Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an grabbed his small stool and entered the dark and gloomy alley.

He suddenly squinted his eyes.

An emaciated little girl was standing outside the courtyard.

She subconsciously stepped back before looking up and carefully observing Chen Ping’an’s expression. She had already thought up many excuses, yet surprisingly didn’t dare to utter a single word at this moment.

“Where are those books?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The little girl blinked before shaking her head in earnest and replying, “I don’t know!”

As if afraid that Chen Ping’an didn’t believe her, she put on an aggrieved expression and explained, “The battle between you and those bad people was so violent, and that man and woman also walked out from this alley back then. How could I dare to return? I obediently sat on the small stool the entire time, but I couldn’t see you anymore afterward, so I didn’t wait for you to return and hurriedly ran away instead. I was afraid that those bad people would come back for me.”

Chen Ping’an waved his hand, signaling that she could leave. He didn’t want to see this scheming little girl anymore.

However, the skinny little girl appeared extremely pitiful as she continued, “I’m begging you, can you please let me stay for a meal before shooing me away?”

As it turned out, she had smelled the fragrance of food.

Chen Ping’an ignored her, locking the gate after he entered the courtyard. Cao Qinglang had surprisingly prepared dinner for himself. The little boy was intelligent and dutiful, and even though he had never cooked before, he had seen his parents cook many times in the past. Now that he was forced to cook for himself, the dishes that he made naturally wouldn’t be delicious. However, they would at least be edible.

In fact, Cao Qinglang had cooked for himself for the past two days.

Chen Ping’an never went over to help, and he would often choose to leave the courtyard whenever Cao Qinglang entered the kitchen. Today was no different.

In the past, the little boy would have already finished eating and cleaned up the dining table when Chen Ping’an returned. He would then return to his room and stay there, and might occasionally come out at night only if he needed to cool down a little. However, today was different, and Cao Qinglang was eating very slowly as he sat at the dining table. Not only that, but an additional set of bowl and chopsticks were placed opposite him.

Chen Ping’an quietly walked inside and sat down. He chewed slowly and didn’t make a single sound.

A thud traveled over from the courtyard.

The skinny little girl stood up and patted the dust from her clothes before slowly tiptoeing over. However, she didn’t dare to enter the dining room, and instead squatted there and craned her neck to stare at the table of food.

Cao Qinglang thought for a moment, and eventually decided to walk to the kitchen to grab a bowl of rice for her. He handed her the bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks and said, “Let’s eat together.”

Chen Ping’an put his bowl and chopsticks down and looked at her.

Tears brimmed in the little girl’s eyes, and she also put her bowl of rice and chopsticks down on the table. She remained sitting there, unmoving.

Cao Qinglang felt a little exasperated, and he said, “It’s okay, you can eat.”

However, the eyes of the skinny little girl remained fixed on Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an picked up his bowl and chopsticks, not wanting to look at the little girl anymore.

Only then did she lower her head and start to eat. She occasionally grabbed some food from the dishes in the middle of the table, but would appear as furtive as a thief when she did so.

The three of them finished eating at around the same time, and Cao Qinglang stood up to collect the bowls and dishes. The skinny little girl glanced at Chen Ping’an before standing up and pretending to help.

The two children of around the same age each carried some bowls and dishes with them as they walked to the kitchen. The skinny little girl glanced back at the courtyard, and upon seeing that Chen Ping’an wasn’t there anymore, she lowered her voice and complained, “There’s no oil in the food, and it was also so salty. Do you actually know how to cook?! You’re already so old, so can you please get your act together?”

Cao Qinglang was rendered speechless. Seeing that she wasn’t going to relent, however, he could only reply, “Okay, I’ll keep this in mind next time.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly appeared in front of the kitchen door, causing the skinny little girl to immediately shut up. She was just about to deny any wrongdoing and ignore Chen Ping’an, yet she saw him waving his hand with a stern expression and gesturing for her to go over.

In the end, she had no option but to hang her head and walk out. Chen Ping’an grabbed her by the collar, holding her as if he were holding a little chick as he opened the courtyard door and placed her outside. Before shutting the door, he warned, “I’ll throw you all the way outside the capital if you dare to climb the wall again.”

