Unsheathed

When Chen Ping’an finished traveling around the Plum Glaze Nation and was just about to return to Bamboo Scroll Lake again, he relied on his outstanding eyesight to detect something atop a tall mountain peak located in the depths of a desolate mountain range. He surprisingly saw an old ape in tattered clothes hanging upside down with iron chains wrapped around its body. The old ape bared its teeth and hissed with a twisted expression when it noticed Chen Ping’an’s gaze, and even though it didn’t roar, its cruel and violent aura was enough to frighten people to the core.

There was a man made stone cave near the hanging ape, and when Chen Ping’an looked over, a young and haggard monk stood up and locked gazes with him. The young monk put his palms together and silently bowed in greeting.

Chen Ping’an emulated the young monk, also putting his palms together and bowing his head slightly in greeting.

“What’s going on?” Ma Duyi asked in curiosity.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and didn’t say anything.

Only when they left the mountain range did Chen Ping’an finally say, “An eminent monk is displaying huge willpower to subdue an unrestrained ape that’s the manifestation of his internal demons.”

Ma Duyi clicked her tongue in wonder and remarked, “He was actually able to manifest his internal demons? Was that monk an earth immortal?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “He’s a mighty figure living in seclusion.”

Over at the stone cave, the young monk sat back down on his straw mat, yet he quickly stood up again and exited his stone cave in a single stride, walking on the wind and hovering in the sky. He locked gazes with the old ape that had suddenly calmed down, and he could see the complicated mix of emotions in the latter’s eyes. There was fury, resentment, pleading, pity, and ridicule.

The monk looked over, appearing slightly puzzled at the situation.

Why was his internal demon behaving so strangely today?

Before this, the old ape hadn’t spared so much as a single glance at the earth immortals who had flown past on the wind or their swords.

The young monk came to some sort of realization, with a faint smile spreading across his face as he once again bowed his head and put his palms together in a prayer, speaking a Buddhist chant as he did so. He then returned to his stone cave and continued to sit in silence.

An old and expressionless cultivator with desolation in his eyes appeared at the unmarked burial ground and stood in front of the tombstone that had an ancient sword embedded in it. There was brimming yin energy underground, and the malicious ghosts and yin entities hiding in the mountain roots were unable to change their nature even though they could tell that the old cultivator was most likely a powerful earth immortal. Murderous aura gathered together, attempting to surge out from the ground. However, sword qi would thunder down like rain whenever the malicious ghosts surged upward, causing howls of agony to reverberate through the ground.

The old cultivator was naturally unafraid of these yin entities. However, he frowned slightly and murmured to himself, “How very strange. They aren’t afraid of the Golden Core Tier aura that I’m purposely exuding, yet they were afraid of a young man who didn’t appear like anything in particular?”

Chen Ping’an and his two companions settled down in an immortal inn. This was a rare luxury that they seldom enjoyed.

Ma Duyi fell back into the soft blankets, an intoxicated expression on her face. She could endure hardships, but she also needed to enjoy some luxuries.

Zeng Ye didn’t think much about this, and he simply cultivated in his own room.

Chen Ping’an asked the immortal inn for an immoral news report, and he learned that the imperial court of the Plum Glaze Nation had also started to argue amongst themselves. However, they weren’t arguing about whether they should repel the barbarians of the Great Li Empire, and they were instead arguing about how they should staunchly defend their nation.

One had to realize that the emperor and officials of the Plum Glaze Nation had made this decision knowing full well how perilous the situation would become. After all, they had already witnessed the capital of the Stone Brush Nation falling to the barbarians of the Great Li Empire.

Meanwhile, the chaotic imperial court of the Stone Brush Nation finally welcomed the arrival of a new emperor, with Noble King Han Jingling taking the throne. At the same time, Huang He’s father became the top military general of the Stone Brush Nation without losing a single soldier on the battlefield. As a friend of Emperor Han Jingling during difficult times, Huang He was also bestowed a new title, rising rapidly to become an assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites in a single go. With both father and son holding high-ranking positions, a large number of descendants of the Huang Clan were able to rise in status as well, gaining power in the imperial court. They looked to have a bright and limitless future.

One after another, and from the capital to the regions, countless scholarly officials and military generals of the Stone Brush Nation chose to die for the sake of their nation. They refused to yield to the Great Li Empire, even if it was for something as simple as plastering the door gods of the Great Li Empire to their gates.

Some of the younger clan descendants were unwilling to accompany their clan leaders in death, so they sneakily put up the two door gods of the enemy nation behind their clan leaders’ backs. Some were even more ruthless and extreme, directly tying up their clan leaders to prevent them from running outside and tearing down the door gods. They even scolded their clan leaders for being undutiful descendants who were a great disappointment to their ancestors.

