Chapter 328: Throwing Out the Temple of Transcendence

The human heart is not a street that can be washed clean by a single rain.

The ripples of the turmoil in the capital, seen as a clash of immortals by emperors, generals, and commoners alike, persisted. Chen Pingan's help in teaching boxing to Yan Shijing and others on behalf of Zhong Qiu was one such ripple. The old General Lu Xiao boasted to his grandchildren about being a close friend of Chen Pingan after leaving the city walls, and the relocation of many households near Zhuangyuan Lane was another.

Ding Ying's death ended his troubles, and Yu Zhenyi departed on his sword, leaving Zhong Qiu to clean up the mess.

After sending Cao Qinglang to the academy, Chen Pingan returned along the same route, walking with an umbrella on the still desolate street. As the imperial court gradually relaxed its martial law on the neighborhood, sparsely populated passersby could be seen, but the atmosphere was still subdued. Many were martial arts practitioners with enough daring to come and admire the battlefield, marveling at the gully carved into the street by the Bird Overlook Peak Sword Immortal.

As for the vicinity of the Kuiniu Mountain, it remained a forbidden zone, cordoned off with the imperial court issuing orders that anyone crossing the line would be executed without mercy. Figures from the Directorate of Astrological Affairs could be seen. Even the humble thatched hut left by Yu Zhenyi remained untouched.

Some martial arts heroes, seeing Chen Pingan, assumed he was like them, a person come to admire the demeanor of the grandmasters.

Chen Pingan hesitated for a moment, then headed to the martial arts hall and knocked on the door. The doorman, seeing that he did not appear to be a challenger seeking to "smash the signboard" and possessing a refined air, dared not be negligent. He quickly went to inform the master of the hall. The boxing instructor himself came to greet Chen Pingan, and upon hearing that the latter had come out of admiration, felt quite proud. His disciples also felt honored, mainly because Chen Pingan spoke eloquently about the techniques and principles of the martial arts hall, hitting the old man's sweet spot with a few words. Clearly, he had heard of the hall's reputation beforehand. For martial arts halls in the capital, the real income came from attracting wealthy patrons who longed for the life of a martial artist. With these affluent young masters providing financial support, the hall could thrive. Disciplined and talented disciples were the substance, while the young masters who came to the hall for amusement were the appearance. Both were indispensable.

The boxing instructor entertained Chen Pingan in the main hall, had his disciple serve tea, and began to chat casually.

When the conversation touched upon the fundamental matter of selecting a "great dragon" (outstanding disciple), the old man did not delve into the details, nor would he be so indiscreet as to casually reveal them. He merely lamented how difficult it was to find a good seed. If lucky, he might receive such a prized disciple in four or five years; if not, he might not encounter one in ten years.

The boxing instructor also said that practicing martial arts was not just about strengthening the body, but also like handing a weapon to the practitioner. Therefore, martial virtue was paramount. Otherwise, the higher the martial arts skills of the disciples, the more they would be inclined to rely on their power and cause trouble if their disposition was not good. A disagreement could lead to a fatal blow with a few punches, and ultimately, the sect and martial arts hall would suffer the consequences.

Chen Pingan then asked about some of the principles of external martial arts. The boxing instructor was initially hesitant and reluctant. Chen Pingan feigned understanding and said he had forgotten the main purpose of his visit, taking out twenty taels of silver and placing them on the coffee table. He said he planned to learn martial arts at the hall soon, but could not guarantee he would come every day. The boxing instructor's eyes lit up, and he then spoke freely and without reservation, telling Chen Pingan those most common of martial arts principles.

Chen Pingan memorized them all, trying to cross-reference them with the "Mountain Shaking Fist Manual". After listening to these simple principles, Chen Pingan finally made up his mind to collect the martial arts of this world, from the lowest to the highest, without needing too much. In the future, when he practiced martial arts, he could casually browse through them, and perhaps there would be unexpected gains, just like the six-step stance of the Mountain Shaking Fist, which, when combined with Zhong Qiu's summit posture, had successfully allowed Chen Pingan to break through the fourth-realm bottleneck in one fell swoop, naturally and spontaneously. Especially that "momentum" when Ding Ying entered the White River Temple's main hall and when Zhong Qiu first appeared and walked towards him, Chen Pingan felt that the so-called "harmony between man and nature" in this world held profound secrets. Perhaps, after returning to the Boundless Land, there would be additional benefits.

