Unsheathed

All of a sudden, Shi Rou sprang to her feet and looked up to the second floor, where Cui Chan’s grandfather was holding the unconscious Chen Ping’an by the scruff of his neck. With a casual toss, he sent Chen Ping’an tumbling down over the railing, and Shi Rou hurriedly rushed over to catch him.

“He’s thinking too much and sleeping too little, so let him sleep to his heart’s content for now. Make sure no one disturbs him during this time,” Cui Chan’s grandfather said.

Shi Rou scrambled to do as she was told, placing Chen Ping’an down onto the bed on the first floor before carefully exiting the room, and after closing the door, she sat down on a bamboo chair at the entrance to serve as a door god.

Cui Chan’s grandfather made his way down from the bamboo building to arrive on top of the cliff. The blanket of dense cloud and mist presented a stunning sight to behold, like an ethereal white sea surrounding the island that was Downtrodden Mountain.

Not far away to the left was a neighboring mountain also jutting out of the sea of clouds. With a casual sweep of his sleeve, Cui Chan’s grandfather was able to clear away the entire sea of clouds with ease.

Shi Rou’s eyelids fluttered slightly upon seeing this, and she hurriedly lowered her gaze.

If that sweep of his sleeve had been directed at her, she wasn’t sure that this immortal body of hers would’ve been able to shield her soul from being eradicated on the spot.

Her past tormentor, Cui Dongshan, had previously paid a visit to Downtrodden Mountain and had also gone up to the second floor of the bamboo building. Shi Rou had never seen Cui Dongshan look so lost and dejected. At the time, the old man had remained in the room, while Cui Dongshan sat down in the corridor outside, and he had referred to the old man as his grandfather.

From that moment forth, Shi Rou knew what the best way to deal with the old man was. It was very simple: remain out of his line of sight as much as possible.

Cui Chan’s grandfather cast his gaze into the distance.

A giant, black python slithered over the wide mountain path as it quickly scaled the mountain, but as it drew close to the bamboo building, it didn’t dare to advance any further. Pei Qian was aware of the rules that it had to abide by, and she didn’t try to force it to advance any further up the mountain.

Instead, she drifted down onto the ground before rushing the rest of the way up the mountain, followed closely by the little girl in pink, who was fluttering along like an adorable, pink butterfly. In contrast, the little boy in azure was far less enthusiastic, sliding down the black python’s tail before trailing along behind his two companions at a lethargic pace.

For some reason, the prospect of seeing Chen Ping’an again felt a little daunting to him.

As Pei Qian arrived at the bamboo building, Shi Rou hurriedly relayed the old man’s instructions to her, and the former was left feeling both a little disappointed and concerned. She quietly strode over to the door of the bamboo building, then attempted to peek into the room through the gaps in the bamboo, but of course, she was unable to see anything.

Still unwilling to give up, she made a lap around the entire building before sitting down onto Shi Rou’s bamboo chair and crossing her arms in a displeased manner. She was Chen Ping’an’s first-ever disciple, yet she wasn’t the first one to see Chen Ping’an upon his return, and that simply didn’t sit right with her.

She gave the little girl in pink a look, and the latter instantly knew what she wanted, running over to Cui Chan’s grandfather before asking, “Is my master doing alright, Grandpa Cui?”

The old man nodded as he replied, “He’s in a bit of a delicate state, but he’s not beyond saving. Once he’s slept enough and taken enough punches from me, he’ll be back to normal.”

The little girl in pink instantly turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

She could already imagine the horrific punishment that Chen Ping’an was about to be subjected to.

The little boy in azure had been eavesdropping on their conversation this entire time, and he also couldn’t help but heave a forlorn internal sigh. Their poor master had only just returned home, and the heavens were already frowning down upon him.

No wonder it had taken him five years to return from his journey. If the little boy in azure had been in his place, he may not have been able to work up the courage to return even after fifty years!

