Unsheathed

Wang Yiran had a solemn expression as he turned around and leaped onto the railing of the waterside pavilion. He didn’t have time to deal with his frightened female relatives in the pavilion, and he rapidly dashed toward the pool to scoop up his defeated daughter.

The young villa master of Sword Water Villa was unfazed, and the young scholar rocking his fan clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, “I didn’t expect him to be a powerful martial artist hiding his true strength.”

The young scholar closed his folding fan with a crack before focusing his gaze on the young boy who was disappearing further and further into the distance. This young boy with the sword case on his back was definitely a lesser grandmaster at the fourth tier of martial arts!

Perhaps he was the final disciple of Colorful Garment Nation’s sword god? However, the cultivation world was dangerous and his master had been violently killed in a mountain, so he had no option but to disguise himself as a traveling cultivator from another nation?

Had he traveled far away to flee from danger? Otherwise, who could have raised such a young martial arts prodigy? He had reached the grandmaster stage even earlier than Song Fengshan.

Song Fengshan’s wife, a beautiful and virtuous-looking young woman, couldn’t help but ask in a soft voice, “Will Shanhu be okay?”

Song Fengshan imperceptibly caressed the hilt of his sword, Vast Water, with his thumb. He smiled and remained silent.

The young scholar smiled faintly and explained, “Please rest assured, milady. Lady Wang isn’t in any danger, nor has she been severely wounded. The young boy used a clever technique, and he only used the external power of his fist aura to knock Lady Wang unconscious.

“Lady Wang only suffered some external wounds that won’t affect her physique or soul. The young boy restrained himself at just the right moment. I believe that he was heeding the words of Villa Master Wang — a person shouldn’t make their path in the cultivation world too narrow.”

Sure enough, Shanhu slowly regained consciousness after Wang Yiran carried her back to the waterside pavilion and tapped several of her acupoints. Apart from appearing extremely disheveled, being completely soaked, having some of her skin revealed, and losing all of her face, her condition and aura seemed fairly okay.

She struggled to stand up, and her forehead was red and swollen as she stood with her back facing the others. She propped a hand against a column and placed her other hand over her mouth. The soaked and slender young girl had watery eyes, and appeared charmingly pitiful in stark contrast to her normally aloof nature.

The young girl who was joining in on the fun with no regard for the serious nature of the situation craned her neck and dazedly looked at Chen Ping’an drinking on the mountain path. “Wow! He’s truly a powerful person!” she exclaimed in astonishment.

The young scholar stole a quick glance at Shanhu’s slender figure, which was on full display thanks to her drenched clothes. The corners of his lips curled up into a slight smile. Her legs were long and shapely, and the naive young boy was most likely unfamiliar with the flavor of such legs. To experienced young masters from powerful clans like him, however, it was well known that such legs were the most damaging to the health of men.

One issue had just concluded, but another issue immediately arose.

There was a notion of subordinates sacrificing themselves when their master was humiliated in the cultivation world, and the man with the ox horn bow seemingly saw the reserved snickers of a few other guards and subordinates as he stood among the other trusted subordinates in the waterside pavilion.

His anger instantly filled him with courage. He let out a roar, then grabbed his precious bow which had taken a craftsman ten years to make. At the same time, he grabbed an arrow with white fletching from his quiver and drew his bow to full. “An evildoer like you dares to injure the young mistress? Eat my arrow!”

Unexpected situations were occurring one after another, so even Unruly Saber Villa’s Villa Master Wang — who was renowned for his composure and his steadfast techniques — couldn’t help but feel a little angry.

“Ma Lu! You can’t shoot someone in the back!” he bellowed.

Chen Ping’an was already a hundred paces away, and was just about to turn back around. However, he faltered slightly, and saw someone standing on a branch atop a towering tree with their hands clasped behind their back out of the corners of his eyes. The mountain wind brushed past, and the branch under the old man in black’s feet also bounced up and down like gently undulating water. He appeared especially impressive as he stood there.

The two of them exchanged a quick glance, and the old man quickly nodded in acknowledgment. Upon seeing this, Chen Ping’an abandoned his urge to lash out. However, he still turned around to face the waterside pavilion.

The old man instantly vanished, then reappeared on the narrow mountain path in the next moment. He was like a wisp of smoke as he brushed past Chen Ping’an. He raised his arm and extended a finger, pointing it upward.