Moreover, it was highly possible that the key to breaking through from the fifth to the sixth realm lay within this. Chen Pingan guessed that after leaving the Spirit Qi-sparse Lotus Root Paradise, he would fall into a mire, a situation somewhat similar to Fan Wan'er's outside the White River Temple's main hall, a sluggish feeling of bearing heavy stones and dragging mud and water. It was also somewhat like the four true Qi talismans that Old Man Yang had embedded in his hands and feet.

This was the first time Chen Pingan had truly "lived" while practicing martial arts, starting to try to think for himself about gains and losses. The understanding of Zhong Qiu's summit posture during the battle was an example.

In the beginning, when practicing the Mountain Shaking Fist, it was to save his life, so he buried himself in hard practice, following the steps without the slightest deviation. The six-step stance and the sword furnace stance were practiced over and over again, almost to the point of shattering his fist postures, becoming thoroughly familiar and integrated into his soul. Even later, when the old man surnamed Cui taught him boxing in the bamboo building, Chen Pingan simply learned whatever the old man taught.

It was not that this was bad, but if the old man surnamed Cui saw his current state, calling it half-dead, already unusually difficult, was simply not enough. To go further, it was not enough to simply endure hardship, but required opportunity to open up enlightenment, which others could not speak of, as speaking of it would make it less effective.

However, Chen Pingan did not realize that he had only achieved this enlightenment after millions of practices of martial arts. In the matter of swordplay, he had learned to apply what he learned early on. Qi Xian's sword that broke through the pink-robed Liu Chi Cheng in the ancient temple, the sword spirit's "unsheathing" in the landscape painting, and his own sword that cleaved towards Mount Sui.

All had become his, Chen Pingan's, swords.

A'liang had once said that Chen Pingan's prospects in swordplay were definitely better than in boxing.

This was the principle.

For those who taught boxing or swordplay, the higher their boxing skills or sword skills, the harder it was for those learning boxing or swordplay to go from dead to alive.

The difficulties and setbacks involved, Zheng Dafeng was a clear example. His talent was good enough, and his realm was high enough, a dignified ninth-realm martial artist. Yet, it was not until Old Dragon City, in that life-and-death situation, that he understood the principle of "disciples need not be inferior to their masters" because of the words of Chen Pingan, and only then did he break through the bottleneck.

Practicing boxing requires cultivating the heart. Chen Pingan had twice asked Zhong Qiu's most prized young disciple, Yan Shijing, why he dared not strike.

The reason why Zhong Qiu was not too disappointed in Yan Shijing was not that Zhong Qiu had no high expectations for this young man, but that Chen Pingan himself had already provided the answer. Zhong Qiu could say the four words "high boxing skills should not be used," but Yan Shijing could not say or do it for the time being. The same principle applied: "Facing the three founders of the teachings, the will of the Mountain Shaking Fist must not retreat." After countless trials and tribulations, Chen Pingan could say and do it, but Yan Shijing could not grasp the essence of it now, so there was no need to force him.The intricacies within, one must personally throw a million punches, traverse the martial world, to truly comprehend.

Through the conversation between Yan Shijing and his junior sister, Chen Ping'an has already understood his "uncommonness." Seed Autumn disciples, heaven's chosen like them, the Demonic Sect's Crow Child and the Flower-Wearing Gallant Zhou Shi, whether in cultivation or temperament, are actually inferior to him. However, Chen Ping'an still hasn't fully grasped his unrivaled strength within Lotus Root Blessing Ground. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an has vaguely sensed signs of "unity of Heaven and Man." This is a solid step, a significant leap for a pure martial artist, a state of mind and opportunity that many martial artists in the vast world at the eighth or ninth realm wouldn't possess.

After leaving the martial arts hall, Chen Ping'an returned to his residence. The gaunt little girl was spacing out under the eaves. The torrential rain had turned into a drizzling shower. She grinned when she saw Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an noticed some raindrops on her body but pretended not to see them. He picked up the package containing the pipa and prepared to find the impoverished scholar surnamed Jiang, a considerable distance away, separated by three market districts.

As soon as Chen Ping'an left the courtyard and stepped out of the alley, the sneaky little girl quickly latched the courtyard door and started "practicing martial arts" under the eaves, mimicking Chen Ping'an's imitation of Ding Ying and the blind Daoist's thunder techniques. One hand stretched open towards the sky, the other clenched into a fist in front of her, moving slowly.

