Chapter 509: The Glorious Lights of the Human World
To the north of Huaihuang Kingdom lay Baoxiang Kingdom, where Buddhism flourished and temples were as numerous as clouds.
Chen Ping'an had passed through the border checkpoint, once again having his travel permit stamped. He would take it out and flip through it from time to time, whether or not there was a reason. The permit he currently held was a new one, a work of Wei Bo's hands. His previous permit had been densely covered with stamps and was now left behind at the bamboo tower.
Chen Ping'an still wore a bamboo hat and carried a bamboo box, holding a mountain-traveling staff as he crossed mountains and forded rivers. He traveled alone, seeking out dangers and exploring hidden places, occasionally riding his sword to ride the wind. When he encountered a human city, he would walk on foot. Now, he was still a considerable distance in landscape and waters from the Spring Dew Garden, where the Golden Core ferry boat cultivator Song Lanqiao resided.
Among the common folk, it was often the case that hunchbacks saw more hunchbacks, and the lame saw more of the lame.
The same held true for cultivators who tread the path of immortality: they would encounter more cultivators, as well as mountain and river spirits, and lurking ghosts and demons.
From Suijia City in Yinping Kingdom all the way to the border of Baoxiang Kingdom, Chen Ping'an had seen quite a few mountain and river spirits heading south.
However, aside from making a move in Yuhu Prefecture of Huaihuang Kingdom, Chen Ping'an only observed from afar, looking down at the human world from high places and mountains. He finally had some semblance of a cultivator's mindset.
Nevertheless, he never stopped practicing his boxing. After leaving the Ghost Domain Valley, Chen Ping'an had begun to focus on the six-step stance practice, intending to complete two million punches first.
Earlier, if he hadn't encountered the group of four who were slaying demons and exorcising evil, Chen Ping'an originally planned to personally suppress the group of ghosts, wait for the monk to return, and then stay at the Golden Duo Temple for a few more days to ask about the Sanskrit content on the scripture pages written in blue ink on gold paper. Naturally, he would have broken down the Sanskrit and asked the monk multiple times. The total number of characters was not large—only two hundred and sixty. Excluding the repetitive ones, it should not have been difficult to ask. Wealth moves people's hearts, and a single thought can give rise to demons. The human heart is a ghost realm where ghosts fear humans. Such was the case with the pair of martial artist master and apprentice from the Golden Duo Temple.
After passing through two cities in the southern part of Baoxiang Kingdom, Chen Ping'an noticed many itinerant monks here. They had gaunt faces, carried alms bowls, and practiced asceticism, begging for alms everywhere.
If Chen Ping'an encountered them on the road, he would raise one hand vertically in front of him and nod slightly in greeting.
In Baoxiang Kingdom, besides the many monks, temples, and incense, there were also countless martial artists in the jianghu. One day, Chen Ping'an came across a group of escorts in a stretch of yellow sand, heading for a northern prefecture city. Apart from the carts laden with goods, there were also the tinkling sounds of camel bells. The escorts were all strong and sturdy, and even the women had dark, weathered skin, yet they exuded an air of heroic grace. Such women were actually quite beautiful.
A young man on horseback caught sight of the white-robed scholar ahead. Not only was his snow-white robe covered in yellow sand and dust, but there was also some on his head. He was struggling to move forward against the wind, staggering, and falling behind the caravan. The young man slowed his horse, leaned down, and unhooked a water pouch hanging from the saddle. Smiling, he asked, "Little scholar, there's still over a hundred miles to go in this Yellow Wind Valley. Do you have enough water on you? If not, feel free to take this; no need to be polite."
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look at the young escort, whose lips were cracked and bleeding. He pointed at the Sword-Nourishing Gourd hanging at his waist and said with a smile, "No need, I have water in my gourd and a spare water pouch in my bamboo box."
The young man put away the water pouch and mounted it again. He smiled and said, "It gets very cold in the Yellow Wind Valley at night, and these days, the world is strange and increasingly unsettled. More and more unclean things are breaking into the human world. That's why many temples have recently sent out monks. Little scholar, try to keep up with us. It's best to stop for the night at the Mute Lake ahead. With more people, the yang energy is stronger, and we can look out for each other. This area has always been plagued by spirits and goblins at night—I'm not exaggerating. So, little scholar, don't go off alone. But don't be too scared either. There are often eminent monks who build huts in the Yellow Wind Valley to chant scriptures. Even if those foul things do show up, they may not dare come close to harm you."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Thank you for the warning, young hero. I'll be sure to reach the lake before nightfall."
Baoxiang Kingdom was not part of the dozen or so kingdoms, including Yinping and Huaihuang, so the common people and jianghu martial artists were already accustomed to spirits and ghosts. In the southeastern part of Beiju Continent, spirits and humans had coexisted for countless years. As for dealing with ghosts and evil entities, both the court and the common folk of Baoxiang Kingdom had their own countermeasures. However, after the "storyteller" from Mengliang Kingdom had removed the Thunder Pond Grand Formation, spiritual energy had flowed back into those dozen kingdoms from the outside. This anomaly was first detected by cultivators on the border, and the spirits and ghosts with developed skills were not slow to react either. In the hustle and bustle, merchants sought profit, and ghosts would instinctively chase after spiritual energy. Hence the anomalies in Buyao and Yuhu Prefectures of Huaihuang Kingdom, where many had fled from Baoxiang Kingdom into the south.
