Unsheathed

On the way back, Chen Ping’an’s mood had already returned to normal, and flesh was slowly growing back on his skeletal arm. A series of meridians could be seen interspersed throughout the muscle fibers like thin vines, presenting a profound sight to behold. Chen Ping’an was closely observing these meridians like a scholar intently studying a subject, and Lu Tai was truly disgusted to see this.

The Lu Clan had some formidable martial artists among its ranks, but none of them would’ve had anywhere near the same level of mental fortitude as Chen Ping’an back when they were at the fourth tier.

Despite the excruciating pain, Chen Ping’an was watching with keen interest as these meridians grew, and it was quite an educational experience, providing him with answers to many questions on the subject of Qi circulation that had previously stumped him.

As they approached the Flying Eagle Fortress, Chen Ping’an had to conceal his arm so that he wasn’t mistaken for a devilish cultivator by the residents of the fort. Thankfully, his Dao robe was able to conceal his grisly arm, while also posing no impediment to the healing process.

Earlier, Wheat Awn had already recovered the Five Mountain Hat, and Lu Tai had examined it momentarily before concluding that it was a very old immortal treasure of a very high caliber.

The true appearances of the Five Mountains were depicted on the cap, and the style and techniques employed both indicated that this cap had come from Middle Earth Divine Continent before somehow finding its way to Parasol Leaf Continent. Perhaps it was originally the bonded treasure of a certain renowned mountain god of Middle Earth Divine Continent.

Chen Ping’an was quite interested in hearing about these topics as he wanted to broaden his own horizons. As for whether Lu Tai was going to lay sole claim to the Five Mountain Hat or whether he was intentionally downplaying the cap’s value, those questions didn’t really weigh on Chen Ping’an’s mind as he didn’t think Lu Tai was that type of person.

Humans were fickle and unpredictable creatures, so it was necessary to be cautious at all times, but it was never a good thing to condemn good and innocent people out of excessive paranoia.

Instead of heading straight to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, the two of them secretly made their way to the training grounds first to recover Infatuation. After absorbing the spiritual energy and the heart blood of a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Dragon Gate Tier, the blade of the sword had become even brighter and more translucent, and the patterns etched on its surface were rippling like water.

Even for someone with standards as high as Lu Tai’s, he couldn’t help but examine the sword with amazement in his eyes. He declared that while the old man obviously hadn’t been entirely truthful to them, he had most likely been telling the truth about his former cultivation base.

At his peak, he most likely really had reached the cusp of the Nascent Tier, and a cultivator of that caliber would be able to stake a foothold for themselves even on Middle Earth Divine Continent.

Hence, Infatuation had been extremely fortunate to have devoured the old man’s heart blood.

In light of this, Lu Tai advised Chen Ping’an not to sell Infatuation. Instead, if he were to encounter any evil cultivators or devilish entities in the future, he could run the sword through their hearts, killing two birds with one stone by enhancing the sword, as well as accumulating good karma for himself by slaying such forces of evil.

Lu Tai could see that Chen Ping’an was rather hesitant, and in a rare display of assertiveness, he began scolding Chen Ping’an. “It would be an outright lie to claim that there’s no good or evil among cultivators, but no such distinction exists in treasures and artifacts! If you use a so-called evil treasure to do good deeds, then it becomes a force for good.”

Lu Tai became more and more enraged as he spoke, and he continued, “Don’t tell me you can’t get over such a minor mental hurdle when you can watch your own arm regrow without batting an eyelid! If you’re going to be so stubborn and dogmatic, then I suggest you give up on any aspirations of cultivation and resign yourself to being a pure martial artist for the rest of your life!

“Given your personality, even if you manage to become a Qi refiner, the inner demons that you’ll have to face in order to break through your Upper Five Tiers bottleneck will surely be completely insurmountable!

“All Qi refiners who are able to reach the Nascent Tier already possess an extremely remarkable combination of courage, powers, willpower, and resilience, but do you know why it’s so difficult for them to ascend to the Upper Five Tiers? Contrary to what most people think the main obstacle standing in their path isn’t the heavenly tribulation that they have to transcend. Instead, the most difficult task for them is to overcome themselves.

