Chapter 440 (3): Another Year of Snow

Chen Ping'an was aware that he was going to have to expend a great deal of mental effort to maintain a friendship in Bamboo Scroll Lake, and that having a genuine friend here was going to almost undoubtedly cost him in the future.

However, he was also aware that having a friend like Hong Su on Cyan Gorge Island was very important for his mental state.

It was like a trickling stream of water. It wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to replenish the parched river in his heart, but the difference between having the stream and not having it was one of night and day.

In order to repay Gu Can's mother, Chen Ping'an had done many things for her family, and that included attempting to secure water for them in the dead of night during droughts. He was never able to get any water under the watch of the much stronger young men on patrol at night, but so long as there was still some water left, there was still hope.

No matter how vigilant those young men were, they were going to have to sleep or have lapses in concentrations eventually, and Chen Ping'an would pounce on such opportunities, rushing out of hiding to dig open the small dam of soil in the upstream direction of the the water source, allowing the water to flow all the way down to the field of Gu Can's family.

He would run alongside the stream of flowing water all the way, then construct a small dam to guide the water into the field. The water level would slowly rise bit by bit, and once the dam was full, he would break open the dam to allow the water to flow downward.

During those years, Gu Can and his mother almost never had to worry about water, and they never had to get into altercations with the farmers in their neighborhood over water.

Chen Ping'an never felt like he was doing this to repay them. Instead, he felt like it was simply something to be expected of him.

There were many problems in this world that couldn't be resolved, but as long as one could make peace with oneself, then they would be able to live just fine, and perhaps life wouldn't even feel all that painful or arduous for them.

————

On this day, Zeng Ye stumbled through the door with blood all over his face.

Chen Ping'an was already standing outside the door, and he helped Zeng Ye back into the room to sit down by the table before pulling out a vial of pills. The pills weren't of a particularly high caliber, only a type of ordinary pills from the Cyan Gorge Island secret vault that cost a single lesser heat coin, and they were generally purchased in bulk by Abode Tier and Sea Observation Tier cultivators, so they were certainly more than enough for a third tier Qi refiner like Zeng Ye.

There would be no point in feeding a cultivator of the Lower Five Tiers premium pills that contained too much spiritual energy as they wouldn't be able to retain the spiritual energy and convert it into their own.

Zeng Ye took a pill with a guilt-ridden look on his face, and he was on the verge of tears as he apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, I was too ambitious."

Chen Ping'an waved a hand as he explained to Zeng Ye, "That's not the case. You weren't too ambitious today. Instead, this was simply a hurdle that you had no choice but to grit your teeth and overcome, and you simply failed on this occasion. Hence, I won't put these pills on your tab. You must know the difference between failure from biting off more than you can chew and failure from being excessively cautious for fear of failure.

“After learning the difference between the two, you must find the midpoint that serves as a perfect balance. Otherwise, whenever you encounter a bottleneck in your cultivation, you'll either approach it with too much aggression and ambition, or back down out of fear and timidity, both of which will impede your progress."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mr. Chen!" Zeng Ye promised with a smile as he wiped a hand over his face.

"Make sure to think regularly and deeply about your cultivation," Chen Ping'an continued. "Otherwise, you'll continue to remain stagnant or make very slow progress. You've already conceded that you're not very bright, so you need to think even more than the average cultivator. There are many things that those who are smarter than you won't have to think about, but you have to make the extra effort if you want to be able to match them."

Zeng Ye nodded in response.

This was a very simple principle that he was able to understand just fine.

Chen Ping'an removed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist before taking a sip of wine, and after a brief hesitation, he said, "Only after doing everything in your power to ensure that you've left no stone unturned will you be slightly entitled to complain about your situation."

In the past, Chen Ping'an would've definitely said that complaining was unacceptable, even if every possible effort had already been made, but he wasn't going to say something like that in this situation.

Chen Ping'an instructed Zeng Ye to focus on rest and recuperation, yet right as he was about to leave he suddenly turned to cast his gaze out the window.

Zeng Ye followed his gaze outside, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Focus!" Chen Ping'an scolded in a stern manner, and Zeng Ye immediately closed his eyes.

Chen Ping'an left the room and closed the door, and after some hesitation, he ultimately decided to return to his own room, as opposed to taking a stroll to the dock as he usually did to look at the scenery.

Once inside, he pulled his Hall of the Underworld out of his bamboo bookcase, then tossed a series of snowflake coins into it.

Immortal currency was referred to as such due to the purity of the spiritual energy that they contained, which wasn't inclined toward yin or yang, thereby making it useable for both cultivators and ghostly entities.

