Unsheathed

Like threading a needle, brewing medicine was also a delicate task. Chen Ping’an was very calm and methodical as he focused on the pot of medicine before him. A mysterious sense of happiness radiated from his body.

However, Ning Yao wasn’t a patient person. Apart from practicing sword techniques and saber techniques, there weren’t many other things that interested her. She had left home at a young age, traveling all over the lands by herself. As a result, she often had to live in very rough environments.

However, it was also because of this that she wasn’t feeling any sense of discomfort in the bare and destitute house of the young boy. After all, she was already accustomed to camping out in the open and trekking through the wind and rain. Regardless of how particular a person once was, such experiences would eventually cause them to become much less so.

“Is your left hand okay now?” Ning Yao asked.

Chen Ping’an’s left hand was wrapped in strips of cotton cloth as he carried a bowl of medicine over. After Ning Yao accepted it, he smiled and replied, “It’s fine. I ground up some herbal medicines before I came back, and I’ve already applied the paste to my wound. When I suffered cuts and bruises while working as a potter, I also used this paste to treat my wounds. It worked 100% of the time. In fact, an old man from the Yang Family’s medicine shop told me this secret recipe a long time ago.

“However, I promised him that I wouldn’t share this secret recipe with others. Otherwise, seeing that you always travel around, it’s quite likely that you might find it useful. If you want a copy, I can look for that old man and ask him for permission. However, I was in quite a hurry when I went to the medicine shop today, so I wasn’t able to see the old man. Hopefully, he was only gone for a short while.”

As the young woman drank her medicine, her eyebrows that were as slender as blades knitted into a slight frown. However, she still finished drinking the medicine without any complaints. After returning the bowl to the waiting young boy, she mumbled, “Kind-hearted fool. No wonder you’re so absurdly poor. It’s almost as if you deserve to be bullied.”

Before Chen Ping’an could respond, Ning Yao added, “Don’t mind me; I’m quite frank when I speak.”

However, Ning Yao didn’t know that this explanation was even more hurtful than her initial words.

Chen Ping’an wanted to say something, but he couldn’t help but hesitate.

Ning Yao wiped away the medicine stains from the corners of her mouth before sitting up straight and saying in a serious voice, “Even though the Sage who’s looking over this place — the person whom you refer to as Mr. Qi from the private school — wants to help you resolve this matter and allow you to live in peace, you have to realize that everyone has a limit to their abilities. This is true even for Sages.

“This is not to mention that Mr. Qi’s situation is also quite dire at this moment, and he’s showing signs of being like a clay Buddha who can barely cross a river[1]. I’m afraid that he might not be able to ensure your safety in the future. Meanwhile, I, Ning Yao, am an outsider, and I’m someone who reciprocates a drop of kindness with a spring of goodwill. If someone glares at me, however, I’ll also reciprocate their hostility with ferocity and vengeance!”

Reciprocating a drop of kindness with a spring of goodwill, reciprocating hostility with ferocity and vengeance, a clay Buddha who can barely cross a river…

Right now, Ning Yao was secretly filled with a sense of pride. Just listen to her words! Weren’t they filled with knowledge and culture?

However, it was a pity that Chen Ping’an’s neighbor was quite a well-read student. Song Jixin would recite the teachings of the Sages almost every morning and every night, and according to him, this was a process of nourishing his noble spirit. Thus, even though Chen Ping’an had never read these books before, he had at the very least heard them being recited. As such, he wasn’t unfamiliar with the philosophy of these students and scholars. Even when it came to deep and profound phrases, he could still roughly guess their meaning based on the context of the words that came before and after.

Ning Yao stared intently at Chen Ping’an, hoping to find a hint of astonishment, admiration, or confusion on his face. To her dismay, however, Chen Ping’an’s expression was a punchable one that seemingly said, “I understand, please continue.”

The young woman was extremely disheartened. Her high spirits and vigor receded like a tide, and she huffed, “What I’m trying to say is, since you saved my life, I’ll naturally help you kill Old Dragon City’s Fu Nanhua in the future. Or Lake Shujian’s Liu Zhimao. If you want to kill both of them to completely eliminate all future threats, however, you’ll have to offer some money to do away with the misfortune. After all, the two of us are nothing more than strangers who came together by chance. In other words, you need to pay me with a pouch of copper coins.”