Chen Ping’an slept for two days and a night before finally waking up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately rolled out of bed. Upon exiting the room, he discovered Pei Qian and Zhu Lian seated on a pair of bamboo chairs outside. Pei Qian’s legs were fully extended as she leaned against the back of her chair, and she was already sound asleep with drool trickling out of her mouth.

She had fully intended to stay awake until Chen Ping’an arose from his slumber, but her drowsiness had been too overpowering in the end. Chen Ping’an strode quietly to her side, then crouched down to look at her. Moments later, she raised an arm to wipe away the drool from her lips before continuing to sleep while speaking incoherently in her dreams.

Chen Ping’an stood up straight again, then gestured for Zhu Lian to follow him, and the two of them strode over to the cliff together, where there was a stone table with a go board engraved onto its surface, as well as four ornate, antiquated stone stools around it.

“Pei Qian would be absolutely distraught if she were to see you like this,” Zhu Lian chuckled quietly.

“Things already turned out quite well,” Chen Ping’an sighed. “I was prepared for the worst, and I thought that I wouldn’t be able to leave Bamboo Scroll Lake within seven or eight years.”

Zhu Lian nodded in response.

“I didn’t dare to ask about your situation in the letters that we exchanged, so I don’t know exactly what you experienced over there, but it had to have been quite an ordeal for you to have suffered so much.”

Chen Ping’an pulled out two flagons of crow caw wine from Bamboo Scroll Lake before handing one to Zhu Lian, and the two of them touched their flagons together before Chen Ping’an took a sip of wine while leaning against the stone table as he sighed, “I really don’t even know how to begin.”

Zhu Lian turned to look at Chen Ping’an, then also took a small sip of wine before consoling, “You look very frail and vulnerable right now, but as someone who’s very well-versed with women, I can tell you that in your current state, you’ll be extremely alluring to all women as you’ll be both tugging on their heartstrings and appealing to their empathy.

“If you ever go to the small town or the prefectural city, I advise you to put on a veiled hat to conceal your appearance. Otherwise, you may not make it back in one piece with all of the women that will be sure to cling to you.”

It had been a long time since Chen Ping’an had heard Zhu Lian’s flattery, and he stroked his own cheek as he chuckled, “Do you take me for an idiot or are you telling me that all women are blind?”

Zhu Lian shook his head in dismay as he sighed, “Disregard the advice of your elders at your own peril. Sooner or later, some woman is going to get her hands on you and…”

“Stop! Just be quiet and drink your wine!” Chen Ping’an hurriedly interjected.

“The truth hurts, but it must be told!” Zhu Lian insisted.

Chen Ping’an smiled and offered no response as he cast his gaze into the distance.

At the moment, he was looking in the southward direction, but the new properties that he was looking to acquire were going to be situated north of Downtrodden Mountain.

In addition to Ox Horn Mountain, which had previously been home to the Cloth Wrapper Shop, there was also Cinnabar Mountain, which the Xu Clan of Light Breeze City had chosen before they decided to abandon the “sinking ship” that was the Great Li Empire. Additionally, there were also mountains like Ao Back Ridge, Sword Worship Plateau, Exuberant Dawn Peak, and Gray Veil Mountain.

Aside from Sword Worship Plateau, which was a rather small mountain that was quite isolated and situated in the far west, the other available mountains were mostly situated in the southern region of the cluster of mountains in the west, not far away from Downtrodden Mountain. The most alluring prospect of all was Gray Veil Mountain, which was a very large mountain, and the immortal power that had purchased it had done so at a very exorbitant price.

Additionally, the former citizens of the Lu Empire had worked tirelessly to build immortal manors all over the entire mountain, transforming it into an immortal paradise. In the end, the mountain had been half-sold, half-returned to the Great Li Empire, a decision that the immortal power in question had to have been sorely regretting.

The gold essence copper coins owed to Chen Ping’an by the Great Li Empire were used to purchase mountains, with Wei Bo serving as the middleman, so neither side owed the other anything.

