Unsheathed

Chapter 272: Listen to Me, Chen Ping’an

In reality, Chen Ping’an was slightly surprised by this situation. It was very rare for people to speak the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent in Stalactite Mountain. However, after traveling around the world for so long, Chen Ping’an also understood some basic etiquette. He knew that Buddhist monks didn’t mention their names and Daoist priests didn’t talk about their ages, so rashly asking others about their backgrounds also seemed to be quite inappropriate.

Chen Ping’an led the couple into the Sword Reverence Pagoda, repeating to them what Jin Su had told him. Moreover, Chen Ping’an had always had a good memory, so when it came to the replica swords and picture scrolls of the sword immortals that he had gone to the effort to remember, he could immediately introduce their names as well as their basic history.

While taking the couple around, Chen Ping’an also developed another thought. Since he had used a sword before, he might as well stay in Stalactite Mountain for a while longer. He could use this time to go around the Sword Reverence Pagoda and record information about the sword immortals and immortal swords that he felt a connection to. He would bring these back to the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain, and he could go through them whenever he felt bored in the future.

This would be similar to those small bamboo slips on which he had engraved beautiful lines of poetry and profound teachings of wisdom. Chen Ping’an would sometimes place them under the sun, and even looking at them from a distance would make him feel especially warm and comfortable. It was as if the sun weren’t shining on the small bamboo slips and the engraved characters, but shining on his heart instead.

While recording the information, he could also use the opportunity to practice his handwriting. However, he was unsure of how much calligraphy brushes, ink, and paper cost in Stalactite Mountain. Would they be very expensive?

The woman smiled and praised, “Your memory is quite good.”

Chen Ping’an paused his thoughts and cracked a grin. This kind of ability was nothing in the mountains. Indeed, this woman was definitely being polite with him.

In reality, Chen Ping’an was genuinely underestimating himself this time. This was because the couple had already confirmed that the young boy would be filled with confidence and certainty every time he set his eyes on a replica sword. This was a case of his heart arriving at the swords before his eyes arrived.

This phenomenon related to a famous bottleneck for sword cultivators, and this bottleneck was something that would determine a sword cultivator’s ultimate potential. Would they end up as a minor sword cultivator whose heart was restricted by their flying sword, or would they become a great sword immortal who could command a myriad kinds of sword intent?

After making their way through more than half of the display rooms, Chen Ping’an was still filled with patience and interest as he followed the couple around. The two were both looking at the displays very carefully. After roughly explaining the history of the Sword Reverence Pagoda to the couple, he intended to let them go by themselves and look at whichever sword immortal or immortal sword struck their fancy. However, the woman would still chat with Chen Ping’an from time to time, so the young boy decided to continue following them around.

The man had barely spoken the entire time, but he suddenly said, “I’ll go ahead first and wait for you guys to catch up.”

The woman nodded and didn’t think much about this, and she continued to chat with Chen Ping’an. Chen Ping’an had visited the Sword Reverence Pagoda only once, and he was actually quite unfamiliar with the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall apart from these renowned sword immortals honored in the display rooms. Surprisingly, it was this woman who was visiting for the first time who spoke eloquently and recounted the legends and achievements of many sword immortals.

For example, she talked about the founding ancestor with the surname Dong. His sword was called “Three Corpses,” but this wasn’t because he believed in Daoism. Instead, this was because he had once charged into the belly of the demonic world by himself, slaying three great demons at the Upper Five Tiers along the way. The Dong Clan had risen in status in the Sword Qi Great Wall because of this, and almost all of the subsequent clan leaders of the Dong Clan had personally slain great demons at the Unpolished Jade Tier or even Immortal Tier…

Since they were talking about the Dong Clan, the woman eagerly brought Chen Ping’an along as they looked for the replica sword, “Bamboo Case.” The owner of this sword was a clan rejuvenation ancestor of the Dong Clan. Back then, the Dong Clan had been facing a decreasing population and a lack of incense. The clan leader had also been severely wounded and killed by a great demon, and the Dong Clan had been in a situation where the young couldn’t replace the old.

