Chapter 602: Young and Junior Manager
The wind was clear and the moon bright; the moon set and the sun rose; day and night alternated. Thankfully, heaven and earth still had the spring breeze.
Two disciples of Fallen Mountain had not slept all night, just sitting on the top of the wall chatting. Who knew how they had so much to talk about? Fortunately, one was a Qi refiner who had once nearly fallen to the lowest realm, but now was walking the path to the mountain peak again, and would not stop halfway. The road to immortality was long, the path to heaven difficult; others walked, some ran, and this one could ride alone at the head of the dust—that was a true genius. The other, a girl who was taller and whose skin was no longer so black as charcoal, made breaking through in the martial path seem like cracking melon seeds. Even after chatting all night, she was still full of spirit, without any trace of fatigue.
Cui Dongshan stood up on the wall top, saying that the ancient gods were taller than all the mountain ranges of the human world, holding long whips that could drive mountains to relocate ten thousand miles.
Furthermore, a god stretched out a hand and supported it, causing the scene of a bright moon rising over the sea.
There were also gods who tirelessly ran between heaven and earth; the gods did not manifest their golden bodies, but shouldered the great sun alone, without any concealment. When they ran close to the human world, it was noon with the sun high overhead; when they ran far away, it was the bleak scene of sunset over the western hills and heavy twilight.
Pei Qian, anyway, let it go in one ear and out the other. The big white goose was talking nonsense. Since it wasn't her master speaking, it didn't matter whether she listened or remembered. So Pei Qian actually quite liked talking with the big white goose. The big white goose always had endless strange words and endless stories to tell; the key point was that once heard, it could be forgotten. The big white goose never urged her with her studies—in that respect, he was much better than the old chef. The old chef was terribly annoying. Even though he knew she was diligent in copying texts and never owed debts, he still asked every day. If he had so much free time, why not stew an extra pot of spring bamboo shoots with salted pork, or stir-fry an extra plate of water celery with spiced dried tofu?
As soon as Pei Qian thought of this, she wiped her mouth. Besides these signature dishes, there were also the old chef's fried small stream fish—they were truly a wonder.
Before this trip away, she had specially taken Little Millet to the stream and scooped up a big basketful. Then Pei Qian went to the kitchen and watched the old chef, telling him to be careful and to exert twelve-tenths of his skill. This was to be taken to the Sword Qi Great Wall for her master; if the taste was off, that would be unacceptable. In the end, Zhu Lian almost had to use the Six-Step Stake Walking and the Ape Shadow Boxing stance to satisfy Pei Qian with that batch of fried fish. Later, Pei Qian originally wanted to carry these hometown snacks in her own bundle and personally bring them all the way to Inverted Mountain. But the journey was long, and she worried they wouldn't keep. As soon as she arrived at Old Dragon City Ferry and saw Cui Dongshan rushing over, travel-worn, her first order was to have the big white goose carefully hide this small token of regard inside his Within-Reach Object. In exchange, she made a deal with the big white goose: ten percent of those golden, crispy fish were his. Then along the way, Pei Qian used various tricks and, together with Cui Dongshan, ate up that ten percent that belonged to him. Crunchy, delicious. Master Zhong and Little Wood Cao both seemed extremely envious. Once, Pei Qian asked the old gentleman if he wanted a taste. The master, thin-skinned, smiled and said no need, so Pei Qian took it that Cao Qinglang also didn't need any.
Her own old chef's culinary skills were truly beyond words; she had to sincerely give him a thumbs-up. But sometimes Pei Qian also pitied the old chef. After all, he was getting on in years, and being ugly was something he couldn't help. His chess skill wasn't high either, and he wasn't good at sweet talk. So it was fortunate he had this one skill; otherwise, on Fallen Mountain, where everyone had things to do, he'd probably have to rely on her to back him up.
