Chapter 140: Persuasion

A fine drizzle began to fall today, inexplicably bringing a sense of gloom. It felt as though every strand of rain were a thread of human thought—entangled, endless, and impossible to unravel.

The carriage moved at a leisurely pace. Inside, Chen Jianchen sat reading a scroll; in this era of difficult travel, reading had become the best way to pass the time on long journeys. Sometimes he wondered how wonderful it would be if he were like the cultivators who mastered various arts. To recite a mantra, call out "Earth Escape," and instantly vanish into the ground to travel beneath the surface—how free that would be! Alas, such wishes were unlikely to ever come true.

A person's life is always full of choices. Once a path is chosen at a crossroads, the scenery along the other routes, no matter how beautiful, has nothing to do with you.

Dong'an Township is located on the southern side of Pen-Rack Mountain. Coincidentally, it lies in the same direction as Chen Jianchen’s hometown, Jingyang Village. Following the official road, one must pass through Jingyang Village, then reach Shuyang Village—where Wang Fu’s family lived—before finally arriving at Dong'an Township.

Thinking of his passing through his hometown, Chen Jianchen considered whether he should stop by Fengshan Mountain. However, he realized that a detour to Fengshan would likely cause significant delays. It would be better to find Xi Fangping first; once that matter was resolved, he could return to reunite with Yingning. According to the information relayed by Wang Fu, the guerrilla general Jiang Yu, clad in black, had arrived in Jiangzhou City from the capital two days prior and had become a guest of honor at the prefectural office.

The fact that he had returned empty-handed proved that Yingning and Xiaoyi were safe and sound, so there was no need to worry.

However, his upcoming direct confrontation with the Mountain God Hou Qing of Pen-Rack Mountain would likely not go smoothly. According to Ding Yin, Hou Qing’s cultivation had reached the perfection of the Golden Core stage, and having operated on Pen-Rack Mountain for many years, his roots were deep and firm.

The carriage traveled for nearly three hours before finally arriving at Dong'an Township. After inquiring about Xi Fangping’s residence, villagers soon pointed the way to a somewhat dilapidated tile-roofed house.

This was Xi Fangping’s home. White silk hung at the entrance, clearly indicating that a funeral was underway.

Chen Jianchen frowned. He stepped out of the carriage, instructed the driver to wait, and walked into the Xi residence. The house was cold and desolate; aside from a few broken pieces of furniture, it could be described as having nothing but four bare walls.

"Who might you be?"

Hearing footsteps, a young man with a square face, dressed in mourning clothes, emerged and looked at Chen Jianchen with great surprise.

Chen Jianchen was an uninvited guest, but he had prepared his lines beforehand. He bowed and said, "I am a government-stipended student from Minghua Academy, surnamed Chen, courtesy name Liuxian. I have come from Jiangzhou specifically to pay a visit to Brother Xi."

The young man was indeed Xi Fangping. His family had consisted only of him and his father; now that his father had passed, he was left alone. He looked Chen Jianchen over and asked in surprise, "You know me?"

Chen Jianchen smiled. "We have not met, but I have long admired your name."

In the Tiantong Dynasty, as the grassroots of the scholar-official class, scholars were fond of visiting and interacting with one another. Those who found themselves compatible would become friends. This practice, known as "presenting a calling card to a stranger," was an effective way of making friends. In fact, the bonds forged this way were often very strong, no less so than the camaraderie between classmates.

For instance, at Minghua Academy, the so-called camaraderie was as thin as paper. As soon as Chen Jianchen earned the qualification to represent the academy at an event in Zhezhou, he immediately drew the dissatisfaction of a swarm of fellow students. But let them be dissatisfied; such friendships were not worth keeping anyway.

Hearing Chen Jianchen’s words, Xi Fangping returned the bow. "Brother Chen, you are too kind," he said, his expression darkening slightly.

Both were scholars with the qualification to study at Minghua Academy, but because of his poverty and lack of a government stipend, Xi Fangping had been unable to attend. Compared to Chen Jianchen, he could not help but feel a sense of inferiority.

Chen Jianchen pretended to glance around and asked, "Brother Xi, what has happened at your home?"

Overcome by grief, Xi Fangping’s eyes reddened, and he choked out, "My father passed away from illness the day before yesterday..."

Chen Jianchen sighed and offered comfort: "Brother Xi, please accept my condolences. May I ask what illness your father suffered from that led to his sudden passing?"

Xi Fangping looked up, dazed, tears streaming down his face. "I do not know. My father’s illness was sudden. The night before last, he suddenly grabbed my hand and shouted, saying that 'Yang Zizhong bribed the ghost messengers to beat me with clubs,' and so on. Then his whole body turned red and swollen, and he died after calling out."

Chen Jianchen’s heart skipped a beat. He clapped his hands and said, "In that case, could there be something suspicious about your father's death?"

Xi Fangping was startled. "What could be suspicious?"

"If there were nothing suspicious, why would your father speak such words, claiming that Yang Zizhong harmed him? Who is this Yang Zizhong? Do you know him, Brother Xi?"

Xi Fangping replied, "He? He was a wealthy man in this township, but he died several years ago."

Chen Jianchen let out an "oh" and asked casually, "Did your father have a grudge against this Yang fellow in the past?"

Xi Fangping suddenly recalled something. "There was a grudge, but those are old matters from years ago. Why would they be involved now?"

Chen Jianchen curled his lip, knowing that things like the Underworld were hard to believe even if told truthfully, especially for a scholar like Xi Fangping, who would not easily accept such claims. After a moment of contemplation, he recited: "Everyone speaks of the Pure Land, yet they do not know that life and death are separated by a world. The mind is lost, not knowing whence it comes, nor whither it goes."

Xi Fangping was taken aback. He was not a pedantic bookworm; he caught the underlying meaning and asked, "Brother Chen, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Chen Jianchen said, "Brother Xi, to tell you the truth, I had a dream last night. I dreamt that your father was caught by two ghost messengers and was being beaten incessantly with clubs..."

He seized the opportunity to use the "dream visitation" to tell Xi Fangping exactly what Ding Yin had told him, hoping it would strike a chord.

Sure enough, as a filial son, Xi Fangping heard of the cruel punishment his father had suffered and thought of the horrific state of his father before his death. The two accounts matched perfectly. His heart was shaken, and he grabbed Chen Jianchen’s hand. "Brother Chen, is what you say true?"

Chen Jianchen sighed. "Brother Xi, we are complete strangers; do you think I have any reason to lie? I sought you out specifically to convey this news. In the dream, your father also told me to ask you to go to Pen-Rack Mountain to save him from his suffering."

In reality, because he had concealed key details, his story had several gaps that a careful person could pick apart. But Xi Fangping was currently in such a state of distress that he could not think clearly. Even if he had doubts, Chen Jianchen spoke with such conviction and had no motive to lie, so he began to believe him. He pressed further, "Brother Chen, did my father say how to save him?"

Chen Jianchen replied, "He did. Why don’t you join me in the carriage? We can discuss the details on the way. Even if what was said in the dream is absurd, you should still go to Pen-Rack Mountain to burn some incense and comfort the spirit of the deceased."

This final remark struck a chord with Xi Fangping. He hesitated no longer. After tidying up slightly, he boarded the carriage with Chen Jianchen and headed toward Pen-Rack Mountain.