Unsheathed

A sigh sounded somewhere in the Sword Qi Great Wall. It was as if someone didn’t agree with the old sword immortal’s decision to suddenly lash out and kill someone, yet they were unwilling to step forward to reason with him.

Beside the sighing person, an old voice sounded. “The victim was only at the Unpolished Jade Tier. Moreover, Chen Qingdu had his reasons to do this, so you should just endure it.”

The sighing person sighed again.

The old voice gave a helpless chuckle and persuaded the interlocutor to the best of its ability. “Expounding the principles and rules of Confucianism to Chen Qingdu is the same as a chicken trying to speak with a duck. What’s the point? In addition, Confucianism is a teaching close to the people.

“Scholars don’t aim to become Buddha, and scholars don’t chase after longevity. The Dao underfoot is neither lofty nor distant. Why force Chen Qingdu to adhere to the rules for everything? Is he a sage or a flawless individual? Everything will become much easier if you don’t measure Chen Qingdu against the yardstick of sages.”

“The consequences of one unreasonable action from Chen Qingdu are perhaps more severe than the consequences of 10,000 unreasonable actions from mortal beings,” the sighing person replied in an indifferent voice.

The old person chuckled and replied, “Chen Qingdu is a sword cultivator, while you’re a Confucian scholar. The two of you are not the same.”

The Confucian scholar fell silent for a long while. In the end, he murmured, “A scholar travel-worn and busy, yet what purpose does he yearn to achieve?[1]”

The old man also sighed after failing to convince the Confucian scholar.

“Chen Qingdu!” someone bellowed in the city to the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

A burst of light shot up from the ground and carried with it an unstoppable might of wind and lightning as it soared toward the great wall.

The hunch-backed old sword immortal who had already jumped down the parapet frowned upon seeing this. He lightly flicked his sleeve and dragged Chen Ping’an from the parapet, pulling the young boy behind him. Meanwhile, he took Chen Ping’an’s original spot and directly faced that overbearing sword cultivator.

The old sword immortal narrowed his eyes and asked, “What, a descendant in your clan became a spy for the demon tribe, yet you still think that you’re the reasonable one?”

The furious sword cultivator came to a hovering stop in midair a dozen meters away from the great wall. He was a tall old man with a snow-white beard and hair. His aura was extremely majestic, and he showed no signs of respect or fear even though he was facing the most experienced and most powerful senior in the Sword Qi Great Wall.

There was incandescent fury on his face as he interrogated, “My Dong Clan naturally has clan rules and clan laws to punish traitors. Even if I take ten thousand steps back, the Hidden Official has yet to pass judgment on the severity of my grandson’s crimes, so what right do you, Chen Qingdu, have to punish Dong Guanpu?!”

The old man dressed in snow-white from head to toe was extremely aggressive and overbearing. He suddenly raised his voice and roared, “Are you pretending that I, Dong Sangeng, am dead?!”

There was a taunting expression on Chen Qingdu’s face as he replied, “Before Dong Guanpu died by my sword, I did indeed pretend that you were already dead. Your grandson was evidently a spy for the demon tribe, yet your Dong Clan managed to drag investigations on for an entire month. If it were another clan — for example, the Chen Clan — do you believe me when I say that even a day of investigations would be too long?”

The old man who had charged over from the Dong Clan was burning with rage. “Is a sword immortal at the Unpolished Jade Tier who was willing to repent and make up for his crimes not better for the Sword Qi Great Wall than a corpse?”

Chen Qingdu felt like this kind of question wasn’t worthy of a response. Instead, he chuckled coldly and asked, “There’s actually a corpse remaining after facing my sword strike? Perhaps that little bastard secretly advanced to the Immortal Tier?”

The eyes of the tall old man who had referred to himself as Dong Sangeng almost bulged out of his head in anger. His sword intent violently flooded the surroundings, thunderously crashing into the great wall like a barrage of torrential waves.

Chen Qingdu raised an eyebrow and asked, “What, you’re going attack me?”

Dong Sangeng strode forward and laughed in rage, roaring, “Others are all afraid of you, Chen Qingdu, but I’m not afraid! I’ll attack if that’s what you want! What is there to be afraid of?!”

A childish voice sounded from a section of the great wall in the distance. There was a hint of grief and sadness in the voice as it said, “Alright, it’s all my fault. I wasn’t willing to see Dong Guanpu die so soon. After all, Little Dong was one of the people I liked the most. Back then, I liked Snotty Dong as much as I like Cao Ci now. However, since he’s already dead… then so be it.”

