Unsheathed

Chapter 510 (1): I’ll Let You Have Three Punches at Me

During their travels, they passed through the Peach Branch Nation, but didn’t visit the Azure Stone Residence. The little girl was rather displeased about this, but her moon was instantly lifted once they skirted around the Golden Crow Palace.

Her mood was like a fickle cloud in the sky.

On this day, they reached an immortal ferry station, where everyone felt new and intriguing to the little girl, and it was here that they could finally travel to the Spring Dew Garden by ship! The little girl had truly grown tired of traveling on foot after all this time.

The little girl was standing in the bamboo bookcase, looking so intently at everything that her eyes were beginning to water. Unfortunately for her, she had made an agreement with Chen Ping’an, one that stipulated that she had to stay in the bamboo case and remain silent whenever they were in anyplace where there were many cultivators.

There was barely anything inside the bamboo case, only a sword that she had never seen Chen Ping’an use. She kicked it a few times to see if it would react, but whenever she bent down to unsheath it, Chen Ping’an would warn her not to do that, telling her that the sword was already close to running out of patience, and that if she continued to prod it, then he wouldn’t be responsible for what happened to her.

This was all very frustrating to her, and she raised a hand, then hesitated for some time before smacking Chen Ping’an on the back of the head, immediately following which she leaned back in the bamboo case and pretended to be sound asleep.

Initially, Chen Ping’an ignored her as he was too busy bartering with a shopkeeper over a set of rubbings of an ancient plaque. Emboldened by Chen Ping’an’s inaction, the little girl rolled up her sleeves and began pummeling the back of his head over and over again. Finally, Chen Ping’an exited the shop, having purchased a total of 32 rubbings for ten snowflake coins, and he asked, “How long are you planning to keep this up for?”

The little girl’s hand instantly drew to a halt mid-swat, and she gently patted him on the shoulder as she explained, “I was just brushing off some dust. A scholar like you needs to keep up an impeccable appearance. You know, you really can be as dull as a blunt rock sometimes.

“After you stopped that louchuan on the river, there were so many fair young maidens on the louchuan that looked as if they wanted to marry you there and then! Why didn’t you board the louchuan to have some tea and wine with them? It’s not like they were going to eat you!”

“You hit me sixteen times. I’m keeping count. You owe me one snowflake coin for each hit,” Chen Ping’an said, changing the subject entirely.

“That’s nothing!” the little girl scoffed as she crossed her arms and stood up on the tips of her toes in the bookcase.

The two of them boarded the ship together, and the fact that he was carrying a little girl in a bamboo case on his back was naturally bound to attract a great deal of attention.

However, most of the passersby merely gazed upon Chen Ping’an with derision and mockery. In their eyes, true immortals were those who possessed almighty steeds capable of bounding over mountains and traversing vast seas, yet here this man was, serving as a steed himself to a little girl.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t bothered by this.

They were in the midst of the grain rain solar term, so it was often bright and clear during the day, but rainy at night, thereby making it the perfect time to be traveling on foot by day to appreciate the passing scenery.

However, Chen Ping’an was hoping to catch the tailend of the gathering in the Spring Dew Garden. He was the owner of a cloth wrapper shop, and he had to put it to good use.

The little girl was as restless as ever as she said, “You should’ve boarded that louchuan to have some tea. From the shore, I could clearly see two beautiful women in lavish dresses on the louchuan. Given the grand entrance that you made, stopping the louchuan with one hand, I’m sure you could’ve easily won their hearts.”

“You’re just a little girl, yet you’re constantly going on and on about romantic affairs. If you were a man, I feel like you would’ve eventually succumbed to perversion in Mute Lake and become a dreaded scourge far and wide. If that had happened, then I would’ve gladly stood by and watched as you were captured by the Azure Stone Residence or the Golden Crow Palace,” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

The little girl punched him in the shoulder with a displeased expression as she complained, “Nonsense! I’m a great water monster, but I’ve never harmed anyone! In fact, I don’t even like scaring anyone!”

