Chapter 780: Being Measured and Disciplined Makes One a Statesman
Wu Shuangjiang raised the simple partridge-spotted tea cup in his hand, took a light sip, and looked at Chen Ping'an with a smile. "Imperial Supervisor, go ahead and name your price. Let's hear it first, and don't worry about me thinking you're asking for the moon. For Wu and my Daoist partner, it's our two lives on the line. No matter how exorbitant the price, it wouldn't be too much."
Cui Dongshan sneered, "Forcing a sale, isn't that beneath a true expert?"
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. "There is that suspicion, but when it involves my life and that of my partner, I can't afford to be particular about immortal demeanor."
Jiang Shangzhen sighed in admiration, "Truly candid. Old Immortal Wu, as a fourteenth-rank grand cultivator, your words match your deeds, open and aboveboard."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly. "I've already been chopped to death by the lot of you once. A few more strange comments aren't a problem."
The Dao struggle—absolute life-or-death struggle over the Great Way—had Jiang Shangzhen truly exasperated. He was about to stand up and reason things out, but Cui Dongshan pressed his shoulders with both hands, forcefully pushing him back down, complaining, "What are you doing? You can't win in a fight anyway. Save your strength. If the negotiation fails, the heavy responsibility of kneeling and begging for mercy from Old Immortal Wu will still fall to you, our chief offering master."
After taking his seat, Chen Ping'an took out a porcelain bottle, applied some secret ointment from the Yang family pharmacy to his hands, bandaged them skillfully, then pulled out a few Bone-Flesh Regeneration talismans. Finally, he tucked his hands into his sleeves and said, "Please, Senior, consult the old almanac. After I hear it, I'll make a decision."
Wu Shuangjiang looked at this young man, who remained utterly calm and composed, and asked with a smile, "That final sword strike of yours—how did you deliver it?"
If it had been Ning Yao delivering that sword, Wu Shuangjiang wouldn't have found it strange. But a Jade Pu realm swordsman, wielding a longsword that was only half an Immortal Sword in rank, had managed to directly cleave open his true body and Heavenly Persona?
Chen Ping'an said, "It's hardly an exquisite swordsmanship technique. I simply leaped forward and hacked wildly. But the method of operation came from the Eighteen Stops of Sword Qi from the Sword Qi Great Wall, with a bit of fist technique added—what I call the Divine Drumming Style."
With someone like Wu Shuangjiang, who could learn anything he saw, concealment was pointless. So it was better to be somewhat candid.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled and nodded. He raised his hand, two fingers pressed together, and lightly brushed. Eighteen grains of mustard-seed sword qi appeared on the table. They weren't in a straight line but hovered precisely at positions corresponding to the eighteen energy palaces of a human miniature heaven, connected in sequence. Sword light bloomed slightly, making the table like the earth and the sword qi like stars. Wu Shuangjiang seemed to create a miniature Milky Way out of thin air. With his other hand, he suddenly formed a fist and slowly pushed forward, then shook his head, apparently dissatisfied. He altered the subtle trajectory several times before finally delivering a punch that felt perfectly natural. The sword qi meticulously linked together, forming a suspended longsword—or rather, the superposition of eighteen complete punches.
Wu Shuangjiang twisted his wrist, tucking this "painting" that was both a sword manual and fist manual into his sleeve, not hiding his admiration. He nodded and smiled, "Good fist technique, but unfortunately I'm not a pure martial artist, so I can't fully learn it. It lacks a fundamental divine intent."
After a moment's thought, Wu Shuangjiang picked out a green talisman from his sleeve, gently flicked it, and it floated toward Chen Ping'an. "Consider this a small compensation from Suichu Palace."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No reward for no merit. I'll have to grit my teeth and accept that you learned the sword technique and fist intent by stealth through your own skill."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly. "It's a Taixi Light Body Talisman, also known as the Daytime Ascension Treasure Register, or by the Qingming Dao officials as the Upper Corpse Liberation Talisman. It's one of my proudest creations, derived from the Grand Pure Life Talisman personally made by the Dao Ancestor. Together with the earlier Moon Palace Jade Axe Talisman, they are both genuinely great talismans."
Chen Ping'an remained unmoved and again declined.
This Light Body Ascension Talisman—if a successful deal were reached today, Chen Ping'an wouldn't hesitate to accept not just one, but even a whole stack from Wu Shuangjiang, without refusal. But Wu Shuangjiang's temperament was unpredictable; who knew if he might suddenly turn hostile? If he tampered with a talisman and Chen Ping'an accepted it magnanimously, wouldn't that be a path to self-destruction?
Seeing that the young Imperial Supervisor didn't appreciate the gesture, Wu Shuangjiang neither grew angry nor took back the talisman, which had a "green-word green-chapter root material" quality. It drifted lightly onto the table in front of Chen Ping'an.
Cui Dongshan stood behind Jiang Shangzhen, tiptoeing to peer at the rare talisman radiating treasure light on the table. The talisman-drawing technique could be partially stolen, but the talisman paper itself was hard to replace. The material was extremely fine and expensive, worth a fortune, and mainly unavailable on the open market. In the Qingming world, it was a fine item used by immortals of the Five Cities and Twelve Towers of the White Jade Capital specifically for summoning gods and manifesting truth.
Wu Shuangjiang turned his head to look at the "old" patriarch of the Jade Gui Sect, his temples white, and said cheerfully, "You and I can be considered kindred spirits."
Both men had hearts set on women who were not the greatest beauties among mountain maidens. For cultivators like them, what kind of beauty couldn't they have?
Jiang Shangzhen raised his hands in a fist salute, shaking them lightly, and said with a roguish grin, "Overpraise, overpraise."
The seating arrangements of the five people in the room were also quite interesting.
Wu Shuangjiang sat with his back to the window and facing the door—on a wine table, facing the door was the seat of honor.
Among Chen Ping'an's group, after Wu Shuangjiang first sat down, although Chen Ping'an had the lowest cultivation level and was also seriously injured—second only to Cui Dongshan, whose immortal shell had been shattered—he still sat on the long bench to Wu Shuangjiang's left. Thus, he was closest to Wu Shuangjiang.
Ning Yao, as if guarding him, chose to sit beside Chen Ping'an.
