Unsheathed

Not long after Chen Ping’an left the room, Ruan Xiu stomped a foot in frustration and prepared to set off in pursuit, only to be stopped by Master Ruan, who yelled with a stern expression, “Xiuxiu, you’re only going to hurt him if you get involved now! He’ll be beyond saving if you rush in recklessly!”

Ruan Xiu didn’t turn around. Instead, she only turned her head, and her ponytail whipped around in the air in a beautiful arc. There was a sharp and piercing look in her eyes that was matched by the tone of her voice as she said, “You refused to get involved with what happened to Liu Xianyang, how did that work out?”

Master Ruan opened his mouth to say something, but resisted the urge to reveal certain secrets to his daughter as he replied in a solemn voice, “Trust me. The most you can do to help that boy now is to tell him about as many of the secrets and rules of this small domain as possible. You have to strive to convince him to act within the constraints of those rules. Only by complying with the rules of this place will he be able to achieve the best possible outcome.”

Ruan Xiu seemed to understand what she was being told, but she was also still rather confused and hesitant about how to proceed. Master Ruan waved a dismissive hand as he said, “Don’t forget that you are the daughter of Ruan Qiong. That boy from Clay Vase Alley is but a small pebble.

“No matter how many ripples he stirs up on the surface of the pond, he won’t be able to alert the old turtles at the bottom of the pond, which means that there will still be room to make amends, but the same doesn’t apply to you, Ruan Xiu.

“You must remember that the more urgent a situation is, the calmer you must be. I’m always telling you to read more books, but you never listen! You’re a cultivator, yet you don’t even have the mental fortitude of an uneducated boy!”

As that final sentence left his mouth, Master Ruan was already regretting his harsh words. However, when it came to his daughter, he simply couldn’t help but want to see her improve, and that often led to his scathing criticism of her. Thankfully, this time, Ruan Xiu didn’t take his harsh words to heart, and she quickly rushed out of the room, leaving Master Ruan to look on with mixed emotions.

Master Ruan took a seat on a chair, then laid his fingertips onto Liu Xianyang’s wrist to check his pulse, only to find that it was in a state of complete chaos and disarray. He was already in a bad mood, and this only served to worsen his mood even further.

He couldn’t help but grumble to himself, “Qi Jingchun really needs to pull his weight! Given how close Sun Scorch Mountain has come to breaking the rules, even if he can’t evict them from the town, he should at least teach them a lesson and make an example out of them.

“He can’t kill them, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give them a beating! From here onward, more and more outsiders will continue to flock to the town, and if no example is set, things are only going to get even more chaotic. Is he thinking that he’s going to be off duty soon, so he’s just going to leave this mess for me to clean up? Aren’t scholars supposed to be more considerate and responsible than that?”

Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Yang was seated off to the side, making sure to remain silent so that he didn’t draw any attention to himself. However, internally, he was scoffing at Master Ruan’s lack of composure, particularly right after he had just scolded his own daughter for the same thing.

After grumbling to himself for a while, Ruan Qiong sighed, “Qi Jingchun, I suppose it can’t be helped that you’re being so timid and hesitant. You can disregard everything I said earlier, but don’t ignore what I’m saying now.”

Shopkeeper Yang had been eavesdropping on Ruan Qiong this entire time, and he was instantly stunned by how shameless Master Ruan was, thinking to himself, As expected of the next Sage to take over this place, his skin must be thick enough to keep out flying swords!

All of a sudden, Ruan Qiong turned to Shopkeeper Yang, then mused, “It’s always been said that a married daughter is like spilled water that can’t be recovered, so why is it that she still hasn’t married yet, but she’s already going against me?”

There had been something that Shopkeeper Yang had been meaning to say for quite a while now, and he felt like if he didn’t say it, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. Hence, he mustered up his courage and said, “Master Ruan, perhaps it’s just because I’ve gone old and senile, but it just feels to me like that boy isn’t really into Xiuxiu.”

