Chapter 57: Nurturing Sword Gourd

Near the small town, the military cultivator from True Martial Mountain released Ma Kuxuan's shoulder. Ma Kuxuan felt dizzy and shook his head, asking, "Do you know who's behind this? Could it be my father or my uncle? Did someone set their sights on our family treasures? One refused to give, the other tried to seize them by force, leading to a disaster like Liu Xianyang?"

The sword-bearing man hastened forward with Ma Kuxuan, shaking his head. "The reason the Mountain-Moving Ape of Zheng Yang Mountain acted so brazenly, even breaking the rules, was partly due to the sword manual's inherent value. But the most important reason is the long-standing feud between Zheng Yang Mountain and Wind and Thunder Garden. If Chen Songfeng of Wind and Thunder Garden hadn't arrived in town shortly before, the Mountain-Moving Ape wouldn't have dared to act so violently. So, in this town, even if cultivators act, they wouldn't dare to be too blatant. After all, Mr. Qi, who is stationed here..."

The man suddenly stopped, looking towards a rooftop in the distance where a jet-black wild cat was perched. Upon seeing Ma Kuxuan, it immediately screeched. When Ma Kuxuan noticed it, the wild cat darted away, running towards Apricot Blossom Lane.

Ma Kuxuan's face instantly turned pale. He began to sprint like a madman, following the wild cat on the rooftops.

The man understood the situation. He sighed and followed the young man at a leisurely pace, ensuring he never fell too far behind.

Ma Kuxuan ran all the way back to that familiar lane. When he saw the courtyard gate wide open, the usually audacious boy stopped outside, no longer daring to cross the threshold.

He knew that his courtyard gate was almost never left open for so long. His grandmother always said that Apricot Blossom Lane was full of useless paupers, and that the poorer people were, the shorter their ambitions and the longer their grievances. Their family was also easily envied, so the gate must always be tightly shut to avoid attracting thieves.

With red eyes, Ma Kuxuan walked into the courtyard. The main house door was also open.

Ma Kuxuan saw a familiar, frail figure lying on the ground.

The black cat squatted on the doorstep, screeching in a terrifying manner.

"Don't go any closer!"

The sword-bearing man placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, urging, "It has already come to this. Steady your mind!"

Ma Kuxuan forcefully suppressed his tears, took deep breaths, slowed his pace, and gently called out, "Grandmother?"

The military cultivator took the lead, arriving beside the old woman. He placed two fingers together at her nose, finding no breath.

The black cat, startled, quickly ran inside the house, disappearing in a flash.

After a moment of thought, the sword-bearing man raised his head, solemnly telling Ma Kuxuan, who stood at the door, "Stay where you are! You possess an abundance of Yang energy. If you take another step closer, even if a trace of your grandmother's soul remains in the house, you will cause it to be utterly obliterated!"

The boy's dark face contorted. He managed to suppress any sound of crying.

The man made up his mind, gripping the tiger tally at his waist. He said sternly, "Mr. Qi, this matter is not to be taken lightly. You have your rules, and I have my reasons. I hope you will not interfere in what follows."

After saying this, the man's aura changed completely. His robes billowed, his hair fluttered. He chanted a series of obscure incantations, ending with five words: "True Martial Mountain requests!"

Ma Kuxuan turned his head, dazed.

A golden-armored divine warrior, over ten feet tall, descended from the sky. He clasped his fists at his chest, the sound like thunder, and asked, "Descendant of True Martial, what is your command?"

"The use of magic is forbidden here, and I am not skilled in restraining souls. Therefore, I ask you to patrol the perimeter of this house. If you find the wandering soul of this old woman, gather it up. Remember, do not harm her essence."

The golden-armored divine warrior was silent for a moment, then nodded. "As you command!"

Golden light dissipated, and the divine general vanished.

In the kiln affairs supervision office, Chen Songfeng, a member of the Chen clan of Dragon Tail County, was engrossed in examining files in a spacious room. A lacquered wooden box sat at his feet, filled with mostly yellowed ancient books. A woman, also named Chen, casually picked up a book from the box. Standing near the window, she slowly flipped through the pages.

The old steward of the office was sitting in a chair, drinking tea. Liu Baqiao, a sword cultivator from Wind and Thunder Garden, sat opposite him, exchanging polite pleasantries. The spirited old steward chuckled, "It's all thanks to a fortunate coincidence. Li Hong from the Li family estate personally came to our office, requesting some of the Chen clan's records from our town, only the household registers from the last three to four hundred years. When the prince nodded in agreement, I had Li Hong's people take the seventy or eighty books on top of the box. The remaining books below are older, just the old almanacs that Master Chen and you want. Speaking of which, if the office didn't require us to air out the books twice a year, in summer and autumn, they would have long been eaten away by insects."

Chen, the woman standing by the window, didn't even raise her head. She asked indifferently, "I heard that the people named Chen in town are now all servants and maids of the Four Clans and Ten Families of Peach Leaf Lane. Some of the Chen people have even become family slaves of those prominent families, kowtowing and kneeling for generations. When they see ordinary townsfolk, they act high and mighty?"

