Chapter 558: The True Meaning Within
In the twilight, Li Liu brought a food basket up the mountain. At the thatched cottage, Li Er and Chen Ping'an were eating at the table.
Today's fist practice was rare—Li Er barely fed any punches. Instead, he spread a chart on the ground covered in meridians and acupoints—a Fire Dragon Diagram—and meticulously explained to Chen Ping'an the different circulation pathways of pure true qi across several ancient fist lineages, their respective nuances and intricacies. In particular, he elaborated on the different divisions of the five hundred and twenty muscles in the human body, breaking down fist principles and fist intent from specific, minute details. He also covered the methods different fist schools and sects used to forge bones and tendons and refine qi, the grinding of skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and meridians, and roughly what closely guarded secret techniques existed. He explained why some masters, when advancing deep into fist practice, would suddenly go berserk and fall into demonic deviation.
Chen Ping'an was hearing for the first time that ancient martial artists actually divided muscles into two categories: voluntary and involuntary. Regarding the many muscle-refining methods that seemed almost "barbarian," they were isolated and recondite, with even greater principles at play. Ordinary martial artists could hardly fully refine them through the orthodox fist postures and stances passed down in their schools, which led to differences in the thickness of foundation between martial artists at the same realm.
Cui Cheng taught fist arts with grand, sweeping movements, like a waterfall crashing straight down. If Chen Ping'an was the least bit careless or responded wrongly, he would suffer worse than death. It was mostly about tempering a kind of instinct, forcing Chen Ping'an to grit his teeth and endure with tenacious will, to open up his physique to the maximum extent. Moreover, Cui Cheng had helped Chen Ping'an deliver punches twice, especially the first time in the bamboo tower—he had beaten Chen Ping'an not only physically but had not spared his soul either.
It was like Cui Cheng handed out ten jin of fist intent, and Chen Ping'an had to obediently swallow that ten jin of fist intent—not even half an ounce could be missing. It was Cui Cheng dragging Chen Ping'an forward in great strides on the martial path, the old senior completely ignoring whether the "child" in his hands would have blisters on his feet, his flesh and blood mangled, or his white bones exposed.
In contrast, Li Er's current teaching also involved forging the physique, but it also included the transmission of fundamental fist principles, leaving Chen Ping'an to contemplate them himself. It was Li Er showing the way.
There was no distinction of high and low between the two; it was just a difference in order. Just as Li Er said, if their roles in teaching were swapped, Chen Ping'an would not have his current martial arts prospects.
At the dinner table, Chen Ping'an was still asking Li Er about a particular true qi circulation trajectory on the Fire Dragon Diagram.
Li Liu did not disturb them, sitting quietly to one side.
At some point, the wooden table, benches, and bamboo chairs inside the house had all been made complete.
Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Uncle Li, when you started practicing fists, were you this meticulous from the beginning?"
Li Er laughed. "I had no choice but to be meticulous. My master would keep an eye on progress. He also didn't bother with the minor details of martial training. At some specific time, if he felt I should have a certain amount of fist intent, and if he thought I was being lazy or slacking off, I'd suffer for it. I was fine—I just followed the rules and trained hard with my head down. Zheng Dafeng had it rough in those days. I remember that until he left the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven, one of his hun and one of his po were still held captive by our master. I don't know if our master ever returned them later. We're fellow disciples, but some questions aren't easy to ask casually."
Chen Ping'an grew even more puzzled.
How could one continue to practice fists if their soul was incomplete all along?
Li Er took a sip of wine and said, "It doesn't hurt to tell you about this. Zheng Dafeng's method of practicing fists involved separate hun and po—each wisp of soul trained on its own. For his three hun and seven po, he had to practice fists within his own ten thoughts. So, when my junior brother was guarding the gate, he often looked like he was dozing off, but he wasn't really sleeping—he was just working hard at fist practice. As for our junior sister Su Dian, it was different again—she emphasized day practice, night practice, and dream practice. Junior brother Shi Lingshan went into the river of time to temper his soul and physique, often drowning in it. Fortunately, our master could fish his 'corpse' out. They were all good methods, but in the end, who could reach the highest point depended on their own fortune. From what our master said, among those who walked their own paths, not a few ended up crippled."