Jiang Shangzhen quickly sat to Wu Shuangjiang's right. This left the seat opposite Wu Shuangjiang, the one farthest from him, for the white-robed youth, who was the most severely injured. However, Cui Dongshan didn't sit but stood behind Jiang Shangzhen.
Except for Wu Shuangjiang, the outsider.
At the table inside the room, all four were actually thinking of each other.
Luopo Mountain had a good atmosphere. Between the young immortal couple, master and student, sect master and offering master—every relationship, without exception, could be entrusted with life and death.
It was only natural for Tianran to stay with these people.
That's why when Wu Shuangjiang appeared, he hadn't concealed his killing intent at all, showing no sign of wanting to sit down and negotiate.
He did this precisely to verify one thing: how seriously did Chen Ping'an take a deal, an agreement? How much was Chen Ping'an willing to pay to fulfill it?
"At a wine table, what's the rarest?"
Wu Shuangjiang asked and then answered himself: "A table full of drinkers, none of whom are an eyesore."
Just as Chen Ping'an was about to speak, Wu Shuangjiang tilted his chin toward the door. "You can leave for a moment. Let your student and that little water spirit be at ease, then we'll talk business. Otherwise, you won't truly be able to settle your mind."
Chen Ping'an nodded, went to Ning Yao's room, and told Pei Qian it was fine, but asked her not to wake Xiaomili, who was sound asleep.
Finding Pei Qian still worried, Chen Ping'an bent two fingers and made a knocking gesture. Pei Qian smiled, returned to her seat, and rubbed Xiaomili's head.
Chen Ping'an walked slowly through the corridor. The white-haired boy named Tianran was nowhere to be seen; he had surely been hidden away by Wu Shuangjiang.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly, seeing through everything. He turned to Jiang Shangzhen and said, "No wonder you were willing to bet big. Your gambling skill and luck have no limits."
Jiang Shangzhen was holding a pot of Moonlight Wine brewed in his own Cloud Cavern Blessed Land, drinking heartily with his head raised. He wiped the corner of his mouth and laughed, "Old Immortal Wu has high cultivation—whatever you say is right."
When Chen Ping'an returned and sat down, Wu Shuangjiang lightly tapped his tea cup on the table. The three seal characters at the bottom, "cannot go", turned into golden light that spread across the table like ripples and cloud patterns. In an instant, Chen Ping'an and his group were standing on the top floor of a Magnie Tower. There were only four pillars supporting a caisson ceiling of glazed tiles, with no doors or windows obstructing the view. In front of Chen Ping'an, that green talisman still hovered. Jiang Shangzhen leaned against the railing, twisting the wine pot between his fingers, gently shaking it. Moonlight and wine scent rippled out together, dissipating into the world.
Cui Dongshan leaped up and stood on the railing. His two snow-white sleeves fluttered in the wind, slowly drifting.
Wu Shuangjiang slowly walked to the white jade railing on the other side. Beneath the eaves hung a string of running horses, swaying in the wind, tinkling and rustling, shimmering with streaks of golden light. Listening closely, it was a woman's song, gentle and clear.
Wu Shuangjiang put away his tea cup, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance. He pointed at a mountain range where pavilions, towers, palaces, and temples were built along the slope in close succession. "From the foot to the peak, there are 108 residences in total. When I was still in the Cave Abode realm, I had an idea: if I ever became the palace lord of Suichu Palace, it would have 108 direct disciples from the Ancestral Hall. Each would occupy one residence, with high cultivation levels and superb techniques. But to this day, I haven't succeeded. Buildings are easy to erect, but people are hard to find. Money is easy to earn, but people's hearts are like flowing water. Many excellent sect cultivators couldn't keep their minds in check, complaining about this and that—either the residence was too small or the position too low—so they all became passersby."
Wu Shuangjiang laughed. "People call Suichu Palace a 'youth den,' and I gladly accept that label. It serves as a reminder to Suichu Palace cultivators that youthful spirit is most precious and shouldn't be worn away by the world."
He had trained too diligently all his life, never daring to slack off, so he often owed debts of reading.
On the mountain, when there was occasional leisure, he would burn incense and leisurely read Yuxi's poems. But every time Wu Shuangjiang went down the mountain to kill, he would flip through Su Shi's lyrics to lift his spirits.
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "What's the real name of the innkeeper at the Magnie Inn on Inverted-Hanging Mountain?"
Wu Shuangjiang said, "Let's not mention his real name, or Xiao Bai might be unhappy. On the Golden Jade Register of my Suichu Palace, he's called Bai Luo—the 'luo' that means up and down."
Chen Ping'an was deeply shaken and asked in a low voice, a seemingly unnecessary question: "Up and down, as in rising and falling?"
Wu Shuangjiang nodded with a smile. "Xiao Bai is also on this Night Voyager boat, but not in Entry City. He's been wandering around Chui Gong City, probably looking for trouble with that long-faced fellow. So you made a wise choice when you refused Xiao Bai's offer back then. Otherwise, Ascension City and the Fifth World would have gone to war. That might not have been entirely bad for Ascension City's swordsmen; they might have surged forward within a century, using a single city to counter the three religions' forces without losing ground. But then the Summer Retreat Palace's long-term, steady plans—a millennial project to help Ascension City stand firm—would have been wasted."
Chen Ping'an was speechless. He couldn't help but take out a pot of wine in front of Ning Yao and take a big gulp to steady himself.
When he had refused the innkeeper's deal back then, Chen Ping'an hadn't really thought it through. He simply didn't want Ascension City to face unnecessary complications. Risk is opportunity, but opportunity is also risk—that principle was simple enough. A young innkeeper who had endured for centuries on Inverted-Hanging Mountain, also the New Year's Eve Keeper of Suichu Palace, was a complete unknown. Chen Ping'an couldn't trust him.
Ning Yao had a guess but wasn't sure, so she looked at Chen Ping'an for confirmation.
Chen Ping'an nodded helplessly. "It's that man."
Casually scanning his memories, the past was vivid. A small inn at the end of an alley on Inverted-Hanging Mountain. Chen Ping'an clearly remembered each time he lodged there, seeing the young man behind the counter, always looking lazy. And every time the young innkeeper spoke to Chen Ping'an, he was all smiles, very friendly and businesslike.
