Unsheathed

As one of the tallest mountains in the Jewel Small World, Downtrodden Mountain was an exceptional site for moon gazing.

Chen Ping’an gently closed the door of the first floor, then quietly made his way up to the second floor, where Cui Cheng had already emerged onto the walkway.

The entire building was basked in the cold, white moonlight, and Cui Dongshan called out to his grandfather, while the latter nodded with a smile.

Cui Cheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, while Cui Dongshan leaned against the railing with his baggy sleeves hanging over it.

Cui Cheng had no interest in speaking with Cui Chan, but he was more fond of Cui Dongshan, perhaps because Cui Dongshan’s appearance better corresponded with Cui Cheng’s memories of him.

“Why did you come back?” Cui Cheng asked.

“Traveling around aimlessly was really boring, and just the thought of having to meet those teachers in Lake View Academy was giving me a headache, so I snuck back to see my teacher,” Cui Dongshan replied.

“You need perseverance if you’re going to do something important. You can’t just give up every time you find something boring,” Cui Cheng said with a smile.

“I know,” Cui Dongshan replied as he rubbed his chin back and forth over the top of the railing.

“You’re leaving tonight?” Cui Cheng asked.

Cui Dongshan nodded in response.

“I may not like it, but I still have to do what’s required of me. The old bastard is really pedantic, and seeing as I’ve lost a bet to him, I have no choice but to carry out my punishment. I’m going to do his bidding in earnest and with effort, and I’ll just treat it like I’m doing homework for my teachers back when I was going to school as a kid.”

Cui Cheng didn’t say anything further. He didn’t feel like he had the right to tell Cui Dongshan what to do. It was only because he had been excessively strict and pedantic that Cui Dongshan ran away from home in a fit of rage. On that occasion, he had left the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent altogether and traveled to the Middle Earth Divine Continent, where he became the student of an impoverished old scholar.

This had all been completely unexpected to Cui Cheng, and back then, whenever Cui Dongshan sent letters home asking for money, he would feel both enraged and sympathetic. Cui Dongshan was the direct lineal grandson of the Cui Clan, yet he was living in squalor. How much could he possibly learn in such an environment?

Also, seeing as he had already decided to swallow his pride and turned to begging his clan for money, why was he asking for such a paltry monthly allowance? How many good books could he possibly buy with such little funds?

Even if he were to go an entire year without eating or drinking, would he be able to save up enough money for a decent set of four treasures of the study? Of course, only at a much later point did Cui Cheng learn about just how incredible a scholar Cui Dongshan’s teacher was.

“Cui Chan met with Chen Ping’an just now, and he’s most likely revealed everything,” Cui Cheng said.

Cui Dongshan nodded in response, and he wasn’t surprised to hear this. Cui Chan knew Cui Dongshan extremely well, and the reverse was also true. After all, they had once been the same person in the past.

“Should I delay my departure a little?” Cui Dongshan asked.

“Why are you asking me? It’s not like I can convince you either way. Aside from when I constrained you to the scripture library to study, when have you ever listened to me after that?” Cui Cheng chuckled.

“I’ll listen to you this time, Grandpa,” Cui Dongshan said.

“Alright, if he complains about your tardiness, you can put the blame on me,” Cui Cheng said.

A wide smile appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he climbed onto the railing, then vaulted over it and drifted down to the ground below.

From there, he swaggered over to the cluster of nearby courtyards, and he visited Pei Qian’s one first, making a bunch of loud sounds and exaggerated gestures. Pei Qian was instantly snapped wide awake, and she was so frightened by this that she immediately pulled out a yellow paper talisman before plastering it to her own forehead.

After that, she sprang out of bed without even putting on her shoes, then rushed over to the window with her hiking pole in hand before unleashing her Deranged Demon Sword Techniques with her eyes closed as she yelled, “Get out of here! Scram and I’ll spare you your life!”

“Are you going to pay if you smash my teacher’s windows?” Cui Dongshan snapped.

