Unsheathed

After returning to the blacksmith shop and completing his manual labor duties, Chen Ping’an carried his bowl and approached Ruan Xiu and Master Ruan during mealtime. He told Master Ruan that he wanted to borrow some money, 15 or 16 taels of silver, to be precise. Ruan Qiong didn’t even bother to ask Chen Ping’an the reason why he wanted to borrow money. Instead, he merely took a glance at Chen Ping’an out of the corner of his eyes, then said, “Piss off!”

Chen Ping’an hurriedly rushed away in a sheepish manner.

“Father, can’t you be nicer to him?” Ruan Xiu protested with furrowed brows.

“I’m already being very nice to him by not beating his ass to a pulp!” Ruan Qiong harrumphed coldly.

Ruan Xiu couldn’t help but want to stand up for Chen Ping’an. “He’s working so diligently as your apprentice for not a single copper coin of pay! At night, when everyone else is either sleeping or chatting in their rooms, he’s the only one who’s still carrying soil out of the well one trip after another.

“He works harder than anyone else here! Can you not see what he’s been doing? Have you no conscience? Is it really too much for him to ask to borrow a few taels of silver from you for all the hard work he’s done?”

Ruan Qiong remained silent with a dark expression, thinking to himself, It’s exactly because I know what he’s been doing that I want to chop that little bastard up into 1,000 pieces! If he had the cultivation base of that Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain, I would’ve done the same thing as Qi Jingchun and given him a vicious beating!

The thought of what Qi Jingchun had done to Bai Yuan immediately left him feeling a little dejected. Even if he weren’t the Sage overseeing this small world, he would’ve still definitely been able to defeat Bai Yuan, but it would’ve been impossible for him to defeat such a formidable foe with just a single stomp, as Qi Jingchun had done.

Ruan Qiong could only engage in self-consolation by telling himself that even though he was supposed to be a Militarian swordsman, his true pursuit wasn’t to become as formidable in battle as possible.

Instead, it was to become the best swordsmith in the world and forge a living sword that possessed sentience and intelligence. Essentially, his ultimate goal was to create a true living being that could cultivate, die, enter the cycle of reincarnation, and even pursue the Great Dao.

Ruan Qiong set down his bowl and chopsticks as he raised his head to look up at the sky, then suddenly erupted into a furious tirade out of nowhere. “Do you bastards think you can do whatever you want now that Qi Jingchun’s dead? I’ve already told you the rules. If you’re going to blatantly break those rules, then I presume that you’re prepared to bear the consequences!”

There was no one around him, but all of a sudden, he erupted into the sky as a streak of white light, hurtling toward the clouds up above.

Above the clouds was a group of well-dressed men and women soaring through the sky while chatting amicably with one another. They were like true deities taking a stroll above the clouds, occasionally looking down at Jewel Small World as if they were on a sightseeing tour.

All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out, and the head of a regal woman wearing a golden hairpin abruptly exploded. Immediately thereafter, the head of the beautiful young woman beside her also exploded, as did the heads of everyone else in the group, one after another.

Ruan Qiong was hovering in the air above the resplendent sea of clouds, looking around with a cold gleam in his eyes as he chuckled, “Are you really just going to send out small fry like this to test my patience? How little do you think of me? While it’s true that I’m just a blacksmith, and I can’t even begin to compare with Qi Jingchun, slaying a few insolent 10th tier cultivators here is nothing for me!

“From now on, there’s a new rule for all of you to follow, so you better listen up. Even if you hide outside the border and try to look into Jewel Blessed Land, I’ll drag you into the blessed land just the same and smash your heads open if you catch me in a bad mood! If you don’t believe me, you’re free to try your luck!”

After making this declaration, Ruan Qiong flew through the air in a flash, and in the next instant, his hand closed around the head of an old man, whom he dragged into the border. The old man hurriedly began pleading for his life. “Master Ruan! Master Ruan! Please, let’s be civilized about this! I’m from the nearby Purple Smoke River…”

Before the old man had a chance to finish what he was saying, Ruan Qiong crushed his head before casually tossing his headless body out of the border. A streak of green light immediately sprang out of the headless body before fleeing into the distance, and Ruan Qiong merely took a cold glance at it, but refrained from going any further.

