Chen Pingan was very familiar with that kind of gaze, identical to how he had looked at Liu Xianyang when he was a child. Back then, Liu Xianyang was the king of the kids in Apricot Blossom Lane and Mud Bottle Lane, catching snakes, trapping birds, and scooping up fish. It seemed there was nothing Liu Xianyang couldn’t do. Later, some of the peers who had followed behind Liu Xianyang as his lackeys went to the dragon kilns as apprentices. More of them scattered into the various general stores in the small town as shop assistants, or helped relatives manage accounts. As Song Jixin had said, only the most useless people would toil in the fields. In the end, only Chen Pingan was left still hanging out with Liu Xianyang.

Chen Pingan threaded the three stone slab fish he was giving to the young girl with a few strands of foxtail grass through their gills, then handed them to her. She took the string of fish and hefted it. It was a little light, and she didn’t think it would be enough for a dish of green peppers stir-fried with fish. She tilted her head and glanced at the small stream pool, full of anticipation. Chen Pingan understood and said apologetically, “The fish I catch next, I need to make soup for a friend to nourish their body. I can’t give them to you.”

The young girl pointed to the opened package not far away, indicating she could use those pastries to trade for fish. Chen Pingan shook his head and smiled, “No, the pastries are delicious and can fill your stomach, but they aren’t as nourishing as fish soup.”

The young girl nodded, not pressing the issue. She silently sat back down in her original spot, carefully placed the fish at her feet, and then continued her “sitting and eating her way to emptiness” undertaking.

Although Chen Pingan was curious about her identity, he didn’t ask too many questions. Judging from her clothes and appearance, she didn’t seem like a young lady from Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Lane. Instead, she was somewhat like Zhi Gui, the girl next door, delicate and quiet, and not fond of talking. Chen Pingan suddenly worried that she might be a little maid who had stolen something from home to eat. He had heard that the rules in those big mansions were very strict. Liu Xianyang and Song Jixin always liked to say the opposite of what they meant, except on this matter. However, Liu Xianyang’s version was very frightening, saying that maids and servants in those mansions with high walls would have their legs broken by the steward, who had eyes as sharp as a snake-catching eagle, and be thrown outside the walls to die if they even walked incorrectly. Song Jixin said that Liu Xianyang was exaggerating, that it wasn’t that extreme, but that the maids and matrons in those wealthy households did walk like cats, making not a sound. At that time, Liu Xianyang caught sight of the maid Zhi Gui secretly enjoying herself, and immediately became angry, scolding Song Jixin for being an idiot. What goose? Can your goose talk?

Chen Pingan finally caught seven or eight stone slab fish. The bamboo basket was swaying from their movements, and the pale-faced boy knew he was almost at his limit. The spring water was cold, the kind that chilled to the bone. The main reason, of course, was that his injured left hand couldn’t take it. After Chen Pingan’s last trip ashore, he quickly jumped down the green stone cliff and plunged into the grass by the stream, making a rustling sound. Before long, he pulled out three or four kinds of grass, many of the roots still covered in soil, holding a large handful in his palm. He picked up an ordinary stone, returned to the stone cliff, found a natural small pit about the size of his palm, wiped it clean, and began to gently pound the herbs. Soon, it turned into a clump of green paste, the juice emitting the unique fragrance of wild grass from the spring waterside.

With his back to the young girl, Chen Pingan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and began to unwrap the cotton cloth from his left hand. Sweat quickly beaded on his forehead, immediately coating the cold stream water that had slipped from his hair. The bloody, mangled wound, though better than before the bandage, when the bone was visible, was still shocking to look at. Chen Pingan hadn’t thought his left hand would touch the stream water when he came, so he hadn’t prepared cotton strips. All he had been thinking about was making money with the snake gallstones and catching fish for soup. At that moment, he realized he had made a big mistake. The boy was a little dazed when suddenly a hand appeared before him, holding several dry, clean strips of cloth. It turned out that the girl in green had torn off a section of her sleeve at some point. Chen Pingan smiled ruefully, not bothering to be polite with the young girl. After smearing the herbal medicine on the wound in his palm, he brought it close to his mouth, bit down on one end, and used his right hand to tighten it, wrapping it around the back of his hand twice before tying it off. The series of movements were orderly, like a butterfly dancing around a branch, dazzling to onlookers.

After bandaging it, Chen Pingan slowly raised his right arm to wipe the sweat from his face. Both arms were trembling uncontrollably.

The young girl in green, crouching nearby, gave Chen Pingan a thumbs up, her face full of admiration.

Chen Pingan pointed to his eyes with his right finger and said with a wry smile, “Actually, it hurt so much that tears came out.”

