Chapter 64: Three Strategies

Chen Ping'an, in a sudden turn of events, became a temporary apprentice at the blacksmith shop. According to Master Ruan, someone needed to fill in for Liu Xianyang's work. Digging wells, building houses, and carving canals all required manpower, and he had no intention of supporting the old man Liu for nothing.

Thus, Chen Ping'an became the busiest person in the shop. For any task requiring strength, the straw-sandaled youth was a match for any able-bodied man. During breaks, Chen Ping'an would visit Liu Xianyang in the house. The towering young man, who had returned from the brink of death, was either still shaken by the experience or had his vitality damaged by the Mountain Shifting Ape's punch. He became somewhat taciturn, listless, and often lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Apart from Chen Ping'an, who could engage him in conversation, Liu Xianyang barely spoke to anyone. Chen Ping'an was at a loss, but fortunately, despite Liu Xianyang's severe injuries, the healing rate of the wound on his chest was even faster than that of Chen Ping'an's left hand.

Ning Yao still resided in the mud-jar lane residence. The man she referred to as Master Ruan unexpectedly agreed to forge a sword for her. Even more surprising, Master Ruan said that if fortune favored them, the sword could be completed in half a year, but if not, it might take up to a decade. Ning Yao was quite relaxed about this, laughing and saying that her luck had always been good, and half a year was nothing to wait.

Although Ning Yao stayed at Chen Ping'an's ancestral home every day, all the medicinal herbs and pots were moved to the blacksmith shop, saving Chen Ping'an the trouble of traveling back and forth. Chen Ping'an, on the other hand, stayed at Liu Xianyang's house, mainly to prevent thieves. Chen Ping'an went to the stream again late at night to find snake-gall stones, but he came back empty-handed. Even the deep pit near Azure Ox Ridge yielded nothing. According to Ning Yao, snake-gall stones, like people, needed essence and spirit. Without it, they were merely ordinary ornaments for wealthy families, suitable only as inkstones. But with essence and spirit, it was like a person wearing a dragon robe; the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

This made Chen Ping'an sigh every time he walked by the stream.

Ning Yao brought back a string of old keys, saying someone had left them in the yard. She tried them, and they turned out to be from the Song Jixin's house next door, opening everything from the courtyard gate to the house door to the room door. Chen Ping'an couldn't guess what Song Jixin was up to. Given his extravagant ways, he shouldn't have thought of asking Chen Ping'an to help clean the house. With Song Jixin's temperament, he probably wouldn't let anyone enter his property, even if the house collapsed.

Chen Ping'an knew Song Jixin better than anyone.

Song Jixin was very generous, whether spending money on himself or his young servant girl, Guihua. If he had ten copper coins, he'd spend them all. At the same time, Song Jixin was very stingy. He wouldn't give away even the slightest bit of something he wanted to keep for himself. In short, Song Jixin was willing to spend lavishly on whomever he wanted to, but he would never willingly give anything to someone who asked him for it. He was happy to add flowers to someone's brocade, but he would never offer charcoal in the snow, regardless of his mood.

Or did Zhi Gui deliberately drop the keys in his yard?

Chen Ping'an thought it was unlikely.

During this time, when Chen Ping'an heard Ning Yao say she had used the keys to open the door, he was stunned, wanting to say something but holding back.

Then Ning Yao narrowed her eyes, her long, narrow eyebrows giving her an imposing air. She stared intently at Chen Ping'an.

Ruan Xiu, who was not far away, watched the scene in a daze, secretly eating the snacks Chen Ping'an had bought for her from the town.

Finally, Ning Yao turned and left. That day, she didn't ask Chen Ping'an to decoct the medicine. Holding the earthenware pot, she went to the open space behind the blacksmith shop and busied herself for a long time. Not only did the girl get a face full of soot, but she also brewed a large pot of black charcoal. The green-clad girl with pigtails passed by, munching on melon seeds and enjoying the show.

