Unsheathed

Zhu Lian rubbed his hands together like a fly, smiling. “I’m already used to being number one in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. Now that I’m in such a massive new world, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to climb to the same heights as before, but at the very least, I have to strive for the top spot among the four of us. Otherwise, I would be too ashamed to serve you, Young Master.

“If I can’t even beat a woman, then I may as well smash my own head against a wall and end it all right now! Besides, risk and reward have always come hand in hand. During the battle back at the temple, I let myself run a bit too wild, and even now, I’m still plagued by some internal injuries. Surely you’re not so cruel that you would stand by and watch as I’m left behind by the other three.”

“Have you made up your mind?” Chen Ping’an asked with a serious expression.

Zhu Lian was just as serious as he nodded in response.

“If I hadn’t made up my mind, then I wouldn’t have come to knock on your door and disturb your rest in the middle of the night.”

Chen Ping’an pulled out the two vials, then tipped a pill out of each as he sighed in a resigned manner, “You’re responsible for your own life, I suppose. These two pills will serve as compensation for your courageous showing at the temple.”

Zhu Lian accepted the two pills from Chen Ping’an and immediately swallowed them, then stood up smiling and bade Chen Ping’an farewell.

“You’re a good man, Young Master. From now on, I’ll serve you with the utmost loyalty.”

Chen Ping’an knew better than to take Zhu Lian’s flattery seriously, so it merely went in one ear and out the other.

At this moment, Pei Qian was laying with her cheek pressed against the table, and as Zhu Lian turned to glance at her, their eyes met for a moment.

With that, Zhu Lian departed.

Later that night, Pei Qian had already fallen asleep in the neighboring room, and Chen Ping’an was practicing his standing meditation in his own room when he heaved a faint sigh before opening the door.

Sui Youbian was standing outside.

“I don’t want a Fire Dragon Pill or a Rain Bringer Pill, all I want is a Seated Meditation Pill,” she declared in a direct and straightforward manner.

“Are you that eager to take a risk on your own life with Zhu Lian? Are you two a pair of lovers trying to die a romantic death together? If you’re not even patient enough to wait until we reach Old Dragon City, then it would be a complete waste even if I gave you an entire vial of Seated Meditation Pills!”

After delivering that tirade, Chen Ping’an slammed the door shut without even allowing her into the room.

Sui Youbian stood expressionlessly in front of his door for a long while before finally departing in silence.

The following five days passed by in peace and serenity.

There was still just over a month left until the ship was scheduled to reach Old Dragon City.

On this day, Chen Ping’an approached Green Goat Palace’s administrator on the ship to ask if he knew of any premium cauldrons being sold, to which the administrator replied that he did.

Even though Green Goat Palace didn’t sell cauldrons, Lu Yong had dedicated his entire life to pill refinement, and over time, he had gathered a large collection of cauldrons.

The administrator knew that Chen Ping’an was an extremely esteemed guest, so he promised Chen Ping’an that he would bring up the matter to Lu Yong, but as for whether Lu Yong would actually be willing to part with any of his cauldrons, that was something that he couldn’t make any guarantees on. For now, all he could do was send a message by flying sword back to Green Goat Palace.

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists in a grateful salute.

The administrator didn’t know much about Chen Ping’an, but he was certain that Chen Ping’an had to be some young master with extremely powerful backers, and that he seemed to be quite close with the leader of the Jiang Clan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to agree to bring up his request for a cauldron to Lu Yong.

Lu Yong’s cauldrons were his most prized possessions, and even the ones that he didn’t use were carefully stored away. As long as he wasn’t refining pills, he would carefully wipe down all of his cauldrons every single day.

The flying sword letters sent out on the Heavenly Palace Peak were a special product from a large cultivating sect on Northern Complete Reed Continent. It was a very expensive service, but it was worth the money, and it was extremely fast, far more so than this ship, which prioritized safety at the cost of speed.

As Green Goat Palace’s administrator returned to Chen Ping’an with an answer to his request, Chen Ping’an was feeling a little awkward and uneasy.

