Unsheathed

Chapter 439 (3): Sharpening One’s Sword While on Break from Sword Practice

Before long, an elderly woman stepped into the room with a clay vial in her hand, and she respectfully offered up the vial to Liu Chongrun with both hands before silently departing.

While it was clear from the unfathomable old woman’s aura that her best days were long behind her, Chen Ping’an knew that she was the reason why Bejeweled Hairpin Island had been able to exist in Bamboo Scroll Lake for so long.

In fact, perhaps it was only thanks to her that Liu Chongrun had been able to escape the terrible fate of being defiled by that brazen earth immortal swordsman from the Luminous Vermilion Empire all those years ago.

Liu Chongrun tossed the vial at Chen Ping’an as she said, “Make sure to keep that vial safe, Mr. Chen. Those are some of the best pills from the water residence of my former home nation, and they can replenish the spiritual energy of water palace acupoints and repair water-attribute bonded items. If this vial of pills appeared in Bamboo Scroll Lake, then it’d be sure to create a massive stir and be fought over by all of the Golden Core Tier earth immortals!

“This will be my deposit and serve as a gesture of sincerity from our Bejeweled Hairpin Island. It’s now up to you to follow through on your end of the deal. If you can get it done, then my offer still stands as long as I’m still in Bamboo Scroll Lake. However, once I’ve moved to the Dragon Spring Prefecture, then the offer will have expired!”

Chen Ping’an ignored her final remarks as he opened the vial on the spot before tipping out a green pill from within, and after closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them and flashed Liu Chongrun a smile before tossing the pill straight into his mouth.

“Of course, I haven’t tampered with this vial of pills, but how were you so sure so quickly, Mr. Chen?” Liu Chongrun asked in a curious manner.

Of course, Chen Ping’an wasn’t going to tell her the truth, which was that the green-robed water fortune children in his water palace had told him that the pills were fine to consume.

Instead, he replied, “Seeing as I’m in Bamboo Scroll Lake, I’ve decided to do as the locals do and gamble big to win big.”

Liu Chongrun raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“I would like to ask you about the detailed history between your former home name nation and the Luminous Vermilion Empire, so I’ll have to take up some more of your time. Would that be alright?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Why is that? Does it have something to do with what you’re planning from here?” Liu Chongrun asked in a perplexed manner.

“It has nothing to do with my plans, I just want to learn more about the history of the world around me,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head. “I’ve heard many such stories in the past, but they’ve never resonated all that much with me, and I want to see if things will be different now that I have more experiences under my belt.”

Liu Chongrun hesitated momentarily, then nodded as she said, “Alright, I can tell you my stories. I don’t really want to recall those past events, but in any case, I’ve already told you about my worst moment, so there aren’t really any other stories that I can’t share.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist in a gesture of gratitude, and Liu Chongrun responded with a seductive roll of her eyes.

Chen Ping’an pretended not to have seen anything.

Over the next four hours, Liu Chongrun told Chen Ping’an about the full story of her former home nation, from its founding and its rise to its eventual heyday, to its gradual decline, return to glory, then another fatal decline that ultimately led to its demise.

With all of those events so far removed, Liu Chongrun was able to look back with the calm objectivity of an unrelated bystander. She was now just a cultivator of Bamboo Scroll Lake, and she told the stories of her former home nation in a candid and straightforward manner, while Chen Ping’an listened with full attention.

After a while, he pulled out a brush and some paper from his minimization treasure and began writing down some of the important points of the stories. Whenever some complexities or points of ambiguity arose in the story, Chen Ping’an would ask for further elaboration, and that made Liu Chongrun feel extremely awkward.

She felt as if she had suddenly become a schoolteacher educating a diligent student, and this was the first time in her life that she had ever felt this way.

Right as Liu Chongrun was beginning to feel like there was nothing more to be said, Chen Ping’an declared that during his next visit, he wanted to learn in detail about grain transportation and informal officials.

“How about you drop the act, Chen Ping’an?” Liu Chongrun snapped in an exasperated manner. “If you want me to warm your bed for you, then just say so! Do you have to do things in such a roundabout way? Are you trying to make me fall for you so you can claim my heart as well as my body? You sure are greedy! You’re even worse than Ma Yuanzhi and that old bastard from the Luminous Vermilion Empire combined!”

