Unsheathed

A bashful smile appeared on the little girl’s face, and Chen Ping’an suddenly tore off his Golden Sweet Wine robe before draping it over her, instantly transforming her into a little girl in white.

As it turned out, Chen Ping’an had been wearing another white Dao robe beneath Golden Sweet Wine.

He slowly rose to his feet as he said in a quiet voice, “No matter what happens next, make sure you don’t move, not even a single inch. If you die today, I will make sure the entire Northern Complete Reed Continent knows that you were the great water monster of Mute Lake. Your surname was Zhou, and as for your full name, let’s call you Zhou Mili.[1] However, do not fear. I will do my best to protect you.”

Chen Ping’an then turned and swept his gaze over the first and second floors of the ship as he said in a casual manner, “Gao Cheng, I know you’re on this ship. Have you still not been able to think of a surefire plan to kill me even after all this time?

“Have you become too weak after leaving your lair, or am I too strong? If you don’t make a move now, I think your chances of successfully killing me will dwindle even further once I reach the Spring Dew Garden.”

No one on the ship had any idea what he was talking about.

A small handful of the passengers felt like the name “Gao Cheng” was a little familiar, but they couldn’t recall exactly who this Gao Cheng was.

The ship continued onward over the sea of clouds, basked in a golden veil of sunlight.

Chen Ping’an patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd strapped to his waist, then condensed his voice into a line as he scoffed, “Are you afraid I have some tricks up my sleeve? Surely the lord of Skeleton Wall City and the ruler of all ghostly beings on the Skeleton Shoal isn’t such a coward! I’m sure you already know what happened in Imperial Accompanying City.

“I really did almost die back there. I was worried that you would get bored, so I even reduced my initial offer of five punches down to three just for you. I’m a much more hospitable host than you, am I not? Flying Sword First is right here in my possession, as is the Great Dao foundation of you and the entire Skeleton Shoal. If you miss this opportunity, it won’t come again.”

Chen Ping’an was certain that Gao Cheng was on the ship, and he was confident that Gao Cheng had heard him.

“Do you think I have no way of forcing you to reveal yourself?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

The eyes of a ship worker who was hiding around the corner instantly turned as black as ink, and the same applied to a Silver Screen Nation cultivator who had survived the ordeal in the Verdant Bamboo Lake dragon palace and was fleeing to the Spring Dew Garden for refuge.

Both of their three immortal souls and seven mortal forms instantly crumbled, leaving them as nothing more than a pair of lifeless husks. They remained completely oblivious even up to the very moment that they died, and they never realized that a seed had already been planted deep within each of their souls long ago.

The two dead men slowly emerged with smiles on their faces, and they were communicating with one another through their mind’s lakes.

One of them smiled as he said, “Who else could it be but Zhu Quan? Could it be another patriarch of the Flax Robe Sect, or have all three of them come? I think there’s a very good chance that all three of them are here.”

“You really are a lot like me from back in the day. Seeing you now, I can’t help but miss the days when I had to fight tooth and nail just to survive. Those were very difficult times, but also very fulfilling. It was the most alive I had ever felt,” the other man said.

However, Chen Ping’an’s gaze wasn’t on the two dead men. Instead, his gaze continued to roam over the ship as he condensed his voice into a line and said, “I heard that for cultivators who’ve truly reached the mountain summit, they’re capable of more than just releasing their yin soul out of their body and creating yang soul avatars.

“You’ve concealed yourself very well, so I’m sure you’re not worried about the Flax Robe Sect weeding you out. Are you banking on the hope that the Flax Robe Sect and I won’t kill all of the passengers on this ship? Thanks to you and He Xiaoliang, I’ve already become very much like the two of you in the way I do things.

“Also, your true trump card has to be a formidable Golden Core Tier cultivator or a Far Roaming Tier martial artist that snuck their way onto the ship, neither of which would be difficult to find. From the moment that I predicted that you would leave the Skeleton Shoal and board this ship, you have already lost.”

After a brief silence, one of the two dead men asked, “So that was purely a gamble?”

“A gamble?” Chen Ping’an sneered. “Other people only begin gambling once they’re at the gambling table, yet I’ve been gambling my entire life ever since I can remember! Setting aside luck, I haven’t met anyone my age with superior gambling skills to mine, not Cao Ci, not Ma Kuxuan, and certainly not Yang Ningxing!”

