Chapter 67: A Long Journey

In the two days leading up to Qi Jingchun setting down his chopsticks, ominous signs began to plague the small town. The water level in the Iron Lock Well plummeted dramatically, and wisteria branches snapped from their trunks, their leaves withered and yellowed, defying the natural order of spring growth and autumn decay. Furthermore, from the area outside town where countless clay and wooden statues of deities lay scattered, explosive sounds like firecrackers echoed late into the night. Curious onlookers discovered that a significant portion of the clay bodhisattvas and wooden immortals, which had certainly existed the previous winter near the town, had vanished.

Carriages departed non-stop from Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Lane, their horse hooves disturbing the peace even in the dead of night on the wide flagstone streets. Wealthy outsiders, adorned in fine clothes, also hastily made their way out of town, most with displeased expressions. In small groups, they often pointed and gestured towards the town's academy, their murmurs filled with resentment.

Zheng Dafeng, the bachelor from the east gate, had disappeared without a trace, and the kiln supervisor's office showed no sign of seeking a replacement. Thus, the town felt like a person missing two front teeth, their speech whistling with drafts.

Liu Baqiao and Chen Songfeng retraced their steps, and by the time they could make out the outline of the covered bridge, dusk had fallen. Liu Baqiao followed a small path to the stream, squatted down, and cupped his hands to splash water on his face. Finding it insufficient, he unceremoniously bent over and plunged his entire head into the water. Finally, he lifted his head with a shout of delight and turned to look at the sweating Chen Songfeng, teasing him, "A frail scholar, incapable of even binding a chicken!"

Chen Songfeng merely cupped some water and drank, his voice hoarse. "The reason I painstakingly became a Qi cultivator was simply to strengthen my body, live a few more years, and read more books. How can I compare to you swordsmen? Besides, in this Blessed Grotto of Li Zhu, Qi cultivators other than swordsmen are at a disadvantage. A moment's carelessness in circulating Qi can damage one's cultivation. The higher the realm, the more one loses. It seems my low cultivation has turned out to be a blessing."

Liu Baqiao patted him on the shoulder. "Why not change your sect and join our Wind and Thunder Garden to learn swordsmanship? I'll look after you. Just think, becoming a swordsman, riding the sword against the wind, soaring ten thousand feet in the air, moving like lightning, especially amidst thunderstorms, weaving through the clouds on your sword..."

Chen Songfeng suddenly chuckled. "I heard the swordsman in Wind and Thunder Garden who gets struck by lightning the most is named..."

Liu Baqiao held up a hand. "Stop right there!"

Swordsmen are also a type of Qi cultivator, but their physique is closer to that of a pure martial artist. Simply put, it's about the tendons, bones, flesh, and essence of spirit. Swordsmen strive for both, while other Qi cultivators only care that their physique doesn't hold them back; they don't deliberately temper it. Of course, Qi cultivators are constantly improving their bodies while nourishing and refining their Qi, like a gentle spring rain, but it's far less intense and frequent than what swordsmen do. And it's certainly nothing like the single-minded and tireless dedication of martial artists.

For Qi cultivators in the world, there's a consensus: the physical body is ultimately decaying, so it only needs to be "good enough." It's best if one can cultivate an indestructible body or a flawless jade form, but if not, it's fine. Don't get stuck in a dead end and ruin the foundation of the Great Dao.

Liu Baqiao casually asked, "What realm is your distant relative in, exactly?"

Chen Songfeng helplessly replied, "How would I know such important secrets?"

Liu Baqiao recalled the conflict that erupted in the main hall of the government office that day and sighed. "Song Changjing is truly too strong. What's even more terrifying is that this Grand Xia feudal lord is so young. Most eighth and ninth realm martial artists are at least fifty or sixty years old, even a hundred isn't considered old. But if I remember correctly, Song Changjing is barely forty. No wonder he was once ridiculed by that person as 'needing to have his arrogance curbed.'"

Chen Songfeng softly said, "Born at the right time, blessed by the heavens."