Thus, the young escort's claim that the world was becoming increasingly dangerous was not unfounded.
As the sun set in the west, Chen Ping'an walked unhurriedly to the small emerald lake that the locals inexplicably called Mute Lake.
Several groups of people had already gathered there. Campfires stretched in a line, and everyone was drinking alcohol to ward off the cold.
That night, several beams of sword light lit up from the west, streaking across the sky like rainbows toward the Yellow Wind Valley. They landed on the ground dozens of miles away from Mute Lake. Sword light crisscrossed, accompanied by the wails and howls of ghosts. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the dazzling sword lights lifted off from the ground and departed into the distance. During this time, whether it was the escorts who knew a few martial arts moves or the passing merchants, everyone remained calm and composed. They simply drank, chatted cheerfully, and discussed which mountain sect's sword cultivator had come here to practice their sword.
The sword cultivators had already departed. It was late at night, but few by the lake had gone to rest early. Some mischievous children were even playfully sparring with wooden knives and bamboo swords, kicking up yellow sand, laughing and chasing each other.
Chen Ping'an drank from his Sword-Nourishing Gourd, filled with deep spring water from the Treasure Mirror Mountain. He sat by the lake, leaning against his bamboo box.
He noticed a woman wearing a veil leave her group alone. She crouched by the water's edge, intending to scoop some water to wash her face. As she raised one hand, a string of white bells hung from her wrist. When she lifted a corner of her veil, Chen Ping'an had already averted his gaze and looked toward the so-called bottomless Mute Lake. According to local legend, this small lake had not dried up in a thousand years. No matter how severe the drought, the lake's surface would not drop a foot; no matter how heavy the rain, the water would not rise an inch.
When a ripple appeared at the center of the lake, a tiny black speck first appeared, peeked out, and then quickly submerged back into the water. The woman seemed oblivious, meticulously tidying her forehead and the hair at her temples. Every time she raised her hand or wrist, the bells would softly tinkle, though the sound was drowned out by the noisy drinking and revelry of the crowd by the lake.
Suddenly, a massive whirlpool formed silently on the lake's surface, and then a bizarre fish over ten zhang long leaped out. Its entire body was pitch-black like ink. It opened its mouth wide toward the veiled woman, its teeth as sharp as a battlefield array of blades.
Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, motionless, propping his cheek with one hand as he watched the one fish and the one person.
At the same time, eight figures appeared at eight different directions around Mute Lake. Each held a luopan compass, which they instantly drove into the sand beneath them. They then took their positions, forming hand seals and stepping in paces of the Big Dipper. In an instant, silver threads shot out like ropes, converging on the center of the lake. When the silver ropes met at a single focal point, a brilliant silver Bagua array formation appeared above the lake, shining brightly enough to rival the moonlight. The eight individuals seemed to be from the same sect, moving in perfect coordination. They each reached out and pulled a silver thread from the luopan on the ground. Then, with two fingers together, they pointed toward the center of the lake, like fishermen casting a net. Eight more silver threads flew out, forming a cage, and the eight began to circle the lake, continuously adding curved "bars" to the formation cage. As for the safety of the woman confronting the fish monster, they had no concerns.
When the luopan struck the ground, the fish monster, with its mouth wide open, had already sensed something was wrong. It quickly closed its mouth, but the massive inertia carried it forward toward the veiled woman, who had suddenly stood up. Instead of retreating, she stepped forward, leaped high into the air, and punched the fish monster, sending it crashing down into the Bagua array on the lake. As its massive body touched the Gen trigram in the center of the array, a small mountain peak suddenly smashed down on the fish's head, crushing it. The pitiful fish monster was then bounced to the Zhen trigram, where electric sparks flashed, crackled, and popped. The fish monster leaped and slid into the Li trigram, where a great fire blazed furiously. After suffering such a miserable fate, the fish monster experienced a forest of ice spikes piercing out from the lake like a thicket of spears. Finally, it transformed into the form of a little girl in black clothes. She ran frantically, crying loudly and wiping her tears and snot, dodging fire dragons and ice spikes, occasionally being jolted by lightning bolts that made her whole body twitch and her eyes roll back.
This scene was so pitiful that Chen Ping'an couldn't bear to watch. He looked away slightly and even closed one eye.
He had seen many ferocious spirits and monsters that had caused harm locally. Regardless of their eventual fates, they all had appeared with great pomp and circumstance at first. Even in the Ghost Domain Valley, Fan Yunluo of the Skin-Grease City had her carriage, and even the spirit that confronted the ghost in the Copper Stink City had a bunch of minions carrying a large wooden board for it. Chen Ping'an had never seen such a miserable wretch as the one before him.
The scene on the lake.
The people by the lake, aside from the immortal masters, took big gulps of their drinks and cheered continuously. The mischievous children also hid beside their elders. Although the giant fish leaping out of the lake with its mouth wide open had been a bit frightening at first, now they all seemed unafraid. In the Baoxiang Kingdom region, the greatest excitement was watching immortal masters capture demons. When it happened, it was more festive and joyous than the New Year.
