# Chapter 761: Old in the Jianghu
Zhou Mili pricked up her ears and waited for a while. Sure enough, no sound came. She didn't dare turn her head, sighed, and looked pitifully at Chen Lingjun, lowering her voice: "Jingqing, I'm dreaming. I must have dozed off at the mountain gate and gotten confused..."
The reason Chen Ping'an hadn't continued speaking was because he was following the mountain and river conventions recorded in that authentic alchemy scripture. After arriving at Luopo Mountain, he immediately took out a stick of mountain and river incense as a gesture of respect to "send off the saint," the Three Mountains and Nine Marquises Master. When Chen Ping'an silently lit the incense, blue smoke curled upward but didn't dissipate into the world. Instead, it condensed into a mass of green cloud that gathered without dispersing, forming a miniature mountain—like a mountain market manifested by Luopo Mountain itself. But within this mirage-like miniature Luopo Mountain, only Chen Ping'an's figure in blue robes was visible alone.
Chen Ping'an had crossed nearly half a continent, essentially borrowing the divine power of a Flying Ascension realm great cultivator to rush to Luopo Mountain. He could remain here for about one incense stick's worth of time, after which he would return to the ferry boat and continue his journey northward back home. The current Chen Ping'an was naturally his true self appearing here, but he had been dragged here by a mysterious Three Mountains Talisman.
Chen Lingjun, still in the form of a blue-clad child, opened his mouth wide and stared blankly at the master behind the black-clothed little girl. Then Chen Lingjun thought that whether it was Zhou Mili dreaming or himself dreaming was debatable, so he gave himself a hard slap. The force was a bit strong, and the sound rang through the air like thunder. The slap spun him around, lifting his bottom off the stone stool, and he nearly stumbled to the ground. Chen Ping'an took a step forward, first reaching out to steady Chen Lingjun's shoulder, then kicked him in the backside, making this "great one"—who had boasted that "in the Northern Marchmount area, except for Luopo Mountain, no one can withstand a single punch from me"—sit back down in his original seat.
The black-clothed little girl rubbed her eyes, bounced up, and neither dared nor was willing to lightly poke the good mountain lord. Afraid it might be a dream, she then crossed her arms over her chest, tightly furrowed her sparse eyebrows, and took small steps as she circled around the tall good mountain lord. The little girl wept bitterly while her eyes also held a smile, cautiously asking: "Jingqing, is it that when we join forces, we're even more invincible in the world, truly making the river of time flow backward? That's not right. The good mountain lord used to be young, but today he looks taller and older. Could it be that we don't have eyes in the back of our heads and accidentally took the wrong path..."
Chen Ping'an bent down and pressed on Zhou Mili's head, smiling: "It's not a dream. I really am back. But after one incense stick's time, I'll have to return to a nameless mountain peak slightly south of central Baoiping Continent. However, at most within a month, Pei Qian and I can come home together. I was eager to see you all, so I used a new talisman I learned."
Zhou Mili hugged Chen Ping'an tightly and cried out: "Take me with you! We'll go and return together!"
Chen Ping'an was somewhat helpless. He rubbed the little girl's head, remaining bent over, then raised his head and waved, smiling: "Everyone has worked hard."
The great steward Zhu Lian, the law-enforcing Changming, and the Northern Marchmount mountain lord Wei Bo all sensed the unusual mountain and river aura and came together to the bamboo building to investigate.
Zhu Lian smiled: "The young master has even more masculine charm. The female immortals and chivalrous women of the Haoran world are in for a treat."
Changming, dressed in a snow-white long robe, performed a wanfu salute, smiling sweetly: "Changming greets the master."
Wei Bo sighed with emotion and teased: "We've finally managed to hope for your return. It seems that Zhou Mili has done a great deed."
Chen Ping'an couldn't move a step. Zhou Mili had made up her mind to cling to him, just like back at Yaba Lake.
Chen Lingjun finally came to his senses. Immediately, with a face full of snot and tears, he shouted "Master!" and ran toward Chen Ping'an. But Chen Ping'an reached out and pressed his head, gave it a light twist, and slapped him back onto the stool, laughing as he scolded: "What a fine river journey you've made. You've really become something."
Chen Lingjun immediately felt a bit guilty. He coughed a few times, somewhat envious of Zhou Mili, and tapped the stone table with his finger, speaking seriously: "Right Guardian, that's not proper. Didn't my master say he only has one incense stick's worth of time before he must travel like an immortal? Hurry up and let my master discuss serious matters with them. Oh my, look, isn't this the great Northern Marchmount mountain lord, Brother Wei? What an honor! I failed to welcome you from afar, and there's no wine to entertain guests. My apologies! Alas, if only Nuan Shu were on the mountain. Brother Wei and I don't need to stand on ceremony anyway..."
Wei Bo smiled and nodded.
Chen Lingjun laughed dryly. Look at you acting so impressive. A Northern Marchmount mountain lord no bigger around than a bowl—on our Luopo Mountain, you're still a guest. Don't you know that? Later, when Piyun Mountain holds that night tour banquet, even begging this great one won't get me to attend.
With the master back home, Chen Lingjun's backbone immediately turned to iron. He feared no one.
Zhou Mili finally let go. Hopping and skipping, she circled Chen Ping'an, repeatedly calling him "good mountain lord."
Ha! The good mountain lord had come home this time without carrying a big bamboo basket, so there was no strange little girl standing inside it.
Chen Lingjun immediately stood up, vigorously wiped the stone stool with his sleeve, bent down and blew away the dust, beaming: "Master, over here, over here, sit here..."
Zhou Mili didn't sit down either. She went to fetch the green bamboo staff and the small golden carrying pole, standing beside the good mountain lord, acting as a gatekeeper together with Jingqing. The three empty seats were for the old cook, Sister Changming, and Mountain Lord Wei.
A figure in blue long gown with a jade hairpin, tall and slender, with a vermillion wine gourd at his waist—to outsiders it was nothing if not elegant. To his own people, it was even more spirited.
Chen Lingjun and Zhou Mili each took out a handful of melon seeds. Zhou Mili gave half to the good mountain lord, and divided the remaining seeds equally among the other three. The blue-clad child first gave some to his master, then divided them among the old cook and the law-enforcing Changming, but none for Wei Bo. Chen Lingjun even deliberately shook his empty sleeve, apologizing: "Truly sorry, Brother Wei."
Wei Bo continued smiling, enduring it for now.
