Unsheathed

There was immense weight behind the golden city god’s words.

In fact, it was often the case that even virtuous scholars and noble scholars bestowed these titles by Confucian schools and academies wouldn’t dare to refer to themselves as “one with virtue”. There were three ways to immortality for scholars — to become a paragon of virtue, a paragon of achievement, or a paragon of words.

To become a paragon of virtue was the highest goal, and this was naturally the most difficult to achieve as well. The large majority of scholars could never achieve this, and they could only settle for the lower goal of becoming a paragon of achievements. In fact, many would have to settle for even less.

However, Chen Ping’an had only read a few books, so he was still lacking in knowledge regarding these things. As such, he was unable to understand the deeper meaning behind these words spoken by Shen Wen. Moreover, Shen Wen had spoken these words as a scholar from Colorful Garment Nation and not as the city god of the prefectural city.

Chen Ping’an naturally liked the azure wooden box, something that could calm his mind whenever he touched it. Now that he knew its contents, a seal personally engraved by some Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu’s Heavenly Master Residence, he naturally liked it even more. Who in the world wouldn’t like such a treasure? Chen Ping’an liked it very much!

However, liking it was one matter, and this didn’t mean that he could snatch it away from someone else. This had nothing to do with how fast he could throw punches, how high his martial arts cultivation base was, and how many flying swords he had. In fact, this adhered to the Confucian principle of self-restraint and following etiquette. However, Chen Ping’an was simply unaware of this reasoning and principle right now.

Shen Wen smiled and said, “You can keep the seal.”

City God Shen Wen became even happier upon seeing the slight puzzlement of the young immortal. Having enjoyed incense offerings for hundreds of years, he had seen all kinds of prayers, requests, and foolish asks from visitors to his temple. There was also hardship, sincerity, and helplessness.

In his lifetime, Shen Wen had been a loyal scholarly official who had only understood the notion of serving his nation. After becoming a city god, however, he had understood the mortal world more and more.

In fact, he would also become angry from time to time. He would be annoyed at those men and women who only knew how to burn incense and pray for help, yet never strived to help themselves. He would be frustrated at those wealthy merchants and lowly hooligans who were filled with sinister thoughts. He would also feel aggrieved at people’s misfortunes and feel angry at their lack of fight.

As he was about to disappear from the world for good, all of these people and matters floated through his mind one after another. The golden city god felt a plethora of mixed emotions as he looked at the young boy standing outside the door.

Shen Wen suddenly drew a breath and forcefully stabilized his dispersing figure a little. “The city god and scholar Shen Wen has one last request, but it’s completely up to you whether you do this or not. I don’t dare to force you.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “Please go ahead, City God.”

“If a wise emperor assumes the throne of Colorful Garment Nation in the future, could you please offer them some assistance?” Shen Wen asked. “Even if it’s only a small matter such as droughts or floods, could you please use your mystical abilities to help the residents of Colorful Garment Nation safely overcome these natural disasters if you’re coincidentally nearby? Just once, just once is enough.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “Rest assured, City God, I’ll definitely travel over to help Colorful Garment Nation if I hear that they’re in trouble, regardless of whether the emperor is virtuous or not. However, let me say this first. I’ll only act within my abilities. Please understand.”

“This is very good, this is already very good,” Shen Wen murmured with a gratified expression.

In reality, the golden city god of Blusher Prefecture felt a slight sense of guilt at this moment. This was because he was taking advantage of Chen Ping’an with his request. He was certain that the young boy in front of him would definitely reach great heights as long as no major problem affected his path of cultivation. If Chen Ping’an felt goodwill toward Colorful Garment Nation, then the later he helped them and the higher his cultivation base was, the more it would benefit Colorful Garment Nation.

Shen Wen looked at the gloomy sky outside the mountain lord temple. There was slight bitterness and pain in his heart, and he thought to himself, I, Shen Wen, can only do this much for Colorful Garment Nation.

After coming to his senses, he smiled and said, “I only explained half of the situation regarding the shards of gold statues just then. I explained their origin and grade. In terms of their use, they’re quite similar to… dragon-slaying techniques. They’re extremely useful, but the prerequisite to using them is also extremely stringent.

