Unsheathed

Without Cui Dongshan’s purposeful interference, Chen Ping’an no longer came across any strange events in his journey afterward. He was finally traveling in the normal world and not traversing through strange and mystical mountains.

However, Chen Ping’an was completely oblivious to this, and he even felt a slight sense of disappointment. In fact, he was fairly eager to meet more spirits and ghosts that could broaden his horizons. Right now, there was already no need to worry about Li Baoping and the other children’s safety, and there was also a water snake and a fire python accompanying him, both of which had become spirits and could assume human form.

Thus, Chen Ping’an hoped to come across more weird and wonderful matters. Of course, the condition was that he could simply observe them from a safe distance. That way, he could gain knowledge and broaden his horizons while still remaining safe.

Unfortunately for Chen Ping’an, however, things remained calm and lackluster the entire time, and he was almost about to reach the border of Yellow Court Nation.

Night fell, and Chen Ping’an decided to spend the night in a quiet and rundown temple beside the mountain path after finishing a session of walking meditation on the water snake’s back. He started a fire and began to cook.

Even though Chen Ping’an had purposely chosen relatively desolate and less-walked paths for his return journey to the Great Li Empire, he still came across many people in the forests and mountains. Most were dressed in fur coats and brocade robes, with sabers or swords hanging by their waists.

They radiated with the aura and presence of wandering cultivators, though there were also some with fierce expressions and crude appearances. The latter were clearly people who had chosen more sinister paths. Fortunately, these people only shot a few sideways glances at Chen Ping’an and his two companions, and they didn’t create more trouble.

When it came to traveling around the world, those who looked easy to bully — such as old monks, young Daoist priests, and beautiful Daoist nuns — were often the most dangerous to provoke and pick on. This was a lesson learned the hard way by many cultivators in the past.

For Chen Ping’an, it was thanks to the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink that he wasn’t targeted by other cultivators. After all, few normal people would travel through desolate areas with two little children following them. Not only that, but these were also extremely refined and delicate-looking little children. Yet, they still had the courage to casually wander around isolated mountains and deep forests where wild beasts roamed. As long as one wasn’t completely stupid, they would definitely think twice before trying to target such a strange group.

In fact, Chen Ping’an and the two little children had indeed come across a group of brutish men who were fleeing from arrest before. These men had harbored ill intentions toward Chen Ping’an and the others, yet they had cautiously trailed the three people from a safe distance, looking for an opportunity to strike. Indeed, the little children looked like they could be squashed to death with a single finger. Yet, after seeing the little boy in azure transform into his true form, that of a terrifying water snake, and upon seeing him cut through the mountains and forests and obliterating everything in his path, the men had been so petrified that they had almost wet their pants.

The little girl in pink helped collect dry branches for Chen Ping’an, and she kept herself busy the entire time. Meanwhile, the little boy in azure was far lazier than her, and he preferred to laze around and wait for food to be served. He squatted outside the rundown temple and yawned again and again.

“Master, there are two groups of people approaching each other on the mountain path, and it won’t be long before they come across each other,” he said in a lazy voice. “On the left-hand side, those people are filled with killing intent, and it seems fairly lively and fun. On the right-hand side, everyone is dressed in fancy clothes and riding majestic horses. Not only that, but there are even beautiful women with shapely long legs.

“Master, if you’re interested in them, I can snatch them over for you and have them become your mistresses. After you’ve had your fun, you can release them and allow them to return home. If you want to compensate them, I can simply give them some treasures or fated opportunities. Perhaps they’ll even thank you for your benevolence, Master…”

Chen Ping’an’s bum was raised in the air as he exhaled over the embers in the dry branches to help the fire grow. “Don’t cause any trouble when they pass us later,” he replied casually.

The little boy in azure massaged his cheeks in boredom. “Master, if I don’t stretch and get involved in some action soon, even my hands and feet are going to rot and become moldy,” he huffed in dissatisfaction.

Chen Ping’an chose to ignore him.

Shouts suddenly rang out somewhere along the mountain path that passed by the rundown temple.

There was a man with a dirt-covered face chasing after a beautiful woman who was fleeing in panic.

Meanwhile, a brawny man roared with laughter and shouted, “Run, bitch, run! Master is finally going to catch you this time. When he gets his hands on you, see how he strips you naked and exposes your supple flesh! Oh, it will take Master a while to decide where he wants to start gobbling you up from!”

The five or six men beside the bald and brawny man all roared with wanton laughter. Their laughs were sinister, and their voices were also filled with a sense of delight and hatred.

“This kind of sinister woman should be directly thrown into a pot and cooked into a stew! Add some onions and garlic and toss in a pinch of peppercorns… Tsk, tsk, that will definitely be a delicacy! There’s at least a hundred pounds of meat on her, and that will surely be enough for us to enjoy for several meals.”

“Don’t fight me for her! I’ve always liked to eat young pigeons ever since I was a child!”

The little boy in azure’s eyes lit up.

