Chapter 669: Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After
Chen Ping'an found A Liang at the tavern on the street corner.
A Liang was arm-in-arm with a sword cultivator, saying, "What are you so sad about? So what if Nalan Caihuan got your heart? Can she get your body? Not a chance. That Nalan Caihuan doesn't have what it takes." The man didn't feel any better; he only wanted to drink more. He wobbled, reached for the jug on the table, found it empty. A Liang quickly ordered another jug. Amid a chorus of jeers, they saw Lady Xie twist her waist as she came out from behind the counter, a springtime look in her eyes, smiling toward the tavern entrance. A Liang turned his head—it was Chen Ping'an arriving. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, we scholars are precious indeed; welcome wherever we go.
After Chen Ping'an sat down, he smiled and said, "A Liang, I'm inviting you to the Ning Manor for a meal. I'll cook myself."
Lady Xie set a jug of wine on the table but didn't sit. A Liang nodded in acceptance of Chen Ping'an's invitation. Now he looked up at the woman, his drunk eyes blurry. He peered left and right, then said, "Sister Xie, what's going on? I can barely see your face anymore."
The woman sneered. "Are you going to start rambling again about how every time you get drunk, you see two Inverted Mountains? Can't you come up with something new? A Liang, you're getting old. Flip through the Second Manager's 'Two Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual' a few more times—that's the kind of thing a scholar should be talking about."
A Liang felt a bit hurt by Sister Xie's fickleness.
The two men left. After walking a distance, Chen Ping'an said, "When I was going through old files at the Summer Retreat Palace, I only read that Xie Yuan was severely wounded, and after that, this Lady Xie made her living selling wine."
A Liang shook off the alcohol, slapping his cheeks. "Calling her Lady Xie isn't right—she never married. Xie Yuan came from Willow Lane, had excellent talent for sword training, stood out at a young age. She was younger than Yue Qing and Mi Hu, from the same generation of sword cultivators as Nalan Caihuan. Add in that woman that Cheng Quan and Zhao Geyi were pining for, and those were the most outstanding young women of the Sword Qi Great Wall back then."
A Liang sighed emotionally. "A light drizzle, the world hazy, when a handsome scholar suddenly sees a woman, holding an umbrella as she walks. Azure silk robes, the umbrella like a flower blooming on the path, the woman like a willow in the spring rain—utterly beautiful."
Chen Ping'an said, "If you remove 'handsome scholar' and leave only the woman, then that painting would really be wonderful."
A Liang laughed. "Without the handsome scholar's own eyes to see it, how would you ever know of this beauty and lovely scene?"
A Liang continued, "Xie Yuan, on the battlefield, exchanged a personal flying sword with a junior sister of the sword immortal Shou Chen; both swords shattered. She was severely wounded and couldn't withdraw in time before Shou Chen arrived and struck her with another sword. If not for that disaster, Xie Yuan would have easily entered the upper five realms. So Xie Yuan has an irreconcilable hatred for the lineage of 'Wen Hai' Zhou Mi. You beat that Jia Shenzhang Liubai half to death, so Xie Yuan naturally feels grateful to you."
A Liang said gloatingly, "With matters like this, at most you say thanks when you meet—why break your rule and not charge her?"
Only then did Chen Ping'an understand. A Liang wouldn't have called him to the tavern for a drink for no reason.
It was to resolve a knot in Xie Yuan's heart. Of course, A Liang also got a free drink out of it.
When they reached the Ning Manor, Chen Ping'an truly went to the kitchen to cook. Granny Bai helped, and they chatted about trivial matters.
In the side room of the house where Chen Ping'an stayed, A Liang was flipping through the famous "Two Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual." On the table were also many blank fan surfaces and plain seals of ordinary material, but it seemed he wouldn't be picking up a brush or knife.
Ning Yao sat to one side and asked, "What exactly are the Outer-Realm Heavenly Demons? Can't even that White Jade Capital completely suppress them?"
On the origin of the Outer-Realm Heavenly Demons, the Haoran Tianxia had never had a definitive explanation. As for the sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall, they simply didn't care.
