Unsheathed

Two slightly disheveled guests had arrived at the office of the kiln supervision official. Both of them had only just reached adulthood and were very handsome in appearance. Upon learning that the two were here to visit Mr. Cui, the porter didn’t even ask them who they were before hurriedly leading them to the living quarters of the official residence where Mr. Cui was staying. After knocking on the door in the two young men’s stead, the porter respectfully took his leave.

The one who opened the door was none other than the man who had come here to take back the talisman on behalf of the school of Confucianism. Even from a young age, he had been the recipient of much praise, and he had always been seen as the undisputed heir to the position of master of the Lake View Academy.

He was both surprised and elated to see the two young men, and he turned to one of them, who was leaning against the doorframe, then asked with a smile, “May I ask who your friend is, Baqiao?”

The young man who was being referred to as Baqiao replied with a wide grin, “This guy is from the Chen Clan of the Great Yong Empire’s Dragon Tail County, you can just call him Songfeng. He isn’t into beautiful women or delectable wine, but he does have a keen interest in inkstones.

“He heard that there are several pits near the creek here, and he came to try his luck.

He also has a distant relative who accompanied us on this trip. If it wasn’t for her, Songfeng and I wouldn’t have taken so long to enter the town. We should’ve already been here two days ago. She doesn’t like to interact with people, so she’s gone off to explore the town on her own.

“On the way here, I heard that a prince from the Great Sui Empire had obtained an enormous fated opportunity, earning himself a golden dragon carp, and there’s a very good chance that thing will grow into a dragon in the future. I was so envious upon hearing this that my eyes turned red! Take a look at how bloodshot my eyes are, Brother Cui.”

The young man leaned in toward the scholarly man as he spoke, only for the latter to push his head away with an amused smile as he said, “Seeing as you’ve already been delayed, you should be making better use of your time. Why have you come here to visit me instead? Since when did the disciples of Wind Lightning Field become so lackadaisical?”

An apologetic smile appeared on Chen Songfeng’s face as he explained, “We ran into an unforeseen altercation on the way here, and the acupoint that Brother Baqiao was using as his sword nurturing chamber was injured in the process. As a result, he was forced to take a risk and move his bonded sword to his Bright Hall Acupoint. If I weren’t so weak and hadn’t acted as so much of a hindrance, there was no way that Brother Baqiao would’ve been injured.”

Liu Baqiao burst into laughter. “They were just a few sneaky vagrant cultivators who were extremely fortunate to have been able to hurt me. In any case, they’ve already perished by my sword, and they’re really not worth mentioning at all.

“If it weren’t for the fact that we were in a hurry, I would’ve buried them and erected a few tombstones, on which I would’ve inscribed the year, month, and day on which they had perished by my sword. When I become the number one swordsman in the future, those tombs will become a tourist attraction!”

The scholarly man had already known Liu Baqiao for a very long time, so he was naturally already aware of Liu Baqiao’s propensity for making jokes.

He led the two young men into the room, and right as he did so, Liu Baqiao suddenly lowered his voice as he said, “Come clean with me, Brother Cui. This place is about to collapse soon, isn’t it? Is that Mr. Qi from the Mountain Cliff Academy really planning on going against the will of the heavens?”

The scholarly man pretended not to have heard him.

Liu Baqiao grinned as he wagged a finger at the scholarly man. “Even if you don’t say anything, I already know the answer.”

The scholarly man said in a seemingly nonchalant manner, “Songfeng, I paid a visit to Mr. Qi at the school earlier, and he told me that when it comes to self-cultivation, time is of the essence.”

In the words of Confucius, one who excelled in self-cultivation and familial management would be well equipped to manage a nation and uphold peace. However, the scholarly man had only mentioned self-cultivation here.

Chen Songfeng initially thought that the scholarly man was just trying to make some small talk, but upon seeing the look in the man’s eyes, Chen Songfeng immediately understood the importance of those words, and he cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “Mr. Cui, I’m going to pay a visit to a cousin of mine, and once I return, I’ll have you enlighten me on the way to manage a nation.”

Chen Songfeng had intentionally skipped over the “familial management” part, jumping straight to managing a nation.

After that, he hurriedly departed.

The scholarly man heaved a faint sigh, then sat down at a stone table in the courtyard with Liu Baqiao.

