Chapter 831: The Sage of Literature Invites You to Take a Seat
That curtain of sword light in the sky, straight as a line, descended upon the mortal world.
As a result, that old coachman stood there like a wooden puppet, brimming with heroic spirit, rooted to the spot, and forcefully endured that sword light. He simply raised his hands high and forcibly caught the sword.
At least, in the eyes of Old Liu Jia, the Nascent Soul cultivator responsible for guarding the small alley, this was exactly such heroic valor. He was immediately filled with admiration, never expecting that within the Dali capital city, there was actually such a mighty hero capable of uprooting mountains. He would have to find an opportunity to drink with him.
The next moment, the old coachman was pierced through the earth by a single sword strike, sinking dozens of li beneath the Dali capital. On the street above, a deep pit the size of a well mouth appeared. Because the sword light was too fierce, there were no cracks whatsoever on the surrounding ground.
But in Chen Ping'an's eyes, it was far from so simple. In reality, at the moment the heavenly curtain vortex appeared, the old coachman had already begun to activate some kind of divine ability, causing his human form to become like a city of colored glaze, a dao field pieced together from tens of thousands of pieces of colored glaze. This old man, who had chosen, like the Wind God Aunt Feng, to hide his greatness within the court, absolutely did not intend to withstand that sword light head-on.
At the same time, the old coachman cast a sidelong glance towards the direction of the Central Secondary Capital. Obviously, he was waiting for a sword light to appear there, to counter the sword with a sword. But for some unknown reason, the Dali Imitation White Jade Capital seemed to turn a blind eye to this. Clearly, a Flying Ascension realm sword immortal was making a move, and they weren't going to intervene?!
Then, in the instant the sword light fell from the vortex, the old coachman unhesitatingly used the technique of Shrinking the Land, stepping out of the capital city with one stride, appearing in the capital's outskirts a hundred li away. His form then shattered like colored glass, scattering into hundreds of colorful fireflies that suddenly dispersed, fleeing in all directions. Consequently, from the heavenly curtain vortex, hundreds of deadly sword lights appeared, precisely targeting the escape routes of the old coachman's firefly form. This forced the old coachman to gather his colored glaze radiance, return his purified divine nature to his body, and gritting his teeth, use Shrinking the Land once more, retreating back to the original spot on the capital street. For only the first sword light bore the lightest killing intent, the shallowest murderous desire.
It seemed as if that Ning Yao was explaining the simplest principle to the old coachman: don't flee, then you receive the sword; flee, then it becomes a question posed by the sword.
All of this happened in an instant. Throughout the entire capital, perhaps only Chen Ping'an, and Aunt Feng, who was in the Fire God Temple looking up at the commotion, could perceive this "circuitous turning" of the old coachman.
Beneath the earth, the old coachman stood suspended in midair, clad in golden armor. Golden flood dragons coiled around his hands and feet. At the old man's feet, a swirling vortex of flowing golden blood appeared and gathered. The ancient divine being's form had lost a great deal of its divine nature from a single sword strike.
The old man now stood as if at the bottom of a well. This was a veritable sword well. Countless fine sword energies crisscrossed within, and the pure sword intent had nearly materialized, making the well opening thick and viscous like flowing mercury. Within it, the sword's dao operated unceasingly, causing the well's circular walls to even show traces of "dao transformation." In the world of cultivation, this was an undisputed immortal trace, something that could even be regarded as a supreme sword sutra, sufficient for later generations of sword cultivators to devote a hundred years to profound contemplation!
A young woman carrying a sword case stood within a river of time, its flow as thin and fine as a mountain stream. Being outside the Five Elements, the soil and mountain roots beneath the Dali capital naturally didn't constrain her form. Suspended in midair on her flying sword, Ning Yao simply stirred her mind slightly, and all the traces of dao transformation within the sword well shattered. Then she asked, "Want to practice?"
Chen Ping'an had recently fought that fist match with Cao Ci in the Forest of Merit at the Confucian Temple. In the near future, he was like a medicine jar, unsuitable for making a move. The matter of Qingping Sword Immortal making a move against Brightsun Mountain was an old debt accumulated over many years, so Ning Yao couldn't easily stop him. But here in the Dali capital, Chen Ping'an had only come to seek an explanation from the Dali Empress Dowager. Therefore, whether it was Aunt Feng, the coachman, or anyone else, if they wanted to make a move on Chen Ping'an, they'd first have to ask her if she agreed.
The old coachman said in a deep voice, "You killed a High Position being in the Fifth Color World?!"
Ning Yao retorted, "What if I did? What if I didn't?"
The two sentences the old coachman had spoken to Chen Ping'an.
Ning Yao gave them all right back to the old coachman.
The old coachman was silent for a moment. "My sparring with Chen Ping'an has nothing to do with you, an outsider."
What the old coachman actually meant was that here in the Dali capital, whether he was settling old scores or just sparring with Chen Ping'an, at least for tonight, no one would die. You, Ning Yao, an outsider, what business did you have interfering? Moreover, you were now the number one under heaven in the Fifth Color World. Every time you drew your sword in the Righteous Qi World, you should carefully consider the weight of heavenly dao rules, and the aftereffects of the clash of 'heavenly intent' from the great dao between the two worlds!
