Licorice

After Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping'an walked out of Mud Bottle Alley, they found two groups standing to either side. The little girl sat on the burly old man's shoulders, while the haughty boy in a vivid red robe stood beside a dignified woman. As Liu Xianyang passed between them, he remained perfectly composed. In the white-haired old man's eyes, he had a bit of a commanding general's bearing. The straw-sandaled youth's desperately concealed caution and restraint, meanwhile, did not amount to much in his eyes.

After bidding the two farewell, Lu Zhengchun stayed where he was, trembling as he carefully reported, "Liu Xianyang suggested that the immortal masters offer a suitable price. Next time, he will painfully part with his family heirloom."

The woman looked toward the white-haired elder from Zhengyang Mountain and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Elder Yuan?"

After some thought, the old man said gravely, "There should not be a fourth time. Before then, do as Liu Xianyang says and offer him wealth great enough to blot out the sky. Zhengyang Mountain can grant this Young Man the status of a true inheritance disciple. Beyond that, I will personally lend him a Magic Treasure for one hundred years. As for your Xu family of Qingfeng City, decide for yourselves."

The woman said in shock, "The status of Zhengyang Mountain's true inheritance disciple is already incomparably noble, yet Elder Yuan intends to provide a Magic Treasure as well? Could this Young Man surnamed Liu be some cultivation prodigy whom a porcelain buyer overlooked when he was nine?"

The old man paid her no heed, merely smiling at his young mistress. "Many of the town's shops have deep origins and hidden histories. Miss, you may take a look around. Perhaps you will find a missed treasure."

The little girl shouted playfully, "Giddyup, giddyup!" The old man, Zhengyang Mountain's Chief Guardian, burst into laughter and began to jog, moving like a mountain.

The boy sneered, "Zhengyang Mountain certainly puts on quite the display!"

The woman gestured for Lu Zhengchun to return home first. She herself led her son casually down the street, explaining the history to him. "Aside from its ordinary main mountain path, Zhengyang Mountain has dedicated Sword Paths. Since its founding, it has opened six roads to the summit. That means Zhengyang Mountain has produced six genuine enlightened Sword Immortals."

The boy scoffed. "What use is even the thickest Old Calendar? How many years can one live off old capital? Among all the Qi refiners who can enter this town, even those groups that came after us, which household has no ancestors who were once prosperous?"

Holding her child's hand, the woman smiled. "Then do you know that, within the past century, two brand-new Sword Paths are about to reach Zhengyang Mountain's summit? The extraordinary thing about that little girl your age is that she can move freely atop that Sword Qi-crisscrossed Sword Summit. She can remain there for so long that even several of Zhengyang Mountain's Old Ancestors cannot compare."

The boy froze for a moment, then stopped in his tracks and said angrily, "Since that stupid girl comes from such an extraordinary background, Mother, why didn't you tell me earlier? Then I wouldn't have clashed with her at every turn along the way and made her snap back at me whenever she pleased. If, in a few years, I marry her as my wife and then naturally become Dao companions with her, wouldn't that be an enormous benefit for Qingfeng City?!"

Looking at his still-childish, handsome face, blazing with anger like a tiger cub, the woman smiled rather than grew angry. "You and that little girl are both cultivation prodigies with hopes of reaching the Upper Five Realms. That is why the thread of fate between you will be all the more complicated and ever-changing. If you insist on having your own way and deliberately force matters, it will only spoil things. Do you truly think that girl hates you wholeheartedly right now?"

The boy frowned. "Otherwise?"

The woman said gently, "Let nature take its course."

The boy suddenly said in all seriousness, "Mother, I don't like that fellow following behind Liu Xianyang. I disliked him from the very first glance!"

The woman asked curiously, "Why is that?"

After thinking hard for a while, the child answered, "That fellow is strange. He isn't like Lu Zhengchun, who understands everything, and he isn't like Liu Xianyang, who understands nothing. And I especially hate his eyes!"

The woman took it only as another childish fit from her son and advised him, "Within this town, you cannot do whatever you please. But think about it—once this world collapses, what will happen to everyone here? Doesn't that make you feel much better?"

The child nodded and unconsciously repeated the two words he had spoken when first seeing the straw-sandaled youth. "Ants!"