Ning Yao squatted on the ground, staring fiercely at the pot of medicine, feeling that it was much harder than practicing swordsmanship. The girl's face was full of indignation. "Is there really something that I, Ning Yao, can't do? There shouldn't be such a thing as decocting medicine!"

Chen Ping'an silently walked to her side and helped her decoct the medicine again, his movements skillful.

Ning Yao's lips moved slightly, but she didn't stop him. She just wiped her face when Chen Ping'an wasn't looking.

The boy squatted beside the medicine pot, carefully watching the heat, his hands folded on his knees, his chin resting on his arms.

Ning Yao snorted, "Laugh if you want!"

Chen Ping'an didn't laugh at her. He kept staring at the gently flickering blue flames and said softly, "It's not that I think you would do anything wrong, Miss Ning, but the keys ultimately belong to someone else. No matter why they ended up in our yard, it's not right to use them to open the door. Even if Song Jixin and Zhi Gui never return to the town, the yard next door is still his family's. We are all outsiders."

Ning Yao curled her lips, "Goody-two-shoes, stubborn, fussy, always nagging!"

Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao turned their heads almost simultaneously, seeing a young man, tall and slender, with a refined air, obviously a scholar from out of town.

Chen Ping'an noticed that the man's gaze towards him was strange, unlike the Mountain Shifting Ape from Zhengyang Mountain or Fu Nanhua from Old Dragon City, who were so self-important, nor like Daoist Lu or Miss Ning. The young man's gaze was complex and contradictory, seemingly containing pity, appreciation, and a hint of disdain.

The young man ultimately chose to leave in silence.

Ning Yao frowned and said, "He looks like he's here for you. What's going on?"

Chen Ping'an was also puzzled and shook his head, "I don't know."

Interrupted by the inexplicable outsider, the childish quarrel between the boy and girl quickly dissipated.

But the man soon returned, accompanied by a young woman with extremely long legs and, for some reason, Ruan Xiu.

Ruan Xiu explained, "They said they don't speak the town dialect, so they asked me to help. Chen Ping'an, this sister is the one who saved Liu Xianyang. She shares your surname, Chen, but she's not from our Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent. The person next to Sister Chen is the eldest grandson of the Chen family of Longwei County, named Chen Songfeng. Sister Chen said that Chen Songfeng seems to be a distant relative of your branch of the Chen family from several hundred years ago. As for Sister Chen, even going back one or two thousand years, there's no connection. Sister Chen came to offer sacrifices to her ancestors, but no one in the town, from the supervising official's office to the major families in Taoye Lane of Fulou Street, knows where her family's graves are. Liu Xianyang mentioned you, saying that you are now the most familiar with the surrounding mountains and rivers in the town, and you're sure to know. Sister Chen said that if you can help, she can pay a reward, a bag of gold essence coins. I think you should agree..."

As she said this, the green-clad girl secretly held up two fingers and waved them at her waist. Besides that, her mouth also formed the shape of "two bags."

Ruan Xiu was clearly reminding Chen Ping'an to ask for a high price, or he would miss the opportunity.

After careful consideration, Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I thought of a place that might be where she's looking for. As for the reward, forget it. It's just a matter of taking a few steps."

Ruan Xiu was a little anxious.

Ning Yao had already taken a step forward and said in the orthodox elegant language of Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, "It's no problem for Chen Ping'an to take you to find the ancestral graves, but you have to give us two bags of gold essence coins. There's no room for negotiation! He's heavily injured right now and shouldn't travel long distances. You also know that Mr. Qi is asking people to leave the town as soon as possible. Chen Ping'an is just an ordinary mortal, but he has to hurry on his way. One bag of money isn't enough."

Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng both had their eyes light up when they first saw the girl.

She was stunningly beautiful.

Like seeing a fragrant orchid standing tall and graceful in a barren rice field.

Chen Dui openly looked at the girl in front of her, wearing a green robe, carrying a sword, and looking pleasing to the eye. Chen Dui's depressed mood also improved slightly, and she smiled, "As long as we can find my family's ancestral graves, I'll give you two bags of money. But let's get one thing straight: if we can't find them, I won't give you even one bag. How about it?"