The young woman quickly pointed at the bag of Greeting Spring Coins and said, “For example, this pouch is quite to my liking. The patterns of the Offering Coins and Good Fortune Coins don’t look very good, and their makes don’t suit my taste either.”

Ning Yao slightly tilted her chin and continued, “If you’re willing to throw in the two other pouches of copper coins in addition to this, I can help you deal with Old Dragon City and Dawn Cloud Mountain as well. Of course, you can forget about all of this if I die at the hands of Liu Zhimao. After all, my cultivation base is low, and I’ve only just reached the sixth tier of the nine tiers of martial arts. As a martial artist, my physique is still yet to reach an accomplished state. As for the 15 tiers of cultivation, I’ve only reached the Dragon Gate Tier of the Middle Five Tiers. I have six patterns in my vital organs, but I’ve still yet to add the final touch to bring them to life.”

Chen Ping’an was truly dumbfounded this time. He had no idea what she was talking about.

The young woman felt slightly ashamed and angry. She had always felt a sense of embarrassment and humiliation at her lowly cultivation base, yet Chen Ping’an’s dazed expression was as if he were saying, “Miss, please explain this to me.” This undoubtedly jabbed her where it hurt.

Upon seeing her dark expression, Chen Ping’an immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He hurriedly said, “Ning Yao, your wounds were so severe just a moment ago, so why does it look like you’re mostly healed already?”

The young woman lowered her gaze a little as she wrapped her arms around her chest and said in a hoarse voice, “I was genuinely almost about to die at that time. If Daoist Lu hadn’t saved me, I would have… Anyhow, I owe you a huge favor, so I shouldn’t try to take advantage of you while you’re in such a difficult situation. I shouldn’t have asked for those three pouches of copper coins. How can my life be compared to the likes of Liu Zhimao and the others? So, I was the one who was wrong. Pretend that I didn’t say anything just then. After I leave this small town, I’ll try my best to deal with those threats for you. However, let me say this first — I only do what’s within my abilities, and I won’t sacrifice myself if I know I definitely can’t succeed.”

The young woman was feeling extremely downcast at this moment. Perhaps this was because she rarely ever lowered her head and apologized to others.

“Which pouch of coins is the Offering Coins?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Ning Yao pointed at the pouch that was decorated with gold patterns.

Chen Ping’an took out three copper coins and held them in his hand. He then used his arm to push the three pouches of copper coins toward the young woman, saying with a smile, “Here, take these.”

Ning Yao was astounded. After a long while, she finally came to her senses and asked, “Chen Ping’an, were you dropped on your head as a child?”

“No,” Chen Ping’an replied in exasperation. “However, I was often whipped in the head by cow tails when I helped others herd cattle.”

Ning Yao suddenly flared up in rage, slamming the table and interrogating, “Perhaps you have feelings for me?!”

Chen Ping’an was completely stupefied.

The young woman cracked a grin, raising her thumbs at Chen Ping’an and saying, “You have very good taste!”

She then twisted her thumb and pointed at herself, saying with a buoyant expression, “However, I obviously won’t agree. The man who I like will definitely be the most powerful sword immortal in the world. The most powerful! In the entire world! A great sword immortal! The Dao Ancestor and Buddha? The paramount Confucius? Standing before his sword, they’ll have no option but to lower their heads and stand aside!”

Chen Ping’an was beet red at this moment. He scratched his head and said, “Ning Yao, I think you misunderstood. I never said I liked you…”

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow. She pondered for a moment before leaning forward and squinting an eye, raising her hand and bringing her index finger and thumb an inch apart. “Not even this much?” she asked in a diffident voice.

Chen Ping’an was firm and resolute as he replied, “No! Please be at ease!”

Ning Yao heaved a heavy sigh as she retracted her hand, saying in a sympathetic voice, “Chen Ping’an, even if you’re fortunate enough to find yourself a wife in the future, she’ll most likely be a scatter-brained person.”

Chen Ping’an sat down opposite to her, smiling happily as he said, “I’ll be happy as long as she’s a good person.”

Ning Yao didn’t offer a comment on this.

