Chen Ping’an widened his eyes, only to see that the “Quiet Mind Contentment” seal, after hitting the white-robed youth’s forehead, first bounced back, then froze in mid-air, and finally, as if pulled by a thread, was tugged back. However, the person pulling the thread seemed to lack strength, causing the seal to wobble in the air, sometimes high, sometimes low, at a leisurely pace.

Chen Ping’an followed its trajectory and saw the locust wood sword suspended between himself and Li Baoping. A golden-clothed girl, no taller than his pinky finger, was sprawled out, hiding under the flying sword, her limbs desperately clutching the wooden sword. With great effort, she managed to stand up. The adorable golden-clothed girl stood on the sword, dizzy and swaying like a drunkard, making it clear that her experience of flying on a sword was far from pleasant.

The Quiet seal landed on the locust wood sword, its weight causing the sword’s tail to tilt upward. The golden-clothed girl slid towards the seal, flailing her arms in panic.

Li Baoping had also been unaware of the golden-clothed girl’s presence. Seeing her now, she found it amusing. She happily ran over, squatted slightly, and held the ends of the locust wood sword with both hands, gazing intently at the little figure trying to hide. The golden-clothed girl was taken aback, and seeming naturally shy, she covered her face with her hands, joined her feet, and jumped straight up. Upon landing, her figure vanished into the locust wood sword, disappearing without a trace.

Chen Ping’an didn’t understand what was happening and didn’t want to dwell on it. His voice hoarse, he reminded, “Baoping, give me the wooden sword. Keep the seal for now.”

Li Baoping immediately suppressed her curiosity, knowing that the priority was to deal with that fellow surnamed Cui. After catching the seal, she gave a light shout and tossed the locust wood sword forcefully towards her Little Martial Uncle.

However, the little girl’s strength was not well-controlled, and the locust wood sword veered slightly away from Chen Ping’an’s position.

“Turn around!”

Chen Ping’an instructed Li Baoping. Then, with a tap of his toes, he stepped towards the left side of the old well, landing on the well’s edge. After precisely grasping the wooden sword, he took another large step forward and, upon landing, thrust the sword straight at the white-robed youth’s heart.

At that moment, the upper half of the golden-clothed girl emerged from Chen Ping’an’s locust wood sword, tearful and filled with regret and guilt, shaking her head and waving her hands vigorously, as if to stop Chen Ping’an from killing.

But Chen Ping’an’s actions, from receiving the sword to thrusting it, were extremely decisive and seamless. By the time the golden-clothed girl appeared, the sword’s tip had already reached the white-robed youth’s heart. Because of his years of firing porcelain and operating the potter’s wheel, Chen Ping’an possessed exquisite control over his strength. Even if he wanted to stop, the flow of Qi within his body, the contraction of his arm muscles, and the momentum of the wooden sword all made it impossible for Chen Ping’an to change the outcome.

An old scholar carrying a cotton cloth bag suddenly appeared out of thin air, “Luckily, luckily, I almost got tricked.”

With the old scholar’s appearance at the critical moment, the youth Cui Chan seemed to be grabbed by the neck and pulled backward, instantly stopping. Although still unconscious, his back was straight, standing like a pine tree, and he managed to avoid being pierced through the heart by Chen Ping’an’s sword.

The old man looked at the straw-sandal-wearing youth retreating quickly. He held his sword horizontally in front of him with one hand and shielded Li Baoping behind him with the other. The youth’s sword technique was clumsy and awkward, like a mountain woodcutter holding a writing brush, looking out of place no matter how you looked at it.

The old man sighed, “So it’s you.”

Chen Ping’an felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy and didn’t dare to be careless. He whispered, “Baoping, run if you get a chance. Don’t worry about me.”

Chen Ping’an noticed that Li Baoping tugged at his sleeve repeatedly. He was a little surprised and turned his head to look down. “What’s wrong?”

The little girl’s face was stiff. She raised her arm and pointed behind Chen Ping’an, opening her mouth to form two words, “Ghost….”

Surrounded on all sides?

Chen Ping’an’s heartstrings tightened. When he looked back, his face was blank. The youth blinked and blinked again, confirming that he hadn’t mistaken her. With his back to the old scholar and the white-robed youth, he dared not say anything openly, lest they eavesdrop and harm this Immortal Sister. But he was truly anxious, like an ant on a hot pot.

Li Baoping secretly gripped her Little Martial Uncle’s sleeve, glanced at the amiable old man, and then turned to look at the elusive female ghost.

