Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 61 Clarity

The mountains are high and the cliffs are steep. The barren mountains and old forests are quiet, with only the sound of the wind howling.

The heavy snowflakes moved with the wind, resembling countless lonely and helpless people.

"What beautiful snow!"

Meng Chen's path of cultivation was not smooth, and he had been suffering from hunger and cold in recent days. At this moment, he simply tore off his thick coat, drew his sword, and performed the Seventeen Forms of the Gale with great gusto.

After finishing his practice, Meng Chen was covered in sweat, so he stood at the cave entrance and gazed at the snow flying in the mountains.

Just as I was thinking about getting two catties of beef and three catties of good wine, I saw someone slowly creeping towards me on the distant plank road.

"Not done yet?" Gong Ziming, wearing a raincoat and covered in snow, asked as soon as he entered the cave.

Meng Chen shook his head.

"There's no need to rush," Gong Ziming comforted him. "The envoy said that yin and yang can complement and support each other, but they can also resist and repel each other. It's only natural to be slow. As long as you maintain a good mindset, you will eventually succeed."

After offering some casual words of comfort, he said, "Qi Yun has come to my house and says he wants to see you."

"Huh?" Meng Chen was taken aback and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"It doesn't seem like anything important. He said he can only tell you when he sees you." Gong Ziming was very calm, and there was not much dislike for Qi Yun in his words, for reasons unknown.

Since that was the case, Meng Chen immediately packed his things and went down the mountain.

At this time, the wind and snow were raging, and the cliffs were high and the road was dangerous. Although one of them was a Xuanxun cultivator and the other a martial arts practitioner, they did not dare to walk fast. They only sped up after they carefully descended the plank road.

It wasn't until the afternoon that the two returned to Gong Ziming's home.

Qi Yun and Gong's mother were seen setting up an iron pot in the kitchen and stewing mutton.

The snowstorm hadn't stopped, and the courtyard was already covered in snow. Qi Yun was huddled by the stove, arguing with Gong's mother.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of Old Gong's matter! The county magistrate has a niece who's in her prime, I'll go and mediate!" Qi Yun boasted as soon as he opened his mouth.

"That would be wonderful!" Madam Gong was immediately tempted, but still had concerns. "Would the county magistrate even consider my Ming'er?"

"I'd love it!" Qi Yun boasted, then quickly stood up when Meng Chen arrived. "Come here, Meng! I brought you some mutton! On a snowy day like this, eating mutton and drinking fine wine, that's what makes life worthwhile!"

"Mother, go back to your room." Gong Ziming helped his mother to the main room, then served her a large bowl of mutton before returning to the kitchen.

Gong Ziming set out bowls and chopsticks, and then brought out the pickled leek flower sauce. The three of them then took some stewed mutton to eat.

"Brother Qi, is there some good news?" Meng Chen hadn't seen meat for almost half a month, and after taking several big bites, he looked at Qi Yun.

"I've already passed the second test." Qi Yun said with a grin as he poured wine for Meng Chen and Gong Ziming.

"Congratulations!" Meng Chen smiled and took a sip of his drink, then asked, "How did you find this place?"

"My senior brother needs to see you, but you're not home, so he asked me to come over when I have time," Qi Yun said softly. "And your little girl, she also wants you to go back! I'm off today, and it just so happens to be snowing, so I thought I'd come and check on her."

At this point, Qi Yun grinned at Meng Chen and said, "The martial arts we learn are meant to be sold. Why did you go off to the mountains to find shit? If you ask me, you'd be better off coming with me to work in the county government. You could easily make a hundred or eighty taels a year. If you're ruthless and have a sweet tongue, making two or three hundred taels wouldn't be difficult. In ten or eight years, you'd have built up a fortune, wouldn't you?"

Gong Ziming had remained silent until he heard this, then he let out a cold laugh.

"It's just because of the pressures of life." Meng Chen then asked Qi Yun how his job as a constable in the county government was going.

Qi Yun bragged for a long time, which showed that he was indeed living a pretty good life.

The three chatted for a while, finished off the whole pot of mutton, and drank two jars of wine before calling it a day.

Meng Chen and Qi Yun said goodbye, and Gong Ziming said he was also going to the city, so the three of them decided to travel together again.

