Unsheathed

On the final day of the year, it was customary to write up new couplets to replace the ones from the year just passed. Many sheets of blank red paper for writing couplets had already been purchased, and a total of four couplets had to be replaced, one at the entrance of the shop, and one each for the three rooms in the backyard of the shop.

Chen Ping’an, Pei Qian, Zheng Dafeng, and Lu Baixiang each wrote a set of couplets, copying directly from a small brochure of generic couplets sold at the market without bothering to make any innovations.

Chen Ping’an’s couplets had impeccable, textbook handwriting; Lu Baixiang’s were very graceful and free-flowing; and Zheng Dafeng’s couplets were also quite exceptional. Pei Qian volunteered to write a set of couplets herself, and she did so very diligently, but the outcome wasn’t what she had hoped for.

Zhu Lian was constantly shaking his head at the sight of her handwriting, and even Wei Xian praised her for her efforts but admitted that the results were rather lackluster. Pei Qian was also feeling rather sheepish, but much to her relief, Chen Ping’an told her that couplets were only written for good luck, so there was no need to be overly pedantic on the quality of the handwriting.

Pei Qian, Wei Xian, and Sui Youbian were responsible for putting up the couplets, while Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng gave them instructions from the sidelines. Having already done a rather lackluster job writing her couplets, Pei Qian was determined to redeem herself by making absolutely certain that her couplets were plastered straight, and before long, she was already sweating profusely.

In the end, it was only after Sui Youbian told Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng to shut their mouths that Pei Qian was able to get the job done.

The “spring” characters were all written by Chen Ping’an, while the “fortune” characters were all written by Zheng Dafeng.

Zhu Lian spent close to the entire afternoon cooking up the final meal of the year, with Chen Ping’an and Pei Qian helping him prepare certain ingredients. During this time, Sui Youbian paid a visit to the kitchen, then stood at the entrance for a while before departing.

In the end, Zhu Lian prepared a delectable feast that had a good balance of both meat and vegetable dishes, and the two main dishes consisted of a braised fish, which heralded a year of excess, and a pot full of slow-cooked pig trotters. [1]

Zheng Dafeng was seated on the main chair at the table, with Lu Baixiang and Wei Xian seated to his left and Sui Youbian and Pei Qian seated to his right. Pei Qian pounced on this opportunity to make a joke about Big Sister Right Side sitting on the right side, only for Sui Youbian to grab her ear amd give it a firm twist, forcing her to beg for mercy. [2]

Chen Ping’an and Zhu Lian were seated on the bench near the door, and the Zhao Clan yin soul was also invited to join them at the table, but he refused.

Complementing the fine meal was a jar of the finest osmanthus wine produced by the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island. It was extremely fragrant, with a delectable flavor and a sweet aftertaste.

Chen Ping’an could tell that Pei Qian was dying to get a taste of the wine. She had been working very hard putting up her couplets and helping out in the kitchen, and the osmanthus wine wasn’t particularly strong, so Chen Ping’an poured out a small amount for her into a cup, roughly around two to three sips’ worth.

However, he also warned her that she was only getting this treat due to the fact that it was a special occasion, and that she would be severely punished if she dared to try and drink wine any other time.

Under Chen Ping’an’s insistence, Zheng Dafeng was the first one to begin eating, and only after that did everyone dig into the meal. On top of that, he also insisted that Zheng Dafeng propose a toast to everyone and deliver a brief address.

Zheng Dafeng normally had extremely thick skin, but now that he was being put on the spot, he was suddenly very shy, and in the end, he could only mumble something about wishing everyone a safe and prosperous new year. After his address was delivered, Pei Qian was finally able to take her first sip of osmanthus wine, and her eyes immediately lit up. A look of bliss befitting a child of her age appeared on her face.

It was incredible to her that there was such a delicious drink in this world. All of a sudden, it occurred to her that there were some perks to growing up, after all. At the very least, she would be able to drink wine to her heart’s content once she became an adult.

The final meal of the year was a lively and rowdy affair, and neither Zheng Dafeng nor Chen Ping’an spoke much about Jewel Small World and Dragon Spring Prefecture.

Instead, Zheng Dafeng asked some questions about the interesting people and events of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. He was very intrigued by the four picture scroll martial artists, as well as Ding Ying, who was the most powerful figure in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land before Chen Ping’an.

