Unsheathed

According to the veiled explanation of Li Fuqu, the elderly Nascent Tier cultivator, the person who had instructed her to leave Palace Willow Island was an Upper Five Tier cultivator from the Parasol Leaf Sect. This cultivator once managed the rules and regulations of the sect’s ancestral hall, and their lofty status meant that they had enjoyed impressive might and influence even when Du Mao was still alive. In fact, even the current sect leader of the Parasol Leaf Sect had referred to them as Uncle Master.

This wasn’t the biggest worry for Chen Ping’an.

The truly terrifying thing was that this paramount cultivator from the Parasol Leaf Sect was now a guest elder of the Jade Tablet Sect, and it was none other than the Jade Tablet Sect that was going to imminently nominate Bamboo Scroll Lake as the new location for its lower sect!

Considering the members of the Jade Tablet Sect, there was Old Man Xun who had appeared in Old Dragon City’s Dust Medicinal Shop, there was Sui Youbian who was going to cultivate and attain Dao there in the future, and there was also Jiang Shangzhen who had appeared at Azure Tiger Palace earlier.

Among these cultivators, there was a relatively high chance that Jiang Shangzhen would become the first sect leader of the Jade Tablet Sect’s lower sect. However, the ancestral hall of the Jade Tablet Sect hadn’t given a clear indication yet, meaning that anything could still happen.

One evidence of this was the fact that Jiang Shangzhen was still yet to travel to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

As for the chief guest elder of the lower sect, that would naturally be a position held by Palace Willow Island’s Liu Laocheng.

This was all that Li Fuqu said to Chen Ping’an.

Jiang Shangzhen, someone who liked to get involved in the action everywhere, was yet to appear, while the wildly ambitious cultivator who was once an old ancestor of the Parasol Leaf Sect was now clearing the path for the Jade Tablet Sect. As such, this powerful cultivator was perhaps developing some entitled thoughts, wanting to clash with Jiang Shangzhen and fight for the position of sect leader of the lower sect.

It was no wonder that Li Fuqu had followed him the entire time, looking for an opportunity to make a move.

It was also no wonder that Su Gaoshan had bluntly turned down his request for a meeting. One had to realize that even Tan Yuanyi was aware of some of the secrets held by the Green Ripple Pavilion, understanding Chen Ping’an’s many ties to the Great Li Empire. Thus, as someone who didn’t take Tan Yuanyi seriously at all, Su Gaoshan naturally knew even more. After reaching such a lofty height, Su Gaoshan could peruse the secret documents and learn about more inside information even though he was still unable to wantonly order around the spies of the Green Ripple Pavilion.

Fortunately, Li Fuqu was careful enough and showed enough respect and fear toward the unpredictable impermanence of the Great Dao.

It was thanks to this that she had managed to orchestrate a performance with Chen Ping’an, one where both of them suffered some losses.

Afterward, they had naturally left the small hill and met again somewhere near the border pass.

To cause an injury and draw blood from a Nascent Tier cultivator’s glabella? If news of this traveled out, none of the tens of thousands of vagrant cultivators in Bamboo Scroll Lake would believe this, disregarding Palace Willow Island.

Of course, this was as long as Liu Laocheng wasn’t hellbent on targeting Chen Ping’an and purposely revealing his true abilities. After all, doing so would be a lose-lose situation for Liu Laocheng, with him needing to comprehensively offend a future high-level guest elder of the Jade Tablet Sect’s lower sect. As long as Liu Laocheng remained silent or spoke in an ambiguous manner, the powerful cultivator who was once an old ancestor of the Parasol Leaf Sect would most likely be half believing and half skeptical of the matter. This was already enough.

Even so, Chen Ping’an had still refrained from mentioning to Li Fuqu the warning that Liu Laocheng had given him via Liu Zhimao’s flying swords. He had asked to form an alliance with Li Fuqu, but he hadn’t expressed any additional goodwill to ensure success by revealing this information which wouldn’t cost him a single copper coin but would immediately be effective.

There were some things that he couldn’t do.

Otherwise, Chen Ping’an would genuinely need to do some self-reflection and consider whether his conscience had already devolved completely into that of a vagrant cultivator from Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Regardless of whether it was Chen Ping’an or Li Fuqu, neither of them had noticed the events after they left the border pass.

Following their departure, a subtle and seemingly intangible ripple had appeared above the city wall, eventually transforming into a person whom they were both familiar with.

If Li Fuqu became aware of this, she would perhaps become so terrified that even her Dao Heart would be shattered in terror.