Chen Ping’an’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “When you were talking about the history of your former home nation, you really displayed the flair of a former ruler, and that really evoked a sense of admiration within me. However, whenever you say something like this, I lose a lot of respect for you, so please try to restrain yourself.”

Liu Chongrun seemed to have been rather saddened by this remark, and she clasped a hand to her own chest as she bit down on her lip in a heartbroken display.

Chen Ping’an remained unmoved and prepared to depart.

Right at this moment, Liu Chongrun suddenly called out, “Chen Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an turned back to her with an inquisitive gaze, and she immediately wrenched open her collar without any hesitation.

Having endured countless battles of life and death, Chen Ping’an had developed exceptional reflexes, and he instantly closed his eyes and rose to his feet as he declared in a furious voice, “Don’t do that again! Otherwise, that will be the end of our deal!”

Liu Chongrun was giggling with mirth as Chen Ping’an stormed away, and between her fits of laughter, she teased, “You should tell Ma Yuanzhi about what you just saw. He’ll be green with envy!”

Chen Ping’an stopped in his tracks, and he had his back facing her as he said in a cold voice, “Please learn to have more respect, both for yourself and for others.”

Liu Chongrun’s laughter instantly died down as she harrumphed coldly, “Farewell, Mr. Chen.”

Chen Ping’an made his way to the dock, then returned to Cyan Gorge Island by boat.

Following his departure, the old woman made her way into the room to join the absentminded-looking Liu Chongrun, and she asked, “Your Highness, are you really going to place your trust in a foreigner who has only been in Bamboo Scroll Lake for less than half a year, and someone so young, at that?

“Regardless of how mature and reliable he is, someone his age will inevitably have a shallow foundation, and that’s simply unavoidable. Otherwise, that little rat that you nurtured all the way to the throne wouldn’t have played dumb and acted deranged for so many years. In the end, that little scoundrel was almost able to do to you what that earth immortal swordsman wasn’t.”

Liu Chongrun returned to her senses, then asked in an indifferent manner, “Do you know what type of people in this world are best to do business with?”

“Please enlighten me, Your Highness,” the old woman prompted.

Liu Chongrun rose to her feet with an enraged expression as she said, “People who are smart, good, and have moral thresholds that they won’t cross. That little bastard was transformed into a puppet, and all he did was go against me in everything that I told him to do. In the end, all of the officials and generals of our nation who fulfilled those three qualities were killed off by him, and if it wasn’t for that, our nation would’ve never fallen!”

The old woman offered no comment. Even though she had already been away from the imperial palace for many years, she still insisted on following the rules of the imperial palace, refusing to make any remarks or exert any influence on the political matters of the imperial court.

A stern look appeared on the old woman’s face as she said, “Your Highness, please forgive my insolence, but doing what you did in the presence of such a young man was very shameless and brazen.”

Liu Chongrun rushed over to the old woman’s side, then leaned down to latch onto her arm and sway it from side to side like a spoiled little girl as she said, “I was just having some fun! It won’t happen again.”

The old woman nodded, then said, “Loneliness is something that should only bother a mortal woman. As a Golden Core Tier earth immortal, you shouldn’t behave like a frivolous young girl. Besides, an old woman like you really shouldn’t go after someone so young.”

Liu Chongrun instantly became flushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, and she released the old woman’s arm before storming away in a petulant fit.

Only after Liu Chongrun had departed did the old woman allow herself a smile, but it was only visible for an instant before it was suppressed.

The old woman knew that Liu Chongrun hadn’t actually developed any feelings for Chen Ping’an, and it certainly wasn’t anything like love at first sight. It was just that she had been forced to bear too heavy a burden for too long without anyone to rely on, so she would inevitably be driven to do some things that were unbefitting of her status.

The old woman had already long lost count of how many pieces of the Treasure Light Pagoda’s precious chinaware that Liu Chongrun had smashed over the years. With the sudden emergence of a glimmer of hope, it would only be natural for one’s emotions to fluctuate wildly, and even a Golden Core Tier earth immortal like her was no exception to this.

She had watched Liu Chongrun grow up through her entire life, and she had always been very naughty and disobedient as a child. During her formative years, all of the old maidservants in the palace that had been responsible for teaching her etiquette had been completely defeated by her.

She had been by Liu Chongrun’s side for the entirety of the latter’s life, and she had helped Liu Chongrun through some of her darkest times.

