Unsheathed

There were gatherings, and there were farewells — life was full of willow branches[1].

In the long river of time, it was as if there existed many ferry stations where people reluctantly parted with their companions. In each section of time that was like a short journey, there would be those who departed the ferry, and there would also be those who boarded the ferry. When the ferry arrived at the next station, there would then be a new round of gatherings and farewells.

Indeed, that hard-working young boy from Clay Vase Alley who never complained about his situation had already experienced many reluctant farewells in the previous ferry station.

Dawn arrived, and Li Er along with his wife and daughter had already finished packing their luggage. They bade farewell to everyone at the foot of Eastern Splendor Mountain, and compared to the farewell at the small town, Li Huai was no longer as simple-minded as before. Back in the small town, he had felt like his parents and sister’s departure would give him more freedom and also allow him to eat tanghulu and drumsticks every day. Now, however, he felt a sense of melancholy. The little boy had grown up, after all.

Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, Xie Xie, and the handsome Cui Dongshan all came over to bid farewell to Li Huai’s family.

The rims of the woman’s eyes were red, and she was unwilling to let go of her son Li Huai’s hands. She continued to prattle on about how he needed to wear more in winter, how he needed to eat and drink enough, and so on. Li Huai quietly listened to his mother talk.

Meanwhile, Li Er appeared naive as stood beside them, and Li Liu helped her younger brother smooth the wrinkles on his brand-new clothes that were already neat enough. She then looked back at the plaque hanging on the front gate of Mountain Cliff Academy, completely ignoring the judgemental gazes of Yu Lu and Xie Xie as she did so.

Li Huai’s mother finally finished speaking to her son and decided to reluctantly leave, and she forcefully kept herself from turning around to look at him as she walked away. Li Er patted Li Huai’s head and smiled as he followed behind his wife. Behind them, Li Liu patted her younger brother’s shoulder and curtsied to his friends before leaving in a calm and composed manner.

Li Huai gently kicked Lin Shouyi. The aloof young boy was tightly gripping a letter in his sweaty hand, and he shook his head as he looked at the disappearing figure of the young girl. “Next time,” he murmured.

Li Huai wasn’t willing to appear sad in front of his friends, and he forcefully suppressed his feelings of sadness and anxiety as he found an interesting topic to talk about. “Cui Dongshan, if you’re Chen Ping’an’s student, while all of us are Mr. Qi’s students, and since Li Baoping refers to Chen Ping’an as Junior Uncle, what’s the relationship between us?” he asked with a chuckle.

Cui Dongshan clasped his hands behind his back and appeared extremely handsome and graceful as he replied in a smug voice, “I’m the first disciple of my master, so my seniority is very high. In fact, it’s tens of thousands of miles higher than this Eastern Splendor Mountain.”

Li Huai faltered upon hearing this, and he asked, “So we have to refer to you as Big Brother?”

“Big Brother?” Cui Dongshan repeated.

He immediately became panicked, and he exclaimed, “Your entire family is filled with big brothers! I’m not going to become your big brother! Apart from this, you can call me whatever you want.”

Li Huai was slightly dumbfounded, and he suggested, “Then I’ll call you Junior Brother? But this sounds a little awkward.”

Cui Dongshan’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Little Brother sounds good! Not only is it respectful, but there’s also a sense of geniality with this title. In the future, all of you can refer to me as Junior Brother. The same goes for you two as well, Yu Lu and Xie Xie. There’s no need to call me Master in the future. This is far too stiff, so just call me Junior Brother like Baoping and the others.”

Li Baoping humphed and said, “I haven’t agreed yet!”

The little girl wearing the bright red jacket charged out the archway.

“Li Baoping, we still have classes afterward!” Li Huai shouted.

“I know that I’ll be punished and forced to copy those articles, so I already finished copying them out last night! What’s there to be afraid of? I need to wander around and familiarize myself with this place first, or else how can I show Chen Ping’an around the city in the future?” Li Baoping raised her little head up high as she shouted this in response and sprinted off into the distance. She chased after a flock of pigeons in the sky, and the squawks of the birds rang out one after another and traveled over the bustling capital of Great Sui Nation.

