Brewing medicine was a delicate task, akin to threading a needle, which Chen Pingan carried out with precision and focus, a strange joy emanating from the young man.

However, the girl in black was not known for her patience. In fact, aside from practicing her saber and sword skills, she found little else to hold her interest. Having left her home at a young age, she traveled the world alone, living a rough existence. Therefore, she felt no discomfort in the sparsely furnished dwelling of the young man. She had spent so much time living outdoors, exposed to the elements, that any refinement or attention to detail had long since vanished.

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

Chen Pingan, his left hand wrapped in a cotton bandage, carefully carried a bowl of medicine with both hands. After the girl took it, he smiled and said, “It’s fine. Before returning to the alley, I found some herbs, mashed them up, and applied them to the wound. I used this for cuts and bruises back when I worked at the kiln. It always worked wonders. It’s a secret recipe an old man from the Yang family shop told me a long time ago, but I promised him not to reveal it. Otherwise, Miss Ning, you could use it in your travels. If you want, I can go and ask the old man at the Yang family shop for it. It’s just that I was in a hurry at the pharmacy today and didn’t see him. I hope he just stepped out temporarily.”

As the girl drank the medicine, her long, narrow eyebrows, sharp like blades, furrowed slightly. Nevertheless, she finished the broth without showing any sign of discomfort, returning the porcelain bowl to the straw-sandaled youth who waited nearby. She muttered, “A hopeless do-gooder. No wonder he’s penniless and gets bullied.”

Before the young man could react, she added, “Don’t mind me. I’m just a very straightforward person.”

Unbeknownst to the girl, the latter statement was even more hurtful.

Chen Pingan hesitated, stopping himself from saying something.

The girl in black wiped the remnants of the medicine from her lips with her thumb, then sat upright, adopting a serious posture. “The Sage currently presiding over this land, the one you call the schoolteacher, although he intends to help you tidy things up so you can live a worry-free life, you must understand that human power has its limits. Even a Sage is not exempt from this. Moreover, that Master Qi is in a precarious situation, a clay Bodhisattva trying to save himself. I fear he may not be able to protect you later. I, Ning Yao, believe in returning even the smallest kindness with a great reward, and in paying back any offense with vengeance!”

Human power has its limits, returning kindness, seeking vengeance, a clay Bodhisattva trying to save himself…

At this moment, the girl’s heart swelled with secret pride. *Listen to me, isn’t my speech very learned?*

Unfortunately for her, Chen Pingan’s neighbor was a learned scholar. Every morning and evening, the neighbor would recite Confucian texts to declare his aspirations, or as Song Jixin himself put it, “I cultivate my vast, righteous spirit.” Thus, Chen Pingan, though having never tasted pork, had seen pigs run. He was not unfamiliar with the refined speech of scholars. Even if some of the words were obscure, he could guess their meaning from the context.

The girl stared intently at Chen Pingan, attempting to discern shock, admiration, and confusion on his face. However, Chen Pingan wore a “I understand, please continue” expression that was rather infuriating.

The girl, disheartened and losing her former spiritedness, said in a surly tone, “For example, you saved my life. Afterwards, I will naturally help you kill Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City or Liu Zhimao of Shujian Lake. But if you want both killed, to eliminate future troubles, you’ll have to pay. Our meeting was merely a chance encounter, and we don’t have such a deep connection. Therefore, you’ll need a bag of golden essence coins as payment.”

The girl quickly pointed to the bag of welcoming spring coins. “I particularly like this bag. The other two, offering coins and warding coins, have unattractive designs and inauspicious inscriptions.”

Next, the girl slightly raised her chin. “If, in addition to completing this transaction, you are willing to pay me two bags of coins, I’ll help you settle things with Old Dragon City and Yunxia Mountain. Of course, if I die early at the hands of Liu Zhimao, then all bets are off. After all, my cultivation isn’t high at the moment. I’ve just entered the sixth realm of Martial Dao’s nine realms. As a pure martial artist, my physical resilience isn’t yet significant. As for the fifteen levels of climbing the mountain of cultivation, I’ve only reached the Dragon Gate realm of the Middle Five Realms. Within my Dantian, I have six images, none of which have been successfully brought to life, nor have I made a celestial maiden take flight…”

This time, Chen Pingan was truly confused, utterly bewildered.

