Unsheathed

Perhaps sensing the slight fluctuation in Chen Ping’an’s mental state, Mao Xiaodong didn’t call him to the study today.

Instead, he picked a time late at night when there was no one around and no sound of reading to wander around the academy with Chen Ping’an.

They walked and talked in a casual manner, and Mao Xiaodong always adhered to one rule regardless of whether he was interacting normally with other people or teaching other people knowledge from the books or from his own experience. He treated everyone equally, whether it was disciples from the academy or his Junior Brother Chen Ping’an, and he would tell them to treat his teachings as suggestions that weren’t necessarily suitable for them. However, these suggestions could, at the very least, expand their horizons.

Just like this, Chen Ping’an and Mao Xiaodong walked past the Scholarly Master Hall where the paintings of three sages were hanging, the scripture library where there were specks of flickering candlelight, and the dorms where the students were either snoring or dreaming.

In the end, the two of them arrived at the peak of Eastern Splendor Mountain where they overlooked the night scenery of the capital.

There were dazzling swathes of lights in the wealthy areas, and it was as if they could hear the silvery songs and see the graceful dances even from so far away.

Of course, there was also the company of moonlight in the impoverished areas, and these families also had some firewood and daily necessities.

As they gazed at the scenery, Chen Ping’an suddenly said, “Mountain Master Mao, I’ve thought things through and have an answer now. Refining five bonded items and having them correspond to the Five Elements is in order to reconstruct my bridge of immortality. However, I still have a stronger desire to practice and improve my fist techniques. After all, practicing fist techniques is also a way of practicing sword techniques.

“As for whether I can nurture my own bonded flying sword and become a sword cultivator, I won’t think about this matter just yet. So, apart from the critical acupoints that are potentially suitable for bonded items of the Five Elements, I’ll still give the breath of pure True Qi in my body the greatest degree of freedom.”

Mao Xiaodong nodded and replied, “I feel like your plan is plausible. As for whether the final results are good or bad, let’s not ask about the harvest first and focus on the cultivation instead.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in understanding.

In reality, Mao Xiaodong didn’t reveal all of his thoughts to Chen Ping’an. The reason why he approved of Chen Ping’an’s plan was because Chen Ping’an was only going to use five of his acupoints as residences for bonded items. Meanwhile, he was giving everything else to his martial arts True Qi. This wouldn’t lead to a dead end.

The human body was a small world to begin with, and there were also people who compared the human body to blessed lands. Before advancing to the Golden Core Tier, one’s acupoints would merely be a part of the blessed land no matter how much one cultivated and refined them. After forming a golden core, however, one could begin to comprehend the mystical nature of the blessed land. A classic scripture from the Daoist Sect had revealed this secret a long time ago, saying, “A mountain abode leading to the heavens, penetrating the mountains and linking them together, harmonizing heaven and earth and integrating them into one.”

Those who form a golden core will become one of us.

There were naturally significant reasons why this saying was able to gain popularity all over the world and become something that was held up as a rule by all Qi refiners.

The reason why Mao Xiaodong didn’t reveal everything to Chen Ping’an was because Chen Ping’an would eventually reach the same understanding himself as long as he continued to advance forward. If he revealed this information to Chen Ping’an too early, suddenly giving him a beautiful future to look forward to, he might instead destabilize the mental state that Chen Ping’an had worked so hard to stabilize.

Imparting knowledge and teaching Dao was never easy, so it was only natural that one proceeded with an abundance of caution. At the same time, it was imperative that one removed the bad and kept the good when carving beautiful jade, making sure not to damage the body and soul. Just how difficult was this? How could one dare to be careless and not plan things in a meticulous manner?

Taking a step back, wasn’t Chen Ping’an treating that little girl, Pei Qian, the exact same way?

Chen Ping’an was simply unaware of it for the moment.

“Master proposed that human nature is inherently evil, and his disciples were all able to reach their own comprehensions back then,” Mao Xiaodong said in a quiet voice. “Following Master’s disappearance from the public eye, some of the disciples started to question themselves and their beliefs, wavering back and forth and being unable to progress as they wallowed in self-doubt.

“Some seized this opportunity to fish for fame, flaunting their uniqueness and claiming that they would go against the flow and definitely not merge together with the other evils. They claimed that they had inherited the scholarly lineage of the Scholarly Sage. There were all kinds of responses, reflecting the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of the human heart.

“Our scholarly lineage was almost severed, and the disciples of the Scholarly Sage had already fallen into disarray. With this in mind, just what is the situation like for the Etiquette Sage and the Second Sage’s scholarly lineages? They genuinely have disciples scattered all over the world, so just how complicated would their situations be?”

