Unsheathed

A row of antique display shelves had been placed on the first floor of the bamboo building. The wooden shelves were simple yet elegant, and they had many grids, but not many of them were occupied by treasures.

Chen Ping’an was just about to pull some items out of his pocket treasure and minimization treasure to fill more of the grids when he suddenly found himself at a slight loss.

Over the course of his long journeys, he had witnessed and possessed many fine treasures, but aside from what had been bestowed upon him by Lu Tai from the Planchette Writing Sect’s Sky Calling Street, the gifts from Wu Yi at the Purple Sun Residence, the portrait of the woman that he had purchased himself on Ape Crying Street of Pond Water City, and the few items that had been given to him by the old shopkeeper as a bonus, there weren’t many noteworthy items left.

It seemed that he was not as wealthy as he had imagined. All of the treasures that had once been in his possession were like lotus pads drifting through a stream, disappearing downstream before he had even realized they were gone.

Chen Ping’an was reminded of the Staying Pass on the border between the Stone Brush Nation and the Plum Glaze Nation. Despite its name, nothing seemed to have stayed for him.

Some of his treasures had been lent to other people, such as the West Mountain armor pellet that had been lent to Wei Xian, the Halting Snow saber that had been lent to Lu Baixiang, the Deep Infatuation sword that had been lent to Sui Youbian, the “nourishing the noble spirit” jade tablet that had been lent to Wei Bo, and the Hall of the Underworld and the Colored Glaze Pagoda replica that had been lent to Gu Can.

There were even more treasures that he had given away outright, such as the Colorful Garment Nation Blusher Prefecture City God Protection Seal. Everyone on Downtrodden Mountain and all of the children in Mountain Cliff Academy had received gifts from Chen Ping’an at one point or another.

Setting aside all these friends and acquaintances, Chen Ping’an had even given out a lesser heat coin in that dog meat shop in the Stone Brush Nation, and back in the forest on the bank of the Spring Flower River in the Plum Glaze Nation, he had given out both money and medicine. Even earlier than that, he had fed that adolescent flood dragon in the water countless snake gall pebbles back on Osmanthus Island.

“Generosity feels good at the time, but regret is sure to follow,” Chen Ping’an sighed to himself in a self-deprecating manner.

The little lotus spirit had been resting on the table, but after hearing what Chen Ping’an had to say, it immediately burst into laughter, laying back onto the table as it pounded its own belly vigorously with its little arm in amusement.

Chen Ping’an’s mood was lifted by its energetic and adorable display.

He reached out with a finger to gently tickle the little lotus spirit’s armpit, and it rolled all over the table to try and get away from Chen Ping’an, but was ultimately unable to do so. In the end, it sat up with a stern look on its face, then flailed its arm at a pile of books on the table, as if it were telling Chen Ping’an that this table was a sacred place for reading and learning, and that there was no room for fooling around here.

Chen Ping’an stopped what he was doing with an amused smile, then pulled some items out of his pocket treasure and minimization treasure before setting them down onto the table.

Even though he wasn’t as wealthy as he had imagined, he still possessed a sizable amount of wealth. Not only was he constantly earning money from his mountains, he had a pseudo-celestial weapon on his back in the form of Sword Immortal.

Additionally, the Golden Sweet Wine Dao robe that had been stripped off the body of the old Nascent Tier flood dragon from the Flood Dragon Trench had been left behind by an almighty immortal.

That immortal failed in his attempt at ascension, so he was forced to pass on into the cycle of reincarnation, and the fact that Golden Sweet Wine hadn’t been destroyed in the process was a testament to just how exceptional an artifact it was. Hence, Chen Ping’an hadn’t been surprised in the slightest upon learning that it could evolve into a pseudo-celestial artifact through consuming gold essence copper coins.

There was an incomplete walnut bracelet, with each walnut capable of unleashing an attack that would’ve been lethal to the average Golden Core Tier earth immortal.

There was a thin, azure Dao robe that wasn’t quite at the level of an immortal treasure, but Chen Ping’an really liked it as he felt like the pristine white Golden Sweet Wine was too eye-catching.

He was going to be taking the walnut bracelet and the azure Dao robe with him on his trip to the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

Before long, many items had been set out on the table, but the two seals were still situated at the center, like a pair of bright moons nestled within a bed of stars.

Chen Ping’an began to think through all of the debts that he owed and had to repay.

Zhu Lian had once told him that borrowing money was the best of friendship as it was often the case that once money was lent to a so-called friend, that would be the death of the friendship.

