Unsheathed

Xu Ruo was standing at the door, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed as he complained, “This is how you repay me? Not only did you come here empty-handed, but you immediately started causing trouble for me!”

Wei Bo stomped a foot in frustration as he sighed. “I didn’t bring any gifts because you did me such a massive favor that I don’t even know how to repay you!”

Xu Ruo began rubbing his own face in exasperation as he scoffed. “You have to be the most unique mountain god in the history of the Majestic World, I’ll give you that.”

“What can I say?” Wei Bo sighed. “I’m too impoverished to offer up anything of interest to you.”

“Get out of my sight! Now!” Xu Ruo ordered with a smile.

“Yes, sir!” Wei Bo replied, then instantly departed.

After some thought, Xu Ruo flew onto the Folded Cliff Peak, where Jin Qing remained standing on the spot with a grim expression.

Xu Ruo didn’t say anything.

All of a sudden, Jin Qing said, “Countless people had to brave the heat of the blistering sun and the treacherous terrains of the mountains and quarries, just to fulfill the orders of those above them.”

Xu Ruo knew what he was referring to. Throughout the history of the Luminous Vermilion Empire, countless people had been forced into extremely rigorous labor, plowing their way through mountains in search of the best inkstone materials.

Back when he was alive, Jin Qing just so happened to have been one of those laborers. Some claimed that he died from an accidental drowning, while others said that he was whipped to death by supervising officials. Following his death, his resentment kept him in this world, but instead of becoming a malicious ghost, he became a heroic spirit instead, protecting the mountains and environment that he had once toiled away in.

Eventually, he caught the eye of the former Purple Draw Mountain God and was promoted up the ranks to become the mountain god of the Folded Cliff Peak.

“There are no rulers under the heavens with completely clean hands,” Xu Ruo said.

“If you judge a ruler purely from a standard of morality, then that would simply be unfair. When it comes to the state of the world and the welfare of the people, all our Hundred Schools of Thought have their own judgment criteria, and they can vary drastically. In any case, you have my respect for retaining your humanity and empathy, even as a mountain god.

“However, worldly affairs are complicated, and you’ll almost inevitably have to go against your own wishes sometimes. I’m not going to advise you to do anything. You can go along with Wei Bo if you want, or you could turn him down if you please. No matter what you choose to do, you won’t be putting yourself to shame as the god of Purple Draw Mountain.

“It’s about time that I left this place. If you want, I can personally shatter your godly body before I go to spare you and Purple Draw Mountain the fate of being humiliated by someone else.”

“Will you be able to unleash a strike of devastating power if you completely draw your sword from its scabbard?” Jin Qing asked with a smile.

Xu Ruo nodded as he confirmed, “I’ve been nurturing my sword for many years, and it’s accumulated a great deal of power during this time.”

“In that case, let someone else be on the receiving end of this sword strike. It’ll be too much for my Purple Draw Mountain to bear,” Jin Qing said with a smile.

Xu Ruo hesitated momentarily, then advised, “There’s no need to take too hefty a gift with you when you go to Cloud Drape Mountain.”

Jin Qing scoffed in amusement. “You and he are all the same!”

Xu Ruo cupped his fist in a salute as he smiled and said, “I’ve long overstayed my welcome here. When you arrive at the capital, make sure to reach out. I’ll treat you to some wine.”

Jin Qing nodded in response, then asked, “Did you intentionally come to my Purple Draw Mountain in the beginning?”

Xu Ruo stopped in his tracks as he replied in an indifferent manner, “You and I are both here for the purpose of limiting casualties. You may ask, in that case, why did our school of Mohism choose the Great Li Empire, thereby resulting in so many additional casualties all over the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. That is not a question I can answer for now, but as long as you wait patiently, the answer will emerge in time.”

Jin Qing didn’t say anything.

As opposed to returning to Sealed Dragon Peak, Xu Ruo departed from Purple Draw Mountain and began traveling toward the capital of the Great Li Empire.

He did so by flight, but not atop his flying sword. He was not fond of using his flying sword as a flying apparatus because he had always felt like swords and swordsmen should be equals, therefore making it inappropriate for one to tread upon their sword.

That Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal of the Luminous Vermilion Empire, who had been in seclusion for many years, had planned to kill Cao Ping, the newly appointed military governor of the Great Li Empire. However, he perished before he even had a chance to make a move.

He didn’t actually have to die. Xu Ruo had only severely wounded him. However, the old sword immortal, who was ultimately unable to make a breakthrough even after over a century of seclusion, preferred death over imprisonment, and he certainly wasn’t going to defect to the Great Li Empire.

Thus, after his sword was snapped, leaving him with no chance of victory, he simply resigned himself to his fate and welcomed his death. In his final moments, he smiled graciously and declared that he knew that this plot of his would lead to his demise, and that he was honored to have Xu Ruo serve as his executioner.

