Unsheathed

Wu Yi raised her hand.

The one thousand or so people on the plaza were clearly kneeling and kowtowing, yet it was as if they had eyes on the back of their heads as they immediately stood up at this moment. Pei Qian couldn’t help but click her tongue in wonder when she saw this.

Wu Yi directly walked forward, and Chen Ping’an purposely walked half a step behind her, lest he steal the thunder of the sect founder during her long-awaited return. However, Wu Yi unexpectedly slowed down as well, using the fluctuations of her mind’s lake to tell Chen Ping’an, “There’s no need to be so polite, Young Master Chen. You’re an esteemed one-in-one-hundred-year guest of the Purple Sun Residence. My small territory might be located in the regions and distant from the sages, but we must still adhere to the proper etiquette when hosting esteemed guests. So, please feel free to walk alongside me, Young Master Chen.”

There was a hint of sincerity and amusement in her voice.

Wu Yi was a proud and haughty person, and she was renowned for being an unrestrained earth immortal in the Yellow Court Nation. In the beginning, she had unwillingly gone to invite Chen Ping’an to her sect. Since he was so respectful in his speech and manner, however, not relying on his relationships with her father, Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan, or Mountain God Wei Bo to threaten or take advantage of her, Wu Yi felt much better and thus spoke these words to him.

Chen Ping’an smiled and shook his head, replying, “This is the first time that True Lord Wu is returning to her sect in one hundred years. If it were any other occasion, then I would have been bolder and accepted the offer to walk alongside True Lord Wu. However, I definitely can’t accept the offer today, so please go ahead first, True Lord Wu. We’ll be right behind you.”

Wu Yi smiled and didn’t insist any further, walking forward by herself.

This was a young man who was good at acting within the limits of what was acceptable.

However, he was overly stubborn and pedantic, much like the scholars in the private schools and academies. Wu Yi didn’t detest this, but she wasn’t fond of it either.

As Wu Yi continued forward, the sea of people on the plaza immediately stepped aside to create a path for her.

As they walked across the plaza, only five or six people had the right to approach Wu Yi and walk behind her. The higher their status in the Purple Sun Residence, the further forward their position as they walked behind their old ancestor. For example, the middle-aged cultivator who was standing on the right-hand side of Chen Ping’an was a Golden Core Tier earth immortal and the current sect master of the Purple Sun Residence.

Meanwhile, the two cultivators walking near Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, and Shi Rou were elderly Dragon Gate Tier cultivators who were older than the sect master. One was responsible for rewards and punishment, and one was responsible for financial matters. From this, it was clear that the position of sect master was nothing more than a show, with the sect master possessing no actual power. Indeed, the sect master was simply a representative of the sect responsible for dealing with the imperial court of the Yellow Court Nation as well as other immortal clans and forces.

Of the seven sect masters in history, only a single one had become a terrestrial immortal through their own cultivation ability. As for the remaining six, including the current sect master, they had all been pushed to this level using the immortal money of the Purple Sun Residence. Thus, their true combat power was far inferior to ordinary Golden Core Tier earth immortals in other large sects. This was especially the case when compared to vagrant cultivators who had endured a bloody journey to reach the level of earth immortal.

The foundations of the Purple Sun Residence were naturally more than just this. There were also disciples whom Wu Yi or the previous sect masters had taken in, the other ancestors of the clan who were cultivating in seclusion, as well as some cultivators in their twilight years who had no hope of attaining the Great Dao. Regarding the last category of cultivators, their golden cores had already been severely eroded by the river of time, meaning that they could only hide in the residences with abundant spiritual energy to stay alive. They lived in seclusion, and they were like mere mortals eating ginseng and hanging on for dear life in their sick beds.

Everyone in the Purple Sun Residence was speculating about the identity of the young man carrying a bamboo bookcase.

Perhaps he was a new disciple that their founder had recruited from outside? That being the case, might he be a candidate for the position of sect master in waiting?

Wu Yi brought Chen Ping’an into the Purple Sun Residence, directly leading him to the Purple Qi Palace located in the central region. At the same time, she also instructed the sect master to organize a grand banquet tonight so that they could warmly welcome their esteemed guests.

After entering the Purple Qi Palace, Wu Yi told the others to wait for them in the Sword Raging Hall first. She said that she was going to personally arrange accommodation for Young Master Chen and the others.

Esteemed guests?

The high-ranking members of the sect exchanged surprised glances with each other.

