After that ruckus, the sycophantic ship owner immediately came running over, claiming to have prepared the finest private room on the second floor for the esteemed guests, saying it would be an honor to have even a donkey brought up, as it would bring glory to his humble vessel. There were also some wealthy patrons who had come to admire them, mostly bearing knives instead of swords, clearly looking to curry favor. Chen Ping An wasn’t good at handling such situations, so Lin Shiyi stepped forward to politely decline them. After all, he had grown up in the Supervisor’s Office and possessed a certain eloquence and poise, refusing them in a way that still left those people beaming with joy as they departed.

The swordsman whom the old man had called “White Whale” was a somewhat famous wandering cultivator in the southern part of Dali. His sword was a genuine magical artifact called Lingxu, a divine weapon from the Daoist talisman lineage. Legend had it that a wandering sage who had come down from the mountains to cultivate his mind had passed away and dissolved into nothingness in the wilderness, leaving behind this sword, which the white-robed swordsman had inadvertently obtained. Relying on his already impressive swordsmanship, he had comprehended the true meaning of the sword, and his name had spread far and wide ever since. However, due to his dislike for restraint, he had not been recruited by the Dali government or border army, preferring to roam the Jianghu with his sword. In the Jianghu of Dali, where dragons lurked and grandmasters emerged in great numbers, simply having one’s name remembered was already no easy feat.

Yet, he hadn’t even drawn his sword and had been toyed with from beginning to end, suffering such a humiliating defeat. It was possible that even his sword heart would be sullied and his sword intent tainted. The depth of the grass-shoe-wearing boy’s group could be gauged from this. Most of the people on the boat were knowledgeable scholars, merchants, and martial heroes, and regardless of their individual natures, there were very few fools among them.

Lin Shiyi, seeing that no one else was coming over to exchange pleasantries, rubbed his temples. The boy was feeling somewhat troubled. If he hadn’t been able to witness the green book box gradually taking shape in Chen Ping An’s hands during their brief rests, Lin Shiyi, with his naturally aloof and indifferent personality, might have lost his temper.

Chen Ping An felt a pang of sympathy and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make this book box to your satisfaction.”

Lin Shiyi sat cross-legged, looking exhausted, and uncharacteristically opened his heart, saying softly, “I really want to find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and cultivate in seclusion, caring only for my sixty years in the mountains, while a thousand years pass in the world. But A Liang said that this kind of mental cultivation is called a ‘barren tomb’. It’s feasible, but only for cultivators who have reached a certain level. I’ve only just started, and if I did that now, I’d definitely go astray, falling into unorthodox paths without even realizing it.”

Chen Ping An nodded. “Indeed, you have to be careful.”

Li Huai, resting his cheek on his hand, squatted beside them, cheerfully saying, “Lin Shiyi, maybe A Liang is just scaring you. I think Chessboard Mound is pretty good, suitable for you to become an immortal. When you’re bored, you can chat with that Earth God named Wei Bo, riding a giant turtle, or a black snake and a white python. How impressive would that be? But if you’re not going to the Great Sui with us, then leave this book box for me, okay? I can’t carry it now, but in a few years, when I’m taller and stronger, I can just exchange the small book box for a big one. I’ll remember your kindness, and when I return from studying in the Great Sui, I can just give it back to you.”

Lin Shiyi glanced sideways at Li Huai, who was hatching a little plan, and sneered, “Even if I stay on Chessboard Mound to cultivate the path of longevity, I won’t leave the book box for you.”

Li Huai said, “Oh, then you should just continue going to the Great Sui with me.”

Lin Shiyi rubbed his brow, feeling that only A Liang could handle this Li Huai.

No, Li Baoping could, and Chen Ping An seemed to be able to as well.

Was he the only one who couldn’t deal with Li Huai?

Feeling somewhat down, Lin Shiyi stared at Li Huai, making the latter feel uneasy, and quickly declared his loyalty, “What are you doing, Lin Shiyi? I really want you to go to the Great Sui with me! I’m just a little envious of your book box, I can’t help it, it’s bigger than mine. I won’t deny that. But if you really want to disembark and return to Chessboard Mound, I definitely wouldn’t be happy about it. Think about it, out of the four of us, you’re the most sanctimonious and the most full of bad ideas. In the future, if we encounter bad people who don’t have the word ‘bad’ written on their faces, like those who harbor malicious intentions, you’ll definitely be the only one who can see through them at a glance, right? Right, Chen Ping An, Li Baoping?”

