Footsteps approached Song Jixin’s doorstep. Just as Liu Xianyang was about to leap from the wall, a voice preceded its owner. A warm, smiling voice inquired, “Are you that lad, a disciple of Old Yao from Baoxi Kiln? Surname Liu?”

It was the kiln affairs supervisor, clad in white robes and a jade belt, who strode out of the doorway, a smile on his face as he looked towards the wall.

Liu Xianyang’s body instantly stiffened. He found himself unable to jump down, a guilty laugh escaping his lips. “Replying to the esteemed official, it is I. When you inspected our dragon kiln, my master had me demonstrate a few tasks for you.”

The man nodded, appraising the tall youth. He went straight to the point, asking, “Young man, would you like to see the world outside? Perhaps join the army, fight on the front lines? I guarantee that if you survive ten years, you can become a great official. I will personally host a banquet in the capital to celebrate your success. How does that sound?”

Standing behind the man, Song Jixin’s face was ashen, his grip tightening on the old Dragon Rain jade pendant given to him by Fu Nanhua.

This young scholar, who had carried the titles of “illegitimate son” and “bastard” for many years, now knew the true identity of the man beside him. Therefore, he understood the weight of the man’s words even more. The phrase “personally host a banquet” would be the most powerful life-saving charm in Dali, the longest ladder to success in the officialdom.

Liu Xianyang racked his brains, trying to come up with some flowery, literary phrases. He stammered, “Thank you for the esteemed supervisor’s favor, I am unworthy… but I have already promised to be an apprentice at Master Ruan’s blacksmith shop. It would be wrong to go back on my word. I hope you will not… you will not hold…”

The tall youth’s words caught in his throat. He couldn’t remember what he wanted to say, his face flushed with anxiety.

Song Jixin, appearing helpful, reminded him, “Hold a grudge against a petty man.”

The white-robed man chuckled, unconcerned. “It doesn’t matter. If you ever have the chance to leave this town, go to Danyang Pass. Find a martial artist named Liu Linxi. Tell him that Song Changjing from the capital recommended you to join the army. If he doesn’t believe you, tell him that Song Changjing said Liu Linxi still owes him thirty thousand heads of the Great Sui border cavalry.”

Liu Xianyang nodded blankly. “Okay.”

The man left with a smile. Song Jixin wanted to stop at the courtyard door, but the man seemed to have anticipated his thoughts. Without turning his head, he said, “Come with me to the supervisor’s office. I’ll introduce you to someone.”

Song Jixin’s feet were rooted to the ground, his face dark. “I won’t go!”

That place, which was so inaccessible to the townspeople, was a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair to the boy who had grown up listening to rumors year after year. It was a hurdle he couldn’t overcome in his heart.

The man, who was usually decisive and efficient, wasn’t annoyed by the youth’s lack of understanding. He didn’t stop, but slowed his pace. “According to the records of the office’s spies, you’ve already met that Prince Gao from Sui, haven’t you? Do you know that the Gao family of Sui and our Song family of Dali are mortal enemies, with a feud spanning thousands of years? He dared to come to this small town in the enemy territory of Dali. You, Song Jixin, are also a prince. Yet you dare not go to a small government office in your own country’s territory?”

Song Jixin’s first reaction wasn’t to ponder the meaning of these words. Instead, he immediately turned to look at Liu Xianyang, who was sitting on the wall, rubbing his hands and legs, as if he hadn’t heard a word the man had said.

The white-robed prince of Dali, walking in Mud Bottle Lane, smiled slightly. He had received an unexpected surprise.

Truly, he was of the Old Song family’s blood.

But when he thought of the youth being that woman’s son, the powerful prince, who was also Dali’s number one martial artist, felt troubled and thorny.

Song Jixin gritted his teeth and turned to say to Zhigui, who was standing at the doorway, “I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry about lunch for me.”

As Song Jixin stepped out of the courtyard, he turned back and smiled. “Take the pouch of silver on my bedside table and buy that pair of dragon and phoenix incense pendants from Du’s shop. We don’t need to save money anymore anyway.”

Zhigui nodded, making a careful sign with her hands in sign language.

Song Jixin smiled happily and left with a flourish.