Upper Five Realms cultivators are rarely seen, like dragons whose heads appear and disappear. But the eighth and ninth realms of martial artists are often known throughout the world and are closely tied to secular dynasties. Moreover, the path of martial arts advancement relies on life-or-death battles. Only by experiencing life and death can one break through the cycle and attain a state of transcendence similar to Buddhist "freedom" or Daoist "purity."

Apart from spars between Grandmasters, eighth and ninth realm martial artists prefer to bully the top Qi cultivators in the Middle Five Realms. Especially Song Changjing, the strongest in the ninth realm, is practically invincible below the Upper Five Realms. Only swordsmen among Qi cultivators can fight him, but they can only strive to lose less disgracefully and earn a "glorious defeat."

However, there is a hidden reason why ninth-realm martial arts masters are so unbridled: the cultivators of the tenth floor, the last level of the Middle Five Realms, have no interest in worldly disputes. They don't even care about the survival of their families or the rise and fall of dynasties; they only seek the "Great Dao."

Liu Baqiao was still lost in thought. "Song Changjing wants me to go outside the town and retrieve the talisman sword with my own ability. Should I inform the Wind and Thunder Garden and have them prepare a celebration feast early?"

Chen Songfeng chuckled helplessly, looking at the shallow stream and thinking of Song Changjing and the dashing young man beside the feudal lord. Chen Songfeng vaguely sensed a gathering of great forces and decided that after returning to the Chen ancestral home in Dragon Tail County, he must persuade his family to bet on the Grand Xia Dynasty. Even if they couldn't risk everything, they should have Chen disciples integrate into the Grand Xia court as soon as possible.

Chen Songfeng murmured, "The Grand Xia's momentum is such that heaven and earth are united in its favor. Therefore, the Chen clan must support the dragon, but not compete with others to cling to it."

Liu Baqiao asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

Chen Songfeng stood up, shook his hands, and smiled. "You seem to get along well with that boy from Mud Bottle Lane."

Liu Baqiao also stood up and said nonchalantly, "Chance encounters, uncertain partings. Who knows if we'll ever see each other again?"

The two walked ashore together, stepping on the spring grass by the stream. Chen Songfeng asked, "I heard that blessed land within the territory of the Southern Creek Kingdom is opening to the public this winter, allowing dozens of people to enter. Aren't you still unable to break through your bottleneck? Do you want to go down and try your luck?"

Liu Baqiao sneered, "Absolutely not. To go strutting around an ant hill, I'd be ashamed."Chen Songfeng shook his head, "My teacher, Mr. Liu, once said that the mind is like a mirror, the more you polish it, the brighter it becomes. Therefore, cultivating the mind can be greatly beneficial by entering a meditative state on the Dao Ancestor's Lotus Platform. However, occasionally wallowing in a small mud puddle might not be without its advantages. Going to a blessed land to become a banished immortal who casts off their past life and forgets their previous existence, whether to enjoy blessings or suffer hardship, will at least..."

Before Chen Songfeng could finish, Liu Baqiao interjected, "I'm too competitive. If I went to a blessed land with thin spiritual energy and couldn't break through the restrictions on my own to return home, I'd definitely develop a knot in my heart, which would outweigh the benefits. Besides, if I were to be bullied by the 'locals' in the blessed land, that would be another source of worry. When my soul returns to its senses, even if it requires a huge price, I'd definitely want to descend as a 'True Person in True Body' to feel satisfied. But wouldn't that go against my original intention?"

Liu Baqiao clasped his hands behind his head, a look of disdain on his face. "To put it bluntly, everyone knows that the three blessed lands of our Eastern Treasure Continent have long been corrupted. They've become places where the sons of wealthy and powerful families from secular dynasties spend money to have fun. No wonder they're described as brothels and courtesan houses under the rule of immortals, filled with foul air."

Chen Songfeng smiled, "We can't generalize. Leaving aside us outsiders, just among the locals, there are no shortage of talented individuals."

Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes, "In a blessed land with such a large population, how many people can stand out each year? Maybe not even one. Of those who successfully come to our place, how many are ultimately remembered by us after a hundred years? You can count them on one hand. So I don't understand why these blessed lands are so highly regarded. Some even claim that owning a portion of the governing power over a blessed land is more beneficial than having an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator. That's crazy."

Chen Songfeng chuckled, "The benefits of a blessed land are a slow and steady stream, and occasionally, a surprise or two might pop up. Most importantly, all the benefits are passively obtained. Who wouldn't want to take a share?"

People who leave a Grotto-Heaven tend to have good fortune. People who ascend from a blessed land tend to have particularly tough lives.

Liu Baqiao asked, "You don't seem to like that young man surnamed Chen very much?"

Chen Songfeng thought for a moment and chose to be honest, "Personally, I have no issues with the boy. But objectively speaking, his existence is embarrassing for our entire family. The Chen family descendants of the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven are already a joke in this continent. Within the small town, a surname with a considerable number of people, only one remains, the rest have all become servants of other families, a laughingstock. In the eyes of the Chen family of Dragon Tail County, we and the Chen family in the small town share a distant ancestor, but that's ancient history, there's no affection whatsoever. But all of the Chen family of Dragon Tail County's opponents wouldn't see it that way. In this situation, if the boy from Mud Lane had simply become a servant of a wealthy family, that would be the end of it. After a brief period of laughter, it would be difficult to sustain as a topic of conversation for many years. But this boy's perseverance, his solitary existence, makes him particularly eye-catching. Many people are even betting on when the branch, the household, this one Chen family descendant in the small town, will no longer be the 'only one'."

Liu Baqiao frowned, "That's not the boy's fault."

Chen Songfeng smiled, "Of course, the boy is blameless. But in the end, there are some things in this world that are hard to explain logically."

Liu Baqiao shook his head, "It's not that the logic is hard to explain, it's just that you're being unreasonable. It's only because that boy is too weak that you can act righteously. Plus, the Chen family of Dragon Tail County's influence is much greater than the boy's, but compared to those watching the joke, it's very ordinary, so your situation becomes increasingly awkward. In the end, you're unwilling to admit your own incompetence, so you turn around and suggest that the boy is the culprit. I believe that if this Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven wasn't so difficult to enter, that slum boy who embarrasses the Chen family of Dragon Tail County would have long been secretly dealt with by the Chen family descendants of Dragon Tail County on some pretext, or killed by some affiliated family member to curry favor."

Chen Songfeng's face flushed red, and he was somewhat annoyed.

Liu Baqiao clasped his hands behind his head, looked up at the sky with a leisurely expression, "I know you, Chen Songfeng, aren't that kind of person, but unfortunately, there are too few people like you, and too many unlike you."

"Take the Mountain Moving Ape from the Zheng Yang Mountain. Because it couldn't get the Sword Scripture itself, it was afraid that my Wind and Thunder Garden would get it, so it wanted to kill that boy surnamed Liu with one punch. Do you think that's reasonable? I think it's very unreasonable. But does it matter? No, I don't even dare to provoke the old ape head-on."

Liu Baqiao sighed, released one hand, patted his belly, and mocked himself, "I'm just clumsy and inarticulate, my fists aren't hard enough, and my sword isn't fast enough. Otherwise, I really have a lot of logic accumulated in my belly that I want to talk to this world about."

Chen Songfeng exhaled, "So you think that boy is good?"

Liu Baqiao turned to look at the mountains to the west where the sun was setting, "Think he's good? How is that possible?"

Chen Songfeng was puzzled.

Liu Baqiao laughed, "Every time I see that boy, I feel ashamed of myself."

Chen Songfeng found it incredible and shook his head with a smile, "Why would you say that?"

Liu Baqiao swallowed back some of the words that came to his mouth, so as not to hurt his feelings. Chen Songfeng, this guy, although not so palatable to his taste, is much better than ordinary scholars. He will be content.

The talkative Liu Baqiao remained silent all the way.

