Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an took a glance at the green bamboo scabbard strapped to the waist of the self-proclaimed swordsman, and he feigned a puzzled expression as he asked, “Are you really a swordsman?”

The man was holding his conical bamboo hat in one hand, and he patted the hilt of his saber with his other hand as he explained with a smile, “At the moment, I can’t find anyone worthy of facing my sword, so I’m using this as a substitute to mock all those who use sabers.”

Chen Ping’an was quite relieved to hear this familiar boastful tone, and he felt like this man would really get along well with Liu Baqiao.

Behind Chen Ping’an and Li Baoping, Zhu Lu and her father were slowly walking forward side by side. Zhu Lu was unconvinced by the man’s boastful claims, and she jeered, “I’ve never seen anyone this arrogant before! Do you think he has a screw loose up there, Father?”

Zhu He could see that there was a silver wine gourd strapped to the other side of the man’s waist. The gourd was roughly the same size as a human hand, and it was clearly a very old gourd, as evidenced by the fact that it had been polished to a mirror-like gleam.

He lowered his voice as he cautioned, “I can’t sense anything remarkable about him aside from the fact that his aura is slightly more pronounced than that of the average person, but we still have to be careful.

“I’ve never gone anywhere far in my life, but I’ve heard many stories about the outside world from our patriarch. He says that when out traveling, it’s important to look out for Daoist nuns, old monks, children, and drunkards. Aside from that, the more harmless and innocuous someone appears, the more we have to be wary of them.”

Zhu Lu nodded in response, and she was feeling both anxious and excited. Deep down, she was hoping that this man was an assassin so she would be able to have her first true battle after stepping out into the world.

“Are you looking for me?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The man smiled as he replied, “I’ll take you to the border of Great Sui Nation. We’ll travel together on the way there so we can look out for each other.”

“Do you know the blacksmith, Master Ruan?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Of course,” the man replied with a nod, and Chen Ping’an heaved another internal sigh of relief.

Prior to leaving the town, one of the terms of the agreement that he had made with Master Ruan was that prior to reaching the border of the Great Li Empire, Ruan Qiong was going to ensure Chen Ping’an’s safety.

Chen Ping’an was confident that Ruan Qiong would keep his promise, and the fact that this man had appeared so early on their journey, essentially while they were still right under Ruan Qiong’s nose, indicated that he most likely wasn’t from any one of Sun Scorch Mountain, Dawn Cloud Mountain, or Old Dragon City. Furthermore, the emergence of Zhu Lu and Zhu He at this moment also instilled Chen Ping’an with a great deal of confidence.

However, he was still worried about the slight chance that this man could be someone harboring sinister intentions.

Hence, he asked, “In that case, can you accompany me to the town to meet Master Ruan before we set off for the south? I just so happen to know of a path that leads out of the town’s eastern gate, and it’s longer than the route we’re taking now, but all types of carriages can travel on it, so it’ll actually be faster than having to traverse over mountains and rivers.”

An amused smile appeared on the man’s face upon hearing this. “Do you have to be so cautious? Why don’t you relax and take some chances?”

Chen Ping’an’s gaze remained fixed intently on the man, and without turning his head, he said, “Zhu He, can you get Zhu Lu to take Baoping back to the town? We’re in no hurry to go anywhere.”

Zhu He considered this request momentarily, then nodded in response. “That’s a good idea.”

He then turned to his daughter and instructed, “Lu’er, take the young mistress back to the town. I’ll stay here with Chen Ping’an to keep Brother A’Liang here company. We could share a drink or have a spar. In any case, fate has brought us together, so let’s not squander this encounter.” [1]

Zhu Lu latched onto Li Baoping’s hand, and the latter didn’t hesitate in the slightest, nor did she throw a tantrum and insist on staying with Chen Ping’an. Instead, she merely tugged gently on his sleeve and told him to be careful, then decisively departed with Zhu Lu without any delay. In contrast, Zhu Lu was itching for a fight, so she was feeling quite disappointed, wishing that she could swap places with her father.

The man rolled his eyes in response to what he perceived to be a complete waste of time, and he removed the wine gourd from his waist, then leaned against the side of his white donkey. After taking a sip of wine, an amused smile appeared on his face as he said, “Those two can go on ahead. The three of us can wait here for 15 minutes or so before we head to the town after them.”

He then patted his donkey on the back as he raised the silver wine gourd in his hand, turning to Zhu He with a smile as he asked, “You’re a really competent martial artist yourself, aren’t you? Do you not recognize this thing?”

