Super Elation Under the Sun

Chapter 99 Hidden Fish Is Hidden in the Sheath

Before the young Taoist Li Nianshan finished washing the clothes, he let Li Baizhu go down the mountain to purchase the things needed for him. After he washed and put all the clothes out to dry in the sun, he tidied up and turned around to close the door of the bamboo cottage. Then he went down the mountain.

He originally planned to go down the mountain to see a girl and purchase things by the way, but since Li Baizhu offered to do it for him, he saved the time to buy things and just needed to see that girl.

At the mention of this girl, in fact, Li Nianshan had a lot to say. When he saw her on the mountain for the first time that year, he was just a teenager, and he seemed to plant a seed in his heart. In the beginning, he didn't consider if it had rooted and sprouted, yet after he saw her on the mountain again in half a year, he realized that it had rooted and sprouted. However, he was timid that year and his master pinned his hope on him, so he hid his feelings all the time, but later, he didn't focus on cultivating after several years and finally took this step. Fortunately, the result was wonderful in Li Nianshan's eyes, so he forgot what he had gone through during the period.

Li Nianshan went down along the mountain path and came to Qing Town. Then he didn't go to that small courtyard directly in a hurry but bought a bowl of porridge with watermelon and tremella from a vendor on the street. He remembered clearly that the price was six coins. The vendor who would go up the mountain occasionally recognized that Li Nianshan was a Taoist in Qing Temple, so he put more tremella in the bowl, and then it appeared to be a big bowl of porridge, which made Li Nianshan feel flattered.

At last, Li Nianshan kowtowed to the vendor and then left with the bowl.

He passed through the busy street and came to a small quiet courtyard. The wooden gate was half open, so Li Nianshan pushed it and entered. Then he saw an old woman who looked gentle under the mulberry in the courtyard.

The old woman saw Li Nianshan pushing the gate and entering, but she ignored him and just looked into the distance, with nothing unusual in her eyes. Li Nianshan kowtowed to the old woman who was said to be the girl's paternal aunt and then walked around the mulberry. He stood on the stone stairs in front of the room door and called Chuliu softly. At the thought of this name, Li Nianshan always smiled involuntarily. As she said, she was born on the sixth day of the first lunar month, so she was named Chuliu (the sixth day of a month) as a homophonic word. They didn't feel it improper in the past few years, yet Li Nianshan always called this name and smiled at the same time.

In a short while, the door was pulled open, and a girl wearing a dress showed up in front of Li Nianshan. The girl had a beautiful face and a slender figure, even taller than him. Li Nianshan looked up slightly and gave her the porridge with watermelon and tremella. Then he sat down on the stairs under the eave. When Chuliu sat next to him and started to eat the porridge, he began to tell her what he had prepared and what he hadn't. At last, he talked about the silver given by his master. After he talked for a long time, he took out the moneybag and gave it to the girl in front of him, saying with a smile, "Put it away. After we get married, I will come down the mountain to find a job. Anyway I need to make you have nothing to worry about. I can read and write and have read many books, so I can come down to be a teacher in a school. Anyway, there are few masters who can teach students reading and writing in Dayu, and there must be a school which can employ me."

Chuliu frowned. "You are a Taoist on the mountain. Even if you come down in the future, how can you do such a job? Aren't you afraid that your master will chase you and beat you?"

Li Nianshan hesitated for a moment and said with uncertainty, "Master looks stern, but in fact, he is nice to me and won't do that. However, I am a Taoist and it seems not right to teach students reading. Alas, I have no choice. I will figure out a way then."

Chuliu kept silent with a smile. She didn't want to ask him to make a decision, yet she knew something about the difference between the sects on mountains, so she had the thought that she had spoken out.

Li Nianshan sat on the stairs and started to talk about what had happened on the mountain these days, which senior fellow apprentice made the paper-cuts and which one made the lanterns. Anyway, he talked a lot endlessly. Chuliu tilted her head and leaned against his shoulder, showing a smile after listening to him. Then she reminded him in a low voice, "Don't forget to buy candies. We will hand them out then."

Li Nianshan nodded in agreement and said that he wouldn't forget it. In the end, after Chuliu finished eating the tremella porridge, he received the bowl with a smile and got up. He said that he had a lot of things to deal with on the mountain, and then he prepared to turn to leave. Chuliu grabbed his sleeve and gave him a willow branch.

With a pure smile, Li Nianshan received it and then turned to leave.

When he walked past the mulberry again, he bowed to the old woman and then went out of the small courtyard, returning to the mountain.

After Li Nianshan went away, the old woman got up and went to the stairs in front of the room. Looking at the girl who was sitting and remained unmoved, the old woman looked indifferent. "You really decide to marry him, a young Taoist whose cultivation base was ruined? Can he take the responsibility if there is something wrong in the future? Or would he be willing to take the responsibility?"

Chuliu nodded with a smile, "It's fine if he can't take the responsibility. Anyway, I am willing to marry him. If that day really comes, we will just die together. His master came to see us the other day and didn't say anything. What dangerous thing can happen in such a small town? What's more, I really care for him a lot."

