Chapter 917: Amid the Sound of Reading on the Path of Peace

Chapter 917: Amid the Sound of Reading on the Path of Peace

After Lu Chen left the Clear and Cool Sect in Northern Jambudvipa, he did not return directly to the Jade Capital. Instead, he first made a trip to the Green Mugwort Kingdom, visited that Scholar Chen who ought to have been surnamed Li on Cave Immortal Street, then sneaked back to the Baoping Continent to meet an old friend whose cultivation realm was vastly inferior to his own yet whose identity could not be underestimated.

Crossing the sea from Northern Jambudvipa and heading south, he swept over the land of the Baoping Continent. As expected, the Literary Temple sage overseeing the Heavenly Canopy—an old acquaintance—exchanged a few words with Lu Chen.

Lu Chen felt that this reminiscence, with few words but considerable goodwill, could be considered a pleasant conversation. As for what the other party thought, Lu Chen couldn't care less.

In Yuzhang Commandery, Hongzhou, a new government office had been established: the Logging Academy.

The first chief officer of the Logging Academy was a man named Lin Zhengcheng, a native of the capital.

He had previously served in the capital's Ministry of War, holding the position of second-in-command at the Express Courier Reporting Office. He was no longer young, and no one knew how he had landed such a lucrative and comfortable post.

This Lord Lin neither implemented any aggressive new policies as a newly appointed official nor did he simply enjoy the benefits without doing any work. He conducted his affairs in a generally orthodox manner, going through all the necessary procedures. For example, he donned his official robe and led the academy clerks to offer incense at the local Civil and Martial Temples and the City God Temple. Since the Logging Academy was a new office, there were no matters to hand over from a predecessor, which saved a lot of trouble.

That night, under the cover of darkness, a young Daoist wearing a lotus crown didn't bother to knock but pushed the door open directly. He sat down on a stool next to the brazier, stretched out his hands to warm them by the fire, shivered, and asked with a grin, "That assassin who attacked Ning Yao back then—still haven't found the mastermind behind it?"

Lin Zhengcheng put down the book in his hand, lifted his eyelids slightly, and remained seated. He ignored the question from the Third Teachings of the Jade Capital. Instead, he simply cupped his fists in a polite gesture and said, "Greetings to the Lu Teachings."

Lu Chen shook his sleeves. "Between you and me, that's just awkward. We've known each other inside and out."

He had set up a fortune-telling stall in the town for ten-odd years, so they were thoroughly familiar with each other's backgrounds.

But just like Cao Gengxin of the Kiln Supervision Office, whose most important target was the young mountain lord of Fallen Mountain—the two of them had never met or spoken.

The same applied to Lin Zhengcheng on Lu Chen's side.

Lin Zhengcheng was a local of the Pear Dragon Cave Heaven, and more importantly, he was the second gatekeeper personally selected by the Embroidered Tiger.

Otherwise, why would the grand preceptor of the Great Li Empire stoop to naming the son of an official from the Supervision Office?

As for the previous gatekeeper, once the sixty-year term was up, he was dismissed without merit or fault—naturally, the Embroidered Tiger Cui Chan was not entirely satisfied.

Before that person, there had actually been another outlander sword immortal who served as gatekeeper of Pear Dragon Cave Heaven for the longest time. Moreover, this person had an extremely special hidden identity: Sacrificial Officer.

This secret was only revealed to Lin Zhengcheng during his last meeting with Grand Preceptor Cui. That sword cultivator, who had quietly left his homeland and arrived in the Haoran World via Upside-Down Mountain, was the last Sacrificial Officer in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

In fact, Old Man Yang had already leaked the heavenly secret to Ning Yao during her first travels through Pear Dragon Cave Heaven. But at that time, the old man spoke in vague and roundabout terms, only saying that an outlander sword cultivator had died near the town, and before that, the sword cultivator had compiled his observations of the landscapes into a book, leaving behind a travelogue that he occasionally flipped through.

Back then, Ning Yao was only half-convinced and didn't think deeply about it. Afterwards, Old Man Yang changed the subject and asked her one last question: "What is the inner voice?"

The girl understood instantly and entered a mysterious state akin to Buddhist meditation or Daoist heart-fasting.

Lin Zhengcheng speculated that this sword cultivator—one of the Three Officers of the Sword Qi Great Wall—had been after the old sword sliver under the stone arch bridge. But for some reason, he had never received a certain answer. He probably stayed in Pear Dragon Cave Heaven and turned to serve as gatekeeper. However, that was long before Cui Chan became the Grand Preceptor of Great Li, and the Song clan of Great Li had been kept in the dark, unaware of how deep the connection with the Sword Qi Great Wall ran.

