Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an emerged from the Jingzhe Residence and made his way into the bamboo forest, holding a green bamboo hiking pole that looked perfectly in sync with the environment around him.

After a brief hesitation, he summoned the talismanic boat before setting off for the Luminous Jade Cliff. A pouch of immortal coins had already been prepared for him at the Jingzhe Residence by the Spring Dew Garden to cover his living expenses and any purchases that he made on Old Locust Street during his stay.

However, he had left the pouch untouched this entire time. While it was good to follow the customs and rules of the places that he visited, he had his own set of rules to abide by as well, and sometimes, one had to take precedence over the other.

Upon his arrival at the Luminous Jade Cliff, Chen Ping’an spotted Liu Zhiqing wading through a stream beneath the spring with his boots off and his sleeves and pant sleeves rolled up, picking out pebbles from the streambed. Whenever he caught sight of one to his liking, he would pick it and toss it into the spring with unerring accuracy without even raising his head.

Chen Ping’an reverted the talismanic boat back into a talisman before stowing it up his sleeve, yet Liu Zhiqing’s head remained lowered as he said in a hostile voice, “Don’t say anything, I don’t want to hear you speak right now.”

Clearly, he didn’t believe that a miser like Chen Ping’an would follow through on their agreement and actually return all of the pebbles to the spring. However, that was only a secondary reason for this undertaking. The main reason was that now that he had committed to honing his mental state, he was taking to the task with the outlook of a perfectionist.

He would’ve already been back in the Golden Crow Palace by now, but on the way back, he couldn’t shake the nagging sense of vexation at the fact that the spring was missing its pebbles, so he returned to the Luminous Jade Cliff. He had just bid farewell to Chen Ping’an on Old Locust Street, so he couldn’t go back again and urged him to immediately return the pebbles to the spring. Hence, he had no choice but to undertake the task himself.

Chen Ping’an removed his boots before wading into the stream. He picked up a vibrant pebble and was just about to toss it into the spring when he was stopped by Liu Zhiqing.

“That one won’t do. Its color is too vibrant.”

Chen Ping’an ignored him and tossed the pebble toward the spring anyway, only for Liu Zhiqing to swat it back into the stream with a sweep of his sleeve before snapping in an angry manner, “Did you not hear me?”

“Alright, alright, I was just trying to help, but it looks like my help isn’t appreciated. Let’s each mind our own business from now on.”

Chen Ping’an reached into the stream to pick up the same pebble, then dried it with his hands before gleefully stowing it away into his minimization treasure. These pebbles were all worth their weight in gold, so they were very much welcome additions to his collection.

The spring at the foot of the Luminous Jade Cliff was the point at which multiple water veins on the mountain converged, and as a result, it was abundant with spiritual energy. The pebbles in the spring had been nourished by this spiritual energy for countless years, while the pebbles in the stream were of a slightly inferior caliber, but they would still make exceptional materials for purposes such as crafting seals or four treasures of the study.

Such artifacts would serve as an exceptional centerpiece of any study, and perhaps they wouldn’t be able to extend one’s lifespan, but they would certainly improve the mood of anyone who set their eyes upon them.

Liu Zhiqing sorted through the pebbles meticulously, tossing a few dozen of them into the spring. It felt like he was selecting these pebbles even more carefully than if he were selecting a wife for himself.

Chen Ping’an trailed along behind Liu Zhiqing, picking up all of the pebbles that the latter inspected before discarding. With that, he was able to secure around fifty more pebbles. He had already formulated a plan. There was a time-honored shop on Old Locust Street that specialized in selling scholastic supplies. He wasn’t going to bother trying to recruit the services of the shopkeeper or the experienced artisans of the shop.

He wouldn’t be able to afford that, and they may not deem these pebbles worthy of their time and skill, anyway. Instead, he was going to take these pebbles to an employee or apprentice of the shop, and if they had even half of the skill of the experienced masters, they would be more than qualified to work on these pebbles.

He would pay them to craft the pebbles into things like seals and inkstones, then sell the finished products in his shop. He would advertise these artifacts as being produced from the Luminous Jade Cliff, and they would be sure to sell like hot cakes given the Luminous Jade Cliff’s association with Liu Zhiqing.

As for the pebbles that he had taken from the spring, those all had to be returned. In order to conduct business in a sustainable fashion, integrity always had to be valued above all else. Now that he had a shop in the Spring Dew Garden, he no longer qualified as a wandering merchant.

As for why the Spring Dew Garden’s ancestral hall had given him the shop, the reason was very simple, and it had already been laid out by that hideous old woman from the Iron Warship Residence. There was undoubtedly going to be some mention of him in Spring Dew in Winter.