It was at that moment that a young Golden Core Tier sword cultivator from the clan had resolutely stepped forward and taken the ancestral “Three Meters Tall” with him as he retraced the demon-slaying path walked by their founding ancestor. Facing doubt from everyone, the sword cultivator had returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall with his sword after being away for more than two centuries.

He had carried a bamboo case on his back, inside which rested the head of a 13th tier great demon. Before ascending the city wall, he had used Three Meters Tall, which was already on the verge of shattering, to engrave the character “Dong” on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Afterward, this person had forged a new sword and named it Bamboo Case.

From that time onward, the Dong Clan became one of the most influential clans in the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Through their conversation, the woman eventually learned that the young boy had the surname Chen. Upon learning this, she smiled and asked Chen Ping’an whether he had taken notice of the sword called “Mountain Flying Over.”

A bashful smile appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. This was because the owner of this strangely named sword was a sword immortal with the surname Chen. However, it was also because of this that Chen Ping’an had paid particular attention to this sword and remembered it very well.

In fact, Chen Ping’an would very carefully remember the sword immortal and their immortal sword as long as the sword immortal had the surname Chen. If it weren’t for the fact that he hadn’t learned how to paint, nor did he have painting masters like those on Osmanthus Island beside him to learn from, Chen Ping’an would have genuinely wanted to record the appearances of these sword immortals and bring them back to Downtrodden Mountain as well.

Afterward, the woman smiled and picked a few sword immortals with the surname Chen to talk about, telling their soul-stirring stories to Chen Ping’an.

When someone verbally told these stories, as opposed to reading a few concise and ice-cold words from a sign, the stories would often become far more spectacular and moving. They would become like monuments standing beside the long river of time; they would become like rows of willow trees under which future generations could stand under and enjoy shade. Amid this shade, one could witness the howling wind and destructive rain lashing the world beyond the protection of the trees; one could experience the turbulence and chaos ravaging those periods in history.

Chen Ping’an, who had already decided not to drink again in the future, involuntarily started to drink again.

Not being liked by the girl whom he liked was a very heart-breaking matter. However, the sky hadn’t collapsed, so life would still go on as always.

This was a realization that Chen Ping’an had suddenly come to after entering the Sword Reverence Pagoda again.

However, after learning about the incredible feats of so many sword immortals, Chen Ping’an wouldn’t turn around and dismiss his heart-breaking experience as a trivial and insignificant matter.

To the young boy, this felt even more painful than those torturous training sessions in the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain.

The two types of pain were completely different. One was transient, and it would disappear after he endured through it.

However, one was intransient, and it felt like something that might not be overcome in a day, a month, a year, a hundred years, or even an entire lifetime.

Strangest of all, Chen Ping’an felt even greater pain when he considered the possibility that one day in the future, he might like a different girl.

The books said that using wine to drown one’s sorrows would only lead to more sorrows. Thus, Chen Ping’an had been too afraid to drink wine just then.

Before he knew it, it went from him taking the couple around to the woman describing the sword immortals and immortal swords to him in great detail. Everything flowed naturally, and neither of them felt like this was inappropriate.

Chen Ping’an then saw the man standing at the doorway of the last display room and smiling as he looked at the two of them.

The man didn’t like to speak, and he had only sized up Chen Ping’an a few times when walking with him just then.

After entering the last display room, the woman exclaimed in astonishment when they walked over to Dogwood Cherry and Restful Bamboo Grove, two neighboring swords. “Why is there no picture scroll for these two sword immortals? I heard that the owner of Dogwood Cherry was a very handsome man!”

Chen Ping’an could feel sweat forming on his forehead, and he carefully stole a glance at the middle-aged man standing beside him. He dearly hoped that the man wouldn’t do anything stupid out of jealousy.

