Unsheathed

Zheng Dafeng was stunned into silence, and he was trying to make a connection between the young man before him and the young boy from back in Jewel Small World, but it was clear that he was struggling in that endeavor.

In the end, all he could do was grumble, “Calm down! You spat all over my face!”

After a brief silence, Zheng Dafeng accepted the vial of Seated Meditation Pills from Chen Ping’an. If Chen Ping’an wasn’t exaggerating about the quality of these pills, then just two pills would be enough to suppress his injuries. However, making a full recovery was not such a simple matter, and the root of his problems couldn’t be remedied with just a pill or two.

Pei Qian was looking into the room from the doorstep, and she was furious as she raised her hiking pole and yelled, “What the hell’s wrong with you? If you keep being so ungrateful, I’m going to get really mad!”

Zheng Dafeng put the vial away, then turned to her with an amused grin as he replied, “I’m absolutely quaking in my boots! My, where has a beautiful and heroic maiden like you come from?”

Pei Qian cleared her throat, then stood up straight and slammed the bottom of her hiking pole into the ground as she declared, “Listen up! My name is Pei Qian, and I’m a princess who’s fallen on hard times. Chen Ping’an is my… master, and I’m the founding disciple of our sect!”

Pei Qian no longer dared to proclaim herself Chen Ping’an’s daughter in front of others for fear of a beating.

Zheng Dafeng stared at Pei Qian for a moment with his mouth slightly agape, then turned to Chen Ping’an, wondering how this strange duo had come together.

“Let’s go inside, I have some important matters to discuss with you,” Chen Ping’an said.

“Important matters? Haven’t we already discussed everything?” Zheng Dafeng asked.

“Just because I’m willing to get involved in this doesn’t mean I actually have a death wish!” Chen Ping’an snapped. “How many Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals does the opposing camp have? Which powers are fence sitters, which earth immortals will actually take part in the battle, will there potentially be any cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers getting involved?

“These are all things that I have to familiarize myself with. On top of that, I also have to learn about the geomancy of Old Dragon City and the escape routes that we can take near Dragon Scaling Platform, and you have to tell me about the your battles against the Fu Clan, the Fang Clan, and the Ding Clan.”

Zheng Dafeng was developing a headache from the barrage of questions, and he pulled out the vial of Seated Meditation Pills and thrust it back at Chen Ping’an as he grumbled, “I don’t want your stuff. I told you we’re not the same type of people.”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to him as he strode directly into the shop.

The ying soul with the Zhao surname had already appeared in the shop, and he smiled as he said, “I can tell you everything you want to know.”

Zheng Dafeng heaved a forlorn sigh, then habitually scratched his own crotch before picking up his stool and returning to the shop. From there, he followed Chen Ping’an to the backyard. After entering Zheng Dafeng’s room, Chen Ping’an and the yin soul with the Zhao surname sat down across from each other,.

Pei Qian didn’t dare to sit on the main seat at the head of the table between them. Instead, she sat down on the bench facing the entrance of the room, leaving the main seat vacant for Zheng Dafeng. As for Wei Xian and the others, Chen Ping’an instructed them to bring chairs for themselves and listen in on the conversation as well.

Prior to taking a seat, Zheng Dafeng finally displayed some hospitality befitting of a host, placing a large handful of sunflower seeds onto a dish before setting the dish down in front of Pei Qian, who took a glance at Chen Ping’an, then reluctantly thanked Zheng Dafeng.

After that, Zheng Dafeng brought out two large dishes of salted peanuts and beef jerky for himself.

Pei Qian looked at the sunflower seeds in her small dishes, then looked at the feast that Zheng Dafeng had laid out for himself. Even his dishes were larger than hers was!

Pei Qian gave him a thumbs-up as she praised in a facetious manner, “What a generous and hospitable host you are!”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to thank me,” Zheng Dafeng replied with a wide grin.

Pei Qian sat down onto her stool in a huff to eat her sunflower seeds in a disgruntled fashion.

