Genius

More and more unfamiliar faces from outside the small town appeared, and the business of inns and restaurants flourished accordingly.

At the same time, many of the younger generation from prominent families in Fulu Street and Taoye Lane began to quietly leave the small town. Most of them were intelligent and handsome youths who matured early, but there were also unknown sons of concubines or loyal household servants. Zhao Yao, a young master from a prominent family, was among them. As for Gu Can, a child from Mud Bottle Alley, he was an exception, having been taken a liking to by the River-Cutting True Lord Liu Zhimao.

Chen Ping'an went to Liu Xianyang's house to get the basket and fish trap, and left the small town for the stream. When there were many people around, Chen Ping'an naturally wouldn't practice the walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Manual. Once outside the small town, with no one around, Chen Ping'an began to silently recite the incantations, recalling Miss Ning's steps, posture, and aura during her walking meditation. He didn't want to miss a single detail, practicing those six steps over and over.

When Chen Ping'an first imitated Ning Yao in the room in Mud Bottle Alley, he was so clumsy and awkward, worse than an ordinary person. In fact, the understanding of the young man and woman had a strange misunderstanding. Chen Ping'an had always known he had a problem. He had discovered his eyesight was poor since he started working as a kiln worker, but his hands were slow. To be precise, it was because the youth's gaze and eyesight were too outstanding, causing his hands and feet to simply not keep up. This meant that if someone else were to imitate Ning Yao's walking meditation, they might have three or four parts similarity on the first try, rough and clumsy, but at least not as little as one or two parts similarity like Chen Ping'an. This was precisely because Chen Ping'an saw things too clearly and was too harsh on every detail, thus achieving the opposite of what was intended. After his hands and feet couldn't keep up, he appeared particularly ridiculous. And beneath the nine parts of dissimilarity, there was hidden a rare and precious essence of similarity.

Ning Yao did not know these things. Imitating the walking meditation of this sword immortal embryo of hers, even nine parts of outward resemblance was not as good as one part of inner essence.

Of course, to be fair, let alone just one part of her essence, even if it were seven or eight parts, Ning Yao wouldn't think it was particularly brilliant.

In Ning Yao's eyes, in her sight, there was only the distant, rarely trodden path of the martial arts, and the peak of the Sword Dao where people stood side by side, few in number.

Chen Ping'an sat on the steps under the plaque of the covered bridge to rest. The youth roughly calculated that in twelve hours a day, even if he practiced walking meditation for five to six hours every day, he could at most complete about three hundred repetitions. Ten thousand a year, and it would take ten years to complete the task of one million repetitions. The straw-sandaled youth turned his head to look at the clear stream and murmured, "If I can stick with it for ten years, it should be okay, right?"

Although Chen Ping'an had not shown any unusual emotions during this period, Daoist Master Lu's revelation of heavenly secrets before his departure, which exposed Cai Jinjian of Cloud Mist Mountain's insidious methods, still made the youth feel extremely heavy. There was one thing that Chen Ping'an had not mentioned to Daoist Master Lu or Miss Ning: after Cai Jinjian poked his forehead and patted his chest, the youth had already vaguely felt something was wrong with his body in the Mud Bottle Alley. That was why he had lingered at his doorstep for so long, just to make up his mind that even if it meant going all out, he would fight Cai Jinjian to the death.

After all, at that time, according to the young Taoist Lu Chen, Chen Ping'an was too lifeless, completely unlike a vibrant youth who should be full of vigor. He took matters of life and death more lightly than most people.

Cai Jinjian used martial arts methods to "point the way," forcing the straw-sandaled youth to open his acupoints. This made Chen Ping'an's body like a house without doors or windows, which could indeed accommodate and absorb more things. However, during wind, snow, rain, and water, the house would collapse more severely and quickly. Therefore, Lu Chen predicted that barring any exceptions, without major illnesses or disasters, Chen Ping'an would only live to be thirty or forty years old.

Afterward, she patted Chen Ping'an's chest, ruining his cultivation foundation. The heart is the vital stronghold for a cultivator. After the city gate collapsed, Cai Jinjian had effectively sealed off the normal operation of this pass. This not only severed Chen Ping'an's Great Dao of cultivation but also further accelerated the decay of Chen Ping'an's body.

The truly terrifying aspect of Cai Jinjian's two consecutive moves was that after opening the gate wide, on the one hand, Chen Ping'an could no longer cultivate the methods of longevity, meaning he could not use magical powers to compensate for the gate, nor could he nourish his roots and strengthen his foundation. On the other hand, even if the youth were fortunate enough to reach a certain level in martial arts and indeed strengthen his body through tempering, for Chen Ping'an, great risks would always accompany opportunities. A single misstep could lead him into the vicious cycle of "practicing external martial arts easily attracts evil spirits," resulting in a pitiable outcome of not extending his lifespan but rather dying prematurely.

