Unsheathed

This was a stunning sight to behold, considering that it was only a pure martial artist breaking through to the fourth tier, and it made Song Yushao feel like it was worth living a few more years, even though the current state of the world was one that he abhorred.

Song Yushao gently patted the old sword strapped to his waist, which had sensed the immense aura erupting out of Chen Ping’an. He could tell that the sword was raring to be let out of its scabbard.

A slightly forlorn look appeared on Song Yushao’s face as he sighed, “If Gaofeng were still alive, perhaps he would be the one standing here tonight.”

The second villa master of Sword Water Villa, Song Gaofeng, was Song Fengshan’s father, and he had also been a top-rate prodigy in the way of the sword. Unfortunately, he had been weighed down by romantic affairs, and that had ultimately led to his ruin. Song Yushao had actually played a very big role in this tragedy, and it had always been his biggest regret.

The reason for this was that Song Fengshan’s mother was a mountain spirit, which was a taboo despised by humans. However, at the time, Song Yushao had been at the height of his powers, and he didn’t care about what others thought of him. With his sword in his hand, he had reigned supreme in Water Combing Nation.

During one of his outings, he saved a pure and kindhearted little girl who turned out to be a plant spirit that had attained a human form. Not only did Song Yushao not look down on her for this, he took her back to the villa, and over time, she and Song Gaofeng developed feelings for one another. Song Yushao remained true to himself, not raising any objections to this, and in the end, the two of them became husband and wife.

If that had been the end of the matter, then this would have been a happy story. However, fate was often a cruel and fickle mistress. Song Gaofeng’s wife had a garden that she carefully nurtured, and it was filled with abundant spiritual energy, allowing it to thrive all year round.

At some point, a rumor began to spread, claiming that the plants in the garden were equivalent to miracle pills, and that consuming a single one would allow one to gain over a decade’s worth of cultivation base. After that, people began stealing plants from the garden, but the kindhearted woman simply turned a blind eye to this, allowing the thieves to do as they pleased.

The villa also released a public statement, informing everyone that the plants in the garden could only extend one’s lifespan slightly, but provided no benefit to one’s cultivation. As time passed, everyone began to realize that this was indeed the case, and the garden was left alone.

However, one day, someone picked the majority of the plants in the garden, and they still weren’t satisfied after that, trampling the rest of the plants to death. The plants in the garden had no benefit to one’s cultivation base, but the garden itself was the woman’s Dao attainment catalyst, and its destruction sent her spiraling into a deep depression, ultimately leading to a grave illness.

Song Gaofeng was able to track down the culprit, and as it turned out, it was a woman whose love for him had turned to resentment over time. Song Gaofeng had lashed out with his sword without any hesitation, but was stopped by the woman’s father, the alliance leader of Water Combing Nation at the time, as well as a fist technique master that was renowned across several nations.

On top of that, he was also a border general, so he had very extensive ties in the imperial court and was very trusted by the emperor. In reality, the title of alliance leader was one that the emperor assigned in order to place shackles onto someone.

Song Gaofeng was determined to kill the culprit, but he was no match for her father. Following his return to Sword Water Villa, the woman and her father also visited to apologize, and in a display of sincerity, the alliance leader had even severed one of his own arms, standing outside the villa with the fresh wound still gushing blood.

While it was true that Song Yushao was perfectly capable of defeating and killing the alliance leader, what could he do? Lop off the man’s other arm, then decapitate his daughter?

He could only let the matter slide.

Throughout this entire process, Song Gaofeng remained by his wife’s sickbed, and he didn’t even come out to meet the woman and her father.

Following their departure, Song Yushao informed his son of what had happened, and Song Gaofeng refused to see him as well, only telling his father that he wished to be alone.

Only after everything was said and done did Song Yushao learn that his son had gone down a demonic path, cultivating a demonic secret scripture. Prior to making his final act, he had disfigured himself and switched to a different weapon, leaving his usual sword at home.

On the day that the renowned fist technique master retired from his post as the alliance leader, Song Gaofeng had infiltrated his manor and slain the old alliance leader, albeit suffering severe injuries himself in the process. By the time he returned to the villa, he was already a spent force, and in the end, he passed away with his dying wife on the same night.

At the time, Song Yushao had been standing by the doorway, while Song Fengshan stayed by his parents’ bedside. Even though he was only a young boy back then, he didn’t shed a single tear.

All of the guilt that Song Yushao felt toward Song Gaofeng was transferred to Song Fengshan, and Song Fengshan’s insistence on marrying a female spirit had torn that old wound of Song Yushao’s wide open.

