Unsheathed

On this day, Chen Ping’an was still doing his usual night fishing, which was interspersed with periods of standing meditation. As daybreak arrived, he opened his eyes as he cast his gaze toward the sky in the east, but this time, the golden flood dragons didn’t come. Even so, he remained completely unbothered as he smiled and waved at the distant horizon, as if he were waving at a familiar acquaintance.

After that, he packed up his fish basket and fishing rod before returning to the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence, where he discovered Sun Jiashu waiting for him.

In reality, Chen Ping’an had been waiting for Sun Jiashu as well.

Back in that alley in the inner city, Zheng Dafeng had tried to goad him into removing his facade, but the Yin god had intervened and revealed Zheng Dafeng’s intentions to him.

It seemed that the Sun Clan had nothing to do with this, but Chen Ping’an was quickly able to deduce Sun Jiashu’s hidden intentions.

Was he disappointed? Of course.

Was he furious? Not really.

Liu Baqiao had clearly harbored good intentions when he introduced him to Sun Jiashu, and ultimately, it was his decision whether he wanted to come to the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence. Looking back now, Chen Ping’an could see that he hadn’t made the worst decision, but it wasn’t the best one, either.

The Fu Clan and the Sun Clan believed in the teachings of Commercialism, and Sun Jiashu had revealed some of the core beliefs of Commercialism to Chen Ping’an during their past conversations.

Once again, Chen Ping’an’s impression of Sun Jiashu had become rather murky, and his heart was filled with apprehension and wariness.

Just because someone was kind and pure didn’t necessarily mean that they were stupid and ignorant. In order to truly be a good person, one had to know what a bad person was. For a good person, just living was the best deed that they could do for this world.

Chen Ping’an didn’t need books to teach him these basic principles. Instead, he had learned these precious life lessons through his past experiences.

Sun Jiashu watched as Chen Ping’an approached him, then took a deep breath and didn’t say anything as he extended an apologetic bow.

Chen Ping’an stepped aside to avoid this seemingly inexplicable gesture of apology from Sun Jiashu.

After standing up straight again, a wry smile appeared on Sun Jiashu’s face as he said, “Chen Ping’an, I’ve already arranged for you to travel on the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island ship. Our Sun Clan is no longer worthy of inviting you to travel on our Mountain and Sea Turtle.”

“Why did you do this, Sun Jiashu?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Sun Jiashu hesitated momentarily, then squatted down as he turned to face the river before picking up some of the pebbles by his feet and throwing them into the water one after another.

“I wanted to take a gamble and try to profit from your presence here in Old Dragon City.

“I intentionally downplayed the level of control that the Fu Clan had over Old Dragon City to you, only giving you that disguise during your outing when I knew full well that it wouldn’t be enough to conceal your identity. I intentionally dangled you out as bait, and I was making a bet that the stubborn Fu Nanhua wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to strike you down.

“Once that happened, I would ensure your protection at all cost, even if it meant giving up half of the Sun Clan. After that, you’ll set off for Stalactite Mountain, and you’ll feel like you owe me a massive favor. I’m confident that when you repay the favor, our Sun Clan will recover far more than we’ll lose.”

Chen Ping’an was still carrying his fishing rod and fish basket as he remained on the spot and asked, “How were you so certain that you could ensure my safety?”

Sun Jiashu continued to face the river as he pointed up at the sky and replied, “There are some things at the pinnacle of this world that I’m aware of as the Sun Clan’s leader, but they’re things that Fu Nanhua isn’t privy to. Of course, City Lord Fu Qi is also aware of these things.

“In this gamble, all I have to do is put everything on the line, making it appear as if our Sun Clan were determined to protect you, even if it meant the destruction of our entire clan. Once I did that, Fu Qi would take advantage of the opportunity to deal our Sun Clan a heavy blow, but ultimately back off at a certain point.

“You would be in no true danger during all of this, but you wouldn’t know that, and in the wake of the ordeal, you and I would become close friends.”

Only after hearing Sun Jiashu’s explanation did a sense of fury finally well up in Chen Ping’an’s heart. A cold look appeared on his face as he channeled his aura to suppress his fury with all his might.

Sun Jiashu tossed out another pebble as he continued, “In recent years, our Sun Clan has been doing quite well, and on the surface, it appears as if we’ve become powerful enough to stand toe to toe against the Fu Clan, but I know that we’re still quite far away from reaching that level.

