Chapter 65: Bead

The moment the young swordsman from Wind and Thunder Garden saw the young man and woman, his face lit up. The first thing he said to Ning Yao was, "Little girl, if you were a bit older, you'd certainly be no less beautiful than our Fairy Su."

This was likely the highest praise this young swordsman could give to any woman in the world.

Ning Yao's expression, of course, wasn't very pleasant. But before she could say anything, Liu Baqiao, who could speak the local dialect of the town, had already turned to Chen Pingan and given him a thumbs-up. This genius swordsman from Wind and Thunder Garden said with clear eyes, "To dare challenge the Mountain-Protecting Ape of Righteous Sun Mountain with nothing but a mortal body, and actually survive, is simply a miracle!"

Liu Baqiao was truly curious. How could this straw-sandaled youth, who looked so thin and weak, cultivate such an astonishing burst of power?

Liu Baqiao withdrew his thumb, not going to walk alongside Chen Songfeng, who was ahead, but instead walked beside Chen Pingan. He turned his head and smiled, "Although Righteous Sun Mountain is just a small hill, hiding some undeserving cowards, that Mountain-Protecting Ape's fearsome reputation was earned through fist after fist. Especially in the two hundred years after the founding ancestor of Righteous Sun Mountain died, and before the third peak was opened, it was almost entirely thanks to this old ape that Righteous Sun Mountain wasn't swallowed up by surrounding forces. Of course, back then, Righteous Sun Mountain was just a small, insignificant sect, and the enemies they faced weren't too strong. If they had provoked our Wind and Thunder Garden back then, hey, no suspense, just one order from the ancestor, and a reward of a Sword-Controlling Talisman for me, and I could personally fly over Righteous Sun Mountain and gently drop our Thunder Pool Sword Formation. After that rain of swords, Righteous Sun Mountain would be finished."

Liu Baqiao made a gesture of casually tossing something onto the ground.

Ning Yao ruthlessly exposed him, "Righteous Sun Mountain isn't as pathetic as you say, and Wind and Thunder Garden isn't as powerful as you make it out to be."

Liu Baqiao didn't show any embarrassment. He swiftly changed the subject and said to Chen Pingan in a mysterious tone, "I heard that the predecessor of this covered bridge was a stone arch bridge. Underneath the stone arch bridge hung a rusty old sword blade, to prevent dragons from taking the water? Generally speaking, these unassuming old things are definitely not ordinary. They might even be earth-shattering spirit treasures or divine objects."

Liu Baqiao stomped hard on the wooden planks of the covered walkway and said, "But I was just lying on the ground, tapping it with my hand for a long time, and couldn't find any clues. Could it be that this object is not destined for me? That shouldn't be the case, logically speaking. A sword dao genius like me, if that old sword blade was truly a divine weapon, it should at least resonate with me, even if it doesn't run to me to acknowledge me as its master. Could it be that the old sword blade is actually nothing special, just an old object that's been around for a long time? Alas, what a pity, what a pity."

Chen Pingan, who was beside him, was a bit dazed. This guy didn't seem to be joking at all, he was very serious. Although it was absolutely unrelated to "reason and evidence," you couldn't say he was purely talking nonsense.

Liu Baqiao didn't care whether Chen Pingan was annoyed or not, and began to talk about the interesting stories and anecdotes of the small town. He said that so-and-so had obtained an eye-catching opportunity, and had actually pulled the entire iron chain of the Dragon-Locking Well out of the deep well. There was also someone who wandered around for a few days without finding any opportunities.

As a result, in a dilapidated alley, he casually looked up and saw a small bronze mirror embedded in the wall above the door. The person, with the attitude of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, climbed up the ladder to take a look. Good heavens, it turned out to be the ancestor of all demon-revealing mirrors, with cloud-thunder arc patterns and eight small characters engraved on it, 'The light of the sun and moon illuminates the world.' That brother was so happy that he burst into tears on the ladder. There was also a young lady from the Tide Iron Cavalry who benefited from misfortune and met Young Master Cui of Lake-Viewing Academy. The two hit it off immediately...