The immediate priority for Chen Ping'an was to find a martial art that could be sustained over time and nourish his vital energy. Whether this martial art was fierce and overbearing, or allowed him to advance his martial arts realm by leaps and bounds, was not important.

All of Chen Ping'an's hope lay in the "Mountain Shaking Manual," which Ning Yao disdained. For example, she had mentioned that after walking meditation, there was standing meditation "sword furnace" and sleeping meditation "thousand autumns."

However, Chen Ping'an dared not practice it rashly. He had only glanced at it a few times and then restrained himself from flipping through it. He felt it was better to have Miss Ning assess it and confirm it was correct before he began practicing.

As long as you are on the right path, no matter how poor your comprehension, as long as you are diligent and persistent, you will make progress every day. If you are on the wrong path, the smarter and harder you work, the more mistakes you will make.

These words were spoken by Liu Xianyang. Of course, his focus was on the last sentence, "You, Chen Ping'an, are the first type of person, Song Little Master is the clever devil of the second type, and only I, Liu Xianyang, am the truly talented one who is both smart and on the right path."

When Liu Xianyang was boasting about himself at the time, Old Man Yao, who happened to be passing by, overheard him. The old man, who had always favored Liu Xianyang and regarded him as his proud disciple, was inexplicably enraged by something the youth said. The old man flew into a rage and chased Liu Xianyang, beating him soundly. In any case, after that, Liu Xianyang never mentioned the word "genius" again.

Chen Ping'an let out a heavy sigh, stood up, and walked up the high steps. After entering the corridor of the covered bridge, he discovered a group of people gathered in the distance, four or five of them, standing or sitting, seemingly guarding a woman. Chen Ping'an could only see the woman's profile. She was sitting on the railing of the covered bridge, her feet naturally dangling over the surface of the stream, her eyes closed in meditation. Her hands were in strange positions, her fingers intertwined or bent.

Chen Ping'an felt as if she were closing her eyes, yet she seemed to be looking at something with her heart.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment and decided not to proceed further. He turned and walked down the steps, intending to wade across the stream and then find Liu Xianyang. Today, he was carrying two baskets, one large and one small nested inside each other. He had to return the smaller basket to Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, as Liu Xianyang had borrowed it from someone.

In the distance at the covered bridge, after the group saw the straw-sandaled youth in his shabby attire wisely turn away, they exchanged smiles and said nothing, fearing they would break the mysterious "water contemplation" state of mind of the "fellow scholar" woman.

The root of this method undoubtedly originated from Buddhism. However, it was later adopted, selected, integrated, and refined by many cultivation sects, with many small paths branching off from the main one.

It's just that East Treasure Bottle Continent has always been regarded as a land of declining Buddhism. After several great calamities that affected half the continent, Buddhist teachings have gradually declined over the past thousand years, with far less influence than the Confucian and Taoist schools among the Three Teachings.

"Only True Lords and Celestial Masters are heard of, not Dharma Protectors and Great Virtuous Ones," this is the current situation in East Treasure Bottle Continent.

However, the number of immortal sects that have benefited from Buddhist teachings is truly countless.

Chen Ping'an rolled up his trouser legs and waded across. Upon reaching the other bank, he suddenly heard cries of alarm and angry shouts from the direction of the covered bridge. After thinking about it, he did not get involved.

Upon arriving at Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, the scene was still bustling with activity. Chen Ping'an did not wander around casually. He stood by a well and asked someone to help notify Liu Xianyang.

He had expected to wait for a long time, but to his surprise, Liu Xianyang quickly ran over and pulled him towards the stream, saying in a low voice, "I've been waiting for you for half a day, why are you only here now!"

Chen Ping'an asked in confusion, "Did Master Ruan urge you to return the basket?"

The tall youth rolled his eyes and said, "What's so important about a broken basket? I have something important to tell you. After you finished picking up stones and returned to my house, wait for that madam to find you. It's the woman whose son wears a bright red outfit. The mother and son we saw at the entrance of Mud Bottle Alley last time. When she finds you, don't say anything. Just hand her that big box. She'll give you a bag of money. Make sure to count it in front of her. Twenty-five copper coins, not a single one can be missing!"

Chen Ping'an was shocked and said, "Liu Xianyang, are you crazy?! Why are you selling family heirlooms to outsiders?!"

Liu Xianyang vigorously hugged the straw-sandaled youth's neck and glared at him, lecturing, "What do you know? A bright future lies before me, why would I miss it for nothing?"