“If these shards are given to ordinary people, they’ll be completely useless even if there are dozens or hundreds of them. If the owner of these shards has a friend who’s cultivating godhood, however, then these golden shards will genuinely be priceless. They’ll be an extremely valuable type of connate spirit tool. If possessed by an emperor, these shards will also be the highest form of reward and bestowal toward mountain gods and river gods in their nation.

“Even if you can’t use them, you can sell these shards to those who understand their value when reaching someplace near the peak of the mountains. For example, you can sell them to powerful cultivators at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier. The price…is however much you ask for!”

Chen Ping’an committed all of this information to memory with a solemn expression.

Shen Wen smiled faintly and said, “Show me your hand.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly puzzled, but he still extended his hand.

Shen Wen reached up and grabbed at something in his chest. He then clenched his fist and extended it to Chen Ping’an. An item fell from his open hand into Chen Ping’an’s palm.

It was a golden object the size of a goose egg.

Chen Ping’an looked up and blinked at the city god.

Shen Wen smiled and explained, “Countless Militarian cultivators go to great lengths and face many difficulties when they travel to ancient battlefield ruins to search for yin souls. In reality, they’re searching for the heroic spirits and heroic souls of valiant warriors and war gods. I was a scholar, and the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation appointed me as the city god of Blusher Prefecture’s prefectural city after I died.

“My gold statue is of decent grade, but it can’t compare to those of city gods in the capitals of powerful empires. However, this gold statue scholarly core… It’s not inferior to that of any city god in the continent!”

At this moment, it was as if Shen Wen had returned to the time when he was twenty. After studying hard for more than a dozen years, he had just left the fields and entered the officialdom. He was filled with high spirits, and he had led the way into the imperial palace with the status of champion scholar from the imperial examination. His ambition wasn’t to bring glory to his clan and ancestors, but it was instead to bring smiles to the faces of all people in the nation.

A scholar, an official, and then a golden city god, Shen Wen felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders after he handed the scholarly core to the young boy. After meticulously guarding this area for hundreds of years, he could finally take a good long rest now.

Chen Ping’an kept his hand outstretched for a long time. Shen Wen laughed heartily and gently tapped the core with a finger. He smiled faintly and said, “The wings of a colored phoenix I don’t have, but the horn of tacit understanding is in my heart[1]. Young immortal, you should read more in the future!”

Chen Ping’an respectfully put the scholarly core away. He placed it inside his pocket treasure along with the azure wooden box.

He then bowed and paid respects to City God Shen Wen, following the etiquette of a junior scholar paying their respects to a senior scholar.

However, Shen Wen returned the gesture as an equal, not as a senior.

Chen Ping’an suddenly recalled something, and he strode inside the mountain lord temple and retrieved his mountain and water seals. “City God, my name is Chen Ping’an, and I’m from the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture,” he said softly. “My teacher, Mr. Qi, gave me this pair of seals, and he said that I could use them to stamp geomantic maps when I came across mountains and waters I fancied.

“There was dense yin energy at the unmarked graveyards before, so I asked for a geomancy map from the prefectural office. I stamped the area of the unmarked graveyards, and the fortune of mountains and rivers in that area genuinely seemed to change. Now that demonic cultivators are causing chaos in the prefectural city, will these seals still be effective? Can they suppress the demonic qi that’s hanging over the city?”

“Can I hold them for a moment?” Shen Wen asked with a serious expression.

“Of course,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

Shen Wen carefully accepted the mountain and water seals with both hands. He then held one seal in each hand as he lifted them high above his head. After looking at the engraved characters on the underside of the seals as well as the slightly red marks, Shen Wen took a deep breath and lowered his arm. “Did Mr. Qi tell you that there’s a shortcoming with this pair of priceless and profound immortal tools? Each time you use them to stamp something, they’ll lose a bit of their spiritual energy, all the way until they completely exhaust their spiritual energy. At that time, they’ll become nothing more than ordinary seals.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and replied with a grin, “Mr. Qi didn’t tell me about this.”

“Aren’t you afraid of the seals losing a big portion of their spiritual energy if you use them on the prefectural city?” Shen Wen asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like I’m wasting the spiritual energy of the seals or anything. I saw eight words in a travel journal published by Blusher Prefecture before — rivers clean, seas calm, seasons harmonious, yields abundant[2]. I especially liked this saying, and I even engraved the characters onto a bamboo slip. Moreover, I feel like this is the reason why Mr. Qi gave me the two seals. If Mr. Qi were here, he would definitely choose to do the same thing.”