When night arrived, Chen Ping’an sat with his eyes closed as he rested his mind. Not long after walking into the courtyard to enjoy the cool breeze, Cao Qinglang heard the sound of coughing traveling over from outside the courtyard door.

He walked over to open the door, only to see the skinny little girl squatting there with her head tilted upward and her arms crossed in front of her chest. There was a wide smile on her face as she said, “Don’t mind me, it’s even cooler out here in the alley.”

Cao Qinglang scratched his head in reply. He was truly afraid of this little girl.

Chen Ping’an looked up and furrowed his brow. Under the soft glow of the moon, there was a saber-carrying man dressed in a black robe standing on a roof ridge in the distance. He possessed an elegant disposition, and held a pot of wine in one hand as he smiled faintly at Chen Ping’an.

Since Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, he decided to tap his foot and gracefully glide toward the courtyard where the young boy was sitting.

Seizing the opportunity when Cao Qinglang was still outside, Chen Ping’an immediately threw a punch, one that appeared completely smooth and natural.

Tang Tieyi, the mighty Dragon General from Northern Jin Nation, was struck in the chest and directly sent flying backward by the silent burst of fist aura. He landed back on the same roof ridge in the distance.

Chen Ping’an’s fist aura was incredibly refined and perfectly weighted. Tang Tieyi was one of few top-notch superior grandmasters in this world, yet he was left extremely disheveled even though he wasn’t wounded by Chen Ping’an’s attack.

However, not only was Tang Tieyi not embarrassed into rage, but he even gave an apologetic smile to Chen Ping’an, seemingly expressing guilt for disturbing the young boy and coming here without invitation. With Refiner hanging by his waist, Tang Tieyi turned around and left just like that.

Chen Ping’an didn’t have strong impressions of this person, and he didn’t want to become overly involved with him either.

He thought for a moment before telling Cao Qinglang not to wait for him tonight. He then left the nameless alley and headed toward Champion Scholar Alley.

There was no wine left in his Sword Nurturing Gourd, so this would be a good opportunity to refill it as well.

It was already midnight, yet a quiet restaurant in Champion Scholar Alley was still brightly lit. There was only one table of customers.

This could be considered a family dinner because even the chefs had been brought over by this table of customers.

There were three men and three women.

It wasn’t just this restaurant, but the entire Champion Scholar Alley was heavily guarded as well. Apart from armored soldiers standing three paces apart, there were also many elites with concealed identities keeping watch in the surroundings. Unless it were a superior grandmaster from the list of Upper Ten Elites, it would essentially be impossible for anyone to charge over and assassinate one of the customers. In fact, they wouldn’t even be able to get close.

The six customers were Emperor Wei Liang of Southern Garden Nation, Empress Zhou Shuzhen, Crown Prince Wei Yan, the second prince, and the youngest princess.

In addition to them, there was also Huang Ting, the Daoist nun from Peace and Tranquility Mountain who had now changed into elegant Daoist robes. She had once been Mirror Heart Hall’s Fan Wan’er and Tong Qingqing.

Princess Wei Zhen had inherited her parents’ good looks, and was indeed a rare beauty in this world. However, she still felt very inferior in front of that Daoist nun. She was a lively and energetic person, yet barely dared to say anything tonight.

Instead, she clung to her mother, Zhou Shuzhen, the entire time. Meanwhile, she felt immense admiration for the stunningly beautiful Daoist nun who appeared even more confident and straightforward than Imperial Preceptor Zhong when speaking to her father!

She had collected many prohibited books over the years, all obtained after her two older brothers were unable to withstand her pleading. She had gotten her hands on all kinds of mystical and historical novels from the markets and bookstores.

What was the cultivation world? In her dreams, the cultivation world was somewhere where a gallant immortal couple would charge into the den of some chillingly evil person during a dark and windy night. When the first ray of light peeked over the horizon again, the evildoers and sinister people would all be dead as the man and woman exchanged a smile with each other. They would then leave on horseback, continuing their adventure through the cultivation world.

Emperor Wei Liang smiled and asked, “There’s Yu Zhenyi outside my nation and there’s Chen Ping’an inside, so is this truly not a problem?”

