Unsheathed

Of course, the little boy in azure hadn’t actually gone to apologize to the pair of siblings that he viewed as nothing more than ants. Instead, he considered it a remarkable act of generosity that he hadn’t already crushed them into piles of mincemeat.

The little boy in azure clasped his hands behind his back, and after getting far away from the martial sage temple, he sprang up into the air before landing on a rooftop. There, he transformed into a plume of faint azure smoke that flew out of the city before rapidly rising up even further, ascendinging into the clouds and flying through the sky in a massive arc before landing on a mountaintop.

Having already reverted back to his true water snake form, he slammed into the ground with tremendous force, creating violent tremors that could be clearly felt even in the nearby small city.

The water snake slithered across the mountain, felling all of the trees in its wake and causing countless rocks to tumble down the mountain. After that, it swam upward against the current of a creek, sending water splashing in all directions before finally arriving at a gray cliff. The water snake then began to slither its way up the cliff, and even as its head reached the summit of the cliff, its tail was still dangling down at the foot of the cliff.

The few trees on top of the cliff were all uprooted and sent tumbling down through the air, but the furious water snake refused to relent, continuing on its rampage with even greater ferocity until the entire cliff collapsed under the weight of its fiery wrath.

Only after the dust had settled did the water snake adopt its human form again, following which it ran down the mountain like lightning.

Unbeknownst to the little boy in azure, a pair of figures had been observing him this entire time from a mountain summit several dozen kilometers away. One of those two figures was an elderly man in a Confucian robe who was holding an inkstone, within which was an old flood dragon that was snoring incessantly.

The man was none other than that former minister of Yellow Court Nation. Alternatively, he could also be referred to as the only remaining flood dragon of the ancient Shu Nation.

After obtaining those golden characters from the Scholarly Sage and establishing a secret pact with the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire, the old flood dragon had carried Cui Chan back to Great Sui Nation before returning to Yellow Court Nation, where he had begun capturing all flood dragon descendants in the inkstone.

With his formidable powers, he was able to scour deep into the earth and bodies of water alike, and aside from the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure that Cui Chan had personally captured, there were currently around a dozen more little creatures residing in the inkstone.

At this moment, there was a hunch-backed old woman standing next to the old flood dragon, and the old woman’s true form was a banded red snake that had grown up in the wilderness. It had stumbled upon a cultivation opportunity, and only after cultivating arduously for 500 years was it able to reach its current form.

It had only recently reached the seventh tier before it was discovered by the old flood dragon, who had plowed thousands of feet into a mountain to pluck the old woman out of her hiding spot before forcing her to submit to him. However, she was more than happy to be serving such a formidable and renowned master, and she didn’t feel disgruntled or indignant at all.

“What do you think?” the old flood dragon asked in an indifferent voice.

“This water snake has some rather lackluster mental attributes, but even I can’t help envy him for his aptitude and bloodline,” the old woman replied in a respectful manner.

The old flood dragon nodded in response. “He does indeed possess a decent bloodline, but he’s far too foolish and immature to make anything out of himself. It’s a pity that he’s squandering the secret fortune that’s been bestowed upon him.”

The old woman was rather taken aback to hear this, unsure of what the old flood dragon was referring to.

The old flood dragon had some water cupped in his hand as he stood in the heavens above the clouds, and through the use of a mystical ability, he was able to see everything that had just taken place in the abandoned martial sage temple using the handful of water.

If the little boy in azure had dared to attack Chen Ping’an or even just provoke him, the old flood dragon would’ve instantly killed him on the spot without any hesitation.

Deep down, the old flood dragon harbored an innate sense of distaste toward the little boy in azure, not because of the boy’s personality or anything he had done. Instead, it was purely due to a conflict in their bloodlines. There were many branches of flood dragon descendants under the heavens, and the branch that the little boy in azure belonged to generally possessed exceptional aptitude, thereby allowing them to progress rapidly in their cultivation.

