Here’s the content rewritten with standard English grammar and syntax, while retaining the original personal pronouns and xianxia novel style:

Chen Ping’an returned to the blacksmith shop. After toiling, he used his meal break to find Master Ruan, who was squatting under the eaves with the maiden Ruan. Chen Ping’an, holding his bowl, said he needed to borrow money, possibly fifteen or sixteen taels of silver. Ruan Qiong didn’t even ask for the reason Chen Ping’an needed the money. He put down his chopsticks, glanced askance at the straw-sandal-wearing boy, and spat out two words, “Get lost.”

Chen Ping’an quickly and obediently fled.

Ruan Xiu frowned and said, “Father, can’t you speak nicely?”

Ruan Qiong coldly snorted, “Not beating him is already speaking nicely.”

Ruan Xiu, indignant, retorted, “He’s working so hard for you as an apprentice, not taking a single copper for wages. When it gets dark, everyone else is inside snoring away or chatting idly, but Chen Ping’an is still hauling dirt from the well, back and forth, busy with this and that, never idle. Who’s been the most diligent lately, Father? Don’t you know in your heart? Put your hand on your conscience and tell me, is it really too much for him to borrow fifteen or sixteen taels of silver?”

Ruan Qiong, face darkened, remained silent, thinking to himself, “It’s because I *do* know that I want to kill this little bastard who’s undermining my plans!”

If this boy possessed the cultivation and abilities of a Mountain-Moving Ape from Positive Sun Mountain, he would have taught him a lesson like Qi Jingchun, beating him half to death to feel satisfied. Just thinking of this made Ruan Qiong somewhat disheartened. Although he, even without considering his status as a Sage in this world, was undoubtedly superior to a Mountain-Moving Ape, to achieve Qi Jingchun’s level of decisive victory with a single blow was clearly impossible.

Ruan Qiong could only console himself, saying that although he was nominally a military strategist swordsman, his true pursuit was not strength in battle, but to become one of the top sword-forgers in the world, forging a living sword with the potential to nurture its own spirit, adding to the world a truly living being with birth and death, capable of cultivation and reincarnation, even pursuing the Great Dao.

Ruan Qiong put down his bowl and chopsticks, raised his head to look at the sky, and inexplicably began to curse, “Do you really think that after Qi Jingchun’s death, you can run wild without restraint? I’ve clearly stated my rules. Now that you’re not following them, show me that you have the ability to disregard them. If you don’t, then go to hell.”

Seeing that he was alone, the previously squatting Ruan Qiong shot up like a bolt of white lightning from the earth, blasting towards the clouds high in the sky.

Above the clouds, several palace-clad women, matrons, and men in brocade robes and jade belts were flying together, laughing and talking, all refined and carefree immortals, occasionally looking down at the panoramic view of the former Lízhu Grotto-Heaven, truly embodying the saying, “Creating wind and rain with mere conversation.”

A deafening crash echoed.

The head of a dignified woman with golden hairpins burst open. Then, a beautiful young woman beside her had her head similarly explode into a bloody mess. One by one, men and women alike, none were spared.

Ruan Qiong, hovering in the golden, radiant clouds, his eyes sharp, scanned his surroundings, and coldly laughed, “What, you’re only using such small fry to test my, Ruan Qiong’s, bottom line? Are you underestimating me too much? Although I’m just a blacksmith, far inferior to Qi Jingchun, killing one or two ignorant tenth-floor cultivators here is hardly difficult. So from now on, there’s a new rule here. Listen carefully, all of you. Even if you’re hiding outside the border, coveting the Lízhu Blessed Land, if I, Ruan Qiong, am in a bad mood one day, I’ll still drag you into the sky above the Blessed Land and smash your heads. Believe it or not.”

As soon as Ruan Qiong finished speaking, he flashed towards the border. The next moment, he was seen pressing his hand on an old man’s head, dragging him back inside the boundary. With a press of his fingers, the venerable elder, with the bearing of an immortal, begged for mercy, “Master Ruan! Master Ruan! Let’s talk this over! I’m from the nearby Ziyan River…”

Before the old man could finish, Ruan Qiong crushed the immortal master’s head, casually tossing the corpse outside his Blessed Land’s territory. However, Ruan Qiong only glanced coldly at the streak of emerald light that escaped from the corpse, not bothering to further punish a dog that had fallen into the water. The green streak, no more than three feet long, flew frantically for nearly a thousand miles, plunging into a vast river shrouded in light purple mist, the river’s grandeur far surpassing even the largest rivers of the Great Li Dynasty.

