Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an could only hand the wine gourd to him.

Fan Er took a large swig of wine, then continued, “The Fan Clan has no Nascent Tier cultivators, and the Golden Core Tier swordsman wasn’t willing to surrender, so he summoned his bonded flying sword, but it was shattered by Mr. Zheng! Well, that was as expected. What was rather strange was that Mr. Zheng didn’t kill that little bastard on the spot.

“Instead, he said something in parting before traveling straight to the Fu Clan to demand that Fu Donghai come out to take a punch from him. Only then did it become clear to everyone that this incident was something orchestrated by Fu Donghai, and he was one pulling the strings behind the scenes, so he was the one who was most deserving of punishment.

“I have to admit that he was a lot more courageous than that bastard from the Fang Clan, and he really did come out to take a punch from Mr. Zheng. Unfortunately, he was able to survive thanks to his Old Dragon Rainbringer, and he was taken away by an old maidservant that no one had seen before.”

“That must’ve been the maidservant who came to the Fan Clan with that woman from the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan,” Chen Ping’an remarked.

Fu Donghai was killing two birds with one stone here, driving a wedge between Zheng Dafeng and the Fan Clan while also alienating the Fan Clan, essentially forcing the Fan Clan to ally itself with the other four major clans so that the battle could commence.

However, what Fu Donghai didn’t know was that Zheng Dafeng had the yin soul with the Zhao surname by his side, and that yin god was very adept at self-concealment and spiritual interrogation. With its set of skills, it was able to follow the leads to uncover Fu Donghai as the mastermind behind this incident.

A slightly sullen look appeared on Fan Er’s face, and he held the wine gourd in his hands as he continued, “At the time, the Fu Clan was at the very height of its powers. Clan Leader Fu Qi had purchased a new pseudo-celestial tool from another continent, and after that came the marriage alliance with the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan.

“Even if the Fu Clan was willing to lay down its pride and have things blow over without issuing any retaliation, there was no way that the Jiang Clan would be willing to let the Fu Clan be humiliated right after their marriage alliance was established.

“Hence, that Nascent Tier maidservant appeared to save Fu Donghai by force, but she didn’t attack Mr. Zheng. Instead, she told him to come to her after he had beaten all of the men of the Fu Clan.”

Fan Er leaned back as he folded his hands behind the back of his own head, then continued, “After the event, I heard from my father that the old maidservant is an extremely accomplished Nascent Tier cultivator, and she’s only one step away from reaching the Upper Five Tiers. In fact, even Fu Qi with a pseudo-celestial tool at his disposal may only be able to fight with her on equal terms.

“In the beginning, I always thought that there was a very good chance that Mr. Zheng was a seventh tier martial artist. After that, I felt like perhaps he was an eighth tier martial artist. Only after this battle did I realize that he’s actually an End Tier martial arts master. The Fu Clan quickly called upon Chu Yang from the Dragon Scaling Platform, the one said to be the number one Golden Core Tier cultivator in all of Old Dragon City.

“He was even more adept in battle than the Golden Core Tier swordsman from the Fang Clan, and I heard that this was the first opponent on that day that Mr. Zheng wasn’t able to knock down with a single punch. With his first punch, he knocked Chu Yang back into retreat, then severely wounded him with his second.

“However, this proved to be a blessing, and Chu Yang was able to break through to the Nascent Tier on the spot! Well, not that it helped him much. He was still knocked down by Mr. Zheng’s third punch.”

Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine.

Tears suddenly began to well up in Fan Er’s eyes as he sighed, “That night, our Fan Clan was in a state of complete chaos, and many of my seniors were heatedly debating how they should proceed.

“My father sorely regretted his inaction to this point, but he felt like given how far things had already escalated, it was too late to go and apologize to Mr. Zheng. Many of the seniors of our clan told him that the best course of action was to completely pledge our subordination to the Fu Clan.

“It was clear that the Fu Clan had intentions of making some big moves, and as long as it the alliance forged by the other four major clans can be vanquished, even if our Fan Clan suffers some severe repercussions in the process, it’ll only take us less than a century at most to recover, and by that point, we’ll be the second most prominent clan of Old Dragon City.