Li Liu smiled and said, "Chen Ping'an, my mother asked me to tell you: do you think our shop is too shabby, which is why every time you come down the mountain, you're unwilling to stay overnight there?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "If I stayed overnight there, it would easily cause gossip and ruin your reputation in the town. Even if Miss Li doesn't mind, Aunt Liu has to deal with neighbors all the time. If there's ever a quarrel, outsiders might bring this up, and Aunt Liu would be upset for half a day. Even after you marry, it could still be used as a handle. The better Miss Li marries, the more those women like to dig up old history."
Li Liu replied, "That's the reasoning, but you'll have to tell my mother yourself."
As for marriage, Li Liu had never given it a thought.
Chen Ping'an glanced at Li Er. There was still one last fist practice session.
Li Er had told him to first build up his energy, saying there was no rush. Chen Ping'an had a bad feeling about it.
Li Er asked, "In the history of the Brightmoon World, some senior martial artists had fundamental fist postures somewhat similar to your Xiao Dalong. Where did you learn that from?"
Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine and laughed. "Uncle Li, can't it be that I figured out the fist posture myself?"
Li Er smiled.
That look was exactly like a seasoned veteran father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, leaving the latter nowhere to hide.
Chen Ping'an didn't keep it secret either. He said, "This fist posture was created by an old gentleman in the Lotus-Calyx Blessed Land of Tongye Prefecture. His name is Zhongqiu, and he was the National Preceptor of the Nanyuan Kingdom. In that world, the old gentleman is hailed in the jianghu as both a literary saint and a martial grandmaster. I once wanted to invite the old gentleman to leave the Lotus-Calyx Blessed Land with me, but unfortunately, he had many concerns at the time and was unwilling to leave. I don't know if he'll change his mind in the future."
Li Er said, "He should come to the Brightmoon World."
Li Liu thought for a moment, recalling the aura of a certain place near the capital of the Nanyuan Kingdom. "The current Lotus-Calyx Blessed Land can no longer confine this person. A dragon coiled in a pond is not a long-term solution."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "After I return to Fallen Mountain, I'll talk with Mr. Zhong again."
After finishing the meal and wine, Li Er went down the mountain.
Li Liu stayed behind on Lion's Peak, "studying immortal arts with the old immortal on the mountain."
Li Liu carried the food basket and walked toward her residence, bringing Chen Ping'an along for a stroll.
This time, Lion's Peak was sealed off for no apparent reason—not only was the mountain gate impassable, but even the cultivators on the mountain were effectively confined, with no one allowed to wander casually.
So the two didn't encounter any Lion's Peak cultivators along the way.
Li Liu asked, "After leaving the Fushui Island of Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, the spiritual energy on Lion's Peak is much thinner. Is it hard to adjust?"
Chen Ping'an replied with a smile, "Not at all. The spiritual energy I accumulated on Fushui Island—at the water manor, the mountain shrine, and the wooden residence—hasn't been fully refined yet. This is the first time as a cultivator that I've eaten too much. On Fushui Island, using the overflowing spiritual energy that couldn't be retained, I drew nearly two hundred talismans. Taking advantage of being close at hand, most of them were Great River Horizontal Flow Talismans. I used up all the immortal cinnabar I bought from the Spring Dew Nursery in one go."
Li Liu said, "These are trivial matters. No need to be too grateful to Fushui Island or Li Yuan. Actually, if Li Yuan were smart enough, he should have gifted you that 'Jun Qing Yu Xiang' jade tablet. Unfortunately, the fellow is too petty and small-minded—like when sweet rain falls from the sky, he only knows to cup water in his hands instead of bringing out a vat. After a heavy rain, it only quenches his thirst for a moment."
Chen Ping'an took out that "Xiu Xie" wooden plaque. "Li Yuan left the Water Dragon Sect along the Ji River for some reason and gave me this. The gift is light, but the sentiment is heavy—it's not inferior to that 'Yu Xiang' plaque at all."
Li Liu glanced at the crude wooden plaque and shook her head. "This orange wood plaque can't help Mr. Chen with his cultivation, especially in absorbing water fortune spiritual energy twice as effectively."
Chen Ping'an put away the wooden plaque and smiled. "But from now on, if I ever come back to Northern Juzhou and the Ji River, I can go find Li Yuan for a drink with a clear conscience—just to drink. If it were that 'Yu Xiang' plaque, I wouldn't have accepted it. Even if I'd taken it reluctantly, it would have been a burden."
Li Liu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Mr. Chen, you can probably break through your realm soon."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "It feels like it's just one punch away."
