Unsheathed

There were three large sandalwood chairs, and between each two chairs, there was also a small table with a plate of tea leaves. This was bitter sparrow’s tongue tea[1], a famous local produce of Complete Reed Continent. There was no need to cook this tea using boiling water, and one could simply chew on the raw tea leaves.

It would taste slightly rough at the start, and this would gradually change into a bitter flavor. After six to seven minutes, however, it would surprisingly become far sweeter and much more refreshing than ordinary tea. Thus, people jokingly referred to this as the “six-minute fragrance tea”.

The battle was yet to begin, so with nothing better to do, Chun Shui explained the mysterious effects of the tea leaves to Chen Ping’an, who was already chewing on them.

As it turned out, this kind of tea leaf could cleanse one’s liver and improve one’s eyesight. It was enjoyed by the wealthy clans in three continents, and literati and great Confucian scholars also liked to use them as gifts. In some empires and nations where tea was popular, many people would also use this type of tea as a kind of “refined bribery”[2]. For these occasions, people would gift large boxes of sparrow’s tongue tea instead of only a few dozen grams.

When it came to seeing off banished officials or traveling friends, people would do everything they could to get their hands on some sparrow’s tongue tea to use as gifts. In a sense, this carried the beautiful omen of sweetness coming after bitterness.

Apart from this, there were also all kinds of expensive and exquisite fruits and desserts on the tables. Against the rare sparrow’s tongue tea — even an ounce was extremely difficult to obtain — however, these fruits and desserts appeared far inferior in comparison.

The relationship between people from the mountains and people from outside the mountains was far more tight-knit than Chen Ping’an had imagined. Perhaps there existed an insurmountable gulf between these two types of people, but there also existed numerous bridges that spanned across this gulf. There were all kinds of interactions between the two sides, and contained within these interactions were opportunities to obtain huge wealth.

Chen Ping’an pricked his ears up and listened to Chun Shui’s explanations. At the same time, he imperceptibly observed his surroundings, mainly focusing on the three groups of people in front of them. It was without a doubt that they were all wealthy immortals from the mountains.

The Kun ship had set off from Complete Reed Continent, so even though it was possible for these people to be returning cultivators, it was still more likely than not that they were locals from Complete Reed Continent. After all, even the little children were armed with swords. They were simply armed with short swords instead of long swords.

However, regardless of whether they were old or young, men or women, none of them had any flashy decorations on their swords. There were almost no unnecessary embellishments, and the sword scabbards weren’t inlaid with any precious stones either. There was certainly no exquisite tassel hanging from the hilts of their swords.

Directly in front of Chen Ping’an was a large family, and an extremely tall woman sitting in the master’s seat. Her cheekbones were high up, and she definitely couldn’t be regarded as a beautiful person. In addition, her aura was overbearing, and her lips were habitually pursed. She also liked to squint when she looked at other people.

Sitting beside the tall woman was a refined-looking man who was diligently running errands for her. His appearance was handsome, and his face was as smooth as jade. However, he would bow slightly and smile obsequiously whenever he talked to the tall woman, and didn’t appear like the master of the family at all. If it weren’t for his seat saying otherwise, one could easily mistake him for being a pretty boy kept by the tall woman.

There was a little boy who looked to be around four or five years old in his arms, and he had a delicate little face that followed after his father. He looked especially adorable. However, his aura followed that of his mother, and this wasn’t so adorable.

There was also an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin, and she was the teacher of the clan. Standing beside her was a pretty maidservant, and her aura was just as cold and aloof as the old woman’s.

Apart from them, there was also a tall and burly middle-aged man sitting on the left-hand side of the tall woman. He would occasionally turn around to glance at the diligent man with a hint of ridicule tugging at the corners of his lips. If they locked eyes, the burly man wouldn’t conceal his expression of ridicule in the least. Instead, he would openly widen his grin of ridicule. However, the man who was the master of the family would surprisingly nod and smile in a subservient manner.

While appreciating the beauty of the Flower and Bird Scroll, Chen Ping’an seized the opportunity to observe all of these minor details.

Qiu Shi couldn’t stop herself from taking a few extra glances in that direction, and it wasn’t long before Chun Shui noticed this and pinched her on the arm. However, the burly middle-aged man surprisingly turned around and flashed a fake smile at her, revealing his menacingly white teeth. Qiu Shi hurriedly lowered her head in fright, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

When the burly middle-aged man turned back around, Chun Shui viciously stomped on Qiu Shi’s foot, causing her to draw a sharp breath. She looked at her older sister with a pouty expression.

To the left was a lone old man in Confucian robes. There was an old mink fur hat on his head, and he was sitting cross-legged in the chair with his boots on the floor. He looked slightly strange and funny as he sat huddled in the big chair.

To the right were two young sword cultivators, one male and one female. They appeared fairly young, and they looked to be in their early twenties. However, it was difficult to say what their true age was.