Li Huai looked around, seeking help.

Chen Ping An lowered his head, focusing on crafting the book box, ignoring everything else. Li Baoping was lost in thought, pondering strange and bizarre questions, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Lin Shiyi felt a little heavy-hearted. “Do you think this trip to the Great Sui for studies will be easy? In addition to the dangers of the mountains and rivers, there will definitely be many unexpected troubles that we can’t even imagine.”

Li Huai blinked.

Lin Shiyi slowly said, “Our Dali was established through martial prowess, and the Jianghu forces are not to be underestimated. Few scholars are stripped of their titles. Before the establishment of Mr. Qi’s Cliff Academy, the entire Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent always cursed us as barbarians.”

Li Huai nodded. “I know that. Our Mr. Qi never hesitated to say these things. He’s told us about Dali’s situation before.”

Lin Shiyi sighed. “I remember when I was young, Supervisor Song once told me something. He said that in the early years, a Dali scholar finally managed to pass the exams and enter the Guanhai Academy, but he suffered all kinds of humiliation from all sides. It wasn’t just verbal abuse. According to Supervisor Song, two scholars from the Great Sui Gao Clan and the Lu Clan jointly set up a series of traps that shattered the Dali scholar’s state of mind, driving him mad. Years later, after finally regaining his sanity, he was stabbed in the back over a matter of love and then drowned himself in the lake.”

“Our Dali was enraged by this matter, and the entire country was furious. That’s what sparked the war with the Lu Dynasty, staking our national fate. You have to know that before that, Dali had always been able to endure the many difficulties and troubles imposed by the Lu Dynasty, which had once been the superior nation of Dali. Of course, the situation has changed a lot now. We have more and more scholars in Dali, and the cultivators on the mountains are also starting to descend and serve the Dali court, bravely fighting enemies on the borders.”
“This creates a brand new situation: the literati of Great Li are highly esteemed. When scholars become officials, they consider themselves superior. For example, that man who claimed to be the magistrate of Wanping County was likely sent from the capital. A proper graduate of the imperial examinations. So I’m worried that after that man disembarks at the Wanping County ferry, whether he acts on scholarly impulse, or wants to establish his authority with three initial fires, he might choose to reveal his true intentions towards us.”

Saying this, Lin Shouyi smiled, “Fortunately, he’s a civil official from a scholarly background, but among us, we also have a ‘mountain immortal’ who hasn’t shown his face. Maybe he can intimidate him. After all, no matter how valued scholars are in Great Li, they still can’t compare to Qi Refiners. But the fear is that the magistrate isn’t clever enough, or even if he’s from the capital, he hasn’t truly witnessed the power of Qi Refiners. Then we’ll have a series of troubles.”

Li Huai worriedly turned around and slapped the white donkey lying behind him, angrily cursing, “Troublemaking white donkey! Do you think you’re a precious virgin, throwing a fit just because someone touched you?”

Li Baoping suddenly spoke, “Right now, that old man is definitely a guest of honor of the Wanping County magistrate, mutually complaining. I believe the higher the old man’s status, the better the swordsman’s swordsmanship, the less dare the Wanping County magistrate will be to act openly. My big brother said, ‘A scholar’s rebellion will fail in three years.’ As for secretly causing trouble, we’re not afraid. As long as that guy doesn’t dare use the imperial court’s power, we’ll deal with it accordingly. What are you afraid of, Lin Shouyi? Don’t panic!”

Lin Shouyi thought carefully and nodded, “That should be the case.”

After Li Baoping finished speaking, she asked with a serious expression, “Little Martial Uncle, right?”

Chen Ping’an helplessly said, “How would I know about these twists and turns of scholars and officials? In short, if we encounter trouble, you and Lin Shouyi discuss it.”

