Chapter 431 (3): An Accountant has Come to the Island
Chen Ping'an paused here momentarily as he strayed from the jade-paved path and made his way toward the bank of the lake, with Gu Can following along close behind.
Once there, Chen Ping'an crouched down and drew a circle onto the ground with the branch in his hand.
"I'm going to tell you a principle that I thought of. It's still incomplete, and I don't know if it's right or wrong. Back on the Parasol Leaf Continent, I met someone who became a good friend of mine, and he once mentioned in passing the distinction between noble scholars, virtuous scholars, and sages of the Confucian academies. This was an idea that I developed based on what I heard from him at the time."
"Why haven't I met any good friends in Bamboo Scroll Lake?" Gu Can grumbled to himself.
At the same time, he was feeling very envious as he wanted to be Chen Ping'an's only friend under the heavens.
Chen Ping'an smiled as he wrote down the words "virtuous scholar" in the little circle that he had drawn, then continued, "There are rules in the Confucian academy for how one is to become a virtuous scholar. A virtuous scholar must be very well-read, and the foundational teachings that they develop must be suitable for use in a national context, forming the basis of governing strategies that can benefit an entire nation."
He then drew a slightly larger circle and wrote the words "noble scholar" in it as he continued, "If the teachings proposed by a virtuous scholar are applicable on a continent-wide context, then they would earn themselves the title of noble scholar."
Finally, he drew an even larger circle, within which he wrote the word "sage" and continued, "If a noble scholar's teachings grow over time to encompass the entire world under the heavens, then they'll become a sage."
Chen Ping'an pointed at the three circles as he said, "Take a look at these three circles. They tell me that even the Confucian academies are promoting personal standpoints. All virtuous scholars, noble scholars, and sages each have their own standpoints. In that case, what about officials, generals, vagrant cultivators, and the average layman? Why is it for us that it's wrong only to consider personal standpoints without taking into account right and wrong?"
Gu Can had no answer to this, so he could only shake his head in response.
"Firstly, it's alright to have a personal standpoint, and it's very difficult not to have one, but that doesn't mean that one can focus solely on their own standpoint and disregard everything else," Chen Ping'an explained. "That is one way of being true to oneself, but it's a very selfish and narrow-minded way.
“When it comes to the teachings and ways of life that people subscribe to, there are common foundational principles that are universal, whether that be between virtuous scholars, noble scholars, and sages, or emperors, generals, and commoners.
“That's why in the official Confucian temple on the Middle Earth Divine Continent, the wiser and more well-learned an individual is, the more their writings will be presented near the bottom, serving as foundational pieces for the writings above them. Apparently, even so, with the passing of time, some of the golden writings left behind by the wisest sages have begun to lose their luster."
Gu Can was only becoming more and more perplexed by the second, and a slight smile appeared on Chen Ping'an's face upon seeing this.
"I pondered all of this for a very long time last night, and I wanted to speak my thoughts to you, but in reality, it's more so for myself to hear."
After sweeping his gaze over his surroundings, Chen Ping'an continued, "Cyan Gorge Island is a circle, the rules inside of which were established by Liu Zhimao. On a smaller scale, the place where you and your mother are staying is also a circle, and many of the rules of your household were established by you and your mother.
“On a larger scale, Bamboo Scroll Lake is a circle as well, and its rules are the traditions established at the price of the lives of countless vagrant cultivators throughout history. On an even larger scale, the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that's home to Bamboo Scroll Lake is a circle presided over by Lake View Academy.
“On the flip side, the individual principles that each of us subscribe to form the smallest circles under the heavens, and they apply only to ourselves. It's once been said that one should strive to hold themselves to higher standards of morality, and I believe that means to abide by the rules of the largest circle possible."
Chen Ping'an rested the end of the branch in his and on the ground, and he seemed to have been talking to himself as he murmured, "There's something that I'm very afraid of, and it's that the principles that can help me endure less hardship and overcome obstacles like this will take root and become principles that govern my actions for the rest of my life.
