The boy wasn’t surprised by this, and began to patiently persuade, “I know you, sir, are worried, thinking I’m a treacherous person. But you can observe me for a while, and then decide whether to accept me as your first disciple. I, Cui Dongshan, may not have high cultivation now, but I’ve seen a lot and learned a bit. I know the customs of the Great Sui like the back of my hand. Going to the Great Sui with me and without me will be as different as heaven and earth.”

Seeing that the Mud Bottle Lane boy remained unmoved, Cui Chan didn’t get discouraged, and continued to speak eloquently: “Furthermore, this apprenticeship isn’t an empty-handed visit. I’ve brought an extremely generous gift for my master, such as that *Ze Bei Jing Guai Tu* (澤被精怪圖, Illustrated Guide to Benevolent Spirits), a book that middle Fifth Realm cultivators almost always carry when they travel the world. My copy is even more rare and valuable, naturally giving birth to five or six kinds of *jingmei* (精魅, spirit-entities).”

The boy counted on his fingers, listing them one by one, “Then there’s a set of scholar’s treasures. The brush is a purple-shafted brush with a *chi mo yu* (吃墨魚, ink-eating fish) hidden inside. Whether you’re writing or painting, you don’t need to clean it afterwards. That little fish will clean it all up. How about that? Isn’t it magical? It can be considered a first-rate scholar’s delight, right?”

“The ink is three *Song Tao Mo* (松濤墨, Pine Wave Ink) cakes. Tap them lightly, and they’ll emit a pleasant sound like the rustling of pine trees. Even if you use a dry brush with very little ink, the fragrance of the ink will still linger for years. The inkstone is an ancient inkstone left behind by an unknown old monk from another continent, called ‘Liberation Pond’. It has great mysteries within. Aren’t you moved?”

“The paper is *Jin Shi Jian* (金石箋, Metal and Stone Paper). Emperors of a country want to use this paper to confer titles on mountain and river deities to appear legitimate.”

The boy took a deep breath. “The most, most, most important treasure is a half-dead natal flying sword! It’s in excellent condition, incomparably sharp, and the best thing is that the successor doesn’t need to nurture sword qi or develop sword intent. You can almost use it right away. When I got it by chance, I treasured it for many years and didn’t refine it, not because I didn’t value it, but because I don’t walk the path of a sword cultivator. I was afraid of wasting a heavenly treasure…”

As he spoke, Cui Chan’s voice, originally excited, became lower and lower, because he noticed that the Mud Bottle Lane boy’s eyes of rejection became more and more firm as his apprenticeship gift became more and more generous.

The beautiful boy with the cinnabar mark on his forehead looked aggrieved, held his hands in front of his chest, and tentatively asked pitifully: “Really not? I’m sincerely wanting to become your disciple. If you don’t believe me, I can swear! If I, Cui Dongshan, have any bad intentions towards you, Chen Ping’an, may I be struck by lightning!”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said decisively: “No!”

Chen Ping’an saw this boy for the first time in the town, at Master Ruan’s blacksmith shop, mistakenly thinking he was the young attendant of the County Magistrate. The second time, the boy, claiming to be “Uncle-Master Cui Chan,” took the initiative to strike up a conversation near the memorial arch, telling Chen Ping’an many strange inside stories. After that, he followed Chen Ping’an all the way to Mud Bottle Lane and stole the spring couplet that Song Jixin had pasted on the threshold.

Although Chen Ping’an had never sensed any murderous intent from the boy, like that of the Cloud Glow Mountain fairy, Cai Jinjian, Chen Ping’an absolutely couldn’t trust this person and hoped to keep him at arm’s length. Who would have thought that they were almost at the border of Great Li, and the boy was still chasing after him shamelessly. Chen Ping’an wasn’t stupid. What else could a weasel want from a hen except to eat it?

Cui Chan glanced at the boy’s hair bun without revealing any emotion. The jade hairpin had disappeared.

