Chapter 514: The Master Peddler, the Student Makes Porcelain Figures

Chapter 514: The Master Peddler, the Student Makes Porcelain Figures

Liu Zhiqing asked, "Would you like to go to my Yu Ying Cliff for tea?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head with a smile. "Sword Immortal Liu seems to have some misunderstanding of me. I dare not go to Yu Ying Cliff for tea; I fear it would be a forced drink."

Liu Zhiqing said, "My fondness for that clear spring at Yu Ying Cliff far surpasses that for the thunderclouds of Golden Crow Palace."

Chen Ping'an pretended to suddenly understand. "That's good, then. Shall we walk there on foot, or travel by wind?"

Liu Zhiqing smiled slightly. "As you wish."

Chen Ping'an looked at the Golden Core female disciple of Spring Dew Garden's main lineage who was from the mansion. "Would you trouble the immortal to offer up your talisman boat and send us on our way?"

That beautiful woman naturally had no objection. Traveling to Yu Ying Cliff by boat with Sword Immortal Liu was a coveted honor, and besides, this honored guest of the Jingzhe Mansion was also a top-tier guest of Spring Dew Garden. Although only the Golden Core uncle Song Lanqiao from another branch had come to greet him—not comparable to the grand reception Sword Immortal Liu had received when first entering the mountain—the fact that he could stay here meant he was no ordinary person.

Yu Ying Cliff was not within the bamboo sea territory; back then, the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall had intentionally arranged it that way to avoid disputes between the two sword immortals.

The talisman small boat rose into the distance, and beneath the three people, the bamboo forest stretched like an emerald sea. The mountain breeze blew, causing them to sway in sequence, a most beautiful sight.

This time, the female cultivator did not brew tea to entertain guests. To show off her meager tea ceremony skills in front of Sword Immortal Liu would only invite ridicule.

When they arrived at the small dock of Yu Ying Cliff, Liu Zhiqing and Chen Ping'an disembarked. Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Does Sword Immortal Liu not know the rules around here?"

Liu Zhiqing looked puzzled. "What rules?"

Chen Ping'an said, "When an immortal pilots a boat, the guest tips a Minor Heat coin as a courtesy."

The Jingzhe Mansion female cultivator looked completely bewildered.

Liu Zhiqing, however, said "Oh," and tossed a Minor Heat coin to her. With a clear *ding* sound, it gently hovered in front of her. Liu Zhiqing said, "I have been remiss in the past."

Liu Zhiqing slowly walked forward. "A little over a thousand more steps, and we'll reach the Bamboo Tube Spring at the edge of Yu Ying Cliff."

Chen Ping'an looked around. "I heard that the entire Yu Ying Cliff was bought by Sword Immortal Liu and Spring Dew Garden?"

Liu Zhiqing nodded. "Five Grain Rain coins, a term of five hundred years. Over two hundred years have passed now."

Chen Ping'an turned around and said, "Immortal, you can return first. When the time comes, I'll find my own way to the bamboo sea—I know the path now."

The young female cultivator nodded, hesitated for a long while, but ultimately didn't speak, not wanting to disturb the pleasure of the two honored guests. She planned to go back and discuss carefully with her master whether to accept this inexplicable Minor Heat coin. Riding the talisman boat specially commissioned by Spring Dew Garden from the Tai Zhen Palace at great expense—a boat of antique and elegant design—when passing through places with slightly richer spiritual energy, literary poems, green lyrics, and sacred declarations would appear on the boat's walls. If a guest happened to like a particular phrase, they could grab the words like cupping water in their hands, then freely place them on fans or book pages. The words would last a long time, exuding great elegance and ancient charm.

Spring Dew Garden was always happy to let guests take words from the talisman boat.

Previously, Song Lanqiao had mentioned this matter, but Chen Ping'an had been too embarrassed to take advantage. Now that he was with Liu Zhiqing, he didn't stand on ceremony. He picked two phrases and placed them on one side of his folding fan—a total of ten characters: *Spiritual books hidden in cave heavens, long suspended above the Jade Capital.*

Walking side by side with Liu Zhiqing along the bluestone path toward that clear spring, Chen Ping'an unfurled his fan and gently waved it. The ten running-script characters rippled like water plants gently swaying.

Liu Zhiqing said softly, "We're here."

At the edge of Yu Ying Cliff stood a thatched pavilion, and farther away, a thatched hut with only a fence.

Inside the pavilion were tea sets and a low table. Below the cliff was a clear, limpid pool with no fish—the water was so clear it had none—only beautiful, gleaming pebbles at the bottom.

After taking a seat, Chen Ping'an sat opposite this younger grand-uncle of Golden Crow Palace. He closed his folding fan and said with a smile, "Tea drinking is out of the question. Sword Immortal Liu, tell me, what do you want to see me about?"

Liu Zhiqing laughed. "You don't have to drink, but I still will."

With one hand, Liu Zhiqing drew the characters "True Fire" on the low table. The two-character talisman seal gleamed with golden light, and soon the strokes of each character converged into a line, transforming into two red fire dragons that coiled and twined on the table. Then Liu Zhiqing lightly flicked his sleeve, and like a dragon drawing water, several *jin* of water from the pool flew onto the table, gathering into a sphere. He placed an celadon teacup aside, and the water began to boil. After a moment, Liu Zhiqing pinched a few tea leaves from a canister and gently dropped them into the cup. With a flick of his finger, the boiling spring water branched out like a slender tributary, trickling into the celadon teacup until it was exactly seventy percent full.

