Chapter 511: Sharpening the Sword
The little girl in black gave a shy smile.
The white-robed scholar suddenly pulled off the golden Jinli Dharma robe he was wearing and draped it over her head, instantly turning the little black-clad girl into a little white-clad girl. But inside his snow-white robe, the scholar still wore another white Dharma robe.
Chen Ping'an's eyes were clear. He rose slowly and said softly, "No matter what happens next, don't move. Don't move at all. If you die today, I'll make sure the entire Northern Ju Continent knows you're the great water monster from Silent-Talker Lake, and your surname is Zhou, so call yourself Zhou Mili. But don't be afraid. I'll do my best to protect you, just as I'll try to protect some others."
Then Chen Ping'an turned around, sweeping his gaze across the first and second floors of the ferry boat, unhurriedly. "Gao Cheng, I know you're on this ferry. You've held out this long, but still haven't come up with a foolproof plan to kill me? Is it that you're too weak after leaving your lair, or am I... too strong? If you don't act soon, by the time we reach Spring Dew Plantation, I think your chances will only get smaller."
No one on the ferry understood what this fellow was talking about.
Only a handful of passengers vaguely felt that the name Gao Cheng sounded familiar, but they couldn't quite place it.
The ferry just sailed slowly above the sea of clouds, bathed in sunlight, as if cloaked in a golden garment.
Chen Ping'an patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd at his waist, gathered his voice into a line, and his lips moved slightly as he smiled. "What, afraid I still have a hidden move? The lord of Jingguan City, the master of Skeleton Shoal's ghost realm—surely you're not that cowardly. You must have heard about the commotion at Suijia City. I truly nearly died. To keep you from finding the show boring, I reduced my five punches to three. Isn't my hospitality far better than what you offered at Skeleton Shoal? My flying sword, Chuyi, is right here. The very foundation of your road and all of Skeleton Shoal is here. Miss this chance, and you won't get another."
If it was Gao Cheng, he would certainly hear it.
And he must have heard it.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Do you think I can't force you to show yourself?"
A ferry crew member hiding at the corner of the bow suddenly had eyes as black as ink. A cultivator from Silver Screen Kingdom who had survived the Azure Bamboo Lake Dragon Palace and was fleeing to Spring Dew Plantation also showed the same sign. Their own three souls and seven spirits shattered in an instant, leaving no life force. Before death, they had been completely unaware, and would never have known that deep within their souls, a seed had been silently blooming and bearing fruit.
Two dead men—one walked out slowly, the other stood by a window.
The two dead people, wearing smiles, each spoke through ripples of mind lakes. One laughed, "Besides Zhu Quan, who else? Another ancestor of Linen Mourning Sect? Or have all three of them come? Hmm, they must all be here."
The other said, "You really resemble me back then. Seeing you makes me miss those years when I had to rack my brains just to survive. It was hard, but fulfilling. Those times made me live more like a human than a human."
But Chen Ping'an's gaze was not on the two dead people. He still swept his eyes around, gathering his voice into a line. "I've heard that true Dao-achievers at the mountaintop can do more than just send their Yin spirits out to wander far or use their Yang spirits as external bodies. You're hiding so deep, you must not be afraid of Linen Mourning Sect finding you. What, are you sure that I and Linen Mourning Sect won't kill every passenger on this ferry? Thanks to you, Gao Cheng, and He Xiaoliang, I've become quite like you in the way I do things. Besides, your real trump card must be a powerful Golden Core with great killing force, or a hidden Far Roaming martial artist. Is it that hard to find? From the moment I knew you would definitely leave Skeleton Shoal, to the moment I boarded this ferry, you, Gao Cheng, had already lost."
Silence for a moment.
The dead man standing by the window spoke, "By gambling?"
Chen Ping'an was still the same Chen Ping'an, but he narrowed his eyes like the white-robed scholar and sneered, "Gambling? Others gamble once they're at the table. For me, I've been gambling my whole life since I could remember. Forget about luck—I've never seen anyone my age with better gambling skills than me. Cao Ci? No. Ma Kuxuan? No. Yang Ningxing? Even less."
