Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an stood up and put the straw fan back on the small stool. He then walked out of the courtyard, arriving in front of someone standing in the corner of the alley with no name.

This person was wearing a silver-colored lotus flower hat, and his appearance and stature were both like that of a little child. There was a long sword strapped diagonally across his back.

Chen Ping’an walked to the corner of the alley, and the person had already retreated to the opposite side of the intersecting street. This could be regarded as an expression of his attitude. He wasn’t here to provoke Chen Ping’an, and was instead here to discuss other matters.

Chen Ping’an didn’t have a very good impression of this person.

He was Yu Zhenyi, the leader of Lake Mountain Faction and the leader of the so-called righteous forces. He was also the second most powerful person in the world and someone who had secretly joined forces with Ding Ying in the past.

Yu Zhenyi smiled faintly and said, “I’ve turned around and come back to the capital of Southern Garden Nation for two reasons, one official and one personal. The official matter pertains to my desire to have a conversation with Zhong Qiu and ask him to hand that Five Mountains Picture Album to me. I can relocate to Southern Garden Nation along with my Lake Mountain Faction, and I can promise that I won’t fight Zhong Qiu for the position of imperial preceptor.

“In terms of the personal matter, I want to ask you whether you possess any so-called immortal currency, as the otherworldly immortals like to put it. For example, snowflake coins, lesser heat coins, or grain rain coins. As long as you have some on you, any kind will do. I’m willing to offer something in exchange, and I can help you obtain anything you want as long as it exists in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.”

“If there’s genuinely something I want, will I not be able to find it myself?” Chen Ping’an retorted.

Yu Zhenyi shook his head and replied, “Why waste your time? I’m more familiar with the cultivation world and officialdom of the four nations, after all, and it’s common knowledge that time is the most important resource to cultivators.”

The abundant spiritual energy gathering around Bull Mountain was a result of the old Daoist priest’s divine powers. He had funneled all of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s spiritual energy into a single location, and this was definitely not a standard occurrence. Rather, it could be said that this was a one-in-one-hundred-year event.

On the other hand, the three types of immortal currencies used by otherworldly immortals were the physical manifestation of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Yu Zhenyi, whose sole intent was to attain Dao and achieve longevity, desperately needed this kind of immortal currency. Moreover, he was the only person who could afford to make an exchange for them.

Yu Zhenyi pointed at the colored glaze flying sword that he was carrying on his back before continuing, “Chen Ping’an, apart from offering you this sword as part of the exchange, I can even go around the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and personally gather all of the relics left behind by the otherworldly immortals. In fact, I can even obtain the immortal treasures received by Tang Tieyi, Monk Yunni, and the others and offer them to you.

“Moreover, you’re a pure martial artist, and the three demonic factions under Ding Ying’s demonic force as well as Tong Qingqing’s Mirror Heart Hall are all martial arts holy lands that hold a large number of secret martial arts scriptures. Perhaps there’ll be something that interests you.”

“You definitely came to look for me first after entering the capital, and your purpose is to complete this transaction. I can also confirm that you’re indeed sincere in your desire to complete this transaction. However, you also want to borrow this opportunity to put pressure on Imperial Preceptor Zhong, don’t you?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Once I nod and accept your proposal, a significant amount of pressure will then fall on Imperial Preceptor Zhong and Southern Garden Nation. In addition, you’re offering to personally collect secret martial arts scriptures for me, but is this not a case of wielding the might and influence of the most powerful and second most powerful cultivators in the world to put pressure on the entire cultivation world? Are you not forcing them to give you open access to those incomplete scriptures brought here by the otherworldly immortals?

“Yu Zhenyi, regardless of how powerful you are, you don’t dare to challenge the entire world by yourself. After all, Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian and the demonic force’s Ding Ying are both examples of what will happen.”

Yu Zhenyi didn’t deny this, and he nodded and replied, “But you still stand to benefit from this exchange. Moreover, you don’t need to do anything from the beginning until the end. I’ll be the bad person.”

Chen Ping’an drew his slender saber, Halting Snow, from its scabbard.

