Unsheathed

Li Huai was in a slight trance, and he didn’t come to his senses for a long time.

Just then, Chen Ping’an had given the little boy a seemingly familiar feeling.

Li Huai remembered something that had happened when he was younger. One time, his mother who was peerless at arguing with others had been hit by someone, and even her face had been filled with a criss-cross of scratches. She had rolled around and wailed hysterically after arriving home, and his father who was ridiculed by their neighbors as a good-for-nothing had only been able to squat by the door in silence and frustration.

Meanwhile, he and his sister had cried together with their mother. In the end, their mother had said that she had been blind to find herself such a cowardly man. His wife had been hit by someone, yet he still didn’t dare to make a peep. Li Huai’s father had remained silent the entire time. Li Huai, who had always been closer to his mother, had been so angry that he had run up to the door and furiously kicked his father in the back twice, saying that he would never view him as his father again.

When their mother finally tired from crying, she had tucked her son and daughter into bed before holding her husband by the ear and tossing him out of the house. She had said that he could sleep in the courtyard for one night as punishment. After closing the door and blowing out the candles, however, she had told Li Huai to go out to call his father back in.

Li Huai had been unwilling, yet he hadn’t been able to withstand his mother’s nagging. In the end, he could only open the door again. However, upon seeing his father still squatting there and doing nothing, Li Huai had been so enraged that he had almost turned around to leave.

It was at that moment that the short and solidly-built man had slowly stood up and said, “Son, your father’s going to exit the mountains tonight. Tell your mother that I’ll be back soon.”

It would have been better if his father hadn’t said this. As pissed off as Li Huai had been, he had still hoped that his father could return inside to have a good night’s sleep. However, to hide from his wife and children like this? Was he still a man? Upon hearing these cowardly words, Li Huai had immediately started to shake in anger. In a fit of rage, he had sobbed and yelled, “Son? What son? I’m your bloody father!”

His father, Li Er, hadn’t been angry at all, and he had instead chuckled and scolded, “As expected of my son!”

Li Huai had been stunned upon hearing this. In his memory, his father had never spoken to anyone like this before. Instead, he had seemingly always been one level below everyone else. Apart from his thunderous snores at night, he was always like a stuffy and useless gourd that never made a peep. Even toward him and his sister Li Liu, he had never acted like the master of the house. He was very much a good-for-nothing that was afraid of heaven, afraid of earth, and afraid of everything in between.

That night, however, the man’s footsteps had been swift and resolute as he had strode away from home. He had appeared much like a nobleman from Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Alley.

Li Huai hadn’t thought much about it at the time, and he had simply held onto the hope that perhaps his father had gone out to scold his mother’s enemy for her.

However, Li Huai had immediately been struck by severe disappointment the next day. The woman who had scratched her mother’s face had still been walking with spirit and arrogance when she saw their family of three. Afterward, his father had disappeared for a long time. He had most likely entered the mountains to make charcoal and earn money for the family. Li Huai felt like his father had definitely slipped up when he said that he was going to exit the mountains.

When the man returned, however, it was as if he had finally gained some sense for once. He had carried a fat and succulent roast chicken home, and not only had he bought a box of makeup for his wife, but he had even bought some presents back for him and his older sister. With one hand on her hip, Li Huai’s mother had jabbed her husband’s forehead and said that even though he was useless, he at least still had some conscience.

Afterward, Li Er — whose parents were truly more careless than anyone else at naming their child[1] — had reverted to his original self again. It was as if he would never talk back or fight back to anyone.

For some strange reason, however, the memory of his father’s smile and demeanor before he left that night didn’t become blurrier as Li Huai grew older. Instead, it became increasingly clear.

Li Huai suddenly said, “Chen Ping’an, I’ll invite you to my house when we return to the small town in the future.”

“But didn’t your parents and older sister already leave?” Chen Ping’an asked in confusion. “You told me before that they wouldn’t return to the small town again.”

Li Huai suddenly remembered this, and the rims of his eyes immediately became red. His lips trembled, and it was clear that he was on the verge of tears.

Chen Ping’an could only console him by saying, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Didn’t you also say that your father promised to visit you once you became a true scholar?”

“But I play too much, and I can’t endure any hardships either. Whenever I study, I like to slack off and fall asleep as well. I’m far worse than Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi. I’m scared that my parents won’t want me anymore if I can’t become a true scholar,” Li Huai said in an upset voice.

Right now, Lin Shouyi and Li Baoping could already be considered young children. Moreover, they had both come from large and powerful families. Meanwhile, Li Huai was still a little child, and he was similar to Chen Ping’an in the sense that he had also come from an impoverished family. Thus, it was very normal for him to be more timid than the others.