An arrow sliced through the air, but it was stopped by the old man’s fingertip just like that. The shaft of the arrow shattered under the immense force of the impact, yet the old man’s finger remained unmoving and uninjured.

The old man gently pinched the arrowhead with two fingers. With a casual toss, the arrowhead whistled back and pierced through the hand of the archer.

The man was a fearless person, however, and he refused to drop his ox horn bow just because of this. His wounded hand hung limply by his side, but he still held his bow up with the other. His eyes were wide with anger and ferocity as he glared at the uninvited guest.

“When journeying through the cultivation world, one is responsible for one’s own life and death!” the old man in black said with a cold expression. “Have your elders not taught you this simple principle before? So be it if you don’t follow any rules in other areas of the cultivation world in Water Combing Nation. You can do whatever you like. However, this is unacceptable in Sword Water Villa.”

Song Fengshan’s wife stood up and performed an elegant curtsy. “Patriarch,” she greeted respectfully.

Wang Yiran’s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly cupped his fists and lowered his head. “Unruly Saber Villa’s Wang Yiran pays his respects to Sword Saint Song!”

The young scholar immediately smacked the young girl’s head, signaling for her to stand up. He then bowed and said, “Mount Xiaochong’s Han Clan disciple, Han Yuanshan, pays his respects to Old Villa Master.”

The young girl was a lively person who wasn’t frightened by the situation at all. She copied her older brother, bowing but not lowering her head. She looked straight ahead at the extremely famous immortal and said in a childish voice, “Mount Xiaochong’s Han Clan disciple, Han Yuanxue, pays her respects to Old Villa Master.”

After Sword Saint Song Yushao showed himself, his grandson, Song Fengshan, was surprisingly the last person to stand up. His voice was emotionless as he slowly said, “Grandfather, your trip to the outside world was quite short this time. I thought that you would only be willing to return after all of the guests left and the villa became quiet and peaceful again.”

The old man looked around, and he simply remarked, “What a foul atmosphere.”

He then turned around and simply left with Chen Ping’an. The influential Han Clan from Water Combing Nation’s Mount Xiaochong? The villa master of Unruly Saber Villa? He paid no heed to these things, as if they were all beneath him. The old villa master couldn’t be bothered even taking an extra glance at them.

Song Yushao walked side-by-side with Chen Ping’an, and his expression only became slightly forlorn after he turned his back to the others. After walking half a kilometer, he said in self-ridicule, “My clan has gone astray, and they’re even inferior to a waterfall now. Apologies for the embarrassing sight.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know how to respond, so he could only reply with some generic but polite words. “The people in the villa are actually quite fine. They’re not as bad as you make them out to be, Senior.”

Every family had their own hardships, so the old man was unwilling to talk about the shortcomings of his clan in front of outsiders regardless of how magnanimous and open-minded he was. He changed the topic and said, “Why did you suddenly change your mind when you threw that punch? Why did you only use thirty or fourty percent of your strength?

“The future villa master of Unruly Saber Villa is a stubborn person who isn’t easy to deal with. She might not appreciate your mercy, and she might even cause you trouble in the future. Nowadays, people in the cultivation world only care about their own feelings and happiness. I strongly dislike this, but I’m also unable to appreciate your lack of firmness.”

Chen Ping’an drank some wine and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. He smiled and replied, “Punching someone to death simply because I’m unhappy is far too much. In any case, I’m about to leave Water Combing Nation very soon, so it won’t be easy for Unruly Saber Villa to cause trouble for me even if they want to. What’s she going to do, curse me behind my back? It’s not like I can hear her curses anyway.”

Song Yushao turned around to glance at Chen Ping’an, who had a sincere expression on his face. His attitude was unexpected, yet it was also understandable at the same time. Song Yushao smiled and remarked, “It’s fine for a bunch of old bones like me to say something like this, as I already have one foot in the grave. Nothing matters anymore, so what can I do? However, you’re only fifteen or sixteen, right? It’s truly boring to hear you speak in such a mature manner.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t rebut the old man. The gloominess weighing on his mind had already cleared up significantly after he threw that punch, and this was already enough.

He suddenly recalled something, and warned in a quiet voice, “The mama from the old temple who referred to herself as one of the four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation has come to your villa with a huge man. You need to be careful, Senior.”

