Easy to Talk To

Brewing medicine was a meticulous task, like threading a needle. Chen Ping'an handled it with methodical precision, wholly absorbed in it. An inexplicable happiness seemed to radiate from the Young Man.

But the black-clothed girl was not a patient person. In truth, aside from practicing with saber and sword, she could scarcely stir up any interest in anything else. At such a young age, she had left her homeland and wandered the four corners alone, living a rough-and-ready life. Thus, Chen Ping'an's bare-walled little house caused her no discomfort whatsoever. She herself had slept rough and eaten in the wild too many times, coming through wind and rain. No matter how refined and particular a person had once been, they would eventually become far less particular.

The girl asked, "Is there anything wrong with your left hand?"

Chen Ping'an, whose left hand was wrapped in strips of cotton cloth, brought over a bowl of medicine with both hands. After the girl took it, he smiled. "It's fine. Before I came back to the alley, I found some herbs, mashed them up, and applied them to the wound. Back when I was a Potter, I used this for bruises, sprains, and cuts all the time. It works every time. An old man from the Yang Family Shop told me this secret recipe long ago, but I promised him I wouldn't pass it on. Otherwise, since Miss Ning travels all over the world, it might come in handy for you. If you want it, I can go ask that old man at the Yang Family Shop. I was in too much of a hurry when I went to the pharmacy today, so I didn't see him. I only hope he had merely stepped out for a while."

As the girl drank the medicine, her long brows—more like narrow sabers than willow leaves—furrowed slightly. Yet she still drained the bowl without changing expression. After handing the porcelain bowl back to the straw-sandaled youth waiting nearby, she muttered, "A rotten good man. No wonder you're poor enough to rattle. You deserve to be bullied."

Before the youth could react, the girl added, "Don't mind it. I'm just rather blunt when I speak."

The girl probably did not know that those latter words hurt even more.

Chen Ping'an hesitated, as though wanting to say something but stopping himself.

The black-clothed girl wiped the residue of medicine from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, then straightened her posture and said solemnly, "The Sage currently overseeing this patch of heaven and earth—the schoolteacher you mentioned—does intend to help you clean up the mess, so that your life will be safe from now on. But you must understand that human strength eventually has its limits. Even Sages are no exception. What's more, Mr. Qi's situation is not looking good. He's rather like a Mud Bodhisattva crossing a river, unable to protect even himself. I fear that later, he may not be able to concern himself with whether you live or die. I, Ning Yao, repay even a drop of kindness with a gushing spring, but if someone glares at me once, I'll repay every tiny grievance in full!"

Human strength had its limits, repaying a gushing spring, repaying every tiny grievance in full, a Mud Bodhisattva crossing a river...

At that moment, the girl's heart was brimming with secret pride. Listen to that—weren't her words terribly learned?

Unfortunately, Chen Ping'an's next-door neighbor was a Reading Seed of no shallow learning. Almost every morning and evening, that neighbor would recite the books of sages and worthies to declare his aspirations. According to Song Jixin himself, it was "I Am Good at Cultivating Righteous Qi." Thus, though Chen Ping'an had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He was not unfamiliar with the literary mannerisms of scholars. Even if some words were obscure, he could infer their meaning from context and guess eight or nine out of ten correctly.

The girl stared fixedly at Chen Ping'an, trying to find shock, admiration, and confusion on the youth's face. But Chen Ping'an instead wore an infuriating expression that seemed to say, "I understand. Please continue, Miss."

The girl was deeply disheartened. Her previously high-spirited brilliance dimmed sharply, and she said irritably, "For instance, you saved my life. Afterward, I can help you kill Fu Nanhua of Old Dragon City, or Liu Zhimao of Book Slip Lake. But if you want both dead, to eliminate all future trouble, then you'll have to spend money to ward off disaster. We merely met by chance on the water, and there isn't such deep affection between us. So you need to pay me a bag of Golden Essence copper coins as compensation."

