Unsheathed

After parting ways with the scholar, the three of them arrived at Banner State City, a city located in the southernmost region of the Plum Glaze Nation. The highest-ranking officer in this city wasn’t the prefectural overseer, but instead the official responsible for the canal transport of the region. Meanwhile, the chief military official was a high-ranking official one rank below the canal transport official.

Chen Ping’an and the others stayed in this city for ten days, and they discovered that the concentration of spiritual energy here was far superior to that of ordinary regional cities. This was a boon for Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye’s cultivation, so Chen Ping’an decided to choose a large inn near the river so that the two of them could cultivate in peace. In the meantime, he wandered around the city and heard many things.

For example, the chief military official had a single son who was mediocre at scholarly studies and had no chance of becoming a champion scholar. He didn’t want to study either, and he often whiled away his time in the brothels, leaving him with a terrible reputation. However, he didn’t act tyrannically toward other people, and his only quirk was that he liked to instruct his subordinates to wantonly capture cats, dogs, foxes, and other similar animals. He liked to break their legs, twist them backward at strange angles, and watch them suffer.

It wasn’t long before a shocking piece of news traveled out from the chief military officer’s office, saying that the arms and legs of the chief military officer’s son had been snapped. He suffered a miserable fate not too dissimilar to his animal victims, and he was tossed onto his bed with a rag stuffed inside his mouth. The young man was already low on vitality thanks to his indulgence in wine and women, yet he somehow didn’t die even though he had suffered such severe wounds.

The chief military officer was enraged, and after confirming that this was the doing of spirits and demons, he spent an exorbitant amount of money to recruit two Cave Abode Tier cultivators from an immortal force to leave the mountains and subdue the demons. Of course, he also wanted to use immortal techniques to heal the wounds of his crippled son.

Chen Ping’an had coincidentally been strolling along the banks of the transport river at the time, and he had personally seen a group of immortals from the mountains entering the city on a small boat.

The person standing at the bow of the boat was surprisingly a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator.

In vassal states like the Plum Glaze Nation, recruiting a Dragon Gate Tier cultivator was a huge investment. From this, it could be seen that the office of the chief military officer was indeed very wealthy.

Apart from allowing Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi to cultivate, there was another more subtle reason for choosing to stay at Banner State City.

According to the immortal reports kept by the inn located on the banks of the Spring Flower River, the woman in green and the young boy in white, who had suddenly burst onto the scene, had once appeared in the sky above Banner State City, blocking the path of an elderly Golden Core Tier sword immortal who was known in the Luminous Vermilion Empire as someone who was one step away from advancing to the Nascent Tier. There had been three encounters and battles between them in total, and the woman in green and the young boy in white eventually killed the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator on the border of the Plum Glaze Nation and the Luminous Vermilion Empire.

Chen Ping’an speculated that Cui Dongshan and Ruan Xiu were “fishing,” trying to entice one or two Nascent Tier sword cultivators to leave the mountains and lose the protection of their mountain-protection formations as they mindlessly rushed to the Plum Glaze Nation to rescue the Golden Core Tier sword cultivator who had huge potential and was highly valued by the nation.

Otherwise, as a Nascent Tier cultivator who possessed a myriad of treasures, Cui Dongshan didn’t need to go to so much trouble to deal with a Golden Core Tier sword cultivator.

It was extremely likely that the Militarian Sect’s Ruan Qiong or the Mohist Sect’s Xu Ruo had been waiting in hiding near the border regions of the Plum Glaze Nation. In fact, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t be surprised even if both of them had been present.

As expected of a Dragon Gate Tier official immortal from the mountains, he succeeded in treating the chief military officer’s son after meeting up with the group of slightly weaker cultivators. However, the young man would suffer a slight limp in the future, and he was destined to never achieve any great success. The cultivators used secret immortal treasures and an animal spirit to identify and follow the traces, quickly finding the demon who dared to target the chief military officer’s son the same night. There was a bloody battle in the city, and the group of immortals were each more incisive and fierce than the other. The demon ran and hid the entire time, yet danger still lurked around every corner.