Liu Baqiao crossed his legs as he said in a direct and straightforward manner, “Chen Songfeng is a smart guy, and it doesn’t take much to get through to him, but he’s a little too impatient, isn’t he? He should’ve at least sat down and chatted with you for a bit. There’s no need to be in such a hurry to go and claim an ancestral blessing locust leaf.

“Nowadays on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there are barely any prominent clans aside from the Chen Clan of Dragon Tail County County, so who else can those locust leaves possibly fall to aside from him?”

Out of all of the branches of the Chen Clan on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the one in Dragon Tail County was regarded as the most revered. The clan had once produced a long string of heroic and prominent figures 1,000 years ago, and even though it hadn’t been doing so well of late, it was still not to be underestimated, even for someone like Liu Baqiao, who came from Wind Lightning Field, a sect that was still in its heyday. This was also why Liu Baqiao had been willing to travel with Chen Songfeng and establish a friendship between them.

The scholarly man asked in a curious voice, “Did you come here to ask Master Ruan to forge a sword for you?”

Liu Baqiao gave a rather ambiguous reply, the rough gist of which was that he was here to run an errand for the sect, and if he were successful, then Wind Lightning Field would make a request for Master Ruan to forge a sword for him. As for exactly what task had been assigned to him, he seemed to be rather hesitant to elaborate.

The scholarly man then said, “Did you know that Sun Scorch Mountain sent someone as well? And it’s a master and servant duo.”

Liu Baqiao was stunned. “No, I didn’t hear about that at all! Who did Sun Scorch Mountain send?”

He then closed his eyes and brought his palms together as he prayed, “Please don’t let it be Celestial Maiden Su. She’s too beautiful! I’m praying to any god out there that’s willing to listen to me, please don’t let it be Celestial Maiden Su! Otherwise, how can I bring myself to attack her? Just a single glance from her is enough to make me melt into a puddle, I wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of attacking her!”

A slightly exasperated look appeared on the scholarly man’s face as he replied, “Rest assured, it’s not Celestial Maiden Su who you’re so into. Instead, it’s the guardian of the mountain, Bai Yuan. He’s currently accompanying the granddaughter of Sun Scorch Mountain’s Pure Yang Sword Patriarch, Tao Kui.”

Liu Baqiao immediately began to chortle with glee. “You really are my lucky star, Old Man Cui! I’m over the moon as long it’s not Celestial Maiden Su! I’m not scared of an old monkey! Our Wind Lightning Field can bow down to anyone, but Sun Scorch Mountain is the one sect we definitely can’t back down against!”

The scholarly man hesitated momentarily, then asked, “Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain were once both orthodox sword sects of the same origin; why can’t the two resolve their differences?”

Liu Baqiao’s joking demeanor faded as he said in a serious voice, “Cui Minghuang, make sure you never say that to anyone after you get to Wind Lightning Field.”

Cui Minghuang heaved a long sigh.

When it came to Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain, there was often no catalyst required at all for a battle to break out between members of the two opposing sects, whether that be between the most revered sword immortals of the two sects, or new disciples that had only just joined the sects.

All of a sudden, the porter and the elderly steward of the estate rushed into the courtyard, and Cui Minghuang and Liu Baqiao stood up in unison.

After making his way into the courtyard, the steward extended a respectful salute, then said, “Mr. Cui, we’ve just received news that the people from Sun Scorch Mountain have just attacked a boy by the name of Liu Xianyang.”

“Which Liu Xianyang is this?!” Liu Baqiao immediately asked in a furious voice.

The steward held a great deal of respect for Cui Minghuang, but he didn’t fear this completely unfamiliar young man at all, and he replied in an indifferent manner, “There is only a single person by the name of Liu Xianyang in our town.”

“How dare they! Sun Scorch Mountain has gone too far!” Liu Baqiao exclaimed with a furious expression.

Cui Minghuang remained calm and collected as he asked, “Has Mr. Qi intervened?”

The steward shook his head in response. “Not yet. Apparently, the boy was taken to Master Ruan’s forge. Even if he’s not dead, he’s definitely only hanging on by a thread. Some people have witnessed his chest being completely pulverized by a punch, and it’s very unlikely that he’ll survive.”