Liu Zhiqing raised the cup and slowly sipped the tea.

Chen Ping'an said, "Pour me a cup too."

Liu Zhiqing smiled, picked up another teacup in front of him, poured a cup of tea for Chen Ping'an, and gently slid it over to him.

Chen Ping'an took a sip and nodded. "Sword Immortal Liu is the second-best tea brewer I've ever met among reclusive experts."

The first, naturally, was Lu Tai.

Liu Zhiqing smiled slightly. "If the opportunity arises, Sir Chen can bring that expert to my Yu Ying Cliff for a visit."

Chen Ping'an set down his teacup and asked, "Back then at Golden Crow Palace, although Sword Immortal Liu didn't show himself, you must have had some insight. Why didn't you stop my sword strike?"

Liu Zhiqing sighed, lowering the teacup he had raised to his lips and gently placing it on the table. "What good would stopping it have done? A meaningless fight to the death?"

Liu Zhiqing shook his head. "Pointless. Since I broke through to Golden Core, over all these years, relying on my name, how many wrong things have the Golden Crow Palace sword cultivators done during their mountain excursions? Unfortunately, I'm not good at handling mundane affairs. So I find the thunderclouds of Golden Crow Palace an eyesore, detest that sect nephew's Dao partner, dislike arrogant juniors like Jin Le and his ilk, yet I can only pretend that out of sight, out of mind."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Having a mentality so different from other Golden Crow Palace cultivators is the principle by which Sword Immortal Liu managed to break through to Golden Core and stand above others. But it could also be the very crux that hinders you from breaking through your Golden Core bottleneck and reaching Nascent Soul. Coming here to drink tea can relieve worries, but it may not truly benefit your Dao advancement."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiqing smiled, picked up his teacup again, took a sip, and then said, "Earlier at the Yellow Wind Valley in Baoxiang Kingdom, you should have seen my sword strike. Among the many Golden Core sword cultivators in the south of North Julu Continent, my strength isn't considered small."

Chen Ping'an recalled the final sword strike at Yellow Wind Valley—that sword light descending from the sky had been Liu Zhiqing's strike. It had wounded the Yellow Robe Ancestor at its root, causing it to know, even after confirming the Golden Crow Palace sword cultivators had gone far, that even with a Baoxiang Kingdom eminent monk nearby, it still wanted to feast—to replenish its demon core origin with human flesh and souls.

Liu Zhiqing said slowly, "But a sword has two edges, and that creates a huge problem. I have always pursued the principle of 'the sword leaves and never returns' in my strikes. So when tempering the sword's edge and refining the Dao heart, it went very smoothly at low realms. At moderate realms, the benefits were greatest. But the further I go, the more troublesome it becomes. Nascent Soul Earth Immortals who are not sword cultivators are hard to come by. As for Golden Core cultivators of other sects below Nascent Soul—whether they are sword cultivators or not—as soon as they hear that I, Liu Zhiqing, am passing by with my flying sword, even those heinous demonic cultivators either hide deep or simply put on a shameless posture of offering their necks to the blade. Early on, I did kill two with one sword—one deserved death many times over; the other, death was questionable. After that, I found it increasingly boring. Aside from escorting Golden Crow Palace juniors down the mountain to practice swordsmanship and coming here to drink tea, I hardly leave my peak anymore. And the hope of breaking through becomes more and more remote."

This touched upon another's great Dao, so Chen Ping'an remained silent, just drinking tea. This tea, rich in water essence, was insignificant to Liu Zhiqing, whose key qi mansions were as vast as rivers and lakes. But to Chen Ping'an, a cultivator of the "lower five realms," each cup of tea was like timely rain for a parched field—the more, the better.

Liu Zhiqing asked seriously, "That's why I invited you for tea—to ask you about that sword strike you delivered outside Golden Crow Palace's mountain. Why did you deliver it? How did you deliver it? How could your heart and sword be so... unhindered? Please tell me what you can say outside the Dao. Perhaps for me, Liu Zhiqing, it could be a stone from another mountain that can polish this jade. Even a single spark of insight would be a priceless gain for my current bottleneck."

Chen Ping'an raised his teacup and asked with a smile, "If I speak and give you some understanding, and you, Sword Immortal Liu, yourself say it's a gain worth ten thousand gold, then you'll just fob me off with a cup of tea?"

Liu Zhiqing smiled slightly. "You claim you want another cup of tea for the spiritual energy, but what you really want is to see my unique technique for drawing talismans and channeling qi. Wouldn't that count as repayment?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I couldn't grasp the true meaning of a bottleneck sword immortal's talisman drawing in such a short time. And if I don't get it after three tries, I'll let it go."

Liu Zhiqing laughed heartily. He raised his hand, pointed at the clear pool and steep cliff beside them, and said, "If I gain something, I'll transfer the remaining three hundred years of Yu Ying Cliff to you. How about that? Then you can use it to entertain guests and brew tea, or lease it to Spring Dew Garden or anyone else—entirely up to you."

With a crisp sound, Chen Ping'an opened his folding fan and fanned a gentle breeze in front of him. "Then I'll trouble Sword Immortal Liu for another cup of tea. We'll drink slowly and chat slowly. When doing business, first confirm each other's character, and everything is easy to discuss."

Liu Zhiqing smiled knowingly. After that, the two began to "do business"—one speaking with ripples on his heart lake, the other using the martial arts technique of condensing sound into a thread.

