Chapter 130: The Young One of Mountain and Water

In the river of life, a fleeting encounter often spins in its own direction before parting ways. The blind old Daoist, known by the name Xuan Guzi, remained silent throughout the journey, a silence that made the young girl, Jiu'er, feel a little unsettled. Though the lame boy was reluctant to hand over the snake gallstone, after much hesitation and internal struggle, he ultimately presented it to his irritable master. The old Daoist took the fine stone, caressing it in his palm for a moment, and to everyone's surprise, returned it to the boy, saying, "Keep it for yourself."

The confused lame boy took the stone, casting a puzzled glance at Jiu'er, who silently shook her head, signaling her inability to fathom her master's intentions. The old Daoist spoke softly, "Little Lame One, this is your destiny, one I cannot take away. If I did, it would be no good. Do you wonder why the boy, Chen Ping'an, had to send a letter back to Longquan County through a post station? I suspect that if we'd gone to that place, what they call the Taishui or the Grass Hut, and I had taken the stone instead of you, our time there would have been much harder. We might not have faced direct hostility, but standing firm would have been far from easy. And forget about finding a mountain to call home, or a place to cultivate under someone else's roof."

The lame boy nodded, though he wasn't one to dwell on such matters. The blind old Daoist gave Jiu'er a light pat on the head. "You two, you really do have good fortune."

More perceptive than her brother, Jiu'er asked, "Master, are those people, the ones with the luggage, of noble origins?"

The old Daoist nodded. "That Longquan County was once the Li Zhu Cave Heaven of the Dashi Dynasty, which, after breaking apart, took root on the land. It was once ruled by the Confucian sage Qi Jingchun for a full cycle of sixty years. Now, these children, each with their own scholarly box, are smarter than the last. They're said to be on a journey to the Great Sui Academy. So tell me, who do you think their teachers might be?"

The young girl gazed at them with some envy. "To be students of a Confucian sage... that's incredible."

The old Daoist sneered. "Otherwise, why do you think the sword immortal Wei Jin from the Wind and Snow Temple rushed to their aid? These children are not to be underestimated. They are guarded by an ancient spirit that even the fierce female ghost's mountain root and water source cannot threaten. No, these children are anything but ordinary."

The old man sighed, "Their future is boundless, truly boundless."

Jiu'er, somewhat slow on the uptake, asked, "If you knew they had powerful protectors, why tell them about the dangerous ghosts of San Zhi Mountain? They wouldn't need to worry at all."

The old Daoist habitually pinched Jiu'er's cheek and smiled. "Silly girl, this is 'kindness without cost.' By spending not a single coin, I can do a good deed. Why not?"

Jiu'er hesitated. "But if they see through your intentions, wouldn't you just be adding unnecessary details?"

The old Daoist paused, shook his head with a sigh, then gave the girl a gentle pat on the head. "I must be kinder to both of you in the future. All these years, I've been hoping to find a rare talent on the roadside, someone with exceptional gifts. I've often been critical of both of you for your humble beginnings and improper paths, but looking back, it seems the true blind spot was with me."

Jiu'er, slightly fearful of this unfamiliar side of her master, asked with a pale face, "Master, are you possessed? I don't recognize you anymore."

The old Daoist laughed heartily. Then, in a quieter tone, he said, "Jiu'er, earlier, I promised not to accept Fu Quan within a year. Now, let me propose something else—what if we make it half a year instead? Think about it. This time, I fought off the demons. It was really 'one foot higher, one foot stronger.' Not only did I deliver a hard blow to that female ghost, but I also lost four words on my flag and had to give away a treasured 'Mountain Search Map' of the master's lineage. You children don't even think of showing a little respect or offering something in return?"

Jiu'er, feeling a bit relieved, returned to her familiar master and, in a decisive tone, said, "Half a year, then."

The lame boy carefully tucked the stone away and muttered, "The stone is mine now."

The old Daoist, fuming with anger, cursed, "A dog can't change its nature!"

Jiu'er covered her mouth, secretly laughing. The lame boy joined in the laughter.