However, at the same time, they were also the branch that true flood dragons detested the most. It was like an illegitimate child in an affluent clan going on to secure a decent mark in the imperial examination. They weren’t exactly destined for great things, but they were very much an eyesore.

The old woman didn’t have the old flood dragon’s cultivation base and foresight, so she wasn’t able to see what was so special about the little boy in azure.

As for his short temper, the old woman didn’t consider that to be a major flaw. The reason why her back was permanently hunched over was because not long after she first began cultivating, back when she was still at a very lowly cultivation base, she was captured by a snake hunter in the wilderness, and during the struggle, she suffered a severe injury with permanent effects.

As a result, even after she attained a human form, she was naturally hunch-backed. In an act of vengeance that came over two centuries after that incident, she sought out all of the snake hunter’s descendants and slaughtered them all in a single night, wiping out an entire middle-class clan in the prefectural city. She didn’t even spare so much as a single one of the women and children, putting a complete end to the snake hunter’s bloodline.

After that, the old woman still wasn’t satisfied, and she was cursing the fact that the snake hunter wasn’t a cultivator. Otherwise, she would’ve been sure to capture him and torment him to her heart’s content.

In the situation that had just unfolded, the little boy in azure had been able to completely rein in his temper, exercising sufficient restraint to contain his anger and only allow himself to erupt once he had entered the wilderness. In the old woman’s eyes, that was already a remarkable act of self-control.

The old flood dragon shook his head as he remarked, “Your aptitude is lacking compared with that little water snake, but you’re even more lacking in wisdom and foresight compared with that little fire python.”

The old woman was horrified to hear this, fearing that the old flood dragon would kill her on a whim.

During the time that she had spent by the old flood dragon’s side, not all of the flood dragon descendants that they had come across had been willing to submit to him, and all those who had dared to resist had been killed without any exception. After their deaths, their souls were unable to escape, and all of them were drawn into the inkstone, where they formed thin layers of ink.

“In the pursuit of the Great Dao, everyone is trying to get ahead of everyone else, and if you fall behind, you’ll only continue to be left further and further behind,” the old flood dragon mused. “Some people are fortunate enough to be able to progress rapidly in their cultivation without putting in any effort, yet others can work tirelessly day and night and still have nothing to show for it. Such is the cruel nature of cultivation.”

“Esteemed ancestor, is that boy really that remarkable?” the old woman asked, trying to change the subject to put herself in a safer position.

“The boy himself isn’t all that remarkable, but he has an extremely remarkable mentor,” the old flood dragon replied. “If the boy was on his own, then no matter how diligent and hard-working he is, he wouldn’t be able to reach very lofty heights as a martial artist. At the very most, he would only be able to reach the sixth tier or the seventh tier.”

Entering a river to become a flood dragon and entering the sea to become a dragon were two major hurdles that all flood dragon descendants dreamed of overcoming. The process required to achieve those objectives was bound to be an extremely arduous one, and it was a stern test of both the body and the mind.

With each successive tier came a molting process, and those were known as minor molts, while the two major molts took place during the two aforementioned major hurdles that all flood dragonkind aimed to overcome.

The old flood dragon strode through the air, stepping off the mountain summit, and the old woman was forced to reveal her true form in order to follow him. Thus, a banded red snake that was around 70 to 80 feet in length emerged before slithering through the air behind the old flood dragon.

The old flood dragon smiled as he said, “I’m not saying that the path that the boy is following is definitely correct. Perhaps it’s a path that will lead to ascension to incredibly lofty heights, but it could also be a path that leads to nowhere. Even if it happens to be the latter, that will still definitely be enough for that little water snake to evolve into a flood dragon.

“It’s just a pity that he doesn’t realize how fortunate he is, and he’s squandering the bright future laid out before him. He can’t blame the heavens for not dealing him a good hand. On the contrary, he’s been dealt a great hand, but he’s thrown it away.”