He rolled up his right sleeve with his left hand and took a step forward. Then he rolled up his left sleeve with his right hand and took another step, moving extremely slowly. He tilted his head back, let the breeze brush his face, and shook his sleeves. With both sleeves rolled up, there was naturally no spring breeze left in them. "I thought about you being Du Yu of Ghost Axe Palace, or the assassin who hid in a dung bucket to eat shit, or the rogue cultivator who took out a Small Heat coin in the alley, or the young escort who gave me a waterskin, or even the old monk who faced off against the Yellow Robe Ancestor. And I even thought you might be the little girl beside me. Because you're Gao Cheng, so 'what ifs' are bound to be many—not a hundred to one, but that one where whatever I think of, comes. So this journey has been very hard for me. But it's been worth it. My heart-cultivation has never progressed so fast. I advise you to be a bit more capable today. Otherwise, I'll immediately turn back to Skeleton Shoal and return the favor. Believe me, Chen Ping'an, you and Skeleton Shoal will get quite a surprise."
The "ferry crew member" nodded with a smile. "I believe you. Whether I was alive or dead, I never said pointless things."
The one at the window suddenly understood, but showed a sincere smile. "I see. I missed the one person who most wants you dead. I deserve this loss. After the battle at Suijia City, she must have damaged some of her Dao foundation. If I were her, He Xiaoliang, I would completely sever that vague connection with you to avoid being dragged down again. But since she is He Xiaoliang, maybe she just hid inside that sect's little cave heaven secret realm to temporarily break the karmic ties with you. None of that matters. What matters is that because of you two inexplicable dogs and bitches, I made an extreme opposite mistake that ended with the same result. When she was here, I would still strike at you. Now that she's gone, of course I'll strike even more. Your thinking is really interesting."
Chen Ping'an extended his thumb and wiped the corner of his mouth. "I'm not familiar with He Xiaoliang. Call me a dog if you want, but don't link me with her. So what's next? Two Golden Core ghosts—are you trying to insult me, or insult yourself, Gao Cheng?"
An old man with a sword on his back walked slowly out from the stern. He should have been staying in a room by the window on the other side of the ferry, but for some reason his steps were staggering, his face twisted as if in struggle. After a moment, he let out a long breath and spoke, also using a martial artist's method of gathering sound into a line. "Every uncontainable version of oneself really does become another person. You should take this as a warning."
After the old man appeared, some outside the ferry had combined their powers to create an isolated small world.
The old man paid it no mind.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you think you're qualified to teach me?"
The old man stared at the young man in white and smiled. "Are you sure that current you are the primary one you want?"
A drop of blood-red bead oozed from Chen Ping'an's brow. He suddenly raised his hand as if to signal outsiders not to interfere.
He patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, and the flying sword Chuyi, originally called Xiao Fengdu, hovered above the gourd's mouth. He grinned fiercely. "The flying sword is right here. Want to bet?"
The old man looked at the young man's smile, and his own face was full of delight, even a hint of pleasure. "Very good. I can be certain that you, Chen Ping'an, and I, Gao Cheng, had very similar origins and circumstances at the very beginning."
After the old man appeared, instead of drawing his sword, he stopped. "I only have one question now. At Suijia City, why didn't Zhu Quan and the others help you withstand the heavenly tribulation?"
Chen Ping'an wiped his face with his left hand, smoothing away the smile bit by bit, and said slowly, "Simple. I told Sect Leader Zhu from the start that unless you, Gao Cheng, personally killed me, even if I died, they didn't need to show themselves."
The old man nodded. "Only Linen Mourning Sect cultivators would agree to that. And only the current you, or the former me, would make such a decision. In this world, it's people like us who should keep climbing upward."
The old man smiled gently. "Don't die at someone else's hands. I'll wait for you at Jingguan City. I'm afraid you'll change your mind by then, so I suggest you fight your way straight through Skeleton Shoal and charge all the way to Jingguan City."
