Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao parted ways near the Twelve-Legged Memorial Archway. Chen Ping’an went to Mud Bottle Alley and knocked on a door, calling out, “Song Jixin, are you home?”

A young woman in the kitchen, who had been using a gourd ladle to scoop water, hiccuped repeatedly. After drinking the water, she felt much refreshed. She set down the ladle and gracefully walked out of the kitchen, running to open the courtyard gate. Feeling a bit strange, she still replied formally, “My young master is not at home. Chen Ping’an, why are you knocking? You used to just stand in your courtyard and chat with us.”

Chen Ping’an, separated by the courtyard gate, said, “I have something to discuss.”

Zhigui opened the gate, jesting, “A rare guest indeed.”

She glanced at Chen Ping’an’s face and asked, “What do you need my young master for? If it’s not urgent, I can pass on a message later. If it is urgent, you’ll probably have to find him at the Kiln Supervision Office. You saw it yourself before; my young master has a good relationship with the newly appointed Supervisor, Lord Song.”

She noticed Chen Ping’an standing rooted to the spot. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Are you going to come in or just stand there? Is my house a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair? Or do we charge an ounce of silver for a cup of water?”

At this, the young woman covered her mouth and giggled to herself, “For you, it’s definitely the latter that’s more frightening.”

Chen Ping’an twitched his lips, forcing a smile. He said softly, “Actually, I came to see you. I called out like that earlier because I was afraid Song Jixin would misunderstand.”

Zhigui smiled knowingly and asked, “Then tell me, what is it? Let’s be clear, neighbors are neighbors, friendship is friendship, but I’m just a small handmaiden relying on others in Mud Bottle Alley. I can’t lift anything heavy or carry anything far, so I can’t offer much help. But if you, Chen Ping’an, need to borrow money, and it’s something that can be solved with money, you’re in luck. I do have a little trick up my sleeve.”

Chen Ping’an smiled wryly, “It’s not really about money. I’ll be blunt with you. Liu Xianyang has been severely injured near the Covered Bridge. Old Shopkeeper Yang from Yang’s Store went to see him, but he couldn’t do anything.”

Zhigui looked blank. “I haven’t heard anything about this. Who did Liu Xianyang offend?”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “It was an outsider, from a place called Zhengyang Mountain.”

Zhigui tentatively asked, “So, you want me to pull some strings, find a favorable burial spot for Liu Xianyang? That’s not difficult. I can ask my young master to say a word to the Supervisor, who can then have someone from the Office, like a gatekeeper, ask old man Wei in Peach Leaf Lane to find a place. As long as it’s not a mountain peak in a government-restricted area, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Chen Ping’an’s already dark face grew even darker.

Zhigui seemed to realize she had misunderstood. She habitually bared her bright, even teeth. Leaning against the Spring Festival couplets on the wall, she tilted her head, a playful smile on her face, and asked, “Chen Ping’an, are you asking me to repay your life-saving grace? But I’m just a handmaiden. Old Shopkeeper Yang can’t do anything. What can I do?”

After a brief inner struggle, Chen Ping’an slowly said, “Wang Zhu, I know you’re not an ordinary person. That snowy day, when I saw you at my doorstep, I knew you were different from us. Later, you were also the first one to see that the snake-gall stone was unusual. Looking back now, the way you used to look at us neighbors is no different from the way those outsiders look at us now.”

The young woman grinned, “Actually, there is a difference.”

*I don’t just look down on you ordinary mortals, I look down on those Immortal Cultivators as well.*

But Zhigui didn’t say the words aloud.

Some principles were self-evident to her, but to others, they would seem arrogant and unruly.

Chen Ping’an asked, “I’m looking for you to ask if there’s any possibility of saving Liu Xianyang. I used one of my Locust Leaf Charms; it only managed to barely keep him alive. Although it wasn’t much use, it was at least useful. So I want to ask, do you have any Locust Leaf Charms, especially any spares?”