The streak of green light was over three feet in length, and it sped through the air as quickly as it could, flying close to 1,000 kilometers before plunging into a large river with faint purple smoke swirling in the air above it. The river was extremely massive and spectacular to behold, much more so than any of the bodies of water in the Great Li Empire.

Ruan Qiong’s fingers were still tinged with the blood of the old man as he loudly declared, “This is how things will be for the next 60 years!”

Far away in the distance, a female cultivator concealed herself in the sea of clouds as she grumbled in a furious voice, “How could you be so barbaric? This is not how a Sage overseeing a blessed land should be conducting himself!”

Ruan Qiong couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Aren’t you quite the smart girl, only badmouthing me after you’ve gotten far away? You think I can’t do anything to you over there, right? You little bitch, I’m not an idiot scholar like Qi Jingchun! You want to talk to a Militarian swordsman like me about proper conduct? Were you dropped on your head as a baby?”

Ruan Qiong pointed an arm diagonally downward, joining his index and middle fingers together as he silently called, “Astral winds and infernal lightning, heed my call!”

All of a sudden, two auras began to churn rapidly between heaven and earth, like a pair of springs that had just emerged out of nowhere.

On the other side, a panicked voice hurriedly rang out. “These are Ruan Qiong’s bonded wind and lightning swords! Run, Leiting! Ruan Qiong’s bonded artifacts are different from those of the average person in that they’re not nurtured in his acupoint. Instead, they exist around him, following his pair of Militarian yin deities.”

Above the sea of clouds, a speck of green flames desperately fled into the distance. Outside of the speck of green fire were a series of glittering and translucent peach blossoms, revolving around the flame to protect it from the outside.

The speck of green fire flew close to 400 kilometers before being struck down by an azure thread through the head.

As for the man who had spoken up earlier to warn her about Ruan Qiong’s powers, he had already fled at the first sign of danger, and no one dared to say anything else after what had just happened.

Ruan Qiong gave a cold harrumph, then descended onto the bank of creek near the blacksmith shop before washing the blood from his hands using the water in the creek.

He heaved a faint sigh as he murmured to himself, “Qi Jingchun, if you had been even half as unreasonable as I am, there’s no way you would’ve suffered such a sad demise.”

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an was on the way back from his two-hour long session of walking meditation. He had just completed the session and was in the process of performing some stretches when he suddenly spotted Master Ruan making his way up to the bank from the creek.

After a brief hesitation, he slowed down slightly, keeping his distance from Master Ruan. He didn’t know why, but he could sense that Master Ruan wasn’t very fond of him, and the way that Master Ruan looked at him reminded him of the way that Old Man Yao used to look at him.

Ruan Qiong paid no heed to Chen Ping’an as he made his way back to the blacksmith shop.

Chen Ping’an turned to look at the creek, and nothing appeared to be amiss.

However, for some reason, a chill had run down his spine just now, as if there were water-dwelling ghosts looking out at him from the creek. It was a very strange and unsettling feeling, but all he could see was the water in the creek flowing long gently as normal.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t convinced, and he picked up several rocks of just the right weight, then turned and waded into the creek in the downstream direction before carefully examining the flowing water, trying to find the source of the unsettling feeling he had just been struck by.

The more he looked at the water, the more he felt like something was wrong. Under the broad daylight, the water of the creek was somehow giving off a sense of sinister eeriness. Chen Ping’an had ventured into the deep pit at the foot of the Azure Cow Ridge on many past occasions, but even in there, he had never felt so unsettled and disturbed.

At this point, Chen Ping’an was already certain that there were unfathomable things, such as monsters, spirits, and ghosts that existed in this world. In the past, with Mr. Qi at the town, no evil entities had dared to rear their ugly heads here, but now that Mr. Qi wasn’t here anymore, there was no guarantee that this place would still remain safe and untouched, so he had to be very careful.

Even when it came to Master Ruan, the so-called next “Sage” taking over from Mr. Qi, Chen Ping’an didn’t dare to lower his guard. Ultimately, he only trusted Mr. Qi. He felt a sense of fear and respect toward the stern Master Ruan, but nothing beyond that.

Chen Ping’an only dared to trust in his instincts and venture into the creek to investigate as Master Ruan had only just left the creek. He was fairly confident that even if there were some sinister entities in the water, there was no way that they would dare to kill him right under the nose of a Sage.

Furthermore, he was carrying the pair of Mountain and Water Seals that Mr. Qi had given him up his sleeve, and one of them was a “water” seal, so that only served to instill him with more courage.