He looked up into the distance, probably at the southernmost point of Northern Ju Continent. "On the Great Dao, utterly alone, I've finally seen a true kindred spirit. Since I couldn't kill you this time, and instead paid the price of one soul and one spirit, if I think carefully, it's not that unacceptable. By the way, you should properly thank that girl from Golden Duo Temple and that little water monster behind you. Without these two small surprises to stabilize your mind, no matter how careful you were, you wouldn't have made it to this ferry. Zhu Quan and the other two might have been able to seize the flying sword, but they absolutely could not have saved your life."
The old man shook his sleeves. The dead man at the window and the dead man at the bow—the sliver of soul he had divided into them—completely dissipated into the world.
Only then did the two dead men truly die, instantly turning into skeletons that shattered on the ground.
The old man reached over his shoulder and slowly drew his longsword.
Chen Ping'an stood perfectly still.
The old man laughed loudly. "Even if it's just one soul and one spirit of mine, the three Jade Capital realm cultivators of Linen Mourning Sect are not worthy of such a harvest."
After drawing the sword, he cut his own neck inch by inch, staring intently at the young man who seemed not at all surprised. "The deity sitting high in the Azure Bamboo Lake Dragon Palace resembles me, Gao Cheng, more. After we settle life and death at Skeleton Shoal, if you die, I'll take you to see what a true Fengdu is. If I die, you can walk there yourself. But it's really hard for me to die."
A Far Roaming realm pure martial artist had just cut off his own head.
The head rolled to the ground. The headless body still stood upright, both hands gripping the sword.
In an instant, another small world was isolated on the ferry.
Three ancestors of Linen Mourning Sect appeared together.
Two male ancestors went to the two skeletons and examined them with their techniques and methods.
Zhu Quan, who was armed with a saber, stood beside Chen Ping'an and sighed. "Chen Ping'an, if you keep going like this, it will be very dangerous."
But Chen Ping'an said, "I sharpened my sword with my own evil thoughts. That does no harm to heaven and earth."
Zhu Quan wanted to say more, but shook her head. She turned to look at the headless corpse and was silent for a long time. "Chen Ping'an, will you become a second Gao Cheng?"
Chen Ping'an said nothing. He just slowly smoothed his sleeves.
Zhu Quan just stared at the corpse, her eyes complicated. "Naturally, I hate Jingguan City and Gao Cheng to the bone, but I have to admit that deep down, I have always respected Gao Cheng."
Chen Ping'an turned around and looked down at the little girl frozen in the stopped river of time.
Wearing that Jinli Dharma robe, she seemed even darker, which made him smile a little.
At least she wasn't as dark as that girl, right?
Zhu Quan chuckled. "No matter what, Linen Mourning Sect owes you a huge favor."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "We're just even."
She withdrew her gaze and asked curiously, "Are you really going back to Skeleton Shoal with us to cause trouble for Gao Cheng?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Let him wait first. I'll finish my journey through Northern Ju Continent first."
Zhu Quan burst out laughing.
Chen Ping'an turned his head. "Can you let this little girl move first?"
Zhu Quan nodded.
In an instant, the little girl who had changed from black to white blinked her eyes, then froze. She first looked at Chen Ping'an, then around, looking confused, and began to scrunch her faint eyebrows.
Chen Ping'an crouched down and asked with a smile, "Do you want to go to Spring Dew Plantation to find a place to settle, or go see my hometown?"
The little girl asked, "Can I choose neither and travel the jianghu with you?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head. "No, sorry."
The girl wrinkled her face and bargained, "If I stay with you, you can have sour cabbage fish."
Chen Ping'an still shook his head. "Go to my hometown. There's good food and fun there. Maybe you'll find new friends. Also, I have a friend named Xu Yuanxia. He's a chivalrous hero, and he's just writing a travelogue of mountains and rivers. You can tell him your story, and he'll write it into his book."
The little girl was a bit tempted.
Suddenly she remembered something and tugged hard at the white robe that fit her so unexpectedly well.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Just keep wearing it. It doesn't mean much to me anymore. Wearing it earlier was just a trick to fool the bad guys."