After leaving the town, Chen Ping'an and Liu Xianyang soon saw the Covered Bridge. Liu Xianyang casually asked, "Why do you think Song Jixin's father built this Covered Bridge? Fine, he built it, but why did he insist on wrapping up the old stone arch bridge inside it? I heard the stone bridge wasn't even torn down. It's like it put on a piece of clothing. Wonder if it'll get hot in the summer, hahaha..."

By the end, the tall youth had amused himself.

At this end of the Covered Bridge hung a gilded plaque, a four-character inscription of unknown authorship. The characters were enormous: "Prosperity and Progress."

As the two youths climbed the steps, Liu Xianyang stomped heavily a few times and said mysteriously, "Old Man Yao once told me there was something strange beneath these steps. He said that when the Covered Bridge was first built, one night in the dead of night, Song Jixin's father had people dig a huge pit here and bury a porcelain jar as tall as a person. Are you scared?"

Chen Ping'an said irritably, "What's there to be scared of?"

The two entered the cool shade of the Covered Bridge. Liu Xianyang lowered his voice. "Could it be because the deep pool under the bridge drowned quite a few people, so they needed monks and Daoist priests to perform rites and suppress evil?"

Chen Ping'an never spoke recklessly about Ghosts and Gods.

Getting no answer, Liu Xianyang lost interest as well.

This newly built wooden Covered Bridge still carried a faint scent of timber and lacquer. The wood for its main beams and pillars had all been felled from ancient deep forests sealed off for countless years, making it extremely difficult to transport out of the mountains. The creek winding around the mountains normally ran too low to float those enormous timbers, so they had to choose times of torrential rain. The mountain paths became muddy and slippery then, and one careless step could send someone into the floodwaters. It was exceedingly dangerous. Fortunately, no young or middle-aged villager had fallen in and died that time. Some said that when the timber had been transported from the mountains, the schoolteacher Qi Jingchun had personally gone to help, teaching people hand in hand how to manage the work. It was thanks to Mr. Qi that everything had gone safely.

At the northern steps of the Covered Bridge, Liu Xianyang suddenly plopped down onto a huge long slab of bluestone. Chen Ping'an had no choice but to squat beside him.

Liu Xianyang asked with a smile, "If it weren't for me, would you and Song Jixin have become really good friends?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Maybe we'd have gotten along a little better, but not much better."

Liu Xianyang asked curiously, "Why? You two are neighbors and about the same age. Honestly, Song Jixin likes to flaunt his learning and talks unpleasantly, but he doesn't seem to have done anything truly wicked. And you're easygoing. Why wouldn't it work?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Let's not talk about that. When we get to the smithy later, don't you dare act all loose and flippant. Whether you can keep your family's Treasure Armor depends on whether you can become Master Ruan's apprentice."

"I know, I know. Chen Ping'an, honestly, you really need to change that nagging habit of yours someday, or you'll drive people to death with annoyance."

Liu Xianyang leaned back, resting the back of his head on the highest step of the Covered Bridge. Looking up at the azure sky, he said, "You've gone far with Old Man Yao, and climbed high mountains too. So just how far can you see from up there?"

Chen Ping'an casually pulled up a stalk of licorice, brushed off the dirt, and put it in his mouth to chew. He said indistinctly, "The farthest was probably the year before last. Old Man Yao and I made a round trip that took about ten days. We went around more than ten sealed mountain peaks, and eventually reached a very strange mountain. It was terrifyingly high. You might not believe it, but when we climbed halfway up, one glance showed nothing but clouds and mist. Old Man Yao and I finally managed to reach the summit, and then..."

Liu Xianyang waited for ages, but no continuation came. Turning his head, he laughed. "You can't just take a crap halfway and pull up your pants!"

Chen Ping'an grew somewhat melancholy and said softly, "You know Old Man Yao has a bad impression of me. He almost never explained any principles to me, nor was he willing to teach me the real craft of firing porcelain. Every time we entered the mountains, Old Man Yao didn't like to talk. Usually, from the time we entered until we returned to the Dragon Kiln, he barely said a few words altogether. But after we reached that summit that time, he was probably in a good mood, so he said more. He told me that it was enough for me to see the scenery over there. After coming down the mountain, I shouldn't blab about it. A person should keep their head down and work. If all you do is wag your tongue, then even if you leave the town someday, you'll still only make a fool of yourself."