Compared to the last time she saw the wedding-dress ghost, the woman tonight was wearing white clothes and shoes, and carrying a snow-white…large lotus leaf? Li Baoping was a little confused. Are female ghosts outside the world so refined and unconventional now? Back then, her elder brother had been forced by her to tell many gory ghost stories, with red-powdered skeletons, water ghosts, river demons, and other monsters and specters that would readily disembowel people and eat their blood and flesh, with extremely frightening appearances and actions.

How could they be like the woman before her, even more beautiful and moving than the previous wedding-dress ghost?

She was tall, yet still gave a sense of slender, natural beauty. Her hair, like a waterfall of dark, lustrous silk, draped from behind to her chest, tied in a knot with a golden scarf, making her seem particularly quiet and dignified.

Li Baoping felt that the tall woman before her was truly tall and beautiful, making her very envious. The little girl quietly stood on tiptoe, but quickly and dejectedly stepped back to the ground.

The tall woman’s eyes seemed to be only on Chen Ping’an.

She smiled and said, “We’re going to fight someone later. Don’t be afraid of that old man. He only knows a bit of how to get beaten up.”

“Don’t worry, this sister isn’t a bad person, she’s one of us!”

Chen Ping’an first comforted Li Baoping beside him. After looking up again, he finally couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t leave the small town? What if you’re noticed by the various Sages? What will you do?”

The tall woman shook her wrist, and the lotus leaf in her hand swayed gently. Her tone was gentle and slow, possessing an air of reassurance. “Do you know of a place called Lotus Grotto Heaven?”

Chen Ping’an suddenly remembered Ning Yao and nodded. “Someone told me about it before. It’s where the Taoist Patriarch goes to relax. Although it’s only one of the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto Heavens, even the smallest lotus leaf there is larger than our Great Li capital.”
The woman smiled gently, “It’s not that exaggerated. Take this lotus leaf in my hand, for example. If it reveals its true form, it would cover an area of a little over ten li in radius. Of course, the largest lotus leaves there are definitely much bigger than the capital of Great Li. These lotus leaves can conceal the secrets of heaven. Simply put, it prevents the Sages of the Three Teachings and the masters of the Hundred Schools from detecting my movements.”

Seeing Chen Ping’an’s puzzled expression, she explained with a smile, “The time we met, I didn’t have this good thing yet. It was when Qi Jingchun left the world that he went to the Outer Heavens, found the Taoist Ancestor, and after some haggling with that old codger, he obtained this lotus leaf umbrella for me. As for what Qi Jingchun paid, I don’t know. After all, the character ‘Jing’ in his name is a taboo. Within the Daoist lineage, many people are dissatisfied with it. So it’s certain that Qi Jingchun’s trip to Lotus Cave Heaven before leaving this Vast Expanse World came at a high price.”

Speaking of this, even the tall woman had a look of daze in her eyes, with some heartfelt admiration for that Confucian disciple.

After Qi Jingchun returned to the human world from the Outer Heavens, they had one last casual chat.

“This lotus leaf?”

“I went to the Outer Heavens and plucked it from that Lotus Cave Heaven. It can help you leave this place without alarming the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and without worrying about the Sages’ inquiries.”

“A good thing is a good thing. But aren’t you afraid that with me by his side, Chen Ping’an will become reckless, to the point of becoming the kind of person you, Qi Jingchun, dislike?”

“I, Qi Jingchun, know Chen Ping’an’s character very well. So I never worry about Chen Ping’an bullying others. Even if you protect him from beginning to end, I, Qi Jingchun, won’t worry.”

“You think so highly of Chen Ping’an?”

“What do you think? He’s my little junior brother after all.”

“You and Chen Ping’an are peers, and then I recognize him as my master. So what are you, Qi Jingchun, implying?”

“Haha, I wouldn’t dare!”

Thinking of these things, the tall woman sighed softly in her heart.

It’s a pity that the world has lost a Qi Jingchun.

The fearless Li Bao’ping, unusually shyly said, “Sister, you are so beautiful.”

The tall woman nodded and smiled, “Yes, much prettier than you.”

Not only was she impolite, but her words were also hurtful!

The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket was a bit stunned and speechless.

Chen Ping’an was covered in cold sweat.

Behind Chen Ping’an, there was also a reunion taking place.

The old man glared at the white-clothed youth who had already regained consciousness. The youth glared back, thinking, I’m barefoot now, I’m not afraid of you wearing shoes, what am I afraid of?