The young woman pointed to her nose and asked, “Are you asking if my young master, Song Jixin, has Locust Leaf Charms, or if I, a small, orphaned servant girl, has any?”

Chen Ping’an stared intently at the young woman and said bluntly, “Even if Song Jixin had any, he wouldn’t give them to me. I’m asking you, Wang Zhu. If you have any, are you willing to lend them to me? If not, do you know any other way to save Liu Xianyang?”

The young woman, who was consistently being addressed as Wang Zhu, rubbed her chin with one hand and lightly patted her stomach with the other. She shook her head. “None left. I really don’t. I wouldn’t lie to you. If you had come earlier, there might have been a few Locust Leaf Charms left. As for other ways, of course not. I’m not a god. How would I know how to bring the dead back to life, to create flesh on bones? Right? Chen Ping’an, you can’t ask the impossible. Alas, I really misjudged you. I thought you were different from them, not the kind to take advantage of a kindness.”

Chen Ping’an was still unwilling to give up. “Really none? Whether or not I can do it, you can tell me what it is.”

Zhigui shook her head, saying decisively, “I definitely don’t have any!”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “I understand.”

The youth turned to leave, his thin frame quickly disappearing into Mud Bottle Alley.

The young woman stood in the alleyway in front of her house, watching the youth’s receding figure. Her expression was complex, containing a hint of pity for his misfortune and anger at his lack of ambition. She said resentfully, “You just squandered those hard-earned Locust Leaf Charms? Then you might as well go die with Liu Xianyang. It’s better to die early and be reincarnated. If you’re lucky, you can continue to be unlucky brothers in the next life. It’s better than those poor wretches who don’t even have a next life.”

The young woman walked back into the courtyard. As she crossed the threshold, she accidentally burped again, and sneered, “A bit full.”

She suddenly quickened her pace and rushed forward, stomping down hard with one foot. Then she slowly squatted down, staring at the yellow four-legged lizard with horns on its head, scolding it, “Easy come, easy go, with borrowed funds. If you five little beasts ever dare to overdraw and welch on your debts in the future, see if I don’t skin you alive and stew you in a pot!”

The four-legged lizard under the maidservant’s foot struggled desperately, emitting a series of faint hisses, as if pleading for mercy.

After Chen Ping’an left Mud Bottle Alley, he ran all the way to the schoolhouse, only to be informed by an old man responsible for cleaning the schoolhouse that Mr. Qi had gone into the deep mountains outside the town with three foreign guests yesterday, saying they were going to explore and seek out unusual sights. The trip would take at least three days. Filled with disappointment, Chen Ping’an turned to leave. The old man holding the broom suddenly remembered something and called out to the youth, saying, “Oh, right. Before Mr. Qi left, he told me to tell any youth from Mud Bottle Alley who came looking for him that the principle he had taught long ago would not change the outcome, regardless of whether he was at the schoolhouse today or not.”

The youth seemed to have expected this result, his eyes dim and lifeless.

Still waters run deep, but these were stagnant and without life.

However, the youth still bowed to express his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, old sir.”

The old man hurriedly moved a few steps away, stood aside, and waved his hand, laughing, “I can’t bear the title of ‘Sir’.”

The old man watched the youth slowly leave. After walking a distance, he seemed to raise his arm to wipe his eyes.

The old man gently shook his head, thinking of Song Jixin and Zhao Yao, two other promising students of about the same age, and then looking at this one, their life experiences were vastly different.

Some people were riding the spring breeze, while others were having an eventful autumn.

Chen Ping’an went to Mud Bottle Alley, took the last bag of copper coins hidden in the earthenware jar, and, carrying three bags of money, entered Fortune and Prosperity Street, finding the Kiln Supervision Office.

The gatekeeper was a bit confused after hearing the introduction. The neighbor of Song Jixin from Mud Bottle Alley wanted to find Song Jixin and Supervisor Lord Song?

