Chapter 581: In a Humble Alley, Another School

Chapter 581: In a Humble Alley, Another School

After Ning Yao and Diezhang returned to the shop, Diezhang suddenly stopped, not daring to walk any further.

Because Diezhang held a deep reverence for the man who had appeared at their shop’s entrance.

This man was the famously aloof Great Sword Immortal, Zuo You.

Ordinary sword cultivators from other continents, no matter how bad their temper back home, would have to restrain themselves when they arrived at the Great Wall of Sword Qi.

But Senior Zuo was different. Soon after arriving at the Wall, a native immortal realm sword immortal stationed on the city wall tried to challenge Zuo, who was deemed the swordsmanship pinnacle of the Haoran World. Zuo only replied with one sentence: “My swordsmanship is something you cannot learn. But there is one thing you can imitate me in: if you can’t win the fight, simply don’t fight it.”

At that time, the Hidden Official who stood nearby also added, “It seems so.”

That highly anticipated sparring session on the city wall never happened.

Now, after the shock had subsided, Diezhang was filled with curiosity. Why would he suppress his sword qi to such an extent? Everyone in the city knew that Sword Immortal Zuo always had sword qi swirling around his body. In major battles, he used sword qi to clear a path deep into the demon army’s heartland. The same was true when he honed his sword intent alone atop the city wall.

But today, the Haoran World’s highest authority on swordsmanship had completely suppressed his sword qi, for the first time revealing none at all.

Ning Yao then led Diezhang back to continue their shopping.

Ning Yao had actually returned because she had learned that the old scholar from the Literary Sage Sect had already left. She hadn’t expected Zuo You to still be there.

Before leaving, the old gentleman had specifically greeted her and thanked her. Ning Yao herself was still puzzled, not knowing what she had done to deserve the thanks of a senior like the Literary Sage.

As for the subtle relationship between Chen Ping’an and Zuo You, Ning Yao had no trouble understanding what each of them was thinking, so she didn’t say anything about Zuo You in front of Chen Ping’an.

It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to say anything, and besides, Chen Ping’an had his own judgment on major matters. He didn’t need her to dictate or even offer advice.

Unable to contain her curiosity, after they had walked some distance away, Diezhang used ripples on the mind lake to ask Ning Yao, “Does Chen Ping’an know Senior Sword Immortal Zuo?”

Ning Yao nodded. “They’ve known each other for a long time.”

Chen Ping’an had written about it in his travelogue of mountains and rivers, and the account was quite lengthy.

Diezhang smiled. “Can you tell me more?”

Ning Yao shook her head. “No.”

Diezhang tugged at Ning Yao’s sleeve, gently swinging it back and forth, clearly trying to act cute and pitiful. “Sister Ning, just a little bit. There must be something you can say.”

Ning Yao thought for a moment. “You’ll have to ask Chen Ping’an yourself. He’s planning to open a shop with you in partnership. You can use that as a condition—don’t agree yet.”

Diezhang quickly caught the implication. Ning Yao had clearly set a trap for her. Diezhang laughed angrily. “I wasn’t planning to agree to do business with him anyway! Ning Yao, that’s enough!”

Ning Yao smiled. “I’m not trying to be biased toward him, but honestly, Chen Ping’an is right. You’re not exactly sharp when it comes to business. If he takes over, he’ll make sure it’s a steady, lucrative venture.”

Diezhang frowned, about to say something, then stopped.

Ning Yao glanced at her and immediately knew what she was thinking. She explained, “Chen Ping’an carries one Sun Pinch space container and two Foot-Ruler space containers on him. Apart from some ordinary liquor from home and a pile of bamboo leaves, they’re almost empty. If he really came to this Great Wall of Sword Qi just to act like those merchants on transcontinental ships, selling a bunch of junk to make spirit money off our sword cultivators, he wouldn’t be so wasteful. He would have filled those containers to the brim. So Chen Ping’an wants to do business with you only to earn honest money. It’s a habit. He’s liked earning money since he was a child, and it’s not just about having money. I have to speak up for him on that.”

Diezhang breathed a sigh of relief, her smile returning. “That’s good. Otherwise, I would have had to call him out for being greedy, and this newly made friend would not be worth keeping.”

Shortly after the old scholar left.

Zuo You had already gently placed the wine jug on the chair.

He didn’t really like drinking, and it was troublesome to suppress his own sword qi.

In the entire world, he was probably the only one who disliked having too much sword qi.

Chen Ping’an was still sipping his wine, looking quite leisurely.

Zuo You sneered. “Without the master to protect you, pretending to be calm and composed—isn’t that tiring?”

Chen Ping’an resolutely said nothing.

Zuo You asked, “Before, you didn’t know the master would come to the Great Wall of Sword Qi. You asked Chen Qingdu to step in, that’s fine. But now that the master is here, why don’t you take the initiative to speak? Whether he agrees or not is his decision. Whether you ask or not is your duty as his student.”

Chen Ping’an also put his wine jug down on the chair, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and leaned forward, looking at the street that was being renovated. He said softly, “Do you think I don’t know the master’s current situation? If I open my mouth, what will I do to the master? Even if the master doesn’t show it, won’t I feel guilty in my heart? And even if I can get over it myself, if I bring trouble to this entire Great Wall of Sword Qi—one move affects the whole body, directly triggering the opening of a great war—will the master truly not be troubled when he leaves?”

Zuo You nodded, acknowledging this as an acceptable answer.

The master had many worries; it was the student’s duty to share them.

