Unsheathed

Not long ago, Pei Qian had still been complaining about the fact that they had only come across the yellow earth bull but no other spirits or ghosts after leaving Wasp Tail Ferry Station.

Right now, Pei Qian was listening to the conversation between the two groups of cultivators very carefully. This was the cultivation world! She also had to enter the cultivation world in the future, so she needed to listen more and learn more right now.

Zhu Lian quietly nodded to himself. There were many layers of meaning behind Gang Leader Zhu’s words.

“If I’m not mistaken, Old Gang Leader Zhu, you want to take this young girl to the Golden Osmanthus Temple and have her cultivate immortal techniques there. But are you aware that the temple master of Golden Osmanthus is an old acquaintance of Blusher Hall?” the old woman revealed with an expression of ridicule.

“Of the nine disciples that they’re taking, it’s already been decided that one will be from Blusher Hall. Moreover, it was the old immortal who personally agreed to this. In other words, we’re only climbing Azure Waist Mountain as a formality. If the sharp-tongued young girl sitting beside you genuinely possesses some cultivation aptitude and is fancied by the temple master, then she does indeed have a chance to call Qingcheng her senior sister.”

The young girl from Blusher Hall flushed slightly red in embarrassment.

The round-faced young girl looked at her and giggled, “Oh, so your name is Morning?[1] Well, my name is Night.”

Zhu Fengxian smiled faintly and replied, “The temple master of the Golden Osmanthus Temple is a rare and genuine immortal, and it’s because of this that I was willing to return to the cultivation world now that he’s opening the doors of the temple to recruit nine disciples. However, the Golden Osmanthus Temple isn’t the only immortal force in the Azure Phoenix Nation. In other words, I can kill all of you first before bringing my granddaughter to some other immortal force. Of course, I could also leave and instruct the disciples of the Great Marsh Gang to guard your girl in secret. They’ll surely teach her how to cultivate in peace.”

The old woman’s expression became dark, and she said with a cold chuckle, “Bring her to some other immortal force? That’s easy for you to say! Why did the old immortal from the Golden Osmanthus Temple set an age limit for the disciples? Are you not clear about this, Zhu Fengxian? If you delay things for two or three more years, then your granddaughter can forget about cultivating to become an immortal. Even if she’s accepted into an immortal force thanks to the influence of the Great Marsh Gang, she’ll probably become nothing more than a maidservant who can only serve other people. You should be aware that cultivating in immortal forces is a ruthless task, so do you need me to teach you about this principle again?”

Zhu Fengxian’s expression also turned dark.

Even the expression of the round-faced young girl who looked deceptively innocent became cloudy.

The old woman had no idea that she wasn’t a pure martial artist, but a third-tier Qi refiner.

Even so, the round-faced young girl was aware that a delay of two to three years during her youth would indeed be extremely detrimental to her cultivation. When she advanced to the Middle Five Tiers in the future, she might need to spend dozens of years to make up for this delay of two to three years during her youth.

In the words of her grandpa, Zhu Fengxian, and the military adviser from the Great Marsh Gang, she was a one-in-one-hundred-year cultivation prodigy. Unfortunately, the Great Marsh Gang only had a single immortal scripture in their arsenal. Even though this immortal scripture was quite high grade, it could only help one advance to the Middle Five Tiers.

This immortal scripture was from some immortal force that had long since disappeared from the Azure Phoenix Nation, and it didn’t explain how one could become an earth immortal who treated clouds as food and dew as drink and traveled tens of thousands of kilometers on the wind. This scripture was most likely for all internal disciples to cultivate, while the secret techniques passed down through the ancestral hall of the immortal force were only accessible to the direct disciples of the elders.

Pei Qian listened on with relish as she squatted beside Chen Ping’an. She felt like these kinds of verbal arguments were the most interesting. In fact, this was even more interesting than the catfights between women that she had witnessed on the streets of the Southern Garden Nation’s capital when she was little.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but feel slightly worried. Neither party was a pushover, so he was afraid that their war of words would eventually transform into a war of fists and blades. The cave was only so big, so there would be nowhere for them to hide from any stray attacks. Perhaps he should speak up and warn them now? Or perhaps he should tell the Great Marsh Gang and Blusher Hall to fight outside?

