Chapter 272: Listen to Me, Chen Ping'an

Chapter 272: Listen to Me, Chen Ping'an

In reality, Chen Ping'an was slightly surprised by this situation. It was very rare for people to speak the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in Stalactite Mountain. However, after traveling around the world for so long, Chen Ping'an also understood some basic etiquette. He knew that Buddhist monks didn't mention their names and Daoist priests didn't talk about their ages, so rashly asking others about their backgrounds also seemed to be quite inappropriate.

Chen Ping'an led the couple into the Sword Reverence Pagoda, repeating to them what Jin Su had told him. Moreover, Chen Ping'an had always had a good memory, so when it came to the replica swords and picture scrolls of the sword immortals that he had gone to the effort to remember, he could immediately introduce their names as well as their basic history.

While taking the couple around, Chen Ping'an also developed another thought. Since he had used a sword before, he might as well stay in Stalactite Mountain for a while longer. He could use this time to go around the Sword Reverence Pagoda and record information about the sword immortals and immortal swords that he felt a connection to. He would bring these back to the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, and he could go through them whenever he felt bored in the future.

This would be similar to those small bamboo slips on which he had engraved beautiful lines of poetry and profound teachings of wisdom. Chen Ping'an would sometimes place them under the sun, and even looking at them from a distance would make him feel especially warm and comfortable. It was as if the sun weren't shining on the small bamboo slips and the engraved characters, but shining on his heart instead.

While recording the information, he could also use the opportunity to practice his handwriting. However, he was unsure of how much calligraphy brushes, ink, and paper cost in Stalactite Mountain. Would they be very expensive?

The woman smiled and praised, "Your memory is quite good."

Chen Ping'an paused his thoughts and cracked a grin. This kind of ability was nothing in the mountains. Indeed, this woman was definitely being polite with him.

In reality, Chen Ping'an was genuinely underestimating himself this time. This was because the couple had already confirmed that the young boy would be filled with confidence and certainty every time he set his eyes on a replica sword. This was a case of his heart arriving at the swords before his eyes arrived.

This phenomenon related to a famous bottleneck for sword cultivators, and this bottleneck was something that would determine a sword cultivator's ultimate potential. Would they end up as a minor sword cultivator whose heart was restricted by their flying sword, or would they become a great sword immortal who could command a myriad kinds of sword intent?

After making their way through more than half of the display rooms, Chen Ping'an was still filled with patience and interest as he followed the couple around. The two were both looking at the displays very carefully. After roughly explaining the history of the Sword Reverence Pagoda to the couple, he intended to let them go by themselves and look at whichever sword immortal or immortal sword struck their fancy. However, the woman would still chat with Chen Ping'an from time to time, so the young boy decided to continue following them around.

The man had barely spoken the entire time, but he suddenly said, "I'll go ahead first and wait for you guys to catch up."

The woman nodded and didn't think much about this, and she continued to chat with Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an had visited the Sword Reverence Pagoda only once, and he was actually quite unfamiliar with the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall apart from these renowned sword immortals honored in the display rooms. Surprisingly, it was this woman who was visiting for the first time who spoke eloquently and recounted the legends and achievements of many sword immortals.

For example, she talked about the founding ancestor with the surname Dong. His sword was called "Three Corpses," but this wasn't because he believed in Daoism. Instead, this was because he had once charged into the belly of the demonic world by himself, slaying three great demons at the Upper Five Tiers along the way. The Dong Clan had risen in status in the Sword Qi Great Wall because of this, and almost all of the subsequent clan leaders of the Dong Clan had personally slain great demons at the Unpolished Jade Tier or even Immortal Tier...

Since they were talking about the Dong Clan, the woman eagerly brought Chen Ping'an along as they looked for the replica sword, "Bamboo Case." The owner of this sword was a clan rejuvenation ancestor of the Dong Clan. Back then, the Dong Clan had been facing a decreasing population and a lack of incense. The clan leader had also been severely wounded and killed by a great demon, and the Dong Clan had been in a situation where the young couldn't replace the old.

It was at that moment that a young Golden Core Tier sword cultivator from the clan had resolutely stepped forward and taken the ancestral "Three Meters Tall" with him as he retraced the demon-slaying path walked by their founding ancestor. Facing doubt from everyone, the sword cultivator had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall with his sword after being away for more than two centuries.