Chen Ping'an sat down at his desk, then flipped open an "accounts book" that was filled exclusively with handwritten notes.

He pulled out a water residence pill from Bejeweled Hairpin Island before swallowing it, then closed his eyes to meditate. As the burst of spiritual energy slowly flowed into his water palace, he opened his eyes and read through the names and basic information of the people on the first page of the accounts book once again. This page contained records on a total of nine people.

Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, then began to silently recite an incantation while joining his index and middle fingers to make a sword seal before pointing them at the Hall of the Underworld on the desk, issuing a ghostly order to summon the nine incomplete yin entities.

Talismans had been put up in the room, and a formation had also been set up, transforming the room into an underworld environment fit for ghostly entities to return to the world of the living.

There were three talismans in total, one of which was the Cloud Water Residence Protection Talisman from the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book, and at the center of its talismanic core was an inscription made by the Master of Three Mountains and Nine Lords.

The second talisman was the Cypress Locust Talisman that was capable of subjugating or summoning ghostly entities in accordance with the wishes of the user.

The final talisman was called the Peach Wood Nail Talisman, and it had been given to him by the Naturalist cultivator from Jade Flagon Island. It had a suppressive effect on the vicious nature of yin entities and allowed them to retain their sanity and lucidity.

As for the formation that had been set up in the room for the purpose of nourishing yin entities in the world of the living, Chen Ping'an had learned it from Yu Gui.

In order to set up the formation, Chen Ping'an had recruited the help of others in transporting a massive chunk of bluestone from the lakebed of Bamboo Scroll Lake to the shore, and he shaved it down to a bluestone slab, then engraved some runes upon it before embedding it into the ground to serve as a foundation for the formation.

In addition to that, soil of fortune had been purchased for him by Cyan Gorge Island cultivators from other islands, and it had been buried in strategic points in the ground near the stone slab.

With each name that Chen Ping'an called out, a yin entity would emerge from the Hall of the Underworld before standing on the bluestone slab, which took up half of the room.

All nine of these yin entities had come from the manors of the former chief guest elder of Cyan Gorge Island and Gu Can's senior brother, and they included both servants and open collar ladies.

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had already used a ghostly secret technique to become the temporary owner of this Hall of the Underworld, and after that, he had informed all of the yin entities in every single room of the Hall of the Underworld of his name, his relationship to Gu Can, the purpose of his stay on Cyan Gorge Island, and what he was planning to do.

These were nine people who had suffered horrible deaths before being tormented even in death as yin entities.

They harbored a wide range of negative emotions, including anger, sorrow, despair, resentment, suspicion...

With the nine yin entities standing before him, Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you have any final wishes that you would like me to fulfill in your stead? It can be for yourself, for your loved ones, for your sect, anything. Tell me, and I'll do my best to satisfy you."

In addition to the mountain of account books, Chen Ping'an's Sword Nurturing Gourd was also sitting on his desk, as well as the six Fox Skin Beauty Talismans meticulously crafted for him by the Xu Clan of Light Breeze City. These talismanic paper figures could house yin entities and allow them to roam the world of the living in the form of the women drawn upon the talismans.

Chen Ping'an paused momentarily, then continued, "If we trace everything back to their roots, I owe all of you because Gu Can's catfish was gifted to him by me. That's why I've tracked down all of you to make amends. In a sense, it can also be said that I don't owe any of you anything because we are currently in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

“According to the teachings of Buddhism, there are some karmic ties between us, but not very significant ones. It's stated in Buddhist scriptures that all of one's suffering in this life can be attributed to events of their past life. If we go by the teachings of Legalism, then there are no ties between us at all.

“The teachings of Legalism state that as long as one removes oneself from the mortal world and focuses solely on their pursuit of the Great Dao, then all ties with others will dissolve on their own. However, I don't think this is right, so I'll do my best to help you."

The nine yin entities remained silent.

Regardless of what emotional and mental state they were in at the moment, as they gazed upon Chen Ping'an, they felt like the emotions that they could see in him were different from those of the yin entities around them.

It was like looking into a mirror and seeing reflections of themselves.

All of a sudden, an open collar lady suddenly demanded in a furious manner, "I want you to kill yourself in repentance! Can you do that?"

"Of course not?" Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head.

"Then why even bother putting on this act? You're nothing more than a phony!" she sneered. "You deserve to die, just like that scoundrel, Gu Can! Both of you should do this world a favor and die!"

Chen Ping'an looked at her.

Chen Ping'an looked back at her in silence as the woman's face became twisted with intense resentment, and she rushed forward, trying to break out of the boundaries of the bluestone slab, only to be sent flying back with a dull thump as if she had crashed into an invisible wall.