***

Pei Qian was sitting on a little stool, inspecting her surroundings. The little courtyard remained the same as last time. In fact, everything was so identical to her last visit that Pei Qian almost felt like she hadn’t left at all. Instead, she had only been instructed by her master to pick up a bucket of water from the well, and she had immediately returned after that brief trip to be reunited with Cao Qinglang.

Earlier, while waiting outside for Cao Qinglang, she had inspected the couplets plastered to the yard gates no fewer than a hundred times. The calligraphy was great, but not so much that it made her feel inept and inferior.

Cao Qinglang was looking at her, and he had many questions he wanted to ask her. For example, why had she still not grown much taller at all, even after so many years? At the moment, there had to have been a height difference of close to a foot between the two. Also, why was she suddenly carrying a bamboo bookcase, a bamboo saber, and a bamboo sword? And how was Mr. Chen doing?

Pei Qian removed her bamboo bookcase from her back before setting it down behind herself, then placed her hiking pole horizontally across her lap. She cast her gaze directly ahead, away from Cao Qinglang, as she revealed in a direct and straightforward manner, “You know, my master actually wanted to take you with him from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. He didn’t want to take me at all.”

Cao Qinglang hesitated momentarily, then smiled as he asked, “Has Mr. Chen taken you as his disciple?”

Pei Qian’s eyes instantly began glowing as bright as celestial bodies as she nodded and confirmed, “That’s right! I traveled vast distances together with Master, and he didn’t abandon me!”

Cao Qinglang’s hands were curled up into loose fists, which he placed onto his knees, and a gentle smile appeared on his face as he said, “Even though I’m very disappointed that Mr. Chen didn’t take me with him, I think it’s wonderful that you were able to go on such a long journey with him, and I envy you greatly.”

Pei Qian remained silent.

“If Mr. Chen asked you to pick up a bucket of water from the well now, would you still spill half of it before you even returned?” Cao Qinglang asked.

Pei Qian immediately turned to glower at him with a furious expression, only to be met with a look of amusement. She felt like she possessed immense power in her fists, but was repeatedly punching a wall of cotton, rendering all of her power useless.

She crossed her arms as she harrumphed coldly, “You’re just a fool who doesn’t know anything! I’m no longer the same person I once was! I’ve learned so much from Master, and I never slack off! Not only do I have to make transcriptions every day, but I also have to practice martial arts, and I make sure to keep up those habits regardless of whether Master is around or not!”

“I see,” Cao Qinglang mused with a feigned look of realization.

Pei Qian was feeling a little frustrated. Why was it that even after all these years, she still couldn’t bring herself to be fond of Cao Qinglang at all? Compared with the quiet, sniveling coward he had once been, it seemed that he had become more courageous, and that only made him more annoying!

“During our last meeting, I actually wanted to kill you,” Pei Qian suddenly admitted. “I was worried that you would take my master away from me. You’ve always been in Master’s thoughts. He doesn’t speak about you much, only on rare occasions after he’s had something to drink, but occasionally, he would stare off into the distance in a daze, and whenever that happens, I can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s thinking about you.

“He always wanted to take you with him, and I can tell that he’s very worried that you’ll suffer on your own in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.”

Pei Qian held onto her hiking pole with both hands in a white-knuckled grip, and the veins on the backs of her hands were bulging as she said in a solemn manner, “I’m sorry!”

“I accept your apology because it was indeed wrong of you to have considered such a thing,” Cao Qinglang said with a nod. “However, I also think it’s a very good thing that you were ultimately able to deny those nefarious urges. Hence, you don’t have to be worried about the possibility that I could take your master away from you. Mr. Chen has taken you as his disciple, and he’s not the type of person to abandon you on a whim.

“If there comes a day when these nefarious urges no longer even arise in your heart at all, then no one under the heavens would be able to take Mr. Chen away from you, not myself or anyone else.”

“You make it sound like I’m just some ordinary disciple! I am Master’s first-ever disciple!” Pei Qian declared proudly.

“Yes, yes, very impressive,” Cao Qinglang placated in an exasperated manner.

Pei Qian took a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, then asked, “Are you really not angry?”

Cao Qinglang cast his gaze toward Pei Qian and put on a furious expression, as if he were one of the enraged and authoritative door gods plastered to the gates outside, and he declared, “I’m furious!”

Pei Qian scoffed. “How immature can you be?”

“Did you come to the Southern Garden Nation on your own this time?” Cao Qinglang asked. “Mr. Chen didn’t come with you?”

Pei Qian shook her head as she replied, “An old man who teaches me fist techniques came to the Southern Garden Nation with me. We had to travel very far to get here.”

“Where is this old senior that you speak of?” Cao Qinglang asked in a curious manner.

