Three days later, at dawn, Chen Pingan was to depart from the Cliffside Academy.

Li Baoping noticed that Li Huai, Pei Qian, and the others had been secretly gathering lately, and even Little Martial Uncle would occasionally disappear, leaving Li Baoping feeling somewhat dejected.

This morning, Li Baoping arrived at Cui Dongshan’s courtyard early, wanting to see her Little Martial Uncle off.

Pei Qian hadn’t slept with her last night either, but had borrowed the narrow-bladed talisman and the silver gourd.

Li Baoping found the entire courtyard empty.

Had Little Martial Uncle secretly left again?

Li Baoping turned around, about to rush towards the foot of the mountain.

But she saw Cui Dongshan approaching from a small path in the distance, yawning. Li Baoping quickly paced back and forth, ready to dart out like an arrow at any moment. She anxiously asked, “Where’s Little Martial Uncle? How long has he been gone?”

Cui Dongshan looked bewildered. “He left early. In the middle of the night yesterday. Didn’t you know?”

Li Baoping stopped abruptly, her face, still mostly round, with a slightly pointed chin, furrowed.

Cui Dongshan sighed. Seeing that the little girl was about to burst into tears, he quickly consoled her, “Don’t overthink it. Master must have been afraid of seeing you like this. Didn’t the same thing happen last time? Even though your Little Martial Uncle had changed into new clothes and boots, he still didn’t go to the academy. I was the only one with him, watching Master take three steps and look back.”

Li Baoping sniffled.

Cui Dongshan tentatively asked, “How about I accompany you to the lake to clear your head and talk about Master?”

Li Baoping considered it and nodded.

The two headed towards the lake.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and there was no one around. Usually, there would already be a few scattered academy students reciting the sages’ poems here, but today it was unusually quiet.

Cui Dongshan led Li Baoping to a high platform by the lake. Cui Dongshan suddenly asked, “Little Baoping, I think your Little Martial Uncle leaving without saying goodbye is really unkind. Don’t worry, as long as you don’t recognize him as your Little Martial Uncle, I’ll be with you and won’t recognize Master either. Don’t you think I’m very loyal?”

Li Baoping glared at him. “What are you saying? There’s only a Little Martial Uncle who doesn’t want Li Baoping, there’s no Li Baoping who doesn’t want Little Martial Uncle!”

Cui Dongshan feigned realization and said with a drawn-out tone, “Oh, is that so.”

Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers.

A dazzling golden halo suddenly lit up around the shore of the lake.

It was a thunderous formation drawn by the immortal flying sword Golden Tassel. Cui Dongshan had now removed part of the illusion.

Li Huai suddenly appeared on the path by the distant lake.

The fellow was leading a white deer, wearing a bamboo hat like someone else, with the narrow-bladed talisman hanging from his waist, and a silver gourd dangling at his side.

Li Baoping was stunned.

After walking a short distance, Li Huai announced loudly, “I, Li Huai, have secluded myself for three days and finally mastered a set of superb martial arts. This time, I’m descending the mountain to roam the martial world and learn from the abilities of heroes from all corners of the land!”

Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers again.

Two figures appeared not far from the high platform: the pitiable Zhu Lian and Shi Rou, playing the roles of brigands, were separately beating up two “frail scholars,” Yu Lu and Lin Shouyi.

Li Huai shouted, “Stop!”

Zhu Lian blocked Li Huai’s path and roared, “You must also leave behind passage money, hand over your life-saving wealth!”

Li Huai laughed heartily. “Inexperienced little thieves, daring to rob me, Hero Li? Today, I will right the wrongs I see, come and try to take it if you have the ability.”

Zhu Lian drifted forward with a series of light steps, like Lingbo Weibu, displaying the demeanor of a grandmaster, and lightly struck Li Huai’s chest with each punch. Li Huai stood firm, laughing towards the sky.

Zhu Lian was as if struck by lightning, trembling uncontrollably, his body shaking like a sieve. He opened his mouth with a trembling voice, “This, this…young hero…such profound inner strength!”

Then he flew backward, twitched a few times, and probably died, just like the minions in the knight-errant stories. Being able to say these words in front of the great hero was already a significant role.

Shi Rou followed awkwardly, gently striking Li Huai with a palm.

Li Huai waved his hand from afar and laughed, “Get lost!”