Li Liu suddenly said, "Still the same idea—on the path of cultivation, never hesitate. Unlike the steady, step-by-step progress on the martial path, a cultivator needs a different kind of mindset. When a heavenly opportunity presents itself, you must dare to seek it and dare to accept it. You can't be timid or shrink back, overly concerned with the precept that fortune and misfortune depend on each other. Mr. Chen might think that once you gather all five elemental attributes, complete your five destined objects, and fully rebuild your Bridge of Eternal Life—even if you remain stuck in the third realm for the time being, it doesn't matter. But in truth, that state of mind in cultivation already puts you at a disadvantage."
Chen Ping'an slowly pondered this.
Li Liu continued, "Since you have become a cultivator, you should have a transcendent heart that is ten thousand miles above the ground. Martial arts is about climbing with the current; cultivation is about swimming against the stream. So after you break through to the martial golden body realm, Mr. Chen should start thinking for yourself about how to break through the bottleneck of the third realm of Qi practitioner. The third realm, the Willow Sinew Realm, has always been a realm that traps people. Surely Mr. Chen doesn't hope for a single leap to heaven?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head. "I wouldn't dare to think that, nor would I think that way."
Li Liu said, "Before I returned to Lion's Peak, there was already a martial artist in Golden Armor Prefecture who broke through to the golden body realm from the strongest sixth realm. So not only did all the martial temples across Golden Armor Prefecture sense it and celebrate for him, but the other eight prefectures of the world each had to split off a portion of martial fortune and send it to Golden Armor Prefecture. Half went to the martial artist, and half remained in the prefecture where he was located. According to the old rules, martial fortune is similar to cultivator spiritual energy—it's not some mysterious concept. The Central Earth Divine Continent, being the largest and richest, can be considered eight prefectures in itself. So it's often the martial artists from Central Earth who receive the most martial fortune from other prefectures. But if a martial artist breaks through in another prefecture, Central Earth sends out more martial fortune in return. Otherwise, the world's strongest martial artists would all be monopolized by Central Earth."
This was something Chen Ping'an had never heard before—a fresh piece of information.
Li Liu teased, "If that Golden Armor Prefecture martial artist had broken through a little later, a good thing would have turned bad, and he would have missed out on the martial fortune. Seems he's not only blessed with abundant martial fortune, but also pretty lucky."
Chen Ping'an caught Li Liu's implication. After Uncle Li fed him punches on Lion's Peak, he, Chen Ping'an, had started catching up to and surpassing the foundation of that genius martial artist's sixth realm.
He was happy, of course, but not exactly overjoyed.
Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "These trajectories of martial fortune flowing between the nine prefectures—do the cultivators at the peak of the mountains see them?"
"The comings and goings of the world's martial fortune have always been something that even the Confucian Temple couldn't investigate or control. In the early days, Confucian sages thought about meddling and tried to bring it under their own rules, but Sage Li didn't agree, so it never went anywhere. It's very interesting. Sage Li personally established the rules, yet he always seemed to go against the later Confucians. Many choices that would have benefited the development of Confucian orthodoxy were personally rejected by Sage Li."
Li Liu spoke unhurriedly, revealing many heavenly secrets: "Unless they are peak Flying Ascension cultivators who can barely discern heavenly secrets, it's hard for most to perceive these signs. The seventy-two Confucian sages stationed at the heavenly canopy see it most clearly. What is considered 'strongest' for a pure martial artist is only a matter of the present, relative to other martial artists of the same realm across the nine prefectures in the same era. So if someone like Cao Ci or Mr. Chen—martial artists of your caliber—stays in a particular realm for a long time, all other martial artists at that same realm can forget about getting any of that martial fortune."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Compared to Cao Ci, I'm still far behind."
Li Liu smiled. "That's true, so you'll have to set your sights farther. Wait until the ninth or tenth realm to talk. A difference of one realm between the ninth and tenth is truly a vast chasm. And even reaching the tenth realm isn't the true end—there are three levels within it, and the gaps are also large. Song Changjing of the Great Li dynasty stopped at the ninth realm, and at every realm he was inferior to my father. But now it's hard to say. Song Changjing is naturally exuberant in qi. If both were at the tenth realm exuberant state, my father's personality would actually be a disadvantage. In a fight, my father would suffer. That's why my father left his hometown and came to Northern Juzhou. Now, Song Changjing is stuck at exuberant, while my father's fist methods have returned to truth. If they actually fought, Song Changjing would still die. But if both reached the state closest to 'ultimate end'—the 'divine arrival'—my father's chances of losing would be greater. Of course, if my father could be the first to reach the legendary eleventh realm of martial arts, if Song Changjing dared to throw a punch, it would be hard for him to survive. If Song Changjing got there first, my father would end up the same way."