As darkness deepened, Chen Ping'an made three torches, and the three of them proceeded with torches in hand.

Finally, they arrived at the foot of a high mountain. Chen Ping'an wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Ning Yao, "Ning girl, tell her that this is a mountain sealed by the imperial court. Does she have any taboos?"

Ning Yao relayed Chen Ping'an's words to the latter, who shook her head.

Chen Dui looked up and was absolutely certain that the ancestral graves of the Yinning Chen Clan must be located here.

A traveler returning home has a feeling.

Chen Dui slowly closed her eyes. After a moment, she squatted down and wrote a long string of characters on the ground with her finger. After writing, she moved her lips slightly. Finally, she slowly smoothed out all traces with her palm. After standing up, she walked around the place where the runes were destroyed and took the lead in climbing the mountain, without even needing Chen Ping'an to show her the way.The trio arrived at a spot halfway up the mountain. Chen Ping'an pointed to a nearby tree growing on a small mound. Its trunk was peculiar, exceptionally straight, even straighter than bamboo. Chen Ping'an seemed relieved, nodding, "This is it."

Chen Dui said in a low voice, "You two wait for me at the foot of the mountain."

Ning Yao tugged at Chen Ping'an's sleeve, signaling him to descend the mountain together.

Chen Dui put down her book chest and carefully took out the meticulously prepared offerings, meant for worshiping the gods and honoring ancestors.

Midway through, Chen Dui momentarily seemed lost in a daze, staring blankly at the small tree, tears welling up in her eyes, overcome with joy. She murmured, "As expected, as expected."

Finally, the woman knelt before the small mound with utmost reverence, performing the three prostrations and nine kowtows.

Afterward, Chen Dui remained prostrate on the ground, her voice trembling, "I, Chen Dui of Yingyin Chen Clan, thank our founding ancestor for their protection!"

At the foot of the mountain, Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao sat on either side of a carrying basket, back to back. Ning Yao asked, "Why did you deliberately take the long way around during a certain stretch?"

Chen Ping'an was taken aback, shocked, "Miss Ning, even you noticed?"

Ning Yao gripped the hilt of her hand-knife and pushed it backward, the end of the scabbard bumping against the boy's lower back. "Remove the word 'even'!"

The straw-sandaled boy winced, gently rubbing his back, lowering his voice, "Didn't I tell you? There's a large cliff face covered in those black stones you call Dragon Slaying Platforms. I was afraid she'd see it, and if she knew their value, what if she got greedy? Harmful intent is unacceptable, but a guarded heart is essential. I understand that much."

Ning Yao chuckled, "You miser, aren't you just worried she'd try to move it, leaving you empty-handed?"

Chen Ping'an grinned foolishly, "Miss Ning, with your bluntness, you probably don't have many friends, do you?"

Ouch.

Suddenly, Chen Ping'an felt another sharp pain and quickly freed a hand to rub the other side of his back.

Chen Ping'an suddenly nudged Ning Yao's back with his elbow, asking, "Want some wild fruit? I picked three on the way here, hid them in my sleeve. She probably didn't see them."

Ning Yao said irritably, "Are wild fruits in this season even edible?"

Chen Ping'an turned, offering two reddish-pink wild fruits the size of peaches, smiling, "Miss Ning, you're missing out. These fruits are only truly good in spring. They form in late winter, ripen in early spring, and they're perfectly ripe now. One bite, and, wow, the flavor is so intense, you might accidentally bite off your tongue. What's even stranger is that we have so many mountains here, but these fruits only grow near this area. Old Yao told me about them back when I was helping him look for a type of soil. Other places also have some tasty wild fruits, but I've eaten them all, chomped on this and that, and I still think these are the best."

Ning Yao took the two fruits, resolving to return the remaining one if they tasted awful. "Chomped on this and that? Are you a wild boar from the mountains?"

Chen Ping'an, chewing on a wild fruit, laughed, "When I was little, my family was poor, so I ate whatever I could find. Don't even mention it, I actually made myself sick once from eating the wrong things, doubled over in pain, rolling around in the alley. That was the first time I heard my own heartbeat, like thunder drums."