Ruan Qiong turned to Shopkeeper Yang with a sympathetic expression, then declared in an implacable voice, “I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that you really have gone old and senile.”

Shopkeeper Yang was also looking back at Ruan Qiong with a hint of sympathy in his eyes, and neither of them said anything further.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xiu had caught up to Chen Ping’an at the well, and she was also completely silent, unsure of what to say.

Chen Ping’an flashed her a smile. He still recalled that the first time he had met her over at the Azure Cow Ridge, he had thought that she was mute, either that, or she didn’t know how to speak the town’s dialect. Only now did he realize that she simply didn’t like to talk.

Ruan Xiu followed Chen Ping’an as he made his way toward the covered bridge, and after mustering up some courage, she finally said, “Chen Ping’an, my name is Ruan Xiu, and my father’s name is Ruan Qiong. Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been forging swords with my father, and he came to this town on this occasion to carry out a request from his sect.

“Additionally, the natural environment here is ideal for forging swords, and he tells me that’s why we came here, but I know that Father took me here because he wanted to seek out a fated opportunity for me. My father is an extremely stubborn man who’s never willing to admit that he’s wrong. Truth be told, he actually really wants to take Liu Xianyang as his disciple.

“You may not be aware of this, but if my father chooses to establish his sect here in the future, then it’s very important that he chooses the right first disciple for the sect. Hence, he didn’t just intentionally throw Liu Xianyang to the wolves, so please don’t blame him.”

“I’m not blaming your father,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

He then paused here momentarily, and a bitter look appeared on his face as he continued, “I know that I shouldn’t be blaming others, but I can’t help but feel angry. I’m angry at your father for not accepting Liu Xianyang as a disciple earlier, and I’m angry at the fact that no one intervened when Liu Xianyang was attacked. I know I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but I still just feel so angry.”

“That’s an understandable reaction,” Ruan Xiu replied with a nod.

Chen Ping’an didn’t want to waste any more time here, and he asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“You’re not going to seek vengeance against the people from Sun Scorch Mountain right now, are you?” Ruan Xiu asked in a careful manner.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, neither confirming nor denying this notion.

Ruan Xiu wasn’t that good with words in the first place, and she took the simple route this time, simply speaking her mind as she urged, “Don’t be so reckless! Sun Scorch Mountain is an extremely renowned sect of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and that old ape is no different in status from the patriarchs of Sun Scorch Mountain!

“Even if he can’t use any of his mystical abilities in this place, he’ll still be able to snap you like a twig! On top of that, Mr. Qi will definitely punish him for what he did to Liu Xianyang, so there’s no need for you to get involved. Rest assured, something will definitely be done about this…”

“By punishment, are you saying that the culprit will be evicted from the town?” Chen Ping’an interjected.

Ruan Xiu had no response to this.

Chen Ping’an smiled, and his eyes were as clear and earnest as the flowing water of a creek as he said, “I know you’re looking out for me, and for that, I thank you. Of course, I’m not just going to rush in recklessly to fight someone so much more powerful than myself.”

Ruan Xiu was very relieved to hear this, and she habitually patted her own chest, following which a slightly awkward smile appeared on her face, seemingly at the realization that her actions were rather immature and unbefitting of someone of her status.

Chen Ping’an also smiled as he said, “I was too stingy for only giving you three fish last time.”

Ruan Xiu was rather embarrassed to hear this, and she quickly changed the subject, asking, “How’s your left hand?”

Chen Ping’an raised his bandaged left hand as he replied, “It’s fine, I don’t even feel the wound anymore.”

Ruan Xiu took a moment to arrange her thoughts, then said, “Whatever you do, don’t do anything reckless. At the moment, Mr. Qi is in a rather difficult predicament, and once my father takes over from him, there’s a very good chance that the town will undergo a massive transformation.