Huang Ting’s reply wasn’t exactly polite, and she explained, “In fact, it won’t be a problem even if both of them are inside the capital. One is unusually determined in his pursuit of cultivating Dao, while one can’t be bothered interacting with you guys at all. However, emperors like you are fond of the saying, ‘How can one allow others to snore beside their bed?’[1] I can understand the discomfort that you feel. In any case, Yu Zhenyi has been an eyesore for me as well, so I might as well charge over and have a fight with him.”

Huang Ting’s words became increasingly unrestrained and impudent as she continued, “I guarantee that I’ll fight Yu Zhenyi with my full strength. If I lose, and if the so-called elite army of Southern Garden Nation fails to stop Yu Zhenyi as well, allowing him to charge into the imperial palace and kill your entire family, then the most I can do is try my best to avenge you before I ascend from this world.”

Wei Liang shook his head with a wry smile, drinking wine to quash his worries.

In reality, the person who felt the most awkward right now was actually Empress Zhou Shuzhen. Not only had her junior sister become her master, but she had even become Peace and Tranquility Mountain’s Huang Ting.

Meanwhile, the most disappointed person was most likely Crown Prince Wei Yan.

The Fan Wan’er whom he loved would never return again. Even though the Daoist nun in front of him was more breathtakingly beautiful than Fan Wan’er, Wei Yan couldn’t bring himself to like her no matter what.

As for the person who felt the most uneasy, this was the second prince who looked almost exactly like his father. From Grand Leader Ding Ying to Ya’er and then to the elites who had concealed themselves in the capital, all remaining members of the demonic force had either been killed or captured and thrown into jail by the joint force of Imperial Preceptor Zhong, the celestial maidens from Mirror Heart Hall, and the guest elders of the imperial court.

The three factions of the demonic force all had extremely close ties to the second prince.

All of the delicacies seemed dull and tasteless to him right now. It was as if he were eating wax.

He felt slightly envious of his little sister’s naivety, and felt even more jealous of his older brother’s divine fortune.

Who could have imagined that the peerless Old Demon Ding would actually be killed?

That stinky girl, Ya’er, had once patted her chest and said with confidence that her grandmaster might not be dead even when they died of old age.

There was the sound of unusual commotion traveling over from outside the restaurant.

Huang Ting smiled and said, “Our esteemed guest has arrived.”

Emperor Wei Liang immediately looked outside the window. He was extremely tense and anxious, and was feeling slightly regretful that he hadn’t invited Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu. After all, Zhong Qiu had a fairly good relationship with that person. There was indeed some form of friendship between them.

After sitting there and waiting for a long time, he discovered that the young otherworldly immortal was walking over from the stairs. He had surprisingly kept a low profile, entering the restaurant through the front door and walking to their table via the normal stairs.

The young otherworldly immortal was none other than Chen Ping’an. He wasn’t wearing that eye-catching white robe; instead, he was dressed in the garment of ordinary, somewhat well-off commoners of Southern Garden Nation.

Wei Liang composed himself before standing up.

Even the emperor had stood up, so Zhou Shuzhen and her three children hurriedly stood up as well.

Huang Ting didn’t put on airs, but she was clearly less keen than the imperial family as she stood up. However, she didn’t remain in the same spot, and she instead walked to the window, seemingly removing herself from the situation. She would leave the discussion and the decision-making to the ruler of this land and the passing otherworldly immortal. She wouldn’t favor anyone.

Wei Liang laughed heartily and said, “My Wei Clan failed to welcome you properly, and we even allowed such a huge commotion to take place in the capital. Please forgive us, Esteemed Immortal Chen.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, “There’s no need to worry about these things, Your Majesty. This commotion had little to do with Southern Garden Nation.”

Emperor Wei Liang was unable to fully understand Chen Ping’an’s stance. He was afraid that he had missed some deeper meaning behind Chen Ping’an’s words.

However, Chen Ping’an had already opened his mouth again, saying, “Since Your Majesty has already come here, I thought that I would directly pay you a visit and say some things frankly. Southern Garden Nation can treat me as if I don’t exist. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, if it weren’t for Ding Ying and Yu Zhenyi actively seeking me out, I might have remained a spectator of the battle from the beginning to the end.”

Wei Liang smiled and nodded in understanding, replying, “Esteemed Immortal Chen is an immortal from the mountains, so you naturally won’t be willing to involve yourself in the trifling conflicts of the mortal world.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly smiled as well, saying, “The scenery in the capital of Southern Garden Nation is quite nice. There’s a local delicacy that’s especially delicious, and I’ll definitely eat it again before I leave the capital.”