Unfortunately, Ning Yao was busy eating the fruit and didn't hear the last thing the boy said. The first bite revealed an extraordinary sweetness, and after swallowing the flesh, a warm feeling spread throughout her body. Her body felt like a house with heated floors, the wild fruit the bags of charcoal. Ning Yao closed her eyes, sensing her internal organs. While there was a general sense of comfort, there was nothing particularly unusual. This meant that this wild fruit was, at best, something found on the mountain beneath the feet of immortals, and nothing more. While it could certainly fetch a high price in secular dynasties, it wasn't enough to make cultivators envious.

For ordinary people at the foot of the mountain, however, it was undoubtedly an unparalleled treasure for prolonging life.

Knowing this, Ning Yao should have simply refused the fruit.

Ning Yao felt a little disappointed, wiped her mouth, and turned to hand back the remaining wild fruit, "Not good, take it back."

Chen Ping'an dejectedly took it back, a little disheartened. He thought Miss Ning would think it was good.

Ning Yao lightly tapped the carrying basket with her feet, casually asking, "Are you saving it for that woman named Chen Dui?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Why would I give it to her? We're not related. Of course, I'm saving it for Liu Xianyang."

Ning Yao suddenly asked curiously, "If Ruan Xiu were here, would you not give it to Chen Dui and give it to Ruan Xiu instead?"

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Of course."

Ning Yao asked again, "If you only had two wild fruits, would you give them to me, or to Ruan Xiu?"

Chen Ping'an said without hesitation, "One for you, one for Ruan Xiu, of course. I'd just watch you eat."

Chen Ping'an was attacked again, rubbing his back, innocently saying, "Miss Ning, what was that for?"

Ning Yao asked again, "If you only had one?"

Chen Ping'an chuckled, "For you."

Ning Yao: "Why?"

Chen Ping'an said both cunningly and honestly, "Miss Ruan isn't here, but Miss Ning, you are."

The boy's lower back instantly suffered two heavy blows, causing Chen Ping'an to quickly stand up, hopping around. As a result, Ning Yao fell into the large carrying basket.

Chen Ping'an quickly pulled her out of the basket.

Ning Yao wasn't angry, just glared at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an readjusted the carrying basket, and the two sat back to back again.

Ning Yao asked, "Do you know what kind of tree that is?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "No, I've only seen it in this place. It doesn't seem to grow on any other mountain."

Ning Yao said in a deep voice, "Legend has it that if a 'kai' tree grows from a family tomb, it is an auspicious sign that a Confucian sage is about to be born. And this sage will inevitably be extremely upright, filled with righteousness. Therefore, in your world, they will surely receive extraordinary favor."

Chen Ping'an said "Oh."

Confucian sages, auspicious signs, righteousness... the boy in straw sandals didn't understand any of it.

Ning Yao asked, "Aren't you envious of the woman on the mountain? Didn't you ever wonder why this 'kai' tree didn't grow on your own ancestors' graves?"

Chen Ping'an gave an irrelevant answer, happily saying, "This year during the Qingming Festival, I can visit my parents' graves again. That's great."

Ning Yao suddenly stood up, and this time it was Chen Ping'an who fell into the carrying basket.

Ning Yao burst out laughing.In a small town academy, only five young pupils remained, from various backgrounds and of different ages. Among them was a little girl in a bright red padded jacket. Though from Fortune Street, she never bullied anyone at the academy, nor did she enjoy joining in with the crowds, preferring to wander off on her own. Li Er's son, Li Huai, from the westernmost house in town, also studied at this rural school. His parents and elder sister had left him behind when they departed, but instead of crying, Li Huai was overjoyed to finally be free from supervision. However, come nightfall, the boy, staying at his uncle's house, would wake from nightmares, howling in terror, only to be subdued by his uncle and aunt, one wielding a feather duster, the other a broom.

