Unsheathed

Dusk arrived, and Chen Ping’an was like a pitiful person unable to wake up from a nightmare as he lay in the tub of medicinal water. Even though he was fast asleep, his aura was still extremely chaotic and only just starting to show signs of calming down.

The little girl in pink stood on her tippy-toes and leaned on the rim of the large tub. Her forehead was filled with sweat. She was afraid that her master would die from pain, afraid that he would die from drowning, and afraid that he would never wake up from his slumber. She looked at him with her eyes wide open. In reality, however, she couldn’t do anything at all.

Night set in, and the little girl in pink felt slightly more at ease as she walked out from the first floor of the bamboo building. She sat down in the bamboo chair next to the little boy in azure.

The two of them remained silent for a long time. The little boy in azure suddenly broke the silence and said quietly, “Silly girl, I’ve made a decision. I’m truly, truly going to cultivate earnestly from now on.”

The little girl in pink was in low spirits, and she replied in a listless voice, “Why? Didn’t you say that our cultivation relies only on talent? You also said that your cultivation level would rise explosively even if you lay down and did nothing.”

The little boy in azure hung his head in a rare sight, and he revealed, “I don’t want to come across people who can kill me with a single punch every time I enter or exit the mountains.”

The little girl in pink felt like this would be very difficult. However, her master had already been reduced to such a pitiful state today, so she wasn’t willing to deflate the little boy beside her any further. After all, it was still only the first month of the new year.

The little boy in azure raised his head and held his fist high in the air before declaring, “I’m going to strive to become strong enough so that those people need two punches to kill me!”

The little girl in pink couldn’t help but feel like something was off. This was a fairly awkward feeling.

A lofty ambition? This didn’t seem like one. A short-sighted goal? This didn’t seem correct either.

The little boy in azure started to pump himself up, saying, “As an impressive and heroic being who cares greatly about morality and justice in the martial arts world, I don’t want to end up in a situation where I have to hide behind Chen Ping’an every time I come across those people. That will bring far too much shame to my title of ‘Chivalrous Young Man from the Imperial River’. I’m going to let Chen Ping’an know that I’m someone who is genuinely loyal and faithful! I’m going to let him know that my words are more than just empty promises!”

This time, the little girl in pink raised a small fist and waved it around as she sincerely said, “You can do it!”

At this moment, the little boy in azure who genuinely looked down on the fire python finally felt a little moved. As it turned out, even though this silly girl was indeed a bit stupid, she was quite adorable and likable as well.

He immediately reverted back to his original self, with a cheeky grin appearing on his face. He smiled mischievously and asked, “Silly girl, have you given my proposal some more thought? Why don’t you become my wife? When we have time, we can enjoy ourselves under the bed sheets? Even though I don’t exactly like you right now, mortals often get engaged because of a matchmaker’s words or have their marriages arranged before they’re even born.

“Feelings can be nurtured, and things will be fine as long as you like me. If you’re sincere enough, even mountains can be moved. So, there will eventually come a day when I start to like you as much as you like me. Just thinking about this makes you elated, right?”

The little girl in pink was on the verge of tears, and she exclaimed, “You’re so shameless! I’m going to tell Master!”

“Master is sleeping, and he doesn’t have the time or effort to deal with you.”

The little boy in azure chuckled and continued, “A big opportunity has fallen from the heavens, yet you’ve failed to grab it with both hands. Forget about it, you’re truly a silly girl! Chen Ping’an is only treating you like a treasure because he hasn’t seen enough of the world yet. If it were me, I would have only given you one high-quality snake gall pebble at most.”

The little girl in pink puffed her cheeks and huffed, “Please call him Master!”

The little boy in azure fell silent, and he placed his hands behind his head and gazed into the distance. “Yeh, Chen Ping’an is our Master,” he said softly.

————

Chen Ping’an woke up in the depths of the night. He was able to move and walk freely, but his condition was terrible. Somehow, all of his broken ribs had been mended already, though they were yet to fully heal. However, this was a clear reflection of the fact that Wei Bo genuinely hadn’t wasted those 80,000 taels of silver. If someone else had gone to Cloth Wrapper Shop to purchase these medicinal ingredients, even 160,000 taels of silver might not have been enough. This was the worth of the formal god of the Northern Mountain.

Chen Ping’an changed into a set of brand-new clothes. However, he didn’t dare to leave the bamboo building, and he quietly sat down near the door after the little girl in pink considerately brought a small bamboo chair over.

