Unsheathed

It was late at night, and Cao Fu had a splitting headache as he slowly opened his eyes atop some mountain peak. He discovered that he was sitting cross-legged and holding something in his lap.

His face became ashen as he glanced down.

Looking up, he saw the young scholar sitting cross-legged beside the campfire, with the hiking pole resting horizontally across his knees and the bamboo case resting on the ground behind him.

Sui Jingcheng, who no longer had a veiled hat concealing her breathtaking beauty, was sitting near the young scholar with her hands wrapped around her knees. She was curled up tightly and seemingly lost in thought.

Cao Fu didn’t dare to move as he held Xiao Shuye’s lifeless head in his lap.

“Tell me in detail about the relationship between your immortal force and the Golden Scale Palace,” Chen Ping’an said.

Cao Fu didn’t hesitate in the least as he started to spill the beans, revealing all of the secrets and truths that he was aware of.

He didn’t want to become Xiao Shuye’s companion in the afterlife.

Cao Fu’s master had said that Xiao Shuye had already exhausted all of his potential, while the opposite was true for him. Cao Fu had the potential to become a Golden Core Tier cultivator.

“Tell me about your family and the cultivation world of the Five Mountain Nation,” Chen Ping’an instructed.

Cao Fu once again revealed everything that he knew.

Sui Jingcheng had already regained her senses and started to silently listen when Cao Fu had started to spill the beans just then.

After Cao Fu finished speaking, Chen Ping’an said, “You can leave with the head now. You can return to your immortal force and report on your mission once the old assistant minister returns to his hometown.”

Sui Jingcheng wanted to say something, but she couldn’t help but hesitate.

Chen Ping’an didn’t look toward her, but he said in a casual voice, “You can try to kill Cao Fu if you want.”

Cao Fu’s expression changed slightly.

In the end, he surprisingly didn’t die, eventually leaving the mountain peak with Xiao Shuye’s head in his hand.

Cao Fu felt like he was dreaming when he left the mountain. However, his fate was murky and his future was uncertain, so the young immortal who had initially regarded the cultivation world of the Five Mountain Nation as a small pond remained anxious even after escaping with his life.

Beside the campfire…

“Thank you, Senior,” Sui Jingcheng suddenly said.

Killing Cao Fu would have been far too easy, but that wouldn’t necessarily have been a good outcome for the Sui Clan.

If both Xiao Shuye and Cao Fu were killed tonight, then that would have led to the deaths of many more people.

Perhaps Turbid River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan would be killed, followed by Gang Leader Hu Xinfeng of the Turbid Crossing Gang, and finally the entirety of the Sui Clan.

On the other hand, casually allowing Cao Fu to leave and giving him the ability to report back to the mighty figures behind the scenes was a show of force by Chen Ping’an toward Cao Fu’s master and the Golden Scale Palace.

Chen Ping’an poked the campfire with a stick and commented, “Speaking with smart people saves so much worry and effort.”

Afterward, Sui Jingcheng saw the young sword immortal in azure retrieve a Go board and some Go stones from his bamboo case, but he didn’t play out a game of Go according to a manual like he had in the pavilion before. Instead, he summoned an immortal flying sword and started to engrave two Go stones.

Looking at his movements, Sui Jingcheng could tell that he was engraving the names and immortal forces of Cao Fu’s master as well as the old ancestor of the Golden Scale Palace, with their names engraved on one side and their immortal forces engraved on the other side. After doing this, the young sword immortal retrieved several more Go stones and repeated the same process for the important cultivators of the two immortal forces, placing the engraved Go stones on the Go board.

Sui Jingcheng smiled faintly and asked, “Senior, you’ve been observing us the entire time after encountering us at the pavilion, is that correct?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “Your gambling fortune is very good, and this makes me very envious.”

Sui Jingcheng’s expression became awkward.

What she had viewed as a clever move was nothing more than mere child’s play in this senior’s eyes. Her actions were as laughable as little children playing with bamboo horses and flying paper kites.

Chen Ping’an placed the two previously completed Go boards beside the current Go board.

