Chapter 371: First Month of the Year

Chapter 371: First Month of the Year

Following Li Er's visit, the situation in Old Dragon City was clarified even further. Even though he had only paid a brief visit to Dust Medicinal Shop, the fact that a tenth tier martial artist had visited the shop at all was a resounding statement in itself.

Perhaps the Sun, Ding, Fang, and Hou Clans were still oblivious to this, but everything that was going to unfold from this point onward was essentially already decided. The forces and resources of Old Dragon City would begin moving northward, getting closer and closer to the army of the Great Li Empire, which had already established itself in the central region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

In contrast, the Fu Clan, the Fan Clan, and everyone in Dust Medicinal Shop was already fully aware of this.

Not long after Li Er departed, some people from the Fan Clan came to the shop to wish everyone a happy new year, all of them familiar faces for Chen Ping'an. Of course, Fan Junmao and Fan Er had come to visit, and they were accompanied by Aunt Gui from Osmanthus Island and her only direct disciple, Jin Su, the osmanthus girl who had served Chen Ping'an during his time on the Osmanthus Island.

There was also the Golden Core Tier swordsman Ma Zhi, who had trained Chen Ping'an in the way of the sword for some time.

Aunt Gui very rarely set foot ashore Old Dragon City. Even though Osmanthus Island traveled back and forth between Old Dragon City and Stalactite Mountain twice every year, many people in the Fan Clan's ancestral hall had never even seen her once.

The old man with the title of Foot-Long Spear had thought that this was just going to be another uneventful day as usual, and he was saddened by the thought that perhaps he wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of Sui Youbian, so he was delighted to see so many women visiting the shop. He immediately began making himself useful, attending to the women diligently, bringing them beverages and snacks, and it was almost as if he had become an employee of the shop.

After making her way into the shop, Aunt Gui took a glance at the old man, who just so happened to look at her at the same time, and their eyes met momentarily. Aunt Gui gave him a polite smile before looking away again. In the eyes of the old man, Aunt Gui's looks weren't particularly exceptional, but she was a very kind and elegant woman, the type that would be perfect as a wife and a mother.

It was no wonder that Jiang Shangzhen's eldest son had used his ties with Jade Tablet Sect to pressure her, hoping to purchase Osmanthus Island that traveled back and forth between Old Dragon City and Stalactite Mountain from the Fan Clan.

Aunt Gui was unable to ascertain the old man's cultivation base, but her appraisal of him was that he possessed an immaculate body, a vivacious spirit, and a supple soul. If he was truly only an earth immortal at the moment, then he surely possessed the potential to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the future.

Even among earth immortals, there were vast disparities in power and aptitude.

Chen Ping'an made his way into the shop to greet Aunt Gui in person. He had always been quite grateful to her, and it had nothing to do with her status or cultivation base.

On the way to Stalactite Mountain, Chen Ping'an had experienced a moment of empty-mindedness during the crisis that he had suffered while passing through the Flood Dragon Trench. It was a moment in which Chen Ping'an felt as if he could see into the hearts of all those around him, and it caught him completely off guard, making him feel as if this entire world was filled with evil and ill intent.

After that, he had fallen into a slight depression in his courtyard. During that dark period, he could only recall two sources of warmth and light in his life, the first of which was the artist with the Fan surname, who had drawn three paintings for him, and the second one was Aunt Gui, who was able to maintain a placid mental state even after witnessing so many facets of the world.

Fan Er excused himself to pay a visit to Zheng Dafeng's room, only to be disappointed to find that the portrait of Sui Youbian was no longer there.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an was chatting with Aunt Gui and the others in the guest hall outside.

Inside his room, Zheng Dafeng cleared his throat as he said in a serious manner, "The cultivation of the mind is just as important as the training of the body, so don't go doing such unscrupulous things anymore."

Fan Er was initially rather perplexed by Zheng Dafeng's serious demeanor, but a look of realization then immediately appeared on his face, following which he feigned an expression of shame and remorse as he said, "My artist is also partially to blame for this. My original intention was for him to create a painting of a beautiful woman in the hope that it would put you in a better mood.

