The Skirt-Pressing Knife

Not long after the straw-sandaled youth left the house, the green-clothed girl stomped her foot, about to follow. She was stopped by the middle-aged man, who had gone from being Master Ruan to Master Ruan. He said sternly, "Xiuxiu! If you get involved now, you'll only make things worse and harm Chen Ping'an. That would be truly irredeemable."

Ruan Xiu didn't turn around, but she sharply turned her head. Her black, shiny ponytail whipped through the air in a beautiful arc. The girl's eyes were sharp, and her tone was almost accusatory, "Dad, you didn't get involved in Liu Xianyang's matter either, and how did that turn out?"

The man wanted to speak but stopped. In the end, he held back from revealing heavenly secrets and said in a deep voice, "Trust your father. The greatest help you can give that young man now is to tell him as much as possible about the secrets and rules of this minor celestial paradise, and urge him to act within the framework. If he can gain even one of heavenly timing, earthly advantage, or human harmony, that's one more."

Ruan Xiu seemed to understand but not understand, hesitating. The man waved his hand, patiently admonishing, "A single thread pulled can move the whole tapestry. You are my Ruan Qiong's daughter. That boy from Mud Bottle Alley, no matter how big the stone he throws into the pond, the ripples will be limited and won't disturb the old turtle at the bottom. This means everything can be managed. But you, Ruan Xiu, are different. Remember, in the face of great events, remain calm. I've told you to read more, read more, but you never listen! Your temperament isn't even as good as that boy from the alley, and you're a cultivator."

The man actually regretted his last sentence as soon as he said it. But when it came to his own daughter, the man couldn't help but utter a final, undermining remark. Fortunately, this time the girl didn't feel particularly wronged. She quickly ran out of the house, leaving behind a man with mixed feelings.

The man, whose real name was Ruan Qiong, picked up a stool and sat down. He held the wrist of the tall young man, his pulse a tangled mess, extremely bad. The man, already in a bad mood, became even more grim and grumbled, "Qi Jingchun is really something. Zhengyang Mountain acted so opportunistically. Even if they couldn't expel him according to the rules, they should have at least taught him a lesson, killed the chicken to warn the monkey. Even if they couldn't kill him, what's wrong with beating him up a few times? Otherwise, with more newcomers constantly flooding into this world, it will become even more chaotic. What, are you thinking that since you're stepping down in a few days anyway, you'll just leave me a mess to clean up? What happened to the responsibility of a scholar..."

The shoddy old doctor sat to the side, his eyes on his nose and his nose on his eyes, absolutely not interjecting to avoid getting into trouble. The old man only dared to complain silently in his heart, What happened to remaining calm in the face of great events?

After venting his frustration, Ruan Qiong finally sighed, "It's understandable that you, Qi Jingchun, are so constrained. You can ignore what I said before, but don't ignore this next part."

The old shopkeeper of Yang Family Shop, who had been eavesdropping, was immediately impressed. As expected of the next Sage to preside over this celestial paradise, he thought, his thick skin could block a flying sword.

Ruan Qiong suddenly looked at the old man and asked, "I've only heard that a married daughter is like spilled water. This girl hasn't even gotten married yet, and she's already turning her back on her family?"

The old man had held back for a long time and couldn't resist speaking a few words of truth. Otherwise, he would be letting down his own unyielding integrity. So, he mustered his courage and said, "Master Ruan, am I mistaken by my old eyes? I always feel like that young man doesn't seem to like your Xiu Xiu that much."

Ruan Qiong looked at the old man with pity and said decisively, "Don't doubt it, you are indeed mistaken by your old eyes!"

The old man also looked at the man with pity.

Silence fell between them.

By the well, Ruan Xiu caught up with Chen Ping'an. She didn't speak, as if she didn't know how to start.

Chen Ping'an smiled at her. He remembered the first time he met her at Qingniu Bei, he thought she was mute or couldn't speak the local dialect of the small town. Now he knew she just didn't like to talk.

She followed the straw-sandaled youth's footsteps towards the covered bridge. The green-clothed girl finally mustered her courage and said, "Chen Ping'an, my name is Ruan Xiu, and my father is Ruan Qiong. He's a sword craftsman. I've been forging swords with my father since I was young. This time we came to your town because my father said it was due to a sect's entrustment, and that the soil and water here are most suitable for forging a sword furnace, so he came to stir up trouble. Actually, I know clearly that my father wants to find an opportunity for me. My father is just someone who cares too much about his reputation. Just like your friend Liu Xianyang, my father actually really wanted to take him as a disciple. You might not know this, but if my father chooses to establish a sect here in the future, the choice of the first disciple is very important. So he wasn't just abandoning Liu Xianyang to die, don't blame him..."

