Chapter 69: Nightfall

The town was as if it had encountered the legendary "celestial dog devouring the sun," plunging into an unprecedented darkness, where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.

Adding to the unsettling atmosphere, the stone statues outside the town were exploding like firecrackers, the sounds becoming increasingly frequent. This was especially jarring in the otherwise silent, darkened town, intensifying the anxieties of the common folk. They couldn't help but connect it to the recent departures of ox-carts and horse-drawn carriages filled with the offspring of wealthy families. The ordinary people in the streets and alleys were filled with unease.

Within the high walls of the four prominent families and ten clans, any servant who dared to light a lantern was immediately met with a fierce reprimand. Some particularly volatile family heads even smashed the lanterns underfoot, their faces twisted with animosity as they glared at the well-meaning servants.

At the blacksmith's shop, Chen Ping'an was sharing a midday meal with Ning Yao by the well. Despite the strange darkness, Chen Ping'an didn't let it interrupt his meal. The blacksmith's shop provided good food, with each worker, whether long-term or short-term, receiving a generous portion of braised pork belly, along with a spoonful of oil. Rice was unlimited, but meat was limited to that one piece. Chen Ping'an, with his prodigious appetite for two large bowls of rice, always saved the pork for last. He'd let it slowly slide down to the bottom of his bowl as he finished his first helping of rice, then he'd get his second helping before finally devouring the pork.

Ning Yao couldn't help but smile every time she watched Chen Ping'an eat.

Ruan Xiu, however, was different. The young woman in green looked at Chen Ping'an with an expression that seemed to say, "Kindred spirit."

At that moment, Chen Ping'an held his empty bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, straining his eyes to see his surroundings, barely able to make out anything beyond a few yards.

For the past couple of days, in addition to toiling at Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, Chen Ping'an had been dedicating three hours to practicing his footwork on the training posts. One hour during the day, from midday to late afternoon, and two hours at night, from late night to the early hours of the morning. Later, Chen Ping'an tried to combine his footwork with the Sword Hearth Stance, but found it restricted his breathing and made his steps even more unstable. He quickly abandoned the idea. Instead, he would practice the Sword Hearth in secret during breaks from work, nourishing his body. For Chen Ping'an, it was simply a matter of replacing his former pottery wheel work with the Mount Shaker Manual's stance.

During the daytime practice, Ning Yao initially followed him a few times, offering a few half-hearted pointers before disappearing. Chen Ping'an, not wanting to stir up gossip, would run about a mile downstream along the creek before starting his practice. The round trip covered about ten miles.

For Chen Ping'an, this had become a new and unbreakable rule.

Now, sitting by the well, Ning Yao gazed at the black cloth-like sky, her long, narrow eyebrows, which betrayed her "pretty" image, furrowed slightly.

Chen Ping'an whispered, "Is it related to Mr. Qi?"

Ning Yao didn't plan to reveal the truth, only giving a vague answer, "Since Mr. Qi is the master of this blessed land, it should have something to do with him."

Chen Ping'an further inquired, "According to Song Jixin and Zhigui, Mr. Qi originally intended to leave town with the student Zhao Yao. Why did he change his mind?"

Ning Yao shook her head and smiled, "The thoughts of a sage are like a dragon vein, stretching for thousands of miles. I can't guess, nor do I care to."

After saying this, she tossed her bowl and chopsticks into Chen Ping'an's hands and went to her own mud-walled hut. Ning Yao was also curious about why Master Ruan treated her so politely, could it be that Master Ruan saw through her identity? It was highly unlikely, after all, Upside-Down Mountain was not located in Eastern Treasure Continent, and Upside-Down Mountain had almost no connection with the outside world, it was famous, but had few visitors, besides, Upside-Down Mountain was not sure of her identity. However, Ning Yao was the kind of person who would naturally straighten when the boat reached the bridge, and if it couldn't be straightened, she could split a straight road with a sword, so she generously accepted the favor of Master Ruan, the top sword caster in Eastern Treasure Continent.

As Chen Ping'an was about to head to the kitchen, he noticed someone walking towards him, a young man with wide sleeves, more like a scholar than Chen Songfeng. There was an indescribable feeling about him, a bit like Mr. Qi, and a bit like Supervisor Song, whom he had met in Mud Bottle Lane.

The man noticed the straw-sandal-wearing boy sitting by the well, staring blankly, and, upon making eye contact, was slightly surprised. He approached the boy and smiled warmly, "I need to speak with Master Ruan. Do you know where he is?"

This time, Chen Ping'an didn't deliberately conceal the information, as he had done with Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua in Mud Bottle Lane. Instead, he directly pointed the man in the right direction.

Firstly, Miss Ning had told him about Master Ruan's skills. Secondly, the man didn't give Chen Ping'an a sense of dark scheming.

Chen Ping'an politely asked, "Do you need me to show you the way?"

The young man didn't hurry off, looking at Chen Ping'an with a smile, "No, it's just a few steps. No need to trouble you. Thank you."

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile and walked towards the kitchen, while the man walked towards a distant sword-casting room.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. Whether this person was good or bad, at least he was different from the outsiders from Righteous Sun Mountain, Cloud Radiance Mountain, Clear Breeze City, and Old Dragon City.

Chen Ping'an carried baskets of dirt from the bottom of the last well. As he climbed out of the well with a basket on his back, he saw Ruan Xiu standing near the well's pulley, a handkerchief in her hand, filled with small cakes. When Chen Ping'an appeared, Ruan Xiu extended her palm towards him. Chen Ping'an, covered in dirt and with dirty hands, smiled and shook his head. Then, Ruan Xiu sat on the edge of the well, eating the exquisite pastries from the Year-End Shop in Riding Dragon Lane. The young woman in green was quickly immersed in her enjoyment, her entire being radiating happiness and joy.

Chen Ping'an continued to carry dirt back and forth. After a dozen trips, the girl with the ponytail was gone, but the handkerchief and a cake remained by the well. It was the most famous Peach Blossom Wine Cake from the Year-End Shop. Chen Ping'an paused for a moment, then took off his basket and placed it by his feet. He sat on the edge of the well near the handkerchief, wiped his hands on his clothes, picked up the cake with two fingers, and put it in his mouth.

Chen Ping'an nodded vigorously. It was indeed delicious.

After all, he was eating ten coins worth. At the thought of this, Chen Ping'an immediately felt it was even more delicious.

Over the next few hours, the sky remained dark and gloomy, with occasional muffled drumming sounds. Otherwise, the town was no different, Master Ruan made an exception and let his blacksmith's shop workers rest for two days, letting them return to their homes and not wait here for "daybreak" to continue working.

Chen Ping'an was among them, so he returned to town, went to Liu Xianyang's house, and found nothing missing. He quickly turned off the lights, locked the door, and ran towards his own house in Mud Bottle Lane.

For some reason, Chen Ping'an felt that the town was now lifeless and dull.

Chen Ping'an didn't know that as he ran across the covered bridge.

On the water's surface under the bridge, floated a tall woman with fluttering clothes, her dress snow-white, her hair snow-white, and her exposed hands and feet had skin like white jade.

She was tilting her head, using the creek as a mirror, combing her hair with one hand. No one could see her face clearly.