Returning the Favor

After Chen Ping'an carried the basket ashore, he walked towards Green Ox Back. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the stream's water level seemed to have dropped a bit.

As he approached the green stone cliff, he suddenly stopped. He clearly saw many people standing there. Each of their faces was almost perfectly rendered, not because of the starlight, but because a snow-white elk stood on Green Ox Back. It was crystal clear all over, emitting wisps of white light, like water grass swaying in the stream.

The white elk lowered its head. A little girl in a bright red cotton jacket stood on her tiptoes, reaching out to stroke its antlers.

Outside of them were two young men and women in Daoist robes. Perhaps it was the reflection of the white elk's light, but their skin was fairer than snow, crystal clear. To put it metaphorically, if the villagers of the small town were like clay figures, then these two outsiders were exquisite porcelain fired to perfection, truly worlds apart.

The style of the male and female Daoist robes was somewhat similar to Daoist Master Lu, who set up the fortune-telling stall, but with many differences in detail. The Daoist crowns were the most different. Daoist Master Lu wore a lotus crown, while the crowns on these two people's heads were shaped like fish tails.

The straw-sandaled youth stared blankly, feeling that the man and woman standing beside the white elk were like figures from an immortal painting, as if they could ascend at any moment and pluck stars and grasp the moon with ease.

The other two stood a little further away. Chen Ping'an recognized one of them – the daughter of Master Ruan, the sword forger. The green-clothed girl was not carrying a food-filled parcel this time. She held a small embroidered handkerchief in one hand, with only a few delicate and cute pastries placed on it. The girl lowered her head, looking hesitant, unsure which treat to start with. Beside her was a person about thirty years old, carrying a long sword on his back and a strange pendant hanging from his waist.

At the same time Chen Ping'an saw them, almost everyone else also noticed the straw-sandaled youth's sudden appearance. The young Daoist nun looked surprised and bent down to rub the little girl's head in the red cotton jacket. She pointed towards Chen Ping'an and whispered. The little girl pricked up her ears to listen to the immortal sister's question, opened her eyes wide, and stared intently. After vaguely recognizing Chen Ping'an, she began to chatter like a bamboo tube pouring out beans, likely explaining Chen Ping'an's identity and origin to the white elk's owner, the immortal sister.

At this moment, Chen Ping'an also recognized the eight or nine-year-old little girl. The first time he met her was before he went to the Dragon Kiln to fire porcelain. He had encountered a little girl with pigtails in Mud Bottle Alley. She was very young but ran incredibly fast, holding a kite in her hand. Her thin, stick-like legs ran like the wind, leaving a deep impression on Chen Ping'an. He saw her a few more times intermittently. Once, the little girl was leaning over the mouth of the Iron Lock Well, secretly throwing pebbles into it. Chen Ping'an accidentally witnessed her mischievous act. The little girl was so scared that she ran away quickly. She ran more than ten steps before remembering that her candied hawthorn was left on the well's edge. Unable to resist her craving, she ran back to the Iron Lock Well. In her haste to go and come back, she stumbled and fell flat on the ground. After getting up, she grabbed the candied hawthorn, then suddenly stopped, opened her mouth, and pulled out the loose tooth, putting it in her pocket. She didn't cry or fuss, and without a word, continued to run away.

That scene made Chen Ping'an break out in a cold sweat. The last time he saw her was in the overgrown area with dilapidated statues. It was one evening last autumn. Chen Ping'an returned to the small town from the Dragon Kiln and was wandering around when he saw her busy catching crickets, rolling, jumping, and pouncing in the grass. When she saw Chen Ping'an, she clearly recognized him too and then disappeared like a gust of wind.

Later, Chen Ping'an heard from Gu Can that this perpetually dirty young lady, although she looked like an unruly wild child, was actually from the Li Family on Fulu Street, and not a servant. It was just that for some reason, she liked to wander around alone, and her family didn't stop her. When Gu Can spoke of her last, he was full of pride and disdain, saying that despite her speed, she was very stupid. Once, when they were coincidentally catching fish in the stream together, the idiot spent the entire afternoon catching only one crab and didn't catch a single Stone Flatfish. Moreover, the only reason she caught that large crab was because its pincers had clamped her finger tightly. Gu Can said this in Chen Ping'an's room, laughing so hard that he rolled on the small wooden bed, clutching his stomach, saying she was truly foolish to have deliberately raised her hand to show it off to him, as if catching a crab was a great achievement. The key was that she was clearly on the verge of tears from the crab's pinch at the time.

The handsome young Daoist glanced at the white elk and said to the young Daoist nun with a smile, "Senior Sister He, I told you to be careful and not spoil it too much. It's only been less than ten days, and it's just an illusion technique. It doesn't hinder its freedom. Yet you insisted on not listening. Now an ordinary person has stumbled upon it. What are we going to do?"

