Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an was slightly skeptical of the impoverished scholar’s words.

The old Daoist priest in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had once led him through the blessed land and allowed him to witness all kinds of people and emotions. Chen Ping’an was somewhat familiar with the ego of an imperial court, so he had already prepared to flee to the south before making the decision to throw hands. Even so, it was still possible that Qi refiners from the Great Quan Empire would hunt him for thousands of kilometers.

Moreover, it was definitely difficult for the impoverished scholar surnamed Zhong to deal with this troublesome matter. This was the case even if he happened to be from one of the largest sects in Parasol Leaf Continent such as Parasol Leaf Sect, Jade Tablet Sect, Planchette Writing Sect, or Peace and Tranquility Mountain.

As for whether this scholar in azure was from a Confucian school or a Confucian academy? Chen Ping’an was more inclined to believe that he wasn’t. This was because in Chen Ping’an’s experience, virtuous scholars and noble scholars from Confucian academies were both unwilling and not allowed to carelessly interfere in the private affairs of mortal empires, unless the issue pertained to the legitimacy of the empire.

In any case, Chen Ping’an appreciated the scholar’s goodwill.

However, he wasn’t so careless as to turn around and look at the scholar, lest he alert his enemies to their communication.

Right now, Chen Ping’an was most apprehensive of the eunuch dressed in bright red official garb. The eunuch’s spiritual energy was abundant and had already reached an impressive state of being “watertight.” It was as if a lantern was hanging in his dantian and illuminating his acupoints, flickering with each long and calm breath that he took. It was brighter for longer than it was dim, yet it was unable to maintain this brightness for extended periods of time. Even though the eunuch wasn’t a genuine Golden Core Tier earth immortal, it was very likely that he was only a small step away from becoming one.

Of course, this small step also implied a gulf that was as large as the distance between heaven and earth. There was a common saying in the mountains: “Those who form a golden core will become one of us.”

However, only earth immortals from the mountains had the right to utter these words. To all Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers and all pure martial artists under the Wing Formation Tier, those who had formed half a golden core were still extremely lofty beings. Their each and every action was filled with astonishing might.

Outside the inn, or from the perspective of Wei Xian, who was standing at the door…

Several Qi refiners gracefully hovered over and landed beside the young cavalryman. Among these Qi refiners was the old immortal in his eighties from the carriage as well as the young female cultivator.

Behind the dozen or so Qi refiners, the hundreds of elite cavalry rapidly left their current formation and completely encircled the small inn, holding specially crafted imperial crossbows in their hands. Reports needed to be made to the Ministry of War each time these weapons were taken out of storage, and there also existed many checks and balances to carefully inspect the damage, destruction, or loss of these weapons.

The young cavalryman squatted down, looking at the wide-eyed corpse of his good friend of many years. Gao Shuyi’s face was filled with shock, terror, and confusion. The young cavalryman gently ran his hand over the little duke’s face, closing his eyes once and for all.

It was abundantly clear that he was the true leader of this group. Meanwhile, the corpse on the ground—Little Duke Gao Shuyi who had already drowned to death in the cultivation world—was only his study companion. In reality, Gao Shuyi wasn’t the only person with such a status.

There were two other young men inside the inn, and they were both the prince’s study companions. They weren’t officials, and didn’t receive a salary from the imperial court either. Rather, they were descendants of wealthy clans who hoped that their prince would one day become the crown prince. Of course, it would naturally be even better if he could directly go from prince to emperor.

The young cavalryman was Liu Mao, the third prince of the Great Quan Empire. Even though the first prince and the second prince had extremely good reputations among the scholarly officials and military generals, respectively, Third Prince Liu Mao was the favorite prince of the emperor right now.

Moreover, there were rumors in the streets and alleys that the third prince had liked to secretly leave the imperial court and journey around the world ever since a young age. Each time he returned home, he would always bring with him a bucketload of stories from the cultivation world and country regions that were sure to amuse the emperor.

Not only that, but Third Prince Liu Mao’s late mother had also been the emperor’s favorite concubine in the past. She had passed away very young, so Emperor Liu Zhen was an extremely doting father to Liu Mao. As a consequence, he was also very generous toward Liu Mao’s study companions, youths who had been selected and sent over by old officials such as Gao Shizhen.

Liu Mao stood up and instructed someone to carry Gao Shuyi’s corpse away. He then looked at the inn and asked in puzzlement, “I’m quite confused right now. You’re trying to save the Yao Clan, so why did you insist on killing the son of the duke? Why didn’t you wait for a moment longer until the messenger pigeon from the inn delivered the news to the Yao Clan? Why didn’t you wait for Old General Yao to arrive and resolve the situation? Is there still room for negotiation now that you’ve killed Gao Shuyi?”