“The flow of time is ever-present, but you and I will rarely ever see it. The passage of time is an irreversible process, and like I said earlier, even the golden writings left behind by many wise sages will be robbed of their luster by the passage of time. As time passes, the principles of yesterday may lose their purpose and meaning."
Gu Can suddenly cocked his head to the side and asked, "You're saying all of this because you want me to realize that I'm wrong, right?"
Chen Ping'an offered no response as he continued on his one-sided monologue, "However, I feel like some things that are at the very bottom, the lowest of the low, like some of the things that have fallen onto the feces-laden path that is our Clay Vase Alley, those things will never change. They are exactly as they have been ten thousand years ago, and they will remain that way even ten thousand years later.
“For example, even when I was about to starve to death, I never considered stealing or robbing. I'll never forget for the rest of my days how your mother opened her doors to me and gave me that bowl of rice. There was also that time when a tanghulu salesman had tried to give me a tanghulu for free, yet I held back the urge to accept it. Do you know what I was thinking to myself at the time as I was running away?"
Gu Can was happy to talk about anything as long as it didn't concern an admission of fault from him, and he asked in a curious manner, "What were you thinking?"
Chen Ping'an cast his gaze into the distance as he said, "I was thinking to myself that it would be wrong for me to accept the tanghulu as at the time, I still had several copper coins in my possession, so I wasn't on the verge of starving to death. That's why I couldn't accept the tanghulu.
“I was worried that after I've had something so good, I would find my already impoverished life to be even more pitiful, that it would make my already difficult life even more difficult to endure. At the time, it was a blessing for me just to be able to fill my belly halfway with plain rice, and I was worried that something like that would no longer satisfy me once I've had a taste of that tanghulu. What would I do then? Go back every single day to ask for more?
“Even if he were willing to spare me a tanghulu every time I asked, what would I do if his stall were to suddenly disappear one day? But you know what? At the time, even all of these principles couldn't outweigh the temptation of that tanghulu.
“At the time, I really wanted to turn around and tell that tanghulu salesman that I had changed my mind, and that I was going to take the tanghulu after all. Do you know what it was that kept me from turning around back then?"
Chen Ping'an didn't wait for an answer from Gu Can before continuing, "I told myself that there was no need to salivate over a tanghulu, that one day, my father was going to come back, and I would be able to have as many tanghulus as I wanted. He promised to bring me a tanghulu next time he returned home.
“Hence, when I snuck back there to discover that the stall was missing, I was a little sad, not because I would have no further opportunities to receive free tanghulus, but because I was concerned that my father wouldn't be able to buy one for me once he returned home."
Gu Can really wanted to tug on Chen Ping'an's sleeve to console him, but he didn't dare to do that.
"Everyone has to hold onto some hope in life, isn't that right?" Chen Ping'an murmured to himself.
"Did you think that I didn't know that there was no chance my father would ever return? I did know, but I still wanted to hope. Remember how back when we used to talk together at night, you'd always ask me why I wasn't afraid of ghosts? It wasn't that I never feared ghosts to begin with. Instead, it's because one day, it suddenly occurred to me that if ghosts really did exist, then I would be able to see my parents, and I became a lot braver after that.
“At the same time, I became a little worried. My parents were such good people, so surely they would turn into good and kind-hearted ghosts. In that case, would they be bullied and oppressed by the malicious ghosts, to the point that they wouldn't be able to come and see me?"
After his voice trailed off, Chen Ping'an was silent for a while, following which he turned around and patted Gu Can on the head as he said, "You can go now. I want to take a stroll by myself."
Gu Can nodded in response before departing, and once he was far away, he suddenly turned back around as a strange thought arose in his mind.
It seems like Chen Ping'an isn't as angry and sad as he was yesterday, but he seems more... disappointed, but not in me.
————
That night, Gu Can noticed that the lamp in Chen Ping'an's room was still lit, so he went to knock on his door.
Chen Ping'an made his way around his desk to the table in the main hall as he asked, "What are you doing still up?"
"You're still up as well, are you not?" Gu Can countered with a smile.
Gu Can noticed that the table was laden with sheets of paper that were riddled with text, but there wasn't even a single ball of scrunched-up paper in the wastebasket, so he asked, "Are you practicing your calligraphy?"
