Unsheathed

Zhang Shanfeng exhaled as he fell onto his back. He couldn’t drink any longer. Otherwise, Chen Ping’an would have to carry both him and Xu Yuanxia on his back. He looked up at the bright blue sky as he sighed, “My master always says that I have great aptitude, and that I made the right decision to embark on the path of cultivation rather than participate in the imperial examination, but I have no idea where my aptitude lies.

“Perhaps it was also eaten by dogs. I really want to find those dogs and beg them to return my aptitude to me. It’s not like they’ll have any use for it anyway. I’ll need all my aptitude if I want to be able to slay demons and vanquish fiends in the future! Once I become powerful enough, I’ll no longer have to feel any guilt. I’ll be able to protect all of the people who pay for my services, instead of having to watch them succumb to evil forces while I flee like a coward.”

It was often the case that people became more willing to spill their guts in an inebriated state, but Chen Ping’an was the opposite and would only get quieter the more he drank.

He sat on the ground as he listened to his two friends tell their stories. He held onto his wine gourd with both hands as he cast his gaze into the distance, taking a glance at the north before turning to the south. In this instant, he felt like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Zhang Shanfeng had promised himself that he wasn’t going to get drunk, but ultimately, he ended up being carried by Xu Yuanxia down the hill.

Xu Yuanxia’s footsteps were still quite steady, but he had become chatty in his inebriated state, and he began reciting many poetry passages, the final one of which was: “For the finest of wine, even a thousand cups won’t suffice…”

That was followed by a loud burp and nothing else.

Chen Ping’an smiled as he continued in Xu Yuanxia’s stead, “But when it comes to wives, even two are too many.”

“You must be the least ambitious sword immortal in history!” Xu Yuanxia scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

“That’s ‘great’ sword immortal to you!” Chen Ping’an immediately corrected him.

“And don’t forget me… I’m a Great Heavenly Master…” Zhang Shanfeng murmured in his sleep.

————

As it turned out, the ferry station on the border of Water Combing Nation and Pine Stream Nation was a thriving little town, and upon arriving here, Chen Ping’an almost felt as if he had returned to his hometown. The streets were packed with pedestrians, and there weren’t actually many Qi refiners among them.

Instead, the majority of them were merchants and mortals, the latter of which had already been living here for generations. All of the streets were lined with shops, and at this point, Zhang Shanfeng had already woken up. However, he was still feeling a little woozy and unsteady on his feet, while Chen Ping’an and Xu Yuanxia had sobered up long ago.

“My advice is that we don’t try to ask around at too many shops. We should just go straight to the biggest shop in the best area in the town,” Xu Yuanxia advised.

Following this advice, the three of them arrived at a large shop with a plaque that read “Green Beetle Pavilion” hanging above its entrance. It was a five-story pavilion that towered over all of the nearby buildings, and it also took up quite a large area. There seemed to be a spacious courtyard behind the building with tall trees growing inside, and the sound of flowing water could be heard, but it was unclear where it was coming from.

There was a set of couplets on either side of the shop’s entrance, and they read: “Young and old welcome, our prices are fair as can be; We serve you wholeheartedly, so you can buy from us without qualms.”

There were no employees on the street outside encouraging customers to come in, but as soon as the three of them made their way into the shop, they were immediately greeted by a young woman dressed in opulent attire. There was a green insect hovering above each of her shoulders, and they looked as if they were carved out of green jade.

“Welcome. Would you like to have treasures appraised or browse our shop’s wares?” the woman asked in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

As the woman was speaking, the two insects began to circle around all four of them while emitting a faint buzzing sound.

This was so that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by anyone else in the shop.

Xu Yuanxia smiled as he replied, “We’ll have some treasures appraised first, then take a look at what your shop has to offer. If you have treasures that suit our needs and your prices really are as fair as you claim, then we’ll consider buying a few things.”

The woman smiled as she introduced, “The first floor is for treasure appraisals, spirit tool appraisals are conducted on the second floor, the immortal treasure appraisals are conducted on the third floor, and the stairwell is over there. You can go to any floor you’d like first, and I’ll be right after you.”

“Let’s go to the second floor first,” Xu Yuanxia suggested, then began to make his way toward the stairwell, followed closely by Chen Ping’an and Zhang Shanfeng, while the young woman brought up the rear with a faint smile on her face.

She was in luck. Seeing as these customers were going to the second floor, she would most likely be able to make some good commission.

There were a few other young women on the first floor who weren’t inferior to this young woman in the looks department, and all of them were looking on with a hint of envy in their eyes. However, there was nothing that they could do as there was a pre-set sequence that they had to follow when it came to serving customers, so how much they would be able to earn was down to their luck.

