Brewing medicine was a meticulous task, akin to threading a needle. Chen Pingan performed it with practiced ease, lost in concentration, a strange joy radiating from the young man.

However, the black-clad girl was not known for her patience. In truth, aside from practicing her swordsmanship, she found little else to capture her interest. Having left her home at a young age to travel the world alone, she lived a rough life. Thus, she felt no discomfort in the face of the boy’s humble abode. She had spent countless nights exposed to the elements, enduring wind and rain, which would have made even the most refined individual accustomed to hardship.

The girl asked, “Is your left hand alright?”

Chen Pingan, his left hand wrapped in a cotton bandage, carefully carried a bowl of medicine. After the girl took it, he smiled and said, “It’s fine. Before returning to the alley, I found some herbs and mashed them into a poultice. I used this back when I was a kiln worker for cuts and bruises. It always worked wonders. It’s a secret recipe an old man at the Yang family shop told me a long time ago. But I promised him not to reveal it, otherwise, Miss Ning, you might find it useful in your travels. If you want, I can try to find the old man at the Yang family shop and ask him. It’s just that I was in a hurry to get to the apothecary today and didn’t see him. I can only hope he was just away for a while.”

As the girl drank the medicine, her long, narrow eyebrows, sharp as blades, furrowed slightly. Yet, she showed no change in expression as she finished the concoction and returned the porcelain bowl to the barefooted boy waiting nearby. She muttered, “A bleeding heart. No wonder he’s penniless and gets bullied.”

Before the boy could react, the girl added, “Don’t mind me. I’m just blunt.”

The girl probably didn’t realize that her last remark was even more hurtful.

Chen Pingan wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

The black-clad girl wiped the dregs of the medicine from her lips with her thumb, then straightened her posture and said seriously, “The Sage who currently presides over this realm, whom you call the schoolteacher, has the intention to help you clean up this mess, so that your life will be safe in the future. But you must understand that human power is limited. Even a Sage is not exempt from this. Moreover, that Master Qi is in a precarious situation, somewhat like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river, unable to save himself. I fear that he will be unable to ensure your safety later on. Ning Yao, for my part, repays even the smallest kindness with a flowing spring, and an angry glare with retribution!”

Limited human power, a flowing spring of repayment, retribution, a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river…

At this moment, the girl’s heart was filled with a secret pride. Listen, aren’t my words scholarly and profound?

Unfortunately for her, Chen Pingan lived next door to a budding scholar with considerable knowledge, who recited the words of sages twice a day, morning and evening, to affirm his ambitions. According to Song Jixin himself, it was “I cultivate my righteous spirit.” Thus, Chen Pingan had never eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run. He was no stranger to the verbose pronouncements of scholars. Even if some words were obscure, he could decipher their meaning through context.

The girl stared intently at Chen Pingan, trying to find shock, admiration, and confusion on his face. But Chen Pingan simply wore an expression that said, “I understand. Please, continue,” a truly infuriating response.

The girl was disheartened. Her spirited expression diminished, her edge blunted. Annoyed, she said, “For example, you saved my life. Afterward, I will naturally help you kill Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City, or Liu Zhimao of Shujian Lake. But if you want both of them killed, eliminating all future trouble, you will have to pay a price. Because our encounter is nothing more than a fleeting acquaintance, we don’t have that deep of a connection. So you need to use a bag of gold essence coins as payment.”

The girl quickly pointed to the bag of Welcoming Spring coins. “For example, I like this bag very much. The coin designs of the other two bags of Offering coins and Amulet coins are ugly, and the inscriptions are not pleasing.”

Then the girl raised her chin slightly, “If, in addition to making this deal, you are willing to pay me two bags of coins, I will help you settle matters with Old Dragon City and Clouded Peak. Of course, if I die early in Liu Zhimao’s hands, all bets are off. After all, my cultivation isn’t high now. In the nine realms of martial arts, I have only just reached the sixth realm. My physical resilience as a pure martial artist is not yet fully developed. As for the fifteen levels of cultivation, the fifteen realms of ascension, I have only reached the Dragon Gate realm within the middle five realms. Inside my Dan Chamber, I have six paintings that have yet to be brought to life, the Heavenly Maidens have not yet taken flight…”

At this point, Chen Pingan was truly confused, lost in a daze.

The girl was immediately filled with embarrassment and anger. Her low cultivation had always been a source of shame for her. Chen Pingan’s idiotic appearance, as if to say, “Please explain it again, Miss,” undoubtedly touched her most sensitive spot.

