Unsheathed

Zhou Fei pinched two fingers together, and the woman’s soul condensed into a snow-white pearl between his fingers. He gently placed the pearl inside his sleeve before looking up at the old monk from the Vajra Temple. Zhou Fei’s tone was no longer as casual as before as he directly said, “Let’s talk about that azure garment again. I know it’s related to you, and Zhou Fei especially came to the temple for this garment before.”

However, the old monk was still unwilling to talk about this matter, and his eyes were filled with nostalgia as he gazed at the lush green forest outside his thatched cottage. “I have a junior brother, and we studied Buddhism together when we were young. He said that he was unable to accept the existence of sad stories.

“When he came across sad stories, he would inevitably think that Buddhas existed in the world, so how was the mortal world still filled with so many sad stories? What could he change even if he became a Buddha? I left the small temple in my hometown afterward, so I don’t know if my junior brother… has become a Buddha yet.”

Zhou Fei suppressed the anger in his mind before lightly shaking his head and sneering, “How can someone from such a small place become a genuine Buddha? You’re overthinking things, Old Monk.”

The old monk shook his head and replied, “I simply want to know whether my junior brother is still alive. After all these years, I truly crave a bowl of rice porridge made by my junior brother.”

Zhou Fei was just about to stand up, and he said, “I don’t have time to speak in circles with you anymore. I’ll send you on your way now, and you can ask your junior brother whether he can still make rice porridge in the afterlife.”

The old monk smiled faintly and asked with a calm expression, “Zhou Fei, can you fulfill one request from me if I help you obtain that Golden Arhat Body from the imperial palace?”

Zhou Fei sat down again and asked in amusement, “A request from you?”

The old monk raised a hand and ran it over his bald head, saying with emotion, “I don’t plan to be a monk anymore. I was abandoned at the entrance of a temple when I was little, and I was picked and raised by my good-hearted master. I always daydreamed with my junior brother back then, and the thing that I wanted the most was actually a comb.”

Zhou Fei clutched his stomach and roared with laughter.

The old monk removed his external Buddhist robe and folded it neatly, placing it aside as he said in a quiet voice, “Please help her find a way to escape from this place. She doesn’t deserve to be trapped in this small place anymore.”

An azure dress with large sleeves appeared in one corner of the thatched cottage.

The beautiful ladies outside the thatched cottage had served Zhou Fei for many years, so they had naturally witnessed many things and were thus very knowledgeable. Even so, they were still amazed when they saw the azure dress hovering in midair.

The azure dress hovered to the old monk’s side, with the hem of the dress slowly descending to the ground. In the end, one could vaguely discern that the dress was in a kneeling position.

The old monk was no longer as proper with his words after taking off his Buddhist robe, and he said, “I’ve already acted as the light-bearing monk and lecturing monk of the Vajra Temple for so many years.[1] Day after day and year after year, I’ve spoken tens of thousands of lines of Buddhist scriptures and teachings to them. My audience consisted of all kinds of people, those from the three teachings and also those from the nine schools of philosophy.[2].

“However, they merely listened to my teachings without actually implementing anything. They still go to war with each other, and they still engage in revenge killings in the cultivation world. What can I do? As a monk, can I grab a saber to eliminate those violent people and restore peace? Can I prevent violence through violence? Should I rest my saber on their shoulders and force them to pledge themselves to kindness and Buddhism?

The azure dress raised a sleeve and held it above its collar, seemingly covering its mouth and laughing softly.

The old monk fixed his gaze on Zhou Fei and asked, “Can you fulfill my request?”

Zhou Fei was in no hurry to give an answer. The old monk from the Vajra Temple was the Buddhist sage of this world. He was skilled at writing large characters, and each of his characters would be like a golden vajra brimming with boundless energy.[3]

After a while, Zhou Fei sighed and replied, “One should show some sincerity when doing business with others. Old Monk, are you truly unaware that one can leave this place after obtaining this kind of recognized fated opportunity?”