He was also quite interested in Jiang Shangzhen, so Chen Ping’an spoke about some of his past interactions with this “otherworldly immortal.” On this subject, Zheng Dafeng brought up some secrets pertaining to various small worlds, and only then was Jewel Small World mentioned.

Generally speaking, the ten large worlds and the thirty-six small worlds were considered to be blessed paradises as they harbored far more spiritual energy than all other worlds. All of these worlds had fated opportunities left behind by ancient immortals who either passed away or successfully ascended, thereby making these places extremely sought after by all cultivators.

For example, Parasol Leaf Small World of Parasol Leaf Sect had been claimed solely by Du Mao, and he had only been distributing a tiny amount of the benefits that he was reaping from the small world to the other Upper Five Tiers cultivators of the sect.

However, there were also some exceptions to this norm, examples of which included the Dao Ancestor’s Lotus Flower Small World, which was adjacent to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and of course, there was also Jewel Small World. The latter wasn’t all that abundant in spiritual energy, nor was it renowned for having a vast array of natural treasures. Instead, the allure of Jewel Small World lied in the exceptional cultivation aptitude of the small town’s residents.

Elsewhere in Majestic World, it was extremely difficult for any earth immortal to find a suitable disciple. It was truly a task akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Even if one were to stumble upon a prospective disciple with exceptional aptitude, they may not be suited to the earth immortal’s cultivation arts or possess lackluster personality traits.

Hence, it was often the case that earth immortals would embark on long journeys to search for disciples, only to return disappointed.

In contrast, in Jewel Small World, there were many unpolished gems with sufficient aptitude to reach the Middle Five Tiers, a level of aptitude that wasn’t necessarily guaranteed even for the offspring of a pair of immortals.

After the meal, everyone changed into new clothes. Initially, Wei Xian was rather resistant to the idea of wearing new clothes, saying that new clothes always felt stiff and comfortable, and he tried to get away with wearing his imperial robe instead.

However, he was unable to stand Pei Qian’s nagging, and he reluctantly put on some new clothes and boots. For this special occasion, Chen Ping’an had also taken off his Golden Sweet Wine robe and changed into a long azure robe chosen for him by Pei Qian and Sui Youbian.

Chen Ping’an also gave Pei Qian and the four picture scroll martial artists some New Year’s money, consisting of a single snowflake coin each, held in a red paper envelope.

Pei Qian was aware that a snowflake coin was worth a thousand taels of silver, and she was ecstatic. The four picture scroll martial artists also accepted their red packets, but they weren’t as ecstatic as Pei Qian was.

After that, a vigil was held to welcome the new year.

In the end, only Chen Ping’an, Zheng Dafeng, and Pei Qian stayed up the entire night, sitting around the fireplace until daybreak.

Chen Ping’an had one leg crossed over the other, and the little lotus spirit was sitting on the back of his foot. As Chen Ping’an swayed his leg back and forth, the little lotus spirit bounced up and down on the back of his foot, and it was thoroughly enjoying itself.

Chen Ping’an didn’t dare to drink too much of the basic refinement medicinal wine in his Sword Nurturing Gourd. Instead, he and Zheng Dafeng only drank a quarter of a liter of osmanthus wine each.

Zheng Dafeng chatted about many of Chen Ping’an’s peers from the small town, including Ma Kuxuan, Song Jixin, Zhao Yao, and Lin Shouyi, and he also spoke about some of the children younger than Chen Ping’an, such as Li Baoping and Gu Can.

He told Chen Ping’an that he had never even expected Chen Ping’an to survive, let alone reach his current heights.

Pei Qian had actually already fallen asleep at some point in the night, so she didn’t hear all of these stories about Jewel Small World.

Zheng Dafeng asked Chen Ping’an about his bonded porcelain, to which Chen Ping’an smiled and replied that it was a white porcelain paperweight roughly in the form of a hornless dragon, and that he had kept a few broken fragments of the paperweight in the clay pot in the corner of his ancestral residence on Clay Vase Alley.

Even if it had been completed, it wouldn’t have been offered up to the imperial clan of the Great Li Empire. Instead, it would’ve mostly likely become part of a certain immortal manor’s secret collection; according to the old sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Clay Vase Alley originally possessed the aptitude to become an earth immortal.