Ruan Qiong, his fingers still stained with blood, loudly declared, “Within sixty years, it will be the same for all.”

In the distant clouds, a female cultivator, hiding her figure in the mist, angrily muttered, “Such bloody and cruel methods! How can this be the behavior of a Sage, solemnly presiding over the fortune of a region?”

Ruan Qiong chuckled in amusement, “Oh ho, you’ve learned to be clever, hiding so far away to whisper. You think I can’t do anything about you, eh? Damn it, I’m not like that bookworm Qi Jingchun. You’re talking about morality and etiquette to a military strategist swordsman? Are you out of your mind?”

Ruan Qiong tilted his arm downwards, joining two fingers together, and silently recited in his heart, “Heavenly Gang Gale-Wind, Earthly Fiend Thunder-Pool Fire, hasten as commanded by the statutes!”

In an instant, two sources of energy surged rapidly, one in the sky and one on the earth, like two newly revealed springs.

Another deep voice urgently warned, “Not good! It’s Ruan Qiong’s natal wind and thunder twin swords! Lan Ting, retreat quickly! Ruan Qiong’s natal treasures are different from others, not nurtured within his acupoints, but existing within the three thousand miles around him, following his two military strategist spirit-gods, wandering everywhere…”

Above the clouds, a streak of iridescent green fire desperately fled. Outside the fire, branches of translucent peach blossoms swirled, protecting their master.

The faint green light escaped for approximately eight hundred miles, when suddenly, a cyan thread descended from the sky, piercing through her head.

The man who spoke up for her, sensing danger, had long since vanished using a unique escape technique.

The heavens fell silent, and no one dared to make another sound.

Ruan Qiong coldly sneered, no longer bothering with these deceitful and ill-intentioned ghosts. He descended back to the stream near the blacksmith shop, and the blacksmith, covered in murderous aura and blood, washed the blood from his hands in the stream.

Ruan Qiong sighed, filled with emotion. “Qi Jingchun, if you had half my unreasonableness, how could you have left so aggrieved?”

—————

On the bank, Chen Ping’an was practicing the stances for an hour. On the way back, having finished practicing and stretching his muscles, Chen Ping’an suddenly saw Master Ruan walking up from the stream. He hesitated, slowed his pace, and avoided confrontation. For some reason, Chen Ping’an always felt that Master Ruan didn’t think too highly of him. The way he looked at him was a bit like how old man Yao looked at him, with a hint of disdain.

Ruan Qiong ignored the boy and strode back to the blacksmith shop on his own.

Chen Ping’an suddenly turned back to look at the stream.

It was calm as usual, with no signs of anything amiss.

But Chen Ping’an had just felt a sudden tightening in his heart, as if he was being watched, like there was a vengeful drowned ghost in the stream, staring at him. It was an absurd feeling.

However, in his vision, the stream flowed gently and happily.

Chen Ping’an, not willing to give up, picked up a few stones of just the right weight and turned to walk downstream along the stream, carefully observing the movements in the water, trying to find any clues.

The more Chen Ping’an looked, the more he felt something was wrong. In broad daylight, the stream gave him a feeling of chilling yin energy. Even when he had dived into the deep pit under the back of Green Ox Mountain so many times, he had never felt such a clear sense of unease. Chen Ping’an was now certain of one thing: there were inconceivable spirits, monsters, lonely souls, and wild ghosts in the world. In the past, when Mister Qi was in the town, everything evil was kept at bay. Now that Mister Qi was gone, perhaps the situation was such that ghosts and demons were acting everywhere. He had to be careful and cautious. Even if Master Ruan was the next so-called “Sage,” Chen Ping’an didn’t dare to be careless. In the end, Chen Ping’an trusted Mister Qi more. As for the stern-faced Master Ruan, he certainly had respect for him, but he felt no closeness whatsoever.