When the little girl, trying to stay as high as possible above the Bagua array on the lake, ran into the Xun trigram, a thick log as wide as a well immediately smashed down. The black-clad little girl had no time to dodge. She took a deep breath, raised her hands above her head, and braced against the descending log. Her face was covered in snot and tears. She sobbed, "That string of bells is mine! I gave it to a scholar who almost died passing through. He said he was going to the capital for the imperial exams and had no travel money, so I gave it to him. He promised to return it to me! It's been over a hundred years, but he never did! Waaah! Big liar!"
Chen Ping'an believed the little fish monster's seemingly absurd words.
The anomaly of Mute Lake's water level never rising or falling was likely due to this little fish monster. Over the years, merchants and travelers had camped here overnight, and there had never been any casualties. Whether it was humans or ghosts, no matter what they said, however eloquently, it often paled in comparison to one fact and one thread of evidence. Regardless, all these years, the local people and passing merchants should have been grateful for her protection. No matter her original intentions, they should have thanked her and owed her a debt of incense and devotion. However, immortal masters subduing demons and capturing monsters was also a matter of heavenly principle. So, even though Chen Ping'an had noticed that the fish monster had no murderous intent or malice when it first emerged—it was likely just coveting the string of bells and acting out of mischief—he had long seen through the fact that the veiled woman was a fifth-rank martial artist concealing her true strength. Or perhaps a sixth-rank in Baoxiang Kingdom? In any case, Chen Ping'an hadn't intervened.
However, the string of bells on the veiled woman's wrist truly did belong to the little fish monster. This surprised Chen Ping'an a bit.
When the little girl exposed the truth, the veiled woman, who had fended off the fish with one punch, stood by the shore of the emerald lake and said with a smile, "Rest assured, catching you and taking you back doesn't mean we're going to kill you. This is on the orders of the Grand Preceptor of Qiangou Kingdom. They lack a river goddess over there, and His Excellency the Grand Preceptor has taken a liking to you. You are needed to oversee the water transportation. It's not all bad. But I'll be honest: I don't want to deceive you. You are a water monster born in this lake, naturally affinity with water. The possibility of you forging a golden body and becoming a river goddess is greater than for those who become heroic spirits after death. However, success is not guaranteed. There's no way around it. Our sect has been allied with the court of Qiangou Kingdom for generations, and the Grand Preceptor's Estate paid a large sum of immortal money. What I'm doing, forcibly taking you away from Mute Lake, is somewhat unfair. The reason I'm telling you this is that I think the scholar from Qiangou Kingdom to whom you gave the bells was even more unfair. Not only did he have no intention of returning the bells, but he also treasured them as a family heirloom. The bells were later given to the Grand Preceptor of Qiangou Kingdom by the scholar's descendants. This earned them a promotion in rank and a posthumous title for their ancestor. If you want to curse, you can wait until you become a river goddess and then curse all you want. For now, just surrender obediently and spare yourself further suffering."
The little black-clad girl was still holding up the slowly descending log. As her feet were about to touch the Bagua array on the lake, she wailed even louder, "I'm about to become boiled fish! You big bad guys who just love to fight and kill! I'm not going with you! I love it here! This is my home! I'm not going anywhere! I don't want to move and become some river goddess! I'm still young! What goddess?!"
The veiled woman sighed and signaled to the other eight sect cultivators not to close the formation too quickly. She spoke to the little water monster in a coaxing tone, "How about we make a deal? I can plead with the Grand Preceptor for you. I'll forgo the immortal money for now. But you must return to my sect with me. You still have to relocate. I can't have made this trip for nothing. If I return empty-handed, my master will blame me. Near our sect, there is a river that currently has a water god. First, you can see what it's like to be a water god. If one day you decide that being a river goddess isn't bad, then I'll take you to visit the Grand Preceptor's Estate. How about that?"
The little black-clad girl nodded lightly.
The woman, a pure martial artist, formed hand seals and murmured incantations. Surprisingly, she was able to manipulate spiritual energy as well, and she dispersed the cylindrical pillar of the Xun trigram.
The little girl jumped up and down a few times, swinging her arms back and forth, her eyes darting around.
The veiled woman smiled. "Don't even think about running. Otherwise, braised fish or steamed fish are both possibilities."
The little girl sniffled and said with a tear-streaked face, "Then you might as well just kill me. If I leave here, I'd rather die."
The veiled woman felt a bit helpless.
The other immortal masters also seemed amused. None of them were in a hurry to close the net and catch the demon.
Suddenly, from far away at the edge of the sky, a dazzling sword light lit up. It arrived in an instant, hovering above everyone's heads. It was a young sword cultivator in a light purple robe, with a golden hairpin interwoven with intermittent lightning in his bun. He smiled and said, "This Mute Lake little demon is extremely hard to catch. You all have good skills. How much? I'll buy it."
The veiled woman smiled. "Could it be Young Master Jin from the Golden Crow Palace?"
The young sword cultivator smiled. "Indeed, it is I."
The woman shook her head apologetically. "This creature cannot be sold to Young Master Jin."
The young sword cultivator frowned. "I'll pay double. My master's wife just happens to be in need of a maidservant."
The woman hesitated for a moment but still shook her head. "Apologies, I cannot comply. This creature is something our sect promised to the Grand Preceptor's Estate of Qiangou Kingdom. I have no authority over it tonight."