Lu Yong’s response was that he would he would personally deliver a premium cauldron that had been in his collection for many years, and Chen Ping’an was feeling awkward because he was certain that he didn’t have enough money left to be able to afford the cauldron, so he would have to borrow money from Fan Er or Zheng Dafeng once he reached Old Dragon City.

However, doing business like this seemed to be far too unreasonable and unfair for Lu Yong. After all, Chen Ping’an had grown accustomed to the style of business conducted by Old Man Yang back in the Yang Family’s medicine shop.

With that in mind, Chen Ping’an was feeling very guilty to have troubled Lu Yong to come all this way again, but to his surprise, after he revealed his current financial status, Lu Yong had immediately burst into laughter, and not only was he not angry in the slightest, it seemed that he was put more at ease.

After arriving at Chen Ping’an’s room, Lu Yong instructed the Golden Core Tier administrator to keep a lookout outside the room, and only after that did Lu Yong bring out a special pocket treasure that was only just barely large enough to hold his beloved cauldron.

As soon as the cauldron was revealed, it hovered around a foot in the air above the table, and rainbow mist permeated in all directions, while a fragrant aroma wafted throughout the entire room.

Anyone would be able to tell that this was an extremely precious cauldron unless they were blind.

Pei Qian carefully circled around the table while intently staring at the red cauldron, which had a length, width, and height all roughly comparable to the length of a grown man’s arm.

The cauldron had five legs, and each leg consisted of a leg from each of the five beasts on the cauldron, joined together. The heads of the beasts were situated on the edge of the cauldron, and their mouths were open to release the rainbow mist, which consisted of five colors that corresponded with the five elements.

A proud look appeared on Lu Yong’s face as he pointed at the hovering cauldron with a smile on his face and said, “This cauldron is called the Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron, and the primary materials used to refine it are of the metal element. The teachings of our old pill refinement ancestor state that the metal element has an everlasting and imperishable property, so it’s perfect for refining all types of treasures.

“It was only thanks to a huge fated opportunity that I was able to obtain this cauldron from an immortal abode in a broken small world, and at the time, there had been many powers fighting over the cauldron. I was only able to obtain the cauldron as I had the best luck out of everyone.

“Normally, I wouldn’t be willing to sell this cauldron, but seeing as it’s for your personal use, I’d be more than happy to part with it, and I’ll also give you a very fair price of only fifty grain rain coins!”

Chen Ping’an’s eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this.

Fifty grain rain coins was an astronomical price, but he knew that for such an exceptional cauldron, it was an absolute bargain.

After taking a deep breath, he said, “Palace Leader Lu, I definitely want to buy this cauldron, but at the moment, I lack the funds required, and I’m not sure whether my friend over in Old Dragon City would be willing to lend me so much money. If I’ve made you come all this way for nothing, then please allow me to apologize in advance.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist in an apologetic salute as he spoke.

A myriad of emotions welled up in Lu Yong’s heart, and he couldn’t help but think of how great a place this world would be if all cultivators were as polite and reasonable as Chen Ping’an.

Was he truly willing to sell this Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron? Prior to meeting Jiang Shangzhen and Chen Ping’an, anyone who tried to purchase the cauldron from him would’ve instantly been met with a torrent of abuse, and if the request had come from a Qi refiner below the Nascent Tier, then Lu Yong would’ve been inclined to give them a beating as well.

However, in the wake of recent events, his mindset had taken on a drastic shift. After returning to Green Goat Palace with the batch of grain rain coins that had almost cost him his life, he had pondered everything that had recently transpired, and he had figured out how best to deal with people with Jiang Shangzhen.

Hence, after receiving that flying sword letter from the ship, not only was he not disgruntled by Chen Ping’an’s request, he was ecstatic! Of course, it pained him immensely to have to part with this cauldron that he cherished almost as much as his own life, but he knew what had to be done, and as long as Chen Ping’an dared to buy it, he was willing to sell it!