After Song Jixin had walked a distance away, Liu Xianyang, sitting on the wall, asked cautiously, “Zhigui, what’s Song Jixin’s relationship with the supervisor, really?”

Zhigui looked at the tall youth with a pitying gaze.

Liu Xianyang couldn’t stand her gaze. “What? So he knows an official in charge of firing porcelain? So what?”

Zhigui twitched her lips, went into the house to get food, and began to feed the old hen and the fluffy chicks.

Liu Xianyang felt inexplicably discouraged. He jumped off the wall and shouted into the house, “Chen, let’s go to the blacksmith shop! I won’t take this anymore.”

The girl, with her back to the neighboring courtyard, giggled, “Buddhas compete for incense, people compete for breath. Too bad a good-for-nothing only has a belly full of frustration.”

Liu Xianyang’s blood surged, his ears turning red. He walked to the mud wall and punched it hard. “Wang Zhu! Say that again if you dare!”

The maid threw away all the corn and vegetable leaves, clapped her hands, and turned to smile sweetly. “Who do you think you are, to tell me to say it?”

Liu Xianyang looked at the girl, who was growing taller and more beautiful, and couldn’t speak. He felt empty, like a porcelain bowl that had fallen and shattered on the ground.

Chen Ping’an had actually been standing at the doorway for some time. Seeing this scene, he quickly walked into the courtyard and said softly, “Let’s go.”

The two youths walked side by side in the alley. The tall youth suddenly asked, “Chen Ping’an, am I very useless?”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment and said seriously, “The neighbors in the alley all say my mother is very kind, and that my father is a well-known silent type. So I think whether you like someone or not may not have much to do with whether you are useless.”

Liu Xianyang looked distressed. “Then I’m even worse off. Even if I work hard in the future to build a dragon kiln or learn all of Master Ruan’s skills, she still won’t like me!”

Chen Ping’an wisely kept silent, lest he add fuel to the fire.

Chen Ping’an walked in the familiar alley, suddenly recalling a scene from his early years. He followed Old Yao along the stream into the mountains and saw a fawn drinking at the water’s edge. It wasn’t afraid of him. After it drank, it lowered its head to look at the stream, not leaving for a long time. Besides the fawn’s reflection, there was also a wandering fish in the water.

Before leaving the ancestral home, Miss Ning had suggested that since he had a locust leaf, he should leave the town early. With the invisible protection of the ancestral locust leaf, there wouldn’t be too many accidents. It was best not to stay in town for too long, because she didn’t know if Liu Xianyang’s matter would affect Chen Ping’an.

But Chen Ping’an insisted on seeing Liu Xianyang accepted as Master Ruan’s apprentice before he could leave with peace of mind.

Because without Liu Xianyang back then, he would have starved to death.

Of course, Chen Ping’an also hoped that Miss Ning could recover from her injuries in his home, but he didn’t dare to say it at the time, for fear of being seen as frivolous.

Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “That armor your grandfather left you, is it absolutely impossible to sell to outsiders?”

Liu Xianyang said matter-of-factly, “Nonsense, I would never sell it, even if I died!”

He punched the youth beside him in the shoulder and joked, “I’m not a money grubber like you.”

The tall youth put his hands behind his head. “Some things you don’t have now, you can earn with money, but some things, once they’re gone, they’re really gone forever.”

Chen Ping’an muttered to himself, “I understand.”

As they approached the mouth of Mud Bottle Lane, Liu Xianyang cursed. Chen Ping’an snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, his heart sinking.

It was Lu Zhengchun, the young master of the Lu family from Fortune Street. He was the one who had led a group of cronies to block Liu Xianyang in this alley and almost beat him to death. If Chen Ping’an hadn’t run to shout a few times, Liu Xianyang, who had no elders or relatives at home, would probably have been thrown into the mass grave.

Song Jixin was squatting on the wall at the time, watching the fun and adding fuel to the fire. Afterwards, he told Chen Ping’an, who was still shaken, that Lu Zhengchun and his kind of behavior was called “acting chivalrously for the sake of face” outside of town.

Lu Zhengchun blocked Liu Xianyang’s path, forcing a smile. “Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to settle old scores today, but…”

Liu Xianyang interrupted the Lu family’s young master. “Here again? A good dog doesn’t block the way. Get out of my way!”

