Unsheathed

On the surface of the sea above the Flood Dragon Trench, Chen Ping’an dazedly stared at the swordsman in azure who was claiming to be his senior brother.

The young boy scrunched his face, and his lips quivered slightly as he lowered his head.

The swordsman with a strange name[1] huffed and said, “Are you going to cry? Why are you the same as the young Little Qi? No wonder he picked you. Whenever he was unable to get through to others with reason and then he was also unable to defeat them in a fight, he would always hide somewhere and cry. He’d let his tears make the floor wet.”

The swordsman’s voice suddenly became stern as he ordered, “Raise your head!”

Chen Ping’an dazedly raised his head.

“Why did you change your mind at the end?” the swordsman interrogated. “Why did you use your fists instead of your sword? Speak loudly and don’t be timid!”

“My sword skills are too poor, so I didn’t want to embarrass myself. My fist skills are passable, so I had to unleash them to get the weight off my chest!” Chen Ping’an instinctively replied.

“Ptui! You call this measly martial fist intent passable?”

There was anger on Zuo You’s face as he turned around to viciously spit on the sea. He didn’t possess Qi Jingchun’s elegant temperament, nor did he possess A’Liang’s amiability. By the looks of it, the sword immortal called Zuo You, the most nonconforming disciple of the Scholarly Sage back then, was truly nothing like a scholar.

However, the hidden hint of a smile in the depths of the swordsman’s eyes became increasingly wide. Meanwhile, his expression became cold and indifferent as he raised his arm again and pointed behind himself using his thumb. “We won’t talk about this Flood Dragon Trench, and we’ll simply talk about the godly statue on that island. I was annoyed that it was in my way, so I hacked it down with a single slash. What do you think about this? Now, turning our attention back to this stinky ditch, I felt like those evil beasts were a complete eyesore. That being the case, I washed the ditch out with my sword qi. What do you think about this?”

Chen Ping’an replied honestly, saying, “I feel like both actions can be considered very unreasonable.”

However, upon recalling that this person was Mr. Qi’s senior brother, the young boy quickly added, “…right?”

Zuo You snickered and replied, “What a polite way to put it. You feel like? No, they were absolutely unreasonable!”

He placed his palm on the hilt of his sword and asked, “As a scholar, I’ve put more effort into practicing the sword than reading books. Do you know why this is?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head.

He had only heard A’Liang and the young Cui Chan briefly mention this person before, with the latter not revealing much information. A’Liang had only described him as the most skilled swordsman among the old scholar’s disciples. As for the young Cui Chan, he had gritted his teeth while mentioning his junior brother. One had betrayed his master, while one was nonconforming and prone to departing from the classics.

Once fellow disciples of the Scholarly Sage, it was as if there now existed irreconcilable hatred between them. In the end, “the person with the surname Zuo” had become like an elusive dragon in Chen Ping’an’s mind. He was lofty and difficult to catch.

This swordsman who, shockingly enough, came from an orthodox Confucian lineage waved his hand. “There’s nothing else for you to worry about here. Make sure to cultivate earnestly in the future, and don’t betray Little Qi’s expectations. If you don’t do well in the future, perhaps I’ll come over to cause you trouble.”

Hovering above the Flood Dragon Trench, Zuo You extended a single finger at Chen Ping’an and continued, “Regardless of how powerful you become, I can still deal with you with a single slash.”

To this swordsman, a senior brother lecturing his junior brother was only natural and right.

In terms of whether he was being reasonable or not? He was too lazy to think about this. After all, being a senior brother was already reason enough.

Right at this moment, the sea of clouds suddenly descended, after which a golden Dao Manifestation that measured 300 meters in height materialized in the air. It was a middle-aged Daoist priest with a fishtail hat. “Are you Swordsman Zuo You, the Scholarly Sage’s disciple? I’ve heard many people praise your sword techniques as number one in the world. In fact, you have many admirers even in Stalactite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

The swordsman in azure looked up and asked, “Judging from your tone, you’re unwilling to accept this?”

The tall and sturdy Daoist laughed heartily and replied, “It doesn’t matter to me at all what your sword techniques are ranked. I’m here simply because you rub me up the wrong way. How about it? Why don’t we find a place to have a hearty fight?”