The little girl just shook her head.
Chen Ping'an had to lightly tug his collar open and spread his hands. The Jinli Dharma robe automatically put itself back on him.
Zhu Quan clicked her tongue.
Good heavens, from blue robe and bamboo hat to this outfit, he actually looked quite handsome.
He picked her up and set her on the railing, then leaped up himself. Finally, the big and the small sat together. Chen Ping'an turned his head. "Sect Leader Zhu, could you stop eavesdropping? Just for a little while."
Zhu Quan smiled and nodded.
Chen Ping'an gazed into the distance, his hands clenched into fists, resting lightly on his knees. "Did that stuff I said earlier scare you?"
The little girl crossed her arms and snorted. "Pfft, I wasn't raised on fear!"
Chen Ping'an hummed in acknowledgment. "Anyone daring enough to give me chestnuts to eat really does have guts."
The little girl giggled.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Zhou Mili—how's that name? You don't know this, but I'm famous for naming things well. Everyone gives me thumbs up."
The little girl was half-convinced, but she thought having a name was better than just a surname.
Chen Ping'an took out a jug of wine from his Dimension Object, removed the mud seal, took a sip, and said, "After I'm no longer by your side, you must understand one thing. Evil deeds aren't all about fierce gods and demons that look terrifying, or indiscriminate slaughter that makes your hair stand on end. More often... they're like the night wind in Yellow Wind Valley. We can walk through it without trouble, but it just feels uncomfortable and unpleasant. In the future, you must be careful of these invisible, untouchable malicious intents. Knowing this isn't about learning to be bad—it's about helping you cherish every bit of kindness in the world, big or small, and understand how hard-won it is."
Chen Ping'an then reached behind him and pointed toward the second floor of the ferry. "For example, besides that scumbag who bumped into you and kicked you, you also need to be wary of that young crew member who first came to me, not even a cultivator. You should be far more cautious of him than of the manager who sold you the gazette. Be more careful of the people around that old matron—not the young master, not the young woman, but look more at the less conspicuous people beside them. Maybe it's the one standing in the far corner."
"Always be careful of those less obvious malicious intents. One kind is a smart bad person, hiding deep and calculating far. The other is a stupid bad person, acting on instincts they don't even recognize themselves. So we must think more than they do, try to be smarter."
"All the power we can see through at a glance—flying swords, fist techniques, Dharma robes, schemes, family background—none of that is true power or true danger."
The little girl scrunched up her little face and eyebrows. This time she didn't pretend to understand; she really wanted to understand what he was saying.
Because she knew it was for her own good.
Even though she still wasn't entirely sure why, for her own good, he had to say things that were really hard to grasp.
Then that person reached out and gently pressed his hand on her head. "I know you don't understand. I just couldn't help saying it. So I hope you go to my hometown, grow up a bit more, and then travel the jianghu. Growing up—you're a great water monster, not a poor child—you don't need to rush. Don't be in a hurry. Grow up slowly."
The little girl in black hummed an acknowledgment. "I remember it all... Okay, I'm not lying to you. I only remember most of it."
Chen Ping'an sipped his wine. "Even if you didn't remember the earlier part, it's fine. But the next few things, you absolutely cannot forget. First, my hometown is a place called Longquan County in Baoping Continent. I have several mountain peaks. One of them is called Luopo Mountain. I have a founding disciple named Pei Qian. You must never, ever slip up and tell her that you gave her master chestnuts to eat, and more than just one or two. Don't be afraid of her. Just do as I taught you: tell her her master said she must copy books and study hard. That's enough."
Saying this, Chen Ping'an withdrew his hand, shook the wine jug, and smiled gently. "You can add one more sentence: tell her Master misses her."
Chen Ping'an continued, "Second thing: I also have a student named Cui Dongshan. If you meet him and think he seems crazier than anyone, even less reason to be afraid. If he dares to bully you, borrow a small ledger from Pei Qian and write it down. I'll take revenge for you later. Then there's an old cook named Zhu Lian. If anything happens, you can tell them. There are many more people on Luopo Mountain... Ah well, when you get to Longquan County, get to know them yourself."