“My mother, my sister, Fan Junmao, and her mother weren’t able to enter the ancestral hall, but I was there, and I tried to convince my father not to heed the advice of the other seniors. However, all he did was get angry at me and tell me that he was the clan leader, and that my opinion on the matter was irrelevant.”

“So what was the final decision that was reached in your ancestral hall?” Chen Ping’an asked. “Was it decided that you were going to abandon Zheng Dafeng and ally yourselves with the Fu Clan to turn against the other four major clans, even though the Fu Clan had plotted against you in secret?”

Fan Er shook his head in response.

“That was going to be the final decision, but for some reason, they ended up changing their minds. Ultimately, my father declared that this matter was going to require further consideration, and no one seems to know why there was a change of heart. I went to ask both my mother and my sister’s mother about this, but neither of them could tell me anything.

“After Chu Yang was defeated, he returned to the Dragon Scaling Platform to recover from his injuries, but the Fu Clan naturally wasn’t just going to let things slide after being humiliated like that. Hence, Mr. Zheng was challenged by the Nascent Tier ancestor of the Fu Clan, Fu Yang, and he was wielding one of the Fu Clan’s pseudo-celestial tools.

“The Qi refiners of the Fu Clan combined their powers to conceal the battlefield, so no one knows exactly what happened, but by the time Mr. Zheng emerged from the Fu Clan’s manor, his entire body was covered in blood, and he raised his pinkie finger to the Fu Clan as a final parting gesture.

“On that same day, the Sun Clan went back on its agreement with the other clans and pledged its allegiance to the Fu Clan. The Fang Clan contacted the Hou Clan, and the two decided to support the Ding Clan as their leader. The backbone of the Ding Clan was that direct lineal descendant of Parasol Leaf Sect, and sure enough, a ship soon arrived from Parasol Leaf Sect.

“Only two people disembarked from the ship, but after that, the alliance led by the Ding Clan became even more confident than back when the Sun Clan was on their side.”

Parasol Leaf Sect was the number one cultivation sect on Parasol Leaf Continent.

Compared with Jade Tablet Sect, Parasol Leaf Sect was clearly superior, and they were situated in the north and the south of Parasol Leaf Continent, respectively.

According to Jiang Shangzhen, if it weren’t for Zuo You’s intervention, it would’ve most definitely been the cultivator from Parasol Leaf Sect who would’ve claimed the life of the great demon that had wreaked havoc in Planchette Writing Sect.

Up to this point, Chen Ping’an had developed a rough idea of the current circumstances in Old Dragon City.

No one could’ve anticipated the role that Zheng Dafeng played to drastically accelerate the unfolding circumstances in Old Dragon City.

Essentially, he had forced all of the city’s major clans to show their true colors, and in the process, he had made the entire city his enemy, all for a woman who worked at his medicine shop.

Chen Ping’an took another sip of wine.

A wry smile appeared on Fan Er’s face as he sighed, “The Fu Clan naturally wasn’t just going to let things slide there, and Clan Leader Fu Qi paid a personal visit to Mr. Zheng to lay down a challenge. Early this winter, the two sides are going to clash on the Dragon Scaling Platform. However, prior to that battle, the Parasol Leaf Sect disciple of the Ding Clan paid a visit to the Dust Medicinal Shop.

“No one knows exactly what happened, whether they intended to threaten or appease Mr. Zheng, but ultimately, the outcome was another battle, which took place on the street outside the Dust Medicinal Shop. Some say Mr. Zheng took on three opponents at once, some say he fought them one after another.

“In any case, he sustained even more injuries, so Fu Qi declared that their battle would be postponed to the end of the year. At that point, the two sides were going to engage in a battle of life and death on the Dragon Scaling Platform, and there’s not much time left until then.”

In the end, Fan Er’s voice trailed off into a dejected silence.

He lifted the curtain to take a glance outside, right as the carriage was about to enter the outer city of Old Dragon City.