Logically, according to the previous agreement, the old man would have helped him pave the way a bit, at least not reveal his identity as the Great Li Imperial Preceptor, and not leak his schemes against Chen Ping’an and Qi Jingchun. As for why the old man was so generous in letting him go, and even why he had left the Hall of Merit at this point when the overall situation was clearly settled, Cui Chan didn’t even bother to calculate or deduce. Comparing himself to a true sage was simply overestimating his abilities. Especially now that his soul was split, Cui Chan’s cultivation and mental strength were far from what they used to be. He was afraid that if he deduced too deeply, he would accidentally touch the old man’s established rules and end up like the original owner of this body, becoming a complete idiot.

Cui Chan asked: “Chen Ping’an, didn’t you encounter a poor old scholar around the Red Candle Town and Pillow Post area? Didn’t he explain the general reason to you?”

Chen Ping’an frowned.

Cui Chan carefully sized up Chen Ping’an, feeling that the boy’s expression didn’t seem fake. “Alright, then I have no choice but to use my trump card. But let me make it clear beforehand, Chen Ping’an, I’m so sincere in wanting to become your disciple, but you’re so insistent on refusing. In that case, my apprenticeship gift will be halved. I’m giving you one last chance!”

Chen Ping’an turned around without saying a word. Cui Chan quickly took out a black chess piece from his sleeve and tossed it high into the empty space beside the post road. “This is the message that Old Man Yang gave you. After you crush it, you’ll understand the context of this matter. Then you can help me prove my innocence and tell Chen Ping’an that I’m not greedy for anything, that I came to become his disciple sincerely and want to establish a master-disciple relationship with him.”

The Yin Spirit didn’t reveal its true form. The black chess piece, capable of storing spoken words, shattered in the air with a bang, instantly turning into dust.

Soon, Lin Shouyi came to Chen Ping’an with a strange expression and whispered: “The Yin Spirit senior said that Old Man Yang from the Yang Family Shop wants you to believe that this guy called Cui Dongshan won’t secretly do bad things. On the way to the Great Sui Academy, just let him be your ox and horse, and use him as you please. You’d be a fool not to take such a disciple. He also said that this person will share your honor and disgrace in the future, and will be bound by life and death. He wouldn’t dare to harbor any ill intentions towards you.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and asked, “Who are they?”

Cui Chan smiled brightly, “The big silly guy is called Yu Lu, Lu (祿) of Fortune and Prosperity. The little black girl is called Xie Xie (謝謝, Thank you), surname Xie, given name Xie. I don’t know who gave her that name, it’s truly amazing.”
Following that, Cui Chan wore a sorrowful expression that even a blind man wouldn’t believe, sighing, “Both of them are remnants of the Lu Dynasty’s convicts, with pitiful backgrounds. Xie Xi had studied at Cliff Academy for a while before. Yu Lu was less fortunate; not long after he left his hometown, our Great Li launched that great war. They had no choice but to return to their respective homes. Now that their nation is destroyed, being a student of the academy has become their lifeline. If I didn’t bring them out, they would surely die in the mountains west of your Dragon Spring County. Either they’d be killed by some mountain immortal who took a disliking to them, or they’d be exposed to the elements every day, exhausting their strength early and dying of exhaustion before they reached thirty. So they are now very grateful and insist on calling me ‘Young Master.’ No matter how I try to dissuade them, I can’t. Alas.”

Unexpectedly, the dark-skinned girl smiled and said, “Since our way of addressing you has become a burden, Young Master, then I won’t call you ‘Young Master’ anymore.”

Fortunately, Yu Lu didn’t add insult to injury, smiling slightly, “I’ll still call you ‘Young Master,’ I’m used to it.”

Cui Chan turned his head and chuckled, “Thank you, miss, thank you.”