Seeing the girl’s gloomy expression, even a fool like Chen Pingan knew the situation was bad. He quickly changed the subject, “Why were you so severely injured earlier, but now you seem to have recovered so much?”

The girl lowered her eyes slightly, crossed her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, “I was indeed close to death at the time. If Daoist Lu hadn’t saved me, I would have… Anyway, I owe you a great debt. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of your situation and asked you for three bags of gold essence coins. Ning Yao’s life is not comparable to the likes of Liu Zhimao. So, I was wrong. Just pretend I didn’t say anything. After I leave this town, I will do my best to help you resolve those future troubles. But I’m saying this upfront, Ning Yao will only act within my capabilities. I won’t knowingly go to my death and fight people… trade my life.”

Perhaps the girl’s admission of guilt was too rare and precious, so she felt extremely dejected.

Chen Pingan asked, “Which bag is the Offering coin bag?”

The girl pointed to one of the golden embroidered bags.

Chen Pingan took out three coins from it, held them in his palm, then pushed the three bags toward the girl with his arm, and smiled, “These, I’ll give them to you.”

The girl was stunned, and after a long time, she asked, “Chen Pingan, did you get your head stuck in a door when you were little?”

Chen Pingan said helplessly, “No, when I was herding cattle, I often got hit by their tails.”

The girl suddenly flew into a rage, slammed the table, and demanded, “Do you like me?!”

Chen Pingan was dumbstruck.

The girl grinned, pointed her thumb at Chen Pingan, and said, “Good taste!”
Then, bending her thumb towards herself, she declared, her eyes shining, “But I won’t agree! The man Ning Yao loves must be the most powerful sword immortal in the entire world! The most powerful! The greatest sword immortal! Before his sword, even Dao Ancestors, Buddhas, and Confucian Sages must bow their heads and make way!”

Chen Ping’an blushed and scratched his head, saying, “Miss Ning, you misunderstand, I don’t have feelings for you…”

The girl raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, then leaned forward, squinting with one eye, raised a hand, leaving a gap of about an inch between her thumb and forefinger, and asked tentatively, “Not even this much?”

Chen Ping’an was decisive, his tone firm as he said, “Not at all! Rest assured, Miss Ning!”

The girl withdrew her hand and sighed heavily, saying with pity, “Chen Ping’an, even if you’re fortunate enough to marry a wife in the future, she’ll likely be a simpleton.”

Chen Ping’an sat across the table, smiling happily, “As long as she’s a good person.”

The girl didn’t comment on this.

Living a life of ease, being content with mediocrity, or achieving great success, as her mother said, each had its own destiny, and there might not be any superiority or inferiority.

However, her father had a different opinion on this, saying that one shouldn’t force things if they aren’t meant to be, but not forcing things didn’t mean not trying at all. One should still try, and if one still couldn’t get what they wanted in the end, then that was another matter.

Of course, her father would never dare say these words to her mother’s face.

Chen Ping’an casually asked, “Miss Ning, are you also here in our town seeking an opportunity?”

The girl didn’t hide anything, answering, “I exhausted all the fortune I had accumulated, plus a favor, to get a spot to enter this town. However, I’m different from those people. I’m not seeking any opportunities or destiny. I just want someone to help me forge a sword, preferably one that suits my heart. As for whether it’s sharp or not, or whether it can carry a massive amount of sword energy, those are secondary.”

Chen Ping’an asked in confusion, “Forge a sword?”

The girl said, “It’s that blacksmith, Master Ruan. He has a great reputation here, and he also has an ‘unbreakable’ rule: he only forges one sword every thirty years. The reason he was willing to come here to replace Qi Jingchun is because he feels this place is suitable for opening a furnace to forge a sword. I’m going to try my luck and see if he’s willing to forge a sword for me. If it really doesn’t work out, then I’ll have no choice but to accept that my luck is bad.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “Good people are rewarded.”

The girl said weakly, “No choice.”

She glanced at the young man, “Doesn’t your left hand hurt?”

Chen Ping’an was taken aback, “It does.”

She questioned, “Then why don’t you look like it does?”

Chen Ping’an said matter-of-factly, “Even if I rolled on the ground and screamed, it wouldn’t stop hurting.”

The girl slapped her forehead, “I’m helpless. You’re just like my father, but your skills are far inferior to his.”

Chen Ping’an smiled without saying anything, quietly looking at the courtyard outside the house.

The girl pushed the three bags of copper coins back, “I don’t want them.”