But it was precisely because he said this. At first, Ning Yao's sword intent was still relatively calm, her killing aura not heavy. But the moment the old coachman said this, he sensed something was wrong. It seemed that Ning Yao had heard his words and accepted their literal meaning, but she hadn't grasped his implication.
Ning Yao squinted and smiled. "Senior spoke a fair word."
That fellow and I don't have any relationship.
Proposing marriage, the matchmaker's words, sending the betrothal gift, returning the gift. After so many years, indeed, none of that had happened.
If, on the Sword Qi Wall, there were ten thousand excuses—like the Chief Sword Immortal's words didn't count—then after he had returned safely home, and she had come to the Righteous Qi World with her sword, that fellow was still playing dumb, dragging things out. I like him, so I won't say anything. Besides, there are some things, how can a woman say them, how can she open her mouth about it?
But who the hell are you, to remind me, Ning Yao, of these things?
The next moment.
The old coachman's form was sent flying out of the ground by a sword strike. Ning Yao landed another strike, smashing him out of Bottle Gourd Continent and into the great sea. The old coachman crashed diagonally into the sea, creating a huge area of waterless space, like a great bowl, sending layers of monstrous waves in all directions, completely disrupting the water transport within a thousand li radius.
The old coachman fell to one knee, spitting mouthfuls of blood, all of it gold. But the old man was horrified to discover that the place where he had fallen was actually a concealed Guixu. Was it the location of the undersea tomb? And wasn't this place actually connected to that brand new world?!
Ning Yao had slain a High Position being in the Fifth Color World. Was it the One-Eyed, one of the twelve High Positions under the Armored One?
Otherwise, how could she have seen through this ancient relic and barbarian plot, which even the Central Earth Confucian Temple hadn't discovered?
Ning Yao's expression was blank. "Step aside. Don't hinder my sword work."
The old coachman felt as if he had received a pardon. He instantly teleported far away, determined to avoid her sharp edge and not go back to Dali.
Ning Yao slightly shifted her gaze, squinting. "I meant for you to go back to the Dali capital and have a proper talk with that someone. If you can reach an agreement, you each go your own way. If you can't, then just try to run. Hide in any cave heaven, blessed land, or shattered secret realm you like. If I can't find you, I'll admit defeat."
Ning Yao stood suspended in midair over the sea on her flying sword and said only two words: "Come here."
In the Fifth Color World, countless strands of sword energy condensed, surging violently, eventually gathering into a single beam of sword light. Between the two worlds, it was as if a heavenly eye had opened, with a fold in the heavenly curtain on each side opening like a gate, making way for that sword light.
A sword made a distant journey, to be a guest in the Righteous Qi World.
This was the true meaning of being the number one under heaven in a world.
That beam of sword light, carrying infinite great dao, arrived at this sea in the Righteous Qi World.
From within the undersea tomb, a colossal dharma image of a Flying Ascension realm ghostly being emerged, roaring wildly. One of its feet stomped on the seafloor, while one hand grasped towards the woman's form, small as a mustard seed.
The appearance of that sword light made the entire Righteous Qi World bright as day. But that brilliance of the sword light was fleeting, and heaven and earth returned to the dark of night.
In truth, coming to the Righteous Qi World on a flying sword for her ascension, many things were simply due to Ning Yao's feminine nature as a woman.
For example, she had always deliberately downplayed the fact that she was a Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator. In front of him, Ning Yao never spoke much about the inside story of the Fifth Color World. The number one under heaven of the brand new world? Who's that?
For another example, on Brightsun Mountain, she had also participated in the ceremony. In truth, with just one casual sword strike, never mind Yuan Zhenye or Sect Leader Bamboo Emperor, the entire thousand li of Brightsun Mountain's territory would be gone, just like that.
As long as they were out together, Ning Yao never tried to steal the spotlight from him. On this trip, being taken by him to visit various houses, she would simply introduce herself as Sword Cultivator Ning Yao, or Ning Yao of Ascension City, or just give her name.
After all, Chen Ping'an becoming a sword cultivator had been a difficult, bumpy, and arduous journey. It wasn't easy.
And for her, Ning Yao, practicing the sword in this life was simply too easy.
Thinking of this, she felt her heart become a little less troubled. She began to fly her sword back to Bottle Gourd Continent, but not too quickly, to avoid that someone getting the wrong idea.
As for that Flying Ascension realm ghostly being, plotting who knows what, she had already severely wounded it with one sword strike and left a trace. She would leave it to the Confucian Temple to handle.
On the capital's street, the young Zhao Du'anming noticed that the young man in the blue robe, who was said to be the Brightsun Mountain Lord, had his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose fixed on his heart, acting as properly and cautiously as a coward who meets a ghost on a night road.
As for this string of strange events today—Old Minister Dong from the neighboring area coming here looking for someone, the old coachman and that man not getting along from the start, and the old coachman just saying he wanted to spar before inexplicably being sparred with by someone else—Zhao Du'anming was too lazy to ponder the reasons. He just felt that the kind of breathtaking sword dao aura he had witnessed… if it wasn't a Grand Sword Immortal of the Immortal realm, it would be impossible to kick up such a huge commotion, right?