After crossing the covered bridge, Chen and Chen Songfeng naturally slowed down, letting Chen Pingan lead the way.

The group walked upstream along the nameless stream. Chen Pingan carried a large, yellowing bamboo basket, while Chen Songfeng carried a bamboo book case that was still a lovely green color. Liu Baqiao was very curious about what Chen Pingan had in his basket and insisted on finding out. He made Chen Pingan slow down and rummaged around in the basket, finding quite a few odds and ends: three stacked bamboo hats, two pots (one for water, one for oil), a large and small wood-chopping knife, two flints and a bundle of tinder, and at the bottom of the basket, a row of bamboo tubes that had been halved and then closed together, about seven or eight sections, and a small cloth bag containing fishing hooks and fishing lines.

Liu Baqiao asked, "Chen Pingan, what are those bamboo tubes for?"

Chen Pingan gave the answer, "There are eight bamboo tubes in total. Six of them each contain four white rice balls, and the other two contain some pickles that don't spoil easily."

Liu Baqiao's face was full of smugness, and his steps were a bit floaty. He said loudly, "Pickles, I've eaten them!"

Chen Pingan glanced at him strangely, thinking, "Is it such a big deal to have eaten pickles? Unless you can eat a whole tube of pickles in one breath without drinking water or eating rice, that would be a big deal."

Liu Baqiao suddenly became curious, "We'll have three meals at most on this trip into the mountains. Do we need two large tubes of pickles? With pickles, I can eat half a bowl of rice with just a small chopstickful!"

Chen Pingan was thinking about which mountain path would be the fastest and casually said, "Ning girl and I will eat one tube of pickles, and you and your two friends will eat the other."

Liu Baqiao was stunned for a moment and said in a low voice, "Don't be so distant. I'll eat a tube with you guys."

Ning Yao said decisively, "No! You eat with your friends."

Liu Baqiao said indignantly, "Why?!"

Ning Yao raised her chin, indicating that the answer was with Chen Pingan, meaning that she didn't even bother to talk to Liu Baqiao.

Liu Baqiao shifted his gaze, his eyes a bit resentful, yet with a hint of anticipation.

Chen Pingan smiled and shook his head.

Liu Baqiao sighed helplessly, "Putting friends second to romance, I can understand."

Ning Yao scoffed, "You've become friends so quickly? Then you must have tens of thousands, if not thousands, of friends, right?"

Liu Baqiao widened his eyes and said, "How is that possible!"

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and added three words for him, "How could it be so few?"

Liu Baqiao tsked, "Ning girl, your temperament isn't as good as our Fairy Su's."

Ning Yao frowned and asked, "Are you talking about Su Jia of Righteous Sun Mountain?"Liu Baqiao grew increasingly smug, "Exactly! Su Jia, the excellence of grain is called Jia! The Jia that the sage spoke of when he said, 'There are many who love the harvest!' How about it? Isn't my Su Fairy's name captivating?"

Ning Yao asked a question Chen Ping'an couldn't possibly understand, "If you really like Su Jia so much, have you ever considered what would happen if she liked you back?"

Liu Baqiao immediately deflated, stammering, and finally muttering to himself in embarrassment, "How could she possibly like me?"

Chen Ping'an thought Liu Baqiao wasn't a bad person.

Chen Dui and Chen Songfeng kept a distance of more than ten steps from the three ahead.

Seeing Liu Baqiao chatting so congenially with the straw sandal boy, Chen Songfeng felt a pang of envy. Liu Baqiao seemed naturally adept at dealing with people, regardless of their background - scholars, merchants, emperors, generals, commoners, or peddlers. There was no one he couldn't talk to.

Chen Songfeng asked softly, "After hearing the news, that woman immediately visited the yamen and offered to return the armor as an apology from the Xu family of Qingfeng City. Why didn't you accept it?"

