Unsheathed

In a dark alley in Blusher Prefecture, there was a young boy dressed in plain clothes. However, his lips were red and his teeth were sparkling, and his skin was as smooth and delicate as that of a beautiful young girl.

He was sitting with his back against the wall, and a dying man in his arms was continuously vomiting blood. There was also a man squatting beside them and keeping a lookout. They were none other than Old Demon Mi’s disciples, the three shop attendants from the rice shop. The young boy was a local from Blusher Prefecture, and Old Demon Mi had only taken him as a disciple last year.

The senior brother in the young boy’s arms was the demonic cultivator who had fought to the death with Daoist Chong Miao and the others. This was as expected of a demonic cultivator. He grinned widely, and the last thing he said before his death was surprisingly this, “Junior Brother, do you like me more, or do you like your Second Senior Brother more?”

The young boy gently tilted the man’s chin with his fingers. He looked down with deep emotions in his eyes and sobbed, “Of course I like you more.”

The man retrieved a yellowing book from his robes and shakily handed it to the handsome young boy.

When the young boy accepted the valuable book, the man in his arms had already died. The young boy held the book high in the air and turned around, calling out to his second senior brother.

The man’s attention was almost completely drawn to the valuable book.

The young boy suddenly darted at him, with the book still in one hand, and used his other hand to jab at his second senior brother’s throat. As it turned out, there was a hidden blade in his sleeve.

The young boy stabbed his second senior brother three times, completely destroying the man’s throat. Blood splattered all over the smiling face of the handsome young boy.

The man grabbed his throat with both hands and slumped down against the wall. His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as he stared at his junior brother who had suddenly attacked him with such viciousness.

The young boy put the valuable book away and reached up to wipe his face. He then wiped his bloodied hands on the clothes of the dying man. He retrieved another book from his second senior brother’s robes and giggled, “Second Senior Brother, I lied to First Senior Brother just then. I actually like you a bit more. However, I naturally like myself the most.

“First Senior Brother always said that those who don’t look out for themselves will be destroyed by the heavens. Even though our stinky and eccentric master always ridiculed First Senior Brother for being uneducated and being unable to understand the true meaning of this saying, I feel like First Senior Brother actually understood this saying fairly well. After all, I have the same interpretation as him.

“In any case, we’re heretical and demonic cultivators to begin with, so please don’t blame me for doing this, Second Senior Brother. Just treat this as an opportunity to accompany First Senior Brother in the afterlife. When you enter the afterlife, remember to tell First Senior Brother that I actually like you a bit more…”

The man died with misery and regret.

However, the young boy continued to bobble his head and murmur. He ran his hands over the two corpses, searching for any spirit tools or treasures that he might have missed. He appeared like a young boy who was humming while trimming vegetables for cooking.

However, the young boy quickly froze and stopped what he was doing. He retrieved the two books from his robes and placed them on top of his head.

A voice that the young boy was extremely familiar with sounded from above his head. It was a voice filled with vicissitudes and carrying an even more familiar sense of ridicule. “How impressive. As expected of my prized disciple. You haven’t learned many skills, but you sure have the spirit of a vicious demonic cultivator.”

The young boy’s teeth were chattering. He was genuinely afraid right now.

The tall and skinny old man turned around to forcefully spit out a mouthful of blood. When his blood hit the wall, it immediately transformed into a cloud of misty black blood.

Old Demon Mi, a demonic cultivator who had lay low in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture for almost 20 years, cursed under his breath. “How sneaky of you, Immortal Colored Glaze Chen Xiaoyong. I’m going to beat you to death even if you manage to flee from Blusher Prefecture this time!”

The old man looked at the young boy with disdain and said, “Stand up and put those two books away. Since your senior brothers have died, you’ll be my great disciple now.”

The young boy trembled with fear as he stood up.

Old Demon Mi took out a small oil lamp covered in sticky oil from his sleeve. He inhaled vigorously, and it was as if the souls of his two disciples were being dragged from their corpses as they floated into the oil lamp. Their faces, which were twisted with intense agony, appeared on the sticky oil lamp. However, they vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, fusing together and becoming one with the oil lamp.