A thought then immediately occurred to him, and he gave himself a reprimanding tap on the head as he mused, “I forgot that your Jewel Small World only recently opened up, so it’s no wonder that you don’t know about this thing. That’s fine, we have plenty of time for a chat anyway.”

The man pointed at the old willow tree growing horizontally over the creek as he suggested, “How about we sit down over there and have a chat?”

Chen Ping’an and Zhu He exchanged a glance, and they felt like this was the best course of action, one that would allow them to observe the man and determine his intentions.

The man led the white donkey as he trailed along behind Chen Ping’an and Zhu He, following them to the old willow tree. The reins were then released, allowing the donkey to graze freely on the grass nearby, while the man scaled the willow tree and walked along the trunk all the way to the bank of the creek before taking a seat.

After that, he put on his conical bamboo hat again, and he was just about to take another swig of wine out of his silver gourd when he suddenly turned and offered his gourd to Chen Ping’an and Zhu He with a smile as he asked, “Do either of you want some wine? Drinking alone is never as good as drinking together.

“This is astral immortal wine that sells for two taels of silver per 50 milliliters, and it’s a favorite among wealthy individuals in Great Sui Nation. On this journey to the north, I’ve tasted no fewer than 100 types of wine, and this one is the best.”

“I don’t drink,” Chen Ping’an refused with a shake of his head.

Zhu He also shook his head in refusal. “I can’t drink any wine before I’ve reached full mastery of the martial arts.”

The man shook his head with a disappointed expression as he sighed, “Neither of you are very fun to be around, are you? I recently met a young man, and he was a true character…”

All of a sudden, the man noticed that Chen Ping’an and Zhu He were looking at him with rather peculiar expressions. He was quite puzzled by this, but he didn’t want to compromise his image as a master martial artist, so he could only take another sip of wine to hide his befuddlement.

Chen Ping’an gently cleared his throat, and the man asked, “What is it?”

In response, Chen Ping’an pointed up at the outermost part of the old willow tree.

The man’s brows furrowed slightly as he turned to that direction, only to find his vision obstructed by a pair of legs. His expression instantly stiffened, and he immediately raised his head to discover an expressionless middle-aged man looking down at him.

The man had to have weighed at least 75 to 80 kilograms, yet he was somehow able to stand on the delicate tip of a willow branch as if he weighed no more than a feather. The man in the conical bamboo hat was so startled by this unexpected sight that he slipped off the trunk of the willow tree and fell into the water in an extremely embarrassing fashion.

The man who had arrived was none other than Ruan Qiong. Just as Old Man Yang had said, he had no interest in what was going on within the boundaries of the former Jewel Small World. He was focused solely on forging swords, and he would only divert his attention elsewhere in cases where people like Cui Chan provoked him by breaking the rules.

Ruan Qiong was confident that under his watchful eye, no one would dare to do anything to Chen Ping’an anywhere near the town. The wrath of an 11th tier swordsman was no less fearsome than the wrath of an entire mortal empire, so Ruan Qiong didn’t even bother to keep an eye on Chen Ping’an and Li Baoping. After all, it was just a pair of children, and there was no way that he would go out of his way to keep an eye on them.

However, there was something that had attracted his attention.

Ruan Qiong could sense that one of the items in A’Liang’s possession was imbued with vast and pure sword qi, and what drew his attention, in particular, was a sense of familiarity, intermingled with a hint of affection and melancholy. Throughout his many years cultivating in the sect, Ruan Qiong had never seen something like this before, but he had heard about it, and that was what had prompted him to rush here from the blacksmith shop.

Despite A’Liang’s sorry display, Ruan Qiong didn’t look down on him in the slightest. Instead, there was a serious look in his eyes as he asked, “Are you Wei Jin of the Divine Platform?”

A’Liang splashed around in the creek for a while before finally righting himself, and after picking up his wine gourd from the surface of the water, he removed his conical bamboo hat and swung it vigorously from side to side as he turned to Ruan Qiong with a disgruntled expression. “My name is A’Liang!”

Ruan Qiong looked down at him with a contemplative look in his eyes as he asked, “Would you be willing to spare me a few sips of your wine?”

The man tossed his wine gourd at Ruan Qiong in a high arc as he replied, “Sure, but remember to return it to me.”

Ruan Qiong caught the gourd before taking a sip of its contents, then smiled as he remarked, “This isn’t Five Yellow Wine.”

This was clearly a touchy subject for the man, and he rolled his eyes in a disgruntled manner as he explained, “They raised the prices!”