Chen Ping’an sighed and stood up, directly walking between the two parties before arriving at the entrance of the rock cave. He grabbed the remaining half of the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman from his sleeve with two fingers, and a small flicker of golden yellow flame appeared on the talisman again, appearing like a swaying blade of grass in the gentle spring breeze even though it was being attacked by such ferocious wind and rain.

The small flame calmly flickered on the talisman, and Chen Ping’an turned to the two parties in the rock cave and said with a smile, “There’s something strange about this downpour, and an abnormal yin energy has remained strong right from the very beginning. It’s very likely that this is being orchestrated by some sinister Qi refiners hiding in the shadows. The immortals from the Golden Osmanthus Temple haven’t come out to address the situation yet, so it’s best to remain vigilant when you climb Azure Waist Mountain and head to the temple.

“Why not set aside your differences for now? The cultivation paths of the two young ladies are already within reach, and this is naturally the topmost priority for both of you right now. Climbing this mountain is essentially setting foot on the path of cultivation.”

Chen Ping’an glanced at the two young girls before continuing, “Why burn bridges and make your cultivation paths narrower? If you dislike each other, you can turn around and go your separate ways. The path of the Great Dao is wide enough, after all.”

Zhu Fengxian nodded and concurred with a smile, “You are indeed correct. I hope you’ll have an opportunity to visit my Great Marsh Gang in the future, and I’ll definitely welcome you with a grand banquet.”

Even though he was only being polite, these were polite words personally uttered by Old Demon Zhu Fengxian, after all. At the very least, they would carry quite some weight in the cultivation world of the Azure Phoenix Nation.

The old woman glanced at the yellow paper talisman in Chen Ping’an’s hand before smiling faintly and saying, “Qingcheng will definitely remember your words of wisdom, Young Master.”

Qingcheng smiled beautifully at Chen Ping’an.

The Yang Energy Illumination Talisman between Chen Ping’an’s fingers was completely burnt out, and the flickering golden flame also disappeared for good. Chen Ping’an rubbed his fingers together and said with a chuckle, “Someone once said that when traveling through the cultivation world, powerful martial artists shouldn’t use their fists too rashly. And after becoming a powerful immortal, one shouldn’t unleash their mystical techniques too recklessly.”

The round-faced young girl smiled and asked, “Dare I ask, Young Master, which paramount being spoke these words?”

“A friend of mine,” Chen Ping’an replied.

The round-faced young girl who had jokingly called herself Night raised a thumb and clicked her tongue in wonder, remarking, “Good one!”

Meanwhile, the young girl called Qingcheng was slightly curious about Chen Ping’an’s identity.

Zhu Fengxian and the old woman from Blusher Hall exchanged a glance. They were both experienced individuals from the cultivation world, so there was no need to speak to communicate their thoughts. The trivial argument between them was nothing compared to the cultivation paths of their descendants and juniors. Even if they disliked each other, it was indeed important for them to avoid conflict before they successfully climbed the mountain and entered the Golden Osmanthus Temple. In fact, the Great Marsh Gang and Blusher Hall might even have to work with each other if they encountered dangers along the way. They would need to overcome the challenges together.

Chen Ping’an turned around and looked outside. Rain was still thundering down without any signs of relenting.

What season was it in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land right now?

Who had entered the ranks of the Upper Ten Elites? Of course, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu, Lake Mountain Faction’s Yu Zhenyi, and Bird’s Eye View Peak’s Lu Fang were definitely members of this elite group.

Were there brand new door gods and couplets plastered on the gates of that residence in the small alley?

Chen Ping’an heaved a soft sigh.

Having taken the bamboo bookcase off his back, Chen Ping’an was now carrying nothing but Sword Immortal, the pseudo-celestial tool that Old Dragon City’s Fu Clan had given him as compensation through Fan Junmao’s hands.

