Unsheathed

Chapter 219 (2): Zhang Shan’s Poem

Due to their conflicting views on this matter, the letter was temporarily set aside. Initially, Divine Edict Sect had leaned more toward He Xiaoliang, seeing her verdict as the more appropriate course of action to take.

However, no one could’ve anticipated He Xiaoliang’s sudden departure from the sect shortly thereafter, and she had been so determined in her departure that she had even been willing to abandon her status as the Jade Girl of the continent. The Golden Boy had loved and admired He Xiaoliang for many years, and he seemed to have viewed that letter as the reason for her departure, so he was unwilling to even mention the subject from there onward.

On top of that, he had countless other things that he had to take care of, so he gave the letter to an external elder of the sect, telling him to assign some disciples who were traveling out of the sect for training purposes with the task of taking care of this matter, and that there was no need to consider the conflicting verdicts handed down by himself and He Xiaoliang.

Zhao Liu had eagerly pounced on this opportunity, traveling out of the sect to exact vengeance on Yang Huang, but the round-faced young woman had also heard about this matter from somewhere, and she decided to follow the group of Daoist priests in secret so that she could get away from the sect and take her mind off the Golden Boy who had turned down her confession.

She flew over a vast distance atop her flying sword, and she was thoroughly enjoying the experience. All of the high-and-mighty master martial artists and powerful itinerant cultivators that she encountered had immediately turned into sycophantic dogs as soon as they were informed of her status in Divine Edict Sect.

While it was true that she could’ve been lying to them, the precious lotus flower hat that she wore on her head and the golden jade pendant attached to her belt were clear indications of her status.

Following her emergence, both Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shan knew that the fate of Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing were no longer in their hands, so there was no point in speaking further about this matter.

Ultimately, the decision would have to be made by the young woman.

Yang Huang grabbed onto Zhuo Jing’s hand, then raised her head to face the young woman with a calm smile as he said, “Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing are willing to accept any punishment handed down by Senior Aunt Fu, whether it means we live or we die.”

The young woman took a glance at the couple.

One of them was as thin and gaunt like a skeleton, while the other was utterly hideous, so she simply couldn’t bring herself to feel any affection for them. Of course, she harbored no disdain for them, either.

She thought back to the pair of conflicting verdicts on the matter and heaved an internal sigh. Seeing as He Xiaoliang was no longer a member of Divine Edict Sect, the correct way to proceed would be to act according to the Golden Boy’s verdict.

With that in mind, she cleared her throat, then ordered, “Zhao Liu, take everyone to the illegal temple and take care of matters there. As for whether that means eradicating the temple yourself or contacting the local authorities to do so, that’s up to you.

“As for Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing, no punishment will be handed down to you as long as you don’t go around committing any nefarious deeds while claiming that you’re members of Divine Edict Sect. From this day forth, your actions have nothing to do with our Divine Edict Sect.”

Having delivered her verdict, the embarrassed young woman didn’t want to stay in this dark and decrepit place any longer, and she immediately flew away atop her flying sword at a blinding speed. Generally speaking, a swordsman riding atop a flying sword would gradually ascend upward in a slow curve, but the young woman was flying vertically upward, striking the beholder with the impression that she could fall off at any moment.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Yang Huang, and he called out in a loud voice, “Thank you for forcing back our enemies earlier, Senior Aunt Fu.”

Zhao Liu was extending a deep bow in the direction that the young woman had departed in, and after she had disappeared out of sight, he gave a cold harrumph before turning to leave in silence.

Instead of goading Zhao Liu and his juniors, Yang Huang cupped his fist in an apologetic salute as he said, “Farewell, esteemed immortals. An unsightly ghost such as myself doesn’t dare to escort you out of the courtyard.”

The young boy retrieved his demon-binding rope, then nodded in response, as did his twin sister.

Meanwhile, the little boy casually swaggered away, but as he was departing, he suddenly turned around and made a face at the tree spirit. “Ugly hag!”

With the crisis averted, Zhuo Jing was smiling with elation, but a heartbroken look immediately appeared on her face when she heard this. She turned her head to the side and covered her face with her hands, not daring to show her face any longer.

All of a sudden, the little boy stopped cold in his tracks, remaining completely still on the spot. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move, he simply didn’t dare to move.

Among the group of five Daoist priests, he was actually the most prized disciple of Divine Edict Sect. He possessed outstanding cultivation aptitude and was naturally endowed with superb instincts, placing him above the twins and certainly above the young swordsman who had already been stuck at the third tier for many years.

He quickly turned around, and his palms were sweating profusely as he gripped tightly onto his demon-suppressing wood. His gaze slowly roamed over the faces of the people present.

