Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an had a huge internal debate with himself before eventually deciding to allow Cui Dongshan and Shi Rou into his room.

Just like before, Cui Dongshan used his golden flying sword to draw a large circle around them, blocking out the outside world. Chen Ping’an was very curious, and he couldn’t help but ask Cui Dongshan what kind of mystical ability this was.

Cui Dongshan smiled and replied that this was an ancient mystical ability wherein one would draw a perimeter and form a prison. This ability could be used to protect those inside the perimeter, and it could also be used to imprison people as well, preventing the targeted people from leaving the area.

Later generations had refined this ability and gradually transformed it into several dozen types of immortal techniques. However, most of them had strayed from the correct path and were barely worth a mention.

After sitting down, Cui Dongshan was filled with enthusiasm as he talked about Shi Rou, praising her for her impressive aptitude and affinity. He said that apart from using two pouches of gold essence copper coins to “open the door” to the immortal body, everything else had gone relatively smoothly.

Thanks to her remarkable determination and great fortune, Shi Rou had genuinely managed to transform the colored glaze golden body of the Ascension Tier cultivator into a blessed land to house her soul. Even though there was still some tension between Du Mao’s immortal body and Shi Rou’s soul, it was only a matter of time before this issue would be slowly resolved. Everything had gone well, and there were no longer any major issues.

After revealing this big piece of good news, Cui Dongshan started to nitpick on the specifics, saying, “Opening the door and wresting control of the immortal body is only the first step. Shi Rou is uniquely talented, so if someone had recognized her talent earlier and was willing to invest a significant amount of resources into her, it would have been no issue for her to become a first-rate formal god of one of the Five Mountains in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

“Shi Rou managed to obtain this huge fated opportunity because of her impressive aptitude, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that she possesses an equivalently impressive aptitude when it comes to cultivation. In fact, she has failed to advance her cultivation by any noticeable degree after living as a wandering ghost for several hundred years. She failed to become a ghost king or whatever, and apart from her time serving her previous master, it’s quite evident that her cultivation talent can’t be regarded as exceptional.

“In other words, the obstacles that lie before Shi Rou are relatively troublesome. She won’t be able to overcome the restrictions of this colored glaze golden body, meaning that it will be incredibly difficult for her to take another step forward and achieve genuine control and freedom.”

Chen Ping’an retrieved a pot of osmanthus wine, and Cui Dongshan accepted it, tilting his head back and taking a hearty swig. He wiped his mouth clean and continued, “Fortunately, she managed to enter this brilliant host body that’s essentially like a mountain of gold. Even if she’s a pitiful little ghost who can only carry a small amount of gold each time, she’ll eventually become a filthy rich ghost after keeping at it for tens of years or hundreds of years.

“Afterward, she only needs to use the most elementary techniques to keep pushing forward. She won’t face any big challenges in terms of cultivation, and this is what makes immortal bodies so valuable and coveted. She can advance all the way up to the Upper Five Tiers without needing to form a golden core, without needing to nurture a nascent soul, and without needing to pay any heed to internal demons. Who wouldn’t be jealous of this?”

Cui Dongshan chuckled and added, “Of course, you naturally wouldn’t be jealous of this with how mentally strong you are. As for me, your disciple, there’s no need for me to feel jealous because I already have a similar treasure in my possession. In any case, I’m still inferior to you in this sense, Master.”

“No matter how many gold essence copper coins are required for Shi Rou’s cultivation, I’ll always keep six coins in my possession. You don’t need to think about trying to get these coins from me,” Chen Ping’an informed his disciple.

Cui Dongshan put on a serious expression and replied, “It’s a great honor for those four ants from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land to have such a respectful and benevolent master. This is truly a blessing that they’ve earned over many lifetimes. If they don’t understand how to cherish this blessing, however, then they truly deserve to be punished by divine lightning.

“Please rest assured Master, your disciple is capable of using some abilities pertaining to the Five Lightning Righteous Technique of Mount Longhu. In fact, I might have greater mastery over these abilities than some ordinary Daoist priests from the Heavenly Master Residence. Master, you only need to give me a shout, and I can act on behalf of the heavens and punish those ants at any time.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, “I still hope that we can maintain a good relationship with those four people even if we eventually part ways.”