But aside from his obvious identity as a sword cultivator, this Sacrificial Officer had an even more hidden identity: a martial grandmaster who had already reached the peak with no further path ahead.

In the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall, martial artists at the Stagnation Realm were exceedingly rare.

The last one was Bai Lianshuang, and she was a woman.

This was absolutely unusual. Even if the martial fortunes of the Sword Qi Great Wall were suppressed by the sword's Daoist fortunes, the number of pure martial artists at the ninth and tenth realms should not have been so scarce.

Monopolization.

Because someone had monopolized the martial fortunes.

The foremost martial artist of the Haoran World, Zhang Tiaoxia of the Dragon Uncle Race, had once been at the peak of his spirit and the zenith of his fist intent. At that time, Zhang Tiaoxia was brimming with ambition, fully regarding the Martial God beyond the Stagnation Realm as his prey, exuding an air of "who else but me."

But in the midst of the great sea, he once had a fist duel with an unknown pure martial artist.

Zhang Tiaoxia didn't lose, nor did he win.

After that, Zhang Tiaoxia turned to cultivation and ultimately became the longest-lived martial artist at the Stagnation Realm in the history of the Haoran World.

As for the many accolades and titles the outside world bestowed upon him—such as "the foremost martial artist under heaven"—he never acknowledged them. They could say whatever they wanted; Zhang Tiaoxia simply paid no attention and didn't respond.

Lu Chen knew about this thanks to his unregistered disciple, the old boatman Xiancha.

Xiancha happened to be the sole witness to that fist duel.

That pinnacle battle of the martial dao saw both figures moving like thunderbolts, faster even than a sword cultivator's flying sword. They fought until the sea within a radius of a thousand li collapsed everywhere, exposing the seabed everywhere.

Lu Chen even suspected that this Sacrificial Officer had a place on a certain mountain peak.

Unfortunately, that bizarre mountain was a place Lu Chen, as a cultivator, could not go.

"When the world is still, the Baoping moves; when the world is in chaos, the Baoping remains still."

As if guessing what Lin Zhengcheng was thinking, Lu Chen lowered his head to stare at the flames, gently rubbing his hands, and said with a smile, "This prophecy—I only discovered some traces during my walks along the river of time in that town back then, and then I deduced it based on those clues. This shows that this Sacrificial Officer is very accurate at fortune-telling."

Lin Zhengcheng saw Lu Chen pull a few sweet potatoes out of his sleeve and place them into the brazier. It seemed he wasn't planning to leave anytime soon, so he had to take the initiative and ask, "May I ask what guidance the Lu Teaching has for visiting tonight?"

Lu Chen looked up and asked with a smile, "Do you know which of your actions were superfluous and which were done going with the flow?"

Lin Zhengcheng said calmly, "Since they are all past matters, knowing is worse than not knowing."

Lu Chen raised one hand, and light flowed and converged, forming a faint outline of the old Pear Dragon Cave Heaven. The starlight—some dazzlingly bright, some dim and unclear, some gentle, some piercing—varied in intensity and size, as well as color. When Lu Chen slowly turned his wrist, it was as if a previously still world had gained a "one" and began to rotate slowly.

Lu Chen raised his other hand, two fingers pinched as if holding a chess piece. He seemed to pinch two points of light of vastly different brightness. Worried that Lin Zhengcheng might not see clearly, Lu Chen let the images of two people appear on his fingertips: one was Li Er, with a fish basket tied at his waist, and the other was a skinny, dark-skinned straw-sandal boy, Chen Ping'an.

Lu Chen pinched out two more points of light: the Great Sui crown prince Gao Xuan and an aged retainer. With two fingers together, he gently pushed them, causing them to seem to step backward, moving farther and farther away from Li Er and Chen Ping'an. Then Lu Chen gently set the light points back, suddenly quickening the rotation, so that the world seemed to run, increasing its pace without rest. The dim point of light representing Chen Ping'an gradually brightened, and in an instant, it shone brilliantly. Then it seemed to collide with something, like a heavy hammer smashing against a sword blank, sending sparks flying.

But it was a mere flash in the pan. After the phenomenon ended, the bright light returned to dimness and gradually scattered in all directions, going to various people in the town.

"You see, being scolded by Old Man Yang—it was Li Er asking for it."

"This is called helping with good intentions but causing harm."

"You're the same way. Don't believe me? Then I'll give an example. Those snake-gall stones you deliberately threw into Dragon Whisker River that night—their grade wasn't low. They were meant to be your son Lin Shouyi's future cultivation resources, right?"