Zuo You recalled that tall, sturdy Mao Xiaodong. His memory was a bit fuzzy. He only remembered a serious young student who was serious all year round. Among the many nominal disciples, he wasn’t the brightest. He was slow in learning, always asking others about difficult scholarly problems, slow to grasp things. Cui Chan often mocked Mao Xiaodong as a block of wood that wouldn’t open up, only giving answers but never willing to explain in detail. Only Xiao Qi had the patience to say a few more words to Mao Xiaodong.

Zuo You spoke slowly. “In the early years, Mao Xiaodong refused to take refuge at the Rites Academy, insisted on tying himself to the Literary Sage’s lineage, and also insisted on accompanying Xiao Qi to Precious Bottle Continent to establish the Cliff Academy. Back then, the master actually said some harsh words. He said that Mao Xiaodong shouldn’t be so selfish, only trying to ease his own conscience. Why couldn’t he set his ambitions higher? There shouldn’t be such narrow views. If he could use greater learning to benefit the world, it didn’t matter whether he was part of the Literary Sage’s lineage or not. Then Mao Xiaodong, whom I had never thought much of in my life, said something I truly admired. Mao Xiaodong shouted at the master, ‘Your disciple, Mao Xiaodong, is naturally stupid. I only know that one must first honor the master before one can truly respect the Dao. The order must not be wrong.’ After hearing this, the master was both happy and sad, but he no longer insisted that Mao Xiaodong transfer to the Rites Sage’s lineage.”

Chen Ping’an picked up the wine jug again and took a sip. “Both times I went to the Great Sui Academy, Senior Brother Mao was very concerned, afraid I might go astray. When Senior Brother Mao explains principles, he truly has the manner of a Confucian sage or a master teacher.”

Zuo You smiled. “Then you haven’t seen him grabbing me by the neck, making it so I couldn’t speak. Even when speaking with the master, no matter how good the reasoning, you shouldn’t spray your master’s face with saliva. What do you think, Little Junior Brother!”

Chen Ping’an quietly put the wine jug back on the chair, only daring to let out an “Mm,” and stubbornly refused to say another word.

Zuo You stood up, picked up the wine jug from the chair, and glanced at the food box at his feet.

Chen Ping’an stood up and said, “I paid for it myself.”

Zuo You glanced at Chen Ping’an again.

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to continue. “And it will be the same in the future.”

Only then did Zuo You prepare to leave.

Chen Ping’an suddenly said, “I hope I haven’t disappointed senior brother.”

Zuo You was silent for a moment, then said slowly, “Not bad.”

Chen Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “That’s good.”

Zuo You hesitated for a moment, then said, “From today onward, if anyone says anything sarcastic to you, claiming that you only achieved what you did because of your background in the Literary Sage’s lineage, getting countless protections, then don’t bother arguing with them. Just use a flying sword to send a message to the city wall. I’ll teach them how to behave.”

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

He really wasn’t used to this.

Zuo You paused, then added, “I’ll teach their parents and elders too.”

Seeing that Zuo You seemed a bit impatient, as if about to teach him swordsmanship first, Chen Ping’an remembered the saying widely spread among rogue cultivators: “Better you suffer than I suffer.” He quickly nodded. “Got it.”

Zuo You stopped suppressing his own sword qi, transforming into a rainbow that flew toward the city wall.

From the city to the wall, wherever Zuo You’s sword qi passed, the ancient sword intent that filled heaven and earth made way, opening a path that was there and gone in an instant.

When he reached the city wall, Zuo You lightly raised the sleeve of the hand holding the wine jug. Inside was a bound book. It had been given to the master by Chen Ping’an earlier. The master, for some reason, had secretly kept it for himself, not even telling his most beloved junior disciple, Chen Ping’an.

Zuo You used sword qi to isolate a small pocket of heaven and earth, then began to drink wine and read the book.

He placed the book on the city wall in front of him. With a thought, sword qi would turn the pages.

Unconsciously, Zuo You finished the wine in his jug. He turned his head to look at the sky, the place where the master had departed.

Ever since the master became the most disheartened Confucian sage in the human world, he had always smiled, but Zuo You knew that wasn’t true happiness. Disciples scattered, drifting and unsettled—the master was filled with guilt.

Only when he saw that junior brother, whose pretensions were greater than the heavens and who only now was willing to acknowledge him as master—even if the master didn’t smile much, didn’t speak much, and even though they had already parted—the master must be smiling with joy right now.

That Chen Ping’an might not know this. If he had rushed to the Great Wall of Sword Qi, heard that Zuo You was on the city wall, and then hurried over to stand before him, calling him “Senior Brother”… then Zuo You would have been disappointed.

Why would Xiao Qi have chosen such a junior brother?

If Chen Ping’an had secretly built an ancestral hall in his hometown, hung the master’s portrait, and then boasted to him about it, Zuo You would have been even more disappointed.

Why would the master have chosen such a junior disciple?

If Chen Ping’an, thinking that Zuo You’s swordsmanship was impressive, wanted to learn swords from him… then Zuo You would have been the most disappointed.

Why would he have acknowledged such a junior brother?

But none of that had happened.

So this was the junior brother that Zuo You had been hoping for for a hundred years.

He was even better than the image of a junior brother that had only existed in Zuo You’s imagination.

Back at the Dragon Trench separation, Zuo You had left words unsaid, hoping that Chen Ping’an would do something.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping’an had not only done it, but done it well.

He had traveled across three continents and seen the mountains and rivers.

So after reading the contents of the book, Zuo You understood why the master had deliberately left it for him.

So at this moment, Zuo You thought to himself: Maybe that awkward “Not bad” he had said at the shop entrance earlier might have made the junior brother sad?

If the master had been present, he probably would have been beaten again.

Zuo You gazed into the distance for a long time without turning back.

