Lady Xiao Luan stood blankly outside the door for a long time, hesitant to knock again. Finally, she turned her head and saw the unremarkable, hunched old man.

He was walking towards the corridor leading to the Snow Vast Hall banquet. Lady Xiao Luan was skilled at observing people. At first glance, from the length of his breaths to the sound of his footsteps, he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation to the fifth realm of martial arts. But now, the old fellow had appeared silently on the fourth floor, displaying a martial aura comparable to Sun Dengxian.

It was clear that he was a man of deep cunning.

Lady Xiao Luan could only discern that this aged retainer was a grandmaster whose martial arts surpassed Sun Dengxian. But she couldn’t tell if he had already entered the Golden Body Realm, whether his feet had begun to climb the Altar of Soul Refinement, heading towards the pinnacle of martial arts.

Being unable to perceive the depth of a pure martial artist meant that Xiao Luan had to be cautious.

The hunched old man’s smile made the River Goddess of White Crane River almost get goosebumps. His words made her even more uneasy. “Lady Xiao Luan, did you get the cold shoulder from my young master? Don’t take it to heart; my young master is always like this, it’s not just you.”

Lady Xiao Luan carefully chose her words, maintaining a calm expression and smiling. “Senior, tonight’s sudden rain naturally makes me, as a River Goddess, feel a sense of kinship. I took the opportunity to take a night stroll through the Violet Qi Palace to dispel the alcohol fumes. By chance, I saw your young master practicing boxing on the upper floor corridor. I had thought that Young Master Chen was a cultivator, a promising young sword immortal, but I never expected Young Master Chen’s boxing intent to be so superb, not inferior to any Jianghu grandmaster in our Yellow Court Kingdom. I was simply curious, so I took the liberty of visiting. I apologize for the intrusion.”

Zhu Lian spoke with righteous indignation, “Not at all, not at all! In this world, only uncouth brutes would be boorish and offensive towards a beauty. Whatever a beauty says or does is never an intrusion!”

Xiao Luan didn’t want to get entangled with this person. Tonight’s matter was destined to end inconclusively, so there was no need to waste time here.

Besides, did they really think she had no sense of shame? She was a True God of the third largest river in the Yellow Court Kingdom, not much inferior to the Five Sacred Mountains Gods of the kingdom. If Wu Yi and the Violet Sun Prefecture weren’t so powerful, and now even had the backing of the Great Li Dynasty, Xiao Luan would be receiving the treatment that Chen Pingan was enjoying tonight at any other banquet in the Yellow Court Kingdom.

So, Xiao Luan exchanged a few polite words and intended to leave.

Everything was going wrong in this Violet Sun Prefecture. Even after leaving this Treasure Trove Pavilion tonight, she would still have headaches waiting for her.

Zhu Lian smiled and said, “Please wait, Lady.”

Xiao Luan was extremely annoyed, but her demeanor remained graceful and dignified. She asked with a puzzled expression, “Does Senior have something else to say? If it’s not urgent, we can chat slowly tomorrow.”

Zhu Lian held up a palm and shook it. “Where am I some ‘Senior’? Compared to Lady Xiao Luan’s timeless existence, I’m just a lad with a slightly aged appearance. Lady Xiao Luan can call me Little Zhu, the Zhu of ‘verdant temples and vermilion countenance, crimson ink brilliant’. It’s nothing urgent. It’s just that I didn’t have the courage to toast the Lady at Snow Vast Hall, and now that it’s late at night and there are no outsiders, I wanted to share the Lady’s interest in a night tour of Violet Sun Prefecture. I wonder what the Lady thinks?”

Xiao Luan felt more nauseous than if she had drunk four jars of Old Flood Dragon Saliva Wine.

She still smiled at him. “It’s late, and I’m leaving for White Crane River early tomorrow morning. I’m a little tired and want to rest early. I hope you’ll understand.”

Zhu Lian had already strode forward. “I must understand the Lady! Then allow me to escort the Lady back to her residence. I’m truly worried about the Lady returning alone. The Lady is a beauty of unparalleled grace. Although she naturally possesses the inviolable aura of a peerless beauty, I can’t help but feel heartache even if some night-patrolling cultivator in Violet Sun Prefecture were to glance at the Lady. No, no, the Lady mustn’t worry about me. I must see the Lady off!”

