Unsheathed

The young swordsman carrying a sword on his back once again traversed through that low and familiar mountain range as he traveled to the Colorful Garment Nation. This area had appeared lifeless and ghostly when he had traversed it with Zhang Shanfeng before, but there was no longer a permeating murderous aura anymore. Of course, it wasn’t an outstanding place filled with abundant spiritual energy, but it was at least filled with green mountains and limpid waters and much better than what it had once been.

Chen Ping’an continued forward relying on the path in his memory, and he finally arrived at a familiar old estate when night had already fallen. The two stone lions were still guarding the main entrance which had undergone some slight changes, with couplets decorating the two sides and colorful door gods plastered on the doors.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently.

An elderly woman who was hunchbacked and holding a lantern in one hand opened the door with some difficulty, and she saw a tall young man smiling brilliantly under his bamboo hat. He also appeared slightly skinny, and the sword on his back made him look like a wanderer whose travels had led him to these mountains.

The elderly woman was deathly pale, making her look quite scary in the darkness of night.

She tried her best not to frighten the visitor, especially since the estate had already overcome many difficulties and had turned disaster into fortune. Because of this, there was no need to purposely scare away mortal humans, lest they be implicated in the estate’s troubles.

“Young Master, are you looking for temporary accommodation?” the elderly woman asked in a quiet voice.

The young man smiled and replied, “Not only am I looking for temporary accommodation, but I’m also looking for some wine and a large bowl of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots.”

The elderly woman faltered for a moment before being overwhelmed with emotion. There were tears brimming in her eyes as she asked in a quivering voice, “Are you Young Master Chen?”

The visitor was none other than Chen Ping’an who was traveling south by himself.

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and asked, “Are you still holding up well?”

The elderly woman hurriedly grabbed Chen Ping’an’s hand, seemingly afraid that their great benefactor would leave after greeting them. She raised her dry and wrinkly hand that was holding the lantern, using the back of it to wipe away her tears. She appeared extremely emotional as she said, “Why have you come so late? It’s been so many years already, and my old bones might have genuinely failed to hold up if Young Master Chen had come any later. At that time, how could I possibly cook for my benefactor anymore? In any case, there’s definitely wine for Young Master Chen. We’ve saved wine for Young Master Chen every year, so there’s definitely enough for Young Master Chen to drink no matter what…”

Chen Ping’an took off his bamboo hat and placed it under his arm, after which he gently grabbed the elderly woman’s hand with both hands and replied in a remorseful voice, “It’s my fault for visiting so late.”

The elderly woman hurriedly turned around and shouted, “Master, Mistress, Young Master Chen has come to visit! He’s truly come here to visit us!”

Yang Huang had willingly turned into a ghost to save his wife back then, and he was now dressed in Confucian robes as he hurriedly walked to the entrance of the estate with his healthy-looking wife.

The husband and wife were about to fall to their knees and kowtow when they saw Chen Ping’an.

No words could express and repay their immense gratitude for Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an wanted to stop the two of them from kowtowing, yet the elderly woman held onto his arm tightly, clearly wanting him to accept their sincere show of gratitude.

Chen Ping’an had no option but to give up and go with the flow.

Yang Huang and his wife, Yingying, stood up after kowtowing to Chen Ping’an.

Only then did the elderly woman let go of Chen Ping’an’s arm.

Yang Huang exchanged a smile with his wife.

The young boy from back then had seemingly transformed into a refined young man in the blink of an eye. It was just that he appeared a little skinny and haggard, but he appeared even more like a genuine sword immortal. This was truly very good.

After they walked inside the estate, Chen Ping’an naturally helped the elderly woman close the front door, causing Yang Huang and his wife to smile knowingly. However, the elderly woman couldn’t help but grumble about Chen Ping’an doing her job for her, saying that there was no need to trouble Young Master Chen with these menial tasks that didn’t require much energy.

The elderly woman said that she was going to the kitchen to make some midnight snacks, but Chen Ping’an replied that this could wait for tomorrow since it was already so late at night. However, the elderly woman disagreed with him, and Miss Yingying also said that she was going to personally cook a few small dishes to welcome Young Master Chen. This was the least they could do, or else their hospitality would be far too poor.

Yang Huang brought Chen Ping’an to the familiar dining room to take a seat, telling him about the things that had happened after he left the estate back then.

These were all good things.

Yang Huang had almost fallen to heretical and demonic ways back then, yet he was now able to return to the proper path of cultivation. Even though the long delay in his cultivation of the Great Dao meant that he couldn’t achieve great success, his situation right now was ultimately much better than his days as a half-human and half-ghost.

