Chapter 92: Small Bamboo Box

The water runs deep, yet makes no sound; the heaviest rain is always the shortest.

The downpour had dwindled to a drizzle not long after Chen Ping'an and A-Liang returned to the shelter of the massive tree. Raindrops pattered from the leaves. The girl in the red cotton-padded jacket wore a worried expression until Chen Ping'an flashed her a bright smile, ruffled her hair, and softly reassured her. Her face instantly bloomed with a vibrant joy, like an unexpected rainbow after the storm, so pure it stirred the heart. A pang of guilt struck Chen Ping'an, though he couldn't immediately articulate why. Words caught in his throat, so he silently resumed practicing the foundational Sword Hearth Stance.

A-Liang chuckled at the scene, but Li Huai quickly shattered his good mood. "A-Liang, A-Liang! Chen Ping'an said you went to the mountains to poop so you wouldn't have to wipe!"

A-Liang grinned. "Did Chen Ping'an really say that?"

Li Huai glanced at Chen Ping'an, who stood nearby. Seeming afraid A-Liang would confront him, he adopted A-Liang's tone and chuckled. "Chen Ping'an didn't say it outright, but I bet that's what he was thinking! Of course, I don't think you're like that, A-Liang! I even explained it to Sister Zhu Lu, swore up and down that you weren't!"

A-Liang lightly pinched Li Huai's ear, his voice soft with amusement. "Oh really?"

Li Huai cried out in mock pain. "A-Liang, it's all Chen Ping'an's fault! He's a terrible person! Should I curse him for you?"

A-Liang twisted the brat's ear harder. "You think you can fool me, huh?"

Li Huai wailed, but no one paid him any attention. He immediately changed tack. "A-Liang, I have an older sister, named Li Liu. I know, it's a terrible name, but she's really pretty! I'm not lying! Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing are both secretly sweet on her. Dong Shuijing is always trying to freeload at our house, and he blushes every time he sees my sister, the big oaf! It's disgusting. A-Liang, you're way better than Dong Shuijing. You're handsome, good-tempered, can ride a donkey, and drink wine. How about I introduce you to my sister sometime?"

A-Liang quickly released Li Huai's ear, gently placed his hands on Li Huai's shoulders, pressed down, and chuckled. "Let's squat down and chat about this."

Chen Ping'an walked over to Zhu He and his daughter, Zhu Lu. "Uncle Zhu He, can we talk?"

The man grinned. "I've been waiting for you to ask. Let's take a stroll. The rain's almost stopped anyway."

The two walked away from the nameless tree with a canopy like a mountain peak. Before Chen Ping'an could speak, Zhu He introduced himself and his background. "Chen Ping'an, with all the strange things that have happened in town, and the fact that you survived an encounter with the Moving Mountain Ape of the Zheng Yang Sect and became allies with that girl from out of town, I reckon you know a lot already. So I won't hide anything. After all, Miss's safety is the most important thing. My daughter and I are both bondservants of the Li family, generation after generation serving as laborers to earn a living. It sounds pitiful, but it's not as bad as you think. From the Old Ancestor, whom we barely see all year, to the family head, to our Miss Bao Ping, no one treats us like servants. Especially Miss and my daughter; they're closer than ordinary sisters."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man glanced at his daughter, who stood beneath the tree, looking elsewhere. She was at that stage of blossoming into a woman, not quite fully mature. In another year, she would be a true beauty. He believed his daughter was no less refined than any young lady in the Great Li capital, and he was always proud of that, confident that Zhu Lu would shine brightly in the Great Li in the future.

The Great Li had always respected women, not only allowing them to join the army and fight bravely, but the late Emperor had even specifically ordered the Ministry of Rites to establish a complete set of military honors for female martial artists and cultivators, a first in the entire continent. This had been fiercely criticized by scholars and literati led by the Lakeside Academy, sparking a major controversy that directly attacked the Great Li dynasty from the northern barbarians. If not for Qi Jingchun, the Mountain Lord of Cliffside Academy, who stood his ground against the opposition, the young Emperor at the time might have been forced to withdraw the imperial edict due to the pressure from the court and public opinion.

Zhu He smiled. "When they discovered my talent for martial arts, they spared no expense to cultivate me, Zhu He. That's how I got my current skills. It's the same for my daughter, Zhu Lu. If she hadn't faltered in the Second Realm of martial arts, her future achievements would have been higher than her old man's. After discovering that Zhu Lu was a promising martial arts talent, the Old Ancestor said personally that Zhu Lu had a chance to reach the legendary Seventh Realm of martial artists, while I, Zhu He, am only barely in the Fifth Realm."

