Chapter 519 (3): The Answer Is on the Green Bamboo

Chen Ping'an retracted his gaze and recounted, "The first observation pertained to Hu Xinfeng. If he had fought with his life for the sake of the so-called loyalty of the cultivation world, acting in a way that appeared on the surface to be very foolish, then I wouldn't have needed to observe the game of Go anymore. I would have stepped in and taken action straight away.

"The second observation pertained to you and your father. Even if he had chosen to stand by idly and observe the situation, I would have still stepped forward and chosen to take action if he had shown even an iota of compassion, rather than thinking to loudly scold me had I dared to open my mouth and ask for help."

Chen Ping'an smiled and continued, "In the end, it was unexpectedly Hu Xinfeng who gave me a surprise. After parting ways with you and the others, I visited Hu Xinfeng and was able to see that spark inside him. One time was before he died, and he pleaded with me not to punish his innocent family members. One time was when I asked him about whether the four of you deserved to die, and he replied that Sui Xinyu had actually been a fairly good official. The final time was when he started to organically talk about his chivalrous dealings back then. Dealings... This was a very interesting way to put things."

"But no matter what happened, Senior was observing us this entire time. Senior was clearly very disappointed, so why did Senior still choose to protect us in secret?" Sui Jingcheng asked in a soft voice.

"The Daoist Sect talks about misfortunes and blessings having no doors, with both being summoned by people themselves. The Buddhist Sect talks about yesterday's actions culminating in today's karmic fate. Both of these principles are very similar. However, the existence of many half-assed immortals in the mountains — in fact, these people can't be regarded as genuine cultivators at all — has made these already difficult-to-explain concepts even more difficult to explain," Chen Ping'an said.

"However, the four of you could be viewed as the weak when you faced that dilemma in the pavilion. I coincidentally passed by, and when I carefully considered the situation, I decided not to walk away since I had the ability to do something without endangering myself. In the meantime, however, I wouldn't interfere with your hardships and suffering unless you came across deadly dangers.

For example, it was a consequence of your own actions that you had to flee through the rain with fear and unease in your hearts, and similarly so when you were viciously knocked off your horse by the spine of the martial artist's saber. These were the karmic consequences given to you by the world. Taking a long-term view of things, suffering these karmic consequences isn't a bad thing. The four of you are still alive, after all, while those who had more reason and right to live on than you end up dying, just like that."

Chen Ping'an felt like it wasn't wrong for those who were weak to ask more of those who were strong. This was only right. In fact, Chen Ping'an now felt like it wasn't a big deal even if many of the weak individuals, who were protected by the strong individuals, didn't feel any gratitude at all.

Chen Ping'an never regretted blocking the heavenly tribulation, the sea of black clouds, above Imperial Accompanying City.

This was because in some alleyway of Imperial Accompanying City, there was perhaps another Chen Ping'an or another Liu Xianyang quietly growing up.

If it was said that evil lived on for a thousand years, with this being the way of the world and the nature of the human heart, both of which were prohibitively difficult to change, then those who were good needed to become smarter and live longer. They shouldn't transform from a good person suffering hardships to a bad person wreaking havoc and perpetuating the cycle of evil. Otherwise, mountains would crumble and lands would fracture, and there would eventually come a day when everyone was returned to the heartless Great Dao of heaven and earth.

Sui Jingcheng quietly mulled over Chen Ping'an's words, tossing a few dry branches into the campfire as she did so. She was just about to ask him why he hadn't killed the Turbid River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan and his criminal accomplices for good, but she quickly made sense of the critical points and refrained from asking this unnecessary question.

If the Senior had acted rashly and alerted their enemies, then Cao Fu and Xiao Shuye would have only become more patient and cautious when carrying out their plans.

Sui Jingcheng wanted to ask why he hadn't killed these two people on the ancient merchant road just then, but once again, she quickly obtained the answer by herself.

For what reason did he need to kill them?

What was the bottom line of good and evil for these two people?

Sui Jingcheng reached up and massaged her temples.