Unexpectedly, however, the man immediately returned serve, saying, “The lady who owned Restful Bamboo Grove was also a stunning beauty, the kind rarely seen in the world.”

Chen Ping’an instantly wanted to defend the woman against this injustice. So what if she made a joke? As a man, he needed to be more magnanimous. How could he give tit for tat?

The woman rolled her eyes at her husband. She then smiled at Chen Ping’an and said, “Thank you for showing us around the Sword Reverence Pagoda.”

Chen Ping’an shook his hands and said, “No problem, no problem. I also like wandering around in here, and I’ll still be visiting over the next few days.”

The man narrowed his eyes and asked, “I heard that there was a little idiot in the Sword Reverence Pagoda who liked to wipe away the spittle on these two replica swords and sword stands. That little idiot wasn’t you, was it?”

Chen Ping’an wasn’t willing to complicate matters, so he purposely put on a baffled expression as he vigorously shook his hands. “No, that definitely wasn’t me. How could I possibly be so stupid?”

The woman subtly stomped on the back of the man’s foot. She then looked at Chen Ping’an and said, “We’re about to leave. Do you want to leave with us?”

“By the looks of it, you’re also someone who likes to drink. Do you want to have a drink?” the man suddenly asked. “I know a good place that has cheap and good-quality wine. Moreover, it only serves friends of the shop.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head in response.

“You should accept the offer and have a drink if someone invites you,” the man huffed. “You’re still afraid of people with ulterior motives in Stalactite Mountain? In any case, do my wife and I look like bad people? Do we look like people who will covet your crappy sword and crappy Sword Nurturing Gourd?”

Chen Ping’an felt a little awkward.

This man was far too frank and straightforward. His wife grumbled, “Hmph, who told me they hated forced drinking the most?”

The man didn’t dare to argue with his wife, so he could only shoot a glare at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an cracked a beaming smile at the woman.

The man became increasingly ruffled, but he was already being dragged toward the entrance by his wife.

The three of them exited the Sword Reverence Pagoda together and walked down the steps.

After holding back for a long time, the man finally asked again, “You’re truly not going to drink with us? Stalactite Mountain’s Forgetting Sorrow Wine is something that all drunkards and wine immortals in Majestic World want to drink. According to legends, this wine is made using a unique method that the Confucian Etiquette Sage left behind back then. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so think about it carefully before giving me a response.”

Chen Ping’an glanced down at his Sword Nurturing Gourd. There was only a small bit of osmanthus wine remaining.

The man clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, “Young boy, with your fussy and hesitant personality, I say that even finding a wife for yourself will be difficult.”

This remark was like a dagger through Chen Ping’an’s heart.

I was truly too fussy and hesitant, and that’s why I’m like a lonely ghost aimlessly wandering around Stalactite Mountain even though it’s already midnight. Otherwise, I might be strolling around and enjoying the night scenery with Ning Yao!

“I’m not going to drink! So be it if I don’t find a wife!” Chen Ping’an humphed in reply.

This was truly a rare display of anger from the young boy.

Chen Ping’an’s gaze shifted slightly, and his expression became much more amiable when he faced the woman. He cupped his fists and said, “Until we meet again, milady.”

The woman smiled faintly and persuaded, “You should really give Stalactite Mountain’s Forgetting Sorrow Wine a try. Even ordinary Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier find it extremely difficult to get a cup of this wine for themselves. We have some old relationship with the shopkeeper there, and it’s thanks to this that we’re able to enter the wine shop. If you genuinely like to drink, then you shouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. Mhm, even if you don’t like to drink, it’s still best that you grab this opportunity with both hands.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly hesitant.

The man started to drive home his point, saying, “See, just look at him! So hesitant and indecisive. Do you like this? In any case, I don’t like it very much.”

Chen Ping’an’s expression turned dark, and he thought to himself, Why do I need you to like me?