But doing that kind of thing for a long time wouldn't really work; in the end, people would still look down on him. It was like what her master said: if a person had no real skill, then no matter if they wore new clothes or a tall hat, others might praise them to their face, but behind their back, they'd be a laughingstock. On the other hand, those farmers, shop managers, and dragon kiln laborers, earning a living by their skills, whether their life was good or bad, at least wouldn't have people pointing fingers at their backs. So Pei Qian worried that the old chef might get too cocky, learning from that never-growing-up Chen Lingjun. She worried that the old chef, once flattered by the cultivation immortals from the neighboring peaks, would forget his own name. So she directly passed on her master's words to Zhu Lian. Of course, Pei Qian remembered the lesson: her master also said that when reasoning with people, it wasn't enough just to be in the right; one also had to consider customs, atmosphere, timing, and then one's own tone and mindset. So Pei Qian gave it some thought, then called on her loyal Right Guardian to execute a remarkably clever "strike at the mountain to shake the tiger." Little Millet just had to nod and accept humbly; afterwards, she could record another merit on Pei Qian's merit ledger. After hearing this, the old chef was quite moved and benefited greatly, saying she had grown up. Pei Qian knew that the old chef should have taken it to heart, which was rather gratifying.
Cui Dongshan walked slowly on the small wall top, performing the Six-Step Stake Walking. Pei Qian thought the big white goose's walk wasn't good—swaying and staggering, just a fancy showpiece. But since the big white goose didn't learn boxing from her master, it didn't matter. Otherwise, Pei Qian would have scolded him a bit about boxing principles. Some things, once done, couldn't be sloppy; if you weren't serious, it wouldn't work.
Cui Dongshan walked back and forth on the narrow wall top, muttering to himself: "It is said that ancient cultivators of the Dao could enter dreams and see true spirits with utmost sincerity. Rotating the three lights, the sun and moon revolving, where the mind intends, where the stars point, vast divine light, forgetting cleverness, illuminating the hundred bones. The two sleeves hold another cave heaven. Let me ride the clouds and seas, roaming freely with heaven and earth. Within these words lies great meaning. Ten thousand methods return to the source. Into my words, let me take one phrase: immortals since ancient times take no money. Travelers on the road, press forward; life's span is like morning dew, fleeting in an instant. Life and death are vast, not attaining immortality. Only the gate of cultivating truth, the great Dao's family tradition. Above the head are gods and immortals, dark and dim, the night sky vast and boundless. There are also those who lie sleeping beneath the Yellow Springs, ten thousand years without waking. In between, there is a person half-dead, half-alive, immortal in his leisure, lowering his head, cultivating the field of blessings for the human world."
Pei Qian asked, "Did my master teach you that?"
Cui Dongshan stopped his stake walking, slapped his forehead with his palm, and didn't want to talk.
Pei Qian said regretfully, "If it wasn't said by Master, then it's not that great."
Cui Dongshan stood on one leg like a golden rooster, extended his two fingers together, making an awkward posture, and pointed at Pei Qian, "Freeze!"
Pei Qian suddenly became motionless.
Then Pei Qian snorted coldly, shook her shoulders, and boxer's energy flowed out, as if dispersing that "immortal family divine ability," and immediately returned to normal. Pei Qian crossed her arms over her chest, "A trifling skill, laughable."
Cui Dongshan pretended to be shocked, stepped back two paces, and said in a trembling voice, "You, you, you... just what divine being are you, from what sect? Why, at such a young age, can you break my divine ability?!"
Pei Qian rolled her eyes and said, "There's no outsider here right now. Who are you performing for? Let's save some energy, okay? That's enough."
Cui Dongshan sat back down beside Pei Qian and said softly, "To achieve a natural flow without leaving traces, don't we need to practice? Like our Fallen Mountain's signature art, the Mountain-Shaking Fist. If you don't practice it hundreds of thousands or millions of times, can you get the skill?"
Pei Qian scoffed, "Two different things. Master said, when you go out and travel the martial world, be kind to others, and put sincerity first!"
Every time Pei Qian brought out her master, her teacher, Cui Dongshan was at a loss. If he said too much, he would easily get beaten.
But Pei Qian quickly lowered her voice, "Later, when those two masters can't see us, we'll practice properly. Because Master also said, whether on the mountain or in the martial world, one must not have a harmful heart, but one must not lack a defensive mind. Showing weakness to the enemy can help save your life. Showing strength to the enemy can save you trouble."
Cui Dongshan nodded, deeply agreeing.
Fallen Mountain might not have many things, but it had many principles.
