Unsheathed

Chapter 524 (1): The Principles of Chen Ping’an and Qi Jinglong

A small boat was traveling down the river and through the drizzling rain, with an old fisherman wearing a bamboo hat and a green raincoat sitting on the bow and drinking wine with his head tilted back. There were two beautiful songstresses sitting behind him, both lithe and wearing thin garments. One was holding a pipa and playing an energetic melody, while the other was holding a sandalwood percussion instrument and creating a melodious beat. The combination of the two sounds was seemingly discordant and chaotic, yet there was actually order amid the disorder, with the two instruments benefiting each other.

The three people on the small boat were naturally all cultivators.

A Qi refiner soared through the air above the river, casually activating an immortal tool and unleashing a ray of white light that blasted toward the small boat as he scolded loudly, “You’re too bloody noisy! Stop drinking and pretending that you’re so great and mighty! This river water will surely be enough for you to drink your fill, and you won’t even need to pay a single copper coin!”

The old fisherman raised an arm and gently shook his sleeve, and not only did the ferocious ray of white light not strike the small boat and capsize it, but it was actually absorbed completely into the old fisherman’s sleeve, ringing for a moment before quickly falling silent.

The Qi refiner was devastated, and he immediately came to a hovering stop in the air and pleaded, “Please return my flying sword, Old Immortal.”

“Kowtow and beg me,” the old fishermen snickered.

The Qi refiner landed on the surface of the river without hesitation, treating it as the ground as he vigorously kowtowed and sent large splashes of water into the surroundings.

The small boat shot into the distance like an arrow, and only after the blind idiot kowtowed three times did the old fisherman shake his sleeve and throw out the snow-white sword pellet, lightly grabbing it in his hand before launching it backward.

After catching his bonded sword pellet and dashing far into the distance, the sword cultivator laughed loudly and exclaimed, “Old Geezer, if those two little ladies are your daughters, then how about I become your son-in-law? I won’t complain about one being too few, and I won’t complain about two being too many either…”

The young woman carrying the pipa smiled coldly, suddenly plucking the pipa strings vigorously and making it appear as if violent wind and lashing rain were about to descend.

A gigantic depression was blasted into the river surface behind the small boat, with the depression emanating all the way to the location of the Sea Observation Tier sword cultivator. Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, the sword cultivator soared into the air and attempted to distance himself from the surface of the river.

Unexpectedly, however, the shapely young woman holding the red sandalwood percussion instrument lightly raised a hand and struck her instrument, causing a colossal Dao Manifestation of the instrument to descend from the curtain of rain in the sky. The mountain-sized manifestation slammed into the sword cultivator and violently smacked him into the river. Afterward, it was only when the small boat traveled more than five kilometers into the distance that the pitiful sword cultivator climbed ashore, lying down on his back and panting heavily. He didn’t dare to provoke the three people on the small boat anymore.

Sui Jingcheng entered the riverside pavilion since it was raining, and she hesitated for a moment before deciding against removing her veiled hat. She turned around and looked at the carefree old fisherman on the river, but having experienced two life-threatening situations recently, she actually didn’t think much about the commotion between the sword cultivator and the small boat just then.

Chen Ping’an only took a single glance at the river before retracting his gaze. This was very typical of the Northern Complete Reed Continent. If this were the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent or the Parasol Leaf Continent, then the sword cultivator wouldn’t have attacked in the first place. And if he did attack, then the old fisherman wouldn’t have returned the flying sword.

Qi Jinglong didn’t retract his gaze for a long time. Perhaps he was going to bid farewell after quietly waiting for the rain to stop.

“Mr. Liu is a sword cultivator, yet you ponder so deeply about the matters of the mortal world. Will this not delay your cultivation?” Chen Dui asked.

Qi Jinglong nodded and replied, “Of course it will. This is the difference between me and the two people ranked above me. Our aptitude and talent are the same, and even though our fated opportunities have been slightly different, I’ve ultimately fallen behind due to being distracted by these other matters. One of them once encouraged me to think less about the matters outside the mountains, suggesting that I focus on practicing my sword instead. After all, it won’t be too late for me to ponder on these matters after I advance to the Upper Five Tiers.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “Today’s gain and loss might be tomorrow’s loss and gain.”

“Thank you for your blessing,” Qi Jinglong said with a smile.

“Is Mr. Liu voluntarily contemplating these external matters?” Chen Ping’an asked with a serious expression.

