Unsheathed

Bai Shou raced through the crowd like an agile fish weaving through the water, and as soon as he caught sight of Chen Ping’an, he immediately gave him a thumbs-up and flashed him a wide grin.

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” Chen Ping’an asked in a puzzled manner.

Bai Shou burst into laughter as he asked, “You know someone named Xu Xingjiu from Cloudtop City, don’t you?”

“I do,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile.

Bai Shou was practically rolling with laughter as he chortled. “Right now, Liu Jinglong is super busy, and he has to constantly attend to guests and visitors. In fact, he’s been forced to turn quite a few people away because he simply doesn’t have the time to see everyone. However, when Xu Xingjiu came to visit, he claimed to be an acquaintance of yours, so Liu Jinglong decided to grant him an audience.

“I tagged along, and I’m really glad that I did! That guy was carrying a large bamboo bookcase on his back, just like you, and after some small talk, he said, ‘I heard that Mr. Liu is an avid enjoyer of wine, so I’ve brought with me some wine that I brewed myself at Cloudtop City.’”

Bai Shou was already tearing up from laughter at this point, and he howled, “You should’ve seen the look on Liu Jinglong’s face! It was like he forgot to bring paper with him to the lavatory!”

“Xu Xingjiu must’ve misconstrued my words,” Chen Ping’an said with a resigned sigh. “There must’ve been some misunderstanding.”

Bai Shou cupped his fist in a salute as he said in an earnest fashion, “You have my admiration, Chen Ping’an!”

“Is your master so busy that he doesn’t even have the time to come and welcome me in person?” Chen Ping’an asked. “Is that why he sent a little servant like you to come and see me?”

“Who’re you calling a little servant?!” Bai Shou snapped. “Right now, I’m the undisputed number one prodigy of the Great Emblem Sword Sect! Liu Jinglong has to offer incense up to the gods every day behind my back, thanking the heavens that he was blessed with such an exceptional disciple!”

Chen Ping’an patted Bai Shou’s head with an amused smile.

“Get your hand off me!” Bai Shou snapped as he violently jerked his head away. “What do you take me for, some kid?! You should be honored that I’m treating you as an equal, so don’t push your luck! Otherwise, you can go to the Great Emblem Sword Sect on your own. I never wanted to serve as your guide anyway!”

As the two of them reached the Great Emblem Sword Sect, Chen Ping’an caught sight of Qi Jinglong from afar, standing at the entrance of the sect with a stern expression.

Chen Ping’an jogged over to him with a wide smile as he praised, “I didn’t think you’d be able to make a breakthrough so soon! How impressive!”

“I can’t even begin to compare with you, Great Sword Immortal Chen,” Qi Jinglong said with a scoff. “I’ve only made one breakthrough, while you’ve made two, both as a martial artist and as a Qi refiner!”

“You’re far too modest,” Chen Ping’an hurriedly said.

“How long are you two going to keep this up for?” Bai Shou snapped. “You start flattering each other as soon as you meet? Is this fun for you? Why don’t you start having some drinks together? You love wine, don’t you, Liu Jinglong?”

Bai Shou was in awe of Xu Xingjiu. Upon reaching the thatched cottage on the mountain, the latter had immediately sat down and begun chugging down wine. He downed two flagons of wine in succession, and if Liu Jinglong hadn’t stopped him, it looked as if he could’ve easily drunk a third.

“The flagons were a little small, but it was still very impressive for him to drink with so much sincerity and gusto, particularly considering he had intentionally suppressed his spiritual energy to avoid staving off the effects of the alcohol.

The three of them slowly scaled the mountain together, and along the way, Qi Jinglong frequently extended greetings to others, but didn’t stop to chat with any of them.

“Has Xu Xingjiu gone back?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“He drank so much that he was drunk for an entire day,” Qi Jinglong replied in exasperation. “I was finally able to explain the situation to him after he sobered up, and he immediately began drinking again as self-inflicted punishment. Once again, I was unable to stop him, so I could only drink with him a second time.”

Chen Ping’an erupted into laughter.

Qi Jinglong harrumphed coldly. “You’d better not pull a stunt like this again.”

Chen Ping’an continued grinning silently to himself as he gently high-fived Bai Shou.