The wife of the Golden Crow Palace master was known for her cruel temperament. Her innate object was a whip for beating ghosts, said to be made of green bamboo from the Blue God Mountain. She took great pleasure in whipping and killing maidservants. Apart from one person who managed to survive and become a teaching old nanny, all others had died. Moreover, she would abandon their bodies in the thunderclouds atop the Golden Crow Palace, denying them reincarnation. However, the Golden Crow Palace was not exactly a demonic sect. They spared no effort in descending the mountain to slay demons and eliminate evil, and they often enjoyed picking fights with troublesome ghost kings and fierce demons. However, the palace master himself, a respectable Golden Core sword cultivator, was oddly most afraid of his wife, the daughter of a Grand Mountain Lord. As a result, all the female cultivators and maidservants in the Golden Crow Palace dared not speak even half a sentence to the palace master.
Otherwise, this transaction might not have been entirely impossible to negotiate. The sect and the Grand Preceptor of Qiangou Kingdom likely would not have minded selling a favor to the powerful Golden Crow Palace.
The young sword cultivator raised an eyebrow. "Talking things out nicely doesn't work, huh? I have to draw my sword before you'll listen? You little woman from the Green Qing Mansion, a sixth-rank martial artist with some talisman tricks. Do you believe I could ruin that face of yours, which isn't all that great to begin with, and still buy that little demon?"
The young sword cultivator laughed coldly and added, "Rest assured, I will still buy it! But from now on, I, Jin Le, will remember the Green Qing Mansion!"
The veiled woman sighed inwardly. She couldn't let herself implicate the entire sect because of this. The cultivators of Golden Crow Palace were known for their clear-cut likes and dislikes, and they were moody and unpredictable. Once they stopped being reasonable, they became extremely troublesome to deal with.
She turned her head to look at the little water monster, who was now hugging her head and pretending to be a victim.
Just as she was about to nod in agreement, at a silent Mute Lake, a frail-looking scholar in a white robe, who had long taken off his bamboo hat and placed it on his book trunk, slowly stood up holding a folding fan. He smiled and said, "If this is what you call reasoning, I think it would have been better not to reason at all from the start. Just use force to buy and sell. After all, whoever has more skill is the boss. No need to take off your pants just to fart."
The little black-clad girl's ears twitched. She looked up, puzzled, and said, "Taking off your pants to fart is wrong. The Yellow Wind Valley is windy and cold at night; baring your butt would be chilly. But if you need to take a shit, there's no way around it. How can you not take off your pants?"
The white-robed scholar slapped his forehead with the folding fan and said, as if realizing something, "Right, right."
The little girl beamed, hovering in midair, sitting cross-legged with her arms crossed over her chest. "Scholars are always a bit dim-witted."
Then, remembering the string of bells she had kindly given away as travel money, the little black-clad girl started sniffing and pouting again.
They were all liars, all pretenders! Back then, that guy had said his greatest interest in life wasn't becoming an official, but writing a popular collection of strange tales. He promised to write an article about her, and he said it would be very long and vividly described. He even came up with a title for it: "The Great Water Monster of Mute Lake." At the time, she had been so excited she could hardly wait, and she specifically reminded him to depict her as extremely ferocious and powerful. The scholar agreed very readily.
But now, although she had seen the string of bells, she hadn't seen the article she had been eagerly waiting for over a hundred years! Even if it were shorter, it would have been fine.
The young sword cultivator leaned forward, staring at the white-robed scholar, who looked like a mere human. He chuckled, "Oh, you're playing off each other, huh? Putting on a double act for me here?"
The scholar, dressed in a snow-white robe still dusty, clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute, holding his folding fan, and said, "I humbly request that Young Master Jin of Golden Crow Palace show mercy."
Another sword light broke through the air and hovered beside Jin Le. It was a middle-aged female cultivator with a graceful figure, also wearing a golden hairpin in her bun. She glanced at the scene on the lake and smiled. "Alright. This time, on our training journey, under the watchful eyes of our Little Grand Uncle, we failed to slay that Yellow Wind Patriarch. I know you're in a bad mood. But our Little Grand Uncle is still waiting for you over there. Keeping him waiting too long would be bad."
Jin Le nodded and pointed his finger, pointing around. "Green Qing Mansion, right? I've remembered you. Wait for me to visit your mansion soon."
Then he pointed at the white-robed scholar, who had secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to stop when Jin Le met his gaze. The scholar deliberately opened his folding fan and fanned himself gently. Jin Le smiled. "I know you're also a cultivator. You're actually wearing a dharma robe under that, aren't you? If you're a real man, don't pretend to be a coward. Dare to state your name and sect?"
The scholar smiled. "My name never changes, and my surname is always the same. My name is Chen Haoren."
Jin Le's face darkened. He said to the middle-aged woman beside him, "Elder Sister, I can't stand this. Let me just strike one sword, just one."
The female cultivator from Golden Crow Palace softly reminded him, "Our Little Grand Uncle might be watching us."
Jin Le snorted coldly at the white-robed scholar. "You'd better go burn incense and pray to the Buddha that you never fall into my hands."
The two Golden Crow Palace sword cultivators immediately rose high into the air and flew away on their swords, trailing two long sword lights behind them.