People acted in a myriad ways, and each person understood their own joys and sorrows.

On the immortal report that was written in an eloquent manner, the trivial pieces of information that were treated as entertainment and topics for small talk were the complete opposite for the actual clans involved. These were matters that pertained to their life and death, matters that would decide whether their clans would be destroyed and their descendants banished to the regions.

Compared to the unremarkable Stone Brush Nation, the huge changes taking place in Bamboo Scroll Lake were far more astonishing and frightening.

Great General Su Gaoshan had started to dish out consequences and punishment starting from the beginning of autumn.

With Millet Grain Island, Oriole Island, and Azure Mound Island at the forefront, many islands and forces in Bamboo Scroll Lake started to pledge their loyalty to the Great Li Empire one after another. They were willing to hand over half of their wealth as well as the genealogical records in their ancestral halls which were initially of great significance.

Su Gaoshan hosted a banquet at the Fan Clan’s residence in Pond Water City, although he was the host in name only, with the actual host being a mere third-rank subordinate general. There were also several accompanying cultivators picked out from the various armies, and they were responsible for providing hospitality and welcoming the esteemed guests.

By refusing to show up, Su Gaoshan was displaying his unwillingness to give any face to the obediently surrendering forces of Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Chen Ping’an was completely unsurprised by this.

Not long ago, he had handed the army of the Great Li Empire his jade tablet that signified his status as a guest elder of Cyan Gorge Island, saying that he wanted to seek an audience with the great general. In the end, Su Gaoshan’s reply was very direct, and it was clear that it had come directly from his mouth. His reply was two simple words: “Piss off.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t feel angry or vexed, and he had simply felt a slight sense of helplessness.

As for Cyan Gorge Island which had lost Liu Zhimao, it was also unwilling to fall behind the other islands. With White Fish Island’s Tian Hujun and the Golden Core Tier Yu Gui leading the way, several Golden Core Tier cultivators who were powerful enough to bring significant change to Bamboo Scroll Lake also attended the banquet hosted at Pond Water City. However, their seats weren’t at the very front, and they were actually seated even further back than the guests from Heavenly Governess Island.

These were the vagrant cultivators from Bamboo Scroll Lake.

They dared to fight with their lives, and they also dared to cower and surrender to others. They could lead and rule over others, but they could also submit and serve if the situation wasn’t in their favor.

Chen Ping’an speculated that the cultivators on some islands would be unwilling to so easily offer up half of their wealth. However, there most likely wouldn’t be any need for the heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire or their accompanying cultivators to punish these stubborn cultivators, and Millet Grain Island’s Tan Yuanyi, the Golden Core Tier couple from Oriole Island, and several other powerful forces would presumably help Great General Su Gaoshan deal with these so-called small issues. There was absolutely no need for Su Gaoshan to worry about these trivial matters, and the powerful forces of Bamboo Scroll Lake would be more than happy to deal with these troublemakers and hand their heads and wealth over to Su Gaoshan as congratulations for his victory.

Su Gaoshan’s ability to slice through Bamboo Scroll Lake was largely thanks to his powerful army as well as the seemingly united but actually disjointed cultivators of Bamboo Scroll Lake. However, there was another critical factor, and this was General Cao Ping’s ability to carve through his enemies with ease. Of course, the most important factor was that Song Changjing would personally accompany a prince of the Great Li Empire to inspect the border between Cao Ping’s heavy cavalry and the army of the Luminous Vermilion Empire.

Chen Ping’an put down the immortal new report.

He placed his hands inside opposite sleeves and fell deep into thought.

There was still no verifiable news about Liu Zhimao’s life or death.

Logically speaking, Su Gaoshan would show a stronger tendency to recruit someone like Liu Zhimao, a person who understood how to judge the situation and act accordingly. Moreover, Liu Zhimao was also the first person to pledge his loyalty to the Great Li Empire.

The problem was the group of outside cultivators whom Liu Laocheng had described as unlikeable. Their identities were still shrouded in mystery.

By the looks of it, it was this group of mysterious cultivators who would determine the ultimate fate of Liu Zhimao, with even Liu Laocheng unable to do anything but bite his tongue and accept the outcome. Even Su Gaoshan was unable to add icing to his meritorious cake and obtain a talented Nascent Tier guest elder for the Great Li Empire.

These cultivators definitely had a powerful background.

Chen Ping’an pinched his glabella.

Was it the severely weakened Parasol Leaf Sect? Had they gritted their teeth and steeled their heart, making a decision to relocate to Bamboo Scroll Lake?

However, the price they needed to pay for doing this would be far too large. The cultivators of the sect could march mightily into a new continent, but the fortune of the mountains and waters that the Parasol Leaf Sect had nurtured for thousands of years in their territory could only be abandoned and left behind.