Wu Shuangjiang hit the nail on the head. "Xiao Bai actually took a liking to you back then. So he casually 'covered up' a portion of your martial fate aura. That's why, in Yellow Millet Blessed Land, he directly scared that Yellow Sparrow foolish. Don't worry, there was no scheming involved. Xiao Bai simply couldn't find the person he was looking for, couldn't make much money, and found life too boring. Later, when you became the Imperial Supervisor, Xiao Bai was quite gratified. He told me his judgment of people hadn't been wrong."
Chen Ping'an took another sip of wine.
Had Madame Gui arranged for him to stay at the Magnie Inn back then? Had she suspected something?
In the Central Earth of the Hao Ran world, there was a Martial Temple at the ancestral court of the military strategists, with the Ten Philosophers of the Martial Temple as accompanying attendants.
But even later Confucian scholars in Hao Ran had many objections to this. They disputed the secondary offerings and at least half the selections for the Ten Philosophers, arguing they shouldn't have been included. The subsequent additions of more military strategists, expanding to seventy-two famous generals, split into ten in the hall and sixty-two in the side corridors, all enjoying incense offerings, provoked even more controversy. People held stubbornly to their own opinions and argued fiercely. During this period, there was even a public dispute. Confucian sages at the Central Earth Confucian Temple repeatedly suggested that only "those with flawless achievements" should be selected. This caused many famous generals with great military achievements but excessive slaughter to either have their divine rank lowered or be completely stripped of their divine status. As a result, one of the Ten Philosophers of the Martial Temple had his divine seat moved from the main hall to one of the side corridors.
Originally, this person almost lost even the qualification to be an accompanying attendant in the side corridors. In the end, it was said that two people at the Confucian Temple joined forces, rolling on the ground and throwing a tantrum, to veto the proposal. They adopted a compromise: remove him from the main hall but keep him in the side corridors, ranked among the fourth-tier famous generals.
This still made later military cultivators feel greatly wronged. They said that among the so-called famous generals selected by the Confucian Temple, there were too many strategists, who were merely king-assisting talents, not true generals. More than half of the seventy-two weren't even fit to hold this man's boots. Of the remaining half, half weren't fit to hold his horse's reins. Of the remaining half again, they weren't worthy of being among the Ten Philosophers alongside him.
Who was the Magnie Inn innkeeper? The New Year's Eve Keeper of Suichu Palace? Xiao Bai of the Qingming world?
Bai Luo?
It was Bai Qi!
How this man ended up in the Qingming world and became Wu Shuangjiang's right-hand man—that was probably something only heaven knows.
Chen Ping'an didn't even want to ask.
Wu Shuangjiang said, "Much self-imprisonment is unavoidable."
He was summing up the earlier battle.
Layer upon layer of small heavens collapsed and overlapped—it was both to kill Wu Shuangjiang and to allow Wu Shuangjiang to safely use his fourteenth-rank cultivation without fear of his combined Dao aura being sensed by the Confucian Temple.
Wu Shuangjiang continued, "You should be very clear that in the end, I didn't choose mutual destruction. Not because I was completely powerless. If not for Ning Yao, the three of you might have succeeded in killing me, but the damage to your respective Great Ways would have been far greater than this."
Chen Ping'an said, "'This much'?"
Leaving aside that the tip of the Tai Bai sword was nearly detached from the Night Roam sword body—forging it anew would not only take time but might also require Chen Ping'an to pour in mountains of gold and silver. Leaving aside his own injuries and the shaking of ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers in the small heaven, the number of times Chen Ping'an needed to use the Yang family pharmacy ointment after fighting could be counted on one hand. And that wasn't even mentioning Jiang Shangzhen's flying sword, which had dropped in rank, or Cui Dongshan, who had lost even his immortal shell. He seemed calm on the surface, but he was severely injured. If not for Cui Dongshan's exquisite techniques, any ordinary Celestial Realm qi master would have been half-dead by now, and it would be hard to say whether he could even keep his upper fifth realm.
Wu Shuangjiang laughed. "No need to worry. I know the gravity."
If Cui Dongshan couldn't break free of that shell's shackles, how could he reach the Flying Ascension realm? Wu Shuangjiang dared to assert that the white-robed youth, half a Stitching Tiger, had actually been looking for a swordsman for years—one who must start at Flying Ascension realm and be trustworthy, with extremely high sword skills, like Ah Liang, who was close to the Wen Sheng lineage, or his fellow disciple Zuo You. Only then could they trust them to strike and break the cage.
As for Jiang Shangzhen's flying sword dropping in rank, that was certainly a great loss. But as long as Jiang Shangzhen reached Flying Ascension realm, the two problems would become one and be easily solved.
However, saying these obvious things out loud would spoil the mood. Wu Shuangjiang also didn't think it necessary to haggle over compensation with these young people.
Moreover, four people joining forces—one shaping a porcelain figure and shattering it, three combining to sword-slash a fourteenth-rank—even though Wu Shuangjiang was the one being slashed, he found it extremely interesting.
It made Wu Shuangjiang look forward to the scene a hundred years from now.
Would people a hundred or a thousand years later mention this and say something like:
"There was once a man named Wu Shuangjiang from Suichu Palace who single-handedly fought Chen Ping'an, Ning Yao, Jiang Shangzhen, and Cui Dongshan?"
Magnificent.
Wu Shuangjiang laughed heartily and, breaking his habit, took out a pot of wine and had a big drink. He began to recount some old history. "After I joined Suichu Palace, things changed greatly. Within less than a century, it rose quickly. At that time, I was only in the Golden Core realm but already served as the sect's accountant and god of wealth. By the time I reached Nascent Soul, I also took on the role of disciplinary overseer. Of course, this had a lot to do with Suichu Palace being only a second-rate mountain at the time. But you must have read the confidential records—a Golden Core talisman cultivator, in one-on-one combat, killing a Nascent Soul swordsman; and as a Nascent Soul, killing two Jade Pu realm cultivators. I'm not boasting—not everyone can do that."
"I've always been cautious. Some accidents on my cultivation path, though seemingly dangerous, weren't really anything. But just because I'm cautious doesn't mean the people around me are. So there was a woman who, during her training down the mountain, accidentally killed two qi masters—both were Dao-registered officials of a secular court. In the fight, she also inadvertently harmed over a dozen mortals. The blame fell on her, which wasn't entirely unfair. So I had to make a trip down the mountain to help her mediate everywhere. I had smoothed things over in every aspect. Even the mastermind behind the setup—I followed the clues and found him."