Zheng Dafeng didn’t speak any further on this subject, and Chen Ping’an didn’t insist on dwelling on it, either.

Zheng Dafeng pointed outside as he revealed, “Old Man Zhao is the ancestor of Zhao Yao’s branch of the Zhao Clan in Jewel Small World. After he passed away, the old man gathered his soul and made him into a yin soul. If he’s lucky, then perhaps he can become the god of a certain mountain in the Great Li Empire someday.

“He definitely won’t be able to emulate Wei Bo’s meteoric rise and ascend to become the Northern Mountain God. At least there’s a chance that he could become a mountain god of the same caliber as Gu Can’s father.”

“I figured that out for myself,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

Qi Jingchun had left behind three drafts of spring wind, one each for Chen Ping’an, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin.

Zhao Yao wasn’t able to keep his most precious spring seal, but Qi Jingchun had said that he wasn’t disappointed about that. Initially, Chen Ping’an had been rather perplexed to hear this. Given Qi Jingchun’s personality, he definitely wasn’t feeling that way because he hadn’t had any high hopes for Zhao Yao to begin with. In fact, compared with Song Jixin, Qi Jingchun actually held Zhao Yao in somewhat higher regard.

Thinking back now, Chen Ping’an realized that Qi Jingchun had most likely been hoping that by losing the spring seal, Zhao Yao would be able to cast aside all ties that the two of them had. From there onward, he could establish something on his own or turn to another branch of teachings. Perhaps that would allow him to live out a safe and peaceful life, and that was a very good outcome in Qi Jingchun’s eyes.

Chen Ping’an didn’t feel like he could be as open-minded as Qi Jingchun.

Perhaps he would be able to in the future after reading more books and meeting more people, but at the very least, he definitely couldn’t in his current state.

Zheng Dafeng also revealed a small secret pertaining to Ma Kuxuan. He told Chen Ping’an that Ma Kuxuan’s white cat was a very special creature, at least on par with the likes of the golden carp in Gao Xuan’s Dragon King Basket, the fire dragon bracelet worn by Ruan Xiu, Zhao Yao’s wooden dragon carving, Gu Can’s little catfish, and Song Jixin’s four-legged snake.

However, in contrast with these five, the white cat had made its way into Jewel Small World in secret, and it would only ever accept Ma Kuxuan as its master.

Chen Ping’an told Zheng Dafeng about his two battles against Ma Kuxuan, the first in the immortal tomb, and the second was on the streets of Colorful Garment Nation.

Zheng Dafeng was very amused to hear about this, and he didn’t take it too seriously. He told Chen Ping’an that roughly once every five hundred to a thousand years in Jewel Small World, a pair of sworn enemies or lifelong friends would emerge.

An example of friends were the two ancestors of the Cao Clan and the Yuan Clan of the Great Li Empire. This time, perhaps it was Chen Ping’an’s turn to forge a lifelong rivalry with Ma Kuxuan.

Chen Ping’an turned to look outside, and he discovered that the first morning of the new year had arrived.

The same time last year, he was still stumbling around the Lotus Flower Blessed Land like a lost soul, and thinking back, that felt like a lifetime ago.

As soon as Pei Qian woke up, she immediately rushed outside into the alley to set off some firecrackers. Perhaps it was because she really had become wiser with the passing of a year, but prior to setting off the firecrackers, she made a very thoughtful display of asking the Zhao Clan yin soul if he would be frightened by the sound of the firecrackers, in response to which the yin soul smiled and reassured her that he wouldn’t.

As he listened to the firecrackers going off in the alley, Zheng Dafeng suddenly said, “When Pei Qian’s by your side, you can restrain her and keep her in check, but what happens after she leaves you?”

Chen Ping’an considered the question momentarily, then replied, “I’ll do my best to teach her what’s right and what’s wrong before she leaves me. Only then will she have a moral compass to guide her, and she won’t need to have me tell her what to do all the time.”

Chen Ping’an drew a circle on the ground with his foot as he spoke, then continued, “Right now, she’s still young, so I have to make rules for her and keep her confined in a little circle. She can do whatever she wants as long as she remains in the circle, but if she strays out of the circle, then I have to reprimand her and tell her what she did wrong.

“This has to be a slow process, and I can’t afford to grow impatient. She’s only ten years old right now, and I think she’s already doing quite well for her age.”