The old steward was somewhat embarrassed. This woman kept referring to the "Four Clans and Ten Families" or "prominent families," but the true millennial aristocratic families, the eldest grandson of the Chen clan of Dragon Tail County, was sitting over there like a servant, silently examining the files. And this woman, also named Chen, was able to act so calmly. The old steward, wise with age, knew her true identity was noble and ancient.

Although the old steward didn't have any maids or servants named Chen, he always had a good relationship with the prominent local families. He didn't want to offend a powerful dragon crossing the river due to his improper handling of this matter.After carefully considering her words, the old steward set down his ice-crackled teacup and slowly said, "Miss Chen, this is unavoidable. According to an old-timer in our yamen, there were originally two branches of the Chen family in this town, descended from different ancestors. One branch migrated from the town long ago, leaving no direct descendants behind. It's vaguely said that this branch specifically left a gravekeeper when they moved, but it was so long ago that the family responsible for tending their graves can no longer be traced. As for the other Chen branch, they were once a prominent family, ranking quite high. But alas, things change. After several ups and downs, they gradually declined. Especially in the last few centuries, as you said, Miss Chen, they've weakened generation by generation. There aren't any Chen family members who are independent anymore… Wait, I remember now! There's one lone survivor, probably the only Chen descendant in town not affiliated with the four prominent surnames and ten clans. His father was a skilled porcelain maker and even received awards from the previous two supervisory officials, so I remember him clearly. But he died young, and I don't know how his child is doing now. But, just based on what I've seen and heard, the people here in town have generally treated the Chen family descendants well. Especially the Song and Zhao families. Their head stewards are both named Chen and, nominally, they are master and servant, but in reality, they are like family."

Having said all of this, the old steward picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Chen Dui smiled and nodded. "Steward Xue is a wise man. No wonder the yamen operates so smoothly."

The old steward grinned, his face radiating happiness. "Miss Chen, you flatter me. People like us just know our limitations, so we can only do our best. A life of hard work, that's all."

Chen Dui smiled without commenting, shifting her gaze to Chen Songfeng, who was sitting upright. She said in a cold voice, "If you have to, turn the boxes upside down and start with the lowest registers. Didn't you hear what Steward Xue just said? For a thousand years, the town's records have only been related to the other Chen branch. If I remember correctly, this Chen branch in town shares a distant ancestor with your Chen family of Dragon Tail County. So, what? You keep flipping through genealogy books filled with names of servants and maids. Is that entertaining?"

Chen Songfeng's forehead was covered in fine sweat, his lips slightly pale. He didn't dare to say a word in response and quickly stood up from his chair to bend over and start rummaging through the boxes, moving books.

The old yamen steward immediately straightened his back, no longer showing any signs of relaxation.

Liu Baqiao couldn't bear to watch. Chen Songfeng might be gentle, but he was still the future head of the Chen family of Dragon Tail County. No matter Chen Dui's background or origin, whether she was a relative or not, she should at least show some respect. So, Liu Baqiao said in a deep voice, "Chen Dui, unless I'm blind, I can see that Chen Songfeng is helping you. Even if you don't appreciate it, you don't have to speak so harshly!"

Chen Songfeng quickly looked up at Liu Baqiao, signaling him with his eyes. The latter widened his eyes and glared back, "Even an emperor has some poor relatives! What, is someone an exception?! Fine, even if someone is an exception, does that mean they can look down on others?"

Straightforward.

That was the true nature of Liu Baqiao of Wind and Thunder Garden.

Chen Songfeng's face was full of bitterness.

The old steward lowered his head and drank his tea, ignoring everything he saw and heard.

Chen Dui was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "That makes sense."

Now it was Liu Baqiao who felt a little awkward.

Chen Dui put the genealogy book in her hand on the table, intending to go outside for some fresh air. Steward Xue naturally wanted to fulfill his duty as a host, but the Chen woman politely declined.

Chen Dui walked out of the yamen's side hall and stood in the corridor, looking into the distance.

Outside the yamen's main hall was a large plaza with a memorial archway facing the gate, bearing a large ancient character, *Yue*, meaning mountain peak, composed of hill above and prison below. This was not uncommon. Every secular dynasty and nation was required by law to designate five mountains within its territory as the Five Peaks, east, south, west, north, and center. The mountain gate would inevitably have two characters personally inscribed by the founding emperor. That *Yue* character was always written in the ancient style.

Later scholars, poets, and cultivators offered thousands of explanations for this, but the true reason had probably been lost in the dust of history.

Chen Dui saw two figures, one large and one small, sitting on the white stone steps of the archway, whispering to each other.

She hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly towards them. To avoid suspicion of eavesdropping, Chen Dui deliberately coughed softly as she approached the steps behind them. However, one was talking enthusiastically, and the other was listening intently, seemingly unaware of Chen Dui's presence. Chen Dui didn't mind. She sat casually on the farthest part of the steps, although her posture unintentionally exuded an air of formality.