The young girl turned her head and glanced at the large bamboo basket and green bamboo fish basket that the boy had woven himself, looking puzzled.

Chen Pingan looked embarrassed. “Those stones can make money, and catching fish is also important.”

The young girl was confused, but still didn’t speak, her eyes somewhat vacant as she turned her head and stared blankly at the sparkling stream.

The babbling stream lapped against the rocks exposed above the water, making a gurgling sound.

At that moment, the stars were brilliant, the天地 were silent, and the mortal realm seemed to consist of only a young boy and girl.

Chen Pingan’s body gradually calmed down. His rapid breathing began to slow down unconsciously, turning long and continuous.

It was like a small stream turning from a flash flood to a trickle in the spring and autumn droughts.

This subtle transformation was something the boy himself didn’t notice, natural and effortless.

Chen Pingan knew that he was soaked and couldn’t be exposed to the cold spring wind for too long. He had to hurry back to town to change his clothes. The boy naturally didn’t understand the health and medical theories in books, but he was more afraid of getting sick than anything else in his life. He had long cultivated a keen intuition for the changing seasons and his body’s adaptation. So he quickly put on his straw sandals, tied the fish basket around his waist, shouldered the basket, waved to the girl in green, and smiled, “I’m leaving. You should go home early too, miss.”

As Chen Pingan walked down the stone cliff, he couldn’t help but turn his head and remind her, “The water is especially deep near the covered bridge. Be careful not to slip. When you go home, it’s best to stay on the side near the rice paddies. Even if you fall, a little mud is better than falling into the stream…”

As Chen Pingan spoke, he suddenly realized that what he was saying was a bit ominous, not like good wishes, but rather like the kind of cursed nonsense that Aunt Gu Can from Mud Bottle Lane was best at. Chen Pingan quickly shut his mouth, stopped nagging, and quickened his pace, running north towards the town.

The basket was very heavy.

But the boy in straw sandals was extraordinarily happy.

After untangling that knot in his heart that had been almost impossible to undo, Chen Pingan felt for the first time that he needed to live well, to live a good life.

For example, to have money!

To be able to afford Spring Festival couplets with a unique scent of ink, colorful door gods, to be able to eat meat buns from Aunt Mao’s shop, and it would be best to buy a cow, and be able to raise a brood of chickens like Song Jixin next door…

The young girl in green was still diligently “digging for treasure”, with a serious and solemn expression. Every time she picked up a new pastry, it was like facing a life-or-death enemy.

She was struggling with a piece of peach blossom cake when she suddenly stiffened, realizing something was wrong. But instead of running away, she opened her mouth wide and swallowed most of the cake whole, then clapped her hands and sat there, resigned to her fate.

A man had appeared at some unknown time, not tall, but giving off a sense of solid reliability. Yet, one wouldn’t mistake him for a villager or peasant, because the man’s gaze was too piercing, making people afraid to look directly at him.

The man looked at the tattered package that was now just a “mountain foot”, his face full of helplessness. He wanted to say a few words of admonishment, but he couldn’t bear to. Silently looking at his daughter’s stubborn appearance, as if she was willing to accept the punishment for her mistake, he felt even more heartache. It was as if he was the one who had made the mistake.

The man really wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, like, “Daughter, if you’re hungry, just eat at the thatched cottage in the sword furnace. After you’re done, I’ll go to town tomorrow to buy you more.”

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and the inherently introverted man couldn’t bring himself to say them. It was as if each word weighed a thousand pounds, pressing down on his tongue, and he didn’t know how to comfort his daughter.

At that moment, the man felt that he was not as capable as that boy in straw sandals. At least his daughter wouldn’t be so nervous around him.

The young girl in green suddenly raised her head and asked, “Dad, why didn’t you take him as an apprentice back then?”

His daughter’s initiative to speak made the man feel relieved.

Although the man kept a straight face, he sat down beside his daughter and explained, “That child has a good acquired nature, but his natural talent is too poor. Even if Dad took him in, he would quickly be distanced by his fellow disciples. No matter how hard he tried, he could only watch the gap widen. If there was another Liu senior brother, why bother?”

The young girl’s face darkened, whether because she heard the words “Liu senior brother” or because of the encounter with the boy in straw sandals.

The man hesitated for a moment, but decided not to hide it, lest she be led astray or ruin the Saint’s plan. “Furthermore, this boy is too ordinary. In a small town, that actually makes him special. Xiu’er, you probably don’t know, this child’s natal porcelain was shattered long ago, so he’s become like a wandering ghost, not protected by his ancestors’ blessings. At the same time, there will be all sorts of subtle strange things happening. That’s why Song Jixin and that woman chose to be his neighbors. Otherwise, with Song Jixin’s status, wouldn’t he even be able to live in Fortune Street? Obviously, that’s impossible.”