At this point, Zhu He felt a bit dejected. Advancing in martial arts required equally matched opponents and life-or-death trials. Relying solely on talent was a dead end. And once the opportunity was missed, the spirit would wane. After repeated attempts, it would be exhausted, completely severing the path to the summit.

Zhu He suppressed the gloom in his heart and continued. "We're escorting Miss away from the Great Li this time because we're the closest and have decent skills, and we're bondservants of the Li family, so we're loyal, at the very least. Secondly, Miss is traveling far for the first time, and she needs someone attentive to take care of her needs. Zhu Lu is the perfect choice. Thirdly, our Miss is the Old Ancestor's most beloved descendant. Actually, the person originally supposed to escort Miss on her journey was the Old Ancestor themselves. But after that fellow A-Liang, a fellow disciple of Ruan Shi from the Wind and Snow Temple, appeared, the Old Ancestor returned to town. Now that the town is no longer restricted, it can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without any scruples, making it like a blessed land for cultivation. The Old Ancestor is on the verge of breaking through, a golden opportunity not to be missed. Besides, with A-Liang as the personal guard, nothing should go wrong."

Zhu He paused for a moment, then explained, "Our Old Ancestor is insightful and broad-minded. Although they love and dote on Miss, they don't force her to stay by their side and shelter under their wings when it comes to her seeking education far away. Instead, they explicitly stated that the girl should not only go to Cliffside Academy, but also travel the remaining part of the journey on her own. The descendants of the Li family should have such ambition."Zhu He chuckled, "But whenever we got to this part, the Old Ancestor would look utterly heartbroken, muttering about how our little Baoping was only ten years old. Maybe her spirit and courage could wait a bit. In the end, when the Old Ancestor finally resolved not to secretly follow her anymore, he kept looking back, like an old child. It was the first time I'd ever seen him like that. Zhu Lu told me in private that the Old Ancestor truly cares for Miss."

Zhu He said with gratitude, "Miss is also good to my Zhu Lu. Miss has always enjoyed chatting with Zhu Lu and watching him practice martial arts. Zhu Lu's achievements today are largely due to Miss."

Chen Ping An sighed in relief, "Uncle Zhu He, with you here, I feel reassured."

In the town, Chen Ping An trusts no one except Qi Xian Sheng.

Even with Master Ruan, as Chen Ping An told Li Baoping, he only trusts the promises of a Sage from this land and the rules that Qi Xian Sheng once adhered to, not Master Ruan himself.

This is an unspeakable intuition, perhaps innate, but mostly earned through hardship, like the medicine the grass-sandal boy brewed for that Miss Ning.

It was the same with A Liang and Zhu He, without exception.

Chen Ping An isn't carefree, never having known hardship, so he's not foolishly kind to everyone. The difficulties of life, the ugliness of the human heart, the tribulations of poverty, and the loneliness of an orphaned boy are etched into his bones.

Zhu He patted the boy's slender shoulders. One pat revealed the surprising strength and resilience of his bones, exceeding the expectations of this fifth-realm martial artist. But he quickly understood, for if not, how could he have faced the Mountain Ape head-on? Zhu He would never have had such courage or ability. Just thinking about it made Zhu He sigh. Was his ambition already dwindling before he even reached forty? He couldn't even compare to a boy just beginning his journey in martial arts.

Zhu He was also curious and asked with a smile, "Although I've never left the town and don't know the rules of the outside world, the Old Ancestor mentioned in passing that there are many taboos when encountering fellow martial artists in the mountains. For example, monks don't speak of their names, Taoists don't speak of their age, and you can ask about their sect but not their martial arts lineage. But I'm truly curious, how did you escape from the Mountain Ape? I only heard about the chase in your town from the Old Ancestor afterward."

Chen Ping An was embarrassed, "I was just running for my life, all the way from Mud Bottle Alley to the mountains. If it weren't for Miss Ning, I would have died long ago."

Zhu He hesitated, then gently reminded, "Cherish these good fortunes, with that Miss Ning, and with Master Ruan… Master Ruan, be sure to maintain a stable relationship and never let it break."

Chen Ping An was puzzled.

Zhu He sighed, "We are just frogs in a well in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven. The difference between us is limited, like you and me, at most five realms apart in martial arts. As for status, I'm just a family servant, do I even have the right to look down on your pure background? But in the outside world, things are very different. The further you go and the longer you stay out there, the more you'll understand."

Chen Ping An said sincerely, "I haven't thought that far ahead."

Zhu He laughed, "You can think about it now."

Chen Ping An nodded.

Chen Ping An always cherished the kindness of others.

