(May joy and peace fill your new year!)

Shadows danced, painting the very air with emerald hues.

Moments before, Yu Shiwu and Ma Yanshan had each dreamt a singular dream. Yu Shiwu dreamt he was a butterfly of Lacquer Garden, ensnared within a spider’s silken prison, regretting his emergence from the chrysalis.

Ma Yanshan dreamed of a fair maiden and drunken revelry aboard a moonlit skiff, punctuated by the cry of a solitary crane traversing the river, startling him awake to find two Taoist priests in feather cloaks descending in unison.

Ma Yanshan felt he had encountered a true immortal.

He had witnessed the ritualistic displays of the family’s enshrined mages, yet in his heart, they remained mere mortals, albeit with enhanced strength and a smattering of magical arts.

One of the priests raised his horsetail whisk. “Does Fellow Daoist Yu begrudge my insistence on your prolonged stay?”

Yu Shiwu laughed freely. “I was the one who broke our agreement, blame no one but myself for Mountain Lord Chen’s subsequent judgment.”

Chen Ping’an remarked, “Had it been a wild, uncultivated hermit, such grace under fire would be nonexistent.”

Yu Shiwu smiled, pretending to miss the veiled barb.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze to Ma Yanshan. “Ma Kuxuan’s choice to safeguard only you from this den of resentment speaks volumes.”

Though a spendthrift, Ma Yanshan wasn’t inherently wicked. His transgressions were often absurd rather than malicious, his hands and heart relatively clean.

As scions of privilege go, he wasn’t remarkable, simply refraining from actions that cried to the heavens. Yet, amidst the depravity of Usha Lane’s Ma clan, Ma Yanshan became an anomaly, proving that one’s character, like wine, is best appreciated with a contrasting companion.

Recalling Yu Shiwu’s prior address, “Mountain Lord Chen?” comprehension dawned. “Are you Chen Ping’an?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “I am.”

Hearing this unwelcome truth was strangely grounding. What fortune brings, or ill, can be escaped by none. “Where are we?” Ma Yanshan asked.

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “Beside the road to Handan, where fame and fortune clash. Upon a blue porcelain pillow, in a Yellow Millet Dream. Truth and illusion reside within you; I hold the reins.”

Ma Yanshan was bewildered.

Yu Shiwu offered clarity. “We exist within Mountain Lord Chen’s Heart-World. What we see can be both real and imagined, its nature dictated by Mountain Lord Chen’s will.”

“Does Mountain Lord Chen seek vengeance upon my family? Am I the first to be punished?”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “You lack the significance. I seek Yu Shiwu, the covenant breaker. Ma Yanshan is merely an accessory.”

Yu Shiwu questioned, “Does bringing down retribution upon their door feel insufficient to avenge your grievances?”

Chen Ping’an replied, “Yu Shiwu, you are a remarkable individual. Your unwavering friendship with Ma Kuxuan, the counsel you offered, the risks you willingly embraced… such dedication is rare. True Martial Mountain is a noble sanctuary. Should you choose to withdraw, I would not pursue the matter further. I could even allow you to leave with Ma Yanshan. Whether he gains entry to True Martial Mountain, or seeks revenge upon me in the future… I will be candid. I care not. The choice is yours.”

Yu Shiwu smiled faintly. “In matters of friendship, I pale in comparison to Mountain Lord Chen. One who has seen those who uphold silent rules, to whom one can entrust their family and their life.”

Chen Ping’an frowned. “Still unwilling to yield?”

Yu Shiwu clasped his hands, resting them upon his knees. “The die is cast. Continued entanglement serves no purpose.”

He exhaled a wispy breath. “As an observer, may I offer a word of caution to Master Chen? Spared, Gu Can’s existence will come at a heavy price.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “Convey those sentiments to Gu Can himself. He resides within the imperial palace of Yu Xuan Kingdom. It’s along your path.”

Yu Shiwu shook his head. “I dare not.”

He would rather provoke Chen Ping’an than incur the enmity of Gu Can.