In the early morning, Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang, one old and one young master, as steady as a rock, almost simultaneously opened their windows. At the scheduled time, they recited the sacred texts of the sages in silence, sitting upright, their minds immersed. Pei Qian turned her head, pursed her lips, and pretended to be disdainful. Although her face showed disapproval, and she never said anything, deep down she was a little envious of that Wood Cao. In terms of reading, he was indeed a bit more like her master than she was. But she knew her limits. Even if she pretended, she couldn't manage it. Her relationship with the words in the sage books was never that good. It was like she was an unlikable flatterer, knocking on the door every day but never welcome. They never bothered to open the door with a smile; their pretensions were too high, infuriating.
Only occasionally, about three times in total, did the words in the books finally, by her utmost sincerity, "move metal and open stone." In the private words between Pei Qian and Zhou Mili, it was that the ink-block characters no longer "died in battle on the book battlefield," but "leaped out of the graves, brandishing their might, scaring people to death."
Zhou Mili was startled, her brows furrowed together, thoroughly frightened. Pei Qian then borrowed a talisman for her Right Guardian to stick on her forehead. That night, Zhou Mili moved all her treasured storybooks into Warm Tree's room, saying these books were pitiful, they had no legs, so she had to help them move. This confused Warm Tree, but she didn't say much; she just helped Zhou Mili take care of those books that had been read too much and were worn out.
Probably, as Master said privately, everyone has their own book. Some people write a book their whole lives. They like to open it and show people, and the pages are full of high morality, lofty virtue, unsullied by profit, but they lack the word "kindness." Yet some people never write the word "kindness" in their own books, but the pages are filled with kindness. When you open it, it's a scene of spring grass growing, flowers turning toward the sun, and even in the harsh winter or scorching summer, there's the lively image of persimmons covered in frost and snow, bright red.
Having spent a long time with Warm Tree, Pei Qian felt that Warm Tree's book probably didn't have the word "refuse" either.
The three times the characters in the books acted strangely: once during a journey with her master, and twice when Pei Qian was most struggling with fist practice on Fallen Mountain, when she had tied a brush to her arm with cotton cloth, copying texts through gritted teeth, in a daze, her mind dizzy, between waking and sleeping, the characters would swim like fish, as if forming battle formations. She had only mentioned this to her master once, early on, before they even reached Fallen Mountain. Her master hadn't said much, so Pei Qian didn't bother to think about it much. She figured that all scholars who put their hearts into their studies would have such experiences. She had only had three, and if she told her master, he might already have seen it thousands of times, and it would be like spinning a cocoon around herself, making her suffer his chestnuts for nothing. Chestnuts didn't hurt, but it would be embarrassing. So Pei Qian made up her mind: as long as her master didn't ask about this trivial matter, she absolutely wouldn't bring it up.
Pei Qian suddenly asked in a low voice, "What realm are you at now? That Wood Cao is too hard to talk to. Last time I saw him just reading every day, not seeming to take cultivation seriously, so I, with good intentions, advised him a few times. I said, 'You, me, and him—we're of the same generation, right? I'm learning boxing and swordsmanship, learning two arts from Master at once. You don't have to compare with me—what's the point of comparing? Right? But you, Cui Dongshan, are already at the Sea-Viewing realm. He, Cao Qinglang, seems to be barely at the Cave Abode realm. How can that be? Master isn't always by his side to guide him in the Dao, but that's no excuse for Cao Qinglang's low realm, is it? Cao Qinglang is no fun either—he says he'll work hard and be diligent, but from what I see, it's still not good enough. But of course, I won't gossip about this to Master, to avoid Cao Qinglang projecting his own pettiness onto a martial arts expert, a peerless swordsman, a heartless assassin. So, are you really at the Sea-Viewing realm now?"
Cui Dongshan shook his head, "Not Sea-Viewing."
Pei Qian clapped her fist into her palm, "Then are you at Cave Abode? You must at least touch the edge of the Middle Five Realms' immortals, right? Forget it; even if you're not yet, it's okay. You spend the whole year wandering around, busy with this and that, so it's understandable that your cultivation realm has suffered. At worst, I'll tell Wood Cao that you're actually not at Sea-Viewing, just that. I'll take care of your face, after all, we're closer."
Cui Dongshan imitated Pei Qian's tone and smiled, "The Senior Sister is so considerate."