After one incense stick's time, the man reached out to ask for another cup of tea. Liu Zhiqing put on a stern face. "Trouble this good sir, could you show a little sincerity?"

Chen Ping'an said seriously, "Every sentence is true, every word is sincere!"

Liu Zhiqing waved his sleeve. "I won't see you out."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. With one hand fanning himself, he swept his other palm across the table, grabbing some of the boiling spirit spring water from the talisman-heated water. He placed two drops of water in front of himself, used them as endpoints to draw a straight line, then lightly tapped one end with his fingertip and slowly moved it toward the right until he reached the other end. He stopped. "Don't look at the big picture—only at one time, one place, some people. Suppose this line is the small world where Sword Immortal Liu resides. You are a native-born cultivator of Golden Crow Palace, with your nature at this end. The customs, human nature, and sword cultivator temperaments of Golden Crow Palace are here, here, and here—constantly shifting away from your nature. More sword cultivators—like that violent palace master's wife, the domineering Jin Le—are clustered at the other end. While you cultivate at Golden Crow Palace, you find everything an eyesore. But you are high in realm and even higher in seniority, so you can protect your original heart. Yet you stop there because you focus solely on sword practice, climbing high and looking far, wanting to use Earth Immortal cultivators as whetstones for your sword. You disdain the trivial matters under your nose, considering them a waste of time, dragging you down. Right or wrong?"

Liu Zhiqing nodded gently, sitting upright. "Indeed."

Chen Ping'an raised his finger again, pointing to the end symbolizing Liu Zhiqing's nature, and suddenly asked, "When it comes to striking with the sword, why go far when the near is at hand? Those who can overcome others, and those who can overcome themselves—the mundane world esteems the former, but the mountains seem to esteem the latter, don't they? Sword cultivators possess immense killing power, reputed to be the best under heaven. Then do they still need to examine their hearts and cultivate the mind? That flying sword, that sheathed sword, and the master who wields them—should they not seek purity without impurity in both matters of objects and heart?"

Chen Ping'an withdrew his hand. Using his folding fan, he slowly moved from the left end all the way to the right end. "Can you, Liu Zhiqing, strike your sword along this trajectory until your sword heart is thoroughly illuminated?"

Liu Zhiqing fell into deep thought.

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked again, "Did Sword Immortal Liu ascend the mountain as a child, or did you start cultivating as a youth?"

Liu Zhiqing gazed at that line and said softly, "I've been on Golden Crow Mountain since I can remember, following my master in cultivation. I've never been involved in the mundane world."

Chen Ping'an let out a mournful sigh, stood up, and said, "Then pretend I said nothing. I can only advise Sword Immortal Liu to go down the mountain more often and travel far."

Liu Zhiqing raised his hand and pressed it down twice. "Although I'm not versed in mundane affairs, I do have some understanding of human hearts—I wouldn't say I see through them, but I know a thing or two. So don't try those marketplace tricks on me, deliberately bluffing. This Yu Ying Cliff, which Spring Dew Garden practically gave to me for free, you clearly have your heart set on. Flip it and sell it—with three hundred years left, three Grain Rain coins would be a bargain. Double it is definitely possible. With the right maneuvering, ten are in sight."

That man indeed quickly sat back down and said with a smile, "Doing business with smart people is so satisfying."

Liu Zhiqing looked up, curious. "Are you really that concerned about money? Why bother?"

The white-robed scholar sighed mournfully. "Alas, it's not easy for a mountain lake wild cultivator to make a living."

Liu Zhiqing shook his head, too lazy to argue with this man's nonsense.

After a moment of silence, Liu Zhiqing spoke. "What you mean is for me to use the customs and human hearts of Golden Crow Palace as the ground for sharpening my sword?"

The white-robed scholar smiled slightly. "Same rice feeds a hundred kinds of people; one word carries a thousand meanings. Sword Immortal Liu, with your innate intelligence, you can comprehend it yourself."

Liu Zhiqing looked at that linear vein and murmured to himself, "No matter the outcome, even if I ultimately choose not to use this to sharpen my sword, just this thought alone is greatly beneficial."

Liu Zhiqing looked up. "According to our agreement, this Yu Ying Cliff is yours. Take the deed. I'll go speak to the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall later."

A piece of gold-and-jade paper, itself worth a fortune, drifted down in front of Chen Ping'an. On it were signatures: Spring Dew Garden's ancestral hall vermilion seal in the ancient seal script character "Spring," and Liu Zhiqing's sword-like character "Liu." Even after two hundred years, the sword intent within the characters remained rich.

Chen Ping'an didn't immediately put away the deed, which was worth at least six Grain Rain coins. He asked with a smile, "Sword Immortal Liu is so generous. I think that thought of yours actually isn't beneficial—might even be harmful. I am fair in business, cheating neither old nor young, and certainly dare not cheat a sword immortal of boundless killing power. Please take back the deed. In the near future, just let me come here to drink tea without paying."