Her golden core had become decayed and was on the brink of breaking, and that had almost become the final straw to crush Liu Chongrun’s mental state.

Watching one’s closest loved ones perishing one after another was a painful experience that virtually all earth immortals throughout history had had to suffer through, and the closer the bond between the two, the more damning the inner demons that would arise from that loved one’s demise.

This was exactly why Liu Laocheng had been forced to kill his most beloved Dao partner with his own two hands prior to leaving Bamboo Scroll Lake.

It was unclear whether this was actually true, and it was the most taboo subject in all of Bamboo Scroll Lake, but the old woman firmly believed in the story’s authenticity.

————

By the time Chen Ping’an returned to Cyan Gorge Island, it was already dusk.

After taking another one of the pills given to him by Liu Chongrun, he breathed some spiritual energy onto his purple bamboo brush, then began writing down the stories that he had heard on Bejeweled Hairpin Island.

He had asked Liu Chongrun about the history between the two nations as this was the third line that he wanted to see in Bamboo Scroll Lake. Those events had all taken place in the distant past, but they were going to be useful to him in the very near future.

The first line had been Gu Can and the people around him, and that had been the most complicated line, as well as the most difficult to unravel.

The second line was the assassin from Cloud Pagoda City and his daughter, and that one had been much simpler and clearer in comparison.

Regardless of what type of people or events that he encountered, he was going to take a very direct approach and temporarily set aside all concepts of good and evil to look solely into why the people involved had said what they had said, done what they had done, and thought what they had thought. This was the biggest conclusion that Chen Ping’an had reached after looking back on his time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

By taking this approach, even if everyone were like the sword, Deep Infatuation, they would still be useful to him.

However, this was going to be a very long and mentally draining process, so he had to think even more than he had before and proceed even slower.

Chen Ping’an temporarily set down his brush, then picked up his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took a sip of wine before setting down as well.

He was looking frailer and his cheeks more sunken by the day, and there was even an unkempt stubble on his chin, but his eyes were glowing as he wrote.

————

On the summit of the most majestic mountain on the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

An old and impoverished-looking scholar was performing some divination on one hand while stroking his beard with the other, and there was a concerned look on his face as he sighed to himself, “Things aren’t looking good.”

The imposing deity in golden armor was sitting not far away from him, looking down at his vast territory as he said, “If things aren’t looking good, but you can’t tell exactly what’s wrong, then why don’t you sneak over and take a look for yourself? In any case, no one’s going to be surprised if you do something like that, and given how thick your skin is, it’s not like you care about what anyone thinks of you anyway.”

The old scholar rolled eyes as he scoffed, “Shut your mouth! You’re just like that old fart from the East Sea; I can’t communicate with either of you!”

The deity in golden armor wasn’t offended at all.

If any cultivator below the Ascension Tier had dared to tell him to shut his mouth on Tassel Mountain, then there was no way that they would’ve lived to tell the tale.

As for an Ascension Tier cultivator, he could still easily send them flying out of his territory with a single swing of his sword.

The old scholar casually tossed a handful of rocks down onto the ground as he grumbled, “You think that old bastard from the Observing Dao Temple gave out that parasol leaf umbrella for free? You think he showed that disciple of mine three hundred years’ worth of the river of time out of the kindness of his heart? He’s a conniving bastard that’s always up to no good!”

“You’ve brought all of this upon yourself,” the deity in golden armor sneered.

“You don’t know shit! All you have is brute strength!” the old scholar snapped.

“In that case, why don’t you leave Tassel Mountain?” the deity in golden armor challenged. “Didn’t the Second Sage invite you for a chat in the Confucian temple?”

The old scholar swayed his head from side to side in a smug manner as he replied, “I’m not going anywhere! I’m going to keep waiting here; what’re you gonna do about it?”

The deity in golden armor took a glance at the old scholar, then hesitated momentarily before asking, “You already knew about the past karma of that silver ingot sword pellet, didn’t you?”

The old scholar’s smug expression faded as he nodded and replied, “That’s just a trivial matter.”

“You sure do have a big heart,” the deity in golden armor chuckled.

“If I didn’t have a big heart, how would I be able to tolerate all of these fake scholars in this Majestic World?” the old scholar sneered.

“Now that Qi Jingchun is completely gone, are you not worried that that disciple of yours is going to stray down the wrong path?” the deity in golden armor asked.

The old scholar instantly sprang to his feet, then strode over to the deity in golden armor, who was seated with his legs crossed on the ground.

