Chen Ping’an found A Liang at a tavern on the street corner.

A Liang was with a male sword cultivator, their arms around each other’s shoulders, saying, “What are you sad about? So what if Nalan Caihuan obtained your heart? Could she obtain your body? Impossible! Nalan Caihuan doesn’t have that ability.” The man didn’t feel any better, but wanted to drink even more. He shakily reached out and picked up the wine pot on the table, only to find it empty. A Liang quickly ordered another pot. Hearing the jeers around them, they saw Madam Xie, swaying her hips, emerge from behind the counter, her eyes full of spring, smiling towards the outside of the tavern. A Liang turned his head and saw Chen Ping’an arriving. “At the Sword Qi Great Wall, we scholars are still precious, welcomed wherever we go.”

After Chen Ping’an sat down, he smiled and said, “A Liang, I’d like to invite you to the Ning residence for a meal. I’ll cook myself.”

Madam Xie placed a pot of wine on the table, but didn’t sit down. A Liang nodded in agreement to Chen Ping’an’s invitation. He then looked up at the woman, his eyes blurred with drunkenness, and looked left and right. “Sister Xie, what’s going on? I can barely see your face.”

The woman scoffed, “Are you going to spout that same old nonsense about seeing two inverted mountains whenever you’re drunk? Don’t you have anything new to say? A Liang, you’re getting old. You should spend more time studying the Second Manager’s *Bi Jian Xian Yin Pu* (Register of a Hundred Sword Immortals’ Seals). That’s what a scholar should be talking about.”

Madam Xie’s fickle nature made A Liang feel a little sad.

As they left, Chen Ping’an said after walking a distance, “When I was reviewing old files at the Summer Palace, it only said that Xie Yuan was seriously injured, and after that, Madam Xie sold wine for a living.”

A Liang shook off the alcohol and slapped his cheeks. “Calling her Madam Xie is wrong, she was never married. Xie Yuan came from Willow Lane, and had excellent talent in sword cultivation. She stood out at a young age, younger than Yue Qing and Mi Hu, and was a sword cultivator of the same generation as Nalan Caihuan. Add in that woman that Cheng Quan and Zhao Ge Yi were always thinking about, and they were the most outstanding young women at the Sword Qi Great Wall back then.”

A Liang sighed, “A drizzling rain, a hazy world, a handsome scholar suddenly sees a woman, holding an umbrella, in a green silk dress. The umbrella blooms like a flower on the path, the person as graceful as a willow in the spring rain, absolutely beautiful.”

Chen Ping’an said, “Remove the ‘handsome scholar’, leaving only the woman, and that painting would be truly beautiful.”

A Liang laughed, “Without that handsome scholar’s own eyes to witness it, how would you know such beauty exists?”

A Liang continued, “In the battlefield, Xie Yuan exchanged her natal sword with a junior sister of the sword immortal Shouchen, and they were both shattered. Then, before she could retreat, Shouchen caught up to the seriously injured her and delivered another sword strike. If she hadn’t suffered this calamity, Xie Yuan would have advanced to the Upper Five Realms easily. Therefore, Xie Yuan has an irreconcilable hatred with the lineage of ‘Wen Hai’ Zhou Mi. Since you beat that Jia Shen Zhang Liubai half to death, Xie Yuan is naturally grateful to you.”

A Liang gloated, “For something like this, a simple thank you is enough when you meet, why make an exception and not charge money?”

Chen Ping’an finally understood why A Liang had invited him to the tavern for a drink.

It was to untie a knot in Xie Yuan’s heart. Of course, A Liang also got a free drink.

Arriving at the Ning residence, Chen Ping’an indeed went to the kitchen to cook, with Granny Bai helping him. They chatted about trivial matters.

In the wing of Chen Ping’an’s residence, A Liang was flipping through the renowned *Bi Jian Xian Yin Pu*. There were also many blank fan surfaces and plain seals of ordinary material on the table, but it seemed he wouldn’t be moved to write or carve.

Ning Yao sat to the side and asked, “What exactly are the extraterrestrial demons from beyond the heavens? Could it be that even the Jade Capital cannot completely suppress them?”

The origin of the extraterrestrial demons has never had a definitive explanation in the Vast World. As for the sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall, they simply didn’t care.

