(Many people have caught a cold recently, everyone take care of your health. The spring chill lingers, so add layers of clothing.)

Chen Ping’an and his two companions were forcibly detained at the Prefecture Lord’s residence for three days.

Liu Gaohua, having weathered this storm, seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. The颓态 (tui tai, despondent state) from their first meeting was gone. He frequently sought out his father, eager to learn, inquiring about both moral essays and matters of governance and benefiting the people. Whatever came to mind, he would ask. Prefect Liu still disliked this son, but Liu Gaohua no longer felt weak-kneed and retreated at the slightest hint of his father’s impatience. In any case, he’d been a relentless annoyance to Prefect Liu these past few days.

More often, Liu Gaohua would cling to the bearded warrior and the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng. He also kept a watchful eye on the poor scholar Liu Chicheng, like guarding against a thief. He didn’t mind this poor scholar from Bai Shui Kingdom marrying his eldest sister, but he wouldn’t allow any wandering hands before she was properly brought into the family home with an eight-bearer sedan chair. Liu Gaohua would never agree to such a thing.

Since they were friends who had shared trials and tribulations, the son of a government official, Liu Gaohua, dispensed with many formalities and restraints. He regaled Chen Ping’an and the others with tales of the Caiyi Kingdom’s imperial court and officialdom, treating them as mere appetizers with drinks.

This catastrophe in Rouge County City, which affected thousands of households, had far-reaching and enduring consequences for the ordinary people. Though the great demonic figures had disappeared, either suppressed and killed or fleeing into hiding, unease still permeated the air. Many wealthy and noble families had secretly begun preparing to move away from the county city, heading to the state capital, or even the Caiyi Kingdom’s imperial city. Even if not moving their entire families, these powerful households wanted to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, which was only reasonable.

It was said that the Caiyi Kingdom’s imperial court, upon learning of the news, had dispatched personnel from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, of relatively low rank, slowly southward to Rouge County, claiming to investigate the case and appease the people. However, Prefect Liu, who had spent half his life navigating the officialdom, knew this was merely a performance by His Majesty. He shouldn’t expect a single tael of silver from the Ministry of Revenue for disaster relief. Rouge County was a mess, and the official treasury had less than twenty or thirty percent of what was needed. He wasn’t the kind of unscrupulous official who would impose exorbitant taxes. So, he, the bearded Prefect, had to rely on his old face to beg for help, to leverage the flattering prospect of having his name recorded in the local gazette, of having a monument erected in his honor for posterity. Relying on such things to implore the county’s prominent gentry and wealthy merchants for silver. Moreover, he had to finalize the matter of the silver before those imperial envoys from the two ministries arrived in the county city, so as not to trouble the Emperor’s heart or add to the already difficult situation of the Ministry of Revenue. Only then could he hope to keep his official hat.

Life has its ups and downs, in the officialdom, in the marketplace, and on the path of cultivation. When someone’s life takes a turn for the worse, it may be another’s chance to rise.

For example, this time Chen Ping’an and his companions took action, whether out of righteous indignation or compassion, perhaps good deeds were finally being rewarded. After some discussion, the bearded swordsman and the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng each reaped considerable gains.

Xu Yuanxia acquired a new divine weapon, a short knife left behind by the 米老魔 (Mi Lao Mo, Old Demon Mi)’s eldest disciple. The original owner was a genuine figure of the demonic path. Unexpectedly, when this short knife was drawn, its blade was also radiant and bright, with no trace of evil aura. Furthermore, the Vice-General of General Ma, the armored warrior, having fought alongside them twice, felt an instant kinship and stubbornly “reported the loss” of a top-tier military bow and five specially made Mo Family arrows from the official armory, secretly gifting them to Xu Yuanxia.

Xu Yuanxia was initially unwilling to accept, for military law was as unyielding as a mountain. While it was hard to say about other places in the Caiyi Kingdom, judging by General Ma’s command and discipline, he was likely not one to be trifled with. After the Vice-General understood her concerns, he laughed heartily, finding that he and the bearded hero were truly kindred spirits. He simply revealed the secret, saying that this was with General Ma’s approval. Initially, he only dared to ask for one arrow, but General Ma first informed Prefect Liu, gave him a heads-up, and then waved his hand, directly changing the number of arrows in the official document submitted to the Ministry of War reporting combat losses from sixteen to twenty-one.