Chen Dui was noticeably more amiable than she had been before entering the town. In the past, she would have ignored Chen Songfeng's questions, but now she patiently explained, "If Qingfeng City had known the truth all along – that the Liu surname boy's ancestors were the tomb keepers left in the town by my Yingyin Chen clan – then their audacity would naturally warrant a price, and far more than just returning the armor. But since they were unaware of the inside story beforehand, and great opportunities are precious and rare, open to all, my Yingyin Chen clan isn't so tyrannical."

Chen Songfeng chuckled, "Perhaps Qingfeng City had a notion of scheming against Zheng Yang Mountain. If it hadn't been for that old ape rushing ahead, used by the woman as a tiger's skin to wave, Qingfeng City probably wouldn't have been able to seize the treasure armor."

Chen Dui reverted to her usual demeanor, coldly sneering, "Buzzing flies and barking dogs, only knowing how to follow the tide, never caring about the true grand scheme."

Chen Songfeng lowered his voice, seemingly casually saying, "Maybe they lack the power. Instead of doing futile great deeds, it's better to snatch some petty gains."

Chen Dui glanced at this member of the Dragon Tail County Chen clan, remaining noncommittal about Chen Songfeng's "unintentional words."

As they were about to enter the mountain, Chen Ping'an stopped, and Chen Dui spoke almost simultaneously, "Liu Baqiao, tell him to just lead the way, the faster, the better."

Because Liu Baqiao had watched most of the battle on the town rooftops between the straw sandal boy and the Mountain-Moving Ape from afar, he had exaggerated the story to Chen Songfeng afterwards. Chen Dui had been present at the time, so she knew that Chen Ping'an couldn't be regarded as an ordinary street boy.

So in the end, Chen Songfeng became the one holding them back. This scion of a wealthy family, while fond of writing poems atop high places and exploring hidden wonders, paled in comparison to the other four. Chen Dui was a martial arts expert, Liu Baqiao was a sword cultivator who highly valued body tempering among all Qi refiners, and the pair of young people could even play with a Mountain-Moving Ape whose physical body was extremely powerful.

The mountain path was difficult.

Especially after the spring rain, the mud was slippery, and they had to cross streams and rocky cliffs from time to time. Chen Songfeng's mouth was dry, and he was sweating profusely.

Later, even with Liu Baqiao helping Chen Songfeng carry his book box, Chen Songfeng was still panting like a bull, his face pale.

Chen Ping'an asked Chen Dui once if they should slow down. Chen Dui's response was a shake of her head.

When the group needed to wade through a stream, Chen Songfeng stepped on a moss-covered stone, lost his footing, and fell into the stream, becoming a drenched and utterly disheveled mess.

Chen Dui stopped and turned to look, although she didn't say anything, her expression was grim.

Liu Baqiao quickly turned back to help Chen Songfeng up.

Chen Songfeng apologized, "I'm fine, don't worry about me, I can definitely keep up."

Chen Ping'an simply took off his bamboo basket and placed it in a recessed area of the stone cliff, saying, "Let's rest for a quarter of an hour."

Ning Yao, of course, didn't mind. She squatted near Chen Ping'an, and bored, she pressed her palms against the hilt of her saber and sword respectively, gently pushing down, causing the ends of the sheaths to lightly tap the cyan stone cliff, one sound after another, like a harmony with the sound of the stream.

Chen Dui said sternly, "Continue on!"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "Don't use up all your energy at once when entering the mountains. Rest for a bit and then continue. He can keep up once he gradually adapts. It's not that he lacks stamina, it's just that his breathing is disordered."

Chen Ping'an was indeed an expert when it came to traversing mountains and streams.

Unexpectedly, Chen Dui didn't listen to Chen Ping'an's explanation at all, and directly said to Chen Songfeng, "You should return to the town."

Chen Songfeng's face was bitter as he looked at the young woman's unquestionable expression. He turned his head to Liu Baqiao and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to carry the book box."

Liu Baqiao was furious and threw the book box at Chen Dui, "I'm not serving you anymore!"

