Unsheathed

It was deathly silent in the study.

As Chen Ping’an pondered the two questions raised to him, he reflexively reached for his Sword Nurturing Gourd to take a drink, but he then immediately released it again.

Cui Dongshan didn’t try to rush him into giving an answer, and Mao Xiaodong was also massaging his ruler in silence.

After a long while, Chen Ping’an finally said, “I don’t have an answer to those questions for now. I’ll have to think about it.”

Cui Dongshan nodded in response as he replied with a bright smile, “There’s no hurry. I raised the questions on a whim anyway, so answer them whenever you please.”

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet to depart, while Cui Dongshan remained in the study, claiming that he wanted to discuss the current circumstances in the Great Sui Nation’s capital city with Mao Xiaodong.

As Chen Ping’an made his way to the entrance of the study, he turned back to Cui Dongshan and pointed at his forehead as he asked, “How long are you going to keep that thing?”

Cui Dongshan hurriedly wiped the seal from his forehead as he said in an embarrassed manner, “I’ve been away from the academy for quite some time, and I’ve grown a little distant from Little Baoping as a result. It wasn’t like this before; Little Baoping was always really happy to see me in the past.”

Chen Ping’an closed the door, and the sound of his footsteps faded away into the distance.

Cui Dongshan snuck over to the door, then pressed his ear against it for a moment before bursting into laughter.

He stood up straight as he began swinging his arms vigorously back and forth in an alternating fashion, causing his baggy sleeves to ripple like waves as he celebrated, “I was able to avoid both a scolding and a beating!”

A puzzled look appeared on Mao Xiaodong’s face at the sight of Cui Dongshan’s childish display, and he said, “You weren’t like this back when we were with our master. I heard from Qi Jingchun that when he first met you in the Great Li Empire, you had a really serious demeanor and liked to make yourself appear all prim and proper.”

Cui Dongshan leaped up into the air, then suspended himself there and leaned forward before beginning to perform a doggy paddle, swimming back and forth through Middle Earth Divine Continent’s study as he rambled, “I was already in my early-twenties back when the old scholar swindled me into becoming his disciple.

“If I recall correctly, it took me three years just to travel from my hometown on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to the shoddy alley that the old scholar was staying in on the Middle Earth Divine Continent. Along the way, I experienced a lot of hardships, but never did I think that not only had I not reached the light at the end of the tunnel after my three years of suffering, I had only set myself up for more suffering!

“Every single day, we had no idea where our next meal was going to come from, and I was constantly afraid that we would starve to death, so of course my mental state can’t compare with what it currently is. Can you imagine what we were like back then? The old scholar and I were starving as we whiled away our days seated on a pair of little stools, both to conserve our energy and to warm our starving bodies up under the sun.

“All we did was count the days until the silver sent to us by the Cui Clan would arrive. One time, our boat broke down, so we had to dig up some worms to fish by the river, and that was when the old scholar uttered that quote for the ages. I’m telling you, all of the old scholar’s teachings were derived from starvation. I suppose this is what it means to find inspiration from times of hardship.

“Think about it: how many pieces of good writing did he manage to produce after he made a name for himself? Of course, there were a few, but the overall quality and quantity had taken a significant hit compared with before he established his reputation. Then again, he couldn’t help it, given how busy he became.

“He had to take part in the debate between the three teachings, the mountain masters of the Confucian academies were constantly clamoring to see him and were practically begging him to deliver lectures at their academies.

“There was also that time that he crushed a great mountain god’s godly body with his kindred character, that time when he went to the Daoist second disciple and challenged him to kill him, that time when he fished up those broken blessed lands from the bottom of the river of time, and those are only the major events that are worthy of note.

“He was also busy with countless other trivial matters, like drinking and chatting with old friends, exchanging letters with acquaintances, and debating others on subjects of academia. How could he possibly have found time to make good writings on top of all of this?”

“Quit bringing up your history to me,” Mao Xiaodong harrumphed coldly. “A treacherous piece of scum like you has no right to reminisce about the days that you spent with our master.”

