The straw-sandaled youth had often delivered family letters to Fulu Street and Taoye Lane these past few days. Nearly every household's Gatekeeper recognized this messenger by now, so he did not stand out. Besides, he looked perfectly composed as he jogged along the bluestone streets as usual. Even if passersby spotted him, they would think nothing of it. Chen Ping'an approached a mansion whose entrance was guarded by a waist-high Stone Daredevil, carved in the likeness of a military officer to suppress evil and Baleful Intent. He knew this was the Li Family residence. On Fulu Street, where wealth and rank gathered, nearly every household had its own way of warding off evil. Even the Guardian Gods pasted upon their gates came in civil and military varieties, making them easy to distinguish.
He swiftly swept his gaze around before continuing onward. The Song Family residence lay ahead, and beyond it stood the kiln administration office. On the outer wall where the adjacent Li and Song residences met grew a sophora tree, its old trunk twisted with Horned Dragon-like branches and its foliage lush and dense. Though it could not compare to the weathered grandeur of the Old Scholar Tree in town, it was clearly no ordinary tree at a glance.
According to the older generation, this sophora tree and the towering Old Scholar Tree at the town center were said to share the same lineage. That one was called the Ancestor Locust Tree, while this one before the youth was known as the Prosperity Locust Tree.
The reason Chen Ping'an had come to the Li Family rather than the Lu Family, the foremost surname in town where Lu Zhengchun resided, was that when he had left the office, the elderly steward who had escorted him all the way had casually chatted about household gossip. He mentioned how Zhao Yao, the Reading Seed of the Zhao Family on this street, had already left town and was surely destined to become a top scholar and a high official. He mentioned how the daughter next door at the Song Family had reached marriageable age yet could not even handle needlework, only enjoying swords and spears—how was that anything like a proper daughter? Was that not laughable? Amid a great heap of trivial anecdotes, the old man had slipped in one insignificant piece of news: a distinguished guest had just arrived at the Li Family residence. The little girl was exquisitely pretty, like a piece of Imperial Porcelain. So long as she did not change beyond recognition as she grew up, she would surely become a ravishing beauty. Who knew which household would be fortunate enough to marry such a daughter-in-law into the family someday?
On the way out of the office's rear hall, the youth, who initially listened without speaking, had deliberately slowed his pace. All the while, he carefully studied the office's layout. Only near the end did he occasionally ask one or two questions unrelated to the conversation, like a pauper curious about the lavish wealth of great lineages. The elderly steward answered everything he knew without holding anything back, using the neighboring Song Family and the more distant Li Family as examples to explain the courtyard arrangements and various rules of wealthy households.
The steward's true intentions were perfectly clear to the youth.
But from beginning to end, Chen Ping'an had never intended to act according to their wishes.
Now, as he jogged slowly along the street, Chen Ping'an saw that no one was around and suddenly exerted himself, quickening his pace as he sprinted straight toward the old sophora tree. With a leap, he actually stepped upward against the trunk four times in succession before beginning to fall. But by then, the nimble youth had already reached out and seized a branch. In an instant, as agile as an ape deep in the mountains, he was sitting atop a horizontal limb. He steadily rose to his feet and continued climbing. In the blink of an eye, Chen Ping'an was crouched on a slanting sophora branch, just above the courtyard wall, which stood over two zhang high. Hidden behind the thick sophora leaves, he held his breath, narrowed his eyes, and looked ahead without any hurry to sneak inside.
On the way back to town from the Covered Bridge with Ning Yao, Chen Ping'an had asked many questions.
For instance, how fast could that Old Ape of Zhengyang Mountain normally run within town? How high could he jump? How tough was his body, exactly how was he possessed of bronze skin and iron bones? If a punch from me would be no more than scratching the Old Ape's itch, then what if I used a slingshot or wooden bow instead? At distances of twenty and forty paces, how much damage could each inflict? Did so-called "immortals" like the Old Ape of Zhengyang Mountain have fatal weak points, such as their eyes, groin, or throat? If the opponent was willing to endure injury in order to kill at full force, would I certainly die?
At the time, Ning Yao had nearly been questioned into wishing she were deaf and mute.
According to the black-clothed girl, whether Qi refiners or Pure Martial Artists, the higher a cultivator's realm, the greater the pressure they suffered here. It was like iron cavalry battering at a pass and being able only to hold the line, relying entirely on a single unbroken breath to endure. Once they opened their mouths, they would suffer harm like seawater pouring backward into them. Imagine a raging flood crashing toward you, then try opening a small breach in the dam beneath your feet.