Ruan Qiong burst into laughter upon hearing this, and he tossed the gourd back to the man as he asked, “Why are you here so early? I thought you were going to take at least 10 days to get here.”

“What’s it matter to you? You can’t just poke your nose in other people’s business just because you’re a Sage!” A’Liang grumbled as he climbed onto the bank with his clothes completely soaked.

“Would you like to go to my shop for a chat? My daughter really admires you,” Ruan Qiong offered.

A’Liang pointed at himself as he chuckled, “She admires me? She certainly has good taste.”

Ruan Qiong seemed to have already been aware that A’Liang had a rather absurd personality, and he asked, “Could it be that you’re the one tasked with overseeing the matters related to Dragonspine Mountain?”

A’Liang shook his head in response. “It’s not me, it’s someone else.”

Ruan Qiong could tell that A’Liang was a little disgruntled, and he suddenly smiled as he asked, “Could it be that you ran into that Daoist nun on the way here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” A’Liang replied with a neutral expression.

Ruan Qiong heaved an internal sigh, and he didn’t probe any further.

There was an extremely renowned swordsman in Wind Snow Temple that Ruan Qiong had come from. He was a young prodigy, and he very rarely stayed in the sect, so even in Wind Snow Temple, not everyone knew of him. At a young age, he had caught one of the patriarchs of the Wind Snow Temple during his travels, who took him as his disciple.

Hence, despite his young age, he was very high up in seniority. As a result, even though he had only been around 20 years of age when he first arrived at Wind Snow Temple, many of the sect’s cultivators who were over 100 years of age had to refer to him as grandmaster.

After that, the patriarch who had brought him into the sect perished during a failed breakthrough attempt, and there weren’t many bright talents among his branch of disciples, so the young swordsman became more and more detached from Wind Snow Temple.

He had been traveling the world for seven or eight years, only returning to the sect on his master’s death anniversaries. Even when he returned to Wind Snow Temple, he still remained on his own and didn’t speak to anyone. It was said that he had obtained a priceless sword nurturing gourd very early on, but instead of using it to nurture flying swords, he squandered it by using it as a container to carry his wine around.

It seemed that he would spend at least half his time completely drunk, and that was why he was referred to as the drunken sword immortal. Whenever he became drunk, he would lay on his donkey’s back and allow it to carry him wherever it pleased.

Prior to leaving Wind Snow Temple, Ruan Qiong heard that for some reason, he fell in love at first sight with a young Daoist nun who was lauded as one of the brightest talents on the entire continent, and he was completely head over heels for her.

Unfortunately, his feelings were completely unrequited, and the beautiful Daoist nun had no intention of finding a Dao partner. This story quickly went on to become an amusing tale that spread like wildfire among the cultivation circles on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

After a moment of contemplation, Ruan Qiong said, “In that case, I’ll be counting on you to take them to the border of the Great Li Empire.”

The man nodded in response, and Ruan Qiong cupped his fist in a parting salute before vanishing on the spot in a flash, leaving only the quivering branch as an indication that he had ever been here at all.

A careful look appeared on Zhu He’s face as he asked, “A’Liang… Senior A’Liang, are you from Wind Snow Temple?”

“I don’t have any ties with Wind Snow Temple,” A’Liang replied in a lackadaisical voice.

Zhu He smiled in response, not feeling awkward in the slightest despite the clipped response from A’Liang.

Martial artists all had a negative perception of cultivators, but they had to admire the cultivators of Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain.

Prior to this, Zhu He had felt like A’Liang was extremely arrogant and conceited, but following that visit from Ruan Qiong, Zhu He had come to realize that A’Liang had to have been an extremely formidable figure hidden in plain sight, despite his unremarkable appearance. Inside the green bamboo scabbard strapped to his waist had to be a godly weapon capable of splitting mountains and parting seas.

A’Liang took a large swig of wine to warm up his body, then turned to Chen Ping’an as he said, “That little girl is back.”

Chen Ping’an turned to find that sure enough, not only had Li Baoping and Zhu Lu returned the same way that they had departed, they were also accompanied by a mule with heavy luggage hanging down either side of its body, as well as two more familiar faces, namely Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.

Chen Ping’an jogged over to them, and there was a displeased look on Li Baoping’s face, while Zhu Lu explained, “We ran into these boys on the way back to the town, and they said that they wanted to go to Mountain Cliff Academy with our young mistress. Our patriarch appeared just now, and he told us to turn back to find you.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t ask Zhu Lu who this so-called patriarch that she was referring to was. Instead, he turned his attention to the duo of Li Huai and Lin Shouyi.