Having said that, all of them generally earned roughly the same yearly income, and even if someone were to suddenly make a killing in a short time, the rules of the Green Beetle Shop ensured that no one else would know about it. Hence, such an occurrence would be kept a secret unless that person revealed it themselves.

Upon reaching the second floor, the young woman began to lead the way again. There was a long embroidered ground gown produced in Colorful Garment Nation draped over the corridor, and its quality wasn’t inferior in the slightest to the one in the main hall of Sword Water Villa.

The young woman led the three of them to the entrance of a room, then gently knocked on the door, and only after an elderly voice told her to come in from the other side did she open the door. She then stepped away to the side, allowing Chen Ping’an’s trio to enter the room first.

There was a large table inside the room, and seated behind it was a spritely old man. There was a small incense burner on the table releasing wisps of fragrant smoke, as well as a potted bonsai plant with a tastefully arched trunk and branches that extended outward far and wide.

There was a row of tiny green-robed figures seated atop one of the branches, and they were chatting quietly among themselves, but as soon as Chen Ping’an’s trio entered the room, they immediately rose to their feet in unison and extended a collective bow as they said in a tender and child-like voice, “Welcome, esteemed customers. We hope you find what you’re looking for!”

Chen Ping’an was astonished by what he was seeing, while Xu Yuanxia displayed no reaction, not because he wasn’t also stunned, but because he was a seasoned traveler who knew how to hide his emotions.

As for Zhang Shanfeng, he was a cultivator to begin with, and even though he was very poor right now, he had seen many things back when he was cultivating in his sect, so Chen Ping’an was the only one who was made to appear like an ignorant hillbilly.

Just this minor detail alone was enough to convince the young woman to place most of her attention on Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng. In her eyes, Chen Ping’an had to be some itinerant cultivator who had only been able to embark on the path of cultivation thanks to some stroke of luck, so there wasn’t much need for her to focus on him.

“What would you like to have appraised today?” the old man asked with a smile. “I specialize in the appraisal of bronze artifacts, calligraphy pieces and artworks, and wooden treasures. As for items of other descriptions, I wouldn’t dare to say that I’m an expert in all of them, but I’ve been sitting here in this room in the Green Beetle Shop for over forty years, and I can count on one hand the number of times that I’ve made a wrong appraisal, so you can place your trust in me.”

Zhang Shanfeng pulled the pair of bamboo chopsticks out of his sleeve before handing them to the old man.

The old man’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the bamboo chopsticks, and he made no effort to disguise his intrigue as he rose to his feet before accepting the chopsticks with both hands.

After sitting back down, he carefully set the chopsticks down onto the table in front of him, then pulled a special silken handkerchief out of a drawer and used it to meticulously wipe down his fingers and the palms of his hands. Only after that did he pick up the pair of chopsticks and begin inspecting them in an enthralled silence.

He set down the chopstick with “divine cloud bamboo” inscribed upon it, he picked up the one that bore the inscription of “Azure Divine Mountain”, then heaved a forlorn sigh as he turned to Zhang Shanfeng with a wistful expression.

“These chopsticks are made from absolutely exceptional materials. These are most certainly from Bamboo Sea Small World, and in all likelihood, they were crafted from the divine cloud bamboo grown on Azure Divine Mountain.

“Ever since Azure Divine Mountain was sealed off, the price of items crafted from divine cloud bamboo has gone up significantly. In fact, the rate of inflation has been nothing short of incredible! It’s just a pity that these were crafted into a pair of chopsticks instead of a ghost-striking whip. This is… so extravagant that it’s downright excessively wasteful!”

The old man became more and more worked up as he spoke, and at the end, it looked as if he were ready to pick a fight with the maker of these chopsticks!

The old man gently stroked the inscription of “Azure Divine Mountain” on the chopstick with his finger as he murmured to himself in self-consolation, “Then again, if this were a divine cloud bamboo ghost-striking whip, then you would’ve gone straight to the third floor, and I wouldn’t even have had the chance to see these chopsticks.

“Bamboo Sea Small World is such a huge small world, yet it’s home to only a single mountain god, and that’s Lady Zhu of Azure Divine Mountain. The founder of Fictionism once described Lady Zhu in writing as a beautiful barefoot woman with hair unmatched in its luster. It was only a very brief description, but it painted the picture of an exquisitely beautiful goddess…”

The old man was already completely lost in his own thoughts.

The young woman who had led Chen Ping’an’s trio to the second floor was feeling a little awkward, but internally, she was absolutely jubilant! It seemed that she was going to be making a killing today!