Chen Ping’an asked the little girl in pink to help him do some cooking. Meanwhile, he stood up and walked over to the front gate of the rundown temple. The little boy in azure was itching to get involved in the action, yet he had no option but to stay still after Chen Ping’an placed a forceful hand on his head.

On the other side of the mountain path, there was the clip-clop of hooves and the sounds of joyful conversations. However, this group of people quickly noticed the commotion taking place on the mountain path in front of them. After hearing the crude and vulgar shouts of the bandit-like men, a displeased and ice-cold expression instantly spread across the face of a young woman with a bow slung over her shoulder.

She glanced at the stumbling woman with a voluptuous body before quickly turning her attention to the brutes who were swinging their sabers and swords around as they chased after her. With a cold humph, the young woman put pressure on the horse’s abdomen with her long and shapely legs. The horse instantly sprinted forward, and the young woman shouted, “I’m going over to rescue her!”

A young man with a sword decorated with a silver tassel immediately ordered his horse to follow after her. After arriving beside the young woman, he smiled and warned in a soft voice, “Zhi Lan, there were outsiders present just then, so it wasn’t appropriate for me to say too much. However, according to the secret documents of our prefectural office, the Centipede Mountain Range is filled with spirits and demons who like to cause trouble. In fact, there are several great demons in the larger mountains who even understand the concept of helping each other out. They’re extremely difficult to deal with.

“Whenever the local officials ask immortals to come over to help capture the spirits and demons, it’s always the case that we can only capture some weak and insignificant fiends. As for the great demons, they always flee or hide immediately after becoming aware of the situation. They’re incredibly cunning and slippery. If it weren’t for the officials bringing cultivators over to clean up the Centipede Mountain Range a short while ago, I wouldn’t have dared to bring you into these mountains.”

Apart from the silver bow that was engraved with ancient talismans, the young woman also had a slender saber in a black scabbard hanging by her waist. She placed a hand on the hilt of the saber and said in a cold voice, “It would be even better if they’re truly spirits and demons. After all, it’s not only gods and immortals who are capable of slaying demons and vanquishing fiends. We can also do this!”

The young man smiled in exasperation. He didn’t say anything else, and he simply controlled his horse to keep up with the young woman. He could only hope that nothing unexpected would happen while they charged over to deliver justice. Unlike the inexperienced young woman who had only just left her teacher and sect to adventure, he was the descendant of an influential clan with government officials. Thus, he was much more experienced and knowledgeable when it came to the dangerous and sinister nature of the world.

The clothes of the fleeing woman were in tatters, and they were barely able to cover her body. Large swathes of her pale and delicate skin were exposed, making her appear as pitiful as could be. Even though she was also someone who practiced martial arts, it was clear that she was already nearing exhaustion after fleeing from the men for so long, with her footsteps appearing especially feeble.

Upon seeing the young man and young woman approaching on horseback, she immediately took a deep breath and forcefully summoned the strength to shout, “Please save me, chivalrous cultivators!”

The young woman removed her cloak and tossed it to the fleeing woman. She then deftly controlled her horse, maneuvering it such that it just scraped past the fleeing woman. She drew her saber and tugged on the reins of the horse, bringing it to a stop.

“Piss off!” she roared at the brutish men who were pursuing the voluptuous woman. Her aura was overbearing as she angrily glared at them.

Behind her, the young man stopped beside the frightened woman and said with a faint smile, “Everything is okay now,”

The woman draped the cloak over her shapely body. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she panted heavily as she said in a quivering voice that was filled with lingering apprehension, “Young Master, you and your companions must be careful of those strong people in the wilderness who proclaim themselves to be cultivators. They are indeed able to wield some mystical powers, so it’s best that you warn your companions not to act in a hasty or reckless manner.

“If you’re unable to suppress them, it will be fine as long as you and the young lady can hold them back for a short while. That will be enough time for me to flee. However, I’ll have to apologize to that chivalrous young lady about this cloak…”

The young man was silently observing the woman this entire time, and he didn’t detect anything amiss after hearing her words. He smiled and replied, “There’s no need to flee in such a hurry. It’s still daytime, so I doubt that they’ll dare to do anything too sinister or outrageous. However, if they’re genuinely criminals who have made a habit of killing people and stealing goods, then we can still deal with them even if they’ve cultivated in some sect before. There’s no need to worry, miss. We’ll naturally be able to deal with them, so please feel at ease.”

The woman looked like she wanted to say something, yet she eventually refrained from doing so. She didn’t retort the young man or try to explain things any further, and she simply put on a pitiful expression as she warned, “Young Master, you and your companions still need to be careful. Those brutes are capable of committing all kinds of evils, and spewing threats and uttering curses are as natural as breathing to them. Please take care and don’t let them soil your ears.”

The young man relaxed his guard slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded and replied, “With how kind-hearted you are, you don’t deserve to suffer this kind of danger.”