The last time the schoolteacher Ma entrusted the children’s safety to Chen Ping’an, not only did the children safely return to town, but they also played the self-proclaimed Great Li spy like a fiddle. That was actually led by Lin Shouyi, with Li Baoping setting the overall direction, and Lin Shouyi filling in the details, flawlessly. Their minds were mature far beyond their peers.

Chen Ping’an suddenly stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment, and simply put down the firewood knife as well.

When his mind isn’t calm, Chen Ping’an won’t do anything, preferring to put it aside rather than easily make mistakes. It was like that when firing porcelain, and now it’s even more so with practicing boxing.

Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi almost simultaneously noticed the abnormality. Even Li Huai quickly sat up straight.

Chen Ping’an looked at the three suspicious fellows and said with a wry smile, “What’s wrong? I just thought of something, why are you so nervous?”

Li Baoping said, “Little Martial Uncle, tell us about it.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “I was just thinking, besides teaching you how to read, should I also learn some scholarly knowledge from you?”

Li Baoping was stunned, “But what we learned from the teacher is just introductory elementary learning, nothing great. Besides, we’re just children ourselves, how can we teach Little Martial Uncle? What’s more, even many of the elementary sayings of Teacher Qi, when I casually ask about them, the teacher can’t answer them either. How can we teach you? Answering randomly would be bad!”

Li Huai muttered, “It’s not that the teacher couldn’t answer, he just answered a little later, and then you didn’t want to listen anymore.”

Li Baoping suddenly turned her head and punched Li Huai on the forehead.

Li Huai wasn’t actually in much pain, but he still held his head and wailed, “This life is unbearable! I want to practice boxing too. Li Baoping’s strength is getting greater and greater. Otherwise, I’ll definitely be beaten to death by her in the future.”

Lin Shouyi asked curiously, “Chen Ping’an, what do you want to learn from books for?”

Chen Ping’an slowly said, “I’m afraid that one day, the principles I tell people will later turn out to be unreasonable. So I hope that besides the principles that Old Man Yao and A’Liang taught me, I can also learn some from your scholars’ books.”

Li Huai was as if falling into a cloud, his face full of shock, “Chen Ping’an, you’re already so good at fighting, and you practice boxing so hard every day, isn’t that so you can be unreasonable with people?”

Lin Shouyi hesitated for a moment and shook his head, “Chen Ping’an, I don’t think we need to be reasonable in everything. After all, everyone in the world has their own path to walk, we just need to stick to our original intentions. Otherwise, we’ll only sink into the mud, going too far.”

Li Baoping’s face was serious, “Little Martial Uncle, don’t worry, let me think for a while. I think this matter is big, I must take it seriously and think carefully!”

It was like this in the town school before, when Li Baoping asked some seemingly extremely simple questions, Qi Jingchun would instead fall into contemplation, and would often delay for several days before giving an answer.

Chen Ping’an was even more helpless. He looked up at the blue sky, and after a moment, he retracted his gaze. For some reason, his face suddenly filled with a smile.

“The reason I want to go to so much trouble is actually selfish. Maybe it’s because you don’t really practice boxing, so you don’t have this feeling yet. After I got that boxing manual, I’ve always had a feeling, I’m not afraid of you laughing at me, but whenever I face an enemy, as long as I feel that my principle, even if I can’t say it, as long as I feel that I’m right! Then in my heart, it’s like someone is constantly telling me, this time your punch, can be very fast!”

Next, the three seemed to see a stranger Chen Ping’an.

They saw this poor teenager from Mud Bottle Lane, radiant and full of vigor, his fists clenched and resting on his knees, never so confident, “And, my next punch, will definitely be faster! No matter who is standing in front of me, I, Chen Ping’an, can throw this punch, no matter who!”

Lin Shouyi’s eyes were dazed, and he muttered in a low voice, “It shouldn’t be considered demonic possession from practicing martial arts, right? It’s quite righteous and awe-inspiring. It really feels a bit like the teacher in the school… when explaining the most profound parts of the sages’ grand principles.”

Li Baoping was busy thinking about the previous question.

Chen Ping’an had already picked up the firewood knife again and continued to make the small bamboo box for Lin Shouyi.

Li Huai was somewhat absent-minded, and it took him a long time to recover his senses.

