Outside a house in Mud Bottle Lane, a boisterous child, with a snotty nose, was kicking the door fiercely, cursing and spitting, “Chen Ping’an! If you don’t come out, I’ll find someone to kill you and smash all your junk! I know you’re at home, busy with what? Could it be with Song Jixin’s little wife, doing *that* with Zhigui? In broad daylight, don’t you even consider Song Jixin’s feelings? Fine, you won’t come out, huh? I’m leaving, I’m really leaving! Once I leave, you can forget about ever seeing me again. All my treasures, I was thinking of leaving them to you, Chen Ping’an! Come out!”

For some unknown reason, the child’s voice cracked with a hint of a sob towards the end, and he sucked the two snot strings back into his nostrils with a loud *thwack*.

Gu Can suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head and quickly turned around. Upon seeing that familiar face, the child burst out cursing, “Chen Ping’an! You son of a…”

The straw sandal-wearing teenager’s expression wasn’t pleasant. Gu Can quickly changed his tune, adding smoothly, “Is your health alright?”

The transition was seamless, a natural and artful change of course.

Accustomed to this rascal’s callousness, Chen Ping’an, holding a new pottery jar, replied irritably, “How would you not know if I’m doing well?”

Gu Can, remembering his business, grabbed Chen Ping’an and dragged him to the gate. He then stuffed two exquisitely embroidered pouches into Chen Ping’an’s hands and asked in a lowered voice, “Remember that little loach I asked you for last year?”

Chen Ping’an was bewildered. He recognized the heavy pouches, having received a similar bag of copper coins after the brocade-clad youth forcefully bought the golden carp. He glanced around, seeing no one on either end of Mud Bottle Lane, and quickly opened the gate, pulling Gu Can into the yard. Placing the pottery jar aside, he asked directly, “Did some out-of-towner want to buy that loach, didn’t they?! Gu Can, I’m warning you, don’t sell it! Don’t sell it for anything! Aren’t you wanting to give your mother a good life? You have to keep that loach, understand?!”

Gu Can burst into tears, grabbing Chen Ping’an’s sleeve and choking out, “I wanted to return the loach to you, but my mother wouldn’t let me. She even slapped me! She’s never hit me before! And that storyteller, I don’t know if he’s a god or a ghost, he’s so scary. First he took me to the White Bowl restaurant, then the loach suddenly became huge, much bigger and thicker than our water vat…”

Chen Ping’an clapped a hand over the child’s mouth, his face serious, and he stared intensely, “The loach is yours, since I gave it to you! Gu Can, do you still want to give your mother a good life? To eat meat every day, use rouge and powder, buy those smooth and silky clothes?”

Gu Can sniffled and nodded vigorously.

Chen Ping’an let go of his mouth, squatted down, and asked, “Where did those two bags of money come from? Did you steal them?”

Gu Can’s eyes darted around, and just as he was about to lie, Chen Ping’an, knowing him too well, gave him a sharp rap on the head. “Take them back!”

Gu Can’s stubborn temper flared, “I won’t!”

Chen Ping’an, his face turning ashen with anger, raised his hand to deliver a genuine blow, but seeing the child’s unyielding expression, he softened, lowering his tone, and asked, “What really happened? Tell me.”

Gu Can then recounted the entire story. Despite being a pest, he was clever and quick-witted, explaining everything clearly, from the old locust tree to the iron-chained well, and the storyteller’s offer to take him as a disciple, leaving no detail untouched. Chen Ping’an now understood the situation, deducing that Gu Can was one of the blessed individuals in the town who had received the ancestral grace of the locust leaf. Whether it was due to the auspicious smoke rising from his ancestral grave, or the fate and fortune that Master Qi and Taoist Lu spoke of, Gu Can was likely going to be taken away from the town by that storyteller. But thinking of the River-Cutting True Lord, Liu Zhimao, Chen Ping’an’s heart tightened. According to Master Qi, this person was of low character and wanted to eliminate Chen Ping’an, even resorting to celestial powers to frame him and Cai Jinjian. Was it truly a good thing for Gu Can to acknowledge such a person as his master? However, on the other hand, since this person was willing to take Gu Can as a disciple, rather than swindle, deceive, or force a transaction, did it perhaps mean Gu Can was not in immediate danger?

The mischievous child’s eyes flickered. Taking advantage of Chen Ping’an’s contemplation, he suddenly grabbed the two pouches of money from Chen Ping’an’s hands and threw them into the house before turning to flee.

But Chen Ping’an grabbed him by the collar, yanking him back to his original spot.

Gu Can covered his head with both hands, looking pitiful.

Although Chen Ping’an had forcibly brought the child back, he hesitated, unsure of what to do. The matter was significant, and he was afraid of making a mistake that would harm Gu Can and his mother.

If it were only his own affair, this friendless straw sandal-wearing youth would have been much more decisive.

