Unsheathed

The young swordsman from the Mohist Sect habitually rested his elbows on the hilt of his sword and the tip of his sword scabbard as he stood under the plaque in front of the female ghost’s residence. Even so, he didn’t give off a feeling of exhaustion. “Lady Chu,” he called softly.

However, he didn’t say anything else after this.

The palace minister with the large lantern and the great river god of the Embroidered Flower River both slowed their breathing down at the same time as if in tacit understanding. Their expressions were solemn.

“What, you want to dish out punishment now?” the female ghost sneered.

The young swordsman looked up at the location where Wei Jin’s flying sword had pierced through the barrier. “Lady Chu, there’s no need to utter such words out of anger. I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. However, I hope that you won’t interfere with the children leaving this place or the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples’ journey up north.

“Regardless of whether your actions were intentional or not at that time, the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan has always felt gratitude toward Lady Chu. After all, your actions helped the Song Clan extend the lifespan of the empire. Afterward, the Great Li Empire’s Song Clan also performed a deed that left them feeling guilty toward Lady Chu. Even though I didn’t feel scorching rage and indignation after learning about that tragic event, as an outsider, I definitely still felt a sense of compassion.”

Silence.

The female ghost raised a hand and twirled her hair, displaying her delicate and gentle nature as a woman. She smiled with squinted eyes and said, “And now you can explain your ‘but’.”

Sure enough, the young swordsman nodded and continued, “But Lady Chu’s act of wantonly killing scholars has become increasingly difficult to conceal. The truth will eventually come out, and something will eventually have to be done. For example, today.

“I don’t dare to speculate what the emperor will think, but if I ever hear about a scholar vanishing from here again, I’ll definitely pay Lady Chu a visit and personally bring you to the water dungeons. Rest assured, the emperor values relationships, but he definitely values rules even more. Moreover, no matter how much goodwill exists between people, this is something that can eventually be exhausted.”

The young swordsman sighed and said with a sincere expression, “Lady Chu, regardless of whether you believe this or not, I dearly hope that such a day will never arrive.”

The female ghost gazed into the distance, with her fingers lightly pinching the sleeves of her wedding dress. This was a rare moment of calm for her, and she replied in a gentle voice, “Seeing how you were willing to lower your voice and speak so patiently with a young boy, I believe

After pausing for a long moment, her expression gradually became cold. “Right now, I promise not to kill passing scholars anymore. However, I hope you understand that I might not be able to control myself in the future if I unconsciously see those traveling and poem-reciting scholars. I’m not pleading with you, and I simply want to tell you the truth. You can punish me however you see fit at that time. Whether I’m captured and tossed into a water dungeon, or whether I sever the root of the mountains and source of the rivers first… We’ll rely on our own abilities, and we’ll bear the consequences of our own actions!”

“Deal,” the young swordsman said with a smile.

The great river god of the Embroidered Flower River wanted to say something, but he eventually chose to remain silent.

Before leaving, the young swordsman turned to the great river god and said, “There’s no need to cover up those matters anymore. You might as well tell Lady Chu the truth. After all these years, I’m sure that Lady Chu is aware of these events already. I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens afterward, so you don’t need to worry about the imperial court laying blame on you.”

The great river god cupped his fists and replied in a solemn voice, “Thank you. I’ll definitely wade through fire and water for you in the future even if it’s for a private matter!”

The young swordsman waved his hand before soaring into the air and leaving with Palace Minister Han.

Lady Chu stood there and looked at the great river god who was deeply trusted by the imperial court of the Great Li Empire with slight disdain on her face. She didn’t invite him into her residence, nor did she shoo him away.

The great river god strode onto the steps and casually sat down, saying, “I know that you’ve always viewed us crude martial artists with disdain, so I’ll try to keep things short. Your husband didn’t betray your love for him. However, the imperial court of the Great Li Empire never told you the truth because they were acting in the interests of the empire. They were afraid that you would leave this place and leave no one to suppress the remnant aura of the Divine Water Nation that’s most concentrated at Go Table Mountain. It’s because of this that the imperial court purposely led you to misunderstand that scholar.”