Chen Ping'an turned his head and called softly, "Zhou Mili."
The little girl in black was busy counting on her fingers to remember things. When she heard him call her new name, she tilted her head.
Chen Ping'an opened his mouth wide and shook his head.
The little girl rolled her eyes.
Copying her? Not even close.
Chen Ping'an threw his head back and finished the wine in one gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and laughed heartily.
Some things he couldn't help telling the little girl.
But some heartfelt words remained in his heart.
When he had first left his hometown, he couldn't figure out a lot of things. Back then, the straw-sandaled boy from Mud Vase Alley had only just started training in fists, so he didn't waver—he just kept his head down and trudged forward.
Later, when he was a bit older, on his way to Inverted-Hanging Mountain, he had already thrown nearly a million punches. But in a place called Flood Dragon Trench, when he heard those thoughts and voices, he felt immensely disappointed.
At Letter Creek Lake, he had nearly died several times. He could almost go toe-to-toe with a Golden Core immortal, yet it was in a situation where his life wasn't in danger that he nearly despaired.
He returned to his hometown, traveled the jianghu in central Baoping Continent, and now had come to Northern Ju Continent.
Cai Jinjian, Fu Nanhua, the Mountain-Shifting Ape of Zhengyang Mountain, River-Crossing True Lord Liu Zhimao, the old flood dragon at Flood Dragon Trench, Ding Ying of Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Du Mao of Ascension realm, Liu Laocheng of Willow Island, Gao Cheng of Jingguan City...
He walked and walked, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers.
He learned fists, practiced swords, and now was a Dao cultivator.
Zhu Quan suddenly reminded him, "Chen Ping'an, we should leave soon. Staying too long in the stopped river of time of a small world will be too much for ordinary mortals."
Chen Ping'an quickly turned his head and patted the little girl's head at the same time. "I'll entrust this great water monster of Silent-Talker Lake to you, Sect Leader Zhu. Please deliver her to Ox-Horn Mountain Ferry in Longquan County."
The little girl in black tugged at his sleeve, her face full of unease.
Chen Ping'an immediately understood. He put a hand beside his mouth, turned around, bent down, and whispered, "She's a Jade Capital realm immortal. Very powerful."
The little girl also quickly raised her hand. She only knew about Golden Core and Nascent Soul earth immortals, not some unheard-of Jade Capital. She lowered her voice and asked, "How powerful? More powerful than the Yellow Robe Ancestor?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Even more powerful."
The little girl asked again, "How should I address her?"
Chen Ping'an whispered, "Just call her Sister Zhu. That's best. Better than calling her Sect Leader Zhu or Auntie Zhu."
The little girl still asked furtively, "What if I don't have enough money for an intercontinental ferry?"
Chen Ping'an secretly replied, "Owe it first."
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine. That Sister Zhu is very rich. Richer than both of us combined."
"But I'm still a bit scared of her."
"Then pretend you're not."
Zhu Quan rubbed her forehead.
This big and small pair, how did they ever get together?
Finally, the little girl slung her bundle over her back. She wanted to give it to him, but he didn't want it.
She asked, "Is your name really Chen Good-Person?"
The man shook his head and smiled. "My name is Chen Ping'an. Ping'an, meaning peace and safety."
The little girl in black was held in Zhu Quan's arms, and together with the two Linen Mourning Sect ancestors, they flew away on the wind. Of course, they had cleaned up the mess. Linen Mourning Sect had to clean it up too. Gao Cheng's terrifying nature was far beyond just a Jade Capital realm soul sitting in Ghost Domain Valley. During the time the river of time had stopped, the two ancestors had checked every person on the ferry to make sure Gao Cheng had no hidden tricks left. Even if he had, after they left, with that young man's temperament and methods, he wouldn't be afraid at all.
Soon after, the small world's barrier vanished.
Everyone on the ferry.
All they saw was a white-robed scholar sitting by the railing, his back to them. He was patting his knees softly, and they vaguely heard him say something about stinky tofu being delicious.
