Unsheathed

The water goddess waved her hand, after which the young maidservant quietly retreated and took her leave.

Only then did the water goddess say, “Chen Ping’an, I’m a straightforward person, and I know you are as well. Otherwise, Zhong Kui wouldn’t have become so close and friendly with you. That being the case, I’ll speak my mind frankly?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “Please go ahead, Miss Water Goddess.”

The water goddess’s expression became solemn, and it was as if she were carefully choosing her words to discuss something extremely important.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t sure what the water goddess wanted to discuss. Theoretically speaking, Zhong Kui had already resolved the matter regarding her rejection of Great Subduing Academy’s offer, so Green Roving Residence shouldn’t be facing any challenges at this moment. However, since the water goddess appeared so serious, Chen Ping’an quietly sat there and waited for her to speak.

“Chen Ping’an, you’ve met the Scholarly Sage before, so can you tell me if the Scholarly Sage is like a towering mountain that one has to behold in awe? Does he speak with eloquence, with every word and every sentence inspiring utmost admiration? Upon hearing the Scholarly Sage explain the paramount and profound principles of the Great Dao in the simplest terms possible, will one feel a strong urge to prostrate themselves and loudly kowtow in respect?”

The water goddess’s eyes were glowing with spirit and exuberance as she sat opposite Chen Ping’an and spoke.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an wasn’t drinking at this moment, or else he would have immediately spat his wine out.

Pei Qian didn’t know who the Scholarly Sage that the water goddess spoke of was, but judging by the water goddess’ questions, it seemed like Chen Ping’an was acquainted with a fairly impressive old man. Pei Qian couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared pride. She proudly crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Chen Ping’an took a swig of one-hundred-year-old Blooming Water Wine from his Sword Nurturing Gourd. After hesitating for a moment, he still couldn’t bring himself to shatter the lofty image of the Scholarly Sage that the water goddess had in her mind. Thus, he chose his words carefully and replied, “The old scholar naturally possesses profound knowledge. He’s extremely good-tempered, and he also treats others in a kind manner. He never acts egotistical, and he’s very… friendly and approachable when he travels around outside.”

How could the Scholarly Sage not appear approachable? Not only was he short, but he also acted like an impoverished scholar as he traveled around the world. In fact, it would be more accurate to describe him as unremarkable rather than approachable.

Truth be told, the Scholarly Sage had appeared even more impoverished and disheveled than Zhong Kui while the latter was at the border inn. The old scholar liked to drink other people’s wine, he liked to feign drunkenness and refuse to pay after drinking, and he also behaved quite poorly after becoming drunk.

However, Chen Ping’an couldn’t bring himself to say these things to the water goddess.

He was afraid that the water goddess’ Dao Heart would truly shatter if she heard these things.

The water goddess didn’t use her large white bowl to drink this time, and she instead decided to directly grab the wine gourd. She drank a large mouthful of wine and remarked, “The Scholarly Sage is just as I imagined… He’s like the heavens above! His knowledge is supreme, yet he still feels compassion for the world and the common people. He remains polite and amiable as he travels around the world, and he treats everyone with kindness.

“Yet, the Scholarly Sage was only placed in the fourth position in that Confucian temple in Middle Earth Divine Continent back then? He wasn’t allowed to enjoy an equal standing with the Paramount Sage? How preposterous!”

The water goddess continued to ramble on, speaking out against the injustices suffered by the Scholarly Sage, someone whom she admired immensely.

Chen Ping’an didn’t interrupt. However, he recalled many genuine scholars as well as people who yearned to become scholars. There was Mr. Qi’s teacher, Mr. Qi, Zhong Qiu from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, who was very similar to Mr. Qi, Chen Ping’an himself, and that little boy called Cao Qinglang from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land who was very similar to himself.

There were all kinds of reasonable and unreasonable matters in the world, yet one would eventually end up in one place. Home is where the heart is.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, and he simply continued to drink. This delicious wine reminded him of many beautiful people and things. There was the Scholarly Sage’s theory of sequential order, Mr. Qi not being disappointed, Zhong Qiu having a clear conscience, and Cao Qinglang’s sense of hope. Chen Ping’an definitely wouldn’t become a pathetic alcoholic today. Instead, just like A’Liang had mentioned, he might truly become a wine immortal.