The latter was very amused, and he was hoping that Chen Ping’an would make frequent visits to the Great Emblem Sword Sect in the future.

Even if he didn’t personally come to visit, it would be very amusing if he sent more people to drink with Liu Jinglong.

The Great Emblem Sword Sect was an enormous place that was teeming with spiritual energy and filled with countless scenic landmarks. Chen Ping’an was incapable of flight, so he pulled out that talismanic boat to travel to Qi Jinglong’s place of cultivation.

Over at the thatched cottage, Bai Shou pulled out three bamboo chairs for everyone to sit on.

“Can you lend me a grain rain coin?” Qi Jinglong suddenly asked.

“How are you still this poor even when you’re in your sect?” Chen Ping’an asked in a puzzled manner as he tossed Qi Jinglong a grain rain coin.

Qi Jinglong caught the grain rain coin and held it between two of his fingers. At the same time, he inscribed a talisman in mid-air with his other hand before tossing the coin into it.

After the talisman and the grain rain coin had both faded away, Liu Jinglong explained, “The ancestral hall disciples of our sect only receive monetary allowances once every ten years. Of course, we can take out loans in case of emergencies, but I’m not a fan of that. I can’t even be bothered to return the money that I’ve borrowed from you!”

“Are you hearing this?” Chen Ping’an asked as he turned to Bai Shou. “Is this something a master should be saying in front of their disciple?”

Bai Shou was just about to jump in with some mockery of his own, only to notice Liu Jinglong looking at him with a faint smile, and he immediately swallowed his words.

I almost fell for your trap! You can just leave whenever you please, but I still have to stay on this mountain and deal with Liu Jinglong every day, so I have to be more careful with my words. Otherwise, Liu Jinglong is going to lecture me until my ears fall off!

“Go and play somewhere else,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “I have some things to discuss with your master.”

Bai Shou remained firmly rooted in his chair as he sneered. “Why do I have to leave? Do you two want to flirt with each other in private or something?”

Chen Ping’an cracked his knuckles as he smiled and exclaimed, “I’ve just come to realize that you’re an exceptional martial arts prodigy! It would be a real shame if you didn’t pursue martial arts. How about I give you some private training?”

“Why would I become a martial artist when I could become a sword immortal instead?” Bai Shou scoffed in disdain, but ultimately still stood up and departed to give Chen Ping’an and Liu Jinglong some privacy.

The mountain that they were on was called Graceful Peak, and it was a highly sought-after place of cultivation for Qi refiners. It was situated between the sect’s main peak and secondary peak, and every year, during spring and autumn, a phenomenon would occur, during which spiritual energy would surge toward Graceful Peak like the tide.

What made this spiritual energy particularly desirable was that it was interspersed with wisps of pure sword intent, and any Qi refiner cultivating on the peak could reap cultivation benefits without even doing anything. The peak had been vacant ever since the passing of the Great Emblem Sword Sect’s second leader.

Once upon a time, an Unpolished Jade Tier sword immortal had offered to become a guest elder of the Great Emblem Sword Sect so long as he was permitted to reside on Graceful Peak, but his offer was turned down.

In Bai Shou’s eyes, it was downright inexplicable that Liu Jinglong had been so reluctant to move from the ancestral mountain of the Great Emblem Sword Sect to Graceful Peak. According to him, he had grown accustomed to staying in the old residence on the ancestral mountain.

It was only the constant nagging from the ancestral hall after he reached the Nascent Tier that convinced him to finally make the move, yet even after he moved to Graceful Peak, all he did was build a shoddy thatched cottage instead of establishing an actual manor.

He had still been in seclusion during the spring earlier in the year. In the past, all of the disciples of the Great Emblem Sword Sect had been permitted to come to Graceful Peak every year to split the spiritual energy, but they didn’t dare to do so this year, as Graceful Peak was no longer vacant.

Bai Shou was sent to the ancestral hall to relay Liu Jinglong’s wishes to a benevolent-looking old ancestor, and it was only then that the young disciples of the sect came flocking to the mountain again in spring. However, in contrast with the past rowdy gatherings, everyone cultivated in silence on this occasion out of respect for Liu Jinglong.

