Unsheathed

“My father still isn’t willing to teach me any unrivaled sword techniques,” Pei Qian sighed with a sullen look on her face.

“You have to take things one step at a time,” Wei Xian replied in a comforting manner.

Pei Qian crouched down onto the ground with her back against the railing as she heaved a forlorn sigh.

Wei Xian looked down at her and said, “It’s alright, you’ll still be your same mediocre self tomorrow, you just have to get used to it.”

Pei Qian looked up at Wei Xian with a resentful look in her eyes as she asked, “How did someone like you ever find a wife?”

Wei Xian considered the question for a moment, then replied, “All of my wives were found for me by other people, but I wasn’t able to marry the woman that I liked the most.”

“Why did she not want to marry you?” Pei Qian asked. “It’s not your fault that you’re ugly.”

Neither of them appeared to be particularly adept at consoling other people.

Wei Xian rested his chin on the railing as he explained, “It wasn’t because of my looks, she wasn’t that good-looking herself. At the time, my family was very poor, and I wanted to earn some big money before coming back to marry her. However, the world became a very chaotic place during that time, and she died, while I survived.”

Pei Qian stood up and patted Wei Xian on the arm as she consoled, “Don’t be sad, it’s all in the past now. It’s already been so many years, yet you’re still thinking of her, so she’s still living on in your memories, right? Think about it this way: if you were able to marry her back then, perhaps you would’ve slowly become sick of her over time, and you definitely wouldn’t have been able to become emperor.”

Wei Xian nodded in response.

“That’s true. Back then, there weren’t many people around me who could see things as clearly as you do. All of the literary classics that they read didn’t do them any good at all.”

“Old Man Wei, what official position do you think I could’ve climbed to in the imperial court?” Pei Qian asked with an expectant grin.

“Women can’t become officials,” Wei Xian replied. “And the way you look now, I suppose that when you’re all grown up, you’re still going to be very ugly, so even if you make it into the palace, you’ll never get to see the emperor.”

Pei Qian kicked Wei Xian in the leg as she grumbled, “I didn’t think you were such a bad person, Old Man Wei!”

Wei Xian merely chuckled in response.

Recently, he had been in a rather bad mood, which was quite rare for him, but bickering with Pei Qian had improved his mood quite a bit.

The reason for his foul mood was Chen Ping’an, but Chen Ping’an wasn’t to blame. Ultimately, he could only blame his own curiosity, which had induced him to ask Chen Ping’an about the later history of Southern Garden Nation, particularly what the history books had to say about him.

As soon as Chen Ping’an realized that something wasn’t quite right about Southern Garden Nation, he had immediately read through many official and unofficial historic records, and there were naturally many records pertaining to the nation’s founding emperor, Wei Xian. There were many legends surrounding Wei Xian’s birth.

For example, one story told of how Wei Xian’s father had gone to work in the fields one day when he spotted his wife laying by the side of the road with a white dragon coiled around her, and not long after that, she gave birth to Wei Xian.

Wei Xian stopped speaking to Chen Ping’an again after that.

To his dismay, Pei Qian was there to hear it, and by the time Chen Ping’an finished his story, she was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard she was crying.

Recently, she had often brought up this story to mock him, doing things like intentionally jutting out her belly as she walked to emulate a pregnant woman.

In the end, she was given a stern tug on her ear and a solid flick to the forehead, and only then did she begin to exercise more restraint. In fact, she even gave Wei Xian an apology, but as she did so, she had her back facing Chen Ping’an, and she had been making funny faces at Wei Xian while delivering her apology.

Wei Xian naturally wasn’t going to get angry at a little girl, but that still didn’t change the fact that he was in a bad mood.

Pei Qian looked up at Wei Xian, then suddenly said, “I’m sorry, Old Man Wei, I won’t make fun of you again.”

Wei Xian grinned as he replied, “It’s fine, I’m not bothered. Honestly, this is nothing. There are many more things that the historians of Southern Garden Nation didn’t even dare to make records of.”

“Like what?” Pei Qian asked in a quiet voice. “You can tell me, I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Where do I even begin?” Wei Xian sighed. “Back in my hometown, my nickname was Rat. My family was really poor, so I used to have to steal in order to get by. After that, I even became a bandit and did many illegal and immoral things. As for my mother, she was never blessed by the presence of a white dragon.