“The loftier your Dao Heart and the more unyielding your personality, the more powerful your inner demons will be. If you continue to cling onto your dogmas and stubborn ways, you’ll never be able to overcome your inner demons!”

Chen Ping’an didn’t rebuke Lu Tai. Instead, he merely pointed at Lu Tai’s nose as he said in a quiet voice, “Your nose is bleeding again.”

Lu Tai stopped talking as he wiped away the blood trickling out of his nostrils in a frustrated manner.

What he had revealed only concerned Chen Ping’an’s Great Dao, and it had nothing to do with the state of the world at large, so the backlash that Lu Tai had suffered as a Naturalist was far less severe than last time.

“Someone’s coming from outside,” Chen Ping’an suddenly said.

Lu Tai took a glance at Chen Ping’an upon hearing this. His senses were just as sharp as a sixth tier martial artist, and Lu Tai couldn’t help but wonder if he really was just a fourth tier martial artist.

With that in mind, he became even more curious about who Chen Ping’an’s fist technique mentor was.

Right at this moment, a group of people carefully made their way into the training grounds, and they were none other than the old Daoist priest, his disciple, Huang Shang, and the Huan siblings. It was the old Daoist priest’s decision to have come here instead of going to the main building.

While traversing through the forest, he had caught a glimpse of Chen Ping’an and Lu Tai returning to the Flying Eagle Fortress, so he had decided to meet up with Chen Ping’an’s duo and ask them about what had become of the devilish cultivator. After that, the six of them would travel to the main building together, and that was clearly a safer course of action.

The old Daoist priest extended a Daoist salute as he said, “My name is Ma Feifu, and I cultivate on Mandarin Duck Mountain. It’s an honor to be in your presence, Esteemed Immortal Lu, Esteemed Immortal Chen.”

Lu Tai casually raised a hand to pluck his bamboo fan out of thin air, then gently fanned himself with it as he said, “I come from Middle Earth Divine Continent.”

“I’m from the Great Li Empire of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent,” Chen Ping’an said.

“May I ask if you’re aware of what’s become of that devilish cultivator?” Ma Feifu asked in a careful voice.

Lu Tai closed his bamboo fan, then pointed it at the old Daoist priest. Everyone was rather perplexed to see this, but right at this moment, the Five Mountains Hat appeared on the tip of Lu Tai’s fan, and he smiled as he declared, “He’s already dead.”

Ma Feifu was able to catch a glimpse of the devilish cultivator as he was descending from the sea of clouds to send the five mountains crashing down upon the training grounds, so he immediately recognized the Five Mountains Hat, and was utterly astonished to see the hat currently perched on the end of Lu Tai’s bamboo fan.

It seemed downright preposterous to him that these two young boys had been able to successfully slay what was quite possibly a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to believe that Lu Tai was telling him the truth.

Even though Ma Feifu was skeptical about what he had heard, he knew that he couldn’t risk offending the two young boys by openly expressing his doubt, so a look of admiration and a gratitude appeared on his face as he extended another formal salute.

“The two of you were only passing through this place by chance, yet you were still willing to selflessly pit yourself against that devilish scoundrel, saving the lives of hundreds of Flying Eagle Fortress residents! Please allow me to offer you my sincerest gratitude on behalf of the Flying Eagle Fortress, esteemed immortals!”

There were tears welling up in the eyes of Huan Chang and Huan Shu, and they hurriedly cupped their fists in grateful salutes while extending deep bows toward Chen Ping’an’s duo.

“Words cannot express the gratitude that we feel. If you’re willing to take me, I would be honored to serve as your most loyal servant and do whatever it is that you ask of me, esteemed immortals,” Huan Chang said in an emotional voice.

Huan Shu was just as overcome with gratitude and emotion, and she said, “Thank you so very much, Young Master Lu, Esteemed Immortal Chen. I don’t know how I could possibly repay you.”

Meanwhile, Huang Shang was standing at the very back of the group with a complex look on his face.

He was wondering to himself whether his cultivation journey would be smoother if he could take these two young boys as his masters. Perhaps under their guidance, he would no longer be so incompetent and have to fear for his own life whenever he encountered any demonic forces.

He then took a glance at his master, and he silently lowered his head with a guilty look on his face, feeling absolutely wretched for even allowing himself to think such terrible thoughts.

