Unsheathed

Mountain Master Huang Cai of Lion Peak was already standing next to Li Liu, and he remarked with an amused smile, “After that punch from Mr. Chen, our Lion Peak is definitely going to be renowned far and wide.”

Li Liu gave Huang Cai a rare smile as she said, “There’s no need for you to refer to him as Mr. Chen if you don’t want to. It sounds awkward coming out of your mouth, and I’m sure it’ll feel awkward for Mr. Chen as well.”

Huang Cai was aware of his mistress’s personality, and he nodded in response.

During one of her past lifetimes, Li Liu had picked up a boy from the side of the street. She had instructed him to kowtow to her thrice, and with that rather wishy-washy rite of passage completed, he became her only direct disciple. Later on, the two of them established a sect on Lion Peak, and following Li Liu’s passing, it fell upon Huang Cai to take up the mantle. At the time, he had only just become a Golden Core Tier earth immortal.

As a child, Huang Cai had been as thin as a stick, but his head had been disproportionately large, giving him a rather comical appearance. It was all thanks to that rather clumsy-looking child that Lion Peak had managed to stand strong all this time on the Northern Complete Reed Continent, and ultimately, he became one of the continent’s most renowned Nascent Tier cultivators.

“Out of his four Dao robes, the innermost one is decent, but the other three are not really up to scratch, and they’ve been damaged rather severely by my punches,” Li Er suddenly said.

Thankfully, Chen Ping’an hadn’t forgotten to take off those Dao robes before he returned to the dock by boat. It was particularly important that he had removed the outermost Rainbow Sparrow Residence Dao robe. Otherwise, if he had worn it while ascending into the heavens to dispel the golden martial fortune cloud, then it would quickly become known across the entire Northern Complete Reed Continent that there was a cross-dressing martial artist on Lion Peak.

By scattering the golden cloud, Chen Ping’an had left behind a bequeathment of immense martial fortune on the Northern Complete Reed Continent. As for what profound and far-reaching consequences would arise from this, Li Er had decided not to reveal certain secrets to Chen Ping’an after learning of the latter’s decision.

There was simply no point, and revealing those secrets to him would’ve only had a detrimental effect, perhaps adding an element of impurity to Chen Ping’an’s fist intent. Only a small group of ninth and tenth tier martial artists at the pinnacle of the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s Martial Dao would be able to sense what Chen Ping’an had just done here, and regardless of their personalities and moral compass, they would all undoubtedly feel a sense of respect for the young martial artist.

Furthermore, all of the martial sage temples across the entire continent would also be grateful to Chen Ping’an. Setting aside everyone else, Confucian Sage Zhou Mi would most definitely be impressed with and appreciative of Chen Ping’an.

Li Liu had to suppress her amusement at the recollection of Chen Ping’an’s effeminate attire from earlier, and she said in a gentle voice, “I’ll mend Mr. Chen’s Dao robes for him.”

Li Er was grinning from ear to ear.

“What are you thinking that’s gotten you in such a good mood, Father?” Li Liu asked.

“I’m just really happy at the thought that I’ll have wine to drink once I’ve descended from the mountain,” Li Er replied.

Chen Ping’an was swaying unsteadily as he descended using First and Fifteenth as steps before finally landing on the ground.

“Rest and recuperate on the mountain for a few days first,” Li Er instructed. “Once you’ve consolidated your Vajra Body Tier cultivation base, I’ll help you open up your joints and refine your soul. With each breakthrough, many changes, both minute and pronounced, take place in one’s body, and it’s better to strike while the iron is hot and do these things as soon as possible after a breakthrough.”

“Let’s talk about this another time, Uncle Li,” Chen Ping’an said with a wry smile. “Right now, I can barely even remain on my feet, and just talking about more training is making me feel woozy.”

Li Er gave an amused smile and spoke no further on the matter.

Chen Ping’an turned to Huang Cai and cupped his fist in an apologetic salute as he said, “I never got the chance to thank you, Mountain Master Huang.”

“You’re very much welcome, Young Master Chen,” Huang Cai said with a shake of his head. “Our Lion Peak is going to become a very notorious place thanks to you, so if anything, we are the ones indebted to you.”