The black-clad girl had, without anyone noticing, gotten out of bed and was standing behind the doorway, “My mother once said, everyone has their own fate. This child looks like he’ll live a long life despite being a troublemaker, and he’ll never lack good luck.”

Gu Can’s eyes lit up. He quickly wiped away the snot from his nose, grinned, revealing his missing teeth, and ingratiatingly said, “Sister, you’re so pretty, you look exactly like my second sister! This place is too small, want to come sit at my house?”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “When did your mother remarry your father?”

Exposed, the child rolled his eyes, changed his expression and tone, and clicked his tongue. “Chen Ping’an, you’re doing well! When did you bring a wife home? Are you having a wedding party? It’s a pity I can’t make it. Otherwise, I would definitely squat at the corner of the wall and listen to you two fighting like gods in bed…”

Chen Ping’an slapped the back of Gu Can’s head and apologized to the girl in black, “He’s always like this, don’t be angry.”

The girl glanced at the child, “What a brat!”

Just as Gu Can was about to unleash his family’s talent, he noticed the hand on his head and subtly increased the pressure, immediately becoming listless and weak, “Sister, you’re so beautiful, whatever you say is right.”

The girl in black ignored the child and turned to Chen Ping’an, her words carrying a deeper meaning. “You’d better accept those two bags of copper coins to avoid becoming enemies later. Besides, if this child achieves success in cultivation in the future, if you don’t let him have some peace of mind today, it could destabilize his cultivation heart, allowing external demons to take advantage of him.”

Gu Can liked those words, giving the sister a thumbs up, “Long hair, long insights, definitely more reliable than some little lady next door!”

The girl in black raised an eyebrow, actually accepting the compliment with pleasure.

In the distance of Mud Bottle Lane, an angry roar, filled with urgency, sounded, “Gu Can!”

The child’s face turned pale, “I’m leaving, I’m leaving, Chen Ping’an, I’m leaving!”

Although he said he was leaving, the child didn’t realize that his fingers were gripping Chen Ping’an’s tighter.

Perhaps subconsciously, Gu Can had already regarded Chen Ping’an as his only family besides his mother.

Chen Ping’an led the child out of the yard, squatted down, and whispered, “Gu Can, remember to be careful of your master. Also, take care of your mother. You’re a man now, your mother can only rely on you from now on, don’t always worry her.”

Gu Can nodded.

Chen Ping’an added, “When you’re out there, do more and talk less. Control that mouth of yours. If you suffer some losses, so be it. Don’t always think about getting a verbal advantage. People out there aren’t like us, they hold grudges.”

The child’s eyes reddened, contradicting him, “People here hold grudges too, it’s just you who don’t.”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but smile, at a loss for words.

Chen Ping’an suddenly startled awake and asked sternly, “Gu Can, did you get a locust leaf?”

If not, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t believe that Gu Can had received a celestial opportunity. Perhaps the storyteller’s arrival was simply a death warrant.

Hearing this, the child became angry, and with a *whoosh*, pulled a handful of them from his pocket, cursing habitually, “I don’t know which damned bastard secretly stuffed so many broken leaves into my pocket. I only discovered it when I was sneaking out of the house to hide the two bags of money. It’s either Zhao Xiaopang or that little girl, Liu Mei! If my mother sees them when she’s doing the laundry, she’ll scold me again for being so thoughtless! It’s a good thing I’m leaving soon, otherwise I’d secretly throw stones into their outhouse…”

The child cursed with gusto. Chen Ping’an was initially dumbfounded, then relieved. Seeing the child about to throw them on the ground, he quickly stopped him, his expression serious, “Gu Can, keep them safe! You must keep them safe! If possible, don’t even let your mother see these locust leaves, it could be for her own good.”

The child was bewildered, but still nodded, “Okay.”

Chen Ping’an let out a long breath, muttering to himself, “Now I can really rest assured.”

Gu Can suddenly leaned forward, vigorously bumping his forehead against Chen Ping’an’s head, sobbing, “Sorry!”

Chen Ping’an rubbed his small head, laughing and scolding, “Silly!”

Gu Can suddenly whispered something in his ear.

Chen Ping’an was stunned.

The child turned and ran, waving as he jogged away, “That old man said he’s taking my mother and me to a place called Green Gorge Island in Shujian Lake. If you ever become so poor that you can’t even afford a wife, come find me. Not to brag, but I can get you seventeen or eighteen women of Zhigui’s caliber!”

Chen Ping’an stood there, nodding.

He also felt a little sad.

After all, Gu Can was like his little brother, and Chen Ping’an was willing to give in to him in everything.

The straw sandal-wearing youth stared blankly at the child’s receding figure.

His life was always like this. Those he truly cared about seemed impossible to keep by his side.

The youth in Mud Bottle Lane grinned.

Heaven was quite stingy.

The door of the neighboring courtyard opened softly, and the maid Zhigui walked out. She was graceful and slender, like a lotus flower in a pond.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Did you hear what Gu Can said about you?”

She blinked her long, limpid eyes and said, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. Anyway, I can’t win an argument with those two.”