However, the thought was only taking root deeper and deeper in his mind the more he tried to denounce it, and before long, it had filled him with such intense guilt that tears were welling up in his eyes as well.

All of the emotions currently being experienced by the old Daoist priest and the young trio with him were laid as bare as an open book before Lu Tai.

As a Naturalist, peering into the hearts of others was his forte.

Chen Ping’an didn’t possess the same ability. Instead, he was only able to somewhat extrapolate the thoughts and emotions of others based on their expressions and mannerisms.

What was akin to an open book in Lu Tai’s eyes was shrouded in mystery from his perspective.

The group made its way to the main building of the Flying Eagle Fortress, and even though Lu Tai had assured everyone that the crisis had been averted without any casualties being suffered, Huan Chang and Huan Shu were still feeling very uneasy, fearing that they would be greeted by the sight of a horrific slaughter as soon as they opened the gate.

Upon arriving at the main building, they discovered that the door was tightly shut, and after some vigorous knocking from Huan Chang, the door was opened by an old man from the Huan Clan.

The old man immediately burst into tears at sight of the siblings’ safe return, and Huan Chang was horrified to see this, fearing that his parents had been killed by the devilish cultivator from before, only to be assured that this was not the case.

All of the survivors in the hall felt as if they had been granted a new lease on life.

Huan Chang and Huan Shu noticed that their parents weren’t in the hall, but when they asked about where their parents were, everyone seemed rather reluctant to respond.

Lu Tai had no interest in the Huan Clan’s family matters, and he led Chen Ping’an to the balcony on the top floor. At this point, Huan Yang was already absent from the Ascending Sun Platform.

Lu Tai sat down on the railing, and Chen Ping’an followed suit, then began drinking out of his Sword Nurturing Gourd, tipping his head back to take a long swig.

Lu Tai was swinging his feet while gently fanning himself, and with that, it was time to split the spoils.

“We’ve managed to profit greatly both from this battle and the earlier battle against Ma Wanfa and Dou Zizhi. Back in my clan, I’m renowned for my luck and my propensity for collecting treasures, but I don’t think I’ve ever reaped so much spoils on my own before.”

Chen Ping’an smiled in response, and for some reason, the thought of He Xiaoliang sprang into his mind. Just like Lu Tai, she had also been renowned for her exceptional fortune.

“You can have Infatuation, and I’ll take the Five Mountains Hat, but I’m not taking it for nothing. Instead, I’m purchasing it from you. In return, I’ll help you refine and repair that demon-binding chain of yours, and that damaged armor pellet you told me about earlier, the one that you bought from the Ganoderma Inn.

“You’ve always been complaining about how the suit of armor is taking up too much space in Fifteenth, haven’t you? I can help you restore it to a brand new condition free of charge so that it can revert back into an armor pellet. Don’t ask me how I’m going to do it, all I can tell you is that I have my ways.

“In the meantime, you’ll have to stay in the Flying Eagle Fortress, but rest assured, it won’t be for too long. You can take some time to recover from your injuries here, then go search for that Daoist temple.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response. Given how wealthy Lu Tai was, Chen Ping’an certainly wasn’t going to feel bad for him.

“The Five Mountains Hat is a high-grade immortal treasure, so I’ll need to give you twenty thousand snowflake coins for it, which equates to twenty grain rain coins. I also reaped some additional spoils from slaying Ma Wanfa and that devilish cultivator, and after a rough tally, I’ve concluded that I’ll need to give you another twenty thousand snowflake coins or twenty grain rain coins.

“Among the spoils, that Extinguishing Worries horsetail whisk handle is a decent treasure. You can take it as a small bonus.”

“You have that many grain rain coins?!” Chen Ping’an exclaimed in a stunned manner.

“I have a few grain rain coins here and there,” Lu Tai replied with a smile as he continued to look into the distance. “In terms of wealth, even the average Nascent Tier earth immortal from Middle Earth Divine Continent wouldn’t be able to compare with me.”

Chen Ping’an immediately gave Lu Tai a slap on the shoulder.

“In that case, why were you pretending to be poor back on Stalactite Mountain? I didn’t know you were such a good actor!”

Lu Tai was feeling a little sheepish, and replied, “I was worried that you would try and rob me.”

“What a load of bullshit!”