Chen Ping’an set his Sword Nurturing Gourd down onto the table and asked, “Are you able to drink?”

Zheng Dafeng was chewing on some peanuts as he shook his head and replied, “I’m afraid not. Drinking is strictly off limits for me in the near future.”

“In six days, during the Major Cold solar term, Zheng Dafeng and Fu Qi will engage in a battle to the death on the Fu Clan’s, Dragon Scaling Platform,” the yin soul with the Zhao surname said. “Only one of the two will be able to leave the Dragon Scaling Platform alive on that day.

“If Zheng Dafeng dies, then all we’ll have to do is gather his body, and we won’t be in any danger. After killing a ninth tier martial artist, the Fu Clan will have already won back its lost honor, and it won’t be so petty as to insist on targeting the Dust Medicinal Shop.”

A wry smile then appeared on the yin soul’s face as he continued, “Of course, I can’t just stand by and watch Zheng Dafeng die on the Dragon Scaling Platform. If he dies, then I won’t even be able to continue existing as a yin soul, let alone protect my descendants.

“Hence, even if the Dragon Scaling Platform is rife with restrictions on the day, I’ll still have to venture into the fray, but if I’m forced to do that, then it means that all is already lost, and I’ll only be slightly delaying Zheng Dafeng inevitable death.

“If you decide to enter the battle as well, then everything will descend into complete chaos. Setting aside all of the Golden Core and Nascent Tier cultivators, even all of the Middle Five Tier cultivators from all of the city’s five major clans aside from the Fan Clan will most likely throw their hats into the ring as well.”

“I’m already aware of that. That would be the worst possible outcome. What’s the best possible outcome?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The yin soul was rather taken aback. It seemed that Chen Ping’an had changed a lot over the course of his trip to Stalactite Mountain and back. However, as a yin soul, his facial features were quite blurry, so the surprise on his face wasn’t very noticeable.

The yin soul continued, “After defeating Chu Yang, Zheng Dafeng fought against a Nascent Tier Fu Clan ancestor wielding a pseudo-celestial tool. Having been in Old Dragon City for so long, the Fu Clan has transformed its manor into a small world much like an academy or a Daoist temple. Hence, that battle was a very arduous one for Zheng Dafeng.”

“I was just holding back,” Zheng Dafeng scoffed. “My target from the very beginning was always to beat the crap out of Fu Qi. If I hadn’t intentionally suppressed my own cultivation base, I would’ve stomped that old fart into the ground and spat on his face.”

Chen Ping’an was rather skeptical, but the yin god smiled and corroborated, “Zheng Dafeng’s telling the truth, he really was holding back because he didn’t want to reveal his true cultivation base too soon.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response. This did seem like something that Zheng Dafeng would do.

If Li Er had been in his place, there was no way that he would’ve done the same thing.

Back in Jewel Small World, Zheng Dafeng was actually probably the most learned individual with the exceptions of Mr. Qi, Old Man Yang, and Li Xisheng. The more one knew, the greater the heights that one would strive to reach. Due to this burden of knowledge, his fist intent turned out to be not as pure as Li Er’s.

After all, desire often narrowed one’s field of view, and that was why it had been so difficult for Zheng Dafeng to make his ninth tier breakthrough, to the point that Chen Ping’an and that Chapter of Sincerity had to serve as his Dao mentors.

“In that case, who was it that hurt him so badly? Was it the direct disciple of Parasol Leaf Sect who married into the Ding Clan? Why did a battle break out between them in the first place?” Chen Ping’an asked.

Zheng Dafeng’s expression darkened slightly as he bit down viciously onto a piece of beef jerky, while the yin soul smiled and replied, “He came to the Dust Medicinal Shop out of the blue and gave a long-winded spiel from the get-go. In summary, his name is Du Yan, and he’s the eldest grandson of Parasol Leaf Sect’s patriarch.

