Just as Chen Ping An stepped out the door, Ning Yao suddenly emerged from the house, sword in hand.
Ning Yao raised her chin, proudly declaring, "Chen Ping An, you are strong!"
"Ah?"
"Strength lies in defying fate, refusing to submit to destiny, and rejecting luck!"
A smile played on Ning Yao's lips, "Your words earlier caught my attention, making me see you in a favorable light. I, Ning Yao, consider you a friend."
The people of the Sword Qi Wall were always straightforward, as direct as their swords. Sword Cultivators were no different.
Chen Ping An scratched his head, slightly puzzled.
Ning Yao began to reveal some information to Chen Ping An.
First, this place is a forbidden land for magic, prohibiting cultivators from using their cultivation.
Second, however, to survive, cultivators will still use their cultivation.
Third, members of sects and families possess life-saving treasures and supernatural powers.
Fourth, a Saint restricts external cultivators, with the bottom line being that they cannot kill the townspeople.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ping An looked at Ning Yao with gratitude, "Thank you, Miss Ning. I will swiftly deal with the enemies."
Ning Yao waved her hand, "No, what I meant is, just survive. As long as you survive, even if you're seriously injured, your brother's skills will surely pull you back from the brink of death."
Chen Ping An's confidence grew severalfold. He left the courtyard, a piece of porcelain held lightly in his hand.
But Ning Yao followed him out. Chen Ping An turned to her, confused, "Miss Ning, why are you coming out? Aren't you injured?"
Ning Yao rolled her eyes, thinking, "This guy, why does he ask so many questions? So nosy?"
Ning Yao said, "Chen Ping An, why are you so worried? I'm not your wife, why are you so concerned about me?"
Chen Ping An's expression turned awkward.
Ning Yao said, "My injuries have been healed by your brother. I'm fine now, don't worry."
"Since I said it before, Chen Ping An, I've made you a friend, Ning Yao has decided. So, I'll lend you a hand with this matter."
Ning Yao patted her chest, brimming with a chivalrous spirit as she spoke to Chen Ping An.
Chen Ping An opened his mouth, wanting to refuse Miss Ning's assistance, but couldn't find the words.
Ning Yao saw Chen Ping An's reluctance. The brilliance in her eyes instantly dimmed with displeasure.
"What, not happy? I'm kindly offering help, and you're not even happy?"
Chen Ping An said, "No, Miss Ning, I want to..."
Before he could finish, Ning Yao interrupted, "Are you embarrassed?"
Ning Yao said, "Do you want to seek revenge with your own strength?"
Chen Ping An nodded.
Ning Yao picked up her saber, holding it in front of Chen Ping An.
"I told you, I've made you a friend, Ning Yao. I'll go with you, but I won't take the initiative to fight. If you're in danger, then I'll step in, alright?"
Ning Yao tossed back her hair, her gaze resolute!
Chen Ping An suddenly found Miss Ning very cool and attractive!
Seeing Chen Ping An lost in thought, Ning Yao impatiently shook her saber, "Chen Ping An? Yes or no?"
Chen Ping An snapped out of his daze, nodding vigorously!
————
Lu Chen carried a six-month-old chick and a basket of mushrooms, walking along the road with Chen Sui Nian.
He turned to Chen Sui Nian, "Just let them go wild like that?"
Chen Sui Nian, carrying green vegetables, ribs, and some pork, sighed helplessly, "What else can we do? It's just revenge, the youthful spirit, it's normal."
Lu Chen said, "Even with the suppression of the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, Chen Ping An is still a mortal, after all. It's still a bit difficult to kill a cultivator."
Chen Sui Nian said, "Isn't there Ning girl?"
Lu Chen said, "Aren't you going to do anything? What if something big happens?"
Chen Sui Nian said nonchalantly, "Let it happen! If it does, I'll just step in. Don't worry, they'll be fine."
"What if..."
"There are no 'what ifs'. During a cultivator's journey, the most fearsome thing is 'heart knots'. Once a heart knot is formed, it's extremely detrimental to their future cultivation. Some people are only slightly affected, it's nothing serious. But some others might be stuck in place for a long time, with no hope of immortality."
"What if the heart knot develops further into a heart demon, leading to madness and eventually death?"
"That trash Cai Jin Jian, that's exactly what happened. It's nothing more than not being able to stand my brother's pure and clean heart, purer than someone who claims to be a 'fairy'. She feels uncomfortable seeing it, because she doesn't have it, so she wants to destroy it."
"After all, like some people, when they see someone richer than themselves, they'll ask why? Why is someone of lower status richer than me? I, Cai Jin Jian, a fairy from the Divine Land, you, Chen Ping An, a peasant from the Mud Bottle Alley, even your heart is purer than mine? Her inner jealousy made Chen Ping An become her heart knot, so she attacked without hesitation."
"Of course, the biggest reason behind this is the manipulation and instigation of that trash True Monarch, Liu what's-his-name."