"No, I was just writing down some random stuff that came to mind," Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head. "Over the years, I've always been looking and listening, but I haven't been doing enough thinking."
"Did you manage to think of anything?" Gu Can asked.
Chen Ping'an considered the question for a moment, then replied, "I was pondering a quote just now, and it goes: 'the freedom of a powerful individual draws its boundary at the freedom of a weak individual.'"
"I'm hardly a powerful individual, and I'm still only a kid right now," Gu Can scoffed with a roll of his eyes.
"Age does have something to do with this, but it's not an important factor," Chen Ping'an said. "I've encountered many very formidable adversaries in the past, such as the empress of the Great Li Empire, an old flood dragon who was even more powerful than the little eel is right now, and even an Ascension Tier cultivator.
“It would be unfair to purely condemn them as bad people. In fact, in the eyes of many, they are great people, perhaps even saints. However, at the very least, they don't understand this principle. This is one of my most precious principles, and I'm only telling it to you because you're Gu Can. As for whether you're going to listen to it or not, that's up to you.
“However, it's exactly because you're Gu Can that I want you to truly take this to heart. Despite your tender age, you have the desire to protect your mother, and that makes you powerful. There are many people who are far older than you who can't compare with you in this regard."
Gu Can rested his chin on the table as he smiled and said, "My mother was always telling me about everything you did for your mother back when she was alive, and she would always compare me to you, saying that I'm an ungrateful little scoundrel who doesn't appreciate her."
"Let's not talk about right and wrong for now. Consider this: if everyone under the heavens had the same mindset as you do now, what do you think will become of the world?" Chen Ping'an asked.
Gu Can shook his head as he replied, "I never consider such things."
Chen Ping'an nodded in response.
Those were Gu Can's true thoughts.
Gu Can was worried that Chen Ping'an would get mad at him, so he hurriedly added, "I'm just telling the truth and saying whatever comes to mind. You told me to do that."
Chen Ping'an changed the subject as he continued, "If everyone in the world were you, then our hometown would've been absent of Mr. Qi. Our Clay Vase Alley wouldn't have had our neighbor, Grandpa Liu, nor would there have been Grandma Liu, or Uncle Zhao, who often helped your mother harvest her crops."
"I don't think that's a big deal. Even if those people didn't exist, my mother and I would've still survived. Perhaps we would've had to endure a few more beatings, and my mother would've had to endure a few more face-scratchings, but sooner or later, I would've beaten all of them to death one by one.
“As for those who displayed kindness to us, I'll repay them in kind. They can have whatever they want from me, whether that be immortal currency, beautiful women, or lavish houses."
"If everyone were you, then I would've been absent from Clay Vase Alley as well."
"That's unacceptable!" Gu Can immediately snapped with a stern glare.
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A faint smile appeared on Chen Ping'an's face.
After a brief silence, Chen Ping'an said, "Gu Can, I know that you've been telling me the truth this entire time, and that's why I'm willing to sit here and speak to you. Now, I'm going to ask you one final question, and I hope that you can continue to be truthful to me."
"Of course!"
"Do you like killing people?"
Gu Can was hesitant for a moment, but the corners of his lips then slowly began to curl upward, and before long, a wide and earnest smile had appeared on his face as he declared in a categorical manner, "I do!"
His smile remained radiant, but tears were beginning to flow down his face as he said, "I don't want to lie to you, Chen Ping'an!"
Chen Ping'an also smiled as he reached out to wipe the tears from Gu Can's face and said, "It's alright. Honestly, I feel like I'm the one who's wrong. It's impossible for my principles to discern right from wrong, but in any case, I'm still Chen Ping'an, while you're still Gu Can."
"You're not mad at me?" Gu Can asked in a concerned manner.
"No," Chen Ping'an replied with a shake of his head.
"But you're clearly still angry," Gu Can murmured in an unconvinced manner.
"I'll do my best not to be angry at anyone," Chen Ping'an said.