There was the hideous Zhuo Jing, the sickly Yang Huang, the saber-wielding Xu Yuanxia, the self-proclaimed Heavenly Master Zhang of Mount Longhu who was very likely a Daoist priest from Complete Reed Continent, and finally, there was the expressionless young boy with the wooden box on his back.

Everyone had merely brushed off his taunting of Zhuo Jing as nothing more than a mischievous gesture from a little boy, but Chen Ping’an had extended two of his fingers before making a subtle forward-thrusting motion.

The little boy gulped nervously, then forced a smile onto his own face as he politely waved farewell to Chen Ping’an. All the while, his instincts were screaming to him to get away from Chen Ping’an as soon as possible.

The little boy was feeling very much spooked as he rushed out of the courtyard.

From his perspective, the aura surrounding Chen Ping’an was one that should’ve only come from an old monster of the Middle Five Tiers, and one that had endured countless battles of life and death, at that.

The little boy didn’t consider goading Zhao Liu and the others to turn back and strike down Chen Ping’an and the others as there was simply no point in such a gesture.

On the path of cultivation, it was always best to have as few distractions from cultivation as possible, so unnecessary trouble was to be avoided at all costs.

As the little boy was rushing along, a faint smile appeared on his face, and his mood also began to improve.

Just as his master had told him, there really were powerful beings even in the mortal world, and he had just run into one such being! Once he returned to the sect, he was going to tell his master that he had encountered an old monster who was at least at the Golden Core Tier. Perhaps he was even a 10th tier Earth Immortal, but for some reason, he was shamelessly posing as a young boy.

The little boy was so enthused by this thought that he jumped up into the air and mused happily to himself, “This trip was definitely worthwhile!”

The twins walking through the corridor up ahead both turned around upon hearing this, and the little boy immediately adopted an indifferent expression as he put on a mature facade, walking along in a calm manner rather than continuing to skip around.

Back at the boudoir, Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing had been racked with fear and worry throughout the entirety of the recently concluded confrontation, but thankfully, they had managed to weather the storm. They held onto each other’s hands and exchanged a smile in silence, feeling as if all of their suffering had been worth it, and that their fortunes had finally taken a turn for the better.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shan turned to Chen Ping’an with a smile as he said, “Did you see that? That was a Sword Immortal! And she was so young too!”

Chen Ping’an could only respond with a slightly exasperated smile.

At this point, the rain had already subsided, and Zhan Shan looked up at the night sky as he sighed, “I really want to recite a poem.”

Xu Yuanxia burst into laughter. After this tumultuous process, a happy outcome had finally been reached.

This was a much more satisfying and joyful experience for Xu Yuanxia than slaying demons or drinking fine wine.

Meanwhile, the old woman who had been knocked unconscious finally woke up, and she immediately rushed into the courtyard and was very relieved to find her masters safe and well. Yang Huang turned to her with a smile and said, “It’s all in the past now. We’ll never have to worry about those cowardly scoundrels ever again.”

The old woman was initially dumbstruck to hear this, then immediately erupted into sobs of joy.

Zhuo Jing drifted over to the old woman’s side, draping an arm over her shoulders as she made some gentle sounds of comfort and reassurance.

Having just had a massive weight lifted from his shoulders, Yang Huang was completely revitalized, and a wide smile appeared on his face as he said, “Mr. Xu, Esteemed Immortal Zhang, Young Master Chen, if you’re not opposed to the idea, how about you give us the chance to show you some hospitality as your hosts? We can have a chat over a table to fine wine and good dishes.”

Xu Yuanxia nodded in response with a smile on his face, then turned to Zhang Shan and Chen Ping’an as he asked, “What do you two say?”

“That certainly sounds very appealing to me,” Zhang Shan replied with a smile of his own.

Chen Ping’an also smiled as he nodded in response, then patted the wine gourd strapped to his waist as he said, “If possible, I’d like to buy some wine from you.”

Yang Huang waved a dismissive hand, and all of a sudden, it was as if he had returned to his glory days as the prodigious disciple of Divine Edict Sect as he replied, “What do you mean, buy? We have some home-brewed wine that’s not exactly high quality, but I can assure you that it’s not lacking in taste. You can drink to your heart’s content tonight and take as much of the wine with you as you like when you leave! ”

Everyone erupted into laughter, and the dark and eerie atmosphere in the estate was instantly brightened.

For the first time, a wide smile appeared on the old woman’s face, and tears were still flowing down her face as she hurried into the kitchen to cook.

Meanwhile, Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing invited everyone into the main hall, and they began to chat with Xu Yuanxia about the things that he had seen along his journey.

