Chapter 50: Tian Xingjian

Under the cloak of night, Chen Pingan, fleeing towards the deep mountains, sprinted wildly. Soon, he plunged into a bamboo forest where the soil was exceptionally soft. The straw-sandaled boy began to deliberately tread heavily.

After about half an incense stick's time, nearing the edge of the bamboo forest, the boy suddenly clambered onto a bamboo stalk on his left. He swung towards another bamboo tree not far away, resembling a mountain ape more than the very apes of the Zheng Yang Mountain. After several repetitions, he finally landed lightly. He squatted down, using his hand to wipe away his footprints. Turning to look back, the distance to the first bamboo was five or six *zhang* (yards) away. Only then did the boy resume his escape.

Before a full incense stick had burned, the sound of a stream could be faintly heard. The boy, running at full speed, not only didn't stop, but leaped high, plunging into the stream. Quickly, the boy stood up; he had landed on a large rock. Intimately familiar with this land, the boy strained his eyes, relying on his keen eyesight and exceptional memory. He leaped across the stones in the stream, fleeing downstream. If he continued like this, he could reach Green Ox Back at the stream's edge south of town, then the Covered Bridge, and finally Master Ruan's blacksmith shop.

However, the boy didn't approach Green Ox Back too closely. Instead, he went ashore at the narrowest point where the stream exited the mountain, suddenly constricting like a woman's waist.

Soon, he heard a woman's soft voice calling, "Chen Pingan, over here."

Chen Pingan quickly crouched down, panting. He reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The black-clad girl asked in a low voice, "Did you really lead the old ape up the mountain?"

The boy said bitterly, "I tried my best."

It was Ning Yao, who had also taken a roundabout route from Fortune Street to meet him. She asked, "Are you injured?"

The straw-sandaled boy shook his head. "A minor wound."

The girl's mood was complex. She said indignantly, "Daring to play like that! It's lucky you weren't beaten to death by the old ape!"

Chen Pingan grinned. "That old beast broke the rules once. But if you had acted any later, I reckon I'd be finished."

The girl was stunned for a moment, then cheered, "It actually worked? Not bad, Chen Pingan!"

Chen Pingan chuckled.

Ning Yao rolled her eyes and asked, "What's next?"

The straw-sandaled boy thought for a moment. "The general direction we agreed upon remains the same, but some of the details need to be altered. The old ape is too powerful."

Ning Yao slapped the boy's head, amused. "You're only realizing that now?"

Chen Pingan suddenly said, "Miss Ning, please turn around. I need to apply some herbal medicine to my back. And please keep an eye on the stream."

The girl turned around generously, facing upstream.

Chen Pingan took off the outer garment that originally belonged to Liu Xianyang and removed the wooden-ceramic armor. From a cloth pouch at his waist, he took out a porcelain bottle from the Yang family shop, poured some thick ointment onto his right palm, lifted his shirt with his left hand, and smeared the ointment on his back.

Even the boy, who could endure pain well, couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

Although the girl didn't turn around, she still asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"

The boy laughed. "This is nothing."

The girl pursed her lips. *Showing off, aren't you?*

In the westernmost house in the town, a woman sat on the ground, wailing and beating her chest, swaying unsteadily. Her thin clothing seemed about to burst open at any moment. Her two young, dirty children stood beside their mother, at a loss. A simple man squatted outside the house, sighing, his face full of helplessness. A hole had inexplicably appeared in the roof. The chill of spring hadn't fully dissipated. He could endure it, but how would his wife and children survive?

Nearby, neighbors gathered, pointing and whispering. Some said they had also heard noises on their roofs earlier, but they thought it was just stray cats causing trouble, so they didn't pay attention. Others said the western part of town had been unsettled all day. Some children had seen an old immortal in white robes, floating around. One step was like ten steps for ordinary people, and he could also fly over walls and rooftops. They didn't know if it was the Earth God escaping from his shrine or the Mountain God coming down from the mountain.

A young sword cultivator from Wind and Thunder Garden squatted alone nearby, his face grave.

Liu Baqiao had been chatting with Mr. Cui in the supervisory yamen. After hearing the commotion at the Li family mansion, he smelled something fishy. However, this talented youth from Wind and Thunder Garden, no matter how arrogant, didn't dare to challenge a mountain ape. He was thinking about whether he could watch the fire from the other shore and perhaps take a cheap shot at the old ape if the opportunity arose. So Liu Baqiao sneaked onto the upturned eaves of a building, overlooking the town, looking for the old ape's movements. Soon, he noticed the unusual activity in Mud Lane in the west of the city, so Liu Baqiao, naturally bold, quietly trailed after it.