However, there were some friends who would ultimately repay the money that they had borrowed, but according to Zhu Lian, there were two types of repayments, the first of which was a repayment that was made as soon as one acquired the sufficient funds, while the second type was the friend that was unable to repay the money immediately, but would always make an effort to provide updates on their financial situation, rather than hiding from their debts by refraining from bringing up the matter.

They would repay their debt as soon as they had the money, and whenever they were urged to repay their debt, they would apologize in earnest without any displeasure or complaints.

According to Zhu Lian, this type of friend should be kept as a lifelong friend as they were grateful and sentimental.

At the time, Chen Ping’an had smiled and asked if Zhu Lian was intending to borrow money from him before taking a long time to repay his debt.

In response, Zhu Lian had rubbed his hands together sheepishly and praised Chen Ping’an as an unmatched clairvoyant.

After that, he really did borrow some snowflake coins from Chen Ping’an, only ten in total, claiming that he was going to be constructing a private scripture library behind his house.

Of course, Chen Ping’an lent him the money without any hesitation. A Far Roaming Tier martial artist could impact the martial fortune of an entire nation to a certain extent, yet he had been reduced to such a pitiful position that he had to come up with such a long spiel just to borrow ten snowflake coins, and even Chen Ping’an was feeling a little sorry for him.

However, he was only going to lend him the agreed-upon sum of ten snowflake coins and not even a single snowflake coin more, and he also stipulated that once the scripture library was constructed, it had to be made a restricted area on Downtrodden Mountain.

Zhu Lian agreed to this condition, and Chen Ping’an thought to himself that business was most likely going to be booming for the bookshops in the Dragon Spring Prefectural City for the near future.

The little lotus spirit was still fiddling around with the items on the table, ensuring that every single one of them was neatly placed, and Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but wonder where it had taken on this habit from.

Chen Ping’an allowed it to do as it pleased as he continued to tally his debts.

He owed money to both the secret vault of Cyan Gorge Island and to Liu Chongrun of Bejeweled Hairpin Island.

However, what was undoubtedly going to be much more costly for him were the Heavenly Worship Ceremony and Liberation Rite of Water and Land that he was arranging with Gu Can. Those two ceremonies could easily become a pair of bottomless pits, and they definitely couldn’t be arranged with just a few grain rain coins.

The average ruler of a small nation who arranged such ceremonies would only recruit the services of Daoist priests and monks that weren’t cultivators, and even if there were some cultivators among them, it would be very few, so the costs wouldn’t be too steep.

The ceremonies could be arranged for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and even if five hundred thousand taels of silver were spent, that would only equate to five lesser heat coins or half a grain rain coin in immortal currency. That would already be the very upper end of what a small nation on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent would be willing to spend on such ceremonies.

However, once cultivators were concerned, everything became much more costly, particularly as they were going to be recruiting the services of earth immortals from various renowned Daoist temples and monasteries.

Even if they were to encounter someone benevolent and easygoing and tell them that they could pay any sum that they pleased as compensation, could they really simply pay any sum that they pleased?

Furthermore, prior to leaving Bamboo Scroll Lake, Chen Ping’an had told Gu Can that the two ceremonies were to be arranged as auspiciously as possible, and that he had to ensure that there weren’t any people with ulterior motives looking to take advantage of the ceremonies. Otherwise, that would hinder the accumulation of karma and reincarnation of the yin spirits.

Gu Can had to arrange two ceremonies in succession within two years, and that was going to be an extremely stern test of his patience and his eye for character, not to mention the enormous amount of effort and energy that would have to be expended.

This was also a trial that Chen Ping’an was putting Gu Can through. Seeing as he had chosen to make amends for his past mistakes, then he was going to have to walk a very difficult path.

The mountains to the south of Bamboo Scroll Lake had once been rife with demonic entities and evil cultivators, but what was even more difficult to bear was the weight of the Hall of the Underworld on Gu Can’s back and the farewells that he had to arrange. There were two occasions where he had almost given up.

Atoning for one’s mistakes wasn’t just a matter of delivering a verbal apology before going on a long journey and mindlessly spending some money to make it appear as if one had carried out many acts of kindness. Things were never that easy.

However, Chen Ping’an knew that Gu Can hadn’t actually gone from one extreme to the other. Instead, his mindset was still drifting indecisively between the two extremes, and he was only willing to change because he had suffered immense hardships in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

Hence, his current mental state was rather similar to that of Chen Ping’an back when he first began traveling the world. He was imitating the people closest to him, learning from the ways that other people did things before doing the same himself. There would be some change to his mindset in the process, but not much.