Chen Ping’an secretly slipped him a gold-essence copper coin that he had prepared long ago, without saying a word. The gatekeeper looked down, weighed it in his hand, and rubbed it between his fingers. He understood, but he wasn’t in a hurry to commit himself. The youth quickly handed over another gold coin. The gatekeeper smiled, but didn’t take it, saying, “Since you’re such an understanding person, I’m relieved to recommend you. Otherwise, if I lost this job because of you, I’d be a fool. Keep this coin for now. If the steward agrees to let you into the Office, give it to me then. If he doesn’t agree, there’s nothing I can do. It’s just that the coin and I aren’t meant to be. How does that sound?”

Chen Ping’an nodded vigorously.

Before long, the elderly steward and the gatekeeper arrived together. The gatekeeper winked at the youth, signaling him not to take out a coin at this time and openly accept a bribe. The crime would be no small matter. Fortunately, the youth didn’t do anything foolish, but just followed the steward towards the back hall of the Office.

The gatekeeper sighed. He was a bit puzzled as to why the steward had nodded in agreement as soon as he heard it was a Chen youth from Mud Bottle Alley. When did the Office’s threshold get so low?

The gatekeeper was a bit uneasy. In fact, when he had seen the steward earlier, he had subtly and indirectly advised the steward that it was better to do less than more, and not let the youth into the Office, but he hadn’t said it directly. He believed that with the old steward’s many years of practice in public service, he would definitely understand.

The young gatekeeper’s original plan was, of course, to get a coin for nothing, without taking any risks, and take it with a clear conscience.

Now he only hoped that the poor scholar-youth wasn’t some kind of troublemaker.

In the main hall of the Office’s back court, a tall man wearing a white robe was sitting in the main seat, drinking tea.

Song Jixin was sitting on the guest chair to the left, playing with a bamboo folding fan with one hand, repeatedly opening and closing it, smiling as he looked at the youth in straw sandals being led in.

The black chair and the white robe were a stark contrast.

The steward retreated. The man in the main seat set down his teacup and smiled at the youth, “Chen Ping’an, please sit. We actually met in Mud Bottle Alley before, but I didn’t recognize you at the time. Otherwise, I should have greeted you earlier.”

Song Jixin found it amusing. Only he knew that this man clearly had a bit of difficulty calling himself “I.”

The youth sat down on the chair opposite Song Jixin.

The man went straight to the point, asking, “Chen Ping’an, you’re here about Liu Xianyang being injured?”

The youth stood up and said, “I hope Lord Song can severely punish the Zhengyang Mountain assailant, and not just expel him from the region.”

The man smiled. “Actually, this town is a ‘Lawless Land,’ meaning that there are no dynastic laws here. The Supervisor’s position is already awkward; they have no right to interfere in local affairs. Furthermore, this town has always followed the principle of ‘the people don’t report, the officials don’t investigate.’ Whether it’s a large household beating a maidservant to death or a small household’s brawl that injures someone, no one comes to this Kiln Supervision Office to beat the drum and seek justice. So, Chen Ping’an, you’re offering a pig’s head to the wrong temple; you’re worshiping the wrong Buddha.”

The man’s words and actions were gentle and kind. There wasn’t the slightest bit of arrogance or condescension.

Chen Ping’an took out three bags of copper coins, placed them on the high stool next to the chair, and then said to the composed man, “Lord Song, I know you’re very capable. I want to know if you can save Liu Xianyang. Even if you can’t save him, can you give him justice, so that the murderer doesn’t kill someone, just leave the town, and it’s like nothing happened?”

The man laughed heartily, “I’m very capable? Did that black-clothed girl at your house tell you? Hmm, from that, it can be seen that her martial arts talent is extremely good, even better than your friend named Liu Xianyang. To tell you the truth, I only know how to kill people; I’m really not good at saving them. Besides, why should I ruin the great rules that have been followed here for thousands of years for the sake of a youth I’ve only met once?”