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "I don't blame your father."

He paused here, wiped his chin with the back of his hand, and said bitterly, "I know I shouldn't blame others, but I'm actually very angry. I'm angry why your father didn't take Liu Xianyang as a disciple earlier, angry why no one stopped Liu Xianyang when something happened. Even if I knew it was wrong, I'm still very angry."

Ruan Xiu nodded, "That's only natural."

Chen Ping'an didn't want to linger here and asked, "Miss Ruan, do you need something from me?"

Ruan Xiu asked cautiously, "Are you going to seek revenge on the people from Zhengyang Mountain now?"

Chen Ping'an didn't speak, neither denying nor admitting.

The girl wasn't good with words, so she just said whatever came to mind, "Don't be so reckless. Zhengyang Mountain is a famous sect in our East Treasure Bottle Continent. That old ape's identity is essentially the same as the ancestor of Zhengyang Mountain. Even if the old ape can't use magic and divine powers here, it's very easy for him to deal with you! Also, after he severely injured Liu Xianyang, Mr. Qi will definitely punish him, so you at least don't have to worry that this matter will be treated as if nothing happened..."

Chen Ping'an interrupted the girl's words and said, "Miss Ruan, is your so-called punishment that the murderer will be driven out of the small town?"

Ruan Xiu was speechless.

Chen Ping'an smiled and, in turn, comforted the girl with sincere eyes as clear as a flowing stream, "Miss Ruan, I appreciate your kindness. Of course, I won't foolishly rush up and fight against such an immortal."

Ruan Xiu was relieved and habitually patted her chest. Perhaps feeling that her action was a bit childish and not elegant enough to be a lady, the ponytail girl smiled a little embarrassedly.

Chen Ping'an also chuckled and said, "Last time I only gave you three fish, I was too stingy."

Ruan Xiu blushed slightly and then asked worriedly, "Your left hand?"

Chen Ping'an raised his heavily bandaged left hand, "It's nothing, it's already fine."

Ruan Xiu organized her thoughts and slowly said, "Chen Ping'an, absolutely don't act impulsively. Mr. Qi at the schoolhouse is in a difficult situation right now, and when Mr. Qi hands over to my father, it's highly likely that the small town will usher in a completely new situation. Whether it's good or bad is hard to say yet, so it's better to stay put than to move."

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Okay."

Ruan Xiu was inexplicably anxious.

Ultimately, it was because she herself was very agitated. According to her temperament, she should have already gone to confront that old ape from Zhengyang Mountain. Now, she had to persuade the young man not to take risks, which went against her true feelings. But the problem was, as she herself said, it was the general trend, and it was indeed better to stay put than to move, and this was her intuition.

If she, Ruan Xiu, recklessly went to demand an explanation, even if it caused a huge problem, her father would definitely not ignore it, and he would likely suppress it.

But Chen Ping'an, standing before her, had to face the consequences of life and death himself.

Chen Ping'an said goodbye to Ruan Xiu and left, heading towards the covered bridge alone.

He had just parted from the girl, and then he saw her again.

On the stone steps at the south end of the covered bridge sat a girl with swords piled around her, her face solemn.

She wore a dark green robe, her eyebrows were narrow and long, her lips were tightly pressed, and beside her were two exquisitely woven gold-thread embroidered pouches.

Chen Ping'an hurried towards the covered bridge. As soon as he reached the bottom of the steps, the girl Ning Yao threw down the two bags of copper coins and said calmly, "Here, take it back."

Chen Ping'an stood at the bottom of the steps and caught the two bags of money with both hands, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Ning Yao said with a stern face, "I promised to ensure Liu Xianyang's safety, but I failed. I, Ning Yao, have failed you, Chen Ping'an, and Liu Xianyang!"

The girl knew very well that in this small town, a young man whose physique was still ordinary, whose chest was smashed by an immortal's punch, no one could save him. Moreover, if Liu Xianyang could be saved, even with just a sliver of hope, with Chen Ping'an's soft-hearted nature, he would absolutely not leave half a step behind, even if he was beheaded while staying at the blacksmith shop.

Chen Ping'an walked up the steps and squatted not far from her, handing the two bags of money back to the girl. He said softly, "Miss Ning, keep the money. Along with the bag I have at home in Mud Bottle Alley, take it all. I don't need it anymore. In the future, if possible, please help me hire people to look after the homes of me and Liu Xianyang."

The girl didn't take the money bag and laughed in anger, "Do you want me to help you paste couplets and Door Gods every Chinese New Year too?"

Chen Ping'an's expression was serious, "If possible, that would be best."