The moment the Mountain-Protecting Ape of Zheng Yang Mountain spared no expense in circulating its qi, Liu Baqiao was injured, and his natal flying sword, which had to be moved to the Mingtang acupoint for nourishment, was on the verge of "unsheathing." In this strange world, the level of cultivation was directly proportional to the degree of suppression by the Heavenly Dao. According to Liu Baqiao's estimation, the Mountain-Protecting Ape was not having an easy time. Even if it could forcibly circulate its qi and later use its powerful physique or supreme supernatural powers to suppress the qi sea's turbulence caused by the Heavenly Dao, the number of times it could "cheat" was definitely limited. Otherwise, it would bear the great risk of a flood breaking the dam, and it was not impossible for thousands of years of cultivation to be destroyed in an instant. To put it another way, each time it acted as a "god" from outside this world, it was a form of loss, equivalent to shortening the lifespan of an ordinary person.

However, when Liu Baqiao saw the two large pits where the old ape had landed after collapsing the roof, this sword genius from Wind and Thunder Garden began to rejoice that he hadn't acted rashly. Otherwise, he would have brought trouble upon himself. Given the old ape's vigorous qi at the time, if it hadn't discovered the activity at the Li family mansion on Fortune Street and had to confirm the safety of the little girl from Zheng Yang Mountain and pursue the cunning straw-sandaled boy, it might not have been 100% certain, but killing Liu Baqiao would have been absolutely certain.

Of course, the old ape wasn't blind or stupid. The moment his natal flying sword was about to be unsheathed, the Mountain-Protecting Ape must have already sensed his presence.Liu Baqiao had just brushed shoulders with the grim reaper, a chilling experience to be sure. But while he acknowledged the old ape's power, fear wasn't exactly what he felt. Between Wind and Thunder Garden and Mount Zhengyang, the disparity in strength was irrelevant when battle was joined. Surrender was not an option. The two sword saint grounds of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent had proven this with countless lives over the past five centuries.

Besides, Liu Baqiao wasn't without his own contingency plan in this small town.

He slowly rose to his feet, not returning directly to the magistrate's office, but instead heading towards the dilapidated dwelling on the western edge. Standing before the low, mud-brick wall, he loudly cleared his throat. As the man and his wife turned their gazes towards him, Liu Baqiao casually tossed a single gold essence coin to the weeping woman, saying with a smile, "Elder sister, please stop wailing. It's giving me the shivers even from this distance!"

The woman caught the golden coin, glanced at its design – similar to a regular coin, but a different color. Dumbfounded, she asked softly, "Gold?"

Liu Baqiao chuckled. "No. But it's worth far more than gold…"

The woman stared blankly for a moment, then exploded with fury. She hurled the golden coin back at the young outsider, stood up, hands on her hips, and roared, "Get lost! I might believe it if it were gold, but worth more than gold? Do you think I've never seen the world?! I've held silver in my own hands! You little snot-nosed brat, haven't even checked your trousers for a mudskipper before you come swaggering around here like a grand master? My man's not even dead yet!"

Her rage intensifying, the woman stomped forward, her sturdy waist surprisingly agile as she twisted it with a peculiar grace. She delivered a kick to the man crouching on the ground, sending him sprawling. He didn't dare retaliate, not even with words, scurrying away to squat in the distance, his eyes filled with resentment.

The woman pointed at her husband, scolding, "Good-for-nothing wretch, you're as good as dead! All you do is play dead when trouble comes, wandering around aimlessly, catching fish and snakes like a kid in open-crotch pants, worse than your own son! At least Little Huai knows to steal… pick up things to bring home. You, the father, why won't you work at Yang's store? Are we rolling in money or something? Always arguing with silver? Never doing anything useful all year round…"

Here, the woman, whose chest was a sight to behold, suddenly smiled. "If you weren't still able to stir things up at night, would I even bother living with you?!"

The surrounding onlookers erupted in laughter, and some of the younger men whistled and made crude remarks.

The woman finally turned her attention back to the root of the problem, shouting, "Still not gone? Still breastfeeding?!"

Liu Baqiao had never encountered such rustic energy before. Far from finding it vulgar, he found it quite amusing. He watched the spectacle with enjoyment, and even though the woman's insults were plentiful, he didn't get angry, instead his fighting spirit rose. Back in Wind and Thunder Garden, he always felt a loneliness after a fight, as if he possessed great skill but no worthy opponent. Now, he felt he'd found a place where he could find that release. He grinned mischievously, "If I am still breastfeeding, can you help, elder sister?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, sneering, "I'm afraid I'd accidentally suffocate you. You can go find Granny Ma in Apricot Blossom Alley! She'll give you all you can handle!"

The laughter exploded again.

Liu Baqiao didn't know who Granny Ma was, but from the reactions of the audience, he knew he had suffered a crushing defeat.

The young sword cultivator gave a thumbs up, a bright smile on his face. "Elder sister, you're ruthless."