Chen Ping'an, who had been keeping an eye on the Imitation White Jade Capital, breathed a sigh of relief. He was quite surprised, not understanding why they hadn't drawn their sword to block. But since it was a good thing, he didn't need to think about the 'why' for now. He turned his head and smiled, asking, "Your name is Zhao Du'anming? A disciple of the Tianshui Commandery Zhao Clan?"
For a child to be so familiar and informal with the Left Vice Minister of Rites like this, the most likely possibility was that he was from Yichi Lane or Chi'er Street. Moreover, the Pillar of State Zhao Clan of Tianshui had deep ties with the Dali frontier army. Having a clan disciple cultivating here, so close to the Ren Yun Yi Yun Tower, made sense.
Zhao Du'anming asked suspiciously, "Senior, you are?"
Chen Ping'an had thought the child had already guessed his identity, since Dong Hu had earlier addressed him as "Mountain Lord Chen."
But thinking about earlier being blocked, it seemed he shouldn't overestimate the worldly wisdom of this master-and-disciple pair of gatekeepers.
Chen Ping'an had to introduce himself: "I'm from Fallen Mountain. My surname is Chen."
Zhao Du'anming was stunned on the spot. He muttered, "No way. That drunkard Cao said that the Mountain Lord Chen of Fallen Mountain was so incredibly handsome that whenever he went out for a walk, the young ladies of his hometown would scream their heads off when they saw him. I even heard that some women fainted on the spot."
That bastard Drunkard Cao, soaking in the wine vat all day every day, sure enough, not a single sober word came out of his mouth. This Chen Ping'an in front of him… how could he possibly be described as devastatingly handsome? And "beautiful in appearance, pure in spirit, making one forget the vulgar upon seeing him, causing young women of the world to lose their souls upon meeting him, which is why Chen Ping'an named his mountain Fallen Mountain"?!
Fuck you, Cao Gengxin, for making me fail to recognize Chen Ping'an at first sight! I'll settle accounts with you later. I'll freeload your wine until you're bankrupt!
Chen Ping'an maintained his smile and said, "If there's an opportunity, I must thank Supervisor Cao for his kind words."
The famous drunkard, Cao Gengxin, had been appointed as the head of the Dragon Province Kiln Affairs Supervision Office. Thus, Cao Gengxin had good relations with the prominent families of Huaihuang County, numerous Dragon Province mountain and river spirits, and various registered immortal masters. Cao Gengxin was far more adept at integrating into the local customs than the first county magistrate, Wu Yuan, in the history of Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven. Therefore, he was regarded more as a local. Over the years, this outstanding young man of the Cao clan from the capital seemed to do nothing but nothing. He just showed up for roll call every day, holding his wine flask. And his relationship with Fallen Mountain was simply no relationship at all.
Just speaking of Wei Bo and Zhu Lian, they both had an excellent impression of this supervisor. Even for the new supervisor who replaced Cao Gengxin later, even though he was also from a powerful capital clan, Wei Bo's assessment was that he was too poor at being an official and being a person. He wasn't even fit to buy wine and carry the wine jug for our Supervisor Cao.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and reminded the old vice minister, "Vice Minister Dong?"
Dong Hu sighed and asked tentatively, "Mountain Lord Chen is truly determined to do this?"
Having an Empress Dowager of Dali personally come to visit was quite a difficult thing to do. Even just helping Chen Ping'an deliver a message, Dong Hu felt it was as hot as a burning coal in his hand, and difficult to speak.
For one thing, that old coachman wasn't recorded in the secret archives of his Ministry of Rites. Therefore, Dong Hu had no idea of the other's realm or background. He only knew that the old man was one of the imperial retainers of the Dali Song clan. Moreover, some things simply couldn't be thoroughly resolved by relying solely on the brute force of the cultivation world.
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Vice Minister Dong, when you enter the palace to report later, just tell her exactly this: whether she comes or not is her decision."
Dong Hu glanced at the carriage and smiled bitterly. The coachman was gone, and he couldn't drive the carriage himself.
Old Liu Jia, the guarding gatekeeper Nascent Soul, laughed and said, "I'll help with this small favor. When the landscape evaluations come around at the Ministry of Rites later, Old Minister Dong, remember to add a few good words for me."
Dong Hu laughed angrily. "Dream on! Du'anming, come drive your Grandpa Dong's carriage!"
Zhao Du'anming shook his head. "Grandpa Dong, I have to watch the gate and can't get away."
Liu Jia put away the white jade dao field that had been placed in the alley. Paying no heed to Dong Hu's protests about becoming a temporary coachman, the old minister had to take his leave of Chen Ping'an and drive the carriage back.
But Dong Hu finally added a remark that was outside the realm of officialdom: "Chen Ping'an, if you have something to discuss, do it properly. You and I are both from Dali. We know better than most how hard-won this façade of peace on Bottle Gourd Continent is."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, saying he wouldn't see Old Mr. Dong off. He then put his hands in his sleeves, leaned back against the wall, and occasionally turned his head to look towards the western sky.
He was still a bit worried about Ning Yao.
At the junction of the great sea and the mainland of Bottle Gourd Continent, the old man halted. Aunt Feng, smiling, revealed herself.
The old coachman looked gloomy, suspended in the wind. He held back for a long time before finally blurting out, "The young people these days!"
But he held back the second half of the sentence. Truly, each one had a worse temper than the last!