Zhang Shanfeng collected two spiritual implements of poor quality. One was badly damaged, a white jade wine cup as thin as porcelain, capable of absorbing spiritual energy from the heavens and earth on its own, ultimately condensing into a drop of spirit dew every half a旬 (xun, ten-day period). When Zhang Shanfeng obtained it, the cup had a chip on its edge, which would likely affect the speed of condensation to some extent.

The other was a pair of legendary Green God Mountain bamboo chopsticks. One chopstick was inscribed with “Green God Mountain,” and the other with “Divine Firmament Bamboo.” At the very least, they looked like old objects with some age, but whether they truly came from Green God Mountain remained to be seen. However, the bamboo chopsticks did contain abundant spiritual energy.

Regardless, they were all spiritual implements coveted by every Qi refiner below the fifth realm.

Chen Ping’an did not take out the azure wooden box or the gold and silver fragments of the Golden Body. This was a matter of great importance, where fortune and misfortune were intertwined. These were not things he could share with friends like Liu Xianyang, as he did with the mountain turtle or the snake-catching hawk he caught back in his hometown. Chen Ping’an only took out the charred ebony and the white bowl painted with the Five Peaks True Form Diagram.

Xu Yuanxia did not recognize the significance of the white bowl, but she marveled at the heavy piece of wood, calling it lightning-struck wood. Not just any tree struck by lightning could produce it; it had to be struck by a special Five Thunders containing the might of heaven, and the tree had to survive the lightning strike, not be dead, because dead wood could not retain the mysterious and profound power of the lightning. Xu Yuanxia weighed the charcoal-like ebony in her hand and said with a smile, “Chen Ping’an, do you believe that if you give this to a farmer cultivator, they can turn it back into a vibrant sapling?”

Chen Ping’an immediately understood.

It was a valuable item!

The Prefecture Lord’s residence also symbolically gifted them, these “heroes and righteous individuals,” five hundred taels of silver as a reward for their merits.

The bearded warrior was unwilling to accept it, and so was the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng. Only Chen Ping’an accepted it, for which Zhang Shanfeng jokingly called Chen Ping’an a money grubber. Chen Ping’an laughed it off, unconcerned.

The Zhao family’s boy was named Zhao Shuxia, and the girl was named Luanluan. Now, by a stroke of good luck, they had both been freed from their servile status and were following the old man nicknamed “Fisherman.” The girl Luanluan had even become the old man’s closed-door disciple.

Every morning, Chen Ping’an practiced walking the stakes in the courtyard of his residence, and the boy would squat at the courtyard gate, watching intently with his cheek in his hand.
Chen Ping’an turned a blind eye. This was material from the Hushan Fist manual, which he never considered his own, and it was inappropriate to casually impart the fist techniques to others.

However, the boy Zhao Shuxia’s intent to “steal techniques” wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

This child had a good heart.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an deliberately slowed down the six-step stance, repeating it over and over.

On the last day, the sun shone brightly. Li Xia (Start of Summer) had arrived, and all things flourished.

In the twilight, Chen Ping’an said to the boy, “Zhao Shuxia, can you practice that fist stance… seriously, a hundred…”

Chen Ping’an quickly corrected himself, “Practice it ten thousand times?”

The boy nodded vigorously.

Chen Ping’an instructed, “Don’t seek speed, only stability. Each time, you mustn’t make a mistake, and it has to accumulate again and again. Within three to five years, practice ten thousand fists, each six-step stance only counts as one fist. Remember, if you feel any step is off, you must start over, without the slightest ambiguity.”

Chen Ping’an was either silent or overly verbose. The little Daoist in green robes and the pink-skirted girl in the Fallen Mountain would probably know this all too well.