The two, one large and one small, were using the orthodox elegant official language of East Treasure Bottle Continent. Chen Dui understood it, otherwise, she wouldn't have come to this town. However, she spoke it somewhat awkwardly, which was why she had been so silent on the journey with Chen Songfeng and Liu Baqiao. Of course, the main reason she didn't want to talk was that she felt she had nothing in common with Chen Songfeng and Liu Baqiao and didn't want to open her mouth.

Liu Baqiao was seemingly cynical, but at heart, he was focused on the sword. Seemingly interesting, but actually dull. Chen Songfeng was focused on reviving his family, seemingly simple but actually thoughtful. The two so-called top talents of East Treasure Bottle Continent were not her kind of people. People of different paths cannot make plans together, it was as simple as that.

The boy glanced at the woman, who was about ten years older than him, and her impression was really ordinary.

Chen Dui sat there quietly, showing no signs of speaking.

However, in a brief glance earlier, she noticed that the little girl was holding a lustrous, crystal-clear, emerald green gourd. Chen Dui's eyes were sharp, and she knew it wasn't an ordinary object.

The richly dressed boy and the delicate, porcelain-like little girl were none other than Song Jixin from Mud Bottle Lane and Tao Zi from Pure Yang Mountain.Previously, when Song Jixin and Song Changjing visited the Li residence, he instantly took a liking to the little girl, Tao Zi, because he had always been drawn to exquisite and ornate things, while the rough and unadorned held no appeal. Tao Zi also felt an inexplicable connection with Song Jixin, and the two became fast friends, despite their significant age difference. They could even hold engaging conversations, and Song Jixin didn't even feel like he was condescending or putting on an act. This led him to eventually request his uncle, Song Changjing, to pressure the Li family into allowing Tao Zi to come and play at the construction site of the government office. Ignoring the Li family's devastated expressions, Song Jixin held the little girl's hand and left the Li residence. At the same time, he sent a message to the maid, Zhigui, in his small residence, instructing her to find the emerald green gourd in his chest and give it to Tao Zi as a welcome gift.

The little girl was very affectionate with Song Jixin, and she asked sweetly, "Brother Firewood, you were just talking about the academy archway among the twelve types of archways. Before I came here, I overheard Grandpa talking to someone about how your Great Li's Cliff Academy is doing very poorly. Do you know what's written on their academy archway?"

Because the last two characters of Song Jixin's name sounded like "collect firewood," Tao Zi had given him the nickname "Brother Firewood." Song Jixin didn't mind it. At this moment, he was no longer concerned about the fate of the foreign woman from before. He looked down at the little girl and smiled, "I don't know. I've never left this small town in my entire life, and I haven't read much. I feel like I've already emptied my brain talking to you for so long."

The little girl sighed, "I wonder how Grandpa Ape is doing with his search outside?"

Song Jixin smiled, glanced meaningfully at the jade pendant around his waist, then patted the hem of his brocade robe. At that moment, his eyes held a complex expression.

In the distance, Chen Dui suddenly asked softly, "Little girl, does your gourd ever make a sound on its own?"

The little girl turned her head, held the gourd high with both hands, smiled, and said proudly, "Brother Firewood gave it to me!"

It was a non-answer.

Chen Dui could only smile in response.

Song Jixin casually said, "It hums during thunderstorms."

Chen Dui nodded, "Indeed, it's a Sword-Nourishing Gourd."

Song Jixin was a little puzzled.

The little girl from Zheng Yang Mountain eagerly said, "I know, I know! We have three Sword-Nourishing Gourds at home. My grandpa has one, it's all gray and ugly. Grandpa Liu from Tai Bai Peak's is the cutest, small and palm-sized, and it can shoot out dozens of tiny flying swords! Sister Su's is neither big nor small, and it's purple-gold, but Sister Su doesn't like to take it out usually. I begged her so many times just to touch it, and she quickly hid it away!"

Chen Dui explained, "Little girl, you can't blame your Sister Su. A purple-gold Sword-Nourishing Gourd is extremely rare and valuable among Sword-Nourishing Gourds, ranking in the top three. I estimate that the entire Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent only has one, and the purple-gold gourd, while excellent for nourishing swords, is also very fragile and easily broken by sharp objects."

Tao Zi hugged the emerald green gourd again, "Then what about mine?"

Chen Dui smiled, "It's also very precious."

The little girl tugged at Song Jixin's sleeve, timidly asking, "Brother Firewood, are you going to take it back?"

Song Jixin patted the little girl's head, his eyes filled with affection, and laughed, "Don't even mention this little gourd. Even if I had more, I would be happy to give them all to you."

Chen Dui recalled an interesting story and said, "Legend has it that Heavenly Treasures Pavilion once held an auction, and the final highlight was a never-before-seen Sword-Nourishing Gourd vine, bearing six small gourd fruits. It was said that the vine was planted by the Dao Ancestor himself, before he ascended to immortality, in this world. It took thousands of years to bear that string of small gourds, of various sizes and colors, which were truly magical."

Song Jixin sincerely sighed, "The vast world is full of wonders."