“With your unfathomable cultivation base and boundless wealth of knowledge and experience, you naturally possess far superior foresight to us, esteemed ancestor,” the banded red snake said. “All I need to do is follow your bidding without question, and I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be able to remain by your side and serve you.”

The old flood dragon merely smiled and offered no response.

There were actually many things that the old flood dragon had refrained from revealing to the banded red snake, and he had even intentionally said some things that were unbefitting of his status.

While it was true that Chen Ping’an’s martial arts aptitude wasn’t particularly outstanding, he also most certainly wasn’t as unremarkable as the old flood dragon proclaimed. Back when the old flood dragon had first encountered Chen Ping’an and the group of children on their way to Great Sui Nation, he had seen them through the lens of a mystical ability, and it had seemed to him that Chen Ping’an was the least remarkable of the bunch.

However, he then quickly noticed that everyone seemed to revolve around Chen Ping’an, as if he were the backbone and the spiritual leader of the group.

This was a profound and intangible quality.

On that rainy night, the flood dragon had seen the incredibly handsome white-robed young boy, the little girl in red with the little bookcase on her back, the distant and aloof young boy who had already embarked on the path of cultivation, the slender young girl with exceptional aptitude, the tall young boy who possessed remarkable Dragon Qi, and the cowardly little boy with much more potential than he realized himself.

Compared with all of them, Chen Ping’an had been nothing more than an afterthought in the old flood dragon’s eyes, but after observing the group for some time, his evaluation of Chen Ping’an had completely changed.

He was like a moon among stars, a tall mountain among hills.

He led the way from the front, silently assuring those behind him that even if the sky were to fall, he would carry it on his shoulders, and just his presence alone instilled within everyone a sense of calmness and reassurance.

————

Upon his return to the martial sage temple, the little boy in azure reverted back to his usual mischievous self, and Chen Ping’an also treated him just as he always had.

Initially, the little boy in azure was concerned that Chen Ping’an would go back on his word and retract the two snake gall pebbles that he had promised to give him, but after raising the question to Chen Ping’an, he was assured he would still be receiving the two snake gall pebbles, and that came as quite a relief.

As time went on, Chen Ping’an continued to behave as normal, going to the little boy in azure for sparring practice and riding atop the boy’s true form when required. In the face of the boy’s mischievous and unreasonable words and actions, Chen Ping’an would still display reactions of resignation and exasperation, but no annoyance or disdain.

However, the little boy in azure couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what that missing thing was.

As they drew closer and closer to Chen Ping’an’s hometown, the little boy in azure could see that the little girl in pink was becoming more and more joyful, and that was making him feel progressively more disgruntled.

Thus, after they officially entered the territory of the Great Li Empire, the little boy in azure pulled out one of his trump cards.

One day, at around dusk, as the three of them were traveling along a boardwalk that had already been abandoned for countless years, they decided to stop for some rest and start a fire in a spacious cave. Inside the cave, he carefully pulled a large porcelain bowl out of his pocket treasure. There was a small amount of water in the bowl that was releasing traces of Spiritual Qi, indicating that it was no ordinary water.

The little girl in pink was immediately able to tell that there was something special about the water in the bowl, but she was too shy to get closer for a better look. Thankfully, the little boy in azure had already made his way over to Chen Ping’an’s side with the bowl held in both hands. He then sat down beside Chen Ping’an as he said in a mysterious manner, “Let me show you something good, Master. It’ll be ready soon, just wait about 15 more minutes.”

The little boy in azure then turned to the little girl in pink with a gloating smile as he spread the fingers on one hand and continued, “I already have five bowls of this type of water from five different cultivating sects, including a bowl of water taken straight from the Rumbling Thunder Pool of Sun Scorch Mountain. Do you know how much money that cost me?

“That bowl of water alone is worth more than you are, and I had as many as seven bowls at my peak! Of course, you’re a fire python, so equivalent objects would be things like pieces of special firewood or sticks of incense, but I’m sure you don’t have even a single one of those things in your possession, right?”

