Unsheathed

After passing through a series of streets and alleys, Cui Chan finally managed to track down the estate that the pavilion was situated in. As expected, it was an auspicious estate with a pair of stone tigers on either side of the entrance.

The doorstep was extremely high, and the gates were tightly shut. However, what was strange about the place was the plaque hanging above the entrance, which read “Iris Orchid”, rather than bearing the surname of the clan that owned the estate.

The pavilion that had caught Cui Chan’s attention earlier appeared to have been the private scripture library of this estate, and it was just as tall as the Confucian temple in the city, so this was clearly not just any ordinary wealthy clan.

The closer he drew to this Iris Orchid manor, the more Cui Chan could sense the palpable tension that was in the air. It was like the low atmospheric pressure environment before the arrival of a storm, making one feel slightly out of breath.

Aside from the aura of righteousness championed by proponents of Confucianism, there were many other types of invisible auras between heaven and earth, most of which could be categorized as pure or impure.

Pure auras were beneficial to cultivation, while impure auras were harmful to the soul and were generally present in places like burial sites, ancient funeral mounds, and past battlegrounds, but it was also often the case that those places harbored more than just impure auras.

The blessed lands in the world that were beneficial to cultivation were like rooms filled with irises and orchids, giving off an alluring fragrance.

Cui Chan clasped his hands behind his back as he casually made his way up the staircase. A middle-aged porter emerged from a side door, and he could see that Cui Chan carried himself with a remarkable degree of poise and grace. Hence, he didn’t dare to look down on Cui Chan despite his youthful appearance, and he respectfully enquired about Cui Chan’s identity.

Cui Chan told the porter that he was an itinerant immortal who accumulated good karma by slaying demonic and devilish entities. From outside the city, he noticed that something wasn’t quite right with the manor, and that a crisis was imminent, so he had come here to save the manor’s

The porter merely brushed off Cui Chan’s claims as a joke. He was aware that supernatural entities did indeed exist in this world as there were many innocuous spirits residing within the walls of this very manor. However, in his eyes, it was downright preposterous to suggest that there was a malevolent entity that dared to wreak havoc within the city, particularly inside the Iris Orchid manor.

Everyone in the city was aware that the patriarch of the Cao Clan residing in the manor and his three sons were almighty immortals. In particular, the youngest son, Cao Xishan, had become the heir to a cultivating clan just a year ago, and he was proficient in both swordsmanship and lightning techniques.

It was clear that Cui Chan was being regarded as a liar, but he remained unbothered as he patiently explained, “The feng shui in your manor is quite good, and that scripture library is situated in the prime location, making it essentially the eye of the formation. Additionally, I’m assuming that many of the books inside have had seals personally placed upon them by sages and noble men, so over time, they’ll begin to gather spiritual qi.

“As a result, ordinary malicious entities and spirits wouldn’t dare to come here, but some innocuous spirits that are kind and timid in nature and enjoy residing with humans will be able to grow and develop very smoothly here.”

The porter’s patience was running out, and he told Cui Chan to leave right away while reaching out to gently push Cui Chan. He didn’t have the time or the humor to listen to a deceitful young boy’s ramblings.

Cui Chan gently brushed aside the porter’s hand with a smile as he continued, “However, there’s something strange about the scripture library in this manor in that there’s a massive python lurking inside. Perhaps it was there from the very beginning, and its origins are unclear. It’s also possible that someone invited the python into the scripture library at some point.

“If I’m not mistaken, it seems to be a fire python, and recently, it’s been undergoing the second-to-last shedding of its skin. If it manages to succeed the next time it sheds, it’ll be able to become a mighty flood dragon.”

Cui Chan pointed a finger out of the city as he continued, “However, there’s a water snake in the river of a superior cultivation base to the fire python, and it’s currently lurking on the riverbed, waiting for an opportunity to strike. There’s no way it would simply allow its sworn enemy to successfully shed its skin.

“Regardless of what they were originally like, all flood dragons, dragons, snakes, and pythons come to resent their own kind once they attain intelligence. Hence, if your manor doesn’t make preparations in advance, the water snake will be sure to come here while the fire python is in a feeble state as it’s shedding its skin in order to take the fire python’s life.