The way of heaven and earth is vast and thick, high and bright, enduring and long-lasting.

Alas, my heart is full of sorrow. The sun and moon pass by, never to return.

—

After Zuo You had left without drawing his sword, Chen Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been self-deception to say he wasn’t nervous. He quickly put the chairs and stools back into the shop, then sat on the threshold, waiting for Ning Yao and Diezhang to return.

Zuo You had arrived silently, but when he left, he didn’t deliberately conceal the traces of his sword qi.

So most of the sword immortals on the Great Wall of Sword Qi should have been aware that Zuo You had moved.

Besides, Zuo You had been sitting openly in front of the shop earlier—that itself was an unspoken statement.

Before Zuo You appeared, the old scholar had actually used a divine ability to veil the heaven and earth, so that only those in the shop knew.

After Zuo You arrived, the old scholar had dispelled the technique.

The Literary Sage’s lineage had always been given to overthinking, but once they acted, they were always decisive. Hence, they often seemed unreasonable.

When Ning Yao and Diezhang returned, Chen Ping’an stood up and smiled. “I’ve been entertaining guests here. Sorry for the trouble, Miss Diezhang.”

Diezhang smiled and asked, “I won’t ask about the old gentleman’s identity, but I do need to ask: Why did Senior Sword Immortal Zuo come here of his own accord to drink with you? I need to know, otherwise, if all my shop’s belongings vanish for no reason, I won’t even know who to complain to.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Zuo You is my senior brother. The man who was sitting in the middle earlier—the Confucian Literary Sage of the Haoran World—is our master.”

On the Great Wall of Sword Qi, having a powerful backer didn’t mean much anyway. The fights that had to be fought wouldn’t be any fewer, and the battlefields that had to be visited would need to be visited.

Besides, his student Cui Dongshan was right: a master and senior brother earned through his own abilities didn’t need to be deliberately hidden.

Diezhang silently walked into the shop.

She couldn’t deal with this conversation.

Ning Yao and Chen Ping’an sat together on the threshold. She said softly, “Fortunately, the old sword immortal is now personally overseeing the city wall, forbidding anyone from going south for any reason. Otherwise, you would be in great danger in the next great war. The demon clan has many schemes.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “The master and Senior Brother Zuo both know this perfectly well.”

Ning Yao nodded. “What are you going to do next?”

Chen Ping’an said, “I need to cultivate diligently, work more on refining qi, and try to break through to the Cave Dwelling realm as soon possible, fully refining First Fifteen as my life-bound object. At the same time, I need to temper my Golden Body realm. Once I reach the Far Wandering realm, fighting will be much easier. But both of these are extremely difficult to achieve for now. Just gathering five elemental life-bound objects is as hard as ascending to heaven. The metal and fire life-bound objects are rare and hard to come by. If it really doesn’t work out, I might give up on pursuing too high a quality and just build the Longevity Bridge first to prepare for the next battle. Ning Yao, don’t try to convince me otherwise. I’ve weighed the pros and cons carefully. Setting aside other aspects of cultivation, my current three life-bound objects are already enough to support me up to the Earth Immortal realm, even the Jade Marvel realm. I can’t be too obsessive about perfection on the path of cultivation. If I’m too slow and can’t reach the Middle Five Realms of qi refiners, my qi will inevitably dissipate. Meanwhile, my martial arts realm has already reached the seventh level, and when I circulate pure true qi, it will clash with qi to some degree, actually dragging down my combat power. During this time…”

At this point, Chen Ping’an wrinkled his brows and sighed. “I also need to learn swords from senior brother.”

Ning Yao said, “Isn’t that a good thing? Senior Zuo is the most suitable and most qualified person to teach you swordsmanship. Don’t forget, your senior brother isn’t a natural sword embryo either.”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “I can’t be lying in the Ning Mansion drinking medicinal soup every other day.”

Ning Yao smiled. “That’s fine. Back in Pearl Jewel Cave Heaven, I learned how to brew medicine from you. I never had the chance to put it to use.”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but say, “It’s not that I haven’t seen you brew medicine yourself. Even if you dare to brew it, I dare not drink it.”

Ning Yao clicked her tongue. “Now that you’ve acknowledged your senior brother, you’ve gotten some nerve.”

Chen Ping’an immediately put on a pitiful face. “I’ll drink it. I’ll treat it like wine.”

Diezhang watched the two at the door and shook her head. It was so sweet it was sour.

Chen Ping’an remembered something and turned around to smile. “Miss Diezhang, if I can really help the shop make money, how about we split it sixty-forty?”

Diezhang smiled. “Wouldn’t you be getting too little?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Then it’ll have to be seventy-thirty? Miss Diezhang, you really do business in a… unique way. No wonder business is so… good.”

Diezhang was so angry she couldn’t speak.

Ning Yao looked on with some schadenfreude.

Chen Ping’an laughed. “This general goods shop—even an immortal couldn’t make extra money. I know I’ll be staying on this Great Wall of Sword Qi for a long time, so I brought some ordinary liquor from home. Why don’t we open a small tavern together? We just need to put out a few more tables and stools outside the shop. As long as the wine is good, even people squatting on the ground will drink it happily.”

Diezhang was curious. “You said it yourself, it’s just ordinary market liquor. Even if there are plenty of drunkards here, and even if the shop sells it all, it will eventually run out. And if we set the price too high, it’ll ruin our reputation. I don’t have the face to cheat people.”

Chen Ping’an pulled out a green bamboo leaf, full of spiritual energy and lush green. “If we throw one of these into a jug, the price will skyrocket. But that’s our shop’s first-grade liquor. For the second-grade, we buy large wine jars and put in a few more bamboo leaves. And I also have this.”