Chen Ping'an smiled: "The ferry boat is hovering over a mountain peak slightly south of central Baoiping Continent. Besides me, there's Pei Qian, whom I happened to meet in the Cloud Cavern Blessed Land; the Resident Feng, Zhou Fei, who came back with me; and the nine Sword Immortal seedlings I brought back from the Sword Qi Great Wall. The children are all young. I estimate they'll be sent to the Sword Worship Terrace to practice sword cultivation. If any of you want to take disciples, you can choose among them. Mm, Zhou Fei will be Luopo Mountain's Chief Resident from now on. But when the Jise Peak Ancestral Hall meeting happens in a month, try to make the process a bit more circuitous. Good things come to those who wait."
"After I left the Sword Qi Great Wall, I first went to the Creation Cave and Tongye Continent. The reason I didn't return to Luopo Mountain immediately and arrived so late, missing many things, is complicated. I'll discuss it with you in detail next time I return. On the way back from Tongye Continent, there were also some commotions. For example, Jiang Shangzhen, in order to secure the position of Chief Resident, almost ended up dueling Pei Min alongside Cui Dongshan and me at the Mirage City of the Great Spring Dynasty. You don't need to guess—that's the Pei Min of the Three Wonders of Haoran, the swordsman Pei Min. So Jiang Shangzhen almost really 'nailed it down' for the sake of being 'nailed on as Chief.' If I don't give him the Chief position, it wouldn't make sense. There's no mountain Resident in the world who sends money and is willing to risk his life like this. I'm informing you all in advance—consider this the mountain lord's unilateral decision."
Chen Ping'an spoke quickly, his expression relaxed.
He finally didn't need to use mind speech or sound condensation anymore.
Zhu Lian and Wei Bo exchanged smiles. A Resident like Jiang Shangzhen was one of a kind in the world. Where would you find another? They truly needed to cherish him. As for whether it was a unilateral decision or not, the mountain lord had the final say.
Law-enforcing Changming's eyes curved into crescents. Being able to see the Hidden Officer again made her very happy.
Chen Ping'an turned to the old cook: "Zhu Lian, summon back to Luopo Mountain everyone currently outside who isn't busy with important matters. Tentatively set the Jise Peak meeting for one month from now. It's best if everyone is present. As for the specific date, you and Mountain Lord Wei can pick an auspicious day."
Zhu Lian nodded with a smile: "The young master's return is the most important matter. No matter what busyness, without the young master at home, we're all just busywork. None of us really have a sense of direction."
Chen Ping'an suppressed a laugh and gave a thumbs up, but said: "The matter of relocating the Fox Kingdom wasn't done properly."
Zhu Lian immediately nodded: "With the young master not on the mountain, when we do things, we inevitably lose some measure. We neglect some jianghu principles. Now that the young master is home, we can set things right."
Chen Ping'an shifted his gaze to the mountain lord, who looked even more elegant and refined: "I trouble the mountain lord to send a flying sword message to Mi Yu of Caique Manor. Have our Great Sword Immigrant Mi remove the name 'Yu Mi' from the Northern Marchmount mountain and water registry and defect to Luopo Mountain. Luopo Mountain is about to be elevated to sect level, so we need a Sword Immortal to sit in the sect. Besides promoting Luopo Mountain to a sect, I also plan to establish a subordinate sect in the northern region of Tongye Continent. My personal suggestion is to have Cao Qinglang serve as the subordinate sect's master. If you have objections, we can certainly discuss them further. I won't decide this major matter unilaterally."
Chen Ping'an glanced at the blue incense smoke from the "Mountain Market," which was going from thick to thin. He stood up apologetically: "I need to hurry back immediately. I'll see you all in a month."
He noticed that the three of them all had somewhat amused expressions.
Chen Ping'an smiled and gave them the answer: "Don't guess. I'm a half-baked Jade Purity realm sword cultivator, a Stopping realm martial artist. Against that pressing Immortal realm swordsman Pei Min, I only have a little ability to defend myself."
Chen Lingjun wiped away some tears of mixed emotions, lamenting: "Too low. Lower than expected. Most improper. Master, you've disappointed me greatly. Not as heroic and mighty as before..."
Chen Ping'an glanced at the blue-clad child.
Chen Lingjun immediately stopped his chatter, sighed, and hung his head dejectedly: "Master, scold me if you want. I know I let you down on that river journey in Northern Julu Continent."
But Chen Ping'an reached out and pressed Chen Lingjun's head, smiling: "I've heard detailed accounts of that river journey from both Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian. You did much better than I imagined. I won't praise you too much, lest your tail gets higher than Mountain Lord Wei's Piyun Mountain."
Chen Lingjun suddenly raised his head, grinning mischievously: "Master, you're not tricking me into staying on the mountain first, afraid I might run away, are you?"
Chen Ping'an faced the bamboo building, took a deep look at the second floor, then, with his back to the cliff, stepped back a few paces. He gently cupped his hands in a silent farewell, then lightly tapped his foot. His body swept backward, falling into a patch of white clouds outside the cliff—a passerby's path. His entire figure instantly condensed into a mustard seed, flashed with golden light, and in the space of a step, he vanished from sight.
Zhu Lian slowly stood up, one hand supporting the stone table. He smiled knowingly: "It feels like a lifetime ago. A beautiful dream has come true."
Wei Bo said: "First the sect, then the subordinate sect. You'll all be busy from now on."
Changming smiled: "According to the mountain lord's temperament, if he earns money, he always has to spend it."
As soon as Chen Ping'an left, the blue-clad child immediately turned around, bent over, reached out with both hands, and quickly "moved mountains" of melon seeds toward Wei Bo's side. Looking up with a fawning smile: "Great Mountain Lord Wei, poor hospitality. Have some melon seeds. My master left a lot."
Wei Bo smiled: "This isn't good. How would I dare? I am an outsider, after all."
Chen Lingjun said with great pain: "Who has the conscience to treat Mountain Lord Wei as an outsider? Who? This is truly defying heaven!"
---
After about three incense sticks' worth of time, Chen Ping'an had walked through the "mind-contemplated" Three Mountains. He arrived at a small mountain peak not far from the ferry boat, where he lit incense as a final act of respect. The northernmost mountain, his hometown Luopo Mountain, served as the middle bridge between two mountains. As for the first incense he had lit earlier, that mountain—the first he had honored—was a small peak he had passed when he first traveled south alone as a young man. If Chen Ping'an hadn't wanted to return to the ferry boat, he could have skipped meeting Pei Qian and Jiang Shangzhen again, lit incense in sequence heading north, and simply stayed at Luopo Mountain.
Now, as he flew back from the small mountain peak to the bow of the cloud boat, Chen Ping'an stumbled, steadied himself, and had to press one hand to his forehead and the other to his abdomen. Both wounds were entirely thanks to that swordsman Pei Min.
Pei Qian immediately glanced at Jiang Shangzhen, who smiled and shook his head, indicating it was fine—her master could handle it.