At the time, Bai Shou had also been on the mountain, and he had been just as silent as everyone else, sitting with his arms crossed in a completely still fashion for a day and a night atop a small stool in the thatched cottage.

In light of this behavior, he had come across as rather strange to all of the young cultivators of the Great Emblem Sword Sect.

Following Bai Shou’s departure, Chen Ping’an gave Qi Jinglong a brief recount of his journey thus far.

He didn’t omit any events, but some were recounted in more detail than others.

After patiently listening to Chen Ping’an’s story, Qi Jinglong began offering his own insights, and it was as if the two of them were reviewing a game of Go together.

On the subject of He Xiaoliang’s history with the Jade Forest Sect, Bai Shang, and Xu Xuan, Qi Jinglong said, “There have been no stories of this in the ordinary newspapers so far, but in reality, Heavenly Lord Xie Shi has already returned to his sect. Not only was He Xiaoliang reprimanded by him for her run-in with the Jade Forest Sect, but she was also immediately sent there to apologize, and she promptly went into seclusion upon her return to the sect.

From that point onward, the Esteemed Mystery Department Yang Clan of the Great Origin Empire, the Water Dragon Sect, and Duckweed Sword Lake, who’ve always had ties with one another, also sent people to visit the Refreshing Sect. The Lofty Cloud Palace sent Yang Ningxing, the Water Dragon Sect sent Shao Jingzhi, while Sect Leader Li Cai made a personal visit herself.

“In light of all of that, the Jade Forest Sect is put into a rather awkward position regardless of what Xu Xuan thinks.”

“I’ve heard that Bai Shang will be personally coming to the Great Emblem Sword Sect to challenge you. Does that mean that this is a good thing for you then?” Chen Ping’an asked with slightly furrowed brows.

Qi Jinglong smiled and nodded as he replied, “Bai Shang has always been very proud, so given his cultivation base and seniority, he was never going to pick on a newly ascended Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator like myself. Hence, even if all of that hadn’t happened, it would’ve still been good news for me that he was willing to take up one of the three challenger spots.

“On top of that, just as you guessed, Bai Shang really is facing some pressure right now, leaving him with no choice but to try and befriend our Great Emblem Sword Sect. There’s no lack of sword immortal seniors on the Northern Complete Reed Continent who don’t like the look of me, so by taking up one of the three challenger spots, he’s doing our sect a favor.

“With the lineup of Li Cai, Dong Zhu, and Bai Shang confirmed, I have nothing to worry about. I will only stand to benefit immensely from their three challenges, and my life won’t be in any danger.”

“That’s brilliant news!” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “How about we have some wine to celebrate?”

To his surprise, Qi Jinglong nodded in response and extended a hand.

Chen Ping’an pulled out two flagons of rice wine with a perplexed expression as he asked, “Have you undergone some drastic change in personality after your breakthrough?”

Qi Jinglong took one of the flagons of wine with a smile as he explained, “This is not to celebrate our respective breakthroughs. Instead, it’s to celebrate the fact that we’ve been able to meet again at all.”

Indeed, Chen Ping’an’s journey along the great river had not been easy, nor had Qi Jinglong’s breakthrough.

The fact that the two of them had been reunited here, safe and well, was more worthy of celebration than the breakthroughs that they had made, and that was why Qi Jinglong was willing to have this drink.

The two of them gently touched their flagons as they exchanged a smile, then drank in silence, needing no words.

“The cultivation world isn’t really all it’s cut out to be,” Chen Ping’an suddenly sighed.

“At least the wine is a bright spot,” Qi Jinglong chuckled.

It appeared that Bai Shou had departed, but he hadn’t actually gone very far, and he had been eavesdropping on the conversation between the two this entire time.

He shuddered delicately as he complained, “Why is a pair of grown men like them being so lovey-dovey with each other? Could it be that there really is something going on between them?”

At the same time, he was astounded by Chen Ping’an’s stories. Even though his cultivation base was still nothing special, his experiences and abilities were far from ordinary, and he was already remarking on the fists of tenth tier martial artists as if he were talking casually about wine!

Looks like I’m going to have to be more polite and respectful when I talk to him from now on, and I also have to show a bit more sincerity when I refer to him as a brother. That way, once he simultaneously becomes a Golden Core Tier earth immortal and a ninth or tenth tier martial artist, I’ll have a powerful ally to call upon in my time of need!

