Chapter 657 (2): Give Me Another Bowl of Yangchun Noodles

Old Man Yang smiled and said, "To be respectful as a customer, and to treat customers generously as an owner. It's indeed desirable to have more neighbors like this."

"According to the agreement, I won't allow the battle between water and fire to reignite in the Majestic World for as long as I'm still in this world," Cui Chan said.

"And after you die?" Old Man Yang asked. "Does Cui Dongshan still count as you? Will the agreement between us remain unchanged?"

Cui Chan smiled and replied, "Senior, you can feel free to ask him."

Old Man Yang clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Scholars are truly each more shrewd than the other when they fully focus on doing business and making transactions."

"I hope you can uphold your end of the bargain as well, Senior," Cui Chan said.

Old Man Yang nodded and replied, "Of course. Engaging in fair transactions has always been my key tenet."

Ruan Xiu had been born in the Wind Snow Temple, yet she had followed her father to cultivate in the Jewel Small World.

Li Liu had been born in the Jewel Small World, yet she had traveled afar with her parents to the Northern Complete Reed Continent's Lion Peak.

The two of them had occasionally come across each other, but they definitely wouldn't become long-term neighbors.

Looking at those around Ruan Xiu, there was Li Baoping with whom she had a good relationship, Downtrodden Mountain's Opening Disciple Pei Qian, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect's Direct Disciple Liu Xianyang, Clay Vase Alley's Gu Can who had few friends remaining in the world, Prince Yu Lu who possessed the martial fortune of the fallen fire-element Lu Empire, and Xie Xie who possessed abundant fortune from the mountains.

Looking at those around Li Liu, there was her younger brother Li Huai, True Dragon Zhi Gui who possessed innate affinity with water, Song Jixin whose choice would be obvious because of his relationship with Zhi Gui, Ma Kuxuan who was willing to follow Zhi Gui and whose grandma had been promoted to the river goddess of the Dragon Whisker River, and Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing who were both attracted to Li Liu.

When it came to significant matters with huge ramifications, those belonging to the two loosely formed camps would each have their own worries and considerations. Once these small matters accumulated, however, who could remove themself from the conflict?

That being the case, it was necessary to have a person stand between these two camps, someone who was willing to speak reason and could gain the trust and belief of both sides.

This person was Chen Ping'an.

When Cui Chan played Go, he didn't treat the Go stones as mere puppets whose life and death he could fully control. He didn't view people as playthings whose fates he could toy with. Doing so wasn't a reflection of impressive abilities, nor should it be a source of satisfaction.

Instead, he needed to silently pave a path for his Go stones. Perhaps the path of the Great Dao for these Go stones would be full of twists and turns, but in the end, they would all appear at critically important locations at some predetermined times.

Cui Chan wouldn't have betrayed the lineage of the Scholarly Sage if he merely cared about immortality and the Great Dao.

And if he desired power and influence, he could have easily become a mountain master of a Confucian school or become the deputy temple master of the Middle Earth Divine Continent's scholarly temple. Would this be difficult for Cui Chan?

Drifting smoke enveloped the medicine shop as Old Man Yang continued to smoke, and he asked, "How is that matter progressing?"

A rare expression of helplessness spread across Cui Chan's face as he replied, "I don't trust other people, and other people can't complete this task either. I could only split a portion of my soul to silently observe Cui Dongshan. Within a day, he has a minimum of two thoughts and a maximum of seventy thousand thoughts. When it's Cui Dongshan silently observing me, I have a minimum of three thoughts and a maximum of eighty thousand thoughts. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses."

"Have you straightened out those fundamental threads of thought?" Old Man Yang asked.

Cui Chan shook his head and replied, "There's a lot of argument over them. There are three base conversions for the three levels, and the two of us have fundamentally different views, almost the complete opposite of each other. This is very troublesome."

"Why are you purposely refraining from asking me for help?" Old Man Yang asked with a smile.

"In terms of age and cultivation base, you're the senior, and I'm the junior. In terms of scheming and calculating, however, the two of us are equals," Cui Chan replied with a faint smile.

Old Man Yang shook his head and said, "There's no need to be modest. You're the senior for the latter."

Cui Chan cupped his fists and replied, "I don't dare to accept this."

Everyone belonging to the scholarly lineage was seemingly very good at saying these polite words, from the master to his disciples, and then to his grand-disciples.

Old Man Yang chuckled in speechlessness, falling silent for a brief moment before sighing and saying, "The old scholar truly has a good eye when it comes to taking disciples. His first disciple dazzles like stars when it comes to scheming and plotting, Zuo You's sword skills are like a crescent moon nearing fullness, and Qi Jingchun's knowledge was the most lofty, yet he always remained grounded and protected the mortal world."

Bamboo Scroll Lake's True Realm Sect was attached to the Parasol Leaf Continent's Jade Tablet Sect.

The intercontinental ship from Skeleton Shoal's Flax Robe Sect was enjoying good business.

The leading figure of Mohism, the old ancestor of Commercialism, and many people who were still hiding behind the scenes for the moment had all been invited to the gambling table by Cui Chan, one after another. And now, the city lord of White Emperor City was also gracing the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent with his presence.