Ox Horn Mountain, which was where an immortal ferry station was going to be constructed, was about to fall under Chen Ping’an’s ownership, but it had to temporarily be under Wei Bo’s name. Otherwise, it would be an illegitimate transaction, and Chen Ping’an would also become the subject of envy from the nobility of the Great Li Empire for securing such an incredibly important and lucrative mountain.

However, in private, Chen Ping’an was going to be splitting the profits generated by the mountain evenly with Wei Bo.

Back in the day, he had stolen water from other plots of farmland for Gu Can’s family on countless occasions, never had he imagined that he would come under ownership of such an incredibly fertile plot of “farmland.”

“Zhu Lian, have you been sparring regularly with Senior Cui?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Zhu Lian shook his head with a smile as he replied, “Senior Cui has already reached the end of the Martial Dao, and I’m certain countless martial artists would be jumping at the opportunity to spar with him, but I don’t want to disturb his rest.”

Zhu Lian turned his gaze toward the bamboo building as he asked, “You don’t mind me saying that, do you, Senior Cui?”

There was no response.

Zhu Lian smiled as he turned back to Chen Ping’an and continued, “Occasionally, Senior Cui would go out to explore the mountains, equipped with a hiking pole, and discuss scholarly topics with several of the elderly teachers of Forest Deer Academy on Cloud Drape Mountain, but aside from that, he generally remains out of sight.”

All of a sudden, Zhu Lian recalled something, and he said, “I stumbled upon a fine diamond in the rough over at the prefectural city. She comes from a wealthy family that moved to the Dragon Spring Prefecture from the capital city of the Great Li Empire, and she’s about the same age as Pei Qian.

“It’s a little late for her to begin learning martial arts at this age, but the ship hasn’t completely sailed yet. I’ve already spoken to her seniors, and I can bring her to our Downtrodden Mountain as soon as you give the nod.

“Several new residences have been constructed on Downtrodden Mountain, so there’s more than enough accommodation for everyone, and it was all paid for by the Great Li Empire, so we didn’t have to spend even a single copper coin.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response. With more and more people coming to Downtrodden Mountain, it was indeed necessary to construct more lodging. Once the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Rites officially signed the contract, allowing Chen Ping’an to purchase those mountains, they would be able to have one mountain per person with no issues, even discounting the mountains that they would have to lend to Ruan Qiong.

Once that contract was finalized, Chen Ping’an would become the second-wealthiest landowner in the Dragon Spring Prefecture behind only Ruan Qiong. He would own a third of the western mountains, and outside of the small True Jewel Mountain, all of the other mountains were extremely abundant with spiritual energy, sufficient to support the cultivation of a Golden Core Tier earth immortal.

“If you want to bring her to Downtrodden Mountain, then of course that’s fine, but under what status will she be staying on Downtrodden Mountain? Will she be your in-house disciple?” Chen Ping’an asked.

This was going to be the first disciple that Zhu Lian was ever taking in the Majestic World, and Chen Ping’an was really looking forward to seeing how far she would be able to go on the path of martial arts.

As a Far Roaming Tier martial artist, Zhu Lian currently possessed the loftiest cultivation base of the four picture scroll martial artists from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Even though it seemed like he had compromised his future by taking a shortcut, deep down, Chen Ping’an felt like Zhu Lian had made the most correct decision.

“I have no interest in mentoring anyone as their master, so she’ll just have to be an unofficial disciple of Downtrodden Mountain for now,” Zhu Lian replied with a shake of his head. “If her aptitude catches anyone’s eye, then they can feel free to take her. I’m only doing this in order to add a bit more of a human presence to Downtrodden Mountain.

“Otherwise, with all these deities, spirits, and demons around, surely that’ll have a negative impact on the feng shui of the mountain. If someone of her aptitude were to be discovered in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, then I have no doubt that there would be a bunch of martial arts masters fighting over her, yet here in the Majestic World, I was simply able to stumble upon her like a wild cabbage growing on the side of the road!

“As expected of the Majestic World, there are far more exceptional talents here than in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.”