The eight cultivators from Green Qing Mansion had gathered around the veiled woman. After seeing the two sword lights disappear, they all breathed a sigh of relief. However, at the thought of Jin Le's threat to visit their mansion, they exchanged bitter smiles. The veiled woman, in particular, felt heavy-hearted. But the nine people all looked at the white-robed scholar, who was now vigorously wiping his forehead, with some gratitude. If it hadn't been for him stepping forward to divert the attention of that Jin Le from Golden Crow Palace, they would have been in even more trouble. They might not have escaped a fight tonight. Although Green Qing Mansion was slightly weaker than Golden Crow Palace, they weren't the type to kneel and kowtow just because they'd run into a couple of sword cultivators.
Regardless, this trip down the mountain to catch a demon had indeed been unlucky.
In the future, when their sect blocked Jin Le's mountain-climbing challenge and sword inquiry, given Green Qing Mansion's background, it wouldn't be too difficult. But it was inevitable that Green Qing Mansion would now be at odds with Golden Crow Palace.
The veiled woman clasped her hands in a fist-and-palm salute and laughed. "Esteemed Master Chen, my name is Mao Qiulu, from the Green Qing Mansion in Taozhi Kingdom, northeast of Baoxiang Kingdom. Thank you for your righteous words."
The scholar laughed. "It wasn't just righteous words. I actually wanted to buy that Mute Lake water monster from you immortal masters."
The little black-clad girl still had her arms crossed and shouted, "Water monster!"
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Just now, when you saw that sword immortal from Golden Crow Palace, why didn't you call yourself a 'water monster'?"
The little girl's eyes darted around. "Just now, my throat was on fire and I couldn't speak. If you have the guts to call that crappy sword immortal back, see if I don't say something…"
Before the little black-clad girl could finish speaking.
A streak of cyan light, perhaps over a thousand zhang long, shot straight from the distant sky and drove deep into some place in the Yellow Wind Valley.
Chen Ping'an squinted his eyes, glanced at it, and then looked away.
Oh, a Golden Core sword cultivator.
It seemed the Little Grand Uncle that the Golden Crow Palace cultivators had mentioned had taken personal action?
After that, the sky and earth returned to clarity, and the sword light slowly faded.
The little girl quickly grabbed her head and shouted, "Small water monster! I'm just a tiny little water monster like a grain of rice!"
The veiled woman said to an elderly colleague from her sect, with a bitter smile, "If this person were to challenge us with his sword, we'd be in big trouble."
The old man shook his head and smiled softly. "This sword immortal has a cold and aloof nature. He is indeed arrogant, but his conduct and style are not at all like that Jin Le, who loves to throw his weight around. He is very much a true mountain recluse, with worldly affairs beneath his notice. Every time he quietly descends the mountain, it is only to slay demons and eliminate evil, thereby washing his sword. This time, he was probably escorting Jin Le and the others. After all, that Yellow Wind Patriarch is a genuine old Golden Core, and is skilled in escape techniques. It would be easy to get caught and die. It looks like with one strike of his sword, the Yellow Wind Patriarch won't dare show his face to eat monks for decades to come."
The veiled woman, calling herself Mao Qiulu, looked at the white-robed scholar and shook her head with a smile. "For one thing, the Grand Preceptor's Estate offered a high price to buy this creature. For another, we've now offended Jin Le of Golden Crow Palace. It wouldn't be appropriate for you, Master Chen, to accept this hot potato. Although our Green Qing Mansion isn't as powerful as Golden Crow Palace, since this dispute started because of the Mute Lake water monster, we at least have reason on our side. We're not so afraid of Golden Crow Palace."
Chen Ping'an put away his folding fan and tucked it into his belt. He smiled. "It's fine. I'm traveling far north, and I'm working hard to earn money so I can spend it. Immortal Master Mao, just name your price. Besides, I'm a wandering cultivator with no fixed whereabouts, like a drifting leaf. If Golden Crow Palace wants to vent its anger, it needs to find me first. So, as long as Immortal Master Mao is willing to sell, I'm willing to buy."
The little black-clad girl said angrily, "I don't want to be sold to you! Scholars are all bad! I'd rather follow this big sister to Green Qing Mansion, live next to a river god, and maybe con some food and drink!"
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Not afraid of the sword light of that Golden Crow Palace sword immortal? Once that Great Sword Immortal Jin learns of your whereabouts, it's a matter of constant vigilance. The thief who steals every day is always on guard, but you can't be on guard forever. Living in constant fear, can you, Great Water Monster, handle it?"
The little girl frowned, thinking hard. How seriously she was thinking could be seen by how deeply she furrowed her brows.
Chen Ping'an looked at the Green Qing Mansion immortal masters and smiled. "Name your price."
The woman looked at the elder of her sect. The latter nodded.
Mao Qiulu still asked softly, "Master Chen truly isn't afraid of being pestered endlessly by Golden Crow Palace?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'll just hide from them, the Golden Crow Palace."
Mao Qiulu hesitated. "But the Grand Preceptor's Estate offered one Grain Rain coin to buy this little fish monster. Normally, it wouldn't sell for such a high price, but because it's connected to the river goddess position…"
The little girl angrily said, "What? Only one? Not a hundred?! Damn it! That scholar in white, hurry and give this weak-fisted girl a hundred Grain Rain coins! If you blink even once, you're not a real man!"