Yu Shiwu asked in a hushed tone, “Can you spare Ma Kuxuan?”

Chen Ping’an replied, “You and I both know that his fate rests upon his own decisions.”

Yu Shiwu gazed at the dissipating mist. “May I witness the fates that befall the Ma clan?”

Chen Ping’an refused. “No.”

My courtesy should not be mistaken for weakness.

Yu Shiwu persisted. “I possess some gold essence coins. Allow me to purchase a glimpse of their destinies. One coin for each.”

Chen Ping’an countered, “Your generosity is boundless. Are you aware of the sheer number of Ma clan descendants? Is this what you consider ‘some gold essence coins’?”

Yu Shiwu chuckled. “A Jade Purity Realm cultivator has little need for material possessions, hence my modest surplus.”

“What value do you find in observing these lives?”

“Master Chen and I are vastly different. You, despite your youth, have traversed countless landscapes. I, however, have spent years in isolated cultivation, rarely venturing forth. I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to witness the myriad facets of human existence. Wealth is fleeting. It cannot be carried beyond the grave. Please do not suspect ulterior motives. If you doubt my sincerity, I am willing to swear a solemn oath.”

Ma Yanshan knew that in such tales, the oath was bypassed, a sign of mutual respect. Instead, Mountain Lord Chen said plainly, “Then swear an oath.”

Yu Shiwu, indeed, made a vow to the True Martial Mountain Patriarchal Hall.

He withdrew a single gold essence coin from his sleeve and placed it on the floor between them.

Chen Ping’an nodded towards Ma Yanshan. “Since Fellow Daoist possesses such abundance, why not share the joy?”

Yu Shiwu smiled wryly and placed another coin atop the first.

The courtyard was filled with mist, and the locust tree vanished, replaced by a vision of Usha Lane. A peddler carried a shoulder pole with a charcoal brazier, crafting sugar sculptures. Another fashioned dough figurines, alongside puppet shows or shadow plays. A monk, burdened with a statue of Skanda on his back, passed through the lane, his face gaunt but his eyes clear. To Ma Yanshan, this was a mundane scene, sped up like a time-lapse, an illusion pieced together… a “pile of brocade ashes.” The scene shifted: Usha Lane, in the depths of winter. Snow swirled, and the canvas sign of a wineshop flapped in the wind. Within hung an antique cricket cage. The proprietress was a comely young widow, whom Ma Yanshan recognized as the mother of Ma Lu, a member of the younger generation most promising in martial arts. She had soaked for years in medicinal baths, training his body day after day. He had become a student of a Yu Xuan general, seeking a military career. But the woman before him was younger, her complexion dull, as if she had never been young at all. The winehouse was crowded with lowly Ma family servants, and not a one could seem to stop themselves from touching the woman’s hand or saying lewd things. One man offered to take her to the kitchen for a price of relief from her debts. When she refused, he struck her, then gave her son the same treatment. The broken woman could only hold the bleeding child and sit and watch it all.

A Taoist with a copper coin sword laughed, “Shall we continue, or shall we switch the scene?”

Yu Shiwu nodded. “Switch the scene.”

“Then settle your account first.”

Yu Shiwu turned to Ma Yanshan. “How many in that scene were Ma clan members?”

Ma Yanshan gave a number: six.

Yu Shiwu readily produced twelve coins.

“Eight, actually.”

The Taoist chuckled. “Too large a family can be a burden, even recognizing your own kin. No matter. Four coins on the house.”

A reed marsh grew by the waterside, lush and vibrant. Birds fled when someone passed, swift and green like arrows. Officials led a chain of shackled exiles along the muddy road, stumbling like insects. On the water was a three-story pleasure barge, filled with revelry. Attendants urged guests to drink, gold cups clinked, and lutes played. Someone noticed the prisoners on the shore, and a noble ordered silver to be brought so the women could pelt them. For each hit, a gold ingot would be awarded.

Yu Shiwu asked, “Ma Yanshan?”

Ma Yanshan, lost in thought, started. His expression was complex. “Two. One on the barge, one on the shore. Father and son.”

