Unsheathed

Ever since he returned home, Chen Ping’an’s eyelid had been constantly twitching. It was said that the twitching of the left eyelid signified wealth, while the twitching of the right eyelid entailed disaster.

He sat down onto the doorstep and began to visualize pottery molding with his hands suspended in mid-air, quickly entering a completely immersive state. His commendable work ethic was one reason why he always kept up with this type of visualization practice, while another very important factor was that the activity helped him stave off hunger. Hence, he had developed the habit of performing this type of practice whenever there was something on his mind.

The craft of pottery firing was one that depended greatly on the will of the heavens. Prior to uncovering a piece of chinaware, no one knew whether its form, coloration, and glaze would be up to standard, and one could only take what they were given by the gods. However, prior to firing a piece of pottery, the molding process was undoubtedly extremely important.

Unfortunately, Chen Ping’an had always been deemed by Old Man Yao to be lacking in aptitude and was mostly assigned manual labor tasks like pugging. Thus, he could only watch from the side and practice molding on his own to try and develop a feel for the process.

The sound of the neighboring yard’s wooden gate being opened rang out, signaling the return of Song Jixin and Zhi Gui from the school. Song Jixin lunged forward and jumped onto the wall with ease, then squatted down before spreading his hands open, releasing a bunch of fingernail-sized rocks of different colors, including white, green, and red.

These completely valueless rocks of different sizes were extremely commonplace all throughout the bank of the creek in the town, and among them, the most sought-after one was a type of bright red rock that looked as if it had been soaked in chicken blood. Mr. Qi had carved a seal out of one such rock for his disciple, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin had taken a liking to it, offering to exchange it for something on several occasions, but he was resolutely turned down every time.

Song Jixin tossed a rock lightly through the air, and it struck Chen Ping’an on the chest, but he remained completely unmoved.

The next rock struck him on the forehead, but he still displayed no reaction.

Song Jixin was already accustomed to this, and he threw a collection of seven or eight rocks one after another. Even though Song Jixin was trying to distract Chen Ping’an from his visualization training with these rocks, he refrained from directly hitting Chen Ping’an’s arms and fingers as he felt like that would be going too far.

After tossing all of his rocks, Song Jixin clapped his hands together, while Chen Ping’an exhaled and shook out his wrists, completely ignoring Song Jixin. Following a brief pause, he lowered his head and curled the fingers on his left hand as if he were gripping onto an invisible burin.

The skill of the jumping burin wasn’t a skill that was unique to any of the old potters in the town, but anyone who saw Old Man Yao’s jumping burin technique would always be full of praise and admiration.

Old Man Yao had taken several disciples, but none of them truly lived up to his standards. Only after finding Liu Xianyang did he finally feel like he had found someone worthy of inheriting his skills. In the past, whenever Liu Xianyang practiced the jumping burin technique, Chen Ping’an would always watch intently from the side as long as he wasn’t preoccupied with some other task.

Liu Xianyang really liked to show off, and he knew that Chen Ping’an was very good at keeping secrets, so he often revealed pieces of Old Man Yao’s secret mantras to Chen Ping’an to flaunt his knowledge. For example, in order to ensure the burin followed a stable path, one couldn’t focus dogmatically on keeping one’s hand steady. Ultimately, the key was to keep one’s heart steady.

However, when Chen Ping’an asked him what keeping one’s heart steady meant, Liu Xianyang had no answer.

After watching for a while longer, Song Jixin grew bored and jumped down from the wall before entering the room.

Zhi Gui was standing beside the wall, and without getting up on the tips of her toes, only half of her face was peeking out over the top of the wall. Even so, it was still possible to tell that she was going to grow up into a splendid beauty.

After a moment of hesitation, she gently got up on the tips of her toes and swept her gaze over the area around Chen Ping’an before catching sight of a pair of rocks that caught her fancy. One of them was translucent and bright red, while the other one was as white as snow, and both of them had just been tossed away by Song Jixin just now.

