In the ancestral mansion of the Yuan family on Er Lang Alley, Cui Can, drenched in blood, sat heavily in a chair. His hands formed the precious vase mudra, struggling to sustain this fragile vessel of flesh and bone, preventing it from shattering. This was not merely because such a corporeal shell was rare and hard to come by, but more so because this body was a prison that confined his soul. In the short term, it was impossible to roam freely between the capital of Dali and the mountains and rivers of Longquan as before. Should his body be destroyed, he would be utterly severed from his spirit, left broken and incomplete—a lifetime condemned to wallow at the lowest depths of the mid-fifth realm, akin to the pitiful fish and shrimp in a muddy pond. The wolves and tigers who once trembled and cowered beneath his feet would now find killing him effortless.
Though his body and mind were grievously wounded, Cui Can spat out a mouthful of blood, gripped the armrests, and shakily rose to his feet. He knew well that in times like this, he must not falter in spirit. Raising his gaze toward the courtyard, he recalled the voice of the military sage Ruan Qiong that once echoed here. Yet now, even the arcane arts that allowed whispered exchanges with Ruan Qiong were lost to him.
In a hoarse voice, Cui Can commanded, "Come forth."
From a side chamber, a boy of exquisite and flawless appearance emerged, his face pale with dread, uncertain as he approached. Cui Can trusted the spies and death-bound agents lurking in the town, confident in their unwavering loyalty to him, the Dali State Master. Yet he harbored no illusions about their strength, never expecting them to escort him safely back to the capital. Perhaps before even leaving this town, Song Changjing or the woman might activate their hidden pawns among the Four Surnames and Ten Clans.
Thus, he ordered the boy, "Go to the blacksmith's shop and find Master Ruan. Bring him here and say plainly that Cui Can requests his presence for a significant transaction regarding the divine mountain spirit's official appointment on Shenxiu Mountain. Remember, invite him—if Ruan Qiong refuses to come, you need never return to this mansion. The shadow soul I have temporarily gathered and secured within you cannot endure the harsh Yang qi wind for long."
The boy's face turned ghostly pale as he nodded vigorously. Cui Can slumped back into the chair, cautioning, "Once outside, maintain a natural demeanor—do not wear the face of a bereaved orphan. Even a fool would sense something amiss if you look so despondent."
The boy nodded timidly and hurried away.
As Cui Can closed his eyes, a bitter irony struck him. Reduced to a prisoner drawn upon the earth, his soul's escape sealed tight, he now had to patch and mend this prison like a humble tailor.
Suddenly, familiar footsteps approached. Cui Can's eyes snapped open, ready to rebuke this inept puppet. But upon seeing the uninvited guest beside the porcelain-faced boy, he swiftly adopted a different expression and smiled at the youth, "Fetch a chair for Elder Yang and bring a cup of tea."
The old man smoked a dry pipe, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the surroundings with a smile, ignoring the pitiful figure of the young State Master. "This restriction was laid by your own hand, Cui Can. Now that someone has broken through, the host remains fast asleep. State Master, are you in trouble? Need a hand?"
Cui Can's face remained composed. "No need."
The elder seated himself on the boy's chair. Positioned eastward, Cui Can faced south toward the grand plaque of the Yuan family hall. The elder glanced at the boy, whose expression was a mixture of restraint and curiosity, and mused, "Your mastery over the spirit is truly commendable."
Cui Can asked, "Can Ruan Qiong hear us now?"
Elder Yang chuckled, "Ruan Qiong's temperament? He only spies on you out of boredom. If you hadn't provoked him time and again, do you think he'd bother with you?"
Cui Can warned gravely, "Better to be cautious than regretful." This was the second time Cui Can uttered this phrase to Elder Yang; the first was back at Old Porcelain Mountain.
The elder smoked contemplatively. "Indeed."
After a brief pause, Cui Can inquired, "Are you ready?"
The elder nodded lightly. "Speak freely, State Master."
Wiping fresh blood from his lips, Cui Can asked, "Should I address you as Qing Tong Tianjun, or the more renowned one...?"
The elder interrupted flatly, "Enough."
Cui Can ceased, sighing, "To be honest, that battle was the ambition of my soul."