The reason Chen Ping’an dared to follow his gut and actively search for the strangeness in the stream was that Master Ruan had only just left. Chen Ping’an didn’t think that if there really were water ghosts, they would dare to come out and attack him right under the Sage’s nose. Besides, Chen Ping’an now had the pair of mountain and water seals that Mister Qi had given him hidden in his sleeve, one of which was the “Water” seal. Therefore, the boy was particularly courageous.

After throwing two handfuls of stones, Chen Ping’an was about to bend down to pick up more when someone asked from nearby, “What are you doing?”

It was the maiden Ruan, in her blue clothes and ponytail.

Chen Ping’an had been focusing all his attention on the water and hadn’t noticed Ruan Xiu’s approach. He didn’t hide anything, unafraid of her laughing at him. He pointed to the surface of the stream and honestly replied, “I think there’s something dirty in the water, so I’m thinking of trying to knock it out with stones.”

Ruan Xiu looked at the stream, gazing intently, and her expression darkened.

Chen Ping’an asked, “Is there really a problem?”

Ruan Xiu shook her head. “I can’t tell.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “I guess I’m just being paranoid.”

Ruan Xiu said in a low voice, “You go back first. I want to eat something here before going back to the shop. If my father asks, just say you didn’t see me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “No problem.”

He remembered something, found a sharply edged stone on the ground, and asked, “Maiden Ruan, can I ask you what some characters mean and how to read them?”

Ruan Xiu suddenly became wary.

Reading?

Books were simply the most terrifying enemies in the world. Every character on every page was like a great cultivator arranging troops, flaunting their power at Ruan Xiu. She always got a headache whenever she saw them. Originally, after she followed her father Ruan Qiong to the town, she should have gone to the school to study, without having to help with blacksmithing and sword-forging at all. But she would rather die than go. Today her stomach hurt, tomorrow her head was hot, the day after tomorrow it might rain, and the day after that she twisted her ankle… Ruan Qiong was really too lazy to hear those terrible excuses again, so he let Ruan Xiu off the hook.

However, today Ruan Xiu didn’t want to show weakness in front of the boy. She forced herself to remain calm and smiled awkwardly, “Write them first.”

When Chen Ping’an carved two characters on the ground with the stone, Ruan Xiu transformed, her spirits soaring. She confidently smiled, “These two characters? They’re too simple. I’ve known them since I was very young. One is ‘Shén’ (神), and one is ‘Tíng’ (庭). Together, they’re the name of a human acupoint, ‘Shéntíng’ (神庭). These so-called acupoints are why we humans are superior to all other beings. Many spirits and demons who cultivate to great heights eventually have to transform into humans, and it’s because the human body is best suited for cultivation. Three hundred and sixty-five large and small acupoints are treasures like mountains of gold and silver. The ancients said, ‘Acupoints are where spiritual energy travels in and out.’ Our three souls and six spirits are like children eating from many families. They eat a bowl of rice here, drink a bowl of water there, and then they constantly nurture and grow stronger.”

Ruan Xiu explained eloquently, then extended a finger and pressed it against her head, smiling. “As for this Shéntíng, it’s right here. If you push back your hairline, five-tenths of an inch up, this acupoint isn’t very important to military strategist swordsmen like me and my father. Well, in our jargon, it’s not a ‘strategic location,’ it’s dispensable. But it’s crucial for those things that survive on incense offerings. But my father said that those gods and ghosts don’t have great prospects. No matter how great their powers or how wide their ghost paths, they’re just pitiful creatures living under someone else’s roof, not worth mentioning.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t understand any of it, so he could only memorize it. Afterward, he asked about “Jùquè” (巨闕) and “Tàiyuān” (太淵).

Ruan Xiu answered them one by one as well. Although the maiden didn’t like to read, she only disliked the classic books of Confucian sages. She liked military strategist cultivation and sword-forging very much. She had known these acupoint names by heart since she was a child.

Before Chen Ping’an could ask for help, the maiden smiled generously, “I’ll tell you the names, locations, and uses of all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints when I have time in the future.”

Chen Ping’an smiled. “Thank you, Maiden Ruan.”