He placed his hands inside his opposite sleeves as he observed the Go stones and said slowly, “Back in the pavilion, Sui Wenfa made a joke with me, one that didn’t pertain to right or wrong. However, you still told him to apologize, and the old assistant minister said something that I found to be very reasonable and correct. Afterward, Sui Wenfa sincerely offered an apology.”

Chen Ping’an looked up, turning his gaze to Sui Jingcheng as he continued, “I feel like these are the traditions and customs befitting of a scholarly clan. This is very good. Even though the thoughts and actions of your father brought shame to the concepts of purity and integrity afterward, each matter should be viewed separately and on its own merits. There’s a notion of sequential order and magnitude, with these two notions not being in conflict with each other.

“Because of this, I purposely complained about the mud dirtying my shoes before Yang Yuan and his companions blocked our path, allowing me to retreat to the pavilion. The reason for my action is because I believe that scholars traveling through the cultivation world are fulfilling their duty of reading a myriad of books and traveling to a myriad of places, so they shouldn’t be hindered by the wind and rain of the cultivation world.

Sui Jingcheng nodded in response and asked in curiosity, “Senior already noticed Cao Fu and Xiao Shuye’s arrival back then? Senior was already aware of their schemes?”

“I was aware since the beginning,” Chen Ping’an replied as he gazed at the night sky.

Like a blooming flower, a stunningly beautiful smile blossomed across Sui Jingcheng’s face.

When reading those supernatural novels and novels about the cultivation world in the past, Sui Jingcheng had never admired those so-called sword immortals who could unleash magnificent sword strikes or those cultivators who could kill evil-doers with a single punch. They were naturally good people, and they filled her, the reader, with great satisfaction. When reading about their feats, she felt like it would be appropriate to drink tea or wine to celebrate their achievements.

Even so, these sword immortals and cultivators were still some way off the idealistic otherworldly immortals in her mind, immortals who practiced lofty immortal techniques and had paramount attainment of Dao.

She felt like genuine cultivators should be able to easily read people’s minds and come up with flawless plans and strategies, with their calculations just as profoundly powerful as their Dao power. These were the kinds of cultivators who had attained Dao, terrestrial immortals who sat high up in the sea of clouds and peered down at the mortal world. These paramount beings wouldn’t be against seeking entertainment when they left the mountains to travel through the outside world, but they would also be willing to promote good and punish evil.

“The cleverness and idiocy of people are both double-edged swords,” Chen Ping’an explained slowly. “Once these swords are drawn, then good things and bad things will naturally take place in the world. Because of this, I need to observe for longer, observe more carefully, and observe more slowly.

“It’s best that you remember what I say tonight, as that will allow you to carefully repeat my words to a certain person in the future. As for how much you accept and how much you grasp and turn into your own knowledge, this isn’t something that I care about. I already told you just then that I won’t take you as my disciple.

“You and I view the world with an extremely similar attitude, so I don’t feel like I can teach you the best principles and knowledge. As for teaching you immortal techniques or whatnot, this isn’t suitable either. If you’re able to leave the Northern Complete Reed Continent alive and make your way to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, then there will naturally be fated opportunities waiting for you to grab there.”

Sui Jingcheng shifted her sitting posture, half-kneeling beside the campfire as she replied, “Jingcheng will remember every single word and principle spoken by Senior. As the saying goes: Give a person a fish and feed them for a day, teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime. Jingcheng understands this basic principle. Senior has taught me the foundations of the Great Dao, and this is more important than any kind of immortal technique.”

Chen Ping’an extracted a hand from his sleeve and pointed at the Go board, saying, “In my view, there perhaps don’t exist any absolute principles that are applicable in every single situation. However, there do exist absolute realities and truths. When you see the true thoughts and intentions hidden behind people’s words and actions, making sense of the chains of events and sequential order, then you can transform complicated issues into simpler matters. These principles are inevitably lofty and intangible, so let us review these two games of Go to ground the principles in reality.”

Chen Ping’an picked up a Go stone and continued, “During moments of life and death, the extreme evil of human nature will rise to the fore, pushing one to become unscrupulous for the sake of snatching life from the jaws of death. This is understandable. However, different people will have different opinions regarding whether this is acceptable or not.”