She then struggled to her feet and began clawing at the invisible barrier with a deranged look on her face as she screeched in fury, "Both of you deserve the worst fate that could possibly befall you! We're already dead, yet here you are, summoning us under a false pretense of kindness just so you can gloat in our faces! You deserve to die even more than Gu Can!"

In the end, she collapsed to the ground and broke down into sobs.

Chen Ping'an rose to his feet, and the other eight yin entities on the bluestone slab instantly took a collective step back in fear and apprehension.

He then made his way around his desk and crouched down outside the bluestone slab.

The woman raised her head as she asked, "I just want to live. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all," Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head.

"He didn't ask me to pass on any message to you," Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head.

He sat down with his legs crossed on the ground as he said, "Your name is Bai Licao, and your original name was Mai Meier. You were a third tier Qi refiner who came from the Stone Brush Nation, and you had a marriage arranged for you from birth. When you were fourteen, you were discovered to possess an aptitude for cultivation by Fishing Room cultivators of Cyan Gorge Island, and they purchased you from your parents for three hundred taels of silver.

“Your parents changed their minds at the last minute, demanding three hundred more taels of silver, only to be killed by the Fishing Room cultivators right in front of you. Upon being taken to Cyan Gorge Island, you caught the eye of the island's chief guest elder and were taken by him as an open collar lady.

“You resented the name Bai Meier, so you changed your name to Bai Licao, spending twelve snowflake coins at the Incense Room for this purpose. In the end, you met your demise at the hands of the flood dragon under Gu Can, and your body was left in a horrific state. You harbor intense resentment, and that's why your three immortal souls and seven mortal forms were mostly preserved.

“After you died, you were abducted by Ma Yuanzhi of the Vermilion Chord Residence and thrown into his well to be made into a ghostly soldier. After that, I took you out of the well and put you into my Hall of the Underworld."

The woman wiped the tears from her face as she yelled, "You can do with me as you please, but I'll never rest until Gu Can is dead! I will remember him for all of eternity! If you're so powerful, then why don't you just erase my soul from existence? That way, you won't have to bother with making amends!"

Chen Ping'an shook his head in response, then rose to his feet.

Another young yin entity who had once been an open collar lady said in a timid manner, "I want to remain in this world, even if it has to be as a yin entity, but I don't want to have to be tormented anymore. Is that possible?"

"Of course," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod. "If you think of any wishes that you'd like me to fulfill for you, then feel free to tell me."

An elated look appeared on her face, and she extended a grateful curtsey toward him.

Another female yin entity with a cold look on her face pointed at the Hall of the Underworld on the table as she said, "I want to enter the cycle of reincarnation and no longer be held captive in something like that. Is that a wish you can fulfill?"

"I can easily release you into the cycle of reincarnation, but I can't guarantee that you'll be reborn as a human in your next life, and I also can't ensure that you'll be able to enjoy a good life," Chen Ping'an replied. "All I can do for you is hold a Daoist Heavenly Worship Ceremony and a Buddhist Liberation Rite of Water and Land for you and all of the other yin souls who wish to be reincarnated as a means of accumulating good karma for you.

“On top of that, I'll also do some other things for the accumulation of good karma, such as setting congee stalls in your name to help the people who have lost their homes in the war-torn Stone Brush Nation. There are many things that I can do for all of you who wish to be reincarnated."

The woman was clearly taken aback to hear this, and she seemed to have changed her mind as she said, "Can I think about it before I make my decision?"

"Of course," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

"Do you know my name as well?" the woman suddenly asked.

"I do," Chen Ping'an replied. "I also know that you were the one who wrote all of the couplets that were put up in many insignificant places in the former manor. The manor has since been renamed the Spring Courtyard Mansion, and I tried to find some of your couplets, but all of them have been replaced."

Tears began to stream down the woman's face.

"I'm sorry," Chen Ping'an said.

The woman remained silent as she continued to weep.

Among the other yin entities was a very fearful middle-aged man who had once been a servant, and he had a habit of speaking to others in a hunched-over manner as a sign of respect.

After taking some time to muster up some courage, he said in a trembling voice, "Esteemed immortal, my name is Jia Gao. It doesn't matter if you don't know my name, and you certainly don't have to remember it. My wish is to be able to visit my parents' graves and offer up some incense. However, their graves are a little far away.

“They're in a small subsidiary nation of the Luminous Vermilion Empire called the Spring Luster Nation. If you don't want to make the trip, then just forget about it. My only other wish is for you to hold the Heavenly Worship Ceremony and Liberation Rite of Water and Land that you mentioned earlier to accumulate some good karma for us so I can enter the cycle of reincarnation. If you can do that, then I won't resent Gu Can anymore."