She understood many of the things mentioned by Chen Ping'an, but this caused her to develop a slight headache, with her brain feeling like a chaotic mess. Were there truly so many rules and restrictions when it came to cultivating in the mountains? Even after becoming a powerful sword immortal like this senior, was it still necessary to make everything so difficult and complicated? If one encountered some scenarios where one needed to step in and act straight away, yet good and evil were difficult to determine, should one still use their immortal powers to rescue people or kill people?

Seemingly reading Sui Jingcheng's thoughts, Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "After you grow accustomed to this, and once you've encountered many people and many matters, you'll naturally understand the appropriate action to take before you act. Not only will you not hesitate, but your actions will become even quicker, be that a sword strike or an immortal technique. Your actions will be incredibly quick."

Chen Ping'an pointed at the Go stones on the board and continued, "If Yang Yuan had intended to kill the four of you straight away after entering the pavilion, or if I had failed to notice that Fu Zhen would use his sword to block Hu Xinfeng's punch back then, then I would have naturally interfered rather than silently observing the situation from far away. Believe me, Fu Zhen and Hu Xinfeng would have died without knowing what struck them."

Chen Ping'an looked at Sui Jingcheng who was nodding with a faint smile.

She had kneeled on the official road just then and pleaded with him again, saying, "Sui Jingcheng wants to cultivate immortal techniques with Senior!"

Chen Ping'an had asked her two questions: "Why should I teach you? Why do you want to cultivate?"

"I possessed a fated opportunity ever since I was young, having the aptitude to cultivate and also being gifted a valuable immortal treasure by a mighty figure. I'm a natural talent for cultivation, but I've struggled to make any progress due to not having a good teacher from the mountains to guide me. After mastering some immortal techniques, I'll also travel around the cultivation world like Senior!" Sui Jingcheng had replied.

Of her two answers, one was not incorrect, and one was very clever as always.

With this in mind, Chen Ping'an planned to have her look for Cui Dongshan and cultivate with him. Cui Dongshan would know how to teach Sui Jingcheng, not only teaching her immortal techniques, but also teaching her how to become a good person.

Chen Ping'an didn't dare to make any conclusions about Sui Jingcheng's cultivation talent, but he could say that her intelligence was indeed remarkable. This was especially the case with her gambling fortune, with all of her gambles paying off handsomely. Taking this into account, it wasn't simply the case that her gambling fortune was blessed by the heavens anymore. Rather... she possessed extraordinary gambling skills.

However, this wasn't the full reason why Chen Ping'an wanted to have Sui Jingcheng travel to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to look for Cui Dongshan.

After observing the two games of Go, there were some things that Chen Ping'an wanted to show his disciple, Cui Dongshan. This could be regarded as half an answer to the question that Cui Dongshan had posed to him back then,

Chen Ping'an summoned Fifteenth and gently held it between his fingers, bending down and lowering his head as he started to inscribe something on his refined bamboo hiking pole one stroke at a time.

To Sui Jingcheng's eyes, it appeared as if Chen Ping'an's strokes were all made at the same place.

Sui Jingcheng remained silent, simply looking on with her eyes wide open at the sword immortal quietly inscribing his hiking pole.

Fifteen minutes later, Sui Jingcheng blinked and rubbed her eyes.

Approximately two hours later, a flash of fleeting sword light appeared at Chen Ping'an's glabella as he put away Fifteenth, the flying sword that he had used as a carving knife.

Chen Ping'an's expression became serious as he said, "When you find that person, tell him that I have some thoughts regarding the question that he asked me before. However, there are two conditions that need to be met before I give him an answer. Firstly, the matters being pursued by him must be absolutely correct. Secondly, he needs to be aware of his wrongs and commit to rectifying his wrongs. As for how he goes about rectifying them and what methods he uses to help with the process of identifying and fixing his wrongs, the answers are on this hiking pole. You can tell Cui Dongshan to look at it himself. Moreover, I hope that he can see more and see further than me, allowing him to also do better.