He opened his palm to reveal a wine worm, borrowed from Wei Po. Talking about money would just hurt their friendship. Such wine worms were extremely rare even in the Haoran World, almost impossible to come by. Wei Po had obtained it only after three nighttime deity banquets, with some hints given, and finally a local mountain or river deity reluctantly parted with it. Then Wei Po gave another hint, allowing that deity to skip the fourth nighttime banquet as compensation, which made the deity willing to offer up the wine worm.

Chen Ping’an spoke with confidence. “I’ve tested it. Even with just the wine worm, the liquor isn’t that great. Compared to those ridiculously expensive immortal wines, it’s still far behind. But if we add bamboo leaves, the taste becomes worlds apart. So before we open, we need to stock up on as much cheap, ordinary liquor as possible. The more, the better. Stockpile it first. Once we have enough quantity, we open our doors. If we try to buy the liquor ourselves, we probably won’t be able to negotiate a low price, and buying too much would raise suspicion. So we can give Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu a share of the profits—just a token gesture. They have money, anyway. You and I are the ones with no money.”

Ning Yao leaned against the shop door, watching the guy who was exceptionally animated when talking about business.

Diezhang hesitated. Not about selling wine—that part she no longer doubted. It would definitely make money, more or less. And they were going to take money from rich sword immortals and sword cultivators. She had no guilt about that. Where else were they going to drink? What really made her hesitate was the idea of getting Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu involved. According to Diezhang’s original intention, she would rather make less money and have higher costs than let friends help. If Chen Ping’an hadn’t suggested giving them a share of the dividends, she would have outright rejected the idea.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t anxious. He put away the wine worm and the bamboo leaves back into his Foot-Ruler container. He had a whole bunch of bamboo leaves and branches, all brought to the Great Wall of Sword Qi. He smiled and said, “Miss Diezhang, if I may say so bluntly—your approach to business really needs to change. In business, one should discuss business. If you think it’s a speculative venture, it’s right not to involve friends. But when it’s a sure profit, not involving friends is not being considerate. But that’s fine. If you really think it’s unsuitable, then we can open a smaller tavern, with slightly higher costs and smaller stocks. We’ll make less silver. After we’ve pocketed a good amount, we can talk about expanding. There’s no need to worry now.”

Diezhang seemed caught in a new dilemma. She worried that if she refused Chen Ping’an’s genuine goodwill, he might feel some resentment.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “So, shall we consider it settled? Seventy-thirty split?”

Diezhang smiled. “Fifty-fifty. The wine and the shop are equally indispensable.”

Chen Ping’an said, “I could just carry a stool and table and set up on the street. That’s a tavern too.”

Diezhang replied, “I don’t think Ning Yao would lose that much face. And even if Ning Yao doesn’t care, would you really be willing, Chen Ping’an?”

Chen Ping’an was speechless.

Ning Yao was about to speak.

Diezhang hurriedly said, “Ning Yao! We’ve known each other for so many years. You can’t just forget your friend once you have a man!”

Ning Yao thought to herself that she wouldn’t mind even shouting the wine sales herself, let alone such a small matter.

But since Diezhang had said that, Ning Yao felt a bit of pity.

So in the end, the bargain settled on a sixty-forty split.

The reasoning was that Chen Ping’an had won four consecutive matches in a row, making this street famous far and wide. His presence selling wine would be a free gold-lettered signboard, attracting more customers.

Diezhang had to admit she was somewhat impressed by this guy’s business acumen and thick skin.

But finally, Diezhang asked, “Chen Ping’an, aren’t you bothered by selling wine like this, earning such petty money? Won’t it affect the face of the Ning and Yao families?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked in return, “Miss Diezhang, have you forgotten my background? I don’t steal, rob, cheat, or swindle. If I earn a single copper coin, that’s real skill.”

Ning Yao suppressed a laugh.

She estimated that this money-obsessed guy, if the tavern didn’t sell well at first and nobody was willing to buy, would probably end up selling wine to the Old Sword Immortal himself.

Diezhang remained silent for a long time, then muttered, “I feel that this wine shop is kind of a scam.”

Chen Ping’an waved his hand and said shamelessly, “The prices are written there. Buy it or not, it’s up to them. When the time comes, we won’t worry about sales. Selling or not will depend on our mood!”

Only then did Diezhang feel a bit relieved.

Making big money and buying a mansion had always been Diezhang’s wish. But she also knew that when it came to making money, she was really not good at it.

Diezhang thought the negotiations were concluded, and Chen Ping’an would go back with Ning Yao to the Ning Mansion. But unexpectedly, Chen Ping’an had already walked to the counter and picked up the abacus. Diezhang asked suspiciously, “Isn’t it just a matter of buying wine and storing it? That’s simple enough. I can handle it.”

Chen Ping’an looked shocked. This time it wasn’t an act. He said in disbelief, “Is doing business really that easy in the world?! Miss Diezhang, I’m already regretting partnering with you! Think about it: we have to choose which taverns and wine shops are slow in business to buy bulk wine from. How do we negotiate the price? How do we get a discount if we buy in bulk? How do we talk to different people? Don’t we need to plan this out first? And we have to sign a contract that’s firmly set, so that when they see our shop is doing well, they can’t renege and not sell us wine. And if they do, we need a penalty clause. So many details—I don’t think you can handle it alone. No choice. I’ll cover my face later, and you just watch from the side. I’ll show you how it’s done first. And that’s just the buying part. Then there’s the grand opening: who should we invite as first customers who look like passers-by to build momentum? What cultivation level should these sword cultivators be? We need to sort that out. We’ll have to privately promise them a few jugs of the top-notch bamboo wine that money can’t buy. Which sword immortal do we get to shout that he’s buying up the whole shop’s stock, so it looks natural and not like a planted audience? After we make money, how do we settle accounts clearly with Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu, these drunkard friends? It’s a small business—we absolutely can’t allow credit. We need a clear plan from the start…”

Diezhang’s confidence evaporated. The more she listened to Chen Ping’an’s endless chatter from across the counter, the more she began to wonder if she was really cut out for business.