Chen Ping’an bade everyone farewell and departed with a peculiar expression, while Li Er also raced his way down the mountain.

Li Liu turned to Huang Cai and asked, “Isn’t the word notorious supposed to have negative connotations? Didn’t I tell you to read more books? Have you been focusing solely on your cultivation all this time? I hear that you’re on good terms with Mountain Master Zhou Mi of Great Cormorant Academy. Surely you could’ve picked up some tidbits of wisdom from him!”

“I’ve never liked reading, even as a kid, Mistress,” Huang Cai sighed in a resigned manner. “Besides, Mountain Master Zhou and I never discuss any scholarly topics when we’re together.”

“And to think you had such a big head when you were small. What a waste!” Li Liu scoffed with a shake of her head.

Huang Cai faltered slightly upon hearing this, then patted his own head with a reminiscent look on his face. He had once been an emaciated child begging for food in the snow. While wading arduously through the snow, he encountered one of Li Liu’s past incarnations.

That was a scene that he would never forget for as long as he lived.

Li Liu turned to the old man who had been diligently looking after Lion Peak his entire life. Lion Peak was only one of the abodes that she had left behind, and it wasn’t even as important as the Dragon Palace Small World and the Southern Fragrance Water Palace.

The only reason she had decided to settle here with her parents was that she liked the peaceful small town at the foot of the mountain, which was a great place for her mother to run a shop. Hence, her choice actually had nothing to do with Lion Peak and Huang Cai.

However, for some reason, she was suddenly struck by a sense of sorrow at the thought that the emaciated boy with the comically large head had suddenly turned into an old man far past his prime. Huang Cai’s aptitude wasn’t anything exceptional. He had too stubborn a personality, and as a result, he had endured too many battles over the course of his cultivation journey. Looking after an ancestral hall on the Northern Complete Reed Continent was not an easy task.

Originally, Huang Cai had chances of reaching the Unpolished Jade Tier, but he had racked up many injuries over the years as a result of his insistence on protecting Lion Peak’s ancestral hall against all manners of intruders. The lingering after-effects of those injuries meant that he would never be able to advance beyond the Nascent Tier in this lifetime.

Li Liu hadn’t actually thought much of this disciple of hers when she first returned to Lion Peak. In her eyes, the Lion Peak ancestral hall was entirely dispensable. Even if it were razed to the ground, and Huang Cai didn’t bother to reconstruct it, Li Liu would’ve hardly been bothered at all.

Perhaps she would’ve been inclined to reward Huang Cai had he focused on his own cultivation and reached the Upper Five Tiers, as opposed to wasting all of this energy and effort in taking Lion Peak to new heights.

It wasn’t that she was unaware of Huang Cai’s sincerity and intentions. Instead, she knew why he had made all of these sacrifices, but she simply didn’t care.

However, in this moment, she felt a hint of sorrow.

Huang Cai had never seen an expression like this on his mistress’s face. In his memory, she had always been so silent and aloof, looking as if she were thinking about lofty things that he would never be able to understand.

Huang Cai didn’t dare to look directly at Li Liu, so he cast his gaze into the distance as he said in a trembling voice, “I am truly very glad that I was able to reunite with you in this lifetime, Mistress.”

Li Liu nodded as she replied, “I’m not as glad as you are, but I’m not unhappy about this, either.”

Both of them were silent for some time.

“Don’t worry about the mountain and water restriction in that abode from now on,” Li Liu said. “You are now the mountain master of Lion Peak, and that abode is no longer a place of cultivation for me, so you don’t have to treat it like some sacred place. If there are some fine talents on Lion Peak, then you can send them to cultivate in there once Mr. Chen has left the mountain.

“Also, feel free to pass down the three Dao books that I bestowed upon you to your disciples in accordance with their aptitude and personalities. There’s no need to be overly dogmatic in your adherence to rules. Besides, it’s not like I ever forbade you from passing down those three ancient water techniques. If you weren’t so stubborn and pedantic, Lion Peak should’ve already had a second Nascent Tier cultivator long ago.”

Huang Cai slapped himself on the head as he sighed, “It’s just as you said, Mistress, I have put this big head of mine to waste!”

