Unsheathed

A’Liang had once teased Li Huai, calling him a little rascal who was a tyrant at home, but a meek little coward outside. This was a quality that he had most likely picked up from his mother.

Even before reaching Eastern Splendor Mountain and catching sight of Mountain Cliff Academy, Li Huai’s mother was already beginning to grow a little fearful, having been completely drained of the courage and bluster she had displayed while trash-talking in the streets of the small town.

In contrast, the footsteps of Li Huai’s father remained as stable and resolute as they had been throughout this entire journey, and their daughter, Li Liu, was also quite calm and composed, asking for directions without any qualms.

In the northern region of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, the residents of Great Sui Nation’s capital city were renowned for their arrogance and inhospitality, but they were more than willing to lend their help to such a kind and pretty girl.

Even though Mountain Cliff Academy had moved away from the Great Li Empire and been stripped of its title as one of the 72 academies of Confucianism, thereby severely harming its status, it was still an extremely revered place that countless scholars of Great Sui Nation looked up to.

Furthermore, the etiquette displayed by the teachers at the academy was completely impeccable. Despite the shabby attire worn by the trio and their hillbilly-esque demeanors, they were still treated with respect and hospitality after they announced that they were relatives of one of the academy’s students.

They were taken to the lodging area in the academy that was specifically reserved for foreign guests, and after being assigned a place to stay, they were taken to the classroom to find Li Huai. After learning that Li Huai was absent from his lesson, they were taken to Lin Shouyi’s dormitory, where they spotted him scrubbing stuff down onto the ground with a tree branch.

The reason why the teacher knew to go to Lin Shouyi’s dormitory to find Li Huai was because the three children were closely monitored due to their status as direct disciples of the original mountain master. Furthermore, they had caused a massive debacle recently, so virtually everyone was aware of where the three children were staying and what they had done.

In the eyes of most of the teachers in the academy, this was not a matter that they were overly concerned with, choosing to focus on their teaching, rather than investing too much time and emotion into what they viewed to have been an inconsequential matter.

Upon hearing his name being called, Li Huai raised his head, and he was a little dumbstruck as he caught sight of the three familiar figures approaching him. He thought that he was dreaming, and only after rubbing his own eyes forcefully did he throw the branch away and stand up before rushing to his family.

He extended a respectful bow and thanked the teacher who had led his parents and sister here, then turned to them with tears brimming in his eyes, unable to utter even a single word.

Without his parents by his side, he would sometimes feel a little dejected, but he would then force down those emotions. However, now that his parents were standing before him, he was unable to control his emotions any longer, and all of them immediately came rushing to the fore.

Having said that, he had recently made an extremely long journey, and even though he was still quite young, he had seen many things under Chen Ping’an’s guidance. They had traveled from late spring to early winter, and during that time, he had learned to be more reserved, refraining from skipping around in joy as he would’ve done back in the town. He wiped his arm across his eyes as he asked, “Father, Mother, Li Liu, why are you here?”

The teacher who had led the trio here smiled and bade them farewell, leaving them to their family reunion.

As soon as the teacher departed, Li Huai’s mother felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she threw her arms around Li Huai as her voice began to choke up. “My poor baby, you’ve become so thin and dark! Oh, my heart is about to break! It’s all your father’s fault.

“We were already far away from the capital city, but he suddenly said that he was worried about you, that he was concerned that you wouldn’t have enough money for food, or that you’d fall ill and have no one to look after you, so the three of decided to come back and pay you a visit at the academy…”

The short and stocky Li Er was standing like a steel tower with a mountainous bundle of luggage on his back, and he scratched his own head with an awkward expression as he said, “All I said was that I wonder if Huai’er will have chicken drumsticks to eat at the academy, and both your mother and your sister immediately burst into tears. I tried to console them, but they wouldn’t listen, so in the end, we had to come back…”

Having had the truth exposed, Li Huai’s mother immediately turned to glower at Li Er with a displeased expression, and she snapped, “Shut your mouth, you idiot! If you don’t want to see Huai’er, then go stand by yourself at the foot of the mountain!”

A bashful grin appeared on Li Er’s face, and he didn’t go anywhere.

Li Huai’s mother crouched down and patted her son’s head while gently massaging his thin arms. A pained look appeared on her face as she asked, “Why have you gotten so thin? Are you struggling to eat and sleep?”

