Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an was extremely familiar with the road from the capital of the Great Sui Nation back to the Great Li Empire’s Dragon Spring Prefecture.

Just like always, he tried his best to travel along small mountain paths with few other travelers. When there was no one around, he would walk forward using his hands while performing the Heaven and Earth Stance. He would also ask Zhu Lian to spar with him every day, with the hunchbacked old man initially suppressing his cultivation base to the sixth tier and gradually raising it to the peak stage of the seventh tier.

The sparring sessions became increasingly intense, and this caused Pei Qian to feel extremely anxious. If it weren’t for her master’s Dao robe, Golden Sweet Wine, just how much money would he need to spend on new clothes? The first time they sparred, Chen Ping’an had called a stop to the session halfway. As it turned out, a hole had appeared in his boots, so he was forced to take them off and spar barefoot with Zhu Lian.

After leaving the Great Sui Nation, Chen Ping’an changed into straw sandals again, causing Pei Qian to bend over with laughter. Afterward, Chen Ping’an made a pair of straw sandals for Pei Qian as well, and the tanned little girl was no longer able to laugh. The straw sandals were extremely sturdy, and they were actually more reliable than ordinary boots when it came to traversing mountains and crossing rivers. Even so, they were ultimately coarse and harsh on one’s feet.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an didn’t insist on forcing Pei Qian to wear it the entire time. While Pei Qian used a needle to pop the blisters on the soles of her feet, Zhu Lian stood beside her and made fun of her the entire time. The old man and the little girl were used to making fun of each other every single day.

Chen Ping’an was sitting by a stream, and he removed his straw sandals and placed his feet in the water as his mind wandered far away.

He wasn’t feeling nervous as he walked closer and closer to his home, but compared to his first distant journey, there were indeed many more things for him to worry about. There was his ancestral residence in Clay Vase Alley, the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, the purchasing of mountains that he had discussed with Wei Bo, his two businesses in Dragon Riding Alley, the repair works of the clay Bodhisattvas and deities in the immortal tomb, and many other small matters.

There were many things that Chen Ping’an had never needed to think about before, yet he would often ponder on them now. As for what he did after visiting his hometown, he planned to travel to Bamboo Scroll Lake to visit Gu Can first. He would then head to the Colorful Garment Nation to visit that husband and wife as well as their old maidservant who was very good at cooking.

He definitely needed to visit Sword Saint Song Yushao in the Water Combing Nation as well, and he still owed this senior a meal of hotpot. Of course, Chen Ping’an also wanted to show off to the sword saint, saying that the girl whom he loved also loved him back. Things weren’t as terrifying as Senior Song had made them out to be.

Chen Ping’an naturally felt a strong yearning for the scholarly aura of books and poems possessed by Cui Dongshan, Lu Tai, and even the Lion Garden’s Liu Qingshan. However, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t mindlessly try to get closer to them because of this.

This was called liking the new but not getting tired of the old. As a result, he was able to accumulate more and more wealth.

Chen Ping’an felt like this was a good habit, one that was just as good as his talent in coming up with names. This was one of the few skills that Chen Ping’an was quite proud of.

He suddenly turned around and said to Pei Qian, “When you travel around the cultivation world with Li Huai and the others in the future, you don’t need to be too restrained and you shouldn’t emulate my behavior either.”

“I do actually want to emulate Master, but I’m not able to emulate Master even if I want to,” Pei Qian replied with an embarrassed expression.

Zhu Lian smiled and quipped, “Pei Qian, let me compose a dictionary of flattery for you in the future. It will definitely become a best-seller in the cultivation world, and I’ll make sure to split the profits evenly with you at that time.”

“You can’t go back on your word! We’ll split the profits fifty-fifty in the future!” Pei Qian said with a serious expression.

Zhu Lian raised a hand and pointed at Pei Qian, sighing, “Ah, you’ve completely lost yourself to money already. This is a pit that you can never climb out of.”

Pei Qian pretended to be Li Huai, swaying her head back and forth as she made a face and said, “I’m not listening, I can’t hear you!”

Chen Ping’an gave a knowing smile and asked, “I heard Li Huai say that you guys have decided to go around and dig up treasures in the future?”

“Oh? What a divine couple! The two of you have made a secret pledge to be married at such a young age?” Zhu Lian remarked in amusement.

“Li Huai and I are friends from the cultivation world with similar interests,” Pei Qian corrected with an angry expression. “There are no lovey-dovey feelings between us, so stop uttering inappropriate bullshit all the time, Old Cook!”

