Chapter 61: Crossing the River Pawn

As the troublemaking woman departed, the spectacle of fleeting spring vanished, and the crowd outside the Yang family's shop quickly dispersed.

Zheng Dafeng, shrinking and cowering, scurried to the eaves of the main house, squatting at a distance, not daring to approach Old Man Yang.

Despite being fellow disciples, his treatment compared to Li Er's in the eyes of this master was as different as clouds and mud.

Zheng Dafeng resented the master's favoritism, but some things were simply impossible to deny.

Zheng Dafeng timidly asked, "Master, Qi Jingchun is determined not to follow the rules. Where will we go then?"

The old man remained silent, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe. A black cat, appearing from who knows where, squatted near the old man's feet, shaking its fur and scattering droplets of rainwater.

Zheng Dafeng worriedly said, "That fellow from Zhenwu Mountain actually invited a god to descend. Won't that cause trouble? After all, countless eyes are watching this place."

The old man still didn't speak.

Accustomed to his master's taciturn nature, Zheng Dafeng didn't feel awkward. He rambled on, then thought of Qi Jingchun, cursing, "Damn it, Qi Jingchun, you've been a grandson for fifty-nine years, what's a few more days? Scholars are just stubborn, unreasonable!"

The old man finally spoke, "You're just as stubborn without reading."

Zheng Dafeng wasn't ashamed, turning to fawn over him, "Want me to massage your shoulders and legs, Master?"

The old man indifferently said, "I don't have much of a retirement fund, so give up on that."

Zheng Dafeng blushed, "Master, you wound me with those words. I, as your disciple, may not be capable, but my filial piety is overflowing. How could I covet those things? I'm not Li Er's wife."

The old man grunted, "You're even worse than her."

Zheng Dafeng's face turned dark, his head drooping like a wilted eggplant, devoid of any spirit.

However, his face suddenly lit up with joy, realizing that his master, though his words were still unpleasant, had actually spoken so much today, rare indeed. When he returned to the eastern house, he could celebrate with a pot of wine.

Zheng Dafeng felt a little happier, casually asking, "Can Senior Brother stop that guy?"

Before the old man could mock him, Zheng Dafeng slapped himself, "It's better if Senior Brother can't stop him, then there's a chance for some action. If he really stops him, we'll be left with nothing."

The old man inexplicably asked, "Zheng Dafeng, do you know why you'll never amount to much?"

Zheng Dafeng was stunned.

He thought, *Master's question holds a deep meaning. I must respond carefully, after careful consideration.*

Unexpectedly, the old man had already provided the answer himself, "You're ugly."

Zheng Dafeng clutched his head, looking at the splashing rain in the courtyard, a grown man on the verge of tears.

The clerk of the yamen, without needing much observation, knew that he wasn't suitable to stay any longer, and found an excuse to leave the room.

Chen Songfeng continued to bury himself in the files, but compared to Chen Dui's trembling presence, he finally regained some of the elegance of a scion of a noble family. But the more he acted like this, the more Liu Baqiao felt stifled, bursting with pent-up frustration. But being straightforward was one thing, and being tactless was another. Liu Baqiao thought he'd go for a walk, out of sight, out of mind.

Chen Songfeng suddenly looked up and smiled, "Baqiao, finally couldn't sit still?"

Liu Baqiao had just lifted his butt from the chair, and upon hearing this, he plopped back down, smiling angrily, "Oh ho, still in the mood to make fun of me. You've got some magnanimity, kid."

Chen Songfeng put down an old book in his hand, bitterly saying, "I'm sorry you had to see that. I didn't take your defense of me just now for granted, it's just..."

Liu Baqiao couldn't stand sentimentality and emotional appeals, quickly waving his hand, "No, no, I just can't stand your family's distant relatives bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Me speaking up was purely because I couldn't control my mouth, you don't need to be grateful, Chen Songfeng."

Chen Songfeng leaned back, gently resting on the back of the chair, softly exhaling.

If this were the Chen family in Dragon Tail County, this lazy posture alone, if discovered by an elder, would result in beatings for children, regardless of whether they were from the main or branch families, and scoldings for adults.

Scholars from wealthy families were often ridiculed by martial artists as hypocritical and pretentious.