“At the same time, it’ll seize that halfway fire core that’s taken shape in the fire python’s body and devour it to enhance its own cultivation base. With the power of both fire and water combining as one in its body, it won’t be far from attaining the Great Dao.”

A furious look appeared in the porter’s eyes, and he attempted to push Cui Chan away again, this time with more force. “Get out of here! You’re such a handsome young man, yet everything that comes out of your mouth is nonsense!”

Cui Chan sighed as he murmured to himself, “You see now, Teacher? Preaching never gets you anywhere. All of this is such a pain in the backside. I’m going to do things my way from now on.”

He swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, releasing a gentle breeze that sent the porter flying back several dozen feet, instantly knocking him out cold.

Immediately thereafter, five or six burly men rushed out of the side door, but it was only a group of second tier martial artists. Cui Chan paid no heed to them as he continued onward, and they fared even worse than the porter did, flying back through the air even without requiring a sweep from Cui Chan’s sleeve. After landing on the ground, all of them were groaning with pain, unable to get up again.

As Cui Chan strode through the manor, more guards converged around him from all directions, but none of them were able to slow him down in the slightest.

Upon arriving at the plaza outside the scripture library, a hint of intrigue finally appeared in Cui Chan’s eyes. He was being opposed by three men, who appeared to have been a father and two sons, and there was no one else in the area aside from them. Either they didn’t want what was inside the scripture library to be exposed, or they were prohibiting others from approaching this area in order to avoid innocent casualties.

Cui Chan only glanced at the three men for a moment before looking right past them. The scripture library occupied a huge area and was six stories tall. The sky above the library was concealed behind a dense blanket of dark clouds, within which lightning was flashing incessantly amid dull, rumbling thunderclaps.

The tip of a massive python’s tail could be seen extending out of the entrance of the library on the bottom floor. Its hundred-feet tail was winding all the way up through the library, and its massive head was flicking out its forked tongue incessantly at the dark clouds in the sky.

In the face of the lightning flashing within the clouds, its heart was filled with a combination of awe and veneration, but also a potent fighting spirit.

There were barely any demonic creatures in this world that didn’t fear the sound of thunderclaps. This innate sense of fear was something that had been engrained deep in their genes over the course of countless past generations. It was said that in the distant past, a certain Heavenly Emperor who wielded the power of lightning once traveled across the worlds with his entourage of lightning gods and rain gods, slaying countless demons and devils in the process.

Cui Chan continued onward, and the two youngest figures among the trio stepped forward with furious expressions to teach him a lesson, only to be stopped by their father, a middle-aged man wearing a suit of antiquated copper armor. He indicated for them to stand down and proceed with caution, then cupped his fist in a salute as he said, “My name is Cao Hushan. May I ask the reason for your visit, esteemed guest?”

Cui Chan continued to step forward without pause as he replied in a lazy voice, “All my goodwill was used up on that porter at the entrance of the manor. I’m going to scale this building now, and let me make this clear: if any of you try to stop me, I’ll put an end to your entire family line!

“Well, that may be going too far, but at the very least, I’ll kill all three of you. If my teacher demands an explanation from me after the event, I can just tell him that the three of you perished in battle against the water snake and the fire python.

“I won’t feel guilty in the slightest, and in order to put on a convincing act for my teacher, I may even shed some crocodile tears for you. If I didn’t have such an old-fashioned teacher, I’d be free to do whatever I want, but as things are, I’ll have to exercise some restraint.”

Cao Hushan closed his hand around the hilt of the saber strapped to his waist, and a layer of earthy yellow light flashed over his suit of armor as he asked in a cold voice, “Do you really think you can just do as you please to our Iris Orchid Cao Clan?”

Cui Chan spat onto the ground with disdain as he scoffed, “You dare to bestow the title of Iris Orchid upon yourselves? You have so many good books in this library, yet instead of encouraging your descendants to read the sagely scriptures and learn their sagely teachings, you get them to play with swords and spears.

“Even more unforgivable is the fact that you’re colluding with a demonic creature, going as far as to allow it to reside in this scripture library to absorb the scholarly aura of these fine books. On top of that, you’re all well aware that the day the fire python sheds its skin will be the same day that it’ll be forced to engage the water snake in the river in a battle to the death, yet instead of warning the residents of the city to evacuate, you intentionally conjured up an illusion, putting up a facade of lightning clouds to conceal the sight of the fire python scaling the building.

