Unsheathed

In Zhi Gui’s eyes, her next-door neighbor, Chen Ping’an, was enjoying a nap as he sat on a small stool and swayed back and

In the swordsman Cao Jun’s eyes, however, Chen Ping’an’s soul was shaking violently. It was as if he were a lone boat stuck in a tumultuous river and facing the grave danger of capsizing at any moment.

The fiery red fox was standing on Cao Jun’s shoulder at this moment, and it teased, “Even though I can’t determine the origin of that sword billet, I can confirm that its quality is definitely very high. In fact, even I’m feeling a bit envious. Yet, you’re actually going to give up on it after facing such a small setback? This isn’t like you at all, Cao Jun.”

Cao Jun tossed the sunflower seed shells into the courtyard next door before shaking his head and replying, “I’m not going to fight for it anymore. Old Man Cao is correct, and it’s important to keep a low profile and avoid making any big moves for the next little while. If I die, then everything will be over.”

However, the fiery red fox continued to persuade him, saying, “The same mistake shouldn’t be made three times, so you still have one chance remaining. Horses won’t grow fat without wild grass, and people won’t become rich without ill-gotten wealth. Cao Jun, you suffered a great setback when you were young, and your mind’s lake was pulverized into a puddle of mind, causing your cultivation to reach a dead end. If you don’t take an unconventional path, how can you possibly achieve great success?”

Cao Jun remained silent, and he simply lowered his head and continued to eat sunflower seeds. There was a gloomy look in his eyes.

He had enjoyed great fame ever since birth, and he had initially been regarded as a one-in-100-year sword prodigy in Southern Whirl Continent. He had been born with wisps of pure sword qi in his mind’s lake, and these wisps of sword qi had been slim and graceful like a lake full of lotuses. It was as if they had been waiting for the right moment to bloom.

However, Cao Jun had suffered a severe blow, and an incredibly powerful cultivator had forcefully obliterated his mind’s lake and annihilated almost all of the wisps of sword qi. It was as if the wisps of sword qi had become withered lotuses.

Afterward, Cao Jun had become the laughing stock of the entire Southern Whirl Continent. He had left many sword prodigies from the same generation as him in the dust during his youth, yet they were now surpassing him one after another.

The fiery red fox sighed in grief and used its paw to pat Cao Jun’s head. “What a pitiful little child. The foundation of your Sword Dao has been shattered, and your future has also been destroyed. After so many years, you’ve even lost the courage to challenge the heavens now.”

Cao Jun was slightly astonished as he turned his head to look toward Chen Ping’an’s home, and he remarked, “This young boy has a fairly decent disposition. I didn’t notice it at all before, and he’s actually managed to find his own method of cultivation.”

To experienced and knowledgeable cultivators from the mountains, most things in the world wouldn’t be frightening or astonishing anymore. However, they would still find these matters interesting and intriguing.

The fiery red fox was also slightly astonished. It jumped onto Cao Jun’s head and craned its neck to look into the distance. After observing Chen Ping’an’s internal struggle with the sword billet for a while, it said commented in a soft voice, “Mhm, it’s similar to a Buddhist hitching post[1]. It’s helping the young boy stabilize his soul boat, and it’s acting like an anchor to keep the small boat in place. His body is damaged and full of patchwork, and it’s truly remarkable that he’s been able to make it to this step.

“However, this still isn’t enough to subdue that sword billet. Cao Jun, things were far too smooth sailing for you before you were targeted and harmed, yet things have become far too difficult for you after that event. Perhaps the young boy’s experience today can provide you with some inspiration for your cultivation journey in the future…”

The faint smile completely vanished from Cao Jun’s face, and his expression gradually became solemn.

When it came to cultivation, one’s talent could be compared to a bowl used for food. Some people had very big bowls, yet what good would this do if an insufficient amount of rice was placed inside? They would still go hungry, and their achievements would naturally be limited.

During Cao Jun’s long journey, he had traveled from the magnificent Southern Whirl Continent all the way to the barbaric Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He had surprisingly benefited a lot from this journey, and all of the little things had added up to help him.

