Unsheathed

Cui Cheng slowly made his way up the mountain, then looked around as he recited a poetry phrase, “Mountains resembling sharp dragon scales and valleys filled with birds of flight, even a hundred-year-old man would be mesmerized by such a stunning sight.”

“Well said!” Pei Qian praised with a nod.

“Since when were you an appreciator of poetry?” Cui Cheng asked with a smile.

“I said that on my master’s behalf,” Pei Qian replied with a grin, and Cui Cheng burst into laughter.

Upon reaching the mountain summit, they arrived before a Daoist temple with its gates tightly shut. Instead of knocking on the gates, Cui Cheng and Pei Qian explored the nearby area, reading some plaque inscriptions and cliff carvings.

Cui Cheng cast his gaze into the distance as he mused, “A wise man once said that the lifeblood of a person lies in their essential energy, while the lifeblood of a nation lies in the hearts of the people. Truer words have hardly ever been spoken…”

Pei Qian turned to look at him, and she finally recalled that he had mentioned that he was once a scholar.

The two of them made their way down the mountain on foot, and they arrived in a village. Beyond that were cities and towns, and the rugged mountain paths had been replaced by official roads.

They encountered many people of all walks of life along the way, with most of them only fleeting encounters that didn’t lead to anything.

On this day, they stopped by a streetside teashop, where Pei Qian purchased two large bowls of cold tea out of her own pocket.

She wove herself a conical hat out of bamboo fibers, and it was a very amusing sight to see her sword and saber strapped to her waist, her bamboo bookcase on her back, the conical bamboo hat on her head, and her hiking pole leaning against the table.

A group of horseback travelers dismounted outside the teashop before making their way to the neighboring table, and their presence immediately had Pei Qian feeling a little uneasy. She was originally sitting across the table from Cui Cheng, but she moved over to sit beside him for her protection.

She took a quick glance at the group of travelers, then turned to Cui Cheng and asked in a low voice, “Do you know what the prerequisites are for one to travel the martial world?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Cui Chen prompted with a smile.

“A large bag of loose gold, a tall and strong horse, a treasured blade that can slice through iron like butter, and a title that inspires awe and veneration,” Pei Qian laid out. “Master told me that if you have those things, then you’ll thrive in the martial world wherever you go. I don’t need a tall and strong horse in the future. Master promised me that when it’s time for me to go out into the world, he’ll buy me a little donkey.”

Cui Cheng nodded with a smile.

The group of horseback travelers was all carrying swords and sabers, and one of them didn’t immediately sit down. Instead, he pressed a hand down onto Pei Qian’s conical bamboo hat as he chuckled, “My goodness, I thought you were a piece of walking charcoal for a second! You take yourself for a bit of a heroine, do you? You certainly look the part with your saber and sword! Who did you learn all of that from?”

Cui Cheng merely continued to sip his tea.

Pei Qian’s complexion had turned deathly pale, and she slowly raised her head as she replied in a timid fashion, “I learned that from my master.”

The traveler took a step back, then gave Pei Qian’s bamboo bookcase a disdainful kick as he scoffed, “Why’re you carrying a crappy bookcase around when you’re traveling the martial world?”

Pei Qian was just about to beg Cui Cheng for help when the latter smiled and said, “Take care of it yourself.”

Pei Qian wiped some sweat from her forehead, while her aggressor pulled back his leg in preparation to give the bookcase on her back a second, more forceful kick. Pei Qian immediately stood up to evade his kick, and at the same time, she reflexively reached out with one hand to make a grabbing motion, drawing her hiking pole into her grasp.

The traveler was not very pleased that his kick had been evaded, and he was just about to pick on Pei Qian some more when his expression abruptly stiffened at the sight of Pei Qian drawing her hiking pole into her grasp.

He immediately began sweating profusely, and he hurriedly put on a fawning smile as he rubbed his hands together and mumbled something about how he was just joking around.

Pei Qian briefly considered taking further action, but ultimately returned to her seat.

“Are you too scared to retaliate?” Cui Cheng asked with a smile.

Pei Qian shook her head with a glum expression as she replied, “Initially, I was worried that he would break my bookcase, and when he prepared to give it a second kick, I wanted to retaliate, but I was afraid that I would inadvertently punch a hole through his chest.”

“Why are you afraid of something like that?” Cui Cheng asked. “Shouldn’t he be the one afraid of you?”

Pei Qian shook her head once again as she explained, “Master once told me that the martial world isn’t a place of senseless bloodshed, nor is it a place where every slight must be met with retaliation. In cases of trivial conflicts, the ability to hold one’s punches is a much better reflection of how accomplished a martial artist is.”

