Unsheathed

The next morning, Chen Ping’an’s trio continued their journey, trudging through the wind and the snow. Chen Ping’an was leading the way from the front, and all of a sudden, he paused in his walking meditation.

“I wonder who Master is thinking of,” the little girl in pink mused in a quiet voice.

“In this god awful weather, Master is probably thinking about finding a scenic location to take a shit so that his arse wouldn’t get frostbite,” the little boy in azure said in a lazy voice.

“That’s disgusting!” the little girl in pink protested in an angry voice.

“What can I say? The truth hurts sometimes,” the little boy in azure sighed.

————

This year, it was particularly lively and bustling in Southern Stream Nation, and a massive ceremony had only just concluded.

On the border of Southern Stream Nation was a mountain that extended all the way up into the clouds, and behind that mountain was a forest. A young Daoist nun was slowly walking along a small path in the forest, holding a vibrant green bamboo stick in her hand, and trailing along behind her was a white deer that had a particularly intelligent gleam in its eyes.

A white-robed man with a longsword strapped to his back was walking along beside her, and there was a dejected look on his face.

“I already told you this more than once before: I won’t necessarily dislike you if you’re only at the Lower Five Tiers, but there’s also no guarantee that I’ll like you even if you reach the Upper Five Tiers,” the Daoist nun said with a hint of exasperation on her face. “We are simply not meant to be, Wei Jin, so why are you unwilling to give up on me? How about you tell me what you need me to do for you to be willing to give up on

The fact that a Daoist nun like her was speaking in such a direct and straightforward manner about this subject indicated that she really was beginning to grow rather annoyed by the man’s persistent advances.

The man was none other than Wei Jin, the prodigious swordsman of Wind Snow Temple’s Divine Platform.

When it came to cultivators, there was a hierarchy even among prodigies, and the fact that Wei Jin had reached the 11th tier at such a young age meant that he was definitely among the cream of the crop, even in the context of cultivating prodigies.

At this moment, Wei Jin was looking extremely deflated, completely unlike someone who had just reached the Upper Five Tiers. A wry smile appeared on his face as he asked, “Is it because you already have someone that you like? Is it that senior uncle from your sect?”

The young Daoist nun stopped in her tracks, and the exasperation on her face grew even more pronounced as she turned to Wei Jin and scoffed, “Wei Jin! How could you be so unreasonable!”

Wei Jin’s expression remained unchanged, but he was feeling a little indignant. However, he didn’t know how to explain himself or take back what he had just said, so he decided to remain silent for now. Even in his current dejected state, in the eyes of others, he was still one of the top rising young swordsmen under the heavens, but unfortunately for him, that wasn’t enough to win the young Daoist nun’s heart.

Love was the most unreasonable thing under the heavens. Wei Jin wasn’t the first person to be frustrated by matters related to love, and he most definitely wasn’t going to be the last, either.

“Let me ask you one final question, He Xiaoliang,” Wei Jin said in a gentle voice.

“Go ahead,” He Xiaoliang replied with a nod.

Wei Jin hesitated for a moment, then directed his gaze elsewhere as he said in a slightly raspy voice, “You’re someone who takes fate very seriously. If you finally meet the person that you’re fated to be with someday, would you choose to become their Dao partner for the sake of your so-called Great Dao, even if, deep down in your heart, you don’t actually love him?”

The entire world fell silent, and in that instant, it was as if even the breeze blowing through the forest had become stagnant.

“I would,” He Xiaoliang replied with a smile.

The final glimmer of hope in Wei Jin’s eyes completely faded upon hearing this, and he continued to look away from He Xiaoliang as tears began to well up in his eyes. “If you become Dao partners with someone you don’t love, you won’t be happy, even if you and your Dao partner become the envy of the entire world. I don’t want to see you unhappy, He Xiaoliang.”

He Xiaoliang heaved a faint sigh, and even though a hint of melancholy had appeared in her eyes, her Dao Heart remained as resolute as ever. “Wei Jin, even if such a day does come, and I do become discontent with my life, I still won’t ever regret my decision, and I certainly won’t fall in love with you instead.”

“Is that so?” Wei Jin murmured in a quiet voice.

He Xiaoliang turned to depart, while Wei Jin continued to linger in the forest.

She wasn’t going to regret anything, but he was already regretting asking such a stupid question that was only ever going to hurt both He Xiaoliang and himself.

A young Daoist priest emerged from the forest, accompanied by a pair of large fish that were swimming through the air, one azure and one red.

Wei Jin withdrew his gaze, and only after He Xiaoliang was far away from him did he dare to look at her departing figure.

The young Daoist priest was none other than the Golden Boy of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s current generation of Golden Boy and Jade Girl, and Wei Jin said to him in a cold voice, “I’ll kill you if you dare to tell anyone about this.”