"As a result, it seemed like a big help, increasing the young man from Mud Vase Alley's harvest by seventy or eighty percent. But do you know that snake-gall stone that Ma Kuxuan casually obtained was originally supposed to be picked up by Chen Ping'an and put into his basket? Count this account, Lin Zhengcheng. Did Chen Ping'an gain or lose? In my opinion, he definitely lost big."

Lin Zhengcheng remained unmoved and said, "I don't care about these twists and turns. Isn't the current Chen Ping'an the one who gives you the biggest headache?"

Lu Chen didn't deny it. He nodded, but soon asked with a smile, "Then what if I say that Lin Shouyi lost a certain opportunity because of your favoritism as a father? For instance, that thing I gave to Xie Ling was originally supposed to fall into Lin Shouyi's hands? Lin Shouyi even unknowingly lost even more blessings? If there is one, there is a chain of ones; if there is none, there is a chain of nones. Gain and loss in this matter must not be overlooked. When I set up my stall and told fortunes, I gave you hints."

Lin Zhengcheng's state of mind remained as calm as an ancient well. He sneered, "Whether my own brat has prospects or not, and how much, is that any of your business? Is your surname Lin? I don't recall any 'Lin Chen' in our family tree."

Lu Chen was momentarily speechless. He let the little world hang in the air, rotating on its own, and reached out to stir the sweet potatoes in the charcoal fire. He sighed mournfully, "So annoying."

No wonder Cui Chan had chosen this man as gatekeeper. His realm was not high, but he was as impenetrable as a rock and as firm as a boulder.

And this simple, unadorned folk character of the town—what was the matter? Every word from them pierced the heart.

Lin Zhengcheng stood up, walked around the desk, and sat down by the brazier. He picked up a roasted sweet potato, brushed off the dust, and began to eat.

Lu Chen smiled and reminded him, "Eat slowly, careful not to burn yourself."

Lin Zhengcheng glanced at the little world suspended in the air.

Some lights were almost motionless.

For example, Aunt Feng in the tallest tavern in town; the Yin-Yang school cultivator Lu Wei; the old coachman from the former Heavenly Court Thunder Department, and others.

Some points of light were as bright as hanging stars: Ruan Xiu and Li Liu.

And similar to the sissy kiln worker Su Han, who was the reincarnation of the Rain God.

As well as the girl Zhi Gui, who had escaped from the Iron Lock Well.

At the same time, the causal threads on all the townspeople were either intertwining or quietly snapping.

In the end, everyone was entangled together. There were few cultivators, but their threads were thick; the mortal commoners had many long threads, but they were fine.

Only near the Yang Family Medicine Shop was there a shroud of clouds and mist.

Lu Chen bit into the sweet potato in his hand and suddenly said angrily, "Chen Ping'an is too vengeful. I didn't do anything. If there's a grudge, there's a debtor. Why does he hold such a grudge against me alone? You, as an elder, should discipline him, discipline him. These days, your words carry more weight with Chen Ping'an than anyone else's."

Lin Zhengcheng reminded him, "It seems like you didn't actually do anything."

Seems like. Actually.

Lu Chen continued, "Besides, when the great catastrophe struck the town back then, it wasn't just us Jade Capital immortals showing up. The sages of the Three Teachings and One Family all appeared."

"At most, it was that bad-tempered one from Purple Qi Tower who made the first move. But I was different. From beginning to end, I neither fought with Qi Jingchun nor said a single harsh word. I was perfectly amiable."

"Why doesn't Chen Ping'an take revenge on the vice president of the Literary Temple? Why doesn't he reason with the Buddhist sects? Why does he only cling to me? Just because I have a good temper, I'm an easy target? I'm being wronged!"

Lin Zhengcheng made a strange gesture: he forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes, then immediately withdrew it.

It was as if he had heard a joke, applauded perfunctorily, and then said, "Lu Teaching, please continue with the next joke."

Lu Chen raised his sleeve and pointed at him. "Scholars—we are both scholars. No wonder Lin Shouyi hasn't been close to you since he was a child."

"The sage holds to the One to be the exemplar for the world. Knowing honor yet maintaining disgrace becomes the valley of the world."

Cui Chan had named Lin Zhengcheng's son "Shouyi"—"Holding to the One." He had even early on thought of a "style name" for Lin Shouyi when he came of age.

Surname Lin, given name Shouyi, style name Rixin. Both "sunrise" and "daily renewal," requiring caution.

Seeing that the Third Teaching of the Jade Capital was still playing dumb, Lin Zhengcheng raised his hand, fingers loosely pinched as if holding a book and shaking it.

Lu Chen sighed.

Too smart was no good; it was easy to run out of conversation.