The sleeves of Lady Chu’s wedding dress billowed, and her eyes became bloodshot and tears of blood trickled down her cheeks. However, her expression remained calm as she said, “Things have already come to this, yet you still want to deceive me? Do you really think I’m a three-year-old toddler? Even though I’ve never set foot outside these mountains and rivers after he left, not going to Wanping County and Red Candle Town to enjoy the scenery of the mortal world, do you really think I’m deaf and unaware of what he did during his time at Lake View Academy? Many passing scholars mentioned this, so I know exactly what he did! I know all about it! In the end, he fell in love with another woman…

“I’m fully aware that if he falls in love with someone, that means that he definitely loves them from the bottom of his heart,” Lady Chu murmured.

The great river god’s expression was calm as he continued, “Then you should also know that as the first scholar from the Great Li Empire entering the academy through his own abilities, he was jointly targeted and pushed to a miserable state by many people in Lake View Academy. In the beginning, they purposely heaped him with insincere praise. Some people spent large amounts of money to hire the most famous prostitute, asking her to pretend that she admired his talent. Through this, they then spread his name and built his reputation.

“They also asked the great Confucians of nearby nations to purposely treat him as a dear friend despite their age difference. At the same time, they made it such that each of his calligraphy works ended up as valuable as an entire city. They employed many other tactics, each tying in with the others. In the end, he was only half a step away from becoming the first noble person from the Great Li Empire officially recognized by the Confucian schools.

“However, everything was turned on its head in a single night. His reputation lay in tatters after someone accused him of plagiarizing poems. The renowned prostitute also slandered him as impotent and infertile. At the same time, several famous scholars and wise Confucians jointly attacked his articles on morals and virtue, accusing him of being a hypocrite and scolding him as a dreg of Lake View Academy. Once full of spirit and vigor, the hugely talented scholar was driven mad just like that.

“He went crazy for a long time, and the scholar who had hailed from impoverished beginnings became the butt of jokes for the entire Lake View Academy. The accusation of the Great Li Empire being a nation of northern barbarians became increasingly common and convincing. However, no one expected him to suddenly come to his senses in the end.”

The great river god of the Embroidered Flower River stopped and looked at Lady Chu, who was stuck in a trance. “Do you know why he came to his senses?”

Lady Chu slowly sat down on the steps and spread her wedding dress to the sides, causing it to look like a bright red peony in full bloom. “Was it because Qi refiners from the Great Li Empire helped him?”

The burly man chuckled, and there was a chilly look in his eyes as he bluntly replied, “If the Great Li Empire really did do something, they would have chosen to kill him instead.”

Lady Chu grimaced before nodding and saying, “He brought disrepute to the empire, so this does indeed make sense. The battle between empires causes people to resort to all conceivable means. This is only natural.”

The man exhaled and revealed, “The scholar was only able to come to his senses because a woman whom he was familiar with arrived by his side.”

Lady Chu’s body stiffened.

The great river god slowly stood up and walked down the steps. “That woman was wearing a face mask, one that looked exactly the same as Lady Chu. If I’m not wrong, then she emulated almost all of Lady Chu’s voice, habits, and hobbies as well. If the scholar was targeted due to the conflict between the two empires before, then what toyed with his mind and eventually forced him to death was perhaps this battle between scholars.”

The great river god strode away as he revealed the final truth, “After finding out the truth, the scholar decided to jump into the lake and commit suicide. It was that simple.

“Inferring from his conversations with his two best friends in the imperial academy before he departed for Lake View Academy, we can conclude that he already knew that you weren’t a human from a long time ago. It was because of this that he was determined to become a noble figure of Confucianism, a level above virtuous figures. Presumably, this would give him the confidence to ask the imperial court for a formal wedding with you once he returned to the Great Li Empire.”

The great river god had already left.

Yet, the female ghost in the wedding dress who had committed far too many crimes to even record was still sitting on the steps, a serene expression on her face. Her movements were gentle as she fixed the folds on her sleeves, smoothing one area, folding another area… This was something that she would never grow tired of.