Liu Xianyang comforted him, "I'm not trying to put in a good word for Old Man Yao. He doesn't like you, but he doesn't dislike you either. He's got that rotten temper with everyone. He's only a little better around me."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "That's why, deep down, I've always been grateful to Old Man Yao."

Liu Xianyang suddenly said angrily, "After all that rambling, you still haven't said what you saw!"

Chen Ping'an pointed east. "The mountain we climbed was already very high, but from its summit, I could see another mountain far to the east. It was even higher. I can't even describe how high it was."

Liu Xianyang cursed, "It was just a high mountain! I thought you'd seen immortals riding clouds and mist!"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, his voice full of longing. "Maybe there really are immortals on that mountain?"

Liu Xianyang asked with a grin, "Chen Ping'an, do you think immortals need to eat, drink, piss, and crap too?"

Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin. "If immortals need to crap too, that would be rather improper."

Liu Xianyang slapped Chen Ping'an hard on the head, then leaped to his feet and ran. "Then this immortal just crapped on your head!"

Liu Xianyang never knew his own strength. That blow left Chen Ping'an a little dizzy, and he did not think to chase down the tall youth. After getting to his feet, he muttered to himself, "When it thunders, could that be immortals snoring in their sleep? But rain surely can't be immortals peeing, right? Then we'd be far too miserable..."

Chen Ping'an quickened his pace and soon caught up with Liu Xianyang.

After fooling around all the way, they finally reached the smithy by the creek. Seven or eight structures had already been built, including mud-brick houses and thatched huts. In Chen Ping'an's eyes, every one of them was a great heap of copper coins.

A large group of town youths and young laborers were also digging wells. Most of those their age, like Liu Xianyang, had come from Dragon Kiln apprenticeships. Now that they no longer had the porcelain rice bowl bestowed by the Emperor Master, being able to continue earning an iron rice bowl at the smithy already counted as very good luck. According to Liu Xianyang, though, most of those helping out were temporary hands hired for odd jobs. Master Ruan had said he would accept at most a few indoor disciples; everyone else could become no more than long-term laborers.

Liu Xianyang waved. "Wait here. I'll go greet Master Ruan and see if I can bring you over to witness some blacksmithing. Tsk, tsk—if you see his daughter swinging a hammer at the forge, I guarantee you'll be scared to death!"

Chen Ping'an stood where he was and did not wander around carelessly.

Looking around, he saw that seven wells had already taken shape. Their mouths had windlasses and railings left in place, and people kept emerging from some of the well mouths with baskets balanced on their heads.

Watching the busy well diggers, Chen Ping'an habitually squatted down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and slowly rubbed it between his fingertips.

It felt rather damp, but it was not water-natured soil. Quite the opposite—it was fire-natured soil. Yet it was the final grade of fire-natured soil. According to Old Man Yao, it was called Seven Moons Flowing Fire Loam. Its nature would gradually turn warm and cool, not overly dry, with strong plasticity. It also meant that when reinforcing the well walls, cave-ins were less likely. That was a good thing.

Clearly, even if Master Ruan the blacksmith was not an expert at digging wells, he was definitely no amateur.

Chen Ping'an simply did not understand why such a small place needed so many wells.

Chen Ping'an turned to look toward the creek and grinned.

To the straw-sandaled youth now, this nameless creek was a treasure vault lying full of gold, silver, and copper coins.

But after collecting Snake Gallstones tonight, Chen Ping'an planned to sneak back to Mud Bottle Alley. Following the whispered instructions Gu Can had given before leaving town, he would dig something out from beneath the large water vat in Gu Can's home. Gu Can had left in a blazing rush and said little, only that it was his family's treasure. Not even his mother knew he had hidden it there.

Whenever Chen Ping'an thought of that little snot-nosed brat, he wanted to laugh.

Back then, Chen Ping'an had trailed behind Liu Xianyang like a little follower, following him to catch fish, capture snakes, and raid bird nests. After Chen Ping'an became a youth, a little follower had appeared behind him as well.

To the straw-sandaled youth, who had no one to rely on, one was his older brother, and one was his younger brother.

One needed him to repay a debt of gratitude; the other needed him to look after him.

So, over all these years, Chen Ping'an had lived a hard life, but not a bitter one.