Chen Ping’an shouldered his bamboo basket and stepped ashore, heading towards Qingniu Bei (Green Ox Back). He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but the young man felt the stream’s water level seemed to have dropped slightly.

As he approached the green rock cliff, he suddenly stopped. He could clearly see several people standing there, each face almost perfectly defined. This wasn’t due to brilliant starlight, but because a snow-white deer stood upon Qingniu Bei, its entire form crystalline, radiating wisps of white light like water rippling in the stream.

The white deer lowered its head, and a small girl in a bright red padded jacket strained on tiptoes, reaching out to stroke its antlers.

Beside her stood a young man and woman in Daoist robes. Perhaps it was the deer’s light, but their skin was like snow, flawlessly translucent. To put it simply, if the townspeople were clay figures molded from earth, these two outlander Daoists were exquisitely crafted porcelain, a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

The style of their robes was similar to that of the fortuneteller, Daoist Lu, but with many different details. The Daoist coronets were the most distinct. Daoist Lu wore a lotus crown, while these two wore coronets shaped like fish tails.

The grass-sandal-wearing youth stared blankly. The man and woman standing beside the white deer seemed like figures stepped out of divine paintings, as if they would float away at any moment, capable of plucking stars and seizing the moon with ease.

Two other figures stood slightly further back. One, Chen Ping’an recognized: the daughter of the swordsmith Master Ruan, a girl in green robes. This time, she wasn’t carrying a food-filled package, but held a small embroidered handkerchief, containing only a few delicate, adorable pastries. The girl kept her head lowered, looking hesitant, unsure which treat to eat first. Beside her stood a man, perhaps in his thirties, carrying a long sword on his back and a strange ornament hanging from his waist.

As Chen Ping’an saw them, almost everyone noticed the sudden appearance of the grass-sandal-wearing youth. The young Daoist nun seemed appreciative. She bent down, ruffled the red-jacketed girl’s hair, pointed in Chen Ping’an’s direction, and whispered something. The little girl perked up her ears, listening intently to the immortal’s inquiry about his background.

At that moment, Chen Ping’an recognized the eight or nine-year-old girl. He had first seen her before going to the Dragon Kiln to fire porcelain, in Niping Lane. She was very young, but ran incredibly fast, holding a kite made of paper and two slender bamboo sticks. He had encountered her several times since. Once, she was crouched at the mouth of the Iron Lock Well, secretly tossing stones inside. Chen Ping’an unintentionally witnessed her mischievous act. The little girl was startled and ran away, only remembering her sugar-coated hawthorns, a few steps away. Ultimately, she could not overcome her desire and stopped in place. She opened her mouth and removed her wobbly tooth, placing it in her pocket. Without crying or fussing, she quickly fled.

That scene left Chen Ping’an sweating cold sweat. The last time he saw her was last autumn, in the overgrown, dilapidated shrine. He had returned to town from the Dragon Kiln and was wandering around when he saw her busily catching crickets, rolling around, jumping, and pouncing in the grass. Seeing Chen Ping’an, she clearly recognized him and hurried away.

Later, Gu Can told him that this perpetually dirty young lady, while seemingly an untamed wild child, was actually from the Li family in Fulu Street, and not a servant. He did not know why, she liked to wander around alone, and her family did not care. Gu Can spoke of her with both pride and contempt, saying that even though she was fast, she was also foolish. Once, they happened to be catching fish together in the stream. A very powerful crab pinched her. Gu Can had told this to Chen Ping’an in his home, laughing so hard that he clutched his stomach and rolled on the small wooden bed. He said she was really stupid, because she raised her hand, showing off the crab, as if catching one was a big deal. It was clear that she was being pinched by the crab.

The handsome young Daoist glanced at the white deer and smiled at the young Daoist nun, “Senior Sister He, I told you to be careful, not to spoil it too much. It’s only been less than ten days, and it’s just an illusion. It doesn’t impede its freedom, but you wouldn’t listen. Now an ordinary mortal has stumbled upon it. What are we going to do?”

The Daoist nun, with her breathtaking beauty, listened to the little girl’s introduction and smiled, “Let nature take its course.”

The young Daoist frowned and looked again, carefully studying Chen Ping’an for a while. He was certainly no ordinary person. When he saw nothing particularly extraordinary about the youth, he abandoned the idea of recruiting him into their sect. The young Daoist was skilled in physiognomy and didn’t believe he would misjudge someone.