The young Daoist priest was rather wary of Wei Jin, considering he was an 11th tier swordsman, but this forest was on the mountain right behind his sect.

He wasn’t doubting the fact that Wei Jin would be willing to attack him at the drop of a hat. However, he was confident that even if Wei Jin did attack him, he would be able to survive. Hence, he scoffed, “Is it not unbecoming of an 11th tier swordsman of Wind Snow Temple to be issuing threats like this in our Divine Edict Sect?”

The young Daoist priest had made sure to put extra emphasis on the words “Divine Edict Sect”.

Among the three Daoist sects of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Divine Edict Sect of Southern Stream Nation was ranked at the top, receiving the vast majority of incense and offerings.

Last time, he and He Xiaoliang had made their way up north to travel to Jewel Small World of the Great Li Empire, and in all of the places that they passed through, all of the mortal emperors, True Lords, and terrestrial gods that they encountered had treated them with the utmost respect without exception.

Divine Edict Sect was situated on the border of Southern Stream Nation, and it had sole ownership over one of the 72 blessed lands, the Limpid Pond Blessed Land. Its sect master, Qi Zhen, was a True Lord in four different nations and possessed unfathomable powers.

He was one of the few true immortals on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and even though Divine Edict Sect was considered to be one of the lower sects of their branch of Daoism, Qi Zhen would’ve still been regarded as an extremely important figure even if he had gone to formal sect on the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

This Golden Boy just so happened to be Sect Master Qi Zhen’s most prized disciple, while his senior sister, He Xiaoliang, was a disciple of Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman, who was the senior brother of Sect Master Qi Zhen. In contrast with Qi Zhen, Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman had no lofty ambitions, and He Xiaoliang was the only disciple that he took under his wing.

Back when He Xiaoliang first entered Divine Edict Sect, no one had known of her. Her aptitude wasn’t anything remarkable, and her background had also been rather mundane. Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman was the only one who had taken a liking to her, and in hindsight, it was clear that everyone else had misjudged her.

Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman was the only one to have identified this diamond in the rough, and as a matter of fact, he didn’t even have to polish this raw diamond much. He Xiaoliang was blessed with immense fortune, and she enjoyed a meteoric rise without requiring much support from her master, making such swift progress in her cultivation that she quickly became the envy of the entire sect.

As the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there was a very good chance that they would become Dao partners, and that would’ve been true even if they hadn’t been in the same sect. All of the sects on the continent would’ve been eager to facilitate such a marriage.

Throughout the entire near-thousand-year history of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, there had only been three instances of the Golden Boy and the Jade Girl emerging from the same sect, including this one, and in both of the previous cases, the Golden Boy and Jade Girl had gone on to become Dao partners who had both reached the Upper Five Tiers, and he certainly didn’t want to buck this trend.

Wei Jin turned to the young Daoist priest, and he was suddenly looking a little deflated as he said, “If your master, Qi Zhen, were here, perhaps I would be tempted to challenge him to a battle, but you’re not even worthy of seeing my sword.”

It was common knowledge that an 11th tier swordsman was entirely powerful enough to go toe to toe against a 12th cultivator, as long as they weren’t a Militarian cultivator.

Qi Zhen had already been stuck at the pinnacle of the 11th tier for many years, and the recently concluded ceremony had been held to celebrate the breakthrough that he had finally been able to make. This meant that Wei Jin and Qi Zhen were both Qi refiners who had only recently made breakthroughs, and if this had been any other setting, it would’ve been difficult to say who would’ve come out on top in a fight.

However, this was the territory of Divine Edict Sect, and it was riddled with countless formations, so Qi Zhen held all of the environmental advantages here. As such, he definitely couldn’t have been regarded as a normal 12th tier cultivator.

The young Daoist priest smiled as he goaded, “So what?”

Wei Jin had just been rejected by He Xiaoliang once again, so he was already in a foul mood, and he had no patience to stomach the young Daoist priest’s provocation.

“You asked for it,” Wei Jin said in an indifferent voice.

The young Daoist priest didn’t even see Wei Jin draw his sword before a streak of sword qi that was only just over an inch in length came swooping down toward the top of his head.

The young Daoist priest was just about to lose a life-saving talisman when he saw a hand that was as fair and smooth as jade reaching out above his head, catching that formidable streak of sword qi before it could descend upon him.

A small spurt of blood splashed through the air, appearing extremely out of place in this peaceful and tranquil forest.

Wei Jin took a glance at the unwelcome guest, then released the hilt of his sword and slowly turned to depart, leaving behind a threat as he did so. “You better watch yourself.”

A Daoist priest whose complexion was as fair as jade appeared in front of the Golden Boy, and he put down the hand that had just shielded the Golden Boy from Wei Jin’s sword qi. A deep gash that exposed the bone underneath had been sliced into the palm of his hand.