Ning Yao said in a deep voice, "It's a deal!"

From beginning to end, it seemed like none of this had anything to do with Chen Ping'an.

Ning Yao stared at Chen Ping'an, her eyes full of the meaning, "Don't you dare nag me, or I'll really chop someone!"

Chen Ping'an suppressed a smile, thought seriously, and said to Ruan Xiu, "Please tell them that I need to finish decocting the medicine for Miss Ning first, which will take about a quarter of an hour. Then I need to chat with Liu Xianyang. Finally, I need Miss Ruan to tell Master Ruan that I'll make up for the work I've missed today tomorrow."

Hearing that he couldn't leave immediately, Chen Dui looked displeased. She looked at the straw-sandaled boy who didn't know what was good for him, her face changing.

Chen Ping'an didn't hesitate or back down.

Ning Yao crossed her arms and smiled coldly.

Chen Dui endured her displeasure, recited a silent prayer for the sake of the big picture, and smiled at Ruan Xiu, "Xiuxiu, tell him we'll wait for him at the covered bridge, for half an hour at most. If we don't see him by then, he'll have to face the consequences."

Ruan Xiu indifferently said, "Okay."

Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng left together.

Ruan Xiu smiled, "I'll go tell my dad."

After finishing decocting the medicine for Ning Yao, Chen Ping'an went to see Liu Xianyang.

In the room filled with the smell of medicine, Liu Xianyang, who was lying in bed, turned his head when he heard the footsteps. His face was still not ruddy, but it was much better than the previous pallor.

Liu Xianyang squeezed out a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Did the woman named Chen Dui come looking for you?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and said, "I'm going to take them into the mountains in a while."

Liu Xianyang thought for a moment, "I'm going to leave with her, to a place that's said to be even bigger than our Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent."

In fact, Chen Dui had visited Liu Xianyang once before, but after that, Liu Xianyang wasn't very interested, and he didn't seem to want to tell Chen Ping'an what she had said.

Liu Xianyang twitched the corner of his mouth, "Actually, I don't even know what Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent is."

Chen Ping'an bent down to straighten his bedding and smiled, "You think I know?"

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you know what I'm most worried about?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head.

Liu Xianyang turned his head and looked at the roof again, "At least here, you can help me get out of bed, and then I can grit my teeth and take care of myself. What about after we leave the town? How am I going to poop and pee along the way? Am I supposed to say to them, 'Hey, you, can you give me a hand?'"

Chen Ping'an sat on the stool, scratching his head.

Liu Xianyang suddenly laughed, "But then I thought, I've already faced death. What am I afraid of?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Things will eventually get better. Don't worry, Old Yao said that after surviving a great disaster, there will surely be good fortune."

As soon as Old Yao was mentioned, Liu Xianyang felt a little sentimental, "Old Yao has never said a few kind words in his life. He's always spouting gloomy, unlucky, and insulting words."

Ning Yao stood outside the door, not saying anything.

Chen Ping'an helped Liu Xianyang cover himself with the blanket again, stood up, and said, "I'm going to take them into the mountains. You rest well."

Liu Xianyang nodded, "Remember to be careful."

Chen Ping'an gently walked out of the room. Ning Yao walked side by side with him. Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Are you going to the mountain too?"

Ning Yao frowned, "I don't trust those two Chens."

Chen Ping'an nodded, "That's right. It's always good to be careful."

The two walked quickly along the stream. Ning Yao said, "Most of the outsiders in the town have left."

Spring thunder rumbled, startling the hibernating insects to come out and leave.

The two groups met at the south end of the covered bridge.

Apart from Ning Yao and Liu Baqiao, the sword cultivator from Thunderwind Garden who had come to join in the fun, the other three were Chen Dui from another continent, Chen Songfeng from Longwei County on this continent, and Chen Ping'an from mud-jar lane in the town.