One had to realize that Yang Huang had been regarded as a cultivator destined to become a Golden Core Tier earth immortal when he had cultivated in the Divine Edict Sect back then, so he had enjoyed the full support of the sect. Afterward, however, Yang Huang had chosen to abandon the Great Dao for the sake of his wife, and only he understood the joys and hardships that this involved. No matter what, he never once regretted this decision.

As for his wife who had initially been trapped in her building, her appearance had now returned to normal and she was even more fortunate than her husband on the path of cultivation. In fact, she had even advanced one cultivation tier. Thanks to this, she was able to leave her physical body in the building located in the backyard and travel around the area using her yin soul. She could even go on spring outings without issue, making her appear no different from ordinary women in the mortal world. She no longer needed to endure the lashings of astral wind day and night, and she no longer needed to endure the torture of a flickering soul.

Yang Huang asked about how Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng and the big-bearded Xu Yuanxia were doing, and Chen Ping’an answered his questions one by one.

Afterward, Chen Ping’an also asked about the prefectural overseer of Blusher Prefecture as well as his son, Liu Gaohua, and Yang Huang told him everything that he was aware of. Prefectural Overseer Liu had been promoted a few years ago, and he had gone to the Colorful Garment Nation’s Qing Province to assume the position of governor. It could be said that he had brought great honor to his clan. In addition, his daughter was now a direct disciple of the Divine Edict Sect, and this matter was possibly a reason behind his promotion to governor.

As for Liu Gaohua, he had visited the estate twice during the past few years. Compared to his carefree nature and tendency to find excuses to travel around the mountains and rivers and refuse to participate in the imperial examination back then, Liu Gaohua had already reined himself in quite a bit. However, he hadn’t done very well in the previous imperial examination, only passing the provincial examination. Thus, he had drunk quite a lot of wine to wash away his sorrows when visiting the estate a second time. He had also grumbled a lot, saying that his father had told him to at least get married if he couldn’t pass the final imperial examination.

Chen Ping’an also asked about Mr. Fisherman, and Yang Huang said that it was quite a coincidence that the old cultivator had just returned from his trip to the capital. He was staying at Blusher Prefecture right now, and it was said that he had taken a female disciple called Zhao Luan, someone with very good cultivation aptitude.

However, good fortune also came with troubles, and Mr. Fisherman was facing some slight headaches right now. Word had it that the most powerful immortal from the mountains of the Colorful Garment Nation had taken a fancy to Zhao Luan and hoped that Mr. Fisherman could part ways with his disciples. He promised rich compensation, and he was even willing to recruit Mr. Fisherman as a guest elder of his immortal force. However, Mr. Fisherman didn’t accept this proposal.

Chen Ping’an quietly listened to all of this before asking, “How is the reputation of this leading immortal? And what’s his cultivation base?”

Even though Yang Huang had become a half-human, half-ghost for so many years, damaging the foundations of his soul and cultivation base, he was still a prodigious cultivator hailing from the Divine Edict Sect, after all. He also had no burdens anymore, so he didn’t feel any apprehension when he talked about the most powerful cultivator of the Colorful Garment Nation.

Yang Huang smiled and replied, “He most likely became a little carried away after advancing to the Dragon Gate Tier a few years ago, and those in his immortal force also became restless. They then recruited a significant number of new disciples without any regard for quality, so their initially okay reputation has taken quite a decent hit.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll investigate this matter a little further.”

“My recount is largely based on hearsay, so don’t take everything I said as the definitive truth,” Yang Huang said with a smile.

Food and wine arrived at the table.

The wine was self-made through a lot of hard work and effort, and the dishes were also inviting and fragrant.

Miss Yingying and the elderly woman both sat down at the table — there weren’t many old-fashioned rules and etiquettes in this estate.

Perhaps wanting to let Chen Ping’an drink more, the elderly woman gave Yang Huang and his wife specialty wine cups from the Colorful Garment Nation while giving Chen Ping’an a large wine bowl instead.

Yang Huang respectfully stood up to toast Chen Ping’an, and Miss Yingying and the elderly woman also stood up to show their respect.

Chen Ping’an had no option but to grab his wine bowl and stand up as well, saying in helplessness, “I truly won’t dare to visit you again if you keep being so polite.”

After downing the contents of his wine cup in a single gulp, Yang Huang replied jokingly, “Then we’ll discuss this the next time Benefactor visits.”

Chen Ping’an also downed the contents of his wine bowl in a single gulp. The elderly woman was worried by what she saw, afraid that Chen Ping’an would harm his body if he drank too quickly. She hurriedly said to him, “You should drink a little slower. The wine won’t run out of your bowl even if you drink slower.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “I can hold my alcohol quite well now, so I plan to drink more tonight since I’m feeling happy. The worst that can happen is that I’ll drink too much and fall asleep straight away after going to bed.”

