Chapter 551 (2): Examining the Heart When the Spiritual Master Arrives

Inside a room on Paddling Island.

Chen Ping'an closed his eyes and rested his mind, pondering for a long time before retrieving a calligraphy brush and ink, placing a piece of paper on the table, and starting to compose a reply letter.

The Lotus Root Blessed Land was quite a good name, so he decided to keep this name going forward.

This blessed land would become a medium-level blessed land after it was fed enough immortal coins, and in the meantime, they could continue to secretly scout locations and choose sites for those future mountain god shrines and water god shrines. However, Downtrodden Mountain was in no hurry to sign any contracts with the emperor of the Southern Garden Nation, and this was something that could wait until Chen Ping'an returned home first. At that time, he would personally visit the blessed land to deal with these matters. Before Chen Ping'an returned, Zhu Lian simply needed to delay things regardless of how good an offer the emperor of the Southern Garden Nation proposed.

Wei Bo breaking through to the Upper Five Tiers was brilliant news, and everyone in Downtrodden Mountain needed to prepare a congratulatory gift for the formal mountain god. The gift from Chen Ping'an needed to be an immortal treasure from the mountains, and he could temporarily borrow such a treasure from Jiang Shangzhen of the True Realm Sect. If Zhu Lian felt like it was appropriate, he could even agree to Jiang Shangzhen becoming a guest elder of Downtrodden Mountain, given that he used the pseudonym Zhou Fei and disguised himself as a Nascent Tier cultivator. Additionally, there would be a requirement for Jiang Shangzhen to hand over one immortal treasure.

As for Pei Qian and the other juniors, it didn't matter if their congratulatory gifts were slightly less valuable. For example, Pei Qian could simply write an auspicious couplet. Of course, it would be even better if Pei Qian decided to put in some more thought and effort.

Regarding the matters with Liu Chongrun, Zhu Lian could employ Lu Baixiang's help to secretly look for the water residence and dragon boat. This would be the best course of action. Before doing this, however, they needed to first inform Cui Dongshan and wait for his explicit response. Only after receiving his affirmation should Zhu Lian and Lu Baixiang leave the Great Li Empire.

If Cui Dongshan felt that this matter shouldn't be pursued, then Zhu Lian should directly turn down Liu Chongrun's request. Not only that, but Zhu Lian should even warn her to comprehensively give up on this matter, and it wouldn't matter even if he spoke more harshly. They were neighbors in the mountains now, so even though some hard truths would sound grating and unpleasant to the ears, it was one matter whether they were heeded or not, and it was another matter whether they were honestly voiced or not.

After writing this, Chen Ping'an paused his calligraphy brush for a moment before continuing to compose the remainder of the letter.

If Cui Dongshan told them not to pursue the matter, yet Liu Chongrun still insisted on taking the risk, then Downtrodden Mountain could only rescind its lease of Ao Back Ridge. At that time, Downtrodden Mountain would happily pay the compensation for tearing up the contract.

Rather than being implicated by the cultivators from Bejeweled Hairpin Island and facing undeserved calamity, it would be better off to sever their ties nice and early. If Downtrodden Mountain wanted to achieve longevity and success, with a steady stream of income all the while, then it was inevitable that it would need to make some sacrifices and trade-offs.

Parting ways early on would be better than a continually deteriorating relationship that ultimately transformed from friendship into resentment and animosity. If Liu Chongrun refused to heed their suggestion, it would be better for Downtrodden Mountain to suffer some short-term complaints from Bejeweled Hairpin Island, which would have traveled all the way to the Dragon Spring Prefecture for nothing.

If things truly came to that, Downtrodden Mountain would also need to provide some additional compensation in secret. For example, giving a heads up to Jiang Shangzhen and Guan Yiran, and asking them to look after Bamboo Scroll Lake's Bejeweled Hairpin Island. There would be no need to inform Liu Chongrun about these matters. As for the favor that Downtrodden Mountain would owe Jiang Shangzhen and Guan Yiran, it would consider these matters when Chen Ping'an returned to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

As for Dong Shuijing, Downtrodden Mountain would do its best to actively help him as long as it didn't pertain to any significant matter of principle. There was no need to consider any gains or losses. However, the help rendered to Dong Shuijing definitely couldn't harm the interests of General Guan Yiran, who was overseeing Pond Water City. This required careful consideration and balancing from Zhu Lian. Regarding Dong Shuijing's personal relationships with Prefectural Overseer Yuan and Kiln Supervision Official Cao, Downtrodden Mountain wouldn't become involved in these relationships at all.