Pei Qian frowned, "You're a grown person, talk properly!"
Cui Dongshan put his hands behind his head, his two snow-white sleeves hanging down like a waterfall. In Pei Qian's eyes, they only looked valuable. This was all according to her master's instructions: regarding those close to her, she was not allowed to peek into their heart-lakes or other matters.
Once, a Golden Core cultivator from the Spring Dew Garden in Northern Jambudvipa was trapped inside Cui Dongshan's sleeve for quite a while. He tried all sorts of techniques but was still surrounded, and in the end could only wait for death. The heaven and earth were vast, he felt utterly alone, and his Dao heart nearly collapsed. Of course, in the end, the Golden Core cultivator Song Lanqiao benefited more, but the mental journey in between must have been very unpleasant.
In Cui Dongshan's eyes, Pei Qian, who was actually not that young in age, whether in height or mental development, was still truly a little girl just over ten years old.
But Pei Qian's exceptionally talented perception and her deep understanding of certain matters were completely different, not at the level appropriate for a girl of her age.
Just like earlier, when he mentioned that Pei Qian punched too fast, Cui Dongshan would touch on it lightly and remind Pei Qian to be like her master—to think more, to slow down her punches first. It might be awkward at first, and might hinder her martial path, but in the long run, it was so that one day she could punch even faster, even the fastest, and teach her to truly have no shame before heaven and earth and her master. Many principles could only be taught by Cui Dongshan's teacher to his disciple Pei Qian. But some words had to be spoken by someone other than Chen Ping'an, to Pei Qian—not too heavily, not too lightly, step by step. Don't try to force growth, and don't let empty grand principles disturb her state of mind.
In fact, Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang, just reading and traveling, were also doing this invisibly.
Why was everyone so earnest with Pei Qian, treating it as a matter of course?
Why?
In the end, because the young mountain lord of Fallen Mountain cared the most.
Beyond that, there was another important reason: Pei Qian's own actions and changes deserved the expectations and hopes that everyone carefully hid.
On Fallen Mountain, everyone transmitted the Dao and protected the Dao.
The young mountain lord's family tradition made it so.
But in the future, Fallen Mountain might not be able to maintain such perfection. The names on Fallen Mountain's genealogy would increase, page after page. And when there were more people, hearts would inevitably become mixed. But by then, there was no need to worry. Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang would have grown up. They would no longer need their teacher and master to bear everything alone.
Today, Zhong Qiu and Cao Qinglang, and Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian did not visit Inverted Mountain together. They split up and went on their own.
Cui Dongshan secretly gave Zhong Qiu a Grain Rain Coin—a loan. A single coin could stump a hero, after all. And Zhong Qiu was the literary sage and martial grandmaster of Lotus Flower Paradise, and now a solid retainer of Fallen Mountain. Zhong Qiu was not some pedantic Confucian scholar. He governed the Nanyuan Kingdom, which was thriving. If not for the old Daoist dividing the paradise into four parts, Nanyuan would already have had the momentum to unify the four kingdoms of the world. Not only did Zhong Qiu not refuse, he even borrowed two more Grain Rain Coins from Cui Dongshan.
Cui Dongshan accompanied Pei Qian straight to Lingzhi Studio. The result was that Pei Qian looked troubled and miserable. Those treasures were indeed a dazzling array, and she liked everything—some she liked very much, some just generally—but she couldn't afford any of them! Even after Pei Qian had thoroughly explored every corner of Lingzhi Studio, upstairs, downstairs, left and right, she still couldn't find a single gift she could buy with her own money. But Pei Qian, looking dejected, walked out of Lingzhi Studio without borrowing money from Cui Dongshan, and Cui Dongshan didn't offer to lend her any. Then the two went to the row of shops at the foot of Elk Cliff.
Suddenly, Pei Qian was like a fish in water, overjoyed. There were lots of things here, and the prices weren't high. There were a vast number of items costing just a few Snowflake Coins, so many that her eyes were dazzled.
She weighed her money pouch, feeling full of confidence. As she walked, she beamed with joy. If it weren't for so many people around, she would have performed a Demon Frenzy Sword Technique just to express her happiness.