There was also a secret behind this Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron, which was that it was a cauldron of too high a caliber. Ironically, this proved to be a curse rather than a blessing for Lu Yong as the refinement mantra that he used and the pill refinement ingredients that he had access to were essentially not worthy of the Five-Colored Golden Box Cauldron.

Perhaps he would use the cauldron once every century on average, and the pills that he managed to refine using it would only just barely break even, or sometimes even result in a net loss. Hence, he had to admit that the cauldron was next to useless for him, and that he was simply too inferior a cultivator and pill refinement master to make full use of it.

Shortly thereafter, Lu Yong departed from Chen Ping’an’s room with a pleased smile. He had left the Five-colored Golden Box Cauldron with Chen Ping’an, along with a pill refinement book stitched together using some type of unknown material.

Chen Ping’an carefully stowed the cauldron away into his minimization treasure, then began reading through the book, which had been personally written by Lu Yong.

After a short stint of reading, he left his room to go to the sword chamber on the ship that was specifically designated for sending out flying sword letters, then sent a letter to Jiang Shangzhen.

In the letter, he gave a brief discount of the transaction that had just taken place between him and Lu Yong, and at the end of the letter, he wrote: “I owe you two favors, one big and one small.”

Inside a room on the ship, the Golden Core Tier administrator was standing beside Lu Yong, informing him of the fact that Chen Ping’an had just sent a letter to Jade Tablet Sect.

As for the contents of the letter, that naturally remained confidential. Otherwise, no one would dare to use the flying sword letter service.

“Does this Young Master come from a prestigious background, Palace Leader Lu?” the Golden Core Tier administrator asked in a curious manner.

Lu Yong carefully considered his response, then smiled as he replied, “I think just the fact that he possesses a minimization treasure at such a young age is already very telling.”

Earlier, Lu Yong had realized that he had made a mistake as soon as he left Chen Ping’an’s room. He had left the Five-colored Golden Box Cauldron as a gesture of sincerity, but a cauldron of such an exceptional caliber couldn’t just be stored in any pocket treasure, and even if one could forcibly stuff the cauldron into a pocket treasure, there was a chance that it would simply burst open the pocket treasure’s internal space.

However, right as Lu Yong was about to turn back, he was surprised to discover that the cauldron’s aura had instantly vanished.

There was no doubt in his mind that a minimization treasure had been used.

“He must be a direct descendant of an extremely formidable immortal power,” the Golden Core Tier administrator speculated. “It’s rather interesting that a young immortal from such a prestigious background likes to travel with pure martial artists as his servants.”

Lu Yong didn’t want to discuss Chen Ping’an any further, so he waved a hand to put an end to that conversation.

Following the administrator’s departure, Lu Yong sat by himself in his room as he sighed, “My suffering wasn’t in vain. My Green Goat Palace is saved.”

As the ship finally arrived at the ferry station on the island outside Old Dragon City, Chen Ping’an heaved a long sigh of relief.

He was back in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and it was already late winter.

The Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island ship was absent from the ferry station, so it was most likely yet to return from Stalactite Mountain, and Chen Ping’an wondered if he would get a chance to see Lady Gui again.

As soon as Chen Ping’an spotted the Golden Core Tier administrator standing outside his door without Lu Yong by his side, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

Sure enough, the Golden Core Tier administrator informed, “Palace Leader Lu had to return to the Heavenly Palace Peak over some urgent matters, and he instructed me to tell you that there’s no hurry for you to pay for the cauldron. Whenever you get the money, you can send someone to deliver it to the ship, but there’s no need to put any pressure on yourself.”

“I’ll be sure to gather the money as soon as possible,” Chen Ping’an replied in a resigned manner.

The Golden Core Tier administrator smiled as he reemphasized, “There’s no hurry. Prior to his departure, Palace Leader Lu instructed me not to try and rush you under any circumstances.”

Not long after Lu Yong returned to the Heavenly Palace Peak, a flying sword letter had arrived at Green Goat Palace with such incredible speed and power that it had almost laid waste to the sword chamber on the mountain.