But rules were rules. From the moment they were born, they walked on a predetermined path. All the large and small aristocratic children were, without exception, influenced from a young age.

Of course, there was also the Southern Gulch Kingdom, known for producing pure conversationists and eccentric madmen, renowned for their uninhibited speech and behavior.

Liu Baqiao asked, "What is your relationship with Chen Dui? Why are you so afraid of her? If it involves family secrets, pretend I didn't ask."

Chen Songfeng stood up, closed the door, sat in the clerk's original chair, and softly asked in return, "The nomination of a porcelain-buying youth from the Liu family, after many twists and turns, eventually fell into the hands of my Chen family in Dragon Tail County. Aren't you curious as to why?"

Liu Baqiao nodded.

The Mountain-Moving Ape probably never imagined that the competitor who was stirred by the sword manual wasn't their mortal enemy, the Wind and Thunder Garden, but the suddenly emerging Chen family of Dragon Tail County.

Chen Songfeng's face was weary, probably from long-term depression on the journey. Those who overthink are bound to be tired. He finally couldn't help but find someone to confide in, and he deeply trusted Liu Baqiao's character, so he slowly said, "Although our Chen family is closer to your Wind and Thunder Garden, the Chen family descendants adhere to ancestral precepts and do not interfere in the grievances between the mountain and the world. We've been steadfast for so many years, would a sword manual that is quite useless to Chen family descendants make us break this rule? The Chen family is a family of scholars, not a family of cultivators. What's the point of wading into this muddy water?"

Liu Baqiao followed this line of thought, "Is it Chen Dui's family who wants to acquire this sword manual? Could it be that her family is an unrivaled sword cultivator family that has remained hidden from the world?"

Chen Songfeng shook his head, "Not so. As Supervisor Xue mentioned earlier, the Chen family in the small town is divided into two branches. Chen Dui belongs to the branch that moved out the earliest, leaving very thoroughly, not even staying in the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, going directly to another continent. After generations of reproduction and branching out, Chen Dui's family is now known as the 'epitome of the world's storefronts'. Of course, this news has never circulated in the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent. Our Chen family in Dragon Tail County only knows the inside story because we have a slight connection with them."Liu Baqiao scoffed, "Is that woman spouting nonsense without a draft, or is she taking me, Liu Baqiao, for an uneducated fool? Her family having a Hall of Merit?"

Chen Songfeng held up two fingers.

Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes. "Listen carefully, I'm talking about a Hall of Merit, not a Hall of Scholarly Attainment!"

Chen Songfeng didn't retract his fingers.

Liu Baqiao felt a little deflated, but continued to challenge, "Then a Academy Hall, does her family have that?!"

The Academy Hall that Liu Baqiao spoke of referred to the orthodox Confucian three Academies and seventy-two Colleges, certainly not the ordinary academies of the secular dynasties.

In the vast continent of Eastern Precious Bottle, there were only two Colleges, Cliffside and Lakeview.

Chen Songfeng slowly retracted one finger, leaving only one.

Liu Baqiao pretended to get up, placing his hands on the armrests of the chair, feigning panic. "I'd better go apologize to that young ancestress, goodness gracious, with that kind of unreasonable background, it's no problem for you, Chen Songfeng, to flip through a few books, or even to be her slave."

Chen Songfeng smiled without speaking.

This was probably Liu Baqiao's unique charm, being able to turn an embarrassing and frustrating matter into something that didn't anger the person involved at all.

Liu Baqiao wiggled his butt, crossed his arms, and said leisurely, "Alright, I know the scary origins of that ancestral grandmother, tell me the main point."

Chen Songfeng smiled, "Actually, Steward Xue already said the answer."

Liu Baqiao had a flash of inspiration, "The ancestor of the Liu surname young man, is he from the branch of the Chen clan left in the small town as gravekeepers for Chen Dui?"

Chen Songfeng nodded, "Teachable."

Liu Baqiao gave a confused sound, "That's not right, the sword scripture handed down by the Liu surname young man's family didn't come from that traitor from Zhengyang Mountain? Of course, he is also considered one of our Fenglei Garden's ancestors, but regardless, the timeline doesn't match up, how could he be the gravekeeper for the Chen Dui family?"