This cloud boat, which had departed from the newly built Old Dragon City immortal ferry station, had received an official mountain pass from the Ministry of Rites of the Great Li Dynasty. It had been traveling north without any stops until now, hovering somewhere south of the Central Marchmount. This location wasn't far from the Central Marchmount's Crown Prince Mountain, so it also wasn't too distant from the neighboring countries of Caiyi and Shushui in central Baoiping Continent.
Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, then opened them and said to Pei Qian: "Once you've broken into the Stopping realm, your master will teach you this Three Mountains Talisman."
Back at the Yao residence, Cui Dongshan had put on quite a show. He had almost bathed and changed clothes, and had indeed burned incense and washed his hands before respectfully "presenting" the "Authentic Alchemy Scripture" that Li Xisheng had given his teacher.
Finally, Chen Ping'an had consulted with Cui Dongshan about a talisman in the book, located on the third-to-last page, called the Three Mountains Talisman. Once a cultivator conceived the thought and casually recalled three mountain peaks they had visited in the past, using visualization techniques to create three mountain markets, the cultivator could travel great distances extremely quickly. The biggest characteristic of this talisman was that the bearer's physique had to withstand the washing of the river of time. If the physique wasn't tough enough, their soul would be worn away and their lifespan shortened. If their realm was insufficient and they forced such travel, their flesh and blood would dissolve, their form would wither into skeletal remains, and they would become a lonely ghost in one of the mountain markets. Moreover, because they would be trapped at some ferry crossing within the river of time, even immortals would find it hard to save them.
Unless a sage of the Confucian Temple was willing to expend their own merit and cultivation, and there were traces to follow—such as knowing the exact locations of the three mountains, or having an eternal life lamp at the Ancestral Hall—only then could their remnant soul be fished up from the river of time.
That was why Li Xisheng had made detailed annotations in red ink next to this talisman: "Unless a Ninth Realm martial artist or Upper Five Realm sword cultivator, never use this talisman lightly. A Stopping realm martial artist or Immortal realm sword cultivator should use this talisman no more than three times. It benefits the physique and soul, with more advantages than disadvantages. Three times is optimal. Do not overuse. Do not cross continents. Subsequent uses of this talisman for travel will only waste fate and fortune. If this talisman is abused, disasters will follow whenever near a mountain."
Apart from the extremely high threshold for activating this talisman, the material requirements for the talisman itself were surprisingly low. The only "return gift to send off the saint" was to visit all three mountains in full and burn incense to honor the Three Mountains and Nine Marquises Master. In the "Authentic Alchemy Scripture," the further one progressed, the more annotations Li Xisheng made; the rituals and mountain and river taboos were explained thoroughly and clearly. When Cui Dongshan had posted the three talismans at the Yao residence, he had casually mentioned that the pages of the authentic alchemy scripture themselves were excellent talisman paper.
This had earned him a scolding from his teacher, so Cui Dongshan settled for the next best thing, suggesting that his teacher could "refine the calligraphy." The calligraphy to be refined, of course, was the personal annotations of the scholar Li Xisheng. When Cui Dongshan had flipped through the pages, he caught a glimpse: over one thousand two hundred characters were enough to support a grand ritual to enshrine one thousand two hundred divine positions. Chen Ping'an neither confirmed nor denied this. Whether this matter would succeed, he would ask Li Xisheng first when the time came.
If refining those one thousand two hundred characters would conjure a grand mountain protection formation out of thin air for Luopo Mountain, Chen Ping'an wouldn't hesitate. But Chen Ping'an had an idea—he hoped that when Taiping Mountain was rebuilt in the future, it could possess such a mountain and river formation. This involved the transmission of incense and fire within the lineage. The Old Heavenly Lord of Taiping Mountain, the female priest Huang Ting, Li Xisheng—Chen Ping'an was merely doing something akin to building a bridge. So he had to ask Li Xisheng first.
Pei Qian's eyes lit up. She nodded: "Then I'll work hard and try to be quick, so I don't keep Master waiting too long."
Chen Ping'an wanted to say something but held back. Forget it. There was no way to discuss this further.
For an ordinary pure martial artist wanting to break through from the Mountain Summit realm into the Stopping realm—was that the kind of thing that could be achieved simply by working hard? Take Chen Ping'an himself, for example. He had wandered around the Sword Qi Great Wall for so many years and had always felt that he might never reach the Tenth Realm in his lifetime. And that was indeed the case. From the time he broke into the Ninth Realm relatively early until he left the Sword Qi Great Wall and set foot on Tongye Continent, where he then relied on bearing his true name to barely make it into the Tenth Realm—the gap spanned far too many years. This had also been the longest Chen Ping'an had stagnated at any single martial realm.
Earlier, at Yunji Peak, Cui Dongshan had had a private chat with his master, Chen Ping'an.
"Master, the Senior Sister has created her own fist techniques, and they're extremely impressive. Even more famous."
"That's good news."
"Three techniques. She comprehended one at the Leigong Temple in the Aiai Continent, asking a Ninth Realm martial artist as an Eighth Realm to duel with fists—remarkable boldness. The second, on the battlefield near the companion capital of Baoiping Continent, possessed immense killing power; a single punch killed an Infant Formation soldier. After the fist duel with Cao Ci, she comprehended another technique, with extremely profound fist principles. These are all recognized by the mountain cultivation world. Especially that group of Upper Five Realm and Earth Immortal cultivators from Jinjia Continent who fought alongside the Senior Sister—they now argue on her behalf, saying that Cao Ci simply started learning boxing earlier, is older, and had an immense advantage. Otherwise, our Miss Zheng would have won four consecutive matches against Cao Ci..."
"Right..."
It was hard for outsiders to imagine that "Zheng Qian" was a certain someone's first disciple, but Chen Ping'an, as the master, had never truly taught Pei Qian any real boxing techniques.
As for proper, step-by-step instruction in fist techniques, stances, and principles—it seemed there had never been any. Not a single one.
Jiang Shangzhen said softly: "Only three chances in total. That's incredibly rare. The mountain lord still acted a bit hastily. No matter what, the remaining two chances should be saved for escaping danger."
Chen Ping'an shook his head and smiled: "You're not a pure martial artist, so you don't understand the true mystery here. If I wait until the mountains and rivers of my personal microcosm are stable, then use this talisman, it would be a waste of a gift from heaven. The benefits would be minimal. But I do need to cherish the remaining two chances."