Cui Dongshan continued swimming through the air, completing a leisurely lap around the chair that Mao Xiaodong was seated on as he mused, “I know you have a good heart, Xiaodong. You’re afraid that I’ll join forces with that old bastard to plot against my teacher, so you’re constantly doing everything in your power to protect him, but you simply lack the wherewithal to do so.

“Having said that, I still have to thank you. Right now, I’m no longer the type of two-faced scholar that would suck up to someone to their face, only to stab them in the back later. It’s exactly because I’m thankful to you that I got rid of that Nascent Tier swordsman for you without even causing much damage to the buildings in the academy.

“If you had been in my place, would you have been able to kill that assassin without harming the scholarly fortune of Eastern Splendor Mountain?”

“In that case, I really have to thank your parents for giving birth to someone as kind and thoughtful as you,” Mao Xiaodong chuckled in a cold and sarcastic manner.

Cui Dongshan flopped onto his back and began performing a backstroke through the air as he grumbled, “If you want to argue or bicker, then do that, but don’t go bringing up other people’s parents and ancestors! Where’s the honor in that?”

“You want to speak to me about honor?” Mao Xiaodong scoffed as he raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m unaware of the putrid things that you did and said while you were traveling through the Middle Earth Divine Continent on your own after you betrayed our master? I’m only learning from you.”

Cui Dongshan drifted down onto the ground as he chuckled, “You’re not my disciple, so why are you learning from me? Having said that, if you’re willing to pay me, then I wouldn’t mind teaching you.”

All of a sudden, Mao Xiaodong rose to his feet, then strode over to the window with tightly furrowed brows before vanishing in a flash, and Cui Dongshan also disappeared from the study immediately thereafter.

The two of them stood on the large tree on the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain, and Mao Xiaodong said, “I can only detect some faint signs through the scholarly fortune of the Great Sui Nation, but it’s very difficult for me to truly identify them. Are you aware of the identities of those pulling the strings behind the scenes or not? Can you tell me their names?”

Cui Dongshan sat down onto the branch, then pulled out that facade that had been refined by Mohist Mechanist through the use of Naturalist techniques, and he began playing with it gleefully. This was truly an exceptional treasure that he would surely be able to sell for an astronomical price.

As for Mao Xiaodong’s question, a mocking sneer appeared on his face as he replied, “I suggest you don’t try to do such unnecessary things. Whoever it is that we’re dealing with, they’ve already done us a great kindness by not targeting anyone in particular. You’re not the emperor of the Great Sui Nation, and Mountain Cliff Academy is no longer one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, so you could easily bite off more than you can chew.

“If it turns out that we’re dealing with a powerful figure from one of the more prominent Hundred Schools of Thought, and they’re acting in accordance with the Great Dao, then you’ll be completely out of your depth trying to oppose them. If you end up meeting your demise under such circumstances, the Confucian schools on the Middle Earth Divine Continent won’t do anything about it.

“Similar tragedies have taken place in the past, so don’t think that it won’t happen to you.”

“Of course Diplomatism is one of the more prominent Hundred Schools of Thought, but the Commercialists are only just barely clinging to their status. If the Etiquette Sage hadn’t interceded for them, they would’ve been wiped out of the Hundred Schools of Thought entirely by the Second Sage’s branch,” Mao Xiaodong said with a cold sneer.

“You only have a very surface-level understanding of things,” Cui Dongshan sighed. “The Etiquette Sage rarely ever shows himself, so have you considered why it is that he made an exception on that occasion? Do you think it’s because the Etiquette Sage was swayed by the monetary offerings from the Commercialists?”

“Don’t insult the Etiquette Sage like that!” Mao Xiaodong snapped in a furious manner.

Cui Dongshan was completely unfazed by Mao Xiaodong’s furious display, and he said, “If you hold so much admiration for the Etiquette Sage, then why didn’t you join his scholarly branch back when the old scholar fell from grace? I’m sure you were approached by his scholarly branch back then, so why did you go to the Great Li Empire with Qi Jingchun to found that academy together?

