Chapter 40: The Iron Hand Without Mercy

Ruan Qiong was somewhat speechless and equally depressed. After all, he had already explained the pros and cons clearly to his daughter, yet she acted as if she had been bewitched by Chen Ping'an, simply refusing to listen to his earnest advice.

"Right, that night, what else did you and that kid do?"

Hearing his daughter mention this, Ruan Qiong instantly recalled the sight of her happily running back with a few small fish that night.

Ruan Qiong suddenly felt a bit nervous, his eyes widening as he cast a skeptical look at his daughter standing beside him.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiu's originally delicate and charming face visibly turned ugly. Her cheeks puffed up and her willow-like eyebrows knitted together, making her look as cute and sullen as an angry hamster.

"Dad, Chen Ping'an gave those fish away for free out of kindness, and yet you suspect him of having malicious intentions toward me?"

"If you keep doing this, Dad, I won't talk to you anymore!"

"You—!"

Ruan Xiu dropped her crossed arms, still sulking. Her initial intention to act as a peacemaker vanished in an instant as she strode off, her plump and slender legs carrying her swiftly out of the room.

"Daughter, you need to make yourself clear to me!"

Seeing this, Ruan Qiong grew as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He first glared irritably at Su Ling, and then eagerly got up to chase after Ruan Xiu.

It was safe to say he was truly a doting father, terrified lest his precious daughter be snatched away by some pig, and equally afraid that his sweet daughter might turn into a rebellious or dark-natured child in the future.

In any case, because of this family drama, Ruan Qiong's lecture and warning to Su Ling were temporarily averted, but one could run from the first of the month and still be caught on the fifteenth.

Presumably, once his master finished dealing with Ruan Xiu's matter, he would resume his scolding of Su Ling, continuing relentlessly until he achieved his goal.

Regarding this, Su Ling hadn't cared much at first. After all, having attained a half-step invincible power, was it wrong to look after a brother in distress?

Yet upon reflection, Ruan Qiong as a master was indeed acting for his own good. According to the original story, Chen Ping'an was a crucial piece akin to a fish bait, with countless hidden masterminds plotting behind the scenes.

Moreover, given Ruan Qiong's firm resolve not to meddle in the trivial affairs of the small town, for Su Ling—as his disciple—to suddenly barge in and repeatedly disrupt the schemers' plans,

this presented a massive headache for Ruan Qiong. After all, with the collapse of the town imminent, at such a pivotal turning point,

Su Ling stepping forward to represent Ruan Qiong and actively helping a penniless nobody like Chen Ping'an inevitably gave the hidden masterminds endless room for imagination.

At the same time, it also aroused different thoughts in the minds of those behind the scenes. After all, as the pawns entering the game grew increasingly extraordinary, the more the merrier. Besides, since this pawn possessed a formidable background, even more benefits could be plotted around him.

Ruan Qiong's disciplinary session came to an end, with Su Ling being restricted to the blacksmith shop and forbidden from descending the mountain in the near future, ordered to remain strictly on guard above.

As for the reason, it was clear without guessing: naturally, the Jewel Pearl Cave Heaven was on the verge of collapse, and a Confucian sage intended to perform a great deed defying the heavenly dao. It felt as though a mountain storm was about to break, with dark clouds pressing heavily over the city.

However, fewer than three days of leisure passed before Su Ling, through Liu Xianyang, was astonished to discover that someone was actually plotting against his good brother Chen Ping'an.

"You're saying a young boy from a prominent background suddenly sought you out and urgently warned you that Chen Ping'an is being targeted by outsiders and faces mortal peril?"

In the open space under a tree outside the blacksmith shop, Su Ling looked in bewilderment at Liu Xianyang, whose expression was fraught with anxiety. He felt rather perplexed.

"That's right! If Master Ruan hadn't forbidden me from stepping past the corridor bridge even a single step, this lord would have gone to check on Chen Ping'an long ago!"