Chen Ping’an took a glance at the proud little boy in azure and the embarrassed little girl in pink, and he asked, “What can you see through this little bowl of water?”

The little boy in azure merely smiled and offered no response, intentionally building some suspense.

The little girl in pink explained in a quiet voice, “Master, I once read from a book in the scripture library that cultivation is an extremely expensive endeavor, so there are many immortal sects that earn money by displaying some interesting images to outsiders, such as some exotic pieces of scenery in their sects, the daily lives of some renowned cultivating prodigies, or some powerful cultivators soaring through the heavens.

“Hence, outsiders will be able to get a glimpse into those sects without having to actually go there, and that saves them a lot of time and energy, but it’s also quite an expensive service.”

While the little girl in pink was offering this explanation to Chen Ping’an, she had been constantly sneaking glances at the bowl of water with envy in her eyes, and she was fiddling with her own fingers as she continued, “These things are really quite remarkable, Master. It requires those cultivating sects to provide some things that are connected with the natural fortune of their sects, such as a small chunk of shadow wall rock chiseled out of a mountain, a branch from a tree cut down in the sect, or in this case, this bowl of water from the Rumbling Thunder Pond of Sun Scorch Mountain.

“Prior to displaying an image, the item would present a line of text to the buyer, asking if they would like to see the image, and it’s up to them whether they’re willing to expend the Spiritual Qi in the item to have the image displayed. If they’re willing to go ahead with the transaction, then all they need to do is inject a bit of Spiritual Qi, and they’ll be able to see all types of images displayed to them by the sect through a mystical ability. It’s really fun!”

The little girl in pink was becoming more and more dejected as she spoke. “After reading about these types of items, I once asked the Cao Clan to purchase a piece of wood like this for me, and I gave them what they wanted in exchange, but after that, they kept on placating me, making up all types of excuses to avoid having to follow through on our agreement. In the end, I was too embarrassed to keep asking them, so I could only forget about the matter entirely.”

A smug look appeared on the face of the little boy in azure as he gloated, “That’s because you’re weak! If I were in your place, the Cao Clan wouldn’t have dared to not deliver on their promise!”

The little girl in pink became even more dejected upon hearing this.

Chen Ping’an patted her on the head as he consoled in a gentle voice, “Suffering a loss is actually a blessing in disguise. We learn from our losses so we won’t continue to suffer more losses in the future.”

The little girl in pink raised her head to look up at Chen Ping’an as she smiled and nodded in response.

In contrast, the little boy in azure rolled his eyes in exasperation, feeling as if he were looking at a pair of idiots.

A few moments later, he suddenly exclaimed in an ecstatic voice, “Here it comes!”

The water in the bowl began to ripple, and the little boy in azure snapped his fingers, upon which the water slowly rose up into the air from the bowl like gushing spring water before transforming into a screen of water as large as a piece of scenic artwork.

The image on the screen of water depicted a mountain that extended all the way up into the clouds, surrounded by a cluster of smaller mountains.

All of a sudden, a woman in white that was soaring through the air atop a flying sword appeared in the image without any warning. The woman had an antiquated gourd strapped to her waist, and she was flying rapidly toward the mountain summit. Initially, her figure in the image was no larger than a grain of rice, but it gradually expanded to around the size of a human hand, allowing the beholder to see her stunning yet cold features.

While she was still a small distance away from the mountain summit, the sword qi in the air took on a substantial form that resembled something halfway between cloud and mist, presenting a remarkable sight to behold.

Instead of continuing to ascend further, she stood still on her flying sword as she began to observe the abundant sword intent that the sword qi contained, and even through the image, one could sense the various auras imbued within the sword intent, some ancient and weathered, some as full of vigor as the sun rising over the sea, some as concentrated as the droplets of rain in a heavy storm.