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and continued, “Practicing the fist is… a very foolish thing. Zhao Shuxia, you can be clever, and you are indeed clever, much more so than me, but the more foolishly you practice, the better. Understand?”

The boy’s eyes were resolute, and he clenched his fists, “Understood! Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become a man above men!”

This gifted and impoverished child truly understood.

Chen Ping’an was amused and asked, “What do you want to do once you become a man above men?”

Without hesitation, the boy blurted out, “Buy lots of warm clothes for Luanluan to wear in the winter!”

Chen Ping’an asked again, “And yourself?”

The boy wiped his mouth, his eyes filled with longing. “Eat my fill every meal!”

Chen Ping’an’s smile faded, and he frowned slightly. “Just that?”

The boy, being from a poor background, was adept at reading faces. He immediately felt embarrassed, fearing that his benefactor would think he lacked ambition. But he truly had no other thoughts. He didn’t want to deceive Chen Ping’an, so he drooped his head, feeling guilty. “That’s all I want.”

“Eating your fill is not enough!”

The stern expression on Chen Ping’an’s face softened considerably. He ruffled the boy’s hair and teased, “You have to have meat with every meal!”

The boy grinned foolishly.

Daoist Zhang Shanfeng, Liu Gaohua, and Liu Chicheng squatted side-by-side on the corridor chairs.

Luanluan was held in the arms of Liu Gaohua’s older sister, a little distanced from the three old men.

Seeing this scene, they couldn’t help but smile.

This chance encounter, though with its ups and downs, ended well and peacefully, which was not easy to achieve.

At noon that day, the scholar Liu Chicheng left the prefectural city with Chen Ping’an and his companions. Liu Gaohua, his older sister, Zhao Shuxia, Luanluan, and the learned fisherman all came to see them off, all the way to the roadside pavilion five li outside the city, where willows swayed gracefully.

Liu Chicheng bid farewell to Miss Liu under the shade of the trees, exchanging heartfelt words. Though sad, the girl also wore a smile, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation.

Chen Ping’an spoke with the old fisherman alone, handing him five hundred taels of silver and a talisman made of golden material, saying it was a gift to Zhao Shuxia and Luanluan as a token for apprenticeship, imploring the old man to accept it. The old man, being of a magnanimous nature, accepted without pretense, smiling and reassuring Chen Ping’an that he would treat Shuxia and Luanluan as his own, ensuring they would not suffer any hardship. In the end, Chen Ping’an clasped his hands in respect and said, “Your character is like the towering mountains and flowing rivers.”

These were Chen Ping’an’s heartfelt words.

Therefore, it was the first time Chen Ping’an had spoken so elegantly, yet he felt no embarrassment.

The old gentleman held one child in each hand, watching the four figures walk away. He chuckled softly, “Possessing both celestial aura and chivalrous spirit, a true pillar of the nation.”

Liu Gaohua nudged his older sister’s arm lightly and asked with a smile, “Sister, what kind of bewitching potion did Liu Chicheng feed you that you’re holding back your tears?”

The woman smiled sweetly, “Liu-lang said that when he achieves fame and fortune, he will return to marry me. He said he will clink cups with my father, so my dad can call him ‘esteemed son-in-law’ again and again at the dinner table.”

Liu Gaohua grimaced, “A scholar’s empty words, you really believe that?”

The woman pressed her hands to her heart, gazing dreamily at the scholar’s retreating figure adorned with a willow wreath, murmuring, “That’s what the books say.”

Liu Gaohua helplessly said, “Such an old man, wearing a willow wreath and not even feeling ashamed, what future can such a penniless scholar have?”

The woman stepped on her younger brother’s foot in annoyance, “Don’t talk about your brother-in-law like that.”

Liu Gaohua quickly retracted his foot, standing further away, holding the back of his head with both hands, relaxed and carefree.

Then, with a ‘thwack’, someone heavily slapped the back of his head.

Liu Gaohua turned around, ready to curse, but his entire body seemed to be strangled by the neck, unable to open his mouth, his face flushed red as he stammered, “Father.”

The woman was even more nervous.