Chen Ping'an asked softly, "Is it that if Uncle Li stayed in Bottle Gourd Prefecture, neither of them would have a chance?"
Li Liu nodded. "Although nothing is absolute, that's roughly the case."
Li Liu smiled and asked back, "Is Mr. Chen curious whether these truths came out of my father's mouth or if I just know them myself?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I don't need to know that. I believe Miss Li and Uncle Li can both handle family matters and external affairs."
Li Liu said out of nowhere, "If Mr. Chen feels that getting fed punches isn't enough and wants a real, free-swinging tempering, I have a suitable candidate here who can come anytime. But once that person makes a move, they tend to fight to the death."
Chen Ping'an answered without hesitation, "This is already plenty. Let's leave it for when I travel Northern Juzhou next time."
He figured that the next time Li Er fed him punches, he might not even be able to withstand it.
And once he broke through to the seventh realm of martial arts, and the Riverwalk Grand Crossing was already finished, he should immediately head south back to Bottle Gourd Prefecture. Fallen Mountain had a mountain of affairs waiting for him. After that, of course, he would go south again to the Old Dragon City, board a cross-continent ferry, and head for the Inverted Suspension Mountain.
Li Liu said, "Actually, Mr. Chen knows that person too. He was at Ghost Swamp Valley's Baoshan Mirror back then."
Chen Ping'an suddenly understood.
It was that strange man—inscrutable but exuding an immense sense of danger, far more intense than even someone like Chongxuan Office's Yang Ningxing, a favored child of heaven.
Li Liu asked, "Has Mr. Chen ever considered a question? When the realm disparity isn't too wide, what do your opponents feel when they face you?"
Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "I've never thought about that."
In all these years of traveling, he had fought too many battles and made too many enemies.
The first person who came to his mind was Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Flower Lane, whom he hadn't seen in ages. A cultivation genius who had burst onto the scene in Bottle Gourd Prefecture, after becoming a direct disciple of the True Martial Mountain, the ancestral home of the military strategist school, Ma Kuxuan had broken through realms with unstoppable momentum. After that confrontation in the streets of the Colorful Garment Kingdom, they had never crossed paths again. Chen Ping'an heard Ma Kuxuan was doing splendidly, hailed as the greatest innate talent in cultivation since Li Tuanjing and Wei Jin. The latest gazette reports said he had personally killed an old general of the Sea Tide Iron Cavalry, completely avenging his family.
Li Liu smiled slightly. "If it were me, and my realm was similar to Mr. Chen's, I would absolutely refuse to make a move."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Miss Li flatters me."
Li Liu said, "Being too modest isn't good either."
Chen Ping'an said, "That just shows my skill at feigning weakness isn't refined enough yet."
Li Liu couldn't help but laugh. "Mr. Chen, I beg you—leave your opponents a way out."
Chen Ping'an smiled too. "That's one thing I really can't promise Miss Li."
They had unknowingly reached the summit of Lion's Peak. It wasn't too late, but not yet time for deep sleep. They could see many lights from the town at the foot of the mountain. A few continuous streaks of light, like slender fire dragons, were especially eye-catching. Those were probably the streets where wealthy households clustered. Elsewhere in the town, the lights were sparse, scattered here and there.
Li Liu asked, "Mr. Chen has traveled so far. Do you know the true origins of cave heavens, blessed lands, and the various landscape secret realms?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "A friend once mentioned that not only the nine prefectures of the Brightmoon World, but the other three worlds as well, are all shattered fragments of the old heavens and earth after they collapsed. Some secret realms might have been the heads or corpses of ancient gods. And those stars that fell to the earth were once palaces or residences of deities."
Li Liu said, "Your friend really dares to say things like that."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "His courage is both big and small. Big—he carries a ton of treasures and dares to travel across continents alone. Small—he's a cultivator who hardly dares to fly high because he's afraid of being too far from the ground."
Li Liu asked, "A close friend?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "He counts as one."
The breeze on the summit carried the fragrance of the Grain Rain season in the wild.
Li Liu was silent for a moment, then asked casually, "Has Mr. Chen been reading any books lately?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Yes, one..." He paused slightly, then said with a sigh, "It's a strange book—a collection of short stories about life and death. I got it from a powerful demonic beast that loved to refine famous mountains."