The old man first looked at the tall woman, who nodded to indicate that it was okay.

Only then did the old man look at the youth, and said in exasperation, “Aren’t you, Cui Chan, very clever? Then let’s replay the situation now. Have you ever wondered why I suddenly lost control of those words, allowing you to be separated from your divine soul, and also fought evenly against the Dao intent contained in that wisp of sword energy, mutually annihilating each other, so that you had the chance to use a killing move against Chen Ping’an when you rushed out of the well? Have you ever wondered that in the end you might be beaten to death by Chen Ping’an with one punch, while Chen Ping’an would also be seriously injured by you?!”

The young Cui Chan’s face was uncertain, and finally he pouted as if he was throwing a tantrum, pretending to be indifferent, “It’s nothing more than a Sage from a certain branch of Confucianism making a move, what’s so strange about that. Even Qi Jingchun willingly walked into that dead end, ending up waiting for his own death. What’s the big deal about me, Cui Chan, being schemed against once.”

The more the youth spoke, the angrier he became. He pointed his finger at the poor old scholar, “Old man, how dare you say these things? The Qi Jingchun you placed the most hope in is dead, the idiot Ma Zhan with the least resolute mind is also dead, and that guy surnamed Zuo has simply disappeared completely. I, Cui Chan, have also fallen to this point. In the final analysis, isn’t it all because of you? You are the best at writing articles in the world, your ideas are the deepest, your contributions to the world are the longest, alright?! The people’s sage, listen carefully, the *A* sage, the third highest in the Confucian Temple, he advocated that the people are the most important, the sovereign is the least important, and the state is secondary! You are amazing, you insist on saying heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teacher. The *A* sage said that human nature is inherently good, okay, you say that human nature is inherently evil! What the hell, how did the *A* sage offend you?”

The youth stomped his feet in anger. This habitual action was actually in the same vein as the old scholar. His finger was almost pointing at the old man’s nose, “What’s even more excessive is that the *A* sage is not much older than you, and he might still be in the human world, living a good life. Why are you so stubborn, old man? You should grab the Supreme Sage or the Rite Sage to scold them, maybe the *A* sage would even help you, right? You insist on going against the *A* sage, I admire you!”

The old scholar remained silent, only gently wiping the saliva that the youth had sprayed on his face.

When people from the same family have disagreements and sing a different tune, it’s not a big deal if it’s a small household, they can just close the door and argue.

But you must know that one *A* sage, one Wen sage, this “three-four dispute” that alarmed the entire Confucian school and all the academies was too turbulent. Two great Sages, especially when the first two in the Confucian Temple had long since disappeared, almost represented the entire Confucian school, the Confucian school that established the rules for this vast world. Although it couldn’t be said that there were signs of disintegration, the heads of those neighboring families, seeing the subtle signs and discerning ten thousand li, couldn’t help but secretly rejoice.

After that, within the Confucian school, there was an extremely hidden bet. The loser, willing to admit defeat, would imprison himself in the Merit Forest.

The old scholar lost, and stayed there waiting to die, allowing his statue in the Confucian Temple to be moved again and again, and finally shattered to pieces.

But when his most proud disciple went to another continent, struggled against the heavens, and died, the old scholar had to make an agreement that no one could have imagined with all the Sages, not just the Confucian Sages, in order to break his vow. After all, if the Sages’ vows could be easily broken, then this world with strict rules would probably be completely different.

The old scholar took the initiative to abandon that body, abandon the many supernatural powers of a Confucian Sage, and only roamed between heaven and earth with his divine soul.

The old scholar waited until the youth stood with his hands on his hips, panting with his head lowered, and asked, “Have you finished scolding? Is it my turn to talk about the reasons?”

After venting his anger, the white-clothed youth recalled the old man’s various deeds in the past, and Cui Chan felt a little guilty and timid, and began to remain silent.

The old scholar sighed, “Who taught Qi Jingchun to play chess?”

Cui Chan immediately raised his head and puffed out his chest, “I did!”
The old man, without a trace of emotion, slowly said, “I have told all of you before, when reasoning with someone, even if it’s an argument, or even a Great Dao debate, you must maintain a calm and peaceful state of mind.”

Cui Chan immediately fell silent, like a cicada in winter, and whispered, “It was me… He, Qi Jingchun, lacked comprehension in chess, and after losing to me a few times, he refused to play anymore.”