Song Yushao laughed heartily and replied, “This is nothing. Counting the young master from the Han Clan who’s sitting in the waterside pavilion, the infamous four evil spirits of Water Combing Nation have all gathered in my villa already.”

“Who’s the final evil spirit?” Chen Ping’an asked in puzzlement.

“Let’s not mention them,” replied Song Yushao with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

Chen Ping’an drank a mouthful of wine and thought about some things.

The old man understood his intention, and he honestly explained, “There’s no scheme behind my invitation to you and your companions. I simply hope that the villa won’t be filled with dogs and pigs wearing human skin. After all, this Sword Water Villa is something I built myself from the ground up, so I don’t want dogshit to be lying around everywhere, a pile here and a puddle there. Just walking around my own place disgusts me. With you and your companions staying as guests here, I feel much more pleased and comfortable.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. This senior was far too honest and frank.

However, what Chen Ping’an didn’t know was the fact that while becoming increasingly renowned as a sword saint, Song Yushao was also nicknamed “iron knob” by those in the same generation. This referred to Song Yushao’s unsmiling nature, both at home and even more in the cultivation world.

If one tried to claim that Song Fengshan had a completely different personality to his grandfather, Song Yushao, then that would be a misjudgement of the young sword immortal’s character. It was just that Song Yushao was radiating with the stubborn and restricted nature of cultivators from the past generations. These were things that Song Fengshan was unwilling to adhere to as he pursued the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.

Song Yushao was past seventy, and he had encountered far too many storms and come across far too many sinister people during his travels through the cultivation world. Thus, he was increasingly certain of one thing: a person should only reason with those who were reasonable. Under all other circumstances, his rusty iron sword was the only argument he had and the only argument he needed.

Song Yushao liked to travel around with only his sword as a companion, and he had seen many impressive young prodigies during the past few years. They were truly talented, yet their martial virtue truly left much to be desired. However, they were still very successful, and were still admired by countless people in the cultivation world.

There was something that Song Yushao didn’t really understand. The cultivation world would be handed over to these people in maybe fifty years, so what was there to look forward to at that time?

No matter how talented with the sword Song Yushao was, he was only a single person, after all. Those in the same generation as him were passing away one after another, taking with them the old principles that the youths didn’t like listening to. These principles were buried six feet under along with them. Now that his half-friend half-enemy, the old sword god of Colorful Garment Nation, had died, Song Yushao felt even more demotivated and uninterested.

He felt like the current cultivation world was bland and tasteless. The wine had lost its flavor.

The old man and the young boy casually strolled around with nothing to do. After a while, Song Yushao suddenly said, “Those people in the waterside pavilion had bad eyes, and they were unable to determine the level of your fist intent. However, I was able to see it clearly, so let me be nosy and tell you this.

“There’s something wrong with your mental state right now, and the barrier between the third tier and the fourth tier is the first major barrier for us martial artists. The more solid your foundation is, the more susceptible you are to unexpected accidents if you advance to the fourth tier with knots in your heart. After all, an avalanche on a large mountain is hundreds upon thousands of times more terrifying than a landslide on a small mountain. Young lad, you have to be careful!”

Chen Ping’an was instantly frightened back to his senses. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and he mulled over things for a few moments before turning around and saying, “Thank you for your warning, Senior.”

Song Yushao thought for a bit before saying something that seemed to be completely irrelevant. “Your decision to pull back just then was indeed a sign of your kindness. However, doing so was also a blemish when considering your advance to the next cultivation tier. If you had unleashed your full power just then, you would have probably killed that young girl, or at least you would’ve left her crippled.

“With that, you would have enraged everyone and the spar would’ve turned into a life-and-death battle. Perhaps that would have been your opportunity to break through to the next tier. Indeed, this is what immortals from the mountains refer to as a fated opportunity.”

Chen Ping’an smiled in response, but the truth was that didn’t feel any regret at all. Rather, his reply was filled with a sense of maturity again. “It doesn’t matter. What is mine can’t run away, and what isn’t mine can’t be caught.”

In fact, Song Yushao was carefully observing the subtle changes in Chen Ping’an’s expression the entire time. The old man imperceptibly nodded upon seeing the calm demeanor and pure eyes of the young boy.

The Sword Dao pursued by this young boy and the Dao of his grandson, Song Fengshan, were completely different things. The gulf between them was like the gulf between heaven and earth. At this stage, it was too early to say who was right and who was wrong, and who could advance further and quicker. However, Song Yushao personally felt like this young boy from another nation, who had poor sword skills even though he was traveling around with a sword case, was more to his tastes than his prodigy of a grandson.