The Daoist nun, with her captivating beauty, smiled after listening to the little girl's introduction and said, "Let nature take its course."

The young Daoist frowned and looked up again. After a glance, he examined her carefully for a moment. He truly couldn't discern anything extraordinary about the straw-sandaled youth carrying the basket. Although his sect's skills in physiognomy, observing qi, and finding dragon veins weren't the absolute best on the continent, they were quite proficient. Since this Daoist priest was able to represent his sect to retrieve a suppression charm and was responsible for safely bringing back the treasure that guarded their mountain, which would later be presented to their higher sect, he was certainly no ordinary person. Therefore, when he couldn't discern anything particularly unusual about the youth, he lost the thought of recruiting him into their sect. The young Daoist was skilled in physiognomy and didn't believe he could misjudge someone.

The sect they belonged to was one of the three major Daoist sects in East Treasure Bottle Continent, and it was the foremost sect of the Daoist lineage on the continent, immensely noble. This time, he and Senior Sister He had come out together. As compensation, each of them had a precious slot to recruit a true disciple for the sect, and this disciple would also become their personal apprentice. Therefore, he didn't want to waste it carelessly and had to be extremely cautious.

Everyone in the sect knew that Senior Sister He was cultivating her heart, so her casual remark of "let nature take its course" could very well mean she was considering taking a disciple.

He and He Xiaoliang were hailed as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of East Treasure Bottle Continent, the favored daughters of the Daoist lineage on the continent. Even earthly kings had to treat them with respect, and the etiquette involved was no less than that shown to a True Lord of a great nation.

This was because they were the cultivation geniuses on the continent most likely to ascend to the Upper Five Realms.

When the young Daoist nun took the little girl's hand and they walked down Green Ox Back, the intelligent white elk followed behind. Not only was the young Daoist, her fellow disciple, bewildered, but the great figure of the School of Military, who wore a tiger tally and carried a long sword, also showed surprise.

When he saw the young Daoist nun slowly approaching, Chen Ping'an felt a headache coming on. The youth really didn't want to deal with these immortals from outside.

Because Chen Ping'an knew that their simple joys and sorrows could determine his life and death, honor and disgrace.

Moreover, Chen Ping'an knew his luck wasn't usually very good, so he was even more afraid of provoking them.

However, Chen Ping'an wouldn't flee in a panic because of this. On the contrary, he took a symbolic step forward, which, in the eyes of others, appeared decent.

The white elk quickened its pace, trotting over and circling the straw-sandaled youth once. Finally, it lowered its head and actively nuzzled the impoverished youth.

The white elk returned to its owner. She gently stroked its back, and the next moment it transformed into the form of a horse.

"Pointing a deer and calling it a horse."

The young Daoist nun looked at Chen Ping'an, sighed slightly, and said something with a smile before looking down at the little girl in the red cotton jacket.

The little girl translated it into the local dialect and said timidly, "Sister He said, 'You are a person who cherishes blessings. It's a pity our fates are shallow, and we cannot become fellow Daoists.'"

The youth was speechless, as he didn't know what to say to be polite.

Carrying a basket, wearing straw sandals, with his trouser legs rolled up, the youth's appearance seemed particularly comical.

The Daoist nun asked with a smile, "You also know the marvelous uses of these stones? Chen Ping'an, don't worry, I'm just asking casually."

The little girl repeated the explanation verbatim, her voice clear and rapid.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "A Daoist priest reminded me that I could often come to the stream to pick up stones and catch fish."

Even though Chen Ping'an felt favorably towards this young Daoist nun, he was cautious and didn't even reveal Daoist Master Lu's surname. Moreover, the one who truly revealed heavenly secrets and pointed out the value of the Snake Gallstone was Ning Yao.

The Daoist nun smiled and said, "You also know our Junior Uncle Lu?"

Chen Ping'an was stunned.

The Daoist nun smiled knowingly and gave a brief explanation, "Junior Uncle Lu, strictly speaking, is not of our sect. However, Daoist Master Lu visited our sect many years ago and became acquainted with one of our uncles as peers. He stayed for many years, so we juniors who are familiar with him naturally got into the habit of calling him 'Junior Uncle.'"

Chen Ping'an grinned, his guard completely down.

The straw-sandaled youth felt grateful towards Daoist Master Lu and would never forget him.

He remembered something, bent down, and put down his basket. He picked up a stone he had taken a liking to earlier, as large as an egg, emerald green, and as clear as ice, unlike any other Snake Gallstone. He handed it to the young Daoist nun with her orchid-like aura and asked, "Daoist priest, if you see Daoist Master Lu again, could you help me give this stone to him?"