“How did you manage to convince her family? As the saying goes, the wealthy become scholars, while only the poor train martial arts, so surely it couldn’t have been easy,” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

“It actually wasn’t all that difficult,” Zhu Lian replied. “The reason why the family moved to the Dragon Spring Prefecture in the first place is because they could no longer live in the capital. She’s a very stubborn girl, and she got into some trouble over in the capital.

“Her seniors are also quite hard-headed individuals who weren’t willing to compromise, so they ended up irking some people that they couldn’t afford to mess with, and those people pursued her family all the way here from the capital, but I took care of them for her. She’s a caring girl who holds her family in very high regard, and her two brothers have already gone down the scholarly route, so there’s no need for her to do the same.

“On top of that, she feels very guilty for placing her family in this difficult predicament, so she immediately jumped on the prospect of being able to join an immortal power in the Dragon Spring Prefecture. She has no idea what pursuing the path of martial arts entails, nor is she aware of the hardships that await her on this path, but that’s not to say that she’s not bright.

“She’s a bit similar to Sui Youbian, but also not so similar. You’ll understand what I mean once you see her, Young Master.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Zhu Lian had always been quite reliable and levelheaded, as long as it was outside of battle.

All of a sudden, Zhu Lian turned around and roared, “Wake up, Pei Qian! Your master is about to embark on another long journey!”

Pei Qian fell to the ground along with her bamboo chair, and she immediately rushed over to Chen Ping’an as soon as she caught sight of him through her bleary eyes. Tears instantly began to flow down her face upon catching a clear glimpse of Chen Ping’an’s current appearance, and her little face puckered up into a sour ball of sympathy.

How did Master become like this? He’s so thin and dark, is he trying to be like me?

Chen Ping’an turned to her with a smile as he asked, “How come you haven’t grown taller at all after three years? Are you playing too much and not eating enough? Have you kept up with your transcriptions?”

Pei Qian threw her arms around Chen Ping’an and began bawling in a heartbroken manner, kicking herself for not insisting on traveling to Bamboo Scroll Lake with him.

She was clumsy and not very good with housework, so she wouldn’t have been able to look after Chen Ping’an much, but at the very least, he would’ve had someone to talk to.

Chen Ping’an gave Zhu Lian a displeased glare, while the latter looked on with more than a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.

Zhu Lian raised his wine flagon before taking a large swig, and while Chen Ping’an consoled Pei Qian in a gentle voice, he picked up his flagon before departing, leaving the two to enjoy their long-awaited reunion by themselves.

Finally, Pei Qian’s tears ran dry, but she was still sniveling as she sat down onto the stone stool beside Chen Ping’an.

She had grown a little taller, but it wasn’t a very noticeable change at all. A girl of her age should’ve been transitioning into a young woman, but she was still the same walking charcoal briquette that Chen Ping’an had parted ways with back in Red Candle Town.

She began telling Chen Ping’an about all of the important tasks that she had carried out during these past few years. Every once in a while, she would travel to the small town to clean his ancestral residence on Clay Vase Alley and inspect the two shops on Dragon Riding Alley.

During the first month and the Tomb Sweeping Festival of each year, she would go to attend to the graves, and whenever she wasn’t making her daily transcriptions, she would dutifully patrol the border of Downtrodden Mountain atop the black python with her hiking pole in hand, looking out for any petty thieves that may have been eying the bamboo building.

In addition to that, she also had to practice the six-step walking meditation and Eighteen Stops Technique taught to her by Chen Ping’an, as well as the White Ape Sword-Carrying Technique and the White Ape Saber-Wielding Technique taught to her by Fan Wan’er on a daily basis, and that wasn’t even to mention the work that she had to do hone her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques, which she was on the verge of mastering…

The overall message was that she had been very busy and diligent, and that she hadn’t fooled around at all, even for a single second!

As for the trivial things like chasing dogs, fighting geese, and kicking shuttlecocks, she felt no need to inform Chen Ping’an about such matters. As her master’s first-ever disciple, such glorious feats were only to be expected of her, so there was no need for her to show them off.

Chen Ping’an patiently listened to Pei Qian’s embellished stories, then smiled as he asked, “Did Senior Cui teach you anything?”