Chen Ping’an withdrew his gaze and said softly, “Miss Ning, have you considered that it might not be a good thing for me to keep them? After seeing Mister Qi, I’m even more certain of this.”

Once the girl made a decision, she wouldn’t change it. She shook her head and said, “That’s your problem, it has nothing to do with me. I’ve decided that I will definitely repay the life-saving debt in the future, and I will definitely not cut corners, and be worthy of the name ‘Ning Yao’! But in these years, you must take care of yourself and not die carelessly. As long as you get through this period…”

The usually agreeable young man interrupted the girl for the first time, “It was Daoist Lu who saved you, Miss Ning, so you don’t need to feel indebted. If I hadn’t thought I was going to die at the time and wanted Daoist Lu to do more for my parents, I wouldn’t have opened the door at all.”

The girl snorted coldly, “That’s your problem!”

The young man repeated her words with a smile, “That’s your problem.”

They stared at each other.

The girl was the first to give in, complaining of a headache, “If you like me, I really can’t agree.”

Chen Ping’an held his head in his hands.

He was also helpless with such a stubborn and strange girl.

At this time, someone climbed into the courtyard from the wall. There was no doubt that it was Liu Xianyang. He ran to the doorway and was about to shout when he suddenly seemed to have been choked, unable to utter a single word.

Chen Ping’an quickly got up and went to Liu Xianyang, whispering, “Can I stay at your place for the next few days? This girl might be staying here.”

Liu Xianyang pushed Chen Ping’an’s head away and rubbed his hands together eagerly, like a fly rubbing its paws, saying, “Girl, my house is big, and the furnishings are complete. If you don’t mind, how about staying at my house?”

The black-clad girl, with her back to them, said flatly, “I do mind.”

Liu Xianyang bared his teeth, looking at the slender and graceful figure with the saber on her back, unwilling to give up, “Girl, you don’t know, but two groups of people blocked my way on the covered bridge before, crying and begging me to sell them my ancestral treasures, but I didn’t agree. Unfortunately, those people almost got me scolded to death by Master Ruan. I see that you are also a stranger who came to town to try your luck, right? Although I, Liu Xianyang, may not sell it to you, it’s definitely no problem to let you see it and broaden your horizons!”

Ning Yao remained indifferent, “No need.”

Liu Xianyang sat down in Chen Ping’an’s original seat on his own accord. After seeing the black-clad girl’s face, his eyes lit up, “Girl, don’t be so polite. Chen Ping’an and I can squeeze in this broken house, and you can go to my big house, so you won’t feel so cramped, as if you don’t even have room to put your hands and feet.”

Ning Yao replied with a straight face, “I appreciate the kindness, go cool off somewhere else!”

Liu Xianyang wasn’t embarrassed at all and got up, “Okay, okay, there’s no place like home, I understand, I understand.”

Liu Xianyang pulled Chen Ping’an to the doorway and poked the young man with his elbow, “What’s going on?”

Chen Ping’an said awkwardly, “It’s hard to explain in a short time. Just tell me if I can stay at your place?”

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes, “What’s the big deal? But you have to promise me, help me keep an eye on Zhi Gui, and don’t let Song Jixin, that little beast, forcibly defile her. You have to help me protect the purity of my future wife!”

Chen Ping’an said without hesitation, “Don’t even think about it!”

Liu Xianyang patted Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Just take it as if you promised.”
Inside the house, the black-clad girl suddenly turned her head and said, “Do you know that you are a born sword genius? The porcelain doll merchant didn’t take you away when you were nine because he wanted you to absorb more spiritual energy here. That was the right choice. So, you must seize the opportunity with Master Ruan and get him to accept you as a disciple. Remember, at least an inner disciple, preferably a direct disciple. As for a closed-door disciple, don’t even dream about it. Your natural talent isn’t that extraordinary.”

Liu Xianyang smiled, nodding vigorously, saying “Okay, okay,” then turned to look at Chen Ping’an, pointed at the girl in the house, and then pointed at his own head.

Chen Ping’an said, “She’s telling the truth, don’t take it lightly.”

Liu Xianyang stopped joking, fell silent, and whispered, “I think something’s wrong. The two groups on the covered bridge, guess who was leading the way? It was Lu Zhengchun, that bastard from Fortune Street! Isn’t that like a weasel visiting a chicken coop with good intentions? I’m not that greedy. Why would I want to do business with them? Besides, that armor is an old heirloom passed down through my family for generations. If I sell it, I’ll dream of my grandfather and he’ll scold me to death!”