That woman was Wu Shuangjiang's mountain Daoist partner. In Suichu Palace, she was a woman of ordinary talent and ordinary appearance.
It was a setup by a mountain cultivator, naturally targeting Wu Shuangjiang. A woman with mediocre looks and even worse cultivation talent wasn't worth such a grand scheme.
One move affects the whole situation. In the end, Wu Shuangjiang provoked Yu Dou, the Second Sect Leader of the White Jade Capital, Zhen Wudi. Even those behind the setup considered this an unexpected blessing.
At that time, Wu Shuangjiang was only a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Dao Second, who managed the White Jade Capital for that hundred-year period, finally gave Wu Shuangjiang a choice: either go beat the Heavenly Drum and then be beaten to death by Yu Dou, or hand over the woman. According to Dao law, she would be scattered to the winds. If Wu Shuangjiang just stood by and did nothing, he wouldn't have to die.
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly brought up an off-topic remark. "Our Third Sect Leader, with nothing better to do, also set up a similar heart-testing trap for his junior brother. But in the subtle details of the Dao heart, it never satisfied this junior brother of his. Otherwise, that youth could have obtained an immortal fortune right then and stepped straight into the Jade Pu realm. If he could have been as decisive in his state of mind as you, and then done the same things as you, seemingly asking for trouble and doing unnecessary things, Lu Chen would have thought highly of him."
Chen Ping'an said, "That's the one with the Dao name Shan Qing?"
Another one of the Ten Young Ones across several worlds.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled and lifted his wine pot, pointing at the woman beside Chen Ping'an.
Only then did Ning Yao casually say, "That guy didn't act very honorably. I chopped him a few times, and he went into seclusion for a few years."
Jiang Shangzhen, who had been eavesdropping with pricked ears, immediately muttered two words under his breath: "Take care, take care."
Wu Shuangjiang leaned against the railing, took only one sip of wine before putting it down, and squinted at the scenic spots of Suichu Palace in the distance. He smiled faintly. "You know, before that incident, I was considered the Dao sect cultivator with the most Confucian sage aura in the Qingming world. There was even hope that I could refine one or two innate characters, because I firmly believed that everything in the world was clear—right and wrong, correct and incorrect, black and white."
The mountains and waters remained, but the person was already a passerby.
That's why Wu Shuangjiang had said earlier:
"Everyone has a Book-Simple Lake in their heart."
Perhaps Jiang Shangzhen's Book-Simple Lake held a delicate woman like Hengwu, standing gracefully, year after year, lingering without leaving.
Perhaps it was the Ancestral Hall on Divine Seal Peak, once noisy and bustling, now empty of people, with no more cursing or chair-throwing.
Perhaps Cui Dongshan's heart's Book-Simple Lake held a impoverished teacher, full of learning but still hungry, taking a young boy he'd just met through the crooked alleys of cockcrow and dog bark, smoke and cooking fires.
Perhaps it was an old academy where a vigorous young scholar had once taught on behalf of his master, only to see, in the blink of an eye, the few who listened to his lectures all gone, never turning back.
Perhaps it was an old sword immortal from South Bodhisattva Continent, returning home, looking back at the ruined ancestral home of the Cao family on Mud Vase Lane, as if seeing a woman holding a broom. In the rain-drenched home, the small courtyard where rain gathered from four sides was a Book-Simple Lake, making an old sword immortal who had lived for thousands of years, his heart long since hardened, grow blurry-eyed when he looked back, muttering softly, "Mother, foolish mother..."
A Book-Simple Lake might be just an unremarkable wilderness grave site. Once, there was a lively little girl, a ghost who was most afraid of ghosts. After she left the human world completely, she could make a swordsman revisiting the place not so heartbroken that he clutched his heart; he just sat alone through the night, afraid to drink.
Perhaps it was a lonely accountant washing his face by the lake. Perhaps it was a younger version of himself, on a travel-worn journey, sitting at a wine table, saying he was too young.
Perhaps it was a woman who had wandered with a city, like the moon in the sky, her face covered in tears, looking at the city wall where her beloved, who had lost even his face and physical form, seemed to still have a smile, waving goodbye vigorously, so that the woman, obviously higher in cultivation and better at swordplay, wouldn't worry or feel guilty.
The building fell silent.
Each was lost in thought.
The two opposing sides had seemingly gone from life-and-death conflict to easy conversation, even hoping to make a deal and form an alliance. But in truth, the tension was still there, undercurrents flowing. At any moment, they could resume their deadly struggle. No harsh words or angry glares were needed; someone would die.
Wu Shuangjiang shook off some of his thoughts, pointed at the green talisman, and said to Chen Ping'an, "My fourteenth-rank is combined with the Dao of harmony. As long as my Dao partner Tianran and I are not killed at the same time, neither of us will die. As for the loss to the Great Way and my method of realm recovery, they touch too deeply on the foundation of my Dao, so I won't explain them. As for today's sparring match, I will compensate each of you for your losses one by one. For example, this Upper Corpse Liberation Talisman—it can allow a terrestrial immortal who has no hope of reaching the upper fifth realm and is near death to transform into a ghost immortal's form and even step into the Jade Pu realm. After that, you can choose whether to forge a golden body and become a mountain and river spirit, changing paths from a dead end to continue climbing. The talisman is also valuable for its material. This is compensation for your physical injuries."
Chen Ping'an then beckoned and tucked the talisman into his sleeve.
Wu Shuangjiang continued, "Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan only appeared abruptly because they used the Three Mountains Talisman, right? The talisman-drawing method was fine, but there was still the problem of the material. The talisman paper was too poor to carry much Dao intent, so the Three Mountains Far Travel blessing to your three souls was too small."
Wu Shuangjiang took out four more "Descended Truth Green Register" talismans, rarely seen even in the White Jade Capital, and lightly flicked his sleeve to toss them to Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan.
In the Hao Ran world, every subordinate sect of the White Jade Capital's three veins—such as the Divine Commandment Sect on Vase Island or Peace Mountain on Parasol Leaf Island—would burn such talismans every time someone reached the Heavenly Lord realm, to invite down the three revered sect founding patriarchs. This showed how precious they were.