He had carried a bamboo case on his back, inside which rested the head of a 13th tier great demon. Before ascending the city wall, he had used Three Meters Tall, which was already on the verge of shattering, to engrave the character "Dong" on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Afterward, this person had forged a new sword and named it Bamboo Case.

From that time onward, the Dong Clan became one of the most influential clans in the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Through their conversation, the woman eventually learned that the young boy had the surname Chen. Upon learning this, she smiled and asked Chen Ping'an whether he had taken notice of the sword called "Mountain Flying Over."Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

A bashful smile appeared on Chen Ping'an's face, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. This was because the owner of this strangely named sword was a sword immortal with the surname Chen. However, it was also because of this that Chen Ping'an had paid particular attention to this sword and remembered it very well.

In fact, Chen Ping'an would very carefully remember the sword immortal and their immortal sword as long as the sword immortal had the surname Chen. If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't learned how to paint, nor did he have painting masters like those on Osmanthus Island beside him to learn from, Chen Ping'an would have genuinely wanted to record the appearances of these sword immortals and bring them back to Downtrodden Mountain as well.

Afterward, the woman smiled and picked a few sword immortals with the surname Chen to talk about, telling their soul-stirring stories to Chen Ping'an.

When someone verbally told these stories, as opposed to reading a few concise and ice-cold words from a sign, the stories would often become far more spectacular and moving. They would become like monuments standing beside the long river of time; they would become like rows of willow trees under which future generations could stand under and enjoy shade. Amid this shade, one could witness the howling wind and destructive rain lashing the world beyond the protection of the trees; one could experience the turbulence and chaos ravaging those periods in history.

Chen Ping'an, who had already decided not to drink again in the future, involuntarily started to drink again.

Not being liked by the girl whom he liked was a very heart-breaking matter. However, the sky hadn't collapsed, so life would still go on as always.

This was a realization that Chen Ping'an had suddenly come to after entering the Sword Reverence Pagoda again.

However, after learning about the incredible feats of so many sword immortals, Chen Ping'an wouldn't turn around and dismiss his heart-breaking experience as a trivial and insignificant matter.

To the young boy, this felt even more painful than those torturous training sessions in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain.

The two types of pain were completely different. One was transient, and it would disappear after he endured through it.

However, one was intransient, and it felt like something that might not be overcome in a day, a month, a year, a hundred years, or even an entire lifetime.

Strangest of all, Chen Ping'an felt even greater pain when he considered the possibility that one day in the future, he might like a different girl.

The books said that using wine to drown one's sorrows would only lead to more sorrows. Thus, Chen Ping'an had been too afraid to drink wine just then.

Before he knew it, it went from him taking the couple around to the woman describing the sword immortals and immortal swords to him in great detail. Everything flowed naturally, and neither of them felt like this was inappropriate.

Chen Ping'an then saw the man standing at the doorway of the last display room and smiling as he looked at the two of them.

The man didn't like to speak, and he had only sized up Chen Ping'an a few times when walking with him just then.

After entering the last display room, the woman exclaimed in astonishment when they walked over to Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove, two neighboring swords. "Why is there no picture scroll for these two sword immortals? I heard that the owner of Dogwood Cherry was a very handsome man!"

Chen Ping'an could feel sweat forming on his forehead, and he carefully stole a glance at the middle-aged man standing beside him. He dearly hoped that the man wouldn't do anything stupid out of jealousy.

Unexpectedly, however, the man immediately returned serve, saying, "The lady who owned Restful Bamboo Grove was also a stunning beauty, the kind rarely seen in the world."

Chen Ping'an instantly wanted to defend the woman against this injustice. So what if she made a joke? As a man, he needed to be more magnanimous. How could he give tit for tat?

The woman rolled her eyes at her husband. She then smiled at Chen Ping'an and said, "Thank you for showing us around the Sword Reverence Pagoda."

Chen Ping'an shook his hands and said, "No problem, no problem. I also like wandering around in here, and I'll still be visiting over the next few days."

The man narrowed his eyes and asked, "I heard that there was a little idiot in the Sword Reverence Pagoda who liked to wipe away the spittle on these two replica swords and sword stands. That little idiot wasn't you, was it?"

Chen Ping'an wasn't willing to complicate matters, so he purposely put on a baffled expression as he vigorously shook his hands. "No, that definitely wasn't me. How could I possibly be so stupid?"