In terms of educating future generations, scholarly clans were indeed more capable than forces from the cultivation world. Song Yushao wholeheartedly accepted this observation. He had focused most of his attention and effort on practicing with the sword during his earlier years, and this had resulted in him turning a blind eye to the development of his clan.

Perhaps it could also be said that he had possessed few tools at his disposal. At most, he could only beat or scold his descendants. Looking back at these things now, the old man could only feel guilt and regret.

In reality, Song Yushao felt like his situation was no better than that of Unruly Saber Villa’s Wang Yiran.

Etiquette came from aristocratic clans, while immortal powers came from martial sects.

Genuine descendants of aristocratic clans were raised in an environment full of etiquette and rules ever since a young age. Similarly, immortal techniques were systematically passed down since ancient times in immortal forces in the mountains.

Song Yushao was well aware of this fact. He had once traveled afar to Southern Stream Nation, and had interacted with many renowned individuals over there. There were all kinds of people with different personalities, and they indeed all possessed their own demeanor and mannerisms. In fact, even the feeble scholars over there could cause one to feel embarrassed and ashamed.

On the narrow mountain path linking the waterfall to Sword Water Villa, there was an exquisite and adorable resting station with upturned eaves. There was a plaque hanging at the entrance that read “Mountain and Water,” and the couplets on the two sides of the doorway read “Jagged White Stones” and “Murmuring Limpid Water.” These were very simple words, but also unique in their own way.

Song Yushao was very fond of this resting station, and he dragged Chen Ping’an over to sit on a long bench inside the pavilion. They sat opposite each other, and the old man placed his sword across his knees. Meanwhile, the young boy kept his swords on his back. One was a highly regarded sword saint, and one lacked the confidence to even launch a sword strike.

Their view was wide, and the distant mountains were like the dark eyebrows of a beautiful woman.

The mountain wind was refreshing, allowing one to feel relaxed and carefree.

Song Yushao sat quietly, not even trying to make small talk with the young boy. He simply thought about some personal matters.

His grandson, Song Fengshan, wasn’t wildly ambitious when it came to matters regarding the cultivation world. Rather, it was his grandson’s wife who was fanning the flames from behind the scenes. She was always whispering in his ears, and she had managed to persuade him that he was only doing some minor things in a convenient manner. It was because of this that he was going to become the alliance leader of the martial arts world.

Not only that, but he was even going to lead both normal cultivators and demonic cultivators alike, going as far as to extend his influence into the imperial court as well. Otherwise, with Song Fengshan’s temperament, how could he have cared about that princess from Water Combing Nation back then? Not killing her with a single slash was already showing strong restraint and benevolence.

The “Four Evil Spirits of Water Combing Nation” was a recent title that had only appeared in the past ten years. They weren’t well known in the cultivation world, and generally speaking, only cultivation grandmasters at Wang Yiran’s level had heard of them before. The most powerful member of this group was the burly man who had arrived at Sword Water Villa with the so-called mama. He had an immortal treasure, a silver halberd, and he had founded a demonic force in Water Combing Nation.

Ranked second was the demonic young girl from the old temple, and after her was the seemingly unremarkable young master from the Han Clan who had been sitting inside the waterside pavilion. He was from a famous clan, yet he cultivated demonic techniques instead. Not only that, but he had even won over and gained control of many high-ranking officials in Water Combing Nation.

The weakest of the four evil spirits was seemingly far away, yet right in front of them at the same time. It was none other than Song Yushao’s granddaughter-in-law.

She had “coincidentally” become acquainted with Song Fengshan while he was traveling. Afterward, the two of them had become husband and wife without Song Yushao’s knowledge or permission. Not only that, but they had even announced their marriage to the world. When Song Yushao had finally returned from his long trip, things were done already and couldn’t be undone.

What exasperated Song Yushao the most was the fact that the infatuated Song Fengshan admitted to knowing his wife’s demonic identity. That time, Song Yushao had drawn his sword and shattered his eldest grandson’s sword. Then, he had run his sword through the woman’s stomach.

Song Fengshan had gone wild with rage and tried to fight his grandpa with his life on the line.