“Do you know how many people in the city will perish during the course of the battle between the fire python and the water snake?”

A slightly indignant look appeared on Cui Chan’s face as he grumbled, “This is all your fault, Teacher! Your way of doing things has begun to rub off on me, and I’m developing a habit of wasting all this time with words and preaching!”

A tall and imposing spear-wielding young man stepped forward with a cold smile as he said, “There’s no need to bother speaking to this bastard, just let me kill him! He deserves to die 1,000 deaths for attempting to interfere with our Cao Clan’s conquest of the state!”

Cui Chan burst into laughter, and he pointed a finger at the young man as he said, “I like that fiery temper of yours…”

Immediately thereafter, a tiny spot of blood appeared on the young man’s glabella. He was just about to unleash a mystical ability to enhance the spear treasure that he was wielding when he felt a slight pain between his eyes, and before he could raise a hand to touch the spot where the pain was coming from, he suddenly slumped down onto the ground, having perished without any warning.

The yellow light glowing from the Cao Hushan’s armor grew even brighter, and it was as if his entire body had been concealed within a yellow cloud.

Meanwhile, his other son began to chant an incantation while making a string of hand seals and rushing back in retreat, frantically adopting measures to protect himself. Soon, a string of glowing white text appeared beside him, and the head of the string grabbed its tail to form a ring around him.

Not only that, but a tiny fire python with scorching flames all over its body had appeared in the air above him, and it was rapidly revolving around him. On top of that, the antiquated hat on his head was giving off a burst of five-colored light that erupted in all directions to form a protective barrier.

In the blink of an eye, he had set up multiple layers of defenses around himself, and Cui Chan was very amused to see this. “You’re a real coward, aren’t you? I suppose cowards are the ones who always get to live the longest.”

In the next instant, a spot of blood appeared on the young man’s glabella as well, and he also instantly met his demise without any warning.

“Once you become a ghost, you’ll no longer have to fear death. No need to thank me,” Cui Chan said with a faint smile.

Meanwhile, Cao Hushan had already fled for his life.

Cui Chan couldn’t even be bothered to go after him. He was feeling extremely lazy, and he didn’t want to have to go to the trouble of hunting such a small fry.

Instead of immediately making his way into the scripture library, Cui Chan stopped at its entrance. The flagon strapped to his waist was rather heavy as it was filled with wine.

On the way here, Cui Chan had purchased another liter of loose wine. He had finished his original flagon of wine after leaving the capital city of Great Sui Nation, and there were several jars of fine wine in the carriage gifted to them by Gao Xuan, but it wasn’t like he could just sit in the carriage and drink wine straight out of the jar.

Hence, Cui Chan decided to keep the flagon around instead of throwing it away, and now that it had been by his side for so long, he had grown rather attached to it. After finishing the jars of wine in the carriage, Cui Chan was forced to purchase loose wine from the streetside wine shops that he encountered.

At the moment, Cui Chan had no choice but to borrow money from Chen Ping’an. He didn’t have any silver scraps, all he had was a vast amount of wealth that he couldn’t access before becoming a fifth tier qi refiner.

After taking a large swig out of his flagon, Cui Chan strode forward and stepped over the doorstep of the scripture library.

Having already detected the threat posed by Cui Chan, the fire python had retreated back into the scripture library, and as a result, the dark clouds and the lightning in the sky had somewhat receded.

Cui Chan made his way toward the staircase as he sighed, “Climbing the stairs is such a pain!”

By the time Cui Chan reached the fifth floor, he refused to go up any further, sitting down onto the steps with a sullen expression, unwilling to take another step.

A massive red head with a pair of inky-black eyes slowly peeked out from between the fourth and fifth floors, and it was peering carefully at Cui Chan.

Cui Chan turned to the fire python with a forlorn expression as he mused, “If I had something like you to talk to and entertain myself with in our household back in the day, perhaps I wouldn’t have turned out like this.”

The fire python gently rested its chin onto the ground, putting on a humble display of subordination. Compared with the father-and-son trio of the Cao Clan, who had ambitious aspirations of taking over the entire state, this fire python was clearly far more prudent.

Cui Chan smiled as he asked, “Are you not angry that I intervened and stripped you of your opportunity to attain immortality?”

