Chapter 642: (2): Cui Dongshan's Piece of Blank Paper

Sword of Coming

Zhu Lian leaned back and glanced at the old spring couplet outside the main building, a couplet that had hung outside in the rain, hail, and shine and silently protected the shop for one year. It was almost time to swap these couplets out for a new one.

"The process of inviting spring couplets is slightly different in my hometown," Zhu Lian said. 

"There are two invitations, and the couplets are invited onto the beams during the Spring Festival. This is the first invitation, and it's the same here at Young Master's hometown. However, there's a second invitation in my hometown, and the couplets are invited off the beams on the day before the second of the second. The couplets are invited into the so-called respect censer, which brings their journey to a perfect close.[1]

"According to the old sayings, spring couplets are a form of incense offering for the various gods and deities. After burning them, we write a new set of couplets, which are used to protect the feng shui of many families. We also need to hang the fortune character upside down in our houses instead of on the front door. 

"After all, fortune arriving at the door is different from fortune arriving inside. The ancestors of some families accumulated merit and created an upright culture, so these families are naturally able to capture the arriving fortune. However, there are those that can't, so hanging the fortune character inside is ultimately better than hanging it outside."

Pei Qian rolled her eyes and commented, "I floated around the martial world from a young age, treating heaven and earth as my home. I don't understand all these traditions and whatnot."

After saying this, she whispered to Zhou Mili, "In other words, I didn't have a roof over my head."

Zhou Mili nodded earnestly and replied, "We're both the same. I like the word floating, and it's a very apt description. I was also in a small martial world, and I liked to float around Mute Lake."

The young girl raised her hands and made a paddling gesture.

Pei Qian liked chatting with Zhou Mili because she wasn't afraid of getting embarrassed even when she talked about her childhood. This was naturally because Little Mili didn't understand the difference between poverty and riches.

Pei Qian placed a hand on Little Mili's head and spun it in a circle.

The young girl in black was extremely cooperative.

"Power isn't the crux of one's fists," Zhu Lian said.

"Why is that?" Pei Qian asked.

Zhu Lian smiled and replied, "Do you think I was forceful against the water goddess of the Fine Wine River?"

"Your strikes weren't soft," Pei Qian said with a nod.

"And why did I use my fists?" Zhu Lian asked.

Pei Qian thought for a moment before replying, "To speak reason, make money, and rescue her."

No one understood Zhu Lian, but Pei Qian did.

"What was the source of the conflict?" Zhu Lian asked.

"As a water goddess in the martial world, she isn't upright and doesn't display the expected chivalry. Instead, she's always thinking about building relationships with powerful immortals. She does serve the residents and feng shui in her jurisdiction, but only in a very perfunctory manner," Pei Qian replied.

Zhu Lian nodded and said, "Very well. You can travel around the martial world by yourself now."

Pei Qian rolled her eyes and replied, "I won't leave the mountains and travel outside without Master's permission."

"The martial world outside is vicious! Extremely vicious!" Zhou Mili concurred with a nod.

Afterward, they carried the dishes to the table. The meal wasn't too extravagant, and there was more than enough rice.

When Pei Qian was at the table, the main seat always needed to be empty. When festivals arrived, she would even place a bowl and a pair of chopsticks at the empty main seat.

Just as the four of them were about to start eating, Ruan Xiu walked from the shop area of the pastry shop into the backyard, stood at the door threshold, and commented, "Oh, it's time to eat."

Pei Qian stood up and replied with a chuckle, "Better to come at the right time than to come early. Come on, Big Sister Xiuxiu, let's eat together. We can sit on the same chair."

"Sure," Ruan Xiu agreed with a smile.

Shi Rou hurriedly stood up, taking her bowl and chopsticks with her as she shuffled over to sit with Zhou Mili.

Zhou Mili scooped a huge bowl of rice for Ruan Xiu, using the rice ladle to compress the rice firmly. She then placed the bowl of rice in front of Ruan Xiu.

Ruan Xiu patted the young girl's head and sat down, picking up her chopsticks. Seeing that no one else was going to grab food, she smiled and said, "Come on, let's eat."

Pei Qian wanted to say something, but she couldn't help but hesitate as she glanced at the front of the pastry shop.

The water goddess of the Fine Wine River had entered the shop, with her water fortune sparse and her godly body unstable.

"I can instruct her to return to the water goddess residence of the Fine Wine River first if she's affecting everyone's appetite. Or I can have her kneel at the entrance of Downtrodden Mountain?" Ruan Xiu suggested.