A Liang only gave a rough outline: "Aren't they just a disaster brought on by us cultivators? We can't clean up our own mess, so we deceive ourselves and let things go. Year after year, the flood rages. The Green Principle Heaven had no choice but to use the dumbest method—build dams to block it. Build dikes to contain the water, piling them higher and higher. Over time, it became a perilous scene of 'water overhead, hanging in the sky.' You can't fully blame the stinking Daoists of the White Jade Capital for treating symptoms without curing the root. Trace it back to the source, and every qi refiner shares the blame. They say that Dao Laodao's senior brother has been tirelessly seeking a fundamental solution. Dao Laodao and Lu Chen each have their own countermeasures, but one is too deliberate and harsh, easy to… and Lu Chen's method is too casual. I figure that even the Dao Ancestor isn't very fond of either, pinning more hope on the eldest disciple."
The three patriarchs of the White Jade Capital, in the Green Principle Heaven, are the three founders under the Dao Ancestor. But the title of Daoist founder is self-proclaimed by the Daoist school; the Hundred Schools of Thought naturally don't recognize it.
A Liang smiled. "Don't blame me for being vague. I'm not deliberately keeping secrets from you. It's just that the speaker may not intend it, but the listener takes it to heart. For cultivators, taking things to heart often becomes a major obstacle, especially with these Outer-Realm Heavenly Demons. The more talented you are, the more helpless you feel when dealing with them. Of course, nothing is absolute; there are always exceptions. You, girl Ning, are an exception. But if I tell you, it might be counterproductive. Better to let nature take its course."
Ning Yao nodded.
The reason she asked about Outer-Realm Heavenly Demons was that she was still worried about Chen Ping'an's future formation of a golden core and birth of a nascent soul.
As for herself, she didn't seem to have any worries. To advance to golden core and nascent soul, even to the Jade Perch realm just a step away—Ning Yao only had to want to break through, and it wouldn't be hard.
A Liang revealed another heavenly secret: "The Daoists of the Green Principle Heaven are busy and not at ease. It's a different battlefield from the Sword Qi Great Wall, but the intensity is similar. The western Buddhist kingdom is about the same. Beneath the nine springs, vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts gather like an ocean. Who do you blame?"
Ning Yao said, "People?"
A Liang said, "Worry and trouble begin when people learn to read. So once people cultivate the Dao, of course they have more worries, more hidden dangers."
Ning Yao was puzzled. "A Liang, you should talk about these things with Chen Ping'an. He can follow the conversation."
A Liang laughed. "I won't add to his burden. You listen and then forget, girl Ning, so talking with you is the right choice."
A Liang was twisting a plain seal that seemed like jade but was actually stone in the palm of his hand; it had no carvings. He said slowly, "In cultivation, one is ultimately suppressed by the grand Dao of heaven and earth. Add to that the habit on the path of cultivation of only gaining and never losing, only taking and never giving, only receiving and never releasing—of course, the troubles are endless. The sages of old climbed the mountain to cultivate, drinking poison to quench their thirst because they had to. We later generations are just greedy for the cup. What we think and what the ancients thought are truly two different things. That's why there's that saying: 'The ancients—their outer transformed but inner did not; the people of today—their inner transformed but outer did not.' This is heartfelt speech spoken by old men when they were truly angry and couldn't help but curse. But deep down, those old men actually hoped that future generations would prove their angry words wrong."
A Liang put the plain seal back in its place, chuckled, and said, "No matter what, you have to recognize words, read books, cultivate the Dao, walk the path, and most of all—eat!"
Ning Yao said, "Don't encourage Chen Ping'an to drink."
A Liang stood up. "A little drink, a little drink—I promise not to drink too much, but I have to drink. A wine seller who doesn't drink? That must mean the shopkeeper is crooked. I have to help the Second Manager prove his integrity."
Today at the Ning Manor, four people sat at the table and ate a meal of home-style dishes.
Chen Ping'an was only allowed one bowl of wine.
A Liang didn't stand on ceremony; he sat in the seat of honor and asked with a smile, "Zuo You is your senior apprentice brother, right? Has he never come to the Ning Manor?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "He mentioned it. My senior brother said that since our teacher hadn't visited the Ning Manor, it wouldn't be proper for him, a student, to come first and put on airs. After that question and answer, when we were practicing swords on the city wall that day, my senior brother's strikes were a bit heavier. I think he was blaming me for not knowing my place."
A Liang took a sip of his wine, shook his head, and said, "You're also foolish. Why didn't you think to tell Zuo You that you'd set aside the seat of honor for the Old Scholar? That way, the Old Scholar would have already taken his seat in spirit. As his student, how could he dare not sit down to accompany him? Even if the teacher isn't there physically, you have to keep him in your heart."
Chen Ping'an thought this made sense and deeply regretted it. With his senior brother's temper, he believed that as long as he brought up the teacher, whether present or not, it would work.