Ruan Xiu asked, “Have I made you buy pastries for me so many times, do you think it’s troublesome?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. It was a small effort; of course it wasn’t troublesome.

Ruan Xiu smiled happily. “That settles it.”

She suddenly felt some regret and lamented, “Even if you know about acupoints, it’s actually not that meaningful. The reason there are so many unorthodox and evil paths in the world of cultivation is that each person’s methods of nourishing and refining their energy are different. A difference of a hair can lead to a mistake of a thousand miles. My family certainly has its own inherited two great cultivation methods of dispersing and nourishing energy, but they can’t be passed on to outsiders. It’s not a matter of whether my father agrees or not, Chen Ping’an, I’m sorry.”

Chen Ping’an wasn’t the kind of person to take an inch and ask for a mile. He quickly smiled and explained, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I just want to learn more characters; I wasn’t thinking that much. Besides, I have my own boxing manual to practice. I can barely keep up with the stances in this manual, so how could I be distracted?”

Ruan Xiu smiled in relief and gently patted her chest. “That’s good.”

Her chest trembled slightly, a beautiful sight to behold.

Chen Ping’an quickly averted his inadvertent gaze, stood up straight, and said seriously, “Maiden Ruan, I can return to Nibottle Lane later anyway, once you are free.”

Ruan Xiu stood up and nodded, smiling. “Okay.”

Chen Ping’an trotted toward the blacksmith shop.

Ruan Xiu walked down to the bank, first took out a handkerchief, and threw a piece of pastry into her mouth, slowly chewing and savoring it.

After Chen Ping’an had likely reached the town, she reached out and rolled up a section of her sleeve, revealing the scarlet bracelet. She looked at the clear stream and said in a deep voice, “Fire Dragon Walks Water.”

The bracelet instantly liquefied, and a living thing awakened, constantly struggling and twisting, eventually transforming into a small flood dragon wrapped in flames. It connected head and tail, perfectly encircling the maiden’s wrist.

With the blue-clothed maiden’s command,

The crimson flood dragon, originally less than a foot long, leapt into the stream.

One zhang, three zhang, ten zhang.

A fire dragon can walk on water!

Ruan Xiu commanded, “That’s enough.”

The flood dragon, now ten zhang long, ceased to grow, but all the water in the nearby stream evaporated. Not only that, the upstream water was like defeated soldiers, scared out of their wits and refusing to continue their charge, clustering together and causing the water level to rise constantly, while the downstream water continued to rush away.

Ruan Xiu squinted her eyes and looked.

Patiently awaiting the truth to come to light.

She walked along the dry riverbed, following the ten-zhang-long fire dragon.

Now that the grotto-heaven was shattered, the restrictions carefully arranged by the four Sages had also disappeared, so spells and divine abilities were no longer prohibited.

This was also the root of why Ruan Qiong had to establish rules and strike with overwhelming force the moment he acted. Even though this was the smallest of the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens, and the one least known for its natural treasures, it was still a blessed land from a grotto-heaven. All kinds of benefits still greatly aided cultivation. Now that there were no formations to restrain them, if there was no one to control it, external cultivators would swarm in, a mixed bag, and with impure intentions, in the end, the more than six thousand people in the town, except for those lucky old turtles and great snapping turtles who survived, the rest of the mortals would probably die completely within a day.

The way of the military strategist also valued rules, but it paid even more attention to adaptability, which was much more flexible and variable than the way of the Confucians, able to act expediently according to the situation.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, the fire dragon, which had been thrashing left and right in the riverbed, seemed to have finally caught the cunning target. It pressed down fiercely with a claw and slowly lowered its head.

Ruan Xiu walked to the head of the fire dragon and looked down. Under the fire dragon’s claw, there was a curled-up woman, being firmly gripped by the waist with the claw. She had hair that reached her waist, and she used it to protect her whole body.

She asked curiously, “A little river god dares to act wildly at my doorstep? My father beheaded six water gods of great rivers in those years, haven’t you heard?”

The river crone, who had transformed from a wizened old woman into a young woman, pleaded, “Great immortal, great immortal, this servant was just passing by this place and has absolutely no intention of harming anyone. Moreover, this servant presumptuously leaked the aura of an underworld spirit in the hope of helping Sage Ruan increase the density of the stream’s water, thinking of contributing a little. Great immortal, please don’t be angry. If you think my appearance is ugly, offensive, and annoying, I will only dare to wander at night in the future…”

Ruan Xiu directly asked, “Do you know Chen Ping’an?”

