Unsheathed

The river had never been assigned a river god, so it was indeed plausible that there was a black flood dragon lurking in its depths, but she was unconvinced that a flood dragon alone could pose such a potent threat to the capital.

Ultimately, she couldn’t help but lament her own misfortune. She was able to embark on the path of cultivation by herself thanks to a book left behind by some powerful cultivator, but she had never received the guidance of a proper master.

Hence, her immortal abilities were rather lackluster. If she had been a more competent cultivator, then she would’ve easily been able to derive a concrete conclusion on whether it was a good idea to go on this trip.

The young boy flashed a toothy grin.

He had heard that his aunt was an extraordinary person. It was said that during the tenth month of his grandmother’s pregnancy, she had a dream that a deity had entered her room with an infant in his arms before personally handing the infant to her. It was immediately after this that his aunt was born.

She was exceptionally smart and talented at a young age, excelling in musical instruments, Go, and calligraphy. In her formative years, a traveling cultivator had passed by their clan and bestowed upon her three golden hairpins and a garment by the name of Bamboo Robe, telling her that she was blessed by the hands of fate. After that, she had grown into a stunning young woman renowned far and wide for her exceptional beauty.

However, finding a marriage partner for her had proven very difficult. Her father had previously arranged two marriage partners for her, the first of whom was the Tanhua of the imperial examination.[1] They were on the verge of marriage when the Tanhua in question was caught up in an imperial examinator bribery case.

In the wake of that incident, her father didn’t dare to look for another scholar for her. Instead, he sought out a handsome young martial artist. Once again, they were on the cusp of marriage when a terrible calamity befell the young martial artist’s clan. Disillusioned and heartbroken, the young man left the Five Mountain Nation, and he had since made a name for himself in the Orchid Residence and Green Shrine Nations.

Even to this day, he remained unmarried, and it was said that he still longed for his marriage partner that could’ve been.

His aunt was already over thirty years of age, but she was still just as stunning and beautiful as a celestial maiden that had walked straight out of a mural.

She had always been very reclusive and insistent on keeping a low profile. Even when she went out to offer up incense in the temples and monasteries, she made sure to avoid the most popular days of worship. Other than that, she only ever met with a small handful of close friends. Otherwise, the boy firmly believed that even despite her age, there would be countless outstanding young bachelors pining for her hand in marriage.

Just like his sister, the boy was also really looking forward to traveling to the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire, but for his own reasons. Prior to each edition of the Go tournament, the Great Seal Script Empire would release two lists, namely for the top ten martial artists and top four beautiful women.

All those on the two lists were entitled to an audience with the emperor as long as they were in the capital at the time, and they would be given a precious gift. Perhaps the ten martial artists and four beauties on the lists for this edition had already gathered in the capital city. In addition to the betting stations for the Go tournament, there were also bets taken for who would be removed from the two lists and who would replace them.

The boy was destined to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, father, and elder brothers, becoming an administrative official of the Five Mountain Nation. However, deep down, he longed for the life of a heroic martial artist, and there were dozens of novels pertaining to the martial arts world hidden in his study, all of which he had read so many times that he could recite them back to front.

Furthermore, he had the utmost admiration for someone like Hu Xinfeng, and if it weren’t for the fact that Hu Xinfeng already had a wife, he would’ve been tempted to set him up with his aunt.

Judging from the old man’s expression, Chen Ping’an could tell that he was still leaning on the side of completing his journey to the Great Seal Script Empire’s capital, so he didn’t speak any further on the subject.

At this point, the rain had subsided, but the path outside was still quite muddy and wet. On top of that, everyone in the pergola aside from Chen Ping’an had something on their minds, so they were in no hurry to continue their journey.

Chen Ping’an had already packed his Go board and porcelain jars into his bamboo case, and he put on his conical bamboo hat, then grabbed onto his hiking pole before bidding everyone else under the pergola farewell.

Earlier, he had taken a glance out into the rain before resigning the game, and the rain just so happened to abate right after he finished reviewing the game with the old man.

This was a subtle warning from Chen Ping’an. As for whether the woman in the veiled hat had understood his warning, that was not for him to be concerned about.

Hu Xinfeng was a fifth tier martial artist, so he was definitely a renowned master of the Five Mountain Nation’s martial arts world.

As for the woman in the veiled hat, she was only a second or third tier cultivator with a rather lackluster cultivation foundation.