Chen Ping’an was extremely strong-willed as he battled against the sword billet, and he also had an “anchor” to help keep his soul stable and prevent it from being swept away. However, the spirit and vigor of the sword billet were far too immense, and it was using its raw strength to crash around in a ferocious manner.

The fiery red fox clapped its paws together and exclaimed in sinister delight, “He’s about to lose! Oh, how utterly pitiful… Perhaps he’ll have to lay in bed for 10 days or half a month. It’s clear that the sword billet has only just developed spirituality, and it’s because of this that it’s unable to fully channel and unleash its innate mystical powers. Otherwise, the young boy couldn’t have lasted until now.”

Even though Cao Jun’s cultivation base was inferior to that of the fox spirit on his head, the fiery red fox was walking a different cultivation path, after all. Thus, its observation of the situation was as if it were trying to look through an obstructing mountain. As a sword cultivator, however, Cao Jun naturally had his own unique observations. “That’s not necessarily the case,” he said.

“Huh? It seems like there are three extremely deep acupoints in the young boy’s body,” the fiery red fox exclaimed in surprise. “Perhaps he’s also a fairly decent sword prodigy? No, that can’t be it. These were most likely created afterward, though they appear completely flawless, as if they were innate. How extravagant. No wonder I wasn’t able to detect it straight away.”

It was mostly a mortal saying to claim that someone had “deep acupoints”, and this was used to describe someone who was shrewd and calculating. Moreover, this description carried a slightly negative connotation.

For cultivators, however, this description carried an extremely positive connotation. To have acupoints that were as deep and profound as mansions and cities… It was naturally the case that the taller and larger the better and more magnificent.

The fiery red fox sighed softly and remarked, “He’s such an ordinary-looking young boy, yet even he has such peculiar qualities that can’t be underestimated. Cao Jun, you should obediently listen to that old bastard and not cause too much trouble for the next while. Even though this shattered Jewel Small World is nothing more than a complicated realm in a small space, it’s truly a place that’s filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It is indeed a good idea to keep a lower profile.”

Cao Jun nodded and concurred, “Yes, we should live with our tails between our legs.”

The fiery red fox angrily stomped on Cao Jun’s head and shouted, “Untamable little bastard! I was warning you out of the goodness of my heart, yet you’re actually cursing me instead?!”

Chen Ping’an’s aura gradually became calm, and the sword billet that had enjoyed an advantage the entire time suddenly decided to stop fighting for some unknown reason. It started to quietly hover around inside a majestic acupoint.

Cao Jun stopped spying on the situation, and he said with a mischievous smile, “I heard that you have a younger sister called Qing Ying, and she’s also one of the old ancestors of the Fox Clan alongside you. She has the potential to grow a ninth tail, and Old Man Cao has coveted her beauty for many years. Is she genuinely very beautiful?”

The fiery red fox grabbed its tail and used it as a fan to lightly generate some cool air. It bared its teeth and replied, “Beautiful my ass. She’s always expressionless, and she’s never liked to smile ever since a young age. She’s also very haughty, and it’s clear that she’s someone who won’t enjoy good fortune. With this old bastard’s taste in women, even a female pig will appear divinely beautiful to him as long as its ass is big enough.”

Cao Jun hesitated for a moment before asking in a soft voice, “I heard that she’s been lingering around that Mighty Suppressing Pagoda for the past hundred years, so is she perhaps hoping to become that person’s maidservant or concubine?”

The fiery red fox let go of its tail and clutched its belly in loud laughter. It was as if it had just heard the most hilarious joke in the world. “Master Bai taking a fancy to her? As one of the great demon kings who has lived for the longest in the nine worlds, and as someone who has traveled every nook and cranny of two worlds, what kind of female hasn’t Master Bai seen? How can he take a fancy to such an ordinary little fox?”

The Sea Suppressing Pagoda was located on the southern shore of the Southern Whirl Continent, and the Cao Clan was coincidentally one of the guardians of this pagoda. Thus, Cao Jun was aware of many of its secrets.