Pei Qian vigorously shook her head and replied, "No, there's no need."

"Alright, let's eat first," Zhu Lian said with a smile.

The main mountain was Downtrodden Mountain, and the ancestral hall was located on Downtrodden Mountain's Sky Blue Peak.

True Jewel Mountain lay farthest east in the range, but nothing was built there because of its small size.

Treasured Scripture Mountain, Rainbow Cloud Mountain, and Immortal Herb Mountain had been leased to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect for three hundred years.

There was also Gray Veil Mountain, which was the closest mountain to the north of Downtrodden Mountain, Ox Horn Mountain, which had an immortal ferry station, Cinnabar Mountain, Ao Back Ridge, Exuberant Dawn Peak, the westernmost Sword Worship Plateau, and the newest Yellow Lake Mountain.

As of now, Downtrodden Mountain already had a total of eleven subsidiary mountains.

In some sense, Downtrodden Mountain was already a big target that would attract attention.

This was especially true for Light Breeze City's Xu Clan, which had both new conflicts and old grudges with Downtrodden Mountain. They refused to let things rest. After all, Light Breeze City had failed to recognize the situation in the past, drawing a line between themselves and the Great Li Empire when they sold Cinnabar Mountain without caring about the price, with the mountain eventually landing in the hands of Downtrodden Mountain.

Light Breeze City hadn't had the time to care about these matters before their marriage alliance with the Pillar Yuan Clan, and only after the situation settled down did they start to feel immeasurable regret. Cinnabar Mountain wasn't some insignificant territory, and they were even more worried that Cinnabar Mountain would become a thorn in the young emperor's side. 

As such, Light Breeze City dearly wanted to regain ownership of Cinnabar Mountain, with the Xu Clan making its intentions known to Governor Wei Li of Dragon Province and the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. Both the local governor and high-ranking officials from the imperial court had discussed this matter with Downtrodden Mountain, yet their proposals had been rejected by Zhu Lian both times, once politely and once firmly.

Zhu Lian was very polite toward Governor Wei Li, the newly promoted official hailing from the prefectural office of the Yellow Court Nation. However, he hadn't been anywhere near as warm toward the official from the Ministry of Rites who had tagged along with the excuse of performing ritual offerings in the mountains.

This was because Wei Li was simply attending to official matters, displaying no bias as he discussed the ownership of Cinnabar Mountain. In reality, he only needed to send the prefectural overseer to Downtrodden Mountain if he cared about face, and this would have been enough from an etiquette point of view. However, Wei Li had still chosen to pay a personal visit to Downtrodden Mountain.

On the other hand, the external official from the Ministry of Rites didn't have a high rank, being nothing more than a subordinate of the palace minister, yet his ego was truly very big. After arriving at Downtrodden Mountain, this external official immediately asked for a tour of the ancestral hall on Sky Blue Peak. Zhu Lian had treated him coldly in response, and Zheng Dafeng had laughed at Wei Bo for an entire month thanks to this interaction, making the mountain god feel utter disgust.

Angered by this interaction, Wei Bo had wanted to change the position of the Ministry of Rites' external official. After all, did he view the mountain god of a continent as powerless?

However, Zhu Lian managed to persuade Wei Bo against this, saying that it was a good thing to have such a foolish opponent. They needed to cherish this situation.

The outsider sword cultivator, Cui Wei, was at the peak stage of the Golden Core Tier and possessed great courage despite his timid appearance, and he could theoretically challenge the Fine Wine River with his sword.

Zhu Lian felt like it would be a shame to use a talent like this too early, and just Light Breeze City's Xu Clan alone wasn't enough to make Downtrodden Mountain react in such a flustered manner.

Cui Wei could only unleash his blade after he reached the peak stage of the Nascent Tier or the Unpolished Jade Tier. Moreover, he had to succeed in a single sword strike, returning in silence before anyone could respond to his victim's death.

Of course, the prerequisite to this was that Cui Wei wholeheartedly accepted Downtrodden Mountain.

As for the proposal of Yuan Bao, what was the biggest problem with her vision? The problem was that she had underestimated the human heart. When the world became chaotic, genuine pillars of the mountains viewed life in high regard, yet they were also able to forget life and death.

And where was Yuan Bao correct? The young girl hadn't realized that she wouldn't have thought about these matters or said these words if she hadn't felt a sense of belonging at Downtrodden Mountain.

Zhu Lian had a profound understanding of the human heart.

Mountain Master Chen Ping'an could travel outside in peace, not worrying about whether he returned home too late, as long as Zhu Lian was here to manage Downtrodden Mountain.

