Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an put his fishing rod down and walked to Pei Qian’s side.

The old woman in the distance looked over, a smile on her face as she gazed at the skinny little girl. She appeared amused, and she raised a thin arm and commanded the grand sedan chair beside her to come to a halt. Including the skeletal sword practitioner, all of the beasts, spirits, yin entities, and ghosts in the wedding procession looked over in unison. This was an extremely eerie scene.

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists in respect and actively apologized to the wedding procession in the distance.

Everyone followed their own rules and customs, and there was an especially clear difference between yin entities and yang entities. The world had its own natural order.

Take the current situation, for example. If Pei Qian hadn’t broken a taboo by brazenly staring at the wedding procession, then those spirits and other beings wouldn’t have cared about her and Chen Ping’an’s presence at all. They would have continued on their merry way just like that.

This was also the reason why many woodsmen and fishermen in the world were able to avoid disaster even though they lived near the mountains and waters for generation after generation.

The old woman nodded in acknowledgment upon seeing Chen Ping’an’s tactful apology, and she waved her hand and continued to march forward with the wedding procession. The sound of drums and gongs rang out once again as the beasts, spirits, yin entities, and ghosts continued to march toward the bridegroom, the mountain god.

Pei Qian almost caused huge trouble this time, yet Chen Ping’an didn’t blame the skinny little girl for her actions. She wasn’t a cultivator, so she was naturally unaware of the rules of the cultivation world. As such, her actions could be forgiven.

Moreover, this all came down to Chen Ping’an failing to teach her properly, so it would make little sense to blame Pei Qian for his mistake. However, it would be a completely different matter if Pei Qian kept doing the same things even after Chen Ping’an taught her the rules of the cultivation world.

“You can see them? Can you hear the drums and gongs as well?” Chen Ping’an asked in a soft voice.

Pei Qian’s little face was deathly pale as she nodded and replied, “I woke up and walked out because I heard the commotion. I thought it was all a dream… It was far too terrifying.”

Chen Ping’an extended a finger and gently placed it on Pei Qian’s glabella, helping to calm her mind and soul.

If a mortal were to accidentally come across such yin entities, their soul might be extremely susceptible to swaying in unease if their yang energy wasn’t strong enough. This would be the case even if the mortal couldn’t see the yin entities, and even if the yin entities had no intention of harming the mortal.

This would silently and formlessly damage the foundation of one’s vitality, and many scary tales of people being haunted by ghosts or possessed by evil spirits leading to extreme sickness originated from these types of encounters.

Thankfully, Pei Qian didn’t experience any such symptoms. Chen Ping’an looked at her and warned her, “I’m not sure how you were able to see them, but remember to completely ignore these beings if you encounter them again in the future. Otherwise, your actions will be viewed as provocation, and there’s a big risk that you’ll bring trouble onto yourself.

“We were fortunate that tonight’s wedding procession consisted of beings who leaned more toward the orthodox and reasonable side of things. Perhaps their statuses are similar to those of officials in the yang world, and it’s because of this that they let us off the hook.”

There was lingering fear in Pei Qian’s mind as she nodded with all her might.

“Have you ever seen lone spirits or wandering ghosts inside or outside the capital of Southern Garden Nation these past few years?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Pei Qian earnestly shook her head with a sullen expression, replying, “I’ve never seen these kinds of filthy things before! Not a single time!”

Chen Ping’an nodded with a contemplative expression and warned, “When traveling outside and traversing over mountains and across rivers, you shouldn’t be so reckless as to label them as filthy things.”

“Oh okay, I’ll remember that,” Pei Qian replied.

Chen Ping’an sighed. “Everything’s okay now; you can go back to sleep. You’ll be safe with me keeping watch.”

However, how could Pei Qian dare to go back to sleep after such a terrifying experience? She insisted on following Chen Ping’an to the small stream, and was finally on her best behavior now. She appeared sickly and listless, and didn’t even dare to ask for new clothes and new boots anymore. She felt like being able to travel with Chen Ping’an and have a full belly guaranteed was the greatest blessing in the world.

Chen Ping’an picked up his fishing rod, while Pei Qian grabbed a rock and used it to randomly scrawl on the ground. Once bitten, twice shy—she didn’t even dare to raise her head and look around at this moment, and she always had a nagging feeling that those horrifying beings were still hiding around every corner.