Chen Ping’an gave Lu Tai another firm slap on the shoulder, and this time, Lu Tai was beginning to grow a little disgruntled.

“Keep your hands to yourself, Chen Ping’an!”

Chen Ping’an smiled as he gave Lu Tai a third slap.

Lu Tai immediately put on an effeminate display as he prepared to unleash his trump card, but Chen Ping’an had already raised a hand to stop him, and he took a sip of wine, then prompted, “Continue.”

Lu Tai flipped a hand over to produce an intricately embroidered pouch before handing it to Chen Ping’an.

“What’s this?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“It’s a little gift for you,” Lu Tai replied with a smile. “Open it and take a look, I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s a batch of elm tree blossom seeds with rather special origins. Once you return home, you can plant it on a mountain with good feng shui. Make sure you plant them in a place with a lot of sun exposure, and perhaps you’ll be met with a pleasant surprise in three to five years.”

Chen Ping’an accepted the pouch of seeds, then said, “Tell me exactly what’s so special about them. Otherwise, I’m not going to take them.”

Lu Tai gave Chen Ping’an a brief explanation of what was so special about these seeds, and the latter’s expression immediately lit up as he hurriedly stowed the pouch away.

As it turned out, this pouch of elm tree blossom seeds was very remarkable, and they were the perfect gift in Chen Ping’an’s eyes. These seeds had come from a certain ancient immortal elm tree on Middle Earth Divine Continent, and due to their thin and round shape, they were also known as elm coins.

Elm coins were homonymous to the phrase “spare money”. [1]

Hence, it became a common notion that eating elm coins could grant one spare money, but most people only treated this as an unsubstantiated saying. It was said that all one had to do was find the gold spirit residing in an elm coin, then soak them in a jar of wine until they became inebriated before eating them.

If one could do that, then they would be granted some extra income each year. During spring, many wealthy clans would organize elm coin banquets for good fortune and monetary prosperity over the course of the year.

Chen Ping’an liked nothing more than these slow and steady streams of income.

Deep down, he was still firmly of the belief that wealth that came quickly was also prone to going just as quickly. Either that, or such wealth required an immense amount of effort and willpower to keep. In contrast, things like these elm coins, which were supposed to yield a steady stream of small profits over a long period of time, felt much safer and more reliable to Chen Ping’an.

Only after the elm coins were firmly secured did Chen Ping’an make a belated attempt at turning down the gift, smiling as he asked, “Isn’t this too precious a gift?”

Lu Tai was opening and closing his folding fan over and over again as he sighed, “This journey to the Ascending Sun Platform is an integral part of my pursuit of the Great Dao. Do you know how much weight those two words carry?

“I can’t even assign it a monetary value. Having said that, seeing as we’re friends, how about you let it slide? Otherwise, no matter how wealthy I am, even if I sell off everything that I own, I still won’t be able to repay you.”

“You could easily repay me,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile as he offered his Sword Nurturing Gourd to Lu Tai.

Lu Tai accepted the gourd, then threw his head back and took a large swig of wine while keeping the mouth of the Sword Nurturing Gourd a few inches away from his lips.

After that, he wiped his lips before returning the gourd to Chen Ping’an as he said, “You need a refill. I’ll get the people at the Flying Eagle Fortress to fill your gourd before we leave.”

Chen Ping’an naturally wasn’t going to turn down such a kind offer.

All of a sudden, an exasperated look appeared on Lu Tai’s face as he asked, “Why does everyone enjoy drinking wine? What’s so good about it?”

Chen Ping’an merely smiled and drank in silence.

After drinking wine, he dared to think the unthinkable, say the unspeakable, and do the unfeasible.

Over the next ten days, Chen Ping’an continued to live in that small house, but there were no longer any sinister spirits there to bother him.

Occasionally, he would sit down on the steps at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at the wall at the end of the valley while thinking about those poor ghostly children and the smiles that they had displayed in their final moments in this world.

Lu Tai was staying at the main building, and he would visit Chen Ping’an in his courtyard from time to time, but he would never stay long before departing to busy himself with other matters.

Ten days later, Lu Tai returned with an armor pellet that was as good as new, and Chen Ping’an was ecstatic. His arm had already recovered, but it still wasn’t back to full strength yet.