“However, I have seen her cheat on my father with my own eyes, but I didn’t say anything. He was a good man, a truly good man. In order to save me, he blocked the alley while that bandit hacked his back to pieces. Even so, he was still telling me to run. What else could I do? I ran. I tried to find his killer, but I wasn’t able to in the end.”

Pei Qian heaved a forlorn sigh while making her way toward Chen Ping’an. All of a sudden, she sped up and began chortling, “Wei Xian’s mother…”

Chen Ping’an immediately swung around, then snapped in a furious voice, “Shut your mouth! Go back and apologize!”

Pei Qian was so frightened that she instantly stopped cold in her tracks, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she immediately ran back to the observation deck.

She was just about to apologize to Wei Xian when he smiled and patted her on the head as he consoled, “Don’t cry, it’s not a big deal. You can just treat me to some candy sometime.”

Pei Qian eagerly agreed to the offer, but she was still feeling very fearful, and after taking a timid glance at Chen Ping’an, she could tell that he was truly angry.

She hurriedly threw her arms around Wei Xian’s leg as she sobbed, “You have to catch me if my father tries to throw me off the ship!”

Wei Xian heaved a resigned sigh, then turned to Chen Ping’an with a smile as he said, “It’s fine, really.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated slightly, then nodded in response.

After that, he rose to his feet and called out to Pei Qian, “Get over here.”

The two of them made their way into the nearby study, where Pei Qian hurriedly closed the door, then hung her head in a pitiable display, bracing herself for whatever punishment Chen Ping’an had in store for her.

“Is Old Man Wei your friend?” Chen Ping’an asked in a stern voice.

Pei Qian considered the question for a moment, and she didn’t dare to lie, so she gave an honest answer: “He’s half a friend of mine.”

She then hurriedly added, “That’s already a lot! Even Little Bai isn’t half a friend of mine, Old Man Wei is the only one.”

“What did those two books say about how you should treat your friends?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Pei Qian immediately recited a long list of principles laid out in the two books, such as treating friends with kindness, dignity, and respect.

“Have you done any of that?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“That’s just what the books say, you didn’t say any of that,” Pei Qian murmured quietly.

Chen Ping’an was even more enraged upon hearing this.

“I know what I did wrong,” Pei Qian said in a quiet voice. “I shouldn’t have made fun of Old Man Wei. Old Man Wei treats me with kindness and earnesty, and I should do the same.”

Chen Ping’an’s expression eased slightly, but there was still a stern look on his face as he ordered, “Take your book and go and read aloud from it on the observation deck.”

“I’ve already memorized the book, can I not take it with me?” Pei Qian asked.

Chen Ping’an immediately began to flare up with rage again, and Pei Qian hurriedly turned and fled from the room while expressing how necessary it was to take the book with her, and that failure to do so would display a lack of sincerity and respect to the wise man who wrote the book.

Chen Ping’an heaved a faint sigh as the thought of Gu Can sprang into his mind.

On the observation deck, Pei Qian had the book raised before her with both hands, and she began reciting its passages without having to flip through the pages. As she pretended to turn the pages of the book, she turned to Wei Xian with a pleased expression as she said with a smile, “Old Man Wei, my father seemed to be very satisfied with my admission of fault.”

Wei Xian gave her a thumbs-up as a gesture of encouragement, and Pei Qian began swaying her head from side to side, clearly very pleased with herself.

However, she was immediately struck by a slap to the head, and she didn’t even dare to turn around as she sobbed, “I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”

Zhu Lian nodded with a pleased expression, then walked away with his hands clasped behind his back as he remarked, “Looks like you’re not completely beyond saving, after all.”

Pei Qian immediately swung around with an enraged expression, but before she had a chance to retaliate, she spotted Chen Ping’an making his way out of the study, and she hurriedly turned back around to continue reciting her book.

As Pei Qian continued her recitation on the observation deck, Sui Youbian, Wei Xian, and Zhu Lian left one after another, leaving only Lu Baixiang and Chen Ping’an left, seated at a table across from each other.