Pei Qian immediately stopped what she was doing, then gently pressed a finger against the talisman on her forehead to prevent it from falling off. She was still wary of the possibility that this could simply be a malicious spirit posing as Cui Dongshan, and she asked in a cautious manner, “Who am I?”

“My senior sister, of course,” Cui Dongshan replied with a smile.

Pei Qian was very relieved to hear this, and she skipped over to the windowsill, then got up onto the tips of her toes as she asked, “Why are you back again?”

“Why should I tell you?” Cui Dongshan countered.

Pei Qian removed the talisman from her forehead before tucking it up her sleeve and exiting her room, only to discover that Cui Dongshan was nowhere to be seen. She swept her gaze over her surroundings, but to no avail, but as she raised her head, she caught sight of the white-robed Cui Dongshan hanging upside-down from the eaves.

Once again, she received a massive fright, causing her to stumble down onto her backside, and tears were already beginning to well up. Right as she was about to burst into tears, Cui Dongshan fell down from the eaves like an icicle on a winter’s day, falling headfirst onto the ground before laying out in a spreadeagled manner. A peal of amused laughter broke through Pei Qian’s tears, and her imminent sobs were instantly suppressed.

Cui Dongshan clambered to his feet, then dusted himself off as he asked, “Where’s that wretched servant?”

“Big Sister Shi Rou is currently looking after the pastry shop, and we’re earning money together, so you’re not allowed to bully her anymore. Otherwise, I’m going to tell Master,” Pei Qian replied in a careful manner.

“You’re going to tell on me? Your master is my teacher, so I’m clearly closer with him. Back when I first met my teacher, you weren’t even in the picture yet!” Cui Dongshan scoffed.

Pei Qian wasn’t willing to be beaten by him in this regard, and she thought about what she could use to her advantage, then said, “Master brought back a bunch of presents for me from his trip to the Water Combing Nation, too many for me to even count! Do you have that? Even if you do, do you have as many as I do?”

“You’re showing off to me, the walking treasure trove?” Cui Dongshan chuckled.

“Your own treasures don’t count, we’re only counting the presents that my master and your teacher gave to us,” Pei Qian protested in a serious manner.

“There is no shame in conceding defeat to my senior sister,” Cui Dongshan declared.

“A wise man is one who submits to circumstances,” Pei Qian praised with a nod.

Cui Dongshan poked Pei Qian on the forehead as he scoffed, “All of our sagely ancestors will be rolling in their graves if you keep misusing their quotes!”

Pei Qian slapped Cui Dongshan’s hand away as she yelled in an unconvincing manner, “Insolence!”

Cui Dongshan was very amused. Never had he heard that word uttered in such a faint-hearted tone.

He began to make his way out of the courtyard as he said, “Let’s go play with Zhu Lian.”

Pei Qian was no longer in the mood to sleep, and she trailed along behind Cui Dongshan in a gleeful manner, telling him about her and Big Sister Baoping’s wasp-hive-poking adventure.

“You’ve always been naughty, but now, you’re even getting Little Baoping involved. Did my teacher not beat you?” Cui Dongshan asked.

“Of course not,” Pei Qian replied with a roll of her eyes.

“My teacher really is raising you like his daughter,” Cui Dongshan sighed in a forlorn manner, and the smile on Pei Qian’s face widened even further upon hearing this.

The big white goose always said more flattering things than the old chef.

Big white goose was the nickname that Pei Qian had given to Cui Dongshan in secret, and this was something that she had revealed only to Big Sister Baoping.

As they passed by a courtyard, they could hear the sound of someone practicing fist techniques inside.

Cui Dongshan rose up into the air in a leisurely manner as if he were scaling an invisible staircase, and standing outside the top of the wall, he spotted a slender and beautiful young girl practicing Chen Ping’an’s signature six-step walking meditation.

Pei Qian leaned her hiking pole against the wall, then backtracked a few steps before performing a run-up and leaping high up into the air to step onto the hiking pole. From there, she grabbed onto the top of the wall with both hands, then pulled up with her arms to elevate her head, allowing her to peek into the courtyard.