Sitting on the bench with his hands lightly resting on his knees, there was a look of self-ridicule on Cui Chan's face as he said, "It's just that he suffered a bad fate."

"Cultivation and immortality offer peace and prosperity, while knowledge and essays offer hardships and tribulations," Old Man Yang commented with a smile.

"Senior, your words bring comfort to my heart," Cui Chan replied with a faint smile.

————

Liu Chicheng and Chai Bofu met up with Gu Can, who was planning to visit the provincial city.

The county city of the Locust Yellow County was extremely well-connected nowadays, with plenty of roads and paths leading in all directions.

The youths dispersed from the private school, with each returning to their own home. Following this, the overwhelming pressure crushing down on Chai Bofu also disappeared in an instant. This was something that couldn't be explained.

Liu Chicheng astutely noticed the change in Chai Bofu's mental state, and he patted the vagrant cultivator's shoulder and praised, "I couldn't tell before, Brother Dragon Uncle, but you actually possess such innate wisdom. The Great Dao is well within reach for you."

"Thank you for your auspicious words, Senior," Chai Bofu said in a stern and rigid manner.

Shi Chunjia stepped onto the horse-drawn carriage and returned to the capital of the Great Li Empire with her husband, Bian Wenmao. Meanwhile, Li Baoping said she would look for a horse and catch up to them very soon.

Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and a few others would return to the academy in the Great Sui Nation with Mao Xiaodong.

Cao Gengxin and Dong Shuijing agreed to meet at Second Aunt Huang's wine shop to enjoy a few drinks.

Prefectural Overseer Yuan walked together with Song Jixin and Zhi Gui, finding an excuse to visit and pay respects at the scholarly temple near the mountain of porcelain together.

Ma Kuxuan and Shudian went to take a look at the martial sage temple near the immortal tomb.

Liu Xianyang followed Ruan Xiu to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. He was yet to become a direct disciple, so he naturally didn't need to visit the ancestral hall to offer incense and pay his respects to the portraits. Instead, he would genuinely just wander around and take a look.

However, Liu Xianyang said that he needed to visit Downtrodden Mountain first, and it was as if Ruan Xiu had been waiting for him to say this the entire time. She suggested that they could visit the Dragon Spring Sword Sect before visiting Downtrodden Mountain, and Liu Xianyang felt like this was a reasonable suggestion.

And thus, the two of them saw Li Baoping walking toward the towering mountain as they soared through the sky.

The outsider youths from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Sword Worship Plateau's Zhang Jiazhen and Jiang Qu, ascended Downtrodden Mountain with the secret accompaniment of Sword Cultivator Cui Wei.

Steward Zhu Lian had said before that he planned to have the two people help out at Dragon Riding Alley's pastry shop. Thus, after a quick discussion, Zhang Jiazhen and Jiang Qu decided to visit Downtrodden Mountain first, so that they could ask Mr. Zhu for some guidance and things to be aware of.

In reality, Cui Wei also had his own plans, and he needed to seek Zhu Lian's approval.

Pei Qian and Little Mili coincidentally returned to Downtrodden Mountain from the Lotus Root Blessed Land, and the young woman was slightly happy to see Zhang Jiazhen and Jiang Qu.

At the very least, Chen Nuanshu wouldn't nag and lecture her and Little Mili when she saw the sack of roasted seeds. She needed to host the two youths, who could already be regarded as members of Downtrodden Mountain.

Little Mili was extremely cunning, and she hadn't complained when listening to Nuanshu's grumbling before, remaining silent as Nuanshu scolded them for purchasing too many roasted seeds and not getting a very good price for them. She had feigned loyalty by staying silent, but she had glanced at Pei Qian again and again. Just what was the meaning of this, huh?!

Yuan Lai had interacted with Zhang Jiazhen and Jiang Qu before, and the relationship between them was quite good. The three of them were now ascending the mountain together.

As for the naive Yuan Bao, she was most likely sparring fist techniques with the foolish Cen Yuanji at the peak of the mountain.

Li Baoping was visiting Downtrodden Mountain to borrow a horse, one that her junior uncle had brought home from Bamboo Scroll Lake and had been raised in Downtrodden Mountain for the past few years.

Her junior uncle always cherished his past encounters and experiences.

Upon hearing that Big Sister Baoping was at the mountain entrance, Pei Qian immediately sprinted down with Little Mili, who was still rubbing her sore ears.

When there were still one hundred or so steps left, Pei Qian stomped a foot and leaped high into the air, racing down the mountain before gracefully landing in front of Li Baoping.

Zhou Mili was carrying a gold shoulder pole and holding a hiking pole in her hand, and she copied Pei Qian's actions, suddenly grinding to a halt before bending her knees slightly and giving a soft shout. However, she unexpectedly exerted too much force, and she screamed in mid-air as she hurtled toward the foot of the mountain.

Pei Qian reached up and caught the young girl, dragging Little Mili back over to her side.

The young girl in black laughed loudly as she swayed and stood still.