Zuo You smiled faintly and replied, “Stinky Daoist priest, you’re inferior in all areas, and only your fortune is better than mine, what with you having the Dao Ancestor’s second disciple as your teacher. My teacher can’t compare, and he only knows how to run his mouth. However, regardless of how my teacher is weaker than your teacher in so many areas, there is one area where he’s stronger. That is, the old scholar has me as his disciple. As for you and all of the second disciple’s students, you people are…”

The swordsman in azure raised a finger high in the air and gently wagged it back and forth. “…No good.”

He didn’t stop there, and he looked up and continued, “For example, what does it matter that you’ve summoned such a large Dao Manifestation? Before my sword, is this not… as fragile as straw?!”

Before Zuo You finished his sentence…

Towering waves of more than 300 meters in height suddenly erupted above the sea. At the same time, a majestic burst of sword qi that was even wider than Osmanthus Island soared into the sky like a column of light, forcefully shattering the giant golden Dao Manifestation in an instant.

The small boat under Chen Ping’an’s feet was also affected, violently rocking back and forth with the tumultuous waves.

The young boy turned around to gaze at the formidable burst of snow-white sword qi.

In the past, he had felt like Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin had already unleashed the pinnacle flying sword strike in the world when shattering the night sky barrier of the female ghost in the bright red wedding dress.

Now, however, Chen Ping’an realized that he was still too ignorant and ill-informed.

The golden Dao Manifestation was directly shattered, yet the Daoist priest’s voice was still as deep and full as a large bell as he suggested, “I’m not willing to take any advantage over you. With that young boy present, neither you nor I can fight without restraint. Why don’t we head to the sea area around Wind God Island? What do you say?”

At some unknown time, the elderly golden flood dragon with sword qi attacking its more than 300 acupoints had already reached the end of its path. It no longer had the opportunity to prevent its acupoints from exploding.

As it turned out, the tall and sturdy Daoist priest located tens of thousands of kilometers away had seized the instant of his Dao Manifestation’s destruction to unleash some kind of mystical ability. A jade-white finger reached out from the void and tapped the elderly golden flood dragon on the forehead, causing it to instantly wither and dry.

At the same time, its heart literally turned into ash. From the inside to the outside, most of his body transformed into plumes of dust and ash, scattering in the wind. All that remained was a golden robe that fluttered and fell slowly to the sea, along with some pseudo-indestructible matters refined by Nascent Soul Tier cultivators.

Zuo You was completely indifferent to this.

He simply waved his hand in a casual manner and tossed the elderly golden flood dragon’s remains into Chen Ping’an’s small boat. “Here, take this junk. You’re on your own for your journey to Stalactite Mountain and then to the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

Chen Ping’an bowed and cupped his hands in respect.

The swordsman nodded and calmly accepted the young boy’s gesture of gratitude. Without saying another word, he then rode on the wind and disappeared toward the southwest.

He then murmured to himself, with his words lingering in the air, “Immortal and undying, carefree through mountains and seas; clouds as food and dew as drink, not eating the five grains; in a different state of being.”

Nobody knew whether Zuo You was speaking to himself or to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an silently sat down in the small boat and placed the three items that Swordsman Zuo You had tossed beside his feet into his flying sword, Fifteenth. The three items included a golden robe, two golden dragon whiskers tangled together, and a jewel as large as a fist. The jewel was dull and slightly yellow, and this reminded the young boy of the saying “Growing old is like a pearl becoming yellow.”[2]

Chen Ping’an looked around at the gradually subsiding wind and waves. He then looked up at the clear sky and bright sun.

After resting for a moment, Chen Ping’an picked up the bamboo pole engraved with the genuine Lock Slashing Talisman. He stood up and started to row the boat, chasing after Osmanthus Island. However, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. The island wouldn’t have gone full speed ahead toward Stalactite Mountain, would it? It wouldn’t have abandoned him in the vast sea, right?

Chen Ping’an opened his eyes wide and strained to look into the distance.

If this were in the past, he would have thought that there was no way Osmanthus Island would act like this and abandon him in the middle of the sea. Yet, even he was oblivious to his change in mindset.

The mind was impermanent, and its changes subtle and undetectable.

The swordsman who had ridden the wind and disappeared in a carefree manner, the swordsman who was unrestrained by heaven and earth, suddenly stopped in someplace where Chen Ping’an definitely couldn’t see him. He turned around and looked back.

What entered his gaze was the young boy from the Great Li Empire. But what appeared in his mind was that person who had already left the world.

That person had once said that he hadn’t wanted to ask Zuo You to become Chen Ping’an’s Dao guardian either, and that he was aware that Senior Brother would most likely refuse his request anyway. However, he had acknowledged that he, Qi Jingchun, had few friends, so he could only look for Zuo You.