“You did it just to get back at me. What was the point? All we were doing was harming each other for no good cause. If you had defected to the Etiquette Sage’s scholarly branch, you would’ve already reached the Unpolished Jade Tier long ago.

“I heard that in order to convince you to go and accept an official post in the School of Rites, the old scholar even said something to you along the lines of ‘Go and occupy a spot in the school. “That way, if I ever end up falling on hard times, at least I can go to you to ensure that I won’t starve,’ yet even so, you still refused to go.

“Why were you so stubborn? And look where your stubbornness has gotten you. Right now, you’re still just a virtuous person in the Confucian orthodoxy, and you also haven’t made any progress in your cultivation for the past century.”

“Is advancing in one’s cultivation base really that important?” Mao Xiaodong asked.

He then answered his own question, declaring, “Of course it is, but for me, it’s not the most important thing, so it wasn’t a difficult sacrifice for me to make at all.”

“And that’s why you’re an idiot,” Cui Dongshan scoffed.

“You wanna say that again, you little shit?!” Mao Xiaodong asked in a threatening manner.

Cui Dongshan weighed up his options, and he determined that given that he had already returned the jade tablet to Mao Xiaodong, he would most certainly be no match for Mao Xiaodong in a battle. After all, small worlds had a strong, suppressive effect on the mystical abilities and immortal treasures of Qi refiners.

With that in mind, Cui Dongshan quickly changed the subject as he asked, “Are you really of the opinion that there’s nothing special about envoys sent by the Great Li Empire to attend the Great Sui Nation’s Thousand Elders Banquet?”

“What are you trying to say?” Mao Xiaodong asked.

Cui Dongshan pulled out a folding fan that had writing on both sides, and he began gently fanning himself with it as he elaborated, “I’m saying that these envoys were sent to intimidate the Gao Clan into abandoning all thoughts of revoking the hundred-year agreement.”

“If the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes really are as powerful as you proclaim, would they be willing to sit down for a civilized chat?” Mao Xiaodong asked with a puzzled expression. “Even Heavenly Lord Xie Shi of the Northern Complete Reed Continent may not possess such a significant amount of sway and influence.”

A look of realization then appeared on Mao Xiaodong’s face as he exclaimed, “The key is Xu Ruo! He was able to convince the main branch of Mohism to cast aside their past differences with the side branch that he hails from and commit fully to betting on the Great Li Empire, so there must be something special about him!”

Cui Dongshan continued fanning himself as he praised, “You’re becoming smarter by the day, Xiaodong! As expected, the longer you stay with me, the more my wisdom rubs off on you.”

Mao Xiaodong took a glance at Cui Dongshan’s fan to discover that the side facing him had the phrase “Winning over others through virtue” written upon it.

“You don’t seem very won over,” Cui Dongshan remarked as he raised an eyebrow.

“So what if I’m not?” Mao Xiaodong asked with a smile.

Cui Dongshan flipped his fan around, displaying its other side to Mao Xiaodong, and the writing on that side provided an answer to Mao Xiaodong’s questions: “Dissenters must be beaten to death.”

Mao Xiaodong couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he swept a sleeve through the air, swatting Cui Dongshan down from the tree on the mountain summit to the lake partway up the mountain.

Cui Dongshan intentionally chose not to evade Mao Xiaodong’s sleeve strike, but instead of plunging into the lake, he glided over its surface, drawing a series of ever-expanding circles as he did so. Before long, the entire surface of the lake was rippling white, as if a blanket of snow had fallen upon it.

Cui Dongshan drifted up into the air, then descended on the bank of the lake as he observed his own handiwork with a gleeful expression, and he nodded to himself in approval as he said, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly been won over by myself!”

————

Chen Ping’an arrived at Cui Dongshan’s courtyard.

Zhu Lian had already finished dressing his own wounds, and his entire body was still giving off a faint, bloody odor, but he appeared to be completely unbothered, sitting on the steps with a composed smile as he told Li Huai and Pei Qian about how perilous and riveting that battle had been.