Chen Ping’an replaced the stopper on his Sword Nurturing Gourd, then said to Fan Er, “I understand the situation now. Let’s part ways here. Given the current circumstances, it’ll be very inappropriate for me to go to your Fan Clan.”

Fan Er was just about to object when Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Don’t be a fool. You’ve already tried to eat soil once, surely that’s taught you not to be stupid. If you insist on inviting me to your manor, all that’s going to do is make you look like a bad son and me a bad friend, so there’s really no point.”

Chen Ping’an then pointed at his own heart as he continued, “Even if we part ways, you’ll always be with me.”

Before Fan Er had a chance to say anything, Chen Ping’an had already lifted the curtain and instructed, “Stop the carriage.”

Fan Er was just about to stand up to follow Chen Ping’an out of the carriage when the latter set down the curtain and said, “Stay where you are, don’t make this seem like such a big deal. It’s not what you think, all I’m going to do is pay the Dust Medicinal Shop a visit. The world is a very chaotic place, and there are injustices taking place everywhere, I can’t go around saving everyone. I just want to go and see Zheng Dafeng.”

Fan Er glared at him as he reminded, “Don’t forget that you owe me a piece of chinaware, and we also have to go out drinking for real some time…”

Chen Ping’an had already jumped out of the carriage, leaving Fan Er to sit on his own in a daze.

After leaving the carriage, Chen Ping’an quickly instructed Pei Qian and the others to leave their carriages as well.

As the procession of Fan Clan carriages entered the city, Pei Qian turned to Chen Ping’an and asked, “What happened? Was he too stingy and didn’t want to give us free food and accommodation? I didn’t think he looked like that type of person.”

“He’s just dropping us off here because we have to go see someone else first,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

After issuing the entrance fee for the outer city, Chen Ping’an realized that he would have to pay an entrance fee for the inner city as well, and he was thinking to himself that surely Zheng Dafeng would compensate him for that.

Chen Ping’an knew the way to the Dust Medicinal Shop, and he also had a very good memory, but even so, Old Dragon City was so massive that by the time he reached the Dust Medicinal Shop, it was already close to dusk.

After entering that small alley with Pei Qian and the others in tow, he spotted Zheng Dafeng sitting on a little stool at the entrance of the shop, smoking on a pipe.

He choked on a lungful of smoke, then erupted into a coughing fit as he remarked, “This is certainly a rare guest.”

Chen Ping’an took a glance at Zheng Dafeng, then looked at the empty shop behind him and sat down onto the doorstep as he asked, “Is the shop hiring at the moment?”

“I don’t have money to hire anyone,” Zheng Dafeng snapped.

“Lend me forty grain rain coins and I’ll work at your shop. I’ll return the money to you at some point,” Chen Ping’an said.

Zheng Dafeng turned to look at Chen Ping’an with an exasperated expression as he scoffed, “What? Just because you’ve gone up a little in cultivation base and changed into some new clothes, you start talking about grain rain coins like they’re normal copper coins? Get out of here! I’m not in the mood to be joking around with you.”

He then turned to look at Sui Youbian with a serious expression as he continued, “Having said that, if she wants to stay at the shop, then she’s more than welcome. She can have free meals and a roof over her head. As for wages, I’ll pay her when I have the money.”

Sui Youbian remained completely expressionless, displaying no reaction to Zheng Dafeng’s provocative remarks.

Chen Ping’an waved at Pei Qian, then pointed at the shop as he said, “We’re staying here. Carry our luggage inside, then pick out a room for yourself.”

Pei Qian let loose an elated cry upon hearing this, and she pulled out her beloved Treasure Pagoda Demon-Suppressing Talisman before pressing it to her own forehead, then rushed into the shop. She was exhausted from walking through Old Dragon City, and she had been dying to bring out this talisman.

Wei Xian and the others also made their way into the shop, while Zheng Dafeng turned to Chen Ping’an with an exasperated expression as he sighed, “Are you not aware of what things are like in Old Dragon City right now, or are you so delusional that you think that you can play the hero here?”