Lu Zhengchun looked awkward, forcing a smile. “Liu Xianyang, I really have something to discuss with you this time. Last time, you ran away before we could finish what we had to say. That’s not good. You should at least listen to the conditions we’re offering, right? To be honest, we could be considered friends who came to know each other through a fight. There’s no need to be so tense. I and those guests are very sincere!”

Liu Xianyang tilted his head, sneering. “What, you’re addicted to being a matchmaker for people? I find it strange. You, Lu Zhengchun, are at least the grandson of the wealthiest family in our town. Why do you like being a lackey for outsiders so much?”

Lu Zhengchun’s face was ashen, but he still had to maintain his smile, making him look ridiculous and pathetic. He pleaded, “Liu Xianyang, as long as you open your mouth, they will try their best to satisfy you, for example, money? Or you can say a number, how about one hundred and fifty strings of cash? Even… two hundred strings, I can help you bargain for it. Two hundred strings! That will allow you to buy half a house on Fortune Street.”

Liu Xianyang stared into the man’s eyes and face, looking contemptuous. “Two hundred strings? You’re sending away a beggar? And sincerity? I advise you to stop with this nonsense. I have serious business to take care of. Get out of the way!”

Outside Mud Bottle Lane, a little girl with jade-like skin was riding on the shoulders of a burly old man. A boy in a large red robe was being led by a woman. At an age that should have been innocent and carefree, his face already had a sinister look that didn’t suit his age. He spoke in the local language of his home, “Isn’t this Lu family a little too stupid? What use are they?”

The woman shook her head and smiled softly. “To give charity, one must understand the principle of ‘a peck of rice as gratitude turning into a bushel’. To negotiate a deal, if you want the greatest profit, you should be like Lu Zhengchun, first testing the other party’s bottom line on the price.”

The boy asked doubtfully, “Do you need to be so troublesome when doing business with these local commoners?”

The woman smiled. “Human nature is complex, and people’s hearts are dark. It’s not determined by how high or low one’s cultivation is. People from small places, even if their knowledge is limited, aren’t all fools. If you think like this, you’ll suffer a loss one day.”

The boy said “Oh” and went on, “Mother is skilled in understanding human nature. Why don’t you just come forward and talk about it?”

The woman patiently explained, “Look at our clothes. No matter which store you go to buy things, as long as the seller is even slightly clever, they will be compelled to try to rip us off.”

The boy sighed. “But we’re being so awkward, and it’s too uncomfortable.”

The woman squatted down, took the boy’s face in both her hands, and, looking at a face much like that of his father’s, said in a stern voice, “Remember, cultivating the mind is also part of cultivation. In good times, cultivate your strength. In bad times, cultivate your mind. You can’t have one without the other.”

The boy shook his head, shrugged off the woman’s hands, and said in a sulky voice, “Here it comes again with this abstract reasoning. So annoying.”

The woman was a little helpless, but she didn’t go on in a long-winded way about these points. She simply thought her boy had good talent and good roots, and the legacy of two families to support him. The road ahead was long, and even if his temperament was a little bit obsessive and morose, it could be tempered slowly. Forcing the growth was the worst thing to do.

Listening to the tedious discussion in the alley, the little girl looked a little worried. “Grandpa White Ape, if that man refuses to sell, what do we do?”

The old man, whose hands hung down to his knees like an ape’s, laughed. “Then we’ll just have to let him die. I came here to deal with the worst of the possibilities. Otherwise, that money would have been thrown away and never heard from again. But at that point, the young lady’s safety would be a problem, so it would probably have to be entrusted to the Song family or the Li family.”

Putting all other things aside, if he were to kill the man, the old man would be banished by the Sage, but that would still be better than throwing the money away without a sound. It would be like throwing a rock into the water–at least there would be some water splashed up.

However, unless there were no other way, the old man would not take this course of action. After all, no matter how important that Sword Sutra was, and no matter how treasured it was by the Upright Sun Mountain, it was no match for the young lady’s Great Path of Immortality. At least, that’s what the old man thought.

In the town, the four clans and ten houses were led by the Lu clan.