Cui Dongshan had naturally learned this Three Mountains Talisman, and Chen Ping'an had also passed it on to Jiang Shangzhen. As both an Immortal realm cultivator and a sword cultivator, Jiang Shangzhen had immediately put it into practice. Inside the Green Tiger Temple, he had drawn three golden talismans on the spot and traveled to Taiping Mountain, Zhaoping Peak, and Tianque Peak, feeling refreshed and invigorated. He said that such a "soul-nourishing" talisman actually existing in the world was truly strange and ineffably wonderful. At Tianque Peak, the Old Immortal Lu, returning home in glory, met the "old friend" Chen Ping'an and Old Sect Leader Jiang with tears of joy streaming from the depths of his soul. Old Lu Yong sighed with emotion, saying that as long as one could live and meet again, there would be no obstacle in the world they couldn't overcome.
The Green Tiger Temple at Tianque Peak was practically a ruin, just an empty shell with all its valuables stripped clean. Fortunately, Lu Yong's flight to Baoiping Continent had turned misfortune into fortune; he had gained everything—fame in the mountain world, solid immortal money, recorded merits in the Confucian Temple, and a connection with the Great Li Iron Cavalry. It could be said that if the Old Immortal Lu had returned home any later, who would have become the mountain ruler after the Peach Leaf Alliance of the Great Spring Dynasty would have been anyone's guess.
When Lu Yong heard that Young Master Chen needed a batch of Meditation-Forgotten Pills to give to Ye Yunyun of Pushan Cloud Grass Hall, the old immortal immediately patted his chest and guaranteed it was a trivial matter—a letter to the Green Tiger Temple would have sufficed. He would consult the almanac, pick a suitable day, and immediately start the furnace. The unique mountain and water spiritual energy of Qingjing Mountain was still somewhat present. Jiang Shangzhen, at that time, was sitting with his legs crossed, drinking tea, and said, "Old Brother Lu, don't forget it's one batch." The Old Immortal Lu blinked and immediately complained, "What? Just one batch of Meditation-Forgotten Pills? That's not exciting enough. Good things come in pairs. If I don't refine two batches, I won't even be able to stretch my limbs properly. Since that Yellow-Robed Yun is a friend of Young Master Chen and Sect Leader Jiang, she's the Green Tiger Temple's most honored guest. When the time comes, I'll deliver the two batches of pills to her personally. I won't make her take an extra trip. Pushan wants to buy them with money? What kind of joke is that? Don't they truly consider me Lu Yong as a friend of Young Master Chen and Sect Leader Jiang!"
During this time, Chen Ping'an took out a seal he had prepared as a gift of thanks for the old immortal.
After Lu Yong received the seal with both hands, he held it in one palm while gently turning it with two fingers of the other hand, sighing with emotion: "The gift is too heavy, and the sentiment even heavier."
Then he turned to Chen Ping'an and complained: "Young Master Chen, the next time you come to Tianque Peak, don't do this. The gift is good, it's good, but this way, it truly feels like you're a guest. Young Master Chen is clearly returning to his own mountain."
Pei Qian sat to the side, listening in bewilderment. The Old Immortal Lu certainly knew how to chat. Just like back in the day, his style remained unchanged.
In the end, Lu Yong seemed to belatedly realize something and looked at the young woman with her hair tied in a bun. He could vaguely make out a few of the features she had as a child.
The Old Immortal Lu remembered very clearly that back then, Chen Ping'an had a little charcoal-black girl with him. Even then, Lu Yong had found it very strange. The mountain protection formation of Tianque Peak, which separated the mountain above from the mountain below, was a sea of clouds. When climbing high and becoming trapped within it, unless one was an Infant Formation cultivator like Lu Yong, even a Golden Core guest would be lost in the mist, unable to see any scenery clearly. But that little charcoal-black girl had been holding a mountain-walking staff the entire time. As she climbed the steps, the staff went *duo duo duo* against the stones. She kept looking around, sometimes secretly sizing up Lu Yong. And whenever Lu Yong turned his head or was about to turn, the little girl would immediately turn away. Back then, Lu Yong was certain that this mischievous little girl was a fine seedling for Dao cultivation.
That wasn't the only thing. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. But he dared not believe she was really that legendary female grandmaster, Zheng Qian. The name had the character "Qian," but the surname was different. So Lu Yong didn't dare recognize her. Moreover, a Ninth Realm martial artist in her thirties? A female grandmaster who had dueled Cao Ci four times in the Central Divine Continent? Lu Yong truly didn't dare believe it. Unfortunately, back then on Baoiping Continent, whether at Old Dragon City or the central companion capital, Lu Yong hadn't needed to rush to the battlefield to fight for his life. He only needed to focus on alchemy in the rear. So he had only caught a distant glimpse of Zheng Qian's back as she flew toward the battlefield. At the time, he thought her profile looked somewhat familiar.
Chen Ping'an smiled: "Old Brother Lu, to be honest, this disciple of mine uses the alias Zheng Qian whenever she goes out."
Lu Yong quickly stood up and, with great solemnity, made a Daoist bow: "I was blind. This poor Daoist was truly blind. Greetings to Zheng... no, to Grandmaster Pei."
Pei Qian had no choice but to stand up and return the gesture with cupped fists: "The Old Immortal Lu is too kind."
Jiang Shangzhen, watching the young mountain lord who now showed a face full of smiles after revealing the secret, thought that at that moment, Chen Ping'an was like an elder from a scholarly family. After a civil service exam had concluded, speaking to a long-lost friend from officialdom, unable to suppress his laughter or his words, and blurting out something like, "This junior at home is incorrigibly stubborn. Just managed to pass as the second-place graduate. His future is mediocre, not quite up to standard"...
As for these matters—whether Chen Ping'an as the master said anything, or Jiang Shangzhen as an outsider—it didn't really matter whether they told Pei Qian now. Pei Qian would surely understand anyway. But it would be better for her to figure it out herself in the future.
Because Luopo Mountain and the subordinate sect would soon see a new batch of children growing up, along with certain young people rising rapidly.
Before leaving Tianque Peak, Jiang Shangzhen had pulled aside the uneasy Old Immortal Lu for a few casual chats. Among them was one sentence: "Having a Lu Yong on Tongye Continent is like having an unshakeable sect standing tall in the hearts of Haoran world cultivators." This seemingly polite remark from Jiang Shangzhen made the old Infant Formation cultivator, who had almost died in a foreign land, burst into tears on the spot. It was as if he had taken a big gulp of strong liquor in his youth.
As agreed, the cloud boat slowly proceeded toward the southeast direction of Baoiping Continent. Jiang Shangzhen handed Chen Ping'an a seal talisman that served as a pivot for the ferry boat's grand formation. Previously, it was by using this talisman that Jiang Shangzhen had been able to rush to Mirage City so quickly. However, this method consumed a large amount of Grain Rain Coins. Chen Ping'an hadn't planned to accept it, but Jiang Shangzhen casually tossed it out of the ferry boat. Chen Ping'an caught and controlled it in hand. Then, with Jiang Shangzhen and Pei Qian guarding the ferry boat and all the children, Chen Ping'an, wearing a bamboo hat, carrying a sword on his back, and with the Sword-Nourishing Gourd at his waist, took a deep breath and flew alone toward Caiyi Kingdom.