The man said, pointing to the three bags of copper coins, “Without the Treasure Armor Sword Manual, Liu Xianyang’s life isn’t worth that much money at all. As for wanting to buy my favor, this money isn’t nearly enough. Break with Zhengyang Mountain for three bags of money? Absolutely impossible. It would be the laughingstock of the entire Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent if word got out. Chen Ping’an, you may not understand this for now, but if you have the opportunity to go out and walk around in the future, you’ll understand that this is the complete truth.”

Chen Ping’an gritted his teeth and said, “Lord Song, can you say what it would take for you to take action? Even if you think it’s something I can’t do even if I die, Lord Song can still tell me.”

The man didn’t think he had revealed a single clue. The powerful prince’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise. He smiled and said, “Chen Ping’an, I’m not looking down on you or deliberately making things difficult for you. On the contrary, I think you’re an interesting person, so I’m willing to spend time, calmly and peacefully, reasoning with you, doing business with you, do you understand?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Song Jixin was sitting in an uncouth posture, cross-legged on the chair, lightly tapping his knee with the closed folding fan.

Watching the fire from across the river, minding his own business.

Song Changjing didn’t mind Song Jixin’s outlandish behavior. In this town, this prince had more intelligence than only Qi Jingchun. He finally revealed the secret, “Chen Ping’an, you don’t need to feel too guilty, mistakenly thinking that your friend is dying because of you, because Liu Xianyang was already trapped in a dead end. As long as this youth refuses to hand over the Sword Manual, it can only be a dead knot, because Zhengyang Mountain definitely wants him dead. Neither Qi Jingchun nor Ruan Shi can stop it. It’s not that no one has ever fought that old ape, but the price they would have to pay is too great, not worth it.”

The man took a sip of tea, leisurely saying, “Chen Ping’an, have you ever thought about why you, who shouldn’t have received the blessings of your ancestors at all, have a Locust Leaf Charm, yet Liu Xianyang, who has such good talent and aptitude, didn’t receive a single Locust Leaf Charm. Have you ever thought about this question?”

Chen Ping’an said, “I’ve disturbed Lord Song.”

The youth in straw sandals picked up the three bags of copper coins, and bid farewell to the Supervisor Lord before leaving.

Although Song Changjing didn’t try to keep him, he actually got up to see him off personally. Song Jixin was about to reluctantly stand up, but saw this uncle slightly shake his head, and he sat back down comfortably on the back of his chair.

As he walked to the threshold, Song Changjing said without warning, “There are two things that I can do, but cannot do. So, as long as you accomplish one of them, I might consider helping you teach that old ape a lesson.”

The youth quickly stopped, turned around, his face full of solemnity.

The man said calmly, “One thing is to find an opportunity to kidnap the Zhengyang Mountain little girl near the old ape, disrupt his mind, and force the old ape to stay in the town. The other thing is to secretly cut down that old locust tree at night, and then pull out the iron chain from the Iron Lock Well. You can do both things, or you can only do one thing. If you accomplish one thing, I will take action to help you seriously injure the assailant. If you accomplish both things together, I will kill the Zhengyang Mountain old ape for you.”

Song Changjing smiled and promised, “A promise made is a promise kept!”

Then the powerful Dali prince said a strangely inexplicable remark, “Chen Ping’an, I believe you can feel the truth of a statement.”

The youth silently left.

Not seeing or hearing the youth beat his chest and boast wildly, Song Changjing felt that it was very normal. Standing at the door, his back to Song Jixin in the room, he asked, “You’re more familiar with him. Do you think he’ll do it?”

Song Jixin shook his head, saying, “Hard to say. Under normal circumstances, it would be very, very difficult for him to do something against his conscience. But for Liu Xianyang’s sake, it’s a bit doubtful.”