Lin Zhengcheng's meaning was probably that the two of them were both "book-flippers" of the town's stories. Almost all the clues, threads, entanglements, and trends were clearly written in the book, and both of them had read them thoroughly, so don't pretend to be naive.

Lu Chen lamented, "If the Emperor could persuade you, then you could persuade Chen Ping'an to agree to become the new Grand Preceptor of Great Li."

Lin Zhengcheng remained silent.

In life and in doing things, it was actually very simple: just understand one thing—I am I.

Since I am I, I will inevitably do many things I should do, and will not do many things I should not do.

For example, when Lin Shouyi was young and went to the private school, he once came home from class with red eyes, as if he had been crying.

Lin Zhengcheng happened to see that and asked him what was wrong. Lin Shouyi said a classmate had cheated, and he reported it, and then no one wanted to talk to him.

"Do you think you were wrong?"

"No!"

"Will doing the right thing always bring good results?"

"Isn't that what they say? Good people have good rewards."

"Not necessarily."

"Ah?"

"Otherwise, why would you need to study?"

"Father, Mr. Qi talked to me about this too, and he said something similar. But I think Mr. Qi said it better: he told me to believe that good people have good rewards. It's a bit different from what you said. Father, when you were in school, did you ever get cornered in an alley and beaten up like I did?"

"Get lost and study."

"Oh."

"By the way, who hit you?"

"Fatty Ma from Erlang Alley."

"Just him?"

"Mm."

"Get lost!"

It really couldn't be blamed that the son feared his father. The father and son had never been close since childhood. Whenever Lin Zhengcheng saw young Lin Shouyi being a little naughty—like going out to play before finishing his homework—Lin Zhengcheng would come home from the Kiln Supervision Office and, if he caught him, would greet the little ancestor with his belt, beating Lin Shouyi until he ran around, often hiding under the bed and refusing to come out.

The reason Lin Zhengcheng looked down on the private school later established by the Chen clan of Dragon Tail Creek was that he felt the teachers there were too polite to the children. They talked too much of the sage's truths on the books and beat too little. The rulers and feather dusters were just decorations. Especially a few old masters who, presuming to be literary giants or generation-leading scholars, insisted on the gentleman's principle of "move with words, not hands." Lin Zhengcheng couldn't stand it anymore, so he made an exception and wrote a secret memorial. Soon, a batch of young teachers was transferred to the school. Compared to the old masters invited by the Chen clan of Dragon Tail Creek, the latter had lower scholarship and less learning, but a group of Great Li provincial graduates with hopes of passing the imperial exams were more than qualified to teach a bunch of children in diapers. Moreover, they were more enthusiastic about teaching. In this way, the Chen clan of Dragon Tail Creek also relaxed a bit, because those old masters would rather return to their hometowns, enjoy their grandchildren, or host lectures at local academies to cultivate a few new Great Li metropolitan graduates for their hometown.

Lu Chen glanced at Lin Zhengcheng, not disturbing this rare display of fatherly affection from the last gatekeeper. He was silent for a moment, then changed the subject after Lin Zhengcheng had collected his thoughts. "Gao Xuan will be a good emperor. Your Great Li court better be careful. If the Embroidered Tiger were still around, or even if Song Jixin had become emperor, Gao Xuan would never have succeeded as the Great Sui Emperor."

Among the five greatest opportunities put on the table in Pear Dragon Cave Heaven back then, Great Sui crown prince Gao Xuan obtained one. Later, as a price for the alliance between the Gao clan of Great Sui and the Song clan of Great Li, Gao Xuan served as a hostage and studied for many years at the Forest Deer Academy on Cloak Cloud Mountain. By the time Gao Xuan returned to Great Sui and succeeded to the throne a few years ago, he was actually taking over a mess of a disheartened court.

Back then, Great Sui had essentially surrendered without a fight, voluntarily ceding several vassal states like Yellow Court Kingdom to the Song clan of Great Li. For the proud Great Sui court officials, this was a great humiliation.

By the time the Song clan of Great Li accomplished the grand feat of "one nation, one continent," it dealt another immeasurable blow to the Great Sui court. What little spirit remained was crushed by the Great Li iron cavalry.

Under these circumstances, crown prince Gao Xuan voluntarily abandoned that golden carp, giving up the path to certification of longevity. Not only did he fall from the Nascent Soul realm all the way to the lower five realms, but he also suffered a significant loss of lifespan. He truly became "a man of seventy is rare in ancient times" [an ancient saying that it's rare to live to seventy], and only then, without violating the Literary Temple's ceremonial regulations, could he inherit the throne and become emperor.

