Chapter 339 (2): Strange Person, Strange Dream

Chapter 339 (2): Strange Person, Strange Dream

Chen Ping'an started to mull over his northward journey in Parasol Leaf Continent. The immortal ferry station that had an intercontinental ship to Eastern Treasured Vial Continent's Old Dragon City was located in the northern region of the Great Quan Empire, after all, so he would have to travel an extra one or two thousand kilometers if he decided to take a detour.

He had offended the third prince of the Great Quan Empire already, and the hostility between them was so severe that it would potentially lead to death for one party. If Chen Ping'an were the third prince, he wouldn't allow himself to directly swagger north either.

The third prince had indeed suffered a great loss at the hands of Chen Ping'an and Noble Scholar Zhong Kui from the Great Subduing Academy. However, he was someone who could lead an army on a long trek into the heart of enemy territory and capture a commandery governor and destroy a water god temple, so he would most likely cause many troubles for Chen Ping'an even if he didn't go as far as to fight him to the death.

If the situation truly called for it, then Chen Ping'an would have no option but to take a detour.

Ignoring Pei Qian who was "in seclusion" on the same floor, there was also Wei Xian currently sitting in his room and flicking through a random book that he had purchased from Fox Town. The founding emperor of Southern Garden Nation didn't mistreat himself, and both meat and wine were sitting on the table in front of him.

There was also the Militarian armor pellet. Wei Xian had carefully examined it for half a day after his battle with the Qi refiners. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration at the divine skills of the Qi refiners in Majestic World, and at the same time, he was also astonished by the natural treasures that existed in this world. It was simply unfathomable.

Further down the hallway, Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian had his hands clasped behind his hunched back as he strolled in circles around the table in his room.

Next door, Lu Baixiang was standing in front of the window and gazing into the distance. Halting Snow, which Chen Ping'an had temporarily left with him, was hanging by his waist. It was said that this was an immortal relic left behind by a Nascent Tier earth immortal. Indeed, this wasn't something that the so-called divine weapons in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land could compare to.

Sui Youbian was sitting cross-legged on her bed, practicing a breathing technique. Meanwhile, Deep Infatuation was resting on the table nearby.

Chen Ping'an took out one of the now-blank picture scrolls, and was reminded of the fleeting killing intent that he had sensed that night. A bitter smile involuntarily spread across his face.

One should never intend to do harm to others, but one should always remain guarded against the ill intentions of others.

Night arrived, and Chen Ping'an walked downstairs to eat dinner. Of the four people from the picture scrolls, only Zhu Lian came down at the same time to sit together with Chen Ping'an. Lu Baixiang and the others didn't leave their rooms. As for Pei Qian, she also remained inside her room the entire time, not making a single peep. After having dinner, Chen Ping'an went outside by himself and slowly walked along the official road that led to Fox Town.

After walking along the uneven dirt road filled with potholes for a while, Chen Ping'an turned his head to glance at the west. He then turned around and walked back to the inn.

He arrived at the inn at almost the exact same time as another group of people. To his surprise, it was the wounded clan leader of the Yao Clan, Great General Yao Zhen, as well as the young boy who had accompanied him in the deadly battle against the assassins. In addition, there was also Yao Lingzhi, the young martial arts prodigy who had personally experienced the intense battle in the inn. Beside them was another young girl wearing a veiled hat.

Apart from the four of them, there were also another five or six cavalrymen that stood behind them. However, these people didn't belong to the Yao Clan's border army, and were instead accompanying cultivators who didn't need to explicitly wear armor. Back in the Great Li Empire, cultivators from the mountains who decided to join the army would be referred to as martial secretaries.

Upon seeing Chen Ping'an dressed in azure robes today, the listless old general who had insisted on personally coming to the inn immediately dismounted his horse and briskly walked over to the young boy. He cupped his fists in gratitude and said, "Thank you for saving the Yao Clan twice, we're forever grateful to you! We've especially come to visit our benefactor today, so please accept a bow from me!"

The old man was just about to bow deeply to Chen Ping'an, so Chen Ping’an had no option but to grab Yao Zhen's arms, preventing him from bowing in utmost respect.

However, Chen Ping'an could only stop Yao Zhen, but he couldn't stop the other members of the Yao Clan as well as the accompanying Qi refiners from bowing to him in unison.

Old General Yao was especially pale, yet he possessed a frankness that had been cut out and tempered by his many years on the battlefield. He asked in a straightforward manner, "How should my Yao Clan repay you?"