Xiao Luan dismissed it with a smile. With her ability to cultivate inner calm, she was about to curse him outright.

She turned directly, neither refusing nor agreeing. She soared out of the building, her gracefully curved figure instantly transforming into a rainbow streak. He could follow if he had the ability.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Lian appeared beside her in an instant, traveling with her on the wind!

Xiao Luan’s mind was shaken, and she almost fell to the ground.

A Far Traveler Realm!

This old lecher was actually an eighth-realm pure martial artist?!

The martial arts prodigy, who enjoyed fame for over forty years in the Yellow Court Kingdom’s martial arts world, was only in the Golden Body Realm.

Zhu Lian followed beside Xiao Luan. “Lady, I read in a miscellaneous book that when the dragon race and river deities are moved by passion, a rain of sweet nectar falls on the world. I wonder if that’s true?”

Lady Xiao Luan was filled with shame and indignation, hating the mastermind behind the scenes and wishing she could throw this old scoundrel into the depths of the White Crane River, peeling his soul thread by thread, twisting them into lantern wicks, and hanging lanterns to illuminate her water palace!

Zhu Lian continued to speak, regardless of her reaction. “Being able to take a night tour of Violet Sun Prefecture with Lady Xiao Luan is truly a great joy in life! I’m not afraid of the Lady laughing at me, but Little Zhu here has always enjoyed writing travelogues, recording the extraordinary people and events of countless mountains and rivers. I’ve always wanted to one day have my travelogues printed. I feel that I’m fortunate to have the chance to accompany the Lady on a night tour tonight, so I must describe it in vivid detail in my travelogue. After the book is published, I will personally bring it to your door and present the Lady with a copy!”

Xiao Luan’s teeth itched with anger, so much so that her breathing was unstable, causing her chest to rise and fall slightly. The outfit she was wearing tonight, which she felt was too revealing, was forced upon her by that man.

Zhu Lian glanced at the magnificent scenery, as close as the horizon, and quickly turned his head, looking towards the Iron Decree River and loudly exclaimed, “What a wonderful view!”

Zhu Lian had already returned to his residence on the second floor.

Inside the Treasure Trove Pavilion, Chen Pingan was wide awake. He simply lit a lamp and began to read a book. After reading for a while, he said with lingering fear, “What did a novel about wandering knights say? ‘Heroes can’t resist the powder and rouge array?’ This River Goddess is too… lacking in Jianghu ethics! We kindly helped you at Snow Vast Hall, how can you harm me like this! I’ve only heard that chivalrous people don’t hold grudges overnight, settling them on the same night. You’re a fine one, repaying kindness like this? Damn it, if I wasn’t worried about Zhu Lian thinking I was trying to hide something, a slap would be a light punishment… If even a whisper of this gets out, won’t I be covered in mud, assumed to be shit even if I’m not?”

Chen Pingan wiped the sweat from his forehead, rambling and cursing the River Goddess of White Crane River.
In the end, Chen Ping’an could only find an excuse to comfort himself, “This trip to Lotus Blossom Blessed Land’s River of Time wasn’t in vain. If it were earlier, I might have foolishly opened the door for her and invited her inside.”

Gradually calming down, Chen Ping’an began to focus on reading. It was a Buddhist scripture, one of the six books he had borrowed from the Cliff Academy’s library. They included classics from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Legalism, and Mohism. The Maoshan Master said there was no need to rush to return them; Chen Ping’an could send them back when he felt he had thoroughly understood them.

Suddenly, Chen Ping’an closed the book, walked out of the room, and came to the corridor railing.

“When things are abnormal, there must be a demon.”

Outside the building, the rain had stopped, and the night was heavy.

Chen Ping’an reached out and pressed the railing, walking slowly. His palm felt the coolness of rainwater, droplets breaking and merging.

Chen Ping’an opened his palm and looked down.