A proud look appeared on Li Huai’s face as he grinned and replied, “My sleep and appetite have been fantastic! Mother, I followed Chen Ping’an and the others and walked on my own two feet all the way here to Mountain Cliff Academy!

“We went so far, thousands of kilometers, from our town to Go Table Mountain, then to Red Candle Town, then to Embroidered Flower River, then Yefu Pass, and then through Yellow Court Nation… You see these?”

He took a step backward as he spoke, then raised a foot as he continued, “Chen Ping’an wove these straw sandals for me, and they’re both sturdy and comfortable. I wanted to learn how to weave them myself, but Chen Ping’an didn’t teach me. Guess how many pairs of straw sandals I went through on the way here, Mother!”

Li Huai’s mother was unable to hold back her tears any longer upon hearing this, and her entire body was racked with sobs. Li Liu hurriedly crouched down beside her and gently held onto her hand for moral support.

A panicked look appeared on Li Huai’s face, and he had no idea why his mother had suddenly burst into tears. He hurriedly put his straw sandals away, and after a moment of contemplation, a thought suddenly occurred to him as he said in a loud voice, “Come to my room, Mother. I have something good to show you all!”

Upon entering Lin Shouyi’s dormitory, Li Huai set his green bamboo bookcase down onto the table, then imitated Li Baoping as he crossed his arms and took a glance at his sister out of the corner of his eye. He then imitated Cui Chan’s manner of speech, putting on a smug expression as he asked, “What do you think? That’s my little bookcase. Isn’t it beautiful? Aren’t you envious?”

After that, he put the bookcase on his back in a well-rehearsed fashion, then walked a lap around the table, much to the amusement and sorrow of Li Liu, who hurriedly helped him take off the bookcase before placing it back onto the table with tears swimming in her eyes. There was a gentle smile on her beautiful and delicate face, making the beholder feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze.

“No one’s been picking on you, have they?” Li Er suddenly asked.

“Not at all,” Li Huai replied with a smile as he shook his head.

His mother immediately began fuming. “What are you going to do even if someone’s been picking on our son? Look at your cowardly face! Whenever our son gets picked on back at home, I’ve always been the one to stand up for him! What have you ever done?”

Li Er shrank back slightly as he protested in a quiet voice, “That was back when we were in the town. Our neighbors all have good intentions, and if I spoil our relationship with them, you’ll be the one that has to suffer the consequences.”

Li Huai’s mother slammed a hand down onto the table as she yelled, “How dare you talk back to me! Are you trying to rebel, Li Er? Do you feel like you’ve seen more of the world during this trip, so you want to abandon your family and switch to a younger and more beautiful wife?”

“Of course not,” Li Er replied in an exasperated

“You definitely want to, you just don’t have the courage to do it and know that other women wouldn’t even take a second glance at you!” Li Huai’s mother snapped. “That vixen with the long legs that we came across last time, I could tell just by taking a single look at her that she’s an improper woman!

“Don’t try to tell me you didn’t sneak any glance at her! What a laughable disgrace! She didn’t even have two ounces of meat on her chest, yet she thought herself to be more beautiful than me!”

Li Er wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so, and in the end, he could only crouch down onto the ground and heave a resigned sigh.

That woman on the mountain appeared to have been quite young, but in reality, they were around 700 to 800 years of age and were a ninth tier demonic cultivator. If he hadn’t taken a glance at her as a warning gesture, she would’ve attempted to kill them for food. If his wife and his daughter hadn’t been by his side, he would’ve just killed that woman with a single punch, but he didn’t dare to explain these arcane matters to his wife.

Even while crouching on the ground, Li Er still had the bundle of luggage on his back, so it appeared as if he had his back resting against a small mountain.

“What are you doing with the luggage still on your back?” Li Huai’s mother snapped. “Are you trying to withhold what’s in there from our son so you can save it for those vixens out there?!”

Li Er hurriedly rose to his feet, then opened up the bundle of luggage and pulled out a bunch of food, clothes, and books.

“Since when was our family this rich?” Li Huai asked with a curious expression.

His mother smiled as she explained, “Your father may be an idiot, but he’s a lucky idiot. On the way here, your father found some medicinal herbs that he managed to sell for quite a bit of money. That was the first time in my life I had ever seen gold!