Chen Ping’an had only just made his way out of the pergola when he stopped in his tracks with slightly furrowed brows.

He could sense a Vajra Body Tier martial artist traveling toward the pergola on horseback from afar. What was this martial artist doing here? Given the identity of the old man with the Sui surname, it didn’t make sense for him to have such a formidable enemy.

For small nations like the Orchid Residence Nation and the Five Mountain Nation, it was often the case that there wasn’t even a single Vajra Body Tier martial artist within their bodies. It was a similar situation to the Colorful Garment Nation and the Water Combing Nation in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, where martial artists at the pinnacle of the sixth tier like Song Yushao reigned supreme.

However, many mortals could easily brush shoulders with immortals and remained oblivious, while cultivators were more sensitive to the presence of other cultivators. It wasn’t the case that Chen Ping’an had been crossing paths with more cultivators over the course of his journey.

Instead, his improving cultivation base over time simply allowed him to see more cultivators, pure martial artists, and spirits when he would’ve previously been oblivious to them. Back when he was still a dragon kiln apprentice in the small town, the only distinction that he saw from person to person lay in how much wealth they possessed.

However, out of all of the places that he had traveled to, aside from on Stalactite Mountain and on immortal ships, most of the people that he encountered were still mortals.

The Vajra Body Tier martial artist stopped in his tracks in the distance, seemingly waiting for someone.

Beside him was another man on horseback, this one seemingly a cultivator.

After that, the sound of chaotic footsteps rang out from another direction. It seemed to be a group of around a dozen people, and judging from the sounds of their footsteps, there was a great deal of cultivation base variance among them.

A hesitant look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he stepped onto the path outside the pergola before pulling his boot out of the mud. After wiping the bottom of his boot on the steps, he heaved a faint sigh, then returned to the pergola with a resigned expression as he said, “On second thoughts, I’ll wait a little longer for the path to dry. Otherwise, I’ll have to wade through a ton of mud.”

The boy had a very optimistic, outgoing, and unrestrained personality, and he smiled as he praised, “That’s a smart choice!”

Chen Ping’an smiled and didn’t say anything.

Hu Xinfeng heaved an internal sigh of exasperation, deciding that he had to scold the boy later. One could not be so unselective with their words when traveling out in the world.

However, the woman in the veiled hat beat him to the punch as she reprimanded, “How rude! A scholar must be polite and carry himself with dignity at all times! Apologize to Young Master Chen right now!”

The boy hurriedly turned to his grandfather for support, but the old man was on his daughter’s side, smiling as he asked, “Is it so difficult for you to apologize? Your aunt is right. You spoke out of turn, so it’s only right that you apologize.”

The boy wasn’t fazed, continuing to smile widely as he apologized to Chen Ping’an with a slight bow. Chen Ping’an accepted his apology with a smile, not saying anything in response.

The girl covered her mouth in amusement, clearly taking joy in seeing her brother being taught a lesson.

“We’ll be on our way now, Young Master Chen,” the old man with the Sui surname said with a smile.

Chen Ping’an nodded as he smiled and replied, “May we meet again.”

However, right as they were about to emerge from the pergola, an imposing group of martial artists arrived on the scene, squelching through the mud toward the pergola.

Hu Xinfeng subtly rested a hand on the hilt of his saber while making a discreet gesture with his other hand, indicating for the four members of the Sui Clan to hold off on getting onto their horses. Otherwise, it could be construed as a gesture of disrespect, looking down on others from the vantage point of horseback.

One of the martial artists’ eyes lit up at the sight of the pergola, and he stopped in his tracks as he yelled, “Let’s take a rest here, everyone.”

The brows of the woman in the veiled hat furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

“Just stay out of their way. We don’t want any trouble,” Hu Xinfeng said in a quiet voice.

The old man with the Sui surname nodded in response, while the young boy and his sister sidled up close to him.

Chen Ping’an also followed suit, putting on a fearful expression as he made his way out of the pergola.

However, even though he was already doing his best to stay out of everyone’s path, one of the men stepping into the pergola intentionally veered off course to bump into him, sending him stumbling back.

He hurriedly apologized, while the man who had bumped into him massaged his shoulder as he yelled, “What the hell’s your problem?! There’s so much space in here, yet you just had to bump into me! Do you think I’m an easy target for you to pick on, or are you trying to show off how manly you are in front of that girl over there?”

