Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an pursed his lips and looked intently at the so-called descendant of a True Dragon that had enjoyed a smooth sailing journey so far. “What is it that’s made you and Gu Can think that killing other people isn’t wrong? Why do you feel like you can die without regrets if you’re killed? Someone like Gu Can, a flood dragon like you, and a seemingly shrewd person like Gu Can’s mother… If I were strangers with the three of you, then are you aware of what fate you would have suffered?

“Even though my cultivation base is lowly, and I didn’t throw a single punch or unleash a single sword strike, I could have had the three of you die several times over simply by staying at Bamboo Scroll Lake for a few years and chatting over some tea and making some deals with Liu Zhimao, Liu Laocheng, the island master of Millet Grain Island, and so on.”

Tan Xue smiled coldly and retorted, “Then why don’t you kill us? Why are you hesitating?”

The small catfish appeared to become very happy at this moment, smiling faintly as it continued, “Being able to walk to where you are today, I know that you’re much, much smarter than Gu Can. Chen Ping’an, it’s not an exaggeration to say that you’re extremely careful and meticulous, calculating every action you take and even going as far as to probe the most subtle human heart.

“However, what does this matter? Didn’t your Great Dao shatter anyway? Chen Ping’an, do you genuinely understand how Gu Can felt that night? You said you vomited blood due to issues with cultivation, but do you truly think that Gu Can bought your explanation? He might not be as smart as you, but he definitely isn’t an idiot either.

“I’m at the Nascent Tier, after all, so do you think I’m unable to see through the huge problem that your body is facing right now? However, Gu Can is too kindhearted, especially since he’s still just a child. He didn’t dare to ask about your situation. As for me, I was happy to remain silent. The weaker you are, the less I’ll need to fear you.

“I’ve been proven correct. You were just strong enough to block Liu Laocheng, allowing me to survive while you suffered severe wounds. With you becoming weaker and me becoming relatively stronger, I can smack you to death with a single slap right now. It will be the same as smacking a measly ant to death, something that’s not even worthy of becoming food after death.”

Chen Ping’an casually tossed the demon-binding chain onto the table, placing his palms together as he smiled and replied, “Now this is the way. Even I was feeling tired for you when you kept those words bottled up inside. You’re truly not a good actor, while I was able to see through everything. In other words, both you and I were feeling mentally exhausted. Right now, both of us are standing on the same path.”

Tan Xue narrowed her eyes and said, “Stop trying to act so mysteriously.”

Chen Ping’an extended a hand, spreading it open and saying, “Taking into account Zeng Ye and also adding you and me — yes, just the two of us — we can be independently grouped to form the fifth path.”

Tan Xue chuckled coldly and asked, “Chen Ping’an, you haven’t gone crazy after interacting too much with those yin entities, have you? Perhaps you’ve fallen to heretical and demonic ways? So you decided to embrace it and become a demonic cultivator? What, you’re filled with wild ambition and want to emulate the city lord of White Emperor City? And you want to start with Bamboo Scroll Lake?

“This isn’t impossible seeing that the impressive Mr. Chen is acquainted with so many powerful figures. There’s nothing you can’t do if you seek their help. Meanwhile, I’m nothing more than a small catfish that appears insignificant in Mr. Chen’s eyes. In fact, any one of those lofty figures behind the scenes can easily crush me to death with a single finger.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, genuinely thinking that these words were quite interesting. It provided him with another possibility regarding his understanding of matters. It allowed the path that they existed on to become much clearer than before.

At the same time, his smile also dispelled some of the tense atmosphere in the room.

Chen Ping’an gestured for Tan Xue to sit down. He then turned around and walked back to the study table.

He exposed his back to the small catfish just like that.

However, Tan Xue neither attacked nor walked forward, instead staying put as it said, “Since Mr. Chen is a scholar who likes to adhere to principles and speak reason, then let me also stand here and speak reason with you.”

Chen Ping’an sat back down, grabbing the charcoal basket to warm his hands. After rubbing his hands for a while and breathing warm air into his palms, Chen Ping’an said, “Let me tell you a small story. Soon after I left the Jewel Small World, I set off on a journey to the Great Sui Nation. Not long after I left Red Candle Town, I came across an elderly scholar when I was traveling on a ship. He also spoke up once, but he did so to stop me from speaking reason even though other people had done wrong first. I was never able to understand his actions, and this was a matter that weighed on my mind for a long time.

