go down the mountain to take care of her master's ancestral home in the Mud Vase Alley. Every year during the first month and Qingming Festival, she would visit the graves. She looked after the two shops in Qilong Lane. Besides copying texts every day, she would also hold the walking staff, ride the black snake, and diligently patrol the Luopo Mountain boundaries to prevent thieves from sneaking into the bamboo building. More importantly, she had to practice daily the six-step stake-standing technique her master taught her, the eighteen pauses of sword aura, the white ape back-sword technique and the drag blade technique that the female Daoist sister taught her, not to mention perfecting the crazy demon sword technique that was only a hair's breadth away from reaching perfection... In short, she was very busy, no fooling around, no idling. She swore on heaven and earth!

As for little things like chasing dogs, fighting geese, and kicking shuttlecocks, she felt she didn't need to bother her master with those. As the senior disciple, these soul-stirring exploits were her duty; there was no need to show off.

Chen Ping'an patiently listened to Pei Qian's embellished account and asked with a smile, "Didn't Grandmaster Cui teach you anything?"

Pei Qian's eyes darted around. She shook her head vigorously and said pitifully, "The old man has high standards; he looks down on me, Master. You don't know, but the old man has the demeanor of a high immortal—even more immortal-like than mountain cultivators. I truly admire him. Alas, it's a pity I didn't catch his eye and couldn't get him to give me some pointers on my crazy demon sword technique. On Luopo Mountain, this is the only thing I feel I've let you down, Master."

As if afraid Chen Ping'an wouldn't believe her, Pei Qian, who had already flattered both sides, clapped her fist into her palm with a crisp sound and said irritably, "I've brought shame to Master!"

Chen Ping'an bent forward and flicked his finger against Pei Qian's forehead, making her yelp and cover her head, sucking in a cold breath.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "If you can't bear the hardship, just say so. What 'high standards'? Who are you trying to fool?"

Pei Qian rubbed her slightly reddened forehead, opened her eyes wide, and said in feigned shock, "Master, did you learn some immortal mind-reading art on this trip? How is it that no matter where you go, you learn powerful skills! How am I, the senior disciple, supposed to catch up? Am I doomed to eat dust behind Master forever..."

Chen Ping'an grabbed her ear. "Oh, go on, keep spinning tales. Let's see how long you can keep it up."

Pei Qian grinned. But seeing her master's face, she felt like crying again. The mood for joking with her master vanished. She lowered her head.

Chen Ping'an sighed, patted her little head, and said with a smile, "Let me tell you some good news. Soon, peaks like Gray Mist Mountain, Zhusha Mountain, and Aoyu Bei will all be your master's. And the Niujiao Mountain celestial ferry, I'll own half of it. From now on, you can confidently collect tolls from all sorts of people coming and going."

Pei Qian showed little interest. "Oh."

Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves and continued gazing at the night view south of Luopo Mountain. He had heard that on clear days, with good eyesight, you could even make out the outlines of Red Candle Town and the Embroidered River.

Pei Qian lay on the stone table, her fingers lightly tracing the carved grid lines of the chessboard, staring without blinking at her master.

They were silent.

Having received Zhu Lian's message, the little boy in green and the little girl in pink came hurrying from the newly built mansion. Chen Ping'an turned his head, smiled, and waved for them to sit down. With Pei Qian, they just made a full table.

The little girl in pink ran over quickly, bowed to Chen Ping'an, and said respectfully, "Master."

The little boy in green also imitated her, bowing. When he lifted his head, his face was full of smiles. "Master, you old man have finally deigned to return. And you didn't bring a few beautiful young mistresses with you?"

The little girl in pink glared at him. "Nonsense!"

The little boy in green was picking his nose. He plopped down on the stone stool opposite Chen Ping'an, imitating Pei Qian by lying on the table, and said with a perplexed expression, "Master, are you wearing a human-skin mask while wandering the Jianghu? It's dark out, and I'm timid. Seeing you like this sends chills down my spine. Take it off quickly."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Meaning you don't want a red envelope?"