Lu Chen smiled. "Thirty years as emperor—thirty years—you can do a lot of things. Moreover, regarding human fate, there is a fixed number, but it is not rigidly determined. Since ancient times, there has never been such a thing as 'heaven determined,' because this itself is heaven determined. Anyway, I have high hopes for this Great Sui emperor. Maybe he will be a restoration-era lord remembered in history."

He clapped his hands and stood up. He walked over to the desk, where a scale was placed. It was an old item, probably a gift from Old Man Yang when Lin Zhengcheng first took office as gatekeeper.

A scale. Sixteen liang made one catty.

This, of course, had great learning and was very particular, because the sixteen stars of the scale represented the Big Dipper's seven stars, the Southern Dipper's six stars, plus the three stars of Fortune, Emolument, and Longevity.

The ancients admonished later generations: do not deceive heaven or hide from earth, or else short by one liang loses fortune, short by two loses emolument, and short by three cuts life. Therefore, people in business most fear being short in weight. This is called "Man proposes, God disposes."

Lu Chen picked up the ancient scale, pinched it with two fingers, and rotated it gently. He sighed softly, "It is clearly repeated admonitions, but unfortunately silent."

He put down the scale, turned to lean against the desk, rubbed the desktop made of local Yuzhang wood, gently breathed out, and blew away the light orb suspended above the brazier. The light scattered like a bag of fireflies. Watching that scene, Lu Chen smiled. "The sea is the dragon's world; the sky is the crane's home. The big fish sees that even big nets cannot hold it!"

Lin Zhengcheng sneered. "It was Mr. Qi who accomplished that. What does it have to do with you, Lu Chen?"

The reason it hadn't ended in a net breaking and fish dying was that someone had torn open the net, disregarding self-entanglement, allowing the big and small fish within the net to escape together. His true body shattered like porcelain.

Lu Chen laughed heartily. "Good thing you didn't call me a troublemaker. That's already Brother Lin showing mercy."

Lin Zhengcheng sneered. "That's because Mr. Qi was mentioned."

Lu Chen didn't mind. That was just Brother Lin's temper. Get used to it. He neither flatters superiors nor bullies subordinates. In life, in doing things, in being an official, it's all about being a certain kind of person.

"Zhao Yao admired Song Jixin the most. He felt that whether in chess or studies, he was far inferior to his classmate. But Song Jixin despised Zhao Yao from the bottom of his heart. The two could never truly align on the Great Way, so Zhao Yao could not 'dot the eyes' for him. In the end, Song Mu only became a princely king of Great Li, not an emperor."

"Zhao Yao also missed the mark. After leaving his hometown riding an ox cart, he encountered the Embroidered Tiger blocking the road. The youth handed over the seal gifted by his teacher. That was not wrong in itself, but as a result, 'Yao'—which meant 'distant' or 'time'—became 'Yao' meaning 'to shake' or 'corvée labor.'"

"On the wall of Mud Vase Alley, Chen Ping'an played the do-gooder, saving someone with his voice. That was naturally out of kindness, and indeed, he saved Liu Xianyang, who was on the verge of death under the feet of the Lu family boy. But in the unseen order of things, it was like attracting fire to oneself. Their life fates were not complementary; they were even conflicting. Thus came all sorts of hardships for both sides later. For example, Liu Xianyang still nearly died at the hands of that All-Under-Heaven-Disdaining, Mountain-Moving Great Sage of our Brightsun Mountain. Liu Xianyang, Brightsun Mountain, Chen Ping'an born on the fifth of May—only when the three scattered apart, leaving Brightsun Mountain alone in place, while the two friends each wandered far from home, did they later join forces to challenge Brightsun Mountain with swords. But the gains and losses in between—blessings and misfortunes have no gate; only man invites them."

"If that sissy kiln worker hadn't been kind-hearted, and that night in the ancestral home on Mud Vase Alley he hadn't had a sudden inspiration and buried that box of rouge outside the alley instead of placing it where Chen Ping'an could see it at a glance, or even hiding it in the courtyard underground—then in the long run, it wouldn't have been repaying a debt of gratitude, but harming with good intentions."

"Old Chai, who ran the wedding shop, repeatedly warned his grandson Hu Feng before his death not to get close to Chen Ping'an. That was a wise choice."

Lu Chen sighed. "The luan and phoenix are out of place, the orchid grows in the middle of the road. Barnyard grass in the field."

Those who left their proper positions—luan and phoenix, orchids growing in the wrong place—were prone to generating turbid qi and had to be uprooted. What about those inconspicuous, already annoying barnyard grasses?

Now serving as Vice Minister of Justice in Great Li, Zhao Yao's "Yao" character was anciently the same as "corvée," "ballad," "distant," "time," and also the lushness of grass and trees.