Pei Qian turned and cast her gaze toward the direction of the Heart Manifestation Temple in a dazed silence.

All of a sudden, her mouth fell open, and she made no sound, but tears and snot suddenly began flowing down her face, much to Cao Qinglang’s alarm.

In the next instant, she sprang to her feet so quickly that the hiking pole resting across her lap was flung far away into the air, but she didn’t even spare it a glance. Immediately thereafter, a violent tremor ran through the entire courtyard as she launched herself outside.

Concerned by her erratic display of emotion, Cao Qinglang also sprang up into the air like a graceful bird, darting over the rooftops as he followed her from afar.

Pei Qian landed outside the walkway in the Heart Manifestation Temple, and she immediately spotted the resting Cui Cheng.

“Open your eyes, old man! You’re not allowed to sleep!” she yelled through her tears as she adopted a powerful fist stance. “Get up, Grandpa Cui! It’s time for me to train!”

Cao Qinglang drifted down behind Pei Qian. A middle-aged monk also arrived on the scene, and Cao Qinglang brought his palms together in apology.

The monk gave a gentle nod, then also clasped his palms together and slowly departed.

Pei Qian remained in her fist stance as she continued to glower intently at Cui Cheng through tear-filled eyes.

Cao Qinglang strode over to her side, then gently pressed a hand down onto her fist as he said, “The old senior has already left us.”

However, he discovered that he was unable to force her fist down even a single inch.

Pei Qian paid no heed to him as she yelled, “Wake up, Grandpa Cui! We have to go home! This isn’t our home, our home is on Downtrodden Mountain!”

Cao Qinglang could sense that Pei Qian was in a very abnormal and dangerous emotional state, and he pressed his hand down onto her fist with even greater force as he yelled in a stern voice, “Pei Qian! Snap out of it!”

Pei Qian’s raging fist intent scorched the palm of Cao Qinglang’s hand like a flame, but his expression remained completely unchanged as he began stepping around her. He clasped his other hand behind his back in a sword seal, and he was able to force down Pei Qian’s fist over by an inch as he urged, “Stop! Let the old senior go in peace! If you keep this up, he won’t be able to rest even on the other side!”

With her torrential fist intent interrupted, Pei Qian seemed to have returned to her senses a little, and she crouched down and began bawling in anguish with her hands clawing at her own head, her eyes locked firmly on Cui Cheng the entire time.

Cui Cheng’s fist intent had faded in death, but all of a sudden, it seemed to have been resurrected in response to Pei Qian’s Deity Drumming Technique fist intent.

Cui Cheng’s hands were gently folded over his lap in a resting position, but they suddenly began to glow brightly, and two orbs of dazzling radiance that rivaled the luster of the sun and the moon emerged from within them. All of his fist intent surged out of his withered body before rapidly injecting itself into the two orbs of light, which were so incredibly bright that Cao Qinglang was forced to close his eyes and shield his face with his sleeve.

Not only that, but the mountainous fist intent emanating from the orbs of light forced him into an involuntary retreat, all the way back until his back was pressed tightly against the wall behind him. There, he stood completely immobilized, unable to draw upon any of his spiritual energy.

Even heaven and earth didn’t seem to dare to restrict this mighty fist intent, but it didn’t appear to have any effect on Pei Qian at all.

She clenched her hands into fists as she rose to her feet, and one of the orbs remained hovering before her, then began slowly revolving around her.

As for the other orb, it flew up into the sky, where it crashed into the heavens before imploding violently, sending a shower of martial fortune cascading down upon the Lotus Root Blessed Land.

This half of Cui Cheng’s martial fortune should’ve been received by Zhu Lian, who had the choice to enter the Lotus Root Blessed Land with Cui Cheng and Pei Qian. In the wake of Cui Cheng’s demise, Zhu Lian would’ve been the foremost martial artist of this blessed land, given his Far Roaming Tier cultivation base, and he would’ve been able to benefit immensely from the martial fortune, but he chose to pass up this opportunity.

Pei Qian didn’t dare to accept the orb of martial fortune left behind for her by Cui Cheng.

What if Grandpa Cui isn’t dead? What if he’ll only truly die after I accept this? I thought I wouldn’t have to deal with separations like this now that I’m all grown up, but why is it still happening?

“Don’t ever lie to yourself, even when you’re desperate for a different reality,” Cao Qinglang urged in a gentle voice. “The old senior has departed. All we can do now is ensure that we live the best lives possible so he can rest easy on the other side.”

With her back to Cao Qinglang, Pei Qian gave a gentle nod, then reached out with a trembling hand to catch the orb of martial fortune.

“There were many things that Grandpa Cui didn’t get to tell Master,” Pei Qian said as she turned to face Cao Qinglang.

The sound of the dusk drum rang out within the monastery.