Aunt Feng raised her hand and gently twisted the colored rope knot, refined from the quintessence of a hundred flowers under heaven, and laughed, "Just wait. That business from back then isn't over yet. Out of respect for the friendship forged fighting side by side in the old days, I'll give you a piece of friendly advice: don't think about hiding in the Central Earth Military Ancestral Hall. With Ning Yao's temperament, she's already warned you. If you still don't heed the advice, she will definitely go knocking on your door. As for the consequences… she's not Chen Ping'an. Anyway, her hometown is just a ruin now."
The old coachman glanced at this former colleague, who was gloating, and said gloomily, "You're the safest one of all. You offend no one."
Aunt Feng's expression was one of unsurprised surprise, utterly lacking in sincerity. "The one who cultivates good karma is the safest? And you people, who fan the flames, are supposed to be the safe ones? Is there such a principle under heaven?"
The old coachman glanced at the former Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven and spoke softly, "The two of us who spoke later than the both of you… where have they hidden themselves now?"
The one who knew the most inside stories under heaven—for major events, it was probably that Zou Zi. As for minor matters, it should be Aunt Feng of the Feng family, this god in charge of the wind, who was right here.
Aunt Feng shook her head.
The old coachman was slightly moved, sighing endlessly. "Fifty years. What was that in the past? It was just a blink of an eye for us. I never expected that everything would be turned upside down. Tell me, why did we do all that in the beginning? To the point that today, two kids not even fifty years old are treating us like this."
Aunt Feng found it most annoying when her peers talked about this stale history. Having lived for ten thousand years of peaceful days, wasn't that reclining on one's laurels and enjoying the blessings? So she sneered, "I'll give you this for free, a principle that Qi Jingchun told me back then: 'If you've gotten an advantage and still act cute, you can think it in your heart, but say it sparingly with your mouth.'"
The old coachman snorted derisively. "What can happen if I grumble a bit?"
Aunt Feng raised two fingers and gently twirled them. A wisp of clear wind followed. She smiled faintly. "Naturally, I can do nothing. I'm off, I'm off. Since a few words reveal that we're not of the same mind, I'll just go drink by myself."
In the far distance, a sword light sped over like a rainbow, and during this time, a clear, cold voice rang out: "This junior, Ning Yao, thanks Aunt Feng."
Above the Dali Secondary Capital, within an upper floor of the Imitation White Jade Capital, an uninvited guest, who had rushed over from the Central Earth Divine Continent, had been acting shamelessly earlier when the sword light of the heavenly curtain was about to fall but hadn't yet landed.
An old scholar was seen with both arms wrapped around the arm of that Boundaryless Being. "You can't do that, you can't do that. Every time you make a move here, is it just that the sword light goes 'whoosh whoosh'? No! It's all money!"
My relationship with you Bottle Gourd Continent is so good! I only have a few formal disciples in total—which one of them wasn't a credit to Bottle Gourd Continent? To take a step back, don't treat money like it's nothing. I won't allow you to waste immortal money like this!
The guardian of the building, whose form was originally ethereal and indistinct, probably regarded this Sage of Literature with some newfound respect, as he broke with convention and manifested his form. He turned out to be an old master in a high crown and wide sash, with a gaunt and refined face.
The old master smiled and said, "Your Confucian Temple is good at reasoning. Why doesn't the Sage of Literature come up with a plausible excuse?"
The old scholar said in a fluster, "In the Book and Bamboo Slips Lake, isn't Senior a friend of my youngest disciple at first sight? Can you be considered half a 'cross-generational friendship'? This kind of bond—are you willing to just throw it away? I don't think you can do that."
Calling everyone 'senior'—among the formal disciples of the Sage of Literature's lineage, it was indeed that youngest disciple who best grasped the master's essence. What was a 'disciple who grasps the essence'? That was it. Many principles, one doesn't need the master to explain them to get their true meaning, and that was a true 'disciple who grasps the essence.'
So how could the Sage of Literature not be partial?
You, Zuo You… what are you complaining about? Learn more from Jun Qian.
The old master said, "Have I misremembered, or has the Sage of Literature grown senile? That kid didn't succeed in changing the customs of the Book and Bamboo Slips Lake. What truly accomplished this was the Dali imperial court and the True Mirror Sect."
"In front of a senior who is learned, erudite, and recognized as the best conversationalist under heaven, calling me 'Sage of Literature' is insulting, isn't it? Just call me 'Old Scholar.' Better yet, drop the 'old' and change it to 'young,' that's more intimate."
The old scholar was still holding this senior's arm, laughing heartily. "Besides, what you just said, Senior, was a bit unfair. Every beginning is difficult. I don't believe that even you don't understand this principle."
The old master wouldn't debate these trivialities with the old scholar. The old scholar gave a light shout, his breath sinking into his dantian. His body leaned back, and he stubbornly gripped the senior's arm.
The old master spoke in a deep voice, "The reason!"
Because the old scholar had made such a fuss, the sword light that had appeared at the heavenly curtain of Bottle Gourd Continent had already fallen within the Dali capital.
The old scholar of the Confucian Temple, and the Lu Chen of the White Jade Capital, were renowned as two peerless masters of being shameless and clinging on.
The old scholar craned his neck to look. For now, it was fine. The people had been struck. He immediately let go of the senior's arm, jumped backward, vigorously shook his sleeves, and said, "Is Chen Ping'an a native of Bottle Gourd Continent or not?"