The old monk turned around to glance at the azure dress before replying in helplessness, “She’s not the same.”

Zhou Fei was an otherworldly immortal who had regained his memories extremely quickly, yet he still didn’t dare to claim that he understood all of the rules in this world. After all, his soul had been restricted by some genuine immortal secret technique before he had come here.

The Mirror Heart Hall, the Vajra Temple, and the Reverence Pagoda…

After experiencing calamity after calamity, the leaders of these three forces had definitely accumulated much experience. Thus, it was entirely possible that they knew just as much as Zhou Fei.

The old monk smiled and continued, “However, my mind is completely at ease after hearing Benefactor Zhou ask this question.”

“Speaking from my perspective, being able to leave with Zhou Shi is naturally the best outcome,” Zhou Fei said directly. “However, in the off-chance that some accident occurs—for example, the type right now where Zhou Shi has been severely injured by someone and therefore lost the opportunity to secretly become an Upper Ten Elite—then I need to guarantee that after my departure, Zhou Shi can have a greater chance of success after the next sixty years.

“Zhou Shi, Ya’er, Fan Wan’er, and the others… Regardless of who it is, and as long as someone is willing to take care of them, they’ll definitely soar and shine once they leave this place and enter a larger world.”

Zhou Fei was unable to hide his fury anymore after saying this, and he spat, “Lu Fang, that utter fool! He’s clearly seen through this world, yet he hasn’t managed to genuinely see through it. Where the hell can I find him his master’s wife and junior sister or whatnot?! And he even had the gall to stab me with his sword back then…”

The old monk looked up at the man in front of him.

Zhou Fei suddenly raised a hand, after which a letter materialized between his fingers.

Looking down and skimming through the contents, Zhou Fei roared with hearty laughter and exclaimed, “The heavens are on my side!”

He turned around and glanced at the group of beautiful ladies standing outside the thatched cottage, and he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion in his mind. He was filled with regret. To say nothing of his fellow otherworldly cultivator, Tong Qingqing, even Empress Zhou Shuzhen from Southern Garden Nation, Fan Wan’er from the Mirror Heart Hall, and Ya’er from the demonic force were far more talented and knowledgable than this group of beautiful ladies.

————

Dressed in casual clothes, Prince Wei Yan of Southern Garden Nation led two people through the corridors of residence. One of them was his respected teacher, an old man short and skinny like a monkey. However, this old man was an undisputed martial arts grandmaster in the world.

Meanwhile, the other person was Fan Wan’er, someone who was regarded as a goddess by those in the cultivation world of Southern Garden Nation. She was a celestial maiden from the Mirror Heart Hall, a holy land of the martial arts world.

There was a strange expression on Wei Yan’s face at this moment, slightly awkward but mostly relieved and thankful. However, he stopped himself from revealing too much because his master was also present.

The old man who had taught Wei Yan his impressive martial arts skills huffed and said, “What a sly person. I actually failed to see through him even though he hid under my nose for so many years! When we meet again, I need to spar with him to see just how powerful the Upper Ten Elites of this world truly are. Imperial Preceptor Zhong is a rare person of exceptional ability, so I’ve always been convinced by his knowledge and power. However, I refuse to believe that a measly cook can be so powerful as well!”

The old man continued to grumble and curse.

As it turned out, the updated list of Upper Ten Elites compiled by the Reverence Pagoda had briefly described the names, residences, and martial arts cultivation bases of each person on the list. Those like Ding Ying, Yu Zhenyi, and the others were all old faces. However, one person had suddenly come out of nowhere, and his hiding place was none other than the residence of Southern Garden Nation’s Prince Wei Yan. He had surprisingly disguised himself as a cook.

A tall old man whose body smelled of smoke, oil, and salt was taking a break and squatting outside the spotless and smoothly-running kitchen. He was holding a handful of golden-yellow fried soybeans and tossing them into his mouth one after another. Inside the kitchen, his disciples and grand disciples were busily preparing lunch for today.