A cold chill ran down the young boy’s spine.

A person appeared on each end of the alley and slowly bore down on them. They were none other than the husband and wife who had visited Old Demon Mi’s rice shop not long ago. The hips of the woman were swaying even more than willow branches in the wind, and she remarked, “Oh, what a coincidence, Old Demon Mi. We meet again.”

Old Demon Mi’s pupils contracted slightly, and he sneered, “What, you want to go back on your word now? We already agreed that the colored glaze bowl would belong to me while the remainder of Old Man Chen’s belongings would belong to you.”

The woman lightly dragged her hooked-like fingers along the alley wall. She flashed a charming smile and said, “We did agree about this, but Immortal Colored Glaze has gone into hiding now. He can feign death, but my husband and I can’t wait for death in this place along with him, can we? Old Demon Mi, shouldn’t you split some of your profit with us? You can’t render our trip to this place useless, can you?”

A dark and gloomy expression spread across Old Demon Mi’s face.

The handsome young boy lowered his head as he stood with his back against the wall. His eyes secretly darted around.

————

After General Ma led his soldiers inside the prefectural city to provide reinforcements, there were no one guarding the east gate of the city.

A young man in pink Daoist robes stood in a corridor on the top floor of the building atop the city wall. There was a faint smile on his face as he gazed at the alley where Old Demon Mi was standing, and he snickered, “Heh, it’s nothing more than a crappy colored glaze bowl, something that I used as a wine bowl in the past. Yet, they’re actually fighting to the death for it? Has Colorful Garment Nation already become this uninteresting after only 1000 years?”

He took a glance at the situation before deciding that he didn’t want to waste any more time on it. He focused more of his attention on the prefectural office, saying, “Mount Longhu’s Heavenly Master Residence… Heh, who would have thought? You sent someone to Blusher Prefecture 200 years ago to place a talisman here, using the form of a Heavenly Master Seal.

“However, due to personal interest, the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation was unwilling to properly provide it with spiritual energy. Moreover, the appearance of the unmarked burial ground likely messed up the plans of the two sides as well. Because of this, I was finally able to break free from the prison. The heavens can ruin even the greatest plans.”

He held the railing with one hand and used his other hand to form a seal. With Blusher Prefecture as his target, he divined the fortune of Colorful Garment Nation from 500 years ago until now. He suddenly smiled and looked toward the north. He wasn’t looking north of just Colorful Garment Nation, but he was instead looking toward the northernmost point of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

He clicked his tongue in wonder and said, “Amazing, what an amazing person. The Colorful Garment Nation has lost a national treasure that’s been passed down for many generations, and the Spiritual Horn Force that’s been protecting the Colorful Garment Nation for all this time has also been severely affected. Their sect treasure, the Colorful Immortal Robe, has been stolen by someone.

“How can Ancient Elm Nation and the two other neighboring nations remain idle? Taking advantage of someone’s plight is a most simple concept. Moreover, complaints are already building up among officials near the capital thanks to the emperor’s long dereliction of his duties. If another calamity befalls the nation, the public will definitely seethe with anger and resentment. Perhaps they’ll even cause unrest and incite a chaotic battle between several nations.

The possessed Liu Chicheng nodded and continued, “Since this is the great trend of the world, I also need to take a few disciples.”

He took a step forward, and his body immediately faded before disappearing.

In the next moment, he walked into that narrow and dark alley.

Old Demon Mi and the middle-aged couple were just about to fight to the death, yet they were instantly scared motionless by this person’s appearance.

The aura of this person was indescribably mighty and domineering. It was as if a few small crustaceans living in a calm and peaceful river had come across a flood dragon whose body took up the entire riverbed.

The possessed Liu Chicheng in pink Daoist robes didn’t speak any nonsense at all. He casually waved a sleeve, and the middle-aged couple in the alley were directly crushed to death. In fact, not even a speck of dust remained of them. As for their spirit tools, immortal tools, snowflake coins, and whatnot? These things were naturally destroyed along with them.