Li Liu gave an amused smile, and the two of them fell silent again, looking out at the scenery while enjoying each other’s company.

***

Five days later, Li Er returned to the mountain. For this sparring session, he instructed Chen Ping’an to fight him using only his Vajra Body Tier cultivation base as a pure martial artist. However, he wasn’t permitted to use any fist techniques; not even the slightest semblance of a fist technique was permitted. If he were caught breaking this rule, then he would receive a punch at the pinnacle of the ninth tier from Li Er.

Furthermore, Li Er mandated that Chen Ping’an’s punches had to be fast, telling him that he would be doing a disservice to his hard-earned Vajra Body Tier cultivation base by slowing down even in the slightest. At the end of the sparring session, the two of them returned to the dock by boat, and this time, it was Li Er driving the boat. He told Chen Ping’an that the latter was still not quite there yet and that he would be returning in five more days to resume this process.

Unfortunately, Chen Ping’an had to turn him down, declaring that he had to go. Qi Jinglong had already made his breakthrough, so he was going to be facing his first challenge soon, and Chen Ping’an had to go to the Great Emblem Sword Sect to take a look. From there, he would travel to Ground Lying Peak to visit Spiritual Master Fire Dragon, as well as another good friend of his.

After that, he would make a trip to Cave Immortal Street in Sweet Wormwood Nation to visit Li Xisheng, following which he would travel south to return to Skeleton Shoal.

Li Er didn’t try to impose his will on Chen Ping’an.

At around dusk, the two of them quickly made their way down the mountain, and on the way down, Li Er asked, “If you’re in such a hurry to travel to Stalactite Mountain, then why not go straight from the Northern Complete Reed Continent instead of making a trip back to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent?

“Downtrodden Mountain isn’t going anywhere, and Zhu Lian and Wei Bo are looking after everything, so there really isn’t anything for you to worry about. Once you return to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, you’ll only be able to take intercontinental ships from Old Dragon City, and that’ll be a rather lengthy journey in itself. Isn’t all of that a pain in the backside?”

Chen Ping’an smiled as he replied, “I have to go and pay a visit back home. Otherwise, it’ll constantly weigh on my mind everywhere I go.”

Li Er didn’t say anything further.

Over these past few days, he had already said far too much, and all of this speaking had been far more exhausting for him than his sparring sessions with Chen Ping’an.

Upon reaching the fabric shop at the foot of the mountain, they discovered Li Liu helping out inside. Business was very quiet as usual. Chen Ping’an was a little hesitant to speak up, but ultimately, he decided to offer her some advice.

“Miss Li, do you know why business at the shop always seems to struggle when you’re here?”

Li Liu nodded in response.

She knew that none of the women in the small town liked to see her. Even if she were willing to swallow her pride and praise the wares sold in the shop to the high heavens, those mortal women would always feel uncomfortable whenever she was around. Even if they were to buy some fabric and make some pretty clothes to enhance their looks, what would be the point? They still couldn’t hope to even begin to compare with Li Liu.

Li Liu was well aware that her presence was detrimental to business, but she still wanted to spend more time with her mother.

“You can get one or two celestial maidens from Lion Peak who aren’t quite as good-looking as yourself to come and buy fabric from the shop on two separate occasions,” Chen Ping’an advised with a smile. “Make sure to tell them to come around when the street is busy and bustling, and for the first occasion, they can buy less fabric, but purchase a bit more the second time.

“Also, they should be wearing clothes fashioned out of the fabric they bought from the shop during their visits. That way, you won’t have to worry about the shop’s business, and you’ll be able to stay in the backyard and chat with Aunt Liu.”

“Thank you for the clever idea, Mr. Chen. I’ll be sure to give it a try,” Li Liu said with a smile.

Earlier, Li Er’s wife had noticed Chen Ping’an’s rather unhealthy complexion, and while bringing some tea to him, the first thing that she asked him was whether he was sick.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly shook his head with a smile and assured her that he was fine, ailing only from a slight cold.

In response, the woman told him some traditional methods from back home to help him recover faster, and she urged him not to be complacent about his health.