————

Not long after Wei Jin left with his donkey, hurried shouts traveled over from behind Chen Ping’an and the others. These were shouts asking for their benefactors to please stop for a moment. Turning around, they saw that it was the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples running after them.

The old Daoist priest had experienced many hardships before, so he naturally knew that it was thanks to these children of unknown origin that he was able to safely make his way out of the mountain. However, who knew whether the eccentric female ghost would suddenly change her mind and decide to capture them again, offering them face-washing and heart-piercing services?

According to his two disciples, there were genuinely rows of scholars “planted” in the garden of the residence. Moreover, some of them had seemingly pulled themselves out of the soil after much struggle. Looking at their skeletons, however, they were indeed pitiful people who had been cut in half at the waist.

The old Daoist priest had hurriedly run over with the support of the round-face little girl, and he was oblivious to the fact that his aged Daoist robes were already filled with thorns from the two sides of the path. He appeared as disheveled as could be. Truth be told, even though the old Daoist priest’s heretical lightning technique was indeed unable to suppress the female ghost, he would still definitely be regarded as an old immortal if he ever displayed his power in the mortal world.

In fact, he was indeed honored as a mighty immortal quite often during their journey to the north. Even though he had been regarded as a talentless scammer in Three Twigs Mountain, this kind of miserable encounter was ultimately a very rare occurrence.

The old Daoist priest no longer tried to appear mysterious like before. He squeezed a smile and asked, “Dare I ask, where is Wind Snow Temple’s Great Sword Immortal Wei? This Daoist priest’s mortal name is Xu Yingzhen, and my Dao title is Xuan Guzi. I’ve looked up to Great Sword Immortal Wei for a long time, and it’s truly a silver lining that I’m able to encounter you here. Being able to personally witness those three magnificent and transcendent sword strikes was truly a most divine fortune.”

“The terrestrial sword immortal has already left to travel to the north by himself,” Lin Shouyi said with a cold smile. “If you want to butter up to him, then you’d better hurry past us and continue up north. Perhaps you can still catch up to him.”

The old Daoist priest gave a forced smile and chuckled, “If we’ve missed the opportunity, then we’ve missed the opportunity. Destiny has yet to bring us together, so we can’t try to hasten things through force.”

Wei Jin was an immortal at the Upper Five Tiers, belonging to a group of powerful people who were as elusive as dragons. The old Daoist priest was fully aware of his own abilities as well. Thus, even if he truly caught up to the swordsman from Wind Snow Temple, he would most likely only annoy Wei Jin and obtain no benefits either.

To mortal humans, cultivators from immortal sects were naturally very rare. However, encounters between cultivators could all be regarded as events of destiny. This was indeed true. Yet, destiny could also be divided into good destiny and bad destiny, just like karmic fate could be divided into positive fate and ill fate.

The old Daoist priest had captured demons and subdued fiends throughout his journey, and this was in order to accumulate hidden virtue for himself. He had engaged in 50-odd battles, and he was definitely relying on more than just his fifth tier Qi refiner cultivation base and heretical lightning technique to remain alive and jumping.

Noticing the awkward silence, the old Daoist priest hurriedly turned left and right and said with a smile, “Little Jiu’er, little lame lad, hurry up and kowtow to thank your benefactors!”

The round-faced little girl was just about to kneel after hearing her master’s command. Meanwhile, there was a dark expression on the face of the lame young boy who was holding the muddied banner.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly stepped forward and lightly grabbed the skinny little girl’s arms, saying with a smile, “There’s no need.”

He then turned to the lame young boy and said, “Thank you for warning us on the mountain just then.”

The lame young boy was stunned, and his face surprisingly flushed slightly red in embarrassment. He mumbled and didn’t know how to reply. In the end, he decided to directly turn his head around to face somewhere else. Just then, the lame young boy had faced the female ghost head-on and even engaged in close-quarter combat with her. Even though the gulf between their power had been huge, his aura hadn’t withered as a result. Yet, who would have thought that he was such a shy and easily embarrassed young boy?