Chen Ping'an ignored the little water monster, whose mind seemed to have water in it. He handed over a Grain Rain coin.
Mao Qiulu was stunned. She said helplessly, "Master Chen is really going to buy it?"
Just then.
An emaciated old monk drifted over, standing on the slope above. Behind him were a dozen or so monks with expressionless faces, ranging in age from old to young.
Each wore a string of prayer beads around their neck. Though made of ordinary material, each string shimmered with golden light, highly conspicuous in the night.
After standing still, the old monk said in a deep voice, "The sword immortal from Golden Crow Palace has already gone far away. The Yellow Wind Patriarch was heavily wounded and has gone berserk. Instead of hiding in the mountain's roots to recuperate, he wants to eat people. My senior uncle is confronting him a dozen or so miles from here, but we can't hold him off long. Come with me and leave the Yellow Wind Valley immediately. Hurry, we cannot delay even a moment."
Chen Ping'an lightly tossed the Grain Rain coin to the veiled woman and said with a smile, "Once the transaction is done, we can all run."
Mao Qiulu gritted her teeth and caught the Grain Rain coin. She clenched it in her palm. It was indeed a genuine Grain Rain coin.
The little water monster shouted urgently, "Don't forget that string of bells! You need to spend another Grain Rain coin to buy it!"
Chen Ping'an still ignored her.
The little girl puffed out her cheeks. This scholar was far too stingy.
The veiled woman smiled, took off the string of bells from her wrist, and handed them to the white-robed scholar, whom she still couldn't tell was a Qi refiner.
Her sect elder waved his hand. The entire lake, which had been the base of the Bagua formation, was now drawn together, trapping the convulsing little girl in a silver talisman net and pulling her to the shore. The other Green Qing Mansion immortal masters also retrieved their luopan.
Mao Qiulu laughed. "We're withdrawing the formation. Master Chen, be careful not to let her escape into the lake."
Chen Ping'an nodded and said, "Naturally."
The formation's glow dissipated instantly.
Chen Ping'an took one step, grabbed the little girl by the back of her collar, and lifted her high. She hung in the air, still keeping a straight face, arms crossed.
Over on the slope, the jianghu escorts and passing merchants had quickly packed up their belongings and, under the escort of the monks, were already hurrying on their way in the night.
The Green Qing Mansion immortal masters, without exchanging a word, also joined the group, clearly intending to help the Baoxiang Kingdom monks escort them out.
Chen Ping'an shouted loudly, "That escort!"
A young escort who had ridden his horse to the top of the slope turned to look.
He saw the white-robed scholar, with one hand still holding the little girl and the other holding a wine jug. Then, he swung his arm and tossed the wine jug high in the air toward him.
The young escort, still seated on his horse, reached out and caught the wine jug.
The young man put away the jug, smiled, and saluted in a fist-and-palm salute.
A chance encounter in the jianghu.
When fate brings such a meeting, share a drink. No need for small talk, no need to ask names.
Mao Qiulu turned her head. "Master Chen? Aren't you coming with us?!"
Then the veiled woman heard a reason she never expected. The man grinned and said, "I'll run in a different direction. There are more of you, so the Yellow Wind Patriarch will definitely come after you first."
Mao Qiulu was so angry she couldn't speak. She turned her back to him, raised her arm high, stuck out her thumb, and then slowly turned it downward.
But the man even had the nerve to say, "When I have the chance, maybe I'll visit your Green Qing Mansion as a guest."
The veiled woman put down her hand and ignored him, walking away with big strides.
The little girl, still hanging in his grip, shook her head and said gleefully, "Scholar, couldn't you tell? She had a bit of a liking for you. Now it's all gone."
The grip on her collar loosened, and her feet touched the ground.
The white-robed scholar chuckled. "I didn't realize you had so much jianghu experience."
The little black-clad girl put her hands behind her back and stared intently at the string of bells in his hand.
Chen Ping'an tossed her the bells, then put on his bamboo hat, bent down, and carried the large bamboo box on his back.
The little girl stood frozen for a moment. She spun around and saw nothing strange. She craned her neck, and her entire little face and faint eyebrows wrinkled together, showing that her mind was in a mess. She asked, "What are you doing? You're just going to leave me like this? You really don't treat a great water monster as a great water monster, do you?"
Chen Ping'an pushed his hand against her forehead. "Get lost."
The little girl angrily said, "What are you doing?! What are you doing?!"
She suddenly opened her mouth wide. Her small face split open into a huge mouth, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming teeth. She held it open without closing. "Scared?"
With the bamboo box on his back, Chen Ping'an walked toward the slope and tossed out a single word, "Scared to death."
Not far to the north of the slope, the disturbance was getting louder.
The little black-clad girl hesitated. She casually tossed the string of bells back into the lake. Then, rubbing her chin, she started frowning, watching the white-robed scholar walk up the slope.
She snorted coldly, turned around, and swaggered toward the emerald lake. Then she suddenly stopped and turned her head. She only saw the man standing at the top of the slope, continuing on his way without pause.
The little girl scratched her head vigorously. Something felt off.
