Unsheathed

Ning Yao trod firmly down onto the back of Chen Ping’an’s foot before digging in her heel and giving it a twist.

“I’m sorry, I surrender, I’ll shut up,” Chen Ping’an immediately conceded with a smile.

“Alright, let’s all get out of here and leave Chen Ping’an to recover in peace,” Chen Sanqiu said with a smile. “Oh, by the way, feel free to come and visit the Chen Manor if you get the chance, Chen Ping’an.”

“I’d advise against visiting the Dong Manor,” Dong Huafu said with a sigh. “If you do, my mother and my sister will annoy you to death! I guarantee you they’ll be even more of a pain to deal with than Pang Yuanji!”

Chen Ping’an stood up with a smile and a parting nod, yet right as Yan Zhuo and the others were about to leave, Bai Lianshuang arrived at the foot of the Dragon Slaying Cliff with an amused smile on her face as she reported, “Lü Duan came by earlier and told me that she wanted to become Young Master Chen’s disciple and have him teach her martial arts.

“She told me that if Young Master Chen refused, then she would kneel in front of the Ning Manor until he changed his mind. She looked quite sincere and determined, and she bought a bunch of pastries on the way here. Thankfully, Ms. Dong came by to drag her away, but given how stubborn Lü Duan can be when she sets her mind on something, I have a feeling this won’t be the last we see of her.”

Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu exchanged a look of schadenfreude with each other upon hearing this.

They were both familiar with Lü Duan, and they knew that she was renowned for being a pain to deal with.

“Next time she comes, just drag her in here, and I’ll give her a beating. That should teach her,” Ning Yao harrumphed.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything.

After Chen Sanqiu and the others left the Yao Manor, they decided to go drinking at a wine shop that they regularly frequented instead of parting ways and returning home.

In the wake of their departure, Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao were the only ones left in the pergola.

“I’m fine,” Chen Ping’an reassured in a gentle voice. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Ning Yao gave a cold harrumph.

Chen Ping’an leaned back against the railing, then raised his head as he remarked, “I really do like it here a lot.”

Ning Yao gently lifted Chen Ping’an’s right sleeve to examine the condition of his arm, then reprimanded, “Don’t be so reckless from now on. No matter how confident you are in your abilities, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong, and in the heat of battle, even just a single misstep can have irreversible consequences.”

After releasing his sleeve, she asked, “Are you really not going to see Zuo You?”

Chen Ping’an thought about it for a moment, then replied, “I’ll go visit the old great sword immortal first. It’s still unclear if Senior Zuo is even willing to see me.”

“A meeting with Grandpa Chen seems fairly innocuous, but in reality, it’s going to be the most perilous test of all, and you could easily do something unnecessary if you’re not careful, so make sure to approach this with the utmost caution,” Ning Yao warned.

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“When are you going to the Sword Qi Great Wall?” Ning Yao asked.

“There’s no hurry,” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile. “If I go too early, it’ll be a slap to the face for Pang Yuanji and Qi Shou, and especially their seniors.”

“Why bother to consider all of that?” Ning Yao asked with slightly furrowed brows. “You said it yourself: The Sword Qi Great Wall is a very straightforward place where you don’t have to overthink things. They brought this embarrassment upon themselves, and you earned those victories fair and square.”

“Force of habit,” Chen Ping’an replied. “If you think this is an undesirable trait, then I can change. There’s only one thing that I refuse to compromise on, but I’m willing to change in everything else. That one thing that I won’t compromise on and my willingness to change and adapt in everything else are the qualities that have allowed me to reach where I am today.”

Ning Yao took a glance at Chen Ping’an, who was sitting on her left, and he immediately stood up before sitting back down on her right.

Ning Yao didn’t say anything. Chen Ping’an gently held onto her hand, and he also didn’t say anything as he closed his eyes.

***

Three days later, Chen Ping’an departed from the Ning Manor under the cover of night, traveling to the Sword Qi Great Wall on his own.

After arriving before the pair of familiar thatched cottages, he stowed his talismanic boat up his sleeve as he smiled and greeted, “Junior Chen Ping’an pays his respects to the old great sword immortal.”

Chen Qingdu was standing atop the city wall, and he gave a pleased nod as he mused, “Not seeking petty gains from the world is an important quality for a cultivator’s ascension to greater heights. I’m assuming you’re here to discuss some official business with me, seeing as you haven’t brought Little Ning with you.”

There were two things that Chen Ping’an wished to discuss with Chen Qingdu, and he didn’t quite know which one he should begin with.

“Let’s chat as we walk. Whatever it is you have to say, go right ahead,” Chen Qingdu encouraged with a smile.

