Chapter 233 (1): The Dust Has Settled

Chapter 233 (1): The Dust Has Settled

A voice that was filled with respect and reverence sounded behind him. "Young Master Chen, what in the world is going on?"

As it turned out, Prefectural Overseer Liu had finally come to his senses.

In terms of matters regarding mountain gods, river gods, ghosts, and demons, Liu Gaohua could only learn about them through supernatural novels and the notes of literati. Moreover, he could only learn very little. However, it was a completely different case for his father, Prefectural Overseer Liu. He was a high-ranking official who looked after an entire prefecture, after all, and Blusher Prefecture was also one of the largest prefectures in Colorful Garment Nation.

Thus, Prefectural Overseer Liu had already learned about many secrets a long time ago. At the very least, he was definitely aware of the matters pertaining to the city gods, mountain gods, and river gods of the provinces and prefectures. Indeed, officials from the Ministry of Rites would especially explain these mystical things to the high-ranking officials of the local areas.

Chen Ping'an stabilized his sea of Qi a little and tied his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist. He turned around to look at Prefectural Overseer Liu, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

His victory had been a very dangerous one. In reality, he had already reached his limit after battling against the ghosts and gods in the city god pavilion and drawing a talisman for the little girl. However, he didn't need to expend spiritual energy to control his two unique flying swords like ordinary Qi refiners did, and this allowed him to summon them from his Sword Nurturing Gourd to attack his enemies. It was also because of this that the scorpion lady's meticulously prepared Embracing Snow Barrier had been completely useless against him.

Even so, controlling First and Fifteenth would still consume his mental energy. In other words, if Pagoda Leader Dou from Case Purchasing Pagoda hadn't fled in fear, it was very likely that Chen Ping'an would have been killed by him. Or perhaps the two of them would have severely wounded each other. If that happened, not only would Chen Ping'an's bridge of immortality be shattered, but even his newfound martial arts path might have been obliterated due to irreparable damage to his body and soul.

Chen Ping'an couldn't come up with an immediate explanation for Prefectural Overseer Liu regarding this situation. After all, this pertained to far too many secrets. Fortunately, Prefectural Overseer Liu didn't try to press him for answers after seeing the troubled expression on his face.

Immortals from the mountains also had many rules and taboos when they traveled through the mortal world. Naturally, Prefectural Overseer Liu had this much common sense. He simply needed to confirm that the young sword immortal in front of him was an ally. Wasn't he Liu Gaohua's friend? This was enough!

After making some polite small talk with Prefectural Overseer Liu, Chen Ping'an turned around and walked over to the old man. He squatted down and took the pulse of the kind-hearted Qi refiner. His pulse was stable, and he was most likely safe from danger. He would probably regain consciousness soon after the effects of the Embracing Snow Barrier wore off. Chen Ping'an suddenly looked up. The little girl was blinking her large eyes and looking at him with curiosity.

Her large and watery yin-yang eyes were now filled with a faint golden glow after experiencing the power of the yang energy illumination talisman.

Chen Ping'an smiled and helped her wipe the blood from her face. "Everything is okay now. Does it still hurt?" he asked.

The corners of the little girl's lips curled up into a smile, causing two shallow dimples to appear on her cheeks.

Chen Ping'an lifted the old man up and placed him on a chair. He then walked over to the door. Prefectural Overseer Liu felt like it would be safest to follow this sword immortal around right now, so he also followed Chen Ping'an and walked outside the main hall. Chen Ping'an walked up to the corpse of the scorpion lady and retrieved the white cloth pouch from her waist.

He found a small brush washer made from famille rose[1], and there was a small white snake coiled up inside of it. The snake was only an inch long, and its tail was extremely thin. It furiously hissed at the sky, but it was clear that it was tough on the outside but weak on the inside. There was also a pitch-black scorpion feebly lying down next to it. Looking carefully, one could see that its body was like an ink-black pipa[2].

A thought suddenly occurred to Chen Ping'an. Trying to control First and Fifteenth to fight against enemies would be nothing more than a pipe dream right now. However, getting them to fly out to frighten others wouldn't be too difficult.

First transformed into a streak of white light as it soared out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd and directly shot toward the ancient-styled brush washer. It came to a stop above the snake and the scorpion, and the small white snake immediately started to tremble in fear. It tightly pressed itself against the wall of the brush washer.

Meanwhile, the small black scorpion was extremely human-like as it wrapped its pincers over its head in a pleading manner. First slowly flew around inside the brush washer as if it were a general patrolling a military encampment. It appeared extremely mighty and domineering.

Prefectural Overseer Liu no longer had the mighty aura of an official and the refined nature of a scholar at this moment. He squatted down next to Chen Ping'an and clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "A true immortal sword, and a true sword immortal!"

Chen Ping'an stood up with the brush washer in his hand. He examined it carefully, and he was surprised to discover a ring of extremely small characters near its base. These characters swam around the base of the brush washer like tadpoles, and they appeared like a group of lively and adorable children gleefully running around in circles.

There were 16 characters in total — Spring flower autumn moon, spring wind autumn tree, spring mountain autumn rock, spring water autumn frost.