“Then bring me along with you!” Li Huai shouted.

Li Baoping completely ignored him. Compared to her small figure that was running further and further away from the academy, her mind was already wandering in someplace even further away.

————

After arriving in a mountain range on the border of Yellow Court Nation, Chen Ping’an stopped for a rest and washed his face in a small stream running through the mountains.

Unlike the little girl in pink who was carrying someone else’s bookcase, the little boy in azure possessed a pocket treasure that was filled with all kinds of weird and wonderful trinkets. In the beginning, he hadn’t wanted to flaunt his possessions to his master. After setting his sights on obtaining a snake gall pebble, however, he couldn’t help but think about this matter every day. Thus, he started to take out his possessions and beg Chen Ping’an to trade a snake gall pebble with him.

At this moment, the little boy in azure retrieved a collection of small bottles that came in all shapes and sizes. He squatted down beside Chen Ping’an and started to explain the interesting nature of these bottles to his master. Picking out a pinkish-green clay bottle and pulling out its cork, the little boy in azure poured its contents out into the stream in front of them. Before long, the gentle glow of the moon rushed out into the stream, appearing as dreamlike and illusory as could be.

The little boy in azure grinned and asked, “How is it, Master? Isn’t it beautiful? This is a magnificent moon bottle that cultivators are extremely fond of. Apart from this, there are also iridescent cloud bottles, sun radiance bottles, and a whole heap of other bottles. These bottles are used to collect iridescent clouds and celestial radiance from the Five Mountains, though the spiritual energy contained within them is naturally inferior to the spiritual energy contained within the small worlds and blessed lands. However, the contents of these bottles are extremely beautiful when they’re poured out, right? What do you say, Master?”

Chen Ping’an was indeed slightly astonished. The dense mountain forest was slightly dark and shadowy even though it was daytime, yet looking at the flowing moonlight in the small stream, Chen Ping’an genuinely felt like all kinds of peculiar and wonderful things existed in the world.

The little boy in azure continued to persuade Chen Ping’an, saying, “Exchanging one bottle for one snake gall pebble is naturally an unfair deal. I still have three reverberating bottles with me, and the name of these bottles is derived from the saying ‘music reverberates around the room, not ceasing for three days’[2]. These bottles are all filled with the most ethereal sounds in the world. This bottle is filled with the sound of croaking frogs, this bottle is filled with the lapping of large tides, and this bottle is filled with the rustling of pine trees on a tall mountain.

“Just think about it, Master! When you uncork one of these bottles when you go to bed, you’ll hear the gentle lapping of water beside your pillow. Just how relaxing is this? Are you not tempted? I have so many precious bottles here, yet all I’m asking for is a single snake gall pebble! Only a single one! Master, if you nod and agree, then these seven or eight bottles are all yours. If you refuse such a generous offer, you’ll face the retribution of heaven and earth…”

Chen Ping’an silently calculated the number of snake gall pebbles he had remaining in the small town. He still had quite some high-quality snake gall pebbles remaining, so he nodded and said with a smile, “Deal.”

The little girl in pink was furiously waving her hands beside them, and she gestured with her eyes in an attempt to dissuade Chen Ping’an from accepting the little boy’s offer.

However, the little boy in azure crammed all of the bottles into Chen Ping’an’s arms before starting to skip around in joy. He raised two fingers at the little girl in pink and bragged, “I have one more snake gall pebble than you. I’m already one tier above you right now, so after we arrive in Master’s hometown and after I eat my snake gall pebbles, I’ll be two tiers higher than you, silly girl. At that time, you need to show some self-awareness and stop following Master around and embarrassing him in front of everyone. Just one scholarly attendant is enough for Master. He doesn’t need any silly maidservants or whatnot…”

The corners of the little girl’s lips curled downward, and she scrunched up her delicate little face as if she were about to cry.

“If you keep bullying her, then I’ll have no option but to go back on my word,” Chen Ping’an said in exasperation.