But if you looked beyond this place, it was exactly the opposite. The Lu clan was actually the last. After a dynasty, ruled and run by the main branch of the Lu clan, had been destroyed by the combined forces of Dali’s two border armies, the position of the Lu clan in Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent was in dire straits.

Back in the alley, Liu Xianyang was listening to Lu Zhengchun going on about high positions and rich pay, tens of thousands in cash, beautiful women like clouds… It was like talking to Song Jixin, who was always showing off what he had read. Liu Xianyang was incredibly annoyed. He stepped forward and, pointing a finger in Lu Zhengchun’s face, said in a firm voice, “That armor has been passed down in my Liu family for generations. It has nothing to do with money! Even if you let me move into your house today, and you, Lu Zhengchun, call me grandpa every day from now on, I wouldn’t even bother with you! Are you listening, Lu?”

Lu Zhengchun stood there, alone at the entrance to Mud Bottle Lane, staring at the troublemaker in front of him. It was clear the one with bare feet had no fear of the one in shoes. The Lu family’s young master wished he could just bang his head against a wall and die right there.

Before this, he had served as a mediator at the Covered Bridge, blocking Liu Xianyang’s way to the blacksmith’s shop. He had returned to his family’s house on Fortune Street, only to be told of his ill success. His grandfather had entertained those noble guests and then, without revealing his thoughts, had called him into a secret room. He hadn’t said any hard words, and he hadn’t said anything about the family’s great affairs. He had simply pointed to the corpse under a white cloth, “Zhengchun ah, Grandpa has no other requests. I only hope your brother can rest in peace. I hope that by the seventh day [after his death], you will be able to leave town, so you can at least see something of the world on his behalf.”

Suddenly, Lu Zhengchun’s eyes turned wet. He choked up and said in a trembling voice, “Liu Xianyang, I’m begging you, alright?”

Liu Xianyang was struck speechless.

This young man, clothed in fine silks and with a jade pendant at his waist, had become weaker and more helpless. His lips were trembling, and he choked out, “Alright? I’ll kneel for you, I’ll admit I was wrong. Will that work?”

*Thump*

Lu Zhengchun knelt on the dirt of Mud Bottle Lane, and the sound of his head hitting the ground rang in the air.

A man only kneels to Heaven and his parents.

The young man’s head hit hard, and the sound was not gentle. His face was contorted in pain.

Outside Mud Bottle Lane, the little girl’s feet were kicking gently against the old man’s chest. She was thinking about the mountains she had noticed on the way here, and deciding which one she would select to take home.

The boy looked a little delighted at the misfortune of another. He asked idly, “Mother, has this Lu guy gone crazy? We’re not really going to bring a crazy person with us when we leave the town, are we? How embarrassing would that be?”

The woman had a complicated look. She thought of the many strange and wonderful people she had seen in person, and started to speak, but then stopped and shook her head. “That won’t happen.”

Liu Xianyang didn’t know what to do.

He had never imagined Lu Zhengchun would act this way–that the eldest grandson of the wealthiest family in a small town would just kneel at his feet and knock his head?

Liu Xianyang’s face was a mix of emotions. Just then, the straw-sandaled youth, who had been observing Liu Xianyang and Lu Zhengchun the whole time, suddenly tugged at Liu Xianyang’s sleeve and gently shook his head.

Liu Xianyang couldn’t help but be moved. “This is too outrageous…”

Chen Ping’an’s eyes were firm, and his thoughts were self-evident.

The big, brash Liu Xianyang was starting to waver.

But the straw-sandaled youth, who was a good-for-nothing in the eyes of the black-clothed girl, was now showing himself to be extremely hard-hearted.

Chen Ping’an’s intuition told him that if Liu Xianyang had agreed to the deal before Lu Zhengchun knelt, he might have suffered a little hardship, but he would have been safe. But now, Liu Xianyang had fallen into the same predicament Chen Ping’an had faced. Back then, if it hadn’t been for Mister Qi’s interference, his fate would have been to kill Fu Nanhua and then be killed–either by the people of Cloudy Glow Mountain or by Old Dragon City.

And what was even more lethal was that, according to the “rules” Ning had told him, if Lu Zhengchun himself was from the town, then even if he or the Lu family wanted to kill Liu Xianyang, Mister Qi might not be able to intervene.