He jumped onto the railing, walking slowly, gazing into the distance at the Iron Certificate River outside Ziyang Prefecture, beyond which were verdant mountains.

He was currently in the treasure pavilion of the Ziqi Palace in Ziyang Prefecture, Huang Ting Country, on the railing beneath the eaves.

His thoughts drifted far away.

Chen Ping’an recalled his previous trip to Qingluan Kingdom, hearing the local people and tavern patrons talking about the debate between Buddhism and Taoism, about the monk holding an umbrella outside and the Confucian scholar sheltering under the eaves.

If one encountered rain while traveling, they would naturally seek shelter under an eave.

He also remembered Lu Tai lamenting in the Flying Eagle Fort courtyard that the regrets of the world were mostly due to the inability to “hold on.” The deepest words were simply a plea to all scenery and people: “Go slowly.”

Lu Tai also said that it was difficult for us to truly empathize with the world’s suffering. Therefore, when suffering struck, specifically falling on one person, everyone would be caught off guard.

Go slowly.

The old Taoist priest of the Temple of Observation was observing the Way through the myriad aspects of life in the Lotus Blossom Blessed Land. The nameless old Taoist, whose Taoist magic reached the heavens, could obviously control the River of Time in the Lotus Blossom Blessed Land, making it faster or slower, even stopping it altogether.

However, as for the torrent of time in the four continents, let alone controlling it, even trying to stop it was said to be impossible, even for the Taoist Ancestor. Hence, the Most Sage Master once observed water and realized: “It passes on like this, never ceasing day and night.”

Cui Dongshan had said that all immortal abodes on mountaintops and cities in the human world had mysteries, and that wars and the knowledge of the Hundred Schools of Thought all involved the speed of the River of Time. The sages hoped to find another way to slow it down.

The three great saints of the Three Teachings, standing so high and seeing so far, why did they insist on slowing down?

The Most Sage Master, the Buddha, and the Taoist Ancestor, what exactly were these three saints, with their earth-shattering achievements, looking at? So much so that they insisted that the three continents of the human world should “go slowly”?

The first time he traveled with Cui Dongshan in Huang Ting Country, Cui Dongshan accompanied him to practice boxing on a mountaintop and joked that when the wheel of history moved forward, it would inevitably crush many flowers and plants.

These were not the heartless words of an emperor, but the compassionate words of a pure Confucian scholar from the Central Earth. That scholar hoped that all those in power who saw these words, or the important figures sitting in that carriage at the time, could lower their heads and look at those tattered flowers and plants.

Is there a need to worry if the world is slowly getting better? As long as it is getting better, as long as the direction is correct, it doesn’t matter how slow it is, there is no need to worry.

But if the world is getting worse, if the wheel of history rolls over with swift force, crushing countless flowers and plants along the way, even if someone wants to lower their head to take a look, they may not be able to see clearly.

Then what can be done to make amends?

So, must we go a little slower?

Because if we go slowly, even if we stray onto a wrong path, does moving slowly and wrongly mean that there is a chance to correct it? Or perhaps, can there be less suffering in the world?

Chen Ping’an walked slowly back and forth on the railing, turning around at the end, repeating this process, walking from one end of the railing to the other.

At this moment, Chen Ping’an didn’t realize that deep within his heart, every profound thought, like seeds in a field, would sprout. Many might wither halfway, but some would blossom and bear fruit one day.

Chen Ping’an also didn’t know that those words he carefully carved on bamboo slips, which he repeatedly pondered and recited, would even be put out to bask in the sun by Pei Qian. These were words he sincerely approved of and regarded as beautiful.

Regardless of the quality of those words or the correctness of the principles, these were all seeds he had sown in his heart.

Chen Ping’an was not an isolated case. In fact, everyone in the world was like this, only they might not use the method of carving bamboo slips to concretize them. A parent’s grumble, a teacher’s teaching, a sentence in a book read over and over, an old saying or principle heard many times that finally clicked one day, the green mountains and clear waters seen, the missed beloved woman, the scattered friends—all were seeds in everyone’s heart, waiting to blossom.

