Unsheathed

Cui Dongshan suddenly changed the topic to something completely different, chuckling, “There are two things in the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation that you must try if you get the opportunity. One is Buddha’s Temptation, and one is bittern flapjack, something that you can find in those old shops located deep inside the alleys.[1]” One is fancy and one is basic, yet both are incredible delicacies of the world.

“Sure,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Master, as fellow disciples of yours, I want to have a private conversation with Pei Qian. Is that alright?” Cui Dongshan asked carefully. “I might leave with Wei Xian immediately after I finish my conversation with Pei Qian, so there’s no need for you to come over to see me off. After we leave, only Shi Rou and Zhu Lian will remain to act as your subordinates.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and turned around to look at Pei Qian. The skinny little girl immediately jumped up and exclaimed, “Who’s afraid of whom?”

Cui Dongshan smiled and walked out of the room. Pei Qian followed after him, and she turned around to smile at Chen Ping’an as she stepped over the door threshold. She waved her fist around to boost her own courage.

However, once she walked into the long corridor where she couldn’t see Chen Ping’an anymore, she immediately retrieved her Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman and stuck it on her forehead. Only after doing this did she continue to follow Cui Dongshan.

In Cui Dongshan’s room, Pei Qian immediately acted like an obedient lackey and closed the door for him. There was an obsequious smile on her face as she sat down beside the table; she grabbed a fragrant pear and said, “You’re my senior brother, so let me wipe this pear clean for you. It’s delicious and hydrating.”

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes and snapped, “Oh, piss off, will you? Senior Brother? How about I refer to you as Senior Sister?”

Pei Qian hurriedly shook her hand and replied, “No, no, no, that definitely won’t do. We’re cultivating under the same master, so there has to be a proper notion of seniority.”

Cui Dongshan sniggered and remarked, “Tsk, not very impressive, are you?”

Pei Qian nodded earnestly like a young chick pecking rice as she replied, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s right. I’m still little, so it’s true that I’m not very impressive.”

Cui Dongshan stood up and retrieved the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll. He didn’t unfurl it straight away, and he instead asked, “What do you think your master’s life was like when he was little?”

Pei Qian faltered for a moment before replying, “Master mentioned it to me before, and I’ve also heard him chat about it with other people. He was quite poor when he was little, and he grew up in the Jewel Small World’s Clay Vase Alley or something.”

Cui Dongshan slowly unfurled the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll before beckoning at Pei Qian and saying, “Then come here and take a look.”

Reflected on the picture scroll was the river outside the small town as well as the covered bridge that spanned across it. Of course, this covered bridge had been dismantled and no longer existed anymore.

“Cultivators in the world understand that the waters are more dangerous than the mountains,” Cui Dongshan explained slowly. “This is because the sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought are far fonder of water than they are mountains. Paramount virtue is like water, wise individuals enjoy the waters, and Buddha observes a bowl of water—all of these sayings relate to water. As for the profound truth buried within this, you’ll naturally learn of it in the future.”

Afterward, the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll reflected the scenes of Chen Ping’an’s childhood.

There were children flying paper kites in the immortal tomb, and there was a tanned little boy squatting far away in the distance and looking on in envy. He watched the children the same age as him sprinting through the immortal tomb with their kites soaring high in the sky.

There were the times when he went to the Yang family’s medicine shop to buy medicine, and he would return home to brew medicine while he stood on top of a small stool to cook. He would secretly run to the immortal tomb to pray in front of the damaged statues of the gods and deities as well.

Afterward, the little boy carried a huge basket that was almost as big as himself as he climbed up a mountain under the scorching sun to collect medicinal herbs. However, it wasn’t long before he experienced searing pain in his shoulders, so he shrugged off the huge basket and bawled his eyes out at the foot of the mountain.

One time, he was so hungry that he paced up and down Clay Vase Alley again and again, all the way until a woman eventually opened her door and invited him inside.

Time slowly trickled along, and the scenes on the picture scroll slowly appeared and faded.

The little boy grew up into a young boy.

In the end, the picture scroll froze on the scene where Chen Ping’an was standing at the eastern gate of the small town and waiting to deliver letters to earn some copper coins.

Pei Qian was glued to the Fleeting Glance Picture Scroll, and her expression changed again and again as she watched the changing scenes on the picture scroll for more than an hour.

Absorbed by the scenes, Pei Qian would occasionally mutter to herself as well, saying, “This Song Jixin and Zhi Gui both deserve to die. In fact, I coincidentally have a saber and a sword for them. In the future, I’ll use my saber to behead one of them, and I’ll use my sword to stab one of them in the heart!

“No wonder Master knows how to do everything, from making straw sandals to building bamboo bookcases.

“Haha, Master is also drooling at the sight of tanghulu? Huh? Why did Master run away? Didn’t the man selling tanghulu offer one to Master for free? I don’t understand.

“This effeminate man from the dragon kilns is quite similar to that old geezer, Shi Rou.

