Unsheathed

The scholarly middle-aged man in Confucian robes seemingly realized that it was beneath him to argue with children, and he was moreover aware of his son’s temperament as well. Once his anger subsided, he finally noticed the absurdity of the situation in hindsight. This was especially the case after he heard the preposterous words uttered by the young boy in straw sandals. However, he simply dismissed this as the naivety of a young boy who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.

He ignored Chen Ping’an’s request and said, “Since you’ve apologized, and since your guardians aren’t with you, I won’t make any more fuss about this incident either. However, to avoid that animal hurting anyone else, I say that it’s best that we kill it right away. Otherwise, the situation will truly become difficult if it really does hurt someone else. You children definitely wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.”

The woman chuckled coldly and shouted, “Jingfu! Do you not understand the concept of subordinates sacrificing themselves when their master is humiliated[1]?”

The man in black had an awkward expression as he hurriedly turned around to bow to the woman of the house.

The small boy suddenly whispered something in the woman’s ear and pointed at the little girl with the small bamboo bookcase. The woman nodded and said with a smile, “Oh, that’s right. After killing that beast and tossing it into the river, remember to give those three children a small lesson as well. As for that little girl in red, I’ve taken a slight fancy to her, and I feel like she’ll make a good maidservant for Yu’er. This will also be a stroke of good fortune for her.”

Li Huai was petrified, and he tightly held onto Chen Ping’an’s sleeves and said, “I don’t care if they scold me or beat me. However, the little white donkey definitely can’t die. I can apologize to them again, and I can even give that book to them. Didn’t you tell me that the book was very valuable and not to lose it…?”

Chen Ping’an reached over and firmly placed his hand on the little boy’s head to stop him from saying anything else. “Apologize my ass. You’ve already been absolved of any wrongdoing.”

Li Huai was dumbfounded when he heard this.

Chen Ping’an’s other hand was placed on Li Baoping’s head, and he said softly, “Let’s see if junior uncle can stand up and fight back for you. It’s hard to say now, but we won’t know unless I try.”

Lin Shouyi was just about to speak, but Chen Ping’an lightly shook his head at him. In the end, he looked at the seemingly reasonable middle-aged man and asked, “Is there no more room for reasoning? Is this the end of the conversation?”

The man was slightly irritated, and he squinted his eyes and said in a stern voice, “Do you know who you’re speaking to?”

He then flicked his sleeve and commanded the black-clothed subordinate next to him, “Kill the donkey!”

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath.

His aura changed drastically.

A’Liang had once taught him the Eighteen Stops, a Qi channeling technique. Chen Ping’an had attempted to practice this technique many times, yet the furthest that he had ever reached was the seventh stop. After reaching this stop, he had suffered unbearable pain that prevented him from advancing any further. One had to realize that Chen Ping’an’s ability to tolerate pain was already far beyond those at the same age as him.

The one time he had reached the seventh stop, Chen Ping’an had been in so much pain that he had almost collapsed to the ground and started to roll around in agony. With his physique as a martial artist at the second tier, he could only pass the first six stops with relative ease.

It was clear that there was a critical barrier between the sixth stop and the seventh stop.

Chen Ping’an had been able to hold his own while sparring with Zhu He, a martial artist at the peak stage of the fifth tier, in Go Table Mountain. Even though Zhu He had said that he would suppress his strength to the third tier, as someone who had never genuinely traveled the world before, he wasn’t too sure of what this actually entailed.

Only the Militarian swordsman from True Martial Mountain had been able to observe Chen Ping’an’s true ability while in the small town. As the young boy practiced his simple and unsophisticated fist technique by the river, his entire body had already been radiating with fist intent.

Training fist techniques the incorrect way was a sure-fire way to ruin one’s body. However, someone who managed to master the true essence of their fist techniques would be able to slay gods with a single punch.

Zhu He naturally understood this concept. However, because he was yet to reach the sixth tier and interact with the loftier principles at that level, he was unable to genuinely comprehend the truth behind this concept.

In fact, Zhu He didn’t even know that the End Tier in his mind was only the ninth tier. Above this, there was in fact still the legendary 10th tier. After summiting a mountain, this was a tier where one would become the peak of the mountain.