The old master sneered. "The one who made the move, Ning Yao, is an outsider. According to the rules established by Cui Can, if an outsider of the Flying Ascension realm dares to act without authorization, there is only one outcome."
Either shatter the entire Imitation White Jade Capital and leave by your own power, or avoid the sword light and flee far away. Being able to escape would also count as skill. But from now on, if you approach Bottle Gourd Continent again, Dali will treat you with full ceremony.
The old scholar said with righteous indignation, "That lass Ning is the dao partner of my youngest disciple!"
The old master frowned. "Not yet, for the time being."
The old scholar bowed and scraped. "Hey, what a coincidence."
He took out an object from his sleeve. It was a betrothal document.
Although it was less than a hundred characters, the old scholar had enlisted several Confucian Temple sages. They had all joined forces, choosing their words carefully and deliberating meticulously, to produce this brilliantly written betrothal document.
It was absolutely unique under heaven.
The old scholar offered the betrothal document and muttered, "These two kids haven't even exchanged marriage invitations or gifts. That old bastard Chen Qingdu talked but didn't act. Yao Chongdao couldn't bring himself to make the first move; he had to wait for the Chief Sword Immortal to send the betrothal gift. What other choice was there? Luckily, I respected the Chief Sword Immortal back then. On that city wall, every time I saw him, I'd be grinning from ear to ear, showing a smiling face. My face would ache from grinning so much, and I'd have to drink a lot of wine at Chen Ping'an's tavern to recover. If I had known Chen Qingdu was so dishonorable about upholding chivalry, I would have gone to the Ning Manor and the Yao family to propose marriage myself."
The old scholar suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Now it's fine! The Flying Ascension realm native of your Bottle Gourd Continent made the move, and whether it's for public or private reasons, it's justified. Shut your fucking mouth!"
With a sidelong glance, he saw that the lass Ning had sent out another two swords. Good, good, good. A great relief to the heart!
The old master returned the betrothal document to the tenacious old scholar.
The old scholar, for the sake of his youngest disciple, was practically willing to plaster his old face to the ground.
Since both parties had already left Bottle Gourd Continent, the old master felt his load was lightened. He couldn't be bothered to hold Ning Yao's earlier three strikes against her.
The old master asked casually, "Didn't you give Zuo You a few words of instruction?"
The old scholar sulked, "What is there to say? It's no use at all. The student's wings are hard. They don't listen to the master anymore."
The old master laughed silently. He felt a bit sorry for that Zuo You, who called himself "not good at either reading or sword practice." You could say that about anyone, but Zuo You? Master, your conscience was eaten by a dog.
The old scholar said softly, "No matter how much I dislike it, I can't stop a student or disciple from doing what they ought to do."
The old master laughed. "Finally, you've spoken something a scholar ought to say."
The young man stood at the corner of the street. He took out another handful of salted dried peanuts, cracked them open with his teeth, and secretly sized up this legendary Mountain Lord Chen.
The Jianghu path of a young sword immortal was like a thread, stringing together Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven and the Sword Qi Wall.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and gazed into the distance towards the western side of Bottle Gourd Continent. His realm wasn't high enough, and the battlefield was too far from the great sea to see anything.
So he started chatting idly with the young man, "According to Old Master Xu's method of character analysis, the character 'Zhao' means to tend towards, to start, to illuminate. It also implies a beautiful path, one that leads you in, leading ultimately to the beauty of the sun and moon shining together and illuminating the world. Maintain a proper stance, like a gentleman holding jade, a bright mind, cultivating virtue rather than leaving gold. So your name is very good."
The young man's eyes widened. "My surname and given name, put together, are that powerful?!"
When a sword immortal speaks, they have to take some responsibility, right? They wouldn't just randomly suck up to some random kid, would they?
Zhao Du'anming rubbed his mouth. Hearing Chen Ping'an chat like this, the young man felt that with this name alone, he was already a done deal for an Upper Five Realm cultivator.
Chen Ping'an turned his head in puzzlement. "Your elders, or your family tutor, never talked to you about this?"
Zhao Du'anming complained, aggrieved, "Probably the tutor talks about it during the first class, but I happened to miss it. As for why I missed it, ah, the past is too painful to recall. Let's not talk about it."
When he was little, he was often struck by lightning. Once, he was happily carrying his book bag, hopping and skipping on his way to the clan school, and then... CRACK! He fell to the ground, unconscious.
Another time, he was out shopping to see the lantern fair. A third time, he was on a high place enjoying the rain. In the end, whenever there was cloudy or rainy weather, no one wanted to stand next to him.
But Zhao Du'anming figured that with his "bad luck always striking," this definitely wouldn't be the last time.
Chen Ping'an stretched out his hand, opening his palm. The young man naturally poured some salted dried peanuts into it.
Zhao Du'anming said, "I stopped you from entering the alley earlier. A big sword immortal like you won't hold a grudge, will you?"
Seems like a word was missing.
Chen Ping'an lowered his head to crack the salted dried peanuts. Laughing heartily, he said, "With that sentence from you, I won't be keeping accounts."