In the remote wilderness, the ancient spirit revealed itself in its true form, though its face remained vague, shrouded in black smoke, exuding a chilling aura. In a hoarse voice, it spoke, "I failed to protect you, and as a result, you were captured by the female ghost. My apologies."

Chen Ping'an, at a loss for words, struggled for a while before replying, "Just do your best."

The ancient spirit's smile was faint. "No matter what, I cannot absolve myself of blame. Especially since my personal greed for cultivation led to your misfortune. My conscience is truly uneasy. Had anything happened to you, even if I destroyed the mountain root and water source here, sacrificing myself to the female ghost, it would still be meaningless."

Li Baoping smiled. "When I was young, my brother liked to tell me strange stories. Once, he told me about a city god who judged moral deeds differently. I remember it clearly: 'To intend good is not always rewarded, and to unwittingly do evil is not always punished.' There are limits to human effort; if you've given it your all, there's no need for excessive guilt. Otherwise, being human is tiring, and being a ghost is just as exhausting."

The ancient spirit was speechless, caught off guard by the young girl's wisdom. Though she had shown the demeanor of a lady before, it was still slightly awkward.

Jiu'er fell into her own thoughts, a bit regretful. She clenched her fists and muttered, "My brother always told me these odd stories, and at the time, I thought they were just fun tales. I should have paid more attention."

Chen Ping'an hesitated but remained silent.

The ancient spirit looked at Chen Ping'an and said with a smile, "Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and signaled for Lin Shouyi and the others to proceed.

The ancient spirit waited until they had walked about half a mile before speaking again, "I was sent by Old Yang from the medicine shop to protect Li Huai."

Chen Ping'an scratched his head. "I thought you were here to protect Baoping or Lin Shouyi."

The ancient spirit smiled. "Li Huai's father, Li Er, once nearly killed the prince, Song Changjing. He's quite formidable. Once, Li Er went to Old Yang and said that his wife had been bullied. He was going to leave Li Zhu Cave Heaven to seek revenge. Old Yang couldn't talk him out of it, so he reluctantly agreed. Later, I heard that on Baoping Island, a powerful immortal family dismantled Li Er's ancestral hall with their fists, destroying it from the foot of the mountain all the way to the peak."

Chen Ping'an's jaw dropped. "But wasn't Li Er known as the most insignificant man in the town's west end? Even his son, Li Huai, believed that."

Chen Ping'an was puzzled. "Why didn't Li Er tell Li Huai?"

The ancient spirit seemed to brighten when speaking of Li Er. "Li Er is very stubborn. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married Li Huai's mother."

Chen Ping'an laughed heartily. "Then when Li Huai finds out the truth, he'll be overjoyed."

The ancient spirit asked, "Aren't you going to tell Li Huai about this? When you were at the Pillow Station, you told Baoping the truth directly, even though A Liang advised you to wait."

Chen Ping'an slowed his pace and said, "As for matters concerning myself, I feel it's right to make my own decisions. But since Li Er doesn't want to tell his son, who am I to reveal the truth? Just because I think Li Huai would be happy? That wouldn't be right."

The ancient spirit nodded, thinking to himself that no wonder Li Er had valued this boy from Mud Bottle Alley so much, even breaking the rules to give Chen Ping'an a golden fish and the Dragon King's basket.

Chen Ping'an suddenly stopped walking and turned to the ancient spirit. "Because I have sharp eyes and was worried you were a bad person, I remember clearly that when you first appeared, you looked at me before looking at Li Huai. Why? Was that just an accident? If you prefer not to answer, you can simply ignore my question."

The ancient spirit, if still a living person, would likely have been parched and anxious. How could he have known that Chen Ping'an would be so observant? His gaze had been fleeting but not subtle.

Yet, thinking back on everything, the ancient spirit now understood. It was likely this very attention to detail that made Chen Ping'an so well-regarded. Even though Lin Shouyi had now reached the Middle Five Realms, becoming a true immortal of the mountain, neither Li Baoping

nor Chen Ping'an had grown complacent.

Now, even the ancient spirit felt embarrassed. If Chen Ping'an hadn't been so sharp, he might not have questioned his subtle shift of gaze when they first met.

After some thought, the ancient spirit spoke slowly, "It was not an accident."