In reality, being able to silently sneak into the office of the chief military officer and torture his son as his son had tortured the animals before silently sneaking away again implied that the demon could have easily killed the young man if he had wanted to. However, the demon had decided against this for some unknown reason, only choosing to torture the young man instead.

Night arrived, and Chen Ping’an stood on the sidelines as he continued to observe matters from the city wall.

If it weren’t for the demon acting stupidly and choosing a path that inhibited its escape, whether purposely or not, Banner State City would have definitely suffered heavy casualties tonight. Hunting down a demon wasn’t wrong per se, but the attacks of the official immortals were truly reckless and without regard for anyone else’s safety.

Even so, the demon still eventually managed to flee from the city.

Like butterflies and sparrows, the official immortals soared over the city walls one after another, leaving behind the canal transport soldiers who could only wave their flags and yell in support as they continued to pursue the demon.

However, the soldiers would have never imagined that the two groups of cultivators stopped their furious pursuit soon after soaring away from the city. Even though they lost track of the demon, they purposely continued to unleash powerful attacks with the spirit tools, attacking a patch of empty land and creating a dazzling light show.

At the same time, the Dragon Gate Tier cultivator who had held back the entire time changed directions after leaving the city, silently leaving the group of demon-hunting cultivators.

Chen Ping’an leaped off the city wall and followed him from a distance.

In a large mountain more than ten kilometers away from the city, Chen Ping’an stood on the branch of a large tree and watched the elderly Dragon Gate Tier cultivator do battle with the demon. In the end, the cultivator used a white demon-binding chain to successfully capture the fox demon that had revealed its true form.

After successfully completing the hunt, the elderly cultivator dragged the blood-drenched white fox behind him using the demon-binding chain, directly walking over to Chen Ping’an and asking with a smile, “What is it? Perhaps you want a share of the spoils?”

Chen Ping’an lightly jumped to the ground and replied with a smile, “You’ve got yourself a good deal, Old Immortal. Your disciples can return to the chief military office and make up some excuses, saying that the great demon was difficult to subdue or whatnot. In any case, everyone in the city saw you and the other cultivators giving it your all and launching brilliant attacks to pursue the great demon.

“The prefectural overseer will presumably feel a deep sense of unease and obediently hand over another huge sum of immortal coins to beseech Old Immortal and your disciples to hunt down that great demon no matter what. Meanwhile, you’ve secretly captured the demon already, so you only need to find any random fox demon that’s just developed the ability to assume human form and hand it over to the office of the chief military officer in the future. Everyone will then be happy.”

The old cultivator stroked his beard and chuckled, “You have quite the sharp eyes, young one. There are a few idiots even among my slow disciples, yet a spectator like you was actually able to identify the crux of the situation simply by observing us for a while.”

“Old Immortal, you’re not thinking of killing me to silence me, are you?” Chen Ping’an asked in a joking manner.

The old cultivator laughed heartily and replied, “I’m not a lunatic vagrant cultivator, so I won’t abandon my parents, masters, and disciples simply for the sake of money. Go on, name your price. If your offer is fair, then we can treat this as an unexpected windfall that you deserve to receive. As the saying goes, people can only get rich from such windfalls.”

“Old Cultivator, what’s your reason for capturing this fox demon?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The old cultivator raised the demon-binding chain in his hand, causing the fox demon to howl in agony as he replied, “This is a demon who worked hard to reach the Sea Observation Tier, after all, so I’ll give it some training after bringing it back to the mountains. After grinding away its hostility and evil tendencies, I can raise it as a guest elder to guard my mountains. I’m not trying to brag, but this is also a huge stroke of fortune for this fox demon.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said with a smile, “There are both truths and lies in your reply, but let’s ignore that for the moment. In any case, I urge Old Immortal to carefully consider your actions and refrain from attempting to capture me with that demon-binding chain.”

There was a cloudy look in the old cultivator’s eyes as he replied, “You’re truly pushing your luck, young one. You’re projecting your shortcomings onto me despite my generosity, so are you not afraid of transforming your fortune into calamity?”