Then, he pinched the gold essence coin between two fingers, shaking it. "Really don't want it?"

The woman hesitated, clearly suspicious.

Just then, a voice called out from afar, "Baqiao, Master Cui wants you to come back immediately."

Liu Baqiao turned at the sound of his name. It was Chen Songfeng, a member of the Chen family of Dragon Tail County, accompanied by a tall, aloof woman. Her hands were empty, without a sword or other weapon. She was not particularly pretty, but her figure was exceptional, and her long legs were to Liu Baqiao's liking. She was a distant relative of Chen Songfeng, though exactly how distant, Chen Songfeng had never clarified. The woman always called Chen Songfeng by his name. They were traveling together, and Liu Baqiao didn't find the woman arrogant, just naturally cold.

Since Cui Minghuang had spoken, Liu Baqiao didn't dare linger. He followed the two towards Fortune and Prosperity Street, but as he left, he instinctively glanced again at the frowning middle-aged man.

A disheveled man mingled among the crowd hesitated for a moment. As the neighbors dispersed, he headed towards the courtyard alone.

The woman was preparing to take her children to her parents' home, an endeavor she undertook with great reluctance. Her family were a bunch of snobs, their contempt for the man she'd chosen was almost visible. So, apart from the festivals, she rarely saw them. But this unforeseen disaster left her with no choice. She wanted to be strong, to take her children to an inn and live like a rich man's wife, but alas, her purse was empty. She had no money for such a thing, and was forced to go to her parents' home to face their contempt. So, increasingly angry, the woman pinched her husband's waist fiercely, until his face was contorted in pain. The two children were used to this scene, far from being worried about their parents' fighting, they secretly enjoyed the spectacle.

The woman, with her sharp eyes, saw the disheveled man skulking by the door and immediately scolded, "Zheng, are you trying to steal my clothes again? Are you a dog? Even rabbits don't eat the grass by their burrows, and no matter how unwilling I am to admit it, I'm still unfortunate enough to be your sister-in-law, how can you bring yourself to steal from me?"

The disheveled man was on the verge of tears, and wished he could just die. "Sister-in-law, heavens are my witness, I only forgot to buy Little Huai some candy, that's why he's saying all of this. How could you believe him, sister-in-law?"

The little boy wore an innocent look.

The woman, of course, believed her own child, and raised her hand to slap the man.

The man quickly ducked away, shouting at the man crouching on the ground, "Senior brother, why don't you try to reason with sister-in-law!"

The man muttered, "I dare not."

The disheveled man sighed, "This world won't let honest people live."The woman, each hand clutching a child, was heading towards the courtyard gate when she suddenly twisted her head, flashing a flirtatious wink. "Hey, Zheng! Next time, bring more coin. I'll sell you these, only fifty coppers a piece, how's that sound?"

The slovenly man's eyes lit up, but he hesitantly said, "A bit steep, wouldn't you say? The new clothes in Apricot Blossom Lane, with the finest cloth, go for that price..."

The woman's expression shifted faster than the turning of a page, her tone turning scathing. "You dare harbor such wicked thoughts?! Go die! Serves you right to be a bachelor for life! A worthless existence, no one will even bury your corpse if you drop dead outside the East Gate someday..."

After the woman and children departed, the unkempt man lightly leaped onto the courtyard wall, grumbling, "Senior Brother, no offense, but you must be blinded by pig lard to have chosen such a shrew as your wife."

This disheveled fellow was none other than the gatekeeper of the East Gate of the small town, surnamed Zheng, and a bachelor to boot.

From within the courtyard, the simple, honest man who had been squatting on the ground blurted out, "I'm happy."

The gatekeeper, responsible for collecting fees from outsiders, fell silent for a moment before saying, "Master told you to endure for now, don't get into fights."

The gatekeeper glanced up at the dilapidated rooftop, then chuckled. "Master also said, if you really can't stand it, just take it out on your wife. Anyway, your sister-in-law isn't afraid of your roughhousing, she's into that kind of thing."

The man who couldn't squeeze out a fart with ten clubs raised his head, looking at the slovenly man on the low wall, who quickly corrected himself, "Alright, alright, that's just me, Zheng Dafeng, talking. Master never said such a thing."

The honest man stood up, short and stocky, with bronze skin, his arms bulging with muscles that strained his sleeves.

Slightly hunchbacked, he said with irritation to the town gatekeeper, "I'll take your surname if Master ever says more than ten words to you."

The gatekeeper silently repeated Master's instructions in his mind, then counted on his fingers. It really wasn't more than ten words! This unkempt man cursed under his breath, then grew disheartened and somewhat saddened, showing genuine emotion for once, making him seem particularly pathetic.

The hunchbacked man asked, "Anything else?"

The gatekeeper nodded. "Master wants you to deal with that person."

