Beside the small stream, Wang Jing rained a flurry of punches against the barrier, his arms already a bloody mess.
Qi Jingchun's figure materialized. "Don't waste your energy. Even a Ninth Realm Martial Artist couldn't smash or pierce through this array!"
Wang Jing pleaded, "Master Qi, with your great magnanimity and mercy, let me out. I know I was wrong."
Qi Jingchun didn't look at him; his gaze drifted far away, landing on the rust-covered old sword strip beneath the Covered Bridge.
"You're merely worried about Chen Ping'an's safety, and I can tell you now that the boy is formidable. The tall woman has already been silenced by him with a piece of broken porcelain, her life hanging by a thread, and Fu Nanhuai, the outsider traveling with her, is also in precarious danger!"
Wang Jing was overjoyed. "As expected of my brother, truly fierce!"
Qi Jingchun said calmly, "What you're seeing now is just one of my many avatars. Another avatar of mine is taking a stroll with Chen Ping'an."
At this, Wang Jing completely relaxed his mind. "Master Qi, you said last time that when the heaven and earth vanish, you'll let me out. How could heaven and earth vanish? Wouldn't that mean trapping me for a lifetime?!"
Qi Jingchun smiled. "No matter. The struggle for the Great Dao is intensifying day by day, and I can discuss the secrets of this grotto-heaven with you."
With a wave of his large sleeve, Qi Jingchun brought the heaven and earth to a standstill, presumably fearing that walls had ears.
"This grotto-heaven estate is transformed from the very last true dragon in the world..."
True to being a sage, Qi Jingchun grasped the tone and rhythm of his speech impeccably.
Yet Wang Jing, unwilling to miss a single word, caught a puzzling point.
"If you put it that way, this blessed land of geomancy is going to be destroyed, and the several thousand town residents are going to suffer along with it?!"
Qi Jingchun shook his head. "Wang Jing, with me here, even if the heaven and earth shatter and I am smashed to pieces, I will protect everyone's safety! The true Great Dao is not the saber-rattling arrogance of cleaving the heaven and earth, but the compassionate act of stooping to care for ants; it is the courage to press forward even against tens of thousands of foes; it is the Buddha not saving men, but men saving themselves; as heaven maintains its vigor through movement, our generation must strive unceasingly!"
Wang Jing nodded heavily. Filled with admiration for Qi Jingchun's righteous spirit and unmatched caliber as a national scholar, he said, "I will keep Master's teachings in mind!"
Master Qi nodded. "Wang Jing, I've changed my mind. I'll make a bet with you: if the Dali imperial court agrees to let the three teachings as one redeem the suppression items in advance, it will prove that none of them possess a shred of compassion. When that time comes, I'll let you out and let you raise hell with your system! How about that?!"
Without answering directly, Wang Jing asked, "What is a suppression item?"
Qi Jingchun didn't answer him either, murmuring to himself, "If all the suppression items are taken away, then I, Qi Jingchun, will be the final suppression figure!"
With that, his body dissolved like smoke, leaving Wang Jing standing in a daze for a long time. "Suppression, compassion, ants, sacrifice..."
In Apricot Blossom Alley, there was an iron-chained well where town residents lined up with wooden buckets to fetch water, presenting a serene scene of peaceful years.
"You fucking dare cut the line? Believe it or not, I'll throw you into the well!"
"Exactly! Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection? You're so ugly, yet you dare to dream so big!"
The "simple and honest" villagers broke into a petty dispute...
Qi Jingchun and Chen Ping'an strolled past. Paying no attention to the "civilized" war of words among the villagers, the two of them were clearly long accustomed to it.
They stopped beneath a towering locust tree.
Looking up at the emerald-green, lush locust leaves with a flicker in his gaze, Qi Jingchun cupped his fists and said, "Everyone, would you please grant Qi the courtesy of giving a pair of ancestral shade locust leaves to this straw-sandaled boy from Mud Bottle Alley?"
All sounds died away. The locust tree remained silent, as if even the wind had stopped.
Suddenly, the locust leaves trembled, bursting into laughter one after another in a most bizarre scene!
A variety of mocking voices rang out, belonging to old people, children, and women...
"Qi Jingchun, a wretch who can't even protect himself."
"Your courtesy? Do you even have any courtesy to speak of?"
"Chen Ping'an lacks shallow fortune and thin affinity, why bother shielding him..."
The middle-aged Confucian's chest heaved, his face turning pale as murderous intent flashed in his eyes, only to slowly subside afterward.
Pointing at the locust tree, Qi Jingchun cursed, "If it were sixty years ago, as for you lot—I'd deal with you house by house, one kick per household!"
At that moment, two locust leaves slowly drifted down from the top of the locust tree. Their surfaces faintly shimmered with a golden light, bearing the character "Yao".