Over at the pastry shop...

The water goddess of the Fine Wine River was filled with fear and trepidation as she stood in the shop.

The water goddess residence had already apologized and provided compensation to Downtrodden Mountain, but it wasn't the water goddess who had done so; it was instead her highest-ranking subordinate. Moreover, they had given Downtrodden Mountain a precious immortal treasure from the water goddess residence, and the water goddess felt like they had already shown enough sincerity.

As for the so-called life-saving technique that the old man had given her before? The water goddess didn't take this seriously at all.

Not only that, but she had already written a secret letter that would be directly delivered to the head minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Downtrodden Mountain had a water monster from the Yellow Court Nation's Imperial River, and he had actually used a Dragon King Basket in public and attempted to suppress the water goddess shrine of the Fine Wine River, threatening the commoners and almost causing a tragic accident with many innocent deaths.

Steward Zhu Lian of Downtrodden Mountain was further a brutish and unreasonable person, directly throwing a punch and severely wounding a meritorious water goddess.

In reality, her colleague, the water god of the Rushing Tranquil River, had persuaded her against sending the secret letter, saying that a moment of patience would bring calm. That would be the best outcome for both of them.

But how could she possibly accept this suggestion? In any case, had she ever taken the water god of the Rushing Tranquil River, a river spirit who had suddenly been promoted to godhood, seriously?

He was even more of an outsider regarding some complicated internal matters.

Ruan Xiu was from the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, and she was indeed Ruan Qiong's only child. However, Ruan Qiong was renowned for abiding by the rules, so would he truly be willing to challenge the laws of the Great Li Empire for the sake of this matter?

There was a reason for everything before accidents befell.

The water goddess wanted to cry after she was marched to the shop in Dragon Riding Alley, but no tears were forthcoming.

This was truly a fate worse than death.

The five people were like a harmonious family as they ate in the backyard.

Meanwhile, the water goddess was seemingly enjoying her final meal, and it was almost as if she were holding an empty bowl in her hands.

Apart from Shi Rou staying back to clear the table, everyone else walked to the shop after finishing the meal.

Ruan Xiu was picking desserts.

Pei Qian and Zhou Mili stood together on a small stool behind the counter, or else Zhou Mili would be too short to even see above the counter.

Zhu Lian was sitting on a bench, and he said with a smile, "Mortals getting punched in street fights and cultivators being hit by immortal treasures in duels aren't so different. If we dig deeper, principles and reasons aren't categorized by levels, nor do they discriminate by people's statuses. Do you understand, Miss Water Goddess?"

The water goddess nodded in response.

She would pretend to understand even if she didn't, and she wouldn't approve the message even if she understood. She was in a dire situation, so what else could she do?

Would things have come to this if Zhou Mili weren't an official member of Downtrodden Mountain, and if that young lady hadn't stepped forward to punish her in Downtrodden Mountain's stead?

At the end of the day, both Downtrodden Mountain and that young lady were relying on their strength to suppress her.

Ruan Xiu, who had her back facing the others, furrowed her brows.

"Pei Qian, take Little Mili to the back," Zhu Lian instructed with a smile.

Pei Qian nodded in response before smacking Little Mili's head.

The water goddess immediately fell to her knees and faced the counter, saying, "I acknowledge my wrongdoings."

Pei Qian scratched her head and asked in exasperation, "How have things become so tiresome? Is it truly that difficult to offer a sincere apology?! Why do people think it's enough to simply follow etiquette and appear apologetic on the surface?"

She then lay down on the counter in a sickly manner and continued, "I don't like this. This should have been a very easy matter to resolve. Couldn't that subordinate official of the water goddess residence have apologized to Little Mili? Yet, both he and the old woman came up with so many sinister schemes. So be it if they didn't apologize, but to come up with so many sinister thoughts that were as dark and terrifying as a ball of water grass? What's the purpose of this?"

Zhu Lian smiled and said, "And that's where you're wrong. This is a reflection of how we're truly asking too much of them. If others see and hear about this, they'll also regard Downtrodden Mountain as being too unrelenting and making a mountain out of a molehill. This will make you even angrier, but this so-called compassion from other people isn't completely bad. Quite the contrary, in fact, and it's the bottom line of the world, one that isn't too terrible."

Listening to this made Pei Qian's head hurt, and she muttered in a gloomy voice, "But we can't cause an even bigger commotion and kill the river goddess, can we? Otherwise, how will outsiders view Downtrodden Mountain? And you already said that outsiders will side with the Fine Wine River. In any case, I also feel like it would be taking things too far to beat this river goddess to death even if she hadn't apologized. How would Master deal with this situation if he were present?"