Perhaps he was the direct disciple of a Nascent Tier earth immortal in the Great Li Empire? Or perhaps he was the descendant of a powerful pillar clan like the Great Li Empire’s Yuan Clan and Cao Clan?

Sure enough, Wu Yi personally arranged accommodation for Chen Ping’an and the others before heading to the Sword Raging Hall to meet with the other high-ranking members of the Purple Sun Residence. She sat on a dragon throne carved from sandalwood and started to ask for reports from the various elders of the sect, for example, how many immortal coins the sect had earned and spent in the past one hundred years, what was the cultivation progress of some talented disciples, the status of some elderly cultivators, and so on.

Wu Yi simply listened most of the time, not offering any opinion on what was said. Otherwise, she couldn’t have disappeared for one hundred years and left everything to the elders of the sect. She definitely wouldn’t have chosen a puppet sect master even though she was still alive either.

In reality, everyone knew that their old ancestor didn’t like to listen to these trivial matters. Even so, everyone gave their reports in a serious manner, keeping things proper as they went through the motions.

Wu Yi didn’t disguise her boredom either, leaning sideways and resting her cheek in her hand. She only nodded from time to time.

To cut a long explanation short, it could be said that the Purple Sun Residence was thriving.

This summary was already good enough.

Wu Yi couldn’t be bothered wasting her time on trivial matters unrelated to cultivation.

In reality, establishing the Purple Sun Residence and becoming its founder had been an impulse decision borne from extreme boredom.

Moreover, the descendants of flood dragons and their kin were also fond of constructing their own residences and flaunting their wealth. They liked to collect and display treasures that they had obtained from all over the world.

The Yellow Court Nation could be regarded as an old territory of the split-up ancient Shu Nation, and the Divine Water Nation that had mysteriously collapsed in a single night in the past could also be regarded as such. Both of these places possessed incredible feng shui and water fortune that flood dragons and their kin longed for.

However, many sword immortals in the past liked to slay flood dragons, and this had resulted in many deaths during their intense struggles. Many immortal treasures were therefore left behind in these treasured lands, but the large majority of them were found and taken away by powerful empires such as the Divine Water Nation. These immortal treasures would then be stored in the national treasury, after which they would become valuable tools of the empires that were passed down in an orderly fashion.

As time went on, these immortal treasures would then be transferred from the old and destroyed empires to the new and rising empires. Even so, many precious items would still be lost in the process. Wu Yi’s father, Cheng Shuidong, had silently obtained many immortal treasures thanks to this.

She was the most aware of just how much wealth he truly possessed.

The miniature carved boat that she owned was nothing more than a small present that her father had casually given her when she had advanced to the Abode Tier back then.

In any case, the scale of her father’s wealth could be regarded as the most extraordinary out of all the earth immortal cultivators in the northern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Perhaps the Fu Clan in the southern region’s Old Dragon City was slightly wealthier than her father, but that was comparing the entire wealth accumulated by the Fu Clan over a span of more than two thousand years to the wealth accumulated by her father, a single person.

Thus, toward her father whom she could never understand the true thoughts of, Wu Yi felt hate, fear, and respect at the same time. Hate was on the surface, fear was in the soul, and respect was in the depths of her heart. Her younger brother presumably felt the same way.

Wu Yi looked up, and as it turned out, someone was asking her about how the Purple Sun Residence should tend to Young Master Chen.

Wu Yi thought for a moment before replying, “There’s no need for you or the others to worry about this matter. I’ll naturally give instructions regarding what should be done.”

————

Wu Yi’s arrangements were very interesting, with Chen Ping’an and his three companions being offered temporary residence in a six-level building that was essentially functioning as a treasure-storage pagoda.

Each level was filled with treasures collected by the Cave Spirit True Lord as well as the current and former disciples of the Purple Sun Residence.

Before leaving, Wu Yi only said that she hoped Chen Ping’an and the others wouldn’t carelessly visit the top two floors of the building. Otherwise, they were free to wander around the bottom four floors.

Because this building had a very large surface area, each floor apart from the first contained rooms with beds and study rooms. In fact, the third floor was even equipped with a training room that contained three mechanical puppets that each measured three meters in height. Because of this, Chen Ping’an and the others didn’t need to worry about having nowhere to rest in this building that was brimming with a myriad of treasures.

Just wandering around the first floor alone, Pei Qian already felt a strong desire to grow an extra pair of eyes.