Wei Xian found this fairly interesting as he leaned against the doorframe.

Yao Zhen, the Great General of the South, had just faced an assassination attempt and been seriously injured. Thus, he might not have rushed to the inn personally even if he received news of the situation. Instead, he would have most likely dispatched a trusted descendant of the Yao Clan over to mediate with Gao Shuyi, who was barking and biting people like a crazed dog.

The scheming third prince of the Great Quan Empire had used the beautiful excuse of coming here to taste the renowned green plum wine. However, it was clear that he was here to lead a sheep in his desired direction. And who was this sheep? It was naturally Yao Zhen, the leader of the Yao Clan’s cavalry and someone who wielded massive power and influence on the borders.

Gao Shuyi hadn’t feigned all of his unruly and domineering nature. Thus, it struck just the right balance for him to step forward and provoke all of the descendants from the Yao Clan except for Old General Yao Zhen. If Yao Zhen personally came to the inn, however, then Gao Shuyi wouldn’t be suited to this role anymore. He wasn’t Duke Gao Shizhen, after all, and his seniority was lower than that of Yao Zhen as well.

On the other hand, Gao Shuyi could wantonly threaten and abuse the descendants of the Yao Clan as long as Yao Zhen didn’t come. Thus, it wouldn’t make any difference regardless of how many descendants from the Yao Clan came. They would simply be wasting their own strength and adding fuel to the fire, causing the situation to become even direr.

Wei Xian dared to assert that Emperor Liu Zhen, who had already been absent from several important occasions such as the champion scholar’s banquet and the spring and autumn grand ritual this year, was either critically ill or had encountered significant political issues. If the latter were true, then it was very likely that he had already lost control of the imperial court.

The three princes should have been displaying their skills and competing to become crown prince, yet their competition had potentially transformed into one for the emperor’s throne. Thus, it was only natural that things would become brutal and bloody.

The Yao Clan could have indeed remained a neutral force and maintained its power and influence over the border regions if Yao Zhen’s daughter hadn’t married into a wealthy clan in the capital, causing the Yao Clan to become tied to the Ministry of Personnel’s head minister because of Li Xiling, Yao Zhen’s son-in-law.

If this weren’t the case, the Yao Clan could have stayed put and waited for the strange and bloody chaos in the capital to pass. When everything was over, the Yao Clan could dispatch a direct descendant to the capital to meet the new emperor and express their loyalty. Alternatively, they could do nothing and wait for the new emperor to tour the south, during which he would try to win over the Yao Clan.

Standing outside the inn, Third Prince Liu Mao wasn’t targeting Chen Ping’an with his words. Instead, he was purposely saying them to Jiu Niang and the hunchbacked Third Grandpa.

Things would become very interesting in the inn if they were persuaded by his words.

Chen Ping’an was risking his life to protect the Yao Clan, so what would happen if the Yao Clan ignored his goodwill and even turned around to scold him for turning them into traitors? After stepping forward in a righteous manner to protect them, could Chen Ping’an still maintain his composure and vigor?

Those with a gallant heart could often endure the punishment of blades and flames, and promises between like-minded people in the cultivation world were worth their weight in gold, not being broken even in the face of death. However, neither of these things could endure betrayal.

Liu Mao chuckled coldly and continued, “Perhaps you’re forcing the Yao Clan to rebel? You only look at the short term but don’t consider the long term or the bigger picture when dealing with gratitude and revenge, so can you truly be regarded as a gallant hero of the cultivation world?”

Sure enough…the human heart was the weakest against scrutiny and temptation.

People were always like this. Even when trapped in a perilous situation, people would still hold onto that faint sliver of hope before their fate was comprehensively sealed.

Clan Leader Yao Zhen had faced a sinister assassination attempt, yet he had ultimately managed to break free with only some injuries. Moreover, when Head Minister Li from the Ministry of Personnel had tried to resign back then, the emperor had offered a humorous reply to his resignation letter, writing, “Your freshness is but half gone; it’s too early for you to resign.” Afterward, the emperor had ordered someone to deliver a few tribute fish to the Li Clan’s residence.

The combat power of the Yao Clan’s cavalry was still unrivaled among the numerous armies in the south. No one dared to underestimate them.

After joining forces with the imperial court and infiltrating Northern Jin Nation for a mission, the Qi refiners who accompanied the Yao Clan’s cavalry had most likely returned to Clan Leader Yao Zhen’s side already.