Wu Shuangjiang noticed Chen Ping'an's expression and laughed. "That's all I have."
Chen Ping'an gave a dry laugh. Liar. Such a stingy and reluctant fourteenth-rank grand cultivator was rare.
"I really only have these five on me. But there are three more in the Ancestral Hall of Suichu Palace. How about you come with me to get them?"
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly, seeing through Chen Ping'an's thoughts, and teased, "Anyway, you and Sect Leader Sun are such good friends across generations. Maybe our White Jade Capital Third Sect Leader, Lu Chen, would even want to reminisce with you. He talked about you a lot during his earlier travels to Xuan Du Temple. With friends like these two, you could roam anywhere in the Qingming world, not just my Suichu Palace."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Is Sect Leader Sun doing well?"
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. "Very lively and bouncing."
Wu Shuangjiang seemed to remember something, shook his sleeves, and instantly two more treasures appeared: a sword scabbard and the green bamboo staff inscribed with "Circulating Qi Inscription." He tossed them again to Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan. "The scabbard was forged from Dragon-Slaying Platform. It's also a talisman array. I've removed all thirty-six layers of restrictions. It's perfect for nourishing that willow leaf sword. It can't raise the flying sword's rank, but consider it a pre-congratulation to Patriarch Jiang for reaching Flying Ascension realm."
"This mountain-walking staff is a gift for Cui Dongshan. You can explore its various wonders yourself."
Cui Dongshan took the green bamboo staff, and Jiang Shangzhen grasped the scabbard. They exchanged a smile. If they had really killed Wu Shuangjiang earlier, wouldn't we two brothers have struck it rich, becoming outrageously wealthy beyond all laws?!
Wu Shuangjiang then said to Ning Yao, "After I return, I will issue a decree to the disciples within my sect in the Fifth World, telling them to serve Ascension City once, risking life and death."
After all, it was a youth den.
Such an ally was unique in all the worlds.
Ning Yao thanked him.
Wu Shuangjiang said, "When Tianran was a guest in your state of mind on the Sword Qi Great Wall, she encountered three people. The first was the one who made the deal with me. If it had been anyone else, they couldn't have taken Tianran away, and even if they did, it would have left too many traces. So on the Sword Qi Great Wall, when Tianran saw him and said she wanted to spar in Dao techniques with him, naturally she was scared half to death. She's always had a timid heart."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Sect Leader Sun's junior brother."
The divine statue of the middle-aged Daoist in the Wood Element residence was carved from an ancestral peach tree of the Grand Xuan Du Temple. And the Five Sacred Mountains Root that Chen Ping'an had refined was made by smelting the temple's green bricks. The Dao intent contained therein was also the foundation of the Grand Xuan Du Temple's sword immortal lineage.
This middle-aged Daoist traveler was Sun Huaizhong's junior brother and also the master of Song Maolu, the "one man through the ages."
"It seems she also met a man full of twilight air, wearing straw sandals and carrying a wood-chopping knife, always walking the four directions."
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly produced a horsetail whisk, drawing a circle with it in the air, then made a single fist with his other hand, and laughed, "Seeking scriptures only wears out straw sandals. I wonder what you're searching for."
Chen Ping'an was slightly surprised but answered directly, "Just finding a place to settle down, and anyway, walking wears out sandals everywhere."
Wu Shuangjiang handed the whisk to Chen Ping'an and said with a smile, "Back in my homeland, I once visited many venerable masters with Lu Chen, but I can only claim a superficial understanding of Buddhism. I hope you'll be sincere in learning Zen in the future and not avoid it."
Chen Ping'an took the whisk, but his shoulder immediately tilted, and he nearly couldn't catch the whisk that had seemed so light in Wu Shuangjiang's hand.
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly asked, "Among the Buddha's ten great disciples, each excels in one field. The Venerable Rahula excels in secret practice. What is his foremost excellence?"
Chen Ping'an, without intentionally engaging in cryptic dialogue, answered truthfully, "When I first read that Buddhist case in a book, I didn't understand why the monk replied, 'I don't know.' Later, after asking a monk among the cliffs, I understood the answer."
Since it was secret practice, how could anyone answer such a question? Of course, the answer was "I don't know."
When the principles are spelled out in books, it seems simple. But life has its own knots, and it's too hard to know what one doesn't know.
Wu Shuangjiang asked in succession, "What is a seamless pagoda? Who is the person in the pagoda? What does it mean to discard the rattan? What is the meaning of returning west with a single sandal? How to seize the external, how to seize the self? Why did the old monk suddenly shout, and only one monk fell down in shock, called a fine fellow? Why sing of the horse and colt? Why lower the voice, lower the voice, and why cover the mouth and say nothing? Why make a fist and point upright, shout and strike alternately? What is simultaneous difference? What is the original face? Why does raising the staff have a sword to settle chaos, while laying it down has no White Marsh Diagram? How does one make the living sword and the living blade, and how to contemplate? Why must the first phrase that blocks the crucial pass be 'the official cannot tolerate a needle, but private carriages and horses pass freely'? What are the three profundities and three essentials? How to sit and cut off the tongues of all the old monks under heaven? What is the upward matter?!"
Chen Ping'an sighed but still answered truthfully, "All are recorded in books. If I just recited them, I could give more than three hundred answers to these questions."
On his travels, he never stopped reading. For just one question, "What was the ancestral master's meaning in coming West?" Chen Ping'an had memorized and compiled nearly a hundred answers.
For example, a hundred allusions—someone might know ninety and still not dare to say they know them. But someone might know only two or three and already think they know everything.
Wu Shuangjiang finally asked with a smile, "Then what is the Luopo realm? What is the Luopo family tradition? You should know this, since you're in your own mountain."
Chen Ping'an hesitated, then answered, "First, walk barefoot. At the same time, mend straw sandals, wear them yourself, and give them to passersby. If others don't want them, we don't force. After all, when it comes down to it, everyone already wears their own shoes."
Wu Shuangjiang shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied. "'First'? That loses all meaning. I was just worried you might escape Zen, but it seems my worry was unfounded."
Ning Yao rested her cheek on one hand on the railing, watching quietly, not feeling that Chen Ping'an had been at a disadvantage in this question-and-answer exchange with Wu Shuangjiang. How old was Wu Shuangjiang now? How could Chen Ping'an compare?