Cui Dongshan was rubbing his own face in dismay as he sighed, “Such horrendous technique…”

“Cen Yuanji is not a bad person, she’s just a little dumb,” Pei Qian said in a quiet voice.

“I can tell,” Cui Dongshan replied with a nod.

As a diamond in the rough that had caught Zhu Lian’s eye, Cen Yuanji had hopes of reaching the Vajra Body Tier, and it was only in a place like Downtrodden Mountain that she didn’t appear remarkable in the slightest.

Otherwise, if she were to reach the seventh tier, then she would be considered an unrivaled martial arts master in places like the Water Combing Nation and the Colorful Garment Nation, and there would certainly be no one that dared to direct such degrading remarks at her.

She had been completely immersed in her fist technique practice, which was a reflection of her immense powers of concentration, and only as she paused to take a short break did she hear the hushed whispers between Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian.

She immediately swung around and adopted her fist stance as she yelled, “Who’s there?!”

Her brows furrowed slightly at the sight of Cui Dongshan, who was certainly very handsome, but also completely unfamiliar to her. However, she then spotted the grinning Pei Qian beside him, and only then did she lower her guard.

Cui Dongshan rested his elbows down on top of the wall as he asked, “So you’re the disciple chosen by Zhu Lian?”

Cen Yuanji offered no response as she turned to Pei Qian, who introduced, “This is Cui Dongshan, my master’s student.”

Cen Yuanji couldn’t help but be bewildered upon hearing this.

He’s the mountain mountain master’s student? Is he stupid? Why, of all people, did he choose such an incompetent man as his teacher? He’s constantly out wandering around god-knows-where, shirking all of his responsibilities, and even on the rare occasions that he’s back on the mountain, he’s either doing nothing or getting drunk at night, just like I saw earlier!

What could you possibly learn from a man like him? And how dare he pose as a teacher? Is he that desperate for money?

Cen Yuanji heaved an internal sigh as she cast a sympathetic gaze toward Cui Dongshan, who concluded in a quiet voice, “It’s not an act, she’s genuinely stupid.”

“I told you so,” Pei Qian replied, and their two heads vanished behind the wall in the same instant, displaying flawless synchronicity.

Cen Yuanji wasn’t able to hear their exchange clearly, and she hardly cared what they were discussing, anyway. There were many strange people on Downtrodden Mountain, and she had already grown accustomed to it.

As opposed to seeking out Zhu Lian, Cui Dongshan took Pei Qian to the summit of Downtrodden Mountain, then stomped a foot onto the ground as he yelled, “Come out, your worthless swine!”

Mountain God Song Yuzhang hurriedly revealed himself. He was already aware of Cui Dongshan’s true identity, and he extended a deep bow toward him at the foot of the steps outside the mountain god temple.

A menacing look appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he stormed toward Song Yuzhang, while the latter remained standing on the spot.

A hint of unease surfaced in Pei Qian’s eyes upon seeing this, and she hurriedly caught up to Cui Dongshan as she said in a low voice, “Be civilized! If you beat him up, my master will be the one that he holds a grudge against!”

Cui Dongshan heaved a faint sigh, then said, “You lost your life because you were a fool, yet it seems like you haven’t learned your lesson at all.”

Song Yuzhang had a great deal of respect for Cui Dongshan, but he had a clear conscience both in life and in death, so he wasn’t timid or uncertain in the slightest as he said, “Not only is our Great Li Empire not lacking in people who aren’t fools, the same applies to the fallen Lu Empire, the struggling Great Sui Nation, and the likes of the Yellow Court Nation.”

“In that case, let me ask you this: back when you were serving as an official and now as mountain god, are you pursuing moral self-fulfilment, or are you wholeheartedly serving the empire and its people?” Cui Dongshan asked.

“Am I not permitted to do both, Imperial Preceptor?” Song Yuzhang asked.

“Get out of here, I don’t want to speak to you anymore,” Cui Dongshan snapped with a dismissive sweep of his sleeve.