The river crone, held by the waist by the fire dragon, rapidly aged in appearance, but she only dared to whimper pitifully, nodding like a chick pecking at rice. “I know him, I know him. I was originally from Apricot Blossom Lane, while Chen Ping’an is an orphan from Nibottle Lane. We occasionally had contact, but there was no grievance at all. It’s just that I haven’t seen people from the town by the stream lately, and today I saw that boy practicing his fist techniques and felt curious, so I watched him a little more. I never expected to incur such a catastrophe. Great immortal, please show mercy, considering that this servant doesn’t understand the rules…”

Ruan Xiu waved her hand, and the fire dragon transformed back into an antique red bracelet, worn on the maiden’s wrist.

Ruan Xiu still stood far away, with the surging stream behind her.

But a scene that made the river crone’s heart tremble appeared: the stream, as if encountering a supreme enemy, surrendered without a fight, automatically detouring and flowing downstream.

What was even more terrifying was that the river crone could sense that this blue-clothed maiden had not used any Taoist spells or supernatural powers at all.

Ruan Xiu smiled. “Don’t be dazed, tell me about the matters of Apricot Blossom Lane and Nibottle Lane, everything you know.”

The river crone, who had regained her freedom, began to slowly restore her youthful appearance, but the next moment, she suddenly screamed in terror, because her raven-black waterfall of hair was shortening in length. She screamed heart-wrenchingly, “Why is my cultivation flowing away!”

While eating the pastry, the blue-clothed maiden said unclearly, “Ah? Is that so? Sorry, I forgot to tell you, I have a natural fire god physique, and I am the natural enemy of water.”

The river crone forced herself to calm down and silently begged with tears, “I beg the great immortal to show great compassion and forgive this servant’s unintentional offense.”

Ruan Xiu thought seriously for a moment. “I’ll call you over to tell stories in the future. Don’t worry, I’ll hide my natal aura then.”

The river crone, with a mournful face, dared not refuse and had no choice but to agree.

Ruan Xiu walked towards the shore and turned her head. “Don’t let this happen again.”

The river crone repeatedly said that she wouldn’t dare.

After the maiden went ashore, she swayed her ponytail and walked towards the blacksmith shop.

The river crone submerged her body in the stream, her face filled with ferocious hatred, but after suffering losses several times, she began to understand how to suppress this rage.

A string of other people’s voices, originating elsewhere, echoed heavily in her heart.

“Fool, put away your ignorance. Do you know what that maiden’s opportunity to attain the Tao in the future is? It’s to kill all the river gods in the continent! A little river crone like you dares to harbor murderous intent toward this person? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? Even if she sticks her neck out for you to kill, in the end, you will only be the one who dies! Do you know how sensitive she is to any yin energy in the water? So you’re not wrong about what you’re thinking right now. She’ll kill you first among the river gods in the future! So next, think carefully about how to remedy this disaster, which was originally a calamity, and it is also the seed for you to obtain a great opportunity.”

“This is the last time I’m reminding you. If you take even the slightest action that violates the rules, without anyone else taking action, I myself will make you wish you were dead!”

After the voice disappeared, the river crone stood suspended in the water in a daze, her body swaying gracefully, but lifeless.

The Great Dao was ethereal and uncertain, making one disheartened.

—————

Ruan Qiong was in the sword-forging room when he saw his daughter bouncing in. He said grumpily, “Are you very happy to bully an insignificant river crone?”

The maiden smiled brightly. “Then I’ll bully her after she becomes a river god.”

Ruan Qiong frowned. “Xiu’er, don’t underestimate the river gods and great river gods. They’re water gods who have been incorporated into the gazetteer of a continent’s mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. Although they can’t compare to the five sacred mountains of various countries, it’s not easy to kill them in the water.”

The maiden said “Oh” and casually said, “Then let them have no water to live in.”

Ruan Qiong’s heart jolted, and he quickly suppressed the smile that was about to appear on the corner of his mouth.