A Liang only gave a general explanation, “Isn’t it all caused by us cultivators? We can’t clean up our own mess, so we can only deceive ourselves and let things run their course. Year after year, floods abound, and the Azure Billow World can only use the most foolish method, building dams to block them. Building dikes to contain the water, higher and higher, over time, it becomes a dangerous scene of ‘floods above, hanging high in the sky’. But you can’t entirely blame the Jade Capital’s stinky Taoists for only treating the symptoms and not the root cause. Tracing back to the source, every Qi cultivator is responsible. It is said that Tao Lao Er’s eldest senior brother has been working hard to find a fundamental solution. Tao Lao Er and Lu Chen also have their respective corresponding strategies, but one is too deliberate, using cruel means that are prone to problems, and Lu Chen’s method is too casual. I estimate that the Taoist Ancestor doesn’t approve of either and places more hope on his eldest disciple.”

The three masters of the Jade Capital, in the Azure Billow World, were the three ancestral teachers under the Taoist Ancestor, but the title of Taoist Ancestor was self-proclaimed by the Taoist sect, and the other schools of thought certainly didn’t recognize it.

A Liang laughed, “Don’t blame me for being vague, I’m not deliberately keeping you in suspense. It’s just that the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is mindful. Once a cultivator has a mind, it often becomes a great obstacle, especially with these extraterrestrial demons. The more talented you are, the more powerless you are against them. Of course, there are always exceptions, and you, Ning girl, are one of them. But once I tell you, it would be inappropriate, so it’s better to let it be.”

Ning Yao nodded.

The reason she asked about the extraterrestrial demons was that she was worried about Chen Ping’an’s future Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages.

As for herself, it seemed that she had no hidden worries. Advancing to Core Formation and Nascent Soul, and even the Jade Purity Realm which was just a step away, would not be difficult for Ning Yao as long as she wanted to.

A Liang also leaked another secret, “The Taoists of the Azure Billow World are busy and not at all relaxed. It’s a battlefield that’s different from the Sword Qi Great Wall, but the degree of tragedy is similar. It’s about the same in the Western Buddhist Kingdom. Beneath the Nine Springs, the wronged souls and vengeful ghosts gather like a sea, who do you think is to blame?”

Ning Yao said, “People?”

A Liang said, “When people learn to read, they begin to worry. So when people cultivate, of course they have more worries and more hidden dangers.”

Ning Yao asked in confusion, “A Liang, you should talk about these things with Chen Ping’an, he can keep up with the conversation.”

A Liang laughed, “I won’t add to his burden. You, Ning girl, will forget it after you’ve heard it, so it’s right to talk to you.”
Ah Liang twirled a simple jade-like seal in his palms, devoid of carvings, and said slowly, “The path of cultivation is ultimately constrained by the grand Dao of Heaven and Earth. Furthermore, cultivators often become accustomed to only gaining and never losing, only taking and never giving, only receiving and never releasing, inevitably leading to endless troubles. The ancient sages who ascended mountains to cultivate were drinking poison to quench their thirst, a desperate measure. We descendants, however, are merely indulging in excess. Our thoughts and considerations are vastly different from those of the ancients. Hence the saying, ‘The ancients transformed outwardly but not inwardly; the moderns transform inwardly but not outwardly.’ These are the heartfelt words of elders, uttered only when truly angered. Yet, deep down, they hope that future generations will prove their words wrong.”

Ah Liang put away the seal, returning it to its original place, and said with a smile, “Regardless, words must be learned, books must be read, the Dao must be cultivated, roads must be walked, and, most importantly, food must be eaten!”

Ning Yao said, “Don’t encourage Chen Ping’an to drink.”

Ah Liang stood up and replied, “A little sip, just a little sip. I promise not to overindulge, but we must drink. A wine seller who doesn’t drink must be a dishonest merchant; I have to help the second shopkeeper prove his integrity.”

Today, in the Ning residence, a table was set for four, with simple, homemade dishes.

Chen Ping’an was allowed only one bowl of wine.

Ah Liang, without ceremony, took the seat of honor and asked with a smile, “Zuo You is your senior brother, hasn’t he ever visited the Ning residence?”

Chen Ping’an said helplessly, “I mentioned it. Senior Brother said that since the Old Master hasn’t been a guest at the Ning residence, how could he, a student, presume to visit first? After some back and forth, during the sword practice on the city wall that time, Senior Brother’s sword strikes were rather heavy, likely a reprimand for my lack of understanding.”

Ah Liang took a sip of wine and shook his head, “You’re also foolish. Didn’t you think to tell Zuo You that you would leave the seat of honor open for the Old Master? With the Old Master essentially present, would he, as a student, dare not to sit and keep him company? Even if the Master isn’t physically present, he should be in your heart.”

Chen Ping’an felt it made sense, and deeply regretted it. With Senior Brother’s temperament, he believed that as long as he invoked the Master, whether present or not, it would be effective.