It was also rumored that Li Xiling, the Yao Clan’s impressive son-in-law, had a chance to enter Great Subduing Academy, a Confucian academy located in the central region of Parasol Leaf Continent.

Both the Yao Clan and the Li Clan were pillar forces of the empire. They were upright and noble clans, so the commoners didn’t suspect them of trying to incite an uprising even though they were now related through marriage. Quite the contrary, in fact, and the commoners viewed the couple as a match made in heaven. They were like a blooming flower, an extra touch on the Great Quan Empire’s formidable power. They were the subject of a beautiful story praised by many people.

That being the case, how could the Yao Clan lie down and accept its destruction just like this?

Jiu Niang’s expression changed slightly.

A cloudy expression spread across the hunchbacked Third Grandpa’s face.

Standing on the second floor, a hint of involuntary resentment was visible on Yao Lingzhi’s beautiful face as she looked at the young boy in white. She felt sincere gratitude toward him, yet she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at his actions at the same time.

She wasn’t feeling this way because of her cowardly desire to live. Rather, this was due to the dense layers of spirit tablets resting inside the ancestral hall of the Yao Clan. More would be added each year, and each spirit tablet would contain a name beginning with Yao.

Apart from granting their descendants the courage to fight to the death on the battlefield, the spirit tablets of these predecessors who had sacrificed themselves in battle also left behind an intangible pressure. The descendants of the Yao Clan couldn’t sully the loyalty of the Yao Clan, not even a single bit. They wouldn’t accept any blemish.

This was human nature.

Members of the Yao Clan could die, but the reputation of the Yao Clan couldn’t be sullied. Otherwise, would they have the face to look at their ancestors after death?

This was tragic yet respectable.

Chen Ping’an ignored both of Third Prince Liu Mao’s remarks.

Liu Mao opened his mouth for the third time, saying, “Since it doesn’t look like you’ll change your mind, how about you let the uninvolved people out of the inn first? These young men are all descendants of wealthy clans in my Great Quan Empire, yet none of them are lazing around and leisurely enjoying the fortune brought about by their ancestral blessing. Instead, they put themselves in mortal danger and even infiltrate enemy nations to kill our enemies. They’re the least deserving of death in a place like this.”

He was employing reason, emotion, and the morality of the cultivation world.

The two tables of young subordinates in the inn were all filled with indignation. They glared at Chen Ping’an in fury, and this was especially the case for the three people who had sat at the same table as Gao Shuyi. They were seething with anger, and they felt a strong desire to hack Chen Ping’an’s head off. That way, they could carry his head to Gao Shuyi’s grave in the future, forcing him to “apologize” for his actions.

Wei Xian turned around to look at Chen Ping’an, waiting for an answer. Were they going to release these people, or were they going to kill them?

“Don’t allow a single person to leave. However, don’t target them either unless they attempt to leave,” Chen Ping’an instructed.

Wei Xian nodded with a smile.

The eunuch in bright red official garb was the only person who could still make his own decisions even in the presence of Third Prince Liu Mao. With his uniquely effeminate voice as a eunuch, he said coldly, “They’re nothing more than a bunch of impudent fools, Your Highness. Please allow this old servant and General Xu to step forward and capture these criminals from Northern Jin Nation. So what if he’s a sword cultivator? Will trash become more powerful simply because they possess one or two flying swords?”

Jiu Niang was just about to say something, yet the impoverished scholar with the surname Zhong had already cut in front of her and consoled, “Jiu Niang, things have already come to this, so the matter already can’t get any worse. Why don’t we stay put and see how things turn out? You can’t change the current situation no matter what you say.”

The lame young boy standing near the curtain to the kitchen nodded earnestly and concurred, “He has uttered nothing but bullshit in his life, and this is his only statement that has a modicum of sense.”

The hunchbacked old man turned around and fumed, “You’re already a cripple, yet you want to become mute as well?”

The lame young boy immediately shut up in fright.

Including Chen Ping’an, all of the five people helping the Yao Clan were pure martial artists skilled at close-quarter combat.

Meanwhile, with the exception of General Xu Qingzhou, both of their opponents in the eunuch and Xu Tong were Qi refiners. In addition to them, there were also the two tables of young subordinates who could only sit still in trepidation.

On the second floor, Yao Lingzhi suddenly turned to Chen Ping’an and shouted, “Don’t kill anyone else! Or else the Yao Clan will be dragged to death by you!