Yu Shiwu produced four more coins, saying, “Change it.”

Then: a jealous empress, in the emperor’s harem, found out that her husband had touched a maid’s hand. The next day, the emperor found the maid’s hands in a box. She had also tortured a concubine, gouging her eyes and cutting off her breasts until she died. Ma Yanshan almost threw up.

Yu Shiwu asked, “Is it always this grim?”

The Taoist said, “Some scenes are mild, but I picked these so you wouldn’t feel cheated. Next, the empress will suffer divine retribution and turn into a giant serpent, only to be smoked out of its cave and killed by a group of snake catchers. Its gall will be used for medicine. In the next life, it will be reborn a woman and die, its bones sold to fishermen to ward off the tide. An eye for an eye. As for the concubine, it has its reasons that you missed. If you want to see them, we can rewind.”

Yu Shiwu paid and Ma Yanshan said, “Switch the scene. Switch it quick.”

They wanted to make the Mas hate each other.

And some would hate themselves.

Children flew kites by a graveyard with a copse nearby.

Snow capped the mountains, their trees white. A young man hauled ice down from the mountains.

Women whispered by melon vines: “You’re pretty.” “I used to be prettier.”

Mountain peaks soared into the clouds, seemingly growing from the earth. A mountain sect resided within, its women wearing ice-crystal lotus crowns to keep cool. A genius of a cultivator fell in love with the daughter of a rival. Years later, he saw a woman’s figure and realized that it was just a crow.

Some people were just born with talent, others were not. An intelligent man was blind to the world. He always complained about how bad men were talented, and never realized what he was doing wrong. And as he continued to fail, he had to pay more for his meals. He didn’t care about women, and they didn’t care about him either.

Yu Shiwu kept paying. Stacks of coins grew.

“How? Are these scenes uninteresting? You just have to watch it all the way through.”

The Taoist asked, “Ma Yanshan, want to see what would have been your paths? Free of charge.”

Ma Yanshan was terrified, and refused.

But it couldn’t be helped. The Taoist showed them.

A young man, his pants too short, gathered old clothes.

“In the other two, you would have been a martial master with decades of power, only to die in a squabble. So it is that sword light doesn’t belong in a book with gods.”

“In the second, you would have befriended a prince and quickly gained power. Then there was a great chaos of heroes and warlords. Want to see the twist at the end? You couldn’t possibly imagine it.”

Ma Yanshan said, “Chen Ping’an, can you erase these memories?”

If everyone retained these memories, the Mas would kill each other!

The Taoist took out a bowl. “A wise man indeed.”

“Yu, are you almost done with your coin array? How much longer?”

“I was chased by the Great Ape when I was young, but I bet you don’t know about the Cai Jinjian incident.”

“To learn about formations, the Dropping Pearl Cave is best. So now, after consulting with Liu Zhimao, it’s time for you to visit the Dropping Pearl Cave so I can see the effects.”

“Yu, who gave you the courage? A Jade Purity cultivator next to a martial master?”

“This is the third time. Enough.”

The Taoist did nothing, but Yu Shiwu immediately collapsed and fell asleep.

Chen Ping’an handed Ma Yanshan a kettle of boiling water. “Pour this on the anthill.”

Ma Yanshan recoiled.

Chen Ping’an said, “Are you too merciful to pour boiling water on the ants because they are family?”

Ma Yanshan was pale.

Chen Ping’an said, “How strange. The ants aren’t this kind when they do such things.”

“In your eyes, everything exists in this world except people.”

The old woman, a Nascent Soul cultivator, couldn’t tell if she was just a helper or a helper who did nothing.

Shen Ke was lost in the capital city, killing himself over and over again. The pain was real.

Shredding Knife Zhong Chang had left. He would get what he was owed from the Mas.

Yu Qing stayed behind. They treated her like family.

Ma Chuan and Ma Bi were also experiencing their own fates.

Their sins in this world couldn’t be washed away.

The woman scholar encountered the teacher, Jiang Gui, who told Ma Che the truth.