Ah Liang truly lived up to his reputation as an old hand in society. He still had much to learn.

Granny Bai grumbled, “Young Master is an honest man, not as cunning as you, Ah Liang.”

Ah Liang quickly raised his wine bowl. “Granny Bai, I’ll punish myself with a cup. Won’t you join your Ah Liang brother for a bowl?”

Bai Lianshuang glared at Ah Liang, ignoring him, and instead placed a chopstick of food on Ning Yao’s and Chen Ping’an’s plates.

She was an old woman, being called “Granny” in front of the Young Mistress and Young Master, how could that be appropriate?

Ah Liang, looking at the elderly woman with her white hair, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

He remembered when he first met Bai Lianshuang, she seemed to be a graceful young woman. Pure martial artists were ultimately at a disadvantage compared to Qi cultivators, especially female martial artists.

It was difficult to discern the true age of female sword cultivators on the Great Wall of Swords based solely on their appearance.

Nalan Yexing, the manager of the Ning residence, didn’t appear old when he first met the young Bai Lianshuang; he looked like a man in his early forties. However, later on, as Bai Lianshuang transformed from a young girl to a young woman with white hair, and Nalan Yexing fell from the Immortal realm to the Jade Purity realm, his appearance aged rapidly. Actually, when Nalan Yexing looked like a middle-aged man, as Ah Liang put it, Nalan, old buddy, you were quite handsome, a highly sought-after commodity in the Vast World!

And Bai Lianshuang, who was extremely beautiful in her youth, although born as a servant of the Yao family, was never worried about marriage in the Great Wall of Swords, where sword cultivators were numerous and martial artists were rare.

However, Bai Lianshuang had high standards and excellent martial arts talent, and she didn’t fancy any of the sword cultivator men. Year after year, the young girl became an old maid, and the old maid inadvertently became an old granny.

Ah Liang laughed, “Granny Bai, you might not know this, but Nalan Yexing, and the grandfather of that kid Jiang Yun, the one nicknamed Stone, Jiang Chu, he’s about your age. Several of them are still unmarried drunkards. When they saw you in their younger days, even though they were terrified and didn’t dare to say much, they would secretly meet up and curse each other for being shameless. Jiang Chu especially liked to curse Nalan Yexing for being an old lecher. Nalan Yexing’s cursing skills were truly terrible, utterly unbearable, but fortunately, he was good at fighting. I once saw him sneak into the Jiang family mansion in the middle of the night while Jiang Chu was asleep and hit him with a club. One hit to knock him out, then several hits to the face, all in one go. He wouldn’t leave until the club broke and the person was out cold. Jiang Chu never knew how he got bruised and swollen every time he woke up. Later, he even bought several exorcism talismans from me.”

The old woman smiled without responding, but her peripheral vision caught sight of the empty seat near the door.

Ning Yao was somewhat worried and looked at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an gently shook his head, indicating that she shouldn’t worry.

Some things were best left unsaid by him as a junior, Granny Bai was an elder in the family.

It was more appropriate for Ah Liang to say them.

Ah Liang reminisced about some old memories with Bai Lianshuang.

Granny Bai didn’t respond much, just listened.

She was indeed unaware of many people and events related to her, perhaps because she never cared, or perhaps because she was simply too close to the situation.

Chen Ping’an noticed that Ning Yao was also listening attentively and felt somewhat helpless.

Ah Liang suddenly asked, “Chen Ping’an, back in your hometown, weren’t there any girls your age that you cared about or liked you?”

Chen Ping’an replied without hesitation, “No. I was too young, I didn’t understand those things. Besides, I went to work at the dragon kiln as an apprentice very early. According to the old customs of my hometown, women aren’t allowed near the kiln.”

Ah Liang said, “That’s not right. I heard Li Huai say that there’s a family next door to your mud-bottle alley with a very beautiful little girl. That’s what they call a childhood sweetheart in books, how bad could your relationship be? Li Huai said that you would wake up early every day just to help carry water, and that there’s a hole in the wall between your houses, almost like a window.”

Every day, your great-aunt.

Chen Ping’an cursed in his heart, but said, “Liu Xianyang likes her, I don’t. Besides, Li Huai had never been to mud-bottle alley when he met you, Ah Liang. His family never gets water from the iron-chain well, it’s too far away. My two walls are next to empty lots on one side, and Song Jixin’s house on the other. Li Huai is talking nonsense, only a fool would believe him.”
Ning Yao said, “I’ve seen her. She’s quite pretty, but not very tall. She peeks at Chen Ping An’s courtyard from the next one over. If she doesn’t stand on tiptoe, I can only see half her head.”