Lin Shouyi was currently in the process of steadying his own mind and aura, and it was proving to be a rather arduous task. However, for any cultivator, repeatedly entering and exiting the river of time was going to be immensely beneficial, particularly for their future breakthrough to the Golden Core Tier, as long as the experience didn’t leave them with lasting, negative conditions.

Xie Xie’s complexion was deathly pale, indicating that she had sustained some very severe injuries, and most of the damage had been inflicted upon her soul from maintaining the small world earlier and the negative effects of her involuntary forays into the river of time. However, as opposed to treating her own injuries, she was sitting not far away from Pei Qian, taking occasional glances at the entrance of the courtyard.

Shi Rou had been dug out of the shattered floorboards by Yu Lu, and she was laying flat on the bamboo walkway. She had already regained consciousness, but she was in excruciating abdominal pain from the Nascent Tier’s swordsman’s Li Fire flying sword that was currently wreaking havoc in her body, and she could only wait for Cui Dongshan’s return in a helpless manner, praying that he would free her from her suffering soon.

Li Baoping squatted down next to “Du Mao” and asked in a curious manner, “Pei Qian says that I should call you Big Sister Shi Rou. Why is that?”

Shi Rou was just about to reply when Li Baoping said in a thoughtful manner, “Actually, let’s talk once that flying sword has come out of your stomach.”

Shi Rou nodded in response with a wry smile, while Yu Lu was sweeping the yard with a broom, having already bandaged up his injured hand.

Chen Ping’an heaved a sigh of relief.

On the way here, he had spotted the white deer that belonged to Zhao Shi. It was still laying in a stiff and immobilized manner due to the effects of the restrictions that had been placed upon it, and Chen Ping’an didn’t dare to move it haphazardly, so he could only leave it there for Cui Dongshan to attend to.

Chen Ping’an drew to a halt next to Yu Lu before raising his hand, which was still severely mangled from gripping onto the hilt of Sword Immortal earlier. He applied some herbal medicine to stop the bleeding, followed by some immortal flesh-regenerating ointment, and after applying some bandages to himself in a well-rehearsed manner, he raised his patched-up hand at Yu Lu as he joked, “Looks like we’re both in the same boat here.”

“How did you sustain your injury?” Yu Lu asked with a smile.

“It’s a bit of an embarrassing story, so I’m not going to tell it,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

He then turned to Li Baoping and the other children as he said, “Everything should be fine now, so you can keep playing your games. However, you’re still going to have to stay here for now. Don’t forget that this is someone else’s house, so don’t make yourself too comfortable here.”

“What are you saying, Chen Ping’an?” Li Huai protested. “Cui Dongshan is a good friend of mine, so by extension, he’s a friend of yours. If he’s your friend, then he’s also Pei Qian’s friend. Seeing as he’s everyone’s friend, it would only hurt his feelings if we were too formal and rigid and treated ourselves like outsiders.”

“Go spout your nonsensical logic to someone else,” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

Li Huai turned to Pei Qian as he asked, “What do you think, Pei Qian? Is my logic correct or not?”

“My master is right, your logic is nonsensical!” Pei Qian immediately replied without any hesitation.

Li Huai looked as if he had just been stabbed in the back as he wailed in anguish, “I didn’t think you were like this, Pei Qian! What happened to your honor? Didn’t we agree to travel the world and search for treasures together? Are we parting ways now before our journey has even begun?”

“It’s fine, we can just part ways, then come together again,” Pei Qian replied with a smile.

“I suppose you’re right,” Li Huai mused as he rubbed his own chin in a thoughtful manner.

Chen Ping’an made his way over to Lin Shouyi’s side, then sat down as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“I feel like an ant who was very fortunate not to have perished in a battle between immortals,” Lin Shouyi sighed in a self-deprecating manner, and Chen Ping’an didn’t know how to console him.

Lin Shouyi smiled as he continued, “Once Cui Dongshan is back, tell him that I’ll continue to come here frequently in the future, but make sure to tell him that you’re the one who wants me to come here. As his teacher, Cui Dongshan will have no choice but to agree.”

