Unsheathed

When dusk arrived, Chen Ping’an passed by the western gates of the small town as he returned home. He saw the disheveled gatekeeper, who was currently humming a tune and singing, “Not a single second of time should be wasted, but glory and fortune can all be abandoned.” Perhaps alerted by the hurried footsteps of Chen Ping’an, he opened his eyes and coincidentally locked gazes with the young boy in sandals who was just entering the gates.

The gatekeeper’s spirits were greatly dampened upon seeing this boy who always pressed him for payment, and he waved his hands in annoyance and said, “Go away, go away, what pathetic value is your time worth? If you can somehow experience a modicum of glory and fortune, it’ll probably be time for you to offer incense to the gods and your ancestors!”

As Chen Ping’an ran by, he didn’t forget to raise his hand up high, putting up all five fingers and waving them with vigor.

He was clearly reminding the gatekeeper that he still owed him five coins for his work.

The gatekeeper angrily spat at the floor and cursed, “This kid’s not a good person either!”

The young boy’s figure quickly disappeared into the distance. The gatekeeper glanced up at the clear sky, and it was as if it were covered by a beautiful glaze.

He stroked his beard stubble and clicked his tongue in wonder, saying, “What was that phrase that Mr. Qi said before? Fine matters something and glazed colors something?”

A cow-drawn cart slowly left the small town at this moment, carrying on it a reputable young student in azure. The cart driver was a middle-aged man with a prudent expression.

The gatekeeper immediately waved at them, laughing loudly and saying, “Brother Yao, don’t leave yet. There’s a phrase on the tip of my tongue, but I can only remember the words fine matters and glazed colors or something. I can’t remember the other words at all! However, you’re extremely knowledgeable, so tell me what I’m missing!”

Zhao Yao was in high spirits at this moment, and holding his luggage in his lap, he recited in a loud and clear voice, “Fine matters in the world are fleeting, just like the iridescent clouds in the sky and glazed colors of glassware!”

The gatekeeper raised his thumb, saying, “As expected of Brother Yao; your knowledge is top-notch. When you make a name for yourself in the future, don’t forget to come back to visit me. Perhaps you might even be able to succeed your teacher and become the new teacher for the children in our small town. That will also be quite nice.”

Zhao Yao faltered upon hearing this. He then clasped his hands and said with a smile, “Thank you for your blessings!”

In his happiness, the gatekeeper retrieved an embroidered pouch from his sleeves and tossed it at the young student in azure, cracking a smile and saying, “I’ve asked you for so many couplets these years, and most importantly, you’ve never felt it to be a hassle. I’ve always been a good judge of someone’s character. Here, a little present for you. Safe travels!”

Zhao Yao hurriedly caught the pouch of money, saying, “Till we meet again in the future!”

The gatekeeper waved at the young boy as he smiled and replied with a nod. However, he also murmured, “That’ll be difficult!”

The young boy in sandals was heading into the small town, while the cart that Zhao Yao was on was racing toward the world beyond the small town. The two of them brushed past each other.

Sitting on a tree stump, the gatekeeper counted on his fingers, saying, “The young boy from Great Sui Nation with his golden carp, the child of Widow Gu in Clay Vase Alley, and Brother Yao from Fortune Street… There are already three people. However, so many outsiders are still rushing in. At that time, won’t they only have scraps to pick at? Perhaps I should also seize this opportunity to find a good disciple for myself? One who can massage my shoulders and back?”

The gatekeeper raised his hand and stroked his wrinkled and tanned face. He then chuckled and said, “If it’s a beautiful and shapely female disciple, that will be even better. Mhm, I can endure it even if her looks are a little worse. However, her legs definitely have to be long!”

The gatekeeper renowned for being single placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky, cheerily amusing himself. With these happy thoughts in mind, his feelings of anxiety were brushed away as well. He felt like there was majestic beauty in the world.

Before leaving Clay Vase Alley, Chen Ping’an had already promised Liu Xianyang and Ning Yao to directly meet them at Liu Xianyang’s house when he returned. When Chen Ping’an arrived, he found that the door was unlocked, so he directly pushed it open and entered. What greeted him was the sight of Liu Xianyang using a fresh cloth to scrub and clean his treasured suit of armor.