The hunchbacked man frowned, then habitually squatted down again, facing the ruined house, and mumbled, "Why me?"

The gatekeeper, Zheng Dafeng, rolled his eyes. "It's Master's order, do it or don't, I don't care."

The man thought for a moment. "Leave now. If I ever catch you stealing my wife's things again, I'll break all three of your legs."

The disheveled man, Zheng Dafeng, exploded in fury. "Li Er! Explain yourself! Who stole your woman's clothes?! Do you believe such nonsense? Has your brain turned to mush?"

The man turned his head, looking at his agitated and furious fellow disciple, his face dark and silent.

Zheng Dafeng acted like a wronged and resentful maiden, utterly grief-stricken. "I'll never dare to again, alright?!"

The gatekeeper stood up, touched his toes to the ground, and floated into the street like a willow leaf. Once he was far enough away, he dared to shout, "Li Er, I'm going to buy your sister-in-law's personal garments right now!"

While hurling insults, the slovenly man ran faster than a dog.

But the honest man had no intention of getting up, spitting out a single word, "Coward."

The three returned to the yamen, where Cui Minghuang, the Confucian gentleman from Guanh Lake Academy, had been waiting in the main hall for a long time. Upon seeing the unfamiliar woman, Cui Minghuang rose and nodded in greeting. The woman also nodded, her face still cold, with what Liu Baqiao privately described as an expression like "the whole world owes her a mountain of silver."

After the three were seated, Cui Minghuang smiled at Liu Baqiao. "It's a good thing you restrained yourself from acting, or else you would have caused a huge mess. You didn't see it, but just now, our supervisor, Lord Song, and the Mountain-Protecting Ape from the Righteous Sun Mountain, clashed head-on three times on Fortune Street, creating quite a stir. To be honest, no matter what once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you encounter next, I advise you not to act, don't think there's an opening to exploit."

Liu Baqiao asked curiously, "Don't tell me that old beast knocked Song Changjing flat with three punches? Is Song Changjing so useless, a mere embroidered pillow? Haven't they been saying he's touched the threshold of the tenth realm, only half a step away from crossing into that realm?"

Cui Minghuang said helplessly, "We're at least guests in Lord Song's residence, can you please speak more politely?"

Chen Songfeng sighed. "Lord Song had some advantages."

Even if they had no connection whatsoever with that Great Li Prince, any cultivator who heard of such a feat couldn't help but feel admiration!

A pure martial artist, facing off against a Mountain-Moving Ape with only his physical body!

And, most importantly, gaining the upper hand!

The woman sat to the side, meditating with her eyes closed, her hands resting naturally on her lap.

Upon hearing this news, her fingers twitched slightly.

She had been hastily found by Chen Songfeng; she had originally planned to wander around the small town for a while longer.

The reason she didn't insist but followed Chen Songfeng to find Liu Baqiao and return to the yamen was simply that she was doing as the locals did.

As for whether Chen Songfeng could get any benefits from that old locust tree, how many ancestral-blessing locust leaves he could obtain, the woman, also surnamed Chen, didn't care.

However, when Chen Songfeng found her, she could still clearly sense the young man's suppressed excitement, most likely because he had gained a lot, the number of fallen locust leaves exceeding the expectations of the Dragon Tail County Chen clan's ancestor.

Liu Baqiao suddenly burst into laughter. "That old beast has really taken a tumble this time, how delightful! To be led around by the nose like a dog by an ordinary young man for half the town, haha! This is a joke that's good enough for me to tell in Wind and Thunder Garden for ten years! When the hicks from Righteous Sun Mountain get wind of it, they'll surely jump out and say we in the Wind and Thunder Garden are spreading vicious rumors, and demand proof! Proof my ass! If it weren't for the prohibition of sorcery in the small town and the heavy price for breaking the rules, I would risk death to 'imprint' that scene exactly as it was in a sonic mirror!"

Cui Minghuang's face suddenly changed slightly, and he called out sternly to Liu Baqiao, "Baqiao!"

The woman opened her eyes almost simultaneously.

Liu Baqiao was about to ask what was wrong, but abruptly closed his mouth.

Soon, a white-robed man arrived slowly, and after crossing the threshold, he asked Liu Baqiao with a smile, "What's so funny? Shared joy is double joy, why don't you let this king share in the amusement?"

Cui Minghuang had already stood up, intending to offer the main seat to this Great Li Prince.Song Changjing smiled and shook his head at the scholar from Guanhut Academy, indicating that such formalities were unnecessary. He casually pulled up a chair and sat beside Liu Baqiao, with Chen Songfeng and the woman on either side of them.