“Is this the meaning of the phrase ‘One should not look at that which is contrary to propriety, and one should not listen to that which is contrary to propriety’ in the book that you gave me?” Pei Qian asked.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle. By the looks of it, she would only learn when she was made to suffer. Even though this sagely teaching wasn’t exactly applicable in this context, Chen Ping’an was ultimately unwilling to reject the results of her contemplation, saying, “The underlying principles of this teaching are extremely vast and profound. Your understanding isn’t necessarily wrong, but it’s still far from being able to completely grasp these words. However, the more you read and learn in the future, the more you’ll naturally gain a deeper understanding of these teachings.”

Pei Qian felt like the only way to suppress the fear in her heart was to chat more with Chen Ping’an, so she randomly asked, “Then why do the books also teach us not to comment on peculiar matters, immense strength, chaotic events, and ghosts and deities?[1]”

Chen Ping’an smiled faintly and replied, “Once you read enough, you’ll naturally understand whether I’m wrong or whether this sagely principle is wrong.”

Pei Qian was quite unhappy with this answer, so she fell silent with a sullen expression. After a long time, she finally squeezed out another question, asking, “Are you unable to beat them?”

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle. “We were the ones in the wrong, so what does this have to do with whether I can beat them or not?”

Pei Qian looked up with a bright glimmer in her eyes and replied, “If you could beat them, then you wouldn’t have needed to lower your head and apologize to them! Rather, they would have needed to apologize to us and take a detour. After all, their drums and gongs are so loud and annoying, so it’s only right that they apologize to us. It would be even better if they could compensate us with some money.”

“And so what if I can beat them? What does that have to do with you?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Pei Qian faltered upon hearing this. She then forced a smile and said, “Because we’re travel companions…”

Chen Ping’an’s gaze remained fixed on the small stream and his fishing line the entire time, and it was as if he were speaking to himself as he remarked, “The notions of right and wrong don’t differentiate between relatives, friends, and strangers…”

From the beginning to the end, he never gave a clear answer on whether he could beat those spirits, ghosts, and other beings from the local mountains and rivers. He was afraid that Pei Qian would lose the sense of fear in her heart once she learned of the truth. At that time, she would very likely become careless and tactless again.

As for the mountain god sitting at home and waiting for his bride to arrive, Chen Ping’an was roughly aware of his cultivation base.

No matter if it was the county magistrate of mortal counties or the city god of the city god temples who attended to matters of the yin world, these officials and deities would all have attendants and guards of honor when they went out to patrol their jurisdictions. Among the guards of honor, there were traditionally some who struck gongs to clear the path. If one was of a higher rank, then the gongs would also be struck harder and louder.

This was a wedding procession, however, so the unceasing sound of drums and gongs was far more joyful and celebratory than usual. The ghost attendants weren’t ordered to carry wooden signs with the instructions of “silence,” “stand back,” and that most impressive and eye-catching official title sign either.

However, there were still official customs that needed to be followed, so it was dictated that the gongs needed to be struck nine times in a row every so often. This was to warn others to stand back and open up a path. This was most likely a result of that mountain god wanting face as well. He was potentially showing off to the spirits and ghosts in the neighboring jurisdictions.

Judging from this, one could conclude that this person had become a mountain god with the official position of commandery governor after his death. Apart from having a mountain god temple and a clay statue godly body, he also had the right to construct his own official residence.

As such, he could be regarded as a high-ranking provincial officer in the regional areas. This would be the case in both Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Parasol Leaf Continent. Indeed, this mountain god’s standing was similar to that of the little boy in azure’s good brother, the river god of the Imperial River.

Thus, his cultivation base was at least equivalent to that of sixth tier Qi refiners. In fact, it might even rival that of seventh tier—Dragon Gate Tier—Qi refiners.

As for whether Chen Ping’an could defeat him? The answer to this was very simple. Yu Zhenyi had advanced to the Dragon Gate Tier in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, that place with sparse spiritual energy.

Why was Chen Ping’an willing to take a gamble with those four picture scrolls? Apart from holding the martial arts cultivation bases of Founding Emperor Wei Xian, Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian, Sword Immortal Sui Youbian, and Demonic Force Founder Lu Baixiang in high regard, he also greatly valued their cultivation aptitude.

Actually, Spring Tide Palace’s Zhou Fei had made clear remarks for a related case. He had stated that Zhong Qiu, the imperial preceptor of Southern Garden Nation, had a chance to advance to the ninth tier of martial arts in thirty to forty years.

What was the true identity of Zhou Fei? Not only was he the clan leader of Jade Tablet Sect’s Jiang Clan, but he was also a powerful Qi refiner at the eleventh tier, the Unpolished Jade Tier. As such, his judgment was naturally very sound.

