Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an suddenly turned around and looked toward the end of the small alley.

There was well water filled with yin energy crawling up the wall of the well in a neighboring street. It concealed itself using the mist permeating through the street, and it rapidly flowed out from the well and poured toward the alley where Chen Ping’an was located. After entering the alley, the well water was just in time to “see” Chen Ping’an suppressing the little child. After hesitating for a brief moment, the well water surprisingly started to recede from the alley.

Chen Ping’an brought his right hand out of his sleeve, pinching a brand new Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman and calling for Fifteenth in his mind. An exquisite dark green sword flew out from his Sword Nurturing Gourd and rushed past his back, catching the yellow paper talisman on its tip before shooting into the distance and leaving a trail of golden talisman radiance in its wake.

This talisman had initially been reserved for the adult yin entity who had come with the little child. After battling with the attacking yin entities, however, Chen Ping’an was much more reassured than before. His fists would be more than enough.

Since the strange entity in the well had decided to rush over by itself, Chen Ping’an responded in kind by summoning Fifteenth and having it carry a Demon-suppressing Talisman over. He was going to suppress the well water and sever its path of retreat.

The well water receded extremely quickly, but how could it possibly be quicker than the flying sword, Fifteenth?

After arriving beside the well that was seemingly weeping like an aggrieved woman, Fifteenth stabbed down and pinned the dazzling golden Treasure Pagoda Demon-suppressing Talisman onto the edge of the well opening.

The flying sword then slowly rose into the air and circled around the well.

The well water that had climbed out from the well rippled as it covered the surroundings, revealing the twisted faces of many women with bitter and resentful expressions. At the same time, a small trickle of well water broke from the main puddle and rushed toward the well, unwilling to accept this fate. However, this trickle of well water was quickly turned into vapor and mist.

After making several attempts, the puddle of continuously churning well water only gave up when it sensed that the talisman on the well was completely unaffected and still brimming with spiritual energy. The well water gathered together and eventually transformed into a humanoid yin entity with vaguely discernible limbs. It was three meters tall, and the well water continued to churn through its body. Its appearance was indescribable.

Fifteenth naturally viewed this as an act of provocation. It pierced through the yin entity’s head before suddenly coming to a stop and flying back to pierce through the yin entity’s back. It did this again and again, enjoying itself and not tiring of it at all.

Perhaps it hadn’t imagined that the flying sword would be brimming with so much sword intent, so the well water that had just assumed a humanoid form quickly dispersed with a splash, once again transforming into a puddle of water that flowed in all directions. It started to ripple and flee.

However, Fifteenth didn’t care about this as it continued to stab the well water again and again.

A hint of apprehension radiated from the male yin entity who had hoped to cloak himself in the well water. He lost the will to fight against Chen Ping’an, and he immediately rushed toward the wall located at the end of the small alley.

Chen Ping’an stomped his foot and leaped forward, arriving at the wall before the male yin entity. He then launched a palm strike at the wall in the dead end.

This was another Demon-suppressing Talisman.

The wall instantly revealed its true form. It was stacked high with skeletons, with many of them belonging to very young children. In fact, some skeletons seemingly belonged to infants who had been cut out from their mother’s womb. This was a harrowing and tragic sight.

The children squatting in front of the wall and holding their heads in their hands immediately started to sob when this wall was exposed.

There was raging hatred and anger in Chen Ping’an’s mind when he saw this.

The male yin entity was just about to soar into the air and escape from the small alley, yet his featureless face was immediately grabbed by the young boy who had turned around in incandescent rage. Chen Ping’an’s fingers were like talons, and the sleeves of Golden Sweet Wine billowed as they released waves of divine light that had seemingly enjoyed incense for a thousand years.

The male yin entity released desperate prayers and anguished wails from the depths of its soul, yet Chen Ping’an held it still with his right hand before blasting its heart apart with his left. Golden light burst from his arm, filled with his fist aura and also radiating with Golden Sweet Wine’s spiritual energy.