After tossing two handfuls of rocks into the water, Chen Ping’an was just about to pick up some more when someone from nearby asked, “What’re you doing?”

It was Ruan Xiu.

Chen Ping’an’s attention had been focused entirely on the water this entire time, so he didn’t sense her presence. He made no effort to hide what he was doing as he pointed at the surface of the water and answered truthfully, “I feel like there’s something dirty in the water, and I’m trying to see if I can force it to come out by pelting it with rocks.”

Ruan cast her gaze toward the water in the creek, and a grim look instantly appeared on her face.

“Is there really something dirty in here?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“I can’t see anything,” Ruan Xiu replied with a shake of her head.

“I’m probably just being too paranoid then,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Ruan Xiu lowered her voice as she said, “Go back to the blacksmith shop, I’m going to eat something here before I go back. If my father asks about it, just say you didn’t see anything.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response. “No problem.”

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him, and he picked up a sharp rock from the ground, then asked, “Ruan Xiu, can I ask you about the meanings and pronunciations of some characters?”

Ruan Xiu immediately tensed up at the prospect of having to read.

In her mind, books were the most terrifying enemies under the heavens. Whenever she flipped open a book to any page, she would always feel like the characters on the page were a formidable army that was challenging her to a battle, making her head spin and throb. She was actually supposed to go and study in the school after arriving in the town with her father, and there was no need for her to help him in his forge.

However, she refused to go no matter what. One day, she would claim that she had a stomach ache. The next day, she would say that she had a fever, and she would “roll her ankle” the day after that. The only reason why Ruan Qiong was choosing to let her off the hook now was because he had grown tired of her clearly fabricated excuses.

However, Ruan Xiu didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Chen Ping’an, so she forced herself to remain calm and put on a confident smile as she said, “Go ahead.”

Chen Ping’an carved out a couple of characters onto the ground with the sharp rock, and as soon as Ruan Xiu saw the two characters, her feigned confidence immediately turned to genuine confidence as she said in an elated manner, “These two characters are way too simple! I already knew them from a very young age. One of them is ‘divine’, while the other is ‘court’, and when put together, they spell out the name of an acupoint on the human body. The reason why us humans are known as the rulers of all sentient beings is because our bodies are most suitable for cultivation.

“It’s also because of this that many monsters and demons that attain the Great Dao have no choice but to manifest human forms at some point in their cultivation journey. The 365 acupoints in the human body are all like mountains of treasures.

“There’s an ancient saying that acupoints are the avenues through which divine energy enter and exit the body, and our soul is like a child who was able to grow up thanks to the kindness and charity of others, being spared a bowl of rice by one family, then a bowl of water by another, slowly developing and becoming stronger.”

Ruan Xiu extended a finger and pointed it at her own head as she continued with a smile, “This is where the Divine Court acupoint is located, five centimeters up from your hairline. This acupoint isn’t all that important for Militarian swordsmen like me and my father. Essentially, it’s an expendable acupoint for us, but for those beings on the other side, this acupoint is of the utmost importance.

“However, my father tells me that those ghostly beings are severely limited in their potential. No matter how powerful they become, they’re nothing more than pitiful beings that are solely reliant on others.”

Chen Ping’an had no idea what he had just been told, so he could only memorize what Ruan Xiu had just said in the hope that he would be able to understand the meaning of these words in the future. After that, he asked about the “Giant Tower” and the “Great Void” acupoints, and Ruan Xiu was able to provide an explanation in both cases.

She was very averse to reading, but that was only limited to the classics lauded by scholars. In contrast, she was extremely eager to read materials related to Militarian cultivation and swordsmanship, so from a young age, she had memorized all of the acupoints and their locations on the body.

Before Chen Ping’an had a chance to ask, Ruan Xiu smiled as she declared, “When I get the time to do so in the future, I’ll tell you the names, locations, and purposes of all of the 365 acupoints on the human body.”

“I’ll have to trouble you then, Ruan Xiu,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Do you feel like I’m troubling you by asking you to buy pastries for me?” Ruan Xiu asked.

“Not at all,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

“There you go! This is no trouble for me, either,” Ruan Xiu said with a happy smile.

However, a slightly forlorn look then appeared on her face as she continued, “Even if you learn about all of the acupoints, that knowledge isn’t going to do you much good. There are so many paths that one can take in cultivation, and the reason for this is that there are countless different ways of Qi refinement.