Returning to an old haunt.
The first time had been filled with a heavy Yin Fiend aura, like an uninhabited ghost domain. The second time, the scenery was beautiful, with no trace of Fiend aura. This time, the mountain and water spiritual energy seemed much thinner. Fortunately, the familiar old mansion still stood, guarded by two stone lions at the gate, still hung with spring couplets, and with two colored portraits of door gods pasted up.
In this twilight of sunset, Chen Ping'an adjusted his bamboo hat, raised his hand, paused for a long time, and then gently knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door wasn't the familiar old nanny, but Yang Huang, accompanied by his wife.
Chen Ping'an lifted his hand and removed his bamboo hat.
Just as Yang Huang was about to speak, his wife immediately grabbed his sleeve, so Yang Huang remained silent.
After removing his bamboo hat, Chen Ping'an smiled: "Brother Yang, Sister-in-law, long time no see."
Entering the house, Chen Ping'an naturally closed the door behind him. After turning around, he said softly: "I've been on a long journey these past years. Very far. I just returned."
Yang Huang sighed and nodded: "No wonder."
His ghost wife, Yingying, stamped heavily on her husband's foot—the one that should have stayed quiet rather than speaking.
Yingying smiled: "I'll go get the wine. You two start drinking, and I'll cook a few dishes to go with it."
Chen Ping'an smiled: "If you don't mind, let me cook. My culinary skills aren't bad."
Yang Huang burst out laughing: "That's not proper. Don't you trust your sister-in-law's cooking?"
Yingying quietly stamped her foot again, this time twisting her toes. Yang Huang knew he had said something wrong again.
An outsider, a malevolent spirit, and a female ghost—the three host and guests made their way to the kitchen. Chen Ping'an knew the place well. He started the fire, sat on the familiar little stool, and picked up the familiar bamboo tube for blowing the fire. Yingying went to fetch several jugs of homemade wine that had been stored year after year. Yang Huang couldn't very well start drinking alone. With nothing to do, he stood by the kitchen door. After being stamped on twice by his wife, he didn't know how to start a conversation.
Chen Ping'an sat on the little stool, holding the bamboo fire-tube, and turned to ask: "Brother Yang, when did the old nanny pass away?"
Yang Huang said: "Quite a few years ago. But it's fine. Other than worrying about why you never came, she had no other concerns. Before she left, she told Yingying and me not to forget to brew wine every year, for fear that you might come one day and there wouldn't be enough to drink."
Chen Ping'an said: "Then I'll take more wine with me when I go back."
Yang Huang hesitated for a moment: "Don't overthink it. Everything is fine."
Chen Ping'an nodded. Suddenly he stood up and said apologetically: "Let sister-in-law do the cooking. I'll go burn incense at the old nanny's grave."
The small grave wasn't too far from the house, nor too close. The old woman had once said that if it were too far, she wouldn't bear it. Too close, and it would be taboo.
At the lonely grave, Chen Ping'an lit three sticks of incense. It wasn't until today, when he saw the tombstone, that he learned the old nanny's name. It was neither good nor bad.
Yang Huang had been somewhat worried about Chen Ping'an, but from beginning to end, as Yang Huang had said earlier, everything was fine.
Returning to the house, the table was still set with plain white bowls, no wine cups. Chen Ping'an still drank slowly. He and Yang Huang weren't the type to urge each other to drink or toast frequently, but neither of them drank little. Yingying, who usually didn't drink, also sat beside them and had a bowl of wine.
Chen Ping'an sipped his wine while chatting casually with Yang Huang. He asked about the former Governor Liu and Liu Gaohua. It turned out that Lord Liu, who had served as the Governor of Qing Prefecture, had been advancing rapidly in officialdom. He had previously served as the Minister of Revenue in Caiyi Kingdom and had now retired to his hometown. Liu Gaohua had toiled hard and barely passed the metropolitan exam as a "same background" graduate. But later, his official career was not smooth, so he simply resigned and continued traveling. When war broke out, relying on his family's connections, he volunteered for official service and went to the Ministry of War of Caiyi Kingdom. Later, he went to work in the Six Ministries of the Great Li companion capital. His official rank wasn't high, but according to convention, a sixth-rank official of the Great Li court was equivalent to a third-rank minister of a vassal state. In recent years, the old Minister Liu had been hoping that Liu Gaohua would return to serve in the Caiyi Kingdom court, first as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Revenue. Not to mention serving his homeland and the court, at least he could earn the officialdom reputation of "one family, two ministers." But Liu Gaohua was adamantly unwilling, which made the old minister furious. As for the old minister's eldest daughter, an old maiden of considerable age, she had married a poor scholar. As for the younger daughter, Liu Gaoxin, her luck was poor. She had become a direct disciple of the Divine Proclamation Sect, but in the great battle, her Longevity Bridge was almost severed, and she was severely injured. Because of her battle merits, she was allowed to retain her identity as a direct disciple. After recovering, she descended the mountain and returned home. Although her realm had dropped severely and she had white hair at a young age, she still held a Resident title in Caiyi Kingdom...
Chen Ping'an noted everything.
Somehow, the conversation turned from Liu Gaoxin to Yang Huang himself, who was also from the Divine Proclamation Sect's registry. And then they inadvertently talked about what the old nanny had looked like when she was young.
Chen Ping'an tried to imagine it but couldn't.
His expression was dazed.
This drinking session lasted a full two hours. Chen Ping'an wasn't drunk, but Yang Huang, who had actually drunk less than him, was thoroughly intoxicated.
That night, Chen Ping'an rested for a few hours in the familiar room. In the dead of night, he got up, put on his boots, and went to sit on a railing, hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked up blankly at the courtyard. Clouds gathered and scattered. Occasionally, he would withdraw his gaze and look toward the corridor, as if, if he wasn't careful, a lantern would come floating toward him.
Early in the morning, Chen Ping'an returned to the room, put on his sword and bamboo hat, filled his Sword-Nourishing Gourd with wine, and also brought many jugs of wine.
Chen Ping'an bid farewell to the couple, saying he wanted to go to the Sword-Water Mountain Estate in Shushui Kingdom. He invited them to visit his hometown in the Dragon Province of Great Li, a place called Luopo Mountain.
Yang Huang agreed, saying he would definitely go.
At the drinking table the previous day, no matter how much Yang Huang drank, he never mentioned that he had once gone to the Old Dragon City battlefield and had nearly been scattered to the winds. Just as Chen Ping'an never mentioned that he came from the Sword Qi Great Wall and had nearly been unable to return home.