However, when Song Lanqiao brought up this matter, he explicitly stated that the new content to be published in Spring Dew in Winter pertaining to him would be brought to him for approval before he left the Spring Dew Garden. In reality, the Spring Dew Garden already knew full well what things could be included and what things had to be excluded.

Having dealt with so many cultivators from all walks of life over the years, the Spring Dew Garden had a very good grasp on which topics were considered taboo.

Chen Ping’an was very happy to learn about these sustainable and legitimate ways of conducting business from Song Lanqiao. After all, these methods could all be replicated by Downtrodden Mountain in the future.

Liu Zhiqing made his way onto the shore, then began walking toward the Luminous Jade Cliff. However, Chen Ping’an was still displaying no intention of getting out of the stream, and it seemed like he was planning to comb through the entire stream in case he missed something the first pass through.

“Are you really that desperate for money, Brother Haoren?” Liu Zhiqing exclaimed in exasperation.

Chen Ping’an picked up a pebble that was as smooth as jade, carefully inspecting it as he smiled and explained, “What can I say? I’m traumatized by my impoverished upbringing.”

The reason why Liu Zhiqing still hadn’t left the Spring Dew Garden was because he wanted to see Chen Ping’an return those hundreds of pebbles to the spring with his own eyes.

However, he was now suspecting that Chen Ping’an could immediately take the pebbles again right after he left. He couldn’t help but feel like Chen Ping’an was capable of doing something so deplorable.

Chen Ping’an stowed the pebble away in his minimization treasure, then continued his search. Picking up money from the ground was far easier than trying to earn money from others, so this was a rare opportunity that had to be fully taken advantage of.

Hence, Liu Zhiqing was forced to wait another hour as Chen Ping’an combed meticulously through the pebbles in the stream.

As the two of them made their way to the thatched pergola, Liu Zhiqing stared at Chen Ping’an in silence, seemingly waiting for something.

Chen Ping’an slapped a hand to his own forehead as if he just remembered something, then swept a sleeve through the air to release several hundred pebbles into the spring. Liu Zhiqing stared intently at the pebbles, and the number was roughly correct. Most importantly, the dozen or so pebbles that were his favorites had all been returned, and only then was his mood lifted a little.

If even a single one of them were missing, then he would never return here to drink tea again. Chen Ping’an’s infatuation with money was not a sin, but if he were lacking in integrity, then that was not a flaw to be ignored. If the Luminous Jade Cliff were to fall into the hands of someone with no integrity, then it would be as good as ruined, and he would abandon it without so much as a single backward glance.

“Have you considered that picking out pebbles from the stream is also a form of mental cultivation?” Chen Ping’an asked. “I feel like I’ve developed a decent grasp on your personality by now. You’re a perfectionist through and through. Such a mentality may be a positive personality trait when it comes to cultivation, but if you’re going to pursue the path of cleansing your sword with the hearts of those in the Golden Crow Palace, then you’re most likely going to encounter a lot of frustration. In light of this, I’m beginning to regret pointing out this path to you.”

Liu Zhiqing shook his head as he said, “The more troublesome an endeavor it is, the more I stand to gain if I manage to succeed.”

“I knew you would say that. I just wanted to warn you that this is going to be a very difficult path to pursue,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Liu Zhiqing hesitated momentarily, then sat down and began inscribing runes with his finger. However, this time, he made sure to move very slowly, and he didn’t conceal his Qi channeling avenues at all. Before long, two vibrant, red, fiery flood dragons had emerged.

“Have you mastered it now?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he replied, “I’ve memorized the movements and the Qi channeling method, but I’m unable to replicate it.”

Liu Zhiqing’s brows furrowed slightly as he scoffed, “If you were to dedicate half the time and effort that you put into doing business into cultivation, there’s no way you would be in such a pathetic state!”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Chen Ping’an countered with a wry smile. “My bridge of immortality has been snapped once before, so it’s nothing short of remarkable that I’ve been able to reach where I am today!”

Through their three earlier sparring matches, Chen Ping’an had become quite familiar with Liu Zhiqing and his character.

Their initial agreement was that Liu Zhiqing would only use 50% of his power, while Chen Ping’an would only use his fists.

Chen Ping’an drew a circle with a radius of a hundred feet, then fought Liu Zhiqing at his cultivation base from back when he was in Old Dragon City.

During their first sparring match, Liu Zhiqing underestimated Chen Ping’an’s physical constitution and was unaccustomed to the latter’s reckless fighting style.

It was agreed upon that these would only be sparring matches, so even though his bonded flying sword by the name of Waterfall truly lived up to its name, reaching extraordinary speeds comparable to the water of a waterfall cascading down from the heavens, he aimed his flying sword slightly above Chen Ping’an’s heart to avoid dealing a lethal blow.