“Thanks to Bamboo Scroll Lake, I’m now finally able to understand his thought process. He wasn’t necessarily correct, but he definitely wasn’t as wrong as I initially imagined him to be. On the other hand, my actions back then could at most only be considered as not wrong. They weren’t necessarily correct.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and extended a finger, drawing a circle in the air.

“In the cultivation world, drinking, committing crimes, or acting in a righteous manner can all be considered as actions befitting of the cultivation world. Causing violent bloodshed is also part of the cultivation world. The battlefield is a place where people kill each other, so heroically rushing to one’s death is befitting of the battlefield, and defeating an army of ten thousand is also befitting of the battlefield. Likewise, so are heroic spirits and yin soldiers refusing to retreat from ancient battlefield ruins.

“When it comes to the imperial court, there are officials who bring benefits to both the nation and her people, doing their utmost to bring peace and prosperity. However, there are also those who destructively interfere and bring harm to the nation, with these officials being vicious beasts in human skin. Of course, an imperial court can also face periods of suspicion from the nation when the emperor is too young, and there are also times when empresses and concubines might listen to official discussions behind curtains.

“Someone once told me that in their hometown, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, an individual gathered their friends to kill all of the soldiers in an area in order to rescue their father who had broken the law. This person was viewed as an extremely dutiful son, and he eventually rose to become a high-ranking official who was praised in the history books.

“Another person travelled hundreds of kilometers upon hearing news of his friend’s death, and he personally massacred the entire family of his friend’s enemy in a single night in an act of revenge. He fled the same night, and he was praised as a heroic individual who displayed friendship and chivalry. The authorities pursued him for hundreds of kilometers, yet everyone on the way lent the heroic man a helping hand. He was admired by countless people during his lifetime, and his story was even included in a collection of biographies of martial artists after his death.”

Chen Ping’an drew a bigger circle in the air, continuing, “I also felt indifferent toward these matters in the beginning, and I felt like if I came across these kinds of people, I would be throwing one punch too many if I killed them with two punches. Now, however, I’ve finally reached an understanding. Their actions were influenced by the customs and traditions of the entire world at those specific periods of time. They were influenced by the culmination of culture and knowledge.

“The culture and knowledge in those periods of time were like the embodiment of several Clay Vase Alleys, Red Candle Towns, and Cloud Pagoda Cities colliding and fusing together. Thus, those two individuals were widely celebrated as being dutiful and chivalrous.

“It’s just that things are ever-changing as the river of time continues to flow forward. If we lived during those periods, perhaps we would have also felt a sense of admiration toward those kinds of people. Forget about killing them in a single punch, I might have even cupped my fists and bowed in respect if I ever came across them.

“There was an old Daoist priest who schemed against me and tricked me the most in this regard. He only showed me a period of history spanning three hundred years, and I dare say that this was a relatively slow period of time where the world was comparatively peaceful and whole. It was just enough time to witness a sufficient amount of matters, yet it wasn’t enough time to do a whole lot more.

“If it were any shorter than three hundred years, I wouldn’t have been able to fathom the exquisite nature of the knowledge promoted by the old Daoist priest. If it were any longer, however, then we would have returned to a time where a certain old scholar’s knowledge and scholarly lineage still existed in the world.”

Chen Ping’an appeared very afraid of the cold right now, with his shoulders hunched over and his hands not leaving the charcoal basket for a single second. He smiled faintly and continued, “Whether it’s you or Liu Zhimao, I have to say that the two of you truly can’t compare to that person and that so-called young Daoist priest. The gulf between the two of you and those immortals who genuinely stand atop the mountain peaks is even greater than the gulf between heaven and earth.”

Chen Ping’an looked up and nodded at Tan Xue with his chin, saying, “Inside one’s mind and conscience, there should be a patch that’s most muddy and dirty. Regardless of how clean the water from the origin is, this patch is like a ditch that will soil the water. In this way, almost everyone will experience conflict in the depths of their minds while being completely unaware of it.

“Bamboo Scroll Lake is the best example of this, forming a juxtaposition to the carefree nature of the Pure White Continent during the battle between third and fourth all those years ago. These two places reflect both sides of the extremes. What do you think? Perhaps you don’t understand what I’m talking about? Then let me talk about some things that you’ll just manage to understand.