Although Liu Baqiao gave the impression of being a carefree and lazy character, he was actually quite apprehensive in such close proximity to a martial artist who was highly likely to reach the legendary tenth realm. Especially since this guy was notorious. Building Jingguan was one thing, but his penchant for killing geniuses was truly terrifying. So, even though Liu Baqiao had been casually calling out "Song Changjing" when the Dali Prince wasn't around, he was feeling rather guilty now.

Fortunately, the young sword cultivator never cared much about face-saving, and he forced a smile, "Grandmaster Song, I was just talking about your legendary battle with the old beast from Zhengyang Mountain! It was truly earth-shattering and ghost-weeping. Your fists were like dragons, and if you hadn't held back, that mountain-protecting ape would have died on the spot in Fulu Street. Grandmaster Song's martial arts are so high, and his martial virtue is so good, that I can't even catch up with him by riding a horse!"

Song Changjing smiled without saying a word.

Cold sweat dripped from Liu Baqiao's forehead, and his back was soaked with sweat. He finally couldn't utter another word and shut his mouth completely.

Song Changjing suddenly turned to look at the woman opposite him, his eyes playful and interested. He asked, "Are you also a member of the Chen family of Longwei County?"

The woman shook her head and said slowly, "No."

Song Changjing said "Oh" and seemed thoughtful.

The atmosphere became awkward.

It wasn't until Song Jixin appeared at the door that the silence was broken. Seeing that there were no chairs in the room, the young man casually sat on the threshold, looking at everyone inside.

Song Changjing didn't mind this and smiled at Liu Baqiao, "Actually, you are one of the people who helped the boy survive."

If the mountain ape hadn't initially assumed that the boy's provocation was at someone's instigation, and that anyone in this town who dared to set a trap for Zhengyang Mountain wasn't stupid and was good at planning, then the old ape wouldn't have been so wary. So, until the old ape reached the house on the western edge of the town and confirmed that there were no assassins lurking around, he finally let his guard down and punched the grass-shoe-wearing boy in the back.

Liu Baqiao chuckled dryly, "Although that's the truth, I don't want to be that kind of benefactor."

Song Changjing smiled without commenting.

The woman turned her head and glanced at the handsome young man sitting on the threshold.

The young man gave her a slight smile.

The woman turned her head away, expressionless.

The young man pouted and began to openly admire her long legs. She was about twenty-five or six years old, and her beauty was passable, but the young man thought she had a certain charm.

The woman turned her head, her eyes cold and harsh, and said in a hoarse voice, "Are you looking to die?"

Song Jixin pointed to himself, wearing an extremely superficial and innocent expression that was utterly irritating, "Me?"

Then, the young man pointed to the Dali Prince, Song Changjing, "Then you have to ask him first."

The woman was about to get up.

Song Changjing's eyes narrowed instantly.

Inside the hall, an immense pressure crashed down on everyone's heads like a torrential rain, leaving them nowhere to hide. Everyone's skin felt like it was being pricked by needles.

Only Song Jixin near the doorway seemed oblivious.

Chen Songfeng spoke with difficulty, his tone still strong, "Your Highness, this woman is not from our Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, so I hope Your Highness will act cautiously!"

The woman laughed and stood up, "You dare to kill me? Aren't you afraid that your Dali will be destroyed?"

Cui Minghuang was about to stop her.

Just then, the woman flew backwards, the chair behind her turning into dust in the air. The woman's tall figure crashed into the wall, almost embedding her into it.

Song Changjing stood miraculously beneath the wall, his hands behind his back, looking up at the woman bleeding from all seven orifices, and smiling, "Little girl, do you think your father or ancestor is very powerful, so you have the right to be so… what's the word?"

The Prince turned to look at his nephew with a smile. The young man smiled and said, "Arrogant, to be so arrogant."

Song Changjing smiled, turned his head to look at the woman again. Although she was in pain, her eyes were firm, without the slightest hint of begging or weakness. Song Changjing said, "Next life, don't run into me again."

Chen Songfeng's heart was about to break, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was in a state of extreme emotion, a mix of great anger and great fear. He was about to speak.

Cui Minghuang had already stepped forward, cupped his fist in apology, and said earnestly with his head bowed, "Your Highness, could you give me some face and not hold it against her."

Song Changjing's lips twitched, full of sarcasm.

The woman, who was staring at the Dali Prince, suddenly closed her eyes as if resigned to her fate.

Just then, the young man on the threshold laughed loudly, "Uncle! Forget it. It'll damage your reputation if you bully a woman."

Song Changjing paused slightly, so subtle that even Cui Minghuang and Liu Baqiao felt that the killing god hadn't moved at all.

Song Changjing tilted his head and flicked two fingers casually. As if dusting off the dust on his shoulder.

Liu Baqiao, the number one young member of the Stormwind Garden, was dumbfounded.

Cui Minghuang breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Songfeng felt like he was in a dream.