But Ning Yao's final verdict remained that if the youth fought the Old Ape of Zhengyang Mountain one-on-one, Chen Ping'an would not have the slightest chance of winning.
Within the sophora shade, the youth's gaze was resolute and his face cold. He muttered repeatedly, "Don't let the Old Ape get within ten paces. Ten paces. At the very least, at the very least, keep that distance."
Ning Yao had said that as long as the Old Ape did not jump over the wall in desperation, there would be a chance of survival.
But Chen Ping'an had answered that he wanted to force the Old Ape to strike at him with murderous intent. Otherwise, there was no point.
He had to make the Old Ape of Zhengyang Mountain angry, force the Old Ape to use the true qi within his body, so that he could truly diminish and exhaust the cultivation the creature had painstakingly accumulated over a thousand years. Perhaps the Old Ape believed the lives of townfolk like him and Liu Xianyang were worthless, but Chen Ping'an wanted to know whether, when the time came, the Old Ape would feel heartache as he watched that cultivation and attainment drain away—and whether he would still consider it worthless.
Of course, the premise for all of this was that he could not be punched to death in a single exchange.
The youth looked down at the people moving through corridors and buildings inside the grand residence and murmured, "Even if I can't get away, I have to take a few more punches."
Chen Ping'an had never considered that he might kill the Old Ape, nor had he ever considered that he might survive.
Within the Li Family residence, the little girl from Zhengyang Mountain was the Tao family Old Ancestor's direct granddaughter, and the entire Li Family treated her like a bodhisattva to be worshipped. Besides assigning several first- and second-rank maidservants to her courtyard, the Li Family had chosen girls born into household service, quick and clean in their work. Most importantly, their backgrounds were known and spotless; perhaps their families had been unwaveringly loyal to the Li Family since their ancestors' generation.
This courtyard stood in the middle of the estate, not adjoining Fulu Street.
The little girl was named Tao Zi, with the pet name Peaches. She was the darling of Zhengyang Mountain's Sword Immortal Old Ancestors. Naturally, it was not because of her innocent and lovable looks or disposition, but because her future potential in the sword path was great enough to make Zhengyang Mountain willing to pour in vast resources regardless of cost.
Over the past five hundred years, Tao Zi's innate physique, talent, temperament, and opportunities all ranked among the best of the Old Ancestors from Zhengyang Mountain's various peaks. Put simply, little Tao Zi was an astonishing existence with an exceptionally long strong suit and not a single weakness.
This was what truly deserved to be called a once-in-a-century talent, rather than the cheap, formulaic praise found everywhere.
Now that the Mountain-Moving Old Ape was no longer by her side, the little girl found herself alone in a completely unfamiliar place. She was neither shy around strangers nor intimidated by the situation, merely somewhat bored and regretful. From Grandpa Ape's tone, it seemed there was no way to move a mountain away from here. This left the little girl deeply dejected. Sister Su of Zhengyang Mountain had been given a mountain by the Old Ancestor as a gift when she entered the Middle Five Realms, turning it into her private domain. Grandpa Ape had personally carried that mountain back to Zhengyang Mountain from thousands of miles away and placed it northeast of the mountain. Though it was not large, the little girl had always envied it.
Feeling stuffy in the study, she walked into the Main hall, clasped her hands behind her back, and raised her head to stare at the plaque for a long while with an old-fashioned air.
Two pretty maidservants remained closely at the little girl's side. One of them had been discovered by the Li Family to possess unusual talent at a young age and had been specially cultivated in martial arts, achieving modest success. In truth, to the direct line of the Li Family, this was no different from keeping flowers, birds, fish, and insects. It was not that they hoped the girl would one day become a Martial Dao grandmaster. Within the high walls of wealthy households, it was not unheard of for servants to bully their masters. Besides, a small favor brings gratitude, while a great favor breeds resentment. If slave girls and servants had sights set too high and potential too great, that might not benefit the Lineage's succession in the next generation.
The little girl headed toward the main gate, hopping and spinning about in the courtyard. She did not leave the courtyard without permission and make things difficult for the servants. Grandpa Ape had reminded her that people from Wind Thunder Garden had also come to town, and until he settled them, she was not to leave this courtyard. Though the little girl was young, she had been steeped since childhood in the shifting clouds and treacherous currents, the dangers on every side, of mountain cultivation. Her upbringing was also extremely strict, so she was not the sort of unruly child who gave elders cause for worry.