A Liang rubbed his chin, clearly wanting to chat more, but Chen Ping An raised his wine bowl and drained it in one gulp. “After I finish this wine, I’m going to eat.”

During the meal, A Liang mostly bragged about his past adventures in the pugilistic world, the interesting mountain gods and water spirits he’d encountered, and the yin creatures and monstrous beings he’d met. He talked about seeing a “feed-on-words-and-grow-fat” ghostly scholar who really devoured books, and actually increased his cultivation after eating them. He also recounted accidentally participating in a mountain banquet called the Hundred Flowers Divine Feast, where he met a crying little girl hiding in a corner. It turned out she was a small banana spirit, complaining about the world’s scholars, saying that there were very few poems written about banana trees, which caused her realm to be low, and she wasn’t favored by her older sisters. A Liang was filled with righteous indignation and joined the little girl in cursing the scholars as worthless, and then A Liang, inspired, wrote several poems on the spot, inscribing them on leaves, intending to give them to the little girl. However, the little girl didn’t take a single leaf or poem, and ran away, crying even more for some reason. A Liang also said that he had once watched the moon’s reflection on the water with several skeletons from a mountain graveyard, and that he recognized one of the immortals among them, but no one believed him.

Once, on a small bridge in the marketplace, he saw a mountain woman known throughout an entire continent for her frosty demeanor, secretly twirling her skirt when no one was around, looking extremely adorable. He also encountered a group of long-tongued female ghosts in a weed-choked mountain path, scaring him half to death. He also ran into a lonely little girl at a dilapidated grave, dazed and confused. When she saw him, she screamed “Ghost!” and ran around wildly, disappearing into the earth and then popping back out, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t leave the vicinity of the grave. A Liang had to explain to the little girl that he was a good ghost and wouldn’t harm her. Finally, the little girl’s mind gradually cleared, and she felt sorry for A Liang, asking him how long it had been since he had seen the sun. Later, before leaving, A Liang built a small shelter for the little girl, a small space that could shelter her from the wind and gather water, and allow her to see the sunlight.

At this point, the man who had been so animated stopped smiling and took a big gulp of wine. “Later, when I passed by again, I went to look for the little girl, wanting to know if she had grown any taller. I couldn’t find her. I asked around and learned that a passing immortal master, without asking the reason, had casually slain the ‘demon’ and eliminated ‘evil’. I remember the little girl happily saying goodbye to me, saying, ‘Haha, we’re ghosts! I won’t be afraid of ghosts anymore!'”

A Liang picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. “If I had thought a little more, even just a little bit, like not thinking that such a small ghost, with so little cultivation, would be noticed by anyone in the wilderness, why did I have to take her to some mountain deity to settle down? Moved the nest, received some incense offerings, gained some stability, but would the little girl perhaps be less happy that way? Where I shouldn’t have thought too much, I did, and where I should have thought more, like the cultivators on the mountain, focused on their pursuit of the Dao, never overthinking things, the world is full of variables, and I didn’t think enough.”

A Liang murmured, “Many years have passed, and I still want to know, when such a helpless little girl, whose life and death were both so uncertain, completely left this world, would she actually remember that swordsman, would she want to say a word to that guy? If she wanted to say something, what would she say? I’ll never know.”

Saying this, A Liang looked at Chen Ping An. “I told you some bullshit about not caring if you can’t manage, but you didn’t listen to my advice, which is good. That’s the Chen Ping An from Lizhu Cave that I know, who sees everything as important. You don’t think that just because A Liang is a Sword Immortal, you shouldn’t dwell on such insignificant matters, or bring up old stories at the dinner table.”

A Liang raised his wine bowl and drained it without another word.

The life and death of the strong have a sense of grandeur, while the joys and sorrows of the weak are silent, so quiet that it’s hard to hear if there’s any sobbing.

Ning Yao and Granny Bai left the table first, saying they wanted to sit at the Dragon-Slaying Cliff pavilion. Ning Yao told Chen Ping An to keep A Liang company for a few more drinks, and Chen Ping An said that he would clean up the dishes later.

After the two finished drinking, Chen Ping An saw A Liang to the gate.

Chen Ping An suddenly remembered that A Liang seemed to never have a proper place to live in Sword Qi Great Wall.

He only knew that A Liang would stagger along, riding his sword after drinking, and stay in any of the abandoned private residences left behind by Sword Immortals outside the city.

He could also lie down and sleep on the city wall.