Suddenly, she felt that this was much harder than practicing swordsmanship.

Ning Yao stood beside the counter, smiling and cracking sunflower seeds.

So in the end, Diezhang said timidly, “Chen Ping’an, let’s just go seventy-thirty. You take seventy, I take thirty.”

Chen Ping’an was about to nod.

But immediately Ning Yao elbowed him. Chen Ping’an quickly smiled and said, “No, no, let’s stick with fifty-fifty. That’s what we agreed. In business, we must have integrity.”

Chen Ping’an turned slightly and winked at Diezhang: I have integrity, Miss Diezhang, you should have some good faith too. Let’s compromise and go sixty-forty.

Diezhang nodded, then looked at Ning Yao with an innocent face and said, “Ning Yao, Chen Ping’an just winked at me. I don’t know what it means.”

Chen Ping’an took another elbow, winced in pain, and gave Diezhang a thumbs-up. “Miss Diezhang, you really have a talent for business.”

They discussed many more details.

Diezhang carefully noted them down.

Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao left the small general goods shop and walked along the edge of the street. Chen Ping’an glanced at the various taverns and wine shops they passed and said with a smile, “From now on, we’ll be rivals in the same trade.”

Ning Yao said softly, “Thank you.”

Chen Ping’an laughed. “It’s what I should do.”

Ning Yao hesitated, then said, “Diezhang has a crush on a Confucian scholar from the Central Continent Academy. Could you help by giving her some advice?”

Chen Ping’an grimaced. “Some favors can be done, but this kind of thing—I really can’t.”

Ning Yao put her hands behind her back, leisurely praised, “Aren’t you supposed to be an expert on romance?”

Chen Ping’an said firmly, “I swear by heaven and earth, I know nothing about it!”

—

Diezhang’s small house was hidden in a humble alley, now packed with large wine vats. She didn’t have enough capital. Chen Ping’an actually had ten Grain Rain coins in his private savings, but he couldn’t be foolish enough to just pull out a Grain Rain coin to buy things—that would only invite price-gouging. So he asked Ning Yao for a bunch of scattered Snow Flower coins. They had visited all the taverns and shops that sold cheap, low-quality liquor, and Chen Ping’an and Diezhang had gone through them all. These wines had poor sales in the streets of the Sword Qi Great Wall. That was the strange thing about this place: sword cultivators who could afford wine didn’t want to drink this stuff unless they were heavily in debt and couldn’t afford to pay back their bar tabs. Then they would pinch their noses and drink it. As for the genuine immortal wines sold in the big taverns, their prices were truly like flying swords—far higher than those just one gate away at Inverted Suspension Mountain. Even sword immortals felt the pinch. And now that Inverted Suspension Mountain and the Great Wall of Sword Qi had tightened controls on passage, life was getting even harder.

Chen Ping’an bent down to open one of the vats. The wine worm was soaking in it, swimming lazily like a little fish, drunk and enjoying itself.

Each vat had to steep the wine worm for three days to become mellow wine. Inside each vat were a few bamboo leaves and a bamboo branch. They didn’t name it “Bamboo Leaf Green” as Diezhang first suggested, nor “Bamboo Branch Wine” as Ning Yao proposed. Instead, Chen Ping’an made the final decision: “Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven Wine,” also nicknamed “Green Spirit Mountain Wine.”

Diezhang, who was used to earning honest money, was stunned into silence.

At that time, Chen Ping’an had spoken earnestly: these bamboo leaves and branches really did come from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven. As for whether they came from Green Spirit Mountain, he could ask about it later. If it turned out they didn’t, then when they sold the wine, they simply wouldn’t mention the nickname.

In addition to preparing to open the wine shop to make money, Chen Ping’an also spent an inflexible six hours per day in the Ning Mansion refining qi, sometimes stretching to seven or eight hours.

Ning Yao had vacated the Cast Dragon Cliff pavilion for him. She mostly practiced her sword in the mustard-seed pocket of the training ground.

During Chen Ping’an’s rest periods, he would take the sword immortal’s sword down to the foot of the hill and focus on sharpening its edge.

Occasionally, Yan Zhuo, Dong Heitan, and the others would come sit here for a while. Yan Zhuo, whenever he had the chance, insisted on letting Chen Ping’an watch his “crazy demon boxing” routine, asking if he was a martial arts prodigy whose talent had been delayed by sword practice. Chen Ping’an of course always said yes, and every time he came up with a different reason. Chen Sanqiu felt that was even harder to bear than Yan Zhuo’s boxing. Once, even Dong Heitan couldn’t take it anymore. Looking at that disgusting Yan Zhuo showing off on the training ground, he asked Chen Ping’an, “Are you serious? Is Yan Zhuo really a martial arts genius?” Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Of course not.” Dong Heitan felt a bit better. Chen Sanqiu sighed, covered his forehead, and collapsed onto the bench.

During this time, almost every day a little girl with her sleeves full of pastries came to the Ning Mansion gate shouting to become a disciple.

Once, Ning Yao dragged her into the mansion and gave her a beating. It finally quieted down for a day, but the next day the girl came again, only this time she was smarter: she would shout and then run away. She could run back and forth several times a day since she had nothing better to do. Then Ning Yao blocked her path, grabbed her by the ear, and pulled her into the mansion, letting the girl watch Yan Zhuo practicing boxing on the training ground. “This is the boxing method Chen Ping’an taught,” Ning Yao said. “Still want to learn?”

Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes, and her lips trembled. “Even so, I still have to learn boxing.”

She silently wiped her tears and choked out, “So this is the reason my mother always talked about: ‘To be above others, one must endure hardships.’”

Ning Yao had no choice but to let Chen Ping’an handle it. At the time, Chen Ping’an was discussing a top-priority matter with Grandmother Bai and Grandpa Nalan. Ning Yao hadn’t mentioned what it was, so Chen Ping’an had to walk over to the training ground in confusion, only to see the little girl who looked ready to kneel as soon as she saw him.

He remembered her. During the four matches on the street, this girl had been the most noisy and boisterous. It was hard not to notice her.

Chen Ping’an didn’t want to simply help a little girl who was bowing and kneeling. He quickly stepped aside and said helplessly, “Don’t bow yet. What’s your name?”

The little girl immediately stood up and announced loudly, “Guo Zhujiu!”

Chen Ping’an nodded, raised his left hand, and began to count on his fingers. He sighed deeply. “Unfortunately, the name doesn’t match. I can’t take you as a disciple for now. Let’s talk later.”

Guo Zhujiu said earnestly, “Master, should I go home and ask my parents to change my name? I’ve thought this name was lousy for years.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “No. Accepting disciples depends on fate. First, I check the name. If it doesn’t match, I have to wait three years. The second time, I’ll check the hour, not the name. You’ll have another chance then.”

Guo Zhujiu stamped her foot in great frustration and ran off, shouting that she was going to flip through the almanac to pick an auspicious hour three years from now.

Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu stood dumbfounded, staring at the scene as if their eyes were about to pop out.

Guo Zhujiu was a strange little one, never quite clear-headed since childhood. Not stupid—she couldn’t be called stupid; she was an excellent natural sword embryo, hailed by the Guo family as the future pillar. But far from smart. The little girl had caused piles of jokes. She was the life of the party on Chen Sanqiu’s street. When she was little, she liked to run around wearing a bedsheet, never using the main gates but instead running across rooftops and walls. If not for the beatings she got from Dong Bude that finally taught her some sense, she’d probably still be doing that. There were also rumors that the Hidden Official had actually shortlisted two candidates: besides Pang Yuanji, the other was Guo Zhujiu.

Chen Ping’an looked incredulous. “She actually bought that?”

Chen Sanqiu grimaced. “We’ll see if she comes back tomorrow.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at Ning Yao.

Ning Yao said, “Hard to say.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t dwell on it and went back to discuss matters with the two elders.

When it came to the Old Sword Immortal visiting the Yao family as a matchmaker for Chen Ping’an’s proposal, of course Chen Ping’an wasn’t going to rush it.

Inside Chen Ping’an’s room, Grandmother Bai asked with a smile, “What happened?”

Chen Ping’an laughed. “It’s still about that little girl Guo Zhujiu. She wants to become my disciple. I managed to brush her off for now.”

Nalan Yexing teased, “Having an extra nominal disciple wouldn’t be bad.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head with a wry smile. “Such a big matter can’t be treated lightly.”

Grandmother Bai said, “The Guo family has been close friends with our Ning Mansion for generations. The friendship has never been broken.”

Chen Ping’an was taken aback. He looked at Grandmother Bai with a questioning expression.

Grandmother Bai nodded. “They’re probably the only ones. After the master passed away, the whole Guo family came to the Ning Mansion to pay respects. Later, during the Cast Dragon Cliff incident, the Guo family head directly confronted the Qi clan sword immortal without hesitation. That’s why, if it were any other little girl acting so recklessly, our miss wouldn’t have dragged her into the house twice. But as for taking her as a disciple, there’s no need to be too serious.”

Chen Ping’an said solemnly, “Then I’ll think carefully about this matter with Guo Zhujiu.”

Nalan Yexing smiled. “No hurry for that. Let’s keep discussing Mr. Chen’s fourth life-bound object. Once the Longevity Bridge is built, Mr. Chen will truly understand what cultivation means. Only then, even without being a natural sword embryo, he can barely become a sword cultivator. Don’t underestimate that word ‘barely.’ For a qi refiner, whether or not one is a sword cultivator is the biggest difference. As for the reasons, Mr. Chen can ask the Old Sword Immortal privately.”

—

One early morning, the Great Wall of Sword Qi got a newly opened, shabby little wine shop. The owner was the young, one-armed female sword cultivator, Diezhang.

Beside her stood the young man in a green robe. After personally setting off a long, noisy string of firecrackers, he smiled brightly and cupped his hands in all directions.

If it weren’t that she had already committed to being the nominal owner of the wine shop, having sunk all her capital into it, she would have very much liked to hide inside the shop and pretend the whole thing had nothing to do with her.

In front of them were rows of tables and stools.

Ning Yao, Yan Zhuo, and some others were hiding inside the shop, surrounded by wine jars of various sizes and wine jugs. Even a thick-skinned guy like Yan Zhuo, and Dong Heitan, who didn’t even know what shame was, were too embarrassed to go out at this moment.

On the street, just repaired and freshly paved, the owners and shop assistants of the various taverns and wine shops stood at their own doors, cursing loudly.

Because outside that little broken shop hung a couplet, said to have been personally composed by the young martial artist.

“The sword immortal’s three-foot blade—raising his eyes, he sees no enemy in all directions. Where is the foe? The hero is lonely.”

“Two liang of wine in the cup—together we will drown the sorrows of a thousand ages. Let us drink till drunk. What does money matter?”