Liu Xianyang spoke with a frantic tone, frequently turning his head while talking to Su Ling to cast worried glances toward the direction of Mud Bottle Alley in the small town.

"Is that so..."

Hearing this, Su Ling lowered his head in silence, for he had just remembered that this exact plot point did indeed exist in the original novel.

The Mountain-Moving Ape of Upright Sun Mountain had come this time specifically for the sword manual passed down from Liu Xianyang's ancestors. As for the present Liu Xianyang, he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that a conspiracy was quietly descending upon him.

At this moment, Liu Xianyang was still worrying about his friend Chen Ping'an, seemingly disregarding his own safety entirely. This showed just how deeply he treasured Chen Ping'an, viewing him as a brother with whom he had shared life-and-death bonds.

Having already fallen into the trap of the conspiracy, Liu Xianyang had lost his usual composure. Panic over the impending danger made him pace back and forth before Su Ling like an ant on a hot pan.

The reason Liu Xianyang consulted Su Ling first was because Su Ling had been Chen Ping'an's neighbor for three years and had always looked after him well.

"It seems my reputation isn't grand enough to deter every single monster and ghost just yet."

Su Ling sighed inwardly. Hearing this, Liu Xianyang failed to understand. After struggling with his expression for a moment, he turned as if determined to descend the mountain and rush to Mud Bottle Alley.

Witnessing this scene, Su Ling recalled how, in the original story, Liu Xianyang disregarded the rules set by his master Ruan Qiong, choosing to descend the mountain to verify Chen Ping'an's safety at all costs.

Yet no sooner had Liu Xianyang crossed the corridor bridge than the unreasonable Mountain-Moving Ape, bullying the weak, instantly materialized and mercilessly beat Liu Xianyang to the brink of death.

Crucially, this entire scene was witnessed by his master Ruan Qiong. The only reason he did not intervene to save him was because of the self-imposed rules he had sworn to uphold.

A sixty-year cycle had not yet passed, and he would not meddle in idle matters. Even the life of his apprentice Liu Xianyang was only protected on the condition that Liu Xianyang remained within his jurisdictional boundaries, safe and sound.

Yet while external dangers could be avoided, conspiracies could not be guarded against, which ultimately resulted in Liu Xianyang being nearly beaten to death on the corridor bridge by the overbearing Mountain-Moving Ape.

"Stop right there, I'll go take a look."

"What?"

Having already run some distance away, Liu Xianyang halted upon hearing Su Ling's voice from behind, turning around to gaze at him with a look of astonishment.

"Weren't you placed under a confinement order by Master Ruan?"

The unspoken implication of Liu Xianyang's words was whether Su Ling, as a proper and recognized disciple, truly intended to defy his master's commands and disregard the rules by descending the mountain to investigate.

Su Ling nodded in tacit agreement, paying no mind to the look of gratitude in Liu Xianyang's eyes. Just as he was about to take a step forward, an angry roar erupted from within the blacksmith shop, sounding like a furious, rampaging lion.

"Humph!"

"Still trying to go down the mountain? No way!"

Naturally, the voice stopping Su Ling from descending belonged to his master Ruan Qiong, who had been keeping a close eye on him all along.

As Ruan Qiong's true-hand transmitting disciple, Su Ling descending the mountain to meddle in idle affairs would, to a certain degree, represent Ruan Qiong's own intentions, causing Ruan Qiong's anger to skyrocket instantly.

"..."

Although Ruan Qiong did not resort to direct physical force to stop Su Ling, his threatening words were delivered without the slightest reservation, strongly implying that should Su Ling dare to step even half a foot past the corridor bridge, he would no longer acknowledge him as a disciple.

Of course, Ruan Qiong would certainly not be so irrational; he was merely grasping at straws to dissuade Su Ling.

"Master, must you truly be so heartless?"

Su Ling turned his gaze toward the blacksmith shop. Within the dimly lit interior, a towering, domineering figure resembling an iron pagoda sat rigidly upon a wooden chair.