Cui Cheng was very amused to hear this, but it was unclear whether he was amused by Pei Qian’s boastful display or by the painfully cliched principle that she had just espoused.

He finished the tea in his bowl, then said, “If you only had several copper coins in total, it would pain you greatly to lose even a single one. However, once you have a mountain of immortal coins, losing a few copper coins would be…”

“Even then, I would still look everywhere for them!” Pei Qian interjected in a categorical voice.

There’s no way I’m just going to lose money and not try to recover it!

Her master had once told her that every single lost copper coin was a poor little baby with no home to return to, so she certainly wasn’t just going to abandon them.

“Give me another analogy,” Pei Qian encouraged. “I’ll be sure to take it to heart.”

“Even an old teacher eventually runs out of analogies to make and principles to espouse,” Cui Cheng said with a chuckle.

“What if you try a little harder to think of one?” Pei Qian asked, feeling a little disappointed.

Cui Cheng merely shook his head and offered no response.

Meanwhile, the travelers at the neighboring table had already departed on horseback without even touching their bowls of tea.

It seemed like they had some urgent business to attend to.

Cui Cheng and Pei Qian also departed from the teashop, and the former cast his gaze into the distance with a smile as he instructed, “Go and catch up to them, then tell them something straight from your heart. It can be anything.”

Pei Qian was a little hesitant, so Cui Cheng gave her a slight nudge.

Pei Qian took a deep breath, then adjusted her conical bamboo hat before sprinting forward while carefully considering what she was going to say. It had to be something that painted her in a reasonable and positive light. She was far faster than the horses galloping up ahead, and it didn’t take long at all for her to catch up to the group of fleeing travelers.

The traveler who had picked on her earlier had turned to her with a look of despair on his face, and she raised her head to look back at him as she declared, “Integrity is the most important quality when traveling the martial world!”

The traveler was dumbstruck.

“Do you hear me?” Pei Qian asked in a forceful voice.

“Y… Yes! Yes!” the man hurriedly replied in a trembling voice, as did the other travelers in the group.

Satisfied with her work, Pei Qian drew to an abrupt halt, waiting for Cui Cheng to catch up to her.

From there, the two of them made their way over the tall city walls of the provincial city.

They offered incense at various Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, they purchased all manner of delectable foods from various markets, and while passing by a bookshop, Pei Qian purchased some books for Li Baoping and Li Huai. Of course, she had also prepared gifts out of her own pocket for all of her friends on Downtrodden Mountain.

Unfortunately, immortal coins weren’t a viable form of currency in the Southern Garden Nation, so she was forced to spend copper coins and scraps of silver instead, and it pained her to have to part with her babies like this, but at the very least, she could take solace in the knowledge that they were simply going to new homes instead of being lost.

As Cui Cheng emerged from the bookshop with Pei Qian, he asked, “Do you ever feel like it’s really tiresome having to learn your master’s way of life all the time?”

Pei Qian swaggered her way down the bustling streets as she replied, “Of course not! Nothing feels tiresome as long as I’m still alive! I get to fill my belly every day. What else could I ask for? Back when I was a beggar in the capital of the Southern Garden Nation, I had to wear tattered rags every day, and I didn’t even have a roof over my head. It was really sad.

“All I could do was try to press myself as close to the walls as possible so I could get closer to the gods and the Bodhisattvas and pray to them. Even so, they still didn’t hear my prayers, and I was still left to starve. Not only that, but I would even be beaten if I wasn’t careful.”

“You can’t think of it that way,” Cui Cheng countered with a smile. “The Bodhisattvas did hear your prayers after all, didn’t they? That’s why they sent Chen Ping’an to become your master.”

Pei Qian immediately stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, and a film of tears surfaced in her eyes. She told Cui Cheng to wait for her for a moment, and she rushed alone into a nearby monastery to offer up some incense. Not only that, but she even set down her bamboo bookcase before kneeling onto a cushion at the foot of the Bodhisattva statue, then kowtowed many times in gratitude and reverence.

After the two of them left the city, Cui Cheng declared that they would be traveling to the capital of the Southern Garden Nation.

Pei Qian nodded and didn’t say anything.

On the bank of a river not far away from the capital, Cui Cheng had taken a seat, while Pei Qian was scooping up some water out of the river to wash her face.

“Are you still afraid of that Cao Qinglang?” Cui Cheng asked. “If so, we can enter the city a little later.”

Pei Qian remained silent as she stared blankly at the opposite riverbank.

Cui Cheng picked up a stone before gently tossing it into the water, then smiled as he said, “It’s not a big deal if you fear someone or something, but it’s a problem if you fear them so much that you don’t even dare to face them. There are many brilliant scholars who have achieved more in the literati world than those who came after them could ever hope to match, but does that mean everyone should just give up on their studies?