A Liang truly was an old hand; Chen Ping'an still had a lot to learn.
Granny Bai complained, "Our young master is an honest man, not so twisted inside like you, A Liang."
A Liang quickly raised his wine bowl. "Miss Bai, I'll fine myself a cup. You should keep A Liang brother company and drink a bowl."
Bai Lianshuang glared at A Liang but didn't respond, simply picking up her chopsticks to put vegetables in bowls for Ning Yao and Chen Ping'an.
She was an old woman, being called "miss" in front of her young lady and young master—how could that be proper?
A Liang looked at the white-haired old woman and couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy.
He remembered that when he first met Bai Lianshuang, she seemed to be a graceful young girl. Female pure martial artists simply didn't compare to female qi refiners; it was very disadvantageous.
For sword cultivation women of the Sword Qi Great Wall, it was hard to tell their true age just by looking at their appearance.
Nalan Yexing, who served as the steward of the Ning Manor, when he first met the young girl Bai Lianshuang, he didn't look old at all—he seemed like a man just past forty. But later, as Bai Lianshuang changed from a girl to a young woman and then to one with white hair, Nalan Yexing also fell from the Immortal realm to the Jade Perch realm, and his appearance suddenly aged. In fact, when Nalan Yexing still looked like a middle-aged man, A Liang used to say, "Brother Nalan, you have some charm. In the Haoran Tianxia, you'd be a top-notch commodity!"
And the young Bai Lianshuang, who had been extremely beautiful, though she was from the Yao family as a maid, with so many sword cultivators and few martial artists on the Sword Qi Great Wall, she never had to worry about marriage.
But Bai Lianshuang had high standards and excellent martial talent. She didn't fancy any sword immortal man. Year after year, the young girl became an old maid, and the old maid accidentally became an old granny.
A Liang laughed. "Miss Bai, you might not know this, but Nalan Yexing, and Jiang Chu's grandfather—the one nicknamed 'Stone'—he's about your age. There are also quite a few old drunkards who are still bachelors. In the early days, when they saw you, each of them was scared to death and hardly dared to speak. When they met privately afterward, they'd all curse each other for being shameless. Jiang Chu especially liked to scold Nalan Yexing, 'You old fool, how old are you? If you're a senior, just be a senior.' Nalan Yexing's skill at cursing was truly terrible, a miserable sight to behold. But luckily, he was good at fighting. I once saw him sneak into the Jiang family mansion in the dead of night while Jiang Chu was asleep, knock him out with a club, then hit him a few more times in the face. One smooth motion—he didn't leave until the club broke and the man was unconscious. Every time Jiang Chu woke up, he had no idea how he got all bruised and swollen. Later, he even bought several exorcism talismans from me."
The old woman smiled and let it go, but her peripheral vision caught sight of the empty seat near the door.
Ning Yao looked a little worried and turned to Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an shook his head gently, signaling her not to worry.
Some things—Granny Bai was an elder in the family, and Chen Ping'an was ultimately a younger generation—it wasn't appropriate for him to bring them up.
It was right for A Liang to speak.
A Liang then rambled on about more old matters with Bai Lianshuang.
Granny Bai didn't say much in response; she just listened.
Many things and people related to her, she still didn't know very well, because she had never paid attention before, and perhaps because she was just too close to the mountain to see its true shape.
Chen Ping'an noticed that Ning Yao was also listening very seriously, which made him a little helpless.
A Liang suddenly asked, "Chen Ping'an, back in your hometown, weren't there any young women you cared about or who liked you?"
Chen Ping'an answered without hesitation, "No. I was too young; I didn't understand such things. Besides, I went to serve as an apprentice at the Dragon Kiln very early on. According to the old customs of my hometown, women were not allowed near the kiln mouth."
A Liang said, "That's not right. According to Li Huai, at the Mud Vase Lane where your family lives, there's a neighbor's house with a little girl who's really pretty. That's exactly what the books call a 'childhood sweetheart.' How bad could the relationship be? Li Huai said you got up early every day just to help her fetch water, and that there was a hole dug in the wall between your houses—just short of opening a window."
"Every damn day,"* Chen Ping'an cursed in his heart, but said aloud, "Liu Xianyang likes her. I don't. Also, when Li Huai met you, A Liang, he had never even been to Mud Vase Lane. Li Huai's family fetched water from a different well—it was too far. The two walls of my house—one side is next to an empty house, the other side is next to Song Jixin's house. Li Huai talks nonsense. Whoever believes him is an idiot."