Chen Ping'an nodded as he replied, "I know where you're from. I'll make a visit to the Spring Luster Nation, and I'll summon you once I'm there."

Jia Gao instantly broke down into sobs of gratitude as he extended a deep bow and said, "Thank you, esteemed immortal. I'll have to trouble you to pay for my funeral then. Hopefully, I'll be able to repay you in my next life."

Chen Ping'an turned around to pick up his Sword Nurturing Gourd, then took a large swig of wine before asking, "Is that it? Is that all you want from me?"

"This is already more than enough!" Jia Gao hurriedly replied.

All of a sudden, another male yin entity stepped forward with a fawning smile on his face as he rubbed his hands together and said, "I don't wish to be reincarnated, and I wouldn't dare to trouble you to do all of those things to accumulate good karma for me. I only have a tiny, little wish, and it won't cost you a single snowflake coin, nor will it trouble you at all."

"Your name is Zhao Shi, right? Go ahead and tell me what you would like," Chen Ping'an prompted in an expressionless manner.

The man was once a steward of the Spring Courtyard Mansion, and he took a glance at the open collar lady yin entities beside him, then said, "My only wish is to be able to stay in your esteemed manor and have a few open collar ladies under my command, just as I had when I was alive. Also, I want to be able to visit them and satisfy some of my... innate male urges.

“Back when I was alive, I only dared to sneak a few glances at the open collar ladies of the manor, and I didn't even dare to look at them for too long, so please grant me this wish, esteemed immortal. If not, then I won't be able to rest."

The first open collar lady to have spoken, the young woman by the name of Bai Licao, turned to him with a cold sneer.

Chen Ping'an nodded as he replied, "Sure, that can easily be arranged."

"Thank you, esteemed immortal!" Zhao Shi said in a grateful manner.

Chen Ping'an didn't even have to flip through the accounts book on his desk as he said, "Zhao Shi, your clan has been residing on Cyan Gorge Island for generations, and you previously served as a steward of the Floral Lantern Residence. The Floral Lantern Residence provided you with food and lodging, as well as a wage.

“On top of that, you had around a dozen open collar ladies under you, and you were also granted two chances to leave Bamboo Scroll Lake each year to go to the border of the Stone Brush Nation to search for disciples and servants for the Floral Lantern Residence. Your file in the Incense Room only contained records of a single thing that you did in your lifetime, and I suppose it was also your biggest achievement in life.

“You once had an altercation with a foreign female cultivator in Cloud Pagoda City, and using your connections and your status as a resident of Cyan Gorge Island, you convinced a local cultivator of Cloud Pagoda City to defile the woman to death before throwing her body into the lake."

An awkward smile appeared on Zhao Shi's face upon hearing this, and before he had a chance to defend himself, Chen Ping'an stepped into the bluestone slab, then closed his hand around Zhao Shi's throat as he asked in a cold voice, "Do you think this is funny? I don't find it funny at all."

Zhao Shi's yin soul instantly began to howl in agony with Chen Ping'an's fingers digging into his throat, and he frantically yelled, "Chen Ping'an, you two-faced, lying piece of scum! I curse you..."

Chen Ping'an lifted Zhao Shi up into the air, not allowing him to utter another word as he said, "When did I lie? You're free to enter the cycle of reincarnation as you requested. As for whether you'll be able to do so after I destroy your soul, that's not something for me to worry about. By the way, do you still recall that woman's name? I do. Her name was Wei Qingyu."

As soon as his voice trailed off, Zhao Shi's yin soul imploded into nothingness.

Chen Ping'an stepped back out of the bluestone slab, then returned to his desk.

As he turned back around, he discovered that a pair of yin entities, one male and one female, had fallen to their knees and were kowtowing incessantly as they begged for mercy.

Two hours later, Chen Ping'an emerged from his room.

Zeng Ye was already standing outside, and upon catching sight of Chen Ping'an, he exclaimed in an ecstatic manner, "It's snowing, Mr. Chen! This is the first bit of major snowfall for our Bamboo Scroll Lake this year!"

He then quickly fell silent as a sheepish look appeared on his face.

For a powerful cultivator like Chen Ping'an, surely a bit of snowfall was hardly a noteworthy spectacle.

Chen Ping'an looked up upon hearing this.

Chen Ping'an looked up into the sky with his hands clasped up their opposite sleeves.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

It really was snowing.

It would be even colder once the snow melted, and the paths would become slick with mud.