Lin Shouyi paused, as if he had received another secret instruction from the Yin God, and said softly, “Old Yang said that it’s best if we take these two in; there’s no harm in it, only benefits. If you really dislike the one surnamed Cui, you can use him as a scapegoat in the future. Whenever there’s a disaster or trouble, just let him take the fall. He has a ‘Fang Cun’ (寸, cùn – roughly an inch, but also implying a small space) item hidden on him, and a thick family fortune; he can withstand being squandered.”

Cui Chan, who had been eavesdropping all along, turned pale with rage and jumped up and cursed, “Old Yang, you old turtle bastard, how can you set someone up like that?!”

Chen Ping An lowered his voice and asked with a smile, “If we take in these two, will they be considered your fellow students?”

Lin Shouyi said with a bitter smile, “Maybe, actually, Li Baoping and I don’t really know the true situation of Cliff Academy. Master Ma didn’t tell us these things when he took us away.”

Li Huai kept glancing at the tall young man named Yu Lu, thinking he seemed like an easy-going fellow, certainly easier to talk to than the irritable Li Baoping, and the aloof Lin Shouyi. Yu Lu, carrying a heavy bag, noticed Li Huai’s gaze, and the crown prince of the former Lu Dynasty smiled and nodded in greeting.

The little girl in the red padded jacket, carrying a small green book box, would occasionally exchange glances with the tall, dark-skinned girl, once and then again. The situation was the opposite of when they encountered the blind old Daoist and his two disciples. Li Baoping took a liking to the round-faced little girl nicknamed Jiu’er right away, but she didn’t like this girl with the strange name at all.

Although Xie Xi had a smile on her face, showing no real emotion, she also disliked Li Baoping, who was more than half a head shorter than her.

This strange emotion between the little girl and the young woman, meeting for the first time, probably had nothing to do with any reason.

Chen Ping An looked at Cui Chan and said, “Yu Lu and Xie Xi can join us, but you can’t.”

Cui Chan suppressed all his expressions and asked stiffly, “Why?”

Chen Ping An replied, “Because I don’t think you’re a good person.”

Here at the post road, no one found these words laughable, not even the most carefree Li Huai, who felt a sense of pressure, like a storm was brewing.

Yu Lu turned to look behind him, dust flying in the distance, the sound of horses’ hooves rhythmically pounding the ground, the ground vibrating in dull tremors, the earth like the body of a lowly commoner being whipped fiercely, barely alive, able only to endure in silence.

The imposing military might of the Great Li Iron Cavalry was overwhelming, even though it was only a troop of thirty or forty light cavalry, it still exuded a rough and imposing aura of killing.

This made the tall youth involuntarily narrow his eyes.

Over here, Cui Chan stretched out his palms, adopting a posture of gathering Qi in his dantian (丹田, dāntián – an area in the abdomen considered the center of vital energy), trying to calm down, “The reason I came here is that an old scholar insisted that I learn how to be a person from you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t take me as a student; I’ll just follow you on your travels and studies as Yu Lu and Xie Xi’s young master. Just pretend I don’t exist, how about that?”

Chen Ping An nodded and said, “As long as you don’t come and provoke me, and don’t say anything weird about ‘teacher’ and ‘student,’ that’s fine.”

Cui Chan was just about to speak.

The Great Li cavalry roared past.

Yu Lu, who had been observing every detail of the cavalry, had already lowered his head, and even remembered to shield his face from the wind and dust.

The girl Xie Xi had also moved away from the post road long ago.

The young Cui Chan, with a cinnabar mole between his eyebrows, happened to be wearing a spotless white robe.

The magnificent Great Li cavalry roared past, Cui Chan stood silently in place, the chatty youth, covered in dust, mouth open, unable to say a word.

Li Huai only felt that this scene was truly pitiful, and said softly, “It’s a bit tragic.”

The white-robed youth, his face covered in dust, belatedly raised his hand and wiped his face, his eyes dazed, muttering, “This is no way to live.”