She leaped into the water, transformed back into her true fish monster form, and chased after the descending string of bells. Wagging her head and tail, she swam toward the bottom of the lake.
Over on the slope.
When the white-robed figure had walked several miles.
He stopped.
He took off his bamboo hat and bamboo box.
An old monk, drenched in blood, sat on the ground, silently chanting sutras.
Beside him, stuck in the yellow sand, stood a tin staff. The copper rings on it clashed violently against each other.
The old monk's blood was a pale gold.
As the old monk settled into his meditation and chanted sutras, golden lotuses bloomed continuously within a ten-foot area around him.
Around the old monk, a yellow tornado swirled wildly, and a yellow robe could be vaguely seen hidden within it.
The yellow sand tornado fiercely battered the golden lotuses, causing their petals to wither one by one.
The old monk's eyes were tightly shut. Still, he waved his sleeve. He could faintly sense an outsider appearing behind him. He said urgently, in a deep voice, "Go quickly! Grab my tin staff! It will help you escape this place. Don't look back!"
The tin staff flew diagonally toward the white-robed scholar and hovered beside him. The rings on the staff clinked together, apparently anxious, urging the scholar to grab it and flee this place of trouble.
The old monk, distracted by controlling the tin staff to rescue the person, showed a flaw. The yellow sand tornado became even more fierce. The golden lotuses within the ten-foot area had nearly all perished.
Just as the old monk was about to be completely engulfed by the yellow sand and have his golden body worn away, a warm, gentle voice sounded in his ear. "Master, please continue your meditation and explain the Dharma. Your humble one is fortunate to listen for a while. I am most grateful."
Then the young man stepped forward more than ten zhang in one stride, at the same time calling out, "Come with me to subdue the demon!"
The bamboo box opened by itself, and a golden Binding Demon Rope shot out. It was like a golden flood dragon, following the snow-white figure as they both rushed forward.
The Binding Demon Rope drilled into the yellow sand tornado and bound the yellow robe within.
The white-robed scholar's fists fell like thunder.
The fist energy was like a rainbow, the momentum astonishing. But the scholar strolled leisurely. With every casual sleeve sweep, the entire towering tornado was often cut in two.
The old monk slowly opened his eyes and smiled faintly. He pressed his palms together in prayer and murmured, not chanting, "The majesty is lofty and deep; the mind dwells in stillness to observe purity. A pity there is no tea, or I would offer a seat."
The white robe and the tornado fought, moving away into the distance.
The old monk slowly rose, walked to the bamboo box, and retrieved the tin staff, whose copper rings were now silent. The old monk chanted a Buddhist verse and strode away.
That night, in the darkness.
A white-robed scholar, carrying a chest and a staff, walked slowly.
Hanging from his foot was a little black-clad girl, both hands tightly grasping his ankle. With every step he took, the little girl, like sticky candy, slid forward a bit.
Chen Ping'an didn't look down. "You're going to cling to me like this?"
The little girl, who also carried a bundle, nodded. "These treasures of mine from the lakebed are worth more than one Grain Rain coin. I'm giving them all to you. But you have to help me find a scholar who can write books and get him to write a story where I'm really fierce and terrifying."
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "If you keep this up, I'll have to get rough with you."
The little girl rubbed a handful of snot and tears onto his leg and sobbed, "Please, take me with you on your jianghu journey! You're so powerful—you killed the Yellow Sand Patriarch. If I follow you, I won't have to worry about good food and drink. I must find that scholar to write my story. I want my name to go down in history. Every household will know I was the great water monster of Mute Lake."
Chen Ping'an stopped and looked down. "Still not letting go?"
The little black-clad girl refused to let go with a death grip. She shook her head, using her face to wipe the snot off his snow-white robe, then looked up with a wrinkled face. "I'm not letting go."
Chen Ping'an lifted his foot. "Go on your way."
The little girl was thrown directly toward the emerald lake, tumbling end over end in the air in a long arc.
A moment later.
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look.
A little shadowy figure followed far behind. When it saw him turn, it immediately stopped and began gazing at the moon.
Chen Ping'an sighed. "If you stay by my side, you might die."
The little girl ran forward eagerly, but as soon as she saw the white-robed scholar frown, she stopped abruptly. She muttered, "Who doesn't die? Anyway, we all have to die. I'm not afraid of that. I just want everyone to know about me. Once they know, I can die."
Chen Ping'an continued walking.
She followed behind.
At one point, she squatted on the ground, staring intently at the dirt. She tilted her head, opened her mouth wide to reveal sharp teeth, and swallowed a lizard whole.
Standing up, the girl with the bundle grinned. "Delicious!"
But then she noticed the man had turned around.
She immediately tensed her face, her gaze darting around, but her cheeks couldn't help twitching.
The man smiled. "Alright, then follow me. I'll try to find you a place to stay when we get to the Spring Dew Garden. But let me make this clear: if you change your mind halfway and want to go back to Mute Lake, you can go on your own. I won't stop you."
She ran over to him and puffed out her chest. "Me, change my mind? Ha! I'm a great water monster!"
The man said, "Mm, a great water monster the size of a grain of rice."
She was, for the first time, a little embarrassed.
This tiny, sesame-sized embarrassing thing absolutely must not be written into any book.
After that, the white-robed scholar had a little black-clad girl often claiming to be thirsty following him.