Chen Songfeng explained, "I can confirm that the Liu family was originally the gravekeeper for the Chen Dui family. As for why the sword cultivator who later fled to your Fenglei Garden eventually came to the small town, became a Liu family member, and passed down the sword scripture, there are probably some hidden secrets. So, in the end, the family heirlooms became two things, the sword scripture and the Warty Armor. As for Chen Dui, she didn't really care about the treasures, she just came to worship her ancestors. Besides that, if the Liu family still has descendants, regardless of their aptitude, she will take them back to the family and cultivate them with all her might, as a reward for the old Liu family ancestor's gravekeeping merits."

Liu Baqiao had a look of disbelief, "Such a big family, letting a young woman come to worship her ancestors? And almost getting punched to death by that Dali vassal king? Chen Songfeng, I've read a lot of books, although most of them are about immortals fighting in bed, I've actually learned a lot about human relationships from them, so I think that woman is definitely a fake!"

Chen Songfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Then you didn't see how... polite my grandfather was when he saw her."

To avoid disrespecting the venerable, Chen Songfeng couldn't bring himself to say the truth, so he could only vaguely describe it as "polite".

The family opened the middle door wide for her, the family head bowed to her, and the whole family treated her as an honored guest, letting her sit in the main seat at the welcome banquet.

The impact of all this on Chen Songfeng was considerable.

Liu Baqiao asked suspiciously, "Then the Liu surname young man, wasn't he almost punched to death by that old ape?"

Chen Songfeng sighed, "You said it yourself, almost."

Chen Songfeng got up and came to the window. Outside the window, there was a temporary drizzle, but looking at the sky, it seemed like there was going to be a torrential rain.

Chen Songfeng said softly, "That Master Ruan, seems to have been acquainted with an elder of Chen Dui, they once traveled the world together, they were close friends."

Liu Baqiao tentatively asked, "Are you saying that Ruan Qiong being able to replace Qi Jingchun and sit here, the Chen Dui family put in some effort?"

Chen Songfeng said calmly, "I didn't say anything."

Liu Baqiao marveled.

No wonder that woman could be so tough in front of Song Changjing.

The power of a family far away, the protection of a sage nearby, how could she not be arrogant?

Liu Baqiao suddenly asked, "Tell me about the natal porcelain and the porcelain buyer, I've always been interested in it, it's just a pity that our Fenglei Garden doesn't do this, and it wasn't until this time that I was forcibly pulled here by my master as a strongman that I vaguely heard about it. It seems that nowadays in our Eastern Precious Bottle Continent, there are several famous figures at the peak of the mountains who first walked out of this small town?"

Chen Songfeng hesitated slightly, but still chose to tell everything he knew, revealing secrets, "It's somewhat similar to the secular world's gambling on stones. Every year, about thirty babies are born in the small town, and the thirty dragon kiln kilns choose a child as their own dragon kiln's 'porcelain' according to their seating position. For example, if thirty-two children are born in the small town this year, then the top two ranked dragon kilns will have two porcelains. If there are only twenty-nine newborns next year, the bottom-ranked dragon kiln means that they will have no harvest for the whole year."

"So the people who are native to the small town all have their own natal porcelain. Now Cao Xi and Xie Shi, who are unparalleled in this continent, one a Taoist true lord who is expected to become a Heavenly Sovereign, and the other a wild sword immortal with boundless killing power, are no exception. Although this small town pond is considered extremely easy to produce dragons compared to the outside, the price of transforming into a dragon is huge. Once these 'porcelains' successfully enter the middle five realms, if they don't reach the five realms before they die, they are destined to have no afterlife, their souls will be scattered, for all eternity, everything will be over, I'm afraid even the Taoist Ancestor and the Buddha Ancestor can't do anything about it. And during this period, the porcelain buyers will grasp their fatal weaknesses, their lives and deaths controlled by others, no matter if you are someone like Cao Xi and Xie Shi, it's the same."