“Apparently, he once came to Old Dragon City under the guise of a false identity, and at the time, the ancestors of that young man from the Fang Clan served as lackies for him. That young man is the only male clansman of his generation, so he wanted Zheng Dafeng to do him a favor and spare the lineage of the Fang Clan. As long as Zheng Dafeng was willing to do so, he promised that Parasol Leaf Sect would side with the Dust Medicinal Shop.”

The yin soul took a glance at Zheng Dafeng, who had been sneaking furtive glances at Chen Ping’an’s Sword Nurturing Gourd this entire time, and a cold sneer appeared on his face as he scoffed, “He’s only a ninth tier martial artist, yet he thinks he’s invincible.

“He knew that there was an Unpolished Jade Tier cultivator with Du Yan at the time, yet he openly insulted him to his face, saying that it was pathetic that an Upper Five Tiers cultivator like him was willing to serve as a lapdog for someone else. How do you feel now, Zheng Dafeng?

“Do you want to drink some wine? If you do, then go ahead, you’re invincible anyway, right? So what if Fu Qi is a Nascent Tier cultivator wielding at least one celestial tool while also enhanced by the Dragon Scaling Platform? You’ll still knock him down with just a single punch!”

Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes and rested a foot on a bench as he shrugged in a nonchalant manner. However, not being able to drink wine really was rather torturous for him. What was even more frustrating was that he had already told Chen Ping’an that he wasn’t going to drink, and Chen Ping’an wasn’t drinking himself, but for some reason, he had set the Sword Nurturing Gourd down onto the table and even removed the stopper for some reason!

“By the way, Fan Er told me that Zheng Dafeng visited the Fang Clan and said something to that young man. What did you say?” Chen Ping’an asked with a curious expression.

Zheng Dafeng tossed away the peanut shells in his hand, then replied with a cold expression, “I told him that I’m going to make him regret ever being born. Old Man Zhao knows some forbidden techniques that’ll ensure that he suffers for the rest of his life.”

Only now did Chen Ping’an turn around to face Wei Xian and the others as he smiled and said, “I forgot to introduce everyone. This is Zheng Dafeng, and he comes from the same hometown as me. He’s a ninth tier martial artist, and he was the gatekeeper of our town. Back then, he offered me a paying job, so I’m grateful to him.”

Zheng Dafeng cupped his fist in a salute toward Wei Xian and the others.

“The former owner of my flying sword, Fifteenth, is his master. Over the past few decades, his master has only taken on two disciples. Zheng Dafeng is now at the ninth tier, while his senior brother has already reached the tenth tier, and he did so with extreme ease, it was really about as routine as eating and drinking for him,” Chen Ping’an continued.

Pei Qian’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. This cultivation method suited her perfectly! If she could become a tenth tier martial artist just by eating and drinking, then she would never have to read or make transcriptions again! If she could sneak in a few sips of wine here and there on top of that… Just the mere thought was getting her excited!

After directing some mockery at Zheng Dafeng, the yin soul continued, “The best possible outcome would be if Zheng Dafeng managed to defeat Fu Qi. If that were to happen, then we would have to consider how we’re going to take Zheng Dafeng and return here alive. The journey from the Dragon Scaling Platform back to the Dust Medicinal Shop will undoubtedly be an extremely perilous one, but who knows?

“Maybe the heavens will smile down upon us. Looking at the current state of affairs, the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan poses the biggest threat to us, but at the same time, the resounding reputation of the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan provides us with a slim chance at survival. If Zheng Dafeng were to survive and return from the Dragon Scaling Platform, then no one would dare to step in and stand up for the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan or the Fu Clan.

“Even the Fu Clan wouldn’t dare to revoke the agreement and continue to come after Zheng Dafeng. As for whether they’ll make a move in private, if they do, then it’ll most likely be on the way back from the Dragon Scaling Platform.”

The yin soul paused here momentarily, then asked, “Is that woman really not willing to intervene?”

The person that he was referring to was the main reason why Zheng Dafeng had decided to leave Jewel Small World and come to Old Dragon City.