“The Fu Clan is determined to pledge its allegiance to the Great Li Empire, and the Fan Clan is doing the same. All of the other three major clans are also seeking out different backers, including Lake View Academy and certain immortal sects of Complete Reed Continent and Great Southeastern Continent.

“All of them have secured backing and safety nets for themselves, while our Sun Clan remains the only exception. I also want to secure the backing of the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan, but I haven’t been able to find a way in.

“Some time ago, a Golden Core Tier guest elder of our clan and I traveled to the capital city of the Great Li Empire, but not only were we not able to secure an audience with the emperor, we weren’t even allowed to set foot into Song Changjing’s manor. As a businessman, this is a terrible situation to be in, and it plunged me into the depths of despair.”

“I can understand that you don’t regard me as a friend, but what about Liu Baqiao?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Sun Jiashu had already prepared answers for all of the questions that he thought that Chen Ping’an would ask, but he wasn’t prepared for this one.

A bitter look appeared on his face as he cast his gaze across the river.

This was a question that was very direct and difficult to answer, and even the Sun Clan patriarch, who was observing this interaction in secret, couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Sun Jiashu.

Sun Jiashu lowered his head slightly as he looked down at the ground. For all his wiles as a businessman, this question had left him completely stumped, so he decided to pursue the easiest route, replying in a candid fashion, “Of course I see him as a friend, but after what I’ve done here, he may no longer be my friend, and to make matters worse, I’ve made an enemy out of you as well.”

“Are you telling me all of this because you don’t dare to kill me? Are you afraid that someday, someone will return to Majestic World and raze this ancestral manor to the ground over what you’ve done?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“I don’t want to kill you,” Sun Jiashu replied as he turned to Chen Ping’an and forced a smile onto his own face. “Do you believe me when I say that, Chen Ping’an?”

Chen Ping’an offered no reply.

Sun Jiashu rose to his feet, and it was as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was no longer looking so deflated, and some of his customary flair and poise had returned to him as he continued, “I’ve told you everything that I have to say. Regardless of what you decide to do, I won’t regret my decisions. The mistakes have already been made, the least I can do is own up to them.”

Chen Ping’an heaved a faint sigh as he said, “After I pack up my belongings, I’ll go to the Dust Medicinal Shop in the inner city, then travel to Stalactite Mountain on the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island.”

“Alright,” Sun Jiashu replied with a nod.

With that, the two of them returned to the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence in silence, and Chen Ping’an did exactly as he said, packing up his belongings before departing without a word.

Sun Jiashu was left to eat breakfast on his own, and once again, it was a meal of steamed buns, rice congee, and pickled vegetables. The Sun Clan patriarch sat down across from him, but before he had a chance to say anything, Sun Jiashu declared, “I’ll inform Liu Baqiao of what happened here as soon as I can.”

“Are you worried that you’ll be in an even worse predicament if Chen Ping’an were to expose you before you had a chance to come clean, or are you simply trying to clear your own conscience?” the Sun Clan patriarch asked.

Sun Jiashu set down his chopsticks, then considered the question carefully before replying in a truthful fashion, “There’s a bit of both, I think.”

“Why don’t you consider tampering with Osmanthus Island?” the Sun Clan patriarch asked.

After coming clean to Chen Ping’an, Sun Jiashu was feeling quite reinvigorated, and he smiled as he replied with a shake of his head, “I can’t try to smooth out a mistake by committing another one. Also, I have a feeling that doing that will only land me deeper in the hole that I’m already in.”

The Sun Clan patriarch was very relieved to hear this, and he smiled as he said, “Overall, I think this was a positive experience. In the face of an inevitable turn in the tide, it’s naturally a good thing to be able to act before others, but it’s just as valuable to be able to remain levelheaded and not commit any major mistakes despite how high the stakes are.

“As the leader of such a large clan, you can’t afford to make risky gambles and place all of your eggs in one basket.”

“Old people really are treasures that are full of wisdom!” Sun Jiashu remarked with a smile.

The Sun Clan patriarch rose to his feet as he said, “I’ll leave you to eat on your own. Make sure to temper your own mental state and don’t allow yourself to get too worked up in the near future.”