Liu Zhiqing was sharp-minded and laughed. "After leaving Yu Ying Cliff, if I indeed return to Golden Crow Palace and use all kinds of human hearts to sharpen my sword, naturally I won't have this kind of temperament and method anymore. So just take the deed."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. Using his folding fan, he drew a series of vertical lines from top to bottom across the horizontal line on the table. "The Golden Crow Palace master, his wife who is the daughter of that Great Mountain god, Jin Le, that female cultivator who advised Jin Le not to strike at me—their respective origins, master-disciple lineage, cultivation milestones, mountain excursions, allies and close friends, cherished principles, debts of gratitude and grudges... Are you really interested in knowing, Sword Immortal Liu? Once you choose to sharpen your sword, you must point directly at your original heart. Your natal flying sword as a bottleneck Golden Core sword cultivator, your full cultivation, your sect seniority—these are actually your greatest enemies. Can you truly set them aside temporarily? If you give up halfway, unable to push through to the other end, you will only damage your original heart, causing your sword heart to gather dust and your sword intent to develop flaws."

Liu Zhiqing smiled slightly. "I can confirm that you are not a sword cultivator. The suffering of cultivation, the tribulations that wear down the will—you probably don't fully understand yet. Sharpening the sword at Golden Crow Palace is difficult because there are countless trivial matters and subtle intricacies of human hearts. But in the end, it's much like the earliest difficulty of refining a sword embryo—every detail must be perfect. I'm just walking that earliest cultivation path once more. If I could do it then, how can it be hard now that I'm a Golden Core sword cultivator?"

The white-robed scholar shook his head with a smile. "The same thing, with time having passed, becomes a different kind of difficulty."

Liu Zhiqing savored those words and nodded with a smile. "I have been taught."

Chen Ping'an laughed. "I'm just pretending to be profound. You really believe me? Aren't you afraid I'll lead you from a celestial mansion into a mountain ditch?"

Liu Zhiqing stood up. "I won't disturb you any longer. I hope I can come here as a guest to drink tea in the future, with you still as the host."

In Liu Zhiqing's eyes, this Yu Ying Cliff—he was now the guest.

Chen Ping'an glanced at the deed on the table, then looked up at the white-robed youth. "How did Golden Crow Palace end up with a sword cultivator like you? Ancestral merit?"

Liu Zhiqing laughed. "That was harsh, but I'll take it as a compliment. To be honest, not to boast, but the earlier generation of Golden Crow Palace cultivators had a much better reputation than they do now. It's just that reputation can't buy cultivation or family legacy. There's nothing more helpless than that. So often, I think that sect nephew of mine just doesn't act according to my wishes, rather than actually doing anything truly wrong."

Chen Ping'an stood up. "Let me make another deal with you. How about it?"

Liu Zhiqing asked, "What do you mean?"

Chen Ping'an first asked a question. "Will the Spring Dew Garden cultivators spy on this place?"

Liu Zhiqing pointed toward the thatched hut outside the pavilion. "Do you think my sword is just for show? There are rules to follow. For example, when I drink tea here, I strictly observe Spring Dew Garden's rules. Once, in the Jia Mu Mountain Range, I saw a Golden Crow Palace enemy whom I also wanted to strike, but I looked the other way. So, reciprocity—if Spring Dew Garden doesn't follow these rules, I'd consider that their way of inviting my sword."

"Excellent." Chen Ping'an pointed at himself. "Aren't you troubled by not being able to find a whetstone for your sword?"

Liu Zhiqing looked around. "Aren't you afraid Yu Ying Cliff will be destroyed? The cliff and spring are yours now."

Chen Ping'an said, "Pick a spot, draw a circle for a prison. You strike with your sword, I strike with my fist. How about that?"

Liu Zhiqing laughed. "I'm afraid you'll die."

"Longing for it." Chen Ping'an tucked away his folding fan and repeated, "Longing for it."

One phrase, two meanings.

---

At the Farewell to Spring Banquet, Golden Crow Palace Sword Immortal Liu Zhiqing did not appear.

Nor did the young sword immortal staying at the Jingzhe Mansion show up.

This left everyone in Spring Dew Garden, where rumors were flying everywhere, feeling regretful.

As for Liu Zhiqing, there was no need to elaborate. He was one of the top cultivators on the southeastern coast of North Julu Continent. Although only at the Golden Core realm, he was young and a sword cultivator.

After the passing of the Golden Crow Palace master, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, through soldier dissolution, that sect's gold-lettered signboard was almost entirely upheld by Liu Zhiqing alone, one man and one sword.

But Liu Zhiqing was not unfamiliar to anyone. Both local and foreign cultivators in Spring Dew Garden were more interested in that young outland sword immortal who had many stories.

First, he had split the protective mountain thunderclouds of Golden Crow Palace with one sword—a rumor confirmed by Liu Zhiqing himself, so it couldn't be false. Liu Zhiqing had even invited this man to drink tea at Yu Ying Cliff.

Second, according to ferry gossip, this man, relying on his innate sword embryo, had tempered his body to extreme toughness, not inferior to a Golden Body realm martial artist. With one punch, he had knocked the Tietong Mansion's grandmaster-supplicant off the ferry, leaving him with only half a life after falling into the water. Wei Bai, the young master of Tietong Mansion, did not deny this and hid nothing. Tang Qingqing of the Zhaoye Grass Hall even openly stated that this young sword immortal had deep connections with Spring Dew Garden, and that his father and the ferry's Song Lanqiao were old acquaintances.

Third, that Sword Immortal Chen, who was staying at the Jingzhe Mansion in the bamboo sea, made a round trip between the bamboo sea and Yu Ying Cliff every day. As for his relationship with Liu Zhiqing, outsiders could only guess.