“Is this tree above the grave mound the model tree that Master mentioned to Little Bai?

“Why does this Old Man Yao always like to scold Master? Is he blind or what?

“Is this big sister standing outside the door the girl that Master likes? She doesn’t appear to be much more beautiful than Sui Youbian. In fact, she doesn’t seem as beautiful as Daoist Nun Huang Ting, the person who taught me sword and saber techniques.”

There was a loud crack.

Cui Dongshan rolled up the picture scroll and placed it back inside his minimization treasure.

Pei Qian silently sat on the stool.

Cui Dongshan sat beside her and said with a nonchalant expression, “Your master didn’t drink much when the two of us reviewed his journey through the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. However, he drank quite a bit when he started to talk about you, Pei Qian.

“He said that he initially thought all of the parents in the world would try their hardest to give the best things to their children. He only later found out that this wasn’t the case. How could a mother secretly hide a steamed bun and choose to eat it by herself at night? Why was she unwilling to take it out and share it with her daughter who was almost about to die of starvation?”

Pei Qian hung her head in dejection.

“I need to thank you, Pei Qian. From the beginning to the end, you allowed Master to better understand just how many people in the world are both foolish and bad,” Cui Dongshan continued in a calm voice.

“Do you know which three events were the most challenging for your master when he was in the small town?” Cui Dongshan asked.

Pei Qian rested her arms and head on the table and murmured in reply, “There was the time when Master was pacing up and down Clay Vase Alley thinking about what to do if no one opened their door for him. That woman eventually opened her door and invited Master inside, so he treated the snotty little kid very well afterward. Another significant challenge was when Master went into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs for the first time, and that’s why Master is so grateful to Old Man Yang. As for the final challenge… I can’t think of anything else.”

Cui Dongshan was relatively satisfied with Pei Qian’s performance, and he said with a smile, “You won’t be able to figure this out regardless of how hard you rack your brain. It was that stick of tanghulu.”

Pei Qian turned around, with her cheek still resting on the table as she looked at Cui Dongshan in slight puzzlement.

Cui Dongshan’s voice was soft as he explained, “If it were you instead of your master, then you could have freely eaten that stick of tanghulu without any issues. You could have fallen to your knees to beg for some tanghulu, you could have stolen some tanghulu, you could have snatched away some tanghulu, and you could have even devoured an entire stand of tanghulu. None of this would have been an issue.

“However, Chen Ping’an couldn’t eat the stick of tanghulu. In fact, he couldn’t eat a single candied hawthorn at all. All matters in the world, all people in the world, and the intentions of people regarding the matters in the world… All of this seems complicated, yet in reality, there are clues and traces for us to follow if we can observe the minute details of the relevant events…”

Pei Qian suddenly flared up in anger and exclaimed, “Refer to him as Master! You actually dared to utter Master’s name? How impudent! I’ll tell Master!”

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes and feigned a flicking motion.

Pei Qian hurriedly sat up and used both her hands to guard her forehead and her precious talisman.

Cui Dongshan placed his hands inside his sleeves and leaned against the table, gazing outside the window as he remarked in a soft voice, “We shouldn’t disappoint Master all the time.”

This confused Pei Qian quite a bit. All the time?

However, she wasn’t confused for too long. Casually counting on her fingers, she realized that she had indeed angered Chen Ping’an quite a few times.

Cui Dongshan turned around and looked at Pei Qian with a smile, saying, “The heavens have the sun and the moon to illuminate all matter, and humans have two eyes to clearly observe all situations. Pei Qian, you’re a very fortunate person, and you’re even more fortunate that you were able to come across Chen Ping’an. This is just like how… Chen Ping’an was able to come across Qi Jingchun.”

Cui Dongshan seemed slightly adrift as he murmured with a faint smile, “I remember the time when that old scholar was experiencing the most challenging period of his life. He faced his only three disciples at the time—me, that person who’s not very smart, and Mr. Qi, whom Chen Ping’an respects immensely—and he said that if we can live a peaceful life, then it isn’t too important whether we’re rich or poor. If we’re satisfied, then even ordinary water will taste like sweet wine, and even plain steamed buns will taste like grilled drumsticks.

“After hearing this, the person with the surname Zuo stupidly remarked that one wouldn’t starve to death even if they had nothing but water and steamed buns to eat all their life, so that was good enough for him. The old scholar was infuriated, and he smacked the table and glared at his disciple, asking him to show a bit more ambition.

“If we didn’t use these principles to stave off hunger when we were poor, then how could we possibly have the motivation to keep going? How could there possibly be a fool in the world who didn’t want to enjoy a better life? If everyone wants to live a better life, and if everyone attempts to achieve this through proper means, then the world will move in an upward trajectory of improvement…

“Qi Jingchun then asked our master when we could eat some dishes cooked with oil. Our master was instantly deflated, and he was rendered speechless for a long time. In the end, he could only point at me, the bullshit senior brother of Zuo You and Qi Jingchun, and say with a wide smile that it would depend on when my family sent some money over…

“Of course, outsiders and future generations naturally aren’t aware of these conversations. Everything was left behind in the small private school in that impoverished alley. Afterward, the old scholar participated in the debate between the three teachings two times, and he ended up with a huge number of official and unofficial disciples. He was renowned throughout the world. But the three of us, his initial disciples, aren’t really willing to remember these times.