Chen Ping’an still didn’t know; he simply regarded it as a stroll to relax his mind, walking slowly on the railing.

Within the microcosm of the human body, in the Water Mansion with the Water Character Seal, the green-robed children had all stopped their busy work, holding their breaths and concentrating.

In the mansion with the golden literary courage, the true Qi fire dragon was coiled outside, fast asleep. Inside the mansion, the golden-robed little man, carrying a long sword on his back and several small golden books at his waist, was increasingly condensed in golden light, shining brilliantly like a gilded deity.

However, the golden-robed little man, with golden light flowing through his entire body, constantly had specks of golden light overflowing and scattering, obviously unstable.

He was full of expectation, waiting for the moment when Chen Ping’an stopped walking on the railing.

Chen Ping’an was still walking slowly.

This time when he left Cliff Academy, Chen Ping’an asked Zhu Lian and Shi Rou a question on the road.

If killing a good person who has done nothing wrong can save ten people, would you do it? Both of them shook their heads. As Chen Ping’an gradually increased the number, changing saving ten people to saving a thousand people or ten thousand people, Shi Rou began to hesitate.

Only Zhu Lian frankly said that even if he could save the entire world, he would not kill that person.

Chen Ping’an then asked why.

Zhu Lian smiled and gave the answer: “I’m worried that I might be the one who is killed.”

Zhu Lian then turned around and asked Chen Ping’an for his answer.

Chen Ping’an said that he couldn’t give an answer either, unless he truly reached that point, would he be able to know his true heart and choice.
Within the Qi residence, the golden Confucian scholar was growing anxious, repeatedly attempting to dash out of the manor gates, beyond the confines of the miniature world within the human body. “Go and smack Chen Pingan’an upside the head with a chestnut or two!” he inwardly fumed. “Why are you dwelling on those monumental, yet currently insurmountable, problems? Stop neglecting your cultivation! Don’t squander this once-in-a-millennium opportunity! The general direction of your earlier contemplations was correct! Hurry and ponder that all-important ‘slow’ character, that word so often overlooked by the mundane world, with even greater depth and vision! Once you understand it thoroughly, and your mind and spirit resonate, that will be your Chen Pingan’an’s crucial chance to ascend to the Upper Five Realms!”

However, if he were to bluntly reveal these insights to Chen Pingan’an, it would plunge him into an extremely detrimental mental state.

Finally, Chen Pingan’an paused at the railing.

The golden Confucian scholar and the green-clad attendants in both residences were filled with anticipation.

Then, the green-clad attendants exchanged bewildered glances before erupting in uproarious laughter.

It turned out that after Chen Pingan’an stopped, his pure thoughts at that moment were focused on a certain maiden. Moreover, his thoughts were far from gentlemanly. He was contemplating how, the next time he met her on the Great Wall of Sword Qi, he couldn’t be content with merely holding hands. He needed to be bolder. If Miss Ning was unwilling, he could simply endure a beating and some scolding; he believed they would still be together. But what if Miss Ning was actually willing, waiting for him, Chen Pingan’an, to take the initiative? “You’re a man, aren’t you? Where’s your backbone? Stop being so hesitant and awkward! It’s unbecoming!”

Chen Pingan’an jumped down from the railing, feeling sleepy. As he headed towards the house, he struck his palm with his fist, constantly bolstering his own courage. “Unbecoming! Definitely unbecoming! Besides, you’ve already held Miss Ning at the Upside-Down Mountain. It’s just that you were too dazed that time to remember what it felt like. That won’t do! Stealing a kiss… Chen Pingan’an, are you courting death? I can’t think about that. That’s a bit too fast. Weren’t you just thinking about slowing things down? A slow, gentle simmer with Miss Ning is also good… Good my foot!”

The green-clad attendants were clutching their stomachs and rolling on the ground in laughter.

It wasn’t that they could perceive all of Chen Pingan’an’s thoughts; tonight was an exception. Chen Pingan’an’s thoughts were so deeply intertwined with his mental state, so fundamental, and so vast that his soul was stirred immensely, almost encompassing his entire miniature world within.