According to the rules established by Ruan Qiong, nowadays, free cultivators passing through the territory, without a special pardon from the Great Li court, are not allowed to fly through the air or ride their swords as long as they pass over the original Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven (驪珠洞天, Lízhū Dòngtiān) airspace. After that group of renowned Qi refiners paid with their lives, many mountain forces in Great Li now tacitly accept this unreasonable rule.

Fenglei Garden (風雷園, Fēngléi Yuán – Wind and Thunder Garden) cultivator Liu Baqiao landed his flying sword outside the boundary, paid the money, and took a luxurious carriage specially provided for cultivators by the post station, hurrying to the county town. He found the new private school opened by the Chen family of Dragon Tail County, and discovered that his friend Chen Songfeng was personally teaching a dozen children. When Chen Songfeng saw Liu Baqiao standing outside the window, he wanted to find someone to help him teach the children, but Liu Baqiao quickly waved his hand, indicating that he would wait.

Half an hour later, after the children bowed respectfully, the teacher Chen Songfeng quickly walked out of the classroom, walked alongside Liu Baqiao, and glanced at the sword, curiously asking, “Is that the top-notch Daoist talisman sword, the ‘Fulu’ (符箓, Fúlù – Talisman) from the Dragon-Locking Well in the Great Li capital?”

Liu Baqiao rolled his eyes and put his hands behind his head, “That bastard Song Changjing promised to leave the talisman sword for me, waiting for me to pull it out. But on my way north, everyone was talking about someone in the Great Li capital taking the talisman sword. I didn’t believe it, thinking that Song Changjing was using a feint from the art of war, deliberately paving the way for me. But when I got to the capital, good heavens, it had already been taken by a fierce woman named Yang Hua!”
Liu Baqiao became increasingly agitated as he spoke, “I went to Song Changjing to demand an explanation. Do you know what happened? Song Changjing just had someone relay a message to me, saying that if I had the ability, I should go find Yang Hua myself and snatch back the talisman. I’ve never seen such a shameless End Realm Grandmaster in my life! Later, I heard that this woman is now in your Tiefu River, serving as a righteous river deity, enjoying incense offerings. This is fate!”

Chen Songfeng was taken aback, “You came to Longquan County to take back the talisman from that river deity?”

Liu Baqiao shook his head, swaying back and forth, “Am I, Liu Baqiao, that kind of person?!”

Chen Songfeng was even more puzzled, “If it’s not to see that female river deity, then what are you doing in Longquan County?”

Liu Baqiao sighed, “I was just slightly detouring on my way back to Fenglei Yuan and happened to pass by here. I had heard a lot about Longquan County, including that your Chen Clan of Longwei Prefecture had established a school here. I just wanted to meet you. I really didn’t come for Yang Hua and that talisman.”

Chen Songfeng smiled, “I’m currently teaching and imparting knowledge to young students here. I wasn’t used to it at first and wanted to throw the table and leave in anger. But now it’s better. I often tell myself to treat it as a way to temper my character.”

Liu Baqiao nodded, “Calming down to study is indeed a good thing. By the way, have you heard about the upheaval that started in the Hongzhu Town area and ended in Dali Jingcheng?”

Chen Songfeng nodded, “Of course, I’ve received various rumors, but the internal information within the family is contradictory. The insider information from different channels clashes with each other, and in the end, no one can come to a clear conclusion.”

Liu Baqiao chuckled, “Have you forgotten that I was in Dali Jingcheng at the time? Do you want to know the truth?”

Chen Songfeng shook his head, “I don’t want to. I’m not a cultivator, and I’m not interested in your pursuits of longevity and long life.”

Chen Songfeng had also traveled and studied before, and it wasn’t the first time he had climbed mountains and composed poems with travelers. He wasn’t exactly a weak scholar, but when he went into the mountains with the Yingyin Chen Clan woman, his stamina and physical strength were inferior to even a common alleyway boy, so much so that he was kicked out of the group by Chen Dui in disgust.