Li Huai raised his chin in a defiant manner as he declared, “What else am I going to do aside from following you guys? Stay in the town and become a beggar?”

As usual, Lin Shouyi wore a cold expression as he said, “Risk and reward come hand in hand.”

Li Baoping was clearly very unhappy as she harrumphed coldly, “You two could’ve set off from the eastern gate and gone to the academy on your own! Why should Junior Uncle and I have to bring you along?”

Li Huai immediately flared up with rage. “Li Baoping! We’ve been through life and death together! How could you say that?”

Lin Shouyi wasn’t as shameless as Li Huai, and he said in a candid manner, “If Li Huai and I were to try and get to Mountain Cliff Academy on our own, we wouldn’t even be able to reach the border of the Great Li Empire.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response, then gently rested a palm down onto Li Baoping’s head to discourage her from saying anything further. “Have Shi Chunjia and Dong Shuijing already confirmed that they’re not coming?”

“Someone from the pastry shop will take Shi Chunjia to the capital, while Dong Shuijing heard that the school in the town is going to be up and running again in the near future, so he’s taken your place as a manual laborer at the blacksmith shop,” Lin Shouyi explained.

Chen Ping’an looked at the three children in front of him, and he smiled as he said, “In that case, let’s set off together.”

A’Liang dragged his white donkey over from the bank of the creek, and a displeased look appeared on his face at the sight of Li Huai and Lin Shouyi. “I don’t mind bringing an adorable little girl with us, but what’s the deal with these two rascals?”

“Who the hell are you?” Li Huai asked in an aggressive manner.

“I am your long-lost father,” A’Liang replied with a serious expression.

A stunned look instantly appeared on Li Huai’s face, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was completely rooted to the spot as he stared at A’Liang.

A’Liang was feeling very uneasy in the face of Li Huai’s stunned gaze, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there really were a mystery pertaining to the identity of Li Huai’s father.

However, Li Huai then quickly put away his dazed expression, replacing it with a disdainful sneer as he scoffed, “That’s what you get for trying to take advantage of me!”

Despite the loss that he had just taken, A’Liang couldn’t help but feel a little impressed, and he mused, “Damn, these small-town kids are something else, huh?”

“I’m not listening! I’m not listening!” Li Huai said in a singsong voice as he clamped his hands over his ears.

“A’Liang, why do you know how to speak our town’s dialect?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

“You can go ask Ruan Qiong about that,” A’Liang replied with a smile.

Chen Ping’an also smiled as he replied, “It’s alright, I was just curious.”

A disapproving look appeared on A’Liang’s face as he criticized, “It’s not good for someone as young as yourself to be overthinking things so much.”

With that, the unlikely band of seven set off on their journey, with A’Liang and his donkey leading the way, Chen Ping’an and the children trailing along behind him, and Zhu He and Zhu Lu bringing up the rear.

A’Liang had told them that the path that he had taken to get here wasn’t all that arduous. All they had to do was follow the Iron Talisman River all the way down south, and they would quickly reach the main road that the Great Li Empire had been constructing day and night.

However, during the breaks that they took, A’Liang was still willing to listen to suggestions from Chen Ping’an.

During one of the breaks, Li Huai rushed over to A’Liang, and he wasn’t afraid of the unfamiliar swordsman at all as he placed his hands on his hips and asked, “Oi, is that donkey of yours male or female?”

A’Liang didn’t detest Li Huai, he merely found the boy a little annoying. “What’s it matter to you?”

“Can you let me ride it?”

“It’s too precious even for me to ride myself, why should I let you ride it? Do you really think you’re my son?”

“If you give me that donkey, I’ll ask my mother to divorce my father and marry you instead, what do you think? Of course, you can’t blame me if my mother doesn’t agree, and I get to keep the donkey.”

“Fuck you and your mother!”

“Tsk, tsk. A’Liang, as a father figure to you, I feel obligated to tell you that you should really rein in that temper of yours.”

After that, Li Huai clasped his hands behind his back and departed with a disappointed sigh while shaking his head, leaving A’Liang to look on with a dumbstruck expression.

————

Meanwhile, two people were walking alongside the creek as they made their way toward the blacksmith shop. The duo consisted of Ruan Qiong and an elderly man with a head of white hair, but an extremely healthy and vibrant complexion. This man was none other than the patriarch that Zhu Lu had been referring to, and he was the true backbone of the Li Clan.