However, Downtrodden Mountain could have frequent interactions with the newly appointed Governor Wei Li, who had previously been a prefectural overseer of the Yellow Court Nation. It was worth building a relationship with him, and Zhu Lian could make a call on how to manage this.

In addition, there was also the new provincial city god who had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. Since the incense person of this city god was already acquainted with Pei Qian, Zhu Lian could give her some subtle hints and suggest that she treat the incense person the same as always. Apart from this, Downtrodden Mountain needed to have some interactions with this provincial city god, but only just enough, with a shallow relationship being preferable to an intimate one. After all, this deity definitely had a very complicated background, seeing that he was able to rise from a measly mountain lord to a provincial city god in a single leap.

Downtrodden Mountain was seeking stability right now, doing its best to avoid being dragged into the conflicts between some immortals in the imperial court of the Great Li Empire. The core of the Great Li Empire was definitely experiencing unpredictable waves and dangerous currents right now.

Regarding Old Dragon City's Fan Er and Sun Jiashu, Chen Ping'an asked Zhu Lian to personally pay a visit when he had spare time, representing Chen Ping'an to visit and express gratitude. During this time, Zhu Lian also needed to visit Osmanthus Island's Lady Gui if she weren't traveling around another continent. Of course, there was also Sword Cultivator Ma Zhi, the Golden Core Tier guest elder of the Fan Clan, to whom Zhu Lian could gift some wine. He could dig out two pots of immortal wine that were buried near the bamboo building.

Downtrodden Mountain didn't need to pay any heed to the True Realm Sect's Guest Elder Liu Zhimao advancing to the Unpolished Jade Tier. There was definitely no need to offer any gifts or congratulations.

They should also continue to make use of proxies to secretly gather any and all information pertaining to Sun Scorch Mountain and Light Breeze City's Xu Clan.

Apart from these matters, Chen Ping'an wrote about another twenty or so major and minor matters in the secret letter, simply telling Zhu Lian to act based on his own judgment for the large majority of them. Chen Ping'an was simply giving Zhu Lian a reminder, listing out the matters that still needed to be addressed.

There were also some matters that Chen Ping'an had already made decisions on, but if Zhu Lian and the others felt like the direction was incorrect and required further discussion, then they could write a letter and send it to Li Liu. Chen Ping'an would definitely visit Lion Peak before returning to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Finally, Chen Ping'an didn't write a separate letter addressed to Pei Qian, but at the end of the letter, he told her to exchange more letters with Big Sister Baoping. At the same time, she needed to visit Chen Ruchu, Chen Lingjun, and of course, Zhou Mili and Shopkeeper Shi Rou at Dragon Riding Alley to inform them that her master was safe and sound. He also nagged a bit, telling Pei Qian not to misbehave at school. If she felt like her teachers were bad at teaching, then she could at least learn from them how to conduct herself as a person. If she felt like her teachers had mediocre conduct, then she could simply learn from them the sagely principles in the scriptures.

At the very end of the letter, Chen Ping'an approved Pei Qian's request, heeding the strong recommendation of his opening disciple to formally promote Mute Lake's Great Water Monster Zhou Mili to the position of Downtrodden Mountain's right guardian. At the same time, he gave Pei Qian permission to personally announce this promotion to Downtrodden Mountain.

As his calligraphy brush nimbly glided over the paper, Chen Ping'an was unaware that there was a wide smile on his face and a gentle look in his eyes.

After finishing the letter, Chen Ping'an leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes and recalling the little lotus spirit who was apparently still not fond of appearing in front of other people.

When spring arrived, and flowers bloomed, would the trees and flowers on the two sides of the mountain path in his hometown grow even more lush than the previous year?