However, the phrase “a chance to” was far from implying certainty. After all, the path of Martial Dao wasn’t a smooth and straightforward one. Rather, it was a path riddled with dangers, a path where one might die at any moment.

Even so, Chen Ping’an had already decided from the beginning that he would invest ten grain rain coins in each of the four picture scrolls. He would use this immortal currency to purchase precisely such a chance. In his eyes, it was well worth the price.

Pei Qian didn’t understand what was so interesting about fishing. They sat there for a long time without any reward, so she started to make conversation to stave off boredom, asking, “Do you frequently see these kinds of strange and peculiar beings in your hometown? Then won’t it be incredibly dangerous for people like me? I definitely won’t stray too far from you in the future.”

Chen Ping’an focused his attention on fishing.

This was also a form of cultivation.

When the fish lightly nibbled at the bait, they would cause the fishing line to quiver slightly regardless of whether they were big fish or small fish. Upon feeling this sensation travel through the fishing rod to one’s palm, one could then yank the fishing rod backward and drag the baited fish out of the water. In reality, there was no fundamental difference between this and the astral energy of martial artists. The only difference was their strength. Everything came down to skill, experience, and attention to detail.

Moreover, Chen Ping’an had purposely chosen a thin length of bamboo to construct his fishing rod. This posed no issue when fishing in streams and ponds, but it would certainly pose huge issues when fishing in large lakes and rivers. When reeling in large fish that weighed upward of four kilograms, it would be extremely easy to snap the fishing line by accident if one allowed their attention to waver for even a brief moment. In fact, even the fishing rod might end up snapping.

This was very similar to his job of molding pottery and firing pottery in the past as well. Chen Ping’an liked this familiar feeling.

Even though he ignored Pei Qian, Chen Ping’an involuntarily recalled his past and discovered that he wasn’t so dissimilar to the skinny little girl after some careful contemplation.

While living in Clay Vase Alley—while dazedly and naively living in Jewel Small World—Chen Ping’an had faced many dangers just like Pei Qian had experienced in the capital of Southern Garden Nation. Not the dangers of strange beasts or immortal cultivators, but rather starvation and cold. A few missed meals or falling sick from the biting winter cold could have easily spelled their doom.

Afterward, he had left Jewel Small World just like she had left the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. They had entered a larger and much more fascinating world. However, an increasing number of unimaginable dangers continued to hurtle their way. The howling wind roared louder, and the thundering rain fell harder. It was as if people were extremely fragile beings who could die at any moment.

The two of them were facing a strikingly similar situation. However, their way of dealing with this situation couldn’t be more different.

Pei Qian failed to grasp the concept of cherishing her fortune. Whenever she obtained some copper coins, she would immediately become profligate and spend all of them in a single go. Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an would carefully cherish each modicum of wealth that he had accumulated through his hard work.

Pei Qian had a tendency to abandon the old for the new, and she would never feel a nostalgic attachment to her clothes or boots once they became worn. Instead, she would dream about a set of new clothes falling from the heavens.

Indeed, she never felt embarrassed to accept charity from others. Not only that, but she would even beg for charity and help from others. She would never appreciate or feel gratitude toward her benefactors either.

In stark contrast, Chen Ping’an was still yet to forget each sliver of compassion and help that he had received in Clay Vase Alley. Everything was clearly recorded in the notebook in his mind. When it came to repaying this compassion and help, he would be extremely careful and restrained, always mindful that giving too much might sometimes lead to disaster. He did everything he could to avoid affecting the fortunes of his benefactors in a detrimental manner.

Pei Qian was lazy, unambitious, fond of lying, and convinced that everything she did was correct because it was for the sake of survival. When it came to the difficult question of staying alive, Pei Qian always chose the option that appeared the easiest on the surface. Naturally, stepping back and taking a long-term view was never easy at all.

Looking into the depths of Pei Qian’s heart, it was clear that she was filled with animosity toward anything that was beautiful and good. If she couldn’t obtain something, then she would rather destroy it than leave it to someone else.

Toward this world that treated her with spite and malice, Pei Qian returned the favor with interest, treating the world with her greatest hostility and viciousness. She was extremely skilled at reading people, and could astutely determine the goodwill or ill intent of other people. However, what did she make of this rare blessing from the heavens? She used it to bully those who were even weaker than her, and she used it to act obsequiously and ingratiate herself with those who were stronger than her.

Thus, Chen Ping’an, a kind young man who seldom detested anyone, genuinely detested Pei Qian.