With one of them standing and the other seated, the two of them were roughly level with one another, and the old scholar began poking the deity’s head, uttering a word with each poke as he said, “You can insult my theories and my cultivation base, but I won’t allow you to insult my judgment when it comes to choosing disciples!”

Having just had his head poked over twenty times in succession, the deity in golden armor challenged, “Poke me one more time and see what happens.”

The old scholar accepted the challenge, giving him one more poke before immediately jumping back as he said in a justified manner, “You told me to poke you, so you can’t blame me.”

The deity in golden armor sighed as he turned his head to the side, and his expressionless facade finally broke as he implored, “I’m begging you, please just get off my mountain!”

The old scholar flew into a rage upon hearing this.

“If begging people worked, then why would I be seeking refuge on your mountain right now? I’ve already gone to the Etiquette Sage and tried everything! I bowed, I kneeled, I kowtowed, and what good did that do me?”

The deity in golden armor turned back to face him as he said, “Don’t take out your anger on me?”

The old scholar rubbed his hands together as he chuckled, “Who else can I take my anger out on then? Do you expect me to go and throw a fit at the Etiquette Sage? I’m not stupid!”

The deity in golden armor was finally pushed over the brink, and he slowly rose to his feet as a giant sword appeared in his grasp, but the old scholar had already laid down onto the ground to sleep.

“Divination sure is tiring! I’m gonna take a nap. If I start snoring, then just bear with it for now.”

The deity in golden armor took a deep breath before sitting back down, and after a long silence, he asked, “Are you really just going to keep that mountain master waiting outside Tassel Mountain?”

The old scholar has his back to the mountain deity, and he was pretending to be asleep while continuing to perform his divination. “I’ve already fallen asleep, so I can’t answer your question.”

————

Somewhere under the heavens, there was a sea of clouds that was more majestic than any sight to be seen in the Majestic World, perhaps even in all four worlds.

A tall woman was holding an oil-paper umbrella in one hand, while her other hand was resting atop the hilt of her sword, the tip of which was resting on the railing of the bridge.

The tip of the sword dragged along the railing as she walked, raising sparks that were as radiant as the light of the sun.

It was as if she were sharpening the tip of her sword.

She was free to leave this bridge if she pleased, but some years ago, a man who was on the brink of death had stood here on this bridge and spoke some heartfelt words to her.

“The best whetstone in the world isn’t Dragon Slaying Platform. For those who are pure and kind, the best whetstone is most innate evil thoughts in one’s heart, and vice versa. Overcoming those will grant one the sharpest and purest of sword hearts.

“This is evidenced by the fact that there are countless great swordsmen on the Sword Qi Great Wall, both good and evil. Before Chen Ping’an grows up, you can only use your sword to save him once at the very most, and it has to be timed to perfection.

“On top of that, I want you to delay it for as long as possible, ideally until after he reaches the Golden Core Tier and before he reaches the Unpolished Jade Tier. After that, you’re free to do as you please. If it happens a second time, then it won’t just be someone like the mountain master of a Confucian school, or an assistant sage of the Confucian temple, or even the Second Sage returning to the Majestic World.”

At the time, Qi Jingchun had pointed up at the heavens and continued, “The Etiquette Sage’s rules transcend all others and are the most unshakeable. If he’s forced to make an appearance… Whether you’re afraid of such an occurrence and whether it’s worth it are two entirely different things, so I implore you to proceed with caution, Senior.”

Qi Jingchun had also said some other things after that, and there was one particular part that had most resonated with her.

“You chose Chen Ping’an as your new master, even though you felt completely neutral about him at the time, and that was naturally because I had convinced you to take a gamble on him, but don’t you want to personally verify whether Chen Ping’an is truly worthy of all of the high hopes that you’ve placed upon him, that you won’t be disappointed in him a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, even ten thousand years from now?”

Even she couldn’t help but be moved by Qi Jingchun’s sincere and heartfelt words.

“Perhaps you don’t,” Qi Jingchun continued. “But you have to know that deep down in Chen Ping’an’s heart, he wants more than anyone to be able to prove to me and you that he won’t disappoint us, even if he’s already disappointed in himself by then.”

As she recalled these stirring words from Qi Jingchun, the woman gently pressed her hand down onto her longsword, and a large section of its blade pierced effortlessly into the railing of the golden bridge.