“That’s one more snowflake coin,” Chen Ping’an said.

The little girl gave him a punch to the back of the head, and he warned, “If you’re going to hit me in the head, then it’ll be one lesser heat coin per hit.”

The little girl considered her current wealth, and she realized that she didn’t have much left once she subtracted the grain rain coin that Chen Ping’an had spent to save her.

It was no wonder that the people passing by Mute Lake often remarked that wealth was the basis of one’s courage.

After some contemplation, she proposed, “Lend me a grain rain coin! Right now, I don’t have much money on my hands, so I won’t be able to hit you many times at all.”

Chen Ping’an completely ignored her, changing the subject altogether as he asked, “Do you know why I bought that jar of sauerkraut from that prefectural city earlier?”

“How am I supposed to know the answer to that?” the little girl asked. “Did we finish our supply of pickled vegetables? But that can’t be it, I’ve barely had any at all. You’re so stingy that you always look at me like I’ve stolen something from you whenever I try to have a little extra.”

“I bought the sauerkraut because I heard it goes great with fish!” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

The little girl immediately understood what he was implying, and she was simultaneously impressed by her own smarts while also feeling hurt by the implications, silently wiping away her tears as she hugged her knees to her chest in the bamboo bookcase.

However, as soon as Chen Ping’an entered his room on the bottom floor of the ship and set down his bamboo case, she immediately jumped out from within, then clasped her hands behind her back as she scoffed with a disdainful expression, “You’re the stingiest person I’ve ever seen!”

Chen Ping’an removed his conical bamboo hat. There was tea on the table, and apparently, it was a specialty local product of the ferry station that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Hence, he decided to pour himself a cup, and even though the tea was largely devoid of spiritual energy, it had a very sweet and refreshing taste.

It was said that prior to the construction of the ferry station, there had once been a retired official that wanted to construct a summer vacation residence. While selecting the site of the residence, he stumbled upon a small pond. At the time, it was enshrouded under a veil of dawn mist, and its water was particularly clear and refreshing, perfect for brewing tea and wine.

Once word of the pond began to spread, more and more people came to visit, and the cultivators among them discovered that it was abundant with spiritual energy, but all of that spiritual energy was restricted to a small area on the mountain where the pond was situated. Hence, it was decided that an immortal ferry station would be constructed here, and it was actually quite far away from the sect of the ferry station’s owner.

Chen Ping’an began to carry out his six step walking meditation, while the little girl sat on a chair with a bored expression, swinging her legs back and forth as she whined, “I want to eat the turtle jelly from that shop on the corner of the ferry station street. It was really bitter and refreshing.

“I couldn’t savor it properly last time because I was being jostled around in the bamboo case. It’s all your fault! You were walking around so much, visiting so many shops, but you barely ended up even buying anything! Quick, get me a serving of turtle jelly right now!”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to her. She was just rambling out of boredom anyway, so she wasn’t expecting a response.

She knew that she would have to be subjected to another extended period of boredom as soon as she saw Chen Ping’an commence his walking meditation.

She jumped down from her chair, then dragged it all the way to the window, then got up to stand on the chair with her arms crossed. The ship had two floors, but Chen Ping’an was too stingy to pay for a room on the second floor with the superior view.

Hence, there were often people passing by on the deck, and there were also more people gathered at the railing, obstructing her views, and to further compound her frustrations, not even a single one of them knew that she was the great water monster of Mute Lake.

The ship began to slowly ascend, and her mood was instantly lifted.

She immediately turned to Chen Ping’an with an excited expression as she yelled, “We’re flying! Look! The shops at the ferry station are all so small now! As small as grains of rice!”

This was her first time traveling on an immortal ship, and she wondered if the clouds in the sky were edible. This was a question that she had been mulling over for countless years while looking up at the clouds from the bottom of Mute Lake.