This was because the uninvited guest was none other than Liu Laocheng, the person who had obtained a shard of the colored glaze golden body that even Dao Lord Qi Zhen had coveted. As the number one vagrant cultivator of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Liu Laocheng now had an even better chance of advancing to the Immortal Tier.

After leaving Bamboo Scroll Lake, Liu Laocheng should have gone to visit Su Gaoshan to discuss some important matters. He naturally made this visit, but when and how he returned to Palace Willow Island afterward was completely up to him. No one could dictate Liu Laocheng in this regard.

Even the Upper Five Tier cultivator who had defected from the Parasol Leaf Sect to the Jade Tablet Sect and stolen an extremely valuable treasure before leaving didn’t dare to restrict Liu Laocheng too much. He didn’t dare to probe Liu Laocheng again and again.

Even in the Parasol Leaf Continent which was far larger than the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, Upper Five Tier vagrant cultivators were still extremely difficult beings to deal with.

Regardless of why Liu Laocheng had appeared near the small hill at that time, he had waved his sleeve and retracted his observation technique, which was almost at the Immortal Tier, following the departure of Li Fuqu and Chen Ping’an. Liu Laocheng was a vagrant cultivator, so it was completely normal for him to be especially skilled in several techniques, possess a few deadly techniques or immortal treasures that were extremely stealthy, and have a few bonded items that could reliably protect his yin soul and yang soul. Fleeing and spying on other people were also important skills, and the more skills and treasures he had, the better. One could never have too many skills, after all, and having a wide variety of skills and being extremely good at them would allow a vagrant cultivator with no powerful backer to live for longer.

Li Fuqu soared into the air, transforming into a brilliant streak of light and leaving a loud rumble in her wake as she flew away on the wind.

After appearing on the small hill, Liu Laocheng smiled faintly and remarked, “Not bad, young lad. It seems like you still uphold some morality and justice of the cultivation world. You made a fairly smart decision, or else… heh.”

Liu Laocheng disappeared in a flash.

Chen Ping’an had teetered on the precipice of death, brushing past the door to the underworld that was hidden on the path of the Great Dao. Indeed, Chen Ping’an was completely oblivious to the fact that he had just narrowly escaped death.

This was often the case when it came to mortal people and mortal things, although most times, it wouldn’t pertain to something as important as life and death. It would often relate to some less important matters, for example, mysteriously coming across a fated opportunity, suddenly losing power and influence without warning, entering a conflict for seemingly no reason, enjoying extraordinary luck all of a sudden, and so on and so forth. All of these matters would leave people scratching their heads, some in wild delight and some in bitter pain.

It appeared as if everything was destined, yet the deciding factor was actually human decisions rather than preordained fate.

The heavens were watching the actions of the people, and even if they weren’t, other people would also be watching.

As for how people should act, each person had their own fates and opportunities, allowing them to make different choices depending on their environment. A person could establish themself in many ways, whether that be treating other people with sincerity, seeking nothing but profit, or drifting along with no clear purpose. The laughable thing was that many people were clueless about something as basic as the difference between good people and bad people. In fact, it was often useless even if they were aware of the difference. Many people would console themselves by saying that this was the state of the world, so speaking reason and adhering to principles was completely pointless.

After all, each person’s ability to reach their current state was supported by hidden principles that didn’t exist in written form. The most fundamental thoughts and actions of each person were like the most critical pillars that held everything up. Change was difficult to think about, and it was even more difficult to implement.

Just like repairing a house by adding bricks and tiles, this was something that required money to do. If the columns were shaky, then the house would definitely be unstable. If one only intended to swap the tiles and repair the windows, this wouldn’t be too difficult a task. However, what if one attempted to swap out the shaky column? That would naturally require a huge sacrifice and bring about many bitter hardships, and few people could endure and successfully carry out such changes. The older and more experienced a person was, the more comfortable and accustomed they would be with their house. As such, it would be exceedingly difficult to make any changes.

Once calamity descended upon them and plunged them into hardships, they would think to themselves that this was the state of the world and everyone was experiencing the same thing. They would then borrow a few famous but nonsensical quotes from the books to temporarily ease their minds. Otherwise, they might comfort themselves by turning their gazes toward those who were suffering even more than them. All of these thoughts and actions were understandable.

Chen Ping’an drew closer and closer to Bamboo Scroll Lake, yet he suddenly turned his horse around and galloped back to the Plum Glaze Nation.