“Are you not going to ask me about the phrase that I was told, Master?” Lu Baixiang asked with a smile.

Chen Ping’an removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, then poured out two cups of wine and handed one of them to Lu Baixiang as he smiled and said, “If you want to tell me, then tell me. Otherwise, it’s not like I can force you to do anything.”

Zhu Lian had previously thought that Chen Ping’an’s opinion of Lu Baixiang had changed because Lu Baixiang was the first one to reveal the phrase told to him, thereby making him the first “traitor” to have pledged his subordination to Chen Ping’an.

However, on the contrary, Lu Baixiang was actually the only one of the four who was still yet to reveal his phrase.

A peculiar look flashed through Lu Baixiang’s eyes, and he took a sip of wine before speaking.

“Compared with the others, the phrase that was told to me is actually the most pointless one. It was ‘you’re spending money like flowing water, are you enjoying yourself?’”

“That does sound like something that person would say…” Chen Ping’an sighed in a resigned manner.

“Can I stop calling you master?” Lu Baixiang asked.

“No,” Chen Ping’an shook his head in response. “It makes me feel good about myself when you call me master.”

Lu Baixiang’s jaw dropped.

Not in a thousand years had he expected this kind of answer from someone like Chen Ping’an. Instead, he had thought that there would be a very good chance that Chen Ping’an would agree to his request.

Chen Ping’an then burst into laughter as he continued, “That was just a joke, you don’t have to call me master.”

Lu Baixiang rose to his feet and cupped his fist in a salute as he smiled and said, “You have treated me with dignity and respect, and for that, you are worthy of my loyalty.”

Chen Ping’an also rose to his feet as he replied, “It would be much more fitting for Zhu Lian to say something like that, but it feels a little strange coming from you.”

Shortly thereafter, Lu Baixiang departed.

Chen Ping’an sat on his own by the table for a long while before declaring, “Come over.”

Pei Qian had been reciting her book this entire time, and this was exactly what she had been waiting for. She immediately closed her book, then joyfully rushed back into the room and sat down onto a chair before pouring a cup of tea for herself as she complained in a raspy voice, “My throat is on fire!”

“You don’t resent me, do you?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Huh? Why would I resent you?” Pei Qian asked with a genuinely perplexed expression.

Chen Ping’an smiled and offered no response.

A pitiable look appeared on Pei Qian’s face as she asked, “Can I not make any transcriptions today? I’m really tired from climbing the mountain today.”

Chen Ping’an plastered a talisman onto her forehead as he declared, “You can have this Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman.”

Pei Qian was just about to yell out in elation when Chen Ping’an continued, “Go back to your room and make some transcriptions.”

Pei Qian thought about the tradeoff for a moment and realized that this was still a very favorable deal for her. With that in mind, she slung her bag across her chest again, then skipped back to her room, while Chen Ping’an made his way out onto the observation deck.

Sui Youbian was resting in her room with her eyes closed, and Deep Infatuation was placed on the table in front of her. After nurturing the sword for so long, she could clearly feel a burst of sword intent roaming within its scabbard.

It was sword intent, not sword qi.

In the wake of the battle on that stormy night, she had left the rundown temple with Chen Ping’an, and a conversation had unfolded between the two.

Chen Ping’an had said some very blunt and callous things.

“You don’t have to repay these two gold essence copper coins. From now on, if Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, or Lu Baixiang spend any of my gold essence copper coins, I’ll decide whether they have to repay me depending on the circumstances.

“However, you have to repay all of the gold essence copper coins that you use up from here onward. It doesn’t matter when you return them. I’m just making this clear to you in advance so you don’t feel blindsided in the future.”

He had also said some rather suspicious things.

“You may think that I have no right to be speaking to you about cultivation and the Dao of the sword, but I can tell you right now that I’ve seen the two swordsmen who possess the most formidable swordsmanship and sword intent under the heavens.

“I haven’t been practicing sword techniques for very long, but I already know where the pinnacle of sword intent and swordsmanship lie in this world, and all I have to do is get there step by step.”

Some of the things that he said were rather far-fetched.

“Your mentality is the most important thing when it comes to cultivation. All four of you once stood at the pinnacle of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land at some point, and each of you have your own paths to walk. For example, you’re fixated solely on becoming the best possible swordswoman, and the loftier your aspirations are, the more despair you’ll feel now. However, trust me when I say that where there’s a will, there will always be a way!”

