Shattering of Chen Ping'an's Natal Porcelain

Overview

In the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, every child born in the hidden town had their destiny tied to a piece of "natal porcelain" fired in the local dragon kilns, containing a drop of their heart's blood. These pieces were bet on and purchased by outside cultivation sects. Chen Ping'an's natal porcelain was shaped as a white porcelain paperweight resembling a hornless dragon. Because his father was an ordinary kiln worker with seemingly unremarkable talent, Chen Ping'an was viewed by the outside buyers as a losing investment, leading them to covertly tamper with his porcelain.

Eventually, Chen Ping'an's father accidentally discovered the dark secret behind the natal porcelain: if the porcelain was successfully fired and taken out of the town by the buyers, his son would be reduced to a lifelong puppet controlled by external forces. To protect his son's freedom and safety, the honest kiln worker made the desperate decision to secretly smash the white porcelain paperweight. This incident heavily involved the Ma family couple from Xinghua Alley—the parents of Ma Kuxuan—who controlled the dragon kiln and played a crucial, malicious role in the events surrounding the porcelain's destruction, despite the objections of Ma Lanhua.

The destruction of the natal porcelain infuriated the outside buyers whose investments were ruined. Unable to afford the immense compensation demanded by these outside factions and the Great Li Dynasty, Chen Ping'an's father paid with his life to settle the debt. The tragedy soon claimed his mother as well, who died of illness on a snowy day. Chen Ping'an secretly gathered the remaining shards of his shattered porcelain and hid them in a jar in the corner of his ancestral home in Mud Bottle Alley, becoming a destitute orphan who had to rely on a hundred families' meals to survive.

Outcome / Consequences

This tragic event is the absolute catalyst of Chen Ping'an's life. The shattering of his natal porcelain severed his innate "Long-Life Bridge" and caused him to be suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, preventing him from retaining fortune and making him initially unable to practice cultivation. However, his father's sacrifice successfully saved him from becoming a sect puppet, ensuring his ultimate freedom and setting him on his grueling, independent path of martial arts and swordsmanship.

References

• 剑来1：少年起微末，第四章 — 捕蛇鹰: Qi Jingchun reveals the truth to Chen Ping'an about his father smashing the porcelain to save him from becoming a puppet, and how it angered the outside buyers, leading to his parents' deaths.
• 剑来10：他乡遇故知，第二章 — 新年新气象: Chen Ping'an describes his natal porcelain as a white porcelain paperweight shaped like a hornless dragon, and mentions hiding the shards in a clay jar in his ancestral home.
• 剑来17：一洲皆起剑，第五章 — 本命瓷: Details the hidden truths regarding the Xinghua Alley Ma family's involvement in the natal porcelain incident, noting that Ma Kuxuan's parents acted out of greed and malice despite Ma Lanhua's attempts to stop them.