However, the elderly woman continued to persuade Chen Ping’an as she poured him wine, saying, “You should drink a little slower regardless of how well you can hold your alcohol. Drinking slower also means that you can drink more.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll listen to Granny and drink a little slower.”

Chen Ping’an roughly talked about his distant journeys, saying that he had visited the Water Combing Nation after the Colorful Garment Nation. He had then taken an intercontinental ship and followed the dragon channel to Old Dragon City, after which he had then taken another intercontinental ship and traveled to Stalactite Mountain. He hadn’t returned straight to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent afterward, and he had instead traveled to the Parasol Leaf Continent before returning to Old Dragon City. It was only after visiting the Azure Phoenix Nation that he had returned home.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Ping’an eventually decided not to mention the Sword Qi Great Wall and Bamboo Scroll Lake. Even so, he still chose some interesting experiences to talk about, and both Yang Huang and his wife listened on with keen interest. This was especially the case for Yang Huang who hailed from a sect-level force in the mountains, as he could better appreciate the difficulties of embarking on distant intercontinental journeys. As for the elderly woman, she enjoyed listening regardless of whether Chen Ping’an talked about the fascinating things of the myriad worlds or the trivial things of the mortal streets and alleys.

Chen Ping’an drank one entire liter of wine as they chatted, and this definitely couldn’t be regarded as a small amount. Afterward, he went to the same room that he had stayed in last time.

Chen Ping’an spent the next day accompanying the elderly woman, spending much of his time basking in the sun as they chatted. Chen Ping’an should have set off again on the third day according to his plans, but he decided to stay one more day following some strong persuasion from the elderly woman.

Dawn arrived, accompanied by a light autumn drizzle.

Chen Ping’an put on his bamboo hat and bid farewell to the three people at the entrance of the old estate.

The elderly woman said that the autumn drizzle might look small, but it was actually quite bad for the body as well. She insisted on Chen Ping’an wearing a raincoat, and he had no option but to oblige. As for his Sword Nurturing Gourd that had exposed his status as a so-called sword immortal back then, the elderly woman had naturally filled it to the brim with homemade wine.

Before parting ways, the elderly woman once again stood under the eaves and held Chen Ping’an’s hand, saying, “Don’t be unwilling to come in the future because you don’t like listening to this old lady’s rambling.”

“How could I be unwilling to visit? I enjoy fine wine and good food, and Granny perhaps isn’t aware of how many times I’ve thought about the food and wine here over the past few years,” Chen Ping’an replied in a soft voice.

The elderly woman lowered her head and wiped away her tears, saying, “That’s good, that’s good.”

Chen Ping’an adjusted his bamboo hat and bade farewell, slowly walking into the distance.

After walking a certain distance, the young swordsman suddenly turned around and started walking backward, waving goodbye to the elderly woman as well as Yang Huang and Miss Yingying.

“Young Master Chen, remember to bring Miss Ning with you the next time you come to visit!” the elderly woman shouted.

Chen Ping’an flushed slightly red as he replied loudly, “I definitely will!”

The young man wearing a bamboo hat and dressed in an azure raincoat slowly disappeared behind the curtain of autumn rain.

The elderly woman felt extremely sentimental. Yang Huang was worried that she couldn’t handle the chilly autumn rain, so he told her to head back inside first. However, the elderly woman waited all the way until she couldn’t see the silhouette of the young man anymore before returning inside.

Miss Yingying’s voice was soft and gentle as she called, “Husband?”

However, she immediately stopped herself, feeling slightly guilty and remorseful as she said, “Please don’t blame me for being too basic and ignorant.”

The thought in her mind quickly dissipated as she murmured, “It’s not right to bother Young Master Chen with these trivial matters. You did better than me, and you didn’t mention this matter at all. We should indeed be satisfied with what we have and not become so ungrateful.”

Yang Huang held his wife’s hand and chuckled, “You’re only thinking about this for my sake.”

Miss Yingying’s mood suddenly improved, and she said with a smile, “Good people will always be blessed with good karma, right?”

“I don’t dare to say for sure regarding other good people, but I most certainly hope that this is the case for Chen Ping’an,” Yang Huang replied.

Miss Yingying smiled beautifully and said, “I suddenly feel like just having Young Master Chen as a guest drinking wine at our place is a very delightful thing.”

Yang Huang nodded and said with emotion, “Autumn has arrived, yet it’s as if we’re still bathing in the gentle spring breeze.”