After relying on talent and fated opportunities to enter the path of martial arts, the number of hardships one could overcome would directly correlate to the amount of progress one would make. This was the fairest path of cultivation.

No matter how much disdain the lofty Qi refiners held toward the “lowly” martial artists, they would still feel genuine pain when the fists of these martial artists landed on their heads.

The burly man in black strode forward and walked past his master in Confucian robes. “I suggest you children move aside,” he said casually.

Chen Ping’an didn’t respond, and he instead took a step forward. There was a dull thud. However, the onlookers merely dismissed this as some brute strength from the young boy.

There were six steps in total for the walking meditation section of the Mountain Shaking Guide, some large and some small. After committing the Eighteen Stops to memory, Chen Ping’an had attempted to advance one stop with each step that he took.

Once Chen Ping’an set his mind to something, he would keep at it no matter how difficult it became. There was nothing that could dissuade him.

This was reflected in the fact that Chen Ping’an had decided to practice the fist technique one million times simply because of what Ning Yao had said at that time. From that day onward, he had started to practice the fist technique every single day, never slacking off even once.

As a third-tier martial artist, the man in black was slightly astonished when he saw the impoverished young boy adeptly performing walking meditation. However, he was still nowhere near alarmed. Instead, he felt slightly grateful. After all, what face would he have if he bullied a few children after killing the donkey? There were quite a number of fellow martial artists acting as guards and subordinates on this ship.

Chen Ping’an rapidly completed the six steps of walking meditation. When he performed the final step, he unleashed his power and caused the deck underfoot to creak in exertion. At the same time, he had already shot in front of the man in black like an arrow.

The man was stunned, and he could only take a hurried breath and cross his arms before his chest.

Acute pain shot through his arms, and it was as if he had been smashed by a heavy iron hammer. He stumbled back in retreat, and it took him great effort to finally halt his backward momentum. He was just about to shake his arms to relax them. However, like an unshakeable enemy, a streak of black had already leaped into the air and used his knee to attack his slightly open chest.

The burly man flew back with a crack. He was genuinely wounded this time.

When blood rushed into the man’s throat, he finally came to his senses. His mind became even clearer than before. At the end of the day, he was a genuine third tier martial artist. With how unexpectedly vicious the young boy was, the man felt like the young boy was most likely reaching his limit already. Thus, after he borrowed this momentum and thudded to the deck in the distance, it would probably be time for him to quickly jump to his feet and face the enemy.

However, the young boy in straw sandals was like a light breeze gliding through the mountains and rivers.

His speed increased instead of decreased, and he instantly arrived beside the man who was still yet to fall to the deck. Chen Ping’an swung a fist at the man’s head.

Bam!

The man in black was ruthlessly smashed into the deck. Because his landing was so heavy, he even bounced up a little before thudding back down again.

He vomited a large mouthful of blood and fell unconscious just like that. As a third tier martial artist, he had failed to launch a single punch or attack from the beginning to the end.

The only fortunate thing was, the young boy immediately stopped and retracted his foot that was mere inches from the man’s face after seeing that he had fallen unconscious.

Everything had taken place in the blink of an eye.

The middle-aged man in Confucian robes had barely managed to turn around, and he remained frozen in a position where his head was still half-turned. His expression was as if he had fallen into a pile of manure.

The woman was deathly pale, and the small child in her arms was also gaping in shock.

Meanwhile, their servants were still yet to come to their senses.

Chen Ping’an glanced at the man in black beside his feet. After confirming that the man couldn’t launch a sneak attack, he shot a glance at the middle-aged man in Confucian robes before turning around and resting his gaze on the woman. “Can we speak reason now?” he asked slowly.

The terrified woman suddenly looked at the middle-aged man and shrieked, “Ma Jingfu might be a fancy-looking but useless piece of trash, but as a formal official of the Great Li Empire, are you also going to do nothing and act like a piece of trash?! Hurry up and reveal your identity!”

The man turned around and pointed at Chen Ping’an, bellowing, “Impudence! I’m the county magistrate of Wanping County which is located at the end of the Embroidered Flower River! Right now, I’m traveling over to take up duty at my office…”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to the embarrassed and angry man. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the woman.

The woman had slandered them as motherless filth, and she had also said that she wanted to kidnap Li Baoping to use her as a maidservant.