Song Changjing smiled at Liu Baqiao, "Boy, not bad. I have high hopes for you."

The woman opened her eyes and "pulled herself" out of the wall. After landing, she swayed and said to the back, "Today's lesson, Chen Dui will remember it deeply."

Song Changjing ignored her and said to Liu Baqiao, "After leaving the town, go to the Dali capital to find me. I have something to give you, let's see if you can lift it and carry it away."

Liu Baqiao blurted out, "A Talisman Sword!"

Cultivators all knew that the talisman sword was one of the main magical instruments of Taoism, but if a sword could be directly named "Talisman Sword" and known to the world, one could imagine how amazing this sword would be.

Song Changjing and Song Jixin walked out of the courtyard. The man smiled, "Is the bad breath in your chest gone?"

Song Jixin nodded, "Almost."

Before, regarding the matter of Chen Pingan, this guy even tricked his own nephew, Song Jixin, of course, was full of resentment.Song Jixin suddenly frowned and asked, "That woman clearly has a powerful background. Uncle, aren't you afraid of hitting the small fry and attracting the big shots, then beating the big shots and attracting the old geezers? If the local county records aren't lying, I know how formidable those old turtles can be. Will our Great Li really be alright then?"

The man silenced the youth with a single sentence.

"You underestimate the significance of the name Song Changjing."

Inside the hall, Cui Minghuang returned to his seat, his expression unchanged.

Liu Baqiao slumped back in his chair, still shaken. "Good heavens, is there really that much difference between the seventh and eighth realms, and this ninth realm?"

Wind and Thunder Garden had one warrior each at the seventh and eighth realms, and Liu Baqiao was on good terms with both.

Cui Minghuang shook his head. "In the game of Go, even among ninth-dan masters, there are strong and weak players, with significant differences. Moreover, Song Changjing is already one of the strongest among ninth-realm experts."

Then, Cui Minghuang looked towards the woman named Chen Dui, asking with concern, "Miss Chen, are you alright?"

The woman was also a tough character. Although pale, she still smiled calmly. "I'm fine."

Chen Songfeng seemed even more apprehensive than this distant relative involved in the situation.

Cui Minghuang sighed inwardly. The Chen clan of Dragon Tail County would likely find it difficult to stand out in the upcoming chaotic era.

Liu Baqiao clicked his tongue. "To deflect my flying sword back into its aperture with a flick of a finger, without harming my spirit in the slightest, is truly unbelievable."

Cui Minghuang teased, "Now you know there's always a higher mountain and a greater person, right?"

Liu Baqiao, shamelessly, grinned. "A higher person? Cui, you're not a gentleman at all!"

Cui Minghuang was exasperated, not bothering to respond to this rogue.

Liu Baqiao thought for a moment and spoke to comfort the woman with the somewhat strange name, lest she become fixated on a futile attempt to challenge Song Changjing, which would bring disaster upon everyone present. "Sister Chen, although this might sound like building up others' morale while diminishing our own, bowing your head and taking a step back when facing Song Changjing isn't shameful."

Chen Songfeng hesitated to speak.

But the woman simply hummed in agreement. "Song Changjing certainly has the right to do so. I'm not unconvinced, merely unwilling."

Liu Baqiao said carelessly, "Actually, there's no need to be unwilling. Look at me, I'm extremely happy right now. When I return to Wind and Thunder Garden, I'll have ten more years of boasting material. I actually exchanged blows with Song Changjing of Great Li, even if only one move, but I, Liu Baqiao, ended up unscathed! Of course, if I could actually obtain that talisman sword from the Great Li capital, I could boast for a hundred years!"

The woman's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She inexplicably thought of the young man sitting on the doorstep, the young man who could stop Song Changjing from killing with a single sentence.

The old shopkeeper of the Yang family shop returned to the small town and went straight to the courtyard behind his shop, not too big, not too small, just enough for the three long-term workers to live.

The shopkeeper pushed open the main room of the backyard and saw an old man sitting on a chair, fiddling with his old pipe. The shopkeeper closed the door behind him and called out, "Old Yang Tou." The old man quickly put down his pipe, poured a bowl of tea, and asked with a smile, "Shopkeeper, does someone need medicine urgently? Do I need to go up the mountain in the dark?"

The elderly shopkeeper, looking at the old man who appeared to be about the same age, shook his head, picked up the teacup, and sighed. "Today I saw a patient at Ruan Shi's place, a young man named Liu. He was beaten half to death by a punch from an outsider. I felt uneasy, so I thought I'd come here to sit and relax."

The old man, whose face was covered with wrinkles like old bark, smiled. "Shopkeeper, just sit. We're not strangers here."

The shopkeeper suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Old Yang Tou, the child you helped many years ago, the one from Mud Bottle Lane, the pitiful child who fetched medicine for his mother at such a young age, wasn't his name Chen Ping'an?"