The street was bustling. Most of the visitors from the Bright World were female cultivators. Just their various hair buns and clothes made Pei Qian click her tongue in wonder. There were women with two high buns like green mountains, with rhinoceros horn combs and hairpins, wearing long skirts that were loose and flowing like clouds. Even those who weren't particularly beautiful looked graceful and charming. There were also women with their hair coiled up, then tied into a bun, with pearls and jade clustered like flowers and trees. Pei Qian was so envious—they all had tiny mountains of gold and silver on their heads!
How come there were so many people in the world who were as rich as her?
In the end, Pei Qian selected two gifts. One was for her master: a brush pen said to be from the renowned "Zhong Family Style" of the Central Divine Continent, specially for writing small regular script. On the pen shaft was engraved a line of fine seal script: "Ancient style, skillful shape, dense structure, profound and boundless." It cost her one Snowflake Coin. From a finely crafted large green porcelain brush pot filled with identical small regular script brushes, she had to stand on tiptoe, squinting her eyes, and spent a full incense stick's time just selecting one. Cui Dongshan was by her side, offering suggestions, but Pei Qian didn't like listening to his chatter and just focused on her own selection. The old shopkeeper was immensely amused, not at all annoyed; instead, he found it interesting. Visitors to Inverted Mountain were never short of money; he had seen plenty who threw money around like dirt. A black charcoal little girl like this, being so calculating, was rare.
The other gift was intended for her master's wife. It cost her three Snowflake Coins: a colorful cloud letter paper. On the paper, colorful clouds drifted, and occasionally a bright moon appeared, beautiful and charming.
With the two gifts in hand, her small money pouch, mostly filled with secular copper coins, silver bits, and gold seeds, actually wasn't much emptier. But it was as if the main pillar had collapsed, making Pei Qian sigh. She carefully tucked them into her sleeve. There was no help for it. The great jade plate in the sky had its waxing and waning, and the small coins in her pocket had their gatherings and partings—these two things had been hard to achieve since ancient times. There was no need to be too sad. But Pei Qian didn't know that the big white goose, who hadn't helped at all, had also bought some miscellaneous items in the two shops, and secretly exchanged the Snowflake Coins she had taken from her pouch back with the shopkeepers.
Cultivators of the Dao, who dine on clouds and dew and purify their bones and marrow, often became more ethereal the more they attained the Dao.
But someone like Cui Dongshan, with his outstanding appearance and "elegant young gentleman" demeanor, was an extremely rare and beautiful sight wherever he went, like a jade tree in the courtyard of an immortal's cave.
So there were quite a few glances cast in his direction along the way. And for not a few mountain immortals, the rituals and secular laws that bound ordinary people meant nothing to them. So when a group of female Qi refiners, heavily guarded, passed by Cui Dongshan, one of them looked back and smiled. After walking a few steps, she turned her head again. The more she looked, the more her heart stirred. So she simply turned around, quickly approached the young gentleman, and wanted to reach out and pinch his handsome face. But the young man flicked his sleeve, and the woman disappeared.
Her companions and guards panicked. The lead guard was a Nascent Soul cultivator. He stopped all the junior guards who wanted to demand an explanation, stepped forward himself, and apologized. The white-robed youth with a red mole between his brows just smiled without a word. It wasn't until the slightly dark-skinned little girl holding an immortal-refined walking staff said something that the young man shook his sleeve. On the street, a woman suddenly appeared, collapsed on the ground. The young man didn't even look at the old Nascent Soul cultivator. He bent down, reached out, and with a full smile, patted the woman's cheek. But he said nothing. Then he accompanied the little girl as they continued their walk.
After taking a few steps, the young man suddenly swayed, reached for his forehead, and said, "Senior Sister, this heaven-veiling, earth-shrouding, unprecedented divine ability is consuming too much of my spiritual energy. Dizzy, dizzy. What to do, what to do?"
Pei Qian wiped her forehead and quickly handed the walking staff to the big white goose, "Then take it easy, walk slowly."
Pei Qian deliberately slowed her pace.
But when she slowed down, the big white goose also slowed down. She had no choice but to quicken her pace to get as far away from the people behind as possible.
The young man, holding the walking staff, would tap it on the ground from time to time. He secretly turned his head, smiled brightly, and waved at the woman.