The woman subtly stomped on the back of the man's foot. She then looked at Chen Ping'an and said, "We're about to leave. Do you want to leave with us?"

"By the looks of it, you're also someone who likes to drink. Do you want to have a drink?" the man suddenly asked. "I know a good place that has cheap and good-quality wine. Moreover, it only serves friends of the shop."

Chen Ping'an shook his head in response.

"You should accept the offer and have a drink if someone invites you," the man huffed. "You're still afraid of people with ulterior motives in Stalactite Mountain? In any case, do my wife and I look like bad people? Do we look like people who will covet your crappy sword and crappy Sword Nurturing Gourd?"

Chen Ping'an felt a little awkward.

This man was far too frank and straightforward. His wife grumbled, "Hmph, who told me they hated forced drinking the most?"

The man didn't dare to argue with his wife, so he could only shoot a glare at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an cracked a beaming smile at the woman.

The man became increasingly ruffled, but he was already being dragged toward the entrance by his wife.

The three of them exited the Sword Reverence Pagoda together and walked down the steps.

Chen Ping'an carefully took a small sip of wine. There was no strong taste, and the wine was only slightly more potent than osmanthus wine. However, it couldn't be considered so potent that it burned one's throat and intestines. Chen Ping'an took two more sips, and his throat and stomach were still completely unaffected. He finally felt at ease. This Forgetting Sorrow Wine was most likely special in some other mystical manner, not in its taste.

After two large bowls each, the jar of wine quickly reached its bottom.

The woman turned around with a smile and asked the old shopkeeper for another jar of wine. The old man sighed as he looked at the smiling woman, and he personally went to grab them another two jars of wine. After gently placing the jars on the table, he said, "These three jars of wine are on me. You don't need to pay for them."

Chen Ping'an's face was flushed red because of the wine, but his head felt especially spacious and clear as if he weren't drunk at all. He didn't act drunk either. However, he could clearly feel that he was becoming a little tipsy.

After drinking some wine, he wanted to say some things.

Just like those wine burps, holding them in actually did no good at all. It was ultimately better to let them out.

In the beginning, the man lowered his head and focused on drinking. From time to time, he would look up with an adrift expression and gaze outside the wine shop.

Meanwhile, the woman seemingly enjoyed chatting with Chen Ping'an. They chatted about the young boy's hometown, and they chatted about his two distant journeys.

Since Chen Ping'an wasn't drunk, he consciously picked the people and matters that he could talk about.

After a while, they somehow started to talk about that young girl.

Chen Ping'an, who decided he would stop drinking after four large bowls, quietly poured himself another bowl of wine. However, he still didn't talk about his sword delivery to Stalactite Mountain. He simply said that he needed to deal with some matters, so he had left home to come to Stalactite Mountain. There was coincidentally a young girl whom he was acquainted with living in the Sword Qi Great Wall, so the two of them had eventually come across each other in Stalactite Mountain. Their encounter was as simple as this.

The woman smiled faintly and asked, "Then you walked a long way to get here?"

Chen Ping'an raised his bowl and pondered for a moment. He then shook his head and replied, "No, it wasn't far at all. I thought to myself that each step would lead me closer, so this distance didn't feel far anymore."

The man smiled coldly and questioned, "How long have you known that young girl for? How long have you spent with her? Yet, you keep saying that you like her already? Isn't this behavior a little too frivolous?"

Chen Ping'an didn't know how to respond, so he could only reply with a glum expression, "I can't control who I like. If you feel like I'm frivolous, then you're free to think what you want. I won't try to convince you otherwise."

The man humphed coldly, most likely hurt by Chen Ping'an's words as well. Most importantly, the young boy had spoken in a very sincere manner.

Who knew, maybe the rumors in the mountains were true. When drinking the Forgetting Sorrow Wine, one becomes their truthful self.

"And then you were rejected by the young girl? Don't be discouraged. Have you heard that a chance encounter between some people is destined to be positive, while a reunion between them will be even better?" the woman consoled.

Chen Ping'an drank a large mouthful of wine. He felt slightly drunk and hazy, but his eyes were still especially bright and limpid, just like water flowing down a serene spring, carrying with it happiness, sadness, disappointment, and affection. Moreover, these were all pure and unsullied emotions. The young boy shook his head and replied, "If I like someone, then I have to make her happy. If I'm adamant that someone has to be with me if I like them, then can this still be considered liking them?"