The little boy in azure immediately coughed and said to the little girl in a serious voice, “You need to be more careful and attentive when looking after Master’s clothing and food in the future, understand? For example, you should immediately transform into a beautiful young girl after eating your snake gall pebble. When Master feels the urge in the future, you can warm his bed for him, and the two of you can enjoy long and wonderful nights…”

After putting the precious bottles away, Chen Ping’an slapped the little boy in azure on the back of the head and scolded, “Stop spewing nonsense.”

The little boy in azure feigned a respectful bow and said, “Yes, as you command, Master.”

Chen Ping’an squatted down on a rock in the stream again, and he retrieved a biscuit and started to nibble on it. “Do you guys know what a Dragon King Basket is?” he asked casually.

The faces of the two little children became slightly pale. The little boy in azure became extremely stiff, and to say nothing of cracking jokes, he couldn’t even summon the strength to walk.

The little girl in pink carefully explained, “I’ve read about this in ancient books, and as long as a Qi refiner tosses such a treasure into a large river, they can definitely succeed in capturing a flood dragon. The most terrifying thing about this treasure is that flood dragons and related species should naturally enjoy a huge advantage when they’re in the water. Indeed, they won’t be at a disadvantage even against Qi refiners who are one or two tiers above them. If their opponent has a Dragon King Basket, however, then they’ll be at a disadvantage even if the Qi refiner is one or two tiers below them. In other words, Qi refiners will be able to capture us with ease.”

The little boy in azure instinctively retreated several steps from Chen Ping’an. He squatted down in the distance and added, “It’s not that simple. After being captured and trapped inside the Dragon King Basket, the pain that we’ll suffer is no lesser than the pain of a mortal human being tossed into a pot of boiling oil. We’ll suffer agonizing pain as if we’re being relentlessly cut by tens of thousands of knives. This is a secret technique from the ancient Shu Nation’s largest sect that can’t be revealed to outsiders. They’re the only ones who can weave Dragon King Baskets, and they sell these treasures to Qi refiners who desire to capture relatives of flood dragons like us.”

His voice was quivering, and he waved a hand that was tightly clenched together into fists as he continued, “A Dragon King Basket this small will be enough to capture me.”

Chen Ping’an held his hands out and gestured in the air, asking, “Then what about one this big?”

To say nothing of the little boy in azure who understood the immensely powerful nature of Dragon King Baskets, even the little girl in pink was frightened into silence at this moment.

The little boy’s expression was sullen as he replied, “Master, I’ve never even heard of such a large Dragon King Basket existing in the world before, let alone seen one. It can’t be that you have one, right?”

He suppressed the urge to give up his second snake gall pebble and explained in an uncertain voice, “If such a large Dragon King Basket truly exists, then even an old ancestor who has transformed into a flood dragon for thousands of years will have no option but to obediently surrender. Master, do you feel like those bottles aren’t beautiful enough? It’s okay, you can keep them and play with them as you see fit. If you genuinely don’t like them, then you can simply return them to me when we reach your hometown. As for the snake gall pebble, Master can decide whether to give it to me or not depending on your mood…”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “I don’t have a Dragon King Basket, and even if I did, the two of you wouldn’t need to worry about anything.”

No wonder Prince Gao Xuan from Great Sui Nation had felt so apologetic after buying that golden carp and Dragon King Basket. Apart from giving Chen Ping’an a pouch of gold essence copper coins, he had also thanked Chen Ping’an during his stay in the capital of Great Sui Nation.

When seeing that man with the fish basket and golden carp in the small town at the time, Chen Ping’an had immediately noticed something extraordinary about the two items. After all, how could a carp still be alive and flopping around after being caught and out of water for so long?

However, he had genuinely been too poor, and he had barely been able to sustain himself for a very long time. Thus, how would he dare to spend money carelessly? After starting work in the dragon kilns and earning some copper coins, Chen Ping’an still didn’t dare to make any unnecessary purchases. Even so, it was still extremely difficult for him to afford food and necessities.

In any case, the arrival of Gao Xuan and the old man had prevented him from buying the fish and the basket.