Given that Xie Xie was present, Chen Ping’an chose not to reveal to Lin Shouyi the fact that it was Cui Dongshan who had invited him to come and cultivate here in the first place.

Instead, he said, “I’m sure he’ll agree even if you don’t bring me into it.”

Lin Shouyi lowered his voice as he said, “If I owe Cui Dongshan a favor, I’ll eventually have to return it, and it’ll be on his terms. If I owe you a favor, I’ll also have to return it someday, but at the very least, it’ll be on my own terms.”

“Isn’t what you’re doing considered taking advantage of the weak while cowering to the strong?” Chen Ping’an asked in a resigned manner.

“No, what I’m doing is taking advantage of good people so that I don’t owe favors to bad people,” Lin Shouyi replied with a shake of his head.

Chen Ping’an removed his Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist and took a sip of the rice wine inside.

“The academy has a nice scripture library that I’m quite familiar with. If you need to go there to search for books, I can serve as your guide,” Lin Shouyi offered.

“I most likely won’t go. Reading too many books would be no different from biting off more than I can chew,” Chen Ping’an replied.

“Just nod and agree so we can pretend that I’m somewhat useful to you!” Lin Shouyi said in an exasperated manner. “That way, I’ll at least be partially returning the favor! Why are you so dense?”

Chen Ping’an turned to Lin Shouyi with an amused expression as he scoffed, “Is this the kind of stuff they’re teaching you at this academy? I should’ve known better than to bring you to this fake Mountain Cliff Academy!”

Lin Shouyi burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Pei Qian nudged Li Huai with her elbow as she asked in a quiet voice, “Has my master always been this close with Lin Shouyi?”

Li Huai was doubled over with his butt sticking up in the air, busy playing with his colored wooden figure as he replied, “No, Chen Ping’an is only close with me. He doesn’t really get along that well with anyone else.”

Li Baoping snuck up behind him, then sent him sprawling to the ground with a kick to the backside.

Li Baoping sat up from the ground as he turned to Li Baoping with a sullen expression and yelled, “Li Baoping, if you keep this up, Pei Qian and I are going to establish our own alliance, we’ll no longer accept you as alliance leader!”

Li Baoping curled her lip in a disdainful manner in response.

At the moment, Li Huai was the division leader of a certain dormitory building in the Eastern Splendor Mountain Division under the Dragon Spring Prefecture Headquarters. He had been stripped of this role in the past, but after Chen Ping’an arrived at the academy, Li Huai begged Li Baoping to restore him to his official post, promising her that he wouldn’t rank last in his class in his subjects next time, and only then did Li Baoping make an exception to reinstate him as division leader.

As for Pei Qian, Li Baoping had decided that she was still lacking in experience and seniority, so out of fairness, she had only been accepted as an unofficial disciple of a dormitory sub-division of the lowest rank. Pei Qian was quite happy to accept this arrangement, and Li Huai was even more pleased.

After all, Pei Qian was supposed to have been a princess that had gotten lost in the common world, yet he ranked above her on the official hierarchy. In the wake of her instatement as an unofficial disciple, LIu Guan and Ma Lian had both also become unofficial disciples of Li Baoping. However, both of them had their own ulterior motives.

The cunning Liu Guan had become Li Baoping’s unofficial disciple in order to get closer to the supposed princess that was Pei Qian, while Ma Lian was always reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess whenever he was around Li Baoping, so his reasons were abundantly clear.

Cui Dongshan swaggered into the courtyard, dragging the poor white deer along behind him by one of its legs before casually tossing it into the courtyard.

The restrictions planted in the white deer’s body seemed to have already been removed by Cui Dongshan, allowing it to regain its exceptional intelligence. However, it was still yet to fully recover from the ordeal, so it was still looking rather feeble. After being tossed into the courtyard, it slid along the ground before coming to a stop with an indignant bleat, completely unlike the pleasant majestic deer calls described in books and poems.