That day, the four of them sat down at the table for a meal.

The woman was rather disappointed to learn that Chen Ping’an would be leaving the small town following the meal.

However, her disappointment immediately turned to delight when Chen Ping’an offered to deliver a letter for her to Li Huai at Mountain Cliff Academy.

Li Liu turned to Li Er, and the latter merely smiled before taking a sip of wine, one that he thoroughly savored.

After the meal, Chen Ping’an pulled out some writing supplies. Li Er and his wife were seated together on a long bench beside him, while Li Liu was sitting across the table from him.

“You dictate, while I write, Aunt Liu,” Chen Ping’an prompted with a smile. “Make sure to include a lot of trivial stories and anecdotes in the letter. That way, it’ll feel like you’re actually speaking directly to Li Huai, and he’ll be made to feel right at home.”

Looking at the warm and gentle smile on Chen Ping’an’s face, the woman was struck by an inexplicable sense of sorrow, and she sighed. “If only your parents were still around, Ping’an. I’m just a good-for-nothing woman who hasn’t seen much of the world and only knows how to run her mouth, but I’m still a mother, after all, and I daresay that no parents under the heavens would be unhappy to have a son like you.”

Chen Ping’an lowered his head to avert his gaze with a tranquil expression, then raised his head again as he smiled and replied, “I also wish my parents were still around, Aunt Liu. Unfortunately, I was simply too young back when they passed, and there wasn’t much I could do to change anything. Thinking back, this has always been a bit of a sore spot for me.”

The woman felt very guilty for mentioning such a sensitive and sobering subject out of the blue, and she hurriedly said, “Alright, I’ll begin then, Ping’an. I’ll just say whatever comes to my mind, and I’ll leave it to your discretion to choose what to include in the letter.”

“Go ahead, Aunt Liu,” Chen Ping’an prompted with a smile. “I have plenty of paper here, so you can feel free to dictate to your heart’s content.”

The woman heaved a heavy sigh, then turned to Li Liu with a displeased glare as she snapped, “Did you hear that?! Whenever I asked you to write a letter to your brother for me in the past, you always stopped after just one or two sheets of paper! Do you even care for your brother at all? Do you have any respect for your mother? I can’t believe I raised such an ungrateful daughter like you!”

Chen Ping’an flashed Li Liu an apologetic smile across the table, and the latter gave a subtle nod to acknowledge his unspoken apology, then turned to her mother as she clasped her fist in an apologetic salute and said, “I’m sorry, Mother.”

From there, the woman began rambling off a stream of consciousness, and Chen Ping’an made sure to write down every last word in meticulous detail.

The entire time, he sat with a look of concentration on his face and his back ramrod straight.

Finally, he hoisted his bamboo bookcase onto his back, then picked up his hiking pole before departing from the shop, while Li Er and his wife stood at the entrance, watching him depart.

The woman insisted that Li Liu escort him out of the small town.

There was a bag slung across Li Liu’s shoulder, one that was filled with items prepared by her mother, most of which were specialty local products from the small town.

Of course, also enclosed within were the three Dao robes that she had personally mended.

“Do you think our daughter will be able to find such a good husband for herself in the future?” Li Er’s wife asked in a quiet voice.

“It’ll be hard,” Li Er replied after some thought.

The woman immediately stomped down viciously onto Li Er’s foot, then began prodding him firmly in the forehead repeatedly as she yelled, “So why are you not concerned at all then?! You just let him leave like that?

“I saw you drink a ton of wine, but you’re completely useless when it comes to things that actually matter! How did I end up with a husband like you? How did Li Liu end up with a father like you?! Are the heavens blind, or did I do something terrible in my past life to deserve this?!”

Li Er didn’t say anything, and of course, he didn’t dare to take evasive measures or try to defend himself.

The woman heaved a forlorn sigh as she finally relented. She couldn’t keep prodding him. Her husband was already an idiot to begin with, if her continued prodding resulted in a further drop in intelligence, then she would be the one to suffer as his wife.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an and Li Liu were walking alongside each other down the street.