Seeing Chen Ping'an remain silent, the old man smiled and added, "We're not devaluing your sense of chivalry and righteousness. Rather, the Yao Clan's border army won't have the face to display the character 'Yao' on our military banners anymore if we simply ignore such a huge debt of gratitude."

Chen Ping'an didn't hold back anymore, and he asked, "Old General Yao, do you have any way of allowing me to escape the sights of the imperial court and travel to Heavenly Palace Peak in the north?"

"How many companions are traveling with you, Benefactor?" Yao Zhen asked.

Chen Ping'an initially wanted to reply "six," yet he immediately caught himself and said, "Five."

Yao Zhen pondered for a moment before nodding and replying, "Leave it to me! If you trust the Yao Clan, then please wait here for a few days. We'll definitely help you and your five companions reach Heavenly Palace Peak safe and sound."

"Will this cause any trouble for you and the Yao Clan?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Yao Zhen laughed heartily and replied, "We've already survived the most catastrophic trouble, so nothing can be regarded as troublesome anymore."

The old general was extremely relaxed as he spoke these words. Even though his wounds were quite serious, and they had been further worsened due to the bumpy ride to the inn, there was a strong sense of relief in his words.

However, everyone standing behind Yao Zhen was feeling extremely solemn, with strong expressions of unwillingness on their faces.

Yao Zhen appeared reluctant to enter the inn, so he suggested that Chen Ping'an accompany him along the official road for a while. Chen Ping'an naturally had no qualms with this, and the two of them walked a dozen or so paces in front of everyone else as Yao Zhen revealed a secret, explaining, "I don't dare to deceive you, Benefactor. I've fought on the battlefield for many years, so the emperor has bestowed a favor on me and allowed me to enter the capital to enjoy my old age. He's bestowed me with the position of head minister of the Ministry of War.

"I can bring one hundredfamily members and subordinates with me, so you and your companions can naturally follow me as part of this group. I need to spend a few days with the military to organize a suitable identity for you and your companions. Truth be told, the imperial court will definitely examine the identities of these hundred people very carefully. They'll interrogate everyone one by one. Since this is the case, you and your companions will have to tolerate this for a bit, Benefactor."

Old General Yao felt slightly guilty and apologetic.

After contemplating this for a while, Chen Ping'an nodded and agreed to Yao Zhen's plan.

Being able to accompany Old General Yao to the capital would also allow Chen Ping'an to rest easier.

In reality, the old general's first two sentences hadn't complied with the unspoken rules of the imperial court. Entering the capital to assume the position of head minister of the Ministry of War was a straight transfer. In fact, it definitely couldn't be regarded as a demotion.

The head minister of the Ministry of War was an integral and dignified position in the Great Quan Empire, and a position that many great generals dreamed of obtaining. To Yao Zhen, however, the day that he dismounted his horse and shed his armor was the day that he would start to enjoy old age.

Moreover, leaving the southern region where the Yao Clan had lived for generations and traveling to the capital to serve could also be viewed as uprooting and leaving his ancestral home. With Yao Zhen's old age and his status as the backbone of the southern region of the Great Quan Empire, Emperor Liu Zhen's decision to transfer him to the capital was something that was worth pause and rumination for those in the imperial court.

Yao Zhen fell silent for a moment before continuing, "This outcome is already quite good."

However, the young woman couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, you don't blame Ninth Aunt and her husband at all?"

The old man didn't reply.

Riding through the night, Yao Zhen suddenly chuckled and asked, "I heard you mention something once before, saying that there are people who are composed and ambitious, people who are intelligent and shrewd, and people who are honest and upright. How were these qualities ranked again?"[1]

The young woman was slightly puzzled, unsure of why her grandpa was suddenly mentioning this matter. However, she still replied, "They're ranked first, third, and second, respectively."

"Then how would you rank our benefactor?" Yao Zhen asked with a smile.

The young woman shook her head and replied, "I don't dare to rashly judge our benefactor."

Old General Yao nodded in response before turning his head and saying, "Jinzhi, you shouldn't follow me to Mirage City. Are you not going to reconsider this? It's not too late to turn back now."

Yao Jinzhi smiled and replied, "Since the fortune teller said..."

Before she could finish speaking, however, Yao Zhen shot a glare at her and exclaimed, "Don't say it! You can't reveal the fortune teller's divination. When we arrive in the capital, it's even more important that you don't reveal the fortune teller's words!"