After another brief hesitation, she called out in a timid voice, “Chen Ping’an, can you pick up those two rocks for me? I really like them.”

Chen Ping’an raised his head to look at her, indicating with his eyes for her to wait for a moment, but he didn’t stop what he was doing, and his hands remained as stable as ever.

Zhi Gui gave a warm smile in response, presenting a stunning sight to behold, like the first green buds sprouting out of a tree branch in early spring.

However, Chen Ping’an had already lowered his head, so he missed out on the beautiful scenery.

The corners of her lips perked up slightly, and a hint of light surged through her eyes as if there were some type of tiny living creature swimming within them.

By the time Chen Ping’an finished his visualization practice and asked her which two stones she wanted, the look in her eyes had already returned to normal, and she was back to looking as gentle and timid as ever.

Chen Ping’an picked up the two rocks that she was pointing at, then made his way over to the wall. She had only just raised a hand when Chen Ping’an set the rocks down on top of the wall.

She picked up the rocks and held them tightly in her hand.

If fate weren’t on one’s side, then they could search for something for years on end without ever finding it, but if it were meant to be, then some things were as easily obtainable as shoddy wares being sold on the side of the street, and it would depend entirely on one’s mood whether they wanted to take it or not.

“Are you not worried about that snotty little kid coming over to give you a piece of his mind?” Chen Ping’an chuckled.

She didn’t admit that her young master had stolen from someone else, but she wasn’t shameless enough to deny the truth, either, so she merely smiled and remained silent.

There was a mother and son pair living on Clay Vase Alley, and they were completely unmatched in the town when it came to their ability to win arguments and deliver vicious insults. Only Song Jixin could compete with them in this regard. Among the pair, the child was particularly egregious. He constantly had two lines of snot trailing out of his nostrils, and he liked to catch fish and pick up rocks from the creek.

All of the fish that he caught were kept in a large water vat, while the rocks that he collected were piled up next to the vat. For some reason, Song Jixin really liked to pick on the kid. Every once in a while, he would take a few rocks from the boy’s collection, and this wasn’t so apparent at first, but what was happening quickly became clear over time as Song Jixin was regularly taking rocks from the pile. Whenever the boy noticed that some of the prized rocks were missing, he would fly into a rage like a wild kitten that had just had its tail trodden on, and he could stand outside Song Jixin’s yard and yell profanities for two hours at a time.

His mother never tried to dissuade him from this behavior. Instead, she was always eagerly fanning the flames, specifically bringing up the fact that Song Jixin was an illegitimate son of the previous kiln supervision official. On quite a few occasions, Song Jixin was so enraged by this pair that he had almost carried a bench outside to fight them, and Zhi Gui had to hold him back each time.

All of a sudden, a high-pitched voice rang out. “Hurry up and come out, Song Jixin! Your maidservant is flirting with Chen Ping’an right as I speak! It’s clear that they’re hooking up! If you don’t come out to discipline your maidservant, there’s a good chance she’ll jump over the wall tonight and go knocking on Chen Ping’an’s door! Come out, come out! Look, Chen Ping’an’s stroking her cheek! Oh my goodness, if only you could see the disgusting grin on Chen Ping’an’s face!”

Song Jixin didn’t bother to come out, and he yelled in response from inside his house, “What’s the big deal? I saw Chen Ping’an groping your mother last night. Only after I ran into them did Chen Ping’an hurriedly pull his hand out of your mother’s collar. To be fair, your mother is the one to blame. She’s way too full and voluptuous there, poor Chen Ping’an was sweating buckets because of how heavy those damn things were!”

Someone on the alley outside began to kick viciously at Song Jixin’s gate as they yelled in a furious voice, “Come out and fight me one-on-one, Song Jixin! If you lose, then you have to hand over Zhi Gui to become my maidservant! I’ll have her feed me, make my bed, and wash my feet every day! If I lose, Chen Ping’an will become your servant. What do you say? Do you dare to accept my challenge? Whoever backs down is a cowardly turtle!”