Following Gu Can's departure, Chen Ping'an rose to his feet, and his intention was to make his way to his desk, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He turned back around, intending to return to the table to sit and have a rest, but he didn't feel like doing that, either, so he remained rooted to the spot.
His hands were clasped together in their opposite sleeves, and he was slightly hunched over in contemplation.
The old monk in that small monastery in the Southern Garden Nation had said that one must first lay down their blade if they wished to attain salvation.
However, Gu Can didn't feel like he had done anything wrong, so he was continuing to hold tightly onto that blade of slaughter in his heart, and he had no intention of relinquishing it at all.
Hence, what he had said to Pei Qian about the matters of the past becoming irrelevant yesterday, and the matters of the future beginning from today would've simply fallen upon deaf ears when it came to Gu Can.
It was easy to eradicate a den of bandits in the real world, but eradicating a den of bandits lurking in one's heart was far more difficult.
Chen Ping'an felt like the bandits in Gu Can's heart had infiltrated his own heart and taken root there, proving impossible to kill or evict.
Gu Can was someone that he absolutely couldn't abandon, so this hurdle in his heart was proving impossible for him to overcome.
The old sword immortal by the name of Chen Qingdu had said to Chen Ping'an that he was civilized and reasonable wherever he wanted just so he could cast aside all civility and reason for those few occasions in his life.
However, Chen Ping'an knew that even if the old sword immortal gave up on civility and preaching reason and principles to others, he still held those principles dear to his heart. It was just that even for someone like him, there were times when his principles fell upon deaf ears, and on those occasions, he was forced to turn to his sword.
Chen Ping'an was feeling a little lost.
He had suddenly come to realize that he had already espoused all of the principles that he knew, as well as perhaps even all of the principles that he intended to espouse to others in the future.
————
Inside the tall building in Pond Water City, Cui Dongshan murmured to himself, "Even the most enlightening of words will have no effect on someone who does not wish for enlightenment."
Cui Chan smiled as he said, "People like Gu Can are what's so brilliant about the Great Dao. Compared with an ordinary, so-called good person, people like him are more able to stand out."
Cui Dongshan turned to glower intently at Cui Chan as he interrogated, "Have you sent anyone to protect Gu Can in secret and facilitate his murderous ways?"
"If I had sent someone to successfully assassinate Gu Can's mother, then intercepted Chen Ping'an on this southbound journey and allowed Ruan Xiu to 'unintentionally' wound Gu Can, then wouldn't that have nailed the coffin even more tightly shut?" Cui Chan countered. "Do you think I need to make such arrangements? No.
“Doing that would completely spoil the fun and leave Chen Ping'an with even fewer options to choose from. It seems like that would place him into an even more desperate situation, but in reality, that would only make it easier for him to turn to extremes. He would either kill Gu Can, or put an end to his own life. In that case, the only two possible outcomes would conclude with one of them dead, and there would be no meaning in that.
“Perhaps there would be some meaning, but it wouldn't be sufficiently significant. You would be reluctant to accept such an outcome, and I would also feel like I cheated to secure victory."
A dejected look appeared on Cui Dongshan's face, following which he suddenly erupted into a furious fit and demanded, "What exactly has Chen Ping'an done wrong?!"
An exasperated smile appeared on Cui Chan's face upon hearing this.
"You're being immature."
"Tell me!" Cui Dongshan roared.
Cui Chan smiled as he cocked his head to the side and placed a hand beside his own ear, as if he were waiting for an answer.
"Paramount Sage, Etiquette Sage, you two are the wisest and most learned individuals out there, so how about you answer that question for us?"
Cui Dongshan immediately fell silent.
Cui Chan smiled as he continued, "The final outcome has already been largely decided. All I want to know now is which Legalist saying you enclosed in that brocade pouch."
"It wasn't a Legalist saying," Cui Dongshan replied with a dejected shake of his head.
"In that case, it most likely isn't a Buddhist saying, either," Cui Chan mused.
"It's not a principle from any of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools of Thought," Cui Dongshan murmured in an absentminded manner, and Cui Chan's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
————
Chen Ping'an pulled the brocade pouch out of his sleeve with a trembling hand. Pei Qian had given it to him prior to their departure from Red Candle Town, and she had told him to open it and inspect its contents in a moment when he was at the height of his rage.