Some people meandered about and waited for death, while others would be satisfied as long as they were slightly well off. Meanwhile, there were also those who were extremely driven and would soar to unfathomable heights. Just like her mother had said, different people would have different destinies and fates. There was not necessarily a superior or inferior fate.

However, her father had different views on this matter. While one should not try to forcefully obtain that which was not fated, this did not then imply that they shouldn’t strive to obtain it at all. A person still needed to maintain their ambition. If they still failed to obtain that which they desired, then that would be a different conversation altogether.

Of course, her father didn’t dare to utter these words before her mother.

“Ning Yao, have you also come to our small town to seek a fated opportunity?” Chen Ping’an casually asked.

The young woman didn’t try to conceal anything, replying, “I was only able to obtain a position to enter this small town after exhausting all of my savings and using up a favor. However, I’m not like the others. I’m not looking for a fated opportunity or whatever, and I simply want to ask someone to forge a sword for me. It’ll be best if it’s a sword that resonates with my ideals. As for whether it’s sharp or not, and as for whether it can carry a boundless sword qi or not, all of these are secondary.”

“Forge a sword?” Chen Ping’an asked in puzzlement.

“Yes, I want to ask the blacksmith Master Ruan to forge a sword for me. He’s got quite a reputation in this small town, and he’s also got an ironclad rule that he never breaks. That is, he’ll only forge one sword every 30 years. In fact, he was only willing to come here to replace Qi Jingchun because he felt like the environment here was extremely suitable for forging a sword. I want to try my luck and see whether he’s willing to forge a sword for me. If it truly doesn’t work out, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it either. I can only treat it as bad luck.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Good people will always be blessed with good karma.”

“I genuinely don’t know how to respond,” Ning Yao said without strength.

She then glanced at the young boy and asked, “Your left hand doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Chen Ping’an faltered upon hearing this. “It does hurt!”

“Then why don’t you look like you’re in pain?” she asked in a skeptical voice.

“Even if I roll around and scream, my pain won’t go away, will it?” Chen Ping’an responded as a matter of fact.

Ning Yao slapped her forehead. “I truly don’t know how to deal with you. You’re just like my dad. However, you’re far, far weaker than him.”

Chen Ping’an replied with a smile, staying silent as he gazed at the courtyard in front of his house.

Ning Yao pushed the three bags of copper coins back toward him, saying, “I don’t want them.”

Chen Ping’an dragged his gaze back over, saying softly, “Ning Yao, have you considered that it might be a bad thing for me to keep them? After seeing Mr. Qi, I’m even more certain of this.”

Ning Yao wasn’t the type of person who would easily change her decision. She shook her head and said, “That’s something for you to worry about. It’s got nothing to do with me. I’ve already made up my mind; I’ll definitely repay you for saving my life in the future. I definitely won’t repay you in a half-hearted way either. I have to live up to my name and reputation! However, you have to look after yourself in the meantime as well. Don’t go dying by yourself by accident. As long as you can make it through this period…”

The agreeable young boy interrupted her for the first time, saying, “Ning Yao, it was Daoist Lu who saved you, so you don’t need to feel like you owe me anything. If I hadn’t thought that I was going to die at the time, and if I hadn’t wanted to ask Daoist Lu to do a little something for my parents, I definitely wouldn’t have opened the door.”

The young woman humphed and said, “That’s your own problem!”

The young boy smiled and repeated her retort. “Well, that’s your own problem then.”

They both glared at each other.

It was surprisingly Ning Yao who backed down first, and she said with a headache, “Suppose you really do like me… But I genuinely can’t accept your feelings!”

Chen Ping’an put his head in his hands.

Against such a stubborn and strange girl, he truly didn’t know what to do.

At this moment, someone climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard. There was no need to guess who this was — only Liu Xianyang would do such a thing. He ran over to the door and was just about to call out, yet he suddenly swallowed his words as if he were being choked.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly stood up and walked next to Liu Xianyang, whispering, “Can I stay over at your place for the next two days? This young woman is going to be staying at my house.”

Liu Xianyang pushed Chen Ping’an’s head aside. He then rubbed his hands like a fly rubbing its legs, saying in a considerate voice, “Young lady, my house is bigger, and it’s also got more necessities. If you don’t mind, why don’t you stay over at my place?”

“I do mind,” the young woman said, her back facing them.