Both styles have extremely high barriers to entry. One is the world's number one expert, and the other involves the thunder techniques of Qi Refiners. Chen Ping'an only possesses a crude form without any real essence, let alone a little girl who hasn't even learned a basic punch. After learning this set of "martial arts," she found it a bit boring and switched to other stances, all stolen from the streets: Seed Autumn's single punch, Lu Fang's sword strike that split the street, Chen Ping'an's six-step stance. The little girl's movements were crooked and awkward, unable to grasp the essence, and of course, she learned nothing more than the superficial appearance.

After messing around for a while, the little girl, with a shout, attempted a menacing spinning kick, resulting in a rather painful fall. After getting up, she felt hungry and limped towards the kitchen to steal some food. She felt that she had learned a set of superb martial skills and planned to test them out on Cao Qinglang after he returned, of course, only if Chen Ping'an wasn't present.

Chen Ping'an watched her antics from a rooftop, frowned, and silently left.

Last night, when he chatted with her and asked her age, she said she was nine years old and casually held up both hands, with one little finger bent and the remaining four fingers extremely straight.

Moreover, Chen Ping'an carefully observed her breathing and steps when she carried the bucket back from the well.

Chen Ping'an walked down the street with an umbrella, deciding not to practice his stance in the small courtyard anymore.

Jiang Quan was a descendant of a poor family, having studied diligently for over a decade. He was learned and recognized as a child prodigy and talent in his hometown prefecture and county. However, he lost out in the imperial examinations. Although he was now down on his luck, he didn't blame fate. He rented a house with fellow students from his hometown and still studied diligently every day, but there was a faint trace of sorrow between his brows. After tiring of reading, he would step out of the alley and wait at the street corner, as if waiting for someone.

Two fellow villagers, knowing Jiang Quan's worries, took him to a nearby market district to buy books today. Saying "buy" was just a euphemism, as all three were short on funds. They would flip through some rare editions of sage books and steal glances at rare and exquisite books like admiring a beautiful woman, just to feast their eyes.

Under the shopkeeper's impatient gaze, the three walked out of the bookstore in disappointment and saw a young man standing outside with an umbrella and a bag, looking at Jiang Quan and asking, "Are you Jiang Quan? I am a relative of Gu Ling in the capital, here on her behalf."

Jiang Quan's face lit up with surprise and excitement. "I am, I am! I am Jiang Quan. Where is she?"

The capital of the Southern Garden Kingdom was not very peaceful recently. After she went to her relatives to borrow money last time, she disappeared. Moreover, someone had died near the alley where he lived. The officials rudely dispersed the onlookers, wrapped up the body, and took it away. All he heard was that it was a Jianghu woman who had died a tragic death. Some speculated that she must have died in a grudge or vendetta. This had worried Jiang Quan for a long time, and he couldn't even concentrate on his studies these days.

The man said calmly, "Our Gu family is at least an official family in the capital. Although Gu Ling's branch of the Gu family is local and their careers are not flourishing, I heard that some have even entered the Jianghu, and they haven't had the face to contact us for many years. This time, she took the initiative to come to us, and the first thing she did was to borrow money. The elders in the family were not very happy, not because they cared about the money, but because they felt it was a disgrace to the family and were unwilling to acknowledge this relative. Gu Ling insisted on borrowing the money, vowing that you would definitely pass the imperial examination, so she could repay the money soon. The person would also marry her with a proper wedding. The elders in the family knew that the imperial examination was not easy, so how could they believe that a poor scholar could pass the advanced scholar examination? So they asked Gu Ling for this pipa before they were willing to lend her the money. At the same time, they asked her to agree to one thing, only when you passed the advanced scholar examination would they agree to let you meet. Now she is already on her way back home and will definitely not correspond with you."

The man took off the bag and handed it to Jiang Quan, also taking out a bulging money bag. "There are fifty taels of silver inside, and two silver notes. If you spend frugally, it should be enough for you to last until the next Spring Examination. If you, Jiang Quan, don't have the confidence to pass the examination, I can actually send a message to Gu Ling and you two can elope. One abandoned her family's reputation, the other abandoned the books of sages. At least you can live together. I think that's better than enduring three years, only to have your elders forcibly break up your relationship in the open. By the way, the elders in the family were angry at her stubbornness and secretly smashed the pipa. You can buy her a new one in the future if you have the opportunity."