Meanwhile, Ning Yao had started wearing her veiled hat again. There was a saber resting by her waist, while the sword in the white scabbard was being casually held in her hands. For some reason, Chen Ping’an had a nagging feeling that Ning Yao had a feeling of disdain toward this sword.

The ancient treasure that had been passed down for generations in the Liu Family was referred to as a suit of armor, yet in Chen Ping’an’s eyes, it was so ugly that it was truly frightening. The large suit of armor was filled with metal lumps that looked like dry tree burls, and there were five deep claw marks that ran all the way from the left shoulder down to the right waist.

Regarding this, both of the young boys were at a total loss. They couldn’t imagine what kind of gigantic mountain beast could wield such devastating power to leave such terrifying marks. Later, when the imperial court restricted entry into many mountains and stopped the residents of the small town from entering to collect firewood, Chen Ping’an and Liu Xianyang abided by this rule without question, never once violating it. The claw marks on the suit of armor were a big reason for this.

Chen Ping’an found Liu Xianyang’s attitude toward the suit of armor quite strange. The charcoal-like suit of armor was indeed very ugly, but Liu Xianyang genuinely treated it like it was a treasure that had been passed down through the generations. Even as close as he was to Chen Ping’an, he had only shown this suit of armor to him once. Moreover, he had carefully placed it back inside the vermillion case after just a few minutes.

However, Chen Ping’an immediately felt a sense of understanding when he saw Liu Xianyang stealing occasional glances at the young woman in black. Liu Xianyang had always been like this. Whenever he saw a girl, he could never control his own gaze. However, this didn’t mean that he actually liked them. Instead, he simply liked to show off before them.

For example, while bathing in the creek near the covered bridge during summer, Liu Xianyang would immediately try to show off his skills when a girl of the same age passed by. He would hurriedly climb onto the large green stone on the bank first, then he would cough loudly in what Chen Ping’an referred to as an act of “making an announcement to the world”. Finally, he would dive headfirst into the water.

With Chen Ping’an’s sharp eyesight, he could clearly see the expressions of the girls in the distance. Thus, he had always wanted to tell Liu Xianyang the truth. When they saw his actions, the good-looking girls would either roll their eyes or curse under their breaths. Meanwhile, even more of them would completely ignore him, not even giving him a single glance. The only expression that they never showed was one of admiration and one where they viewed him as an impressive man.

Of course, Liu Xianyang fell for Zhi Gui afterward, and he mysteriously became enchanted by her. From that moment onward, it was as if there were no other woman who could attract his attention. Even though he was acting all generous and extravagant before Ning Yao, this was more so in the hopes that the aloof young woman wouldn’t underestimate him. He wanted to show her that she wasn’t the boss just because she wielded a saber and a sword. He, Liu Xianyang, also had a suit of armor that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the small town.

Ning Yao looked around after Chen Ping’an arrived, and in the end, she placed her sword on an ancient and ornate cabinet that was decorated with golden flowers. However, the paint on this cabinet was already cracking and peeling, and she also had to push aside many jars and other miscellaneous items to make some space for her sword. While doing this, she discovered that there was a mosaic of a golden cassia embedded behind the cabinet, with a full moon filling a corner.

She turned around and said, “I’m leaving my sword here. Don’t touch it, or you’ll have to face the consequences yourself. I’m not joking.”

Liu Xianyang was busy scrubbing the suit of armor, and from time to time, he would lean down and breathe onto it before directly using his forearm to wipe it clean. He was already engrossed in this task.

“Definitely,” Chen Ping’an promised.

The young woman turned to Liu Xianyang and said, “This cabinet isn’t worth anything, but the mosaic of the golden cassia embedded into it is a different story altogether. Don’t sell it for a cheap price.”

“I’ve never liked that painting ever since I was a young child. If you like it, you can scrape it off and keep it yourself,” Liu Xianyang replied without even raising his head.

Nin Yao naturally wouldn’t spoil such a valuable item. She simply asked in curiosity, “What’s this mosaic made from?”

Liu Xianyang turned around and shot a glance at it before replying, “How would I know? It’s several hundred years old, and even my grandpa wasn’t able to explain its origin.”

“It’s most likely made from pebbles found in the creek,” Chen Ping’an said softly. “These pebbles come in many different colors, but Liu Xianyang’s ancestors only chose the golden ones at that time. They then crushed them before gluing them together. We call these pebbles snake gall pebbles.”