The girl immediately became somewhat enraged and ashamed. Her low realm was something she had always considered a disgrace. Chen Pingan’s idiotic expression of “Please explain further” undoubtedly struck her most sensitive spot.

Seeing the girl’s gloomy expression, even a fool would know that the situation was bad. Chen Pingan quickly changed the subject. “Why were you so seriously injured earlier, but now you seem to have mostly recovered?”

The girl lowered her gaze 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… In any case, I owe you a great debt. I shouldn’t take advantage of your situation and ask you for three bags of golden essence coins. My life is far more valuable than someone like Liu Zhimao. Therefore, I was wrong. Just pretend I didn’t say anything. After I leave this town, I’ll do my best to resolve those future troubles for you. However, I’ll say this beforehand: I, Ning Yao, will only act within my capabilities. I won’t knowingly rush to my death… exchanging my life for yours.”

Perhaps because her admission of fault was so rare, she felt extremely dejected.

Chen Pingan asked, “Which bag is the offering coins?”

The girl pointed to one of the golden embroidered pouches.

Chen Pingan took out three coins from it, held them in his palm, then pushed the three bags across to the girl with his arm, smiling. “These are for you.”

The girl stared blankly, recovering her senses after a long while. She asked, “Chen Pingan, were you dropped on your head as a child?”

Chen Pingan said helplessly, “No, but when I was herding cattle as a child, I was often whipped by their tails.”

The girl suddenly flew into a rage, slamming her hand on the table. She demanded, “Do you like me?!”

Chen Pingan was stunned.

The girl grinned, giving Chen Pingan a thumbs-up. “You have good taste!”

Then, she bent her thumb, pointing it at herself, beaming. “But I can’t agree to it. The man Ning Yao likes must be the most powerful swordsman in the entire world! The entire world! The most! Powerful! Great! Swordsman! Before his sword, even Daoist patriarchs, Buddhas, and Confucian sages must bow their heads and make way!”

Chen Pingan flushed red, scratching his head. “Miss Ning, you misunderstand. I don’t like you…”

The girl raised an eyebrow, considered it, leaned forward, squinted one eye, and held up one hand, leaving a space of about an inch between her thumb and index finger. She asked tentatively, “Not even this much liking?”

Chen Pingan said decisively, his tone firm, “Not at all! Rest assured, Miss Ning!”

The girl retracted her hand, letting out a heavy sigh, pitying him. “Chen Pingan, even if you’re fortunate enough to marry a wife in the future, she’ll likely be a little simple-minded.”

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

The girl remained noncommittal.

Living aimlessly, being content with a comfortable life, or achieving great success, as her mother said, stemmed from each person’s own fate, with no inherent superiority.

However, her father had a different opinion. One should not force things that are not meant to be. Not forcing things did not mean not seeking them at all. One should still strive, even if it ultimately proved futile.

Of course, her father would never dare to say such things to her mother’s face.

Chen Pingan casually asked, “Miss Ning, are you also seeking an opportunity in our little town?”

The girl, without any pretense, replied, “I spent all my accumulated resources and a favor to obtain a spot to enter this town. However, I’m different from those people. I’m not seeking any opportunities or luck. I just want someone to forge a sword for me, one that suits my taste. Whether it’s sharp or not, or whether it can bear a vast amount of sword qi, is secondary.”

Chen Pingan asked, puzzled, “Forge a sword?”

The girl said, “It’s the blacksmith, Master Ruan. He has a great reputation here and a ‘rock-solid’ rule: he only forges one sword every thirty years. The reason he’s willing to replace Qi Jingchun here is that he thinks this place is suitable for firing up the furnace and forging a sword. I’m going to try my luck and see if he’s willing to forge a sword for me. If it doesn’t work out, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just consider myself unlucky.”

Chen Pingan smiled. “Good people get rewarded.”

The girl said weakly, “No chance.”

She glanced at the young man. “Does your left hand not hurt?”

Chen Pingan was taken aback. “It hurts.”

She said suspiciously, “Then why doesn’t it look like it?”

Chen Pingan said matter-of-factly, “Even if I rolled around on the ground, screaming and shouting, it wouldn’t stop hurting.”

The girl slapped her forehead. “There’s really no hope for you. Just like my dad, but you’re nowhere near as capable as him.”