He rolled up his right sleeve with his left hand as he took a step forward, then rolled up his left sleeve with his right hand and took another step forward, moving in a very slow and meticulous fashion. He raised his head to face the oncoming breeze, and with both sleeves rolled up, there was no more wind blowing inside them.

“I’ve considered that Du Yu of the Ghost Axe Palace could be you, that the assassin who hid in the cart of faeces to eat shit could be you, that the vagrant cultivator who offered me that lesser heat coin in that small alley could be you, that the young armed escort who offered me the water pouch could be you, that the old monk that faced off against Patriarch Yellow Wind could be you, and I’ve even considered the possibility that the little girl accompanying me on my journey could be you.

“There’s no helping it. You’re Gao Cheng, so I have no choice but to be extra careful. Hence, this has been a very arduous journey for me, but it was very much worth it. I’ve never been able to make such rapid progress when it comes to cultivation of the heart.

“I suggest you make yourself appear as formidable as possible today. Otherwise, I’ll immediately turn around and travel to the Skeleton Shoal to return the favor. Trust me when I say that that would be a nasty surprise for both you and the Skeleton Shoal.”

The “ship worker” nodded with a smile as he said, “I believe you. I’ve never made any empty threats like these myself, whether it be in life or death.”

An enlightened look appeared in the eyes of the man standing by the window, following which a genuine smile surfaced on his face as he said, “I see. I neglected to consider the person that wants you dead the most, so I deserve to have failed here. The foundation of her Great Dao must’ve been somewhat harmed during the battle in Imperial Accompanying City.

“If I were He Xiaoliang, I would completely sever all karmic ties with you so that I’m never implicated by you again. However, seeing as she’s He Xiaoliang, perhaps she’s only hiding in that sect’s small world for now in order to temporarily avoid her karmic entanglements with you. Having said that, none of that is important.

“What’s important is that because of you two, I’ve made a mistake on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, but one that has resulted in the same outcome. I made a move on you even when she was present, so in her absence, I would definitely come after you again. That’s a very interesting way of thinking.”

Chen Ping’an raised a thumb to wipe the corner of his lips, then said, “I’m not familiar with He Xiaoliang. You can denounce me as a dog, but don’t bring her into this. So what’s next? You expect me to believe that you’ve only sent two Golden Core Tier ghostly beings after me? Are you trying to insult me or insult yourself?”

An old man carrying a sword on his back slowly emerged from the rear end of the ship, and it seemed that he had also been staying in a room on the first floor of the ship. However, for some reason, his footsteps were rather unsteady, and there was a twisted look on his face, as if he were in the midst of an intense struggle.

Moments later, he gently exhaled, then also condensed his voice into a line as he remarked, “Every self that isn’t properly restrained will become someone else. Let this be a lesson to you as well.”

After the old man appeared, the area around the ship was isolated into a small world by some people outside, but the old man wasn’t fazed by this at all.

“You’re trying to educate me? You think you’re worthy?” Chen Ping’an sneered.

The old man fixed his gaze on Chen Ping’an as he smiled and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

A drop of bright red blood seeped out of Chen Ping’an’s glabella, and he suddenly raised a hand, as if he were gesturing to tell someone not to intervene.

He then patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd, and First flew out to hover above the mouth of the gourd as he sneered, “Here’s the flying sword you want, should we do some gambling?”

A joyful smile appeared on the old man’s face as he said, “Very good! I am now certain that you and I must’ve come from very similar beginnings.”

After the old man appeared, not only did he lash out with his sword, he stopped in his tracks instead and said, “I have a question for you: why didn’t Zhu Quan and the others help you endure the heavenly tribulation back in Imperial Accompanying City?”

Chen Ping’an wiped his left hand over his face, erasing his own smile bit by bit as he revealed, “From the very beginning, I told Sect Master Zhu not to intervene unless you were personally coming after me, even if I were to die from some other cause.”

“Only the cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect would agree to such a request, and such a decision would only be made by the current you and the past Gao Cheng. People like us are the ones who deserve to ascend to great heights in this world,” the old man remarked with a nod. “I’ll be waiting for you in Skeleton Wall City, so make sure you don’t perish to anyone else.

“I’m worried that you’ll get cold feet when the time comes, so I suggest you charge straight through the Skeleton Shoal and don’t stop until you reach Skeleton Wall City.”

