Chapter 659 (1): Like a Blazing Sun

Liu Xianyang genuinely only returned home to take a quick look. Afterward, he boarded the dragon boat intercontinental ship named Frothing Ink at Ox Horn Mountain. There was no way to travel directly to Old Dragon City, and he needed to make a transfer at an immortal ferry station near the Water Combing Nation in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Only then could he travel south along the dragon channel.

All of the direct disciples of Bejeweled Hairpin Island's ancestral hall had already moved from Bamboo Scroll Lake to Ao Back Ridge, and Bejeweled Hairpin Island could be regarded as one of the first immortal forces to have formed an alliance with Downtrodden Mountain.

Island Master Liu Chongrun, who had once been a princess listening to official assemblies behind curtains, was personally working as the steward of the intercontinental ship for the moment. After all, it was difficult to feel at ease without an earth immortal overseeing an intercontinental ship.

Ruan Xiu saw Liu Xianyang off at the ferry station at Ox Horn Mountain.

The dragon boat was gigantic, and it was essentially a mountain of gold and silver. Liu Xianyang couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Of the three of them back then, it wasn't actually Gu Can who had been the most desperate to earn money, but rather, it was Chen Ping'an.

However, Chen Ping'an's mindset was different from Gu Can's, who would already have plans for how to spend his money before he had even earned it. Chen Ping'an was scared of being poor, and only by increasing his wealth each day would he feel at ease, even if it were only by a single copper coin. This would alleviate his worries and improve his life.

Liu Xianyang had mostly been visiting other people during his trip back home, and he had made small talk with the elderly residents who had decided to stay in the small town. Fewer and fewer of them remained each year, while the children wearing open-crotch pants also grew up year by year, becoming young adults and getting married.

Some of them might not recognize Liu Xianyang anymore, and those around the same age as him were mostly busy managing their businesses in the provincial city. Thus, there were few people Liu Xianyang could genuinely chat with, and this group of people would only dwindle as time went on.

While visiting the elderly residents and chatting with them, there were a few people and topics that they talked about the most. There was Apricot Blossom Alley's Ma Kuxuan, who had become an immortal in the mountains; Landlord Chen Ping'an, who had purchased many mountains in the small town; Song Jixin, who had mysteriously become a royal descendant; and also Dong Shuijing and his huge business with the officials in the provincial city.

Having endured their fair share of challenges and hardships in the past, these elderly residents appeared to be very fond of praising Apricot Blossom Alley and Clay Vase Alley's feng shui, saying that it wasn't a single bit worse than Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley's feng shui.

Liu Xianyang enjoyed listening to the elderly residents talk about these matters, especially those elderly residents who hadn't been familiar with Clay Vase Alley in the beginning. When they talked about Chen Ping'an, it was as if he were a junior in their family whom they had watched grow up. Liu Xianyang found this very amusing.

Indeed, Chen Ping'an had always been quite good at interacting with people and matters from a young age, especially interacting with his elders. He didn't usually speak much, but he would actively greet others when he encountered them on the streets, never making mistakes regarding seniority either.

Moreover, the young boy from Clay Vase Alley would maintain this habit and continue to properly greet people even if they ignored him, not giving him so much as a sideways glance.

Some paths to success and sudden riches were thanks to good fortune, something that couldn't be obtained with envy. However, some successes were attained through the accumulation of hard work over time, something that could seemingly be learned with ease, but appeared difficult to learn at the same time.

Liu Xianyang waited for the dragon boat intercontinental ship to dock, after which it still needed to load and unload goods. These goods had links to business dealings with the Northern Complete Reed Continent's Flax Robe Sect and Spring Dew Garden, a lofty matter that many residents in the small town could barely begin to fathom.

"That child called Xie Ling in the mountains has a very interesting and distinctive appearance," Liu Xianyang suddenly commented with a smile.

Speaking with hidden meaning was a common habit in the small town.

Ruan Xiu nodded and replied, "Yes, he's just a child."

Liu Xianyang was slightly entertained by Xie Ling's misfortune.

"You won't be able to control Gu Can," Ruan Xiu said.