Chen Ping’an continued to practice his walking meditation.

There were quite a few people gathered at the railing, discussing recent newsworthy events, and as soon as any mention of the Deity Visage Nation and the Yellow Wind Valley were made, the little girl would immediately listen intently, latching onto every word.

Someone said that the yellow-robed patriarch of the Yellow Wind Valley had perished, but he wasn’t slain by the master of the Golden Crow Palace. Instead, it seemed that he was severely wounded by the Golden Crow Palace Master, only to then be subjugated by a passing eminent monk from the Deity Visage Nation.

However, for some reason, the old monk never claimed responsibility for the death of Patriarch Yellow Wind, nor did he reveal any further details on the circumstances of Patriarch Yellow Wind’s demise.

The little girl was clawing at her own head, dying to say something! If Chen Ping’an hadn’t forbidden her from running her mouth, everyone on the entire ship would’ve already been made aware of the truth.

She really wanted to yell out the window that she and Chen Ping’an were the ones responsible for killing Patriarch Yellow Wind!

She turned around with a pitiable expression, then proposed in a quiet voice, “I can revert back to my true form, and you can slice off a few kilograms of meat from my body to cook with your sauerkraut, but in exchange, let me talk to those people. I won’t tell them that you killed Patriarch Yellow Wind. All I’ll say is that I’m the great water monster of Mute Lake, and that I personally witnessed that battle.”

“What’s the hurry?” Chen Ping’an asked. “Everyone will find out once the novel or travel journal about you is written and published. You can even say that you killed Patriarch Yellow Wind yourself with a single punch.”

The little girl knew that Chen Ping’an was right, but she was still dying to say something.

Thankfully for her, Chen Ping’an wasn’t completely heartless, and he said, “The rooms on the first floor don’t come with free newspapers, so go and purchase a copy for me. Having said that, if it’s too expensive, then don’t worry about it.”

The little girl readily agreed. If nothing else, this was a good opportunity for her to get out of the room and go on a little stroll. With that in mind, she jumped down from the chair, then rummaged through her belongings before pulling out a radiant little pouch. Chen Ping’an had already closed the window with a sweep of his sleeve before plastering a talisman to it.

This was standard procedure that the little girl was already accustomed to, and she pulled out a handful of snowflake coins from her little pouch, then also pulled out a lesser heat coin after some thought. Throughout the entire process, the contents of her pouch were jangling incessantly.

Aside from coins, the pouch also contained a bunch of small trinkets, such as those white bells that she had given to that scholar all those years ago. These were all her treasures that she had accumulated over the years. After that, she returned the pouch to the rest of her belongings, then casually left it on the table. As she walked out the room, she cautioned, “Make sure to keep an eye on my stuff so it doesn’t get stolen! Otherwise, we’ll both have to starve!”

“Oh? You must be feeling generous today if you’re willing to pay for the newspaper out of your own pocket,” Chen Ping’an jibed.

The little girl turned to him with a displeased expression as she challenged, “Are you trying to call me stingy? If you keep this up, I’ll make you split the costs of the newspaper with me!”

That worked like a charm, immediately getting Chen Ping’an to shut his mouth.

The little girl put on a mature display far beyond her years as she sighed, “How are you going to get any of the celestial maidens to like you if you’re so stingy all the time?”

Chen Ping’an continued his walking meditation as he smiled and said, “As usual, no fooling around. Come back right away after you’ve bought the newspaper.”

Around fifteen minutes later, the door swung open, and the little girl swaggered into the room before slamming a thick pile of newspapers down onto the table. Then, while Chen Ping’an’s back was turned to her during his walking meditation, she immediately took full advantage, making a string of faces at him. Once he turned back around, she instantly ceased her shenanigans as she sat on the chair with her arms crossed.

Chen Ping’an finally stopped in his tracks, then pulled out his folding fan and sat down at the table before asking, “You weren’t fleeced, were you?”