Cui Minghuang smiled as he said, “Thank you for informing me of this.”

The elderly steward hurriedly waved his hands as he said, “I wouldn’t dare to accept your gratitude, Mr. Cui. I am just performing my duty. Please pardon my intrusion.”

Following the departure of the porter and the steward, Liu Baqiao sat back down on his chair, and Cui Minghuang turned to him with a puzzled expression as he asked, “Could it be that you came here for that boy?”

A grim look appeared on Liu Baqiao’s face as he replied, “That’s half the reason. There’s going to be some major trouble coming up.”

“Does it go beyond the differences between Wind Lightning Field and Sun Scorch Mountain?” Cui Minghuang asked.

“Indeed, it goes far beyond that,” Liu Baqiao replied with a nod.

Cui Minghuang sat with his hands concealed within his sleeves as he said, “All I want is peace and quiet, but it appears there’s unrest brewing on the horizon. Looks like it’s about time I went to recover that seal. Even if my actions lead Mr. Qi to believe that our Lake View Academy is trying to beat him while he’s down, it simply can’t be helped.”

Cui Minghuang rose to his feet, then continued, “I’m going to the school, I’ll be back soon.”

After leaving his residence on Fortune Street, he stopped while passing by the stone archway, then looked up at the plaque that bore the idiom “doing my part”.

Under the sunlight, Cui Minghuang raised a hand to his forehead to shield his own eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned back and returned the same way that he had come.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and the porcelain-doll-like little girl were making their way down Fortune Street. Instead of entering the Lu Manor, they paid a visit to the Li Clan instead. There was already someone waiting for them at the gate, welcoming them into the manor.

Inside the main hall, under a plaque that read “Nectar Hall”, an authoritative elderly man rose to his feet, then strode over to the entrance to greet them with his fist cupped in a salute. “Li Hong pays his respects to Senior Yuan.”

Bai Yuan gave the leader of the Li Clan a casual nod, then released the little girl’s hand as he leaned down and said in a gentle voice, “Your faithful servant will await you on the mountain peak, Young Mistress.”

The little girl sat down on the doorstep of the main hall in a grumpy silence.

The leader of the Li Clan said in a low voice, “Rest Assured, Senior Yuan, our Li Clan will be sure to deliver Young Mistress Tao out of the town safe and sound.”

Bai Yuan nodded in response. “Our Sun Scorch Mountain owes you a favor for your troubles. Let me speak with the young mistress in private.”

Li Hong immediately departed from the hall, then issued an order prohibiting all of the other members of his clan from getting within 100 meters of Nectar Hall.

Bai Yuan also sat down onto the doorstep, and after taking a moment to arrange his words, he said, “Young Mistress, there are some things that I shouldn’t be telling you, but at this point, there’s really no reason not to tell you these things, so here I go. During our trip to this town, we’ve most likely fallen into a carefully orchestrated trap. That woman from Light Breeze City is definitely involved, but she may not be the primary mastermind.

“What’s most damning about this trap is that even though I’m aware of its existence, I had no choice but to jump into it. I can reveal to you now that the sword scripture was created by a treacherous piece of scum who betrayed our Sun Scorch Mountain.

“According to your grandfather, what makes this sword scripture so precious is that even though the one who wrote it didn’t manage to go very far on the path of the sword, only just barely setting a foot onto the doorstep of becoming a sword immortal, the contents of the sword scripture point straight at the Great Dao.

“Even the patriarch of the Xie Clan, who shares a close bond with our Sun Scorch Mountain and has extremely lofty standards when it comes to anything related to the sword, gave the sword scripture extremely high praise.”

Bai Yuan’s voice then took a cold turn as he continued, “No one was willing to take in this traitorous prodigy of the sword, and in the end, he turned to the sworn enemy of our Sun Scorch Mountain, Wind Lightning Field, and Wind Lightning Field really did protect him for most of his life. For all that time, he remained a cowardly turtle hiding in his shell, but at some point, he left Wind Lightning Field in secret in order to have his sword scripture appraised.

He went to several powerful sword immortals who had attained the Great Dao, such as the patriarch of the Xie Clan, and even though those sword immortals looked down on him for his treacherous character, all of them were full of praise for the sword scripture that he had written.