Chen Ping’an held his hands inside his opposite sleeves, retracting his smile as he replied, “You should actually be thanking this fox demon, or else you would already be half-dead right now considering the significant damages and huge crimes you would have committed in the city just then.”

The Dragon Gate Tier cultivator roared with laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, causing the nearby trees to sway and the falling leaves to rustle.

Chen Ping’an sighed and continued, “There are proper ways to obtain wealth, and I think it’s very good to earn the ill-gotten wealth of the canal transport officials. However, to ignore the life and death of the common people in order to make money? And allying with the other cultivators and waiting for them to rush over so that you can both capture the demon and kill me to eliminate future troubles? This is not good at all.”

The old cultivator looked at the young man who had initially appeared like nothing more than a sickly person.

The more he looked, the more abnormal the young man appeared.

He felt a rising sense of apprehension.

When genuine enmity developed between cultivators, it was very easy for things to devolve to a state where the two sides feuded until one was eventually killed. Otherwise, it might transform into a sense of hostility that plagued them for tens upon hundreds of years.

“I’ll offer some money to complete a transaction with you — what do you say?” Chen Ping’an proposed.

The old cultivator was extremely hesitant.

Chen Ping’an tossed over a jade tablet.

It was the jade tablet that signified his position as a top-grade guest elder of Cyan Gorge Island.

The old cultivator didn’t dare to catch the jade tablet. Cultivators had all kinds of weird and wonderful tricks up their sleeves, so who dared to be careless in situations like these?

Chen Ping’an didn’t summon back the jade tablet straight away, instead allowing it to hover in the air just like that so that the Dragon Gate Tier cultivator could examine it carefully. He then tossed over a grain rain coin and said, “Cyan Gorge Island is facing some disarray right now, and our might is also lesser than before. You’re also a slightly renowned official immortal of the Plum Glaze Nation, or else you would have already been dead and your demon-binding chain would have already been in my possession. I suggest that you stop causing trouble after taking this grain rain coin, or else you and your disciples can prepare to obediently hide in your mountain forever.”

Chen Ping’an then smiled and continued, “Of course, one grain rain coin naturally isn’t a fair price, but wouldn’t offering you a fair price be an insult to my jade tablet? What do you say, Old Immortal?”

Chen Ping’an patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd.

Two flying swords burst out before disappearing in a flash.

The eyelids of the old cultivator twitched, and he flicked his sleeve to push the jade tablet back to the young “sword immortal” in azure cotton robes. He then accepted the grain rain coin and bowed in respect, saying with a smile, “It seems that we’ve become acquainted through exchanging a few blows. If you can trust me, then feel free to visit Coiling Dragon Mountain in the future.”

Chen Ping’an put away his jade tablet and summoned First and Fifteenth back into his Sword Nurturing Gourd, saying with a faint smile, “After seeing how Old Immortal does business, I wouldn’t dare to visit you, lest I end up gifting you money again.”

The old cultivator laughed heartily and shook his demon-binding chain, causing the snow-white fox demon to collapse to the ground. After putting away his immortal treasure, he spoke in a relatively firm manner, saying, “As long as Cyan Gorge Island remains stable, my small Coiling Dragon Mountain will only give you money. I won’t dare to accept any money from you — it will be far too hot to handle. If Cyan Gorge Island falls one day, however, then let’s hope that we don’t ever meet each other again. Otherwise, it will only hurt our relationship.”

The old cultivator didn’t dilly-dally about, and he immediately left after saying this to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an leaped onto a branch, staying there for a moment before lightly jumping back down. The old Dragon Gate Tier cultivator had genuinely left.

The snow-white fox that was curled up in pain on the ground stared wide-eyed at the young cultivator as it tended to its wounds.

Was he truly a sword cultivator?

She hadn’t dared to swagger around the city after leaving her home in the mountains, and she hadn’t come across many cultivators from the mountains either. As such, this was the first time in her life that she had come across a sword cultivator.