Li Liu lost interest. Life and death—she had seen far too much of that to gain anything for her Dao now.
To her, this life was like Grandpa Yang being a village schoolteacher, assigning her homework. It wasn't about moral learning, not about sages' writings, nor even about cultivating to some Flying Ascension realm. It was about how to be a human.
This was actually a very awkward thing.
Li Liu felt that only when she shut the door and was with her parents and little brother Li Huai could she feel natural. Once she stepped outside, her view of people and events in the world was no different from her past lives.
Chen Ping'an gazed at the lights below the mountain and said softly, "I once read in a literati's notes that ordinary people, in their brief lives, spend half of it on a bed, whiling away the time. It seems cultivators aren't much different—cultivation is like sleeping through half a life. But when you think about it carefully, it's still different after all. Standing in different places, looking at the same thing, it can be two different matters in people's hearts."
"I once read two literati's notebooks. Both talked about ghosts and worldly affairs. One scholar had held a high official position and wrote them after returning to his hometown in retirement. The other was a down-and-out scholar who failed the imperial exams and never entered officialdom. After reading those two notebooks, I didn't have many feelings at first. But later, while traveling and with nothing else to do, I flipped through them again and found some lingering meaning."
"Standing high and seeing far gives you a more comprehensive view of human nature. Standing close and seeing the details lets you dissect the human heart more finely."
Having said this, Chen Ping'an sighed. "That's probably the benefit of traveling ten thousand miles and reading ten thousand books."
Chen Ping'an suddenly laughed. "That friend who doesn't dare to fly—his knowledge is so wide-ranging that I feel ashamed of myself. Once, I casually asked him a question: if at the two ends of the alley in my hometown, there were two little blades of grass growing at the base of the walls, so close to each other yet never able to see each other through withering and flourishing—if they gained consciousness, would they be sad? He seriously pondered the question and gave me many strange and wonderful answers. But I was holding back laughter the whole time. Miss Li, do you know what I was laughing at then?"
Li Liu smiled knowingly. "In the Mud Bottle Alley, chickens and dogs come and go. Especially the hens, always leading a bunch of chicks around, pecking here and there all day. Where would there be any flowers and grass?"
Chen Ping'an couldn't stop grinning, nodding vigorously.
Li Liu suddenly stopped smiling, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you for your teachings, sir."
Chen Ping'an was stunned, not understanding what Li Liu was doing. Wasn't I just taking a walk and chatting with you, Miss Li? Could this really lead to some insight?
His only thought at that moment was that he truly wasn't suited for cultivation—mediocre aptitude. After finishing his fist practice on Lion's Peak, he would need to work even harder.
Li Liu straightened up, took her leave, and flew toward the shop at the foot of the mountain, still carrying the food basket.
Chen Ping'an was thoroughly confused, returned to the immortal cave dwelling, and poled to the mirror surface. He continued learning the mountain peak's boxing posture, not seeking any increase in fist intent, only a true stillness of mind.
In the night, the shopkeeper woman sat behind the cloth shop counter with an abacus, flipping through her accounts. After much calculation, she sighed deeply. For over half a month, there hadn't been much profit—not even three taels of silver in surplus.
Compared to when Chen Ping'an was helping at the shop and could earn three taels of silver in a day or two, it was truly disheartening. At least in this town, expenses weren't too high.
The woman stared blankly at the oil lamp on the counter, then turned her head toward the man standing foolishly not far away. She snapped, "Li Er, what are you standing there for? Are you trying to be an oil lamp?"
Li Er shook his head.
He understood.
He had been buying wine a bit too often lately, but it wasn't entirely his fault. Chen Ping'an hadn't been drinking less either.
The woman seemed to see through Li Er's little thoughts and said angrily, "Feeling bad about spending money is one thing; treating Chen Ping'an is another. Don't drag Chen Ping'an into it. If you have the guts, vomit up your share of the wine, sell it, and pay me back. Then I won't blame you! All you do is loaf around and work odd jobs. How many taels of silver do you earn in a year? Enough for your wine and meat?"
Li Er said gloomily, "Chen Ping'an is leaving soon. I'll quit drinking for half a year, okay?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that Chen Ping'an was leaving, the woman became even more furious. "If our daughter can't find a husband, it's all because you, her father, are holding her back! If you had the ability to become some official, do you think the matchmakers coming to our shop would have worn down our doorstep?"