“It was bright and shimmering, and just looking at it gave me a sense of joy! I’ve managed to accumulate some wealth, but don’t even think about trying to get your hands on it. I’m saving it for when you marry a wife in the future.”

Li Huai took a glance at his sister, then said, “It’s alright, I’m in no hurry to get married. Save it for my sister as her dowry.”

A displeased look immediately appeared on his mother’s face. “A married daughter is like spilled water. Once she gets married, she’ll belong to someone else’s family, so why would I save up money for her dowry?”

Li Liu was already accustomed to the favoritism that her mother displayed, and she wasn’t bothered. From a young age, she had always had a very mild and pleasant personality, and she took after her father in this regard. In contrast, Li Huai’s personality was far closer to his mother’s, and it created quite an interesting dynamic, with the daughter taking after the father and the son taking after the mother.

Li Huai shook his head as he disagreed, “Mother, if this is how you think then even if my sister managed to find a good husband, she’s going to suffer in her marriage. You’re just lucky to have found someone as honest and kind-hearted as my father, doing everything that you ask of him.

“Otherwise, if my father had been a bad husband and abused you during your marriage, would you really have been able to rely on my uncles to stand up for you? Without support from your family, you would only become more depressed, and you would’ve eventually fallen ill. Isn’t that right, Mother?”

Li Huai’s mother was rendered completely speechless upon hearing this, while Li Liu was silently chuckling into her own hand.

In the end, Li Huai’s mother gently poked him on the forehead as she grumbled in a sheepish manner, “You’re all grown up now, so you’re no longer on my side, is that right?”

Li Huai chuckled in response, then turned to his sister with a sly grin as he said, “Li Liu, I sought out a bunch of husbands for you while on the way here…”

Li Liu blinked at him with a confused look in her eyes.

Li Huai’s mother slapped him on the head as a combination of displeasure and amusement appeared on her face. “What are you talking about? Your sister can only marry one man. Of course, if she married a bad husband and didn’t want to suffer, then she could get a divorce and marry someone else, but she can’t marry multiple people at once!”

Li Huai’s gaze remained fixed on his sister as he said, “Li Liu, I’m living with Lin Shouyi right now.”

“Lin Shouyi? Is that the boy whose father is serving as an official in the kiln supervision office?” his mother asked.

Li Huai nodded in response. “That’s him. He’s the one who’s been fighting over my sister with Dong Shuijing. He’s really strong right now, and he also treats me really well. Back in the school in our town, I didn’t really have a high opinion of him, but I’ve since discovered that he’s actually a very good person. Having said that, his personality is a little cold, and he’s also a little lacking in patience, so he can’t compare with my future junior uncle, Chen Ping’an.”

Li Liu offered no response to this.

Li Huai’s mother smiled as she asked, “Who’s this Chen Ping’an that you keep talking about? Is his family rich? Is he one of the husbands that you picked out for your sister?”

Li Liu shook his head in response. “Chen Ping’an is one of my best friends, just like A’Liang. However, he’s not one of the husbands I picked out for Li Liu. He’s actually at just the right age, but Li Liu isn’t good enough for him.”

Li Liu slapped him on the head once again as she scolded, “What do you mean Li Liu isn’t good enough for him? How could you talk about your own sister like that? What’s wrong with your sister? She’s got good looks and a good personality. She’ll make a fantastic wife for anyone, there’s no one who’s too good for her.”

Li Er was seated across from her with a peculiar look on his face.

A serious look appeared on Li Huai’s face as he said, “If I’m going to be honest, I’d say that my sister is… passable in terms of looks. As for her family background, I don’t think that’s something I need to elaborate on.”

A smile appeared on his face here as he continued, “Having said that, we can’t decide who our parents turn out to be. Besides, our family is indeed a little poor, but you and my father are great people. One time, I was taking a shit with Chen Ping’an in the mountains, and we were having a chat at the same time.

“Chen Ping’an told me that both his parents passed away quite early, so I should appreciate and cherish you and my father. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I thought he was simply looking for a conversation starter because he had constipation. However, I later came to realize that this was a heartfelt piece of advice from him. I’m really, really close with Chen Ping’an.

“You guys know that I’m really scared of ghosts. Whenever I have to relieve myself at night, I have to bring him with me, and he’s never told me that I’m annoying. I can tell that even in his heart, he didn’t find me annoying at all. Someone like him is definitely too good for my sister.”