The old Daoist priest was delighted. After kicking the lame young boy, he purposely put on an angry expression and scolded, “Pathetic little thing.”

Afterward, his voice became solemn as he said, “Benefactors, if you head south after leaving this mountain, you’ll reach Three Twigs Mountain after traveling for approximately one and a half days. However, remember not to travel through it at night. There’s a powerful ghost residing in a tomb there, and it’s unjustly occupying a blessed land and absorbing the ancestral blessing and spiritual energy of a family. If this weren’t the case, the results of divination show that a member of the family’s previous generation should have become a high-ranking official.

“The ghost has a relatively powerful cultivation base, and its strength can likely rival that of fourth tier Qi refiners. Most importantly, it comes and goes like a shadow and is extremely difficult to capture. Using some kind of unknown sinister technique, it’s also created a dozen or so Yin corpse puppets. I fought against it before, and I fell at the final hurdle several times. Not only did I waste several precious lightning talismans, but I was even misunderstood as a scammer by the local residents. it was truly infuriating.”

Lin Shouyi’s mind fluctuated slightly as he heard a secret warning from the Yin god. “You’re skilled in the Five Lightning Righteous Technique? Daoist priest, which sect are you from?” he asked.

The old Daoist priest felt slightly awkward. He felt like the aloof young boy was truly an amateur who had only just entered the cultivation world and thus didn’t understand the rules. After all, how could one ask about someone else’s background so directly? This was a big taboo regardless of whether one was a Daoist cultivator or a martial artist.

However, seeing that they had experienced hardships together, and since the terrestrial sword immortal Wei Jin had helped set them free, the old Daoist priest decided not to make a fuss about this matter. After some careful thought, he replied slowly, “This is a long explanation, so please bear with my rambling, benefactors. My home country is the renowned Southern Stream Nation that promotes Daoism above all else. There’s a large Daoist Sect near the border, and this is the leading Daoist Sect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

“This sect possesses the Limpid Pond Blessed Land, one of the 72 blessed lands. Not only is the sect leader the imperial preceptor of Southern Stream Nation, the rulers of several surrounding nations have also personally visited the sect to confer him with the title of True Lord due to his mystical Dao powers and abilities. Indeed, he’s honored as the highest-ranking True Lord in four different nations.

“Thus, this esteemed Daoist immortal is widely recognized as one of the 10 greatest immortals in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Truth be told, if Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin had encountered this Daoist immortal before advancing to the next tier, he would have genuinely been unable to enjoy a level footing with him.”

Chen Ping’an and Lin Shouyi listened intently, not willing to miss a single word.

No matter how strong one was, there was always someone stronger.

This was especially the case regarding the title of “True Lord”. After all, hadn’t Liu Zhimao — an outsider who had entered the small town— enjoyed the title of River Severing True Lord?

However, Li Baoping and Li Huai were far more distracted than the other two. Li Baoping occasionally glanced at the round-faced little girl who was timidly hiding to the side of the blind old Daoist priest. She appeared too shy to face others.

The blind old Daoist priest was in a great mood to speak, and with Little Jiu’er’s help, he unconsciously walked between Chen Ping’an and Lin Shouyi. Spittle flew as he continued, “Forces that can be called sects are generally divided into three levels — ancestral sects, formal sects, and lower sects. Among them, ancestral sects are often referred to as ancestral temples. As for lower sects, these sects often have many subordinate forces.

“However, their naming conventions for these forces are far more relaxed as long as they don’t use the word sect without authorization or use the titles of other teachings. For example, Daoist temples, Buddhist temples, and so on. These forces simply need to offer tributes to the lower sects and maintain good relationships with the mortal empires. By doing this, they can find themselves a good piece of land to cultivate in peace. They can also recruit talented disciples to pass on their teachings.

“I’ve come from Truth Seeking Temple, which used to be one of the top-notch forces in Southern Stream Nation. However, it started to decline around 100 years ago, and when it came to my generation, almost all of my seniors rode their cranes to the west. Only a few of us remained. Moreover, none of us achieved any great success.