The fiery red fox’s voice was low as it continued, “The sages of the three teachings have treated our Master Bai with injustice! It was clearly Master Bai who helped…”

“Stinky woman, are you seeking death?! Are you not going to shut up?!” Cao Xi bellowed from inside the house.

The fiery red fox suddenly came to its senses. Realizing that it had misspoken, it surprisingly looked up at the sky before putting its palms together and bowing deeply. It was as if it were sincerely repenting for its sin. Not only that, but it didn’t dodge Cao Xi’s attack either. The old man snapped his fingers and unleashed a wisp of sword qi that blasted the fiery red fox’s body apart.

“You spoke 20 words just then, so obediently face your punishment!”

One after another, Cao Xi unleashed 20 wisps of fierce sword qi at the fiery red fox who didn’t dodge a single one of them. In the end, Cao Jun carried the fox that was on the brink of death back inside the house.

However, Cao Xi was still unable to quell his anger, and he pointed at the fox in Cao Jun’s arms and yelled, “If you want to seek death, then why don’t you jump into Ruan Qiong’s sword furnace? That way, Ruan Qiong can still at least thank you for something. Don’t spout your bloody nonsense here and drag my Cao Clan down with you! The heavens are boundless and the earth is vast, and the founders of the three sects might not punish you for your words. However, what about their disciples? Not to mention anyone else, just what kind of temper does the master of Stalactite Mountain have? Are you not aware of this?! You cursed woman!”

The fiery red fox’s head tilted to the side. It had fallen unconscious.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Cao Jun said softly. “Without her, you wouldn’t be where you are today. You can indeed be a bad person or an evil person, but you still need to keep a bit of your conscience.”

Cao Xi suddenly stopped and glared at his descendant, who was no longer smiling, with a dark expression.

There was disdain on his face as he flicked his sleeve and said, “Piss off and tell that brat Cao Mao not to stoop to the same level as the Yuan Clan. Such short-sightedness, and with only the gains and losses they make in the Great Li Empire in mind… What a bunch of trash! Why don’t they go and die?! And they still have the face to come and visit me, their old ancestor? Tell them to piss off!”

Carrying the fox in his arms, Cao Jun turned around to leave with an apathetic expression.

Cao Xi stood in his ancestral home by himself, and he started to slowly pace around the courtyard.

Once upon a time, there had been a sickly old man here, one who had been bedridden in a poorly lit room year after year. There had also been an undutiful drunkard son, and this person had always been worried about the inevitable funeral expenses when the time came. Apart from them, there had also been a timid and easily influenced woman who would always wake up early and go to bed late. Not only had she needed to do housework, but she had also needed to work in the fields. When she was 30 years old, she had already appeared older than the other women who were in their forties in Clay Vase Alley.

At that time, however, there had been a mischievous and impoverished young boy who hadn’t been afraid of everything. He would smile and chuckle every day, and he would neither study nor do any work. Instead, he had always daydreamed about being able to buy one of the biggest mansions on Fortune Street one day. In terms of whether his grandfather and parents would still be alive when that day finally came — if it came at all — the young boy hadn’t considered this at all. He had been too busy lazing around and daydreaming.

No longer a young boy, the old man retrieved that rusty old copper coin and held it above his head. He looked through the square hole in the coin, and he looked through the square skywell above the courtyard.

Thinking back to the past, it was as if there had existed such a conversation.

“Mother, when I achieve great success in the future, I’ll let you sleep on piles of gold and silver.”

“Okay!”

“Mother, I’m being serious!”

“Hurry up and put that copper coin away. Or else if your father sees it, he’ll take it away again.”

…

Cao Xi pushed these thoughts out of his mind and looked around at his surroundings. There was self-deprecation in his voice as he said, “I’ve become an immortal, yet the human feeling of this place has completely disappeared…”

1. This doesn’t seem to be an actual thing, but this is referring to a hitching post for the mind. ☜