With nothing to do, the little girl eventually sprawled over a Stone Table. A birdcage sat upon it, holding a bird that seemed to be called a Snake-Catching Eagle. It drooped its head miserably, looking sickly. Its feathers were a dull gray and utterly unattractive. No matter how the little girl had teased it earlier, the Snake-Catching Eagle had ignored her, leaving her bored and uninterested. Now, with truly nothing better to do, she whistled at the flat-feathered beast for amusement.
Inside the cage were two porcelain bird-feed jars secretly made by the Li Family Dragon Kiln. Small and exquisite, one was elegantly plain and held water, while the other was brightly colored and held food.
But ever since being captured, the Snake-Catching Eagle had refused water and food alike. It had been nearly two days.
In town, Snake-Catching Eagles were rarely caught. On the occasional occasions when they were, whether young chicks or adult Snake-Catching Eagles, every one of them starved to death without exception.
They simply could not be kept alive, much less trained into hunting hawks that obeyed human commands.
When the whistling little girl saw that the Snake-Catching Eagle still did not react, she finally lost all patience. She stood up, turned around, and walked away.
Bang!
One of the bird-feed jars inside the cage shattered violently.
The little girl froze for a moment, then almost instinctively grabbed a tall maidservant and pulled her in front of herself.
The tall, voluptuous maidservant felt as though an iron wire had clamped tightly around her wrist. The pain nearly made her scream.
The shorter maidservant, however, had sharp eyes. At once, she stepped in front of the little girl herself and swiftly scanned their surroundings.
The second bird-feed jar in the cage exploded with another boom, like firecrackers going off atop the table.
"An assassin! On the rooftop over by Qingxin Courtyard!" This time, the martial maidservant finally caught sight of the figure. A half-crouching silhouette stood atop the roof ridge of the neighboring courtyard.
The maidservant began to run. The walls of the courtyard were not high. She stepped against one and surged upward, seized the top with both hands, then swiftly climbed onto the wall with her exceptional strength.
For a moment, she was in a difficult position. This courtyard was not far from the Qingxin Courtyard opposite, but the assassin was on the roof of Qingxin Courtyard's main building, close to Fulu Street, where he could easily vault over the wall and escape. Thus, in a flash of lightning, she made her decision. Rather than jumping down and running toward Qingxin Courtyard, she crouched and raced along the wall top, then leaped onto the roof ridge of this courtyard. Throughout it all, the maidservant remained alert for an ambush by the assassin.
It was strange. The assassin neither obstructed her nor showed any intention of retreating at once.
The eaves of the two courtyards were separated by roughly three zhang.
Keeping watch on the assassin's movements, the maidservant quietly backed away along the eaves. At last, she took a quick deep breath and prepared to make a running leap.
The maidservant's heart jolted violently. The assassin confronting her from afar was actually a thin youth dressed in shabby clothes?!
Two small bundles were tied around the youth's waist. No weapon could be seen in his hands, so he must have hidden it already. The maidservant thought a slingshot was the most likely possibility.
She was equally puzzled. If he had struck her head, she might not have died on the spot, but she would certainly have been seriously injured. With the youth's nearly terrifying accuracy, having deliberately shattered the bird-feed jars twice, could he truly have failed to hit either her or the little girl from Zhengyang Mountain?
In the courtyard, the little girl angrily shouted, "Idiot! Beware of luring the tiger from the mountain! Get back here, now!"
Capturing the assassin and torturing him for answers was certainly important, but guarding against the unexpected and preserving their lives was more important.
After releasing the tall maidservant's arm, the little girl raised her hand and slapped the stunned girl awake. "And you, hurry and go spread the alarm! Do you understand? If I die, everyone in this residence will die too!"
The maidservant on the roof did not immediately jump into the courtyard. Instead, she shouted, "An assassin!"
Then she began sprinting, leaping from the edge of the eaves as her whole body soared toward the roof ridge of Qingxin Courtyard opposite.
Having roughly judged her arm strength, leg strength, and endurance from the maidservant's series of climbing and running movements, the assassin youth crouched down and picked up two roof tiles. He flung them with his right hand, sending them directly at the girl's forehead. Still in midair, she instinctively crossed her arms in front of her head to block. With two bangs, the tiles struck with bone-deep pain, and their force far exceeded her expectations. Her forward momentum was instantly slowed drastically, just as she regretted her own recklessness.
The maidservant had barely landed on the opposite eaves when someone punched her in the stomach, smashing her backward.
Yet the assassin inexplicably caught one of her ankles. After a brief pause, the youth finally released his hand.
The maidservant had not exactly landed safely, but at least she had not suffered serious injury.
Her mind was a complete muddle.
The youth had been surveying the situation around him from the corner of his eye. When he spotted black dots appearing in the distance, he turned and fled.