Pei Qian then immediately changed her expression and said to Chen Ping’an with a smile, “Master, you don’t need to worry about me siding with outsiders in the future. I’m not like those women in the cultivation novels who become woozy after seeing a man. When Li Huai and I dig up valuable treasures, we’ve already agreed to split the profits evenly. When the time comes, I’ll definitely place my profits in Master’s pockets as well.”

Chen Ping’an merely smiled and offered no response.

Afterward, they walked to a prefectural city of the Yellow Court Nation without a hitch. The prefectural city was located on the banks of the Imperial River, and back when Chen Ping’an had traveled here with Cui Dongshan, they had seen several sword cultivators dashing through the streets on their swords, causing absolute chaos. Chen Ping’an hadn’t stepped forward to stop them, especially since he hadn’t been powerful enough to deal with them at the time. Thus, he could only stand aside and watch on.

As the saying went, the smaller the place the more ferocious the demonic winds.

To say nothing of the Great Li Empire, Qi refiners seemingly didn’t dare to act with such wanton disregard even in the Great Sui Nation or the capital of the Azure Phoenix Nation.

On the other hand, both official immortals and vagrant cultivators were extremely unrestrained in the large cities of the smaller vassal states. In fact, even ordinary commoners had no option but to count themselves unlucky if they were detrimentally affected by the cultivators. This was because they had no avenue to seek justice. The imperial court was unwilling to deal with these matters, as it was both troublesome and of little benefit. The local officials didn’t dare to deal with these matters, while the indignant and chivalrous individuals were also incapable of dealing with these matters.

It was in this prefectural city that Cui Dongshan had visited the Zhilan Cao Clan’s scripture library and subdued the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure. The former was a fire python born from the scholarly aura of the scripture library, while the latter was a water snake who had acted in a domineering manner in the Imperial River.

The little girl in pink could be regarded as a so-called scholarly spirit born from the essays and poems that were renowned throughout the world. As for the little boy in azure, Wei Bo explained in a letter that he appeared to have some relationship with Lu Chen. Indeed, it was because of this that the Daoist branch master who was now responsible for overseeing the White Jade Capital had wanted to bring the little boy in azure to the Heavenly World.

However, the little boy in azure hadn’t agreed, so Lu Chen had left behind the golden lotus seed instead. At the same time, he had also asked Chen Ping’an to make sure that he helped the little boy in azure, a water snake, swim across a river and transform into a dragon at the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Chen Ping’an had no objections to this, and he hadn’t suspected Lu Chen of anything nefarious either.

The prefectural city was still as busy as always, and it seemed like their superior state had changed from the Great Sui Nation to the Great Li Empire. The residents of the Yellow Court Nation were mostly indifferent to this, and their lives remained largely unchanged and just as carefree as before.

However, it was said that as the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire had traveled south back then, some of the soldiers had continued south along the border of the Great Sui Nation and the Yellow Court Nation.

This behavior couldn’t be regarded as inoffensive, but it hadn’t caused too many waves in the imperial court of the Yellow Court Nation either.

As they ventured further and further into the territory of the Yellow Court Nation, they could frequently hear the spirited discussions between people on the streets. When people discussed the unstoppable expedition of the Great Li Empire’s heavy cavalry, they surprisingly expressed a sense of pride about being a citizen of the Great Li Empire. They had initially felt suspicion and doubt toward the emperor’s wise decision, yet they were now overwhelmingly supporting this decision and praising his foresight.

At the same time, the Yellow Court Nation’s Purple Sun Residence, Imperial River, Cold Food River, and Five Mountains became the first batch of immortal forces and deities to receive official recognition from the imperial court of the Great Li Empire, allowing them to become the hottest topics in the nation.

It was almost dusk, and Pei Qian was undoubtedly the happiest person to enter the prefectural city. Even though there was still a fairly long distance to the border of the Great Li Empire, they were ultimately getting closer and closer to the Dragon Spring Prefecture. It was as if each step she took was leading her one step closer to home. Thus, it could be said that she had been glowing with happiness for the past few days.

Zhu Lian didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, and it was most likely the case that he still viewed himself as rootless duckweed, a person wandering around with no home. He never seemed to stop, and it was as if he were merely traveling around to enjoy scenery at different places. Even so, he was still curious about the Dragon Spring Prefecture, a place that had been a small world until very recently. This was especially the case after he learned that an End Tier grandmaster was residing on Downtrodden Mountain. Zhu Lian was very keen to meet this individual.

Only Shi Rou was filled with unease.

Through her intermittent conversations with Chen Ping’an as well as Cui Dongshan’s description of the Dragon Spring Prefecture as a place that was filled to the brim with hidden elites, Shi Rou had a nagging feeling she would be like a lamb to the slaughter if she went there in this immortal body.