The girl quickly pointed at the bag of Spring Welcoming Coins. "For example, I like this bag very much. The copper coin designs in the other two bags, the Offering Coins and Suppression Charm Coins, aren't pretty, and their inscriptions aren't appealing either."

Then the girl lifted her chin slightly. "If, besides making this deal, you are willing to pay me two more bags of copper coins, I'll help you settle Old Dragon City and Cloud Mist Mountain. Of course, if I die early at Liu Zhimao's hands, then there will be nothing more to say. After all, my cultivation is not high right now. Of the Nine Realms of Martial Arts, I have only just entered the sixth realm. The toughness of my physique as a Pure Martial Artist has not yet amounted to much. As for the Fifteen Heavenly Layers of mountain-climbing cultivation, those fifteen realms, I have only reached the Dragon Gate Realm among the Middle Five Realms. Inside my Elixir Chamber, I have six images that have yet to receive the finishing touch that brings the dragon to life, nor have I made the heavenly maidens soar into the sky..."

This time, Chen Ping'an was truly confused, completely at sea.

The girl immediately became somewhat embarrassed and angry. Her low realm had always been a source of shame to her. Chen Ping'an's idiotic look of "Miss, please explain it to me again" undoubtedly jabbed at her sorest wound.

Seeing the girl's dark expression, even a fool would have known that the situation was bad. Chen Ping'an hurriedly changed the subject. "Why were you so badly injured earlier, yet now you seem more than half recovered?"

The girl lowered her eyes slightly and folded her arms across her chest. In a hoarse voice, she said, "I really was about to die then. If Daoist Master Lu hadn't saved me, I would have... Anyway, I owe you a debt of gratitude as vast as heaven. I should not have taken advantage of the fire to rob you and made you bring out three bags of Golden Essence copper coins. One life of mine, Ning Yao's, is not something the likes of Liu Zhimao can compare to. So I was wrong. Just pretend I never said any of that. Once I leave the town, I'll do my utmost to help you resolve those future troubles. But let me say the ugly words first: I, Ning Yao, will only act within my abilities. I won't knowingly go fight someone to the death... to trade my life for theirs."

Perhaps because seeing the girl lower her head and admit fault was too rare, she was in an extremely low mood.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Which bag contains the Offering Coins?"

The girl pointed at one of the golden embroidered pouches.

Chen Ping'an took three copper coins from it, held them in his palm, then swept all three bags across the table toward the girl with his arm. Smiling, he said, "These are for you."

The girl gaped at him. After a long while, she came back to herself and asked, "Chen Ping'an, did a door panel clamp your head when you were little?"

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "No. When I helped people herd cattle as a child, I often got whipped by cow tails."

The girl suddenly flew into a rage. Slapping the table, she demanded, "Do you like me?!"

Chen Ping'an froze like a wooden chicken.

The girl grinned and gave Chen Ping'an a thumbs-up. "Not bad taste!"

Then she bent that thumb and pointed it at herself, radiant with energy. "But I won't agree to it. The man I, Ning Yao, like must be the greatest Sword Immortal in all the world—the greatest in all the world! A Great Sword Immortal! Whether Dao Ancestor or Buddha, whether the supreme sage of Confucianism, before his single sword, all must lower their heads and make way!"

Chen Ping'an's face flushed red. Scratching his head, he said, "Miss Ning, you misunderstand. I don't like you..."

The girl raised a brow and thought for a moment. Then she leaned forward, narrowed one eye, lifted a hand, and held her thumb and forefinger a little over an inch apart. Somewhat guiltily, she asked, "Not even this tiny bit?"

Chen Ping'an answered decisively and firmly, "No! Don't worry, Miss Ning!"

The girl withdrew her hand and sighed heavily. "Chen Ping'an, even if you luckily marry a wife in the future, she'll probably be a bit slow in the head."

Chen Ping'an sat across the table and smiled happily. "As long as she's a good person, that's enough."