“Master, why aren’t you asking me about how you can firmly control Shi Rou after sixty years?” Cui Dongshan asked in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “Will you not tell me if I don’t ask? When it comes to making transactions and devising schemes, I concede that I’m far inferior to you. However, I believe in you, and I further believe that you won’t act sneakily beyond the path of the Great Dao. Otherwise, I would be underestimating you far too much.”

Cui Dongshan was almost moved to tears, and he exclaimed, “Who would have thought that I’ve already become such a considerate person in my master’s mind? Since you are willing to believe in me, how can I not serve you with utmost loyalty, even if it means marching into death?!”

Chen Ping’an glanced at Shi Rou, the beautiful skeletal ghost who was about to travel around the world inside Du Mao’s immortal body.

“Do you regret this?” he asked.

Shi Rou smiled and replied, “Master, you might not understand the myriad of pains that yin entities have to face. We hear the spring thunder, we hear the ringing of bells at dawn, we hear the beating of drums at dusk, we feel the true astral winds sweeping through the world, we feel the incisiveness of the autumn gusts, we feel the murderous auras on the battlefields, we’re affected by the shrines and temples of the deities, and there’s so much more. All of these things are like torture for wandering ghosts like me. Moreover, it’s very easy for us to lose our final shred of sentience and devolve into a malicious ghost that knows nothing but slaughter…”

Shi Rou talked tirelessly, explaining the many rules and secrets that pertained to yin entities in the world.

Chen Ping’an listened carefully, and only after this did he feel slightly less uncomfortable when facing Shi Rou’s current form.

Cui Dongshan had a faint smile the entire time, and he also listened to Shi Rou’s explanations alongside Chen Ping’an.

With Shi Rou successfully entering Du Mao’s colored glaze golden body and seizing control of it, it could be said that this matter had essentially come to a successful end.

Cui Dongshan simply said that they needed to rest and recuperate for another day. Chen Ping’an nodded and agreed to his request.

Right now, it seemed like they were holding a celebratory banquet in Chen Ping’an’s room. However, it was simply the case that the three people involved in the matter were each enjoying a pot of osmanthus wine.

After a while, Cui Dongshan stood up and bid farewell. Chen Ping’an saw the two of them off, and after closing the door, the young boy in white and the old man with white hair walked one behind another in the corridor outside.

Even though there was delight on Cui Dongshan’s face, Shi Rou couldn’t help but feel increasingly uneasy and afraid for some unknown reason. Sure enough, Cui Dongshan immediately grabbed “Du Mao’s” head with a vice-like grip upon arriving in his room, pushing Shi Rou into the wall and lambasting her, “You’re a measly yin entity that’s even lesser than an ant, yet you actually dared to spout so much nonsense in front of my master?! Who gave you the courage?!”

Du Mao’s colored glaze golden body was at the Immortal Tier and was no weaker than the powerful physiques of ninth tier martial artists, so logically speaking, Cui Dongshan’s action should have been nothing more than a tickle for Shi Rou, especially since he was only an earth immortal. However, Cui Dongshan had clearly used some kind of secret mystical ability, and Shi Rou’s soul trembling as if five powerful gusts of astral winds were lashing its foundations. Shi Rou’s aged face twisted in agony, and tears of pain streamed down.

Cui Dongshan raised his other hand and flicked Shi Rou’s forehead, causing a deafening sound to ring through her soul as if a gigantic bell were being struck right beside her ear.

He eventually let go, and Shi Rou collapsed into a shivering heap on the ground, with her body drenched in sweat.

Cui Dongshan stomped on her forehead, causing the back of her head to violently slam into the wall. He then bent over to peer down at her, jeering, “Your abilities fail to match your virtue, and your virtues fail to match your position. You’ve failed in both of these areas, so do you believe me when I say that I’ll drag your soul out from this immortal body and force you to suffer the wrath of that righteous wind and cleansing rain every day? Otherwise, I might as well treat this immortal body as a lantern and your soul as a candle wick. You might not notice anything untoward, but you’ll suddenly die a violent death in sixty years!”

He put even more weight behind his foot, causing Shi Rou’s head to slowly fracture the wall behind her.

His gaze was ice-cold. “What’s wrong? You’ve forgotten who you are and become all high and mighty simply because of that little wiener in your pants?”

Shi Rou’s expression suddenly changed, with the fear in her eyes transforming into apathy. Even though she was suffering immense pain and humiliation, she still raised her head and looked Cui Dongshan in the eyes for the first time.