Li Er didn't say a word.
The woman lamented, "If Li Huai wants to marry someday, and the girl's family looks down on our household, just watch—I'll make you sleep on the ground in the courtyard in the dead of winter!"
Li Er scratched his head.
The woman was about to blow out the oil lamp when she suddenly heard the door open. She immediately hurried around the counter and hid behind Li Er, trembling. "Li Liu went up the mountain. Could it be a thief? If they come for money, don't do anything rash, Li Er. Just give them the loose silver in the shop."
Li Er grunted in acknowledgment.
Fortunately, the person who opened the door was her daughter, Li Liu.
The woman immediately stomped on Li Er's instep. "Oh, so if a thief really came, a scrawny little monkey like you, Li Er, I couldn't count on you at all! Who would end up protecting who is still up for debate..."
The woman muttered curses at her man.
She put out the oil lamp, and the family of three went to the backyard. The woman, out of energy to scold, went to sleep first.
Li Er and Li Liu sat on a bench. Li Liu produced a jug of immortal brew out of thin air. Li Er shook his head.
If he were truly a heavy drinker, there was nothing he couldn't get in terms of good wine.
But this time, Li Liu insisted. "Dad, make an exception."
Li Er found it strange but took the jug. He didn't unseal it, asking quietly with a smile, "I'll save it. I'll drink it with Li Huai later. He's about the age where he can drink too. We'll say it was bestowed by the old immortals of Lion's Peak."
Li Liu smiled without a word.
Li Er said, "Your mother actually thought about going back to Bottle Gourd Prefecture many times. There are relatives there, and the neighbors are families we've known for generations. It's not like here, where we're always outsiders. So when your mother brought it up, I agreed. But later, she changed her mind herself. She said that Li Huai is at least studying at the academy, and even if he gets bullied, it won't be too bad. But you—you're a daughter, and she couldn't bear the thought of leaving you here alone, nor did she want you to come down the mountain and give up on the immortal connection she didn't even dare to dream of for you."
Li Liu nodded, stretched her legs out, crossed them gently, and intertwined her fingers. She asked softly, "Dad, have you ever thought that one day I'll restore my true form? When that happens, my divinity will far outweigh my humanity. All the experiences of this life will become as small as mustard seeds. I might not forget you, Mom, and Li Huai, but I definitely won't care about you as much as I do now. What will we do then? Even at that moment, I don't think I'll feel the slightest bit of sadness. What about you?"
Li Er replied with a smile, "Of course I've thought about it. Do you think your dad is really that stupid? What will we do? Nothing much. We'll just think of it as our daughter being exceptionally accomplished. Like... hmm, like a farming couple who toil in the fields all their lives suddenly find out their son passed the imperial exams and became the top scholar, or their daughter became a consort in the palace. But the son is still the son, and the daughter is still the daughter. They might have less and less to talk about as time goes on. The father and mother stay in their hometown, guarding the old house, while the son who became an official has to worry about the empire far away, and the daughter who became a consort rarely gets to come home. But the parents' worry and longing are still there. As long as they know their children are doing well, that's enough."
Li Liu looked down. "Is it really that simple?"
Li Er hummed in affirmation. "It's not that complicated, and you don't need to overthink it. I never said this to you before because I thought it wasn't bad for you to think about these things more, even if it was just random thoughts."
Li Er hesitated for a moment. "But I still hope that if that day really comes, you'll at least force yourself, even if it's just an act, to be good to your mother. No matter who you think you really are, to your mother, you will always be her daughter, born after ten months of pregnancy, whom she struggled to raise. If you can promise me this, then I, as your father, will have no other requests."
Li Liu said softly, "Okay."
Li Er sighed. "It's a pity Chen Ping'an doesn't like you, and you don't like him either."
Li Liu complained, "Dad!"
Li Er grinned. "I just said it in passing. What's there to get angry about?"
Li Liu's beautiful eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
Li Er said, "Do you know the other reason Chen Ping'an didn't stay here, the one he couldn't say?"
Li Liu asked doubtfully, "What is he worried about? Afraid of causing trouble for us?"
Li Er shook his head. "The four of us are a family reunited. But there's an outsider here. Chen Ping'an can endure any hardship, but not that."
That day when Li Liu returned home from her travels.
Chen Ping'an smiled, said goodbye, and left.
The young man in the blue linen shirt, alone in a foreign land, walked down the street. He turned his head to look at the shop, unable to look away for a long time.