The Chen Ping’an of that moment made this child feel familiar.
It seemed Li Huai recalled a childhood memory. Once, his mother, usually unmatched in arguments, was beaten, her face scratched into a mess. She threw a tantrum at home. His father, whom the neighbors called a good-for-nothing, just squatted silently by the door. He and his sister, Li Liu, cried with their mother. In the end, she said she was blind to have found such a spineless man, one who couldn’t even fart when his own wife was beaten. Li Huai’s father remained silent, infuriating Li Huai, who was closer to his mother. He ran to the door and kicked the man’s back twice, declaring he would never acknowledge him as his father again. His mother, tired from crying and her anger subsided, took her children to bed. She grabbed her husband’s ear, flung him out the door, and ordered him to sleep in the courtyard that night. But as soon as she closed the door and turned off the lights, she told Li Huai to open the door and call his father back inside. Li Huai was reluctant, but unable to resist his mother’s urging, he opened the door and saw his father still squatting obediently in the courtyard, making Li Huai almost turn away in anger.

Then, at that moment, the short but sturdy man slowly stood up. “Son, I need to leave the mountain tonight. Tell your mother I’ll be home soon.”

It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. Despite Li Huai’s sour face, he still hoped his father could sleep comfortably inside. But was he even a man, hiding from his wife and children like that? Hearing those dispirited words that only cowards would say, Li Huai immediately trembled with rage and cried, “What son? I am your father, Li Er!”

The man wasn’t angry at all. He chuckled, “You brat, truly a chip off the old block, Li Er!”

At that moment, Li Huai was somewhat dazed. In his memory, his father never spoke to people like that, always appearing inferior, nothing more than a useless blockhead except when he snored like thunder in his sleep. Even towards him and his sister, Li Liu, he never acted like the head of the household. Indeed, he was a good-for-nothing who feared everything – heaven, earth, people, and ghosts.

But that night, when the man left, he strode away purposefully, like a wealthy master from Peach Leaf Alley in Fortune Street.

Li Huai didn’t think much of it then, only hoping that he was going to help his mother curse people in the street late at night.

But Li Huai was greatly disappointed the next day. The family of the woman who had scratched his mother’s face was still arrogant when they saw them. After that, his father didn’t appear for a long time, probably going into the mountains to burn charcoal, earning money to support the family. Li Huai thought his so-called “leaving the mountain” was probably a slip of the tongue.

However, when he returned, the man seemed to have had an epiphany. He brought home a greasy roasted chicken, bought his mother a box of rouge and powder, and brought gifts for him and his sister, Li Liu. His mother put one hand on her hip and poked her father’s forehead with the other, saying that even though he was useless, Li Er still had some conscience. After that, this Li Er, whose parents had given him the most careless name imaginable, was back to his old self – “Come and scold me, it’s your skill if I even argue back. Come and hit me, it’s your skill if you beat me to death.”

But for some reason, as Li Huai grew older, his father’s smile, tone, and demeanor in the courtyard that night before he “left the mountain” became not more blurred, but increasingly clear.

Li Huai suddenly said, “Chen Ping An, when we return to the town in the future, I’ll invite you to my house as a guest.”

Chen Ping An asked, puzzled, “Aren’t your parents and your sister already gone from the town? You said before that they won’t be coming back.”

Li Huai, now remembering this, suddenly turned red in the eyes, his lips trembling, and he was about to cry.

Chen Ping An had to comfort him, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Didn’t you say that your father promised you that as long as you truly become a scholar, he will come to visit you?”

Li Huai said, aggrieved, “But I’m playful and can’t endure hardship. I like to be lazy and sleepy when I study, far behind Li Bao Ping and Lin Shouyi. I’m afraid I won’t become a scholar, and my parents won’t want me anymore.”

While Lin Shouyi and Li Bao Ping were already considered teenagers, from noble families, Li Huai was truly just a child, just like Chen Ping An, from a poor background, just a bit more timid. So Chen Ping An was the most patient with Li Huai from beginning to end. Even that time on Chessboard Mountain when Li Huai stomped hard in the mud, Chen Ping An, covered in mud, didn’t feel the slightest annoyance.