Cui Dongshan found this very interesting, and he smiled faintly and said in an amused voice, “You’re a remnant member of a nation that was destroyed six hundred years ago, and you’re also a remnant member of that Daoist side branch that’s already been wiped from the world. Yet, after suffering so much pain to survive until today, this is the limit of your patience and tolerance? You even dare to play this game of Go with me now?

“Asked about Dao, one replies, ‘An appearance like a haggard skeleton, a heart like extinguished ashes.’ How about it? Have I managed to uncover your true identity now? Perhaps I should act as that person asking about Dao and use the unique secret technique created by the rejuvenation ancestor of your side branch to comprehensively annihilate the last remaining specks of your side branch?”

There was utter disbelief on Shi Rou’s face as she stared at Cui Dongshan, and an expression of uncontrollable fear finally spread across her face. This was a sense of fear greater than the fear of death.

Shi Rou had once sat on a stone tablet inside a city god temple in the Colorful Garment Nation, and she had softly hummed a tune that Chen Ping’an had mistaken for an ancient ballad from the nation. She had initially thought that no one would be aware of these secrets anymore, especially since they were ancient matters from hundreds of years ago that had already been destroyed and buried by an alliance of many forces in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Moreover, even if someone had coincidentally come across scattered verses of this ballad in some damaged ancient text, how could they possibly determine her true identity from just this alone? How could they find the true weak point of a measly ghost like her?

Cui Dongshan extended two fingers, causing a golden flying sword to shoot out from his glabella and fly around his fingers. In the end, the flying sword surprisingly drew a long-lost golden talisman in the air. It was as if a dignified golden lotus were blooming from the tips of Cui Dongshan’s fingers.

Shi Rou wanted to open her mouth and beg for mercy, yet she realized that she couldn’t make a sound no matter how hard she struggled. She could only watch on helplessly as that person’s finger continued to move toward her glabella.

Shi Rou closed her eyes, with her lips moving slightly as she silently sang the opening ballad of that Daoist side branch that she had once belonged to.

She was prepared to die, yet she discovered that Cui Dongshan had already retracted his hand when she slowly opened her eyes. He was looking her up and down with an expression of pity.

Cui Dongshan straightened his back and rubbed the sole of his shoe against Shi Rou’s face for a bit. It was as if he were cleaning his shoe after stepping in a puddle of mud.

He shot a glance at Shi Rou who had just escaped from the brink of death and warned, “This better not happen again.”

Shi Rou nodded softly in response.

Cui Dongshan had only just taken a few steps forward, yet he suddenly turned around and violently stomped on Shi Rou’s head, causing it to sink more than halfway into the wall. His expression was furious as he roared, “I spared your life, yet you’re not even going to thank me?”

Shi Rou pulled her head out from the wall before falling to her knees and silently kowtowing three times to Cui Dongshan.

Cui Dongshan sat down beside the table and snapped, “I won’t follow Master around the entire time, so remember not to waste this sturdy body of yours after I leave. If my master becomes injured because you failed to fight with your full strength, then I’ll extract that speck of Dao Seed from the depths of your soul regardless of how minor or severe my master’s injuries are. I’ll then plant the Dao Seed into the body of a Buddhist monk.”

Shi Rou slowly raised her head, and there was deep anguish and pain on her face as she looked at Cui Dongshan. He looked like an ethereal immortal, yet his mind was cold, cruel, and calculating. “How can there be someone as terrifying as you in the world?” she murmured.

Cui Dongshan sniggered and said, “It wasn’t Master who taught me this. Rather, I mastered this by myself.”

Shi Rou stood up, and she only dared to stand near the wall.

Cui Dongshan slammed the table with his hand and exclaimed, “Are you not going to piss off back to your own room? Are you staying here to seek death? Do you believe me when I say that I’ll chop off the wiener between your legs and force you to eat it?”

The grief-stricken Shi Rou lowered her head and hurriedly walked out of the room that was much like hell on earth.

Cui Dongshan flipped open the books written by literati from the Azure Phoenix Nation, and the more he read the angrier he became. He slammed the books shut and cursed, “What complete bullshit that saying is. Your speech will become drab and your appearance will become detestable if you don’t read for three days? Reading this nonsense is like having someone smear a big pile of shit all over my face. Not only that, but it’s fucking diarrhea as well.”

Cui Dongshan couldn’t fall asleep, and this made him feel incredibly bored. Thus, he quietly left the inn and went to wander around in the county city.