The Li Clan had high hopes placed in Li Baoping, so they naturally weren’t just going to entrust her safety to Zhu Lu and Zhu He. If Ruan Qiong hadn’t gotten involved in this matter, Patriarch Li would’ve accompanied her all the way to the border to ensure her protection.

A wry smile appeared on Patriarch Li’s face as he asked, “Master Ruan, this is the helper that you requested from Wind Snow Temple? How do I put this? He…”

“You want to say that he looks more like a random guy I grabbed off the streets than a master martial artist, right?” Ruan Qiong asked in a direct and straightforward manner. “While I was sipping from his wine gourd, I made sure to examine it carefully, and the bonded sword qi contained within the sword nurturing gourd is still alive and well, so it definitely came from Wind Snow Temple.

“The Divine Platform branch of Wind Snow Temple doesn’t have many people to begin with, and Wei Jin has a rather cold personality and likes to keep to himself as he travels from place to place, so it’s understandable that he may have some peculiar idiosyncrasies.

“There are ways in which one can kill someone and obtain their bonded treasure, but Wei Jin is no slouch, so if there’s anyone powerful enough to take his sword nurturing gourd and the sword qi inside, then even I wouldn’t be able to stop them.”

Patriarch Li heaved a faint sigh in response. “You’re being too humble, Master Ruan. If the formation were still intact and the four subjugation treasures hadn’t been taken, you would have far more freedom to do many things.”

After a moment of contemplation, Ruan Qiong said, “I’m going to be meeting with the people from the Great Salamander Gully branch of Wind Snow Temple later to hear about the situation from them, and they’re not far away from here now.

“I can’t be so straightforward when talking about splitting the Dragon Slaying Platform on Dragonspine Mountain in the presence of people from True Martial Mountain, so this is perfect. If any mishaps occur in the town during this time, I’ll have to trouble you to find Xiuxiu and get her to send a message to me via flying sword.”

Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain were the two major Militarian sects on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and one was situated in the south, while the other was located in the north.

The relationship between the two sects had never been particularly good or bad, and generally speaking, they kept to themselves and avoided getting involved with one another. Of course, in the face of major crises, they would be sure to set aside their differences and join forces to combat the common enemy.

Among the two sects, True Martial Mountain was more focused on the development of the mortal empires. The Great Li Empire had many cultivators from True Martial Mountain, as was the case for Great Sui Nation and the fallen Lu Empire. Most of them were generals on the battlefield, personal bodyguards, or military officers who held power and sway in the army.

In contrast, Wind Snow Temple was more focused on its own development, exploring all of the sites where major ancient battles had taken place. They were more like a sect of traveling heroes who excelled in martial arts and did whatever they pleased. If they were in a good mood, perhaps they would strike at evil and do good deeds, but if they were in a bad mood, then they would often seek out people to spar against, and most of the time, they simply barged in by force, completely uninvited.

Regardless of whether their opponent had agreed to the sparring match or not, they would be forced into a fight, nonetheless. However, these peculiar cultivators of Wind Snow Temple didn’t fight to enhance their reputations, nor did they ever kill any of their sparring partners. Hence, even if someone were thoroughly beaten and embarrassed by a cultivator of Wind Snow Temple, they would never have to worry about stories of their defeat being spread around.

On the subject of flying swords, a perplexed look appeared on Patriarch Li’s face, and he said, “Master Ruan, we also have several good quality messenger flying swords over in the manor…”

“It’s not the same,” Master Ruan interjected with a smile. “In fact, the difference is quite significant.”

Patriarch Li immediately understood what Master Ruan was alluding to, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face as he chuckled, “How impudent of me to be boasting about my flying swords to you!”

All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong heaved a faint sigh. “All I want is peace and quiet, but it appears that’s too ambitious a desire.”

————

A petite yet voluptuous woman in palace attire was making her way down Clay Vase Alley.

She was followed by three people from afar, namely a burly and imposing middle-aged man with a steely expression, an elderly man with no facial hair who constantly had his eyes narrowed, hinting at lackluster eyesight, and a young woman holding a longsword in her arms, with the golden tassels hanging from the hilt of the sword resting on her voluptuous chest.

The woman drew to a halt in front of the gates of Song Jixin’s yard, and she chuckled, “Only Cui Chan would be capable of something like stealing couplets.”

1. In Chinese, it’s common practice to take the final character of someone’s name before adding an “儿” (er) at the end to make it an affectionate pet name. In this case, Zhu He is taking the Lu character of his daughter’s name and calling her Lu’er as a pet name. ☜