Old Yang Tou was a little surprised and nodded. "Yes, that's right. His mother passed away in the end. If I remember correctly, she didn't make it through that winter. I saw the child a few times after that, not many though. I couldn't bear it back then, and I even gave the child a worthless folk remedy. What's wrong? Has that child been injured?"

The shopkeeper took a sip of tea and said with a bitter smile, "I just said, the young man's name is Liu. Old Yang Tou, you really have a terrible memory!"

Old Yang Tou laughed heartily, not taking it to heart.

The shopkeeper tentatively asked, "Old Yang Tou, should we do something at the shop?"

Old Yang Tou picked up his old pipe made of small nanmu bamboo and shook it. "Shopkeeper, doing nothing is best."

The shopkeeper felt a great sense of relief and nodded. "That's good, that's good. Old Yang Tou, then you go ahead with your work, I'll be leaving now."

Old Yang Tou was about to stand up to see him off, but the shopkeeper quickly stopped him. "No need to see me off."

After the shopkeeper walked down the steps, he looked back and saw Old Yang Tou about to close the door. They made eye contact, and the shopkeeper grinned. The shopkeeper quickly turned and left.

When the shopkeeper took over the shop in middle age, his father, on his deathbed, left behind some strange last words, "'If the shop encounters a big problem, find Old Yang Tou and do as he says.' This saying seems to have been passed down since your great-grandfather's time. When you pass the shop down to the next generation, be sure not to forget to say these words, you must not forget!"

The shopkeeper nodded vigorously in agreement at the time, and his father breathed his last breath, passing away peacefully.

Night deepened.

Old Yang Tou lit an oil lamp.

Puffing away at his pipe, the old man recalled some old events, all trivial matters that no one cared about.

A ancestral home, passed down through generations, kept in neat order, did not seem like a home from Mud Bottle Lane at all.

An honest and kind man squatted at the gate, looking at a delicate and handsome child and asked with a smile, "Son, after the New Year, will you be a grown-up?"

The child raised a hand, lively and childish. "Dad, I'm five years old, I'm a grown-up!"

The man smiled, feeling a little heartache. "Then from now on, when Dad isn't around, you'll have to take care of Mom, okay? Can you do it?"

The child immediately straightened his back. "I can!"

The man smiled and held out a large hand covered in calluses. "Pinky promise."

The child quickly held out a small white hand, happily saying, "Pinky promise, hang yourself for a hundred years, no changing!"

Father and son hooked their little fingers, thumbs interlocked.The man released his grip, slowly stood up, and glanced back at the lithe figure bustling about in the main room. Then, with a determined stride, he departed.

Behind him, a child called out, "Father, the candied hawthorns are delicious!"

The man's lips trembled. He turned, forcing a smile. "I know!"

The child, wise beyond his years, blinked. "The smaller ones are even tastier."

The man quickly averted his gaze, unable to bear looking at his son any longer. He continued forward, murmuring, "Son, your father is leaving!"

At the Yang Family Apothecary, a small child who frequented the shop to buy medicine was shoved out the door by an impatient clerk. The young man scolded, "How many times have I told you? Those few bits of silver won't even buy the dregs of the medicine! Why are you so bothersome, loitering here for half the day? This is an apothecary, a place for business, not a temple! If it weren't for your age, I'd have laid hands on you long ago. Get lost!"

The child clutched his shriveled coin purse tightly, resisting the urge to cry. He repeated the same plea he had uttered countless times, "My mother is waiting for me to brew medicine. It has been so long. We really have no money, but my mother is very sick..."

The young clerk grabbed a broom and made a threatening gesture.

The child, standing outside the threshold, cowered down, protecting his head with his hands. His left hand remained firmly grasping the coin purse.

After a long while, the child looked up and saw an old man with a stern face standing there, looking down at him.

The young shop clerk had sheepishly put down the broom and resumed his duties.

The old man extended a hand. "One must pay for goods, and it's only right for merchants to make a profit. Whether they make a lot or a little depends on their conscience, but they should never lose money. So, give me your coin purse. I'll take those few silvers, and I'll give you the medicine your mother needs on credit. But you must pay it back in the future, every single coin, understand, little one?"

The child blinked, confused, but still handed over the coin purse.

Finally, the old man leaned heavily on the counter, trying to look at the child. "Do you know how to brew the medicine?"

The child nodded vigorously. "I know!"

The old man frowned. "Really?"

This time, the child only dared to nod slightly.

The young clerk chuckled in the distance. "Our Master Liu once went to Mud Bottle Lane to treat his mother. He taught the child once. Then, still worried, he watched the child brew the medicine himself. Strangely enough, the little tyke didn't make any mistakes. Master Liu said so himself, so it must be true."