However, he didn’t reunite with Zeng Ye and Ma Duyi, and he instead freed his horse in the mountain forest. As for whether Chen Ping’an and the horse would meet again in the future, that would be up to fate.

Chen Ping’an walked along a small and desolate path that only woodsmen would use, traveling on foot as he traversed the mountains in the border region in search of a certain person.

He was searching for the young monk who could subdue his internal demons.

Chen Ping’an stopped after arriving under a certain cliff face, bringing his palms together and bowing in respect toward some stone cave high above him.

The young monk stood up from his straw mat, seemingly unsurprised as he returned the gesture and bowed in greeting. He then extended a hand, gesturing for Chen Ping’an to slowly climb up from the steep cliff face.

Even though Chen Ping’an hadn’t noticed anyone following this time, he still walked relatively slowly and purposely breathed in a slightly labored manner. As for the flow of Qi inside his body, he was able to disguise it with the help of Li Fuqu’s secret technique. Even so, he still needed to be extremely cautious, or else he would be bringing harm to not only himself but also Li Fuqu. He would be placing both of them in great danger.

Chen Ping’an climbed up the cliff face like a mountain ape.

The young monk stood in front of the narrow stone cave, and only when Chen Ping’an climbed up and stood still did he sit down on the ground and cross his legs. He offered his straw mat to his guest.

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment before accepting the offer and sitting down on the straw mat.

As for the ape that was the manifestation of the young monk’s internal demons, its eyes remained closed the entire time as if it were sound asleep.

“I’m from the Parasol Leaf Continent, so I’m not familiar with the official dialect of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent,” the young monk said. “I only have some surface-level knowledge of Buddhism, and there are two literal comprehensions that hinder me. One pertains to the words spoken between us, and the other pertains to the gap between the intent of Buddhism and the characters in Buddhist scriptures. I dare not speak carelessly regarding the latter.”

Using the official dialect of the Parasol Leaf Continent, Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “Then it’s quite fortunate that I’ve traveled to the Parasol Leaf Continent before and can speak the official dialect of the continent. As such, I can somewhat resolve one of your minor comprehension issues.”

The young and haggard monk smiled faintly and said, “Benefactor, are you aware of this saying from the Parasol Leaf Continent? To separate out the Bull Head Sect.”[1]

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, “I’m not aware of this. My understanding of Buddhism is very shallow, and I haven’t had any opportunities to study Buddhist scriptures during my travels.”

The young monk raised a single palm and held it upright in front of his chest, saying, “Not being aware of this is also good. It will reduce the number of barriers in your mind.”

A thought occurred to Chen Ping’an, yet he gently pressed it down.

Subduing the manifestation of his internal demons was a Dao attainment catalyst for the young monk, so other people shouldn’t mention it lightly simply because they wanted to ask a few questions to gain a better understanding.

However, the young monk was already smiling as he said, “Benefactor has strong affinity with Buddhism, and you also have some affinity with me. The former is visible to the naked eye, while the latter can be seen vaguely as well. During Benefactor’s journey through the northern regions of the Parasol Leaf Continent, I surmise that Benefactor once traveled to a mountain peak and came across a seemingly mad little spirit that continually mumbled to itself and asked, ‘How can one become a Buddha with a heart like this?’ Am I correct?”

Chen Ping’an was flabbergasted.

“It looks like the answer is yes,” the young monk said with a faint smile.

The young monk gazed at the scenes outside the stone cave, seemingly seeing tens of thousands of kilometers beyond the continent as he continued slowly, “It was asking the correct question, but I can’t offer any answer.”

He then said, “When embarking on the journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures back then, I was both a master and a disciple, with my body splitting into five without my knowledge. I was embroiled in the miasma of self-attachment at the time, but I coincidentally came across a cave abode that housed a kind-hearted spirit who graciously guided me onto the correct path.

“However, I encountered other troubles afterward, and I ended up swinging my weapon and killing countless beings. My path to obtaining Buddhist scriptures was already severed at that moment, and it was severed again and again afterward, with everything I did further exacerbating the problem. I remained oblivious, and I continued to travel through continent after continent, eventually leaving this world and finally seeing the Buddhist Pureland after overcoming innumerable hardships. Yet, I turned around and returned here, with both my hands and my heart filled with nothing but emptiness.”

The young monk heaved a long sigh, looking at Chen Ping’an and saying, “Ask away, Benefactor.”

Chen Ping’an slowly voiced some of his questions, both questions regarding Buddhist scriptures and questions regarding mortal interactions.

The young monk answered these questions using Buddhist principles.