Chen Ping’an remembered this very clearly.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t someone who didn’t hold grudges. If others hurt him by accident, he would indeed endure it and let it pass. However, there were some things that he definitely had to take revenge for. As long as he didn’t exact revenge, he would keep these grudges in mind forever. If he lived for 100 years, then he would remember these grudges for 96 years!

A’Liang had once smiled and asked him where the remaining years had gone. Perhaps Chen Ping’an had eaten them?

However, Chen Ping’an’s expression had been serious when he replied that he had still had parents when he was four years old. Moreover, he was also immature before that, so these four years couldn’t be counted.

Chen Ping’an dashed forward like a gust of wind again, throwing a kick and causing the woman to stumble back and fall to the deck, the small boy still in her arms.

Compared to her subordinate Ma Jingfu, however, she felt more fear than she did pain.

Chen Ping’an shot a cold glance at the brocade-robed child.

The middle-aged man let loose a torrent of abuse, roaring, “Preposterous! You’re unwilling to forgive even women and children? Such vagrant and scoundrel behavior! What an absolute lunatic!”

Chen Ping’an walked toward the man and said, “As long as one is a person, they need to understand facts and reason once they reach an age where they’re able to understand things. Could I care less whether you’re a man or woman, old or young?”

The man in Confucian robes shuffled back in retreat. However, he continued to point at Chen Ping’an and threaten in a quivering voice, “I’m going to indict you for a serious offense! I’m going to throw you into jail for the rest of your life!”

Right at this moment, someone on the second level said in a solemn voice, “Young boy, you’ve taken things too far. Teaching that martial artist subordinate a lesson was already punishment enough. I urge you to stand back. If you insist on continuing, and if you dare to commit more violence with your measly abilities, then I’ll have no option but to stop you even though I’m not an official of the imperial court. I’ll have to help the county magistrate arrest you to face trial. Doing this won’t be difficult at all.”

Chen Ping’an turned around to look in the direction of the voice, only to see an elder in azure standing at the front of the ship on the second level. Standing beside him was a man in white with a sword hanging by his waist. This man was currently resting with his eyes closed.

Chen Ping’an retracted his gaze and said to the man who claimed to be the county magistrate, “Apologize to us.”

However, the man immediately regained his courage after seeing someone stick up for him, and he fumed, “In your dreams! When we arrive in the jurisdiction of Wanping County, I’ll show you criminals the law of the Great Li Empire!”

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath and repeated, “Apologize!”

The man in Confucian robes flinched and looked up at the second level, shouting, “Please bravely assist me in my righteous cause, elder! I’ll definitely thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

The old man remained expressionless when he heard this. He looked at Chen Ping’an’s back and said, “Young boy, this is my final warning to you. Stop where you are and cease your actions at once!”

Chen Ping’an signaled to Lin Shouyi with his eyes, telling him not to act rashly for the moment. He then turned around and asked, “Senior, what were you doing just then?”

The old man smiled calmly and replied, “I was naturally watching on with folded arms. Of course, I would have definitely stepped forward to help if the county magistrate genuinely dared to forcefully kidnap an innocent little girl.”

“Then what about them trying to kill our donkey? Will you stop them from doing this?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The old man couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “I’m not a benevolent Bodhisattva who helps all beings in need, so I naturally wouldn’t step forward to stop them from doing this. It’s only a donkey, after all.”

“So who’s being unreasonable then?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The old man faltered for a moment, and there was surprisingly some hesitation on his face. After a brief moment, he replied, “You children… are probably the ones in the right. However, being in the right doesn’t mean that you can act wantonly and do as you please, young boy.”

In the end, Chen Ping’an said, “Is asking them to apologize equivalent to acting wantonly and doing as we please? Old mister, it seems like our idea of what’s reasonable is not quite the same.”

The old man roared with laughter, saying, “Then this old man truly wants to see whether your notion of reason is superior to my notion of reason.”

With his arms naturally hanging by his sides, Chen Ping’an nodded in acknowledgment and imperceptibly shook his wrists. He then pointed at the man in white who had already opened his eyes and asked, “You want to rely on him, right?”

Lin Shouyi understood Chen Ping’an’s intentions, and his lips immediately moved slightly.