All of a sudden, Qi Jinglong’s voice rang out beside his ears.

“You’ve been eavesdropping on us for quite a while now. What do you think? Do you want to have some wine as well?”

“Wine is not for me,” Bai Shou refused in a serious voice. “Drinking wine at such a young age will only hinder my cultivation!”

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “As expected of your disciple, Qi Jinglong. He’s almost as two-faced and opportunistic as my first-ever disciple.”

Bai Shou was rather disgruntled to hear this. He could stomach being called two-faced and opportunistic, but the notion that he was inferior to someone else even in these two regards was too much of an insult for him to bear!

“What’s your disciple’s name, Chen Ping’an?” he asked loudly. “Tell him that I, Bai Shou of Graceful Peak, will be challenging him when I get the chance! It can be a contest of anything! A debate, a sword fight, a fist fight, a battle of mystical abilities… I’m happy to go along with whatever he chooses!”

“A debate may be feasible, but a fight isn’t going to be plausible for now,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile. “Right now, this disciple of mine is still attending school.”

“He should count himself very fortunate then!” Bai Shou harrumphed before departing.

Unbeknownst to Bai Shou, the bold declaration that he had made on this day would earn him countless beatings in the future. It was truly a painful lesson in how disastrous a loose tongue could prove to be, but that was a story for another time.

After finishing his flagon of wine, Chen Ping’an rose to his feet as he said, “I’ve heard that you’re really busy at the moment, so I won’t take up any more of your time. You still have three battles to fight, and I have to continue on my journey.”

Qi Jinglong didn’t try to keep him, and he seemed to have already been prepared for Chen Ping’an’s visit, pulling a book out of his sleeve as he said, “Enclosed within are some of my insights pertaining to cultivation for swordsmen. You can read through it when you get some spare time.”

Chen Ping’an tucked the book up his sleeve, then asked, “Will there be trouble if I travel by talismanic boat in your Great Emblem Sword Sect?”

Qi Jinglong chuckled. “I didn’t think you were aware that you were in the Great Emblem Sword Sect.”

Chen Ping’an feigned a surprised expression as he exclaimed, “You sure talk big now that you’re an Upper Five Tiers sword immortal! I wouldn’t dare to say anything like this on Downtrodden Mountain!”

From there, Chen Ping’an returned to the Wandering Official Ferry Station on his talismanic boat, and from there, he was going to travel to the Ground Lying Peak to visit Zhang Shanfeng.

Prior to departing, he called out to Bai Shou, who was taking a stroll on Graceful Peak, yelling, “Your master owes me a grain rain coin. Make sure to remind him of that from time to time.”

Bai Shou was just thinking to himself that he had to be more polite and respectful around Chen Ping’an in the future, but he was unable to suppress the urge to raise his middle finger.

Over at the thatched cottage, Qi Jinglong gave a nod of approval. It seemed that his disciple was standing up for him.

On the many mountains of the Great Emblem Sword Sect, many female cultivators were gathered in small groups, chatting spiritedly among themselves. In contrast to their male counterparts, who were all speculating about Chen Ping’an’s cultivation base and background, all of the female cultivators were curious about Chen Ping’an’s physical appearance and disposition.

This was a young man that Liu Jinglong had seen fit to come out and welcome in person, so he had to have been a very esteemed guest. One of the women had seen the two scale the mountain from afar, and she reluctantly revealed to everyone that the visitor’s looks were nothing special. All of the other women immediately began groaning collectively, feeling as if the visitor were undeserving of a personal audience with Liu Jinglong.

Of course, Qi Jinglong had no idea about the absurd sentiments being espoused by the juniors of his sect. Even if he were to overhear their conversations, he would undoubtedly be unable to understand their logic.

He would most likely have to consult Chen Ping’an in order to understand what they were talking about.

Upon his return to the thatched cottage, Bai Shou asked, “He left just like that? Does he even regard you as a friend at all?”

“You’ll come to learn the answer to that question once you have friends of your own in the future,” Qi Jinglong replied with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Bai Shou protested. “Chen Ping’an is my friend! We’ve drunk together, we refer to each other as brothers, we…”

“Let’s go to the ancestral hall together,” Qi Jinglong interrupted.