Chen Ping'an was full of doubt, not believing this was Liu Xianyang's true intention.

Liu Xianyang sighed and whispered, "That madam wants to buy our family's ancestral treasure armor. As for that pair of master and servant, they want a sword scripture. My grandfather told me on his deathbed that when there's absolutely no other way, the treasure armor can be sold, of course, not at a low price. But that sword scripture, even if I die, I absolutely cannot admit that it's in our Liu family. I agreed to sell the treasure armor to that madam, and besides negotiating the price, I also asked her to agree to one condition: after she gets the treasure armor, she must persuade that burly old man, who looks like trouble, not to bother me anytime soon. It's just a delaying tactic. Once I become Master Ruan's disciple, these things won't be a problem anymore."

Chen Ping'an asked directly, "Why don't you stall that madam? Could she come to the blacksmith shop to cause trouble for you? Besides, she can't break into your house and snatch your family's treasure armor."

Liu Xianyang released his hand, squatted by the stream, picked up a stone, and tossed it into the water, pouting, "Anyway, the treasure armor can be sold. Since there's a fair price now, isn't that good? It can also make things more stable. Maybe Miss Ning won't even have to take the risk to act. So I don't think it's bad."

Chen Ping'an also squatted down and anxiously persuaded him, "How do you know the price she's offering now is fair? What if you regret it later?"

The tall youth turned his head and grinned, "Regret? Think about it, we've known each other for so many years, when has Liu Xianyang ever done anything he regretted?"

Chen Ping'an scratched his head, feeling that something was not right, but the youth was inarticulate and truly didn't know how to persuade Liu Xianyang.

Liu Xianyang had lived his life freely and unrestrainedly, as if no difficulty had ever stumped him, no unresolved issues, and no unaccomplished tasks.

Liu Xianyang stood up and kicked the basket behind the straw-sandaled youth. "Hurry up, I'll return it to Master Ruan. Afterward, wait for me to officially become his disciple and perform the tea ceremony. You can come and witness it."

Chen Ping'an slowly stood up, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Liu Xianyang laughed and cursed, "Chen Ping'an, you bastard, am I selling your family heirloom? Or your wife?"

As Chen Ping'an handed him the basket, he tentatively asked, "Aren't you going to think about it again?"

Liu Xianyang took the basket, stepped back several paces, and with no warning, jumped high into the air, performing a flashy spinning kick.

After landing steadily, Liu Xianyang looked smug and asked with a smile, "Amazing, right? Scared?"

Chen Ping'an retorted with a curse, "You bastard."

Far from Master Ruan's shop, Chen Ping'an, with a heavy heart, went into the water to pick up stones. Perhaps due to his distracted state of mind or the receding water level, his harvest today was not great. He continued until he was near the covered bridge, having only collected more than twenty snake gallstones, and not a single one was eye-catching or love at first sight.

Chen Ping'an took off the basket and fish trap and placed them in the grass by the stream. He took a deep breath, turned around in the stream, and began to practice his walking meditation.

After a round trip, Chen Ping'an's heart tightened. He saw a short youth squatting where the fish baskets were stored, a tuft of foxtail grass in his mouth.

It was Granny Ma of Apricot Blossom Alley's grandson, who had been treated as an idiot since childhood. Moreover, Granny Ma left a terrible impression on the generation of youths including Chen Ping'an; she was stingy and mean, which led her precious grandson to be used as a punching bag. Every time the boy went out, he would be chased and bullied. Whenever he wore new clothes or shoes, it was a sure thing that within half an hour, peers or older youths would mess them up, covering them in dust. Imagine, a pair of brand-new boots that Granny Ma had just bought from the shop, and after her grandson wore them out, over a dozen people stomped on them, each with a foot. How new could the boots be when the child returned home?

This simpleton, whose real name Ma Kuxuan had long been forgotten, was always strange. He was bullied but never complained to Granny Ma, nor did he cry his eyes out or beg for mercy. He always had a calm expression and indifferent eyes. Therefore, the children in Apricot Blossom Alley didn't like playing with this little simpleton. Ma Kuxuan learned to play by himself from a very young age, and he loved watching the clouds in the sky from dirt slopes or rooftops.

Chen Ping'an had never bullied Ma Kuxuan, nor had he ever pitied this peer. He certainly never thought that the two unfortunate souls might try to huddle together for warmth.

Because Chen Ping'an always felt that people like Ma Kuxuan weren't foolish at all. Instead, deep down, they were very similar to Song Jixin, even more so.