Chen Ping’an raised his head, looking up at the pitch-black curtain of rain.

Back when he was still young and naive, he remembered that a person wearing a bamboo hat and holding the reins of a donkey had boasted that he could draw and resheathe his blade so quickly that no splashing water could enter the scabbard, even if it were bucketing down rain.

Now, however, even Chen Ping’an could achieve this.

In any case, when could he become a genuine sword immortal?

Right now, Chen Ping’an found it very difficult to even draw Sword Immortal from its scabbard. Upon thinking of this, Chen Ping’an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took a large swig of wine.

However, he forgot that it wasn’t ordinary osmanthus wine or well-water immortal wine in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, but instead medicinal wine from Fan Junmao. Chen Ping’an immediately shivered, and his face turned bright red. He broke into a fit of coughing, and he had no option but to cover his mouth and turn around, feeling slightly apologetic as he walked back to Pei Qian in irritation.

His immortal demeanor collapsed in a flash.

————

White Water Temple was located to the south of the central region of the Azure Phoenix Nation, and inside the temple was a spring bubbling from the ground, with each drop of water looking like a rolling pearl. This spring water was the best water for brewing tea, and it was because of this that many scholars and literati from the Lofty Sky Nation and the Fortune Mountain Nation would especially travel to White Water Temple to enjoy some tea brewed from the spring water.

As a result, it was quite understandable why White Water Temple had so many worshippers visiting and offering incense. This also caused it to become equally as renowned as the North Mountain Temple located in the capital.

Compared to how active the eminent monks from the North Mountain Temple were in the imperial court of the Azure Phoenix Nation, however, it seemed like the monks from White Water Temple weren’t especially fond of being highly visible in public. Moreover, no extraordinary Chan master of note had appeared in White Water Temple during the past one hundred or so years. As a result, there were inevitably accusations that the current monks in White Water Temple were living off the achievements of their predecessors.

Due to these reasons, the North Mountain Temple was enjoying the greatest amount of attention now that the extremely grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism was just around the corner. On the other hand, it was quite surprising that not a single monk from White Water Temple—a temple that had a rich history of over one thousand years—had stepped forward and volunteered to participate in the grand event that would determine the ranking of the three teachings in the Azure Phoenix Nation.

Spring rain had continued to fall recently, and the myriad of temples in the Azure Phoenix Nation were all shrouded in hazy mist and rain. On this evening, a young monk dressed in snow-white kasaya slowly walked around inside White Water Temple.

White Water Temple had remained shut for close to one month already, and this was quite a troublesome experience for those sincere Buddhist worshippers.

The young monk in white kasaya looked calm and pure-hearted, and both the old monks and young monks in White Water Temple looked over and greeted him when he walked past. However, the young monk dressed in the eye-catching white kasaya paid no heed to their greetings. Everyone was already accustomed to this.

The young monk arrived near the railing of a small pond with dark green water, and this pond had the magnificent title of Dragon Pool even though it looked quite unremarkable. This was due to a rumor that an old softshell turtle was living in the small yet extremely deep pond. This softshell turtle had been released here by some monks during the construction of White Water Temple, and it would only swim to the surface and show itself to the world when monks expounded on profound and mystical Buddhist philosophies when giving lectures. Even the official history books of the Azure Phoenix Nation had records of this, so it was naturally the case that no one doubted its veracity.

The young monk in white kasaya continued to casually stroll around the temple. He walked along a long corridor behind the main hall, climbing the steps and ascending higher and higher. There were many exquisite bells hanging under the eaves, and numerous spirits that were born from these bells and resided within them all flew out at this moment, flapping their transparent wings and pushing the bells back and forth. The young monk in white kasaya seemed to dislike these chiming sounds, instead preferring the ordinarily peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the ancient temple. He furrowed his brows slightly.

The small and nimble spirits immediately flew back into the bells hanging under the eaves.

The young monk turned around and peered down at the small square located behind the main hall. That was the place where an eminent monk had once expounded Buddhism and celestial maidens had rained down flowers. He remembered that many golden osmanthus flowers had fallen from the sky that day, and the lecturing monk and the listening monks had all ended up sitting in many layers of osmanthus flowers.