The tangled stems and pink lotus flowers on Liu Chicheng’s Daoist robes weren’t inanimate objects. Instead, they were genuine lotus flowers that lightly swayed about and released a brilliant fragrance.

It was as if the pink Daoist robes were a pond of lotus flowers.

Old Demon Mi had seen many things in his lifetime, but he still couldn’t help but sweat profusely. “Esteemed Immortal, why didn’t you kill me as well?” he asked.

The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and replied, “Do I have to slay demons and safeguard the Dao after putting on this Daoist robe? Am I not allowed to wear it because I like its looks?”

Old Demon Mi was rendered speechless.

Holy fuck! This person is definitely a paramount demonic cultivator! Moreover, he’s definitely the legendary type who stands at the peak of the mountains!

The possessed Liu Chicheng flicked a finger and sent Old Demon Mi flying to the other side of the alley. “Stop being an eyesore. Hurry up and piss off. Also, your disciple is mine now.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and walked up to the young boy. Looking down, he smiled and asked, “What’s your name, young lad?”

The handsome young boy slowly looked up and gulped. “Esteemed Immortal, my name is Yuan Tiandi,” he replied timidly.

“Hmm?”

The possessed Liu Chicheng was slightly puzzled, and he asked, “Tiandi as in heaven and earth?”

The young boy shook his head. His face was pale, and he was afraid that his head would be smashed into smithereens in the very next instant. However, he didn’t dare to lie, so he could only reply truthfully, “My family was poor when Mother was pregnant with me, and she still had to work in the fields even when she was nine months pregnant. In the end, Mother accidentally gave premature birth to me while she was working. Because of this, my father named me Tiandi[1].”

There was a dazzling smile on the possessed Liu Chicheng’s face, and he patted the young boy’s shoulder and said, “Then your name is actually pretty good. I like it. You’re my disciple from now on. Here, Master will give you a welcome present first.”

The young boy saw his mysterious new master raising a hand and snapping his fingers. A miasma of red demonic energy suddenly materialized in the surroundings and furiously rushed over, fusing together and transforming into a giant red ball. The “young” demonic cultivator in pink casually rubbed two fingers together and caused the giant red ball to shrink and condense into the size of a fist.

The possessed Liu Chicheng used his palm to lightly smack the young boy’s head. He smiled and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. You need to survive first if you want to become my disciple. If you manage to hold on until morning, then you’ll be the… second powerful member of our great sect.”

The young boy crashed into the wall and writhed in indescribable agony. It was as if his glabella was splitting apart.

The possessed Liu Chicheng was completely unfazed by this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After opening them again, he looked toward the distant west and murmured, “First Senior Brother, the air in your White Emperor City is truly better…”

————

This unexpected calamity had erupted quickly and caught everyone off-guard, but it had also come to an end just as quickly and left everyone in disbelief. In fact, such was the abnormality of the situation that the entire prefectural office and all of the elites under General Ma’s command had the mistaken belief that the demonic cultivators still had a more powerful trump card.

However, when the sun rose and illuminated the prefectural city with its dazzling rays, everything started to return to normal and the number of demonic commoners also started to drastically reduce. Everyone felt a sense of unease as they sat around and waited for the colored luan and esteemed immortals to arrive from the Spiritual Horn Force.

The anticipated reinforcements failed to arrive on time, and they were nowhere to be seen even when night arrived again. During this time, Prefectural Overseer Liu also “fell sick” and was confined to his bed. Fortunately, the prefectural city didn’t suffer any more tragedy caused by demonic cultivators.

In fact, there had only been a few ruffians taking advantage of the situation to break into peoples’ houses and rob them. However, these ruffians had been quickly suppressed and caught by General Ma’s soldiers, many of whom were still feeling angry. Two ruffians who had been resisting with weapons had been directly killed on the spot. In reality, however, the two pitiful ruffians had only grabbed the wooden sticks out of instinct.

Another night passed, and Blusher Prefecture remained quiet and peaceful. However, no one dared to lower their guard, and large numbers of armored soldiers continued to uphold martial law and patrol the prefectural city both day and night.