It was as if they hadn't spoken, but they seemed to have been waiting, as if silently telling people, "Heaven owes me a lot, and one day I will get it all back." If Heaven owed him a copper coin, Song Jixin might want Heaven to obediently return a tael of silver. For Ma Kuxuan, it might even be a tael of gold!

Chen Ping'an didn't think there was anything wrong with them, he just didn't like it himself.

The youth, no longer the fool he used to be, spoke clearly and asked with a smile, "You're Chen Ping'an from Mud Bottle Alley, right? The one living next to Zhi Gui?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Is there something?"

The youth smiled and pointed to Chen Ping'an's basket, reminding him, "Perhaps you haven't noticed, the stream has receded a lot. The only places with good stones left are the deep pool under the Covered Bridge and the water pit at Green Ox's Back. Other places won't do. Like the ones in your basket, they can't retain that energy. The stone quality will change quickly. Some lucky ones might at best become a good whetstone, and some can become a scholar's inkstone. In the end, these things are still good items, and selling them at a high price certainly won't be difficult. It's just... forget it, you probably wouldn't understand even if I explained."

Chen Ping'an smiled and hummed, not saying much.

The short youth suddenly said, "Were you practicing boxing in the stream just now?"

Chen Ping'an remained silent.

Ma Kuxuan's eyes gleamed, and he laughed heartily, "So you're not an idiot either. That's right, you're like me, one of us."

Chen Ping'an walked around the youth, said, "I'm leaving first," and then carried his basket ashore.

The youth squatted in the distance, spat out the chewed foxtail grass from his mouth, and whispered, shaking his head, "Your stance is not good, and there are too many flaws. No matter how much you practice, you won't achieve anything remarkable."

Ma Kuxuan didn't turn his head. "Did you retrieve our School of Military token?"

A man's voice chuckled from behind, "Remember to call me Master first from now on."

The youth ignored him. He got up, turned his head, and asked, "Can you show me that small sword mound?"

It was the School of Military grandmaster carrying a sword and a tiger tally, who claimed to be from Zhenwu Mountain and had once boasted that he would fight the junior uncle from the sect of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl.

The man shook his head. "It's not time yet."

Then he became somewhat annoyed, "Why did you deliberately ruin that woman's state of mind? Do you know that once you do something like that, you become mortal enemies for life!"

The youth looked indifferent. "The Great Dao is arduous. If one cannot withstand even this bit of hardship, how can they dare to hope for that lofty, carefree longevity?"

The man laughed in exasperation, "You haven't even entered the door, yet you speak so boldly. Aren't you afraid of sticking your tongue out?!"

The youth finally grinned, revealing his white, sharp teeth, and said with a smile, "In the future, if I encounter such an opportunity to break through on my cultivation path, I will inform that woman. At that time, Master, you are not allowed to interfere. Let her try to ruin my good deeds."

The man sighed with emotion, "Do you know that opportunities in the world vary in size, fortune in thickness, and roots in height? If you always measure others by your own standards, one day you will encounter someone with bigger fists, deeper cultivation, and a higher realm. If they are in a bad mood, they will break your Bridge of Longevity with a single punch. How will you handle that?"

The youth smiled faintly. "Then I will accept my fate!"

The man mocked himself, "From now on, I will never reason with you again. It's like playing the lute to a cow."

The youth suddenly asked, "How did that guy from Mud Bottle Alley know about the marvels of the stones in the water? And he's started practicing boxing?"

The man's expression suddenly became stern. "Ma Kuxuan! I don't care about your rebellious nature, but there's one thing you must keep in mind. We, the orthodox sword cultivators of the School of Military! Cultivate one sword to break all methods, cultivate one sword to follow one's true heart, cultivate one sword to seek invincibility. But absolutely do not kill innocent people, do not bully mortals, and absolutely do not, in the future, use jealousy of others on the Sword Dao to deliberately trip up fellow cultivators!"

The youth stretched lazily. "Master, you're thinking too much. No matter how formidable that guy from Mud Bottle Alley is, as long as he doesn't provoke me, he has nothing to do with me. In the end, no matter how high these people in the small town achieve, they will only be stepping stones for me in the future. Jealousy? I should be thanking them, not the other way around."

The man sighed helplessly, "It's impossible to reason with you. I suspect Zhenwu Mountain will not be peaceful in the future."

The youth asked curiously, "What's your rank at Zhenwu Mountain?"

The man smiled. "Let's not talk about that, it's embarrassing."

The youth rolled his eyes. "I knew I should have apprenticed later."

The man smiled and dismissed it.

There was something he didn't reveal to his disciple: geniuses in the world are divided into many types, and so is talent.

The straw-sandaled youth earlier, with his seemingly ordinary six-step walking meditation, was actually imbued with boxing intent all over his body.