A strange laugh escaped him. "Not regretful to have not met the divine lord, only regretful the divine lord never saw me. When I first glimpsed the secret under your tutelage, you chastised me for being presumptuous and reckless. Looking back, you were right, and I was wrong."
The elder waved a hand, "I have no interest in the internal strife between masters and disciples, nor in the bloodshed among brothers."
Cui Can sneered, "So you came here just to watch me fail?"
Elder Yang inquired, "I am curious—Song Changjing, the Dali vassal prince who aspires to the eleventh martial realm, why are you so bitter enemies?"
Cui Can shook his head, "It's not me versus Song Changjing to the death. There's a formidable woman in Dali who can't tolerate him. She orchestrated the breaking of Chen Ping'an's life porcelain behind the scenes. It wasn't the Ma family from Xinghua Alley coveting wealth, but the Liu and Song families, all to pave a path for her son to seize opportunity. I admit, using Chen Ping'an against Qi Jingchun was a strategic stroke—a rare masterstroke in my life. Qi Jingchun outplayed me, and I concede, yet I don't think that move was flawed."
Elder Yang squinted through smoke, "The moment that life porcelain shattered, that Mud Bottle Alley youth became a flickering flame, irresistibly drawing moths to the flame. Your woman's prediction was accurate. Otherwise, that girl born from the remnants of the true dragon's divine will, initially instinctively pursued Chen Ping'an. But after escaping the Dragon Lock Well and staggering to the gates of two households, she sensed the dense dragon aura in Song Jixin's home—an exquisite delicacy to her. Desperate to knock on his door, yet too weak, she collapsed into the snow outside Chen Ping'an's room. Eventually, Chen Ping'an saved her. Upon waking, she naturally refused to bind herself with a mortal, for that would be suicide—her eternal life valued far beyond the fleeting existence of mortals. Claiming to be a newly arrived maid of Song Jixin's household, she unwittingly handed over the greatest cosmic opportunity in Lidu Dongtian to Chen Ping'an. At that time, Chen Ping'an was like a rebellious scion of a grand clan, a traitor to a great nation, suppressed by the invisible will of Heaven, unable to retain any fortune."
The elder shook his head, "Visible but intangible, grasped but lost."
After the elder's tale, Cui Can returned to the main topic, "Even the emperor trusts his brother Song Changjing, who has never coveted the Dragon Throne. Unfortunately, once, while the emperor sought my advice in Go, that woman was beside him, offering hints to prolong the game."
"The emperor suddenly asked if this battlefield prince, without any official title, might one day raise an army and march on Dali's capital, demanding the throne at blade point."
"I honestly replied that the prince would never do such a thing. But if one day, his mighty generals, battle-hardened and victorious, nurtured ambitions to support the dragon, and the prince himself reached the tenth, or even the legendary eleventh realm, disillusioned with life, surrounded by sycophants, might he not don the dragon robes and sit upon the throne to preserve the army's morale?"
After my words, the emperor laughed. Then he asked the woman beside him, 'What do you think?' She said, 'The emperor lacks ambition; half of Dong Baoping Continent suffices. Song Changjing is different. The higher his martial attainment, the more he strives upward.' The emperor laughed, saying our talk was nonsense, slanderous and treasonous, deserving of death, but today was an auspicious day for Go, not execution. So he spared our heads for now."
Elder Yang laughed, "Song Changjing truly had ill fortune meeting you two foes—a woman who spreads whispers and a confidant who throws dirt."
Cui Can bluntly asked, "Why have you come to me?"
Elder Yang muttered cryptically, "We believe generals have their essence, wealth has its roots, life and death have their fate. You don't."
Cui Can retorted fiercely, showing no fear, "I don't think this group is any better than me."
Elder Yang gazed at him. "Tell me, why did Qi Jingchun choose Chen Ping'an?"
Cui Can smiled, "Guess."
Clearly, he would not reveal the answer—this touched his Dao heart. Elder Yang asked, "Do you think I won't kill you?"
Cui Can nodded, "You wouldn't dare. Even a dog I raised might kill me now for ambition's sake, but not you."
Elder Yang smiled, "You're clever—how did you lose to Qi Jingchun?"
Cui Can leaned back, mocking, "Qi Jingchun said something that answers your question: 'In this world, only the heart of a child cannot