Truthfully speaking, Chen Ping’an was a bit like an intoxicated drunkard tonight. His temper was truly bad. After all, even clay Bodhisattvas had a temper.

The woman ignored her petty husband, and she patted Chen Ping’an’s shoulder as she said in amusement, “Let’s go, let’s have a drink together. I can tell that something’s weighing on your mind, so don’t pay any attention to his grumbling when we drink. Drink as much as you want. The heaven is vast and the earth is boundless, but your wine cup will be the largest of them all. The mountains are tall and the rivers stretch long, but the bottom of your cup will be so deep that even they can’t fill it!”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and walked forward with the woman.

The man tagged along behind them, and he pursed his lips as he glanced back at the Sword Reverence Pagoda.

————

A Daoist nun from Stalactite Mountain responsible for guarding the Sword Reverence Pagoda arrived at the plaza by the foot of Lone Peak after being thrown out of the Sword Reverence Pagoda by that person. She was on the verge of tears as she stood in front of the young Daoist priest, and she listed out that man’s crimes to her master, who was flipping through a book. After absent-mindedly listening to the Daoist nun’s angry complaints, the young Daoist priest asked, “You still don’t know who he is?”

The Golden Core Tier Daoist nun dazedly shook her head.

The young Daoist priest nodded and said, “Then this is a case of no knowledge, no fault. Alright, you can leave now.”

The Daoist nun became increasingly confused.

Behind them, the sword-hugging middle-aged man sitting on the hitching post took great pleasure in their misfortune. “To teach without strictness is a teacher’s laziness[1],” he remarked.

“Utter nonsense!” the young Daoist priest raged. “This is an argument from those bastard Confucian scholars, and my branch of Daoism has never promoted this thought before! When it comes to cultivating oneself and cultivating one’s Dao, are these not matters in which one is solely responsible for themself?!”

The Daoist nun trembled in fear. She stood still with her head lowered, and she didn’t dare to move at all.

The sword-hugging middle-aged man didn’t stop there. Instead, he continued to fan the flames as he chuckled, “No wonder the picture of your Dao Ancestor is hung so high up in the Incense Offering Tower. His picture is almost tens of thousands of kilometers away from that of your three branch masters, including your master.”

The young Daoist priest leaped up and exclaimed, “Are you looking for a beating?”

The sword-hugging middle-aged man roared with laughter. “Thankfully, you didn’t say that I’m seeking death. Otherwise, I would have needed to criticize you for spewing nonsense. I don’t have any other strong points, and just like A’Liang said, my only strong point is my frankness. When it comes to sucking up to others or exposing others’ shortcomings, even A’Liang said that I rank near the top in the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

The young Daoist priest gritted his teeth in anger, and he clasped his hands behind his back as he walked in circles around his large straw mat.

“Do you think that you’re this place’s A’Liang? You’re a native refugee from that place…” he muttered under his breath. “If it weren’t for my master warning me to get along peacefully with other people, I would have beaten you beyond recognition today. I couldn’t care less whether you’re being suppressed by the heaven and earth here and half a tier weaker than normal.

“So what if I achieve an unfair victory? I’ll only feel satisfied after beating you to the point where you don’t dare to meet others for an entire year. I’ll beat you until you’re like the senior brother who was staying on top of Lone Peak back then… You’ve pissed me off for many years already…”

The Daoist nun had initially hoped for her master to stand up for her, yet she felt nothing but regret at this moment as she looked at her master venting his anger in an extremely rare display. She shouldn’t have come here to complain.

This was especially the case after her master accidentally revealed some secrets. The Daoist nun felt like her life in Stalactite Mountain was about to become much more difficult.