Perhaps that was precisely why they could drink together time and again, and would keep agreeing to drink again.
Chen Ping'an didn't go directly to the Sword-Water Mountain Estate. According to what he had heard back then, the entire estate would be relocated to a place of green hills and clear waters bordering Guyu Kingdom. The original site of the estate would become a mountain god's mansion second only to the Five Marchmounts in Shushui Kingdom. Song Fengshan's wife, Liu Qian, would be promoted on the spot to become the Mountain Goddess of that mountain. The rank of the divine position wasn't high, but it was an orthodox investiture from Shushui Kingdom, incorporated into the Ministry of Rites' mountain and water registry. And from what Yang Huang said, Song Fengshan's swordsmanship had improved greatly over the years, and he had become a martial world leader second only to the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal of Songxi Kingdom. But the old estate master, Song Yushao, had retired from worldly affairs for many years. There was no longer any Sword-Water Mountain Estate. If Yang Huang hadn't still had some connection with the Divine Proclamation Sect, he wouldn't even know where Song Yushao had retired to, let alone that the grandson's wife of this old Sword Saint of Shushui Kingdom had transformed into a deity presiding over the spiritual fortune of an area.
Before heading to the mountain temple in the northern region of Shushui Kingdom, Chen Ping'an first flew through the air, then quietly descended to the ground. He adjusted his bamboo hat, wearing his sword on his back in blue robes, and walked along a mountain path where Caiyi Kingdom and Shushui Kingdom bordered each other.
But he didn't expect that the dilapidated old temple had already been transformed into a brand-new mountain temple.
Chen Ping'an suppressed his aura and walked into the temple, which had mediocre incense offerings and few pilgrims. He was somewhat helpless. The gilded divine statue in the main hall bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Wei Wei, though her features were slightly more mature, no longer retaining any girlish innocence. Beside the Mountain Goddess stood two much shorter statues of attendant spirit maidens. Chen Ping'an didn't find them unfamiliar either. He couldn't help rubbing his forehead. To have ended up in this position, Wei Wei had really struggled. This counted as a solid entry into officialdom and a promotion.
Having crossed countless mountains and rivers and paid respects to various mountain and water spirits everywhere, Chen Ping'an truly wasn't willing to burn incense here for Wei Wei, who knew his background. He planned to turn around and leave, heading straight for another mountain temple to the north.
He remembered that the female ghost Wei Wei had once complained about this world—it was hard for people to live, and hard for ghosts to exist. He wondered if she felt any easier now that she was a Mountain Goddess enjoying the incense of the mortal world.
Chen Ping'an could tell roughly whether the mountain and water spiritual aura of a place was proper or not, so he had no intention of "reminiscing."
But this Mountain Goddess was clearly not adept at management. The incense was meager. If this continued, she would probably have to start running a tab at the City God Temple.
Chen Ping'an didn't enter the main hall. He only stood outside the threshold and looked inside, then directly left the temple. But just as he stepped out of the temple gate, the air rippled, and a spirit maiden accompanying the temple's sacrifices appeared out of thin air. She wore a high chignon, had a tall and slender figure, and was dressed in magnificent rainbow-colored robes that seemed to rise with mist. If some passing down-and-out scholar had seen her, this would have been what the books called divine favor.
Chen Ping'an stopped and smiled: "Congratulations."
The woman, who had transformed from a mountain wild ghost into a Mountain Temple spirit maiden, became increasingly certain of the other's identity. It was that young Sword Immortal who was particularly fond of reasoning. She quickly performed a wanfu salute, trembling with fear: "This servant greets the Sword Immortal. My mistress is away on business, having gone to the Supervising City God Temple. She will arrive soon. This servant was worried that the Sword Immortal might continue on his journey, so she came especially to meet him, disturbing the Sword Immortal. I hope I may deliver a message to the Mountain Goddess so that my mistress can hasten back to the temple and meet the Sword Immortal sooner."
Chen Ping'an shook his head: "Forget it. I'm just passing through. I won't disturb your Mountain God Wei's cultivation."
Wei Wei had probably been borrowing from the county City God without repaying, had begged multiple times at the prefecture City God and been turned away, and had finally gone to the Supervising City God at the state-level underworld administrative office.
The tall woman was almost in tears: "If the Sword Immortal senior leaves like this without giving us a chance to keep you, my sister and I will surely be punished by our mistress."
Chen Ping'an asked: "What happened to the old temple's divine statues?"
She was startled, then said: "Reporting to the Sword Immortal, my mistress carefully gathered them all. She said she would later... trick... request some generous donor from her own temple to spend money on restoring a new temple."
Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled: "The Mountain Goddess has a good heart."
Trick? Chen Ping'an immediately recognized Wei Wei's modus operandi. So the part about gathering the broken Buddhist statues was mostly true.
Chen Ping'an walked slowly to a stone bench under a green pine tree outside the temple. He took off his bamboo hat, sat down at one end, and smiled: "Sit and talk."
The tall woman quickly performed another wanfu: "This servant would never dare. The Sword Immortal may rest as he pleases."
Beauty and such. She and her mistress had suffered greatly twice at this Sword Immortal's hands. Fortunately, their mistress had to flip through that mountain and river travel journal every few days, each time laughing heartily. But she and the other attendant spirit maiden dared not even glance at that journal. They always felt a chill, as if a flying sword might dart out from the pages at any moment, flash once, and send heads rolling.
Chen Ping'an didn't intend to wait for Wei Wei to return to the temple. He thought for a moment, then said slowly: "I saw that the two people burning incense earlier were scholars passing through Shushui Kingdom, weren't they? This area borders two countries. The official road runs through the temple's domain. Many merchants pass by. The mountain and water scenery is beautiful. There are also many strange mountain and water stories. Now that the world is peaceful, there should be plenty of jianghu martial artists and travelers with bulging purses. The temple's incense shouldn't be this poor."
The prosperity of examinations, the smoothness of official careers and literary fortune, martial fame in the jianghu, rolling wealth, good marriages, prayers for peace, the elimination of illness and disasters, the continuation of offspring—for any local mountain and water deity, their manifestations of power were essentially these few types.
The woman's expression was awkward. She carefully organized her words before tremblingly answering: "My mistress has secretly cultivated several young jianghu heroes. We've dropped quite a few martial arts manuals. But none of them ever amounted to much. As for literary fortune and marriage... our temple seems to lack these inherently. So my mistress always says that even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. As for those merchants, my mistress despises their stench of money. Besides, every time they enter the temple to burn incense, the way those men look... anyway, my mistress doesn't bother with them."