“I know that you've always greatly admired Celestial Maiden Sui, and I've always wanted to do something for you as your disciple, so I gave my artist a description of Celestial Maiden Sui's stunning beauty in the hope that he would paint a flattering portrait of her..."

Zheng Dafeng was very pleased at how wise his disciple had become.

As it turned out, Sui Youbian had arrived at the entrance of Zheng Dafeng's room at some point, and she sneered, "That artist of your Fan Clan must truly be a miracle-worker to have painted such an accurate portrait of me with just a verbal description from you."

Jin Su's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

Even though she had no romantic feelings for Fan Er, he was still the undisputed heir to the leader of the Fan Clan, and Osmanthus Island was technically already under his ownership. According to Chen Ping'an, Sui Youbian was a follower of his.

To put it in a more flattering light, she was like a guest elder, but to put it more frankly, she was essentially just a servant, and in Jin Su's eyes, it was very unbecoming of a servant like her to be speaking to Fan Er like this. However, given all of the recent unrest in Old Dragon City, Aunt Gui had warned her to be very careful with her words and actions.

Hence, even though she was rather displeased by Sui Youbian's disrespectful display, she didn't say anything. Even though she was Aunt Gui's only disciple, she was well aware that there was no place for her to speak in this gathering.

Hence, she looked away from Sui Youbian and returned her attention to Chen Ping'an.

It hadn't been all that long since they last met, but in her eyes, Chen Ping'an had undergone a drastic transformation. He was no longer the little hillbilly drunkard that he once was. All of the childish immaturity about him had completely faded away, and it had been replaced by a type of... calmness and tranquility.

At this moment, he was dressed in a white robe with a white jade hairpin in his hair, and that familiar red wine gourd was still strapped to his waist. He had become a lot taller, and was seated in a very formal manner, yet somehow didn't appear rigid at all. He liked to establish eye contact with those that he was speaking to, and he constantly wore a relaxed and earnest smile.

Jin Su then noticed the dark-skinned little girl standing beside Chen Ping'an. She had a pair of very large eyes that were quickly darting from side to side, sneaking furtive glances back and forth between Jin Su and Aunt Gui.

Jin Su gave her a warm smile, and Pei Qian responded in kind.

From Pei Qian's perspective, all of these beautiful big sisters, including the likes of Yao Jin and Su Youbian, had bulging money pouches. According to Zheng Dafeng, there existed a type of spirit that was very fond of moving wealth around, and Pei Qian felt like she was a human embodiment of such a spirit.

Jin Su had no idea that she was going to encounter a little girl here, so she didn't bring any New Year's money with her. In contrast, Aunt Gui was much better prepared, bringing out an intricately stitched little perfume sachet. The perfume sachet was giving off wisps of white spiritual energy, and faint glimmers of green light could be seen flashing within it. On top of that, it was giving off a fragrant aroma, and it was clear that it was no ordinary perfume sachet.

Chen Ping'an was immediately able to guess that the sachet most likely contained a bonded osmanthus leaf from the ancestral tree on Osmanthus Island, and he immediately refused the gift. Pei Qian had become very observant at this point, and she could tell that Chen Ping'an didn't want her to accept this gift, so she shook her head and turned it down as well.

Aunt Gui insisted on giving the perfume sachet to Pei Qian as a first time meeting gift, and in the end, Chen Ping'an had no choice but to relent and tell her to accept the gift. Of course, the perfume sachet was going to be in his possession for safekeeping purposes. Pei Qian accepted the perfume sachet respectfully with both hands from Aunt Gui, then extended a bow of gratitude before wishing Aunt Gui good health and eternal youth.

Aunt Gui was very pleased with her impeccable etiquette, and she patted Pei Qian on her little head as she told her about how Chen Ping'an already had a courtyard under his name on Osmanthus Island, and that she wanted to also give Pei Qian a little vacant courtyard on the ship by the name of the Toad Palace.

Pei Qian was truly startled by this gesture.

She's giving me an entire house? Could it be that all of the older women under the heavens are extremely generous?