Chen Ping’an tossed a pebble into the stream. He was feeling slightly despondent at this moment, and this wasn’t because he had lost a huge fated opportunity. Instead, it was because he felt like he had lost a huge mountain of gold and silver.

At the end of the day, what he cared about was the money.

In reality, Chen Ping’an was unaware of the fact that the man had been none other than Li Huai’s father and one of Old Man Yang’s disciples, Li Er. At that time, Li Er had already been a martial artist at the peak stage of the ninth tier. Moreover, compared to the gatekeeper of the small town who had been responsible for collecting gold essence copper coins, Li Er had possessed a far better impression of Chen Ping’an.

As for why he hadn’t directly gifted the fish and basket to Chen Ping’an, there was a profound reason behind this. Those who cultivated the same Dao as Old Man Yang had always placed great emphasis on the notion of fairness. Thus, Li Er had casually named a price and given Chen Ping’an the opportunity to haggle with him. That way, things would appear relatively more fair and realistic.

However, it was a pity that the prince from Great Sui Nation had appeared halfway. Li Er had already been bending the rules, so the appearance of the prince and the old man had instantly caused him to become alert. He hadn’t dared to give the fated opportunity to Chen Ping’an anymore, and he had also been scolded by Old Man Yang after the fact. Not only that, but Old Man Yang had also revealed a cruel truth to him. If Chen Ping’an had truly managed to obtain the golden carp and Dragon King Basket, it was extremely difficult to say whether he would have been able to leave the small town alive.

All kinds of undercurrents were swirling around the small town, and even until today, Chen Ping’an was still unable to understand the true nature of his hometown.

When it came to the Great Dao, it was always the case that dangers and opportunities would come hand in hand. Whether an action could be regarded as a friend adding insult to injury or an enemy helping in a time of adversity, things wouldn’t become clear until much further down the track.

Chen Ping’an and the two little children set off again. They set up camp on a mountain peak at night, and Chen Ping’an still performed standing meditation before sitting next to the small fire for a while. Only afterward did he go to sleep. This had already become a habit of his. This was the case even though there was no longer a need for him to stay awake and perform guard duty.

It was late at night, and silence enveloped the entire mountain peak.

Sitting beside the fire, the little boy in azure added some dry branches to the flames. He gestured to the little girl in pink with his finger and said, “Silly girl, come over here.”

The little girl was leaning on Cui Dongshan’s bookcase in the distance, and she furiously shook her head and replied, “No.”

The little boy in azure smiled with squinted eyes and reassured, “I promise that I won’t eat you.”

The little girl stubbornly refused to go over.

The little boy in azure became slightly angry, and he threatened, “If you don’t come over, then I’ll genuinely go over there to gobble you up! What’s wrong with you? You refuse to accept my reasonable request, and you’ll only yield after a beating?”

The little girl in pink had no option but to summon her courage and walk over.

“Say, Master is such an ordinary and uninteresting person, so how does he have such a vicious and terrifying student?” the little boy asked.

The little girl thought about this for a moment before replying, “Master is a kind-hearted person, and good people will always be blessed with good karma.”

The little boy in azure chuckled coldly and retorted, “Can kind-heartedness feed a person?”

The little girl shrunk back in apprehension.

“And you’re actually a fifth tier fire python, huh?” the little boy sneered. “Not only that, but you also possess some unique capabilities. Can you please show some spine?”

The little girl genuinely showed some spine at this moment, and she retorted in a soft voice, “You were hunted by the grand elder of Spirit Charm Sect for over 1000 kilometers, so why didn’t you show some spine at that time?”

In a rare turn of events, the little boy in azure didn’t become angry after hearing this. Instead, he patiently explained, “I wasn’t afraid of that old witch. She’s truly a shameless person, and she still smeared several kilograms of makeup on her face even though she’s already so old. In any case, I was a hero who was unable to unleash my full power. If I had chosen to eat that old witch, I would have angered the entire Spirit Charm Sect and brought their wrath down upon Brother River God as well. I couldn’t bring myself to do this.”

The little girl in pink secretly turned around and rolled her eyes.

She only dared to do this much.