Mao Xiaodong lightly patted Chen Ping’an’s shoulder and said, “The road is long and the responsibilities are heavy.”

“I only have two shoulders,” Chen Ping’an replied with a wry smile.

Mao Xiaodong laughed heartily and said, “Looking at others carrying loads isn’t tiresome, and one will hope for bigger waves when observing tides from the banks.”

Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly — the first saying was a saying from his hometown.

————

At night, Pei Qian and Li Huai hid outside the small courtyard, each wearing a black scarf over their faces as they had agreed to earlier. They were pretending to be assassins, and they were going to secretly “assassinate” Cui Dongshan, someone who liked to sleep in the bamboo corridor.

They couldn’t waste the valuable knowledge they had gained from the cultivation novels, and they were now going to put the knowledge to good use!

Pei Qian generously lent her bamboo sword to Li Huai.

The two of them had discussed their plan in Li Huai’s dorm, and they had both felt like they definitely couldn’t enter the courtyard via the front door. Rather, they had to climb over the wall, as only this would reflect their skills as elite martial artists as well as the immense danger of the cultivation world.

Liu Guan and Ma Lian had wanted to join, asking to act as pawns for Princess Pei Qian. However, it was a shame that Pei Qian had firmly denied their request without any hesitation at all, saying that they could only be regarded as amateur martial artists just out of training. Their skills weren’t up to scratch, so they wouldn’t be able to kill the powerful demon. If they went, they would merely be seeking death.

The two of them arrived at the quiet alley outside the small courtyard, once again using long sticks to launch themselves onto the walls. Pei Qian went first, and after landing on the wall, she tossed her meritorious hiking pole to Li Huai who was looking up with eagerness.

Li Huai didn’t screw up this time, and he earned a nod of approval from Pei Qian as he stood on the wall. He puffed his chest out and flicked his hair up like a certain someone.

When the two of them jumped down and landed in the small courtyard, however, Pei Qian was silent like a cat while Li Huai thudded down like a sack of potatoes.

“Li Huai, what’s wrong with you?” Pei Qian fumed. “Why are you so loud? Do you want to beat some drums and strike some gongs as well? That’s called going to war and fighting on a battlefield, not entering a dragon’s den to secretly slay a powerful demon! Again from the beginning!”

Li Huai knew it was his mistake, so he didn’t talk back and instead asked in a quiet voice, “Then how should we leave the courtyard and head back to that ally?”

Pei Qian shot a glare at him and replied, “We already failed anyway, so we might as well exit through the front door.”

The two of them left through the unlocked courtyard door and returned to the small alley outside.

Cui Dongshan rolled his eyes as he lay in the bamboo corridor.

Pei Qian grabbed her hiking pole and introduced herself, saying, “I’m a ruthless and cold-hearted member of the cultivation world.”

Li Huai also followed suit, saying, “I’m an assassin without a shred of mercy. I kill without blinking, and I bring bloodshed to the cultivation world…”

Pei Qian was slightly displeased, and she interjected, “Why are you spouting so much nonsense? This reduces your aura instead. Think about the most famous martial artists in the novels — their titles only contain four to five characters at most. Will their titles still be impressive if they’re too long?”

Li Huai agreed with Pei Qian’s assessment, so he pretended to put on a straw hat before adjusting its position like a certain someone, also making sure to put his hand on the hilt of his bamboo sword as he said, “I’m an assassin and a swordsman without a shred of mercy.”

The two of them jumped onto the courtyard wall again, and Li Huai didn’t make any mistake when hopping down into the courtyard this time.

One after another, Pei Qian and Li Huai then performed a forward roll in the courtyard.

This was a necessary step that they had agreed to earlier. Otherwise, they felt like it would be far too bland if they directly ran up the steps and killed Cui Dongshan with their saber and sword.

After coming out of their rolls and standing up, Pei Qian and Li Huai stealthily bent down and ran up the steps, resting their hands on the hilt of their weapons as they did so. Pei Qian was just about to slay the notoriously evil great demon with her saber, yet Li Huai suddenly shouted, “Die, evil demon!”

Pei Qian immediately stopped and whipped her head around to glare at Li Huai, causing the little boy to falter in confusion. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Aren’t you an elusive assassin who leaves neither his shadow nor his name behind? Do assassins holler and yell before killing their target?”

Li Huai came to a sudden realization.

Pei Qian stomped her foot and instructed, “Again from the beginning!”

Li Huai apologized profusely.

The two of them paid no heed to the so-called great demon.

They ran to the small alley outside the courtyard again.

Cui Dongshan sat up and said in exasperation, “I’m the defenseless great demon waiting for death, yet I feel even more exhausted than you two right now.”