A door on the second floor suddenly opened, and Pei Qian glowered at the young girl and fumed, “Shut your stinky mouth, you stinky little girl. I’ll use the peerless sword technique that my dad taught me to stab you to death if you dare to criticize my dad again!”

The skinny little girl then looked down at the first floor and asked, “Dad, what should I do now? I’ve already finished reading the book once.”

With his back facing the second floor, Chen Ping’an replied, “Then read it again.”

After pausing for a moment, he added, “If you dare to keep shouting, then you won’t be reading books in the future. Rather, you’ll be eating books.”

Pei Qian nodded earnestly and replied, “Got it, Dad! I’ll listen to you.”

The instant that Pei Qian closed her door was the instant that both sides lashed out in unison.

From the second floor, Sui Youbian controlled Deep Infatuation in a crescent-shaped trajectory, slashing at Esteemed Immortal Xu Tong’s neck.

Xu Tong’s stable but nimble footwork was dizzying as he dodged the attacks of Deep Infatuation again and again. At the same time, he held his index finger and middle finger together and summoned abundant spiritual energy to gather to his sleeves, causing five-colored cloud patterns and lingering mist to materialize on his Dao robe. Numerous warriors clad in black armor appeared beside him.

In fact, these warriors were nothing but empty armors, yet they were still surprisingly agile.

Deep Infatuation could easily pierce through these suits of black armor, yet doing so was seemingly unable to decrease the combat power of these warriors formed from talismans. Deep Infatuation pierced through one of the warrior’s “face,” yet the warrior surprisingly raised its hands and tightly wrapped it around the blade, leading to a sharp metallic sound as sparks flew through the air.

General Xu Qingzhou, wearing a Militarian armor pellet, and Lu Baixiang, wielding Halting Snow, both stepped forward at the same time, crossing their blades and instantly swapping positions. It was as if a silver thread were flowing from the tips of their blades.

Meanwhile, the Qi refiners standing outside the inn used seven or eight immortal tools to launch a flurry of attacks at Wei Xian who was blocking the doorway. These dazzling attacks were extremely spectacular against the backdrop of night.

Wei Xian immediately tightened his grip on the Divine Dewbearing Armor and funneled his True Qi into it, causing the armor pellet to instantly transform into a suit of armor on his body. This was identical to what the Great Quan Empire’s General Xu Qingzhou had done.

His fists were as mighty as dragons and as quick as lightning.

Wei Xian’s fist aura was condensed and rapidly flowing like a waterfall, and he was also being protected by a high-grade suit of Dew Armor. However, Wei Xian didn’t choose to face the attacks from the immortals head-on, and he instead chose to deflect their attacks to the side. Countless streaks of light lingered in the air between the immortal tools and Wei Xian, ringing with crisp metallic sounds as they crisscrossed and attacked the man blocking the entrance.

A moment later, Wei Xian was completely enveloped by the dazzling light. However, he became increasingly courageous as he fought, with his aura also rising explosively.

Inside the inn, the female sword immortal from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land had an apathetic expression as she held two fingers in front of her chest and controlled Deep Infatuation to attack Xu Tong. She gently twirled the wrist of her other jade-like hand, causing half of the chopsticks on the table to hover into the air as if they were receiving a military command. They transformed into “flying swords” that streaked through the air, navigating past the black-clad warriors as they shot toward Xu Tong.

Meanwhile, the other half of the chopsticks flew to the second floor and hovered around Sui Youbian, defending her from the elusive lightning attacks launched by Xu Tong. Each exchange would cause a chopstick to disintegrate into dust.

Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian remained squatting on the railing, silent and stealthy.

In his eyes, Chen Ping’an and the eunuch in bright red official garb were the only people who could decide the outcome of this battle. The two of them were in tacit understanding, and they instantly unleashed their full strength right from the very beginning.

Chen Ping’an used a Land-Shortening Talisman and immediately launched a punch using the Deity Drumming Technique.

Meanwhile, the imperial guardian of the Great Quan Empire released both his yin soul and his yang soul at once, with his two Dao Manifestations appearing ethereal and intangible yet mighty and dignified.

Not only was Chen Ping’an’s attack blocked, but his chest was struck by the eunuch’s yin soul as well. Fortunately, Golden Sweet Wine was able to prevent this from causing any serious damage. Even so, excruciating pain still shot through Chen Ping’an’s chest.

However, Chen Ping’an remained unmoving like a mountain and stomped his foot.

He also released his souls, and two more Chen Ping’ans appeared on the first floor of the inn. His two souls charged forward and unleashed the Deity Drumming Technique.

One punch was followed by countless other punches.