Chen Ping'an smiled: "Then I have a small suggestion. Rather than begging City Gods to lend incense to stabilize local mountain and water spiritual fortune—which only treats the symptoms, not the root cause, and is not a long-term solution—it will only year after year gradually erode your mistress's divine body and this temple's fortune. As long as Mountain God Wei still has some connections with the Shushui Kingdom court, that's enough. She doesn't need many. Then carefully select a poor scholar going to the capital for the metropolitan exam. Of course, this person's talent, literary fortune, and examination skills shouldn't be too poor. They need to be passable, preferably with a chance of passing the jinshi examination. After he burns incense and makes a wish, you should secretly hang your temple's lantern behind him. Don't be too frugal. Act as if you're staking everything. Gather all the literary fortune of your domain into that lantern to help him travel to the capital at night. At the same time, have Mountain God Wei go to the capital and discuss in advance with some important court official. If he manages to become a 'same background' jinshi in the metropolitan examination, elevate him to a true jinshi. If his jinshi ranking is already high, push him into the top few of the second class. If he's already in the top ranks of the second class, grit your teeth and send the scholar straight into the top three. When he comes to fulfill his vow, his sincerity will be strong. Then the literary fortune will flow back to nourish the temple—it's only natural. Of course, if you're worried that he won't... play along, you can deliver a dream to him beforehand and give him a hint."
The woman first listened with sparkling eyes, nodding enthusiastically. This Sword Immortal's plan was step by step; the temple could simply follow it as a blueprint. Then suddenly her face fell, and she stamped her foot anxiously: "Sword Immortal senior, the fear is that a scholar with such talent simply wouldn't come to burn incense at our temple!"
Chen Ping'an was somewhat exasperated. What were you and your Mountain Goddess originally? Don't you know yourselves? Go rob people! If you can't find suitable scholars in the counties and prefectures within your domain, what could be more natural than spirit maidens of the temple traveling at night to the border, waiting at the various relay stations, and intercepting people on the road? Besides, you're not harming anyone anymore. You're clearly offering them a great gift of literary fortune. You used to do it so smoothly, visiting that old temple like clockwork, encountering your kind every time. But now you've even lost that basic skill? With incense this poor, you really can't blame anyone else.
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to use relatively tactful language that wasn't quite jianghu slang to explain some tips.
The woman nodded repeatedly. Got it, got it. Everything clicked. This Sword Immortal senior was truly a scholar of profound learning. Aside from not being particularly tender toward women, he was good in every way.
Chen Ping'an stood up and said: "One last thing. Please pass this on to Mountain God Wei. This kind of shortcut in the mountain and water bureaucracy can be taken once, maybe twice, but not three times. Let Mountain God Wei think carefully. If she truly wants to both benefit the area and achieve perfect merit with an unblemished divine body, she must put in serious effort on the four-character principle of 'restoring the original foundation.' Many seemingly unprofitable transactions, the temple must also do sincerely. For example, those virtuous families in the marketplaces and alleys who have no spare money and might never come to burn incense in your temple—you still need to protect them as much as possible. Heaven has its seasons, earth has its resources, humans have their governance. The spirit of mountain and water deities lies in the sincerity of people's hearts. How can the teachings of the sages be unknown?"
She performed a wanfu salute, tears streaming down her face: "The Sword Immortal senior's earnest teachings, this servant will surely remember in her heart."
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment but couldn't help correcting her: "It's 'earnest teachings (zhun zhun),' not 'dun dun.' 'Zhun zhun.' Read more books in the future."
She immediately flushed crimson, so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and hide. Fortunately, the young Sword Immortal had already put his bamboo hat back on and disappeared in a flash.
In the northern region of Shushui Kingdom, Chen Ping'an met Song Fengshan and his wife Liu Qian. But Old Song had gone on a long journey. Where he went or when he'd return wasn't certain.
After learning that Old Song was still in good health, although not being able to meet him was somewhat regrettable—a missed chance for hotpot and wine—Chen Ping'an was still relieved at heart. He left a letter at the Mountain God's mansion and was about to leave, but Song Fengshan insisted that he stay for a drink. No matter how much Chen Ping'an declined, he couldn't refuse, so he sat down for a drink. As a result, Chen Ping'an's eyes grew brighter while drinking, and Song Fengshan, with slight graying at his temples, slumped over the table, completely unconscious. Chen Ping'an felt somewhat guilty. The former Great Li spy, now Mountain Goddess Liu Qian, smiled and gave the explanation: it turned out that Song Fengshan had once boasted to his grandfather that he couldn't compare in other things, but when it came to drinking capacity, two Chen Ping'ans were no match for him.
Chen Ping'an stood up to leave and smiled: "Don't tell Old Song about this drinking session. Best not to give Brother Song a reason to avoid me next time."
Liu Qian smiled: "Young Master Chen, should I tell Grandfather that you two were evenly matched?"
Chen Ping'an waved his hand grandly: "No way. On the drinking table, even brothers settle accounts clearly."
Liu Qian suddenly said: "Young Master Chen, as soon as Grandfather returns home, we'll send word to Luopo Mountain immediately."
Chen Ping'an nodded: "I'll come at once when that happens."
Liu Qian said softly: "In recent years, when Grandfather has traveled the jianghu, he hasn't brought his sword. He seems to just be going out to clear his mind."
Chen Ping'an was puzzled.
Liu Qian hesitated.
Chen Ping'an said: "There's nothing you can't say."
Liu Qian spoke with mind voice: "Grandfather has never believed that Young Master Chen simply disappeared at the beginning and end of that war. He's been very worried that something might have happened to you."
Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "I understand, I understand. Old Song was probably both worried about me and cursing me plenty."
Chen Ping'an adjusted his bamboo hat and spoke with mind voice: "When Old Song returns home, tell him that the swordsman Chen Ping'an was the last Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Liu Qian was speechless, frozen in place.
Even her husband Song Fengshan had only heard of Daoxuan Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall, but didn't know what the "Hidden Officer" of the Sword Qi Great Wall meant.
But she, because of her background as a Great Li dead agent, knew of this matter. And because of her identity, she couldn't speak of it lightly.
Liu Qian asked: "Young Master Chen, then... the Hidden Officer Chen Shiyi?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded: "The one at the very bottom."
Liu Qian thought for a moment, then asked: "Should I wake Fengshan up? You can drink a few more jugs?"
Chen Ping'an said helplessly: "Save it for next time."
In the end, Liu Qian watched the blue-robed swordsman walking away with a sword on his back, and she forgot to see him off.
She just thought, when Grandfather returns home and learns of this, he'll boast about his unique insight again, won't he?