The young man watched as the person skillfully cracked the peanut shells and spat them out. He grinned. "Mountain Lord Chen, I didn't expect you to be so approachable. You don't seem like a sword immortal at all."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "I'm only in the Jade Pu realm. How can that be considered a sword immortal? In my wife's hometown, that's just a sword cultivator. Calling them sword immortals is on purpose to be insulting."
Zhao Du'anming committed this inside information, which had slipped out from the mouth of the young Hidden Official, to memory. So Jade Pu realm sword immortals from the Sword Qi Wall weren't even taken seriously at all. Awesome!
When he got back, he'd have to show off to Drunkard Cao. The young man remembered another matter and asked curiously, "Where's Sister-in-law? Why didn't she come here with Brother Chen? Could the one who made that move earlier be Sister-in-law? Her temper is too... ah! Brother Chen is really lucky! I have to be honest. It's not because I know who Brother Chen is that I'm flattering you. When I first saw you two, I could tell you were a match made in heaven."
In his words, he had instantly turned Chen Ping'an and that dao partner into his self-adopted big brother and sister-in-law.
Chen Ping'an hummed in acknowledgment. This kid sure could talk. Then let him talk more. As for being recognized as a relative by Zhao Du'anming, it was no big deal.
But Chen Ping'an quietly raised his eyelids. He smiled and shook the peanuts in his hand, signaling that the person watching from afar had seen enough and didn't need to worry about this kid.
Over in Yichi Lane, within the study of a certain mansion, the chief retainer of the Tianshui Zhao Clan was using the divine ability of Palm Observation of Mountains and Rivers. He and the seated Clan Elder of the Tianshui Zhao clan often looked at each other, and every now and then grew terrified, fearing that Zhao Du'anming, that little bastard who couldn't keep his mouth shut since he was little, would say the wrong thing and anger that Fallen Mountain sword immortal who had nearly turned Brightsun Mountain upside down.
That retainer immediately withdrew the divine ability. The Clan Elder of the Tianshui Zhao clan, who had been keeping his body tense and his back straight, could finally lean comfortably back into his chair. He stroked his beard and smiled. "I said it. That boy Du'anming has had spiritual wisdom since he was a child. It's obvious he's a true seed of my Zhao clan."
The chief retainer smiled but said nothing. Come off it. When your grandson was first struck by lightning when he was young, he was confused all day long, talking nonsense. Who was it that was worried sick every day, muttering to himself, 'My precious grandson, could he be an idiot?'
The old man suppressed his smile. This calligrapher, hailed as the master of the academy style, extended a finger and wrote in the air. The characters he wrote were: Yuan, Cao, Yu... All surnames of Pillars of State.
Chen Ping'an, led by the young man, walked into the alley. In his hand was a set of keys.
On the door of the small residence, there were no Spring Festival couplets or door gods posted.
Chen Ping'an unlocked the door, went in, closed it, and put away the keys.
In truth, this visit to the Dali capital was no longer just a matter of grievances between him, Chen Ping'an, and the Dali Empress Dowager. It was a... brand new game of heart examination set by his senior brother, Cui Can, for that student and the Dali imperial court.
And the games of heart examination set by Senior Brother Cui Can for others—how they tortured the human heart for those who entered the game—Chen Ping'an had already witnessed firsthand in the Book and Bamboo Slips Lake.
Everything was right, everything was wrong, and it all rested on a single thought of that Dali Emperor, "Song He."
Chen Ping'an strolled leisurely through the residence. He walked unhurriedly, opened the door of the two-story library, and stepped inside. He found nothing but books. Bookshelves lined all four walls. A ladder was placed nearby. Additionally, the place was exceptionally clean, with no unnecessary decorations. If one wanted to go to the second floor, there was even no staircase. It seemed one would have to borrow the ladder used for finding books.
Chen Ping'an didn't rush to find or read any books. Instead, he sat down on the threshold, took out his Nurtured Sword Gourd, and drank alone.
Three thousand years ago, in that great battle involving the water transport of the world, the Dragon Slayer, who later went by Jia Sheng, Bai Mang, Chen Zhuo Liu—in any case, it was the same person who called Chen Lingjun ‘brother’—pursued and slew the last true dragon in the world, which was Wang Zhu from Ni Ping Lane, the maidservant Wang Zhu of Ni Ping Lane Song Ji Xin.
Wang Zhu had landed at the southern end of Bottle Gourd Continent back then. She passed through Old Dragon City and then continued fleeing north, burrowing out that underground dragon path later used as an immortal ferry shipping route. She finally stopped in the territory of Old Dragon Province, creating one of the thirty-six lesser cave heavens, the Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven.
Wang Zhu had gone straight to Old Man Yang back then, seeking shelter in the Great Dao, hoping that he, who was in charge of the ancient Ascension Platform, would show her mercy. But Old Man Yang chose to look on and do nothing.
For some unknown reason, the Enlightening Master of White Emperor City Zheng Juzhong didn't personally make a move to slay that true dragon who had nowhere left to flee. His only desire was the result of the world having no more true dragons.
Of the Qi Refiners who participated in the final battle that brought the Dragon Slaying to a close, many died in battle or fell. A group of Qi Refiners also established thatched huts on the spot to cultivate nearby. Getting in early, they became contaminated with dragon qi, absorbing extremely abundant spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Most crucially, it was the great dao fate that the true dragon dispersed afterwards. Many of the later noble clans of the small town began to thrive and multiply from that time onwards. This smoothly gave rise to the townsfolk of the later Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven.