“As for whether those changes will be for the better or for the worse, that’s impossible to predict right now, so it’s very important that you don’t do anything you’ll come to regret now of all times.”

“Alright,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

For some reason, Ruan Xiu was feeling rather agitated.

This agitation came solely from herself. Given her personality, she would’ve normally already been going after Bai Yuan of Sun Scorch Mountain herself, yet now, she had to try and convince Chen Ping’an not to take undue risks, and that completely went against her character.

However, the problem was that just as she had said, this was not the time to be doing something reckless, and her intuition told her that the consequences of any reckless actions were going to be particularly severe at this sensitive time.

Even if she were to do something reckless and cause a massive amount of trouble, her father would step in to clean up her mess, and that would be the end of the matter, but Chen Ping’an had no one else to rely on to bail him out.

After parting ways with Ruan Xiu, Chen Ping’an jogged toward the covered bridge on his own, where he encountered another young woman.

On the stone steps on the southern end of the covered bridge sat a young woman with a solemn look on her face and a pair of blades laid across her lap.

She was wearing a dark green robe, and her lips were tightly pursed. There was a pair of intricately embroidered pouches next to her, and as soon as Chen Ping’an reached the foot of the stone steps, she immediately tossed the two pouches of copper coins at him as she declared in an indifferent voice, “You can have this back.”

Chen Ping’an stood at the foot of the steps, catching the two pouches with his hands, and he didn’t know what to say.

Ning Yao wore a serious expression as she said, “I promised you that I would keep Liu Xianyang safe, but I didn’t do that. I’ve failed you and Liu Xianyang!”

Ning Yao knew that in this town, where all mystical abilities were strictly prohibited, there was no way that anyone would be able to save him from the grievous injuries that he had sustained. Additionally, given Chen Ping’an’s personality, even if there were still the slightest of chances that Liu Xianyang could be saved, he would’ve never left Liu Xianyang’s side.

Chen Ping’an made his way up the steps, then crouched down next to her and offered the two pouches of copper coins back to her as he said in a quiet voice, “Keep these coins, and you can also have the pouch that I’ve hidden in my house on Clay Vase Alley, I don’t need them anymore. If it’s not too much trouble, please hire some people to look after Liu Xianyang’s house and

Ning Yao didn’t accept the pouches from him, and she scoffed, “Do you want me to put up couplets and door gods on your door every Spring Festival as well?”

Despite the clear mockery in Ning Yao’s voice, Chen Ping’an replied with an earnest expression, “It would be great if you could do that.”

Ning Yao was so furious that steam was almost billowing out of her ears, and she erupted into an incensed tirade. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Does that give you the justification to constantly do stupid things? I’m about to blow a damn blood vessel! I forbid you from involving yourself in this any further!

“Do you think a scrawny little kid like you can oppose a Mountain-moving Ape of Sun Scorch Mountain? Look after Liu Xianyang’s shitty house yourself, and if you want door gods and couplets, piss off and buy them yourself! I can’t help you!”

Chen Ping’an looked straight at Ning Yao as he said, “We haven’t known each other for very long, but I know one thing for certain: you definitely wouldn’t have returned these two pouches of coins to me if you were confident in your ability to avenge Liu Xianyang. At the very least, you wouldn’t have returned them to me now.”

Chen Ping’an set the two pouches down onto the step between them, then continued, “Ning Yao, at this point, I’m in no mood to be trying to console you. You made a fair deal with me and Liu Xianyang, and it’s not like you set out to screw us over from the very beginning.

“No one could’ve anticipated something like this happening, and we certainly can’t expect you to lose your life over something like this. Trust me, not only do I not want to see that, Liu Xianyang wouldn’t want to see that happen either. If he could talk to you right now, he would say something like: ‘this is something for men to take care of, so women should just butt out!’”

Chen Ping’an grinned as he concluded, “Of course, I wouldn’t dare to say something like that to you.”

