Chapter 51: Confrontation

After returning to Fulu Town, a brief exchange occurred between Chen Ping'an and Song Changjing, a vassal king of the Dali Dynasty. The old ape from Mount Zhengyang did not stay long at the Li residence. It dashed out of town, pausing briefly at the spot where the straw sandal-wearing boy had entered the mountain. The old ape then retreated to the location from which it had thrown its punch, carefully examining the depth of the boy's footprints in the mud.

In addition to this, the old ape noticed a series of faint adult footprints. It surmised that they most likely belonged to the young swordsman from Wind and Thunder Garden. When it had attacked the boy from Mud Bottle Lane, that person had clearly intended to take advantage of the situation, exhibiting a fleeting leak of sword energy. Although it was momentary and well-concealed, the old ape had experienced countless battles and cultivated for a millennium on Mount Zhengyang, a place where "sword energy slashed through treasure bottles," making it exceedingly familiar with sword energy and intent.

This guardian ape of Mount Zhengyang had lived for far too long, granting it vast experience. It had witnessed sword immortals who specialized in nurturing superior flying swords, possessing dozens of exquisite and miniature blades, each as tiny as a strand of hair. It had also seen natal flying swords as large as mountains, capable of cleaving rivers with a single strike.

The old ape pondered deeply before continuing its journey. Upon entering the mountain, it encountered a patch of dense weeds, followed by a bamboo forest. The ground was covered in withered leaves accumulated from the previous autumn and winter. However, due to its proximity to the town, the bamboo forest did not appear desolate. Following barely discernible footprints, the old ape realized that it was about to exit the bamboo forest.

Rather than directly leaving the bamboo forest, the old ape surveyed its surroundings. It found no footprints on the ground, and the surrounding green bamboo showed no obvious marks. Still, the old ape did not rush up the mountain. Instead, it leaped into the air, planting a foot on the top of a thick green bamboo stalk. It applied slight pressure, causing the bamboo to bend, nearly snapping. Just as it was about to break, the old ape suddenly released its aura. Its burly body became as light as a feather. The relieved bamboo sprang back, returning to its upright position. The old ape stood atop the swaying green bamboo like an immortal riding the wind, its form gently swaying with the bamboo. After surveying the area, it looked down and finally spotted a clue. A smirk tugged at its lips. It gazed far to the left, carefully listening and discerning the faint sound of a flowing stream.

The old ape chuckled coldly, "As cunning as ever."

The old ape traversed the bamboo forest, stepping on the bamboo stalks, breaking countless in the process. Arriving at the stream bank, it was unsure whether the straw sandal-wearing boy had gone upstream into the deep mountains or downstream to escape. The old ape squatted by the stream, its brow furrowed in frustration. If it were in the outside world, any mountain with even a trace of spiritual energy, the old ape could simply seize the local Earth Deity and compel it to reveal the boy's whereabouts.

This was one of the innate abilities of the Mountain-Moving Ape. Otherwise, no matter how powerful or renowned a cultivator might be, they could never easily order around the deities of the land. The Great Dao diverged, much like the bureaucratic hierarchy of a secular dynasty. Even the Minister of War could not casually order around a mere Assistant Minister of Revenue to do this or that. Most importantly, the Minister of War and the Assistant Minister of Revenue were not even within the same imperial court.

The old ape listened to the sound of the flowing water, lost in thought.

Logically speaking, the boy had likely honed his skills and stamina from a young age by traversing mountains and water. He might have even studied rudimentary breathing techniques, granting him extraordinary physique, light and sturdy bones, and strong blood and qi. This allowed him to play a game of cat and mouse with the old ape on the rooftops of the alleys. In that case, hiding in the familiar, dense forest would be logical. If it were a purely youthful impulse, fueled by a burst of vengeance that had now cooled after experiencing the consequences, he might have become afraid and sought refuge at Ruan Shi's blacksmith shop in the south.

The former would only be time-consuming, while the latter would be exhausting and potentially damage Mount Zhengyang's reputation.

The old ape followed its instincts and blurted out, "This boy must die."

After uttering those words, the old ape had no more doubts and chose to track the boy downstream.