Chen Ping’an hesitated momentarily, then asked, “Have you already seen that outcome, Senior Chen?”

“I have,” Chen Qingdu replied with a nod. “I’m calculating the time.”

“Have you never considered taking all of the swordsmen here back to the Majestic World?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Of course I have,” Chen Qingdu replied with a smile.

All of the color was instantly drained from Chen Ping’an’s face.

“Over all of the years that I’ve spent on the Sword Qi Great Wall, I’ve met some very interesting outsiders and young people,” Chen Qingdu said. “The most recent one is Zuo You, whose swordsmanship is as fine as any I’ve ever seen. Then there was Cao Ci a few years ago, and before him came A’Liang. If we go back even further, there was Chen Chun’an of the Southern Whirl Continent, and before him was a certain scholar from the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

“At the time, he was still at the peak of his powers and hadn’t suffered his fall from grace. There were a few before him as well, and in total, I’d say there are about ten. Every time I met one such individual, I would become a little less disappointed in the Majestic World. However, there are still far too few of them and too far in between to make up for all of the disappointing people and things in the Majestic World.

“The founding father of the Foretellers in the Majestic World once came to me, and you could say that he issued a challenge of sorts. He was young and brash, and as is often the case with young men, he had very lofty aspirations and made some very grand statements. Some principles that he viewed to be above all others and would remain unshakeable regardless of how the state of the world changed over time were actually quite naive in my eyes.

“However, some of the things that he said unintentionally were quite promising, and as time passed, those words became more and more impactful and became more and more deeply rooted in the world. He had no idea of the future impact of those errant remarks at the time, but that turned out to be a good thing, as it was precisely his lack of intention that allowed for the positive outcomes to follow.

“One of the most powerful leaders of the demon tribe once made a proposal for my consideration. Would you care to guess what it was?”

“My guess is that the proposal was to hand over the Savage World to the Sword Qi Great Wall, while the Majestic World fell into the hands of the demon tribe in exchange,” Chen Ping’an said.

Chen Qingdu didn’t seem surprised at all that Chen Ping’an had guessed the answer correctly, and he asked, “Why do you think I refused? According to the terms that they proposed, all that the swordsmen of our Sword Qi Great Wall would have to do would be to allow the demon tribe into the Majestic World. From there, they would be responsible for conquering the Majestic World on their own, and we wouldn’t even have to help them in their conquest.”

“That’s precisely the most cunning and devious element of their proposal,” Chen Ping’an said. “As soon as the Sword Qi Great Wall agrees to the proposal, there will immediately be mass conflict and division among its swordsmen. Those who harbor enmity toward the Majestic World will be pitted against those who are still inclined to defend the Majestic World, and the resulting conflict will result in widespread casualties.

“Perhaps the Sword Qi Great Wall will ultimately be able to take over the Savage World, but what remains of its forces would definitely not be enough to hold onto such a vast territory for long. Eventually, the remaining demons in the Savage World would unite for an uprising, while all of the swordsmen will only have grown complacent over time.

“With no reason to keep their swords sharp, their sword intent will slowly be whittled away over extended periods of peace and complacency, and in the end, the demon tribe will eventually regain control of the Savage World. That is, unless you’re willing to constantly keep an eye on the Savage World, striking down any demon as soon as they reach the Upper Five Tiers to avoid allowing them to grow into a true threat.

“If I were the leader of the demon tribe who raised that proposal, I wouldn’t even make you sign an agreement or anything like that. Instead, I would simply allow you to eliminate the Upper Five Tiers demons as you please. Over time, you will become more and more mentally exhausted by the task of having to constantly keep a close eye on the entire Savage World.

“Perhaps your sword will still remain sharp, but you will eventually become too weary to draw it, and that’s when the demon tribe will rise up and reclaim the Savage World.”

“That was very well said,” Chen Qingdu praised with a nod.

Chen Ping’an carefully mulled over his words as he continued, “That’s only the reason behind why you personally turned down the proposal. You’re accustomed to looking at the bigger picture and looking far into the future, thousands, even tens of thousands of years down the line. In order to ensure a true sense of purity and objectivity, you’ve even intentionally distanced yourself from your own clan.

“However, everyone else outside of yourself has their own selfish desires. The selfish desires that I’m referring to here have nothing to do with good or evil. Instead, they are simply a part of human nature. Even the sages of the Three Teachings stationed here are not insusceptible to these selfish desires, let alone the swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall and those on the Sword Qi Great Wall dealing with people from Stalactite Mountain and the Majestic World.