Zhang Shan hesitated momentarily, then called out to Chen Ping’an, leading him into the corridor outside as he said in an apologetic voice, “I have to come clean with you, Chen Ping’an. My name is actually Zhang Shanfeng, not Zhang Shan. Sorry to keep this a secret from you for so long even though we’re friends.”

Chen Ping’an sat down onto the railing as he smiled and replied, “It’s always better to be safe than sorry when traveling on your own, so there’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

Zhang Shanfeng’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he replied, “I knew it! You’re also using a false alias as well, aren’t you? The name ‘Ping’an’ obviously has good connotations, but it’s honestly a little bit shallow and tacky…”

“It’s my real name!” Chen Ping’an snapped as he rolled his eyes in response.

An awkward look immediately appeared on Zhang Shanfeng’s face, and he was silent for a moment before a thought occurred to him. “By the way, what was that ball you gave me earlier?”

Chen Ping’an internally apologized to Zhang Shanfeng for the lie that he was about to tell, then replied, “Earlier, the battle taking place in the room across from the one that we were staying in was really loud, so I snuck out to take a look, and as it turned out, the scholar with the Chu surname was actually a tree spirit.

“He was killed by the… Sword Immortal, and he left behind that ball, which he was referring to as an armor pellet. The Sword Immortal didn’t seem to have been interested in the armor pellet, and after they left, I snuck over to pick it up.”

Chen Ping’an handed the armor pellet to Zhang Shanfeng again as he spoke.

“That Sword Immortal must’ve been that woman from Divine Edict Sect,” Zhang Shanfeng said as a look of realization appeared on his face, and he weighed the armor pellet in his hand for a moment to find that it wasn’t very heavy.

He then lowered his head to take a closer look, and he could see a tiny crack on the surface of the armor pellet. A solemn look appeared on his face as he handed the armor pellet back to Chen Ping’an and said, “This really does look a lot like the armor pellets of Militarianism, but this one seems to be severely damaged, there’s a crack on its surface.

“Even so, all armor pellets are extremely precious treasures, and I don’t know exactly how much this one is worth, but it’s no exaggeration to call them virtually priceless. Make sure you keep this hidden and don’t let anyone else see it. If you can find someone to repair it in the future, it’ll be equivalent to the best life-saving talismans out there!”

According to the scholar with the Chu surname, this armor pellet was an extremely valuable treasure from the imperial vault of Ancient Elm Nation, and it was worth 3,000 snowflake coins.

Instead of stowing the armor pellet back into the pocket treasure up his sleeve, Chen Ping’an said, “As you know, I’m a martial artist, and I specialize in fist techniques that have a focus on all-out attack and self-dependence, so I can’t allow myself to rely on external objects.

“Otherwise, my fist intent will be compromised, and that’ll have a detrimental effect on my cultivation. Hence, I don’t have much use for this armor pellet, so I’ll sell it to you for 300 snowflake coins. What do you say?”

Zhang Shanfeng shook his head vigorously as he replied with a self-deprecating smile, “This is an extremely precious treasure that would be a bargain for 1,000 snowflake coins, let alone 300. If I had enough assets, I would gladly sell everything in my possession to purchase it from you, but that price is simply beyond my reach. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been struggling just to fill my belly back on the Kun ship.”

Chen Ping’an tossed the armor pellet back to Zhang Shanfeng with a smile as he said, “In that case, you can pay me the 300 snowflake coins once you save up the money. Don’t be in such a hurry to refuse. Thinking about it, you’re so frail that even a storm was enough to almost make you fall ill.

“If we encounter even more demons and spirits in the future, how are we going to be able to fight them? If you put on the armor, our chances of beating any demons and spirits that we encounter will improve significantly, and if we reap any spoils from our battles, they’ll all go to me as a form of repayment for your debt. How does that sound?”

Zhang Shanfeng heaved a faint sigh, then carefully stowed away the armor pellet, something that he wouldn’t even have dared to dream of owning in the past. He sat down beside Chen Ping’an on the railing of the corridor, and the two of them stared up at the sky for a moment before Zhang Shanfeng broke the silence.

“Chen Ping’an…”

However, he didn’t say anything beyond that, and it seemed that he was lacking the words to articulate his emotions.

Chen Ping’an smiled as he said, “I wasn’t able to help you at all this entire time, but you haven’t looked down on me for it. Isn’t that what friends are for?”

Zhang Shanfeng scratched his head with a contemplative expression, and he felt a little better upon hearing this. Chen Ping’an saw him as a friend, and the feeling was very much mutual, so there was no need to be so pedantic in certain matters.

All of a sudden, a wide smile appeared on his face as he said in a loud voice, “With sideburns like halberds, the hero raises his saber against all forces of evil.”