Shi Rou seemed to have been injured by a gust of energy, spun a few times in the air, fell in the distance, lay on the ground, raised one hand, pointed at Li Huai, and endured the shame and indignation in her heart, “Who exactly are you? I’ve never heard of such an unfathomable master in the martial world!”

Li Huai extended a palm, held it in front of his chest, and imitated a monk, saying, “Forgive me, forgive me. It’s just that my martial arts are too high, and I couldn’t hold back.”

Li Huai retracted his movements, came to the vicinity of the high platform, and looked around. “Remember, I am Li Huai, the leader of the Dragon Spring County main branch, the East Flower Mountain branch, and the student lodge branch! Known in the martial world as the ‘Peerless Fists and Feet’ Li Daxia (Great Knight), whose fists are invincible and feet can trample mountains! Our main leader is the world-renowned, eternally unified contemporary martial arts alliance master – Li! Bao! Ping!”

Li Baoping crossed her arms and nodded lightly.

Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers, and Li Huai’s white deer, Zhu Lian, Shi Rou, Yu Lu, and Lin Shouyi all vanished.

At the same time, Yu Lu and Xie Xie appeared on either side.

On either side of the lake, one stood playing the flute, and the other sat playing the zither, like celestial couples in the martial world.

The flute music was melodious, and the zither music was graceful.

Becoming increasingly passionate and stirring.

On the shore of the lake directly opposite the high platform where Li Baoping was, after Cui Dongshan smiled slightly, a dark and thin figure instantly appeared, running wildly all the way, supporting himself on the ground with a walking stick, leaping high, plunging into the lake, drawing the bamboo sword and bamboo knife from his waist in mid-air, spinning and landing, looking quite impressive and domineering.

Every time Pei Qian landed on the lake surface, a golden flower would appear under her feet, so there was no need to worry about falling into the water.

Pei Qian first performed a White Ape Dragging Saber move with the bamboo knife, rushing forward in one breath with the force of a tiger, in a straight line, after running out for several dozen feet, she shouted loudly at Cui Dongshan’s high platform and heavily slashed out a blade.

Then, tapping her toes, stepping on the golden flower that Cui Dongshan had helped conjure, her figure suddenly twisted, she returned the bamboo knife to her waist, and after landing, she continued to run wildly forward with the set of Mad Demon Swordplay she had created.

In order to be able to fight the wildest dogs in the future, Pei Qian felt that she had been diligently practicing martial arts.

She also felt that this unique skill of hers was unparalleled in the world.

Pei Qian performed this set of swordsmanship with gusto, in one go.

Finally, she stood still and sheathed the bamboo sword.
Beneath the seven-eight *zhang* high platform, upon the placid lake, Pei Qian twirled her wrist, summoning the miniature gourd. Raising it high, she proclaimed, “The *jianghu* ain’t much, but the wine…ah, the wine! Come, come! Who will share this *jianghu* wine with me?”

Cui Dongshan, with a hearty laugh, his sleeves billowing, darted towards Pei Qian. Extending both arms, snapping his fingers, he seized the silver gourd, simultaneously drawing two streams of watery essence from the lake, transforming them into wine. One spiraled around the silver sword-nurturing gourd, the other danced around Pei Qian’s hand-held gourd.

Side by side, one large, one small, they mimed the act of tossing back their heads and drinking deeply.

Then, as if rehearsed countless times, Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian began their drunken stagger, swaying unsteadily. Soon, they were scuttling like crabs, arms outstretched, sleeves like churning waves. Finally, they imitated the red-skirted girl, marching in place, hopping and skipping.

The scene brought a smile to Li Bao Ping, who stood alone on the high platform, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Cui Dongshan abruptly sat down, his sleeves swirling. From who-knows-where, he produced a pottery *fou*, striking it and beginning a song.

It was the stinky tofu ditty, a local tune from Dragon Spring County, adapted by Chen Ping An and Pei Qian.

Cui Dongshan sang out, “Shopkeeper, I’ve read some books, learned many characters, stuffed my belly with knowledge, but can’t sell it for even a few *wen*!”

Pei Qian, having stowed her hand-held gourd, puffed out her chest, raised her head high, and circled Cui Dongshan, singing, “Stinky tofu is delicious, but I can’t afford it, oh!”

“There are demons and monsters on the mountains, water ghosts in the lakes and rivers, scaring me so much that I turn my head, only to realize I’ve been away from home for years!”