He was completely disillusioned and increasingly racked with guilt, and that was why he was unwilling to intervene even after learning that Song Fengshan was colluding with the other three evil spirits of Water Combing Nation. He was no longer the same young man who stuck to his way of life at all costs, even if it meant having to kill his own grandson.

Song Yushao was well aware of what Song Fengshan wanted to do.

Even though Song Gaofeng had managed to kill the former alliance leader that night, the true culprit had gotten away with her heinous actions. After that, the emperor didn’t want to make an enemy out of Sword Water Villa, but he most likely also pitied the daughter of the former alliance leader, so he served as matchmaker and introduced her to a decorated general of Water Combing Nation.

In the end, they became husband and wife, and she received an honorary title for her marriage to this general.

Everyone knew that Song Yushao played by the rules, so even though he was the sword saint of Water Combing Nation, the emperor wasn’t concerned about him. As for Song Yushao’s grandson, he had only been at a very tender age at the time of his parents’ death, so everyone simply thought that he would be too young to remember the events much.

Thus, all was well and peaceful in Water Combing Nation for over two decades, and the position of alliance leader was vacant that entire time.

That was until Song Fengshan opened the doors of Sword Water Villa, inviting esteemed and prestigious figures from all parts to attend the inauguration ceremony that was going to be held the next day.

Song Yushao no longer had any interest in worldly affairs, but that certainly didn’t mean that he was completely detached from everything. Why was it that he had made so many frequent outings on his own these past years? Was it really just so he could turn a blind eye to his own grandson’s actions and try to put himself in a better mood?

That was most definitely not the case.

Song Yushao knew that a day would inevitably arrive when everything came to a head, and immense pressure would come crashing down upon his cherished Sword Water Villa. Song Fengshan was going to step out of line, secretly becoming an enemy of the entire imperial court, and this inevitable eventuality weighed on Song Yushao’s heart twofold.

The first thing that weighed on his heart was his guilt toward Song Gaofeng, while the second thing was that Song Fengshan’s actions went completely against the rules that he had upheld his entire life.

He was hesitating about whether he should turn on the imperial court. If he were to do that, he would be directly provoking the authority of the emperor, but that wasn’t a concern for him at all. What he was truly concerned about was that doing such a thing would completely go against his very way of life.

Deep down, he had never approved of Song Fengshan’s actions, but he couldn’t tell anyone all of this.

He had made his latest outing with the objective of visiting Colorful Garment Nation’s sword god, whom he considered to be both a friend and rival of his. He wanted to spar with the old sword god, and wanted even more to undo these knots in his heart.

Unfortunately, the old sword god had already passed away. Song Yushao had no choice but to turn back halfway, and that resulted in that incident in the ancient temple.

Song Yushao was so lost in thought as he stood in the waterside pavilion that he didn’t notice that Chen Ping’an was still in the waterfall.

By the time he realized that something wasn’t right, Chen Ping’an was already slowly making his way out of the waterfall. He leapt up and landed in the waterside pavilion, where he started bandaging his own battered and bloodied fists.

Song Yushao cast his bothersome train of thought aside and smiled. “You’ve already had a taste of our villa’s fine wine, don’t you think it’ll taste even better now that you’re a Lesser Grandmaster?”

However, what Chen Ping’an had said next had him reeling from shock.

“I wasn’t able to do it. I’m now able to punch through the waterfall, but there’s still a line that I haven’t been able to cross.”

Song Yushao examined Chen Ping’an’s restrained aura, and his fist intent was as turbulent and unrelenting as a waterfall. A stunned look appeared on his face as he exclaimed, “You clearly already have what it takes to reach the fourth tier! In fact, I can say with absolute confidence that I’ve never seen any third tier martial artist with a foundation more solid than yours! What could possibly be missing?!”

A resigned look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he replied, “I don’t know exactly what it is, all I know is that there really was something missing. However, I know the general direction. A path has been laid out beneath my feet, so I won’t have to stumble around without any direction any longer.

“I should be able to grind it out before I get to Old Dragon City, and if I’m lucky, perhaps I’ll naturally make a breakthrough once I reach the ferry station of your Water Combing Nation. Having said that, my luck has never been great, so it’s much more likely that I’ll only be making the breakthrough after arriving in Old Dragon City.”

Song Yushao clasped his hands behind his back, then walked a couple of laps around Chen Ping’an as he mused, “I thought I had already seen it all, but it seems like there’s always more waiting to be seen in this world! You’ve truly broadened my horizons. In any case, let’s go have a drink. Even though you haven’t made a breakthrough, this is still worthy of celebration!”