The girl neither agreed nor disagreed.

Muddling through life and waiting for death, being content with modest wealth, soaring to greatness—just as her mother had said, everyone had their own fate and affinity. There was not necessarily any distinction of high or low between them.

Her father, however, held a different view. When fate offered nothing, one should not force it. But not forcing it did not mean not seeking it at all. One should still seek. If one still could not obtain it in the end, that was another matter.

Of course, her father absolutely dared not say such words to her mother's face.

Chen Ping'an casually asked, "Miss Ning, did you also come to our town seeking an opportunity?"

The girl did not conceal anything at all. She answered, "I exhausted all the capital I had accumulated through my adventures, and added a favor on top, just to trade for a place to enter the town. But unlike those people, I am not seeking any opportunity or fortune. I only want someone to forge a sword for me, preferably one that suits my heart. As for whether it is sharp or whether it can bear an oceanic amount of Sword Qi, those are much less important."

Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "Forge a sword?"

The girl said, "That blacksmith, Master Ruan. He has a great reputation around here, and he also has an unchanging rule: he forges only one sword every thirty years. The reason he was willing to come here and replace Qi Jingchun was because he believed this was a suitable place to open a furnace and forge swords. I'll try my luck and see whether he is willing to forge one for me. If not, there's nothing I can do. I'll just count myself unlucky."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Good people receive good rewards."

The girl said listlessly, "Nothing to be done."

She glanced at the youth. "Doesn't your left hand hurt?"

Chen Ping'an was startled. "It does."

She asked skeptically, "Then why don't you look like it?"

Chen Ping'an replied as though it were only natural, "Even if I rolled all over the ground and screamed my head off, it wouldn't stop hurting."

The girl slapped her forehead. "There really is nothing to be done. You're just like my father, though your abilities are far worse than his."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said nothing, quietly gazing out at the courtyard beyond the house.

The girl pushed the three bags of copper coins back. "I don't want them."

Chen Ping'an withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Miss Ning, have you considered that keeping them might not necessarily be a good thing for me? After meeting Mr. Qi, I became even more certain of that."

Once the girl made up her mind about something, she would never change it again. Shaking her head, she said, "That is your business. It has nothing to do with me. I've decided: I will definitely repay this debt for saving my life in the future, and I absolutely won't cut corners. I have to live up to the name 'Ning Yao'! But during these years, you must take good care of yourself. Don't accidentally die. As long as you endure through this period..."

For the first time, the youth who had always been easy to talk to took the initiative to interrupt her. "Daoist Master Lu saved you, Miss Ning. So you don't need to feel that you owe me anything. If I hadn't thought I was definitely going to die then, and wanted Daoist Master Lu to do a little more for my parents, I would never have opened the door."

The girl snorted coldly. "That is your business!"

The youth smiled and repeated her words. "That is your business."

They stared at one another with wide eyes.

The girl unexpectedly admitted defeat first. Rubbing her own head in distress, she muttered, "If you like me, I really can't agree to it."

Chen Ping'an held his head in both hands.

There was nothing he could do when faced with such a strange, single-minded girl.

At that moment, someone climbed over the courtyard wall into the yard. There was no need to guess who would do such a thing—it had to be Liu Xianyang. He jogged up to the threshold and was just about to raise his voice when it seemed as if someone suddenly seized him by the throat. He could not get out a single word.

Chen Ping'an hurriedly rose, went to Liu Xianyang's side, and said in a low voice, "Can I stay at your place for the next couple days? This young lady may be staying here."

Liu Xianyang shoved Chen Ping'an's head aside. Rubbing his hands eagerly like a fly rubbing its forelegs, he said, "Miss, my house is large, and everything in it is complete. If you don't mind, how about staying at my house?"

With her back to them both, the black-clothed girl said blandly, "I mind."