The colored glaze flying sword on Yu Zhenyi’s back also started to ring, ready to leave its scabbard at any moment.

Yu Zhenyi’s expression was extremely dark. He hadn’t imagined that Chen Ping’an would be so unreasonable.

However, Chen Ping’an lowered his saber and used its tip to poke two small holes in the ground. He then drew a curve between the two holes and asked, “Your intention is good, and the outcome you seek is also good. However, is this reason for you to act in such an unscrupulous manner?”

Yu Zhenyi glanced at the curved line in front of Chen Ping’an’s feet before retracting his gaze and replying in an indifferent voice, “Those who seek to achieve great things don’t dwell on trifling details. There’s a notion of large and small pertaining to what we lose today and what we gain tomorrow, and the difference between the two is positively immense.

“I, Yu Zhenyi, feel no guilt in my heart. My conscience is clear, so why wouldn’t I do this? During this time, several members of the Upper Ten Elites and Lower Ten Elites might be killed. Perhaps more than a dozen of them will be killed. However, what does this matter? Do you know how many tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed by otherworldly immortals in the history of this world?

“Disregarding those horrific wars and only focusing on the current members of the Upper Ten Elites whom you’ve interacted with, do you know how many people Spring Tide Palace’s Zhou Fei has indiscriminately killed?

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “I’ve read many books. I don’t dare to say that I know everything, but I do actually know quite a bit. In terms of wars that were likely triggered by otherworldly immortals in the history of this world, I can name a list of at least sixty right now.”

Yu Zhenyi didn’t say anything else.

Their aspirations and principles were different, so they would ultimately walk different paths.

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment before squatting down and drawing two additional lines with his fingers. One line was straight, and one line was less curved than the original and located between the straight line and the original curved line.

After standing up, Chen Ping’an explained, “I won’t demand you, Yu Zhenyi, to become a sage of morality. I don’t have the ability to demand this of you either. Moreover, I can’t label your actions as incorrect at this specific moment. However, setting all of this aside, I won’t engage in any transaction with you. I do possess immortal currency, and I possess quite a lot of immortal currency at that. However, I won’t sell you a single coin.”

Yu Zhenyi narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, “Oh?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and remarked, “What, are you feeling ticked off? That’s very good then, and that makes me feel quite happy.”

A beaming smile suddenly spread across Yu Zhenyi’s face, and he said, “I hope we’ll meet again in the future.”

The colored glaze flying sword instantly left its scabbard, hovering beside Yu Zhenyi’s feet and allowing him to step on. He was preparing to leave the capital of Southern Garden Nation on his flying sword.

As for Zhong Qiu, there was no need to seek an audience with him anymore. Just as Chen Ping’an had said, he would only have an opportunity to persuade the imperial preceptor if Chen Ping’an nodded and agreed to his proposal.

Yu Zhenyi had only risen three meters into the air when he heard that person chuckle and say, “Shorty, it’s best that we don’t meet again in the future.”

Killing intent instantly exploded from Yu Zhenyi’s body, and he turned the tip of his flying sword around to coldly glare at that young otherworldly immortal who had disparaged him.

Chen Ping’an’s expression remained calm as he asked, “Yu Zhenyi, do you feel like you’ve suffered unacceptable humiliation simply because I insulted you and called you a shorty? Do you think you’re all that terribly impressive because you’re cultivating Dao power and have become an immortal?”

Chen Ping’an’s hands were already resting on the hilts of Deep Infatuation and Halting Snow.

Yu Zhenyi humphed coldly and rose into the sky, transforming into a bright streak of light as he soared away into the distance.

Chen Ping’an turned around and returned to the alley. A little child who was poking their head around the corner hurriedly shrunk back and ran away.

The skinny little girl couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment as she ran. Just how great would it have been if the two of them had fought and ended up killing each other?

Chen Ping’an returned to the courtyard and shut the door behind him. Near the kitchen door, the skinny little girl was sitting on a small stool with her head cocked to the side and pretending to be asleep. Meanwhile, Cao Qinglang had put out his oil lamp and gone to sleep.