“I’m not afraid of being laughed at, and I’ll admit that the Five Lightning Righteous Technique of Truth Seeking Temple is indeed not the formal lightning technique. We focus on cultivating the acupoints in the liver and the gallbladder, and our knowledge is wholly focused on the characters ‘breath’ and ‘smile’. This draws from the phrase ‘A breath forms clouds and rain, a smile summons thunder and lightning’.

“Upon successfully learning this technique, one will be able to witness rising clouds and rain and booming thunder and lightning when using their mind’s eye to observe their acupoints. After experiencing these miraculous phenomena, one will be able to achieve resonance with heaven and earth. Raising their hands and lifting their feet, one will have the ability to summon divine lightning to punish evils and sins…

“Of course, these heretical techniques from Truth Seeking Temple are nothing more than ridiculous jokes compared to Great Sword Immortal Wei’s powerful sword strikes that can shatter all techniques.”

Lin Shouyi frowned and asked, “The five organs consist of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. Only when gathering the aura of these five organs as if gathering five bolts of lightning can one unleash a formal technique of the Great Dao. So why does your temple focus on cultivating the gallbladder, which is external to the five organs, as a method of summoning lightning?”

The awkward expression on the blind old Daoist priest’s face was definitely genuine this time. He heaved a heavy sigh, and there was exhaustion on his face as he replied in exasperation, “We had no option but to do this. The Five Lightning Righteous Technique is a secret technique of the formal sect not taught to any external forces. To put it bluntly, even if an outsider manages to get their hands on this technique, who would dare to practice it without authorization?

“Truth Seeking Temple focuses on cultivating the acupoints in the liver and the gallbladder. However, even the cultivation techniques regarding the liver are nothing more than shallow methods coincidentally learned by one of the previous masters of the temple. These methods are barely similar to the genuine ones in physical form, and they’re completely devoid of any similarity in terms of aura. This is why there are so few formal sects and formal branches in the world, yet so many heretical forces and heretical techniques.”

“So that’s how it is,” Lin Shouyi exclaimed in realization.

“The Great Dao is difficult to navigate, and this difficulty is born from the fact that there exists far more than just a few thousand muddy and winding paths,” the old Daoist priest sighed with sincere emotion.

“It’s precisely because the temple’s lightning technique is a heretical one that cultivating it results in both benefit and harm. This is similar to how Naturalists will be subject to formless punishment from the heavens if they reveal divine secrets. Because of this, we often choose to recruit disciples with congenital disabilities to the temple.

“The heavens take pity on these people, so it’s less detrimental for them to frequently use the lightning technique from Truth Seeking Temple, which harms the essence of both the liver and the gallbladder. We don’t have extravagant wishes of attaining immortality, but if their fortune is good enough, they can at least enjoy a peaceful life and a comfortable death due to old age.

“According to rumors, once a Qi refiner from that large continent unleashes their formal lightning technique, thunder guardians and lightning goddesses, rain gods and wind deities, Daoist enforcers and wind officials… All kinds of divine beings will appear and listen to their command, helping them gather more power and momentum. Can you imagine this? After unleashing such an extravagant technique, how can the mountains and rivers not change color?”

The blind old Daoist priest was filled with vigor as he described these things that had absolutely nothing to do with him. He didn’t appear dejected or despondent in the least.

Even though cultivation was as difficult as ascending the heavens, this was perhaps one of the main reasons why people still flocked over and clamored to cultivate.

After setting foot on the path of cultivation and stepping onto the bridge to longevity, and after witnessing or hearing about the stunning sceneries atop the mountains — the ability to attain immortality, the chance to learn profound techniques, the power to summon wind and rain, the strength to move mountains and flip seas, and the existence all kinds of peculiar and unimaginable sights — who would still be willing to toil away in the stifling miasma of the mortal world?