The woman, with a splitting headache, turned pale and felt dizzy. She couldn't speak a single word. In her heart-lake, not a single ripple arose, as if a mountain precisely covering her entire heart-lake had directly suppressed it.
The old Nascent Soul cultivator slightly probed his young lady's heart-lake and was shocked beyond measure. Any lingering resentment he had about possibly settling the score later instantly dissipated. Not only that, but he also spoke again with his heart voice, "I beg the senior to forgive my young lady's offense."
The young man did not turn around. He just lightly tapped the walking staff on the ground, increasing the force a little, and said with a smile to that little Nascent Soul cultivator through his heart voice, "This bold woman has good taste. I won't argue with her. Naturally, you don't need to make a mountain out of a molehill and gild the lily. From the look of your cultivation method, you should be from the Mountain River Sect of the Central Divine Continent. I don't know if it's the 'Law of Heaven, Valuing Truth' lineage or the unlucky 'Image of Earth, Long Flow' lineage. It doesn't matter. Go back and give a greeting to your sect's ancestor, Qin Zhilan. Don't pretend to be heartbroken in seclusion. Tell her directly: back then, she lost three rounds of Heart-Questioning Duels to me. She shamelessly hides from me, does she? She got an advantage and still acts smug, does she? I just couldn't be bothered to collect debts from her. But this matter today is not over. When I see her, I won't stop until I smash that pink, tender little face of hers."
The mountain in the woman's heart-lake vanished in an instant, as if a god had moved the mountain away. The female Qi refiner's small heaven and earth returned to clarity, and her heart-lake returned to normal.
The old Nascent Soul cultivator's Dao heart trembled. How bitter! How miserable! Never did he expect that in this remote Inverted Mountain, millions of miles from the Central Divine Continent, such a minor offense would bring enormous trouble upon the sect's founder.
That young man—was he a Celestial Immortal? An Ascension realm cultivator?
The old Nascent Soul felt bitter in his heart. Once cultivators formed grudges, especially those true immortals at the peak, it was not a matter of a few years or decades. It was a thousand-year entanglement, ceaseless resentment.
Cui Dongshan turned his head to look at the little girl who had temporarily lent him the walking staff. Her forehead was sweating, her body tense, and between her brows, there seemed to be a trace of guilt.
Cui Dongshan said with a smile through his heart voice, "Senior Sister, you've only been learning boxing for how long? Don't worry about me. I, like my teacher, am used to walking both on the mountain and off. My words and actions have their own measure. I can take care of myself. Even if the sky falls and the earth splits, there's no need for Senior Sister to be distracted right now. Just focus on copying texts and practicing boxing."
Pei Qian was a bit downcast. Using the martial artist's technique of condensing sound into a thread, she said in a low spirit, "But I am Master's first disciple. As Senior Sister, on Fallen Mountain, I should take care of Warm Tree and Little Millet. When I leave Fallen Mountain, I should also show the spirit of a Senior Sister. Otherwise, what's the point of practicing martial arts? It's not about showing off..."
Cui Dongshan laughed and asked, "Why can't you show off?"
Pei Qian said doubtfully, "I followed Master through so many mountains and rivers. He never showed off."
Cui Dongshan shook his head with a smile, "Master still hopes that your journey in the martial world can be more joyful, more spontaneous. As long as it doesn't involve great rights and wrongs, let yourself be freer. It's best if, along the way, people marvel and cheer, 'Oh, oh, what beautiful boxing from this girl! My goodness, such amazing swordsmanship! If this female hero isn't from a noble sect, then there's no justice or law.'"
When Pei Qian thought of those martial world scenes, she was overjoyed.
But then she inexplicably thought of the Sword Qi Great Wall and became a little worried. She asked softly, "After passing Inverted Mountain, it's another world. I hear there are countless sword cultivators there. Sword cultivators! Each one more amazing than the last. The most powerful Qi refiners in the world. Will they bully Master, an outsider? Although Master has the highest boxing and the best swordsmanship, he's only one person. If those sword cultivators gang up, hundreds or thousands swarming at once, and seven or eight or a dozen sword immortals hidden among them, will Master be overwhelmed?"
Cui Dongshan was speechless.
No matter who it was, they'd be overwhelmed too.