Lu Yong retrieved the letter in a timid fashion, then returned to his manor with a steely expression, and only when he was sure that he wouldn’t be seen did he erupt into hearty laughter.

In addition to the one hundred grain rain coins that Jiang Shangzhen had left for him on the ship, from this day forth, Jade Tablet Sect was going to take in every single pill produced by Green Goat Palace and help them sell the pills across the entire Parasol Leaf Continent.

Lu Yong immediately instructed people to leave the mountain to recruit disciples from whatever source possible, whether that be searching for young talents in villages, or outright requesting them from the Great Quan Empire, Southern Qi Nation, and all of the other nearby nations.

In any case, Green Goat Palace was going to be taking in as many disciples as possible, and it didn’t matter even if their aptitude was a little lacking. As long as they cultivated for seven or eight years and were diligently instructed by Green Goat Palace, they would at least be able to refine the simplest pills, and that would be guaranteed income for the sect!

After that, Lu Yong made his way to the ancestral hall, and while offering up incense to the portraits of the old ancestors hanging on the walls, he prayed, “Esteemed ancestors, please bless our Green Goat Palace so that it can thrive and prosper for millennia to come.”

————

Chen Ping’an emerged onto the dock of the ferry station with his bamboo case on his back.

With only one step left, Pei Qian brought her feet together, then jumped down onto the ground and placed her hands on her hips as she puffed out her chest and declared, “Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, here I come!”

What was the name of that little girl who likes to wear red? Li Baoping, right? She’s studying at that Mountain Cliff Academy or whatever like an idiot! How dare she refer to my father as her junior uncle! I’ll teach her a good lesson when I see her!

Wei Xian and the others also disembarked from the ship, then gathered around on either side of Chen Ping’an.

“Where to next, Young Master? Do we go straight into the city?” Zhu Lian asked with a slight bow.

Chen Ping’an already had a plan in mind, and he smiled as he replied, “There are people from the Fan Clan of Old Dragon City staying at this ferry station, all we need to do is go and find them. I’m very good friends with one of their clan’s heirs.”

“As expected, all of your friends are very remarkable, Young Master,” Zhu Lian praised.

After consuming those two pills from Green Goat Palace, not only had Zhu Lian recovered from all of his internal injuries, his soul had also been nurtured and enhanced.

However, as for when he was going to be able to reach the Vajra Body Tier, Chen Ping’an didn’t ask, and Zhu Lian didn’t say.

At the same time, it occurred to both Lu Baixiang and Sui Youbian that someone that Chen Ping’an was referring to as a “close friend” had to be a very close friend indeed.

“Don’t forget about the candy that you owe me,” Wei Xian said to Pei Qian.

A pitiable look immediately appeared on Pei Qian’s face as she replied, “I have no money at all right now.”

“In the past, this would be considered deceiving the emperor, a crime punishable by death,” Wei Xian said in a stern manner.

Pei Qian pointed at Chen Ping’an in secret, then said to Wei Xian, “Look at how my father treats his friends, then look at how you’re treating me as your friend. Do you not feel at least a little bit ashamed of yourself?”

“Even between the closest of friends, there can be no ambiguity when it comes to money matters. Otherwise, even the strongest of friendships are bound to fall apart,” Wei Xian replied.

Pei Qian kicked Wei Xian’s shin as she complained, “Being your friend sucks!”

Chen Ping’an turned around, and Pei Qian hurriedly crouched down and patted Wei Zhen’s leg, pretending to fuss over his attire as she said, “You’re a grown man, Old Man Wei, why are you still still sloppy? Look at how dirty your pants are! I’ll dust them off for you.”

Chen Ping’an led the way toward the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island dock according to his memory, and his footsteps felt rather heavy whenever he thought of the debt of fifty grain rain coins that he currently owed.

Shouldn’t young boys be carrying hopes and aspirations on their shoulders instead of being burdened by debt? But then again, I’m no longer a young boy, am I?

In the words of Pei Qian: “How vexing.”