Tears streamed down the young boy's face after he said this, and he continued, "However, even though I say this, I'm still incredibly sad right now. In fact, I want the entire Stalactite Mountain and the entire Majestic World to know that I like that girl. And I hope that she, that one girl, will also like me..."

In the end, Chen Ping'an genuinely became drunk, so much so that he forgot how many large bowls of wine he had drunk. He rested his head on the table and continued to murmur.

In fact, he even forgot how he had argued and even fought with that man.

This was like a dream, yet he was seemingly aware of everything; this was like sleep, yet he was seemingly awake and conscious. In a fit of rage, he had seemingly shot from the fourth tier of martial arts to the seventh tier of martial arts as well, forever losing the fated opportunity to become the most powerful fourth tier martial artist. The woman seemingly asked him, "Is it worth it to abandon your martial arts potential for the sake of fighting for the justice of a girl's parents? How will you become the most powerful sword immortal great sword immortal in the future?"

At the time, Chen Ping'an's reply was, "Liking a girl doesn't stop with simply saying so. If I don't do this today and let's pretend that the two of you are Ning Yao's parents do you feel like I, Chen Ping'an, will sacrifice important things for your daughter when I become a rich and high-tier great sword immortal in the future? No... That kind of affection can't be considered deep affection. It's definitely a lie from the very beginning..."

Chen Ping'an couldn't remember any of this.

The old shopkeeper was calm and unfazed.

Through tens of thousands of years, he was already accustomed to seeing all kinds of people and human emotions.

By contrast, the young shop attendant sat nearby and listened with relish.

In the end, Chen Ping'an eventually fell asleep in a drunken state. The man glanced at the young boy and took a sip of wine. "I still don't like this young boy blockheaded, idiotic, dull, not dashing enough, not courageous enough, only mediocre talent, a so-so disposition, and a very stubborn temper. If he gets into an argument with our daughter in the future, and if both of them are unwilling to take a step back, what will happen then? With our daughter's personality, will she possibly yield and apologize?"

The woman smiled in amusement and replied, "Apologize? So you're aware that our daughter will most likely be the one in the wrong? You're aware that the young boy will always try to satisfy her needs?"

The man felt slightly guilty, so he huffed and didn't say anything else.

The woman suddenly smiled and added, "Oh, I recall you also said that he isn't dashing enough. Dashing in the sense of scholars and literati, or dashing in the sense of attracting other women?"

There was concealed killing intent.

A brilliant thought suddenly occurred to the man, and even he felt impressed by his own quick thinking. He raised his wine bowl and said in a proud manner, "Dashing in the sense of carving characters onto the Sword Qi Great Wall!"

The woman smiled in reply.

The man chuckled dryly, and he found a path on which to retreat. "In fact, that silly boy is quite a good person. Our daughter genuinely needs to find someone like him."

There was a warm smile on the woman's face as she gazed outside the wine shop. "Sorry," she suddenly murmured.

The man beside her, their daughter Ning Yao, the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Majestic World...

She was sorry to all of them.

The husband and wife both used some illusion technique, disappearing from view after Chen Ping'an became drunk and unconscious.

The girl that Chen Ping'an liked looked a bit like him, and also a bit like her.

The man gently grabbed his wife's hand and said, "We're only sorry to our daughter. We don't need to apologize to anyone else."

A dazzling smile suddenly appeared on his face as he looked at Chen Ping'an, and he remarked, "Our daughter's judgment is truly very impressive."

"Just like mine," the woman nodded and said with a smile.

The man suddenly felt a little exasperated, and he complained, "Is it really that difficult for our silly daughter to say those words?"

"Of course it's very difficult," the woman replied with a nod. "If a girl likes a boy, will she want the boy to like someone who will eventually die on the battlefield?"

The man slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Good heavens! How bloody complicated!"

In the Sword Qi Great Wall, on a stone cliff that was actually a Dragon Slaying Platform...

A young girl lay there and silently murmured, "Listen to me, Chen Ping'an, I don't dislike you."

1. A line from the 'Three Character Classic,' a classic Chinese text and an embodiment of Confucianism suitable for teaching young children.

Johnchen and Flying Dumpling's Thoughts

What do you think will happen to Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao?