Unsheathed

“Are you unhappy at the academy?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Li Baoping shook her head with a puzzled expression as she replied, “Not at all. Did Mountain Master Mao tell you something, Junior Uncle?”

“Mountain Master Mao feels like you’ve become really quiet and withdrawn, so he’s a little concerned,” Chen Ping’an explained with a smile.

“I’ve always liked to keep to myself,” Li Baoping said in a justified manner. “It’s not like I became like this only after coming to the academy. I just don’t say anything when I don’t feel like there’s anything to be said.”

Indeed, she had always waded into streams to catch crabs on her own, rushed through the streets and alleys to see door gods on her own, skipped from grid to grid on the bluestone slab road of Fortune Street on her own, waited for the peach blossoms on Peach Leaf Alley to bloom on her own, gone to pick out pieces of porcelain from the old mountain of porcelain on her own… She had always been like this.

Chen Ping’an was struggling to contain an amused smile at this realization.

“What are you smiling about, Junior Uncle?” Li Baoping asked as a smile spread across her face as well.

“I was just thinking about the first time I ever saw you,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “You were so little back then, yet you were running around like the wind with a branch from the old locust tree on your shoulder. Even thinking back now, I still think that was a very impressive feat.”

A rare look of embarrassment appeared on Li Baoping’s face, and she raised her bowl to cover her face, but was unable to fully conceal her smile.

“Let’s go to Xie Xie’s place,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile, and the two of them set off together, with Li Baoping asking questions the entire way, while Chen Ping’an answered them one by one.

On the way there, they ran into Pei Qian, who was accompanied by the ecstatic Li Huai, as well as Lin Shouyi and Yu Lu.

After hearing the commotion outside, Xie Xie opened the door, and a faint smile also appeared on her face at the sight of the large group of visitors outside.

She never received any guests at this residence left behind for her by Cui Dongshan with the exception of Lin Shouyi, who occasionally came here to cultivate.

Pei Qian and Li Huai both had their little bamboo bookcases on their backs, and they began simulating a battle as soon as they sat down in the courtyard.

Chen Ping’an was standing and chatting with Lin Shouyi and Yu Lu, while Li Baoping and Xie Xie sat down on the steps.

Finally, Chen Ping’an clapped his hands together to draw everyone’s attention, then declared, “There’s something that I have to tell all of you. An ancestral hall has been established on our Downtrodden Mountain. I didn’t invite you all to the official opening, not because I didn’t want to, but because the time isn’t quite right yet.

“In the future, all of you can go and visit Downtrodden Mountain at any time. Outside of Downtrodden Mountain, there are many vacant mountains, and if you find one that you like, then I can help you construct a residence there. If you need anything else, feel free to tell Pei Qian.”

Li Baoping had already heard about this from Pei Qian, so she wasn’t surprised, and among everyone else, Xie Xie was the one most astonished by this news.

She had once been an ancestral hall direct disciple of the top immortal sect in the Lu Empire, so she knew exactly what it entailed for an immortal power to establish an ancestral hall.

Yu Lu offered his congratulations, as did Lin Shouyi.

Chen Ping’an turned to Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie with a smile as he said, “Right now, both of you are already legitimate cultivators. The spiritual energy in the mountains in the Dragon Spring Prefecture is quite abundant, so feel free to come and make use of the good conditions. Otherwise, those mountains would be vacant anyway, so you’d be doing me a favor by making use of them.”

He then turned to Yu Lu as he continued, “There are many martial artists on Downtrodden Mountain. I suggest you go seek out a man by the name of Zhu Lian. He’s currently a Far Roaming Tier martial artist, and you can ask him for sparring practice. He’s very careful and measured, so you won’t have to worry about him going overboard.”

There was a very genuine and earnest look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes as he spoke, but Yu Lu was a little apprehensive as he asked, “Why did I feel a chill run down my spine just now?”

Meanwhile, Li Huai was busy simulating a battle against Pei Qian on the table, and after hearing what Chen Ping’an had to say, he flew into a rage as he snapped, “I can understand you not telling Baoping and the others, but how could you keep something so important even from me? Is this what you do to a sworn brother of yours?

“Are you looking down on me? Is your Downtrodden Mountain missing a chief guest elder? If so, then I’m right here! If you turn me down now, only to change your mind in the future, then you’ll have to beg me to reconsider!”

Chen Ping’an merely rolled his eyes and ignored him.

Li Huai looked down at the large collection of trinkets on the table between him and Pei Qian, and a distraught look appeared on his face as he wailed, “What’s the point in continuing to live this wretched life? My heart is even colder than the winter air!

“Not only were we not able to become brothers-in-law, but we also can’t even be sworn brothers anymore! So what if I have the most formidable soldiers and generals under my command? What’s the point?”

Pei Qian slammed a hand down onto the table, and everything on the table was jolted up into the air by the force of her blow as she asked in a furious voice, “Li Huai! Since when did you become sworn brothers with my master? Are you trying to become my master’s equal so you can claim to be my senior?!”

A sheepish look appeared on Li Huai’s face as he replied, “I was just kidding. I said we could become sworn brothers back when we were kids, but it was never an official thing.”

Yu Lu couldn’t help but take a surprised glance at Pei Qian upon seeing this.

He recalled that the first time they met, Pei Qian hadn’t even begun pursuing martial arts, so it was extremely remarkable that she had already come this far in such a short time.

There was a Go board and two jars of Go stones left behind by Cui Dongshan in the residence, and as the glutton for punishment that he had always been, Chen Ping’an challenged Yu Lu to a game. Li Baoping and Pei Qian had sat down on either side of Chen Ping’an, so Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie could only sit on Yu Lu’s side. Li Huai was furious.

Somehow, he had become the odd one out, relegated to sit beside the Go board. He was just about to take off his boots, but was discouraged from doing so by a stern glare from Xie Xie. He sheepishly reached down to wipe the green bamboo floor with his hands, telling her that he simply didn’t want to dirty the floor with his boots.

In the end, it became a contest of Yu Lu, Xie Xie, and Lin Shouyi working together to combat Li Baoping. The three of them were all capable Go players, so they played their moves quite quickly, but in terms of speed, they were no match for Li Baoping, who played every single move almost instantaneously.

Pei Qian was confident that victory was theirs. Big Sister Baoping was playing with the flair of an accomplished master of the game, and surely that alone was enough to crush her three opponents.

However, in the end, it was ultimately Yu Lu’s trio that came out on top. Li Baoping had played extremely quickly throughout the game, so her defeat had come very swiftly.

Pei Qian struck the palm of her hand with her fist in frustration, then consoled Li Baoping and told her not to be disheartened.

“I’m sorry, Junior Uncle,” Li Baoping apologized with a smile.

Chen Ping’an shook his head as he replied, “After a few more years, I doubt you’ll ever lose to them again.”

Li Baoping nodded vigorously in response.

Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie exchanged a resigned glance with one another. They couldn’t even argue with that because they knew that Chen Ping’an was right.

However, Yu Lu smiled as he said, “You want revenge? You’ll only get the chance if the three of us are willing to play you again. How about this? From this day forth, the three of us will pledge to never play Chen Ping’an, Li Baoping, and Pei Qian ever again. That way, we’ll be able to permanently maintain our 100% win record.”

“I concur,” Lin Shouyi replied with a nod.

“Me too,” Xie Xie said with a smile.

Pei Qian was furious, but Li Huai jumped before she could even open her mouth, loudly denouncing, “How could the three of you be so shameless? Who did you learn this from? A’Liang? Did you ask for my approval before you decided to learn from him?

“Do you not know who I am to A’Liang? Do you not know how much guidance I gave to A’Liang in terms of speaking, writing, eating, and so many other things? The three of you need to get a clue!”

Pei Qian was quite pleased with Li Huai, and she gave him a benevolent look as she said, “You’ve just made up for your earlier transgression. Otherwise, I would’ve stripped you of that lofty status of yours and made you too ashamed to even face Liu Guan and Ma Lian.”

“What gives you the right to do that?” Li Huai asked. “Li Baoping is the alliance leader of the martial arts world, and your position isn’t much higher than mine!”

Pei Qian crossed her arms as she sneered. “You’ve always been a fool, haven’t you, Li Huai? An idiot like you wants to travel the martial world with me in the future? What a joke! Do you know how close I am with Big Sister Baoping? How can a mere division leader like you possibly compare with me?”

Li Baoping was packing up the Go stones, and even though she had played very quickly, she was much slower and more meticulous in carrying out the clean-up duties.

She smiled as she said, “Prior to coming here, I’ve already abdicated my position and made Pei Qian the new alliance leader of the martial arts world.”

Li Huai was absolutely horrified by this news, and Pei Qian turned to him with a raised eyebrow as she scoffed, “What now? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Li Huai was taking this matter very seriously.

Traveling the martial world had always been a very important objective on his agenda, and he was extremely agitated as he yelled, “You can’t just do that, Li Baoping! What do you think this is, some kind of game? Even if you’re going to abdicate your position, why would you make Pei Qian your successor?

“How many years have we known each other? I’ve treated you with nothing but the utmost loyalty and sincerity! We went on such a long and arduous journey together as kids, but I didn’t complain once!”