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

Zheng Dafeng stared at Chen Ping’an in silence for a long while, then turned away and continued puffing out clouds of smoke as he said in a muffled voice, “Fine, stay if you want. The old man has bet a lot on you, so he most likely won’t let you die so soon. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have to get Brother Zhao to look after you. It’s not like he’ll be able to help at all on the Dragon Scaling Platform anyway.”

A yin soul appeared under the shade in the alley, then said to Chen Ping’an, “Don’t get involved in this mess. There’s a chance that both Zheng Dafeng and I die on the Dragon Scaling Platform.”

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze back to Zheng Dafeng, then asked, “What happened?”

Zheng Dafeng took a draft from his pipe, then smacked his lips as he replied, “Don’t think of me as some selfless saint, I had no choice but to do what I did because it concerned my Great Dao. If you’ll recall, I was stumped by my ninth tier bottleneck for a long time a while ago, and half the reason I was finally able to make the breakthrough was because of you, while the other half was a book that I took from that woman.

“I stole it from her, and when she confronted me about it, I could only tell her that I was borrowing it. After that, I accidentally destroyed the book, and after finally making my breakthrough, I thought I would buy a new one for her. It was going to cost me over forty copper coins, so I really didn’t want to buy it, and I stalled for a few days. Now, I’ll never get to return the book to her.”

A dark look appeared on his face, which was enshrouded in a cloud of smoke, and he continued, “Back then, all I owed you was five copper coins, so how could I just stand by and do nothing when I owed her that much? I had to do something. Besides, if it wasn’t for me, she would’ve been able to find someone to marry in two or three more years.

“Even if she’d found a bad husband, at the very least, she would still be alive. Living a bad life is better than dying a good death, that’s always been an adage that I’ve subscribed to. Not to mention, she didn’t even get to die a good death. Old Man Zhao was able to gather her soul, and all she did was cry and tell me that she didn’t blame me, and that she wanted me to look after her family for her.”

“No she didn’t, she said that she likes you, but she didn’t feel worthy of you because she had been soiled. She said that if she were to meet you again in the next life, then she wanted to fall in love with you again, but she wanted to be more brave,” the yin soul contradicted in an indifferent voice.

Zheng Dafeng raised his head with a furious expression, and a formidable aura swept through the entire alley as he snapped, “Piss off!”

The yin soul remained unfazed, but it did as it was told, slowly fading away.

“Here,” Chen Ping’an said as he tossed a vial at Zheng Dafeng, but the latter merely allowed the vial to drop to the ground before his eyes.

Chen Ping’an stood up and picked up the vial of Seated Meditation Pills from the ground, then handed it to Zheng Dafeng as he said, “This is a vial of pills that I received from a Nascent Tier earth immortal from Parasol Leaf Continent. There are five in there, eat as many of them as you can. If you die on the Dragon Scaling Platform, I’ll ask Old Man Yang for the money, but if you survive, then you owe me.”

Zheng Dafeng raised his head as he asked with furrowed brows, “What do you want, Chen Ping’an? How does this have anything to do with you?”

Chen Ping’an continued to hold the vial out to Zheng Dafeng as he replied, “I’ve been working tirelessly on my fist and sword techniques. In the past, it was all for survival, but now that survival is no longer a concern, what do you think I want?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Zheng Dafeng harrumphed. “I already told you this last time, we are not the same type of people, so our paths are destined not to align.”

“I’m not here because I suddenly felt we are destined to be brothers,” Chen Ping’an said. “Do you want to hear the scholar’s version of my reasons or the country bumpkin’s?”

Zheng Dafeng simply ignored him.

Chen Ping’an remained completely unbothered as he continued, “How can one stand up against injustices in life? In the face of minor injustices, you can always buy some wine to drown your sorrows, while in the face of major injustices, you ought to draw your sword. That’s the scholar’s version. To put that in more frank terms, I’m pissed the hell off, so I’m gonna beat the shit out of them! Otherwise, what’s the point in practicing these fist and sword techniques?”