The old man then asked, “Who taught you how to play chess?”

Cui Chan was unwilling to reveal the answer.

The old scholar snorted coldly, “I did!”

Cui Chan felt wronged and his teeth itched with hatred. Didn’t the old man understand what it meant to practice what you preach?

The old scholar took a deep breath and said, “When you were teaching Qi Jingchun how to play chess, comparing your chess skills to mine, who was higher, who was lower?”

Cui Chan reluctantly said, “I am inferior to you.”

The old man asked, “Then do you know that after Qi Jingchun learned how to play chess, he quickly surpassed me?”

The young man was stunned.

He did not doubt the truthfulness of the old man’s words.

The old man continued to ask, “Do you know what Qi Jingchun said in private? He said to me, ‘Senior Brother truly enjoys playing chess, and his desire to win is a bit strong. I don’t want to cheat when playing chess. If Senior Brother always loses to me, then he will lose something that makes him happy.'”

The young Cui Chan stubbornly said, “Even so, what does it matter?”

The old man was angry at his lack of improvement and saddened by his misfortune, rebuking him, “You are just a stubborn mule. You are always quick to recognize your mistakes, but extremely slow to admit them! As for correcting them, hmph!”

The young Cui Chan retorted angrily, “Isn’t that how you raised me!”

The old man glared at him and, after a moment of silence, lamented, “Ma Zhan’s betrayal probably disappointed Xiao Qi even more than your, Cui Chan’s, machinations.”

Cui Chan sneered, “Ma Zhan is not even worth my mentioning. His ambitions are higher than the sky, but his life is thinner than paper. If I, at least, am doing it for the sake of the Great Dao opportunity, for the incense and cultural heritage, then what about him? He is willing to sacrifice the friendship of classmates, willing to be someone else’s pawn, for so little, just for the position of a mountain master of a school, for the prospect of controlling an academy in the future. He deserves to die. Old man, you gave Qi Jingchun a parting message, ‘Learning never ends. Indigo is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant itself.’ This saying is widely circulated, I know. But what did you give Ma Zhan?”

The old man said calmly, “Heaven and Earth give birth to Junzi, Junzi governs Heaven and Earth. What a pity.”

It was unclear whether he lamented the saying or the person, Ma Zhan.

Cui Chan mocked, “After Ma Zhan left the small town with those children, he had a pleasant conversation with one of my chess pieces, quite frank and open. He mentioned the matter of leaving the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven or staying. He and Qi Jingchun had a dispute, and Qi Jingchun said something very strange to him at the end, which startled Ma Zhan, ‘A Junzi yields when he should yield, and stretches when he should stretch.’ Ma Zhan, that fool, still indulged in his selfish desires, dreaming of becoming the mountain master of a school, even after Qi Jingchun’s earth-shattering and righteous death. Only when he was about to die did he finally realize that Qi Jingchun had long known his actions at the school, but simply didn’t want to expose him, still hoping that Ma Zhan could take good care of those children. Ma Zhan was really slow to realize things. After being delayed and perfunctorily treated twice, he finally knew that all was lost. He finally mustered some masculine bloodthirst, at the cost of losing his next life, and injured my chess piece, which allowed those children to return to the small town, ultimately leading to so many things…”

Towards the end, the white-clothed youth became increasingly weak and powerless.

The old scholar sighed with emotion.

The events and people of the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, especially the recent sixty years of Qi Jingchun’s presence, had their Heavenly Secrets isolated even more strictly. Qi Jingchun, Old Yang, and some behind-the-scenes figures secretly made moves, making this small Grotto-Heaven confusing and full of variables. Even the old scholar found it extremely difficult to calculate and deduce, and dared not say that the truth deduced was necessarily the truth.

The tall woman’s gentle voice softly echoed, “Finished chatting?”

Cui Chan noticed that the old scholar’s face looked a bit grim and he sighed heavily. He caught a glimpse of the woman looking at him from the corner of his eye. The old man had no choice but to slowly take off the luggage on his back, take out a scroll, and gently untie the string that bound the scroll.

Chen Ping’an was completely confused.

She walked to Chen Ping’an’s side and smiled, “Later, you can draw your sword three times.”

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the sky outside the lotus leaf, slowly saying, “Later, I will restore my true form, don’t be surprised.”

Finally, she seemed to remember something and said apologetically, “I forgot to say two words.”

Chen Ping’an looked up.

The tall woman restrained her smile and respectfully addressed him, “Master.”