The golden Confucian scholar, radiating a dense golden light that was almost solidifying into a golden gallstone within his heart, leaned back and couldn’t help but curse, “Chen Pingan’an, you old geezer!”

After cursing, he unexpectedly smiled.

Although tonight’s “flowering and fruiting” wasn’t perfect, far from flawless, it was actually greatly beneficial to Chen Pingan’an, and to him.

For example, the rudimentary golden core at the golden Confucian scholar’s heart was exactly what Mao Xiaodong had initially hoped for when refining Shen Wen’s golden literary boldness for Chen Pingan’an.

Lady Xiao Luan and her maid lived separately in a secluded courtyard in a remote area of the Ziyang Prefecture.

If they were arranged to live with Sun Dengxian and the other two, even with Lady Xiao Luan’s temperament, she would cause a scene.

At this moment, Lady Xiao Luan was standing in the main hall, while someone else was sitting. The maid had already been put into a state of slumber by that person using a secret technique.

That person glanced askance at the White Egret River Water Goddess, whose overly tight dress made her look out of place, a bizarre smile on his face.

Lady Xiao Luan’s face was full of embarrassment.

This person was none other than Wu Yi, who called himself the True Lord of Cave Illumination, the real master of the Ziyang Prefecture.

No matter how daring Lady Xiao Luan was, she would certainly not dare to enter the forbidden Purple Qi Palace without permission, let alone knock on Chen Pingan’an’s door dressed in such a dress that was no better than what a courtesan in a brothel would wear.

It was all Wu Yi’s request.

Wu Yi didn’t use his cultivation to pressure her; he simply gave Lady Xiao Luan a condition she couldn’t refuse.

It concerned the Imperial River Water God’s attempt to harm the White Egret River Water God’s mansion through connections in the Dragon Spring County.

Prefect Huang Chu had already agreed to help Lady Xiao Luan stop the Imperial River Water God’s secretive actions.

In return, the White Egret River Water God’s mansion would have to pay a large sum of immortal money to the Ziyang Prefecture every ten years. From then on, the White Egret River would become a tributary of the Ziyang Prefecture, just like the Iron Certificate River. However, it wasn’t entirely a matter of paying to avoid disaster for the White Egret River Water God’s mansion. By joining the Ziyang Prefecture, although they would inevitably distance themselves from the current Emperor Hong and sever ties, Huang Chu promised Lady Xiao Luan that he would extend the White Egret River from less than nine hundred *li* to one thousand two hundred *li* within a century! The money would come from the Water God’s mansion, but all resistance from the Yellow Court Kingdom’s government, as well as the desperate counterattacks from the mountain and water deities whose destiny was being stolen, the Ziyang Prefecture could help resolve. The White Egret River Water God’s mansion would only need to hire Ziyang Prefecture cultivators at market prices to suppress and eliminate anyone along the way.

Immortal money was easy to come by, but the length of the White Egret River determined the size and thickness of the river’s water transport. It not only required the government’s consent to excavate waterways, but it would also inevitably face various strong obstacles, which couldn’t be overcome with money alone. However, once the White Egret River reached one thousand two hundred *li*, the increased jurisdiction of the White Egret River’s waters, the surrounding counties and cities, and the beautiful mountains and rivers would all be under the White Egret River Water God’s mansion. The annual income would then become extremely considerable. This was what Lady Xiao Luan had always dreamed of. In a hundred years, not only would they surpass the Imperial River and successfully become the second largest river in the Yellow Court Kingdom, but they might even surpass the Cold Food River in one fell swoop, and perhaps even be promoted to a Water God Palace in the future.

This was the real reason why Lady Xiao Luan was so subservient in Snow Vast Hall.

She had to firmly grasp this prospect!

This was no longer a matter of enduring for a moment of peace, but of enduring for a moment to walk a straight path to greatness and flourishing incense offerings.