However, now that he was interacting with her day and night, he started to observe her actions and use them as a mirror to look back at himself.

In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Zhong Qiu was always worried that Yu Zhenyi would end up becoming the type of person that he detested the most—those wanton otherworldly immortals who treated human life with disgusting disregard.

Lu Tai had once said, “One can’t understand good if one doesn’t interact with evil.”

Chen Ping’an naturally hadn’t been willing to keep Pei Qian by his side. However, the old Daoist priest had forcefully dragged her out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land and taken the choice away from Chen Ping’an. If Chen Ping’an were given a choice, then he would have been more willing to bring Cao Qinglang out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

If Zhong Qiu were willing to set aside his responsibilities, then Chen Ping’an would have also been willing to bring him to Majestic World so he could witness the sceneries of this vast world. He definitely wouldn’t have chosen Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, or the others.

The environment couldn’t be changed and Pei Qian’s situation was already set in stone, yet she was still unwilling to put in any effort when it came to reading, learning characters, and picking up the new dialects, things that were all essential for survival.

Chen Ping’an could barely fathom what would happen if Pei Qian were to swap positions with him.

Would she detest Song Jixin and feel extremely jealous of him, yet still get along with this wealthy neighbor on the surface? Would she watch on idly as Liu Xianyang was beaten to death? Would she bully Gu Can for fun every day? Would she follow along with the others in the dragon kiln and stoop to the lowest of levels to torment that feminine man?

Would she ingratiate herself with Mr. Qi, A’Liang, and the Scholarly Sage?

However, even if such a “Chen Ping’an” were fortunate enough to encounter them in the long river of time, his encounters with them would assuredly be nothing more than fleeting encounters. He would brush past them yet fail to grab the life-changing opportunities with both hands.

Old Man Yao had been very correct.

All kinds of good karma and fated opportunities existed in the world, yet the question was whether one could grab these things with both hands. If even the small opportunities leaked through the gaps between one’s fingers, then how could one possibly grow strong enough to fight for and catch the bigger opportunities?

However, there was another “but.”

He could remember his parent’s kindheartedness, and the few words that Old Man Yao had spoken afterward.

But what about Pei Qian?

It seemed as if no one had ever taught her how to differentiate between right and wrong.

Chen Ping’an had already taught her for quite a while now, yet she was still as ungrateful and misbehaved as usual. Perhaps this was a case of a leopard not being able to change its spots?

Chen Ping’an felt a little frustrated.

He had accompanied Li Baoping, Li Huai, and Lin Shouyi to Great Sui Nation, and Cui Dongshan, Yu Lu, and Xie Xie had joined them partway through their long trip. However, Chen Ping’an had never felt as frustrated as he was feeling now.

Chen Ping’an put his fishing rod away.

Pei Qian rested her cheeks in her hands and asked, “Why aren’t you fishing anymore? You still haven’t caught anything yet. Fish soup is very good, and dried fish is also delicious.”

Chen Ping’an wanted to say something, but couldn’t help but hesitate. In the end, he chose to swallow his words and remain silent.

He had initially wanted to be forthright with her. For example, he would say that if Cao Qinglang were here instead of her, then he would happily teach the little boy fist techniques as long as he was willing to learn. He would also be happy to teach the little boy sword techniques. In fact, even if Cao Qinglang wanted to become a Qi refiner, Chen Ping’an would still be willing to help him and provide him with all the grain rain coins and immortal treasures that he needed.

However, his attitude toward Pei Qian was different. Even if she had cultivation talent, Chen Ping’an would still be unwilling to teach her anything. In fact, he wasn’t even willing to let her take an extra glance at the six-step walking meditation of the Mountain Shaking Guide.

Chen Ping’an recalled the first time that A’Liang had appeared.

He recalled the section of the trip that they had completed together.

Had A’Liang also viewed him like this? Had A’Liang viewed him like he was viewing Pei Qian now, or had A’Liang viewed him like he had viewed Cao Qinglang back in the small courtyard?

“Do you want to learn how to fish?” Chen Ping’an suddenly asked.

“Can I not learn? I also have to memorize books and practice handwriting every day, so I’m afraid that I won’t be able to learn so many things at once,” Pei Qian replied in a quiet voice.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “You don’t have to learn it if you don’t want to. You should go back to bed now. If everything goes smoothly, that wedding procession should pass by again in a moment, bringing the bride to visit the commandery governor. Remember to pretend that you’re asleep. From tomorrow onward, you’ll also be responsible for looking after the luggage and the fishing rod.”

