Chapter 37: The Sound of Firecrackers

A moment later, the spirit sword finally reacted. Its tip curled inward, resembling a stray dog that had been sternly reprimanded by its master, exuding an air of dejection and grievance.

It was quintessentially a "spirit sword."

Su Ling curled the corner of his mouth and waved a hand to signal that he took no offense at such trifles. Ning Yao, witnessing this, gave a silent nod.

However, her eyes, which were as sharp as a drawn blade, betrayed a flicker of displeasure as they swept casually over the spirit sword, which was now nuzzling up to her as if seeking favor.

*Clang.*

A sound, like the whine of a deeply wronged sword, rang out, causing everyone present to cover their mouths to stifle their laughter.

...

After the interlude, Chen Pingan carefully tended to Ning Yao, who still required bed rest, handing her the bitter medicine that was still steaming in his hand.

Before long, this atmosphere in the room, which felt somewhat peculiar, was shattered by a violent knocking at the door, accompanied by an undisguised, angry roar.

"Chen Pingan, come out!"

Su Ling did not need to look to know who it was. The voice was youthful yet very familiar; it was an acquaintance of Chen Pingan’s, Gu Can, who had recently been taken as a disciple by Liu Zhimao.

As for why Gu Can had come, it was naturally to bid farewell to Chen Pingan—his good friend, who was like an older brother from next door.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Gu Can suddenly clung to Chen Pingan as if possessed by a sloth, smearing disgusting nasal mucus directly onto Chen Pingan's clothes.

As for what exactly was said between them, Su Ling made no effort to eavesdrop, catching only intermittent, suppressed sobs. It seemed Gu Can was heartbroken.

Although Su Ling’s memory of the original plot was slightly hazy, he still grasped the general developments of the early story. Otherwise, he would not have been so clear about the imminent collapse of the small town, nor why the Confucian sage Qi Jingchun could not bear to see its six thousand inhabitants buried by the wrath of the Heavenly Dao.

As for why Liu Zhimao was in such a hurry, it likely had much to do with his recent visit to the Gu household. His actions had directly left Liu Zhimao no choice but to disregard all else and spirit his newly acquired disciple away from the Li-Zhu Cave Heaven without a moment's delay.

It could only be said that the power Su Ling had revealed was enough to intimidate Liu Zhimao, who styled himself the "River-Severing True Lord."

With his immense strength, his hard-knuckled nature, his protectiveness, and, most importantly, his unfathomable background, Su Ling was a force to be reckoned with. Liu Zhimao, a lone wanderer, dared not continue plotting to sever the karmic connection between Chen Pingan and Gu Can.

...

Before long, a tear-streaked and snot-nosed Gu Can took a parcel he had stolen from home.

Without even looking, he threw it forcefully into Chen Pingan’s courtyard. He didn't care for Chen Pingan's opinion, seemingly aware that this stubbornly righteous man would never accept such a heavy gift.

"Chen Pingan, don't you dare die! I'm still waiting to see you get a wife!"

Standing before the door, Gu Can wiped away his tears with a feigned, fierce expression. Just as Chen Pingan turned to hurriedly retrieve the parcel from the ground, intent on returning it, Gu Can—looking as if he were laughing and crying at the same time—hurled a curse and turned to sprint toward the end of the dirt road, his footsteps as swift as a rabbit escaping a cage.

Seeing this, Chen Pingan could not sit still and moved to chase after him to return the parcel, but Su Ling, standing to the side, could no longer bear to watch.

"Chen Pingan, this is Gu Can’s parting gift. Just keep it."

"..."

Chen Pingan’s expression grew complex at these words. He sighed, looking down at the small parcel in his hands.

Su Ling walked out of the house, appearing alongside the frail Ning Yao. Seeing them, Chen Pingan hurried forward to inquire about her condition.

To avoid staying there any longer and witnessing their display of affection, Su Ling decided it was time to leave.

"Big Brother Su, are you heading back?"

By this, Chen Pingan did not mean Su Ling was returning to the house next door, but rather to the blacksmith shop on the mountain.

Su Ling nodded, explaining briefly that he had some matters to attend to at the forge and would not be living here for the next few days.

"Then... goodbye, Big Brother Su."

Chen Pingan was reluctant to see him go, but upon reflection, he realized Su Ling was simply leaving for business, not departing the town permanently like Gu Can.

"Mm."

Su Ling waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for a send-off; it wasn't a life-or-death parting, and he didn't want to make the atmosphere awkward.

Chen Pingan gave a knowing smile and, being a sensible person, did not linger at the door. He turned and walked quickly back into the courtyard, where a girl as beautiful as a celestial fairy was waiting for his care...

"..."

Su Ling shook his head with a laugh. Indeed, men were all the same; once they had a sweetheart, they could cast aside their best friends. Then again, he supposed he was no different.

...

Su Ling looked up at the twilight glow hanging over the town. The sky was a vibrant orange-red, with half of the deep crimson sun tucked behind the mountains. It would not be long before night fell upon this secluded Cave Heaven.

After a moment of silence, Su Ling calculated the distance from here to Riding Dragon Lane and realized that, at a normal walking pace, it would take more than half an hour.

"Oh well, I had better hurry back."

Although he did not know why his master, Ruan Qiong, had asked Liu Xianyang to pass on a message, Su Ling had a premonition that the three-day deadline was of some importance.

With that thought, Su Ling ceased maintaining his usual, almost feeble, state of power. After all, keeping his strength suppressed to that of an ordinary person—or even less—every single day was a difficult task.

Moving with such diminished power was like trying to cram a mountain-sized block of pitch-black, hardened steel into a space of only half a cubic meter. It was suffocating, yet necessary.

From this, one could see the extent of Su Ling’s control over his terrifying strength; he possessed a mastery over every thread of his power that had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

The force of action is reciprocal, even in this vast world of fantasy.

Though he appeared no different on the surface, he had released a sliver of the power contained within his physical body—a sliver that would be enough to crush any martial artist of the same realm into dust.

Song Changjing’s recent defeat was proof of this, and the power he had used then was even less than this. One could imagine how horrifying Su Ling’s pure physical strength truly was.

A moment later, Su Ling glanced at the darkening horizon and determined the general direction of Riding Dragon Lane. He bowed his upper body slightly, and the ground beneath his feet began to fracture, unable to bear the weight of his terrifying potential.

In the next instant, a surge of immense force surged through his legs into the cracked earth. With a thunderous boom, a basin-sized crater appeared where he had stood.

As a spray of gravel and soil flew, Su Ling’s figure vanished from the dirt road outside Mud Bottle Lane.

High above, in the dimming sky, a barely perceptible black speck appeared—it was Su Ling, having leaped into the distance.

"Strange, why is there the sound of firecrackers?"

In his courtyard, Chen Pingan looked up toward the source of the sound, his expression filled with confusion.