“Do I look that stupid to you?” the little girl sneered. “These precious newspapers would’ve cost two lesser heat coins under normal circumstances, but I managed to barter the price all the way down to one! I’m the great water monster of Mute Lake! When it comes to bartering, no one is a match for me!”

Chen Ping’an flipped through the newspapers in a slightly exasperated manner. Some of these newspapers were dated as far back as the previous year. Going by the normal market price, such a large stack of newspapers would’ve indeed been worth a lesser heat coin, but newspapers were like seasonal products, often completely losing their value after a short period of time.

“Hence, despite the large quantity of newspapers that had been obtained, they weren’t actually worth even half a lesser heat coin. On the surface, it seemed that the staff on the ship couldn’t be blamed. After all, this had been a fully consensual transaction from both parties. However, given the circumstances, it was clear that they had taken advantage of the little girl.

In Chen Ping’an’s eyes, the little girl possessed some very good traits.

She was not the brightest, but there were some traits in her that were nothing short of priceless. Just like with the young armed escort that had offered him that water pouch, even though Chen Ping’an hadn’t accepted the water pouch, his thirst was more than quenched by the kind gesture.

The little girl had just been beaten up outside, but she seemed determined to keep that to herself. After stumbling back to Chen Ping’an’s room, she hid outside for quite some time to compose herself before entering the room, choosing to swallow the bitter pill rather than turn to Chen Ping’an for help just because she could.

Perhaps in her eyes, this was all a part of her journey. In the future book that was to be written about her, some things had to be included, but some of the embarrassing and trivial things could be excluded.

Chen Ping’an leaned back in his chair, gently fanning himself as he said, “If it hurts, then complain and whine a little. I’m not the scholar who’s going to be writing your story, so you don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of me.”

The little girl’s expression instantly crumpled as tears and snot began to flow down her face, but even so, she still tried to put up a strong front, turning away to swallow the blood in her mouth.

“What happened?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

The little girl wiped her hands haphazardly all over her face, then lowered her head in silence.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried that you won’t get the chance to go out by yourself again now that you’ve caused trouble on your first-ever solo outing?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

The reality was that she had never caused any trouble over the course of their long journey together. Instead, all she had done was gaze upon the vast world outside the Yellow Wind Valley and Mute Lake with wonder and intrigue.

The little girl nodded in response in a dejected manner.

Chen Ping’an closed his folding fan, then smiled as he urged, “Tell me what happened. You’ve made many jokes at my expense along our journey, it’s time that you let me have a good laugh at your expense for once. It’s important to reciprocate, understood?”

The little girl rested her cheek on the table as she gently traced a finger over the table’s surface. There were no gripes or anger in her heart, just a little bit of sorrow the size of a grain of rice.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s not like anything happened to me anyway. I’m a great water monster that’s witnessed a ton of life and death! I’ve seen many people die near Mute Lake, and I didn’t dare to save them. Patriarch Yellow Wind is really strong, and if I came out of my lake, not only would I not be able to save anyone, I would also be killed myself, so all I could do was gather the remains of his victims once he was done with them.

“Some would be carried away by their grieving friends and relatives, while others would be left in the desert. It’s really all very sad. I’m not afraid of death, I’m just afraid that no one will remember me. There are so many people under the heavens, and not even a single one of them knows of me.”

Chen Ping’an leaned forward and gently tapped her head with his folding fan as he warned, “If you’re not going to tell me now, I won’t listen even if you change your mind later.”

The little girl immediately sat up straight and began swaying her head from side to side with a joyful smile on her face as she said in a sing-song voice, “I’m not telling! I’m not telling!”

Chen Ping’an watched her with his head cocked to the side, and he pressed his folding against her forehead with a smile as he said, “There are many people out there who were never educated by their parents, teachers, or masters. When it comes to those people, they need to learn how to conduct themselves the hard way.”