Chen Ping’an moved his right arm around, forcefully creating a gaping hole in the yin entity’s chest.

However, this still wasn’t enough, and Chen Ping’an even desired to tear the yin entity’s soul apart. He purposely controlled his power such that the yin entity’s soul was peeled back layer by layer as if it were being subject to the punishment of being skinned and having its tendons pulled out. He dragged the yin entity’s soul into his Dao robe bit by bit, forcing it to endure agonizing pain as if it were being cut by ten thousand blades.

Lu Tai stood up and warned the young boy in a quiet voice, saying, “That’s enough, Chen Ping’an.”

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath and released his grip. Drawing his right hand from the yin entity’s chest, he then threw a punch and smashed it into oblivion. Afterward, he violently flicked his sleeve and collected all of the remnant wisps of the yin entity. In the end, he shook his sleeve and poured out the extremely fine particles of rustling ashes.

Chen Ping’an glanced forward at the yin entity children squatting in front of the wall. They didn’t flee, and they were simply trembling in fear. They shuddered violently, yet they still hugged their knees with all their strength as they waited for death. There was a sobbing tone to their murmuring, but it was unclear what they were crying about; as if they were suffering immense pain and torture.

Chen Ping’an turned around and glanced at the talisman stuck on the wall of skeletons. He hurriedly walked over and pulled it down.

After putting the Demon-suppressing Talisman away, Chen Ping’an covered more than twenty meters in a single step and arrived beside a yin entity child squatting there with his head in his hands. The child was only two to three years old. Chen Ping’an reached over, yet the child shuddered increasingly violently even though Chen Ping’an was already doing his best to hold back his fist intent and the spiritual energy of Golden Sweet Wine. He was trying his best to suppress Golden Sweet Wine and make it seem like an ordinary robe.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly rolled his sleeves up upon seeing this, so high that they almost reached his shoulders. He then gently patted the little child’s head.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything.

There existed all kinds of pains and hardships in the world, with some being inescapable karmic retributions from past lives. However, should these things not wait until the children grew slightly older and understood slightly more things?

Chen Ping’an felt like this wasn’t right. He felt like this wasn’t good.

This was because he could empathize with their pain.

Chen Ping’an retracted his hand and wiped the corners of his eyes. He turned to Lu Tai and asked, “Is there anything we can do?”

Lu Tai slowly walked over, no longer appearing as carefree and nonchalant as always. He nodded and replied, “You know how to draw the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman, right? This talisman will become a guide for yin energy if you draw it in reverse. I can also draw a Netherworld Ferry Talisman, and that way we’ll be able to release the souls of these children from suffering.

“The purpose of your talisman is to persuade these young and immature yin entities to stand up and walk by themselves, while the purpose of my talisman is to open a door for them and provide them with a path that doesn’t lead to a dead end.”

Chen Ping’an quietly called out to Fifteenth in his mind.

The flying sword quickly returned from the entrance of the small alley.

Chen Ping’an retrieved a piece of yellow talisman paper as well as the Wind and Snow Awl from his pocket treasure. He then sat down cross-legged with the brush in one hand and the talisman paper in his other.

Following Lu Tai’s guidance, Chen Ping’an made his first attempt to draw the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman in reverse. However, he ultimately failed because of his unstable mental state.

Lu Tai didn’t say anything, and Chen Ping’an took a deep breath before retrieving another piece of talisman. Surprisingly, however, he failed once again. This was extremely rare for Chen Ping’an, especially since he had started to practice fist techniques.

Even Chen Ping’an was at a slight loss.

Lu Tai sighed softly.

This was because a shard of Chen Ping’an’s mind’s realm was shuddering.

Lu Tai decided to retrieve his bamboo folding fan, gently rocking it back and forth. He smiled faintly and didn’t look at Chen Ping’an as he suggested, “Don’t put yourself in other people’s shoes all the time. You should learn to observe problems as an outsider.

“There’s no rush to draw the talisman. These children have already suffered for so many years, so they most likely won’t mind if they have to wait for a little longer.”