The woman forcefully bit her lips upon hearing this, and a pained and dejected expression spread across her face as she lowered her head. She burst into tears, and she stammered, “I just feel so sorry for my pitiful husband and daughter… Truly… My daughter was only twelve, and yet… Oh, I can’t live on like this anymore…”

The other young men on horseback had already arrived beside them at this moment, and after hearing the woman’s words, how could they not understand the extreme tragedy that she had just experienced? When traveling through desolate mountains and dangerous waters, there would often be sinister people who stole treasures and kidnapped beautiful women. This wasn’t a common occurrence in Yellow Court Nation, yet it couldn’t be regarded as a rare event either.

A young man who had purposely let his beard grow long instantly flared up in anger. Even though he was a short-tempered person who wasn’t easy to deal with no matter in his sect or in the cultivation world, he was someone who couldn’t tolerate the strong picking on the weak. Thus, he angrily dashed forward on horseback and shouted, “Zhi Lan, let me assist you! These detestable criminals all deserve to die!”

Further down the path, the group of brutish men saw the young woman named Zhi Lan rushing over. Upon seeing the voluptuous woman about to escape, the leader of the group became red-eyed with worry. “Blind little miss, did you just tell me to piss off?!”

Looking at the young woman’s murderous expression, he laughed in anger and spat, “Hurry up and piss off into the distance! You’re a bunch of brats who have yet to grow hair down there and are still drinking your mama’s milk, yet you dare to play the hero already? If it were your sect elders here instead, I would have already rushed over and given them a good slap!

“Hurry up and move out of the way. That woman is an old demon who has committed sins for over a hundred years, and she’s committed all kinds of evils that one can imagine. After I capture her and skin her alive, we’ll naturally see whether she’s a human or a demon!”

The bearded young man who had charged forward by himself immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the brutish leader of the group. He laughed loudly and said in amusement, “Oh, the criminal is slinging accusations first?”

There was an old man in azure robes standing behind the brawny man, and he furrowed his brows and scolded, “Pointing at someone with the tip of your sword? Who taught you such bad manners?!”

The bearded young man shot a glare at him and retorted, “Your bloody ancestors!”

The old man in azure robes chuckled coldly and said, “Old Song, you guys go over and capture that demon lady first. I’ll stay here and teach these younglings a good lesson.”

“Don’t let things drag on for too long. That old demoness is clearly hiding a trump card, so we’ll need to rely on your Rejuvenation Technique just in case we suffer any wounds,” the brawny man nodded and said with a solemn expression. He then charged forward with his subordinates, completely ignoring the young woman and young man who were standing in their way.

The mountain path was quite narrow, and it was only wide enough to fit three horses side by side. The beautiful young woman who was holding a saber in her hand immediately glared at the brutish men and shouted in a stern voice, “You still refuse to stop?!”

The brawny man flicked the reins of his horse and charged through the gap between the young woman and the bearded young man. Zhi Lan thrust her saber out in an attempt to stop him, yet the brawny man gently raised his saber and easily pushed her blade out of the way. The young woman from a famous clan who regarded herself as a relatively accomplished cultivator was immediately transfixed with shock, with an expression of incredulity spreading across her face.

The bearded young man was far more short-tempered and vicious than Zhi Lan, and he brutally slashed down at the brawny man with his saber. However, the brawny man completely ignored his attack, and he was instead fully focused on the voluptuous woman standing on the path in front of him. He casually reached over to grab the bearded young man’s saber before tossing it down the mountain.

The two initially high-spirited youths immediately froze to the spot. It was as if they were a pair of dazed door gods as they allowed the group of criminal-appearing men to charge past them.

Trailing behind the group of brutish men, the old man in azure slowly navigated over on his horse. He looked at the two astonished youths and sneered, “You two are nothing more than third tier martial artists, yet you still dared to challenge us? You children are completely unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth. Do you know how many Qi refiners at the Lower Five Tiers have died at the hands of that old demoness? More than your fingers can count! Yet, you measly cultivators want to protect her? Perhaps she’s pondering how to skin and swallow you people, her honorable and righteous saviors, alive!”

The old man pursed his lips and continued, “In fact, that’s quite hard to say. That old demoness is skilled at a sinister dual cultivation method, and she quite enjoys feeding on the blood essence of strong young men. Three-legged brats like you can indeed die a relatively enjoyable death. Even if you become a ghost, you’ll become a merry one for sure.”

The bearded young man flushed red with embarrassment. “Old geezer, you’re taking things too far!” he bellowed in anger.

The old man raised an arm and made a slapping motion. He was still a fair distance away from the bearded young man, yet a crisp and forceful crack sounded across the young man’s face. The young man was sent flying off his horse, and he tumbled twice in the air before thudding to the ground.

If a knowledgeable cultivator were present, they would immediately recognize this as an attack that could only be launched by cultivators who were at least lesser grandmasters at the fourth or fifth tier. Meanwhile, those who were at the sixth or seventh tier would be superior grandmasters who possessed the strength and right to found their own forces in a nation.

As for legendary cultivators at the eighth or ninth tier? It was almost impossible to come across such lofty cultivators, and which one of them wouldn’t be the esteemed guest of mortal emperors and rulers? Thus, these legendary cultivators were already transcendent above the ordinary cultivation world.

The young woman was relatively smart and strong-willed, and she immediately turned around and warned her friend, “Be careful of that woman!”