He could only look for Zuo You!

The swordsman couldn’t help but feel stifled and aggrieved upon thinking of these nonsensical words. He sat down cross-legged in the sky above the sea, clenching his hands into fists and resting them on his knees.

His intense sword qi seeped out even more than normal, causing the sea beneath him to violently bubble and churn. However, the rising mist was still unable to near the swordsman.

Qi refiners in the world were all envious of sword prodigies with astonishing innate aptitude. These prodigies were often referred to as innate sword talents. However, one person had picked up the sword very late, and he had never been a sword talent. Thus, he had been especially merciless when suddenly shooting to fame in Middle Earth Divine Continent, wantonly taunting his foes.

He hadn’t suppressed opponents from the same generation, but had instead directly crushed countless older sword cultivators. Stories of his deeds had spread all over the world. Because of his sudden appearance, countless sword prodigies with extraordinary talent had ended up with shattered sword hearts and severed Great Daos.

In the end, all of the young sword prodigies in Middle Earth Divine Continent couldn’t help but grumble when they were praised as innate sword talents. They felt like this was an insult rather than praise.

This swordsman was thus named Zuo You, because no one had the ability to stand alongside him when sword techniques were concerned.[3]

Even though the man was slightly adrift, his eyes were still as bright as always.

He had gazed at the young boy’s pure and limpid eyes just then, and they had appeared far too similar to that of his stinky junior brother during their youth. Taking advantage of the fact that he was book-smart and liked by their teacher, his junior brother had always possessed sound, infallible logic when talking about sagely principles. When Zuo You had admitted defeat following their debates, he would always add, “Senior Brother, I feel like you aren’t being sincere in your admission of defeat. This is the wrong attitude.”

He had truly been very annoying.

What Zuo You found most annoying was his teacher bragging about how impressive he was at fighting. Following that, the most annoying thing was Little Qi who could read extremely quickly. The sound of him flipping books and the sound of him expounding reason was incredibly annoying.

He had only liked it when his teacher twice participated in the grand debate between the three teachings. He had liked his teacher’s temperament and aura of transcending worldly affairs and achieving independence, as well as his aura as he climbed to great heights.

He had liked it when Qi Jingchun traveled to famous mountains and rivers with him, and how he climbed atop mountains to compose poems after drinking wine. At these times, he had felt like no matter how tall a mountain was, no matter how many tens of thousands of meters it soared into the sky, it couldn’t possibly be loftier than this person’s knowledge!

Even until today — when the old scholar already had no path of retreat as he was scattered among heaven and earth, when Little Qi was no longer in the world, and when A’Liang had left Majestic World — the swordsman still felt the same. Regardless of whether it was his teacher or Little Qi, or even A’Liang who was seemingly carefree, they were all living in a very tiring manner.

This was unlike him.

This was because he, Zuo You, could never be bothered speaking reason with others.

If he couldn’t defeat others in a fight, then speaking reason with them would be useless. If he could defeat others in a fight, then what was the point of speaking reason with them?

Having a sword was enough.

Zuo You sighed and stood up, continuing his journey to Wind God Island in the southwest.

He felt like some words were too dramatic, so he had been “too lazy” to say these as well.

Junior brother, you definitely have to travel around the world and see more of it for Little Qi.

If you get the opportunity in the future, you should travel to the other worlds and journey all across them too. Little Qi never left Majestic World when he was still alive. However, among the three disciples, he was the one who yearned to travel the most. Yet, in the end, he was the one who stayed in the scripture libraries and schools the most.

I’m well aware of how many times Little Qi cried. This is because I was always the one who beat him to tears during our youth. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t win using reason, but he couldn’t win in a fight.

Young boy, can you imagine what your Mr. Qi looked like when he was crying pitifully?

The swordsman laughed heartily as he pushed his sword out of its scabbard. Regardless of their size, the dozens of islands nearby were all split into two.

The mortal world was boring.

Only fighting could interest Zuo You ever so slightly.

1. The name Zuo You (左右) literally means left and right. ☜

2. This means to lose value as one grows older. ☜

3. This is a version of the idiom 无出其右, meaning “cannot appear on someone’s right.” Traditionally, the one standing on the right is more respected, and the actual meaning of the idiom is that one is unsurpassed (because no one is good enough to stand on their right). Here, this idiom is modified as 无出其左右 so as to contain Zuo You’s name, implying that let alone his right side, no one is even good enough to stand on his left. ☜