The old man waved the child away. "Go now."

The child happily carried a large bundle of medicine wrapped in oiled paper and ran quickly back to Mud Bottle Lane.

His mother was lying on the wooden bed. When the child tiptoed into the room, he found that his mother was still asleep. He touched her forehead and was relieved to find that she didn't have a fever. The child quietly moved his mother's hand back under the covers.

The child went to the kitchen outside and started brewing the medicine in a pottery jar, and while the medicine was brewing, he started cooking.

The child had to stand on a small stool to reach.

The child stirred the wok with all his might, choked by the hot steam. Even then, he didn't forget to mutter to himself, "I must cook it well, I must! Otherwise, mother won't have any appetite..."

A child, barely five years old, carried a basket almost as big as himself, heading towards the mountain outside the town.

This was the child's second time entering the mountain. The first time, the old man Yang from the Yang Family Apothecary had accompanied him, taking care to walk slowly because of the child's weak strength. Moreover, the old man had only taught the child which herbs to pick, and the old man had carried the basket. So, the trip in and out of the mountain was relatively easy. Today was different. The child walked under the scorching sun, carrying the basket, his back burning.

The child walked, crying and gritting his teeth.

The child didn't return to the Yang Family Apothecary until nightfall. The basket contained only a thin layer of herbs.

The old man Yang was furious.

The child said, sobbing, that he only had his mother at home, and he was afraid she would be hungry, otherwise there would have been more herbs. He could get up early and go into the mountains tomorrow.

The old man was silent. He turned and left, saying he would give him one more chance.

In less than two months, the child's hands and feet were covered in calluses.

One day, a sudden rainstorm stranded the child, who had forgotten the time while picking herbs, on the other side of the stream.

Looking at the raging flood, the child cried loudly in the rain.

Finally, when the child couldn't bear it any longer and was about to jump into the stream.

At that moment, the old man Yang suddenly appeared on the opposite bank, stepped across the stream in one stride, and carried the child back in another.

Raindrops the size of soybeans hit his body, but the child smiled happily on the way down the mountain.

After leaving the mountain, the old man said, "Little Ping'an, if you help me make a pipe, I'll teach you a little trick to climb mountains without getting tired."

The child wiped the rain off his face and grinned. "Okay!"

The child hopped back to Mud Bottle Lane. Today, he had picked a rare and precious herb, so the Yang Family Apothecary had given him some extra medicine for his mother.

The child, who hadn't eaten all day, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

At that moment, the child knew he had eaten something wrong on the mountain.

The pain started in his stomach and spread to his hands, feet, and finally his head.

The child first squatted down carefully, took off the basket, and then took a deep breath, trying to suppress the pain.

But he felt both burning hot and shivering cold. The child could only roll around in the alley in pain.

The child didn't dare to cry out.

No matter how his head hit the walls of the alley, the child never cried out.

He was too close to home.

The child was afraid his mother lying in bed would worry.

During that process, the child's consciousness was blurred, and he only felt the sound of his heart beating, like a drum pounding near his ear, booming loudly.

In Apricot Blossom Lane, a child often squatted not far from the candied hawthorn stall, each time squatting for a while, not long, but the stall owner remembered his dark face.

Finally, one day, the man selling candied hawthorns took down a stick of candied hawthorns and smiled. "Here, no charge."

The child quickly got up, shook his head, gave a shy smile, and ran away.After that, the child was never seen again.

That winter.

The woman on her sickbed was now skin and bones, her natural face withered and ugly.

The child, having just returned from praying at the dilapidated shrine and fetching water from the Iron Lock Well in Apricot Blossom Lane, came to her bedside, sat on a small stool, and, seeing his mother awake, softly asked, "Mother, are you feeling any better?"

The woman smiled weakly, "Much better. I don't hurt at all anymore."

The child rejoiced, "Mother, praying to the Bodhisattvas really works!"

The woman nodded, tremblingly reaching out a hand, which the child quickly grasped.

With great effort and pain, the woman turned her body to the side, gazing at her child's face. A woman tormented by illness, suddenly radiated a light of happiness, murmuring, "How could there be such a good child in this world, and how did he happen to be my son?"

That winter, the woman ultimately failed to make it through the year's end, unable to wait for her son to paste up spring couplets and door gods. She died.

Before she closed her eyes, the small town had just begun to snow. She told her son to go outside and watch the snow.

The woman listened to the sound of her son's footsteps running out of the house, closed her eyes, and devoutly murmured, "Sui sui ping sui sui an, sui sui ping'an (May all be broken so peace may come), sui sui ping'an, my little Ping'an (Peace), sui sui ping'an, nian nian sui sui, sui sui nian nian, ping ping an an (peace, peace forever)..."

From that day on, Chen Ping'an became an orphan.

Only, he had transformed from a child into a young man.