Sun Jiashu set down his chopsticks before standing up to accompany the Sun Clan patriarch out of the room, then sat back down to continue eating breakfast.

It was truly a horrible meal, like the embodiment of the bitter pill that he was forced to swallow.

After emerging from the territory of the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence, Chen Ping’an arrived in a prosperous market, then asked for some directions before hiring an ordinary horse-drawn carriage that would take him to the inner city.

It was quite expensive to travel from the outer city to the inner city, and after entering the carriage, Chen Ping’an began issuing directions to the coach driver.

A Yin god had appeared in the carriage, the very same one that had appeared outside the Dust Medicinal Shop, and it declared that its surname was Zhao, so Chen Ping’an referred to it respectfully as Mr. Zhao.

Upon reaching the alley outside the Dust Medicinal Shop, Chen Ping’an paid the fare to the coach driver. On this day, Zheng Dafeng wasn’t sitting under the locust tree. Instead, he was sitting at the counter of the medicine shop with a dazed look on his face. He wasn’t surprised to see Chen Ping’an, and he told Chen Ping’an that the shop was small, but the backyard behind the shop was quite large.

Chen Ping’an made his way into the backyard to find that the layout was very similar to that of the Yang Family’s medicine shop. The ground in the backyard was paved with bluestone slabs, and there was a main room and two side rooms, both of the latter of which were empty, so Chen Ping’an could choose either one.

Chen Ping’an chose the one on the left, and he set down his belongings and his sword case inside the room, leaving only the Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to his waist. Zheng Dafeng had purchased an old pipe from some antique shop, and he was emulating Old Man Yang as he sat under the eave of the main room, smoking the pipe while seated on a stool.

However, in Chen Ping’an’s eyes, there was an air of unfathomable profoundness as Old Man Yang smoked his pipe, but seeing Zheng Dafeng do the same thing was rather comical.

Chen Ping’an sat at the entrance of his room, declaring that he was going to be traveling on Osmanthus Island. Zheng Dafeng nodded in response, reassuring him that he would keep him safe until he set foot onto Osmanthus Island.

The two of them had never gotten along with each other all that well, so their conversation quickly petered out into silence, with one of them continuing to smoke, while the other drank out of his gourd.

All of the female employees peeking out into the backyard quickly grew bored of what they were seeing, and they dispersed.

Zheng Dafeng was smoking his pipe in a bored manner, and he couldn’t understand why Old Man Yang had such a habit. To him, it felt like a boring waste of time. Occasionally, he would sneak a glance at Chen Ping’an out of the corner of his eye. With the fall of Jewel Small World, Chen Ping’an’s fortunes had taken a drastic turn for the better.

For example, the timing of his arrival in Old Dragon City was one of the things that reflected his improved fortunes. If it weren’t for the arrival of the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan, Fu Qi may not have been so willing to leave Chen Ping’an alone.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an was still thinking about the five copper coins that Zheng Dafeng owed him.

All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng asked, “Chen Ping’an, if Mr. Qi had told you that you were never going to be able to reach the fourth tier, what would you have done?”

Chen Ping’an considered the question for a moment, then replied, “I would have accepted my fate.”

Zheng Dafeng seemed to be rather taken aback to hear this, then rolled his eyes in disdain.

How was Chen Ping’an going to be his Dao mentor when neither of them had any solution to such a damning prophecy?

Zheng Dafeng was unwilling to give up, and he asked, “What would you have done after that?”

This seemed like a completely inconsequential topic of conversation. Chen Ping’an casually replied, “I would have continued to practice my fist techniques, of course. What else can I do? I had to begin practicing fist techniques to save my own life. Besides, even if I can’t make a breakthrough, my fist technique practice can strengthen my body, and that’s always a good thing.”

Zheng Dafeng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, “What if you accidentally stumbled your way to the pinnacle of the third tier and saw a glimmer of hope for reaching the fourth tier?”

Chen Ping’an turned to Zheng Dafeng with a wide-eyed expression, stunned by the stupidity of this question.

His fist technique practice had a positive impact on his life, and making a breakthrough was naturally a good thing. If he were to reach a bottleneck, then of course he would be thinking about how to make a breakthrough!

Zheng Dafeng could tell what Chen Ping’an was thinking, and he asked, “Would you not consider Mr. Qi’s prophecy? Would that not weigh on your mind?”