Qi Jinglong nodded and replied, “My background is very ordinary, and I was born into a slightly better-off family in a mortal city. I enjoyed reading all kinds of books from a young age, and I was unable to break this habit even after I entered the mountains to cultivate. The path of cultivation is extremely lonely, so I naturally need to find something to occupy myself with. Moreover, there are some benefits to being a cultivator. For example, my memory has become better, and I don’t need to worry about being too poor to afford books either. Every time I leave the mountains, I’ll always purchase some books to bring back during my return trip.”

“Does Mr. Liu have any conclusions regarding the good and evil of the human heart?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Qi Jinglong smiled and replied, “Not at the moment. If one already has a clear boundary delineating good and evil in their mind to begin with, then one will very easily become confused when trying to further understand the good and evil of the human heart. If this is the case, then one will struggle to achieve objectivity and fairness in their subsequent pursuit of knowledge.”

“That’s correct. Being biased by one’s personal feelings will cause one’s judgment to lose fairness and objectivity,” Chen Ping’an concurred with emotion.

“As one’s knowledge grows broader and broader, then even the tiniest bit of bias at the origin of the stream might eventually transform into a sea of bias at the very end,” Qi Jinglong remarked.

“Mr. Liu has cleared up another uncertainty for me,” Chen Ping’an said with a knowing smile.

Qi Jinglong didn’t delve into this and ask any questions.

Chen Ping’an stood up and gazed at the tumultuous river outside the pavilion. The rumbling river rushed eastward, tirelessly flowing both day and night.

This was the reason why Chen Ping’an had decided to refine First.

Gao Cheng was naturally very strong, and he belonged to the group of cultivators pursuing absolute freedom.

Disregarding Gao Cheng’s original intentions, ignoring his goals and ambitions, Chen Ping’an was able to notice an extremely thin and subtle trace regarding one matter.

Chen Ping’an had once acted as a paramount deity determining the good and evil of other people in the dragon palace under Verdant Bamboo Lake, allowing him to more confidently confirm one matter. Further contributing to his confidence was his encounter with Yang Ningxing at Skeleton Shoal, with the young Daoist priest from the Esteemed Mystery Department’s Lofty Cloud Palace manifesting his evil thoughts into a young scholar.

Combining the two together…

Chen Ping’an continued to review these matters, and he became increasingly confident of his conclusion: Gao Cheng’s temperament was a long way off from allowing him to become the ruler of the Little Capital, the flying sword in his Sword Nurturing Gourd. At the very least, Gao Cheng didn’t possess the necessary temperament at the current moment.

Chen Ping’an was naturally even further off. However, he was roughly able to see and predict the aura of evil existing at that lofty height.

Right now, Gao Cheng still possessed personal likes and dislikes, and there were still feelings of resentment in the mind of Skeleton Wall City’s city lord. He was still stubbornly hanging onto the notion of self.

These feelings were perhaps extremely minor, but they were still there regardless of how minor they were, no? Many years had already passed, yet these deep-rooted feelings were still firmly embedded in Gao Cheng’s mind.

So, what would happen once Gao Cheng became the new owner of the new Little Capital and became the heavens of a small world?

The extremely minor biases in Gao Cheng’s mind would continue to grow following the expansion of Little Capital, and as Gao Cheng ascended to an increasingly lofty height as time went on, and as the ghosts and spirits in Little Capital continued to increase in number, these minor biases would eventually transform into boundlessly large biases.

This was what Qi Jinglong had alluded to when talking about the tiniest bit of bias at the origin of the stream eventually transforming into a sea of bias at the very end.

Perhaps Gao Cheng would have the opportunity to rectify these extremely minor biases when he reached a higher cultivation base.

However, this was only a possibility and nothing more.

In any case, one needed to possess the required courage and resolve if one were going to partake in a battle of the Great Dao. If Gao Cheng hadn’t set up the subsequent traps to hunt and kill Chen Ping’an following his failed attempt to snatch First, and if he had only shown up at the end to make that final remark, then perhaps Chen Ping’an might have genuinely been willing to wait before making his decision. He might have waited until after completing his trip around the Northern Complete Reed Continent to decide whether or not he wanted to visit Skeleton Shoal’s Skeleton Wall City.

Chen Ping’an felt like there were only two people who could potentially complete these kinds of tasks and do them well.