The snow hasn't stopped yet, and the roads are already covered in snow.

Halfway there, Qi Yun suddenly felt the urge to urinate. Seeing that no one was around, he walked to the roadside and said, "Let's have a competition to see who can urinate more beautifully."

He was in high spirits after just passing the second test, so he drank a bit too much and became somewhat unrestrained and smug.

Gong Ziming had also drunk quite a bit, so he stepped forward and loosened his belt.

Meng Chen dared not fall behind.

The three men each took up their pens. Gong Ziming wrote the three characters "Seeking the Way"; Qi Yun wrote the three characters "Wealth and Rank Not"; and Meng Chen wrote the four characters "Dragon Hiding in the Abyss" with vigorous strokes.

The wind was cold in the snow, and the three of them shivered. After giving their evaluations, it felt as if they had returned to the time when they first met.

Upon arriving in Dazexiang, Gong Qi and his companion headed towards the county town, while Meng Chen returned home alone.

The snow in front of my house has disappeared; a path has been cleared.

When Meng Chen arrived at Old Chen's house, there was a charcoal fire burning in the house, and she was mending clothes.

When Qingyu saw Meng Chen return, she quickly poured hot water, took off his shoes and socks, and served Meng Chen a foot bath.

"Is it cold in the mountains? I asked around and they said the Five Spirits Oil is all on the cliffs. If you ask me, don't go digging for it, it's too dangerous. We have capital, and we have land at home, so why not do some small business? It's better to earn less than to risk your life for money." Qingyu kept nagging, just not wanting Meng Chen to go back to the mountains.

She chatted for a while longer, then dried Meng Chen's feet, changed his shoes, and said she wanted to go home to burn some food for her parents.

In rural areas, people usually visit their ancestors' graves a few days before the Lunar New Year to pay their respects. Those who are wealthy offer meat and noodles, while those who are poor burn paper money.

Married daughters, on the other hand, would visit their parents' graves after the New Year when they returned to their parents' home.

For example, a bluefish can be made before or after the New Year. However, because I was supposed to play a goddess before the New Year, I couldn't make it, so I naturally have to make up for it now.

This little girl usually doesn't make any requests of Meng Chen, except when she goes to the graves she will drag Meng Chen along.

"Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, let's make something nice to take with us." Meng Chen immediately agreed.

The next day, after breakfast, Qingyu boiled four eggs, took the offerings, and set off.

Old Chen asked Qingyu to put on the cloak that Bu Shengyan had given him, but Qingyu was stingy and reluctant to wear it.

The snow on the road had not yet melted, and the north wind howled incessantly. The two traveled southeast for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the ferry crossing.

Because it was right after the New Year and the weather was cold, there were very few people taking the boat. However, the boatman, Old Kuai, was a boat owner who never disembarked all year round; he would take passengers whenever there were any.

Boarding Old Kuai's boat, the riverbanks were covered in snow. Reeds and rushes were withered, and occasionally a bird would fly by.

Before long, the boat docked at the shore. Meng Chen paid back the money from last time and then took Qingyu to Mantou Mountain.

The snow was fresh snow that fell yesterday, and there wasn't a single footprint along the way, indicating that only Meng Chen and Qingyu had gone on a long trip that day.

Upon reaching the foot of Mantou Mountain, Qingyu walked to the monument, took off his sheepskin hat, cleared a space in front of the monument, and placed some hemp paper on it.

She knelt down and took out a bowl of frozen mutton, a bowl of fried tofu, and three flatbreads from her bundle.

They blew on the fire tumbler and lit the hemp paper money.

"Dad, I brought you your favorite unleavened flatbread. Mom, I also brought your favorite deep-fried tofu. This wine was bought by my brother; he's very good to me." Qingyu was the most talkative, and once she started talking, she couldn't stop, as if she wanted to tell everyone about the big and small things that had happened to her.

The north wind howled, and Meng Chen stood to the north of Qingyu, looking around.

What one sees is white snow, black water, blue stone, kneeling people, and soaring birds.

For a moment, although Meng Chen could hear the blue fish's soft prayers, he still felt an extraordinary silence.

The sky and earth are vast and clear, and all things are bright and clear.

Meng Chen thought, since that's the case, why not sit quietly for a while? Maybe he can gain something from it.