“When coming across conflicts pertaining to right and wrong, it’s often the case that outsiders will support the weaker party without making an effort to fully understand the situation first. They’ll feel a natural sense of dislike toward the stronger party, hoping dearly that they’ll fall from their lofty pedestal. In fact, the outsiders might even criticize good people, hoping dearly that a moral sage will crack and show flaws. At the same time, they’ll also revere the occasional good deed done by sinister people.

“The reason behind this phenomenon isn’t complicated. This is a case of people fighting for that slim singularity, hoping to achieve equilibrium and prevent a small group of people from owning too much. This is already largely unrelated to the notion of good or bad. Taking things a step further, this is actually beneficial to all of us in the sense that we can more fairly distribute that larger singularity. No one can rise too high and walk too far, and no one will be forced to remain too low. It’s as if we’re all… grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

“Those that are larger will jump higher and further, while those that are weaker will in turn be dragged forward. Even if the path forward is rugged and bumpy, causing the latter to become battered and bruised, they can at least keep up with everyone else and not be abandoned. They can seek warmth from the rest of the group, and they can also avoid the fate of being easily picked off by the birds.

“This is why so many people in the world like to speak reason, yet they’ll still feel secretly happy even when those around them aren’t in the right. This is caused by the patch of impurity in one’s mind. When the world transforms into a state where more and more sacrifices are required to speak reason, then not speaking reason becomes the fundamental currency some people use to settle down and live. The latter attach themselves to stronger individuals, thereby allowing them to fight for more tangible benefits. This is a case of helping friends and not helping reason.

“It’s because of this that Gu Can’s mother feels safer when staying with Gu Can and you. In fact, she feels safer even when she’s with Liu Zhimao. The same reason applies. This is not to say that she’s… especially wrong regarding this matter. However, the extension of the path that was initially not incorrect is like the chaotic growth of lotus roots and bamboo, eventually resulting in all kinds of inevitable clashes with the established rules.

“However, you and Gu Can don’t care about these small details at all. The two of you simply want to smash through the bridges and fill in the ditches. This is the reason why I said to Gu Can that all of the innocent people he’s killed are actually many copies of the young Chen Ping’an and Gu Can from Clay Vase Alley. Even then, he was still unable to accept my words.

“I’ve done many things here, and there’ll eventually come a day when everything comes to light. I want Gu Can to open his eyes wide and take a good look around himself. So be it if he refuses to listen to reason. With me, Chen Ping’an, present, I’m not only helping him rectify his mistakes, but I’m more importantly helping myself rectify my mistakes. In addition to this, I also want to have him understand some principles that aren’t expounded in the books.

“In at most two years, when a certain cultivator climbs to a high-ranking position in Bamboo Scroll Lake, they won’t need to rely on wantonly killing innocent people to build a commanding image. At that time, I’ll still manage to enjoy a higher status and live a more stable life than Gu Can.”

Tan Xue wanted to speak, yet it couldn’t help but hesitate.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you want to accuse me of having too many powerful acquaintances and too many immortal treasures again? So much so that you and Gu Can can’t compare to me? Then have you considered the fact that I managed to grab these relationships and treasures with my own two hands? The two of you won’t understand even if I explain everything word by word. This is because you understand the principles, yet you’re unable to act on them no matter what.

“Don’t you find this very interesting? When your mind was developing, much like the stage when pottery is still malleable, there was no one beside you to properly educate you and guide you. However, this isn’t important. Even if such a person did exist, I dare say that they would have simply been wasting their breath. In any case, saying these things won’t improve the current situation. The most important thing is that you and Gu Can don’t even know how to become slightly smarter bad people. In this way, you’re even more unwilling and oblivious as to how to become slightly smarter good people.”

The small catfish bit its lips and remained silent for a short moment. When it opened its mouth again, the first words it spat were, “Chen Ping’an, don’t force me to kill you today!”

Chen Ping’an cocked his head slightly and asked with a smile, “Why do you want to kill me? If you kill me, then won’t you, Gu Can, and the Spring Courtyard Mansion lose a powerful backer? See, I just called you stupid, stupid even when doing wrong, and you were still trying to deny it.”