The young girl thought about it seriously. “Dad, are you saying he’s a bit like bait?”

The man touched her head. “Almost.”

Then he smiled. “If our father and daughter weren’t the least concerned about external things, opportunities, and fate among all the sword cultivators in the world, maybe Dad would have kept him by our side to see if he could bring you some benefits.”

The young girl was a little sullen and in a bad mood.

The man sighed. “Xiu’er, Dad’s words may be rough, but they’re true. Don’t think they’re unpleasant.”

The young girl still looked listless, unable to cheer up.

The man thought for a while, then pointed to the covered bridge in the distance, which looked like a black dragon lying across the stream. “The construction of that covered bridge was a grand undertaking that cost the Dali Dynasty countless efforts, all just to suppress that inconspicuous iron sword. Just imagine, three thousand years later, a masterless sword with a shattered and nearly depleted primordial spirit still requires a dynasty to pay such a huge price just to suppress its remaining power. What they seek is only to let it rest for a moment…”

The young girl said “oh” and drooped her head, her eyes constantly glancing at the “mountain foot”, distractedly agreeing, “Impressive, impressive.”

The man was amused and annoyed, rubbing his forehead.

Eating is the most important thing in the world.

But his wife wasn’t like that. So whose personality did their daughter inherit?

The man patted his daughter’s shoulder gently. “Dad’s going to see someone. You can eat slowly, no one will snatch it from you.”

The young girl suddenly raised her head, grabbed the man’s arm. On her wrist was a scarlet bracelet, shining brightly, in the shape of a dragon with its head and tail connected.

It was like a lively little fire dragon wrapped around the young girl’s wrist.

The man was gratified. “At least you still have some conscience. Alright, don’t worry, Dad’s going to see Mr. Qi.”

The young girl released her hand and immediately grabbed a pastry, wolfing it down.

The man’s anger flared up. He had painstakingly endured until now, finally unable to stop himself from muttering, “Eat, eat, eat! That Liu kid deserves a beating, but he’s not wrong. Sooner or later, you’ll eat yourself into a fat pig! Who will dare to marry you then? Does Dad have to find a son-in-law for you?”

The young girl stopped eating, holding the pastry with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes.

The man fled in panic, slapping himself after turning his back on his daughter.

It was always like this, a complete failure.

—

Late at night, Chen Pingan ran all the way back to Liu Xianyang’s house. When he unlocked the door, he could hear the guy snoring like thunder.

He had a big heart.

If it were Chen Pingan, he definitely wouldn’t sleep peacefully tonight.

First, he put the basket and fish basket in the kitchen built in the courtyard. He went to the right wing room that Liu Xianyang had given him, quickly changed his clothes, and then returned to the courtyard kitchen, where he began to deal with the stone slab fish, gutting them and washing them clean. He placed them in a clean porcelain dish, covered with another dish to prevent snakes, rats, and insects from being attracted.

Chen Pingan also picked out five or six of the most eye-catching snake gallstones from the basket and moved them to his wing room where he slept.

Before, he took a quick look at the long sword that Miss Ning had placed on the cabinet. It was still lying there quietly.

After doing all this, Chen Pingan was finally able to lie in bed, his body gradually warming up, but the boy’s eyes were shining brightly.

On the one hand, his left hand was stinging, and on the other hand, he wasn’t sleepy.

But the real reason was that Chen Pingan knew more than Liu Xianyang about the “unreasonable” ways of those outsiders.

The boy didn’t dare to fall asleep.

So Chen Pingan didn’t sleep all night, always paying attention to the movements at the courtyard door and the room door.

At dawn, Chen Pingan got up and came to the kitchen, picked up the carrying pole, and prepared to go to the iron lock well in Apricot Blossom Lane to carry two buckets of water back.

Sleepy-eyed Liu Xianyang hid in the bed, only his head exposed. After hearing a slight noise, he mumbled sleepily, “Chen Pingan, up so early? What are you doing?”

Chen Pingan said irritably, “Carrying water!”

Liu Xianyang called out again, “If you see Zhi Gui, say hello for me.”

Chen Pingan was too lazy to pay attention to this guy.

Just as he was about to walk out of the small courtyard, Chen Pingan suddenly heard Liu Xianyang say, “Chen Pingan, if you’re willing to help, I’ll help you find stones in the pit later!”

Chen Pingan smiled brightly. “Alright!”

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes, even pulling his head into the quilt, muttering, “Ungrateful guy, knew this trick would work.”

—

On the stone steps of the covered bridge, a middle-aged scholar sat alone, sitting there until dawn.

When the first ray of dawn appeared in the cyan sky, he looked up and smiled softly, “A thousand years of darkness, one lamp brings light.”