Damn it. You, a pure martial artist named Chen Ping’an—can you show some shame, outsider?!

And that wasn’t all. Rumor had it that this little shop was selling some kind of wine that was associated with the “Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven’s Green Spirit Mountain”!

Money didn’t matter? If it really didn’t matter, then why the hell did you open this shop to earn money?

Whistles sounded from both sides of the street.

Diezhang really had thin skin. Sweat was already beading on her forehead. Her face was tense, trying not to show weakness, but she couldn’t help whispering, “Chen Ping’an, can we actually sell half a jar of wine?”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Even if nobody genuinely comes to buy, according to my established plan, everything will be fine. We’ll make money without worry. But of course, it’s better if someone does come. It’s early morning; having few guests is normal.”

After about one incense stick’s time, still no customer had come. Diezhang grew more anxious.

Chen Ping’an raised his voice and shouted, “Opening special: one jar of wine at half price! Only one jar! First come, first served!”

And sure enough, someone came.

Diezhang looked puzzled. “Is he also someone you hired?”

Chen Ping’an was also surprised. He shook his head. “Of course not.”

It was Pang Yuanji.

He sat down on a long stool and said with a smile, “Give me the cheapest jar. And don’t forget the half price.”

Chen Ping’an turned to the stunned Diezhang and said with a quiet laugh, “Why are you standing there? The big boss herself should serve the wine at the table.”

Diezhang quickly took a jar of “Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven Wine” and a large white bowl, placed them on the table in front of Pang Yuanji, and helped open the recently sealed jar lid. She poured him a bowl of wine and, feeling a pang of conscience, squeezed out a smile and said in a voice faint as a mosquito, “Please enjoy slowly, guest.”

Chen Ping’an took another wine bowl for himself, sat down at Pang Yuanji’s table, picked up the jar, poured himself a bowl, and laughed. “Brother Yuanji, thank you for the support. I must toast you. With your prime minister’s magnanimity, you’re surely destined to become a sword immortal. Let me drink first!”

Diezhang wanted to dig a hole and crawl in. What kind of wine seller drinks the guest’s own wine?

After Chen Ping’an had drunk, Pang Yuanji actually poured him another bowl—though not full. It was only a small jar; how many bowls could it hold? Good thing the shop had chosen small white bowls, so the wine looked like a decent amount.

Pang Yuanji already regretted coming here. If business remained slack, it didn’t matter. But if the place got crowded, he would surely curse himself. He lifted the bowl, sniffed it. It actually had something of immortal wine about it—better than expected. But selling a whole jar for only one Snow Flower coin—wasn’t that too cheap? At this quality, other taverns on the Great Wall of Sword Qi would start at several Snow Flower coins. Pang Yuanji knew one thing: be it the Great Wall of Sword Qi or anywhere else under heaven, there was no such thing as a wine seller losing money.

Chen Ping’an clinked his bowl with Pang Yuanji’s, and they both drank.

Then Chen Ping’an fetched another jar, put it on the table, and said with a smile, “Half price, right? Two jars, so I’ll just charge Brother Yuanji one Snow Flower coin.”

Pang Yuanji had already finished his bowl. The taste was passable, so he let it slide.

After finishing the jar, he picked up the second one—which Chen Ping’an had almost “helpfully” opened—slapped down one Snow Flower coin, and left, saying he would come again.

Diezhang wiped her forehead. She took the Snow Flower coin from Chen Ping’an, beaming.

Then, after about another half hour, just when Diezhang was starting to worry about the shop’s financial future again, another customer arrived, flying in and alighting. She turned to look at Chen Ping’an.

She saw a hint of tension in his expression as he muttered, “Another surprise.”

The newcomer was Wei Jin, the sword immortal from the Wind and Snow Temple on the Precious Bottle Continent, who came from the same place as Chen Ping’an.

Wei Jin ordered the most expensive wine: five Snow Flower coins for a small jug, with a bamboo leaf inside.

Wei Jin didn’t drink right away. He smiled and asked, “Is she doing well?”

Chen Ping’an felt as if sitting on needles. He couldn’t pretend to be stupid or play dumb, since it was Wei Jin. He could only grimace. “I suppose she’s doing quite well. She’s become the head of a sect now. But she almost got me killed in Ghost Fang Valley.”

Wei Jin, were you here to start trouble?

Regarding the earlier events involving the female official of the Shen Gao Sect and later the Sect Leader of Qingliang Sect, He Xiaoliang, Chen Ping’an had hidden nothing from Ning Yao. He had told her the whole story.

Fortunately, Ning Yao hadn’t shown any anger, only saying that He Xiaoliang had gone too far and that she would have to meet her someday.

But today Wei Jin deliberately brought up that sore spot. Chen Ping’an still felt a chill run down his spine. He kept feeling a sword aura in the shop.

Wei Jin drank a bowl of wine and then asked, “Did she really like you?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Wei Jin nodded, poured another bowl, drank it all, and then laughed, “Shopkeeper, go about your business. Don’t bother entertaining me anymore.”

After that, Wei Jin sat alone, drinking more slowly but not stopping.

In this world, lovesick men mostly liked to drink heartbreak wine. But the one who truly cuts the heartstrings is always the beloved who is not at the wine table.

Chen Ping’an crouched at the door, his back to the shop. He had finally made some money but couldn’t smile; he was only worried.

Because when Wei Jin drank his third bowl, he put down a Small Summer coin and said that from now on, any wine he drank would be deducted from that coin.

Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu were tactful enough not to say a word.

But that blunt Dong Heitan foolishly remarked, “I feel there’s a story here.”