Later, the four sages of the Three Teachings and One School—Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the Military—jointly erected that memorial archway, which the local people jokingly called Crab Fang.
As to why the Dragon Slayer vowed to slay dragons, the Confucian school and the Confucian Temple didn't seem to have much objection. How this man earlier took in Zheng Juzhong, Han Qiaose, Liu Chicheng, and the others as his disciples, except for his great disciple Zheng Juzhong, he took them in but didn't teach them. These were all old histories that couldn't be turned over. Moreover, it seemed that before Lu Chen ascended to the Azure Underworld, he had some vague and ambiguous connection with a dragon lady in the Great Dao. This led to his later exceptional treatment of Chen Lingjun. Even back then on Fallen Mountain, Lu Chen had let Chen Lingjun choose whether to follow him to the White Jade Capital for cultivation. Even though Chen Lingjun didn't agree, Lu Chen didn't do anything extra, without any hesitation. This alone was against common sense. Lu Chen was never so straightforward with him, Chen Ping'an. For instance, Shi Rou? Lu Chen, far away in the White Jade Capital, didn't he use Shi Rou's eyes to stare at the trivialities of a certain Qilong Lane? It wasn't until Cui Dongshan interrupted this lingering attachment that the Third Overseer of the White Jade Capital stopped.
In fact, back then, the cultivators of the Dragon Raising lineage also suffered heavy casualties in order to stop the Dragon Slayer. Therefore, Chen Ping'an guessed that it was very likely that an old patriarch of the Dragon Raising lineage was hidden within Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven, carrying out the act of assisting the dragon on a large scale. The rise of the Song clan of Dali might have had much to do with this person's efforts. Later, the newly-built covered bridge, which hung the horizontal plaque reading "Wind Rises and Water Surging," might have been this person's strategizing from behind the scenes.
Chen Ping'an's thoughts were in flight. Sitting on the threshold, drinking wine with his back to the library, he gazed at the modestly sized courtyard.
The affairs of the world are like flying dust. Amidst the clamorous realm, examine the human heart to its fullness. Sun and moon are like startled pills. Amidst the traces of clouds and mist, break through all fetters.
He took a sip of wine.
The fragments of his Destiny Ceramic had been scattered, never to be fully pieced together. To be precise, Chen Ping'an had held back again and again, never urgently picking up the thread.
For Chen Ping'an to enter the Immortal realm, or even the Flying Ascension realm, there were no problems at all.
The only possible problem, the hidden danger, was probably at this bottleneck of the great dao, the Flying Ascension realm. Whether it could be broken through would depend on whether his Destiny Ceramic was intact or not.
Of course, the prerequisite was that Chen Ping'an could reach that step. He had to first become a sword cultivator at the bottleneck of the Flying Ascension realm.
As for entering the Immortal realm in the future, Chen Ping'an was very confident. But entering the Flying Ascension realm was difficult. For a sword cultivator to enter the Flying Ascension City, it was, of course, very difficult. If it wasn't difficult, that would be the strange thing.
Ha. My wife is the exception.
Chen Ping'an smiled, feeling quite pleased with himself.
Then his mood relaxed a little. That innkeeper wasn't a cultivator. He said he had a large standing ornament, a vase painted with human figures, from a certain dragon kiln in Pearly Treasure Cave Heaven.
His hometown was named Bottle Gourd Continent.
The inn was as close as could be to the Ren Yun Yi Yun Tower. It was very likely that the innkeeper had met Senior Brother Cui Can quite often in the early years.
Could that vase be one of the few pieces of broken ceramic?
Regardless of the truth about that vase, was the Dali Empress Dowager so emboldened because she already knew the crux of Chen Ping'an's Fourteen Realm Harmony Dao problem? That he was destined not to bypass each scattered piece of broken ceramic? So she wanted to wait for the right price. She felt that a mere Jade Pu realm Fallen Mountain Lord, even bearing the titles of Hidden Official and the Junior Brother of the State Preceptor, still had no qualifications to sit down and negotiate the price with her?
Chen Ping'an put away his wine gourd and pursed his lips. This woman sure knew how to calculate. She was thinking too nicely.
He stood up, interlocked the fingers of both hands, stretched his muscles and bones, and paced back and forth on the porch outside the door.
For a martial artist in the Tenth Realm, the layer of "Abundant Vitality" was the key factor in determining victory or defeat in the fist match between Chen Ping'an and Cao Ci. If he lost, there would be no hope in this life of surpassing Cao Ci. If he won, then he would have a slim chance.
Chen Ping'an, who had an excellent memory, would, upon seeing people, events, and landscapes, produce additional uncolored line drawings in his mind, as if each was an extra picture.
So whenever Chen Ping'an heard one more sentence or saw a few more glances of this mortal world, it was like adding a trace of color to the depiction.
A pure martial artist has one true qi.
The world is magnificent, with the vigor to swallow up mountains and rivers.
In truth, before entering the Ultimate Realm, Chen Ping'an was unaware of this. Perhaps, as Cui Dongshan said, it was unintentional but most intentional.
Ever since Chen Ping'an learned the fist, Master Qi, Ah Liang, Cui Dongshan, Cui Cheng, Gu You, Li Er, the Chief Sword Immortal, Old Madam Bai… all of them seemed to have deliberately concealed this. None of them ever spoke of this matter.