He was there to “enlighten” Ma Che. He hadn’t imagined that he would get this kind of experience.

The observers could see what Chen Ping’an was doing.

The emperor was chasing the scholar, who was saying all kinds of things, while the emperor thought it was genius. Ma Che wanted to die.

Ma Che then saw Chen Ping’an and felt even more terrified. He soiled himself.

Chen Ping’an asked, “What do you think? Will Ma Che ever find success, and what will it be like?”

Jiang Gui said, “He will become a great official and won’t be too bad of a person.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “Jiang Gui isn’t your real name, is it?”

The ghost scholar replied, “My real name is Guan Kui. I joined a small sect and severed ties with the mundane world. Later, my disciples offended someone they shouldn’t have, and I was killed by a sword cultivator. I fled to Shujian Lake, but Chen Zhimiao was dead. Since Liu Laochan wasn’t there, I decided to join him, which was a mistake. Oh well, now I’m part of True Realm Sect.”

He was saying too much, but he was afraid of offending the sword cultivator.

Chen Ping’an said, “Each family has its own problems.”

Guan Kui said, “I have never done evil in the Ma household.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “We’re in the same line of work.”

Guan Kui didn’t understand.

“But you’re not a good teacher. The only two you raised to success were Ma Chuan and Ma Bi.”

“Chen Mountain Lord is right.”

“Was your master surnamed Jiang, and your sect had the word Gui, so you chose the name Jiang Gui? You’re still attached to the past.”

Guan Kui sighed. “Chen Mountain Lord knows so much that he even knows my sect.”

Huang Lie, the state preceptor, came to the palace doors and looked at the Confucian in the palace.

He didn’t recognize the man, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to be there.

The man looked up.

Huang Lie asked, “Are you a guest of the Fallen Mountain?”

Gu Can shook his head. “I’m not good enough to be a guest of the Fallen Mountain.”

Huang Lie asked, “What are you doing here?”

Gu Can said, “Are you here to tell me to leave?”

Huang Lie laughed. “Take your time. Have a snack.”

Gu Can touched a pillar and said, “I haven’t even seen gold before.”

Huang Lie stood outside the doors and let Gu Can do whatever he wanted.

Gu Can turned around. “Speaking of food, I know that the emperor eats organs and such. Don’t you people think that’s insulting?”

The old man chuckled. “This is the first time I’m hearing of this.”

If he were somewhere else, Huang Lie would buy this man a meal.

“Why are you working here? Isn’t it better in the south?”

“Some countries have offered a good price, but the Xues are paying the most.”

Outside the Ma Clan Ancestral Hall.

Ma Kuxuan asked, “Chen Ping’an, will we fight to the death, or will we warm up first? The Jade Purity Realm vs an Immortal isn’t impossible. A peak martial master has a good chance. And at the end, we’ll both do our best?”

Since the other person remained silent, as if looking at a fool, Ma Kuxuan said, “Don’t trust me? Afraid that I’ll use a killer move in the first round?”

“You think too little of Ma Kuxuan. What I say is more useful than a cultivator’s oath.”

“Chen Ping’an, you like to copy, right? Are you going to let this good chance go to waste?”

Chen Ping’an was wearing a red robe and smiled. “What Ma Kuxuan? You should be called Ma Xuan.”

Ma Kuxuan’s face turned dark.

Chen Ping’an said, “I trust her enough to know that she had nothing to do with it.”

Ma Kuxuan grinned. “I trust you. We’re the same.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Ma Kuxuan, your mouth is so nasty. I can’t copy that.”

Ma Kuxuan grinned. “Chen Ping’an, let me tell you my true feelings. The Dropping Pearl Cave has enough room for the two of us. If not for the debt that we have to pay, wouldn’t it be good to have two Tier 14s in this small space?”

Chen Ping’an, wearing a red robe, started a boxing stance. “The boxing technique is called Dragon Walking the Canal. Be careful.”

Ma Kuxuan frowned.

Chen Ping’an said, “Winning three rounds or five rounds are the same. So it’s fine to skip the process.”