The next morning, the colored luan still didn’t arrive above the prefectural city. Instead, it was an old man and a young girl who flew over on their swords. Chen Ping’an and his two companions recognized the latter. She was none other than the round-faced young girl with the surname Fu. The old man was a grand elder from the Spiritual Horn Force. Prefectural Overseer Liu immediately recovered from his “illness” when they arrived at the prefectural office.

The grand elder possessed an impressive aura and spoke in an elegant manner, but the hint of anxiousness on his face couldn’t be concealed. After sitting for a short while and confirming that Blusher Prefecture was already free from demonic aura, he quickly bade the young girl farewell. He soared into the sky on his sword and hurried back to the Spiritual Horn Force.

While traveling south to aid Blusher Prefecture, they had suddenly received a message from their force delivered via a flying sword. Their sect treasure, which had been passed down for a thousand years, had suddenly gone missing!

However, this was a top-secret matter that pertained to the survival of the Spiritual Horn Force, so the grand elder of the force naturally wouldn’t reveal this information to outsiders.

In reality, the grand elder at the Middle Five Tiers hadn’t wanted to continue to Blusher Prefecture at all. However, he had still gone there because of face, and most importantly, because he had been afraid of leaving a bad impression in the eyes of the young girl from Divine Edict Sect. After all, how could the importance of a prefecture in Colorful Garment Nation compare to the importance of Colorful Immortal Robe? This was the foundation of their force!

Afterward, another delightful thing happened in the prefectural office. The young sword immortal who was said to be from Divine Edict Sect took a fancy to Prefectural Overseer Liu’s youngest daughter, Liu Gaoxin. She said that she could personally recommend her to Divine Edict Sect’s outer sect. Moreover, Liu Gaoxin had a very good chance of directly becoming the direct disciple of some elders from the inner sect.

This was a joyous occasion.

However, only Liu Gaoxin was glum and unhappy about this. She was then scolded by her mom and dad, scolded by her big sister and big brother, and even scolded by her master, the old aide of her father.

Even though the round-faced young girl had a surprisingly senior standing in Divine Edict Sect, the leading Daoist sect in the continent, she was genuinely good-tempered and amiable with Liu Gaoxin. This was unlike her aloofness toward Zhao Liu and Yang Huang. She was always smiling when she interacted with Liu Gaoxin, and she even dragged the young girl into the prefectural city to stroll around. She bought some cosmetic products and other things for young girls.

This year was unlike last year, when spring had left late and summer had arrived late.

This year, early spring came and late spring left, and tomorrow was going to be the beginning of summer. In other words, spring was about to end.

Dawn arrived, and Liu Gaoxin left the prefectural city. She wasn’t reluctant to leave, and she simply left a stack of letters in her room. The rims of her eyes were red as she mounted a handsome white horse. Sister Fu from Divine Edict Sect also mounted a handsome white horse. As the horses clip-clopped along the bluestone slabs of the street, Liu Gaoxin drew further and further away from her family and hometown.

While traveling along the street that had few people, however, Liu Gaoxin suddenly turned her head as if in tacit understanding. She saw Chen Ping’an with twin swords on his back standing on the ridge of a roof and waving goodbye at her.

Liu Gaoxin pursed her lips and vigorously turned back around. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Liu Gaoxin’s mood suddenly improved, and she tilted her head high with her back facing the young boy who had secretly come to see her off. There was a happy smile on her face.

The round-faced young girl with the surname Fu glanced back, and she felt like the young boy standing on the roof ridge in the distance appeared slightly familiar. However, she didn’t have a deep impression of him, so she decided not to think about these matters.

After farewelling Liu Gaoxin, Chen Ping’an sat on the roof ridge by himself and started to drink wine from his wine gourd.

He took small sips of wine, and he reminisced his time with Mr. Qi. Spring wind lingered around his sleeves.

1. His name is 田地 as in “fields.” The “heaven and earth” Tiandi is 天地 and it’s a taboo among cultivators due to the association with the Dao, it’s basically declaring that you are on par with the Dao itself. ?