Chen Sui Nian's eyes were filled with disdain and mockery, "Demons arise from the heart, evil originates from the mind. Good and bad have no doors, only the self invites them."
"My brother was never their劫 (jie, calamity). Their劫 is themselves. You can't just blame Heaven for why someone is richer than you because you're envious, can you? No matter how innocent or justified, it cannot hide her shallow heart and twisted thoughts."
Lu Chen slightly nodded. It was true. Even if there were others manipulating from behind the scenes, was it not your fault as well?
Such a heart, such a cultivator, so pitiful, yet so laughable.
Being used as a pawn without knowing it, pitiful.
Thinking they are high and mighty deities, readily deciding the life and death of others, laughable.
In the eyes of a mere Nascent Soul Realm Liu Zhi Mao, Cai Jin Jian was no different from the ants she used as pawns!
In the eyes of Lu Chen and Chen Sui Nian, Liu Zhi Mao was nothing more than a slightly larger ant!
Chen Sui Nian turned to Lu Chen, "It's funny, if it weren't for my brother, I wouldn't even bother to know their names or origins!"
"Yun Xia Mountain? What trash? I've never even heard of it. I don't know what kind of trashy sect it is. Clean and pure? Hahaha."
"And what about that trashy Script Lake? I've heard people talk about it before, but now it seems to be a gathering place for demonic, evil, unorthodox, and trash cultivators? That Zhi Mao, is he still a True Monarch?"
Lu Chen added, "Liu Zhi Mao, self-proclaimed 'River Interception True Monarch'."
"Heh, he's just a wild cultivator from Script Lake, a common Nascent Soul Realm cultivator."
"When Liu Zhi Mao entered the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, he immediately took a liking to my brother's adopted brother, Gu Can. Gu Can's mother had once given my brother a meal, so my brother took care of the mother and son, treating Gu Can like his own brother."
"Before that, my brother gave Gu Can a loach he caught from a stream. Hey, that loach was actually a蛟龙 (jiao long, dragon)!"
"Liu Zhi Mao must have planned to kill my brother because he was worried that if my brother found out later, he would demand the loach back."
Chen Sui Nian suddenly laughed, "Lu Chen, do you know the funniest and most laughable thing?"
Lu Chen said, "The funniest thing is that Chen Ping An wouldn't take back that loach, even if it was a蛟龙. Gu Can's mother, for the sake of her son's future, turned on Chen Ping An, but then she regretted it."
But Chen Sui Nian suddenly asked a question.
"Lu Chen, what kind of cultivator do you think can reach the peak?"
"Hard to say, can't tell."
Chen Sui Nian smiled, "Don't you think Little Ping An is amazing? He's gone through so much hardship since he was little, almost died countless times, but he still stubbornly survived. He's gone through so much suffering, but he's still alive and well."
"He's gone through countless hardships, yet his heart remains like a clear glass mirror. His heart lake has weathered a thousand sails, yet he still has the heart of a child!"
Lu Chen listened to Chen Sui Nian's words, nodding and thinking, then the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. This... this... isn't this related to my Daoist path?
Lu Chen unconsciously calculated with his fingers, hiss, it seems like there is indeed some kind of connection.
"The reason I didn't stop them was that I wanted him to seek revenge, to go wild. He has no youthful spirit at all, how is he a young man? Too calm, too honest, too mature! He's only fourteen, where's the youthful recklessness? How can he grow if he doesn't act like a young man?"
"I'm afraid he'll get sick from holding it all in! He's gone through so much suffering, I don't believe he doesn't have any darkness, filth, and dirt in his heart."
Lu Chen finally understood Chen Sui Nian's true intentions.
"You want your brother to use this opportunity to cleanse his inner self, to vent his anger?"
"Yes, in water control, you can't block it, you have to let it out. If you do it for too long, there will be problems."
"The hardships of his childhood tempered him, but they also left a lot of darkness in his heart."
"So, who did you choose as your brother's master?"
"My senior brother."
"Ah? Tsk, will your senior brother agree?"
"It's almost certain. My brother's heart and talent aren't bad. He should agree for my sake."
Lu Chen also nodded.
But Lu Chen had other thoughts in his mind.
You don't know the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, nor do you know me.
So, it was like this. Chen Ping An is like a porcelain piece at night, it's hard to notice his cultivation talent without a careful look.
In Lu Chen's opinion, talent and aptitude weren't necessarily that important, but destiny and heart were crucial.
No wonder I felt compassion for Chen Ping An.
No wonder I thought that kid Chen Ping An was quite likeable.
No wonder there happened to be a Chen Ping An right when Ning Yao was injured.
The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more it seemed reasonable, the more it seemed like destiny.
Good, good.
It seems that Chen Ping An really has a connection with me.
Lu Chen nodded on the surface, indicating no problem. But deep down, he had his own plans.
New book, please vote for flowers, please follow!