Lu Tai offered a gentle breeze with his folding fan, helping this small alley now devoid of mist and yin energy to once again block out the formless yang energy that was seeping through the black clouds overhead. “I’m going to directly head to the main bamboo building to look for the fortress lord’s wife when we finish dealing with the matters here,” Lu Tai said slowly.

“Chen Ping’an, you don’t need to come with me. I need you to help me scatter those black clouds as well as those yin entities hiding in the dark. Their cultivation base might be a bit higher. In any case, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in understanding.

Lu Tai looked up at the sky and said, “I can roughly confirm the truth now. The Flying Eagle Fortress has ended up in this state where yin energy is dominant and yang energy is inferior in these past few decades because of someone’s purposeful actions. Their aim is to have the fortress lord’s wife, who possesses an innate physique of extreme yin energy, give birth to a ghost infant, an extremely rare type of existence.

“Ghost infants are born from a woman’s heart, and they need to be nurtured for several years, feeding on the blood and vitality of their host. This is very different from an ordinary pregnancy of nine months. There’s a common saying, ghost in one’s heart, and this is the exact situation that the saying refers to.[1]

“The fortress lord’s wife isn’t a cultivator, meaning that she lacks the vital energy to nurture this ghost infant by herself. That’s the reason for all of these strange happenings in the Flying Eagle Fortress. The purpose is to keep her alive while she’s still pregnant with the ghost infant. However, she’ll immediately die once the ghost infant breaks out from her heart.

“Moreover, her soul most likely won’t enjoy peace after she dies due to the great sins that she’s committed. She’s living a life worse than death right now, yet she’ll suffer a death worse than life in the future. How utterly tragic.”

Chen Ping’an furrowed his brows.

“According to the records of a few Daoist texts in my clan’s scripture library, these kinds of filthy beings will possess a cultivation base at the sixth tier immediately after they’re born. They’re incredibly difficult to deal with,” Lu Tai continued slowly.

“They can disperse and gather at will, and it’s very hard to destroy them unless one kills them in a single blow. They like to feed on the internal organs of living people, and if they aren’t restricted, they can massacre several cities in less than one hundred years, claiming hundreds of thousands of victims in the process. This will allow them to easily reach the Nascent Tier.

“Ghost infants are already difficult to kill to begin with, so just how difficult will it be to kill an earth immortal ghost infant? One doesn’t need to dream about killing them if one doesn’t have a team of at least three earth immortals. If a Nascent Tier cultivator dares to go by themself, they’ll most probably become nothing more than a snack for the ghost infant.”

Lu Tai chuckled coldly and remarked, “This kind of plot is nothing much in Middle Earth Divine Continent. However, such a plot and such investment can be viewed as very significant in Parasol Leaf Continent.”

Lu Tai stopped speaking after this, gently rocking the bamboo fan in his hand and sending waves of refreshing breeze into the surroundings.

Chen Ping’an remained silent for a moment before saying in a soft voice, “I can continue drawing the talisman now.”

Lu Tai glanced at the young boy beside him and smiled.

Success at last!

Chen Ping’an wiped the sweat from his forehead and was just about to put the Yin Energy Guidance Talisman away. “What are you doing?” Lu Tai asked with a baffled expression.

“The quality of the talisman paper isn’t high, so I was only using it for practice…” Chen Ping’an replied.

Lu Tai snatched the talisman from Chen Ping’an’s hand and snapped, “Are you stupid? This talisman is already more than enough for this bunch of little children. If the quality is any better, then they might develop a sense of greed and choose to remain as wandering ghosts in this limbo between yin and yang. That will turn a good thing into a bad thing.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and handed the Wind and Snow Awl to Lu Tai. Before retrieving any talisman paper, he asked, “Your Netherworld Ferry Talisman is completely different from my Yin Energy Guidance Talisman. After all, it’s shattering the barrier between yin and yang rather than simply providing guidance. That being the case, will it be more effective the higher grade the talisman paper is?”