Chen Ping’an was a little embarrassed and had to say something good about that rascal Gu Can, trying to smooth things over, “Actually, he’s not bad at heart, it’s just that his words are a little harsh.”

Zhigui twitched her lips expressionlessly, “I don’t know whether Gu Can is good or bad, but I’m certain that his widowed mother is no pushover.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what to say, so he copied her and pretended he didn’t hear anything either.

She suddenly asked a strange question, “Chen Ping’an, do you really not regret it?”

Chen Ping’an was stunned, “What?”

Seeing that he wasn’t pretending to be foolish, Zhigui sighed, turned around, and returned to the courtyard, closing the wooden door.

With his excellent eyesight, Chen Ping’an remained standing in the lane, finally seeing the door of Gu Can’s house open in the distance, and three people walked out. The mother and son each carried large and small bags, slowly walking towards the other end of Mud Bottle Lane.

Chen Ping’an even clearly saw the storyteller turn his head, glance at him, and smile with amusement.

After the three figures disappeared at the end of the alley, Chen Ping’an returned to his own courtyard and saw that the girl in black was already able to sit on the doorstep by herself.

Was her body made of iron?

Chen Ping’an first placed the jade hairpin given by Master Qi and the two bags of copper coins from Gu Can on the table. Then, he began to boil water, grab medicine, and decoct it, showing a familiarity that didn’t seem like he was a kiln worker, but rather like a shop assistant who had been working in a pharmacy for many years.

The girl in black was a little puzzled, but she didn’t ask. Bored, she got up and came to the table, thought for a moment, and then took out the money bag that Chen Ping’an had hidden in the belly of a jar.

After she sat down, three bags of money and a jade hairpin were placed on the table, as well as a spiritual long sword that was “hiding” in the corner.

Chen Ping’an didn’t stop her from taking the money, but turned to warn, “The jade hairpin was given to me by Master Qi, Miss Ning, please be careful.”

Perhaps afraid that the girl wouldn’t be careful, Chen Ping’an blushingly reminded, “Really, be careful.”

The girl rolled her eyes.

Three bags of gold essence copper coins, Welcoming Spring coins, Offering coins, and Warding coins, quite coincidentally, were all present.

The girl rested her chin on one hand and used the fingers of the other hand to play with the three copper coins, casually asking, “How’s your situation? Can you tell me about it?”

Chen Ping’an squatted by the base of the wall near the window, carefully watching the heat, occasionally checking the three prescriptions. Hearing the question, he asked, “Is it appropriate to talk about it?”

The girl frowned, “You’ve fallen to such a miserable state, are you still worried that I’ll be silenced after hearing your secrets? Chen Ping’an, I’m telling you, I advise you not to leave this town for the rest of your life, otherwise you won’t even know how you died.”

The girl pitied his misfortune and was angry at his lack of ambition.

Even if a youth with such an inflexible personality was a powerful sword immortal with both Arhat’s golden body and Heavenly Sovereign’s magic, if he were thrown into her hometown, he would definitely die within a year, and even his bones wouldn’t remain.

The straw sandal-wearing youth chuckled, “Then I’ll tell you?”

The girl used three fingers to press down on the three copper coins, smearing them on the table, “Say it or don’t, I don’t care.”

Chen Ping’an then told the girl about the events before Master Qi appeared, and selectively told her some things about the events that followed.

After hearing this, the girl said calmly, “That River-Cutting True Lord, Liu Zhimao, is obviously the main culprit, but Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua are also no good. If Master Qi hadn’t come along and stirred things up, even if you ran to the ends of the earth, you wouldn’t escape the encirclement and capture of the three factions. To put it bluntly, killing you would be very easy. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re in the town, not to mention Liu Zhimao, even that woman from Cloudglow Mountain could crush you to dust with a finger.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “I know.”

The girl said angrily, “You know shit!”

Chen Ping’an didn’t refute and continued to decoct the medicine.

She asked, “You’re having this calamity entirely because of that loach. Why don’t you tell that child the truth?”

This time, Chen Ping’an didn’t remain silent, nor did he turn his head. Sitting on the small stool, he looked down at the bluish-red flames and said softly, “That’s not right.”

The girl wanted to say something but stopped, finally looking at the thin back and sighing, “Then do you know that if your fists aren’t hard enough, no one will care about whether you’re right or wrong?”

The youth shook his head, “Regardless of whether others listen or not, the truth is the truth.”

He seemed a little uncertain, so he turned his head and asked with a smile, “Right?”

The girl glared at him, “Right my ass!”

The youth sheepishly turned back and continued to cook the medicine.

The girl in black, the out-of-town girl named Ning Yao, picked up the jade hairpin and stared intently at it, discovering a line of small characters engraved on it.

She glanced at the youth named Chen Ping’an.

There were eight characters on the hairpin, and even the girl, who only had a smattering of literary knowledge, found them extremely moving.

*”I think of the gentleman, warm as jade.”*