Unsheathed

The master and disciple, Pei Bei and Cao Ci, slowly walked along the great wall. Cao Ci glanced back in the direction of the thatched cottages and said with serious expression, “Even though his foundation at the third tier is still quite far behind my foundation at the third tier, I feel like Chen Ping’an still has the chance to follow behind me.”

The martial goddess smiled and said, “This is very high praise.”

“Master, what do you think?” Cao Ci asked.

Pei Bei shook her head lightly and replied, “It doesn’t matter what I think. This depends on how you and Chen Ping’an develop in the future. This depends on your cultivation speed, the sturdiness of your foundation at each tier, and eventually the level of your Martial Dao. Of course, who can live for longer is also critically important.”

Cao Ci nodded and asked, “Master, if there aren’t any big accidents, approximately how long can you live for?”

Pei Bei’s voice was calm as she answered this question pertaining to her life and death, saying, “Ordinary martial artists at the 10th tier can live until around 300 years old if they minimize the depletion of their vital energy and participate in fewer life-and-death battles where they suffer severe wounds with difficult-to-remove side-effects. I can live for approximately 200 years longer than that. However, this extra 200 years will allow me to do many more things.”

Cao Ci sighed with emotion and lamented, “At the end of the day, Qi refiners still enjoy a longer lifespan than us.”

Pei Bei didn’t comment on this. Instead. she asked, “Do you have any other thoughts about Chen Ping’an?”

“No,” Cao Ci replied with a shake of his head.

“You can leave the Great Duan Empire before you advance to the seventh tier, but you’re definitely not allowed to travel to any other continent,” Pei Bei warned.

“I understand.”

Cao Ci didn’t mind this at all. When it came to the Martial Dao, his true opponent was none other than himself.

The tall martial goddess from Middle Earth Divine Continent couldn’t help but chuckle. She reached over and stroked Cao Ci’s head.

“Master, don’t treat me like a child all the time,” Cao Ci said in exasperation.

Before walking down the great wall, Pei Bei glanced back at the thatched cottages, then quickly looked away. A sneaky smile appeared on her face.

Pure martial artists in the same generation as Cao Ci would most likely feel very aggrieved.

Those who respected and revered him could only gaze up at a tall mountain. They could only gaze up at him for their entire lives.

Those who envied and felt jealous of him could only stare at the dust he left behind, and those who detested him and felt hostility toward him could only fume in helplessness.

Pei Bei was very eager to see her disciple’s ultimate height.

After all, there was no second when it came to martial arts!

————

Chen Ping’an had already stayed on the city wall for almost ten days. Ning Yao visited today, and she told Chen Ping’an that an important guest was visiting her clan and that she needed to be present.

Chen Ping’an continued to practice walking meditation along the city wall. After walking for several kilometers, he discovered a little girl dressed in a loose black robe standing in front of him. Her hair was tied into adorable twin braids, and she seemed to be just standing there and nodding off. She swayed back and forth, and it looked like she might plummet down the great wall at any moment.

Chen Ping’an was extremely alarmed by what he saw, and he was just about to reach over to stabilize the reckless little girl. However, his two long journeys had allowed him to mature quite a bit. Colorful Garment Nation, Stalactite Mountain, and the Sword Qi Great Wall were all vastly different from each other.

Thus, Chen Ping’an simply called out and pretended that he was asking her something. Speaking poorly and awkwardly in the local dialect of the Sword Qi Great Wall that Ning Yao had taught him, he asked, “Do you know who the old man in the thatched cottage is?”

The little girl ignored Chen Ping’an and continued to wobble back and forth on the parapet.

Chen Ping’an came to a stop at a distance that he felt was reasonable. He then observed the little girl and discovered a snot bubble hanging from her nose. Sure enough, she was asleep.

How relaxed…

Chen Ping’an felt like she was most likely a prodigious sword cultivator.

At this instant, the wobbling little girl with braided twin tails lost her balance and directly plummeted down the wall.

Chen Ping’an was just about to instinctively dash forward and grab the little girl’s toes.

