Martial Cultivator

After descending the mountain, Chen Chao reappeared at the ferry crossing just as dawn was breaking. The ferryman had arrived early at the riverbank and once again saw this young man in black. Chen Chao silently boarded the ferry, preparing to cross the river.

Glancing around, the ferryman saw that it was still early, and the passengers for the crossing had not appeared yet. He looked at Chen Chao and asked quietly, "Guest isn't in a hurry, right?"

Chen Chao shook his head and sat down at the bow of the boat, gazing into the distance by himself.

The ferryman took a look at Chen Chao. He was free at this moment too, so after thinking about it, he walked over and sat beside Chen Chao, asking, "Have you chosen a good spot?"

Chen Chao nodded but still remained silent.

The ferryman thought for a moment, then pulled out a wine gourd from his waist and offered it to the young man in front of him, asking, "Drink some?"

Chen Chao glanced at the ferryman but did not respond.

The ferryman did not mind, he just took a sip himself before saying, "In this life, we always encounter many regrets, but we still have to live our days. If we keep standing still, there won't be much to live for."

After some thought, Chen Chao reached out, took the wine gourd, and drank a large mouthful. He then realized it was rice wine; tangy and sweet, but it would not make people intoxicated.

The ferryman knew what he was thinking and smiled, saying, "I rely on this for my livelihood, how can I really get drunk?"

Chen Chao replied, "It's quite good."

The ferryman sighed and said, "Actually, I occasionally drink strong liquor too, but only once a month."

Without waiting for Chen Chao to respond, the ferryman chuckled and asked, "You're not a normal person, are you?"

Chen Chao looked at the ferryman, his expression somewhat puzzled.

"I've been ferrying people back and forth at this crossing for many years, seen all kinds of people. My eyes can be considered to have some ability to discern people. I reckon you're one of those so-called martial artists, a type of cultivator, serving in our military or some government office?"

After taking a sip of his drink, the ferryman asked these questions, much more naturally than before.

Chen Chao thought for a moment and replied, "I serve in a government office in the Divine Capital."

The ferryman nodded and smiled, "You have boundless prospects. Given your age, can you become a general in the future?"

"It's hard to say,"

Chen Chao took another sip of the wine. Rice wine was not intoxicating, but its tangy sweetness lingered in his mouth, just like the journey of life.

The ferryman pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "There's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Chen Chao replied, "We're just casually chatting, what can't be said?"

The ferryman chuckled at this and said, "Since that's the case, I'll speak my mind."

"Over the years, I've seen my fair share of officials coming and going at this crossing; both civil and military officials. But the one who left the deepest impression on me was one particular official. I don't know why, but instead of using the imperial court's ferryboat, he came with his entourage to board my boat. He had quite the air about him. His guards even forcibly removed the passengers who were already on board. Once aboard, he complained about the condition of my boat and boasted about his ambitions to make a difference for the common people on his way to the Divine Capital. But in reality, when I saw how he acted, I knew that even if he rose to high office in the Divine Capital, he wouldn't give us common folk a second thought. Sure enough, a few years later, he returned with his tail between his legs, this time with just a few followers. After boarding, he lamented about his misfortune and lack of recognition. This time, his followers didn't drive away the other passengers, but when one of them said a few words of complaint, both sides got into a heated argument. It was quite embarrassing."

"What's even more surprising is that there happened to be another official on the boat who was visiting his hometown. Unlike the first one, he wasn't dressed in official robes, and even his guards were low-key. Initially, he didn't want any trouble, but seeing the first official's unreasonable behavior, he finally revealed his identity and spoke some words of fairness. I thought he would just shut his mouth after that, but to my surprise, he ended up befriending that official on the boat. However, that official didn't put on airs and still spoke quite a lot with him. In the end, that guy somehow managed to strike up such a close relationship with that official."

Talking up to this point, the ferryman took another sip of the drink and chuckled, "So, you see, people are really strange creatures. Once they gain power, they seem to lose themselves. But when they lose it, they will keep thinking about how to regain it, doing everything in their power to reclaim what they've lost."

Chen Chao listened to this story earnestly. In the end, he nodded and said, "Good insight."

The ferryman shook his head, "It's not really insight, just musing. I see you're a good person, so I thought I'd chat a bit with you. We common folk are actually all the same. Sure, the world now is much better than before, but no one thinks it's the best. With demons occasionally devouring people and those immortals killing people at whim, everyone hopes for a day when we can truly live in peace. Of course, even if that day really comes, we still won't be satisfied. It's like when you can fill your stomach, you'll start craving meat every now and then."

Chen Chao was silent.

