Unsheathed

Standing on the tall stage in the middle of the lake, the beautiful woman in colorful robes who had transformed from a yellow talisman paper looked around with her lively and attractive eyes. How could she be a lifeless puppet? She was clearly a living and breathing beauty!

The old immortal was standing on the edge of the stage, and he retrieved a small pink porcelain bottle from his sleeve under the watchful gazes of everyone. Pulling the cork from the bottle, he casually tossed it toward the center of the stage. The bottle rolled to someplace near the feet of the beautiful woman in colorful robes, and after remaining silent for a moment, the sound of a guqin melodiously traveled out from the bottle.

It was as if a guqin grandmaster were present on the stage and gracefully playing the instrument. If a guqin master were present, they would be able to discern the slow rhythm of the starting tune. Following the introduction of music, the beautiful woman in colorful robes slowly stretched her body, and her long sleeves looked like flowing iridescent clouds.

The guqin paused momentarily, and the beautiful woman in colorful robes also stopped her movements. She maintained a playful posture with her legs crossed over each other.

She stood lightly on her tiptoes in her pink embroidered shoes, as if her feet were young lotus buds revealing their tips.

The rhythm of the guqin gradually picked up, and the graceful dance of the beautiful woman sped up as well. Her hips swayed like the gentle breeze, and a single backward glance from her would be filled with captivating charm.

When the guqin became chaotic and forceful, it was as if a large handful of pearls were pitter-pattering onto a jade plate.

The old immortal smiled faintly, and he suddenly lifted his two sleeves and caused four yellow paper talismans to float out from each sleeve. These paper talismans transformed into plumes of azure smoke when they hit the ground, hiding the beautiful woman from the view of the audience. They could only hear the rapid tune of the guqin, yet they couldn’t see the figure of the beautiful woman in colorful robes. This caused them to become slightly anxious, yet it also caused them to become increasingly eager and excited.

The notes of the guqin suddenly turned exuberant, like water splattering out of a fallen silver vase[1].

It was also at this instant that eight beautiful young women in flowing white robes suddenly appeared amid the faintly discernible azure smoke. With the woman in colorful robes in the middle, the eight ethereal-looking young women leaped outward with swords in their hands. At the same time, they gave a strange shout in unison as if they were ancient tribe members performing a ritual to honor their god. However, this didn’t ruin their elegant demeanor at all, and it instead gave off a valor no inferior to the bravest of men.

Sitting in the waterside pavilion, the eyes of the middle-aged general responsible for the garrison near Blusher Prefecture immediately lit up. He was quite astonished by this performance. He had initially accepted the invitation and come here out of respect, but after seeing this magnificent sight, he couldn’t help but applaud and sing praises of the performance.

“What a brilliant demonstration of heavy cavalry charging into battle! The young women leaping forward with swords in hand were especially brilliant in their ability to capture the fearsome aura of this scene. This is indeed a difficult and impressive achievement.”

Prefectural Overseer Liu stroked his beard and nodded with a smile, concurring, “It is indeed quite remarkable.”

The tune of the guqin soared through into the sky afterward, as if there were spring thunder rolling through the sea of clouds. The eight sword-wielding young women in white robes continued to dance with the woman in colorful robes in the middle, and they spun around incredibly quickly and thrust their swords forward with agility and vigor.

Meanwhile, the beautiful woman in colorful robes purposely slowed down, her movement now in stark contrast with the eight young women in white. Moreover, there were many times when the young women in white leaned back and thrust their swords backward, with the tips of their swords stopping only an inch or so from the woman in colorful robes. Their movements were extremely risky, yet the beautiful woman in colorful robes remained smiling like a dazzling flower the entire time.

The scene on the tall stage in the middle of the lake had the beauty of flowing clouds and rippling water, and it also had a charm that was both heart-stopping and soul-stirring.

The old immortal smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, “Come back!”

The graceful movements of the beautiful women on the stage were extremely quick, and blades of snow-white sword light continued to sweep toward the surroundings. This sword light would illuminate the faces of some guests from time to time, and many of them would be so scared that they would immediately cover their faces with their hands. It was also at this moment that the old immortal issued his command.

The eight young women in white suddenly stopped their movements and transformed back into pieces of yellow paper talismans. They hovered in the air, and when the old immortal waved his hand, they immediately flew into his sleeves like swallows returning to their nest.

The beautiful woman in colorful robes bent down and retrieved the pink porcelain bottle before gracefully walking over to the old immortal and handing it back to him. She then flashed a beautiful smile toward the waterside pavilion, and only after that did she transform into a roughly drawn yellow paper talisman like the eight young women in white. The old immortal carefully placed the talisman inside his sleeve.