To his surprise, Chen Ping’an charged straight into the attack, allowing the flying sword to pierce through his shoulder before reaching him in the blink of an eye. Waterfall swiveled around before piercing through Chen Ping’an’s ankle, while Liu Zhiqing sprang back several dozen feet, but Chen Ping’an didn’t even wince as he pounced on Liu Zhiqing in hot pursuit, sending him flying out of the circle with a single punch.

He had held back at the last moment, but Liu Zhiqing was still sent tumbling and sliding several dozen feet over the ground, leaving him with a face full of dirt.

Liu Zhiqing was only a little disheveled, while Chen Ping’an had a hole in both his shoulder and his ankle, and the former asked, “Does that not hurt?”

The flying swords of swordsmen were not just extraordinarily fast, they also inflicted injuries that were very difficult to heal from quickly. Furthemore, the residual sword qi left behind in a wound inflicted by a flying sword was extremely troublesome to deal with.

There were plenty of weapons that could inflict wounds that were very slow to heal or came with various detrimental after-effects, but none of them could match the negative impact of having sword qi run rampant through one’s body. It was like a flood dragon rampaging its way through a river, significantly impacting the circulation of one’s spiritual energy.

In a battle between cultivators, even a single moment of spiritual energy disruption could have lethal consequences. Furthermore, the average Qi refiner wasn’t anywhere near as adept as Militarian cultivators and pure martial artists in bodily refinement, and the pain from an injury inflicted by a flying sword alone could be enough to impact their mental state.

However, Chen Ping’an had just been dealt two wounds in rapid succession, but was shrugging it off as if it were nothing.

At the time, Chen Ping’an had smiled and replied, “It doesn’t hamper my ability to punch.”

During the second sparring match, Liu Zhiqing took care to keep his distance from Chen Ping’an.

A swordsman, particularly one of the Golden Core Tier, excelled in combat at all ranges.

Chen Ping’an fought Liu Zhiqing at his cultivation base from back when he first arrived at the Skeleton Shoal, and he was stretched to his limits just evading Liu Zhiqing’s bonded flying sword.

At the end of that sparring match, the two of them sat outside the circle with their legs crossed. Chen Ping’an’s entire body was riddled with countless tiny wounds, while Liu Zhiqing looked as if he had been rolling in dirt.

“I’ve fought against a Golden Core Tier swordsman’s flying sword before, why is it that your sword is so fast even though you’re only using 70% of your power?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Liu Zhiqing had been in a rather foul mood at the time, and he snapped, “That was 70%, it’s up to you whether you believe me or not.”

On the third day, Chen Ping’an appeared completely fine, and Liu Zhiqing gazed upon him with a skeptical expression as he asked, “You’re not putting up a strong front, are you? I’m using 90% of my power today. We agreed that these would only be sparring matches, but…”

“It’s fine, I’m well aware of the risk I’m taking,” Chen Ping’an interjected before Liu Zhiqing had a chance to finish his sentence.

For the third sparring match, Chen Ping’an used his cultivation base from after he endured the heavenly tribulation, but he refrained from using some of his most powerful fist techniques that were normally reserved as trump cards.

At the conclusion of the sparring match, Liu Zhiqing stood outside the circle, rubbing his own swollen face as he used his spiritual energy to lessen the swelling.

Chen Ping’an was also standing outside the circle with a vibrant smile on his face and several more holes in his body. Thankfully, none of them were lethal, and he would recover with some recuperation.

“Does it really not hurt?” Liu Zhiqing asked.

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile.

Following those three sparring matches, they had become friends.

Neither of them mentioned this, but they both were well aware of it.

Otherwise, given how proud Liu Zhiqing was, there was no way that he would’ve visited Chen Ping’an’s shop on Old Locust Street to boost his business, and he certainly wouldn’t have been willing to embarrass himself by parading a skeleton around.

With the pebbles restored, the spring was once again glistening in an alluring fashion, and Liu Ying was in a good mood as a result.

He was astonished by the revelation that Chen Ping’an’s bridge of immortality had been broken before, and he had no idea how Chen Ping’an would’ve gone about reconstructing it, but he didn’t ask any questions.

He scattered the pair of thin, fiery flood dragons that he had conjured up, then asked, “How are your injuries?”

“They’re healing,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “I’ve been recuperating while sitting outside my shop on Old Locust Street.”

“You mentioned earlier that the fist manual that serves as the foundation of your fist techniques came from the southeastern region of our Northern Complete Reed Continent. Have you gathered any further leads on it?” Liu Zhiqing asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head.