"A single point pertains to countless points, which then represent the Great Dao of heaven and earth as well as the world and its people. Cui Dongshan needs to start from the matters that he can see and understand. It's not the case that he can ignore his wrongs, both big and small, for the sake of pursuing the correct result. There don't exist such easy things in the world. Not only does Cui Dongshan need to review these matters again, but he needs to look at them more carefully. Otherwise, the so-called correct result will be nothing more than a calculation of benefits and losses pertaining to a specific time and a specific region. It won't be a lasting Great Dao that's right and proper."

Sui Jingcheng was extremely confused, but she still nodded earnestly in response.

Chen Ping'an was in no hurry to hand the hiking pole to Sui Jingcheng, and he lightly leaned his hands on it as he gazed up at the sky and said, "When it comes to cultivation, there's more to it than just grabbing fated opportunities, obtaining rare treasures, and learning immortal techniques. Observing the hearts and minds of people in detail is also a part of cultivation; this is a means to temper one's Dao Heart. You might be cultivating the principles of apathy, but you can still use this method to temper your mind. By comprehending the principles expounded by the sages, you can further understand the complexity of the human mind.

"Each person is like a small world, with their thoughts being the most unpredictable and unstable. Even though it's difficult to make a start on tempering the mind, pushing through these hardships and being fortunate enough to succeed will be like constructing a second bridge of immortality, something that will benefit you for life."

Sui Jingcheng saw the sword immortal gazing up at the night sky.

"Regarding the Sui Clan's safety when you travel to the immortal ferry station of the Green Oriole Nation, do you feel like there's anything that needs to be reviewed and addressed?" Chen Ping'an suddenly asked. "If you think of anything, then feel free to tell me and don't be worried about troubling me. I won't mind even if I have to turn around and return to the Five Mountain Nation."

Chen Ping'an held his index finger and middle finger together, gently tapping two locations on the hiking pole as he continued, "Performing delineations and severances is one matter, and contemplating how to complete this matter in the best way possible, with the start being consistent with the end, is also a form of cultivation. Delineations and severances that wander too far away on either end might result in the matters not being dealt with properly. Human power is limited, and the same is also true for principles and reason."

Sui Jingcheng recalled Chen Ping'an's direct and blunt arrangements when they had been ascending the mountain before, and she shook her head and said with a smile, "Senior's careful considerations even took into account Senior Wang Dun, so there's already nothing more that I want to say."

Chen Ping'an shook his hand and said, "There's no rush to draw any conclusion. There isn't a single person in the world who can come up with a completely flawless plan. You don't need to feel like I'm definitely correct simply because I have a higher cultivation base right now. If I were you, Sui Jingcheng, and if I were facing the same situation in the pavilion back then, then disregarding the intentions of right and wrong and only focusing on escaping from trouble, I wouldn't have done any better than you."

In the end, Chen Ping'an retracted his gaze from the night sky and looked at Sui Jingcheng with pure and limpid eyes.

Sui Jingcheng had never seen such brightness and purity in a man's eyes before, and she saw him smile as he said, "This trip will take us a while longer, so I'll listen to the principles that you speak to me. I'm willing to listen to them regardless of how reasonable or how unreasonable they are. If they're reasonable and you're correct, then I'll admit that I'm wrong. If there arises an opportunity in the future, you'll understand at that time whether I'm being perfunctory with you or not.

"With me present, and even if it's only me, you're not allowed to say that all of the principles in the world are determined by those with powerful fists and lofty Dao power. Don't believe it if someone tells you that those who are powerful control the reason of the world. The people who say this have faced many hardships, yet they haven't become full from these hardships yet. In reality, these people are oblivious to the fact that they're being formlessly protected by countless rules and regulations.

"In any case, there are many people like me in the world, and you simply haven't managed to meet them yet. Or perhaps you met them long ago, yet it was precisely because their principles and reasons were gentle and silent like the spring breeze that you failed to notice their presence."