On the second-floor observation deck, beside Wei Bai of Iron Ship Manor, the martial artist named Ding Tong could barely stand. Wei Bai was about to slap him to death.
But unexpectedly, the white-robed scholar raised his hand and waved. "No need. When I remember, I'll kill him myself."
Wei Bai indeed withdrew his hand, smiled slightly, and cupped his fists. "Wei Bai of Iron Ship Manor humbly obeys the immortal swordsman's edict."
That martial artist who had just circled the gates of hell stood dumbfounded, as if he had even forgotten to be afraid.
The white-robed scholar was silent for a moment, then turned his head and looked at the martial artist, asking with a smile, "Scared? You shouldn't be, right, Gao Cheng?"
After a casual question.
The white-robed scholar turned back around.
The martial artist's aura abruptly transformed. He smiled and crossed the observation deck, then sat down on the railing beside the white-robed scholar.
After he sat down, he asked with a laugh, "How did you figure it out?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "This time it was just a guess. It's never a bad thing to think of your mortal enemy as a little smarter."
The other asked, "So that talk about waiting until you finish Northern Ju Continent to trouble you was also a hypothetical, spoken deliberately for me to hear?"
Chen Ping'an nodded.
Gao Cheng laughed heartily, clenching his fists and gazing into the distance. "Tell me—wouldn't it be wonderful if this world were full of people like us, ghosts like us?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "When did you take control of him?"
Gao Cheng shook his head, seeming regretful, and sneered. "So you want to know if this man truly deserved to die? It seems you and I are still a little different."
Chen Ping'an took out two jugs of wine, kept one for himself, and tossed the other to Gao Cheng beside him. Removing the mud seal, he took a big gulp. "Back then on the battlefield, so many versions of Gao Cheng died. After Gao Cheng stood up from the pile of bones, how many more Gao Cheng still had to die?"
Gao Cheng drank some wine and smiled. "Who says it isn't so?"
But then the young man suddenly said, "That's why you need to read more books."
Gao Cheng casually threw away his wine jug, which fell into the sea of clouds. "Is turtle jelly good to eat?"
Chen Ping'an sighed. "Just one spirit remnant can split into this many? I'm in awe. No wonder so many Dao cultivators risk everything to climb to the mountaintop and see."
Gao Cheng opened one hand. In his palm appeared a black vortex, faintly visible with tiny points of light, like a rotating galaxy. "No rush. Think it over, then decide whether you want to send the flying sword to me, for me to deliver to Jingguan City."
Chen Ping'an twitched the corner of his mouth. He patted the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, pinched the flying sword Chuyi between two fingers, and placed it into the vortex in Gao Cheng's hand.
Gao Cheng clenched his fist and turned his head. "Killing you isn't easy, but fooling you isn't hard. If I split off too many souls and spirits to evade detection by those two Jade Capital realm cultivators of Linen Mourning Sect, and then stayed in the river of time, do you really think I could so easily hide the truth from heaven? Could Zhu Quan have held out against Ghost Domain Valley? She's no waste."
Chen Ping'an was unmoved.
Gao Cheng nodded. "That's right."
Gao Cheng still had his fists clenched. "In my whole life, I've only respected two people. One was the old squad leader who first taught me not to fear death, then taught me how to be a deserter. He lied to me my whole life, saying he had a beautiful daughter. In the end, I learned he had nothing—his wife and child had died long before. The other is that Bodhisattva. Chen Ping'an, this flying sword of yours—I actually can't take it. I don't need to. When you finish your journey through Northern Ju Continent, you will offer it to me yourself."
Gao Cheng opened his hand. The flying sword Chuyi hovered in his palm, motionless and silent.
Wisp after wisp of green smoke seeped from the seven orifices of the martial artist named Ding Tong, then slowly dissipated.
Chen Ping'an stared blankly. The flying sword Chuyi returned to the Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
Ding Tong jolted, completely confused. He suddenly found himself sitting on the railing.
When he turned to look.
That white-robed scholar smiled. "What a coincidence—enjoying the view too?"