Frustrated and infuriated, Song Yushao had lashed out to sever his undutiful grandson’s wrist tendons, comprehensively severing his ability to pursue the Sword Dao, lest he harm others in the future.

Unexpectedly, however, the woman had stepped forward to block the strike for Song Fengshan, even allowing the old man to pierce her heart. She hadn’t died, but her bridge of immortality had been shattered. Afterward, she had become a feeble woman who would always get sick, even during colder spring days.

These were unpleasant family matters, and Song Yushao had tried to use both reason and emotion to persuade his grandson. In the end, he had still failed to persuade him even after unleashing several sword strikes. In fact, things had become complicated and strained instead.

Song Yushao heaved a long sigh.

The Mountain and Water Pavilion was surrounded by jagged white stones and murmuring limpid water. The scenery was beautiful, but the worldly affairs were disappointing.

“Senior Song, can I practice fist techniques at the waterfall for the next couple of days?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

Song Yushao immediately agreed to his request without asking any questions. “Why not? I’ll immediately notify everyone that the area from the Mountain and Water Pavilion to the waterfall is a restricted area of Sword Water Villa. Anyone who enters without permission will be punished by death.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head in an uneasy manner. “I can go over to practice my fist techniques at night when there’s no one enjoying the scenery at the waterfall. There’s no need to seal the area in the morning, that would be far too unreasonable.”

Song Yushao shook his head and laughed heartily, replying, “You’re far too reserved, young lad. Do I need to speak reason with others when sealing off an area and keeping it shit-free in my own territory?”

Chen Ping’an could only accept this and say, “If there’s anything the villa needs help with, please do let me know, Senior.”

The old man patted the iron sword on his knees and huffed, “My sword is different from the two swords on your back.”

An awkward expression appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and focused on drinking, not saying anything else.

Song Yushao suppressed a chuckle and retied his sword to his waist. He then stood up and said, “Feel free to practice your fist techniques whenever you want. You can stay in the villa for as long as you like. Oh, that’s right, your wine doesn’t smell good at all. When I get back, I’ll tell someone to bring you a few jars of flower carving brew. It’s been buried underground for almost twenty years, and that’s what I call a good wine! Just what in the world are you drinking right now? It’s no better than water. More importantly, you always like to take one or two sips regardless of whether there’s anyone around. I can’t help but feel embarrassed for you.”

With a tap of his foot, the old man swayed and instantly appeared on a tall branch in the distance. With a few nimble bounds, he immediately vanished from sight.

Chen Ping’an sat in the Mountain and Water Pavilion by himself.

He had come across this senior twice, and he couldn’t help but recall City God Shen Wen from Colorful Garment Nation’s Blusher Prefecture. Even though one was a renowned pure martial artist in the cultivation world and one was a scholarly deity who enjoyed incense offerings — oh, and there was also the Qi refiner who had taken Luanluan as his disciple as well — he had a nagging feeling that the three of them were quite similar in a sense. However, he couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. In any case, Chen Ping’an felt like he genuinely couldn’t buy the cheapest liquor for his wine gourd anymore after interacting with them.

Well, this didn’t matter. After all, he was soon about to receive the best wine in Sword Water Villa, wasn’t he?

Most importantly, he didn’t need to spend any money!

And thus, Chen Ping’an was in a very good mood when he left the Mountain and Water Pavilion and returned to his temporary residence.

When he arrived in the courtyard, Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng exchanged a glance upon seeing his joyful expression. What was going on? Was visiting the waterfall that effective?

Chen Ping’an happily sat down beside the stone table and chuckled, “I’m going to practice fist techniques at the waterfall tonight. Who wants to come with me?”

“Perhaps you peeped on a beautiful woman bathing near the waterfall?” the big-bearded martial artist asked with a sly grin. “If such a beautiful sight exists, then count me in!”

Zhang Shanfeng blinked and added, “I can keep a lookout for the two of you.”

Chen Ping’an felt slightly exasperated, and he explained, “How can that be possible? In fact, I even got into a conflict with some people at the waterfall. I had a fight, and my opponent was seemingly someone from Unruly Saber Villa. Fortunately, Senior Song stepped in and helped me block an arrow from one of their subordinates. Otherwise, I most likely would have had to keep fighting them. If things continued like that, I might have ended up dragging the two of you down with me as well…”

Xu Yuanxia clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, “Chen Ping’an, drag us down as well? I’m an unrefined man, so how can you covet my beauty? If you ask me, I’d say that Zhang Shanfeng is indeed quite beautiful. When I go to the small town, I’ll help him buy some female clothes. Afterward, we can get him to wander around the waterfall. Maybe I’ll even become a matchmaker for the two of you and successfully unite you in love and marriage…”

Chen Ping’an almost spat out the wine that he was drinking.