One spoke by herself, and one daydreamed by himself. They were both drinking, and there was no need for others to encourage them to drink.

The so-called cellar that Green Roving Residence’s Blooming Water Wine was aged in was actually the water essence of Burial River. After aging for one hundred years, the Blooming Water Wine would naturally become sweet and mellow. It was extremely easy to drink, yet the delayed effects of the alcohol would also be quite strong.

The water goddess genuinely got drunk, with her head swaying back and forth as she sat cross-legged on her chair. She revealed that she was extremely jealous of Chen Ping’an because he had met the Scholarly Sage before and was also so familiar with the old sage. His life was essentially complete.

On the other hand, the water goddess felt like she was nowhere near as fortunate. She would sit upright on her divine altar every day, observing the incense smoke wafting through the water god temple. There were seemingly even more worshipers and incense offerings than Mirage City’s scholarly temple and city god pavilion, yet the incense smoke was polluted with so much greed and selfish desires. She disliked many of the offerings, those that prayed for riches, those that prayed for children, those that prayed for power…

The water goddess wanted to stand in front of the Scholarly Sage and ask him a question. The sages had already expounded so many principles, the Confucian temples were already worshiping so many lofty sages, and such an abundance of scholars who had read countless Confucian classics, so why was the world still so pathetic? Why did the world make her feel increasingly disappointed? Why was she disliking the mortal world more and more?

After murmuring for a long time, the water goddess eventually started to count on her fingers as she recited some iconic lines from the Scholarly Sage’s works. She grumbled that there were so many brilliant theories and principles, yet the people in this world were somehow unwilling to learn any of them. Perhaps the Scholarly Sage’s knowledge was too profound and lofty, so much so that the people in this world couldn’t reach it at all?

In the end, she was at a complete loss, and she scratched her head with both hands.

Pei Qian rolled her eyes. Yeah, it was best that she didn’t drink in the future. Otherwise, it would be far too comical if all women became as silly as this water goddess after drinking.

Chen Ping’an possessed a very good quality when he drank wine. Namely, before becoming drunk and falling asleep, his eyes would always become brighter and brighter as he drank. He would be filled with renewed energy and vigor, and there would also be a sense of liveliness on his face. To make an analogy, it was as if his fist intent weren’t concealed anymore, but was instead released. It was as if the sobering nature of his precociousness would be suppressed by the wine.

However, this didn’t imply that Chen Ping’an was genuinely becoming more and more awake as he drank. Rather, he was simply unable to suppress his innate personality after becoming drunk. Chen Ping’an was always very cautious and meticulous when he was sober, as if he were holding a fragile copper mirror or using his hands to guard a flickering candle in a bare room, yet unwilling to let others see these scenes.

After becoming drunk, however, he would move his hands away from the candle and allow its radiance to shine free and uninhibited. So what if it illuminated the entire world?

Chen Ping’an slammed his Sword Nurturing Gourd down on the table and asked loudly, “How is the Scholarly Sage’s knowledge too lofty? How are his theories and principles not effective? They’re as effective as can be! Let me say this to you—the Scholarly Sage’s principles are universal and accurate no matter the time and the place.

“Kind-hearted people can learn them, sinister people can learn them, emperors and officials can learn them, peddlers and servants can learn them, immortals from the mountains can learn them, demons and ghosts can learn them, and deities of mountains and rivers can also learn them!

“In terms of whether one is willing to put their learnings into practice, that’s something to worry about after one has studied and understood the Scholarly Sage’s principles. In any case, just learning these theories and principles is already a huge benefit in and of itself!”

Chen Ping’an subconsciously straightened his clothes and sat up straight, emulating Noble Scholar Zhong Kui and emulating Mr. Qi from the private school. He then continued, “After learning this genuine knowledge of the world, a spring will appear in one’s heart and provide one with endless knowledge to better oneself! I feel like the old scholar’s theory of sequential order is a grand theory that expounds true knowledge. It’s a theory that everyone can learn! Do you want to learn it?!”

The water goddess appeared slightly adrift and befuddled as she smacked the table and replied, “I’ll learn it if you teach it!”