Because of this, Chen Ping’an had always shown the most patience out of anyone when dealing with Li Huai. When Li Huai had stomped around in the mud in Go Table Mountain, only Chen Ping’an had remained genuinely calm even though he had also been covered in mud.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Nonsense. If your parents didn’t care about you, would they have sent you to the private school to study? Wouldn’t it have been better to send you into the fields to work? Or make you herd the cattle?”

Li Huai’s mood improved slightly, and he wiped the tears from his eyes before sobbing, “My family’s poor, so we couldn’t afford cattle.”

“Are you still poor now?” Chen Ping’an asked softly. “To say nothing about the peculiar abilities of Severed Water Cliff, just the book alone is already worth 10 taels of silver, right?”

A grin gradually spread across the little boy’s face. He turned around and glanced at the white donkey before announcing with a giggle, “I also have a donkey!”

Lin Shouyi’s expression suddenly became serious, and he notified Chen Ping’an in a low voice, “The Yin god in the river told me that someone’s coming over to visit us. However, that person claims to know A’Liang, and he even said that A’Liang only entered the city earlier to ask him some questions. The Yin god is asking us what we want to do. Should we let him on the ship, or…? The Yin god also said that this person is being accompanied by a great river god. If he’s not wrong, then this is most likely the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly conflicted, and in the end, he replied in a solemn voice, “Fine, but tell Senior Yin god to come over and guard us as well. In fact, it won’t make a big difference whether we allow them to board the ship or not. The three of you should be careful in a moment. As we agreed before, I’ll try to deal with everything first. If I’m unable to, then you can use your yellow paper talismans.”

“Understood,” Lin Shouyi replied with a nod.

His mind wavered a little, and he quietly murmured under his breath.

A short moment later, the large ship that was gliding along the Embroidered Flower River shuddered ever so slightly. If Chen Ping’an and the others hadn’t been notified beforehand, they most likely wouldn’t have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Even though they couldn’t see the Yin god with their naked eyes, they could clearly sense that this section of the ship had indeed become colder and more eerie than before.

Immediately afterward, Chen Ping’an noticed a young swordsman sitting cross-legged not far away from them. A sword hung sideways behind his waist, and he was also carrying a long item wrapped in cotton in his arms. It looked like a saber or a sword.

He stood up and walked over to Chen Ping’an. After taking a few steps, he smiled faintly at the hidden Yin god and didn’t advance any further. He cut straight to the chase and said, “I’ve brought passports for the four of you. They’ve been stamped with the red seal of the Dragon Spring County’s government office, and they also include the permission letter pertaining to your long journey to another nation.

“With regards to who I am, that isn’t important. You simply need to know that I’m acquainted with A’Liang. In other words, I’m definitely not your enemy. In terms of the minor conflict that took place on the ship just then, you children don’t need to worry about that either. The county magistrate of Wanping County won’t delay your journey to seek knowledge.”

In the end, the young swordsman offered the long item wrapped in cotton with both hands. He looked at the little girl wearing the bright red jacket and carrying a bookcase and said with a smile, “You’re Miss Baoping, right? A’Liang told the Great Li Empire to make sure to safely return this saber to you.”

Even though Li Baoping was excited, she still remained put.

Chen Ping’an walked forward by himself and accepted Auspicious Talisman from the swordsman’s hands. “Thank you, senior.”

The young swordsman laughed heartily and replied, “You’re all A’Liang’s friends, so I don’t dare to regard myself as your senior.”

“Is A’Liang doing well?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The swordsman’s expression remained unchanging, and he replied with a nod, “Don’t worry, he’s doing very well.”

Song Changjing had personally ordered a trusted subordinate to bring the saber out of the capital and hand it over to him. After returning it, the young swordsman felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. “I’ll head over to the second level to notify them now,” he said.

“The four of you can relax and continue on your journey. From this point onward, as long as it pertains to the imperial court or local governments, your journey will be smooth all the way until Yefu Pass. Apart from this, however, the Great Li Empire won’t interfere with anything else. Of course, if you come across any troubles or mishaps, the imperial court will be willing to do everything in its ability to help if you notify the border army or local government.”

Chen Ping’an looked the young swordsman in the eye and replied with a nod, “We understand.”

The young swordsman retrieved four passports from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Ping’an. In the end, he swallowed the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue and chose to say something more polite instead. He cupped his fists and said, “Then farewell. I’ll take my leave after notifying the people on the second level.”

Chen Ping’an awkwardly cupped his fists to return the gesture.