Perhaps the Heavenly Lord who guarded Lone Peak, the central region of Stalactite Mountain, couldn’t be bothered dealing with her. However, his first disciple, the Flood Dragon True Lord who held a fly-whisk in his hands, was now the third-in-command in Stalactite Mountain. The Flood Dragon True Lord was renowned for respecting his master, so he would definitely make things difficult for her until the end of time. Definitely…

The Daoist nun truly wanted to cry.

Why had fate given her a master who never protected his own disciples?

————

Not long before, Chen Ping’an had mysteriously taken the husband and wife around the Sword Reverence Pagoda. And now, on the streets outside the Sword Reverence Pagoda, he was for some reason following them to some wine shop to drink some Forgetting Sorrow Wine or whatnot.

He would occasionally snap to his senses, and he would occasionally answer a question from the woman. After what felt like a long time — yet it also felt like a short fifteen minutes — the three of them arrived at a wine shop that was yet to close for the night. However, business was slow, and there wasn’t a single customer in the shop. There was only a young shop attendant snoozing on a table and an old man playing with a caged oriole behind the bar counter.

The old shopkeeper glanced at the couple and remarked, “Here come two rare and esteemed customers. I most certainly have to retrieve that wine now.”

He then glanced at the young boy with the sword case standing behind them, and he furrowed his brows before eventually heaving a sigh. He didn’t say anything, and he seemingly decided to turn a blind eye to this because of their relationship.

The old man turned to the lazy shop attendant and roared, “Xu Jia! Keep sleeping, why don’t you? In fact, why don’t you sleep to death?! We have customers! Wake up and bring a jar of wine over!”

The young shop attendant called Xu Jia immediately woke up with a start. He wiped away his drool and stood up in a listless manner, and his back was bent as he walked away to carry a jar of wine over. He placed the jar of wine on their table, yawning as he said, “Enjoy the wine, customers. Same rule as always, our wine shop doesn’t provide any snacks.”

The woman nodded in acknowledgment and turned to Chen Ping’an, who was sitting opposite her. She smiled and said, “There was once a very impressive monk whose travels led him to this wine shop. After drinking some Forgetting Sorrow Wine, he was full of praise and stated that only this wine could defeat the Buddha in his heart.”

The old shopkeeper smiled and concurred, “Indeed. That old monk was truly powerful, and even A’Liang might not have been able to shatter that baldy’s small world with a few slashes.”

In the end, he was still trying to say that his wine was the most powerful in the world.

However, Chen Ping’an was still very happy to hear someone else mention A’Liang in Stalactite Mountain.

Thus, he genuinely wanted to drink some wine now.

Yet, the old shopkeeper immediately slammed his hand on the bar counter and fumed, “Fucking hell, just the mention of A’Liang makes my blood boil! He owes me money for more than twenty jars of wine! He’s the only person in the world who owes me so much! There was Southern Whirl Continent’s Chen Chun’an from back then, that martial goddess from not long ago, and also those old geezers from the Hundred Schools of Thought from way back when. However, who dares to owe me wine money?

“Just think about that scholar from Middle Earth Divine Continent. When he was at his lowest moment, a time when he was yet to flourish, he was a measly Sea Observation Tier Qi refiner who could still write a hundred poems after drinking seven liters of wine. What wine did he drink? Wine from here, of course! However, after visiting three times, he only owed me money for four or five jars of wine in total. That A’Liang is committing grave sins! And I’m the one suffering grave consequences!”

The woman winked at Chen Ping’an, seemingly saying to him that the old shopkeeper was always like this. This was his temperament, so they should just let him be. There was no need to pay any heed to his antics.

The young shop attendant was in low spirits as he grumbled, “Old geezer, can you stop talking about A’Liang? Young Mistress still hasn’t returned to Stalactite Mountain because of him. I seriously miss Young Mistress to death.”

The old shopkeeper instantly became much quieter, mumbling, “Heartless daughters like that should be left out of home to bring harm to other people instead.”