He raised the Go stone and lightly placed it on the board, saying, “Gang Leader Hu Xinfeng of the Turbid Crossing Gang made the decision to do evil at that moment. People are responsible for their own life and death when traveling through the cultivation world, and although his decision wasn’t necessarily right in my eyes, his choice to pursue survival on the Go board at that time was successful. This is because Hu Xinfeng is different from you, Sui Jingcheng. From the beginning to the end, he never guessed that I was a cultivator. Moreover, he even dared to secretly observe the situation.”

“What would Senior have done if Hu Xinfeng had vowed to protect the four members of the Sui Clan, even if this meant death?” Sui Jingcheng asked.

“Then the Five Mountain Nation would have continued to have a genuinely chivalrous person traveling around the cultivation world,” Chen Ping’an replied slowly. “After things had settled down, I would have felt extremely honored if such a chivalrous person was still willing to treat me to some wine.”

Chen Ping’an pointed at the two Go stones that were yet to enter the Go board and remarked, “Was Cao Fu relying on his status as an immortal from the mountains? And was Xiao Shuye relying on his status as a Vajra Body Tier martial artist? Did they truly think that the cultivation world outside the mountains was nothing but a collection of small and shallow ponds? Ponds that they could see through with ease?

“To say nothing of them, even I’ve encountered many troubles despite how careful I am. I was mysteriously struck by the Sword Devouring Ark, my flying sword was snatched by someone at Skeleton Shoal, and I almost died at the Golden Gate Nation and at Magnificent Peak. Which is to say, the cultivation world is filled with dangers. Regardless of whether one is good or evil, one might still be killed, regardless of how careful one is, to say nothing of those who are actively seeking death. Now that Xiao Shuye is dead, he can only blame himself for having a flimsy neck that couldn’t withstand my sword strike.”

Chen Ping’an kept his fingers on the Go stone on the board as he continued, “However, Hu Xinfeng didn’t choose to act in a righteous manner, and he instead developed sinister thoughts straight away. This is human nature, so I didn’t choose to kill him because of this. Rather, I allowed him to fight for survival by himself, the end result of which was positive for him. He managed to grab that sliver of a chance to stay alive.

“This is why I said that, ignoring my views, Hu Xinfeng made the correct decision for himself at that moment. Regarding the events that took place on the ancient merchant road afterward, that was another game of Go interrogating my conscience. However, this matter already has nothing to do with you and your companions.”

Chen Ping’an placed the four Go stones representing the four people from the Sui Clan on the Go board, saying, “I knew a long time ago that you and your companions were trapped on a Go board, with Cao Fu being one of the Go players. However, the events afterward proved that he was also nothing more than a Go stone. The true Go players were his immortal force and the Golden Scale Palace.

“To say nothing of the latter, I was already faced with a difficult question at that moment. This difficulty was borne from the fact that I didn’t understand Cao Fu’s true reason for coming up with his schemes. How does he interact with other people? And what is his bottom line for good and evil? Does he have any grudges against the Sui Clan? The Sui Clan is indeed a scholarly clan, but this doesn’t then imply that they’ve never committed a huge wrong in the past.

“Cao Fu’s actions had sinister ulterior motives, and he snuck here secretly and even persuaded Turbid River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan to become involved in the situation. He naturally wasn’t upstanding and righteous enough. However, it’s not necessarily the case that he wasn’t doing a good thing. Since Cao Fu didn’t use deadly force straight away, how could I say for sure at the time whether he harbored goodwill or ill will toward you and the Sui Clan? What if things had taken a turn for the better, with the outcome becoming positive for everyone involved?”

Sui Jingcheng nodded lightly in understanding.

Chen Ping’an leaned forward, extending a finger and placing it on the Go stone that was engraved with Sui Xinyu’s name as he said, “The first person to disappoint me wasn’t Hu Xinfeng, but instead, your father.”