————

The Dragon Palace Small World would always experience heavy rain following the conclusion of a gold edict ceremony.

Chen Ping'an put away the letter and walked out of his room, opening the oil-paper umbrella and continuing his habit of strolling around outside whenever it rained.

He planned to hand the letter to Li Yuan after he finished this stroll, asking him to deliver it to Downtrodden Mountain.

Walking on the small bluestone path that snaked past the mountains and waters on Paddling Island, Chen Ping'an suddenly looked toward a certain direction, where he was able to vaguely make out a talismanic boat slowly drifting over.

Apart from Li Yuan and Lady Shen Lin of the Southern Fragrance Water Palace, he wasn't acquainted with anyone else in the Dragon Palace Small World.

The talismanic boat suddenly became as quick as a flying sword, gently landing on the lake before steadily docking at the shore.

Chen Ping'an focused his gaze and rubbed his eyes, making sure that he wasn't seeing things wrong.

Chen Ping'an hurriedly used the "Mountains Green Rain Like Mist" jade tablet to deactivate the formation around Paddling Island.

Meanwhile, Spiritual Master Fire Dragon had already removed the concealment technique on himself and his disciple, with Zhang Shanfeng laughing heartily and exclaiming, "Chen Ping'an!"

Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "What brings you here? I was planning to look for you at Ground Lying Peak after I finished wandering around the Plenty River."

Zhang Shanfeng strode forward toward Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an handed his oil-paper umbrella to Zhang Shanfeng before bowing and cupping his fists in respect, greeting, "Junior Chen Ping'an pays his respects to Old Spiritual Master."

"No, I'm not old at all. You can just call me Spiritual Master."

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon smiled and nodded in acknowledgment at the young man, causing the rain at Paddling Island to immediately stop the instant that he stepped down from the talismanic boat.

Zhang Shanfeng faltered for a moment before closing the oil-paper umbrella, chuckling in delight. "What an auspicious sign!"

He then gestured at Chen Ping'an's height, asking in puzzlement, "How are you growing tall so quickly, Chen Ping'an?"

As it turned out, Chen Ping'an was already an entire fist taller than the young Daoist priest now.

In reality, many years had already passed since their last meeting.

Chen Ping'an felt slightly awkward at this moment. It naturally wasn't an issue if he were alone at Paddling Island, and it would also be fine if Zhang Shanfeng were the only visitor. He wouldn't need to be overly polite. However, the old spiritual master was also present now, and this made things slightly more troublesome. Chen Ping'an had wine, but it was clearly inappropriate to offer this to the old spiritual master. He also had specialty tea from the Rainbow Sparrow Residence, but it was a pity that he was absolutely no good at brewing tea, nor did he have the required tea-brewing equipment.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon looked Chen Ping'an up and down before asking in amusement, "You're walking with a crippled leg — you're facing some troubles, aren't you?"

Chen Ping'an nodded with a bitter smile.

Zhang Shanfeng used his elbow to lightly nudge Chen Ping'an under the watchful gaze of the old spiritual master, and Chen Ping'an repaid the favor straight away, with the two of them engaging in a light-hearted back and forth.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon paid no heed to this as he slowly walked forward. The two young men walked beside him.

"That scholarly core was so good, and it also possessed a strong affinity with your Great Dao, so how did it disappear just like that?" the old spiritual master asked. "Otherwise, if you had three items of the metal element, water element, and earth element supporting you, you wouldn't need to ascend the mountain like a cripple as you're doing right now."

After hearing this, Zhang Shanfeng immediately stopped "greeting" Chen Ping'an with his elbow.

"I came across some matters, and I was unable to persuade myself to act against my conscience," Chen Ping'an replied. "When it comes to some principles, we can't be hypocritical and only use them to constrain other people."

The old spiritual master smiled and asked, "I'm quite curious now. What principle requires such a huge sacrifice to uphold?"

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment before giving a vague answer, replying, "I came across a person whom I would ordinarily kill a thousand times over, but I couldn't bring myself to kill this person no matter what."

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon nodded and remarked, "With the scholarly core shattering, the aura of virtue that you worked so hard to accumulate has now collapsed and dispersed. And then? What now? When will this end?"