Shen Wen sighed and said, “It’s a shame that the demonic cultivators are more focused on using sinister techniques to affect people’s minds and transmit diseases. This pair of mountain and water seals is quite extraordinary, but they won’t be able to improve the current situation much.

“Chen Ping’an, put the seals away. As I said before, you can help Colorful Garment Nation if a virtuous ruler assumes the throne in the future. If you’re coincidentally passing by, you can ask the emperor for a geomancy map of the capital. If you stamp that map, you can help the capital for at least a hundred years. Put the seals away, and remember to look after them well. Don’t take them out carelessly and don’t let other people see them.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly disappointed, but he could only do as he was told and put the seals away.

Looking at the young boy’s expression, Shen Wen didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. How could there be such a “stupid” child? Cultivators in the mountains were all like merchants seeking to maximize their profits. Perhaps some would care less about immediate losses, but they would be casting their gazes further and planning hundreds or thousands of years ahead. No matter what, they were still seeking to maximize their profits.

Shen Wen’s body became increasingly transparent and unstable, and he said in a solemn voice, “Chen Ping’an, just like you said a moment ago, you only need to act within your abilities when dealing with the demonic cultivators in the prefectural city. That will be enough.”

Chen Ping’an nodded, and he grabbed the wine gourd from his waist. He looked up at the sky with the city god.

“Hold on a moment. Did you say you were from the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture? Provinces, prefectures, and counties in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent generally won’t have the word ‘dragon’ in their names,” Shen Wen suddenly remarked.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “My hometown used to be Jewel Small World. After the small world shattered and fell to the ground, it was renamed to Dragon Spring Prefecture.”

Shen Wen faltered upon hearing this, and he asked in an uncertain voice, “Is the Mr. Qi that you speak of the Mr. Qi from Mountain Cliff Academy? The Scholarly Sage’s most prized disciple?”

There was a dejected expression on Chen Ping’an’s face as he replied, “Mhm, that’s him.”

Shen Wen dazedly glanced at the young boy from the Great Li Empire.

A pair of straw sandals, a wine gourd, flying swords, a pair of seals, a pure heart, and the name Chen Ping’an.

Shen Wen’s mouth became slightly parched, and he asked, “Chen Ping’an, are you Mr. Qi’s direct disciple?”

Chen Ping’an was extremely hesitant, but he ultimately decided to tell the truth. “Mr. Qi was unwilling to take me as a disciple. However, I came across the Scholarly Sage afterward, and it appeared like Mr. Qi wanted to take me as a disciple on behalf of the Scholarly Sage.

“However, I felt like I wasn’t even a scholarly student at that time, so I didn’t accept the offer to become the Scholarly Sage’s disciple. The Scholarly Sage didn’t get angry, and it was just that he became drunk. When I was carrying him around, he smacked my head and persuaded me to drink…”

Chen Ping’an raised his wine gourd and said with a dazzling smile, “And that’s why I’m drinking now.”

Scholar Shen Wen felt as if he were being pummeled by lightning. Moreover, it wasn’t a single bolt of lightning, but a full-blown lightning storm.

Qi Jingchun! Qi Jingchun’s junior brother! The Scholarly Sage! The Scholarly Sage’s final disciple!

This kid…turned down the offer? He…what?!

Shen Wen was stupefied.

Chen Ping’an dazedly stared at the city god. Perhaps he had said something wrong? He could only drink a sip of wine in secret to suppress his astonishment.

However, Shen Wen suddenly burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach as he laughed, and there were almost tears coming out from the corners of his eyes. He forcefully patted the young boy’s shoulder and praised, “Good, very god! The decisions made by us scholars definitely can’t be understood by other people! This is correct, this is the way!”

Shen Wen retracted his hand and clasped both hands behind his back. He then strode out of the mountain lord temple and exclaimed, “What an incredible feeling! A scholar…”

Shen Wen turned around and smiled. He raised a thumb at Chen Ping’an and said, “Beautifully done!”