Cui Dongshan sat on the railing, looking at the magnificent scenery around Suichu Palace, the "youth den," and sighed with emotion: "Time flies like an arrow, days and months move the youth."
Jiang Shangzhen leaned on the railing and nodded. "And when a youth rides a white colt past the gap, before he knows it, his hair turns white."
Wu Shuangjiang asked with a smile, "I'm now just curious about one thing: why are you naturally inclined toward Buddhism?"
Chen Ping'an said, "My hometown town has four memorial archway plaques. When I was young, I heard people recite the inscriptions. Only one principle, 'Don't seek outside' made sense to me. I could barely follow it, and following it was useful."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled, activated his divine powers, and in the next moment, only he and Chen Ping'an left the Magnie Tower, arriving at the top of the mountain outside the Ancestral Hall of Suichu Palace.
This was the first time Wu Shuangjiang showed a solemn expression. He took out a talisman and said seriously, "If, by any chance, even you in the Hao Ran world cannot protect Tianran, and she is killed with a simultaneous sword strike on both of you, then use this talisman on her."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I agree."
Wu Shuangjiang asked curiously, "Aren't you going to ask why I'm not worried you might use this talisman on someone else?"
It was precisely that Grand Pure Life Talisman personally made by the Dao Ancestor.
Chen Ping'an said, "Some things can only be done by me. Others cannot. Senior can rest assured."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled and nodded, letting Chen Ping'an keep the talisman. "You're willing to take on such a big trouble. It seems your resentment toward the White Jade Capital immortals is no small matter."
Chen Ping'an said, "There are actually some seniors I deeply admire in the White Jade Capital."
Wu Shuangjiang clasped his hands behind his back, watching the clouds roll and wind blow beyond the mountain. Then he pointed at a large rock in the river near the Magnie Tower. "That Resting Dragon Stone over there—if you ever visit the Qingming world as a guest and still have the means to return home, you can take it away."
Chen Ping'an looked at the Resting Dragon Stone and, in his peripheral vision, also glanced at the Magnie Tower.
Wu Shuangjiang clicked his tongue in wonder. "Lu Chen was right. You are just like me—a thief who never leaves empty-handed."
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly said, "Xiao Bai is having a great time chatting with the city lord of Chui Gong City at Changping Pavilion. They've agreed to go beat up someone called Gao Xi, and they plan to invite a man called Liang Zhouhan for a drink. I don't know much about your Hao Ran history. What backgrounds do these two have?"
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "In the Hao Ran world, the selection of Martial Temple candidates is up to each dynasty's discretion. Gao Xi, besides flattering the monarch, naturally followed the Confucian Temple's lead. Together with a few colleagues, he decided on the Martial Temple's accompanying attendants, ultimately selecting only those with unblemished achievements from start to finish. Liang Zhouhan thought this was inappropriate, arguing that there are no perfect sages under heaven and that being overly strict with the ancients was not fair. That was certainly a lenient and fair opinion, but unfortunately, the emperor at the time didn't adopt it."
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. "Pointing out flaws in heroes—who is without faults? Indeed, a fair-minded scholar's words."
Chen Ping'an was a bit exasperated. Since the senior already knew, why ask?
Wu Shuangjiang looked at the longsword on Chen Ping'an's back and said, "If you're willing to trust me, I'll help refine it a bit. Before I leave the Hao Ran world, I will also remove those restrictions on Tianran. Then her combat power will be no less than that of an ordinary Flying Ascension cultivator. In the future, if you encounter some minor or moderate accidents on your cultivation path, you can lend her the sword temporarily."
In battles among peak cultivators, the real competition came down to two things: the maximum killing power of techniques or flying swords, and the skill of escape.
This was why Wu Shuangjiang had forged those four imitation swords.
And Wu Shuangjiang still had a few more trump cards.
Chen Ping'an saluted with a fist and thanked him, his voice filled with genuine respect.
Wu Shuangjiang asked, "What's the name of the longsword on your back?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Night Roam."
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. "Good name."
After a moment of silence, Wu Shuangjiang asked with a smile, "Shall we head back?"
Chen Ping'an had no objections.
The small heaven dissipated, and everyone returned to the inn room.
Chen Ping'an nodded to the three, indicating it was fine.
Jiang Shangzhen asked, "That woman from Zhengyang Mountain—we can't have kept watch for so long and then just let her slip away, can we?"
Cui Dongshan laughed. "Then we'd better hurry back?"
Chen Ping'an said, "You've worked hard."
As a result, the chief offering master beat his chest, and his proud student stamped his foot—both, without prior arrangement, acting heartbroken.
Then both burst into laughter, raised a hand, and clapped, cheering for their telepathic understanding.
The two were about to pull out a Mountain Talisman to return to a quiet peak near Zhengyang Mountain.
Chen Ping'an coughed as a reminder.
Cui Dongshan immediately took the hint and looked pitifully at Old Immortal Wu.
Jiang Shangzhen's talisman-drawing skill was very crude, barely better than the mountain lord's.
And Cui Dongshan and Chen Ping'an didn't have much mental energy left to draw a Three Mountains Talisman right now.
Wu Shuangjiang laughed. "Then I'll trouble Mr. Cui to first draw the three mountains in his mind?"
Cui Dongshan nodded vigorously like a chick pecking rice.
But the white-robed youth made no move. Wu Shuangjiang just smiled and said nothing, taking out his tea cup again and leisurely sipping tea. If you three aren't in a hurry, why should I, an outsider, be?
Chen Ping'an remained as steady as a mountain.
Brush? Cinnabar? Talisman paper?
It seemed the entire room was full of paupers—none of them had any.
Cui Dongshan reached out and covered his chest, coughing.
Jiang Shangzhen pressed a hand to his snow-white temple.
Old ginger is spicier.
Chen Ping'an turned to ask Ning Yao if she wanted some wine. Ning Yao said sure, pick something different—not osmanthus again. Chen Ping'an said no problem, no problem, but there were many types, so don't rush...
Wu Shuangjiang chuckled. "A pirate ship, a perfect den of thieves."
After speaking, Wu Shuangjiang shook his head, looking slightly resigned. He put down his tea cup and took out a brush and a talisman. And damn, it was another "green" talisman...
Chen Ping'an's eyes widened. Good heavens, this senior really was a kindred spirit of Sect Leader Sun!