The remaining three pupils, two boys and a girl, hailed from Peach Leaf Lane, Dragon Riding Lane, and Apricot Blossom Lane, respectively.

After class, Master Qi gifted each of them a character written in calligraphy, instructing them to cherish it, carefully copy it, and promising to inspect their homework in three days.

The character was "Qi."

As the school day ended, a wizened old groundskeeper, after bathing and changing clothes, sat down outside Master Qi's study.

The old man began to ask a Confucian question about "Spring King's First Month," a question from the Confucian classics.

Qi Jingchun smiled knowingly and elucidated, explaining what constituted Spring, King, Righteousness, and Month.

This was the unique "Debate on the Classics" tradition of the major Confucian academies, where a "Question Master" would inquire of the lecturer, with possibilities ranging from one question to hundreds.

This exchange between Master Qi and the old man was their first encounter.

That was a past event, now eighty years old.

But back then, Qi Jingchun was the one asking questions, and the person answering was their mutual teacher.

After the old man finished his questions, he looked at Qi Jingchun. "Do you still remember our teacher's parting words before we went to Cliffside Academy?"

Qi Jingchun smiled without answering.

The old man spoke to himself, "To me, he said, 'Heaven and earth bring forth the gentleman; the gentleman governs heaven and earth.' To you, he said, 'Learning never ends. Indigo is extracted from the blue, yet it is bluer than blue.'"

The old man suddenly became extremely agitated. "Teacher held you in such high regard, hoping you would surpass him! Why must you stubbornly remain here, refusing to turn back from the wall? Why would you forsake a century of cultivation and a millennium of the Great Dao for a small town of only five or six thousand people?! It would be one thing if you were just an ordinary scholar, but you are Qi Jingchun, our teacher's most esteemed and accomplished disciple! A scholar with the potential to blaze new trails, even found a new school of thought!"

The old man trembled. "I understand now! It is Buddhism that has misled you! What is this equality of all beings! Have you forgotten our teacher's teachings on distinguishing the noble from the base..."

Qi Jingchun shook his head with a smile. "Teacher may be a teacher, and his knowledge is certainly vast, but his principles are not necessarily entirely correct."

The old man was shocked beyond words, his face filled with astonishment, then he roared, "Ritual is for correcting oneself!"

Qi Jingchun smiled and replied, "The gentleman yields when he must, and extends when he must."

It seemed irrelevant, separated by a distance of a hundred thousand miles, but upon hearing it, the old man's expression changed drastically, full of doubt.

Qi Jingchun sighed, looking at his fellow disciple who had followed him here for sixty years, and said solemnly, "It has come to this. I entrust those children to you to send them to Cliffside Academy."

The old man nodded, a complex expression on his face, and rose to leave.

Qi Jingchun muttered to himself, "Teacher, is there true and immutable justice in this world?"

Two carriages departed from Fortune Street before the break of dawn, leaving the small town early.

At dawn, a barefooted youth, carrying two large cloth bags, set out to wait outside the Kiln Supervision Office.

One bag contained gold and copper coins, while the other held the serpent's gallstone he believed was most valuable.

But as the sun rose high and the gatekeeper came out to sweep the streets, the youth still hadn't seen the carriages depart.

He had to brazenly ask the gatekeeper when the group of guests named Chen Dui would depart from Fortune Street.

The gatekeeper smiled and said they had already left the town long ago.

The barefoot youth was dumbfounded. Hadn't Liu Xianyang promised to depart after dawn?

At that moment, the youth's vision blurred.

After thanking the gatekeeper, the youth turned and ran wildly.

Running out of town, the youth ran nearly sixty miles in one breath. Finally, along a slope, the exhausted youth reached the summit, looking at the winding road stretching endlessly ahead.

The youth squatted on the hilltop, the unsent copper coins and stones beside him.

A sword-carrying girl silently sat down beside him, panting and huffing, "Aren't you a money-grubbing miser? Why are you being so generous? Giving away all your wealth? Even if Liu Xianyang is your friend, you're being too extravagant."

The youth only held his head, looking into the distance.