“Even the slightest difference in one’s cultivation method could result in massive disparities. Our family has a pair of cultivation methods, one for Qi dispersion and one for Qi development, both of which have been passed down for generations, but they’re family secrets that can’t be passed onto outsiders. This is not a matter of whether my father approves or not. I’m sorry, Chen Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an wasn’t the type of person to ask for more than he was given, and he hurriedly smiled as he explained, “It’s fine, I just wanted to learn more characters, I haven’t even thought about cultivation. Besides, I already have a fist technique that I can practice. Just that alone is already too much for me to handle, I can’t afford to divert my attention elsewhere.”

Ruan Xiu was quite relieved to hear this, and she patted her own chest as she said, “That’s good to hear.”

As she did so, a certain pair of monuments quivered under her clothes, presenting an alluring sight to behold.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly raised his gaze, putting on a serious expression as she said, “I’ll wait until you have some spare time. I can go back to Clay Vase Alley a bit later anyway.”

“Sure,” Ruan Xiu replied with a smile and a nod.

With that, Chen Ping’an jogged over to the blacksmith shop.

Ruan Xiu made her way down the slope to the bank of the creek, then pulled out a handkerchief, out of which she produced a piece of pastry that she placed into her own mouth.

Only after Chen Ping’an had arrived at the blacksmith shop did she roll up a section of her sleeve to reveal that bright red bracelet. She cast her gaze toward the clear creek water, then said, “The fire dragon roams the water.”

The bracelet instantly melted, and a living being emerged, struggling and writhing incessantly before finally transforming into a miniature flood dragon that was entirely formed by flames. Its head and tail were connected, and its body was just the right length to encircle her wrist.

Following an order from her, the crimson flood dragon, which was no more than a foot in length, sprang toward the creek.

As it did so, it rapidly extended to 100 feet in length, upon which Ruan Xiu ordered, “That’s enough!”

The fiery dragon’s body didn’t elongate any further, but all of the nearby water in the creek had completely evaporated. Not only that, but the water upstream was like an army that had suffered a crushing defeat, not daring to advance any further. More and more water flowed to one place, and the water level was constantly rising, while the water downstream continued onward, creating a rift in the creek.

Ruan Xiu’s eyes narrowed slightly as she peered out at the creek, waiting for something to emerge.

She strode along the bed of the dry creek, trailing along behind the fiery dragon.

Now that the small world had fallen, the restrictions that the four Sages had meticulously set up had also vanished, so mystical abilities were no longer prohibited.

This was also why Ruan Qiong had established a new set of rules, and why he had enforced those rules in such a violent and assertive manner to set an example. This was the smallest of the 36 small worlds, and it was also the one that was most lacking in natural treasures, but ultimately, it was still a blessed land that was once a small world, so it was still able to provide many benefits that could significantly enhance one’s cultivation.

Now that the formation was no longer active, cultivators from the outside would flood into the town if no new rules were established. Those cultivators had no regard for the town’s residents, so if Ruan Qiong were to allow them to do as they pleased, then all of the town’s residents would most likely be killed off in a single day, with the exception of powerful old hermits residing in the town.

Even among Militarians, it was very important to set rules, but they were far more flexible than Confucianists, able and willing to adapt according to the situation.

Around 15 minutes later, the fiery dragon that had been constantly prowling the creek bed seemed to have finally caught its elusive target, and it swooped down ferociously before slowly lowering its head.

Ruan Xiu made her way over to the head of the fiery dragon, then looked down to find a woman curled up into a ball on the creek bed. She had been caught under the claws of the fiery dragon, and she had a head of waist-length hair that she was using to desperately protect her entire body.

An intrigued look appeared in Ruan Xiu’s eyes as she mused, “To think that even a mere river guardian like yourself would dare to show up right on our doorstep. Have you not heard about how my father once slew six great river gods in a row?”

Caught within the clutches of the fiery dragon, the river guardian desperately implored, “Please spare me, esteemed immortal! I’m just passing through this place, I have no intentions of offending anyone!

“I only dared to release my Yin godly aura in the hope of helping Sage Ruan where I can by increasing the density of the water in the creek. Please don’t be offended, esteemed immortal. If you find my form too unsightly to behold, then I’ll make sure to only come out at night from now on.”

