Chapter 16: Don't Even Think About It

The girl was fine, but the young Daoist couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Suddenly realizing the atmosphere was a bit off, the young Daoist quickly changed the subject: "The tender leaves of the *Longlin cheng* from Green Water Pool, or as you call it here, Three Spring Willow, were harvested too late, seven or eight days too late. And this package of Dragon Flight Grass, also known as Maiden's Waist, was ground too carelessly. And this Paper Pile Flower from the Yang family shop is outrageous! We agreed on three *liang*, but it's short by one *qian*!"

The young Daoist rattled off a long list of complaints, finding fault with almost everything. It seemed as if he had some personal grudge against the Yang family pharmacy. Finally, he made a complete turn, delivering his final verdict: "The shopkeeper of this place has lost his conscience to the dogs! However, these medicinal herbs on the table are enough to boil and save a person. Of course, this is mainly thanks to Miss Ning Yao's strong constitution. The Yang family shop has, at most, half a copper coin's worth of contribution.”

The young Daoist slapped his forehead and unfolded a blank sheet of paper. While writing, he instructed, "I almost forgot! I'll write you another prescription for decocting the medicine. This is a truly delicate task, Chen Ping'an, you mustn't be careless! This prescription of mine not only heals injuries but also strengthens the foundation. It's a superior military strategy of using battle to sustain battle, all while ensuring invincibility. And the best part is that it's gentle and doesn't harm the person. It only takes a bit longer and requires more medicinal herbs, which is just a matter of spending more silver. I've written in detail when to use fierce fire for a rapid boil and when to use gentle fire for a slow simmer. There's even a specific time for decocting the medicine. In short, for the next ten days, Chen Ping'an, you'll have to work hard. Men, after all, are meant to shoulder burdens. Otherwise, why would there be the saying 'a man who stands tall and reaches the heavens'? You mustn't shirk responsibility, lest you be looked down upon by the young lady…”

When he spoke the words "stands tall and reaches the heavens," the young Daoist shook his head almost imperceptibly.

The prescription itself took up only half a sheet of paper, but the instructions on how to decoct it filled two sheets, written in ordinary, neat, and regular small characters.

Chen Ping'an was a little anxious and asked, "Daoist Master, are you leaving us to our own devices? This is a matter of life and death! Wouldn't it be more stable if you oversaw things personally?"

The young Daoist said helplessly, "I'm about to leave this town. There's a sect within the Southern Jian Kingdom that belongs to my lineage. They're holding a ceremony that I'd like to witness in person."

Chen Ping'an was even more helpless. "Daoist Master, but I can't read!"

The young Daoist was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "It doesn't matter. Miss Ning knows how to read. Before decocting the medicine, you can ask her about the relevant details."

The girl nodded.

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something more, but the young Daoist suddenly remembered something. He took out a small, exquisite green jade seal from his sleeve, breathed lightly on the seal face, and then pressed it heavily onto the paper on which he had written the prescription. After lifting the seal from the paper, he seemed quite satisfied. He put it back into his sleeve, and then handed the prescription and the other two sheets of paper to Chen Ping'an. "Keep these safe. Books in this town are mostly private collections, so it's not easy for you to buy them. If you really want to learn to read, you can start with this prescription of mine."

The young Daoist smiled at the girl. "A floating leaf returns to the great sea; life is full of unexpected encounters. Miss Ning, shall we meet again someday?"

The girl in black said solemnly, "Daoist Master Lu, until we meet again! Great kindness deserves no thanks. In the future, if you ever need my help, you can send a flying sword letter to Upside-Down Mountain. Just remember to sign it with the name 'Lu Chen,' otherwise Upside-Down Mountain may not allow the flying sword to enter the mountain gate."

Upon hearing the name Upside-Down Mountain, the young Daoist was visibly surprised. He hesitated, but the girl shook her head slightly. He quickly understood and didn't ask any further. Some things are better left unknown to the boy inside.