Chen Ping'an stood up and rested his hands on the hiking pole, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers as he continued, "Whether it's ten years later or one hundred years later, I hope that Sui Jingcheng can remain the same person, the one who was willing to stay behind in the pavilion and give her life-saving immortal treasure to someone else. There are a myriad of lights in the mortal world, and even after you become a cultivator in the mountains in the future and gaze down at this, you'll still discover that as long as each household has a flicker of light, no matter how faint it is, this will still paint a magnificent picture across the mortal world.

"There are cultivators in the world, and there are even more mortal humans. However, it's through relying on these small and seemingly unremarkable flickers of light to navigate the wide roads and small alleys, the mortal markets, the scholarly clans, the wealthy residences, the noble estates, and the immortal forces in the mountains — navigate these different places of varying heights — that many genuinely powerful and mighty figures appear. It's then these powerful and mighty figures who use the righteous aura and true reason contained within their fists and swords to forge a path for those behind them, silently protecting countless weaker beings. It's because of these individuals that we've been able to slowly stumble our way to where we are today."

Chen Ping'an slowly turned around and asked with a smile, "Just focusing on you and me, is it difficult for us to become smart and evil people? It doesn't seem very difficult to me. However, where do the difficulties arise? They arise from the fact that we understand the sinister nature of the human mind, yet we're still willing to become good people who have to make sacrifices for the sake of the principles that we believe in."

Sui Jingcheng's face flushed beet red as she stammered, "I'm not at that level yet, Senior. I'm still very far away from that level!"

Chen Ping'an smiled with squinted eyes and remarked, "Mhm, I'll accept these words of flattery."

Sui Jingcheng was staggered upon hearing this.

Chen Ping'an continued to gaze at the distant night sky, resting his chin on the back of his hands as he chuckled softly and said, "You also helped me untie a knot in my heart, so I need to thank you for this. You taught me how to interact with beautiful women, so the next time I travel to the Sword Qi Great Wall, I can be more confident and have more conviction. This is because I've come across many beautiful women in the world already, and I won't feel guilty or embarrassed anymore when I look at them. Mhm, this can be regarded as achieving some success with regard to cultivating the mind."

Sui Jingcheng hesitated for a moment, and she eventually felt like she needed to speak the truth even though it would be grating to the ears. Her voice was timid as she said, "Senior, it's best that you keep these kinds of words in your mind. Senior definitely shouldn't say something like this to the woman whom you love. It won't sit well."

Chen Ping'an turned around and asked with a puzzled expression, "I can't say this?"

"You can't!" Sui Jingcheng nodded earnestly and replied in a resolute voice.

Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin, appearing slightly conflicted.

Sui Jingcheng's expression became relaxed and bright as she asked, "Senior, I can also be regarded as a good-looking woman, right?"

Chen Ping'an didn't turn around, and he was presumably in a good mood as he cracked a joke and replied, "Don't try to ruin my Great Dao."

Sui Jingcheng didn't dare to push her luck too far.

As a woman, however, she was ultimately happy about becoming the "Jade Person of the Sui Clan," one of the four greatest beauties in the dozen or so nations.

She started to feel tired after her mind and body relaxed, and she shook her head and extended her hands forward to warm them up in front of the campfire. She looked back after a brief moment, only to see that the hiking pole was still in its original spot. Meanwhile, the sword immortal in azure had started to slowly practice a fist stance again.

Sui Jingcheng rubbed her eyes and asked, "Will Senior return south to Skeleton Shoal with us once we arrive at that fabled immortal ferry station?"

Chen Ping'an continued to throw punches as he shook his head and replied, "No, I won't, so you need to be careful when you're on the immortal ship. Of course, I'll try my best to help you avoid any accidents, but you'll ultimately still need to rely on yourself when you're walking on the path of cultivation."

Sui Jingcheng wanted to say something, but she couldn't help but hesitate.

Chen Ping'an continued, "If you're ever forced to choose between the hiking pole and your life, don't hesitate. Your life is more important."

"Senior, do you know everything?" Sui Jingcheng asked in a helpless voice.

Chen Ping'an pondered for a moment before casually asking, "Are you thirty-something years old this year?"

Sui Jingcheng was rendered speechless, and she gloomily turned around before sullenly throwing a few dry branches into the campfire.