“I put up a no bartering sign in my shop to avoid hassle, but as a result, it’s also robbed me of many opportunities to talk to people.”

“That’s what you get!” Liu Zhiqing scoffed.

Chen Ping’an could only give a resigned smile.

Aside from the origins of the Mountain Shaking Guide, there was one other thing that Chen Ping’an wanted to uncover, which was the circumstances behind the tragic fall of the Ceremony Mountain ship as it was flying over the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

However, it seemed that this was going to have to remain a mystery. Ceremony Mountain had already been closed off to the outside world for many years, and there were some pieces of news on Ceremony Mountain in the stack of newspapers purchased by Zhou Mili on the ship, but they were all unsubstantiated rumors.

As a foreigner, recklessly asking about Ceremony Mountain could lead to a great deal of trouble, so the subject had to be approached with caution.

He had already decided that he was going to travel to the central region of the Northern Complete Reed Continent and travel through the main river that flowed through the entire continent from east to west before flowing into the sea.

Of course, he had to take care to avoid the Great Origin Empire’s Lofty Cloud Palace.

Setting aside the “scholar” manifested from his evil thoughts, Yang Ningxing was actually a cultivator of immense potential.

However, the Esteemed Mystery Department of the Great Origin Empire had a very mixed reputation on the Northern Complete Reed Continent. Furthermore, it was extremely brutal and domineering in the way that it liked to do things, making it a very troublesome entity to deal with.

Hence, Chen Ping’an had to proceed with the utmost caution during his journey along the river.

In any case, even if Lu Chen’s calculations were set aside, that was where the future Dao attainment catalyst for the little boy in azure lay, and Chen Ping’an had repeatedly simulated this journey with Cui Dongshan and Wei Bo. Both of them were of the opinion that this was a feasible undertaking, so it had naturally become a concrete part of his plans.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an recalled something, and he patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd, upon which First and Fifteenth flew out from within.

“What a terrible waste!” Liu Zhiqing scoffed.

He had already identified the wine gourd to be a Sword Nurturing Gourd, having made an educated guess based on the gourd’s aura.

As for the two flying swords that he was unable to identify the caliber, they were definitely wasted in Chen Ping’an’s hands.

“If these two flying swords were refined by a swordsman, then they would be extremely fast. Unfortunately, you’re not a swordsman, and they’re not bonded to you,” Liu Zhiqing remarked. “I don’t know how adept in battle that Golden Core Tier swordsman that you spoke of is, but at the very least, it sounded like his flying swords are exceptionally slow.

“If you think I’m an exception among the swordsmen of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and that all flying swords are that slow, then you’re going to have to learn some hard lessons further down the line. When an earth immortal swordsman is truly fighting for their life, they’re not just capable of using 100% of their power.

“If they use some mystical abilities that burn through their essential power, they could even wield as much as 120% of their full power.”

Chen Ping’an extended a hand, and the two miniature flying swords flew over to hover above the palm of his hand. He cast his gaze toward First as he said, “Initially, I wanted to refine this flying sword into a bonded item outside of the five elements.

“If I succeeded, it perhaps still wouldn’t be able to compare with the connection between a swordsman and their bonded flying sword, but it would naturally be better than the current situation. I have full trust in the one who gave me this flying sword, but it’s a little unwilling to become a bonded item of mine. Instead, it prefers to remain in the Sword Nurturing Gourd, and I don’t want to force it to do anything against its will.”

He then turned to Fifteenth as he continued, “I really like this sword, and it’s not that I distrust the one who gave it to me. In fact, I should have full trust in them, but I’m unable to shake the nagging seed of doubt in my mind, so I’ve always felt very guilty to it. It’s been very good to me, yet I can’t bring myself to fully trust it because of my own biases.”

“When it comes to refining flying swords left behind by sword immortals, the higher the caliber of the flying sword, the riskier the undertaking it becomes,” Liu Zhiqing said. “Let me ask you this: do you have suitable acupoints in which they can reside, receive nourishment, and grow? If the answer is no, then don’t even think about pursuing such an undertaking.

“This has nothing to do with how much money you earn and how many treasures you possess. Everyone knows that swordsmen are the most powerful Qi refiners under the heavens, and everyone would try to become a swordsman if it weren’t for the steep barriers to entry.”

“I do. Three, in fact,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

“Let me teach you some derogatory terms that we use on the Northern Complete Reed Continent!” Liu Zhiqing suddenly offered.

Chen Ping’an waved a hand in refusal as he said, “I’ll pass. My fists are decently strong, but I’m not good when it comes to degrading others.”

“Talking to you is always a pain. I’m leaving,” Liu Zhiqing said as he stood up to depart.