Chen Ping’an’s face turned deathly pale as he bowed over and over again in apology, causing the go board and porcelain jars in his bookcase to clatter together incessantly. Once again, he gave the group of men an even wider berth as he made his way out of the pergola.

However, the man refused to let him off the hook so easily, shoving him in the shoulder to send him stumbling down onto his backside in the mud outside the pergola.

Chen Ping’an turned to Hu Xinfeng and the others with a horrified expression, but the old man with the Sui surname merely heaved a faint sigh and looked away, refusing to meet his gaze, while the young boy and his sister were watching with fearful expressions. Hu Xinfeng’s brows furrowed slightly, while the woman in the veiled hat opened her mouth to speak, but was dissuaded from doing so by a stern look from her father.

It was only through a great deal of hard work that Hu Xinfeng had managed to become an official’s subordinate, granting him a legitimate and lucrative job that allowed him to leave his criminal path behind. If he were to get involved in this altercation and kill these men, then the life that he had worked so hard to build could come crashing down.

Judging from the accent of these men, they were clearly not from the Five Mountain Nation, so Hu Xinfeng’s reputation in the Five Mountain Nation’s martial arts world may not serve as any intimidation to them.

Hu Xinfeng appeared calm and collected on the surface, but internally, he was feeling very uneasy.

These people were making themselves appear like a bunch of bottom-dwelling ruffians, but that was nothing more than a ruse, and if one were to try and challenge them under the assumption that they were going to be easy pickins, then they were in for a rude awakening. In particular, there was an old man with a scar on his face in the group. Perhaps he wasn’t familiar with Hu Xinfeng, but Hu Xinfeng certainly knew who he was.

His name was Yang Yuan, and he was a notorious fugitive of the Golden Gate Nation that had committed many heinous crimes. His nickname was the Turbid River Flood Dragon, and his fist techniques were extremely fearsome. He had already been on the run for over ten years, and it was said that he had been hiding on the border between the Green Shrine Nation and the Orchid Residence Nation.

He had recruited a bunch of heinous criminals just like himself to found a powerful evil sect, and he was once caught and surrounded by around a dozen righteous martial artists led by Magnificent Sect Leader Lin Shu, but he was still able to fight his way out of the encirclement and escape, albeit with some injuries.

Perhaps there were still some lingering after-effects from the severe injuries that he had suffered from back then, and he was clearly past his prime, so there was a chance that his powers had regressed. In that case, Hu Xinfeng would perhaps be able to best him in battle, but he would also have to deal with all of Yang Yuan’s companions. If, on the contrary, he had instead grown in power after all these years of rest and recuperation…

Just the mere thought was enough to make Hu Xinfeng’s skin crawl. This was a very secluded area, so there would be no one to save them or to alert the authorities. He had thought that escorting the old man on this trip would be an easy favor, but there was a chance that he would have to fight for his life here.

Hu Xinfeng was initially concerned that the old man with the Sui surname would insist on intervening, given his morals and values as a scholar, but it seemed that his concerns were unwarranted. Even though he hadn’t informed the old man of the presence of Yang Yuan in the group, he still displayed no intention of getting involved in this mess.

The old man with the scar on his face turned his gaze to Hu Xinfeng, and after a brief hesitation, Hu Xinfeng cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “Greetings, friends. I am Hu Xinfeng, leader of the Five Mountain Nation’s Turbid Crossing Gang.”

“I’ve never heard of you,” Yang Yuan chuckled, and everyone erupted into laughter.

Yang Yuan took a glance at the woman in the veiled hat, and his eyes clearly lit up for a split second. He then turned to the young man who had intentionally bumped into Chen Ping’an and said, “Let’s be civilized. There’s no need for bloodshed over every single minor incident. If he’s bumped into you, then just get him to provide some monetary compensation and leave it at that.”

The man faltered slightly upon hearing this, while a young man with a sword strapped to his back standing behind Yang Yuan smiled as he said, “Fifty or sixty taels of silver will suffice. Let’s not ask for too much from this poor scholar.”

Chen Ping’an was still sitting on the ground, not daring to stand up, and he exclaimed in a panic, “I don’t have that much silver! All I have in my bamboo case is a Go board and a pair of jars for the Go stones! At the very most, they’ll only be worth fewer than twenty taels of silver combined!”

“Well, that’s a problem then, isn’t it?” the young man mused.

1. The Tanhua is the one who finished third in the imperial examination. ☜