Chen Ping’an finally understood why Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu sometimes were so afraid of Dong Heitan speaking. Every word was like a flying sword that could really kill you.

Before Wei Jin could get up and leave, Chen Ping’an was saved.

It turned out that the little girl Guo Zhujiu had dragged a few kids her age to come and show their support.

Guo Zhujiu got straight to the point. She respectfully addressed Chen Ping’an as “Three-year’s-from-now master” and continued, “My friends and I just found out that this wine shop opened. We’ve come to buy some wine to bring back to our parents and elders! Three-year’s-from-now master, I really didn’t force them to come!”

Then Guo Zhujiu gave a signal to the others.

Those girls, who had been specially knocked up late last night and reminded not to forget, listlessly handed over money, bought wine, obediently held it, and waited for Guo Zhujiu’s command.

They really didn’t want to earn those three Snow Flower coins from Guo Zhujiu.

Guo Zhujiu had been annoying them for days.

Some would have rather given her six Snow Flower coins directly, but she wouldn’t take them, insisting on building up the headcount.

Finally, Guo Zhujiu herself paid three Snow Flower coins for a jug of wine and explained, “Three-year’s-from-now master, they all paid out of their own pockets!”

Chen Ping’an said seriously, “I’ve done the calculation: three years halved, so in one and a half years, I can check whether it’s suitable to take a disciple.”

Guo Zhujiu, holding the jug in one hand and pumping her fist with the other, cheered happily, “Today is indeed an auspicious day for buying wine! That old almanac I memorized wasn’t wasted!”

With Pang Yuanji, Wei Jin, and these girls, the shop had some business.

It looked like covering costs wouldn’t be a problem.

That was already enough to make Diezhang overjoyed.

Diezhang gradually got busy.

It had been agreed earlier that Diezhang would handle most of the work at the shop. Chen Ping’an couldn’t be there every day.

The baffling Dong Heitan had already been dragged away by Chen Sanqiu and Yan Zhuo.

Ning Yao leaned against the counter inside the shop, cracking sunflower seeds, looking at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an tentatively asked, “You’re not angry?”

Ning Yao said, “Of course not.”

Chen Ping’an made a pained face. “Is it ‘of course not angry’ or ‘of course I’m not angry’?”

Ning Yao blinked. “You guess.”

Chen Ping’an sighed. “I’ll just open a jug of wine myself. Put it on the tab.”

Ning Yao suddenly smiled. “What’s He Xiaoliang? Worth my anger?”

Chen Ping’an stood in front of her and asked softly, “Do you know why I wasn’t the least bit upset after losing three times to Cao Ci?”

Ning Yao: “Why?”

Chen Ping’an laughed. “Because Ning Yao can’t even be bothered to remember who Cao Ci is.”

Then Chen Ping’an also leaned against the counter, looking out at the wine tables and drinkers. “After I met you, that poor kid from Clay Bottle Alley never lacked money again.”

Ning Yao watched his increasingly unrestrained smile, stopped cracking her seeds, and asked, “Are you laughing at me for being slow-witted?”

Chen Ping’an immediately put away his smile, then immediately realized he wasn’t any smarter than the little girl. The same “there’s no silver here” trick.

But Ning Yao held out her hand. Chen Ping’an grabbed a few sunflower seeds.

Ning Yao cracked some seeds and said, “I’m not angry that this woman or that woman likes you.”

She paused for a moment, then continued, “But if one day you like a woman other than me, I will be very hurt. If that day ever comes, don’t bother telling me you’re sorry. There’s no need to come see me and tell me such a thing. I don’t want to hear it.”

Chen Ping’an reached out, placed his hand on Ning Yao’s head, and gently shook it. “Don’t let your mind wander. In this life, I may not be able to become a cultivator of very high cultivation. There’s always a higher mountain. I can only work hard step by step to fulfill our promise. But Chen Ping’an is definitely the person who likes Ning Yao the most in the world. That’s something that hasn’t required any effort for a long time.”

—

The wine shop’s business flourished more and more.

That same Chen Ping’an, however, became a hands-off boss.

Whenever he came to the shop, he mostly spent time chatting with the group of little brats. He’d drag a small stool to the side and borrow picture books from the children to read.

Occasionally, he would teach them to read and write.

Later on, that young man in green, with too much time on his hands and ignoring his profits, abandoned the Cast Dragon Terrace at the Ning Mansion—which he should have been using to refine spiritual energy—and instead went around the streets making rubbings of steles, collecting a large pile of paper. Then he often sat in the sunlight and told the children stories about the mountains and rivers, ghosts, and monsters of the Haoran World, like a professional storyteller.

Later, when children asked about characters they didn’t recognize, the young man would take out a bamboo branch and draw in the dirt, giving basic explanations of the characters’ meanings, nothing more. If the children asked further, he would just smile and shake his head. After teaching them characters, he would tell them tales of the strange and wonderful things in his homeland’s world, the sights he had seen.

One day, the young man with a jade hairpin on his head, basking in the warm sun of a foreign land, taught some characters, told some stories, then laid a bamboo branch across his knee and softly chanted: “When the sun rises and shines, the lamb’s fur is glossy.”

Seeing him pause, a child asked curiously, “Then what? Is there more?”

The man placed his hands on his knees, looked ahead, and said slowly, “At the time of the Awakening of Insects, heaven and earth stir, and all things begin to flourish. Sleep at night, rise early, walk widely in the courtyard. The gentleman walks slowly, in order to nourish his will…”

The children gathered around that stool and that person. None of them could understand the content, but they were willing to sit quietly and listen to that soft recitation.

On this remote street of the Great Wall of Sword Qi, it was as if a small school had appeared—without a true master tutor and without true young pupils.