Volume 2: Ren Ping Sheng Chapter 42: Guang Han

  (As for Cui Geng, given the current situation, most of you can only silently understand; while a few readers insisted on donating 3,000 yuan, your kindness has truly moved Nan Chao, thank you all! The current achievements of Chat Room cannot be separated from the support of each and every reader friend, bowing in gratitude!)

  Chen Jianchen was not a drunkard, but after several cups of fine wine, his face turned red and his ears were flushed, and he felt dizzy. He immediately stood up and said: "Daozhang, Luoxian is no match for the wine's power, I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany Daozhang in drinking anymore."

  Guang Han asked with a slanted gaze, "This young master, didn't Qingyun Shixiong tell you that Lao Dao has a peculiar temperament and is prone to sudden mood swings? He told you to be flexible and accommodating towards Lao Dao. Why did you leave the table after just a few cups, making it difficult for Lao Dao to enjoy himself?"

  Chen Jianchen's expression turned serious as he said, "Liu Xian is a scholar, and the Master said: 'To know what you know and to know what you don't know, that is true knowledge.' If one can drink, then drink; if not, then don't pretend to be a hero, puffing out your chest and putting on airs."

  Guang Han laughed: "It's interesting."

  He paused for a moment and then said: "If the old Taoist isn't mistaken, on that day when he was planting pears on the street, you were also watching from upstairs, weren't you?"

  Chen Jianchen's heart skipped a beat, and he hadn't expected the other party to have discovered his presence so soon. He replied honestly: "I am."

  Guang Han said: "I once heard Qingyun say that you have a kind heart and follow the Tao, so why didn't you come down to see me that day?"

  Chen Jianchen said: "The Taoist's magic is exquisite, but there is a lack of benevolence..."

  Guang Han's face turned cold on horseback: "In your opinion, is it that the old Taoist was playing tricks on that pear seller?"

  "I don't dare... The pear seller is self-reliant, hardworking and supports his family. Although he is stingy by nature and has some shortcomings, he does things with a good heart and seeks to improve himself willingly. If one were to force him, it would only leave a bad impression."

  Guang Han's eyes stared at him intensely, seeing Chen Jianchen without any tension, still talking fluently and calmly. He couldn't help but chuckle: "For many years, young master is the first person to dare speak to me like this... Tsk tsk, it's just that I'm an old Daoist playing in the mortal world, acting naturally, your Confucian scholars' talk of benevolence and righteousness can't be applied to me."

  Chen Jianchen was silent - a Taoist cultivator's goal is to achieve carefree longevity. What is meant by "carefree" is being true to oneself, not pretending, and not caring about others' opinions or feelings.

  There is no right or wrong, just different ideologies that people insist on believing in.

  Guang Han drained another cup of wine and said slowly, "Young Master is indeed a person of wealth and nobility, unable to put down the many restraints in his heart. It seems that you and I have no master-disciple relationship. Hehe, no wonder last night when Lao Dao and Cheng Huang Lao Er were drinking wine, he told me that Young Master's heart has strong obsessions, difficult to dissolve. Today, seeing it for myself, indeed it is so."

  Chen Jianchen's heart skipped a beat: "City God?"

  Guang Han said: "The young master and Yin Si's grudge, the old man already knows. The young master has a righteous spirit in his writing, he will definitely not be a mediocre person. As they say, it's better to resolve grievances rather than create them, your matter is just a small misunderstanding, there's no deep hatred, why don't you just let it go?"

  It wasn't until then that Chen Jianchen realized that Guang Hancheng had come to make peace, which was a strange thing. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly said, "What the Taoist priest says is quite right."

  Guang Han clapped his hands and said, "Excellent!"

  He poured another cup of wine and handed it over: "Young master, this wine is the imperial court's royal wine, called 'Yang Chun', drinking it can increase energy and vitality, prolong one's spirit, it's not an ordinary thing, you can drink more without worrying."

  Chen Jianchen was astonished: Imperial Court wine? Could it be that Guang Han Dao Ren had used his unparalleled magical powers to conjure it up from the distant palace in the capital, truly a feat beyond mortal comprehension!

  He plucked up his courage and had two more drinks.

  "Let's go out for a walk," said Guang Han Daoren, standing up. "How about it, young master?"

  Chen Jianchen's tongue had already grown somewhat larger, and he said: "Very good."