He didn’t say anything, and he sat there all the way until the sun peeked over the horizon. After practicing standing meditation for a while, he stood up and walked inside a room on the first floor. He climbed into bed and went to sleep.

That same afternoon, the old man opened his eyes and stood up. “It’s time to start training. You’ll only be tempering your soul today, and this is a process of removing the impure and keeping the pure,” he said in a solemn voice.

Chen Ping’an woke up and opened his eyes. He sighed and quietly made his way to the room on the second floor.

Afterward, he was carried out of the room by the little boy in azure again. Just like the day before, he woke up in the middle of the night. He ate some food, and he forced himself to swallow it down even though he didn’t have any appetite at all. Looking at her master’s trembling hand as he held his chopsticks, and seeing him drop his food several times, the little girl in pink immediately started to cry again.

The little boy in azure simply kept his head down and ate.

This time, Chen Ping’an rested for a short while before sitting down next to the door and practicing standing meditation with trembling hands. After practicing for a bit, he quickly stood up and went to sleep.

Ten entire days passed, and three sessions were spent tempering his soul while one session was spent tempering his physique.

The old man struck the right balance each time, guaranteeing that Chen Ping’an would suffer more and more with each subsequent training session. Thus, there didn’t exist any notion or possibility of getting used to this or becoming accustomed to the pain.

Chen Ping’an became increasingly withdrawn, and it was often the case that he wouldn’t say a single word for an entire day.

The little girl in pink would occasionally ask him something or say something to cheer him up, and in the beginning, Chen Ping’an would simply smile and shake his head. Afterward, however, he would frown in reply. The last time, an expression of fury had spread across his face. Even though it was clear that Chen Ping’an had been forcefully suppressing his anger, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink had still been absolutely terrified by this.

At that time, Chen Ping’an had wanted to say something, yet he couldn’t help but hesitate. His lips had moved slightly, but he ultimately didn’t say anything. In the end, he had gone to lie down in bed. With his eyes shut, it had been difficult to tell whether he was asleep or still awake. In fact, it had been difficult to tell whether he was dead or alive.

One time, the little boy in azure had asked Wei Bo just how much pain and suffering Chen Ping’an was going through when he endured the old man’s beatings.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Bo had replied that on the first day, the pain that Chen Ping’an had suffered was equivalent to that of mortals having their fingers chopped into mincemeat. Both bone and flesh would be completely crushed, and one would have to remain conscious the entire time. Afterward, the punishment would only get worse by the day.

This was only the pain and suffering on the first day…

After that, the little boy in azure didn’t ask Wei Bo the same type of question again.

He started to cultivate.

He started to cultivate even more earnestly than the little girl in pink.

One night, Chen Ping’an was sitting slumped in a bamboo chair. Wei Bo slowly walked over and stood beside him, accompanying him as they gazed at the radiant moon hanging in the sky together.

“Wei Bo, can I please trouble you with asking Master Ruan when the sword is going to be done?” Chen Ping’an asked in a hoarse voice.

Wei Bo couldn’t bring himself to smile this time, and he could only sigh and reply with a nod, “Alright, I’ll go and ask him. However, let me say this first. This is the first time that Ruan Qiong is forging a sword after leaving Wind Snow Temple, so he’s definitely treating it with utmost importance. Because of this, it’s very likely that he won’t be willing to get distracted. As such, he might not be able to answer me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

He was already at a point where he no longer cared about the fact that he was spending exorbitant amounts of money. During the first few days, he had still silently added up the costs in his mind. Afterward, however, he completely lost the motivation to do this.

For the past few days, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink had avoided him whether consciously or not. They didn’t distract him, and they allowed him to rest by himself.

When Chen Ping’an stood up, he said to Wei Bo in a quiet voice, “Help me pass on a message and tell them that I’m sorry. I’m not doing this on purpose, but I’m genuinely unable to control myself sometimes.”

“Why don’t you tell them yourself?” Wei Bo asked.

Chen Ping’an faltered upon hearing this. However, a bitter smile quickly appeared on his face, and he explained, “I don’t know why, but I feel like I get very tired every time I think about this matter. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to endure the training tomorrow if I go over and say this by myself.”

Wei Bo nodded and said, “This is quite an iffy explanation, but I can somewhat understand your feelings. I’ll help you pass on the message, and I’m sure that they’ll understand your difficulties as well.”