During this period, the Spring Dew Garden ancestral hall held another secret meeting. After discussion, they decided not to restrict some vague and grandiose rumors, letting them spread freely. However, they began to subtly help obscure the young Sword Immortal Chen's whereabouts at Spring Dew Garden, his true appearance, and the specific details of the earlier ferry incident. They started laying false clues all over Jia Mu Mountain Range. Today someone said he had moved into the Guyu Mansion, tomorrow that he had moved to the Lichun Mansion, and the day after that that he had gone to Zhaoye Grass Hall for tea. As a result, many cultivators who came specifically to see this sword immortal failed to catch a glimpse of his elegance.

After the Farewell to Spring Banquet ended, more ferries left Fushui Ferry, and cultivators returned home one after another. Golden Core cultivator Song Lanqiao of Spring Dew Garden also subsequently boarded the ferry that had already made one round trip to Skeleton Beach.

But on Old Locust Street in Jia Mu Mountain Range, a small shop changed its owner and quietly opened for business.

The shopkeeper was a young man in blue, with a vermilion wine jug at his waist and a folding fan in his hand. He sat on a small bamboo chair at the door, not really hawking his wares—just sunbathing, waiting for the willing to bite.

Old Locust Street, with its bustling commerce, was extremely valuable—every inch of land was like gold. The stream of cultivators coming and going was endless. A tiny shop like this paid a huge amount of spirit money in annual rent to Spring Dew Garden.

This small shop, hung with a plaque reading "Ant," was filled with a miscellaneous assortment of items from both the mountains and the mundane world. However, each piece was neatly arranged on multi-tiered shelves. On the shop counter lay a strip of rice paper cut into a note, inscribed with four large characters: "No haggling—period." The note was held down at both ends by two seal stamps as paperweights. Additionally, each shelf had a page pasted on it, listing the names and prices of the goods sold.

The shop had an inner and outer section, but the door to the inner shop was tightly shut, with another paper pasted on it: "Shop treasure—for the fated to obtain." The characters were as large as fists. If anyone looked closely, they would find next to "for the fated to obtain" four small standard-script characters, seemingly a side note: "Highest bidder gets it."

After all, it was a shop that could open on Old Locust Street. Whether the price was fair was hard to say, but the goods were guaranteed genuine. Moreover, for a newly opened shop, it was common sense to put out some good items to earn recognition. Several old-established shops on Old Locust Street, with deep financial resources, each had one or two dharma artifacts as their prized possessions, open for public viewing. No need to buy—after all, who could afford a dozen or so Grain Rain coins? It was just to gather popularity for the shop.

But this "Ant" shop was rather shabby. Aside from a few pairs of gleaming white bones marked as from Skeleton Beach, which were somewhat rare, and a complete set of hardbound *Goddess Paintings* from Mural City, which were not bad, it still felt like it lacked a truly memorable immortal treasure. The rest were mostly small, clever antiques—not even necessarily spirit tools—and... there was too much of a feminine air. Two entire shelves were filled with what seemed like boudoir items from a wealthy noblewoman's chamber.

So after ten days, the shop's customers had almost all become women—young female cultivators from various peaks, as well as women from many powerful and noble households within the Grand View Dynasty. They came in groups, chirping and twittering, arriving arm in arm. Inside the shop, they rummaged and picked. When they found something that caught their fancy, they would call out to the door. If they asked the young shopkeeper if he could lower the price a bit, the fellow on the bamboo chair would just wave his hand. No matter how softly the women spoke or how much they cajoled and pleaded, it was useless. That young shopkeeper was as steady as a rock, never giving discounts.

Many women who didn't lack gold and silver but detested "not being able to haggle even a couple of copper coins" would leave in disappointment and anger.

But the young shopkeeper would at most say with a smile, "Welcome to come again." He never tried to keep them or change his mind.

As time passed, this small shop gained a reputation for fleecing customers.

Unexpectedly, one evening at dusk, Tang Qingqing led a group of Spring Dew Garden female cultivators who had good relations with Zhaoye Grass Hall, bustling into the shop. Each picked an item that caught their fancy, didn't haggle, dropped down spirit coins, and left. They only visited this Ant shop on Old Locust Street, and after buying, didn't shop anymore. After that, the shop's business improved a bit. But what truly made the shop overcrowded was that Sword Immortal Liu of Golden Crow Palace—more beautiful than any beauty—actually entered this shop, spent money, and for some reason, dragged a set of Skeleton Beach white bones all the way with him before leaving Old Locust Street.

One day, the shop hung up a "Closed" sign. The young shopkeeper, who had no accountant or assistant, leaned alone over the counter, counting spirit coins. Snow Flower coins piled up like a mountain, and there were also a few Minor Heat coins.

A white-robed youth with a gold hairpin crossed the threshold and entered the shop. Looking at the money-grubbing shopkeeper, he said helplessly, "I just can't figure it out. Are you really so fixated on making money?"

Chen Ping'an didn't look up. "I already told you, Big Sword Immortal Liu. We mountain lake wild cultivators, adrift like duckweed, earn our money with our heads hanging on our belts. You registered immortal masters wouldn't understand."

Liu Zhiqing shook his head. "I have to go now. I've already spoken to Ancestor Tan about Yu Ying Cliff. But I still hope you won't sell it off, and especially not lease it to anyone else. Otherwise, I won't come to Spring Dew Garden to draw water and brew tea anymore."

Chen Ping'an looked up and smiled. "That's six Grain Rain coins. I can't stay here permanently. I can find a Spring Dew Garden cultivator to manage the Ant shop for me—just split the profits. I can still make money. But if I don't sell Yu Ying Cliff and don't lease it, what am I supposed to do with the deed? Let it gather dust and grow mold, then expire in three hundred years?"