Liu Xianyang nodded and replied, "At most, it will be me beating him, and him not fighting back. I won't be able to make any fundamental changes to the snotty little kid's heart. I knew this from very early on, so I never thought about trying to control him. This little bastard has finally discovered a modicum of conscience, however, and he understands who is genuinely good to him."

Ruan Xiu and Liu Xianyang were old acquaintances, and Liu Xianyang had actually entered the swordsmithing shop beside the Dragon Whisker River even earlier than Chen Ping'an. Not only that, but he had even become an apprentice, unlike Chen Ping'an, who had only become a short-term helper afterward.

Whether it be firing pottery or forging swords, Liu Xianyang always appeared to be a quicker learner than Chen Ping'an. Liu Xianyang was seemingly paving a path, and once the path was complete, he would always like to drag Chen Ping'an along.

Many people wanted their friends to do well in life, yet they might not want to see their friends doing better than themselves, especially not significantly better.

Liu Xianyang wasn't this type of person, and Chen Ping'an wasn't either. This was perhaps why the two people who had completely different personalities were able to become close friends, eventually becoming even better friends despite experiencing huge changes to their lives.

Ruan Xiu grabbed a peach cake from her silk pouch and asked, "You didn't visit Clay Vase Alley to greet her and have a chat?"

"Romantic feelings during youth are energetic and delightful, but looking back, it's simply become a cherished memory," Liu Xianyang replied with emotion.

Ruan Xiu had already finished her peach cake when Liu Xianyang finished sighing with emotion, so she grabbed an almond biscuit and asked, "What did you discuss with my dad? He appeared quite happy."

Liu Xianyang smiled and replied, "Master Ruan drank wine, and I scolded Chen Ping'an."

"I see," Ruan Xiu replied.

Liu Xianyang wasn't lying, but there was one other proper matter that he couldn't exactly tell Ruan Xiu. Chen Chun'an had ventured out to the sea in the past, and after returning, he had visited Liu Xianyang and asked him to deliver a message to the Great Li Empire's Imperial Song Clan when he traveled home.

However, Liu Xianyang felt like it was more appropriate for Ruan Qiong, the chief guest elder of the Great Li Empire and his future master, to discuss and negotiate with the young emperor.

This wasn't a small matter, and it pertained to the Pure Confucian Chen Clan expressing its support for the Great Sui Nation's Mountain Cliff Academy regaining its status as one of the seventy-two Confucian academies. However, the Pure Confucian Chen Clan wasn't familiar with Forest Deer Academy, which the Great Li Empire had established in Cloud Drape Mountain, so it wouldn't say one extra word about it in the imperial court.

Liu Xianyang had felt slightly puzzled at the time, so he had calmly voiced his thoughts, asking why the Pure Confucian Chen Clan, which belonged to the lineage of the Second Sage, was choosing to do this. Weren't they worried about receiving criticism from other forces belonging to the lineage of the Second Sage?

His worry wasn't without reason. The deputy leader of the Middle Earth Divine Continent's scholarly temple could rival Chen Chun'an in terms of both cultivation base and seniority, so simply put, Chen Chun'an's voice and influence in the orthodoxy of the Second Sage's scholarly lineage were still bound by many restrictions. This was the case even though Chen Chun'an was a widely renowned scholar and a pillar of the Scholarly Sage's scholarly lineage.

Chen Chun'an had seemingly been in a good mood back then, telling Liu Xianyang that this was a transaction between scholars that he had made with Chen Ping'an. However, things would have been slightly wanting if Chen Ping'an had dared to make empty promises to him simply by relying on his status as the closing disciple of the Scholarly Sage.

Standing on the stone cliff above the thundering river, Chen Chun'an had eventually patted Liu Xianyang's shoulder and said something new to the young man. Scholars like them didn't need to stoop to the level of discussing benefits. They needed to have lofty thoughts and ideologies, they needed to act with substance and depth, and they needed to walk out of scripture libraries and walk beside the common people, expounding to them principles that even ordinary people with no education could understand.

Hearing this, Liu Xianyang had instinctively responded that like-minded companions for scholars shouldn't be limited to just scholars.

Chen Chun'an had felt extremely pleased, stroking his beard as he smiled and remarked that the clan culture and scholarly culture at the Pure Confucian Chen Clan were indeed quite good.

