As Chen Ping'an approached the stone-arch bridge, he swallowed nervously and hesitated to move forward. After an intense inner struggle, he decided to follow the stream upstream instead. Reaching the narrowest point where the brook cinched like a waist, he sprinted and leapt across, finally making his way toward Green Ox's Back.
What he didn't know was that this detour caused him to narrowly miss Ruan Xiu. The girl in green, carrying a jug of Peach Blossom Spring wine, dashed across the bridge. This time, while buying wine in the town, she passed by the New Year Shop with her head bowed and quickened her steps, fearing that the dazzling array of pastries might steal her soul. After all, she had just begun to save her own private stash of money.
Chen Ping'an first made a trip to Liu Xianyang's residence. He lit the oil lamp and carefully inspected the interior and exterior, confirming nothing was missing before extinguishing the light and locking the door. On his way back through Clay Bottle Alley, he passed the collapsed old house with a gaping hole and finally exhaled in relief. The burden on his shoulders was still there, but compared to his last departure from Clay Bottle Alley, it now felt much lighter. He couldn't help but smile secretly—having money in his pocket was a delightful feeling indeed.
In his life, Chen Ping'an had only ever seen broken bits of silver. He had never laid eyes on a heavy silver ingot, let alone the rare and godlike sight of gold.
Upon returning to his ancestral home, he opened the door, checked the courtyard gate to ensure it was securely fastened, then carefully lit the oil lamp inside. The dim yellow glow cast flickering shadows on the cold, earthen walls. From a ceramic jar by the wall's base, Chen Ping'an retrieved three money pouches—Spring Welcoming Money, Offering Money, and Evil-Warding Money—containing twenty-five, twenty-six, and twenty-eight golden essence coins, respectively. Seventy-nine in total.
These extraordinary coins had been briefly explained by Ning Yao, who said they were an extension of worldly currency. Their immense value came from their rarity, but more importantly, outsiders needed them as tokens to enter the town.
As for the origins of this unwritten rule, it had long faded into the mist of time. Ning Yao, being not of Eastern Baoping Prefecture, could not explain its genesis either.
Chen Ping'an placed one of each coin on the table. The Spring Welcoming Coin bore the inscription "Auspicious New Year," with openwork carvings of swirling clouds and an armored deity beating a war drum. The Evil-Warding Coin featured the Five Poisons—snake, scorpion, centipede, gecko, and toad—on one side, and on the reverse, the words "Heavenly Midpoint Repels Evil" and a pattern of a tortoise and snake entwined around a sword. The Offering Coin had simple inscriptions: "Sincerity Moves the Divine" on one side, and "Immortals Above" on the other. It was the most unadorned in design.
Picking up the Spring Welcoming Coin, Chen Ping'an studied it closely. It was hard to believe that such a tiny copper coin could purchase the entire Pearl Mountain. He recalled that when Master Ruan referred to it as a mere "hillock," it was old man Yao who had first taken him to the mountain's summit to gather soil. There were numerous classifications for soil—by weight, fertility, elemental affinity—and the knowledge to discern them was complex. Chen Ping'an had barely scratched the surface of Old Yao's expertise in "soil-eating."
At the unremarkable Pearl Mountain, Old Yao had once stomped the ground and said to the boy digging beside him, "This soil has it all, but the place is just too small. It's like a person squeezed into a corner—bump your head if you stretch your neck, bruise your shin if you stretch your leg." Locals called such cramped places "snail shells."
Chen Ping'an gently placed down the Spring Welcoming Coin and picked up the Evil-Warding Coin, only to set it down quickly. A shadow passed over his face. His birthday fell on the fifth day of the fifth month—a day when all five poisons emerged. Song Jixin next door had even said that in some regions, children born on this day were deemed ominous and drowned at birth.
Shaking his head, Chen Ping'an picked up the final Offering Coin. Eight simple characters, plain and solemn. Suddenly, he remembered something: the first time he met Miss Ning, Fu Nanhua, and Cai Jinjian, they had each handed a pouch of coins to the gatekeeper as they entered the town. But where did those coins end up? In the private coffers of the Emperor of Great Li?
With a sigh, Chen Ping'an gave up pondering an answer he couldn't possibly figure out. Instead, he started calculating. Master Ruan said Pearl Mountain would only cost one Spring Welcoming Coin. Mid-sized peaks like Blackplum Mountain and Lantern Lotus Peak would be around ten to fifteen, and great peaks like Withered Spring Ridge and Incense Fire Mountain required twenty-five to thirty.
Upon deeper thought, Chen Ping'an discerned the hidden message in Master Ruan's words: The Great Li Dynasty held Master Ruan in high esteem, gifting him three mountains. Since he intended to establish a sect, the three should ideally be contiguous, not scattered. The court's generosity was strategic—Master Ruan couldn't just cherry-pick the three most valuable peaks.
Naturally, Chen Ping'an would assist Master Ruan in selecting the peaks. Still, he believed he could purchase a few small to medium peaks elsewhere, like the overlooked Pearl Mountain. Though small, it was still a whole mountain. For just one coin, it was a bargain he couldn't pass up.
While he wasn't uninterested in peaks like Withered Spring Ridge, Divine Grace Mountain, or Incense Fire Mountain, he aimed to acquire a slightly inferior but still substantial peak for about one pouch's worth of coins. Then, he'd buy several minor hills like Pearl Mountain for around ten coins altogether. The rest he would use to follow Master Ruan's lead—wherever Master Ruan chose his three mountains, Chen Ping'an would buy everything nearby, and keep buying.
As for the unnamed great mountain housing the Dragon-Slaying Platform, he had entirely given up on it. He warned himself never to get involved, even if no one else had discovered its worth. The opportunity was tempting, but he swore to stay away.
The town, now open to all directions, was no longer the sealed-off "Li Pearl Paradise" of old. Even Chen Ping'an could walk hundreds of miles here—who could be stopped now? Especially those sword-riding immortals streaking through the skies?
But before spending his coins on land, Chen Ping'an resolved to make another personal trip into the mountains. Spending such a sum without knowing what he was buying, even if it guaranteed a thousandfold return, left him uneasy. That was just how hardship had shaped him.
At present, he still had eight serpent gallstones that remained bright and untarnished. Many more were hidden at both his and Liu Xianyang's homes. Perhaps those that escaped early from the stream had dulled in hue and luster, no longer as vibrant as when first retrieved, yet they still retained a trace of mysterious vitality. That unspoken, elusive quality reminded him of the moment he first laid eyes on Gu Can from Clay Bottle Alley or Li Baoping of Fortune Street—he simply knew they were clever children.
Chen Ping'an stored the three pouches of golden essence coins back into the jar. At the thought of asking Master Ruan for another leave to go into the mountains, his head ached. Old Yao had been like this. Master Ruan was the same. Chen Ping'an suspected he had little luck with elders—especially with finding a true master.
He crouched beside the bamboo basket in the corner and reached out to touch the Dragon-Slaying Platform's black stone slab. It felt cool and smooth beneath his palm. He was curious—how could such an unassuming stone be connected to a sword-riding immortal like Miss Ning? And how sharp could a blade become after being honed upon it?
Suddenly, he remembered something and took out the five locust leaves. Back then, the red-coat girl had picked up eight under the old locust tree, and he'd given her three as payment.
He examined the leaves carefully. Though thin and delicate in appearance, they were surprisingly tough. Sadly, they had lost the eerie green glow that once danced along their veins...