The owner of this voice was a little girl with twin braids and dressed in a large black robe. She was the current Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

A dozen or so of the most top-notch sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall silently appeared in the distance around this section of the great wall. They were either clan leaders of powerful clans or sword immortals with extraordinary combat power.

There were only two people absent — the sages who could rival Chen Qingdu in strength and status.

“Dong Sangeng, you were in the wrong regarding this matter; you were wrong from the very beginning!” a handsome middle-aged man said in a stern voice. “You placed far too much hope and expectations on Dong Guanpu for all these years, and it was because of your actions that Dong Guanpu’s sword heart became so extreme. It was because of this that he insisted on traveling to Savage World to train among the enemies, resulting in this calamity.

“He believed that the Sword Qi Great Wall had Dong Sangeng, had A’Liang, and could also have Dong Guanpu in the future. However, I felt like this wasn’t the case. So be it if he didn’t listen to me, what with his youth and vigor. But what about you? Did you not understand the risks and dangers?”

“Descendants of my Dong Clan should naturally have great ambitions like this. Why would I persuade him otherwise?” Dong Sangeng replied with a cold expression. “I earnestly hope that all of the descendants of the Dong Clan can become more powerful than me!”

After saying this, Dong Sangeng sneered and continued, “After all, our Dong Clan isn’t the same as the Chen Clan, Qi Clan, or the Nalan Clan. We’re not so crafty and scheming.”

The domineering old man implicated almost half of the Sword Qi Great Wall with his accusatory remark.

The handsome man humphed coldly and didn’t say anything else.

Chen Ping’an discovered that Senior Qi also had the right to speak. At this moment, he slowly opened his mouth and said, “Things have already come to this, so what else can we do? The enemy is before us, so are we still going to engage in infighting?”

A skinny old man dressed in a changshan and carrying a sword nodded lightly and concurred, “No matter what, the most important thing right now is to deal with the assaults launched by the demon tribe. We can’t sabotage ourselves and make it easier for those vile beasts in the south.”

However, the old sword immortal paid no heed to the support of the two other people, nor did he show any signs of wanting to abate. He glared at Dong Sangeng and chuckled, “If repenting and making up for one’s crimes is sufficient, then can I kill you today and ask the Hidden Official to tear a few pages from the book of merits? Will that be enough to absolve me?”

Dong Sangeng was rendered speechless.

The atmosphere was awkward and heavy.

Chen Ping’an stood behind the old sword immortal and observed the situation. After the powerful sword cultivators arrived, he felt like the sword qi suffusing the great wall was starting to develop some weight. He was barely able to breathe under its weight.

Dong Sangeng suddenly looked around and roared in anger, “Are you here to enjoy a fucking show? Are you here to enjoy the fucking atmosphere? Piss off, will you?!”

The dozen or so pillar cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall knew that Dong Sangeng was finding an excuse for himself to retreat. There wouldn’t be a fight today, so they all dispersed and returned to the city in the north.

After everyone left, Chen Ping’an finally saw that Ning Yao had also been standing among the others just then. She slowly approached the great wall. Dong Sangeng glanced at the young girl and huffed, “Little Ning, don’t learn from your trash parents. I’m still quite fond of you.”

Ning Yao offered no response, with her face expressionless.

Dong Sangeng paid no heed to this as he turned around and strode back to the city on the wind.

Lord Hidden Official, who was standing on the parapet, was the most heartless of them all. She was secretly yawing the entire time. However, she suddenly scrunched her face at this moment and hesitated for a brief while. She then opened her mouth and pressed her thumb onto her wobbly tooth. She gently wobbled it back and forth, yet she was ultimately unwilling to pull it out. She closed her mouth before turning around and mumbling to herself as she walked far away.

The old sword immortal, Chen Qingdu, appeared unfazed by tonight’s events. It was as if he were already accustomed to it. He smiled at Ning Yao before jumping down the parapet and returning to his old thatched cottage.

Chen Ping’an leaped onto the parapet again and stood beside Ning Yao.

Ning Yao’s emotions didn’t fluctuate too much as she explained, “The Sword Qi Great Wall has always been like this. Fortunately, the rule left behind by our ancestors hasn’t changed much.”

Chen Ping’an looked at Ning Yao in curiosity.

“Sword tips toward the south,” Ning Yao said slowly.

These were five simple words, yet they started to flicker and churn in the mind of the young boy who had just started to practice the sword.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but turn around and gaze toward the south.