"You say you don't have many attachments anymore, so why are you still traveling through that underground river? It's not like there aren't intercontinental ships traveling directly to Old Dragon City," Ruan Xiu suddenly said.

Liu Xianyang rubbed his cheeks and replied, "The small town was only so big back then, and I didn't dare to have any thoughts about the beautiful girls from Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley. However, she was different. She was Chen Ping'an's neighbor, and she lived in Clay Vase Alley in a place even worse than my ancestral residence. Not only that, but she was even Song Jixin's maidservant and needed to do manual labor such as collecting water and cooking every single day. This made me feel like I was definitely worthy of her.

"As for how much I actually liked her? Okay, I concede that I liked her a lot, but not to the point of thinking about her both day and night, unable to push her from my mind. I left everything to fate. What big difference would it make whether we got together or not?"

"What kind of place is the Sword Qi Great Wall?" Ruan Xiu asked.

Liu Xianyang thought for a moment before replying, "It's a place lacking everything but sword cultivators. Cultivation, life, and death don't seem like very big matters at the Sword Qi Great Wall, so there are many alcoholics as a result. This is unsurprising, as sword cultivators and sword immortals all like to drink. In fact, from my impression, I can say that apart from my hometown, the Sword Qi Great Wall is a place where mighty figures act least like mighty figures."

Ruan Xiu nodded in response.

Liu Xianyang's expression was slightly awkward, and he hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to say, "I met you a long time ago, Ruan Xiu, didn't I? However, there are some things that I genuinely can't say much about. Both you and Chen Ping'an are my friends, so regarding that particular matter, I can only refrain from saying those things that you might want to hear."

Ruan Xiu looked up at Liu Xianyang and shook her head, replying, "I don't want to hear those things that you think I might want to hear. For example, Ruan Xiu being better than Ning Yao, you being better friends with Ruan Xiu than Ning Yao, and whatnot."

Liu Xianyang felt a huge sense of relief. He smiled and remarked, "Miss Ruan is Miss Ruan, after all."

"I asked that question just then because I'm curious about what kind of place the Sword Qi Great Wall is," Ruan Xiu explained. "Apart from that, I also want to know whether Chen Ping'an is doing well over there. If he's doing very well because of Ning Yao's company, then I'll naturally feel very happy for him as his friend."

Liu Xianyang was just about to respond to this comment and say that Chen Ping'an was taking to the Sword Qi Great Wall like a fish in water, but he suddenly stopped himself and silently warned himself to watch his tongue. He definitely shouldn't say too much.

When Liu Xianyang returned to his hometown a few years later, he would officially become a direct disciple of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect's ancestral hall. Regarding this matter, Ruan Qiong had clearly explained everything to his direct disciples and unofficial disciples when Liu Xianyang had visited the mountain. However, Ruan Qiong hadn't said whether Liu Xianyang's name in the genealogical records would be behind Dong Gu, his opening disciple, or behind Xie Ling. Liu Xianyang hadn't asked either.

As a result, this became a popular topic for discussion among many unofficial disciples of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Everyone in the sect was familiar with their sect leader's temperament now, and there was little need to restrain their speech as long as they practiced sword techniques with diligence and sincerity. There were also many speculations about Liu Xianyang's cultivation base, especially since there were few sword cultivators among proper Confucian disciples.

"Why are you willing to return here to learn sword techniques and cultivate in the Dragon Spring Sword Sect?" Ruan Xiu asked in curiosity. "My dad isn't actually able to teach you anything."

"Chen Ping'an is too good at looking after other people, but he's not very good at looking after himself, so I can't help but feel worried if I'm too far away," Liu Xianyang replied in helplessness.

"I'm worried about Chen Ping'an." Ruan Xiu quietly repeated this sincere sentiment from Liu Xianyang before smiling and putting her silk pouch of desserts inside her sleeve. She brushed the crumbs on her fingers against the hem of her clothes and commented, "Not everyone has the right to say these words, Liu Xianyang. Perhaps it was okay in the past, but it will become incredibly difficult in the future."

"I'm worried about Chen Ping'an," Liu Xianyang repeated with a chuckle.

Ruan Xiu smiled widely and played dumb.