Jiang Quan was stunned.

The poor scholar believed that the young man in front of him was truly from a wealthy family.

In fact, he had been feeling unsure. Standing in front of this person, Jiang Quan felt somewhat inferior.

He timidly asked, "Why are you helping me?"

The man replied, "I'm just helping Gu Ling, not you."

Jiang Quan hugged the pipa but didn't take the money bag. He curiously asked, "Aren't you a member of the Gu family? Why are you willing to side with Miss Gu?"

"Since Gu Ling likes you so much, I just wanted to see what kind of person you are."

The man was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The books say that if love between two people lasts for a long time..."

Jiang Quan smiled knowingly, feeling a little more confident, as if encouraging himself, and nodded vigorously, "How can it be just about being together day and night!"Then Jiang Quan shook his head and said, "I don't want the money. I can set up a stall outside, helping people write letters home, couplets, and the like. I can always support myself. There's no reason to take the money and let Miss Gu suffer in her family, being looked down upon for nothing. However, I'd still trouble you to write a letter to her after you return home, telling her to just wait for me to pass the imperial examination!"

Speaking of this, Jiang Quan smiled brightly, "Maybe I'll even become a high-ranking official's husband one day."

Jiang Quan quickly waved his hand, "Don't mention this in the letter. It's not certain that I'll achieve it. I'll just keep it in my heart. If that day truly comes, I'll bring her to you and let her know that I had this intention today."

That person was also an eccentric. He still stuffed the money into Jiang Quan's hands, saying a strange thing, "You must accept this money. This is Gu Ling's heartfelt intention, and it is the purest silver in the world."

The other two fellow townsmen also persuaded Jiang Quan to accept it.

That person turned and left.

Jiang Quan called out loudly, "Young brother, after I pass the examination, how should I find you?"

That person turned his head and said, "If you pass, someone will naturally find you and tell you everything."

A light rain returned to the world.

Jiang Quan and his two friends left the marketplace. In the distance, the messenger was standing under the eaves of a house on the side of the street, watching the poor scholar gradually walk away.

Old Daoist appeared beside Chen Ping'an, smiling and asking, "Why not tell him the truth directly?"

Chen Ping'an softly said, "Telling him nothing, telling him everything, and letting Grand Preceptor Zhong tell him everything three years later, regardless of whether Jiang Quan passes the examination or not, I think the third option is better for him and for Gu Ling."

Old Daoist asked another question, pointing directly at the heart, "Then which option would make you feel the best?"

Chen Ping'an answered, "Before entering Lotus Flower Paradise, I would have chosen the first option, wandering the world, everyone should be responsible for their own life and death. Right now, it should be the second option, to seek the simplest peace of mind, without leaving any imperfections in my state of mind. As for why I chose the third option, I don't know. I really don't know if it's right or wrong."

Old Daoist smiled, "You don't know if it's right or wrong?"

Chen Ping'an turned his head, "What's wrong?"

Old Daoist placed a hand on Chen Ping'an's shoulder, saying, "Next, you'll know even less."

In the next moment, as if it was the dawn of a day, the rising sun, before the palace gates of the Southern Garden Kingdom's capital, the gatekeeper of the palace heavily shouted.

Old Daoist smilingly asked, "Do you know why there is this traditional custom? Whether it's the Vast Expanse, or the Lotus Flower Paradise, they all need something like this."

Chen Ping'an, who had to put away his umbrella, shook his head.

Old Daoist said, "The imperial palace needs to use the moment when the dawn arrives to drive away some resentful spirits. Whose resentful spirits do you think they are?"

Chen Ping'an still shook his head.

Old Daoist said, "Those loyal ministers who died unjustly in history, those ministers of integrity who died in vain, those pillars of the country who died trying to dissuade the emperor."

After that, the river of time in Lotus Flower Paradise, one year, ten years, a hundred years, all seemed to be within one year of Old Daoist's life.

In the next moment, Old Daoist brought Chen Ping'an to see an old teacher with a withered face and white hair, whose writing was like divine inspiration, but he didn't restrain his descendants much. When he passed away, all his life's work was unsuccessfully sold by his descendants everywhere. In anger, he simply burned it all.

He also saw a poor family's Prime Minister who finally wrote truly magnificent poems in his later years. His articles were no longer ridiculed by his aristocratic colleagues as wearing gold and silver while wearing straw sandals.