“Indeed, you certainly didn’t complain just once,” Li Baoping agreed. “You complained so many times that I often lost count of how many times you complained in just a single day alone!”

With his attempt at playing word games thwarted, he could only change tack, putting on a pitiable expression as he complained, “If you two keep teaming up to bully me like this, I’m going to leave with Liu Guan and Ma Lian to found our own sect!”

“Liu Guan and Ma Lian? Ha! Don’t make me laugh!” Pei Qian scoffed. “Without me leading the way, the three of you would be completely lost in the martial world! Let me make this clear: if the three of you wish to defect, then you’re free to do so at any time, but the consequences of your actions are permanent, and you’ll never be allowed back in, even if you cry, grovel, and beg!

“I’m an assassin who’s successfully killed a big white goose! I’m a cold, emotionless killer! I follow only the rules, so don’t try to appeal to my emotions…”

Pei Qian’s voice trailed off here as she had a feeling that she was going to receive another knock to the head if she were to continue her rambling. In any case, she could continue to intimidate Li Huai in private. In comparison, Zhou Mili was a much better subordinate as she was always obedient and willing to follow, while Li Huai was much more rebellious and prone to getting funny ideas.

Lin Shouyi rose to his feet, then sat down with his legs crossed at the end of the walkway to cultivate.

Xie Xie sat down on the other side. This was their usual arrangement, and it had already become a habit.

Li Baoping suggested that everyone go to the capital outside the academy for some food, and Li Huai and Yu Lu were eager to follow.

In the end, it was Pei Qian who paid for the meal.

Li Baoping squeezed Pei Qian’s cheeks with an affectionate smile, while Pei Qian was grinning from ear to ear.

After returning to the academy, Pei Qian and Li Baoping went to bed together in the same dormitory, staying up to talk the entire night.

Meanwhile, Li Huai had gone to hold an emergency meeting with Liu Guan and Ma Lian to discuss their future.

Chen Ping’an was fishing by the lake with Yu Lu, and neither of them said anything.

It was a bountiful stint of fishing.

Unfortunately, they were no longer journeying together. Otherwise, they would’ve thoroughly relished a meal of fish soup.

After picking up their fishing rods for the day, Yu Lu asked, “Are you at the Vajra Body Tier now?”

Chen Ping’an crouched down by the bank of the lake, then opened the fish basket to release all of the fish inside back into the lake.

After that, he turned to Yu Lu with a smile and asked, “It sounds like you want to challenge me.”

Yu Lu made no secret of his intentions, nodding with a smile as he proposed, “How about a sparring match?”

“You’re not worried about delaying your studies?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Yu Lu offered no response to this, and he packed away the fishing rods and fish basket before returning to Xie Xie’s residence with Chen Ping’an.

Xie Xie was still seated in the walkway in a completely immersive state, while Lin Shouyi had already departed.

After hearing the sound of door-knocking, Xie Xie snapped out of her state of immersion with a vexed expression, then stood up to open the door.

However, after hearing the purpose of Chen Ping’an and Yu Lu’s visit, she couldn’t help but smile as she asked, “Can I watch?”

“Do as you please,” Yu Lu replied with a smile.

Chen Ping’an told Yu Lu to wait for a moment, then crouched down and rolled up his pant sleeves, revealing a pair of old cloth shoes that had been personally tailored for him by Pei Qian. The craftsmanship wasn’t great, but it was a pair of warm and sturdy shoes, and Chen Ping’an was very fond of them.

After standing up, Chen Ping’an rolled up his sleeves, then clasped one hand behind his back and spread open his other hand as he turned to Yu Lu with a smile and said, “Please enlighten me.”

“I surrender,” Yu Lu suddenly said.

Xie Xie wasn’t surprised in the slightest by this turn of events. This was something that Yu Lu was definitely capable of, and he could do it very naturally. As a matter of fact, it was almost to be expected of him, as very few people were as shameless as he was.

“Don’t be like that,” Chen Ping’an urged. “It’s just a sparring match, and we’re both at the same cultivation base right now, so losing or winning doesn’t really matter.”

“I want to maintain an undefeated record against you,” Yu Lu said with a smile. “As for sparring, I’ll leave that to Senior Zhu Lian on Downtrodden Mountain.”

“You’re just worried that you’ll be knocked out by me with a single punch, aren’t you?” Chen Ping’an scoffed.

Yu Lu turned to Xie Xie, and the latter smiled as she said, “I didn’t hear anything.”

Yu Lu gave her a thumbs-up as he praised, “I knew I could count on you to have my back.”

After Chen Ping’an and Yu Lu departed, Xie Xie again sat down in the walkway and closed her eyes. Having some visitors occasionally was quite enjoyable for her.