Chen Ping’an leaned slightly forward, using his finger to write the characters “sequential order” on the table.

“The core principle of this theory can be described using two words—sequential order! This theory is very unique in Confucianism, and it exists outside the realm of etiquette and regulations. It’s another grand theory that can benefit the world and the common people!

“My understanding of this theory is neither complete nor in-depth, so I’ll only talk about the things I know and the principles I understand. I’ll refrain from explaining what I don’t know! Now, let me repeat to you what the old scholar told me that night—these are the tenets of the theory of sequential order!”

Bit by bit, Chen Ping’an carefully recounted the succinct introduction to the theory of sequential order that the Scholarly sage had told him that night. Fortunately, Chen Ping’an’s good memory wasn’t affected by the effects of alcohol, allowing him to recount everything without mistake,

Chapter One: Understanding Order. All matters in the world happen due to a sequence or many sequences of events. Not a single detail should be glossed over or ignored, and one should never cherry-pick these events to formulate one’s own biased version of the story. Otherwise, the myriad matters in the world could never be made sense of, and one would never be able to assign right or wrong.

What would happen if everyone in the world seemed pitiful yet detestable at the same time? How could one speak reason at that time? If reason couldn’t be spoken, then perhaps one would have to rely on their fists to do the speaking? This was utterly absurd!

Chapter Two: Reviewing Magnitude. There was a notion of magnitude regarding how right or wrong a certain action was. Thus, it was necessary to borrow two scales, the laws proposed by Legalists, and the calculation of Foretellers.

Chapter Three: Determining Good and Evil. With etiquette and regulations as a basis, and taking into account the varying customs and traditions of different areas, as well as their differing notions of morality, it would be determined whether a certain action should be rewarded or punished. This was a question to the people’s conscience regarding whether a certain action was right or wrong.

Chapter Four: Unity of Knowledge and Action. A person should correct their mistakes if they have made any, and they should guard against them if they have not.

Carefully introducing and explaining the contents of these four chapters took Chen Ping’an two entire hours.

“The theory of sequential order is a profoundly good theory. However, to adhere to these principles and to abide by the tenets of this theory is unbelievably difficult!

“I didn’t know why the Scholarly Sage persuaded me to drink back then, and I didn’t know why Zuo You obliterated the divine statue of the rain god with a single slash either. Afterward, he didn’t speak any reason at all before annihilating the entire Flood Dragon Trench with another slash.

“I’m even more confused about why Zhong Kui is clearly a noble scholar, yet he doesn’t act like a noble scholar at all. And why did the old monk from the Heart Manifestation Temple say that this world has always been indebted to good people? When the old Daoist priest brought me on a journey through the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, why was it the case that good people always suffer misfortune, yet bad people rarely ever receive punishment for their crimes?”

There were many times when Chen Ping’an tried to integrate real-life examples into his explanation of the theory of sequential order, yet he would often start to feel a sense of self-doubt as he delved deeper and deeper into the explanations. He told the extremely focused and attentive water goddess that the explanations he had come up with were still too shallow and limited, especially regarding the principles that pertained to the tangled webs of right and wrong and the nuances of the human mind. He was far from being qualified to draw any conclusions.

Sitting opposite the water goddess, there were many times when Chen Ping’an murmured to himself.

Another two hours passed, and time slowly flowed past them like the river water outside Green Roving Residence.

At some point in time, the water goddess had already stood up to listen in solemn respect, with her back slightly bent in a bow. She was like a student listening to the teachings of her teacher, memorizing every detail and not daring to let slip a single word.

Pei Qian was seemingly listening, yet she was seemingly absent-minded at the same time. Her arms were sprawled across the table, and her cheek was also resting on the table as she looked at Chen Ping’an explaining so many grand principles to the water goddess in a single go.

In her memory, Chen Ping’an had never been someone to speak a lot. Apart from his interactions with Cao Qinglang, he would rarely say many words even if he engaged in a life-and-death battle. This was the case during that battle in the street in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and also the case during his battles with Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu, Old Demon Ding, and the others.

After leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, he had killed that azure buffalo with a single slash near Jin Huang’s residence on the border of Northern Jin Nation. In the border inn, he had said “Ask your own conscience” from the second floor before killing that haughty little duke with three punches.

Chen Ping’an said that he didn’t understand many things.

In reality, Pei Qian didn’t understand them either. The skinny little girl was even more confused than Chen Ping’an.

Why was Chen Ping’an so polite and willing to speak reason to everyone in the whole wide world, yet he was only mean and unwilling to speak reason to her? Yet, for some reason, Pei Qian didn’t feel… upset when staying by his side, even if he would sometimes scold her and punish her for her mistakes.

Pei Qian felt at ease when she stayed with Chen Ping’an, and felt like she could simply do what he asked her to do. This was seemingly justified, and she wouldn’t need to think about anything else. Of course, she would still feel very annoyed at some of the more troublesome tasks.

Even so, these emotions were already much better than before. Before meeting Chen Ping’an, she had been like a lone ghost wandering around the capital of Southern Garden Nation, completely without aim as she floated around the place. She had always felt like she would eventually freeze to death or starve to death one day.

Perhaps one of the reasons Pei Qian felt the way she did toward Chen Ping’an was due to the qualities that he was displaying tonight. He was explaining the principles that believed and approved of the most, yet he still conceded that his explanations and reasons might not be the most correct and reasonable.

Chen Ping’an would always see the good in other people.

Meanwhile, Pei Qian was only willing to see the bad in other people.

Outside Green Roving Residence, the three golden characters on the plaque shone with a dazzling golden radiance.

Inside the residence, the water ghosts were astonished and elated to discover that faint threads of golden light were flowing through the entire residence like water.

Not far from Green Roving Residence, the surface of Burial River shimmered under the soft moonlight, appearing especially bright and clear.

Many water ghosts filled with resentment and sinister tendencies after dying unjust deaths involuntarily left the gloomy depths of Burial River and swam toward the surface. Upon arriving at their destination, they bathed under the moonlight before dissipating into the air. It was as if they were finally given relief from their sorrowful existences.

Outside the water god temple near the bank of Burial River, loud commotion suddenly swept through the crowd of worshipers waiting to enter the temple the next morning to offer incense.

As it turned out, they could vaguely see the gold statue of the water goddess suddenly stand up and grow in size, measuring more than thirty meters in height as she peered down at the mortal world. Her statue was made from clay and gilded in gold, yet the description of gold statue couldn’t be more apt at this moment. The water goddess’ gold statue radiated with not only dignity and might, but also a sense of majestic divinity.

In the depths of Burial River, the great demon that was only a small step away from advancing to the Golden Core Tier was hiding in its lair at the bottom of the river. It should have felt extremely comfortable and relaxed in its lair, yet it suddenly felt as if it had been tossed into a wok filled with boiling oil. This was a torturous experience.

Left with no other option, the great demon could only charge out from its lair and unleash deafening bellows, causing gigantic waves to sweep across the surface of Burial River. It furiously swam upstream, yearning to escape the excruciating pain that was coursing through its body.

The great demon didn’t forget to wreak havoc as it swam, yet each time it attempted to leap ashore to unleash its fury, it would be pushed back by the banks of the river that suddenly seemed like the walls of a prison cell. It was forced to chaotically thrash about in the depths of Burial River, unable to leap ashore to harm the residents along the banks.

The first rays of sunshine gently peeked over the horizon.

The sleeves of the water goddess billowed in the air as she stood inside Green Roving Residence, with golden light flowing over her entire body and especially her heart. A golden core spun around on the spot, illuminating the entire hall and completely covering the radiance offered by the large candles.

The books said: To hear and grasp Dao in the morning, one may die in the evening with no regrets.[1]

The water goddess had never imagined that she would enjoy such immense fortune. To hear the Great Dao at night, and to form a Golden Core in the morning!

The water goddess bowed deeply, filled with heartfelt gratitude toward the young boy sitting in front of her. Her face was filled with tears of joy as she asked, “Young Scholar Chen, since you are the Scholarly Sage’s direct disciple, why did you lie to me earlier?”

1. This is a saying by Confucius recorded in the Analects of Confucius. It means that if one hears and grasps Dao in the morning and acts upon this understanding, then one will be left with no regrets even if they die in the evening. This represents a fervent pursuit of Dao. ☜