After listening to the little girl's explanation, she pondered for a moment, accepted the stone, and said slowly, "Before coming here, I happened to meet Junior Uncle Lu as he was leaving. He is going to Nanjian Kingdom to attend an important ceremony of a Daoist sect. It's hard to say when we will meet next, but I will definitely help you deliver it to him when I see Junior Uncle Lu."

Listening to the little girl's words, Chen Ping'an smiled brightly and bowed to thank the young Daoist nun, who had given him such a good impression.

The youth had always trusted his intuition about strangers, whether they were good or bad.

It was like his feelings towards Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian, and like his feelings towards Daoist Master Lu and Miss Ning.

Chen Ping'an took out another Snake Gallstone and handed it to her again.

This Daoist nun, known as "First in Fortune" among the younger generation in East Treasure Bottle Continent, did not refuse. She accepted it with a smile, not forgetting to express her thanks.

The little girl in the red cotton jacket twisted the hem of her clothes and whispered, "I want one too."

Chen Ping'an smiled and turned around to pick out stones from the basket for the little girl.

The little girl ran to his side and said cautiously, "Can I have a bigger one?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "As long as you can carry it, I'll give you the biggest one. But it's not close from here to the small town, and then to home. And I think the big ones in the basket aren't as good as the small ones."

She thought for a moment, resting her hands on the edge of the basket. "Alright, then I'll pick a small one, a pretty one."

Chen Ping'an picked out a small, lotus-root-colored stone for her. It was moist and adorable. The little girl held it in her palm, very satisfied.

She suddenly tilted her head, grinned, pointed to her teeth, and then gave Chen Ping'an a cheeky smile, her face full of pride.

He guessed she was showing off that her teeth had all grown back.

Chen Ping'an said happily, "Next time, we'll go catch crickets together."

The little girl's eyes lit up, but then quickly dimmed. She managed a strained smile and nodded.

Chen Ping'an shouldered the basket and bid farewell to the young Daoist nun. He waved goodbye to the little girl and ran back to the small town alone.

While both were considered immortals, this young female Daoist's caliber was far beyond that of Cai Jinjian from Cloud Mist Mountain. It was like comparing the essence of immortals to common gold.

She returned to Green Ox Back with the little girl and the white deer. The young Daoist withdrew his gaze from the straw-sandaled youth's retreating figure and delivered his verdict: "Shallow fate means meager fortune; naturally, they cannot be used for grand purposes."

Daoist sects in East Treasure Bottle Continent were as numerous as cow hairs. Every thirty years, a pair of "Golden Boy and Jade Girl" were chosen. He and his Senior Sister He Xiaoliang were the destined Dao companions for this generation. However, something astonishing happened. The Golden Boy's aptitude was no less than those of previous generations, but the Jade Girl's fortune was so incredibly good that it was outrageous. From the moment of her birth, a white deer, one of the auspicious signs, voluntarily emerged from the wilderness and great marshes to become her familiar. Afterward, her journey into the Great Dao of cultivation seemed to be without any setbacks, smooth sailing all the way. Some even claimed she wouldn't encounter her first bottleneck until she reached the Upper Five Realms.

She remained noncommittal about her junior brother's disdain for the straw-sandaled youth, dismissing it with a smile.

At this moment, a short, young boy arrived from the deep pool beneath the covered bridge to the water pit beneath Green Ox Back. He held only a Snake Gallstone, which, like the white deer before it, shone brilliantly in the night.

The dull-witted boy stood on a rock exposed above the water, holding the stone, appearing like a celestial being touching the heavens, holding a miniature full moon.

The two large fish, green and red, raised by the young Daoist, did not enter the water but swam slowly above the stream.

If Chen Ping'an saw this boy, he would know he was Granny Ma's grandson from Apricot Blossom Alley.

The boy had been intellectually disabled since childhood and was disliked by his parents from a very young age. Granny Ma raised her grandson herself. The boy was unsociable and often climbed onto the roof alone to watch the clouds.

Having always taken Granny Ma's surname, the boy was bullied until people felt that even stepping on him would dirty their shoes. This pitiable child seemed to only smile at Zhi Gui, the maidservant from Mud Bottle Alley.

This was why Granny Ma particularly resented that maidservant, believing her to be a shameless temptress who had actively seduced her precious grandson.

The young female Daoist walked up to the man carrying a long sword and asked, "Regarding Ma Kuxuan, is there truly no room for negotiation?"

The man's tone was cold. "If your junior uncle truly wanted to take this child as his first disciple, why didn't he come himself? How famous is his name? He hasn't fought me, so why should I yield him to him? If he's not convinced, he can come to Zhenwu Mountain to find me. If he wins, he can take the child."