Apart from the spiritual energy of blessed lands being a notable exception, relocating forces didn’t need to dream about taking any spiritual energy with them when moving to a different continent.

The cultivators of the Parasol Leaf Sect were already showing signs of division, so the huge commotion of any potential move would only make them a bigger target for others. They would definitely have chunks torn out of them. Moreover, when it came to matters pertaining to the Great Dao, even powerful sects that didn’t lack righteousness like Peace and Tranquility Mountain and the Planchette Writing Sect would show utter ruthlessness if they decided to seize the opportunity to attack.

In any case, cultivators of the Parasol Leaf Sect were extremely arrogant and haughty, what with them having enjoyed a long period of time as the strongest force in a large continent. That being the case, would they truly be willing to run to the small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to establish their new base? Not only that, but they would even have to yield to the mortal empire run by the Imperial Song Clan.

It would seemingly make more sense if the relocating force was the Planchette Writing Sect.

However, it didn’t make sense for them to target Liu Zhimao, and it made even less sense for them to show ill will and scheme against Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an stood up and walked over to the window. This immortal inn was constructed on the bank of a large river, providing him with a wide field of view. He could see the roaring river outside his window, with the coming and going boats appearing as small as grains of rice in the distance.

The Plum Glaze Nation was filled with numerous criss-crossing waterways, and this was perhaps one of the reasons why they dared to battle to the death against the Great Li Empire.

There were warships sailing against the current on the river, yet such was the width of the river that even the warships that held ten thousand soldiers looked like nothing more than light feathers in the water.

Chen Ping’an rested his arms on the windowsill.

Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi arrived together, saying that they wanted to visit the water god temple of the Spring Flower River. It was said that the temple was especially efficacious in granting people’s wishes, and the water god in the temple also liked to tease and toy around with mortal humans.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t interested in these things, so he told Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi to visit the water god temple themselves. However, he reminded Ma Duyi to apologize after entering the temple, seeing that she was a ghost in a fox fur coat right now. She needed to explain her intentions to the water god temple. Otherwise, she would be offending and provoking the deity as per the rules of these temples.

If conflict broke out, Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi would be in the wrong no matter what, and at that time, their only option would be to spend money to get out of trouble. If that happened, they would have to pay out of their own pockets instead of using Chen Ping’an’s money. Ma Duyi smiled and said that she understood. They had traveled so extensively through the cultivation world already, so there was no need for Mr. Chen to so pedantically pore over these details again and again.

Chen Ping’an didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

Traveled extensively through the cultivation world? As of now, she and Zeng Ye had only traveled through the territories of two small vassal states.

Even so, Chen Ping’an didn’t voice his thoughts, simply waving his hand and telling them to go ahead and have fun. Otherwise, he would definitely hear several retorts from Ma Duyi.

When Zeng Ye was closing the door, Chen Ping’an untied his Sword Nurturing Gourd and tossed it to the young boy, telling him to bring it with him just in case.

Zeng Ye was naturally overjoyed, but the Sword Nurturing Gourd was immediately snatched away by Ma Duyi and tied to her waist after he closed the door.

Zeng Ye could do nothing about this.

Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly upon detecting this.

For men to go easy on women, and for stronger individuals to go easy on weaker individuals, was this not a very reasonable thing to do as long as they weren’t doing so in a condescending and degrading manner?

Only in this way would the world slowly become better and slowly tend toward a state of no wrong.

There were a myriad of principles, but they ultimately needed to fall back to the principle of sequential order.

He needed to travel around more, so he had traveled this far already.

He needed to think more, so he had thought about so much already.

Chen Ping’an felt slightly tired and slightly relaxed at the same time, and he closed his eyes and rested on the windowsill just like that.

The home was where the heart was.

And everywhere in one’s home one could rest.

In the water god temple of the Spring Flower River located dozens of kilometers away, there was an old man lying on a horizontal beam in the main hall and chowing down on a drumstick. He was wearing an apricot blossom hairpin and dressed in embroidered clothes, making him appear as strange as could be. He suddenly shivered at this moment, almost throwing his greasy drumstick at the head of a worshipper in the main hall.

The old man started off as a spirit in the river, and it was thanks to a stroke of fortune that he had encountered and received guidance from a noble scholar from Lake View Academy. This allowed him to craft a gold statue and become an official river god who enjoyed the worship of the mortal world.

He leaped up and transformed his body into an air current, rising through the roof of the main hall before surveying the surroundings. The old river god appeared extremely flustered as he bowed in all directions, saying in an apprehensive voice, “Which sage is honoring me with their presence? This minor god is truly honored and afraid.”

Meanwhile, the so-called culprit was taking a break from his busy travels and taking a nap against a windowsill.

With morals and virtue as one’s foundation, evil would shrink back and deities would give way.