Chen Ping’an shook his wine gourd around to find that it was still quite full, and he nodded with a smile in response.

“The hotpot served in a restaurant in the small town outside the villa is absolutely exquisite, and the wine that they serve is quite nice as well. Would you like to go and have a taste? It’s just the right time for a meal, and I’m on very good terms with the shopkeeper, so I should be able to get a twenty percent discount for us,” Song Yushao proposed.

As soon as Chen Ping’an heard about the twenty percent discount, he immediately declared in a rare display of generosity, “I’ll foot the bill then!”

An amused smile appeared on Song Yushao’s face. “Are you sure? Let me make this clear in advance: a hotpot meal and the best wine that the restaurant has to offer will be at least five or six taels of silver.”

Chen Ping’an immediately rescinded his offer in a completely unabashed manner. “Now that I think about it, the town is a bit far from the villa, so why don’t we just have a drink in the courtyard?”

Song Yushao gave Chen Ping’an a thumbs-up as he praised in a facetious manner, “What a truly generous man you are!”

Chen Ping’an suddenly burst into laughter as he declared, “Fine, let’s go! We’re having hotpot for lunch today, and that’s final!”

Song Yushao faltered slightly, but he didn’t give Chen Ping’an a chance to change his mind. He sprang out of the waterside pavilion and rushed out of the villa, instructing Chen Ping’an to follow along behind him.

Chen Ping’an had been thinking to invite Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng as well, but he could only abandon that idea and trail behind Song Yushao.

As he was springing over the roof of the waterside pavilion, Chen Ping’an turned back to the pavilion with a smile on his face.

He had used his finger to carve out two lines of text onto the rock wall behind the waterfall in secret. One line contained the name of a certain girl, while the second line read “Chen Ping’an was here”. He was hoping that the next time he returned to Sword Water Villa, that girl would be by his side, but of course, that was only something that he dared to think about in the privacy of his own mind.

————

On Clay Vase Alley and Apricot Blossom Alley, whenever a household had to hold a funeral or a wedding, the neighbors were always willing to offer their help. This was an unspoken tradition that had been passed down in the town for generations, much like the tradition of adding soil to graves during each visit. On this day, someone on Apricot Blossom Alley was getting married, and the wife was a wealthy woman from Peach Leaf Alley.

This family from Apricot Blossom Alley had a very good reputation, and back in the day, even someone as nasty as Granny Ma had gotten along quite well with this household. Hence, close to twenty tables were laid out for the wedding, and anyone could come in and have a meal as long as they submitted a red pocket of any amount, whether that be one piece of scrap silver or even just a few copper coins.

There were several unfamiliar faces at the wedding, but one of them was slightly more recognizable than the others. It was an old man who lived in an old house on Clay Vase Alley and often took strolls around the town wearing the attire of a very wealthy man. Over time, everyone had become familiar with him, and his surname was Cao, so everyone liked to call him Old Man Cao.

He was always very friendly and polite to everyone, displaying none of the arrogance and detachment one would expect to see in a man of his wealth, and he would often chat for long periods of time with his neighbors about nothing in particular.

He was very friendly with Old Man Han, who was the head of the family where the wedding was being held, so on this day, he had arrived with a lavish red pocket, and Old Man Han had specifically brought his son and daughter-in-law over to Old Man Cao’s table to offer a toast.

Old Man Cao had brought three people with him, all of whom also had the Cao surname. One of them was a handsome young man by the name of Cao Jun, and he lived in the same old house on Clay Vase Alley. There was also another grandfather and grandson duo who had only recently come to the small town, and apparently, they were relatives of Old Man Cao from the capital city.

They seemed to be refined scholars who also held themselves with a special type of dignity and poise, indicating that they were perhaps government officials, but of course, it could also be the case that all people from the capital city had this particular disposition.

Old Man Cao was a very outgoing man and was often seen approaching other tables to propose toasts. As for the grandfather and grandson duo who had come to the capital city, they were clearly not very accustomed to such a rowdy setting, and as a result, they appeared quite reserved and out of place, remaining seated in their chairs and only occasionally having some food and wine.

In contrast, Cao Jun seemed to be a bit more comfortable. He sat on a long bench and he drank by himself, looking at Old Man Cao with amusement as he made small talk with some of the other old men present.

The bride’s household on Peach Leaf Alley had suffered a bit of a fall from grace since its heyday, but was still far wealthier than the groom’s household. Hence, the head of the bride’s family was a little reserved and unwilling to engage with others, and everyone from Apricot Blossom Alley and Clay Vase Alley felt this to be quite normal.