With lightning speed, Chen Ping'an stood up, slapped one hand onto the green talisman, then took out an ordinary talisman paper and quickly tossed it to Cui Dongshan. Cui Dongshan received the precious talisman from his master, then stood up, bent at the waist, lowered his head, and respectfully took the immortal brush inscribed with the characters "Blossoming Flowers" from Old Immortal Wu's hand.
On the yellow talisman paper, Cui Dongshan drew the shapes of three mountains, then vigorously shook the "Blossoming Flowers" brush in his hand, as if the ink were insufficient on an ordinary brush, and the dry brush wasn't working.
Jiang Shangzhen complained a few words to Brother Cui, then hurriedly, eagerly offered a treasured brush of his own to Old Immortal Wu.
Suddenly, all three of them froze almost simultaneously. Cui Dongshan looked at the brush in his hand, looked up at his master. Chen Ping'an looked at Cui Dongshan, then down at the green talisman paper in his own hand.
Wu Shuangjiang took the Three Mountains Talisman on yellow paper, held the brush Jiang Shangzhen had offered, and smiled. "Mr. Cui and Patriarch Jiang, you don't need me to draw the talisman, do you?"
Wu Shuangjiang raised his hand and crooked a finger. "Two."
Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan each obediently handed over a green talisman paper they hadn't even warmed yet. Wu Shuangjiang put the brush into his sleeve and beckoned again.
Cui Dongshan had no choice but to hand over the "Blossoming Flowers" brush. Unexpectedly, after taking the brush, Wu Shuangjiang also tucked both green talismans into his sleeve, then beckoned to Chen Ping'an.
Obviously, that talisman Chen Ping'an had safely pocketed also had to be returned to Wu Shuangjiang.
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Senior, isn't this going too far?"
Wu Shuangjiang said, "Whoever has the highest cultivation says what goes. Who was it who said that earlier?"
Jiang Shangzhen looked at his nose and his heart.
The three had tried to steal a chicken but lost the bait, and ended up losing a green talisman—or rather, two.
Cui Dongshan forced himself to say, "Master, you should keep yours. Chief Zhou and I still have one."
Jiang Shangzhen slapped his forehead, only to receive an elbow from Cui Dongshan.
Wu Shuangjiang smiled, waved his hand, took out two more green talismans, held the "Blossoming Flowers" brush, focused slightly, and in one breath drew two Three Mountains Talismans. He gave them to Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan, then finally tossed the "Blossoming Flowers" brush to the white-robed youth, saying, "And I wish Mr. Cui a blossoming brush, and many immortal poems."
How one conducts business is one thing; giving gifts when in a good mood is another.
Chen Ping'an sighed in admiration. Learned, learned.
Cui Dongshan and Jiang Shangshan each held a talisman, ready to leave the Night Voyager boat and return to Bottle Vessel Island.
Chen Ping'an stood up, walked over to them, put one hand on Cui Dongshan's head, then suddenly hugged Jiang Shangzhen, lightly tapping Jiang Shangzhen's back with his fist.
With Cui Dongshan and Jiang Shangzhen, Chen Ping'an didn't have much more to say.
Jiang Shangzhen looked unusually awkward. He hesitated, then hugged Chen Ping'an.
In his whole life, he had never hugged a man before.
Even his eldest legitimate son Jiang Heng, as a swaddled infant, hadn't received such treatment. He, as a father, had never held him.
Chen Ping'an stepped back two paces and smiled. "May everything go smoothly."
Jiang Shangzhen seemed to want to speak but hesitated.
Chen Ping'an looked puzzled.
Jiang Shangzhen lowered his voice. "I heard there's a Soul Resonance City nearby. I've long admired the city lord, a woman. If possible, could the mountain lord deliver a message for me? Say anything at all. The mountain lord speaks most appropriately."
Chen Ping'an's head throbbed. "Appropriate my ass," he thought. He looked at Ning Yao with a slightly troubled expression.
Ning Yao said, "An upright man fears no crooked shadows. Why feel guilty about something like this? How many 'three hundred taels' have you hidden on the road?"
Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze, gave Jiang Shangzhen a slight smile, and expressed his sincere thanks.
Jiang Shangzhen tentatively asked, "Then... don't deliver the message?"
Wu Shuangjiang sat there leisurely drinking tea and watching the show, thinking this Patriarch Jiang was really an interesting fellow, very congenial.
Cui Dongshan quickly helped change the subject. "Master, if you have time to visit that pleasure city and meet an old gentleman who walks with wobbly legs, climbs a ladder by lantern light to write plaque inscriptions, and ends up with white hair overnight from fright, please tell him for me: his calligraphy is genuinely good. His descendants shouldn't be forbidden from writing plaque inscriptions."
Chen Ping'an knew who Cui Dongshan was talking about and agreed without hesitation.
Jiang Shangzhen pinched the talisman and smiled. "Trouble the mountain lord to deliver the message. I'm off."
Cui Dongshan took out the "Circulating Qi Inscription" green bamboo staff, lightly tapped the ground, and laughed heartily. "Master, take care. Your student is off."
The white-robed youth and the blue-robed scholar—their figures flickered and vanished.
Wu Shuangjiang turned his head to look out the window and smiled. "It will be dawn soon."
Wu Shuangjiang turned around, stood up, and said, "Then I won't interrupt your chat. I still need to mind the counter."
Chen Ping'an asked, "When does senior plan to leave the ferry and return to Suichu Palace?"
Wu Shuangjiang smiled. "Depends on my mood. Even after leaving the Night Voyager, I might first make a trip to the Barren Wasteland World."
After Wu Shuangjiang left, Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao went to Pei Qian's room. Xiaomili was still sound asleep. After Pei Qian had her master and master's wife sit down, she gently shook Xiaomili's head, but didn't wake her. So she reached out and covered the little girl's nose and mouth. Xiaomili frowned slightly, groggy, and slapped Pei Qian's hand away. It looked like she could sleep a bit longer. Pei Qian had no choice but to say, "Xiaomili! Time to patrol the mountain!"
Xiaomili immediately bounced up, vigorously rubbing her eyes and shouting, "Coming, coming!"
Then she saw the good mountain lord, the mountain lord's wife, and Pei Qian with a mischievous grin. The black-clothed little girl cupped her hands around her mouth and laughed heartily. Pei Qian hadn't lied! When she woke up, she saw everyone!