Ning Yao grabbed Chen Ping’an’s Sword Nurturing Gourd and started to drink.

Chen Ping’an looked away and asked in a soft voice, “Was this Dong Guanpu the same type of person that you mentioned before? He was once a hero on the battlefield, yet he was relatively unreasonable in the city?”

Ning Yao shook her head and replied, “Quite the opposite. Grandpa Little Dong was always a fairly good person. He lived in relative seclusion in the city to the north of the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he wasn’t especially fond of interacting with others. I sometimes did come across him when I was little, and he was always very polite. Even though he wasn’t very good with words, he would always smile at me just like the elders in my clan.”

Ning Yao sat down cross-legged and continued in a resigned voice, “No one knows why he suddenly betrayed us for the demon tribe. Perhaps something went very wrong during his perilous journey to train in that world in the past. In fact, many sword cultivators leave the Sword Qi Great Wall and enter Savage World by themselves to temper their Sword Dao.

“This is made possible by the fact that many demons at the Middle Five Tiers like to adopt the appearances of humans. They take great pride in this. Thus, they’ll appear no different from us during normal times. Only during critical moments in battle will they reveal their true forms and use their innately powerful physiques to defend against our deadly flying swords. Because of this, it’s actually quite difficult for sword cultivators to be exposed as long as they conceal themselves carefully.”

Humans were paramount among all living beings because of their unique acupoints. A human’s acupoints were the most mystical small worlds and blessed lands in the world. This was the main reason demons cultivated so hard to refine a human form. After they succeeded, their cultivation would become much more efficient. This was exactly the case for the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink in Downtrodden Mountain.

“Of course, there are also some exceptions,” Ning Yao continued. “Certain cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall will be secretly observed and remembered by the top-notch great demons very early on. Afterward, they’ll be recorded in a book using some secret technique.

“For these cultivators, it will be very difficult to enter and train in Savage World. However, I’ve heard that the book can only hold a limited number of names. As such, there won’t be too many sword cultivators recorded in it. Most of the time, a new name will only be added when a relevant sword cultivator from my hometown is killed in battle.

“Theoretically speaking, Grandpa Little Dong was only an ordinary sword cultivator at the Nascent Tier when he left the Sword Qi Great Wall to train in Savage World. His name shouldn’t have been in the book. Also, the Dong Clan has an immense foundation and a number of secret techniques that can conceal one’s aura, so it should have been very difficult for the demons to detect him.”

Ning Yao withheld one piece of information.

She didn’t mention the fact that she was also one of the sword cultivators recorded in that strange book. Moreover, she was the youngest sword cultivator in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall to make it onto that book.

She had already made it onto that book before turning ten.

Casting one’s gaze across history, those prodigies who had enjoyed such treatment had all been killed on the battlefield to the south of the Sword Qi Great Wall before turning thirty. There wasn’t a single exception.

The demon tribe never held back when dealing with these prodigies, no matter the cost.

Oftentimes, the survival or death of such a prodigy would lead to the death of one or even more great demons or sword immortals.

This was because the demon tribe felt like having one Chen Qingdu on the great wall was more than enough.

If a Ning Qingdu or Yao Qingdu appeared on the great wall, then the consequences would be much more severe than just the death of one or two great demons at the Upper Five Tiers.

Meanwhile, the Sword Qi Great Wall’s frustration was the fact that these prodigies had to enter the battlefield to temper themselves from very early on. If they didn’t experience life-or-death battles and use these opportunities to rapidly improve their cultivation, and if they simply stayed put in the Sword Qi Great Wall, then they would have zero chance of developing into the next Chen Qingdu, A’Liang, or Dong Sangeng. This would be the case even if they enjoyed thorough guidance from several sword immortals.

“If I stay here, will I cause you to lose concentration and end up detrimentally affecting your cultivation?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

“Mhm,” Ning Yao nodded and replied. She didn’t deny this, and she answered without any hesitation.

“However, I’ll be very happy with you around,” she added in a forthright manner. “When I cultivate near the Dragon Slaying Platform at home, I often can’t help myself but think of you. My mind will drift off for a while, and I’ll immediately come here to look for you afterward. When I return, I’ll hurriedly deal with some clan matters and the day will be over before I know it. I’ll go to sleep and wait to see you again the next day.”

This was Ning Yao.

Qi Jingchun had once told Zhao Yao, his student in the private school, not to fall for Ning Yao even though he had felt love at first sight. This was because she was a scabbardless sword whose radiance and intensity were completely unrestrained. As such, it was very easy for her to harm others and even harm herself.