The young Daoist was the first to leave the house, not forgetting to take the boy's arm. "Chen Ping'an, I have some final words for you."

Chen Ping'an first put the package on the bed, telling the girl in black that it was newly bought clothes.

Afterwards, the two of them came to the courtyard. The young Daoist asked directly in a low voice, "With your memory, you must have already recognized the characters on the first prescription. Plus, you have a scholar living next door. The excuse of 'not knowing how to read' isn't the real reason you were trying to stop me from leaving."

Chen Ping'an replied, "With Daoist Master's abilities, you surely know the reason."

The young Daoist chuckled, "You think you're certain to die, so you're worried about leaving the little girl without anyone to care for her?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Since I opened the door back then, I have to be responsible to the end."

The young Daoist stood next to the wheelbarrow, pinching his fingers together and quietly wiping them. The white-sheathed long sword, into which the Confucian scholar Qi Jingchun had pressed two words of sword energy, quietly flew into the house. It seemed that the girl in black didn't want to frighten Chen Ping'an, so she tolerated this act of transgression from the flying sword. The young Daoist pondered for a moment, tapping his lotus crown with a finger, a habit he had when thinking. Finally, he said, "Before coming here, I heard a senior brother say that one should be reasonable in doing things and humane in treating people… In that case, I can't be too rigid and demanding. Although everyone has their own fate, since the fundamental teachings of my sect deviate from the decrees of ordinary Daoist sects… Meeting is fate, barely even a good fate. I might as well go with the flow. The divination cylinder and the one hundred and eight sticks can't be given to you. The cause and effect is too chaotic. Once it becomes unclear and can't be severed, it's very troublesome. As for that private seal, it's a bit heavy! Giving it to you would only expose the town once the restrictions are gone. Wouldn’t I be harming you? Alas, am I supposed to give you some gold or copper coins? That would be too uncouth and unsophisticated. How could I even bring myself to do that…”

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping'an said resolutely, "Daoist Master Lu, giving money is very sophisticated and not uncouth!"

The young Daoist said with a playful smile, "You didn't understand the first two things, but you certainly knew that they were of great significance. Why didn't you ask for them?"

The boy said slowly, "A white bowl that can hold at least a large vat of water, a Daoist master who can burn paper offerings to deceased elders in the underworld, a seriously injured and strange girl, and a bag of twenty-eight gold coins. In the past, Old Man Yao just said that this place of ours was strange, but now I've seen it with my own eyes. If I hadn't encountered those two out-of-towners, I would have avoided all of you. I wouldn't have even opened the door today."Leaning against the cart, the young Daoist said in a deep voice, "That foreign woman, pointing at your brow, is a crude method of forcibly opening one's acupoints, known in martial arts as 'guidance.' The skill level varies, and the intention can be good or bad. To put it simply, if your courtyard gate isn't sturdy, she deliberately hammers at it. Of course, you can enter, but it damages the foundation. Imagine, in future storms and snow, the one who opened the gate will have vanished, but you, the owner who lives in the courtyard year-round, what will you do?"

Chen Pingan hesitated, "I can endure hardship, I suppose."

Looking at the straw sandal-wearing boy, who didn't seem to be joking, the young Daoist chuckled, "This is just her first attempt to harm you. If your bones and tendons were strong and your vital energy abundant, you could live to thirty or forty without difficulty. But her subsequent palm strike to your chest is the real fatal blow. It not only damages your body's essence but also severs your path to immortality...Accurately speaking, you originally had a glimmer of opportunity. With this world turning upside down and the universe in upheaval, you might have been able to continue cultivating the Great Dao. It's like a torrent rushing down, filled with countless dragons, fish, and shrimp. The lucky ones naturally reap great rewards, but even the unluckiest, while others catch dragons and turtles, might still grab a small fish or shrimp."