“Scaring me so much I have to eat a piece of stinky tofu to calm my nerves, oh!”

“Whose little girl is that, carrying the scent of orchids, why is her face streaked with tears? Isn’t she pitiful?”

“Eating stinky tofu, oh, stinky tofu is as fragrant as orchids, oh!”

“Tell me, what does the Confucian scholar do? A small kite, basking in the sun, hangs from a tree branch.”

“Climb the tree, take down the kite, go home and eat stinky tofu, ho!”

“If the god before the grave is young, but the descendants in the grave are bones a hundred years old, isn’t that laughable?”

Cui Dongshan was simply talking nonsense, and Pei Qian momentarily paused. But, deciding to go along with it, she ad-libbed, “Eh? Who gets to eat the stinky tofu, after all, oh?”

“You speak your logic, I wield my fist, the *jianghu* is chaotic and noisy, when will the grievances ever end?”

Cui Dongshan continued to butcher the folk song, and Pei Qian once again played the little drunkard, swaying left and right, “Stinky tofu with wine, I’m both full and not thirsty, the *jianghu* is boring, I don’t care, oh.”

“The world says immortals are good, but I see no leisure on the mountains…”

Pei Qian glared at Cui Dongshan for his endless, nonsensical alterations, and also shouted and sang off-key, “If you keep going like this, I’ll get too full even to eat the stinky tofu, oh!”

Cui Dongshan, no longer wanting to tease Pei Qian, stood up and asked, “We’ve eaten stinky tofu, drank wine, where is the Sword Immortal?”

Pei Qian also looked surprised, and retorted, “Right, we have the wine, but where’s the Sword Immortal?”

They both looked towards the high platform, and said in unison, “Shall we try calling out?”

Li Bao Ping took a deep breath and called out loudly, “Little Martial Uncle!”

Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers, and Li Huai and the others appeared.

Everyone looked towards the peak of Eastern Flower Mountain.

Li Bao Ping also turned to look.

A flash of white emerged from the mountain peak.

With the force of a rainbow, he landed on the lake’s surface.

The golden liturgical robe fluttered in the wind, like a white-clad immortal standing on a serene mirror.

Chen Ping An did not carry the Sword Immortal on his back, only a sword-nurturing gourd hung from his waist.

Chen Ping An extended his hand.

From a pocket dimension, Cui Dongshan produced a long sword, ran his fingers across the blade, and mimicking Li Bao Ping’s favorite phrase, said, “Go you!”

The long sword left its sheath, cleaving through the air.

Chen Ping An grasped it, the sword tip tracing an arc, holding it behind his back. He formed a sword gesture with two fingers at his chest, and laughingly declared:

“The world says that gathering snow for grain and grinding bricks for mirrors are the actions of a fool, but I insist on going against the current, to crash against that southern wall! I’ve drunk the *jianghu* wine, understood the logic of the world, I have one sword after another, each faster than the last, and one day, when I deliver a sword, it will be the most carefree and joyful sword under Heaven…”

Chen Ping An began to walk gracefully on the lake, the sword techniques fluid and perfect, like wind sweeping autumn leaves. His body turned slightly to the right, his left foot lightly stepping forward, his right hand holding the sword as he turned, pulling slightly to the right and then back, his eyes following the sword’s movements. Suddenly, his right foot transformed into a bow stance, the sword arcing upwards, his eyes sharp, “The immortal’s garment is lifted, the sword emerges from the sleeve, following the momentum, the sword paints an arc, the eyes fixed on the sword tip, on the sword tip lies the world.”

Chen Ping An strode forward, the long sword flowing with him, the sword intent continuous, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, suddenly stopping. He flicked his wrist, the sword tip rose, the sword tip spewing brilliance like a white serpent spitting its tongue. Then, the long sword left his hand, yet was like a clinging bird, repeatedly swooping and circling around Chen Ping An. Chen Ping An used his spirit, energy, and the perfectly natural boxing intent of his six-step walking stance to move forward, the flying sword paused and moved along with him. Chen Ping An concluded the final punch of the stance, striking heavily on the sword hilt. The flying sword circled in front of Chen Ping An, the sword light shimmering, like a bright moon on the lake. Chen Ping An extended his arm, two fingers precisely caressing the flying sword’s hilt, then waved his sleeve back. The flying sword flew dozens of *zhang* away, circling in ever-increasing circles as Chen Ping An slowly walked, illuminating the entire lake with its brilliance, the sword *qi* was chilling.