"Aunt Gui, I can't accept this. It's far too much," Chen Ping'an said with a wry smile.

"I'm giving the courtyard to Pei Qian, what does it have to do with you?" Aunt Gui countered with a dismissive expression.

Chen Ping'an cleared his throat, then called out in a stern voice, "Pei Qian!"

Pei Qian immediately stood up straight and declared in a tender voice, "A master for a day, a father for a lifetime. The orders of my master cannot be disobeyed. Otherwise, I'll be turning my back on the virtues of loyalty and filial piety!"

"Did you teach her that?" Aunt Gui asked as she turned to Chen Ping'an with an amused expression.

As for cultivation base... Du Mao had met his doom, and his Great Dao had completely collapsed, so it was difficult to say whether even his soul still remained. With that, the old man had become the most powerful cultivator on Parasol Leaf Continent.

Jade Tablet Sect hadn't done anything, yet the status of the number one cultivating sect on Parasol Leaf Continent had fallen onto its lap, and as the sect leader, the old man's status had naturally been even further elevated.

He was truly a lucky old man.

Huang Ting's impression of the old man was quite neutral. After all, their personalities were so vastly different from each other's that it was difficult for her to form any concrete opinions of him.

Chen Ping'an was very surprised by her visit, but she declared in a direct and straightforward manner, "By following some leads and my intuition, I found an ancient underground palace deep in an earth vein, and I was eventually able to find that Dragon Locking Platform inside, but that treacherous old ape was still nowhere to be found. It's as if he's vanished from Majestic World altogether.

“After that, I received a flying sword letter from our sect leader, telling me that there was no need to continue my search, so I returned to the sect right away. After that, we received that ancestral hall jade tablet from you. Our sect leader, Great Subduing Academy, and a Naturalist cultivator collectively arrived at the conclusion that the culprit behind the crisis in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent was none other than that Nascent Tier cultivator from our Peace and Tranquility Mountain, the one who perished while in possession of that hibiscus dao hat.

“Our Peace and Tranquility Mountain is naturally extremely embarrassed by this, and our sect leader is too ashamed to come and see you, so he asked me to make a trip to Old Dragon City in the hope that I would be able to meet you before you left. I've come here with the sole purpose of delivering an apology to you.

“We suffered severe losses during the crisis, so we really don't have any wealth to spare at the moment. Our sect leader wanted to give you some compensation, but I convinced him not to, so if you want to blame someone, then blame me, but don't denounce our sect for being stingy. Under normal circumstances, we would never do something like this."

A wry smile appeared on Huang Ting's face as she continued, "Our sect has suffered extremely severe casualties in the process of hunting down all of the demonic beings that were set free from the well prison."

"I can imagine," Chen Ping'an replied with a heavy heart.

A smile then suddenly appeared on Huang Ting's face as she continued, "Honestly, I should count our Peace and Tranquility Mountain fortunate compared to Parasol Leaf Sect. Somehow, they incurred the wrath of an almighty sword immortal that cut down Du Mao right as he was trying to ascend.

“Not long after that, a tenth-tier martial artist stormed all the way from the foot of their ancestral mountain to its summit and smashed their ancestral hall to bits. In the process, he only bothered to evade the attacks from a few of Parasol Leaf Sect's Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators, while the attacks from all of the sect's other cultivators simply bounced off his skin!

“I thoroughly enjoyed watching him, and Jiang Shangzhen of Jade Tablet Sect was even more ecstatic. In fact, he even went as far as to arrange for a ship to hover directly above Parasol Leaf Sect, and he held a celebratory banquet on the ship as he watched the tenth-tier cultivator make his way up the mountain."

Chen Ping'an hurriedly took a sip of wine to help himself suppress his own astonishment.

Meanwhile, Zheng Dafeng, Zhu Lian, and the old man were all sneaking furtive glances at Huang Ting.

In terms of looks, Huang Ting was undisputedly one of the most stunning women of Majestic World, superior even to the likes of Sui Youbian, Fan Junmao, and Jin Su.