Shi Rou only felt more worried after Cui Dongshan purposely teased her and said, “It’s very difficult to reside in an immortal body.”

After entering the prefectural city, Chen Ping’an first purchased a few items before choosing a restaurant in a bustling street to enjoy a few cups of wine with Zhu Lian. Chen Ping’an then purchased two pots of wine before looking for an inn to stay the night.

As Chen Ping’an walked through the prosperous streets of the prefectural city, he didn’t come across any “carefree” sword cultivators who were treating the world as their playground.

Otherwise, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t mind directly punching them off their flying swords as they wantonly hurt innocent people.

As for whether that would cause any further trouble and draw out any elders or ancestors from the mountains, Chen Ping’an didn’t mind at all.

After visiting Stalactite Mountain and traveling through two continents, Chen Ping’an knew that Golden Core Tier cultivators were generally the most powerful cultivators in small vassal states such as the Yellow Court Nation. They were viewed as paramount beings. In any case, even if he truly came across a Nascent Tier cultivator, he didn’t dare to say that he could defeat them, but there was at least Zhu Lian, a Far Roaming Tier martial artist, to help him. Of course, there was also Shi Rou, someone who remained alive and healthy after swallowing a Nascent Tier cultivator’s bonded flying sword. Thus, they could at the very least flee with ease.

Back then, Chen Ping’an and his companions had stayed in the private residence of the Yellow Court Nation’s previous assistant minister, one that was hidden in the mountain forests. Assistant Minister Cheng was a great scholar of the Yellow Court Nation, and he had written Gently Flicking Iron Sword, a book that was well renowned throughout the literati world in the northern regions of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

It was only afterward that Chen Ping’an had learned of the truth. In reality, Assistant Minister Cheng had appeared several times throughout the history of the Yellow Court Nation, adopting a different identity and appearance as he traveled around the world each time. When Chen Ping’an and his companions had coincidentally traveled past his residence, the old assistant minister had warmly welcomed them to his place.

There was a large cliff near the serene residence, and this cliff was a famous and incredibly beautiful landmark that attracted a continuous stream of visitors.

Afterward, Cui Dongshan had further revealed that the old assistant minister was a remnant flood dragon from the ancient Shu Nation who had laid dormant for an extremely long time. However, with his personal recommendation, the old assistant minister had already been recruited by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire to assume the position of deputy mountain master at Forest Deer Academy.

The old flood dragon’s eldest daughter was also the founder of the Purple Sun Residence, the most powerful immortal force in the Yellow Court Nation, while his youngest son was the river god of the Cold Food River. The former was a Golden Core Tier flood dragon, yet due to the limits of her aptitude, she had attempted to use heretical cultivation methods to advance her cultivation.

She had ultimately broken through the barrier and advanced to the Nascent Tier, yet it was a shame that her advance hadn’t been perfect. Thus, she didn’t need to dream about advancing a single step in the next one hundred years.

Flood dragons and their kind were uniquely talented when it came to cultivation, yet things would become incredibly difficult for them after they formed a golden core.

Of the five greatest fated opportunities in the Jewel Small World back then, there was the golden carp that Prince Gao Xuan of the Great Sui Nation had obtained, the four-legged snake that had refused to stay in Chen Ping’an’s residence no matter what, the fire dragon that had transformed into the bracelet on Ruan Xiu’s wrist, the wooden hornless dragon paperweight that was currently hibernating in Zhao Yao’s possession, and also the catfish that Chen Ping’an had personally caught yet given to Gu Can.

The reason why these fated opportunities had been so coveted was because they could advance to the Nascent Tier without any obstruction. In other words, obtaining one of these creatures was essentially the same as obtaining a subordinate whose combat power rivaled that of Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators.

In the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent where Upper Five Tier cultivators were extremely rare, which cultivator wouldn’t want to obtain such a fated opportunity?

Moreover, once these flood dragonkind whose bloodlines were very close to that of True Dragons recognized a master, their soul would become linked with their master’s and they would continue to nurture their master’s physical body, formlessly allowing their master to obtain a powerful physique equivalent to that of Vajra Body Tier martial artists.

Chen Ping’an was just about to walk into an inn, but he suddenly turned around and looked at the street along with Zhu Lian.

A tall and aloof woman gracefully walked over, stopping in front of Chen Ping’an and the others before smiling faintly and saying fluently in the official dialect of the Great Li Empire, “Young Master Chen, my father is good friends with Wei Bo, the formal god of the Great Li Empire’s Southern Mountain. He’s assumed the position of deputy mountain master in Forest Deer Academy, and he once hosted Young Master Chen in the Yellow Court Nation.