Chen Ping'an smiled knowingly. He was reminded of the twin sister whom he had met on the Kun ship. The older sister Chun Shui was composed and mature, while the younger sister Qiu Shi was more lively and childish. Chen Ping'an couldn't help but gaze up toward the south. Had they arrived at Old Dragon City yet? If he could meet them again, he wanted to give this small and beautiful brush washer to them as a present. However, it was a shame that the brush washer only had Chun Shui but no Qiu Shi[3]. It was only a single character off. Otherwise, it would have been even better.

Chen Ping'an was still unaware that some misfortunes were an inability to achieve perfection, while some misfortunes would be eternal regrets.

"Lord Liu, we should show some respect toward those who are deceased, so can you please collect her body and organize a burial for her? I'm willing to pay for everything," Chen Ping'an said.

Prefectural Overseer Liu smiled and replied, "This is nothing. There's no need for you to stress about this or pay for it, Young Master Chen. You can leave everything to the prefectural office, and we'll definitely get it sorted."

The smile disappeared from his face, and he said in a hesitant voice, "However, that old bastard Elder Huang is definitely scheming something with his demonic allies and abilities. Perhaps we might need your help again to suppress them in the future."

Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly and replied, "I need a large barrel of scalding hot water right now. I have my own medicinal ingredients, and I need to soak for at lease a couple of hours. I need to recuperate first."

Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and said, "Yes, it's only right for you to rest. I'll order my subordinates to organize this right away. Young Master Chen, your health is the most important thing; it's definitely the most important thing. The safety of the more than a hundred thousand residents in Blusher Prefecture is all up to you now, Young Master Chen. We definitely can't allow any mishap to occur. I'll get someone to prepare a tub of hot water for you right away..."

Prefectural Overseer Liu briskly walked away. The fourth-rank official of Colorful Garment Nation hadn't spoken in an ambiguous or subtle manner. Instead, he had been extremely straightforward with Chen Ping'an.

No matter how unfamiliar Chen Ping'an was with the imperial court or officialdom, he was still able to easily understand Prefectural Overseer Liu's intention. He couldn't pat his chest and promise anything, but at the same time, he also couldn't turn around and leave at this critical moment. He could only smile bitterly and remain silent.

Apart from delivering the sword to Ning Yao, Chen Ping'an treated everything else with an attitude that could be described with four words — act within my abilities.

He had dealt with the golden city god, Shen Wen, in this manner, and he was going to deal with the prefectural overseer of Blusher Prefecture in the same manner.

In the end, Chen Ping'an climbed into a large tub of medicinal water in a quiet and elegant room. These medicinal ingredients were from Wei Bo; the formal mountain god had given him three portions before he left Dragon Spring Prefecture. Wei Bo naturally could have given him more. The mountain god had enough silver, and the Cloth Wrapper Shop also had enough natural treasures. However, Wei Bo hadn't purchased more portions than necessary.

At the time, he had joked that purchasing more would be a bad omen. After all, giving Chen Ping'an too many portions of medicinal ingredients would be akin to wishing him bad luck. He wished that Chen Ping'an would have a safe and smooth sailing journey, where he didn't get wounded more than three times. Giving him three portions of medicinal ingredients was a form of wishing him good luck.

Chen Ping'an asked Prefectural Overseer Liu to keep things a secret for him when he entered the room with the prepared tub of hot water. He didn't want others to find out that he was a so-called sword immortal. Prefectural Overseer Liu happily agreed to his request. In fact, it was almost as if he wanted to make a vow.

Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and replied in a solemn voice, "Please rest assured, Daoist Chong Miao. Even if I'm not holding office in Blusher Prefecture in the future, I'll still inform the new prefectural overseer of the events that occurred today. I'll tell them about your contributions to Blusher Prefecture. Whatever the means, I'll definitely ensure the safety of your family."

Daoist Chong Miao cupped his fists with much difficulty. He then turned to the young Daoist priest, Zhang Shanfeng. The rims of the young boy's eyes were slightly red. Daoist Chong Miao smiled and said, "Zhang Shan, if it weren't for you being foolish and rushing in with no regard for your own safety, perhaps I would have been killed by them right there and then. Not only that, but the demonic cultivator might have fled as well. If it weren't for you, how could I have performed the great feat of killing a demonic cultivator...?"

The old Daoist priest started to cough. His coughing became increasingly severe, and everyone persuaded him not to speak anymore.

"Old Daoist priest, should I get someone to call your descendants and juniors over?" Xu Yuanxia asked in a soft voice.

Daoist Chong Miao nodded in reply.

Prefectural Overseer Liu immediately went over to talk to his subordinates, telling them to inform the close relatives of Daoist Chong Miao about the situation as quickly as possible.

While he still had some energy and consciousness, Daoist Chong Miao silently calculated the time it would take for his descendants to rush over here. He then quietly rested for a while before looking around at everyone and slowly saying with a smile, "I'm actually well aware of the fact that you guys held contempt toward my decision to take advantage of the dire situation for personal gains before. However, business is business, and cultivators shouldn't be ashamed of talking about money or trying to make a profit. There's nothing we can do about this.