Li Baoping pinched Pei Qian's cheeks as she looked at the young woman who was growing tall very quickly, after which she bent down and gently twisted Little Mili's cheeks. The young girl's thin and slightly yellow brows immediately shifted, with one higher and one lower. This looked extremely comical.

Zhang Jiazhen and Jiang Qu walked to the mountain god shrine following the lead of Yuan Lai, and this was a shrine with almost no incense offerings.

Just like Pei Qian had guessed, Cen Yuanji and Yuan Bao were currently sparring fist techniques on the plaza atop the mountain.

The three youths were sitting on a railing in the distance and watching on.

Zhang Jiazhen didn't think much about this after the two lithe and graceful big sisters retracted their fists.

He turned around and looked at the undulating mountains and rivers beyond Downtrodden Mountain. A large flock of birds coincidentally flew past, and it was as if a snow-white river were unhurriedly flowing through the sky.

Zhang Jiazhen had once asked Mr. Chen a question in private when working as a shop attendant in the wine shop at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Mr. Chen possessed profound knowledge, so had Mr. Chen learned everything from the esteemed Scholarly Sage since the very beginning?

After telling fantastical stories about the immortal world, Mr. Chen had carried a small stool and a bamboo stalk in his hands and walked through the streets and alleys with the young boy. He had smiled and shaken his head, replying that this wasn't the case. In the very beginning, there was a private school in his hometown, and the teacher there was Mr. Qi. Mr. Qi had said that principles lived in the books, while becoming a good person was a matter outside the books.

After saying this, Chen Ping'an had commented that Zhang Jiazhen could visit the private school if the young boy had the opportunity to visit his hometown in the future. And if he wanted to study, there was even a new private school, where the teachers were quite knowledgeable as well.

At the time, Zhang Jiazhen had repeated Chen Ping'an's words about principles living in the books.

Mr. Chen had raised his hand slightly and pointed into the distance, smiling and saying that in the mind of a child who hadn't studied before, listening to these words was like... having a mountain of gold and silver suddenly appear in their mind. The path to this mountain was very long, but the mountain was at least visible and tangible.

So, he could grab a billhook, take a hoe, and carry a basket, embarking on a journey to become rich! This would give people hope and direction, and it was as if this hope could eventually manifest into a life where one didn't need to worry about food and shelter.

In reality, the young boy had silently remembered many of Mr. Chen's words, even if they were unrelated to principles and reason.

There were many poor and struggling families in the Majestic World as well, and being able to enjoy a so-called better life simply involved having the ability to put up new door gods, spring couplets, and fortune characters each year. And families that were well-off would have the spare money to buy many, many door gods and spring couplets.

Of course, there was only a limited number of places where people could plaster door gods and spring couplets in their residences. This was in contrast to the truly struggling families, who could only long for these items but couldn't afford them, what with the absence of money in their pockets.

When the young boy finally arrived in Mr. Chen's hometown after much difficulty, Mr. Chen was still far away in the young boy's hometown.

On the second floor of the bamboo building, Li Baoping and Pei Qian were resting on the railing and enjoying the scenery with the two young girls, Chen Nuanshu and Zhou Mili.

Those who were tall enough didn't need to stand on their tiptoes.

Meanwhile, the shortest Zhou Mili was hanging on the railing with her feet off the floor.

It was as if a young man holding a hiking pole and carrying a bamboo bookcase would suddenly appear the next moment, having finally decided to return home.

He would then look up and wave at them with a smile.

"The bright moon reflects in the river today, and the stars blanket the vast plains tomorrow, so will Master return home the day after that?" Pei Qian asked in a quiet voice.

"Junior Uncle seems to be toiling away for other people all the time," Li Baoping said. "He's never stopped to rest ever since leaving his hometown, so it's also very good for him to stay at the Sword Qi Great Wall for a bit longer. He can use this time to rest a bit more."

"I've heard that there are also wine shops and roasted seeds over there, and there are even very big bowls of yangchun noodles," Chen Nuanshu said with a smile.

Zhou Mili swung her hanging feet back and forth as she nodded vigorously and exclaimed, "The yangchun noodles are delicious, and the bigger the bowl, the better!"

————

Over at the wine shop at the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping'an had changed into a fresh set of clothes after returning to the city following a second battle beyond the city wall. Sitting at a table with a pot of wine, he was enjoying a bowl of yangchun noodles by himself. He had asked the little boy to tell his father that he didn't need spring onions, but in the end, the yangchun noodles had still arrived with a small sprinkling of finely chopped spring onions on top.

It was rare for the second shopkeeper to visit now, so even though the bowls at the wine shop weren't very large, the amount of yangchun noodles inside was definitely very generous. Moreover, it was only right to add some extra spring onions.

The two children, Feng Kangle and Tao Ban, were sitting at the table beside Chen Ping'an, and they both looked at the second shopkeeper bending down to drink wine and eat noodles.

Chen Ping'an turned around and raised his empty bowl, saying with a smile, "Give me another bowl of yangchun noodles. Remember not to add spring onions this time — I don't need any."

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