When the boy left Mud Bottle Alley, he happened to run into Song Jixin's maid, Zhi Gui. After sending the tall woman to Gu Can's house, she didn't hurry home. Instead, she wandered through the small shops in Apricot Blossom Alley, and although she didn't buy anything, her mood was still quite good. She skipped along the way, light and cheerful.
A girl born and raised in the countryside, like a breath of fresh grass, was different from the refined young ladies of the grand houses with their high eaves and deep courtyards. Seeing the boy in straw sandals, she did not, as usual, lower her eyes and hasten past, but rather stopped and looked at this neighbor with whom she rarely interacted, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Chen Ping'an smiled at her, then ran past, gradually picking up speed.
Zhi Gui quietly stood at the mouth of Mud Bottle Alley, watching the shabby boy running in the sunlight. He looked like a stray cat, resilient and always scurrying around, not very handsome but seemingly never starving.
The girl was not well-liked in town, burdened by the odd temperament of her young master, Song Jixin. As a maid named Zhi Gui, whether fetching water from Iron Lock Well, shopping at the market, or buying stationery for her young master, she always gave off an unapproachable vibe and had no playmates her age. She rarely spoke with acquaintances, making it hard for the townsfolk, who preferred lively and festive people, to warm up to her.
In this aspect, Chen Ping'an's situation was somewhat similar to that of the maid Zhi Gui. Although he also didn't talk much, his nature was kind and friendly. He was never prickly, only seeming distant due to his fallen family fortune and early work at the dragon kiln. Of course, the townsfolk had their reservations about the boy's birth date. Born on the fifth day of the fifth month, considered an inauspicious day with all five poisons manifesting, combined with the deaths of his parents, Chen Ping'an became the last surviving member of his family. This naturally made people wary, especially the elderly who liked to gossip under the old locust tree. They warned their grandchildren to stay away from him, though they couldn't quite explain why when the children asked.
At this moment, a tall figure emerged from a side alley and stood beside the girl. Zhi Gui turned her head, silent, and continued walking. The person turned and walked beside her, none other than Mr. Qi, the town's only scholar and a formal disciple of Confucianism.
The girl kept walking, her face cold. "We used to mind our own business, didn't we? And Mr. Qi, you should remember that while you once held the advantage of time, place, and people, I'm just a lowly maid who had to endure. But recently, it seems your distant sect's foundation has had some trouble, hasn't it? Now, you're just a well, and I'm the river!"
Qi Jingchun, the uninvited guest in Mud Bottle Alley, smiled slightly. "Wang Zhu, fine, I'll call you Zhi Gui for now. Have you ever thought that although you are favored by heaven and born with a destiny, do you really think I have no means of suppression? Or do you think the four sages who established the rules here left no contingency plans? You're just a frog at the bottom of a well, oblivious to the vastness of the sky and earth."
The girl frowned. "Mr. Qi, don't try to scare me. I'm not my young master, Song Jixin, who buys into your high-sounding rhetoric. If you want to fight, let's fight. If you want to part ways, let's part ways. I'll take it."
The middle-aged scholar continued, "I advise you, after leaving this cage, to not push your luck or overexploit. It won't benefit anyone. Whether you and he become Dao companions or not, you should restrain your arrogance and aggressiveness. This isn't a threat but a sincere reminder as we part ways."
The girl, undeterred, even exuded an air of superiority over the scholar, scoffed. "Kindness? You high and mighty cultivators, using this place as farmland for millennia, cutting and harvesting at will, year after year, now suddenly talk of kindness. My young master mentioned a saying revered by many: 'Those not of our kind, their hearts must differ.' Isn't that why, Mr. Qi? After all…"
Qi Jingchun stepped forward, smiling. "Oh?"
One step later, the girl's expression changed.
They stood in a place shrouded in darkness, unable to see their hands in front of their faces. Only above, far off, shone countless sacred beams of light.
It felt as if they stood at the bottom of a deep well, with golden sunlight slowly descending from the well's mouth.
The middle-aged scholar's robe glowed with a radiant brilliance.
Righteous energy, grand and majestic.
The girl first wore a grimace but quickly returned to her expressionless state, murmuring, "Sixty years of Buddhist chanting, like thunder by the ear, unceasing. Sixty years of Daoist talismans, like maggots on the bone, gnawing incessantly. Sixty years of righteous energy, blotting out the sky, nowhere to hide. Sixty years of military sword energy, like earthquakes, splashing everywhere. Each cycle lasts sixty years, for three thousand years, without end… I just want to know where your so-called great Dao roots are. I can see the black and white words on your books and hear your teachings, but I can't find the essence…"
She gazed at the righteous man, both a humble teacher in a remote place and Qi Jingchun of the Confucian Mountain Cliff Academy, a scholar respected by even the powerful eunuchs of the Great Sui Dynasty.
She suddenly laughed, "How do you teach me to be good? If I remember correctly, your Confucian sage and one of the Dao ancestors both preached 'teaching without discrimination.'"
The man shook his head. "A thousand teachings from the sages won't work."
The girl, seemingly chatting lightly, was as tense as a drawn bow, her eyes darting around for any clue to break free.
Qi Jingchun ignored her vigilance, mocking, "I know you harbor endless anger, resentment, and killing intent. It's not that I can't tolerate you, but you must know that indiscriminate compassion and mercy are never the true doctrines of the three teachings."
"My young master often says arguing with scholars is the most boring thing," the girl said with a sneer, her golden eyes flashing. "It seems Mr. Qi is really struggling now, harder to deal with than before…"
He smiled, "It's fine if reasoning doesn't work. As long as I, Qi Jingchun, am alive and hold this place, you ungrateful wretch will never run rampant!"