Overall, Gu Can was still the same Gu Can. The only difference was that he now knew the importance of rules.

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet and hung Sword Immortal up on the wall.

He then made his way out under the eaves of the room, where he and the little lotus spirit each sat down onto a little bamboo chair. The chairs had been fashioned from ordinary bamboo, which had become yellow with age.

Chen Ping’an sat there and began to nap. The temperature was moderate throughout all seasons of the year in and outside of the bamboo building, so even a mortal with a frail constitution didn’t have to worry about catching a cold or getting heat stroke from sitting outside. The bamboo building was even more of a paradise than Cui Dongshan’s courtyard in Mountain Cliff Academy.

In his dazed, half-asleep state, he felt as if he could see a flower blooming in the distance, in a place where people possessed corrupt and evil hearts.

As opposed to waking up from this vision, he fell into a deep sleep.

The little lotus spirit was seated on the edge of the chair next to his, and it raised its head while swinging its little legs back and forth. It could see that a faint smile had appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, as if he were dreaming of something wonderful.

————

With the arrival of daybreak, Chen Ping’an awoke on his bamboo chair with a start, having slept the entire night outside the bamboo building.

He took off his boots, then rolled up his sleeves and pant sleeves before making his way up to the second floor.

Upon arriving outside the room on the second floor, Chen Ping’an paused momentarily before turning his gaze to a certain direction.

Cui Dongshan had most likely sat there during his visit, and he hadn’t entered the room. Finally, he had been reunited with his grandfather after a century, albeit in his youthful appearance and character.

No one knew what the two of them had discussed on that day.

Chen Ping’an was just about to step into the room when he suddenly said, “I have something to discuss with Shi Rou. I’ll be right back.”

Cui Chan’s grandfather offered no response as he continued to sit with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

Chen Ping’an didn’t bother to put on his boots as he vaulted down from the second floor, then quickly rushed over to where the cluster of nearby residences had been constructed. Zhu Lian and Pei Qian still weren’t back yet, so the only ones left in those residences were Shi Rou and Cen Yuanji.

He ran into Cen Yuanji before encountering Shi Rou, and the latter seemed to have just returned from a walk. A timid look appeared on her face at the sight of Chen Ping’an, and she seemed to feel obligated to say something, but didn’t know what to say. Chen Ping’an acknowledged her with a nod, then knocked on the door of Shi Rou’s residence.

Shi Rou opened the door and asked, “Can I help you with something, Young Master?”

Chen Ping’an nodded as he replied, “Once Pei Qian comes back, tell her that I asked her to go and look after the shops on Dragon Riding Alley, and go there with her. Also tell her that she’s not allowed to take Qu Huang to the small town. Given how forgetful she can be when something catches her attention, I’m worried that she’ll forget Qu Huang somewhere.

“Make sure to supervise her in her transcriptions, and if she wants to go to school, then take her to the one founded by the Dragon Tail Creek Chen Clan. Get Zhu Lian to go to the county office to see if any prerequisites have to be fulfilled for her to attend school. If not, then that would be ideal.”

Shi Rou gave an affirmative response, then hesitated momentarily before asking, “Can I stay on the mountain, Young Master?”

Chen Ping’an smiled as he replied, “You can if you really don’t want to have to deal with other people. However, I suggest that you get more used to the Dragon Spring Prefecture. Go and visit the scholarly temple and martial sage temple. There’s also the Iron Talisman River Goddess Temple further away, and they’re all places worthy of a visit.

“It can’t hurt for you to familiarize yourself with the people of the prefecture. We can’t keep your identity a secret forever. Even if Wei Bo doesn’t say anything, there are many powerful cultivators in the Great Li Empire, and sooner or later, your identity will be exposed, so you may as well seize the initiative in that regard. Of course, that’s only my personal suggestion. As for exactly what you decide to do, that’s entirely up to you.”

“Alright, this humble maidservant will give it a try,” Shi Rou replied with a smile and a nod.

A resigned look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he said, “Please don’t refer to yourself as my maidservant in front of others. People will get the wrong idea, and rumors may start going around that I have some type of strange fetish. The Dragon Spring Prefecture is not a big place, so if such a rumor gets spread around, both of our reputations will be ruined, and it’s not like we can go visiting one mountain after another to explain ourselves.”