He saw an impoverished central official whose residence was shabby, whose integrity was widely praised, but whose relatives in his hometown bullied men and dominated women, each family owning vast fortunes. Every letter he wrote was earnestly advising his family to be thrifty and pass down virtues. After the contents of the letters were revealed to the world, they were praised as a beautiful story in both his time and later generations.

A Northern Jin Kingdom prince warming his hands outside the classroom on a snowy day.

A profligate son who was lawless and full of evil deeds outside, was filial to his grandmother at home, silently helping his elders tuck in their blankets.

A minister of the Pine Whispering Kingdom who worked hard and reformed the law, among the seven or eight trusted subordinates he used, more than half of them took advantage of the reformation to seek private gain, eliminate dissidents, or speculate on the emperor's thoughts and secretly form parties. In the end, the reformation failed, and that minister was imprisoned. Yet, he was still generous, regretting only that his ambitions were not fulfilled before his death.

A desperate young hero, his parents died in a vendetta. After that, he endured hardships and humiliation for more than ten years. When he took revenge, he killed dozens of members of the enemy family, thoroughly enjoying his revenge. After the man, who had become a great hero, left, a little girl took a younger child to a gravesite. The two siblings had just been playing hide-and-seek and were hiding in a hidden compartment, escaping the disaster. In the end, the two children kowtowed at the grave and vowed to avenge their hatred.

Similarly, there were two incidents involving delivering memorials in broken boxes. Similarly, a county magistrate was involved and had to be held accountable by the imperial court. One county magistrate secretly gave the courier a trick, falsely reporting that he had encountered bandits on the road, and even had the courier cut himself with a knife, finally deceiving the court officials who were investigating the matter. Another one clearly happened during a snowy and cold winter, when the road was blocked. The courier forced his way across the river to deliver the memorial in order to complete his task, and drowned, damaging the memorial. The county magistrate reported the truth, resulting in the courier being beaten with a hundred strokes and exiled a thousand miles, and the county magistrate being suspended from his salary for a year, receiving a low rating from the local government, and having no hope of being promoted within five years.

After that, it became even more bizarre, and the river of time began to flow backward.

He saw the wandering swordsman Feng Qingbai and Tang Tieyi calling each other brothers, and on the border city walls, the two sat and drank wine, clapping their knees and singing loudly.

Chen Ping'an also came to the outside of the Southern Garden Kingdom's capital and saw that woman named Gu Ling. He saw her first meeting with the scholar Jiang Quan, saw their acquaintance, their love for each other. Before entering the capital, it snowed heavily, and Gu Ling, who had just completed an assassination, accompanied the scholar to take the imperial examination.

The woman stood alone in the heavy snow. This year, she met a scholar, who in her dark and bloody life, was like another snowfall, the earth vast and clean, making her mistakenly believe that she was the best woman in the world. Although she knew that the heavy snow would definitely melt, she was still that bad woman, but to have such a meeting was considered that the heavens had not treated her unfairly.

He saw a thin little girl, who would occasionally go outside the city to take a few glances at a small mound of earth, with green grass all around.

In the end, Chen Ping'an saw himself, taking a glance at that well.Twice he had visited the private library, flipping through countless books. His family's collection numbered tens of thousands, yet most were pristine. Many, even after years, retained their ink fragrance. So many wise words and beautiful poems remained unappreciated.

He stood outside the small alleyway's courtyard gate, raising and lowering his arm, hesitant to knock.

When he and Cao Qinglang went to the academy under an umbrella, the little girl stood at the courtyard gate, staring intently at their departing figures, oblivious to the rain on her face.

In the end, Chen Ping'an stood alone under the eaves, holding the oil-paper umbrella that had accompanied him for countless years, while a light rain continued to fall on the street.

The old Taoist was no longer by his side.

Right and wrong, good and bad, truth and falsehood, virtue and vice.

Chen Ping'an had seen so much.

He found no self-evident truths. Instead, many of the principles he once held dear now seemed without basis.

Chen Ping'an inexplicably recalled seeing the old boatman, who had once ferried Lu Chen across the sea, after the Guihua Island incident. The boatman had looked at him and said, "You seek to undermine my Great Dao."