Liu Xianyang bared his teeth. Looking at that slender, charming silhouette with a saber at her waist, he refused to give up. "Miss, you don't know this, but earlier, two groups blocked my way by the Covered Bridge. They wept and begged me to sell them my family heirloom, but I didn't agree. Those unlucky bastards nearly got me scolded to death by Master Ruan. I see that you're also an Outsider who came to the town to try your luck, Miss. I, Liu Xianyang, might not sell it to you either, but letting you take a look and broaden your horizons is definitely no problem!"

Ning Yao remained cold. "No need."

Liu Xianyang sat down in Chen Ping'an's former seat without invitation. Once he saw the black-clothed girl's face, his eyes lit up. "Miss, don't be so distant. Chen Ping'an and I can squeeze into this shabby house. Once you go to my big residence, you won't feel so cramped, as if there isn't even room to put your hands and feet."

Ning Yao answered with a stern face, "I appreciate the thought. Go cool off somewhere else!"

Liu Xianyang did not feel embarrassed in the least. Rising to his feet, he said, "All right then. A golden nest or silver nest can't compare to one's own straw nest. I understand, I understand."

Liu Xianyang dragged Chen Ping'an outside the threshold and jabbed the youth with his elbow. "What's going on?"

Chen Ping'an said awkwardly, "It's hard to explain in a short while. Just tell me, can I stay at your place or not?"

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes. "What's there to ask? Of course you can. But you have to promise me something: keep an eye on Zhi Gui for me. Don't let that little beast Song Jixin force himself on her. When the time comes, you have to help me protect my future wife's purity!"

Chen Ping'an said without hesitation, "Forget it!"

Liu Xianyang patted Chen Ping'an on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I'll take that as you agreeing."

The black-clothed girl suddenly turned her head from inside the house and said, "Do you know you are a natural-born Sword Embryo? The porcelain buyer probably did not take you away when you were nine because he wanted you to absorb more Spiritual Energy here. That choice was correct. So at Master Ruan's place, you must seize the opportunity and have him take you as his disciple. Remember, at minimum you must become an inner disciple; ideally, a direct disciple. As for becoming his Final Disciple, don't even hope for it. Your innate bones and talent are not outrageously good enough for that."

Liu Xianyang grinned and nodded vigorously, saying yes, yes. Then he looked back at Chen Ping'an, pointed at the girl in the house, and then pointed at his own head.

Chen Ping'an said, "She's telling the truth. Don't take it lightly."

Liu Xianyang stopped clowning around. He fell silent, then said in a low voice, "I think something isn't right. Of those two groups by the Covered Bridge, guess who was leading them and showing them the way? That turtle bastard Lu Zhengchun from Fulu Street! Isn't that like a weasel paying a New Year's call to a chicken? I'm not so desperate for money that I've fallen into a coin hole. Why should I make a deal with them? Besides, that armor is an old thing passed down through my family generation after generation. If I sold it, then if I dreamed of my grandfather in the future, wouldn't he curse me half to death?"

Chen Ping'an became gravely alert upon hearing this. "You must be careful. Lu Zhengchun and those Outsiders are not easy to deal with!"

The youth turned and asked, "Miss Ning, do you know where those people came from?"

The black-clothed girl nodded. "The old man and the little girl came from Zhengyang Mountain. They count as one of the famous orthodox sects on your East Treasure Bottle Continent. The old man is not human... In any case, he is a hundred times more formidable than Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and her son are no simple people either. Anyone able to enter the town together is naturally not just an ordinarily wealthy person. That woman is deeply calculating, and the little boy does not seem kind-hearted either. So I advise your friend to quickly have Master Ruan accept him as a disciple. That would be like carrying a life-preserving talisman. In this town, no matter how lofty one's backing or how deep one's background, no one yet dares to wrestle arms with a Sage."

Chen Ping'an asked Liu Xianyang again, "Are you confident you can become Master Ruan's disciple?"