The old cook heaved a forlorn sigh when he saw Prince Wei Yan, scrunching his old face and knowing that he couldn’t enjoy peace and quiet anymore.

Wei Yan ordered all of the cooks, assistants, and maidservants to leave the area, and the old cook didn’t try to stop him from doing so. Instead, he continued to sigh as he remained squatting there, seemingly resigned to his fate.

As for the short old man who had been fuming just then, he immediately backed down and abandoned his plan to criticize the old cook on the list of Upper Ten Elites after genuinely seeing him in person. He became silent and taciturn as he kept his eyes fixed on the old cook who had been hiding inside the imperial palace this entire time.

Meanwhile, the old cook kept glancing at Fan Wan’er out of the corners of his eyes. He would steal a rapid glance at her before immediately retracting his gaze. However, as if he couldn’t suppress his urge, he would quickly steal a glance at her again. Even Fan Wan’er was slightly puzzled by this.

Wei Yan couldn’t help but mumble in his mind. Perhaps this old cook was an old pervert as well?

When looking at the Upper Ten Elites of the previous generations, none of these people cared about mortal beauty anymore. This was with the exception of the Spring Tide Palace’s Zhou Fei and the Mirror Heart Hall’s Tong Qingqing.

The old cook’s first question was extremely intimidating, and he asked, “Do you know how many kinds of otherworldly immortals there are?”

Wei Yan and the monkey-like old man exchanged a glance.

However, Fan Wan’er knew a little about this because she had come from the Mirror Heart Hall.

The old cook popped a fried soybean into his mouth and remarked, “Only the delicacies of the world haven’t failed me yet. If this is forcefully taken from me as well, then… I’ll have no option but to become a drunkard!”

The old cook didn’t look at Fan Wan’er anymore, and he poured the rest of the fried soybeans into his mouth before patting his hands clean and standing up, saying, “When otherworldly immortals descend to the mortal world to train, one type is like Zhou Fei and Feng Qingbai, people who become aware of their identity very early on and understand what they’re seeking in the mortal world. Thus, their actions appear shocking to us, yet it appears completely natural to them.

“However, these types of otherworldly immortals won’t covet items that are too profound. As for Tong Qingqing, the founder of the Mirror Heart Hall that you belong to, she’s seemingly hiding from something or someone.

“The second type of otherworldly immortals is people like Lu Fang. He became aware of his identity relatively late, yet it was guaranteed that he would definitely regain his memories at some certain point in time.

“The third type of otherworldly immortals—and this is only a speculation of mine—are people who continue to follow the wishes of their new identities. As a result, they never become aware of their true identities and they never regain their memories. Instead, they remain ignorant and muddle-headed as they experience reincarnation after reincarnation. After a long time, their hometown becomes a forgotten memory, while this foreign land becomes their new hometown.

“This type of otherworldly immortal is relatively unique in the sense that they’ll often possess powerful physiques and enjoy very impressive martial arts talent. In the eyes of others, however, they’ll always be that slight bit weaker than those standing at the pinnacle of the world.”

The old cook looked at Fan Wan’er again and continued, “However, it’s inevitable that this type of otherworldly immortal will experience seemingly unreasonable things. People in the mortal world sometimes talk about others becoming spellbound or possessed by a ghost, and a small number of these cases are actually related to this type of otherworldly immortal. Little girl, have you felt anything strange recently?”

Fan Wan’er hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, “Twice.”

The old cook nodded and said with a wide smile, “Old Demon Ding sure is impressive. Anyone in the world can be killed, and anyone in the world can be forgiven. He’s already no inferior to that maniac from the past. In fact, he’s even smarter. If you ask me, I say that he’ll most likely succeed this time.

“Yu Zhenyi wants to protect this world, so I naturally find him very impressive as well. However, some certain people will most likely think that his vision is too narrow. On the other hand, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu who has always been slightly weaker than Yu Zhenyi traveled across the mountains and rivers of the four nations and the barbaric lands by himself a few years ago. I feel like he’ll achieve more success in the future.”