As for the malice of others, if he couldn't reason with them for the time being, he would keep it in his heart and never forget.

After all, the road ahead is long.

Under the big tree, Li Huai, who had just sold his sister Li Liu, was now acting very boldly in front of A Liang, saying casually, "A Liang, I'll have Chen Ping An make you a wine gourd later. You give me that small gourd on your waist, we're family, no need to be polite. I won't treat you unfairly. Anyway, yours looks old and doesn't suit my brother-in-law's status!"

A Liang said mysteriously, "You know nothing. This gourd is called a 'Sword Nourishing Gourd,' one of the rarest treasures in the world. It looks unremarkable, but it's very valuable. How many sisters do you have? One wouldn't be enough even if I beat her to death!"

Seeing A Liang speaking to him so firmly for once, the little kid felt a little uneasy. He gazed longingly at the small gourd, reluctantly looked up, and tentatively asked, "Or should I ask my parents to have more sisters? This is negotiable, right?"

A Liang covered his forehead.

For no reason, he remembered walking down the slope with Chen Ping An earlier, and the boy actually compared him to Zhu He in the fifth realm. A Liang released his hand, sighed, and casually picked up a dry twig to draw on the ground.

Li Huai leaned over to take a look. It was a crooked character, truly uglier than even this young student's handwriting, let alone Lin Shouyi's, which even Qi Xian Sheng said wasn't bad.

The more Li Huai looked at it, the more ashamed he felt. He looked at A Liang's writing, then at the silver-white wine gourd on his waist. After a moment of internal struggle, Li Huai said, "A Liang, your handwriting is so ugly, I've decided I don't want to be your brother-in-law anymore. My parents want my sister to marry a scholar in the future."

A Liang slowly raised his head, his face full of disbelief, "Is it that bad?"

Li Huai nodded heavily, his heart heavy.

The child thought that if his sister Li Liu ever dared to steal his things again, he would definitely scold her for being heartless. He gave up the Sword Nourishing Gourd for her.

A Liang had a look on his face that said, 'You're young, you don't understand,' and said with a smile, "How could it be? I'm not bragging, but in a place very far from here, countless people have given me a thumbs-up after seeing this character."

Li Huai asked suspiciously, "In person?"

A Liang said dryly, "Heard, heard it said."

Li Huai said, "I knew it. Who would have the face to say your writing is good to your face? I'd become their disciple if they did. I bet even my mom couldn't scold them down."

A Liang sneered, "Even if you wanted to become their disciple, would they accept you?"

Li Huai said seriously, "Not accept me? Are they blind?"

A Liang covered his forehead again, because that guy really was blind.

A Liang thought he should talk less to this little bastard. He raised his head and looked around, left and right, and finally saw the girl Zhu Lu. He smiled and said, "Zhu Lu, do you want to learn swordsmanship? I feel like drawing my sword now…"

Not far away, Zhu Lu was worried about her Miss.

The little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket held her cheeks with her hands, looking in the direction where her little martial uncle had left, her brow furrowed.After hearing A-Liang's words, the girl retorted indignantly, "Go cool off somewhere else!"

A-Liang looked innocent and bewildered. "It just rained so heavily. Can't you see I'm soaked to the bone?"

The girl realized her slip of the tongue, but still sneered, "You're frivolous, ignorant, and not a good person!"

A-Liang exclaimed, annoyed, "Little Treasure Bottle, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, am I a good person or not?!"

Li Huai added insult to injury, "You only *seem* like a good person. But if you're willing to give me your wine gourd, then you *are* a good person."

Lin Shouyi said coldly, "Don't trick me into drinking again. The master already said, 'Scholars who drink and write hundreds of poems' is all a lie."

Only the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket gave A-Liang a secret smile. A-Liang's heart instantly warmed, and he gave her a thumbs-up, ignoring the taunts of the other two.

A-Liang's time wandering the Jianghu wasn't for nothing.

When Chen Ping'an and Zhu He returned, the group resumed their journey.

As the Dragon Tail Creek, which had originally flowed southeast, turned directly south, becoming the Iron Talisman River, freshly annotated in vermillion on the Dali county gazetteer, the river suddenly surged, its currents growing stronger.

The width and depth of the river far exceeded the small creek it had been before.

At Chen Ping'an's suggestion, they took a short break, cooked rice, and had lunch before continuing.

Li Huai stood by the riverbank, hands on his hips, clicking his tongue. "A-Liang, have you ever seen such a big river before?"

A-Liang, perched atop his white donkey, glanced at the confluence of the creek and river, then looked back, and finally smiled at Li Huai. "The great rivers and seas I've seen are more numerous than the grains of rice you've eaten."