"However, when they become such powerful figures like Cao Xi and Xie Shi, the porcelain buyer will wish they could treat them as ancestors, where would they dare to claim to be the owner of the porcelain. After all, it's a mutually beneficial thing, any family that can have such a combat power as Cao Xi and Xie Shi can sleep soundly, the reason is very simple, usually small things, perhaps they can't be invited to come, but when it comes to the life and death of the family, they must come to help, if they are unwilling to fight for my family, they can, then I will break your natal porcelain, and we will all perish together."

Liu Baqiao listened in amazement. No wonder the Dali Dynasty rose so rapidly in just two or three hundred years, and has already formed a grand momentum to annex the northern territory of a continent. Liu Songfeng listened with fascination, simply sitting cross-legged on the chair, rubbing his chin with his palm, and asked:"I understand that the ages of six for girls and nine for boys in small towns are significant milestones, akin to our cultivation. At those ages, one can discern the potential for future cultivation achievements. If the porcelain merchants come to town and take away the children with promising destinies, what happens to the imperfect porcelain? What becomes of the town children who lose the gamble, their worthless natal porcelain? How do the great dragon kilns dispose of them?"

Chen Songfeng softly replied, "They are taken out of the dragon kilns and shattered on the spot. Outside the town, there is a mountain of porcelain shards, the result of this practice."

Liu Baqiao felt a vague unease and asked, "What becomes of those children?"

Chen Songfeng shook his head, "I have never heard. I doubt their fates are pleasant."

Liu Baqiao sighed and rubbed his face vigorously.

This secret matter, with rules established by the sages themselves, was beyond the interference of a mere sword cultivator from the Wind and Thunder Garden like him.

Yet, the young man couldn't shake off his discomfort.

After a long silence, Liu Baqiao softly said, "So, those who leave this place are all pawns who have crossed the river."

Chen Songfeng echoed, "Who isn't on the path of cultivation?"

Liu Baqiao felt a deep resonance and nodded, "Indeed."

The wooden door creaked open, and the pale-faced, straw-sandaled boy cautiously stepped across the threshold, gently closing the door behind him.

He imitated Old Yang, fetching a small stool and sitting on the steps. The raindrops were as large as yellow beans, and the sky was as dark as night. Yet, strangely, despite the torrential rain, few raindrops fell under the eaves, and the old man remained mostly dry. Chen Pingan sat with his fingers interlaced, quietly gazing at the small pond formed by the accumulated water in the courtyard.

The old man puffed on his dry tobacco pipe, large clouds of smoke billowing around him. However, the smoke under the eaves and the rain outside seemed to exist in separate realms.

As if an invisible line separated them.

One of the main reasons the old man didn't dislike the boy was that he never made a fuss, no matter the situation, never disturbing him. He would rather remain silent than be a nuisance.

The boy was similar to his disciple, Li Er, in this regard.

Zheng Dafeng was far from it.

Chen Pingan softly said, "Grandpa Yang, thank you for everything over the years."

The old man frowned, "Thank me? If I remember correctly, I have never helped you for free. Have I ever lacked payment?"

Chen Pingan smiled.

Just like how Old Yang had agreed to gather herbs on the mountain for the Yang family's shop and then sell them at a low price, while also selling many herbs to Chen Pingan at a reduced cost. It seemed fair on the surface, but Chen Pingan knew very well that it was genuine help.

And what was the worth of a homemade bamboo pipe?

But the reason Chen Pingan had been able to persevere for so many years, remaining healthy and free from illness, was largely due to the breathing technique taught by Old Yang.

The old man looked up at the sky and scoffed, "People treat small favors as if they were delivered by a merciful Bodhisattva, especially when great figures spare a crumb from their mouths. They are so grateful and moved by their own pure hearts, feeling they are repaying kindness, and thus are loyal ministers, the prized pupils of so-and-so. They call it 'a scholar dies for one who understands him,' a bunch of ungrateful bastards who shouldn't have crawled out of their mothers' wombs in the first place..."

Chen Pingan scratched his head, feeling uneasy, wondering if Old Yang was talking about him.

The old man retracted his gaze and said indifferently, "I wasn't talking about you."

Chen Pingan suddenly saw a familiar figure and was startled.