His speed was astonishing, his strides broad, his rhythm flawless. Especially with each perfectly timed Breath and Exhalation, if the maidservant could have seen it, she would surely have believed the youth, like herself, had practiced martial arts for many years and immersed himself deeply in them. He was absolutely no outsider.
The youth's figure swiftly vanished from the roof ridge, like a light bird, like a Snake-Catching Eagle released from its cage.
About the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the burly old man hurried back to the Li Family residence, brimming with murderous intent.
From Li Hong, the Li Family head, to the maidservants in the courtyard, no one dared breathe loudly. Especially the martial maidservant, who knelt on the ground with both cheeks badly swollen. She said nothing and did not dare show the slightest trace of resentment.
When the little girl, whose emotions had already returned to normal, saw the old man, she sighed and shook her head as she scolded him, "Grandpa Ape, the Li Family people seem to be nothing but a bunch of useless fools. How could you dare entrust me to them?"
The Mountain-Moving Ape knelt on one knee, yet still stood taller than the little girl. The white-haired old man said guiltily, "Miss, this old servant was wrong."
The old man turned his head and said in a low voice, "Li Hong!"
The head of the town's Li Family had a basic command of the orthodox elegant language of East Treasure Bottle Continent. By coincidence, Zhengyang Mountain cultivators spoke the same language. This man, whose word was law within his Lineage, could only smile bitterly and apologize. "This time, it was indeed my Li Family's fault, and we cannot evade responsibility. From what we have learned so far, it was a youth, most likely not a cultivator. The office has not yet provided useful intelligence. They only said they would send more capable hands to guard this residence day and night."
Tao Zi thought for a moment before saying, "That assassin did not seem to be here to kill me."
Then she added, "At least not today."
The Li Family head's heart, which had just begun to settle, immediately rose back into his throat.
The White Ape frowned and asked, "Was that youth thin, dark-skinned, and about this tall? Mm, and wearing straw sandals?"
The kneeling maidservant nodded vigorously.
The White Ape bared his teeth in a smile, his eyes sinister. "Good fellow! So he came to provoke and issue a challenge!"
He waved his hand. "Do not interfere in this matter. I know the assassin's background. He is an ordinary youth from Mud Bottle Alley."
The little girl said softly, "Grandpa Ape, don't let your guard down."
The Mountain-Moving Ape hesitated briefly, then rose and instructed the Li Family head, "Have the office bring a household registry file to the Li Family residence. Investigate every detail of that youth's ancestors for eighteen generations. As for the people guarding this courtyard, better few and elite than many and mixed!"
The old man quietly intensified his tone and sneered, "Li Hong, I advise you to invite out the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle overseeing your Household as well. Do not treat this as nothing. If anything happens to my young lady here, even this old beast in your eyes cannot bear the consequences. Can your branch of the Li Family bear them?"
The Li Family head hurriedly bowed in apology, saying in fear and unease, "Ape Old Ancestor, you honor the Li Family beyond what we deserve."
The guardian ape of Zhengyang Mountain sank into thought and muttered, "Was it that brat from Wind Thunder Garden taking the chance to stir up trouble? Or was this Song Changjing of the office's scheme?"
At last, the old man shook his head, finding it absurd and laughable. "No matter who incited him to come and die, you should at least have found a better pawn to cross the river. A little grasshopper with barely a few ounces of flesh—would that even fill a crack between my teeth? Fine. I was just worrying that I had no chance to kill anyone. This is a fine pretext. I'll kill that unformed clay from Mud Bottle Alley first, then clean up you little bastard from Wind Thunder Garden along with him."
The old man smiled at the little girl. "Miss, this old servant will certainly clean up this mess for you this time. There will absolutely be no more accidents."
The little girl beamed and raised her fist, boosting the morale of Zhengyang Mountain's guardian ape.
Before leaving, the old man glanced at the Li Family head. The latter smiled bitterly. "I will immediately invite the Old Ancestor to emerge from seclusion and personally serve as Miss Tao's close escort."
The old man nodded and strode away.
The old man bit the bait in broad daylight, directly following the fishing line toward Mud Bottle Alley.
It was as though he were plainly declaring: I have taken the bait. Come kill me, then.
Outside town, this Mountain-Moving Ape of Zhengyang Mountain would not have dared be so contemptuous of everyone. But in this place, Magical Powers, spells, and magical treasures were all forbidden. Instead, he held an enormous advantage. This was also why Zhengyang Mountain had not dispatched a Sword Immortal Old Ancestor.