Unsuccessful in creating suspense, Liu Baqiao was naturally unhappy and exposed his weakness, “Young, but full of old age and decline. You deserve to be looked down upon by that little girl, Chen Dui.”

Chen Songfeng laughed loudly, “Hey, hey, hitting someone doesn’t mean hitting the face! What kind of hero reveals people’s scars?”

Liu Baqiao looked mysterious and lowered his voice, “Then do you want to know a shocking piece of news about Daoxuan Mountain?”

Chen Songfeng didn’t hesitate, “Speak!”

Liu Baqiao joked, “Tsk, you just said you weren’t a cultivator, but you’re curious about this?”

Chen Songfeng looked tired and slowly and deliberately said, “Any news from Daoxuan Mountain is only related to that world. And the movements there may determine the fate of the entire world. Even if our Bao Ping Continent is only affected by the smallest ripples, knowing earlier might allow us to make some correct responses sooner, even if it only benefits us a little bit. It’s better than doing nothing at all.”

Liu Baqiao was also powerless about this. Everyone has their own identity and position. Sometimes, the comfort of others, no matter how pleasant, always has a hint of presumption. Liu Baqiao didn’t want to be that kind of friend in words. In the eyes of this Fenglei Yuan sword cultivator, a true friend is one who, when you are soaring high, Liu Baqiao’s shadow is nowhere to be seen, but when you have big trouble and need someone to stand up, even without you saying anything, Liu Baqiao is already standing by your side.

Afterwards, when the trouble is resolved, there is no need for thanks. If Liu Baqiao dies in this trouble, you don’t even need to feel guilty.

Liu Baqiao pointed to the northeast, “Actually, I don’t know too much, I only know that the northeasternmost continent of our world is considered the last stronghold of sword cultivators. Almost half of the sword cultivators, under the call of two great Sword Immortals there, rushed to Daoxuan Mountain. For some reason, these sword cultivators only briefly removed the qi machine concealment when passing over Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, allowing our East Bao Ping Continent to catch a glimpse of the unparalleled magnificence of sword cultivators passing by like locusts.”

Chen Songfeng laughed, “Like locusts? That’s not a good way to describe it.”

Liu Baqiao laughed, “What if it’s unpleasant to hear? Think about it, is there a more appropriate saying than this? Locusts crossing the border, not a blade of grass remains, how imposing is that?”

Chen Songfeng hesitated for a moment, but still frankly shared a secret, “Chen Dui once said that roughly every hundred years, there will be a great battle under that city wall.”

Liu Baqiao nodded, obviously knowing about this before, “So I thought about contributing a bit of strength. To put it another way, I also had the selfish intention of nourishing my sword with battle, but Fenglei Yuan quickly sent back a flying sword with a reply, scolding me bloody from the founding master to the master to the elder brother.”

Chen Songfeng laughed gleefully.

Liu Baqiao suddenly asked, “Is that guy named Chen Pingan still in the small town?”

Chen Songfeng shook his head, “He’s not here anymore. This young man is quite remarkable now. It is said that he alone occupies four mountain peaks. Among them, the place called Luopo Mountain also has a mountain god newly appointed by the Dali Dynasty sitting there. He’s a real tycoon now. You have a good impression of him, right? In the future, when you meet again, you can let him treat you to wine and meat.”

Liu Baqiao wiped his mouth and said, “The pickled vegetables he brought were really good. They almost killed me with salt, but when I was eating delicacies in Dali Jingcheng every day, I missed the taste of those pickled vegetables more and more.”

Chen Songfeng said unhappily, “Try eating pickled vegetables every day and see if you’ll miss the delicacies of Dali Jingcheng!”

Liu Baqiao laughed, “It’s still better to have big fish and meat every day. Just occasionally have a meal of pickled vegetables. Otherwise, if I’m pale and emaciated, I’m afraid I’ll scare my Su fairy when I see her. That would be embarrassing.”