The old cook sighed and continued, “As for me, the more I say and the more I do, the more mistakes I’ll make. That being the case, I might as well not ask, not listen, and simply wait for death. I still wanted to fight and do something in the past, but the longer that passes and the more that I see, the less motivation I feel to do anything.

“Old Demon Ding and Yu Zhenyi are mortal enemies during this chaotic time, and no one on the list of Upper Ten Elites will be able to flee from them this time. In any case, I’m no longer curious about the true identity of otherworldly immortals. I simply want to live for twenty to thirty more years. That will be enough to satisfy me. So…”

The old cook suddenly held two fingers together and formed a sword seal, stabbing several of his critical acupoints and instantly causing his body to become drenched in blood. His aura had initially been close to integrating with Dao in the eyes of Yu Zhenyi and the otherworldly immortal, Chen Ping’an, but this powerful aura was instantly shattered at this moment.

Once a top-notch grandmaster of this world, the old cook’s cultivation base plummeted all the way until he was even weaker than the monkey-like old man. He chose to voluntarily withdraw from this turbulent and chaotic struggle.

The old cook’s face was deathly pale, yet his smile was relieved as turned to Prince Wei Yan and asked, “This residence is so big, so it should be able to feed an old geezer like me for another twenty to thirty years, right? Of course, Your Highness can ask for my help if you genuinely need my strength for something.”

Wei Yan nodded and replied, “Feel free to stay here and recuperate. I definitely won’t disturb your cultivation for no reason.”

————

On the peak of Bull Mountain, Zhou Shuzhen who had just walked to the foot of the mountain before climbing to the top again smiled wryly as she handed a secret letter to Yu Zhenyi.

Yu Zhenyi accepted the letter and read through its contents before furrowing his brows and asking, “What’s going on?”

“This is definitely from the Reverence Pagoda, but it definitely wasn’t planned by the Reverence Pagoda,” Zhou Shuzhen replied in a helpless voice.

Yu Zhenyi glanced up at the sky.

When one was standing high up enough as they gazed down at the mortal world, it would seem as if one were gazing upon a majestic sea of stars. However, it was very difficult to focus on a single person.

Yu Zhenyi was well aware of this fact. He had experienced it many times before.

For example, the three specks of light that represented Old Demon Ding, Chen Ping’an, and Lu Fang, all who were currently located near Champion Scholar Alley, were especially blinding.

Further in the distance, there were two extremely bright specks of light near the Vajra Temple and four extremely bright specks of light near Prince Wei Yan’s residence. However, the brightest of the latter four specks of light suddenly became dim.

This type of distant observation didn’t use much of Yu Zhenyi’s spiritual energy which he had already accumulated for many years. However, he would need to pay a significant price if he wanted to carefully observe any specific person.

————

In some residence near Champion Scholar Alley, Old Demon Ding who was wearing a lotus flower hat suddenly received a secret letter from the Reverence Pagoda.

His eyes lit up when he read to the end.

There was such a good opportunity?

Even Ding Ying was slightly attracted by this opportunity.

He shot a glance at Cao Qinglang before clicking his tongue in wonder and exclaiming, “Little child, you’re truly a fortunate person!”

As for that otherworldly immortal, he had definitely been ruthlessly screwed over by someone. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have attracted such severe backlash and suppression.

From the history that Ding Ying knew, there had almost never been such blatant interference during the previous conflicts that took place every sixty years. No otherworldly immortal had ever been targeted like this before.

1. Light-bearing monk (续灯僧) refers to the main monk who’s keeping the temple running. ☜

2. The nine schools of philosophy (九流) existed from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty and refers to Confucianism, Daoism, Naturalism, Legalism, Logicians, Mohism, Diplomatists, Syncretism, and Agriculturalism ☜

3. The large characters (榜书) refer to those often seen in Chinese calligraphy works. It also refers to the characters written on plaques that hang on imperial buildings. The golden vajra (金刚杵) is a legendary and ritualistic weapon, symbolizing the properties of a diamond and a thunderbolt. ☜