Chen Ping’an’s eyes widened even further, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Zheng Dafeng had suffered a knock to the head. How was it that a martial arts master at the pinnacle of the eighth tier could be capable of asking such stupid questions?

Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine, then replied, “Mr. Qi was a very wise and knowledgeable man, and everything that he said to me was for my own benefit. If making a breakthrough is a bad thing, then I’ll suppress it and avoid it. However, if it’s a good thing, and Mr. Qi was simply mistaken, then am I supposed to avoid a good thing just because Mr. Qi made an incorrect prophecy? If I were to do that, then Mr. Qi would be very disappointed in me.”

A serious look appeared on Zheng Dafeng’s face as he set down his pipe and asked in a demanding voice, “How could Mr. Qi possibly be wrong?!”

“If I still had the chance to stand before Mr. Qi and ask him whether he was capable of making mistakes, what do you think his answer would be?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Zheng Dafeng’s entire body stiffened, and a pained look appeared on his face as he tossed his pipe aside and began clawing at his own head.

His eyes quickly became extremely bloodshot as he turned to Chen Ping’an with a desperate expression and yelled, “Chen Ping’an, did Mr. Qi ask you to pass on any message to me?! Tell me! If you do, I’m willing to serve as your Dao guardian for a decade, even a century!”

“He didn’t ask me to pass on any message to you,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

Zheng Dafeng abruptly rose to his feet, then began stumbling around the yard like a cat on a hot tin roof, and his footsteps were so jumbled and disorderly that he didn’t even appear to be as capable as a third tier martial artist.

He’s not suffering from Qi deviation, is he? Chen Ping’an thought to himself.

Right at this moment, the Yin god appeared beside him. It had already concealed everything that was taking place in this courtyard so that no one on the outside would be able to detect what was happening.

Zheng Dafeng continued to stumble around like a headless chicken as he frantically murmured to himself, “I’ve listened to Mr. Qi’s teachings many times, and I’m sure he must’ve been trying to tell me something back then, but I simply failed to see the message that he was trying to convey… Think, Zheng Dafeng, think! Don’t get agitated…”

Chaotic gusts of astral winds began to sweep through the courtyard, and they were as sharp as blades. It was only thanks to the efforts of the Yin god that the astral winds didn’t completely destroy the courtyard.

Chen Ping’an continued to drink in silence as he carefully observed Zheng Dafeng’s strange behavior.

Before long, tears were streaming down Zheng Dafeng’s face, and he continued to stumble around as he turned to Chen Ping’an and asked, “Has Mr. Qi taught you any principles? Tell me all of them, Chen Ping’an! I don’t care what they are, whether they be sagely teachings from the Confucian classics or basic principles of life, tell me everything!”

Chen Ping’an wrapped his arms around his Sword Nurturing Gourd as he asked in an expressionless manner, “Why should I?”

“Because you are my Dao mentor, Chen Ping’an! Do you understand?!” Zheng Dafeng howled.

“This is not good, Chen Ping’an,” the Yin god cautioned in a grim voice. “If things continue like this, there’s a very good chance that Zheng Dafeng could be driven completely insane, and even if he manages to recover his sanity, he’ll have no chance of ever reaching the Mountain Summit Tier.

“On top of that, I may not be able to contain him, and if he gets loose, then this medicine shop, the alley outside, and all of the nearby streets will most likely be completely destroyed, resulting in countless casualties.”

Chen Ping’an was actually nowhere near as calm as he appeared on the surface.

What’s all this Dao mentor nonsense? How am I, a fourth tier martial artist, supposed to be able to instruct a master martial artist at the pinnacle of the eighth tier?

Chen Ping’an could see that more and more gusts of astral wind were emerging within the courtyard, and numerous miniature tornadoes seven to eight feet tall had already taken shape, shattering all of the bluestone slabs in their wake.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly called upon Fifteenth in his Sword Nurturing Gourd to summon all of the small bamboo slips that he had engraved various principles onto. At this point, all he could do was hope for a miracle.

He began to rattle off the principles engraved onto the bamboo slips to Zheng Dafeng one after another, but Zheng Dafeng was shaking his head over and over again while becoming more and more agitated by the second.