Song Jixin, who gathered dragon qi; Zhao Yao, who was responsible for "dotting the eyes"; Chen Ping'an, born on the fifth of May; Liu Xianyang, descended from the ancient dragon-raising lineage; and Hu Feng of the wedding shop.

Lush mountains and clear waters, dense vegetation, chopping wood and gathering firewood for light, using the ancient highest rites to sacrifice to spirits, on the day when the human world's yang energy was at its peak, boiling the earth and rivers to forge a Yang Sui mirror, reporting to heaven with the sun as the main, paired with the moon. Taking fire from heaven, a great fire blazing heavenwards, smoke rising like a dragon ascending, flames reaching beyond the sky, forming a river of time on its own—that was a brand new path to heaven that didn't require an Ascension Platform.

This was fate.

Almost a predetermined fate.

Lu Chen said, "So the person who persuaded Chen Ping'an's father back then didn't just leak the matter of the Fate Porcelain; he foresaw this day."

"Smashing the Fate Porcelain is equivalent to diverging from the old path. It may not necessarily be able to avoid it, but at least it creates a glimmer of hope. Looking back, the facts prove this to be true."

"Good intentions causing harm, bad intentions may also lead to good outcomes. This world has many strange people and many strange things."

Lin Zhengcheng's face darkened. "Was it you?!"

When Lin Zhengcheng left Pear Dragon Cave Heaven to take up his post in the capital's Ministry of War, Grand Preceptor Cui Chan had waited for him at a courier station.

During a review, Cui Chan had evaluated the Third Teaching of the Jade Capital before him.

Even across an entire world, even suppressed by the Great Way of the Haoran World, Lu Chen's restoration to the peak of the fourteenth realm could not be stopped.

Nor could the entire Jade Capital crossing worlds and descending from the sky onto the Pear Dragon Cave Heaven of the Baoping Continent be stopped.

Lin Zhengcheng had asked a question at that time: "Is it really necessary to go this far just to target Mr. Qi alone?"

Cui Chan laughed and said, "Lu Chen has no Great Way conflict with Qi Jingchun. But as long as it's for his senior brother, the First Teaching, Lu Chen would go this far."

"On one hand, the First Teaching of the Jade Capital is the person Lu Chen respects most. On the other hand, Lu Chen has an even greater demand, out of selfishness. He once felt that a certain answer could be found in his senior brother, provided that the Dao Ancestor's first disciple truly succeeded in doing something."

"When Lu Chen wants nothing, no one can defeat him."

"When Lu Chen wants something, no one can defeat him."

With Lu Chen present, it wasn't that Qi Jingchun had no second choice.

But precisely because Lu Chen appeared, Qi Jingchun ultimately had only two choices.

Like a game of chess reaching the endgame, one side holds the advantage.

Win or win, but the winning side only has one or two paths to victory.

You win your intra-game; I win my extra-game.

For example, suppose Liu Xianyang was carrying several valuable porcelain pieces and was going to find Chen Ping'an in Mud Vase Alley.

No matter how he wound through the town's streets and alleys, changing routes, in the end he would only have two choices: pass by the Gu Can family's doorstep, or not pass by.

Lu Chen's existence was like a thuggish rascal who had a grudge against Liu Xianyang, blocking the corner of the street near Gu Can's house. Whoever came would fight for their life, and it was no bluff.

Even if Liu Xianyang could beat that rascal, he would weigh the pros and cons. It wasn't worth it; it was unnecessary. Since he was carrying porcelain for Chen Ping'an, he would naturally take a detour.

Lu Chen laughed dryly, slapped the desk, and feigned anger. "What is all this? Don't throw mud at me! When did I arrive in town? Just a few years. What could I have accomplished? Would you, Lin Zhengcheng, not know? Don't pin this big shit-pot on me! Even if you have no conscience, you need some evidence to frame someone!"

Lin Zhengcheng frowned. "Zouzi?"

Lu Chen wiped his face. Acting was really tiring. He shook his head. "Since it's the most likely, then it's definitely not. Zouzi always does things in moderation. Getting personally involved like this is not his style. One misstep and his Dao heart would shatter; even dropping in realm would be a good outcome."

Lu Chen reached up to pat the lotus crown on his head, then stretched his arm and raised his palm, shaking it. "Three feet above the head, there are spirits. Whether outsiders believe it or not, I am very particular about this."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then counted on his fingers and smiled again. "Poor Tian Wan. She thought hiding the Cicada Slough Cave Heaven within Pear Dragon Cave Heaven would deceive herself and thus fool heaven and earth. But her Daoist conduct is still shallow. Can anyone learn such self-deception? Old Chai kept his promise and didn't covet that golden cicada slough. I suspect even Old Chai didn't expect that it would still end up in his precious grandson's hands—this blessing of 'obviously right in front of you, yet far away as the sky.' Truly ineffable. As the old saying goes, 'If your fate is eight feet, don't ask for ten.' Don't seek, and you might just receive."