Chen Songfeng asked, “I’ve always been confused. With your family background and cultivation level, Liu Baqiao, even if Su Jia of Zhengyang Mountain is outstanding, once you put aside the family feud between Fenglei Yuan and Zhengyang Mountain, you two should be a good match. Why don’t you even dare to say hello to her?”

Liu Baqiao thought carefully, “Maybe it’s because I’m afraid she won’t like me as soon as she sees me.”

Chen Songfeng was even more puzzled, “But if you and Su Jia don’t even meet, won’t she still not like you?”
Liu Baqiao turned his head, winking at Chen Songfeng, and said with a grin, “It’s different. Even if it’s just one day apart, I’m filled with anticipation and hope for our next meeting.”

Chen Songfeng shook his head and said, “You’re truly hopeless. Aren’t you afraid that the next time you meet, you’ll be attending the wedding of Su Jia, the Fairy Su?”

Liu Baqiao was struck as if by lightning. He reached out and put his arm around Chen Songfeng’s neck, looking fierce and menacing. “Chen Songfeng, are you courting death?! Children’s words don’t count, children’s words don’t count… Heavens, ignore this guy! Yuè Lǎo (月老, the god of marriage), don’t take him seriously!”

Once past the border of Yefu Pass, they were officially outside the territory of Great Li.

Before reaching Great Sui, they still had to traverse the northwestern region of the Great Sui’s vassal state, Huang Ting, a journey of about 1,200 *li*.

Compared to the common folk of Great Li who favored the Great Li dialect, often unfamiliar with the proper elegant language of Treasure Bottle Continent, Great Sui and Huang Ting, with their stronger literary atmosphere, practically everyone could speak the continent’s elegant language, differing only in the lightness or heaviness of their regional accents.

A carriage slowly followed behind a traveling student group led by Chen Ping’an. The coachman was the tall young man, Yu Lu. Cui Chan spent his days cooped up in the carriage, sleeping soundly.

The girl, Xie Xie, had completely integrated into the group, growing increasingly distant from Yu Lu and Cui Chan. She could spar with Lin Shouyi in the art of *qí* (棋, Chinese chess), though “spar” was more like a complete and utter crushing. The unassuming girl possessed immense killing power in her *qí*, often executing “dragon slaughters,” leaving Lin Shouyi in disarray every game. She could also engage in fantastical, nonsensical chats with Li Huai, accompanying him in arranging colorful wooden puppets and five clay figures in strategic formations, the two, one big and one small, playing with boundless joy. Xie Xie only refused to speak with Li Baoping, and of course, the latter felt the same way.

Chen Ping’an treated both her and Yu Lu with polite courtesy, but completely ignored the white-robed young man surnamed Cui. Throughout the journey, Cui Chan exhausted every method, throwing tantrums, rolling on the ground, acting shamelessly, short of hugging Chen Ping’an’s legs and wailing. He even tried to use gifts to tempt Li Huai and the others, hoping that these three “founding elders” would help plead his case. He’d sidle up to Chen Ping’an, offering warmth and concern, trying to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, but he was repeatedly rebuffed.

Finally, exasperated, the young man couldn’t help but threaten Chen Ping’an, saying that if he didn’t agree to take him as a disciple, he’d perish together with Chen Ping’an. Chen Ping’an simply retorted, “You can try. Your name is Cui Dongshan; my name is Chen Ping’an. There will only be one tombstone. Whoever survives will help inscribe the other’s name.” This immediately deflated the white-robed young man, nearly causing him internal injury. He certainly wanted to slap this Chen fellow to death, but as soon as such a thought arose, the palm of his hand would be stung by the Old Scholar’s unknown *shùfǎ* (术法, magical technique), as if being whipped by a feather duster until it was red and swollen.