Inside the room, Song Jixin retorted in a lazy voice, “Get out of here, Gu Can! I was flipping the lunar almanac, and it tells me that this is not a good day for a father to beat up his son, so I’ll let you off the hook for now, you lucky little bastard!”

The child continued to pound the gate with all his might. “Zhi Gui, aren’t you ashamed to be following such a cowardly master? I say you should go and elope with Liu Xianyang! That idiot’s always looking at you like he wants to eat you up!”

Zhi Gui turned and returned to the house.

Inside, Song Jixin was carefully polishing a bright green gourd. It was an antique from an indeterminate era, and it was one of the things left behind by Master Song. In the beginning, Song Jixin didn’t pay much attention to it, but he later discovered that whenever there was a lightning storm, a buzzing sound would ring out from within the gourd. However, after removing the cork, no matter how much he shook or swung the gourd around, nothing would come out.

He also tried filling it with water and sand before pouring it out, and the exact same amount of water and sand would come out. Thus, he could only set it aside again. One time, Gu Can’s abhorrent mother was outside his gate, taunting him over and over again about being an illegitimate son who had been abandoned by his father.

The insults were really getting to him, and in a fit of rage, he picked up a blade before hacking viciously at the gourd to vent his fury. However, to his astonishment, the edge of the blade had already fully curled back, yet the gourd was still completely unscathed, with not even the slightest mark left on its surface.

In a letter that had been burned by Song Jixin some years ago, it was written: “The gold, silver, and copper coins brought to you will ensure that all expenses will be covered for you and Zhi Gui. In your spare time, you can search for some antiques that take your fancy for the purpose of developing a tasteful hobby.

“The town isn’t a very big place, but the coarse grains here are enough to nurture the belly, the books can nurture the mind, the scenery can nurture the eyes, and the peace and quiet can nurture the heart. From this day forth, you can only do your best and let fate decide the rest. The dragon lurking in plain sight will be sure to rise to the heavens someday.”

Even though Song Jixin resented his father, there was no reason for him not to spend the money left to him. In the simple and unsophisticated small town, it was difficult to spend a lot of money even if one wanted to. Over the years, Song Jixin really developed a hobby of collecting all types of trinkets.

He had a large red chest that was filled with all types of interesting obscure items like the green gourd, but Song Jixin had a profound and inexplicable feeling that out of all of the items in the chest, of which there were around three dozens, the gourd was the most important one, followed by a rusty violet gold bell. When shaken, it could be clearly seen that the clapper of the bell was clattering against its inner wall, so it should’ve produced a chime, but it was completely silent.

This phenomenon both terrified and fascinated Song Jixin. The only other artifact worthy of note was an old teapot with the word “mandrill” inscribed upon it. As for all of the other items, Song Jixin didn’t really care much for them.

Outside his yard, Gu Can was still yelling profanities and insults with indefatigable vigor.

However, shortly thereafter, his voice abruptly cut off.

The boy then suddenly pushed open the gate of Chen Ping’an’s yard before rushing inside with a panicked expression. After sliding the deadbolt across, he squatted down beside the gate before silently indicating for Chen Ping’an to also squat down beside him.

Chen Ping’an had no idea what was happening, but he ducked down and rushed over to the boy’s side, then squatted down beside him as he asked in a low voice, “What happened, Gu Can? Did you get your mother angry again?”

Gu Can sniffled vigorously as he replied in a quiet voice, “I met a really strange person just now. He could use the white bowl in his hand to keep on pouring out water without stopping! The bowl was only this big, yet I just saw him pouring water out of it non-stop for two hours! As he was passing by the entrance of our Clay Vase Alley, he seemed to have stopped. Could it be that he spotted me? I’m in so much trouble!”

Gu Can used his hands to describe to Chen Ping’an the size of the bowl, then patted his own chest as he panted, “He almost frightened Song Jixin’s father here to death!”

“Are you talking about the storyteller under the locust tree?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Gu Can nodded eagerly in response. “That’s him! The old man doesn’t have much strength in his arms, and he can’t even lift me up, but that bowl of his is terrifying! Terrifying, I tell you!”