Chen Ping'an opened the brocade pouch and pulled out the slip of paper inside, inscribed upon which was the sentence: "Chen Ping'an, please don't be disappointed in this world."
Chen Ping'an placed the slip of paper back into the pouch, following which he slipped the pouch back up his sleeve, then turned to look at the night sky outside through the window as he murmured, "I'm just very disappointed in myself."
————
Inside the building, Cui Chan burst into triumphant laughter, while Cui Dongshan was plunged into complete despair.
It had already been a very, very long time since Cui Chan had laughed so joyously.
Cui Dongshan was just about to stand up and make his way out of the self-imposed prison that was the golden lightning field when Cui Chan's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.
Inside the scroll, Chen Ping'an picked up his Sword Nurturing Gourd, then finished all of the wine inside in one go.
He then pulled out Golden Sweet Wine, which draped itself over his body on its own.
After that, he pulled out a Cleansing Talisman and plastered it onto one of the pillars in his room.
From there, he closed his eyes and embarked on an internal trip, sending his consciousness to the entrance of the manor where the golden scholarly core resided.
The doors slowly opened, and the tiny golden figure with the sword and book on its back emerged from within the manor, then said something to Chen Ping'an that even Mao Xiaodong was unable to fully grasp the meaning of.
"The ability to learn from and make up for our mistakes is a great virtue."
That was the deep concern that Chen Ping'an had held toward Gu Can in his heart. It was an implication to himself, more than anyone else. After making a mistake, one had to own up to it. Just because Gu Can was dear to his heart didn't mean that he could simply look past Gu Can's mistakes and justify them. Instead, he had to do everything in his power to make up for those mistakes.
But so many people had lost their lives, and Gu Can wasn't willing to admit fault, so how was he supposed to make amends?
With right and wrong staring him directly in the face, Chen Ping'an was unable to turn a blind eye and lie to himself.
Just because it was something that many people were saying and doing didn't mean that it was right.
Chen Ping'an extended a parting bow toward the golden figure.
The golden figure had countless things that it wanted to say to Chen Ping'an, but in the end, it only heaved a faint sigh as it returned Chen Ping'an's parting bow.
A loud thump rang out like a death knell across Chen Ping'an's internal small world.
The golden scholarly core was shattered, and the golden figure's longsword and book, which had become rusty and devoid of luster of late, faded away along with its own body.
A bloody odor began to spread through the room, and Chen Ping'an staggered to the ground, sitting down with his legs crossed.
He then struggled to his feet and pushed all of the papers on his desk aside as he began writing three letters.
————
"I've lost," Cui Dongshan conceded with a cold expression.
A long silence ensued.
Cui Dongshan was a little perplexed, and he turned to discover Cui Chan seated with his back ramrod straight, as if he were about to face a major ordeal.
————
The next day, a very strange person suddenly appeared on Cyan Gorge Island.
The first thing that they did was send out three secret letters by flying sword.
As for the contents of the letters and who they had been sent to, no one dared to pry as they had been sent by Gu Can's esteemed guest.
The three letters had been sent to Wei Bo of the Dragon Spring Prefecture, Zhong Kui of the Parasol Leaf Continent, and Fan Junmao of Old Dragon City.
He was asking them if there were any shortcuts to quickly master the immortal technique of gathering souls, as well as how a person could become a yin entity or go into the cycle of reincarnation after death. Additionally, he also wanted to know if there were any lost, ancient secret techniques that could allow one to summon a deceased individual so that they could be spoken to by someone from the world of the living.
After that, he asked for a small room at the entrance of a mountain on the island, within which was a table laden with paper, a brush, an inkstone, and simple abacus.
It was a young man who appeared rather frail, with a sickly pale complexion, but he kept himself clean and meticulously groomed, so he was clearly still looking after himself.
He had requested the files of all of the cultivators and servants on Cyan Gorge Island from Tian Hujun, and at the moment, he appeared much like an accountant.