Liu Zhiqing sighed.

Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Actually, if you want to come to Spring Dew Garden to brew tea, it's simple. Give me three Grain Rain coins, and for the next three hundred years, you can come whenever you like. Before I leave, I'll arrange it with Spring Dew Garden. No one will stop you."

Liu Zhiqing asked, "Do you think my Grain Rain coins fall from the sky?"

Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "Just joking. Brew tea as you please in the future."

Liu Zhiqing stood still.

Chen Ping'an asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Am I supposed to pay you to come drink tea? That's going too far, right?"

Liu Zhiqing said angrily, "Those several hundred pebbles at the bottom of the clear pool—you've taken every single one! They're only worth two or three hundred Snow Flower coins, and you still covet them?!"

Chen Ping'an slapped the table. "With the deed in hand, the entire Yu Ying Cliff is my property! I pick up a few broken stones and put them in my pocket—what business is it of yours?!"

Liu Zhiqing said helplessly, "How about I buy those pebbles from you and put them back under Yu Ying Cliff?"

Chen Ping'an stretched out a palm. "Five Minor Heat coins. No discount in this shop!"

Liu Zhiqing slapped his palm on the counter. When he lifted his hand, there were five Minor Heat coins on the table. He turned and left. "Next time I come to Spring Dew Garden, if there's a single pebble missing from the water, I'll chop you to death!"

Chen Ping'an pressed a finger lightly on the counter to keep the neatly arranged rows of Snow Flower coins from scattering.

Five more Minor Heat coins. A bit annoying.

Being too good at business wasn't always great either.

Chen Ping'an felt today was a good day for business. He put away all the spirit coins, came out from behind the counter, went to the door, and took down the "Closed" sign. He continued sitting on the small bamboo chair at the door, only now it was to enjoy the evening cool instead of the sun.

As for the sparring sessions with Liu Zhiqing—they were about determining superiority, not life or death. It was to gauge how fast the flying sword of a bottleneck Golden Core sword immortal really was.

Three sparring sessions. Liu Zhiqing went from seventy percent effort, to eighty percent, and finally to ninety percent.

Chen Ping'an had a general idea.

But that younger grand-uncle of Golden Crow Palace was in such a bad mood now, and no wonder.

After all, Liu Zhiqing had probably never eaten so much dirt in his life.

Of course, in those three sparring sessions, Chen Ping'an had also each time suppressed his own realm, and it wasn't exactly pleasant.

There wouldn't be a fourth session.

Otherwise, it would have to be a fight to the death, which was unnecessary.

As for why Chen Ping'an was still staying in Spring Dew Garden after the three sparring sessions—besides playing the part of a peddler to earn some money and make room in his Sundial object—he was waiting for a reply letter.

Earlier, through Spring Dew Garden's sword house, he had sent a secret letter to the Wood Garment Mountain of the Pima Sect. The so-called secret letter was such that even if the messenger flying sword were intercepted, it would only contain trivial matters—asking that the Pima Sect youth Pang Lanxi send a letter to Longquan Prefecture.

So when a letter from Longquan Prefecture arrived at Skeleton Beach and then to this Spring Dew Garden, it would depend on when Ancestor Tan showed up.

This Nascent Soul ancestral master, who managed thousands of registered immortal masters and menial disciples at Spring Dew Garden, had never appeared before Chen Ping'an from start to finish. But if the Pima Sect's Wood Garment Mountain truly replied, no matter how good her composure or how busy her affairs, she would not be able to sit still. She would make a trip to the shop or the Jingzhe Mansion.

In the night, Old Locust Street was brilliantly lit.

The Ant shop had some more income.

Chen Ping'an stood up, ready to close up. He would just summon the borrowed talisman boat and fly back to the Jingzhe Mansion in the bamboo sea.

Just as he picked up the small bamboo chair, he set it back down, looking toward the shop. A tall, slender young woman appeared out of thin air, standing with a smile.

Chen Ping'an stepped over the threshold, clasped his fists, and smiled. "Greetings, Madam Tan."

This master of Spring Dew Garden was surnamed Tan, with the single given name Ling. Aside from her, all the direct-line registered immortal masters of Spring Dew Garden's ancestral hall had three-character names—for example, Golden Core Song Lanqiao was of the "Lan" generation.

Tan Ling did not stay long. After some polite small talk and handing over the Pima Sect ancestral hall's sword case to Chen Ping'an, she smiled and took her leave.

Spring Dew Garden's business no longer required taking risks for big gains.

Spring Dew Garden giving away a small shop on Old Locust Street, followed by a talisman flying boat as an icing-on-the-cake gesture—the timing was just right.

Chen Ping'an closed the shop. In a secluded spot, he took the talisman boat to the bamboo sea mansion. Inside his room, he opened the sword case. There were two flying swords inside. Tan Ling's Spring Dew Garden had also received a flying-sword message from the Pima Sect, saying that this was a gift in return from the Wood Garment Mountain ancestral hall to Sir Chen. The two messenger flying swords in the case could travel a hundred thousand miles round trip, difficult for even a Nascent Soul to intercept.

Chen Ping'an was no stranger to sword cases. He had one himself—the one from Shujian Lake had a short range and was far inferior in quality to this one.

Sitting in the room, he opened a letter. Seeing the handwriting, Chen Ping'an smiled knowingly.