“Some people have written brilliant pieces that put others to shame, but does that mean everyone who comes after them should abandon writing altogether? If you decide to walk down a path in life, there will inevitably come a point when you come across someone who makes you feel awestruck and inferior. In that situation, the worst thing you could do is go into a shell and remain in your comfort zone for the rest of your life. At the very least, you have to know what the scenery looks like up there.

“You have to open your eyes wide and take a good look. You can’t be afraid or hide. Otherwise, you’ll be doomed to spend the rest of your life in hiding. I’m saying all of this to you out of personal experience. Back when I was a scholar, I was extremely proud, and I never lost a debate to anyone. After that, I began pursuing martial arts, and I remained proud and resilient, embarking on long journeys with nothing more than my fists to protect myself. My goal in both disciplines was to be above everyone else.

“In times when there are no heroes, mediocre laymen rise to the fore. What’s most depressing about that is not the mediocre laymen rising to the fore. Instead, it’s the lack of heroes in that era. Hence, we shouldn’t be afraid of the competence and brilliance of others. Accepting the brilliance of others while trying to outdo them is the true essence of growing up.

“There will come a day when you will no longer be Chen Ping’an’s first-ever disciple. Instead, you will just be Pei Qian and nothing else. Of course, Chen Ping’an would be willing to always look after you. That’s the type of person he is, and one’s nature is not easily changed. Perhaps he’ll stop influencing every single aspect of your life, but those close to him are burdens that he’s willing to carry for his entire life.

“He doesn’t fear hardship. On the contrary, he welcomes and embraces it. If you try to encourage people like them to think more for themselves, then you may as well be trying to teach a monkey to read. He’ll definitely take your advice onboard, but it’ll be very difficult for him to change his ways.” Cui Cheng’s voice trailed off there.

After a brief silence, Pei Qian raised her head and declared, “Let’s go to the capital! I’ll lead the way!”

Thus, the two of them made their way to the capital of the Southern Garden Nation. As usual, they vaulted over the city walls in secret as they didn’t have passports.

In any case, she was doing this under the supervision of Cui Cheng, so even if her master were to find out, surely he wouldn’t be too angry with her.

After setting foot in this all-too-familiar city, Pei Qian began to slow down in her tracks.

Cui Cheng didn’t try to rush her.

They passed through Champion Scholar Alley, passed by the martial arts school that was still in operation, then made their way to the Heart Manifestation Temple, and by then, Pei Qian had already picked up the pace a little.

However, upon arriving at the entrance of the monastery, Cui Cheng suddenly stopped in his tracks, even though there was no one else in his path.

Pei Qian was just about to follow him inside when he shook his head as he said, “You must walk this final part of the journey alone.”

Pei Qian gave him a firm nod, then turned and departed, making her way down a wide street en route to that small alley.

Cui Cheng looked on with a smile at her departing figure for a moment, then entered the monastery. However, he didn’t offer up any incense. Instead, he simply found a peaceful spot on the walkway and sat down.

***

Over at the small alley, Pei Qian discovered that the yard gates were locked, so she sat down on the steps outside, and only at around dusk did a young boy in a Confucian robe finally enter the alley.

Pei Qian stood up to face him, and Cao Qinglang hurriedly joined her with a smile on his face.

Pei Qian greeted him. “Long time no see, Cao Qinglang.”

Cao Qinglang smiled. “Hello, Pei Qian.”

He then unlocked the gates as he said, “You left in a real hurry last time, so I didn’t get a chance to ask you how Mr. Chen was doing…”

“Why are you always asking for a beating?” Pei Qian blurted out in an annoyed fashion.

Cao Qinglang could only shake his head with an amused smile.

He was genuinely a little afraid of her.

Pei Qian stared at Cao Qinglang in silence, prompting the latter to ask in a puzzled manner, “What’s wrong?”

Pei Qian swaggered her way into the courtyard, then picked out that familiar little stool for herself before declaring, “Cao Qinglang, I have something to discuss with you!”

Cao Qinglang sat down with a smile.

Two little stools, two young acquaintances.

***

In the walkway of the Heart Manifestation Temple, Cui Cheng closed his eyes and was silent for a long while, seemingly waiting for that reunion in the small alley. It seemed that he would only be content once he found out the answer.

However, he was becoming wearier by the second, and he was no longer able to disguise his frail condition after Pei Qian departed.

At some point, he was approached by a monk, but he merely shook his head with a smile, and the monk joined his palms and lowered his head before departing.

Cui Cheng remained seated with his legs crossed, and it seemed like he had finally let go of something.

His hands were gently folded over his lap, and after a long silence, he closed his eyes once again as he murmured to himself, “I see the true meaning of life, but I am unable to express it.”