Hearing all this, Chen Ping’an felt a sense of impending doom. “You have to be careful. Lu Zhengchun and those outsiders are not to be trifled with!”

The boy turned to ask, “Miss Ning, do you know the origins of those people?”

The black-clad girl nodded and said, “The old man and the girl are from Zhengyang Mountain, which is considered a respectable sect in your Eastern Treasure Continent. The old man is not human… In short, he is a hundred times more powerful than Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and her son are also not simple. After all, those who can enter the town together are not just ordinary rich people. That woman is very cunning, and the little boy doesn’t seem like someone with good intentions. So, I advise your friend to hurry up and have Master Ruan accept him as a disciple. That would be like having a life-saving charm. In this town, no matter how high your connections or how deep your background, no one dares to cross a Saint.”

Chen Ping’an then asked Liu Xianyang, “Are you confident that you can become Master Ruan’s disciple?”

Liu Xianyang hesitated, stammering, “Well, the first day I went there as an apprentice, Master Ruan looked at me the same way Old Yao did back then, probably observing me for a while before deciding whether to take me on as a disciple. It’s just…”

Chen Ping’an glared fiercely.

Liu Xianyang laughed sheepishly. “It’s just that Master Ruan has a precious daughter who can really eat, which shocked me. So, I joked a little. I didn’t expect that girl to be so fierce and domineering when she was forging, yet she was usually very shy and reserved. I had no idea she couldn’t take a joke like that. I made her cry right then and there. And Master Ruan just happened to catch me in the act, so he looked at me differently. There’s no way he’ll accept me as a disciple now. But I never wanted to be anyone’s slave anyway. Serving Old Yao, with his weird temper, was enough for us. I just wanted to earn a living at the blacksmith shop…”

Chen Ping’an looked up, his face dark.

Liu Xianyang, who was more than half a head taller than the straw sandal boy, lowered his head, not daring to look him in the eye.

This scene confused Ning Yao.

This was also the first time the girl had seen Chen Ping’an truly angry.

Chen Ping’an asked in a low voice, “After what happened at the old locust tree, did you inexplicably find any locust leaves on you?”

Liu Xianyang shook his head. “No, but that fortune-telling Taoist who always sneaks glances at women said some unlucky things to me. I almost smashed his stall.”

Chen Ping’an’s expression changed slightly, and he frowned, turning to look inside the house and asking, “Miss Ning, in exchange, would three bags of gold essence coins be enough? And more importantly, will it cause you a lot of trouble? Please be sure to tell me that beforehand.”

The black-clad girl thought carefully. “The trouble is not small, but it’s not a big problem. But you must be careful these two days. Tell your friend not to run around the streets. After all, my current situation is not good.”

She added, “Two groups of people, two bags of money. Getting Master Ruan to accept him as a disciple is another bag of money. In short, for every task completed, I will receive a bag of money. Don’t worry, since I’ve agreed, I’m guaranteed at least two bags.”

Chen Ping’an ran into the house, quickly pushed the two bags of money, including the New Year’s coins, to the girl. “Take them.”

The girl wasn’t one to dawdle. She didn’t refuse. After taking the two bags of coins, she said with a fake smile, “There are plenty of people in the world who only want to hoard money for themselves. Why are you so eager to give it away?”

This time, the boy didn’t argue, nodded, and smiled. “Money is very important, very, very important.”

Liu Xianyang, who had been kept in the dark, said anxiously, “Chen Ping’an, have you gone mad? Why did you give her the money? That’s two whole bags of coins, enough for you to spend for a long time!”

Chen Ping’an said angrily, “My money, is it any of your business?”

Liu Xianyang said righteously, “Your money is my money, isn’t it? Think about it, if I borrow money from you, would you have the nerve to pressure me to pay it back?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t speak, lost in thought.

Liu Xianyang also realized that his jokes were inappropriate and shut his mouth.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the house became heavy.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Miss Ning, you really won’t…”

The black-clad girl glanced at the white-sheathed long sword on the table and nodded. “No problem!”

Then, she couldn’t help but say, “You’re so wishy-washy. Aren’t you annoying? And you said you weren’t a soft touch?”

Chen Ping’an smiled.

Liu Xianyang thought for a while and didn’t say anything.

The tall boy finally kept his words to himself, thinking, “This girl probably hasn’t seen this guy’s other side.”

Chen Ping’an rarely had times when he was hard to talk to, but when he was, he was really hard to talk to.

Liu Xianyang had seen it.

Song Jixin next door should have seen it too.