After leaving Xie Xie’s residence, Chen Ping’an and Yu Lu made their way toward the latter’s dormitory, and Chen Ping’an said, “It’s unacceptable to practice fist techniques without intent, but you can’t just rely on intent alone, either.”

“I’ll find a reason to go and stay on Downtrodden Mountain for a while,” Yu Lu said.

Chen Ping’an spoke no further on the matter.

All reunions were bound to end in separation.

Chen Ping’an and Pei Qian had a snowfight against Li Baoping and Li Huai, following which they worked together to build some snowmen before the two of them left the academy.

Li Baoping stood at the entrance of the academy, watching them depart.

Chen Ping’an walked backward as he waved her farewell, and she gently waved at him as well.

Pei Qian was vigorously waving both hands.

After the two of them vanished out of sight around the corner, Li Baoping began racing her way up the mountain.

A reminiscent look appeared on the old gatekeeper’s face. It had already been many years since he last saw Li Baoping running like this, and it certainly brought back some fond memories.

Li Baoping rushed her way to the mountain summit of the academy, then climbed up a tree, standing in a dazed silence on the all-too-familiar branch.

Chen Ping’an visited a jade shop. The shop still had the same shopkeeper as before, and this was the place where Chen Ping’an had once bought a parting gift for Li Baoping. At the time, the shopkeeper had gifted him an engraving knife, but this time, he didn’t recognize Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an picked out a blank jade seal, planning to engrave a seal for himself.

Pei Qian wanted to buy one for herself as well, then have her master engrave it for her as a gift.

Thus, Chen Ping’an bought another blank seal so Pei Qian wouldn’t have to pay for one. She only had a tiny money pouch, and Chen Ping’an couldn’t bear to see her deplete her meager wealth.

After leaving the shop, Chen Ping’an stood on the street and cast his gaze toward the summit of Eastern Splendor Mountain. He knew that there was most likely someone looking out at him from the tall tree on the mountain summit.

Li Baoping was sitting on the tree branch, gently swinging her feet back and forth. They had only just parted ways, yet she was already looking forward to the next reunion.

There was no sadness in her heart, only anticipation.

Her junior uncle was the calmest of them all, and she should learn from him and be the second calmest.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze back to Pei Qian, and the latter was chirping away, telling him about the interesting stories that she had heard from Li Baoping and Li Huai.

Chen Ping’an listened with a smile.

The two of them returned to the Ox Horn Mountain ferry station on the dragon boat.

After making a trip back to Downtrodden Mountain, Chen Ping’an packed up his belongings, then returned to Ox Horn Mountain just in time to board the Flax Robe Sect’s southbound intercontinental ship.

On the ship were the Nascent Tier cultivator, Wei Yusong, who was in charge of the Flax Robe Sect’s finances, as well as Tang Xi of the Nightglow Grass Hall.

Wei Bo was also present.

Downtrodden Mountain, Cloud Drape Mountain, the Flax Robe Sect, the Spring Dew Garden.

The four parties had already established a rough framework for their future collaboration, and on this southbound journey, they were going to iron out many of the finer details of their intercontinental collaboration.

After all was said and done, Wei Bo was the first to depart. Through his actions, he was implicitly authorizing Chen Ping’an to make the decisions for his Cloud Drape Mountain.

At an immortal ferry station relatively close to Bamboo Scroll Lake, Li Fuqu boarded the intercontinental ship as a representative of the True Realm Sect.

This was Chen Ping’an’s second meeting, and they discussed affairs related to the Lotus Root Blessed Land. In addition to Li Fuqu, Sun Jiashu, and Fan Er of Old Dragon City would also be involved in the discussion. Both parties had lent Downtrodden Mountain a large sum of grain rain coins, but they hadn’t demanded any dividends.

In order to ensure secrecy, Sun Jiashu and Fan Er had left Old Dragon City in secret, then boarded the ship at different ferry stations before it had even entered the territory of Old Dragon City.

The first thing that Chen Ping’an did after meeting Fan Er was to give the latter a piece of chinaware that he had personally fired. For this purpose, Chen Ping’an had specially visited the dragon kiln where he had once been an apprentice. That was the first time that he had returned to the dragon kiln.

After the intercontinental ship docked at the ferry station outside Old Dragon City, Chen Ping’an didn’t enter the city. The Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island ship was still yet to return from Stalactite Mountain, but the Mountain and Sea Turtle that served as the Sun Clan’s intercontinental ship just so happened to have been on the verge of departure. Thus, Chen Ping’an was able to enjoy another free trip.

With each passing day, he got a little closer to the Sword Qi Great Wall.