The Prefect Liu, who had changed out of his official robes into a scholar’s blue gown, stood between his two children. “You and Chen Ping’an are friends?”

Liu Gaohua was unsure of his father’s gentlemanly temperament and the deeper meaning of his words, so he said cautiously, “Sort of?”

Prefect Liu glanced at his son, smiled nonchalantly, and said nothing more. He turned and walked towards the old fisherman, chatting with him about morality and literature.

The woman secretly patted her chest, relieved.

Liu Gaohua quietly asked, “Sister, did I say something wrong again?”

She gloated, “You’re already up to your neck in debt; it’s just more of the same. What are you afraid of?”

Liu Gaohua let out a wail.

The siblings dared not approach their father, fearing a cold shoulder or, even worse, throwing themselves into a trap. They followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far.

The boy Zhao Shuxia suddenly slowed down, came to Liu Gaohua’s side, and whispered, “Brother Liu, my teacher praised you, saying you are filial and have a pure nature. Your father said something like, ‘not at all, barely upholding the family tradition.'”

As a result, Liu Gaohua, a grown man, ran towards the riverbank saying he was going to wash his face, after just having criticized Liu Chicheng for being useless.

The group leisurely walked along the official road back to Yan Zhi County, passing by a handsome young man.

The young man swung a large bunch of willow branches, a date-red mark on his forehead.

He was truly beautiful.
The night sky descended three days later, and Chen Ping’an and his group of four found themselves on a secluded mountain path leading to the Shushui Kingdom. They settled in a dilapidated old temple. Prefect Liu had mentioned a matter earlier: he had heard that on Dilong Mountain in the Shushui Kingdom, there was a strange “ferry crossing” not recorded in official documents. It was highly likely to be the kind of place Chen Ping’an was looking for – a starting point for mountain immortals to ride boats on the sea of clouds and travel far away.

Xu Yuanxia would bid farewell to the two there, and head alone to the Qingluan Kingdom in the southeast of Treasure Bottle Continent to return the ashes of her friend to her hometown.

Xu Yuanxia enjoyed hiking and traveling through mountains and rivers, and also liked to write travelogues, recording those strange and dangerous landscapes, so she had always been unwilling to take immortal ferries. Liu Chicheng, on the other hand, was going to a southwestern area of Treasure Bottle Continent, a place name that no one had ever heard of, not even the well-informed Xu Yuanxia.

The long-abandoned ancient temple at night was a little creepy. The Buddhist Four Heavenly Kings statues had all fallen to the ground, and the temple occupied a large area, empty and desolate. The yin wind howled, and the wind through the halls and corridors swept together. In addition, the occasional sudden hoot of a night owl from the mountains made Liu Chicheng’s lips tremble. Even though he had lit a bonfire, he still desperately leaned against the big bearded man, feeling that this guy looked the most fierce and could definitely suppress ghosts and demons. The youths like Chen Ping’an and Zhang Shanfeng were mostly unreliable.

As for the “rouge old ghost” temporarily residing in his body, Liu Chicheng never thought he was so powerful. He wasn’t even a Golden Core Realm immortal, only knowing how to hide and brag. If he was really so powerful, would he have been suppressed for so many years and need him, Liu Chicheng, to rescue him? So how strong could he be? Besides, which real immortal didn’t have a celestial air about them? Who the hell would swagger through the streets wearing a pink Taoist robe? Anyway, Liu Chicheng felt ashamed.

Everything Liu Chicheng saw and heard was clear to the guy he nicknamed “rouge old ghost”.

However, after the old ghost wore the pink Taoist robe for a long time in the world, Liu Chicheng lost his memory several times, until the old ghost was willing to return the body.

This made Liu Chicheng’s teeth itch with hatred. In the future, if he married a beautiful and peerless wife, had a room full of concubines as beautiful as flowers, and added one or two plump and slender maids, what if he just got into bed, was still touching a little hand, and his eyes went dark, and he didn’t know anything? When he opened his eyes, it was broad daylight and he was already dressed and out of bed. What kind of bad situation would that be? The key was that he, Liu Chicheng, couldn’t complain to anyone about this unique kind of dumb loss.