“Can she compare with back when you were ten?” Zheng Dafeng asked with a smile.

“Why compare her to me?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile. “Pei Qian is Pei Qian, and Chen Ping’an is Chen Ping’an.”

“Pei Qian is very fortunate to have met you,” Zheng Dafeng sighed.

Chen Ping’an turned to Zheng Dafeng, then asked, “Aren’t you also very fortunate to have met me? I’ve only passed through Old Dragon City twice, and I’ve already had to serve as both your Dao mentor and your Dao guardian. At this rate, I’ll be too afraid to come back to Old Dragon City ever again!”

“You did alright as my Dao mentor, but I have to say, you really failed in your job as my Dao guardian,” Zheng Dafeng jibed.

Chen Ping’an burst into laughter upon hearing this, cupping his fist in a mock apology as he said, “Please forgive me, my capabilities are somewhat limited as a mere fifth-tier martial artist.”

Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes in response, then sighed to himself. “How am I ever going to find a wife like this?”

Pei Qian was walking around carrying a feather duster on her shoulder, proclaiming that she was giving her hiking pole a break. As soon as she stepped out into the backyard, she immediately began dishing out well wishes to everyone.

She wished Wei Xian luck in finding a pretty wife, she wished Lu Baixiang good fortune in improving his go skills, encouraging him to break into the top one hundred go players in the world, she wished for Sui Youbian to never grow wrinkles and to grow younger with each passing day, she wished for Zhu Lian to improve his cooking skills even further, she wished for the Zhao Clan yin soul to make rapid progress in his cultivation base so that he would be able to take her to fly up in the sky, and she wished Zheng Dafeng a profitable year for his shop.

Finally, Pei Qian wished for a prosperous year for Chen Ping’an, one in which he would be constantly flooded by gold, silver, and powerful treasures.

Clearly, she no longer wanted to be a burden to everyone in this new year.

Perhaps Pei Qian’s luck had finally turned, but while she was only able to speak bad things into existence in the past, she seemed to have now become a clairvoyant of good fortune, and the good fortune that she spoke of manifested itself on the very first day of the year.

According to the customs and traditions of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the first day of the year was one that was reserved purely for relaxation and recreation, and no work was to be done on this day.

However, Fan Junmao had arrived at the Dust Medicinal Shop early in the morning, and aside from asking Chen Ping’an when he was going to return to the sea of clouds to refine his bonded item, she also brought him three pouches of gold essence copper coins, one pouch of each of the three varieties. In total, there were around three dozen gold essence copper coins, all of which had been provided by the emperor of the Great Li Empire.

Furthermore, he had promised that there was still going to be more to come. As the army of the Great Li Empire continued to make its southward march, all illegitimate mountain and river gods that they encountered, and even some legitimate mountain and river gods and that refused to submit to the Great Li Empire, would have their godly bodies destroyed, thereby providing the godly body fragments required to refine gold essence copper coins.

Chen Ping’an turned to Zheng Dafeng with a perplexed expression, and the latter was just as perplexed as he asked, “Aren’t gold essence copper coins no longer being forged?”

“That’s exactly why the Song Clan is including them in their compensation! How are they going to show off their sincerity to you if they don’t offer up something special?” Fan Junmao scoffed.

“There’s no way the Great Li Empire would’ve gone this far unless the old man is personally exerting pressure upon the emperor. It would be far better for the Great Li Empire to use these godly fragments to bolster the godly bodies of the other three great mountain gods.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in agreement with this.

A perplexed look then appeared on Zheng Dafeng’s face as he mused, “But that doesn’t seem like something the old man would do.”

An exasperated look appeared on Fan Junmao’s face she revealed, “Not long ago, an intercontinental ship traveling southward from Northern Complete Reed Continent passed by Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and as it did so, a man came falling out of the sky before crashing down onto the ground.

“At this point, just about everyone in the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent has heard that there’s another tenth tier martial artist on the continent aside from Song Changjing.”

“That’s definitely Li Er. I wonder when he’ll arrive in Old Dragon City,” Zheng Dafeng mused.

“Assuming that he’s taking the ship from the ferry station in Dragon Spring Prefecture, as long as he’s willing to spend the money to speed the ship along, he should be arriving in the next few days,” Fan Junmao said.