The girl was so angry she almost spewed fire from all seven orifices, cursing, "Were you whipped in the face by a cow's tail when you were little, is that why you can justifiably do foolish things?! You're making me so angry! In short, Chen Ping'an, don't get involved in this. Do you think your little bit of mediocre skill can deal with a Mountain-Moving Ape from Zhengyang Mountain? You can manage Liu Xianyang's broken house yourself from now on, and buy your own couplets and Door Gods! I, Ning Yao, am not serving you!"

Chen Ping'an looked at the girl and said, "Miss Ning, although I haven't known you for long, I can be sure of one thing: if you were confident you could help Liu Xianyang get revenge, you definitely wouldn't be returning the two bags of money to me, at least not at this time."

Chen Ping'an placed the money on the steps between the two of them. "Miss Ning, what time is it? Do you think I'm in the mood to be polite with you? You, me, and Liu Xianyang are just doing business. You're not intentionally trying to cheat us. It's just that no one could have predicted this kind of natural disaster and calamity. There's no reason for you to risk your life! Believe me, it's not just me, Chen Ping'an, who doesn't want to see this happen. That fool Liu Xianyang feels the same way. If he could speak, he'd just say this is a man's business, and women shouldn't interfere..."

The youth suddenly grinned and said, "Of course, I wouldn't dare say that to Miss Ning."

Ning Yao placed her hands on her white-scabbarded long sword and narrowed her eyes. "I only said half of what I meant earlier. Guilt is one half. The other is that ever since I ran away from home, I, Ning Yao, have never encountered an obstacle and turned away from it while traveling the world!"

The girl pointed her thumb at her own chest. "It's the same here!"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment. "Miss Ning, before you do anything, can you let me find three people first? After that, we'll each go our own way!"

Ning Yao asked, "How long will it take?"

Chen Ping'an replied without hesitation, "Half a day at most!"

Ning Yao asked again, "Besides Qi Jingchun, who are the other two?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Miss Ning, you don't need to ask."

Ning Yao frowned. "The Directorate of Kiln Affairs cannot manage this. Do you really think this is a trivial matter like stealing chickens and dogs or a street brawl?"

Just as Chen Ping'an was about to stand up, Ning Yao said sternly, "Take the money and go!"

Chen Ping'an had no choice but to put it away himself.

"Chen Ping'an! Wait a moment, turn around first."

After making Chen Ping'an turn around, Ning Yao suddenly bent down, lifted her robe, and took off a simple, ancient short knife tied to her calf. She stood up and handed it to the youth, her tone extremely solemn. "This is a skirt-pressing knife unique to our hometown. Every woman has one. In this urgent situation, I won't stand on ceremony with local customs. But don't forget, this knife is lent to you, not given to you!"

Chen Ping'an was a bit bewildered, but he reached out with one hand to take the short knife.

The girl snapped, "With both hands! Have some manners, will you?!"

The youth quickly raised his other hand, but he was still confused.

Ning Yao said impatiently, "Do you think a few shards of broken porcelain are enough to kill that Mountain-Moving Ape? Cai Jinjian is just someone who hasn't gone very far on her cultivation path. Moreover, that old beast from Zhengyang Mountain has innate anomalies and is incredibly tough. Forget porcelain shards; even ordinary immortal weapons wouldn't be able to harm that old beast in the slightest. At most, they'd leave a scratch or two, what's the point? It's completely useless!"

The youth, who had received the knife with both hands and didn't know where to put it, looked a bit strange at this moment.

Ning Yao glared. "Are you not allowed to curse when we're about to start fighting with knives?!"

Chen Ping'an was speechless. For some reason, the youth sat back down on the steps and looked up at the southern sky.

The girl stood beside the youth.

Chen Ping'an made one last attempt to persuade her. "People will really die."

The girl crossed her arms, a sword at one side and a knife at the other, her expression indifferent. "I've seen more dead people than you've seen living ones."

Then she deliberately said in a casual tone, "That skirt-pressing knife, you can tie it to your arm later and hide it in your sleeve."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Okay."

Chen Ping'an slapped his knee hard and stood up, suddenly saying, "I'm glad to have met you all."

The girl turned around abruptly and walked ahead on the covered bridge.

The heroic and captivating girl, her long sword in a snow-white scabbard, a saber in a light green scabbard.

Her figure at this moment.

Was the most beautiful scene the youth had ever seen, without exception.

At this moment, the youth felt that even if he could leave the small town, he wouldn't see a more moving scene than this.

His life was not in vain.

Therefore, the youth, who had become somewhat afraid of death after Daoist Master Lu's words, was once again fearless, just like before.

Let death come.