At this point, he had already risen up from the ground and was swirling around in mid-air like a kite with a snapped string. On top of that, blood was flowing out of all of his orifices, presenting a terrible sight to behold.

Chen Ping’an was even doing his best to recall the poetic phrases that Li Xisheng had written on the walls of the bamboo building, reciting them loudly to Zheng Dafeng, but it was still not what he wanted to hear.

Zheng Dafeng’s condition had already worsened to the point that he was no longer even able to speak, and all he could do was stumble around in mid-air while unleashing punches, doing everything in his power to cling onto his final shred of sanity.

The boundary between the eighth and ninth tiers was more spectacular than that between the third and fourth tiers and the sixth and seventh tiers, but it was also more perilous, and it was referred to as the Test of the Heart.

As for the boundary between the ninth and tenth tiers, that was even more fearsome, referred to as Ramming the Heavenly Gate, and of course, it was even more difficult to overcome.

Zheng Dafeng was aware of all of this, and that was why he was so envious of his senior brother, Li Er, and Song Changjing, the latter of whom had managed to progress to the 10th tier after just a single battle of life and death.

He had engaged in countless battles against Li Er in private, and he had almost been beaten to within an inch of his life too many times to count on one hand.

Why was it that Song Changjing was able to make the breakthrough so easily, yet he was unable to when he clearly possessed far superior aptitude and had reached the eighth tier at an astonishing speed?

Why was it that Old Man Yang had told him that he had no hope of reaching the ninth tier in this lifetime? That was only pouring more salt onto the already gaping wound on his heart!

After reading the Chapter of Sincerity and witnessing his Dao mentor forcing back those dawn flood dragons on two occasions, he had gleaned the true meaning of sincerity, and as a result, his bottleneck had begun to loosen, yet why was it that the breakthrough was still out of his reach?

The Yin god’s fists were tightly clenched in apprehension as it stared at Zheng Dafeng, who was on the verge of losing his sanity, and it was grappling with an internal conflict, wondering if it should intervene by force.

However, it didn’t dare to prematurely intervene. If it were to forcibly put an end to Zheng Dafeng’s deranged tirade, then that would truly put an end to any chance of further progress for him in the martial arts.

All of a sudden, Zheng Dafeng stopped in his tracks, hovering in mid-air with his entire body drenched in blood. His face was also smeared with blood, and there was a broken look in his eyes as he howled, “I can’t do it, Master! I really can’t! I’m sorry…”

Looking at the tormented Zheng Dafeng, a thought suddenly sprang into Chen Ping’an’s mind, a thought of an innocent and energetic little girl who wore a red coat all year round.

He recalled hearing from Li Huai that Li Baoping would often raise some questions that even Mr. Qi was unable to answer, and Mr. Qi never saw anything wrong with that.

A spark of inspiration instantly arose in Chen Ping’an’s heart, and he murmured to himself, “A disciple doesn’t have to be inferior to the master.”

He had uttered those words to himself in a very quiet voice, yet in the ears of Zheng Dafeng, it sounded like a resounding thunderclap.

He looked down with a dazed expression at the old pipe.

Old Man Yang never liked to speak to him much, and whenever the old man looked at him with that cold expression through the smoke from his pipe, Zheng Dafeng would always be struck by a crippling sense of inferiority that deflated him of the courage to even look directly back at his master.

Prior to this moment, Zheng Dafeng had never felt like there was anything wrong with that. While everyone else was oblivious to Old Man Yang’s true identity, this was not a secret to him. Others were unaware of just how unfathomably powerful Old Man Yang was, but that didn’t apply to him.

Old Man Yang’s incredible past feats weren’t common knowledge, but Zheng Dafeng was privy to them. In contrast, he was only an eighth tier martial artist, so what right did he have to look back at Old Man Yang on level terms?

Zheng Dafeng raised his head as he took a deep breath, then wiped the blood from his face as he murmured to himself, “I see now.”

In the wake of this moment of enlightenment, there was no spectacular phenomenon. Instead, he merely rose up higher and higher into the sky above the courtyard while thinking to himself, Master, you’re already in an unfathomably high place, but that’s fine. I will ascend to meet you one step after another.

On this day, Zheng Dafeng scaled the heavens step by step, rising up until he was above the sea of clouds in the sky before casting his gaze even higher upward.