For instance, tonight within the Dali capital, by the Calamus River, the grievances of the young official, the sentence from the old master beside him that "poverty is not shameful," the relief of the two immortal maidens, the pride of the Calamus River Water God as a Dali deity… these were like them establishing themselves in the painted scrolls within Chen Ping'an's heart. All these people and events that stirred Chen Ping'an's heart, all this joy and sorrow, parting and reunion, were as if, once Chen Ping'an saw them and thought about them, they became the pigments that began to sketch colors on the heart-scape scroll.
It was as if the entire world was a dao field where Chen Ping'an alone resided.
Why did Cao Ci go to the Sword Qi Wall when he was young? To build a thatched hut and practice his fists there?
Later, he even more enjoyed traveling alone across several continents. That was how he met Yu Juanfu in the ancient battlefield ruins of Golden Armor Continent.
In truth, Cao Ci, too, had long been laying the groundwork for the layer of "Abundant Vitality," the "vigor that fills mountains and rivers."
Perhaps Cao Ci's weakness was that he didn't quite like meddling in others' affairs. What he saw was more often the mountains and rivers of ten thousand li, not people and the human heart.
This caused the degree of "coloring" in the heart-scape scroll of Cao Ci's mind to be insufficient, and especially insufficiently heavy.
Of course, this is not to say that looking at a few landscapes is the same as the heart-scape of one's own mind in the layer of Abundant Vitality. Otherwise, it would be too simple. All the martial artists of the Ninth Realm would just have to fly on the wind for a long journey, open their eyes wide, and look at the mountains and rivers of all the continents. Because it must be every heartfelt approval and denial that allows one to pick up the brush to sketch and add deep colors to the uncolored line drawings.
Chen Ping'an withdrew his thoughts. He turned around and walked into the library. He set up the ladder and climbed up step by step to the second floor. Chen Ping'an stopped, standing on the book ladder, his shoulders almost level with the second floor's floorboards.
There was no one, nothing.
It was as if the former owner of the library had been a solitary man, reading books in this world, and when the time came for him to leave, he simply returned all the books to the world.
Inside the Imitation White Jade Capital, the old scholar suddenly asked, "Senior, shall we have a chat?"
The old master raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He knew what tricks this Sage of Literature was playing.
Once they formally began the dao discussion, they wouldn't have time to worry about the commotion in the Dali capital. Even if Ning Yao returned to Dali and chopped the entire capital to pieces, the Imitation White Jade Capital wouldn't be able to attend to it.
The old scholar said timidly, "Senior, you are an undisputed sage of heaven and earth. The Confucian Temple would be willing to give you the title, but it's you who declines it yourself. I, on the other hand, am just an academy worthy. It's like in the martial world, a Third Realm martial artist fist-fighting with an Ultimate Realm grandmaster. So you have to give me a few moves. How about starting down by half?"
The old master smiled. "Then forget it."
The two of them would discuss the dao.
It certainly wasn't about any conflict of pride.
In truth, he had long wanted to have a dao discussion with this Sage of Literature.
This poor old scholar before him was, after all, recognized as the best arguer under heaven.
The old scholar's eyes were ablaze.
It was as if he were saying: The mountains and rivers of a continent. All those who dare to hold up the heavens as they fall have already risen! Which of the formal disciples of my Sage of Literature's lineage has been slacking off?
So if you lose the dao discussion today, just remember this place. From now on, don't interfere with what Chen Ping'an does or says anymore.
The old master thought for a moment. He was still somewhat hesitant.
A dao discussion was no small matter.
It would trigger extremely large heavenly and earthly phenomena.
The old scholar gently shook his sleeves and smiled. "Since the master is the best conversationalist, the scholar will come to discuss the earth. Let's have a good talk about this heaven and earth and the world."
The sage's words were pronouncements containing heavenly rules.
Throughout the entire Righteous Qi World, the wind rose and clouds surged, especially around Bottle Gourd Continent. In the eyes of the fate-watching officials of various countries, it was as if countless beams of golden light had fallen upon the world.
At the Forest of Merit in the Confucian Temple, Ritual Sage and the Scholar Xi Ping were sitting opposite each other, playing a game of go. Ritual Sage glanced towards Bottle Gourd Continent and said helplessly, "Wherever he goes, there's no peace."
As for the undersea tomb carefully arranged by Wen Hai Zhou Mi, and that Flying Ascension realm ghostly being, after Ning Yao's sword strike, the Confucian Temple already had a countermeasure.
The Scholar Xi Ping smiled faintly. "Now that the knot in his heart and his concerns are gone, the Sage of Literature is finally going to discuss the dao."
Back then, after the old scholar's deity statue was removed from the Confucian Temple, especially after his disciples were scattered, he never took up the identity of the Sage of Literature again. Even when he harmonized with the dao of three continents, it was only an action of a scholar, having nothing to do with the Sage of Literature.
But tonight, in Bottle Gourd Continent, inside the Imitation White Jade Capital, the old scholar was the first to sit down on the floor. He straightened his clothing, extended a hand, his expression serious, and his tone calm. "Please, take a seat."
To talk about heaven and earth, I invite you to sit.
Of course, you will lose.