But now, Pei Qian, when considering everything, first thought of the worst scenario. That was a good habit. Probably, this was from her constant exposure and her master's personal teaching and example.
Hopefully, this thing did not just grow gradually under the spring breeze and sweet rain, among green mountains and clear waters.
Often, it was a flower that grew in the dark night, in a muddy swamp or barren land, blooming before dawn, before the morning light arrived.
Even if wind and rain shattered it, then it would bloom another flower.
An even greater hope was that even if one couldn't bloom, wouldn't bear fruit—many lives were destined to be just a small blade of grass—they must still see the spring breeze, bask in the sun.
The world was full of such things.
Why not treat them kindly?
After experiencing that minor disturbance at the foot of Elk Cliff, Pei Qian found an excuse and insisted on taking Cui Dongshan back to the Stork Inn. She said she was tired from walking today. Inverted Mountain was truly worthy of its name; the mountain paths were endless and difficult to walk. She needed to go back and rest.
Cui Dongshan certainly couldn't tell this Senior Sister that he was not at Sea-Viewing, not at Cave Abode, but actually at the Jade Realm? And he certainly couldn't say that his current Jade Realm was even more unreasonable than the Nascent Soul of the sword cultivator Li Tuanjing from Bottle Gourd Continent in the early years, or the Finger Mystery of Yuan Lingdian from Northern Jambudvipa now.
The key point was, even if he said it, she wouldn't believe it.
Unless her master said it, then the little girl might believe it, and then lightly say, "Keep working hard, don't get proud."
In Pei Qian's eyes and heart, everyone else's realm probably wasn't really any realm at all.
On the way to the Stork Inn, Cui Dongshan exclaimed, "Oh! Senior Sister, there's money on the ground to pick up."
Pei Qian looked down. First she looked around, then with the speed of a thunderbolt, she stepped on that Snowflake Coin. Finally, she crouched down and picked up the coin. It was even smoother and more natural than her punches.
Pei Qian touched the Snowflake Coin and said in surprise, "It's the one that left home!"
Cui Dongshan jumped back in fright, his face full of shock, "There is such a fate in this world?!"
At the corner of the alley where the Stork Inn was located, Pei Qian, who was entirely focused on the ground, actually picked up another Snowflake Coin from the crack between the street stones. This one looked homeless. Unexpectedly, it was the one she had named. Another great fate!
Then Pei Qian couldn't stop smiling. She turned her head and stared intently at the big white goose, laughing happily, "Maybe before we enter the inn, all three of them will be reunited."
Cui Dongshan said, "Is there such a coincidence in the world?"
Pei Qian nodded, "Yes, there is. No coincidence, no story."
But unfortunately, after walking through the small alley once, there was no money and no coincidence on the ground.
So Pei Qian dragged Cui Dongshan through it again and again. No matter how good his patience was, Cui Dongshan could only change his plan. He secretly dropped the Snowflake Coin he had originally intended to use to cheat some small fish to eat. Pei Qian crouched on the ground, took out her money pouch, held the Snowflake Coin high, and said with a smile, "Going home."
At the inn, Pei Qian lay on the table with the three Snowflake Coins in front of her. She asked Cui Dongshan to take out some golden, crispy small fish from his Within-Reach Object, saying it was to celebrate the Snowflake Coins that had either fallen from the sky, grown from the ground, or grown legs and run back home.
Cui Dongshan ate the small fish, but Pei Qian didn't.
Cui Dongshan said with a mouthful, "Senior Sister, aren't you eating?"
Pei Qian lay on the table, her cheek resting on her arm. She tilted her head and looked out the window, smiling, "I'm not hungry."
So Cui Dongshan changed from wolfing down to chewing slowly.
Pei Qian kept looking out the window and said quietly, "Besides the seniors in Master's heart, do you know who I am most grateful to?"
Cui Dongshan knew, but he shook his head and said he didn't.
Cui Dongshan even knew better that his teacher harbored two "small" regrets deep in his heart that he had never shared with anyone.
One was the growth of the little girl in the red cotton jacket, which was why everyone had that ridiculous scene on the lake at the Great Sui Academy back then.
The other was that the little golden figure seemed to have gone far away, never to return.