Chen Pingan didn't look horrified or flustered. He stood there quietly, without even a hint of forced composure.

The young Daoist neither admired nor belittled him, sighing softly, "Chen Pingan, so young, yet so detached from life and death. That's not a good thing. Do you think it's best to live, but if you really can't, and fate won't allow it, then so be it? Because death, in fact, is a chance to reunite with loved ones?"

Chen Pingan didn't deny it.

The young Daoist suddenly cursed, "Have you ever thought, even if you could find your parents in the vast and boundless netherworld, what would their mood be when they saw you?"

The young Daoist grew angrier, poking the boy's head hard with a finger, as if trying to break open his stubborn mind. "In unofficial histories and tales of the strange, Bai Wuchang, the White Impermanence, wears a tall white hat. Whenever he comes to the mortal realm to arrest the souls of the dead, the dead can clearly see four large characters written on the hat, 'You've come too!' Chen Pingan! I ask you, when your parents see you, will they be happy and ask you, 'Son, you've come too?' Will they be able to go to reincarnation in peace? Do you really think there are many in this world who have the good fortune to be children or spouses for all eternity? I tell you plainly, don't even think about it! Even those sect leaders who can change the mountains and rivers with a word don't have such a heaven-defying ability, let alone you, Chen Pingan, a penniless beggar who doesn't even have three square meals a day?!"

At the end, the young Daoist spoke sternly and seriously.

The boy looked lost and bewildered.

This was the first time in the boy's life, since he became aware, that he felt so afraid, his hands and feet ice-cold.

The boy squatted down, hugging his head, this time not scratching it.

The young Daoist looked down at the small figure, "Forget it, to save you, I owe you a favor. I hoped to welch on it, or save it for the next life, but now it seems I have to repay it all. After this, we'll be even. I'll tell you three things, and you must remember them clearly. The first thing is, when Miss Ning is better, take her to the stream south of the town to find a father and daughter surnamed Ruan. Remember, take her with you, otherwise, even if you go a hundred times, it's useless. Once you're there, even if you act shamelessly and throw a tantrum, you must try to become their helper or apprentice, digging wells or moving stones, forging swords or hammering iron, anything that gives you a cool and stable foothold. This way, Miss Ning will have repaid your kindness, and you shouldn't feel like you're taking advantage of them."

"The second thing is, after the fifth day of the fifth month, you must often go to the stream under the covered bridge, whether it's to pick up stones, catch fish, or shrimp, it's up to you. In short, go often. Go when you're upset, and especially go when you feel a premonition. As for what you'll gain, with your bit of luck, who knows? But at least 'diligence can make up for clumsiness.' If you still gain nothing, then you'll just have to accept your fate."

After the young Daoist said two things, he began to push the cart. Seeing that the boy was still squatting, but facing him, he said, "Get up and help!"

After the boy got up, he helped push the cart, asking curiously, "Didn't you say three things?"

The young Daoist snorted coldly, "I already told you, think for yourself!"

The boy was stunned.

Afterward, the Daoist instructed him on some more things.

"Those copper coins are precious, keep them safe."

"Don't go out much for the next while."

"Smile more. Always wearing a long face, and you're not handsome, who are you trying to impress?"

He kept nagging.

The young Daoist seemed like an elder.

After getting the cart out of the courtyard, the boy said he would push it out of Mud Bottle Lane. The young Daoist didn't refuse.

Walking one in front and one behind in the alley, the Daoist finally said, "There's something I should say after all. According to my calculations of your fate, your parents' early death wasn't your fault."

The young Daoist paused for a long time, until the cart was about to leave Mud Bottle Lane, before saying softly, "Not only that, your life is full of hardships because of your parents."

The boy remained silent.

Finally, the young Daoist insisted that the boy not see him off, and he pushed the cart east, disappearing into the distance.

Looking back, the boy was still standing at the entrance of the alley, waving vigorously and smiling brightly.

Not at all like a dying man.