Zhang Shanfeng feigned vomiting, and he hurriedly scurried away from his two friends. There was mock anger on his face as he exclaimed, “Even rabbits don’t feed on the grass beside their nests! Yet, the two of you are actually targeting your brother as well? You’re taking things too far!”

Chen Ping’an quietly stood up and walked over to sit on another stone chair, distancing himself from Xu Yuanxia.

The big-bearded martial artist stroked his beard and asked, “What’s wrong? For the sake of our brothers, we should even be willing to take blades to our chests. That being the case, what’s wrong with changing into female clothes? Brother, you can’t be so disloyal!”

Zhang Shanfeng cupped his fists and begged for forgiveness, continually retreating as he said, “I’m going to study some classics in my room. Since the two of you are so loyal, why don’t you enjoy the conversation by yourselves?”

Xu Yuanxia roared with laughter.

Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly.

Steward Chu coincidentally arrived at this moment, and he had come with a few subordinates to deliver four large jars of flavorful wine. He left after delivering them, but it was clear that he was behaving more respectfully and cheerfully toward Chen Ping’an.

In reality, Zhang Shanfeng didn’t like to drink. Thus, Chen Ping’an was just about to split the wine in half with Xu Yuanxia, giving him two of the four jars. However, Xu Yuanxia hesitated for a moment before smiling and shaking his head, saying, “One jar is enough for me. You can take three, Chen Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly puzzled.

Xu Yuanxia looked around and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Only then did he point at the vermilion wine gourd by Chen Ping’an’s waist and chuckle softly, “Do you really think I didn’t notice anything? I didn’t travel around the cultivation world for nothing, and I was simply too embarrassed to say anything in the past. This is similar to how Zhang Shanfeng introduced himself as Zhang Shan at the start. Who doesn’t have some secrets when adventuring through the cultivation world? Your wine gourd is either a legendary pocket treasure from the immortal forces or it’s an even more valuable Sword Nurturing Gourd. Am I correct?”

The big-bearded martial artist pointed at his eyes and said, “Haha, I can already see through everything.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t deny anything, and he replied softly, “I’m sorry for hiding this from the two of you for so long.”

Xu Yuanxia rolled his eyes and huffed, “Come on, what is there to apologize about? Being careless in the cultivation world is the true crime toward one’s friends.”

A forlorn expression appeared on the big-bearded martial artist’s face after he said this. He cracked open a jar of beautiful mountain villa wine that had been sealed for a long time and poured some into his ordinary wine pot. He swished it around after filling it, and he added, “I’m not trying to be polite. I suffered a lot myself, so I know how things are.”

Xu Yuanxia gulped down large mouthfuls of wine. There was still more than half a jar remaining, so he could definitely drink his fill.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything upon seeing that Xu Yuanxia was in low spirits. He also started drinking, but he drank slowly, unlike the big-bearded martial artist who was lapping it up like a cow.

Xu Yuanxia downed an entire pot of wine in a few breaths. His beard was filled with beads of wine, and he casually wiped it with his hand before chuckling and asking, “Your wine gourd is filled with the same wine, but will it taste different from mine?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and tossed his wine gourd to the big-bearded martial artist. “Here, try it yourself.”

Xu Yuanxia raised the Sword Nurturing Gourd high into the air before tilting his head backward and gulping down a large mouthful of wine. He then tossed the wine gourd back to Chen Ping’an and remarked in satisfaction, “It does taste a bit better!”

“What bullshit!” Chen Ping’an replied with a grin. “The wine in my wine gourd is the cheapest wine from some small town. How can it compare to the mountain villa’s twenty-year flower carving brew?”

Xu Yuanxia was slightly drunk, with his face flushed red as he stood up and shakily walked to his room. He was going to have a nice, long sleep. However, he stopped, turned around and replied with a grin, “It’s the wine of a future great sword immortal, so how can it not taste good? It tastes very good!”

He turned back toward the door and stumbled several steps forward. His head swayed back and forth as he murmured to himself, “I, Xu Yuanxia, can brag about this forever!”