“Pebbles? Are there many of them in the creek?” Ning Yao asked.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “If you want, I can collect a large basketful of them for you every day. Apart from Gu Can, no one here likes these pebbles. Only he frequents the creek to collect these pebbles.”

The young woman in black sighed. She looked deeply at the poor young boy from Clay Vase Alley and said, “You’re a poor sod living on a mountain of gold…”

Chen Ping’an was astonished. “These pebbles are valuable in the outside world?”

Ning Yao fixed her veiled hat and replied, “This depends on who obtains them. In addition, even if they end up in the hands of someone who knows how to use them, whether or not the person succeeds is still up to luck. If they’re lucky, one pebble will be enough. If they’re unlucky, however, even a mountain of pebbles won’t be enough. Regardless, these pebbles are indeed valuable in the outside world. Very, very valuable. However, I don’t know whether we can take these pebbles out of the small town. This is the most important thing.”

Liu Xianyang interrupted her at this moment, saying, “There’s something strange about these pebbles. After removing them from the creek, they’ll immediately lose their luster if they’re subject to wind or sunshine. This is especially the case after bouts of rain or snow. They’ll lose their luster at an incredible speed. Apart from this, there’s nothing special about them.”

“As expected,” Ning Yao said in pity.

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a brief moment before saying, “How about I collect a basket of them tomorrow? What if there are exceptions?”

The young woman shook her head. “It won’t make much difference for me.”

Liu Xianyang had already finished cleaning the suit of armor and put it away at this moment. Leaning on the door, he smiled and said, “Chen Ping’an is a big miser, so perhaps he’ll already be heading over to the creek to collect pebbles tonight.”

“I’m leaving now,” Ning Yao said.

When she arrived at the door, she turned around and said, “I’ll take care of the hairpin and prescription papers for you. However, I still need you to come over and help brew medicine for me tomorrow.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “No problem.”

Ning Yao pondered for a moment before warning them with a solemn expression, “Among the outsiders who entered the small town at around the same time as me, the most powerful person is most likely the old man from Sun Scorch Mountain. He’s especially come here to protect the little girl. After him is the eunuch from Great Sui Nation who injured me. Then after him is Liu Zhimao, the person who took Gu Can away. You can’t underestimate the woman who hides daggers under her smiles either.

“So, try your best not to get into a conflict with the old man from Sun Scorch Mountain. However, if you do get into a conflict with him, do everything you can to buy some time. Don’t try to fight him, and don’t have any thoughts of getting lucky. You have to buy enough time for me to arrive.”

“These outsiders who are unfamiliar with our small town truly dare to kill us on our own turf?” Liu Xianyang asked in a low voice.

Chen Ping’an glanced at him before nodding and saying, “They do.”

Liu Xianyang gulped upon hearing this.

“Do you still remember Daoist Lu? The fortune teller with the stall?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked. “What did he say to you?”

Liu Xianyang was stumped upon hearing this. He tried his best to remember, scratching his chin and saying, “How am I supposed to remember? I only know that they were some ill-omened words. In any case, it was something about a large calamity and having to offer incense or some random crap like that. I merely treated him as a scammer and his words as nonsense during that time.”

Chen Ping’an turned around to look at the young woman in black.

“If he doesn’t remember properly, how in the world can I explain it for him? Am I a god or something?!” Ning Yao said ferociously.

Chen Ping’an was slightly puzzled, unsure of why Ning Yao had suddenly become so angry.

Ning Yao strode away from Liu Xianyang’s house.

Compared to her calm and relaxed manner when arriving, she appeared much more vigorous and speedy.

Walking through a wide alley, the young woman with a saber hanging by her waist pondered whether she needed to read a few more books in her spare time.

Thinking about how she would travel the world in the future, and how she would utter a few majestic and inspiring phrases after resolutely beheading her enemies with her flying sword, she couldn’t help but feel that she would appear extremely dashing and impressive. This would be the case even if there were no one to witness her glorious achievements.

Just as she was daydreaming about this, a familiar figure shot past her like a rushing gust of wind.

“See you tomorrow, Ning Yao.”

When his words reached her ears, he had already disappeared down the other side of the alley.

The young boy in sandals was carrying a basket on his back as he sped down the alley.

Ning Yao was transfixed with astonishment. “There’s genuinely such a miserly person in the world?” she murmured to herself.