Ning Yao’s view of the world was always clearly distinguished between good and bad, black and white. Her view could almost be regarded as cold and heartless.

However, there was now someone called Chen Ping’an in her life.

After understanding the situation, Chen Ping’an’s voice was resolute as he said, “I’ll leave this place in three days at most. Afterward, I’ll travel to Complete Reed Continent which is the most similar to the Sword Qi Great Wall. I’ll practice my fist techniques and I’ll also practice the sword. I’ll strive to advance to the seventh tier of martial arts as quickly as I can. That way, I’ll have the right to participate in the battle here. When that time comes, I’ll return here to look for you!”

Ning Yao didn’t say anything. She knew that this was for the best. However, she was still unwilling to nod her head and say yes.

On the contrary, she wanted to grumble and complain about how the young boy beside her could make his mind up so quickly and resolutely.

Chen Ping’an wanted to drink some wine, yet his Sword Nurturing Gourd was still in Ning Yao’s hand. She was holding it tightly, and she had seemingly moved it to her other hand on purpose as well. It was even further away from Chen Ping’an now.

“Historically speaking, the demon tribe’s assault against the Sword Qi Great Wall always lasts for twenty or thirty years,” Ning Yao suddenly said, “I’ll give you ten years to advance to the seventh tier. Is this enough?”

Ning Yao scowled and added, “It can only be ten years. I can’t give you any longer!”

Chen Ping’an shifted his position such that he was facing Ning Yao. He smiled and replied, “Okay. However, you definitely have to wait for me as well.”

Ning Yao squirmed a little and also turned around to face Chen Ping’an. She returned the Sword Nurturing Gourd to him before nodding and saying, “Deal.”

Chen Ping’an accepted the wine gourd and took a swig of wine.

“I have many shortcomings,” Ning Yao said softly.

“That doesn’t matter. I like you,” Chen Ping’an replied with a faint smile.

The rims of Ning Yao’s eyes became slightly red.

Chen Ping’an extended a trembling hand and gently placed it on Ning Yao’s cheek.

Ning Yao blushed slightly, but she didn’t reject Chen Ping’an’s advance. She simply closed her eyes, not daring to look at him.

Heaven and earth fell silent, and it was as if only the two of them remained in the world. However, it was also at this moment that an untimely cough interrupted their intimacy.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly retracted his hand and drank a sip of wine to conceal his embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ning Yao turned around with killing intent radiating from her body. The uninvited guest was none other than the old sword immortal, Grandpa Chen.

He was standing near the two youths with his hands clasped behind his back, and he said with a wide smile, “I suddenly remembered something, and I was afraid that I would forget it again if I left it until later. So, I hurriedly returned here to speak with Chen Ping’an.”

“You guys speak.”

Ning Yao grabbed the wine gourd and turned around to face the city in the north. She had her back to the old sword immortal.

Chen Ping’an jumped down the parapet and asked, “What’s the matter, Grandpa Chen?”

The old sword immortal smiled and replied, “The paintings of the blind old man in the south are good-looking, the chicken soup of the bald old donkey[2] in the west is good-tasting, and the writing of that scholar in Middle Earth Divine Continent is magnificent. I feel like these people are all very interesting. However, the most interesting thing about them is that they’re all more immune to death than the other.”

Ning Yao couldn’t help but turn around and ask, “Grandpa Chen, according to what you told me before, isn’t there also a stinky Daoist priest in the East Sea?”

The old sword immortal nodded and replied, “Indeed. And it was after thinking of this person that I wanted to say something to Chen Ping’an.”

Ning Yao was very puzzled.

The old sword immortal pointed at Chen Ping’an and continued, “In fact, it doesn’t make a big difference whether you repair your bridge of immortality or not, so you might as well find another way instead. With this in mind, you need to seek out this Daoist priest. However, it’s very likely that you’ll be rejected and turned away. Even so, I feel like you might be an exception seeing that you managed to make it here.”

Chen Ping’an’s heart shuddered, and he asked, “Grandpa Chen, how should I find this esteemed individual? Should I travel to the East Sea? If I’m not wrong, Eastern Treasured Vial Continent is also located on the East Sea?”

The old sword immortal shook his head and said, “You need to travel to Parasol Leaf Continent in the southeast and look for a Daoist temple.”