"But when it comes to doting on the younger generation, no one can compare to Old Man Yang with Li Huai. So it's said that fools have good fortune—you must believe it! Next time I take a closed-door disciple, I'll definitely accept one who isn't so clever."

Lu Chen looked at Lin Zhengcheng. "Regarding the whereabouts of the Cicada Slough Cave Heaven, you can tell Chen Ping'an about this. It doesn't matter. I guarantee I won't add any superfluous steps."

Lin Zhengcheng twitched the corner of his mouth, clearly with no such intention.

Back then, there were many funeral shops in the town, but only one wedding shop. The owner was Hu Feng's grandfather. After the old man died, his real name was used on the tombstone: Chai Daohuang.

That's why Lu Chen called him "Old Chai."

The old man was once the top chairman of all ancient matchmaking lodges—what is later called the "Old Man Under the Moon." His former temple was named "Matchmaker Mountain."

He managed the marriage register and the red strings, as well as all matchmaking words.

And his grandson, Hu Feng. Hu, as in the ancient moon character Hu.

Hu Feng and that girl by the Red Scale River in Tongye Continent were both descendants of the ancient moon palace's heavenly craftsmen. But Hu Feng's bloodline was purer, like the distinction between legitimate and secondary branches in later households.

Lu Chen quickly walked back to the brazier and sat down. If he didn't, Lin Zhengcheng would eat all the sweet potatoes. He took the last one, gently brushed off the dust, blew on it energetically, and asked with a roguish grin, "Brother Lin, I am, after all, the Third Teaching of the Jade Capital. In the Azure Underheaven, I can swagger around. No one dares to breathe heavy at me. Now you have no backing. Why do you still talk to me so bluntly? What gives you the right?"

Lin Zhengcheng said calmly, "If you have done nothing wrong in life, you don't fear ghosts knocking at your door at midnight."

Lu Chen said plaintively, "Meeting a fellow townsman in a foreign land should bring tears of joy. But Brother Lin is cursing again."

Lin Zhengcheng asked directly, "When will the Lu Teaching return home?"

Lu Chen complained, "Such words hurt our feelings. Don't forget, we are fellow townsmen."

Lin Zhengcheng said without any sincerity, "Oh, if the Lu Teaching hadn't mentioned it, I really would have forgotten that."

Lu Chen laughed angrily. "Others might not know, but you, the gatekeeper, should know that I risked my life to accompany Chen Ping'an to the Barren Wilderness World, performing meritorious service and attracting the attention of the world."

Lin Zhengcheng nodded. "Precisely because I know about that, I was willing to talk so much nonsense with the Lu Teaching tonight. Otherwise, I would have already shown you the door."

Lu Chen raised both hands and made a "sink the qi into the elixir field" gesture, muttering to himself, "Don't get angry. Don't get angry. Not worth it. Not worth it."

Lin Zhengcheng hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fists and said solemnly, "On this matter alone, it was very un-Lu Chen-like. I respect you. You are a real man."

Wasn't that still cursing?

But Lu Chen's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. "Words that warm the heart—Brother Lin, why didn't you say them earlier? I might even be willing to guard the passes for my nephew Lin Shouyi! Going from Nascent Soul to Jade Purity is just a minor matter, not like going from Immortal to Ascension."

"If the Lu Teaching is willing to change his surname, I can add a name to the next edition of the family tree, even on the first page. No problem. When offering incense in the ancestral hall, we'll burn nine sticks."

"Brother Lin, if you talk like that, it's not fun anymore. I also have a temper. When I get fierce, I don't recognize family."

"Then I'll change my surname?"

"Brother Lin, please have some self-respect!"

Seeing that Brother Lin was playing dumb again, Lu Chen had to speak up. "It'll be in the next few days. The Literary Temple gave me the boot before you did. I must leave the Haoran World by the end of this year. The door will be closed for me once spring begins. In the end, they just can't bear to let me go. I can't think of another reason."

Lin Zhengcheng said, "I heard the Second Teaching has just accepted a disciple."

Lu Chen was surprised. "How come I don't know about this?"

Alas, this Senior Brother Yu—what's the matter? Didn't even tell his junior brother.

Let me calculate. Oh, coincidentally, the disciple's surname is Yang, with the nickname Little Heavenly Lord. He's also a fellow townsman from our Haoran World, originally a Daoist. Not bad, Second Senior Brother—he's imitating our master by taking an outsider as a disciple.