A ball of anger had already formed in the old man’s chest long ago, and it was just that he maintained a calm smile on his face. He nodded and said, “What, you’re dissatisfied?”

The old man turned to the subordinate swordsman next to him and said, “Baijing, it appears like that young lad thinks his fists can speak more reason than your Spirit Void Sword.”

The corners of the white-robed swordsman’s lips curled up into a faint smile of derision.

Right at this moment, an unexpected change suddenly befell them.

Before the passengers on the ship could even contemplate the weight behind the name “Spirit Void Sword”, it was as if someone had already appeared and grabbed onto the neck of the white-robed sword immortal. He was sent flying from the second level of the ship, and he drew a beautiful arc through the air before finally crashing head-first into the Embroidered Flower River. There was a huge splash, and the swordsman didn’t float back to the surface even after a long time. No one knew whether he was dead or alive.

The middle-aged man in Confucian robes was terrified, and as he looked at the young boy who was already starting to walk up to the second level, he hurriedly tried to rectify the situation. “I’m sorry, it was all my fault! It was all this official’s fault!”

Chen Ping’an arrived before the old man. Right now, the wincing old man was the only person left at the bow of the ship on the second level.

The old man gulped when he saw the young boy approach him.

“Old mister, you’ve lived for so many years, so one would think that you understand far more things than someone like me. However, has your understanding of reason been eaten by a dog?” Chen Ping’an asked quietly.

The old man was just about to speak, yet it was as if a large white fish was suddenly leaping out from the Embroidered Flower River. As it turned out, the white-robed swordsman had been tossed back onto the second level of the large ship.

The old man bent down. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t help but hesitate.

Meanwhile, the young boy had already left and returned to the first level.

The man in Confucian robes ordered everyone in his family to obediently stand in a line and apologize when the young boy in straw sandals walked past them.

“That’s good enough,” Chen Ping’an said to the man. “However, I know that you actually feel a strong desire to kill all of us.”

The man’s knees buckled, and he almost wanted to kneel down to the young boy.

Chen Ping’an paid them no more heed.

He returned to the bow of the ship where he sat down.

Li Baoping raised a thumb at him.

Lin Shouyi remained sitting with his back against the rails, a calm expression on his face.

Li Huai was filled with guilt, and his hands were tightly wrapped around the leash of the white donkey. It was clear that he was afraid of causing more trouble for Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an carefully pondered for a moment before saying softly, “I need to be more diligent in practicing the fist technique in the future. And Lin Shouyi, if it’s possible, you shouldn’t slack off when cultivating either.”

Lin Shouyi smiled and said with a nod, “I know.”

“I’m sorry, Chen Ping’an,” Li Huai said quietly.

Chen Ping’an looked up at him and chuckled, “You already offered the only apology that you needed to offer. If you’re apologizing for the trouble that happened afterward, then there’s no need to do so. If you’re not in the wrong, then you don’t need to apologize. This is the same case with everyone. As we continue to travel to Great Sui Nation, we won’t provoke any trouble just like always. However, if trouble seeks us out, then we definitely won’t be afraid of it either! Can you do this, Li Huai?”

Tears brimmed in Li Huai’s eyes, and he straightened his back and puffed out his chest and exclaimed, “I can!”

However, a smile quickly returned to the little boy’s face, and he said, “Chen Ping’an, you’re fairly capable! You were extremely ferocious when you fought just then. Why don’t I also call you junior uncle in the future?”

Chen Ping’an shot a glance at him.

“We’ll discuss this in the future!” Li Huai immediately added.

“If — I’m saying if — we truly come across opponents who we can’t defeat in the future, then we should yield and apologize as quickly as we can. This isn’t shameful or embarrassing. After all, staying alive is the most important thing.”

Li Baoping crossed her arms and leaned on her small bookcase and huffed in anger, “Junior uncle, this isn’t right!”

Lin Shouyi immediately disagreed with her, saying, “I think it’s fine.”

Li Huai chuckled and said, “I’ll just listen to my future junior uncle.”

In the Embroidered Flower River, the Yin god who was swimming alongside the ship like a fish gave a smile.

1. A feudal concept where ministers died to show loyalty when their emperor was humiliated. ☜