Chen Ping'an asked Huang Ting what her plans were from here onward, to which she replied that her original intention was to explore Middle Earth Divine Continent, but her sect leader sternly forbade her from going there, threatening to hang himself if she were to go against him.

Instead, he limited her options to only Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Northern Complete Reed Continent. Huang Ting was very honest and forthright, telling Chen Ping'an that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was simply too small for her tastes.

In contrast, Northern Complete Reed Continent was teeming with swordsmen, making it a perfect place for her to hone her swordsmanship, and perhaps she would even be able to make a breakthrough to the Unpolished Jade Tier there. She was determined not to let Wei Jin put all of the swordsmen of Parasol Leaf Continent to shame.

Huang Ting was not one to waste time, and after her conversation with Chen Ping'an drew to a conclusion, she immediately prepared to depart.

However, as she did so, she just so happened to spot Pei Qian practicing her swordsmanship in the yard. Peace and Tranquility Mountain still owed Chen Ping'an a massive favor, so after learning that Pei Qian was Chen Ping'an's "first-ever disciple," she asked Pei Qian if she wanted to learn the fastest sword and saber techniques on Parasol Leaf Continent.

Pei Qian asked her if it was going to hurt, to which Huang Ting erupted into laughter and assured her that it wouldn't.

Pei Qian turned to Chen Ping'an with an inquisitive look in her eyes, and the latter gave her a smile and a nod.

Hence, Huang Ting stayed an extra day to teach Pei Qian a set of sword techniques and a saber technique, namely the White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique and the White Ape Saber-Wielding Technique.

Prior to her departure, she patted Pei Qian on her little head, then reached out to squeeze her cheek while shaking her head with a forlorn expression.

"You're such a smart girl, it's a pity that you're so depressing to look at."

Pei Qian was absolutely distraught after hearing this, and she was in a sour mood the entire day.

Even after plastering the yellow paper talisman to her own forehead, she was still feeling very sad and glum.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but be reminded of Li Baoping as he looked at Pei Qian.

————

In the eyes of everyone in Mountain Cliff Academy, Li Baoping was a rather strange little girl. Every day, she would rush around like a cat on a hot tin roof with a little bamboo bookcase on her back, and she would go to her classes on her own, and leave on her own as well. She was always either climbing trees, mountains, and buildings, or squatting down by the lake to stare at the fish, gawking blankly at them as they swam through the water.

Whenever the opportunity arose, she would leave the academy to wander aimlessly through the streets and alleys of the capital city. No matter where she went in or out of the academy, she was always on her own, cutting a rather lonesome figure from the perspective of bystanders.

Despite her erratic nature, she was a very polite little girl. Whenever she encountered any of the teachers of the academy, she would always come to an abrupt halt, then extend a respectful bow and greeting before rushing away again like the wind.

In the beginning, those teachers would stop and return her greeting, but by the time they opened their mouths to speak, she would already be long gone. Over time, they grew accustomed to this, and they would merely smile and shake their heads in response to her respectful greetings, no longer bothering to stop and try to speak to her.

Li Baoping felt like she was having a decent time in Mountain Cliff Academy.

She very rarely saw Li Huai and Lin Shouyi, as was the case with Yu Lu and Xie Xie, and even if she did meet them, there wasn't much to say between them.

She no longer regarded these matters with as much importance as before ever since her conversation with Cui Dongshan on that tree branch on the mountain summit.

They didn't miss Chen Ping'an much anymore, but that didn't matter in her eyes. She would just have to miss him even more to make up for them.

The days passed by one after another, and before long, the first month of the year was about to go by.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, Li Baoping looked at all of the red lanterns that had been hung up, and she began to miss her father, her mother, her grandpa, her brothers, and her home.

Of course, she also missed her junior uncle.

It had been a very long time since her junior uncle had last sent a letter to the academy, and that was a rather depressing thought for her.

1. Spring is typically the season when many animals give birth to offspring, so many fish will be carrying eggs, and many birds will be caring for hatchlings, so it's best not to kill them from both a humanitarian and sustainability perspective. ☜