Chen Ping An smiled, “Don’t talk nonsense. If your parents didn’t care about you, would they have sent you to school? Wouldn’t it have been better to let you work in the fields, helping the family herd cattle?”

Li Huai’s mood improved slightly. He wiped his face and said with a woeful expression, “My family is poor, we can’t afford cattle.”

Chen Ping An said softly, “Are you still poor now? Not to mention the strangeness in that *Cliff of Severed Water* book, the book itself is worth ten taels of silver, okay?”

Li Huai beamed and glanced at the white donkey, grinning. “I even have a donkey!”

Lin Shouyi’s expression suddenly sharpened. He lowered his voice and said to Chen Ping An, “The Underworld Spirit told me that someone is coming, wants to see us, but that person claims to know A’Liang and said that A’Liang entered the city early to ask him some questions. So the Underworld Spirit is asking us how to handle it – whether to refuse them to board the boat, or…? The Underworld Spirit also said that there is a River God accompanying that person. If nothing goes wrong, it’s the river deity of this Embroidery River who enjoys the worship of the people.”

Chen Ping An was somewhat troubled. Finally, he said in a deep voice, “Just have the Underworld Spirit senior protect us. Actually, whether we let them board the boat or not doesn’t make much difference. The few of you need to be careful. It’s still the old rules we agreed upon before. I’ll handle everything first. If it really doesn’t work, Lin Shouyi, you can use those yellow paper talismans.”

Lin Shouyi nodded, “Okay.”

Lin Shouyi’s mind stirred slightly, and he whispered to himself.

After a moment, the large boat sailing on the Embroidery River trembled slightly. If Chen Ping An and the others hadn’t known in advance, ordinary people wouldn’t have noticed the mystery.

Although they couldn’t see the existence of the Underworld Spirit with their eyes, the front of the boat was obviously more gloomy.

Then, Chen Ping An noticed that not far from the bow of the boat, there was a young swordsman sitting cross-legged. A long sword hung horizontally behind his waist, and he was holding a long, cloth-wrapped object in his arms, like a sword or saber.
After rising, he approached Chen Ping’an and smiled faintly at the hidden yin spirit, stopping there. He cut to the chase, “I’ve brought the travel documents for the four of you, bearing the seal of the Longquan County Yamen’s Household Affairs Office and the official approval for your journey abroad. As for who I am, it’s unimportant. What matters is that I know Ah Liang, so I’m definitely not your enemy. As for the earlier conflict on the boat, don’t worry. That Wanping County Magistrate won’t hinder your path of learning.”

Finally, the young swordsman presented the items in his hands with both hands, looking towards the little girl in the red padded jacket carrying a small book box, and smiled: “Are you Miss Bao Ping? This knife is what Ah Liang instructed our Da Li to return to you, intact.”

Li Bao Ping was excited, but remained still.

Chen Ping’an stepped forward alone, took the auspicious talisman knife from the young swordsman’s hand, and said, “Thank you, Senior.”

The young swordsman laughed heartily, “You are all friends of Ah Liang, I wouldn’t dare to call myself a senior.”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Is Ah Liang doing well?”

The young swordsman’s expression remained unchanged, and he nodded, “Rest assured, he is very well.”

This knife was personally sent out of the capital by the Prince’s confidant, Song Changjing, and finally handed to himself, having been ritually purified. The young swordsman was relieved, “Then I’ll go upstairs to say hello. Please rest assured that your journey will be smooth, all the way to the Yefu Pass on the border. As long as it involves the court and government, you will be unimpeded. However, beyond that, my Da Li will not interfere in any way. Of course, if you really encounter trouble or accidents, as long as you inform the border army or the local government, the court is willing to provide assistance with all its might.”

Chen Ping’an looked into his eyes and nodded, “We understand.”

The young swordsman took out four travel documents from his sleeve and handed them to the straw-sandaled youth. Finally, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips, replacing them with some polite remarks, and cupped his fists: “Then I’ll bid farewell here. I’ll go upstairs to say hello and then leave.”

Chen Ping’an awkwardly returned the salute with cupped fists.