“Before leaving the Yellow Court Nation, Father told me that I need to be a good host and shouldn’t show any neglect if Young Master Chen ever travels through this place. Not long ago, I received a family letter from Cloud Drape Mountain, and I’ve thus waited here for quite a while already. If my prying has offended Young Master Chen, then I apologize and ask for your understanding. I hereby sincerely invite Young Master Chen to stay at my Purple Sun Residence for a few days.”

“If I’m in a hurry to travel to my destination and turn down Senior’s offer because of this, will that bring Senior any trouble?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The tall woman who was the daughter of the old flood dragon, Cheng Shuidong, and also the founding ancestor of the Purple Sun Residence smiled and replied, “Naturally not. However, I genuinely wish that Young Master Chen could stay at the Purple Sun Residence for one or two days. The scenery there is quite good, and there are also some specialties from the mountains that are fairly decent. If Young Master Chen turns down my offer, I won’t be scolded or interrogated by my father and Mountain God Wei. If Young Master Chen is willing to generously accept my offer, however, I’ll definitely gain some minor goodwill with my father and Mountain God Wei, both of whom are fair in reward and punishment.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying with a smile, “Alright, then I’ll be in Senior’s care for one or two days?”

The tall woman, also a remnant flood dragonkind from the ancient Shu Nation, retrieved a carved boat that was as small as a lady’s finger. After tossing it to the ground, mist permeated into the surroundings as the small boat suddenly transformed into an exquisite louchuan that was three levels tall and filled with engraved railings and luxurious buildings. The louchuan could easily hold forty to fifty passengers. Fortunately, the tall woman had silently waved her arm when tossing the immortal treasure, dragging the passers-by on the street to the two sides of the street.

At the same time, she retrieved a stack of multi-colored talismans from her sleeve, and upon letting them go and allowing them to drift to the ground, the talismans immediately transformed into numerous lithe and beautiful young women. They were absolutely stunning, and it was difficult to reconcile the fact that they had only been a stack of talismans a brief moment ago.

Their movements were nimble, and they rapidly carried over a boarding plank from the louchuan.

The tall woman smiled and said, “Please follow me, Young Master.”

Pei Qian was enthralled by what she saw, and felt like she also needed to obtain these two treasures in the future. She would obtain a louchuan and a stack of talisman humans even if she needed to sell many of her treasures! After all, this was far too impressive!

Chen Ping’an slapped the back of Pei Qian’s head before leading her onto the boat with the tall woman.

Under the watchful gazes of everyone on the streets, the louchuan slowly ascended into the sky before sailing away in the wind, traveling extremely quickly as it covered several kilometers in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ping’an and his companions stood on the immortal ship owned by the old ancestor of the Purple Sun Residence, and beneath them was the Imperial River that stretched for almost five hundred kilometers.

Chen Ping’an stood in front of the railings with Pei Qian and gazed down at the sprawling mountains and rivers that looked much like a painting.

Chen Ping’an was involuntarily reminded of his hometown, as well as all of the prefectures, counties, towns, and marketplaces that he had visited on his journey back to the Dragon Spring Prefecture. He remembered all of the tall mountains and magnificent rivers that he had visited.

He was also reminded of the people from his hometown.

Among the classmates who had left the Jewel Small World together with Teacher Ma from the private school, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi had ultimately decided to travel to Mountain Cliff Academy with Chen Ping’an and Li Baoping.

Meanwhile, Dong Shuijing had chosen to remain in the small town, while Shi Chunjia had decided to move to the capital of the Great Li Empire with her clan.

In reality, Chen Ping’an’s impression of them was also very good. Dong Shuijing was simple and honest, and most likely because of his background, Chen Ping’an had felt the greatest affinity with him in the past. Shi Chunjia always wore twin braids, and she was extremely lively and adorable and also looked very clever.

Chen Ping’an didn’t feel like their choices were incorrect.

Deep down in his heart, Chen Ping’an hoped that his hometown would remain the same as always. Regardless of whether it was Dong Shuijing and Shi Chunjia who had chosen to stay behind or Liu Xianyang and Gu Can who had chosen to leave and go to a faraway place, Chen Ping’an hoped that they still remembered the mountains and rivers of their hometown.

Of course, Chen Ping’an still needed to take a detour on his way back home. He needed to pay a visit to that female ghost wearing a bright red wedding dress, the one who had a plaque with the golden characters “Beautiful Water Noble Wind” hung high upon the gate of her residence.

Some words had been suppressed in his mind back then, so it was now time to tell them to the female ghost.