However, a hand pressed down on his shoulder and prevented him from moving. Turning around, Chen Ping’an found that there was a white-haired old man with a kindly expression standing to his left. The old man was tall, and there was a white jade hairpin in his hair. The old man smiled at Chen Ping’an and said, “Young boy, judging from your accent, you’re most likely an outsider, correct? Having a good heart is a good thing, but when you’re in the Sword Qi Great Wall, you need to make sure to keep one thing in mind. Don’t cause trouble for others, and don’t cause trouble for yourself.”

The old man pointed in the direction where the little girl had fallen down the wall and continued, “This Hidden Official doesn’t need your saving either. She’s a sword cultivator who’s killed the greatest number of Middle Five Tier demons in the Sword Qi Great Wall in the past thousand years. If we’re talking about who the demon tribe hates the most, Lord Hidden Official can easily rank inside the top three. If you touched even the hem of her clothes, you would have most likely lost your life. That’s unless the old great sword immortal was willing to engage in an intense battle with Lord Hidden Official.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and thanked the old man.

The old man smiled and introduced, “My surname is Qi, and if you don’t mind, you can call me Grandpa Qi or Senior Qi. There are some unusual movements in the south today, and I was coincidentally patrolling the wall with a good friend. I surmise that Lord Hidden Official was also interested in this, and perhaps she’s eager for the demon tribe to launch a new round of attacks.”

The old man remembered something, and he suddenly added, “Actually, don’t call me Grandpa Qi. Senior Qi will be fine. Otherwise, it will feel like I’m trying to compare myself to the old great sword immortal. That will be no good.”

Just as the old man finished speaking, a dull rumble traveled over from the foot of the great wall.

Lord Hidden Official, the little girl with braided twin tails, had most likely crashed into the ground and caused some commotion.

The old man smiled and reminded him, “Even though the old great sword immortal is keeping watch, and Lord Hidden Official is also present, you should still be a little more careful. The tactics of war are unpredictable, so who knows when the demon tribe might launch their next assault. Alright, I’ll leave you to it now.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t see the old man stride forward, yet he had already appeared on the parapet three dozen meters away. With his movements nimble and graceful, the old man quickly vanished into the distance.

Chen Ping’an jumped down the parapet and returned to the thatched cottage.

The old man’s surname was Qi.

Lord Hidden Official had slain countless demons at the Middle Five Tiers.

Chen Ping’an heard some indescribable noise coming from the land to the south. It wasn’t the kind of piercing sound that caused discomfort to one’s ears, but rather a quiet sound that made one feel a sense of disgust. Chen Ping’an hurriedly walked to the parapet and looked into the distance.

In the boundless canyon that lay beyond the great wall, what he saw was… something that looked like a worm in the muddy ground.

However, Chen Ping’an was standing on the great wall now, so he could imagine just how colossal and terrifying the actual size of the worm was.

After a moment, Chen Ping’an saw a giant orb of snow-white light erupt at the location where Lord Hidden Official had fallen down the wall just then. The giant orb of light then rolled toward the great demon like a ball.

Afterward, plumes of dust and ashes rose in the canyon, reflecting the intensity of the battle taking place.

About fifteen minutes later, the little girl with braided twin tails and dressed in a loose black robe returned to the city wall. She stood on the parapet not far away from Chen Ping’an, and she opened her mouth wide and used two fingers to rock a tooth back and forth. In the end, however, she was seemingly reluctant to pull it out. She simply spat a mouthful of blood toward the carriageway. She was slightly angry, and the carriageway along the great wall shuddered as she swaggered along the parapet.

The old sword immortal who lived in the thatched cottage and guarded the city wall arrived beside Chen Ping’an at some unknown time. He smiled and explained, “To her, failing to kill the enemy is equivalent to losing. As a result, she’s feeling quite irritated right now. During times like these, others shouldn’t go over and bother her. Otherwise, things will become very troublesome.

“In the past, only A’Liang was willing to chat with her and add fuel to the fire. In any case, he was able to tolerate beatings from her. Now that A’Liang has left the Sword Qi Great Wall, I presume that she’s also feeling a little bored. In fact, that slightly unfortunate great demon from our enemy’s camp was only coming over and showing itself in a symbolic manner.”