"As wandering cultivators with no powerful sect of backer to support and protect us, we can only rely on ourselves to make money and fight for those slivers of opportunities. If we don't fight for these things, what else can we do?"

The old Daoist priest fell silent again after saying this. He appeared to be in a reverie, as if he were thinking about the glory and humiliation of his life.

He pushed aside these thoughts after a long while, and he suddenly sighed with emotion and remarked, "We have to do business, but as human cultivators, we also have to act human, don't we?"

He chuckled to himself, which triggered a coughing fit.

"However, maybe it's because of my poor aptitude and my early realization that I'm unable to attain the Great Dao that I have such naive and laughable thoughts. How can genuine cultivators from the mountains coat themselves in the stench of copper coins? And why would they concern themselves with the lives and sufferings of mortal humans from outside the mountains?"

The old man dazedly stared in the direction of the door, seemingly searching for the familiar figures of his descendants. "I've been referred to as Daoist Chong Miao for all this time, yet I've ultimately been unable to hear others respectfully refer to me as Spiritual Master Chong Miao. Such a shame! Such a great shame!" he murmured.

Upon expressing his disappointment, it was as if his entire aura collapsed at the same time. His vision became blurry, and his breathing became extremely feeble. His voice was barely audible as he murmured, "Why are they still not here...?"

In the end, the old man was unable to hold on until his family hurried over. He passed away with his back slumped on the chair.

He hadn't been especially discontent or regretful in death, but he hadn't been able to close his eyes in peace either. He had simply appeared like an old man peering into the distance, straining in an attempt to see something but failing to see it clearly.

Everyone fell silent.

Chen Ping'an walked over and helped to clean the blood from Daoist Chong Miao's face.

Soon after he finished this, the descendants from Daoist Chong Miao's family finally rushed over. There were more than a dozen of them, and there was a mixture of young, elderly, men, and women. Prefectural Overseer Liu roughly recounted the situation to them. Of course, he also told them about his promise to the old Daoist priest.

Daoist Chong Miao's eldest son was a middle-aged man with a large belly, and he naturally expressed deep gratitude toward Prefectural Overseer Liu. Meanwhile, most of the women in the family were sobbing in grief.

However, a little boy who was a tad over 10 years old suddenly charged forward and furiously roared, "Why did only my grandpa die?!"

There was rage and resentment on the little boy's face, and his gaze was like that of a jackal as he widened his eyes and roared, "Answer me!"

Xu Yuanxia furrowed his brows.

Zhang Shanfeng turned around to look at the pale old man who had already passed away. He sighed to himself. There were times when giving a truthful answer would be even more hurtful.

In the beginning, the old Daoist priest had actually wanted to obtain all of the battle merit for himself. It was because of this that he had fallen prey to the demonic cultivator who had purposely shown himself weak. He had rashly advanced and fallen into grave danger. If it hadn't been for him and Xu Yuanxia risking their lives, the outcome would have been even worse.

However, while it was true that Daoist Chong Miao had his personal interests, this was nothing more than human nature. He had fought from last night all the way until today morning, and all the way until his heroic death. This definitely couldn't be explained as simply doing business. As a resident of Blusher Prefecture, the old Daoist priest definitely wouldn't have fought for his hometown with his life on the line if he hadn't felt a sincere attachment to this place from the bottom of his heart.

Human emotions and worldly affairs were the most difficult things to explain using reason.

Wanting to to break down all matters and explain them using reason was like attempting to separate alcohol from liquor. It would become bland and tasteless.

The utterly enraged little boy pointed at everyone and yelled, "All of you are murderers!"

The middle-aged man with a large belly, the eldest son of Daoist Chong Miao, hurriedly told his wife to drag their crazed son away. He then apologized to Prefectural Overseer Liu and the others.

Prefectural Overseer Liu appeared unfazed, and he replied that one shouldn't take offense at a child's babble. In fact, he even apologized to the middle-aged man, saying that it was his dereliction of duty as the prefectural overseer that had led to this situation. He expressed a feeling of guilt and shame toward Daoist Chong Miao's family, and he said that it was his actions that had led to the loss of a strong pillar of their family. He also promised them that he would personally visit their residence to apologize.

However, no one knew what Prefectural Overseer Liu was truly thinking in his mind. Would the relationship forged by Daoist Chong Miao with the prefectural office be tainted because of this? Heavens knew.

And thus, it was often said that it was up to destiny whether one could obtain the blessings passed down by their ancestors or not. Some people could grab it with both hands, while some people could only watch it slip through their fingers. Some people could grab an entire handful, while some people could only grab a small sliver.

Very often, the person involved would be completely oblivious to all of these mystical happenings. They could only act according to their instincts and true nature.

1. Famille rose (French for "pink family") is a type of Chinese porcelain introduced in the 18th century and defined by pink overglaze enamel. ?

2. A traditional Chinese string instrument. ?

3. Chun Shui's name literally means "spring water" (春水). The Qiu in Qiu Shi's name literally means autumn. ?