It was quite normal for martial artists to undergo this kind of grueling training one time or several times with sufficient intervals between different sessions. However, it was very likely that few of them would undergo this kind of torturous training day in and day out with no break in between.

The old man quietly arrived on the balcony of the second floor. He smiled after hearing their conversation, and he turned around and returned to the room where he sat down.

It was only natural that Wei Bo couldn’t fully comprehend Chen Ping’an’s feelings. This was because the old man’s training sessions could also be regarded as a type of cumulative Deity Drumming Technique. In other words, these training sessions subtly tempered a deeper level of one’s mind and heart.

Tempering one’s physique, washing one’s meridians, and strengthening one’s bones was the first step. Meanwhile, building up one’s courage and toughening one’s soul was the second step. However, the true test was what came after this — piercing one’s heart. It was as if the old man had been striking the young boy’s heart with a large awl again and again. One could imagine just how brutally painful this was.

In fact, even the old man was very astonished at the fact that the young boy still hadn’t gone crazy yet. He was still gritting his teeth and persisting, and he still refused to give up and abandon this training. In addition to this, the mystical nature of the bamboo building was also truly wonderful and indescribable.

Chen Ping’an lay down in bed and wrapped the blankets around himself. His entire body was curled up, and he forcefully held a hand to his mouth as he faced the wall.

The sound of whimpering escaped from the gaps between his fingers.

Another 10 days passed.

During these 10 days, the torture that he faced was even more brutal and merciless than before.

Among these sufferings, the old man had demanded Chen Ping’an to skin himself and sever his own tendons. Using his own two hands!

One night, the young boy who was bandaged up like a zongzi[1] suddenly stood up from the bamboo chair that he was sitting on. With his body swaying back and forth, he hobbled toward the cliff in front of the bamboo building.

It seemed as if he wanted to practice walking meditation which he already hadn’t practiced for many days. However, after doing it a single time, he had no option but to stop and give up.

Chen Ping’an dazedly turned around and looked at the small town. His lips were quivering, and he wanted to cry. However, no tears were forthcoming.

“Wei Bo, I know you’re nearby. Can you bring me a pot of wine?” he suddenly asked.

Wei Bo nodded and replied, “I have one on me.”

A pot of wine that had already been opened slowly descended from the sky and hovered in front of Chen Ping’an. The young boy grabbed it before turning to the bamboo building and asking, “Can I drink it?”

A cold humph traveled over from the second floor of the bamboo building, and the old man replied, “What’s wrong with drinking wine? If you’re capable enough, you should challenge the Dao Ancestor or Buddha in the future. Now, that would be gutsy and impressive!”

Chen Ping’an turned back around. The moon was bright and the stars were few. He gazed at the mountains and waters in the distant south, and he lowered his head and took a sniff of the wine.

He had once carried a drunk old scholar on his back, and the old scholar had furiously slapped his head and exclaimed, “Failing to be unrestrained is failing to make the most of your youth. You definitely have to drink!”

A dazzling smile suddenly spread across Chen Ping’an’s expressionless face. He tilted his head back and drank a large mouthful of wine. However, he immediately started to cough nonstop. Even so, this didn’t stop him from raising the pot of wine and yelling at the top of his lungs, “If I decide to drink, then I’m going to drink! If I decide to practice fist techniques, then I’m going to practice fist techniques!”

After holding on for a long while, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but shed tears as he choked on the large mouthful of wine. “Alcohol tastes so disgusting…” he grumbled quietly.

However, he still forced himself to drink another mouthful, and he continued to cough as he declared loudly, “The books say, ‘A beauty gifts me a golden saber coin[2], fine jade I shall give her in return!’[3] The wine tastes disgusting, but this line is truly as beautiful as can be!”

In the end, Chen Ping’an’s face flushed slightly red for some mysterious reason. It was difficult to say whether this was because of the wine or because he was feeling embarrassed.

He softly called out to the distance, as if he were quietly asking some young girl that he liked, “Hey, did you hear me?”

1. Chinese dish made from glutinous rice stuffed with fillings and wrapped up in large leaves. ☜

2. A type of saber-shaped coin used in ancient China. This type of coin was first created during Wang Mang’s rule. ☜

3. Extract from Zhang Heng’s poem, Four Sorrows Poem. Zhang Heng was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman who lived during the Han dynasty. This line is a metaphor for the poet’s care and worry for state affairs. ☜