This trip to the Purple Sun Residence was an extremely eye-opening experience for Pei Qian, and this caused her to feel absolutely delighted.

In the past, she had always felt like purchasing one or two more treasure shelves in addition to the treasure box that Yao Jinzhi had given her was already more than enough. That had already been the limit of Pei Qian’s imagination. After entering this treasure-storage building of the Purple Sun Residence, however, Pei Qian was finally exposed to the true meaning of wealth!

There was also no need for Chen Ping’an to follow Pei Qian around and warn her anymore, as she would no longer touch the myriad of strange and wonderful treasures without permission.

Pei Qian decided that she wouldn’t sleep tonight, and she would definitely look through the hundreds of treasures displayed on the first four floors of the building. Otherwise, she would definitely feel regret for the rest of her life.

Shi Rou let Pei Qian, and she was also feeling very stirred as she enjoyed the scenery on the first floor. Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an and Zhu Lian walked up to the fourth floor, standing at a high vantage point to gaze down at half of the Purple Sun Residence.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “In the past, I discussed with someone what my dream mountain would look like. Thinking back now, I was nothing more than a poor bastard who was having foolish thoughts. The Purple Sun Residence is a living example of what an ideal mountain should look like.”

After pausing for a moment, Chen Ping’an hurriedly added, “Of course, I wasn’t actually poor anymore at that time.”

“Young Master, this Cave Spirit True Lord doesn’t appear to be an ordinary Golden Core Tier earth immortal?” Zhu Lian asked.

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “She can be regarded as a pseudo Nascent Tier cultivator.”

They were guests enjoying free food and free accommodation in Wu Yi’s sect right now, so Chen Ping’an refrained from explaining the secret details to Zhu Lian.

Even so, Zhu Lian was roughly aware of the situation now.

There were most definitely immortal formations set up in the Purple Sun Residence, so it was essentially like a small world where Wu Yi could be regarded as a Nascent Tier cultivator.

“If a vagrant cultivator were able to clear out this building and take all of the treasures, then won’t they strike it absolutely rich?” Zhu Lian joked. “I’ve heard that there’s an Unpolished Jade Tier vagrant cultivator in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.”

Chen Ping’an retrieved a pot of wine from his minimization treasure and handed it to Zhu Lian, shaking his head and replying, “The existence of the Confucian academies is a huge deterrence to all earth immortals, especially those at the Upper Five Tiers. The academies might not be able to deal with every single matter, but once they act and lock onto someone, then that person will have nowhere left to hide regardless of how vast heaven and earth are. As a result, many potential conflicts between powerful cultivators are suppressed.”

Zhu Lian took a sip of wine and chuckled, “Why is the Majestic World relatively more lenient toward pure martial artists like us? Is it simply because there are far too few eighth tier and ninth tier martial artists? I’ve heard that the Confucian academies won’t necessarily send people to pursue martial artists even if they kill a mortal emperor.”

“This pertains to many ancient secrets that have already been left sitting there to gather dust,” Chen Ping’an replied in a quiet voice. “Cui Dongshan wasn’t especially willing to talk about these matters, and I’m not terribly interested in them either. The first time I left my hometown, the Dragon Spring Prefecture, to embark on a long journey, the kiln supervision official and the newly appointed county magistrate were already the highest-ranking officials in my eyes. I always felt like the emperor was far too distant from me.

“Afterward, an imperial concubine from the Great Li Empire — Song Jixin’s mother, to be more exact — ordered someone to kill me. I’ve always remembered this matter, and the last time I met my neighbor from Clay Vase Alley, Song Jixin, at Mountain Cliff Academy, I also cleared the air with him.

“You might laugh at me if I say this, but I’m still unable to imagine that Song Jixin is a prince of the Great Li Empire when I look at him now. Gao Xuan is slightly better, especially since he was dressed in a colorful and extravagant manner the first time I met him. Not only that, but he was also accompanied by a subordinate. However, Song Jixin still looks like that careless and casual person from back then no matter how I look at him.”

Zhu Lian raised his pot of wine and lightly clinked it against the Sword Nurturing Gourd in Chen Ping’an’s hand. Chen Ping’an hadn’t moved his Sword Nurturing Gourd after untying it from his waist, and only now did he finally take his first sip of wine.

Zhu Lian sighed with emotion and said, “Then won’t Young Master find it even more unimaginable if Song Jixin somehow becomes the emperor of the Great Li Empire one day?”