Before that, even knowing that Zanhua Lang Zhou Shi was not the true culprit, he had resolved to, as Zhong Qiu had suggested, use one of the five spots, if they existed, to directly "recruit" Zhou Shi, crushing him with a single blow. Before that, he had felt a deep aversion to the gaunt little girl, for reasons unknown, unwilling even to contemplate them. However, it was not without some gain. He began to feel he had been too generous with a Snowflake Coin, even if that coin lay next to the beautiful verse he so admired.

After the rain, Chen Ping'an walked to the well, standing there and gazing into its depths.

At that moment, the gaunt little girl in the courtyard looked up at the blinding sun.

Guan Dao Temple, a temple of Tao.

The old Taoist sat in the heavens, watching the two.

In the Lotus Cave Heaven connected to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, a Taoist sat by the pond, watching the three.

According to one of his disciples, he was merely watching others' minor paths out of boredom.

Chen Ping'an suddenly averted his gaze and smiled. He left the well, without fully understanding everything, but having figured one thing out: that annoying little girl needed to be taught some principles of conduct, starting with the basics. If she couldn't be taught, if the lessons were useless, then he would leave her be. But he still had to teach her. After being taught, at least she would know the difference between good and evil. Whether she then chose to do evil or good would be her own affair.

The old Taoist's face darkened, his mood sour. He wanted to throw Chen Ping'an out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

He had failed to defeat the old scholar.

So he waved his sleeve, and Chen Ping'an stepped out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, finding himself on a post road outside the Northern Jin Kingdom of Tongye Continent.

He wore a Daoist robe, a jade gourd hung from his waist, but the Long Qi Sword was missing from his back.

However, his martial arts realm was at the Fifth Stage, not vanished like in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Moreover, his soul-bound flying swords, Chuyi and Shiwu, were now in the gourd.

Chen Ping'an quickly looked around, thankfully seeing the lotus-like little figure peering out from not far away. Clearly, the little fellow was even more confused than Chen Ping'an.

The old Taoist stood beside him. "According to our agreement, you can take five people from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. I have chosen four for you."

The old Taoist held five painted scrolls, tossing them aside. They lined up in front of Chen Ping'an, suspended in the air. One scroll opened on its own, depicting a seated man in a dragon robe. "This is Wei Xian, the founding emperor of the Southern Yuan Kingdom."

A sword-carrying woman, "Sui Youbian. Abandoning martial arts, she still possesses the potential of a sword immortal."

"The demonic patriarch Lu Baixiang."

"Zhu Lian."

"These four possess complete bodies and souls. Before they are ready, nurture them with Guyu coins, throwing them into the paintings each day. Sooner or later, when they are full and satisfied, they can emerge from the scrolls to serve you, and they will be utterly loyal. As for their martial arts realm afterward, or whether they switch to cultivation and become Qi refiners, that depends on you, Chen Ping'an, their master. Of course, that's if you can afford to support them."

The old Taoist clearly did not want to say much more to Chen Ping'an, nor did he give Chen Ping'an a chance to interrupt. He rattled off so much in one go.

Before Chen Ping'an could ask who the last one was, the old Taoist reached out and grabbed the gaunt little girl, slapping the back of her head. She fell headfirst, sprawling on the road, her face full of confusion as she looked up.

Chen Ping'an looked at the tall old Taoist and asked, "What about the Longevity Bridge?"

The old Taoist's face was indifferent. "The foundation has been laid. Explore it yourself later."

Chen Ping'an asked again, "What about the Long Qi Sword?"

The old Taoist looked into the distance. "I will return it to Chen Qingdu myself."

Chen Ping'an placed the four paintings into the flying sword Shiwu and bowed to the old Taoist in farewell.

The old Taoist, in a foul mood, stepped back into the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, glancing at the Lotus Cave Heaven bordering the Blessed Land. That fellow had already left the pond.

Only then did the old Taoist smile.

Chen Ping'an stared at the gaunt little girl, and the gaunt little girl stared at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an sighed. "What's your name?"

The little girl, carefree as she was, although she didn't know what had happened, patted the dust off her body and replied with a smile, "Didn't I say it before? I only have a surname. My parents didn't have time to give me a name, so I gave myself one. One character, just call me Qian. I like money, after all."

Chen Ping'an asked, "What's your surname?"

The little girl puffed out her chest and replied, "Pei! It's the one with the clothes underneath. My dad said it's a big surname in our hometown! A surname with clothes and a name with money. How auspicious!"

Chen Ping'an slapped his forehead.

Surname Pei, name Qian. Pei Qian... Losing Money...

No wonder he didn't like her.