Chen Ping'an remained silent.

The old spiritual master smiled and continued, "You can drink some wine and give me an answer after you've had some time to think this through carefully."

Hearing this, Chen Ping'an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd, which was filled with rice wine from his hometown, taking a small sip before offering it to Zhang Shanfeng. The young Daoist priest signalled with his eyes, reminding Chen Ping'an that his master was still present.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon continued, "Why are you acting so selfishly regarding this matter? Why couldn't you bring yourself to kill that person, no matter what? Since that's the case, then I surmise your scholarly core would have shattered even if you hadn't chosen to shatter it yourself."

Chen Ping'an took another sip of wine.

The old spiritual master smiled and extended a hand, asking, "Did you rack your brains and use all of your abilities and a mishmash of knowledge to just barely make it until today? For example, you used the Buddhist Sect's subduing technique to make a certain mental demon insubstantial and confine it in your heart, while you regarded that death-deserving person as a distracting thought and confined them at some tangible location? As for how to correct this mistake, this is a far more complicated process.

"You've taken the Legalist’s laws, the Foreteller's rulers, the Buddhist Sect's salvation, and the Daoist Sect's fasting and tried your best to combine them together with the Confucian Sect's rules and regulations, forming several tangible methods of rectifying past mistakes. Is that right? You hope that one day, you and that person can identify and rectify your mistakes, day after day and year after year, allowing you to ultimately compensate the world. If you make a mistake, then you'll offer greater compensation, and as time goes on, you'll eventually be able to feel slightly more at ease. Am I right?"

Chen Ping'an's expression was downcast as he tightly gripped the Sword Nurturing Gourd in his hand.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon nodded, after which he shook his head and sighed with emotion, "Just how difficult will this be...?"

Zhang Shanfeng didn't dare to say anything, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

The old spiritual master smiled and asked, "Have you thought about what the critical point is for this process of examining the heart?"

He then answered his own question, continuing, "It's whether you kill another person first before killing yourself, or whether you kill yourself first before thinking about killing another person."

Chen Ping'an was dazed and out of sorts as he murmured, "How can we discuss other matters before we even determine what's right and what's wrong?"

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon snickered and replied, "Then let me ask you this. Why is this specific person spared death by your fists and swords when they stand in front of you?"

Chen Ping'an was rendered speechless.

The old spiritual master smiled and continued, "Because you knew that developing killing intent would be the same as killing yourself. You would already be as good as dead before you killed that person. Chen Ping'an, is this very difficult to understand? You're far too clever, Chen Ping'an, and your understanding of the human heart far surpasses that of those the same age as you.

"There are many subconscious choices that you make completely in line with your conscience and true self, having absolutely nothing to do with some of those principles that you admire and value. Those are the most fundamental thoughts and perceptions hidden in the depths of your heart, and there's no need for you to perform any mental manipulation. As such, you might be seemingly unaware of these fundamental thoughts and perceptions, yet they're actually the most tangible and real."

Zhang Shanfeng found this extremely difficult to understand as he stood beside them and listened on.

He also felt a bit sad.

The young Daoist priest initially thought that this long-awaited reunion would be a joyful occasion.

He hadn't expected there to be such upsetting conversations.

Zhang Shanfeng regretted his decision to bring his master to Paddling Island.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon shook his head and remarked, "In your eyes, Chen Ping'an, killing that person would essentially be the same as killing all of your past experiences: your childhood, your teenage years, and your journeys around the continents. All of the people whom you're acquainted with and are acquainted with you, especially those who have already departed from this world, will seemingly die as well. At the end of the day, are your actions truly not being influenced by your selfishness, Chen Ping'an? You're far too afraid of death, afraid of actual death and even more afraid of becoming dead in the eyes of other people."

Chen Ping'an stood still, with the Sword Nurturing Gourd slipping out of his hand and lightly falling to the ground.

Spiritual Master Fire Dragon turned to Zhang Shanfeng and said with a smile, "Let's continue to wander around. We'll give Chen Ping'an some time to have a good think. There's no hurry."