Chen Pingan smiled silently, quietly gazing out at the courtyard.

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

Chen Pingan looked away, saying softly, “Miss Ning, have you considered that keeping them might not be a good thing for me? After meeting Master Qi, I’m even more certain of this.”

Once the girl made a decision, she would not change it. She shook her head. “That’s your problem, and it has nothing to do with me. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll definitely repay the life-saving debt in the future, and I won’t cut corners. I’ll live up to the name ‘Ning Yao’! But you have to take care of yourself these next few years. Don’t die carelessly. As long as you make it through this period…”

The ever-amiable 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 like you owe me anything. If I hadn’t thought I was doomed at the time, hoping to get Daoist Lu to do more for my parents, I wouldn’t have opened the door at all.”

The girl snorted. “That’s your problem!”

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

They stared at each other.

The girl surprisingly conceded defeat first, saying with a headache, “What if you like me? I really can’t agree to it.”

Chen Pingan covered his head with his hands.

He couldn’t do anything about this straightforward and strange girl.

At that moment, someone climbed over the courtyard wall. The only person who would do that was none other than Liu Xianyang. He jogged to the threshold, about to shout loudly, when suddenly it was as if someone grabbed his neck, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

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

Liu Xianyang pushed Chen Pingan’s head aside, rubbing his hands together like a fly, and said solicitously, “Miss, my house is big and has all sorts of things. If the Miss doesn’t mind, how about staying at my house?”

The girl in black, facing away from them, said calmly, “I mind.”

Liu Xianyang grimaced, looked at the slender and charming back of the girl with the saber, and did not give up. “Miss, you don’t know, but a few days ago, two groups of people blocked my path at the covered bridge, crying and begging me to sell them my family’s treasures. I didn’t agree. What a misfortune. Those people almost got me scolded to death by Master Ruan. I see that Miss is also a foreigner who came to this town to try your luck, right? I, Liu Xianyang, might not sell them to you either, but it’s definitely no problem to let the Miss have a look and broaden your horizons!”

Ning Yao still said coldly, “No need.”

Liu Xianyang sat down in Chen Pingan’s original seat, and after seeing the appearance of the girl in black, his eyes lit up. “Miss, don’t be so polite. Chen Pingan and I can squeeze into this broken house. After the Miss goes to my mansion, you won’t feel so cramped, like there’s no room for your hands and feet.”

Ning Yao said with a straight face, “I appreciate the offer, but get out of here!”

Liu Xianyang did not feel embarrassed. He stood up and said, “Alright, alright, there’s no place like home, I understand, I understand.”

Liu Xianyang dragged Chen Pingan out to the threshold and nudged the young man with his elbow. “What’s going on?”

Chen Pingan said with a frown, “It’s hard to explain. Just tell me if I can stay at your place?”

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes. “What’s there to ‘can or cannot’? But you have to promise me, help me keep an eye on Zhigui, don’t let that little beast Song Jixin ruin her by force. You have to help me protect my future wife’s purity!”

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

Liu Xianyang patted Chen Pingan’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Just take it as you’ve agreed.”

The girl in black suddenly turned her head and said, “Do you know that you are a natural sword embryo? The porcelain doll didn’t take you out when you were nine because he wanted you to absorb more spiritual energy here. That choice was correct. So when you’re with Master Ruan, you must seize the opportunity to have him accept you as a disciple, at least as an inner disciple, preferably as a direct disciple. As for a closed-door disciple, don’t expect it. Your aptitude and talent are not so exaggerated as to reach that point.”

Liu Xianyang nodded vigorously with a smile, saying “Okay, okay,” and then turned to look at Chen Pingan, pointed to the girl in the room, and then pointed to his own head.

Chen Pingan said, “She’s telling the truth. Don’t take it lightly.”

Liu Xianyang stopped joking, fell silent, and said in a low voice, “I think something’s wrong. Those two groups of people at the covered bridge, guess who led the way? It’s Lu Zhengchun from Fulush Street, that turtle son! Isn’t that a weasel paying respects to a chicken? I didn’t get greedy for money. Why would I do business with them? Besides, that armor is an old item passed down from generation to generation in my family. If I sell it, and my grandfather appears in my dreams, he’ll scold me to death!”