Ning Yao said, "I've met her. She is quite pretty. But she's not tall. When she looked over Chen Ping'an's courtyard from her own, if she didn't stand on tiptoe, I could only see the top of her head."
A Liang rubbed his chin, clearly wanting to continue the topic. Chen Ping'an raised his wine bowl and downed it in one go. "I've finished my wine. Now I'm going to eat."
For the rest of the meal, A Liang mostly boasted about his past adventures in the jianghu: the interesting mountain gods, water immortals, yin creatures, and spirits he had met. He said he had once seen a ghost scholar who "fed on words and grew fat"—he really ate books, and after eating them, his cultivation really did improve. He also had the luck to stumble into a mountain banquet euphemistically called the Hundred Flowers Spirit Feast, where he met a little girl hiding and crying bitterly. It turned out she was a little plantain sprite, complaining about the scholars of the world: that the poems and lyrics of the world rarely wrote about plantains, which hurt her realm and made her less favored by her sisters. A Liang was very indignant and joined the little girl in cursing the scholars as worthless. Then, struck by a surge of literary inspiration, he wrote several poems on the spot, inscribing them on leaves to give to the little girl. But the little girl didn't accept a single leaf or poem—she ran off, and for some reason cried even harder. A Liang also said he had once watched a misty water scene with a few skeletons in a wild graveyard, and that he recognized one of the fairies in it, but no one believed him.
He had seen a woman famous for being icy cold across an entire continent, standing alone on a small bridge in the marketplace. Seeing no one around, she twirled her skirt—absolutely adorable. He had also encountered a group of gossiping female ghosts on an overgrown mountain path—scared him to death. And he had once come across a lonely little girl at a ruined grave, dazed and confused. When she saw him, she screamed "Ghost!" and ran around frantically, diving into the earth one moment, popping out the next, but unable to leave the area around the grave. A Liang had to explain to her that he was a good ghost and wouldn't hurt anyone. When the little girl finally regained some clarity, she felt sad for A Liang and asked him how long it had been since he last saw the sun. Later, before A Liang left, he made a little nest for the girl—a small piece of land where wind could gather and water could pool, allowing her to see the sun.
Up to this point, the man who had been so lively and animated lost his smile. He took a big gulp of wine. "Later, I passed by again and went to find the little girl to see if she had grown up. I couldn't find her. I was told that a passing immortal master, without asking any questions, had slain the demon on a whim. I remember the little girl said goodbye to me happily, saying, 'Ha ha, we're ghosts! I don't ever have to be afraid of ghosts again.'"
A Liang picked up a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly. "If I had thought just a little more, even just a little—like not assuming that such a small ghost with so little cultivation, in the middle of nowhere, wouldn't be noticed by anyone, and why did I have to take her to settle with some mountain or river deity? If she had moved her nest, received some incense, gained some security, would she have been less happy? I thought too much about things I shouldn't have, but didn't think enough about things I should have—like the fact that cultivators in the mountains, seeking the Dao single-mindedly, never think too much. The world is full of 'what-ifs,' and I didn't think that either."
A Liang murmured, "Many years have passed, and I still want to know: when that little girl who had no one to rely on in life or death finally left the human world completely, did she still remember that swordsman? Would she have wanted to say something to him? And if she did, what would she say? I'll never know."
Having said this, A Liang turned to Chen Ping'an. "When I told you that nonsense about not caring about what you can't afford to care about, you didn't listen. Good. That's the barefoot kid from Lizhu Cave Heaven that I know—everything you see is a big matter. You wouldn't think that A Liang is a sword immortal, so why would he still be hung up on such a trivial matter and bring it up again at the dinner table?"
A Liang raised his wine bowl and drank it all himself.
Partings of the strong still have a grandeur about them; the joys and sorrows of the weak pass without a sound—you can't even tell if there's a sob.
Ning Yao and Granny Bai left the table first, saying they were going to sit in the pavilion at Dragon-Slaying Cliff. Ning Yao told Chen Ping'an to stay and drink a little more with A Liang, and Chen Ping'an said he would clean up the dishes later.
When they finished their wine, Chen Ping'an escorted A Liang to the main gate.
Chen Ping'an suddenly remembered that A Liang seemed to have no proper place to stay on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
He only knew that after drinking, A Liang would wobble off on his flying sword and just stay in any of the idle private residences left behind by sword immortals outside the city.
He could also just lie down and sleep on the city wall.