South of the town was a winding dirt path flanked by rice paddies and farmland belonging to the townspeople. Along the path was a dilapidated white-walled, black-tiled shrine. A shrine in name only, it was merely a place for the locals to rest, especially during the busy farming seasons, hot summers, or during heavy rain. Having a place to provide shade and shelter was a world of difference.

At this moment, Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao were discussing their next moves while resting there.

Ning Yao, with her innate Sword Heart Clarity, could easily see in the dark. She noticed the dilapidated walls covered in children's charcoal graffiti, mostly names. The ones near the ground were mostly faded or overwritten. Higher up, however, some names were still clearly visible: Song Jixin, Zhigui, Zhao Yao, Xie Shi, Cao Xi... a long list. They had likely been written while riding on someone's shoulders or standing on a friend's shoulders. Ning Yao even saw the names of Liu Xianyang, Chen Ping'an, and Gu Can, clustered together in the upper left corner, appearing rather unsociable.

Ning Yao withdrew her gaze and asked, "Regardless, the first step is done. We've forced the old ape to exhale for the first time. Are you really going back to town to retrieve your wooden bow? Won't that be too risky? What if the old ape is cautious and doesn't come up the mountain to look for you? Wouldn't you be walking into the tiger's mouth?"

The straw sandal-wearing boy had been silently inhaling and exhaling, his breathing rhythm irregular, guided only by feeling, seeking the "most comfortable" state. Upon hearing her question, his eyes hardened. "I have no choice. I have to get the wooden bow back, or all our previous efforts will have been for nothing! Besides, I shot an arrow at the old ape in Mud Bottle Lane. It's true, like you said, Ning girl, even at such close range, unless I hit the old ape's eye, the damage would be negligible."

Ning Yao was annoyed. "I told you, your petty tricks won't work! You didn't believe me before, and you wouldn't listen to my advice. Fine, I let you do as you pleased. But now that you believe me, you should follow my plan, right?"

Actually, when the young boy and girl had discussed how to deal with the old ape from Mount Zhengyang on the covered bridge, they had initially decided to each do their own thing. Chen Ping'an had only asked the girl to wait for him to return to town and find the three people. However, the boy had suddenly changed his mind, catching up to Ning Yao just before she reached the bottom of the stairs at the north end of the bridge.Later, the two had a huge disagreement. The girl, carrying both a saber and a sword, was initially very firm, stating that Chen Ping'an was not a cultivator, not even knowing basic fist techniques, and should just watch from the sidelines, maybe shout encouragement, while she slaughtered the old ape to avenge Liu Xianyang and vent her anger. But when Chen Ping'an asked her how she planned to kill the old ape, Ning Yao refused to say, only claiming she had her own trump cards. Traveling the world, ascending and descending mountains, walking the solitary path, how could she not have some family secrets to rely on?

Chen Ping'an did not agree.

This led to Chen Ping'an searching for help three times afterward.

Chen Ping'an stood up, twisting his waist. He felt almost completely recovered. "I've rested enough," he said.

Ning Yao was surprised. "The Yang family's shop medicine is that effective?"

Chen Ping'an's eyes dimmed for a moment, but he quickly nodded and smiled. "It's very effective."

Ning Yao asked, "Will the old ape be able to see through your escape route?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and cautiously replied, "Maybe he can."

Ning Yao used her saber sheath to draw two circles and a straight line on the ground. "This is the route between the small temple and the Li residence on Fulv Street. Where is your wooden bow hidden?"

Chen Ping'an squatted down and drew a circle. "Closer to the east, around here, not too far from Mud Bottle Lane."

Ning Yao nodded. "Good. Even if the old ape comes directly to the small temple, I will stall him long enough for you to get enough time."

Chen Ping'an then drew a small circle with his finger in the middle of the line. "If it really comes to the worst-case scenario, Ning Yao, could you lure him to this spot? It's where I first entered the mountain. That way, I can grab the wooden bow and get there quickly."

The girl in her dark green robe leaned on her saber, and said proudly, "Maybe I'll be over there holding the old ape's head when you arrive."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Don't be reckless. Be careful!"

Ning Yao wanted nothing more than to hit him upside the head with her saber sheath. Who was being reckless?

She glared. "Hey! Standing in front of you is Ning Yao, the future number one sword immortal in all the world, okay?!"