Li Huai immediately protested, displeased. "A-Liang, are you uncomfortable if you don't brag for even a single day?!"

A-Liang ignored him and walked to the young man who was building a makeshift stove, whispering, "Let's take a walk by the river. I have something to tell you."

Chen Ping'an was taken aback, then asked the Li family's maid, Zhu Lu, for help. Li Bao Ping, having traveled this far, was already able to help a lot, even becoming proficient at helping A-Liang feed the white donkey. So, she nimbly helped Sister Zhu Lu cook the rice, telling her Little Martial Uncle to just go for a walk by the river, as she would take care of everything.

Throughout these days, the little girl had always insisted on carrying her basket herself, doing her best to manage everything on her own.

Whenever the young man practiced his boxing and stances, she would often silently stay by his side, imitating him, adorable and charming.

The two walked to the riverbank and then headed downstream along the river.

A-Liang opened up honestly. "I really like Treasure Bottle, that little girl. Of course, you only will like her more than I do."

Chen Ping'an looked back. The little girl was busy working there, her legs moving like wheels. In contrast to Lin Shouyi, who said one thing and did one thing, and Li Huai, who didn't lift a finger, Li Bao Ping, even though she was still young, was full of vitality. Just looking at her was like seeing a beautiful spring.

Chen Ping'an nodded.

A-Liang added, "But you always feel like something's not right, don't you?"

Chen Ping'an hummed in agreement. "Ever since I chatted with her about martial arts, she said a lot in one go, but after that, it seems like she doesn't like to talk as much."

A-Liang asked, "Did you say something to her that expressed your expectations, like what kind of person you hoped she would become in the future?"

Chen Ping'an suddenly turned his head, his face full of shock.

A-Liang probably didn't want to hurt anyone unintentionally with his words, so he carefully weighed his words and simply stopped, squatting by the river and gently tossing pebbles. After the young man squatted down beside him, A-Liang whispered, "Deep affection doesn't last long, extreme intelligence invites injury. Ordinary people naturally aren't qualified to apply these two sayings, but Li Bao Ping is different. Although she's still young, the first point is naturally irrelevant, but the second point already applies to her. You have made Chen Ping'an yourself as a reliance, so your unintentional words and actions will be deeply remembered by the little girl. Words are strange things. They accumulate in the heart, one word, one sentence at a time. You might think my explanation sounds like a half-baked old scholar, but the principle is exactly that."

Chen Ping'an gently exhaled. "It's my fault. I was afraid she wouldn't have the confidence to reach the Mountain Cliff Academy, so I said I hoped she could become a female teacher, a Little Master."

A-Liang smiled. "'It's my fault'? Chen Ping'an, you're wrong."

The young man was puzzled.

A-Liang didn't look at the young man, but lazily gazed at the calm river surface. "You just didn't do better, instead of doing anything wrong."

The young man was even more confused. The two sayings were different, but the result was still the same, wasn't it?

A-Liang finally turned his head, seeming to see through the young man's thoughts at a glance, and shook his head. "It's very different. Do you know why all the good people in the world are more aggrieved than the other? Like Qi Jingchun, the Mr. Qi you know. He could have done things more smoothly, but in the end, the result was just so useless and aggrieved? When you look around, it seems like those bad people, instead, live more freely and happily. Like the two enemies you mentioned to me before, the Mountain-Protecting Ape of the Righteous Sun Mountain, and the Young City Lord Fu of Old Dragon City. After they return to their own territories, they will definitely live comfortably. One has a high status, lying on his laurels and enjoying respect, and the other is ambitious, aiming for the north."

A-Liang looked at the young man who was deep in thought and laughed freely. "So ah, being a good person is a very tiring thing. You must never feel like you've done something wrong just because you didn't get anything in return for doing good, or just received an unexpected response. You must never feel like you'll never be a good person again. That…is not right!"

A-Liang's expression was serious, and he emphasized the last sentence. "That is not right!"

A-Liang smiled and turned back into that carefree rogue who didn't care about anything. "Of course, Li Bao Ping is very good. The little girl is just repaying you in her own unique way. Don't misunderstand."

Chen Ping'an shook his head vigorously. "No, no."

A-Liang nodded. "That's why I'm willing to tell you these things."

He simply sat down on the ground, placing his bamboo knife horizontally across his knees. "You know, I rarely lecture people. My principles..."