The girl pointed at herself, laughing. "Ungrateful?"
The scholar snapped, "Back then, when you were weakest and had to submit, who saved you in the snowy Mud Bottle Alley? Who has slowly drained his remaining fate these years?!"
The girl laughed. "Hungry, so I eat. Isn't that natural? Besides, he had no great fortune. Dying early might give him a slim hope in the next life. Leaving him in the town would be worse…"
The scholar waved his sleeve, commanding, "Silence!"
He berated, "The profound Dao and clear justice, how can you decide? Each life has its fate. What right do you have to choose for others?"
Above her head, a brilliant golden hand appeared, majestic like a Buddha subduing demons or a Daoist suppressing evil, pressing her to the ground to kneel, her forehead hitting the ground hard.
The sound echoed.
The girl, with her face to the ground, struggled to rise, laughing darkly, "You can force me to kneel, but I won't admit wrongdoing!"
The golden hand lifted her head and pressed it down again, making her kneel once more with a thunderous sound.
Qi Jingchun said sternly, "Remember, this chance at life was given by the sages, not won by you! If not, you'd be suppressed for ten thousand years!"
The girl, head still bowed, hoarsely said, "I won't follow your damn Dao!"
The scholar raised his hand, slamming it down in the void before him. "Impudent! Submit!"
From the center of the descending golden light, a jade seal appeared, large and square, inscribed with ancient characters, surrounded by purple lightning crackling.
With Qi Jingchun's command, the seal, embodying heavenly justice, descended upon the kneeling girl.
It didn't crush her but embedded itself into the ground, like a thunderstorm with little rain.
Yet, in an instant, the girl seemed to be crushed, her body limp and broken, lying pathetically.
Even so, one of her hands clawed at the ground, desperately carving characters with her nails.
Qi Jingchun, expressionless, said, "Three kneels, to honor heaven, earth, and the great Dao!"
The girl, dazed, did not respond.
He waved his sleeve, dispersing the oppressive aura, "I, Qi Jingchun, am just a scholar of the sages, yet can make you kneel thrice. If you go wild outside, aren't you afraid of those stronger than me crushing you?"
He sighed, "You are confined here, but have you thought, where is absolute freedom? The rituals set by the sages seek another kind of freedom. As long as you don't overstep, the world will be wide open
to you."
The girl raised her head, staring at the scholar.
Qi Jingchun stepped forward.
The world returned to normal, and they were back in Mud Bottle Alley, with warm sunlight and a gentle spring breeze.
The girl, shaky, stood up, her smile pale and grim, "I will remember your teachings, Mr. Qi."
He said no more and left.
She suddenly asked, "Even if I am ungrateful to Chen Ping'an, why does a distinguished disciple like you only favor Zhao Yao and my young master, ignoring someone ordinary like Chen Ping'an? Isn't that just like a merchant selling goods, nurturing the valuable and neglecting the rest?"
Qi Jingchun smiled, "Heaven's way is to strengthen the self."
The girl was puzzled.
As the scholar disappeared, she sneered, spitting on the ground.
She limped back to her yard. Passing Chen Ping'an's house, she frowned, perplexed. But with the scholar's declining power, the town's secrets were leaking like a sinking ship. She was too preoccupied to care.
As she opened the door, a seemingly insignificant four-legged snake scurried out and was kicked away in frustration.
---
In Chen Ping'an's house, the young Taoist sat at the table, looking serene.
The black-clad girl, once near death, now sat on the bed, her face visible without the veiled hat, memorable not for its beauty but its intense energy.
Her brows were not like willow leaves but like narrow blades.
When she scrutinized the young Taoist, he felt uneasy, as if guilty of some crime.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Miss, it was I who saved you. But it was Chen Ping'an who carried you inside, removed your hat, and washed your face. He's a poor boy, an orphan, who once asked me for a talisman. That's all. If you have more questions, I'll answer truthfully."
The boy in straw sandals was thus sold out.
The girl nodded, sincerely thanking him, "Thank you, Daoist, for saving my life."
Relieved, the Taoist said, "It was nothing. I'm glad you're well."
She asked, "Are you not from the Eastern Vase Continent?"
He countered, "And you?"
She nodded.
He nodded in return.
"I'm Lu Shen, no Daoist title. Just call me Daoist Lu."
She nodded again, glancing at his lotus crown.
He hesitated before speaking, "Though some things were improper, it was necessary. I didn't expect you to recover so quickly. Please don't blame him."
She smiled, "Daoist Lu, I'm not unreasonable."
He laughed awkwardly, "Good, good."
She raised an eyebrow, making his smile stiff.
She looked around calmly, mentioning, "I heard the top swordsmith of this continent, Master Ruan, plans to forge a sword here. I followed him, hoping he'd make me one."
He sighed, "If it's really him, getting him to forge a sword won't be easy."
She seemed troubled, "Very hard."
At that moment, Chen Ping'an entered, carrying medicine in one hand and a small package in the other. He knocked lightly before stepping inside, placing the medicine on the table. "Daoist, check if it's right. If not, I'll go exchange it."
Holding the package, he turned to the girl. She sat cross-legged, facing him.
"Hello, my father is Ning, my mother is Yao, so I'm Ning Yao," she said calmly.
"Hello, my father is Chen, my mother is also Chen, so…" Chen Ping'an trailed off awkwardly, then smiled, "I'm Chen Ping'an!"