“The old scholar seemed extremely busy during that time, and he would run here, run there, and run everywhere. He would bust his chops for the so-called people of the world. He needed to travel to all of the Confucian schools and academies, and he needed to lecture, teach, and answer the questions of many utter fools. As time went on, the three of us, his earliest and most prized disciples, each embarked on our own paths of the Great Dao.”

Pei Qian couldn’t hear him properly, and this was because Cui Dongshan was speaking far too softly.

Cui Dongshan took a deep breath before flicking his two sleeves, causing them to look like tumbling snowflakes in the sky. He looked at Pei Qian and said with a faint smile, “Being able to leave one’s body is like a bird being set free from its cage; the world is bright and clear, just like the radiant moon shining inside colored glaze.[2]

“Since you’re not suited to learning your Master’s fist techniques and have chosen to start practicing the sword and the saber instead, then you need to master the quick and blissful sword and aim to launch the quickest sword attack possible, so fast that it can rival lightning, and so fast that a single sword strike can shatter all techniques. You also need to master the carefree saber; you must unsheathe and resheathe your saber in a single instant, and by the time it’s back in the scabbard, heads must be rolling!”

Pei Qian furrowed her brow and replied, “Are you my master or something?”

Cui Dongshan smiled widely and said, “No, but you’re my senior sister. Since I’m looking out for you now, you naturally need to look out for me in the future. This is what it means to have a praiseworthy relationship between fellow disciples.”

Pei Qian blinked and said, “You’re not lying to me, are you? If you are, then I’m not going to become your senior sister.”

Cui Dongshan recalled something at this moment, and he retrieved a small item that was folded into the shape of a paper crane, saying, “Take care of this. When you continue this long journey with Master, remember that you can only retrieve this item and show it to him when he reaches his angriest state. Well, I hope that it’s still unused when I reunite with him again in the future. Here, put it in your scented pouch. Remember not to open it up without permission, or else you’ll have to face the consequences yourself.”

Pei Qian nodded in response and carefully placed the item inside her scented pouch.

Cui Dongshan pointed at the dazzling golden perimeter around them and asked, “Don’t you have a hiking pole? Do you want to learn this mystical ability of mine?”

“I don’t have any money left,” Pei Qian replied. “I gave everything to Little Bai to use as travel expenses.”

The mention of this instantly reminded Pei Qian of another tragic matter. She had played five in a row with this person and lost a whopping seven copper coins to him.

Cui Dongshan waved a hand and chuckled, “Talking about money too much is bound to detrimentally affect relationships. You don’t need to pay me, you can simply treat this as compensation for completing that small task for me.”

————

In the end, Chen Ping’an still accompanied Cui Dongshan to the entrance of the immortal inn and saw him off.

Wei Xian and Pei Qian were still chatting with each other.

Zhu Lian and Shi Rou were standing behind Chen Ping’an.

Cui Dongshan smiled at the two people and said, “The two of you need to remember to look after my master, okay?”

Zhu Lian nodded and replied with a faint smile, “Your teacher is also my master, so I’ll naturally look after him.”

Meanwhile, there were mixed emotions running through Shi Rou’s mind. She would feel absolutely terrified when Cui Dongshan was present, yet she would feel extremely anxious about her future when he was absent.

Cui Dongshan bowed in respect and said in farewell, “The journey ahead of us is still long. Take care, Master.”

After Cui Dongshan straightened up, Chen Ping’an suddenly raised an arm and gave a thumbs up behind his back to “Du Mao,” saying in a low voice, “Beautifully done! Both Zheng Dafeng and I need to thank you.”

After trying to find the right words for half a day, Cui Dongshan finally struggled to flatter his master for the first time, saying in an awkward voice, “Master, you’re truly a… kind-hearted person.”

1. Buddha’s Temptation (佛跳墙), also known as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall or Fotiaoqiang, is a variety of shark fin soup in Fujian cuisine. This dish is regarded as a Chinese delicacy known for its rich taste and special manner of cooking. The dish’s name is an allusion to the dish’s ability to entice the vegetarian Buddhist monks from their temples to partake in the meat-based dish, and implies that even the strictly vegetarian Gautama Buddha would try to jump over a wall to sample it. Bittern flapjack (卤煮火烧), also known as Luzhu huoshao, is one of the most well-known traditional Beijing street foods. The main ingredients are pork, pork lung, pork intestines, pork liver, tofu, and some may add fermented bean curd or chives sauce. It is served with bing bread. ☜

2. Both of these are partial quotes from the Surangama Sutra, a Mahayana Buddhist sutra. ☜