A Liang said, “For the next half year, you won’t be able to go down the city to fight anyway, so you should plan well for yourself, nurturing your sword, practicing your fist techniques, refining your treasures, you’ll be busy. The Summer Palace has Chou Miao in charge, and even if a few young outsiders from the Hidden Official lineage leave, they can fill the gaps and continue to perform their duties. Chun Fan Zhai also has Yan Ming and the others, so neither side will be delayed. I’ll give you a suggestion, you can go to Old Deaf’s prison more often, and experience the realm suppression of the Immortal Realm great demon, even if nothing else comes of it. It’s a pity that the Ascension Realm demon had its head removed, otherwise the effect would be even better. You can take the opportunity to temper your caged-bird natal ability and the bottleneck of your seventh-realm martial artist. I’ll tell Old Deaf to keep an eye on you, so there won’t be any accidents.”

Chen Ping An hesitated.

A Liang said, “It can’t be delayed any longer, and there’s no need to delay it. Half a year is enough for the Old Sword Immortal to arrange a retreat.”

Chen Ping An nodded.

A Liang smiled. “I’ll be here for these six months.”

Suddenly A Liang said, “The Old Sword Immortal is a decent man, with high sword skills, good character, kind eyes, thick eyebrows, broad shoulders, and a strong back, a magnificent appearance…”

Chen Ping An was confused, not knowing why A Liang’s flattery was so awkward. Then Chen Ping An found himself on the city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Near the thatched cottage, he was surrounded by Old Sword Immortals and Great Sword Immortals.

The tomboy Yuan Zao Hua once gave them her top ten Sword Immortals from the perspective of children.

Oldest Sword Immortal, Dong Sangeng, A Liang, Hidden Official, Chen Xi, Qi Tingji, Zuo You, Nalan Shaowei, Old Deaf, Lu Zhi.

At this moment, Chen Ping An’s martial brother, Zuo You, was already in Tongye Continent, replaced by A Liang, who had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

As for the Hidden Official, he was still there, but Xiao Xun had been replaced by Chen Ping An.

For some reason, all ten of them needed to gather on the city wall today.
The venerable Sword Immortal Chen Xi offered a gentle smile to the young Hidden Official, to which Chen Ping’an returned a respectful bow.

Chen Qingdu, with hands clasped behind his back, chuckled and inquired, “Hidden Official, it seems you’re the only one here who isn’t a Sword Immortal.”

Chen Ping’an nodded helplessly.

Nalan Shao Wei glanced askance and offered a dry chuckle.

Chen Ping’an ignored him, paying him neither mind nor attention.

Ah Liang, arm in arm with the old deaf man, began to whisper. The old deaf man, head bowed and fawning, stroked his beard and cast several glances at the young Hidden Official before nodding vigorously.

Chen Qingdu declared, “Now that matters are settled, let us all disperse.”

Most of the Sword Immortals mounted their swords and departed.

Even Ah Liang, without a word of complaint, strolled off into the distance with the old deaf man.

Chen Ping’an stood there, dumbfounded. What was going on?

Chen Qingdu waved his hand dismissively. “We just needed you here to make up the numbers, lad.”

Chen Ping’an tentatively asked, “Greatest Sword Immortal, is there truly nothing for me to do?”

Chen Qingdu shook his head with a look of pity.

Left with no other choice, Chen Ping’an summoned his talismanic boat and, utterly bewildered, returned to the city.

Earlier, near the northern city wall, he had spotted the Wind and Snow Temple Sword Immortal practicing his swordsmanship, to whom he had offered a greeting, mentioning that Great Sword Immortal Wei was sunbathing.

Wei Jin, with a smile mirroring that of the Greatest Sword Immortal, looked at the departing talismanic boat with pity. Clueless, wasn’t he? A bit simple, even.

Back at the Ning Residence, he found only Granny Bai in the pavilion, unable to catch sight of Ning Yao. The old woman simply smiled and said she knew not where the young mistress had gone.

With nothing to occupy his time, Chen Ping’an, at a loss, decided to seek out something to do at the Summer Palace, mounting his sword and flying off.

Ning Yao sat within her own chamber, diligently writing the character “陈” (Chen).

Once finished, she simply rested her head on the desk, lost in thought.

Upon the desk, beside the mountain and river travelogue gifted by Chen Ping’an, lay several books, each page filled with the name of Chen Ping’an, and nothing else.

Today she wrote Chen, tomorrow she would write Ping, and the day after, An.

One character a day, three days for a Chen Ping’an.

She was different from Chen Ping’an. Chen Ping’an, after meeting her, had traversed countless mountains and rivers, accumulating a myriad of grand and small tales.

She and Chen Ping’an reunited at Upside-down Mountain, after which her story seemed to consist only of one Chen Ping’an.