A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

Several days later.

The Lizhu Cave gradually calmed down.

Those outside cultivators are still searching for opportunities everywhere, but after the battle in Mud Bottle Alley, everyone has a consensus: it's best not to provoke this dilapidated alley.

It wasn't because I was afraid of the boy who broke the Bridge to Immortality, but because I was afraid of the person standing behind him.

Qi Jingchun.

The story of Qi Jingchun stopping Fu Nanhua at the alley entrance that day quickly spread throughout the town. Everyone knew that the kid from Mud Bottle Alley was someone Mr. Qi was protecting.

Chen Ping'an's injuries haven't fully healed yet.

The wounds on his left shoulder and right chest had scabbed over, but it still hurt when he moved. After the Bridge of Immortality broke, his body was worse than that of an ordinary person, and even chopping wood was more difficult than before.

But he didn't stay idle. He still went to work at the dragon kiln every day, still chopped firewood, and still practiced that breathing technique that was no longer of much use.

That day, after finishing work, Chen Ping'an did not go straight home, but instead went into a tavern in the small town.

The tavern was very simple, with a few wooden tables and benches, and a crooked counter. It sold homemade, cloudy wine, which was cheap and strong, and the customers were mostly poor people.

Chen Ping'an rarely came to places like this; he could barely afford to eat, let alone have money for alcohol. But today was different.

He took out a few coins from his pocket, ordered a bowl of turbid wine, sat down in the corner, and sipped it slowly.

The door was pushed open.

A man in a blue robe walked in.

He looked very young, around twenty years old, with an ordinary face but bright eyes. He wore a faded blue robe and had a gourd of wine hanging from his waist, making him look like a wandering cultivator.

Chen Ping'an looked up at him and felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him at the entrance of Mud Bottle Alley.

The man in the blue robe sat down opposite him and said to the innkeeper, "Bring two jugs of wine."

The innkeeper brought out two jugs of wine, and the man in the blue robe pushed one jug towards Chen Ping'an.

"It's my treat."

Chen Ping'an looked at him warily and said, "I don't know you."

"I used to be a bar owner, and I would try to buy drinks for everyone I met."

Chen Ping'an was taken aback; this reason was certainly novel. He looked down at the wine jug in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted it.

He uncorked the bottle and took a sip.

Then his eyes lit up.

The wine was smooth, mellow, and sweet, with an indescribable aroma. Compared to the turbid wine he had just drunk, it was like heaven and earth.

"Your wine is delicious."

The man in the blue robe smiled and asked, "How does it compare to the turbid wine from before?"

Chen Pingan shook his head: "It's incomparable."

The man in the blue robe raised an eyebrow and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Chen Pingan thought for a moment and said seriously, "Drink it, and you'll want to cry."

He picked up his wine jug, took a sip, and then said softly, "You're not very old, but you know a lot about wine."

Chen Ping'an looked down at the wine pot in his hand and said softly, "My father taught me this. He said that wine reflects one's heart; what kind of wine one drinks reveals what kind of person one is."

The man in the blue robe looked at him, his eyes filled with a complex emotion: "Your father is a wise man."

Chen Ping'an nodded without saying a word.

The two drank in silence.

"My name is Chen Ping'an."

"My name is Ye Yun."

Chen Ping'an nodded, acknowledging that they had met.

He took a sip of his drink and suddenly asked, "Brother Ye, are you from out of town?"

Ye Yun nodded.

"What's it like outside?" Chen Ping'an asked, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and longing.

Ye Yun thought for a moment and said softly, "There are mountains, there is water, there are sword cultivators flying in the sky, there are great demons running on the ground, there are good people, and there are bad people."

As Chen Ping'an listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Have you ever met a sword cultivator?"

Ye Yun smiled and said, "I am a sword cultivator."

Chen Ping'an was stunned. He looked Ye Yun up and down. This seemingly ordinary man in a blue robe was actually a sword cultivator?

"Where is your sword?" he asked.

Ye Yun pointed to his heart: "In my heart."

Chen Ping'an seemed to be deep in thought.

Ye Yun was taken aback, then nodded and said, "I have a good relationship with Ning Yao."

Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up: "You know her?"

"Of course," Ye Yun said.

Chen Pingan nodded, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "He's fine."

"Brother Ye, why is your wine called 'Forget-Worries'?"

Ye Yun was stunned.

Chen Ping'an seemed to see through his confusion and pointed to the wine pot: "There are words engraved on the bottom of the pot."

Ye Yun looked down and saw two small characters engraved on the bottom of the wine pot: "Forget Worries." He had just casually engraved them and had forgotten about them.

He was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Because there are some things I can't forget, so I can only try to forget them for a while by drinking."

Chen Pingan nodded and said, "I understand."

Ye Yun looked at him.

The boy was only twelve or thirteen years old, skin and bones, covered in wounds. His bridge to immortality had broken, his future was ruined, he was being hunted down, and he almost died.

Ye Yun suddenly asked, "Do you hate it?"

Chen Ping'an was taken aback: "Hate what?"

"I hate this world."

Chen Ping'an remained silent for a long time.

He looked down at the wine jug in his hand; the wine in the jug was all gone.

"Ruthless, but hatred is useless."

Ye Yun looked at him.

Chen Pingan continued, "My father said that hating someone is like locking yourself in a cage, and I don't want to lock myself up."

Ye Yun smiled slightly.

Back then, he killed many people in his quest for revenge, hating his enemies and resenting his own lack of strength.

Until one day, he suddenly realized that there was hope only if he kept moving forward.

"Your father is right."

Chen Pingan smiled, a faint but genuine smile.

Ye Yun stood up, took out a small wine pot from his pocket, and placed it on the table. The wine pot was a size smaller than the previous one, and the words "Forget Worries" were engraved on the bottom of the pot.

"It's yours."

Chen Ping'an looked at the wine pot and hesitated, "I don't have any money."

Ye Yun smiled: "It's free. It's on you."

He turned and walked out.

As he reached the door, Chen Ping'an's voice came from behind him: "Brother Ye."

Ye Yun stopped but did not turn around.

"Thank you," Chen Pingan said.

"Chen Ping'an, you and I will have a battle in the future. I hope you grow up quickly."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping'an looked surprised and puzzled.

He and Ye Yun seemed to have no grudges against each other, so why did they have to fight?

Seeing Chen Ping'an, Ye Yun finally understood why Qi Jingchun had such high hopes for him.

Chen Ping'an suffered more than anyone else. But he never complained and never accepted his fate.

We are full of hope for this world.

He looked down at the wine pot in his arms, the bottom of which was engraved with the words "Forget Worries".

He didn't know what those two words meant, but he knew that the person who gave him the wine was a good person.

The setting sun cast a long shadow on him, and he walked slowly because his wound still ached. But he walked steadily, one step at a time.

When he reached the entrance of Mud Bottle Alley, he suddenly stopped.

He glanced back.

The long street was deserted, but he had a feeling that the man in the blue robe named Ye Yun was still watching him from somewhere.

The alley was deep, with dilapidated earthen walls on both sides, covered with moss. He walked past the familiar doors and windows, past the familiar corners, and arrived at the dilapidated little house.

Push open the door and go inside.

He placed the flask of wine on the bedside table, together with the previous jar of wine, and then sat on the bed, gazing at the sky outside the window.

The sky is very blue, and the clouds are very white.

He took a deep breath and began practicing the breathing technique.

One breath in, one breath out.

He knew this breathing technique might be useless, but he still wanted to practice it. Because it was the only thing he could do.

If you're alive, you have to do something.