Li Huai’s eyes widened with incredulity as he exclaimed, “Isn’t that Old Scholar Zhao’s white deer? Why did you bring it here? Is this what we’re having for dinner tonight? Surely that’s not appropriate!”

Pei Qian was on the verge of drooling, and she wiped the back of her hand across her lips as she hurriedly gave Li Huai a meaningful look.

Li Huai immediately changed tunes, clearing his throat as he said, “I suppose having roast venison is not entirely out of the question, I haven’t ever tasted it before.”

He then turned to Chen Ping’an as he asked, “Chen Ping’an, you’re carrying your salt and oil, right?”

“You want to eat venison? If you dare to hurt this thing, the only thing you’ll be eating is a year’s worth of beatings from the academy’s teachers!” Chen Ping’an scolded.

Li Huai blinked in an innocent manner as he countered, “Cui Dongshan stole the deer, Zhu Lian is going to kill it, and you’re the one who’s going to roast it. I’m only going to give it a taste because I was goaded into doing so by Lin Shouyi, so how am I at fault here?”

All of a sudden, an intrigued look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he noticed that the white deer was staring directly at Li Huai.

Li Huai quickly noticed this as well, and he began feeling a little unsettled as the white deer’s intelligent eyes were just like those of a human.

The deer rose to its hooves in an unsteady manner, then began to slowly make its way toward Li Huai, who was so terrified that he began scrambling away on all fours toward the main room.

The white deer leaped onto the bamboo walkway in an agile fashion and followed Li Huai into the room, while Chen Ping’an turned to Cui Dongshan with a puzzled expression.

“There’s no need to be concerned, Teacher, a slice of immense fortune had just fallen straight onto Li Huai’s lap. For some reason, this intelligent white deer has taken a liking to him. Once Zhao Shi is found, I’ll tell him about what happened, and I’m sure that Mountain Cliff Academy will have a white deer soon,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile.

Chen Ping’an slapped a hand to his own forehead upon hearing this.

As expected of Li Huai.

Shortly thereafter, Li Huai emerged from the main room on the white deer’s back, chortling with glee as he showed off to Li Baoping and Pei Qian.

“What do you think? How badass do I look right now?”

Li Baoping spared him no attention as she sat down beside Chen Ping’an, but Pei Qian was rather envious, and she turned to Chen Ping’an with a pitiable look as she asked, “When am I going to have a little donkey, Master?”

“I’ll see if I can find a good one for you once we return to the Dragon Spring Prefecture,” Chen Ping’an promised with a smile, and Pei Qian’s little face immediately lit up with a bright smile.

Cui Dongshan made his way over to Shi Rou’s side, and the latter was seated on the bamboo walkway with her back against a wall. It was still quite difficult for her to get up, and she was very fearful of Cui Dongshan, to the point that she didn’t even dare to meet his gaze.

Cui Dongshan squatted down in front of Shi Rou, positioning himself just right so that his back was facing Chen Ping’an.

He was preparing to utter some comforting words while making some sneaky moves to even further exacerbate Shi Rou’s suffering.

To her shock and horror, Shi Rou discovered that she was already unable to move or make any sounds, and she could only stare helplessly at Cui Dongshan’s sinister, grinning face.

Thankfully, Chen Ping’an came to her rescue, issuing a warning to Cui Dongshan that was no different from heavenly music to her ears.

“If you’re going to pull out the sword, then do that, don’t go around doing anything unnecessary.”

Cui Dongshan could only heave a forlorn sigh upon hearing this.

Chen Ping’an continued to sit and sip on wine while looking at the slightly crowded courtyard. Compared with when they first set off on their journey to the Great Sui Nation, they had gained several new additions in the form of Zhu Lian, Pei Qian, and Shi Rou, but they were missing a certain saber-wielding swordsman.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an turned to Cui Dongshan as he said, “I still need some more time to think about your question.”

Cui Dongshan’s attention was focused on subduing the Li Fire flying sword that was darting around in Shi Rou’s body, trying to evade his capture, and he didn’t seem to have heard Chen Ping’an.