After leaving the courtyard, Pei Qian started to lecture Li Huai again, threatening, “Li Huai, I won’t bring you with me when I travel around the cultivation world in the future if you keep messing up.”

“I definitely won’t screw up again!” Li Huai promised.

Pei Qian suddenly asked, “I’m only an unofficial disciple right now, and my position in the gang is even lower than yours. After achieving this great feat that will surely make ripples through the cultivation world, do you think Big Sister Baoping will promote me to the position of junior division leader?”

Li Huai nodded and replied, “Definitely! If Li Baoping is unfair in regards to how she rewards and punishes her subordinates, that doesn’t matter either. I can relinquish my position to you, someone who’s better qualified. I’m happy to become a deputy junior division leader.”

“Who would’ve thought? Li Huai, your martial arts skills are only so-so, but your righteous and considerate nature is truly chivalrous,” Pei Qian said with a feigned demeanor of maturity.

“Not chivalrous! I’m an assassin and a swordsman!” Li Huai retorted.

However, Pei Qian and Li Huai suddenly received a knuckle on their foreheads, after which they heard, “It’s already so late, so why aren’t you in bed yet? What are you still doing over here?”

Upon seeing that it was Chen Ping’an, Pei Qian immediately kicked Li Huai, and the little boy announced in a heroic voice, “I invited Pei Qian here to eliminate a menace on behalf of the people. We’re here to assassinate Great Demon Cui Dongshan.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled and replied, “Alright, let’s hand the task of defeating the great demon to a profoundly powerful martial artist. The two of you aren’t strong enough yet, so you should put this matter aside for the moment.”

Pei Qian retrieved her bamboo sword from Li Huai before walking to a wing room in the small courtyard to sleep. She had stayed in Li Baoping’s dorm the entire time before this, and only today was an exception.

Chen Ping’an accompanied Li Huai back to his dorm.

While heading back, they came across a scholar on night patrol, and this scholar was coincidentally Mr. Liang, the gatekeeper of the academy and a Nascent Tier cultivator of little renown whom they were familiar with. Chen Ping’an made up an excuse for Li Huai, allowing him to escape punishment.

The old scholar was an easy-going person, and he wasn’t fussed by this at all. In fact, he even chatted with Chen Ping’an for a short while.

Li Huai felt very proud about this, and he wanted the entire academy to witness this scene. That way, everyone would envy him for having such a friend.

After saying goodbye to the old scholar, Chen Ping’an patted Li Huai’s head and said something that the little boy didn’t understand at the time. “I can do these kinds of things, but you shouldn’t think that you can also do it all the time.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll study earnestly in the future,” Li Huai replied.

“Whether or not you do well in your studies and comprehend new knowledge is one matter, while the attitude that you have toward learning is another matter altogether,” Chen Ping’an said. “Oftentimes, the latter will appear much more important in life’s journey. Thus, studying earnestly at a young age definitely won’t be a bad thing. Even if you don’t study in the future and don’t interact with the sagely texts anymore, you’ll have already developed the habit of working hard when you start to pursue other things that you like.”

Li Huai vaguely understood Chen Ping’an’s words.

Chen Ping’an casually drew a line in front of him as he walked, explaining, “For example, this is a line that represents the path of our life. Our disposition, mental state, principles, and perceptions will all subconsciously gather toward this line. Apart from the Confucian scholars and teachers in the academies, most people in the world will eventually grow more and more distant from the sagely books and sagely scriptures, at least on the surface.

“However, they might have already left a mark on the line that affects our attitude toward life and the direction of our life. Afterward, our life will continue forward along this line, yet we might be completely oblivious to its existence and its effect on us even though it will follow us for life.”

Chen Ping’an then drew a circle around the line, continuing, “I’ve traveled quite a long distance already, and I’ve also come across many people. I understand your personality, and that’s why I could ask the old scholar for lenience and help you escape punishment for flouting the night curfew today. However, you can’t do this by yourself because your current freedom… is much smaller than mine. You’re not able to challenge the rules just yet, and this is because you don’t understand the true rules at the moment.”

Li Huai dazedly stared at Chen Ping’an, and his expression became glum as he said, “I don’t really understand, but I can try my best to remember this first. Chen Ping’an, why do I feel like you’re going to leave the academy again? It sounds like you’re saying your last words before leaving.”

The two of them had already arrived near Li Huai’s dorm, and Chen Ping’an kicked Li Huai in the backside and scolded in mock anger, “Piss off.”

Li Huai rubbed his backside as he walked to his dorm. After arriving at the door, he turned around and glanced back.

Chen Ping’an was still standing in the same spot, and he waved at Li Huai when he saw the little boy looking back.

It was always like this.