Ning Yao said to the weary Chen Ping'an, "Get some sleep first. I'll chat with Pei Qian and Xiaomili for a while."
Chen Ping'an nodded, lay his head on the table, and fell fast asleep.
Whether Xiaomili might let something slip was beyond his concern. After all, an upright man fears no crooked shadows.
At the inn entrance, Wu Shuangjiang, still looking like a young waiter, sat on a stool, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and swayed his head, playing an erhu. Occasionally, he opened his eyes, a tender smile in them. Looking askance, it seemed a woman holding a pipa sat beside him, her pipa answering his erhu, wishing all lovers in the world to be united.
Chen Ping'an soon rubbed his brow and woke up, bothered by the erhu sound.
Ning Yao took Pei Qian and Xiaomili back to her room. Chen Ping'an deliberately shut out the erhu sound, took off his boots, crossed his legs on the bed, and began to breathe and meditate, sinking into himself.
When Chen Ping'an woke from this nap, he found it was already dusk. Fortunately, the erhu had stopped. He put on his boots and walked to the inn's main hall. He saw Ning Yao and the other two there. Wu Shuangjiang had an open book—no erhu. He had become a storyteller. Ning Yao, Pei Qian, and Xiaomili were eating melon seeds, with a plate of dried stream fish on the table, acting as an appreciative audience.
Chen Ping'an just stood there, listening for a moment, then started sweating coldly. Wu Shuangjiang narrated: "The book says the female martial artist asked the young hero, 'May I ask the young master's name? When shall we meet again?' And there's the chance encounter in the wilderness with a seductive ghost or fox spirit, smiling flirtatiously and asking the youth, 'On this beautiful night of fine scenery, if we don't play, what then?'"
Hearing this, Xiaomili frowned and asked Pei Qian what it meant. "Play—how do you play?" Pei Qian said she didn't know. Ning Yao glanced sideways at someone and said with a smile, "You can ask the person involved."
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily, exuding a robust aura, and strode over. "Pei Qian, Xiaomili, go fix some peanuts, edamame, and cucumber salad. I'll have a drink with Old Wu."
"I don't drink," Wu Shuangjiang said, closing the book. Many pages had dog-ears, probably marking lines like "on this beautiful night of fine scenery" or similar.
Wu Shuangjiang left, slouching against the doorframe, but he left the landscape travelogue on the table. After Chen Ping'an sat down, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He didn't know why he had come to join this circus.
Wu Shuangjiang turned his head and glanced at the table.
He recalled his own sect, once just as lively.
Chen Ping'an made an excuse and walked to the door, standing next to Wu Shuangjiang like a pair of door gods.
Both had their hands tucked into their sleeves.
To an observer, they really did look alike.
Wu Shuangjiang said softly, "If my calculations are correct, you'll soon need to make a trip to the Central Earth Confucian Temple, most likely in the form of an out-of-body yin spirit traveling far. At that time, you'll have a dual identity among a bunch of Hao Ran's peak figures: the close-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage and the Imperial Supervisor of the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "To discuss how to handle the Barren Wasteland World?"
Wu Shuangjiang nodded and smiled. "What else could it be? Something akin to the riverside council ten thousand years ago. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll be the youngest person there."
The Supreme Saint and the Ritual Saint might or might not appear.
But there would certainly be the Second Sage, Wen Sheng, the vice and main leaders of the Confucian Temple, the old master Fu Sheng, the three academy deans, and the seventy-two academy heads.
Talisman master Yu Xuan, the Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, Pei Bei, Fiery Dragon True Monarch, Madame Qing Zhong of Green Water Pit, Liu Jubao of Snowy Shore, Huaiyin, Yu Panshui, and so on.
There might also be rarely seen figures like the Sui Mountain God, Madame Qingshen, and the patriarchs of various schools.
Because the outcome of this council would decide the future direction of the two worlds.
Wu Shuangjiang leaned his head back against the door. "Regulated and rule-abiding—that is what makes a national pillar."
Chen Ping'an said, "I dare not accept that."
Wu Shuangjiang smiled slightly. "I'm talking about myself—about the sect I built with my own hands, the green mountains and clear waters, the youth den."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Like Sect Leader Sun's Xuan Du Temple, it's admirable."
Wu Shuangjiang laughed. "If you dropped the first half, it would be even better."
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Our Luopo Mountain walks the jianghu with a very upright tradition. Sincerity comes first."
Wu Shuangjiang rubbed his chin. "It seems my Suichu Palace only pales in comparison to your Luopo Mountain in this regard."
Chen Ping'an didn't respond.
The source of Luopo Mountain's atmosphere had always been a bit of a mystery, like how many melon seeds Zhou Mili kept in her pocket each day.
The mountain lord said it was thanks to a certain proud student. Cui Dongshan swore it was the merit of the senior apprentice sister. Pei Qian said it was the old cook's table wisdom—she just overheard a few words and picked up a bit. Zhu Lian said it was a corrupting influence from Piyun Mountain that couldn't be stopped. Wei Bo said he benefited greatly from playing chess with Brother Dafeng.
Poor Zheng Dafeng, who had been watching the gate for years, was now in the Fifth World and had no chance to refute anything.
Wu Shuangjiang muttered to himself, "Throwing eggs at a stone—even if you throw all the eggs in the world, the stone remains undamaged."
Chen Ping'an said, "I'm not so sure."
Wu Shuangjiang nodded. "Absolute sincerity moves even stone. You always have to believe a little."
He asked again, "Do you know which Confucian sage saying is my favorite?"
Chen Ping'an tentatively said, "Requite kindness with kindness, requite injury with justice?"
Wu Shuangjiang clicked his tongue. "How is your brain wired? How did you guess that?"
At the table inside, Xiaomili propped her hands on the table and shouted, "Mountain Lord! Mr. Wu! The dried stream fish are almost gone!"
Wu Shuangjiang turned his head and smiled. "No problem. My share is yours."
Chen Ping'an also smiled and nodded in agreement.
Xiaomili pressed her lips together tightly, nodded, then raised both hands, thumbs up, either thanking him or saying something like "no problem, these little fish are nothing."
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly sighed, "A family in harmony."
Chen Ping'an softly added, "And that is a great fortune."