Their sect was one of the three great Daoist sects of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, and the leading Daoist lineage of the continent, incredibly esteemed. This time, he and Senior Sister He had come down the mountain together. As a reward, each of them had a precious opportunity to recruit a true inheritor disciple for the sect, a disciple who would also be accepted as their personal disciple. Therefore, he didn’t want to waste it carelessly and had to treat it with caution.

Everyone in the sect knew that Senior Sister He was focused on cultivating her mind. Therefore, her casual “let nature take its course” most likely meant she had thought about accepting the youth as a disciple.

He and He Xiaoliang were renowned as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, the pride of the Daoist world on the continent. Even human monarchs had to treat them with utmost respect, with formalities no less grand than those for a true ruler of a great nation.

Because within the continent, they were the most promising young geniuses to reach the upper five realms of cultivation.

When the young Daoist nun took the little girl’s hand and stepped off Qingniu Bei, the intelligent white deer followed behind. Not only her fellow Daoist disciple, the young Daoist, was astonished, but also the military leader with the tiger-shaped token and long sword on his back revealed a look of surprise.

Seeing the young Daoist nun walking towards him, Chen Ping’an felt a headache coming on. The youth currently didn’t want to deal with these immortals from other places.

Because Chen Ping’an knew that their simple affections and angers could determine his life, death, honor, and disgrace.

And Chen Ping’an knew that his luck had never been good, so he was even more afraid of provoking them.

However, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t run away in panic. Instead, he symbolically walked a short distance forward, a gesture that appeared appropriate to others.

The white deer quickened its pace, trotting up to the youth in grass sandals, circling him once, and finally lowered its head, gently nuzzling the poor youth.

The white deer returned to its master, who gently stroked its back. In the next instant, it transformed into the form of a horse.

Pointing at a deer and calling it a horse.

The young Daoist nun looked at Chen Ping’an, sighed softly, and smiled as she spoke a sentence. Then, she looked down at the little girl in the red padded jacket.

The little girl translated it into the local dialect of the town, timidly saying, “Sister He said, ‘You are a person who cherishes blessings, but unfortunately, our fate is shallow. We cannot become fellow Daoists.'”

The youth was speechless, not knowing what to say to avoid being impolite.

Carrying a basket, wearing grass sandals, with his trousers rolled up, the youth’s appearance seemed particularly comical and ridiculous.

The Daoist nun asked with a smile, “You also know the wondrous uses of these stones? Chen Ping’an, don’t worry, I’m just asking casually.”

The little girl repeated the translation, speaking quickly and clearly.

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment and nodded. “A Daoist priest reminded me to come to the stream often to pick up stones and catch fish.”

Even if Chen Ping’an felt some goodwill toward the young Daoist nun, he was cautious and didn’t reveal the Daoist Lu’s surname. And the person who truly revealed the secrets, the one who pointed out the invaluable value of the snake bile stones, was Ning Yao.

The Daoist nun smiled slightly. “You also know our Little Martial Uncle Lu?”

Chen Ping’an was stunned.

The Daoist nun smiled knowingly and roughly explained, “Strictly speaking, Little Martial Uncle Lu isn’t from our sect. However, Daoist Lu visited our sect many years ago, becoming friends with one of our martial uncles as equals, staying for many years. We juniors became familiar with him, and naturally grew accustomed to calling him ‘Little Martial Uncle.'”

Chen Ping’an grinned, his wariness completely gone.

The grass-sandal-wearing youth felt gratitude towards Daoist Lu, something he would never forget in this life.

He remembered something, bent down, and placed the basket on the ground. He picked up one of the stones, the one he had fallen in love with at first sight, as big as a chicken egg, emerald green, clear as ice, unlike the other snake bile stones. He handed it to the young Daoist nun with the orchid-like aura and asked, “Daoist priest, if you see Daoist Lu in the future, could you please help me give this stone to him?”

After listening to the little girl’s translation, she thought for a moment, accepted the stone, and slowly said, “Before coming here, I happened to meet Little Martial Uncle leaving. He’s going to the Southern Gully Country to attend an important ceremony for a Daoist sect. It’s hard to say when we’ll meet again, but as long as I see Martial Uncle Lu, I’ll definitely help you pass it on.”