The little boy in azure paid no heed to any of the sword qi in the image. Instead, he was staring at the woman standing atop the flying sword with an intense, unblinking gaze, and he was practically drooling as he said with a sly grin, “This is Celestial Maiden Su Jia of Sun Scorch Mountain, and she’s ones of my favorites. I rank her below only one other celestial maiden. Look at her figure and her disposition!

“Even that vulgar river god brother of mine admires Celestial Maiden Su Jia greatly, but he prefers more voluptuous women. As the saying goes, those who eat meat are vulgar and unsightly. I have to admit, the words of sages are always unerringly accurate.”

With a swipe of his finger, the perspective of the image changed so that he was able to see Su Jia from behind. He then made a gentle grabbing motion, and the image of Su Jia was expanded.

The little boy in azure had an idiotic grin on his face as he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, and it looked as if he were itching to press his face against the image of Su Jia’s back. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that Chen Ping’an and the little girl in pink were present, he would’ve most likely already done just that.

The little boy in azure had an extremely animated look on his face as he said, “Celestial Maiden Su Jia is still as beautiful as ever, but Daoist Nun He Xiaoliang is still number one in my books! She’s a celestial maiden among celestial maidens, and immortal among immortals!

“I’m willing to give up 100 years of my lifespan just to be able to hold her hand once, and that’s not even an exaggeration! If anyone can introduce me to He Xiaoliang, I would gladly become their son, or even their grandson!”

Chen Ping’an was looking at the cloud and mist formed by the sword intent, and it was truly a spectacular sight, but no matter how intently he scrutinized the image, he was unable to make sense of what he was seeing.

Thus, he quickly withdrew his gaze and began to search for a certain figure in the image, namely that Mountain-moving Ape that had previously wreaked havoc in the small town. Unfortunately for him, Su Jia was the only person in the image. If he recalled correctly, Su Jia seemed to be the one that the swordsman by the name of Liu Baqiao from Wind Lightning Field had a crush on.

Around 15 minutes later, the image on the screen of water faded, and the screen of water itself suddenly fell out of the air, reverting back into a small bowl of water.

However, the water level in the bowl had clearly dropped slightly.

The little boy in azure stowed away the white bowl along with the water inside, then rubbed his hands together as he paced back and forth with a gleeful expression. “Due to that display of sword qi that we witnessed on the summit of Sun Scorch Mountain, we went through quite a bit of water, but that was definitely a worthwhile sacrifice!

“I’ve observed Sun Scorch Mountain from afar on many past occasions, but I’ve only caught fleeting glances of Celestial Maiden Su Jia a few times, but this time… Tsk tsk, I wasn’t able to tell before, but Celestial Maiden Su Jia is truly a stunning woman…”

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet in silence, then made his way onto the boardwalk outside the cave. Gusts of wind were blowing through the mountains, causing his clothes to flutter to the side.

However, given that he had already consolidated his second tier cultivation base and with all of the pouches of soil that he had collected from all the mountains he had scaled, Chen Ping’an had become as immovable as a mountain, and it was almost as if he had fused as one with the mountain face behind him.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an exclaimed in an elated voice, “It’s snowing!”

He reached out to catch the falling snow in his hands, maintaining this posture as he turned to the little girl in pink and the little boy in azure with an ecstatic expression, “Come and look! It’s snowing!”

Indeed, snow had suddenly begun to fall out of the sky.

Each year had 24 solar terms, and many of the solar terms for this year had already passed by one by one. Even during the minor snow solar term [1] that had passed by during their return journey, there had only been some rainfall.

However, this day just so happened to have been a day in the major snow solar term, [2] and there really was snowfall observed.

After calling out to the pair of children, Chen Ping’an continued to catch the falling snowflakes with his hands, raising his head to the heavens as he murmured happily to himself, “It’s snowing!”

The little girl in pink had never seen her master so happy, and she skipped joyfully to his side.

The little boy in azure had never seen someone so childish and immature, and he was rooted to the spot, wondering if there was any point to living if he had to serve a master like this.

1. The 20th out of 24 solar terms. ☜

2. The 21st of 24 solar terms ☜