The fire python shook its head in response, and the entire fifth floor trembled slightly as it did so.

Cui Chan nodded as he said, “I can see that you’ve already attained intelligence. If you insist on shedding your skin, that water snake in the river will have a far higher chance of success than you, and it’s very likely going to be the case that the cultivation base you’ve arduously accumulated over the past several centuries will ultimately only benefit someone else.”

On a higher step than the one that Cui Chan was sitting on was an azure-robed boy who appeared to have been roughly six or seven years of age. The boy had a pair of vertical pupils, and he was squatting atop the railing of the staircase, watching Cui Chan as he remarked, “Not only are you extremely cruel and ruthless, you seem to have a really good eye as well, seeing as you’re aware of how powerful I am.”

The fire python was greatly startled, and its entire body began to tremble slightly as it fought its own instincts, resisting the urge to flee.

Without the protection of Cao Hushan and his sons, it had no choice but to forcibly put an end to its own shedding process, and it was currently in its most feeble state, so there was no way that it could match the water snake in battle.

“You’re a cheeky little boy, aren’t you?” Cui Chan chuckled as he turned around.

A puzzled look appeared on the face of the little boy in azure, and he pointed a clawed finger at himself as he asked, “Are you talking to me, kid?”

In the next instant, the little boy in azure clasped his hands over his forehead. Blood was seeping out incessantly between his fingers as he fell from the railing of the staircase onto the fifth floor, where he rolled around in pain, causing the entire scripture library to sway and tremble.

Cui Chan pulled an object out of his sleeve as he snapped, “Alright, drop the act! If you keep this up, I’m really going to send you to the other side to meet your maker!”

The little boy in azure immediately stopped rolling around, then rose to his feet and dusted himself off as he asked, “What do you want? I have extremely close ties with the official river god outside the city. We’ve been referring to each other as brothers for close to the past 300 years, so don’t think that you can just do whatever you please to me like this little girl here who doesn’t even dare to meet the city god.

“You possess a decent cultivation base, so you have the right to be welcomed as an esteemed guest in my palace. If you help me devour this little girl here today, I’ll let you kill anyone that you please in this city, and…”

All of a sudden, the voice of the little boy in azure cut off here, and he was unable to utter even a single word, as if he were being held by the throat. He stared intently at the object in Cui Chan’s hand, then began to tremble in a horrified manner. The fire python had also transformed into a little girl in a pink dress, and she was also trembling uncontrollably with her body curled up into a ball at the entrance of the stairwell.

Cui Chan held an antiquated inkstone in his hand, within which resided a thin and old flood dragon that was only just over an inch in length. If one were to listen carefully, they would be able to hear the faint sound of snoring from the slumbering flood dragon.

To the little boy in azure and the fire python in the scripture library, this gentle snoring was even more terrifying a sound than rumbling thunder.

Cui Chan lowered his head with a shimmering golden needle pinched between his thumb and index finger, and he scratched the tip of the needle along the edge of the antiquated inkstone, raising a trail of sparks as if he were sharpening the needle as he said, “Get in here.”

The little girl in pink had her back against the wall, and she rose to her feet with great difficulty, unsure of how to proceed.

“Do we get anything out of this?” the little boy in azure asked.

“You do. For example, you get to live,” Cui Chan replied with a smile and a nod.

The little boy in azure nodded in response, as if he were going to comply, only to then crash his way straight through a window on the fifth floor before fleeing the scene.

He was closely followed by a streak of golden light that was around two to three feet in length, and it sped directly after him toward the east.

Moments later, enormous waves erupted over the surface of the river to the east outside the city, and there were traces of blood visible within the water.

Chen Ping’an was drinking his tea at the city gate, and he immediately paid the bill before rushing into the city.

Upon arriving at the Iris Orchid manor, he discovered that there was no one guarding the entrance, so he was able to rush all the way to the towering scripture library without encountering any resistance.

He arrived on the scene just in time to see Cui Chan emerging from within while holding onto the hand of a little girl in pink, and in order to lighten his own load, he had instructed the tiny little girl to carry his bookcase for him. As a result, the only thing that he was carrying was the wine flagon strapped to his waist.

All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have occurred to Cui Chan, and he instructed the little girl in pink to fetch him a few of the books with the most abundant spiritual energy in the library, while he sat down on the doorstep of the scripture library, drinking some wine as he looked up at Cui Chen Ping’an with a smile and said, “Go ahead, Teacher. I’m listening.”