“Definitely,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

The two people fell silent for a brief moment.

“Cui Dongshan mentioned something very interesting before,” Chen Ping’an suddenly said. “He said that the sages of the three teachings are all attempting to find an alternative method, one which can slow down the inevitably unstoppable flow of time.”

Zhu Lian’s interest was piqued, and he asked in curiosity, “How are they going to slow it down?”

Chen Ping’an rested his arms on the railing, patting it softly as he replied, “The immortal forces are one aspect.”

Zhu Lian was quite befuddled.

“The mortal cities are also one aspect,” Chen Ping’an continued.

“Wars and battles are another aspect,” he said slowly.

“And the teachings of the Hundred Schools of Thought that can capture the minds of people also appear to be one aspect,” Chen Ping’an finally said.

Zhu Lian was at a complete loss, and he remarked, “Cui Dongshan always speaks in such a mystical and confusing manner. This old servant is even more confused now.”

Chen Ping’an took another sip of wine as he chuckled, “I don’t understand it either.”

“Then does Young Master want to understand these profoundly mystical Great Daos?” Zhu Lian asked in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping’an thought about this for a moment before shaking his head and replying, “If I can choose to say no, then it’s better that I don’t need to understand them.”

Zhu Lian nodded and said, “Mhm, Young Master already understands enough, so there’s indeed no need to explore and understand every single matter. There’s no need to get to the bottom of everything.”

Chen Ping’an turned around to look at the hunchbacked old man, saying, “Zhu Lian, can you change your habit of seizing every little opportunity to flatter me?”

Zhu Lian raised his arm and swirled the pot of wine in his hand, laughing heartily as he asked, “Why should I change? Will I get wine to drink if I change?”

“That’s true,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Young Master, you said before that you wanted to travel to the Northern Complete Reed Continent by yourself to train. Are you truly not going to take this old servant with you? Just how boring will it be if you don’t have a cook or someone who can flatter you all the time?” Zhu Lian asked in an uncertain voice.

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “You can stay put at Downtrodden Mountain, and I still hope that you can… advance even more on the path of martial arts. Since the old man with the surname Cui is able to spar with me and help me train, he’ll naturally be able to help you even more. If you’re able to reach the Mountain Summit Tier in the future, then I’ll feel at ease when Pei Qian leaves to travel around the world in the future. As long as you’re guarding her in secret, I won’t be worried regardless of how far she travels, and I won’t be worried even if she goes sightseeing in other continents with Li Huai.”

Hearing this, Zhu Lian had no option but to give up on trying to change Chen Ping’an’s mind.

“Zhu Lian, can you tell me about your youth?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Zhu Lian unexpectedly became a little embarrassed as he replied, “There were countless muddleheaded relationships, and countless debts of love. I’m afraid that Young Master will lose his appetite to drink if I talk about these things.”

Chen Ping’an hopped onto the railing and sat down, saying, “Go on and tell me about it. In reality, I secretly read the cultivation novels that you gave Pei Qian a few times, and I feel like they were written quite well. However, that’s the cultivation world born from the imagination of literati in their studies, after all, so it’s not realistic enough. I’m sure that a recount of your experiences will be far more interesting.”

Zhu Lian also hopped onto the railing and sat down, cracking a grin as he replied, “Sure thing. Then please allow this old servant to provide a vivid recount of his carefree and romantic youthhood. Back then, countless celestial maidens and chivalrous female martial artists admired me sincerely, helplessly falling for my charisma.”

However, the more Zhu Lian recounted, the more obvious he noticed the look of disdain in Chen Ping’an’s eyes becoming. In the end, Chen Ping’an patted Zhu Lian’s shoulder and didn’t say anything else as he hopped off the railing and walked away.

This caused Zhu Lian to feel slightly hurt.

His young master was good in all aspects, yet he was genuinely far too proper and serious when it came to romantic relationships. They were far too opposite-minded regarding this matter!

However, what Zhu Lian most likely didn’t know was this. After walking into the treasure-storage building, Chen Ping’an said to himself in his mind, You already have Ning Yao, you already have Ning Yao… If you dare to have impure thoughts and think about other girls, then Ning Yao will definitely beat you to death without saying a single word… I’m not even allowed to just think about it? No, that can’t be allowed. When you see Ning Yao, will you be able to hide anything from her? You’ll definitely be exposed, and you’ll end up being beaten half-dead. Will you dare to fight back?