The young man stood up, checking the two cloth bags at his waist, tightening them just in case. Then he looked up and smiled. "I know, I know. That's why you can't die in such a small place. It would be such a waste. When you become such a big deal in the future, as a friend, I can bask in your glory."

Ning Yao sighed. "Chen Ping'an, you're so long-winded and indecisive. I advise you not to marry. Just randomly pick a girl to marry and be done with it."

The young man scoffed, not arguing. As he was about to leave the temple, Ning Yao said, "I'll take you to the stream first. Then I'll head northwest for a while, to prevent the old ape from worrying about the little girl's safety. He might exit the bamboo forest soon after, and if he doesn't find you, he might just give up the chase and turn back to the town."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and didn't refuse.

The young man and the young woman headed toward the stream. The girl's breathing was like a great river, deep and silent, with hidden currents. The young man's breathing was like a stream, flowing gently and steadily.

Their auras were completely different.

Ning Yao suddenly couldn't help but ask, "Is the herb you smeared on the wooden arrowheads really effective?"

The young man replied, "It works on wild boars weighing over two hundred pounds. It should work on that old ape."

Ning Yao said nothing more.

The two approached the stream, the same spot where the straw sandal-wearing boy had come ashore before. Almost simultaneously, the young man and the young woman exploded with strength, pushing off the ground and leaping high, landing on the other bank.

After landing, the girl grasped her sword hilt and slowed her pace. The young man sprinted, leaped across the river, landed and ran, all in one smooth motion, passing her in an instant. Chen Ping'an was about to turn his head, but the girl said, "You go to town first. Don't worry about me."

The young man continued forward, turning his head as he ran to remind her, "I'll take a slight detour, choosing a quiet alleyway to enter the town. I might be a little late."

Ning Yao nodded. After Chen Ping'an's figure disappeared, she stopped holding her sword hilt and began walking slowly west.

Not long after, the girl stopped, squinting her eyes, looking upstream in the distance.

A burly figure suddenly shot out from a large rock in the stream, landing twenty paces in front of the girl, domineering.

The old ape was somewhat puzzled. There was no sign of the boy nearby. He glanced at the white-sheathed sword at the girl's waist and smiled. "Little girl, you were the one who caused trouble on Fulv Street earlier, weren't you?"

The girl pressed down on her saber and sword hilts, saying nothing.

The old ape asked curiously, "Little girl, I know you have an extraordinary background although you kept yourself hidden on the way to the town. You're definitely not like those two wastes from Qingfeng City or Old Dragon City. I'm just curious, what grievances do you and I have that require this? Or does your family or sect have a feud with Mount Zhengyang?"

Without a word, Ning Yao drew both her saber and sword simultaneously, her figure flashing.

The saber arrived first, chopping down at the head of the Zhengyang Mountain guardian ancestor. The old ape casually raised his arm, forcefully deflecting the blade's edge.

Taking advantage of the momentum, the girl spun, sweeping her sword horizontally towards the old ape's neck.

The old ape once again used his arm to forcefully smash the sword's edge.

The girl's two opening moves failed, and she didn't engage in close combat, but instead created some distance between herself and the old ape, slowly walking.

After testing the sharpness of the two weapons with his overwhelmingly powerful body, the old ape completely ignored the bloody grooves cut into the outside of his arm and laughed. "The weapons are truly excellent, and the fact that you dare carry two with you shows that you are either a disciple from an ancient family on the mountain, or the direct descendant of a first-class clan below the mountain. I almost thought you were another hidden Wind and Thunder Garden sword cultivator."

The old ape moved along with the girl's seemingly casual steps, following her movements with his gaze and said in a low voice, "Little girl, knowing that you won't give up even if you suffer setbacks, I'll give you one last chance. Tell me your sect and background. After you're killed by me, Mount Zhengyang won't admit any wrongdoing, nor will we care where you come from or who you learned from."

Ning Yao completely ignored him, constantly looking for the old ape's true weakness.

After all, she wasn't that Dali vassal king who had already touched the threshold of the tenth realm and could face a Mountain-Moving Ape head-on.

Feeling that he had already made too many concessions, the old ape sneered. "If you're so unappreciative, then so be it."