“Your foresight is as sound as ever, Young Master,” Shi Rou said while suppressing her amusement.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly waved a hand as he said in an exasperated manner, “Downtrodden Mountain doesn’t need another suck-up.”

Shi Rou raised a hand to conceal her amused smile, while Chen Ping’an heaved a forlorn, internal sigh and returned to the bamboo building.

Cen Yuanji had been secretly observing Chen Ping’an’s interaction with Shi Rou this entire time, and goosebumps had risen all over her entire body. She hurriedly snuck away in a panic, feeling as if she had witnessed some scandalous truth. After closing the door, Cen Yuanji gently patted her own chest as she murmured to herself, “Don’t be afraid, this is a good thing. This way, he most likely won’t be interested in me.”

At the same time, she was feeling very dejected. She had thought that after leaving the capital city, she wouldn’t have to deal with the problem of men leering after her any longer. She had always dreamed of traveling to an immortal abode where she would be safe from the devious claws of lascivious men, only to encounter such a scummy mountain master.

She had gone to great lengths to ask Zhu Lian about Chen Ping’an, but the former said nothing but good things about the latter, and she naturally didn’t dare to believe him. As for Pei Qian, she was always coming and going like the wind, making it very difficult for Cen Yuanji to strike up a conversation with her.

On the second floor.

As Chen Ping’an situated himself in front of Cui Chan’s grandfather, the latter opened his eyes, then rose to his feet as he declared, “Before we begin, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cui Cheng, and I was once the leader of the Cui Clan.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly taken aback.

This was the first time that Cui Chan’s grandfather had revealed his own name.

“According to our clan’s genealogy tree, Noble Scholar Confucian academy, the young man who came to the Jewel Small World to demand a debt repayment on behalf of Lake View Academy, should refer to Cui Chan as his granduncle,” Cui Cheng continued. “His branch was once a side lineal branch of the Cui Clan, but it has since become the direct lineal branch, while my branch has already been removed from the Cui Clan because of me.

“All of the descendants of my branch were removed from the genealogy tree, and none of their names are to be recorded in the ancestral hall, nor are they to be buried in the ancestral grave upon their deaths. The reason for this is because I had once wandered the mortal world for over a hundred years in a state of delirium and mental confusion.

“This would be a simple matter to settle as a martial artist as I would simply travel to the Cui Clan’s ancestral hall and demolish it with a punch or two. However, as scholars, it becomes very difficult for me, Cui Chan, or Cui Dongshan to do anything about this as the Cui Clan acted completely within the boundaries of our clan’s rules.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in a gesture of understanding.

While traveling through the river of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Chen Ping’an had seen the story of an extremely powerful official in the history of the Pine Song Nation. Due to the fact that he was a descendant of his clan’s side lineal branch, he got into a conflict with the main branch of the clan over the matter of his birth mother’s spirit tablet and place on the genealogy tree.

He wrote many letters back home to the leader of the clan, earnestly imploring the latter to reconsider. Initially, this brother of his paid no heed to his pleas, but at some point, it seemed that he had lost patience with his brother, and he rebuked him in a strongly worded letter, which included the sentence “you can dictate national matters as you see fit, but you have no right in passing judgment on the matters of our clan.”

In the end, that official wasn’t able to get his wish even to the day that he died, and the entire imperial court had agreed with his brother’s actions.

Cui Cheng could’ve returned to his clan and thrown a punch at the ants in the ancestral hall, while that powerful official of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land could’ve used his power to force his clan into carrying out his demands, so why had both of them chosen to uphold these fragile-looking rules instead?

A contemplative look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face.

This was perhaps one of the key reasons why Cui Cheng was able to reach the pinnacle of the martial arts world and why that official was able to climb to such a lofty position in the officialdom.

If Chen Ping’an truly decided to establish a sect on Downtrodden Mountain, it would be both a complex and simple task, simple in that a sect could be easily founded, but there was much to be learned in the way of managing a sect.

“Cui Minghuang is no slouch, so don’t look down on him,” Cui Cheng suddenly said, and Chen Ping’an was rendered slightly speechless upon hearing this.

What right did he have to look down on an academy noble scholar?

Chen Ping’an had personally witnessed the power of Virtuous Scholar Zhou Ju of Lake View Academy back in that villa in the Water Combing Nation, and Zhong Kui had also once been an academy noble scholar, while Cui Minghuang was lauded as one of the two most outstanding academy noble scholars on the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.