The little boy in green lifted his head, looked left and right. "Now that I look closely, the master seems even more manly."

Chen Ping'an scratched his head. Luopo Mountain? Might as well rename it Flattery Mountain.

Then, from his "Within Arm's Reach" object, Chen Ping'an took out three items: the Nine Palace Treasure Box given by the elderly cultivator at the Qianhe Kingdom ferry, the Old Dragon Rain-Making Jade Pendant compensation from the Fu family of Old Dragon City, and the last fox beauty talisman paper he had kept by his side. He gave them to Pei Qian, the little boy in green, and the little girl in pink, respectively.

Pei Qian opened hers and saw a dazzling array of small trinkets, exquisite and unique. The key was the quantity!

The little boy in green hesitated for a moment, then accepted the invaluable Old Dragon Rain-Making Pendant.

The little girl in pink held the fox talisman paper, unable to put it down.

Chen Ping'an explained to her with a smile, "From now on, you won't have to do all the cleaning alone. After infusing it with spiritual energy, this talisman can conjure a helper with intelligence like an ordinary girl. It can even chat with you."

The little girl in pink stood up again and bowed to Chen Ping'an in thanks, meticulously.

Chen Ping'an couldn't stop her.

The little boy in green suddenly said, "Isn't this a bit too valuable?"

Chen Ping'an teased, "Has the sun risen from the west?"

The little boy in green sighed, thought for a moment, and said, "I can't accept it. I happened to hear about how rare this Old Dragon City jade pendant is. It's not like the snake gallstones that are related to the Dao—give me as many of those as you want, and I'll take them all..."

He placed the pendant on the table.

Seeing that the boy's gaze was firm and he wasn't insisting on refusing the gift, Chen Ping'an didn't force him to keep it. Nor did he take it back into his sleeve. He picked up the Wuti Wine, took a sip, and said, "I heard that your water god brother from Yu River came to our Longquan Commandery?"

The little boy in green hung his head. "Yes, he did."

Chen Ping'an said, "Don't feel foolish. It's that water god brother of yours who isn't clever enough. If he comes again, treat him as you see fit. If you don't want to see him, just say you're in seclusion somewhere and have Pei Qian keep him out. If you still want to see him, then continue to entertain him well with fine wine. If you don't have money for wine—money or wine—you can borrow from me."

The boy in green had a strange expression. "I thought you would advise me not to see him."

Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Several hundred years of Jianghu friendship, broken off easily—that would be a pity. But if you continue as friends, and there are things you can't help with, just tell him directly. If he's truly a friend, he'll understand."

The boy in green muttered, "In the Jianghu, telling your brother that you can't do something—that's not very heroic."

As soon as he said that, he felt even more guilty.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "Alright, as long as it's about money, if you still want to put on a brave face in front of your water god brother, saying you can do it even when you can't, no problem—you can always come to me to borrow money. I guarantee you'll still be the generous Yu River second-in-command of old."

The boy in green was completely dumbfounded. Forgetting to address him as "Master," he blurted out, "Chen Ping'an, on this trip of yours, did someone smash your head?"

Chen Ping'an sat quietly, hands tucked into his sleeves, the breeze brushing his face. "One day, when you figure it out for yourself—that a brother is no longer a brother, and even being friends is impossible—at least you can have a clear conscience, knowing you never wronged your brother. Here on Luopo Mountain, we're not starving. As a man of the Jianghu, as long as there's still wine to drink, what is money? If you don't have it, I do. If you don't have much, I have plenty."

The boy in green grabbed the Old Dragon Rain-Making Pendant, wiped his face, said nothing, and ran off.

Pei Qian and the little girl in pink looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Ping'an actually had more to say to the boy in green, but he held back.

No matter what, he didn't want the boy in green to be too disappointed in the Jianghu he cherished so much.

Suddenly, Wei Po appeared at the cliff's edge and coughed lightly. "Chen Ping'an, there's some news for you."

Chen Ping'an stood up. "What is it?"

Wei Po pointed toward the mountain gate. "A fine young lady is paying a nocturnal visit to Luopo Mountain."