Zheng Dafeng pursed his lips as he scoffed, “She already made her stance clear before I went to the Fang Clan. At the very most, she’s only going to ensure that the Fan Clan won’t screw me over, and that the Fu Clan won’t be able to wield the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City. As for everything else, she said that if I have a death wish, then she’ll gladly watch me die.”

These were not Fan Junmao’s exact words. At the time, what she had actually said to him was: “You’re always growing older, but seemingly never any wiser. You’re still just as useless as ever, so you deserve to be nailed to a pillar again.”

Of course, Zheng Dafeng wasn’t going to relay these exact words to Chen Ping’an as it would be far too embarrassing for him.

Even the yin soul with the Zhao surname wasn’t able to eavesdrop on this conversation. Fan Junmao’s rapid cultivation base progression had always been extremely strange, there was clearly far more to her than met the eye.

Aside from Fu Qi, everyone in Old Dragon City was utterly perplexed by why the Fan Clan had decided to go against all conventional wisdom and refuse to submit to the Fu Clan.

In the Fan Clan, there was someone who had more authority than Fan Er’s father. In fact, their authority even outweighed the collective voices of everyone in the Fan Clan’s ancestral hall, and that person was not some hidden Nascent Tier ancestor.

Well, at the Nascent Tier they were, but certainly not an ancestor of the clan; and that person was none other than Fan Er’s half-sister, Fan Junmao. However, on this occasion, she hadn’t chosen to side with Zheng Dafeng. Instead, she had told him that she was only going to act as a neutral bystander, even if it meant watching Zheng Dafeng die.

Zheng Dafeng knew that she wasn’t joking around.

The yin soul then gave Chen Ping’an an introduction of all of the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals of all of the five major clans outside of the Fan Clans, as well as the notable mystical abilities and artifacts of those clans.

Compared with what Fan Er had told him in the carriage, the yin soul only listed three additional people, and none of them were at the Nascent Tier, so this was great news.

“I can secure a geomancy map of Old Dragon City and the Dragon Scaling Platform by tonight,” the yin soul offered, and Chen Ping’an naturally wasn’t going to refuse.

The yin soul then took a glance at Zheng Dafeng, and he suddenly erupted into a furious tirade.

“Goddamn it, why couldn’t I have been assigned with the task of protecting Chen Ping’an instead? I wouldn’t have to constantly wipe his ass for him, and even if I do wind up in a battle because of him, at least it’ll be one where I can really go all out and not have to think too much, instead of having to hatch one plot after another for what’s basically a hopeless cause!”

Zheng Dafeng took a glance at him out of the corner of his eye as he scoffed, “Have you forgotten all of the comfortable days that you were able to spend with me?”

The yin soul harrumphed cold in response.

“Are there any Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators lurking behind the scenes? If so, how many?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“How many Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators do you think there are on our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? Let me count them off for you,” Zheng Dafeng chuckled. “Ruan Qiong of our Jewel Small World is one. The Song Clan is a powerful force, is it not? It’s conquered close to half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, but they still worship that old swordsmith like a Bodhisattva, do they not?

“The old ancestor of Great Sui Nation’s Gao Clan is another one. He likes to go around parading as a storyteller, and even he didn’t dare to take a punch from my senior brother. There’s also Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple, but he’s a prodigy that only comes around once in a thousand years, perhaps even longer.

“There’s definitely one on True Martial Mountain, but he never likes to show himself. The leader of Divine Edict Sect only recently reached the Immortal Tier and attained the Heavenly Lord title. The mountain master of Lake View Academy may not even be at the Upper Five Tiers yet. So there you have it, how many Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators are there?

“Of course, there are also people like Heavenly Lord Xie Shi of Northern Complete Reed Continent, Sword Immortal Cao Xi of Southern Whirl Continent, and the Mohist wandering hero, Xu Ruo, but they don’t count as cultivators of our Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.”

“Why do Heavenly Lord Xie Shi and Sword Immortal Cao Xi not count?” Chen Ping’an asked. “Both of them came out of our Jewel Small World, and they may have made their reputations on other continents, but they still share the same hometown as us. In particular, Cao Xi’s ancestral residence is also on Clay Vase Alley, and I ran into him there last time.