The young man’s sword was resting across his knees, and he was lightly patting the sword scabbard as he sat in his chair.

The young woman had a sword tied to her waist. Apart from this, there was no pearl hairpin in her hair, but there was instead a small dull sword. There was a snow-white pearl as big as a soybean hanging from the hilt of the small sword, and it was glowing with a bright and upright radiance.

Was this not announcing to the world that she had a peculiar treasure?

Perhaps this was the very definition of boldness stemming from power. Chen Ping’an could only think of such an explanation.

In any case, none of the three groups of people sitting in the front row appeared like pushovers.

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath before halting his breathing and gathering his concentration. He focused his attention on the large scroll.

The Mountain-moving Ape from Sun Scorch Mountain — this was one of his enemies.

Moreover, he was a mortal enemy that Chen Ping’an definitely had to exact revenge on.

Liu Baqiao from Wind Lightning Field — he could be considered an old acquaintance. However, this person had somehow fallen for Sun Scorch Mountain’s Celestial Maiden Su Jia. Back then, Ning Yao had asked Liu Baqiao a very difficult question regarding this matter.

Sitting in his seat and observing the scroll, Chen Ping’an suddenly thought of a matter. He turned around and told Chun Shui and Qiu Shi to eat the sparrow’s tongue tea leaves as well.

This time, however, even Qiu Shi shook her head in earnest.

Chun Shui secretly pointed at the Kun ship supervisor standing in front of the railings. Chen Ping’an understood her meaning, and he asked, “Then can I bring some back? Or am I only allowed to eat it here?”

Chun Shui flushed slightly red in embarrassment, and she replied in a timid voice, “Young Master, you are allowed to bring it back, but I don’t remember anyone ever doing this before.”

Chen Ping’an cracked a grin and openly grabbed a handful of tea leaves and placed them inside his sleeves. He raised his voice slightly and said, “These tea leaves are incredible, so I need to carefully sample them and enjoy them again when I return to my room.”

Chen Ping’an quietly waited for the battle to begin.

Right at this moment, however, a soft and vaguely familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind, calling, “Chen Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an felt an instinctive urge to look around. However, he quickly suppressed this urge. Using his extremely good memory, he soon matched this voice to a face.

The first time he had seen her was at the Azure Cow Ridge in the small town. Back then, Chen Ping’an had felt like she and her companion were a pair of immortals who had walked out from a painting. They were the Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the continent, and they appeared like an ethereal immortal couple.

Her name was He Xiaoliang.

It was said that she was a renowned Daoist nun from Divine Edict Sect, and she was also the celestial maiden who the little boy in azure admired and liked the most. He liked her even more than Su Jia. In fact, he had once said something that was half joke and half true — if he were given the opportunity to touch Celestial Maiden He’s hand once, then he wouldn’t hesitate for a second even if it meant losing 100 years from his lifespan.

The gentle voice continued to sound in Chen Ping’an’s mind, saying, “Can you return for a moment? There’s something I need to discuss with you. There are always people and prying eyes around here, so I can only seize this opportunity to talk with you.”

Chen Ping’an weighed this up in his mind. After taking a glance at the vermilion wine gourd hanging by his waist, he replied in his mind, “Okay”.

He stood up and told Chun Shui that he needed to return to his room for a moment.

Chun Shui wanted to lead the way, but Chen Ping’an smiled and said that there was no need. His room wasn’t far from here, so how could he get lost?

Chen Ping’an accepted the key from her hand and silently left the crowd of spectators by himself.

————

There were many stools and chairs, and there was also a sea of people crowded around the scroll.

Standing at the very back was an impoverished young Daoist priest with a peach wood sword on his back. He didn’t have the strength to fight for a better spot, and he was also a bashful person who didn’t like to engage in conflict with others. Thus, he dazedly stood at the very back, unable to do anything.

There was also a small stool in his hands, but he discovered that many spectators were already standing on the rows of chairs and stools in front of him. Not only that, but there were also little children sitting on the shoulders of their parents or guardians. Thus, even if he stood on his stool, would he be able to see anything at all?

He had only just advanced to the third tier, and was far from reaching the fifth tier where one could breathe wind, drink dew, and not need to ingest any food. The Kun ship was traveling south from Complete Reed Continent, and this would be a long journey with few stops and few opportunities to disembark the ship.

Only Qi refiners at the fifth tier, the Abode Tier, could start to travel on wind, but if one wanted to jump down from the Kun ship, then perhaps even the Sea Observation Tier wouldn’t be enough. Only powerful cultivators at the eighth tier, the Dragon Gate Tier, could genuinely travel on wind without being restricted by heaven and earth.

The young Daoist priest was only stuck in such an awkward position because of a small accident during his journey to the south. Firstly, he had given into his impulse and purchased two talismans that were incredibly expensive for someone like him. Secondly, he had engaged in a perilous battle and gone to much difficulty to slay a demon and obtain a treasured pearl.