But the problem is, how can this Yang Ningxing from Northern Jambudvipa compare to me? At best, the young man is a second "Elegant Appearance" Yao Qing.

Good thing he's not Senior Brother Yu's closed-door disciple, otherwise I would have had to put a stop to it.

Lu Chen stood up and shook his sleeves. "When everything comes to light, it seems rather uninteresting."

Just like when Chen Ping'an borrowed a set of Daoist arts from him temporarily—he couldn't help but feel that once his realm was high, the world became small.

In fact, this was a common feeling among all Ascension Realm and Fourteenth Realm great cultivators.

The hearts of men and the world, mountains heavy and waters winding, all seemed like the same pattern, as if stamped from a single mold.

As for the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Lu Chen dared not go again. The Barren Wilderness World was temporarily out of reach. Besides Bai Ze, who had returned to the Barren Wilderness, there was actually another existence that lived as long as the Barren Wilderness itself.

Named "Qun." Born in the barbaric lands, amidst the great wilderness.

Similar to that little girl in the Colorful World: as many years as Jiachun has passed, that's how old she is.

And of course, just like that old fisherman in the Haoran World who once refused to ferry the Confucian saints and their party across the river, his Great Way roots were the same.

Naturally, the Azure Underheaven and the Western Buddhist Kingdom had similar existences. Back then, Lu Chen knew the inside story, which led to that saying that has been passed down through the ages: "Heaven and earth were born together with me, and all things are one with me."

Before the Three Ancestors scatter their Ways, they will surely each meet with their "Dao-companion."

"May I ask about the heart-fasting? Only the Way accumulates emptiness. Purify the spirit, remove all defilements; empty the heart, and the ultimate Way gathers in the bosom."

"Do not seek outside; seek blessings from within. A turn of thought is wisdom."

"Heaven moves vigorously; the gentleman strives to strengthen himself unceasingly. Earth's condition is receptive; the gentleman carries external things with inner virtue. Therefore, the gentleman is cautious in solitude, respects the spirits and gods but keeps them at a distance."

Lin Zhengcheng stood up. "I won't see you out."

Lu Chen smiled. "Compared to those broken porcelain shards on Old Porcelain Mountain, what seems even less noticeable are those saggers."

Those saggers.

They are like the missionaries of those exquisite porcelains, or like the defenders who silently depart after escorting the landscape for a stretch.

In Lu Chen's view, the true saggers of heaven and earth are probably the parents of all children.

Lin Zhengcheng suddenly asked, "That locust-wood sword Chen Ping'an took from the town—he gave it to the Chief Sword Immortal on his first trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall, but it was never returned. Does it have anything to do with that Sacrificial Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Lu Chen pouted. "I was no longer in town then. Besides, this matter is clearly Qi Jingchun's doing. How am I supposed to guess?"

Lu Chen also asked a question. "At the Kiln Supervision Office warehouse entrance, do they still change the Spring Festival couplets every year?"

Lin Zhengcheng shook his head. "They haven't changed them for many years. It was the Grand Preceptor's wish."

In the past, the Kiln Supervision Office had a heavily guarded warehouse that stored various types of imperial porcelain after firing. Once inspected and accepted, they would be periodically and secretly shipped to the capital.

During the years Lu Chen set up his stall, he sneaked in a few times.

Inside, the porcelain was arrayed in a dazzling array—a feast for the eyes.

But Lu Chen wasn't there for the view. Each time he went, he would pull out a small stool, sit down, close his eyes, and listen.

He listened to the faint sounds of ice-crackle porcelain splitting—a series of sounds like wind chimes, which the old craftsmen called "startling wind." Ding-ding-dong-dong, like a heavenly sound.

At the warehouse entrance, a pair of couplets were posted. According to custom, they were always written by the sitting sage, to usher out the old and welcome the new. If a Daoist sage was stationed for a sixty-year term, they would use local materials, specifically peach wood from Peach Leaf Alley, as the base for the couplets.

Lu Chen remembered his last visit to the warehouse. Outside the door hung a pair of Spring Festival couplets written the previous year.

"Amid the sound of reading, favorable winds and timely rain, abundant blessings in all affairs."
"On the path of peace, the country prosperous and the people safe, welcoming the new year year after year."

Lu Chen's figure flickered and vanished, leaving the Logging Academy in Hongzhou. In an instant, he arrived at the stone arch bridge of the old town. In the night, he walked along the water. The young Daoist came to a green cliff, stood alone, and looked up at the sky.

In the countryside fields, gazing at the Milky Way; on the horns of a snail, contending for the Great Way.

Old friends should laugh at me—dreaming within a dream, seeing a body beyond the body.