In a top-notch private room on the second level that was decorated with exquisite porcelain wares, there was an old man and a swordsman in white both wearing solemn expressions. Next to them, the incoming county magistrate and his wife and son were all trembling in apprehension, not daring to breathe too loudly. All of them were standing.

Only a single unwelcome guest was sitting there and enjoying wine on his own. He was strongly built, and there was the pattern of an azure snake running across his sleeves. As he inhaled and exhaled, white mist wreathed around his body. Judging from his appearance, this man was definitely no ordinary person.

However, the man immediately stood up and bowed with cupped fists when he saw the “young swordsman” enter. He didn’t say anything, yet his demeanor was filled with respect.

The young swordsman waved his hand in acknowledgment and didn’t spare so much as a single glance for the old man and the swordsman who was renowned in the southern regions of the Great Li Empire. Instead, he looked at the county magistrate of Wanping County and said, “When you arrive in Wanping County, remember to abide by the rules and diligently perform your role as their parent official. Don’t yabber about what happened today, and treat this matter as case closed. The imperial court can pretend that nothing ever happened. If news of this leaks, however, perhaps I won’t personally travel over to look for you. However, the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River can easily twist your head off your body.”

The young swordsman didn’t want to say anything else, and he simply turned to the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River who didn’t dare to sit in his presence. “Help me keep an eye on things. I’m going to return now.”

“Then I’ll see you off here,” the great river god said in a solemn voice.

The young swordsman exited the elegant private room and arrived in the corridor outside. As he gazed at the river and recalled the words of the young boy in straw sandals, he couldn’t help but feel strong emotions.

In the end, his body vanished in a flash.

Why were martial artists always viewed as inferior to Qi refiners? This was due to what the large majority of pure martial artists viewed as the foundation of their cultivation. Regardless of whether it was fist techniques, sword techniques, or techniques pertaining to the 18 weapons, all of them were commonly referred to as martial arts. However, in the eyes of Qi refiners, these martial arts were completely unrelated to the concept of Dao.

If martial arts didn’t elevate to the level of Martial Dao, then one could only remain bogged down in the mud forever.

Perhaps even the young boy himself didn’t understand just how profound his sincere realization pertaining to the fist technique was.

These were questions that only grandmasters above the sixth tier of martial arts would ponder deeply and ask themselves. These were questions that they needed to answer themselves.

————

After receiving a secret order from her superior, a woman with an unremarkable appearance started to climb Go Table Mountain with a beautiful young girl who had previously been a boat hostess. They trekked toward the north.

This was the first time the young girl had traveled so far away from home. Thus, she continued to turn around and glance back with reluctance in her eyes.

The woman didn’t comment on this. This was human nature, so there was no need for her to criticize anything.

In any case, her branch in the Palace of Eternal Spring was slightly strange, in the sense that they cultivated the mind but still valued relationships highly. Ordinary Qi refiners viewed relationships as baggage that would drag them down, yet her branch viewed relationships as a means to attain Dao. Thus, it was actually a good thing that the young girl was feeling homesick.

However, why was she traversing Go Table Mountain with the young girl on foot? Her superior hadn’t explained this, and she hadn’t been in the position to ask either.

They climbed mountains and crossed rivers, and the scenery along the way was tranquil and pleasant.

The young girl was innocent and naive, and even though she was slightly exhausted, she was still in extremely high spirits. As they walked, she picked a flower from the side of the path and lightly waved it around. She started to hum a tune from her hometown that had been passed down through the generations.

The woman from the Palace of Eternal Spring frowned slightly, yet she still didn’t say anything.

In the distance, there was an extraordinarily handsome young man slowly walking forward like a spirit in the mountains. His gaze remained fixed on the young girl the entire time.

The young girl’s voice was ethereal and melodious, so even though the tune was a mournful one, it sounded unique and different when hummed by her. It was sad but not pained.

The soft singing of the young man gently harmonized with the humming of the young girl. His melody was slightly different, more mellow and more sorrowful.

The young girl was like a yellow warbler fluttering through the spring grass, while the young man was like an old crow standing alone in front of a grave. One was joyfully chirping, while one was quietly whimpering.

In the end, the young girl suddenly looked up as she walked along the bluestone slabs of the post road that was built on the ridge of the mountain.

She noticed a young man in white walking over from the distance, with his appearance as handsome as could be.

The two of them crossed paths on the narrow post road. However, the young man had already lowered his head and fallen silent. He quietly brushed past her just like that.

The young girl couldn’t help but look back.

She discovered that the young man was standing nearby, not walking but not turning around either. He stood with his back facing her.

The young girl was slightly puzzled. She shook her head before turning around and continuing to walk forward.

1. Li Er literally means Li number two. ☜