“Huang Cai will take you to the ferry station, and from there, you’ll be able to reach the Wandering Official Ferry Station near the Great Emblem Sword Sect,” Li Liu said. “Once you disembark, it’ll only be a short journey to the Great Emblem Sword Sect. The first challenger to have visited the Great Emblem Sword Sect was Li Cai of Duckweed Sword Lake.

“This was all in accordance with the old rules of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, so there’s no need for you to concern yourself with such matters. Ah, on second thought, I forget that you’re a stickler for rules.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he replied, “Be that as it may, my understanding of the reasoning and logic behind rules is still far too lacking, so while I try to follow the rules, I am far from understanding what true etiquette is.”

Li Liu offered no response, not wanting to give her opinion on the matter.

“Do you not ever yearn for pure and absolute freedom, Mr. Chen?” Li Liu asked.

“I do,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “I sometimes find myself envying those who are free and unfettered in everything that they do. However, I’ve always felt like freedom not built on a foundation of sufficient awareness is ignorant and will only bring harm to oneself and others.”

The two of them rounded the corner, and not far up ahead was Huang Cai, who had concealed himself using an illusion technique.

Li Liu removed the bag from her shoulder, while Chen Ping’an also removed his bamboo bookcase.

Li Liu was originally planning to open the bamboo bookcase for him and place the bag inside, but she quickly realized Chen Ping’an’s reservations, and an amused smile appeared on her face as she asked, “Are you worried people would misunderstand? To tell you the truth, everyone in the town has already formed a misunderstanding about our relationship.”

Chen Ping’an placed the bag into the bamboo bookcase before hoisting the latter onto his back again, and he merely smiled and didn’t say anything.

“There is a Mystery Capital Temple in the Heavenly World, which serves as the ancestral origin point of the Daoist sword immortal branch,” Li Liu revealed through her mind’s lake. “The abbot’s name is Sun Huaizhong, and he’s a very open and morally upright person.”

“That’s certainly very reassuring to hear from you, Miss Li,” Chen Ping’an replied.

***

From there, Huang Cai personally escorted Chen Ping’an to the ferry station. The two of them made some small talk over the short journey, and after they parted ways, Chen Ping’an boarded an immortal ship to the Wandering Official Ferry Station. Upon his arrival, he discovered that there were many people there, a good number of whom were traveling to the Great Emblem Sword Sect.

This was no surprise, considering Liu Jinglong had just emerged from seclusion, and having made a breakthrough, he was going to have to face challenges from three formidable sword immortals, namely Li Cai, Dong Zhu, and Bai Shang.

This was naturally a hot topic of discussion for everyone, and in addition to that, there was also much discourse about the sea of golden clouds that had appeared over Lion Peak, followed by the shower of martial fortune.

Everyone was speculating whether Lion Peak had kept a powerful pure martial artist hidden this entire time, or if it had just been some random passerby.

Chen Ping’an entered his cabin and opened his bamboo bookcase, intending to pull out the three Dao robes inside before transferring them into his minimization treasure. However, upon opening the bag, he discovered that in addition to all of the food items and specialty local products that Aunt Liu had prepared for him, there was also a vibrant, green jade tablet inside.

Li Liu had cast a mountain and water restriction over it to mask its spiritual energy, and that was why Chen Ping’an hadn’t detected it earlier. He heaved a forlorn sigh at the sight of the jade tablet, feeling as if he had been a terrible guest. Not only had he received so many free meals and free sparring sessions, but he had also just been given an extremely precious gift.

The inscriptions on the jade tablet read “The old flood dragon quells the storm.”

Chen Ping’an stowed the jade tablet away alongside the three Dao robes, then resumed the refinement of the spiritual energy in his three major acupoints.

It proved to be an uneventful journey.

Upon his arrival at the Wandering Official Ferry Station, which was no more than 150 kilometers away from the Great Emblem Sword Sect, Chen Ping’an discovered that the place was absolutely packed, filled with people who had come to spectate the imminent battles.

As the immortal ship entered the territory of the Great Emblem Sword Sect, Chen Ping’an sent out a flying sword letter to Qi Jinglong.

He didn’t see Qi Jinglong on the ship. Instead, he was welcomed by Bai Shou, the young boy originally from Deer Cutter Mountain.