Listening to the little girl’s words, Chen Ping’an smiled brightly and bowed to the young Daoist nun, expressing his gratitude.

When it came to the goodness or malice of strangers, the youth always trusted his instincts.

Like with Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian, and like with Daoist Lu and Lady Ning.

Chen Ping’an took out another snake bile stone and handed it to her again.

The Daoist nun, who was known as the “Luckiest One” among the younger generation of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, didn’t refuse and accepted it with a smile, not forgetting to thank him.

The little girl in the red padded jacket twisted the corners of her clothes and whispered, “I want one too.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and turned around, going to the basket to pick out a stone for the little girl.

The little girl ran to his side and said cautiously, “I want a bigger one, is that okay?”

Chen Ping’an laughed. “As long as you can carry it, I’ll give you the biggest one. But it’s not a short distance from here to town, and then to your home. And I think the smaller ones in the basket are better than the big ones.”

She thought for a moment and rested her hands on the edge of the basket. “Okay, then I’ll pick a small one, a pretty one.”

Chen Ping’an picked out a lotus-root-pink stone for her, moist and adorable. The little girl held it in her hand, very satisfied.

She suddenly tilted her head, grinned, pointed to her teeth, and then smiled at Chen Ping’an, her face full of smugness.

It seemed she was showing off that her teeth had grown back.

Chen Ping’an said happily, “Next time, let’s catch crickets together.”

The little girl’s eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed, and she forced a smile as she nodded.

Chen Ping’an shouldered his basket, bid farewell to the young Daoist nun, waved to the little girl, and jogged back to town alone.

Although both were immortals, the value of this young Daoist nun was far beyond compare to Cai Jinjian of Yunxia Mountain, almost like the difference between immortal gold essence and worldly gold.

She led the little girl and the white deer back to Qingniu Bei. The young Daoist withdrew his gaze from the youth’s back, offering a final verdict. “Shallow fate means meager fortune, naturally not of great use.”

There were countless Daoist sects on the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent. Every thirty years, a “Golden Boy and Jade Girl” were chosen. He and Senior Sister He Xiaoliang were the Heaven-sent Daoist couple of this generation. However, something surprising had occurred. The Golden Boy’s talent was no less than those of the past, but the Jade Girl’s aptitude was frighteningly good. From the moment of her birth, there were omens, and it was rumored that she wouldn’t encounter her first bottleneck until she reached the upper five realms.

He didn’t deny his junior brother’s condescension towards the grass-sandal-wearing youth, but simply laughed it off.

At this moment, a short youth emerged from near the deep pool beneath the corridor bridge, making his way to the water pit beneath Qingniu Bei. He held only a single snake bile stone, yet it shone brightly in the night, just like the white deer earlier.

The wooden-faced youth held the stone, standing on a rock protruding from the water, like a heaven-supporting immortal, holding a miniature round moon in his hand.

The two large red and green fish raised by the young Daoist didn’t enter the water but swam slowly above the stream’s surface.

If Chen Ping’an saw this youth, he would know that he was the grandson of Granny Ma in Apricot Flower Lane.

The youth had been mentally impaired since childhood, and his parents disliked him. Granny Ma raised her grandson alone. The youth was very withdrawn and often climbed onto the roof to watch the clouds.

From a young age, the youth, surnamed Ma, was bullied to the point where people felt that even stepping on him would dirty their shoes. This pitiful child seemed to have only smiled at the maidservant Zhi Gui in Niping Lane.

Therefore, Granny Ma harbored particular resentment towards that maidservant, believing she was a shameless vixen who had deliberately seduced her precious grandson.

The young Daoist nun walked to the side of the man carrying the long sword and asked, “Regarding Ma Ku Xuan, is there truly no room for negotiation?”

The man said coldly, “If your Little Martial Uncle truly wanted to accept this child as his founding disciple, why didn’t he come himself? No matter how famous he is, so what? He hasn’t fought me. Why should I give him the child? If he’s not satisfied, he can come to True Martial Mountain and find me. If he wins, he can take the child away.”

The young Daoist smiled. “It’s just a matter of making our Little Martial Uncle take an extra trip. Why bother?”

A veiled barb.

The man with the sword and tiger-shaped token narrowed his eyes. “Oh?”

The young Daoist nun felt somewhat distressed. She glanced at her fellow disciple. The young Daoist laughed and didn’t argue with the man but looked up at the sky on his own. “The moon is beautiful tonight.”