Liu Chicheng squatted on his heels, reaching out to warm himself by the fire, his face full of worry, truly a sorrow.

Under the shroud of night, Liu Chicheng raised his head and looked left and right, feeling more and more frightened. Fortunately, Xu Yuanxia was drinking, and the little Zhang Taoist was over there drawing his peach wood sword, practicing swordsmanship, which made Liu Chicheng feel a little more at ease. Chen Ping’an went to find firewood and dry branches in the distance to make a fire and cook. Liu Chicheng really admired this young man surnamed Chen, who feared neither heaven nor earth, and was particularly stubborn. He practiced those two boxing stances every day, back and forth, without fail. Liu Chicheng felt that if he studied as hard as Chen Ping’an practiced boxing, he would have long been a reading seed of Guanhai Academy.

Liu Chicheng soon saw Chen Ping’an jogging back, carrying not only a large bundle of dry branches, but also an ancient object four or five feet high. He asked what it was and whether it was worth any money. Liu Chicheng rolled his eyes and said grumpily, “It’s just a tall lantern stand, for holding oil lamps. Poor households only have short lantern stands, not this elaborate. According to some unofficial histories, in ancient times, Buddhist jungle temples were the richest in many Treasure Bottle Continent dynasties, even richer than the emperor. Isn’t that against the heavens? So there were several exterminations of Buddhism. This lantern stand in your hand would be worth something if it were brand new, but now it’s just broken copper and scrap iron, not worth a few coins.”

Chen Ping’an was a little regretful. After putting down the dry branches, he trotted back to put the lantern stand back in its original place.

Liu Chicheng rubbed his forehead, feeling that traveling the world with such a bumpkin was quite embarrassing.

After the meal was heated, Liu Chicheng picked and chose and ate his dinner, then began to pack his bedding to prepare for a long sleep.

The big bearded man drank enough wine, fell backward, and began to snore loudly.

Tonight, Taoist Zhang Shanfeng was responsible for guarding the first half of the night, and Chen Ping’an guarded the second half.

Chen Ping’an first helped to gather up the broken statues of the Bodhisattvas and Heavenly Kings, piling them up in corners that could shelter them from the wind and rain. After doing this, he began to practice walking stances on the uneven ground.

Now Chen Ping’an’s boxing, according to Liu Chicheng, was so slow that it could allow him to sleep soundly.

During the later stage of Chen Ping’an’s boxing practice tonight, he suddenly began to speed up, eventually becoming as fast as lightning, with wind whistling around his body. After a while, Chen Ping’an began to slow down again.

Zhang Shanfeng walked over to watch for a while and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? A little upset?”

Chen Ping’an stopped and put away his boxing stance, saying helplessly, “I’ve touched a little bit of the threshold, but I just can’t cross it. It’s neither up nor down, and it makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Zhang Shanfeng smiled and said, “You kid is about to break through. A Martial Dao Fourth Realm Little Grandmaster under the age of twenty is very fierce even in the Jianghu of our Northern Club Continent.”

Chen Ping’an sighed, “Before I left, someone told me that it would be best to reach the Qi Refining Realm of a pure martial artist before reaching Old Dragon City.”

Suddenly.

The demon-listening bell that Zhang Shanfeng had placed on top of his luggage in the distance vibrated violently, and the bell rang loudly.

Zhang Shanfeng’s heart tightened, “There’s demon energy approaching the temple!”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “You should put away the demon-listening bell first, so as not to startle the snake.”

The big bearded man quickly sat up and laughed loudly, “The three of us are really doing a booming business. Wealth has come, and we can’t stop it!”

After laughing, Xu Yuanxia stroked his beard, pressed the hilts of the long and short knives at his waist with both hands, and said in a deep voice, “But remember, when slaying demons and eliminating evil, safety comes first.”

Chen Ping’an and Zhang Shanfeng smiled at each other, and the young Taoist chuckled, “I also have a Divine Speed Talisman.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a while, then said sullenly, “I run fast!”