The old Daoist priest sighed and explained, “I’ve traveled all over the place with my two disciples for the past few years, and we’ve subdued demons, vanquished fiends, captured ghosts, and exorcized evil many times. Moreover, we receive our payment in silver. There’s nothing we can do about this, as cultivating requires us to seek wealth. After all, constructing a bridge to immortality is the greatest money-burner in the world. Even if powerful and influential clans are experiencing trouble from evil spirits, I have no background to speak of, nor do I have anyone to help recommend me. Thus, I’m naturally unable to enter their residences to help them.

“When wealthy local families perform the Liberation Rite of Water and Land[1], they’ll only invite monks and Daoists that are renowned in their area. They don’t trust outsiders. However, I can’t unleash my lightning techniques to frighten the mortals and prove that I’m not a scammer, can I? Thus, I have no option but to do what I do. If we succeed in defeating the demons, we won’t necessarily earn much silver. If we fail, however, we’ll definitely lose more than we earn. Cultivation is truly difficult…”

They chatted as they walked, and when they finally came to their senses, they realized that they had already left the cage-like ravine. Perhaps this was merely an illusion, but they felt like the surroundings had suddenly become radiant and beautiful once again. They no longer felt the dense aura of coldness and darkness from just then.

After a while, Chen Ping’an discovered that the blind old Daoist priest was showing no signs of leaving even though he had already stopped talking. He continued to trek south with them. In the end, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but ask, “Daoist priest, isn’t your destination to the north?”

The old Daoist priest laughed loudly and replied, “No hassle, this is nothing but a small delay. We’re unable to repay you for saving our lives, so just think of this as me and my two disciples seeing our benefactors off. This is only a matter of walking a few more steps.”

Afterward, the two groups of travelers continued to walk south just like that. Everything was smooth sailing, and they didn’t encounter any more troubles. When they eventually left the mountain range, the blind old Daoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief. He casually found a place on the side of the path to sit down. The round-faced little girl with the nickname Jiu’er hurriedly handed him some water. Meanwhile, the lame young boy stood behind the old Daoist priest and turned his head to gaze at the mountain range. No one knew what he was thinking about.

Before parting ways, the old Daoist priest retrieved a well-kept silk scroll from his luggage and personally handed it to Chen Ping’an. “This scroll is the ‘Mountain Scouring Album’ handed down in the temple. Almost 100 different types of mountain ghosts and spirits are recorded in it, and you can use this album as a reference in your future travels.

“This is the first time you children have embarked on a long journey to seek knowledge, and it’s also inevitable that you’ll cross many mountains during your travels. So, perhaps this album will be of use to you in the future. I’ve already memorized everything on it, so its only value to me is a sentimental one. That being the case, it’s better for me to give it to you children. That way, we can make the most of this ‘Mountain Scouring Album’ and also leave everyone happy.”

Lin Shouyi tugged Chen Ping’an’s sleeve. Chen Ping’an understood his intention, and he reached over to accept the ‘Mountain Scouring Album’. However, he also retrieved the only remaining snake gall pebble on him and gifted it to the lame young boy. He simply said that it was a local specialty from his hometown that wasn’t worth any money. It was simply something rare. The lame young boy initially wanted to refuse this gift, yet the blind old Daoist priest hurriedly told him to accept it. He said that this was some goodwill from their benefactor. The extremely introverted young boy had no option but to quietly accept. He wanted to speak, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do so. In the end, he was still too shy to utter the words “thank you”.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “After passing Red Candle Town and Go Table Mountain, you’ll arrive in a place called Dragon Spring County. When you get there, you can go to the Burclover shop or the pastry shop and look for a girl called Ruan Xiu. If you show her this snake gall pebble, she’ll understand that you’re friends of mine. Perhaps she’ll even help you settle down in the small town. When I arrive at the next relay station, I’ll make sure to write a letter to her to explain the situation.”

They parted ways after this, and the blind old Daoist priest chose to take a detour rather than enter that mountain range again. He refused to set foot in that place again.

They continued to head south, and Chen Ping’an turned his head to look back. He then slowly retracted his gaze.

Chen Ping’an suddenly wanted to practice swordsmanship.

1. A Buddhist ritual to invite beings of higher realms to help beings of lower realms break free from their suffering. ☜