Chen Ping’an waved his hand and said, “Go on, you can leave now. There’s no need to feign weakness anymore. Even though you’re unable to fight with others, I know that you’re already able to walk without any issues. Also, remember not to stay around Banner State City for the next while.”

The fox demon blinked her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Are you blaming me for delaying your opportunity to obtain your fortune of the Great Dao at Coiling Dragon Mountain?” Chen Ping’an asked in amusement.

The fox demon’s voice was clear and crisp as she replied, “There’s a very scary evil python being raised at Coiling Dragon Mountain, and this beast is the true guardian guest elder of the mountain. It likes to eat other spirits and monsters, so that old baddy was lying to you just then. You definitely need to be careful in the future.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response, signaling that he would keep this in mind. He didn’t walk forward, and he instead squatted down on the spot as he asked, “Are you very puzzled about why I rescued you even though I’m a vagrant cultivator from Bamboo Scroll Lake?”

The fox demon hurriedly shut her mouth, not saying another word.

Chen Ping’an smiled and tossed her a small porcelain vial, with the vial falling to the ground and rolling over to the snow-white fox demon as he continued, “You can save this for later if you’re afraid to eat it right now.”

“What are you trying to achieve, Young Master?” the fox demon couldn’t help but ask.

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and replied, “Then let me ask you as well: You were almost caught in the city for the sake of not harming any innocent people, so what are you trying to achieve?”

The fox demon smiled with squinted eyes, appearing much like a human woman even though she was a fox. This was a very interesting sight, and her voice was soft and cutesy as she remarked, “Young Master, perhaps we’re like-minded people?”

However, she quickly sulked and put on an apologetic expression.

She had a nagging feeling that she was being slightly rude to her benefactor by saying this.

After all, those who were fortunate enough to be born as humans often used an insult where they called people even worse than a beast.

Chen Ping’an didn’t offer a response, waving his hand again and saying, “Go on, you should leave now. The demons residing within human hearts are incredibly terrifying. In the future, you shouldn’t seek amusement in the human world because you feel like your cultivation base is high enough. You’ve already won your battle with the heavens, and it’s because of this that you’ve managed to obtain your current cultivation base. You definitely need to cherish this.

“When you try to do battle with humans, however, are you any match for those vagrant cultivators and official immortals? Go on, it’s time for you to leave. Even if you can’t resist the temptation and enter the human world to wander around the cities again in the future, make sure to be extremely careful. Also, definitely don’t be under the illusion that you’ll come across someone like me every single time. In any case, how can you be sure that a good person like me won’t become a bad person in the future?

The fox demon lightly raised a paw and covered her mouth, giggling, “Since you’ve said this, how can you possibly become a bad person in the future? I don’t believe it.”

Chen Ping’an placed his hands inside his opposite sleeves, still squatting on the ground as he smiled faintly and replied, “It’s up to you whether you believe me or not. However, I’m warning you that the old baddy from Coiling Dragon Mountain might go back on his word at any moment. He might meet up with the other immortals and immediately make a U-turn to rush over here and capture you, treating you as food for their evil python.”

The snow-white fox hesitated for a moment before hurriedly putting away the porcelain vial and sprinting away with a whoosh. However, she stopped and turned around after taking a dozen or so steps, standing up on her hind legs like a human and bowing in respect as she bid farewell to Chen Ping’an.

The young man in azure cotton robes remained squatting there the entire time, but he didn’t forget to raise a hand and wave goodbye to her.

After the young fox demon left, Chen Ping’an stood up and slowly made his way back to Banner State City, treating this as a night stroll through the mountain forests.

Chen Ping’an heaved a long sigh upon recalling the loss of another grain rain coin, telling himself that he couldn’t be so wasteful next time.

However, the bookkeeper from Cyan Gorge Island had most likely forgotten that he had told himself the same thing after giving the young dog spirit a lesser heat coin in the dog meat shop back then.

Chen Ping’an had indeed forgotten about this matter, and he gazed up at the sky as he strolled toward the city. The bright moon hung in the sky, and gazing upon it he forgot about all trivial matters.