After opening the jar of wine, the man filled each of the three large white bowls on the table. Sure enough, he detested forced drinking the most, just as his wife had said. After pouring the three bowls of wine, he directly said, “Drink if you want to, and suit yourself if you don’t want to.”

Chen Ping’an carefully took a small sip of wine. There was no strong taste, and the wine was only slightly more potent than osmanthus wine. However, it couldn’t be considered so potent that it burned one’s throat and intestines. Chen Ping’an took two more sips, and his throat and stomach were still completely unaffected. He finally felt at ease. This Forgetting Sorrow Wine was most likely special in some other mystical manner, not in its taste.

After two large bowls each, the jar of wine quickly reached its bottom.

The woman turned around with a smile and asked the old shopkeeper for another jar of wine. The old man sighed as he looked at the smiling woman, and he personally went to grab them another two jars of wine. After gently placing the jars on the table, he said, “These three jars of wine are on me. You don’t need to pay for them.”

Chen Ping’an’s face was flushed red because of the wine, but his head felt especially spacious and clear as if he weren’t drunk at all. He didn’t act drunk either. However, he could clearly feel that he was becoming a little tipsy.

After drinking some wine, he wanted to say some things.

Just like those wine burps, holding them in actually did no good at all. It was ultimately better to let them out.

In the beginning, the man lowered his head and focused on drinking. From time to time, he would look up with an adrift expression and gaze outside the wine shop.

Meanwhile, the woman seemingly enjoyed chatting with Chen Ping’an. They chatted about the young boy’s hometown, and they chatted about his two distant journeys.

Since Chen Ping’an wasn’t drunk, he consciously picked the people and matters that he could talk about.

After a while, they somehow started to talk about that young girl.

Chen Ping’an, who decided he would stop drinking after four large bowls, quietly poured himself another bowl of wine. However, he still didn’t talk about his sword delivery to Stalactite Mountain. He simply said that he needed to deal with some matters, so he had left home to come to Stalactite Mountain. There was coincidentally a young girl whom he was acquainted with living in the Sword Qi Great Wall, so the two of them had eventually come across each other in Stalactite Mountain. Their encounter was as simple as this.

The woman smiled faintly and asked, “Then you walked a long way to get here?”

Chen Ping’an raised his bowl and pondered for a moment. He then shook his head and replied, “No, it wasn’t far at all. I thought to myself that each step would lead me closer, so this distance didn’t feel far anymore.”

The man smiled coldly and questioned, “How long have you known that young girl for? How long have you spent with her? Yet, you keep saying that you like her already? Isn’t this behavior a little too frivolous?”

Chen Ping’an didn’t know how to respond, so he could only reply with a glum expression, “I can’t control who I like. If you feel like I’m frivolous, then you’re free to think what you want. I won’t try to convince you otherwise.”

The man humphed coldly, most likely hurt by Chen Ping’an’s words as well. Most importantly, the young boy had spoken in a very sincere manner.

Who knew, maybe the rumors in the mountains were true. When drinking the Forgetting Sorrow Wine, one becomes their truthful self.

“And then you were rejected by the young girl? Don’t be discouraged. Have you heard that a chance encounter between some people is destined to be positive, while a reunion between them will be even better?” the woman consoled.

Chen Ping’an drank a large mouthful of wine. He felt slightly drunk and hazy, but his eyes were still especially bright and limpid, just like water flowing down a serene spring, carrying with it happiness, sadness, disappointment, and affection. Moreover, these were all pure and unsullied emotions. The young boy shook his head and replied, “If I like someone, then I have to make her happy. If I’m adamant that someone has to be with me if I like them, then can this still be considered liking them?”

Tears streamed down the young boy’s face after he said this, and he continued, “However, even though I say this, I’m still incredibly sad right now. In fact, I want the entire Stalactite Mountain and the entire Majestic World to know that I like that girl. And I hope that she, that one girl, will also like me…”

In the end, Chen Ping’an genuinely became drunk, so much so that he forgot how many large bowls of wine he had drunk. He rested his head on the table and continued to murmur.