In a superior private room on the second floor, decorated with exquisite porcelain, an old man and a white-robed swordsman had solemn expressions. The soon-to-be-appointed Wanping County Magistrate and his wife and children stood trembling, barely daring to breathe. Everyone was standing.

Only one uninvited guest sat there, drinking alone. He was burly, with a blue snake coiled around his sleeve. Each breath he took was surrounded by white mist. The man’s spirit was extraordinary, and he was clearly no ordinary person.

When the man saw the “young” swordsman, he immediately stood up, bowed and cupped his fists, without saying a word, but with extreme respect.

The young swordsman waved his hand, not looking at the old man or the swordsman renowned in Da Li’s southern Jianghu, and said to the Wanping County Magistrate, “Once you arrive in Wanping’s jurisdiction, be an honest and upright official. Don’t speak a word about today’s events. The court can pretend that nothing happened. But if there’s even a slight disturbance, I might not come to find you myself, but this Embroidery River Water God can twist your head off.”

The young man didn’t want to say anything more, and just smiled at the Embroidery River Water God, who didn’t dare to sit down: “Please keep an eye on things for me. I’ll go back first.”

The Embroidery River God replied in a deep voice, “Then this subordinate will not see you off, sir.”

After the young swordsman walked out of the private room, he came to the outer corridor, looked at the river water, and was quite touched by the words of the straw-sandaled youth.

Finally, his figure flashed and disappeared.

The reason why martial arts is inferior to qi refining is that the vast majority of pure martial artists, as the foundation of their lives, whether it is the boxing manual for practicing boxing, the swordsmanship for learning swords, or the eighteen kinds of martial arts and eighteen kinds of weapons, are all habitually called martial arts or martial studies. In fact, in the eyes of qi refiners in the mountains, it has nothing to do with the word “Dao.”

Once martial arts never rise to the height of martial dao, they are ultimately just rolling around in a muddy pond.

Perhaps that alleyway youth himself did not know that his heartfelt words, his understanding of how to throw a punch,

Was a question that should be deeply considered and asked of oneself by at least a grandmaster above the sixth realm of martial dao, requiring self-questioning and self-answering.

On Chess Mound Mountain, a woman of ordinary appearance, under the secret instructions of her master, was leading a beautiful girl who came from a boatman’s family, and began to walk up the mountain, heading north.

This was the girl’s first long journey away from home, so she kept looking back along the way, feeling reluctant to leave.

The woman didn’t say much. It was only human nature, and there was no need to be harsh.

Moreover, her lineage of the Everlasting Spring Palace was rather strange. They emphasized affection in cultivating the mind, and what ordinary qi refiners regarded as a cumbersome and taboo burden was actually the ladder to enlightenment for her lineage. So, the fact that the girl missed home as soon as she left was actually a good thing.

However, the master did not explicitly say why she had to lead the girl on foot through Chess Mound Mountain, and she was not convenient to ask too many questions.

Along the way, they crossed mountains and rivers, and the scenery was pleasant.

The girl was naturally innocent and cheerful. Although she was a little tired, she was in good spirits. As she walked, she casually broke off a flower branch by the roadside, gently swayed it, and hummed a folk song passed down through generations.

The woman from the Everlasting Spring Palace frowned, but ultimately said nothing.

In the distance, there was an extraordinarily handsome young man, like a mountain spirit, also walking slowly, always watching the girl beside the woman.

The girl’s voice was ethereal and melodious. Even though the content of the folk song was very sad, it had a special charm when sung by her, mournful but not depressing.

The young man gently harmonized with the girl’s singing, the tone slightly different, more mellow, and more mournful.

The girl was like a warbler weaving through spring grass, and the man was like an old crow standing alone on a tomb, one chirping happily, the other whimpering softly.

Finally, on the desolate post road paved with bluestone slabs on the mountain ridge.

The girl suddenly looked up and saw a young man in white coming from afar, so handsome that he couldn’t be any more handsome.

The two met on the narrow post road, but the young man had already lowered his head, not speaking, and just passed by silently.

The girl couldn’t help but look back.

She found that the man was standing in the distance, neither walking nor turning his head, with his back to her.

The girl was a little strange, shook her head, and turned to continue forward.