“Why is that?” Sui Jingcheng asked in puzzlement. “If a powerful and chivalrous martial artist from the cultivation world chose self-preservation and didn’t dare to help others when facing significant hardships, then I would understand Senior’s feeling of disappointment. However, with Senior’s temperament…”

Sui Jingcheng’s voice trailed off, with the young woman feeling afraid that she would gild the lily.

Chen Ping’an retracted his finger and replied with a faint smile, “Wealthy people don’t take unnecessary risks, and noble people don’t place themselves in unnecessary danger. These principles are naturally very reasonable. Sui Xinyu was wise and prudent to remain silent in the pavilion, so his wrongdoing didn’t stem from this matter. However, let me ask you this. What kind of person is your father?”

Sui Jingcheng wasn’t in a hurry to answer this question. Her father? The clan leader of the Sui Clan? The top Go player in the Five Mountain Nation? A former assistant minister of the nation’s Ministry of Works? A spark of brilliance suddenly appeared in Sui Jingcheng’s mind as she recalled the outfit of the senior standing in front of her, and she answered with a sigh, “He’s a great literary figure of the Five Mountain Nation who has read a myriad of books and poems. He’s a… scholar who understands many sagely principles.”

“One of the more important points is the fact that Hu Xinfeng didn’t reveal the identity of his companion back then. He didn’t reveal the identity of the notorious Turbid River Flood Dragon, Yang Yuan,” Chen Ping’an said.

“With this in mind, the situation that your father, Sui Xinyu, faced in the pavilion at the time wasn’t a life and death dilemma. Rather, it was just a slightly troublesome situation. Is Gang Leader Hu Xinfeng’s title effective across the mountains and rivers of the Five Mountain Nation?”

“It’s naturally effective,” Sui Jingcheng replied with an embarrassed look. “Back then, I also thought that the situation was nothing more than a farce in the cultivation world. Because of this, I was actually trying to… test Senior to see Senior’s reaction. As such, I purposely didn’t speak up and offer to lend money.”

“Hu Xinfeng was afraid of causing trouble for himself, so he was unwilling to reveal Yang Yuan’s identity and purposely feigned calm and composure,” Chen Ping’an said. “His warning to you and your companions was also perfectly balanced, a reflection of his experience and intelligence as an old member of the cultivation world. He obtained this knowledge by fighting with his life on the line.

“With this in mind, I took a glance at the old assistant minister at the time, and I saw his expression of relief stemming from the fact that I didn’t open my mouth to ask for money. This wasn’t a major issue, and his reaction was only human nature. However, Sui Xinyu is a scholar, a person who once held a lofty official rank and was responsible for using his knowledge to serve his nation and help her people…”

After saying this, Chen Ping’an extended his index finger and thumb, bending them slightly but not letting them touch. It was as if he were holding a Go stone between his fingers as he continued, “The sages once said that the existence or lack of compassion differentiated humans from beasts and plants. But did your father, Sui Xinyu, have any compassion at that time? Even just a tiny bit? You’re his daughter, so as long as you don’t have a blind spot for him because of your relationship, you should be even more familiar with his character and temperament than I am.”

Sui Jingcheng shook her head and replied with a bitter smile, “No, he didn’t show any compassion.”

There was a melancholy expression on her face as she seemingly murmured to herself, “He genuinely didn’t show any.”

“And this is why proceeding slowly to observe more and contemplate more has always been a double-edged sword. After encountering many people and many matters, you’ll realize that they’re only so-so,” Chen Ping’an remarked.

His expression was unchanged, and it was as if he had come across these situations many times before. He looked up and gazed into the distance as he said softly, “When facing life and death, I’ve always believed that beyond seeking survival, the seeds of evil will often transform into mountains of evil. This is understandable. However, when death is certain, there are always some people — perhaps there are only very few of them — who have sparks of righteousness that instantly erupt into raging flames.

“Back at the pavilion, and when we were traveling afterward, I was observing and waiting the entire time.

“I was waiting for one small spark, even if this spark were immediately suppressed and extinguished.

“In my eyes, these sparks of noble human nature can rival the brilliance of the sun and the moon even if they’re only small and fleeting.”