Under the eaves of the corridor behind the main hall, a middle-aged scholar with greying temples arrived with an umbrella. He held the umbrella in one hand and a long bench in the other. He walked through the side door, placed the bench in the corridor, and leaned the oil-paper umbrella against it. Then, he patted his knees, sat upright, and smiled warmly at the old man and the boy under the eaves of the main house in the backyard, saying in a gentle voice, "Qi Jingchun of the Cliffside Academy pays respects to Old Master Yang."

The scholar's boots were soaked with rainwater and stained with mud, as was the hem of his robe.

The old man, looking relaxed, pointed his tobacco pipe at the sage, "From the day you arrived, I knew you were a misfit. But after all these years, I haven't heard a single complaint from you, which is strange. You, Qi Jingchun, don't seem like someone who would turn the other cheek. So, this time your madness, probably baffled outsiders, doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

Qi Jingchun patted his stomach and smiled, "I do have complaints, a belly full of them, but I just haven't voiced them."

Old Master Yang thought for a moment, "I don't know your abilities, but your teacher, just for daring to say those four words, in my eyes, he deserves this."

The old man raised his thumb.

Qi Jingchun said with a wry smile, "Teacher is actually even more learned."

The old man scoffed, "I'm not a scholar. Even if your teacher's learning surpassed the Sage Confucius, I wouldn't say a good word about him."

Qi Jingchun asked seriously, "Old Master Yang, do you think those four words of our teacher are correct?"

The old man laughed heartily, "I don't think they are correct. It's just that all the hypocrites in the world previously believed in the previous four words, which annoyed me. So, when someone came out to contradict them, I felt relieved, that's all. You scholars fight among yourselves, tearing each other apart, leaving a mess. I'm delighted!"

Qi Jingchun burst out laughing.

Just as Qi Jingchun was about to speak, the old man, already understanding, waved his hand, "Don't say polite words, I don't like them. We are not on the same path, it has always been this way, don't break the rules. Besides, you, Qi Jingchun, are now a rat running across the street, everyone wants to beat you, I wouldn't dare to associate with you."

Qi Jingchun nodded, stood up, and waved to Chen Pingan, "I used the snake gallstones you sent to carve two personal seals, one in clerical script and one in seal script, as a gift to you."

Chen Pingan ran through the courtyard, which resembled a pond, and stood in front of Qi Jingchun, receiving a white cloth bag.

Qi Jingchun smiled, "Remember to keep them safe. In the future, when you see calligraphy and paintings that you like, such as landscapes with unusual aura, you can take out the seals and stamp them on."

Chen Pingan nodded in confusion, "Okay."

Old Master Yang glanced at the bag in the boy's hand and asked, "What about the 'Spring' character?"

Qi Jingchun smiled, "I carved a seal earlier and gave it to a child from the Zhao family."

The old man laughed, "Are you a Sudhana-youth, Qi Jingchun?"Qi Jingchun didn't mind the old man's teasing and took his leave.

Seeing the boy standing there like a wooden post, Old Yang chuckled and scolded, "You just take someone's stuff and want to jump and skip home to hide under the covers and secretly enjoy yourself? Don't you know to see Mr. Qi off?"

The boy quickly ran towards the back door of the main hall. The old man laughed and scolded, "Take an umbrella! Can your current physique withstand this wind and rain?"

Chen Ping'an borrowed an umbrella from a shop assistant and followed Mr. Qi, walking together on the street.

The old man sat under the eaves, smoking his dry tobacco pipe, the smoke swirling around him.

Thinking of the two private seals, although still in the bag, Old Yang sensed the clues within, which is why he asked about the character "Spring".

Within an inch, a grand spectacle.

Before long, the straw-sandaled boy returned to the courtyard. Old Yang asked, "What did he say at the end?"

Chen Ping'an sighed and sat back down on the small stool. "Mr. Qi said one sentence: 'A gentleman can be deceived by his rectitude.'"

Old Yang mumbled, "Those old codgers standing in the Confucian Temple, have their brains gone bad? It's obvious someone is targeting Cliff Academy and Qi Jingchun, and they're still standing by with their hands in their sleeves, really thinking they're just clay sculptures and wooden carvings, dead things?"

Chen Ping'an didn't hear clearly and asked, "Grandpa Yang, what did you say?"

The old man was silent.

How noble, choosing to be a gentleman rather than a sage.