His first disciple, in the letter, rambled on for several thousand words, solemnly telling her master about her schooling—braving wind and rain, studying diligently, working hard, to the point that the old scholars were almost moved to tears...

Some truly confidential matters were probably handled by Cui Dongshan himself, acting as scribe.

For example, regarding Zhou Mili, the letter cryptically wrote: "The student has understood; there is matter, but also no matter."

Chen Ping'an read it several times.

Mm, Pei Qian's handwriting was becoming more and more neat. She really hadn't been slacking off on copying books.

As for things like "Master, my Mad Sword technique has reached perfection. It would be a pity if you don't come home to see it," "I've earned a small mountain of silver for the shop. Master, hurry home and take a look—if the silver grows legs and runs away, I can't stop it," "Master, although I've lost dozens of soldiers under my command, I've recruited two new protectors, left and right. On Qilong Lane, every household leaves valuables on the street," and "Master, rest assured a hundred times over—that shorty is very obedient at the shop. She's just a glutton who can't make money well, so I have to use my private savings to cover her meals. I've now mastered peerless sword techniques, saber arts, and fist arts. Even if someone bullies me, I won't bother with them. But I will definitely protect Shorty well, because Master said she's the weak one. I'm not anymore, right?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and put away this family letter. He carefully folded it and slowly stored it in his Sundial object.

Chen Ping'an had long since taken off the two dharma robes, Gold Li and Snow Flower. He wore only a blue shirt with a wine jug hanging at his waist.

He rose and walked to the corridor, gazing into the distance beyond the high courtyard walls. The bamboo sea was dense, and the colors of the human world were a vibrant green.

---

After Cui Dongshan, travel-worn, rushed back to Longquan Prefecture.

He had dinner at the shop on Qilong Lane. At the table, the head seat was always empty. Cui Dongshan wanted to sit there but ended up tussling with Pei Qian for a while before having to sit opposite her. The little water monster Zhou Mili sat next to Pei Qian. Shi Rou, whenever she sat down, always sat on the bench with her back to the door, and she never needed to eat. Usually, she accompanied Pei Qian in conversation, but today she didn't dare not come.

At that meal, Shi Rou was just there to make up the numbers. She moved her chopsticks a few times symbolically. The other three wolfed down their food like a storm sweeping clouds. Especially Zhou Mili, whose chopsticks flew like lightning.

After that, Cui Dongshan left the Qilane Lane shop, saying he was going to Luopo Mountain to get some wine.

Pei Qian didn't bother with him. In the yard, she practiced a set of Mad Sword techniques, while Zhou Mili clapped enthusiastically beside her.

Cui Dongshan didn't go directly to the bamboo tower on Luopo Mountain. Instead, he appeared at the foot of the mountain, where there was now a proper mansion. In the courtyard, Wei Bo, Zhu Lian, and that stooped gatekeeper were playing chess. Wei Bo and Zhu Lian were playing, while Zheng Dafeng was cracking sunflower seeds and pontificating on the game.

Cui Dongshan sat on the wall, watching for a while, then couldn't help cursing, "Three terrible chess players gathered together, blinding my eyes!"

Cui Dongshan floated down. But as soon as he sat down, Wei Bo and Zhu Lian each picked up their pieces and put them back in the bowls. Cui Dongshan stretched out both hands. "Don't stop. Watching children play chess has its own charm, you know."

Zheng Dafeng started shooing him away.

Wei Bo directly returned to Piyun Mountain.

Zhu Lian and Cui Dongshan climbed the mountain together.

Cui Dongshan flapped his sleeves like an old hen fluttering its wings, flapping and bouncing up every few steps.

Cui Dongshan asked casually, "That Jiang Shangzhen—did he come to Luopo Mountain?"

Zhu Lian laughed. "You mean that Brother Zhou Fei? He came, said he wanted to be a guest elder of our Luopo Mountain, with his Nascent Soul cultivation."

Cui Dongshan sneered. "And you agreed?"

Zhu Lian clasped his hands behind his back, turned his head with a grin, and said, "Guess?"

Cui Dongshan's big sleeves kept flapping. "Oh, Zhu Lian, you've improved?"

Zhu Lian laughed. "Just don't hit my face. The rest, suit yourself."

Cui Dongshan hovered in mid-air, no more than a foot off the ground, squinting at Zhu Lian. "Jiang Shangzhen is no simple character, and Xun Yuan is even less so."

Zhu Lian smiled slightly. "So I refused. This guy's flattery skills aren't up to par yet. He needs more practice. For now, he can't enter my Luopo Mountain. Brother Zhou Fei thought so too. He said he'd go back and study hard, then come back to seek my advice another time."

Cui Dongshan then landed with a thump and continued slapping his two snow-white "wings," floating upward slowly. "That Jade Sphere sword cultivator Li Cai?"

Zhu Lian said, "Oh. Brother Zhou Fei is quite talented, but I feel he falls a bit short in every aspect. That's probably the fly in the ointment. Same with flattery, same with dealing with women. Li Cai couldn't stand Brother Dafeng's gaze and wanted to strike with her sword. I couldn't stop her, so it was up to the person in the bamboo tower to deliver... half a punch. With Brother Zhou Fei talking her out of it, it was finally settled."

Cui Dongshan's face darkened.

He was in charge of affairs in the south now. The matter in the north, he wasn't very clear about.

Zhu Lian laughed. "With the family growing bigger, hosting guests and seeing them off, people from all walks of life each have their own temperaments. It's a common thing."