Lu Tai wanted to say something, but he ultimately kept his mouth shut.

Chen Ping’an already knew the answer, so he directly retrieved a piece of golden talisman paper from his sleeve.

Lu Tai didn’t accept it straight away, and he instead asked, “Is it worth it?”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Lu Tai shook his head and said, “I think it isn’t worth it.”

Chen Ping’an turned around to look at the two rows of children squatting in front of the wall before turning back to Lu Tai with a smile and saying with a firm expression, “Just take this talisman paper and use it. However, make sure you don’t stuff up.”

Lu Tai sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment before solemnly steadying his breathing and focusing his mind. Only then did he grip the Wind and Snow Awl and start to draw the Netherworld Ferry Talisman on the golden talisman paper.

This talisman was unique to the Lu Clan from Middle Earth Divine Continent’s Naturalist Sect, and the symbols on the talisman depicted an old man holding a bamboo pole and steering a lone boat. There was also a line of ancient seal script characters on each side of the talisman.

Chen Ping’an trusted Lu Tai’s ability to draw talismans, so he turned around to look at the little children squatting in front of the wall.

Once upon a time, a young boy had heard the words “wasn’t worth it” in the Yang Family’s medicine shop.

Gazing at the children, it was as if Chen Ping’an were gazing at dozens of his own reflections, all of them waiting for an answer.

A moment later, Lu Tai smiled and announced, “Mission accomplished!”

Lu Tai returned the Wind and Snow Awl to Chen Ping’an. Afterward, the two of them stood up and Chen Ping’an funneled a wisp of pure True Qi into the Yin Energy Guidance Talisman in his hand. A spiritual glow flowed over the talisman, soft and completely different in feel from the Yang Energy Illumination Talisman.

Sure enough, the children squatting at the foot of the wall dazedly raised their heads and looked at the talisman in Chen Ping’an’s hand after it was activated. They were filled with emotions of joy and nostalgia.

Lu Tai tossed the golden Netherworld Ferry Talisman toward the wall of skeletons at the end of the alley. The talisman stuck to the wall, after which golden lines appeared on each of the four sides of the talisman paper. Meanwhile, the middle of the talisman paper started to disappear as the golden lines continued to expand outward. In the end, the golden talisman transformed into a large golden door frame.

Lu Tai told Chen Ping’an to slowly walk toward the large door with the Yin Energy Guidance Talisman in his hand.

The yin entity children all stood up and followed Chen Ping’an’s guidance, walking toward the end of the alley together.

Lu Tai sat down on the steps outside the courtyard door, resting his cheek in one hand as he looked at Chen Ping’an’s back.

Chen Ping’an followed Lu Tai’s instructions and gently placed the Yin Energy Guidance Talisman inside the large golden door. It was as if the talisman came to a hovering stop on the top of the door frame.

Dozens of yin entity children walked inside, some of them skipping and some of them swaying. Some of the older children were also holding the hands of the younger children.

One by one, all of them eventually entered the large golden door. However, they suddenly squeezed their heads near the door and started to smile at the young boy in white standing on the other side of the door.

Even though they were yin entities, their smiles were truly innocent and dazzling at this moment.

Lu Tai couldn’t see Chen Ping’an’s expression.

Dressed in an azure robe for men, her real name was actually “Lu Tai,” Tai as in raise up.[2] It was as if she were sulkily opposing her old ancestor, Lu Chen, on purpose.[3]

Right now, she could only see Chen Ping’an waving and bidding farewell to those little children.

1. The saying “ghost in one’s heart” or literally “heart pregnant with a ghost” (心怀鬼胎) refers to a person having ulterior motives. ☜

2. Lu Tai was initially written as 陆台 as opposed to the current 陆抬. The previous Tai meant platform. ☜

3. Lu Tai, as it is currently written, can literally be interpreted as “land raising.” On the other hand, Lu Chen can literally be interpreted as “land sinking.” Hence the comment that Lu Tai is opposing Lu Chen. ☜