In addition to the armor pellet, Lu Tai also brought him a sleek blade with a pristine white scabbard, telling him that it was compensation given to him by the Huan Clan, and that the Huan Clan would feel uneasy if he refused to accept it.

On this occasion, Lu Tai stayed for a bit longer, brewing a pot of tea for himself in the courtyard while telling Chen Ping’an about the history of the blade. Many years ago, the Nascent Tier earth immortal of Peace and Tranquility Mountain had bestowed this blade upon the lumberjack patriarch of the Flying Eagle Fortress in order to quell the sinister feng shui of this place.

The blade’s name was Halting Snow, and unfortunately, none of the descendants of the Flying Eagle Fortress from that point onward possessed any cultivation aptitude, so the blade was simply passed down as an ornament, which was a terrible waste.

Chen Ping’an was aware of how precious this blade was, and he knew that it had most likely been a prized item of that earth immortal from Peace and Tranquility Mountain. After some contemplation, Lu Tai decided that the blade was worth twenty grain rain coins, and he tossed Chen Ping’an a pouch full of grain rain coins for it.

Over the following ten days, Chen Ping’an continued his daily routine of walking meditation, sword practice, sleep, and repeat, and he no longer went to look at that wall. As time passed, the emotions that he felt in the wake of those events began to fade, so he no longer felt any obligation to look at the wall.

During those ten days, Lu Tai only came to visit him once, informing him that he had taken three disciples, namely Tao Xieyang, a young boy by the name of Huang Yin, and Huang Shang, who had ultimately decided to switch masters.

As for why he had decided to do this, Lu Tai was unwilling to elaborate beyond telling Chen Ping’an that one couldn’t understand good if they didn’t interact with evil, which was something that he had already said to Chen Ping’an back on the Treasure Swallowing Whale.

Prior to his departure, Lu Tai told him that he was most likely going to be making this place his long-term home, and that he wouldn’t be returning to Middle Earth Divine Continent in the near future.

By the time Lu Tai came for his final visit with that demon-binding chain, Chen Ping’an was mostly recovered.

Separation was imminent, but neither of them was all that sad.

One harbored lofty dreams and aspirations, while the other had only just begun their pursuit of the Great Dao, so there was no time to dwell on sadness.

Thus, they parted ways without much fanfare, with one remaining in the Flying Eagle Fortress, while the other departed northward.

Lu Tai didn’t accompany Chen Ping’an in his departure. Instead, he merely stood on the Ascending Sun Platform, watching Chen Ping’an’s fading figure from afar.

He had tried to convince Chen Ping’an to carry both Infatuation and Halting Snow on his waist at once, telling him that it would make him look very badass, but unfortunately, Chen Ping’an didn’t take the bait, telling Lu Tai that he wasn’t some weapon shop owner.

Lu Tai was a little disappointed. If Chen Ping’an had fallen for the trap, then he would’ve been able to tease Chen Ping’an for being an idiot.

As he departed from the Flying Eagle Fortress, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but turn back one final time, but not to look at Lu Tai. Instead, a thought had sprung into his mind, and he felt it to be rather strange, but in the end, he shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought.

On the way out of the Flying Eagle Fortress, he passed by a middle-aged man, and he couldn’t recall meeting the man anywhere before, but for some reason, the man seemed familiar to him.

The man noticed Chen Ping’an’s inquisitive gaze and a slightly shy smile. It seemed that he was just an ordinary, humble man.

After Chen Ping’an was long gone, the man gently stomped a foot down onto the ground, and the restrictions in the area were immediately lifted.

If it weren’t for those restrictions, there was no way that Planchette Writing Sect would’ve failed to notice the battle that had taken place on the sea of clouds.

Lu Tai was leaning against the railing with a smile on his face, watching as the fortune of the land shifted in subtle and profound ways.

On a mountain summit several dozen kilometers away, Chen Ping’an was engaged in walking meditation when all of a sudden, he began to miss the taste of tanghulu. This was rather amusing to him. Given his current wealth, he could easily purchase a pair of tanghulu from any stall in the next city or town that he reached, and he’d be able to strut around while holding one in each hand!

1. Elm coin in Chinese is 榆钱, which has the same pronunciation as 余钱, translating to spare/excess money. ☜