These regrets might accompany him for life, but they weren't the kind of things that required wine to be talked about.
Pei Qian said slowly, "It's Sister Bottle Gourd and the master's wife I'm about to meet."
Cui Dongshan picked up a small fish and asked with a smile, "Why?"
Pei Qian said, "I think everyone thinks that back then, Master protected Sister Bottle Gourd and the others on their long journey for study. But I know that the first time Master went far away, Sister Bottle Gourd accompanied him. At that time, Sister Bottle Gourd was still a little girl, carrying a small green bamboo bookcase, accompanying the young master in straw sandals as they walked through so many green mountains and clear waters. So I really like Sister Bottle Gourd. As for the master's wife, whom Master loves, without her, even if Master could still walk a long way, he wouldn't be the best master in the world today. He certainly wouldn't have walked so happily through all those years; he would have walked very, very tiredly. How to put it? Master might, every time he encounters something he has to solve himself, as long as he thinks of the master's wife far, far away, always waiting for him, then no matter how far Master walks alone, it's as if there are copper coins to pick up on the ground. How could Master not be happy?"
Cui Dongshan suddenly understood, "So that's it. If Senior Sister hadn't said it, I might never have known in this life."
Pei Qian sat up straight and nodded, "Don't feel stupid. On Fallen Mountain, besides Master, I have the brightest mind. Do you know why?"
Cui Dongshan suppressed his laughter and asked curiously, "I earnestly ask Senior Sister to enlighten me."
Pei Qian stood up, leaned forward, and beckoned, "I'll tell you secretly."
Cui Dongshan stretched out his neck, and then Pei Qian rained a series of chestnuts down on his head. For every few small fish the big white goose had eaten, she gave him a chestnut.
Pei Qian sat back in her seat, spread her hands, assumed a posture of sinking qi into the dantian, and said seriously, "Got it?"
Cui Dongshan glanced at the remaining small fish on the table. Pei Qian blinked and said, "Eat. Eat without worry. Eat as much as you like. Think of it as Master leaving some for you, his student. If your conscience doesn't ache, then eat more."
---
In the Barren Wilderness World, there was a vast region similar to the Central Divine Continent. In its center stood a towering mountain, taller than all other mountains in the world.
On the mountain, there were no Taoist temples or Buddhist monasteries, not even a single demon race cultivator who made a simple hut to cultivate. This was because, since ancient times, it had been a forbidden area. For ten thousand years, only those in the Upper Five Realms were qualified to go to the mountaintop to pay homage.
Today, a stooped old man, as thin as a bag of bones, dressed in gray clothes, led a newly accepted disciple to climb the mountain to see "himself."
As they climbed higher, the old man held the child's tender little hand in one hand, while the other sleeve fluttered wantonly in the celestial winds.
The gray-clad old man turned his head and looked into the distance. There, an old blind man, an outsider, was still driving a golden-armored puppet to move a great mountain. The old man shook his head.
The child being held looked up and asked, "Are we going to war again?"
The old man nodded and said, "Because I wasn't here before, it was all just minor skirmishes. It was a waste, letting Chen Qingdu watch the joke for ten thousand years."
---
The Sword Qi Great Wall. The gambling houses and tables were doing a booming business. For soon, on the city wall, two of the Bright World's most famous young martial artists in the Golden Body realm were going to have their second sparring match.
The woman was asking for a boxing match; the man, of course, was feeding her punches. The outcome was certainly beyond doubt.
That junior manager—though his character, liquor reputation, and gambling habits were each worse than the last—his boxing was still pretty good.
Today, on the city wall.
The female martial artist from the Central Divine Continent, Yu Juanfu, held her breath and concentrated. Her boxing intent flowed like a long river.
A few dozen paces away, a young man in a green gown with a jade hairpin had not only taken off his boots but, for the first time, rolled up his sleeves and tightened his trouser legs.
On both sides of the city wall, densely packed gamblers crouched. Outside the city wall, those hovering on flying swords. When they saw this scene, without hesitation, everyone bet that the match would be decided within three punches, five punches, or at most ten punches.
Damn it! That junior manager wanted to use those true and false inside tips and that clumsy smokescreen to cheat us out of our money again? This time, the junior manager had really bitten off more than he could chew. He was still too young!