Chen Dui's expression was calm. She caught the book box, carried it herself, and said to Chen Ping'an, "Let's go."

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, took out two sections of bamboo tube from the bamboo basket, and gently tossed them to Liu Baqiao, "You can fill your stomach if you get hungry on the way back."

Chen Songfeng softly persuaded Liu Baqiao, who took the bamboo tube and sneered, "I won't take this humiliation. I'll go back with you. When we get to the yamen, we'll order a table full of good wine and food, plenty of meat! Isn't that more comfortable than this?"

Chen Dui turned around and continued forward.

Chen Ping'an carried the bamboo basket on his back, still a little worried, and looked at Liu Baqiao, asking, "Do you know the way back?"

Liu Baqiao smiled, "I remember it."

Chen Ping'an nodded and left with Ning Yao.

As the figures of the three ahead gradually faded into the distance, Chen Songfeng simply sat down on a stone and bitterly smiled, "Why do you make things difficult? Forming some goodwill with the Yingyin Chen clan can't be a bad thing for you or the Wind and Thunder Garden. Why act on impulse?"

Liu Baqiao opened a section of the bamboo tube, revealing a snow-white rice ball, and said happily, "Chen Ping'an is still generous, truly my good brother."

Chen Songfeng knew Liu Baqiao's temper and stopped trying to persuade him.

Chen Songfeng mocked himself, "A scholar is useless for everything."

Liu Baqiao muttered to himself, "I should have had Chen Ping'an leave a bamboo tube of pickled vegetables."

He grabbed a rice ball and took a big bite, vaguely asking, "What you said isn't right either. Mr. Qi in the town, and of course Mr. Qi's teacher, are very impressive."

Chen Songfeng's eyes glazed over, "What do you think Mr. Qi is trying to do?"Liu Baqiao casually replied, "Heaven knows."

Chen Songfeng shook out his soaking outer robe and sighed, "A fine 'Heaven knows' indeed."

By the stream-side shop, Liu Xianyang slept again.

Ruan Qiong sat at the bedside, his gaze heavy.

The tall youth's every breath was long and drawn out, which was already remarkable. But more importantly, each exhalation resembled mountain mist or lake vapor, a hazy white. It didn't dissipate with the wind, but slowly gathered around his nose and mouth.

Eventually, a three-inch long white dragon seemed to coil upon the youth's face.

Using dreams as a sword forge.

A divine sword completed in one breath.

Ruan Qiong stroked his chin and praised, "So he walks the extreme path of destruction and rebirth, every aperture shattered, every barrier gone. Though this body is utterly ruined, the sword, in the end, is complete."

"He can both forge and wield the sword. No wonder this sword manual is so coveted. Sleeping is cultivation, dreaming is cultivation, the Great Dao is within reach."

Ruan Qiong stood up and mocked himself, "Had I known, I shouldn't have agreed to lend you to the Chen Clan of Yingyin for twenty years."

Three carriages traveled ever upward along a seemingly endless mountain road.

Finally, they reached the summit.

Song Jixin and Zhigui stepped down from the carriages, exchanging glances. The mountaintop was a flat, level platform. Two stone pillars stood in the center, but something like water flowed between them, obscuring the scene beyond. To the young boy and girl, it was as if they stood before a celestial gate.

The girl stared intently at the gate.

Song Jixin turned and walked to the edge of the mountaintop, gazing into the distance. The magnificent landscape filled him with elation.

Song Changjing, a feudal lord of Great Li, wore a fox fur coat. His face was pale, but his spirits were high. He approached Song Jixin and smiled, "This is the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven of the Eastern Treasure Continent, one of the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens. It's not known for its vast size, its territory is only a thousand miles in radius."

Song Changjing didn't turn his head, but simply pointed to the gate behind them. "Pass through that gate, then descend along the cloud ladder for about thirty miles, and you will set foot on Great Li's territory. At that time, you may not be able to see anything clearly, but you can understand one thing: This Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven is actually suspended in the sky...

Song Changjing paused slightly, "...a single pearl."