Chen Pingan’s face changed drastically after hearing all this. “You have to be careful. Lu Zhengchun and those foreigners are not easy to deal with!”

The young man turned his head and asked, “Miss Ning, do you know the origins of those people?”

The girl in black nodded. “The old man and the little girl are from Zhengyang Mountain, which is considered a famous and upright sect in your Dongbao Continent. The old man is not human… In short, he’s a hundred times more powerful than Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and her son are also not simple. Actually, those who can enter the town together are definitely not ordinary rich people. That woman is very scheming, and the little boy doesn’t seem to have a kind heart. So I advise your friend to quickly get Master Ruan to accept him as a disciple, which is like having a life-saving charm. In this town, no matter how high your backing is or how thick your background is, no one dares to wrestle with a Sage.”

Chen Pingan asked Liu Xianyang again, “Are you confident in becoming Master Ruan’s disciple?”

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

Chen Pingan glared fiercely.

Liu Xianyang said with a grin, “It’s just that Master Ruan has a precious daughter who can eat a lot, which shocked me, so I joked a little. I didn’t expect that girl to be so fierce and domineering when she hammered iron, but usually she’s very shy and timid. I didn’t think she was so sensitive, so I made her cry. It just so happened that her dad caught me, and his look at me was wrong. There’s definitely no chance of becoming a disciple. But I didn’t plan to be a slave and work for others as a disciple anyway. We’ve already suffered enough from serving Yao Laotou’s bad temper. I just wanted to make a living at the blacksmith’s shop…”

Chen Pingan looked up, his face dark.

Liu Xianyang, who was more than half a head taller than the straw-sandaled young man, lowered his head, not daring to look at the young man.

This scene made Ning Yao feel puzzled.

This was also the first time the girl had seen Chen Pingan truly angry.

Chen Pingan asked in a low voice, “After the incident at the old locust tree, did you mysteriously get any locust leaves on your body?”

Liu Xianyang shook his head. “No, but that fortune-telling Daoist who likes to peep at women told me some unlucky things. I almost smashed his stall.”

Chen Pingan’s expression changed slightly, and he frowned. He turned to look into the room and asked, “Miss Ning, as an exchange, are three bags of golden essence coins enough? Also, please be sure to tell me beforehand if this will cause you a lot of trouble.”

The girl in black thought carefully. “The trouble is not small, but it’s not a big problem. However, you must be careful these next few days, and don’t let your friend run around the streets, because my current situation is not good.”

She also said, “Two groups of people, two bags of coins. Getting Master Ruan to accept him as a disciple is another bag of coins. In short, I’ll receive several bags of coins for completing several things. Don’t worry, since I agreed, I’ll at least have a guaranteed harvest of two bags.”

Chen Pingan ran into the house and quickly pushed the two bags of money, including the welcoming spring coins, to the girl in a hurry. “Take them.”

The girl was never the kind to beat around the bush. She did not refuse. After taking the two bags of coins, she said with a fake smile, “There are plenty of people in the world who like to pocket money, but you like to be a money-scattering child?”

This time, the young man did not refute. He nodded and smiled. “Money is very important. Very important, very important.”

Liu Xianyang, who had been kept in the dark all along, said anxiously, “Chen Pingan, are you crazy? Why give her the money? Two whole bags of coins are enough for you to spend for a long time!”

Chen Pingan said angrily, “It’s my money. Is it any of your business?”

Liu Xianyang said with confidence, “Your money is my money, right? Think about it, if I borrow money from you, do you have the nerve to urge me to repay it?”

Chen Pingan did not speak, lost in thought.

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

For a time, the atmosphere in the house was a bit heavy.

Chen Pingan opened his mouth and asked, “Miss Ning, you really won’t be because of this…”

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

After that, she couldn’t help but say, “Are you annoying, you nag? You said you weren’t a hopeless do-gooder?”

Chen Pingan smiled.

Liu Xianyang thought for a moment and did not speak.

The tall young man finally hid his words in his heart, thinking that the girl probably hadn’t seen the other side of this guy.

Chen Pingan rarely had a time when he was not easy to talk to, but once he was not easy to talk to, Chen Pingan would really be very difficult to talk to.

He, Liu Xianyang, had seen it.

Song Jixin next door should have seen it too.