Even if the households on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley were no longer what they used to be, they were still far superior to the average household in the small town, and if it weren’t for the fact that Old Man Han’s son was a capable of young man who had found himself an official post in the Dragon Spring Prefecture Office, there was no way that he would’ve been able to take a bride from Peach Leaf Alley.

Old Man Cao began to make his way over to another table, while Cao Jun took a mouthful of whatever was on his plate, then grimaced and hurriedly picked up his cup of wine to chase the food down. He then turned to the grandfather and grandson duo before asking in the official dialect of the Great Li Empire, “Is the food and drink not to your liking? I can take you elsewhere to have a better meal if you’d like.”

The grandfather was an elderly man wearing an azure robe, and he smiled as he shook his head in response. “There’s no need to go to such trouble. I’m not looking down on the customs and traditions here, it’s just that my stomach has gotten accustomed to the Buddhist cuisine from the capital, and I’m not used to eating so much meat and heavy foods.

“Besides, Dragon Spring Prefecture is where the ancestors of our Cao Clan came from, so we certainly can’t forget our roots.”

Cao Jun smiled as he nodded in response. “How unfortunate it is for our clan that we had such a foolish ancestral patriarch.”

The old man didn’t dare to reply to this.

The ancestral patriarch of the Cao Clan was an 11th tier swordsman, and even as an important government official, the old man didn’t dare to raise a single word of criticism against the esteemed ancestral patriarch.

The grandson was a young man who was just as handsome as Cao Jun, and his name was Cao Mao. He was the newly assigned kiln supervision official of the Dragon Spring Prefecture, and he was renowned in the Great Li Empire’s imperial as a handsome and capable young representative of the Cao Clan.

At the time, it was Cao Mao who had welcomed the imperial preceptor of the Great Li Empire at the Locust Residence Relay Station on his own, and he had been reeking of alcohol at the time, presenting a rather casual and uncouth image that was in stark contrast with other esteemed young masters of the capital city.

As Cao Xi returned to his chair, even Cao Mao unconsciously sat up straighter. The azure-robed old man hurriedly set down his chopsticks, then picked up the wine flagon to fill the cup of the esteemed ancestral patriarch Cao Xi, who was who-knew-how-many generations his senior.

Cao Xi downed the cup of wine in one go, then set down the empty cup. After taking a glance at the guests that were still piling in through the door, he rose to his feet as he said, “Let’s not overstay our welcome. It’s time to vacate these seats for the people coming after us.”

With that, the four of them left the courtyard and walked along the tables that had been arranged in all of the neighboring households in the alley. Cao Xi led the trio into Clay Vase Alley, then casually asked, “Has your emperor returned to the capital city?”

The old man replied in a respectful voice, “His Majesty is feeling a little unwell, and he’s already left for the capital city from the relay station in the Dragon Spring Prefecture.”

While passing by the Gu Family residence, Cao Xi took a glance at the uninhabited house with its tattered door gods and couplets, and he stopped in his tracks as he said, “I hear that the mother and son who used to live here have been taken by the River Severing True Lord to Cyan Gorge Island in Bamboo Scroll Lake.

“That boy by the name of Gu Can had a massive blessing fall onto his lap prior to leaving the town, granting him control over a water fate comparable in power to a 10th tier Qi refiner. On top of that, the water flood dragon has been rapidly progressing in its cultivation base, and there’s a very good chance that it could go beyond the 10th tier in the next few decades. Is all of that true?”

The old man nodded in response. “The imperial court of the Great Li Empire set up an intelligence organization under the personal supervision of the imperial preceptor, and the organization is responsible for documenting the lives of the children growing up in Jewel Small World.

“Not only was Gu Can selected from this town, there were also children like Ma Kuxuan from Apricot Blossom Alley, Zhao Yao from Fortune Street, and Xie Lingqi of the Xie Clan. However, there are also some outsiders who encountered significant opportunities here, such as Prince Gao Xuan of Great Sui Nation. There are sixteen of those fortunate individuals in total.”

Cao Xi continued onward for a short while, then stopped in his tracks once again as he asked, “What about the people who used to live in these two houses?”

He was referring to a pair of neighboring houses, one of which had been occupied by Song Jixin, now named Song Mu, and he had recently returned to the capital city with the emperor. The other house had been inhabited by a boy named Chen Ping’an. He had since embarked on a journey down south, but he owned two shops in the town and five mountains in the west.