In fact, he even forgot how he had argued and even fought with that man.

This was like a dream, yet he was seemingly aware of everything; this was like sleep, yet he was seemingly awake and conscious. In a fit of rage, he had seemingly shot from the fourth tier of martial arts to the seventh tier of martial arts as well, forever losing the fated opportunity to become the most powerful fourth tier martial artist. The woman seemingly asked him, “Is it worth it to abandon your martial arts potential for the sake of fighting for the justice of a girl’s parents? How will you become the most powerful sword immortal — great sword immortal — in the future?”

At the time, Chen Ping’an’s reply was, “Liking a girl doesn’t stop with simply saying so. If I don’t do this today — and let’s pretend that the two of you are Ning Yao’s parents — do you feel like I, Chen Ping’an, will sacrifice important things for your daughter when I become a rich and high-tier great sword immortal in the future? No… That kind of affection can’t be considered deep affection. It’s definitely a lie from the very beginning…”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t remember any of this.

The old shopkeeper was calm and unfazed.

Through tens of thousands of years, he was already accustomed to seeing all kinds of people and human emotions.

By contrast, the young shop attendant sat nearby and listened with relish.

In the end, Chen Ping’an eventually fell asleep in a drunken state. The man glanced at the young boy and took a sip of wine. “I still don’t like this young boy — blockheaded, idiotic, dull, not dashing enough, not courageous enough, only mediocre talent, a so-so disposition, and a very stubborn temper. If he gets into an argument with our daughter in the future, and if both of them are unwilling to take a step back, what will happen then? With our daughter’s personality, will she possibly yield and apologize?”

The woman smiled in amusement and replied, “Apologize? So you’re aware that our daughter will most likely be the one in the wrong? You’re aware that the young boy will always try to satisfy her needs?”

The man felt slightly guilty, so he huffed and didn’t say anything else.

The woman suddenly smiled and added, “Oh, I recall you also said that he isn’t dashing enough. Dashing in the sense of scholars and literati, or dashing in the sense of attracting other women?”

There was concealed killing intent.

A brilliant thought suddenly occurred to the man, and even he felt impressed by his own quick thinking. He raised his wine bowl and said in a proud manner, “Dashing in the sense of carving characters onto the Sword Qi Great Wall!”

The woman smiled in reply.

The man chuckled dryly, and he found a path on which to retreat. “In fact, that silly boy is quite a good person. Our daughter genuinely needs to find someone like him.”

There was a warm smile on the woman’s face as she gazed outside the wine shop. “Sorry,” she suddenly murmured.

The man beside her, their daughter Ning Yao, the Sword Qi Great Wall, and Majestic World…

She was sorry to all of them.

The husband and wife both used some illusion technique, disappearing from view after Chen Ping’an became drunk and unconscious.

The girl that Chen Ping’an liked looked a bit like him, and also a bit like her.

The man gently grabbed his wife’s hand and said, “We’re only sorry to our daughter. We don’t need to apologize to anyone else.”

A dazzling smile suddenly appeared on his face as he looked at Chen Ping’an, and he remarked, “Our daughter’s judgment is truly very impressive.”

“Just like mine,” the woman nodded and said with a smile.

The man suddenly felt a little exasperated, and he complained, “Is it really that difficult for our silly daughter to say those words?”

“Of course it’s very difficult,” the woman replied with a nod. “If a girl likes a boy, will she want the boy to like someone who will eventually die on the battlefield?”

The man slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Good heavens! How bloody complicated!”

————

In the Sword Qi Great Wall, on a stone cliff that was actually a Dragon Slaying Platform…

A young girl lay there and silently murmured, “Listen to me, Chen Ping’an, I don’t dislike you.”

1. A line from the ‘Three Character Classic,’ a classic Chinese text and an embodiment of Confucianism suitable for teaching young children. ☜