Pei Qian shook her head vigorously as she put on a pitiable expression and replied, “He didn’t think I was good enough to be taken under his wing. You may not know this, Master, but Senior Cui is even more sage-like than all of those cultivators, and I truly admire him.

“It’s just a pity that I’m not good enough to catch his eye, and I couldn’t get him to instruct me in my Deranged Demon Sword Techniques. That’s the only thing that I couldn’t live up to your expectations for during the years that you’ve been away.”

As if she were worried that Chen Ping’an wouldn’t believe her, she put on a frustrated expression to try and make for a more convincing act, and she slammed her fist down onto her palm as she sighed, “I’ve failed you, Master!”

Chen Ping’an bent down slightly before flicking Pei Qian on the forehead, causing her to grimace in pain as she threw a hand to her own head.

“Just be honest with me if there was too much hardship for you to bear. Who are you trying to fool?” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

Pei Qian massaged her own forehead as her eyes widened with incredulity, and she exclaimed, “Could it be that you’ve learned a mind-reading technique during your journey, Master? How is it that you’re able to learn powerful abilities wherever you go?

“How am I ever supposed to catch up to you when you’re constantly leaving me further and further behind in the dust? Am I doomed to never be able to surpass my incredibly talented and hard-working master?”

Chen Ping’an grabbed onto her ear and gave it a slight twist as he chuckled, “You haven’t grown much taller over the years, but you’ve certainly gotten better at sucking up to others!”

Pei Qian looked up at Chen Ping’an with a wide grin, but the sight of his emaciated face immediately brought her to the verge of tears again, and she lowered her head in a dejected manner, no longer in the mood to joke around with him.

Chen Ping’an heaved a faint sigh, then patted Pei Qian on her little head as he smiled and said, “I have a piece of good news for you: very soon, Gray Veil Mountain, Cinnabar Mountain, and Ao Back Ridge will all belong to your master, and I’ll also own half of the immortal ferry station on Ox Horn Mountain, so you’ll be able to justifiably demand passage fees from all of the people coming and going from the ferry station.”

Pei Qian gave an unenthusiastic nod in response.

Chen Ping’an tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves as he continued to look out at the night scenery to the south of Downtrodden Mountain. He had heard that on bright and clear days, one would even be able to see the outlines of Red Candle Town and the Embroidered Flower River.

Meanwhile, Pei Qian rested her chin on the stone table, tracing the lines of the go board engraved onto its surface as she stared at her master.

Before long, the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure arrived from the newly constructed residences after being informed of Chen Ping’an’s awakening by Zhu Lian, and Chen Ping’an turned to them with a smile before beckoning for them to sit down at the stone table.

The little girl in pink rushed over to him before extending a deep bow as she greeted in a respectful manner, “Welcome home, Master.”

The little boy in azure also extended a respectful bow, and there was a bright smile on his face as he said, “You’re finally back, Master. I thought you’d return with a few beautiful concubines by your side!”

“Shush! Don’t go spouting your nonsense to our master!” the little girl in pink scolded in a displeased manner.

The little boy in azure sat down onto the stone stool across from Chen Ping’an while picking his nose, and he rested his chin on the table like Pei Qian as he asked in a perplexed manner, “Why do you look like that, Master? Are you wearing a human skin mask? Why are you wearing something so scary so late at night?”

“I’m surprised you’re not asking for a red packet as soon as you see me,” Chen Ping’an remarked with a smile.

The little boy in azure immediately raised his head from the table, then pretended to take a closer look at Chen Ping’an as he amended, “Now that I’ve had a better look, you seem manlier than ever, Master!”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head in exasperation.

Downtrodden Mountain? More like Suck-Up Mountain!

Despite his exasperation, Chen Ping’an still pulled out a collection of gifts for the trio from his minimization treasure, namely the nine-grid box that had been gifted to him by the old imperial preceptor of the Thousand Gorge Nation, the Old Dragon Rainbringer that had been given to him by the Fu Clan as compensation, and his final Fox Skin Beauty Talisman, which he gave to Pei Qian, the little boy in azure, and the little girl in pink, respectively.