Liu Xianyang grimaced upon hearing this. Looking at the slender figure and her saber, he continued to persist, saying, “Young lady, you might not know, but I was just being blocked by two people over at the covered bridge just then. They were sobbing and begging me to sell my ancestral treasures to them. Even so, I still refused. However, I was still screwed over by them, and I was almost scolded to death by Master Ruan. By the looks of it, you’re also an outsider who’s come here to try your luck. Even though I might not necessarily sell those treasures to you, it’s certainly no problem for me to show them to you and allow you to broaden your horizons.”

“No need,” Ning Yao replied, her voice still cold.

Liu Xianyang sat down in Chen Ping’an’s original spot. His eyes lit up when he saw the young woman’s appearance, and he said, “Young lady, why so cold? Chen Ping’an and I can squeeze ourselves into this shabby house. You can go over to my larger house, and you certainly won’t feel limited in there. You won’t feel like there’s not even space to place your hands and feet.”

Ning Yao’s expression became stern as she replied, “Thanks for the goodwill. You can go away and play by yourself now!”

Liu Xianyang didn’t feel awkward at all. Instead, he stood up and said, “I understand! Be it a golden hut or a silver hut, none of them can compare to one’s own grass hut. Understood, understood.”

Liu Xianyang dragged Chen Ping’an to the door, elbowing him and asking, “What’s going on?”

“It’s hard to explain in just a few words. Just tell me, can I stay over at your place or not?” Chen Ping’an replied.

Liu Xianyang rolled his eyes. “Of course you can! However, you have to promise me that you’ll keep an eye on Zhi Gui for me. You definitely can’t let that brat Song Jixin forcefully defile her. You have to protect the chastity of my future wife!”

“In your dreams!” Chen Ping’an replied without hesitation.

Liu Xianyang patted Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and said in a meaningful voice, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

The young woman in black suddenly turned around, saying, “Do you know that you have a natural aptitude for swordsmanship? The porcelain buyers most likely didn’t take you out of the small town when you were nine because they wanted you to absorb more of the spiritual energy of this place. They made the correct decision. So, when you’re working with Master Ruan, you definitely have to seize the opportunity to become his disciple. Remember, you have to at least become an in-house disciple, and it’s best if you can become a direct disciple. As for anything greater than that, there’s no need for you to dream so far. Your physique and aptitude still haven’t reached such a phenomenal level yet.”

Liu Xianyang smiled and nodded earnestly, agreeing with what the young woman said. He then turned around to face Chen Ping’an, pointing at Ning Yao before pointing at his own head.

“She’s telling the truth. Don’t disregard it,” Chen Ping’an said.

Liu Xianyang became solemn, and he said in a quiet voice, “I feel like something’s not quite right. Guess who was leading the two groups of people at the covered bridge just then? It was Lu Zhengchun, that little bastard from Fortune Street! What ill intentions is he harboring? It’s not like I’m money-hungry or anything, so why should I do business with them? Moreover, that suit of armor is an ancient treasure passed down by my ancestors. If I sell it, won’t I be scolded to death by my grandfather when I see him in my dreams?!”

Chen Ping’an’s expression was as if he were facing a great enemy. “You have to be careful. Lu Zhengchun and those outsiders aren’t to be trifled with!”

He then turned around and asked, “Ning Yao, do you know about their backgrounds?”

The young woman in black nodded, replying, “The old man and the little girl are from Sun Scorch Mountain, which can be regarded as a well-established and reputable sect in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. The old man isn’t human, and to put it simply, he’s 100 times more powerful than either Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and her son aren’t pushovers either. In fact, those who can enter the small town in groups of two are naturally more than just a little bit wealthy. The woman is extremely shrewd and calculating, and the little boy doesn’t seem like a good-hearted person either.

“So, I encourage your friend to become Master Ruan’s disciple as soon as possible. That will essentially be the same as obtaining a life-saving talisman. In this small town, regardless of how powerful one’s background or supporter, they wouldn’t dare to provoke or challenge a Sage.”

“Are you confident that you can become Master Ruan’s disciple?” Chen Ping’an turned to Liu Xianyang and asked.