“Dare I ask, Esteemed Immortal, what place and what food are you speaking of?” Emperor Wei Liang asked in curiosity. “I can—”

He immediately cut himself off and raised his wine cup, downing its contents in a single gulp. “I broke the rules right after you laid them out. I need to punish myself by drinking this cup of wine.”

Chen Ping’an grabbed his wine gourd and said, “I might need to trouble Your Majesty with delivering me two pots of wine as well.”

Wei Liang laughed loudly and replied, “Esteemed Immortal Chen, as an esteemed guest of my nation, you’re a bit too easy to please, aren’t you?”

The emperor was cracking a joke, so Empress Zhou Shuzhen, the two princes, and the young princess immediately started to laugh as well.

Chen Ping’an only came to his senses slightly later, but immediately started to laugh as well, lest he appear too cold and indifferent.

Even though Daoist Nun Huang Ting was standing in the distance and facing the window, the corners of her lips also curled up into a smile.

Chen Ping’an filled his Sword Nurturing Gourd with wine before quickly taking his leave. However, he didn’t return to the small alley right away, and instead relied on his memory to find that night market near White River Temple. He ate a large bowl of that mouth-numbingly spicy and piping hot food.

If one didn’t eat spicy food, if one didn’t drink alcohol, and if one didn’t eat the spiciest hotpot while drinking the strongest alcohol, then what joy would there be in life?

This was what the old sword saint from Water Combing Nation had said to him.

Chen Ping’an hadn’t necessarily agreed with this remark before, but as he enjoyed food and wine in this bustling night market, he felt like the old senior’s words genuinely rang true.

After paying for his meal, Chen Ping’an stood up and left the noisy and lively night market, slowly walking along the deserted streets elsewhere. He jumped onto a roof ridge before making his way to the large residence of that official again. He entered the private scripture library, but was no longer looking for the history books and literary works that talked about “the world.” Rather, he was looking for books that discussed the construction of bridges.

However, it was a pity that his search yielded no results. Since this was the case, he considered visiting the Ministry of Works to go through their scripture library and documents. After mulling over this for a while, he surmised that it would be better to inform Zhong Qiu about this if he found the chance. It most likely wouldn’t be too difficult to ask the imperial preceptor for help.

In addition, he also needed to ask Zhong Qiu about a certain impoverished scholar.

Chen Ping’an walked out of the scripture library.

In the end, he stopped atop the roof of a tall building, sitting down to drink wine. After drinking for a while, he raised his middle finger at the sky.

There was no thunder, and there was no lightning.

Chen Ping’an put his wine gourd away and let his mind go adrift amid the refreshing night breeze.

Between leaving the Flying Eagle Fortress’ Ascending Sun Platform and entering Southern Garden Nation, Chen Ping’an had visited a city of paper humans.

The elderly abbot of Heart Manifestation Temple had once repeated the same remark many times—You look at it, and it’s also looking at you.

The young girl who had still been Fan Wan’er at the time had shot two meaningful looks at him in the past, once in White River Temple and once in the night market. The expression in her eyes had seemed slightly familiar, yet she hadn’t said anything. This likely wasn’t because she didn’t want to, but rather because she couldn’t.

Carefully ruminating over this, Chen Ping’an felt an increasing sense of lingering fear.

He breathed a soft sigh.

The lights in the world, and the stars in the sky…

Someone had once said that the latter might be the corpses of countless gods and deities.

Who had said this again?

Chen Ping’an smacked his head. He couldn’t recall anymore. He hadn’t drunk a lot tonight, but for some reason, he was much more inebriated than usual.

Chen Ping’an leaned back and fell fast asleep.

An old Daoist priest stood on the curved eaves and took a glance at the peacefully sleeping Chen Ping’an.

The old Daoist priest pursed his lips as he recalled another scene from before.

When quietly apologizing to the little boy in the small courtyard, the face of the young otherworldly immortal had actually been filled with tears.

“In your eyes, is there no small matter in this world?” the old Daoist priest murmured to himself.

1. This means that one cannot accept others interfering in their private/internal affairs. ☜