After the golden city god strode out of the mountain lord temple, the last shred of his divine spirit also disappeared. He vanished from the world as he laughed, and his very being turned into nothingness.

Chen Ping’an felt slightly sad, and he retied the wine gourd to his waist. He looked at the location where the scholar from Colorful Garment Nation had vanished, and he softly murmured, “Shattering peace, lasting peace[3].”

————

No one else in the Zhao Clan residence fell to demonic ways after Chen Ping’an killed the young master in white. Even though Liu Gaoxin continued to throw up, she was still unwilling to retreat to the peaceful prefectural office. Instead, she insisted on following the martial artist with the surname Dou around to hunt down the remnant demonic commoners.

When they arrived at a firewood shed, the door was tightly shut. The martial artist frowned and kicked the door open, only to see a little boy who was eight or nine years old. There were piles of firewood behind him.

“Move aside! Those who have fallen to demonic ways can’t be saved!” the martial artist commanded calmly.

The little boy pursed his lips and vigorously shook his head.

There was a cold and indifferent expression on the martial artist’s face as he strode over and placed a hand on the little boy’s head. With a swing of his arm, the little boy was thrown backward where he crashed into the wall. The martial artist then used his saber to push two bundles of firewood aside, revealing a skinny little girl with sickly yellow skin. She was tightly bound by ropes, and blood continued to flow from one of her eyes. Meanwhile, her other eye was undamaged and the same as normal people. Her lips were also pale and trembling.

The martial artist raised his saber and was just about to slash down. However, the little boy picked himself up with much difficulty and grabbed a machete. He then charged over and stood in front of the little girl, shouting through gritted teeth, “I’ll kill you if you dare to hurt her!”

He was surprisingly using the official dialect of the continent. Sure enough, the Zhao Clan was the largest and most powerful clan in Blusher Prefecture. Even a young servant in their residence was fluent in the official dialect of the continent.

The martial artist snickered and spat, “Foolish brat, do you know that your idiotic kindness might result in the deaths of hundreds of people?”

The little boy was skinny and his clothes were thin, but there was unwavering determination in his eyes as he shouted, “I don’t care! I’m going to protect Luanluan!”

The martial artist kicked the machete-wielding little boy aside and viciously swung his saber down at the pitiful little girl.

The chimes of silver bells sounded, and the saber that shattered numerous golden flowers suddenly flew over. The martial artist’s saber strike was brought to a halt. However, it still left an inch-long gash on the little girl’s forehead.

The martial artist wasn’t angered by this, and he simply turned around to look at the young girl. “Liu Gaoxin, are you able to save her?” he asked. “Others might not know about the serious implications of falling to demonic ways, but are you unaware of this as a successful Qi refiner? What, are you going to personally kill this little girl when things reach a hopeless state?”

Liu Gaoxin’s face was as white as a sheet, and she replied with trembling lips, “I can’t bear to see her die.”

The saber-wielding martial artist scoffed and said, “Maybe I killed those demonic people too quickly when we were fighting in front of the Zhao Clan residence? Perhaps Young Mistress Liu didn’t see them feeding on the flesh and blood of other innocent people?”

The little boy stood up with much difficulty again, and he was no longer able to hold the machete properly due to the agonizing pain coursing through his body. The machete feebly shook in his hand. He looked at the martial artist and shrieked, “Bastard, why don’t you kill me first if you’re so capable?!”

“Do I need any capability to kill you?” the martial artist sneered.

He was just about to swing his saber down again.

The rims of Liu Gaoxin’s eyes were red as she turned her head around. She couldn’t bear to look.

“Hold on,” someone suddenly said from outside the shed.

1. A line from a no-title (poetic style) poem by Li Shangyin, a Chinese poet and politician of the late Tang dynasty. This line refers to lovers far apart thinking about each other. As explained in an earlier note, the horns of rhinos were viewed as spiritual and a symbol for tacit understanding/comprehension. ?

2. These descriptions are painting the picture of a peaceful and harmonious age. ?

3. The phrase for shattering (碎碎) is a homonym with the phrase for lasting (岁岁). Because of this, people say “shattering (lasting) peace” (碎碎[岁岁]平安) when they accidentally shatter something as a way to console themself and wish for good luck. ?