Song Yuzhang extended a parting bow, and his godly body returned to the clay statue in the temple, following which he “closed the door,” temporarily relinquishing his surveillance over Downtrodden Mountain.

Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian embarked on a casual stroll on the mountain summit, and the latter asked in a curious manner, “Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not angry. I never get angry over foolish people, only concerned over my own incompetence,” Cui Dongshan replied. “Everyone has their own way of living, their own areas of expertise, their own principles, their own experiences, etc.

“When all of those things are put together, it’s like constructing a house, some of which are small, like the ones on Clay Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, while others are larger, like the manors on Peach Leaf Alley and Fortune Street, and some are even larger, like prominent immortal abodes, imperial palaces, the White Jade Capital of the Heavenly World, and White Emperor City of the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

“Additionally, they also vary in stability. For a house that is large, yet unstable, their size becomes a curse, and they’re less able to withstand the elements than a small yet resilient house. Such houses tend to collapse in the face of any real adversity. On top of that, one must also look at the number of windows and doors the houses possess.

“Those with many doors and windows that are frequently opened will allow those inside to see more of the scenery outside, while those with houses that have few doors and windows that are often closed will be very stubborn and self-centered, prone to splitting hairs and living in a dogmatic fashion.”

“I like seeing big and small houses, so I can understand what you’re saying. That mountain god that’s not afraid of you is clearly someone who has closed off his heart to the world and has an obstinate and one-track mind,” Pei Qian said with a nod.

Cui Dongshan turned to Pei Qian with a smile as he praised, “Not bad! You’re pretty bright.”

“I sure am! I’m about to go to school soon!” Pei Qian declared as she crossed her arms in a proud manner.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he said, “I must warn you here that a house is limited in its size, so you must be selective about what you put in it. Why is it that many scholars only become more and more foolish the more books that they read? It’s because they’ve read too many books and try to follow the principles laid out within too pedantically.

“With each book that they read, they cover up a door or a window, making it more and more difficult for them to clearly see this world. In the blink of an eye, they find themselves old and frail, scratching their own heads, wondering why they live in squalor and constant self-conflict despite the vast number of books they’ve read. In the end, they can only console themselves by telling themselves that it’s the world that’s at fault, not them.”

Pei Qian swept her gaze over her surroundings, and only after verifying that there was no one else nearby did she reveal in a low voice, “I’m only going to school so Master doesn’t worry about me on his long journeys. It’s not like I’m actually going there to study. Screw that! Studying makes my head hurt!”

Cui Dongshan burst into laughter and began rushing down the mountain as he yelled, “I’m telling on you!”

Pei Qian faltered slightly upon hearing this, following which tears began to well up in her eyes as she chased after Cui Dongshan with all her might.

All of a sudden, Cui Dongshan stopped in his tracks, then turned around to discover that Pei Qian had launched herself at him in her desperation to catch him, paying no regard to the possibility that such a reckless move could result in injury. It was a sight strongly reminiscent of Chen Ping’an leaping over the stream in the mountains.

“You, my teacher, and I are all the same. We are terrified of growing up, but we have no choice but to do so,” Cui Dongshan said with a smile.

Right at this moment, someone slapped Cui Dongshan on the back of his head as they reprimanded, “Stop picking on Pei Qian!”

Immediately thereafter, Chen Ping’an, who had just rushed onto the scene from the bamboo building, sprang up into the air to catch Pei Qian in his arms before lowering her safely to the ground.

Cui Dongshan smiled as he extended an apologetic bow.

Pei Qian wiped the sweat from her own face, then began to defend Cui Dongshan as she said, “We were just fooling around, Master. We didn’t say anything to each other, right?”

“Right, right, right,” Cui Dongshan said with a series of nods.

“Do you both truly feel this way?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

“We do!” Pei Qian and Cui Dongshan replied in unison.

Chen Ping’an didn’t ask any further questions. In any case, they were clearly just fooling around.

The three of them descended the mountain together, teacher and student, master and disciple.