  The two of them went out and left the city temple directly, walking on the main street.

  At this time, the sky was already late, and the stars were scattered all over the sky, shining brightly, looking incredibly vast and profound.

  The Taoist pointed to the sky with his finger and sighed, "The heavens have no bounds, yet my way has bounds. Young master, what shall I do?" After speaking, he suddenly became choked with emotion and tears fell, his face pale and wan.

  Chen Jianchen was somewhat tipsy, but his spirit was very clear. After a moment's thought, he replied: "The Way has boundaries, but the mind has no boundaries."

  Guang Han Dao Ren burst into tears and laughed, clapping his hands in praise: "What a wonderful heart without bounds! Marvelous indeed! Let's have a big toast!"

  Two men were talking about the world when a sudden noise came from the right side, it was outside the city wall of Chenghuang Temple, where a man had set up a gambling stall, and a group of people were gathered around to gamble. As they gambled, for some reason, someone got into an argument, and it turned into a big fight.

  The Taoist priest saw it and smiled, then suddenly asked: "Young master, do you know why that fat woman wanted to chase the old Taoist today?"

  Chen Jianchen shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

  Guang Han said, "That's because Lao Dao saw her beating her son, the child was crying loudly, and Lao Dao couldn't bear to watch it. So he also walked over and slapped her buttocks three times, very hard."

  Chen Jianchen was tongue-tied and couldn't say a word.

  Guang Han laughed triumphantly and stopped talking, heading straight to the gambling den. He squeezed into the crowd and heard a few men loudly arguing, with one of them saying "This money is mine."

  "He said: 'This money is mine.'"

  Arguing endlessly.

  The thing originated from a gambler who won a big sum of money, but in his excitement, he scattered all the copper coins on the ground, which fell everywhere.

  Money fell to the ground, and the people around had no more courtesy to speak of? They quickly bent down to pick up the coins in the chaos, and in the blink of an eye, they put many copper coins into their own pockets.

  When someone loses money and is in a hurry, they grab the person who picked it up and ask them to return it, saying that the money belongs to them. However, at this moment, the person who picked up the money does not want to admit it and insists that the money belongs to them.

  Some people said with a flourish: "Big Chu, there is no mark on the copper coin and your name is not engraved on it. How can you say that the money is yours?"

  A group of people echoed in agreement, and Chu Dajiang, already anxious and angry, was about to start a fight.

  "Everyone, please calm down," Guang Han suddenly spoke up. "I can determine who the money actually belongs to."

  A Taoist priest ran over to join in the excitement, and the men immediately cursed: "Priest, don't spout nonsense here..."

  "Get out of here, you stinky Taoist! No wonder I've been losing money all the time. It's because of your presence that I'm having such bad luck."

  Guang Han smiled and said, "The old Daoist really knows..."

  As he spoke, without seeing him recite any incantation or make any gestures, suddenly a clattering sound was heard, and hundreds of copper coins seemed to have grown legs, jumping out from the bodies of the crowd of men with agility, rolling around, and finally gathering in front of Guang Han, standing upright one by one, neatly arranged, forming a magnificent sight.

  Guang Han shook his head and asked the copper coins: "Money, money, I know you have a spiritual nature and can communicate with gods. So, who is your master? You must recognize him. If you do, nod to him."

  Splash!

  Hundreds of copper coins suddenly stood up and nodded in unison. However, they didn't nod towards the men, but rather towards Guang Han.

  "Haha, so it was all about the old man's money after all. In that case, I won't be polite anymore, let's go!"

  Guang Han turned around, took big strides, and walked away towards the other side of the street. Behind him, a dense trail of copper coins rolled on the ground, following closely behind Guang Han like loyal soldiers, creating an eerie yet comical scene.

  A crowd of gamblers stared straight ahead, their eyes almost popping out, and they couldn't make a sound for a long time.

  Guang Han no longer paid attention to Chen Jianchen, walking away while singing: "A million taels of gold are all turned to dust, this heart has no home, where can it return? The city walls remain the same, but people do not recognize me, my eyes only see bones piled up..."

  In the singing voice, there is a faint sense of melancholy and sorrow.

  Chen Jianchen watched him leave, disappearing from sight, and sighed silently in his heart: Guang Han, a true Taoist indeed...