Over the years, Grandfather had actually been both worried and quite sad. Because for him, it seemed that even though he himself was no longer in the jianghu, as long as that young man was still in the jianghu, the jianghu was still the same jianghu. Walking through the jianghu required consulting old almanacs, observing old rules, understanding old etiquettes. Among such old-timers of the jianghu, there was always a young man whom the elderly cherished and pinned great hopes on. Once, Grandfather had pulled aside Fengshan and her, eating hotpot without dipping many chopsticks, and had gotten drunk, saying that as long as that kid was alive, he had nothing to be angry about. So the kid had better not dare to not come and drink. Eating a hotpot and getting cursed out by an old man—what was so bad about that?
At the main entrance of a martial arts school in a remote small kingdom.
A man in blue robes pounded on the door in the dead of night.
A young man, a disciple of a disciple of the school master, bleary-eyed, ran to open the door and said unpleasantly: "Who are you looking for?"
Nowadays, the official language of Great Li was actually the common language of the entire continent.
The sword-bearing man smiled: "I'm looking for a big-bearded wanderer. Surname Xu."
The young man rolled his eyes: "This martial school has no big-bearded wanderer. But our school master's surname is Xu. Are you... here to exchange fists? If you want a sparring match, come back tomorrow. There's no such jianghu rule at this hour. And let me warn you, my grand-teacher the school master has retired and washed his hands of jianghu affairs. If you want to talk about fist and foot techniques, you'll have to go through my master. And I'd advise you not to act rashly. My master is famous for heavy fists, especially his whip leg technique. One leg down, and a bowl-thick hardwood pole gets snapped! Don't think that just because you're carrying a sword, you're something special... By the way, what material is this sword made of? Forged from fine iron? How many coins did it cost? Can I have a look?"
The man shook his head: "I'm looking for Brother Xu to drink with."
The young man was thoroughly annoyed: "First a big beard, then Brother Xu—who exactly are you looking for?"
Fortunately, his grand-teacher the school master was a learned man. The dozens of people in the school had all been influenced by his example, or else he wouldn't even know what "big-bearded" meant.
The man smiled: "I'm looking for Xu Yuanxia."
The young martial artist blocked the door: "Who are you? I told you, my grand-teacher has already washed his hands and retired from the jianghu!"
There was nothing he could do about it. According to what his master had said privately, back when the grand-teacher first established the school, whenever he exchanged fists with others in sparring, he never won a few matches. So the only jianghu nickname he had earned in those early years was "Sure-Lose Hero Xu." Fortunately, the master and a few senior and junior uncles had relatively solid fist techniques. As their jianghu peers put it, "their fists and feet weren't fierce, but they were very good at taking hits." So at least they had established the school's reputation. In recent years, the school's business had been pretty good. But the grand-teacher's fist techniques were weak, and his disciples were mediocre. His only unique skill was boasting. He would say that during his handsome and dashing prime, he had met two friends in the jianghu who had received the true transmission of his boxing methods—one with fast fists, one with slow fists. In their jianghu, they could fight from the foot of the mountain all the way to the top, and none of those flying mountain immortals could stop them. But he was his master and grand-teacher, and also the school master who controlled the purse strings. Whatever the old man said, they listened. What else could they do?
A stooped old man with white hair, in the deep spring chill of the night, was wearing a thick garment. In his old age, his sleep was light. The old man stood in the training ground, staring blankly toward the main gate. After he squinted and focused, he just murmured: "Chen Ping'an?"
Chen Ping'an raised his hand, stood on tiptoe, and waved vigorously. Then he flashed through the side door and crossed the threshold, leaving the young martial artist, who had only seen a blur and then nothing, standing there.
Chen Ping'an walked quickly toward Xu Yuanxia.
The old man laughed heartily and walked toward the young swordsman. He turned, wrapped his arm around Chen Ping'an's neck, and laughed with anger: "You took your time getting here, kid!"
Chen Ping'an, pulled slightly off balance, raised his hand to gently pat the old man's back. But he hesitated, then simply placed his hand on the shoulder of the former big-bearded wanderer.
Outside the martial arts school gate.
Pei Qian, Jiang Shangzhen, and Bai Xuan, who had tagged along shamelessly, had all sneaked over but didn't go inside.
The young martial artist at the gate glanced at the middle-aged man outside who looked like he had money, and didn't dare shout. He glanced at the pretty woman with her hair tied in a bun and dared speak even less.
Bai Xuan asked softly: "Sister Pei, who is this guy? He dares to be so casual with Master Cao. And Master Cao isn't angry. Instead, he seems a little timid. Doesn't seem like Master Cao at all."
Pei Qian said softly: "A jianghu friend my master holds in great respect."
Bai Xuan said with confusion: "Someone Master Cao holds in great respect? Then his fist and foot techniques must be through the roof. But this martial school doesn't look very big."
Pei Qian smiled but didn't speak.
Jiang Shangzhen was already leaning against the doorframe, hands in sleeves, smiling as he asked: "Little brother, do you have any senior or junior female apprentices?"
The young man sighed and shook his head. Perhaps he was reminded of a painful truth, and he accidentally revealed the truth: "Whenever my master drinks, he goes crazy. Whenever he sees a woman, he cries. It's really creepy. We used to have two female senior apprentices, but they both got scared away. Even the grand-teacher couldn't do anything about it."
Jiang Shangzhen nodded knowingly: "Then your master and I are kindred spirits."
The young man asked with confusion: "You both like to go crazy when you drink?"
Jiang Shangzhen smiled: "Kid, you sure know how to chat."
The young man cast a sidelong glance at the woman outside the door and said loudly: "I'm an educated man."
Bai Xuan whispered: "Sister Pei, this kid has his eye on you. Damn, that's some good taste."
Pei Qian lowered her head and smiled: "Bai Xuan, why aren't you practicing your boxing?"
Bai Xuan put his hands behind his back and shook his head: "No rush. I'll wait until we get to Luopo Mountain. Master Cao said that if I learn boxing, in at most two or three years, I'll be able to spar with Sister Pei. He also said that there was someone else with the surname Bai who was also a sword cultivator and was quite heroic when facing you, Sister Pei. Master Cao told me not to waste this good surname and to build on it."
Pei Qian nodded: "You and that Bai Shou are indeed quite alike."
Bai Xuan snorted with laughter: "He's the one who's like me, right?"
Pei Qian smiled: "Anyway, it's pretty much the same."
Bai Xuan felt that Pei Qian had a hidden meaning in her words.
Jiang Shangzhen glanced at Bai Xuan. Young as he was, he was indeed a tough guy.
Inside the martial school, at the drinking table.
In his entire life of drinking, aside from that time at the Yellow Millet Blessed Land of Daoxuan Mountain, Chen Ping'an had almost never gotten drunk. But tonight, he drank himself into a complete stupor. He drank so much that the old man across the table almost thought he himself was the younger one, the one with the weaker drinking capacity. It made Xu Yuanxia feel as if it were many years ago, when he was still that bold big-bearded swordsman, and the drunkard across from him was still a young man.