Upon recalling those filthy beings from just then, Pei Qian didn’t dare to refuse Chen Ping’an’s request. She hesitantly returned to her small tent, and she tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling into a light sleep.

Chen Ping’an thought for a moment, and eventually walked over to her tent and secretly stuck a Mind Calming Talisman outside.

Roughly two hours later, the wedding procession which had gone to pick up the bride with a grand sedan chair returned even more lively and boisterous than before. At the same time, many spirits and beasts from the bride’s territory were following behind the wedding procession. Some could already assume human form, yet some were still traversing the mountains in their true form.

Among these spirits and beasts, there was a pitch-black spider as large as a millstone, two muscular apes that dashed forward in a swift and nimble manner, and a female ghost whose face was caked in blood whose lower garment was actually burial garment.

Many of the spirits and beasts were itching to cause trouble when they saw Chen Ping’an sitting by the small stream and reading a book.

However, they were forced to restrain themselves as there were many ghost attendants watching over them and keeping them under control.

Chen Ping’an suddenly stood up. There was a maidservant wearing a red dress and holding a lantern in the distance, and her feet didn’t make contact with the ground as she hovered toward Chen Ping’an. She curtsied in greeting before smiling and asking in a gentle voice, “Esteemed traveler, today is a joyous day for the commandery governor, and I was just asked to extend an invitation to you. Are you interested in attending tonight’s wedding banquet?

“Please rest assured, esteemed traveler. The commandery governor is known for his fairness and upright nature, so not only will your yang energy and lifespan not be detrimentally affected if you attend, but you’ll even receive a small present instead.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied with a smile, “I truly don’t dare to disturb the esteemed commandery governor. Please extend my thanks for the warm invitation.”

The maidservant wasn’t angry at Chen Ping’an’s blunt refusal to attend, and she smiled in a graceful and restrained manner and said, “Then this servant will wish you a safe and smooth journey. If you encounter any challenges within a four-hundred-kilometer radius, then feel free to use the name of the commandery governor, Jin Huang. This will guarantee you a safe passage.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and thanked the maidservant, saying, “Please offer my congratulations to the commandery governor.”

The maidservant smiled beautifully before turning around to leave in a graceful manner, leaving a refreshing fragrance in her wake.

When the old woman heard from the maidservant that Chen Ping’an wasn’t willing to attend the wedding banquet, she simply dismissed his response with a smile. It was a shame that the young boy was going to let slip a huge fated opportunity.

The mountain god was renowned for his generosity, and those who attended his wedding banquet tonight would all be offered a cup of orchid wine and a small section of a thousand-year-old ginseng. Others were all wracking their brains and doing everything they could to attend this wedding banquet, yet this young boy was actually doing the opposite and failing to cherish this opportunity? Then so be it. She wouldn’t place a blade on his neck and force him to accept the fated opportunities.

An arm that was as white as a lotus root pulled back the exquisitely embroidered curtain of the grand sedan chair, revealing a woman wearing a phoenix headdress and a red face cover. Her appearance was concealed, and she looked at the old woman through her red face cover.

The old woman bowed and asked with a faint smile, “Is something the matter, Young Mistress?”

“How much longer until we stop and enter the residence?” the bride asked in a mellow voice.

She was an ordinary woman from a highly-educated clan, and it was love at first sight when she had encountered the mountain god by chance several years ago during one of his patrols to the prefectural city. However, getting married to a mountain god with her yang body would have detrimentally affected her hidden virtue as well as the mountain god’s merit and virtue.

Even so, she was still deeply in love with the mountain god. Thus, after dutifully attending to her parents for three years, she had constructed a path to fortune and prosperity for her clan with the secret help of the mountain god, the commandery governor of the area.

Afterward, she had resolutely cut her wrists and committed suicide. After passing away, it was then perfectly justifiable for her to marry Jin Huang as a yin entity. This adhered to etiquette. Indeed, her deeds had already become a touching story praised by everyone.

1. This references a line from the Analects of Confucius. However, there are contentions about the true meaning of this line, which varies greatly depending on how it’s punctuated (子不语怪力乱神 vs 子不语，怪力乱神). The former punctuation and meaning are used here, and the original text means that Confucius didn’t comment on peculiar matters, immense strength, chaotic events, and ghosts and deities. The latter punctuation changes the meaning to “Confucius stopped speaking in order to focus his attention on…” Historically speaking, the former explanation has been used since ancient times and is still the most popular explanation. ☜