Yao Jinzhi smiled innocently as she pulled the thin veil back over her face, hiding her breathtaking beauty.

Two days peacefully passed by in the inn and Fox Town.

Pei Qian seldom left her room, and she would purposely avoid Chen Ping'an when she came out to forage for food.

During this time, Chen Ping'an would often sit on the door threshold and drink with Zhong Kui. The noble scholar said that he needed to keep an eye on Fox Town. However, this wasn't the most important thing. Rather, the most important thing was his ability to see Jiu Niang every day.

Chen Ping'an asked him why he liked Jiu Niang so much. Zhong Kui mulled over this for a long time, yet he could only conclude that he was inexplicably attracted to her.

Chen Ping'an jokingly asked Zhong Kui how much he liked Jiu Niang, to which Zhong Kui sighed and replied that he only liked her a moderate amount. He wasn't head over heels for her. Because of this, he always felt a nagging sense of guilt toward Jiu Niang.

Chen Ping'an was rendered speechless.

This noble scholar was a strange person.

Before the Yao Clan's convoy arrived at the inn and asked Chen Ping'an and his companions to set off for the capital together, Sui Youbian knocked on Chen Ping'an's door and said that someone had asked her to deliver a message to him.

The two of them sat opposite each other, and Sui Youbian slowly said, "After reconstructing your bridge of immortality, you'll need to refine five immortal treasures if you want to advance to the Upper Five Tiers. These immortal treasures need to correspond to the five elements and replenish each of them to a satisfactory degree. The higher grade the immortal treasures that you refine are, the higher your cultivation potential will naturally become."

"For example?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Sui Youbian had seemingly anticipated this question. More accurately, the person who had asked her to deliver this message to Chen Ping'an had considered everything and covered all bases. Sui Youbian essentially repeated that person's explanation word for word as she replied, "For example, the metal element can come from a bag of gold essence copper coins or a golden scholarly core; the wood element can come from Jewel Small World's locust wood or Azure Divine Mountain's divine bamboo; the water element can come from a water seal; the earth element can come from a Dragon Slaying Platform or soil from the Great Li Empire's Five Mountains; and the fire element can come from some certain snake gall pebbles or even a fire dragon bracelet."

In the end, Sui Youbian added, "These are only examples. In terms of what you actually refine, how you refine them, and when you refine them, that's entirely up to Young Master to decide."

After Sui Youbian left, Chen Ping'an closed the door and started to practice standing meditation.

On this night, Chen Ping'an used Eternity, the sleeping meditation technique, to fall deep asleep. He had a strange dream, and in his dream, a bloodied person with dismembered arms blocked his path. The person was bent over with his back facing Chen Ping'an, and he was holding the hilt of his saber in his mouth in an inconceivable saber stance.

When Chen Ping'an woke up and opened his eyes, he tried his best to recall the details of this strange dream. However, he could only muster some vague recollections of that fuzzy back.

Chen Ping'an was feeling a little puzzled as he lay in bed, and it was also at this moment that an adult and a little child were building a small dirt mound far away from the inn. They were none other than Zhong Kui and Pei Qian. The former was squatting there and watching on, while the latter was filling in a pit before adding more soil on top. She built a small dirt mound that looked much like a tomb, and she even found a thin slab of stone to stick in front of the "tomb."

After successfully completing this huge job, the skinny little girl turned her muddied face to Zhong Kui and said in a solemn voice, "This is Chen Ping'an's tomb. From today onward, both of us will need to come here every year to pay our respects!"

"What's this all about?" Zhong Kui asked in bewilderment.

Pei Qian plonked down on the ground and crossed her arms in front of her chest before gritting her teeth and replying, "Chen Ping'an is dead to me!"

"Oh, so that's how it is. In that case, this small tomb can be regarded as a cenotaph," Zhong Kui remarked.[2]

"What does that mean?" asked Pei Qian with a frown.

Zhong Kui rested his chin on his arms as he dazedly stared at the mini tombstone in front of the small tomb. In reality, however, he was observing Pei Qian's bright eyes out of the corner of his eyes.

The noble scholar was contemplating something, as if he had come to some sort of realization.

1. These categorizations were made by Lü Kun, an official and philosopher from the Ming Dynasty. ☜

2. A cenotaph is a placeholder tomb, i.e. the person is not actually buried there. ☜