In the end, Sui Youbian had asked Chen Ping’an why she was the only one that had to repay the gold essence copper coins that she used up, to which Chen Ping’an replied in a serious manner, “There’s a girl that I like, and the next time I go to see her, she’s going to check through all of my things. If there’s a mismatch on the accounts, and it’s because of another woman, how am I going to explain things to her?”

***

The battle on the Sword Qi Great Wall had drawn to a conclusion.

There were two moons hanging high up in the night sky.

Ning Yao was seated on the city wall directly facing the two thatched cottages, looking out into space in an absentminded manner with her skirt dagger and the locust wood sword sitting on her lap.

The elderly sword immortal by the name of Chen Qingdu arrived by her side, then sat down with his legs crossed as he said, “Now that we finally have a window of respite, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Ning Yao turned to him with an inquisitive expression.

Chen Qingdu smiled as he said, “I was originally planning to give you Lasting Qi at some point in the future.”

Ning Yao opened her mouth to respond, but Chen Qingdu raised a hand to stop her as he continued, “However, this attack from the demon tribe was extremely strange, and I was worried that giving you the sword would only lead to disaster. It just so happened that Chen Ping’an was trying to reconstruct his bridge of immortality, so I instructed him to carry Lasting Qi to Parasol Leaf Continent to find the Observing Dao Temple.

“Before I did that, I told him in private that carrying Lasting Qi would grant him many benefits, but even more negative consequences, as he would have to shoulder the burden of the karmic ties between you and the demon tribe. For the first time, a very… different look appeared in his eyes.

“Even during his battle against Cao Ci, when we watched him lose three consecutive battles, his eyes weren’t that bright. It was truly a memorable sight.”

Chen Qingdu then turned to Ning Yao as he asked, “Why are you not angry at me for making him take on such a perilous burden?”

“Why would I be angry?” Ning Yao countered. “I am Ning Yao, and he is Chen Ping’an!”

She had made this declaration in an extremely proud manner, as if she were saying that she wasn’t surprised in the slightest that the man who had captured her heart would be willing to do this.

Chen Qingdu jumped down from the wall, then made his way toward the thatched cottages as he sighed, “What a pain to have to cop a sword blow this late at night. Then again, I suppose I brought this upon myself.”

Ning Yao rested her chin on her hands, and she began to think of Chen Ping’an as a proud smile appeared on her face.

I really picked an exceptional man, didn’t I?

All of a sudden, her brows furrowed slightly as she recalled a conversation with Chen Ping’an back in his house on Clay Vase Alley, and she abruptly exclaimed, “Hold on a second, that makes me the scatterbrain!” [1]

She rose to her feet and stowed away her skirt dagger and the locust wood sword, then began to emulate Chen Ping’an, walking as she practiced fist techniques, and she declared to herself, “With just a single hand, I can beat up five hundred Sword Immortal Chen Ping’ans!”

She then stopped in her tracks before turning to Savage World with her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she yelled, “I bet you’re all pissing yourselves right now!”

Chen Qingdu couldn’t help but burst into laughter. If there really did come a day when Ning Yao could beat up five hundred Sword Immortal Chen Ping’ans with just a single hand, then everyone in Savage World would truly be pissing themselves.

***

Back at the Heavenly Palace Peak’s ferry station, Jiang Shangzhen had asked Chen Ping’an a question: “Why do you care about Green Goat Palace disciples’ perception of you? Are you trying to leave them with a good impression? Is that really necessary?”

Jiang Shangzhen was naturally able to see through the illusions, and he could tell just how remarkable the golden Dao robe and the Sword Nurturing Gourd were.

However, what had truly caught his attention was the ordinary-looking white jade hairpin in Chen Ping’an’s hair.

Upon closer inspection, he had noticed the inscription on the hairpin.

“Amiable as jade should a virtuous person be.”

1. This is referring to a conversation back in Chapter 26, where Ning Yao said, “Chen Ping’an, even if you’re fortunate enough to find yourself a wife in the future, she’ll most likely be a scatter-brained person.” ☜