Therefore, after Wu Yi found Lady Xiao Luan and proposed a second deal, Lady Xiao Luan, who was already full of hope for the future, still suppressed all the grievances, indignation, and shame in her heart after weighing the pros and cons and hesitating, and chose to nod in agreement.
Wu Yi stated that as long as Xiao Luan was willing to climb into Chen Ping An’s bed tonight and experience a night of pleasure, it would be equivalent to doing her, Wu Yi, and the Ziyang Prefecture a favor. Wu Yi would then ensure that the Tiequan River became a complete vassal of the Baihu River, and the Jishan Temple would no longer be able to use its power to overawe others, using a river shrine to contend with a great river’s water mansion. Furthermore, from then on, she, Wu Yi, would put in a good word for Xiao Luan and the Baihu River Water God’s Mansion with the Dali Dynasty. As for whether or not this would ultimately lead to a talisman of peace, she, Wu Yi, wouldn’t guarantee anything, but she would at least personally work towards it.

Thus came Lady Xiao Luan’s enchanting night visit.

Even that light rain was an illusion that Wu Yi conjured using her divine powers within the Ziyang Prefecture’s territory, all to prove to Chen Ping An that Lady Xiao Luan was indeed experiencing a stirring of spring, a river goddess who sincerely admired him and fell in love at first sight, taking the initiative to offer herself and embark on a fleeting romance without any need for responsibility. Moreover, there was a deeper meaning. Wu Yi had deliberately mentioned the karmic burden of slaying demonic creatures of the dragon lineage. This wasn’t a lie. In fact, she could see that Chen Ping An indeed carried a certain cause and effect. How to resolve it? Naturally, by using the Baihu River Water God’s Lady’s own incense merit to help dispel it. Wu Yi was forthright about the loss involved, saying that she would compensate Lady Xiao Luan with immortal coins. After considering it, the latter agreed.

Unfortunately, Lady Xiao Luan returned empty-handed.

That Chen Ping An didn’t even let her in the door.

Wu Yi slowly said, “Xiao Luan, such a great opportunity, and you couldn’t seize it. You truly are useless.”

Lady Xiao Luan offered a wry smile.

Wu Yi suddenly asked, “Could it be that Chen Ping An isn’t interested in women like you? Your maid looks younger and is passable in terms of appearance. Should we let her try?”

Lady Xiao Luan shook her head. “She probably wouldn’t even be able to enter Yuan Jun’s building. That fellow named Zhu Lian is a wandering martial artist. He has been harassing me for a long time. He seems frivolous, but in the end, he was already harboring murderous intent towards me. Zhu Lian deliberately didn’t hide it. So if she were to go, she might be directly beaten to death outside the building. Her corpse would either be thrown out of the Ziqi Palace or simply thrown into the Tiequan River, letting it float downstream, conveniently drifting to our Baihu River.”

Wu Yi rubbed her brow. “Just what is Chen Ping An thinking?”

Lady Xiao Luan looked helpless. At the time, that guy closed the door without a word. How could she not be embarrassed and enraged?

Wu Yi sized up Lady Xiao Luan. “Xiao Luan, your beauty is already considered top-notch in our Huangting Kingdom, right? Where am I supposed to find him another woman with a better appearance? Common women down the mountain might seem decent at first glance, but aren’t they all unbearably foul. Xiao Luan, do you think it’s possible that Chen Ping An doesn’t have a taste for voluptuous women like you? Does he only like petite and delicate girls, or particularly tall women?”

Lady Xiao Luan shook her head.

She truly didn’t know.

Wu Yi sighed. “Then tell me, is Chen Ping An even a normal man?”

Lady Xiao Luan softly said, “He should be.”

Wu Yi looked serious. “What do you think of me?”

Lady Xiao Luan felt a chill run down her spine. From that Chen Ping An to the retainer Zhu Lian, and now to this ancestral figure of the Ziyang Prefecture, they were all irrational lunatics.

She had to choose her words carefully, cautiously saying a compliment, “How could Yuan Jun, with her esteemed status, demean herself in such a way?”

Wu Yi waved her hand, feeling somewhat disheartened. “Forget it, I can’t very well have you, Xiao Luan, force your way into the pavilion and take that Chen Ping An by storm.”

Wu Yi stood up. “However, this deal, even if it doesn’t work tonight, will still be valid for a while. You still have a chance, Xiao Luan. It’s up to you.”