“I have to say, he’s not a great guy. He tampered with the door gods at my house, but thankfully, Li Baoping’s brother saw through what he did and made things right again.”

Zheng Dafeng couldn’t argue with this, so he could only chew on some jerky in silence.

Wei Xian and the others had been trying to remain composed this entire time, but they were really struggling to maintain their composure at this point.

Just how ridiculous a place was this “hometown” of Chen Ping’an’s?

What kind of fucking town had a gatekeeper who was a ninth tier martial artist, who, in turn, had a tenth tier martial artist as his senior brother? And it was also home to a sword immortal and a Daoist Heavenly Lord? Was there any ordinary person in that town?!

Having just been rebuked by Chen Ping’an, Zheng Dafeng wanted to redeem himself, and he asked, “Alright, but how many tenth tier martial artists are there on Eastern Treasured Vial Continent? There are only two, right? Li Er and Song Changjing. I’m going to be next, right? Surely your fist technique instructor isn’t also a tenth tier martial artist!”

Chen Ping’an hesitated momentarily, then said in a truthful fashion, “Honestly, I think he is.”

Zheng Dafeng rubbed a hand over his own face, then yelled in indignation, “Well, I almost progressed straight to the tenth tier from the pinnacle of the eighth tier! How about that? Has anyone ever done that before?”

“Then how about you progress to the tenth tier right here for me? We’d have nothing to worry about then,” Chen Ping’an chuckled. “I wouldn’t even have to go to the Dragon Scaling Platform then. I’ll just stay in the Dust Medicinal Shop and cook up a big celebratory feast for you, how about that?”

Zheng Dafeng had no response to this.

If it were so easy to reach the tenth tier, then why would Li Er have left Jewel Small World?

For pure martial artists, the difference between the ninth and tenth tiers was rather similar to that between the twelfth and thirteenth tiers for swordsmen.

As for the eleventh tier for martial artists and fourteenth tier for swordsmen, those tiers were only really ever seen in legends.

Those two bottlenecks were even more diabolical than that of the fifth and sixth tiers and the tenth and eleventh tiers for Qi refiners.

Zheng Dafeng was an extremely ambitious man, but even he didn’t dare to aim for the Martial God Tier.

The yin soul with the Zhao surname was feeling very pleased. It seemed like Chen Ping’an knew exactly how to push Zheng Dafeng’s buttons.

Chen Ping’an turned to the yin soul and asked, “Is there something special about this Dust Medicinal Shop?”

“Of course,” the yin soul replied with a smile. “The divine lord instructed me to choose this place for a reason. Once the formation is activated, my cultivation base can be elevated to the Unpolished Jade Tier here.”

“Even then, it’s only a way for you to elevate your own cultivation base at the cost of good karma, and you won’t be able to keep it up for long,” Zheng Dafeng sighed.

“Do you really think I haven’t been doing anything useful this entire time that we’ve been in Old Dragon City?” the yin soul scoffed. “All you’ve been doing is sunbathing all day and waiting for celestial maidens to fly over your head, but I’ve actually been applying my time effectively. If we can make it through this month, then perhaps things will take a turn for the better.”

“I see.”

“Alright, let’s tally up the people that we have on our side then,” Chen Ping’an said with a smile.

Zheng Dafeng popped a handful of salted peanuts into his own mouth, then asked, “Who are you referring to? Are we not already all in this room?”

Pei Qian pointed at herself with a joyful smile as she asked, “I count as well? But I still haven’t mastered my unrivaled swordsmanship yet.”

It was a rare moment of self-awareness from Pei Qian.

“I disagree, Heroine Pei. You are actually the backbone of our group, so do not look down on yourself!” Zheng Dafeng said in a serious voice.

Pei Qian gladly accepted the compliment, and she pushed her empty dish at Zheng Dafeng as she demanded, “Get me some more sunflower seeds.”