Chen Ping’an had only read a few Buddhist scriptures recommended by Cui Dongshan before, so he had absolutely no understanding of the complexities of the various Buddhist sects. In any case, he had never paid much attention to these matters to begin with.

He was purely and sincerely asking about Dao and listening to the responses of the young monk who had traveled far and wide from the Parasol Leaf Continent.

There were several explanations that left a deep impression on Chen Ping’an, and some of these explanations pertained to the notion of Hetuvidyā.[2]

One person asked questions and the other person answered, and the young monk further expanded on matters beyond the questions and answers themselves. In fact, it was surprising that some of his explanations clearly showed traces of Confucian principles, Daoist principles, or even principles belonging to the Hundred Schools of Thought. The young monk was not averse to drawing on the principles of other schools and teachings.

When Chen Ping’an finished asking all of his questions, the young monk smiled faintly and said, “Don’t be afraid that you’ll flee the mortal world and pursue Chan Buddhism simply because you’ve asked some questions pertaining to Buddhism. This is a common misconception of people in this world.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and nodded in response.

He indeed respected Buddhism, but he didn’t want to go as far as to become a true monk.

Afterward, he discussed his experiences in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s Heart Manifestation Temple with the young monk, especially his conversations with that old monk. He recounted all of these matters to the young monk.

The young monk listened carefully, and he would occasionally recite a Buddhist chant to express his understanding.

In the end, Chen Ping’an stood up from the straw mat and took a step back, once again bowing his head and bringing his palms together as he said, “My confusions have already been cleared up.”

The young monk also stood up, quietly reciting a Buddhist chant and murmuring, “One who has thus gone, one who has thus come, Elder Shenxiu.”[3]

Chen Ping’an retreated from the stone cave and descended the cliff face the same way that he had ascended.

The young monk looked at the straw mat, once again bringing his palms together and repeating, “Elder Shenxiu.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t understand the deeper meaning of this chant.

He simply recalled that there was indeed a tall mountain in his hometown, and on the cliff face were four large engraved characters that read, “Heaven Creates Divine Elegance.”[4] In the beginning, Chen Ping’an had traversed mountains and crossed rivers with other people to visit the mountain, yet his poor eyesight at the time coupled with the swirling clouds and mists had meant that he couldn’t see the characters clearly even when he looked up and squinted his eyes.

Afterward, he had only managed to see these characters when Wei Bo showed him around the territory of the Northern Mountain. Back then, Chen Ping’an had felt like Master Ruan’s reason for choosing Divine Elegance Mountain as the main mountain for his sect was because Ruan Xiu’s name also contained the character Xiu.

Chen Ping’an returned to the border region of the Plum Glaze Nation, and he surprisingly found his horse in the mountain forest. After seeing Chen Ping’an, the horse galloped over and nudged him in an affectionate manner.

Chen Ping’an gently patted the horse’s back and joked, “I just realized that we’ve both lost some weight. However, you’re faring slightly better than me, and as the saying goes, tapping your skinny bones will still emit the ring of copper instruments.[5] Meanwhile, I can be regarded as bony and unpleasantly thin, with so little meat on my bones that a small gust might knock me down.”

Chen Ping’an jumped onto his horse and directly set off for Bamboo Scroll Lake.

There was a sword and a saber hanging crisscrossed on one hip, and there was a Sword Nurturing Gourd hanging on his other hip.

Chen Ping’an surmised that if he had looked like this back then, he most likely wouldn’t have experienced that dangerous knock on the door at night during his stay in the Purple Sun Residence.

It was also no wonder that the old sword practitioner over at Staying Pass had said that not everyone dressed in azure was necessarily a sword immortal.

1. This saying references the inheritances in Chan (Zen) Buddhism. ☜

2. Hetuvidyā (因明学) means Buddhist logic or the science of reasoning. ☜

3. The first half of the chant is most likely referencing Tathāgata (如来) and its alternate name in Chinese (如去). Tathāgata is a Pali and Sanskrit word used in ancient India for a person who has attained the highest religious goal. Elder Shenxiu might be a reference to Yuquan Shenxiu, one of the most influential Chan masters of his day and a Patriarch of the East Mountain Teaching of Chan Buddhism. ☜

4. The Chinese characters for Divine Elegance (神秀) are read Shenxiu and use the same characters as Elder Shenxiu. ☜

5. This is a line from Li He’s poem, Twenty-Three Poems About Horses. Li He was a Chinese poet of the mid-Tang dynasty. ☜