A look of puzzlement crossed Qi Jingchun's face. "Why are there two? Such generosity?!"
One locust leaf fell into Chen Ping'an's palm and swiftly vanished, while the other circled the pair once before drifting toward the Covered Bridge.
With a smile on his face, Qi Jingchun thought to himself, *Master Yao is generous, always keeping his beloved disciple in mind.*
As if endowed with eyes, the locust leaf discovered the brooding and dejected Wang Jing by the stream. Seeming somewhat hesitant, it swayed back and forth in mid-air, wanting to leave yet wanting to stay, acting all coy and indecisive.
Finally, as if making up its mind, it slowly landed on Wang Jing's shoulder. Wang Jing remained completely oblivious, while his brain suddenly received a chime from the system: "Beep! Update complete, installing, please wait..."
Qi Jingchun beneath the locust tree felt a jolt in his heart. *It wasn't given to Liu Xianyang, but to Wang Jing?! The ways of these Buddhist practitioners are truly inscrutable.*
——————
By the stream, an old, yellowed ancient book slowly descended into Wang Jing's hands.
A surge of pleasant surprise welled up in Wang Jing. "Could this be the martial arts manual bestowed upon me by Master Qi?!"
The cover of the ancient book bore the two characters "Geomancy". Uncomprehending, Wang Jing opened the table of contents, instantly plunging into deep disappointment—it turned out to be merely a world map, meant to help him pass the time and relieve boredom.
"So this world is composed of four quarters: Vastness Earth governed by Confucianism, Profound Clarity Earth governed by Daoism, Lotus Earth governedized by Buddhism, and Wilderness Earth governed by the Demon Race. But what about the Military Strategists?!"
Wang Jing rapidly flipped the page, ultimately discovering a line of fine print: "Eight thousand years ago, the Military Strategists attempted to restore the old divine imperial court, but were jointly suppressed by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, thus losing the opportunity to govern the world."
The book was quite thick. After studying it for a moment, Wang Jing felt dizzy, so he simply turned his attention to the content that interested him.
He was drawn to an illustration titled *Long River of Time*, which depicted two Confucian scholars playing a game of go. Attached text asked: With the Wilderness invading and Vastness facing imminent catastrophe, who could wield the strength of an entire continent to rescue the heavens from collapse?
A wave of narcissism welled up inside Wang Jing. "Could it be me?"
He turned the page to another illustration: the Sword Qi Great Wall had been breached, and a horde of diverse demons was launching a massive invasion. Sitting high upon a distant platform was a Confucian scholar, seemingly the leader of the demon race.
"Could it be Ergouzi? Helping the demons and doing ungodly things?"
Finally, he flipped to Qi Jingchun's diary. Wang Jing felt a surge of awe—are they really letting me read all this? How embarrassing! Well, since I'm looking, I might as well peer into the secrets of a sage's inner heart.
"Mid-Autumn: My Literary Sage lineage once suffered defeat in the dispute of the three or four. Master's scholarship met with failure, drawing a prison upon the earth—how agonizing! Fellow apprentices are scattered across the four corners of the world; the moon is full, but people are not!
Grain Buds: 'Neither fully full nor unfull.' Having recently broken through realms, this heaven and earth suppresses me, yet my realm increases instead of decreasing—how joyful, how joyful!
Heavy Snow: That Wang Zhu is simply an ungrateful wretch, devouring Chen Ping'an's fortune, scorning the poor and fawning on the wealthy, and now she has gone to Song Jixin's house as a maid—I really want to kick her to death! Heavy snow today; I wonder if that lonely boy's thin bedding can withstand the biting, bone-chilling cold. Ah well, ah well, as heaven maintains its vigor, a gentleman must strive unceasingly. At the crucial moment, I will act.
Summer Solstice: A beautiful immortal fairy wanted to form a dao-companion bond with me, but I resolutely refused. They merely saw that I was refined in appearance, far too handsome and dashing, and coveted my physique..."
Wang Jing: "...Shameless! Master Qi can be so narcissistic too. Then again, compared to Yanzu and Chenwu, Master Qi's looks are a match for theirs. Of course, compared to me, he's still a notch lower... Hehe..."
Wang Jing couldn't help stroking his handsome face, only to feel a gritty texture... scratching his hand in pain.
Qingming: "To conceal the heavenly secrets, this heaven and earth is merely eating next year's crop this year. Six thousand town commoners are in grave peril; even if their bodies remain unharmed, they have no future lives left to speak of."
Double Ninth: "Today I climbed high to gaze into the distance, exploring the secluded and seeking wonders. Some sights are too breathtaking to behold; fine scenery and good food must not be let down..."
Dragon Raises Head: "Recently received a letter informing me that my master is dead, attempting to shatter my Dao heart. I know Master's abilities all too well—a petty scoundrel, Lu Chen, ranking second among rats!"
"..."