“If it isn’t for all of the swordsmen from the Northern Complete Reed Continent and other outsiders from the Majestic World who’ve come here to oppose the demon tribe of their own volition, you may not have been able to keep up the morale and cohesion of everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

“Once again, that was very well said,” Chen Qingdu replied with a nod.

“You give me far too much credit, Senior Chen,” Chen Ping’an said in a modest fashion. “I’m only saying whatever’s coming to my mind, yet you’re the one who’s actually been performing all of these grand feats, and you’ve been doing so for tens of thousands of years!”

Chen Qingdu chuckled. “You’re even more of a flatterer than A’Liang.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what to say to that.

“I will personally serve as your official matchmaker in your bid to secure Little Ning’s hand in marriage,” Chen Qingdu said.

“I haven’t even made the request yet, Senior Chen,” Chen Ping’an said with an embarrassed expression.

“Are you embarrassed?” Chen Qingdu asked with an amused smile.

“Not at all!” Chen Ping’an replied with a vigorous shake of his head. “What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“As expected of that impoverished scholar’s final disciple, you’ve clearly learned much from him,” Chen Qingdu praised with a nod of approval.

He then gave Chen Ping’an a dismissive wave as he continued, “Little Ning has followed you here in secret. I’ll get out of your way so you two can have some alone time.”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a moment, then extended his heavily bandaged right arm out of his sleeve before cupping his fist and extending a deep bow as he said, “If I may be so bold, I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude and admiration to you on behalf of the Majestic World.”

“Alright, that’s enough flattery from you.” Chen Qingdu chuckled as he swept a sleeve through the air, and even though Sword Immortal was now already a celestial sword, it was still forced out of its scabbard, then instantly tore through the fabric of space to arrive atop the city wall.

Chen Qingdu casually grabbed the celestial sword by the hilt, then joined the middle and index fingers of his other hand before slowly tracing them along the length of its blade, following which he smiled and said, “It won’t do to have the conflicting energies in the sword constantly at odds with each other, so I’ve made an executive decision to resolve this problem for you.”

Chen Qingdu held onto the sword for a while longer with his fingers pressed against its tip, then casually tossed it aside, instantly returning it to its scabbard in the Ning Manor.

All the while, Chen Ping’an had been looking on in a dumbfounded silence.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Chen Qingdu turned to depart as he said, “You can go now. Be a bit braver.”

***

Ning Yao and Chen Ping’an were walking side by side atop the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Ning Yao held the jade tablet up high, watching it shimmer under the moonlight.

The characters for peace and safety were engraved on the tablet’s face, making it the most literal Peace and Safety Tablet under the heavens.

She turned the tablet around, and on the other side was engraved the words “My thoughts are pure.”

She continued to hold the tablet high above her own head, looking up at it as she walked along, and she casually asked, “What did you talk about with Senior Chen?”

Chen Ping’an walked along by her side as he replied, “The old great sword immortal told me to be a bit braver. I’m not quite sure what he meant by that.”

Ning Yao immediately stopped in her tracks, then lowered the jade tablet in her hand, gently tapping it against Chen Ping’an’s forehead as she accused, “Since when did you become so brazen and shameless?”

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an turned around so that his back was facing Ning Yao, then squatted down and patted his own back.

Back at the immortal tomb in the Jewel Small World, Ning Yao had once carried him on her back, and he was now returning the favor.

Ning Yao looked away with a disdainful expression, but the tips of her ears were bright red.

Chen Ping’an remained crouched down as he chuckled. “So there are things that even you’re afraid to do, after all.”

In the end, Chen Ping’an won, and he slowly walked along with Ning Yao on his back.

Under the moonlight, Chen Ping’an was walking along as carefully as if he were carrying the entire world on his back.

All of a sudden, Ning Yao’s face turned bright red, and she pinched Chen Ping’an’s ear before giving it a vicious twist as she yelled, “Chen Ping’an!”

Chen Ping’an yelped in pain as he hurriedly cocked his head to the side.

Ning Yao gave him a knock on the back of the head, then threatened in fury and embarrassment, “I’m really going to get angry if you keep this up!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t do it again,” Chen Ping’an replied in a pitiful tone.

All of a sudden, a stern-looking old man appeared atop the city wall, and he demanded, “Put her down!”

Chen Ping’an faltered slightly upon hearing this, then snapped, “Who do you think you are? Mind your own business!”

“He’s my grandfather,” Ning Yao said in a quiet voice.

A sheepish look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he was just about to set Ning Yao down when another stern voice rang out from nearby.

“Don’t listen to him!”

Zuo You had arrived on the scene without warning, and he immediately repeated the same question to the old man. “Who do you think you are?”

He and Chen Ping’an were truly both disciples of the Scholarly Sage.