“Daoists like ourselves should be cultivating our minds and striving for self-improvement, so why goad others just for the sake of momentary self-satisfaction?” the Daoist priest questioned in a gentle voice.

“I’m sorry, Senior Uncle. I’ve seen the error in my ways,” the Golden Boy replied in a respectful manner.

The handsome and graceful Daoist priest smiled as he said, “If you see the error in your ways, then strive to be better. Don’t just apologize for the sake of it.”

An embarrassed look appeared on the Golden Boy’s face upon hearing this, and he replied, “I really am sorry, Senior Uncle. I’ll be sure to change myself for the better.”

The Daoist priest who was being referred to as senior uncle wasn’t actually that old, looking as if he wasn’t even 30 years of age, and he said with a smile, “Even if you don’t want to change, I can’t do anything about it. Your master is my senior brother and the sect master, so I can’t do anything to you.”

The Golden Boy had no idea what to say in response. Speaking with his senior uncle had always given him a massive headache, and the same applied to his master, Qi Zhen, as well.

A sullen look instantly appeared on his face as he said, “I’ll go transcribe a copy of the Daoist classics right away, senior uncle.”

The Daoist priest nodded in response. “You can transcribe a copy of the Luxuriant Dew Volume and give it to me in three days.”

The Golden Boy hurriedly departed with a pitiable look on his face. This task was undoubtedly going to take him three full days and nights to complete.

Following the Golden Boy’s departure, the Daoist priest took a step forward, instantly crossing a lotus pond to arrive by He Xiaoliang, and he said, “The pursuit of the Great Dao often conflicts with worldly emotions and desires. Have you made up your mind?”

“I have, Senior Uncle,” He Xiaoliang replied with a nod as she gently stroked the soft and furry back of the white deer beside her with a dejected look on her face.

The Daoist priest cast his gaze toward the lush and vibrant lotus leaves in the pond. It was already winter, so countless lotus leaves outside the mountain had already been killed by the frost, but all of the lotus leaves here were still thriving as if it were the height of summer.

“If it really does come to that, I’ll be sure to stand by your side,” the Daoist priest assured.

Instead of expressing any gratitude toward the Daoist priest, He Xiaoliang mused, “The Great Dao truly is heartless.”

The Daoist priest nodded in response. “The fact that you’ve come to realize this will only be beneficial to your cultivation.”

The reason why he was choosing to side with He Xiaoliang and oppose his senior brother, Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman, wasn’t because he pitied He Xiaoliang. Instead, it was because He Xiaoliang just so happened to be standing on the same Great Dao as him. Hence, even if He Xiaoliang and Enlightened Saint Profound Talisman were to switch positions one day, he would’ve still made the same choice.

He Xiaoliang set aside her train of thought as she smiled and asked, “Senior Uncle, who exactly is that guy that we jokingly refer to as Junior Uncle Lu? He’s been staying at the border of Southern Stream Nation for close to a year now.”

The Daoist priest shook his head in response. “I’m unable to see through that person, but seeing as he wants to refer to me as his senior brother and he beat me in that game of go, I’ll just have to let him do as he pleases.

“All I managed to determine was that he was the crux of the death trap in Jewel Small World, but what Qi Jingchun did came as a surprise to everyone, so in the end, he was unable to find an opportunity to strike. On top of that, I know that he has some ties to the formal sect above our Divine Edict Sect, but that’s the extent of what I was able to uncover through my divination.”

He Xiaoliang couldn’t help but feel a little spooked upon hearing this.

Even though all of the Sages had quickly concealed the battlefield on which Qi Jingchun had made his final stand, He Xiaoliang had personally witnessed the beginning of that battle. On top of that, she had also felt the aftereffects of the battle.

By the time she was able to sense what was happening, the battle had already drawn to a conclusion, yet she had still been astonished by what she had felt, and at the same time, her resolve to pursue the Great Dao had been further bolstered.

The world was so vast and those who stood at the top of the world were so mighty. She wanted to see the world for herself and reach those lofty heights someday.

The Daoist priest smiled as he said, “There’s no need to overthink things, everything will naturally fall into place.”

After that, he began to slowly walk along the bank of the lotus pond, seemingly contemplating something.

The Daoist priest was considering some of the most fundamental questions under the heavens, such as why there was rain, why humans were considered to be above all other creatures, why the moon went through a cycle of wholeness, and why blessed lands existed. These subjects were generally considered by the average person to be too boring to talk about, but that was only because they knew far too little of those matters to be able to speak about them.

He Xiaoliang looked on at the Daoist priest with a hint of inferiority in her heart.

Her inferiority had nothing to do with the disparity in cultivation base and seniority between them. Instead, it stemmed from the fact that he had already gone far further down the Great Dao than she had, despite his young age.

He had reached such lofty heights that she had no choice but to look up to him while being reminded of just how unworthy she was.