He had initially wanted to sell it for a fair price, yet he had unexpectedly failed to reach an agreement with the shop on the Kun ship. The shop had been willing to purchase it, yet they had offered a price far below the young Daoist priest’s bottom line.

The young Daoist priest had initially wanted to rely on this income to improve his situation and overcome this challenging period of time. If there were some leftover money, then he might have even spoiled himself once and chosen a medium-grade room to stay in.

However, plans would often go awry.

Just a single copper coin short could become a huge and insurmountable obstruction, even for heroes. Moreover, he was no hero at all. He was simply a pitiful Daoist priest who yearned to slay demons and vanquish fiends. However, few things were going according to his plans, and some things were even going against his plans.

After all, would a genuine Heavenly Master from the Zhang Clan accept taels of silver from someone and agree to subdue demons for them, yet wound up ruining their initially well-off family and causing them to suffer many casualties?

In the end, the two surviving members of the family were simple and naive children who didn’t blame him for being incompetent. However, the young Daoist priest naturally blamed himself for this terrible outcome.

Upon thinking of this, the rims of the young Daoist priest’s eyes became slightly red. He put his stool down and sat there with his hands on his knees. With a peach wood sword on his back, the young Daoist priest appeared slightly dazed and lost. He suddenly thought to himself, was he wrong?

Was he wrong to give up his scholarly title from the imperial examination and choose to pursue Dao instead? After finding a master and learning some skills, was he wrong to excitedly leave the mountains to subdue demons and fiends before he had fully mastered those abilities? Was he wrong from the beginning?

These were genuinely saddening thoughts, and the extremely guilty and remorseful Daoist priest raised a fist and lightly hammered his chest. It was as if this could make him feel slightly better.

However, he suddenly noticed a hand in front of him, and there was an exquisite jade pendant engraved with the characters “Ceremony Mountain Heaven Grade” resting in this hand. He looked up, only to see a tanned but proper-looking young boy. The young boy smiled and said, “I’m staying in a premium room, so if you truly want to enter to watch the battle, then you can borrow this jade pendant and head to the second row. Look for the sisters called Chun Shui and Qiu Shi and tell them… that you’re Chen Ping’an’s friend. They’re twin sisters, so they should be very easy to find. They look very similar to each other.”

The young Daoist priest quietly opened his mouth in a daze. He didn’t know what to say.

Chen Ping’an stuffed the jade pendant into the young Daoist priest’s hand before turning around to jog away. While doing so, he looked back and reminded the young Daoist priest, “Remember to return the jade pendant to me after finding my seat.”

As Chen Ping’an jogged back to his room, he thought to himself that the young Daoist priest was far too stubborn and serious. He was merely unable to see that Flower and Bird Scroll clearly, so was there any need to be so inconsolably sad? Chen Ping’an had coincidentally been passing by, and the sight of this had caused him to falter in surprise. As a mature young boy, the young Daoist priest had actually been wiping away tears? Perhaps he was like Liu Baqiao and the little boy in azure? Perhaps he was also an admirer of Celestial Maiden Su Jia?

However, these weren’t the main reasons for Chen Ping’an handing the jade pendant to him.

Instead, Chen Ping’an had been reminded of that cold winter night when he was only five years old. He had walked up and down Clay Vase Alley again and again, yet all of the doors had remained tightly shut. Back then, he had also cried in secret like this.

In any case, they were both passengers on the Kun ship, so the young Daoist priest who appeared even more impoverished than him didn’t have anywhere to flee even if he wanted to. Taking many steps back, he could put the bill under Wei Bo’s name even if the jade pendant was truly lost. He could simply return the money to Wei Bo the next time they met. Since Ceremony Mountain was already doing them such a big favor, they most likely wouldn’t mind doing them some additional favors as well.

If this wasn’t possible, then Chen Ping’an still had heaps of money inside his pocket treasure, Fifteenth!

————

Right now, there was a young Daoist nun sitting in the study inside Chen Ping’an’s premium residence. She was dressed in loose Daoist robes and gently flicking through the pieces of paper that were filled with regular script characters on the

She was incredibly beautiful.

The Daoist nun was sitting in a lazy posture, with one hand supporting her cheek and one hand flicking through the pieces of paper.

Perhaps it was her demeanor and posture at this moment that attracted Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin the most. Perhaps this was the reason why the youngest sword immortal from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was unable to relieve his worries and sadness even after drinking flask after flask of beautiful and potent wines.

He was using wine to extinguish his glooms, but the more he drank, the gloomier he became. This initially carefree sword immortal who had traveled all over the world and witnessed all the mountains and rivers was so gloomy that his internal organs were almost about to shatter.

1. Sparrow’s tongue tea is a type of rare and expensive green tea. ☜

2. Bribery without using money. ☜