Chen Ping’an smiled upon hearing this, and he knew that Zhang Shanfeng was praising Xu Yuanxia.

Zhang Shanfeng then continued, “The Daoist priest travels far and wide, searching for the ultimate truth.”

This expression was clearly dedicated to himself.

Zhang Shanfeng then turned to Chen Ping’an as he said, “I haven’t thought of any poetry phrases to describe you, but I’m sure inspiration will strike me at some point, and when it does, it’ll surely be very spectacular, I promise!”

Chen Ping’an was rather amused to hear this, and he didn’t want to dampen Zhang Shanfeng’s enthusiasm, so he could only nod in response.

Chen Ping’an jumped down from the railing, rushing toward the kitchen as he yelled, “I’m going to help out in the kitchen.”

Zhang Shanfeng was left sitting on his own with a myriad of emotions in his heart.

The sound of Xu Yuanxia’s laughter occasionally rang out from the main hall of the estate, and Zhang Shanfeng adopted a different posture, sitting with his back against a pillar and his arms crossed in front of his chest.

The thought of that tall mountain back home sprang into his mind, and he closed his eyes as he began to hum a tune that he had made up himself while gently swaying his head back and forth in a carefree fashion.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an was thinking back to his battle against the scholar with the Chu surname.

Through that battle, he had developed a rough idea of his own martial arts prowess. Out of all of the fist techniques that Cui Chan’s grandfather had taught him, the Deity Drumming Technique was the most powerful one.

Through the use of a land-shortening talisman, Chen Ping’an had ensured that the first punch struck its target. After that, all of his subsequent punches had also landed, but even so, the scholar with the Chu surname had still been able to withstand the barrage, albeit with the assistance of his armor pellet.

However, 20 punches of the Deity Drumming Technique was Chen Ping’an’s current limit, and he wasn’t able to throw even one more punch. Hence, if it hadn’t been for the flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd swooping in to save the day, he would’ve been completely at his scholar’s mercy.

Having been completely exhausted after using the Deity Drumming Technique, he would’ve been powerless to defend himself, and the tide of the battle would’ve instantly turned.

It most likely wouldn’t have been difficult for him to get away, but victory would’ve been completely out of his grasp.

The fact that he was able to pair his fist techniques with First and Fifteenth in a relatively flawless fashion was still a very encouraging sign, but deep down, Chen Ping’an wasn’t truly satisfied, feeling as if there were still something missing.

As for exactly what was missing, the answer to that question couldn’t have been simpler: his punches simply weren’t fast and powerful enough!

However, Chen Ping’an didn’t dwell on this thought for long. Fist technique practice and sword practice were both things that couldn’t be rushed. All he could do was take one step at a time, and eventually, he would reach the heights that he yearned for.

He patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to his waist with a smile as he said, “Thanks.”

Fifteenth immediately reacted to his gesture of gratitude, flying around in the Sword Nurturing Gourd in an elated fashion.

However, Chen Ping’an then continued, “Having said that, when you two come out in the future, can you not put on such a big show? It’s not like we’re engaging in a sparring match, where it would be proper etiquette to display your weapon before attacking. In a true battle against enemies, we should be more discreet and strike before the enemy even knows what’s hit them, wouldn’t you agree?”

Fifteenth instantly stopped cold in its tracks, seemingly a little displeased with Chen Ping’an’s constructive criticism, while First flew straight out of the Sword Nurturing Gourd and began wreaking havoc in Chen Ping’an’s acupoint.

Thankfully, this amount of pain was nothing to the current Chen Ping’an, and his smile remained unchanged as he jogged into the kitchen to help out with the cooking.

Controlling one’s bonded flying sword only resulted in mental exertion, and there was no need to use any True Qi. However, there was a limit on the distance over which a flying sword could strike down an enemy, and that was directly correlated to the cultivation base of the swordsman.

Furthermore, no shortcuts could be taken when it came to breaking through these flying sword distance bottlenecks, and the only way to do this for swordsmen was to advance in their cultivation base.

A martial artist like Chen Ping’an, who had just been mistakenly praised as a Sword Immortal, needed his Eighteen Stops Qi channeling technique to send his True Qi flowing through more acupoints in order to achieve the same thing.

First’s maximum radius was 100 feet, while Fifteenth’s was 80 feet.

Chen Ping’an gradually approached the kitchen as these thoughts were running through his mind.

How is Zhang Shanfeng a better name than Chen Ping’an?

He was a little disgruntled at the thought of Zhang Shanfeng referring to his name as shallow and tacky, but a smile then suddenly appeared on his face as he thought back to how everyone had praised him as a Sword Immortal.