Once the ferryman started talking, he could not stop.

"But us common people don't have any power to change the world. We can only hope that officials like you will work hard. But then again, it's hard to say if this way of thinking is right. After all, expecting others to change our fate might be asking too much, don't you think? I've been pondering over this for years and still can't quite figure it out."

The ferryman looked at Chen Chao, seeming a bit conflicted himself.

Chen Chao shook his head, "The taxes paid by the common people are the salaries of officials. So, those in office should naturally do something for the common people. It's not only reasonable but also their duty as officials."

The ferryman sighed, "That's true."

Suddenly, Chen Chao said, "I did something wrong."

The ferryman asked, "Is it about someone's death?"

Chen Chao nodded, saying straightforwardly, "I left the Divine Capital to go somewhere else. On the way, I met a mother and daughter. They were going in a different direction from me, but they had no escort. Although I knew it would be dangerous for them to reach their destination, I still parted ways with them after a while. But in reality, I had no urgent matters on hand. I could have escorted them to their destination and then returned in time. But I didn't do it. In the end, they both died."

The ferryman sighed, saying softly, "Based on what you just said, the common people pay taxes, and you officials receive salaries, so you should do something for the common people. But our imperial court has so many officials, each responsible for different things. You can't do everything, and some things are simply impossible to accomplish. In my opinion, you weren't wrong in this matter. At least, most people wouldn't see it as a mistake."

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "But I can't get over it."

The ferryman said, "That's guilt, not wrongdoing. It's like when I'm walking on the road, sometimes I'll accidentally step on an ant. If I don't know, then I don't know. But if I do, I still feel sorry for the ant."

Chen Chao asked, "How many people would feel sorry for an ant?"

The ferryman smiled and said, "Well, according to you cultivators, aren't ordinary people just like ants? Besides, you didn't actually step on the ant." Chen Chao pondered quietly, remaining silent.

The ferryman continued, "Let me put it another way. Think about that mother and daughter. If they had been hostile towards you from the beginning and you parted ways, even if you later found out they died, you wouldn't feel any guilt, would you?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brow.

"In essence, nothing has changed. They still died because you didn't escort them. But you wouldn't feel guilty, and you wouldn't even feel any emotions about it, let alone say that you did anything wrong."

The ferryman looked at Chen Chao and said, "The situation didn't change; it just depends on how people treat you and how you perceive it."

Chen Chao said, "I think I understand a little now."

The ferryman said, "I've never been to the Divine Capital, but I've heard that His Majesty is a remarkable person. But even such an extraordinary person couldn't make life very good for us common people. If it's because the Emperor refuses to do anything for us, then of course we would resent him. But if he has already tried his best, done a lot, and yet there are still many things left undone, then we probably wouldn't feel much resentment and would still be grateful to him."

"You and that mother and daughter had already traveled together for some distance. Later, you had your own business to attend to, and they had their own path to walk. Actually, no one owed anyone anything."

"Moreover, you avenged them, right?"

Chen Chao nodded, saying calmly, "I killed many people."

He also recalled the words of the bookstore owner.

"Were they all bad people?"

The ferryman asked.

"They were all bad people."

The ferryman said, "In that case, you have even less reason to feel guilty. You couldn't help that mother and daughter avoid danger, but it seems you helped many others... What's that idiom again? I can't remember it," the ferryman said.

Chen Chao was silent.

The ferryman got up and said, "Let's not wait any longer. I'll send you across the river."

Chen Chao looked at the ferryman with some confusion.

"Waiting until the boat is full would naturally be the most profitable. To me, ferrying you alone is just earning a little less money. It's not very worthwhile to make this trip, but I can accept it. Besides, you've done some good deeds, so I feel it's even more worthwhile."

The ferryman chuckled, "I'm sending a good official."

Chen Chao furrowed his brow, unsure of what to say.

But the ferryman had already begun paddling the boat across the river.

Afterward, the two did not speak.

It was not until the ferry reached the opposite bank that the ferryman docked the boat at the ferry crossing, and Chen Chao stood up to disembark.

Suddenly, the ferryman said, "I have one last thing to say. If you don't mind, I'd like to share it with you."

Chen Chao nodded, "Please say."

The ferryman pondered for a moment before saying softly, "I don't remember it very clearly, but this is something a scholar once told me. The general meaning of it is that if an official fulfills their duties well, they're already a good official. But if they can do more beyond their duties, that's even better. However, even if they can't do something outside of their scope of duties, they shouldn't feel guilty or be criticized by others."

The ferryman recalled carefully, then added somewhat uncertainly, "I think he also said, 'As long as you're a good person, that's good enough.'"