“Nighttime stroll to the Water God Temple, daytime visit to the City God Pavilion, a small boat on Dragon Flood Ditch, the immortal carrying a sword like a battle array… the world says that logic is the most useless thing, but I say that the Sword Immortal’s intent resides in the books, sword light in every word, let the sages see my one sword, the long breath soaring to the heavens!”

Li Bao Ping clapped her hands enthusiastically, her face flushed red.

Chen Ping An took off the sword-nurturing gourd and tossed it casually, then reached out and controlled the sword in his hand, delivering a single thrust, the sword tip precisely touching the wine gourd.

His swordsmanship was even more unrestrained than Pei Qian’s mad demon sword style.

But no matter how he wielded the sword, the sword-nurturing gourd remained still on the sword tip, without wavering.

Chen Ping An was unaware that Cui Dongshan had long since dispelled the lightning pool created by the golden sword *qi*.

While outsiders could not hear their words, many in the academy could see his sword-wielding form.

A group of people stood at the entrance of the academy.

Chen Ping An had already shouldered the long sword, the Sword Immortal, and the large bamboo box.

Pei Qian slung her package across her shoulder, held her walking stick, and had her sword and saber hanging from her waist.

Zhu Lian and Shi Rou stood to the side.

After a whispered conversation with Pei Qian, promising to explore the *jianghu* together in the future, Li Huai said softly to Chen Ping An, “When you get to Dragon Spring County, please remember to take a look at my house for me.”
Chen Ping’an nodded with a smile, “No problem.”

Then, he said to Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, and the others, “You should all go to the academy for your classes. No need to see me off. You’ve already been delayed for quite some time. I reckon the instructors won’t be too happy to see me again anytime soon.”

Li Baoping didn’t insist on escorting Little Martial Uncle all the way to the gates of the Great Sui capital. She nodded, “Little Martial Uncle, be careful on the road.”

Chen Ping’an ruffled her hair. “Little Martial Uncle knows that without you saying it.”

Li Baoping broke into a radiant smile.

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist and bid farewell to Mao Xiaodong.

Mao Xiaodong nodded in acknowledgment, stroking his beard and smiling, “Come by often in the future.”

Finally, Cui Dongshan insisted on seeing his teacher off to the end of the White Reed Street.

Pei Qian and Sister Baoping also exchanged some whispered words, their heads close together. In the end, Pei Qian grinned from ear to ear, feeling like she’d landed the jackpot, seizing the position of Little Helmsman!

Chen Ping’an and Cui Dongshan walked slowly at the forefront, all the way out of the main street and into White Reed Street. Finally, at the end of White Reed Street, Cui Dongshan stopped, speaking slowly, “Teacher, I don’t think the world is necessarily any worse than before. There are more and more cultivators on the mountains, and more and more people down below are well-fed and clothed. What do you think?”

Chen Ping’an nodded, “It should be so.”

Cui Dongshan raised his head, gazing at the sky, muttering, “But undeniably, the mountain peaks that rise above the earth, like swords pointing towards the heavens, the frequency of their appearance over centuries and millennia is indeed decreasing. So, I hope all our joys and sorrows don’t just become the pecking outside the chicken coop, the chirping in the sparrow’s nest, the desolate chirping of cicadas on branches.”

Cui Dongshan pointed towards the heights, “In the higher reaches of the sky, there must be one or two cries of cranes, far from the ground, yet capable of evoking sadness. Once seen, once heard, they become difficult to forget.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, “I think it’s good that you can think this way.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment, “Teacher hasn’t read enough books, and his knowledge is shallow. He can’t give you an answer for now, but I’ll think about it more. Even if I still can’t give an answer in the end, I’ll tell you that Teacher can’t figure it out, that the student has stumped the Teacher. Don’t laugh at Teacher then.”

This was perhaps the first time in Chen Ping’an’s life that he acknowledged himself as Cui Dongshan’s teacher.

Cui Dongshan’s face was full of bright smiles. He suddenly bowed deeply, and after rising, whispered, “Back home to the fields, flowers bloom on the paths, Teacher can slowly return.”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “It’s already autumn.”

Cui Dongshan shook his head vigorously, “May Teacher’s heart be like spring in all seasons.”