“Silly girl, are you trying to rebel?!” the little boy in azure huffed in anger. “You really can’t go three days without a beating, huh?! Just because you’ve got my master supporting you now, you’re going to ignore your actual master?”

The little girl was terrified, and she was just about to shout for Chen Ping’an.

The little boy in azure hurriedly waved his hands and gestured for her to calm down. He sighed and changed the topic, saying, “Master is only a second tier martial artist, and even though he’s no weaker than ordinary third tier martial artists, both of us are well aware of the fact that he’s still very feeble and weak. Moreover, his lifestyle and manner of speaking clearly demonstrate the fact that he’s not from a wealthy family. Does he truly own five mountains in his hometown? Does he truly possess so many snake gall pebbles? Perhaps his vicious student was purposely lying to us? Perhaps he wanted to trick us into some small and pathetic mountain?”

The little girl in pink curled up and gazed at the flames that she had a strong natural affinity with. She felt a reassuring warmth wash over her, and she murmured, “I don’t really mind. The two current generations of descendants in the Zhilan Cao Clan all have ulterior motives, and they’re all unable to live up to the expectations of the scholarly atmosphere that their ancestors worked so hard to cultivate. I never liked any of them in the first place. So, it’s actually quite nice to follow Master back to his hometown.”

The little boy in azure had a solemn expression, and the mischievous grin that he always wore was no longer visible on his face. He sighed with emotion and said in a soft voice, “The Cao Clan has indeed veered down the wrong path. However, they were left with little option but to do so. If it were someone else, they would have chosen the same path as well. If one can become an immortal, who would still be willing to stupidly study and attend imperial examinations?

“Cultivating one’s own character to a state of high virtue and bringing virtue to the world and educating the masses after doing so? These are nothing more than lies told by the Confucian sages. After living in the Imperial River for so many years, I witnessed heaps of scholars experiencing misfortunes and acting against the Confucian teachings.

“Ignoring everyone else and only focusing on the governors and overseers, which one of them didn’t act like a pathetic lackey when seeing Brother River God? In fact, they were even more obsequious than when they saw the imperial officials in the capital. If some cultivator caused trouble, these people would immediately rush over to ask Brother River God to mediate. If my brother were in a bad mood, he would sometimes ignore them and leave them outside his temple for several days. During this time, those people wouldn’t even dare to make a peep. How utterly boring.”

The little girl in pink wanted to say something, yet she ultimately decided to remain silent.

The little boy in azure chuckled and said, “Master has already fallen asleep, yet the night is still young for me. I still don’t feel like going to sleep. Short as it may be, the spring night is worth thousands of taels of gold… Silly girl, why don’t you become my wife?”

The eyes of the little girl in pink instantly became red, and she scolded, “Stinky hooligan!”

The little boy in azure widened his eyes and exclaimed, “What’s wrong? This will be a huge fortune for you! In fact, it’s as if fortune is rising from the graves of your ancestors, understand?! Do you genuinely think that I like you? If I weren’t coveting the snake gall pebble that you’ve yet to obtain…”

The little girl stood up and announced, “I’m going to tell Master!”

The little boy had no option but to relent again. He furiously waved his hands and begged, “Don’t be like this, okay? Why don’t we become brother and sister with each other? After becoming sworn brother and sister, your things will become my things, and my things will also become my things…”

Carrying the bookcase on her back, the little girl in pink decided to run away from the little boy.

The little boy in azure stood up and laughed loudly as he placed his hands on his hips. Afterward, he pursed his lips and grumbled in a disinterested mood, “She’s truly a silly girl.”

He sprinted to the peak of a mountain cliff and suddenly declared in a loud voice, “In the world between heaven and earth, both you and I are travelers making temporary stops! Taking the silly girl with me, I’m going to return home with Master!”

Chen Ping’an should have been fast asleep, yet the corners of his lips curled up into a smile when he heard this. Only at this moment did he stop channeling the Eighteen Stops technique and truly fall asleep.

1. A custom where willow branches are broken off and offered as a farewell gift. ☜

2. An idiom extracted from ‘Liezi – Tangwen’. This refers to music so beautiful that one can’t forget it. ☜