Suddenly, first Wu Yi, then Xiao Luan, looked solemn, both sensing an unusual… Daoist aura.

Lofty, ethereal, majestic, vast and mighty, and indescribably wonderful.

Both of them guessed at a clue.

Wu Yi sharply said, “Xiao Luan! What do you say?”

Xiao Luan’s heart surged with excitement. Without the slightest hesitation, full of fighting spirit, this Baihu River Water God’s Lady’s answer was now firm and unwavering.

Compared to that “chance encounter” with the Hong Dynasty’s imperial ancestor by the Baihu River, Lady Xiao Luan’s heart burned even more intensely.

After Wu Yi strode away, Lady Xiao Luan returned to her room to rest, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

That night, the Ziyang Prefecture saw another rain shower.

Zhu Lian stood on the corridor beneath the eaves on the second floor, and said with a strange laugh: “Alright, it seems she is really going for it.”

Chen Ping An was unaware of all this.

He returned to his room, where the lamp on the table still burned.

Chen Ping An began to continue reading his book. As he read, in the dim yellow light, he raised his head and looked around.

The book said that some people’s hearts were like a demon-revealing mirror, allowing the ghosts and monsters around them to have nowhere to hide.

But Chen Ping An hoped that his heart was just an oil lamp. In the dilapidated ancestral home in Ni Ping Alley, he could place it on the table, and through that bit of light, he could see the dust and moths that kept him company. If guests came to his home, they could see the crude little pottery pot that he, Chen Ping An, had placed on the yellow mud windowsill, with a small, swaying grass plant inside.

Chen Ping An lay on the table.

His chin resting on the back of his hand, Chen Ping An gazed at the lamplight.

He vaguely knew that something was waiting for him to face.

Chen Ping An thought of many possibilities and felt that he wasn’t afraid of any of them.

Except for one thing, one person.

That he dared not think too much about.

There was no distinction between close and distant relationships in the world. That was what he, Chen Ping An, had said.

Pei Qian suddenly woke up and sat up, as if she had had a nightmare.

She thought about it, but she had already forgotten the content of the nightmare. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and was still a little dazed. She found a talisman, stuck it on her forehead, and went back to sleep.

She could see through people’s hearts, see the scenery of a person’s state of mind, such as the bloody storms in the old chef Zhu Lian’s heart, where only a tall building stood, or the deep pools of Cui Dongshan, where golden books were scattered on the shore.

She had a biggest secret hidden in her heart that she had not even told her master, Chen Ping An.
She only needed to look at Chen Ping’an with her heart, and she would feel as if she were in a small well, looking up at what seemed like a lamp placed at the wellhead, a small beacon of light. This should have been the very thing to warm and attract a timid soul like her, one who feared ghosts and darkness. Yet, just like many times in Lotus Root Paradise, she would look up at the scorching sun in the sky, her eyes burning, tears streaming down. But each time, forgetting the pain once the wound had healed, she couldn’t help but look up again.

When she looked down, she saw a shimmering moon reflected on the water’s surface at the bottom of the well. Further down, vaguely discernible, seemed to be a dragon swimming, something that should have been terrifying, yet she felt an inexplicable closeness to it.

The well in her Master’s heart, the water within was rising.

Perhaps one day, the moon in the water would meet the lamp at the wellhead.

Pei Qian, sound asleep, subconsciously placed her hand on her chest. There, nestled close to her skin, was a small brocade pouch that Cui Dongshan had given her, saying that if her Master was ever deeply hurt or very angry, she should take it out and give it to him.

Chen Ping’an didn’t sleep all night.

On a whim, he decided not to linger in the Violet Sun Prefecture. He wanted to set off at once, so he asked Zhu Lian to inform the steward, as a way of saying goodbye to Wu Yi.