Chen Ping’an quickly turned his thoughts. While Lu Zhengchun was still desperately knocking his head, he said in a low voice to Liu Xianyang, “If you really can’t do it, then pretend to agree. We’ll go see Master Ruan first, and then decide after you’ve been accepted as an apprentice.”

Liu Xianyang nodded and said to Lu Zhengchun, “Dude, you should stand up first. Stand up and talk! What kind of thing is this you’re doing!”

Lu Zhengchun didn’t stand up. He raised his head, his swollen forehead covered in dirt.

Liu Xianyang said helplessly, “But you need to go back first and talk it over with them, come up with a fair price. Don’t try to trick me again. I’m not an idiot. What was that about two hundred strings of cash? I’m not even talking about how it’s worth nothing, I’m just saying, wouldn’t those nobles think it’s beneath them?”

Lu Zhengchun rose slowly, smiling. “That’s the truth! As long as you’re willing to let go, that’s all that matters. Liu Xianyang, from now on, I, Lu Zhengchun, am your brother! It doesn’t matter if you accept me or not, I accept you!”

Liu Xianyang walked over, put his arm around Lu Zhengchun’s shoulders, and walked toward the alley mouth with him, comforting him. “Old Lu, we have to enjoy the good life together in the future. When this deal goes through, I have to treat you to some good wine.”

Lu Zhengchun wiped his forehead as he said in a cheerful voice, “Drinking is no problem. What’s so hard about that? And I’ll be the one to pay. How could I let you spend money? We’ll leave it at that, or I’ll get angry!”

Liu Xianyang laughed loudly. “I knew you were a good guy, Old Lu. I won’t go wrong following you!”

Chen Ping’an followed behind the two of them, moving slightly closer to the wall of the alley, his eyes fixed on the movements at the alley mouth.

—————————————————-

The white-robed man, led by the elderly caretaker, took the youth Song Jixin to the back hall of the supervisory office.

The caretaker said that the Book Mountain Li had come from afar and had waited here for half an hour before deciding to visit a Confucian elder at the school.

Song Changjing didn’t say a word about it, but instead asked, “Has it been found out what force that assassin who died in the alley was from?”

The caretaker hesitated.

Song Changjing frowned. “Hm?”

The old man quickly bowed, looking frightened. “It was the Song family of Fortune Street.”

Song Changjing said with a cold laugh, “They didn’t even give me a little bit of a surprise!”

The elderly caretaker broke out in a sweat.

Song Jixin kept quiet, but his eyes were burning.

At the school, Qi Jingchun gently put down his book, turned his head, and looked to see a handsome young man standing in the doorway, wearing a tall Confucian cap and robes, smiling but not speaking.

Qi Jingchun’s face was calm and did not smile.

In the town, a bald man in strange clothing was walking barefoot. He had a withered look on his face. He came to the iron-chained well, looked into its depths, and put his hands together. He closed his eyes and said softly, “The Buddha sees one bowl of water, and ten thousand eight thousand insects.”

Outside the town, on the peak of a mountain, a man was standing on the thick branch of an ancient tree, looking at the outline of the town. He had a tiger-shaped tally hanging from his waist, and a long sword slung across his back.

Beyond this world and this realm.

On a long, tilted road that seemed to stretch to Heaven, clouds swirled and no scenery could be seen.

A young yellow-crowned Taoist nun was slowly ascending on the back of a white deer.

Next to her was a Taoist with a face like jade, his footsteps light, like floating clouds and flowing water. Two long-bearded fish, one red and one green, were circling him.

Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Military–the Three Teachings and the Military were gathering in the town.

At the blacksmith’s shop on the banks of the creek south of the town, a father and daughter were forging iron, sending sparks flying like a magnificent rain of fire.

The man held a sword hilt and said to the girl with the ponytail who was swinging the hammer, “Don’t go to town these next few days.”

The strength in the girl’s hands suddenly weakened a lot. It felt as if all her strength had been used up by the pastries and snacks in the town.

The man said jokingly, “How embarrassing!”

The girl turned her grief into power. She slammed her hammer heavily on the red-hot sword.

Beneath the bright sparks, the girl looked like a goddess of fire descending to Earth.