Patriarch Xie had once said in private that the sword scripture fused the spirit of the Sword Dao of both Sun Scorch Mountain and Wind Lightning Field, and if anyone from either sect were to master it, then an outcome to the conflict between the two sects wouldn’t be too far away.

“Hence, the best outcome would be for me to obtain this sword scripture so that you can cultivate it. Even if we fail to obtain the sword scripture, and it falls into the hands of the likes of Old Dragon City or Dawn Cloud Mountain, that is still acceptable to our Sun Scorch Mountain. The only absolutely unacceptable outcome would be if those bastards from Wind Lightning Field got their paws on the sword scripture!”

A furious look appeared on Bai Yuan’s face as he continued, “Young Mistress, don’t forget that on the sword sparring arena in the deepest part of Wind Lightning Field rests that matriarch of our Sun Scorch Mountain, the ancestor of your family line. Back when our Sun Scorch Mountain was at its weakest and most vulnerable point, she courageously challenged the master of Wind Lightning Field at the time, and she perished in a fair and square battle.

“However, not only was her body not sent back by Wind Lightning Field to be buried on our Sun Scorch Mountain, it was simply left exposed to the elements, and there’s even a longsword from a Wind Lightning Field swordsman plunged into her head, making her a spectacle to be laughed at by the entirety of Wind Lightning Field!

“It’s been 300 years, and even though our Sun Scorch Mountain has been publicly acknowledged as a sect that produces an abundance of prodigious talent, we still haven’t been able to pull out that single sword! Generation after generation, all of the sword cultivators of our Sun Scorch Mountain are forced to bear this humiliation.

“As long as Wind Lightning Field still stands, our Sun Scorch Mountain will remain the laughingstock of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent! Why is it that not a single one of our Sun Scorch Mountain’s sword immortals ever held celebratory ceremonies after reaching the lofty heights of becoming a sword immortal?”

The little girl had heard this story so many times that she was developing callouses in her ears.

However, whenever her relatives and seniors told her this story, they always tried to do so in as neutral a tone as possible, and none of them were ever as expressive and fervent as Bai Yuan.

The little girl asked in a tender voice, “Grandpa Yuan, why didn’t you just kill that stubborn boy? After that punch, his meridians are destroyed, his aura is in shambles, and the sword scripture has naturally also been destroyed as a result. Even a god shouldn’t be able to restore it, but there’s always a chance that a miracle could happen. What if someone saves him and obtains the sword scripture? What would become of our Sun Scorch Mountain then?”

The way in which the sword scripture was passed down was extremely special. It couldn’t be passed down verbally. Instead, it was passed down in the form of a burst of sword intent, which the traitor from Sun Scorch Mountain had left in the body of his descendants, and that burst of sword intent had been passed down for generation after generation, waiting for the emergence of a descendant that possessed sufficient aptitude to be able to harness the contents of the sword scripture.

Hence, if Liu Xianyang were to die, then the sword scripture would perish with him, and his porcelain buyers and Wind Lightning Field would have no hope of ever securing it.

Bai Yuan chuckled, “If I had killed him on the spot, then I would’ve instantly been evicted from this place. What would happen to you then? I couldn’t just leave you on your own to face Wind Lightning Field. On top of that, all mystical abilities are strictly prohibited in this place. Master Ruan is an expert in forging swords, but that’s not going to help him save the boy.

“Aside from him, who else could intervene? Qi Jingchun? He’s definitely not going to do anything, he can barely ensure self-preservation at this point. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have to reveal my true form. I’m interested to see whether this place can hold my true form!”

Bai Yuan stood up as he spoke, and a vast aura began to seep out of his body as he continued, “There’s no need to think about that boy any longer, Young Mistress. After I’ve killed everyone from Wind Lightning Field, I’ll wait for you on top of that mountain outside. If Qi Jingchun knows what’s good for him, then he’ll do nothing aside from observing. If he dares to intervene, then I’ll smash him to bits! Even if Master Ruan steps in, I’m definitely not going to back down!”

The little girl was silent for a moment, then said with a bright smile, “Go, Grandpa Yuan. There’s no need to worry about me.”

“And there’s even less need for you to worry about me, Young Mistress,” Bai Yuan replied with a relaxed smile.