Unexpectedly, Prefect Huang Chu hurried over, earnestly pleading with Chen Ping’an to stay. He said that if Chen Ping’an left the Violet Sun Prefecture just like that, he, the Prefect, could resign in shame. No matter what, Chen Ping’an had to stay for another day or two so that he could have someone take Chen Ping’an to see the sights around the Violet Sun Prefecture. He also told Chen Ping’an that the Ancestral Founder, Yuan Jun, had already gone to Cold Food River, but before leaving, she had declared that when Chen Ping’an and his party left the Violet Sun Prefecture, they could each choose an item from the first to fourth floors of the Violet Qi Palace’s Treasure Repository as a farewell gift from the Violet Sun Prefecture. If Chen Ping’an refused to accept it, then fine, he, the Prefect, would choose four of the most precious items and smash them on the spot in front of Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an was increasingly unable to guess what Wu Yi was up to.

This kind of shameless, over-the-top hospitality was too unreasonable. Even Wei Bo wouldn’t have such a great privilege.

Chen Ping’an naturally wanted to leave this place of trouble immediately. He didn’t care if Huang Chu smashed four treasures. First, there was Wu Yi offering unsolicited favors, and then there was Lady Xiao Luan visiting at night, knocking on the door. Chen Ping’an had a psychological shadow about this Violet Sun Prefecture.

But Huang Chu seemed to have anticipated this. He didn’t care about losing face at all, and he even imitated the shameless attitude of his Ancestral Founder, saying that whether he, Huang Chu, could continue to be the Prefect depended entirely on Chen Gongzi’s whim. Was it really so difficult to spend a day or two sightseeing and letting the Violet Sun Prefecture fulfill its duty as the host? Was Chen Gongzi just going to watch him, Huang Chu, lose his position as Prefect?

After discussing with Zhu Lian and Shi Rou, Chen Ping’an decided to meet the changing situation with a steadfast approach. He agreed to Huang Chu’s request to stay another day and see the surrounding scenery.

As a result, when the Violet Sun Prefecture sent someone to be their guide, Chen Ping’an regretted it immensely. Zhu Lian, on the other hand, was clearly gloating, not thinking it was a bad thing at all.

It turned out that the one responsible for taking Chen Ping’an and his party to see the sights was none other than Lady Xiao Luan, who had regained her elegant demeanor.

Chen Ping’an braced himself and boarded a decorated ship docked on the Iron Certificate River, sailing upstream.

In the dark of night.

The group returned to the Violet Sun Prefecture.

Wu Yi stood in the courtyard of Xiao Luan’s residence and asked with a smile, “How was it?”

Lady Xiao Luan hesitated.

Wu Yi said with displeasure, “Just speak frankly!”

Lady Xiao Luan sighed, “Along the way, no matter how much I hinted, and even after frankly expressing my admiration and affection for him, Chen Ping’an didn’t give me the time of day, and he didn’t say a word. It was only before disembarking that Chen Ping’an said two things to me.”

Wu Yi asked curiously, “Which two things?”

Lady Xiao Luan said with a wry smile, “The first sentence was, ‘Lady Xiao Luan, are you deliberately trying to kill me?'”

Wu Yi was completely baffled.

Lady Xiao Luan was somewhat uneasy, “The second sentence, Chen Ping’an said very seriously, ‘If you keep pestering me like this, I’ll punch you to death.'”

Wu Yi rubbed his temples with two fingers.

Lady Xiao Luan covered her mouth and giggled, suddenly exuding a captivating charm. Then, she composed her alluring expression, patted her chest, and said softly, “I know he wasn’t joking, so I’m really scared, but I’m also a little unconvinced. But I also know that I’m destined to miss out on a great opportunity this time.”

Lady Xiao Luan respectfully bowed to Wu Yi to apologize.

Wu Yi glanced at Lady Xiao Luan, “You know your own limits.”

Xiao Luan was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing something. She secretly glanced at Wu Yi’s tall and slightly thin figure and quickly withdrew her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed.

Wu Yi said angrily, “That Chen Ping’an is just blind!”

Zhu Lian had been secretly laughing, standing with Chen Ping’an on the corridor on the fourth floor.

Zhu Lian couldn’t help but laugh out loud, asking, “Young Master, what do you think of encountering such a nonsensical stroke of good fortune?”

Chen Ping’an said with a dark face, “The martial world is dangerous!”