“So you’re saying that he’s a good person just because he takes shits with you,” Li Huai’s mother harrumphed coldly.

Li Huai began to count off his fingers as he replied, “Aside from that, Chen Ping’an also made this bookcase and all those pairs of straw sandals for me. He cooked for me and washed my clothes and helped me look after my donkey. One time, I caught the flu, and he traveled dozens of kilometers through the mountains in the dead of night to buy medicine for me.

“He bought me books and a jade pendant, and he taught me fist techniques and told me to be good to my parents. Whenever I make a mistake, he never scolds me or abuses me. Instead, he’s always on my side, shielding me from bullies or anyone else that tries to hurt me. I can’t even count all of the good things that he’s done for me. I would love for him to be my brother-in-law, but that’ll probably only come true in my dreams.”

Li Huai’s mother was rendered speechless upon hearing this.

Li Er had never seen his son so excited and enthusiastic while talking about someone else, but he was glad that Chen Ping’an had looked after him so thoroughly during their journey.

Li Huai’s mother smiled as she pulled out a pair of sturdy cloth shoes. “Your sister sewed these for you. They’ll definitely be more comfortable to wear than your straw sandals.”

Li Huai suddenly heaved a forlorn sigh.

“What’s wrong?” His mother asked.

Li Huai looked up at his mother with a sorrowful expression as he said, “Why couldn’t you have given birth to another sister, one that’s more beautiful than Li Liu? I’d be able to give her to Chen Ping’an, and after that, I’d be able to call him my brother-in-law or my junior uncle or whatever I like.”

Li Huai’s mother grabbed onto his ear and gave it a vicious twist as she snapped, “How could you say that about your own sister?”

Meanwhile, Li Liu had a wide smile of amusement on her face.

She loved her unruly brother with all her heart.

She knew that no matter how her naughty brother badmouthed her, unbeknownst to those outside of their family, he was always very good to her.

“Out of your two children, your daughter possesses immense aptitude, while your son is a bearer of tremendous fortune.”

That was an assessment of the Li Family from Old Man Yang of the Yang Family’s medicine shop. Of course, there was also a second half to his appraisal, but Li Liu chose to forget that part as soon as he heard it. It went “there’s also a malevolent shrew who curses everyone that she comes across, and it’s nothing short of tragic that Li Er has her for a wife”.

The sound of footsteps rang out from the door, and Lin Shouyi appeared at the entrance of the dormitory.

He was immediately rooted to the spot at the sight of Li Liu, following which a slight blush appeared on his face.

Li Huai was eager to stir things up, and he turned to Lin Shouyi as he pointed at his own sister and chortled, “Lin Shouyi, Li Liu came here of her own accord to become your wife!”

Li Huai’s mother was quite fond of Lin Shouyi. In her eyes, he was a sensible and educated boy and not just a child of a wealthy official. During the few occasions where he had visited the Li Family’s residence, he hadn’t spoken much, but he had always treated Li Huai’s mother with respect and never looked down on them for being impoverished.

Furthermore, she had always had a soft spot in her heart for educated individuals, and she felt like her daughter had to marry an educated man, even if that man wasn’t rich.

Li Huai stood on the bench as he jibed, “Sit beside my sister, Lin Shouyi. You’re going to be her husband in the future anyway.”

“Stop uttering nonsense!” his mother scolded as she gave him a pinch.

Lin Shouyi took a deep breath, and of course, he didn’t dare to sit beside Li Liu. After politely greeting Li Huai’s parents, he sat down across from Li Liu with a stack of books sitting on his lap.

In contrast with Li Huai’s mother, Li Er had a preference for Dong Shuijing over Lin Shouyi. However, he had quite a good impression of Lin Shouyi as well, it was just that Dong Shuijing’s personality was more similar to his, so they got along a bit better. In this household, his opinion on Li Liu’s future husband was the one that was going to matter the least. In this regard, the order of hierarchy was his wife, Li Huai, Li Liu, and last and least, himself.

The conversation soon moved onto the academy and Eastern Splendor Mountain, and after learning that Li Huai’s parents and sister were going to be staying for a few days, Lin Shouyi offered to show them around.

An amused grin appeared on Li Huai’s face as he jibed, “Already performing your duties as a son-in-law, I see.”

For that, he received a gentle pinch on the arm from his sister and a firm flick to the forehead from his mother.