This skillful performance by the old immortal from afar astonished everyone sitting around the lake. All of the wealthy people who had traveled over from all over Blusher Prefecture were stunned by this performance, and some local “esteemed immortals” who had initially wanted to challenge the old immortal no longer had the face or confidence to jeer and boo.

Zhang Shanfeng leaned forward to get around the son of the prefectural overseer sitting between him and Xu Yuanxia, and he asked in a soft voice, “Big Brother Xu, were you able to determine their true identities? Are they ghosts or demons? In any case, my demon-detecting bell didn’t ring at all.”

The big-bearded martial artist ignored the young Daoist priest’s question, and he rubbed his chin and mumbled, “In terms of their figures, the young woman in white who had a mole next to her mouth was no inferior to the woman in colorful robes.”

Liu Gaohua was still filled with astonishment, and he murmured to himself, “Such incredible mystical abilities. No wonder the notes written in the books always express people’s desires to enter the mountains to visit immortals. If I can learn this mystical ability, then will I still need to visit brothels and drink flower wine in the future?”

The big-bearded martial artist finally came to his senses, and he asked Zhang Shanfeng, “Chen Ping’an still isn’t back yet? He didn’t fall into the toilet, did he?”

“Chen Ping’an isn’t interested in these things, so maybe he secretly ran away to practice his fist stances,” the young Daoist priest replied in exasperation.

Xu Yuanxia nodded in wholehearted agreement. “Chen Ping’an is definitely able to do such things to spoil the fun. In fact, we can ask Young Master Liu to take us to those lovey-dovey places afterward. After experiencing those things, I guarantee that Chen Ping’an will feel a strong urge to squat right next to the stage in the middle of the lake the next time there’s a performance.”

There was a troubled expression on Liu Gaohua’s face, and he said, “Chivalrous Xu, I’m so poor that there’s nary a decoration in my house. You guys have seen the state of my residence as well. I did occasionally visit those places in the past, but that was because I was dragged over by my friends. To put things bluntly, the girls were initially willing to flatter me and actively serve me because I’m the son of the prefectural overseer. After a while, however, they all started to deride me as a stingy cheapskate behind my back. They’re stopping just short of showing an attitude to my face.”

“As the son of a powerful official, you’ve actually managed to reduce yourself to such a state? That’s quite impressive of you, Liu Gaohua,” the big-bearded martial artist teased. “What, you haven’t had any success with your studies, and you’re unable to inherit your father’s position, but you’re unwilling to give up some face to accumulate wealth another way? So, in the end, you choose neither option and just aimlessly seek entertainment every day?”

A look of dejection appeared on Liu Gaohua’s face, and he said in self-ridicule, “If I weren’t the only son in the family, and if my father weren’t hoping for me to continue our bloodline, then he would have at most written a eulogy for me if I had died in that ancient residence. His eulogy would definitely be filled with tears and emotions, and it would definitely become famous among scholars and literati. In reality, however, the relationship between us is only so-so.”

Xu Yuanxia peeled a mandarin and offered half of it to Liu Gaohua. He didn’t say anything to console the prefectural overseer’s son.

It was because the young man was living a peaceful life where he didn’t need to worry about food or shelter that he felt like everything was a struggle.

When true hardships struck, however, he would quickly realize that this kind of struggle was, in fact, no struggle at all.

Zhang Shanfeng was slightly worried about Chen Ping’an, and he was just about to stand up and head off to look for him. However, the corridor was already flooded with people and impossible to navigate through, so he had no option but to give up.

————

After arriving at a quiet location, Chen Ping’an stopped seven or eight steps away from the exterior wall of the residence.

The young boy in black remained squatting on the wall with an amused look in his eyes. He looked Chen Ping’an up and down, and he said in the dialect of Dragon Spring Prefecture, “During our battle by the stream back then, I was unable to discern the power of your fists. Looking back at it now, I was indeed careless when I fought you in the immortal tomb. My loss wasn’t completely unwarranted.”

To hear one’s native tongue in a foreign land…

However, Chen Ping’an didn’t feel happy at all.

This young boy in black was none other than Apricot Blossom Alley’s Ma Kuxuan. Back then, he had been taken as a disciple by True Martial Mountain, one of the Militarian ancestral forces in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

During their battle in the immortal tomb, Ma Kuxuan had purposely held back and accumulated his power with the goal of killing both him and Ning Yao in a single breath. However, it was because of this that Chen Ping’an had found the opportunity to almost kill him using the skirt dagger that he had borrowed from Ning Yao. Yet, it was at that critical moment that the powerful cultivator from True Martial Mountain had stepped forward to block his attack. As a result, Chen Ping’an had failed to kill Ma Kuxuan.