There was a slight screeching sound from the soles of Tan Xue’s boots rubbing against the floor.

Chen Ping’an chose to ignore this, instead pointing to next door where the young boy, Zeng Ye, was staying.

“The person living over there is a good person. He’s also quite young, and he’s also a slow learner to boot. However, I still hope that he can continue to live a good life in Bamboo Scroll Lake as a good person. This naturally won’t be easy, but there’s at least some hope. Of course, if I eventually discover that I’m unable to positively change him, or if I discover that my so-called schemes and plots as you put it are unable to guarantee his survival, then I’ll step back and allow him to live as he pleases. Zeng Ye can rely on his own strengths to fend for himself in Bamboo Scroll Lake.”

Taking into account the fine details, there was once a time when Chen Ping’an had picked up his stool and walked back inside. Zeng Ye had remained completely oblivious, and he had forgotten to pick up his own stool when returning inside.

Perhaps this could be attributed to Zeng Ye being a young boy who was inexperienced in worldly matters. He was still naive and simple, so he was unable to pick up on these fine details.

However, Zeng Ye had actually become distracted and followed Chen Ping’an’s gaze to look outside the window even when he was supposed to be cultivating. This caused Chen Ping’an to feel slightly exasperated and helpless. However, this could also be attributed to Zeng Ye being young, inexperienced, and lacking in opportunities to temper himself. Thus, Chen Ping’an could still wait for Zeng Ye to grow up and mature, making sure that each move he made on the Go board was slow but not incorrect. He didn’t need to think too much about victory or defeat, and he simply needed to focus on the task at hand to increase his chance at victory.

But what if the heavens insisted on killing someone? That would be fate, and just like Chen Ping’an had said to Zeng Ye, he only needed to care about maintaining a clear conscience at that time. Of course, he could also grumble at the heavens.

However, there was one matter that made Chen Ping’an sigh with emotion. Once he noticed roots taking place, he was forced to make things clear and subtly warn the young boy who was developing stray thoughts. Chen Ping’an bluntly told Zeng Ye that the relationship between them was only transactional. They weren’t master and disciple, and he wasn’t Zeng Ye’s Dao mentor or Dao guardian.

It would definitely be incorrect to claim that Zeng Ye had a poor disposition, especially since the reality was the complete opposite. After facing life-and-death struggles, he still didn’t forget about his master and Thatch Moon Island. This was one of the main reasons why Chen Ping’an was willing to leave Zeng Ye by his side. In fact, this reason was equally as important as Zeng Ye’s cultivation talent and aptitude for the Dao of ghosts.

Zeng Ye was a young boy from Bamboo Scroll Lake who allowed Chen Ping’an to vaguely see a shadow of his past self. Even so, this was a shadow that was unable to withstand any serious scrutiny.

Zeng Ye’s character appeared to be the exact opposite of Gu Can, and his words and actions were initially the basis for the fourth path that Chen Ping’an wanted to carefully examine.

After reaching this point in his plan, however, Chen Ping’an ultimately decided to go against his original intentions. He hoped that Zeng Ye wouldn’t stray onto the wrong path, and he hoped to find a stable equilibrium for the mind between the two extremes of the ruler, one extreme named “fight for it myself” and one extreme named “receive it from others.”

In any case, this didn’t matter too much. Even though Chen Ping’an did interfere and slightly change the course of the path, the path still remained just that. It was merely heading in a slightly different direction. It could still be traveled and observed, and it was simply a little different from Chen Ping’an’s initial expectations.

In contrast to Tan Xue’s bloody path which would most likely continue unperturbed, Zeng Ye’s path and young life were still brimming with countless possibilities. He still had the opportunity to walk along the right path.

As for whether the pond in Zeng Ye’s mind would flow from an area of purity and kindness to an area of extremity and hostility if he encountered some disaster or catastrophe someday, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t force him onto a certain path no matter the situation.

Zeng Ye was free within the regulations, and he would face the consequences of his own actions. This was only right.

Human power had its limit, and even Chen Ping’an had conceded defeat regarding Gu Can’s situation. He was only able to make relatively thorough delineations and severances with Gu Can under the condition that he stopped the wanton killings and wanton wrongdoings. It was only under these conditions that he could start to do some things for himself.

What would the addition of Zeng Ye change?