Zhu Lian thought for a moment before replying, "Young Master would most likely help the water goddess residence of the Fine Wine River sort through the entire series of events, from the top to the bottom, and from the inside to the outside. He would list out all of the rights and wrongs, not one more, and not one less."

However, Zhu Lian didn't explain some matters to Pei Qian for the moment.

For example, how this situation had some ties to Light Breeze City's Xu Clan, Sun Scorch Mountain, and even some other immortal forces and secret machinations.

The befuddled Zhou Mili had silently bent her knees already, secretly hiding her head behind the counter.

I don't know anything, I'm not in the shop, and none of you can see me...

Zhu Lian was unhurried and unworried.

These matters could all help Pei Qian cultivate her heart.

Otherwise, he would have already allowed Miss Ruan to act as she pleased.

Just like Pei Qian had already realized, the true nemesis of the Fine Wine River's river goddess residence was actually her Big Sister Xiuxiu.

Perhaps Ruan Xiu would have directly shattered the godly body of the water goddess, or perhaps she would have refined the entire Fine Wine River and only left the water goddess alive. Didn't the water goddess residence like to downplay matters both big and small? That being the case, she would use her own principles to talk with the imperial court of the Great Li Empire.

In any case, was it not a simple task for the current Great Li Empire to find a more responsible and diligent great river god?

Ordinary people wouldn't think about the other possibilities that could have eventuated. For example, the small spirit being kidnapped or framed, an entire lineage being destroyed, and so on. These possibilities hadn't turned into reality, so ordinary people wouldn't regard them as matters to argue about. Indeed, it had always been difficult to focus on both intention and the actual events.

"Old Cook, how about we just let things be?? Pei Qian asked in an uncertain voice. "I can't think of a good solution, so I'll ask Master when he returns."

Zhu Lian smiled and nodded in response before turning his gaze to Ruan Xiu.

Ruan Xiu popped a peach cake into her mouth as she turned around and said in a muffled voice, "I don't mind either way."

She looked at the water goddess who was still kneeling in the shop and asked, "You're not going to leave?"

The water goddess hastily picked herself up and left.

She felt bitter resentment toward the guest elder from Light Breeze City's Xu Clan, and she felt even stronger resentment toward her subordinate official who had caused all this trouble.

As for Downtrodden Mountain, she didn't dare to resent it at all.

She most definitely didn't dare to even think about Ruan Xiu.

"Cultivating isn't for the sake of being able to act unreasonably and not speak reason. Rather, it's for the sake of being able to better speak reason, and to help the weak express their principles and reason to the best of our abilities. This is worlds apart from the notion of a loftier cultivation base and a stronger fist being the demarcator of reason," Zhu Lian said to Pei Qian.

He then smiled and continued, "Just take things slowly, one step at a time. Perhaps the good deeds performed by each person will differ greatly in size and effect, but kind intentions are ultimately just that. There's no discrimination between good deeds and kind intentions."

Ruan Xiu continued to pick and choose desserts as she commented, "It's actually not that complicated."

"What do you mean, Big Sister Xiuxiu?" Pei Qian asked.

"Cultivate earnestly," Ruan Xiu replied.

Zhu Lian felt a huge sense of relief. He was truly afraid that Miss Ruan would have uttered some terrifying principles about the notion of purity.

Ruan Xiu grabbed a piece of cake and remarked, "Fresh desserts are the most delicious."

Pei Qian felt slightly anxious as she said, "My cultivation is advancing as slowly as a turtle."

Zhou Mili stuck her head out from behind the counter and quipped, "Turtles are actually very quick when they swim and run across land! I've chased after them many times at Mute Lake!"

Pei Qian pushed down on Zhou Mili's head and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhou Mili shook her head, which caused her to suddenly recall a small question that she had always thought about but promptly forgot. "Why do some people like to bully others?"

Zhu Lian couldn't help but chuckle.

This question was truly quite difficult to answer.

"People eat all matters when they become hungry," Ruan Xiu replied.

Zhou Mili laughed and said, "Then Big Sister Xiuxiu is the best. You only like to eat desserts."

Zhu Lian didn't say anything.

Pei Qian blinked her eyes.

Ruan Xiu responded with a smile.

1. Respect censers (敬字炉) are small cauldrons used to burn calligraphy works, books, and so on. This is because characters are viewed as sacred, so burning is the best way to dispose of them.