Gu Can suddenly grabbed onto Chen Ping’an’s arm as he vowed, “I’m not lying to you this time, Chen Ping’an! I swear! If I’m lying to you, then let Song Jixin suffer a terrible death!”

Chen Ping’an raised a finger to his lips to make a silencing gesture, and the child immediately fell silent.

The sound of footsteps gradually drew closer outside, then faded into the distance.

Everyone was scared of something. Prior to this, Gu Can seemed to be completely fearless, but at this moment, his face was deathly pale, and he sat down onto the ground as he rubbed his hand haphazardly over his own face. It was clear that he really was terrified of the old man.

“You don’t think that old bastard went to my house, do you? What should I do?” Gu Can suddenly asked.

“How about I accompany you back home to take a look?” Chen Ping’an asked with a resigned expression.

This was most likely exactly what Gu Can was waiting to hear, and he immediately rose to his feet, only to sit back down again in a deflated manner before turning to Chen Ping’an with a pitiful expression. “My knees are weak, I can’t walk!”

Chen Ping’an stood up, then bent over and grabbed onto the back of Gu Can’s collar, lifting up with one hand as he slid back the deadbolt and made his way out of the courtyard.

The child’s house was only around 100 meters away from Chen Ping’an’s, and sure enough, upon arriving there, Gu Can spotted the old man in their courtyard, and his mother had even pulled out a stool for him to sit on.

In that instant, Gu Can felt as if the entire sky had fallen onto him, and he cowered behind Chen Ping’an, hoping that Chen Ping’an would protect him.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an rose to the occasion, leading the way while Gu Can trailed along behind him.

Gu Can clutched onto Chen Ping’an’s sleeve, and he was instilled with a surge of courage, seemingly having been emboldened by Chen Ping’an’s presence.

The old man paid no heed to the two young boys as he sat on the stool, seemingly thinking about something, and the white bowl he was holding earlier was nowhere to be seen.

All of the courage instantly left Gu Can’s body, and he ducked behind Chen Ping’an once again in a fearful manner.

The old man took a glance at the remarkably calm woman, then turned his attention toward the wary Chen Ping’an before finally settling his gaze on Gu Can as he asked, “What are you keeping in that water vat over there?”

Gu Can yelled out in response from behind Chen Ping’an, “What else could it be? Just some fish, prawns, and crabs that I caught from the creek and some eels and catfish that I fished out of the farm channels. If you like them, you’re welcome to take them…”

His voice was growing quieter and quieter as he spoke, clearly indicating a lack of conviction and courage.

The woman smoothed down her own hair momentarily before turning to Chen Ping’an as she called out in a gentle voice, “Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an could see what she wanted, and he patted Gu Can on the head before turning to depart.

A hint of guilt surfaced in the woman’s eyes as she glanced at Chen Ping’an’s departing figure, but she quickly banished those thoughts and feelings as she turned to the old man and asked, “You’ve come a long way to get here, esteemed immortal master. Are you planning to buy this opportunity or take it by force?”

The old man smiled as he shook his head in response. “I can’t afford the price required to buy this opportunity, nor am I able to take it by force.”

“Perhaps that was true in the past, but it may not continue to hold true in the future,” the woman countered with a shake of her head.

The casual and relaxed demeanor of the old man instantly faded upon hearing this, and it was as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He abruptly swept a sleeve through the air, rapidly moving his fingers as if he were calculating something.

He then heaved a long sigh. “Was it really necessary to go so far?”

A cold look appeared on the woman’s face as she sneered, “Did you think that this town was full of good people?”

The old man rose to his feet and cast a meaningful glance toward the befuddled child, and he seemed to have made an extremely important decision as he produced the white bowl with a flick of his wrist.

He then made his way over to the large water vat, which was around half the height of a grown man, and quickly scooped out a bowl of water from within.

The woman was putting on a calm and collected facade, but in reality, her palms were sweating profusely.