Thank heavens they didn’t go to those shameless sluts on the third floor! The women up there all seem innocent and beautiful on the surface, but they’re all filthy vixens who would do anything for money! Any man who has money immediately becomes the most handsome man in the world to them, regardless of how old or hideous they are!

Even after the deal is done, they still shamelessly cling to those men like glue, taking them to the private rooms in the courtyard in the back to pleasure them with their bodies! Shameless! Disgusting!

Despite her scathing thoughts, she also couldn’t help but be envious of those women on the third floor. What was she lacking in comparison? Her skills in bed certainly weren’t inferior, and even in the case of female customers, she had certain methods and was confident in her ability to please them.

If uninterrupted, it looked as if the old man could ramble to himself for the rest of the day, so Zhang Shanfeng could only interject, “Sir, all I want to know is how much this pair of chopsticks is worth.”

The old man immediately snapped back to his senses, then turned to the young woman with a smile as he asked, “Cuiying, I can still take one more treasure for my own collection this year, right?”

The young woman was rather taken aback to hear this, but then quickly smiled as he replied, “You are indeed able to claim one more treasure this year, Mr. Hong. However, we still have to observe the normal procedure and show these chopsticks to the deputy shopkeeper on the top floor before you can have it for your private collection.”

“Of course,” the old man replied with a wide smile.

The old man then turned to Zhang Shanfeng with a serious expression as he said, “In terms of benefitting one’s cultivation, these chopsticks have next to no effect. However, if these were to appear in a mortal empire, then it will be sure to become highly sought after for all of the wealthiest figures and most powerful officials of the land.

“Whenever some food is picked up with these chopsticks, some spiritual energy will rub off on it, and that would strengthen the consumer’s body and extend their lifespan. As long as they don’t suffer premature deaths or are struck down by any major illnesses, these chopsticks could easily add three to five years to someone’s lifespan.

“Furthermore, the fact that they’re crafted using divine cloud bamboo from Azure Divine Mountain will further increase their value. In particular, for collectors looking for such items, they would most likely be willing to pay anything to get their hands on these chopsticks.”

The old man took a glance at the chopsticks on the table, and an ecstatic look appeared in his eyes as he continued, “Our Green Beetle Shop… No, I, Hong Yangbo, would like to offer 450 snowflake coins for these chopsticks. Rest assured, I can guarantee you that no matter where else you go, whether that be taking these chopsticks to someone else in our Green Beetle Shop or to any of the other 16 shops in our ferry station, you won’t receive a higher offer than this.

“The average market price for something like this would only be 300 to 400 snowflake coins at the very most, and I’m only willing to offer such a high price as I’m really fond of wooden artifacts, and I still have one opportunity left to purchase an item that I appraise this year. What do you say? Would you be willing to sell these chopsticks to me?”

A beseeching look appeared in the old man’s eyes as he continued, “I really can’t go any higher than 450 snowflake coins. If you’re worried that I’m trying to swindle you, or you don’t believe in the reputation of our Green Beetle Shop, then I’m happy to take you to our deputy shopkeeper, or even accompany you to all of the other shops in the ferry station for additional appraisals.”

Zhang Shanfeng took a glance at Xu Yuanxia, and the latter gave a slight nod in response.

Zhang Shanfeng grinned as he raised a hand and spread all five fingers as he declared, “I’ll sell them for 500 snowflake coins, take it or leave it!”

The young woman turned her head to the side to conceal her amusement.

She knew that given Mr. Hong’s personality, once he encountered something to his liking, he would be willing to spend any amount for the item, as long as he could afford it.

The old man gave himself a slap across the face, but even so, he was still ecstatic as he rose to his feet and replied, “You have yourself a deal! Cuiying, make sure to handle these chopsticks with the utmost care and take them to the deputy shopkeeper on the top floor for appraisal. Once it’s verified that the price I’ve offered is fair, I’ll pay our customers here out of my own pocket, and of course, you’ll get your commission as well!”

The young woman did as she was told, carefully picking up the chopsticks before departing in an elegant manner.

Xu Yuanxia knew that this was a favorable deal for Zhang Shanfeng, an extremely favorable one even.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an was still standing beside the table, huddled over the branch of the bonsai tree to look at the tiny green-robed children. He felt like these little guys were really interesting and adorable, and he was thinking about whether he should collect some himself to give to the little girl in pink on Downtrodden Mountain as a present.

She would most likely be quite fond of them as well, and with them keeping her company, she wouldn’t get bored in the bamboo building. Meanwhile, the tiny green-robed children were also quite intrigued by Chen Ping’an as it wasn’t every day that they encountered a hillbilly who seemed to be amazed by everything that he saw.

Hence, both sides were looking back at each other with intrigued expressions.

As for Hong Yangbo, he was sitting behind the table, humming a joyful tune.