Liu Xianyang was slightly unsure, and he slowly muttered, “On the first day I went to work as an apprentice, Master Ruan was looking at me with the same expression that Old Man Yao always used to wear. He probably wanted to observe me for some time before making a decision on whether he wanted to take me as a disciple or not. It’s just that…”

Chen Ping’an gave him a ferocious glare.

Liu Xianyang wore a self-ridiculing smile as he continued, “It’s just that Master Ruan’s darling daughter has far too great of an appetite. I was absolutely astounded by her, so I made a few small jokes. Who knew that she would be so powerful and domineering when wielding a blacksmith hammer in the forge, yet so timid and shy during other times? How was I meant to know that she couldn’t take a joke? I made her cry at that time, and unfortunately for me, this was all caught by her father. The way that he looked at me instantly became strange. There’s no way I can become his disciple now. In any case, I never planned to become anyone’s slave or disciple. Dealing with Old Man Yao’s strange temper was already more than enough for me. Was I not just working at the blacksmith to put food on the table?”

Chen Ping’an looked up with a dark expression.

Liu Xianyang — who was half a head taller than Chen Ping’an — lowered his head, not daring to look at the young boy in straw sandals.

Ning Yao was slightly confused by this sight.

This was also the first time that she had seen him become genuinely angry.

“Did any locust leaves mysteriously appear on you when you passed by the old locust tree?” Chen Ping’an asked in a low voice.

Liu Xianyang shook his head replying, “Nope! However, the Daoist fortune teller who likes to perve on women said some ill-omened things to me. I almost smashed his stall when I heard it.”

Chen Ping’an’s expression changed slightly. He frowned before turning around and asking, “Ning Yao, will three pouches of gold essence copper coins suffice as payment? Also, will this be too troublesome for you? Please tell me the truth.”

Ning Yao pondered this carefully before replying, “It is quite a hassle, but it won’t be too much trouble. However, you guys still have to be especially careful in these next two days. Tell your friend not to run around everywhere. After all, my situation isn’t too good right now.”

She paused for a brief moment before adding, “Two bags of coins for two groups of people, and another bag of coins for Master Ruan to take your friend as a disciple. To put it simply, I’ll take a bag of coins for each task that I accomplish. Rest assured, since I’ve agreed to this, it means that I’m confident that I can earn at least two bags of coins.”

Chen Ping’an ran inside the house, hurriedly pushing the three bags of coins toward the young woman. “Take them.”

Ning Yao wasn’t a hesitant person, so she didn’t refuse Chen Ping’an’s offer this time, accepting two bags of copper coins. She wore a fake smile as she said, “Many people in the world try to stuff as much money as they can into their pockets. Yet, there are also people like you who enjoy tossing money at others?”

The young boy didn’t rebut her. Instead, he nodded and said with a smile, “Money is indeed very important. Very, very important.”

Liu Xianyang, who had been kept in the dark this entire time, frantically exclaimed, “Chen Ping’an, have you gone mad? Why are you giving the coins to her? That’s two entire bags of copper coins! Just how long would they last you?”

“It’s my money, so what are you going to do about it?” Chen Ping’an huffed.

“Isn’t your money also my money?” Liu Xianyang said with righteousness. “Just think about it. If I borrowed money from you, would you have the heart to demand me to pay it back?”

Chen Ping’an was rendered speechless. He fell deep into thought.

At this moment, Liu Xianyang also realized that he had interrupted at an untimely moment. He immediately shut up.

The atmosphere in the house became a little heavy.

Chen Ping’an opened his mouth, saying, “Ning Yao, this genuinely won’t cause you to…”

The young woman glanced at the sword in the white scabbard before nodding and replying, “There’s no problem!”

Afterward, she couldn’t help but add, “Worrying about this and worrying about that, don’t you find yourself annoying? And you still say that you’re not a foolishly kind person?”

Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Liu Xianyang pondered for a moment before choosing to remain silent.

In the end, the tall and broad young man chose to keep his words to himself, thinking to himself that Ning Yao had never seen the other side of Chen Ping’an before.

It was very rare that Chen Ping’an wouldn’t be agreeable and kind. However, when that happened, Chen Ping’an would truly become very difficult to speak to.

Liu Xianyang had witnessed it before.

Chen Ping’an’s neighbor Song Jixin had most likely witnessed it before as well.

1. A clay Buddha who can’t cross a river means someone who can barely save themself. ☜