Ning Yao set her hands down on the scabbard of her longsword, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she said, “I didn’t tell you the full story just now. Guilt is only half the reason I’m doing this. The other half is that ever since I ran away from home to explore the world, there’s never been a hurdle that I’ve run into that I’ve gone around rather than tackled head-on! That applies to both physical hurdles and hurdles in here!”

Ning Yao extended a thumb and pointed it at her own heart as she spoke.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Chen Ping’an said, “Before you do what you’re about to do, can you wait for me to visit three people first? After that, we can each do whatever we want.”

“How long is that going to take?” Ning Yao asked.

“Half a day at most!” Chen Ping’an replied without any hesitation.

“Who’re the other two aside from Qi Jingchun?” Ning Yao asked.

“I’m not going to answer that question,” Chen Ping’an replied with a shake of his head.

Ning Yao’s brows furrowed slightly as she said, “Let me just warn you that this is beyond the realm of jurisdiction of the kiln supervision official’s office. This is not just some minor incident like petty theft or a street brawl.”

Chen Ping’an was just about to rise to his feet when Ning Yao said in a displeased voice, “Take your money with you!”

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to do as he was told.

“Hold on a second, Chen Ping’an. Turn around!”

After getting Chen Ping’an to turn around, Ning Yao suddenly bent down and lifted up the hem of her robe, then pulled out an antiquated dagger that was strapped to her calf.

She then stood up straight again as she offered the dagger to Chen Ping’an and said in a solemn manner, “This is a skirt dagger that every woman in my hometown carries around. It goes against the traditions of my hometown to give the dagger to someone else, but given the urgency of the situation, I’ll make an exception. However, don’t forget that I’m only lending this to you, so you have to return it!”

Chen Ping’an was rather perplexed, but he still reached out a hand to accept the dagger.

“Use both hands! Have some manners, will you?!” Ning Yao snapped.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly lifted his other hand as well, but he was still quite confused.

“Do you really think a few porcelain shards can kill that Mountain-moving Ape?” Ning Yao grumbled. “You were just lucky that Cai Jinjian hadn’t progressed very far on the path of cultivation.

“Not only is that old bastard from Sun Scorch Mountain a far more advanced cultivator, his true form possesses such incredible physical resistance that even the average immortal weapon wouldn’t be able to lay a scratch on him, let alone a few porcelain shards. At the very most, you would’ve been able to inflict a gash or two onto his body, but that’s not going to do shit!”

Chen Ping’an had accepted the dagger, but didn’t know where to put it, and there was a rather peculiar look on his face.

Ning Yao glared at him as she snapped, “We’re about to go kill someone, and you’re concerned about some swearing?!”

Chen Ping’an had no answer to this. For some reason, he sat back down on the stone steps, then raised his head to cast his gaze toward the sky in the south.

Ning Yao remained standing beside him, and Chen Ping’an tried to talk her out of this for the final time. “If you get involved in this, you really are going to die.”

Ning Yao crossed her arms, holding her two blades by the scabbard, one in each hand, as she said with an indifferent expression, “I’ve seen more dead people than you’ve seen living people.”

She then continued in an intentionally nonchalant voice, “You can tie that skirt dagger to your arm and hide it within your sleeve.”

“Alright,” Chen Ping’an replied with a nod.

Chen Ping’an slapped his own knee vigorously as he rose to his feet, and he suddenly said, “I’m very happy to have met you.”

Ning Yao turned around and departed first, making her way down the covered bridge.

The image of the gallant young woman holding her twin blades was the most beautiful thing that Chen Ping’an had ever seen.

In this instant, Chen Ping’an was convinced that even if he could ever leave this town someday, he would never see anything that would move him as much as this.

After seeing something so beautiful, he felt like he could die without any regrets.

He had become a little fearful of death after hearing what Daoist Lu had to say, but now, he had returned to his former mindset, and once again, death didn’t seem so terrifying anymore.