“You know Chen Ping’an?” Ruan Xiu asked.

The river guardian was rapidly aging under the claws of the fiery dragon, but she only dared to whimper in a pitiful voice as she quickly nodded in response. “I do. I used to live on Apricot Blossom Alley, while Chen Ping’an is an orphan from Clay Vase Alley, so we met occasionally in the past, but there’s no bad blood at all between us!

“It’s just that I very rarely see any of the townsfolk near the creek, so I was rather curious when I spotted him practicing his fist technique today, and I decided to take a closer look. Never did I think that I would offend you through my actions, esteemed immortal! Please excuse my ignorance and spare me!”

With a casual wave of her hand, the fiery dragon reverted back into a red bracelet that fitted itself around her wrist.

As a result, the water upstream began to flow once again, while Ruan Xiu continued to remain on the creek bed.

However, in the next instant, the river guardian was horrified to see that the water was avoiding Ruan Xiu at all costs as if she were the bane of its existence, skirting around her in a wide berth before flowing downstream.

What was even more terrifying was that the river guardian could sense that Ruan Xiu wasn’t using any mystical abilities.

Ruan Xiu smiled as she said, “Don’t just stand there with your mouth hanging open. Tell me everything you know about Apricot Blossom Alley and Clay Vase Alley.”

Having been freed from the fiery dragon’s clutches, the river guardian was beginning to slowly rejuvenate into a more youthful form once again, but in the next instant, she suddenly let loose a shriek of alarm and horror. As it turned out, her head of dark green hair was shortening in length, and she screeched in a frantic voice, “Why is my Dao foundation seeping away?”

Ruan Xiu was chewing on a piece of pastry as she said in a muffled voice, “Oh, sorry about that. I forgot to tell you that I possess an innate fire god constitution, so water is my natural enemy.”

The river guardian forced herself to calm down, then began silently weeping as she implored, “Please spare me out of the infinite kindness of your heart, esteemed immortal. I mean you no offense.”

After a moment of consideration, Ruan Xiu decided, “I’m going to call you to tell me stories from now on. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to conceal my aura while you’re in my presence.”

The river guardian didn’t dare to refuse, so she could only accept this arrangement with a sullen expression.

Ruan Xiu made her up the bank of the creek, then turned around as she said, “Don’t let this happen again.”

The river guardian hurriedly nodded in response.

Ruan Xiu strode toward the blacksmith shop with her ponytail swaying from side to side, while the river guardian dove back into the water with her face twisted in resentment and fury.

However, having already been taught several painful lessons, she had begun to learn to suppress her resentment at all costs.

Right at this moment, a voice rang out directly within her heart.

“Suspend your ignorance, you fool! Do you know what a woman’s Dao attainment catalyst is? It’s to kill all of the river gods on an entire continent! How dare a mere river guardian like you harbor resentment toward someone like her? Know your place! Even if she does nothing but stand there and allow you to attack her, you’ll be the only one that ends up dead!

“Do you know how sensitive she is to all Yin entities residing in water? I know what you’re thinking right now, and you’re correct. The first river god that she’s going to kill in the future will be none other than you, so you’d better think of a way to salvage this situation! If you can do that, this could turn from an unmitigated disaster into an unparalleled opportunity for you.

“This is my final warning to you. If you dare to take any further steps out of line, then you won’t have to wait for retribution from others, I’ll be the first one to make sure that you’ll wish you were dead!”

Even after the voice faded, the river guardian continued to float in the water in a dazed manner, and all of the life seemed to have been sucked out of her body.

The Great Dao seemed so ethereal and out of reach, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair.

Ruan Qiong watched with a displeased expression as his daughter skipped into the swordsmithing room, and he grumbled, “Are you pleased with yourself for picking on a mere river guardian?”

Ruan Xiu wore a dazzling smile as she replied, “Alright, then I’ll wait until she becomes a river god before I pick on her again.”

Ruan Xiu’s brows furrowed slightly as he cautioned, “Xiuxiu, don’t underestimate river gods. They are true water gods that preside over entire bodies of water, and they may not be able to compare with the Five Mountains of each empire, but it’s certainly not an easy task to kill them while they’re in the water.”

“In that case, I’ll just make sure that there’s no water for them to reside in,” Ruan Xiu replied in a casual manner.

Ruan Qiong’s heart jolted slightly, and he hurriedly suppressed the smile that was playing on his lips.