The young Daoist smiled faintly. "It would merely be making our junior uncle run an extra trip. What's the point?"

His words were laced with hidden barbs.

The man with the sword and talismans narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

The young female Daoist felt a bit stifled. She glanced at her fellow disciple. The young Daoist chuckled and didn't confront the man further. He looked up and said, "The moonlight is truly beautiful today."

She felt a little helpless.

Whenever it involved their sect's junior uncle, let alone her and her junior brother, it was likely that all the young Daoists within a continent would feel honored.

Over by the covered bridge, below the steps, stood a barefoot monk. His face was square, with a look of resilience and fortitude.

This ascetic monk did not look up at the golden-lettered plaque. Instead, he gazed at the ground where Song Jixin had previously placed incense. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head with compassion, saying, "Amitabha."

The short boy emerged from the water and came to Green Ox Back. He looked at the two young Daoists who seemed to float like immortals, then at the stern, sword-bearing man. Finally, he fixed his gaze on the latter, who was about to hang the tiger tally, and ground his teeth, saying, "I don't want to learn the Great Dao of Longevity. Can you teach me how to kill people?!"

The man laughed proudly. "My School of Military sword cultivators have always been the foremost in killing power in the world!"

The young Daoist returned his smile. "Oh?"

The young female Daoist shook her head. Knowing the situation was decided, she felt she had failed her junior uncle's entrustment and felt guilty.

For a moment, on Green Ox Back by the stream, swords were drawn, and the atmosphere was tense.

The little girl in the red cotton jacket from the Li Family quickly hid behind the immortal sister.

The green-clothed girl had just finished her last piece of pastry and was in a foul mood. She said irritably, "If you have the ability, go fight my dad!"

The man, who had a deep connection with the girl and her father, stopped putting on a stern face and smiled. "How would we fight?"

The young Daoist teased, "Ruan Xiu, that's a bit of bullying. Your father is the next Sage to succeed Mr. Qi, like the master of this world."

The green-clothed girl pouted and said nothing.

The monk slowly walked over and ascended Green Ox Back.

The young female Daoist said, "Your Buddhist sect's Thunder Sound Pagoda, our Daoist sect's Celestial Master Seal, plus a small sword mound from the School of Military, and of course, the Confucian Mountain Jade Tablet. These four Suppression Charms left by the earliest four Sages. Not to mention the internal struggles within the Confucian school, but just among us three parties, even though we are rightfully reclaiming them this time, it might be inappropriate if we didn't inform Mr. Qi at all?"

The monk remained silent.

The young Daoist said worriedly, "It is a bit unfeeling, but the decree from above is hard to defy. Senior Sister, you shouldn't try to add unnecessary embellishments."

The person from the School of Military sneered, "I'm not here to curry favor with anyone."

Back in the small town, Chen Ping'an returned to the alley where Liu Xianyang lived and saw Mr. Qi standing at the entrance.

The boy ran over quickly. Before he could ask, Qi Jingchun handed him two personal seals and said with a smile, "Chen Ping'an, I'm not giving these to you for free. I have a favor to ask. If the Cliff Academy faces difficulties in the future, I hope you will help as much as you can. Of course, you don't need to deliberately inquire about the academy's news."

The boy only said one word, "Okay!"

Qi Jingchun nodded and said earnestly, "Remember what I told you before about 'A gentleman does not save,' that is my heartfelt advice, not a test of your intentions."

The boy grinned. "Sir, I can't guarantee that."

Qi Jingchun hesitated, wanting to say more but ultimately said nothing. He was about to leave.

He originally wanted to say that if the Cliff Academy ever faced a great crisis in the future, and Chen Ping'an felt regret, he shouldn't feel guilty. He could just pretend he hadn't seen or heard anything and didn't need to make a special effort.

But for some reason, deep down, Qi Jingchun harbored a sliver of hope, something he himself couldn't fathom.

After much thought, the master of Cliff Academy could only arrive at one answer. It was simply because the young man before him was named Chen Ping'an. He seemed different from everyone else.

If you entrusted him with something incredibly difficult, even knowing that the young man might not be able to accomplish it no matter how hard he tried, you could still be absolutely certain of one thing: if he agreed, he would definitely do it, willing to grit his teeth and exert twelve parts of his strength even if he only had ten.

This was something that brought peace of mind.

This was something Qi Jingchun had yearned for for many years. This scholar, who had voluntarily requested to be demoted here, had initially felt that the world was nothing but a foreign land.

As Qi Jingchun was about to turn, the young man, still carrying his basket on his back, quickly bowed with great effort.

In the alleyway, the Confucian sage solemnly returned the young man's bow.