“So he’s gone from Northern Complete Reed Continent to the Great Li Empire in the northernmost region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and now, he’s coming to Old Dragon City in the southernmost region of the continent. This sure has been a long journey for him,” Zheng Dafeng chuckled.

The smile on his face then faded slightly as he asked, “How are things going in Parasol Leaf Sect?”

A cold sneer appeared on Fan Junmao’s face as she scoffed, “None of the spineless earth immortals of Old Dragon City dare to travel to Parasol Leaf Continent to gather information. Eastern Treasured Vial Continent has always been below Parasol Leaf Continent, and Parasol Leaf Sect is the most powerful and domineering immortal power on Parasol Leaf Continent, so no one dares to encroach upon its authority.

“Perhaps the Fu Clan is able to get some insider information on what’s happening, but the other major clans of the city may as well be blind as far as Parasol Leaf Sect is concerned. Having said that, my guess is that Parasol Leaf Sect is in serious trouble right now. Otherwise, Fu Qi wouldn’t have offered up that Old Dragon Rainbringer as compensation, in addition to something that even I didn’t think of.

“However, Fu Qi told me that he still needs to discuss this matter with the Fu Clan’s ancestral hall, but he’ll do his best to secure everyone’s approval. The item will be delivered to you by me whenever you decide to leave Old Dragon Rainbringer. Why don’t you two take a guess at what it is?”

Given Pei Qian’s recent track record of speaking good things into existence, Chen Ping’an hurriedly called her into the yard, then briefly told her about the Fu Clan’s situation before urging, “Take a guess at what it could be. Be as ambitious as possible.”

Pei Qian thought about it carefully, then asked in a timid manner, “Could it be a pseudo-celestial tool?”

Fan Junmao was rendered speechless, while Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng both burst into laughter.

On the fifth day of the first month, the old man with the title of Foot-Long Spear was once again hanging out at the Dust Medicinal Shop, and he was snacking on some sunflower seeds while chatting with Pei Qian. It seemed that the two of them were having a bragging contest.

On this day, the shop was visited by another guest.

A short, yet well-built man made his way into the alley, and as he passed by, even the old man couldn’t help but take an extra glance at him. This man was a far rarer sight than even Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators.

Even before the four picture scroll martial artists caught sight of this visitor, all four of them were instantly struck by a sense of inexplicable fear. It was an instinctive sense of primal fear that welled up from the bottom of their hearts, and as the visitor approached the shop, the four of them felt as if they were witnessing a massive flood dragon forcing its way into a tiny stream.

How could such a martial artist exist in this world?

In contrast, Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng were looking completely relaxed, and only after gauging their reactions were the hearts of the four picture scroll martial artists put at ease.

Wei Xian was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, while Zhu Lian was standing ramrod straight with a fervent look in his eyes. Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian had both looked up from the go board placed between them, and all four of them were waiting with bated breath.

Chen Ping’an and Zheng Dafeng made their way into the shop, and the latter looked around momentarily before asking, “Your wife didn’t come with you?”

Li Er’s face wasn’t displaying much emotion as he looked at Zheng Dafeng, and he replied, “If our master didn’t ask me to wait a little, I would already be at Parasol Leaf Sect by now.”

Zheng Dafeng scratched his own head and didn’t say anything.

Li Er turned to Chen Ping’an, then cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “Chen Ping’an, Li Huai has become far more mature and thoughtful after his journey with you. He’s learned many things that aren’t taught in books, and for that, I have you to thank. Mr. Qi taught Li Huai very well. Now that Mr. Qi is gone, you’ve taken up the mantle and done just as stellar a job, so I should call you Mr. Chen.

“I have to depart today to demolish Parasol Leaf Sect’s ancestral hall, so I can’t waste much time here. However, before I go, I have something to say to you. Normally, I’ll only use my fists if someone in my family suffers some type of injustice, but I promise that from now on, all you need to do is give the word, and whoever you feel should be beaten up will be beaten up. If I hesitate even for a moment, then I’m no longer Li Huai’s father!”

He then cupped his fist once again as he declared, “Farewell!”

With that, he turned and departed.

1. In Chinese, the characters for fish (鱼) and excess (余) are homonyms of one another, so it’s customary to eat fish at the end of a year for prosperity and excess. ☜

2. This is a play on Sui Youbian’s name. Youbian (右边) literally translates to right side. Right as in the direction, not right or wrong. ☜