The old sword immortal led Chen Ping’an toward the thatched cottages. While walking, he suddenly said, “You’re an exception because of certain reasons, and that’s why I’m also telling you some more things.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and didn’t say anything.

When night fell, Chen Ping’an walked out of the small thatched cottage that Cao Ci had built and sat down on the north-facing parapet, drinking wine as he gazed at the gigantic city that was ablaze with lights.

He looked in the direction of Ning Yao’s home.

However, his left shoulder was suddenly smacked by someone, and when he looked over, he discovered that Ning Yao was already sitting next to him.

She brought some food to the city wall this time, and she left it in the small thatched cottage nearby. She grabbed a pot of wine, and Chen Ping’an handed her his Sword Nurturing Gourd. Ning Yao helped refill the gourd.

When the pot was emptied, Ning Yao casually tossed it off the great wall. It wouldn’t make any sound when it crashed into the ground. After all, it was only a small pot and not Lord Hidden Official.

Ning Yao drank a mouthful of wine and started to zone out.

Thus, Chen Ping’an accompanied her and also started to zone out.

“In reality, whether one is reasonable or not has nothing to do with whether they’ll enjoy a good life or not,” Ning Yao said softly.

Ning Yao pointed at the city and continued, “Over in that place, there are people who are far too talented. No one can do anything about them as long as they stay within the rules, even when they wantonly kill innocent people. When they arrive on the battlefield to the south of the great wall, these people will still be renowned and revered heroes.

“When their sword qi soars into the heavens, and when they cut through the swarming demon army with peerless might, even those who resent them will have no option but to admit that things would indeed be very different without these talented sword cultivators.”

Ning Yao swirled the wine gourd and said, “I’ve been to many places in Majestic World, and I’ve come across all kinds of people during my journeys. Some people are able to enjoy a lifetime of prosperity and wealth simply because they reincarnated into the right place. They don’t need to worry about food or clothes, yet they still sit there all day long and complain about how boring their life is. They like to grumble about how difficult they have it.”

She returned the Sword Nurturing Gourd to Chen Ping’an and asked, “These nonsensical matters are quite boring, aren’t they?”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment and replied, “It’s alright. Everyone has their own principles and their own way of living. They’re not necessarily wrong just because their values don’t align with ours. I’ll be fine as long as liking to speak reason doesn’t guarantee a bad life.”

“How unfortunate. Liking to speak reason does genuinely lead to a difficult life,” Ning Yao said with a huff.

“Huh?”

Chen Ping’an started to carefully contemplate this matter.

Ning Yao turned around and looked at the earnestly thinking young boy. She couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “I was only joking. Did you really believe me?”

Chen Ping’an drank a mouthful of wine and asked, “There’s something weighing on your mind?”

Ning Yao nodded and replied, “Someone wants to buy my clan’s Dragon Slaying Platform, but I’m not willing to sell it. However, they’re offering an astronomical sum, and they’re also speaking about righteousness, generational friendships, and anything they can think of. Listening to them is quite annoying.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything to console Ning Yao. Instead, he gently grabbed her hand.

Ning Yao suddenly smiled for some reason, and she continued, “However, whenever I think about your pitiful childhood when you would go hungry and secretly cry in Clay Vase Alley with tears and snot flowing down your face, I feel like these matters aren’t so important anymore.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and looked into the distance. A gust of wind brushed over him, and it no longer brought him agonizing pain like it had when he had first arrived at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Right now, this gust of wind felt like the gentle breeze blowing through the mountains and forests in his hometown. “Is that so?” he said in a gentle voice.

In the end, Ning Yao leaned on Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and slept soundly until the next morning.

Chen Ping’an sat there unmoving as he silently guarded the night.

He had once come across a very moving line of poetry.

Someone had engraved these characters onto the clay statue of a deity in the immortal tomb back in his hometown.

Chen Ping’an hoped that the author was anyone but Ma Kuxuan from Apricot Blossom Alley.

“Ever since childhood, I’ve been alone and looking after the stars of yore.[1]”

1. Paek Hak-rim’s poem, ‘Lonely.’ ☜