The man stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky, asking, “Assuming the youth really gives people an unexpected surprise, if this king seizes the opportunity to interfere, whether it’s befriending Zhengyang Mountain or allying with Wind and Thunder Garden, naturally, only one can be chosen, and it would be difficult to avoid incurring the enmity of the other party. Compared to this king standing by and letting Dali and these two forces remain lukewarm and not interact with each other, which result do you think is better for my Dali?”

Song Jixin stood up, tapping the palm of his other hand with the folding fan, slowly pacing, and, after considering, said, “Choose the latter in times of peace and prosperity, and choose the former in times of turmoil.”

Then the youth smiled, “Whether the world outside the town is peaceful or chaotic, it seems that at least Uncle you have already made your own choice.”

Song Changjing scoffed, “What should people like us, who have fought on the battlefield, do in times of peace and prosperity? Be a watchdog, guarding the house for scholars?”

Song Changjing turned his head, looking at the stiff-faced youth, “This king has already seen that this youth is the true knot in your heart, and it will be difficult for you to untie it in a short time. Once you leave the town with this knot in your heart, it will be detrimental to your future cultivation. So, you can see with your own eyes how a simple youth with a pure heart becomes full of malice and vulgarity. By then, you’ll feel that it’s pointless to be angry with this kind of person.”

Song Jixin opened his mouth, but in the end didn’t refute anything, finally falling into deep thought.

The man walked back into the room, sat in the main seat, and, tilting his head, drank the tea in the cup in one gulp. “The most important thing is that, by playing these boring little tricks, besides just finding a poor excuse to fish in troubled waters, I also want you to understand a principle. On the cultivation path you will take in the future, anyone could be your enemy… For example, your own uncle, Song Changjing.”

The youth was stunned.

Song Changjing said with cynical contempt, “If the heart is bewitched by knots, the consequences will be endless unless you personally uproot them cleanly, like wild grass in the wilderness, which regrows with the spring breeze.”

Song Changjing mocked and scorned, “Song Jixin, who is about to be a Dali royal prince, are you full of grief and indignation? But what can you do now? So, do you think you are better than Chen Ping’an, who is being played in the palm of my hand?”

Song Jixin stared fixedly at the man with a calm expression. The youth’s five fingers gripping the folding fan were strained, his joints exposed.

The man sat upright in his chair, his eyes deep, looking out the window, as if talking to himself: “In the future, the more people you see, the more interesting things you will discover. What goes around comes around, quick justice, a commoner’s anger spilling blood three feet, what talent, beautiful women, and lovers eventually becoming family, are all wishful thinking imagined by useless people. So, your own fist must be hard. Relying on this king? Relying on your birth parents? I advise you to give up on that early, otherwise taking you away from town is like taking your corpse to the burial ground. In an imperial family, why isn’t it a matter of bearing your own life and death.”

The youth, covered in sweat, sat dejectedly on the chair.

Although the youth had deeply hidden his complacency after learning his true identity, and there was nothing different in the way he treated people in the Office, it was like holding a demon-revealing mirror in the eyes of Prince Song Changjing, revealing a goblin who had just transformed into human form. Therefore, it could be destroyed in a conversation.

Song Changjing looked into the distance, his line of sight seemingly reaching the southernmost end of the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, to that distant Old Dragon City.

This prince, for some reason, thought of a sentence, “The human heart is a mirror. The cleaner it originally is, the more immaculate it is, the more unable it is to withstand deliberation and testing.”

Song Changjing thought that the scholars in the temple, although verbose and annoying, sometimes said great principles that they, the men with knives, could not think of or express even after living for a thousand years.

Song Changjing withdrew his thoughts, reaching out his hand and pointing south, like holding a spear, the sharp point fully exposed: “Song Jixin, if you think what this king said today is wrong, fine, but endure it. Only when we reach Old Dragon City in the future and switch seats will this king consider whether to listen respectfully!”

Dali Royal Prince Song Jixin had returned to normal, and smiled: “Time will tell.”