As dusk approached, the carriage slowly traveled along a mountain path. The white-robed young man, rarely opening the carriage curtain, sat behind the coachman, Yu Lu, and announced loudly, “The Chen Ping’an, Chen *Dàgē* (大哥, big brother), Chen *Dàyé* (大爷, great uncle), Chen *Lǎozǔzōng* (老祖宗, old ancestor) in front! This mountain is called Heng Mountain. We must be careful! Before Huang Ting, this place belonged to the Later Shu kingdom. According to the writings of a Later Shu literati in ‘Shu Kingdom Miscellany,’ there is a Qing Niangniang (青娘娘, Green Maiden) Temple on Heng Mountain. In front of the temple stands an ancient cypress tree of unknown age, said to grant wishes with great efficacy. Later generations therefore built a temple in its honor. Legend has it that a former court official died for his country, and his family scattered, leaving only his young daughter who refused to leave. She committed suicide with a sword, her blood soaking the cypress tree’s roots, and her soul thus became attached to the old cypress. Since then, many strange occurrences have taken place, but fortunately, the rumors mostly end well. Everyone, don’t be too nervous. Just consider it a visit to a scenic spot with a story.”

Chen Ping’an’s heart tightened. After the incident with the bride ghost, he couldn’t help but be wary of ghosts and spirits, feeling like “once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of ropes.”

In fact, not only Chen Ping’an, but also Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi, and even that Yin spirit, none dared to let their guard down.

Therefore, before twilight enveloped the mountains, they stopped and chose a clearing on the mountainside as their campsite for the night.

After a simple but filling dinner, Li Baoping, using the light of the campfire, began to read her favorite travelogue, “Record of Mountains and Rivers.” Lin Shouyi generally wouldn’t take out the “Clouds Above the Langlang Book” in front of Yu Lu and Xie Xie, but would instead open the “Search Mountain Diagram” given to him by the blind Daoist, appreciating those lifelike mountain spirits and demons. As for Li Huai, he would continue to tinker with his little trinkets, often only with Xie Xie willing to join him. Today was no exception.

Yu Lu was acting strangely today, even taking the initiative to ask Lin Shouyi for a game of *qí*. Lin Shouyi naturally wouldn’t refuse and found it quite interesting. Previously, playing against Xie Xie felt like the disparity in skill was too great, like a mountain pressing down. Although Lin Shouyi controlled his emotions and mentality well, he would still feel somewhat dejected each time after Xie Xie left when replaying the game alone. But playing against the gentle Yu Lu, he found that this tall young man of Lu clan descent played *qí* similar to his personality: slow and steady, without any terrible blunders, but also without any brilliant, eye-catching moves. After two games, Lin Shouyi lost both, as if only one move away. In both instances, before Yu Lu made his final move, the chessboard was still evenly matched, the outcome unclear.

While the two young men were playing *qí*, the white-robed young man, Cui Chan, with his hands behind his back, glanced at the game, rolled his eyes, and didn’t want to watch anymore. But after circling around, he really had nowhere to go, so he had to repeatedly return to the vicinity of the *qí* game, either standing behind Lin Shouyi rolling his eyes, or standing behind Yu Lu, rolling his eyes in exactly the same way. Finally, unable to bear it, he said to Lin Shouyi, who was silently replaying the game, “Yu Lu, that seemingly virtuous little bad egg, is deliberately toying with you. Can’t you tell that at all? Do you want to win against Yu Lu and Xie Xie? If you only had one-tenth of my skill, I guarantee you could win ten out of ten games!”

Lin Shouyi raised his head and smiled, “Wait until you become Chen Ping’an’s student.”

However, Lin Shouyi couldn’t help but glance at the unassuming tall young man, who gave him a slight smile, his eyes clear, before lowering his head and patiently packing his meager belongings.

The white-robed young man, Cui Chan, pounded his chest, filled with grief.

In the distance, on a branch of a large tree that extended outwards, the straw-sandaled youth stood, the branch bending under his weight. After gently exhaling a breath of turbid air, he slowly closed his eyes, practicing the Sword-Establishing Hearth technique day after day.

The mountain breeze brushed his face.

Like the mountain whispering, and the youth silent.
(End of this chapter) 8)

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