A-Liang paused slightly and patted the green bamboo knife on his knee. "Used to be in the sword, now temporarily in this knife."Even when the sun wasn't scorching and rain wasn't falling, A-Liang would invariably wear that unremarkable bamboo hat. He casually adjusted it, "If your personality didn't sit right with me, even if that hairpin held significance beyond what I initially imagined, even if Qi Jingchun himself chose you, I wouldn't bother with these words. I'd simply send you to Da Li, or if I were in a better mood, just toss you into Da Sui. What's so difficult about that for me?"

This usually jovial man, when serious, possessed a unique air. He lightly patted his bamboo blade, "For me, A-Liang, a person is born between heaven and earth. One must walk their own path, speak their own words, and forge their own destiny. I think you, Chen Ping'an, should be the same. Not necessarily exactly like me, but your back must be straight, your fists strong, your bones tough, and above all, your swordsmanship must be high!"

A-Liang burst into laughter, "Don't forget, the most important thing is to live long enough!"

Chen Ping'an honestly replied, "A-Liang, though I understand some of it, there's still much I don't. But I'll keep it all in my heart and reflect on it whenever I encounter something in the future."

A-Liang nodded, pleased. "That's enough."

A-Liang was the first to stand up, walking a few steps away before turning back, "Chen Ping'an, I've finished all the dried rations I brought."

With that, A-Liang quickly left, heading towards Li Bao Ping and Zhu Lu, hollering, "Is it mealtime yet? Is it mealtime?!"

Leaving behind a bewildered young man.

After all that talk, all those grand pronouncements, was this guy just looking for a free meal?

Chen Ping'an smiled and followed.

One evening, the group passed a lush bamboo forest in the mountains. The little girl in the red cotton jacket tugged at Chen Ping'an's sleeve, pointing towards it and whispering, "Little Shishu, a bamboo forest! Pretty, isn't it?"

The young man, focused on making progress, simply hummed in response and continued walking, head down, for they were about to reach A-Liang's "official road," the Da Li Dynasty's main thoroughfare.

The little girl remained silent, adjusting the basket on her back, still closely following the young man.

That night, sleeping in the narrow cowhide tent erected by Zhu Lu, the little girl recalled the earlier incident, pouting slightly, feeling somewhat wronged. She told herself that her little Shishu was already very, very good. Then she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the groggy little girl didn't dare linger in bed, afraid of delaying her little Shishu's planned journey. She quickly dressed and put on the straw sandals her little Shishu had made for her. But as soon as she crawled out of the tent, she froze.

Just outside the tent, there sat a beautiful little green bamboo bookcase.

The little girl stared at it for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears.

The young man, who had been busy all night and was just falling asleep in the distance, was startled awake by the crying. He quickly got up and ran over, standing in front of the little girl. Chen Ping'an was at a loss, scratching his head, unsure how to comfort her. He thought the little girl would be happy when she saw the little bamboo bookcase in the morning.

Seeing Li Bao Ping so upset, Chen Ping'an's heart ached terribly.

The little girl cried for a long time with her eyes closed. When she opened them and saw Chen Ping'an, she abruptly stopped crying, ran to him, and hugged him tightly, sobbing, "Little Shishu, I'm sorry!"

Chen Ping'an could only gently pat the little girl's head, "Don't cry, don't cry."

The little girl just cried, heartbroken.

Chen Ping'an softly said, "Don't you like the little bamboo bookcase? Did little Shishu not make it pretty enough? It's okay, it can be changed next time. There's nothing to be done. Little Shishu has only seen a bookcase once before. Later, when we reach the bustling places outside and you see a pretty bookcase, you tell little Shishu..."

The little girl raised her head, her face covered in tears, "I like it! There's nothing I like more!"

But the more she liked it, the more she felt ungrateful, the more guilty she felt towards her little Shishu. She squatted on the ground, sobbing, afraid to look at her little Shishu.

Chen Ping'an, remembering A-Liang's words from yesterday, suddenly understood. He squatted down, stroked the little girl's head, and said softly, "Li Bao Ping, you know? Little Shishu is very happy to be able to accompany you on this long journey of seeking knowledge. I just hadn't told you before, so I'm telling you now. If you can still like this worthless little bamboo bookcase, then little Shishu will be even happier, really, I'm not lying to you."

The little girl slowly raised her head, but her hands still covered her face. She only dared to peek through her fingers, revealing those bright, spirited eyes, cautiously sobbing, "Little Shishu isn't lying?"

The young man's eyes were clear and honest. He nodded, "Little Shishu also lies sometimes, but not to Li Bao Ping."

The little girl quickly removed her hands, her smile radiant.

It was the carefree, innocent little girl that the young man remembered.

So the young man also smiled radiantly.

Some people's hearts are like flowers and trees, always growing towards the sun.

Little Shishu and the little girl were especially like this.