As the Old Ape walked, only when he neared Mud Bottle Alley did he realize something. "Could that alley youth simply be avenging his friend?"
Before this, the Old Ape had been thinking too deeply, imagining a conspiracy whose Foreshadowing stretched like ashes beneath grass for a thousand miles. Once he suddenly recognized this possibility, he found it particularly absurd.
The Old Ape laughed and quickly understood the reasoning. "If that is so, it does make sense. Right, since he is not a cultivator, he is less afraid of death. It is only a cheap life, after all."
Yet for the sake of caution, the Old Ape still did not swagger straight into Mud Bottle Alley from this end.
No matter what, this trip was destined not to be wasted. That little bastard valued by Wind Thunder Garden would merely live a little longer than the little mud-legged boy from Mud Bottle Alley.
After making a large detour, the Old Ape entered Mud Bottle Alley from the alley corner near Gu Can's home.
In truth, the Old Ape doubted whether that assassin youth had the courage to remain at his ancestral home and wait for death.
If he was clever and timid enough, he could die after the Young Man from Wind Thunder Garden.
The Old Ape grinned.
Then his smile froze instantly.
Mud Bottle Alley at dusk was already dim and blurred.
The burly old man abruptly raised his head.
A thin youth was somehow standing high ahead in the alley, his feet planted in holes freshly gouged into the walls on either side, allowing him to brace himself.
The youth carried a quiver on his back and held a fully drawn wooden bow, its arrowhead pointed straight at one of the Old Ape's eyes.
The youth was utterly silent. Not only was his drawn bow full as the moon, even the faintest trace of breath seemed to have vanished.
So much so that this guardian Patriarch of Zhengyang Mountain could only detect the youth above him through his keen instinct for danger.
He gave the Old Ape no more time to react.
The arrow shot forward, whistling into wind, powerful and heavy.
After firing the arrow, the youth made no second choice at all. He tucked in his neck, swiftly slung the wooden bow diagonally across his shoulder, and pushed off with his toes. He used the two walls alternately for leverage to shoot upward toward the eaves, vanishing in an instant.
The Old Ape lowered the hand that had shielded his forehead and saw the arrow embedded in his palm. It had not gone deep, but a split wound could faintly be seen.
Still, the Old Ape felt a wave of lingering fear.
If, in town, someone had shot him in the eye at such close range, it truly would have been a tragedy where heaven would not answer his cries, nor earth heed his pleas.
He casually pulled out the arrow, snapped it in half, and tossed it into Mud Bottle Alley.
The old man clenched both fists and looked up at the sky over the alley, his face livid. His throat worked as he emitted a low, suppressed sound, like an ancient ferocious beast enraged beyond measure.
Using both hands and feet, the old man instantly climbed to the rooftop. But the moment his head appeared, a second arrow arrived in a flash.
Prepared this time, the old man merely raised an arm and let the arrow sink slightly into it. He grinned viciously and strode forward.
The youth, having put away his wooden bow again, turned and ran.
A long series of crashing sounds rang out atop the continuous roofs along one side of Mud Bottle Alley.
The old man's strides were ultimately far greater than the youth's. He steadily narrowed the distance. Without any surprise, he would soon catch the thin youth, who was already quite agile.
The old man suddenly exerted himself, launching his entire body into the air as he pounced forward to kill. One enormous hand, as large as a cattail-leaf fan, reached for the youth's head.
The youth seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. At the very brink of disaster, he twisted at the waist, bent his whole body low, then changed direction and leaped toward the rooftop across the alley.
After landing lightly, he continued running at full speed.
The Old Ape's movements were equally nimble and swift. He too forcefully changed direction toward the rooftop on the other side of Mud Bottle Alley to his right.
The youth abruptly stopped.
By the time the Old Ape realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
That roof turned out to belong to an unoccupied house. It had fallen into ruin from years of disrepair. How could it bear a leap from the Old Ape's more than two hundred jin of weight?
With a crash, man and tiles fell into the house together.
The Old Ape landed heavily. After bracing one hand against the ground, he twisted his head aside and dodged that treacherous, vicious arrow.
The arrow embedded itself directly in the ground.
It was clear that the youth's strength was not lacking, but that the Old Ape's skin and flesh were simply too tough.
Standing at the edge of the great hole in the roof, the youth skillfully put away his wooden bow, raised his middle finger at the Old Ape, and cursed, "Old beast! Fuck your mother!"
The youth's expression suddenly turned strange. He abruptly slapped himself and muttered, "Wouldn't that still mean I'm the one losing out?"
The Old Ape sprang up, but the youth had already fled far away.
Before you continue