Liu Xianyang was somewhat conflicted and hemmed and hawed. "Well, on my first day there as an apprentice helper, the way Master Ruan looked at me was about the same as Old Man Yao back then. He was probably planning to observe me for a while before deciding whether to take me as a disciple. It's just..."

Chen Ping'an glared fiercely.

Liu Xianyang gave an embarrassed laugh. "It's just that Master Ruan has a precious daughter who can really eat. She shocked me, so I made a few little jokes. Who would have thought that when that daughter swung a hammer while forging iron, she was so fierce and domineering? Yet she was especially shy and bashful in ordinary times. How could I have known she couldn't take a joke? I made her cry right then, and by bad luck, her father saw it happen. The way he looked at me changed immediately. Being accepted as a disciple is definitely out of the question now. But I never wanted to serve someone like an ox or horse as a disciple anyway. Having served one odd-tempered Old Man Yao was enough suffering for us. I was only thinking of earning a bowl of rice at the smithy..."

Chen Ping'an raised his head, his face dark.

Liu Xianyang, who stood more than half a head taller than the straw-sandaled youth, lowered his head and did not dare meet the youth's eyes.

This scene left Ning Yao somewhat puzzled.

It was also the first time the girl had seen what Chen Ping'an truly looked like when he was angry.

Chen Ping'an asked quietly, "After what happened at the Old Scholar Tree, did any Sophora Leaves inexplicably appear on you?"

Liu Xianyang shook his head. "No. Though that fortune-telling Daoist who was always sneaking glances at the woman said some unlucky things to me. I nearly smashed his stall."

Chen Ping'an's expression shifted slightly. His brow knitted tightly as he turned toward the house and asked, "Miss Ning, as payment, would three bags of Golden Essence copper coins do? Also, would it cause you serious trouble? You must make that clear beforehand."

The black-clothed girl thought carefully. "The trouble won't be small, but it won't be a major problem. Still, you must be careful these next few days. Tell your friend not to run all over the streets, since my current situation isn't very good."

She added, "Two groups of people, two bags of coins. One more bag of coins for having Master Ruan take him as a disciple. In short, for every matter I accomplish, I take one bag of coins. Don't worry. Since I agreed, it means I'm guaranteed a harvest of at least two bags."

Chen Ping'an ran into the house and hurriedly shoved two bags of coins, including the Spring Welcoming Coins, toward the girl. "Take them."

The girl was not one to dawdle. She did not refuse. After putting away the two bags of copper coins, she gave a smile that was not a smile. "There are plenty of people in the world who love scooping money into their own pockets. Why are you the sort who likes being a boy who scatters wealth?"

This time, the youth did not argue. He nodded and smiled. "Money is very important. Very, very important."

Liu Xianyang, who had been kept in the dark the entire time, anxiously said, "Chen Ping'an, are you crazy? Why give her the money? Two whole bags of copper coins! How long would that be enough for you to spend?"

Chen Ping'an said irritably, "It's my money. What business is it of yours?"

Liu Xianyang replied with perfect confidence, "Your money is my money, isn't it? Think about it—if I borrowed money from you, would you have the nerve to press me to repay it?"

Chen Ping'an said nothing and fell into thought.

Liu Xianyang also realized that his joking around was ill-timed, and he shut his mouth.

For a while, the atmosphere in the house was rather heavy.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Miss Ning, you really won't suffer because of this...?"

The black-clothed girl glanced at the long sword in its white scabbard on the table and nodded. "No problem!"

Afterward, unable to hold it in any longer, she said, "Why are you so fussy and nagging? And you still say you're not a rotten good man?"

Chen Ping'an smiled.

Liu Xianyang thought for a moment but said nothing.

In the end, the tall youth swallowed his words, thinking that the girl probably had not seen this fellow's other side.

Chen Ping'an was rarely difficult to talk to, but once he was difficult to talk to, Chen Ping'an truly became very difficult to talk to.

Liu Xianyang had seen it.

Song Jixin next door had probably seen it too.