At the door of the official office, the youth in straw sandals handed the gatekeeper the second copper coin as promised.

—————

Twelve-Legged Memorial Archway, Chen Ping’an saw the figure of the black-clothed girl and ran quickly.

Ning Yao was standing under the plaque of “Energy Reaching the Dipper and the Ox Constellations,” and asked: “How was it?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head: “I looked for all three people, and met two of them. I didn’t get to see Mr. Qi, but I knew the answer from the beginning.”

A gentleman doesn’t save.

Mr. Qi had indeed said it long ago.

Ning Yao frowned without speaking.

Chen Ping’an then told the girl to be careful, and began to run away wildly.

First he went to Yang’s Store, and used a gold-essence copper coin to buy a large number of medicine bottles, ointments, and herbs for treating trauma and internal injuries from an old man who knew him well. The youth knew the routines of how to use and decoct these things, kiln-firing porcelain was a livelihood that depended on the mountain for food, and there were often all sorts of accidents. Old Man Yao didn’t like Chen Ping’an, who could only be considered half an apprentice, but had to admit that this youth was quick-footed and had no ulterior motives, so many errands and expenses were left to Chen Ping’an to do, such as buying medicine and decocting medicine for the injured people in the kiln.

Chen Ping’an returned to his ancestral home in Mud Bottle Alley, and after closing the door, began to decoct the medicine. It was a prescription for treating internal injuries. While waiting for the heat to be right, he spread out a clean but faded garment on the table, tearing it into strips of binding. The youth, known for his miserly stinginess, didn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache at this time. Then, besides tying the clothing-pressing knife that Ning Yao had lent him to his arm, the youth also bundled layers of cotton strips onto his calves and wrists.

Chen Ping’an took down the homemade wooden bow from the wall, hesitated for a moment, but still temporarily gave up carrying it. Instead, he retrieved the slingshot and a bag of stones from the windowsill.

The reason why he was knowingly doing the impossible and hadn’t regretted bumping into walls three times in a row, was because of the youth’s unique stubbornness.

If he didn’t try, the youth wouldn’t be content no matter what. It was the same reason why he had asked Old Shopkeeper to try again one last time at the blacksmith shop.

First, finding Zhigui, who had a strange identity, was in the hope of finding a glimmer of life for Liu Xianyang. Then, finding Mr. Qi was out of luck, hoping that he could uphold justice. Finally, finding the so-called martial arts grandmaster Ning Yao and the Supervisor Lord Song was clearly to use everything he had to make a deal.

The youth had thought it all through clearly from the beginning, so at this time he was lost, but he didn’t feel torn apart in any way.

In fact, Prince Song Changjing and neighbor Song Jixin didn’t understand Chen Ping’an at all.

There are some things that must be done even if you die. But there are some things that must not be done even if you die.

The youth squatted in the corner, quietly waiting for the decoction to be ready. This pot of medicine was very strange, with no other use, it was just to relieve pain. Once, a man in the Longyao kiln had a strange illness. He had been in bed for most of the day, not only half-dead, but the key was that his entire face and limbs were twisted from pain. Later, Yang’s Store gave out this prescription. In the end, the man died quickly, but he didn’t die in pain. He even had the strength to sit up, confessed his last words, and, supported by Yao, had gone to see the kiln one last time.

Chen Ping’an felt that he should also need it.

The youth saw that there were still some scraps of cloth on the table, so he took off the pair of broken straw sandals on his feet, took out a pair of brand-new shoes that he was always reluctant to wear, moved over the earthenware jar, and took out the pieces of broken porcelain inside.

About half an hour later, the youth, having finished everything, opened the door and silently walked out of Mud Bottle Alley.

It was near dusk, the sunlight was no longer harsh, and there were layers of fiery clouds in the sky, incomparably brilliant.

The youth in straw sandals walked towards Fortune and Prosperity Street.

There were no pedestrians on the bluestone street. The youth walked alone.