One was the old temple master from the Parasol Leaf Continent’s Observing Dao Temple. Indeed, Noble Scholar Zhong Kui was perhaps still not at the level yet — at least not right now.

The other was the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Cui Chan. Cui Dongshan was perhaps still lacking.

The two lacking individuals were coincidentally very close and friendly with Chen Ping’an. On the other hand, Chen Ping’an didn’t have any good impressions of the two capable individuals.

Was this not a case of being frustrated and helpless about worldly matters?

One wouldn’t suddenly become perfect and correct in all areas just because they were a friend, and one wouldn’t suddenly become flawed and incorrect in all areas just because they were an enemy.

Should one educate their friend when they committed wrongdoings? Should one learn from their enemies when they did good? Whether one was in the mountains or outside the mountains, these matters all pertained to cultivating the mind.

The light drizzle gradually subsided.

“Mr. Liu, are you able to accompany the two of us for a while longer?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Qi Jinglong nodded and replied, “Of course.”

Before leaving the riverside pavilion, Chen Ping’an asked, “Is Mr. Liu’s reason for not discussing good and evil so that you can eventually arrive closer to the fundamental nature of good and evil?”

“Correct,” Qi Jinglong confirmed with a smile.

Using Confucian etiquette, Chen Ping’an bowed down and paid respects to this cultivator whom he had encountered by chance in the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

If the Scholarly Sage were present, he would definitely be very happy upon hearing the comprehensions of Qi Jinglong.

This was despite the fact that Qi Jinglong wasn’t a Confucian disciple.

Qi Jinglong hurriedly stood up and returned the gesture.

Chen Ping’an looked up at the elegant and refined cultivator standing in front of him, hoping that if it were possible, the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s Cao Qinglang could also become like Qi Jinglong in the future. Of course, he didn’t need to be exactly the same, and he only needed to be slightly similar.

There was no need to force a person to become someone else. This was impossible, and it was also unnecessary.

Just like how Chen Ping’an didn’t want Pei Qian to become a copy of himself.

What was so bad about Pei Qian studying earnestly and growing up slowly over at his hometown? In any case, Pei Qian was already doing better than what Chen Ping’an had imagined. In reality, Pei Qian had been learning about rules and regulations the entire time.

Chen Ping’an never felt like Pei Qian was idling around and whiling away her time.

She was afraid of facing hardships and afraid of the pain of practicing fist techniques? This didn’t matter.

As her master, and as someone who had previously been the most powerful fifth tier martial artist in the world, he was going to strive to become the most powerful sixth tier martial artist as well!

Once he obtained the martial fortune, he could simply gift it to his opening disciple. At that time, Pei Qian could continue to study and practice martial arts without neglecting either, no?

Sui Jingcheng looked at the senior sword immortal who appeared slightly unfamiliar at this moment.

Compared to acting as a senior and a pseudo Dao guardian, teaching her how to interact with the world and temper her knowledge, the senior sword immortal actually preferred to learn from others.

He liked learning more than teaching her.

Sui Jingcheng felt slightly sad.

She had initially thought that she had shuffled slightly closer to the distant senior, but in reality, she was only walking slowly along the path of cultivation while the senior sword immortal was charging forward at an incredible speed.

There would eventually come a day when she couldn’t even see his shadow anymore.

Even if the two of them reunited in the future, whether that was once, twice, or three times, what could they still talk about at that time?

Sui Jingcheng didn’t know.

There was still some distance to Dragon Head Ferry Station, and the three of them walked forward slowly.

Chen Ping’an asked some questions about the capital of the Great Seal Script Empire.

“It can be said that trouble is brewing,” Qi Jinglong replied. “Sword Immortal Ji Yue of Ape Call Mountain and the tenth tier martial artist who’s safeguarding the martial fortune of the Great Seal Script Empire are yet to do battle. Once they start fighting, the commotion will be immense, so all of the sages have already left the academies. They’ve also asked a few mighty figures to observe the conflict from the sidelines, lest the battle between the two cultivators wreak havoc on the innocent mortals. However, these mighty figures won’t care about the life or death of Sword Immortal Ji Yue and the tenth tier martial artist.”

“Is there any major news from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Great Li Empire?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Qi Jinglong sighed and replied, “The heavy cavalry of the Great Li Empire is continuing to march south, and they’ve been experiencing some rebellions behind the back line. Many loyal and righteous individuals from the conquered nations are rising up to courageously fight against their foes. This is right, and no one can criticize them for their actions. However, this has led to the deaths of many innocent people, something which is wrong. Even though both sides have their reasons, these kinds of tragic but unavoidable matters always cause one to feel…”

“A sense of helplessness,” Chen Ping’an finished.