“Do you know why I asked you to return to Dragon Spring County with me?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Cui Chan took a large swig of wine, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he replied, “I do. You’re worried that without your supervision, I’ll go back to my old ways and cause trouble in Mountain Cliff Academy. You’re concerned for the three children, so you would rather burden yourself with having to travel with me rather than risk having any harm befall those children.”

Chen Ping’an’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, while Cui Chan sighed, “Don’t look at me like that! Did you really think it was that difficult to guess your intentions? The surprise on your face right now is an insult to my intelligence!”

Chen Ping’an was silent for a moment, then said, “If you’re willing to protect them in earnest, then from this day forth, I’ll agree to let you become my student.”

“You have yourself a deal!” Cui Chan immediately replied as he raised his flagon up high.

Chen Ping’an’s brows furrowed slightly once again. “You know what? Forget it.”

“Was it because I agreed too quickly?” Cui Chan asked with a cold smile. “Don’t be in such a hurry to withdraw your offer. From the moment I snuck away from that horse-drawn carriage with you, I had already anticipated that things would come to this. Hence, I didn’t agree so quickly just now because I was eager to pounce on this opportunity.

“Instead, it’s because I already anticipated everything in advance, so don’t think that I’m just saying this to placate you, Chen Ping’an. You may not believe me when I say this, but remaining in the capital city of Great Sui Nation was a part of my plan from the very beginning. Do you think it was fun for me to play mind games with myself along the entire journey to Great Sui Nation?

“This may be too much for you to fathom, but these are mind games being played between the Great Li Empire and Great Sui Nation! The fate and fortune of the two empires hinge on the outcome of this game!”

Cui Chan paused momentarily, then sighed, “It’s not really my style to play the hero and venture deep into enemy territory at the risk of my own safety, but there’s no helping it this time. At the end of the day, I was the one who made this mess, and it wouldn’t sit right with me to have someone else clean it up for me. Teacher, if I really do happen to die in Great Sui Nation’s capital city…”

“I’ll be sure to construct a cenotaph for you,” Chen Ping’an said with an earnest expression.

Cui Chan was momentarily dumbstruck upon hearing this, then murmured to himself in a low voice, “Holy shit, he even knows about cenotaphs… Looks like he learned a lot from Li Baoping and Lin Shouyi on the way to Great Sui Nation. As expected of my teacher, what a faster learner he is!”

“By the way, do you want Cui Chan or Cui Dongshan engraved on your tombstone?” Chen Ping’an asked.

A horrified look appeared on Cui Chan’s face as he protested, “Don’t say that! I’m not dead yet!”

A smile then appeared on Cui Chan’s face as he continued, “I knew that you would do this, so I even prepared a parting gift for you in advance. That little girl just now is actually a fire python, and she’s been nurtured by the scholarly aura in the scripture library from a young age, so she has a very docile and obedient personality and would make a perfect little scholarly attendant for you.

“As for the other child, he’s a water snake with a more violent personality, but you need someone that can fight your battles for you on the way back to Dragon Spring County. That way, you won’t have to dirty your own hands if you come across any thugs or bandits. Jewel Small World is a very alluring place for them, and once they enter your territory, they won’t be able to disobey you.

“However, you’re going to have to wait a moment for that water snake. He’ll come here soon to apologize of his own will.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know what to think about all of this.

“You are a bad person, and you’re far smarter than I am, so I’m sure you know how to deal with other bad people far better than I do. I want you to protect Baoping and the others in earnest once you return to the academy.”

There was a heartfelt look in Chen Ping’an’s eyes, and he took a deep breath, then cupped his fist in a salute as he continued, “If you can do that, then you have my thanks in advance!”

“The fact that you’re making this decision means that you’re willing to accept me as your student, even if it’s just a little. It’s the student’s duty to serve their teacher, so there’s no need to thank me.”

Initially, there was a mischievous grin on Cui Chan’s face, but after seeing Chen Ping’an’s serious expression, he immediately put on a solemn expression of his own as he cupped his fist in a parting salute before extending a deep bow. “This is where we part ways, Teacher. Make sure to look after yourself on the way back to Dragon Spring County.”