Together, they crossed mountains and rivers.
The little girl found it immensely interesting.
He would take her to sit on a wall along a street and watch the door gods of two facing houses argue with each other.
One house had a door god of literary wealth, and from that family came a chivalrous hero. The other, with a door god of martial wealth, produced a scholar—handsome and renowned as a child prodigy in the local county seat.
At that time, the scholar, who still only went by the name Chen Haoren, pasted a talisman with an ugly name on her, and then the two of them sat on a distant wall and watched the fun.
Later, they also saw a mountain god marrying off his daughter to a son of a water god. It seemed like a grand, noisy procession, but in fact, it was utterly silent. The man made way for the procession, but an old nanny from the mountain god's entourage took the initiative to hand him a red packet of joy money. The man actually accepted it and politely offered congratulations. How embarrassing—it only contained a Snow Flower coin.
Later, they also encountered the legendary Five Sacred Mountain Lords on their patrol. Golden-clad gods riding white horses, with long tails behind them. Very impressive.
They also visited a dilapidated shrine dedicated to a certain goddess. The shrine had a large footprint but was falling apart. Beside it, they personally saw three beautiful women emerge from a secluded, curtain-damaged, rarely visited corridor on the western veranda of the shrine and go to have a tryst with a mortal scholar. Unfortunately, after that point, the fellow beside her refused to look anymore, and he wouldn't let her spy either. But during the day, they went back to take a look. In that part of the shrine stood three painted clay statues of beautiful women, their colors chipped and faded. Compared to before, each was missing a handkerchief, a gold hairpin, and a bracelet.
What was even more fun was when they stumbled upon a hidden paradise in the mountains and forests. Inside, there were a few spirits dressed as refined scholars. They were initially enthusiastic when they met the two. But when they asked the man if he could improvise a poem, he was dumbfounded. Then those spirits started shooing them away, saying, "How did such a vulgar person come here?" The two had to flee the mansion in disgrace. She made faces at him, but he wasn't angry.
These were all extremely interesting things. But more often, it was just traveling day and night, starting fires, and cooking—boring stuff.
Still, there were times when this strange person was truly peculiar.
Once, while walking on a cliffside plank road, he looked at a green cliff on the opposite mountain. For no apparent reason, he leaped straight into the cliff face. Then, with a series of "dong, dong, dong," he punched a hole straight through the entire mountain peak. And he had the nerve to often say her head was full of water? The pot calling the kettle black!
He would also, when spending the night on a mountain top, walk in circles for an entire night, as if half-asleep, half-awake. She, on the other hand, would fall asleep as soon as she felt drowsy, and sleep soundly. When she opened her eyes in the morning, she would often see him still walking in circles.
There were times when he was not quite proper.
Once, they passed a waterside pavilion outside a prefectural city. It was a gathering of literary scholars. During a torrential rainstorm, everyone was enjoying the view of the rain like a waterfall from the pavilion, all in high spirits. Then, the man disappeared with a *swoosh*. Somehow, he made it so that only the area around that pavilion suddenly had no heavy rain. The scholars in the pavilion were left stunned. She watched from the water, holding her stomach with laughter.
Every once in a while, by a stream, he would pat his wine gourd and take out a tiny little flying sword... to shave his beard. Once, he turned his head and smiled at her. She couldn't smile at all—that was an immortal's flying sword!
He also once helped a farmer plant rice seedlings in the paddy field. At that time, he took off his bamboo box and hat and went to work in the field. He seemed especially happy.
At first, the villagers were afraid that this scholar was just fooling around and would do more harm than good. But once he started, he was no less skilled than they were. After the work was done, the villagers invited him to have a meal. But he just smiled and left.
However, none of these trivial matters were particularly impressive to her. She felt it was far from exciting. She had followed him for so long without making any name for themselves. No one knew she was a great water monster of Mute Lake. Whenever they met someone, he would only introduce her as "Little Zhou" and nothing more.
Only once did she feel a little bit of admiration for him.
On a great river, a large, multi-story boat sailing upstream crashed into a small skiff that couldn't get out of the way in time.
Then a man in white arrived on his flying sword, landing on the little skiff. He held out one hand to prop up the large boat, while with the other hand he held a wine jug and tipped his head back to drink.
Later, they both sat on the top of a tall building in a prosperous human capital city, overlooking the night scene. The lights were brilliant and splendid, like a river of stars.
He finally said something that had a bit of a scholarly air: "Above us is also a river of stars; beneath us is also a river of stars. In the heavens and on earth, there is a silent, immense beauty."
Seeing he had been drinking, she urged him to say more.
Then he said, "The moonlight enters the tall building. Annoying, it comes; loving, it goes as well."
She felt a little sad. It was just a vague, grain-of-rice-sized melancholy. It wasn't that she missed her home. She hadn't felt homesick at all on this journey. But when she turned her head and looked at his profile, it seemed he was remembering some people he missed, some sorrowful things. Perhaps. Who knew? She was just a great water monster who year after year secretly watched the people come and go. She wasn't really human.
Thinking about it, she felt a little sad too.
The man turned his head. The mountain-traveling staff lay across his knees. He held the wine jug, but he reached out and gently rubbed her head.
In that moment.
She felt that he might really be called Chen Haoren.