Meanwhile, the strong odor of blood was permeating throughout a room in the sword forge beside the creek. One basin of bloody water was carried out after another before being replaced by clean water.

The shopkeeper of the Yang Clan’s medicine shop had been plucked over here by Ruan Xiu by the back of his collar, almost like a hatchling being carried by the scruff of its neck. At the moment, the shopkeeper was seated on a small stool in front of the window, and he raised a hand to wipe the blood and sweat from his face, then shook his head with a resigned expression as he said, “His injuries are too severe, Master Ruan. If we were outside of the town…”

“We don’t have time to waste talking about useless hypothetical scenarios,” Master Ruan interjected with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

The old man could only give a wry smile.

This was indeed a useless hypothetical scenario. If they had been outside of the town, his services wouldn’t even have been required.

Ruan Xiu was staring intently at the locust leaf placed on the forehead of the young man on the sickbed, and it was already completely dull and devoid of luster. It was still green, but there was no vitality left in it. All of a sudden, she turned around with a furious expression and asked, “Didn’t you say that he would be able to survive this ordeal as long as Chen Ping’an brought his locust leaf to him?”

The old shopkeeper sighed, “If the owner of the locust leaf was the one to have suffered these injuries, there would be a roughly 50% chance that they would be able to survive thanks to their ancestral blessings. However, when this blessing is being offered to someone else, then it’s an entirely different story.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? All you said was that there was a 50% chance that he could be saved!” Ruan Xiu yelled in a furious voice.

The old shopkeeper wore an aggrieved expression as he replied, “If I didn’t say that, you would’ve beaten me to death before this young man dies!”

Ruan Xiu was so furious that her complexion had paled significantly, and she was just about to launch into a tirade when Master Ruan said, “Xiuxiu, don’t be rude to Shopkeeper Yang.”

Ruan Xiu could only grit her teeth in silence.

After a brief moment of silence, Master Ruan took a glance at the old shopkeeper, who was rooted to the spot, and despite what he had just said to his daughter, he suddenly erupted into a furious tirade himself without any warning. “Why the fuck are you just standing there like a block of wood, Shopkeeper Yang?! Do something!”

The shopkeeper was on the verge of tears, having to deal with this unreasonable father-and-daughter duo. What was even more damning for him was that he didn’t dare to display any displeasure and could only continue working in futility.

Throughout this entire process, Chen Ping’an didn’t shed a single tear, nor did he raise his voice even once. All he did was carry basins of water in and out of the room, leaving with basins of bloody water before returning with clean water.

After another 15 minutes, the shopkeeper had also become extremely agitated. He looked down at the basin of clean water, then suddenly slammed a palm down onto its surface, sending water splashing in all directions as he turned to Master Ruan with a furious and indignant expression. “You know what? Why don’t you just kill me? Go ahead, Master Ruan! All I do is sell medicine, I can’t work miracles!”

Master Ruan’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and the old shopkeeper immediately shrank back slightly in fear and apprehension.

Finally, Chen Ping’an said something. “Let’s keep going, Shopkeeper Yang.”

The old shopkeeper turned to look into Chen Ping’an’s clean and pure eyes, and the latter repeated in a more assertive voice, “Let’s keep going!”

The old man exhaled as he said in a sympathetic manner, “I’m sorry, child, there’s simply nothing more that I can do.”

“Please, Shopkeeper Yang, I’m begging you,” Chen Ping’an implored as he forced a smile onto his own face.

The old man shook his head with a weary expression, and the final glimmer of hope in Chen Ping’an’s eyes was snuffed out.

He squatted down to place the basin onto the ground, then sat down on the side of the bed, gripping onto Liu Xianyang’s hand, which had already turned slightly cold, and he put on a smile that was even more hideous than a grimace as he said in a quiet voice, “I’ll be back.”

After that, he stood up to leave the room, but upon arriving at the doorstep, he suddenly turned and extended a grateful bow toward Master Ruan, Ruan Xiu, and Shopkeeper Yang, all of whom had been busy trying to save Liu Xianyang up to this point.

After stepping out of the room, Chen Ping’an paused momentarily under the bright sunlight, then strode directly forward.

If the heavens won’t uphold justice, then I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands. No matter what happens, I’ll know that I’ve tried.