He entered his room and removed his blades. He then started to read, poring over the books about building bridges.

Everything remained peaceful and calm afterward. This was the case for the capital of Southern Garden Nation, and it also seemed to be the case for the entire world. Just like that, accompanied by the rustling of pages as Chen Ping’an continued to study those books, the final solar term of summer slowly transitioned into the first solar term of autumn.

The old Daoist priest didn’t visit him again, so Chen Ping’an could only remain in this world and wait.

His hometown, Jewel Small World, had once been a jewel hanging in the sky above the Great Li Empire.

The utterly broken Golden Millet Blessed Land in Stalactite Mountain was a blessed land that even immortals would have an extremely difficult time finding.

That being the case, heavens knew just what exactly the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was, and just where exactly in Parasol Leaf Continent it was located.

The private school near the small alley with no name still hadn’t reopened.

The skinny little girl shamelessly stayed in Cao Qinglang’s house. However, she had finally learned how to fetch water and sweep the ground every day, even though she would still cut corners and slack off whenever she could.

Generally speaking, ordinary families in the towns and cities could start looking forward to the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival when the first solar term of autumn arrived. This was especially the case for children, who would eagerly look up with wide eyes and excitedly count down the days on their fingers.

There would be family reunions where everyone enjoyed mooncakes as they gazed up at that bright and full moon, and the sound of lively chatter and laughter would also ring through the streets and alleys.

Enjoying the cool breeze in the courtyard tonight, Chen Ping’an suddenly realized that neither he nor Cao Qinglang or the skinny little girl would look forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Regardless, Cao Qinglang was smiling much more lately. There would naturally be times when he genuinely became annoyed at that skinny little girl whose mouth was as toxic as arsenic, but after a while, the relationship between the two of them would once again return to normal. He didn’t bear grudges.

Cao Qinglang would sometimes argue with the skinny little girl, but how could he possibly be a match for her? On one occasion, he had been scolded so badly that the rims of his eyes had gone bright red, with his lips also quivering in anger. However, Cao Qinglang had still quietly given her some roasted sunflower seeds when she had asked for them that night, saying that there was only that much left.

Upon hearing this, the skinny little girl had said, “Then hurry up and buy some more if there’s none left! Just how old are you already? Do you need me to teach you how to buy something?”

This had caused Cao Qinglang to be in low spirits for the remainder of the night, where he had also refused to speak with her. However, the skinny little girl naturally wouldn’t care about this, and she had happily snacked on the roasted sunflower seeds by herself.

When the skinny little girl chatted with him, she never cared whether he replied or not, and she simply said what she wanted to say. Cao Qinglang would roll his eyes, and when he truly couldn’t tolerate it anymore, he would head back to his room to read. Sometimes, he would also muster the courage to turn around and shoot a glare at her. However, the skinny little girl would glare back and feign picking up her small stool to beat him up. This would frighten Cao Qinglang into hurriedly running back to his room and shutting the door.

Resting his arms and head on the windowsill, Cao Qinglang would see Chen Ping’an glance at that bad little girl, after which she would hurriedly sit up straight and explain that she was only messing around with Cao Qinglang, and that the relationship between them was all fine and dandy.

When he saw this, Cao Qinglang would smile happily before lighting his oil lamp and starting to read.

This was also the true reason why Chen Ping’an didn’t shoo the skinny little girl away.

It suddenly started to rain one morning, and an obsequious smile appeared on the skinny little girl’s face as she carried back half a bucket of water that could be either well water or rainwater. After returning to the courtyard, she went over to Chen Ping’an and informed him that the private school had reopened.

On this day, Chen Ping’an held an oil-paper umbrella and accompanied Cao Qinglang to the private school.

The two of them walked along the small alley with no name.

Initially standing under the eaves to hide from the rain, the skinny little girl jogged to the entrance of the courtyard and saw Chen Ping’an holding that umbrella and secretly tilting it toward Cao Qinglang. The two of them appeared to be chatting with each other, with Cao Qinglang speaking more and Chen Ping’an looking at him and listening with a faint smile.

The skinny little girl stood there for a very long time.