Pei Qian’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the collection of items within the nine-grid box, and the little body in azure accepted the priceless Old Dragon Ringbringer after a brief hesitation, while the little girl in pink was clearly enamored with the Fox Skin Beauty Talisman.

Chen Ping’an turned to her with a smile as he explained, “From now on, you won’t have to clean the rooms on your own. You can inject your spiritual energy into this talisman to summon a talismanic puppet to help you, and it’s no less intelligent than the average young girl, so you’ll be able to chat with it as well.”

The little girl in pink rose to her feet before extending a grateful bow to Chen Ping’an in an impeccable display of etiquette.

All of a sudden, the little boy in azure asked, “Isn’t this a little too precious?”

“Oh? I never thought I’d hear something like that from you,” Chen Ping’an jibed.

The little boy in azure hesitated momentarily, then heaved a forlorn sigh as he said, “I can’t accept this. I just so happen to have heard about how precious these Old Dragon City jade pendants are, and it’s not like these are snake gall pebbles that concern my Great Dao, so I can’t accept this…”

He set the jade pendant down onto the table as he spoke.

Chen Ping’an could see that the little boy in azure was very firm in his stance, so he didn’t insist that the latter accept his gift. He picked up his flagon of crow caw wine before taking a sip, then asked, “I heard that the Imperial River God came to visit our Dragon Spring Prefecture, is that right?”

“He did,” the little boy in azure replied as he hung his head in dejection.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s that river god friend of yours that’s the idiot,” Chen Ping’an consoled. “If he comes again in the future, then just do whatever you like. If you don’t want to see him, then just say that you’re in seclusion and get Pei Qian to send him on his way.

“If you still want to see him, then continue to do so and greet him with fine wine like a friend. If you don’t have money to buy wine, then you can borrow both money or wine from me.”

“I thought you’d try to convince me not to see him again,” the little boy in azure said in a surprised manner.

“You’ve been friends with him for several hundred years, and it would be a pity to put an end to such a long-running friendship. Having said that, if there are some things that you can’t help him with, then simply tell him, and he’ll understand if he’s a true friend,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

“But when you’re in the cultivation world, telling your friends that you’re incapable of doing something is really embarrassing,” the little boy in azure mumbled before immediately taking a sheepish glance up at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an smiled as he said, “Fine. If you really want to keep up appearances with your river god friend, then you can come to me as long as it has something to do with money, and I’m happy to lend you as much as you need to ensure that you can continue to serve as the generous and capable second-in-command of the Imperial River.”

The little boy in azure was completely flabbergasted to hear this, so much so that he forgot to refer to Chen Ping’an as master and called out to him directly by name as he exclaimed, “Chen Ping’an, have you suffered knock to the head during the course of your journey?”

Chen Ping’an sat across from the little boy in azure with his hands tucked up their opposite sleeves as he replied, “Someday, when you realize that certain friends are not actually true friends, at least you can cut them off with a clear conscience, knowing that you did everything that you could for them.

“It’s not like we’re all beggars on Downtrodden Mountain who can’t afford to eat. As long as we can fill our bellies and have wine to drink, what does money matter for? If you don’t have money, then you can come to me.”

The little boy in azure abruptly picked up the Old Dragon Rainbringer from the table, then wiped a hand over his own face before rushing away without a word, leaving Pei Qian and the little girl in pink to exchange a dumbstruck look with one another.

There were still some more things that Chen Ping’an had refrained from articulating to the little boy in azure.

In any case, he didn’t want the little boy in azure to be too disappointed in the cultivation world that he had always yearned for.

All of a sudden, Wei Bo appeared atop the cliff and gently cleared his throat to announce his presence, then said, “Chen Ping’an, I have some news for you.”

“What is it?” Chen Ping’an asked as he rose to his feet.

“You have a female visitor,” Wei Bo replied as he pointed in the direction of the entrance of the mountain.