She felt helpless.

As long as it involved their sect’s Little Martial Uncle, not only she and her fellow disciple, but probably all the young Daoists within the continent felt honored.

On the other side of the corridor bridge, at the bottom of the steps, stood a barefooted monk, his face square, with a steadfast and resolute expression.

This ascetic monk didn’t look up at the golden-lettered plaque. Instead, he looked at the ground where Song Jixin had burned incense, put his hands together, and lowered his head in compassion. “Amitabha.”

The short youth went ashore, came to Qingniu Bei, looked at the two ethereal young Daoists, and then looked at the stern, sword-carrying man. Finally, he stared intently at the latter, who was about to hang the tiger-shaped token, and said through gritted teeth, “I don’t want to learn any arts of longevity. Can you teach me how to kill people?!”

The man laughed proudly. “I am a military sword cultivator. Since ancient times, we have had the greatest killing power in the world!”

The young Daoist retorted with a smile. “Oh?”

The young Daoist nun shook her head, knowing that the situation was settled. She felt that she had failed Little Martial Uncle’s request and felt guilty.

For a moment, on Qingniu Bei beside the stream, tensions rose, and the atmosphere became tense.

The little girl in the red padded jacket from the Li family quickly hid behind the immortal sister.

The girl in green robes had just finished the last pastry and was in a bad mood. She said unhappily, “If you’re capable, go fight my dad!”

The man who had a deep connection with the girl and her father no longer wore a stern expression. “How should we fight?” he said, smiling.

The young Daoist joked, “Ruan Xiu, that’s a bit unfair. Your father is the next sage to replace Mr. Qi, like the master of this world.”

The girl in green robes curled her lips and remained silent.

The monk slowly walked over and ascended Qingniu Bei.

The young Daoist nun said, “Your Buddhist sect’s Thunder Sound Pagoda, our Daoist sect’s Celestial Master Seal, plus the military’s Small Sword Mound, and the Confucian’s Mountain Jade Tablet. The four earliest treasures left behind by the four sages. Leaving aside the internal conflicts within the Confucian sect, just speaking of the three of us, is this time really…” Though she did not truly finish.

The monk remained silent.

The young Daoist said worriedly, “It’s a bit inhumane, but the orders from above are difficult to disobey. Senior Sister, you shouldn’t overdo it.”

The military man said disdainfully, “I’m not here to try and get close to anyone.”

————

In town, Chen Ping’an returned to the alley where Liu Minyang lived and saw Mr. Qi standing at the entrance.

The youth ran quickly. Before he could ask, Qi Jingchun gave him two personal seals and smiled. “Chen Ping’an, I’m not giving these to you for free. I have something to ask of you. In the future, if Cliffside Academy is in trouble, I hope you will help if you can. Of course, you don’t need to deliberately inquire about the academy’s affairs.”

The youth only said one word, “Okay!”

Qi Jingchun nodded and said earnestly, “Remember what I told you before about ‘a gentleman doesn’t save.’ Those were my heartfelt words and not a test of your character.”

The youth grinned. “Mr., I can’t guarantee that.”

Qi Jingchun hesitated but ultimately didn’t say anything. He was about to leave.

He had originally wanted to say that if Cliffside Academy truly faced a great predicament in the future, Chen Ping’an, even if you felt regret, you didn’t need to feel guilty. Just pretend you didn’t see or hear anything and don’t force yourself to do anything.

But Qi Jingchun didn’t know why, deep down, he still held a glimmer of hope, something he couldn’t understand himself.

After thinking it over, the owner of Cliffside Academy only came to one answer. It was because the youth before him was named Chen Ping’an (Chen Peace). He seemed different from everyone else.

When you entrust him with something, even if it’s incredibly difficult, even if you know that the youth will do everything he can and still fail in the end, you can be absolutely certain of one thing: if he agrees, he will definitely do it. If he can’t do it with ten parts of strength, he will grit his teeth and use twelve parts of strength.

That was something that brought a sense of peace.

This was something Qi Jingchun had struggled for many years to achieve. This scholar, who had voluntarily been demoted here, had originally felt that the world was nothing but a foreign land.

As Qi Jingchun was about to turn around, the youth, still carrying the basket, hurriedly and awkwardly cupped his hands in a bow.

In the alley, the Confucian sage returned the youth’s greeting with perfect formality.