Chen Ping’an was stumped. He was slightly hesitant, as this was misaligned with his original intention. However, since the old sword immortal was saying this, he definitely had his deeper considerations. Even with this in mind, Chen Ping’an was still worried about his ten-year promise. He had experienced much difficulty in advancing to the fourth tier, so he didn’t dare to be too optimistic when it came to advancing to the fifth tier, sixth tier, and seventh tier.

“The locust wood that your sword case is made of has a very profound background,” the old sword immortal continued. “Why don’t you lend it to me for ten years, and I’ll lend you a sword in return? We can swap again in ten years. When you arrive in Parasol Leaf Continent, this sword will assist you by pointing you in the rough direction of your destination, the place where that old Daoist priest in the East Sea is located. If you’re fortunate enough and manage to find him, it will still be up to your own fate whether he’s willing to help you.”

“Understood!” Chen Ping’an said with a nod.

He removed his sword case and retrieved the locust wood sword, Eliminating Fiends, from it.

“Can you leave this wooden sword with me? I can also lend you a sword,” Ning Yao said.

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and replied, “This locust wood sword is from Mr. Qi, so I can’t gift it to you. But it’s okay for you to look after it for me. Also, you don’t need to lend me a sword. The Sword Qi Great Wall is always lacking swords, and I don’t have any pressing need for a sword at this moment either.”

Ning Yao beckoned with her hands, and Chen Ping’an lightly tossed the locust wood sword to her. He then handed the locust wood sword case to the old sword immortal.

As for the talisman that Chen Ping’an had kept inside the sword case, he had already placed it inside his flying sword, Fifteenth, long before entering Stalactite Mountain. Otherwise, the female bone ghost would have immediately disintegrated into dust upon entering the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The locust wood sword case instantly vanished into thin air when the old sword immortal’s finger came into contact with it.

In the end, the old sword immortal clasped a single hand behind his back, raising his other hand and rapidly drawing two fingers across the air.

A sheathed sword materialized between the old sword immortal and Chen Ping’an.

The old sword immortal gestured with his eyes, telling Chen Ping’an to catch the sword.

Chen Ping’an reached out with both hands.

The sword fell down, and Chen Ping’an initially thought that he could easily catch the sword in his hands. However, he immediately stumbled and almost faceplanted into the carriageway.

“The sword’s name is Lasting Qi, and the sword along with its scabbard only weighs three and a half kilograms in total. The sword qi, however, weighs forty. The person who carries this sword can temper their soul day and night.”

Chen Ping’an had given his sword case away, so he was temporarily unable to carry the sword on his back. Thus, he could only hold it in his hands as he stood there.

The old sword immortal looked Chen Ping’an up and down and said with a nod, “You finally look a bit like a sword cultivator.”

Ning Yao suddenly turned around and looked toward the south.

“Now you understand why I disturbed the two of you just then?” the old sword immortal chuckled.

There was an intense look in Ning Yao’s eyes as she immediately jumped on her sword and soared into the sky.

The old sword immortal turned to Chen Ping’an and reminded him, “Hurry up and say goodbye to Little Ning. I’ll send you back to Stalactite Mountain.”

Chen Ping’an hugged his new sword and looked up at Ning Yao. However, he was unable to say anything at this moment.

Ning Yao also looked down at Chen Ping’an, hurriedly tossing the Sword Nurturing Gourd back to him.

The old sword immortal smiled and said, “The feelings between the two of you are no inferior to the sword qi. Then let’s leave it at this. You can save your many words of affection for next time.”

The old sword immortal snapped his fingers, causing Chen Ping’an, who had just caught his Sword Nurturing Gourd to fall backward.

In the next moment, when Chen Ping’an finally managed to stabilize himself, he discovered that he was no longer standing on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Instead, he was standing on the plaza located at the foot of Lone Peak in Stalactite Mountain.

There was only a single sun hanging in the sky, not a peculiar sight of three moons like the unique world of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The sword-hugging middle-aged man on the hitching post looked at the dazed young boy who was carrying a sword and holding a wine gourd.

It was only a parting.

Yet, it made Chen Ping’an forget that he could drink wine to suppress his sorrows.

On the southern parapet of the Sword Qi Great Wall, a little girl with twin braids sat on the edge and swung her feet. “I want to become a tree. When I’m happy, I’ll blossom with flowers in autumn. When I’m sad, I’ll shed leaves in spring,” she murmured to herself.

1. A line from Li Longji’s poem, A Memorial for Confucius with Commiserations When Passing through Zou County of the Lu Region ( 经邹鲁祭孔子而叹之). Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty reigning from 712 to 756 CE. ☜

2. Bald donkey is an offensive term referring to monks. ☜