The old man sat back down onto the stool, then beckoned to Gu Can. “Come here and take a look, child.”

Gu Can turned to his mother with an inquisitive expression, and she nodded at him with encouragement in her eyes.

Once the boy had reached him, the old man gently blew onto the surface of the water in the bowl, causing it to ripple incessantly.

“Open your mouth,” the old man instructed with a smile.

At the same time, the old man pulled out a locust leaf from somewhere on Gu Can’s body with a casual swipe of his hand.

He held the leaf in between two of his fingers in a very light grip.

Gu Can reflexively opened his mouth in surprise upon seeing this, and with a flick of his finger, the bright green locust leaf vanished into Gu Can’s mouth.

The boy was instantly rooted to the spot, but he then discovered that nothing seemed to feel different in his mouth.

Before he had a chance to say anything, the old man pointed at the bowl sitting on the palm of his hand as he asked, “Take a good look and tell me if you see anything.”

Gu Can stared into the bowl with wide eyes, and first, he saw an extremely tiny black spot. The black spot then gradually transformed into a slightly larger black line, and it continued to slowly expand, turning into an earthy yellow catfish that was swimming happily in the rippling water inside the bowl.

A spark of recognition abruptly appeared in Gu Can’s muddled mind, and he exclaimed, “I remember that thing! It was Chen Ping’an’s, and I…”

The woman immediately slapped him across the face with a furious expression. “Shush!”

The old man wasn’t surprised by this at all, and he said in an indifferent voice, “We cultivate for the sake of immortality, which is already an endeavor that goes against the natural order, so fighting over resources and opportunities to aid us on that path is nothing to be frowned upon. There’s no need to be so nervous. What rightfully belongs to your son will come to him no matter what, and what doesn’t belong to that young boy will ultimately not fall in his possession.”

Gu Can weighed less than 40 kilograms, but his aptitude was incredibly heavy.

The old man had gone out of his way earlier to perform a secret technique that had been passed down for generations, one that allowed him to gauge the weight of the cultivation aptitude in others. The fact that he was unable to lift up Gu Can while using this secret technique was a testament to the boy’s exceptional aptitude, and that was why he was going to accept the boy as his disciple.

Otherwise, a child of his age with such a prized entity in his possession would be bringing nothing but disaster upon himself.

A carefree smile appeared on the old man’s face, but his eyes were as cold as ice as he said, “Of course, even if it did originally belong to that boy, what does it matter? Now that I’m here, it no longer belongs to him.”

Gu Can’s teeth began to chatter, and he was suddenly feeling very cold.

In contrast, the woman was looking very relieved.

The old man put on a kind and benevolent expression once again as he said, “My child, this bowl contains the water of an entire river, and now, there’s a little flood dragon inside it. From this point onward, you will be a direct disciple to me. I am a true lord, and I’m only half a step away from becoming a sect-founding patriarch, albeit only for a lower sect. In the future, you’ll come to understand the significance of concepts like true lords and sect founding. I assure you that those concepts hold more weight than the water of the entire river in this bowl.”

All of a sudden, Gu Can burst into tears. “This isn’t right! That thing belongs to Chen Ping’an!”

The woman became even more furious, and she raised her hand to discipline her foolish child again, but the old man waved a hand to stop her.

He smiled as he said in a nonchalant manner, “It’s not necessarily a bad thing that he has such a kind heart.”

Gu Can lowered his head and used the back of his hand to wipe at his tears and snot, while the woman turned to the old man in silence.

The old man nodded as he gave her a meaningful smile, and both of them understood one another, so there was no need for further words.

Upon raising his head, Gu Can discovered that his mother and this master of his that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere both had faint smiles on their faces.

Gu Can turned around to find that Chen Ping’an had closed the gate of the yard upon his departure.

The town was like a plot of farmland during the harvest season, but some people were like weeds that were interspersed throughout the crops, with no one paying them any attention. The lonesome straw-sandalled young boy making his way through Clay Vase Alley was precisely one of those people.