Qi Jinglong nodded in agreement.

Qi Jinglong recalled something, and he chuckled, “The Northern Complete Reed Continent’s Heavenly Lord Xie has already accepted three challenges.”

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment before shaking his head and saying, “It’s very difficult for him to lose.”

“Indeed, he didn’t suffer a single loss,” Qi Jinglong revealed. “After all, the Divine Edict Sect’s Heavenly Lord Qi definitely won’t challenge Heavenly Lord Xie. Of the three battles, the first battle against the Wind Snow Temple’s Sword Immortal Wei Jin was the most eye-catching. Even though Wei Jin lost, this young sword immortal will definitely reach extremely lofty heights in the future! However, I’ve heard that Wei Jin has already traveled to Stalactite Mountain to practice his sword techniques at the Sword Qi Great Wall. When it comes to sword immortals like him, I feel like the stronger they are, the better.”

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

“You’ve seen him before?” Qi Jinglong asked in curiosity.

“I’ve seen him once,” Chen Ping’an replied.

However, Wei Jin had looked at Chen Ping’an with an extremely apathetic gaze at the time.

Even so, Chen Ping’an still felt like Wei Jin was a good person. Many years had already passed, and Chen Ping’an was now able to better understand Wei Jin’s strength.

Qi Jinglong fell silent for a moment before saying, “Oh, right, there’s another major matter. In addition to Cloud Drape Mountain, the Great Li Empire has now finished appointing the four remaining mountains to make up the Five Mountains.”

A thought immediately occurred to Chen Ping’an.

He could refine a bonded item of the Five Elements.

Cui Dongshan had used a small hoe to dig up five large sacks of five-colored soil from the mountains of the Great Li Empire.

Accumulating earth into a mountain, wind and rain could thereupon flourish. Chen Ping’an could nourish a desirable situation of harmonious mountains and rivers once he successfully refined the five-colored soil.

Many choices in his life would also change as a result.

In the beginning, refining the five-colored soil of the Great Li Empire had been the first option that Chen Ping’an had ruled out. After having two honest conversations with Cui Dongshan and Cui Chan afterward, Chen Ping’an completely flipped his decision and even became surprisingly resolute. Even though he had met the malicious concubine — now empress dowager — of the Great Li Empire on the intercontinental ship to the Northern Complete Reed Continent, Chen Ping’an still didn’t change his mind.

And thus, there were two options for Chen Ping’an right now. One option was to take an immortal ship at Dragon Head Ferry Station and accompany Sui Jingcheng to Skeleton Shoal’s Flax Robe Sect, where he could refine the five-colored soil. This would be a safe but time-consuming process.

The other option, which wouldn’t delay his trip to the Green Oriole Nation, was to find an immortal inn with abundant spiritual energy near Dragon Head Ferry Station. Alternatively, he could take a slight detour and find a quiet and unpopulated mountain to cultivate in seclusion.

Qi Jinglong seemingly detected the change in Chen Ping’an’s mind, and he hesitated for a moment before smiling faintly and saying, “I especially left the mountains this time to look for you, so I don’t have much to do after having this conversation with you.”

Some people needed to contemplate many matters before helping other people.

This was also the case for Chen Ping’an.

However, the two of them now had compatible principles and similar characters.

They were like-minded people.

Thus, Chen Ping’an cast aside his normally cautious nature and asked, “Is Mr. Liu willing to help provide protection for me if I need to refine a bonded item at Dragon Head Ferry Station?”

“That’s not a problem,” Qi Jinglong replied with a smile.

“There might be some major commotion during the refinement process, and I also have some enemies in the Northern Complete Reed Continent. For example, the Great Seal Script Empire’s Golden Scale Palace,” Chen Ping’an added.

“That’s a minor issue,” Qi Jinglong replied.

Chen Ping’an patted Qi Jinglong’s shoulder and remarked, “It’s truly a shame that a person like you doesn’t like to drink.”

“Persuading others to drink seriously damages one’s character,” Qi Jinglong replied in helplessness.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle and remark, “You can stress this point to a certain old scholar in the future. Mhm, if you have the opportunity, you can also say it to a certain swordsman.”

Qi Jinglong shook his head in response.