The old man cast his gaze approximately toward the southernmost point on the Northern Complete Reed Continent, then continued, “I have been alone all this time in my pursuit of the Great Dao, and I’ve finally encountered someone truly after my own heart. Not only have I failed to kill you this time, I’ve had to expend a soul and a mortal form, but now that I think about it, these losses are not so unacceptable.

“By the way, you should really thank that girl from the Golden Bell Monastery and the little water monster behind you. If it weren’t for these two inadvertently helping you stabilize your mental state, there’s no way you would’ve been able to make it to this ship no matter how careful you were. Zhu Quan and the others would perhaps have been able to seize the flying sword, but there’s no way they would’ve been able to save your life.”

The old man swept a sleeve through the air, and the two walking dead people on the ship collapsed to the ground as a pair of skeletons. Only now had they truly perished.

The old man then reached around his own shoulder to slowly draw the longsword he was carrying on his back.

Chen Ping’an remained completely still.

“Even if it’s just a soul and a mortal form of mine, those three Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators of the Flax Robe Sect are unworthy of such spoils,” the old man declared, then began slicing through his own neck bit by bit with his sword, all the while staring intently at Chen Ping’an, who didn’t seem to be surprised in the slightest by what he was witnessing.

“The deity of the Verdant Bamboo Lake dragon palace is even more like me. Once the outcome of our showdown on the Skeleton Shoal is decided, if you are one to have perished, then I’ll take you to see what the true underworld looks like. If I am the one to perish, then you can go and take a look for yourself as well, but it’s truly very difficult for me to die.”

As soon as his voice trailed off, his head was completely decapitated from his body by his own doing, and it fell to the ground.

The headless body remained standing, resting its hands atop the hilt of the sword as if it were a cane.

In the blink of an eye, another isolated small world appeared on the ship, followed by the arrival of three Flax Robe Sect patriarchs.

The two male patriarchs went to examine the pair of skeletons using their mystical abilities, while Zhu Quan strode over to Chen Ping’an and sighed, “It’s going to be really dangerous for you if you keep this up, Chen Ping’an.”

“I am sharpening my sword with my own evil thoughts. It has no bearing on the world,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Zhu Quan opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it in the end as she shook her head and turned to look at the headless body.

After a long silence, she asked, “Chen Ping’an, will you become a second Gao Cheng?”

Chen Ping’an offered no response as he slowly smoothed down his sleeves.

Zhu Quan’s gaze remained on the headless body as she sighed, “I resent Skeleton Wall City and Gao Cheng with every fiber of my being, but deep down, I must admit that I’ve always greatly admired Gao Cheng.”

Chen Ping’an turned to look at the little girl, who was standing completely still in the stagnant river of time.

Her complexion was made to appear even darker in contrast with the Golden Sweet Wine robe that she was wearing, and Chen Ping’an was rather amused to see this.

When it comes to the darkness of complexion, Pei Qian still takes the cake.

“In any case, our Flax Robe Sect owes you a huge favor,” Zhu Quan said with a smile.

“No, we’re merely even now,” Chen Ping’an disagreed with a shake of his head.

“Are you really going to return to the Skeleton Shoal with us to challenge Gao Cheng?” she asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“No, I’ll keep him waiting until after I’ve finished traveling the Northern Complete Reed Continent,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head, an answer that Zhu Quan found very amusing.

“Can you make it so that she can move?” Chen Ping’an asked as he pointed at the little girl.

Zhu Quan nodded in response, and in the blink of an eye, the little girl regained the ability to move.

She stared at Chen Ping’an in a momentary daze, then looked around with a confused expression, following which her brows became tightly furrowed once again.

Chen Ping’an crouched down with a smile on his face and asked, “Do you want to go find somewhere to stay in the Spring Dew Garden or go and visit my hometown?”

“Can I choose neither one and stay with you instead?” the little girl asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

“If you keep me by your side, you can have sauerkraut fish anytime you want!” the little girl negotiated in a hopeful manner.

Chen Ping’an shook his head yet again.

“I’ll send you to my hometown. There’s a lot of good food and fun things to do there, perhaps you’ll even make some new friends. By the way, I have a friend called Xu Yuanxia. He’s a traveling hero, and he just so happens to be writing a travel journal. You can tell him your story, and I’m sure he’d be happy to incorporate them into his book.”

The little girl was very tempted by this proposition.

All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have occurred to her, and she began tugging on her white robe, which somehow fit her very well.

1. Mili translates to grain of rice, a reference to how the little girl is always comparing things to the size of a grain of rice. ☜