However, the lecturing monk had been slightly unaccustomed to the fragrance of the osmanthus flowers, and this had even caused him to sneeze several times. The listening monks had paid close attention to this, and some of them had even been able to ruminate on it and derive deep meaning. Afterward, they had inscribed their enlightenments on a stone tablet in White Water Temple.

After walking up the stairs and reaching the top, the young monk in white kasaya walked around the scripture library and arrived next to the temple master’s living quarters. There was a yellow mud wall measuring half a person tall here, and it marked out a small piece of land that had a well, a stone table, and a stone stool.

The young monk pushed open the bamboo door and made his way over to the well, one which had already been sealed for many years.

An extremely renowned Buddhist event had taken place here in the past, and it was said that even those in the Middle Earth Divine Continent had heard about this before. In fact, this was the main reason why White Water Temple still remained standing even though it hadn’t produced an eminent monk for the past one hundred years. White Water Temple had argued about this Buddhist event for several hundred years, numerous large temples in the Azure Phoenix Nation had argued about it for many years, different branches of Buddhism argued about it, and generation after generation of literati who believed in Buddha and studied Buddhism also argued about it relentlessly.

The scripture library in White Mountain Nation was extremely impressive, and its collection of solitary copies and complete copies of scriptures was unrivaled in the Azure Phoenix Nation. However, the young monk in white kasaya standing in a daze beside the well detested this place the most. He had never set foot inside the scripture library, not even once.

To stray one character from the scriptures was to entertain the teachings of the devil.

To do so was to desecrate the teachings of Buddha.

The young monk in white kasaya sat on top of the sealed well that was much like a round stool now. There was one thing that he had never understood in all these years.

There was a passage in the Buddhist scriptures that talked about an Arhat who was bound to become a Buddha in the future being threatened by a heavenly demon. Terror had gripped the Arhat’s heart, and he had sought out Buddha who had then given him a proper Buddhist scripture. This had allowed the Arhat to defeat the heavenly demon.

The young monk in white kasaya hadn’t thought about this passage too much when reading it for the first time. However, he had suddenly come to a frightening realization one day, and this had caused him to descend into endless pain.

There was an obsessive thought in his mind.

Why am I, a measly monk from a small temple, confident that I won’t lose my composure so badly if I encounter a heavenly demon? Yet, an Arhat who was a pupil of Buddha and destined to become a Buddha himself in the future was so terrified and unsettled by the heavenly demon? How was the Arhat’s reaction any different from mortal humans who haven’t studied Buddhism before? Where was his enlightenment and root of wisdom? Where was his Buddhist knowledge? Where were the Buddhist principles taught by Buddha? If such an Arhat becomes a Buddha in the future, then just how profound and lofty can his teachings be?

The young monk in white kasaya couldn’t find an answer to his questions no matter how hard he thought about it. Tears streamed down his face as he sat on the sealed well.

This young monk who had suddenly gained enlightenment during his youth could vaguely remember what the past him had done here many years ago. He had killed a cat and hacked it into two before tossing it into the well.

A long time had now passed, yet the young monk still remained a person who seldom spoke. However, he was extremely diligent when it came to doing physical labor in White Water Temple, resulting in his hands and feet being filled with calluses. He would also suffer frostbite every winter, causing his hands to split and become filled with blood.

He slapped the sealed well again and again, seemingly unaware of the wounds on his palm that gradually became bloody and mangled.

The young monk burst into tears as he continued to ferociously slap the sealed well, and his voice was hoarse as he murmured, “Wrong, you people are wrong again… Buddhist teachings exist right within it… I was also wrong… Chan principles can’t be spoken, and to verbalize them is to make a mistake. However, isn’t remaining silent also a mistake? All of us are wrong… But… how can we avoid being wrong…?”

1. She’s making fun of the girl’s name Qingcheng (清城), which sounds very similar to Qing Chen (清晨), the phrase for morning. ☜