A Liang said, "For the next six months, you won't be able to go down to the city to fight anyway. So take the time to plan for yourself—nurture your swords, practice your fists, refine your objects. You'll have plenty to do. At the Summer Retreat Palace, Chou Miao is in charge. The hidden official lineage of sword cultivators, even if a few young outsiders leave, can still fill the vacancies and each carry out their duties. At the Spring Banner Studio, there's Yan Ming and the others. Neither side will have issues. My advice: you can make several trips to Old Deaf's prison. Whether you have business or not, go and experience the realm suppression of an Immortal realm great demon. It's a pity that that Flying Ascension realm one had its head ripped off—otherwise, the effect would be even better. I'll talk to Old Deaf and have him keep an eye on things for you. There won't be any accidents. You can take advantage of the innate divine ability of that 'Caged Bird' of yours, and also the bottleneck of your seventh-tier martial artist, to hone yourself."
Chen Ping'an wanted to say something but held back.
A Liang said, "Can't drag it out any longer, and there's no need to. Just half a year—enough for the Old Chief Sword Immortal to arrange a retreat."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
A Liang smiled. "These six months, I'll be here."
Suddenly, A Liang said, "The Old Chief Sword Immortal is a good man, with high swordsmanship, good character, kind eyes and brows, big eyes and thick eyebrows, broad shoulders and a thick waist—truly a dignified appearance..."
Chen Ping'an was confused, wondering why A Liang's flattery was so clumsy. Then he found himself on the city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Near the thatched hut, there were none other than the old sword immortal and several great sword immortals.
The tomboy Yuan Zaohua had once given them a list of the top ten sword immortals in their young minds: the Old Chief Sword Immortal, Dong Sangang, A Liang, the Hidden Official, Chen Xi, Qi Tingji, Zuo You, Nalan Shaowei, Old Deaf, and Lu Zhi.
At this moment, Chen Ping'an's senior brother Zuo You, who had been in Tongye Continent, had been replaced by A Liang, who had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall.
As for the Hidden Official, he was still there, but he had changed from Xiao Xun to Chen Ping'an.
For some reason today, the ten of them had gathered on the city wall.
The old sword immortal Chen Xi smiled slightly at the young hidden official, and Chen Ping'an returned the greeting with a cupped fist.
Chen Qingdu clasped his hands behind his back and asked with a smile, "Hidden Official, you're the only one here who isn't a sword immortal."
Chen Ping'an nodded helplessly.
Nalan Shaowei looked askance at him and chuckled.
Chen Ping'an saw nothing and heard nothing.
A Liang was arm-in-arm with Old Deaf, muttering away. Old Deaf bowed and scraped, stroked his beard, glanced a few times at the young hidden official, and nodded vigorously.
Chen Qingdu said, "We're done talking. Everyone can disperse."
Most of the sword immortals returned on their flying swords.
Even A Liang didn't say anything, walking off into the distance with Old Deaf.
Chen Ping'an stood there dumbfounded. What the hell?
Chen Qingdu waved his hand and said, "I just pulled you over here to make up the numbers."
Chen Ping'an probed, "Old Chief Sword Immortal, you really don't need me for anything?"
Chen Qingdu shook his head with a pitying look.
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to summon his talisman boat and return to the city, utterly confused.
Earlier, on the northern part of the city wall, he had seen the sword immortal of the Wind and Snow Temple practicing his sword. He greeted him, saying, "Sword Immortal Wei is sunbathing."
Wei Jin smiled, his pitying gaze exactly like the Old Chief Sword Immortal's, watching the distant talisman boat. "What an idiot," he thought. "Kind of gullible."
When he returned to the Ning Manor, he only saw Granny Bai at the pavilion. Ning Yao was not there. The old woman just smiled and said she didn't know where the young lady had gone.
With nothing to do for the moment, Chen Ping'an couldn't figure out what to do, so he flew his sword to the Summer Retreat Palace to find something to keep himself busy.
Ning Yao sat in her room, carefully writing the character "Chen."
After she finished, she lay on the table in a daze.
On the table, beside the travelogue of mountains and rivers that Chen Ping'an had given her, rested several books. Every page was filled with Chen Ping'an's name, and only his name.
Today she wrote "Chen," tomorrow she would write "Ping," and the day after, "An."
One character per day, and in three days, "Chen Ping'an."
She was different from Chen Ping'an. After Chen Ping'an met her, he crossed thousands of mountains and rivers and had many stories, big and small.
After she and Chen Ping'an were reunited on Inverted Mountain, her story seemed to contain only Chen Ping'an.