There was a handful of brined soybeans in Ma Kuxuan’s hand. He tossed them into his mouth one after another and enjoyed them with relish.

While cultivating in True Martial Mountain, he had initially been worried that this young boy from Clay Vase Alley would have died already or become nothing more than a measly mortal. If that were the case, then it would feel extremely unfulfilling when he finally managed to exact revenge.

During the past year or so, Ma Kuxuan had entered True Martial Mountain to train with his second master. He had made a huge name for himself during this time, and it could be said that he had become famous throughout dozens of nations around True Martial Mountain. Who in these nations didn’t know about this one-in-a-century prodigy from True Martial Mountain? Which Militarian elder or ancestor dared to shoot a sideways glance at him simply because of their seniority or power?

Facing no obstructions whatsoever, he had advanced three tiers in just one short year. Right now, he was already at the peak stage of the fifth tier, the Furnace Molding Tier. This was absolutely terrifying.

Ma Kuxuan had engaged in no fewer than sixteen battles against opponents of the same cultivation on True Martial Mountain, and he had achieved victory in each and every one.

However, it was a shame that his trip to the outside world this time could only be regarded as freely exacting revenge and repaying debts of gratitude based on his whims. He was still unable to break through the barrier of the fifth tier and advance to the Middle Five Tiers. Thus, Ma Kuxuan was in a fairly bad mood.

He had told his master to return to True Martial Mountain first, and he had said that he wanted to wander around the outside world to relax his mind. He wanted to look for some grandmasters at the Three Qi Tempering Tiers to practice his techniques, and he wanted to see whether these battles could help him shatter his barrier and advance to the next tier.

However, even without using the many immortal treasures that he had obtained as rewards, gifts, or wagers, Ma Kuxuan had still been unable to find a genuine martial arts grandmaster after traveling through half a dozen small nations. Most of them had been martial artists at the fourth tier or fifth tier fishing for fame, and none of them had been able to withstand more than a few punches from him.

Ma Kuxuan continued to snack on his brined soybeans as he chuckled, “Chen Ping’an, by the looks of it, you’ve set your mind on becoming a pure martial artist? In fact, this doesn’t matter too much. If you’re lucky, the Great Li Empire might become interested in you once you become a sixth tier martial artist. At that time, you can choose to become a general with a bit of power and influence, and that can be considered bringing glory and honor to your ancestors.”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to this, and he directly asked, “Are you here to look for me? Or are you simply passing by?”

Ma Kuxuan broke into laughter, and it was as if he had heard the most hilarious joke in the world. He finally stopped laughing after much difficulty, and he tossed the remaining brined soybeans into his mouth before sneering, “I’m merely passing by. You truly overestimate yourself, Chen Ping’an. As for why I’m here? It’s because I heard about a peerless sword god who’s entered seclusion in Colorful Garment Nation for more than 30 years.

“Everyone praised his sword techniques as divine and godly, and they claimed that he was even more powerful than the immortals from the mountains. They lavished him with praise, saying that his sword rested not in his hands but in his heart and whatnot. I found him after much difficulty, yet he was unwilling to accept my challenge and said that he had already exited the cultivation world.

“I was furious when I heard this. I spent more than half a month looking for him, so how could he shoo me away just like that? However, no matter how I attacked him, he would simply dodge my attacks and refuse to engage in battle. He continued to run away just like that. Even if I caught up to him and smashed him to death with a single punch, that would have gone against my initial goal of looking for others to spar with.

“So, I came up with a plan and went out to look for his descendants. After killing two of them, I took their heads with me and went to look for the sword god again. He finally agreed to fight with me. However, he was only a sword-wielding martial artist at the fifth tier, so how could he live up to his title of sword god? What do you say, Chen Ping’an?”

In reality, Ma Kuxuan was someone of few words in True Martial Mountain. He definitely wasn’t someone who would go on and on without rest. Apart from experiencing occasional enlightenment, advancing to the next tier, or heading out to find others to fight or kill, he would spend most of his time cultivating in seclusion.

Apart from his teacher-in-name, there were two other old ancestors from True Martial Mountain who would train with him and teach him the true intent of Militarians. One was arranged by True Martial Mountain, and one had volunteered due to their interest in Ma Kuxuan. In fact, the latter viewed Ma Kuxuan as their successor.

Even Ma Kuxuan was unsure of why he felt like saying so much to Chen Ping’an. Of course, there were still more important things to do after saying all of this.

For example, having another fight!

1. The author is referencing ‘Song of the Pipa’ to describe the rhythm and emotions expressed by the guqin and the dancing women in the paragraphs before and after this. This is a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi, one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. ?