Bai Shou immediately wilted like a parched plant under the hot sun.

“Can we go tomorrow instead?”

Qi Jinglong didn’t say anything.

Bai Shou could only reluctantly go to the ancestral hall with Qi Jinglong.

***

Unbeknownst to Chen Ping’an, Zhang Shanfeng had already departed on a journey with his senior brother, Yuan Lingdian.

In Zhang Shanfeng’s absence, Chen Ping’an was welcomed by the master of the White Cloud Peak, an old immortal with the demeanour of a transcendent being, who personally came to apologize to him.

After learning that Spiritual Master Fire Dragon was still sleeping, Chen Ping’an decided not to scale the mountain. Instead, he was going to visit some other time and apologize to the old spiritual master for visiting and leaving unannounced.

The master of the White Cloud Peak personally escorted Chen Ping’an all the way to the ferry station, and only then did he return to the mountain.

Chen Ping’an boarded a ship to the Spring Dew Garden, leaning against the railing with a dazed look on his face.

Once he reached the Spring Dew Garden, he would be able to travel directly to Skeleton Shoal, the southernmost point on the Northern Complete Reed Continent.

However, along the way, he had to make a stop at Sweet Wormwood Nation. This was a small nation without an immortal ferry station, so he would have to travel for hundreds of kilometers on foot.

At the moment, Li Xisheng was staying on a street called Cave Immortal Street in one of the nation’s provincial cities.

Unbeknownst to Chen Ping’an, not long after his departure from the Great Emblem Sword Sect, Cui Dongshan boarded an intercontinental ship that was returning to the Flax Robe Sect, and Skeleton Shoal was his intended destination.

The teacher was making a southbound return journey, while the student was traveling northward.

The first thing that Cui Dongshan did after arriving at Skeleton Shoal was to tear open the heavens of the Malicious Ghost Valley small world before raining down a torrent of immortal treasures upon Skeleton Wall City. Immediately thereafter, he stowed his immortal treasures away before fleeing the scene.

For some reason, Gao Cheng didn’t retaliate or try to pursue him.

In the wake of the attack, Gao Cheng was seated on his white bone throne in a suit of armor, his brows tightly furrowed. He didn’t know why, but the sense of unease that he had been feeling intermittently had become a lot clearer and more pronounced once he saw Cui Dongshan.

Not only did he not recklessly tear open the heavens again with his Dao Manifestation, but he was also struck by an inexplicable sense of hindrance, as if some type of restriction had been placed upon him.

In Mural City, at the foot of Wood Garment Mountain, Cui Dongshan was trying to purchase a divine maiden portrait. He put on a pitiable display while bartering with a young girl, telling her that he was an impoverished young scholar who was on a very tight budget, but he was truly enamored with the portrait and was determined to purchase it even if it meant having to skip a few meals.

The girl was fooled by his sincere and earnest display, and it looked as if he would burst into tears if she denied him any longer, so she could only cave to his request and offer him a discounted price.

To her astonishment, as soon as the discount was offered, Cui Dongshan immediately declared in an ecstatic fashion, “I’ll purchase all of the portraits in your entire shop at that price!”

Before the girl had a chance to collect herself, Cui Dongshan turned to discover Sect Leader Zhu Quan of the Flax Robe Sect standing not far away.

There was a faint smile on her face as she remarked, “You sure have a large appetite, young man.”

Cui Dongshan crossed his arms, holding his bamboo hiking pole to his chest as he replied, “Of course! I’m my teacher’s most prized student, after all. Who are you, Big Sister?”

“Your teacher?” Zhu Quan asked as she gazed upon the hiking pole with a peculiar expression. “Is his surname Chen?”

A vibrant smile appeared on Cui Dongshan’s face as he exclaimed, “You must be a clairvoyant immortal, Big Sister!”

“But I never heard him mention you,” Zhu Quan jibed.

To her surprise, Cui Dongshan’s face instantly puckered up as he burst into tears, leaving Zhu Quan scratching her head with a puzzled expression.

He seemed to have been thoroughly enjoying himself bombarding Skeleton Wall City just now, yet all of a sudden, he was weeping like a distraught child.