The old woman still looked the same and stated impassively, "You two shouldn't have a happy ending. If the result as expected happens to you in the future, don't blame your master. I have reminded you. I took you in and taught you, yet I can't decide your fate. I am powerless to save your life. If you insist on courting death, I am unable to stop you."

Chuliu didn't respond but just covered her mouth and chuckled.

The old woman sighed and softened her tone. "Since he is willing to give up his cultivation base for you, in fact, he is worth entrusting, but you, if you learn from him to do that, you will have no power to protect yourself."

The smile on Chuliu's face was fascinating, and she murmured like the gifted scholars and beautiful ladies always said in the books, "If you don't abandon me, why would I leave you?"

Li Nianshan walked out of the small courtyard and didn't go up the mountain hurriedly. He returned the bowl first and then hung around in the street for a while. Later, he prepared to return to the mountain. As soon as he turned around, he heard a gentle voice.

"Master, please stop."

Li Nianshan turned his head, to see a middle-aged man dressed in a grey robe with a short sword on his waist looking at him not far away.

The smile of the man in grey was simple and kind. After seeing Li Nianshan turn his head, he continued to ask, "Master, I am sorry to disturb you. Are you cultivating in Qing Temple on Qing Mountain?"

Li Nianshan nodded and kowtowed, replying, "I am Li Nianshan, a Taoist on the mountain. Sir, what can I do for you?"

The man in grey laughed and didn't hide it from the other party. "I am Xian Chunan and want to climb up the mountain to look for somebody. Master, are you returning to the mountain, too? We can go up together."

Li Nianshan showed a pure smile and nodded. He didn't refuse but led Xian Chunan to walk up the mountain. Before they entered the mountain path, Li Nianshan asked while walking, "Sir, you have a sword. Have you taken the road of cultivating?"

The people in society told the difference between a warrior practicing swordsmanship and a swordsman cultivator by asking if they took the road of cultivating. As long as they entered the first stage of swordsmen, they had taken the road, and if not, they didn't, so Li Nianshan asked such a question. After all, although there was Sword Mountain at the border of Dayu, in fact, few swordsmen showed up in the world. Li Nianshan asked that mostly out of curiosity.

Xian Chunan answered gently, "I have crossed the threshold, but I am at a low stage."

Although Li Nianshan was a young Taoist on the mountain, he knew that the road of swordsmanship was much more dangerous than the road of cultivating for the cultivators from the three religious sects, so he admired the swordsmen which were rare in the human world. Hearing Xian Chunan's words, Li Nianshan gasped in admiration sincerely. "Mr. Xian, you have strong willpower and are much more powerful than me.

Xian Chunan shook his head with a smile. "I can't say that I have strong willpower, but I look forward to taking this road since I was young. After I practice swordsmanship, I don't think it is difficult, and I never regret it till now, while my only regret is that I didn't make more progress."

Li Nianshan chuckled. "Everybody has his fate, and we can't say that."

Xian Chunan nodded with a smile. "Master, it's surprising that you are young yet have seen through everything."

Li Nianshan said with shyness, "In the past, my master always said that I ignored my proper occupation, but I don't like the big road of cultivating indeed. Now it's great. I have given up the big road, and I finally find my own road."

Xian Chunan laughed it off. After he went down Sword Mountain, he had walked a long distance, yet the reason why he came to Qing Mountain in the end was probably that the temple owner was unwilling to hide anything and even intentionally revealed some breaths, which made Xian Chunan follow the trace and come here to look for him. It appeared that the temple owner prepared to resist an attack from a sword on this mountain.

And this attack would be launched by Xian Chunan.

He was the most powerful swordsman in the shabby temple at the foot of Sword Mountain, but he didn't have confidence in this attack.

In fact, even the old master on Sword Mountain wouldn't have confidence, yet Xian Chunan wanted to wield his sword, so he came, regardless of the consequences.

When they came to the bamboo cottage on the mountainside, Li Nianshan stopped and invited Xian Chunan to have a rest in the cottage. Xian Chunan didn't refuse, but he said that he wanted to wash his hair when they walked by the pool. Li Nianshan nodded and soon brought a wooden basin from the cottage.

Xian Chunan received the basin and really washed his hair in front of the pool.

After he washed it, he didn't care if it was dry but made a new bun.

Then this senior fellow apprentice from the foot of Sword Mountain looked at the top of Qing Mountain and laughed loudly. "I am coming."

At the same time, in the small courtyard on the mountain, the temple owner who closed his eyes and rested his mind suddenly opened his eyes and responded in a soft voice, "Okay."

His voice was not loud, yet it came into Xian Chunan's ears clearly.

Xian Chunan pressed the handle of the sword Hidden Fish on his waist and the sword Qi appeared from his body.

There were sounds of wind around the bamboo cottage.

The sounds of wind were sword chirps.

They were endless in people's ears.