Cui Dongshan sneered. "Still, it's because your martial skills aren't good enough."

Zhu Lian said helplessly, "I'm holding back my fist intent even when I'm peeing or taking a crap. What more do you want me to do?"

Cui Dongshan landed on his feet and began walking up the mountain, saying casually, "Lu Baixiang has already started conquering territory and taking over."

Zhu Lian, hands behind his back, bent over as he climbed, grinning cheekily. "Same old story—wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat; dogs travel ten thousand miles and still eat shit."

Cui Dongshan suddenly stopped. "I won't go up the mountain. You tell Wei Bo to send a flying sword message to the Pima Sect's Wood Garment Mountain, asking for Gao Cheng's birth date and time, hometown, genealogy, ancestral grave location—anything they know, they spill out, the more the better. If the entire Pima Sect is useless, that's fine. But have Wei Bo end with a heartfelt piece of advice: there's no such thing as lying around and making big money without effort."

Zhu Lian asked, "Wei Bo was right in front of you just now. Why didn't you say it?"

Cui Dongshan laughed. "You tell him, and you owe him a favor."

Zhu Lian nodded. "Makes sense."

Cui Dongshan stopped climbing. He transformed into a rainbow and returned to the town.

Now that the ironsmith Ruan was not in Longquan Prefecture, he was free to come and go.

Cui Dongshan, under cover of night, went to the heavily guarded old Porcelain Mountain and carried a large sack away.

Then he stayed for a few days in an old ancestral house he had once lived in, tinkering with something unknown every day.

Even when Pei Qian went, Cui Dongshan didn't open the door.

Pei Qian then took Zhou Mili to climb up and remove the roof tiles. When they got up there, they found an open skylight, but when they looked down, it was hazy—they couldn't see anything.

Pei Qian had no choice but to take Zhou Mili back to Qilong Lane.

One day, Cui Dongshan swaggered over to the shop, just as Pei Qian and Zhou Mili were running down the steps.

In the courtyard, while practicing her Mad Sword technique, Pei Qian asked, "Today someone's planning to bully Shorty again. What should we do?"

Cui Dongshan laughed. "Dodge if you can, what else? If reasoning doesn't work, are you going to beat them to death with a stick?"

Pei Qian stopped swinging her Walking Staff. Zhou Mili quickly brought over a small stool. After Pei Qian sat down, Zhou Mili squatted beside her, lightly clacking her teeth together in a playful manner.

Pei Qian laid the Walking Staff across her knees and frowned. "What's wrong with those teaching old scholars? They only teach the literal meaning of words from books? Who can't memorize things?"

At this point, Pei Qian lifted her chin. "Right Protector! It's your turn!"

Zhou Mili, reading her mind, helped the senior sister finish the sentence: "What's the use!"

Cui Dongshan laughed. "When you see offense everywhere, it's because you're having bad luck in everything. When you have bad luck in everything, naturally you see offense everywhere."

Pei Qian was furious. "Are you talking about me?"

Cui Dongshan wrapped his hands behind his head, leaned back, lifted his feet, and gently swayed without falling. "How could I be talking about you? I was explaining why earlier I told you to stay away from these people. Don't get near them. They're like water ghosts—they'll drag you down."

Swinging there like on a swing, Cui Dongshan raised one hand, pretending to hold a folding fan, and gently moved his wrist.

Pei Qian asked, "You like this fan thing—why did you give it to my master?"

Cui Dongshan kept moving. "I have a lot of fans. I just gave away my favorite to the master."

Pei Qian asked softly, "What were you doing in that old house? Stealing things and moving them around?"

Cui Dongshan closed his eyes as if to sleep.

Pei Qian made a gesture. She and Zhou Mili, one on each side, tiptoed to where Cui Dongshan was lying horizontally without falling, and crouched down beside him.

Zhou Mili put a hand over her mouth. "Senior sister, he really is asleep."

Pei Qian rolled her eyes. After thinking for a moment, she waved her hand grandly, signaling her to go back into the house and copy books.

After that, Cui Dongshan quietly left Qilong Lane and Longquan Prefecture. But Pei Qian found it strange: the old scholars at the primary school run by the Longxi Brook Chen clan in Longquan Prefecture town, who had always kept to themselves, began visiting the homes of young students. Street by street, household by household, no one was left out. For example, one old scholar even came to the shop on Qilong Lane, debated with Shi Rou for ages about trivial matters, and ended up staying for a meal. Not only that, the teachers, who had previously only taught moral principles and explained the sages' books at the school, also started helping with farming, collecting firewood on the mountain, and taking students on trips to the dragon kilns. Privately, some scholars complained that these were vulgar acts degrading to scholars, but that was just grumbling. They still did as they were told. Not long after, the school quietly dismissed a few teachers and brought in several new faces.

A white-robed youth traveling south was far away from Great Li. That day, he cupped a handful of moonlight from a mountain stream. Looking down at the moon in his hand, he took a drink and said with a smile, "Can't keep the moon, but can drink the water."

Then he shook his sleeve, and from his big white sleeve, a small porcelain figure about a foot high tumbled out. Its body and limbs were still covered in countless cracks, and its "face" had not yet been "opened." Compared to the porcelain youth that had appeared in the old house back then, it was merely missing many finishing steps—though his technique was actually more skilled.

Cui Dongshan turned his head, reached out, and gently stroked the porcelain figure's little head. He smiled and said, "Am I right, Brother Gao?"